The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5

by Stacy Claflin

  "It looks exactly as it always has," Mattie observed, looking all around. "The weapons should be in the building along with everything else that we need."

  "Do we need a key?" I asked.

  She and Brooke both shook their heads. "No," Mattie replied. "It's here for anyone at the castle to use as they wish. Nothing can be stolen or used against any royalty."

  "How is that?" I asked.

  "There's an ancient spell cast over everything here. You, being a Fyrsturae, can take anything away from here if needed. Alrekur had that stipulation put into place, but no one else can remove anything."

  "What will happen?" I asked, trying to imagine it. Would they drop dead or would the weapons simply not budge past the training grounds?

  Mattie laughed. "Brooke, would you like to try to remove a sword?"

  Brooke made a face. "No, thank you. You can try."

  Mattie shook her head, still smiling. "The edge of the grounds acts as a force field. A vampire—or other creature—will be stuck here as long as they hold anything that belongs here. I've heard that they will receive a little shock too that gets stronger the longer they try. Once the item has been dropped, they're free to leave."

  "Shall we get started?" Brooke asked. "I'm looking forward to this. It's been entirely too long."

  "You're telling me," Mattie said with a twinkle in her eye.

  We walked toward the building and the door opened by itself as we drew near.

  I gasped in surprise. "That's what I call service!"

  "It's never done that before!" Brooke exclaimed. "Not that I've seen anyway."

  "Only for the Fyrsturae," Mattie said. "The ancient spell hasn't worn off in the thousand years that the Fyrsturae have been gone. Let's go in."

  We walked in and I looked all around. It had a couple of fireplaces, some couches, and a lot of storage areas.

  The swords are over there," Mattie said, pointing across the building. She opened a closet door near where she was standing.

  Brooke and I walked the length of the building and she slid open another door, revealing an impressive collection of swords of every shape, color, and size. I could hardly believe my eyes; I'd never seen anything like it.

  "Astounding, isn't it?" Brooke asked, smiling at me.

  I nodded. I wanted to choose one, but I didn't even know where to begin.

  "I would choose something light," she said. "That way you can get used to the feel of it. Once you're comfortable with the basics of sword fighting, you'll be able to use the bigger, heavier ones with more ease."

  I grabbed a slender one that looked light, but it was so heavy that I nearly dropped it because the weight surprised me.

  "The size doesn't always indicate the weight. The lighter ones are usually down on the bottom," she said, walking a little ways away from me. "Unless they've been reorganized."

  I followed her and one with a jeweled handle caught my eye.

  Mattie was suddenly next to us. "You still like that one? When we came up here to watch Cliff practice—at your insistence, of course—you always wanted to play with that one. We always told you that you needed to wait until you were older. Now you're older. Take it."

  Looking at the sword, I tried to remember being here as a child. Nothing sparked any memories. I had thought that I'd never been to the training grounds before. There was nothing familiar about it.

  Sighing, I grabbed the sword. I was surprised at how little it weighed. It would be a good one to start with because it felt like it was made for my hands. I stepped away from the two of them, held it up and gave it a good swing. It breezed through the air as if it were slicing right through it.

  "Why don't we take that outside?" Mattie asked. "You can begin by watching Brooke and me. And then when you're ready, you can give it a try."

  We went outside to the packed dirt and they immediately started swinging swords at each other. The clanging was loud, but not overbearing. The woods around us seemed to absorb some of the sound.

  They were slow, and clearly rusty, but after only a minute they were moving at the speed of vampires. I watched in awe as they traversed the length of the field silently. The only sounds were of the swords. I was sure that if I had been watching with human eyes, I wouldn't have been able to see them at all.

  I remembered that I was supposed to be studying them, so I began paying close attention to their every move. That was no easy task, given how fast they were both moving. But I would be expected to be able to do everything they were doing, and probably surpass it.

  When they stopped, I wasn't sure how much time had passed. Time seemed to stand still. It could have been ten minutes or an hour. It was strange, because I usually had such a good grasp on time.

  "Are you ready to give it a try?" Mattie asked, not looking winded in the slightest.

  "If you go easy on me," I said, and smiled.

  "Only if you need it," she said with a wink.

  "I've never used any weapons," I told her, thinking back on my few battles. "I used my bare hands and teeth along with whatever powers I was aware of at the time."

  "Didn't it come naturally to you?"

  I thought about it. "Yeah, it did."

  "So will this. Brooke, watch her and see if there's anything that needs critiquing."

  "If there's anything?" I muttered, and then laughed. "I've never used a sword in my life. I'm sure there'll be plenty."

  "You'll pick it up right away," Brooke reassured me.

  "Is that normal for vampires?"

  "It's normal for you. It'll come right to you. I can't wait to see it."

  "I think this will be more worthy of a funny video show than anything else."

  Brooke sighed. "You've got to stop thinking that you're like you used to be. Even though you lacked a lot of…social graces, you still picked up everything so easily. Nobody else could so quickly go from social outcast to the queen of your peers. You handled yourself really well, even though you weren't feeling very confident. But when you do have confidence, there's no stopping you. You just need to watch that you don't get too bold. It can come off as arrogant at times."

  I narrowed my eyes. Was she trying to irritate me so that I'd get into the mindset to practice battling? If she was, it was working. There was no way that I was arrogant. How could she think that? I was doing my best with everything that I'd been given. I'd like to see anyone else handle everything that I had. Nobody in the history of humanity or vampires had ever been through anything remotely similar.

  I was sure that my eyes had turned red as I put the sword into fighting position and turned to Mattie. I would show the two of them what I had in me. And it wasn't arrogance.

  Mattie smiled and took position. I ran at her and swung my sword. She brought her sword up and they clashed, making a loud noise. I backed up a little and swung from a different angle, feeling the smooth movement of my arms going through the air just before making contact with her sword again.

  Something clicked. Everything came into place and I could feel myself becoming one with the object in my hands. I had internalized the movements I had seen the two of them practice just moments earlier. We started moving around the field as if we were performing a choreographed dance. For every move, there was a counter move. It felt like magic.

  It seemed like we'd just gotten started, but Mattie held up her hand, telling me to stop.

  Brooke started clapping. "You were phenomenal, Alexis! If I didn't know better, I would have thought that you'd been practicing your whole life. I can't believe that you've never held a sword before. I wish I'd thought to record it so that you could watch yourself."

  "It just came to me," I said, shrugging. I didn't know how to explain it.

  "That was the best first day that I've ever seen," Mattie said. "And I've seen a lot of vampires begin their training. Some pick it up quickly, the Fyrsturae in particular, but you're in a class of your own."

  "We don't have to stop," I protested. "I was just getting warmed up."


  They exchanged a pleased look.

  "We'll plan on coming back tomorrow," Brooke said. "I think I speak for us both when I say that I'm glad to see your spirits seem to have lifted."

  Mattie nodded, and we all headed back to the armory to return the swords. I couldn't wait to sword fight again. It felt great to get some exercise and practice a skill that would be useful. On our walk back to the castle, I daydreamed about becoming a top sword fighter and using one to kill werewolves and evil vampires who were after the ones I loved.

  I stood taller as we walked along. I felt like I was working toward something with a greater purpose.

  We spent a large portion of our days for the next couple of weeks training in the field. They taught me how to use a lot of different types of weapons. I became skilled with a bow and arrow, daggers, and more. I was able to master each weapon in a day. It was such a rush to learn everything so quickly.

  Near the end of the second week, when we got back to the castle, I knew that something was up the moment we entered. The energy was different and the servants were rushing around, distracted.

  "What's going on?" I asked the servant who had let us in.

  "The king and queen are on their way back with Alrekur and Halldor."

  My heart sank. I'd been having such a good time with them away. I would probably be expected to get dressed up to see them and to meet the newly awakened Fyrsturae, the first vampire in Cliff's line. Speaking of Cliff, wasn't he due back too?

  "Any news on Clifford?" I asked.

  "He returned three days ago, your majesty. What news are you expecting of him?"

  Disappointment ran through me. He had returned three days ago? Obviously he was still avoiding me. "Nothing," I said, trying to cover my feelings. "Carry on."

  Mattie and Brooke gave each other worried glances.

  "Let's get you freshened up," Mattie said. "There is another of your brothers to meet."

  "Yes, we can't miss that," I mumbled, as we entered my room.

  "Think of it this way," Brooke said, already picking out the perfect dress for me to wear, "if you're annoyed with Alrekur, you could have fun meeting Halldor."

  I sighed, still thinking about Cliff. "I suppose that's true. I hope they've civilized him before bringing him here. Alrekur was difficult to deal with when he was adjusting to the way things are now. Halldor and Dagur have been dead even longer than him, though I suppose it wasn't long enough to make any difference."

  "Alrekur has always been a dramatic one," said Mattie. "Halldor is more one to sit back and take everything in before reacting. He wants to understand everything before he commits to action. Alrekur, as you've undoubtedly seen, likes to jump in with both feet and figure things out as he goes. It really is no wonder that the two of them rarely agree."

  "Then why is Cliff so impetuous? He's supposed to be descended from Halldor. Cliff admits that his rashness is one of his greatest flaws. That's why he keeps taking off on me, and has now avoided me for three days," I said, blinking back tears as Brooke was applying makeup to my cheeks.

  "They may be of the same line," Mattie said, "but they're not the same person. Siblings can be as different as night and day, just as parents or grandparents can. It's no different in the royal line."

  "Why are you still so focused on him?" asked Brooke. "He's so moody and unpredictable; he keeps hurting you. Alrekur has many more centuries of life experience, he's far more handsome from what you've said, and don't forget that the two of you were made for each other."

  "Yet all of my vampire life, I was told that it was Cliff that I was made for. How do I know that it won't turn out that I was really destined to be with someone else if I decide to give Alrekur a chance?"

  Mattie tried to stop a smile from escaping. "Darling, I assure you that the first and oldest prophecies about the Sonnast all have to do with Alrekur. The prophecies about Clifford weren't spoken until after you were born. How could they be anything except fake?"

  "Maybe it wasn't fake! Perhaps Alrekur wasn't supposed to be awakened and I was supposed to live happily ever after with Cliff. Did anyone ever think of that?"

  "I don't believe that and I don't think that you do, either," Mattie said. "Tell me about the first time you two brushed your hands together. Or the time that you drank his blood."

  I stood up, knocking Brooke back. "Why are we having this conversation? I'm in love with Cliff, not Alrekur. End of story!"

  "How's that working out for you?" Brooke asked.

  I glared at her and stormed to the bathroom, my dress flowing behind me. It nearly got caught in the door as I tried to slam it. I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were flaming red and I was surprised at the anger my face held. But then again, why shouldn't I be furious? Brooke had no right to ask me that when she knew how I felt about Cliff.

  Did everyone think that I should just forget about him and follow the ancient prophecy? Didn't anyone care about how I felt? Or why I felt the way that I did? Because I had been lied to about the prophecy. Who was on my side anyway?

  "Are you almost done in there?" Mattie asked from the other side of the door.

  Still looking in the mirror, a tear escaped and ran down my face.

  "Give me a minute."

  I wiped the tear away and took several deep breaths. I needed to be able to give a good show of holding it together before my mother decided to give me any more tainted blood. That was the last thing that I needed.

  Once I had regained control, I walked out of the bathroom exuding self-confidence. I smiled at Mattie and Brooke. "Are we ready for dinner?"

  They both gave me a curious look, probably wondering how I'd switched gears so quickly. I'd had plenty of practice in Germany when I first had all of this thrown at me.

  "Let's go," Mattie said.

  We walked through the halls in relative silence. I was trying to take in the energy that was all around as my own. The servants were bustling and everyone else was excited about meeting Halldor. I had to admit that I was curious to see the first vampire in the line that had brought me Cliff. Would they look anything alike? How similar would they be?

  When we arrived in the dining hall, a dozen or so vampires were standing around talking and sipping glasses of blood. My mother was the first to see us and she came right up to us.

  "Look at you! You look beautiful," she said, smiling. She gave me a hug. "I hear that you've been training each day. Are you feeling better, daughter?"

  I returned the smile. "I've really been enjoying it, yes. Mattie and Brooke are excellent teachers."

  "You won't find anyone more skilled than Mattie."

  Mattie smiled. "Thank you, my queen. I'm sure that the other Fyrsturae would outshine me any day."

  "They may be the most skilled in battle, but they wouldn't stand up to you in their training skills. I—"

  My father walked up to us and wrapped me in a big hug. "Daughter, I've missed you so much. Now that we have you back, I don't know how I ever went so long without seeing you."

  "Oh, thanks. I missed you both as well," I fibbed. "What was it like awakening Halldor?"

  He gave a hearty laugh. "We should have brought you. It appears that only a Fyrsturae can pull the stake out of another one. Alrekur wanted nothing to do with removing it—and Halldor was not happy to see him after his last memory had been Alrekur putting it there. Alrekur sure loves you, daughter. That was the only reason he removed the stake."

  My eyes widened. "What happened?"

  "After Alrekur removed it, Halldor went through the same process as Alrekur of returning to the proper color and then awoke with a loud breath. It did give Alrekur time to put some space between the two of them. But just like Alrekur had wanted to find Heinrick when he awoke, Halldor wanted vengeance on Alrekur. Your mother and I were able to intervene and explain everything to him and calm him down. He admitted to being in love with Asdis and said he would help in any way that he could in order to bring her back. He and Alrekur have agreed on a tru
ce, but you can see their true feelings in their eyes. You Fyrsturae have passionate feelings and a challenging time hiding them."

  I raised an eyebrow. "So where are my brothers now?"

  My father smiled. "I'm so glad that you're embracing the family unit of the Fyrsturae."

  I had to force myself not to roll my eyes. Considering that he'd been one of the creators of the vampire race, and he'd led the race for over eight hundred years, he sure could be dense at times.

  "They're settling back into their wings. They'll join us for dinner soon. In the meantime, we're mingling with those who are here. I imagine we'll have a lot of guests. Everyone is curious to see the Fyrsturae, so anyone who can make it, will."

  "How is he responding to the…new world?"

  "Better than Alrekur did. He lacks the dramatic flair that so many of you have. He merely observed everything. He took in all of the changes and watched to see how we reacted to everything. It was rather refreshing."

  "I suppose that you're already preparing for the next awakening?"

  My mother smiled. "Of course, darling. We're that much closer to having the ten of you rule—with you and Alrekur at the top! We need to begin planning the wedding. It's going to be an event like no other."

  I smiled wryly. "I'm sure it will be."

  Alrekur walked in with someone nearly as handsome as himself. I wondered if the human world would see any of the Fyrsturae. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have so much beauty among a group of ten of us. Humans are so drawn to physical appearances; it wouldn't surprise me if they took note and we developed some type of fame.

  The two of them saw us and made their way over. Alrekur's face lit up when he saw me.

  You get more beautiful by the day, my Sonnast.

  As do you, I thought without meaning to. I wanted to smack myself. What was I doing? I couldn't lead him on! I had to find a way to get Cliff to talk to me so that I could try to talk him into marrying me.

  Alrekur was by my side in an instant. He was so close that I could smell his personal scent. It was intoxicating, making me want to lean against him and breathe it in even more. I smiled at him, despite myself.