Right now...
Blaise ran down the stairs hurriedly. She could hear the sound of her heart resonating in her ears. She looked over her shoulder to check if he was after her. She stepped on her gown and tripped over down the stairs. She fell face flat to the ground. She groaned in pain. Her whole body ached from all the running. Her eyelids were heavy and weary from the lack of sleep. There was no time to sleep. Just running, hiding, running again and more hiding. That was all she'd been doing for the past forty eight hours. She was getting fewer places to hide at each turn.
'Don't tell me you are already exhausted, Vivian. We were just starting to have fun' She looked up to find Samuel at the head of the stairs.
He had a wide grin on his face. His blue eyes glinted with mischief. The dagger he held in his hand glowed in the dim light of the old house. She recognized the dagger. It was the same one he was holding the last time he killed her. At first, she thought it was all a dream and just like most times, she would snap out of it. But who could dream for two days without a break?
Blaise struggled to her feet panting.
'You can't hurt me now. The council members are going to be here in a minute and so will Leo' Blaise yelled.
Samuel burst out with laughter.
'Oh love, you are so pitiful aren't you? Is that what you tell yourself every time you are on the brink of death? Thinking your knight in shining armor will come to save you? You should have accepted me when you had the chance, Vivian. Because no one is going to save you when the time comes. Which is any moment from now' Samuel told her.
'I will never choose you, Samuel. You are a pathetic excuse for a man and a psychopath' Blaise yelled.
Samuel sighed.
'My heart aches whenever you say those hurtful words. Nevertheless, we've been at this for four days, love, and you still haven't learned anything? Oh, you are such a disappointment' Samuel shook his head.
Blaise looked down at the open wounds on her wrists. She looked back at Samuel with a hateful expression.
'You will pay so dearly for this, Samuel' She hissed.
Samuel furrowed his brows. She was getting unbearable every passing second. After all this while and she was still threatening him. He leaped from the stairs and landed right before her.
Blaise stumbled backward. She quickly rushed for the door. It was already morning. All she had to do was to run out and all this would be over.
The sound of bones cracking behind her startled her. She turned to find a huge brown wolf behind her. Its blue eyes were just like Samuel's. She could recognize that vile look of his no matter the skin he wore.
He raced towards her instantly. Blaise grabbed the doorknob only to find it locked. The wolf pounced on her. She crashed into a vase stand and fell to the floor. The wolf bared its teeth at her.
Blaise stared at it in horror. She couldn't believe she was about to die again. At the hands of the same man but in a different form and a different way.
The wolf opened its sharpened canines ready to devour her. Blaise screamed. Suddenly, there was a loud blast along with the trembling sound of the ground. Then everything went dark.
Two weeks earlier…
'This is a bloody joke, isn't it?' Heather said with disbelieve.
Blaise shook her head...
'I'm serious, Evie. I want to do this.' Blaise replied.
Heather glanced at Keith. He was quietly reading his morning paper. Unperturbed by the disturbing news from his wife.
'Leon, tell me you are not allowing this.' Heather said.
'Calm down Evie. Vivian will be fine we…'
'What do you know about the council, Damien?' Heather glared at him.
'Enough to know you are making a fuss over nothing.' Damien said.
'You know I liked it better when you didn't speak.' Heather said.
'I speak now. Deal with it, Evie.' Damien said before turning back to his journal.
'Can I say…'
'Shut your bloody mouth, William.' Heather snapped at her cousin.
He nodded and kept sipping his blood tea.
Heather glanced around the dining table. No one seemed to make this a big deal. The council wasn't just any place you would allow a woman into. The council was a solely masculine organization and Blaise being the first woman to enter was indeed a big deal.
'I can't believe this. You have no idea what you are walking into, Vivian.' Heather stood from her chair and walked out of the dining hall.
'I will go after her' Blaise stood up from her seat and headed the same direction Heather went.
'There I thought you were the paranoid one.' William said.
Heath glanced at him.
'This has nothing to do with paranoia and Why are you still here again?' Heath asked.
'Come on cousin you…'
'Leave for Theroden immediately. Nicholas will make good use of you there.' Keith said looking down at his paper.
William laughed uneasily.
'You can't be serious, Leon.' He muttered.
Keith slowly looked up from his paper.
'Oh you are serious' William said.
'Speaking of Theroden, William when was the last time you saw the Lebanoires?' Heath asked.
William groaned.
'Fifty years ago. Oh…they are going to kill me.' He said with a sigh.
'Good riddance I say.' Damien stood from his seat with a small smile.
Blaise walked down the path to the stable. She caught a glimpse of Heather walking this way.
Three stablemen headed towards her with horses.
'Morning to you, my Lady' They greeted.
'Good morning. Have any of you seen the Lady Heather?' Blaise asked.
'Yes, the Lady is in the stables. She's readying her horse for her morning ride' One said.
'Can you lead me there?' She asked the man.
'Absolutely, my Lady. This way, please' The man said politely.
He gave the reins of his horse to a fellow worker and led the way.
Upon reaching the stables, Blaise found Heather putting a saddle on a brown horse.
'Thank you' Blaise told the man.
The man pulled off his cap and bowed.
Blaise looked around the large stable with several horses. This was the first time she'd been here.
'Don't you have a servant for that?' Blaise asked.
Heather glanced at her with a frown.
'Go away' She mumbled.
'I never took you for a horse lover' Blaise said ignoring her earlier request.
Heather glanced at her and back to her horse.
'There are a lot of things you still don't know about me, Vivian.' Heather replied.
Blaise nodded.
'That's true. So I heard you are off for a…'
'Go away, Vivian. I don't want to talk right now' Heather said.
Blaise stepped next to her. She patted the horse's mane.
'I came to bother you. There's nothing you can do.' Blaise challenged.
Heather sighed.
'It's your fault if you are remembered as the nosy Queen who died in the stable.' Heather said.
'And you will be the woman who was killed by the ghost of a nosy Queen' Blaise said.
Heather chuckled.
'That's a good one. Grab a horse' She told her.
'Oh, I… It's fine I…'
'Don't tell me you don't know how to ride' Heather raised her brows.
Blaise chuckled nervously.
'It's not that… I just…'
'You are scared of horses?' Heather asked.
Blaise fell silent. She wasn't scared of horses. She was just afraid of heights. It didn't matter if it was five feet or less.
Heather burst into laughter.
'Look at you. Looking all scared because of a bloody horse.' She taunted.
'In my defense…'
'Please spare me the talk, Vivian. It's not too late to learn. Go on now, choose a horse.' Heather urged her.
Blaise turned towards the horses in their looseboxes.
'This one.' She pointed at the brown horse closet to her.
'No. That's Damien. Trust me you wouldn't want to ride him.' Heather said.
Blaise moved on to the next horse.
'That is Lili. She's taken too, by Heath. The only creature with the mind of its own he trusts' Heather told her.
Blaise glanced at the next horse and figured it was Klaus's. She walked to the far end of the stable. She stood before a large magnificent black stallion.
'What about this one?' Blaise asked staring at the horse.
Heather walked to her side.
'I wouldn't even think of it if I were you.' Heather told her.
'Why not? You said I could choose any horse.' Blaise said.
'I did but trust me, you don't want to end up on Furry' Heather warned her.
'Furry? That's his name?' Blaise asked.
'He is as terrifying as his name. That's Keith's horse. Only Keith rides him. Choose another horse' Heather told her.
Blaise glanced at the horse again.
'I will ride him' Blaise said firmly.
Heather glanced at her surprised.
'Did you hear the half of what I said?' She asked.
'I did and I still want this one' Blaise opened the wooden box and the horse stepped out.
'Have it your way then. I'm not the one who is going to end up with bloody scars anyway' Heather said.
Blaise screamed in excitement as she raced with Heather through the woods. For her first time riding, she was doing pretty well. Well, apart from Furry throwing her off a countless number of times, she was mostly fine. They rode out of the forest to a wide opening to a river.
'Well, that was exhilarating.' Blaise patted Fury's mane.
Heather glanced at her with awe.
'You are one of a kind, aren't you?' She told her.
Blaise smiled.
'You seem to have enjoyed yourself. Even though your gown is ruined and your knees are all covered up in scars' Heather told her.
Blaise looked down at her gown. The elegant blue dress was all covered up in dirt and partly torn. She raised her gown to find her white stocking torn with her knees badly bruised.
'It's just a scratch' She lied.
'You are something else, you know' Heather muttered.
Blaise shrugged.
'We should do this more often. I don't even know why I never made riding a habit. I need to find my own Fury' She said with a smile.
They tied their horses to a tree and headed for the river.
'You have a flair for danger.' Heather said.
'Please Evie, Furry's just a horse how dangerous can he be?' Blaise chuckled.
'I'm just saying, Vivian.' They both sat on a log at the bank of the river.
'The water… it's black?' Blaise said.
'Lake Doom it's called. History has it, it swallowed up the first sailors. It turned their blood to black and swallowed them whole.
'They were never heard of ever again.' Heather ended in a whisper.
Blaise chuckled.
'Oh right, I am so scared.' She mumbled.
'There was a time you would squirm with terror at my stories.' Heather mumbled.
'Things are different now.' Blaise said.
Heather fell silent. Blaise noticed her sullen expression.
'I am not Nichole, Evie.' Blaise suddenly said.
Heather turned to her with a frown.
'Well, that hurt.' She muttered.
'You are doing the same thing you did with Nichole, with me.' Blaise told her.
'No, I'm not.' Heather said defensively.
'Really, Evie. Really?' Blaise raised her brows.
'Yes really.' Heather replied abruptly.
'Okay, now you are just playing dumb.' Blaise said.
'Watch it, Vivian. I am many things but never dumb.' Heather said.
'Then…'
'You don't get it, Vivian. You have no bloody idea what you are walking into.' Heather said.
'Months ago, I would have gladly sent you off into the lion's den but now…'
'You care. Evie, I understand but I want to do this.' Blaise said.
'You are not listening. The council is not a playground. It is a society made up of men only. Vicious men at that. Only five recruits are chosen to join every year and none of them are women. You will be the first and the only woman to even dare to enter' Heather said.
'I know that but on the brighter side, I will be the first woman. I will be making history and paving the way for other women' Blaise said.
'There is no bloody bright side, Vivian. There is only one side, where you end up dead. You need to pass three tests to make it to the council. The last test is the deadliest. You will not survive it. It doesn't matter if you have all the magic in the world. You will die' Heather said.
Blaise furrowed her brows.
'You know for a minute, I thought you were just scared for me but I realize… you just don't think I have the guts to do this' Blaise said.
'That is not what I meant and you know that Vivian' Heather said.
'Then why are you trying to scare me off.' Blaise said.
'You should be scared for your good, Vivian. Trust me when I tell you, this is the worst decision you will ever make.' Heather told her.
'I understand your concern, Evie. But I have already made up my mind. I am not doing this because I have no purpose. Nichole must've died for something. Something we still do not understand. I don't want her death to be vain. I have to find whoever is doing this. And if entering into the council is the only way to do it and so be it. So it's either you stand by me or get out of my way' Blaise said determinedly.
She stood up to leave but Heather grabbed her arm from behind.
Blaise looked at Heather to find tears gathered in her eyes. She hugged her abruptly.
'You weren't about to walk out on me. Were you?' Heather asked.
'It's not like you gave me a choice' Blaise said.
'You are the most tenacious woman I've ever met. At least besides me' Heather told her.
Blaise chuckled.
'I am not going to die, Evie. At least not without a fight.' Blaise said.
'It's easy for you to say from the outside. I'm still against this but I will stand by you. For you and Nichole.' Heather said.
'Thank you, Evie.' Blaise told her.
'Good, let's get going.' Heather said.
'So soon? Let's ride some more' Blaise said.
'Time is not on our side Vivian. We have to start preparing you for your first appearance at the council which is in two days. You have to look flawless.' Heather said.
'Fine but let me race you back to the manor.' Blaise suggested.
Heather scoffed.
'Oh you, novice dare to challenge I, the undefeated master.' She said dramatically.
Blaise laughed.
'Actions not words, Evie. Actions, not words.' She said.