Summoned

by Lisa E Parry

  ***

  Chapter 19

  I ran up the stone steps in response to Dorian’s cry. Holding my skirts up, I climbed the stairs as fast as I could, sucking air into my labouring lungs and cursing the high tower.

  “Cheri!” he bellowed again.

  I burst through a heavy wooden door into the wild wind when my eyes fell upon Anarch. A perfect image of how I remembered him. Black hair sliced with grey, long robes, bright green eyes and that staff with its ever-prominent skull mounted to the top. The silhouette of a black castle could be seen through the distortion of a portal over his shoulder.

  I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to gather myself and chase away the spots in my vision.

  Dorian had positioned Viola behind him and was trying to break through a force field that surrounded them. The necromancer gripped the back of Melissa’s neck, holding her poised, whilst he spoke directly into her ear. Tears streamed down her face as she watched Dorian’s futile attempts to break through the barrier. She nodded at Anarch’s words when he drew away.

  “Melissa!” I shouted over the wailing wind, but she was unaffected. I threw a bolt of lightning at the necromancer. He mindlessly waved it away, but I’d succeeded in stealing Melissa’s attention. “Melissa, come here.”

  Her only response was to shake her head and hold her hands out in supplication. From behind me, black fire that ate up light and sound rocketed towards Anarch.

  “Melissa!” he yelled. As commanded, Melissa stepped in front of him and threw up a powerful shield after Anarch’s had shattered on impact.

  “I’m sorry,” she cried and fell to her knees. I balled my fists. How dare he take away someone’s free will?

  Elfina strode past me, “You will not harm her!” Black fire, tinged with red, curled around her in concentric circles, storm clouds bubbling at her fists.

  “She will die if she does anything against my wishes.” He clasped his hands behind his back and walked up to the deadly queen. “If she comes to any harm then it will be of her own doing. She has almost burned herself out. Attack me again and her last action in life will be defending me before bursting into flames,” Anarch intoned with a little amusement. He looked curiously at the Queen and then back at Melissa. The two most powerful women in this world locked eyes.

  “What will you have her do?” Warwick startled me. He had appeared next to me on silent feet and to my surprise he’d took on a protective stance in front of me. His humanity waned as the air turned feral around him and power crackled at the vampire’s fingertips.

  Anarch clicked his fingers and Melissa shakily got to her feet. “That is none of your concern, vampire.” The necromancer threaded Melissa’s arm through his and turned to that abominating distortion of realities. “Oliver, come!” The ghost appeared at his side.

  My jaw dropped. Horror struck, I watched the blonde-haired ghost turn to me with an apologetic look, then flinch away from Dorian’s look of rage at his deceit.

  The three turned and stepped through Anarch’s portal. A mere second later, it winked out of existence. So quickly – it had happened so quickly. Silence ensued as we all stared at the space they had vacated. It felt as though the heavy weight of responsibility that pressed down on me was now so intense I almost couldn’t bear it. Melissa was now his weapon. Would he keep her permanently enthralled or only do so when he wanted something?

  Several heartbeats later, I heard the wind whistle around me and felt the cold penetrate my clothes. Ice crept over my very soul as doubt pricked at the edges of my resolve. How can we get through this?

  Finally, a warm hand closed around my upper arm and I flinched. I looked up into steel grey eyes. Those eyes; the colour of the foundation I used to build my confidence on. Concrete support and allegiance always used to be there. I had lost that in Dorian since he had changed and moved on. But I saw it there now, in a face that bestowed only an expression of sheer determination. On instinct, I drew strength from his solid presence. We needed each other once again.

  “We will get her back,” Dorian told me. I noticed him search my face for the steadfastness we used to share. It had almost shattered within me…but not quite. I nodded to him and pressed my lips together in a thin line. In response, I saw a little tension leave his stance. Yes, he had needed to bring me back to my sensibilities and had succeeded.

  I glanced around to find we were the only two left on the roof. How long had I stared at the spot Melissa had disappeared through? Long enough for cold and doubt to leech into my very bones.

  ***

  “Melissa,” someone whispered into my ear. I couldn’t open my eyes, they felt too heavy, my head foggy and dizzy. “Melissa…” There it was again, that same persistent voice. No, they couldn’t be after me, I’d checked out. I had been wrapped up in a blanket of comforting darkness. No pain, no emotions…nothing. So why was someone talking to me? Why wouldn’t they leave me alone to bask in the soothing darkness that detached me from reality? Go away.

  “Melissa!” This time it was so loud that it rang out in my head and rebound inside my bubble of tranquillity. My eyes snapped open.

  I was lying on a cold stone floor, the side of my face squashed onto the scratchy surface. Plus, I was drooling on it. Ew…I was hoping to outgrow the drooling. It was cold, really cold and I began to shiver, my teeth chattering. I moved an arm to try and lift myself off the damn floor, but with muscles protesting, it would take far too much effort. My limbs hurt, feeling like lead weights. I remained where I was instead and looked around the room. I blinked away blurry vision. Ugh, what’s wrong with me?

  I closed my eyes and conjured up the last thing I remembered. I was with Viola on the roof of Queen Elfina’s stronghold. Anarch! My heart rate picked up and adrenaline coursed through my body - lending me strength to sit up, spots exploding into my vision. I waited for them to recede and tried to control my stammering heart as fear lanced through me and the roaring of blood strummed its beat in my ears. I had almost burned out protecting Anarch against Elfina’s fire – that was why I hurt.

  Bracing my hands on the cold floor, I shut my eyes and listened. I heard voices…raised voices. Again, I tried to slow my heart and relax. I was in no immediate danger. A little tension left my aching body - uncontrollable shivering took over instead. The voices became clearer as my pulse regulated.

  “…is taken care of.” The male voice was familiar. Who was it? I knew that voice, I was sure of it.

  “Good, now go and take care of the job at hand. We can move quickly now.” I recognised Anarch’s voice and my throat constricted around a scream that wouldn’t bubble out. I curled into a ball as fear threatened to smother rational thought. Anarch had someone else tied to him that I knew - a supposed ally. I tilted my head back against the wall and took slow deep breaths to stop myself from panicking.

  This time, when I opened my eyes, everything was crystal clear. I blinked in surprise and took in my surroundings. Immediate relief deflated my uprising panic as the first thing I realised was that I was alone.

  I was sitting on a flagstone floor, a large red carpet spread out before me. Rustic and antique looking furniture inhabited the room. Anarch’s castle. The room was separated from another by a large archway that yawned up into a vaulted ceiling. I determined Anarch must be in that adjoining room. As a result, I tried not to move too much and alert him to my wakefulness. What do I do now?

  “Mel,” came Oliver’s hushed voice beside me and I nearly hit the vaulted roof. There he was, my ghostly companion, blue eyes now a little dull and his hair stuck up in all directions. He crouched in front of me. Something was different; something teased the back of my mind. Realisation struck, and I tried to scramble away from him.

  “Are you working for Anarch?” I hissed. No reply. Oliver just perched in front of me, studying me, and I imagined a barrier shoot up between us. He didn’t have to answer, his eyes said it all. Tears of betrayal flooded my vision.

  “So, you’ve been away from me be
cause you’ve been here?” I barely managed to quietly choke the words out. My bottom lip wobbled, and it took all the energy I could muster not to burst into wails of despair. Surely, this would be my undoing. I looked away from him as he stood and walked away. I scrunched my eyes shut, hoping it wasn’t true. It was a nightmare. I willed myself to be somewhere else…

  He returned shortly after. “Mel…there is something I haven’t told you…”

  “None of that now, Oliver. You know our deal.” Anarch’s deep resonating voice filled the room and I began to pull power in. “None of that either,” he commanded, and I obediently cut myself off. I gasped. I had just cut myself off at mere words. My spirit felt the weight of his will strangling me, taking away my free will. That was so against nature that I decided then and there I would end him - even if it killed me.

  Suddenly, I was lifted off the ground by an invisible force and pinned to the wall. Oliver positioned himself at Anarch’s right hand. I couldn’t believe it. Oliver had the audacity to have gone and fetched him. I whimpered at the loss of my friend. Now I was truly alone. Burning anger tore through me and I mustered the best hurt and threatening expression I could bestow upon my old friend. Oliver’s gaze found the floor and rightly so.

  “Oh dear…” Anarch began. “Don’t you just hate it when you are betrayed by someone you love?”

  “What did you do to him?” I spat in his face. It was a bad decision. Anarch stepped closer and backhanded me. My head bounced off the wall behind me. He lowered me back down to the floor then stepped closer still. My head found the wall again.

  “Oliver, your dear friend, came to me.” His green swirling eyes bored into mine. My own eyes drifted past him to Oliver’s for confirmation. He looked at the floor once again and I felt that need to burst into tears.

  “Oliver,” I asked, “why didn’t you come to me? You know I would do anything for you.” I sucked in a breath as though it would prevent me from falling apart.

  “I can give him what you or anyone else can’t,” Anarch spoke triumphantly. With disgust I pinned Anarch with a glare. He pushed aside my wayward hair and said softly, “I can bring him back to our world, Melissa. He could live. Start afresh. It is what his heart desires.” A memory flitted to the surface of my mind. He had used that very phrase when he’d asked me if I wanted training.

  “No, it’s impossible,” I declared. Even as I spoke, spells from the Magia Ater raced through my mind. There were no spells to restore a ghost to their original body.

  “I can give him flesh for his spirit to inhabit. He will breathe again. He will taste, touch, smell…live.” I had no words. Had Anarch stopped me from using my voice? He took a step back and assessed my appearance as though I insulted him by being meek.

  “You think you are a good friend to Oliver?”

  “Don’t,” Oliver interrupted. Ignoring his plea, Anarch held up a hand to silence him.

  “Have you even asked your dear friend about is demise?”

  My mouth hung open. No, I hadn’t. What a treacherous friend I had been. I almost had a few days ago, but I’d been too afraid to ask. I couldn’t imagine anything bad happening to Oliver. He was such a good, honest soul that I physically couldn’t entertain the idea that something had fatally struck him down in his prime. If I knew someone had killed him, I would’ve torn the world apart to find the cretin and made them suffer. If it was an illness that had befallen him, I would’ve been helpless and unable to do a damn thing. Finally, I realised that I couldn’t have handled either scenario. I hung my head in shame. Oh, Oliver!

  “Ha! Yes, you are a dreadful friend, aren’t you? And yet…what you would have learned by asking him…”

  My downcast eyes lifted to Oliver’s. “What? What would I have learned?”

  “Oh, it’s too late for that. I’m afraid that information is now forbidden to you,” Anarch said with an irritatingly smug smile. Oliver looked submissively back at Anarch.

  My anger fuelled. “What have you done to him?!”

  Then I heard the worst possible words come from that wrinkled mouth. “We made a deal.”

  So that was it. Oliver was as much under Anarch’s control as I was.

  ***

  “You are wrong, Cheri,” Aidan said to me once again.

  Elfina replied for me, “I assure you that this is a faithful account of what Stephanie confessed to. It has not changed from when we informed you earlier.”

  “No.”

  “Your majesty…” I held my hands out.

  “No!” He shouted. “It can’t be, I won’t believe it. I am done speaking of this.”

  I sighed whilst thinking back to our first report of what had transpired between Queen Elfina, Stephanie and myself. His reaction had not changed.

  Elfina’s cold heartedness knew no bounds when she piped up, “Oh, Aidan. Adhelm works for Anarch. Make your peace with it, we don’t have time for denial. It makes sense, does it not? I am hurt by this as much as you are. I’ve known him decades longer than you.”

  Cold blue eyes bored into the queen’s unflinching glare.

  I stepped forwards. “Warwick and Viola can vouch for what he did at the tavern, Aidan. He went into Melissa’s mind. What we didn’t know was that he’d picked the spells from the book out of Melissa’s head. The book had imprinted on her subconscious memory - its contents lives on through her. Adhelm knew this and performed the magic when I was absent.” I inwardly reprimanded myself for leaving the girl. However brief it had been, it was long enough for Adhelm to complete his task.

  “The book found its way to our world with Leah - the woman who was head of our Council for forty years and then became a recluse on the moorlands. That’s why she escaped to our world - to get that book away from Anarch. He sent three minions; Stephanie, Henrik and Will to retrieve it. They failed and so Adhelm came into play when we arrived in your world.”

  I shuddered at the thought of how close he had come to taking the book from us when Dorian, Melissa and I were at Two Bridges in Devon. So close… What hadn’t he just taken it back then? Instead, he played his little tricks as though we were pawns in an entertaining, perverse game of his. I closed my eyes then reopened them slowly. I was so tired.

  “I’ll be in my rooms.” Aidan stormed out of the throne room and slammed the door behind him - his red-haired bodyguard in tow.

  “Well, attempt number two went well, don’t you think?” Elfina said drily whilst staring at the closed door. She turned to me. “I hope he gets his wits together before morning or our armies will be sitting idle when needed elsewhere. We need to join our armies at sunup and give them their orders.” She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at me with a silent command to sort the king out. “We must take council and decide our next move.” Quick footsteps clicked on the marble floor as she too vacated the room, opening and closing the door with magic.

  “Insufferable, yet a formidable ally.” Dorian echoed my thoughts.

  “So, what now?” Warwick’s voice carried to us from the back of the throne room. That insolent vampire had perched himself on Elfina’s throne. There was a cocky, but deadly calm in the way he sat, one leg draped over an arm. He watched us closely. I hadn’t even known he was in the room. Had Elfina known?

  Within a heartbeat, he stood before us, a slight wind ruffled the flyaway strands of hair that had escaped my bun. “That bloody ghost was supposed to be her friend! What the fuck is he playing at? He knows everything about us and we can’t even touch him. What the hell are we supposed to do about this, Cheri?”

  “Don’t presume I know the answer to everything, vampire!” As much as I hated to admit it, Oliver’s treachery had disturbed and disappointed me enormously. But I refused to believe he had turned against us completely. I placed my hands on my hips and shook my head. “He can’t do anything to hurt Melissa.”

  “He already has,” Warwick said boldly. “Why? Why has he done this? This will torture her. She already has a fragile mind.”

  �
�It may all be a part of Anarch’s plan. Look at what’s happened, Warwick. He has divided us. We need to stand united and we aren’t. Melissa can’t even rely on Oliver anymore. Yes, I was depending on him to give me reports on Melissa when Anarch took her.” I looked at Dorian. “Now we shall be none the wiser on their movements and plans.”

  “There’s got to be some way we can find out?”

  “No. Our ties to her have ceased with Oliver.”

  “Cheri, I have a telepathic connection with Melissa. It’s not as strong as when I was… I might be able to see into her mind or perhaps see where she is.”

  “That’s some freaky shit.” Warwick said. “Will it work?”

  “You could try, Dorian, but as Anarch has control over her spirit, plus the fact that he told her how to cure you, then he probably knows how to sever that tie.” He finally came out with it. I suspected something was going on, but I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what it was. Dorian actually looked aghast at the prospect of having that tie severed though. An emotion I wasn’t used to seeing in him.

  “I will try all the same,” he declared.

  “I don’t believe this. Oliver came to me and requested that I come along to protect Mel because he couldn’t. Now look what’s happened. It’s all for nothing.”

  I turned sharply to Warwick. “What did you say?” Warwick looked questioningly at me, but Dorian stepped closer with intrigue. “He requested you specifically. He sought you out - all the way to Italy.”

  “Yes?”

  “He knew Anarch was a necromancer.”

  “Get to point, Cheri,” Dorian urged.

  I smiled. “Our little friend has always been looking out for Melissa.” I looked pointedly at Warwick. “Your soul. Where is it?”

  “My soul belongs to the devil in the afterlife, not to me. Perhaps I shall have a little redemption one day, but for the moment…” I saw it dawn on Dorian’s face before Warwick’s.

  “You do not own your own soul, Warwick. Only you can get close to Anarch. He cannot own you, you are untouchable, his necromancy can’t hurt you - only his basic powers can and that is not where his strength lies.” Warwick grinned.