by Morgan Rice
The three of them walked so far just to get down one corridor, that her feet already hurt—and there was stil no end in sight.
Pol y had not stopped talking the entire time. Caitlin had never seen her so excited. She went on and on, hardly taking a breath, as she fil ed Caitlin in on everything about the palace, the grounds, Aiden, their training, the Royals, the local gossip, Marie Antoinette—and most of al , her new crush.
She would not mention his name. Al she’d say that he was a singer. A vocalist.
“You have to meet him,” Pol y said, grabbing Caitlin’s wrist in enthusiasm, “oh my God, he’s so amazing. I mean, he can be a little brusque at first, but he doesn’t real y mean it.
It’s just like how he warms up for his art, you know what I mean? I can’t stop thinking about him. I’m real y fal ing for this guy!”
Caitlin examined Pol y’s face, and couldn’t believe it. She had never seen Pol y so in love. She was happy for her.
She was a little worried by the way she described this guy, though. A bit brusque?
No one should be brusque to Pol y, Caitlin thought. She felt the need to check out this guy for herself, to see if he was truly the right one for Pol y. Especial y since Pol y seemed to be so in love.
“I’m so happy for you,” Caitlin said. “Just be careful. Take it slow. Make sure he treats you wel .
You deserve that.”
“Of course he treats me wel , why wouldn’t he?” Pol y shot back, sounding defensive.
Caitlin was shocked. Pol y had never snapped at her before, in al the time she had known her.
Caitlin sensed that she had changed—that this guy, this singer, was having some sort of weird influence over her. It made her worry even more.
“I’m just saying,” Caitlin said softly, trying to backtrack, “you deserve the best.”
Pol y seemed to soften at that. She looked down and checked her watch. “Oh my god!” she exclaimed, suddenly wide-eyed. “I’m almost late. He’s giving a performance at the far end of the palace. I have to go!”
And with that, Pol y suddenly took off down a corridor.
Caitlin stopped, watching her go, completely baffled. She had never seen Pol y like this. She couldn’t believe that she would just take off like that, so soon after barely seeing her.
It seemed like she was total y under the control of this guy.
Caitlin had a sinking feeling about it.
“Was she always like this?” Caitlin asked Lily.
Lily shook her head. “No. It’s only since she met him. He’s a real jerk, too, if you ask me. Ful of himself.”
Caitlin sensed that Lily was right. That Pol y was under the spel of a guy who was wrong for her. She remembered al the times she’d had to watch her girlfriends date guys who were jerks, and their friends were too clouded to see it. It was painful for her to have to watch them go through that, especial y when there was nothing she could do about it.
Whenever she tried to help them, give them advice, they didn’t want to listen, and inevitably, it just seemed to backfire on their friendship.
“That’s not the Pol y I know,” Caitlin said.
“Me either,” Lily said.
Caitlin sighed as Lily took her arm, and the two of them continued walking down the corridor, Ruth fol owing.
Caitlin missed Pol y, but at the same time, it felt good to have a chance to walk with Lily in the calm and silence.
Pol y could sometimes be a bit overwhelming.
Around Lily, though, Caitlin fel total y peaceful.
“So you and Pol y have known each other a long time?” Lily asked.
“Centuries,” Caitlin said, but immediately after she said it, she realized it must have sounded weird to a human. She wondered if Lily would think she was crazy.
But Lily nodded, seeming to take it al in stride.
“Don’t worry,” Lily said, “I know al about your kind,” she said. “I’ve been living with you guys al my life here. Nothing surprises me.”
“So you’ve lived here your whole life?” Caitlin asked.
Lily nodded. “I’m a member of the royal family. Marie is my second cousin. Adopted, if you’re wondering. These people certainly didn’t give birth to an African child like me,”
Lily said, and burst into laughter. She had a warm, infectious laugh. “My birth parents are from Kenya. But they died when I was an infant, and I was adopted by one of the Royals while they were on their African vacation. And here I am. A member of the royal family. Isn’t that ironic?”
“No, I don’t think it’s ironic at al ,” Caitlin said, seriously. “In fact, you seem to be the only one here with real class.”
Caitlin could see Lily’s expression change. Her face seemed to fold into appreciation, and at that moment, Caitlin could tel that she had just made a friend for life.
“That’s the nicest thing anyone here’s ever said to me,” she said. “Al the others do here is backbite and gossip about each other. You’re different.”
They walked out the rear palace door, down a set of marble steps, and through the formal gardens.
“You better pick up your pace, girlfriend,” Lily said. “We’ve got miles to go to show you this place.”
They walked for what seemed like forever, through garden after garden, as Lily pointed out al the different buildings.
They walked around a large pond, and Lily pointed out where Marie’s private residence was.
“At least she’s fun,” Lily said. “Lots of parties. It’s never dul around her. It’s the people who surround her that are the problem. Of course, Marie’s one of yours, though. That’s the big thing around here: who’s vampire and who’s human.
Al the humans here want to be vampires. But the vampires wil never turn them. So we live in a sort of harmony together. The vampires watch our backs, protect this place from attack, and we give them a place to live. We guard the palace by day, and they by night. So far, it’s working out.
But there’ve been a few close encounters over the years.”
“What do you mean?” Caitlin asked.
“I mean, a human fal ing for a vampire, or vice versa.
People almost getting turned. That’s a big no-no for Aiden.
If that happens, they’re out. It’s always a source of tension around here. We can be friends, but we can’t cross that line. Which is fine with me. Al the guys I like are human anyway. But that’s not true of al of my human girlfriends.
Some of them set their eyes on a vampire, and just won’t let it go, if you know what I mean.”
Caitlin thought about that, and remembered back to when she was human, and she knew how they felt.
“Anyway, al your kind do is train al the time anyway. They spend the whole day on the training ground. Every day it seems like they’ve got a new weapon to try out, or some new skil . It’s fun to watch. Us royals gather around, and watch you guys square off. It’s probably the greatest entertainment around here.”
They walked down a set of grass steps, across another formal courtyard, and approached a low, marble building, set back from the rest of the palace.
“That’s where you guys live,” Lily said. “I trust you’ve seen worse accommodations?”
Caitlin was in awe. It looked like a miniature palace. She couldn’t believe she’d be staying here.
In the fields al around her, she saw dozens of vampires training, sparring with bamboo swords, their click-clack heard from yards away.
She suddenly had a pang of worry, as she wondered if Blake were among them. She was going to ask Lily, but was afraid to hear the answer. That was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now. As it was, her heart was stil hurting over Caleb, wondering if she’d made the right decision to leave.
Lily stopped before the door, and faced Caitlin. “Wel , this is far as I go,” Lily said.
Caitlin stepped up and gave her a hug. “Thank you,” Caitlin said. “For everything.”
Lily hugged her back.<
br />
“I’l see you soon,” Lily said. “After al , humans and vampires always feast together. I’l save you a seat next to mine.”
“I’d like that,” Caitlin said.
*
Caitlin surveyed her room, taken aback by its opulence.
Other rooms she’d stayed in, like the one in Pol epel, had been beautiful but simple—medieval and stone, almost monastic. This room was the opposite. It was huge, grand, ornate, decorated with a rug and drapes and a chandelier and mirrors and a vanity, and a huge four-poster bed.
Everything about this room was oversized, overdone, piling opulence on top of opulence.
Caitlin didn’t necessarily mind. After being on the run for so long, after sleeping in one place after the next, she appreciated being in such a quiet, comfortable place. She certainly could get used to living in a palace. It just felt so foreign to her, as if this were al a dream. She tiptoed through the room as if she were in a museum, afraid to touch the shining oak of the bedframe, or the perfectly smoothed silk linens on top of it.
Ruth, on the other hand, had no qualms. She happily wagged her tail as she ran about the room, smel ing everything.
Caitlin made her way over to the huge dresser in the corner. It had a shining, white marble top, with golden drawers. On top of it, there had been laid out already several sets of clothing options for her. She could not believe it. Each outfit was more beautiful and extravagant than the next. There was a long, formal gown, in a black silk; there was the Versail es version of casual clothing, which was just a slightly shorter gown, but which stil looked formal to Caitlin, in a light blue, with yel ow buttons.
Then there were al sorts of hats. And beside these, there was what looked like a training outfit.
It was made of a material she had never seen, like a thin leather, al -black. It looked like a skintight battle uniform, padded, with long pants and a tee shirt. Caitlin recognized.
It was the sparring gear of Aiden’s coven. It was lightweight and durable, and al owed her to fight, and at the same time, it managed to look elegant, with its shiny black coat and high col ars.
Caitlin immediately pul ed off al of her dirty clothes and was about to change, when she spotted a luxurious bathtub in the corner of the room. It was already fil ed with water, and she could see by the steam rising off of it that it had been heated for her. There were bubbles in it, and it was surrounded by al sorts of soaps.
Caitlin closed the drapes of her sun-soaked room, went over to her tub, and stepped slowly inside it, naked. She felt the luxurious feeling of the steaming hot water, and felt every muscle in her body relax. She had never appreciated it more.
Caitlin leaned back, closed her eyes, and breathed.
Images flashed through her mind, and she tried to stop them. But it was of little use. She saw Caleb’s face, how he looked in the morning, as they sat on his terrace together.
She saw him laughing, as they were horseback riding on the beach.
She saw them flying together, dipping, swerving. And she saw him on the hil top, the beauty and serenity of his expression, right before that falcon landed.
She tried to push the image out of her head. That moment when everything had changed for her.
She wil ed herself to think of anything else. She thought of Aiden. Of their walk in the forest that morning. What he had said. What if the Shield is not something you find? What if it is something that finds you? What if it’s about what you are becoming?
She opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling as she thought about that. What did he mean by that? What exactly was she becoming?
Caitlin looked over at the end table, where she’d placed her father’s scrol . It lay there, in its gilded case, as if luring her to open it. She wondered what he could have possibly written to her. She wondered if she should open it now. A part of her desperately wanted to. But another part of her knew that if she did, and if it suggested a clue, she would have no choice but to fol ow. And she didn’t want to leave this new place so quickly. She was happy here. And she needed to train.
Stil , Caitlin’s curiosity was beginning to get the best of her.
She slowly got up from the bath, covered in bubbles, wrapped herself in a huge bath towel, and walked barefoot across the marble floor. She reached out and picked up the case. She held it up, examining it, feeling its energy.
With her heightened senses, she could feel how powerful it was. A jolt of electricity ran through her hands. She was on the verge of opening it.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Caitlin quickly put down the scrol , tied the towel tighter around her, and crossed the room. She slid back the latch and looked out, and saw a pair of blue eyes looking back at her, framing a freckled face, bright red hair, big ears, and a large smile.
She was taken aback. It was Patrick.
“Caitlin? Are you ready yet?” she recognized that voice. It was definitely him.
“Ready for what?” she cal ed back, confused.
“Aiden sent me. It sparring time. Let’s go. We’re gonna be late!”
“Just a minute!” she yel ed.
She crossed the room, dried herself, and quickly changed into her sparring gear. She pul ed her hair back, tied it in a bun, and tucked what was left of it underneath her high col ar, so it would be safe for battle.
She crossed the room, Ruth at her heels, and opened the door.
There stood Patrick, his back to her. He quickly spun, and broke into that huge, boyish smile of his.
Caitlin could not help smiling back. There was something about him, so boyish and goofy, that always made her smile.
“God, you girls take forever to get ready!” he said, smiling.
She came out, Ruth trailing, and fol owed him as he headed off across the field.
As they walked, he thrust a bamboo sword into her hand.
She loved the feeling of it, and ran her hand along its hilt.
“I’m Caitlin,” she said, not sure if he remembered.
He laughed.
“Don’t you think I know?” he asked. “Everyone’s talking about you already. They want to see what you got!”
They turned the corner, through the formal garden, and there, in the open field, were dozens of Aiden’s vampires.
They were lined up neatly alongside a huge sparring ring, while two of them sparred in the middle. In the distance, on the marble steps, sat a crowd of royals and onlookers, watching the scene.
The click-clack of the bamboo swords fil ed the air.
“I hear you’re pretty good,” Patrick said. “But not as good as me, I’m sure,” he said, with a wink.
He increased his pace and so did she, and soon they were standing with the others. They stood off to the side, and Caitlin watched as the two vampires in the middle sparred.
Caitlin couldn’t believe it. It was Taylor and Tyler. The twins.
After al these centuries, here they were, stil sparring with each other. As she watched, Tyler came in for a lunge, but Taylor used her wings and flew right over his head; as she did, she cracked him hard in the back with her bamboo sword.
There was a roar among the crowd.
“No fair!” Tyler yel ed to Aiden, who watched patiently. “She used her wings!”
Aiden stepped forward.
“Taylor, you know better,” he said.
“It was more of a leap than a flight!” she said.
Aiden shook his head slowly. “Disqualified.”
Taylor, dejected, walked off to the side.
“Caitlin!” Aiden yel ed out.
Al eyes turned to her, as she felt her face flush with embarrassment.
“You’re up!” he yel ed.
As Taylor left, a space opened on the sparring floor. Tyler stood there, waiting for his next opponent.
Caitlin walked slowly, feeling the eyes on her, and faced off with him. She squeezed the hilt of her sword tightly, assured by its weight.
As she faced off with Tyler, about ten feet
away, she studied him. He looked exactly as she remembered. If she remembered, he was fast, and liked to jab more than swing. He also had a tendency to sweep his opponents.
She looked into his eyes, and saw a blend of mischievousness and ego. She could tel from his glance that he expected this would be an easy victory.
Tyler jumped into action. He lunged right for her with the sword, and if he’d been successful, he would have poked her hard, right in the gut.
Luckily, Caitlin’s reflexes kicked in. At the last second, she dodged, stepping to the side, and Tyler went flying passed her. But he only missed her by a hair. Caitlin was surprised by his speed.
She focused. She had to get her game on.
She let him charge again, preferring a defensive position.
This time, he struck from above, coming right down for her shoulder blades. She grabbed both ends of her sword and held it above her head, and blocked the strike. Locked in a sword clash, inches away, she could see him sweating, grunting, as he struggled to bring his sword straight down, to break her grip, to overpower her.
Instead of fighting his strength, which was considerable, Caitlin decided to use it against him.
She suddenly leaned backwards, ducking down, letting his sword come down, landing back on her shoulder blades.
She saw her opening. She kicked him hard, with a front kick, right in his solo plexus. She could’ve kicked him even lower, but she didn’t think that would be fair.
Stil , her kick did considerable damage. He col apsed to his knees, winded, clearly not expecting it. Caitlin stood over him, and held the tip of the sword to his exposed throat. She needn’t do anymore. Clearly, she was the winner.
There was a muted roar of approval among the coven, as Tyler, ashamed, got up and limped off the battlefield.
“Who wil stand and fight her?” Aiden cal ed out.
There was a momentary silence among the group. No one seemed to want to.
Final y, a voice cal ed out. “I wil !”
Caitlin looked over, and was surprised to see who it was.