"Please tell me this is not another thing we're going to hide from Victor?" Lauri said uneasily. Dorian looked up from the maps that he and the guard that had burst into the ballroom were currently going over. "What Victor doesn't know won't hurt him."
"In any case he and the court are still in session." The guard said. "They'll be in session for a while. They are trying to decide what to do about Raphael's situation, by the time they come to a decision we could already have saved Raphael." Dorian said. He gestured to the guard "Abraham and I will go to the mountains. Kieran isn't suicidal, he'll make a deal."
"So, you think. I honestly think this is going to be a suicide." Abraham said, making a mark on the map. "Since when have you been scared to die?" Dorian asked raising his eyebrow. "I didn't mean suicide for us; those Vampires are dead if they don't make a deal." Abraham said smiling lightly. Dorian shook his head, "You stay here." Dorian said turning to Lauri. "No, I will not." Lauri said sharply.
"What do you mean no?" Dorian asked. "I'm coming with you." Lauri demanded. "No, you will not." Dorian said his voice getting higher. "Yes, she is." Both Lauri and Dorian turned to look at Abraham in surprise. "I am not heading out into a coven of vampires without the resident fire witch at our disposal." Abraham said. Lauri raised an eyebrow looking pleased despite Abraham's emphasis on Witch. Dorian scowled. "It's too dangerous."
"Not as dangerous as it's going to be if Court ends and I'm the only one left here, to explain to the court that most of it's royals are out in mortal peril. Let's be honest they might not care so much about me because of who is my father, but they certainly do care about Terry. And I am not going to be the one to tell the King that his wayward son went off to save his psychotic son, with the help of Nathaniel's former assassins!" Lauri said glaring at Dorian.
"Both of you go get ready. I'll wait for you at the eastern gate."
Dorian tugged Lauri behind him as they left what served as a study room off the great Library. "Kieran is ruthless, if he's planning an uprising against the castle it's because Zafira promised him something. Possibly the daughter of the man he despised more than anything." Dorian said. "If Kieran hated Nathaniel why would he want to bring him back? Wouldn't he want the opposite?"
"Things are done differently here. While Kieran hates Nathaniel he still prefers him over Victor. Nathaniel gave him and his vampires free rein to the human world. They love partaking in blood of the humans. They love witches' blood even more." Dorian said pointedly. "What do you mean he gave the Vampires free rein to the human world?" Lauri asked her eyebrows furrowed. "Nathaniel never cared so much for humans. He always saw them as a source of food. That's why the council's decision was to banish him to earth. I don't know who told Zafira he was here."
"I do." Dorian looked up seeing Cassie leaning against Lauri's doorway. "Zafira was getting her information from a Zander. Apparently, he used to be part of Nathaniel's former council."
"He wasn't just part of his council. He was his second in command. I told Victor we should've killed him." Dorian said rubbing a hand against his face. "Who the hell is Kieran?" Cassie asked as she followed Lauri and Dorian into the room. "Kieran is the foremost leader of the Vampire covens in the eastern mountains."
"Wait. Did you say covens? As in plural?"
"There's nine main covens in Vemos. Kieran leads them all." Cassie explained as she and Lauri watched Dorian go through Lauri's closet. "Here," Dorian said pulling out leather pants and a leather jacket, "Grab a tank top from the draw over there and put these on. The leather, will help protect you from both the wind and Vampire teeth."
"Not to mention their claws."
"Cassie, your coming with us. I seem to remember you having a certain comradery with Kieran." Dorian said smirking at her.
"Why do you people always have to remind me of my bad dalliances." Cassie said with a huff as she went through Lauri's closet herself. "Five minutes."
Dorian closed the door of his room, walking past where the court was currently convened, to the hidden spiral staircase that led to the eastern gate. As he walked he thought back to the north village. Helena had promised to give him information in exchange for a kiss. In the times of Nathaniel's reign that was how Helena had given information. To her Kisses was a form of information, because of her powers gifted to her as a child, when she touched someone's lips she saw all their hopes and dreams. The secrets that people kept to themselves. Dorian had refused the kiss but had asked her to come to the castle anyways. Of course, Dorian hadn't known that Victor had already called Darius in. Dorian hadn't actually known what had happened for Darius to have received banishment, but he would've never have believed that the truth of his banishment wasn't banishment at all but a job as an enforcer, to ensure Nathaniel served his punishment, and that the demons that were being banished stayed in one place on earth. Darius was both enforcer and gatekeeper. Dorian always found it curious, the roles that people tended to have to play to keep the kingdom of Vemos at peace. Or what Vemos considered peaceful in any case.
"Dori? Did anyone see you?" Lauri asked as he walked past the gate. "Nope. What about the two of you?" Both girls shook their heads. "So far so good," Abraham said, "Come on. The horses are this way." Abraham said. "Wait are we actually sneaking out of the castle?" Cassie asked narrowing her eyes. "Sometimes for the greater good of the people of Vemos, the sacrifice of the few saves the many." Abraham said sagely. "Have you not seen my face?" Cassie said waving her hand in a circle around the dots that lined one side of her face. "If I get in trouble one more time I'm going to end up being banished from Vemos. And let me tell you, I don't think I have what it takes to survive on the Earth." Cassie complained. "Could that happen to us as well?" Lauri asked turning to Dorian. "I wish. Otherwise I would've purposely done something horrible if only to get to earth myself." Dorian said, smiling as they approached the horses. Dorian had always loved horses, especially his own Thunder, a black stallion with a silver thunderbolt that graced his forehead. Lauri brushed the head of her own horse, Stefano a beautiful chestnut horse that neighed at her approach. I only see three horses. What am I supposed to ride?" Cassie said her voice going low. "Come on, you can ride with me. Leonardo has no fear of two riders." Abraham said patting the white horse, that neighed as he brushed a hand over his mane. "Great. Cassie said as she watched Abraham climb up on the horse. Cassie glanced back and saw both Lauri and Dorian go up on their own horses. "What's wrong? Have you not ridden before?" Abraham asked his hand out for her. "I have ridden before," Cassie said grabbing his hand and climbing up behind him. "But I'm not overly fond of riding the horses." She finished, grabbing hold of Abraham's jacket. "If you're not fond of horseback you are going to hate this one." Dorian said. Leaning forward on his horse and whispering something in its ear that sounded suspiciously like Spanish. The horse reared and galloped off, Leonardo and Stefano following Thunder in the same speed. "We have to hurry and get to the mountains before Kieran and his vamps start moving towards the castle."
"Hopefully Terry and the twins will bring Raphael soon. Or they'll be hell to pay."
Raphael
Raphael blearily opened his eyes. His head hanging, he looked around as far as he could see, while being tied up like an animal. He hung between two trees, his arms spread, legs dangling beneath him. The witches were cruel with their treachery. If he wasn't the one being tortured he might have even been impressed. He glanced around at the witches' encampment. The witches had spread darkly spun thick blankets across the high boughs of the trees that provided cover from rain or sleet should either fall. The witches no longer wore the cloaks that they had first worn when they appeared. Now I could see them for who they are, a group of women with long flowing hair of various colors, their eyes as soulless as their hearts. Their skirts dragged across the floor as they walked. I wanted to scream my fury at how they had treated me, I was their prince and yet they had beat me to the quick with their anger. I don't know what they expected to accomplish but at least Eliza the foul sapphire haired temptress was gone. She did not walk among the other women and thank the dark lord for that. I was so weak and bone weary that I would be easy prey to her scathing tongue, that sought to take my very breath, my very soul for her own. I could see in her eyes earlier that she hungered for the moment that she would take my life. I looked to the shadows and I saw only death. Death in the form of Nathaniel's twin blades of death Helena and Darius. Their bright violet eyes shining in darkness. My eyes narrowed, if they were but shadows why could I see the color of their eyes? I looked closer and realized what I had thought were shadows were actually the faces of people I had long since thought lost. That and the gorgeous blue of my beautiful Laurena. But how could she be here? I looked closer my eyes narrowing as I leaned against my bonds. I realized what I had thought were Lauri's beautiful eyes were the eyes of her own family. Of mine. Terry's eyes looked unflinchingly at mine, I stared blankly at what I could see of his eyes, close beside Darius's own violet eyes. As I stared at his eyes, and he looked back at mine he winked mischievously at me, and I knew that the brother I had long thought to human to be of any use. Had now come to save me. I was never going to hear the end of this.
Now that I realized that both Terry and Darius were both here among the witches waiting for their chance to attack I looked to the left where I had first seen a glimpse of violet eyes and saw the warm brown eyes of Simeon. I watched as his eyes glanced at all the witches in kind. Watching carefully as they walked around the encampment. I glanced at the witches the two blondes walked together, from one side to the other, the dark-haired witch walked up to the red haired one, and they both sat feeding the fire, their heads together. The violet haired and emerald haired stood on either side of the opening of the blankets. Simeon watched as both of their backs turned, seemingly to watch for intruders on the outside, not realizing that the intruders were all ready in the inner walls of the encampment. I watched as Simeon walked into the middle of the encampment his arm raised as bold as can be. He threw down a vial of what looked like orange flame. And the encampment was soon full of smoke and fog, colorless and odorless, and as far as the eye could see there was nothing but pale white stark darkness. With nothing to see and no one to save you.
"The flame of Illeana the forsaken." I whispered as I tried to look around, futile as it might seem. "Raphael! Don't make a sound. Please." I heard Terry's frantic whisper as I felt the bonds that had held my hands drop, the pain that released into my arms as they fell made me want to whimper like a little babe, but as instructed I made not a sound, as I felt my arms go around two broad shoulders. Most likely Terry and my long nemesis Darius who had fought against me for as long as I could remember. I let them carry me away from the encampment of witches that I could still hear shrieking. No doubt being slain mercilessly by the unforgiving Helena, Darius's hateful sister. Not that I would ever say a bad thing about the girl who had just slain the women who had tortured me and had eagerly awaited my death.
"What happened?" I asked my voice thick with unuse. Possibly cracked with all the screaming I had possibly done under the torture but could not remember now. "Shut up Rafe. Or I'll knock you out. We are not out of the woods yet." Darius's dark voice said. His voice dark as I ever remembered it, as I was carried like a useless babe that's the last thing I remembered hearing while darkness overcame me.
It was a bitter dark morning when I woke, the red sun beat on my face as I opened my eyes. Finally, for the first time since I had entered the wood, I no longer saw the deadened tree branches above me. No longer could I see the spiral words that laced the dark woven blankets that the witches had held above me. I rose up on my elbows and was greeted to a pair of violet eyes that looked at me with amusement. "Never had I thought I would see the day that the great Raphael of King Victor would have to be rescued by the likes of me. Didn't you once say you would never be happy to see my presence in your sacred plains of Vemos?" Darius's darkly velvet voice asked. Raphael scoffed. "I believe I was twelve when I first said that." Raphael mused, his eyes bright with mirth. "You were that snobbish when you were twelve?" Terry's inquisitive voice asked. Raphael turned to look at his half-brother, looking none the worse for wear, calmly sitting on an overturned tree his hands full of berries that he was enjoying leisurely, as if he had not just walked through a witches' encampment full of danger. "I'm never going to hear the end of this am I?" Raphael asked. "Don't worry. I won't speak of this, if you don't mention ever again the Los Angeles incident."
"You mean the one with the drag queens?" Raphael enquired raising his eyebrows as Terry scowled darkly. "I feel like that is a story worth hearing." Helena said as she walked through the camp stopping to drop on her knees beside Raphael. "Hello, young prince. How do you fare?" she said her eyes bright.
"You know that those witches will be coming after us, if we don't hasten towards the castle." Raphael said his eyebrows raising. "Even injured, your trying to tell us what to do?" Helena said as she leaned on Raphael, her forehead brushing his chest. As she smiled up at him. "The fog will last two nights, we have time to rest. In any case you were kind of heavy." Darius said cheekily, as he joined his sister leaning on the other side of Raphael's body. "Is this part of the norm?" Terry asked, his eyes bright as he watched the two siblings cuddling with Raphael. He smiled his eyes dancing. "These two, troublesome twins born of war, death and murder most fowl, have never done anything that's part of the norm." Raphael said. "That is definitely true." Simeon said as he lay his head against Raphael's head. "You too?" Raphael said as he lay back. Terry laughed. "Now that's a dog pile if I ever did see one. What would our father say?"
"There's two days left for Eliza's summons." Simeon said looking up at the sky.
"What summons?" Raphael asked leaning against his hands. "Eliza sent two of her blonde minions to the castle with a message. Dorian, Laurena, and myself was witness to it. The council has been convened ever since."
"You mean this wasn't council approved?" Raphael asked his voice laced with surprise. "Of course not. Otherwise Dorian would've been among our party, would he not?" Simeon said. "Where is Dorian? It didn't even occur to me that he wasn't here."
"Hopefully making sure that the King will be otherwise occupied once the council disbands."
"And hopefully they will not notice that we are not in the castle. I'm pretty certain that this will ensure that I'm not welcome to Vemos for years to come." Darius said his voice dark. "As if that's ever stopped you before." Helena said her voice drifting off. "You should rest too." Terry said as he looked at Helena with amusement. "There will be plenty to fear when we start moving closer to the castle. The council won't convene for long with one of the King's sons missing."
"How is Laurena?" Raphael asked his eyes looking imploringly at Terry. "Wary as usual. She looked quite worried when we found out that you had been captured." Terry asked. "That's nice." Raphael said a smile lighting his face as he once again drifted into darkness. Terry looked at Raphael his heart heavy. He didn't care for the forced relationship Lauri had been forced to endure with Raphael. He knew the day would come that Raphael would claim her, by taking the virtue that she had held close to herself in her mortal life. The virtue that her husband should've taken. The boy she had loved in her mortal life. The boy that Terry himself had killed, to prove himself a true demon prince to the eyes of the council as he entered the court with his prize. His very own sister. A sister that he would've never been allowed to keep. A sister that Victor had given to Raphael in the hopes that when the time to announce a successor, Raphael would have a powerful wife at his side. Dorian had already explained to Terry what many in the council had already accepted to be true. The crown belonged to one. And one alone. The son of Gianna, the most powerful prize that had ever left Vemos. Dorian had done his duty as his mentor and explained the bitter truth to Terry. That he had never been human, despite being brought up in earth. He was the son of the Demon King of Vemos and the Lost Angel of heavens gates, Gianna the vain. A secret he would no doubt go to the grave with.