Part 5
Hunter Redfern blinked in surprise. The last thing he remembered was that witch betraying him, and ordering her to be killed, and then that brat of a nephew of his using the blue fire on his own uncle and all the remaining nobles...and after that...nothing.
Now, he was alive again. He looked at the young woman in front of him. She didn't look much older than eighteen, but he could tell instantly she was much older. There was a maturity about her, a dignity and a coldness that radiated outwards.
She was beautiful. Her raven her rippled down her back like a black silk waterfall, her skin was creamy pale, her lips dark red and full. Her features were exquisite, delicate and fine, making her face a sculptor's dream. Her most striking feature was her eyes. They were the colour of the sky at twilight with flecks of silver like starlight. They were also cold and cruel. She was smiling at him, though, and speaking.
And then Hunter focused on the words: "Welcome to the twenty-third century."
"What? What century is this?"
"Twenty-third," the dark haired woman said. "Three hundred years after the millennium battle."
"And what happened with that?" Hunter demanded of the woman.
Her smile became mean. "Well...Circle Daybreak lost. Any of them that did survive are in the dungeons. The world is under my rule now. Vampires are in charge again and the Redferns are back in glory."
Hunter found himself smiling back. "That's good to hear. Are you a Redfern?"
"No," she said. "My name is Susan Black Lightning. I'm the forth Wild Power. But I stayed with the bad guys. One of your people found me, someone named Blake Redfern. He took over after you. We were very much in love...or at least," she added bitterly. "I thought we were. Then he cheated on me. But I'm getting my revenge," she added brightly.
"Oh, and how are you doing that?"
"I'm having them crucified."
"Having them *what*?"
She smiled again. "You heard me." She took his arm. "Come on, and I'll show you around."
She led him out the room and down a dark, twisting passageway. She reached out and took a flare off the wall. The lights here were dim.
Hunter was confused. "I don't understand. If you're three hundred years in the future then why does everything look like the days when I was young?"
Susan shrugged. "The vampire elders and nobles don't like change. When we won the battle and took over, castles like this and that other enclave, Black Dawn have sprung up all over the world. The remaining Twilight witches and Circle Daybreak members and humans are now slaves."
"As they should be," Hunter said, smiling in approval. This girl knew how the world worked. And if she'd brought him back, she obviously had good taste, too.
She led him out into a courtyard where people were gathering. There was a place cleared and two fairly deep holes in the ground. Hunter looked up at the sky. It was dark already? Susan saw him look. "It's been eternal darkness ever since the millennium," she said.
Hunter looked around and saw two large wooden crucifixes lying on the ground and two people with a hammer and wooden nails on each side of one, and two people with a hammer and rusty iron nails on the other.
There was a commotion as screaming and shouts were heard as Mariana and Blake were led out. They struggled and fought, despite the fact they were both covered in blood and must be in a lot of pain after five hours in an Iron Maiden. They were stretched out and placed on one of the crosses. Then with the hammer the iron nails were driven into Mariana's hands and feet, the wooden ones into Blake's. Then they were righted and placed in the holes made for them. The guard stepped back, blank expressions on their faces.
Susan turned to address the gathering crowd. "Let this be a warning to all of you," she said in loud, clear tones. "If you cross me, I get mad." She turned and walked back into the castle.
Hunter followed her. "What a bad little girl you are," he said with a glimmer of amusement.
She looked up indignantly. "Who are you calling little?" she snorted.
"Okay, what a bad, *big*, girl you are then."
She smiled faintly, then turned her back on him, staring broodingly out a window into the ever-present night. Hunter walked over to her, slipped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She started to pull away, then changed her mind and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"You're quick," he muttered into her soft raven hair.
"Give me a break, I just had to crucify my own boyfriend. I need a little comfort," she said, looking up at him with a put-on sad expression.
Hunter smiled. "Well, I can think of a few ways to make you feel better."
Susan shook her head. "I swear all men have a one track mind."
Hunter started to turn away. "All right. Be miserable then."
"Hey, I never said I didn't want to," Susan said with a smile, pulling him back and kissing him.
* * *
Julia, Poppy and Damien made their way down the corridors of the castle. Julia fished out the map once they were out of sight of the kitchen. She held it up to a dim light, trying to see where to go.
"I think we go down here and then turn right," she whispered finally.
They traipsed down the corridor, moving as quietly as they could, keeping close to the walls and the shadows. The corridor turned and they followed it, and then they came to a cross roads.
"Now what?" Poppy hissed.
Julia looked at the map. "I can't see. Let's go left."
"I thought you said right," Damien pointed out.
"That was the turn back there. We'll go right, and if we come to a dead end, then we'll turn and go back the other way." Julia led them down the left hand tunnel.
The corridor led to two enormous double doors. Julia pulled the handle of one and opened the door a little. Poppy looked outside, then quickly came back in. "Not that way," she said. Her face was white.
"What's out there?" Julia asked
"You don't want to see."
Julia looked anyway, and gasped in horror at the sight of the two bodies on the tall crosses big ugly birds picking at them. She heard faint screams coming from one. They were still *alive?* She shuddered.
"Told you so," Poppy muttered.
"Let's go back the other way," Damien said, leading them back the way they'd come and down the other corridor. After that there was a long time of walking down twisting and dimly lit passages. It was too dark to see the map, so Julia trusted to luck.
The corridor was leading down a flight of stone steps to the deepest part of the castle. They emerged from the corridor into a small square room. There were three wooden doors with padlocks on and barred windows.
Julia looked in one. A girl was sitting on stone bench carved into the wall. She was tall with brown eyes and soft blonde hair that hung limply to her hips. Poppy had come up beside her and was looking too.
"Thea!" she called. "Thea snap out of it!" The girl on the bench blinked and looked up. Her flesh was stretched thinly over her face and was very pale, as if she were starving. She looked from Poppy to Julia and her eyes widened with surprise.
"Poppy?" she whispered. "Hannah?"
* * *
Hunter Redfern blinked in surprise. The last thing he remembered was that witch betraying him, and ordering her to be killed, and then that brat of a nephew of his using the blue fire on his own uncle and all the remaining nobles...and after that...nothing.
Now, he was alive again. He looked at the young woman in front of him. She didn't look much older than eighteen, but he could tell instantly she was much older. There was a maturity about her, a dignity and a coldness that radiated outwards.
She was beautiful. Her raven her rippled down her back like a black silk waterfall, her skin was creamy pale, her lips dark red and full. Her features were exquisite, delicate and fine, making her face a sculptor's dream. Her most striking feature was her eyes. They were the colour of the sky at twilight with flecks of silver like starlight. They were also cold and cruel. She was smiling at him, though, and speaking.
And then Hunter focused on the words: "Welcome to the twenty-third century."
"What? What century is this?"
"Twenty-third," the dark haired woman said. "Three hundred years after the millennium battle."
"And what happened with that?" Hunter demanded of the woman.
Her smile became mean. "Well...Circle Daybreak lost. Any of them that did survive are in the dungeons. The world is under my rule now. Vampires are in charge again and the Redferns are back in glory."
Hunter found himself smiling back. "That's good to hear. Are you a Redfern?"
"No," she said. "My name is Susan Black Lightning. I'm the forth Wild Power. But I stayed with the bad guys. One of your people found me, someone named Blake Redfern. He took over after you. We were very much in love...or at least," she added bitterly. "I thought we were. Then he cheated on me. But I'm getting my revenge," she added brightly.
"Oh, and how are you doing that?"
"I'm having them crucified."
"Having them *what*?"
She smiled again. "You heard me." She took his arm. "Come on, and I'll show you around."
She led him out the room and down a dark, twisting passageway. She reached out and took a flare off the wall. The lights here were dim.
Hunter was confused. "I don't understand. If you're three hundred years in the future then why does everything look like the days when I was young?"
Susan shrugged. "The vampire elders and nobles don't like change. When we won the battle and took over, castles like this and that other enclave, Black Dawn have sprung up all over the world. The remaining Twilight witches and Circle Daybreak members and humans are now slaves."
"As they should be," Hunter said, smiling in approval. This girl knew how the world worked. And if she'd brought him back, she obviously had good taste, too.
She led him out into a courtyard where people were gathering. There was a place cleared and two fairly deep holes in the ground. Hunter looked up at the sky. It was dark already? Susan saw him look. "It's been eternal darkness ever since the millennium," she said.
Hunter looked around and saw two large wooden crucifixes lying on the ground and two people with a hammer and wooden nails on each side of one, and two people with a hammer and rusty iron nails on the other.
There was a commotion as screaming and shouts were heard as Mariana and Blake were led out. They struggled and fought, despite the fact they were both covered in blood and must be in a lot of pain after five hours in an Iron Maiden. They were stretched out and placed on one of the crosses. Then with the hammer the iron nails were driven into Mariana's hands and feet, the wooden ones into Blake's. Then they were righted and placed in the holes made for them. The guard stepped back, blank expressions on their faces.
Susan turned to address the gathering crowd. "Let this be a warning to all of you," she said in loud, clear tones. "If you cross me, I get mad." She turned and walked back into the castle.
Hunter followed her. "What a bad little girl you are," he said with a glimmer of amusement.
She looked up indignantly. "Who are you calling little?" she snorted.
"Okay, what a bad, *big*, girl you are then."
She smiled faintly, then turned her back on him, staring broodingly out a window into the ever-present night. Hunter walked over to her, slipped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She started to pull away, then changed her mind and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"You're quick," he muttered into her soft raven hair.
"Give me a break, I just had to crucify my own boyfriend. I need a little comfort," she said, looking up at him with a put-on sad expression.
Hunter smiled. "Well, I can think of a few ways to make you feel better."
Susan shook her head. "I swear all men have a one track mind."
Hunter started to turn away. "All right. Be miserable then."
"Hey, I never said I didn't want to," Susan said with a smile, pulling him back and kissing him.
* * *
Julia, Poppy and Damien made their way down the corridors of the castle. Julia fished out the map once they were out of sight of the kitchen. She held it up to a dim light, trying to see where to go.
"I think we go down here and then turn right," she whispered finally.
They traipsed down the corridor, moving as quietly as they could, keeping close to the walls and the shadows. The corridor turned and they followed it, and then they came to a cross roads.
"Now what?" Poppy hissed.
Julia looked at the map. "I can't see. Let's go left."
"I thought you said right," Damien pointed out.
"That was the turn back there. We'll go right, and if we come to a dead end, then we'll turn and go back the other way." Julia led them down the left hand tunnel.
The corridor led to two enormous double doors. Julia pulled the handle of one and opened the door a little. Poppy looked outside, then quickly came back in. "Not that way," she said. Her face was white.
"What's out there?" Julia asked
"You don't want to see."
Julia looked anyway, and gasped in horror at the sight of the two bodies on the tall crosses big ugly birds picking at them. She heard faint screams coming from one. They were still *alive?* She shuddered.
"Told you so," Poppy muttered.
"Let's go back the other way," Damien said, leading them back the way they'd come and down the other corridor. After that there was a long time of walking down twisting and dimly lit passages. It was too dark to see the map, so Julia trusted to luck.
The corridor was leading down a flight of stone steps to the deepest part of the castle. They emerged from the corridor into a small square room. There were three wooden doors with padlocks on and barred windows.
Julia looked in one. A girl was sitting on stone bench carved into the wall. She was tall with brown eyes and soft blonde hair that hung limply to her hips. Poppy had come up beside her and was looking too.
"Thea!" she called. "Thea snap out of it!" The girl on the bench blinked and looked up. Her flesh was stretched thinly over her face and was very pale, as if she were starving. She looked from Poppy to Julia and her eyes widened with surprise.
"Poppy?" she whispered. "Hannah?"
* * *