The Fire Within (The Fire of The Soul Series) (33 page)

I smile at Victor, he seems to be glowing with an
ethereal essence in the early morning light, and I say "I'm fine. It was
only a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it? It might help
you feel better," He says, the concern is still fresh on his face, his
brows knotting together and making creases upon his forehead.

"I dreamed of the battle, that I was out there
fighting with you and Kayden and Shade. And then out of nowhere Christian is
there, his sword plunging through your chest. I dreamed of your death
Victor," I say, looking down at our intertwined hands, expecting him to
pull back at any moment. Instead he is lifting my chin up, so that I can look
at him again, whether it is willingly or not.

"Anna, it is quite alright. I am alive and
well. My death is yet to come, and if I have any say in it, it will be a long
time coming," Victor says. I cannot understand the look in his eyes, and
he turns away before I even get a chance to try. "Eat Anna, before it goes
cold. My team and I will be waiting in the war room for you."

"Victor," I call, as he opens up the door.
He turns his head slightly in acknowledgement, and I have a strange feeling
that this has happened before, one so deep that it stops my words. I grasp
around for them moving my mouth slightly in speechlessness before I can get out
a quick "Thank you". He smiles ever so slightly, and he looks happy
and broken at the same time. He simply nods his head in response, and is gone
as quickly as he had come. It is so strange to have this awkwardness between
Victor and I, seeing that we have been so close since the beginning.

Even after having the breakfast that Victor had
brought to me, a bowl of porridge and a variety of fruit, my stomach still
feels hallow. The dream, and what I witnessed within it, remains to have an
effect on me, as I get dressed and make my way downstairs to the war room.

I stand within the doorway for a few moments as I
watch those who are gathered. There are of course the usual crew, Kayden and
Shade, Astoria and Augustus and Baron and Victor. Then there are several other
men - eight to be exact - and a woman, whom is clearly flirting with Kayden,
but he seems to be blocking all of her attempts much to her dismay. I quietly
slip into the room, hoping to not draw attention to myself, but I manage to
catch Victor's eyes, and he pulls out of the conversation he is having with
Augustus and Baron to smile at me and wave me over.

I take the seat besides him. Baron rises from his
chair, and with a voice full of thunder shouts "SILENCE!” The immediate
hush is overwhelming and there is a cheeky smirk on the older man's face.
"Our King is about to take the floor."

Victor gives Baron a small thank you, one barely
loud enough to pass as a whisper as Baron sits down, and Victor rises to his
feet.

"We all know what is quickly approaching. The
war that not only we, but many generations before us, have tried to play out.
The war for leadership over the Underworld!" Victor's voice is commanding,
and all stare at him in silence. Not a single person present dares to blink an
eye, as they stare at their King in abandonment. "Those of us who are
present, and the rest of Kayden's elite team, are more than prepared for this
war. However the civilians of this Kingdom have no idea of what is rapidly
approaching. We must have them prepared to leave at a moments notice. We have
less than a week until we storm out onto the battle field, less than a week for
us to have any certainty over our lives and our freedom!" Victor is met
with silence, and there is a knowing look in his eyes, an understanding that he
has completely enraptured his audience.

"We have our soldiers, now we need a battle
plan. This is why we have gathered. This is what we must discuss." This is
what Victor's speech ends with; he gives them one final look before taking his
seat at the head of the table.

"Look yer' Majesty, we all know what you're
trying to do." One of the men that I don't know says. The man has the
ginger red hair and accent of a Scottish man, and it is something that I never
knew was possible, to have a Scott in the Underworld.

"And what precisely is that Mason?" Victor
asks, I can see that he's trying to bite back a sneer as it wouldn't be quite
welcomed in this type of crowd, or be any good for his reputation.

"That is to bring some kind of order to the
chaos that this war is causing. We are all being pressured because of it
Sire." Mason - the red headed Scott - replies. There isn't a second that
passes before another speaks up.

"Sire the battle plan is quite simple, we march
out onto that battlefield and slay every single Skin-walker that breaths out
there." This man that didn't hesitate to speak has blond hair and blue
eyes, and I cannot quite place his accent. Some of the men around him are
slapping him on the back as if this itself is a good plan; those men are saying
his name "Edgar" as they slap him.

"And what of the Werewolves that they have
enlisted? That they have forced to team up with them?" Another asks of
Edgar. This man has brown hair and green eyes; his skin is pale as is all the
vampires here.

"They are stingy mutts Charlton! You know just
as much as anybody that they deserve to die as much as the Skin-walkers,"
Edgar replies, beginning to rise up, his hands scrunched up into fists, as if
he wanted to punch the man named Charlton.

"Not all of them deserve to die. I know of one
werewolf in particular that deserves to be treated just like the rest of
you," I say raising my voice so that I can be heard over the commotion.
"And you all know of him too; William, the same man who used to fight side
by side with all of you. Dose he too deserve to die like the
Skin-walkers?" I ask, staring and concentrating on Edgar so hard that he
is unable to meet my eyes.

"I am sorry Mi' Lady. William is of course the
exception to this rule. However, the majority of werewolves have lost their
humanity, and are no better than the beasts of the earth," Edgar says,
with whatever modesty that he can muster.

"Perhaps you are right about that Edgar. It is
true that I do not know a lot about this world or its people. However I believe
that all people deserve a fair chance and at least a fair trial before we start
condemning them to death," I say before sitting back down, I feel Victor
give me a slight squeeze on the leg as if to say that's enough, or that he is
more than proud of me.

"What our Queen says is right. All people have
the right of a fair trial; this is part of our law. And you Edgar have been
privileged to have been part of one yourself. What was it that you were trailed
for again? Oh that's right! You were trailed for the murder of your maker!
However, you were let off because you didn't actually kill him. The
Skin-walkers had beaten you to it." The woman's face bares a pretty little
sneer, which curls her lush red lips in a way that seems quite unnatural on her
beautiful face. Edgar's face is tomato red, and he seems as if he is about to
burst, the way that he is physically shaking with anger.

Edgar's hands slam down upon the table in anger.
"How dare you bring that up! My maker met the true death before it was his
time. Those who blamed me for his death were mistaken, why on earth would I
kill him for! And what of you Jocelyn, you too have seen your fair share of
trials. Would you like me to bring them up for everyone to hear?" Edgar
sneers at Jocelyn. Kayden rises to his feet to protect Jocelyn, and for the
first time he isn't even giving me a single look. It's strange to see Kayden in
this fashion, but I know that this is how he has always been, long before he
met me.

"Edgar I allowed you to come to this meeting
believing that you may actually use your brain and give some valid input. If
you simply want to cause disruption in this meeting, than feel free to leave.
You know where the door is," Kayden says, his voice is commanding and it
is that of a leader. Although Kayden isn't a King like Victor, he is a general
and in charge of all of the warriors present. The two men watch each other, and
after a minute Edgar sits back down again. This is proof enough for Kayden,
that Edgar is willing to do what he must to stay. Kayden sits back down and
goes back to being a silent silhouette of the man whom he usually is.

The meeting from there on out is a lot calmer.
People still yell and throw accusations, and occasionally there are a few ideas
and suggestions made. However, no-one present tries to attack each other, which
in the way of progress is a massive plus.

We finally are able to manage to put together a plan
for the battle, hours after we had begun. Astoria had gone out half-way through
the meeting to organize afternoon tea, and she had come back a while later,
handing me a note written in Meg's hand.

After the meeting everyone files out of the room,
and makes their way to the dining hall to enjoy their afternoon tea, and a good
old round of banter. I pull Victor to the side after the majority of people
leave, to talk to him in private.

"Thank you for inviting me to this. It was
quite an interesting event to see," I say, a slight smile tugging at my
lips.

"Your welcome, Anna. However this isn't what
you want to talk to me about is it?" Victor asks. I smile even wider; it
is a strange yet wonderful thing that he knows me this well.

"No it's not. Astoria handed me a note from Meg
when she returned. I must go to Meg and see what she needs me for," I say,
referring to the note that burns within my folded hand. Something in Meg's note
is off, not quite right and upon reading it before I had become quite worried.
Now is my chance to go to her, and find out what exactly had my senses
screaming at me?

"Alright, I will see you later then,"
Victor says, laying a quick kiss on my lips. I watch Victor join Kayden at the
door - whom again had been watching us in our private moment - and then again
as they left for the dining hall. After they leave I make my way down to the
servants’ quarters.

Meg's location should have been easy enough to find,
after all I had been down here once before, the first night that I had met
William within the castle. However, now that I was trying to make my way down
there by myself I seem to take every single wrong turn. I feel like giving up,
going to Astoria and asking her to tell Meg that if she wanted to speak that
she would have to come to me, but I didn't, knowing that my friend needed me
right now, and not at a later time. With this in mind, I struggle on.

I eventually make my way down to the servants’
quarters, and to Meg's room with the help of one of the older maids. Sitting
within the small enclosed room, in the middle of the narrow single bed is Meg,
she looks rumpled and weary, her hair in a wild blond mess. When I close the
door behind me, her purple eyes (which are now blood-shot from the tears that
wet her cheeks) meet mine, and I feel my heart break for my best friend.

"Oh Meg!" I say brokenly and sit down
beside her. I allow her to lay her head on my shoulder, and I wrap my arm
around her waist. We sit like this for a while as I allow Meg to simply cry it
all out. After she stops crying I softly ask "What Happened?"

"Oh Anna. I met someone. He was handsome and
kind and loving, strong and brave too, He was absolutely perfect. I thought he
was a vampire, I mean I believed it, he appeared to be, and he had all the
signs of being one. He even had admitted to it. But he isn't," Meg says
and tears starting falling down her cheeks again. She isn't crying heavily this
time, and so her words are clear and understandable for me.

"What do you mean he isn't? And what is he, if
he isn't a vampire?" I ask, I could sense what she was about to tell me.

"He's a Skin-Walker Anna. I fear for his life,
considering the war that is quickly approaching," Meg says and her tears
starting falling faster.

"Is he proud to be a Skin-Walker? Or does he
want to have a second chance?" I ask her, this - I think - is the most
important thing about the situation rather than the fact that the guy that Meg
loves is a Skin-walker. After all wasn't I saying earlier that all people
deserve a fair chance?

"He isn't proud of it, but he hasn't exactly
denied his race either. That's why I needed to talk to you Anna; I wanted you
to see him, to speak to him, find out if he is absolutely honest about wanting
to change his fate," Meg says brokenly and I give her shoulder a slight
squeeze.

"I will go and see him right now if that eases
your mind Meg. Tell me where he is and I will go and speak to him," I say
rising to my feet, meaning to leave at this very moment.

"He's down in the dungeon, He was captured as
he was disguised as your father," Meg says, and there is an apologetic
look in her eyes. Her lover was disguised as my father? So that obviously means
that my actual father is out there somewhere, perhaps even still alive.

"Alright I will go and speak to him Meg, stay
here and I will come back to you when I'm done," I say to Meg, and make my
way for the door, I pause for a moment though as I catch a glimpse of silver
from the corner of my eye. I walk over to where I had seen it and bend down in
front of a ruby red and silver box. The engraving and filigree on the box is
beautiful, and I stare at the treasure in wonder. I find myself thinking that
it must be worth a fortune as it is the size of a trunk.