Eternal Changes (Mikah) (22 page)

Chapter 20

Ashton
woke up after a restless sleep. He felt the sun set and he tried to reach out to Lucy with his mind. Nothing. It was as if he’d lost her all over again. He walked towards Talmadge’s chamber and knocked on Talmadge’s door.

“Come in, Ashton,” Talmadge said.

“Have they found anything yet?” Ashton asked as he opened the door and entered the room.

Talmadge shook his head. “No. Nothing.”

Caoilainn flashed into the room and Ashton looked over at her. Her skin had a green tint to it and there were dark circles under her eyes as she stumbled towards Talmadge. Talmadge rushed over and took Caoilainn in his arms.

“Caoilainn?” Talmadge asked as he softly stroked her face “Are you ok?”

Ashton looked at Talmadge as he held Caoilainn in his arms. Talmadge’s face had softened as he brushed the wisps of hair from her face.

“I’m fine,” Caoilainn whispered as she smiled up at Talmadge. “I’m just tired. Nothing more.”

“You were out searching for her,” Talmadge said.

“I couldn’t just sit by and wait,” Caoilainn murmured, tears sparkling in her amethyst eyes. “It was driving me insane. I at least felt like I was doing
something
,” she said. “Our little girl is out there and none of us can find her.”

“Shhh,” Talmadge soothed as he hugged Caoilainn to him. “Everything will be ok. We’ll find her.”

“Maybe we just need to search the local area again for any more clues,” Ashton said. “Maybe we missed something.”

“We can give it a shot,” Talmadge said as he picked Caoilainn up in his arms and gently laid her down on his bed and looked at her. “You, however, are going to get some rest.”

Caoilainn nodded and closed her eyes.

“Go meet with Braelyn, Cail, Chloe, and Landyn” Talmadge said as he walked over and sat down in a chair. “Tell them we’re going to search locally for any clue to where they may have gone.”

Ashton nodded and rushed out of the room.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Jayde asked as Ashton passed by her.

“I need to find Chloe and Landyn,” Ashton said as he looked back at Jayde. “We’re going to get everyone to search the local area again for any clues.

Jayde darted forward and followed Ashton. “Chloe and Landyn were meeting in Chloe’s room before they leave,” she said as she caught up to him. “I just finished speaking with Chloe a few minutes ago and she was waiting for Landyn.”

“Thanks,” Ashton said as he glanced over at her and smiled.

Ashton stopped in front of Chloe’s door and knocked.

“Come in,” Chloe yelled.

Ashton and Jayde walked into the room and found Chloe and Landyn, bent over an antique table as they looked over a map of the United States.

“There’s been a slight change in plans,” Ashton said as he walked towards them. “We need to comb the local area for any clues before looking any further,” he said. “There’s too much area to cover and not enough time.”

“We were just discussing our action plan and that was already in it,” Landyn said as he stood up. “We’re just waiting on Braelyn and Cail to get here to let them know where to look.”

Cail and Braelyn flashed into the room.

“We’ve searched all day today and have come up with nothing,” Cail said as he looked from Ashton to Landyn. “All of our people spread out and searched several states. We couldn’t pick up Lucy’s scent anywhere.”

“We don’t need this anymore,” Braelyn said as she handed the pink shirt to Ashton. “All of our people know Lucy’s scent now.”

“We’re going to bring the search back locally,” Landyn said as he rolled up the map. “Tell your people to spread out and search the surrounding counties. I’ll search around the human boy’s home. Braelyn will search the area surrounding Lucy’s home,” he looked at everyone in the room. “Chloe will investigate the area around Lucy’s school and Cail will search the remaining area in the county.”

“I’ll search Lucy’s bedroom again,” Ashton said. “If you find anything, you know where to find me.”

Landyn nodded as Ashton dissipated. “Let’s hope we find something,” Landyn said as the rest of the group broke up and headed out to begin the search again.

Chapter 21

Ophelia looked around the hall before slipping into Karver’s room.  Soft snores filled the room as she walked over to the large bed. Her eyes narrowed as she glared down that the girl. The girl’s pale skin and scrawny arms made Ophelia’s skin crawl. She shook her head in disgust. How could they think this feeble girl will be more powerful than her?

“I guess I’ll just have to fix that,” Ophelia whispered. She climbed up onto the bed and straddled the girl as she slid her fingers around the girl’s neck. Ophelia jerked her hands back and screamed as her hands caught fire. She flew off the bed and moved away from the girl. Ophelia’s eyes widened as she looked down her hands. The flesh had been melted down to the bone and burn marks seared the skin around the wound. Ophelia paced around the girl as she glared over at the girl’s unmoving body.

 She spun around as the door creaked open.

“What are you doing, Ophelia?” Jaymes hissed as he grabbed her grabbed her by the shoulders and stared into her black eyes. “I think everyone in the caves heard your scream.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Ophelia said as she hid her hands. “I was just checking to see if you were actually able to get the girl,” she said as she shrugged her shoulders and tried to move away from him. “Obviously you did, so I’ll be leaving.”

“You’re lying,” Jaymes said as he grabbed one of Ophelia’s hands from behind her back as she tried to pass by him. He glanced down at the palm of her hand. Several black marks were seared into it. “What happened to your hand?”

““If you want to know what happened to my hand,” Ophelia hissed as she jerked her hand from his. “go touch the girl and find out for yourself.”

“You know Karver doesn’t like liabilities, Ophelia,” Jaymes murmured as he pulled something out of his black coat pocket. It glinted under the light as he walked towards her.

“What are you doing?” Ophelia asked as she took a step back.

“Taking care of the liability,” Jaymes hissed as he grabbed Ophelia to him and injected the needle into her leg.

She screamed as the burning liquid entered her blood stream. “What did you put in me?”

“I thought about this long and hard,” Jaymes said as he released her. “What’d be the perfect way to kill you?” he said as he tapped his chin and looked at Ophelia. “Then it came to me. Do you remember the Legend of the Dogwood, ‘phelia?”

Ophelia’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened as she stared down at her leg.

“Such an innocent looking flower,” Jaymes said as he pulled a small bottle from his other pocket. He gazed at the flower. It was shaped in the form of a cross: two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal there were brown nail prints that were stained with red to represent the blood of Christ. “To think that this could end any vampire’s life by injecting it into their bloodstream...”

“You didn’t,” she rasped as the blood in her leg started to boil. She clutched her leg and dropped to the floor.

 “I did and it was my pleasure,” Jaymes said as he walked away from her and sat on the bed near Lucy. “I suggest you enjoy the last three hours of your existence……if you can.”

Ophelia glared at Jaymes. “You won’t get away with this,” she groaned.

Jaymes got up from the bed and started walking towards Ophelia. “Oh, but I will”

Ophelia dissipated from the room and reappeared in the woods by the girl’s house. She lay on the cool forest floor as pain rocked through her. Electric pulses sizzled through her veins. She screamed and her back rose up off the ground for a second before collapsing back. The dark woods were eerily silent as Ophelia gasped in pain. She gritted her teeth together and looked up. The moon’s silver rays shone down through a break in the trees.

 Ophelia jerked her head to the right as she heard leaves rustling across the ground. Something snapped in the woods not too far from her and Ophelia tried to sit up, but couldn’t. She shifted her head to the left. Blue eyes glittered back at her as a cougar stalked up to her.

“I know where the girl’s at,” Ophelia said through gritted teeth as the fire continued to move from her leg to her hip. “Take me to the Dragomir and I’ll tell them where the Haemon are located.”

The cougar shifted into a tall Amazon looking woman. Her muscles were well defined and they rippled as she moved. Her long silver hair was pulled back into a braid as if she was ready for a battle.

“Why should I believe you?” Braelyn asked as she looked at the vampire closely. The vampire’s eyes were scrunched closed as she clutched onto her leg. Braelyn knelt down on the ground beside the female and she touched the vampire’s skin. Braelyn jerked her hand back as the heat seared her hand. “What’s wrong with you?” Braelyn asked.

Ophelia looked up at the woman in front of her. “I’ve been poisoned and I don’t have much time left,” she said. “If you don’t take me the Dragomir soon, it’ll be too late.”

Braelyn picked up the vampire in her arms and closed her eyes. She opened her eyes and looked down at the vampire. The female’s black eyes fluttered and slid shut. Braelyn shook her. “You need to stay awake,” Braelyn said as she rushed down the hall and headed for Talmadge’s room.

“I’m trying,” Ophelia groaned. “Just make haste.”

Braelyn increased her speed as she weaved in and out of the vampires that were scattered along the hall. She pushed open the door to Talmadge’s room and rushed in.

“What’s going on?” Talmadge asked as Braelyn plowed into the room and laid a woman onto his couch.

“I found her in the woods by your daughter’s house,” Braelyn told him as she looked at him. “She said she knows where the Haemon are.”

Talmadge moved around Braelyn to get a closer look at the woman lying on his couch. Caoilainn came up beside him and looked into the woman’s pain filled face.

“Do you know here?” Caoilainn asked.

“Ophelia?” Talmadge whispered.

Ophelia slowly opened her eyes as she heard a familiar voice. “Hello old friend,” she said. “Long time no see.”

“Why are you here?” Talmadge asked.

“For revenge!” Ophelia hissed as pain lacerated her body.  “Jaymes injected a mixture of the dogwood flower into my leg.”

Talmadge bent down and pulled up her pant leg to look at the wound. He flinched as the wound came into view. The skin and tissue had been eaten away along with some of the bone. Caoilainn turned her head away as the hideous smell wafted through the air. It smelled like a mixture of burning hair and rotted flesh. “How long ago did he inject you?” he asked as he placed the clothing back over her disfigured leg.

“A few hours ago….” Ophelia moaned as her eyes slid shut.

“Do you know who killed Malachi?” Caoilainn asked.

“Yes.” Ophelia groaned as a sharp pain rolled through her. “It was …”

Caoilainn touched Ophelia’s face. “Who?”

Ophelia’s eyes cracked open before sliding back shut. “Jaymes.”

Talmadge took ahold of Ophelia’s face in his hands. “It’s almost midnight, Ophelia. I need to know where the Haemon are.”

Ophelia’s eyes fluttered open. “You’ll find them in the Kartchner Caverns. Find Jaymes and make him suffer….”

Talmadge let go of Ophelia’s face as her body started to disintegrate. Her shrill scream pierced the air.  Talmadge stood up and backed away. Within seconds, nothing of Ophelia remained.

Talamadge looked over at Braelyn. “We need to find out where exactly the Kartchner Caverns are located. Then we’ll gather everyone that we can and take over those caves.”

“I’ll find out where they’re located,” Braelyn said right before she flashed out of the room.

Caoilainn walked up to Talmadge. “Do you think we’ll find Lucy in time?”

Talmadge pulled Caoilainn to him and wrapped her in his arms. “I’m not sure.”

Caoilainn laid her head on his soft shoulder. “Do you think we did the right thing?” she asked as she looked up at him. “By giving Lucy to a human family until she turned?”

A sigh left Talmadge’s lips as he looked into Caoilainn’s eyes. “I’m not sure of that either.”

Caoilainn stepped away from him as Braelyn flashed into the room.

“I found it,” Braelyn said. “Kartchner Caverns are in Benson, Arizona.”

“Caoilainn go tell your people and I’ll tell mine,” Talmadge said as he grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “We’ll meet on the platform in the middle of the caves in fifteen minutes.”