CHAPTER TWELVE
I was covered in blood, desperation, and sweat.
The blood was from the constant cutting of my hands for the spells that required I do so, the desperation was for our current situation, and the sweat was from the the nerves that had refused to leave; Time was ticking by dreadfully fast, yet progress was excruciatingly slow.
I had tried all fifty-six of the spells, and when I had finished I tried the other sixty uncle Tom sent yesterday and though each had very interesting results none was the one we needed.
I crossed off the last spell on the useless paper and balled it up in my fist, throwing it and almost hitting Kali in the face.
She stared at me with her eyes wide. "What did I do?"
" Sorry. It was meant for the wall. " I huffed and threw myself onto the floor, swallowing back my growing frustration. " I tried, what? Over a hundred? I found spells for reincarnation and resurrection and necromancy but I can't find the damn spell for puppeteering a reanimated corpse."
Kali was looking at me oddly when I was finished with my rant. " It's okay, we still have more spells to try."
" But do we have time? We lost three days going through these, what if we can't find the spell in time? "
"The Doves have eyes on the lookout for sacrificial energy and Siya has Cas keeping tabs on any suspicious activity. We will find them before the sacrifices are done." Her eyes narrowed as she watched me again.
I sat up on my elbows. "Kali?"
" Yes? "
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
" Your irises, they're well... Glowing again."
"Oh," I rubbed at my eyes and the pulsing died down a bit. " It's getting harder to control recently. It'll stop in a bit."
"You know, you scared me half to death with those flashlights you have in your skull last night."
"Yeah, well you almost gave me a heart attack when I turned on the light and saw you crouching in front of the fridge putting hot sauce on your ice-cream."
Kali grimaced, a smile pulling at her lips." I scared myself when I liked it. This one's testing my ability to stomach things that shouldn't go together."
She sat up straighter and stretched her back, sighing as she rubbed it. "I wish we had met before this whole thing. We haven't had a chance to hang out properly with all that's been going on. "
" I know. You'll just have to wait until all this is over to see how fun I can be." I leaned over to her and lowered my voice. " And when you have the baby we can go clubbing. It's a lifelong dream of mine to look hot in a club. "
Kali rolled her eyes but the smile on her face told me she liked the idea. "Sure Soli, we can go to every club in the city if you want. You just get better first, okay? I can't have you dropping dead while I'm dropping low and stealing my spotlight."
"I'll be considerate and die after we party it up, promise."
The door to the study opened and Sairen stepped in, rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt. "Caspian called."
"Good news?" Optimism coated my question thickly.
" I don't know," he said, "he wants us to come over."
"Well I'll just get changed and we can leave." I extended my hand and Sairen pulled me to my feet. "Kali, Aunt-Drea needs another dose of her medicine in an hour okay? But wake her up a little while before so she can get something to eat. Jules is stuck in the study trying to find a cure and..."
" Don't worry Soli," She shot me a wink as she smiled. "She's in good hands. "
Sairen was waiting for me in the foyer when I came down ten minutes later, staring hardly at the wall as if it kicked him in the balls.
"Yeah, I don't really like that wall either." I said as I peered around his shoulder, trying to see what he was seeing. "It's too wall-y."
Sairen's eyes flickered down at me, his brows pulling tightly. "What?"
I shrugged. "I'm just saying that I'm on your side of whatever feud you have going on with that wall."
"Oh," His features relaxed as he scoffed. "I'm just thinking. Are you ready?"
"Yeah," The shadows pooled against the wall and he stepped through before I could ask exactly what it was that he was thinking about.
We stepped out of the inbetween and into an elevator that looked like it belonged to an upscale resort, but I found it difficult to admire the golden accents as I clung to the wall and focused on not throwing up on the lavish machine. I took deep breaths like Sai instructed and the post-jump nausea eased somewhat but my head still spun terribly.
"Why didn't we just shadow-walked straight in?" I asked between large breaths, trying to keep my lunch down.
"Courtesy," Sairen pressed a button on the wall and I focused on the little light that came on. "I wouldn't want you traumatized if he forgot he had company coming over and decided to walk around naked... Or if he was naked with company over, which is almost always the case. "
The doors opened up into a beautiful modern living room decorated tastefully in white and grey with red accents here and there. Large windows spanned the length of an entire wall, exposing the busy cityscape stories below.
"Already sullying my reputation in front of my new guest?" I turned towards the speaker who leaned against the far wall, a wine glass in his hand, and Caspian was, well...gorgeous.
He was extremely tall, maybe as tall as Sairen, and his long legs clung to white slacks that seemed out of place with his open silk robe that exposed a toned, golden chest. The light streaming through the window lightened his blonde hair to almost white, and revealed the green and gold specks in his amber eyes that flashed with amusement.
It should have been illegal for Sairen and Caspian to be in the same room; Even a healthy heart wouldn't be able to take it.
Caspian detached himself from the wall with the same grace as a cat and strolled towards us. "Just because we haven't seen each other in forever doesn't mean you get to start spreading rumors."
"I saw you last month. And it's not a rumor if it's the truth." Sai hung his coat on the rack by the elevator and helped me shrug off mine.
"Irrelevant." Caspian pulled him into a hug, extending his glass so the liquid wouldn't spill on his shirt. "You know I can't go more than two days without your warm, inviting personality."
"Yet, you live." Sai untangled himself, a smile pulling at his lips, and gestured to me with an outstretched hand, "This is Solaure. "
Caspian's golden gaze focused on me and he beamed. "Ah, yes. The infamous Solaure; I've heard stories. Caspian Içersi. It's a pleasure ." He took my hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of it, his lips feather light on my skin, and I had to clear my throat before speaking.
"It's a pleasure meeting you too."
" I heard it's your kin causing such an uproar in the mirrorworld." The words were playful and light, but I didn't like the idea of being associated with such chaos and death.
I shrugged, slipping my hand out of his grasp. "You can't choose your relatives."
Caspian chuckled, it was a pleasant, light sound. "But don't we wish we could've."
He sipped his wine almost sensually, and the liquid— too thick to be simply wine— clung to his lips as he drew back the glass . His tongue slipped out to lick the liquid, and a flash of sharp white caught my attention. He caught my stare and flashed me a dazzling smile, revealing ivory fangs. "They come out anytime I'm feasting." He swirled the blood in his glass. " First time meeting a vampire?"
"First time knowing I'm meeting one," I admitted , "but my neighbor in Trinidad was a subspecies of vampire though. A Soucouyant."
I came across a lot of Creatures native to the Caribbean while I lived in Trinidad, all creepier than the next. It was always hard falling back to sleep while hearing the Duens calling in the woods behind our house or feeling Ms. Martin's gaze on me as she watched through my window, counting every grain of salt in hopes that she could finish before sunrise and suck me dry. I caught her turning into a ball of fire as she shed her skin once, and I never looked out the window at night again.
"Soucouyant. Really? " His face crunched up in disgust as he downed the last of his drink. "Black sheep of the bloodline; Those bastards give me the creeps. Shall we get down to business then?"
We followed Caspian into the kitchen and he placed his glass on a marble countertop before unfolding a map that laid there. There were illegible scribbles all over the worn page.
"There's a lot of movement coming from this area ," He pointed to a large circle on the map with small exes scattered inbetween, "and huge surges of energy are coming from these territories. So it's likely that there are multiple slaughterhouses."
"Or decoys." Sairen stated. "A simple mimicking spell can copy the energy of the original and spread it around. Have us chasing loose ends. What we have to do is eliminate." Sairen took the marker and uncorked it, crossing out the exes in the outer layer off the circle and circling the ones dead center. "They can't get an exact replica, so the copies would be weaker and the further from the source, the weaker it is."
Caspian nodded. "I'll send my guys out with some surgers to distinguish the weaker ones from the strong. It's a large span, but we'll find the real site soon."
I looked at the highlighted area on the map, understanding just how big the search would be. It surrounded places that were miles away from civilization and further apart from each other. "Is that all?"
"If only. The energy we're getting is mixed."
"What does that mean?"
"Well, some are indeed sacrificial, but others are subservient. Willing. There doesn't seem to be any distress or resistance coming from their energy."
"Like Vael."
Caspian looked up from the map and at me, then at Sairen. " What do you mean? "
"Vael was alive." There was ice in Sairen's voice when he spoke. "He didn't die during assignment like we thought but converted. D'Âgame. Pledged his allegiance to the one behind all of this. "
"Did you kill him?"
" Yes."
Caspian nodded. He understood that the amount of evil inside of you had to be tremendous for a Dècalthian's blood to run red, for the Goddess herself to forsake you and deny you entry into Ourie. That's why their lives were never spared, because there was nothing left to save.
There was no mercy for the D'Âgame.
He walked over to the island and poured himself a drink from one of the many bottles packed neatly in shelves below, downing it before getting a new glass and pouring another. "Would you like anything to drink? Water or something stronger? " He swirled the rum in the glasses as he spoke, "Those are the only two options, I'm afraid."
" I'm fine," I shook my head. "thank you. "
"I've got to say," He said as he slid the drink across the counter to Sairen, "He's really going all out with this plan of his. He was always ambitious, but I didn't think he'd have the balls. Or the fans."
"You know him?" Sairen asked, taking the words straight from my head.
Caspian paused, his drink halfway to his lips. "I did, but at least now I know why the only portal to and from Ilairk was broken all those years ago. To keep the king in. Even he himself can't leave and no matter how much I miss Ilairk we have to keep it that way."
"I was born there." He said, answering the questions I knew were written on my face. "My father was an emissary for the former king so we were granted entry to and from Ilairk while we resided here, in Alterra, but I encountered his sons often when we returned."
Since I was young my mother told me of the motherland of almost every Creature and how the Great Divide caused it to close off all entry from Eçalis and Alterra, and all other dimensions. Knowing someone from Ilairk wasn't something most get to do, but that wasn't what had me in awe: "You knew my father... personally?"
"I did. We were friends once but we grew apart, and then the portal closed." Caspian's face was grim as he sipped his drink, "My family was still in Ilairk when the last portal closed all those years ago, and I was here."
" I'm so sorry, Caspian." I really was: The portal was only closed to protect me, and it made me sick because I knew how hard it was being away from family that long when everything you saw and did reminded you of them, yet we had kept Caspian away from his family to save ours.
"No need. A century with them was enough, ten years in peace is a blessing." He laughed but I saw the truth in his eyes; He missed them. "Besides, time passes a lot differently there. It must've been only a year or two for them."
I knew time moved slower there but that slowly? "How?"
"One day there is seven days here. "
I grabbed the marker and turned my arm into a whiteboard, running the numbers over and over as the two men spoke and I swallowed a lump in my throat as I came to the same conclusion. If one day here is one week there, and it's been ten years since the last portal closed... then only eighteen months had passed in Ilairk — not even two years. That meant He wasn't as strong as I thought he was, but stronger if he was recovering so quickly. "F'kasin...'
Caspian's pale brows rose to his hairline as I swore. "What's the matter?"
" Do you know how long it usually takes someone to recover from stasis? "
"Five to eight years. " He deadpanned.
"Exactly. And with injuries such as his... My mother said that he was practically close to death before he was sealed in."
Sairen's eyes clouded over as realization hit him. "And if he's managed to recover so much in barely two years... "
"Then he's really fucking powerful. "
The area by the elevator stirred and a figure formed out of nowhere. The shadow over his face was becoming more scarce, unmasking the outline of sharp features behind the veil. He watched us with a smirk that I felt from the other side of the room, no doubt entertained as we discovered the true extent of his power.
I pretended that I wasn't aware of his presence and took the map from the counter and folded it. 'Red.' I signed the code words under the table for Sai alone to see and he rose, clasping Caspian's shoulder.
" You tried your best, Cas, but I guess we'll just have to figure this out on our own."
Caspian's eyes narrowed as he watched us, then he smiled softly. " I regret that I couldn't be of any help, but I can answer the questions I can tell you have for me, Solaure."
I was thankful that Caspian had the wit to pick up that something was off, and for the subtle change in conversation. We couldn't let him know our moves more than he already did. "Did you read my mind or my face? "
He shrugged . "Your face tells it all."
"Alright," I began, grateful for the opportunity to ask some things I genuinely wanted to know. "What's Ilairk like?"
His eyes lit up as he began to speak of his homeland, "A great marvel that simple words can't describe. You've never seen beauty until you've been to all the Courts, and joined in their festivities. My family and I used to return for every Solstice." I caught the slightest hardening of his expression as he continued, the brightness of his eyes dimming a bit before he caught himself and corrected his expression. " It was beautiful. Next?"
" The sun. " I gestured to the large open windows that casted warm rays through the house, leaving the large space bright and well-lit. "How are you not barbecued? You don't seem to be wearing any enchanted items to protect you from it. "
Caspian chuckled, his eyes drifting over towards the towering glass. "The Ilairkian suns are ten times hotter than the one here so it does no real harm–At least nothing a bit of sunscreen can't fix."
"Then what about the vampires that do burn up?" The figure walked slowly towards us, taunting me with his proximity.
"Turned vampires grew weaker every generation until they developed weaknesses us purebloods do not have." He shrugged, "But if I were to turn someone right now, they'll be almost as strong as I am, with all of my immunities."
He snaked around the counter, my pores raising as he came closer until he stood right behind me, and I swore I felt his breath on my neck. I was surprised I still had the ability to form a sentence without my voice shaking. "Because you're a pureblood?"
"Yes."
Cold fingers brushed my neck and I held my breath, and my scream, as I felt him move my hair out of the way. He stood there a while, his phantom touch on my shoulder blades as he listened in on the conversation, telling me he was here, that he was tangible. Then he was gone.
I screamed immediately, the cries tearing out of me viciously as I clawed at my skin where I still felt his threatening hold on me.
Strong arms enveloped me and I sank into Sairen's chest, crying loudly into his shirt as I tried desperately to catch air. "Get her some water!"
"What's going on?" Caspian asked as handed Sai the glass, his eyes wild as he tried to make sense of what was happening.
"I-I he. Can't–" My words were a blubbering mess when I tried to speak and even I didn't understand what I was saying—I didn't even know what I was trying to say.
"Drink," Sai pressed the glass to my lips and I took a sip, the cold water calming me down from the inside. "Now slowly, Sol."
"He touched me," I said, still trying to come to terms with it, "I felt him, and his breath on my neck. C-can apparitions do that?"
Caspian's face was tight when he answered. "They shouldn't be able to,"
"Shouldn't?" Sai asked, " not they can't?"
"Well they usually don't," Caspian said, "not unless..."
"Not unless what?" Sairen pressed when Caspian seemed lost in his thoughts.
"You're connected."
I couldn't remember getting home or the few hours after I did, but I remembered always being in the company of someone, too afraid to be alone, trailing behind them like a lost puppy. That seemed to be what I was doing most these days: being afraid, and I was sick of it. I didn't want to be scared all the time, I didn't like looking over my shoulders constantly or jumping at the slightest movements I caught in the corner of my eyes, but I couldn't just snap my fingers and make the terror disappear. Goddess knows I tried that countless times.
The shadows spat me out in Aunt-Drea's room and I sank down on the bed beside her, watching her in silence before I spoke.
"Aunt-Drea? How are you feeling?" I pressed my palm to her forehead, checking for a fever and the heat made me draw back. She was still burning up.
She fought to keep her eyes open as she spoke. " Tired. "
"Did you eat today?"
" I tried to..." She said slowly as if those simple movements were far too much. "Kali came to feed me earlier but a few bites was all I could've managed. "
"At least it's something, right? " I gave her a small smile and placed a kiss on her burning forehead, wrapping the thick blanket around her in hopes she'd sweat out the fever. "Aunt Jules told me she gave you the new antidote she'd been working on... Do you feel any different? Like it's working?"
"I.. I think so. I'm not in much pain as before, it's just a tingling all over. I'm just tired."
I breathed a sigh of relief; Jules had redone the antidote over a hundred times, sacrificing sleep to get it right. Only yesterday she had gotten a sample that didn't combust when it came in contact with the poison and she'd been working on it the entire day. "Well I'm glad. I'll let you get your rest; You need it."
"Siya told me what happened." She pulled her hand out of the blanket to hold mine, squeezing softly. I didn't think she'd be able to squeeze harder even if she wanted to. "Are you okay?"
"I'm better. Just shaken up, I guess."
"That's... ggo..." Her eyes glazed over, focusing on an insignificant spot somewhere on my face.
"Aunt-Drea?"
Her eyes shifted rapidly side to side in their sockets, her arms spasming at her sides, jerking wildly off the bed.
"Pir ila De'assami. Jules!" I quickly shifted the pillow from under her head, turning her sideways and tilting her head back so she wouldn't choke on the blood coming from her mouth.
"Juolari! " I screamed for Jules– I didn't know what else to do. Aunt-Drea kept spasming, her body twitching uncontrollably and there was nothing I could have done but watch in tears.
Sairen appeared out of the shadows with Jules and she rushed to Aunt-Drea's side, removing any harmful objects from the way, and waited until she stopped convulsing to rearrange her body into the recovery position.
"Is she going to be okay?" I choked out, tasting tears on my tongue.
Jules looked back at me, her features tight. "It's okay Soli, she'll be fine. I just think that the poison didn't agree with the antidote."
"Is it fighting the cure?"
"I think so. " She watched my fear-stricken face and stood, pulling me into a tight hug. I breathed shakily into her chest as she rubbed my back. "You did good Soli."
" I-I forgot to move the stuff from around her, "
"It's okay. Nothing happened, you did good. Okay?" She drew back and held my face in her hands, making me stare into her eyes; making me see that she was just as scared as I was. "Why don't you let me take care of her? You take a rest."
" I don't want to leave her."
"I know, I know. But I'll take care of her, I promise." Her soft hands brushed my cheek and I leaned into her warmth. "Get some fresh air. Siya?"
I felt Sairen's touch on my arm. "Let's take a walk,"
I let him guide me through the halls until the sun and a soft breeze hit my face and the soft grass brushed my legs, then we stopped. We were in our meadow where we spent most of our summer days, and the flowers still bloomed beautifully now, oblivious to all the chaos as they stretched on for miles and miles.
Sairen took my hand from my side and unclasped it, freeing my nails from my palm and rubbing the wounded skin. "Take a deep breath Sol."
" I-I am. "
"A bigger one. If your breath is still choppy it's not big enough. "
I inhaled the fresh, clean air and my breaths stabilized until it no longer hurt to breathe. I sank down onto the grass and watched the house in the distance, and from here it didn't look like everything was falling apart.
From here, it didn't look like one big coffin.