Prophecy: Caelestis and Aurorea [A Vampires Realm Novel]

by F. E. Heaton

  She nodded. “I did. I know them now."

  "That is a good thing. A secret, even one you are unconscious of carrying, is a heavy burden to bear.” He moved around her and she could feel his eyes wandering over her again.

  She kept her face forwards and stared at the tapestries that hung on the rear wall of the room behind Hyperion's throne.

  "Not as heavy as the weight I bear from the prophecy,” she said and when he made it back around to the front of her, he frowned and nodded.

  "The burden you bear is not one which will be easily dispatched but there is a great strength in you, the likes of which I have never seen before.” He moved back to his throne and sat down. “What is it you want from me?"

  "I need your help to save someone from my blood brother, Arkalus, and the lord of Aurorea. They are holding him at the Aurorea's mansion not far from here.” Her voice trembled while she spoke and she couldn't stop her nerves from showing. She had felt fine before and almost at ease around him, but she didn't know how he would react to her request and it made her uneasy.

  He sighed and leaned back into his chair. “That I cannot offer you. I have kept my hounds at bay, but I cannot align myself with you, not at this juncture."

  Disappointment weighed heavy in her stomach, making her feel sick. “Why not? I need your help, Hyperion, and you turn me away?"

  "It is too risky."

  "Is this because of Ineru?"

  His eyes darkened. “This has nothing to do with her. Leave her out of this."

  "Have the Law Keepers found her? I met two in Budapest and they weren't there looking for me. Just like they weren't looking for me at the masquerade."

  "She is safe. They will not find her,” he said and she got the feeling that there was a deeper reason behind why he had been so reluctant to see her.

  "Is she here?” She watched his face closely.

  He paused and it told her everything that she needed to know.

  "I understand now why you won't help me,” she said.

  "I will help in any way that I can without openly aligning myself with you. When it has passed, you can count on my assistance. I need to know that she is safe first.” The pensive look on his face disappeared and he smiled at her. “My Watchmen have reported to me in the past that you are searching for the scrolls. I was against splitting them. It was a tactic devised by the elders to scare the younglings and keep the truth about you hidden."

  "We have one part of the scroll, but the other is lost and the one lead we had was murdered before we could speak to them,” she said.

  "It is in London."

  Her eyes widened. Was he being serious? He knew the location of the second part of the scroll? She stepped towards him, struggling for words while she thought over the connotations of what he'd said. They had been so close to it all this time.

  "The British Museum has it. It is on display there and they describe it as a cuneiform text of unknown origin. It is not dated."

  She didn't know what to say.

  His smile widened. “It will be easy to find. You have seen the other half. You will recognise it."

  She laughed at the word easy. She'd lost hope of discovering where it was and now the location of it had fallen into her lap.

  "Thank you,” she said and frowned when he shook his head and sighed.

  "I wish that I could be of more assistance to you, but my sister needs me more. Love makes her weak, but it only serves to strengthen you. I am certain that you will succeed in rescuing your love.” He stood again and walked to her, his lips still curved into a slight smile.

  She didn't stop him when he placed his hand under hers and raised it. He pressed a kiss to it and looked deep into her eyes.

  "Just as I am certain that we shall meet again,” he said. “Do not hesitate to contact me if you require my assistance in the future. Ineru will leave this place tonight if she has not already. When the Law Keepers come, I will not tell them you were here."

  "And I won't tell them that Ineru was here if I see them,” she said and bowed her head. “It has been ... interesting."

  He laughed again, cutting the silence in the house. “Next time, bring me a battle. I have waited too long for a decent war."

  "You won't have to wait much longer. I can promise you that.” She took her hand back and found herself trapped in his eyes again when he looked at her.

  "My raven will escort you to the gates. Do not let my Watchmen frighten you. They are honoured by meeting you and will talk about it for many weeks to come."

  She was the one who laughed this time. “They talk? I can't imagine them chatting to each other."

  "We wear the mask of strength to hide our weaknesses and fears. The Validus are not so mighty as people believe. We are vampires like any of the other pure bloodlines and enjoy socialising as much as they do. It is only our age that makes people fear us. With good sense and these battles to hone your skills, you will live to be as old as I."

  "I hope so. Thank you again,” she said and he waved to the raven. She watched it fly overhead and land on the banister of the stairs in the next room.

  "Until we meet again,” he said when she looked back at him.

  "Until then.” She held her hand up and then walked towards the door. When she reached it, she looked over her shoulder at him. He smiled broadly and nodded at her.

  Facing the raven and letting it guide her out of the palace, she raised her brows and sighed. Hyperion wasn't anything like she'd expected. It was hard for her to remember how old he was whenever she looked at him. He had spent over three thousand years walking this earth and he looked as though he'd lived no more than thirty. Seeing him made her think that her species was blessed rather than cursed. To see the world change around you and remain physically unchanged yourself. She wanted that but it was something she didn't know if she would achieve. Valentine had promised not to let her grow old or die. When the time was right, she intended to make him keep that promise.

  She thanked the raven with a nod when she reached the gate. It cawed, hopped around on the wet floor, flapped its wings and disappeared into the darkness.

  She looked at the cloudy sky.

  At least the rain was letting up.

  And she had one more person on her side. She was sure that Hyperion would keep his word and would fight beside her when the time came.

  She glanced at the two guards when she passed them. What was it Hyperion had called them? Watchmen. She remembered Iona calling crows that. The guards looked as dark and menacing as the raven that had escorted her. They definitely deserved their name.

  Walking along the road in the direction of the Aurorea's mansion, she started to formulate her plan of attack. She would need to get the lay of the land. If possible, she intended to get in and get out unnoticed.

  If possible.

  Something told her it wasn't going to be that easy.

  But she had the strength to do this.

  So many people had told her that now, that she was starting to believe them.

  Nothing was going to stand between her and rescuing Valentine.

  Nothing.

  Chapter 13

  Prophecy pulled her hair back into a ponytail, checked that her bag was secure and then inhaled deeply. From her position in the tree, she could see almost all of the mansion grounds. There were guards patrolling the perimeter wall in groups of three and at least four men were stationed at the main entrance to the building at all times. She scanned the grounds again, trying to work out the points at which the patrol groups always passed each other. She would have to get past them unnoticed if she was going to even make it into the house. Once inside, she was happy to deal with anyone who had the misfortune to cross her path.

  Her eyes scanned the building. It was almost as gloomy in appearance as her family's mansion could be sometimes. The stone walls were rain-soaked, making them dark grey and dull, but warm light emanated from a few of the windows, brightening it a little. The main entrance was rai
sed up, almost high enough for it to look like the first floor. She dropped her gaze to the floor below it. There were no lights on at that level and the windows were smaller. She slipped into vampire guise and narrowed her eyes, trying to make out whether something was covering the windows. It would be easy to black them out so people on the outside wouldn't be able to tell if the lights were on in those rooms.

  Closing her eyes, she extended her senses, hoping to catch Valentine's signature amongst the mixed Aurorea and Caelestis scents. There were more Aurorea than Caelestis. Arkalus was playing a dangerous game.

  She opened her eyes and looked at the group of guards who were passing the section of the wall nearest her hiding place in the forest. Focusing on them, she was able to make out that two of the guards were Aurorea and the third was a Caelestis. It was clearly Arkalus’ attempt to keep some control. She wondered if Kalinor knew about his betrayal. If he did, there was a chance Arkalus could be dead already. She hoped he wasn't. She wanted that pleasure herself.

  Her thoughts about him were answered when a light pierced the darkness. She moved her attention back to the main entrance of the mansion and growled under her breath when she saw Kalinor and Arkalus descending the steps. A car drove around from the back and stopped near the gate not far from her. She placed her bag over her shoulder and dropped down from the tree. Slipping quietly across to the wall, she hid in the bushes, as close to the gate as possible.

  Where were they going?

  She listened hard and caught snippets of their conversation. They were talking about an invitation and it being a great honour to be seen by such a man. She racked her brain for who they could be talking about and then a smile crept onto her lips when she realised there was only one vampire that everyone would think it was an honour to be invited to see.

  Hyperion.

  Watching the car leave, she placed her bag down in the bushes. She would be leaving this way, so it was the best place to put it. She ducked back into the woods and headed around the wall to the opposite end of the house. She reached out with her senses when she reached the back of it and smiled in satisfaction when no signatures came back to her. Looking across at the trees, she calculated the distance between them and the high wall. Easy.

  Taking a deep breath, she ran at the tree, kicked off it and back flipped onto the top of the wall. She held her arms out for a moment to steady herself and then flipped down into the darkness on the other side. She crouched low, using her senses to tell her whether anyone was coming and then dashed across the wide expanse of grass to the building. Pressing her back flat against it, she paused for a moment, assessing which was the best way to go. There was no way she would make it through the main entrance. The guards were no match for her and her magic but there was no point in fighting unnecessary battles when she could find a way to slip in. Now that Arkalus and Kalinor had been removed from the equation, she could easily rescue Valentine. She made a mental note to thank Hyperion for his assistance the next time she saw him.

  She snuck along the wall, keeping her senses reaching out in all directions around her. There had to be a back entrance to the mansion like hers had. The humans who had originally owned the house would have employed servants, and they would have had their own way in.

  She smiled when she saw it and then it faded from her face when her fingers tingled. She looked down at her hand and saw thin ribbons of magic weaving around her hand. They were red.

  Valentine.

  Her eyes scanned along the windows above her and then those that she was level with. He was close. She focused on his scent that was locked in her memory and smiled inside when she caught a faint sign of it on her senses. The feeling of comfort it gave her surprised her with its strength and made her want to cry when she thought about what he'd been through, what she'd been through, and how close she was to saving him.

  Continuing towards the door, she picked up a few more signatures. Judging by their faintness, they were on the other side of the wall. She braced herself and then peered around the corner and through the open door. Ducking back again, she readied herself. There were three of them, obviously another patrol that had either done their work for the night or were about to go out.

  There was no way she was going to be able to kill them all before they managed to raise the alarm. The minute she made her move, she was going to have to fight all the way to Valentine.

  Flexing her fingers, she hoped that she had enough control over the magic now to use it in such a confined space. Nerves fluttered in her stomach. There was a chance that she could end up bringing the house down, but it was a chance she had to take.

  The magic built up in the palm of her hand and she gave a thought to her mother's book. Maybe it would give her the knowledge she needed in order to control the magic and use it in different ways. She had learnt to heal with it, and to stun people, but beyond that all she could do was blow people to smithereens.

  Stepping in front of the door, she licked her incisors and ran at the three vampires. They all turned to face her the second they heard her boots on the stone flag floor. There was an amused look in their eye. She roared, raised her hand and grinned. It didn't do to underestimate her. Unleashing the magic, she didn't pause to watch the ball of purple ripping through two of the vampires. Taking on the third, she flew at him with a barrage of punches, half of which he blocked. He landed a solid one on her shoulder, knocking her backwards a little and bringing her attention to the magic. It tore into the wall and fizzled out. The vampire she was fighting looked there and she used his distraction as a chance to attack. Grabbing hold of his jacket, she swung him around and launched him at the men who were running down the hall towards her. She growled at the ones that remained standing. There were five of them. The second they started running at her, she flicked her wrist, releasing five strands of rich purple magic. She watched them try to avoid it and smiled when it chased them down. Each thread cleaved its targets head off and when the bodies slumped to the floor and began to slowly disintegrate, she continued along the hall.

  She elbowed the person behind her before they had a chance to hurt her. She'd learnt her lesson in Budapest. Turning, she saw three females growling at her, their blue eyes showing their bloodline.

  "Where is he?” she said. “Tell me and I won't kill you."

  They looked at each other as though considering her proposal and then ran at her. She kicked the first one in the head, knocking her backwards. The second one moved faster, evading the punch she threw and blocking her kick. She rolled forwards, tackling the third to the ground with her legs and leaping on top of her. She grinned when she twisted her head clean off and then hurried to her feet. Turning on the spot, she blocked the second one's attack and threw a bolt of magic at the third. A startled scream told her it had reached its target and she focused on fighting the more powerful of the three. She moved fast, blocking each attack that the female Aurorea tried and then retaliating with a high kick. Instead of following through, she dipped her body, pressed her hands into the floor and brought her other leg up, trapping the woman's head. She used the speed of her move to throw the Aurorea down onto the ground and then twisted her feet, breaking the woman's neck so badly there was no chance of her surviving.

  Springing to her feet, she looked at the decomposing bodies that lay between her and the male guards that were getting to their feet after having the other guard thrown at them.

  She shook her head and raised her hand when they went to move towards her.

  "Where is he?” Her voice was calm and she looked them all in the eye in turn, showing them how serious she was.

  She tapped her foot and they all looked there, their faces showing their nerves. They weren't going to tell her. Kalinor had probably told them that he'd kill them if she successfully rescued Valentine when she came. Of course Arkalus and Kalinor knew she would come, they just hadn't known it would be while they were out.

  She wondered if they had instructions not to kill her. None of the
m seemed to be making much of an effort to do so. Had they been told to capture her?

  That made her laugh.

  The fear in the guards faces became even more visible when they heard her.

  "Fine,” she said. “Let's fight. You won't tell me where he is, I'll have to kill you. Starting with you."

  The guard she pointed at didn't have time to react before the magic reached him. It buried itself deep into his chest, burning him from the inside out. She sprinted at the remaining guards. When she was close, she ran up the wall and launched herself feet first at the one nearest the front. She landed hard on him, her fist coming down even harder with the magic assisting it. She pulled a face of disgust when she punched straight through his face and then leapt off him. Rolling forwards, she kicked herself up onto her feet and continued to run. She needed a clearer area to fight in.

  She bolted up a set of steps and smiled when she came out in the entrance hall. It was wide and tall, with a staircase running up each wall. This was more like it.

  Above her, she could hear the confused chatter of the rest of the vampires. It wouldn't be long before they came to fight her. She knew that Valentine wasn't up there, but she had to dispose of as many of the guards and warriors as possible. She looked back at the hallway she had just come out of and sneered when she let a huge, twisting ball of pale purple crackling magic build against the palm of her hand. She threw it the moment she saw one of the guards that had been chasing her. The magic hit him square in the chest and exploded, taking the rest of the guards and a large chunk of the wall along with it.

  The noise from above her grew louder and she sprinted across to the nearest set of stairs. Taking them two at a time, she focused on the magic, making it build up again as quickly as possible. She didn't stop when she reached the landing. Running across it, she launched the crackling purple ball into the wide doorway and then leapt over the banisters. She landed on her feet and immediately dashed forwards in an attempt to avoid any debris as the magic shook the house. The glass panes that stretched up either side of the main entrance shattered and she rolled, bringing her back to it and her face to the balcony. Releasing another ball of energy, she watched it zoom up and hit the wall above the already broken doorway.