Bianca De Lumière : High Suspense Urban Fantasy Romance (The Re'em Prophecy Book 1)

by Lisette Prendé

  Hyssop recovered from his laughter and offered me his hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, Bianca,” he said.

  His hand was cold, but his aura was warm; like a cat asleep in front of the fire. There was a complexity to it too, a tingle. Was he human?

  “Hyssop is a warlock,” said Cendrine, as if she’d read my mind. “He is here to fortify the house.”

  “Fortify?” I asked.

  “I work with the divine to set up energy fields around the home to deflect unwanted attention. I use the gifts of mother nature — herbs, crystals and the like.”

  “Okay,” I said with a shrug. All this hocus pocus was new to me.

  “Tea, Hyssop?” Cendrine called from the kitchen.

  “Cendrine my dear!” he replied. “Tea would be fabulous.”

  “I’ll help you.” Fae got up off the couch and padded into the kitchen.

  I looked to Hyssop, then Sunder. “These fortifications, they’re to keep away those creatures? The Skadhavar?”

  Sunder nodded. “Re’em have but two predators of real concern. But fear not, you have your powers of defense; by the looks of that video you are ready to start developing them. Currently, you may be able to protect yourself from mere hunters, but it will not yet be enough against the Skadhavar.”

  “Hunters?” I snapped.

  “I’ll just go and help with that tea.” Hyssop wandered off into the kitchen.

  Sunder sighed. “Sadly, Re’em horn is considered a cure for all ailments from the common cold to Ebola. Since the earliest time, hunters have killed Re’em for their horns. This hasn’t happened in the human world for hundreds of years, but it still happens in other realms. A gram of Re’em powder can sell for the equivalent of around ten million dollars.”

  A wave of nausea came over me as I imagined being hunted. My mind flicked to Nalulu, my friend from Camp White Fern. She’d been hunted in the same way in Tanzania. What if those hunters had actually been searching for unicorns all along? My gut heaved with sadness and anger as the images I’d seen in Nalulu’s aura flickered through my mind. Fools, I thought. Heartless fools.

  “Now that this school fight has been made public, it puts you in danger of being hunted, but our main concern is keeping you safe from the Skadhavar, the Dark Ones.

  “Dark Ones?”

  Sunder nodded. “Another name for them. You are a unicorn, made of pure goodness, pure white light. There is no darkness to you. The ying to your yang is pure darkness, pure evil. The Skadhavar.”

  “Wait, so you mean they’re evil unicorns?”

  “They bear very little resemblance to unicorns nowadays. The Skadhavar are beasts. Hideous creatures.” Sunder’s fists clenched on his knees as he spoke. “They are a virus!” He swallowed hard, his aura tight and pained. I felt his sadness, hot and heavy.

  I lay my hand on top of his fist and it softened. He turned his palm up and its warmth met mine.

  “He’s been gone for over a hundred years, but still, I feel the anger, the pain, as if they took him from me yesterday.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you,” he said, looking down at my hand upon his. “He was more a father to me than just a teacher. The only father I really remember anyway.”

  I watched his lips as he spoke. They looked soft and perfectly formed.

  “The Skadhavar have taken much, much more from me than just him.”

  I looked down for a moment, wondering if I should remove my hand, willing him not to move his. “Could I become one of them? The Skadhavar?”

  “If you are bitten, yes. I’m afraid no one is safe from them. If the Skadhavar choose to leave a victim bitten and…unconsumed, they will turn. Though death is a better fate.” He placed his other hand on top of mine, turning to look into my eyes. “Now they have reached the human realm we are all in serious danger.”

  Sunder pulled himself up from the couch and began pacing around the room. My hand was still warm from his touch.

  “It is believed, Bianca, that you alone have the power to stop them. So they will do their best to stop you before you reach your true potential. Before you are able to defend yourself and the humans.” He stopped pacing and looked up. “If humans become infected, we are in serious trouble. We have been lucky so far.”

  I sighed, bringing a hand to my forehead. So I was expected to protect the people of Pentacle against these things? This town full of people who had called me names and stared at me? I shook my head. “Why is all this happening in quiet old Pentacle?”

  Sunder smiled. “Despite what many people think, Pentacle is not your average small town in America. The very thing that brings in income from out-of-town sightseers could also destroy it.”

  My brow creased. “You mean the vortex? I thought that was just a scam.”

  Sunder chucked. “What goes on in that crooked old shack may very well be a scam. The truth is the vortex site is a portal, a doorway.”

  “Into your realm?”

  “Yes mine. And many others.”

  “Wow.”

  Sunder smiled.

  I’d studied the Oregon Vortex at school. I’d seen the photos of supposed height differences. I’d flicked through the notes and data of Mr. John Litster; the man who’d discovered the phenomenon back in the early nineteen-hundreds and studied it throughout his whole life. There had always been one thing about the vortex that had given me chills. Near the end of his life, Mr. Litster had destroyed all of his data, claiming simply the world is not ready for this.

  “When Cendrine was alerted to the violent cattle killings,” Sunder went on, “she sent a signal to the realm. That’s when I was summoned to return to this world. Through the vortex, into Pentacle.”

  “Sunder,” I said. “This is insane. How the heck am I expected to defeat the Skadhavar? You showed me what they can do. I’m just a girl!”

  “Just a girl?” he chuckled. “Bianca, once you learn to use your powers properly, you’ll be deadly.”

  I blinked. Deadly? That wasn’t a word I would use to describe myself. “Okay, who’s going to teach me?”

  “I am, of course,” Sunder replied. “The centaurs of my lineage are and have always been teachers. I am the teacher and you, Bianca, are my pupil.”

  My mind whirled over the new information. How had Cendrine heard about the cattle killings at all? The only person who could have told her was…

  The front door opened and slammed. High heels clacked down the hall. They were shoes I knew well, with an aura to match. My mother appeared in the kitchen. I stared at her from my sunken seat on the couch. She looked worn and exhausted.

  “Oh Bee! There you are!” She laid a hand on her chest to steady her heart.

  “Not to worry, Veronica. She’s safe,” Cendrine said.

  “Thank you so much Cendrine,” she said. “For everything.”

  Cendrine wrapped her in a hug.

  “I’ve been so worried about her.”

  She must be talking about the fight, I thought to myself. She must have seen the video too. I felt for her. Being stuck at work, hearing her daughter had been in a fight, then seeing it on YouTube.

  She rushed toward me. “How are you? Let me see your face!”

  I got up off the couch to hug her. “It’s fine, Mom.”

  “It is not fine, Bianca!” she said, then gasped. “Oh my goodness! Look at that! How could that school let this happen to you?”

  Please god, I thought, please don’t let my mother decide to sue the school.

  “Mom, it’s really not that bad.”

  “I could put together a tincture for the swelling,” Hyssop added.

  “That’d be just great, thanks Hyssop,” my mom said, still looking at my cheek. “Then we best get those fortifications up,” she added.

  Hyssop nodded. He called into the kitchen, “Ce
ndrine, do you have any marigolds?”

  “Wait.” I looked to Hyssop, then back to my mom. “You two know each other?”

  My mother’s gaze moved from my cheek to my eyes. Her aura slumped nervously behind her. She turned to Sunder. “How much have you told her?”

  “Enough. For now.”

  She nodded.

  My chest felt tight, my eyes hot. She knows Hyssop and Sunder? The air rushed from my lungs. She had told Cendrine about the cattle killings. My legs felt rigid with rage.

  “You know,” I said, trying to disguise the hurt in my voice. “You know what I am. You know I’m a—”

  “Unicorn,” she finished. “Yes, honey.”

  I took a step back from her. “You’ve known all along!”

  “Bee, I couldn’t tell you. Not until you were ready and not until you needed to know!” Her face folded in pain. “I didn’t even believe it completely myself, Bee!”

  For the last few months, I’d been terrified of my mom finding out about the sleepwalking because I didn’t want to make her worry. And she’d been lying to me my whole life?

  “How could you? I thought it was bad enough you wouldn’t tell me anything about my dad, but this? You couldn’t even tell me that I would turn into a unicorn and run through the forest at night! Then you ask me to stay out of the forest? Do you have any idea how guilty I felt that I couldn’t keep that promise?”

  “Oh, Bee,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “You are a liar!” I shook my head. “I’ve been so scared of making you worry! All I’ve ever done is consider your feelings! Did you ever consider mine? Do you have any idea how hard it has been living like me? Growing up without a father!”

  “Oh Bee.” My mom bit her bottom lip. “Would you honestly have believed me if I’d told you your father was a centaur? And that you would turn into a unicorn one day?”

  Tears trailed down my cheeks. A centaur? My father was a centaur?

  Cendrine and Fae made their way into the living room. I felt Fae’s warm glow trying to tame me. It made me furious.

  “And you!”—I pointed at Fae—“can get away from me with that faerie bullshit!”

  Fae’s aura throbbed with rejection.

  “Bianca.” Sunder stepped forward and placed a hand on my mom’s shoulder. “We just want what’s best for you. We’re all here to protect you.”

  I stared at him, standing there next to my mother, comforting her. A thought dropped into my mind. My father was a centaur. Panic leaped into my throat. “And…who are you exactly?” I spat. “Are you my…?”

  I looked at my mother then to Sunder. Neither spoke. No. Please No. My stomach heaved. The vile, incestuous thoughts stung my mind. He couldn’t be my father. He couldn’t be. I needed to leave. Right away. I pushed past my mom and headed for the front door.

  “Bee! Where are you going?” She called behind me.

  “Bianca,” Sunder called “You can’t leave this house! It is not safe!”

  “I do not need to listen to you!” I yelled, turning back to face them. “ANY OF YOU!”

  My mind pulsed with rage. My vision started to blur. I needed to run. I turned again and headed out the front door. I pushed past Hyssop carrying fistfuls of pungent orange flowers.

  “W-wait!” he called to my back.

  Once I was outside I ran. I ran straight past my car and out onto the footpath. I needed to flee. I needed to clear my head.

  My feet padded against the sidewalk, falling into rhythm. My lungs burned with sweet fury. In and out came the air. In and out. A ball of anger hung tight in my gut. I felt like a fool. How dare they? All this time?

  I turned the corner onto the main road and kept running. I was a unicorn. A creature. Not a human. My best friend was a faerie and my father was a… Could he really be my father? The nauseous feeling returned. Pushing the thought away, I ran harder.

  I ran past my school and crossed the road. Where was I going? I didn’t know. A car drove by and its occupants yelled something out of the open window. The ball of rage bubbled in my stomach, moving up to my chest, my throat. My eyes were hot with tears. I dug my fingernails into my curled palms and ran harder.

  My eyes flickered and my vision blurred, bleaching white for just a moment. Just like it had with Sheena. Fear caught in my throat as I thought of the people nearby, walking the street, driving past. As mad as I was, I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I needed to get out of here. Off this street. Away from people. Away from humans.

  I darted left down Sycamore Lane. My chest heaved with gulps of air as I pushed forward. My arms pumping, my hair whipping around me. At the end of the lane, I flew down a long driveway towards the forest. I ducked under a washing line pegged with sheets and leaped into the trees.

  In the forest I felt calmer; safe in its shelter. I dodged branches and fought my way through the scrub. I just needed to keep moving. I needed to be free. Free from all of it. The air rushed from my nostrils as I pounded the earth with my feet. The forest floor began to slope gently uphill. I leaned forward and pushed on.

  Fragments from the day filled my mind: Sheena’s face in front of mine, the sour smell of cigarette smoke on her breath, Amy’s gap-toothed smile, Hyssop’s furry face peeking out beneath his alpaca wool hat, Cendrine’s warm hug, and Sunder, standing next to my mother resting a hand on her shoulder.

  The ball of rage returned to my stomach, this time white-hot. I felt so betrayed. So foolish. Like the punchline to a joke that everyone got but me. I kicked my legs harder and fought forward into the trees, reveling in the movement. If I didn’t keep running I didn’t know what would happen. I felt like if I dared to stop, even for a moment I would explode with anger.

  My teeth clenched in my jaw, piercing the flesh inside my cheek. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth. Everything around me blanched; the trees became negatives of themselves, their veiny leaves as pale as my skin.

  An electric current tingled down my spine, filling my ears with a hum. My skin prickled into goosebumps. I opened my mouth and released an angry scream, but instead, it came out in a wild whinny.

  My clothes felt tight against my body. The seams of my t-shirt pushed against my skin, the waistband of my jeans dug into my hips. My body itched with sweat and heat as my aura bloomed around me, white-hot and gauzy.

  I ran up the bank, leaning forward so much that soon my hands were on the floor. My spine stretched long. My face, downwards. It felt right. More balanced. But I couldn’t move my fingers. As I looked down to see why, my clothes gave way and flew off behind me with a loud rip. My hands were gone. Strong hooves in their place, pounding the earth. Running became easier. Rhythmic and natural. The air dashed around my body as I ran, cool and caressing against my skin.

  As I reached the top of the hill, I sprang from the tree line into a clearing, speeding across the sea of green grass and wildflowers. I galloped towards a small stream that snaked through the center of the clearing, and then stopped to take a drink.

  When I looked down into the still water, it was not my face I saw, but the long slender face of a horse, as white as snow, with a grooved, luminous horn atop its head. Shocked, bright-green eyes looked into mine.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The lake water trembled in the wind, sending ripples through my reflection. I was a unicorn. My horn shone in the sunlight. At the tip, it glowed bright white.

  I bowed my head and lapped up the cool water. It soothed the burn in the back of my throat and traveled down into my stomach, cooling my insides.

  Stretching my legs, I felt my strong body flex. I bucked my head and my long mane tickled my back. It felt odd but familiar.

  I looked around. The wide clearing was flanked with trees. Large oaks and pines. I heard them; the slow creak of their growing branches. I felt them; alive, buzzing with energy.

 
The aroma of wildflowers floated around me, tiny beads of light intermingling with each other. Even the grass beneath me felt charged with electricity.

  I took off again, falling into a run across the clearing. It felt so natural, so cathartic. I pushed harder, building as much speed as I could. I felt free. I felt alive.

  I threw my aura out, caressing the wilderness with my touch, receiving gentle strokes of acknowledgment back. Tears of joy filled my eyes.

  I didn’t sense the darkness coming. It came out of nowhere. A cold spot. A dark blade of steel slicing through the warm white light of my aura like a knife through tissue paper.

  The cold choked my throat. What was this? I scanned the trees and pushed my aura out. Then I heard it: A shrill wailing. Like a flute caught on the wind. Eerie and terrifying. The hair on my back stood up. Fear flooded my body. The Skadhavar.

  I bolted for the trees, scanning ahead for the dark, snarling aura of the Skadhavar. I needed to get home. Away from here. Why had I been so foolish? I’d been warned about the Skadhavar and the hunters but still, I came here.

  I ran towards the tree line, my eyes darting cautiously around me for any signs of the Skadhavar. Where were they? I pushed out my aura, its white light mingling with the trees. Further and further it went until it snapped back to me with a jolt. Cold. Dead. Their auras were a cold spot against mine. A blank space where nothing lived. A void of chilly nothingness in the veil of energy around me.

  A wave of nausea came over me. I fought it and ran on. Just as I reached the tree line I heard it again. An icy whistle on the wind. A siren call. A guttural screech came from my left. I darted right and crashed through the trees, heading downhill. A second screech erupted from my right. Oh my god. How many are there?

  My heart thumped in my chest. I threw my aura out behind me, it immediately snapped back with an icy sting. They were just on my tail.

  Pushing harder and harder, I summoned all my adrenaline. I cast a quick glance behind me and immediately wished I hadn’t. Two enormous dark beasts were right behind me. I leaped from the trees into another small clearing and thundered across diagonally, heading for home. Somewhere deep in my subconscious, I knew the way.