by Diana Nixon
The Curse of Blood
By Diana Nixon
Published by Nevermore Press
Fort Wayne, IN 46804. 2014
Text Copyright © 2014 Diana Nixon
All Rights Reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Copyright © 2014 Nevermore Press
All rights reserved
Published by
Nevermore Press.
Fort Wayne, IN 46804.
Edited by: Heather Anne Davis
For Nevermore Press
Cover Design by: Jennifer Munswami
Formatting by: Brandy Dull
A Guide to the Love Lines Series
The events of the story take place in modern Britain. There are people who possess various supernatural powers. They live in the world of humans, but there is one special place, where they come for their education and to develop their talents. It’s a closed university called Dever.
The Education in Dever
People are invited to become Dever’s students when they reach their eighteenth birthday. Their gifts determine their attachment to a certain faculty, named after one of the founding families of the university.
Dever's Departments
Fairey: faculty for the future Keepers — people whose main job is to protect the world of supernatural from the world of human beings. Its students possess the powers of fire and spirit.
Feta: faculty for those who read people's fates. Its students use a palm-reading method to see someone’s fate. They possess the power of water.
Meridin: faculty for the oneiromancers — people who interpret dreams. They know everything about prophetic dreams and its significance. Its students possess the power of wind.
Ventura: faculty for those who can see into the future that has already been decided by someone. This distinguishes Venturas from Fetas, who read only fate, but a person can change it, and this decision will be seen by any Ventura. Its students possess the power of water.
Vero: faculty teaching those who are able to distinguish truth from falsehood. Its students possess the power of earth.
Embry: faculty for those who have the gift to heal people. Its students know everything about all the plants and especially flowers, knowing the meaning of which, they can speak without words, using different combinations of flowers. They possess the power of wind.
Wizardy: its students are taught to rule over magic. This department is the highest level of education in Dever. Only the best graduates from the previous faculties are allowed to enter this one.
The education in the main departments takes four years and at the department of Wizardy – three years. All the graduates pass their final exams showing an individual performance using one of the nature powers they possess. These performances are the part of the program of the Festival of Arts that takes place every October.
The main judicial authority for the wizards and those who possess other supernatural powers is the League of Keepers with the Council as its main body.
Prologue
A dark-haired woman wearing a floor-length, purple dress looked out of a window. The full moon broke through the clouds, swimming slowly across the night sky. Stillness lay throughout the cold, marble walls of her room; not a sound could be heard in the empty house.
“My new home,” she said in a whisper. “A perfect place to hide: quiet and isolated.”
Never in her life had she been so desperate. Not even after she killed her husband and made everyone think that she was dead too. But now, her youngest son’s life was at stake, and it was the kind of fight that she was not going to lose. She had suffered too much to let some teenagers, thinking they were almighty, ruin the plan that she had been working on for years. Too much evil filled the world that she used to love so much; too many lies overshadowed the good that she used to believe in; too much blood covered the hands that used to practice such a beautiful, beyond-understanding magic; too much time had been wasted…
Elizabeth shivered, wrapping both arms around herself. Everything about the night looked ominous, as if there wasn’t enough darkness and death in her life. The sound of Jacques’ voice brought her back to reality.
“Mrs. Murray, your guest has arrived,” he said, his words echoing in the emptiness of the room. The man looked pale, as if he had been talking to a ghost. Poor thing…
“Let him in,” she said, turning back to the window. She felt guilty about making her servant go through so many trials with her. But he was the only person she could rely on and right now, she needed him more than ever.
Jacques nodded silently and went out of the room, the sound of his boots scraping the wooden floor. The man was as old as time. But for Elizabeth, he was like a vivid reminder of both the best and the worst days of her life. He had witnessed it all: the day of her wedding, the birth of her children and even the moment of her so-called death. After all, he was the only person who always knew the truth. About everything…
“Madame?” The familiar voice called.
Slowly, Elizabeth turned around and saw a young man standing at the threshold. He was wearing a long, black coat; his blond hair was tousled, with the crystal drops of water glistening in the dim light of the room. She tried to avoid looking into his eyes; they were his secret weapon, and she knew better than to let their power take control over her thoughts. It was not safe to be so close to the Lord of Mind, named Salazar, but she didn’t have a choice; he was her last hope to save her son.
“Salazar, good to see you again.” Elizabeth forced a smile and took a few steps closer to her guest. “I hope you had a safe trip?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, bowing slightly in a sign of respect.
“How’s your hand? I hope my elixir helped?”
“The healing worked faster than I expected it would. Thank you.”
Elizabeth nodded curtly. “Good. Now, let’s get down to our business. Did you manage to find out anything about either of my sons?” She asked, pacing the room impatiently.
“Yes. They are both fine.”
It was not the answer Elizabeth expected to hear.
“I need the details!” She said sharply, not the slightest bit afraid of offending the Lord of Mind. He was capable of many things, but he was still not powerful enough to hurt her.
Salazar took a deep breath and ran both hands through his hair. “You know I can’t risk my life. I don’t want to be disclosed! The fact that we managed to survive the fight in Dever doesn’t mean we can relax and hope that no one will ever find us.”
“But I want to be found! I can’t stay away from my sons for the rest of my life!”
Salazar laughed sarcastically. “You haven’t seen them for six years!”
Elizabeth shot him an angry glance. “Everything I did was in their best interests.”
“Even the mistake that almost killed one of them?”
“Don’t push it, boy. We both know that it wasn’t my fault.”
“Right.” Salazar smirked, ignoring Elizabeth’s furious expression.
Of course, he wasn’t going to fight with her. Even though he need
ed no more than a few seconds to make Elizabeth do whatever he wanted, he also knew how very powerful the woman was. He saw her in action, and he cared about his life too much to send it to hell in a hand basket.
He crossed his arms, watching Elizabeth intently. There was a time when becoming a member of the Dragons brotherhood, which she was now the head of, gave him so many privileges that he was more than happy to use, in the absence of any other power. Unlike other members of the gifted families, masterminding was the only power the Lords of Mind possessed. But it was never enough.
That’s why Salazar accepted Dominic Murray’s invitation to join the ranks of the Dragons. The idea of ruling over so many people was too alluring to reject the offer. If only he knew that there was no possible way to leave the brotherhood alive. But killing the Lord of Mind was not easy, that’s why now, Salazar had no choice but to keep following the orders of Dominic’s wife, Elizabeth, who after the death of her husband took his place in the brotherhood.
“I need you to keep an eye on my sons,” Elizabeth said, breaking the intense silence. She sounded calm, even though there were so many emotions tearing apart her heart.
“What if one of them dies? We both know that Evan’s surgery was risky. No one knows if he survived after the blood transfusion.”
“I know he did.” No other scenario was acceptable. Elizabeth was ready to sacrifice everything she had just to save her son, even if this time she would have to die for real…
“Is there any other way to find out what’s going on in Dever, but to use another Lord’s mind?” Salazar asked.
“No. William Fairey is our only source of information.”
“I can only break through his mind when he’s asleep. And the guy seems to be fine with staying up 24/7.”
“Being the Lord of Mind, he can make himself stay awake day and night. So don’t let him feel you, because if he blocks you, we will never be able to go to Dever again.”
“Why can’t you just let everyone know where you are? It would simplify matters a lot.”
“Because there’s only one person I want to know where I am.”
“Eileen?”
“Yes.”
“What do you want from her?”
Elizabeth turned around and came to an old cupboard standing near one of the walls. She opened it and took a small, velvet box with a sapphire ring in it. “Eileen and I have some unfinished business to attend to,” she said as she put the ring onto the ring finger of her left hand.
“And what is that?” Salazar asked curiously, looking at the ring. He knew it was the symbol of Elizabeth’s power over the brotherhood. But now, that the brotherhood consisted of only the two of them, he wondered if it was also the key to his freedom.
“Do you still want to take away her powers?”
“I never wanted them.”
“Then why do you want Eileen to find you?”
Elizabeth walked to the window again. The clouds had turned dark and heavy; lightning flashed through the sky.
She looked back over her shoulder at Salazar and said, “She’s the reason for everything I had to go through. And one of the things that I learned from my husband is to never forgive your offenders.”
Chapter 1
Eileen
The pain was crashing.
I didn’t feel anything but my bones breaking, over and over again. It was worse than any nightmare I had ever dreamt; worse than anything I have ever had to deal with.
I didn’t understand what was happening to me. One second, I was talking to Christian and the next second, I was burning alive. As if someone had started a fire right inside of my chest. Even my skin hurt, as if it were being ripped off my body, leaving my flesh exposed to a flame.
Something sharp ripped through me, like an explosion right in my heart, slicing it apart. I screamed. Could anyone hear me? Pain stabbed me again, and I felt something hot, like lava, splashing all over my body. It intensified every small thing that I felt, making the temperature of my blood rise several degrees. My throat felt so dry; I seemed to be unable to make a sound, even though I still tried to call for help. At least I hoped it sounded like that.
With every passing second, I was sinking deeper into the darkness that brought nothing but cold and fear. I tried to move, but my body was frozen. I forced my tongue to say something, but the words died in my throat.
I don’t know how much time I spent in agony, but the moments of darkness and pain seemed to never stop torturing my body and mind. The only thing that I could distinguish out of whatever was happening, was silver…
It was everywhere: in my head, in my heart, in my hands and even in my blood. It was shining so brightly, my eyes hurt watching it. Was it real? I didn’t know the answer. The only thing I knew for sure, was that I was dying…
Who would have thought that the death would be so cruel?
I could no longer feel the beat of my heart, as if it were made of ice or stone. I attempted to take a breath, but the pain only got worse, if that was even possible.
“How long is this going to last?”
Christian? Could I still hear him? The reality and whatever was happening in my head blurred together.
“Twelve days,” someone else said. Only later, I realized that it was Marion Blanche he was talking to.
Could they know what was going on with me? Could they see my suffering?
“Why so long?” Christian asked. I could hear the worry filling his voice, but to my surprise, I couldn’t feel it.
It was so strange to not feel Christian anymore. Due to the magical bond we shared, we were always aware of each other’s feelings. When it first began, I didn’t like it. But now, I felt so lost. I wish I could make our bond work again.
“Evan was born on January, 12th,” Marion said. “If my assumptions are correct, his body and mind will need twelve days to accept the new blood that is now running through his veins.”
“Does Eileen feel everything that he feels?”
“I think so.”
“She’s so pale,” Christian said, touching my cheek with his palm.
NO! Please, don’t! I screamed. Every touch made the fire inside me burn with new intensity. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t speak, so whatever Evan and I had to go through, was going to be our own silent battle. A new wave of pain pierced through me; the darkness returned.
I could no longer hear Christian. A new feeling formed inside me.
Something good was about to happen. I tried to open my eyes and to my surprise, the darkness disappeared, turning into light illuminating the entire space around me.
As soon as my vision adjusted to the light, I saw crystal-blue eyes staring down at me. They were filled with so much love, it took my breath away.
“Hey there, my Angel,” the woman said, smiling brightly. I could feel her heart beating fastly. She was so happy. She took my hands in hers and kissed my every finger, a few tears ran down her cheeks. “You are so beautiful, my little boy, my dearest treasure.”
My heart shrank as the realization hit me. I wanted to scream again, because it was Elizabeth, Evan’s mother looking down at me. No, not at me, but at her newborn son, who somehow, was now showing me everything through his eyes.
“My heir,” another voice said. It belonged to a man, and even without seeing him, I knew it was Dominic. He bent and kissed Evan’s forehead. “He’s going to be an outstanding magician.”
Elizabeth’s smile faded a little. “Let’s talk about it when the right time comes.”
“The right time has already come. He’s our son and our blood. Magic will be his life.”
The image disappeared and I could breathe freely again; the pain faded away. Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to understand where I was now.
The place looked familiar. It was a dark room, lit with a dozen candles; a huge bowl filled with water was standing in the center of it.
Dominic rose one hand and dipped it into the water, making the drops form a circle aroun
d Elizabeth, holding little Evan in her hands. “Here and now, I name and bless you, my son, the heir of my powers, the heir of life and death, the lord of dreams and hopes, the master of your fate. One day you will understand it all.” As soon as the words were said, the water circle turned into flame and then into a hurricane that swept the surroundings away, bringing Elizabeth and her son to the field with bright-red roses that I remembered destroying.
What the hell? No one has ever been there before the day we destroyed the Dragons brotherhood. Was it possible that Evan’s father could foresee that day coming? Why would he bring little Evan to a place where one of the most dangerous and powerful spells was hidden? What was he up to?
Christian’s voice brought me back to reality. “Two days have passed and we still don’t see any changes,” he said.
Two days? Could my visions last for two days? The pain was still there, burning slowly under my skin. But somehow, every time I was able to hear the people talking around me, it wasn’t as strong as in the moments the first memories of Evan’s past filled my mind.
“We can’t see the changes, but they are happening,” Marion said. “I can feel it.”
“How’s Evan?”
“Still the same.”
“Are you sure the blood transfusion worked?” Christian sounded so desperate. “I mean, he’s still alive, but we don’t know what will happen after he and Eileen wake up from this trance.” He paused. “They will regain conscience, won’t they?”
“Trust me, Christian, Evan’s heart has never beat as quickly as it is now.”
“But the doctor can’t feel his pulse. Why?”
“I don’t think you want to hear the answer to that question.”
“Marion, please,” Christian begged. “I need to know the truth! Eileen’s heart is frozen too, our bond doesn’t work. And I don’t know what to expect next. I’m going crazy because of everything that is going on here!”