The Fire Within (The Fire of The Soul Series) (25 page)

"She is as much trouble as the one you have
chosen, My Lord. Besides Talia here is the woman who supply's the Unicorn blood
for you. She is the one who slits her own sisters’ throats for your sake My
Lord." This piques my interest, I grab her chin between my fingers,
squeezing tightly as I turn her head from left to right, searching for
something within her eyes.

"Why would you kill your sisters for a King who
doesn't know you and does not care?" I ask making my voice vicious and
sharp. I am in no mood to be pleasant, and I make sure that they are aware of
it.

"My Lord, she cannot speak," Fawkes says
moving to step in between us, it's only a small movement but I recognize it. It
infuriates me that he is protecting this murderer that he is
lying
on
her behalf.

"Do not
lie
to me, Fawkes. Above all
else you are my servant and you would do
well
to keep that in
mind," I hiss, turning my anger onto him. "Girl, I suggest you answer
my question," I say softly, the bitter edge still residing in my words.
Her eyes turn to me, desperation in them. I realize how tightly I've been
gripping her chin, and release her from my hold.

"My Lord, I know where this world is heading
and I have no desire to die. I do what I must to live, even if it is at a high
cost," Her voice trembles with fear, and I am elated at the sound, knowing
that it is I who has caused her to tremble within her own skin.

"Very well, we all do as we must to
survive," I say, granting the woman to have some peace of mind. "Now
I overheard your argument, I demand to know what exactly has been happening
within my Kingdom while I have been passed out," I say, turning toward
Fawkes, my attention seeking out my adviser, hoping that he will give me the
information that I need.

"My Lord, two soldiers from Selicia, the Pure
Vampires kingdom, have entered into our territory. Our 'ears' and 'eyes' have
been following them as they have been travelling throughout your Kingdom. It
seems that they are after Anna's parents." His eyes are down cast, as he
obediently answers my demands. He trembles as well, terrified of my might and
power.

"That is invaluable information Fawkes; I
commend you on a job well done. We can't allow Rupert and Darleen to leave as
of yet, they are not completely loyal to us. Gather two of our greatest shifters,
we need them to interact with Darleen and Rupert, and allow themselves to be
found. They will go undercover into the enemies Kingdom, and they will be
invaluable with the information that they will be able to gather." I give
his orders expecting him to move, and get working as soon as I am done
speaking, but he hasn't moved at all and I fear that he isn't as obedient as I
think he is.

"My Lord there is more. The 'ears' overheard
that Victor proposed to Annabelle, and that she accepted. I am deeply sorry My
Lord; I know how much your heart was set on her." Fawkes head is bowed
completely, he refuses to seek my eyes out, and it isn't until I start laughing
that he looks up confused, wondering why I would be laughing about a matter
like this.

"This is wonderful news, that means it worked,
and not only that it worked but that she fell for it!" I exclaim in joy,
perhaps my chosen future is closer than I could have imagined. At the confusion
in Fawkes eyes I elaborate on the details for him. "The other night, after
I met them on No-man's land at the shoreline, I entered into Victor's mind,
hoping to gather some information of worth. It was difficult at first, and when
my skull felt as it was about to burst I was no longer looking at the ceiling
in my bedroom but at Anna, motionless upon a bed covered in white. At first I
thought she was dead, but when I kissed her she stirred, and came to life in my
arms, encouraging my kiss. I couldn't believe that she didn't realize it was
me, and so continuing with my deceit I continued to kiss her and touch her.
After a few moments of bliss, I asked her if she would marry me, and she said
yes! That blood Vampire was thrashing around in his head, trying to get back in
control of his body, but I left the room before he could take over. His mind
would have been scrambled about the event, and thus a small victory," I
say as I try to keep both feet planted on the ground. This news has filled me
with hope, I hadn't had any faith in it working for many reasons from simple
things like there is too much space in-between me, and the target and to things
much more complex, like how Anna can see almost through all of my schemes, but
this news is the best that I could have hoped for because it worked, it worked!
And unknowingly Anna is
my
fiancée instead of that bloody Vampire's!

I don't notice Fawkes slipping away from the throne
room in my elation, nor do I notice how quite his woman is. All I know, all I
feel
is my own joy at the good news. I do however notice when he returns, behind him
is two guards, one assigned to each of Anna's parents, and there are two
shifters after the guards, one male and one female. The guards are tough, there
is no question to it, there is a steely look in there eyes, and their chiselled
features make those before them tremble in fear. The shifters are slim and
angular, they are both un-naturally tall, and they are both unbelievably agile.
They have the highest I.Q. Records and are the best out of the legion of
shifters at my command. As for Anna's parents they look as if they have been
dragged through hell and back, they are covered in their own human fluids, and
they are trembling with every step that they take. When they look up at me they
start to scream in an unnatural way, almost as if they were squealing like a
pig being led to the slaughter. I can feel my lips curving into a sinister
smile, their pain, their torment, their
fear
is almost tangible on the
air and it stirs my soul in a way that I cannot describe.

As I watch Fawkes shut the door behind everyone I
turn to the crowd, my eyes scanning their waiting faces. They are all different
in so many ways, but my people are cold, still like statues rather than people.
Rupert and Darleen of course are different, they whimper pathetically at my
feet, and I feel like kicking them aside. They are completely different to the
two people I brought into my kingdom, and as I think about how little their
stay with us has been, I cannot help but think how pathetically weak they are.

"Now that we are all present, I will inform you
as to
why
I have called you here," I say waiting for them to make a
comment, when none comes to me I continue "John and Andy, you were called
here because I will be requesting you to escort Kurt and Diana to the outskirts
of the city, there you will find a Vampire and a Shape-shifter
do not kill
them
! That is of extreme importance.

"As for you, Kurt and Diana, you will be
shifting into Darleen and Rupert, you yourselves will be going undercover in
enemy territory, and it is of extreme importance that you follow your role
correctly. We cannot afford to make any mistakes. If you do not want to do
this, then speak now. If you are willing to serve me and your country, then
take the blood of your roles, and make their memories your own. I am trusting
you all."

I watch as Kurt makes his way toward Rupert and as
Diana makes her way toward Darleen, their is no emotion in their eyes as they
slice slightly into their targets arms, preparing to drink the blood from the
source. The Change comes over them as they drink from their victims, Diana's
long blond hair shortens until it is the same cut as Darleen's, her body fills
out so it's more curvy then angular, her features soften and before my eyes she
has become Darleen's double. Kurt on the other hand, shrinks only slightly to
match Rupert's height, his silver hair darkens to the black mess that adorns
Rupert's head, his slim angular body broadens, until it becomes thick and
brawny, his golden skin lightens until he is pale. Diana and Kurt have gone
through the change, and now there was no way to tell the difference between
them, and the real Rupert and Darleen. For a brief moment I wonder how this
will affect Anna, considering how much she hated her parent's before. I hate
the fact that seeing them again will hurt her, but I cannot afford to allow her
feelings come to play in my plans, or all of my plans will crumble to pieces.
My role in her life is as the villain, and I will never be anything more than
that to her, so why not play it to it's full?

"Do not drain their blood completely, we still
need them alive," I say to Kurt and Diana, and they nod their head in
understanding. I turn to Fawkes to see that his face has taken on a sickly
green sheen, almost as if the sight of seeing Kurt and Diana at work was making
him sick. I turn back to Kurt and Darleen, and I find that they have completed
their task of draining their targets blood. They are on the finale stage now,
their hands on each side of their targets heads their pale skin, glowing a
bright red from the power that is resonating in their hands. They are borrowing
the memories of their targets, so that there is no difference between the
copies, and the real Rupert and Darleen.

The process was over before it even begun, and the
guards are taking Rupert and Darleen back to their living quarters, if the
'rooms' could even be called that. They are all standing before me again before
they leave.

"Kurt and Diana, you'll have to allow the
trespassers to find you. I will be following you in disguise to make sure
everything goes as planned. Once they have found you, you will both go to the
enemy's kingdom. Your task there is to act and appear as if you were Rupert and
Darleen, whom were your targets. It is absolutely important that you deceive
all opposing parties, especially the girl named 'Anna'. You are to find as much
information that you believe is important, and you are to send it to me. Good
luck, my faithful servants," I say before I dismiss them. I shift slightly
too, to make myself appear as someone else, and of all people, when I look into
the mirror Fawkes hands me, I've appeared as my father. He was always a cruel
man to me, though the fact that he raised me alone could have something to do
with that. My mother had left me when I was very young and although I do not
remember much of her, I still miss her. However, I don't think I could ever
miss him.

"You look just like him," Fawkes whispers,
and I see the pain and sorrow in his eyes. I remember how Father had taken him
under his wing, how he had been a father more to Fawkes than to me.

"You know how much I hated him Fawkes, to the
point where his blood has stained my hands. I didn't choose this face on
purpose, so I ask you not to bring up that despicable man," I say turning
away from my adviser, my 'brother', my friend and I can hear his soft
submission as I walk away from him.

I follow Kurt, Diana, John and Andy as they make
their way through my Kingdom - Maorien -, toward the borderline where the
intruders had last been spotted. It didn't take long to find them, and I stay
within the shadows with John and Andy as Kurt and Diana stumble out into the
light. I watch for a moment as Kayden and the woman he has with him encounter
Kurt and Diana - who are of course disguised as Rupert and Darleen. The shock
and elation on Kayden and the woman's faces are beyond all understanding. They
take up Kurt and Diana, and take them under their shelter. There is no doubt
that they believe that Kurt and Diana are truly who they are pretending to be.
I walk away, John and Andy not too far behind me, knowing that my plan is in
motion. There is no chance for me to change my mind, and I feel a hollowness
within me, at the thought of how this will affect Anna. Her pain is the only thing
that I regret about this situation. However a little hurt is nothing, compared
to the freedom that this could win for my people.

When I return to the castle, the first thing I do is
make my way up to my throne room, and as I walk through the doors, I find
Rupert and Darleen lying upon the now bloodstained floor. I consider for a
moment, calling for a guard or two to take them away, but another thought
enters into my mind, a sweet yet sincerely twisted thought.

"Little puppets, how I long to pull your strings.
Make you dance, twirl, and scream. A twisted game, we can play with three.
Little puppets will you play with me." The words are but a whisper, a soft
muttering not to be heard by anyone. They look so fragile, so weak, it's
pathetic. I long to pull their strings, twist their minds and make them scream
but I am exhausted, there is no need to play the mind games. No need to attack
such vulnerable puppets.

I sit in my seat, my feet dangling over the edge of
the chair as I look up at the ceiling, my mind slowly moving from the puppets
laying at my feet, to something much more beautiful and stronger, yet coming
from that exact source. I think of our son Chino, the boy that had only come to
life in my mind, and the life that I know could be mine, if I reached out for
it. It is soft, barely even a thought, almost impossible to grasp like trying
to grab fog. It slips from me, and as I stare at the ceiling all I can think of
is Anna, and the dreams I have of our future.

Anna's P.O.V

My eyes flutter open, as if I were awaking from a
dream. If only it were a very strange dream; Victor facing death at the sword
of a green woman; Kayden and Shade facing their pasts; worst of all Christian,
coming to the point of death to only be brought back to life. I couldn't even
begin to understand these visions, or how I felt about what had happened in
them. My mind is foggy, swirling with confusing thoughts and emotions until I
hear a dark chuckling that rumbles loudly like thunder. My head swivels around,
my eyes meeting the squatting immortal, his angular face hidden in the shadows.
I can sense the wicked curve to his lips, pulling up into a sinister smile,
mocking me from within the shadows.