by D. M. Sears
“It is forbidden for anyone but the high mage to make contact in the trials. Why should we allow this man to do the same?” A great voice echoed in the cavern.
“He is her mate and is the only one she will listen too.” Amend was shouting now and his arms shook with fatigue.
“Eden must go about this alone. No one can interfere, not even her chosen mate. It is the way it has been for millennia.”
“Gregor is the only one who can keep her from turning dark. Our world is in peril. Grant us the opening.”
“If she cannot complete the trials on her own, she will never become the high mage.” The great voice boomed around them.
Gregor stood up, “High mage or not, she is the prophesized ruler over this land and no one will keep me from helping her. Not even some spirits that have left this place centuries ago!” Gregor huffed and puffed as his rage boiled under his skin.
“A strong man you are, but tell us what you intend to do if we give you what you ask.”
“I only intend to let her know I am alive, nothing more than that. I need only a short time, please.”
There was a long silence as the fired roared high, Amends hands were blistered from the heat, but he never moved. “We have decided to grant your request, but you will have only a short time. When your time is up, the opening will close and she will no longer hear you.”
“Thank you for your kindness.” Gregor sat down, relieved that he would get to talk to Eden.
“We are most humbled by your decision. Thank you, spirits, for hearing our plea.” More lamb’s mint was thrown in the fire as well as indigo. “Gregor, throw the hawthorn berries in and make sure you really love Eden. If you do not and you use these, you will forever despise her.”
“I love her beyond anything I have ever known.”
“Good. Throw them in.”
Gregor threw the handful of red berries into the fire and it glowed a brilliant candy-apple red. The fire swirled like waves up to the ceiling. Instantly the fire died leaving a floating circle of white smoke in the air.
“You have but a few minutes, do not waste it. Good luck, Gregor.” Amend disappeared behind the cloud of white smoke.
The smoke curled until a mirror appeared floating in front of him. He saw Eden, his eyes drank her in, and the tired look on her face gave him a twang of guilt for not being there. How he wanted to go to her, how he wanted to hold her and never let her go.
“My heart, are you okay?” Gregor’s voice rang in the room.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“This waiting is killing me. I need something to do while we wait. It has been three days and no word from anyone on Eden. She was so weak; I just want to know how she is.” Lex sat before the fire in the middle of the village. After his ordeal, he didn’t particularly like being in the huts.
“Honey, she will be fine. Eden is going to make it through this, and we will be here to help her.” Val stroked his arm lovingly.
“I know, you’re right, as always. I just need something to pass my time. We don’t even know how long she will be in the trials. In rare cases, they don’t come out.” The grave expression on Lex’s face made the group uneasy.
“In the time I have been around Eden, I have learned of her resiliency. I believe she will come out of this stronger than ever. Her destiny is not one to take on lightly, and therefore she will need a lot of soul searching. Trust that she will find her way.” Maiya had a way of making things seem better.
“Maiya is right, Eden will prevail and our world will be saved from the unending darkness that swallows it.” Koren beamed at his mate. They were perfect for each other. “Lex, would you like to join me on a hunt? It may take your mind off of this worrying.”
“I would like that. We will return later.” Lex kissed Val on her head and rose to hunt with Koren.
“Be careful, my love, things stir. That makes me uneasy.”
“I will, Maiya. Do not fret over us.” His white smile made them feel better and the men walked away from their women.
“Now that the men have something to do, what is left for us?” Val sounded amused, yet her anxiety built.
“You feel it too, do you not?” Maiya’s moonlight eyes searched Val’s face.
“I have a feeling that has been building, but I do not know what it is. It feels ominous, though.”
“I have been feeling it for two days now. Something is coming…”
“Do you think it is shadows?”
“I do not know but it could be. My senses can only pick up so much.” Maiya gave a slight smile to Val.
“Maybe we should start dinner. The sun will be going down soon and when the men return, they will be famished.” Val rose and dusted off her pants.
“How do men eat so much? Koren is a bottomless pit. I can’t keep up with his appetite.” The women giggled at their men and began cleaning veggies to roast and fruits to peel.
The sun set over the village and Val and Maiya were watching over the food waiting for the meat the men would bring back. Maiya shot up from her log she sat on and shifted into her cat form.
Valora, something is wrong. A threat endangers the men. Follow me.
Val ran after the cat, trying to keep her in view. Even with her spell for speed, she had problems keeping up. They raced through the field and sparse trees surrounding the village, Val had no idea where Maiya was going. She trusted her cat senses, though, and stayed on her tail.
Maiya slowed to a creep, her body was in a stalk mode. Val slowed down and crouched low into the high grass, following the cat’s steps.
Do you see, the shades there, in the brush?
Val cast her vision charm and looked with more acute eyesight and nodded at Maiya. Her breath caught as she saw the men walking past the same brush. Maiya sprung from the grass and raced across the field towards the hidden shades. Koren and Lex dropped their plunder, watching the swift cat cut them off.
“Maiya, what are you doing?” Koren used his senses to reach out. He smelled the fetid flesh of the shadows and knew what was happening. Koren changed into his wolf and growled at the brush.
“What is going on, guys?” Lex stood there dumbfounded.
“Lex, move!” Val yelled at a distance. She sent a fireball towards the bushes right in the path of Lex.
Lex flung himself on the ground just getting out of the way when the fireball hit. Wails came from the burning bushes and tree limbs. The shadows emerged, covered in fire licking over their rotting bodies.
“We need to move now, this was too easy.” The group ran towards the small village smelling smoke.
Koren and Maiya got to the burning village first. They each leapt onto a shadow and began ripping at it with teeth and nails. Val and Lex looked at the scene with anger. Shadows were attacking villagers in various forms, homes were alight with orange flames, and blood ran on the ground mixed with black ooze.
They looked at each other in horror at what was before them. “We need to help!” Val cried to Lex over the noise.
“Shall we?” Lex grabbed a metal studded wooden club from a weapon rack and ran into the fray.
Val set herself on the sidelines casting spells of binding, manipulated the fire to burn the black ooze on the ground and a few shades with it. Lex used his club and a sword he picked off a shifter to fight as many as he could. Koren was tearing one on the ground and Maiya had one on the run. A cold wind blew up around the village, extinguishing the fires and causing everything to go black from the night. A red comet hit in the middle of the village, revealing a woman in a black cloak with deep red hair.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“I will find a way! I will not let them hurt my family.” I balled up my fists and set myself to figure out the impossible.
“My heart, are you ok?” The voice was familiar, but there was no way it could be…he was dead. I watched them kill him.
“I will not fall for that again. I know this isn’t real.” My voice cracked above a whisper.
&n
bsp; “Eden, this is not a trick. I am alive. I have only a short time to talk to you. What you are seeing are your own fears playing against you. I am alive and waiting for you, my heart. Do not give in to the fear and revenge. Find your power for love, not for death.”
“Gregor…are you really alive?” I fell to my knees, buried my face in my hands, and began to cry. My body was shaking so hard. “I love you. I want to see you, can’t I see you?” I looked around the room, but only a voice echoed.
“You cannot see me until after you finish the trials. Be strong, my heart, I am here in our special place waiting to hold you. I love you.” Gregor’s voice faded away.
“No, wait! Gregor, please come back.” I sat on the old floor, breath hitching in my chest as his voice faded away from me.
Time went by as I sat there letting my tears fall for the man I loved, the man I thought was dead but was alive. He said the things I have seen were only my fears. Does this mean my parents aren’t being tortured, are they even alive, or are they dead? I had a lot to process and on top of it all, I had to harness my power and get out of the game I was stuck in.
“AMEND! I need to speak to you NOW!” My voice cracked from crying, but I steeled myself to get down to business.
“My dear, you summoned me, although, I am not supposed to really help you.” The high voice filled my mind.
“Was that really Gregor? I want a true answer, none of this cryptic crap.”
“It was him. He is alive, that is all I can say.”
“Fine, what about my parents…”
“I have no knowledge about them, and even if I did, I could not reveal it to you.”
“Why? Why is it so important for me to be here? I know I need to figure my power source, but why do I have to do it here? Why can’t I be with my friends and family?”
“Eden, you have to decide which path you will follow. If you chose revenge, you will travel a dark path, if you chose love, you will follow the light. Only here can you decide.”
“I want to help my family; I want to help the people of this world because no one deserves to live this way, in fear all the time. I love my family, and I hate those who have hurt them. There is no one way or another, there is only both, and with love and anger I will use my power to right things!”
My body tingled and I felt my wrist heat up, but not with a burning from rage. I felt light, airless, my mark sending power though me allowing me to feel my conviction.
I let myself go to follow the power coursing through me. The lines of it were white and hot, flowing in every fiber of my makeup. I traveled along the threads to the core, seeing the white ball of energy that could be used for good and bad. My power was not pure and good, nor was it black and evil. My power was swirled with good and bad. A balance of both, the way life is, the way people should be. You need the good to balance the bad, that was my gift, the gift of unity.
I found my way back to reality and shut the flow of power off. I reveled in the epiphany of who I was and what I was created to do. My destiny was not scary. It was natural and I knew I would be able to fulfill it. I watched the old shack melt away to the caverns that lead to the meadow, our special place.
“Gregor…are you here?” My eyes adjusted to the dark naturally and I looked around with my night vision. My vampire walked around the corner and stopped in front of me.
There were no words that passed between us, yet we each knew what the other wanted to say. I jumped in his arms and my lips pressed against his. The urgency of my kiss made him hold me tighter. I wasn’t letting go for fear he would be a dream. I ran my hands over his body making sure he was whole and alive. Tears mingled into our kiss and he lifted me off my feet carrying me to the meadow I longed to see.
Gregor set us slowly in the grass and the soft blades grazed my arms as we fell back. Our bodies clung to one another, not wanting the moment to end. My mind found his and our souls collided, making us one. Each touch, caress, and kiss reaffirmed we would never be away from one another again. Our lives were too entangled to be apart.
I rested against him by the stream, lazily playing with a blade of turquoise grass. “Gregor, don’t ever leave me again.” His arms tightened their hold.
“Never again. I am with you forever.”
I smiled inside and let myself relax for the first time in days.
“Are you hungry? I can find you some food if you would like.”
“I just want to be here with you.” I was a little hungry, but nothing was going to take me away from this moment.
“When did you eat last? You seem paler than last I saw you.”
“That was only a few days ago and I haven’t eaten since the first day I was gone.” My stomach gave me away.
“I will find you some sustenance.” Gregor rolled away from me and I turned quickly grabbing his hand.
“Please, don’t go. I just need to feel you for a while. Please?” I hated the whine that came from me.
“My heart, you must nourish yourself. If you do not eat, you will need to take blood.”
“Fine, I will take yours.” My voice became seductive and I rolled over him nuzzling his neck.”
“Eden, you are in danger of bringing the animal out in me.” His voice was low and deep, adding to the already flammable situation.
“You started it.” I giggled and felt my teeth lengthen. I nipped at the base of his throat scratching his skin. Gregor moaned and I sank my teeth into the soft flesh tasting the warm spicy liquid that flowed freely. His blood gave my starved cells the boost they needed, and I felt energy rush through my body. Reluctantly, I withdrew and gazed into the stormy eyes of my vampire.
“Better?” Gregor was holding me close while the giddy feeling wore off.
“Much.”
“You will still need to eat real food, you are only part vampire. Blood will only sustain you for so long.”
“I know. I promise, when we go see Lex and Val, I will eat.” I grinned at him and kissed him once again. I will never get enough of his sweet smell and the taste of his lips.
“Speaking of which, we should go see them. I haven’t been in contact with them and I have things to discuss with everyone.” Gregor sat up and I along with him.
“Do we have to right now? I just got back to you?” I gave a fake pout and his laughter was music to my ears.
“I guess we can wait a little longer.” We lay down and I imagined the blanket he made for me the first day I was here. I felt the warmth from it and I let Gregor hold me as I fell asleep in his arms.
Chapter Thirty
“Eden, wake up. Something is amiss.” I felt hands gently shake me.
I wiped at my eyes to scrub the sleep away, “What is it?”
“Do you see the smoke in the distance?” I looked up to the sky and a faint red smoke rolled across it.
“Yeah, so?”
“It is coming from Koren’s village. We need to go.”
“Okay, let’s go.” I rose to my feet a little wobbly but soon steadied myself. “You want the dragon again, or something smaller?”
“We need something stealthy that can blend into the night but can carry a man.”
“The hawk will be good then.” I didn’t have to ground myself to shift. I just knew I could do it. My mark hummed and I felt my body contort into a large hawk with night colored feathers.
You never cease to amaze me. I am one lucky vampire.
Don’t forget it.
I sent a mental push of laughter with my response and felt Gregor’s weight as he seated himself on my back. I extended my feathered wings and took to flight, carrying us higher into the air towards the red smoke.
When we get close to the village, I want you to get as low to the ground as you can and glide in for us to check the situation.
No problem.
My hawk flew towards our destination, scanning the ground below for enemies. As we came closer, I smelled the foul stench of shadows and burned skin.
Do you smell that? Sh
ades are here.
I wanted Gregor to know what I was seeing so I sent the images into his mind from the eyes of my bird.
Drop down here, Eden. We can survey the area.
I coasted along the ground and found a place to conceal us as we watched. My hawk eyes took in the carnage of the fight that was still going on. Shadows surrounded the villagers, while a cloaked figure stood in the center. I searched for my aunt and uncle and my two friends. I found them on the ground in front of the hooded person as if chained. I attuned my ears so I could hear what was spoken.
“I do not want to hurt any of you, to spill our blood is a waste, all I am asking for is information about a young girl who is new to our world. Surely that isn’t much to ask for?” Her voice dripped with evil that left me chilled. I shook my feathers to erase the feeling. I had felt that before though and it hit a nerve inside me somewhere.
Gregor, I know who that is.
As do I, my heart.
Circenn, my grandmother. I must go help; I can’t let them die to protect me.
You going in there isn’t going to help anyone if she captures you, or worse, kills you.
Gregor, do you trust me?
Eden…
Do you trust me? I can do this.
I shifted quickly back to my natural form and left Gregor on the ground. I walked towards the village and my grandmother.
I walked through the tall grass quietly tapping into the power that was just below the surface now. The birthmark on my wrist vibrated and set about surrounding me in an aura of white. I used my power to knock the shades out of the way, as I approached Circenn.
Be careful my heart, I am coming up behind you. I will not let you do this alone.
Gregor’s essence glowed bright in me as he sent his love my way.
“What do we have here?” I could hear her excitement as I approached. “It’s my dear sweet granddaughter.” Her shadows started to come at me, but she raised her hand signaling to stay back.
“Hello grandma. Wow, grandma, guess that means you are up in age, huh?” I plastered the sweetest smile on my face and watched hers drain of blood. “So, word is, you’re looking for me. Now that I am here, what can I do for you?” I stood by my family and friends and watched her anger rise.
