It was a statement, not a question and Kaspar, floundering, looked from my wide-eyed expression to Fallon’s small smile.
‘You were in her mind?!’ Kaspar spluttered, a look of outrage crossing his face.
Fallon chuckled. ‘Curious, Kaspar, just curious.’
Kaspar, appalled, took a step towards Fallon and the girl, Autumn Rose. Even in the gloom I could see his eyes flashing dangerously black.
‘You cannot just arrive here and enter our minds at liberty, Fallon. At a time like this I should have you locked up and brought before our council for invading Violet’s mind; if it were not for your title I would ensure you were dragged there.’
Fallon shook his head. ‘Being a Prince allows one such a liberty, Kaspar, you know that. And, as you say, at a time like this we should be united, don’t you think?’
‘And how,’ Kaspar scoffed, ‘Are we supposed to be united when your Kingdom won’t tell us who this Heroine girl is or how you plan to find the second? Besides, closing Athenea’s borders more promotes division, don’t you think, Fallon?’
Fallon chuckled dryly for a few seconds, before his mouth became a set line. ‘Ask and you will be answered, my friend.’
Autumn’s eyes flicked between the two of them, grimacing slightly. Suddenly, her eyes moved to me and her face became unreadable again.
‘So who is the Heroine? Is she of noble blood or not?’
‘I don’t know.’
Kaspar swore fiercely under his breath, turning and punching a nearby innocent tree. The bark splintered, falling as shards to the mossy ground.
‘You don’t know? Not even a name?’ Cain interjected, glancing at his brother.
‘No. My father has not told me. All I know is she is far from under the control of the court. She’s beyond our influence. The court closed the borders in an attempt to keep her from leaving the dimension; force her to pay them a little visit.’
‘But you opened them again?’ I asked.
Fallon drew a long breath, glancing at Autumn as he did. ‘No.’
Comprehension, swiftly followed by shock, seemed to spread around the clearing. Autumn’s eyes had become averted again, her gaze firmly locked on the ground. But every few seconds, perhaps when she thought no one was looking, her eyes would sweep around, still cautious until they came to a rest on me. I frowned, hoping to catch her eye but she didn’t look up again, as though she knew I was watching.
‘You mean?’ Cain began.
Fallon nodded, his face solemn.
Lyla laughed nervously, stepping forward into the moonlight. ‘But … that’s not possible. It’s just not possible.’
I glanced from one to the other, not following the broken conversation. ‘What’s not possible?’
Kaspar, leaned against the tree he had taken his anger out on, opened his eyes for the first time in a full minute, stirring once more.
Fallon sighed, turning his attention to me again. ‘The girl – the Heroine, opened the borders. By herself.’
I shook my head. ‘So?’
He continued. ‘The borders are what divide the dimensions. Dark beings are able to move freely through them, provided they are open. But they are not physical divides. They are made from energy, so opening and closing them takes immense power: hundreds of dark beings, at least. An entire court.’ He paused for a moment. ‘Yet this girl, even if she had help, must be powerful; so powerful that she could wield enough energy to be able to open the borders.’
I frowned. ‘But what do you mean wield? Wield what?’
Autumn raised her eyes.
‘Oh,’ Fallon cooed. ‘You really do know nothing.’
I folded my arms across my chest. ‘Then tell me.’
He held out the hand that was scarred. ‘I’d do better to show you.’ Kaspar hissed all of a sudden but Fallon cut him off with a wave of his hand. ‘You already know what it is, Miss Lee. It’s what keeps the blood gushing through a vampire’s veins, despite a deadened heart. It’s what allows every dark being to use their minds to communicate. It’s what caused the Death’s Touch to flower. It’s all around us; you feel it now.’
The burning, tingling sensation returned, skipping from fingertip to fingertip. The trees swayed once more and the beams of moonlight streaming between the canopy disappeared, like the light of a candle blown out by the rising breeze.
Fallon smiled. ‘All dark beings are born with it,’ he said, gesturing around the group, to which a few nodded. Kaspar stared at the ground, arms crossed, defeated. ‘And the Sage have the power to manipulate it.’
He paused, then held his hand out and smiled.
‘Incendia,’ he breathed. His lips barely moved but from the very air he had just exhaled sprung minute, dancing sparks, champagne coloured and effervescent, cascading with so little effort that they looked to be lighter than air. They spun and spun in his hand, a tiny whirlwind until suddenly they disappeared; in their place was a flickering ball of fire, perfectly shaped into a flame and floating a few inches above his skin.
‘Energy in its very rawest form; or what you, Miss Lee, may know as magic.’
My eyes widened. He waved his hand and it followed, becoming a flaming tongue, interweaving between his fingers as they clenched and his fist became a ball. When his fingertips met his palm, it was gone.
Magic. I believed it all, utterly and entirely, my reasoning simple: if vampires could exist, then what he had just produced from thin air could too.
Fallon stared at his hand for a moment, his eyes glazed and unfocused before he seemed to remember himself. His eyes drifted upwards and he continued.
‘The borders are comprised of complex, dangerous magic. It is not something a normal young Sage could master. Yet she has. We’re dealing with something new. Something powerful and perilous contained within one girl. She opened the borders and only heaven knows where she is or what she plans to do.’
Kaspar stirred. The brooding expression on his face, the downturned eyes, the folded arms – they were parts of his character that I recognized and was so familiar with now that I knew something was bothering him.
‘Find the second Heroine, perhaps?’
Fallon shrugged his shoulders. ‘Maybe. But that doesn’t narrow it down. The second girl could be any woman, anywhere. She could be in any part of your dimension. Besides, what is there to say this girl accepts her fate? She is young, after all. She may ignore her duty.’
Alex dropped his guitar case to the ground, unzipping the top part. His fingers twiddled with the strings and I shifted, wishing he would stop.
‘No. I can’t believe that. Wherever the second Heroine goes, so does the first. No sane person would want to be stuck alone with a fate like that for long.’
Kaspar glanced at him, obviously thinking the same thing that I was. Alex picked up the hint, mumbling an apology. I glanced at Fallon’s hand. A few sparks were still clinging to his fingertips, red this time.
‘Then why are you here? An odd time to visit, surely?’ Kaspar asked. The distrust and curiosity were evident in his voice.
‘We wish to visit Eaglen and with your permission, would travel and camp with you tonight,’ Fallon began, with a little more tact than before.
Kaspar narrowed his eyes. ‘Eaglen? At a time like this?’
‘Is Ad Infinitum not the time for visiting family and friends?’
Kaspar’s eyes flashed black and I inwardly groaned at the insensitivity of his next statement. ‘Eaglen is no relation or friend of yours.’
Quiet rained down on the clearing and for the first time, Autumn Rose stepped into the circle. Her eyes never left the ground and she spoke timidly and quietly, yet her voice rang clear through the air, musical in sound, so varied in pitch it was almost a song.
‘I can explain that, Your Highness.’ She paused, seeming to gather courage. ‘Eaglen was a close friend of my grandmother many years ago; I wished to spend such a time with someone who knew her well. I have no one else.’
; Her eyes flickered upwards, coyly gauging his reaction. Kaspar seemed taken aback and his expression softened.
‘Forgive me, Lady Sage. I did not know.’
He bowed stiffly and she nodded her head in return, seeming to gain a little confidence.
‘And might I offer my apologies for not attending your late grandmother’s funeral. The timing was unfortunate.’
She curtsied. ‘A funeral is bitter to the grieving heart. It is no matter, Your Highness.’
I watched the exchange with interest. I felt a pang of sympathy for her. By the sound of it she had no family left. Yet the courtesy and respect Kaspar allowed her sent another type of pang stabbing through my heart.
Green doesn’t look good on you, Girly, my voice snickered.
‘No objections then, Kaspar?’ Fallon continued.
Kaspar shook his head. ‘None.’
‘Then might I suggest we get moving? As I’m sure Violet will testify it’s a little chilly just standing here.’
I nodded vigorously, hands already buried deep in my pockets. Alex swung his guitar back over his shoulders and with that, Fallon led the way into the trees, leaving the corpses of the unfortunate deer behind.
As early evening moved to night the clouds dispersed, blown away by the cold wind that had gradually intensified as we moved deeper into the heart of Varnley forest. The stars twinkled high above and occasionally, when we climbed to higher ground, I could make out the orange glow of London.
Crickets chirped in the undergrowth as I weaved my way through the treacherous maze of roots, tired and ashamed of my stumbling antics. Ahead, the two Sage leapt elegantly from root to root, hardly touching the ground and never so much as brushing a single thorn nor leaf. It was almost as though the forest moved with them, fluid and lithe to their swift pace.
The vampires were grouped in-between, stamina and strength pushing them on and guiding their feet. Kaspar had dropped back, staying behind with me, but he barely talked and when he did it was to warn me not to trip or to stay close.
‘Where did you say we were going?’ I asked for the umpteenth time, hoping he might elaborate on his reply compared to the last time.
‘The brook,’ he replied in a monotone. I sighed, resigning myself to the fact he did not want to awaken from his deep-thinking stupor.
Although his answer did not help, I got the feeling this was not an area that was ventured into much. Thick curtains of ivy were suspended like cobwebs between the mighty oaks that dominated this part of the forest. The ground was earthy and the grass sparse – only the odd bush sheltered life. Creepers snaked across the loose path, perfectly positioned as trip hazards for my ungainly feet.
As we walked on, I watched Autumn Rose. She was truly unlike anything I had ever seen. Her pale skin, intricate tawny scars and fine, straw-coloured hair were so exotic; so strange and alien, her amber eyes so wide, innocent and unknowing … and then there was the power she possessed within. The magic she could wield, shape and conjure at will. The possibilities seemed endless, even frightening.
‘Is she an orphan?’ I asked tentatively, wondering if I was pushing the boundaries too far.
Kaspar sighed. ‘As good as.’ Again he sighed, almost remorsefully. ‘Her grandmother died about eighteen months ago, some months after my mother. Her parents are not Sage and she has no close relations that are either. Since then she has kept far from Athenea – away from the Sagean social circle.’
‘How did she die? Her grandmother I mean. Old age?’ I probed.
Kaspar stopped, turning to me with reproachful eyes. ‘Violet, it was murder.’
Immediately, I felt terrible for asking. I glanced after her and then bowed my head.
‘And you’d do better not to mention it to anyone,’ he added before starting off again. ‘Some things are better left buried.’
I closed my eyes, slowing breathing out. Dark beings buried everything, just never deep enough. Swallowing back my wounded pride, I carried on after him, hopping over another particularly large root in the dark forest.
We must have walked on another hour before the scenery began to change again. The trees narrowed and the oaks were replaced with great swathes of orange and red. Patches of autumn-flowering snowdrops broke through the hard earth, scattered between plots of grass. I could faintly hear the sound of trickling, gurgling water.
Suddenly, Felix clapped his hands together. ‘Right, firewood. Any volunteers?’
We had come to a halt at a tiny clearing, ringed tightly by trunks. In the centre was a little circle of stones, enclosing a heap of wet ash. The group was gathered around, dumping their bags and settling down. There was a general disgruntled murmur and no one raised their hand.
I looked at the fire circle sceptically. ‘Surely it would just be easier to use that magic of yours?’
I looked at Fallon, who smiled amusedly. Cain chuckled, muttering, ‘City girl,’ under his breath.
‘It won’t burn as bright or as warm.’
‘Which is why we need wood,’ Felix put in. ‘I’ll go if anybody nice wants to help?’ Autumn sort of half-smiled and raised her hand. ‘Anyone else?’ he continued.
‘I’ll go,’ I said, taking a step forward. Autumn seemed taken aback and Kaspar looked as though he was about to protest. But Felix was already striding away, heading in the opposite direction to which we had come. She recovered her unreadable expression and turned after him. I hurried behind.
I didn’t know quite why I had volunteered, but something about this Autumn girl fascinated me. The Sage fascinated me. Magic fascinated me.
We approached the brook, a tiny, babbling stream flowing over mossy rocks and perfectly smooth, glinting pebbles. The banks were lined with snowdrops and luscious grass as it flowed down towards the Thames estuary.
Felix jumped the stream and disappeared into the trees, shouting for us to hurry up. Autumn followed, crossing in one graceful step. I edged downstream a little, strategically picking a spot with stepping-stones. There was certainly no firewood here. The branches were high up and what little wood did litter the ground was covered in moss or rotting leaves. However, it wasn’t long before we were back within the confines of the great oaks. The night darkened and here there was plenty of dry, dead wood. I began picking up handfuls.
‘Cold night,’ I began, directing it at Autumn, hoping to strike a conversation. I received no answer, but persevered. ‘So, how old are you?’
I bent down and picked up a few twigs. Her back was to me when she answered.
‘Sixteen.’
‘You look older,’ I lied.
She turned, examined me for a moment and then curtly nodded, in gratitude I assumed. She continued on in silence, her arms already bundled high with sticks.
‘So where do you come from? All the places are the same in the dimensions, right?’
She nodded. ‘I grew up in London, but I come from Devon.’
Encouraged by her longer reply, I carried on. ‘I grew up in London too.’
This time she took longer to reply and she averted her gaze again, eventually turning away and heading deeper into the forest.
‘I know. You were born in Chelsea.’
I stopped, slightly dumbstruck. ‘How do you know that?’
She paused, turning back to me. ‘Everybody knows.’
She shifted her pile of wood into one arm, reaching into her cloak and pulling out a glossy magazine. She handed it to me.
I looked down at the cover. It was titled Quaintrelle and dated for the first week of November. Subheadings were splashed across the page: HOW WILL YOU SPEND YOUR AD INFINITUM?, OCTOBER’S TOP SOCIALITES and WHAT’S HOT, WHAT’S NEW AND ON THE RISE all featured around the edge of the page. Beneath that was a picture montage – the smiling faces of young Sage, vampires and other, unrecognizable creatures stared up at me, all dressed in suits and dresses.
But what really caught my attention was the heading at the bottom, written in red:
THE LATEST ON V
IOLET LEE – TURN TO PAGE 5.
I yanked the magazine open, almost tearing the pages as I searched for the right page. I found it and began reading.
‘Violet Lee – kidnapped and held hostage for months: her story has reached millions of dark beings and humans alike and touched many hearts. We discuss what it means for the second dimension and whether this tale will have a happily ever after – namely in the form of HRH Kaspar Varn.’
I could hardly bring myself to read on, feeling my cheeks glow red. Below the text was a picture of me at the Autumnal Equinox ball, surrounded by vampires. Inwardly, I cringed, closing the magazine and handing it back.
‘No, keep it. It might be interesting for you,’ she said, expression still perfectly unreadable. With that she carried on, occasionally stooping to pick up a handful of twigs. I followed, unsure of how I should feel.
A small part of me was flattered. A magazine – and one that was circulated around all the dimensions – was following me, along with a lot of the population by the look of it. But another, much larger part was humiliated. I didn’t have to keep reading to know what it would go on to talk about.
That was private. It was between Kaspar and me. It was bad enough that the entire court knew.
I sighed. A different, more rational part was telling me I should have expected it. It was not as though vampires kidnapped humans every day.
We carried on in silence and I began to wonder when we were going to return. My arms felt like lead and my feet were beginning to ache. The path was leading us into a thorny thicket and the ground underfoot was mossy and damp. I gazed around and shivered, but not from the cold. A sudden sense of déjà vu had passed through me and with a sickening thump I realized where we were. Where we were heading.
We broke from the thorns and sure enough, ahead there was a stone building, ivy creeping up the walls and invading the huge cracks. Steps, broken in the centre, led up to a plinth, two stone pillars guarding the entrance to a huge, open door. From inside came the stomach-churning smell of decomposing flesh and the dust hung in great clouds, coating my arms in seconds.
I stopped. That was where the cloaked figure had feasted upon a young girl. Killed her. Sarah. She was called Sarah. It was here I was sure the Queen was buried, deep beneath my feet. Carmen. It was not far from here that he had attacked me. Ilta.