Prophecy: Caelestis and Aurorea [A Vampires Realm Novel]

by F. E. Heaton

  "The answer will be revealed,” the tall witch said.

  "In time,” the short with continued.

  "All will be revealed.” The youngest witch moved to the fire.

  Prophecy watched her stir the embers, making the blue ice-cold fire burn brighter.

  "So the book is in Budapest, in the church that I saw. It's not going to be easy to get it. Getting there won't be a problem, but I saw Nocens in my vision and I know I will have to fight them. I'm going to get hurt but I've discovered the power of healing."

  They smiled at her, looking impressed with her progress.

  "I discovered it when Valentine was hurt. He's been hurt so many times trying to help me. Now he's been captured and they're torturing him. I don't know where to look to find him.” She furrowed her brows, giving them a pleading look as though they could know the answer if they tried.

  "All in time,” they said as one.

  "I don't have time!” She gritted her teeth and sighed in frustration. “Every minute, every passing second, is time in which he's being hurt because of me. If he'd stayed with his family none of this would have happened. If I'd obeyed Iona and remained in the house like I was supposed to..."

  Slumping into the seat, she hung her head, ran her hands around the back of her neck and screwed her face up in an attempt to stop the tears that threatened to come.

  "You cannot stop your destiny."

  She looked at them with bleary eyes. They were right. No matter what she'd done, eventually she would have met Valentine and he would have bitten her, setting in motion the events that would lead to her fulfilling her destiny and the prophecy. She had no say in what happened. All she could do is trust in fate and know in her heart that this is what was supposed to happen. It was hard to hand over control to something that wasn't tangible, or even easy to believe in. It still seemed impossible that everything had been mapped out before her. Hadn't she already altered that destiny once when she'd killed the lord of Tenebrae? Surely not everything was set in stone?

  It was so difficult to know what was wrong and what was right. Her mother had told her that she was going to make mistakes and that not everything was as it seems. In a way, her mistakes had made her stronger. Coming to Paris had made her realise just how far she'd come and how much wiser she was now.

  One thing stuck in her mind and it had been the last thing her mother had said to her during that vision.

  This was her destiny. She could not change it.

  If that was so, then she had been destined to kill the lord of Tenebrae, instating Venturi in his place and bringing her the help of the army of Tenebrae.

  Was that worth the cost of all those lives? She had Venturi's men at her disposal, but had the battle been worth it? Dmitri had lost so many of his werewolves and Venturi had lost his sire and a vast number of his family.

  It hadn't been worth it. One life was too much to pay. She didn't want to save the world at that kind of cost. People would tell her that one life in exchange for one million was a worthy trade, but she would rather save a million and one.

  The only life she was willing to barter with was her own.

  Standing up, she smoothed down her black trousers and swept her hair from her face.

  She knew that what she wanted was impossible. There were people she had to kill, people she had probably once known, so she could save the life of one. It was selfish of her to do so, but she was too weak to sacrifice him. Regardless of the trap that had so obviously been laid for her, she was going to save Valentine. Without him, the world wasn't worth saving. If she could kill Arkalus and Kalinor in the process, she would be happy.

  "What troubles you?” the tall witch said.

  "Those thoughts weigh heavy,” the short one said.

  "And your heart cannot bear the burden,” the youngest one finished.

  "It aches to think of what I must do,” Prophecy said and pressed her hand to her chest. “But I must do it. I can't save everyone. To save the majority, I have to sacrifice some. I can't do this without Valentine, but if I'm to save him, I'll have to end so many lives."

  She watched the firelight glint off the stone in her amulet.

  "It is the price you must pay.” The tall witch almost smiled.

  "If you are to fulfil the prophecy.” The short witch moved away from her.

  "If you are to fulfil your destiny."

  Prophecy met the eyes of the youngest witch. “Thank you for everything. I must go."

  "You will not stay?"

  "Of course you will not."

  "We should have known that without question,” the youngest witch said.

  "I have to go to Budapest. When I have the book, I'll contact Mathias and Venturi and let them know that I'm safe. You will already know I suppose?” Prophecy said with a smile.

  They nodded, closing their eyes as they did so. They seemed to know all of her movements without having to ask her about them. It was probably something to do with the magic and the connection in their powers. She had the feeling that they really had known her mother just as they'd said. If it weren't for the three witches in front of her, she would never have realised her power or known who her real mother was.

  "We'll see each other again?” she asked.

  "When the time is right,” the tall witch said and held her hand out, intimating the stairs.

  "And the long night has begun,” the short witch said.

  Prophecy walked towards the stairs and turned to look back at them when she reached the top.

  "Then we shall see each other again,” the youngest witch said.

  Prophecy nodded and smiled. Holding her hand up, she squashed the fear that was beginning to creep in at the corners of her heart. There was nothing to be frightened of. When the time came and the long night had begun, she would be ready to fight the final battle.

  It was her destiny.

  But right now, there were other wars to be won.

  Chapter 8

  The sound of the train trundling along the tracks formed a beat in her head, one that was impossible to shut out no matter how much she tried. It was a steady clack-clack that went around and around her mind, invading all of her thoughts. She leaned back in the chair and pulled the blind aside a fraction, quickly letting it fall back into place when she saw it was still broad daylight outside.

  Travelling alone had its perks, but this wasn't one of them. With no one to guard her while she slept, she risked someone entering and opening the curtain, the result of which could be fatal to her.

  She went to the door and tugged it, checking for the tenth time in that hour that it was locked. It was becoming too difficult to keep her eyes open. The sun had been up for over six hours, six hours during which she'd been resisting the lure of sleep. She had already changed trains. The one she was on would take her straight into the heart of Budapest.

  There was no need for her to be awake and she wanted to sleep in case it brought her a vision of Valentine again. She needed reassurance that he was all right and there was a chance that her heart and the magic would grant her it.

  She smoothed down the edge of the blind, ensuring that no sunlight could get in, and then dragged her bag to the other end of the couch nearest the door. She had drawn all of the blinds, the one on the door and the two that covered the glass panels either side. She would be safest at this end, away from the large outside window. Opening the bag, she took out Valentine's red jacket and brought it to her nose. She inhaled deeply, savouring the comforting scent of him that lingered on the material and closing her eyes. Covering herself with it, she curled up and let sleep take her.

  It was dark. The cold made her flesh feel numb and her body ache. She couldn't see anything. It was as though she had her eyes closed, but she knew they were wide open. Inhaling, she almost choked on the scent of blood and decay that filled her lungs. She covered her mouth, frowning in disgust and shuddering at the memory of finding the butchered men in Venice.

  Extending her senses but sto
pping her instinct to breathe, she wandered aimlessly in the dark. It seemed pointless, just like last time.

  She gasped when a rush of images hit her and moved her hand from her mouth to her ears. She brought her other one up, clutching the sides of her head in an effort to shut out the noise and stop the onslaught. There was city after city, some of which she recognised and others that she didn't. There were people and demons of all shapes, sizes and species. She couldn't make anything out. It was all a blur, a shifting of patterns and colours.

  Screwing her eyes shut, she wished that they would go away. She breathed out slowly, trying to get her head to clear, and almost sighed when silence fell.

  She raised her head slowly and opened one eye and then the other when she saw that she was surrounded by darkness once more. Her stomach stilled but she felt nauseas from hurtling through the images.

  What had they been?

  It hadn't felt like a vision but she swore she'd seen herself in amongst the images. There were other scenes that she knew for sure couldn't have been a vision, things set in the past. She'd seen a city with a broad dark river and stone buildings lining it. The sky had been bright but fading into tones of burnt orange. It had been so familiar.

  She looked down at her hand and saw that the stone in her amulet was tinted red again.

  "Valentine,” she whispered.

  He had told her about a sunset he'd watched, the last one he'd seen before becoming a vampire. Was that what she had seen? Was all of this connected to Valentine?

  She turned on the spot when she heard a noise and cringed, hunching defensively when images of cities rushed past her again. She was moving through them at high speed and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make out any details.

  Her stomach lurched when she caught a glimpse of someone and she spun around. The scenery slowed to a stop and she found herself face to face with Lucya, Valentine's sire. She recoiled when the female Aurorea stepped towards her and turned her head away when Lucya brushed her fingers across her cheek. Sickness settled in her stomach when she realised that this was Valentine's memory. This had happened. Lucya's mouth moved, but she couldn't hear the words she was speaking. The blonde woman smiled, drawing Prophecy to her. She couldn't stop herself from stepping towards her and found herself closing her eyes when Lucya neared her neck.

  The scene around her shifted and she almost fell backwards when she opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of Kalinor. She held her hand out when she saw the red jacket he was holding out to her. Kalinor had given Valentine the jacket. This must have been the moment he'd received his position as hunter. She was about to take the jacket when the whole city seemed to rush past her, the buildings aging rapidly and wars being fought in a blink of an eye.

  She leaned forwards when it finally stopped and she pressed her hand into her stomach, swallowing hard and telling herself that she had to remain conscious no matter what she saw or how dizzying it became.

  Lifting her head up, her eyes widened when she saw herself. It was the night they'd met. She could hear the thunder in the distance and see herself killing the man. She couldn't move as she watched herself. She had taken so much pleasure in her first kill. Little had she known where it was going to take her and who was watching her. He'd seen it all. He'd witnessed the whole act and the delight she'd taken from it.

  She frowned when she walked towards herself and saw the fear in her eyes. It was strange and confusing to witness this from his point of view. She closed her eyes when she neared her doubles neck, waiting for the images that she knew had hit him on tasting her blood.

  Her vision swam with scenes of battle and she recognised it as the castle. She saw herself and she swallowed hard when her double turned to face her and said Valentine's name. This was how he had known he was to help her and not execute her. Her blood had shown him what his future held and he had known then that his place was with her.

  The world darkened and when the light rose again, she was standing in a corridor. Conflict and confusion reigned inside her and she felt torn for some reason. She looked around her and her eyes widened when she recognised her surroundings. She was in her family's mansion. She stared at her door. This had to be the night he'd come to kidnap her. Was this how he'd felt? Inside her was a muddle of questions and desires. She wanted to enter the room, but also wanted to leave. It was a struggle that she knew was going to hurt her no matter what decision she made.

  The next thing she knew, she was inside the room and was staring at herself again. Familiar feelings stirred inside her and she reminded herself that these were Valentine's emotions she was experiencing. Valentine had felt this way on seeing her sleeping. It was a mixture of desire, duty and an overwhelming need to protect the person she was looking at. She witnessed him removing the box and drugging her and then the world spun and she was hurrying down the corridor towards the stairs.

  She swallowed when she focused on his feelings and found they were growing stronger by the second. A flicker of a thought crept through her mind but she couldn't grasp it and hear what it was. Whatever he had thought on watching her while he held her in his arms, it had been something tender and affectionate.

  Stepping out of the dark stairwell, she went to hurry along the corridor towards the servant entrance but didn't get more than a few steps before the scene changed again.

  She paused when she was greeted with darkness and the pain began to creep in. She knew where she was now. This time she could feel more than just the bonds that held her wrists and feet in place. She could see them. She could see the wall she was chained to and could see a stone table nearby. Next to it was a fire grate and the embers still glowed in it. On the table, she could see bloodied instruments.

  She dropped her eyes and saw Valentine's chest. Horror consumed her when she saw the marks that littered it, the deep gashes and wounds that were still bleeding. He was suffering so much. She had to find him soon or there was a chance he wasn't going to make it. Her head jerked around when she heard a door open and suddenly everything was growing darker and she felt as though she was slipping away.

  Someone was pushing her.

  She growled and shot her eyes open to find herself staring into those of a female guard. The woman muttered something at her in a language she couldn't understand and then left her. Scrambling to the window, Prophecy drew the blind aside a little and then opened it when she saw it was dark. A sign opposite greeted her and filled her with dread at the same time.

  Budapest.

  * * * *

  Valentine wearily raised his head a fraction and made the effort to growl at Arkalus as he entered the room. He clenched his fists and then let his hands fall open again when he found he didn't have the energy to keep them closed.

  He hung his head forwards again.

  Arkalus dragged a chair across the room and placed it in front of him. Valentine waited for the lord of Caelestis to seat himself. He wasn't going to give him the pleasure of his full attention. If Arkalus wanted to talk to him, he could do it without him wasting his energy on looking at him.

  "You cannot imagine how disappointed I was when I discovered that I had claimed Serenity instead.” Arkalus started and stretched his legs out. Valentine stared at Arkalus’ boots but didn't respond. He knew how annoyed he would be if he'd gone to claim Prophecy and someone else had taken her place, but he wasn't going to sympathise with Arkalus. If Arkalus had successfully claimed Prophecy, he would have been dead by now. Valentine would have seen to that. “Cat got your tongue? Or has Kalinor removed it?"

  He ground his teeth on hearing the snide tone of Arkalus’ voice.

  "I do not wish to waste my breath on you. Talk all you like. I do not have to respond,” he said and longed to have enough energy to break his bonds so he could smash Arkalus’ head in. Arkalus’ nightly taunting sessions were beginning to grate on his nerves. He was tired from a day of torture, but nothing sucked the life from him like the lord of Caelestis’ inane talk.

/>   "I think you should listen and you had better respond.” Arkalus stood and Valentine heard him move across the room. There was the sound of scrabbling and he knew what the lord of Caelestis was doing.

  "If you dare undermine Kalinor's command and attempt to torture me yourself, you will not live to see dawn.” He looked at Arkalus and saw the amusement in his eyes that his threat had caused.

  "Yes. I wouldn't put it past you to tell your precious lord what I did to you, just like you told him about my attempt to make Prophecy mine."

  He frowned when he noticed that Arkalus had one hand behind his back and his eyes darted to the table, his mind racing to discover what tool Arkalus had taken. They were all there. Every single device that Kalinor had used on him was in the exact same position as his lord had left them.

  Arkalus smiled at him. “You see, your lord did not appreciate knowing such a thing and is refusing to speak with me. He is apparently still thinking up adequate punishment for what I did and judging by what he has done to you, my fate will be painful. It's not something I'm looking forwards to, but to lighten my pain when he finally makes his decision, I've decided to get some revenge on you and some answers at the same time."

  Valentine stilled his breathing and kept his eyes fixed on Arkalus’ side, waiting to see what he had in store for him.

  "Kalinor does not seem to be doing very well in torturing you for information. Each night he reports that you have said nothing. He seems impressed by your ability to withstand the punishment he is exacting upon you, but I'm not."

  His eyes widened when Arkalus moved his hand swiftly and there was nothing he could do to avoid it. He cried out, flinging his head back and slumping against the wall as pain tore through him, racing along every nerve ending and making his body throb where Arkalus had stabbed him.