by Morgan Rice
Finding her here was such a great surprise. He had imagined that he’d have to travel far and wide to find her; it never occurred to him that she might be right under his nose, in the same place he was. Now, final y, he felt settled.
He felt that maybe he could relax in this time and place now, and have it al : live in this beautiful palace, have his sister close by, safe, and have his relationship with Kendra.
Now, they could al just live, happily, and be close again, as big sister and little brother, just like they used to be.
As they walked, Sam thought back to al the terrible places they’d had to live together growing up, to al the times their mom had moved them. There were al those awful towns in the Midwest, in New Jersey, in the Hudson Val ey…And then, worst of al , Harlem. It had al just been terrible.
He looked back on their childhood now in a whole new light, knowing what Caitlin was, and knowing what he was. He had always felt, growing up, that the two of them were different. They had never quite fit in perfectly, had never quite been exactly like everybody else. He had always thought that it was just because they were always the newcomers in town. He had never imagined that the two of them were actual y, truly, special. That they had special powers. Were of a special race, a special coven. That they had a destiny, a mission.
And most of al , that their parents weren’t even their parents.
Sam had always felt a burning desire to find their father, and had never real y known why. But now that he knew how special their mission was, it al began to make sense.
Al the fights that he and Caitlin had had with their mother also made sense now, looking back.
He’d always felt as if their mother had never truly loved them, that she had looked at them as if they were not real y their kids. He had always wondered how they could even be related to her.
“I’m so sorry,” he said final y, as they walked through the gardens, past a huge fountain. “For everything that happened in New York. For my always getting you into trouble. And for what happened with Caleb. I know that the only reason you stabbed him was because of my shapeshifting. And I am so sorry that I tried to stab you. I was out of my senses.”
Caitlin looked down at him with the love of a big sister.
“Sam, you don’t have to apologize,” she said. Her voice sounded so much more mature, so much more confident. It was like the voice of a warrior. “That was lifetimes ago. And I know you didn’t mean it.”
“It was just…at the time, I was under the influence of Samantha,” he continued. “She had turned me. Everything was so…different. I wasn’t real y myself. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Everything happened for a reason,” Caitlin said. “I see that now. Caleb was meant to die. I was meant to come back for him. I was meant to be here, in these other times and places, and so were you. We’re on a quest. A journey. It’s not about us anymore. There’s a greater destiny at stake.
“What I’ve learned is that, on the one hand, yes, we do have free wil , and we have choices we can make. But on the other hand, so much of what we think we do is actual y destined. I can see that now. The more I embark on this journey, the more I am starting to see that destiny is actual y stronger than free wil . That we don’t actual y make that many choices after al . We only think that we make them.”
Sam thought about that. It rang true to him. He had been starting to feel the same thing himself, although he hadn’t thought it through as careful y as Caitlin. He was in awe at how wise she had become. He felt like he was standing before a hundred-year-old warrior.
“Not to mention, I think you more than made up for any mistakes you’ve made,” Caitlin added with a smile, as they turned down another path. “You saved me in Rome. In the Colosseum.”
“I fear that we’re not through yet—that Kyle may stil come back for you,” Sam said, with sudden worry. “That’s why I came back here, to this time and place. To help you. And to make up for my mistakes.”
Sam was surprised to see that Caitlin did not look worried at al .
“I’m sure Kyle is out there,” she said calmly. “And I’m sure he wil try to come for me. But I’m not worried about it anymore. I feel stronger than I ever have. In fact, I look forward to a fight with him now.”
Sam looked at her, and could feel the strength coming off of her. He could see how assured and confident she was, and could see that she would be a worthy adversary against Kyle. He felt even more proud of her.
“Back there, in the Vatican, al those vampires in white.
They gave you a key,” he said. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that. What they said. That there are three keys left to find our dad. I never used to believe that our Dad real y existed. But now, I real y do.”
“He does exist,” Caitlin said confidently. “I’ve seen him.”
Sam’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “You’ve met him?” he asked, astonished.
“No. I’ve seen him in my dreams.”
Sam suddenly remembered. “My God. I know what you mean. I dreamt of him last night.”
Caitlin turned and looked at Sam with a fixed gaze. He was taken aback by her sudden intensity.
She stopped walking.
“What did you dream exactly?”
“I…” Sam began, but then suddenly got nervous from being put on the spot. He could feel how badly his sister wanted an answer, and he didn’t want to let her down. “Um…I was climbing a mountain…and I thought I saw him…but I couldn’t reach him…then I was in this huge church.
There was this big key floating, and I was reaching for it…It felt like a message. Like, we were supposed to find the key there.”
“Sam, think hard. Did you recognize the church?”
Sam furrowed his brow, trying to remember. At the time he recognized it, but now he was having a hard time recal ing.
“It was…I knew it then…but now…it was huge…the ceilings were so high.…The entrance. It had al these arches. And these three huge doors.”
“Above the arches, were there carved figures? Dozens of them?” Caitlin asked excitedly.
Sam’s eyes lit up. He remembered now. “Yes!”
Caitlin seemed to register something.
“Do you know it?” he asked.
“It’s the Notre Dame,” she said.
“Yes!” Sam answered, realizing she was right.
As Caitlin stared off into space, looking impressed, Sam wondered why it was so significant.
“Do you think it was more than just a dream?” he asked.
Caitlin nodded. “Yes. Far more. In the vampire world, dreams are always more than that. They are always messages. Meetings. Especial y with someone like our father. Dad was tel ing you where to find him. I think that’s what it was about. There are four keys we need. I think he was tel ing you that the second key is in the Notre Dame.”
Sam thought about that. He felt honored that his father had chosen to appear to him, and to give him such an important message.
“But why did the dream come to you?” asked Caitlin, almost to herself. “Why not to me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe we each get pieces of the clues, you know? We’re both his lineage. Maybe it wil take both of us to figure it out.”
Caitlin looked at him. “I think you’re right.”
Sam felt more important than ever. He once again fel a surge of determination to go search for his father, to join Caitlin on the quest.
“I need to find him, Sam,” Caitlin said, her voice serious.
“We need to find him. There’s a lot at stake. Not only for us.
A lot of other people are depending on us. I need your help.
Can you join me?”
At first, Sam felt a surge of excitement; but then, as he thought about the reality of leaving this place, he felt a pit in stomach. That would mean leaving Kendra. And, despite himself, he was stil overwhelmed by the thought of her.
“What is it?” Caitlin asked. “What’s wrong?”
/>
Sam hesitated. He looked at the ground, avoiding her gaze. He was embarrassed to tel her the truth.
“Wel …” he began, but stopped. He didn’t know how to explain. Had he real y grown so soft over a girl? Would he real y let his sister down over this? What would his big sister think of him?
“Wel …um…you see, him… I um…met this girl,” he began.
He saw Caitlin’s expression turn from confusion to recognition.
“Sam,” she said, sounding like a parent, “there are more important things. This search…it’s our father we are talking about.”
But even as she said it, Caitlin knew she was being hypocritical. After al , she had been prepared to give up her search for Caleb’s sake.
“I know,” Sam said, stil avoiding her gaze. “It’s just that…
wel …this girl, she’s different, and we…kind of just met…
and I’m just not sure if I should go, like, this second…”
He saw her staring at him with disapproval. He didn’t know what else to say. He wanted to go with her. But at the same time, there was something about Kendra that just made him obsessed with her.
“You have to understand,” Sam implored. “You had someone in your life once, didn’t you? What was his name?
Caleb? What happened to him?”
Sam watched as Caitlin’s face suddenly morphed into one of sadness and disappointment. He immediately regretted inquiring about it. Caitlin looked off into the distance, and seemed crushed.
“Yes,” she said softly. “I did. Once.”
A heavy silence fel between them.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I real y want to help you. It’s just that his girl, um, wel , her name is—”
“Kendra,” suddenly came a voice.
Sam and Caitlin both wheeled to see Kendra standing there, in her royal blue gown, looking haughtily down on both of them.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
As Caitlin stood there, Kendra took a step forward, and haughtily stepped between her and her brother. She stared at Caitlin with a defiant, territorial look, one that was clearly meant to tel Caitlin to back off. That Sam was Kendra’s territory now.
Caitlin looked over at Sam, hoping that he would pick up on what was going on, that he would push her out of the way—
that he would be immune to such behavior.
But alas, he was not. Caitlin was shocked to see that Sam seemed to become completely subordinate in Kendra’s presence, as if she held some sort of invisible power over him. He even seemed to slump a bit, and Kendra seemed to stand tal er. It looked as if he were helpless around her.
Caitlin’s her heart fel at the site. She had seen this happen with other friends in the past. It was obvious that Sam was in her grip.
“Kendra,” Caitlin echoed slowly, in a cool voice, looking her right in the eye. “I don’t believe we have been introduced.”
“We haven’t,” Kendra stated, in a cold tone.
“Wel ,” Caitlin said slowly, feeling her anger begin to rise,
“you’re standing between me and my brother, and we were in the middle of a conversation.”
Kendra stared back at Caitlin, and she could see a flash of indignation cross over her eyes. But she didn’t move.
Sam stepped up from behind Kendra and stepped in between the two of them, as if sensing the confrontation that was about to happen.
“No, it’s not like that,” Sam said to Caitlin, in a conciliatory tone. “She just wanted to introduce herself. Caitlin, this is Kendra. Kendra, this is my sister, Caitlin.”
Caitlin noticed that Sam was sweating; he was nervous for them to like each other.
But Caitlin continued to stare Kendra down with a look of steel, and Kendra did the same. Sam looked back and forth between them, increasingly nervous.
“My brother and I were just discussing a trip we are going to take,” Caitlin said coldly. “In fact, we wil be leaving tomorrow, so you can say your goodbyes now.”
Caitlin felt that she had to take control, to take action to help break Sam from the grip of this clearly destructive woman that he seemed helpless around. It was bold and aggressive, but she felt that she had no other choice.
Kendra turned and looked at Sam. He avoided her gaze, and avoided Caitlin’s, too. Caitlin had never seen him so fidgety.
“I doubt that,” Kendra said back. “Sam’s not going anywhere. After al , he and I have plans for tomorrow.”
“We do?” Sam asked, and Caitlin could hear the hope in his voice. His tone of voice told her everything she needed to know, and she felt her heart sink. He wasn’t seriously going to let himself be run by this girl, was he?
“That’s right,” Kendra said. “We do.”
Caitlin stared back at Kendra, seething with hatred. She prayed that Sam would summon the resolve to stand up to her. As long as Caitlin had known him, he had always seemed to have this problem. He had always attracted the wrong women, women who were bossy, control ing, and always bad for him. Samantha had been the latest example. And now, Kendra. Sam just had bad luck in this area. Caitlin wasn’t surprised.
But she was stil mad. She had hoped that Sam would have changed, would be strong enough to tel her No. That he would join Caitlin on their mission.
But Sam turned and looked at Caitlin with sad, guilty eyes.
She could see in those eyes that deep down he wanted to go with her, but was unable to say no to Kendra.
“I’m so sorry Caitlin,” Sam said, in a broken voice. “I… I don’t think I can go tomorrow.”
Caitlin nodded, keeping a calm composure. But deep inside, her heart was breaking. She could see the victorious smile on Kendra’s face, and she felt her anger rising. But she knew there was little she could do. She had learned from past experiences that, when it came to affairs of the heart, at the end of the day, one could never real y have any influence or control over a friend’s relationships.
That was always something that they just had to work out on their own. If Sam was going to make any changes, it would have to come from him.
Caitlin took control of her anger and immediately turned and walked away, before she did anything rash.
“Caitlin, wait!” Sam cal ed out after her.
But she wasn’t going to stop. He had made his decision, and it was clear.
And truth be told, deep down, she felt that she was no one to judge. She knew what it was like to be in love, to want to forgo the mission. He would just have to let his own destiny take its course.
As she walked, she realized al the more, that this mission was just something that she was meant to do alone.
*
Caitlin retreated back to her room, closing the door firmly behind her. She wanted to be alone, and she wanted privacy. It had been such a long, overwhelming day. She had learned so much from Aiden, had risen to the heights on the battlefield, performing better than she ever thought she could.
She had been overwhelmed at seeing Blake, hurt by his not remembering her—and then overwhelmed at seeing Sam.
As if al that were not enough, she had to meet Kendra, too, and had been overwhelmed at seeing her brother in her grip.
So many conflicting thoughts and feelings raced through Caitlin at once, she barely knew how to process it al . It had felt like ten days in one.
As sunset fel , Caitlin took off her clothes and soaked in her tub. She felt every muscle in her body relax. Ruth sat patiently at her side.
Caitlin’s mind raced. She thought of Sam, of how much he had changed. She thought of Aiden.
Of her new skil s. She thought of her dad, her mission. She thought of Sam’s dream, of the floating key. Of the Notre Dame. As al these thoughts blended together, she felt more determined than ever to fulfil her mission.
Versail es was fil ed with every luxury, but she felt that her mission was cal ing her elsewhere. Al the people that she loved and knew were here (except for Caleb), but they were al distracted.
Pol y seemed to be in the grips of her singer boyfriend. Sam had Kendra. Blake didn’t even remember her.
And she felt that, already, she had taken her training nearly as far as she could for this time and place. She didn’t know how much was left for her here, and she felt it was time to move on.
Caitlin got out of the tub, dried herself with a huge towel, then changed into the casual wear that had been left by her bedside. It was a silk bathrobe, white and gold, intricately designed, and as she put it on, she’d never felt anything more luxurious.
She lay back in her huge, four-poster bed, sinking into the endless pil ows, and sighed.
Ruth jumped onto the bed and set her head in Caitlin’s lap.
After a few moments, she reached over to her bedside table and picked up an object and held it.
The encased scrol .
She sat up slowly in bed, staring at it, holding it with both hands. She ran one hand slowly along its edge, feeling the encrusted jewels. She closed her hands around it, trying to feel her father’s energy. It was electrifying. She felt as if she held a piece of him.
Ruth looked up at Caitlin and whined, as if asking her to open it.
Caitlin final y decided. It was time.
She reached over, grabbed the locks on both sides of it, and pushed them in.
There was the slightest click. She pul ed back the lid, and there was a slight hiss, releasing air that had been trapped for centuries.
Caitlin opened it slowly, its hinges creaking, and as she did, she could not believe what she saw.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Kyle stood beside Napoleon, a huge army of supporters behind them. Napoleon had summoned his entire coven, al his people, hundreds of vampires strong, and along the way, they had al agitated in the streets and encouraged the citizens to join them and storm the Bastil e. It had been easy: there had been such discontent hanging in the air anyway among al the French citizens, such anger towards the royal authority, and the prison in the Bastil e happened to be the perfect symbol, the perfect representative of everything royal. The further they had gone, the more the mob had grown.
