Snowscape Trilogy (6 page)

“What?”

He let go of my hands and tilted my chin up
towards him. “The bruises. You shouldn’t let Nathaniel be so rough
on your body.” He hesitated. “Are there more?” He asked the second
question with clear trepidation.

I back away from him two steps. “No.
Nathaniel? That’s his name.”

“Yes. I had assumed he would have told you by
now.”

I shook my head. “No. I’ve never even seen
his face. He is just always there.”

Samandiriel cursed and turned away from me.
“Dammit. He should have explained this all to you. I cannot. It is
not my place to reveal the true nature of the dream master.”

My breath caught in my throat, I could only
whisper, “The what?”

He looked to the ground and took off of his
glasses. He rubbed his eyes for a moment and then put them back on.
“I’m so sorry, Ambrosia. I cannot tell you more. He must be the
one.”

He stepped towards me to take me into his
arms again and I held up my hands on front of me questions,
emotions threatening to overtake me. “No. If you cannot answer any
more questions for me then I think I’m done for tonight. I need to
go home.”

“Ambrosia-“

“My name is Amy.”

“Fine. Amy then…” He seemed to want to say
more but stopped himself. How could he not see the dangerous
precipice of sanity I was barely hanging onto? “Violet will stop by
tomorrow to check on you.”

“Why?”

“Your birthday is at the
end of the week? Your 26
^th
?” He asked.

“So?” I asked back.

His steady resolve was
suddenly so palpable I could feel it from three feet away. He
walked up to me and cupped my chin in his hand. It was smooth and
warm, but did little to flee the chill from my bones. He ran his
thumb down the center of my lips and place a quick chaste kiss on
my forehead. “You are a very important person Ambrosia Ross. On
your 26
^th
birthday the demons will start hunting you. Tell Nathaniel to
hurry up on your training.”

I sucked in my breath to ask a question but
Sam had disappeared into the night. I slid down the side of my car,
physically sick at the emotions rolling around in my head. I was
too confused for tears.

That’s when I noticed, on the edge of the
field a single four-leaf clover stood swaying slightly in the
October breeze.

Chapter 8

Nathaniel sat in the snow, enjoying his
reverie. Watching her hunt for him. 

He knew that Samandiriel has finally found
her and although it tortured him with jealousy, he was glad of it.
He had put off her training for so long, it was almost too late.
Every time he had thought to start, she had surprised him. Her
smile, her ability, her eyes. They were a little secret surprise
between the two of them and he had wanted to keep it that way for
as long as possible.

He was never meant to fall
in love with her. But sometime between her
16
^th
and 18
^th
year, it had happened.

They had never spoken. Never touched until
now. Until desperation and need drove him to it. He was ashamed of
the past night; of their shared pleasure. Ashamed but not
regretful. Never regretful as long as she was concerned. He was
created to keep her safe until it was time. Until the battle begun.
But now with it looming so close in the distance, he could not
bring himself to start. To part with her. To tell her the
truth.

It was inevitable. Nathaniel knew that much.
But not tonight.

Tonight he would watch her one last time.
One last glimpse at the girl she had always been, until he had to
turn her into the girl she would have to become. His heart ached at
the prospect and the lose that was yet to come.

I was just sitting down to enjoy a bowl of
cereal, thinking longingly about how lovely it would be to have a
vanilla latte in my hand. Contemplating how long it would take to
get to The Spot, and with the knowledge that Kayla was off today
and I would actually have to pay for my extra shot, my doorbell
rang. Alistair had not been home for two days, which was not
unusual for him and although we had had the obligatory ‘are you
okay’ text chat, I was enjoying having the apartment to myself.
Wearing my most comfortable sweatpants and t-shirt combo I went to
answer the door and found Violet extra perky, holding two Spot
Coffee cups.

“Good Morning,“ she practically sung to me
and let herself inside.

She handed me one of the cups and I could
smell the vanilla and milk seeping out of the top. Extra-large
double shot. She gave me one quick assessing glance from top to
bottom and announced, “I’m taking you shopping.”

I sipped the cup and pointed her towards the
couch. “Sit. You are answering a few of my questions before
anything else. No kissing, no flirting. I’ve had enough of that
from your brother last night”

She scoffed at the idea of sitting down on
the beat up old couch that Alistair and I had found once sitting on
the curb after our neighbor had moved out. She looked as if she was
about to protest, but glanced at my less than friendly expression
and resigned herself to her fate. She sat down on the very edge,
demurely and put the remaining coffee cup down on the table in from
of her. “You will be happy to know, the that Riel has lifted the
bane he placed on me and I am know allowed to answer your
questions.”

“Is that why you are in such a good mood? You
are allowed to spill your secrets?”

She nodded eagerly. “Do you understand how
hard it is for me to keep things from people? You in particular?
Probably not, but let me tell you the pain I have been going
through the past three days has been excruciating. Enough of this
drama, we need to have some fun today. No men, no end of the world,
no demon talk, okay?”

The questions came tumbling out of my head.
Why was she here? Why were her and Riel following me? What was he
talking about demons? How had she known where I lived was actually
pretty far down the list and of all of the questions that swirled
around my head, her knowledge of my apartment was not at all
surprising or important. I sat down on the couch near to her, but
edged myself to the other end. No need to repeat the other night’s
performance with her.

She sat back and relaxed a bit, I could see
the change in her demeanor as though she went from a perfect
princess sorority girl, to a laid back stoner. Although everything
looked the same down to her perfect light pink manicure and coifed
blond curls, I could see that she wore body language as if it were
a coat. She could become anyone she wanted to simple by a tilt of
her head or a slouch in her back. It was an impressive skill, and a
veteran people watcher such as myself was impressed. Here was a
girl who could become whatever she needed to be at the moment.

“Seriously, Amy, let’s just go shopping
today. We can have a girl date, look at guys at the mall. Go see a
movie or something.” She smiled a bright, white perfect smile.

I took another sip of my latte and frowned.
She put her cup on the coffee table and I noticed that she hadn’t
picked it up. One of my biggest pet peeves was seeing the round
pink lines of lipstick that tended to be left on the coffee cup of
anyone wearing even a hint of lipstick. One of the main reasons I
found myself without so often. Violet’s cup was as pure white as
her teeth. She was no coffee drinker and had made a special trip to
Spot just for me. I was touched, but not enough to be distracted.
“No, we are going to sit here and have a discussion. We will start
with an easy one. What’s up with the coffee? How did you know I was
thinking about going to Spot for a vanilla latte?”

She laughed.
“
That’s
the
question you’re starting with? Well, that one I can tell you. I’m
psychic.”

Not the answer I was expecting. “You’re
psychic?”

“Yep. Why do you think I can be whomever you
need at the moment? Don’t think I didn’t notice your quick
assessment of me. I can read emotions like anyone else would read a
book. After I talked to Sam last night, I know you’d needed a latte
and girlfriend kind of day, so drink up and let’s go shopping,” she
stood up as if to get ready to go.

“No. Sit.” She immediately sat down, although
it did not seem by choice.

She sighed. “Stop doing that.”

“What?”

“Ordering me around.” She let out a loud deep
sigh. “I don’t like it.”

“Then don’t listen,” I replied just as
tersely.

 
She picked up her cup
from the coffee table and started fidgeting with it. She didn’t go
to take a drink and didn’t answer my question, but seeing her pick
up the cup reminded me that I also had a cup in my hand. It was
warm and soothing. Having something to do with my hands kept me
from trembling and I took another drink to have something to do. I
moved closer to her. “So. Are you going to answer my
questions?”

A resolution stole over her and she looked at
me and smiled. “I will answer any question that you put to me that
I am able. I’m sure you’ve gathered by now that I am not a regular
human. Because of my nature I have the ability to read people and
their emotions. It allows me to a certain sense of freedom
usually.”

I paused, collecting my thoughts. “Usually?
Can you read any human or only me?”

A hesitation stole over her and she opened
her mouth to speak, but stopped short. Then, “Not everyone, and I
need to form an intimate connection for it to work most
successfully.”

“So, the kiss…?”

She nodded. “The kiss was the quickest and
easiest way I could get the connection. I couldn’t read you at all
before that and times being what they are. Unfortunately it also
sometimes has the undesired side effect of siring people to me as
well.”

Sitting back on the couch I yawned, although
my thoughts raced and darted around in my head like pinballs.
“Sire? As in vampire?”

She gave me a confused look and said flatly.
“Vampires aren’t real Amy.” Oh, my face reddened for a moment in
embarrassment before it turned to annoyance. How was I supposed to
know what was real and what wasn’t anymore. Psychics, demons, dream
masters? Is a vampire really such a long stretch? “Vampires aren’t
real but the term is borrowed from vampire lore. When a person is a
seer such as myself, there have been past accounts of them being
sired to their intended target.

“Target?”

“I was trying to see your soul,
Ambrosia.”

“Did you? See my soul?”

“Souls. Yours and others. Briefly. But I saw
what I needed to see and that is what matters. Luckily no siring
happened this time between you and me.” As she trailed off I knew
that was a story there that needed to be told eventually, but it
was not my main objective right now.

“What did you see?”

She tilted her head slightly and breathed a
sigh of what sounded like relief. “That you were the one we were
looking for. Sam and I have been searching for you for a long long
time, Amy.”

My eyes swarmed with tears and I yawned
again. I hesitated, not sure I wanted to hear the answer to the
question. Curiosity won out as it often does. “You’re lying to me
right now aren’t you?” She smiled quietly as I fell back against
the couch. I blinked rapidly but couldn’t focus my eyes. “Which
part?” I blurted out. She leaned into me, wrapping her arm around
my shoulder and I could feel the blackness pull over me. I looked
down to my cup, almost empty and to hers completely full. Panicking
I grabbed her hand. And she squeezed gently.

“It is okay, Ambrosia, you just need to
sleep. Nathaniel needs to talk to you. Go to the snowscape and I
will guard your sleep as Sam and I am meant to do. You will learn
all that there is to know when it is the proper time.”

Chapter 9

When I awoke I was in my living room and
Violet was gone. The cups remained on the coffee table and I
noticed by the warm orange glow coming in from the outside that the
sun had begun to set. I picked up the cups and went to throw them
into the kitchen garbage when I glanced out the window. The sun
stood high in the sky. It was only noon and the orange glow had
come from world being on fire. I dropped the cups as the world
swayed in my visions. Everything was encased in bright white and
blue flame. I could see the trees, the building all turned to ash
and rubble.

I blink and a shiver went down my back. I
calmly dropped the two coffee cups in the trash and walked outside
into the fire. It was snowing by the time I arrived outside and I
knew then that I was still asleep.

The snow was slowing drifting down the dark
sky again. I often dreamt of snow. It always had a calming effect
on me and was one of my favorite moments in time. It was always the
same street with the single streetlight and the sounds of the river
calling in the distance. Although I didn’t remember this from my
real life I had always imagined it was a long forgotten evening I
must had had as a child. A little portion of my infancy tucked away
in my subconscious. In a rush the sight of fire came back to me and
I remembered Violet’s visit to my apt.

I turned knowing he would be there. He was,
after all, the one who wanted to finally talk.

“Where did the fires go?” I asked, my voice
echoing off of the darkness and snow. I felt obtrusive in the
scene, but it was my dream and I needed to know. I walked up to
him, the snow crunching beneath my bare feet. I looked down and saw
that I wore a nightgown of pure light pink and my feet were bare. I
shivered but not from cold, from a need that I could feel rising
through my inner most being. “Answer me. I know you have to.”

He turned away and spoke gruffly. “You don’t
know anything yet.”