"Dad!" I whispered in urgency, as we finally made it onto my father's grounds. I had not even taken a second glance at the spot where I had died; it meant nothing to me now. He glanced down at me with question and I wiggled my legs, indicating I wanted down, without saying a word. Silence was vital now; we both knew that, we all knew that. So, without a word he placed me down, still ready to catch me should I loose my balance. I felt Conrad's despair, his silent apology, and I whispered a prayer to the air, hoping my death angel would catch it and know I was doing what she wished I would. Conrad had to be here, he just had to be, if he wasn't I swear I was going to loose it. I needed to know he was okay, that he was alive.
"Mara," Derecho's whisper came as he pressed his lips to my ear, just loud enough for me to catch it. My whole body tensed at the sudden contact, and he knew I had heard him. He would not have spoken unless it was urgent. "Does Conrad have black hair?" I felt my heart sink and my breathing began to edge towards hyperventilation. After all this I was the one who was going to get them caught because of my stupid human needs! "I just saw a tall vampire dragging a man with black hair to some part in the castle."
"Where would they take him?" I didn't care about stealth; they were too busy with Conrad to be worrying about me. Father would think me dead, and I would show him a jolt to reality.
"Most likely under the castle, there should be some hallways that you can take to get there. They won't want to waste any blood, so it will be a place that no one will go, so they will not be disrupted." I nodded, letting him know I had heard. "And Mara, I am sorry we did not have such a big welcome when you came back."
"Don't worry, Derecho," gently I turned to touch his arm, feeling bad because I was the reason he was not married yet. "Right now is not exactly a happy time for any of us." He nodded his agreement, and then was gone, allowing me to fall back into myself with sorrow and pain. With need, and something that was more deadly than vampires fangs.
Purpose, and determination.
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and allowing everything else around me to fall away, so I was nothing more than that purpose, than that will. Nothing else was on my mind but finding the man I loved, taking him home safely with me, even if we both died with day. We would be together in the next world no one could prevent that.
The wind blew, and I felt it caress my face like fingers, and I knew what it was. It was the heavens, wishing me their own silent luck. I smiled, my eyes sliding open and I sprang forward, my legs pumping as much as they would.
"Mara! NO!" I head Oscuridad yell, but I was already through the doors, and they could not retrieve me unless they wanted to make a scene. No one in the house knew that I had died, so when a maid walked by, she bowed to me before quickly being on her way. But I grabbed her elbow softly , stopping her short and causing her to give a squeak of panic.
"I have a question, where did my father and Crone go?" my hand squeezed slightly, and she smiled, almost as if she saw what I planned to do in my eyes.
"Outside, there are tunnels that lead to where they go." She replied, and I gave a deep nod as thanks, already moving on my way before she could voice her welcome.
But of course, I forgot of my other dreams.
"Where the hell do you think you are going?" I froze, recognizing Averia's voice. Her dream came down on her in a rush, and she ignored it and the vampire, continuing to walk on. There was a strong pain that shot down my leg as I stumbled upon the ground. The grass grazed my bare knees, and I struggled to keep myself standing. I kept my breathing even and turned to look at my attacker, sneering at the brunet vampire before me. She stood with one hand on her hip, and she was examining the other, the unpainted nails tainted with my blood. I could not stand any longer and sat on the ground, holding a strong hand over the four scratches on my calf. I should have known better than to turn my back to a vampire, what was I thinking? I forced myself to stand, to keep her in sight.
Averia laughed, a high-pitched wicked sound and she licked the blood from her fingers with a wicked glint to her honey hazel eyes. I could not step forward, and nor could I step back, so they both stood there, our eyes locked on as if to see who would be the first one to look away, or be the first one to make the foolish move.
"I know your one you way to see him," she spoke, in a voice that sounded like the soft blowing of the wind along the banks of the river in the middle of the winter. When it was softly skit off of the ice and making a soft humming sound to those who cared enough to listen hard to catch it. I used to love that sound, but coming from her it now sounded like a terrible war cry, one of death and pain, the final scream of a fiend as they kill a brave warrior in battle. It was more than my ears could take.
"And so what if I am, Averia? Are you going to stop me?"
"Well, I was thinking that maybe if I got you out of the way by killing you that things would be a lot more easier for me. So yes, I was planning on stopping you." Averia smiled, her fangs prominent against the pasty color of her skin. Her hair fell in rich curls to her shoulders, to look out of place against her golden velvet dress.
"Hmm, you know, Averia, I really think you should get a tan, maybe then he will even look your way once. I mean, it is a better idea than dressing up like the sun, you kind of just look like an over grown lemon." I knew the insult would cause a reaction, and yet I still said it. Averia made a horrible sounding scream and leapt for me, I managed to dodge it with quick ease, even with my wounded leg. But the next leap I was not so lucky, and the blow stuck my arm and I felt the bone shatter.
I hit the ground; skidding through the grass and feeling the cold dew soak through my dress and cause me to jolt. I knew I had to move, had to get up before things got out of hand. But I was too dazed to move, and the next time I blinked I found Averia standing over her, her fangs bared, her eyes blood thirsty and angry. Her hands were ready to scratch the hell outta someone, and I guessed it was me.
"You will never be anything more to him than a vampire, you stupid girl." I hissed at Averia, knowing it would anger her even more. "And if you kill me, know that my Father will make you suffer a horrific death." That was such a lie. There came that laugh again, a laugh that reminded me so much of how she imagined the wicked witch would sound in my old child hood story books. The laugh that said there was nothing good in the soul of the being making that sound, and you were doomed. Well, that was just peachy.
"And now you will be nothing more that a dead body to him, you stupid human." And when I saw Averia bare her fangs wider, I knew what was to come and my felt my body tense is fright and my eyes widen. Averia was going to feed off of me. Before I could even protest or try and defend myself, the fangs pierced my neck and I was screaming at the top of my lungs at the pain that surged through me. I was going to give up, to stop fighting and finally give in. I knew I was going to die anyway, so why prolong fate? I felt the silken darkness of death skin along the tips of my fingers, offering its soft comfort to me if I were willing to let go. But it was different; this time there was no voice of Conrad, calling out to me. There was no way I was going to get out of this as badly as I wanted too.
Then Oscuridad was behind me, grabbing Averia by the throat and tearing her from me, killing the vampire with quick blurred ease. He was panting, with anger I was not sure, but his purple eyes met mine and he gave a quick nod of understanding, before moving on and I felt relived to know I had her family backing me up on this trip.
Dazed, I stood, waiting for the blood to stop pouring and for the pain in my arm to stop. But it was not stopping; I knew it would be for a while, so I forced myself onward, kicking down the doors as they came.
"Hello, my deceased dearest daughter." My fathers voice came just as he caught my broken arm and flung me across the room.