The Fire Within (The Fire of The Soul Series) (30 page)

"It is good that you three have decided to join
us, we were going to eat without you if you had taken any longer," Astoria
teases and the rumble of Augustus' stomach has us all laughing. We sit down at
the table, Kayden and Shade across from Astoria - whom was sitting to her
husbands left side - and I sat down next to the woman who had become a true
mother to me.

"How was your training this morning Anna? I
have heard that you have been busy at work," Augustus comments, his eyes
are gently gazing at me and it makes me want to shift under its soft pressure.

"The training is going well. I find that the
more that I practice fighting against Kayden and Shade, the more experience I
get and the better I become," I say honestly, knowing that my own heart is
in check and not gloating, or boasting about how well I am performing.

"That is good to hear," He says before
pausing for a moment. I can feel hesitation hanging on the air, and I lift my
gaze to meet his, however he is no longer looking at me but instead at his
wife. They seem to be communicating, though they had no need for words.
Augustus, realizing that I am looking at them turns his gaze back to me.
"I hope you are well rested to do some more training after lunch."

"I am fully prepared for our lesson this
afternoon," I reply to his semi-question. I hesitate for a moment as well
but then push on "I just want to thank you both for all of the time and
effort you have put in to help me control this curse, I am sorry that I am such
a burden."

Astoria's hand pats mine gently on top of the table
as she says "Anna, you are not a burden, and we are more than happy to
help you. This is something that you need to be in control of, and the sooner
you can master it the better for all of us."

After their comments lunch passes by smoothly,
Kayden and Shade making comments or jokes now and then. I even sense that Shade
is about to do something with his food but with a sharp look from Augustus
whatever thought that was crossing his mind decides to leave the building as
Shade dropped his spoon full of mash back onto the plate. I sit quietly and
finish my lunch, and I wait for Augustus and Astoria to eat their fill,
Augustus needing to eat more as these lessons seem to drain him of all of his
energy.

We bid the boys - whom were heading back to the
stables - goodbye before making our way to the room that we had been using
recently for our training sessions. I pace the room as Augustus gets
comfortable in the single arm chair. Astoria sits down in a wooden chair away
from Augustus.

"Anna, you've been doing very well in the sense
of shrinking down the effect of the 'Death Wish'. However Augustus and I were discussing
last night that you may also need to know how to use the curse as a weapon.
This is not something either one of us want you to use as a first or second
option when in battle, but you may need it if you are in absolute danger, and
you have no other method to protect you." Astoria's voice does not hold
its usual kindness, but rather a caution that was rarely present with the
beautiful vampire. Alas there is also a deep fear within Augustus eyes, and I
realized that today was a day of many firsts for all of us.

Astoria binds Augustus to the chair, with thick
pieces of rope so that he cannot fall from the seat. I know that this is going
to hurt him more so than all of the other lessons combined, because now I am to
purposely use the weapon on the victim, rather than trying to lesson their
pain. Astoria nods at me to begin, and so I obey her order.

I gently tap into the energy that swarms within me,
a dark power that rushes through my veins. I tug at it gently, not wanting to
pull too much power and have another 'out-lash'. I focus my mind on the man
sitting before me as I look deeply into his eyes. There is such fear within
them that it terrifies me, I cannot bring myself to harm him, but I know that I
must, that if I do not attempt to try then I have failed before I have even
begun. I search for a memory within me, one that brings hatred to the forefront
of my mind whenever I think of it. With this memory playing within my mind, I
can feel my blood boiling, my skin heating up with my anger. I look at Augustus
before me but instead of seeing him, I envision my father sitting before me,
fear within his eyes, his body trembling from the overwhelming fear that I am
stirring within him.

The ball of dark energy is at its height, and
looking deeply within my victims eyes, I release it from myself, and aim it at
him. There is a blood curdling scream the very moment the dark energy touches
Augustus. In the corner of my eye I see Astoria flinch though this tiny detail
is filtered away for later. Before where I tried to tone down my power I could
not see inside my victims mind, I could not see what my power made them see.
However, now that I am focusing my power on one person, I am able to see within
Augustus mind. I relive his worst memory within him, the night of two vampire
deaths in an open space that I knew to be no other than the no-man's land.

The plains are dark, as there is little
illumination coming from the quarter moon. I had been called to come here
tonight with my young daughter, my wife unaware of my doings. Little Sage - my
eight year old daughter - clings tightly onto my hand.

"Daddy I'm scared," She
breathes. There is nothing that I can say to comfort her, as I know that there
is no going back once we've crossed the line tonight. I cannot lie to her, even
if it is to tell her that everything is going to be alright. Her small body
trembles from the gushing icy wind. I can see three figures become outlined in
the moonlight as we approach them. I send Sage to go and hide in the woods. She
runs off toward the trees, seeking coverage.

I approach the group. Phillip and
Sinistra are on their knees, their hands and feet bound tightly by rope, there
mouths gagged so they cannot say a word. I look down upon them, there is a
violent fear in Sinistra's eyes and there is acceptance in Phillips. Just
looking at Phillip's defeated look, I know that he has no hope of going home
with his wife to his son Victor.

"What do you want Novak? Why the
Menédez Family? They have never done you wrong! So why them?" I ask my
voice harsh. I could not mess around with Novak, his stolen dark magic an
undeniable force that could not be reckoned with. His black eyes - filled with
so much hatred - turned to me, a small glint of the moonlight peeping back out
from a could, illuminates the three claw marks that marks the entire right side
of his face.

His lips twist into a scowl as he says
"You do not understand Augustus; you could never understand." He
turns away from me, and with the power of his mind he lifts Phillip to his
feet, like he was making a puppet come to life by playing with its strings. He
then pulls Sinistra to her feet as well, they hover in the air, and the dark
magic that Novak uses to control them is evident as it shimmers all around
them.

"Menédez, you are going to bear witness
to your wife's death, and your oath brother will bear witness to your death.
Your deaths are the only justice that I can attain, for the crimes that you
have done against me and my son." His words are sharp and filled with
loathing for Phillip. His eyes turn to Sinistra, they soften slightly as they
gaze upon the woman, but it doesn't stop him from making her bleed. Her blood
flowed freely from everywhere, there is so much blood that you cannot see where
the blood began to flow. I could see Phillips fangs bared at the scent of his
wife's blood, and I could feel my own fangs slide free.

"You were meant to be my wife
Sinistra. You have left Christian, your son, to grow up without a mother for
six years! You could have come back, and we would have both forgiven you for
leaving us. Your son cries for you every night, asks why his mother doesn't
love him or want him. What that boy grows up to be will be because you deserted
him." Novak turns his eyes from her to me, I can feel his dark magic
touching me, seeping into my mind.

"Vampire, you thirst for blood.
Here it is before you. I command you to feed off of the woman, drink until your
insatiable thirst has been quenched. Drink until there is no more to be
drunk!" His words are nothing but a whisper in my mind, but his command is
clear, being under his control from the dark magic that he uses, I cannot deny
the man or his commandment. My attention moves from Novak - my commander - and
to the woman who bleeds freely, her blood is mine to take, her blood is for me
alone. Her body lowers until her neck is free for me to bite on. Her blood is
intoxicating, like drinking in heaven. The woman groans loudly in my grasp, and
I drink even deeper from her. I can hear a man screaming in the background,
begging me to stop, but I cannot as I have been ordered to consume all of her
blood. She is weak within my hands and I can feel her struggles quieting down
until she no longer moves within my hands, until there is no blood left to
consume. I drop her body and scuffle away from it as the dark magic releases
me. Oh God, what have I done? I wipe my chin free of blood, and spit out
whatever remains in my mouth.

There is a dark cackling that rumbles
like the sound of thunder. I look up and see that Novak is laughing at
Sinistra's death. Belatedly, I notice that Sage has come out of her hiding
place and that this is what Novak is cackling about, instead of Sinistra's
death.

"Little girl, you have come to
watch the show? Perhaps you would like to take part in it?" Novak asks,
his voice deeply intoxicating.

"Run Sage!" I scream to my
daughter, but she cannot and I notice that she is already entranced in Novak's
dark magic.

"Yes Sir, I would like to take
part." Her voice is airy, so unlike what it is normally that I know that
I've already lost her under his spell.

"Then come closer Child, so that I
may look upon your beautiful face," Novak sneers, his eyes burning with
his dark magic. Sage runs toward Novak, and as she stops at his feet, he
caresses her beautiful face. "Child you wish to be apart of the show, and
so I shall command you, take this dagger, and put it through your Kings
heart." I can see the dark magic seeping into her, shimmering around her
body as Novak begins to control her. Novak, with a flick of his wrists, makes a
black dagger appear, and hands it over to Sage.

"Please Novak, don't make her do
this. She's just a child!" I beg of the man towering above me, he kicks me
in the stomach to make me shut up, and I watch silently as Sage approaches
Phillip, dagger in hand. However Phillip isn't watching my daughter, instead
his eyes are seeking out mine.

"I forgive you Augustus, you and
your daughter. Please as Victor's godfather, take care of him. Bring him up as
I would have. Be the father that he'll need you to be." These are Phillips
last words as my daughter plunges the dagger into his heart. Sage is released
from Novak's spell as Phillip drops dead at her feet. There is a blood curdling
scream echoing from her lips at the sight of the fallen king.

I move as quickly as I can to be by my
baby girl's side, so that I can wrap her up in my protective arms.

"Augustus you will release the girl
at once." I have no choice to obey him; I cannot allow him to touch my
little girl with his dark magic again. "You will never forget this night,
or what power I posses. However you will forget the Child, you will return home
and never leave it again in search for the girl. It will be as if she never
existed in the first place. Do you understand?" Novak's voice is hypnotic and
I can feel his dark magic rearranging things inside of my head. I know that
there is something that I am forgetting, but I cannot remember what. I walk
away from the scene of my Kings and Queen's deaths, and from the screams of a
little girl.

I pull out of Augustus' head, my curse ceasing in
its attack. Augustus' is sitting in his chair, his body completely covered in
sweat, his skin swallow and green. He looks like he is going to be sick. He
hangs slightly forward in his chair, his light spray of hair hanging in his
eyes. I can feel myself bleeding, though it isn't as bad as it use to be.

Although Augustus looks ill, there is such sorrow in
his eyes when he looks up at me. Belatedly, I realize that there are blood
tears leaking from his eyes, staining his pale skin red. "He made me
forget her." This was all that he said as he continued to grieve quietly.

"What is he talking about Anna? What did you
see?" Astoria pleads; her eyes are filled with concern for her husband.

"I bared witness to his worst memory, his most
painful memory. The night of not only Victor's parents’ deaths at the hands of
Novak, but the night that Sage disappeared," I say, I can hear my own
grief in my words. Not just for the couple sitting with me, but for Victor
also. There is so much loss that night at the hands of Christian's father, a
mad man.

"NO!" I believed the cry came from
Astoria, but it is too gruff to be her voice. The voice itself stirs something
within me, and when I look up I see who it truly belongs to; Victor. There are
tears in his own eyes, leaving red stains down his cheeks.

"Victor, I'm so sorry." I breathe, I try
to capture his attention, but he refuses to look at me. Instead he only stares
at Augustus in horror, as if he had never seen the man before.