Curse of Blood and Shadow

by J. M. Kearl

  The guests invited to the castle didn’t act this way, nor did the students but the general public was awestruck by my presence and I could not understand why. I hadn’t done anything remarkable in my life. I was simply famous because of my parents. I wouldn’t even rule Delhoon for hundreds of years, assuming my mother lived that long.

  Bindy slowly moved her chair closer to mine. “We’ll need to leave soon. Eat up, girls.”

  It was the fastest meal we’d ever had and even that was not quick enough. A group began forming near our table, pointing and talking loud enough that I heard them. They wanted to come and talk to me.

  Madison grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. “Let’s go.”

  The girls formed a circle around me without being told, and we went out the door, to be met by an even larger crowd. I didn’t know how word had spread so quickly but it was remarkable.

  “Is that the princess?” someone shouted over the chatter.

  “Which one?”

  “Get on your horses,” Madison said, voice sharp as the tip of a spear. “And don’t stop.”

  “The one in the middle!” a woman shouted pointing and then she ran at us. “Princess Visteal, Visteal, please bless me with your magic!”

  She ran into a magical barrier that either Madison or Bindy put up and stumbled back. “Wait, please!”

  A shot of panic surged through me. What would they do if they got close enough?

  A man tried to push through the shield, and soon people were banging their fists against it like it was glass. I hoped it wouldn’t shatter.

  “My child is very ill, do you have a potion, princess?” a woman shouted. By her ragged attire she couldn’t afford it. I wished I did have one. “Can you heal him with your magic?”

  “I’m not like my mother when it comes to healing, I’m sorry,” I said looking at the sad small boy beside her. “And I don’t have a potion.”

  Freya nudged me. “I have one in my bag.”

  “If you give it to her then everyone will want one,” Madison said.

  “Not everyone is asking for one.” I halted. Even though I wanted to rush away, I couldn’t let us walk by when we had more than enough potion when we needed it and one available here. “Give it to her, please, Freya.”

  Freya broke away from us and put the potion in the woman’s hand. “For your child.”

  Tears streamed down the woman’s face. “Thank you so much. Thank you. You saved my baby boy.”

  The people shouted and shoved against the barrier and I wanted to scream, “Get away!” But I had to hold it together. We hurried the last few yards and I was a sweaty mess despite the chill in the air by the time we got on our horses.

  Relief washed over me as we rode across the town into the Hesstian section. I wouldn’t be so easily recognized here and luckily we weren’t followed. We spent the rest of the day walking in and out of shops. Looking at dresses and tasting baked goods and chocolates. They weren’t nearly as magic focused as Little Delhoon and friendly uniformed soldiers walked the streets, often stopping to help people.

  When dark clouds rolled in overhead, I thought it was time we go back to the academy. Perhaps we’d get ahead of the storm. I said as much, and the guards at the gate waved at us on the way out. After riding for a half-hour, a streak of lightning filled the sky with light and a crack of thunder followed seconds later. My horse jumped and I tightened my grip on the reins. “Woah, settle down, boy.”

  We’d only been riding minutes after that when I smelled rain. It hadn’t hit us yet but it would soon. I reached into my bag and pulled out my cloak, securing it tightly and pulled on my hood. The others did the same and we turned our easy ride into a faster pace. There was no shelter between here and the academy and if we hurried, we could hopefully ride for another hour and be there.

  The rain hit us like a wall of water and I was soaked in under a minute. The sky had darkened so much it appeared as night which had me on high alert. If my inkling about vampires was correct, they could be out here waiting to strike. When my horse slipped a few times in the ever-increasing mud, I called to Madison to slow down. Even if it took us longer, I didn’t want to risk my horse falling with me on him.

  Another rip of lightning revealed shadows of three persons in the distance ahead of us. Madison held up a fist and pulled back so all of us stopped. I rode up beside her and Bindy beside me. “They could be friendly but let’s be prepared for them not to be,” Madison said.

  Bindy turned around in her saddle. “You girls stay behind us but line up next to one another. Weapons at the ready.”

  Legacy pulled her bow and the others, their swords. We rode on slowly and the distance between the strangers and us closed faster than I expected. Two men, one woman, none of them wore a cloak or jacket. Any normal person would be freezing and yet they stood in a line walking toward us, grinning. I think all of us assumed they’d step off to the side but they blocked our path and unless we intended to run them down, we had to stop.

  “Is there something we can help you with?” Madison called over the loud pattering of rain.

  “Why yes,” the woman in the middle purred. Her dark wet hair clung to her face and bare neck. “We’re hungry.”

  “We don’t have any food,” Madison said. “But the town is close by.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw little blue sparks bouncing between my grandmother’s fingers.

  My sword rested against my thigh, and I gripped the smooth handle. The weight of it comforted me. I watched the man on the right more than the others, the way he hunched, his cold eyes, the tenseness of his curled fingers…

  “You’re sure you have nothing?” the man on the left asked, his eyes combing over each of us. I wondered if he was looking for a weakness, looking where to strike. “Not a—drop you can spare?” The others chuckled.

  My horse knickered and his ears pinned down. He didn’t like them. The hairs on the back of my neck rose and my heartbeat steadily increased.

  “Step aside or we’ll run you down,” Madison warned.

  The man on the right, the one I’d been watching, lurched for Bindy. She raised her sword then an arrow embedded in his chest, the force of it sent him stumbling back but he didn’t go down.

  Without hesitation, Madison sent a blue bolt at the woman; she squealed when it sent her convulsing to the ground.

  Our horses danced and grew nervous, another rumble of thunder boomed, and I took a chance on what they were. I yelled, “Solaris adonus!” A blast of white light ripped from my hand and collided with the third attacker. He shrieked like a dying bore but my horse reared at my powerful spell and sent me rolling off Proud Boy’s hindquarters. I crashed onto my hands and knees in the mud and my right wrist, my fighting arm, seared with pain. I’d landed on it all wrong and it hurt like hell. I didn’t even want to try to move it.

  Horses bucking and rearing, Lora and Freya crashed to the ground moments after me. Dragging my sleeve across my face, I cleared some of the mud and then I scrambled to find my sword in the dark. Where is it, where is it! My fingers sloshed through the thick goop searching for my weapon.

  Freya screamed, my head snapped up to see the man with the arrow in his chest on top of her. She thrashed underneath him, screaming like a banshee.

  “Freya!” Another arrow hit him, this time Legacy aimed for the temple but it skimmed off and flew past.

  Madison’s foot collided with his side, knocking him off Freya, her sword then cut his head clean off.

  The female vampire battled with Bindy and Lora. She was lightning fast, lashing out at them with fangs bared. I found my sword, pulled it from the sticky mud and ran at the man I’d hit with the spell. Even though he hadn’t moved, I wanted to make sure it stayed that way. As I was about to bring my sword down across his neck, he leaped at me, taking me to the ground. We slid back several feet; his fangs grew as he pressed down on me moving closer and closer to my neck. I grunted and kicked and bucked trying to throw him off. My injured wrist scream
ed from bearing his weight. My magic surged, the heat from my brewing spell warmed my hands and my very touch burned his flesh. He bellowed as his skin turned to ash beneath my palms.

  Madison tackled him off me and they rolled over and over. My chest heaved as I launched to my feet, I picked up my sword again, waited until I had an opening and swung, sending his head rolling. It bounced and then stuck in the mud.

  Madison threw his body aside and quickly rose. “Are you hurt?”

  Breathing heavily, I said, “No.” My wrist was nothing to complain about for now. Looking over at the body, I realized I should have seen the vision of the vampire’s death when I grabbed his face but it never came. Was it because he’d already technically died once?

  “Is everyone alright?” Madison shouted.

  Bindy and Lora had killed the woman vampire, her head severed from her body.

  Legacy cried out, “Freya is hurt bad!” I whipped around and she was kneeling beside Freya who still hadn’t gotten up.

  “She’s bleeding everywhere!” Lora shouted, cradling her head in her arms.

  A glowing orb floated above them giving off enough light to see for twenty yards surrounding them. Heart sinking, I thought, Freya gave her healing potion to that woman. On my command.

  Madison ran and dropped to her knees. “Shit,” she mumbled, and her eyes snapped up to me. “Get my bag!”

  I tore it off the horse and tossed it. Throwing open the flap, Madison grabbed clean towels. “Press these on her neck firmly,” she told Legacy.

  The rain still pelted us but Bindy held a protective shield over them at least. By the vacant expression on Freya’s face, I wondered how close to dying she was. Or if she was even alive. How much blood had she lost while we fought those things? I watched her chest for movement but if anything it was shallow.

  Some relief hit me when Madison pulled a bottle out of her bag and poured its contents into Freya’s mouth, but there was a chance that it was too late for the potion to work. Please live, please.

  “Come on, come on,” Madison mumbled, stroking the top of her head. “Wake up.”

  The rain stopped, and we all stood or paced or sat in the mud for an hour, waiting—watching for any others who might attack. Madison had cleaned and sewed the wound, and Freya was breathing at least, her heartbeat growing stronger.

  Finally her eyes opened and she groaned. “Are they dead?” she asked. “Did we get them?”

  Madison smiled, stroking her muddied hair. “They’re dead.”

  Chapter 21

  After arriving back at the academy, Madison and Bindy sent us to wash and dress in clean clothes. I took a shot of healing potion for my wrist then we met them in an empty lounge room with couches and large cushion sacks. They wanted to discuss what had happened.

  Papa was there when I walked into the room and he grabbed me into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” Like my father, he had a protective nature and I always felt calm and secure with him around.

  “Me too,” I mumbled into his chest.

  “Sit down and relax for a minute.”

  I sat in a large soft armchair. My friends and I remained quiet until one of the adults decided to start talking. There was no more keeping the existence of the blood drinkers in this area secret from professors. Madison had killed one herself. She sat cross-legged in a chair, a glass of wine in hand and twisted her mouth. “What happened tonight will not be discussed openly. I need to speak with the headmaster and I don’t want panic among the students.”

  Papa tapped his foot quietly on the floor. “I think you’re overlooking the fact that these kids are training to be soldiers—killers. It wouldn’t cause panic. It might give them purpose, actually. It’s not as if we have enemy kingdoms to worry about fighting anymore.”

  Sipping her wine, Madison nodded. “That will be up to the headmaster to decide, as well as the kings and queens.”

  I cleared my throat. “I think we need hunting parties. There are likely more of them out there.”

  “And what are they exactly?” Lora asked. “I’ve never seen people move so fast or not die from an arrow to the chest or… bite like that.” She glanced over at Freya, who was fully healed after the incident, yet had a hollow look in her green eyes.

  There was only quiet for a moment. They had no idea what we had faced in that storm. “I don’t know,” Madison said. “In all my years I’ve never encountered someone with these abilities.”

  Of course Bindy and Legacy both looked to me. I sighed and explained everything I knew about vampires. The faces of each person in the room showed the disgust these creatures deserved. I neglected to say anything about Kyan, or the party since I wasn’t supposed to be there. I wanted to bring up Senica and his threat against me so I traded some details like the party for walking the halls after the tournament, left out Kyan and kept Zyacus and Aric in the story. Bindy and Legacy kept a straight face, giving nothing away.

  The rage in Madison’s eyes could have set ablaze the room when I mentioned he’d threatened to find me when I wasn’t so protected and drink my blood. Papa threw his arms out angrily. “Why didn’t you tell us this sooner, Visteal? Someone like that in this academy—someone like that wanting to hurt you!”

  There really was not a good reason but I had my reasons. “I didn’t want you to send me away. I’m just getting comfortable here, and I don’t want to run at the first sign of trouble. I wanted to take care of this problem myself.” I looked at Madison. “I know you’d do the same.”

  Eyes dancing with amusement, Madison brought her glass to her lips. “Perhaps you’re more like me than I thought.”

  Papa huffed angrily. “Do not condone this, Madison. She is a fifth year student, not a graduate ready for this sort of task.”

  “I already cut one of those bastard’s heads off and I can do it again,” I said, evenly, keeping the edge out of my voice.

  “We will take care of this Senica. You are here to train, to learn,” Papa said pointing a stern finger my way. “Not kill unless you are attacked. You will not seek this boy—thing out and get yourself hurt or worse.”

  “Fine,” I grumbled. “But you don’t know what he looks like. I do.”

  Papa gave me a rigid stare. “Then point him out in the dining hall tomorrow morning. Now,” he looked to my friends, “no gossiping about what happened. You can talk to each other about it privately but no one else. Go get some sleep. It’s been a long day for you all.”

  Chapter 22

  As instructed, while sitting at my table at breakfast, I peeked around the room searching for Senica. Not seeing him from my seat I got up and roamed; Zyacus watched me as did Aric. I hadn’t told them what happened yesterday yet, but they probably both wondered why I was moving toward the Collweyan tables. Aric sat next to Legacy, they were back together so I had to come up with a reason to be venturing over here. I spotted Kyan’s silvery-blond braid.

  Papa stood against the wall, watching for my signal. I didn’t want him to confuse Kyan with Senica so I had to be careful. The stares from the students across from Kyan made him turn around before I even tapped his shoulder. He immediately stood.

  “Hi,” he said warmly. My eyes flicked to the table around him but Senica wasn’t here.

  “Hi. Come talk with me for a minute.” I didn’t want it to sound like a request but not demanding or rude either. Bindy had said I needed to earn the revered respect a princess needed from Collweya, and it started with how I spoke to people.

  With my hand slightly behind my back, I put my thumb down, hoping Papa would see and understand.

  Kyan grabbed a muffin from his plate and asked, “Where to?”

  I figured now was as good a time as any to ask him discreetly if he was human, and my new ring would glow if he lied. “It’s a nice day, how about outside?”

  When he opened the glass doors, the smell of flowers wafted to my nose. They would be the last fall florals until the white and blue winter blooms started in a couple weeks.
It wouldn’t snow here but a frost would end the bright colored flowers until spring.

  Once the doors clicked shut and no one appeared to be nearby, Kyan said, “I apologize about what happened the other night. Senica is a jerk.”

  Keeping my eyes forward, I placed my hands behind my back. “You shouldn’t apologize for him.”

  Kyan lightly grabbed my shoulder, stopping our walk and drew my gaze. “I’m not apologizing for him, I am sorry I left you alone at that party. I shouldn’t have.”

  With a slight raise of my chin, I said, “I don’t need you guarding me. I’m perfectly capable.” We stared at one another for a few heartbeats. “Is Senica a vampire?” The words blurted out almost on their own accord. I brought my ringed hand up slowly, brushing hair away from my face so I could see if it glowed.

  He finally released his hold on my arm and blinked a few times. “How do you know that? You should have—” he stopped himself.

  “So he is… And I should have what?”

  “Never mind. Yes, Senica is a vampire. He’s dangerous and cruel.” Kyan’s lips formed a hard line. “And he is set on hurting you but I’m not going to let that happen.”

  The question was there on the tip of my tongue, are you one of them too? And for whatever reason I felt like I’d already asked him that once before… felt it in my soul and yet, my memory wouldn’t bring it to the surface. Closing my eyes, I rubbed my temples as a headache reared. “I feel like I’m missing something. Have we had this conversation before?” I peeked at my hand waiting for him to answer.

  “What makes you think that?”

  Ugh, answering a question with a question. “This seems vaguely familiar.” I locked eyes with him. “Kyan, are you a vampire?”