by Ramz Artso
He was obviously implying that I would share my father’s fate if I did anything silly.
‘My father might still be alive, Mr. Lothmire.’
He made a face. ‘It’s been fourteen years since his disappearance, Miss Ranka. All I’m trying to say is: No book will ever bring him back. These pages can tell many secrets, but they won’t bring you father back from the dead. You won’t find him. It’s time to move on.’
‘If I recall correctly, his body was never found. We don’t know for sure if he’s dead or not.’
‘Logic says he is.’
‘But my heart says he isn’t.’
‘Hearts, Miss Ranka, have a tendency to lie.’
Dissatisfied with how the conversation was going, I raised my chin. Mr. Lothmire got the hint right away and dropped the subject. He then proceeded to search the dusty shelves, before withdrawing a book and handing it to me. ‘Well, if that’ll be all,’ he said, crossing his fingers.
‘Uh-uh,’ I objected, with a lopsided smile, ‘not so fast. I have permission to borrow two books. I want my second one.’
‘In that case, I have a few great works I can offer –’
‘Cut it out, Mr. Lothmire, you know exactly what I want.’
He took off his spectacles, massaging his eyeballs. ‘I’m afraid, Miss Ranka, that the specific title you have in mind is out of even your reach.’
‘Mr. Lothmire, I need that book. I can’t wait another fourteen years to be allowed in here again. This might be my only chance.’
‘Your mother has specifically instructed me to keep it locked away from you and your sisters.’
‘I need it to see it.’
‘I’m terribly sorry, but I cannot go against my mistress’s word.’
I came a step closer, fixed him with an imploring glare. ‘Mr. Lothmire, I am asking you to help me. How long have we known each other? How many hours have I spent down here helping you? Can’t you do what I’m asking? Please – as a personal favor to me! He looked undecided and slightly nervous, so I added, ‘You can always write it down as something else.’
‘You know what? I just remembered that I have some urgent matters to attend to. That being the case, how would I ever find out if someone was to remove a title now and then return to its place at some later time? Here are the keys. Please lock up after yourself and leave them on my desk behind the counter.’
Without further ado, he rushed out into the corridor and I instantly took to searching the ‘F’ section of the library. It took me about five minutes to locate it, and once I did, I leaped onto the two-story high bookshelf and used the keychain to unlock the thick oaken chest I had been searching for. Inside, lay my treasure: The last book my father had borrowed from the library before his mysterious disappearance. It was entitled The Fang of Tong Fei. Tong Fei had been the last of the werewolves, and werewolves, as it was well known, had all gone extinct about a century ago. That’s where warring with sorcerers got you.
Heart beating like a jackhammer, I did as Mr. Lothmire had asked and raced off to my room on the double. I made sure to avoid running into my sisters and any particularly talkative coven members, like Andreas. The moment I reached my destination, I forced open the doors to my enormous balcony and climbed onto the shingled tower of a roof. Plopping down beside a winged gargoyle, I flipped open the Fang of Tong Fei and, what with my supernatural speed, reached page one hundred in just over thirty minutes.
Most of the information that was concealed in the pages I already knew, partly from eavesdropping and mostly from my mother. But my curiosity was peaked the moment I reached the hundredth page, as the next seven pages were missing, torn out from the spine by the roots.
Frustrated, I quickly made my way to the table of contents, and found that the chapter heading was simply Genies. Finding it hard to breathe due to my emotional arousal, I read the last page of the chapter, which was only one sentence long:
So, if genies can be killed, after all, Tong Fei’s victory over Brothmir the Ancient, proves that werewolf fangs are the only weapons capable of getting the deed done.
A foggy thought was beginning to form in my head, but the message it carried wasn’t clear enough to give me what I needed. So, without much forethought, I threw open The Castle of Finnvid and devoured one page after another with frantic eyes. Exactly two hours and twelve minutes later, I was done reading it and my head was full of new knowledge. But, more importantly, I had finally learned where Finnvid’s Golden Container was buried. According to the text, which was believed to be mere legend by some, it lay hidden in the secret passages under the castle.
There were only two problems now. One: According to the book, only genies had access to the Castle. And two: Even if I did get there and find Finnvid’s Golden Container, how would I submit the most powerful and ancient genie in the world? The being that everyone – even we, the strongest vampire clan in existence – respected and feared.
But it looked like my father had figured it out. The answer lay in The Fang of Tong Fei. How would I find the dratted weapon, though?
Come to think of it, I won’t have to go searching for the fang. The missing pages in the book speak for themselves. It appears Dad found the fang already, which means all I have to do is find him. And if I succeed in that and he happens to be dead, then I’ll order the genie to bring him back to life. Surely, the most ancient spirit in the universe has such powers. I chewed my lip for a moment. So it’s directly to the castle, then? How will I get a genie to take me there, though? I can neither outfight nor kill one.
That was when I registered a small flicker of movement in the corner of my eye and heard a familiar voice. ‘Hi, Ranka.’
Not believing my own ears, I looked up, thinking to myself surely he wasn’t that stupid. He wouldn’t come here and get himself killed. Anger flaring up at the sight of him, I felt a wave of humiliation wash over me. Naturally, I reacted by lashing out at him.
Using my superior physical strength, I pinned him down on his back, my elbow at his throat. ‘Not so tough when the genie isn’t around, are we, sorcerer?’
‘Please,’ he said, looking completely unperturbed, ‘call me Calvin.’
Enraged by his calmness, I increased the pressure on his windpipe, my mouth watering as I watched the sudden rush of blood to his face. ‘What are you doing here? Decided to finish me off, after all?’
He surprised me with a kick to my back. I landed on all fours and was about to leap on him again when he pulled out a metallic bottle from his pocket, saying, ‘Uh-huh, watch it. We wouldn’t wanna wake Sigurd, would we? He gets very grumpy when his sleep is disturbed.’
‘Coward,’ I hissed, feeling nothing but animosity toward him. ‘Can’t even have a fair fight with a girl.’
‘A vampire girl, if I may point out.’ That smile of his made me want to strangle him. Holding up Sigurd’s little home as if it was a gun, he cast a sidelong look at the books fluttering in the wind. ‘What’s that you got there?’
‘None of your business,’ I spat, hoping he’d slip and fall off the edge of the roof.
‘No need to be so rude. Where are your manners?’
‘Manners? You must be kidding me, sorcerer! I must have forgotten all about them when you tried to kill me!’
‘Hey, that’s grossly unfair. I saved your life.’
I had nothing to say to that but, ‘What do you want, anyway? Why are you here?’
He seemed to be lost for words at the question, but then puffed out his chest, his eyes scanning every inch of me. ‘I came to see you.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean I’m here to see you.’
The notion that he would risk his own life to see me, an avowed enemy of his, simply could not lodge in my head. It didn’t make any sense. Was the moron really caught in the cobwebs of my charm? The thought intensified my thirst. The aroma of his skin and the scent of his blood were driving me crazy. I yearned for a drink from his vascular neck.
‘Well here I am. So say whatever you wanted to say?’ He pocketed the bottle and started striding my way. I quickly backed away. ‘Wait, what are you doing?’
‘Stand still,’ he said audaciously. And, to my shock, he suddenly had one of his hands on my right cheek, his slender lips closing in on my puffy ones.
The moment I read his intentions, I landed a hearty smack on his ear, but he completely ignored me. Slightly taken aback by his daringness, I pushed him away, no longer sure I wanted to hurt him. Never before had a human being – all of whom were nothing but game in my world – acted so confidently and disrespectfully toward me.
‘Are you touched in the head?’ I said, through gritted teeth. ‘I can easily kill you, you know that, right? Besides, what makes you think I want scum like you touching me?’
‘Did you just call me scum?’
I folded my arms, a smirk spreading below my delicate nose. ‘So what if I did? What are you gonna do?’
‘Don’t play games with me,’ he replied, perhaps sounding a tad too serious, his fuming green eyes bore into mine. ‘I know you don’t think so right now, but you’re gonna be mine – you will fall in love with me.’
In the blink of an eye, I was standing right before him, my face twisted in anger. ‘How dare you speak to me like that, sorcerer? I can snap your neck right here and now, or maybe I should hand you over to my mother. She’ll teach you some manners.’
‘Awww, gonna run to mommy?’
‘We can always go with the first option.’
His handsome face was only an inch away from mine, but I saw no fear in his demeanor. On the contrary, he was excited.
‘Kiss me,’ he said, holding my burning gaze. ‘You know you want to.’
I frowned with disgust, considered punching him in the face, but then thought better of it. I suddenly had a better idea, something that would crush his ego. ‘As you wish.’
Grabbing his red hair, I squeezed my lips against his, filling my lungs with his sweet scent as I did so. ‘There. I felt absolutely nothing.’ I delivered dryly in his dumbfounded countenance, once I was done. ‘Remember, sorcerer, a wolf does not belong with a sheep.’
With that, I grabbed my books and leaped off the roof, landing on my spacious balcony. The moment I reached my bedroom, I slammed shut the doors behind myself and tried to steady my drumming heart. I had lied to him. The kiss made me feel…something…something I had never experienced before. Something I wanted to feel again, and something only he could give me. Strangely enough, I hated myself for it.
There was an abrupt knock on the balcony doors and as I looked through the glass, he exhaled onto it and used his finger to draw a little heart.
‘Ranka,’ sounded Asvi’s voice, and I nearly jumped at the unexpectedness of the sound, but instead drew the curtains, at the same time asking myself what was wrong with me? Was I being protective of the enemy?
‘Yes?’ I managed to reply, without seeming distressed.
‘Stay away from the windows, there’s been a security breach.’
‘Another attack?’
‘Probably.’
‘Who is it this time?’ I pretended not to know. As I said this, I found that I didn’t want Calvin to get caught.
‘We’re not sure. Probably vampires, possibly sorcerers. You never know.’
‘Aren’t we trying to negotiate peace?’ I blurted out, before I could stop myself.
‘Now, how would you know that?’ she demanded, scowling. ‘Have you been eavesdropping again?’
‘Me – eavesdropping? Never,’ I said artistically, mentally slapping my brow. She had caught me off guard, so I had acted stupidly.
‘Make sure you don’t blab about it to anyone. Very few people know about this, Ranka, and it must stay that way.’
‘You know full well I couldn’t care less about what you and Mom do, Asvi.’
She responded by sizing me up, before saying, ‘There’s a guard posted at your door. See you later.’
And with that, she was gone. I waited for about ten seconds, before flinging open the curtains and rushing outside. My heart was beating frantically in my ribcage. What if Calvin wound up dead because of me? I didn’t exactly like him – or was I lying to myself, was it my prejudice talking? – but something inside of me, perhaps guilt, told me I owned him one.
Straining my ears, I could detect faint shouts as well as dogs barking somewhere in the distance. Flashlights occasionally illuminated the manicured lawns and groaning trees dotting my vision, yet Calvin was nowhere to be seen.
What is wrong with me? I can’t fall for him. You need to pull your act together, girl! Just remember you wanted him dead but an hour ago.
Chapter 4
Mom had me and all of my sisters neatly lined up in the entrance hall, as the house staff moved forward to open doors and greet the Falstads. The ‘royal family’ strode forward in the cold night air surrounded by bodyguards, both female and male.
‘Callista,’ my mom spoke up with an earnest smile, as the leader of the Falstad coven walked into the house, her white long coat flapping out behind her, ‘it’s an honor to have you at my house again. I hope you had no difficulty getting here.’
Our family’s age-old friend walked up to us with her arms outstretched in a welcoming hug, her green eyes as beautiful as ever. ‘My dear Pyrna, what a delight it is to see you again. I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you some, as there was an assassination attempt on my life.’
‘How awful!’ Mom delivered, sounding genuinely shocked as they broke their short-lived embrace. ‘Was anyone injured? I can call in the doctors, if necessary.’
‘No, my dear,’ Callista assured her, perhaps with a note of suspicion in her melodic voice. She probably suspected my mother might have been involved. Despite their friendship, we lived in treacherous times. No one could be trusted outside of the coven. The war for feeding territories was a game of backstabbing as well as open combat. ‘Please don’t bother. We fought off the attack without having suffered any casualties. My eldest, Corey, is an excellent warrior. He took care of us. Son, come forth and greet my beloved friend.’
His muscles bulging underneath the thin layer of his jacket, he took a few steps in our direction and bowed a little too courteously. I couldn’t help giggling, but Brigida stifled my snickering aborning with a sharp nudge to my ribs.
What a douche, I thought, sneering at him.
‘Thank you for having us, Mother Pyrna,’ he said in a raspy voice, using the proper title for any coven leader. ‘I’m thrilled to be your guest again. The last visit was a pleasurable experience.’
Seriously who speaks like that in our day and age? I couldn’t help mentally chastising him. I was frustrated and could barely hide it. I hadn’t slept the entire day, wondering what had happened to Calvin. Luckily enough, Adisa had casually strolled into my room at dusk, informing me that he had successfully gotten away.
‘Corey, you and your family are always welcome in my home.’ Chin raised, Mom took Callista’s hand in her own and turned to face us, her daughters. ‘Now, do you remember my most prized possessions? The girls were very exciting when they heard you were coming.’
We nearly died of excitement, I wanted to say, but, having guessed my intentions, Asvi smothered me with a murderous, daring glare. So I bit my tongue.
Callista took to scanning us with her piercing gaze, saying a few kind words here and there to my sisters, until she finally reached me. At which point, she came to a halt and surprised me by gently brushing her palm against my cheek. ‘My, my, have you grown, young lady! What a beautiful face you have, not to mention you father’s fierce stare and determined stance.’
‘You think I look like my father?’ I asked, not bothering to thank her.
‘Very much so, dear. You have your mother’s features, but it looks like you inherited a lot more from your dad than his mere looks.’ The way she studied my face, it made me feel as if she was trying to decide whether or not I was go
od enough for her precious little son. ‘I remember seeing you as a child and thinking you had his erect carriage and careless demeanor. He was a good man, your father.’
‘How would you know that?’ I asked, perhaps coming across as a little rude, but that was part of my charm, and I knew it.
‘Ha-ha,’ she exclaimed, beaming at my mother, ‘the mouth on this one. Well, child, your father and I grew up together.’
‘I had no idea. You must know an awful lot about him, then,’ I said, full of hope.
‘I do know a thing or two. Would you like me to tell you a little adventure we once had?’ she said, offering me her elbow with an amiable smile. I gave her a flat stare that said I’m not five years old, but entwined my arm with hers jus the same; a new story about my deceased father was just too good to pass up. I couldn’t resist it.
Chapter 5
As Callista’s entourage mixed with our coven to drink fresh blood from wine glasses and engage in idle chatter, Mom pretty much forced Corey onto me. In fact, we were seated so close to each other at the huge dinner table, it was getting on my nerves.
Any closer, and he will be right on my freaking head.
One thing I did like about him, though, was that he did not seem to be at all interested in me. So that was something we had in common.
Both of our parents kept encouraging us to talk, and if it hadn’t been for Birna, the whole situation would have been super awkward.
‘Ranka,’ Mom said, once the servants took away the leftover pieces of raw bear meat, ‘why don’t you show Corey around the house? Maybe let him see our new underground shooting range? It wasn’t here the last time he visited.’
Looking forward to some alone time with my books and dreading Corey’s company, I forced a huge smile, saying, ‘Of course, Mommy, I’d love to do that.’
Unlike everyone else, she did not miss the sarcasm in my voice, as both of us knew I never addressed her in such endearing manner.