Chapter 11 ELEVEN
“What would you do if a high standing vampire asked you to betray your Prince?” he asked me, the crowd moving forward a step, eagerly awaiting my answer.
Yeah, one wrong move and I’m dinner.
No matter how much I want to say that I’d betray him at the first chance I get, that would mean death and I wasn’t ready for that.
“I would kill any vampire that asked me to betray my master.” I whisper.
My eyes turn violet as my power rushes to the surface, feeling threatened.
I fight it.
I push it back and pray it doesn’t explode.
Ezio laughed, he pulling away the sword and allowing me to catch my breath.
Thank god for that.
I lean forward, placing my forehead onto the freezing stone, knowing that I needed to show them how obedient I was.
How much I would listen to each command they uttered, without a thought for my own wellbeing and safety; because that was the life of a witch.
That was just how things worked.
My heart hurt, begging me to fight back.
But it wasn’t time for that, not yet.
“See my friend, loyal as all good pets should be.” Silas says, patting my head.
If only I could wipe that smile of his face.
“She seems loyal as you say, but she is still a witch.” Ezio retorted with a growl.
Silas walked to Ezio, placing his arm around his shoulder. “Oh, my dear Ezio, she is so much more than a simple Witch, can you not see that?”
“Hmm. Perhaps, we shall see.” The Caprotti vampire smiled, turning to look down at me from where I knelt, my head still bowed.
“Berus.” Silas called into the crowd.
He waited for several seconds before a dark figure emerged from the crowd, a black aura surrounding him.
I lifted my head slightly so that I could see him, this large cloak covering a hunched frame, a large, bony hand holding onto an oak staff which was twisted up towards the heavens, an elegantly placed crystal ball attached to the top, the oak curling around it. His face was covered partially by his wavy silver hair, his amethyst eyes shining through, promising me a world of pain should I take even a single step out of line. His dark blue cloak was tattered and old, the colour fading ever so slightly, his skin sagging and wrinkled.
I knew of this warlock, I knew that he was a necromancer, that he could raise other witches and mortals form the dead.
The stories were as terrifying as the man himself.
He had a dangerous gift, one that many feared much like mine, I had thought they all lived in the tribes of Scotland, but clearly, I had been misinformed.
He turned to look down at me just before he reached the prince, his deep purple eyes locked onto my mine as he spoke; his voice very strange and nasally. “Permission to speak sire?” He said, placing the staff onto the back of my head and shoving it down, my forehead mashing into the hard stone.
I groaned, trying to push the staff away.
This only made him angrier. He shoved it into my head again, a whimper leaving my lips at the vampire prince watched, not once stopping Berus.
Silas nodded, giving his approval for his personal Warlock to speak freely, and without consequence.
This guy was bad news, I could just tell that he’s going to be my worst nightmare.
“You will learn to raise your head when you are told to, child.” The Warlock growled savagely, lifting his staff from the back of my head only to slam it back down onto my shoulders.
I squealed, curling my knees towards my chest and bowing lower, I felt him raise the staff again; my breath caught in my throat.
I had forgotten how to breathe, I had forgotten how to speak, I had forgotten everything I ever learned about these creatures.
He was going to kill me, I was sure of it.
I could feel the power within me surging, it was thundering forward like a strike of lightening upon an unsuspecting man. It was too late to stop it, my eyes beginning to glow a deep violet shade, my heart thumping against my ribcage. I closed my eyes allowing the sunlight's fire to consume me, entrapping my entire form within its folds, I grunted, panting for breath as my body strained, not used to the amount of power that was swimming through me.
He would regret ever laying a hand on me.
The warlock swung the staff down towards my back once more, but this time I was ready, I knew it was coming. I curled up into a tighter ball, waiting for the exact moment when the wood hit my skin to release my power, my skin glowing a deep orange; a vast explosion rippling through the courtyard.
Gasps and screams filled the air, but no one else had to worry, no one but Berus.
The warlock was thrown back several feet into the sculptured waterfall, cracking the stone and collapsing into the floor with an echoing thud.
I smirked against the stone floor, lifting my eyes just enough for him to see my amusement.
He had no regard for his own kind, so I would have no mercy for him.
He regained composure quicker than I expected as I moved to sit up, turning to stare straight into his eyes as my skin still glowed, the violet shade of my eyes becoming more prominent, sharper, brighter.
He was going to attack again; I could feel it deep within my bones like a hum of warning. A soft voice that tells me to prepare myself.
He storms back towards me as he snarled, lifting the staff to strike me once more, though before I had a chance to hit him with another blow Silas stepped between us; his eyes locked onto Berus.
The Prince struck the warlock around the face, and yet stern. “You will not lay a hand on her, not unless I give my permission. She is mine.” A growl fills the air.
The prince’s word is law.
“Sire, she attacked me!” Berus bellowed, pushing down the hood of his cloak.
“She defended herself from an unwarranted attack, she does not know how things work here yet because I have not explained them. You will not strike her unless there is good reason.” Prince Silas snaps back, “better yet, don’t touch her at all.”
I tried to smile, to laugh, to tell him that he was stupid for touching what didn’t belong to him.
But I didn’t.
I collapsed instead, banging my head against the concrete.
I had exhausted myself; I had used up too much energy to send Berus flying across the courtyard and now i was defenceless, weak, drained.
I had proved my point, but it was at the cost of my own body. If he attacked again, I wouldn’t be able to stop him.
Though, I couldn’t bring myself to care.
I had fought back, that’s all that matters. A small victory is one step closer to wining the war.
I placed my cheek against the cool stone floor, needing a moment to regain myself, I needed time to recover.
The prince knelt down beside me, gently tucking my auburn hair behind my ears so that he could see my face, the colour of my eyes flashing back to the original light brown.
He watched me like I was precious, something to treasure.
He spoke slowly, my brain unable to catch most of what he was saying, though it was something along the lines of; “I will take you to your chamber, your training will start tomorrow.”
Then, the world went black.
And I welcomed the darkness with opens arms.