Blizzard (Black Ice Trilogy Book 2) Page 29

  Helsing took one from my hands, popping off the top. “My, my! Quite a treat for the group.” Helsing knelt down before Oliver, sheer excitement covering his features. “It seems they are all aware of what you lot are,” Helsing teased, passing the waterskin up to Thedryk, who took a quick sniff of the contents.

  “We won’t have to stop for any food on the way.” Thedryk shot a look to either side, eyebrow raised as he took in Oliver, Cheyne, and the rest.

  “Oh!” I could smell the blood from where I stood a few feet ahead of Thedryk, fresh and warm and sweet. Helsing handed me the second, indicating I should secure its passage.

  “We have sheep,” Oliver spoke bashfully to me, his chin tucked down, but those large brown eyes watched me as a blush crept into his cheeks.

  I knelt down as Helsing stood back up, stepping away to give room. “This is most thoughtful of you, Oliver, and your loved ones. Thank you.”

  Pulling his hands behind his back, Oliver only nodded happily, allowing me to gently tug him into a hug. He giggled, overjoyed in the moment, before running back to stand within the ranks of his own people.

  “Come back to us once you’re done.” Cheyne stepped forward, shaking the hands of each man until he reached me. “We can always be found here.”

  “You won’t evacuate?” I asked, worried as I considered Oliver and the other children who had snuck in around him.

  “We have our own way; no need to fear for us.” Cheyne took my hand in both of his, providing a firm grip and gentle shake. “Be safe.” The ferocity we had witnessed the night before was not entirely gone, but it shifted from the intrinsic animal nature to that of a concerned friend.

  With our farewells in hand, we headed to the place I had once called home.

  The dream had been vivid and disturbingly accurate. Clear skies to encompass our path, snow and ice still packed and sparkling under what little light the moon could provide, and familiar trails became available as we crossed the bridge between mountain ranges.

  On the other side I found the ruined lands as they had been described. Nothing grew anew, just blackened brambles and patches of earth and stone that appeared charred. I had not been in the northeastern part of our lands, but had been informed of demons from all possible entrances in that past life. Here was the proof; where their bodies had liquefied and decayed with Reegan’s death, their existence was substantiated. Even the air felt thick with the sickness that eroded the surroundings.

  We encountered no living creatures but found plenty of tracks across the ice-patches and snow. In reaching the castle, I was overcome by a flood of emotions and memories. Suddenly I recalled times from my childhood when I had played with the other children, spring, summer, fall, winter. It was as though a blast of cold wind had knocked the breath from my lungs; they were so luminous I fell to the darkened patch of ground beneath me. My knees connected firmly but did not give way as I anticipated because arms to each side caught me.

  My emotions had become a weighted anchor keeping me from moving forward. Buildings surrounded me, ramshackle and ruin having long ago staked its claim. The castle, however, was not in such a state of disrepair. Nowhere near what it should have been. Lights were burning within, lights that did not flicker as with candlelight, but burned strong and pure as at the sanctuary.

  “This is an ill omen. We all dreamed this; this will not end well.” Thedryk was pulling me back up before I could gather my bearings.

  “Too late now. It seems we are expected.” Helsing tipped his head towards the four ravenous creatures that stood within the courtyard, their bodies looking twisted, but they had none of the broken movements to indicate anything was otherwise wrong. They only stood in their line, watching our group. As we moved, so did they, pulling farther back to the castle’s entrance.

  “What are they doing?” Duval dared the question, a sense of foreboding I could feel enveloping all of us.

  “This is quite a new development, but I dare say they are trying to guide us inside to our most gracious hostess.” Helsing picked up his pace, and the creatures fell back all the faster until they disappeared behind the doors. Helsing stopped at the base of the steps leading to their entryway.

  “Neva.” The warning and alarm in Thedryk’s voice matched my feelings within.

  Yes, I felt the same gut-wrenching intuition and instinct to turn and devise another plan. Those feelings were so strong I could feel my bones wanting to tear through the tissue and skin, leaving behind any physical barriers that held me in place—but the sound of a voice distracted me from all logical action.

  “Please,” a pleading cry called out. “Help!” Lucy. It was Lucy’s voice without question.

  I was inside before the others, heading straight for the sound of her voice still calling from the bowels of the castle. At first, everything appeared as I had known it all those centuries before. I passed the entryway, the stairwell that led up to our quarters, through the hallway that swept along and under its rising arc. When I passed through the final stretch of halls, I passed beneath a decorative arch to find that where the kitchen had once been was a massive space, opened and reconfigured as a type of arena. The roof and upstairs had been stripped away, the flooring composed of a circular space of sheer metal, a heavy iron with intricate designs outlined by a slim ring of stone at its border, barely half a foot wide to the wall’s edge. There, on the opposite end, stood Lucy in a white gown, tied off to a post. She was blindfolded with her hands pulled behind her back.

  “Lucy!” Her name shot out from my mouth, ringing clearly across the expanse that divided us, and I ran to her without another thought at my full speed. It was barely three, possibly four seconds and I was before her, embracing her frail body. Lucy heaved several cries into my shoulder as I stroked her hair, trying to calm her. I could hear Helsing and Thedryk, even Merrick, Duval, and Simon with his effeminate voice yelling after me to stop, but nothing could have kept me from Lucy. They followed after me, though they had warned of the danger themselves.

  “Auntie Neva?” Lucy’s shrill voice squeaked out.

  Stepping behind her, I found her wrists bound in iron shackles. The bonds were difficult, even for me, but I refused to leave her strapped there.

  “Move, Neva,” Thedryk commanded and I obeyed, finally.

  As he tore apart the shackles, I removed the blindfold to find not the brilliant green eyes I recalled, but red. Deep, yet shimmering as the wines I had imbibed. Recognition registered across her face, and her arms gripped around my waist fiercely. For the briefest moment, I hesitated before returning the embrace; part of me feared I had imagined her eyes, that I would crush her body with my newfound strength. Instead, I found her embrace too tight as I struggled to breathe.

  I gasped. “Lucy, please, you’re crushing me!” I heard her gentle gasp in return; she had started sobbing in the relief-filled grasp.

  “I’m sorry!” Her shoulders and chest heaved the sobbing response. “I thought I would never see you again! I have been—” gasp-wheeze-gasp “—so afraid!”

  My heart began beating heavily, each thump pumping life through my wearied body, blossoming the love and fear together.

  “We have to get out of here.” Merrick’s voice was sharp.

  “Yes, indeed.” Helsing’s response was cut off with the shutting of doors. I whipped around to find our way in had been closed off, and I finally took full review of the newly erected arena. The walls were smooth, not even a chip in the structure, no place for footing to be found, and I estimated twenty feet high.

  A sultry feminine voice floated down from above. “At last the family reunion is almost complete!” Searching for the voice, I found its source: the fair haired, red-eyed vampire from my visions. She stood, wearing the black outfit with both pant legs and a flare of gown from behind and along the sides, glittering sparkles shining across its entirety, perfectly spaced. Lace upon satin, shoes with heels higher than I had ever seen, her lips a ruby red. Not all was how I recounted, but h
er teeth, her fangs more precisely, were exactly as my memory recalled. She was perfectly unreal, merciless death that paraded as an alluring beauty. Her hair had been partially pinned up, leaving long strands to fall down around her waist, curling gradually to the ends. Her white-blonde hair appeared to glow in the light that hummed around her, emphasizing the warmth of her skin and slight olive complexion.

  As I took in her visage, she returned the same consideration to me, sending a shiver up my spine. I felt it reach from my toes through the soles of my feet, into my knees and up my spine. It was as though her hands were tracing the lines of my body, memorizing every curve to know the best way to cut me up.

  “Who are you?” My voice betrayed my emotions. Instead of the calm tone I wanted to command, a vicious, gravelly voice took over. One of nefarious intent.

  “I believe you already know the answer to that question, Neva.” The woman attempted at being coy.

  I felt in no mood to humor her. “I honestly do not.” The voice from within me was feral, and what waited beneath was ready to tear the woman to shreds. A light breeze crept in from the missing rooftop, bringing scents to me—vampire and human blood, not belonging to Lucy, were the dominant ones that struck me. “And I don’t care. What I do care about it, is what you have done to my niece, and all those people you have warped!” I was shouting, the words ricocheting off the walls up into the star-filled sky.

  “That’s no way to treat your long-lost family, you know!” Puckering her lips, the woman finally broke into a smile as she took pleasure in seeing the horror twitch across my face. “Ohohoho!” A trill of laughter burst out from her. “You don’t know! Oh, Thedryk, you and Mother have been bad!”

  “Mother? Who…” I slowly turned my gaze to Thedryk to find his own face an expression of shock as he tried to blink away the claim.

  “My, my, my…I see my spells haven’t quite worn off yet, have they, my precious Thedryk?” She continued as though no blow had been dealt. “You know, we really didn’t deserve our fathers, Neva. Not one bit.”

  A bitter taste filled my mouth, bile rising.

  “Reegan should have been my father and Zachariah yours. Fate is cruel like that, isn’t it?” The pleasure she was taking in her spiteful enlightenment disappeared and was replaced by disgust, pure and thorough.

  “Felicity, how are you still alive?” Thedryk broke his silence, his question almost innocent for his present state.

  “What a silly question.” Felicity became agitated at his inquiry. “I created the carriage, designed every tiny millimeter. Do you think I was not prepared for the possibility of you and your order, your Precious Council, to move against me? I knew, long before any of you had an inkling what your ultimate choice would be, it was all too clear. Reegan was the only true one.” Her chin jutted out, and for a moment I thought of her as a child throwing a mild tantrum.

  “Reegan has been dead and gone—” Thedryk’s voice was a growl before her chortle cut through him.

  “Simple-minded, that’s what you all were. Still are, it seems.” She said the last part more to herself than anyone else. “Contacting him, or should I say him contacting me—however which way it went, it was a simple thing. I have to say, Neva, I do wish I had known what you looked like when you were Kareese. I’m not complaining, though. I have waited so long to finally meet my half-sister.” A twisted delight shone in her eyes. “So many years of everyone waiting for the mythical savior to return and save us from our eternal fate.” Her face spread into a smile, but there was no joy in it.

  “Why did you take Lucy? What have you done to her?” I pressed, ignoring her taunting.

  Felicity threw up her hands, her arms peeking through the slit that cinched at the cuff. “Lucy! How could I ever forget your sweet, precious niece Lucy?” Her tone hinted at the mania beneath the surface. “I took her for the sheer pleasure of it. I made her mine. It wasn’t fair, you do understand? Growing up in your great, self-sacrificing shadow. Aging and knowing our mother and father would dispose of me one day, simply for being what I was born.”

  “That’s not true, Felicity.” Thedryk took a step forward, his footstep singing out on the iron below his feet. “You were sentenced to death because of the atrocities you committed.”

  “Ah yes, not being ‘human’ enough. Weakness is what that was, sentimentality refuse.”

  “Those were people. You killed the entire town we built.” Thedryk advanced another step, his anger building upon each one. “Men, women, children, even the babies! You alone killed them all.” Thedryk’s body trembled with his outrage. “And you felt nothing. You were, and still are, nothing but a monster. A mistake.”

  “NO MORE!” Felicity slammed her fists upon the balcony’s edge, causing cracking and crumbling stone to fall away in shivering waves. “Lucy!” Suddenly Lucy was no longer by my side, but in the center of the arena, a flash of white and darkness in my field of vision. “Almost time to eat, sweetheart.”

  We had all been standing as statues, watching the exchanges as they occurred, not paying attention to the door that had silently opened at the other end, where people were ushered out. Normal people, not the creatures we had tracked. Women and children stood within the group, four adults and three children. One pregnant woman.

  “Lucy!” I tried calling out to my niece.

  “She won’t answer you any longer, Neva. I control her; she bends to my will alone. A privilege of being full vampire, I believe.” Felicity was suddenly surrounded by her ravenous creatures, a chair holding her sitting form. “You have to decide: your precious niece or these people you do not know. Act fast, the show is about to begin.”

  Helsing, Simon, Merrick, and Duval were moving before my mind could process her meaning, but they were met by the creatures that had been standing about Felicity. Thedryk threw himself into motion the moment the others were engaged, and then I heard a snap of fingers and saw Felicity’s delicate wrist and fingers extended. Lucy came alive once more, heading straight for the women, with Thedryk immediately in pursuit. His spear was already fully extended, reaching out as a snake prepared to strike.

  I had tarried too long as it was, but the sight of Thedryk heading towards Lucy, her frail childlike figure covering the distance in seconds, was all the inspiration I needed to intercede. When Thedryk was within striking distance of Lucy, I was before his spear, striking the tip away from within a hair of her body, her gown splitting open with no sound. I read clearly his shocked expression, the betrayal, but I couldn’t let him kill her. My blow to his spear sent him spinning, teetering to his right side, giving me a chance to turn around and find Lucy feeding on one of the women.

  Lucy, bright and beautiful, afraid and broken. My niece I adored was feeding on one of the women. Not a child, not the pregnant woman, but still drinking the blood from another human being.

  “Neva!” Thedryk’s disapproving yelp shook me from the reverie.

  Leaping forward I knocked Lucy away from the woman, tearing the two apart, and shredding the victim’s throat in the commotion. I could hear the children crying out in terror, the women sobbing and trying to stifle their own agonizing panic, and I felt Lucy thrashing wildly in my grip. She dug her nails into my arm, tearing red lines as long and deep as she could manage, all the while attempting to bite my arm and shoulder. The sounds that gargled from her mouth were similar to a rabid dog. Suddenly a swift impact of pressure stopped her movements. Her body shuddered once, rippling to my core with the seizing.

  “Noooo!” I was screaming, fighting to see through her long hair that had covered my face. I felt the instrument that had created the impact pull free. I was able to move, finally. Labored breathing came in sputtering coughs from Lucy as I righted us both, twisting and cradling my niece in my arms. I looked up to find Thedryk staring down, his face contorted in pain and misery. He was fighting back tears, but I felt only hatred as I looked from his pitiful expression to my dear Lucy’s perturbed face. Blood had of course been the source of th
e wet sound, but I kissed her forehead hard, wildly, multiple times as though that would heal her more quickly. But she would heal, she was vampire after all. I would just need to contain her until we could get her back to the sanctuary, find the cure Thedryk had left with his counterparts.

  “Auntie…” Another gurgle of blood bubbled out. “You were dead…I didn’t believe…her…”

  “Shhh-shh-sh!” My voice quivered as I tried to calm her. “I’m here now, I’m so sorry, my darling!”

  “Neva.” Thedryk’s voice cracked as Helsing and his men surrounded him, solemn expressions settled all around.

  “Excellent work, Thedryk, spectacular! I knew you wouldn’t fail me.” Felicity was a bubbling, giggling idol atop the balcony.

  I dared to take a quick look up to her and saw a man, a familiar face, standing just beyond the balcony alcove. My mind was racing to place the memory. I turned back to Lucy, afraid to miss any signs of her improvement and possible berserk-phase.

  “Helsing, you appear to be doing quite well.” The sound of Felicity’s voice crippled me; she had been so well prepared, it seemed.

  Suddenly Helsing’s voice was not his own, another had replaced the one I had come to know. “Felicity, you know, I told them to kill you in the old-fashioned way. They could not abide that, no, they had to do it the new way, and look what mess it got us into.”

  “Try not to be so angry with them. I do have a way with words. And honestly, I’m hurt. Such terribly ugly things to say considering I gave you the blessing of your own eternity.”

  “I’m…” Lucy tried forcing the words, but blood had nearly filled her lungs.

  I was certain she would begin healing, I had been expecting it, but no such miracle was occurring. “Why isn’t she healing?” My question was a dire plea, a weakness Felicity looked down upon.

  “Because I am not allowing her to.” She looked to me, seemingly irked that I would interrupt her discussion with Helsing. “She is my changeling, of my line, and I have complete control.”