A/N: Okay, this chappie is really long; the longest I've ever written. And I think it's a bit boring, partially because I wrote it all during summer school, which tells you just how boring health is. Please bear with me through this long a dull chapter. Chapter three gets interesting, I promise! But anyway, there are three original crossover characters: Evelyn Fay Chicaya and her daughters Adara and Amarice. Evelyn has magic and she travels to Other Worlds. In those other worlds, she becomes Adalon Ithilriel Chicaya, who is actually a different person. Adalon and Evelyn used to be Mary Sues, but they kind of evolved into non-Mary Sues. Adalon is A LOT pushier than I am, and it is very difficult to keep her out of things I write. She is extremely persistent. Evelyn is a bit more laid back than Adalon, and a lot easier to keep out of stuff, but she is still pushier than I am. Adara and Amarice also have magic. Their father, Alex Chicaya, is currently managing the affairs of Adalon's kingdom in one of the Other Worlds. I think that's all the explanation we need. Send me a review if any of my OCs confuse you.
Disclaimer: all characters in this chapter, except Selene and Michael, are mine. Selene and Michael, however, don't own, don't sue. Got it?
Chapter 2: Memory
The first thing Ravyn did when she got back to her apartment was kick off her heels. She sighed with relief, collapsing onto her bed, massaging her aching feet.
I hate heels, she thought. She let her feet drop to the floor, lying back on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling, focusing on a small dot on the ceiling. She cleared her mind, staring fixedly at the dot. When her mind was completely blank, she shut her eyes and relieved the night that had passed. It had been several weeks since she'd done a job, and consequently, several weeks since she had fed. She remembered the taste of his blood and ran her tongue along her lips in memory. Sometimes she regretted her choice of occupation. Something in her soul always twinged just before she killed her victim, but as she drank, all she thought of was the taste of the blood as it ran down her throat as her carnal instincts took over. And after, when she relived the death of her victim, remembering the feel of his pulse against her mouth, pushing the blood down her throat as she sucked hungrily and the sweet, slightly metallic taste of the lifeblood of her prey, she felt no remorse then. But between jobs, between killings, she regretted the deaths of those she killed.
The man she had killed tonight, Seth Parker, had deserved what he got. He was a well known drug dealer and rapist. Most of Ravyn's victims came from the upper underworld, which is what the members of the Guild called the lesser criminals. Those who didn't kill. Ravyn often thought that, while her victims' deaths were certainly an effective way to get them off the street, she also wished that she did not have to be the one to do it.
Ravyn was an assassin. She had come to Chicago two years ago, when she was seventeen. Her parents had not been thrilled, saying that an unfamiliar city, with unfamiliar faces was dangerous for someone like her. But she'd had to come. She couldn't have stayed in Budapest any longer. She had thought she was going insane there.
(Seven years ago)
It had started when she was ten. She had begun to hear voices when she was in a crowded room. When she'd finally told her mother, Selene had said, "Maybe it's something to do with being a hybrid. Let's ask your father."
Her father, Michael, had frowned and said, "I'll ask Lucian. He's the expert on this and I know I haven't heard any voices."
Lucian had also frowned and told them, "I'll look into it."
But he hadn't found anything. It was her mother's friends, the Elders Kestral, the red-haired, green-eyed, Scotswoman, and Endainme En'Dae, the former Amazon queen, who found the answer. Since the system of leapfrogging had been abolished, both Kestral and Endainme En'Dae were awake to help.
"Close your eyes," Endainme En'Dae commanded. "What do you hear?"
Twelve-year-old Ravyn had obediently shut her eyes and listened. The room was not crowded, only her mother, Kestral and Endainme En'Dae were present. Ravyn did not expect to hear anything; previously she had never heard anything unless with at least six others. Nonetheless, she began to hear small whispers. One of the voices she recognized as Selene's, and she focused in on it.
"I hope Endainme En'Dae knows what to do," Selene was saying. "I sure as hell don't. What if there's something seriously wrong with her?" A note of panic had entered her mother's voice. "Oh God, please don't let anything be wrong with her!"
Ravyn's eyes snapped open and she stared at her mother. Selene's voice faded into the background with the other voices, her words becoming a jumble of syllables Ravyn could no longer understand.
"You aren't talking," Ravyn said stupidly, staring at her mother's firmly closed mouth.
Selene looked from her daughter to Endainme En'Dae and back. "Should I be?"
"I heard you," Ravyn insisted.
"Ah," Endainme En'Dae sighed. "I thought that was it."
"What?" Selene said in a panicked voice, turning to the Elder. "What is it?"
"Ravyn is hearing people's thoughts," Kestral explained. Selene gaped at her.
"That's impossible."
Kestral took a step forward and gently pushed Selene into a chair. Ravyn remained standing, staring, uncomprehending, at Endainme En'Dae.
"Close your mouth, Selene," Kestral commanded. "You look like a fish."
"That's not possible," Selene insisted. "How is that possible?"
Endainme En'Dae led Ravyn to a chair and pulled up a chair so that she could sit and face both Ravyn and Selene.
"Ravyn is the first born hybrid," she began. "And when she was conceived, Michael was still predominantly lycan, at least where it counts." She allowed herself a sly grin at Selene, causing the younger vampiress to blush furiously. "Both Lucian and Michael were lycans before they became hybrids," Endainme En'Dae continued. "Ravyn is a perfect blend of vampire and lycan. As a result, all her senses are very keen. That includes her mind's perception of what other people think and feel, so much that she can actually hear—if that's the right word—what people are thinking."
"You mean those voices—they are actually people's thoughts?" Ravyn asked incredulously.
Kestral nodded in unison with Endainme En'Dae.
"There must be something I can do to stop," Ravyn said desperately. "If I keep hearing the voices, I think I'll go mad."
Kestral smiled kindly at Ravyn and told her about a woman named Evelyn.
"She's an old friend of ours. She's human, but she's not exactly...normal."
"What do you mean, not normal?" Selene frowned.
"She's immortal for one thing," Kestral explained. "For another, she's got what can only be called magic."
"Magic isn't real," Selene scoffed.
"It's a bit complicated," Kestral said. "But by my understanding of it, Evelyn's soul got switched with that of a woman in another world, where there is magic. So, as a result of the gods' mistake, she had magic."
Selene stared at Kestral, her expression saying that she clearly thought Kestral had gone mad.
"When her magic first began to manifest itself, when Evelyn was fourteen, she had mind-reading and mind-control powers. She currently lives in Chicago. I suggest you send Ravyn there to learn from Evelyn. Otherwise, she probably will go mad."
Selene stared first at Kestral, then at Endainme En'Dae, who nodded, and back at Kestral. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Ravyn knew without looking that it was Khan, coming to take her to her fighting lesson. She stood as he put his head into the room.
"You ready for your lesson, Ravyn?" he asked.
She nodded mutely and followed him out of the room, glad to be out of the tense atmosphere.
(Present)
Ravyn stood from the bed, shifting her feet to avoid stepping on her haphazardly placed shoes. She stepped into bathroom, grabbing a towel from its hook on the wall. She flung the towel over the door of the shower. Reaching inside, she turned on the hot water. Stripping off her skirt and top, she stepped into the scalding water with a sigh of relief.
(Five years ago)
A week after the startling discovery had been made, after much arguing amongst the two Elders and Ravyn's parents, Ravyn, Kestral and Michael were on a private jet to Chicago, flying through the night sky. Ravyn, at 12, had never been on a plane before. She craned her neck, trying to see as much out the tiny, tinted window as she could. Michael, who was reading a medical magazine he had brought along, glanced up, chuckled at his daughter, and went back to reading.
They landed in Chicago O'Hare several hours later. The sun set early in the north in January, so Kestral could get off the plane without worry.
A tall, blonde woman was waiting for them in the terminal. Kestral saw her and waved, saying, "There's Evie!"
Evelyn waved back and they waded through the crowd towards her. When they got her, Ravyn saw that she was nearly six feet tall and very beautiful. Her blonde hair fell in beautiful golden waves nearly to her waist and her eyes were a crystalline purple. Ravyn gaped at her. Not only did Evelyn look impressive, but there was also a strong aura of power about her. This was not a woman to be trifled with.
Evelyn and Kestral embraced warmly.
"Good to see you again, Kes," Evelyn said. "How was the flight?"
Kestral shuddered. "Long. You know I hate flying!"
Evelyn grinned. "Aye, I do," she said, in imitation of Kestral's native Scottish brogue. Kestral laughed and turned to Michael.
"This is Michael," she told Evelyn.
Michael and Evelyn shook hands and Evelyn said, "The first hybrid, eh?" Michael looked sharply at her and she smiled. "Don't worry; your secret's safe with me. I've known about you guys for years." She turned to Ravyn. "You must be Ravyn." Her purple eyes, while slightly disconcerting, were friendly and warm. Evelyn extended her hand to Ravyn and shook it warmly, giving it a brief, reassuring squeeze before she let go, making Ravyn wonder if Evelyn understood just how nervous she was.
"Let's go," Evelyn said, turning and walking towards the baggage claim. After they had each grabbed their suitcases, the followed Evelyn out to her car and drove for an hour and half through the thick Chicago traffic. Ravyn marveled at the amount of people still on the streets. It was eight thirty, fully dark, and the streets were still full.
When they arrived at Evelyn's house in a small town—village, actually, according to the sign they'd seen which read: Welcome to the Village of Cary—outside Chicago, it was ten o'clock, but Ravyn was wide awake. Inside her house, her two daughters were waiting in the kitchen. The older of the two, Adara, was sitting at the kitchen table, polishing a sword. The younger, Amarice, was standing by the oven, wiping chocolate crumbs off the counter.
Adara was seventeen, two years older than Amarice. Both girls had their mother's purple eyes and wavy hair, though theirs was auburn. Adara's reached halfway down her back and Amarice's was short and bound up in a pony tail. Both girls were incredibly tall, almost as tall as their mother.
Evelyn introduced them all, and when Adara shook Ravyn's hand, she gave her a curious look and said, "You've an interesting future ahead."
"Adara has a touch of the Sight," Evelyn explained. She introduced Amarice, who was peering into the oven.
"This is my youngest," Evelyn said, gesturing to her daughter, "Amarice."
Hearing her name, Amarice turned and gave a little wave. "Like chocolate cake?" she asked Ravyn. She had a slight Chicago accent, which Ravyn would later learn to imitate.
Ravyn nodded shyly and Amarice gestured her over. Ravyn crossed the kitchen obediently.
"Nervous?" Amarice whispered to her. Ravyn nodded. "Don't be. Mom's a good teacher. And if you have a bad day, there's always the horses."
"Horses?"
"Yeah. Aunt Lisa owns the stables next door. You wanna see?"
"Sure!"
Amarice turned to her family. "Adara, would you take the cake out when the buzzer goes? I'm going to show Ravyn the horses."
"Sure. Give Dancer a carrot, will you?"
"Yeah." Amarice grabbed Ravyn's hand and pulled her outside. They walked across the large yard to a long building. Amarice opened the door and they walked into the stables. She ducked into the office on the right of the door and came back with four carrots.
"Aunt Lisa keeps a supply of carrots and apples in her office," Amarice told Ravyn as they walked down the long aisle, passing several sleeping horses. The stable smelled strongly of horse—What else? Ravyn thought—and Ravyn found it strangely calming. Amarice stopped by the door of a stall. A very tall blood bay mare put her head over the door and bumped Amarice's shoulder with her nose, clearly asking for a treat. Amarice laughed and gave her the carrot.
"This is Rustic Dream. She's Mom's horse."
"She's beautiful," Ravyn breathed.
"She's of the elven kind," Amarice told her. Ravyn looked at her curiously. "Mom brought her back from the Other World," Amarice said, as if that explained everything.
"Oh." Ravyn stroked Rustic Dream's nose. Amarice patted the mare's neck and went to the next stall. The horse beside Rustic Dream was a palomino gelding a little shorter than Rustic Dream, with a blue halter that read Wind Dancer across the nose. He had a small white star on his forehead that was barely visible because his natural coat was so light.
"Hey Dancer," Amarice said softly. "Got a carrot for you." Wind Dancer snorted with interest and walked up to the door. Amarice held out a carrot in the palm of her hand and Wind Dancer lipped it eagerly into his mouth. As the horse chewed contentedly, Amarice told Ravyn, "Dancer, and my horse, Dark Moon, are both Dream's foals." Amarice walked a little way down the aisle to another stall. Inside, there was a peculiarly colored mare. She was very dark, almost black, except for her mane and tail, which were a pure white.
"This is my baby," Amarice said lovingly, opening the door to the stall. "She's only two years old, so she's younger than all the other horses here, but she's a sweetie. Can you hand me the box on the floor?" Amarice gave her horse the remaining carrot in her hand as Ravyn picked up the box filled with grooming supplies that rested near the door to Dark Moon's stall. She handed it over the top of the door, and Amarice took it, pulling out a curry comb. She slid the comb onto her hand and began to brush her horse. Dark Moon gave a little whinny of pleasure as Amarice brushed her neck. Amarice laughed and rubbed Dark Moon's nose.
Ravyn watched her for a few minutes, then said, "May I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"What's your, um, power?"
Amarice stared at her blankly for a minute, then said, "Oh! My magic, you mean?"
"Yeah."
"I have general enchantress abilities, you know changing shape, disguises, invisibility, healing, that sort of thing, and I'm an empath. I used to be able to read minds, but I can't really do it anymore; now I can just sense emotions and the reason for them, and sometimes I can get an impression of what someone is thinking, but not very often."
She looked at Ravyn. "You, for instance, are nervous about training with someone like my mother and about leaving your home, but you're also excited about it."
"That's amazing," Ravyn exclaimed. "Will I be able to do that?"
Amarice glanced up from Dark Moon's back, a small frown on her face. "I'm not sure. From what Mom's told me, what you've got isn't magic, it's sort of sixth sense. So we don't really know what you'll be to do. Mom and Adara have some guesses, but we don't really know anything for sure."
As if summoned by her name, Adara opened the door to the stable.
"Mom and Kes are going to fight!" she said excitedly. Amarice abandoned her brushing, dumping the curry comb into the grooming box, and started out of the stall, saying, "Really? With what?"
"Sais for Mom, scimitars for Kestral. What else? They're both too attached to their weapons if you ask me."
Amarice laughed and grabbed Ravyn's arm, pulling her out of the stable. "Come on. We can visit the horses later, this will be something to see."
Adara led them to a lighted area in the backyard that must have been specially made for the purpose of fighting, because the grass had been stripped away in shape of a square, and the earth underneath was packed down, so as not to blow dust in the combatants' faces. Immediately, Ravyn noticed that both Evelyn and Kestral had changed clothes. Evelyn wore a long skirt with slits on both sides that reached halfway up her thighs, and a black spaghetti-strap shirt that bared her flat midriff. Her long blonde hair was bound back in a braid, and she had a wicked grin on her face.
Kestral wore a form-fitting red gown, also with slits. Her thick red curls flew free and she, too, was grinning. Both women were barefoot, and they each held their weapons with a familiarity that made Ravyn wonder just what Kestral had been before she was turned. Michael stood a little ways off from the field, his cheeks red at seeing Evelyn and Kestral dressed so. Ravyn ignored her father, turning her attention to the fight about to begin.
"Ready?" Evelyn said. Her voice was somehow different, in a subtle way Ravyn couldn't quite place, as though it had a different texture. There was a slight accent to it that Ravyn had never heard before.
"Uh oh," Adara said under her breath as Kestral nodded.
"What?" Ravyn asked.
"Evelyn's let Adalon take over," Adara explained, her eyes fixed on the two circling women. "Kestral's going to get her ass kicked."
"Who?" Ravyn asked, confused.
"Adalon," Amarice repeated. "She's kinda like Mom's alter ego."
"It's a bit more complicated than that," Adara said, almost absently, watching the fight that was about to unfold. "But that's fairly close." Neither of them would say anything more on the subject, as the fight had begun.
Ravyn flinched as the blades struck each other and sparks flew. Evelyn's eyes seemed to grow an even more intense purple, and Kestral's green eyes sparkled with delight. She hadn't had a good fight in years; not since the fight with Endainme En'Dae when Ravyn was a baby.
Ravyn watched the fight with growing interest. Evelyn was clearly the better fighter, but she let Kestral take the offensive. The design of the sais made for an excellent defensive weapon, and Evelyn had mastered the skill of allowing her opponent to take the offensive side of the fight, until an opening presented itself. Then, she would move quickly, swiftly disarming her opponent and moving in for the kill.
Ravyn marveled at the women's skill. Kestral was a few hundred years older than Evelyn and yet the blonde woman was much better with her weapons.
The fight ended a few moments later, when Evelyn suddenly surged forward, with the speed and grace of an experienced fighter, sending one of Kestral's scimitars flying. Before the Scotswoman could react, Evelyn had one sai pressed against Kestral's abdomen, the other at her throat.
"You've gotten better," Evelyn said approvingly, stepping back. "Been practicing, have you?" Her voice was back to normal now.
"Aye," Kestral said with a sigh, going to retrieve her fallen scimitar. "And I thought I'd be able to beat you, too."
Evelyn laughed. "Endainme En'Dae's the only I've met who can do that. In this world anyway. There's something you get from training with ten women who could easily hang you by your belt with one hand and their eyes closed that will get you in fighting shape in no time. And besides that, you didn't train with Endainme En'Dae for several centuries. Twelve years has improved you a fair amount, but not enough to quite make up for the centuries of idleness."
Ravyn's jaw dropped at Evelyn's casual dismissal of time. Michael, who was standing a little ways off, and still young himself, looked similarly shocked. Kestral, however, just shrugged, and asked, "Care to go again?"
"You'll probably have better luck against one of the girls," Evelyn said, making eye contact with Adara and raising an eyebrow.
"Sure," Adara said. She walked towards Kestral, her own sais appearing in her hands and her clothing transforming into loose brown pants and a white shirt.
"Am I in for another miserable defeat?" Kestral joked.
Adara grinned. "We'll see, won't we?" Without warning, she attacked, sais flashing in the darkness as the light from the streetlights caught the blades.
Evelyn came and stood by Ravyn, her sais disappearing and her skirt becoming jeans. Ravyn gaped at her, astonished by such a visible display of magic.
"Hey," Evelyn said, plopping down on the grass beside Ravyn, her long legs sprawling out on the ground. One leg of her jeans flopped up to reveal a small white line just above her ankle bone. Evelyn impatiently flicked the jeans down to hide it and patted the ground beside her. "Have a seat."
Ravyn sat obediently, folding her legs Indian-style.
"I've talked to your dad," Evelyn told her. "He's agreed to let you stay as long as needed."
"How long is that?" Ravyn asked.
"Depends," Evelyn said slowly. "It took me almost three years to learn enough, but I didn't have a teacher; I had to figure everything out for myself. My guess is that it will take you a year and a half, two years, tops."
Over the next year and a half, Ravyn learned to build a wall around her mind to prevent the constant bombardment of other's thoughts. She learned to read minds, to subtly alter a person's memory, to control their thoughts, amplify their feelings, and to change her appearance by altering people's perception of her. Evelyn had also taught her how to fight.
Ravyn had returned to Ordoghaz when she was almost fourteen. Three years later, she had begun having problems building her wall. It had gotten so bad that she had almost forgotten where she was. In a panic, she had fled to her godfather Lucian's manor, Farkas Kikötõ. Her Hungarian was very limited, but she knew enough to know that that meant Wolf Haven. Lucian had helped her get a plane ticket to Chicago and had called Evelyn to ask her to pick Ravyn up at the airport.
The plane ride had been a mental agony. The thoughts of everyone around her pressed against her mind, making her feel as though she was no longer herself, no longer Ravyn. She was hundred other people, everyone bur Ravyn.
As soon as she stepped off the plane, Evelyn had taken one look at her, and said something sharply to Amarice, which Ravyn couldn't understand because of the weight pressing against her mind.
There was a flash of blue-green light and then everything went black.
When she woke, she was lying on her back on Evelyn's sofa. There was a silence around her and she knew that no one was near her, because she still could not put up her wall, and yet she heard nothing.
Evelyn walked in and Ravyn was amazed to find that the silence in her mind remained. Evelyn handed her a cup of tea and she sat up, taking it and sipping it gratefully.
"Feeling better?"
Ravyn nodded. "How did I get here?"
"Amarice and I transported you. Your parents called, by the way. They aren't happy about you leaving like that, and I told them you'd call when you were better. I had Amarice put up a substitute wall until we can figure out what's wrong with yours. Can you tell me what happened?"
Ravyn took another sip of the tea and sighed. "I can't build my wall. I've tried, and I just...can't."
Evelyn frowned slightly. "When did this happen?"
"It started about two weeks ago. It's happened before, for a few hours, but never this long. And it's never been this strong."
"Strong?" Evelyn echoed, confused.
"Usually, when it happens, I lock myself in my room, and I'm okay until it passes. This time, I'm hearing the thoughts of everyone in the same building as me. Nothing can stop it. It's horrible. And whenever I try to put up a wall, I get horrible headaches."
Evelyn's frowned deepened. "Do you think you can stand to have Amarice take a peek inside your mind? She can't read thoughts, so it shouldn't be too bad. And she'll be able to tell what's the matter with you better than I can."
Ravyn took another sip of her tea to hide her face while she thought.
"All right."
When Amarice came in, she gently prodded Ravyn's mind and instantly pulled away in horror.
"What is it?" Evelyn asked anxiously.
"Cold iron." Amarice shuddered.
Evelyn's expression darkened and her hands clenched involuntarily.
"How the hell did it get in her mind?"
"Xareth," Amarice said with distaste.
Ravyn, who had been looking from mother to daughter with an extremely confused look on her face, asked, "Who's Xareth? And what's cold iron?"
Evelyn extended one arm towards Ravyn, showing her her wrists. Around the base of the palm, where hand and arm meet, there was a thin line of white scar tissue.
"When I was twenty four," Evelyn said, her voice flat and emotionless. "Xareth bound me in cold iron for almost a full year. He put bands of it on my wrists and ankles. It was there for so long that it left me with scars. Cold iron is a foul sustenance. Magic abhors the touch of it, and it hates magic. If you touch cold iron and try to use your power, it will seize it and use it to drain your power and cause you intense pain. When it has taken all of your power, it will begin on your life. The pain is...intense. It's like being burned from the inside out." She shuddered in memory, then looked at Ravyn with purple eyes clouded by memory. "Somehow Xareth has reached across the border between worlds and planted the mental equivalent of it in your mind." She turned to Amarice. "Go get your sister and Aunt Lisa. We'll need their help."
Amarice nodded and left.
Evelyn took Ravyn's tea cup from her hand and gently pushed her back into the couch. She soothed Ravyn's dark hair back and said, "This will be painful. It's best if you're asleep."
Almost instantly, Ravyn felt very drowsy. It took considerable effort just to keep her eyes open. She shut them, and slipped into unconsciousness.
The four of them—Adara, Amarice, Evelyn, and Lisa, whoever she was—had extracted the cold iron from her mind. Ravyn woke with her wall already in place. She could have gone back to Budapest, but decided to stay in Chicago. She called her parents to tell them of her decision. They weren't happy about it, but short of flying to Chicago and physically dragging her home, there was nothing they could do to dissuade her. With Evelyn's help, she had moved downtown, bought an apartment, and taken her first job as an assassin. After three jobs, she had received an offer to join the Guild, an elite team of assassins. They were the highest paid assassins in the Chicago underworld.
Because of her unique balance of vampire and lycan, Ravyn could take the form of human, vampire, lycan, or hybrid. She had worked alone until she was almost eighteen, luring her victims into dark alleys, where she transformed and killed. As she approached her eighteenth birthday, she had met Chris, a lead singer in a band, and a fellow Guild member. They had worked together for six months before parting as friends.
Ravyn got out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel. She finger-combed her hair, letting the droplets fall where they would. She remembered with an odd clarity those six months with Chris. She had become infatuated with him and he with her. That was part of the reason they had stopped working together. Though he didn't know why she kept refusing his offer of a date, she knew that because she was a hybrid and he was a human, they could never be together.
She sighed, pulling on her pajamas and falling into bed. She pulled the heavy comforter over her. Maybe someday, she would tell him.
Maybe.
A/N: My goodness, that was long. While chapter three hasn't been written yet, it's all planned out in my head, so an update should be forthcoming. PLEASE REVIEW!! Reviews make me happy and happy writers write faster!
Disclaimer: all characters in this chapter, except Selene and Michael, are mine. Selene and Michael, however, don't own, don't sue. Got it?
Chapter 2: Memory
The first thing Ravyn did when she got back to her apartment was kick off her heels. She sighed with relief, collapsing onto her bed, massaging her aching feet.
I hate heels, she thought. She let her feet drop to the floor, lying back on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling, focusing on a small dot on the ceiling. She cleared her mind, staring fixedly at the dot. When her mind was completely blank, she shut her eyes and relieved the night that had passed. It had been several weeks since she'd done a job, and consequently, several weeks since she had fed. She remembered the taste of his blood and ran her tongue along her lips in memory. Sometimes she regretted her choice of occupation. Something in her soul always twinged just before she killed her victim, but as she drank, all she thought of was the taste of the blood as it ran down her throat as her carnal instincts took over. And after, when she relived the death of her victim, remembering the feel of his pulse against her mouth, pushing the blood down her throat as she sucked hungrily and the sweet, slightly metallic taste of the lifeblood of her prey, she felt no remorse then. But between jobs, between killings, she regretted the deaths of those she killed.
The man she had killed tonight, Seth Parker, had deserved what he got. He was a well known drug dealer and rapist. Most of Ravyn's victims came from the upper underworld, which is what the members of the Guild called the lesser criminals. Those who didn't kill. Ravyn often thought that, while her victims' deaths were certainly an effective way to get them off the street, she also wished that she did not have to be the one to do it.
Ravyn was an assassin. She had come to Chicago two years ago, when she was seventeen. Her parents had not been thrilled, saying that an unfamiliar city, with unfamiliar faces was dangerous for someone like her. But she'd had to come. She couldn't have stayed in Budapest any longer. She had thought she was going insane there.
(Seven years ago)
It had started when she was ten. She had begun to hear voices when she was in a crowded room. When she'd finally told her mother, Selene had said, "Maybe it's something to do with being a hybrid. Let's ask your father."
Her father, Michael, had frowned and said, "I'll ask Lucian. He's the expert on this and I know I haven't heard any voices."
Lucian had also frowned and told them, "I'll look into it."
But he hadn't found anything. It was her mother's friends, the Elders Kestral, the red-haired, green-eyed, Scotswoman, and Endainme En'Dae, the former Amazon queen, who found the answer. Since the system of leapfrogging had been abolished, both Kestral and Endainme En'Dae were awake to help.
"Close your eyes," Endainme En'Dae commanded. "What do you hear?"
Twelve-year-old Ravyn had obediently shut her eyes and listened. The room was not crowded, only her mother, Kestral and Endainme En'Dae were present. Ravyn did not expect to hear anything; previously she had never heard anything unless with at least six others. Nonetheless, she began to hear small whispers. One of the voices she recognized as Selene's, and she focused in on it.
"I hope Endainme En'Dae knows what to do," Selene was saying. "I sure as hell don't. What if there's something seriously wrong with her?" A note of panic had entered her mother's voice. "Oh God, please don't let anything be wrong with her!"
Ravyn's eyes snapped open and she stared at her mother. Selene's voice faded into the background with the other voices, her words becoming a jumble of syllables Ravyn could no longer understand.
"You aren't talking," Ravyn said stupidly, staring at her mother's firmly closed mouth.
Selene looked from her daughter to Endainme En'Dae and back. "Should I be?"
"I heard you," Ravyn insisted.
"Ah," Endainme En'Dae sighed. "I thought that was it."
"What?" Selene said in a panicked voice, turning to the Elder. "What is it?"
"Ravyn is hearing people's thoughts," Kestral explained. Selene gaped at her.
"That's impossible."
Kestral took a step forward and gently pushed Selene into a chair. Ravyn remained standing, staring, uncomprehending, at Endainme En'Dae.
"Close your mouth, Selene," Kestral commanded. "You look like a fish."
"That's not possible," Selene insisted. "How is that possible?"
Endainme En'Dae led Ravyn to a chair and pulled up a chair so that she could sit and face both Ravyn and Selene.
"Ravyn is the first born hybrid," she began. "And when she was conceived, Michael was still predominantly lycan, at least where it counts." She allowed herself a sly grin at Selene, causing the younger vampiress to blush furiously. "Both Lucian and Michael were lycans before they became hybrids," Endainme En'Dae continued. "Ravyn is a perfect blend of vampire and lycan. As a result, all her senses are very keen. That includes her mind's perception of what other people think and feel, so much that she can actually hear—if that's the right word—what people are thinking."
"You mean those voices—they are actually people's thoughts?" Ravyn asked incredulously.
Kestral nodded in unison with Endainme En'Dae.
"There must be something I can do to stop," Ravyn said desperately. "If I keep hearing the voices, I think I'll go mad."
Kestral smiled kindly at Ravyn and told her about a woman named Evelyn.
"She's an old friend of ours. She's human, but she's not exactly...normal."
"What do you mean, not normal?" Selene frowned.
"She's immortal for one thing," Kestral explained. "For another, she's got what can only be called magic."
"Magic isn't real," Selene scoffed.
"It's a bit complicated," Kestral said. "But by my understanding of it, Evelyn's soul got switched with that of a woman in another world, where there is magic. So, as a result of the gods' mistake, she had magic."
Selene stared at Kestral, her expression saying that she clearly thought Kestral had gone mad.
"When her magic first began to manifest itself, when Evelyn was fourteen, she had mind-reading and mind-control powers. She currently lives in Chicago. I suggest you send Ravyn there to learn from Evelyn. Otherwise, she probably will go mad."
Selene stared first at Kestral, then at Endainme En'Dae, who nodded, and back at Kestral. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Ravyn knew without looking that it was Khan, coming to take her to her fighting lesson. She stood as he put his head into the room.
"You ready for your lesson, Ravyn?" he asked.
She nodded mutely and followed him out of the room, glad to be out of the tense atmosphere.
(Present)
Ravyn stood from the bed, shifting her feet to avoid stepping on her haphazardly placed shoes. She stepped into bathroom, grabbing a towel from its hook on the wall. She flung the towel over the door of the shower. Reaching inside, she turned on the hot water. Stripping off her skirt and top, she stepped into the scalding water with a sigh of relief.
(Five years ago)
A week after the startling discovery had been made, after much arguing amongst the two Elders and Ravyn's parents, Ravyn, Kestral and Michael were on a private jet to Chicago, flying through the night sky. Ravyn, at 12, had never been on a plane before. She craned her neck, trying to see as much out the tiny, tinted window as she could. Michael, who was reading a medical magazine he had brought along, glanced up, chuckled at his daughter, and went back to reading.
They landed in Chicago O'Hare several hours later. The sun set early in the north in January, so Kestral could get off the plane without worry.
A tall, blonde woman was waiting for them in the terminal. Kestral saw her and waved, saying, "There's Evie!"
Evelyn waved back and they waded through the crowd towards her. When they got her, Ravyn saw that she was nearly six feet tall and very beautiful. Her blonde hair fell in beautiful golden waves nearly to her waist and her eyes were a crystalline purple. Ravyn gaped at her. Not only did Evelyn look impressive, but there was also a strong aura of power about her. This was not a woman to be trifled with.
Evelyn and Kestral embraced warmly.
"Good to see you again, Kes," Evelyn said. "How was the flight?"
Kestral shuddered. "Long. You know I hate flying!"
Evelyn grinned. "Aye, I do," she said, in imitation of Kestral's native Scottish brogue. Kestral laughed and turned to Michael.
"This is Michael," she told Evelyn.
Michael and Evelyn shook hands and Evelyn said, "The first hybrid, eh?" Michael looked sharply at her and she smiled. "Don't worry; your secret's safe with me. I've known about you guys for years." She turned to Ravyn. "You must be Ravyn." Her purple eyes, while slightly disconcerting, were friendly and warm. Evelyn extended her hand to Ravyn and shook it warmly, giving it a brief, reassuring squeeze before she let go, making Ravyn wonder if Evelyn understood just how nervous she was.
"Let's go," Evelyn said, turning and walking towards the baggage claim. After they had each grabbed their suitcases, the followed Evelyn out to her car and drove for an hour and half through the thick Chicago traffic. Ravyn marveled at the amount of people still on the streets. It was eight thirty, fully dark, and the streets were still full.
When they arrived at Evelyn's house in a small town—village, actually, according to the sign they'd seen which read: Welcome to the Village of Cary—outside Chicago, it was ten o'clock, but Ravyn was wide awake. Inside her house, her two daughters were waiting in the kitchen. The older of the two, Adara, was sitting at the kitchen table, polishing a sword. The younger, Amarice, was standing by the oven, wiping chocolate crumbs off the counter.
Adara was seventeen, two years older than Amarice. Both girls had their mother's purple eyes and wavy hair, though theirs was auburn. Adara's reached halfway down her back and Amarice's was short and bound up in a pony tail. Both girls were incredibly tall, almost as tall as their mother.
Evelyn introduced them all, and when Adara shook Ravyn's hand, she gave her a curious look and said, "You've an interesting future ahead."
"Adara has a touch of the Sight," Evelyn explained. She introduced Amarice, who was peering into the oven.
"This is my youngest," Evelyn said, gesturing to her daughter, "Amarice."
Hearing her name, Amarice turned and gave a little wave. "Like chocolate cake?" she asked Ravyn. She had a slight Chicago accent, which Ravyn would later learn to imitate.
Ravyn nodded shyly and Amarice gestured her over. Ravyn crossed the kitchen obediently.
"Nervous?" Amarice whispered to her. Ravyn nodded. "Don't be. Mom's a good teacher. And if you have a bad day, there's always the horses."
"Horses?"
"Yeah. Aunt Lisa owns the stables next door. You wanna see?"
"Sure!"
Amarice turned to her family. "Adara, would you take the cake out when the buzzer goes? I'm going to show Ravyn the horses."
"Sure. Give Dancer a carrot, will you?"
"Yeah." Amarice grabbed Ravyn's hand and pulled her outside. They walked across the large yard to a long building. Amarice opened the door and they walked into the stables. She ducked into the office on the right of the door and came back with four carrots.
"Aunt Lisa keeps a supply of carrots and apples in her office," Amarice told Ravyn as they walked down the long aisle, passing several sleeping horses. The stable smelled strongly of horse—What else? Ravyn thought—and Ravyn found it strangely calming. Amarice stopped by the door of a stall. A very tall blood bay mare put her head over the door and bumped Amarice's shoulder with her nose, clearly asking for a treat. Amarice laughed and gave her the carrot.
"This is Rustic Dream. She's Mom's horse."
"She's beautiful," Ravyn breathed.
"She's of the elven kind," Amarice told her. Ravyn looked at her curiously. "Mom brought her back from the Other World," Amarice said, as if that explained everything.
"Oh." Ravyn stroked Rustic Dream's nose. Amarice patted the mare's neck and went to the next stall. The horse beside Rustic Dream was a palomino gelding a little shorter than Rustic Dream, with a blue halter that read Wind Dancer across the nose. He had a small white star on his forehead that was barely visible because his natural coat was so light.
"Hey Dancer," Amarice said softly. "Got a carrot for you." Wind Dancer snorted with interest and walked up to the door. Amarice held out a carrot in the palm of her hand and Wind Dancer lipped it eagerly into his mouth. As the horse chewed contentedly, Amarice told Ravyn, "Dancer, and my horse, Dark Moon, are both Dream's foals." Amarice walked a little way down the aisle to another stall. Inside, there was a peculiarly colored mare. She was very dark, almost black, except for her mane and tail, which were a pure white.
"This is my baby," Amarice said lovingly, opening the door to the stall. "She's only two years old, so she's younger than all the other horses here, but she's a sweetie. Can you hand me the box on the floor?" Amarice gave her horse the remaining carrot in her hand as Ravyn picked up the box filled with grooming supplies that rested near the door to Dark Moon's stall. She handed it over the top of the door, and Amarice took it, pulling out a curry comb. She slid the comb onto her hand and began to brush her horse. Dark Moon gave a little whinny of pleasure as Amarice brushed her neck. Amarice laughed and rubbed Dark Moon's nose.
Ravyn watched her for a few minutes, then said, "May I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"What's your, um, power?"
Amarice stared at her blankly for a minute, then said, "Oh! My magic, you mean?"
"Yeah."
"I have general enchantress abilities, you know changing shape, disguises, invisibility, healing, that sort of thing, and I'm an empath. I used to be able to read minds, but I can't really do it anymore; now I can just sense emotions and the reason for them, and sometimes I can get an impression of what someone is thinking, but not very often."
She looked at Ravyn. "You, for instance, are nervous about training with someone like my mother and about leaving your home, but you're also excited about it."
"That's amazing," Ravyn exclaimed. "Will I be able to do that?"
Amarice glanced up from Dark Moon's back, a small frown on her face. "I'm not sure. From what Mom's told me, what you've got isn't magic, it's sort of sixth sense. So we don't really know what you'll be to do. Mom and Adara have some guesses, but we don't really know anything for sure."
As if summoned by her name, Adara opened the door to the stable.
"Mom and Kes are going to fight!" she said excitedly. Amarice abandoned her brushing, dumping the curry comb into the grooming box, and started out of the stall, saying, "Really? With what?"
"Sais for Mom, scimitars for Kestral. What else? They're both too attached to their weapons if you ask me."
Amarice laughed and grabbed Ravyn's arm, pulling her out of the stable. "Come on. We can visit the horses later, this will be something to see."
Adara led them to a lighted area in the backyard that must have been specially made for the purpose of fighting, because the grass had been stripped away in shape of a square, and the earth underneath was packed down, so as not to blow dust in the combatants' faces. Immediately, Ravyn noticed that both Evelyn and Kestral had changed clothes. Evelyn wore a long skirt with slits on both sides that reached halfway up her thighs, and a black spaghetti-strap shirt that bared her flat midriff. Her long blonde hair was bound back in a braid, and she had a wicked grin on her face.
Kestral wore a form-fitting red gown, also with slits. Her thick red curls flew free and she, too, was grinning. Both women were barefoot, and they each held their weapons with a familiarity that made Ravyn wonder just what Kestral had been before she was turned. Michael stood a little ways off from the field, his cheeks red at seeing Evelyn and Kestral dressed so. Ravyn ignored her father, turning her attention to the fight about to begin.
"Ready?" Evelyn said. Her voice was somehow different, in a subtle way Ravyn couldn't quite place, as though it had a different texture. There was a slight accent to it that Ravyn had never heard before.
"Uh oh," Adara said under her breath as Kestral nodded.
"What?" Ravyn asked.
"Evelyn's let Adalon take over," Adara explained, her eyes fixed on the two circling women. "Kestral's going to get her ass kicked."
"Who?" Ravyn asked, confused.
"Adalon," Amarice repeated. "She's kinda like Mom's alter ego."
"It's a bit more complicated than that," Adara said, almost absently, watching the fight that was about to unfold. "But that's fairly close." Neither of them would say anything more on the subject, as the fight had begun.
Ravyn flinched as the blades struck each other and sparks flew. Evelyn's eyes seemed to grow an even more intense purple, and Kestral's green eyes sparkled with delight. She hadn't had a good fight in years; not since the fight with Endainme En'Dae when Ravyn was a baby.
Ravyn watched the fight with growing interest. Evelyn was clearly the better fighter, but she let Kestral take the offensive. The design of the sais made for an excellent defensive weapon, and Evelyn had mastered the skill of allowing her opponent to take the offensive side of the fight, until an opening presented itself. Then, she would move quickly, swiftly disarming her opponent and moving in for the kill.
Ravyn marveled at the women's skill. Kestral was a few hundred years older than Evelyn and yet the blonde woman was much better with her weapons.
The fight ended a few moments later, when Evelyn suddenly surged forward, with the speed and grace of an experienced fighter, sending one of Kestral's scimitars flying. Before the Scotswoman could react, Evelyn had one sai pressed against Kestral's abdomen, the other at her throat.
"You've gotten better," Evelyn said approvingly, stepping back. "Been practicing, have you?" Her voice was back to normal now.
"Aye," Kestral said with a sigh, going to retrieve her fallen scimitar. "And I thought I'd be able to beat you, too."
Evelyn laughed. "Endainme En'Dae's the only I've met who can do that. In this world anyway. There's something you get from training with ten women who could easily hang you by your belt with one hand and their eyes closed that will get you in fighting shape in no time. And besides that, you didn't train with Endainme En'Dae for several centuries. Twelve years has improved you a fair amount, but not enough to quite make up for the centuries of idleness."
Ravyn's jaw dropped at Evelyn's casual dismissal of time. Michael, who was standing a little ways off, and still young himself, looked similarly shocked. Kestral, however, just shrugged, and asked, "Care to go again?"
"You'll probably have better luck against one of the girls," Evelyn said, making eye contact with Adara and raising an eyebrow.
"Sure," Adara said. She walked towards Kestral, her own sais appearing in her hands and her clothing transforming into loose brown pants and a white shirt.
"Am I in for another miserable defeat?" Kestral joked.
Adara grinned. "We'll see, won't we?" Without warning, she attacked, sais flashing in the darkness as the light from the streetlights caught the blades.
Evelyn came and stood by Ravyn, her sais disappearing and her skirt becoming jeans. Ravyn gaped at her, astonished by such a visible display of magic.
"Hey," Evelyn said, plopping down on the grass beside Ravyn, her long legs sprawling out on the ground. One leg of her jeans flopped up to reveal a small white line just above her ankle bone. Evelyn impatiently flicked the jeans down to hide it and patted the ground beside her. "Have a seat."
Ravyn sat obediently, folding her legs Indian-style.
"I've talked to your dad," Evelyn told her. "He's agreed to let you stay as long as needed."
"How long is that?" Ravyn asked.
"Depends," Evelyn said slowly. "It took me almost three years to learn enough, but I didn't have a teacher; I had to figure everything out for myself. My guess is that it will take you a year and a half, two years, tops."
Over the next year and a half, Ravyn learned to build a wall around her mind to prevent the constant bombardment of other's thoughts. She learned to read minds, to subtly alter a person's memory, to control their thoughts, amplify their feelings, and to change her appearance by altering people's perception of her. Evelyn had also taught her how to fight.
Ravyn had returned to Ordoghaz when she was almost fourteen. Three years later, she had begun having problems building her wall. It had gotten so bad that she had almost forgotten where she was. In a panic, she had fled to her godfather Lucian's manor, Farkas Kikötõ. Her Hungarian was very limited, but she knew enough to know that that meant Wolf Haven. Lucian had helped her get a plane ticket to Chicago and had called Evelyn to ask her to pick Ravyn up at the airport.
The plane ride had been a mental agony. The thoughts of everyone around her pressed against her mind, making her feel as though she was no longer herself, no longer Ravyn. She was hundred other people, everyone bur Ravyn.
As soon as she stepped off the plane, Evelyn had taken one look at her, and said something sharply to Amarice, which Ravyn couldn't understand because of the weight pressing against her mind.
There was a flash of blue-green light and then everything went black.
When she woke, she was lying on her back on Evelyn's sofa. There was a silence around her and she knew that no one was near her, because she still could not put up her wall, and yet she heard nothing.
Evelyn walked in and Ravyn was amazed to find that the silence in her mind remained. Evelyn handed her a cup of tea and she sat up, taking it and sipping it gratefully.
"Feeling better?"
Ravyn nodded. "How did I get here?"
"Amarice and I transported you. Your parents called, by the way. They aren't happy about you leaving like that, and I told them you'd call when you were better. I had Amarice put up a substitute wall until we can figure out what's wrong with yours. Can you tell me what happened?"
Ravyn took another sip of the tea and sighed. "I can't build my wall. I've tried, and I just...can't."
Evelyn frowned slightly. "When did this happen?"
"It started about two weeks ago. It's happened before, for a few hours, but never this long. And it's never been this strong."
"Strong?" Evelyn echoed, confused.
"Usually, when it happens, I lock myself in my room, and I'm okay until it passes. This time, I'm hearing the thoughts of everyone in the same building as me. Nothing can stop it. It's horrible. And whenever I try to put up a wall, I get horrible headaches."
Evelyn's frowned deepened. "Do you think you can stand to have Amarice take a peek inside your mind? She can't read thoughts, so it shouldn't be too bad. And she'll be able to tell what's the matter with you better than I can."
Ravyn took another sip of her tea to hide her face while she thought.
"All right."
When Amarice came in, she gently prodded Ravyn's mind and instantly pulled away in horror.
"What is it?" Evelyn asked anxiously.
"Cold iron." Amarice shuddered.
Evelyn's expression darkened and her hands clenched involuntarily.
"How the hell did it get in her mind?"
"Xareth," Amarice said with distaste.
Ravyn, who had been looking from mother to daughter with an extremely confused look on her face, asked, "Who's Xareth? And what's cold iron?"
Evelyn extended one arm towards Ravyn, showing her her wrists. Around the base of the palm, where hand and arm meet, there was a thin line of white scar tissue.
"When I was twenty four," Evelyn said, her voice flat and emotionless. "Xareth bound me in cold iron for almost a full year. He put bands of it on my wrists and ankles. It was there for so long that it left me with scars. Cold iron is a foul sustenance. Magic abhors the touch of it, and it hates magic. If you touch cold iron and try to use your power, it will seize it and use it to drain your power and cause you intense pain. When it has taken all of your power, it will begin on your life. The pain is...intense. It's like being burned from the inside out." She shuddered in memory, then looked at Ravyn with purple eyes clouded by memory. "Somehow Xareth has reached across the border between worlds and planted the mental equivalent of it in your mind." She turned to Amarice. "Go get your sister and Aunt Lisa. We'll need their help."
Amarice nodded and left.
Evelyn took Ravyn's tea cup from her hand and gently pushed her back into the couch. She soothed Ravyn's dark hair back and said, "This will be painful. It's best if you're asleep."
Almost instantly, Ravyn felt very drowsy. It took considerable effort just to keep her eyes open. She shut them, and slipped into unconsciousness.
The four of them—Adara, Amarice, Evelyn, and Lisa, whoever she was—had extracted the cold iron from her mind. Ravyn woke with her wall already in place. She could have gone back to Budapest, but decided to stay in Chicago. She called her parents to tell them of her decision. They weren't happy about it, but short of flying to Chicago and physically dragging her home, there was nothing they could do to dissuade her. With Evelyn's help, she had moved downtown, bought an apartment, and taken her first job as an assassin. After three jobs, she had received an offer to join the Guild, an elite team of assassins. They were the highest paid assassins in the Chicago underworld.
Because of her unique balance of vampire and lycan, Ravyn could take the form of human, vampire, lycan, or hybrid. She had worked alone until she was almost eighteen, luring her victims into dark alleys, where she transformed and killed. As she approached her eighteenth birthday, she had met Chris, a lead singer in a band, and a fellow Guild member. They had worked together for six months before parting as friends.
Ravyn got out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel. She finger-combed her hair, letting the droplets fall where they would. She remembered with an odd clarity those six months with Chris. She had become infatuated with him and he with her. That was part of the reason they had stopped working together. Though he didn't know why she kept refusing his offer of a date, she knew that because she was a hybrid and he was a human, they could never be together.
She sighed, pulling on her pajamas and falling into bed. She pulled the heavy comforter over her. Maybe someday, she would tell him.
Maybe.
A/N: My goodness, that was long. While chapter three hasn't been written yet, it's all planned out in my head, so an update should be forthcoming. PLEASE REVIEW!! Reviews make me happy and happy writers write faster!