Chapter 30
L ukas
When I left the castle, Elijah nodded to me and walked away. I didn’t say a word to him, intent on getting to the ridge where Annalise and Wyvon waited for me. There was no formal goodbye or any well wishes. We weren’t friends.
I could have run to meet my enemies, or I could have transitioned myself to appear directly face to face with the two of them, but that would have been unwise.
I could miss traps or convoys enroute to the castle or get sidetracked by an ethereal trap designed to slow me down.
Any number of weapons could be formed against me, and while I fought those distractions, they would go after Cassia.
Cold wind whipped my hair in my face when I crossed the bridge and then again when I entered the forest. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had been Annalise, forcing me to stare at blond strands.
None of the trees had moved. Whether it was her taunting me or not, I would never change the color back to what it was.
It was my giant “fuck you,” to her, my keeping of the lighter shade.
Elijah had told me it was a two-day journey via normal travelling speed. I was now halfway there, according to his calculations.
Navigating the dark woods, I passed the areas I’d brought Cassia to.
My mind kept straying to thoughts of her regardless of the good memories we had made here.
As I walked, I could sense her anger and sadness.
Our blood bond cycled through her heightened emotions, letting me feel them while she railed against the cage I’d built around her.
She was furious with me. But she could remain angry. She was safer encased in the glittering cell than she would be anywhere else while I was away.
Sticks and debris crunched beneath my boots as I pushed through the brush.
I was near the unicorn’s territory and stayed alert, ready to grab one of the swords strapped to my back.
Light dappled through the branches overhead, casting beams of light that brought the detail of the ferns and flowering shrubs into sharp relief.
The air turned magnetic and electrified, sending prickles across my skin. I stopped walking, listening intently for any out of place sounds and letting the impressions that were floating through the ether wash over me. There was a village nearby, teeming with human and demon life.
But there was something else. I crouched and placed my hands in the dirt, sending power into the organic material. The ground began to shake. It was subtle, barely a tremor, and only detectable by others like me.
I stood and focused on the whisper of the wind between the trees, the distance calls of songbirds. A light breeze stirred the ferns beside my boots and I waited. After several seconds, a black shadow appeared above the next crest, and the large, black unicorn Cassia and I had met came into view.
The animal stomped his hooves, lowering and raising his head. Slowly, I pulled one of the swords from the harness that strapped my back and approached. It wouldn’t do to have the creature tracking me on my journey.
Stopping in front of the beast, it took a step forward and stomped a single hoof, angling its long, ebony horn straight towards my chest. With my sword in hand, I stepped to the right, keeping my eyes on the animal.
It swung its head, following my movements.
I stopped walking and it shifted to face me again.
The unicorn’s aura was hard to read. It was cloaked and clouded, engineered to be indecipherable for its own safety. While its horn would have come in handy, I didn’t want to injure the beast.
We were in a standoff, neither of us moving while we stared each other in the eye, daring the other to make the first move.
I was losing precious minutes I couldn’t afford.
If I didn’t reach Annalise and Wyvon, their magic would continue to endanger Cassia, and they would go to the castle themselves, impatient for waiting.
Finally, I bowed my head to the unicorn in submission.
It snorted and then sighed, signaling it wouldn’t gore me through my heart.
My arm lowered and the tip of the sword dug into the dirt when I glanced up.
The animal eyed me warily and stayed right where it was.
The only thing that made sense was that it showed mercy because of the day it met Cassia.
Maybe it was disappointed she wasn’t with me.
“Please go protect the castle. Cassia is in there,” I said, keeping my voice low and modulated.
The unicorn snorted again but then it squealed, rearing up when crimson lightning spread across the sky. Dropping to the forest floor, I rolled out of the way before its hooves slammed into the dirt. It took off, its mane and tail whipping in the breeze as it galloped down the path.
Once I was satisfied it wouldn’t return and bore a hole straight through me, I started walking again. Unicorns, being endangered, were highly unlikely to assist any other creature. It was too risky for them. I could only hope the beast was headed toward Cassia like I’d asked.
When the village I’d sensed came into view, I checked for a way around without having to travel by the center.
It was nestled between cliffs that formed a barrier, and I could have easily navigated the rock, but I was hungry.
The amount of energy I’d expended had lowered my reserves more than I was comfortable with, and I needed to feed.
Where there were humans, there was food.
Double doors rose above me, and I opened them without lifting a finger.
Small shops, taverns, and homes dotted the busy street.
There was a larger building towards the rear of the town—probably a governor’s home and office.
The village appeared orderly and well-kept, likely due to whoever was in charge.
There were no vampires that I could sense anywhere within the city’s perimeter. Humans made up most of the population, as well as a witch or two, and some demons.
It didn’t take very long for me to be noticed. I’d pulled my hood up over my head, but the citizens of the Fourth Realm were highly attuned to other .
It started with furtive glances and soon, men and women sped their steps, feeling the change in the air that my presence brought. Then a group became curious and protective of their small village.
“We don’t cater to the likes of you,” one man announced. He was clothed in finery, compared to many of the people around him, with his green silk tunic and golden earrings. I assumed he was the village governor.
The top of his head almost reached the bottom of my chin. “What do you cater to?” I asked.
I tilted my head to the side, impatiently waiting for his answer.
“This is a vampire-free zone. Can’t you read?”
There was no such thing, nor had I noticed any signage. Not that it would have mattered.
There wasn’t going to be any bottled blood in this town, which was unfortunate for him. I thrust my hand out and seized his neck, my thumb crushing his hyoid. He went limp and I brought him to my mouth, sinking my fangs into his flesh while his heartbeat quickly slowed.
As I drank, the men that had followed him started yelling and cursing and several blades gleamed in the light.
I dropped the man’s body and lifted my hand into the air, manipulating the atmosphere and creating a wide, circular barrier.
I’d never done it quite to this large degree, and I knew the ability was from the various magical blood types I’d recently ingested.
“It's him! He’s the one bringing the red lightning!” Someone yelled.
Throngs of people rushed forward and I seized another man, pulling him through my ward. He rained his fists down on me before raising a knife that I twisted away from him. I flung it at a man who was trying to breach my circle to rescue his friend, aiming the blade at his neck.
Suddenly, the village was plunged into darkness, the signature nightfall covering us. The dark wasn’t good. It would embolden the villagers.
After kicking the second body back into the crowd, I turned in a circle.
Several individuals carried lit torches and waved them in the air or thrust them toward my barrier.
One of the fire wrapped sticks fell, rolling off the shoulder of a young woman.
The flames caught hold of her garment, instantly igniting the edge of the material.
She started screaming and trying to douse the flames with her hands. No one paid her any mind. A chill slowly trickled through my blood—a foreign sensation when it came to my power.
Curling two of my fingers, I motioned for her to approach and fear filled her eyes. She was trapped in the crowd and couldn’t move. She might as well have been a witch at a stake, for how they were going to let her burn.
I stepped forward and reached into the throng, shoving a body out of my way before I clutched her shoulder.
The fire snuffed out the second I touched her skin, and the flames were replaced by frost. The marvel left white spiderwebbing in its wake when it crawled across her skin and onto the fabric of her dress.
I’d never seen anything like it and had to assume it was angel blood magic in action. The mix of different types could interact in many ways, so I couldn’t be certain for sure. She raised her eyes and looked at me, nearly as surprised as I was.
I pulled her inside the circle and the two of us examined the crowd though she gave me intermittent, fearful glances. “Are you going to hurt me?” She asked, pressing her knuckles on her lips.
“No.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure why I helped her, but I had. “You need to leave. I am going to kill all of them.”
Her gaze widened. “Why? Are you going to eat them?”
“No, I’ve had my fill.” One section of the crowd appeared thinner than the others. “Go over there. I’m going to lower the barrier. That will be your one and only chance.”