Souls of Fire (29 page)

Who are you? 
I thought
.

You’re ready,
the voice repeated.

Please,
I thought wildly,
I don’t understand
.
Ready for what?

To embrace your destiny…

No!
I screamed at the voice, panic flooding my mind, making me leap to my feet in pursuit of a way to escape this nightmare, in pursuit of salvation…

But what I found was more distress. Whom could I even run to? Whom could I tell about the voice in my head that wasn’t mine, wasn’t even human. If I told anyone about the darkness inside, they would see me differently … Aaron would see me differently.

I paced the length of my room, feeling more agitated by the minute. I had to get out … there was no air…

I ran toward the huge, nearly ceiling-high curved oak door and threw it open. I was about to run straight through the sitting room and out onto the landing, when I suddenly got pulled right up to the stone wall that separated the room from Aaron’s bedroom.

Aaron was behind this wall, I could feel it. I rested my forehead and pressed my palms against the cold bear stone and closed my eyes. I could hear him breathing, could sense the way his body was leaning against the wall, not unlike my own, could feel his surprise at my presence ― he could feel me, too.

Slowly the stone seemed to heat under my skin, and both of our hearts started pounding wildly. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before I would lose the battle. I had to calm down and get away, but I was utterly unable to do so, I just couldn’t make myself leave.

I was being pulled toward him … toward damnation and destruction. Why had they put us in nearly adjoining rooms without locking us in? It seemed crazy to think that we would be in any position to control ourselves.

And it seemed to have gotten worse in the couple of hours we had been separated, as if not being in the same room together had somehow triggered a new, fiercer longing that was even harder to control.

Give in to it
, echoed through my mind.

Try as I might, I could not drown out that voice.

Embrace your destiny
.

“No!” I cried out loud, my voice reverberating throughout the small sitting room.

A moment later Aaron stood before me, concern etched on his face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, taking my arms and turning my body around to see if I had been harmed in any way.

“Are you okay?” he persisted.

Do it, now, before it’s too late. Before you can never have him, never feel his lips on yours again, his heart against yours, feel his chest against your skin, feel him inside you. This is your chance to be happy … take it … take what you want … what you need … give in…

“Persephone, what are you doing?” Aaron’s voice nearly penetrated my hazy thoughts. Without my noticing it, I had thrown myself at Aaron’s body, pushed him up against the wall and was just about to tear his clothing off.

My lips had already found their way to the most sensitive skin on Aaron’s neck, and I could hear him moaning in response.  By the very obvious bulge in his pants, I could tell he was not going to be able to resist me.

In the back of my mind, I realized exactly what I was doing and how dangerous the situation had become. If we continued we would end up destroying everything. Be that as it may, I couldn’t stop … wouldn’t stop … I wanted him … he was everything … there was nothing else.

Aaron had stopped fighting it and was just as lost in the moment as I was. Before our lips could meet, the door to the landing flew open.

Malcolm stood in the doorway, his face serious but not surprised. It seemed he had expected this.

He muttered something under his breath and threw his arms to each side. At the same instant Aaron and I were torn away from each another and pinned against opposite walls, where we stood frozen, unable to move a muscle.

“I see we’re making progress,” Malcolm stated calmly, “at least you’re not rolling around on the floor. Although that would be to my credit, since I was here at the right time.”

Aaron mumbled something under his breath that sounded like it wasn’t something altogether friendly. It seemed he was unable to speak as he would have wished. Malcolm’s power appeared to control his vocal cords as well.

“Excuse me, but I didn’t quite get that,” Malcolm said, seemingly amused. “Would you be so kind as to repeat that?” he added.

“Fuck you!” Aaron said with apparent relish.

“That’s what I thought you said,” Malcolm said calmly, his lips twitching at the corners as if he was trying hard not to laugh. “I’ve got to say, you have spunk, boy.”

“We shouldn’t have been doing what we just did, but you don’t have to act so self-righteous,” Aaron fumed.

“You’re right, of course. I do apologize. I’m not very used to being challenged, but I find I quite like it. It’s very refreshing to not have everyone crawling at my feet.”

“Well in that case, I’m happy to amuse,” Aaron growled, his jaws clenching.

“Really, I’m sorry. I will try not to be so smug in the future,” Malcolm assured us.

Aaron and I were escorted out of the room, headed downstairs in order to meet the rest of Malcolm’s ‘family’.

Outside the sitting room of our floor, there was a small landing which led to an alcove with a big gothic window with seating to the left, and the staircase to the right.

The gigantic stone spiral staircase descended spanning five levels. Each level looked to have several rooms to accommodate the family members who lived here.

During the lengthy descent down the staircase, Aaron and I stole glances at each other. But we had cooled off enough by now, due to the off-putting effect of Malcolm’s presence, that we managed to control ourselves.

As we finally reached the ground floor and entered a huge reception room with stone walls and a high vaulted ceiling, I felt even more removed from reality than before. I felt as if I had walked right into medieval times.

There was an enormous fireplace with a blazing fire at the center of the wall opposite the entrance, swords and axes as well as other weapons hung on the walls among old portraits and worn and frayed looking tapestries.

There were old-looking black metal brackets with burning torches lining the walls, an enormous chandelier with about thirty lit candles at the highest point of the ceiling, and half a dozen seven-foot-high candelabra throughout the room.

The room was ablaze with warm flickering light, yet there was no evidence of electricity to be seen anywhere … as if time had stopped and the modern world had passed this place by ― a place out of time.

“Where are we anyway?” I asked Malcolm who was walking ahead of us.

“We’re at our ancestral home. This is our castle ― Caisleán an Draíocht.”

“What does it mean? And just
where exactly
  are we?” Aaron asked.

“It’s Irish and means ‘castle of magic’. We’re in the County Antrim, near Ballycastle, on the north coast of Ireland,” Malcolm answered after a moment’s hesitation.

“Ireland?” both Aaron and I cried out at the same time.

“Isn’t Malcolm a Scottish name?” Aaron asked.

“Indeed it is. Some among us have Scottish ancestry as well,” Malcolm said simply.

“You brought us all the way to Ireland?” I couldn’t help but blurt out, my voice sounding shrill to my own ears. “I can’t be in Ireland,” I continued, “I have classes to go to … and ― “

“If I might explain,” Malcolm cut me off, his hands gesturing for me to calm down and let him speak.

“As I had explained before, you will need to be schooled in the art of magic. I brought you to the only place that will allow us to do so without revealing our secrets to the outside world.

The protective charms shielding this castle and its grounds have been in place for centuries. The power you will be trying to harness is incredibly forceful and extremely difficult to control. As well as safeguarding us against outside influences, these protective spells have the ability to keep every ounce of magic contained behind these shields ― to keep it from seeping into the environment, thus changing it and leading to the discovery of our kind.

In short, we can do magic here and only here where we are completely hidden from the outside world ― where no one even knows we exist.”

“Hogwarts, huh?” I couldn’t help but comment.

“What is Hogwarts?” Malcolm asked, puzzled.

“Really?” I asked, astounded. After a look from Aaron that seemed to say ‘Are you really going to go there?’ I decided to let it go. It seemed these people really were shielded off from the outside world.

“Never mind,” I conceded in a glum voice.
Seriously, how can anyone not know Harry Potter?

“All right,” Malcolm agreed.

“Malcolm,” I addressed the leader of the Haven, the levity in my voice now gone. There were important issues to discuss.

“Listen, I understand why it is you brought us here, and I grasp the importance of the task at hand. I realize I probably won’t be going back to University for quite some time … or ever … if the world ends, but I can’t just disappear without a trace.

I can’t just let my parents think the worst has happened and leave them in the dark. They’ll be frantic with worry! At least let me call them and tell them I’m alright.”

“And what would you tell them?”  Malcolm asked simply.

What would I tell them? I didn’t have a clue. But did it really matter what I told them? If I had to lie through my teeth every time we talked, if I had to keep finding excuses, wouldn’t it all be worth it just to keep them from worrying, keep them from thinking their daughter had been kidnapped or murdered?

“I will tell them whatever they want to hear. I’ll tell them anything ― anything but the truth. Or are you afraid I would tell them about the Haven?”

“No, I know you won’t. But there is something I must tell you … after you meet the rest of our family,” Malcolm finished, his voice ending on a slight sigh.

I got the distinct impression he needed to tell me something I wouldn’t want to hear. After an initial feeling of foreboding, I gave myself a mental shake, thinking he probably wanted to talk me out of contacting my parents ― that was all. What else would it be?

“Alright,” was all I said.

“My family will be here shortly,” Malcolm stated, beckoning us to wait in front of the large fireplace.

“Quite an impression we’re going to make,” I muttered to Aaron under my breath. We were in the same clothes we had been in since leaving the University to see Adam Wright and had accumulated quite a bit of rips, scratches, dirt and blood along the way. We looked like two drowned rats covered in muck.

“Oh, so sorry,” Malcolm said, obviously being in the very bad habit of eavesdropping. He looked at us intently for a moment before muttering something under his breath.

Suddenly, I felt my whole body tingling rather pleasantly and looked down myself in astonishment as my appearance started to change.

The abraded skin all over my body from when we had rolled around on the rough dirt floor, was slowly scabbing over and healing until no mark could be detected. The dirt, blood and grime just disappeared, leaving clean white skin.

I could feel my hair being cleansed in the same way until it was gleaming and fell down my back in beautiful soft waves.

My tattered clothing and shoes repaired themselves and then morphed into something new, changing color and fabric along the way.

I looked down in awe at what I was wearing. I was clad in a stunning evening gown. It was made out of a delicate shining material, possibly silk, and consisted of an intricately made laced bodice, and the bottom part of the dress that flowed and reached right to the floor despite the high heels I now wore.

The lower part of the dress was emerald green to match my eyes. The bodice was black; the material had an intricate pattern of swirls and other shapes on it.

Upon closer inspection, I could make out the shapes of roses in bloom, their black stems and thorns melting into each other and winding their way across my torso to cover the entire bodice.

Shining black beads and pearls were woven into the material. Shimmering black lace tied the bodice in the back, the long snaking tendrils below the bow resting against the emerald part of the gown. Beautifully designed delicate black lace trimmed the bodice where it met the emerald gown.

My arms were encased in elaborate and tightly formed patterns of black ink that reached slightly over my elbows, creating the illusion that I was wearing long gloves.

“Nice trick,” I said, “you need to teach me that one.”

I could have sworn I heard Malcolm chuckle. I was about to say something else when I turned to get a glimpse of Aaron’s attire.

I was unprepared for what I saw. Aaron stood next to me in a gorgeous black suit that fit him perfectly. The material hugged his body in all the right places, his broad powerful shoulders and muscular body hinted at beneath the suit. The black shirt he wore underneath was casually open at the top, and his thick and shiny black hair fell in soft waves around his face.