CHAPTER 11 #2
“Take a look for yourself,” she says, and I stand to look into the mirror. I gasp at my reflection. My eyes glow brightly like amethyst crystals. That isn’t all I notice. It is the purple vines going from my temple to my cheek, it looks like a tattoo with little purple blossoms.
“Shit, I manifested. I thought it would fizzle out.”
“No, dear. You are the Chosen One,” she says softly, gazing at my reflection in the mirror.
“How am I going to hide this?” I ask desperately. Marian shrugs. “Wait, how did you know?”
“I knew your grandmother, recognized those eyes the moment you stepped into the castle. I am also the midwife who helped deliver you, so I knew what time you would be born.”
“You know about Fae magic?”
“Yes, your grandmother was my best friend,” she says, rubbing my cheek with her calloused hand.
“Now, we haven’t got time. Silas has ordered everyone to be in the front courtyard by dawn. We need to get Abigail out of here.”
“You know about her, too?”
“Not much gets past these eyes, dear,” she says, getting to her feet.
Getting up off the tile floor, Marian sticks her head out the door peering into the bedroom.
I follow her out as she makes her way to the door.
Only when she leaves the room, I find the door quickly slammed in my face.
Hearing Marian talking outside the door.
I quickly rush to my bed, chucking myself in and pulling the blanket over myself, pretending to be asleep.
I can hear Matitus outside my door in the corridor.
I intently listen trying to catch their conversation.
“I asked you a question. Why are you in this part of the castle and what are you doing near her door?” he bellows.
“I was just making sure she didn’t need anything,” she stutters, and I can smell her fear seeping under the gap below the door.
“Well, did she?” he asks, and I can almost feel the way he is glaring down at her, imagine the anger on his face.
“She was asleep,” she murmurs, the sound barely audible. I hear silence for a few seconds before I hear him speak.
“Leave. If I catch you near this door again without permission I will have your head,” he tells her.
I hear her rush away before the door handle rattles.
I close my eyes, pretending to be asleep.
I smell his scent fill the room and I know he is standing behind me.
I breathe deeply through my nose, calming myself so he doesn’t notice my heart rate.
It must have worked because I hear the door shut and lock.
Waiting a few minutes, I get up and twist the handle, it doesn’t open. “Shit,” I curse to myself. How am I supposed to get out and help Abigail. I just have to hope Marian can get to her. Climbing back in bed, I give into exhaustion.
Around 4:30 AM I am awoken by noise outside the front of the door. The door unlocks and opens, and I roll, making sure to keep the blanket and my hair over my face. Dragus strides in and places a plate on the bench, and I can smell steaming hot coffee.
“I brought you your breakfast, meet us in the courtyard when you can,” he says, and I can tell he is in a hurry as he doesn’t even glance in my direction. Then I hear Silas yell from the corridor.
“Hurry up, Dragus,” Silas calls and Dragus shuts the door behind him as he leaves.
I sleepily get up rubbing my eyes. Grabbing my coffee, I drink while getting dressed.
I suddenly hear the horrific sounds of women screaming, completely forgetting all about the Seer stones.
My blood runs cold. Did Marian warn Abigail in time?
Putting on my shoes, I rush to the door then run down the corridors.
Just as I am about to run through the entrance doors, I am ripped to the side.
“You can’t go out there,” Marian says, pulling me to the window in the study. I find heaps of women and children lined up out the front, reminding me of the night I came here.
“How many so far?” I demand, terrified.
“This is the last of them.”
“And Abigail?”
“I think she got out.”
I let out a sigh of relief praying she is right. “Well, how do I hide this?” I ask, pointing to my face.
“Only Fae can see it unless you let them see it by dropping your guard,” she says, making my eyes snap to hers.
“You’re a Fae?” I ask, incredulous.
Marian nods with a sad smile on her face. It definitely isn’t a blessing to be Fae around here. It’s much more like a curse or punishment that the fates bestow upon us.
“Yes, but I don’t have magic, and I am not of noble blood so I look human, that’s why they keep me here and it’s also why I may not talk to you,” she tells me.
We see Silas walk along the line holding the stones in his hands.
They float above his palms, orbiting around each other as he moves from person to person.
When he finishes and the stones do nothing but pick up his magic, he dismisses the line going to the next.
Those cleared, run for the gates, fearing for their lives.
He goes through the next line, then they leave. When I look at the new crowd, he is about to examine, I freeze. Abigail is at the end of the line, and I can see the fear in her eyes; she didn’t get out in time.
“I thought you said she got out?” I ask Marian, panicked.
Marian stares at me, then follows my gaze.
Silas is halfway down the line of people he has herded into the castle.
Rows of them have been stood outside already and I turn to run to the door, unsure of what I can do but can’t sit still and do nothing.
“You can’t go out there, they will know you have your magic,” Marian says, gripping my arm as I am about to throw the front door open. I shake her off.
“I can’t let them kill her,” I say running outside. The cold air whips my skin harshly. Silas is nearly all the way to where Abigail stands. I see Dragus’s eyes dart to mine, but I won’t stop as he pulls up in front of Abigail; I throw myself in front of her, using myself as a shield.
“Elora, what are you doing?” he says when I shove past him, and I feel Abigail grab the back of my shirt and duck her head behind me.
Silas’s eyes dart to the stones as they spin at rapid speed.
I hold my breath, and I know what is about to happen; I know my secret is out, not that I had to keep it long.
Silas’s eyes snap to mine, and I see the anger burning brightly in them making me step back and bump into Abigail. Silas grips my arm and pulls me away from Abigail before yanking my hands forward and dropping the stones in them.
Everyone watches as they spin rapidly, glowing the same amethyst color of my eyes.
I feel my shoulders slump and I give in before I hear everyone gasp and the stones freeze and start pulsating.
They burst in a dust of purple and white.
Silas grips my chin forcing my eyes to meet his and I flinch when I see the furious look on his face.
His fingers brush over the vines on my face and I know he can see them.
I drop whatever is shielding me and hiding what I am.
“I offered you a chance last night to tell me. I told you there would be consequences for lying to me.”
“I didn’t lie,” I blurted out. That is a mistake when I feel his palm hit the side of my face. My head whips to the side and everyone gasps collectively. I feel his handprint burning into my face, feel the welts of his fingers rising on my skin as tears burn my eyes.
“I gave you a fucking out,” he screams in my face, and I feel hot tears running down my cheeks as he grips my hair and yanks my head back.
“I didn’t lie, please,” I beg and he rips me against him, making me face the small crowd that is left.
“My workers, inside now,” he bellows, Abigail and two of the cooks run into the castle.
All that is left is around twelve teenage girls no older than seventeen. I expect him to dismiss them as they all stand freezing and shivering in the cold, waiting for orders. I feel his breath on the side of my neck, making me shiver.
“Now you will see what happens when you disobey me,” he says, his voice cold and void of all emotion.
“Kill them,” he says in a blasé tone, as if he is ordering someone to do some mundane task, instead of slaughtering a group of people. Silas grips my head, and I realize he wants me to watch.
“No, no, I didn’t lie. Please they didn’t do anything,” I scream and thrash. I feel his hand wrap around my throat as he pulls me flush against his chest. I look at the girls’ faces, and they scream when they see the Vampires who guard the perimeter jump from the ledges they were watching from.
“No, no, no. Please,” I beg him, and I try to fight against him yet his grip never waivers.
“Silas, please,” Dragus says, and all the Vampires stop at Dragus’s words, waiting to see what he says.
Silas growls and goosebumps run over my skin.
Dragus tries to reach for me when Silas backhands him, knocking him into the brick wall behind us.
Dragus gets up to come at him when Matitus stops him.
“Kill them,” he says, and the chaos and screams start again.
I close my eyes and scream as I see the first one get slaughtered, hear the tear of flesh as the Vampires rip them apart and feed on them.
Placing my hands over my ears I can’t handle their blood-curdling screams. The only thing holding me upright is Silas arm around my waist as my legs give out under me.
People on the other side of the gates scream for their loved one’s, trying to get past the gates.
One growl from Silas and the entire place goes silent except for the sobs of the people on the other side of the gate and my own hysterical screaming.