Spellbound
I was reading over some of the older reviews and I almost got my feelings hurt again bc of the meaness but then I thought of ya'll. A HUGE amount of them were encouraging and I want to thank each of you for your support and for continuing to read and review the story. Most of you have been so kind with your criticisms and I appreciate it.
Anyway, here is part three. I know that it's late but I have to work and until my daughter finds a job, she's still on the payroll. I am going to post another chapter but it may take a few of days so that I can check for errors but I will get it done. I hope that ya'll are enjoying the ride to the end and it hope that it's not going to disappoint you or has been disappointing you. I can't thank ya'll enough for reading, reviewing, and making this story one of your favorites. Ya'll are the best of the best.
The story idea is mine but most of the characters belong to Ms. Harris.
Russell jumped up from the floor and glared at the vampiress. He was not going to let Thalia disrespect him as she'd just done. She may be older than he is but she will know that she has a fight on her hands. He was ready for combat. He believed that he looked as fearless as he usually does. With his age and power behind him, there was no vampire alive that would dare to battle with him without feeling his wrath. He was crouched and ready to fight. Any other vampire would have been afraid of him … should have been afraid of him but not Thalia. She returned his glare but had her hands folded behind her back. She may not have looked it but she was ready for whatever Russell had to throw her way.
Eric made his way to stand behind Russell. He looked at Thalia over the vampire king's shoulder and gave her 'the look'. 'The look' meant that she only needed to give him the signal and whatever she needed of him, he would give to her.
Before she could reply to it, the AP's thunderous voice filled the air. "Each of you stand down or feel my wrath," she warned. "Speak your peace without resorting to violence. We are above that. We no longer live in the dark ages. We are to be the epitome of honor and valor. We must carry ourselves as such. How are we to expect our underlings to follow our lead with honor and dignity when we lead with violence and deceit? That is not what we strive for on this council. Now, stand down and remember who you are."
Thalia looked at Russell and apologized. "I was wrong for my behavior. Though you are a liar and a disgrace to our race and to the blood that flows through your veins, I never should've stooped to your level." She then turned to the AP and said, "You have my deepest apologies, Mistress. I will never disappoint you again. I will never disrespect this council again." She looked at her fellow council members and repeated her earlier sentiments. "Please forgive me."
They accepted her apology with a nod.
"No need for apologies, child," the Pythoness said. "Just remember who you are. Never stoop to the level of thine enemy."
Thalia bowed to the AP as she returned to her seat.
Russell opened his mouth to apologize but was stopped. "Sit, Russell," the AP said. "I've had enough of your theatrics to last me an eternity."
"But I …," he began.
"But nothing," she said. She turned away from Russell and gave her attention to Thalia. "Why do you call him a liar, Thalia? What do you know?"
Russell obediently shut his mouth while Salome eyed him with pure disgust.
"I know many things, Mistress," Thalia answered. "But I can't tell you what you need to hear. It is not my story to tell."
Russell began to laugh heartily. "You are exactly right, underling. It's nothing more than a story that will be told. I have no involvement with Andre's plans." Fanning his arm out behind him, he proclaimed, "Neither I or my fellow king and queen have anything to do with what André has done. We are innocent of any wrongdoings. He is the one that should be standing before you. He is the one that should be defending his name. We should not be made to take the blame for what our leader has done. We are innocent."
"Is that your truth?" Godric asked Russell.
Nodding, he said, "It is."
"What say you, Salome and Bart?" Godric asked the queen and king respectfully. "Is it your truth as well? Do you feel as Russell feels?"
"It is," they answered simultaneously. "And yes we do."
"If anything, we are being played as pawns," Russell stated. "André has not shown up for tonight's meeting … again and he has left us to fend off these preposterous allegations. He is supposed to be our leader and this is what he does to us? He has allowed each of you to accuse us of being in on his ill planned schemes. This was what he and Copley Carmichael wanted. This was not what I wanted. This is not what Salome and Bart wanted. We didn't want those poor halflings to die. That was never our goal."
"I don't know if I believe that. From what we see here," Sandy said as she flipped through the file that she was given. "Each of you; you, Salome, Freyda, and Bart funded this little project of Andre's and you knew what he'd planned. You alone, Russell, donated $3,000,000 to this 'ill planned scheme.'" She looked up at him with empty eyes and asked, "How can you say that you weren't involved?"
Russell had a ready answer. "He only told us that he'd had plan to market the blood of halflings. We'd assumed that he'd had a human on tap. We had no clue that he was using unwilling humans … halflings! We are just as surprised as you all are. There is no way that we would have been involved with the murdering of faeries ... full blooded or not. We are not callous monsters. We are kings and queens. We would never do what we are being accused of."
"Really?" Shiloh asked.
"Really," Russell answered.
Removing a document from the file, Shiloh waved it at the vampire king and said, "This here says that the girls were kept in a warehouse that's in your name. How is it possible that you weren't aware?"
He didn't have a ready answer for that question but he didn't have to stand there in silence for too much longer. He had backup.
Salome began to laugh. "Russell is the king of Mississippi. He has property all over and if André has access to said property, I can guarantee that he's going to use it to his advantage. We may have unknowingly supported André in his plan to conquer the blood market but I promise you, on my blood, that we were nowhere near that warehouse."
"I saw you," Amelia whispered as she appeared from behind the curtain. She was standing with Claudette.
The vampires in the room looked at the gaunt yet beautiful girl and were amazed at who they were seeing. She was very thin and she looked as if she hasn't had a good night's sleep in ages but she was there. And they all wondered how that came to be.
"I saw a lot you," she said to no one in particular. "You came almost every night." She closed her eyes as memories replayed in her mind. "You told me that I tasted so sweet. You said that my tears tasted the best. You said that you liked it when we were afraid. You said that it made the blood taste sweeter. I remember what it felt like when you touched me. I remember how I wanted to burn your touch from my body. Every part of me that you touched, I wanted it burned off of me."
The vampires, all of the vampires, were wondering who the girl was speaking to. They'd seen the AP in action when it came to punishment for treason. They did not want to be accused of something that they didn't do; especially not tonight. And after this, they had a strong feeling that things weren't going to end on a pleasant note.
"You killed Celia," Amelia said as she opened her eyes and looked at Russell. "You said that she was tainted but you continued to feed from her whenever you wanted."
Russell glared at Eric. If looks could kill …
"That last night, I heard her screaming," Amelia whispered. "She begged you for her life. She said that she wanted to go home to see her mom but you laughed at her." Tears slid slowly down her cheeks. "You showed her no pity. You told her that it was her fate to die at the hands of a powerful vampire. I could hear it as your fangs ripped into her flesh. Do you ever hear her screams?"
She didn't give him a chance to answer. "I do," she said as she sobbed. "I do. I hear them all. And things that you did to that boy that was looking for his sister. You told him to follow you to her and he did." She began to shiver as she recalled what she'd heard. "The things that you did to him ... oh, God. His screams were awful. I still hear them. I can hear him now." She closed her eyes and let the tears fall.
Claudette wiped at the tears on her face and said, "You're safe now. We'll keep you safe, Amelia." She then opened her arms and beckoned Amelia to her.
Russell stared in disbelief as he watched Amelia take her place in between Eric and Claudette. He couldn't believe that she was there. She was supposed to be dead. André said that he'd had Elijah get rid of the body but there she stands. Her body wasn't hidden in the overgrown brush. Her body hadn't been crushed by the boulders. André didn't do any of what he said that he was going to do. He couldn't have. She was standing right in front of him. Speaking of things that she should never speak of. Destroying him. Assuring that he'll meet the true death.
"You said that she was dead," Russell said to Eric. "You told us all that she was dead."
"I did not," Eric said as he shook his head. "I said that her circumstances were complicated and heartbreaking. You were the one that announced that you knew what happened to her. You were the one that announced the diabolical plan that André and Copley Carmichael had put into play. You don't remember?" His smirk sat prominently on his handsome face. "I'm sure the others here can help you recall what was said."
"I can," Shiloh announced. "I remember what you said word for word, Russell."
Eric's bountiful laugh was all that Russell could hear.
Russell closed his eyes in defeat. He'd played right into their hands. If only he'd kept his mouth closed, he wouldn't be in this predicament. There was only one thing left do. With his sights set on Amelia, he dropped fang and ran at her. He'd intended on finishing the job that André obviously couldn't do. She may have already spilled some of their secrets but he was going to make sure that she didn't live past tonight. Well, that was his plan but he wasn't quite fast enough.
The AP may have looked old and frail. She was anything but. The stake was plunged into the vampire's chest before he even knew that he was dead. Her white, lace dress was covered in what used to be Russell Edgington. His Tom Ford suit was crumpled up on the floor.
"What have you done?" Bart yelled at the AP. "You've killed Russell Edgington!"
The AP looked at Bart and said, "I do not need any commentary from you. I know very well who it is that I killed." She then dropped the stake in the squishy mess that lay pooled at her feet. "He was a liar. He was dishonorable to us all. If you feel that I was wrong in what I've done, take it up with your council members. I'm more than sure that they will address any grievances that you may have."
Bart couldn't believe his ears or his eyes. One of his dearest friends and lovers was now a heap of innards on the floor.
Looking in their direction, the AP asked, "Do either of you members have a problem with what I've done? Are you heartbroken over the fact that one of our brethren was sent to his final death for his betrayal of our race? Are you disappointed in the fact that Russell is finally dead? If you are, please let me know how you feel and I will surely tell you why you are wrong."
"Nay," Shiloh said loudly.
"Nay," Sandy announced.
"Not at all," Godric replied.
"Nay," Thalia proclaimed.
Smiling, the AP said to Bart, "Now sit your down with your ineffectual self and remain quiet until you are spoken to."
Bart looked like a dying fish as his mouth opened and closed several times before he returned to his seat. "Yes, Mistress," Bart whispered.
The AP walked to where Amelia was standing. When she reached the girl, she stopped in front of her and placed her hand to the girl's face. "Such pain, child," she said. "So much pain."
Thinking of the encouragement that Eric had given to her earlier, Amelia held her head high and straightened her back. Though tears trickled down her face as she spoke, her voice was steady and strong. "Yes but I will get past it. I will not let this define me. I will get past this and I will carry on. I will not give in to it. I can't give in to it. I am my mother's daughter."
The AP smiled at Amelia. "Yes you are," she stated. She continued to stare into the girl's eyes. It was almost as if she could see into her mind, past the pain and into the very heart and soul of her. A few heartbeats passed just as a smile appeared on the seer's face. "The fly will eat the spider," she said when she'd finally spoken. She traced her finger along the girl's face and nodded. "Yes. The fly will eat the spider."
Eric smiled.
Amelia didn't understand. "Excuse me?" she asked the AP.
Shaking her head, she said, "Never mind, child. Claudette?"
Kneeling down in front of the AP, Claudette answered, "Yes, Andromeda?"
"Show me," the AP ordered.
Standing, Claudette took Amelia's hand and gave the AP hers and showed her what she needed to see. Everything that Sookie had transferred to her, she was able to give to Andromeda.
The AP saw how Amelia fell for the vampire's game of the spider and the fly. She truly believed that the vampire loved her. She had no cause to believe him to be a liar. She'd trusted his deceitful words and lying heart. The silence, it was the silence that he offered her that had truly pulled her in; though he never knew it. She was willing to give him all of her and regretfully, that's what she'd planned to do. His smiling lips and his deceitfully, delightful eyes pulled her into his web. The poor girl was so young … so naïve. She believed that the vampire Bill Compton was in love with her. She'd planned on telling him her secrets but she never got the chance to. She'd discovered the monster that he'd tried to hide from her. She'd had her heart broken in the worst way. She would sob and beg for the nightmare to be over with but it never was.
The concrete walls were only scenery. She would pretend that the other girls were sleeping so that she could hide from the truth. She went so far as to pretend that her 'daddy' wasn't a part of what happened to her. She didn't care. She just wanted to go home. She wanted to be free. She was tired of being raped and fed on. She was tired of being tired. She didn't care what happened just so long as it happened. She wanted to be free and as far as she knew, death was her only chance at freedom.
She didn't want to end up like the other girls. She didn't want to die screaming the way Elizabeth and Celia had. She was glad that she hadn't died in a back alley the way Connie had. She just wanted to die. She'd accepted her fate and was willing to accept it as it was. At the time, she believed that she had no other choice. She was resigned to the fact that she was going to die but in the end, she would have been free.
"So sad," the AP said as she stroked the girl's face. "Though you were told of her, you didn't believe."
Amelia shook her head no.
Taking her hand away from Amelia's face, the AP asked, "Do you know who the other vampires were?"
Amelia squeezed her eyes closed and nodded her head. "I do," she replied. "I know them all." She opened her eyes and said, "I can still feel them on me … in me … tasting me … killing me."
"Nonsense," Bartlett whispered.
The AP quickly turned in the direction of the vampire. "Speak up, underling," she bellowed. "If you have something to say, don't hide your words in whispers. Speak them loudly so that all can hear."
Bartlett didn't get a chance to speak up.
Salome stood up in his place and asked, "If the girl was as traumatized as you say she was, how can you take her at her word? It's more than possible that she can't decipher reality from fiction." She then pointed at Amelia and said, "How can we take this human at her word? It's not fair to the vampire race that she will be allowed to speak on something that could very well be nothing more than a fantasy ... an idea of who it could've been instead of who it truly was."
Bartlett finally stood by Salome and agreed with her. "She is right," he stated. "How are we to trust her at all? Her father is Copley Carmichael. He's a traitor to his race and his very blood. He knew of what was happening to his daughter and did nothing to stop it. How are we to be sure that she wasn't a part of the entire debacle?"
With her crooked finger pointed at them, the AP asked, "Are you calling me a liar? Are you saying that what was shown to me was all in my imagination? Is that what I hear coming from your twisted mouths?"
Salome and Bartlett said nothing.
"Answer me!" she yelled.
Salome dropped her head and mumbled an incoherent, "No, Mistress."
Bartlett repeated her sentiments.
The AP walked slowly over to the two vampires. "Your meaning," she said as she looked at Salome.
"There is no proof that what the girl says is true," Salome stated. "I'm not calling you a liar. I just think that it'll be foolhardy of us to take this human … this halfling at her word." She looked at Amelia with contempt and disdain. "Why you are so willing to believe her is shocking to me."
AP decided to entertain the notions of the guilty vampire. "What proof do you need, child? What will make you believe that the girl is speaking the truth about what Russell has done to her … another vampire, maybe?"
Salome was about to say yes but something in the AP's eyes told her that she already had 'another vampire'. So she did what she had to do. She remained quiet.
"Salome wants the word of another vampire," the AP announced. "Shall we give it to her?"
"Before we do this," Godric interrupted. "I believe that we have to make a decision. We have to do something about the girl."
All of the vampires looked at Amelia.
Amelia looked mortified. The fear was more than evident on her face. It saturated the air. It caused her to cling to Claudette for dear life.
"Nothing will happen to you," Godric said as he blurred his way before her.
Her eyes widened. She began to tremble … tears poured from her eyes.
"Give me the girl," Godric said to Claudette. "I'll take her to the back. She doesn't need to see this. She's seen more than her fair share of death and violence."
If at all possible, Claudette pulled Amelia closer to her side. "No," she said.
"I will keep her safe," Godric promised. "I give you my word."
Claudette looked to Eric before making a move.
Eric looked to Amelia. This wasn't his decision to make. "Amelia?" he said.
She stared at Godric before answering Eric. She didn't want to go with him. She wanted to stay with Eric and Claudette but she didn't want to see what was going to happen to the already almost dead vampiress. She really didn't have too much of a choice but she did want the advice of someone that she does trust.
"Do you trust him?" she asked Eric before she made her decision.
"I do," Eric answered without pause or hesitation as he looked at Godric. "He will keep you safe. He's strong and he's old." He stared at Godric as he spoke. "He is a vampire of honor and valor. He will let no harm to come you."
"I trust you, Eric," she said. "If you say that he is safe, I will go with him." She looked then looked at Godric and said, "Okay."
Godric offered her his hand and she took it. He held her in his arms and blurred her from the stage.
With Amelia gone, Sophie Ann was finally brought out onto the stage. She looked as if she'd been tortured within an inch of her life. Her eyelids were gone as were her eyeballs. Her fangs had been ripped from her mouth. She was covered in slashes from the silver whip that had obviously been used to punish her. Her red hair was saturated in blood and gore. If the guards weren't holding her in place, there's no way she could've stood on her own.
"Sophie Ann," Eric said as he approached her. "It's good to see you. I hear that you have some information for us."
The vampiress opened her mouth but only mumbles could be heard. Words had escaped her. Her tongue was missing.
"Excuse me," Eric said. "I didn't get that."
Claudette giggled as she stood beside Eric.
"Is this the proof that you need?" the AP asked Salome.
"No," Salome answered. "She's Andre's second. Who's to say that she wouldn't lie for him. Every vampire here is under the thumb of that fucking André and he's nowhere to be found. This is his doing! Why are we paying the price for his sins?"
"This isn't fair," Bart agreed as his voice grew louder. "We shouldn't have to be here. This was Andre's plan. We had no choice but to back him. He guaranteed death upon us if we denied him. We did what we had to do."
"Carlo?" Eric said. "Do you want your say?"
Carlo hadn't moved a muscle or said a word since the meeting began. "I haven't a clue as to why I'm here. I've never met these vampires in my life. I'm only here to check in because I have a request. I'd assumed that because I'm Italian royalty, I was needed to sit in on this meeting. I'm fucking clueless as to what's going on!" he announced.
Claudette gave a full on laugh this time.
Carlo shook his head no. "I should've stayed in Italy. I never should've come here."
Claudette really laughed then.
"This is funny to you?" Salome asked the faery. "My very existence is on the line and you're laughing?"
"Yes," Claudette answered.
Salome raised her hand as to hit Claudette but the faery was too quick. Her hand was wrapped around the vampiress' wrist. "I will pull your arm from its fucking socket," she warned her as she pushed her away.
Salome looked to the AP. She expected to have her honor defended. She expected that the faery would be punished for putting hands on her but alas, nothing happened. It was just as she expected. "Unbelievable," she said. "I can't believe that this is happening." She turned to the AP to plead her case once more. "Bart and I are innocent. We had nothing to do with the death of those halflings but I will tell you what I do know. I will tell you why André did what he did … for a price."
The smile that appeared on the AP's face was creepy. "Speak," she ordered.
"You can't kill me," she said as she stood nose to nose with the blind seer. "I'll tell you everything that I know but you can't kill me and I don't want to end up like her." She pointed at Sophie Ann and shuddered at the sight that stood before her. "I will tell you everything as long as you give me your word."
The creepy smile deepened. "You have a deal," the AP said. "I won't kill you. You will not end up like Sophie Ann by my hands. Tell me what you know."
Salome turned her back to the AP and winked at Bart. She was going to have them eating out of her hand.