by Aria Sparke
‘You look great in all of them, but I think my favourite is the one that matches your eyes and hair color.’
‘This one?’ she said and held up the long, indigo blue dress that was strapless, fitted and stunning.
I nodded enthusiastically.
‘Do you think Tarek will like it?’
I wanted to say who cared what he thought, but I didn’t want to hurt her. ‘I’m sure of it.’
‘Perfect,’ she said. ‘Let’s find some shoes and get out of here.’
This was my idea of shopping—ruthlessly efficient and painless. We obviously had common ground and I was beginning and hoping to see the start of a friendship.
Once our shopping expedition and lunch were over, I rang Alexis to ask him to send Zamira’s driver to the college before we left Wicklow.
When I turned into the Anubis parking lot I was relieved to see Zamira’s driver leaning against his car as though waiting for us.
‘Thanks for today,’ Zamira said as she climbed out with her shopping bags. ‘You were so kind to listen to my raving and to help me choose the dress.’
‘It was fun.’
‘I’ll see you tomorrow evening,’ she called from the car window. ‘I can’t wait!’
As I stood on the college steps and waved to her, I wished I felt so sure and excited.
* * *
Flynn and a large group of dhampirs left the grounds on a patrol after dinner. We had shared the meal together talking about the shopping trip today and the ball tomorrow but not a word was spoken about the patrol. I never asked them for the details of their activities preferring to not know, yet every time he left for one I couldn’t help but worry about his safety. Before he left he’d told me tonight was just a routine check of the forest surrounding the walls of Anubis College. Alexis had suggested it might be a good idea before the ball.
Once on the eve of a hunt, I’d asked Flynn for details but he had clammed up. Eventually I tracked down Anya and asked her why Flynn avoided speaking about hunts and she had said it was considered bad luck, which seemed superstitious. I wrote to my father and it was he who explained how dhampirs fear the scrutiny of witches. If they were to speak or even think excessively of the details, witches from the opposing side might catch them in their visions. Thinking or speaking too much about a hunt might then lead to their demise.
I curled up in bed thinking about Zamira and the thought of the ball looming tomorrow night. My mind was swirling with a mix of emotions before I fell asleep around midnight. I slipped into a strange landscape where I wandered outside the walls of Anubis. Skeletal trees reached out to me with leafless, white limbs and thorny branches like groping hands. I tripped and staggered amongst weeds while white flowers curled and withered as I passed. Pairs of bright animal eyes winked at me from the darkness. A cold wind whipped and urged me under a tunnel of overarching branches, all dried and petrified.
I heard violins playing and saw people in fancy costumes ahead holding masks over their faces as they danced. Relieved, I hurried toward them knowing it had to be the ball. Familiar voices called me. I heard Flynn’s voice first but it was coming from Alexis’ body and Martin’s voice from a man I did not know. Everyone was mixed up in some way. Cecilia had Zamira’s hair and Anya’s legs were surely on Cecilia. My head spun trying to work out the bizarre puzzle. No one was complete. What was worse, every time the dance music changed everyone’s features shifted again until I was dizzy trying to decipher who was who.
Confused and terrified, I sat on the earth with a silver purse. Inside it were my chalk and candles. Failing to draw on the dirt, I eventually threw the chalk aside and concentrated on lighting the candles. I fumbled and dropped them and even when I’d managed to light one, it flickered and died in the wind, which now howled through the tunnel. I closed my eyes and searched desperately for the incantation that would make it all right. Nothing came to mind as hands and branches scraped and closed in on me.
I woke with a gasp.
‘It’s just a dream,’ I said aloud, but pulled my quilt to my neck while my thudding heart almost shook the bed. Had I just had a nightmare or was it a vision? It was 3 am and outside the night was dark and moonless.
First I had to know if Flynn was safe. Scrambling from my bed, I pulled track pants, a sweater and shoes on before racing toward Flynn’s dorm floor.
I heard a commotion from the stairwell. Looking exhausted and with eyes downcast, a few of the dhampirs were climbing the stairs from the ground floor. Some had bleeding gashes across their faces and arms. It puzzled me because dhampirs usually healed so quickly you almost never saw one looking less than perfect.
I stopped Lex, one of the boys from Flynn’s training group. ‘What happened to you all?’ He had a gash over his eye that had dripped blood all over his face and clothes. I could see the wound was only just starting to clot.
‘We were ambushed by a Berisha group outside the college wall beyond the protection wards. We had no choice but to retreat behind the walls.’
I didn’t want to ask the obvious question, but I needed to know. ‘Did they try to get through?’
He nodded wearily.
A wave of fear rose in my heart.
‘Thank God the protection wards held.’
‘But you’re still bleeding.’
‘They obviously had help from some foul magic that has slowed our recovery since we were attacked.’
‘Will you be okay?’
He nodded, yet I could see fear in his expression. ‘I’m healing slowly. Once I’ve slept a few hours, I’ll be fine. Some were not so lucky. I’m guessing they were hit with a stronger dose of magic or they were more vulnerable in some way.’
My throat tightened. ‘Flynn?’
‘I’m sorry, Lily, but I don’t know. Those who were badly injured were taken to the clinic for healing infusions. Now that Leah has gone we don’t have her expertise to help us. The injured will be there for the rest of the night I’d say.’
I ran all the way to the clinic with my heart nearly bursting, not worrying about leaving the main building after dark. The clinic door was wide open and the lights were on. A number of dhampirs were lying on the floor or slumped on chairs. I looked from one dhampir to the next. Where was Flynn? When I saw him with Alexis hooking an injured student up with a blood infusion, I nearly cried out to him in relief. Moments later I felt guilty I hadn’t immediately noticed the other distressed dhampirs, who were moaning and in obvious pain.
I hurried over to Flynn and saw he had claw marks down the side of his face with blood still dripping from them.
‘Are you okay?’ I whispered wondering what had caused the wounds.
‘I’m fine.’
‘I heard you were attacked.’
I saw the anger in his eyes as he nodded.
‘They had feral wolves, which they sent in advance to attack and weaken us.’
‘Is that what left those marks?’ I traced my hand over his face wishing I had the magic to heal him. ‘What can I do to help?’
He pointed to a box filled with gauze, bandages and antiseptic. ‘Alexis and I will keep infusing the injured, if you can help them the human way.’
‘Sure,’ I said and began pulling on a pair of latex gloves.
Flynn looked so exhausted. ‘We need a witch devoted to our dhampirs so much—like Leah.’
‘What about Cecilia? Isn’t that her job?’
‘I understand she’s related to you, but seriously you know as well as I do, she’s flaky and undependable.’
‘She should have been there to protect and warn you.’
He half laughed. ‘Sometimes I think we’d be better off without her.’
‘Alexis needs to talk to her,’ I said, feeling oddly responsible for her behaviour.
I filled a large basin with warm water and antiseptic to clean the wounds of one the worst injured dhampirs and brought it to the chair where Flynn was checking the bag of blood dripping into the patient’s forearm.
Flynn seemed unsteady on his feet and sat beside the injured dhampir to monitor him.
‘Alexis thinks something foul is going on with the Berishas. He has never seen this kind of witchcraft before and is worried they’re using old magic,’ Flynn said quietly.
‘Maybe you both need to talk to Tarek. If the Berishas are summoning a different kind of magic, you’ll have to tell him.’
I could see Flynn was dead on his feet, so I sidled over to Alexis. ‘Can I speak to you please?’
He raised his eyebrows.
‘Flynn needs blood now.’
‘I’ll get to him.’
I shook my head. ‘He hasn’t had blood since I was in stasis in Australia.’
The realisation slowly dawned on Alexis. ‘I’m sorry, Lily. I didn’t realize. He has only minor injuries, but if he hasn’t been drinking or infusing blood, he’s in danger. I’ll sort it out.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Your secret’s safe,’ he said with a wry smile.
He made his way across the room to Flynn, who at first resisted but then relented as Alexis set up his drip.
By dawn everyone had been treated and had left the clinic. Alexis finally removed the drip from a sleeping Flynn when the bag of blood was empty. Before Alexis disappeared out the door, he beckoned me and said Flynn would need a few more hours and more infusions in the next few days to ward off infection.
‘He shouldn’t be going on patrols or hunts if he isn’t taking blood regularly,’ Alexis whispered to me after we stepped out the clinic doorway. ‘It’s too dangerous for him.’
‘I didn’t realize.’
Alexis nodded. ‘I’ll see you later, Lily. I know you have much to talk about.’
When Flynn woke a couple of hours later he stretched and smiled at me. ‘You’ve been keeping watch?’
‘Of course,’ I said and frowned. ‘I don’t think you should stray from the college walls at night.’
I could see him flinch as though the thought was like suggesting the Ruberios should surrender.
‘Just for a short while, so it gives you time to sort out what your family is up against.’
His face calmed although he was tapping his foot as though still agitated.
‘It’ll be okay. No one was seriously hurt and we were able to treat everyone. We’ll sort it out.’
I decided not to talk about what Alexis had divulged earlier. ‘While we’re still on break, I’m going to borrow the healing books in the library and see what I can learn for next time.’
Flynn smiled. ‘We’d make a good team.’
‘Good?’ I said with mock indignation.
‘Great then.’
‘That’s better.’
* * *
Flynn and I ate a late breakfast together in the dining hall where staff were already preparing the room for the ball. Even though he had received a full bag of blood, he had dark circles under his eyes and yawned repeatedly. In the light I could see the claw marks had faded to four red wheals trailing from his temple and down his cheek. It was as though his body was still healing.
The staff had rolled back the dividing doors between the gym and dining room to make a huge expanse of floor available for the event. Despite the Berishas’ attack the previous night, everyone was focused on the preparations. As Cecilia hadn’t arrived, Alexis had gathered the college witches and everyone had checked and reinforced the protective wards on the wall. He had taken personal responsibility to make certain no Berisha would be able to crash the party. The walls had obviously held last night, so there was an air of confidence in Anubis’ defenses.
‘How are you feeling?’ I asked Flynn.
‘Completely fine now and ravenous,’ he said as he devoured a plate of sausages, eggs and toast. ‘The special infusions always give me an appetite.’
‘You should go back on them for a while—until you recover fully.’ I tried to control the fear and worry in my voice.
‘Perhaps.’
I knew he wouldn’t.
‘Are the infusions different to the normal blood dhampirs take each day?’ I asked curiously.
‘Yes, they have pure vampiric additions to them, which are far stronger than dhampiric blood alone.’
‘Where do you get it from?’
‘My father.’
‘Don’t some people react badly? Wouldn’t you have to cross match the blood?’
‘No, vampires are universal donors—potentially.’
‘What did I receive that night, you know ...?’
‘When Vincent attacked?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Dhampiric blood.’
‘So I didn’t get the good stuff?’
He laughed. ‘We’d still be peeling you off the ceiling if you’d had a bottle of that.’
Now he had piqued my curiosity. ‘So how does it work? If I had a complete transfusion of the vampiric stuff, I realize I’d end up like Tarek, but what if I had a single bottle, or two or three?’
‘Good question.’ Flynn speared another sausage from the dish in the center of the table. ‘Reactions are very individual. From what I’ve heard some humans have been turned into vampires with far less—three or four bottles might do it while others need the full transfusion. I heard one poor human changed with a single bottle. So you have to be careful.’
I felt a shiver down my spine. ‘With no chance of reversing it?’
He stared across the tables with a faraway look. ‘Once you reach the tipping point?’
I nodded.
‘None.’
* * *
CHAPTER 21
Lily: Anubis Ball
I arranged the new dress on the bed to admire it again. After giving my hair a few brushes and applying some make up, I sat on the window seat with knees drawn to my chest waiting until it was time to dress for the ball, which was still a few hours away. I could see below people rushing under the walkway from the main building carrying flowers and wheeling carts of canapés toward the dining hall. Already, delicious smells blended with the summery scent of jasmine and wafted through my window. Although I knew the dhampirs hated the sun, I relished the bright sunlight and enjoyed its warm rays.
After lunch we had been ushered out of the hall with only kitchen staff allowed to view the final preparations. It was the first ball at Anubis with representatives from the Ruberio clan due to start arriving soon. According to Flynn, many overseas Ruberio dignitaries were staying at his family mansion and in Wicklow hotels. Apparently they traveled under aliases to conceal their identities as I could imagination an influx of Ruberios into the area might draw attention.
Not being able to risk exposing his location, I’d written to my dad telling him about the ball. In his reply last week, he said he was worried about me being so close to Tarek but was relieved to hear of his new partner. Dad was constantly on the move now in the southern states but gave me a new name and address to send the next letter. His writing was deliberately vague, never divulging his dhampiric activities. Our contact felt so tenuous, but I knew with certainty it was better than nothing. I brushed tears away as I folded the letter. I wondered if there would be any future where we shared our lives again. I hadn’t dreamed of it yet.
‘Lily, it’s us,’ Anya called from the corridor outside the door.
‘Come in,’ I called in my best cheery voice.
‘Can’t,’ Anya called. ‘Can you open the door, please?’
I sprang from the bed and discovered Anya and Zamira standing there with bags holding clothes, shoes and makeup.
‘You haven’t started without us?’ Anya scolded and then grinned. ‘What have you done with that mascara? It’s already running down your face.’
Embarrassed, I wiped below my eyes with a tissue. ‘I’m not very experienced with makeup.’
Zamira smiled at me sympathetically as she walked into the room behind Anya. ‘Hello, Lily.’
‘Hi, good to see you again.’
Anya strode across the room and pulled th
e drapes. ‘Sorry, Lily, I know you were probably enjoying the sun.’
‘That’s okay.’
Zamira looked at us shyly. ‘So what goes first, the dress or makeup?’
‘I’m no expert, but girls from my old school said the trick was to do your hair and makeup first and then step into your dress if you can,’ I said. ‘That way you don’t smear the dress with your makeup or mess up your hair.’ No one at my old school would ever have believed I’d be giving makeup advice. My goal had always been to blend in and not be noticed on social occasions—not that there had been many.
Anya regarded Zamira curiously. ‘Have you been to many formals proms or weddings?’
She shook her head. ‘This is my first.’
Zamira and I had much in common. Mom had often pushed me to go to parties, but I’d always been happier to curl up with a schoolbook at home.
‘I have an idea for your hair, Zamira,’ said Anya, ‘if you’ll let me try.’ She sat Zamira in front of my mirror and began to brush her glossy black hair before gathering and styling it into a coil and pinning it at the nape of her neck. ‘It’s called a chignon.’
‘What do you think, Lily?’
‘You look beautiful.’ Although I worried Tarek would find the appearance of her neck framed by the elegant hairstyle and her off-the-shoulder gown too alluring to resist. Perhaps she would be happy with that, I thought as I remembered her telling me about their ‘romantic’ encounter.
‘Here’s a pin to hold your hair in place that matches your eyes and gown perfectly.’ Once Anya had fixed Zamira’s hair and finished her makeup she directed her to put her gown on. Turning to me she tapped her lips with her fingers. ‘I’m thinking something soft and elegant would suit you.’
‘Go for it.’
She drew my hair into French braids like a crown with loose strands framing my face. ‘And now for some makeup.’
When I looked at my face and hair after she had completed my makeover, I barely recognized the face looking back at me in the mirror. ‘Thanks, Anya. I love what you’ve done. Would you like me to do yours?’