Awakening

by Warneke, A. C.

  At the end of the day, Adam was just as frustrated with the lack of progress being made with the Council. He would growl that the angels and demons were running around trying to control the Fates but they didn't know what they were looking for. And then he would kiss her and she would melt into him. It was a dangerous balancing act all three of them preformed but it was necessary. The sacrifices each was willing to make to ensure success was astounding.

  Her forehead crinkled with an unpleasant thought; what was so important that her father would sacrifice his only child? And what was that bloody awful shrieking? Groggily, she woke up enough to register the weird sounds that were piercing her consciousness. They were unnatural sounds of rage and pain and she had to know what was happening.

  With a moan, she turned her head to the side where the sounds were loudest. Reluctantly, she cracked open an eye, her brain screaming in protestation as the light pierced her skull. Through the haze, she could barely make out the shadowed figures on the other side of the room. Unable to hold her eyes open, her lids drifted shut.

  Where was everyone? Auberon? Kim?

  The Queen?

  “Dad?” she whispered, her voice hoarse, dry. God, she was thirsty. She tried to bring her hand up to rub her parched throat but it caught on the manacles and she winced as the metal bit into her wrist. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to bleed to death before anyone discovered her location.

  Moistening her lips with the tip of her tongue, she forced her eyes open, ignoring the jabbing pain until it receded enough for her to look around the room. Turning her head back to the side where she had seen the shadow, she gasped when she saw the hideous creature tearing apart the body of some poor soul. The thing lifted its head and Celeste found herself staring into familiar hazel-black eyes. Even if the rest of its features were twisted and bent beyond recognition she knew those eyes. “Mother.”

  Her nostrils flared and she slowly rose to her feet, keeping her dead eyes locked on Celeste. Blood and entrails covered her face, her nearly naked, distorted body, and Celeste knew that it was her father that lay upon the floor, no longer living. Despair pierced her chest and she had to swallow past her ravaged throat to prevent the scream from escaping her lips.

  The pitiable creature moved towards her and there was nothing she could do; she was going to die a horrible, gruesome death long before she bled to death from the small scratch on her wrist. A little whimper escaped as the creature stalked closer, growing bolder with each step it took. Squeezing her eyes shut, Celeste couldn’t bear to watch.

  She could feel the hot, fetid breath against her cheek as the beast sniffed her and her stomach curled in revulsion. She was going to die and she couldn’t even save her daughter…. Her daughter. Her brow furrowed, there was something wrong. Her fingers flexed against the manacle as she tried to put a hand over her stomach. As if she could protect the life within her if she was dead. But… but the child….

  The creature bellowed loudly, mournfully as it lunged towards Celeste. She flinched, knowing she was about to be devoured by her own mother. She’d never again see her beloved Adam, Auberon, her friends. Her child.

  Suddenly the door burst open and Celeste opened her eyes to see Kim standing there brandishing a flaming sword. Celeste almost wept with relief, except the creature was still too close and her child…. Her child. A tear leaked out, but she didn't want to know why she felt such despair. If only she could touch her stomach, to reassure herself that she was whole, that the baby was safe.

  “I will not let any harm come to my beloved!” Kim roared a battle cry and barreled into the room, charging the grotesque creature and tackling it around its waist.

  The beast and the angel crashed into Celeste’s table, jolting her and forcing her ankles and wrists to rub against the barbed metal. She winced as little shards of pain lanced up her arms and legs. She was back to bleeding to death from a thousand tiny cuts. She could hear Kim and the beast as they continued to fight around the room. Raising her head as much, she struggled to see what was happening, morbidly curious as to the outcome.

  Kim raised the flaming sword above her head as the creature cowered down in front of her. Celeste’s heart went out to the poor creature but she knew that a quick death would have been what her mother wanted, if her mother was even in there anymore. As the blade came down, Celeste forced herself to watch, hearing the mournful cry as the creature was slashed into pieces.

  “Well, I always knew there was a reason I never liked your father,” Kim said with a gruesome smile as she stood over the dead body. Wiping the blood off her face with the back of her arm, she laughed, “He was a total asshole.”

  “Kim!” Celeste cried out as tears spilled over and she laughed in relief of surviving another day. Curling her hands into fists, she implored her friend, “Please, release me.”

  Kim sorrowfully shook her head no, “I’m sorry, my beloved.” She cocked her head to the side as she heard herself, laughing at the absurdity of calling Celeste ‘beloved.’ Shaking the thought away, she returned her attention back to her best friend bound to the table. “I’m sorry, Celeste,” she carefully enunciated her friend’s name and smiled wryly. “But this is the way it has to play out; I cannot release you. If I do the Queen will know what you are and you will be dead before I unclasp your wrists. You must trust Auberon and Adam.”

  “Kim, please,” Celeste pleaded. “I’m begging you. You’re my best friend; you have to release me because if you don’t, I’ll bleed to death.”

  Kim smiled that devious smile, “You’re not going to bleed to death; Auberon would be furious if something happened to you so you know that the Queen will allow no harm to come to you before it is time.”

  Auberon. Celeste frowned. Kim knew that it was Adam who was her mate, her King, not Auberon. "What are you talking about?"

  “Shh, you're safe for now,” Kim murmured, as the sword disappeared from wherever it came. She walked over to the table, bending down so her lips were right next to Celeste’s ear. “Soon, my beloved; soon you’ll be free.” She snorted, “Beloved, ha!”

  “Kim!” she cried as her best friend – her Guardian Angel – turned and walked away, leaving her alone in the Queen’s chambers. She wanted to cry out; what good was a Guardian Angel if they didn’t do their damn job?

  How much longer was she going to have to wait? There were dead bodies in there with her and while that thought alone was disturbing, the fact that the bodies belonged to her parents was just… it was too much. It was all overwhelming, burying her beneath layers and layers of such dark tragedy and she just wanted to wrap herself up in Adam’s arms and cry.

  The door opened once more and her hopes that Kim had returned, that she had just been teasing, were dashed when she saw the unusual Apocritum walk in, a noticeable hesitancy in his step as he crept closer to her. “What do you want?”

  “You’re bleeding,” he murmured, closing the distance between them. His nostrils flared as he breathed in the scent of her sweet blood.

  “Yeah, so what?” she was feeling sorry for herself and was not relishing the idea of having any sort of battle with a stray Apocritum, even if his eyes weren’t completely black like the others.

  He moved ever closer, stopping so he stood over her. His eyes drifted over her wrists, following the narrow tracks of blood. Swallowing thickly, he met her gaze, “If… if I pledge my loyalty to you, would you allow me to live?”

  “Of course,” she said easily; why did he automatically assume she would do anything else?

  He smiled as he bent his head, running his tongue along her wounds and healing her, leaving her to wonder what she had just agreed to. He looked at her, a drop of blood at the corner of his mouth, “My Queen, I am Ealasayd, your humble servant.”

  Chapter 18

  Celeste drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the remainder of the day and night, not sure how much time had passed, only aware of the lengthening shadows as the sun went down and the brightening
of the room as it rose once more. At some point during the night, a crew came in to dispose of the broken and bloodied bodies but they didn’t say anything to Celeste. They pretended they couldn't see her, even when she begged them for a glass of water. She caught one looking at her and when he noticed she saw him he quickly turned away. The others never even looked.

  Even if Kim assured her that she wouldn’t bleed to death, she still didn't know how much longer she was going to be held prisoner. Desperate to escape, she even tried to use her powers to free herself from her shackles. Unfortunately, she was reluctant to let the metal cut her skin so she couldn’t do anything that required movement. Not that she knew how to do anything to begin with; she didn’t know any spell that would free her. She huffed out a laugh: the great and powerful new Queen was undone by a pair of handcuffs. But she wasn’t great or powerful; she was just a girl with a destiny that was too big for her.

  Where was Adam? Why wasn’t he storming the castle to rescue her? Maybe Adam decided he preferred the Old Queen; after all, she was his Mother. Her jaw tensed at the thought, hating the fact that she was so helpless. Maybe she was expecting too much; rescues did take time and it had barely been a day since she had been captured. If she were the new Queen where were her damn powers? Why couldn’t she rescue herself?

  Even so, where was Kim? Some Guardian Angel she was turning out to be. She understood Kim's reasoning, and if she were not bound to a table and unable to move for fear of bleeding to death, she would agree. It was nice to see Kim’s personality re-emerge, though; that whole ‘My beloved’ and archaic speech was just way too weird.

  The despairing thought that had been plaguing her returned; what happened to her child? She wasn’t sore, just… hollow but wouldn’t she be bleeding if anything had happened to her baby? There was no sensation of bleeding, so there had to be a child. Celeste was driving herself insane with this line of thinking, unable or unwilling to admit the truth. She had to believe that the child was still there, safely nestled in her womb.

  Her throat hurt as she swallowed, the feeble moisture of her mouth nowhere near enough to quench the unbearable thirst that tormented her. How much longer was she going to be made to suffer, alone with her thoughts? In actuality, she was a bit mad with grief, having lost her mother and father in one fell swoop, even though her mother had been lost to her years before and her father was rarely ever there. That didn’t matter; they were still her parents and in his way, her father had been a good man, even if he had been obsessed with the impossible. But that was because he was consumed with grief.

  A burble of grief-stricken laughter escaped, sounding strange and hollow in the large room, scaring her with the sudden noise. Why wasn’t the Queen questioning her? Did she have that much faith in her sons? Of course she did because her children would never betray her. With Adam's and Auberon's devotion there was no way anyone would be able to overthrow the Queen, especially a pathetic human desperate for love.

  No, Adam and Auberon weren’t part of the Hive anymore, they told her so. But then, where were they? Was it all a lie, to lure her into complacency so they could destroy her before she ever had a chance? Tears leaked from her eyes as she finally reached the end of her limit; where was everyone?

  As if summoned, the doors opened and Auberon entered the room, though he was dressed as Adam, how odd. He had done that before, pretending to be Adam in order to understand what was happening to his brother. Celeste wasn’t fooled then, she certainly wasn’t fooled now. There was no way he would be able to fool the Queen, who was far more powerful than herself and as such, much more perceptive….

  “Adamanteros,” a low, sensual voice purred from somewhere. Celeste twisted in her bindings to see who spoke with such honeyed affection. She might have to hurt the woman; Adam was hers even if it was Auberon who stood there. Her breath stilled in her chest as an exceptionally beautiful woman with long, pale blond hair stepped into her field of view, her freakishly slender body was draped in silk and her face lit up when she faced Auberon. Her face was exquisite, made even more so by the alien-ness of her shiny, black eyes; she held herself with such grace, such poise.

  With a gasp, Celeste recognized the Queen from the peculiar vision she had when she had visited her mother. The zealousness that had burned in her eyes all of those millennia ago simmered and crackled around her, a brittle shell of madness and complacency. Celeste knew exactly how much of a threat she was to the Queen: none at all. The powerful woman didn't even spare her a glance as she flowed towards Auberon.

  “Mother,” Auberon smiled that devastating smile of his, holding out his arms to embrace the stunning woman.

  As the woman stepped into his embrace, his eyes met hers over the Queen’s shoulders, but he quickly looked away. Maybe he didn’t want to give any indication that he was Auberon and he feared she would give it away if he looked at her. Or maybe he was here to seal her fate and she had trusted the wrong people.

  The Queen took a step back, holding her son’s hands in her own as she spoke with him, “Adamanteros, where is your brother?”

  Auberon’s lips tilted up in a wicked smile as he motioned his head to the girl on the table, “He’s searching for his pet, Mother. He’s threatening to tear the city apart to find her so I was forced to bind him with angel netting.”

  The Queen’s icy laugh sent a violent chill down Celeste’s spine and she cringed; how could the woman not tell her own two sons apart? She wished Auberon would look at her, just look her way to let her know that this was his plan and everything was going according to it. Please, Auberon, look at me.

  Patience, baby, his voice murmured softly in her head, comforting even as it caught her off guard. It was difficult to prevent her body from jerking in response but hours of holding almost perfectly still helped. Finally, she was developing one of her powers: mental communication. It wasn’t very helpful in breaking free but it was something.

  Auberon led his mother over to a sitting area just beyond Celeste’s line of sight, infuriating her; how was she going to be able to know what was happening if she couldn't see? It’s not like she had a lot of wiggle room strapped to the damn table, the manacles threatening to rip her skin apart if she moved even a half a millimeter….

  Patience, Celeste, his voice echoed again; this time she could hear the caution behind it. She settled back, prepared to listen in to what she couldn’t see; perhaps she would learn what was to become of her.

  *****

  “What news have you?” the Queen asked anxiously.

  “I think you will be pleased,” Auberon grinned broadly to hide his disgust of being so near his Mother; disgust of being in his own body. He could barely even look at Celeste without feeling the guilt slice through him. Never in his life had he been so grateful for the Fate's fortuitous timing. Had Celeste come into their lives just a few years prior none of this would have worked because the Queen would have become aware of it as soon as Adam had bit her. The Queen would have known he was Auberon and not Adam simply by the communications they wouldn't have been able to block.

  Now he was able to send the signal that he was Adamanteros and she was none-the-wiser.

  “Do not leave me in suspense,” the Queen demanded, her cold eyes sparkling with anticipation. “Have we eliminated the menace to my throne?”

  “The Monoliths have determined with absolute certainty that the infant was indeed the threat,” Auberon said calmly even as his heart jack-knifed in his chest; he could feel Celeste’s distress. Forcing the words past the knot in his throat, he added, “The girl is harmless; she is a mere human, a vessel for the Queen-initiate.”

  “We should destroy her,” the Queen pronounced in her lethal, beautiful voice.

  “Mother, we have discussed this,” Auberon said patiently, perfectly mimicking Adam's calm, verbal influence. “You know that Auberon is balancing on the edge; if you deny him his pet at this stage, you may lose him forever and you know that he will be a formidable enemy. Unless you wish to
destroy him as well?”

  “Oh, Adamanteros,” the woman breathed heartily. “It would grieve me to no end if it became necessary to annihilate my darling Auberon." She was silent for a long time, staring inwardly as she debated what to do. Finally, she huffed a long-suffering sigh, "Fine, do what you must with the girl; he will grow bored with her eventually.”

  “Exactly,” Auberon said, letting out the breath he had been holding. Standing, he came back into Celeste’s view. Forcing his gaze to meet hers, he dipped his head ever-so-slightly to offer a measure of reassurance. “I think it would be best if I take her to him now before he truly tears the town apart looking for her.”

  The Queen stepped forward and Celeste recoiled from the ice in her black gaze as she stared down at her. The woman looped her arm through Auberon’s, pressing her body against his in a manner that was completely inappropriate, her hand over his heart as she sneered, “Take it out of my sight, Adamanteros.”

  “As you wish, Mother,” he said, holding Celeste’s eyes as the two of them approached the table to which she was still bound. Carefully, he removed the metal bindings and as soon as the last one was released Celeste flew off the table, evading the two and making a run for the door. Without disturbing the air around her with things as tedious as movement, Auberon’s hands wrapped around her shoulders and he hauled her against his chest. Softly, his mouth right next to her ear, he whispered, “Don’t fight, Celeste.”

  The panic and fear stilled and she allowed him to turn her around to face the vicious, powerful Queen. Pain exploded across her cheekbone as the Queen slammed her fist into her face. Celeste’s hand shot up, covering the reddening mark, shock that Auberon would allow the Queen to hit her; was it really necessary? But then Celeste felt the tension in his fingers as he fought the urge to strike back and was almost appeased, though now her cheek hurt on top of her body aching. And there was something….