“Understandably so,” he agreed, picking my hand up from the seat and kissing it softly.
I smiled at the boy and looked at my hand in his. He looked back at me and grinned widely as he leaned his face closer and closer to mine. What was it about men and this appearance? Marshall began to move and my attention was turned to the boy in my lap. He opened his eyes and looked up at me. I had never been so happy for an interruption before in my life.
“I’m so sorry, milady.” He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking between me and John. “I shall turn the bedcovers down for you. Is there anything else that I can do while I prepare your bed?”
He kept glancing between me and John and I was growing a bit uncomfortable by the look in his eyes. He was wondering if he needed to turn the bed down for two. I shook my head at him.
“No, there is no need for anything else. Get what you need from your tent and meet in mine in ten minutes,” I instructed and the boy ran off. I turned back to face John.
“Has anyone told you how strikingly beautiful you are?” he said, caressing my face. I had to bite back the bile that was forming in the back of my throat. I knew if I had John’s trust that Miranda’s wasn’t far behind.
“The last man I killed said it to me before he died,” I said seductively as my lips brushed his. This was the vilest thing I had ever done. Yet something inside of me seemed to be controlling my actions.
“You are some woman,” he moaned as I pulled away from him and stood.
“I have been called worse. I must turn in, dear John. I will see you in the morning, I hope.” I gave him one last smile as I turned to walk away. The thought that I had allowed my lips to touch his made my stomach turn.
I entered my tent and saw Marshall frantically pulling the comforter from the bed back for me. He looked up at me and smiled.
“Did you get your things?” I asked, walking in and looking around.
“I have nothing, ma’am,” he said softly. My heart bled for the boy.
“I will have none of that. Bring me that blanket,” I demanded, pointing at the cashmere throw that was laying across the back of one of the couches.
He grabbed it and brought it to me. I looked at the boy and closed my eyes, turning the blanket into a comforter meant for a prince. He looked at me, confused, as I handed it back to him.
“Thank you, Miss Prudence,” he said softly as he ran his fingers over the smooth fabric.
“My handservant will not be without luxury,” I growled. “Where were you sleeping?”
“In the dirt with the rest of my clan.” He held his head low, his eyes not meeting mine.
“You are with me now, Marshall.” I softened my voice as I walked toward him, putting my hand to his face. “I will take care of you.”
The promise may have been a bit much. I had no idea what was going to happen to him when I disappeared into the night. For now, he was safe until I could come up with a plan to keep him in the best of care when it was time for me to go. I walked past him and went to my room behind the see-through curtain. Pulling out my silk nightgown I slowly, and deliberately, dressed for bed. I knew his eyes lingered, any boy’s would have.
“Goodnight, Miss Prudence.” His voice shook from the other side of my makeshift room.
“Goodnight, Marshall. Sleep well.” I crawled under the covers and pulled them up to my chin. The mountain air was thin and cool even in the middle of summer.
“You too ma’am,” he said as the lights around the tent were extinguished. I heard him sigh as he lay down on the couch and not long after the soft snore reached me. I held the pendant close around my neck as sleep took me. The darkness was a welcome friend with a promise of no dreams in the future.
***
My eyes opened at the first light of morning. The air smelled fresh, the birds chirped in the trees, and I was in the enemy camp sleeping on a fluffy mattress. I rolled over and stretched my limbs. I felt grimy from all the dirt the night before. What I wouldn’t give for a shower, I thought.
“Miss Prudence,” Marshall’s voice said from the sitting area.
“Yes, Marshall?” I asked as I put my arms back at my side.
“I have laid out your clothes for the day as well as your shower supplies. There is a creek nearby where you can bathe. It’s shaded by the trees so nobody can see.” I heard footsteps on the ground, edging their way toward my bed.
“You are too good to me,” I said as I saw Marshall’s face around the corner. He had bathed himself and his clothes were clean. Well, as clean as they could be.
“Let me help you.” He offered me a hand and I willingly took it, allowing the shifter boy to help me out of bed. The gown’s skirt dropped to the floor and I breathed in deep. His eyes were lingering on my chest and the thin fabric that was covering it.
“Hand me my robe if you don’t mind, Marshall, it’s in the second drawer on the right.” I pointed toward the wardrobe and he did as he was told. I wrapped the robe around myself and left the bed area as Marshall grabbed my clothing and bathing supplies.
He led me down a narrow path to a pool of water. I looked at it longingly as he handed me my shampoo and lavender body wash. I created a table out of the tree roots around the pool and had Marshall place the towel and my clothes on it.
“Go back to camp and unpack my makeup; I will need that as soon as I finish.” He turned and ran back to the tent, leaving me to the water and its delightfulness.
I raised my hands and created walls from the forest around me. Nobody could get in and nobody could see over the top. I had my own personal bathing pool. I disrobed quickly and waded into the water. I felt as if the dirt was falling off my body as I submerged myself in the glory of the pool. I washed every crevice and scrubbed my face and hair clean. I swam around the pool for a bit before getting out and wrapping the towel around my body as I pulled the clothing that he had picked for me.
Not bad for a boy, I might add: a blue silk V-neck that hugged every curve of my body from my chest to my hips. He had also chosen a pair of flare-legged jeans that I didn’t remember seeing in the bag. I dressed slowly, putting my tennis shoes back on my feet and lacing them up. Rubbing the last bit of water from my hair, I waved my hand and a door appeared in the makeshift wall allowing me to pass through.
I entered my tent again and placed the gown and robe on my bed. Marshall had done as I had instructed and I quickly began on my face, the lines around my eyes not too dark and the eye shadow a pale blue to match the shirt. I ran a brush through my short blonde hair and fixed it to curl under my ears.
“Absolutely beautiful.” John’s voice made me jump as I turned to look at him with a cruel expression.
“You should not sneak up on a woman as she dresses,” I said to him, my eyes burning.
“I was not meaning to sneak,” he apologized. “I merely wanted to see your face this morning.”
“You have seen it,” I said as electricity pulsated across my fingers.
“You excite me so, Miss Prudence.” He smiled at me wickedly. This was the John that I had known in that alleyway. This was the John that pulled from me the innocence I had fought so hard to keep.
“You anger me so, Mr. Borrows,” I said back at him as he took two steps back.
“JOHN!” The voice was harsh but it was Miranda’s. His head shot to the right as the redhead entered my tent.
“Yes?” he asked, his attitude changing.
“Leave us!” she demanded. John gave a bow and left the tent, but not before turning back to look at me through the sheer fabric half a dozen times.
Miranda stood there in a yellow dress. Her green eyes were livid. I was frightened that my identity had been figured out. I looked at her trying to maintain a neutral expression while inside my heart pounded. The fear was short-lived when the flair fizzled the moment John had left the tent.
“He’s a determined man,” I said dryly, glancing at her.
She nodded a
nd looked at my clothing.
“Great, they fit you,” she said, looking at my jeans.
“I knew I had not packed jeans,” I said, softly laughing. “Yes, they fit quite nicely.”
“I had John purchase them this morning. You will find they fit better here in the woods.” She smiled.
“Of course.” I winked at the girl. “So what is on your agenda for today?
“I figured you would want to meet the others.”
“Of course.” I looked around the room, fighting the urge to make the bed myself.
“Follow me then,” she said as she led the way out of the tent and into the sunlight.
“Tell me, how many do you have here?” The cries had begun again and I could see the tear-stained faces of the prisoners they kept in their wooden jail cells.
“We have about two hundred men and just as many prisoners,” she said, pointing toward the cells.
“These cells do not appear able to hold anyone inside,” I mentioned as I reached out to touch the fragile wood.
“It’s much stronger than you think.” She frowned as one of the prisoners reached out and touched her.
We walked in silence for a bit, Miranda fuming and rubbing at her arm where the woman had touched like it burned her.
“You said some of your men were ill?” I asked as we walked down rows of tents toward the sounds of clanging metal.
“Yes. They are in our hospital tent,” she said, pointing toward a white structure at the furthest point from us.
“What ails them?” I asked softly.
“Some of them have gone blind, some of them are taken by bouts of vomiting blood.” She held her nose. “Dysentery is another issue. Many of these people never had proper medical treatment due to the lack of doctors of their kind.”
“That’s unfortunate,” I said, keeping pace with her strides. For a short woman, she walked briskly.
“Very much so. My doctors work around the clock but they are worn out, their magic drained.” She shook her head.
“When would like to head over there?” I asked as she kept leading me toward the battle cries.
“Soon. First I want you to meet the ones that are well. It’s less depressing that way,” she said as we cleared another row of trees.
“Understandable,” I nodded as she came to a stop. There were probably one hundred and fifty men fighting side by side, Wesley running around frantically handing them weapons and bandaging wounds.
“He is a man of many talents.” She smiled seductively. “As you will learn this evening.”
“You keep him busy that is for sure.” I wrapped my arms around my shoulders and looked out toward the field as swords clashed together and arrows flew at makeshift targets.
“I have to. As long as he moves he is more apt to have visions,” she pointed out. “He will have four or five a day if I keep him busy. Always with the drawing he is.”
“How often did you feed from him?” I asked her as she leaned against a tree and watched her men spar.
“It was every night until I put him in a coma. After that I had to be careful. His soul is bound to me but he still fights it. What he does now is only meant to keep him alive. He will tell me anything I want to know.” She crossed her arms and looked at me smugly. “With you here he should get better now that you provided us with a new substance for nourishment. This of course depends on how much of him you need to sustain your power.”
“I won’t need much. With age comes glory.” I smiled at her and she laughed.
“I have been on this Earth for a very long time Miss Prudence. It is a rare honor to meet someone who has been on this Earth longer than me.” She pointed toward two men. “See them there?”
“Yeah.” I followed her finger.
“Those are my two best fighters. When my mother called for volunteers they chose to stay by my side. John took control of one group for a while until his friend Trissa took over and he returned to me. Loyalty is a must among my men. Then there are lapdogs like Marshall,” she groaned. “Good boy by all means but he is too kind-hearted. Will not pick up a weapon but with his power he can turn into just about anything I require.”
“He is a good boy,” I agreed.
“He is only here because of his sister. He’s loyal, yes. However, his heart lies somewhere else.” She glanced toward the white tent.
“What do you mean?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. I had already figured this out on my own but knowing that she felt the same power and energy from him concerned me. It meant that, no matter what, he was not safe here.
“He and his family were traveling toward the Wardens’ location. His sister was the only one that seemed favorable for our side.” Miranda shrugged and pushed past the subject. “To the hospital?”
“Of course,” I agreed as she pushed herself away from the tree and began walking toward the structure.
We walked side by side and entered a large white tent. The smell was overwhelming as we walked between the two rows of cots. Each bed was filled with the sick; the nurses, many of them male, were running around trying to make the others comfortable. They all looked at me with pale faces and dull eyes. Against my best nature, my heart went out to them. It didn’t matter that they were considered the enemy. Nobody deserved to be in that state.
“My bedside manner may be a bit rusty,” I said as I tried not to touch anyone. The smell was making my stomach turn.
“That’s fine. Many of these men have a crappy attitude.” She growled at one of them who stuck out his tongue and flipped her off.
“Whatever I can do to help I will,” I said, nodding at several of the more conscious patients.
“We need medicines. Specifically ones that actually work on non-human individuals. If you have any connections in the medical field, that is.” She smiled at me as we hit the end of the tent. A tall man with red eyes looked at us, exhausted. His fingers were bruised and his lips were chapped, blood oozing out between the dried skin.
“I don’t know if many of my old connections are even alive.” I chuckled to myself. “I will make some calls and see what I can do.”
“Miss.” A man’s voice called to me and I turned around. He was in the third bed, welts all over his flesh. His eyes were bloodshot.
“Yes?” I asked as he locked eyes with me.
“Are you the Priestess?” he asked me in a weak voice.
“Yes.” I answered him with confidence. I knew I had to be one with the coldness in my heart but at the same time this man was reaching out to me. How could I ignore the calling of the ill? Then it hit me. My mother for all these years had done nothing but want to help those less fortunate and I never understood. Not till now that is.
“I knew you would come.” He smiled softly at me and nodded to the others. “I told you she would come.”
There were some grunts and groans in answer to the man’s proclamation. I put my finger up to Miranda and walked to the man’s cot, taking a seat beside him. He looked at me with a new hope in his expression. What stories had been passed about me that this man would think I was a savior? I reached out and ran my fingers through his hair.
“What ails you, sir?” I asked politely.
“I haven’t eaten in days. Each time I try to it comes back up as blood.” He hung his head as his stomach made a violent rumble.
“Lilly do you have any capsules? I would like to attempt something I haven’t done in a long time.” Miranda scrambled around and threw a white bottle at me. “Thank you, this will do nicely.” I opened the bottle and took out two of the tablets and, holding them in my hand, I tightly willed for something to happen. My toe started to burn a little, where the ring was secured, and a faint smell of roses filled the air. I opened my hand and looked at the man.
“What is that there?” he asked. The color of the pills were now a soft yellow.
“These will settle your stomach. If it works you could be up and moving within a matte
r of days.” I wasn’t sure if my magic pills were going to do as instructed but Mona had told me that I had a bit of potions magic in me. If it didn’t work I would know that I had been wrong.
He took them greedily and swallowed without the assistance of water. “I will gladly test the theory,” he said brightly.
“Anything to make you feel better.” I squeezed his hand and stood up. Miranda smiled as if she was triumphant. The woman who doubted me yesterday morning was slowly coming around.
***
“Miss Prudence!” Marshall’s voice rang over the sound of the music coming from the radio. I had managed to enchant it enough to play something for me this afternoon. I turned down the song and looked at the boy as he came running into the tent.
“What is it, Marshall?” I said as I looked up from the notebook I had been working in. This mission had become one for note taking. I knew what the vampires needed and I knew what the sick would need. I needed to make sure I marked down every successful spell that I had tried in order to make sure that we were never without.
“The man in the hospital tent … he … he … he’s better.” Marshall put his hands on his knees and breathed heavy.
“Seriously?” I asked in shock. I was shocked that the experiment had been a success.
“Yes!” Marshall fell over, exhausted.
“Did you run all the way here to tell me this?” I asked as he fought to regain his composure. He nodded at me fervently. “Well isn’t that wonderful.”
Marshall threw up his hand as he reached in his pocket. “The doctor is asking for you to transform the whole bottle. Anything to help the others.”
I looked at him, my mouth agape. “Yes, yes. Hand it here,” I said impatiently. I held the bottle and said the words with my eyes closed as the same smell of roses filled the air. Once complete I checked the pills, each one a soft yellow. They were exactly as the first set had been.
Marshall took the bottle from me and took off in a sprint back toward the hospital tent, leaving me to my notebook. I had a few moments of solitude before I was interrupted again.
“Miss Prudence?” John’s voice graced my ears and I felt annoyed. This boy was incorrigible! Enamored with me as a Warden and even more so as this Priestess. I bit my lip and looked toward the tent opening as he entered. In his hands was a bouquet of wild flowers.
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