The Rising Fire (The Witch in the Woman Book One)

by Stacey Criswell

  Chapter 8:

  He just doesn't understand people. He gave the boy a chance to live, and take the girl with him but instead he decided to die. What is it about this girl that made him want to die for her? Everyone thinks Skylark is harsh, because others won't take the chances he gives them. He shakes his head. A small man comes in with a tray; on it is grilled chicken, a glass of wine, and corn. Mmm, his favorite. "What's your name, boy?"

  The boy will not meet his eyes, they've learned not to over the past years. "Shane, King Skylark."

  He never gets tired of being called that. "Shane, is this your first day?" Skylark asks.

  "Yes, sir." Shane answers.

  "Why did you start off with this type of job here?" Skylark asks.

  The boy hesitates, "Because the last two boys who had this job?died."

  Skylark smiles, "Oh, yes. I had forgotten about that. You are dismissed." The boy scurries off like a frightened rabbit. Skylark laughs.

  His men have been back from giving Miss Ren?e her present for two hours now. It's storming hard outside. "Where is she?" He says. He takes a bite of the chicken. "Bruce!" The big guard comes around the corner. He's Skylark's best warrior. The only scar he ever got was across his face. Skylark personally thought it made him look fierce.

  He gets down on one knee, "Yes, sir?"

  "Has our guest of honor showed up yet?" Skylark asks.

  "No, sir." Bruce answers.

  Skylark takes a deep breath, "Hmm. Thank you." He stands up and goes to the window. "I thought for sure having that girl would rush her along."

  Bruce steps up beside him, "Sir, your lady wishes to see you." He says.

  "Let her in." Skylark replies. She has gotten changed out of her costume for the boy, and looks beautiful. She has on a long black dress that slides across the floor with her every step, and makes her look like a dark queen. That's what he loves about her.

  "Hello, my darling." Skylark says.

  "Hello. Has she showed up yet?" She asks. He shakes his head. "Don't worry. She'll be here. She thinks I'm her best friend." She assures.

  Skylark smiles, "My beautiful, Chelsea. You truly are a lot of help. You know that?"

  She smiles, "Yes. I know." He puts his arm around her waist, and they stand there looking out the window in the direction of Ren?e's house. She touches his cheek, "She'll be here, and you'll kill at least one of the siblings of Katrina then the others power won't be able to touch you. You'll be the most powerful person in the world."

  He kisses her, "I know. I'm just impatient."

  Chelsea smiles, "I'm going back to my room. Call me when she gets here. I want to see the look on her face when you tell her." She kisses him, and walks toward the door.

  "Be good." He says.

  She laughs, "Always."

  He walks out the side door to the hallway, and slowly to a store room in the back of the mansion. Only he is allowed back here anyone else is executed, because this one little room holds so many secrets. He takes his key out and unlocks it, then walks inside and locks it on the other side. Once he flips the switch on, he can see everything in the room. All the people that have defied him, and he used their own mind against them. If they did something he didn't like he could control their minds to make them do whatever he wanted. He tried many different things, these are the ones he just chose to make freeze.

  There is only one person who can reverse the trick he had done to them, and that was Skylark. Only one person knows this, Aldric. And, he's back now to recruit Ren?e. He saw him at the trial, that's what really made up Skylark's mind. Skylark is sure there will be an uprising soon. There are many vampires who would love to fight him, but most humans are too afraid. Aldric more than likely has Allison, and came to Hagar to get Ren?e. If they end up together, it could mean death for Skylark. If Katrina was still alive they could kill him easily. Her strongest power was a force field. This means he couldn't control her, so he had to gain her trust. It may have taken two years, but it was worth it.

  His only other problem would be Aldric and his people, vampires are very strong, and fast. And, their power combined with the two sister's power?it worries him. Maybe somehow he needs to get away before all this happens. What is he thinking? The girl is coming to him today. He must keep that in mind, she will bow down to him. He will not bow to anyone not Aldric, not the girls. They bow to him.

  Feeling a lot better about himself, he opens the door to the store room and locks it back once he is outside. He decides to go back to the throne room and wait for the girl.

  Sitting down on his throne, he stares at the door waiting for the moment she steps through them. Knowing it will be one of the most important moments of his life, when he decides what do with her. He just hopes she hasn't come in contact with Aldric yet, but he knows that is false hope. He would have gotten in touch with her the moment he stepped foot in this land, and he had been here for two days.

  He sits there for two hours more staring at the door, but she doesn't show up at all. He stands up, and punches the back of his throne, "Where is she!?" He yells.

  Bruce comes into the room, "Sir, is everything alright?" He asks.

  Skylark is furious. "Alright?! No, it's not alright! I've been waiting for four hours for this girl! Are you sure the boy is dead!?"

  Bruce nods, "Yes sir."

  "Then where is she? If she cares about Chelsea as much as Chelsea says she does?" Skylark pauses, maybe that's what was wrong.

  "I don't know, sir. You gave her forty eight hours, it's been four. She may just be taking what time she has."

  Skylark sits back down, "You're probably right. I need some sleep. Wake me if she comes." He walks down to Chelsea's room, and knocks on the door. She opens it slowly.

  When she sees it is him she opens it wide to let him in, "And, to what do I owe the honor of your visit?" She asks.

  He falls back on her unmade bed, "She's still not here." He rubs his head trying to stay calm.

  She smiles, "I know. Stay calm, this just a test of your patience."

  He looks up at her, "The good part about being a King is you get to choose what test you pass or fail."

  Chelsea shakes her head, "You know that's not true."

  He sighs, "I know, but I can dream can't I?"

  She nods and goes to the window, "You can, but dreaming is just our way of escaping our responsibilities of everyday life."

  He really isn't in the mood to be lectured at the moment. So, instead he asked a question that he figured needed to be asked soon, "I need you to answer me honestly about something. Can you do that?"

  She looks suspiciously at him, "Of course."

  He nods, "If you really are on my side, and Ren?e is really as good friends with you as you would have me believe, then why is she not here?"

  She looks out the window at the town, "I don't know maybe she's just using the time you gave her. I would have." She says, but he hears in her voice she is just as skeptical about her not being here yet.

  He sits up and looks across the room at her. "Okay, tell me something else then. Why should I trust anything you tell me?" She looks at him and a look of fear passes over her eyes, but she quickly conceals it. He decides to explain it to her, "If you would so quickly betray someone you claim to be friends with your whole life, who's to say you won't or aren't doing the same thing to me, and when it matters most?"

  She hesitates a moment, "I just won't."

  Skylark looks down, and shakes his head. "You know that's not good enough."

  "Why are you asking me this now?" She asks.

  "I've thought about it. I was so quick to trust you, because you threw yourself at my feet and pledged yourself to me. But, in a way, you did the same to your friends when you claimed to have their back, and to be a friend to them. I believe you are now doing the same to me. At a time where everything I've ever worked for is on the shoulders of this one girl, I can't be surrounded by people I can't trust. You know that."

  He stands
and walks to the door, but hesitates for a moment then opens the door and locks it once he is out. Chelsea starts banging on it, "Hey! You can't leave me in here! You need me!"

  He starts down the hall, "Bruce!"

  The man runs up to him, "Yes, sir?"

  Skylark sighs, "Find two men and post them at Chelsea's door, and two outside the window to her room."

  Bruce nods, "Anything else, sir?"

  Skylark shakes his head, "I'm assuming there's no sign of her." Bruce shakes his head. "Okay, thank you."

  Skylark opens the door to his room. All of the clothes he has to wear to protect his image are really bugging him, so he takes of the heavy armor, the cape, and the thick shirt, and falls back on the bed. How could he have been so stupid to automatically trust her? It didn't make sense.

  Maybe it was her looks, she is beautiful. He shakes his head. The light of the sunset is burning into his room. He stands and walks to the window. The sunset is really one of the few pure things left in this world. He isn't one. He ruined that he had the day he killed Katrina, but he liked not being pure. He would do it all over again if he had to. He lies down and drifts off into a rough sleep.