“I burned the woods,” he yelled, sounding sad. His eyes rolled back to me and he raised his head.
“What has this solved?” I found myself yelling over the wind that his wings created. They forcefully pushed the air, became flexible, but were powerful.
“The fire will burn the woods,” he started, “and it will trap Sebastian’s army, leaving no escape. They have no dragons to fly them out. They are not fire-resistant either. They will burn down with our beautiful woods!”
With that, he blew more fire on the trees. He circled over them. His ring of fire would trap them, as he said.
“What if they make it out badly burned?”
“I will not allow that to be an option.”
He flew down, ridiculously close to the army to blow fire over the members. When his mouth opened, I heard him choke. He gasped. His head swiveled to look at his wing. A sword sliced through it. He looked down - where he headed. As he fell, I slipped off and landed before the army. Fire burned around us, causing us to move closer together.
Minx grabbed the sword from his wing and held it in his mouth. He swung it, attempting to keep the army at bay. I was sure Sebastian would be after me but I couldn’t see him. The fire continued to grow vicious, pressing the army closer. They were fearful, but they still held weapons. They could still capture us. They would make sure that we would suffer with them.
Minx saw their plotting expressions, their dangerous glances as they devised a silent plan. They swung their chains, cautiously keeping an eye on the rapidly growing fire. They immediately stopped panicking, their minds preoccupied with a plan to take us both down.
“Minx, let’s go!”
He turned to me, grabbed me in his claws. He looked around calculating if he had enough clearance to take off. His wings were a big issue. The wind they created would spread the fire and could put us in even more danger. Along with the crumbling trees and branches on fire, his wings would create a vacuum that would suck all of it toward us.
He stood on his hind legs, his wings out. He pushed off his legs and once in the air his wings created propulsion that ascended us away from the taunting flames.
“Get the dragon!” someone yelled.
Then we were still. He was hovering. My dragon’s body shook, but I couldn’t see what was happening since I was shielded in his arms. I realized they must have grabbed his tail once he was off the ground and I could tell they were attempting to get on his back.
He blew fire at them and screams filled my head. I felt the wind in my face. We were flying again. The chill of the winter air surrounded us as he rose higher, away from the fire. I watched our woods blaze and only knew the same would come of the Frozen Waterfalls if it continued to spread the way it was. I looked up at my dragon whose face was covered in soot; his chest was black from the smoke. When he breathed, I heard a muffled noise in his lungs. I knew that breathing fire took a lot out of him. When I couldn’t hear the sound in his lungs anymore I figured he would talk to me.
“Minx, where will we go?” I could only hope he knew where he was going, but where was it safe? Where was it abandoned? And what was left?
“I know where we’re going. Your father told me Pete’s instructions.”
That didn’t help me. I hoped this place had a bed and food. “Pete gave instructions but he couldn’t get me himself?”
“He couldn’t. When he found out you were missing, he got Jasper and went to Alfur. He met with the Allies. He knew you couldn’t face Sebastian alone. Your father was not surprised when I told him about the dragon slaughtering. He said that Pete would bring it up with the Allies since he was well aware of it too.”
“Where is my father and the rest of the family?”
“They went to a reserved place where we will eventually meet up with our Allies.”
“Why aren’t we going there then?”
“I am just following orders. Pete told your father who told me to go somewhere else. I don’t know why. I don’t question them.”
“So Pete isn’t back yet?”
“No, he will return with our Allies tonight. He will meet with you separately. I’m sure he wants to see you. Your father told me he was outraged when he found out you left. He was especially infuriated with your father because he knew and didn’t tell him right away.”
“That’s Pete for you,” I mumbled.
“He was also still suffering from a loss. Pete told your father about your stomach wound and how the healer couldn’t save your baby. Your father told this to me,” he stopped abruptly, now looking down at me. “Your father said Pete was very upset.”
“I know he was. He knows Prusaious was the cause of it.”
“If she was not destroyed in the fire he will see her during the war.”
“Do you really think there will be a war Minx?”
“Yes I do Mistress. Sebastian has done enough. He has already begun a war that we worked so hard to end many years ago. That concept alone makes it a war. Slaughtering dragons makes it a war. Fighting against the King makes it a war. And holding the Queen captive makes it a war.”
I was thoughtful, breathing in the crisp air that signaled snowfall. “The fortunetellers foresaw this winter to be a harsh one. Some even saw bloodstained snow. Even Taj’ and Pearl knew. They saved themselves while they had their chance. I realized this when I caught Taj’ sneaking out of the palace with his sons during the Ceremonial Party. I thought they were being selfish,” I shook my head, “but we wouldn’t have believed them.”
“What makes you say that Mistress?”
“When I reincarnated, I went to meet my Allies. It was only when Pete and I confirmed a Ceremony when I saw Taj’. Pearl was already gone. If you were to tell us any time before our Ceremony that there was to be a war, we would have thought you were insane. After all, we had just been with our Allies and everything was good. We returned home optimistic. Everyone was content, at least before Fitzray’s death.”
Minx sighed deeply and cleared his throat. He flicked out his tongue to speak. “I wish we weren’t at war. I wish we took the future readings as a sign. Because of our neglect it is time to pay our price. We still have a chance to prevent it from turning into the three wars we all fought. We are in no position to be turning against the wolves just to throw away our alliance. We can’t become enemies again or we will have confrontation involving the mortals. We’re lucky the dragon slaughtering is being done by an immortal. He’s on neither side, which means the wolves will remain our allies.”
I closed my eyes, feeling the bitter cold dried them, causing them to ache in pain. “I just want to hear what Pete has to say. I want to hear his plans. I want to sit with our Allies over a feast and hear all of them speak. I want to rest comfortably tonight in the protection of my Eternal Mate’s arms. I want him to tell me that he will not rest until Sebastian is destroyed.”
“You don’t know that the fire didn’t-,”
“I didn’t see him among the faces of his army members. Somehow, someway I know he escaped. I am not surprised. He is the Prince of Light.”
“What makes him so special?”
“He has powers, powers that are unknown to us. His heart beats loudly when it shouldn’t. He can make fire instantly and yet he fears it.”
“But it doesn’t matter what he does, it’s what he’s capable of doing.”
“I know.” I grew tired in his arms. I wanted to sleep badly and it took every ounce of energy to focus on his words. Soon I would be before a warm fire, or at least I hoped I would be. “How much longer Minx?”I pressed.
“It’s only a bit further Mistress. We’re almost there.”
I looked down and saw nothing but trees, which disappointed me. Only a small, frozen creek stood out among the trees. We were very high up, but if on the ground, I was sure I could probably recognize where we were. Minx slowly descended to meet the ground below. He held me with only one talon now, leaving the others free to absorb the impact of the landing.
“We’re here Mistress.” He said once we landed.
He put me down and I grabbed onto him as we walked. The large house that stood before me was abandoned. Its door was open to anyone who dared to enter, or perhaps it was left open by someone who already had. Its appearance was still good, although it looked to me like it was abandoned only recently. Walking up to it with my dragon, I found it brought tears to my eyes. This was Fitzray’s house.
Chapter 19 –The Transfusion
When Minx and the gargoyles were settled before a fire, I washed myself and changed into Fitzray’s clothes. I struggled to walk in the long sweatpants, but they were warm and gave me comfort in more ways than one. I returned to Minx and he made room for me to sit beside him on the plush carpet. He pressed me to his body and something dropped onto my shoulder. It was wet. I looked up to see my dragon’s eyes were filled with tears and that his face was wet.
“I’m sorry I disobeyed you. I’m sorry I didn’t come soon enough,” he whispered.
He pressed his nose to my hair and sighed. He straightened himself up eventually, clearing his throat and held my Dragon’s Soul in his talon with a smile.
“A Dragon’s Soul can be a weakness when someone uses it against you. It is only a weakness if it was not intended by the dragon’s owner to have it touched. However, if you allow someone to touch your Dragon’s Soul, that is different. You will feel a new strength, a great connection with whomever you choose to open up to. I can feel the difference between the two. I will always come if I feel you are in danger.” Slowly he dropped the silver dragon and I kissed his nose.
“Thank you Minx. I am going to sleep.”
He nodded his head. “Good night Mistress. Sleep well.”
I went upstairs, retreating to the master bedroom. It was here that I felt comfort, readying myself to sleep. I rested my head against the pillows and closed my eyes. I was just about to fall asleep when the bedroom door opened quietly.
“Chenille?”
I turned over slowly and sat up. I couldn’t see anything, when suddenly a candle was lit, illuminating Pete’s face. I did not say anything to him as he moved onto the bed and hugged me tightly. His hand stroked my hair and he slowly rested me against the headboard.
“Are you ok?” His words hung in the air and I still couldn’t speak. I only shook my head and looked down. “What did he do to you?” His fingers pressed my chin so I looked up at him.
“Minx will tell you.”
He closed his eyes, rubbed them, and took off his cape. “What did he do?”
“How is your heart?” I cut in, feeling anxious and suddenly upset.
He loosened the first buttons on his shirt to show me, and then looked back at me, pressing the more important issue. His arms held me in place and he looked down at me with concern and affection. “What did that immortal do?”
“Just tell me you will destroy him. Tell me you will not have mercy for what he did.”
“What did he do?” His hands squeezed my arms, as though he tried to get the words out of me that way.
“He touched my Dragon’s Soul. He would have killed Minx.”
“What else?” He studied my shaky breathing, how I was on the verge of crying, which only made him confused and angry. “What did he do to you!”
Now that I refused to answer, he took it upon himself to check me over. He scrutinized my skin, infuriated at every bruise and cut I’d gotten while I was there. He discovered my ankle, that was still slightly swollen and then he stopped. “That immortal did this,” he hissed and proceeded to wave the candle over me so he could see my face. His free hand ran against my arms, waiting for me to flinch or cry out if there was pain he couldn’t detect. At last he put the candle down, realizing I was still and would not utter a peep.
“I’m ok,” I breathed.
“There is only one way I will know for sure. There is only one way I can find out what happened if you won’t tell me.”
“Minx will tell you.”
“No,” he hissed, “Minx wasn’t there the whole time. He doesn’t know.” He tossed my hair aside, one hand rested against my neck. He stared straight at me, which wasn’t intimidating in the soft candlelight. “Will you tell me?”
He paused, the chill of a ring on his finger slid against my arm. It was probably his Ceremonial Ring. I became stiff, refusing to speak. I couldn’t find my words. I couldn’t tell him everything that happened.
“No? Then I have no other choice.”
His hand slid from my neck to my shoulder to push me back to the headboard. He looked at my neck, aiming to prey upon it now.
“Please don’t.”
“Oh, why not? Now I’m curious.” His fangs dug themselves into my skin so furiously only gasped in shock. He didn’t offer me poison, so I felt everything, which was strange. He always numbed me.
“What are you doing? Stop!”
I freaked out, begging for his release. I attempted to pull his hand free, but his grip was rock solid and wouldn’t give, just like the rest of his body. My begging continued, hoping he could hear me. I wondered if this was a punishment, or an attempt to get me to talk.
At last, he ripped away, causing even more pain to flow over me. He breathed heavy, growling frustrated and staring at me, meeting my eyes with wrath. I knew he must have seen everything, somehow accessing my memory and how I’d felt, something he had never done with me before.
“He did hurt you. And you let him,” he growled.
“Let him?” I cried.
“Oh, so you drank his blood on purpose then?”
“I was weak. I needed a plan. I had to get away.”
“So you resorted to that of all things!” he cried.
“Why are you making it sound like what I did was bad?”
“It was bad!” He growled. “Sebastian is dangerous and so is his blood! If you had enough, it could have irreversible effects on you. So do you know what I have to do? I have to drink that blood out myself. I don’t have Caspian to help…I don’t even know where he is. I’ll have to devise a plan with our Allies tomorrow and hope we’re not too late.”
“Is there any other way?”
“No.” He picked up his cape and used it to wipe his mouth. “I will have to cut your throat and you will bleed with only my blood to keep you alive. Our Allies will be with us tomorrow, so they will be there to make sure you stay conscience. If you fall asleep, it will be hard to tell if the blood loss is causing damage to your brain. I will have to stay with you the whole time.”
“Do you really need to do that?”
“I have no choice. Later on you will suffer if I don’t.” His hand moved to my neck and he healed it slowly. He paused, moving his hand away. “I wish I didn’t have to do that to you, but if I didn’t I would never have known that you drank his blood.”
I looked away. I wanted to see my Allies again, to hear their plans and their vengeance toward our enemy. I couldn’t wait to see my father and hear what he had to contribute. My dreams were filled with these anxieties; the reoccurring nightmares kept me up in an everlasting night. I could feel the heat of Sebastian’s immortal blood and I feared the consequences it had, for what Pete must know and was not telling me.
* * * * *
Before I knew it, I was isolated in a room with Pete. In this room – this place, there was secrecy, secrecy belonging to our Allies. This was our new hideout, where Pete mentioned where the wolves hid too. In this room of our secret house it was dark, the blinds shut out any light, the small room bursting with heat from an old furnace. It was nearly empty all except the small table where I lay, where my legs dangled over its edge, where my transfusion was to take place.
Pete turned to me in silence. He didn’t speak to me all morning and as much as I wanted to think he was just thoughtful, I considered he may just as well be fearful. He told me the Allies would give us ten minutes to set up, claiming that he needed to speak with me alone before we started.
“You know what
I have to do is risky. You don’t know about all of the problems that Sebastian’s blood will cause. Just understand that if you die I will continue with this war. Know that with the help of our Allies, we will not lose.”
“I won’t die. I know you won’t let me,” I assured him.
He looked down while he walked over to me. He placed a hand beside my shoulder, looking down at me.
“This procedure is not simple. I can’t assure you that you won’t die.”
“What do you have to do?”
“Like I said last night, I will have to cut your throat and give you my blood. My blood is stronger and it will easily remove Sebastian’s blood from your body. A couple of Allies will be with us. They will tell you their plans for war.”
I stared up at him quietly taking in his comforting face, but the reassurance I sought was absent from his expression. I didn’t say any more to him, I only nodded my head. I wanted him to call in the Allies.
He took his knife and placed it at my side. He opened the door for our Allies, Rasha and Rallen. They stood at my side, carefully watching Pete as he paced with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. They waited for him to prepare himself.
Rasha looked down at me smiling. “It’s good to see you again Chenille.”
Rallen gazed down upon me respectfully, but his eyes flicked to Pete. When Pete finally returned to us, he rested one hand on his knife and glanced up at Rasha and Rallen. He pulled up his sleeves and prepared himself as he lowered the blade to his wrist. He glanced up again.
“I’m sure you want to know our plans for war.” Rallen said quickly as though he just received Pete’s cue.
“Yes.”
I could see out of the corner of my eye that Pete’s hand was slowly turning black with his own blood. I struggled not to look at it, not to become afraid as I caught a glance of the knife in his other hand. My focus turned to Rasha who had been speaking.
“Our armies are very strong. Our army consists of all of the soldiers under each ally. That leaves us with many soldiers. We will beat Sebastian’s army easily.”
Candescent (The Opalescent Collection Book 1) Page 16