Chapter
Seventeen
The Past:
There was a banging at the doors. Loud. Unwelcome.
Selena whirled in Rayne's arms and looked toward the
direction of the entrance with wide blue eyes. "They're here." She whispered
and she suddenly felt dizzy, light and breathless.
Rayne looked toward the dragon prince and motioned
for him to back up. The Prince shook his head slowly but Rayne grasped Selena
by the wrist, hauling her along as he began to move toward the Prince.
"My Lord, you have to go to the back. The Throne
Room. If the witches get through we can hold them off here. But you can't be
here." He said to him reasonably and his voice wavered slightly. He was
nervous, his anxiety growing with every pounding at the door.
The prince shook his head again, a lost expression on
his face. "Dayra…" he whispered and he looked toward the side door the little
girl had retreated through. "Zhadayra…and Damien…I have to find…"
"Kinshiro." Rayne said evenly, tone stone cold.
Selena stared in disbelief. She knew what the
prince's name was but no one ever used it aloud and never in his presence. But
it served its purpose for the Prince paused in his absentminded whispers to
look at Rayne.
Rayne slowly held up both hands, releasing Selena.
"Now is not the time to argue. There are witches coming for our hide and if they
get the chance they will kill you."
The prince opened his mouth to speak but Rayne was
already pushing him backward, toward the back door of the room.
And then the entrance doors burst open, splintering
and cracking.
Selena whirled and saw the witches coming in through
the entryway. There were many of them, stepping and stumbling over something
blocking the entrance. Bodies. Two of them. She narrowed her eyes, staring
intently at the front steps of the Dragon House. The bodies of the two dragon
guards were there, their necks and foreheads bleeding profusely. Five witch
bodies were sprawled out on the floor also, all brutally mangled. Torn limbs
were scattered in pools of red fluid, streaks and sprays of the same liquid on
the tall, white pillars. Selena's hand flew to her neck as she saw stubby
dragon horns barely visible in the pools of blood over the white marble.
"Rayne…" she choked, clasping a hand over her mouth
to hold in the bile, "Oh, my…Rayne!"
And it was then that she heard the deep, husky voice.
It was low and yet loud enough to carry through the halls, echoing eerily. The
witches came forth, several swarming in, their hands pulsing with power. And in
the center of their crowd was Witch Queen Hecate, beautiful in all her glory.
It was her voice echoing in the Royal Halls, her murmurs under the cries and
shrieks as dragon rose up against witch.
Selena spun toward Rayne and he was rooted to his
spot, staring with wide amber eyes. Behind him the prince looked dark, hands
clenched into fists at his sides.
"Rayne!" she cried, reaching for him, pleading with
him desperately, "Come with me!"
But Rayne was turning away, grabbing hold of the
prince's arms and shoving him into the back door. The prince fell against it
but he pushed himself off, fighting Rayne as the Guardian came at him once
more.
"Rayne!" Selena shouted. Then something struck her
from behind, a glancing blow off the back of her head and she crashed to the
floor with a pained cry.
Rayne whirled, eyes catching on her and he came to a
dead stop. "Selena!"
He never called her Selena, she thought dimly though
terrible explosions of light. Not since the first few times they had been
together. Like everyone else he had learned to call her Chime. And through the
burning pain she wondered at how strange it was to hear him say her name.
Someone straddled her from behind, a heavy weight
settling on her back, and her hair was shoved aside, fingers touching her
horns.
From the entrance a girl shrieked, her voice
familiar. "No!"
Rayne lifted his hands, amber eyes narrowed
hatefully. A black flame of magic blossomed and his hair flew as it erupted,
streaking outward toward Selena. She ducked her head against the cold floor
fearfully, biting down on the insides of her cheeks. But from above her there
was a muffled shout and then the weight flew off her. There was the sound of
something hitting the marble floor and she knew her attacker had been taken
care of. She opened her eyes, lifting her head slowly.
The side door opened and she looked over to the see
the nanny, Jana, slump lifelessly to the floor, coming down to Selena's level.
Her brown eyes were open wide, staring at Selena and her forehead mauled.
Selena cried out in horror, scampering sideways.
Witches emerged from the room, hands glowing, all
except for two who held a small, screaming child between them. She stared at
them as ice froze her stomach over, stared as they carried the child, muffling
her screams.
The princess.
"Dayra!" the Prince shouted and his black irises
flashed silver, his face dark as the blackest night. He shoved passed Rayne,
his hand lifting.
"Kin!" Rayne whirled frantically, holding out an arm.
Another body dropped down on top of Selena, two hands
clapping over her ears. A soft voice murmured hazily, quivering and sobbing.
Selena closed her eyes and fought in panic, throwing her body and bucking. But
even with its light weight the person was holding on.
A body toppled to the floor beside Selena, a dead
witch, and she whimpered in hysterical terror as glassy blue eyes stared back
at her. The person straddling her continued to mumble in painful sobs, her
small form shaking.
She needed to get away. Now. Now, now, now. She
couldn't look into those flat blue eyes. She turned her head away, gritting her
teeth to keep from crying and she spun onto her back lithely, causing the
person on top of her to stagger sideways. She opened her eyes as the person
straddled her again. "Helle?"
The witch clamped down on her mouth quickly. "Let me
save you!" she shouted and she closed her eyes, beginning to chant again.
Off to the side Maya floated forward to meet the
group of witches holding the child. She clapped slender hands over the child's
ears, bowing her head to chant.
And Hecate, amidst her army of witches, raised her
hands into the air.
Above her, Hellewise leaned forward, pressing her
forehead into Selena's shoulder. "It'll all be better now." She whispered
sadly.
Streaks of white magic burst from Hecate's hands,
shooting into the air with the large crashing of thunder. The bolts zigzagged,
forking and striking like lightning, its brilliance blinding. Selena watched it
over Hellewise's blond head of hair, marveling at its beauty, its radiance.
But when it began to strike the dragons her awe turned
to horror. It swallowed dragon guards whole, enveloping them in light. They
flailed, limbs stiffening as if they had been caught by natural lightning.
Selena snapped her head to look at Rayne.
He was down on his knees, hunched over, his dark
cloak falling heavily to the floor around him. And his prince was behind him,
body lying against the walls.
It wasn't hitting her. She realized it only then. She
looked at Helle who was hiding against her. "Hellewise…it isn't hitting me."
She said shakily.
Helle lifted her head to look at her with teary brown
eyes. "I am protecting you." She said faintly.
Selena stared at her, frowning. And then she looked
back at Rayne and began to scramble, shoving at Hellewise. "No, don't!
Hellewise!" she pointed toward Rayne. "Helle, you have to save Rayne! You have
to-" she reached a hand out as bolt upon bolt of lightning struck him, "Rayne!
Damn it!"
The remainder of the doors crashed as someone else
entered.
Hellewise whirled, Selena looking passed her, an arm
outstretched toward Rayne.
A single person stood in the doorway, blocking the
sunlight. He was cloaked in the uniform of the First House, the Royal Crest
emblazoned and visible along the blowing sides of his cloak. He wasn't more
than a child, early in adolescence. His dark brown eyes surveyed the situation,
following the streaks of lightning to its source.
"Damien." The prince whispered.
The boy darted forward, shoving aside witches who
descended upon him. His dark eyes blackened, the iris blocking out the entire white
of his eyes in his sudden fury.
Hellewise rose slightly. "Mother…"
The boy lifted a hand, slowly it seemed. Smoke
billowed from his fingertips, black lightning sparking from his palm.
"Mother!" Hellewise screamed, her voice echoing in
the halls, above the sounds of fading battle.
Maya opened her eyes and whirled, hands still clasped
to the dragon princess.
The boy fired, the force of his black burst shoving
him back a step. The energy streaked by witches and dragons, grazing several
along its path. And it struck true, striking the Witch Queen from behind.
A cry tore from Hecate and there was the audible
sound of something snapping. Then there was no sound at all as she toppled to
the smooth floors of the Royal House.
Hellewise stared in disbelief at her mother's figure
upon the floor, her silver hair spread out over her face and along her tall,
slender frame. Her hair, however, did nothing to hide the hideous burn and
cooked flesh of her spine.
Maya was pale, paler than ever before, her full lips
parted in disbelief.
Selena looked at Rayne and he was heaving, chest
rising and falling as if he had just run a race. The prince slid down the wall
to his knees, body hidden under his heavy cloak.
Maya looked at Hellewise, stunned.
Hellewise gazed back. And then as if in accordance
they were both suddenly moving. Hellewise scrambled to her feet and raced over
to her dark sister. Maya snatched up the dragon princess in her arms as if she
were her own child. But there was no love on her face. Nothing but
determination. She turned to face the entire hallway, pressing her back against
the wall, holding the child before her like a shield. And she began to chant
again.
"Hellewise, no!" Selena shouted, rising to her feet.
And nausea washed over her, her vision doubling painfully. She fell to one
knee, lifting her hand to touch the bloody bump she had received earlier.
"Hellewise-"
Hellewise put herself before her sister and the
dragon princess, her hands clasped as if in prayer. With her words of magic
something shimmered into being surrounding her fingers and she threw her hands
into the air. The witch magic had the sheen of a bubble, rainbow colors
flashing across its clear surface and it spread around them, blocking them from
the dragons.
Maya's voice rose, the Spell of Eternal Slumber
echoing.
The prince took hold of Rayne's wrist, motioning
first to Selena and then to the side door.
Rayne shook his head, rising on wobbly knees.
The dragon boy came forward, dark eyes confused.
"Kin-" he called uncertainly.
White magic sizzled from Maya's hands. Hellewise
lowered her arms in one fluid movement, hunching forward and her sister lifted
one arm, the other wrapped around the sobbing dragon princess.
Rayne rose before the Prince, face dark. Darker than
Selena had ever seen it.
She whirled as the white glow streaked into the air,
as powerful and brilliant as its mother spell had been. She spun toward Rayne,
lunging at him and he caught her in his arms, falling backward under her sudden
weight. He stumbled against the wall, the Prince caught behind his legs and
cornered against the wall.
I can save you. I can save you…
The magic enveloped them all.
She didn't understand what was happening but she was
cold. Sound was suddenly muffled under the magic, quieting until there was
nothing but the low thrum of energy. It went on forever, the blinding light
surrounding her and she embraced Rayne against herself, holding him fiercely,
willing herself to take whatever pain he felt. But there was no pain, no
feeling. Nothing but that horrible monotonous thrumming sound.
And then it all went away and she opened her eyes to
find Rayne unconscious in her arms, the Prince laid out at his side, also
unconscious.
And the dragon princess whimpered in the silence that
ensued.
She cried that day, full heart-wrenching sobs that threatened to break her. And she swore to herself, holding Rayne's head against her collarbone that this would be the last time she cried in sorrow. Never again.
The Present:
"Check out these babies." A masculine voice said from
somewhere nearby. "Haven't seen these in a long time. Not since Jez and I used
to hunt." He sighed. "Ah, memories…"
Also from above but not from the same direction as
the masculine voice came a feminine voice. "Morgead, put those down. Why did
they pair me up with you? I still don't understand…" and then the voice grew
sharp, "Don't you point those at me!"
The first voice, the masculine one laughed wickedly.
"It's not like they can hurt you, Kes." He said but then there was a hard thump
from near her head and the sound of footsteps pulling away.
The woman growled, the sound rumbling in the room.
"Kestrel, Morgead. Not Kes. Not Kel. Kestrel." She said coldly. "Why couldn't
someone else come with you on this? Why me? I was just visiting!"
"Yeah, yeah, all right. Fine. Quit your complaining."
The man sighed.
Chime whimpered weakly. Something flashed before her
eyes. A vision. Loud screams. Panicked cries. And loud explosions. A woman with
blood red hair and piercing green eyes. A cut bleeding under one clear green
eye. The spraying of blood, all around and then the woman with red hair falling
back in slow motion, arms flailing. A man over her, pointing the barrel of a
rifle at her. And someone's hands, her hands, appearing in the scene, pushing
the man's rifle aside and lifting another weapon to his forehead as his dark
eyes widened. Blood. Always blood. Flying, staining. His body toppling back,
eyes rolling up into his head as he died. A woman crossing herself behind a
pillar. And her hands again, the same hands that had killed the man, lifting
her weapons and shooting, taking the woman down also.
Death. Death was all around. No. She was Death,
snuffing out lives with ease. She was cold-blooded, had become a killer because
of someone close to her, because she needed to reach him, had to find him. And
there would be more deaths so long as she hesitated.
Her eyes snapped open and she sat up, scrambling,
heaving a deep breath. And then utter, excruciating pain raced up her entire
body like flames and she feel back onto the mattress under her, crying out
through clenched teeth.
"Hey! Whoa! Whoa, wait!" the masculine voice shouted
from above her and two hands gripped her, one on her left shoulder and one
along her collarbone. The hands pushed her down on the mattress, holding her
down and she couldn't fight him even if she had wanted to. All she wanted was
to die. Die or be numb, whichever was possible at the moment.
Her eyes came open again and she blinked, chasing
away bright splotches and finally focusing on two people above her. A man and a
woman. Both young. Both rather mean looking but at the moment they seemed
worried. Perhaps a bit anxious.
"Where am I?" Chime asked through gritting teeth and
she shoved one of the hands away. It belonged to the woman and the stranger
pulled back a bit, still clutching at Chime's shoulder cautiously.
"Ok, calm down." The man was saying smoothly, "Calm
down-"
"You calm down!" Chime yelled at him, throwing aside
the woman's other hand. "Get away from me!"
The woman backed away fully, lifting her hands to her
hips. A dark smirk played across her face and her yellow-hawk eyes flew to the
man, eyebrow arched.
The man sighed, stepping away also.
Chime inhaled shakily and looked from one to the
other warily. The girl was a bit familiar, her features, but she knew they had
never met. The man was a stranger.
"All right." Chime said slowly and she swallowed,
forcing an even tone. She rose again, carefully this time and then looked at
them once more. "First question. Where am I?"
The man glanced toward the woman, green eyes guarded.
"Safe-house. In Shiraz." He said slowly.
She stared at him in distaste. "Shih-what?" she asked
distinctly.
"Shiraz." The woman answered in a snappish tone. "In
Iran."
Chime turned to retort at her but then her sentence
sank in. "Iran?" she asked, eyes widening. "Then Persepolis…Persepolis is…is…"
she looked around, feeling the stirring of energy inside. "Where are the dragon
scrolls?" and then, with a tightening of her jaw, "Who are you people?"
The man held up a hand. "Easy. We're getting there-"
"Where are my clothes!?" Chime exploded, finally
looking down at herself. She was bandaged like a damn mummy. White strips wound
around her left arm, around her first gunshot wound. More white strips were
secured around her shoulder, from her right bicep straight up to her collarbone
to protect her shoulder. The strips then wrapped around her breasts and ribs.
She lifted her eyes angrily. "Someone is about to die
a very painful death." She growled.
The woman looked happily cruel. "It won't be one of
us, dragon. You're weak. You wouldn't hold your own."
Chime looked quickly to her left, where she had heard
the sounds earlier. She saw her Sigs at the same time the man saw them. She
swiped at the small night table beside her bed as the man lunged forward. Her
elbow was operating well enough but her shoulder still hindered her. It didn't
matter. All she needed was to squeeze off one shot, just one. The woman would
be the first to go. Then the man if she could manage another shot. And if he
was human.
The man shoved her right arm aside, across her chest
away from him as she swung the weapons toward him. She winced as he pushed on her
wounded shoulder but quick as a striking snake she had the other Sig barrel
pressed to the underside of his chin.
He came to a dead stop, stiffening before her and he
looked down, green irises meeting her cold stare.
Chime was not amused. "You might want to see where my
other gun is pointed." She advised quietly.
The man glanced toward the second Sig and followed
the line to its target. Which was the woman who was on the other side of the
bed opposite him.
"Back…up." Chime said through clenched teeth.
The woman took several steps away, the man doing the
same. Chime slowly untangled her arms, pointing freely at them now. She
twitched her shoulder a bit. Perhaps to get the blood flowing. She needed
desperate healing. "One last time. Who are you. Who sent you. And why were you
stupid enough to bring me to Iran?"
The man glanced toward his companion and the woman
waved impatiently. He shot her a dirty look. "hey, I don't want to be here as
much as you do, all right?" he snapped at his partner, eyes narrowing.
The woman moved to retort.
Chime cleared her throat. "Ahem." she said
delicately. "I have the guns. You do not. Answer the damn freaking questions."
The man shook his head and finally looked at her
again. "My name is Morgead. She's Kestrel. And we're with Circle Daybreak."
Chime sighed wearily. "Circle Daybreak. Ok, great.
So, that means I should just kill you now. Sent by…Thierry? Did he betray me,
too, then?"
"No." Kestrel answered. "No. Thierry sent us to find
you and hide you. We found out all about you taking over Rachael's Cain
identity. A friend of hers came looking for her, they had made plans to hang
out and he found her unconscious." She paused. "He was also a witch and saw the
dragon scroll box. It spread like wildfire after that."
Chime sucked on the insides of her cheeks. "That's
just lovely."
"Thierry and Mother Cybele are going straight to the
First House. They're probably already there. You've been out for a day and
half."
Chime lifted her gaze to her slowly, feeling her
stomach tighten. "You're lying." She stated firmly. But was she? If Thierry and
the Mother were already there, there was no way she would get out alive. The
Mother probably already had him convinced she was the Devil incarnate.
Morgead was frowning as if he didn't understand.
"What would be the point of lying now? Thierry sent us to convince you to stop
what you were doing. They're already waiting for you. If you continue on you'll
be seen as the enemy and they'll deal with you whichever way necessary."
Chime's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't the enemy until you
forced me to become it." She said angrily. "I was living my perfectly happy
life but you, all of you…" her weapon wavered and she grimaced, trying to
tighten her grip. "Why? Why would you do that to me?" she exhaled through
clenched teeth, "Did you not think I would try my damnedest to stay alive?"
Morgead glanced at Kestrel and Chime could tell the
girl was confused.
"Don't look at me like I'm crazy!" Chime shouted at her
furiously. "From the beginning it was a joke! The Mother came after me, sent me
running and then sent Daybreak after me to continue the game! That was it,
wasn't it?!"
Kestrel held up a finger, utterly and thoroughly
confused. "Where are you coming from?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Mother Cybele did not send anyone after you. Up to like two days ago she
didn't even know you existed! Someone else is after you."
Chime looked from her to Morgead who was gazing at
her cautiously, lips parted slightly, a lock of black hair falling onto his
temple. "You're lying." She whispered again, uncertainly.
"No. No, we're not." Morgead said quietly. "Mother
Cybele was never involved. But once you had the scrolls she was. She won't
allow you to step foot inside the museum with that spell-"
"I can't cast the spell!" she shouted, raging at him
and he shut up immediately. "I am not a witch! The spell will not work!" Every
word came out, stressed.
Kestrel shook her head, back to her snappish tone.
"Then why go? What would seriously be the point? Why go if you can't wake them?
More bloodshed? Because people are dead, you know." She cocked her head.
"Twelve people died yesterday in the airport. Six security guards. Two of the
assassins. And four civilians." She shrugged, gold eyes narrowed
dispassionately. "Why?"
Chime stared at her and she was hearing her voice but
the words didn't go with her moving lips. Her voice was slow, like a record
breaking up. She brought her gaze down to her weapons still leveled at them and
not for the first time did she realize she was trembling. "I…I have to go." She
whispered, blinking distractedly. The world didn't seem real for a second. Like
she was outside her body, watching herself point the guns at them. "I have to
see him. Because…because…"
"Because…" Kestrel prompted.
"Because I finally can." she answered softly. She
shook her head and looked up at the woman. "Because I know where he is and he's
almost within arm's distance." She shook her head and as if shaking loose
something more excuses tumbled forth, "Because all I ever want to do is collect
bottles of brandy and when I have them all I want to do is fling them across
the room in anger. Because I can't dream about him anymore, I can't." she shook
her head again, feeling tears rise in her eyes but she blinked them back,
didn't want them to escape. The ball in her throat made it hard enough for her
to talk. "I want him to be real, I want him to exist. I want him to wake up,
open his eyes and look at me. Look at me with those eyes…those eyes…" her voice
drifted as her hands wavered again, "I want him to…to…"
She let one of her guns drop onto her lap. "I want
him."
Kestrel crossed her arms over her chest wordlessly
and Morgead was watching her, eyebrows pulled together sadly.
"Whoever is in this, and whatever part they play…"
she hesitated, sucking in her cheeks, "It doesn't matter. I have the chance.
And I'm going to take it." She lifted her gun arm once more and determination
set in. "Where are the scrolls?"
Morgead straightened a bit, Kestrel throwing him an
'Uh-oh' look.
Chime's eyes flew from Kestrel's amber figure to
Morgead's dark one. And she felt an unbelievable surge of fury. Had she been a
volcano she would have erupted and erased all of humankind from existence. "Oh,
shit-" she growled and she forced her hand to stop trembling, finally managed
such a tight grip that she actually wondered if she could crush the Sig in her
hand. "You sent them back, didn't you?"
They didn't answer.
But she knew. She most definitely knew their answer
and she had never felt such a wave of cold rage. All her work, all her pain.
Only to end up at the beginning. She shook her head and chuckled, sighing. And
then the humor left her face and she ordered, "Turn around."
Morgead frowned but did so after a moment. Kestrel
imitated him after another cautious moment.
Chime lowered a Sig to clasp the blanket wrapped
around her waist. She flung it off and the fact that she was naked only proved
to anger her further. "You. The girl. Kestrel." She called stonily. "Where are
my clothes?"
Kestrel glanced at her over her shoulder.
"Remember what you're dealing with." Chime said,
already reading her mind. "You may be Night World but this isn't my first time
using a weapon. Now get me my clothes."
Kestrel sighed impatiently and then trudged over to a
corner of the small room. She crouched, pulling forth Chime's duffel bag from
under a desk.
Morgead shifted a bit, looking toward her over his
shoulder. His green eyes flew down and then back up her frame, widening
momentarily before he whirled back around and lifted a hand to scratch his neck
awkwardly.
Kestrel rose, clutching bloody clothes. And then
after a moment's consideration she hauled over the entire duffel bag, placing
it on the bed before Chime before joining Morgead again.
Chime looked at the clothes in the duffel bag. And
then she looked at herself. She was back to being blond and blue-eyed. This
time around she would forget about her horns. If people saw them, then they saw
them. She really couldn't bring herself to care anymore.
She closed her eyes for a moment and expanded her
other senses. Morgead and kestrel shifted every once in a while but no sudden
movements which meant they were staying where they were.
With a soothing breath she focused on her hair. At
her command it began to shorten, climbing up her neck and darkening until it
was a shiny black cap hugging her head and temples hugging her head and
temples. She opened her eyes and blinked. Twice. The color of her irises
shifted from blue to purple and finally to black.
People were wrong. Blondes didn't have more fun.
Slowly, Chime lowered her weapons, tucking them under
the bedcovers a bit. And watching Morgead and Kestrel she reached for her
clothes, pulling on her black pants. Her boots were under the bed, she noticed.
And the blue sleeveless tank was a mess of blood. She wouldn't get far with it
before getting stopped in her tracks.
She glanced at her bloody bra resting inside the
duffel bag. She wouldn't be needing that. She bent slowly, tossing aside the
bloody shirt. She had taken along another shirt from Rachael. A black,
long-sleeved shirt. Good enough.
When she was done she pulled on the belt of ammo and the
leather jacket, grimacing as it slipped down heavily on her frame.
The two Sigs went into the back of her pants and she
noticed the pocket knives in the duffel bag, buried under more clothes. She
reached in, taking them out and replacing them back into her boots before
tossing aside the duffel bag. It was of no use to her now with the dragon
scrolls on their way back home.
"Ok." She said lightly and as they turned, "point me
in the direction of Persepolis."
