Witchling Wars

by Shawn Knightley

  However, this woman was absolutely striking. Her eyes were a luminous shade of blue. And her hair was so beautiful that it appeared as if the sun had touched it with a golden glaze. Only I imagined she hadn’t seen sunlight in many years. Her lips were plump and a perfect rosy shade without needing any lipstick. Her cheeks were the only giveaway that she was a vampire. There was no pink to them at all. She was deathly pale. Like a sheet. But otherwise, strikingly beautiful.

  I pulled the bathrobe tighter across my chest, feeling insecure about my looks for the first time in a very long while. Standing next to her I was a peasant near a queen.

  “By the order of Tobias Vallas, you are to come with me,” she said, turning her head toward an expensive black Audi behind her sitting in my sister’s driveway.

  ‘So formal. Is this what my whole evening will be like until my death sentence is handed down?’

  “Forgive me, but I didn’t know when you were coming. May I get dressed first?” I asked.

  “Our flight leaves in three hours and we have to get to Atlanta by then. So don’t take too much time.”

  “Our flight?”

  “How else do you expect us to get to D.C.? Driving would take all night.”

  It struck me right then and there that she didn’t have vixra blood to access the tunnels like Nathaniel did. She may have been within the highest of circles to have Tobias’s trust, but she didn’t have close relations with the vixra. Nathaniel truly had connections.

  “Right,” I nodded. “Of course. I’ll just go get dressed. Is there something specific I should wear?” It didn’t sound like a crazy question to me. Even when going to human court, one had to dress appropriately. Caleb once got in a small car accident where he had to go to court. One young lady came in with jeans shorts and a tank top. The judge did not treat her kindly. I wasn’t about to dress inappropriately when meeting the most powerful coven master in the western world. Even if he was a vampire.

  She smirked at me. “Just wear a nice knee length dress. Nothing too formal. Tobias likes it when branded humans show a touch of skin.”

  I scowled at her.

  “And maybe bring a light jacket. It can get quite chilly for humans where we’re going.”

  Chilly in D.C. during the summer? I somehow doubted it. But I would grab a jacket never the less.

  “Okay,” I said. “I’m going to close the door. I hope you understand.”

  Meaning…no, you’re not allowed in my sister’s house. I know better!

  She dipped her head in acknowledgment and a bit of amusement.

  I shut the door and went upstairs to change and drain the tub. There was no time to make my hair presentable, so I did it in a French braid going down my back and put on a blue dress Caleb bought me for our second Christmas together. It was one I rarely got to wear because the sleeves were a bit longer and the summers in Georgia are so long and hot. But I threw it on and grabbed one of Madison’s black leather jackets to go with it. Then a pair of black flats for shoes and I was out the door. The blond woman was standing there waiting for me with impatience.

  I followed her down the front steps and toward the car. The driver stepped out and opened the door for me. Then for her. I assumed Tobias liked to keep things rather upscale given that the driver was clearly a vampire with manners. And I hadn’t had anyone open a car door for me since Caleb was around.

  The drive to the airport in Atlanta was long and strangely quiet. The blond vampire lady sitting next to me kept her hands folded in her lap and didn’t say much until the driver started driving down the proper lane to our terminal.

  “What should I call you?” I randomly asked, breaking the strange silence between us. Normally I wouldn’t have minded the quiet. But on this night when I was completely dreading where we were going and being presented to the Catach-Brayin like a piece of meat, I needed something going on other than the myriad of god-awful thoughts running through my mind.

  “Ragna,” she stated.

  Strange name. How old was this lady to have a name like that?

  “Is there any special title I should call Tobias? Any formalities?”

  “Don’t speak until you’re spoken to,” she said. “When Tobias beckons you forward, you will address him as your master.”

  Master? Really? I mean, I knew he was technically the coven master, but he certainly wasn’t mine. Regardless, I didn’t want to do anything to piss him off. Especially if I had any hope remaining that I would get out of this thing alive. Which wasn’t at all likely.

  “Alright,” I said with a nod, then turned my attention back to the window.

  “Did you think it a wise idea?” she asked without turning to look at me.

  “What was a wise idea?”

  “Scarring the right-hand man of the most powerful vampire coven in the west?”

  I struggled to say anything for a few seconds. “I… I didn’t. He came to me. He asked for my help.” More like demanded it with the threat of death. “That’s all. He doesn’t even like me.”

  “And do you?” she said, finally turning toward me with eyes that pierced straight through me, sending a wave of chills down my back.

  “Do I what?”

  “Like him?”

  “As much as a servant can love a master who threatens their well-being.”

  She seemed satisfied with that answer and turned her attention away once more. “You’ll have to prove it to Tobias then.”

  “I intend to try. If he’ll listen.”

  She smiled. “Oh, he’ll listen. It’s one of his more endearing qualities. It’s rare to find a man of his patience. But once you fall out of his favor, it’s gone forever.”

  “So not very forgiving then?”

  Her smile faded. “Forgiveness is an overrated quality. It doesn’t heal wounds and it doesn’t alleviate pain. If anything it leaves one a victim for even longer because they think they’ve taken the high road when in fact they’ve shown their weakness.”

  ‘I take it you have a vast amount of experience in the matter.’

  Just when I thought that the driver was going to take us to the proper terminal, he went through a tunnel and we ended up in a separate hanger. There were smaller planes parked all around us. We went directly toward one that was a bit smaller, but more high tech than one I’d ever seen. At least from what I saw in movies from time to time.

  The driver came around and let me out. I stared at the plane for a solid ten seconds before I could summon my feet to move.

  “Never been on a private jet, have you kruxa?”

  Jeez. They couldn’t help but call me that, could they? Nathaniel included. I mean, that’s what I was but the way they said it was so demeaning. What would happen if I started referring to them as ‘vampire’ rather than having the decency to ask for a name? Or was that the few southern manners I had managed to adopt?

  “I’ve never been on a plane.”

  An expression of disbelief crossed her face. “How have you managed to live in such times and never been on a flight?”

  I walked toward the plane, not really wanting to give her an answer. Because the truth was a bit embarrassing. “We never had enough money to travel.”

  “Living in hiding doesn’t pay well, does it?” she said with a sarcastic laugh.

  I wanted to smack her. I was being led to my potential death and taunted at the same time.

  The side door came down to form a staircase and I slowly walked up the steps. My legs were shaking. I tried to stop them, but it was no use. And I knew Ragna noticed. I could sense her amusement. Was this how the kruxa convicted of witchcraft felt as they walked up the steps to be hanged after being discovered by humans over the centuries?

  I stepped inside to see some luxurious seats and bottles of what looked like wine displayed on the wall. It occurred to me on closer examination that it wasn’t wine. It was bottles of blood. Ragna stepped over to a bottle and uncorked it, then poured herself a glass before walking over to one of the seat
s and lounging it in as if she was relaxing in her own living room.

  I seated myself on the opposite side. The seats faced one another going lengthwise of the plane. Not lined up facing the nose of the plane like they were in movies.

  “Maybe you should have a glass,” she said to me. “You know, to calm your nerves.”

  She was mocking me. I crossed my arms over my chest to try warding off the shivers that still taunted me with the prospect of my oncoming death. Did it delight her to see a kruxa this unwound? Probably. If she was anything like the other vampires.

  “No, thanks.”

  I don’t know exactly what triggered it, but at that moment I made a conscious decision. It didn’t matter how terrified I was. It didn’t matter if these were, in fact, my last moments. It didn’t matter that there were goosebumps trailing up my legs. I wasn’t going to show any more fear. I sat up straight, closed my eyes for a few seconds, listened to my breaths, and steadied them as best as I could. Along with my magic tingling on my fingertips, telling me danger was sitting only a few seats away.

  ‘Thanks. As if I hadn’t noticed.’

  Ragna was watching me with interest. But I didn’t care. I changed my posture and my demeanor all in a matter of seconds. I wasn’t going to die shaking like a leaf. I wasn’t going to beg. I wasn’t going to let them get to me anymore. They could call me kruxa while actually believing they were above me, but I knew the truth. Gran told me the stories. Vampires may have gotten the upper hand centuries ago, but they got it by being monsters. A perversion of witchling blood that should never have been born. And I wasn’t going to let them make me feel like I was small and pathetic anymore.

  If I was going to die that night, I would face my death with dignity.

  Chapter 5

  Don’t expect me to know much about airplanes, but it felt like a very quick flight. Less than an hour. Whatever kind of jet Tobias had, it was state of the art. I watched with fascination as we took off and landed, looking below at the highways lit up by cars driving by and the small houses all in intricate rows. The way certain areas lit up in gold, whereas others looked blue was beautiful. The headlights of cars on highways, the lights on inside people’s homes. And then soaring high above the clouds just to see how large the moon was from that high up. I could feel Ragna watching me with curiosity. Not that I minded. Given that I might die soon, it felt like a special treat to finally get the chance to fly and see the world from so high up. Even though it did cause an insane amount of ear popping.

  Washington D.C. lit up in the distance. The pilot came on and said to fasten our seatbelts. I knew he was talking directly to me. Ragna didn’t move to fasten up. And why would she? Being immortal and all. It didn’t matter if we crashed. She would probably survive unless her head came off. Fat chance.

  If only the legends about a stake through the heart were true. That would make life so much easier. For humans that is. In reality, vampires made up those rumors for their own protection. Try staking a vampire and all you’ll get is one pissed off vampire. Cutting off the head was the only way to end an immortal life. As it was, I was stuck with Ragna. There was no way I had the strength to tear off her head. Nor would a crash do the job for me.

  I struggled not to fidget as I held on tight to my dress during the landing. I watched as the Earth came closer and closer when we descended along with a sudden smack into the runway. Or at least it felt that way to me. We steadied out quickly and were slowing down in a matter of seconds.

  The pilot drove the jet toward yet another expensive-looking Audi in a hanger that was waiting for us. The plane came to a full stop and I got up from my seat. Descending the stairs once they were let down, I saw yet another vampire opening the car door for us. Tobias was probably as old as time, but he knew how to ride in style. And he obviously had incredibly deep pockets.

  “Kruxa,” the driver sneered at me as I let myself in.

  “Vamp,” I snarled back before snatching the door handle to close it.

  He snickered at me as if he enjoyed that I came with a bite of my own.

  Ragna let herself in on the other side and we were off.

  I had never been to another state. And the only city I was the least bit familiar with was Atlanta. But Caleb and I weren’t city people. We liked country living. We liked the small town vibe. Even so, I could appreciate Washington, D.C. as we got closer. The buildings towered high and every once in a while, I saw a monument or two that I recognized from movies or pictures in my history books in high school. It was dark and the white marble on various monuments was lit up so people could still see them.

  We drove up to an enormous building. One with white pillars and a large set of steps leading up to three curved arches and green lanterns lit along the sides. A stunning display of ancient European architecture in a modern setting if I ever saw one. I recognized it, but I didn’t know exactly what it was.

  “The Library of Congress,” Ragna said next to me as the car stopped and she opened her door.

  “Oh,” I responded, not realizing that I was probably gawking at the building as we drove up.

  “Wait until you see the inside.”

  I followed Ragna up the steps toward the arches, slowly getting that feeling again as if I was walking up the steps toward a hanging platform. All I was missing was the rope tied around my wrists to keep them bound.

  The doors to the front opened as we got closer. Two men stepped inside and shut them as we walked in.

  Ragna wasn’t wrong. As amazing as the structure was outside, it was even more incredible on the inside. The ceiling was made of stained glass. Never in my life had I seen such finery of white and gold decorating a large space. Marble pillars lined the large staircases to the back end of the second floor and to the side. And the engravings. Don’t even get me started on the engravings. They looked like something I might expect to find in ancient Athens or Rome. Not the United States. It was opulent. It was decadent. And it was remarkable. I had to remind myself to close my jaw because it was practically dropping to the floor.

  I walked toward the center of the entrance, staring up at the ceiling and following the view of the staircase down to the statues lifting up lights in the air.

  Ragna stopped and stood in the middle of the small tiles on the ground, smack dead in the center of a circular shape of a flower on the intricate floor.

  I cautiously stepped closer to her, doing my best to remain defiant as she towered over me. Her height didn’t help me to feel even the least bit stronger as she stared at me.

  “Well,” I said, extending my hands out like I was waiting for a big reveal. “Are we here to check out a book?”

  Her smile curved to the side in a way that I found unnerving. But then again, what isn’t unnerving about vampires? She nodded toward one of the men who closed the large heavy door behind us. He then walked over to one of the statues to the right by the staircase and grabbed the arm, pulling it downward. I could hear gears starting to shift. The floor beneath us was shaking. When I peered down to see what was happening, the tiles were moving. No, that was the entire floor. We were going down. The floor parted and the circular flower shape in the middle where we stood descended down like an elevator shaft.

  “What in the world?” I cried.

  “Don’t make any sudden movements and you’ll be fine,” Ragna ordered me.

  I glanced up to see that the entrance was gone. All the beautiful engravings with white and gold decor were left back up where my heart presumably abandoned my body. It was almost entirely the same sensation I got when Caleb convinced me it was a good idea to go on the biggest water park slide at a water park he took me to on our fifth date in a nearby town, which I knew damn well was just an excuse to see me in a bikini. I wore a one-piece, just to keep him curious.

  We descended downward in what looked like a steel funnel. It must have gone down a couple hundred feet, because it practically took forever before we came to an opening.

  Vampires were s
urrounding us in a circle wearing crushed red velvet cloaks with their hands folded in front of them. It was cliche and mysterious all at the same time. Vampires were often comical in the way they were portrayed in Hollywood, with red cloaks that they waved about and disappearing in the form of bats. This wasn’t in the least bit comical. The room was large and made of stone. Lanterns and candles lit the entirety of the space and gave it a strange orange glow. It looked like it had been here perhaps even longer than the Library of Congress. Maybe they did build it before the humans built their structures above. They were just lucky enough not to find the ominous people who lived beneath in caves carved out to look like mysterious underground caverns.

  “Harper Ashwood,” said one of the vampires as he stepped forward and removed the hood of his long cloak. The man was younger than I expected. Maybe not even a man. Perhaps in terms of immortality, but he couldn’t have been more than sixteen when his blood was poisoned, making him a vampire.

  “Miss Ashwood,” I said, once again doing my best to appear as though I was in charge of my own fate and how I would be addressed. Unlikely. But I could keep lying to myself if it made me feel better. For the time being anyway. At least he called me by my name and not just ‘kruxa.’

  “Please follow me,” he said.

  My magic started to sputter out of my hands. I placed my palms against my dress, forcing it to stay hidden. I had a little practice over the course of the last few days in keeping it under wraps. In hiding it when I most needed to. But could it withstand something like this? Would they see my magic and instantly think of it as a threat? I could very well meet the same fate as so many other kruxa who accidentally revealed themselves during a moment of fear.

  I stepped off the platform. He took my hand without me realizing it to help me down. His skin was just like Nathaniel’s. Pure ice. I roughly shook it when he let go, trying to regain any sense of warmth that I could.