by VJ Dunraven
“It is he! I've no doubt,” Sir Henry heard himself proclaim. “He came to make the Purification and Restoration of the European Covens possible, Sire!”
The King frowned. “And how is that possible, Sir Henry? The great Omni has denied us the blessing of a Pure One for the past two centuries!”
“My King—,” Sir Henry said with urgency, “that is the reason I am here. Prince William Erik the Fourteenth must come with me to America to fulfill his destiny.”
The King inhaled sharply and leaned back in his chair.
An uncomfortable silence ensued.
Sir Henry willed the courage to take the opportunity and plead his case. “I implore you, Sire! This is the right time in history—the only time. It may never come again. And then the European bloodline will weaken further. The Royal Covens from other continents are well aware of your predicament. It will only be a matter of time before one of them succumbs to the allure of power and wage war to gain supremacy. If your people fail to be the fittest and strongest bloodline, the Highest Royal Coven of Europe shall not survive!”
Sir Henry paused to observe the King and Prince, their eyes riveted on him. He flushed, hoping that his tirade didn't offend them both.
“Guards!” The Prince stood and motioned to the men.
Sir Henry's heart dropped. He bowed his head in resignation, waiting for his arrest.
“Is that all, Sir Henry?” The King said.
“Yes, my King.”
“Then you may go.”
Dejected, Sir Henry headed toward the open doors where the guards stood waiting with the Prince.
“I regret to inform you, Sir Henry, that you must cancel your flight to America,” the Prince said in a grave tone.
“I understand, Your Highness.”
“Splendid!” The Prince’s expression changed. “I would be delighted to have you fly in the private jet with me. Your luggage has already been loaded together with mine. We leave in a half hour with my cousins.”
Sir Henry gaped at him in bewilderment. “But the King, Your Highness! He will have my head if you come with me!”
“I can assure you, he shall not.” Prince William turned to walk towards the hallway. “You see, I was expecting you,” he said over his shoulder. “I flew in from Switzerland three days ago with my cousins, anticipating your visit.”
Sir Henry hurriedly caught up with him. “But no one knew about my visit except for my assistant, Richard Stapleton and my councilors! How—?”
Prince William paused with a meaningful smile, raising his hand to silence Sir Henry. “I am the Silver Eyed Prince. The Wise Historians call me the powerful Son of the Omni for a reason.” Then, in a more serious note, “I've been waiting for my destiny for more than one hundred years, Sir Henry.” Patent longing graced his remarkable eyes. “It's time for me to find her.”
Chapter 2
Sign of the Omni
Four days earlier
Mansfield High, Connecticut
Northeastern United States
Everyone forgot about her birthday. Elizabeth stood by the exit gate and sighed. Everyone that is, except for tall, blond, green-eyed, Bryan McKnight—Captain of the basketball team, God's gift to women, her one and only BFE (Best Friend Extraordinaire.)
She waved as his white BMW pulled up in front of her.
“Hey there, birthday girl!” He leaned over and opened the passenger door.
“Where are we going?” She hopped in and buckled herself.
“You'll see.” He grinned. “But first, let me take you home so you can change.” He eyed the grimy sneakers and sweaty T-shirt she wore in P.E.
“Do I have time to shower?” She fished out a scrunchie from her bag and tied her waist-length strawberry blond hair into a ponytail.
“Yeah—, but do it fast. I got reservations. We can't be late.” He maneuvered his car into traffic and turned towards the direction of her house.
“Oh, Bry, thank you!” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “No one remembered except you! My mom left to catch her translation deadline before I even woke up, Sue and Vanessa went to band practice, and Anne and Charlie had drama rehearsals!”
“Hey—no moping on your birthday, Lizzie-bee.” He glanced at her and winked. “You still got me.”
Elizabeth crinkled her nose at him. He made up her pet name when they met during her first week at Mansfield High. She was tearing down the hallway, late and flustered, and he was rushing around the corner. The collision sent their things flying in all directions, but somehow, instead of getting angry at each other, they ended up laughing non-stop.
“See you later, Lizzie-bee,” he said over his shoulder after they had introduced themselves. And he did—with his friends, Sue, Vanessa, Charlie and Anne in tow. They've been friends ever since and her pet name stuck.
“Here we are.” Bryan parked in front of the leased yellow cottage situated on a quiet tree-lined street where she and her mom lived.
“I don't think my mom's home yet,” she said, as they crossed the porch to the dark, quiet house. She inserted the key in the lock and swung the door open.
The lights switched on, confetti rained and horns blared. “Surprise!” Her mother, Sue, Anne, Vanessa and Charlie exclaimed in unison.
Elizabeth shrieked as everyone rushed to greet her.
“Happy seventeenth birthday, sweetie!” Mom hugged her tightly.
“Thanks, Mom!” She laughed. “I thought you guys abandoned me!”
“I baked you a cake.” Vanessa pointed at the pink confection adorned with seventeen candles. “Hope you like it.”
Elizabeth walked towards the dining table. “I love it! Thanks, Chef Vanessa Blake!” She put an arm around her shoulders.
Mom lit the candles and they all sang the birthday song. Charlie pretended to be the conductor, waving a fork in time to the music.
“Everybody gather around Elizabeth so I can take a picture,” Mom said when the song ended.
Anne, Charlie, Vanessa, Bryan, and Sue crowded on either side of her. The camera flashed as she blew out all seventeen candles. Everyone cheered.
“Time for presents!” Sue clapped in excitement, her brown curls bouncing.
“We got you some cool gift cards!” Charlie held up a small envelope. “iTunes, babe!” He wiggled his brows with a comical look on his freckled face.
“... and eBooks.” Anne waved a red card, pushing her glasses upwards on her nose.
“Last but not least—” Sue pulled out a card in the shape of a burger. “Dinner at Granny Louise’s Diner!”
“Gee—thanks, guys!” Elizabeth gave all three a group hug.
“Here's something you can use with eBooks.” Mom handed her a gift bag.
Elizabeth rummaged through the tissue and pulled out an e-book tablet. “Oh, Mom, thank you!” She kissed her cheek. “This is perfect!”
“And this is for your music downloads and personal communication.” Bryan handed her a small box.
She placed the tablet on the table and took the box, ripping off the wrapping. “Oh my gosh—an iPhone?” She jumped up and down and flung herself at Bryan, knocking him backwards on the fat chair behind him.
“Whoa! Lizzie-bee!” he yelled as she toppled on top of him. “Get your knee off the family jewels! Yikes! Ouch!”
Sue, Anne, and Vanessa collapsed in fits of laughter on the sofa.
“I feel sorry for you, bro.” Charlie guffawed. “You should've just gotten her a gift card.”
“This is too expensive!” Elizabeth said. “Are you sure—?”
“It’s no big deal.” Bryan shrugged. “Barely dented my allowance.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is my best birthday ever!” She dropped a loud smack on Bryan's nose before scrambling off him.
“Okay, kids, grab some cake!” Mom hollered over the excitement, placing slices of chocolate cake with vanilla icing on paper plates.
They sat in the living room eating, and for the next few ho
urs, chatted while playing games. But as the evening wore on, Elizabeth felt fatigued. She stretched and rubbed the back of her neck.
“Tired?” Bryan asked.
“Yeah, I didn't sleep well last night.” In fact, she hadn't had a good night's rest since her nape started bothering her a week ago.
Bryan looked at his watch. “Well, it's almost eleven. We better get going.”
“No—stay.” She placed a hand on his arm.
“It's a school night.” He stood and grabbed his jacket. “Besides, I have to give everybody a ride to my dad's ranch. We left all the cars there so you wouldn’t suspect anything.”
“We got you, didn't we?” Charlie reached for his coat behind her chair.
Elizabeth chuckled. “Totally. You guys rock!”
“We've been avoiding you the whole day.” Sue laughed.
“And thank God it's winter or your cake wouldn't have survived in my car!” Vanessa chimed in.
“But it was all worth it,” Anne said. “Happy Birthday, Elizabeth.”
“Thanks, everyone.” Elizabeth rose as they shrugged on their jackets. “You guys take care, okay?” She hugged each of them by the door. “See you tomorrow.”
“I'll pick you up at seven twenty,” Sue said.
Bryan was the last person to go. “Thanks, Bry.” She hugged and kissed him on the cheek. “You're the best B.F.E. ever.”
“Anything for my Lizzie-bee.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Get some sleep.” He ruffled her hair and said goodnight to her mother who was coming from the kitchen.
Elizabeth stood on the porch and watched him go into the chilly night. He climbed inside the BMW with the rest of the gang and waved as he drove away. She laughed and blew him a kiss. She was so lucky to have him as a friend, though at first everyone thought they were dating. Her lips twitched at the memory of the sharp looks thrown her way by jealous girls during those first few weeks of school.
True, Bryan said he liked her and she liked him as well, but the attraction between them was special—hard to explain. Like her, Bryan was an only child raised by a single parent, a wealthy father who traveled frequently. Both of them were lonely in some way, and like kindred spirits, they gravitated to each other, forming a bond as strong as that of a brother and sister.
Elizabeth smiled as she remembered the first time they sat on the hood of his car one starry night and talked about their dreams, ambitions, their lives and where they wanted to be, five, ten, twenty years from now. It felt good to have a true friend to share things with. No wonder their closeness raised a lot of eyebrows.
Elizabeth sighed. Of course, Bryan's groupies eventually realized that their relationship was strictly platonic. Eventually, she found herself the object of unlikely attention, which she could only justify as popularity by association.
Virtually overnight, almost every girl in school, from the quiet brainiacs to the hot cheerleader types, like that waspy, plastic, queen bee, Jessica Myers, suddenly wanted to be her friend—just to get closer to her BFE.
Elizabeth cringed at the thought. Bryan attracted females regardless of phyla or genus.
She turned to go back inside the house as his car taillights disappeared in the distance. She was exhausted and a little dizzy. Her knees began to buckle.
“What's wrong?” Mom asked, as Elizabeth leaned heavily on the doorframe.
“I don't feel good,” she grimaced. “My neck has bothered me all day—.” She gripped the doorknob, feeling faint.
Her mother rushed to her side and helped her onto the sofa. “Show me where it hurts.”
“Here.” Elizabeth slipped a trembling hand under the veil of her hair. She felt so weak and drowsy; she couldn't keep her eyes open. Slowly, she sagged forward.
Mom caught her and gathered Elizabeth’s waist-length hair, lifting it up to inspect the spot. A perfect circle had materialized on her nape, as if stamped with a hot iron. She shuddered in disbelief, but the evidence glared before her.
The sign of the Omni.
It can’t be, she panicked. The sign wasn't due until her eighteenth birthday!
She carefully laid Elizabeth on the sofa and touched her face. She was deathly pale and cold. Her breathing had turned shallow and she could tell her condition had worsened in a matter of minutes. Alarmed at her quick deterioration, Mom hurried to her room to retrieve the only cure she knew—the Black Pearl.
She snatched the small box hidden in her dresser and ran to her daughter's side.
“Elizabeth!” She shook her gently. “Elizabeth! I want you to swallow this!” She patted her cheeks repeatedly to rouse her.
“Hmmm ... it hurts ...” Elizabeth moaned, her eyes glazed and heavy lidded.
“You'll feel better after you take this.” Mom nudged the black pearl against her lips.
Elizabeth opened her mouth slightly, allowing her to thrust the pearl inside. Then, she slipped into a comatose state.
Mom watched her frail figure reposing on the couch. Elizabeth was a mirror image of her father. The straight nose, high cheekbones, and full lips could all be attributed to the only man she had ever loved. The only thing she had in common with her daughter was the flame colored hair. Though their eyes were similar to some extent, hers were blue while Elizabeth’s were a rare shade of indigo. Magnificent—but also a dreaded curse.
Mom rubbed her temples. It wouldn't be easy to convince her. They should have never stayed so long in one place.
But what was she supposed to do? Elizabeth was turning into a sad, lonely, withdrawn child. She thought giving her time to get to know kids her age would raise her spirits. And it did—but her decision to remain in Mansfield longer than planned was a big mistake. Elizabeth not only formed an attachment to the house, but she also became too fond of her human friends. She had blossomed into a happy, normal teenager. How could she bring herself to tell her they couldn't stay?
A low moan sounded from the couch. She stood up and placed a hand on her daughter's forehead.
Cold as ice.
It won't be long now, she thought, and hoped that by giving her the black pearl, she did the right thing.
Elizabeth opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows looking around the living room still littered with paper plates and cups. “How long have I been sleeping?” she asked her mom who was sitting on the chair across from her.
“Two hours. How do you feel?”
“Fine.” She stretched. “What was that pill you gave me?”
“Something to make your neck feel better.”
“It worked.” Elizabeth touched the spot at the back of her neck that was no longer painful.
“Listen,” Mom said in a somber tone. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Yeah, I know, Mom.” Elizabeth yawned. “I'll wake up early and clean up before school.”
“That's not it.” Mom glanced downward and sighed, before lifting her eyes to gaze at her. “You will undergo Conversion soon and we need to make some adjustments.”
Elizabeth stifled another yawn. “What conversion?”
“Changes within yourself.” Mom took her hand and squeezed it gently.
“Mom.” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about puberty again. I promise—I’m not going to have sex with some boy and get pregnant! ”
“I’m not talking about that. I meant something else. We are different. You are not like your friends.”
Elizabeth tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“We don't have the same genes as humans do.” Mom paused for a second, and then gave her a serious look. “We are immortals—Deimons.”
Her brows flew upwards. “I'm sorry—say that again?”
Mom cleared her throat. “Half deity, half fiend. Humans commonly call us Vampires, though we are far different from that particular species.”
Elizabeth abruptly pulled her hand back and stared at her mother as if she grew feathers overnight. She tried to think of something to say, but all she
could muster was a shrill “What?”
“I feel terrible about this, but you’ll need to transfer to another school,” Mom said, unfazed by her reaction.
Elizabeth clenched her teeth with a sudden surge of anger. So—that's what it was! She wanted to move again. As if she hadn't heard all sorts of bizarre excuses before! Like the time when they had to move because the doors were not sturdy enough, or the house had too many windows, or the neighbors were nosy. The list goes on and on! Now, they have to move again because—hello? What on Earth possessed her to think that they were Vampires?
“No!” she cried. “I'm not moving. You go if you have to, but I’m staying. I’ll live with Sue or Anne or—”
“You must!” Mom said sternly. “It's not safe!”
“You can't make me move!” She shook her head.
Mom's eyes narrowed. “I can—and you will!”
Elizabeth felt everything crumbling around her. Just when her world was almost perfect, her mother wanted to destroy it. “Why are you making me leave my friends—our home? I’m happy here! Why do you always—?”
“It is not safe for you to be around humans while you undergo Conversion,” her mother said sharply. “You do not know how to control your instincts! This is not where you belong!”
“And just where do I belong? With you? You don't even belong anywhere!”
Mom’s eyes held no emotion. “I do what's best for us—for you.”
“By dragging me all over the country on a whim?” Elizabeth's eyes burned with tears. “I have no memories, do you know that?”
“Memories?” Mom raised her voice. “What are you talking about?”
“You don't even have a clue, do you?” She clenched her hands into fists. “You're so wrapped up in your little imaginary world! Did you even notice that this is the first time I had pictures on my wall and friends on my birthday?”
Mom's expression darkened, but she didn't say anything.
“I'm not invisible anymore!” she sputtered between sobs. “I finally belong! Doesn't that matter to you?”
