I shook my head. “No, but we should get Solomon. He’s involved with all of this as much as we are.”
Before walking to the door to call for Solomon, I made sure Jameson was doing well enough to sit up on his own to drink the rest of the blood.
“Solomon, we need you,” I called with a slightly-raised voice, knowing he would hear me no matter where he was on the ship. Leaving the door open, I made my way back to Jameson.
He handed me the second empty canteen, which I placed on the table before grabbing a washcloth. Dipping it into the basin, I apologized for the cold water, then wiped the blood from his face. Jameson winced a few times, but I could visibly see some of his larger wounds beginning to stitch themselves back together.
Solomon walked in just as I finished cleaning Jameson’s face, but I continued on to his arms since it wasn’t me who needed to do the talking.
“How are you doing, Jameson?” Solomon asked once he was settled in the corner of the room.
“I’ll be back to normal after a good night’s sleep.”
I nodded to Evander. “So, what does Prime want, besides power?”
He shifted on his feet, seeming nervous about whatever he had to say. I didn’t understand why. I had witnessed some of Prime’s wrongdoings and knew he was twisted enough to turn a child. There wasn’t much that would surprise me.
“When he found out about you, he did some research. He spent weeks in his room with books and papers, refusing to speak to anyone. Most of us thought he had gone mad. He had Pierce turning new vampires and doing his bidding, which gave him more time to seek the information he needed. I didn’t understand it for a long time, but when you escaped and we realized that Jameson was both hunter and vampire, Prime went back to the books when he remembered the prophecy from the Sea Witch.”
My eyes shot over to Solomon. I had thought of the Sea Witch as someone who was good, but maybe she was neutral, meaning we couldn’t count on her to help us. If she was giving Prime information, too, that didn’t bode well for us.
“What did the Sea Witch tell him?” Solomon asked.
“Prime sought her out after Susanna died. He hadn’t meant to harm her. He only wanted to turn her, so he could be with her, but he was so angry about her having found another love that he lost control. He swore to the witch that he would do anything to have his one true love back, and she admitted to him that one day he would find another vampire so powerful that they could bring the dead back to life. But their path had not been set yet. There were no guarantees Prime would be able to garner help from this vampire.
“He spent years searching for rumors of a powerful vampire. When he saw that Jameson was both vampire and hunter, he thought it was him. He only called for Solomon, so he could finally kill him. He was never going to give Jameson up after he realized what he was, but I don’t believe Jameson is who Prime has been looking for.”
Evander’s eyes met mine, and I stopped breathing. Shaking my head, I backed up against the wall.
“Lavinia, you compelled me to keep a secret from my maker. Do you know how many times I’ve ever heard of that being done?” He continued when I didn’t answer. “Not once. You are the only one of your kind, and I believe you’re just beginning to access the depths of your power. If Prime gets his hands on you, he won’t ever let you go. He saw you use a hunter’s dagger and witnessed your vampire abilities today. He’s going to figure it out.”
Jameson snarled. “Are you saying he wants to use Lavinia to bring her mother back from the dead?”
Evander nodded, and a choked cry came from my throat; I dropped the washcloth I had been holding. As much as I wished I could have more time with my mother, there were certain lines a person didn’t cross; bringing someone back from the dead was certainly one of them. That was a whole different level of darkness, and I would not risk my humanity. My mother wouldn’t want that.
Afraid to glance at Solomon, I looked everywhere but at him. We hadn’t talked about my mother, but if what I remembered from my childhood was true, then he must miss her dearly. Maybe even enough to ask me to consider what Prime was striving to accomplish.
“I think we’ve had enough for one day. It’s getting late and I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’d like some rest,” Jameson added, moving off the bed.
Solomon nodded. “I agree. We are scheduled to meet the other ship at sunrise tomorrow. We can convene after we’re all together again. Evander, if you want to follow me, we can get the others settled, and I’ll show you to a room.”
Once they left the infirmary, Jameson reached for me, and I gladly stepped into his embrace. Taking a deep breath, I inhaled the scent that was so uniquely his—rain and trees, along with something sweet. With increased vampire senses, each scent was easily discernable.
“I missed you,” I cried into his chest as my body shook. “I’m so sorry he took you.”
Jameson pushed me back, gripping the sides of my face. “Do not apologize for Prime’s evils. What he does in no way reflects on you. We know what he wants now, and it will be easier to evade him. He took a large loss tonight. Not only did he lose his second-in-command, but half of his crew as well.”
I nodded, grabbing his hand so we could go to our quarters. I was ready for a clean change of clothes and our bed. I didn’t want to talk anymore. I just wanted to sleep and escape our reality for a few hours.
When we arrived in our room, I used our basin to clean myself up before changing into my sleepwear. Ash and blood coated my hands and face. The cloak along with Jameson’s pants had kept the rest of me relatively clean.
Crawling into bed, I winced when I saw the bruises still marring Jameson’s chest and ribs. Prime must have beaten him several times a day for them to still be present after two canteens of blood.
“Do you need more blood?” I asked after my observations.
“No, I don’t want to overdo it. I’ll be fine until morning. What about you?” His brow lifted curiously as he crawled into bed next to me. “Before I was taken, you were convinced you had completed your change to vampire, or some version of it. Has anything else changed?”
“I haven’t been hungry for anything,” I answered wearily. “You’ll need to remind me to eat, but I don’t think I need the animal blood. There haven’t been any cravings.” I continued on with how training had gone with Solomon, followed by when I compelled Evander.
“It’s going to be all right. I won’t let Prime use you for anything. There are a lot of people he’ll have to go through before he even has a chance of getting his hands on you.”
Jameson pulled me closer until my head rested against his chest. The sun had set, and no alarms sounded to tell us Prime had taken chase. My eyes fell closed as Jameson’s touch lulled me to sleep. The next day would be soon enough to deal with the aftermath of today.
The following morning, I was awoken by the sounds of Alice calling our names.
“I know you’re in there. Now wake up!”
Smiling, I crawled out of bed, leaving Jameson sleeping, and went to open the door before Alice woke up the entire ship. I opened the door and was unable to utter a word as Alice’s arms suddenly wound around my neck.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Is everything all right? Henry? The children?” Alice wasn’t normally that affectionate, and I was worried something had triggered her sudden outburst.
She pulled back. “Yes, everything went as planned. We didn’t run into trouble getting to the meeting spot, but next time, I’m coming with you guys. I don’t like being left behind. You and Jameson have been taken one too many times.”
“I agree. We need to go back to Ruth’s estate and check in on Nathan and Nettie, then stick together. There’s been too much separation.”
I missed Nettie’s bright personality, and it would be nice to check in on everyone there before we planned another attack on Prime. There would be another one, and it would be soon. We couldn’t afford to wait for him to rebuil
d.
“Let me wake Jameson and get dressed. We’ll meet you and the others in the galley soon.” I gave her another hug and slipped back into the room.
Jameson was already awake and sitting up in bed. “Anything wrong?”
“All is as it should be. You’re looking better.” His bruises had faded to a light brownish-yellow, and all of his cuts were now pink scars.
“I feel better, too. I’m guessing we need to get up and go meet with everyone now? Probably to figure out where we’re going from here as soon as possible.”
With his statement, we quickly got ready and headed to the galley. Alice, Henry, Solomon, Evander, and Joseph were present, so we took a seat after I grabbed a slice of bread from the pantry. I still wasn’t hungry, but I knew my body needed some sort of sustenance.
“We’re headed back to Port Valor, as long as no one has any objections. We need to restock on supplies, and I must make sure Ruth isn’t having any issues,” Solomon announced first.
“I’m fine with that,” I replied. “I was just telling Alice that I want to see Nathan and Nettie.”
Jameson nodded in agreement. “We also need to take at least a week for formal training. It keeps getting pushed for other things, but it’s important we take the time for it. Prime isn’t going to take it easy on us when we meet him again, and everyone needs to be at their best.”
A rush of anticipation filled with those words. I was eager for that, as well. I knew I was capable of so much more, and I needed to know how to handle it without losing control. I had barely been able to keep the darkness in check when Jameson was gone.
“You’re right. Prime has a back-up plan, and we need to be prepared for it,” Evander added. “There is a small island outside of the chain, and I can almost guarantee that is where he is headed next. The army he’s been building isn’t just formed by the vampires you’ve found at the ports you visited. There’s a horde of them on this other island, along with blood slaves who are keeping them well fed.”
I had never hated anyone before, but I did now. Prime couldn’t be redeemed. There was no coming back from all the damage he had done to the humans he’d either killed or turned and forced to follow him.
“How are we going to stop him?” I asked, exasperated. “If the daggers don’t harm him, how are we supposed to beat him?”
Once again, I felt close to hysterics. Nobody was coming up with ways to actually kill Prime, only to hopefully protect ourselves, and that wasn’t enough. He needed to be stopped for good, so he couldn’t hurt any more people and, most importantly, so he couldn’t get his hands on me or my loved ones ever again.
Jameson’s hand closed around mine. “It’s going to be all right, Lavinia. We’ll figure out a way. Let’s focus on one thing at a time. Getting to Port Valor is the first step in doing that.”
Reluctantly, I nodded and let them resume their plans. Evander was moving the vampires from Prime’s ship to the one Alice and Henry had occupied. He thought it might be best to keep them separate while they adjusted to the changes they would have to endure while living a different lifestyle. To be honest, I didn’t mind it one bit. I preferred having Alice and Henry closer, since I wasn’t fond of splitting up our original group.
Once the meeting was over, I spent the rest of the day with Jameson, letting him relax while Henry commanded the ship. After dinner, I took a walk on the deck by myself. Jameson joined Henry to make sure the ship was on the right path for Port Valor, and Alice was tending to the children, who continued to impress us with their resolve as each day passed.
Solomon was the only other person on the ship that I knew well enough to consider spending time with, but I was still avoiding him. I hadn’t had a direct conversation with him since Evander mentioned I might be able to bring my mother back from the dead. Truth be told, I was afraid he would ask me to consider it, and I just couldn’t. It wasn’t right, and there was no changing my mind about that.
Leaning against the railing, I took in the stars and moon. The night was clear, and the air was crisp. I closed my eyes, enjoying the wind against my face and the salty seawater as it misted against my skin. The night would have been perfect if I wasn’t so worried about what the following days would bring.
“Lavinia…”
My eyes opened, and my head snapped back and forth, looking for the origin of the woman’s voice. “Who’s there?”
My name being whispered on the wind was not normal, and I considered going back inside to get Jameson, but something about the voice captivated me. I wasn’t ready to let my guard down, but I didn’t think I was in danger, either.
“Where are you?” I asked when I didn’t get a response to my first question.
“I’m everywhere, and nowhere.”
A riddle. I knew with whom I was speaking with and, somehow, she was in my head. “Sea Witch. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
A million questions churned in my head for her, but I had no idea where to start. In addition, I assumed she was here to deliver a message, not to answer my questions.
“We are well met, young Lavinia. I have seen the past, present, and your many futures. The choices you make cause a ripple in each possible future. I am here to keep the balance.”
Just as I thought, the Sea Witch was neither good nor bad; she was both, and I wasn’t sure that was any better.
“What do you want from me?”
“Prime has diverted from his path. Though I have tried many times to set him back toward a better one, he refuses to listen.”
“We tried to kill him, but the daggers won’t work on him. How are we supposed to stop him?”
“You need to locate the Obsidian Caves. There, you will find the answers you seek.”
“Where are the caves? I’ve never heard of them before.”
“Lavinia? Are you all right?” Jameson’s voice sounded from behind me, but I ignored him.
“Sea Witch? Where are the caves?” I repeated my question in my mind, desperate for more information.
No response came.
She was gone, and so was the chance of obtaining more answers until we found the place of which she spoke.
Turning toward Jameson, I took in his worried expression. “I’m fine, and I think we have our next course of action after we arrive at Port Valor.”
“What do you mean? What happened?”
“The Sea Witch spoke to me. She said the answers to defeating Prime are in the Obsidian Caves.”
I wasn’t sure how we would find the caves or what to expect when we did, but I knew it was the right path. We just had to survive long enough to make it there before Prime found us, because if he brought his full wrath down on us as we were, we didn’t stand a chance.
Obsidian Horizon
Chapter 1
Patience was something I always thought I had plenty of, but during the few weeks following our fight against Prime, I learned I actually had very little. My skin crawled with the urgency to head back out into the open sea to find Prime. The longer we waited, the more time he had to prepare, though it was a double-edged sword. Our group needed more time to grow and train. If we left before we were ready, it could cost a number of lives. Nevertheless, the darkness that stirred inside me pushed me forward like never before, and I wasn’t sure how long I could wait for us to be ready.
It had been three weeks since we rescued Jameson from Prime’s ship and just over two weeks since we arrived back in Port Valor with Ruth and some of the other hunters. Word had been sent to additional territories, calling all available hunters to the island with us, but it was slow moving. It could take weeks for some of them to be notified, and we didn’t have that kind of time.
My abilities had grown far beyond anything I had expected or hoped. I was faster and more lithe than should be possible. I was able to tap into my vampire side without the darkness taking over my emotions like before, but I had yet to try the compulsion since using it on Evander.
Truth be told, I was afraid of
that power, afraid of how controlling others would change me.
It took me a while to admit out loud, but when I did, I felt stronger than ever. I refused to let it make me weak.
Jameson and Solomon had done a tremendous job of making sure that the Sea Witch’s prophecy went the way we wanted it to and not how Prime preferred.
“Nia!” Nettie’s sweet voice called from behind me.
I turned to find her running toward me, blonde curls bouncing as she raced along the grassy hill in front of the vast estate we occupied.
Getting down on one knee, I opened my arms to her. “Good morning, pretty girl,” I cooed. “You’re up early this morning.”
The sun had just begun to cast its fiery rays across the ocean as I finished up my morning jaunt along the island. Since we arrived back at Port Valor, I began each new day with three passes around the entire island. With every run, I strived to beat my last time, and had almost doubled my speed over the past two weeks.
“Timmy had a bad dream and woke me up,” Nettie answered after a brief hug. “Aunt Alice is with him now and sent me to come find you. She said Henry needs your help with Maggie.”
My chest clenched as I scooped her up into my arms, squeezed her tightly, and tried to get my emotions in check. If Henry needed my help with Maggie, then it wasn’t good—the young girl had become increasingly agitated as time passed. Once she no longer had to fear for her brother’s safety, the drive to protect him lifted, and her vampire abilities showed themselves… in all the worst ways.
Alice and Henry had done their best to keep her under control and let her stay with the other kids, but after Maggie broke another child’s arm and tried to bite him, we knew we had to do something. Ruth had prepared a special room for her while we tried to figure out how to help her. The hardest part was Maggie was only ten years old. She didn’t know how to control herself, and she was more stubborn than any of us could have predicted.
“I can’t breathe,” Nettie’s voice squeaked, bringing me back to the present.
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