by Zara Novak
“And he can be here again, providing that you do as I requested of you earlier. Do you think you can do that witch? Can you do as I ask?”
Glamora’s eyes were wide and black, lost without focus. Her gaze flicked repeatedly from the ancient vampire to the muscular white man stood perfectly still at his side. What had happened to her lover? What had happened to her mate? “He’ll come back?” she stammered.
“Yes,” the Vistor said coldly. “Now tell me. Will you do as I ask?”
“Yes!” she answered quickly. “Yes! Please! Hurry! I need him! I need him!”
The Vistor pulled two photographs from his pocket and floated them across the air and into the hands of the witch. She looked down at them with intensity for a minute before looking back up at the vampire. “I need a bowl of water, some fire and salt. Hurry.”
Ten minutes later the witch had everything she needed for her spell. She drew the salt around herself in a broad circle, sat down in the middle and lit a candle next to her bowl of water. Smoke started to rise from the water immediately, making the Vistor watch the witch with much suspicion.
The young woman smoothed her hands through the air while staring into the water, muttering incantations under her breath. After a few seconds the smoke cleared, and a light shone up from the water. She looked up at the Vistor, her eyes hard as steel. “Which one first?”
“The vampire. Ansel Draco. Where can I find him?”
The witch held the picture of the vampire over the candle and waited for it to catch fire. It ignited, and she held the flaming photo in both her hands, crumbling the ash into the shining water below. She leaned over the bowl and her eyes reflected its golden white color. In her mind she saw a vision of Belmont castle. Endless forest, sprawling brick towers. Parapets that ran along mountain tops. The vampire came to her in a dark room, stood behind a girl with a large round belly. They both stood in a mirror, smiling to each other.
The vision broke away and she looked up at the taunting red eyes of the Vistor. “This vampire you seek, he has a mate. She is pregnant.”
He turned his head at the news. It was most surprising to him. “He has found himself a breeder? Is he part of the prophecy?”
Her gaze softened as her mind focused on something distant and she shook her head. “No. She wasn’t always a breeder. It is a lightness from the prophecy. She is the first generation of the new dawn. He is… a guardian.”
He raised a solitary brow at the word. “Guardian?”
“Lightness. Put forth in a body to destroy the black. Put forth to destroy…” she lifted her gaze to his once more and smiled. “…you.”
Venom and hatred burned in the pit of the Vistor’s stomach. “Just tell me where the bastard is! Dead Rest? The Valley?!”
“Belmont valley. Castle Belmont.”
He found himself surprised once more at the news. “Belmont Castle? Well, well. That is most intriguing.” He filed the information away in his memory and immediately set to work in plotting Draco’s assassination. “Do the next one. The girl. Ellie Thorn. Where is she?”
The witch repeated her brief ritual, igniting the photo over the flames and crumbling the ashes into the shining water. She leaned over once more and stared into the shimmering liquid until its color was reflected in her eyes. This time the vision wasn’t as clear. It was fractured. She saw another castle, but this one was much further away. It was covered in white. It was… lost?
Her eyes jumped to the picture of a storm and the sensation of deep rumbling. There were the eyes of an ancient woman. An old elderly vampire that brimmed with immense power. Glamora pulled herself back from those eyes and recognized the face of the elder. She had the same eyes of the mysterious man that had taken the form of her lover just moments before.
She shook her head and snapped herself back into the room. “Who is this creature?” she asked and pointed at Kaleb.
“Kaleb Spartan,” the Vistor announced. “Why?”
“Where do you come from creature?” Glamora said, addressing the hybrid directly. The statuesque man stood perfectly still, staring back at her in silence.
“He has not been fully woken yet,” the Vistor said. “He is still in a half trance. An automaton, serving only to follow my orders. He cannot recount his previous life in his current state. But I can tell you. He was a specimen taken from the north of Belmont Valley. What did you see in your vision?”
“I saw eyes. His eyes. The eyes of his grandmother. You took him from a village?”
The Vistor scoffed. “I did no such thing. He was brought to me by Vangzali.” He turned and looked at the young vampire. “Is that where you originated from Kaleb?”
Kaleb turned his golden-red eyes on his master and nodded. “Yes sir. Skarvast sir.”
“Is that what you wanted witch?” he said, looking back at the young woman. “Is that what your vision said?”
“The young girl is with his grandmother. I presume she is in this village.”
Another dark smile came to the Vistor. Most brilliant. The Circle could conjure up portals very close to there. “Then it is settled. Thank you for your assistance Glamora. Your work is done. For now.”
The Vistor turned toward the door and walked forward, with Kaleb following close behind him. Glamora shot to her feet. “Wait, wait!”
“Hmm?” He turned around and looked back through the cell door at the desperate young woman. “What is it?”
“My mate,” she pleaded. “My soulmate. You said you would return him. Please!”
“I’m very sorry Glamora,” he said and stepped forward. “You proved to be too useful. Kaleb is leaving now. He’s off to kill the girl you just found. You’ll never see your soulmate again.” A dark chuckle brimmed on his lips as tears fell down the girl’s face. “Relax. It’s not like he was real. Consider yourself lucky. You got a glimpse of what you’ll miss for the rest of your life. Some people don’t even get that.”
Turning, the Vistor smiled to himself as the closing door cut short the girl’s hysterical screams. He stalked down the hallway with Kaleb walking at his side obediently. “I must say Kaleb, you are proving to be much more effective than I realized. Let us journey to the portal room and get you ready for your departure. It’s time to activate you and destroy this prophecy once and for all.”
26
The next couple of hours were a blur of panic and concern for Ellie. She’d desperately wanted to follow Jack out into the square and stand next to him to fight at his side. Kara insisted that Ellie being out in the open was too risky however. All it would take was one Order member to spot her, and Ellie’s life could potentially be over.
As she heard the storm roll in overhead there was much confusion on the other vampire’s faces. Eyes flicked about in worry. Voices murmured with whispering question. Kara stood beside Ellie all the while, still and resolute. A minute later the first flashes came outside, and the deafening roar of thunder cracked through the sky.
“Where did this storm come from?” Malachi cried while looking about the room. “It could interfere with our signal jam!”
“It won’t,” Kara said calmly. “The Order are defeated. Rourke, Malachi, head into the square and confirm it for me.”
Ellie stood there feeling numb, staring out through the shattered doors that Jack had broken only minutes before. A sharp gale carried sheets of rain part way inside. Rourke and Malachi ran outside to confirm what Ellie and Kara already knew. She wanted to be outside, she wanted to be with him. She’d seen his powers once before. It didn’t look like a pleasant thing.
Moments later Malachi was back at the door, panting heavily. “They’re all dead! The hostages are fine! Jack is collapsed on the floor, but he’s alive. What the hell happened out there?!”
“Never mind that now,” Kara said sagely. “Assemble a team and sweep through the rest of the village before sunrise. We need to secure the perimeter immediately and check there are no more soldiers hiding in the town. We will start repairing t
he wall tomorrow and send scouting teams out into the forest to make sure there are no more Order members. Escort Jack to the infirmary to rest and take Ellie with you. Inform the doctor that the patient is shadow cursed.”
Toshi, one of Kara’s guards, approached the elder and bowed slightly. “What about her?” he asked, nodding at Monica Valentine who was still restrained behind the bar.
Kara turned and inspected the vampire silently. “Escort her to the cells. She made an attack on one of the lost daughters and cannot be trusted. She jeopardized the prophecy.”
“I thought she was lying!” Monica screamed while struggling against the grip of two guards. They carried her out of the room quickly. Kara faced Ellie once more.
“You know that he is all right child?” she asked.
Ellie gave an uncertain nod. “Yes, but I’d still like to be next to him. His power is dangerous to his mind. I need to be there when he wakes up, or he might not remember…”
The elder nodded. “I understand. Come, we will go to the infirmary now and you can be there when he wakes up. From now a team of guards will be assigned to protect you at all times. Your secret is out now, and your safety is of utmost importance.”
They stepped out into the storm, escorted on all sides by a dozen of Kara’s guard. Wind howled, rain fell in horizontal sheets. Ellie might have normally kept her head down in such abhorrent weather, but right now all she wanted was to see Jack. She walked on tiptoes to peer over the wall of guards escorting her. There was a brief glimpse of the square but no Jack. Rourke must have already taken him.
On the east side of the square she saw the giant hole that had been blown in the village’s surrounding wall. Large chunks of unearthed stone lay scattered about the square. A good third of the village’s twee buildings had suffered some sort of damage. Tiles and timber were blown apart, holes were blasted through rooftops.
“We will have to rebuild,” Kara said as they walked across the square to the infirmary, noting Ellie’s concerned gaze. “It is nothing we haven’t faced before. It will give my people something to do, and that will keep them happy.”
“I can’t help but feel this is all my fault,” Ellie stammered back.
“Nonsense. The attack would have happened whether you were here or not. The difference however is the help you provided. Without yourself and Jack I doubt we would have fought the Order off successfully. Come, the infirmary is just ahead.”
Droves of injured vampires made up the packed hallways of the bustling infirmary. The Order’s attack had not only damaged the buildings in the village, but also affected many of the regulars that lived here. Kara’s guard escorted Ellie through the hallways quickly, but it was impossible to ignore the sights and sounds of a village almost brought to its knees.
They took an elevator up to the fourth floor. It was quieter up here, but there were still a lot of people about. They approached a reception and stopped. The doctor standing there took one look at Kara’s guard and opened his eyes in surprise. “Mistress Kara! Can I help you?”
“We are here to see the vampire that was just brought in. The shadow cursed.”
“O-Of course!” he stammered, placing a clipboard down on the side next to him. “Follow me!” He led them down the hall to a room at the end. Kara had her guards stand sentry in the waiting room outside. Ellie hurried after the doctor on quick feet. A window outside Jack’s room showed him sleeping on a bed. Wires and tubes led in and out of his body.
“Jack!” She ran for the door but was held back by one of Kara’s guards. Squirming, she tried to free herself. “Let me go! I need to see him!”
“Easy child,” Kara said as she came to stand next to Ellie at the window. “Take a look at your mate as he lies on the bed. Do you notice anything unusual?”
The only unusual thing Ellie noticed was a sudden urge to strike out and hurt everyone that was keeping her from Jack. After a few more moments of fruitless struggling she eased off and looked through the window to see Jack sleeping on the bed. He was restrained. She turned her head to look at Kara. “You’ve chained him up, why?”
“A precautionary measure. Tell me, you said you saw him display this power once before. Were you there when he woke up after?”
“Well, no. But what does that matter?”
The elder gazed upon her with kind eyes. “The shadow curse is a dreadful thing. It can take hold of one’s mind and make it act in the most awful way. A grandson of mine bore the same curse, and I watched it take his mind and turn it into darkness.”
Ellie saw the hurt in Kara’s eyes. “What do you mean?”
“He bore the same curse as Jack. A demon possessed his body. He didn’t control storms as Jack does, his curse was tied with the cycles of the moon. When a full moon came the demon took over his body. He found himself locked in a frenzy of rage and violence. He would always return to his normal self upon wakening, but one time he did not. There was a leftover of the demon’s power. He woke in a rage and nearly killed me.”
“You think that could happen with Jack?” Ellie asked, looking through the window at her sleeping mate.
Kara nodded. “I am not sure, but it is a possibility. Until he is awake we will take precaution. Jack’s darkness could fill the room with the force of his lethal magic, I cannot risk placing a lost daughter in front of that energy.”
“No,” Ellie said and shook her head in desperation. “Please. I need to be there when he wakes up! I need to be there for him!” She surged forward to escape the guard’s grasp again, but it was little against his strength.
“I know this hurts right now child, but it is for your own safety. We will wait in the room across the hall. There is a doctor stationed in the room with Jack. Once he wakes and we know it is safe you can see him at once. I promise.”
Her tired cries and screams echoed down the hallways as the guards pulled Ellie back from the window. All she wanted to do was fight. All she wanted was to be by his side. As they pulled her back she kept her eyes locked on his window, watching as it grew smaller with each passing second. Tears streamed down her cheeks, fatigue burned across her body.
Her heart ached for him. Her soul turned with fire. They turned around the corner and the window slipped out of sight. The fight left her body and she dropped her head to her chest, sobbing as her feet slid across the polished floor. She was done.
Dreams of snow and fire consumed Ellie. She ran along endless stone corridors, twisted down spiraling staircases and sprinted across large stone rooms that were ice cold from years of abandon. This was her childhood home, this was the place she had known a long time ago before her life changed forever. She found herself standing on a balcony looking over an ice-capped mountain range. The snowy tundra was beautiful, stirring up senses inside of her that had long remained forgotten. Breath floated from her lips as steam. A voice whispered behind her.
This is where he will take you. This is where he will kill you.
Turning, she looked back into the room behind. Cold forced her to shiver. She stepped into a long-abandoned bedroom and looked at the brunette girl standing just across from her. She couldn’t say how, but she knew this woman was the pigtailed girl she knew as a child.
“What did you say?”
He will bring you here. She said again, speaking without moving her lips. He will bring you here and kill you. He will trick you. You have to remember it’s not him. Your love is for both minds of his minds. Not the one that brings you here.
Ellie shook her head. “Who are you?”
You don’t remember? I am your sister.
An image flashed in Ellie’s eyes of a spiral birthmark, scored at the bottom of the girl’s back, just as there was on her back. “You’re… Claire?” she said.
The brunette girl smiled, with kindness sparkling in her eyes. A gust of wind swept into the room from the balcony behind Ellie and the scene blew away like dust. When she opened her eyes she found herself standing in a long and open hall. Thick dust settled on
forgotten furniture. Drifts of snow sat in an open window that had been left for decades. Cobwebs covered everything.
She was in a chair by a dying fire, sat across from a girl with autumn-red hair. The girl looked back at her with glistening green eyes. Ellie recognized her too as her childhood friend. She was the same girl that had gone with her to live with the York vampires.
It’s been a long-time sister. The girl said in a kind voice. She too spoke without moving her lips.
“What is this?” Ellie asked, her voice trembled slightly with fear and confusion.
A vision. A dream to help you remember. A dream to warn you. He will bring you here to kill you.
Ellie saw another spiral flash before her eyes. The girl with the red hair was the third sister. The other lost daughter. “Who are you?” she asked in desperation. She was the one that remained, the one that was still hidden.
You know who I am, she answered cryptically.
“But, where are you? Why can’t we find you?” Claire was accounted for, she was the one to start the prophecy. Ellie had embraced her path, though it had taken long enough. But this girl, the third one. She knew nothing of her, she sensed she was a long way from being found.
I am remaining hidden. I don’t want to be found. I have… more pressing things to address.
More pressing? Than the prophecy? Ellie wanted to jump out of the chair and grab the girl by her wrist. What was she thinking?
Have no fears. It will all come together in time. All you have to do is remember. He will bring you here, but he is not the one you love. Let your heart guide you, or you will die.
A gust of wind came down the fire and extinguished the twinkling coals. The scene began to crumble away once more. Ellie jumped up from the chair, desperate to ask more of the girl. “Wait!” she said. “Don’t go! I need your help! We need to find each other!”
All in time… the voices answered back. The old room around Ellie disappeared into endless darkness and she felt herself falling. She reached out and clawed at the air in a desperate attempt to grab onto anything. But there was only darkness.