Authors: Meg Winkler
Chapter 9
Two Months Before—The Same College Town
The cafe was one of her favorite
haunts, and she’d slipped away during her break between classes again. She
sidled up to the counter and paid for her coffee before heading back outside to
walk back to campus.
She let her mind wander for a while:
people watching, feeling the wind tickle her hair. She lost track of time that
way and it always had a calming effect on her. Her sharp eyes roved around the
little green area next to the English department’s building across the street.
It was a slightly sloping, tiny little park in the midst of all the concrete
and brick of the university. The leaves had begun to dust the still-green
grass, but the pretty scenery wasn’t what caught her eye. She picked him from
the crowded sidewalks because he looked out of place. He was tall and catlike, built
like a runner, with the bearing of a soldier. She froze.
She had initially failed to notice
him because his mind was silent to her; it hadn’t demanded any of her
attention, but she had soon found him, as if she’d known he was there. His
intense green eyes held her gaze. He was everywhere.
Why do you keep following me?
She
thought.
To keep you safe.
She hadn’t expected a response.
“What?!” she shouted across the
street, not caring who heard her. There had been months of being followed by several
strangers, but they had never let her into their heads.
A panicked look swept across his
face in a flash, before he returned to his usual stoic behavior. She wasn’t
supposed to have heard that; she was sure. She walked towards him, crossing the
street without looking to see if the way was clear; she had to know who he was.
She was in the middle of the street
when the car horn blared. She jerked her head to the side. A punk kid with dyed
black-blue hair was flipping her off.
“I’m sorry!” she shouted, and
backed out of the way.
The car passed with a flurry of
foul language and grinding gears. Once it was gone, Sophie looked up.
The man was still standing there,
just a few feet away. A look a horror was frozen on his face. Her eyes met his
again, and she was obviously okay. He visibly relaxed, and a faint smile
appeared on his lips. Sophie looked to the left and right before starting
across the street once more, but when she looked for him again, he was gone.
She ran across the street and stood
in the green space. She turned circles as she looked around, but he was gone.
She kept her eyes peeled for him
the rest of the day. But he was gone, and she irrationally felt like she was
going to cry. She was possessed with such emptiness that she felt hollow
inside.
Chapter 10
Present Day—The Carpathian Mountains
“This cannot stand!” one of them shouted
from the gloom. His voice echoed around the dark, circular chamber, his Slovak
voice ringing rough with rage.
“We shan’t allow such an outrage!
Something
must
be done!” a shrill female voice called into the crowd,
pounding her fist against the chair she sat in, exciting those around her into
hisses.
They commenced arguing amongst
themselves—a cacophony full of fury and agitation—until a louder, more maniacal
hiss broke the commotion. The room fell into a tense quiet. Those who had been
standing took their seats; their archaic thrones. The light footfalls, barely
audible on the rough stones, stopped in the middle of the nearly dark room. Shadows
danced off the figure from the sconces of flame that adorned the walls. She
raised her head and eyed the assembly with a dark look.
“My children,” the ancient, lyrical
female voice began, “I know that the news of our losses pains you; however, we
shall not act at this time.”
There were mutinous rustlings among
those gathered. She continued to speak regardless of their disruption, as a
monarch of perceived divine right.
“What has occurred
is
a
travesty,” she said, carefully pronouncing the words in her heavy Romanesque
voice, “but we shall move
slowly
forward in an effort to contend with
these…individuals.”
The audience rustled around her at
the perimeter of the room. One brave individual stepped tentatively forward,
his long robes grazing the uneven stones underfoot. He stooped in a slow,
sweeping bow even though her back was turned to him.
“But, my Queen,” his grave voice
protested in supplication.
She spun, her robes flaring out
from her shoulders as she moved. The movement of fabric was the only sound in
the room. She glared at him with a sharp, piercing eye and dared him to speak
with a look. Her severe features added to her menace as she looked down her
razor sharp nose at him.
Stepping back, he bowed his head
and spoke no more.
She stepped forward and closed the
space between them. “They
shall
be dealt with,” she vowed, leveling her
eyes at him and spat her words out. “However, we
must not
send more of
our lambs to the slaughter. Let us refrain from action for the present and let
our lost ones’ souls rest for a time as we deliberate on our next course of
action.” She sank into an instinctual crouch at the perceived challenge.
“Your Highness,” a Celtic, male
voice submitted, clearing his throat. “Perhaps we send a warning?”
She straightened from her crooked
posture, and looked to him with a thoughtful, black eye, debating the wisdom of
his words. She nodded her head slowly.
“Yes. Hmm…perhaps that
is
the best way. We shall send a warning. Perhaps it will tempt them to forgo
their lifestyle, surrender their so-called mission, and save more of our
brothers and sisters from destruction.”
She looked to all the faces in the
round room, and nodding, she gave the command, ignoring the tangible skepticism
of those surrounding her.
“Make it so,” was the command.
Chapter 11
Present Day—Texas
Dante waited at the dining room
table. He and Catherina had called a meeting. Laney was the first to appear.
She came bouncing in from the backyard, fresh from some time outdoors. She
laughed for no apparent reason in her light, childlike way. Dante smiled to
himself and looked proudly at his sweet daughter.
His eyes moved to Catherina who
hovered in the corner. His smile faded. The years had been difficult for her in
ways that they shouldn’t have been. Her body suffered greatly for the choices she
had made early in her life. She had been so strong. Now, she sat silently and
wrung her hands together—as she rocked back and forth slightly—waiting for the
others to arrive. She glanced up at him and smiled, a wave of calm clearly
washing over her. He relaxed into a smile in return.
Zoey appeared in her seat at the
table with a smirk on her face.
They're so stubborn,
she thought.
Dante winked at her as Jim lumbered
into the room with Sophie gliding in on his heels. Alexander made an effort to
appear nonchalant by slowing his stride and putting some distance between
himself and Sophie as he walked in. The latter ignored him gracefully.
Dante chuckled under his breath at his
brother, whose behavior was so out of character. Alexander had never allowed
himself to be ruled by his emotions before, and the change in him was profound.
Alea iacta est,
Dante
thought.
The die is cast.
Alexander glared at him and shook
his head once in stiff defiance. Dante suppressed the desire to smile in
response.
“Everyone, please be seated,” Dante
instructed. Their customary places were taken and six sets of eyes were
suddenly on him. “Catherina believes that the new one is here already.”
There were inquiring looks across
the table and Dante began to answer the questions as they silently came to his
mind.
“Sophie, a university is a large
attraction for individuals the world over—both human and supernatural,” he
answered. “That is why we have been so fortunate to find you and we are now waiting
for another in the same place. The cosmopolitan atmosphere attracts individuals
of
all
sorts.”
Alexander exhaled deliberately.
“I do not know when, Zoey,” Dante
replied. He looked to the youngest girl at the table.
“I do not know why you did not see
it, Laney, but that is why Catherina wanted us to come together. We hope that
Sophie is able to help you both.”
Sophie shot a confused look at
Dante. He looked to Catherina, who rose slowly and walked to Sophie’s side. The
older woman took her hand.
Zoey looked from one woman to the
other. “Is that wise this early?”
Catherina glared at her before
turning back to Sophie. “Come with me for a moment. Do not be alarmed,” she
said.
Sophie hesitantly rose from her
chair. Laney bounced out of her seat to take Catherina’s other hand and the
three stood in a small triangle.
Zoey held her breath. Jim sat on
the edge of his chair, eagerly watching what was happening. Alexander sat back
in his seat, arms folded across his broad chest, silently watching from under
his eyelashes, tense with anxiety. In all of their centuries together, Dante
had never seen him in such a state.
Catherina explained: “Our power
increases when we make physical contact and work together as a unit, one with
the other. Laney and I have enjoyed great success in the past and we are hoping
that with you, the three of us will be better able to focus our energy. We
females are gifted with extra talents which enable us to do this.”
“What about Zoey?” Sophie asked.
The tall redhead shook her head.
“My gift is different,” she replied calmly.
Sophie shrugged and looked back at
Catherina and Laney. “What do I do?” she asked.
“Here,” Laney chimed in, “take my
hand. Then, close your eyes and concentrate. Catherina will direct our thoughts
since she’s seen this guy or girl before in her own visions. Just relax. It’ll
be really cool. Cool, cool, cool…as… a cucumber!” She glanced sheepishly at
Sophie who was staring at her in disbelief. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Sophie whispered back,
wide-eyed.
The trio of women stood in a
circle, joined hands, and closed their eyes.
“Now, concentrate,” Catherina
murmured to the other two.
The others, still seated at the
table, watched as the other three began to sway subtly. The motion increased until
they all appeared to be on the verge of losing their balance when suddenly, all
three became completely still.
Catherina began speaking slowly,
“There…are…”
“Three
,
” Sophie suddenly
interjected. All eyes shot to her, though her own remained closed. Even Catherina
and Laney came out of their trance and watched her. They kept a tight grip on
her hands.
Zoey and Jim exchanged a look.
“
Three?
” Alexander demanded
suddenly and loudly, his voice booming through the stunned silence.
Dante shot him a look of warning, but
Sophie was already responding automatically to Alexander’s question.
“…walking down the street. Two…women,
one man…looking, searching…for…something… Us?” She answered very slowly,
sounding unsure of herself.
“What are their names?” Dante asked
cautiously. He glanced hopefully at Alexander. “Perhaps we know them.”
She shook her head.
“Can you sense what their names
are, Sophie?” Catherina asked quietly.
“Not…uh…no, I’m not sure.”
“Come on Sophie, you can do it. Who
are they?” Laney prompted in a gentle whisper.
Again Sophie shook her head, the
frustration building as her cheeks became flushed with the effort. She was
faltering; her breath increased and she was about to lose the image.
Jim started lightly pounding the
table with the side of a closed fist, unconscious of the action. He looked at
Alexander, his face full of anxiety.
Three?
Jim thought.
This could
be bad.
Alexander simply remained as he had
been, watching and waiting.
“Try, Sophie,” Catherina begged
softly.
“I…I…can’t,” Sophie began, starting
to panic, a small tear sliding between her eyelids in frustration. She was
trying desperately to focus, but couldn’t regain control of the vision.