by Cege Smith
Caspian sighed. “Damn. Too late. Hurry now, Connor! We need to bind her before the hybridization takes complete hold of her.”
Caspian grabbed one of her arms and Connor took the other. As Caspian guided them back toward a tree that stood at the edge of the clearing, Connor could see a heavy leather harness encircling the massive base. Angeline started to kick, and Connor almost lost his hold on her.
He looked at Caspian over Angeline’s head.
“Oh yes, very soon she will be coming into her full strength, and once that happens we won’t be able to hold her if she doesn’t want to be held. Quickly now.”
As Angeline struggled and shrieked, Connor and Caspian pushed her into the harness. Caspian quickly wrapped each of her legs and then went around the other side of the tree to pull them tight so that Angeline wasn’t able to move.
Connor was pushing her shoulders against the tree with all of his might even as she pushed back. His breath was coming in short gasps. He winced as he read the black hatred in her thoughts.
Caspian wound another binding around her waist. Connor heard him grunting, trying to pull it as tight as possible on the other side. He couldn’t believe it, but he could see the binds bulging as Angeline pushed with all of her night. The final binding was a head cap that enclosed the tops of her shoulders, neck, and the top portion of her head. As soon as Connor felt the slight give as Caspian pulled her head back, he pulled away. Although the bindings appeared to be holding her, there was nothing stopping her from screaming. And scream she did.
Caspian came back around the tree and clasped Connor on the shoulder. “Well done, boy. Subduing a wraith is no easy task, even for our kind. Don’t worry about this one. She’ll be shiny and new in no time. She’ll wiggle and writhe around on that rough bark and it will scrub that old skin right off of her. Nothing to do now but wait. C’mon. Let’s go have a sip of something spicy.”
Connor stood and looked at the quaking woman in front of him. He could see that Caspian was right. Even as she struggled, small flakes of skin were falling in rapid succession and gathering at her feet. But it was her eyes that shook him. He saw murder there, and he knew that at that moment, the person she wanted to murder was him.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The pain was excruciating. Angeline floated on the edges of consciousness and tried to hold onto some semblance of self. But it was difficult. She felt the other presence there. It lurked in the darkness, enjoying her pain. Feeding on her pain even. She felt hot and then cold, and her skin felt like there were a million little spiders crawling just beneath the surface. The sensation was driving her mad and she just wanted to scratch her skin until it was bloody and raw.
Occasionally she knew that she was screaming, and soon she tasted blood in the back of her throat. She was equally repulsed and attracted by it. She knew it was her own blood but it didn’t matter. The simple taste of it awakened a hunger that felt like it was going to consume her whole. She was alive but wished to be dead. And just when she was sure she couldn’t take it anymore, her eyes opened and it was as though she was seeing the world for the first time.
She remembered the crispness in her vision that she noticed earlier, but now things looked sharper and even more real. She could see all the way across the clearing and she would swear that in some places she could see through the trees themselves. She saw the shapes of things crawling and creeping through the woods. Her heart started to race as she saw that these shapes were vaguely human, and seemed to be floating in an angry swarm in her general direction.
“What is it? What do you see?” Caspian had appeared at her side.
Angeline realized with a start that she was still bound tightly to the tree that he had tied her to earlier. “Let me go,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Not quite yet,” he said absently. He pointed out toward the other side of the clearing. “You see something out there. What do you see?”
“Trees,” she replied. Her sarcasm was evident.
Caspian looked at her with disappointment. “If you are who you say you are, and your motivations are what you say they are, then things are going to go much smoother and faster if you cooperate with me. I’ve got all the time in the world. From what I understand, you do not.”
Angeline was frustrated that he was right and annoyed that she was going to have to work with this old vampire who clearly had no appreciation for her or her standing. But she couldn’t return to her old life without him. So her lessons had begun.
She squinted back across the clearing. The swarm of figures was still there. But they had stopped about ten feet back from the final circle of trees that formed the boundary of the clearing. “I don’t know who they are, but it looks like there are people out there. They came toward us fast, but now they’ve stopped.”
Caspian nodded in approval. “Good. Your second sight appears to be fully functional.” He moved back to her side out of her line of sight.
“My what?” Angeline asked.
“Your second sight. Not all wraiths develop it. You have to be strong in spirit and have a solid bloodline. I was hoping that your blood hadn’t been sullied somewhere along the way, and lucky you, it appears that it hasn’t.”
Angeline felt a loosening of the bindings around her body, and then suddenly she was free. The unexpectedness of it caused her to pitch forward and she fell heavily to the ground into a pile of white dust.
“Oww! A little warning would have been nice,” she said as she pulled herself up to her feet. Her dress was in tatters and she flushed as she realized how much of her body was exposed. She turned and found herself staring into those gorgeous emerald eyes.
“Turn away!” she demanded as she put her hands up to cover herself. “I’d like some new clothes,” she said through clenched teeth.
Connor chuckled but turned a quarter turn so that he was looking out at the forest and not at her. He held out his hand, and in it she saw a long white robe. She snatched it out of his hand and quickly slid it over her shoulders.
“Caspian mentioned that wraiths usually completely destroy their clothing ripping the old skin off their bodies, so I thought that you might be in need of some new attire,” he said. His tone was amused.
“It’s disgusting,” she said.
“Well, you’re the one standing in it,” he said, pointing to the white dust at her feet.
Angeline looked down at her feet. She yelped and dashed into the clearing, beating at her robe to get all the small flakes off of her. When she was satisfied she turned and saw both Connor and Caspian were openly laughing at her.
“This isn’t funny!” she yelled. And then the worst thing possible happened. She felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks and she started to cry. It was all too much. She felt like her old life had been sloughed away just like her old skin.
Then strong arms encircled her and she didn’t have the energy to push them away. It wasn’t fair. She didn’t want this man comforting her, but when he did it felt right. She was angrier at him than she had ever been at anyone, but he was the only one who had the slightest inkling of what had happened to her. And he had promised that he would take her home; as long as she was able to control her behavior and act human. She cried for what seemed like a long time, and then the sobs finally subsided. He just held her and didn’t say a word, and his silence was comforting.
She felt a calming energy wash over her and she knew that it came from him. She didn’t know how, but he was able to transmit a general suggestion and it was like her body automatically wanted to obey. The thin robe seemed like an unnecessary barrier between them, and she almost ripped it off. She felt relaxed and curious.
His arms loosened but he didn’t let her go. She looked up at him. “You won’t leave me, right?” The words slipped out before she could catch them.
“I keep my promises, Princess,” he said softly.
Just for a moment she thought that he was going to kiss her. Then Caspian was at their side.
/> “We’ve got work to do. You through with the dramatics now?” he asked her.
Angeline flushed again, but this time with anger. “If you can please provide some proper attire then I would be happy to get started. The sooner the better.” She could still feel the presence in the back of her mind jabbering about her closeness to Connor, and she sensed that standing around in the robe any longer could lead to bad things. Good things, whispered the voice in her mind. Bad things. Angeline scowled.
“I have a few things that may work,” Caspian said, rubbing his chin and looking Angeline up and down. “There.” He pointed to the left “eye” of the face in the rock wall.
“Fine,” Angeline said and she started toward the “mouth” cave entrance.
“Where are you going?” Caspian asked.
“Up there,” Angeline said, pointing at the left eye.
“You won’t get up there by going in there,” Caspian said.
Angeline turned. “Well then tell me how to get there.”
Caspian shrugged. “You jump, of course.”
“Jump? How am I supposed to do that?” Angeline said. She was becoming tired of the little vampire already and they hadn’t even started yet. She could feel a headache coming on, and she wasn’t sure if it was the voice in her head or her annoyance with Caspian that was causing it.
Connor whispered to her in a conspiratorial voice, “It’s quite easy once you get used to it. You just jump.”
She felt a swoosh of air blow her hair up into her eyes and then she heard laughing above her head. She looked up to see Connor standing in the eye looking down at her with his hands on his hips.
“Since you’re up there, how about you go ahead and bring something down here for me to try on?” she called up to him. She had no idea how he had gotten so high so fast, and she didn’t have any idea how to mimic what he had just done.
Connor crossed his arms and shook his head. “Nope. I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to pick out something that would be fitting enough for such a royal lady.”
She looked at Caspian. He shook his head too. “Really, girl, we’re wasting time. If you have to have a different set of attire then you’ll have to go up and get it yourself.”
She stomped her foot in frustration. She walked closer to the wall. She looked up and it was so tall that it made her dizzy. She closed her eyes to calm her thoughts. Just jump, Connor said. She could jump. Everyone knew how to jump. She just needed the jump to carry her a tiny bit further than she was used to going. She took a deep breath and bent her knees. She felt silly, but she wasn’t going to spend the rest of her time there dressed in a robe. Then she squatted further into the stance, and jumped.
She felt the air push against her skin and she opened her eyes to see that she was propelling straight up the wall. The shock caused her to cry out and she started to flail just as she reached the eye where Connor was standing. Once she disrupted her forward momentum, it was like gravity took over again and started to pull her down. Her hands shot out and she grabbed the edge of the eye just before it was out of reach. She dug her fingertips into the dirt floor and pulled herself into the socket and landed heavily on the floor. She wound the robe tighter around herself as she picked herself up.
She could see that Connor was amused but he said nothing. “Thanks for the help,” she said.
“I knew you could do it,” he replied. “Your wardrobe, Princess.” He brought his hand up and pointed into the room.
Now that she was there, Angeline could see that the room extended back at least twenty feet into the rock wall. Lit tapers were placed along the tunnel at regular intervals so that she could easily see all the way to the back. The cave had a decidedly feminine feel to it. There was a mannequin form with a heavy brocade gown hanging on it that would have looked more in place in her bedroom closet than a cave in the middle of the Amaron Forest. There was a cot placed along the wall and the quilt was a beautiful deep cherry color that made Angeline’s mouth water. A tall mirror stood in the back next to a rack of other gowns, which, as Angeline drew closer, she could see were in varying sizes. There was a small writing desk on the other side under one of the tapers neatly set up with pieces of paper and a fountain pen.
She looked at Connor questioningly.
“In the other ‘eye’ he has his ‘guest’ room if his company is male,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Supposedly, the more you remember your human life, the better off you will be during your training.”
“I see,” she said faintly. She had no intention of staying with Caspian any longer than she had to. “So if I understood him correctly, now that he has agreed to train me, I cannot leave until he gives me permission?”
Connor nodded. “Not that I think you would want to in any case, Princess. I think you are beginning to understand how dangerous you would be to anyone that you cared about in this state without the proper training.”
“Angeline,” she said absently.
“What?” he asked.
“Stop with the formality. While we are here, I am just…Angeline,” she said. She ran her fingers along the gowns on the rack. The sensations coming through the pads on the tips of her fingers were exquisite and she shivered in delight.
“Are you cold…Angeline?” Connor asked.
“No,” she replied, turning to him. “I just feel so strange.”
He nodded, looking relieved. “You are something so much more than you were before; it will take some getting used to.”
“You and Caspian fear what I have become though.” It wasn’t a question.
Connor’s expression was pained. “It is so hard to explain. What you are now is beautiful, charming, and good. Your change multiplies all of those gifts that you already had by ten. It is an amazing thing to behold.”
“But…” Angeline prodded.
“But, there is a cost to any gift like this,” he said. “It is a dark gift. And there are consequences. But with Caspian’s help, you should be able to mitigate almost all of it. You will be able to go home and be queen.”
Angeline felt so far removed from that part of her life anymore. It was like the more time she spent in this faraway place, the less she felt tied to that life, that person. She wanted to grab her head and shake out this bad thing that had lodged itself inside her mind. She couldn’t disappoint her father. She couldn’t let her people down. So much was riding on her Ascension. She couldn’t lose her connection to that.
“A dark gift? That’s an interesting way to look at it, especially considering how you feel about your own state,” she finally said.
“I’m not any good at explaining this,” Connor said. “I don’t spend a lot of time in the coven. Monroe says that it’s better that way since my manner can be off-putting to the rest of my fellow coven members.”
His confession was surprising, and Angeline softened. “I’m sorry if I offended. I only meant that calling this a gift at all seems like a falsehood. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. A fairytale with an unhappy ending.”
Connor smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s why I volunteered to bring you to the Master. I am tired of this existence. I want to forget that it ever happened.”
“What do you mean?” Angeline asked. “Your gift carries the sentence of immortality.” Another thought struck her. “Does this mean that I’ll be immortal too?”
Connor shifted and looked out into the night. “Perhaps you should get dressed, Prin—Angeline. I am sure Caspian has grown impatient, and if even half of the coven rumors about him are true, you don’t want him grumpy during your training.”
Angeline was going to push him but then heard a shout from below.
“What’s the holdup up there? I don’t have all night, you know!”
Caspian’s insinuation made Angeline flush. “I guess you’re right. Can you please excuse me?”
Connor nodded and then gracefully stepped off the ledge and was gone.
“To be continued…” she said as she turned
her attention back to the rack of gowns.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ten minutes later she stood on the edge of the eye and looked out into the night. At this height, she could see across the tops of many of the trees in the forest. The moon was full and bright in the sky and she almost swooned over how lovely it was. She felt like she had never truly seen it before. Her new eyes could pick out the smallest cracks and edges on the surface that she had never been able to distinguish before.
Then she saw the tree tops sway from miles away off to her left, moving almost like a snake in her direction. What was that? As if answering her question, she felt her mind reach out toward the movement. She hit a wall of icy cold. That thing inside her mind probed the edges but the wall was solid and unwavering. The movement through the trees stopped, and Angeline had the impression that it was now aware of her.
She felt a frozen tendril grab onto that little mental finger that she was using to probe it, and PULL. She cried out in pain. It was like the connection between her and it created a bridge, and the thing on the other side was reaching out across that bridge toward her mind.
Then there was a strong mental yank, and Angeline felt herself pitch off of the ledge and she was falling. She heard Connor shout and she knew the ground rushed to greet her, but she couldn’t think straight because of the thing mauling its cold fingertips through her mind.
Strong arms caught her just before she hit the ground and then she felt Caspian’s presence.
“What is it?” she heard Connor ask anxiously.
Caspian didn’t answer. Instead, he put his hands against Angeline’s head. Caspian’s hands were cold as well, but nothing compared to the frozen death creeping into her head.
Caspian whispered a few words and then suddenly she felt the grip on her mind loosen, and then it was gone altogether. Her chest heaved and she felt like she had been violated.
“Stupid girl.” Caspian spat on the ground as Connor gently set her on her feet. Angeline saw that the glob was spotted red. She felt a trickle down the side of her cheek. She reached up and felt a wetness coming from her ear. She pulled her hand away. It was bright red.
