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

by Lisette Prendé

  “Either that or you were too busy getting air.”

  I rolled my eyes. “We need to secure the auditorium. Has Hyssop—”

  “Yes. As I said, while you were outside we’ve all been working very hard.”

  I pressed my lips together in frustration.

  “Hyssop has fortified the area. The Skadhavar should not be able to penetrate.”

  “I need to go and check outside. Someone is in trouble. Near the parking lot.”

  “I’ll come with you,” he replied quickly.

  I decided not to argue.

  He thrust a backpack at me. “Running shoes. I figured you’d need them.”

  “Thank god! I can hardly walk in these heels, let alone run.” I slid off my shoes and slipped on the trainers. They felt soft and comforting on my sore, swollen feet.

  Sunder leaned in towards me. I could smell the musk of him, the starch of his suit. The difference between man and boy. “And apparently,” he said, tugging at the straps of my dress, “this adjusts.”

  As he pulled the straps, the dress hugged my legs, wrapping itself around my calves and thighs. I looked down. What had been a dress had become a skin-tight, silver jumpsuit.

  “Whoa, it’s like...”

  “Magic. I know.” He’d taken off his coat and tie and slipped a quiver of arrows over his shoulder. He handed me a small silver dagger. “Here. You might need this for extra protection.”

  I took the dagger from him and slipped it into a handy pocket in my jumpsuit.

  “Come on,” he said as he ran out the door.

  As we rounded the corner of the auditorium, the cold, empty sensation grew stronger. It was a blank space in the veil. A dead spot lurking between the particles that make up our world. And something else: a flickering aura, a light almost out.

  “They’ve turned someone,” I yelled, but Sunder did not reply.

  The parking lot was quiet and dark when we reached it. The cars were all lined up next to each other. Everything looked in order. But it wasn’t. I could feel it.

  “Where are they?” Sunder panted.

  I peered into the darkness behind the auditorium; the space where the light from the streetlamps didn’t quite reach. I focused my eyes on the dark strip. Then I saw her.

  Sitting in the darkness was a girl, her eyes wide. She turned to look at me. As she did, something on her head caught the light and sparkled. Two pointed cat ears. Janet.

  I ran towards her.

  “Bianca, careful!” Sunder called behind me.

  I knelt down. “Janet, are you okay?”

  She turned her head towards me, exposing a large wound on her neck. From it, oozed dark shiny blood. “All safe,” she said. “All safe.”

  Then I remembered: Prom queen. She’d gone to check that no one was planning a prank on me. But what was she doing out here? My eyes darted toward the building and up a staircase. Of course. The stage door. The lighting rigs.

  “All safe,” she mumbled again. But my eyes were fixed on something. At the top of the stairs, the stage door hung wide open.

  “Sunder!” I screamed. He whipped his head around to look at me, an arrow cocked on his bow, ready to aim. “Look!” I yelled, pointing towards the stage door.

  Sunder’s gaze followed my finger. “Hyssop said he fortified the whole building,” he replied. “Even if a door is open, the Skadhavar cannot penetrate.”

  “Okay. But where is the Skadhavar that attacked her? What if it went in there? We need to check!”

  “You’re right. You go inside and check if there’s been a breach in the fortifications. I’ll stay here and finish this.”

  By this he meant Janet. Now she’d been bitten it was only a matter of time before she was turned. Guilt burned in my gut. She was out here because of me. This was my fault.

  “There has to be something we can do!”

  Sunder shook his head. “There isn’t.”

  “But all the magic you have access to. You’re telling me none of that can stop this?”

  “Bianca, I know this is hard. But it must be done. Go. Now.” He walked toward Janet, taking his stunted spear from his quiver. He gave it a deft flick and it extended in front of him.

  “No,” I said, moving toward him. “I’ll do it.”

  “You’re sure?” Sunder asked, his eyes serious.

  “Yes,” I said, taking the spear from him. This was my cross to bear. I had to be the one who did it.

  “Straight through the heart,” Sunder said. “It’s the quickest. Most painless.”

  I doubted that but I nodded anyway.

  He loped up the stairs to the stage door then disappeared inside.

  At my feet, Janet was still sitting there in the dark, holding the seeping wound on her neck. “All safe,” she muttered again. She looked small. Almost childlike. Her feet were tucked under her, black Mary-Janes peeking out from beneath her thighs. “All safe.”

  I steeled myself, focusing on the rhythms of the veil around me. Janet’s fuchsia pink aura was fading, invaded by a dark nothingness.

  “I’m so sorry Janet.” I lifted the spear and pointed it towards her chest.

  Janet turned, her eyes black and frantic, staring straight at me. “Bianca,” she whispered.

  “I’m sorry,” I said again. “You were bitten. I have to.” Tears prickled my eyes.

  “Bianca,” Janet said again, this time her eyes focused on me. “Bianca. Not safe. Trap.”

  I squinted down at her in the darkness. “What did you say?”

  A loud guttural scream erupted from behind me. I spun around as the first Skadhavar jumped from behind an SUV. It landed, claws clattering against the concrete, its tongue clicking in the back of its throat. Another Skadhavar appeared next to it, and then two more. I was surrounded. They came closer and closer, clicking and chuckling.

  “Trap,” Janet spluttered. “Trap.”

  They’d planned this. They knew I’d come, knew we’d notice the door and someone would leave to check.

  “Trap,” Janet said again.

  The Skadhavar roared and screamed as she spoke. Her words angered them.

  Slowly, they approached me.

  “Back!” I screamed. I took a breath and steadied my mind. I focused on the Skadhavar right in front of me. I couldn’t let myself become overwhelmed like I had at Sheena’s farm. Focus on one, I told myself.

  I flung my aura out towards the first Skadhavar. Its dark distorted face filled my vision as I dug deeper into the creature’s hollow aura. Deeper than I’d managed to penetrate before.

  Beyond the void, behind the nothingness, lurked something. It was tiny. Miniscule. The smallest light in a cavern of black water. I dove under and kicked my way towards it, watching it grow larger as I approached. Soon I could see what it was: A large clam, pale pink and shiny. I placed a hand on either side of the clam and prized it open.

  Sitting there, huddled inside was a young girl. Her arms were wrapped around a tail where her legs would have been.

  “Mermaid,” I whispered.

  She nodded. “Ceire.”

  “Bianca,” I replied.

  She reached out and took my hand. As she did an image floated into my mind: Ceire, sitting on the rocks near the edge of the river.

  “Don’t swim up the rivers,” her father had said. “One of them branches into Lerna, the river of the dead.”

  But Ceire didn’t listen. She swam up the river one day to peek at the elves as they polished their swords. Swimming home, she got lost and found herself in a dark place. A cold patch of the river where no fish swam. She sat on a rock in the sun to rest before she tried to find her way again. She heard a whistle on the wind, a strained cry. Its teeth were at her neck before she even saw the beast. Then darkness set in and she’d been locked in here ever since.

&
nbsp; She released my hand.

  “You can come out now,” I said.

  The aura began to quiver and flicker. Ceire looked at me cautiously.

  “It’s okay,” I said. The dark water around us bubbled wildly, shining lighter and lighter until it burned with bright light. I felt myself floating, up, up, then out of the creature’s aura.

  My eyes refocused, searching out the Skadhavar. But it was no longer in front of me. It writhed on the ground, screaming, along with the other three of its kind. They twitched and bucked, releasing pained wails.

  I moved toward the first Skadhavar, lifting the spear into the air. “Go peacefully into the light, Ceire.” I brought the spear down into its chest. The creature heaved and then deflated, its body collapsing with the final exhale. From the slimy remains emerged a figure; a small girl with the tail of a fish.

  “Thank you,” she said, before she collapsed, her eyes closing, her body turning to ash.

  One by one I freed the others, sending their souls to the light. Then it was Janet’s turn.

  “Trap,” she muttered, her face pale, her mouth leaking black slime. It wouldn’t be long now. But a glimmer of hope still shone inside me. I’d found Ceire’s aura; it had been buried deep inside but I’d found it. Could it mean there was a chance of freeing these poor souls?

  “Bianca!” Sunder called from the top of the stairs. He stopped and looked down at me amongst the piles of ash.

  “It was an ambush,” I replied. “Four of them. After you left.”

  He slammed his fist down on the metal railing. “I should have known. Are you okay?”

  “Yes. I just need to free Janet.”

  “Trap,” Janet said again.

  There was a loud thump behind me followed by a clicking chuckle.

  “Bianca!” Sunder called down to me, “behind you!”

  I turned. A Skadhavar stood tall in front of me.

  “Well done, Re’em. You have freed a few miserable souls, but there are plenty more where they came from.”

  I stared into the creature’s dead eyes. “Tell your Master I’ll kill you all!”

  The beast chuckled loudly. “She is near, Re’em. She is coming for you. She’ll drink you dry and turn them all.”

  “Let her come.” My hands formed fists. “I’ll have her head on a stick by morning. Skadhavar are weak, ugly creatures, and your Master is no better!”

  The creature reared up onto its hind legs and roared furiously. A cacophony of shrill screams replied from the forest. The large Skadhavar responded in a series of loud clicks; communicating with its herd.

  I took my chance and ran. I slipped past Janet and bounded up the stairs.

  “Trap!” Janet hissed again. “Bianca. Trap.”

  The Skadhavar approached her, releasing a scream into her face. “Traitor!”

  “Run, Bianca, run!” Janet screeched, her voice no longer her own.

  As I reached the top of the stairs, Sunder took my arm, pulling me into the auditorium.

  There was a sticky snap, a short scream, and Janet’s pink aura went out. But the hollow spot around it went out too. The crunch of bones between teeth echoed in my ears.

  Sunder slammed the door behind us and hugged me tightly.

  “Oh my god!” Tears filled my eyes. “It ate her, Sunder!” I sobbed on his shoulder. “It ate her!”

  He stroked my hair, his strong body enveloping me.

  “She was one of them!”

  He placed a hand on my face. “The Skadhavar are savage creatures, cannibalistic by nature. All that keeps them from feasting on each other is the edict of the Master.”

  I shuddered. “That’s disgusting.”

  “I should have known that was a trap. As soon as I found Hyssop and he reassured me he had fortified every inch of the perimeter, I realized and got back as fast as I could.”

  I wiped my eyes. “I managed to free four of them.”

  “Four?” Sunder asked, his brows raised.

  “Yes. It’s getting easier.”

  He smiled. “You’re remarkable, Bianca. What you have just done would take a mystic from my realm a lifetime. It has taken you only a week. If anyone can defeat the Master, it is you.”

  He stroked my face in the dim backstage light. I looked into his ice-blue eyes. So pure and wise. So full of the other realm and things I could never imagine. I could feel myself in them, filling his mind.

  “Bianca,” he whispered, his eyes full of longing. “You and I, we’re…we’re—”

  “Here you two are!” Hyssop’s voice cut through the darkness. “Been looking all over for you,” he panted.

  I broke away from Sunder’s embrace. I didn’t know what he’d been about to say and I wasn’t sure if I cared. As far as I was concerned, I was there with Caleb.

  “Hi, Hyssop!” I replied. “What’s up?” I wondered if he’d been comforting my mom, whether he thought I was awful for what I’d said to her and if, secretly, he hated me a little now.

  He looked from me to Sunder, eyeing us suspiciously. I felt his pretend-dad eyes judging me.

  “Well, it’s about the fortifications.”

  “Yes?” Sunder replied.

  “They will definitely keep out the Skadhavar. But I am unsure whether it will keep out Pre-Skads, or those who have just been bitten.” Hyssop swallowed nervously. “Magic is a very specific art. I used salt, white sage, charcoal, runes, all to keep out those without aura or those intent on causing ill will to a human. No Skadhavar can even touch a door or walk over the threshold.”

  Sunder nodded. “But there is a possibility that a Pre-Skad could?”

  He rubbed his beard in thought. “Perhaps. Yes.”

  My stomach grew tense. As far as we knew, only Janet had gone outside tonight. Janet who had left the door open. It was unlikely that Janet had turned anyone before she was killed; she’d been in a trance-like state, not yet an aggressive, venomous Pre-Skad. But had she been alone? My chest burned at the thought of it. “What if she wasn’t alone?”

  Hyssop and Sunder turned to look at me.

  “Janet. What if she came out here with someone? Like her date?”

  “How can we find out?” Sunder snapped, his face steely. “Who would know who she came with?”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “Mr. Swigg!”

  He jumped in his chair, spilling his glass of punch. He looked up at me, pupils dilated, his aura bumbling around him. “Miss Taylor, is it really necessary to yell?” He threw me a sleepy scowl and wiped at his shirt, the animated fashion photographer Fae had brought out in him long gone.

  “Sorry. I just wanted to ask you. Do you know Janet…” I trailed off. I had no idea what her last name was.

  “Miles?” Mr. Swigg said. “Senior?”

  “Yes. The theatre and film girl.”

  “Of course I know Janet.” He smiled. “Just between you and me, she’s my favorite student. Won the photography award last year. Set for a scholarship to Brown.”

  Her name was Janet Miles. Guilt hung in my gut as I thought of the life she would not get to live; the scholarship to Brown that would be awarded to someone else. I swallowed. “Did she get a picture tonight?”

  “Yes. I believe she did.”

  “With her date?”

  He looked upward, thinking. “Well, I’m not sure if they were actually together, together—she kept joking that she was his beard?” He furrowed his brow. “What does that even mean? You kids with your hashtags and hip lingo.”

  Beard? Did Janet have a gay best friend? An image danced through my mind: Janet, walking down the hall between classes. I could see them. A girl and a boy. He was thin and blond. I’d seen him in the school plays. Freshman year they’d put on a Midsummer Night’s Dream; he’d played Puck, the pixie. But I couldn’t remember his f
ace.

  “Jaime is his name,” Mr. Swigg went on. “Jaime Ryan. He’s one of the most talented actors I’ve ever encountered. He’s been with the Ashland Shakespeare Festival since he was this tall,” he held a hand low to the ground. “He’s been accepted to Juilliard did you know? Broadway-bound, that boy.”

  “Do you have a picture?”

  He sighed. “Really? I thought I was done for the night. Free to sit here and drink the punch. It’s quite good you know.” He held a hand up to his mouth. “Between you and me, I think it’s been spiked.” He released a dramatic groan. “Okay then,” he said, getting to his feet. “Where did I put my laptop?”

  He wobbled over to the backdrop and rummaged through a bag of gear. “Here we go. Now, Janet was up first, I remember that because I had her help me set the levels.” He tapped away on the space bar, flicking through shots. “Ah yes, and then Jaime jumped in.”

  I swiveled the laptop around so I could see. He was dressed in a tight, powder-blue suit with a pink striped tie. His blond hair was slicked back off his face in an old-timey style. Janet stood next to him, laughing. My heart ached.

  Jaime Ryan. He was Janet’s date. Was he with her when she went outside? Could he have been bitten too? I needed to find him. Now.

  I threw my aura out, combing through each individual pocket of colorful energy. Where was he?

  “Bianca!” Caleb came to my side. A mixture of concern and confusion thumped through his aura. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Where have you been? Hey, did you change your outfit?”

  I looked down at my silver jumpsuit and sneakers, then back up to Caleb’s querying face. I liked him. I really liked him. But if I didn’t start explaining things, I’d lose him. I doubted he and the rest of the school would get through the night without seeing something odd and unexplainable. It only made sense to tell him some of it. Give him a heads up.

  “Caleb, I need to tell you something.”

  “Is this anything to do with that guy? Sunder?”

  “Kind of.”

  He sighed. “I knew it. I could tell there was something between you two.”

  Even Caleb could feel the tension between us. “No. That’s not it.” I shook my head. “There are things going on that I can’t really explain to you. It’s complicated.”