Prophecy: Caelestis and Aurorea [A Vampires Realm Novel]

by F. E. Heaton

  She smiled and avoided looking at Venturi when she left the room. It was clear he didn't approve of what she'd asked Mathias to do, but it was the only option left.

  Venturi watched her go and then turned to face the Aurorea that he was left standing next to.

  "You will send her into darkness and trap her with a vision that could torment her?” he said, not keeping the venom from his voice. What did he care if the Aurorea saw his concern about Prophecy?

  "I will keep an eye on her. If she appears restless, I will give her the antidote. I am not going to risk her, Valentine would never forgive me if I did, but I cannot refuse her request.” Mathias opened a box and took out four round, polished stones. He placed one at each corner of the partial manuscript.

  Venturi couldn't understand how Mathias could agree to Prophecy's request. He knew the drug she was speaking of and he knew how dangerous it would be to use it to make her sleep. If the visions she had affected her emotionally like a vision from blood could, then it would be insane to trap her with one. There was no guarantee that what she saw wouldn't distress her and with the drug in effect, she'd have no way of waking herself up. He had used the drug before and the one he had used it on had shown no sign of movement. It had rendered them unconscious, not put them to sleep.

  He dug his fingernails into the table and growled, struggling to control the feelings inside of him. It was her choice and her decision to make. If she wanted to risk her sanity for the sake of a vision, he couldn't stop her.

  "At least let me be the one to watch her,” he said.

  "Why?"

  "I have sworn to protect her, to guard her. I should be the one to keep a watch over her. If she shows the slightest sign of panic, I will wake her."

  Mathias eyed him closely and then sighed.

  "So be it. I am not one to argue when it is pointless. She may only show the tiniest sign of distress. The antidote will take effect quickest if you inject her in the neck."

  "I know how to use it,” he said and then reminded himself that he had told Prophecy he would be kind to her companions. “I mean, I thank you for your instructions, but I am not a youngling."

  "Valentine's jacket is in his room. Go upstairs and it is the third door on your left. You can check if Prophecy is ready while you are there. Her door is the one nearest the stairs.” Mathias bent over the parchment and pulled a book towards him.

  Venturi watched him flick the book open and begin leafing through the pages and then he turned towards the door. Heading up the stairs, he kept the Aurorea's instructions in mind and paused at the door that should have been Prophecy's. He pressed his ear to it and reached out with his senses, trying to find her on the other side. He could hear water running and could smell some kind of perfume or scented product. Closing his eyes, he dragged himself away, running his fingers over the door as he went.

  Going to the room where he was supposed to find the drug, he pushed the door open and inhaled deeply. It smelt like the vampire he'd met. He scanned the objects in the room and then stopped when he reached the bed. Laying neatly on it was the jacket that must have belonged to the Aurorea. It was a rich red colour and trimmed with gold decoration. The way it was laid out said a lot about its owner. It hadn't been discarded or thrown onto the bed. It had been placed there with much respect and care. He wondered just what kind of man it was that Prophecy proclaimed to be in love with.

  He had half a mind to take the box out of the pocket and toss the jacket back onto the bed, but he couldn't bring himself to go through with it. Picking it up, he carefully removed the box that Prophecy had said would be in the inside pocket, and equally as carefully laid the jacket down on the bed. He smoothed the sleeves and stared at it.

  It was strange that an item of clothing could draw respect from him, but it did. Whoever this man was, he had once had standing within his family and from what he'd learnt from Prophecy, he was extremely skilled. Maybe he wasn't such a youngling after all.

  "What are you doing in here?"

  He turned on hearing Prophecy's voice. She was standing in the doorway, a towel still held against her damp hair while her other hand secured the one around her body.

  "I...” He was lost for words as he stared at her.

  She came forwards and looked at the jacket, her already red eyes refilling with tears on seeing it.

  "I came to get the drug,” he said at last and showed her the box. “Do not cry. I do not think so proud a man as this Valentine would like to know you are crying over him."

  He went to reach out to brush away the tear on her cheek but she rubbed the back of her hand across her face, disposing of it.

  "I miss him,” she said in a voice heavy with emotion.

  His chest tightened and he took a step forwards, wanting to comfort her just as Mathias had done on their arrival. She turned away, evading his touch. All he could do was watch her. She pressed a kiss to her fingers and brushed it against the collar of the jacket.

  "He looks so beautiful in it. He was wearing it the night that we met and when he saved me from certain death. When I discover where he is, I'll take it to him. He'll be glad to see it again."

  She walked past him and out into the hall, pausing only briefly at the door to look back into the room. But she didn't look at him. Her focus was wholly with the jacket and he could see her thoughts were with its owner.

  Tightening his grip on the box, Venturi followed her into her room and closed the door behind him. He waited for her come back out of the bathroom. When she did, his eyes followed her progress across the room. She had changed into a satin nightdress. Its soft black material clung to her curves.

  He swallowed when she sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him.

  "Isn't Mathias coming?” she said.

  He shook his head. “He is going to start translating the scroll. I have said I would watch you and revive you if you show signs of distress."

  He was a little surprised when she lie back on the bed, accepting his words without any question. He'd expected her to demand that Mathias be the one to look after her, especially after the amount of time they'd spent bickering and the fact that he'd made no effort to conceal his growing feelings for her.

  Approaching her, he toyed with the slim wooden box and opened the catch when he reached her. Pulling the lid up, he saw that one of the phials of black and one of the clear had already been used. He looked at Prophecy and saw in her eyes that she had an explanation.

  "I didn't say that I had gone with him willingly. In fact, he kidnapped me."

  "He kidnapped you?” He placed the box down on the small cupboard beside the bed.

  "I prefer that to what he should have done.” She smiled at him and slipped under the bed covers, drawing them up to her chest.

  His eyes came to rest on the marks there. He could clearly see the ones on her shoulders now as well as the one over her heart.

  "What should he have done?” His tone was dreamy as he stared at the mark on her left shoulder, mesmerised by all of the symbols etched around the star.

  "Executed me."

  He stared straight into her eyes, his own reflecting his disbelief. She didn't seem at all disturbed by what she'd just told him and he couldn't believe how light her tone had been, as though it didn't matter that the man she so badly wanted to rescue was the one who should have killed her.

  "There's no need to look like that. He saved me, didn't he? He's the reason I'm here today and not dust in the wind like so many people want me to be.” Her eyes moved to rest on the box. “Now if you don't mind ... I'd like to sleep."

  He kept his eyes fixed on her a moment longer and then turned towards the box. Taking up the syringe, he pulled out one of the small glass bottles of toxin and punctured the lid with the needle. Drawing the liquid into the syringe, he contemplated what he was about to do. As much as he was against drugging her, he had no say in it. All he could do was watch over her and wake her the second she needed him to.

  "Ready?�
� he said.

  She nodded and closed her eyes.

  Leaning over her, he slowly injected her neck, wincing at the same time she did. He withdrew the needle when it was empty and placed it back in the box, waiting a few seconds before pulling her left eyelid up.

  Black.

  Dragging a chair across the room, he placed it next to the bed and sat down in it. He filled the syringe with the clear liquid and tightly gripped it, staring at her.

  The second she looked as though she was in trouble, he was going to wake her.

  He didn't care if she hadn't had a vision, or if she'd only been asleep for five seconds.

  He wasn't going to let her get hurt.

  He'd never let her get hurt.

  Chapter 5

  "Mother?” Prophecy called out into the darkness.

  It was cold and even in vampire guise she couldn't see anything. The blood in her veins felt icy and her body was beginning to ache.

  "Mother, are you there?” she said again but still no reply came.

  She wondered what kind of vision this was. The last time she had been in a void like this, it had been when she'd somehow travelled into the stone in her amulet. She looked up at the sky, but there was no light.

  Wrapping her arms about herself, she wondered where she was. It was getting colder and it was beginning to make her sleepy. Her head was heavy and her limbs were unresponsive. Sitting on the floor, she tried to keep her eyes open, but found it was impossible.

  Lying down, she curled up into a ball and sighed out her breath.

  "Valentine."

  She breathed in sharply when she felt suddenly light and her feet felt as though they were dropping. She was falling. She fluttered her eyes open and instead of being surrounded by inky blackness, she was lying in a park. The tall green trees swayed in the breeze and it drew her attention to the storm-swept sky behind them. The lightness of the clouds told her it was still day out but it didn't frighten her. The sun couldn't do her any harm. None of this was real, yet.

  Getting to her feet, she wondered where she had been before if this was her vision. Wherever it was, it had been cold and numbing. She had felt alone and weary, so tired that she had wanted to give in.

  She looked around her at the empty park and then up at the building in front of her. Its height was impressive as well as its length. On top of its spiked stone façade was a large terracotta-coloured dome. Her attention remained with it and she tried to make out the colours of the flag it was flying.

  "Prophecy,” someone whispered and she turned on the spot, searching for the owner of the voice.

  It was a voice that she knew well. Not her mother this time, but the man she was searching for.

  "Valentine? Where are you?” she said and continued to turn. He was nowhere to be seen. She tried to convince herself that her mind was playing tricks on her. She'd been thinking about him so much that she'd managed to influence her vision. Shaking her head, she tried to rid it of any thoughts, wanting it clear so she would only see what she was supposed to.

  She walked to the gate of the park and out towards a river she could see. It was broad and dark, muddier than the one that cut her city in half. She stared across it to the other bank and up at a church that sat on the hill.

  The scene spun around her and she gasped when she was suddenly at the foot of the hill she'd been staring at. She held her hands out by her side, trying to steady herself and stop the world from spinning. Her head throbbed with pain.

  A female voice muttered words that she couldn't quite make out and she felt drawn to the church at the top of the slope. She started towards the stairs that were in front of her and then paused when she finally noticed the building that covered the hillside. Its pale stone was a stark contrast against the darkening sky. The turrets and arches made it look like part of a fairytale castle rather than something she would see in the real world. She ran her eyes along the length of it, from the keep at one end, past the wide stone steps that climbed the hill, to the long turreted building on her left. Directly in front of her, she could see the imposing church, its tiled roof reflecting what little light there was.

  Something caught on the edge of her senses and she focused her attention on it. Her eyes remained fixed on the church, but she no longer saw it. All she could see was a blur and all she could feel were the signatures of those approaching her.

  She turned at the same time as the woman's voice got louder and clearer. The words the woman uttered were in a language Prophecy didn't recognise. Power surged through her. She grasped her wrist, holding her hand steady and bringing it up.

  Splaying her fingers, she set her jaw tight and knit her brows. She stared at the group of vampires in front of her. The leader stepped forwards and slid into vampire guise, revealing fiery orange eyes to her.

  "Nocens,” she said, more to herself than to them.

  She could feel the magic weaving its way around her hand and waited for them to approach her.

  The man placed one foot down in front of him and the world spun again. She fell to her knees and grasped the tiles beneath her while her head continued to spin and ache. Thunder boomed out overhead and she flinched away from it, expecting rain to fall on her. She was surprised when it didn't and raised her head long enough to see that she was now inside the church.

  She pushed herself up and frowned when pain lanced through her. Pressing her hand into her side, she brought it away and stared at the blood coating it. Whatever had happened that the vision hadn't shown her, she had been hurt. She swallowed hard and pressed her amulet to it. Focusing, she breathed deeply and willed the magic to come and heal her. She smiled when her flesh knitted back together and then leaned heavily against one of the wooden pews.

  Taking in her surroundings, she tried to clear the fuzziness from her head and avoided looking at the large cross that stood behind the altar. She could never understand how Valentine could look at them without flinching.

  She stepped out into the aisle and wondered where she was supposed to go now. Inside the church was silent. The only sound was the distant thunder outside and the heavy raindrops on the roof. She could only see a few feet without changing into vampire guise. None of the candles had been lit but the bright flashes of lightning outside helped illuminate her path towards the altar.

  She stopped just before she reached it and closed her eyes. She felt drawn towards something but couldn't make out where it was. Turning slowly on the spot, she waited until the pull inside of her was strongest and then opened her eyes and started walking in that direction. She paused when she found a door and opened it. Peering down into the dark depths, she could see a flickering light near the bottom of the spiral staircase. She followed it down, going around in a tight circle and gripping the central column so she didn't fall if she stumbled.

  The steps reminded her of her family's mansion in Prague and she thought about the fact that Valentine had carried her down those steps. It must have been difficult. Maybe he'd slung her over his shoulder. She smiled at the image of that and then shook her head. She was sure that he'd probably carried her carefully in his arms, cradling her. He was so gentlemanly like that.

  Venturi would have just flung her over his shoulder.

  She frowned and pushed him out of her thoughts.

  Reaching the bottom step, she walked out into the dimly lit crypt and searched the room, trying to find what had drawn her down there. At the end of the room was another door. It was metal and locked with several heavy bolts and padlocks. She wondered what it contained. Whatever it was, it was calling to her and she couldn't ignore it.

  Her feet moved of their own volition, leading her towards the door. She raised her hand up and called the magic. It came quickly and she smiled at her progress. Valentine would have been proud of her.

  When she released the magic, she ducked behind the nearest tomb. The sound of metal ripping open filled her ears, reminding her of the dying screams of the vampires she'd slain in the Tenebrae castle.
She shut out the memory and looked over the top of the stone sarcophagus.

  The door was completely torn to shreds and hanging off its hinges. She approached it slowly, peering into the darkness on the other side and feeling the pull inside of her growing stronger the closer that she got.

  Looking around, she spotted an unlit torch on the wall and grabbed it. She walked over to the other lit torches and set it alight before carrying it with her into the room.

  It was empty except for a stone box with a heavy looking lid. The walls were encrusted with dust and dirt and she got the impression that no one came in there. She placed the torch into one of the iron holders on the wall and then looked back at the box.

  Holding her hand a few inches away from it, she could feel the power radiating off it. She stared at the stone in her amulet when it began to glow brightly and her stars began to itch and burn.

  "Don't be scared."

  She smiled on hearing her mother's voice and took a deep breath. “I'm not scared."

  Grabbing hold of the lid, she slid it off. It tumbled to the floor. She cocked her head to one side when she saw the piece of cloth covering something inside and bent over to pick it up. It was thick and felt heavy in her hands. She could feel power in it and it felt familiar. Carrying it with her back into the other room, she placed it down on the tomb she'd hidden behind when blowing up the door.

  She was about to open the cloth to reveal the contents when the whole scene shifted and she found herself face to face with the three witches of Paris.

  She looked around her at the familiar icy room and then back at them.

  They were speaking but she couldn't hear them and she held her hand out as they began to fade. She tried to move but her feet wouldn't cooperate. She felt bound, stuck to the floor. Her hands flew out at her sides and she struggled against the invisible bonds that were holding her fast. The darkness encroached, surrounding her, and the cold swept in again, numbing her body and making her drowsy. Closing her eyes, she struggled against the overwhelming pain that filled her but it kept growing and growing until she felt ready to pass out.