The Fire Within (The Fire of The Soul Series)

by Racquel Kechagias

  I watch Kayden hesitate for a second, stuck between the choice of Victor and I. Another second passes, and Kayden makes his move. For a moment I think he is moving towards me, but at the last second he turns slightly to the right, and claps Victor on the back.

  "It is good to have you back; it has been far too long Vic!" Kayden says smiling brightly at his oath brother, Shade walks towards us as well, and he makes similar noises of agreement.

  The boys had gone their separate ways from that point on, and I was fine to let them go. They had to have their reunion without me. For they had had each other far longer, then I had had them. I watch them as they walk away, Kayden's the tallest of the three, and although Shade's the biggest in the sense of muscles he's also the smallest in the sense of height. Victor although taller than me is roughly the average between his two friends. As I watch them walk away I realize how much that each of them mean to me and how lost I would be if I were to lose them. Before my only tie to life and to this world was a hope for a better future and now, well now they had become my tie to this world, the gravity that keeps me bound. They had irrevocably placed themselves into my life, and there was nothing for me to do about it.

  Time flies by and it is a few hours later as I make my way downstairs, fully prepared for the feast. It has taken some time to enclose myself in the red velvet dress, due to its built-in corset. The dress itself flows down my body, like a stream of red. The mask covering my face is a necessary item, as the feast itself is a masquerade. I stop for a moment to look at myself in a mirror upon the wall, my chestnut brown hair falls down in soft ringlets, framing my oval shaped face and covering my left shoulder, and my birthmark. The mask is all black, it is simple yet elegant, my eyes are smoky and the overall outcome makes me appear as a seductive woman, cloaked in the mysteries and power that I know I posses.

  When I enter into the ballroom, the party is in full swing, there are hundreds of people out on the dance floor, all wearing gowns or tuxedos, all masked in many different fashions. There is a table at the front of the room, rounded so that those seated can converse easily with each other. The other tables meant for all the other guests are at the back of the room. The table at the front is the only one there. Sitting at the table is Augustus, Astoria, Lord Baron, Shade and Kayden. Victor is standing, staring at me in awe. I can feel my cheeks heating up, as I make my way towards the table. Shade notices Victor staring first, and he turns around and grins - so widely that it goes from ear to ear - when he sees me. Then Kayden turns around and he too is awestruck, his jaw hanging low as he stares at me in abandon. As I reach the table the three elders turn to me as well, Astoria with the smile of a proud mother, and Augustus and Lord Baron with the smiles of dumb founded fools.

  "You, my dear, look lovely," Astoria murmurs, smiling sweetly at me. The boys nod their agreement as they are unable to articulate words.

  "Thank you Astoria, it wouldn't have been possible without your help," I say, noting towards the help that she had given me with the corset dress.

  "Don't be ridiculous dear, you would have made any of these boys dumbstruck no matter what you wore," Astoria teases, nudging her husband slightly, so that he might be the first to recover from his slight lapse of focus.

  Augustus closes his mouth with a snap, and this wakes the other boys from their stupor. The only open seat at the table is in-between Victor and Kayden, and thus I have no choice but to sit next to them both.

  "This is a spectacular event, for such short notice," I remark, to no-one in particular.

  "Well it's easy to throw an event, when you have endless of people waiting on you. Besides Vampires love to party, there is never an abandoned party when it comes to our kind," Lord Baron replies, taking a swig from an almost empty glass, filled with a golden liquor.

  "Yea you would know!" Augustus taunts, elbowing Baron in the ribs, as he too takes a swig from his glass.

  "Anna, you look amazing tonight." Victor whispers, his breath tickles my bare neck. I turn my eyes from the older men, to the man sitting besides me. He is dressed completely in black, except for the white, slightly open shirt he wears underneath his tuxedo. He too is wearing a black mask, which frames his eyes and helps identify his high cheek bones. His crimson eyes boar into mine, silently saying all the things that he cannot say out loud. The intensity in his eyes gives me chills, and my breath hitches as he leans in, and slightly kisses me on the cheek. When he pulls back, there is a twinkle of merriment in his eyes, almost as if he is laughing on the inside. There is this look in his eyes that promises that we'd have a much greater reunion later on in the night.

  "Anna," another soft whisper catches my attention and I turn to Kayden sitting besides me. His green eyes stare at me in wonder and he smiles slightly, the crooked turn of his lips makes me want to smile in return. "May I have this dance?" I realize that he means now, as there is a new song starting up. I turn back to Victor, silently asking for his consent. He appears to be fine with it, and Kayden leads me out onto the dance floor. He brings me to the middle of the floor, and pulls me into his arms. He is similarly dressed to Victor, every man here seems to be wearing black and white tuxedos, but his eyes are framed in this red mask, it is plain yet on his tanned skin, the red comes to life. Almost as if the red mask, was a mask of fire encasing his green eyes in its flames.

  "I'm afraid Anna that you have outdone yourself. There is not one woman here that can begin to compare herself to you." Kayden's voice is soft, floating on the soft wind that comes through the open doors of the balcony. His voice is alluring and his eyes are seductive. We seem to make a perfect match, dancing effortlessly to the feather-light song.

  "Kayden, we can't do this anymore." I say, I know that this must be said. Whatever Kayden feels he cannot continue to feel it, for it would ruin everything between Victor and he.

  "Can't do what Anna? Dance? I could do this all night." He spins me and then brings me back in, keeping time with the fast beat of the new song.

  "You know what I mean Kayden," I say exasperated, however I don't stop dancing. I cannot give up the ruse, in fear that any disruption between Kayden and I will cause attention from our group.

  "Unfortunately, I know exactly what you're talking about," Kayden says looking crestfallen. I hate breaking him like this, Kayden had become one of my closest friends in the underworld, but my future is with Victor, and there is no changing that fact. There is a slight tap on my shoulder and Kayden smiles at the person behind me, he is able to completely hid his true emotions, and I feel even worse when I turn around to find Shade behind me.

  "May I have this dance fair maiden?" Shade asks teasingly, bowing slightly at the waist.

  I act in kind, giving him a deep curtsy. "Of course good Sir." when I rise from my curtsy, Shade takes me in his arms and we begin to dance. It is nothing as elegant as Kayden's formal moves but it is more of an awkward swaying.

  "I understand the predicament you're in Anna, but try not to completely break their hearts. They both love you, as if they will never love again. The choices of the heart are always the harshest," Shade says, his mask is an emerald green, and it is an astonishing colour on his pale skin.

  "What do you know of the choices of the heart? I've never once seen you with any woman," I say, and then I add as an afterthought "or any man if that is your preference."

  "I do prefer women Anna," Shade says with a slight chuckle. "And for your information, you never see me with any women, as there is only one for me. And she wants absolutely nothing to do with me." It's clear that this upsets him, thus I try finding something to say to him, to console him on this matter.

  "Perhaps you just need to prove to her that you are worthy of her attentions." I hope that this is enough to console him, instead his sorrow is gone, and he is giving me this strange look, as if he had never seen me before.

  "Funny thing is that that is almost the exact same thing I told Kayden the other day." His words mark the end of the song, and we simply stare at each oth
er for a moment, taking each other in consideration. The moment passes, but his words don't leave my mind. Obviously Kayden had been seeking comfort, and understanding in Shade, his only friend that he could turn to about this matter, the only friend he could turn to when it came to talking about his feelings for me. However, it is still a strange concept in my mind, that Kayden is in love with me, and I am completely lost on how to resolve this problem, or my confused emotions on the matter.

  Shade and I return to the table, Shade sitting between Lord Baron and Kayden and I between Kayden and Victor. The food that had been provided for the event is magnificent, indulging in luxury for Victor's return. There are things there that I have never seen before, and most of those I hesitate to try. However, I eat everything that Victor suggests that I will like, and surprisingly there are a few things that I did enjoy, and then there are others that one bite made me sick.

  The party, feast, masquerade, whatever you want to call it goes on into the night, Victor and I eventually get to dance together, and its pure bliss to finally be alone with him, to share a simply dance with the man that I love. Eventually pulling away from the crimson eyes that make my stomach flip, I notice that everyone has gone, including the group of friends that we had been sitting with. It’s only Victor and I here, alone on the dance floor. He smiles at me, his white teeth flashing as his lips part.

  "You are beautiful Anna, I could profess of your beauty forever, and it would not even begin to bring your beauty justice," He whispers, his hands inflame my skin where he holds me at the waist, and I cannot pull away from the eyes that completely absorb me.

  "Victor," I breathe, he leans down closing his eyes and mine flutter close as his lips press against mine. I am completely consumed by his kiss, the fire of our passion running like liquid through my veins. I'm lost within his kiss, and it feels as if it goes on forever.

  "Victor, I must speak to you about something," I say when he we finally break apart.

  "What is it Anna?" Victor pulls back further so that he can look at me properly.

  "Can we sit down for a minute," I ask indicating towards a pair of chairs, knowing that he'll have to sit down to hear this. I wait until we are seated before saying anything. "I found the secret dungeon, the one containing your research and... and Sadar." The joy and bliss on Victor's face darkens until it has completely vanished, into something that I cannot comprehend.

  "Anna, you found what?" he asks, begging me to say anything else than the immortals name.

  "I found Sadar," I say. At my words Victor gets up from the chair in a blur of movement, moving so far away from me that I feel as if I've lost him.

  "I cannot believe you Anna, why would you even go searching for him?" Victor shouts turning back to me, his face is filled with rage.

  "I never went searching for him Victor! I never knew that it was possible for there to be people like him." I get up from the chair as well, as I shout my defence.

  "He is not a person Anna. He is an immortal, and a fallen one at that. Sadar, the unseeing one, is an outcast among his own kind! He is all but forgotten among the kingdoms of the underworld, and I was the fool to summon him to our world. Sadar is a sadistic bastard! A psychopath that can never be trusted," Victor sneers, as he curses the immortals existence.

  "He is misunderstood Victor, that is all. He was perfectly polite to me, even pitiful for what had been done to me. I believe that all people should be given a fair chance, that includes Sadar and his kind," I say honestly, begging Victor to look me in the eyes. He refuses to, and continues to pace around.

  "And what of your father Anna? Should he be given a fair chance as well?" Victor sneers, his rage upsetting whatever peace there was between us.

  "He is the exception to the rule, and you know why," I reply with just as much venom as I can muster. My father did not deserve kindness for all that he has done to me.

  "Victor there's something else." I say the need to tell him about my fathers presence within the castle becoming drastically clear.

  "Let me guess, you stumbled upon another immortal? Or you had tea and crumpets with Sadar this morning for breakfast?" Victor's sneer is painful and I flinch from his harsh words.

  "No and No. It's about my father. When Kayden returned, he brought my father and mother with him," my voice is hesitant, afraid of Victor's reaction.

  "And what was done in regards to them?" Victor asks, turning back toward me, his anger is no longer visible, but most certainly still present. I can sense that he is trying to walk on thin ice, as he knows that this is a touchy subject for me.

  "They were kept here, within the castle, in the dungeons down below," I say, there is no room to question my words. And the shock on Victor's face mirrors everything that I felt at seeing them here in the first place. Where we are going to go from here, I have no idea but at least it would be together.

  Chapter 22 – The Serpent is Revealed

  Anna's P.O.V

  The setting sun illuminates the blood stained grass in a hallow light. The green grass, now stained with the fallen soldiers' blood, is littered with the bodies of the fallen, and those who are still fighting. I am among those still fighting, side by side by side, with Victor, Shade and Kayden. Each of us wear the armoury of the higher ranking soldiers, and Victor wears a red cape, to represent his authority and royalty on the battle field. The sound of swords clashing is overpowered by the screams of the dying. Before the boys I can see a man approaching, it seems as if he is cloaked in darkness. He is ranked by two others, one on each side of the man. Upon closer inspection it is obvious that the man is Christian, and the other two is a man with fiery red hair, that seems to flicker like flames as the setting sun's light shines through it, and the other is a small petite woman, with mahogany brown hair, and pale skin as white as snow. It is far too late to warn the boys of the trio's approach, and it isn't until they are a few steps away from us that they called attention to themselves.

  "Victor!" Christian's voice is a loathing yell. There is absolute hatred on his face as he stares at Victor. The scream of course draws Victor's attention from the body falling to his feet - Victor's sword pulling free dew to the slick blood that covers it - to Christian, and the two men stare at each other in all consuming loathing.

  "Christian," Victor sneers, the one word filled with such venom that it could have physically burned through anything.

  "Good to see that I have your attention. As this is the moment of your downfall, brother," Christian sneers, and we all look at him in horror. What on earth did he mean by brother?

  "What on earth are you talking about? I am not your brother, not by blood or oath," Victor responds, he seems to keep up his guard although I can tell that he too is thoroughly confused.

  "Are you quite sure about that, brother dear?" Christian asks, and as Victor remains silent he goes on, "No? Well let me clear it up for you. Our mother was a whore; she had committed herself to my father, Novak, in her human flesh. Then your father comes along, hypnotizes her with his vampiric skills, and marks her as his own. A simple human being, just like our precious Anna, was your mother and my own." There is such a condemned look to Christian's face, as if he hates to admit that his mother was like me, or that he is related partially to his arch enemy. What is it that I had seen with Augustus' mind? Wasn't Novak saying that Christian's mother had abandoned him, and that he cried every night, begging for his mother to come back and love him?

  "You lie," is Victor's only response. Christian just smirks at him, completely pleased to uproot everything that Victor believed in, even if that meant destroying his own walls in the process.

  "Believe what you will, the truth has sought you out, and you reject it. It will not give you a second chance. Besides what does it matter, your about to die anyhow," Christian remarks with a vicious little sneer. There is no on-going battle, no fight to the death. Christian raises his sword and with one swift motion plunges it through Victor's heart. It feels as if the blade is going through my own
heart, and I clutch onto my heart in an attempt to make sure that it stays in one piece. I watch as Victor dies before me, tears running down my face as I lose the man I love, due to the man that I loath. There is nothing I can do to save him, and I drop to my knees to hold him one last time. Victor keeps me at a distance though and he watches me with his eyes as the life slowly drains out of him. I keep our eyes locked, and our hands intertwined until I can see no life within his eyes anymore. That is when I can hear Christian's rumbling chuckle at Victor's death, at his own triumph. When I look up to him, he is towering above me, a triumphant smile on his face. He has finally achieved what he had been planning all along. Christian is in awe of his freedom. However, for the rest of us, all is lost as our only hope lies dead before me.

  I awake to the cold light of dawn, the bed beside me is empty, and my heart begins to race as for a moment I forget that the dream is not real. My panic and concern for Victor, only lasts for a moment as I remember the fight that we had the night before. I drop back into the bed and stare at the blank ceiling above me. How could something so magical, so beautiful be ruined so? And what of Kayden? And the words that Shade and I had shared? What was I going to do about these three boys and the problems that they cause? Then again, what would I be without them? What would I do without them? I let go of a huff and decided that if I must lie in bed all day to avoid the world than that is what I must do.