Chapter 11
Kieran pushed himself away from Kala in horror. The only sound he had been able to hear was her fearful heartbeat as it pounded blood throughout her body. The smell of her rich, sweet witch's blood and her struggling had excited him beyond belief and the bloodlust had become overwhelming. Hunting instinct had surfaced and he gave up trying to quell it.
Kieran stepped back from the body of Kala, filled with dread. The instant his damned fangs had punctured her throat, her body had tensed up and began twitching uncontrollably. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her muscles clenched and unclenched rapidly.
"What have I done?" he murmured, filled with self-enmity. His mind rushed frantically. What was happening? What should he do? Get help, yes. But who? He doubted the old woman that acted as nurse in this house knew anything of healing spontaneous madness. No doctor would either. A healer might, but to whom should he go?
The answer crept up in the back of his mind unnoticed. Suddenly it dawned on him.
A halo of white-blond hair lay tousled around an angelic face. Long blond eyelashes rested feather-like on fair-skinned cheeks. The girl that lay sleeping did not resemble Kala in the slightest way. And yet, they were related. This was Alexandra, Kala's fifteen-year-old sister.
No doubt she hadn't completed her training in herb lore, but she was in a better position to help Kala than he was. Kieran had tried to enter Kala's mind to restrain her movements, but he had hastily pulled back. A wall of scorching fire had set itself around Kala's thoughts, and he couldn't get in.
He shook the girl gently, whispering her name into her mind.
Alex awoke with a gasp, bolting upright and slamming mental shields in place before Kieran was out of her mind. Kieran winced with pain as the shields hit him full force.
He put a finger to his lips to motion her to be quiet and quickly explained why he was there.
Alex was skeptical at first. Why should she believe that her beloved older sister was still alive, and, no less, in the care of leeches? And she hadn't even tried to contact anyone or leave?
Kieran hesitated. "Where I live, where Kala is.it's surrounded by walls of magic. Incoming and outgoing messages go haywire when they hit the walls, unless they're sent through a certain code. And Kala.did not feel the need to leave."
Alex frowned at him. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" She said suspiciously.
"You can't be certain.but if not for some important matter, why would I be here? And if I really intended to feed off of you, you and I both know that I could have done so easily. And this." Kieran took Alex's hand, held it palm up, and dropped something into it.
"Her necklace," Alex murmured, studying the small amulet that lay in her hand. Kieran hadn't had time to examine the necklace and its charm, but looked on as Alex peered at it.
Kieran's breath caught in his throat. "The mark of the Chosen One," he whispered under his breath.
Alex looked up sharply. "What did you say?"
Kieran ignored her question and replaced the silence with one of his own. "Where did she get that?"
"I don't know," Alex said tartly. "She had it for as long as I could remember."
The small amulet was an opalescent sun. Colors swirled and raged beneath the surface like a raving storm, luring your eyes into its deranged chaos and capturing your mind.
Alex clutched the necklace in her fist that was laid over her heart. Her eyes were closed, as if she were meditating.
Finally, when Kieran felt he couldn't stand it any longer, that he would grab her and shake her as hard as he could, Alex opened her eyes with new determination.
"Alright, I believe you," She said firmly. "Take me to her."
Kieran put his hand on her arm and willed them back to Kala.
His last fleeting thoughts before they left were: Those dreams of hers could very well have been a coincidence. Who was to say that Kala couldn't have picked up a stray thought of his, and her imagination hadn't played with the idea a bit, twisting it until it fit? He knew of the burning curiosity that dwelled in her. The need to know what was at the end of the path consumed her. The only problem was, Kala did know. She had seen what lay at the end of the path, she just didn't know it. Kieran knew from her dreams that she had seen that temple. His deepest fears were now confirmed. Kala was indeed the Chosen One, the one who would bring about the destruction of the entirety of the human kind.
A/N: hmmm...kinda a cliffhanger huh? Don't care, just review!
Kieran pushed himself away from Kala in horror. The only sound he had been able to hear was her fearful heartbeat as it pounded blood throughout her body. The smell of her rich, sweet witch's blood and her struggling had excited him beyond belief and the bloodlust had become overwhelming. Hunting instinct had surfaced and he gave up trying to quell it.
Kieran stepped back from the body of Kala, filled with dread. The instant his damned fangs had punctured her throat, her body had tensed up and began twitching uncontrollably. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her muscles clenched and unclenched rapidly.
"What have I done?" he murmured, filled with self-enmity. His mind rushed frantically. What was happening? What should he do? Get help, yes. But who? He doubted the old woman that acted as nurse in this house knew anything of healing spontaneous madness. No doctor would either. A healer might, but to whom should he go?
The answer crept up in the back of his mind unnoticed. Suddenly it dawned on him.
A halo of white-blond hair lay tousled around an angelic face. Long blond eyelashes rested feather-like on fair-skinned cheeks. The girl that lay sleeping did not resemble Kala in the slightest way. And yet, they were related. This was Alexandra, Kala's fifteen-year-old sister.
No doubt she hadn't completed her training in herb lore, but she was in a better position to help Kala than he was. Kieran had tried to enter Kala's mind to restrain her movements, but he had hastily pulled back. A wall of scorching fire had set itself around Kala's thoughts, and he couldn't get in.
He shook the girl gently, whispering her name into her mind.
Alex awoke with a gasp, bolting upright and slamming mental shields in place before Kieran was out of her mind. Kieran winced with pain as the shields hit him full force.
He put a finger to his lips to motion her to be quiet and quickly explained why he was there.
Alex was skeptical at first. Why should she believe that her beloved older sister was still alive, and, no less, in the care of leeches? And she hadn't even tried to contact anyone or leave?
Kieran hesitated. "Where I live, where Kala is.it's surrounded by walls of magic. Incoming and outgoing messages go haywire when they hit the walls, unless they're sent through a certain code. And Kala.did not feel the need to leave."
Alex frowned at him. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" She said suspiciously.
"You can't be certain.but if not for some important matter, why would I be here? And if I really intended to feed off of you, you and I both know that I could have done so easily. And this." Kieran took Alex's hand, held it palm up, and dropped something into it.
"Her necklace," Alex murmured, studying the small amulet that lay in her hand. Kieran hadn't had time to examine the necklace and its charm, but looked on as Alex peered at it.
Kieran's breath caught in his throat. "The mark of the Chosen One," he whispered under his breath.
Alex looked up sharply. "What did you say?"
Kieran ignored her question and replaced the silence with one of his own. "Where did she get that?"
"I don't know," Alex said tartly. "She had it for as long as I could remember."
The small amulet was an opalescent sun. Colors swirled and raged beneath the surface like a raving storm, luring your eyes into its deranged chaos and capturing your mind.
Alex clutched the necklace in her fist that was laid over her heart. Her eyes were closed, as if she were meditating.
Finally, when Kieran felt he couldn't stand it any longer, that he would grab her and shake her as hard as he could, Alex opened her eyes with new determination.
"Alright, I believe you," She said firmly. "Take me to her."
Kieran put his hand on her arm and willed them back to Kala.
His last fleeting thoughts before they left were: Those dreams of hers could very well have been a coincidence. Who was to say that Kala couldn't have picked up a stray thought of his, and her imagination hadn't played with the idea a bit, twisting it until it fit? He knew of the burning curiosity that dwelled in her. The need to know what was at the end of the path consumed her. The only problem was, Kala did know. She had seen what lay at the end of the path, she just didn't know it. Kieran knew from her dreams that she had seen that temple. His deepest fears were now confirmed. Kala was indeed the Chosen One, the one who would bring about the destruction of the entirety of the human kind.
A/N: hmmm...kinda a cliffhanger huh? Don't care, just review!