The Fire Within (The Fire of The Soul Series) (4 page)

"I will stay away from him, for your peace of
mind Anna. Just promise me that you will try to do the same." Simon says
and I promise him. I part from him and make my way towards the gardens at the
side of the castle.

The garden is filled with beautiful flowers, roses
and lilies, orchards and lavender and all sorts of other wild flowers. However,
in the middle of the garden is the labyrinth, which Meg, Simon and I use to
play in as children. It was in the Labyrinth that I usually found sanctuary
from my mother and most of all, my father. It was there that my imagination
grew and I began to love the things that go bump in the night. It was there
that Simon, Meg and I told ancient stories, with monsters and heroes,
princesses and damsels in distress. It was there that I not only learned who I
was but found myself when I would get lost time and time again.

Perhaps it could give me another night of sanctuary?
Perhaps if I allowed myself to fall deep into the stories they may swallow me
whole. Perhaps in the Labyrinth I could find myself once more?

I begin to walk towards it as if I was being pulled
towards the centre point by gravity itself. Now, as the sun is getting higher,
the high stonewalls of the Labyrinth cast the narrow rows into darkness and the
darkness gives the labyrinth the feeling of the unknown, when it should remain
known and cherished within my heart.

I lose both myself and time within the Labyrinths
walls; there seem to be something lurking within the Labyrinth, something dark
and evil.

"Is anyone here?" I call as a strange
sense that I am no longer alone pulls those words from my lips, but no-one
answers my call. I can feel eyes upon me, watching me with an intensity that I
cannot begin to describe and it makes me want to run back out again, but I
cannot, the gravitational pull will not let me go.

I'm not far from the centre now and I can now see
that I am no longer alone. It is clear from the tall figures angular shape that
he is a man, though I cannot see his face.

"Who are you? And what are you doing in my
Labyrinth?" I ask the tall cloaked figure.

"Your Labyrinth? What claim do you have over
it? Did you build it? Did you design it? Did you dream the very idea of a
Labyrinth?" The cloaked figure asks, his voice silky and seductive. I do
not have an answer for him, as I never built it nor designed it, it has always
been here and it has always been my sanctuary.

"That's what I thought. In case if you were
wondering, I was the one to create this Labyrinth. I designed it for someone
very special to me. So that they may find some kind of joy in these walls, when
they found none within the castle." His voice drifts off, and for a moment
I wonder if he has forgotten that I am even here.

"If you don't mind I would like a moment to
myself before I walk you out." The stranger says to me.

I go to say that it is alright, that I can show
myself out. However something about the man stops me, stops my words from
leaving my lips. I get this sense that he feels lost, alone even though I am
here with him. He turns towards me and stands before me.

"You should probably make your way back into
the castle. It's starting to get dark." The stranger says, and I begin to
walk back the way I came in. I cannot feel the stranger behind me, and I turn
to look behind me and I can no longer see the stranger behind me either. I
wonder where he's gone to but it doesn't really concern me so I think no
further upon the matter.

When I exit the Labyrinth I can see that it has
gotten dark. The only light to identify my location dances across the sky, it
must have been radiating from out of the castle because none of the light
entered into the stone walls. I could hear music and soft laughter emanating
from the castle. The ball must have already begun and I was clearly missing it.
I wanted to dance underneath the shimmering lights, I wanted the music to sweep
me away whilst I danced endlessly for the night, yet with all of these longings
for love, life and happiness there is an undercurrent of fear and misery. I
make my way towards the castle, covering a lot of the ground quickly. I enter
into the castle through the servant doors near the stables. I know Meg will be
down here if my mother is entertaining guests. I find her quicker than I expect
too.

"Where have you been Anna? Everyone has been
looking for you," She asks, wide eyed and out of breath. I realize that
she has been worried about me, her concern evident in her wide-eyes. The words
wouldn't come out and before I know it she is pulling me along to my bedroom.

"Meg wait, I can't do this. I can't go through
with this." I whisper, and I can hear the desperation in my own voice and
I think that is what makes her stop - after she had pulled me into my bedroom.
I sit down on my bed and I try my hardest not to cry.

"Anna look at me," Meg says sitting beside
me on the bed. I look at her, my vision blurring up from the tears threatening
to fall. "If anyone can do this it's you Anna, you're strong, smart and
cunning. No matter whom your fiancé will be you'll pull through, you will
overcome it and you'll be happy because even if he's abusive you will always
have me." She says, quelling all my fears and helping me to be strong,
being my strength in my weakness. She smiles at me and gives me a small hug
before she runs off towards my wardrobe searching for something extravagant for
the ball. She emerges quickly with something that is indeed extravagant.

It is a red dress that blazes like wild fire in the
candlelight. There is nothing added to it besides the corset, it is just a
simple red dress that flows like water but is as bright as fire. My parents
would not have approved and that alone makes me take the dress from Meg. A
sudden thought pops into my mind; I wonder what people would this of their
princess showing up in this? Would they consider me daring or just plain
reckless to attempt to anger my parents?

"What do you think Anna?" Meg asks me,
waiting for my comments, my approval. I almost start jumping in my excitement.

"What do I think? Meg, it's perfect! How did
you get something so beautiful on such short notice?" I ask rushing in
front of the mirror, desperately wanting to get the dress on.

"It was no big deal," She says with a hint
of a smile before she helps me get out of my dress from before. Once that is
off, Meg helps me with getting the red dress on. It slips on so easily, without
any trouble from Meg or me. It hugs me in all the right places, and it shows a
fair amount of my cleavage which makes me feel uncomfortable, but Meg reassures
me that the dress looks perfect on me. She helps me to rearrange my hair, and
then all that is left is to slip on a pair of black heels to go with it, and a
single silver necklace that has a silver half mask pendant hanging off of the
thin chain.

"They're all in masks down there, so I think
this one in particular would suit you perfectly." Meg says as she
delicately hands me a mask. It is black but it is adorned with silver swirls
and spirals, twists and turns and thus is as extravagant as the dress. I slip
it on carefully, gently and then once it too is in place looked at myself in
the mirror. The mask is in contrast to the dress but instead of taking away
beauty from each other they compliment each other.

No-one would know who I am in this dress, in this
costume and that is how I want it, just for one night, for no-one to know who I
am, to look at me and to like me without knowing that I am their ruling
princess, that I could order the guards to arrest them and deliver their heads
on silver platters if I requested it.

I wanted just for one night to be unknown and I know
that Meg knows that, that that is why she has chosen for me this costume so
that I can live for just one night in my entire life as an unknown person to
these people below, to the guest that had supposedly chosen to come tonight to
celebrate my birthday and dare I say it engagement party. I meet Meg's eyes in
the mirror, for what could possibly be the last time.

"Come with me Anna, I will show you a secret
passage to the ball room." She says, her eyes wet from tears threatening
to fall. I have no words to say, no words that would dare escape my lips, in
fear that my own tears will fall and so I simply nod my head once in
understanding. Tonight I wouldn't only lose my freedom; I would also lose my
best friends. That knowledge is the last thing I see in Meg's eyes before she
turns away from me and the mirror. She opens up a secret servants passage to
the lower levels and most importantly to the room which holds the gateway to my
future. I leave my bedroom for what is possibly the last time and make my way
down to the ball and to whatever horrors lay in waiting there for me.

The Stranger's P.O.V

It is dark and it is even darker to
anyone else but I could see clearly, almost as if it were day and not the other
way around. I stand in the shadows of the columns, waiting till everyone is
gone. The castle - that I did not have the chance to explore this afternoon -
is nothing like my own home which had been built eons ago.

Rupert's home had been acquired in cold
blood, blood which I had spilled on his behalf. I wonder if he is ready to hand
over all his possessions, all his earthly treasures. He won't have to, not as
long as he keeps his end of our deal but I have heard that he is considering
several other men for his daughter where he should really have no choice at
all.

Losing my track in thought I go back to
considering his "home". His home almost has a modern touch; where my
castle went up in spirals and spikes, his went out with enormous floors to
ceiling French windows, and cream marbled floors. It is different, I would give
him that, but perhaps my home would be too much of a change for her. I have no
doubt that I will be the champion tonight; I have no doubt simply because of
the deal that was done between Rupert and I. The thought that anyone would dare
challenge the fates and try to take my bride-to-be away from me, well let's
just say that I have my own resources to take care of such a man.

I feel my lips pull into a smile,
imagining my arms wrapped around the girl, my lips pressed against the crook in
her neck, my mouth filling with... I force these thoughts away as I push away
the ecstasy that these types of thoughts bring. I cannot afford to lose my control
tonight. I have to remain calm and in control. Otherwise I could have another
massacre on my hands and the waste of all that blood pained me every time such
a thing happens.

I slip on my red mask, true it is plain
but it becomes striking against my pale skin, my blood filled eyes shining
brightly from within the holes. I have never tried to blend in with the type of
people that gather at these kind of events because I have always been proud to
boast whom I am and my place among my kind but for her sake, I have to appear,
dare I say it, human. I walk up to the front doors, and make my way through the
castle to meet my awaiting fate, whether good or bad, I am not leaving without
the girl.

Anna's P.O.V

I exit the secret passage, and come out
onto the foyer outside of the ballroom. The passage had been cold and dark, and
I now understood why Meg has never used the passage before. I turn back around
to find that the secret passage and Meg are gone. We have already said our
goodbyes, and we both know that we would both cry if another word was said
between us. I enter into the ballroom and no-one glances my way, I want to
scream in joy but I keep my happiness within, for just one night my only wish
has come true. I make my way into the room, skirting around the edges trying to
avoid my parents, and make my way onto the outside foyer. It is dark and cold
out here, but at least there is no-one else. The stars are out tonight, and the
moon is full, its light sets an ethereal glow upon the sea beyond the foyer. It
is almost unearthly in all its beauty. I feel a sudden chill go down my spine
before I hear the voice, and I realize that  I am no longer alone.

"Good evening Miss VanDyken,"
Mr Sitzman's voice sounds behind me, I can feel his breath on my neck and it
sends a sudden chill down my spine.

"Good evening Mr Sitzman." I
respond in turn, turning to the man behind me. Mr Sitzman's platinum hair is
even more striking against his black mask. His blue eyes are cold and hard, and
I wonder what he is thinking right now.

"You may call me Christian,"
He says, before he moves to lean against the balcony itself.

"Alright Christian," I say,
testing out the name on my tongue. "You may call me Anna," I say and
I lean against the stone balcony next to him.

"I know you don't want to go
through with this tonight. It should be your choice after all but it's going to
happen whether you like it or not." He says, his voice is harsh and I move
away from him.

"Are you alright Christian?" I
ask, quickly retreating from the man whom follows after me, and backs me up
into the wall.

"I'm quite fine Anna; though what
you saw earlier this morning was only a facade. What you see before you is
real." He says, and his voice is filled with venom. His hand comes up to
my face to brush away some hair that has come to hang in my eyes. His other
hand trails down my arm and stays firmly in place on my waist.