Chapter 75: 75
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Fortunately, I manage to make it out of the Palace alive and -thankfully, unbitten too. I suppose I should be thankful of that at the very least. But by the time I make it to the Western front of the Great forest, and the fading sun has just begun to sink with heavy shadows over the horizon, I am starting to wonder if perhaps being bitten by a vampire would have been an act of mercy, rather than coming here.
"Shit," I mutter, flexing out my fingers by my sides. It is dark. Very dark. So much so that the scattered array of torches and towering poles spiked with a beam of fiery light that line the paths do very little to alleviate the dullness of my vision, instead purely serving to add limit to my already severely limited vision.
I suppose to a vampire, this would have been the perfect conditions for a hunt. With that thinking, it's no wonder they are often dubbed as nocturnal creatures- take away the light and a vampire with all its superior qualities, will thrive.
"Not very fair, Soren," I grumble irritably to myself, swiping back my long hair to tie it back in a loosely formed bun and knowing with a begrudging respect that he chose to train me in darkness for a reason- to teach me to survive. Rather predictably, the gloom of the clearing offers me no answers to my call.
Hesitantly, I take a longing look back along the path I had taken to the Western front, back to Sezeria, illuminated with house lights and glowing lanterns, as well as the occasional glimmer of ruby eyes floating in the dark corners of every street, watching waiting for a particular moment to vanish out of sight unnoticed. Then I draw my attention back to the forest, peering into the thickets and the creeping shadows that twist and contort wildly in the flickering light of the torches, and all at once the palace of vampires becomes so much more inviting.
"You can do this Serena," I tell myself, steeling my nerves. "It's just a forest."
And before I can find any more reason to argue, I plunge right in.
"Soren?" I call out hesitantly, keeping my back pressed to the light, and away from the shadowy hands that claw through the darkness like impish pixie knives.
That was my first mistake.
"Soren?" I try again, this time making my voice a little louder as I draw my sword from its sheath, gripping the silver blade tightly between my fingers, a light sheen of sweat forming on my brow despite the bitter chill of the night.
That was my second mistake.
Something explodes from the bushes. In a split second I swipe my sword through the air, aiming for the general direction of the noise only to hit… absolutely nothing. The trees around me shake, leaves and pinecones dropping to the ground like bullets around me so I raise my hand above my head to protect myself- my third and final mistake.
Something slams into my chest, a black swirling mass, like a shadow, but not so much like a shadow that when it hits me, I am thrown back against a tree, an uncomfortable crack echoing amongst the trees as breath is expelled in a vicious torrent from my lungs. My sword flies from my hand. I wince in painful agony.
Great, just great.
As I make to remove myself from the tree and take up my sword lying half buried (but fortunately unscathed) in the ground, the shadowy figure presses into me, growing taller in front of my eyes, curling outwards and expanding into a cavernous form of flesh and bone and muscle until:
"Tsk tsk, we are here for magic training, not a sword fight, little dove," Soren scolds, laughing under his breath with the sweet and honeyed tones of mockery as I try with ever futile efforts to reach for my sword. Soren's hands tighten around me in response, offering me a sultry smile.
I spit out some blood onto the floor, aiming in vain for where his feet might be, except there are none, the ground beneath him as void and empty as if there were no one there altogether. The only trace of any sort of existence are wisps of shadow fading balefully into the consuming darkness of the night.
"What the hell Soren," I hiss as lifts up my chin lightly with his thumb and forefinger, staring ruefully into my eyes with his characteristic smirk. I make to go and grab my sword again, but still he holds me firm, pinning my back against the tree with little more than the strength of his forearm.
"Give me my sword, Soren," I half spit- I love Soren, but sometimes he can be an absolute bastard. A faint smile.
"No," and then he adds, noticing the furious look on my face as he steps back from me, allowing me to stumble pitifully forward, feet dragging against the leaf mould. "Magic first, then perhaps I will indulge you in a sword fight."
Rage prickles on my back, coiling within the tendons of my fingers as wisps of fire snake themselves over my skin, trembling at the tips of my fingers. Soren fades into shadow, and suddenly his voice is all around.
"Good, harness that emotion. Now, try and hit me if you can, but try not to let them touch you,"
A nervous energy rolls in my stomach.
"Them? Who is them?"
My answer soon arrives in the form of several pairs of shadowy creatures exploding through the darkness, streaking through the forest the way a meteor streaks down to earth- explosive and with enough force to leave irreparable damage. It's too dark to see their faces, or even know if they are little more than shadows or have any substance at all, but I find as my heart skyrockets with both fear and adrenaline, that neither of these factors matter anyway.
A bird chirps a warning high up in the treetops, singing to grab my attention, warning me of the dangers heading my way at a hundred miles an hour. I suck in my breath.
Planting my feet on the ground, I let that flame inside of me burst…
...And a giant fiery bird ascends from the flames that pillar from my palms, the roaring of the flames screeching in a cry of war and death as it collides with the first shadowy figure, tearing its head clean of its body. I stumble back in alarm.
That thing came from me?
But there is little time to dwell on such a thought, the monsters keep on coming, kicking their way through the undergrowth, splintering open trees with the sheer force of impact they provide as they rocket around the forest. If one of them hit me...
I shake my head, despairing not to think of such things.
Under the light of the flame, I peer at the remains of the shadow, disintegrating into a bed of darkness as it fades back into the night from where it came. I catch a glimpse of two beauty spots on its darkened cheek, a mess of curls amongst two pairs of horns, and am not sure whether to frown or laugh.
"They are… you?" I say, kicking the disintegrating shadow with my foot, causing it to explode into a flurry of dark ashes. Laughter resounds around the forest. "Wow, aren't you vain,"
"I thought you might like it," the voice chuckles as another shadow swings in my direction, and I jump aside frantically to avoid being hit as the shadow sails through, cutting through the bird of fire. The flames dissipate.
"Shit," I mutter, not for the first time today, weaving my way past shadows as more flames coil around my fits, illuminating the forest with a chilling radiance.
I need to be more careful. The flames require my control, my attention, in order to thrive: focus is key. I swallow.
Raising my hands at the figures circling around me, I focus my attention on my magic, coiling and burning inside me, awaiting its release. I picture an image firmly in my mind. Flames shoot from my hands, swirling against the darkness as a fiery lion moulds itself from the fires. The flames roar with pure, unadulterated power, licking the dark air into light.
"How do you like the taste of fire, Scarlet Prince," I grin, extending my hand outwards, the lion moving in perfect conjunction with every motion of my hand, aligned with the very essence of my being, my soul.
The only answer is the sigh of the wind and the screaming of flames against the sky.
For a moment, I let my eyes close, breathing in the scent of roses and leaves frosted with the first dew of the night, pricked with a bitter ashen burn- the fires of heaven swooping over the earth, consuming everything and all like a tiger starved of its prey. My fires.
I have never felt so powerful so… in control.
And I revel in it, relishing the flow of power and the renewed vigour that marches through my veins. A power that the council would never let me have.
My grin only widens as the lion delves in between the shadowy puppets that dart between the trees, weaving and bobbing their way closer to me like minnows in the shallows of a lake, clawing at the air with phantom limbs and gnashing teeth. Flames lick the air as each shadow is crushed between the lion's mountainous paws, ensuing only in a path of flames and destruction in its wake, purifying the air of its shadowy inhabitants.
And perhaps it would have continued on so had cold, unrelenting fangs not pinioned themselves at my neck.
"What does the fire taste like indeed," Soren murmurs at my neck, materialising (in true vampire fashion) from little more than the wisps of thin air that surround us. The shock of his steely fangs digging into my neck, threatening to draw blood, is enough for the fires inside me to dissipate, fading into the arctic winter of the night as a newfound chill creeps into my bones. Soren lowers his fangs, and the adrenaline inside me slowly subsides as realisation sets in like an immovable stone.
It is over.. If this had been a real fight, I would be dead.
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Fortunately, I manage to make it out of the Palace alive and -thankfully, unbitten too. I suppose I should be thankful of that at the very least. But by the time I make it to the Western front of the Great forest, and the fading sun has just begun to sink with heavy shadows over the horizon, I am starting to wonder if perhaps being bitten by a vampire would have been an act of mercy, rather than coming here.
"Shit," I mutter, flexing out my fingers by my sides. It is dark. Very dark. So much so that the scattered array of torches and towering poles spiked with a beam of fiery light that line the paths do very little to alleviate the dullness of my vision, instead purely serving to add limit to my already severely limited vision.
I suppose to a vampire, this would have been the perfect conditions for a hunt. With that thinking, it's no wonder they are often dubbed as nocturnal creatures- take away the light and a vampire with all its superior qualities, will thrive.
"Not very fair, Soren," I grumble irritably to myself, swiping back my long hair to tie it back in a loosely formed bun and knowing with a begrudging respect that he chose to train me in darkness for a reason- to teach me to survive. Rather predictably, the gloom of the clearing offers me no answers to my call.
Hesitantly, I take a longing look back along the path I had taken to the Western front, back to Sezeria, illuminated with house lights and glowing lanterns, as well as the occasional glimmer of ruby eyes floating in the dark corners of every street, watching waiting for a particular moment to vanish out of sight unnoticed. Then I draw my attention back to the forest, peering into the thickets and the creeping shadows that twist and contort wildly in the flickering light of the torches, and all at once the palace of vampires becomes so much more inviting.
"You can do this Serena," I tell myself, steeling my nerves. "It's just a forest."
And before I can find any more reason to argue, I plunge right in.
"Soren?" I call out hesitantly, keeping my back pressed to the light, and away from the shadowy hands that claw through the darkness like impish pixie knives.
That was my first mistake.
"Soren?" I try again, this time making my voice a little louder as I draw my sword from its sheath, gripping the silver blade tightly between my fingers, a light sheen of sweat forming on my brow despite the bitter chill of the night.
That was my second mistake.
Something explodes from the bushes. In a split second I swipe my sword through the air, aiming for the general direction of the noise only to hit… absolutely nothing. The trees around me shake, leaves and pinecones dropping to the ground like bullets around me so I raise my hand above my head to protect myself- my third and final mistake.
Something slams into my chest, a black swirling mass, like a shadow, but not so much like a shadow that when it hits me, I am thrown back against a tree, an uncomfortable crack echoing amongst the trees as breath is expelled in a vicious torrent from my lungs. My sword flies from my hand. I wince in painful agony.
Great, just great.
As I make to remove myself from the tree and take up my sword lying half buried (but fortunately unscathed) in the ground, the shadowy figure presses into me, growing taller in front of my eyes, curling outwards and expanding into a cavernous form of flesh and bone and muscle until:
"Tsk tsk, we are here for magic training, not a sword fight, little dove," Soren scolds, laughing under his breath with the sweet and honeyed tones of mockery as I try with ever futile efforts to reach for my sword. Soren's hands tighten around me in response, offering me a sultry smile.
I spit out some blood onto the floor, aiming in vain for where his feet might be, except there are none, the ground beneath him as void and empty as if there were no one there altogether. The only trace of any sort of existence are wisps of shadow fading balefully into the consuming darkness of the night.
"What the hell Soren," I hiss as lifts up my chin lightly with his thumb and forefinger, staring ruefully into my eyes with his characteristic smirk. I make to go and grab my sword again, but still he holds me firm, pinning my back against the tree with little more than the strength of his forearm.
"Give me my sword, Soren," I half spit- I love Soren, but sometimes he can be an absolute bastard. A faint smile.
"No," and then he adds, noticing the furious look on my face as he steps back from me, allowing me to stumble pitifully forward, feet dragging against the leaf mould. "Magic first, then perhaps I will indulge you in a sword fight."
Rage prickles on my back, coiling within the tendons of my fingers as wisps of fire snake themselves over my skin, trembling at the tips of my fingers. Soren fades into shadow, and suddenly his voice is all around.
"Good, harness that emotion. Now, try and hit me if you can, but try not to let them touch you,"
A nervous energy rolls in my stomach.
"Them? Who is them?"
My answer soon arrives in the form of several pairs of shadowy creatures exploding through the darkness, streaking through the forest the way a meteor streaks down to earth- explosive and with enough force to leave irreparable damage. It's too dark to see their faces, or even know if they are little more than shadows or have any substance at all, but I find as my heart skyrockets with both fear and adrenaline, that neither of these factors matter anyway.
A bird chirps a warning high up in the treetops, singing to grab my attention, warning me of the dangers heading my way at a hundred miles an hour. I suck in my breath.
Planting my feet on the ground, I let that flame inside of me burst…
...And a giant fiery bird ascends from the flames that pillar from my palms, the roaring of the flames screeching in a cry of war and death as it collides with the first shadowy figure, tearing its head clean of its body. I stumble back in alarm.
That thing came from me?
But there is little time to dwell on such a thought, the monsters keep on coming, kicking their way through the undergrowth, splintering open trees with the sheer force of impact they provide as they rocket around the forest. If one of them hit me...
I shake my head, despairing not to think of such things.
Under the light of the flame, I peer at the remains of the shadow, disintegrating into a bed of darkness as it fades back into the night from where it came. I catch a glimpse of two beauty spots on its darkened cheek, a mess of curls amongst two pairs of horns, and am not sure whether to frown or laugh.
"They are… you?" I say, kicking the disintegrating shadow with my foot, causing it to explode into a flurry of dark ashes. Laughter resounds around the forest. "Wow, aren't you vain,"
"I thought you might like it," the voice chuckles as another shadow swings in my direction, and I jump aside frantically to avoid being hit as the shadow sails through, cutting through the bird of fire. The flames dissipate.
"Shit," I mutter, not for the first time today, weaving my way past shadows as more flames coil around my fits, illuminating the forest with a chilling radiance.
I need to be more careful. The flames require my control, my attention, in order to thrive: focus is key. I swallow.
Raising my hands at the figures circling around me, I focus my attention on my magic, coiling and burning inside me, awaiting its release. I picture an image firmly in my mind. Flames shoot from my hands, swirling against the darkness as a fiery lion moulds itself from the fires. The flames roar with pure, unadulterated power, licking the dark air into light.
"How do you like the taste of fire, Scarlet Prince," I grin, extending my hand outwards, the lion moving in perfect conjunction with every motion of my hand, aligned with the very essence of my being, my soul.
The only answer is the sigh of the wind and the screaming of flames against the sky.
For a moment, I let my eyes close, breathing in the scent of roses and leaves frosted with the first dew of the night, pricked with a bitter ashen burn- the fires of heaven swooping over the earth, consuming everything and all like a tiger starved of its prey. My fires.
I have never felt so powerful so… in control.
And I revel in it, relishing the flow of power and the renewed vigour that marches through my veins. A power that the council would never let me have.
My grin only widens as the lion delves in between the shadowy puppets that dart between the trees, weaving and bobbing their way closer to me like minnows in the shallows of a lake, clawing at the air with phantom limbs and gnashing teeth. Flames lick the air as each shadow is crushed between the lion's mountainous paws, ensuing only in a path of flames and destruction in its wake, purifying the air of its shadowy inhabitants.
And perhaps it would have continued on so had cold, unrelenting fangs not pinioned themselves at my neck.
"What does the fire taste like indeed," Soren murmurs at my neck, materialising (in true vampire fashion) from little more than the wisps of thin air that surround us. The shock of his steely fangs digging into my neck, threatening to draw blood, is enough for the fires inside me to dissipate, fading into the arctic winter of the night as a newfound chill creeps into my bones. Soren lowers his fangs, and the adrenaline inside me slowly subsides as realisation sets in like an immovable stone.
It is over.. If this had been a real fight, I would be dead.
Fortunately, I manage to make it out of the Palace alive and -thankfully, unbitten too. I suppose I should be thankful of that at the very least. But by the time I make it to the Western front of the Great forest, and the fading sun has just begun to sink with heavy shadows over the horizon, I am starting to wonder if perhaps being bitten by a vampire would have been an act of mercy, rather than coming here."Shit," I mutter, flexing out my fingers by my sides. It is dark. Very dark. So much so that the scattered array of torches and towering poles spiked with a beam of fiery light that line the paths do very little to alleviate the dullness of my vision, instead purely serving to add limit to my already severely limited vision.I suppose to a vampire, this would have been the perfect conditions for a hunt. With that thinking, it's no wonder they are often dubbed as nocturnal creatures- take away the light and a vampire with all its superior qualities, will thrive."Not very fair, Soren," I grumble irritably to myself, swiping back my long hair to tie it back in a loosely formed bun and knowing with a begrudging respect that he chose to train me in darkness for a reason- to teach me to survive. Rather predictably, the gloom of the clearing offers me no answers to my call. Hesitantly, I take a longing look back along the path I had taken to the Western front, back to Sezeria, illuminated with house lights and glowing lanterns, as well as the occasional glimmer of ruby eyes floating in the dark corners of every street, watching waiting for a particular moment to vanish out of sight unnoticed. Then I draw my attention back to the forest, peering into the thickets and the creeping shadows that twist and contort wildly in the flickering light of the torches, and all at once the palace of vampires becomes so much more inviting."You can do this Serena," I tell myself, steeling my nerves. "It's just a forest."And before I can find any more reason to argue, I plunge right in."Soren?" I call out hesitantly, keeping my back pressed to the light, and away from the shadowy hands that claw through the darkness like impish pixie knives. That was my first mistake."Soren?" I try again, this time making my voice a little louder as I draw my sword from its sheath, gripping the silver blade tightly between my fingers, a light sheen of sweat forming on my brow despite the bitter chill of the night. That was my second mistake. Something explodes from the bushes. In a split second I swipe my sword through the air, aiming for the general direction of the noise only to hit absolutely nothing. The trees around me shake, leaves and pinecones dropping to the ground like bullets around me so I raise my hand above my head to protect myself- my third and final mistake.Something slams into my chest, a black swirling mass, like a shadow, but not so much like a shadow that when it hits me, I am thrown back against a tree, an uncomfortable crack echoing amongst the trees as breath is expelled in a vicious torrent from my lungs. My sword flies from my hand. I wince in painful agony.Great, just great.As I make to remove myself from the tree and take up my sword lying half buried but fortunately unscathed in the ground, the shadowy figure presses into me, growing taller in front of my eyes, curling outwards and expanding into a cavernous form of flesh and bone and muscle until:"Tsk tsk, we are here for magic training, not a sword fight, little dove," Soren scolds, laughing under his breath with the sweet and honeyed tones of mockery as I try with ever futile efforts to reach for my sword. Soren's hands tighten around me in response, offering me a sultry smile.I spit out some blood onto the floor, aiming in vain for where his feet might be, except there are none, the ground beneath him as void and empty as if there were no one there altogether. The only trace of any sort of existence are wisps of shadow fading balefully into the consuming darkness of the night."What the hell Soren," I hiss as lifts up my chin lightly with his thumb and forefinger, staring ruefully into my eyes with his characteristic smirk. I make to go and grab my sword again, but still he holds me firm, pinning my back against the tree with little more than the strength of his forearm."Give me my sword, Soren," I half spit- I love Soren, but sometimes he can be an absolute bastard. A faint smile."No," and then he adds, noticing the furious look on my face as he steps back from me, allowing me to stumble pitifully forward, feet dragging against the leaf mould. "Magic first, then perhaps I will indulge you in a sword fight."Rage prickles on my back, coiling within the tendons of my fingers as wisps of fire snake themselves over my skin, trembling at the tips of my fingers. Soren fades into shadow, and suddenly his voice is all around."Good, harness that emotion. Now, try and hit me if you can, but try not to let them touch you,"A nervous energy rolls in my stomach."Them? Who is them?"My answer soon arrives in the form of several pairs of shadowy creatures exploding through the darkness, streaking through the forest the way a meteor streaks down to earth- explosive and with enough force to leave irreparable damage. It's too dark to see their faces, or even know if they are little more than shadows or have any substance at all, but I find as my heart skyrockets with both fear and adrenaline, that neither of these factors matter anyway. A bird chirps a warning high up in the treetops, singing to grab my attention, warning me of the dangers heading my way at a hundred miles an hour. I suck in my breath.Planting my feet on the ground, I let that flame inside of me burst...And a giant fiery bird ascends from the flames that pillar from my palms, the roaring of the flames screeching in a cry of war and death as it collides with the first shadowy figure, tearing its head clean of its body. I stumble back in alarm.That thing came from me?But there is little time to dwell on such a thought, the monsters keep on coming, kicking their way through the undergrowth, splintering open trees with the sheer force of impact they provide as they rocket around the forest. If one of them hit me...I shake my head, despairing not to think of such things.Under the light of the flame, I peer at the remains of the shadow, disintegrating into a bed of darkness as it fades back into the night from where it came. I catch a glimpse of two beauty spots on its darkened cheek, a mess of curls amongst two pairs of horns, and am not sure whether to frown or laugh."They are you?" I say, kicking the disintegrating shadow with my foot, causing it to explode into a flurry of dark ashes. Laughter resounds around the forest. "Wow, aren't you vain,""I thought you might like it," the voice chuckles as another shadow swings in my direction, and I jump aside frantically to avoid being hit as the shadow sails through, cutting through the bird of fire. The flames dissipate."Shit," I mutter, not for the first time today, weaving my way past shadows as more flames coil around my fits, illuminating the forest with a chilling radiance. I need to be more careful. The flames require my control, my attention, in order to thrive: focus is key. I swallow.Raising my hands at the figures circling around me, I focus my attention on my magic, coiling and burning inside me, awaiting its release. I picture an image firmly in my mind. Flames shoot from my hands, swirling against the darkness as a fiery lion moulds itself from the fires. The flames roar with pure, unadulterated power, licking the dark air into light."How do you like the taste of fire, Scarlet Prince," I grin, extending my hand outwards, the lion moving in perfect conjunction with every motion of my hand, aligned with the very essence of my being, my soul.The only answer is the sigh of the wind and the screaming of flames against the sky.For a moment, I let my eyes close, breathing in the scent of roses and leaves frosted with the first dew of the night, pricked with a bitter ashen burn- the fires of heaven swooping over the earth, consuming everything and all like a tiger starved of its prey. My fires. I have never felt so powerful so in control.And I revel in it, relishing the flow of power and the renewed vigour that marches through my veins. A power that the council would never let me have.My grin only widens as the lion delves in between the shadowy puppets that dart between the trees, weaving and bobbing their way closer to me like minnows in the shallows of a lake, clawing at the air with phantom limbs and gnashing teeth. Flames lick the air as each shadow is crushed between the lion's mountainous paws, ensuing only in a path of flames and destruction in its wake, purifying the air of its shadowy inhabitants. And perhaps it would have continued on so had cold, unrelenting fangs not pinioned themselves at my neck."What does the fire taste like indeed," Soren murmurs at my neck, materialising in true vampire fashion from little more than the wisps of thin air that surround us. The shock of his steely fangs digging into my neck, threatening to draw blood, is enough for the fires inside me to dissipate, fading into the arctic winter of the night as a newfound chill creeps into my bones. Soren lowers his fangs, and the adrenaline inside me slowly subsides as realisation sets in like an immovable stone.It is over.. If this had been a real fight, I would be dead.
