Before trekking out, she observed the clearing and the meandering paths and listened for any new sounds. Sure she was safe from view, she lunged for the old oak tree and hugged the rough bark. Her eyes swept the landscape as she looked for security staff or onlookers sneaking through the royal grounds.
Convinced she was still alone, Amelie walked to her headstone and read the epitaph.
Amelie Victoria Maxillian
Rest in Peace
Amelie touched the engraved granite stone, which reflected the sunlight so brightly it burned her vampire eyes. Seeing her name scrawled across the stone surprised her so much she was able to ignore the sun that burned against her skin.
A sneer crossed her lips.
They will always believe I’m still here.
Only Amelie knew about those two men, about her first tastes of blood as a vampire. It had been overdue.
In these early hours, alone and bored, she could still taste the smoke and booze that saturated the first man’s blood. As distasteful as it was, she had been so hungry she had become lost in the moment. She shuddered at the thought of how low she had fallen, but it was his sacrifice that gave her the strength to take her first step as a novice vampire. And when she had finished with him, she had dropped his limp body into the grave.
His blood hadn’t been enough for her insatiable hunger. It had burned inside of her and she was crazed with the need for more.
Amelie looked at the clear outline of the hole in which her coffin lay. It had recently been trimmed and cleaned up; new growth was covering the blackened earth.
She thought of the second man she had thrown in the coffin. He was short, fat and bald, beautifully dressed in leather shoes, a smart suit and a lovely cape. It was obvious he came from money though she had no idea who he was.
He had claimed to be her savior, the one who gave her eternal life. He seemed to have big plans for her. But he was no different than her family. They all wanted something from her. She had to be a perfect princess, marry the right man, work for charity, give up clubs and drinks and fun. And that man had something planned for her, something else she would be responsible for.
NO MORE!
All these months, her rage had grown. She hated her mother for directing her life, ordering her where to go, who to hang with, who to love. She detested the life of the princess, the duty, the honor—she longed for freedom that only becoming a vampire had given her. Since her death eight months ago, it was all she could think of, all she desired. She wanted to come home, confront the queen and do what she had to do.
The memories were too much for the young vampire. Burning with fury, hate, and anger, she let it all out with a primal scream.
Her voice rang through the forest, pounced off the hard surface, and continued to roll outwards for anyone in the area to hear.
“Damn, damn!” The second she allowed herself to scream, she realized it was a novice vampire’s mistake, drawing attention to herself. Doing something stupid would be her downfall. She had exposed herself, made herself vulnerable in the middle of the day and in the middle of the clearing. But Amelie, unable to control her emotions, couldn’t hold them in any longer. Her rage finally exploded. Pushing the heavy granite headstone, she let out a loud growl until the granite stone yielded to her touch. The stone crashed to the ground, cracking into smaller pieces.
The security team, always in the forest, heard the crash and responded quickly. Amelie smelled their scent and heard their shouts and footsteps before she saw them coming.
As they ran to investigate the source of the sound, Amelie ran for the forest. Her vampire speed and large strides made her travel easy and quick. She reached the trees long before anyone on the security team could find her standing there. Quickly, she concealed herself behind a tree and settled in to observe.
They spread themselves through the clearing, entering the trees and searching for the vandal who destroyed dear Amelie’s gravestone. Though she recognized several faces, she couldn’t recall their names. It had never been important before.
The royal guards, with gold buttons down the front of their jackets and the royal crest across their chest, scattered. The first team examined the perimeter between the forest and the lawn, while the others worked their way to the center, where they found the tombstone lying in pieces.
The guards at the tombstone shouted into walkie talkies, and alarmed voices screeched back. With her extraordinary hearing, Amelie found the voices to be loud and painful. She placed her hands over her ears, but it did little to block the noises and ease the discomfort. Watching the chaos build, she stepped farther back into the trees.
The clearing was soon overrun with the extensive security team, concerned over the vandalism of Princess Amelie’s headstone.
Those who served the royal family were convinced that the vandalism meant the royal family was in danger—an unknown person had broken through the security positioned around the property. Quickly, they gave orders to search the woods. They were coming for her.
Amelie scampered through the forest and back toward the little village beyond the royal borders.
Her eyes scanned the trees and the undergrowth in search of the path she once knew so well. But thanks to the lack of use, it appeared to have grown over and was currently covered by dead foliage and heavy mud.
Determined voices carried through the air. The young vampire grew panicked as she twisted and turned, stumbling against the trees. She tumbled across an exposed root and fell forward, landing in the mud.
It was there where it had always been—the path toward him, to Henri, the boy she had once loved so long ago. A twisted smile crossed her purple lips.
Amelie was blindsided for a moment by something she hadn’t felt since she was human. An emotion other than hate and anger. Somewhere in her depths, she felt… love. It was as if the former Princess Amelie had found a way to break through the hold on her, as if she could escape the demon that had done such a good job of taking over.
“Go away!” Amelie shouted, as though the demon knew the former owner of this body was trying to expel it.
“You can’t come back!” the demon inside her shouted. She ran to the shack that her human form had known so well. A jumbled mass of emotions, Amelie trekked closer to the place that held so much meaning for her. But whatever feelings of love had threatened to break free were soon wiped away. Amelie could only think of Henri and her mother’s decision to end the relationship for her.
She had been forbidden to see her one true love.
Henri.
How it broke her heart. She had felt betrayed, and all of her anger was directed toward the queen. She had never known that happiness again.
Amelie touched the door of the run-down shack, which was still missing shingles on the roof and still had a cracked window. She pulled the door open and stepped inside the small building. Amelie almost expected Henri to be waiting for her on the tiny bed along the far wall, but no one had been in this room for years. The bed, still made with a patchwork quilt, was covered in dust and water stains. A mouse or rat had eaten away at the blanket’s corner.
Faded pictures covered the walls, many damaged by water, animals, or the insects that had made this shack their home. The corners of the pictures flopped in a breeze that blew through the crack in the window.
The vampire took a cautious step inside. The demon inside her was struggling in a tug of war with the princess, both fighting for control of the body. The demon was winning.
She strolled to the bed. A thin mattress lay on top; it squeaked when she sat down. A paper slid and fluttered from the bed—an envelope addressed to Amelie.
She recognized the handwriting.
It’s his, she thought as she ripped open the envelope, yellow with age.
To my dearest Amelie, it began.
Memories flooded the vampire, bringing back fury and hate from her human life. “This is all your fault, Mother!”
Chapter 13
Their
teleportation spot at the center of the forest had been safe and secure when they investigated the princess’s grave only days ago. Annie and Spencer expected the same as they used it again, landing easily in protection of the trees.
“Stop the intruders!” a deep voice barked.
Annie and Spencer glanced at each other. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the angry security team that seemed to have been waiting.
Not for us?
Their heavy work boots pounded the uneven undergrowth and squished in the mud. Slipping and sliding through the mud and wet foliage littering the forest floor, Annie and Spencer desperately tried to increase the distance between themselves and the security team bearing down on them.
Amelie’s here!
Annie’s lungs burned and craved air. Even her five-mile run three times a week was nothing compared to being chased in a foreign country, blinded by thick branches, unable to teleport after being discovered.
She was not often frightened, but today was different. She felt the fear of being caught, of exposing magic, and—even worse—having the whole world find out that Amelie hadn’t died. It motivated Annie to keep running, to find a way out of the path of the security force so she could find and stake the vampire before it was too late. Her body cried out to stop.
“Stop in the name of the royal family of Amborix!” an angry voice shouted through the trees.
When Spencer and Annie failed to heed the request, a shot rang out in the forest. Spencer fell forward.
“Annie!” he shouted. With a look of horror, Annie lunged for her partner, wrapped an arm around him, and disappeared as if they were never there.
*
“It’s a flesh wound,” Spencer reassured Annie as he pulled up his T-shirt, exposing the cut across the side abdomen. “See, it’s nothing.” His pained smile suggested otherwise.
Annie held a light above the wound and assessed the injury. Blood dripped across a slight burn mark where the bullet had grazed him. She summoned a sterile wipe and held it against his moist skin. Spencer flinched as she cleaned the wound. Her fingers, soft and cool, patted the skin around the cut as he groaned softly and shuddered.
“It’s not deep. I don’t think you need stitches.” Annie summoned a bottle of water, opened the lid, and floated the lukewarm liquid above her palm. She twirled the puddle, which undulated and pulsed at her command until it was the temperature she needed. She applied it to the gunshot wound.
“Ugh,” Spencer pulled away. His abdomen jerked and twitched as she touched his skin. As the pain slowly eased and the skin healed, he said through gritted teeth, “Amelie’s here somewhere,”
“Shhh,” Annie replied. When the wound was mostly healed, she summoned a bandage and covered the last of the cut. “I wonder if she’s in the castle yet.”
“Stop futzing with it. I’m fine. We need to find her,” Spencer said and swatted Annie’s hand.
Sirens blared across the forest and through the valley. They were so loud that even the small village on the outskirts of the royal property could hear the repetitive panic horn.
“Damn, that’s annoying,” Annie said, glancing upwards as if she could see the horn blowing through the trees.
“Well, now the entire country of Amborix knows something up.” Spencer grimaced.
Hidden behind a series of thick evergreens and surrounded by the basic protection spell, Annie pulled back a branch and looked into the forest at the commotion. The security team had been confused by the sudden appearance of the intruders, and their sudden disappearance left the teams disorganized and jumbled as panicked, anxious voices barked orders.
Security forces passed within five feet of their hiding location but soon gave up searching the area in favor of moving on.
Annie breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s going to be tough getting to the castle,” she commented. The map of the area rattled against her legs. The scrying crystal, wrapped tightly around her palm, swung wildly at nothing.
Annie continued to watch the security team’s process. What appeared to be a chaotic mess was in fact a systematic search of the area, sweeping the undergrowth for them. The guards, for now, left Annie and Spencer alone, not aware the wizards were hiding from and watching them.
For now, the magic is holding!
Annie sat back down and listened to the orders as they were issued. It seemed as though more security team members joined the search—a never-ending sea of men and women marched across the slippery undergrowth.
Who’s watching the castle?
“We’re supposed to meet the Amborix Wizard Guard here,” Spencer said. He had taken the map of the castle grounds from Annie and examined the detailed picture of where they needed to be to gain access to the castle. Lial had very carefully crafted it for them. As the most exceptional tracker on the Wizard Guard, he very rarely led them astray.
Sirens continued to whirl around them, speeding up as if even the machinery were anxious over the search.
“Okay. It’s nothing short of a mad house out there. I think we can teleport here, away from this location. It seems most of the teams have arrived here,” Annie said. Her finger trailed along the edge of the trees that surrounded the castle. She smiled wanly and glanced back through the branches. A majority of the teams had left the area and were moving farther from the castle.
They must think we ran that way.
“There are about four security officers here,” Annie said.
“I’d say we need to teleport under an invisibility spell. The only other option is to land quickly and place a protection spell around ourselves. There have to be teams by the castle to be sure we can’t get in. This spell is great, but I’m not sure we’ll have enough time to set one up once we land,” Spencer said.
“I think you’re right. We’ll teleport in under invisibility. We can assess our situation after we do.” Annie glanced inside the trees. Her heart felt as though it were beating to the rhythmic blaring of the siren.
Spencer rolled up the map and tucked it away safely.
“Ready, then?” he asked. He shook slightly when he moved; the gunshot wound clearly still stung.
“This has gotten out of hand. The Amborix Wizard Guard will be pissed,” Annie surmised and took out her phone.
“This isn’t your fault, so get over it. Place the call. Let them know where we’ll meet them and when,” Spencer said.
Annie placed a call to the Amborix Wizard Guard. The phone only rang once before a disembodied voice said, “Amborix Witches Council. How can I assist you?”
“I’m Annie Pearce from the American Wizard Guard. I need your department manager immediately.”
She wasn’t on hold long.
“Fredrick Marx speaking. Annie, where are you?” he asked with coolness in his voice. His attitude was a direct result of the death of Princess Amelie in the first place, plus the American jurisdiction in the case. The Amborix Witches Council hadn’t liked being told how to deal with the Amborix Royal Family or its government.
“We’re in the forest a few miles from Amelie’s grave. We think she’s already in Amborix.”
The silence was deafening, and it rang in Annie’s ears. Her stomach roiled as Fredrick Marx chose his words carefully.
“Your mistake has had grave consequences. If we could, we would take this case from you. But alas, that goes against the outdated international law. So this is what you will do. You will meet my team at your prescribed location, kill Amelie, and leave. You will not have contact with us again.”
Annie bit her tongue, knowing that answering the way she would like would be construed as bullying. She simply said, “I have no doubt that we will have no need to work together again.” She hung up, sighed deeply, and looked at her worried partner.
“This isn’t your fault,” he repeated. “I shouldn’t have to remind you of that more than once. Let’s just get this over with and go home.”
He chanted the invisibility spell, and when he was sure they were well
hidden, he teleported them just outside the castle.
*
The sirens hadn’t let up. Amelie paid little attention to the annoying rhythmic noise as she reread the letter left for her by Henri. It was as if he knew she might come back, that she had never really died.
My dearest Amelie,
Love of my life. Oh, the times we had so many summers ago, back in this room. How I’ve missed you since we were discovered, since you were no longer permitted to come back here to be with me. But I never stopped coming. Every day since our last day together I came, always hoping you’d find a way back to me. I don’t blame you for never returning. I know it was them, those awful people—your family.
Was it awful for you? Did you find happiness with that man, Jordan Wellington? You looked happy in those pictures, but I know you, my dearest. I know that you were not. Could you have been thinking of me?
I still can’t believe that you have gone. That your beautiful light has died and that I will never see you again, even if seeing you only meant on the pages of the magazines. Oh, Amelie, oh my love.
I will never truly believe that you are gone from this world, not as long as I still carry you in my heart. And if I can do that, I believe that someday you might make it back here, back to me. That is all I ever wanted, my dearest Amelie… you.
Love to you always and forever, even when I die.
Henri
“I won’t let you come back, Princess Amelie,” the demon wearing Amelie’s body said out loud to the empty shack.
She sat back against the thin wall, pulled her legs up, and stared around the pathetic shack. She hid the letter inside her boot, tucked so deeply she could feel the sharp edge of the paper against the skin on her ankle.
Because she was so young for a vampire, she found herself unable to control the moments in time when it was quiet, when she wasn’t feeding or preparing to feed. It was long and boring and reminded her of royal life: the expectations, the rules, the honor and duty. She was so free from that life, and yet so not free. She still lived on the edge of civilization. Alive and yet not, she was trapped by sun to remain indoors, and at night she had to be stealthy and hide in the shadows should someone recognize her. She could not be discovered.
Wizard War Page 13