by Bree De'leon
Sipping the substance, the black stone doors burst opened, Dymitri stormed in, his face pale, his eyes filled with fire.
“Why was I not told of this meeting?” He demanded, slamming a fist down beside his grandfather and father, both remained unaffected and stoic. “I am to be present for these matters if I am to be a proper Duke.” He shouted, his eyes darting towards his sister fueling his flame. “And yet she is present, this sickly half breed.” The jealousy showing more as he approached her, she felt a gentle hand clutch tightly around her fingers, looking up Alexander smiled down at her, releasing her hand, he stood between Dymitri and Rena.
“Your Highness, perhaps, we may continue discussing our matters now, we were waiting patiently for your arrival,” Alexander suggested his tone a threat. The young duke spat at the floor. His flesh draining of what little color he had in his cheeks. Sebastian with ungodly speed, lifted his son off the ground, throwing him against the pillars, standing before him, he scowled down at his heir.
“You were not needed in this meeting, you are my son, not a common whore’s brat. Do I make myself clear?” Sebastian snarled, the threat ominous and disturbing. “Now sit down and do not say another word.” He continued, motioning for his father to continue the meeting.
“As we were, we will be receiving an ambassador of Fleurs, to help with our ocean trades, along with partaking in our meetings.”
“Your Highness, these are the complete documents that need to be signed for the peace treaty.” Drake announced, passing the pages down to the kings. Grygori nodded, reaching out a hand towards Alexander.
“Come, we must now solidify our alliance, between Arisite and Kindred.” He announced, the room falling silent as the King of Kindred approached, both signing their signatures:
Grygori Darkstorm and Alexander Lothbrok
The council chambers cleared, Rena was the first to leave, kissing her father and grandfather on the cheeks.
“I will see you for tonight’s feast, I must properly dress before I am to be seen in front of the contestants.” She smiled, curtsying before the king and prince.
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Her room was decorated in white candles, and pearls, Amelia sleeping on her bed, the girl smiled as she snuggled up to her.
“Rena?” Amelia mumbled, her eyes still heavy with sleep.
“Yes, Amelia, it’s me. You must wake up though, we are to be present at the feast this evening.” Rena laughed, poking her peach nose. Amelia rolled over, pulling the blankets above her head. Sighing she sat up, giving her maid a few moments more of rest. She stood from her bed, and sat at her vanity, brushing her thick curls to ease her annoyance at her brother’s outburst. She knew he was always jealous of her, but she would not think he would make a fool of himself in front of the great king, twice.
In that moment, he burst through her chamber doors, his fangs sharp, dripping with saliva he reached out for his sister, yanking her hair and lifting her from her chair. She screamed out in pain as she held tight onto his wrist to ease the pain. Amelia was quick to her mistress’s defense. She reached out towards the infuriated vampyre, demanding him to release his sister. With his free hand, he took Amelia by the throat and tossed her with little strength across the room.
Pulling his sister close to him, she felt the tip of his fangs began to sink into her throat, Dymitri smirked at the sheer terror in his sister’s eyes breathing life into him. Suddenly he felt his grip loosen as he smashed into the floor, standing between his sister and him Amelia, her angelic eyes fierce with rage.
“I will not let you harm her.” She shouted, a sudden shake to the palace, Amelia peered into Dymitris bloodlust eyes.
“Ha. What can you do? A simple slave girl, are you her whore? You must be if you think you are my equal. You are nothing and will always be nothing. I will be damned if I let this pest of a sister take my birthright from me.” He mocked, his laughter filling the room. Amelia stood her ground, her fear no longer present, but her will to protect her closest friend and savior.
Rena stood—her legs buckling at the knees, as she stood firm beside her maid, an anger plunged through her, a purple gas pulsating out of her, her eyes glowing a demonic purple, as she raised a single hand towards her brother. Her injuries disappearing instantly.
“How dare you, insult my dearest friend.” She demanded, her voice distorting as the smoke circled around Dymitri.
“How dare you lay your filthy hands on my possession? You, an insolent, arrogant child?” Her voice deepening, echoing throughout the room. The smoke sharpened, slicing through his clothing, and cutting into his skin, the blood dripped slowly, steaming as it touched the gas. His eyes widened with fear.
He ran towards the door, pushing with all his strength with no luck, the gas was encasing him, driving him to panic. He turned slowly, a crackle in the darkness that surrounded him a pair of demonic eyes peered through him, it began to choke him, the figure of his sister disappearing into a giant horned figure. Falling to the ground, he reached for help, the creature continued to mock him, it’s twisted figure clutching tightly onto his chest. In the distance, he could hear Amelia crying for Rena to stop.
“Rena you’re killing him. Stop it please.” Amelia pleaded, holding onto her mistress, her words falling on deaf ears. The Druids started pounding the door, orders being shouted as panic rose outside the chamber walls. Amelia pulled Rena into her arms, tears streaming down her face. “Rena please come back to me.” She begged, a burst of light tearing through the gas, blinding the entire room, she could feel Rena fall limp into her arms, she cradled her close. Brushing the hair from her face. “You’re safe, my sister. I am here for you always.” Amelia cooed, her lavender eyes solely focused on the unconscious girl, unaware the room was filled with Druids.
Gasping for air, Dymitri reached out towards a familiar gown, his mother kneeling beside him, her cat-like eyes glaring towards her stepdaughter.
“What in the name of the Guardians is she?” She hissed, cradling her son close, sharply watching, her back arched, ready for an attack. Amelia ignored her, the moon in the sky dripping, white lights down around her.
In moments, Sebastian was in the room, shoving passed his wife and to the maid that held tight onto his daughter. He moved quickly, feeling the light burn his skin, it was holy, a light that had not been seen since Aya and Aurelius. Amelia moved quicker, her pale skin radiating power so strong that Anjou and Grygori could not approach.
“Give her to me, now.” He hissed, taking his daughter by force and tossing her to a group of Druids. Her screams stirring Rena to reach out her hand to her maid.
“Amelia...” She whispered, falling back into sleep.
“Druids, take the maid to the Isolation tower, now. And see to it that she does not leave your sight.” He ordered, the authority in his voice leaving the room silent, Dymitri dropped his head in shame, unable to look his father in the eyes.
“What of that thing, that harmed your son and heir, Sebastian?” Victoria challenged, her instinct to protect her son, overwhelming her senses.
“You will take care to whom you are referring to Victoria, she is my daughter and not of your concern. I will have her cared for in a separate room of the isolation tower, it appears her powers have awoken and thus, she needs to train.” He snapped, his power sending a sickening feeling through his wife. “Take care my son learns his emotions and strengths, otherwise he will be stripped of my name.”
Among all the chaos, Alexander stood in the shadows, his concern with the maid that had just unleashed an ancient power, one only the soulkeepers were able to possess. His curiosity hacked him, but he would have to wait. Until the time was right before he could interrogate the girl. Disappearing back into the hallway, he motioned his personal guards to gather information, discreetly. The night was still young, the moment Anjou was able, she hurried to her granddaughter’s side, her personal servants failing to keep up.
The isolation tower stood nearly three hundred feet
, it’s dark grey stone, cracking as it grew taller into the clouds. There were no windows, except for two, the first was located on the East, and the second on the West. Rena lay unconscious in the West room, the power within her uncontrolled, as it hardened into sharp spears, attempting to break free of the room. It circled her like a lion protecting its cubs. It would not allow anyone near. Sebastian stood on the other side of the doors, sweat dripping down his face, unsure of what to do to control this power. In a moment his mother was by his side. She calmed her nerves, watching the power grow more anxious and frightened; much like when he was young and unaware of his powers potential.
“Open the door.” She demanded, squaring her shoulders as the metal doors opened. Stepping closer, the gas calmed itself, slowly dissipating as the queen approached, her power silencing the gas. She waved her hand across her granddaughter, ridding the remains of the uncontrolled darkness. Kneeling beside her, she kissed her cheek. “There, my d’eraim. Grandmother is here for you, always.”
Lavenders blue dilly, dilly. Lavenders green. Anjou sang, her soft song, waking the young girl. Opening her eyes, clouded with purple she winced at the pain.
“Nana, this pain, it feels as though my insides are ripping open.” She cried, clutching her heart a separate pulse twisting inside her.
“I know, sweetling. Your father was the same when his powers awoke. We will tend to you hand and foot.” Anjou assured, her eyes kind, and her soft voice assuring. “Sebastian, we will need to fetch Simon, inform him her powers have awakened. He will know what to do.” Anjou demanded, her eyes hardening at the thought of Simon entering her kingdom.
“Very well mother.” Sebastian obeyed, bowing respectfully before turning on his heel and moving with ungodly speed through the tower. Alexander waiting outside the tower, his arms crossed and surrounded by his guards, he smirked.
“Where are you off to Sebastian?”
“I am getting an old friend, to assist with my daughter’s powers.”
“Well, I guess we best hurry.” He laughed, sending his guards away. Sebastian growled, accepting the king’s self-invitation.
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Dymitri slammed through Drake’s chamber, his blood boiling as he shattered the glass table in front of him. The nobleman looked up, his blood colored eyes calm, as he closed his book and stepped away from the bookshelf. He approached the livid prince, cautiously, his hands placed gently on Dymitris shoulders. He changed the mood in the air, a scent of sweet lavender and fresh picked roses tickled the prince’s nose, allowing him to calm down.
“Tell me, young prince, what brings you here?” Drake hissed, the tone in his voice silk.
“I want to rule. No, I need to rule. You told me you would help take care of the girl?” He sighed, accusing the nobleman of his falsehood. “She possesses this immense power, one that I have never faced? How could a half breed possess such power?” He bit his lip, tasting the iron on his tongue.
“Drink this, it should calm your nerves.” Drake handed the young prince a crystal glass of pure blood. “I heard of the incident regarding your sister. Her power is truly fascinating, one of which I myself have not seen since Anjou’s father—General Uther, possessed the darkness. However, come closer young prince, there is something I must show you.” His voice a warning, as he pulled a black leather book from his dark black oak shelves, its pages blank.
He slit his palm, letting the blood drip onto the pages, Dymitri waited, holding his breath as he witnessed in awe words appear from the blood.
The darkness rises with the age of the black moon.
8
8
“THE DARKNESS RISES with the age of the black moon.” A shrill voice echoed through the winds. The figure was clouded, covered in black ripped robes. Its bark like hand, stretching towards a frightened girl—a vampyre girl. She ran, the roots of the trees decaying, and her bare feet sinking into the blood-soaked soil. She cried out in pain as her foot was in the clutches of twin demons, their childlike figure distorting into a hideous monster, its teeth peeling apart it’s thin red lips, her terror permanent on her pale face. In an instant, the devils sank their razor-sharp teeth into her leg, bringing her down to her knees, her agony ignored by the silvers in the forest.
Around the corner another beast appeared, short with stubby arms, with only one eye, large, almost as large as its circular body, it had only one leg, and large teeth. It’s skin dripping with acid steaming up from the soil, the young girl’s heart sank, clawing her way up from the ground and running to where she hoped was a way out. The fog thickened, the air constricting her lungs, she turned left, then right and so forth, the branches snapping against her toes. Her body soaked in her blood, she turned once more, stopping in front of a large cave covered in mummified corpses, the smell of feces and mold filling her nose, she puked, spilling from her lips dark almost black ember. A fire appeared, it was no regular fire, this fire burned green and orange, the flames intentionally still, it seemed more of a still portrait until a figure of dark black slithered through the flames.
He towered over the girl, his skeleton shaped face staring directly at her, his grey eyes hollow, unfeeling. He waved for small creatures to hold the girl. She attempted to struggle but was too weak, the mist in the forest drained her strength, sucking the life from her body. Emerging from the mist a group of lycans, each snarling and nostrils flared, their eyes piercing through the frightened vampyre. The cackles growing more frantic as the clouds turned black above them. The light had vanished from these lands, with only death and despair. Leviathan smiled, his bark skin peeling apart into a large sharp smile, his ivory teeth shimmering as he clutched tighter onto the girl. His fingers slicing through her skin, a root piercing through her stomach, the girl cried, the blood spilling from her mouth.
“My children; too long have we been under the rule of vampyres, too long have we been made fools of the wretched soulkeepers. No more, tonight, begins a new age, an age where we rule these lands. This will be the first sacrifice of many to come.” He shouted, the lycans howling in unison, the silvers cheering. In the shadows, a pair of yellow eyes watched, his arms folded, unfazed by the promises of the silver lord.
The girl whimpered, her tears staining her hollow cheeks, the blood running freely, uncontrolled covering her in soil and muck. Leviathan bent down, entangling her in his brown roots, squeezing the life from her. The silvers dark brown body began to twist and break, his color deepening to black, his claws tinted with silver, his eyes hollow, the roots that held her began to move, an energy burning her skin, she could feel herself peeling apart, her once porcelain white skin now charcoal, her bones visible through the plaster of the mummification.
“The darkness rises with the age of the black moon.” He chanted, looking passed the forest, into a window in a high tower.
Opening her eyes, Rena frantically sat up, sweat dripping down her face, she searched the room, taking notice, she was not in the forest, nor was she in her bedroom. The grey stone walls were damp, the only window bared forcing her imprisonment. She stood from her mattress, the stone floor freezing beneath her bare feet. She walked over to the wooden door, knocking three times, waiting for a response, there was none.
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Amelia awoke, isolated in the cold damp tower, her eyes staring up at the ceiling. She turned on her side, remembering her isolation in the cell in the black forest. It was Rena who had saved her so many years ago. She looked out the barred window, the rain clouds hovering over Casai. She prayed that Rena was safe, the power that had burst from her was unlike anything she had witnessed, it had nearly killed Dymitri in a moment, filling her friend’s heart with a darkness. Amelia felt the hours pass, no visitors, just silence and solitude. It began to creep within her, her heart pounding the only noise she heard. She closed her eyes, listening to the rain as it began to fall.
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Year: 1495 AF
She cried in silence, the rain dripping down through the b
ars of the well. The cackling of the creatures that surrounded her. Amelia curled into a corner, rocking back and forth, humming to herself an old lullaby her mother had sung to her. The bruises on her skin purple and black, her white hair covered in dirt and soil, she had grown out of her nightdress. The marking on the walls, etched with the kid’s drawings and many days and months marked since her arrival. A giggle in the distance shook her from her thoughts, her lips crusted, and chapped, breaking in the lines small dried blood stained her face.
I think I heard someone laugh, maybe...Amelia thought, stirring in her deep hole, the voices continued to get closer.
“Come Lucille, I smell something. My nose has picked up a person.” The voice demanded it was a soft child voice, a girl. Amelia’s heart filled with hope, her voice hoarse as she mustered up the strength to cry out.
“Help...Please.” Tears swelled her eyes, as a small brown head covered in leaves appeared before her eyes. The sun that had been absent for years shined behind the girl, her blue eyes clear as the sea and sky, her smile brighter than all the sun’s rays. Amelia could only reach for her, her hands shaking uncontrollably, starving for her freedom.
“I will get you from there, hang on.” The girl’s voice soft, caring, she motioned for a slender man in black and white. “Lucille, break these bars so we can rescue her.” She demanded, her face serious. The girl jumped down, she was just an inch shorter than Amelia, her skin soft, no bruises or scars. “I am Morena, but call me Rena.” She smiled, wrapping Amelia up in a jacket. “Bring us up Lucille.” Her soft touch, melting the hollow emptiness from Amelia’s soul. She buried her head into Rena’s neck.
