He cracked a smile. “I wish Amelia was here to convince you more.”
“Where is she?”
He looked down. “She died in childbirth six months ago. I lost the two of them. I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait for reincarnation though. It may take a couple of years.”
“I’m so sorry Caspian.”
“You shouldn’t be sorry for me. You should be happy you have an Eternal Mate that’s coming back for you.”
“Why should I be happy? I know Pete killed Fitzray again.”
“It wasn’t intentional. Fitzray bit him and when Pete’s power returned, it turned his blood toxic. Just one drop is enough to make the victim go insane. It’s so lethal to the brain that the body becomes erratic, overcome by a sense of shock, in attempt to stop the toxin from completely taking over. Fitzray tried to stab himself first and when he didn’t succeed, he went to the Bridge. The stab hadn’t killed him instantly, but eventually caught up with him. There was nothing I could do and I couldn’t stop the toxin from causing him to do what he did.”
I rested my head against him, defeated. “There was something I was given by one of the vampires who found him. He told me Fitzray dropped it on the Bridge.” He reached into his lab coat and held out his hand. I didn’t lift my head but simply accepted my Ceremonial Ring and put it on the chain where my Dragon’s Soul hung.
“If there’s anything I can do for you Chenille-,”
“Please leave Caspian. Thank you for all you’ve done.”
He stood up, got his bag and looked down at me. “I want you to get out and get some fresh air. I want you to go see Taj’ and let him know you’re all right. It’s no use to be cooped up in bed all day.” I nodded slowly to show my agreement. “Keep your energy up and don’t turn down hunger, you need to eat for two now. Don’t stress yourself Chenille, everything will be all right.”
I gave him a weak smile and he left. When I was sure he was gone, I took the Ceremonial Ring off the chain on my neck and held it in my hand. I turned it over in my hands and felt the icy metal on my skin. Then it hit me- Fitzray had never left Catastrophe to begin with and neither had Pete. In order to have found the Ceremonial Ring he must have found it in Pete’s house and must have bit him there. Pete was probably too weak to leave for Earth anyway. Fitzray must have spotted the ring and held onto it probably even before he bit Pete. I shook my head and put the ring back on its chain beside my Dragon’s Soul. It was still early and I decided it would be best to go out while there was still daylight and while I was feeling up to it.
It was bitter outside and the cold gave no mercy to my sore throat. I dressed in heavy robes, looking forward to seeing Taj’, Pearl and their children for the first time since I’d disobeyed them and went to Sebastian’s Ball. I could not imagine what they would say to me. I could only hope they welcomed me.
As I neared the Frozen Waterfalls, I caught a glimpse of the back of a large black snake. I called him Taj’ but he did not respond. When I finally reached him, he turned to face me.
“Taj’? You mean my father?” He bent his head to my level to stare at me with his green-yellow eyes.
“You’re not Taj’. Who are you then?”
“I am Magnificent, his eldest son. Do you need to speak with him?”
I nodded my head. As he turned I saw him gather himself up into a marvelous stance and held his head high, to which bore his name, magnificent. At the sound of his voice, a snake slithered from behind the waterfall and stopped when he saw me. This wasn’t Taj’ either.
The snake bent his head down and he flicked his tongue at me. He made a large circle around me, his body high enough to prevent escape, but he appeared curious and took a liking to me. I became infatuated with his scales, from a distance appearing gray, but close up each scale refracted light and made it seem like thousands of mirrors surrounded me. He bent his sparkling head down to me again to speak.
“I am Sylvarian, Taj’s younger son. Who are you?”
“I am Chenille.”
The two snakes exchanged glances and at once, they both simultaneously called for their father.
“What is the matter my boys?” Taj’ slithered from behind the waterfall and stared in my direction, but did not move. “Chenille?”
A sudden grief filled his face and he hung his head as though he remembered something. I knew Caspian had already told him about Fitzray. He came closer and then suddenly stopped, still looking at me. “Chenille, Chenille come to me.”
I walked over to the snake and he gently coiled his tail around me, his jaw resting lightly against the top of my head, and I felt as though he would have wept, but he did not. “Chenille I didn’t think you’d come back to us. I didn’t think so many bad things would happen when you came back.” He paused to gather his thoughts. “I knew Fitzray’s fate. I saw it in the pool. Pearl told me herself, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon.” He was silent and thinking, as though he wanted to tell me something as his sons listened intently. “Pearl also told me what happened between you and Pete. I wish I could congratulate you but,” he lifted his head, looking down at me now, “what you did was a horrible mistake.”
“I don’t understand Taj’.”
“Pete loves you, he loves you,” I watched as his eyes became glassy and he had to look away, “but now not everyone can agree to that. Many creatures don’t accept that. I wish I could do something for you…I wish I could help you.”
“What are you talking about Taj’? What’s going to happen?”
“I don’t know.” He hung his head, slithered back into the cave repeatedly saying that he was sorry. When he was gone, I remained standing, confused. Sylvarian looked after his father and cocked his head.
“What was that all about?”
Magnificent nudged him with his tail. “You know he’s been acting strange since he saw the pool. Then Mom left with Aura. He has been mumbling strange things ever since.”
Sylvarian looked up in alarm, his eyes grew wide and he slithered to the hidden cave. Magnificent followed close behind. I looked to where a shape, a small dot appeared to be getting closer until it became visible as a dragon, a white dragon. Jasper. Everything in his path was destroyed and as he headed toward me, I looked for an escape. All around me was the frozen pool, except for the narrow path that remained between the charging dragon and me. I took my chance, headed for the path that would take me back to the City. I ran down this path, passed the dragon and he turned abruptly to follow me. This dragon chased me through the City, tried to grab me in his talons, when I saw the palace ahead and I ran inside.
The interior of the palace had changed to a more elaborate arrangement. Silks and jewels covered the floor. As I marveled at the riches, I heard a voice coming from the couch. When I reached it, I saw Pete.
“What’s happened to me? What have I done to my brother?” he whispered. His body shook as though he seized and his eyes rolled to me as if seeking help.
“Pete?”
His fingers curved against the back of the sofa as he pulled himself into an upright position. “I killed him…and I am a vampire now.” He looked at me and his face softened. “And I found you. I found you.” He reached up to touch my face and I could see his strength had returned. His pulse was quiet. He stood up and embraced me. “I knew something was wrong. I could feel it.”
He reached down to put a hand on my stomach and neared my neck, breathing in my scent. As he healed the Ceremonial Wound on my neck, he laughed, slowly backed me to the stairs and carried me up to our room. He set me down on the bed in darkness, lit a candle, and looked down at me. In the soft light I could see this room had also changed, the whole palace did.
“Look at what happened to us.” He reached into his cape and pulled out a bottle of plumeberry juice. “Just look at what happened.”
As he opened the bottle, one hand remained on my stomach and he shook his head.
“I killed my own brother and he’s not coming back. I’ve mad
e a mistake. I would have been fine as a half-mortal. He had to find me thinking that if he didn’t bite me I’d be some monster, but being a half-mortal made me a monster. He bit me before he realized his mistake. My power was toxic to him and so was knowing the truth.” He paused to sip from the bottle and shook his head. “He saw the ring where I’d left it after he bit me, and as he twirled the ring around in his fingers he realized the Ceremony hadn’t been completed and he saw his fate...,” his voice trailed off and he moved the bottle so the juice rocked back and forth inside of it. “He ended up on the Bridge. The toxin would’ve thrown him over, but by then it was too late. There was nothing I could do.” He glanced up to catch my soulful expression. “And I’m sorry.”
We remained in silence until he spoke up again. “I promise I will do something in his honor. I’ll have every creature notified and-,”
“Pete,” I shook my head, “please, I don’t want to talk about that anymore.” He was taken back by my comment but respectfully nodded his head.
“Then what do you want to talk about?”
“What about our Ceremonial Party?”
“You want one?”
“I want to invite everyone and show them how you’ve changed. I want them to see that I was wrong in committing the Ceremonial Trial against you.”
“I don’t know if that’s the best thing-,”
“But Caspian told me all about what you’ve done while I was away. He told me how you’ve changed and I want a party to show it. We can even say a little something about Fitzray too.”
A slight smile appeared and he put the bottle down on the nightstand. “We have more to prepare for then just a party. Caspian told me so.”
“When did you speak with Caspian?”
“When Fitzray was on the Bridge he stabbed himself and I was able to retrieve him and bring him to Caspian, even though I knew he couldn’t be saved. I stayed by him until the toxin took him. Fitzray’s last dying breaths managed to tell Caspian to give you the ring he had dropped. Someone had found it and gave it to Caspian. When Caspian returned from seeing you, he told me about you and found that Fitzray was gone.”
He moved to sit next to me and gathered me in his cape. Slowly he started up a new conversation. “What kind of party do you want it to be?”
“I want it to be a masquerade.”
“So no one can recognize each other?”
“That’s right.”
“When do you want it?”
“As soon as possible.”
“I don’t know how everyone will take seeing us back together…and Fitzray’s death.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I breathed, “I want everyone to know.”
“We’ll have it tomorrow then.”
“How could we tell everyone fast enough?”
“News travels fast, especially about a party, but I must warn you that people might already know about Fitzray…and about us too.”
“I still want a party.”
“I’ll start arrangements as soon as I get Jasper under control.”
“What happened to him?”
“I don’t have Mullein since he was killed by the wolves and now since I have Lucian’s heart, he’s drawn to me, but he’s confused. I’m not Lucian and I don’t have Lucian’s Dragon’s Soul so I’ll just have to win his heart. He’s been skulking around the palace and the City ever since I got Lucian’s heart, going after the innocent in hopes that I would come out to see him. He wants a Master again. I know he does since he’s been wild all this time.”
“What happened to Citrus?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t seen her, but I’m not surprised. A dragon will usually leave when its Master is killed. They will wait until their Master becomes reincarnated or until they die themselves.”
“I’m glad Minx waited for me.”
I saw Pete smile and he let out a quiet laugh. “Fitzray made him wait. He made that dragon wait from the moment you were killed until you came back and I have no idea how he could have told that dragon to stay after he was so young and so new from reincarnation. All of his knowledge and past experiences and memories retuned to him once he became ten and then he changed into the eighteen year old vampire he was before he was reincarnated.”
He held me close and I felt his body shaking against me with anxiety, quietly rocking me to sleep until his whisper opened my eyes and he repeated something to me in a mumble, for I could not respond. “I miss my brother,” he had whispered. To him I turned my head, putting a hand to his distressed face trying to comfort him.
“Me too.” I whispered. With these words, the flame on the nightstand went out.
Chapter 13 - Masquerade
Aswarm of people piled into our palace all wearing masks, all looking fantastic. Pete was beside me to greet them all with me. The planning had gone fast, like he’d promised me, and I couldn’t believe all of the people that showed up. Each person had found someone else to dance with and as I watched them, people still entered.
Nearly a half hour of waiting and greeting and Pete had enough. He grabbed my hand and led me to the crowd to dance with me. As he took me in his arms, I could see the glitter in his eyes behind his mask.
“I’ve never had the pleasure to dance with you,” I said.
I was not sure if he could hear me over the music so I hoped he had read my mind. He responded by pressing the plastic lips of his mask to my head and then glided with me across the floor to the music. He danced with me, only talking to me with his dark eyes. For a moment, he swept me off my feet and then continued with me through the crowd. I saw pleasure in the eyes behind the masks of those around me.
People continued to come through the palace doors and saw us in the middle of our party. Taj’ and his sons had also come in to look around. Eventually there came a time when the doors finally closed and no one else could enter. The music gradually slowed to match the lazy steps of the creatures around us. Closing the doors meant keeping in the heat and I felt the energy level drop uneasily. The noise had lowered to mumbling and even some dancing stopped. Our party had strangely come to a slow and had a wary feel. Pete pulled me closer to talk with him and I tightened my grip on his shoulder, feeling he was tense and alert, but his face remained nonchalant and at ease.
“This is nice isn’t it?” he whispered to me. “The party is a bit quiet though.”
I looked at him convinced the low mumble was disturbing him too. I rested my head against him and watched the others dance. One pair moved slowly across from us, the one person looked in my direction, his eyes on me as he danced with his partner. Feeling paranoid, I looked away and when my curious eyes drifted back, the eyes behind the bright mask still stared at me. Now I closed my eyes against his shoulder wanting to drift off with the music and soft mumbling. The moment I looked up I was relieved, not seeing eyes staring in my direction. It was only when Pete swayed me that I caught the glimpse of the bright mask. There he was, still staring at me from behind another dancing couple.
“Pete, look behind you. There’s a guy that keeps looking at me.”
He didn’t look back to acknowledge the figure, he only smiled at me with his eyes. “Pay no attention my sweet.” Under my fingers, I could still feel the tension. He didn’t have to look, it didn’t matter. I knew he would always be looking out for me. I was sure he probably saw the stranger there the whole time.
“Can you at least turn me the other way so I won’t have to face him?”
He moved me around so we had switched places, but I could still see the mask from where I stood, where I thought I would have my back to him. Wherever I was, so was the stranger, who kept steady eye contact.
“I’m going to get something to drink.” I pulled myself away, cautiously letting myself walk over to the table covered in finger food and cups of sweet drinks. I poured myself some juice, still glancing behind me. I looked down at my cup when the low murmuring was silenced and I looked up to see the masked figure calling for attention. He paced a
long the last stair leading to the upper floors of the palace. Slowly he turned to face his audience and frowned.
“I would like to congratulate our Queen Chenille for she performed the Ceremony again, as many of you know who attended the Ceremonial Trial. As for her Eternal Mate, I stand here equally astonished as you, to announce that her new Mate is Pete. King Pete reigns again my fellow creatures,” he began. “He reigns after you patiently attended a trial and supported our Queen…the vampire we have exiled is here to stay - to rule. How can I stand here to accept this? Are you all not brutally ashamed for what has come of our planet? How can we stand here to support an idea and then see it disregarded? When one says one thing, how can another thing be done? And here you are all supporting the whole thing - this whole idea that your say and your patience is not valued. How can you stand here to have him as your King again for all he’s done to her,” he paused to point at me, “and who has killed his brother again!”
The crowd started up, each immortal exchanging glances, each one turning to Pete.
“We don’t need to take this!” The immortal spat on the stair and dug his heel into the wood. “We are stronger together. We can take both of them down!”
Nervously I looked into the crowd for Pete and I found relief to see that he wasn’t moved at all, he almost appeared amused. The crowd was starting up and almost immediately I could see who took sides with this immortal over us. They threw down their masks to glare at anyone who disagreed with them. Though I felt reassured to know our friends would not turn on us and that many creatures favored Pete and did not see only what he had done in the past.
The immortal fueled the tense crowd until at last he too threw off his mask and ordered to attack. “Bring them to me and don’t let anyone get in your way!”
I dropped my glass and turned to find Pete, but he appeared behind me, starting to ward off the immortals. It wasn’t long before I was separated from Pete, now in the middle of chaos, immortals fighting each other and soon the werewolves took their form. Prusaious was one of them, still in her human form. She held a sword, one of our own that we used as decoration above the mantle. She used it against me. She managed to slice me across my stomach, but it was not long before Calvin appeared, trying to shove his way through the crowd to get to me. Prusaious would have finished me off if a wolf hadn’t stood in the line of fire for me and sliced her hand, causing her to drop the sword. Calvin grabbed the sword and threw it to the wolf who returned into the crowd. Calvin, once finding Prusaious his Mate, now found her as a traitor as soon as he had found out she was responsible behind my killing. He didn’t tell me this, but I could see this story light up in his eyes as he showed his compassion toward me and hatred toward her.
Candescent (The Opalescent Collection Book 1) Page 9