Chosen: Book 1 in the Ancients of Light series (25 page)

Myrrdyn nodded once more, assuring her that
his tale was factual, “I believe that Rhydach suspected of Lorcan
what I know to be true.”

Kaitriana turned long enough to place the cup
on her nightstand before twisting back to him. She positioned
herself so that she could peer up into his wonderful face and she
whispered in eager confidence, “He is still fully Witch, is he
not?”

Myrrdyn almost chuckled, recalling fondly the
many times as a child she had done just the same. Climbing close to
hear a tale or learn some important magic at his side, she would
always jump ahead to the end. He shook his head, “Not quite, dear.
While you are the Chosen, Lorcan is the Key. His mother was the
most powerful witch in the Warrior Caste, a Queen. But she was also
the strongest of all the Queens…the leader of the seven. Her
strength surpassed all in the Realm and it was passed to her
firstborn.”

He paused for just a moment, he could see
that Kaitriana was processing the import of it all, “Lorcan’s power
was strong from an early age. There are not so many Ancients still
alive that recall the lad in his youth, but I estimate that his
powers were strong enough to eventually surpass even those of his
mother. It is significant Kaitriana…in all of creation, no male
witch was ever gifted with magic that was stronger than the Queens.
Lorcan would have assumed control of the Warrior Caste, as it would
have been his by birth and by right.”

Kat smiled at his use of those prophesied
words, she had uttered them herself just earlier this same night.
Myrrdyn went on, “His father transitioned him after Brisen’s death.
Alaric could see the potent magic in the boy. He would not kill his
heir but neither could he afford for his child to seek the Witch
since they had become Alaric’s bitter enemy. Lorcan is fully Witch,
as you suspect, but he is also fully Vampire. Alaric is a true
Ancient; he was in the first generation of the created immortals,
as was Brisen, myself and a few other remaining Witch and Vampire.
Through his Ancient father, the strongest Vampire genes were
dormant within Lorcan. Tis the only reason his transition was
successful.”

Myrrdyn could view the question lurking in
the depths of her eyes well before Kat blurted her thoughts, “How
was I transitioned? I have no Vampire genes, Ancient or otherwise,
in me.” Her eyes took on a feisty gleam and she nudged him with her
elbow, “Unless there is something you need to tell me,
Grandpapa?”

Myrrdyn smiled fondly, tapping on the end of
her nose at her impertinence, “You have no Vampire ancestors, imp.
You are simply an incredibly powerful witch.” He paused and looked
her squarely in the face, wanting to witness her reaction as he
imparted the next, “You are the most powerful born since Lorcan.
Like him, you possess powers from all of the Castes.”

Astounded, her eyes riveted to his while she
digested the ramifications of his disclosure.Myrrdyn could not help
but grin, his announcement had the intended effect, “Yes,
Kaitriana, you have them, but Lorcan does as well. Lorcan is the
Key,
his blood
is the key. The Warrior of
Light is a true hybrid of both species. The mixture of Witch and
Vampire blood from him was able to initiate the transition in you
because of the strength that you possess through your magic. Had
Rhydach or any other’s blood been given I do not believe you would
have survived, despite your strength. Rhydach knew you were strong,
being of my line and he believed if any could survive a transition
with Lorcan’s blood, it would be you.”

He leaned in close and cupped the sides of
her face, quietly explaining, “You have been meant for one another
since the beginning Kaitriana. There are traits in each of you that
cannot be completely realized without the other.”

Kaitriana grew somber. Her eyes spoke the
magnitude of the truth that stirred in her now. She reflected upon
the words the Witch had clung to over the many centuries since
originally revealed by Myrrdyn. Murmuring them, with new reverence,
having only now gained their true meaning,
“The
Witch and the Vampire, two of birth and of right, joined shall
bring the Light to its Purpose and banish the Dark.”

Her gaze probed his, gushing in her
excitement, “The Prophecy does not speak of a single Witch and a
single Vampire. There are
two
beings that
are both fully Witch and fully Vampire within the Realm, not
separate but both species combined.”

At his encouraging nod, a smile lighting his
eyes, Kat continued to puzzle it out, “Two of birth and of right;
Lorcan and I are the only two that are equally of both Factions in
the Realm and because of the individual strengths given to us, we
can exist as hybrids. Had I not been transitioned, the Prophecy
would have never come to pass. I am not capable of being the Chosen
despite the fact that I am now Vampire, but rather only
because
of it.”

He beamed at her, she had always been a quick
study, “Yes, and Lorcan will need to acknowledge his Witch nature
in addition to accepting yours before the Prophecy can be
fulfilled.”

Kaitriana stood abruptly, ready to return to
Lorcan, but held when Myrrdyn’s hand fell on her arm. His advice
was sound, “Child, give him time. Lorcan will come to the
realization in due time. In his present mood he will not hear you
but will only see this as manipulation by you and the Witch.”

Standing with a heavy sigh, he frowned,
anticipating to her dismay, “You must understand this truth
Kaitriana. Lorcan has been and always will be the Key.
He
will be ruler of the Light in the Realm with you at
his side. You are both magnificent Warriors and you are the
Prophecy
together
, but he is the rightful
Ruler of this Realm. It is ultimately
his
destiny.”

That was no small blow to her ego. As Chosen
within the ranks of the Witch, Kaitriana had always been sure of
her place in the Prophecy. It was supposed to be at the lead. The
prophesied vampire had always been only an accomplice. In her mind,
he would be secondary to her great power and that which she would
do to bring peace to the Realm. Kaitriana had never thought that
she would be matched much less surpassed in her abilities; the
thought that her role would be lesser had never entered her mind.
Dejected, she lifted a sullen countenance to her grandfather, “You
really needed to bring me a serving of crow pie the first time I
have seen you in five hundred years?”

Myrrdyn tilted his head at her in askance, a
baffled look creasing his brow. Kat mimicked his look and crossed
her arms over her chest. It took only a moment longer before
realization dawned and Myrrdyn issued a short bark of laughter, “I
might give you humble pie or make you eat crow Kaitriana, but never
both in a single setting.” Kaitriana wrinkled her nose at him, her
indignant expression more feigned than real.

He patted her arm lovingly and softened the
blow somewhat, “Lorcan cannot fulfill the Prophecy without you. You
are
his
Key and he will not find the path
but through you.” Myrrdyn rubbed his hands together with glee at
this next bit, “You will be too busy to rule since much of your
time will be required to maintain peace.”

At her perplexed look, he winked, “I am going
to have the most amazing little Vampire and Witch
great-grandchildren from you. They will keep you very occupied as
they wreak havoc throughout the Realm.” He tapped her on the nose,
“And you, rotten granddaughter, deserve every bit of trouble that
they cause you. “

Kat laughed delightedly and the Ancient
sorcerer took note of the dreamy look in her eyes. It was obvious
she liked the idea of sharing a family with Lorcan. He settled the
full weight of his gaze on her and his expression grew stern,
“These babes will come
after
you are
joined with your vows. Do I need to be more specific,
Kaitriana?”

She blushed - Seers, bah! Myrrdyn no doubt
knew full well her desire for Lorcan. Even though he could not see
it, she had no doubt he was also fully aware of her marking.
Kaitriana merely nodded, allowing herself eyes to be drawn away
from the probing of his to the pattern of Warriors symbols
embellishing the coverlet on the bed, “How will I be his path to
fulfilling the Prophecy? I may be his Key, but I think his
lock
is rusted shut.”

Myrrdyn grinned over her jest then gazed off
into the roaring fire for the space of many moments, trancelike. He
finally shook himself to answer, “It will be as it is meant to be;
it is not for me to tell you how nor to push you to one action or
another. You will also need to inspire loyalty from the Witch and
you have insulted them greatly tonight. Our species does have
tender, if inflated, egos.”

The Ancient pinned her with a look, “You will
need to best determine how to rectify the situation. You will be
accepted because of what you are, but they need to want to follow
you Kaitriana and not because they think you are the only way to
their future.”

He had no doubt she would find acceptance
from the Witch since he would be joining their gathering tonight
and expressing his great pleasure at this amazing creature and her
gifts. Many within the faction would easily follow his lead as they
always had. Those that did not would not dare speak out, and he
preferred that until Kaitriana was able to win their hearts again
in her own right.

Her gaze had been drawn to the window; dawn
would be breaking shortly. Myrrdyn patted the top of her head and
shifted his old bones to stand at his full towering height, “You
need to rest Kaitriana. These times will be challenging and you
will need your wits about you.”

As her watch remained on the ever brightening
sky, she wondered for the first time over the lack of covering to
the window - no shutters, no drapings. Kaitriana assumed the panes
were magically protected by her grandfather to keep her safe from
the burning rays.

Myrrdyn could tell the wandering of her
thoughts just by her look. Her face was so wonderfully expressive -
so beautiful
and
so wonderfully
expressive. He had truly brought forth a most exquisite
granddaughter. Before she had time to ask, he answered, “You are of
Lorcan’s blood dear and he passed a very special trait to you.
Until now, it has always been his gift alone in the Vampire
world.”

She shifted her attention from the window
back to her grandfather, her expression curious. Dropping a kiss of
farewell to her brow, Myrrdyn waved nonchalantly towards the window
and passed the news, “You need not fear the sun Kaitriana. It will
bring you nothing but warmth and perhaps a few more freckles if you
are not careful.”

Kaitriana gasped with her surprise, joy full
on her face when she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek in goodbye.
When Myrrdyn paused before his exit to peer back at his beautiful
witch one last time, she had already curled herself up in the
center of her bed. He lingered to watch the rapture on her face for
a few moments. Her gaze remained fixated on the beautiful sky that
was developing with the sunrise.

Sighing with pleasure, Myrrdyn took himself
off to slay a few dragons for her, or at least bring a few witches
in line.

CHAPTER 24

As Myrrdyn had predicted, Lorcan was not in
the mood to hear from her. He was in the depths of a fearsome black
rage. Even Colm had never seen his friend in such a state and made
certain to keep a safe distance from the other vampire.

Kaitriana had challenged him, outright
insulted him, in front of his Coven and the Witch. That rankled
Lorcan greatly but he could have moved beyond it by now. His
vexation was fueled not only by her outrageous categorization of
his and his people’s character flaws, but also that she had
challenged him yet again on the existence of his magic. He knew
full well that part of her tirade regarding his inability to accept
her dual nature was a pointed attack on his unwillingness to
acknowledge his own. The anger continued to fester because he had
yet to have an opportunity to confront her over those offenses.

His witch had remained absent and untraceable
for the seven nights that followed her tantrum at the gates,
propelling his mood from irritation to seething fury. That Lorcan
had remained in an unreasonable and unpredictable temper all this
time was indicative of it. He had been pushing Jortha hard to
divine her location but the poor witch was at a loss. While
subjected to Lorcan’s irate lectures over his failures, Jortha was
spared the violent temper that Lorcan had unleashed on his warriors
during their training.

The Warrior of Light had been responsible for
more than a few injuries to the lesser skilled males after engaging
in weaponry practice. He meted out his ire and impatience with
every swing of his sword. The social gatherings each evening had
also ceased since Kaitriana’s departure, as none wanted to put
themselves in near enough proximity to Lorcan to risk becoming
targets of his displeasure.

This night had begun no differently. Lorcan’s
disposition had darkened, as it had each passing night, when he had
woke to find no news of Kaitriana. He was brooding, having taken up
residence in the large chamber off the great hall that was reserved
for his Elite. Those five warriors were in attendance, speaking in
hushed tones around their table at the far end of the room, well
distanced from Lorcan and his spot before the fire. Lorcan was
leaning forward in his chair, tankard in hand, studying the flames
that licked slowly up the wood.

Lorcan was again reflecting on Kat’s
insistence that she be allowed to exist as both Witch and Vampire.
He knew full well, though he was loath to admit it to her or any
other, that his magic lingered. The power attempted to surge to the
forefront all too often during battle or times of crisis. He had
sense enough of himself to know that the power that surged was not
merely a flickering remnant of his mother’s gift. It had continued
to grow in strength and had not diminished as he had claimed that
Kat’s would. Though he had not outwardly attempted to confirm the
strength, Lorcan knew he still possessed every ability had he
before his transition. During the two thousand years that had
passed that power had continued to grow of its own accord. He had
resented its presence every day of his life since his mother’s
betrayal…until Kat had come back from the dead.