by Amber Lynn
She took the books over to the desk and started flipping through the one on top of the pile. It was the smallest of the three, which got progressively bigger as the pile got closer to the top of the desk.
“With your father involved, it’s not surprising that most of these stories go back to the time when the factions were banded together to fight the humans. A lot of them seem like stories told to little kids to get their imaginations started, but not all of them are tales of adventures. This here is the story of how the chosen one goes back in time to find her partner.”
Trilla tapped her finger on the page she’d stopped on and slid the book across the table for Krinton to see. After hearing what she’d said, Krinla wanted to look at the book too, but waited for her father’s reaction.
“I suppose that sounds as farfetched as some of the other stories, but that’s why he was human, right? You somehow went back in time to find him.”
Krinton looked over the page and then glanced at Krinla. The wonder mixed with fear she saw in his eyes was a tad disturbing.
“That’s my father’s handwriting. How did you come to possess this book?”
There was anger in his voice, making it clear he thought the book was somehow taken from him. At least that’s what Krinla inferred from the change to a hardened face she could make out in profile.
“Calm down, Krinton,” Trilla said, adding more rasp to her voice than usual. “As much as I like to see you all kerfuffled, I didn’t steal some ancient Dracul heirloom. Take the book and look at the dedication page.”
Trilla didn’t touch the book to help flip it to the inside of the front cover. She seemed to pick up on the anger coming from Krinton better than Krinla expected she would. Draculs were generally good about hiding emotions. Obviously, that had already proven false in Krinla’s case, but her father had always been good at making people guess what he was thinking and feeling.
Krinton picked up the book, closing it for a second so he could get a look at the outside of it. It was leather-bound, which was somewhat rare. The Naturists tended to use the material the most, but even then Krinla heard it was something not often used.
After running his hand across the front of it, feeling all the ridges the book had to offer, Krinton opened the cover and flipped through a few of the front pages. It was clear when he got to the one he was looking for because the book fell out of his hands and landed with a thud on the table.
“That’s impossible. Why would my father give your father stories of our kind? They should’ve stayed with us so we had a better idea of what was to come.”
Krinla still didn’t know exactly what stories her father knew of, but he wasn’t taking whatever he read well. He looked down at the book he’d dropped like it was offending him in some way. Krinla hadn’t been told much about her grandfather, but it was clear he knew how to get under his son’s skin.
“As I said, all factions have stories of the duo sanguine. The books instruct us not to talk about them until the time is right. I figure if the couple is sitting right in front of you, the time has come.”
The sentiment made sense to Krinla. It didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want to waste any more time talking about the duo sanguine.
“They wrote the stories together.”
Rya’s words drew all eyes in the room to her. Her eyes were closed as she tilted her head to the side like she was listening to something.
“Who did?” Krinla was the first to voice what was probably on the tip of everyone else’s tongue.
“All of them.” Rya paused for a second, making Krinla think she was going to have to push again for an answer. “The five leaders of the factions after the Great War.”
Rya opened her eyes, causing Krinla to take a gulp of air into her lungs when the little girl’s eyes appeared solid white for a second before her usual red coloring resurfaced. Along with a lot of the things Krinla had seen over the week of chaos, the eye trick was more than a little unsettling.
“There are only four factions.” Since no one else jumped in to point that out, Krinla thought it was necessary for her to voice the error in Rya’s words.
“Now there are only four, but right after the war, there were five. Hunter’s father was the leader of the humans, my father was the leader of the Draculs and Trilla’s father was the leader of the Beasts. Both the Naturists’ and Reborns’ leaders remain alive to this day.”
Silence filled the room for a second as everyone thought about what was said and decided for themselves what to make of it. Krinla wasn’t sure how the news that it wasn’t just her grandfather writing stories about the duo sanguine made a difference to what their focus needed to be. Sitting around and talking about the past wasn’t going to help them defeat Hulin in the present. They needed at least another day or two of training if Hunter was still supposed to take Hulin on, and as far as Krinla could tell, the claim on her still had to be erased.
“Why do you think there were five people who wrote the stories?” Since no one else had anything to say, Krinla decided to appease her curiosity.
“Because the Naturist involved embedded the essence of each of the five people within the binding of that top book. I don’t know why it’s different than the others, but it is. Even the ones Krinton has back in his library don’t have that kind of magic woven into them.”
“So, what? The book is talking to you?” Hunter asked.
“Basically. The idea was that if a part of all of them was attached to the book, then they would never really die. Kind of odd since two of them are still alive, but maybe that’s why they’re a little harder to hear.”
Krinla looked at the girl who was supposed to be her sister and shook her head. In the moments of quiet that followed, she tried to concentrate on seeing if she could hear any mumblings from beyond the grave. The book seemed to give off a weird vibe, but she didn’t hear anything.
No one seemed ready to dive into next steps, so Krinla decided to reach over and pick up the book. The chair she and Hunter shared was right next to the desk, which put the book within easy reach.
The second her hand touched the cover, a strange warmth spread through her body. Trilla and Krinton hadn’t mentioned the sensation, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t felt the same thing. Much like Krinton, Krinla felt the need to run her fingers along the cover of the book.
There were no words per se, but there were bumps on it that spelled something out. At first, Krinla thought they were just random bumps on the cover. As her fingers ran across them for the third or fourth time, she realized it was more of a pattern.
“The Story of Our Future,” Krinla mumbled. “Volume One.”
Krinla didn’t want to know the stories within the book, since everyone seemed to think they were about her, but she did want to see what was written on the page that had caused her father to drop the book. The first few pages were empty as Krinla opened it and thumbed through them. Before she got to the page she was looking for, she could see the ink bleeding through the page in front of it.
Within these pages is what we know so far about our son and granddaughter. One has already been born, but the other will only be born when their love is needed most. Protect these stories with your life.
Chapter Thirty-two
Krinla found her mind racing after reading the words. The conversation that ensued went along without input from her. She could hear what the others said, but her thoughts were busy trying to make sense of how anyone in the past knew enough to write at least one full book about future events.
There was a chance it was nothing more than stories, but just reading the scribbles at the front of the book put some credence behind the title. The book remained in her lap as talk of what was going to happen next went on around her. Hunter remained quiet next to her, offering what support he could as he held her close.
“How could I have known who the son and granddaughter were? I assumed they were Draculs because of the duo sanguine labeling, but I didn’t know o
f any Draculs alive when the books had to have been written. It clearly states one of the two were already born, which made the dedication a little difficult to believe.”
Trilla was on the defensive as Krinton questioned why she kept the information that his daughter was a part of the duo sanguine a secret. The way he saw it, the inscription in the book was all the evidence needed to know Krinla was involved. Knowing what she did, Krinla sided with him, but Krinton had done his best to keep her a secret.
There was also a chance that Trilla could’ve thought Krinton was the son involved in the couple. Krinla didn’t want to think about that possibility because it made her think of Trilla’s actions in a new light.
“Is there a date associated with your copies of the books? I sat at my father’s feet when he wrote some of the stories we have. He told me back then the adventures weren’t true, but they were important stories that I had to make sure every child learned. None of them were as specific as what you’ve already shown us, though.”
It seemed odd that another faction had better details about Dracul folklore than the Draculs did. Krinton had said that his father had assured him the duo sanguine was real, but yet he didn’t trust him with the stories of how the couple came to be.
“There are a lot of mentions of the Great War itself, so I assumed it was at least that old. I’ve always thought it was just something someone wrote to try to remind us of how bad things can get if we don’t work together. Obviously, it hasn’t done a lot of good over the years as factions continue to bicker even after the war, but as far as I know, only the people who were involved back then knew about it until we took over for our fathers.”
“As fun as this conversation has been,” Rya said once Trilla’s explanation finished, “we really need to focus on the here and now, not something none of us can change. The books were written and handed out so each faction had part of the story, and to get the whole story, all the parts have to be brought together.”
Both Krinton and Trilla looked ready to say something, but Rya held up her right hand. “Clearly that’s something to discuss another day. What needs our attention now is the fact that word is going to get back to Hulin that we’re back and I don’t have to tell anyone here how that’s going to go over with our people.”
Krinla was thankful for the interruption from the talk about the books. The chances of Hulin storming the Beasts’ castle were still slim, but Krinla could see him putting up camp somewhere on the outskirts of their land. She had a tiny bit of hope he hadn’t figured out a way to turn the rest of the Draculs against them, but from Krinton and Rya’s discussions on the matter, it seemed like he was well on his way to launching a revolt even before they took off.
“You seem to know a lot, little one, but I believe you’re going to have to tell me what’s going on in your faction. I know about the searches for the girl,” Trilla nodded her head in Krinla’s direction. “Which I had assumed were being conducted by Krinton until I found a note that indicated otherwise.”
“The version of the story that will get us moving along, is that the Draculs were facing a mutiny and Krinton tried to put a bandage on the wound being formed by promising Krinla to the man leading it. Then Krinla came across human boy over there in the woods and Krinton’s brain started thinking this cute little couple was meant to be.”
Trilla nodded along as Rya went on. Krinla wished the girl would go back to being silent. Even the condensed version of what had been going on in the Draculs’ world made Krinla uncomfortable.
“We’ve already established that book contains the story of how you went back in time, but it doesn’t mention anything about you coming back to deal with a war, which I assume is what you’re expecting.”
Before anyone could answer, there was a knock at the door. There had been movement throughout the castle, but the knock was unexpected. Krinla didn’t feel any Beasts out in the hall, which caused her to glare over at the door.
“Careful how hard you stare at it. I wouldn’t put it passed you to burn a hole into it before I can explain the knock.”
Rya and Krinton both had a little chuckle at Trilla’s words, but Krinla didn’t find them amusing. She didn’t look away from the door as she waited for someone to step through it.
“It’s a speaker system they have,” Rya explained. “Someone wants Trilla’s attention, but they know better than to show up at the door, so they hit a button down the hall and wait to be acknowledged.”
Having recently used a button to travel hundreds of years into the past and future, it was a small thing for a button to be able to transmit a sound, but the concept fascinated Krinla. It was like the doorbells Hunter had in his time.
Krinla looked to the wall around the door to try to make out the speaker part of the noise, but didn’t see anything that stood out. Trilla was quick to walk across the room and touch one of the stones on the wall. Krinla didn’t see anything unique about the stone, so she assumed the speaker system was somewhere hidden in it.
“Let me guess, an emissary from the Draculs has arrived.”
“No, ma’am, it’s Queen Rose. She’s requesting an audience with you and King Krinton.”
Trilla looked over her shoulder to see the reactions to the news from the other occupants of the room. Her eyes were mainly on Krinla, which didn’t make much sense, since Krinla hadn’t been requested. It was interesting that the ruler of the Naturists even knew the Dracul leader was there, but their magic was a mystery to anyone who wasn’t one of them.
“Oh, this should be fun.”
The sarcasm in Rya’s voice was impossible to miss. The girl had remained standing with Krinton, but upon hearing the news, she walked over to one of the chairs in the room and turned it so she could see the door before she took a seat. When she saw Krinla was watching the actions, she winked at her.
“I guess it’s a good thing I’m asking you whether you want to meet with her and not your little shadow. I have a feeling she speaks for you, but maybe it’s not the best time for you to speak with Rose. She should have answers to fill in some of the blanks you have, but you know as well as I do that they always come with a price.”
Trilla didn’t move away from the wall as she spoke her words of caution. Krinla wasn’t sure about the price she was talking about, and she didn’t think talking to the Naturist was going to get them moving in the right direction to get them back home. Krinla had been the one who originally fought for them to run away from the Draculs’ stronghold, but her father had remained firm in the idea that they needed to go back there.
“I’m starting to think I’ve already paid more than enough to get some proper answers about what’s going on. It’s kind of exhausting thinking you finally know what’s going on, only to have a new wrinkle thrown in your face. The question is whether you want to bring her in here or if you want to meet with her in another room.”
“I’m going to go on record now as saying this is a bad idea, but maybe we should meet without the extra audience. Ever since she read that inscription, your daughter’s been a little dazed. It might be best if we don’t overwhelm her with Rose until she’s had some time to think about things.”
Krinla studied their host, trying to figure out if there was a logical reason why she didn’t want her to meet the Queen of the Naturists. There wasn’t a particular reason the woman’s words didn’t ring true, but Krinla was in an untrustworthy mood. She figured it had to do with the argument Krinton had about Trilla keeping things from him and the fact Krinla was even further behind him when it came to making sense of what was going on.
“I assume the conversation is going to eventually turn to me, so I think I’d rather be there to hear it, instead of maybe getting pieces of it later. Since I haven’t heard a single outside conversation after you shut that door, I assume you have this room soundproofed, which means I won’t be able to listen from afar, and if we’re talking about my life, it’s time I finally got a say in it.”
There really hadn�
��t been a chance, or desire, to stop and listen to everything else going on in the castle. As soon as Krinla tried, she realized she could pick up heartbeats to know there were others in the castle, but she couldn’t hear a single word spoken. She understood how that would be useful to have a private conversation in the room, but she’d want to know what else was being said around her.
Thinking back to her years in the castle, she realized there had to be many rooms where conversations were blocked, or maybe it was just her room that made it impossible to hear outside. That didn’t seem right, but somehow she’d missed a lot of important conversations.
Krinton nodded his head. “You’ve already bowed to her once because your books apparently tell you she’s the true leader, so I suppose that means you aren’t going to question her request.”
It was appreciated that Krinton seemed to suspect the true leader stuff. He’d mentioned something about her taking over the leadership of the Draculs, so she didn’t believe it was something he found hard to believe. Things would’ve been a lot easier from her point of view if she had even a hint there was something special about her before she wandered across Hunter.
“You’re right. What she says goes.” Trilla looked back to the wall and pushed the hidden button. Her shoulders were a bit stiff, which hinted that she wasn’t looking forward to what the other ruler had to say. “Did she come with an entourage?”
Krinla sighed when she heard the delay to get things over with. She was nervous about meeting a Naturist for the first time, which probably didn’t help the anxiety levels she was feeling. She was ready for the drama in her life to be over, but she knew deep down it was only beginning.
“I did not, my friend. Knowing the subject we’d be talking about, I decided it was best if I came alone.”
The new female voice in the room came from behind Krinla and Hunter, causing Krinla to crane her neck around to see the person it belonged to. Her eyes were met with a smiling face.
“Hello, my dear. I’ve waited centuries for you to be born.”