“I trust you, Lucas. You can control this.”
He squeezed his eyes shut for a second and sheer terror crossed his handsome features. He gripped my arm and lowered his mouth, his lips forcefully dragging the blood from my veins. The light-headedness worsened as he fed and I was close to passing out. “Lucas, stop. Stop now.” He continued to suck strongly and I whimpered, saw Conal moving forward. “Please, Lucas, stop!”
With a growl he forced himself to release me, closing his eyes as he swallowed the last of the blood. I breathed raggedly, knowing I'd lost far more blood than was safe but I swayed a little on my feet, determinedly walking towards where Holden sat.
He looked at me, his eyes filled with resolve and waved me away. “Please, try and feed Acenith and Marianne first, before it's too much for you. I terrified you in Montana; I don't deserve to be helped until everyone you love is safe.”
I didn't argue, didn't feel well enough to debate the fact that he'd only been trying to protect me because he'd thought I was being attacked. I stumbled towards where Acenith and Marianne were slumped on the chairs. “Ralph, hold Acenith's mouth open for me.” He did as I asked and held my arm over her mouth, squeezing at the wound to get as much blood as possible to drop between her lips. She swallowed convulsively, semi-conscious for a few seconds and I continued squeezing until I thought she had enough in her system.
Conal conferred with Ben as I worked, watching me with a worried frown. “How much blood do you think she's lost?”
Ben considered the question for a second or two while he mentally calculated. “At least a couple of pints.”
“Is that gonna be too much?” Conal asked roughly.
“I don't know. But it will certainly weaken her.”
Marco assisted me with Marianne, holding her mouth open as I squeezed my arm above it and she managed to swallow down some of my blood. She returned to consciousness for a moment or two and tried to smile weakly. “Charlotte… you came for us.”
“I did,” I agreed quietly. “Marianne, drink a little bit more, please.” Obediently, she swallowed some more blood as it spilled from my arm. Conal was busy working with Nick to wrap Acenith in a piece of the blue velvet and when I stood back from Marianne, Ralph and Rafe moved forward to gently pick her up and wrap her in another piece of the material.
I turned to Holden who was leaning back on his chair, the ribs which were revealed through the long slash down his side looked slightly surreal and strongly nauseating. “We haven't been formally introduced,” he said in a low voice, gasping as the very act of speaking caused him pain. “I'm Holden Striker.”
“Hi, Holden. I'm Charlotte Duncan,” I whispered back with a tiny smile. I held my hand out to him and he grasped it, drawing me slowly towards his mouth.
“Hell of a way to do an introduction,” he gasped.
“Just drink and we'll have a better introduction later,” I promised.
He did as I requested, his mouth firm and relentless against my arm. He released his grip abruptly and held his hands up in front of his face. “No, no more, Charlotte. My need is overwhelming, I don't dare drink more.”
I pulled the Hjördis from my pocket and ran it over the skin on my arm, watching the wound close and heal over. I swayed a little, unsteady on my feet and Conal caught me, grasping me against his chest. “Charlotte!”
I shook my head, trying to clear the lightheaded feeling, but I'd lost too much blood. I had to hold it together though, all these people were dependent on me and I couldn't let them down. I straightened up, using sheer force of will to get moving again. “Let's go.”
Nick picked Acenith up in his arms and Conal collected Marianne. “Wow, she's light,” he commented mildly. The rest assembled into a group, with the werewolves and shape shifters supporting the vampires. I was frightened to death now, worrying how we could possibly make it out of this place when the strong were completely overwhelmed supporting the weak. Besides myself, there wasn't anyone spare to fight if things took a turn for the worst. And I was certain the worst wasn't too far away.
“What now?” Conal asked quietly.
I held the Katchet in my left hand and the Hjördis in my right. “Now, we get out of this place.”
I led them back to the door I'd entered through and leaned my ear against it, listening for noises. It appeared the passageway was empty and I unlocked and opened the door. The passage, damp and cold, was vacant and I motioned the others forward.
Nick was striding behind me and he whispered near my ear. “Charlotte, how do you know we are actually invisible?”
We'd reached the end of the passage and I listened at the door, heard the soft murmur of voices. “Looks like we're about to find out.”
A swift conversation with the spirits confirmed what I suspected. There was only one way out - and the vampires had it covered. They were waiting out in the first large room I'd been brought into, knowing it was the only way we had to escape. “Damn it,” I muttered unhappily. “There's a reception party. We need a diversion.”
“What would you suggest?” Conal asked softly.
“Shut up, I'm thinking.”
“Do you realize how often you've said that to me today?” he muttered.
“That's because you're painfully annoying.”
“Always, Sugar. Always.”
I closed my eyes, ignoring him as I focused once again on the spirits. When I opened my eyes, I turned back to the group. “Alright, I'm going to create the diversion. When it happens, I want everyone through the door and out into the courtyard.” I glanced at my watch, confirmed it was only four thirty, less than half an hour since I'd last checked. It seemed as if much more time should have passed, but I was grateful to discover I was wrong. The castle remained open until five, which meant the courtyard would still be filled with the happy, oblivious-to-danger tourists. “The gates are right opposite the door you'll escape through, don't stop for anything, go as fast as you can and get out of those gates.”
“What sort of diversion is this?” Nick whispered.
“A messy one.” I turned to the wall and swapped the Katchet for the Hjördis in my right hand. “I need more light,” I whispered and Phelan reached for one of the torches on the wall. Passing it back towards me, Nick held it near the wall so I could see. I pushed the Hjördis against the rock and marked a sigil. The others waited patiently whilst I finished, though the tension was tangible in the narrow hallway.
“What now?” Ralph whispered.
The ground began to shake below us, a rumbling noise that penetrated from deep below the ground. Some of the torches sputtered and burnt themselves out, plunging us into semi-darkness. “Think of it as a baby earthquake,” I announced quietly. I cracked the door open, watching as the vampires in the room looked around the walls in confusion. One of the massive tapestries was waving backward and forwards, as though it was being whipped by a heavy breeze, before one of the fastenings broke and it fell to the tiled floor. The ground roiled and rumbled beneath our feet and I decided we'd waited as long as we could. I wrenched open the door and hissed to the others. “Go!”
I held back, prepared to attack if it looked like the invisibility sigil wasn't working and the vampires could see our group. It became obvious straight away that the vampires couldn't see anyone, although they lifted their heads as the scents passed them, they were more concerned with the apparent earthquake that shook the room. I caught sight of Odin, standing alongside Hyperion. Arawn was nowhere to be seen. I stumbled a little as a yawning chasm opened in the ground beneath my feet and leaped across it lightly. I ran across the room as the others made it to the door and Ralph Torres threw it open, still supporting Lucas with his left arm. This was the moment of truth, as sunshine filtered through the open doorway. I held my breath as one by one, the Tines were carried or stumbled out into the daylight. It appeared they'd received enough of my blood to keep them safe and my stress levels decreased accordingly. I honestly hadn't been sure they'd taken enough blood,
hadn't even been certain what the spirits had advised was correct, but it appeared we'd done it.
Following them through the courtyard, I turned back momentarily and saw Arawn standing beside another vampire at the doorway. Their eyes were searching the courtyard, but Epi and Conal had been right - they wouldn't risk outing themselves to the tourists.
I caught up with the rest of our group and sprinted through the huge entrance gates, dodging and swerving past the tourists. One of the horses which had been pulling a carriage of tourists up from the village below reared, his nostrils flaring and I wondered if he could sense us, even though we were still apparently invisible. I was certain if the invisibility had worn off, the tourists would have reacted and so far, they didn't seem to notice a group of seventeen men and women, most of them semi-naked and wrapped in dark blue velvet, racing down the cobblestoned road. “Follow me.”
I sprinted to where the portal had opened, finding the marking on the grass where I'd first appeared. I dropped to my knees and used the Hjördis to mark the ground with the pentagram Epi had taught me. It shimmered for a moment, and then opened in a golden wave of light.
“What is that?” Ben asked.
“Our ticket home.”
“We can… travel through that?” Lucas asked doubtfully.
“It's a portal. Completely safe, if ever-so-slightly nauseating.” I pressed Conal forward, glancing back towards the high parapets of the castle. “Time to go home.” Conal stepped into the portal, disappearing in the golden light with Marianne cradled in his arms.
“You did this?” Striker asked incredulously. He was leaning against Rafe, barely able to support himself and Ripley was clinging to Rafe's other arm.
“Yep. It was my only way of getting here. Remember, I'm the girl without a passport.” I gave Rafe a gentle push and he stepped through the portal with Striker and Ripley.
In small groups, they all stepped through the golden light, Nick carrying Acenith, Marco supporting Lucas. Ralph was carrying Rowena on his back, his arm around Ben to support his weight. Phelan had Gwynn in his arms and was dragging William along beside him, giving him as much support as he could. Holden came last, struggling along by himself.
When Holden disappeared, I stepped into the portal, turning for one last look at Sfantu Drâghici.
A lone figure stood by the gates, his appearance chilling me to the bone. I tried to turn back, to stop the power of the portal from drawing me back to America, but it was too late and I lost sight of him as the portal drew me away.
To be continued….
About the Author
Wife and mother to four demanding young adults, D.S. Williams started writing at the age of five, when life was simpler and her stories really didn't need to make sense. When you're five, 'happily ever after' always ends the story and how you got there? Well, that didn't matter so much.
An extreme introvert, D.S. Williams has created her own worlds to exist in, found friends among her characters and traveled the Earth from the safety of her laptop keyboard.
D.S. Williams enjoys writing (obviously), reading (voraciously) and making lists (obsessively). She's enjoyed a lifelong addiction to foods starting with 'ch' - cheesecake, chocolate and chips - and when it comes to books, she loves a multitude of genres and authors.
She shares her life with her beloved husband of twenty nine years, the Gang of Four and the current furry residents, Tuppence the Groodle and Angus the Bull Mastiff.
Dear reader,
Thank you for taking time to read Knowledge Quickening. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.
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