I close my eyes. Move my feet, shift my body into position. I raise my bow and begin my draw. With a thought, I release my energy, feel it flow down my arm into the eight arrows nocked onto the string. I center myself in my breathing; wait for the moment.
And release. The arrows take flight into the dawn sky, leaving a trail of fire as they arc up and over and down around my target, landing in a perfect circle, each arrow exactly forty-five degrees of arc from the next.
With a blinding flash and a roll of thunder they explode as one. Dirt and rocks and splinters of wood fly into the air. A cloud of dust rises and slowly settles. When the air is clear again, the only thing to be seen is a shallow crater.
With a sigh, I turn and move away. What have I become?
I'm reviewing the vampire book again, hoping for some insight into how to handle my growing hunger. Jane answers a knock at the door. A murmured exchange and then Jane comes over to me.
"My lady," she says, "Lady Faiella is here to see you."
I hesitate for a moment in surprise. "I see," I say. "Please show her in. Then run and get Rio out of the closet. Bring Tara back too and serve tea and refreshments."
"Yes, ma'am."
Jane ushers in a woman of medium height and medium age. I rise to greet her.
"Good morning," she says. "Sorry for visiting unannounced. I am Faiella." She bows her head briefly.
"I am Aoede Westridge. Call me Addie. Please join me for tea. The maids will serve it shortly."
Faiella chooses a chair and sits across from me as I resume my seat. She quirks an eyebrow and glances at my book. "I'm glad to see that you’re using my gift. Have you found it useful?"
"Yes. It has been immensely informative, Ambassador."
She smiles briefly when I use her title. "I see you are adapting to your role as group leader. Information is important."
"I agree," I say. "Unfortunately, I'm still operating with very little where you’re concerned." I hint at her. "We were just high school students five weeks ago in a world where we aren't considered adults until age eighteen."
"That can be a problem. Many will seek to influence you here. You’re Heroes and will have great value.” She pauses for a moment, looking at me speculatively, “I also want to give you a specific warning. There are people in the Palace who have turned actively hostile to you. They seek to blame you for the accident that happened during your summoning. Or at least, they’re blaming your Curses."
"Thank you for the warning. This has already come to my attention. We'll soon be taking steps to lower our profile."
"That is well. Your awareness gives me confidence."
I shrug as Rio and the maids burst into the room. Rio sits down next to me and we occupy ourselves with introductions while the maids serve tea and snacks. Rio then sends them away using his horndog mental magic.
"Now, how can I help you, Ambassador?" I ask.
"Please allow me to be straightforward." She puts her palms together and touches the edges to her lips for a moment. "I serve a vampire in a very influential position in Ronsun. My Lady has bid me to come here and help you in what small ways I can."
"That raises a number of questions. Let's start with 'Why?'"
"Vampires are vanishingly rare in Emulgren. They cannot be made. They are born. We estimate roughly one out of every two hundred thousand babies. The positive strengths of vampires only start to manifest at around age thirteen, and because of the negative attributes of the curse very few vampires live so much as half that long."
I nod. Even with modern medical technology, no one on Earth had expected me to live past grade school. "That still doesn't answer the question. A fully grown vampire should be immensely powerful. Why would your Lady choose to succor a potential rival?"
"The short answer is, 'because you’re a Hero'. The world needs Heroes, but they’re rarely treated well. They’re too powerful, too useful, and - speaking honestly - too naive in their trust of those who summon them."
She continues, "You are unique. It's clear that no one here understands the Blood Curse. You and your friends have foolishly been cast aside as useless. That gives you a degree of freedom that no Hero has ever known. It's our belief that you will all have a crucial role to play at a critical moment in history."
"That leads to about a thousand more questions," I mutter.
Rio laughs. "Doesn't it, though. How did Your Lady know Addie would appear? You must have been traveling even before the Summoning started."
"My Lady has a Blood Family full of unique individuals. One of them has talents similar to this handsome young man, here." She smiles at Rio and his ears turn red. Silly horn dog!
"So what is it that you will want in exchange for your assistance?" I ask.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She laughs. "You are refreshingly straightforward. For now, we want nothing. In future, we hope to be mutually supportive when we can. All we really ask is that when you leave here, you don't settle near Ronsun. Perhaps in the future, you and My Lady will meet. But now is not the time; you are not strong enough to withstand her will yet. Vampires are territorial, so consider this a caution rather than a demand."
"I see. So in exchange for not getting too near to Ronsun, you will provide us assistance on a small scale while we remain in the Palace?"
"Exactly!" she exclaims. "Do we have a deal?"
I have already been studying the political geography of this region. Ronsun is not on my short list of countries to travel to. "Deal."
She smiles in obvious delight. Then reaches into her hand bag and pulls out two half-liter bottles. "I should probably go for today. But before I do, one small test." She pushes the bottles halfway across the table. "There are many types of creatures in this world. Some have blood you can drink. Some don't. If you drink the wrong blood, it will be like ingesting poison. One of these bottles has good blood. One has bad. Can you tell the difference?"
I pull the two bottles toward me. They're identical - reminds me of a Sherlock episode. I uncork one and sniff it. I feel no hunger. More like I'm repulsed. I replace the cork.
Setting it down I pick up and open the other. Immediately I feel the bloodlust start to rage. If my eyes had started glowing red, I wouldn't have been surprised.
Faiella laughs, reaching out to take the first bottle and putting it back in her bag. "You pass. Your body knows at the very least. You can keep and enjoy that one."
She rises and we say our goodbyes. Rio sees her to the door and turns back.
And smirks at me. Definitely a smirk. A sanctimonious smirk! I want to smack him.
I drop the empty bottle and try to wipe off my lips, smearing blood across my face.
"What are you looking at? Don't judge me!"
He's so judging me!
“Would you please stop trying to walk me into walls!” I grump to Kari. “It’s very annoying.”
“Awwww! Come on Nix. You’re no fun any more,” she responds, pouting.
“If getting walked into a wall is fun, then I was never any fun. Wait! I know what would be fun!” I made like I was searching in my pockets. “Lately I’ve been able to fold some really cool snakes. Want to meet them?”
“No! I mean. I’m sure they’re lovely but making friends with your spiders has been more than enough for me. Rrhhem! We’re here. C’mon!”
Kari runs ahead and opens a door. When I walk inside, I’m greeted by an incredible wave of Spirit energy. It almost feels like I’m swimming in it.
“Whoa. What on earth … I mean on Emulgren is this?”
“I dunno, Dude. That’s why I brought you here. You’re the Spirit energy expert.”
“Tch!” I scoff. “Like, I’ve only been here five weeks now. No way I can be an expert yet.”
“Well, you’re the best I’ve got so you’ll have to do.”
I wander around the room, using my Spirit energy senses to try to get a picture of what is going on. It’s difficult though. There’s so much energy here I’m nearly blinded. Like a person with eyes would feel staring at the sun.
“Hmmm. I guess I would call this a fountain.” I say. “Can you tell if there’s a hole or a rip in space, here?” That sounds like a crazy thing to say, but we are in a world of magic.
Now it’s Kari’s turn to look more closely. “Well, it looks kind of like a bird bath with greenish mist flowing over the rim,” she starts. “Wait. You’re right. There’s something Primal there. Like a little invisible pinhole at the bottom.”
“Don’t touch it!” I shout. Then feeling sheepish, “It can be dangerous to touch raw Spirit energy if it’s highly concentrated.”
“Aaawww. Nix, I didn’t know you cared!”
“Of course I care about you Kari. You’re a very important person in my life.”
“I’m so blushing right now…”
“If you weren’t around, who would steal cookies out of the kitchen for us?”
“You butt! Is that all I am to you? A convenience in the form of a petty thief?”
“That’s pretty thief. P-R-E-T-T-Y.”
“Yeah. Spare me. So what are we gonna do?”
“I don’t know that we need to do anything. It’s more important that we figure out why it’s happening.”
“Do you think that…” she starts to say and then cuts off. I feel it at the same time. The hole or whatever just sealed itself. I walk up to the basin she was talking about. There’s still some concentrated Spirit energy there but it’s slowly dissipating.
Kari walks up next to me. “Yep. The hole is gone.”
I reach into the basin and stir up the energy. Then on impulse I take control of it. With a thought I form it into a long tube, then twist and tie it like a balloon to make a little dog. With a flourish, I hand it to Kari.
Taking it from my hand, she mutters, “Ha. I was right. You ARE a clown.”
So I poke it with my finger. It pops with a loud
“Uwaaah! Uwaaah! You’re such a meanie!” she exclaims but she’s already moved away to peer into the basin. “Yep. The hole is definitely gone. Do you think it was some kind of Dungeon effect?”
“That would be my guess. Maybe we just caught it in an intermediate stage. Like this room was still a work in progress.”
“Maybe. But I think the odd thing is that it was Spirit energy. Aren’t Dungeons supposed to be mana-based?”
“Good point. Maybe some kind of cross-over effect from the Hex we’re in?”
“Maybe. Prob’ly time to consult an expert.”
“Penny you mean?”
“Yep. I bet she’ll have a book ready for us when we get there.”
“Haha. No bet. Speaking of which, can you describe Penny to me?”
“She’s beautiful.”
“I know that! I mean in a little more detail.”
“Okay. She has really light blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin that’s soft and smooth as silk. I touched her once just so I’d know. Her lips are pale rose pink. O-M-G! Do you think I have a crush on her?!?”
I went a little pale as she gave the description and suddenly wanted to sit down.
“Nix. Nix! NIX!” Kari calls to me.
“Oh! Sorry. Got a little dizzy. Maybe I should go back to my room and lay down?”
“Ssssuuuure, Nix. You’re not going strange on me are you? Saaaayyyy… Are you crushing on Penny?”
“I might as well. Everybody else is.”
“Got that right. She’s the perfect woman! NOT that I’m inta that. Don’t you go spreading viscous rumors!”
“Don’t worry. I don’t have a viscous bone in my body. Hard as rock my bones. I think I will go lie down though.”
“Okay! See ya later. I’ll bring the book back to the common room later.”
“Bye,” I say as I turn back toward home turf. Thinking about the dreams I’d been having. Three of them now. All featuring a beautiful, pale, blonde woman with blue eyes and rose pink lips.