Fire and Fantasy: a Limited Edition Collection of Epic and Urban Fantasy

by CK Dawn

  When I finally saw him again, he had been hunting for what I had become. Gone was the pathetic vampire he had let go; now I was Izella Pristin, one of the most dangerous descendants. This time, the pity in his eyes was replaced with ice, the coldness of which chilled my already dead body.

  Blood raced through my veins, faster and faster. Pain radiated from my face and body. The sound coming from my chest was raw, infiltrated with many unexplainable feelings that had brewed for two centuries. The pain slowly ebbed, leaving behind strength and power, two times more than what I had in rest state, and I knew I succeeded in getting myself into the feral state.

  Then I thought about happy memories. How my mother had always compared me with the girl next door who was better in manners and grace, yet how I was always the one my mother had pulled into her arms. My father had been a merchant. He was busy and never seemed to have time to play, but when he came back from extended trips, he would bring me little trinkets that were not expensive but would kindle the joy in my heart.

  My fangs retracted, shorter and shorter until no sharp teeth pushed against my tongue.

  I had been a lucky girl. My sire told me if he had arrived a minute later than he did, I wouldn’t have survived. Dracune Carmen was nothing like my father, but there were things much worse than being turned by an Original.

  I pushed back the charge of emotions at the thought of the day I turned and the day my parents died. Positive feelings. I needed to concentrate on the positive. But positives were always overshadowed by the negatives. Every happy memory of my parents was darkened by the expression on their faces or lack thereof when their dead bodies were set on fire in the center of the village, lost in a pile of other bodies.

  Jayson had been my obsession for centuries. I yearned to open his heart and feel again how warm his hands could be, but I had never succeeded. When we met each other again after five years, the coolness in his eyes had turned into ice, especially when he was gazing at a vampire, like me. I was overjoyed to see him, but he wanted nothing more than to disintegrate me.

  The fangs grew. I shook my head to clear my thought.

  Positive. I had to concentrate on reversification, not on becoming feral again. Positive.

  I closed my eyes and worked hard on thinking only of the delicious dinners my mother had prepared, the way she wiped the sauce from the corner of my lips, and the excitement I felt every time Father had come home with a gift.

  I replayed the happy moments over and over in my mind until my fangs retracted and my face smoothed. Gradually, my body relaxed and the tension in my shoulders eased.

  Rest state.

  Now I needed to go beyond it.

  I had no idea how to accomplish that, but it must be the same as going from feral to rest, so I continued to concentrate on the happy moments.

  Hours must have passed. Soon, the sun would raise and the world would wake, signaling the beginning of humans’ day and the end of vampires’.

  If I couldn’t achieve reversification, I would have to hide back in the dark and in the shadows, like I’d done for two centuries. I could probably detain Tessa and convince her to stay here for another day. But what of the next?

  Could a vampire like me really turn back into a human again?

  The idea sounded ludicrous. I hadn’t seen a sunrise for two centuries. I’d forgotten the warmth of the sun and how brightly it could burn in the sky until I encountered Hunter Academy’s enchanted gate.

  The feeling was indescribable. I burned. I scorched. It was so painful. Yet a secret, hidden part of me wanted to stay there, continuing to try again and again. I was like a moth attracted to light. No matter if it ended up consuming me, I wanted to be there, to feel the heat that had been lost to me for ages.

  In a way, it felt like Jayson—fatal, deadly, yet utterly irresistible.

  The first time we met was the night Oscar took me to the graveyard and left me there to fend for myself. Jayson arrived surrounded by the glowing of his stake. I immediately knew we were not friends. He was too bright. His eyes were too clear. They seemed to see right through me and exposed me for a creature of the dark.

  He didn’t kill me because he said I was still pure. He could tell I hadn’t harmed anyone yet.

  The heavy mist had come, and we had been trapped inside the graveyard for the entire night. I still remember the fire burning within a ring of stones and the way flames heated up my flesh. He’d made my heart jump, as if my heart had forgotten it was already dead.

  Something stirred within me. A beat. A thump. The feeling was so unexpected that I jerked, snapping my eyes open to look for potential dangers.

  The room was still dark, receiving only a meager light from the window. But it appeared darker than a moment ago. Whereas I could see every detail of my room before, I could only make out the silhouettes of the furniture now.

  I spun around. My eyes tried frantically to see, but no matter how hard I squinted, it didn’t work. Not only that, my movements seemed dragged down by a current of water. No step, no motion was as eloquent and smooth as before. I stared down at the faint outline of my hands. There was a weakness in them I hadn’t felt for two centuries. I had lost something. I just couldn’t pinpoint what.

  Thump thump. Thump thump. There it went again. The weird noise that sounded too loud in the quietness of the room.

  It seemed to come from somewhere near me. No, it was in me.

  I pressed my palm against my breasts and felt the incredible beat I’d missed for so long. The sun rose at this moment, basking the world in its glow. The light crept up Hannah’s Bed and Breakfast. Up and up, until it shone down on the tip of my finger.

  I watched with awe as it grew to cover the length of my forearm, up my body, and then my face.

  I had to squint and found shade behind my raised hand, for the light was too strong and I didn’t get a lot of practice basking under the sun. I twitched, half expecting myself to burn into ashes. I was ready to retreat at the first sign of a burn, but it never happened.

  Half an hour later, I dropped my hand and stared at the sunbathed world in front of me.

  I, Izella Pristin, was now almost human.

  “Julia!” The door thrust open and Tessa stood at the threshold. “We have to go. Pack now. I need to see you downstairs in five.” She snapped the door shut before I could say anything. Irritation chewed at my good mood. Living or undead, I’d never been happy about anyone invading my privacy, not to mention the bossy way she spoke to me, like she owned me. But then, if I were her apprentice, I guess it did give her certain rights. I was just glad my command was still working on her despite the fact that I had successfully performed reversification.

  I had nothing to pack, so I ensured the dress I was wearing today wasn’t the same one the hunters had seen me in. When I caught my reflection in the dresser mirror, I paused. I looked different somehow. It was hard to describe, but whereas I was radiant before, I seemed more flawed now. The light specks of freckles across my nose weren’t there yesterday and my complexion was rosier. The color of my eyes and hair were a different shade. Even my height seemed shorter. Nevertheless, Brydon and Rune would recognize me if they saw me, so I put on the pair of huge sunglasses to cover half of my face and descended the stairs to Tessa’s truck.

  She was already in the driver’s seat, drinking what smelled like a cup of coffee. After I slipped into the car, she shifted the gear to reverse and peeled out of the driveway.

  I should’ve tested her right then to determine the strength of my command from last night and whether or not my command would weaken after reversification. But as it was, I couldn’t take my attention from the scene outside the window. Everything was so warm and so bright that it almost hurt my eyes, even with the sunglasses, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

  The world in daylight wasn’t the same as I remembered. For one, there weren’t paved roads and cars when I was human. Yet some things remained the same, like the vivid green of leaves and t
he rows of trees everywhere I turned.

  All too soon, Tessa slammed the brakes to a hard stop in front of Hunter Academy. I stepped down and craned my head to stare at the academy. It, too, looked different under the sunlight. It was like an imposing monster at nighttime, but the academy looked regal and beautiful in the morning. The gate and the fences seemed almost innocuous. Had I not experienced it firsthand, I wouldn’t have guessed that the dull iron gate had any magical power.

  Tessa walked forward and banged the iron ring in the center. A resounding noise clanged throughout the academy. Soon, a young man came answering the knock.

  “Tessa Hampton,” Tessa said with a curt nod.

  The young man unlocked the gate and dragged it wide open. Excitement brightened his eyes. “Come in, Ms. Hampton, the headmaster is expecting you. And she is?” He looked at me.

  “My apprentice, Julia.” Tessa marched in. She was five meters in before she stopped and turned to me. “Julia, what are you waiting for?”

  For the gate to swallow me in its heat.

  For someone to recognize me and draw his stake.

  Just a couple days ago, I was here, standing in this same location, fighting off the spells of the gate while the hunters watched.

  I strolled to the gate. The heart that wasn’t supposed to beat pounded frantically within my chest. One step closer, and I could turn to ashes if reversification went awry or if the spell on the gate managed to recognize my vampire origin despite reversification. Even if the gate didn’t react, once I was inside, I would be surrounded by my enemies.

  “Julia!” Impatience seeped into Tessa’s voice.

  I took a deep breath and walked closer and closer. I’d come this far to complete my mission and to visit Jayson’s cottage. If I backed out now, Oscar wouldn’t let me hear the end of this. Blake and Celtric would affirm their belief that no other descendants were better than them. So what if my body wasn’t what it used to be when I had my full power? All those years of training and combat weren’t for naught. I might not be supernaturally strong, but I had two centuries of experience, several times more than any measly hunter.

  I would enter Hunter Academy, take the ensorced stake, and say my final goodbye to Jayson.

  The gate hummed the moment I stepped over the threshold. I braced myself for the fire and the pain. The hum lasted for seconds that seemed like hours, as if the gate was a living thing debating to itself whether I was a vampire or not. My foot connected with the grass on the other side, and I hurried toward Tessa before the gate could reach a conclusion against my favor.

  I was in!

  “Julia, stop dallying. We don’t have all day,” Tessa snapped.

  I narrowed my eyes on her and considered throwing her to the ground. The atmosphere became intense as I stared at her. She must’ve felt it, for she shifted her feet.

  Then I blinked, and the moment was gone. I wasn’t here for her. I was here to complete a mission. I couldn’t let small things get in the way.

  “Of course, Tessa,” I said.

  She stared at me for a while with a blank expression.

  Shoot. Was the command already wearing off?

  Reversification was supposed to bring a vampire to a state similar to humans. I wondered if I would still be able to use command.

  “Ms. Hampton, this way.” The young man gestured at the castle-like building with towers at each corner.

  Tessa cast me a confused look before shaking her head and following the young hunter into the building.

  The interior of Hunter Academy was all stones, vaulted ceilings, and wide halls. If not for the chandeliers dangling down and electric outlets here and there, I could easily believe I was at a king’s castle from the distant past.

  The young hunter stopped before a hardwood door that managed to look modern yet not out of place. “Ms. Hampton, allow me to tell the headmaster of your arrival.”

  Tessa nodded. The man knocked on the door and disappeared inside.

  My gaze swept down the hallway. Hunter Academy was huge. There must have been a million places where someone could have hidden the ensorced stake. I only had three days to search for it and retreat from Hunter Academy in one piece.

  “Tessa.” I turned to her and looked directly into her eyes. “Tell me everything you know about the ensorced stake,” I commanded.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Who told you about the ensorced stake?”

  Darn! Command didn’t work. That just made my job a lot harder.

  “I heard the vampires are looking for it. I want to make sure it’s in a safe location.”

  “That is not any of your concern.”

  She knew something about the stake! Why didn’t I think about questioning her when I could still use command? “Of course it is. I am your apprentice. It’s also my responsibility to safeguard the academy and protect the ensorced stake.”

  Her bushy eyebrows furrowed. “There is really no need. The ensorced stake is in the safest location as it is.”

  “Where?” I hoped I didn’t sound too eager. It was nearly impossible to find a stake in this giant academy, especially when I didn’t know exactly what it looked like. She could save me a lot of trouble if she would just tell me. “Where, Tessa? Tell me where the ensorced stake is.” I looked at her, trying to use command again, but my eyes didn’t warm and my voice sounded different from the previous times I’d used command. Before, there was a low echo to my words. Now, there was nothing.

  Tessa gave me a quizzical look. The longer she stared at me, the more confused she became. For one sinking moment, I thought she remembered she didn’t have an apprentice and I was the vampire who attacked her.

  “There are heavy spells guarding the location. No one is allowed to step foot in it,” she finally said. I let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry. Even if the vampires could enter the gate of the academy. They would never be able to break into that place to get the stake.”

  Which place? I was about to probe further when I heard footsteps behind the door. That young hunter must be coming back. I couldn’t stay here. I might have fooled him, but there were many people in the academy who could recognize me. I would be an idiot if I thought a pair of oversized sunglasses would cover up everything.

  “Tessa, I have to use the restroom. Where is it?” I asked.

  She gestured to a location around the corner. “Don’t go too far. Wait for me out here after you’re done.”

  “Sure.” I strolled down the hall and turned around the corner. The moment she was out of my sight, I picked up speed.

  So the place the stake was located was enchanted. It was also a forbidden place for the students.

  “You.” I grabbed a scrawny boy’s arm just before he passed me on the hall. That was a mistake, because the tower of textbooks and papers in his hand tumbled down. I crouched to pick them up for him. “I’m Julia, Tessa Hampton’s apprentice. She brought me here to help Hunter Academy.” I stuffed the papers and books back into his arms.

  “Oh, thank you for coming. I’ve heard so much about her.”

  I could tell he was undecided whether to extend his hand in welcome or frown upon the mess I made. The textbooks were easy to retrieve, but the stack of paper might not be in order.

  “I’m going to be here for a few days. Is there anywhere I shouldn’t wander off to?”

  “Not really.”

  “Are you sure? There must be some places in the academy that are off-limits.” I picked up the last of the papers and laid them on top of his pile, just below his chin.

  “As long as you stay away from the boy’s restroom, the headmaster and instructors’ offices, and other people’s bedrooms, you’ll be fine.”

  “That’s it? Are you sure there are no forbidden grounds in the academy?”

  “Forbidden grounds? Like the forest behind the academy?”

  Bingo!

  “Thank you.” I hurried past him to look for an exit.

  The corridors would be nothing if I had my vam
pire speed. They were too long now. Long and confusing. Most of the doors were alike. I couldn’t decide if all the passages looked the same or if I’d breezed past them multiple times.

  I saw more than a few hunters. Most of them eyed me with curiosity. I recognized some as faces I’d seen the other day when attacking Hunter Academy. I hurried past them with my hand covering half of my face, pretending to adjust my sunglasses. None of them called me out for who I was. Even if they’d noticed similarities between me and the descendant they’d seen, they didn’t say anything.

  I smirked. They still thought their gate was impenetrable. I was inside the academy, so I couldn’t be a vampire, because no vampire could slip through the gate without burning to death.

  They were wrong in many ways. The first being underestimating descendants. Originals hadn’t created us to be useless dolls.

  Then something made my heart leap. Down the hallway, walking toward me, was Rune. His eyes were focused straight ahead while a blond girl strolled next to him, trying to hold a conversation. When he saw me, his step faltered for half a second.

  Shoot! I wanted to turn around and run the other way, but that would look too suspicious, so I rounded the corner and pretended my destination was there.

  He stopped at the intersection. I could feel the heat of his gaze as he watched me disappear down the hallway.

  “Wait!” he called after me.

  I didn’t stop. I pretended I didn’t hear him. When I rounded another corner, I took off in a run.

  Footsteps pounded behind me. I didn’t have to look back to know Rune had come after me.

  Great! Just my luck. If he confirmed who I was, he wouldn’t be the only one chasing me. He could make it that much harder for me to retrieve the ensorced stake and escape Hunter Academy alive.

  I didn’t know how many times I turned or how many hallways I passed. Finally, I saw an arched double door that looked larger and grander than all the rest. I burst through it to the other side.

  I was right. It did lead to the outside. It must have been a side door because I was not in front of Hunter Academy or behind it in the forest. After a quick glance to assess my location, I dashed to my right where I thought the forest might be.