The girl ran and threw her arms around her. “Oh, Rein,” she said. “I’d just settled with Will’s sister in France—”
“
Get down.” Rein said, pushing her behind a bush. “How did you get
here
? We’re in Ireland! Traith brought you to France only days ago, and I haven’t heard from you since!”
Taverin’s eyes were growing more serious as she spoke through the downpour. “I used the spell book, Rein—a spell that can bring me to wherever you are.” She paused to wipe away the rain water from her face. “Unfortunately, in a war.”
“
Do you see what is happening?” Rein asked. “I mean— ” Rein stopped and sighed. “Just stay here. Do not move.”
“
No!” Taverin said defiantly. “I can help. I have this.” Rein saw the little spell book in Taverin’s hand. Taverin looked harder at Rein. “Are you…? You are; you’re crying! What happened? Why are you down here alone?”
Rein shook her head and closed her eyes, but opened them with determination. “I have no more time to talk. I know Helena’s vulnerability. Both councils are in that castle. One of them will be destroyed by the morning.” She turned away from the girl. “It will not be mine.”
“
Is Traith up there?” she asked.
“
No.”
“
Where is he?”
“
I can’t find him. Helena disappeared with him and his sister,” she cringed. “Fine; you can come. Take my hand, and please be careful.”
When Taverin gave it to her, she landed with her up on the nearly demolished balcony. Rein shoved Taverin down to the broken stone floor, covering her face. Arrows flew through the walls and open doorway. They were still in the midst of a treacherous fight.
“
All right, you must stay here. Fight whoever comes out, or hide if you can. Please, be careful.”
Taverin did not object this time; she stared into Rein’s eyes deeply for a moment, and then she nodded. Rein then left her there, trying to focus on the battle at hand. She walked through the broken doorway, taking down a few Mardinial immortals that approached her.
First she had to find Traith, and then she would find Helena. She had taken him, so with any fortune at all, they would be together.
Rein formed a plan.
Wings emerged from her shoulder blades, and her thick, black hair became lengthened and lightened to red. Her soaked and muddy gown became a brilliant gold and black cloak and dress, identical to the one Helena had been wearing. Flapping her new, dragon-like wings, Rein walked into the room.
Glancing around, sending a mental note to those she knew as to who she really was, she spotted a teleporting creature flying in and out of her own councilors. She asked it to bring her to the council. It made no noise, and then, as she wrapped herself in the cloak, she heard no noise at all.
But then there was a drip. And another. She heard sizzling wires. She was alone in a quiet lab. The creature had believed her. She walked around quietly for a moment, scanning the control panels for a clue as to where her fiancé was. She knew he wasn’t fighting, nor was his sister.
Then she heard a noise so quiet it would have been practically inaudible to a mortal ear. Voices. She opened a door and walked down a hallway. Then another. She silently approached a dark, metallic door, and as quiet as possible, twisted the knob. It was locked. Without hesitation she jerked her fist back and took the knob with it, opening the door. There inside, she found whom she was looking for.
“
Traith?” Rein ran into the damp cell.
His head shot up, but it quickly dropped again, as if he didn’t want to meet her eyes. Or couldn’t. He was chained to a stone wall, and her eyes narrowed when she saw how tightly screwed the wrist shackles were.
“
What happened?” she asked in a gentler tone, kneeling beside him.
He turned to her, squinting. “Rein. Could you hear my thoughts so far away?” His tone had a ring of sarcasm to it.
“
Your eyes…” she whispered.
The once fiery color of his eyes was now gray and milky.
“
I suppose this is what I get for lying and telling you I was blind when we first met, huh?” he said. He chuckled vacantly, twisting his hands around, searching for a more comfortable position for his wrists. “Ana said my eyes looked
fine
. Did you lie to me, Ana?”
“
No, Traith, I…” Ana stopped and sat back without another word.
Rein turned around and glared breathlessly at Ana.
“
I-It’s all right, Rein,” she swallowed. “His sight will come back.”
Rein held his face and tried to fix his vision with her own healing ability.
“
It won’t work,” Ana insisted. “I knew what you could do.”
Traith pulled away from Rein with his eyes closed, and then began blinking relentlessly in pain.
“
We need to find Helena,” Rein said, bending into him. “I know how to kill her.” She had whispered those last words in his ear.
“
You know her weakness?” he asked quietly.
She felt her throat close up. “Saria told me.”
“
I suppose I’m out of the loop, then,” he replied with his head cocked. “Ana knows…” His sauciness ceased, and his eyes looked ahead. “Did you have to kill her?” he asked with a scratchy sorrow in his voice.
She made no reply.
“
Oh, Rein,” he muttered, sighing quietly. “I’m sorry. Is she…?”
“
Yes. She’s dead.” Trembling, Rein unchained Traith, then Ana.
“
You’re crying,” he said gently. “Rein—”
“
No,” she replied. “And I don’t want to think about it. It’s over.”
Traith sighed. “Thank Heaven,” he said, rubbing his bloody wrists as they healed. His powers had returned. He still kept his head down, as if looking at his hands, still holding his wrists.
“
Can you still bring us to the castle?” Rein asked, holding his hands. “Taverin is there, alone.”
“
Taverin? What in hell
happened
while I was gone?”
“
It doesn’t matter. We need to get to the castle. Please, hurry, Traith.”
His expression grew tired. “I’ll try my best, but my lack of sight will probably interfere with where we appear.”
Ana approached him uncertainly and held his arm.
Then the rain hit her face again. He had done it. They were on the terrace. He lost his balance momentarily on the cracked and broken stone, but managed to right himself.
Rein found Taverin curled on the outskirts of the balcony, foggy through the downpour. She was soaked through, but her heart seemed to fill when she saw Rein, and she jumped up to greet them.
“
Rein!” she exclaimed. “Traith! Oh, I killed one! There was a man, running toward me, and I cast a spell that made him disintegrate—it was unbelievable!”
“
You’re brave,” Rein said with a smile. “But you mustn’t leave the balcony yet. Take care of whoever comes out here, all right? If you need me, I’ll stay in touch.” Rein touched her head.
Ana let go of Traith’s arm and he yielded to her move. She was staring with grieving eyes at him, but he didn’t know it. Rein knew, though, that he did not want Ana to see him weak. He didn’t want anyone to see him as that. He was staring down, brushing rain from his face.
“
Rein?” he asked.
She ran over and kissed him. He flinched at first, surprised by the feeling of her lips, but then he returned her kiss with passion.
“
Stay with me,” she said, standing back and grabbing his hand.
“
Are we near anyone?” he asked helplessly. “Do I need to make an attempt at defending myself right this moment?”
She didn’t reply, watching and motioning to Taverin.
“
Rein?” he asked.
“
Yes,” she replied quietly.
“
Yes what? There are people around?”
“
Just Taverin out here. But we’re going inside.”
He didn’t try to greet Taverin. “Can you please make sure you acknowledge me when I talk? I can’t exactly know otherwise.”
She pulled his arm to run into the ballroom, but he was heavy.
“
Lord,” he muttered, finally following her with speed enough. “Tell me when you’re going to do these things! You’ll need to learn; I could be blind for up to ten bloody years!”
She spun around, stopping suddenly. “What?”
She saw him sigh painfully at his own words.
“
Why did we stop?” he asked, trying desperately to push that aside.
“
Ana is already past us,” she whispered. “She’s fighting…for you. For us; our council.”
Ten years?
She silently fingered the ring on her left hand. She was almost officially his, and…
“
Thank you for the explanation,” he said, grinning, but underneath the pride she could see his relief about Ana’s alliance.
“
We’re running,” she told him, and he followed without delay.
But the sight of the ballroom hit her as hard as a fist.
Bodies were lying everywhere, from both councils, and blood was spattered over all of the walls. Screams were piercing through her like knives.
She felt Traith trip over a dead body and turned when he swore and let her go. “This couldn’t look good,” he said. “
Sounds
horrible…”
“
Get ready,” was all she could say, and she pulled him into the fight.
But she felt her hand yanked from his, and she was grabbed and flung by the forearm to the stone. Traith turned in her direction when he lost her hand, but was cut off by men rushing past him.
Rein looked up and saw a mutated creature tearing toward her. She jumped up and twisted his arm.
Insight
took over her vision. It was like a sixth sense that she had, now; it made her see things in a way that was quite different than actual sight. It was excruciatingly loud; but she saw something because of it that would have been nearly invisible.
He had a stake hidden under his cloak.
She shrunk back with fear at first, but suddenly her thoughts were not her own. In a moment, she realized with horror that she had sunk her teeth into his neck. Then she drained him.
Struggling to regain control, she pulled back. His body dropped to the floor, white. But she felt no guilt. She excused it as self-defense. Only in a battle like this could she ever allow herself to do something like that. But the frightening part was that she had no initial intention to.
Later. She could not waste time thinking of it now. She fought past the crowd until she saw Traith beyond a screen of people. Lorena ran past her, dodging blasts, and found a clear path to Traith. Rein cringed as the priestess called his name.
He lifted his bare arm, shining and cut, and knocked off different monstrous creatures that had jumped onto him. But to her dismay, transparency spread up his body until he was completely invisible; invisibility gave him an easier way of fighting blind. No one would see him, either. Rein had been running for him, but she lost him when he disappeared.
Then she saw a head knock itself into a nearby wall; it was Traith slamming a man against the stone. The creature had a pistol; it shot three times into nothing, into Traith, and a deep yell—Traith’s voice—sounded. Blood gushed from his invisible chest in the three places the bullets had hit him. Traith grabbed the man and his gun, and shot him in the head. The creature clung to Traith’s unseen shirt, ripping it, and fell to the floor.
Traith reappeared, and, trembling, he felt around where the blood was. He cringed as he dug his fingers into himself to retrieve the bullets. Rein finally got to him and touched him, but his bloody hand grabbed her arm tight in quick response. She kissed him again, and he opened his hand in shock and let her go.
“
You should’ve said something,” he said in apology, and she saw him clench his teeth in frustration. “Rein, please, work with me…”
She was unsure how to respond.
She couldn’t bring herself to believe he was blind.
Chapter 79
Daylight was beginning to seep through the castle windows. Rein saw a few Mardinial vampires suddenly disintegrate in the light.
She felt relieved in a sorrowful way.
“
Being even slightly accustomed to light saved us, Traith,” she managed to say.
She was suddenly forced forward. Somebody had tackled her to the ground. Before she had time to see who it was, her hair was grabbed from behind and her head was knocked into the stone.
“
T-Traith,” she stuttered.
He was calling to her, but he couldn’t reach. He was assaulted by a group, and that was all she could see.
She regained her clearness of mind, and as her attacker flipped her around, she struck him. He was a werewolf. Ben. Her blow hit him in the mouth, and his teeth cut her hand. However, as he fell to the ground, Rein noticed Mistress across the blood-stained ballroom. She was pinned against the wall by Helena.