by Sela Croft
“I’m proud of you, Callie. My blood flows in your veins. And combined with that of an immortal, you are very impressive indeed.”
Flattery was suspect, in my mind. It was good that my father admired me, as any father would. Only it was more than that. And there remained a huge gap in time. Bramwell Mayfair was a name from my past. That he’d reappeared in my present was unexpected.
Although, I had an instinctive love of my father, the missing years didn’t just vanish because he chose to care now. I wasn’t certain why I viewed it that way. I’d thought he’d died in a car wreck, so it hadn’t been his fault. The truth was that he’d been imprisoned for so many years that it boggled the mind. But that didn’t change the fact that it wasn’t his fault that he hadn’t been there to be a real father to me.
There was a lingering question over why my father had been imprisoned. He’d told Rosamon that he’d been intent on righting wrongs, being the benevolent creature that he was. So, those he sought to stop from their bad ways had imprisoned him to remove him from their path.
It made sense, so I didn’t know why I questioned it. Yet that story held many unanswered questions. When I had the opportunity, I intended to ask. I wanted to understand. He was my biological father, after all.
But time was wasting. The realm didn’t halt, just because I’d been transformed. Or because I’d been reconnected with my father. Destruction was rampant, so we needed to get outside to help, the sooner the better.
“Thank you for your kind words, Father. I’m glad you’re pleased. But this isn’t about me. The only reason I agreed to become a vampire, was so I could do the right thing,” I said. “Now, tell me how to get us out of here.”
My father proceeded to give instructions. Previously, I wouldn’t have known what he was talking about. But now it all made perfect sense. With his insight on how to execute my magic, we truly could escape our prison.
Before I started, I turned my back on my father. Facing Logan, I looked at him, lost in his emerald green eyes. We’d gone through a lot and risked so much. But it had turned out okay—so far.
“I love you,” I said, meaning it with all my heart.
Logan touched my cheek. “I love you too.”
Tears flowed from my eyes. His tender words touched me deeply. He took me in a warm embrace, and I thought about being with him for all eternity. When he pulled back, Logan’s lips touched mine, sparking electricity between us. A sensual feeling heated my skin and my heart swelled with love.
My father’s deep, sonorous voice interrupted us. “There is a nearly unstoppable war coming to this realm. The raging battles will not cease, unless we manage to escape…before it’s too late. We must get out, so we can use our magic to subdue the violence and create peace in the kingdom.”
Logan released me, then I wiped away my tears of joy and faced my father. “Okay, I’m ready to break through these prison walls.”
Chapter 39
Callie
Walls aren’t necessarily impenetrable. And spells aren’t unbreakable. Even if they were cast by a fleet of sorcerers. It was a matter of undoing what had been done.
Sorceress or not, I wouldn’t have been able to reverse the magic that held the prison in place before drinking vampire blood. If that had been possible, my father could have taken the place apart without my help. Brilliantly, he’d known that any power I possessed had to be supercharged.
Logan’s royal vampire blood mixed with mine had done the trick—especially considering the purity of the blood he’d consumed over the centuries. I had ability that had been beyond my grasp before.
My father had said that he was impressed, but I hadn’t wanted to encourage further compliments. Once he got the idea that he could manipulate me with flattery, I’d be vulnerable. Despite my newfound strength, I had no doubt of my father’s power and my vulnerability.
It was best to garner a position as his equal, as opposed to allowing him to take the upper hand. I was sure of that, even without knowing how I’d come to that conclusion.
Using all my concentration, I got to work at my task. What was required was to unweave the spells that had formed the walls of this infernal prison. That couldn’t be accomplished in one fell swoop. The structure had been cleverly created.
The spells from the various sorcerers had been cast in a specific order, then woven into a web that couldn’t be destroyed. That was the creation I faced. One spell wouldn’t have done it. It would only have been a matter of time until a more powerful sorcerer would have wiped out the spell to dismantle the prison.
My challenge was to demolish each spell by reversing its creation. I proceeded to do so, handling the magical structure, one spell at a time.
While this was all new to me, it felt completely natural. It was as though I should have been able to do it, all along. The power within me was part of me. I didn’t need to adjust to it; the abilities were instinctive. I was infused with energy that I hadn’t had before.
I rather liked it.
My awareness of the mystical nature of the prison would have been beyond reach, just a little while ago. What I was doing would have been impossible, and my father had known that. I was grateful that he’d also had the solution.
Excitement rose within me at the prospect of getting all of us out. I’d searched for Rosamon and had found her. But the final step of my journey was still before me. Unless I got her freed of this prison and carried off to safety, I would not have fully achieved my goal.
The fact that I had the power to release us all was exhilarating. I breathed evenly and tried to remain calm. The procedure was very precise, so I dared not allow myself to become distracted.
Energy glowed within me, and strength abounded in my body. Plus, I had acquired a sense of pride that was highly motivating. On my own, I could save those I loved. I decided that there was no better feeling.
To have power was not enough. Using that power for good was the only thing that made it worthwhile. That was a lesson to remember, lest my extraordinary ability go to my head. I hadn’t fancied myself as being conceited, so I wasn’t about to start. The only reason I’d agree to this whole thing was to do what I could to avert disaster in the realm.
Skillfully, I proceeded to undo the prison structure. The process reminded me of a game called Jenga, one that I’d played with Rosamon. Wooden blocks had been stacked in layers to the desired height. The challenge had been to remove one block at a time, from someplace within the balanced structure, without collapsing the stack.
One of us had always managed to gingerly extract one of the blocks in the structure, only to have the entire stack tumble down. It had been great fun and we’d laughed at our folly.
Such could not be the case now. I was carefully removing each block that composed the prison. But they hadn’t been stacked by a child’s hand. Each block was magically held in place by the spell that had created it.
Like the Jenga tower, with each block that was removed the entire structure was weakened. It was only a matter of time until it collapsed, as I magically made blocks disappear like I had a giant eraser. Gradually, block by block I weakened the prison walls. It was painstaking work, but I kept at it.
The others were silent, so as not to interrupt me. They didn’t want me to make a mistake any more that I wanted to botch my task. It was as though they collectively held their breath. I didn’t hear a sound, so could put my attention on unweaving the magic before me.
I was so lost in the process that I nearly forgot where I was or why I was doing this. The spell reversals were intriguing, since each spell was slightly different. It was like a puzzle trying to figure out how each had been done. But I enjoyed the process, if I didn’t think about the consequences of failure.
All around, the walls were missing the blocks that had once made them up. Methodically, I’d emptied out the walls, so that only my father’s shimmering cage remained. I thought I saw a flicker of hope in his eyes but didn’t linger to think about it.
/>
We were so close to a full escape; I couldn’t stop now.
The cage posed more of a problem. It appeared that it had extra layers of spells. One thing was certain. Whoever put him behind the bars and froze him in space, did not want him to get out. Yet I discovered that even a work that intricate had its weaknesses.
The bars of the cage gleamed, lighting the dark around it. As I began to undo the magic, one by one, the bars flickered then went out like light bulbs burning out. I’d thought the cage was difficult, until I’d peeled away its magic and was left with my father still frozen in space.
He didn’t give any orders or tell me how to proceed, which was wise. I’d managed to deconstruct everything on my own with no help from anyone. Clearly, I knew what I was doing.
I made a few attempts that didn’t unfreeze my father. He hung suspended in space, unmoving except for blinking. But I remained undaunted. From my few tries, I’d discovered more about how his condition had been achieved.
Without hesitation, I went ahead and unraveled the spell. The bond was broken. And my father stood before me, unfettered. My momentary amazement didn’t last.
My father stepped forward, moving as if he had been able to all along. He seemed to have no stiff muscles or weakness from being stationary for so long a time.
The others started to speak, asking him how he was, or commenting on how I’d taken down the prison walls. But my father didn’t say much. Nor did he show any affection. I would have thought that he’d hug me, since I was his daughter. And Rosamon too.
If not because he was overcome at being with his daughters again, at least he might have thanked me for freeing him of his cage. But he did not express any gratitude or love.
I should have known better than to expect it.
Rosamon leaned against me. “I wonder if we are in any danger with the walls down like this?”
I assured her that I’d been very careful. The structure had vanished for good. “I’m certain we are in no danger from this prison, any longer.”
We were all left standing in complete darkness. My preternatural sight allowed me to see, as did Noah’s and Logan’s. And my father seemed to have no difficulty. I held tight to Rosamon’s arm, not wanting to lose her in the dark. “Stick close to me,” I said.
“We must hurry,” my father said with urgency in his voice. “The war between the vampires and the Fae is about to escalate…even beyond our capacity to help.”
I didn’t need further urging. Standing around a Fae prison, even one that had been made to vanish, wasn’t a smart move. My father was correct; we needed to get moving.
“I’m a bit disoriented,” Logan said. “Do you know the way?”
My father pointed toward the way we should go and gave directions. He seemed certain of where the war was being fought. Logan nodded, signifying that we should get going. Noah wrapped all of us in a cloud of mist, then began to transport us to the scene of the battle, where we’d finally be able to do some good.
Chapter 40
Valter
My squadron repositioned deeper into the Fae forest to prepare for another attack. It was the farthest into enemy territory that we’d ventured. We’d long since passed the dividing line between vampire territory and the Fae realm.
The mushroom forest looked like a scene from a fairy tale. The mushrooms were as tall as humans. Small stone houses in colors of blue and crimson were scattered throughout. The night sky was blocked out by the thick growth.
The mushroom trees were flattened out on the top, so they flapped like sea creatures. The ribs that lined the tops glowed, lighting our way. In the distance was a craggy mountain range that looked like it had been drawn on canvas and colored in a pinkish hue with a child’s crayon.
I followed my troops along the stony path, eerily deserted. Up ahead was the Fae fortress where their defense would be the strongest. It didn’t look good for the Fae. My armies were strong, since our casualties had been few.
The interesting thing was that too many battles had been won. Not that I was unhappy with that circumstance. It’s just that I’d fought with the enemy for centuries, so had some idea of what to expect.
I prided myself on the readiness of my vampire troops and the support of human forces in border villages. But some losses were to be expected. Yet I’d moved my troops forward, burning the slimy mushroom thickets as we went.
Any Fae armies had been easily overcome, which was a boon to our morale, at first. Then I began to question what was going on. Yet it didn’t stop me from moving deeper into enemy territory, conquering as I went.
On my orders, the vampire troops forged ahead. The fortress walls were easily scaled, and it appeared that we verged on another win. Then Kaida swooped through the mushrooms, bending them in the wake of her powerful wings.
She landed nearby, with her great wings resting across a gleaming patch of blue prairie grass. I sensed there was a purpose for her visit. “Did you come to gloat with us over yet another victory?”
Kaida blinked her dark eyes. “I’d like to but there is something more urgent.”
That had my attention. I had the sense that it may have to do with my concern over the fortuitous progression of our offensive.
“I’ve been informed by Florian that a massive Fae army is forming near the border.”
“But that’s behind us.” It was a needless comment. Of course, since we were deep into the Fae lands, the border was behind us. “Why didn’t Florian come to tell me?”
“I’m not sure. He just said it was urgent, then dispatched me to deliver the message.”
“I’m not surprised. News of that nature is time sensitive.” The successful winning of battles had lured the bulk of the vampire forces into the Fae forests. Meanwhile, the enemy was gaining strength behind us, near the border to our realm. It had to be a trap.
“Shall I give you a ride?”
“Yes, I must find out how this happened without me knowing about it.” It was alarming. And it was quite clear that some powerful force was at work. In all the years that I’d fought the Fae, not once had their generals been able to manipulate the battles. I could only deduce that there was some outside influence, but what it was I was unable to fathom.
After leaving orders with my next in command, I hopped onto Kaida’s back. “Take me to Florian.”
I’d left instructions to secure the fortress then move our forces back to the border, where it appeared the war was escalating. Then I rode the dragon through the mushroom forests and over the top of villages on the outskirts, to return to the border between the realms.
Kaida made good time and delivered me to the battle line with expediency. I slid off and strode over to Florian, who was taking charge of a few troops there. Standing beside my brother, just inside the Shadowland border, I saw what he was taking pains to orchestrate.
Not far from where we stood, Fae could be seen in great numbers. It made sense why Florian had sent Kaida, instead of leaving the impending battle unattended. My brother was more inclined to provide intelligence than fight the battles outright.
Yet Florian was quite capable of organizing a defensive, when attacked by our enemies.
“You barely got to me in time,” I said. “I’ve called our forces back, since the action is here at the border. We might have been cut off and unable to return.”
“I only just realized what was going on,” Florian said.
“What is going on?”
“I can’t give you a lot of detail, but I realized that your wins were too consistent to be the natural way of things,” Florian said. “That aroused my suspicions, so I came to the battle front immediately.” He glanced at the forces, amassing at the border. “I’m a bit late as it is. But at least I was able to warn you.”
Without further delay, a pitched battle ensued between a massive Fae army and a smaller band of vampires. Along with their human allies, our sparse troops made a valiant effort to hold the line against the enemy. I spotted Raulia a
t the scene and was glad to have her fighting with us.
It wasn’t long before my squadron arrived. I barked orders at my commanders, so they headed toward the fighting that raged on. The ragtag vampire force needed help without delay.
I turned to Florian. “Don’t say I told you so.”
“No, I had no intention of doing that,” my brother said. “This goes way beyond an opportunity to remind you of your impetuousness.”
Florian was being kind. I was aware of how angered he’d been that I’d gone on the offensive against the Fae without his agreement—or anyone’s, for that matter.
“I’m considered the thoughtful one of the family for a reason,” Florian said. “And in this case, what I think is—”
My dragon fleet swooped overhead with their heavy wings beating the air. A legion of them whipped past us, nearly blowing us over with the powerful air currents. I wrapped my arms around me then leaned closer to my brother. “You were saying?”
“I was about to say that there is motive behind this madness.” Florian glanced at the war that raged on, the sounds of weapons and cries of battle deafening. “There is an unseen force at work. Someone or something wanted the Fae retreating into their territory. Someone other than us.”
“I wasn’t aware we had any allies other than the humans,” I said. “And they don’t have any magic at their disposal.”
“It’s a mystery for now,” Florian said. “But I dare say that it won’t be for long. Whoever is manipulating this war campaign behind the scenes cannot remain hidden.”
His words had me thinking. “I lack the magic to control the outcome of every battle. If I had, I’d have made certain my troops wiped out the Fae, long ago. But if what you say is true, then a force more powerful than we’ve dealt with before…has achieved a desired goal.”
“Exactly…the Fae kingdom has been corralled into its realm, thanks to your offensive. And the vampires have been recalled back to their side of the line.” Florian didn’t go into it further. The question on both our minds was why any creature other than one of our race would desire that end?