Prophecy: Caelestis & Aurorea (17 page)

Walking along the road in the direction of the Aurorea’s mansion, she started to formulate her plan of attack. She would need to get the lay of the land. If possible, she intended to get in and get out unnoticed.

If possible.

Something told her it wasn’t going to be that easy.

But she had the strength to do this.

So many people had told her that now, that she was starting to believe them.

Nothing was going to stand between her and rescuing Valentine.

Nothing.

Prophecy pulled her hair back into a ponytail, checked that her bag was secure and then inhaled deeply. From her position in the tree, she could see almost all of the mansion grounds. There were guards patrolling the perimeter wall in groups of three and at least four men were stationed at the main entrance to the building at all times. She scanned the grounds again, trying to work out the points at which the patrol groups always passed each other. She would have to get past them unnoticed if she was going to even make it into the house. Once inside, she was happy to deal with anyone who had the misfortune to cross her path.

Her eyes scanned the building. It was almost as gloomy in appearance as her family’s mansion could be sometimes. The stone walls were rain-soaked, making them dark grey and dull, but warm light emanated from a few of the windows, brightening it a little. The main entrance was raised up, almost high enough for it to look like the first floor. She dropped her gaze to the floor below it. There were no lights on at that level and the windows were smaller. She slipped into vampire guise and narrowed her eyes, trying to make out whether something was covering the windows. It would be easy to black them out so people on the outside wouldn’t be able to tell if the lights were on in those rooms.

Closing her eyes, she extended her senses, hoping to catch Valentine’s signature amongst the mixed Aurorea and Caelestis scents. There were more Aurorea than Caelestis. Arkalus was playing a dangerous game.

She opened her eyes and looked at the group of guards who were passing the section of the wall nearest her hiding place in the forest. Focusing on them, she was able to make out that two of the guards were Aurorea and the third was a Caelestis. It was clearly Arkalus’ attempt to keep some control. She wondered if Kalinor knew about his betrayal. If he did, there was a chance Arkalus could be dead already. She hoped he wasn’t. She wanted that pleasure herself.

Her thoughts about him were answered when a light pierced the darkness. She moved her attention back to the main entrance of the mansion and growled under her breath when she saw Kalinor and Arkalus descending the steps. A car drove around from the back and stopped near the gate not far from her. She placed her bag over her shoulder and dropped down from the tree. Slipping quietly across to the wall, she hid in the bushes, as close to the gate as possible.

Where were they going?

She listened hard and caught snippets of their conversation. They were talking about an invitation and it being a great honour to be seen by such a man. She racked her brain for who they could be talking about and then a smile crept onto her lips when she realised there was only one vampire that everyone would think it was an honour to be invited to see.

Hyperion.

Watching the car leave, she placed her bag down in the bushes. She would be leaving this way, so it was the best place to put it. She ducked back into the woods and headed around the wall to the opposite end of the house. She reached out with her senses when she reached the back of it and smiled in satisfaction when no signatures came back to her. Looking across at the trees, she calculated the distance between them and the high wall. Easy.

Taking a deep breath, she ran at the tree, kicked off it and back flipped onto the top of the wall. She held her arms out for a moment to steady herself and then flipped down into the darkness on the other side. She crouched low, using her senses to tell her whether anyone was coming and then dashed across the wide expanse of grass to the building. Pressing her back flat against it, she paused for a moment, assessing which was the best way to go. There was no way she would make it through the main entrance. The guards were no match for her and her magic but there was no point in fighting unnecessary battles when she could find a way to slip in. Now that Arkalus and Kalinor had been removed from the equation, she could easily rescue Valentine. She made a mental note to thank Hyperion for his assistance the next time she saw him.

She snuck along the wall, keeping her senses reaching out in all directions around her. There had to be a back entrance to the mansion like hers had. The humans who had originally owned the house would have employed servants, and they would have had their own way in.

She smiled when she saw it and then it faded from her face when her fingers tingled. She looked down at her hand and saw thin ribbons of magic weaving around her hand. They were red.

Valentine.

Her eyes scanned along the windows above her and then those that she was level with. He was close. She focused on his scent that was locked in her memory and smiled inside when she caught a faint sign of it on her senses. The feeling of comfort it gave her surprised her with its strength and made her want to cry when she thought about what he’d been through, what she’d been through, and how close she was to saving him.

Continuing towards the door, she picked up a few more signatures. Judging by their faintness, they were on the other side of the wall. She braced herself and then peered around the corner and through the open door. Ducking back again, she readied herself. There were three of them, obviously another patrol that had either done their work for the night or were about to go out.

There was no way she was going to be able to kill them all before they managed to raise the alarm. The minute she made her move, she was going to have to fight all the way to Valentine.

Flexing her fingers, she hoped that she had enough control over the magic now to use it in such a confined space. Nerves fluttered in her stomach. There was a chance that she could end up bringing the house down, but it was a chance she had to take.

The magic built up in the palm of her hand and she gave a thought to her mother’s book. Maybe it would give her the knowledge she needed in order to control the magic and use it in different ways. She had learnt to heal with it, and to stun people, but beyond that all she could do was blow people to smithereens.

Stepping in front of the door, she licked her incisors and ran at the three vampires. They all turned to face her the second they heard her boots on the stone flag floor. There was an amused look in their eye. She roared, raised her hand and grinned. It didn’t do to underestimate her. Unleashing the magic, she didn’t pause to watch the ball of purple ripping through two of the vampires. Taking on the third, she flew at him with a barrage of punches, half of which he blocked. He landed a solid one on her shoulder, knocking her backwards a little and bringing her attention to the magic. It tore into the wall and fizzled out. The vampire she was fighting looked there and she used his distraction as a chance to attack. Grabbing hold of his jacket, she swung him around and launched him at the men who were running down the hall towards her. She growled at the ones that remained standing. There were five of them. The second they started running at her, she flicked her wrist, releasing five strands of rich purple magic. She watched them try to avoid it and smiled when it chased them down. Each thread cleaved its targets head off and when the bodies slumped to the floor and began to slowly disintegrate, she continued along the hall.

She elbowed the person behind her before they had a chance to hurt her. She’d learnt her lesson in Budapest. Turning, she saw three females growling at her, their blue eyes showing their bloodline.

“Where is he?” she said. “Tell me and I won’t kill you.”

They looked at each other as though considering her proposal and then ran at her. She kicked the first one in the head, knocking her backwards. The second one moved faster, evading the punch she threw and blocking her kick. She rolled forwards, tackling the third to the ground with her legs and leaping on top of her. She grinned when she twisted her head clean off and then hurried to her feet. Turning on the spot, she blocked the second one’s attack and threw a bolt of magic at the third. A startled scream told her it had reached its target and she focused on fighting the more powerful of the three. She moved fast, blocking each attack that the female Aurorea tried and then retaliating with a high kick. Instead of following through, she dipped her body, pressed her hands into the floor and brought her other leg up, trapping the woman’s head. She used the speed of her move to throw the Aurorea down onto the ground and then twisted her feet, breaking the woman’s neck so badly there was no chance of her surviving.

Springing to her feet, she looked at the decomposing bodies that lay between her and the male guards that were getting to their feet after having the other guard thrown at them.

She shook her head and raised her hand when they went to move towards her.

“Where is he?” Her voice was calm and she looked them all in the eye in turn, showing them how serious she was.

She tapped her foot and they all looked there, their faces showing their nerves. They weren’t going to tell her. Kalinor had probably told them that he’d kill them if she successfully rescued Valentine when she came. Of course Arkalus and Kalinor knew she would come, they just hadn’t known it would be while they were out.

She wondered if they had instructions not to kill her. None of them seemed to be making much of an effort to do so. Had they been told to capture her?

That made her laugh.

The fear in the guards faces became even more visible when they heard her.

“Fine,” she said. “Let’s fight. You won’t tell me where he is, I’ll have to kill you. Starting with you.”

The guard she pointed at didn’t have time to react before the magic reached him. It buried itself deep into his chest, burning him from the inside out. She sprinted at the remaining guards. When she was close, she ran up the wall and launched herself feet first at the one nearest the front. She landed hard on him, her fist coming down even harder with the magic assisting it. She pulled a face of disgust when she punched straight through his face and then leapt off him. Rolling forwards, she kicked herself up onto her feet and continued to run. She needed a clearer area to fight in.

She bolted up a set of steps and smiled when she came out in the entrance hall. It was wide and tall, with a staircase running up each wall. This was more like it.

Above her, she could hear the confused chatter of the rest of the vampires. It wouldn’t be long before they came to fight her. She knew that Valentine wasn’t up there, but she had to dispose of as many of the guards and warriors as possible. She looked back at the hallway she had just come out of and sneered when she let a huge, twisting ball of pale purple crackling magic build against the palm of her hand. She threw it the moment she saw one of the guards that had been chasing her. The magic hit him square in the chest and exploded, taking the rest of the guards and a large chunk of the wall along with it.

The noise from above her grew louder and she sprinted across to the nearest set of stairs. Taking them two at a time, she focused on the magic, making it build up again as quickly as possible. She didn’t stop when she reached the landing. Running across it, she launched the crackling purple ball into the wide doorway and then leapt over the banisters. She landed on her feet and immediately dashed forwards in an attempt to avoid any debris as the magic shook the house. The glass panes that stretched up either side of the main entrance shattered and she rolled, bringing her back to it and her face to the balcony. Releasing another ball of energy, she watched it zoom up and hit the wall above the already broken doorway.

She threw herself clear as debris shot out in all directions and she skidded into a small hallway that ran along the front of the house. The cries of agony coming from the room filled her ears.

Looking up, she stared straight into the eyes of one of her own bloodline. A familiar scent pricked her senses and she frowned. Her gaze dropped to his hands and the bloodied rags he was carrying.

She knew that blood.

She growled when she got to her feet and caught the man around his throat with one hand. Shoving him into the wall, she pressed hard into him, forcing him to still his breathing, and grabbed the rags from his hands.

“Where did you get these?”

His eyes flickered green and he attempted a snarl but she pushed him harder into the wall.

“Tell me!” she extended her claws, digging them into his throat.

He tilted his head back and clenched his jaw. She tightened her grip, making him choke.

His eyes moved to the rags she was holding in her right hand. She looked at them but kept her senses locked on him so he couldn’t move without her knowing it. Her magic was red again and the ribbons of it were threading through the rag. Wherever they touched, the blood disappeared and left behind unstained material. It was as though they were absorbing it.

“I’ll ask one last time,” she said and smiled when he looked down the corridor to her left.

He looked a little relieved when she lowered him to the ground and then his eyes widened when she slashed open his throat and removed his head with one swift upwards strike of her hand.

She carried the rag with her. The magic was reacting to Valentine’s blood. She could feel it growing stronger inside of her and the mark over her heart was burning fiercely. Walking down the hall, she focused her senses on his scent. It was quiet down this end. She could still hear the commotion back at the centre of the house, but down here seemed to be empty.

There would be guards outside the room Valentine was being held in. That would be her clue.

She paused and moved back a few steps when her fingers tingled and itched. Looking to her right, she saw a door and when she pushed it open, she found a set of steps leading downwards. She looked back along the corridor. She had to be at about the same position she’d been outside when she’d caught Valentine’s signature.