by Nadia Heaton
He crouched down, just like Ariana did when she wanted Julio to ride on her back. Julio scrambled on, overwhelmed with relief that Rashid believed him. Surely, Rashid would be able to track Ariana’s path through the forest.
Rashid took off running, so fast that it felt like they were flying. It was even faster than he’d gone when running on Ariana’s back, possibly because they hadn’t been running toward anything urgent at the time. He screwed his eyes up against the wind, but forced himself to keep them at least open by a slit.
As they ran, colored lights suddenly started flashing in the sky. Rashid altered his course slightly, heading straight for the lights. A few more butterflies slipped from Julio’s mouth in his agitation. What were the witches doing to Ariana? Did Rashid have the power to stop them?
More than ever, he wished he could talk. It was a horrible, helpless feeling, knowing that Ariana was in danger, and unable to be anything but a spectator because of his curse.
The lights suddenly stopped, and panic seized Julio’s heart. Did that mean… No, he wouldn’t even think that. His grip around Rashid’s throat was tight enough to knock a human out, but it didn’t seem to bother the vampire.
To his dismay, when they started getting closer, Rashid slowed down, coming to a walk. Julio tried to protest, but Rashid swung him easily onto the ground and pressed a hand to his mouth. “Quiet,” he whispered. “The witches could notice the butterflies, and we don’t want to be seen.”
That much was true, and Julio made a concerted effort to clamp his lips shut. He pointed impatiently in the direction they’d seen the lights.
Rashid lowered his voice to a whisper. “That is likely an entire coven of witches. There are only two of us. We can’t take them in a straight fight. We’re going to need to sneak up on them and try to rescue Ariana covertly.”
That was along the same lines Julio had been thinking of before Rashid joined him. He knew it made sense, but Julio was impatient. He started walking toward the last place he’d seen the lights, but Rashid grabbed him by the elbow.
“Follow in my footsteps, and be as quiet as you possibly can.”
Julio nodded, but gestured urgently for Rashid to get a move on. Rashid nodded and started picking his way through the trees. Julio followed as quietly as he could, well aware that his soft footsteps must sound like a rampaging rhinoceros to a vampire.
He didn’t care about Rashid hearing him, though. What mattered was whether or not the witches could hear him. Julio kept his lips shut tight, wary of letting even a single butterfly escape. They couldn’t afford to be found out now.
Very slowly, he started to see gaps between the trees. Rashid slowed down even further, bringing them to a crawl. Finally, they stopped behind a large oak tree. Julio peered through the branches into the clearing beyond.
In the center of the open space was a simple hut built out of wood. It looked like it had been hastily put together. Two women Julio didn’t recognize were standing outside the door. From the way they were positioned, and how their eyes kept flicking around the clearing, he suspected they were guards.
He didn’t see Ariana, and glanced at Rashid, waiting for some kind of cue. To his dismay, Rashid simply stood stock still, watching the unmoving witches. Julio pressed his lips together and poked Rashid in the arm.
Rashid put an admonishing finger to his lips, and gestured for Julio to watch the hut. They were too close for Rashid to talk or even whisper without risking being overheard. Julio obediently gazed at the hut, but he wasn’t going to wait forever. If he didn’t see some sign of Ariana soon, he was going in.
Maybe the witches would take him and let Ariana go. Surely, they could find use for a human slave? Someone to practice magic on? Wild thoughts chased each other through his mind. Julio didn’t see any good way out of this, but he’d do what he needed to in order to make sure Ariana was safe.
If he’d ever experienced a longer wait in his life, Julio didn’t remember it. He couldn’t truthfully say whether he and Rashid hovered in the trees for hours or for mere minutes. The hut didn’t have any windows, so there was no way to tell what was going on inside, or even if there was anything going on inside.
Julio’s gaze kept flicking between Rashid and the clearing. Rashid would be able to hear everything going on there, but his face gave nothing away. Julio’s attention was caught when Rashid stiffened, his head tilted to the side.
A few moments later, Julio heard it too. Footsteps, crunching on the forest floor. Two witches entered the clearing from the opposite side, one of them who looked vaguely familiar to Julio.
She knocked on the hut door, which opened. Another witch appeared, her arm clamped firmly around Ariana’s. The witch kicked out the back of Ariana’s knees, causing her to fall into a kneeling position.
No – no! Julio screamed inside his mind and tore his eyes away from Ariana, staring at Rashid. The pain in his eyes was staggering. Rashid stumbled forward before Julio could stop him. So much for watching and waiting.
The witches at once turned to the new threat, their hands raised and glowing slightly, magic at their fingertips.
Julio could probably stay put and remain unnoticed. Rashid was drawing the witches’ attention.
But he didn’t consider it for a moment. Ariana needed him. Steeling himself, he followed Rashid, stepping out of the trees and into plain sight.
15
The witches in the clearing glanced between Julio, Rashid and Ariana. They obviously determined that Julio was no threat to them. Three of them shot magic at Rashid, while the other two went for Ariana.
She wasn’t able to duck away in time, and was blasted several feet away by a stream of green light. Ignoring the hissing magic all around him, Julio ran for her, ducking under streaks of light. Ariana wasn’t moving. Surely, she had to be okay. If she wasn’t…
He threw himself to his knees beside her, shaking her shoulders. Butterflies spewed from his mouth in his agitation, but it didn’t matter. They were hardly watching in secret anymore.
Ariana groaned, her hands coming to her head. Julio had never been so relieved in his life. She was alive – hurt, but alive.
Behind them, a pitched battle was going on. Four of the five witches seemed to be doing their best to kill Rashid, but he was holding his own, at least for now. The fifth witch, the one who looked familiar to Julio, was hanging back a bit, seemingly torn about something as she stared at Rashid.
Julio grabbed Ariana’s arm and hauled her to her feet. She immediately tried to totter over to Rashid, clearly wanting to help. She was barely managing to stay on her feet; Julio knew she couldn’t help, neither of them could. They would only get themselves killed.
He tugged her arm insistently. They had to get back to the chateau and get help. It was Rashid’s only chance. More than that, he needed Ariana out of here. Julio’s priority was keeping her safe.
It was a mark of how hard she’d been hit that Julio was able to tug Ariana along. She seemed dazed and shocked, and her attempts to get to Rashid to help were in vain.
“Julio… Rashid… help…”
His only reply was butterflies. Julio hoisted Ariana’s arm more firmly over his shoulder as the two of them made their way out of the clearing. None of the witches seemed to notice – Rashid was keeping them very busy.
The last thing Julio saw as he glanced over his shoulder was Rashid breaking the arm of one witch before she could cast a spell at him, while another approached the vampire from behind – the one who had been hesitant before.
“Mirabelle…” Ariana mumbled. Julio didn’t know who Mirabelle was, but by the fear in Ariana’s voice, he surmised that she must be a powerful and well known witch.
Rashid spun around, placing his hands around Mirabelle’s throat, looking murderous.
Julio turned his eyes away from the fight, swallowing the guilt that welled up inside him. His instinct was to go back and help Rashid, but that wouldn’t be smart. He needed to get Ariana out of here and
get help.
“No – Julio –”
He tugged on Ariana’s arm, forcing her another few steps. Soon, the trees were hiding the site of the fight, though they didn’t erase the sounds. He squeezed Ariana’s hand, trying to reassure her. They weren’t abandoning Rashid. They would send help.
It was difficult to get her along. Whatever the witches had hit her with, it was making her disoriented and uncoordinated, almost like a drunk person. Fortunately, Julio had spent much of his life hiking through forests. It was a terrain he was used to, though admittedly, he’d never been accompanied by an incapacitated vampire before.
Slowly, the sounds of the fight faded. Julio picked up his pace, worried that the witches might have managed to subdue Rashid. He would need help soon…
The edge of the trees finally came into sight. Five vampires were hovering nervously by the border of Rashid’s property, looking into the trees. They must have seen the colored lights, but apparently, none dared to investigate further.
Julio tried to shout at them that Rashid needed help, but of course, he was no more capable of speech than he had been since the day he’d been hit with that curse.
He elbowed Ariana, sending her a pleading look. She still seemed out of it, but as she caught his eye, she seemed to pull herself together a little.
“Rashid is there, fighting five witches on his own. Get going!” She looked so fierce that if he hadn’t known her like he did, Julio would have flinched right along with the vampires. Without another word, they streaked into the forest.
Positively weak with relief, Julio negotiated Ariana through the halls of the chateau, eventually getting her to her room and into bed. He didn’t want to put her in the coffin right now. Ariana was trembling and clearly needed comfort more than she needed her favorite bed.
It was strange, seeing Ariana, who was usually so tough, consumed by emotion. Julio slipped into bed next to her, wrapping her in his arms. He knew that Rashid was the closest thing to a father she’d ever had, and she had just left him under what could easily prove to be a fatal attack.
Julio wanted to tell her it would be okay, but he didn’t want to get up to get the notepad. Besides, Ariana’s eyes had fallen shut, and he didn’t want to disturb her.
He just held her, letting her head rest on his shoulder. Julio couldn’t tell if Ariana drifted off, or if she was just lying quietly, recovering. After a long time, she stirred in his arms, turning to face him. Julio stared into her eyes, trying to ask without words what was wrong. He knew she was shaken from the attack, but he could tell that it was something more.
Ariana hadn’t spoken a word since sending the vampires to help Rashid. Julio put a hand on her cheek, tilting his head slightly to the side, asking his question silently.
He could see that Ariana understood what he wanted to know, but instead of answering, she closed the small distance between them and kissed him.
Just like that, Julio completely forgot about all the questions he wanted to ask. He kissed her back, losing himself in the feeling of her lips against his, her tongue gently exploring his mouth while he did the same with hers.
Ariana seemed to put all her emotions, all her despair into the kiss. Julio returned it with his own feelings of helplessness at not being able to speak, his fear about the future.
Somehow, the two of them found a place together in all of the misery, worry and fear. As their clothes came off, Julio felt like he was shedding his burdens, baring himself to Ariana just as she bared herself to him.
As the two of them rode on waves of pleasure, their bodies becoming one with each other, Julio felt true peace for the first time in a very long time.
16
Ariana and Julio lay quietly in each other’s arms, recovering their breath. All of her racing thoughts were calmed for the moment; she was perfectly content just where she was. The thick curtains were closed, and she didn’t feel the need to return to her coffin as the night slowly started brightening into day.
She drifted off in his arms, sleeping peacefully and deeply despite the light coming from around the edges of the curtains. When Ariana woke, she was still curled up against Julio. His breathing was smooth and steady.
Trying not to wake him, she carefully slipped out of bed. The spell had weakened her, and she needed nourishment, from both food and blood. She also had to find out what happened to Rashid. Most of the vampires in the house probably wouldn’t even know yet.
Rashid’s guests tended to be the type to spend their nights gambling or partying. She was lucky that some of them had seen the lights and remained. There was a chance they’d managed to rescue Rashid from the witches.
It didn’t take long for Ariana to find one of them. Hannah, one of the vampires who had gone to Rashid’s rescue, was sitting in the kitchen, drinking deeply from a mug of blood. She looked exhausted and had what looked like a chemical burn on her arm.
“Hannah, what happened?”
“Ariana! I was going to come and wake you soon, but Savion said I should let you rest. We tried, but we weren’t able to get Rashid out. I called a retreat when he became apparent we were only going to get ourselves captured or killed. He’s still alive, we know that much, so we still have a chance to rescue him.”
Ariana didn’t know whether to be relieved or worried about this news. “We should plan an attack…”
“We will, but in case you haven’t noticed, it’s still daytime, and will be for several more hours. You went to bed early yesterday, but everyone else is still sleeping. We can’t hope to take on the witches during the day anyway. Savion is going to call a meeting in a few hours. We’ll plan then.”
As much as she didn’t like it, Ariana knew that Hannah was right. She grabbed a plate of sandwiches and some blood out of the fridge and wandered back up to her room. Julio was still asleep, so she ate and drank quietly, waiting for him to wake.
When he did, his eyes went straight to her. Julio smiled, a few butterflies slipping past his lips. Ariana returned the smile, but her thoughts were still troubled. Julio got up and got his notepad, letting his hand trail over her shoulder as he passed.
He scribbled down a note and handed it to her. What’s wrong?
Ariana sighed and started to write a reply, glad for the slower method of talking, as it gave her time to think about what she was saying. I recognized the coven leader – Mirabelle. She’s the one who has been leading the attack against vampires.
Julio nodded. She looks familiar to me too. I think she may have been the one who cursed me, but the memories are a bit fuzzy.
Anger flared inside Ariana’s chest. So, Mirabelle wasn’t only waging war on vampires, she was also the one attacking innocent humans? And people said vampires were the monsters…
Do you know her? Julio wrote.
I… I didn’t think so. I’d only ever heard her name, but I’d never met her. But when I was looking at her, it felt like I was looking into my own eyes. I felt like I knew her. It – it’s making me wonder who I really am. Rashid never told me anything about my family.
You think that you may be somehow related to her?
No! She can’t be. She’s a witch. She was probably just tricking me with a spell to throw me off.
Julio didn’t write a response, but simply looked at her. Ariana knew he could tell she wasn’t being entirely honest. She was worried that she was somehow connected to witches, no matter what she said to the contrary.
Do you remember who was the first family to raise you? It stands to reason that the ones who first had you would be the ones who might have answers.
I wish I did, but I was moved around from very young. I have some early memories from a couple of different families, and of Rashid, of course, but I can’t really place them in time. And I’ve tried questioning Rashid, that never works.
What are you going to do?
It was a good question, one Ariana didn’t have an answer for. She perched on the edge of the bed, thinking. What did she want to do? Pa
rt of her was enticed by curiosity. If she and Mirabelle were connected somehow, Ariana wanted to know.
Another part shied away from anything that could connect her with witches. Being a vampire was one thing to get her head around, but being related to a witch… the very thought was disgusting.
She put the pen down, her thoughts moving too quickly to write. “First, we need to rescue Rashid. That comes before figuring out any of my personal history. After that… well, maybe he’ll finally agree to talk to me if I confront him about Mirabelle. If not, I guess I’ll do some investigating of my own.
I’ll help you.
Ariana smiled as Julio blew a butterfly at her. “Thank you, Julio, but I wouldn’t want to put you in danger. Consorting with witches can end badly.”
Julio rolled his eyes and gestured to his mouth. Right, that was a bit stupid of her. Julio probably knew more about the dangers of associating with witches than she did.
“Well, let’s just wait until we get your voice back, then we can figure out my problems.”
Julio shook his head, pointing at the forest.
“Of course, Rashid’s rescue comes first, but you can’t be any part of it. It’ll be too dangerous.”
If you’re going, I’m going. I won’t let you walk into that nightmare without me.
Ariana didn’t know whether to be exasperated or pleased. As much as she wanted to keep Julio safe, she found the idea of him having her back comforting. After all, it had been him who had dragged her out of the middle of a witch fight. If not for Julio, she’d probably be a prisoner like Rashid or worse.
Vampires and witches were a thousand times stronger than humans, but Julio had proven that strength wasn’t everything. Sometimes, you didn’t need to be strong, you just needed to be there. If you were lucky, that was enough.
“Fine, you can come, but you’re staying behind me.”
