Bound By Blood (13 page)

             
The trail of fire was brighter. The flames were feeding
off
the
fury of the
storm
and
its
wind
s
.
Dezarãe
moved behind her and put her arms around her sister.
Samanthŕa felt
Dezarãe’s
energy tangle gentl
y
into her own
to the level where
her thoughts pour
ed
off in waves
,
concerning
the
things she worked very hard to convince herself of
,
false reasons concerning all of this. Her sisters were
E
mpaths and would pick up immediately the dreadful truth if
Samanthŕa
allowed it to linger in her psyche to
o
long. She forced herself to believe in her phony reasons
while her
energy
acted
to deceive Dezarãe’s
gifts.

             
The deception
changed Dezarãe’s
understanding of what
Samant
hŕa
felt.
"I believe
Dĩas
has put these things in your mind
,
dear
s
ister
,
"
she
whispered
into Samanthŕa’s ear.
She waved a hand in midair, clockwise and c
alled upon a power to block Dĩas in
some ancient tongue.
“I do
not envy
you
where
our father
is
concerned.
”
Dezarãe
was able to enjoy
the same
normal
affections of their
father, which
their other five sisters enjoyed. They did not have to worry
about
him constantly stalking them or trying to control their every move
.
They
receiv
ed constant pampering and spoiling
, yet t
hey were able to run freely and do just about anything they desired.
             

             
Once long, long ago . . .
Dĩas treated Samanthŕa the same
,
until a dark cloud of intent moved across his eyes when he looked at her . . . and the moods moving his intensions even more bleak.
Again, having no stomach to ponder all of that . . . .

             
“We should leave if we are going.”
Samanthŕa
changed the subject. The
ominous gloom
from
Dezarãe’s
vision still clung to her body.
Yet
something was calling her curiosity out into the night.
Some sort of energy was pulling her onward.
“I sense
Sameŕald
and the others waiting for us at the stables.”
Her timbre was
suffus
ed
with the need for
haste.

             
"So be it." Dezarãe followed quietly.

             
The two of them
whipped their cloaks around their bodies
and dashed into the secret passageway. Whatever lay in store for them was a question for the
O
racles to answer.
But
now there was no time to consult
O
racles or untangle the riddle
s
of visions.
Now was no time to crawl unwillingly through the past or through the plagued darkness long haunting them.

             
Great change was coming and
Samanthŕa
would not sit in the dark and not know what
it was
. Danger or dread, it did not matter
;
she would find out for herself one way or another.

~
Chapter 4
~

Moth to a Flame

***

Come dance with me
,
mischievous one,

Tempted the flame of the M
ystic.

Come and enchant
with
me
,
curious
one.

So cried the pyre with promises tempted
.

Dancing there within swirls of light
,

Powers
I give to thee,
oh
magical one,

I
'll
offer these secrets under the folds of
night
,

All r
evelations the Gods have spun
.

Shadows cast forth and
of
divination.

Frolic thro
ugh doors of mystical stimulation
.

Drawn is she
by
fire untamed.

Curious set free
, Moth to Flame.

***

             
H
or
ses approached from
the
crimson and violet
darkness
as if
through a veil
--
thinned and wavering against night.
Samanthŕa
saw the outline of
Dǒntáe
Theŕ
éan
and others of his bloodline join them at the forest
’
s edge where
the Lampiŕ
realm
met the edges of
the
Lycãon
borders
.
Ahead of
them lay the
signs of the
Drągýn’s
tail. The torches licking against the air, like furious tongue
s
gulping
with
un
ru
ly
thirst.
             

             
Dǒntáe’s
golden
locks
whipped wildly in the wind
,
which was picking up great speed from beyond the mountains. It moved so quickly and forcefully that their keen senses could smell the salt from the
Sea of Abyss
,
which was
still
clinging to
it. Whatever power was
behind it
used the element of water to feed the eye of the storm
.
By the look of the flames from the torches, it was using fire as well.

             
“
Do you think the storm has
breached
the
Lycãon
Realm
?
Do y
ou think it will rain?
”
Tryn
a
t
é
Theŕéan
,
Dǒntáe’s
twin, asked.

             
The
brother and sister
held the spirits
of large
cat
s
living
within their souls. They could shift
,
if A
wakened
,
with true ease.
Trynaté
was
inexperrectus
,
though
,
like
Samanthŕa
and her sisters
,
so she had not shifted into her
own
beast yet
.
Dǒntáe, like most warriors, was not plagued with such limitations.

             
"I do not like rain." Trynaté frowned, pulling the edges of her cloak as if shielding her from unwanted wetness.

             
“It appears to be only electrical. I am sure
what is happening now will be
the extent of what we will see
,
”
Dǒntáe
assured her
, and then focused on Samanthŕa
. His long mane hung down his muscular back
;
his golden eyes flickered
with reflections of
the flashing
scarlet
lights above them. “Of course if you are frightened,
Priestess,
my beast will carry two.” He
flirted
while
patt
ing her
horse’s neck.

             
She heard his words
, barely
, but as always,
paid them
little attention
. She
rein
ed her beast
in a
half circle, looking up at
the storm
swirling above
. Her
mind
raced
,
trying to sort out
her thoughts and presentiments.
H
er dream
’
s words
. . .
It is time
--
A
s
torm is coming
. . .
made her dizzy with anticipation.

             
"I do not like the chill, either."
Tryn
a
t
é
's voice
snagged
Samanthŕa's eyes, as the Theŕéan Vii seemed to be shivering
while
the wind picked up speed
. Her small body tightened
,
causing her horse
to sense
and
rear
slightly
.
This
drew Samanthŕa’s attention
to all
of
the beasts
. Were they sensing something she had yet to put her finger on?
Could they calm down enough so that she could touch their minds and thoughts?
No
, they would not
.
             

             
"Dǒntáe, your
eyes
continue
to
fill with
a weird
longing
,
" Dezarãe teased for some reason. "Wonder why? Do you know Samanth
ŕa?"
What were
Dezarãe
and
Sameŕald
giggling about now
?

             
"I've no time for riddles,
s
ister." Samanthŕa hissed. Her senses were grabbing everything from everywhere. Her heart was pounding beneath her chest. Her thoughts were a tornado, unable to touch down on any
one place.
“Any trouble sneaking away?”
Samanthŕa
finally said something
,
annoyed by the snickers and laughing that stirred up too much noise.
Her horse moved into the darkness of the forest where
Dǒntáe was
,
beyond
her sisters.
Despite their games, would a warrior offer a little bit of seriousness during such a sporadic time? "Do your Elders sense your absence? It is important that we go forth unseen."

             
“Not at all,”
he
admitted
, waving his hand above the flame of a torch
.
He seemed lighthearted as always
, but at least focused on her concerns, which was more than she could say for her own sisters
.
“
Our Elders are not as strict
with
us as
Dĩas
seems to be
with
you.
"

             
"Consider yourself lucky
, then
." Samanthŕa nearly groaned.

             
"
At one time
they
seemed concerned
,
" he still spoke of the Theŕéan Elders. "B
ut over the last few months not so much. They
stay away
mostly
,
which is b
etter for us
.
”
H
e winked.