“I thought you said you were going to show him mercy,” David puzzled. Had he misunderstood what was said? No. He recalled the words perfectly. Vlad said he was going to give the man mercy in exchange for being cooperative.
“I did. He isn’t on a pike in the voods for the sport of the crows, now is he?” Vlad waved David off dismissively. “You are young still and modern. You know nothing of the rule of old. Gentleness vill vin you few friends and brings emboldened enemies to your door. I have never had the luxury of sitting idly by. I have a crumbling empire to run.”
“Crumbling?” David knew their fortunes had declined after The Fall, but the clans seemed to carry on business as usual. They maintained the feudal system with only a few changes for the modern world.
“Yes, David, crumbling. Made vampires outnumber us five to one. It is all I can do to hold back a rebellion, as it is. Born vampires are the ruling body in our vorld, and our numbers are dwindling. There are only a handful of vampire half-breeds. Most of them cannot produce full vampiric children. Of the remaining ones that can, all but one is male. I have done my best to honor Cassandra’s vishes to remain outside of our society. I have said nothing to her about these problems. However, if ve cannot retrieve the missing vomen, ve vill be the last of our kind.”
Chapter 8
Cassy woke. The drapes were pulled back. Sunlight poured into the room, bathing the floor in golden rays. Dust motes looked like floating glitter dancing in the air. The red velvet spread and Persian rugs were more intense, more colorful. The crystal goblets on the table by the window sparkled in the light.
Cassy held up her hand to shield her face. She still sat in the shadowed recesses of the bed. The bed curtains protected her. The light was unable to burn her, as long as she remained hidden.
She tapped the bed beside her to wake David but found nothing but empty space. She woke up alone in the room. A wave of fear rolled through her. It was daytime. Where was David? Why did he not come to bed? She gave herself over to the magical bond they shared. She felt a tendril of energy reach out to find him. Nothing. She tried to relax, giving the bond more energy. Still nothing.
She began to panic and called out, “David! David, where are you?” No one answered.
Cassy rolled across the bed, slapping a panel on the wall. She pressed several call buttons at the same time. Witches liked the night but were not restricted to it, unlike vampires. Someone was bound to respond. No noises came from the hall. No footfalls. No voices. Nothing. It was as if she were in the house all alone for the first time.
Her fear ramped up into anxiety. Something felt wrong, very wrong. Of the three years she lived on the estate, never had there been a time the house was empty. The Council of Crones traveled to the Witches’ Ball last Samhain, but the house stayed staffed. Where was everyone?
Movement from the far corner of the room nearest the windows caught Cassy’s eye. From the shadows a figure took shape. The build and height made her think of the form as a man. The form became more solid as the seconds passed. It stepped into the light.
A tall, slender man dressed in white linen pants and a matching long tunic with gold embroidered sleeves bowed. His fine, long, platinum-blond hair fell forward, dangling in front of his shoulders. He stood and watched her with amethyst eyes. The sun caught the tiny gold flecks mingled in the irises. Raking a hand through his hair and pushing it back over his pointed ears, he gave her a warm, kind smile.
“My name is Ronan,” he said, introducing himself.
Cassy blinked twice. She heard him speak but knew his lips remained still. The voice was clear, deep, smooth, and refined. Had she imagined it? She felt bewildered, increasing her anxiety.
He made a motion with his hand as if pushing something slowly down in front of him. As he did, her anxiety levels dropped, putting her at ease. He seemed to give her a few heartbeats to relax.
“There isn’t much time. So, please, listen carefully. Once we were all one people, living together in harmony. Some found the delights of this world enticing and left Avalon. They mingled with creatures of this plane. From this, born vampires came into being.
“With you is a perfect copy of your mother’s mitochondrial DNA, her elven mitochondrial DNA. It is the key to your powers. With it, you may move between the realms, as we do.”
“Use the portal in the witches’ woods, and go to Avalon. The fortress wall touches the lake along the Eastern shore. There is a passage leading to the inner docks. Your three missing women are in an enchanted sleep one floor up and two doors down on the left.
“I will provide an amulet for each of you. All you need do is place it around their neck, touch it, and say baile, the Irish Gaelic word for home. It will transport them back,” Ronan said. His facial expression had not changed. It was still serene and held a warm smile. Again, his lips did not move. Telepathy delivered the instructions.
He held out four necklaces. Each one held a beautiful, smooth, cabochon of opal surrounded by a simple gold bezel. Cassy knew elves wore similar jewelry while working at Divine Fields in New Atlanta.
Ronan walked toward her with a gliding grace similar to Lady Helena. The amulets gave a happy tinkling sound like wind chimes as they tapped together. As they caught the sunlight, each one took on a soft glow.
Cassy held out her hand, making sure not to touch the sun’s rays. The four necklaces were light and warm. They seemed to have a life of their own.
“Do not fear the light, Cassandra. The light of Avalon will not harm you as the sun on this plane does.”
“Why are you helping me?” Cassy asked.
“There are those amongst us who think it wrong to destroy born vampires to save ourselves. Like you, our numbers are reaching critical levels. We will not be able to sustain ourselves more than a few generations without serious consequences. New technology means the tradition of changelings no longer works in the modern world,” Ronan explained.
His hand brushed hers. In her mind, she saw an island framed against a golden-pink sky and surrounded by a mist-covered lake. The dense mist obscured the distant shore. A stone fortress sat atop a hill. Flags flapped along the battlements, but no wind blew to create the movement. Lapping waves broke gently against the side of a stone outer wall. She saw the gated passage Ronan had described. The bars appeared wide enough to swim between but restricted access to boats. The vision left her as he retracted his hand.
“Know this, Princess. The women may only leave Avalon if they wish to return home. Elsewise, the amulet will not work. Free will must be allowed at all times and granted to all. The violation of free will is one of the reasons some of us oppose what has been done,” Ronan said somberly.
“You said three women. Where is the fourth?” Cassy remembered the centurion saying there was a second portal. Liz was seen through one alone and separate from the other women. If the other three were in Avalon, did this mean Liz was not?
“Where is Elisabeta?” Cassy asked, anxiety filling her voice. She was sure by this point her question did not need to be spoken out loud to be heard. She rose to her knees, gripping the bedpost for support. “I have to find her.”
“She was not taken to Avalon. You have a traitor in your midst. Beware of those you rule. The failings of your houses have not gone unnoticed,” Ronan warned. With that, he stepped back into the corner and melted into the shadows.
Cassy was left alone. A sudden jolt rocked the bed beneath her. She was thrown backward. It felt as if someone was shaking her by the shoulders. She gripped the amulets as tight as she dared. The chains seemed so delicate she feared she might squeeze them too hard and crush them in her hand.
A familiar voice shouted at her. She recognized her name. The voice wanted her to wake up, to open her eyes. A sharp pain seared her cheek. It refocused her attention on the voice, while holding fast to the amulets.
Cassy woke up with a gasp. David’s and her father’s faces bent over her. The dream seemed so real, as real as the two men.
&n
bsp; “My face hurts,” she said. Her body felt thick and heavy, sluggish. She tried to raise a hand to her cheek.
“I’m sorry, baby. We tried everything else. Your dad thought a sharp slap might do the trick,” David apologized. He pulled her into his lap, cradling her like a small child.
A tinkling sound like wind chimes followed her body as he shifted her. Cassy caught her father’s curious expression. She looked down at her hand. Four amulets twined between her fingers in a tight grip.
“Vhere did you get those?” Vlad asked with genuine interest. He traced the edge of one opal and the bezel of the one next to it. “I have not seen anything like these in a very long time.”
David kissed Cassy’s forehead, stroking her cheek with one finger. “Did you fall asleep with them?”
“Oddly enough, no, I didn’t. I wasn’t feeling well. Lady Helena thought I could use a pick-me-up and sent me to rest with a whole bag of blood. Everything else tasted funny. I barely made it inside the door before I drained the thing. Then I crashed. I thought I was awake. There was someone in the room, and it was daytime. He came out of the shadows in that corner,” Cassy explained, pointing to the corner closest to the window. She recounted as much of the dream as she remembered. The longer she was awake, the less clear the memory became. By the end, the details became indistinct.
“My word, Cassandra, what an interesting dream!” Lady Ursula said from the doorway. She swept into the room, sitting on the available corner of the bed. “Is that all you remember?”
“He did say something about mitochondrial DNA and something about it being a key to the portals. That part’s a little fuzzy,” Cassy answered.
The witch examined the opal necklaces without attempting to remove them from Cassy’s hand. She flipped them over one by one. She traced a finger around each bezel’s edge, whispering words in a strange language.
Cassy searched for a clue or inscription to help her make sense of the dream but found nothing special. Something told her the amulets were genuine. The warm humming in her core seemed to like having them close. They felt like a security blanket she wanted to keep.
“Do you remember the trigger word Ronan gave you to activate these?” Ursula asked, meeting Cassy’s eyes. She sounded like a teacher prompting a student.
“Yes, but I’m not sure I should say the word. It’s Irish Gaelic for home,” Cassy responded. The chains responded slightly. They tingled, sending a little ripple of energy along her skin. The warm humming responded. If she gave the response a name, she would call it a satisfied sigh.
David looked down at her as if to ask, “What was that?” Instead of speaking, he held her gaze and stroked her cheek once more.
“In that case, I think we should all meet in the library and exchange information. It seems like our rescue plans need a little tweeking,” Lady Ursula said to David and Vlad. As quickly and as quietly as she came, Ursula left.
“I vill give you two a few moments alone before the meeting,” Vlad said, graciously bowing. He stood up as straight as he could and followed the witch.
David intertwined his finger in her hair, playing with the curls. He still did not ask about the warm hum. “I guess we need to get you changed and downstairs.”
“But it’s almost dawn,” Cassy complained. She did not want to leave the bed, especially now that David was with her. She yawned, curling into his body as much as she could. A long, restful sleep was just the ticket.
“No, baby, it’s just after sunset. You slept through the day and didn’t wake up like you usually do,” David said.
“How can that be? I feel so drained, like sunrise kind of drained.” She had never before had this happen. As a born vampire, she had never been sick or cold. She had been fatigued, but never this tired just after sunset. It was like the day’s rest did nothing for her.
“I don’t know. I came in and you were asleep. I left you alone and crawled into bed. Your dad stayed in a guest room, instead of going back to his hotel in town. He didn’t want anyone to accidentally see him leave,” David told her.
Cassy pushed herself up and into a kneeling position. She loosened her grip on the amulets but did not let go. With a deep breath and a sharp huff, she pushed wayward curls out of her face. The dressing mirror at the end of the bed caught her eye. She still wore the jeans and the lavender T-shirt from the night before, complete with blood stains on the lapels. Frowning, she laid down the amulets and stripped off her top.
“I like where this is going, but they are waiting for us,” David teased.
“I look terrible. Could you pass me that robe?”
David tossed her the requested item. “I think I liked your other outfit better,” he continued to tease, as she slipped the robe over her bra.
“I don’t care if they wait all night. I have to clean up a little,” she said. She picked up the amulets and deposited them in her robe pocket. She got off the bed and shimmied out of her pants. They felt tighter than they should have. “Great. I should have known better than to drink a whole bag of blood in one go. Now nothing will fit for a few days.”
“Uh, Cassy?” David interrupted. “Didn’t you say nothing tasted right last night?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I had that happen to me while I was draining the imp we were interrogating. You don’t think I gave us food poisoning, do you?” He seemed somewhat guilty in his admission.
“I don’t think so. Gregory poisoned the whole food supply chain with quicksilver, and nobody noticed. I don’t think one imp would have been enough to hurt anything,” she said.
She turned on the sink faucet and washed her face. The cool water felt refreshing. She swished a few mouthfuls of water and shut off the faucet. Raking a hairbrush through her thick, long, chocolate-brown hair, she noticed the robe had come untied, falling open enough to see her body.
Where the warm humming came from was a small curve. Only turning a little to the side made it show at all. Looking full-on, she could barely tell it was there. She stared at the new development. She assumed the new vibrations were from the bond she and David shared. It had been some time since anything new had come up. At first many new sensations and ties formed. However, the other powers never made a physical change.
Cassy worried. This new development did not seem normal. That much she understood. But what was she going to say? The crisis at hand was enough to deal with without hunting for more trouble.
Ronan made it very clear. Time was of the essence. She needed to find a way to get through the portal and send everyone home. His warning about free will played in her memory. Concentrating hard made what Ronan said more clear, more in focus. He did not tell her why she needed to hurry. Only that she needed to be timely.
Cassy’s personal issues needed to wait until the current problems were solved. People counted on her, and right now, some of those people waited on her downstairs. She decided to go about business as usual.
Chapter 9
“Cassy, are you okay?” David stood by the closet wearing just a pair of jeans. His gray T-shirt draped from one hand. The other hand held the edge of the closet door open. His pale face contrasted against the dark woodwork. His silver-gray eyes followed her as she moved to her side of the closet.
“I’m fine,” she lied. A wave of nausea rolled through her. The bond reared its head at the deception. She quickly pulled out a pair of jeans and a light-pink T-shirt. Turning to hide the changes, she dressed quickly. All four amulets tucked neatly into one of the front pants pockets. Thirst made her throat burn. Her mouth felt dry, like being stuffed full of cotton. She needed blood.
The end table held the usual two crystal glasses and a warm decanter of blood. David poured her a glass and handed to her. His brow furrowed with a look of disbelief as she downed it in two gulps.
“I think I’m going to need another,” Cassy said, holding out the glass.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” David asked, refilling the glass and handing it to her.
She downed the second helping. An edge of hunger still stung her throat, but she did not want to raise any more suspicion.
“Let’s get downstairs before Father comes looking for us,” she said. She checked her reflection for spilt blood and made for the door.
David caught her around the waist. He drew her in for a soft peck on the lips. “I know you’re hiding something from me. The bond won’t let you hide it, remember? I know you have your reasons for not telling me now, but I want to know as soon as things are settled. Okay?”
Cassy nuzzled his chest, taking in his scent. He was her everything. She hated not confiding her worries to him.
“You’re right. I just don’t want there to be any distractions from the problems at hand. We have to get Liz, Nadia, Alena, and Martina back. Ronan didn’t say why time was short. Only that it is. When this is over, I promise to tell you,” she agreed.
“That’s good enough for me,” David said, kissing her once more. This time he kissed the end of her nose.
Vlad’s raised voice echoed down the tapestry-lined gallery. “She is the last of my line! She cannot be used! Find another vay,” he demanded. His accent thickened the angrier he became. “She is too valuable.”
“You were keen enough to use her as bait before,” Lady Helena reminded him.
“That vas before I knew all the facts! I counted on David’s love for her to be her sword and her shield. Now she will have nothing!” he raged.
Cassy’s heard the calm, even tones of the elder witches.
“She has the markers. He does not,” Lady Ursula said. “His father’s DNA will allow him to go through a fae portal, but not to Avalon.”
“Vhy not?” There was an edge of venom to his question.
Cassy tugged David to a stop outside the door. She wanted to hear the response without their entrance interrupting the conversation. She knew they would be able to sense someone was waiting by the door, but she hoped they were too wrapped up in their discussion to notice.
Scion's Avalon [House of Dracul 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 7