That’s when I thought of the beautiful woman I never met, and of her tender hands caressing the notebook and writing about The Council: those power-thirsty vampires that had a price on my head. I imagined then the sensible vampire she mentioned, Duncan, and I wanted to know his face. Would they still exist? Did they ever stand up to the other council members?
I felt a deep fire burning inside me. I wanted to escape my fate, but many things were my responsibility. I was not the one I was before. I had lost so much, yet so much more would be lost if I turned my back on things now. I had to stand up for what was right. The things I read in the notebook could not happen anymore.
Jonathan’s hand touched my bloodied shoulder. He was not blaming me, he would forgive me if I wanted to escape. Yet that would make him lose so much. I smiled at him and silently thanked him for just being there, for his mere existence.
A dream came back to me. I remembered his outstretched hand reaching for me, he had been in a battle. Finally I decided I would not let my loved ones down. They were all simply too important for me now.
It was my duty and my cross to bear.
“I’m up for it James. Let’s bring it on.” I said and accepted the full weight of my responsibility.
CHAPTER 12
Acceptance
The whole clan gathered in the living room where I first awoke. All of us were there, Ginny and the twins, James, Corbin (finally clean again), Lucrecia with her regal presence, Jonathan and I. We were all sombre for this was not a family gathering, it was a war council.
The bodies of the intruders had already been disposed of and a huge wooden plaque was meanwhile closing the door. We all knew that staying here was far too dangerous now, it was time to move somewhere else. We had to decide our strategy for something had to be done; else, we could perish in the next attack.
Though sad, a rare calm was set upon us. This was the beginning of destiny being fulfilled.
I had finally accepted my role in the current state of events. Some people wanted me dead for what I represented. I was supposed to be the bearer of a new era. New times were upon the vampire world, and if it was in my power I would have a say in things.
My speed and strength had amazed me in the previous fight. I had no idea I was capable of such things, but if I could do that out of the blue, I would bet on me now. I was no more a simple human teen, and it was now time for me to live up to the ancient prophecy.
The beautifully ornamented copper scimitar that saved my life was now my companion. It was my weapon of choice for if it saved me once it could surely save me twice. Until well after the fight was over I had not paid attention to its rare beauty, it was made of solid copper from tip to tip. The handle was carved with big flowers that extended their stems and leafs to the beginning of the blade. A single leather strap was tied on the handle in zigzag motion to give it a better grip, a true piece of art.
Corbin and Jonathan had not left their weapons either; together we must have looked like the avengers of our clan.
The twins’ stare was as blank as ever, they seemed to be coming in and out of a constant trance since the attack. Could they be foretelling future events? If they knew how things were to end they never said.
We were all regaining our strength, pensive, thinking what to do next. Staying here was no longer a possibility. I had just left my old life, my old house and friends, yet now I had to embark again in a new crusade.
No one uttered a word for a truly long time, I’m not sure if it was that we were all so deeply buried in our thoughts or that we were too sad to say a word. It was James the one who broke the silence.
“Our time has come to finally meddle into things. I know we were always silent supporters of certain beliefs but things have changed.” He said with the strength of a true leader.
I might have been the vampire everyone expected to come for many centuries, I was supposed to lead all vampires to a new era or to their perdition; but it was James the one who could inspire even me to the core. Deep down his words provoked a change in us . . . they made us truly want to fight.
“We have supported very mild inheritors and humans into our community. We have always advocated for peaceful ways and true symbioses between humans and vampires, yet we never actively took hands in the matter. Now we have been attacked, our family is in deep peril and holding on to our beliefs is our only chance.” His words there moved me till my eyes filled with tears.
“She must be kept safe at all costs, until destiny is fulfilled.
Others want to take human lives as if they were mere cattle. They don’t believe in the true bond between vampires and their donors, and they just want more and more power. They see humans like mere vessels for their brood, like a mere way to keep vampire strengths balanced. They do not believe in blood, only in power, so today we will decide if we’ll fight. Fight for what’s right: for peace, for love, and for hope. Hope that someday vampires and humans will understand that deep down differences are not huge, that we can all live peacefully.”
James’ words were deeply inspiring. I could feel how deeply he cared for so many things and how much he believed in all he said. Full of hope and tears, I decided I would do my best. I would be this special vampire they all expected me to be, I would strive for what was right and leave every drop of my blood in this fight.
I stood and walked to the centre of our gathering. Scimitar still in one hand and the other holding my black iris I took my breath to give them my entire oath. They all looked at me, Ginny seemed full of hope and Jonathan looked at me with complete admiration. I would not let them down I thought, for it was the first time in my whole life I believed in something bigger than me.
I cleared my throat and addressed them:
“You all opened your house and your hearts at me. You cared for me as if I was part of your own family even though you knew I could bring you great peril. You believed in me even when I did not and put your lives in danger to save mine, almost a mere stranger.
I here take then this oath, I will give my life even if it is necessary to ensure things change. Too much has happened and things should never stay this way. Vampires slay their own to ensure power, and humans are believed by some to be nothing more than a mere pawn. I will fight for a new beginning, for a different world.” By the time I said those words I saw James’ eyes with flowing tears. He mouthed a silent “thank you” at me and gripped Jonathan’s shoulder.
We would join the fight.
Corbin stood putting all his weight on his claymore. He looked decided and ready for action. No evidence was left now on him of the previous fight, he was ready and full of stamina.
“I’ll contact our net of human donors and mild inheritors on the web. They need to know what’s going on and that times will be changing. They must be prepared.” He said and in a twirl of blond he was gone.
Lucrecia then stood up like a princess and gave James a full smile. She looked as stunning as ever with that smile, she seemed lively and joyful almost. “It’s time to pack-up only what’s important” she said and keeping her head very straight she slowly walked out of the room. Her sweet scent still clung in the room after she left, just as if her presence had not completely gone out of the room. She could be quite unsettling at times. Did I have the same effect on anybody? I wondered . . .
“I’ll get the tickets James” said Ginny. She sounded very sure and almost ready for action. “You should be letting them know we are on our way” She then added and cheerfully left in the kitchen’s direction.
Tickets for where? I had no idea of where we were going. Who would be waiting for us? And only then I realized I didn’t even know where we were now.
My puzzled look must have caught James’ attention for he asked Jonathan and the twins to explain as much as they could and that he would be back in a few minutes to finish answering my questions.
The twins seemed still lost in their visions and didn’t seem to pay much attention to James’ request. They appeared
much too deep into their own thoughts. It was quite creepy to see them sometimes, they where simply absent.
Jonathan, on the other hand, walked towards me and sweetly pecked my cheek. He looked deeply into my eyes and with his gorgeous smile told me everything was going to be all right and hugged me.
I could feel his strong chest tightly against me and his scent invaded my senses. In his arms I felt at home, I felt safe.
He put his sweet lips right beside my ear and in the softest murmur explained as much as he could about the many things that were left unsaid.
“I cannot tell you where we are going love. You still don’t know how to restrain yourself from projecting your thoughts so it is safest that you do not know completely where we are going. I can tell you some things though. We are now near Porto Alegre in Brazil, our house is a little towards the south and it is almost in the middle of nowhere. A plane will be waiting for us to take us in a very long flight, and there They will be waiting.” He whispered and then kissed me lightly on my neck.
I was starting to feel a bit mad, how on earth had I gotten to Brazil in the first place? And who where “They”? I knew I was not good at keeping my thoughts to myself yet but this was mere torture.
I wanted to beg him to tell me, to explain things better, but before I could even open my mouth the twins started making a weird humming sound.
* * *
“Ten minutes. Two. Back door.” They said in their eerie manner and then added “hurry! RUN!”
Jonathan quickly let go of me and shouted a nervous “come on James!”
He took hold of my hand and held very tightly his loaded crossbow. “The twins are trying to look for any peril that might arise in our trip” he said and nervously looked at his sisters.
The girls’ faces where damp with sweat as if they were doing a big effort, and they looked scared. I started to feel my stomach heavy and held tightly my weapon. Would we have to fight again so soon?
In less than two minutes James and Lucrecia reappeared. She had a rucksack on her back and he simply nodded. Ginny and Corbin appeared just a few seconds later and shouted “ready!”
From then on it was a crazy race for our lives. We knew somebody was following us, so the only way was to simply be faster than them and get to the plane. The twins had said that they were two and they would appear at the back of the house so we left through the front door.
We ran like madmen to their Honda van. Corbin took the driver’s seat and James sat at the front beside him. Corbin was fast turning on the engine and giving it some gas. We had no idea of who had our trail and whomever it was wanted us (and especially me) dead.
The road to the airport took us about half and hour at full speed. Corbin took the numerous curves without ever slowing down a bit. I was scared and completely paranoid; I couldn’t stop looking back and expecting to see a car chasing us. Still every time I looked back I saw nothing. We had escaped in time.
Corbin didn’t even slow down when we got to the airport’s boundaries. He even increased the speed until he parked in a private hangar.
A big plane with no visible airline markings was ready and waiting for us. The engines where on and the door was open. Our frantic race continued till we got to the plane and as soon as we where all in there, the plane took-off.
As soon as we where on the plane I sensed us to be the only ones in there besides a male flight attendant and the pilot: they where both human. Luckily I did not feel the hunger lingering inside me; apparently the fight had satiated somehow my bloodlust.
We finally calmed down once we where all seated. The airplane was very spacious and impeccably decorated. It was like a modern living room, being the seats like sofas with belts. The floor had a thick carpet and a small bar was set at the back.
Once I cooled off I started to wonder once more where we were going. Would somebody tell me before I got there? I was even afraid to ask because if nobody said a thing I would surely become upset. I started debating with myself if I should ask them or not when the pilot started speaking.
“Our arrival in Edinburgh airport is estimated for 8:30 am, enjoy the flight” and with a soft static sound he was off.
So we were on our way to Scotland? That was interesting! I felt almost excited! I hadn’t been there since a summer when I was very young with Greta and Thomas but I remembered it as magical. I had loved that trip.
I wanted to know then why we were going there of all places. I liked the idea, but it was all still a mystery. Who was waiting for us there?
My thoughts were going wild and I imagined tons of possibilities, some crazy and some possible until Lucrecia interrupted them. She suddenly stood very quietly in front of me with a glass of something deep red. I took a deep breath and could smell the rich liquor in it, it was fresh blood.
“Here” she said and handed me the glass. “Newly awaken vampires tend to feed more often, and we don’t want you going crazy on the plane. If you attack the pilot we can have a problem”
I had to admit she had a wicked sense of humour. She smiled and raised an eyebrow at me after saying those words. I would have protested if the contents of the glass weren’t so terribly enticing. They smelled heavenly and with a huge gulp I ingested the whole of its content.
“Thanks,” I said and looked at her. She looked somewhat troubled, like she was thinking hard if she should or shouldn’t do something.
“The ones waiting for us . . .” she started and then let her voice trail off. She wanted to tell me for sure, but it seemed hard for her to do so. Several seconds passed and I quietly waited for her to continue. I thought she had changed her mind when she finally started again.
“The ones that will be waiting belong to an order. You could think of them as the vampire equivalent of The Knights Templar. We never really met them but we sort of always knew about them. They have been waiting for you for centuries. They believe in you. Going to them could be our only hope, they are many and strong. We hope that joining them will give us a chance.” She said and looked at me with her molten silver eyes. She was telling the truth.
“They are called The Order of the Black Iris” she added and then simply turned and left me.
My hand instinctively fell to my necklace and I felt calm. So many coincidences, my name, my necklace, the notebook . . . or were they just my destiny?
I smiled and decided to rest, some sleep would surely be beneficial for the hard quest I had ahead. I had to live up to too many expectations, and if I could, I would do my best not to let anybody down.
CHAPTER 13
The Order of the Black Iris
We arrived at Edinburgh airport almost on schedule, mere ten minutes late left us slightly behind in our plans. I felt nervous and excited because even though I knew more about what was going on, I had no clue of what to expect.
My thoughts lingered on my newly acquired and already abandoned bedroom. I had felt so happy and safe there, yet I only got to spend in it one night. One amazing night. The Nightblooming Cereus out my window was so magical: its fragrance still remained in my mind’s eye, and the memory of the skilfully carved flowers gave me a pang of longing.
How could so much have happened in so few days? I had changed; my relationships with people around me had changed (I now could properly say I had a gorgeous boyfriend!) and I wouldn’t even see some people any more. My life had gone a complete 180° turn and if you truly asked me, I had absolutely no certainty on where I stood. No certainty that is, in most matters, I knew how deeply I loved Jonathan and that I had a huge burden on my back now. The whole vampire world depended on me.
Edinburgh airport was small and cosy. I must admit all the fear and anxiety I felt while we were being chased completely disappeared as soon as I stepped on Scottish ground.
We tried to keep a low profile and act as inconspicuous as possible. It was the only way to have a shot on getting to “The Order of the Black Iris” before somebody got to us. I had no idea of how or where we were going to me
et them. They were a complete and intriguing mystery for me . . . I didn’t know even who they really were.
Sometime before we landed James gave me the smallest introduction to the baffling order of vampire knights.
Their origins were uncertain to him, for he knew of their almost spectral existence since he was a small child. They were supposed to lay as underground as possible and held the ancient prophecy almost as a religion. One of their main purposes was to seek and protect the “holy” vampire that would change all things. They believed in certain equal interactions with humans and felt no restraints between the different kinds of vampires. When he started saying all this I thought they were fantastic at first, but he then explained there was a darker side to all things.
They could be quite ruthless at times he heard, and they had started wars in the past. Wars where nobody won and nobody lost; wars with just too many casualties. The Order seemed to get a bit on the fanatical side whenever things got too near their beliefs. Luckily, I was the core of their beliefs and that made me feel much calmer about them.
He had no idea of where they lived or where we would actually meet them. The only thing we knew about them was that they hid somewhere in the UK. They were very secretive about all things and that, I believed, was probably their biggest strength. Very specific directions were given to James through his contact, and we were lucky that they were expecting me, else, they might have not even accepted meeting with us. They were our only hope and I was theirs.
Simple yet intriguing directions were supposed to be followed. We had to get out of the airport and with our own ride head towards our planned hiding place. A place we were told we would never actually get to, for they would contact us somewhere before our planned destination.
Distract my hunger Page 10
