Accacia’s Bite

by Bea Paige

  I don’t know whether it is the desperate look on Lissandra’s face or the tears that have formed in her eyes, but the woman hesitates long enough to give us hope.

  “This is not my home. I will have to ask permission. My employers do not take kindly to strangers. I’m not sure they will help you.”

  “Let us speak with them,” I say, glancing at Ezra, who I know is about to barge his way in regardless. I’d rather enter invited than start another mini war with perfect strangers. Fortunately for us the sun is rising behind the mansion, so we are well protected from the sun for the time being.

  The woman nods her head. “Sir,” she calls, over her shoulder. “Sir, we have… visitors.”

  “What are you talking about, Marion? No one calls here uninvited. Get rid of them,” a no-nonsense voice says from inside.

  “I can’t,” she stutters as Devin pushes against the door. It swings open to reveal a large entry hall. The floor is made of white marble with tiny gold veins running through it. It reminds me of the fae city. Behind, a double staircase winds upwards. I watch as a pair of smart, shiny black shoes descends, revealing an elegantly dressed man in his early fifties. He is handsome, with a head full of silver and white hair, and a neatly trimmed beard. He looks as though he spends all year round in the sun. He certainly appears to be able to afford it, given this palace he lives in.

  “Who are you?” he says as he strides over to us. He’s as tall as Ezra and just as broad.

  “We are sorry to disturb you, but we need your help,” Lissandra says, pointing to Nostra, who is looking sicker still.

  The man takes one look at Nostra. “Is that…? Marion, fetch Kitar,” he demands. Marion’s eyes widen. “NOW!” he booms.

  “Yes, Sir,” she stutters, scuttling off towards a door on the other side of the hall.

  “Come in, quickly,” the man says. “Follow me.”

  I glance at Ezra and Lissandra in surprise. Do you know this man? I ask Devin through our connection.

  No, but he appears to know Nostra.

  “Thank you,” Lissandra says, keeping in step with him.

  “Don’t thank me yet, young lady.” he says. “I am Amos, by the way.”

  “Regardless, thank you, Amos.”

  We all follow him into a large sitting room off the side of the entry hall. It too is just as palatial, with expensive looking sofas, their intricate legs gilded in gold. The room is decorated with flock wallpaper and heavy velvet curtains hang from the windows. The room reeks of money. Lots of it.

  “Lay him down on the sofa for the moment. The rest of you can stand,” he adds, noticing we are all filthy and covered in mud. Mr Tickle meows and leaps out of Ezra’s arms, settling himself beside Nostra. He looks up at us all. I try not to laugh at the look of contempt he gives Amos.

  “We don’t keep pets,” Amos says.

  “He’s no trouble. As soon as we are able we will leave, Mr Tickle too,” I say.

  Amos raises a perfectly groomed eyebrow. “Mr Tickle?”

  I shrug. “He likes his belly rubbed.”

  “Don’t we all,” Rhain murmurs.

  “What in Equalis’ name is this?” a man says, striding into the room. Like Amos, he too looks to be in his mid-fifties, but no less attractive for it. Where Amos is almost all silver-haired, this man, who I presume must be Kitar, the person Marion had been sent to get, has brown hair with just a smattering of grey throughout. He stands slightly shorter than Amos, with a less muscular physique, but he holds himself with a self-assuredness that can only come from getting what he wants whenever he wants it. When I look at both men the words silver fox come to mind. They are distinguished gentleman for sure.

  Devin steps forward first, holding his hand out. “I am Devin, and these are my brothers, Ezra and Rhain,” he says, pointing in their direction. Kitar looks at his mud-covered hand in disgust. Devin lowers it.

  “This is Lissandra and Accacia,” Ezra chimes in.

  Kitar looks at us both quickly before turning his attention to Nostra, who is partially hidden behind Amos.

  “Brother, try not to overreact,” Amos says, stepping aside.

  Kitar’s gaze settles on Nostra. His mouth drops open in surprise. A loud zipping noise fills the air, then in a flash of golden light a sword appears in Kitar’s hand. I see it curve through the air as if in slow motion. Lissandra is the first to react, she moves so quickly it is almost a blur. The sword stops just shy of her forehead, the tip slicing into her skin. Blood dribbles down from the cut.

  “KITAR, put your sword away!” Amos shouts.

  Kitar and Lissandra glare at one another. Fortunately for them both, Kitar slowly lowers his sword. It glints briefly before disappearing from his hand as though it had never been there.

  “Who in Lights name are you?” Rhain asks. I can see his fangs have dropped down from his mouth, a reaction to the tension in the air. Ezra has moved closer to Lissandra, he glances at me. “I’m fine,” I mouth.

  “The question should not be who we are, but why are you all with Adrielle’s little brother? Nostra is no better than that evil witch,” Kitar spits.

  “You know the Queen? You are from…” Ezra begins.

  “Nostra is nothing like his sister,” Lissandra seethes, interrupting him. She swipes the back of her hand against her forehead. A swathe of blood mingles with the ash and dirt that covers her face.

  “Tell that to the hundreds of people from Clan Aequalis who are now dead because of the magic that flows through him and his twisted, fucked-up sister. The magic that cursed us all. Nostra did nothing but run. He is worse than she, he is a coward.”

  “I will say this once more. Nostra is nothing like his sister. There is no magic in him now, he sacrificed it all saving us. He is not a coward!” Lissandra bites out. She is shaking with anger and most likely exhaustion, given all that has happened.

  “It is okay, Lissa, Kitar is right. I was a coward and I have been trying to make up for it ever since.”

  Lissandra spins on her heel and drops to the floor in front of Nostra. She presses her hands against his chest. “Don’t you dare,” she says, urging him to lie back down. “You are weak, do not try to move, and you don’t need to explain yourself to this man.” Lissandra places her hand on Nostra’s face, for a moment all they do is stare at one another.

  Nostra swipes his finger against the cut on her forehead. He frowns. “That’s where you are wrong, Lissa. I need to do more than explain, I need to apologise to him. To you all. Kitar is right, I was a coward. I should have stopped Adrielle. I was afraid.” Nostra eases himself upright. He still looks sick, his face a deathly grey, but he is alive, and I am grateful for that at least. He looks from Amos to Kitar. “I have been searching for the remains of Clan Aequalis for a very, very long time. Although you are not pleased to see me, I sure am pleased to see you.” He looks at Amos, then from his pocket pulls out a stone. It looks like a nugget of gold. He holds it up. Amos takes it.

  “What is this?” he asks, running his fingers over it.

  “That is for you and your brothers, friend. That is so you can find the missing daughter of Clan Aequalis.”

  “What are you talking about?” snaps Kitar.

  Nostra flicks his wrist, then sighs when he realises there is no more magic left. He can’t show them the prophecy like he had to me. He heaves a big sigh, his hands shaking with the effort of staying awake.

  “You need to rest,” I say to Nostra before addressing Amos, the more amiable of the two. “Is there a room he can have. Nostra has no magic left. He’s exhausted.”

  “But what about…”

  “Lissandra, I will explain everything. You must take him,” I say.

  “Amos…” Kitar starts, but Amos holds his hands up.

  “We have plenty of room. Take the stairs to the second floor, any one of those rooms are free.”

  “Thank you,” Lissandra says. She hooks her arm under Nostra’s back and hauls him to his feet. Despite her vampire
strength, she is just as drained.

  “Let me help,” Rhain says. He looks at me, as though for permission.

  “Take him,” I say. “Ezra, Devin and I will explain. Make sure he is comfortable.”

  Rhain dips his head, then picks up Nostra. Lissandra stops by me, squeezing my arm. “Thank you, Accacia.”

  “Go rest,” I say, patting her hand. Mr Tickles gets up and follows them from the room. I smile, he seems worried about Nostra. I am not surprised, we all are.

  Kitar takes a seat alongside Amos on the sofa Nostra has just vacated.

  Devin, Ezra and I sit opposite them, despite Amos’ look of derision as we sit. It isn’t as if they can’t afford to get the damn sofas cleaned. Ezra and Devin sit rigidly next to me. Both are ready to fight should the need arise. If it comes to it, so was I.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Why are you here, and more importantly, how did you find us?” Kitar starts. He is suspicious of us, of our motives. I suppose I can’t blame him; we arrive out of the blue, looking no better than a bunch of vagrants. We certainly smell like we need a good wash.

  “We came through a portal from Ever Vale that Nostra opened,” I say, addressing Amos and ignoring the look of annoyance on Kitar’s face. “We were escaping. Queen Adrielle found Nostra’s hamlet where he has been keeping the common folk and some of Clan Lux safe. She destroyed it and nearly killed Nostra in the process. Despite what you said, he’s a good man.”

  “Good man? He did nothing when his sister cursed us all. I watched my friends, my family, turn on one another until there was no one left. Nostra didn’t raise a finger to stop it. A whole clan was wiped out in a matter of months. It would have been us too, had we not escaped that place,” Kitar says angrily.

  “We are sorry for what happened. We have all lost a great deal,” Ezra says in understanding. I squeeze his hand tighter in mine. “But your anger is misplaced,” he continues. “Nostra has done everything he can to help us these last one thousand years.”

  “One thousand years?” Amos laughs deeply. “I may be old, older than you three clearly, but it has not been that long.”

  “Not here, perhaps. But in Ever Vale, a thousand years have passed,” I say. “These men have lived under Queen Adrielle’s rule for that long and they still remain good at heart. That is quite a feat.”

  That seems to shut both up suitably. A little bit of the arrogance seems to dissolve.

  “You’re all a thousand years old? You’ve suffered that witch for that long?” Kitar asks, shocked.

  “Us men are. Accacia and Lissandra, the girl whose head you almost removed, are both a lot younger.” Kitar has the good grace to look a little ashamed at that.

  Amos blows out a breath. “Well damn, there’s me thinking I was a pretty good-looking older man. You two make me feel wholly inadequate.”

  “I doubt that,” I say. Amos is charming, yes, but he knows his worth.

  “So, if you are all from Ever Vale, what Clan are you from?” Amos asks.

  “Clan Lux is my guess. Did you not see the teeth, brother?” Kitar says.

  “Ah, I see. Your desperation to get inside makes perfect sense now. The sun still has the power to kill you all, I take it?”

  “Yes, it does,” Devin confirms.

  “So why did Nostra help now? After all these years, what changed his mind?”

  “Adrielle was too powerful back then, and Nostra not powerful enough. There was little he could have done at the time. The magic Nostra had before he sacrificed it for us all today was developed over the years. When Queen Adrielle cast the curse, he did what he could for the clans. He helped hide the leaders’ daughters and he spelled them all with a locator ring, so that one day the three chosen clansmen could find them and bring them home to break the curse as the prophecy foretells. He was not a coward then and he most certainly isn’t now,” Devin says vehemently.

  “What prophecy? Rings? Chosen clansmen? What are you talking about?” Kitar asks, firing one question after the other.

  “Slow down, brother, let them explain,” Amos requests, studying the spelled stone in his hand.

  Ezra points to it. “That stone will take you to the missing daughter of Clan Aequalis. Together, you and she will help break the curse.”

  “This makes no sense.”

  “It will,” Ezra says. “I can’t do magic like Nostra, but I can remember the prophecy well enough…”

  Five sisters born beneath the stars

  Neither bound by blood nor kin

  Must unify the warring clans

  And rid the land of sin

  Their lives they are beholden

  A curse atop their heads

  Broken only by a love divided

  Betwixt three allied men

  There will be opposition

  To peace and harmony

  A plan to cause division

  Must never come to be

  In great danger they will find themselves

  Amongst divided lands

  Their fate held in the balance

  Of their lovers’ hands

  A gold band, it will signify

  The unity of the clan

  And once each ring is worn in place

  Five sisters will take command

  Ezra recites the words. When he is finished, both Amos and Kitar remain quiet for some time until eventually Kitar speaks.

  “You expect us to believe this? How can we trust a word you are saying? There is no proof…”

  I stand in annoyance and step in front of Kitar.

  Careful, Red, remember his sword, Devin warns. Ezra moves forward in his seat, ready to step in should he need to. He still forgets that I can move as fast as him now.

  I hold my hand out to Kitar, showing him the ring that remains on my finger. “I am your proof. I am daughter of Stella and Atlas. I am the missing daughter of Clan Lux. Ezra, Devin, Rhain, they are my men. They are the men I choose to love, who love me in return. We are one piece of the prophecy. My friend, Clover, she is the missing daughter of Clan Terra and has already joined with the fae. There is a woman called Danika, who belongs to Clan Spiritus. Her men, the wolf-shifters, are searching for her now. Not an hour ago, three Dark Angels passed through the portal here on your land in search for their missing clan daughter. Now it’s your turn. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Nostra’s final source of magic brought us here. You have a job to do and you must do it now.”

  Amos leans back in his seat and crosses his arms against his chest. A slow smile spreads across his face. “I think you can come out now, Rai,” he says.

  From the corner of the room walks a man who looks slightly younger than the two sitting before me. He is not dressed as smartly, but instead has on a pair of soft grey slacks and a tight, white t-shirt. I can see the ripple of muscle beneath the material. His golden eyes match his hair colour, which is also streaked with grey. He appears to be weighing up what I have just said. I know this man’s sudden appearance is supposed to surprise us, but it doesn’t. There are always three, after all. The statues outside were a big sodding giveaway.

  “Nice to meet you, Rai,” I say.

  He strides over to us and stands behind the sofa upon which Kitar and Amos sit. He doesn’t bother with niceties, he simply asks the next pressing question. “Tell me, what if we choose not to fulfil our part of this prophecy? You see what we have,” he says, swinging his arms wide. “What’s in it for us?” He crosses his arms across his chest, looking faintly amused.

  Arsehole.

  You can say that again, Devin responds.

  “You get to help your people…” Ezra starts.

  Kitar laughs bitterly. “There are none left but us. We are our people. This is the remains of Clan Aequelis.”

  “Then you get to help the people of Ever Vale, the other clans. You get to defeat the one person who is the reason all your people are dead. Isn’t that enough of an incentive?” Devin asks.

  Rai tips his head to th
e side, as though weighing up his options. “If I am correct in thinking, this curse will only break if all five daughters and their chosen men come together. After that happens, if that happens, what’s next? Somehow, these women overthrow the Queen? They take command like the prophecy foretells?” He barks out a laugh. “What a ridiculous notion.”

  “Do you have a problem with that?” Ezra stands. I glance at him. Oh dear, he isn’t a happy vamp. This could go south quickly.

  “My brothers and I, we don’t take orders, especially from a woman. We are the leaders of our kingdom,” Kitar snaps, standing. The pair level hard gazes at each other.

  Can you believe this guy, Devin? What a chauvinistic pig.

  They are demi-gods; their clan was destroyed because they were out for themselves. They turned on one another because every single one of them thought they were better than their kin, their friends.

  And yet these three have not. They remain together, unharmed and working in harmony, given this mansion they live in and the fact they are still alive.

  Good point, Red. Where are you going with this?

  You’ll see.

  “This woman is the bravest I know. You will do well to hold your tongue. I will not tolerate someone belittling her capabilities.”

  “Ezra, it’s okay,” I say, placing my hand against his arm. He looks at me briefly, the anger boiling in his grey eyes, but he sits back down. I take a seat again, my gaze falling on all that is left of Clan Aequalis. “Tell me something, when the rest of your clan turned on one another, when the power they were given went to their heads, how come you three didn’t do the same? How come you have been able to live side by side for all these years without such a consequence?”

  Amos looks at me thoughtfully, twisting the hair of his beard as he does so.

  “You are quite the observant one,” he says sarcastically. I let it go, he can be as sarcastic as he likes, providing he does what is required and locates their missing clan daughter. The other part, the love part, that may well be a little trickier, but we could worry about that later. He gets up and walks to a shelving unit lined with books.