The Blood and Light Series (Six Books Boxed Set)

by Rue Volley

  Sophia showed no evidence of shock; a protector heals quickly with aide of feeding.

  “It is good to see that you fed,” Sophia said.

  Evil stood up and held onto her chair.

  “I fear that my attacker had every intention of killing me. He succeeded in my heart.”

  Sophia looked at her and felt something strange, something that had been foreign to her for so long…it was pity. She raised her head and stared at her, shrugging off the want to console her.

  “You will be pleased to know that Lord Barrington has been stripped and placed in the trial mirror.”

  Evil frowned.

  “What? Why was he not destroyed?” she asked.

  “You would have preferred that; I guess I can understand. Your parents obviously disadvantaged you… giving nothing to you to combat emotion. I assure you that he will rot away, awaiting the next Lord to enter, and then he will be destroyed.”

  Evil stared at her and shook her head.

  “He should breathe no longer; this is not acceptable.”

  “It is exactly what he should endure… it is law,” Sophia said.

  Evil held her tongue. She knew that she could express only so much before Sophia may start to doubt her lineage. She sighed and looked at her hands, then back up to Sophia.

  “Of course you are correct in what you did. I fear that the loss of a child has caused my heart to speak… before my mind,” she said.

  “You have no need to apologize… It is believed that what you endured is unnecessary,” Sophia said.

  Sophia turned and started to walk towards the door.

  Evil watched her and then decided to stab at her heart.

  “It is a pity that Lord Caine is not present; I would have enjoyed his company,” Evil said.

  Sophia stopped and looked at her own hands. A small light started to well up in them.

  She turned to Evil and tilted her head.

  “Lord Caine is no longer with us,” Sophia said.

  “Curious, Lord Barrington spoke of seeing him in the trial mirror. He swore that Caine was living… not a mirage, to help him achieve his own power.”

  Sophia looked at her and held her emotion in check.

  “He was in trial. In trial a Lord sees many from his past… it is what makes them shed their emotion and receive their power.”

  Evil stepped towards her and grinned.

  “He was so sure of it; I almost believed him,” she said.

  “You were mistaken,” Sophia said as she turned and walked towards the door.

  She opened it up and stepped out, conscious of her heartbeat until she left the house and took a breath. She stood there for a moment and glanced back at the house. Evil started to laugh as she returned to her chair and sat down.

  “You will give me a Lord, Sophia Graph. I will retrieve your exiled son and bear an heir. I will take my seat here and live forever,” she whispered.

  ***

  Josh and Caine had been walking for quite some time before Josh had to sit down and rest. He wasn’t ready to accept mortality, and the exhaustion his body felt was so foreign to him; he wasn’t able to process it. Josh sighed as he sat down and looked at his hands. The bruises remained from the binding and his shoulder ached. He looked up at Caine and shook his head.

  “This is such bullshit,” he said.

  Caine looked down at him and smiled. Josh frowned.

  “What?” Josh said.

  “I find it ironic that we depend on each other; I would have never guessed it,” Caine said.

  “Listen, it is the situation… now want,” Josh said to him.

  “Agreed,” Caine said as he decided to sit down next to him and leaned back.

  “So, you plan on feeding on me, allowing us to portal through the mirror,” Caine said.

  “You have a better plan?” Josh asked him as he rubbed his shoulder.

  “I do not. I just find it odd that you think that I will go through the mirror and not kill you,” Caine said.

  Josh laughed and looked at him.

  “Who said I wasn’t thinking about killing you?” Josh asked him.

  Caine sighed and looked up at the sky.

  “Fair assumption,” he said.

  Josh rolled his shoulder and it popped really loud; he hissed and pressed on it.

  “Would you like for me to heal you?” Caine asked him.

  Josh grinned at him and shook his head ‘no’.

  Caine tilted his head, confused by his refusal.

  “I prefer to be alert… with pain I find that I am more on point,” Josh said.

  “Is that something that your father told you?” Caine asked him.

  Josh lowered his hand from his shoulder and looked at him.

  “Yea, it is,” he muttered.

  Caine laughed and stretched out his fingers.

  “He lied to you. You simply are not at your best when weakened… You should regain your strength to battle.”

  “I prefer to suffer,” Josh said.

  Caine shrugged his shoulders and started to stand up.

  “You are a confusing boy,” Caine said.

  Josh looked up at him and laughed.

  “And you are an evil bastard.”

  Caine laughed and held his hand out to him.

  “That is correct.”

  Josh took his hand and Caine jerked him up quickly.

  Josh’s shoulder cracked again and he hissed as he caught his balance.

  “You dick, don’t do that.”

  Caine stared at him and shook his head.

  “Sorry, old habits die slowly,” he said.

  “Whatever,” Josh said. “Just try to not stab me, okay?” he added.

  “Oh, I didn’t plan on doing that until we are free of this prison.”

  Josh looked at him and wanted to laugh, but he knew that Caine was probably telling the truth. Shit.

  They started to walk again and the sky started to darken. Josh stopped and felt the wind change form warm to cold. He looked at Caine and shook his head.

  “What the hell?” he asked him.

  Caine looked at the sky and then back to him.

  “It would seem that a trial is coming,” Caine said.

  “Okay,” Josh said as he held his hand out to him.

  Caine stared at him with a confused look on his face.

  Josh wiggled his fingers at him.

  “Give me one of your blades,” Josh said.

  “Absolutely not,” Caine said.

  Josh grumbled and kept his hand extended to him.

  “I am not going to have something come and not try to stab it,” Josh said.

  Caine laughed and pulled both of his blades, tilting them in his hands.

  “I would suggest that you hide,” Caine said.

  Josh tilted his head and then almost got knocked over as the wind whipped up.

  “I am so not going to do that… screw you,” Josh yelled at him as the wind blew his hair around his face.

  Caine stepped up to him and hit him in the mouth with the hilt of his blade. Josh dropped to the ground like a rock. Caine stood there and then he lowered his head as he heard a voice behind him.

  “You are weak, a worthless excuse for a Lord,” he heard.

  He turned to see William Volley standing there in full battle gear, blades swirling in color.

  “Father,” Caine said as he shifted his weight to his other foot and tightened his grip on his blades.

  William looked at Josh lying on the ground.

  Caine pointed at William with his blade and yelled out to him.

  “You need not worry about the human; he is my meal,” he said.

  “You lie as you have always done… That is Joshua Barrington; he is much more suited to become the next Lord of Valon… much more so than you. You are weak, like your mother,” William said as he grinned.

  “I would suggest that you save your breath. I am in no need of Trial,” Caine said as he stared at him.

 
; “Of course not, why would I assume that you would? I mean, you and your mother were such a disgrace to me, that I ran as quickly as I could to another woman to forget the entire mess,” William said.

  Caine gritted his teeth and tried to maintain his anger. The thought of killing him would relieve some of the hatred he had in his heart, not only for him but also for his mother.

  “Leave me,” Caine said. “Crawl back to the recesses of my mind and live there as you wish. I have spent so much time wondering why you abandoned me, that I cannot stand the sight of you,” Caine said.

  William laughed and spread his feet apart, obviously not ready to hide from the reality of this confrontation.

  “You know, I knew of you… even as I slammed my hand against your chest in the library and sent you to the tomb. I had dreamed of it, wished for it. The only thing that would have made it better is if your mother had been present to perish too. That whore deserves more than to fade into memory… She deserves to suffer for a thousand years, with her bastard of a son by her side. Perhaps she should have mated with you after your birth.”

  Caine lowered his head and let the words sink into his heart. He wanted so badly to cast the thoughts aside, but they lingered in him like a poison, a poison that ate away at his spirit. The want for a father, and the relentless torture from his mother, had twisted his heart.

  “I will not; I cannot destroy you,” Caine whispered.

  “That is because you are as worthless now as you have ever been.”

  Caine cried out as he lunged at him, blades slicing through the air.

  “Yes! Caine redeem yourself… stop embarrassing us with your weakness,” William yelled at him.

  Caine sliced his blades across William’s chest and William stumbled back. He looked down at the white leather on his chest and dropped one of his blades as he reached up to touch it. Blood welled up in an X-pattern against the white. He touched it with his fingertip and looked up at Caine and smiled.

  “You must do better than that.”

  Caine stood there breathing hard. He looked at him and shook his head.

  “Leave me demon, leave me in peace. I find solace in knowing that you have left this plain, never again to taunt me with your lack of wanting to know me.”

  William laughed and picked up his blade.

  “You know that you must kill me to survive, so do it already,” he said.

  “I find you boring,” Caine said as he relaxed his hands.

  “You will find me the death of you,” William said as he lunged at Caine and their blades clashed.

  Caine gritted his teeth as William pushed him back. Caine spun around and William threw himself on Caine’s blade. They stood there face to face, Caine breathing hard, and William grinned.

  “You were never what I wanted and neither was your mother,” William whispered to him.

  Caine cried out as he rammed his blade deep in his chest and then light started to flash from his hand. He raised it and looked at the bright light pulsating in his hand. The feeling it brought to him was overwhelming, like a huge release that had festered in him forever. He slammed his hand against William’s chest and William fell to the ground, sliding from his blade. Caine stood there as a huge vibration welled up in his body. William started to fade and Caine fell to his knees; his head fell back and light pulsated from his body in rings around him. He screamed out and then the light burst from him like a sonic boom.

  He fell back and lay there catching his breath. Josh started to move a little and then he opened his eyes to see Caine lying there with his blades still in his hands. Josh pushed himself up and looked down at him.

  “What the hell did you do now?” he asked him.

  Caine opened his eyes and the swirling black started to slow in his eyes until it absorbed into him. He looked at Josh and grinned.

  “Something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember,” he whispered.

  “Not cool… you should have controlled yourself,” Josh said.

  Caine pushed himself up and rose before him.

  “I am not one to pass up an opportunity,” Caine said.

  Josh stepped back from him.

  “You need to settle down and stop looking at me like I am a meal, you dick.”

  “I assure you I have no need to consume you. I feel stronger now than I ever have.”

  “Well that’s just great, Caine… I take it that you killed, taking one step towards trial.”

  Caine looked at him and placed his blades on his back.

  “It is not the first time that I have killed here… Remember, I have been here many times before,” Caine said as he started to walk.

  “Great! So how many more until you just change for good then?” Josh asked him.

  Caine stopped and didn’t turn to him.

  “I am a Lord, you foolish boy. I am in exile.”

  Josh stood there and sucked in his breath.

  “You are a Lord?” Josh asked him.

  “I would suggest that you draw strength in your mortal body and stop pestering me. I would assume that you want to leave here as I do.”

  Josh shut his mouth and followed Caine, realizing that he was in more danger than he could have ever suspected before.

  They walked for another half hour in silence until they finally saw the lights of the carnival. Caine stopped and Josh leaned against a tree, irritated at the fact that he felt tired. Caine looked back at him and grinned.

  “Hey, who did you kill back there anyway?” Josh asked him.

  “My father, he had never appeared to me before. I did not want to kill him, but he gave me no choice.”

  Josh looked at him and smiled.

  “How did it make you feel?”

  Caine looked at him and licked his lip.

  “Hungry,” he whispered.

  ***

  Evil looked back as the door opened and a girl walked in. She sat there and grinned as she waited for news.

  “Where is the body?” she asked her.

  The girl stepped forward and in a small voice replied to her.

  “Buried, burned… it was taken outside the gates and hidden away.”

  Evil turned to her and smiled.

  “You have done very well for me, and as I promised… you and your family will be able to leave as soon as I am in power,” she said.

  “I thought that you would receive power immediately,” the girl said to her.

  Evil stood up and walked to her quickly.

  The girl tensed up, hoping that she had not angered her. Evil leaned into her face and smiled.

  “Impatient, are we?” she asked her.

  “I… I apologize, Rue Volley. I did not mean to upset you. Of course, my family’s release from Valon as a host family is completely up to you. I trust you, and everything you promised. I meant no disrespect.”

  Evil relaxed and stood up straight in front of her.

  “Did you tell anyone of what you did for me?” Evil asked her.

  “Just my brother; I could not move the body… In fact, it was my brother who took the baby from the girl for you.”

  Evil stared at her and then placed her hand on her face.

  “So pretty you are, for a mortal. Your skin is so soft.”

  Evil took her hand and looked at it.

  “How old are you?” Evil asked her.

  “I am sixteen.”

  “And your brother?” Evil asked.

  “Seventeen.”

  “Mmmm,” Evil said as she let her hand go and walked back to her chair by the window.

  “I would like for you to retrieve your brother, both of you return here. I would like to thank him for his service to me. I fear that what he did was quite monstrous… I want to tell him how much I adore his loyalty to me. I do not know of many humans who could have cut a child from its mother’s womb.”

  The girl sighed and looked down at her hands.

  “I fear that the thought of it made me sick. He did it to save us,” she mutte
red.

  “Well, reasons aside… I wish to give you both something that may tide you over until I am able to hold true to my promise,” Evil looked at her and smiled. “I will release you both soon.”

  The girl grinned and ran to the door. She stopped and looked back at Evil.

  “I will get him at once,” she said as she opened the door and ran out, closing it behind her.

  The girl ran until she got a funny look from a guard walking through the streets of Valon. She slowed down and then sped up as she passed him by. The guard looked back at her and watched her round the corner.

  “Humans,” the guard muttered to himself as he continued to walk.

  The girl ran up to the steps of the building they lived in and opened the door. She ran up two flights of stairs, stopping at their door catching her breath. She reached for the doorknob and paused as she grinned, dreaming of freedom. She opened the door up and stood there with her eyes wide as she watched her brother swinging, by his neck, from a rope in the middle of the room. She cried out and ran to him, grabbing at his legs, trying to push him up. She cried out as she realized that she had no strength to do it. She cried as she hugged his legs and looked up at him.

  “No... no… no,” she whispered.

  “Freedom… we were going to be free,” she whimpered.

  The girl heard a clicking behind her. She let his legs go and tried to see through her tears. Rue Volley stood there, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. She closed the door behind her and stepped into the room. She looked up at her brother and then back to the girl. Evil held out her arms and the girl ran to her and buried her face in her chest.

  “Oh, so sorrowful,” Evil whispered.

  The girl continued to sob. Evil grabbed her arms and pulled her back from her; she turned her around to face her brother’s swinging body.

  “Do you see how weak mortals are?” she asked her.

  “He meant everything to me. Without him, I do not want to live,” the girl whispered.

  Evil stepped beside her and squeezed her shoulders.

  “It is thinking like that, that makes you what you are… You need to shed this, if you wish to survive,” Evil said to her.

  “I… I can’t imagine life without him… I can’t,” the girl said as she continued to cry.

  Evil walked up to him and stared up at his face. The boy’s eyes were open as well as his mouth. She tilted her head and then tapped his legs, causing him to swing a little.