Desire of the Soul

by Alana Topakian

The Seelie Court

  Okay, so I sort of already knew it what with them both looking a lot alike, but it still felt like a shock. I mean would you have guessed that Aness was pretty much a princess, when she technically worked for me? I kind of assumed she was abandoned at birth, because she had the whole against the world vibe radiating off of her. Obviously I was wrong.

  The only major difference between the two, was how cold and dark the Seelie Queen looked. Wasn’t she supposed to be all light and goodness? I mean Seelie did mean good, right?

  “I assume you came here for a reason?” the Queen asked, her voice spiking needles throughout my brain and interrupting my train of thoughts.

  “Y-yes mother. We have a question for you.” Aness looked pale, sweat gathering at her forehead as she looked at her mother. Her hands were shaking, and I wondered why she was so afraid of this woman.

  “Well then, you know there is always a price, but we will get to that after I hear the question. I assume it is you, young Amatores, who wants to know the questions answer?” Suddenly I figured out why Aness was so pale, why she was shaking so much. Once the Queens attention was on you, it felt like thousands of voices were screaming in your head, and you just wanted to go to her and never leave. 

  “Uh-uh yes,” I mumbled out, fighting against the urge to run to the Queen. It took everything I had just to talk to her, and that scared me. What was wrong with me? “I want-wanted to know wh-what this meant. Some-someone told me, I-I had to listen to time be-before it would-would listen to me. Do-do you know what-what that means?” Sweat gathered on my hands, sweat tinted the color pink, as I forced the words out through the block of fear lodged in my throat.

  The Queens eyes blazed, and I felt myself shrink slightly away, waves of fear flowing throughout my body. She grabbed me, her hands burning me as it touched my skin, and she looked at me with a fury that I could feel all the way to my soul.

  “Who told you that?” she asked, each word making a tiny scream erupt in my head. It felt like thousands of bees were stinging my head, and I wanted so badly to scream aloud, but something to told me that would do nothing. “Who told you that?” 

  The words were out of my mouth before I could think of holding them back, his name sending a bolt of warmth throughout my body. “Dracul.” My voice was nothing more than a whisper, hoarse as if I’d actually yelled outside my head. 

  The Queen let go of me, pushing me to the ground, and I scrambled as far from her as possible. As soon as her eyes went to Aness’s, I sagged against the cold marble wall, the weight of her gaze immediately disappearing. Air rushed into my mouth and I sucked it in gratefully, having not been aware that I hadn’t been breathing.

  “Why did you take this abomination to my castle?” she yelled, and I felt pink tears glide down my face. Her voice was so painful to listen to, yet so alluring at the same time. I felt myself swaying against the wall, a battle raging within me.

  “Mother-” Aness gasped out, her face turning slightly blue as if starved of oxygen. “Mother, we just need an answer!” The Queens gaze broke from Aness’s, and went back to me. My eyes locked with hers, and I felt the shivers erupt on my body once again, and more tears fell. 

  “You want the answer? Why not just ask him yourself?” she asked cruelly, then motioned to the guard. “Take her to the Fire.” My eyes widened, because even if I didn’t know what that was, it sent a ripple throughout my body that was filled with pain. Yeah-this wasn’t going to be fun.

  The guard picked me up, leaving Aness on the ground with her mother and flying out the window it felt like we’d entered years ago. “What-what is the Fire?” My voice was hesitant as I looked at the gruff-faced guard, but he just ignored me and continued to fly. His wings were a dark burgundy, his eyes the same color. I wondered if maybe he couldn’t talk, I mean he hadn’t said a word while I was in the throne room so maybe he was incapable of speech. That’d definitely suck.

  I shut up the rambling in my head so I could focus on where the linebacker was taking me. It took me a second to notice that in all the chatter going on in my head, I’d failed to notice the Fae covering my eyes with some thick material. “What the fuck?” I yelled, clawing at my eyes but unable to get the material off. “Why is there shit on my eyes?” My voice came out as a growl, but still I received no answer. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore and started to kick and punch at the Fae who was holding me. Not a great idea, because he then proceeded to drop me, allowing me to fall...and fall...and fall. I wished I could see, because the fall felt never ending. 

  The only thing I was aware of was the ever present smell of something burning. I couldn’t place what exactly was burning, but I knew it was something. It was weird though, I didn’t really feel any fear as I fell although I knew I should’ve been feeling fear. I mean how normal is it to be falling an unending fall and not feel any fear? But it was like it had all just evaporated into the air.

  Well, until I landed on my ass on some hard flooring. Some really familiar hard flooring. As I rubbed my sore butt, waiting for it to heal so I could get up, the material fell off my eyes revealing itself to be iron, what the hell? Why was iron wrapped around my eyes? But that thought quickly flitted away as I caught sight of my surroundings. I was in the room. The one I’d dreamed about so often lately. The one that wasn’t a dream anymore, cause I was damn sure that right now I was in reality. 

  “Dracul?” I called out tentatively, the room bright with my amazing Amatores eyesight. 

  A huddle I hadn’t noticed stirred and then popped up, Dracul revealing himself with a snarl. Quickly though the snarl was replaced by a look of shock, and his mouth dropped open. “Tammy? What the-you are not supposed to be here.” His voice was a mixture of surprise and awe, though what he was in awe of I had no idea.

  “Yeah I hadn’t really planned on being here. The Seelie Queen kind of told her-uh-her guard I guess, to just plop me in here. Not exactly part of my plan.” I shrugged as if it meant nothing, when really I was freaking out down to my core. I was standing in front of Dracul! Dracul, the First of us all, Dracul, the one who tore Dukes life to pieces, Dracul, the man who has been popping into my head a lot lately. 

  He looked confused though, his small nose wrinkled up and his eyebrows drawn together. “No, that makes no sense. This is not where the Seelie Queen resides. Her kingdom is nowhere near here, and even if it was...the Fire belongs to the Unseelie Queen.” This time it was my turn for the mouth drop, because I mean really. He had to be kidding, right? I’ve read books where they had stories on the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and the Unseelie Court was always bad. Always. So did that mean that Aness had lied to me? Did that mean she was really Princess of the Unseelie Court?

  “What do you mean the Fire belongs to the Unseelie Queen? And-and what the hell is the Fire anyway?” I didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but there was so much to take in. If what he was saying was true, then Aness had been lying to me, and that was-that was hard to swallow. 

  Dracul spread out his arms, looking at the small cage-like area we were standing in. When I looked down there was only blackness, and I knew there’d be no ceiling if I looked up. If there was a ceiling then I definitely wouldn’t be down here right now. “This is the Fire. Don’t touch the bars, I’m warning you. They are what gave this place the name. They’re literally made of fire, and so if you touch them...well let me just say from personal experience that it hurts a lot.” Dracul grimaced, staring at his flawless hand like he could still feel the pain.

  “Oh...that makes sense then.” I sighed, stretching my arms out and still feeling a little pain in my butt area. Damn I’m surprised it hadn’t shattered down there, cause that fall was obviously really far down. A thought struck me, making me chew softly on my lips. If I’d been a human, well there’d have been no way in hell I would’ve made that fall alive. I would’ve been broken into a billion pieces.

  “So I assume the Queen sent you down here for a reason?” Dracul asked, his smile easy
as he looked at me. My eyes went up and down, surveying him against my will. He was bronze colored, his hair the same honey brown but now more thick and perfect, his lips were a cherry red and they were full, kissable lips. I shook the thought from my head, repeating the word Duke as if his name was a mantra. 

  “Yes she-I-well, okay I went to her to try and figure out what you meant. You know, when you said that I had to listen to Time before it would listen to me. So I asked her, and she freaked out and I ended up here.” I sounded calm and collected as I went over the memory, and I was surprised at how well I was able to hide the freak out going on in my body. I mean I’d just thought that Dracul’s lips were kissable! Totally. Not. Okay.

  “I am not surprised. The Unseelie Queen has harbored some bad feelings for me recently, as you can tell by me being in the Fire. I admit that it was part my fault, but she can be quite unreasonable at times. The Queen has probably harbored some bad feelings for you as well, and well-let’s just say that it might take some time for anyone to reach you. The Fire is hidden amazingly well, and has wards and spells up to protect it from anyone not wanted nearby.” A tingle flowed throughout me as he said the word spells, and I distantly wondered why that happened. What was so great about spells?

  “What do you mean it might take some time for anyone to reach me?” I asked slowly, my jaw aching from how tight I held it. I had to get back; I mean I’d just been labeled Queen for gods sake! 

  “Well, simple, you won’t be able to get home for some time. And so while we are waiting, I have the perfect idea on what we can do. I am going to train you in cultivating your powers so you can easily travel through Time. I will teach you all the different things you can do while in Time too, and I will teach you other things that no one else can.” Dracul smiled again, the smile that seemed to be making a habit of making my heart skip a couple hundred beats. 

  “What do you mean? What do you possibly have that you can teach me?” I asked, my lips pursed. The tingles went up and down my body and I wanted to shake them off because I wasn’t supposed to tingle for Dracul! Duke, Duke, and only Duke was supposed to give me this feeling.

  Dracul seemed to not notice the fight going on within me, because he gave me no weird looks or no comments on it. “I will show you one thing, and trust me you will not regret seeing it. Hold my hand please,” he said, stretching out his perfect, beautiful, tan hand. Before I could tell myself no, my hand went out and met his and I flinched because of the heat that pressed itself into me from him. Dracul just gripped my hand tighter though, and then closed his eyes. He started to mutter words that made no sense to me, just gibberish to my ears. They were obviously some language, and I assumed it was Latin since that was the language every other damn person in the world seemed to speak.

  Before I could continue my rage in my head though, the world started swirling and colors starting blazing in front of me. Dracul still held onto my hand, but I no longer saw him. I only saw a white light in the shape of him, with black speckles spread throughout. When I looked down at my hands they looked exactly like Dracul’s, bright and pure white light but with blood red speckles instead of black ones. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but prayed to whatever God or Goddess that was up there, that it was good.

  “What is this?” I asked in awe, and I could literally see the sound waves coming out of my mouth, in a brilliant ocean blue.

  “This is the gateway to Time,” Dracul answered back, his sound waves the same ocean blue as mine. He looked around, and tugged me softly forward. “You normally just pass by it because Time takes you, but I have lived billions of years on Earth, and have learned how to master Time. Right now you are seeing our Soul Color. Everyone has one, although on the Earth Plane ours is the only white ones. Now follow me, we’re about to enter Time.” 

  We walked forward through the colors, toward a huge gate that was colored a forest green. Dracul walked right up to it and muttered a couple more words in the unknown language, and I watched as the gates started to open. Behind them was the swirl of Time I’d gotten so used to in the past couple weeks, and I smiled at the memories. Yeah they weren’t all good, but hello I can go back in time! That’s just plain awesome. A giggle escaped my mouth, and Dracul looked at me oddly but said nothing.

  He pulled me into the gate, and I felt my soul try to drift away from his and toward different parts of time that called to me, but I stayed by his side. If he had to show me something, well I wanted to see it. The pictures from Time drifted passed us as we went further and further back, and I felt fear build up in my body. Or my Soul. Or my Spirit. Whatever it was called.

  “Uh-Dracul...Where are we going?” I asked, a shiver going down my back. I know there was no reason to truly be scared, but we were going back and back, and we still haven’t stopped! I mean was that safe?

  “To the beginning,” was all he said, the continued to scan Time as it passed. I watched him, unable to stop the heat that built in my body from how close he was to me. “Here we are, the beginning of it all.” Dracul smiled, putting a hand up and placing it on a bright picture of...well of white, only white. But the white was so pretty, so calming that a goofy smile played on my lips as I was pulled into Time. Into his Time. 

  ---

  I rolled to the ground, further hurting my sore ass and my hand still tightly grasped in Dracul’s. The pain was instantly forgotten though as I looked at the mesmerizing sight before me. I was standing on a clear floor with a full view of the world; yes I mean the whole entire world, below me. There were bright flowers blooming different colors from fuchsia to brown, and trees that seemed to go up forever. In the distance I could see a castle that put even the Feys’ castle to shame.

  Dracul lightly squeezed my hand, and pointed at the castle. “That’s where we’re headed,” he murmured, his eyes lighting up with happiness. I felt a smile form on my face, and a laugh popped out. 

  “It’s so beautiful!” I spread my arms out, spinning around in delight. My eyes closed slowly, and I felt Dracul put his hands on my waist and tug me towards him.

  “Just wait till you see the castle in full view, it’s amazing.” I smiled again and we started to walk forward, a spring in both our steps.