“It’s our blood,” James said in the confusion. “They drank the blood of an immortal and by pure accident discovered that it made them our equal.”
“How do you know?”
“They are vampires,” he said with a look of sarcasm. “They had to boast about what had happened.”
“Idiots…At least they took the hard work out of guessing.”
“Our village has been destroyed. Women, children and men have been lost tonight,” James said with vehemence. “And for what? Nothing! We were so complacent in thinking that we were unbeatable. Those evil creatures just sauntered on in and killed half the village.”
“I know this little brother,” he said as he laid a hand on his shoulder. “Our people will never be the same again. We must learn from this and take precautions to ensure this never happens again.”
James laughed a humourless laugh. “It should never have happened in the first place.”
“How did they get in without being detected?” Damian asked.
“It appeared as if a light fog was settling over the village. It was just pure dumb luck that I was on the balcony when it happened. The next thing I saw was the fog transformed into an army of vampires.”
Damian scratched his chin in thought, “It appears there is a lot we don’t know about the vampires.”
“Obviously…”
“Tomorrow we will start on a plan to rid the world of their evil stench, as we should have done in the first place, but tonight we must see to the needs of every immortal left and begin to put this place back together,” Damian said.
“It will be a long time before our kind is at peace again.”
“I know,” Damian sighed.
Seated on their stallions, James and Damian looked over the carnage before them. They both felt defeated and heartbroken over what had happened tonight.
James turned to his big brother. “Where do we begin?”
“Let’s see to the wounded,” Damian said. “I will order my men to start torching the vampire corpses and digging graves for all of our fallen immortals.”
“Perhaps we will have need for the prophecy girl after all,” James said reflectively. “I never really understood what the prophecy was about, until tonight.”
“Before tonight we wouldn’t have needed her. Now I only pray that we can find her when she is born,” Damian said without conviction. They both knew it would be like finding a needle in a haystack but he knew that if the prophecy had been written, somehow they would find her.
“We should have taken it more seriously and put in place measures against this kind of thing happening,” James said angrily.
“Hindsight little brother, hindsight.”
With heavy hearts they started to see to their respective tasks.
Alessandra awoke from her sleep, and stretched out like a cat, on the warm comfortable day bed. The rain was belting against the cover surrounding the balcony and she could hear thunder in the distance. The sky was an ominous dark grey with flashing lightning bolts that lit up the sky. She couldn’t help but be in awe of the power of the storm. Mother Nature was a force to be reckoned with. Despite the severity of the storm it somehow relaxed her. She pulled the doona back up to her shoulders and watched the display overhead. It wasn’t long before she drifted back into another sleep, full of more dreams.
Damian needed some time alone to reflect on what had happened. He would be of little use to anyone if he didn’t get his head straight. He walked along a path in the forest that was a few metres from the edge of the village. He was surrounded by trees that seemed as tall as the sky. The path had been well worn from years of people walking along it. A clearing was up ahead. He stopped and leaned against a tree looking out to the mountains that encircled his homeland. It was a place of unspoiled beauty.
The stream to his left was trickling along its course. The sound of running water and the surrounding beauty revived him. Damian turned to go back when he caught the smell of evil. Whirling around, he came face to face with Vincent.
“So nice of you to stop by and say hello, Damian,” he said, his lips smirking with victory.
”So nice of you to stop by and kill half my people,” Damian shot back.
Damian tried to keep his cool. If Vincent had drunk an immortal’s blood tonight, he would be almost unstoppable.
“My pleasure Damian,” he drawled. “You see I just couldn’t help myself…You immortals think you’re so undefeatable. It was too hard to resist showing you that you…aren’t,” he said laughing.
Damian had heard enough. He flew into a rage and threw a fireball straight at Vincent’s heart, but the evil creature moved at the last second and it hit his arm.
“Really?” Vincent asked. “I’m disappointed. That was such a predictable move.”
Damian glared at him.
“Oh if looks could kill my boy, I shall have fun with you,” Vincent said laughing.
What does he mean? thought Damian.
Before Damian knew what was happening, two vampires jumped at him, one from either side and held him down.
“James, help me. Clearing…Vincent…”
“Brother I’m coming. Help is on the way.”
There was no time to reply before he felt a blast of sunlight explode behind his eye and the darkness surrounded him.
“Let’s go. We got what we came for,” Vincent said to his minions.
The two vampire minions picked up Damian’s limp body and ran faster than a blur. It was only a matter of time before help showed up for the fallen warrior and they needed to get far away before that happened.
Mere moments after the trio of vampires departed James arrived in the clearing. He knew it was too late. There was no-one to be seen for miles.
An eerie voice floated on the breeze towards him.
“You’re too late James. Your beloved brother is dead…at my hands.”
James fell to his knees and screamed with heartache and devastation at the loss of his beloved brother. Tonight had been difficult for anyone to handle but this as well was just too much to bear. He felt like his world had shattered into a thousand tiny pieces and he would never be whole again.
“Damian! Damian, answer me damn it! Please tell me he is lying…”
There was no answer of course. If Damian was alive, he would have answered. James stayed there on his knees, consumed with grief for hours.
Alessandra awoke again. How long have I been asleep? she thought.
The rain was still pelting down, the thunder still roaring and the lightning still putting on a dazzling show but it appeared closer than before and it was a whole lot darker now.
It appeared someone had been in while Ally was sleeping and lit candles all around her, creating a soft warm glow so she wouldn’t awake in darkness. Feeling like there was something important that she needed to remember, Ally took a moment to clear her mind that was foggy from sleep.
“What was it?” She muttered softly.
Then it hit her. The dreams…
Were they real? She wondered. They had felt real.
Ally decided it was time for her to go find everyone. James in particular, she wanted to ask him about her dreams.
James was in his study behind the large mahogany desk. Henry, his friend and servant was seated in front of him in a large wingback chair.
“I don’t know if I did the right thing, old friend,” He said.
“James, you did what you had to.” Henry smiled warmly at him.
He sighed and put his head in hands. This had all been so much for her to absorb. He could feel her mind ready to shut down on itself as she took it all in.
The guilt was weighing heavily on his heart. It was so strong that it was almost a physical presence in the room that Henry could see.
“Cheer up, James, she will come around. Have you seen the way she looks at you?” his friend asked.
James looked up and cocked his head to the side, almost resembling Coco, who was seated on an ov
erstuffed dog bed beside him. “With hatred and resentment? Then yes I have seen those looks.”
“No lad, look deeper,” Henry chuckled. “You are so consumed with guilt and concern for the girl that you aren’t looking past the surface.”
“Well my dear oracle,” he said with a smile. “Enlighten me. What is it that you see?”
“Sophie is right you know, you really are a knucklehead sometimes,” Henry laughed. “I’m not an oracle but I do have eyes. You have access to her head lad and I’m sitting here telling you that there is something more than you can see. What part of that makes sense?”
“Careful old man,” he said with a smile that lit up his face. “Not many people could call me a knucklehead and live to tell the tale.”
Henry threw his head back and laughed. This was more like the James he knew, laughing and making jokes, not moping around and feeling sorry for himself.
“This isn’t something that will fix itself over night you know, James.” He paused, “You have been an immortal for life. This is all new to her. Give her time and let her adjust and she will thank you for it.”
“I know your right old friend. I just can’t help wanting to make things better for her.” He got up out of his chair and walked to the window to gaze out at the storm. “In my attempts to fix things, I seem to have made the situation worse.”
“That is one of the things that she will come to love about you James. You just want to make it easier for her and that is a noble cause. Giving her time and space, but not too much, is the best thing you can do for her.”
“Sound advice. Thank you,” said James. “You never did answer my question though, what do you see?”
“I see a frightened woman who has lost control of her life. I also see a very strong and very capable young woman who will get through this and be all the better for it. The part you really want to hear though is I see a woman who is fighting like hell against the attraction she feels for you. When you aren’t looking, she looks at you and I see the tension melt out of her body. Her eyes light up when you look at her. She breathes a little quicker when you are around. She will fight it but in the end love will conquer all, it always does,” He winked at James.
“I didn’t know you were a romantic Henry.”
“Oh I am but don’t tell Sophie,” he laughed.
“Your secret is safe with me.”
“She is melting with each moment but a bit of romance would help your case,” Henry suggested.
“What do you suggest?” James asked curiously.
“She is quite taken with Scotland so might I suggest you take her riding and show her some of this wild countryside of ours. Let her see that life here can be magical, not just doom and gloom. You need to lighten the mood a bit. Let her get to know you.”
“What a spectacular idea. I will take her this week but there is something special I want to organise for her before we go,” James said, feeling a ray of hope surging through him. He had felt like he was thrashing around and failing miserably where Alessandra was concerned, but now maybe he could turn things around. “Henry since you appear to have a grasp on the female race and I am apparently a caveman, could I ask you a question?”
“A caveman!” Henry roared with laughter. “Let me guess, Adele?”
“Yes actually. How did you know?” James asked with a smirk.
“She reminds me a lot of my Sophie and that is something she would say,” he chuckled again.
James rolled his eyes and moved to lean against the desk.
“Why is it that one minute she is insulting me and acting like she hates me, then an hour ago we end up sharing a passionate kiss?”
“Ah the confusion that enters our lives once we invite women in,“ Henry said “Well it’s like this. She pretends she hates you because she is trying to fight it and but then her heart rules her mind and she gives in to her true desires.”
“Mmmm that makes sense in a roundabout way,” James chuckled.
“Women,” Henry snorted. “We can’t live with them and can’t live without them.”
“Maybe I really am a caveman?” James wondered aloud.
Henry replied, “Don’t feel too bad. We all are at some point.”
“Thank you Henry for all your advice. You are a true friend.” James walked over and clasped his arms around Henry in the traditional manly way of showing affection.
“As are you James. Now quit yapping to me and go make that girl fall head over heels for you.” Henry said as he was leaving the room with Coco hot on his heels.
James needed time to think about all he and Henry had discussed. He moved away from the desk and walked over to the cream lounge in front of the roaring warm fireplace. He watched the flames dance in front of his eyes and he lost himself in thoughts of Alessandra and the prophecy.
* * *
Ally had just come into the lounge from the balcony when she heard Adele’s voice.
“Ally darling,” Adele said as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. “I was just coming to check on you.”
She smiled at her grandmother and said, “Thanks Gran. I just woke up and was on my way to find James.”
Adele looked at her with a gleam in her eye that suggested she knew something was going on between them.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Ally said with a smile. “I had a dream that I wanted to discuss with him.”
Something in her Gran shifted when Ally mentioned the dream. If she hadn’t been watching she would have missed it. Perhaps she was the one to consult not James. It also may not be of benefit to her to go running to him. She wanted to keeps things simple for a while. It was all too much at the moment and whenever she found herself near him she lost control of her thoughts and her body, traitorous thing that it was.
“What dreams?” Adele asked with curiosity.
“It may be nothing but I’m not sure,” she paused recollecting her thoughts before continuing. “Does James have a brother called Damian?”
Adele paled as her legs gave way and she sunk into the overstuffed lounge behind her.
Ally flew beside her in a panic. “Gran, are you alright?”
Her eyes were wide with concern for her grandmother. That reaction certainly answered my question and created a whole lot more, Ally thought to herself.
Placing her hand over her grandmother’s hand, she lowered herself onto the couch beside her “Gran…”
Adele’s big violet eyes were filled with unshed tears and she seemed to be lost in some moment or time from long ago.
Lightning crackled and the thunder roared all around them. The lightning lit up the room and brought Adele back to reality. She looked at Ally as if looking into her very soul searching for answers to long forgotten questions. “What do you know of Damian?”
“Well not much at all. I didn’t even know if he was real.”
Adele turned and looked at her again. Ally had never seen such sadness and emptiness reflected back at her.
Is that what I looked like all those years ago? She wondered. Her Gran had known sorrow before but there was obviously so much that Ally wasn’t aware of.
“He was real my sweetheart, very real,” Adele said with a heartbroken sigh.
Ally watched her grandmother and gave her a moment before stating what she could see before her. Damian was obviously very precious to her Gran. What was he to you, Gran? Ally wondered.
“I know he was James’ older brother but that sadness I see in your eyes makes me think he was something more than that to you.”
Adele let out a soft miserable laugh and rested her hands on her lap.
“Yes, he was,” she paused as if remembering a time long ago again. Then she snapped back to the present day and said, “Tell me about your dream.”
Ally told her everything she could remember about the dream she had.
Adele had seemed lost in another world again while Ally recalled her dreams, almost as if her Gran was reliving them as she spoke. Her expression was
mostly sad but there was joy in her eyes when Ally recalled the conversation he had with a female.
Ally let out a quiet gasp as came to a startling realisation. “You were the girl that he was communicating with.”
Adele smiled, “Yes that was me.”
“Were you his girlfriend? What happened?”
A dreamy expression was still hovering over her face.
“He was my soulmate, Ally.” Adele said simply.
Ally’s jaw went slack with shock and she took a moment before finding that she was staring open-mouthed at her Gran.
Adele couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction. “Is it that shocking to discover I was young once too and had a soulmate like you do?”
“No it’s not that,” she paused not wanting to say the wrong thing. “I guess I just assumed that you hadn’t found yours or that grandpa was your soulmate.”
“Ally I loved your grandpa very much. He was a wonderful man, husband and father. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to share my life with but…he wasn’t Damian.”
“I suppose no-one could have been compared to that. If it is anything like the pull I feel for James and you weren’t fighting it. You embraced it.” Ally had a small understanding of how much pain it would have caused her Gran to lose her beloved soulmate, Damian. Her heart broke for her. “Oh gran, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s ok darling. What’s done is done but, as you can see the pain never left me.”
“When did this happen?” Ally asked wanting to know more about her grandmother’s past.
“It was about fifty years ago,” she said waiting for Alessandra to do the math.
“But mum was…” the truth hit her like a train. “Mum, she wasn’t…she was Damian’s daughter?”
Adele smiled softly to herself. “Yes she was.”
“Did he know?” Ally asked still shocked from the revelation. It wasn’t just her beloved deceased mother that would have been affected by this but her as well. Her grandfather wasn’t Jonathon. Damian was her Grandfather. That meant she was now destined to be with her late Grandfather’s brother.
Her face twisted in horror, she knew that it wasn’t as if James looked like an old man but in the human way of things that was a bit out there.
Immortal Prophecy (The Immortal Prophecy Saga) Page 14
