Microsoft Word - BETROTHED.docx (12 page)

Kyle saw a vendor’s stand up ahead, with rows and rows of fruit spread out over it. He walked up to it and the vendor stared back cautiously, staring at all the scars on his face. Kyle discreetly spread the plague on his hands, then reached up, and ran his palms all along the fruit, in one great swipe.

"Hey, get your hands off my fruit!" the man screamed.

Kyle smiled, grabbed an apple, reached back and hurled it at the man's throat. It was a perfect strike; the man reached up with both hands and grabbed at his throat, struggling to breathe from the blow.

As Kyle preceded down the block, he watched several humans crowd around the fruit he had just infected, feeling it. He smiled wide.

Now it was time to get serious. Kyle spotted a rotting wharf in the distance. Perfect. He knew exactly what he would find beneath it. Rats.

He hurried off to the riverbank and slipped down the muddy slope, until he was in the blackness beneath the wharf. There, he saw exactly what he’d expected: dozens of rats, crawling into and out of the water, scurrying under the wharf. They turned and hissed at him, and most began to flee. He laughed at the irony: rats scared of him.

But Kyle was faster than they. He zoomed in, using his instincts, on the Queen rat, and darted at her, grabbing her hard on the neck, reaching up, and injecting her. The rat hissed, trying to bite him, but Kyle chucked it far from him. He then reached out and grabbed another rat, and another, and another. In a dizzying array of speed, he managed to prick at least a hundred rats before they could flee from his super-fast reflexes.

Kyle had emptied a good portion of his vials, and, satisfied, he hurried back up the slope, away from the water. He stood at the top and brushed himself off, and looking down, saw the rats scurrying in every direction. He watched as several of them slipped into a large boat, crowded with humans, and as several more scurried up the riverbank, into the crowded streets. He knew that his job was done—at least for now. Within hours, they would infect every corner of this city.

Now it was time to get really serious. The humans were taken care of, but he still had to get the poison, the special poison, to kill Caitlin. He had to get to the Tower of London, and free his old vampire friend, and get him to tell him where it was.

Before Kyle could set off, he suddenly heard a distant roar. He looked out, across the Thames, and saw, in the distance, a small circular stadium, lit up from the torchlight. He heard another roar, and suddenly realized what it was: a bearbaiting stadium.

Kyle was overcome with joy. It had been centuries since he’d seen bearbaiting, and he missed it dearly.

Without thinking, he leapt into the air and flew over the river Thames, heading right for the stadium. It would also, he realized, serve a double purpose: there, he could infect thousands more humans. And more importantly, he could enjoy wreaking havoc personally. He felt a craving for violence, and it was time to let it out on someone.

Kyle knew, as he flew over the bearbaiting stadium, that he should stay focused, proceed to the London Tower, break his friend out, and get the poison. But he wanted to have some fun. He still had plenty of time, and he was still way ahead of schedule. He figured he could afford a small distraction to wreak some havoc of his own.

Kyle flew over the stadium and looked down, in the torchlight, at the thousands of humans packed in below, screaming, betting, at the bear tied in the middle, being attacked on all sides by dogs. It was his kind of fun.

He dove down, right for the stadium, and landed right in the center of the pit. As he did, he grabbed a dog from behind, picked it up, spun it over his head, and hurled it right into the bleachers.

There was a look of shock and amazement among the thousands of humans who watched him land, right in the center of the stadium, who watched him seemingly drop out of the sky. They all stood, gasping, wondering what on earth he could be. Several of them crossed themselves.

Kyle grabbed more dogs, throwing each one over the bleachers; as they landed in the seats, all worked up, they began biting humans.

Next, he ran right to the bear. The bear, sensing something, recoiled, trying to get away from Kyle.

But Kyle wasn't done. He grabbed the bear’s chain and tore it off the pole. Then he picked up the chain, and swung the bear around and around. Finally, he threw it.

It landed in the bleachers. Humans shrieked, trying to run—but it was too late. The bear landed in the bleachers in a blinding rage. It swiped its paws left and right, murdering people with a single swipe. It bit, and chewed, and swiped, and trampled, killing every human in its path.

A stampede erupted, and humans trampled humans as they tried to get away. Even more people were crushed in the melee than the bear could kill. Within moments, the entire stadium was emptying out, people running in every which direction, screaming, hoping to make it out alive.

Kyle wasn’t finished. He grabbed the torches along the sides and raced through the bleachers, setting everything on fire. Then he ran outside the stadium, and quickly circled the perimeter, setting fire in all directions, and barring all the entrances.

It worked. Most humans were trapped inside, as the flames and smoke grew higher. Kyle flew up, over the edge, and hovered over the Stadium, watching as the flames grew higher, as people screamed, trapped, and as the infuriated bear tore any survivors to pieces.

Kyle couldn’t ask for a better start to his night.

Caleb flew, holding Ruth, Caitlin at his side, and Scarlet on her back. Caleb marveled at how inseparable Caitlin and Scarlet had become since they'd met. It was strange looking at them, as it seemed as if they’d always been together.

The four of them flew through the breaking sky of dawn, heading north towards his castle in Leeds. It had been a solemn departure this morning, as Caitlin and Sam had parted ways. The two had embraced, tears in their eyes, as they had each decided to go their own ways, to pursue their own clues. Caleb thought that Caitlin had made the right decision. Sam clearly needed to pursue his clue, and she needed to pursue hers.

Polly had surprised them by announcing that she was going with Sam. Sam had seemed surprised by that, too. But Polly had quickly added that it was purely for professional reasons, that she thought, since Caitlin had Caleb, it would be better to balance out the numbers, and have her help Sam. After all, they were all searching for the same thing. Sam hadn't seemed to object. Caleb smiled as he thought of it. It seemed obvious to him that the two of them liked each other, but that they were both set on not showing it.

Caleb thought of his love for Caitlin. He flew so close to her now, the sky blending into a million colors, their wings nearly touching, and felt such love for her. Their time together had been magical. They had managed to come back together, had been together the entire time, and finally, it felt like nothing was left to stand in their way. There was no Sera, no Blake, no other obstacles. It was just the two of them.

This physical place and time wasn't as dramatic as Paris or Venice, and yet, their time together now felt more romantic to him than ever. It made him realize that true love wasn’t about where you lived. Caleb had never felt so happy, and he felt that Caitlin never had, either.

He discreetly reached to his side, and as he felt the bulge in his pocket, his heart lifted. His mother's ring. It was still there, safe and secure, and now, finally, the time felt right. They had a lull in their search. Sam knew where he was going, but Caitlin had no idea where her clue lead. Caleb didn’t either. So, since they had nowhere to go, he’d used a tiny bit of trickery, looking for an opportunity to get some time alone with Caitlin, so that he could propose. When Caitlin had decided to leave Windsor Castle and was standing there, unsure where to go, he had suggested an idea for where they might search. Trusting him, she had went along with it.

Now they flew north, to a place where Caitlin thought might lead them to a clue. But what she didn’t know was that they were actually flying to one of Caleb's castles. Leeds Castle was one of his most beautiful properties, one he had bought centuries before. He had boarded it up the last time he had been there, and hoped that it was still in good condition. He owned castles in nearly every corner of the world, but this one was his favorites. It was also his most romantic property.

It came to him that it would be the perfect place to propose to Caitlin. He thought of the hilltop that overlooked the property, the wild grass and wildflowers in every direction that afforded a commanding view of the countryside. He knew that this would be the perfect place and time.

He had not expected to propose in front of anyone else, and was a bit caught off guard that Scarlet was with them, and Ruth. He would have to figure that out when the time came, but he was sure he could find a way to get just a few moments alone with her. Regardless, he was so happy that Scarlet was in their life, he would give up anything to have her there.

As they rounded a hilltop, Caleb's castle came into view. Sprawled out in the early morning sun, it was magnificent, just as he had remembered it. Built in a white limestone, with turrets in every direction, immaculately laid out in a large square, with an inner courtyard, and a drawbridge, it sat regal and proud, dominating the otherwise empty countryside. It stood empty, just as he’d hoped it would.

For now, he didn’t want to actually bring her into the castle. Instead, he wanted to take her right to the hilltop overlooking the property. Caleb suddenly dove down, pointing, and Caitlin followed him.

Moments later, they landed on a plateau, at the top of a sprawling hill. It was the highest hill in the countryside, and from this vantage point, they could see forever. Caleb set Ruth down as he landed, and Caitlin set Scarlet down.

"Why have we landed here?" Caitlin asked.

Caleb had rehearsed a thousand times in his mind what he would say when the big moment came. But now that it was actually here, he found himself getting nervous, tongue-tied. His throat suddenly went dry, his hands were sweaty, and for a moment, he forgot what he was about to say.

"Wow, look at that castle!" Scarlet shouted, staring off at the horizon, pointing.

Caleb turned to her. "Sweetheart, I think Ruth needs to use the bathroom. Maybe you can take her to that small grove of trees, right over there?”

Caleb pointed at a small grove of trees, maybe thirty yards away, on the far side of the plateau, a place where he could keep them in sight, yet still have privacy to speak to Caitlin.

Scarlet took off with Ruth, thrilled to run through the grass, Ruth skipping beside her, playing as they went.

Caitlin gave him a puzzled look.

"What's got into you?" Caitlin asked. "You're acting funny."

He cleared his throat.

"Caitlin," he said, stopping, clearing his throat again. "There is something I've been meaning to—um—to—well—to—ask you—um—for centuries now. Every time I try, something seems to get in the way. But now, the time is right."

She looked at him, puzzled, and he could tell that she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

"I brought you here for a reason," he continued. "It's a very special spot for me. And for my family, throughout the centuries. That castle that you see on the horizon, it was used by my family for centuries. It is mine now. A place I can call home. A place, maybe one day, we can call home together.”

Caitlin turned and looked at the castle, and gasped at the sight. He reached up and held her shoulders, and she turned back to him.

Her brown eyes were so beautiful against the breaking dawn. He reached up and ran the back of his hand along her face, brushing back her delicate brown hair.

"Caitlin," he said, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And there is something very important I need to ask you.”

He reached back, felt the ring in his pocket, and he knew the time had come.

Slowly, he took it out, held it in his hand, and got down on one knee.

The time had come to be with her forever.

Sam flew in the morning sky, Polly beside him, heading towards Warwick Castle. Polly kept her distance from him, and he kept his. He was surprised she had decided to join him; she had made it clear that she was only accompanying him for professional reasons, to even out the teams, two and two, in the search for the shield. She reasoned that Caitlin didn't need backup, already having Caleb with her, and that Sam just might.

Sam resented that. He didn't need backup. He felt fine on his own. But he did like having Polly’s company, even though she talked too much at times, and he was glad she had chosen to accompany him. He smiled inwardly, realizing that it must have killed her to admit that she wanted to go with him, since she had been trying so hard, all along, to make such a point of keeping a distance from him.

But since then, all through the flight, for hours, she had kept a far distance from him, and hadn't said a word. He was actually now beginning to wonder if she even liked him after all.

It upset him having to part ways with Caitlin. He had been so happy to have found her again, and was becoming comfortable in Windsor Castle—especially after that feast, and those incredible rooms. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Caitlin’s side, especially after all the trouble he’d had in finding her, and to have to leave Windsor Castle. But it was clear from his dad's letter that that was what was needed—that they split up, and each search for him in a different direction.

He wondered why. Did they each have a different destiny? Would they ever be put together again, searching on the same track? And if his destiny was different, how was it different than Caitlin's? On the other hand, he liked having his own clue, a clue meant just for him, and him alone.

He was excited to see where his clue lead him, to see what Warwick had in store, and to find out, finally, what his side of the search entailed.

They rounded a hilltop, and there, on the horizon, sat an enormous castle, the only structure in view for hundreds of miles. Clearly, this was the fabled Warwick Castle. The early morning sun lit it a shade of orange, and even from this distance, Sam could see it looked ancient. It was sprawling, and reminded him in some ways of Windsor Castle, with its high walls, parapets, open-air inner courtyard. This castle wasn't quite as big as Windsor, but it had some things which Windsor didn’t, like a huge tower soaring hundreds of feet high, built upon a hill, with parapets. And it had several smaller towers, too.