The Heir - Blood Secret : The Chosen One - Secret Heir, page 20
I allowed my mind to race through everything I had endured since arriving here. Being chased in the woods, from being attacked by Anton’s great vampires in training. To the breacher that I killed, I even focused on Ruby and Erica, my anger was forcing me to clench my jaw as I stopped fighting against Anton’s hold.
My hands clasped together as a tingling sensation rushed through my veins right to the tips of my fingers, followed by dizziness, an overwhelming feeling like I was about to explode pushed to the surface. I opened my eyes locking gazes with Armacey who stood watching me with great interest. No doubt wondering if I had what it took to bring down his right-hand man.
“Show me what you are made of” Armacey smirked.
He had stood by a great witch before, and he was simply waiting to see if I was the one to take over and protect the vampires.
My body radiated a bright white light, bright enough to light up any dark room. My breathing became raspy from the magic coursing through my body. I released my hands, stretching a ball of energy the size of a tennis ball.
I focused on that. As it grew brighter, it swirled around us both, darting in all directions, gravitating more towards Anton. His tight grip on me loosened as his head darted in all directions, keeping a watchful eye on my magic.
He was unsure of what was about to happen.
Unprepared for the impact of my magic.
I clapped my hands together, the blast was so strong it blew me and Anton to separate parts of the room. I landed closer to Armacey who stood by the armor, looking down at me.
“Damn it!” I groaned “That hurt.” I moved slowly, stretching out the aches and pains of being hit yet again.
“Your mother used to wear a protection amulet, to prevent her from her own blasts.”
I glared at him from the floor “Oh, that’s helpful!” I exhaled loudly “Maybe you should have told me that before. I’m not immortal you know”
He shrugged “By having my blood running through your veins means you do heal faster though.”
I had no smart ass comment for that, but it still hurt.
I pushed up onto my elbows and looked around the room for Anton. He was lying face down in-between the seating arrangements belonging to the elders.
“Is he...dead...dead?” I whispered, staggering to my feet.
“Your magic simply was enough to cause him agonizing pain, not enough to kill him,” He moved closer to Anton in a blur of a second. Wiped his hand over the spikes of the gothic chair behind where the elders’ heads would rest and presented his hand to show blood.
My heart battered against my chest, sobs clawed at my throat “I...I didn’t mean hurt him” I rushed to Anton, kneeling beside him, resting his head on my lap.
“Please, wake up.” I whimpered.
My hands were shaking and covered in blood. My father pulled out a clean white handkerchief and wiped the blood off his hands.
“Don’t worry my child, he will quickly heal, it penetrated his ribs, not his heart. It takes a wooden stake fused with an elders’ blood to kill one of my own creations,” He informed me.
I looked up, not sure what to do next.
He crumbled up the handkerchief and stashed it in his inner jacket pocket.
“In the meantime, now that you know your magic is back to its full strength, you need to go into hiding, protect yourself. I won’t have you put in harm’s way. I will deal with the witches my way!” Armacey warned sternly, walking toward his sword that stood within the centuries-old armor. I gently lifted Anton’s head off my lap prepared to make a stand.
“No,” I said firmly, standing in time as he turned to look at me.
“You will do, as you are told. It’s not up for discussion!” He warned.
“I will do nothing of the sorts,” I told him walking right up to him, knowing what I had to do to keep him safe and also allow me enough time to help.
“I’m sorry” I whispered.
“Sorry for what?” He questioned, unsure as to why I was apologizing.
“This,” I said, before quickly placing my hand’s palm flat on his chest.
“Body limp, mind blank. Body limp, mind blank.” I chanted, causing him to instantly go into shock. My magic ran through him like an electric current, paralyzing him from head to toe. He couldn’t move, he was unable to do anything apart from staying in the stand-up position he was in.
His eyes gawked at me, unable to say anything.
I rocked on my heels, pleased with myself for having chosen that spell, for he was unable to communicate with me. I would no doubt deal with the aftermath of using my powers on my father later, but right now I had a castle full of vampires to protect and two pains in my ass witches to deal with. Having Armacey unable to leave the room was one less thing to worry about.
1
THE HEIR - BLOOD SECRET
Chapter seventeen
“I’m sorry, I can’t have you or Anton put in any more danger, I will figure this out myself,” I said, looking him straight in the eye. The thought of losing either one of them before I had the chance to truly getting to know them, had me more than ready to take the fight to Zander all on my own.
I turned to leave, barely even managing to touch the latch of the door before Anton startled me.
“Francesca, stop!” He hollered.
I turned to see him pull himself off the dusty ground effortlessly, making his way to me with slow, calculated steps.
His gaze tightened “Let me help”
Oh, how I really wanted him by my side. But I couldn’t risk hurting him. I wouldn’t risk his life again. Not in a million years. I learned my lesson when my magic blasted him. The thought of me or the breacher hurting him sent chills down my spine.
“I can’t.” My voice trembled with fear “I can’t risk losing you or Armacey. I’ve only just found yous”
He no doubt was hoping I would not have seen how cagey he was being with his casual stride towards me. I had been ready for him to try and catch me off guard, very rarely had he used anything other than speed when approaching me.
That’s where he went wrong. I knew him better than I knew myself at that moment.
I aimed both of my arms out and my hands up.
“Protection,” I whispered. My fingers danced, my hands tingled as it began surrounding him within a protection field.
A barrier made of pure energy engulfed him.
I stepped closer slowly watching Anton with caution as he tried to force his way out of the layers of colorful beams of light that were surrounding him.
My nostrils flared “Why are you, hell-bent on killing yourself, just to protect me?” I snapped, angry at the fact he would not let me fight this fight alone. I was more than capable of fighting Zander and Ruby. I knew just exactly how to go about doing what needed to be done, to make sure this castle was safe from any further threats of danger.
Another reason why I had to bind my father and Anton to this room, they would no doubt try and stop me from doing what had zapped my magic to begin with.
“Francesca, release me from this magic now!” Anton furiously demanded. He banged the palms of his hands over and over again, against the protection bubble.
I wasn’t worried, there was no way he was getting out of my magic without one simple word that had to come from me. It was the same word that would drop all magic within this room.
I simply said “No.”
I glanced over my shoulder to see my father watching us immensely, his red eyes darted back and forth between me and Anton.
I turned and walked away “You both will learn in time, I take orders from no man or creature. You either accept the fact I am who I am; my destiny is to be the light within darkness.” I glanced over my shoulder between the two most stubborn vampires, who were literally willing to die for me.
“Do I make myself clear?” I said more firmly.
They might be vampires but I was a witch. A witch gaining confidence as each day passed.
“As your family, we will fight alongside you. Your destiny isn’t to fight alone.” Anton stressed. I spun around and locked my attention on the man who I was truly smitten with. I half smiled, knowing they both meant no harm.
They were just trying to keep me safe.
“The fight that is due to fall upon tomorrow, I will have you both by my side, I promise you that. In the meantime, I am going to take what does not belong to me and retrieve something else to allow us a better chance of survival.” without saying anything else, I turned, leaving the men bound to the elders’ room.
“Don’t you dare summon Vovach, it nearly killed you the first time!” I stood frozen to the spot, the hairs on my back stood up. It was Anton who said the words, but I knew Armacey was communicating through him somehow.
“You read my mind!” I screeched.
That’s it! I was beyond annoyed, I was furious.
My father was paralyzed and bonded to the spot, yet he was still able to invade my mind and express what he thought of my idea. I turned, more annoyed at the fact he knew no boundaries.
I raised a brow “This is how it’s going to go.” I declared with as much authority as possible.
“One” I pointed one finger up in the air “I’m going to summon Vovach, again but you already knew that. Two.” Another finger shot up “Try and gain as much power as I can to strip those witches that are locked in a room just down the hallway, so they are nothing more than measly humans. And finally.”
My hand dropped by my side “After the battle, if we are still alive, we are going to have a serious talk! Reading my mind has got to stop, it’s like a parent reading their child’s diary.” I said through my teeth, shaking my head in disbelief.
“Stop acting like a child and I will simply stop treating you like one” Anton’s voice said with Armacey’s attitude for a touch of authority.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a sharp breath. Forcing myself not to lose my cool. Our squabbling could wait. My mind was made up, without saying anything to them I stormed out the room, slamming the door shut.
I leaned my back against the wooden door, glad to be free from their company and looked up to the crumbling ceiling. My thoughts were swirling around, hindering me.
Was I doing the right thing? Should I really summon Vovach and ask to be given what he took when he had warned me against it the first time?
“If you are having doubts, you know it’s the wrong decision” Anton hollered. Armacey once again using him as a vessel to say what he wanted.
I rolled my eyes.
Urgh, seriously!
I never replied back. Instead, I focused on what I had to do. I stormed down the empty hallway only yards from the room that held two powerful witches. My heart began hammering against my chest, wondering how much more time I had, before Zander found a way past my Pandora’s spell.
I abruptly stopped, my eyes locked onto Anton’s room door, panic stirred within me from noticing the bedroom door was slightly open. I edged up closer to the brick wall.
Damn it!
Swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat.
It was a trap. I was sure of it.
My curiosity got the better of me. I took slow baby steps with my hands flexed against the cold brick.
“The stench of a witch is saturating the air. How dare you enter the castle grounds without consent?” A male voice snarled. My eyes flickered to movement down toward the hallway, towards the spiral staircase. Two strangers dressed in clothing similar to Armacey stood watching me, with their fists clenched at either side of them and crouched over in a hunting position. They looked familiar. I stared long and hard then I realized I had seen them in the hallway, in the portraits alongside my father on the bloody battlefield.
They were the other elders. I was sure of it.
“I’m Franc…” They never gave me a chance to talk, within seconds they had me pinned against the wall, both feet off the ground, with one hand gripping me tightly on my neck, forcing me to inhale through my nose. His cold heartless stare bore into me, as his other hand straightened my arm outright, stopping me from blasting him with my aim. He no doubt was aware my magic penetrated through my hands. The stranger to my left was smirking playfully keeping my other hand out of reach. My eyes bulged and ached from the pressure of his hands throttling me.
“She’s powerful, much more powerful than anything I have sensed before,” the young one said, sniffing the air around me.
My eyes flickered to the man holding me firmly by the neck, who was similar in age to Armacey, maybe older by a few years give or take. Yet his style was similar looking to my fathers, only his velvet robe was a Cadbury purple shade, his white shoulder-length hair was perfectly styled with not one hair out of place.
“Can we kill her, yet?” The younger one out the two taunted, with a sly smirk, to his flawless features.
“I… am….Arm...” It was no good, he was gripping too tight around my throat for me to explain that I was Armaceys, daughter.
Suffocation.
Pain.
Panic.
Was truly kicking in.
“She is trespassing, she deserves nothing less” He snarled, bashing my head against the concrete wall. I winched in pain, my head throbbing violently.
If I didn’t act now! I’d be dead within minutes.
I closed my eyes, my breathing becoming rapid gasps. My body trembled as an eruption of power sheared through me like nothing I had ever felt before.
“What is she doing?” A concerned voice asked. I refused to open my eyes. Instead, I concentrated on the flow of energy that was swirling around me. The sensation of calmness had me refusing to struggle. My eyes shot open, and my vision became blurry as the room and the creatures in front of me were all a shade of light blue.
“Her eyes. I have never seen anything like it.” The elder holding me said, unsure of what he was witnessing. I focused my gaze on him, willing to be free from his hold.
His hand slowly started to release from around my neck, it began vibrating uncontrollably as he tried to once again throttle me.
“Kill her already!” The younger one screeched.
Growing impatient with him playing around with his food.
Through his teeth “I can’t, she’s using her powers...” He couldn’t finish his sentence as his concentration was locked on trying to push past my powers, trying to prove he was the strongest. It went unnoticed, I offered nothing but a smirk before a bright blue light expelled like a violent gust of wind from me hurdling them both against the wall with an angry thud.
I landed firmly on my feet. They landed hard on their knees, groaning and inhaling deeply.
I rubbed my neck and cleared my throat. I closed my eyes, needing Armacey and Anton more than ever.
“Cease,” I whispered, instantly breaking my spell on them both.
“Cassius...Dreven...!” I had barely opened my eyes when the angry roar of my father echoed through the castle.
Both of them glanced toward the elder room.
Within a fraction of a second, they were on their feet.
“Oh, shit!” The younger one muttered, “Clearly, we misjudged this situation.”
In the blink of an eye, Anton was by my side and had his arm around me, pulling me closer. Armacey dashed straight for the elders.
“Did they harm you?” Anton asked. “They have a tendency of being overdramatic” He added, tilting my head checking for any signs of bite marks.
I shook my head side to side. “No,” I said, keeping a watchful eye on my father and the elders.
Anton stepped in front of me keeping me behind him, blocking me with his broad frame, his arm held out instructing me to stay back.
I couldn’t resist, I peeked out from behind.
“You attack my daughter and expect to live!” My father hissed, pushing the older elder with such force he was thrown halfway down the long hallway.
He marched with power towards the elder who had felt the wrath of his anger.
“We had no idea she was the heir.” The younger one interjected. Armacey paused from walking and glanced over his shoulder.
“I am the leader! You both will do well to remember that, my love for my daughter is much greater than needing you both by my side. Do I make myself clear?” He snarled, waiting on a response. To hear him tell them how much his love for me was greater than needing the creatures he had created to rule by his side had me shocked to the core. Regardless of the fact he was immortal, he was still my father who would see no harm come to me, just like any human father towards their children. Maybe vampires and humans aren’t different after all.
Well, apart from the drinking blood part.
“We are both truly sorry Armacey. It will not happen again,” Both of them said simultaneously.
He glared between the pair, his deathly stare terrifying.
“I beckoned you both for the fact that the breachers are due to attack tomorrow. We need to stand united and protect Francesca and try to keep the loss of our own to a minimum.” Armacey said.
“What do you need us to do?” The one on the floor stood, ready to follow orders. Even though he was one of the elders, it was clear to see Armacey called the shots.
His rules.
His way.
“Dreven, I want you to gather everyone into the great hall, there’s a spell to be completed before tomorrow. Cassius, gather a drop of blood from each individual and gather a strand of hair from them all.” The elders nodded and stepped away from Armacey, walking toward us. They both stopped in front of me and Anton. The one that had attacked me, smiled and offered his hand, to introduce himself.
“My apologies for my behavior. My name is Dreven, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” He said.
Willing to forgive and forget, never one to hold grudges, I stepped out from behind Anton and held my hand out. The elder lifted it to his mouth and kissed it.
“Francesca,” I said, exchanging pleasantries.
Fully aware of who I was “The child of the light.” He whispered, releasing his touch of me. He stood staring me up and down, studying me.
