“Why did you do that?” he asked. A weird smile started to play on his lips.
“He said you were here to serve me. Well you sure as hell cannot serve me if you are following him around camp like a lost puppy.” I said this a little harsher than I had meant to. The simple explanation was that, as long as I had one of them with me, there was no way they would feel that they could not trust me. Besides, I had already managed in the short period of time to have a slight soft spot for the boy.
“That would make perfect sense.” He walked toward me and stopped about ten feet in front of me. “What can I do for you?”
I had to think for a second. I looked around the tent and frowned. There was nothing he could do for me here, it seemed. I had to think harder. I looked toward my bags and grinned.
“Help me unpack,” I suggested as he reached for the bags. I led him into the sheer bedroom of the tent and noticed a nice dresser in place on the other side of the makeshift room. He tossed the bags on the bed and I looked at him as if he had disturbed my reveling.
“Sorry, ma’am.” He blushed, unzipping the bags, pulling the silky clothing from inside and handing it to me. I set up the dressers as if I was back home. I didn’t have enough with me to fill it, but I had enough to at least get it going.
“So when did you arrive?” I asked the boy as I placed my silk stockings in the top right-hand drawer.
“About four months ago. The Army came through my town looking for volunteers. They told us that we were going to be well taken care of.” He handed me a satin nightgown and I placed it in the same drawer with the stockings.
“Do you feel that they have done what they said they would?” I felt maybe I was asking the wrong questions.
“Yes and no,” he answered me cryptically.
“Please elaborate,” I demanded. We had managed to unpack the bags. My makeup bag sat on the top of the dresser with my shower supplies.
“I feel that we are well taken care of, yes. I just didn’t realize it meant a life of servitude. Pretty much I do whatever I’m told.” He zipped up my bags and placed them in the corner of the little room.
“You have to start somewhere,” I said, smiling. “If you feel that there is anything that I can do differently please tell me.”
“You are nothing like how the prophecy sounded,” he said, laughing. “Then again, I think they made a lot of it up just to scare us.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked as I put my small assortment of heels against the wall of the tent, away from the bed. I didn’t want to trip to my death in the middle of the night.
“You are vicious, that much is certain. Extremely powerful as well. You just seem to have a heart to you that nobody else noticed.” He raised an eyebrow at me.
“I wouldn’t say that I have a heart. However, in our short time I do feel a soft spot for you dear.” I didn’t smile at the boy, I just nodded. He looked taken by the compliment I had just given him.
“That’s good to hear,” he said, blushing. “Can I get you anything? Lilly keeps soda in her tent if you would like one.”
I was starting to think the boy would offer me the world if he could. “No, thank you, dear.” I walked by him and out of the little room. I took a seat on the couch and wrapped my legs daintily up onto the cushion next to me.
“Do you like music? We made sure to install a radio.” He pointed toward the fancy sound system in the corner. “I’m not sure how it works but I have a feeling it has a lot to do with magic.”
I laughed a little at how naive he was and looked over at Marshall. “I’m good, thank you. Please have a seat, Marshall, you are making me nervous.”
He sat down on the couch across from mine and started to move uneasily. I watched him for a bit before he spoke. “Can I do anything for you?”
“You are doing everything you should, Marshall. Tell me though why you are so nervous?” I cocked my head to the side and narrowed my eyes.
“The one thing that I wasn’t expecting was how pretty you would be,” he stammered.
“Well that is considerate. Lilly is quite pretty,” I stated. I had no idea where this conversation was going.
“I thought the Harbinger had just over exaggerated what you looked like. He does it all the time when he draws that stupid Fire girl,” he sneered. Apparently he had an issue with the other part of me.
“Fire girl?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Best if I acted as if I had no clue who this Fire girl was.
“The Harbinger had a girlfriend apparently. She’s one of the Wardens that Lilly is trying to get rid of.” Marshall shrugged. “Lilly makes her sound horrid but the way he draws her she’s always so beautiful.”
“So the Harbinger boy is a prisoner. Interesting.” I fixed the ring on my finger and glanced at Marshall.
“More like Lilly’s pet. He gets special treatment compared to the others.” He rolled his eyes. “I don’t get it though. What makes him so special?”
“Interesting still,” I mumbled, wondering what he meant by ‘special treatment.’
“So you do not like this Fire girl?” I asked after a moment of silence.
“Lilly says she means to rid the world of hybrids.” He looked down.
LIES! She had been feeding these innocent beings a pack of lies. Saying that I meant to rid the world of hybrids. I was a hybrid! I had to fight the anger building up inside. Pushing it as deep as it would go, I got up and walked over to the boy and sat down beside him.
“As long as I’m around nobody is going to hurt you,” I said softly, with affection. It took the boy by surprise and he looked at me with wide eyes.
“Nobody has ever said that to me.” He slowly smiled. I went with it and wrapped my arms around the boy in a motherly hug.
***
“Miss Prudence?” The voice was outside my tent. I glanced at Marshall who had passed out on the couch and smiled to myself.
“Yes?” I asked, trying to sound a bit miffed by the intrusion.
“Lilly wishes to see you in her tent.” The voice shook. I had apparently struck fear in the unknown being.
“Give me a moment.” I checked my shoes and greeted the young man standing outside my tent with a frown.
“This way,” the boy said slowly as he turned and walked through the rows of tents. We came upon another large tent and he opened the flap. Everything was red inside. A single cage sat in the corner of the room, its contents not present.
“Welcome to the camp.” Miranda’s voice was annoyed the moment she saw me. I looked at her and narrowed my eyes. The anger was slowly starting to build again and I attempted to push it back down.
“Thank you for having me,” I said politely, but there was an edge to my voice.
“I didn’t have much of a choice. My mother insisted that I bring you here,” she grumbled.
“Remind me to thank her then,” I bit at her. She looked shocked but then motioned for me to sit.
“My mother does not come here,” Miranda said slowly. “She finds that being in the presence of the prisoners only makes her anxious.”
“I can see why,” I agreed as I took a seat next to her.
“May I offer you a beverage?” she asked politely.
“Yes please.” I accepted her generosity and she snapped her fingers. A boy appeared behind her, carrying a tray. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. The shirt was tattered and torn, the jeans with holes in the knees. His feet were bare and cut, when he walked he favored his right foot.
“This is Wesley.” The boy’s eyes shot up and locked with mine. He looked well enough but I could tell he was still human, at least for now.
How could I not have seen it the moment he came into view? He looked thin. His blue eyes were dull and lacked their usual sparkle. He looked nothing like the man that appeared to me on the astral plain. He looked more like the boy I had spoken to the first time I was summoned.
“Good day,” I
said to the boy and looked back at Miranda.
“Is there anything else I can get for you?” he asked robotically, looking over at me. My heart pounded but I hid the excitement.
“No. You may go back to your drawings.” She shooed him away. My eyes lingered on him as he left.
“You like?” Miranda asked, raising an eyebrow.
“He’s a bit battered but quite attractive,” I answered.
“He’s the one that saw you,” she said simply, handing me a can of Diet Coke. Though I was used to the taste I still longed for something else.
“Oh, so he’s the Harbinger?” I asked, pointing in the direction he had gone.
“Yes. I snatched him out from under that Fire Warden. That boy would do anything to keep her safe. He forgets who owned him before she came along,” Miranda growled and her eyes flashed red.
“I’m hearing a lot about this Fire girl.” I moaned, making it sound like it wasn’t something I was enjoying.
“What can I say about her that doesn’t sound like I want to murder her?” Miranda thought for a second. “She’s going to destroy the hybrid nation if she gets a chance. Wesley doesn’t know how she brainwashed him.”
MORE LIES! Why was she so hell-bent on lying about me? I had done nothing wrong when it came to Wesley. She was the one that stepped in and took him. I never even fought with her over it. I let her do it! Maybe that was the problem. I let him go too easily.
“She sounds like a pest,” I said, narrowing my eyes and turning up my nose.
“She’s a thorn in my side,” Miranda said, laughing. For a second I saw a side of her I had never seen before.
“So is the boy yours?” I asked, licking my lips as if I was wishing for a taste of his soul.
“I own him, yes. I love him some. When it comes to sharing, we may be able to strike a deal for a reasonable favor.” She winked at me.
“Favor?” I asked dryly. It wasn’t like I was hoping it was money but it really depended on the favor.
“My bloodlust has caused Wesley nearly to die on several occasions. The boy just doesn’t have the same stamina he did three years ago. I need an alternative form of sustenance.” She eyeballed me and I frowned at her.
“What are you proposing?” I asked, crossing my ankles.
“For you to find me an alternative form of sustenance,” she said simply. I was grateful that was all she wanted. I could help her with that.
“BOY!” I called loudly through the tent. There was nothing for a moment, and then the deteriorated Wesley stepped around the corner and into my view.
“Yes madam,” he said politely, with no emotion in his eyes. He was, for lack of better words, dead.
“Bring me the biggest pitcher of water you can find,” I demanded and shooed him away.
“What do you plan?” she asked, sitting up and leaning in my direction.
“You shall see.” I winked at her, leaning back in my seat and basking in the warmth around me.
“Once you have achieved the favor, give him one night. He should be in peak performance come tomorrow evening.” Miranda seemed delighted that I had taken her up on her favor request. She was far too willing to pass the boy to another woman in hopes of finding an alternative meal.
Wesley returned a few moments later with a large pitcher in his hands. He set it down on the table before me. I touched his hand politely and thanked him. The moment our skin touched an electricity so strong burst through my nervous system. He looked at me with knowing eyes but only for a second before they died again. I ran my hands over the pitcher’s tip and down the sides, closing my eyes. I said the spell that I had used when on my date with Edmund. I heard a gasp and a giggle. I opened my eyes. It took everything for me to keep a straight face as I looked at her with knowing eyes.
“Is it?” she asked, slowly pointing toward the pitcher. I could see her fangs starting to ascend.
“One way to find out,” I smiled. “Boy, a wine glass please.”
Wesley moved quicker this time, grabbing a crystal goblet from a counter and bringing it to me, making sure our skin touched again. The electricity surged and I had to bite the inside of my mouth so that it wasn’t a noticeable charge to Miranda.
I shooed him away impatiently, grabbing the glass, pouring the thick liquid into it and handing it to her. She greedily put it to her lips and drank. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she smiled a red bloody smile.
“Delicious,” she said in ecstasy. “More.”
I took the glass from her hands and poured more of the concoction into the cup and handed it back to her. Her face became more and more relaxed as she drank the blood water. Each time she handed me her glass the happier she became. Wesley stood in the corner, his eyes locked on the pitcher, then shooting to me, then back at the pitcher. She drank the whole thing, every last drop before she put the glass down and looked at me again.
“You are a talented witch,” she said greedily. “I shall request that you make more of this for tonight’s feast. Many of my vampire brethren are in need of the same sustenance. They tire of the blood provided by the prisoners. This is less messy and very satisfying.”
I looked at Wesley. “Boy, more water. Barrels if you will.” He ran from the tent, willing to get me anything I desired.
“He is yours come tomorrow. As long as you continue to provide this he will remain yours to do with as you wish.” She lay back on the couch and breathed heavily.
“I will provide what I can,” I said slyly. So far this plan was going better than we had anticipated.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Tour of Suffering
I had blessed a good dozen barrels of water by the end of the afternoon. Wesley stood by me with his head bowed, awaiting my next order. He said nothing other than a simple “yes ma’am” and did my bidding without question. When the sun set a large bonfire was lit and the members of Miranda’s group gathered round.
“Tonight, we celebrate!” Miranda screamed in her broken English. “Tonight, we welcome our newest leader. We welcome Prudence Warren, High Priestess of the Hybrid Commonwealth.”
The crowd erupted in cheers as red solo cups were passed around to the attendants. Wesley was busy at work filling the cups with the thick red liquid. Those that were not blood drinkers opted for the more realistic beverage or just water. There was roast pig, corn, and bread in abundance. Nobody would leave this feast starving, that was for sure.
I marveled at the idea of being a High Priestess. I honestly never knew that they existed. Nor did I know that the hybrid community had managed to create their own commonwealth. This made me smile indeed. I hadn’t even been there a day and already I was learning more than anticipated. It was going to be hard not to hide the excitement the more that I learned.
Every last barrel was emptied in a matter of hours. Wesley tired from running this way and that carrying food and drink to Miranda’s comrades. Marshall was sitting at my feet, his head leaning against my thigh. My hands were threaded in his tresses, playing with his hair as the others danced to music provided by dark fairies.
I actually found myself having fun. I laughed and clapped, danced and sang until the last being decided it was time to sleep. Miranda and I were all that was left when the fire died. She looked content and full as she walked over to sit next to me. Marshall was asleep in my lap.
“I think you drained all the fun out of him,” she teased, pointing at the sleeping boy.
“He tried to stay awake. He’s had a full day.” I lovingly ran my fingers over his head.
“You like him?” she asked me curiously.
“He will do well,” I said, looking at her with curiosity.
“What is it like?” she asked, frowning.
“What do you mean?” I questioned, my eyes narrowing. There were many things she could be asking.
“Not caring about anyone but yourself,” she stated.
“I have those I care about.” I looked at M
arshall. “I care for this one.”
“You have left a path of death and destruction on your journey to get here. Yet you find the time to take a liking to an orphan.” She shook her head. “You are a peculiar woman.”
“I have been called worse,” I said, laughing.
“Well. It is time to get some rest, Miss Prudence. Tomorrow we have work to do. I have some holes in the security system and a few of my men are suffering from illness.” She patted me on the shoulder in a friendly manner before returning to her tent, the entrance angled away from the bonfire.
I sat in the silence of the night, staring at the stars above. My mind raced, my heart ached, and Marshall lay there, lightly snoring on my leg.
“Need me to help you?” The male voice came from behind me. I felt a shiver then turned to look at the owner of the voice.
“John,” I said pleasantly. “Please join me. I will move him when I am ready to rest.”
John took a seat next to me and looked up at the stars. “They are beautiful, aren’t they?” he asked, without ever looking at me.
“I have always found the stars to be intriguing,” I said faintly as I followed his gaze.
“When I was a boy I wanted to be an astronaut. Wanted to be up there with the stars,” he said dreamily. So he wasn’t always a sneering asshole.
“What changed that?” I asked as I felt his hand inch closer to mine.
“Eighteen years ago, I met a girl in Germany. She enchanted me so that I gave her my soul in exchange for a bright future. That all went up in flames when I murdered my girlfriend.” He looked away but his hand kept inching.
“We all do things that we regret. In some cases, we may do things that are not within our nature.” I smiled at him. My eyes were slits.
“Lilly said you savagely murdered anyone who got in your way,” he said as his hand finally reached mine. I allowed it, even with my skin telling me to retract my hand and smack the boy. His pass at me was innocent enough and showed no sign of the devil that I had met in that alley last year. Still it was hard to allow the confrontation to occur knowing what he had taken from me the year before.
“I did what I had to,” I said coldly.
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