Chapter 14
The Queen’s Capture
~Dance of the Wild Melody Part 2~
“Slice the curtains down; pale blue flames flare to life on the dawn of awakening.”
~SID~
“David, please understand!” Lily’s voice tried to reason with her belligerent son.
“I won’t understand!” He yelled as he tossed most of Exsavior’s clothing around the house, his angry eyes staring menacingly at the source of his rage. Exsavior sat quietly on the couch of the living room while David stormed the house in anger. The first moment he had stepped inside, he was welcomed by the surprise that Margery mentioned.
David neared Exsavior in utter fury. There was something surreal about his intense blue eyes, and as they stared down at Exsavior, they became more alarming.
“Get out of my house.” David’s tone was simple. It was not a yell nor did he attempt anything against him; it was just a command, but orders did not sit well with Exsavior.
“Why?” He boldly asked. The desire to defy David was growing within him, but as his eyes shifted from the boy’s angry form and fell on Lily, he abstained.
Her eyes were frightened and her body was tense, as if bracing herself for a fight between the two males.
“Why?” David reiterated in a mocking scoff; his voice becoming loud. “You spent the night with Isabel! Get the hell out of my house!” This time David’s arm grabbed his collar, and Exsavior let himself get shoved.
Lily jumped at the sight; she was obviously not accustomed to such violence. “David, please stop this,” but her plea went unheard.
Exsavior stumbled towards the door and he felt himself dumbfounded.
‘Why does Lily’s fear affect me so much?’ His subconscious knew the answer to that, but he decided to remain ignorant.
Taking one last glance at Lily, he tried smiling apologetically towards her. “Alright, have it your way.” She was the only reason why an Alpha male would heed the demand of another. Luckily enough, the command was not an ethereal order, so it was not anything capable of stripping Exsavior’s status.
The response did not cause any sort of reaction in David, as he simply crossed his arms over his chest.
“Good, leave!” No sympathy whatsoever. Exsavior nodded and opened the door to exit, the sound of Lily’s pleas with her son being the last thing he heard.
The streets were bustling with life and it seemed off-putting to Exsavior, only because he sensed the presence of other immortals amongst the humans. They were scattered and recognizing what they were exactly was impossible. Still, the notion made him uneasy, especially since it was so early in the day.
He sighed as he let his feet take him away from David and Mia’s vicinity. The path he took was becoming familiar to him, and it seemed to be the only logical place to go.
‘Isabel is the only person who can set David straight.’ In addition to that, he knew that there was another pressing matter at hand.
Exsavior had not made contact with Isabel after their run-in with Mia and her sister. In any other case, he would have figured her to be dead, but ever since meeting Isabel, Exsavior found himself believing in the witch’s capabilities.
The intersection that separated the two districts came into view, and he uncaringly crossed the street. He did not even bother to look if the light was set for him to cross, and this caused the whispers about odd behavior to reach his ears. People refrained from crossing under a green light, but Exsavior instinctively augmented his speed when he felt a collision closing in on his body. Not that the car would cause any damage, but unwanted attention was more harmful than a measly traffic accident. It did not take long for the sounds of the honking vehicles to drown out the comments of the onlookers, and this baffled Exsavior. How drivers’ went about their course indifferently towards the safety of the pedestrians was beyond his comprehension.
With ease, he made it to the other side of the sidewalk, officially entering Isabel’s neighborhood. Exsavior’s footsteps took him past a girl who sat on a bench whilst holding an enormous cat. A few buildings separated him from Isabel’s apartment and as he moved, Exsavior’s stride came to an abrupt stop when his nostrils sensed a familiar scent. It was definitely Margery’s. She had probably passed by in her car, but there was another unnerving presence that he could not discern. He stopped right before the girl, only to crouch down and balance his body on the soles of his feet.
The sounds of snickering from the passersby went ignored as his face came closer to the concrete. He could feel the girl that was on his left side stare at him, but he decided to take a whiff with his nose instead of acknowledging anyone. Exsavior’s subconscious told him that he was familiar with the smell, but no matter how hard he focused, there was no pinpointing it.
In a sigh of frustration, he stood once more and gave up in identifying the odor. Speaking with Isabel was the most pressing matter at the moment, so he turned towards her building. The closer he got, the stronger her smell became, and that’s when he realized it. Isabel’s scent was not fresh, which meant that she had not made it back home. It was easy to make conclusions and Exsavior assumed the worst.
Isabel’s absence was probably a very strong indicator that Lynn had defeated her—most likely killed her. If that was the case, Exsavior would need to manage without her. It was imperative to do so, but given his current situation, things were easier said than done. Then again, if Isabel was gone, her apartment could be inhabited by him.
Exsavior stopped in his tracks; he pushed his own selfish thoughts away when he realized that Isabel was probably dead. There was nothing to be done in her neighborhood anymore, so he decided to return to David’s vicinity. Nevertheless, his egotistical analysis of the situation made him scold himself. Here he was, thinking about how he would manage, instead of mourning his comrade’s death. Isabel was the only person that he had who understood him completely. There was no need to hide with her.
Exsavior wanted to scoff at his own dejected feelings, but he was unable to. His gloomy stare fell to the ground when he returned to the district.
‘When did I become so soft?’ Never once did he imagine himself to be riddled with emotions for humans. However, Isabel may have not been a part of his pack, but she was not human either. If possible, she might have been as lonely as he was. Instantly, he ignored all pessimistic thoughts and focused on the possibility of her still being alive.
Though, the thoughts where interrupted when the sound of a familiar voice surged through his ears.
“Exsavior!” It was an angry voice—her angry voice.
He lifted his gaze from the floor and saw Mia approaching. She looked troubled—beyond anything he was feeling, but somehow he shrugged it off.
“I’ve been calling Isabel on her cell and she doesn’t answer, which makes me believe that she’s avoiding me. Now, I know you were with her, so let’s cut the crap and get to the point.”
More accusations…
Why was it so easy to blame him for everything that went wrong? “Um…I’m not sure where she could be—” He started not really knowing what he was saying, but Mia stopped him midsentence.
“I thought you were a genuine guy, but I guess that was my stupid mistake.” She spat, while flinching away from something that seemed to tickle her ear. Exsavior noticed Mia’s odd behavior. It was very apparent that she was not herself; she acted impulsively.
As if almost manically…
His hurt eyes stared at her, and this fired her up. “Mia I—” Once again, she interrupted.
“Stop looking at me as if you’re the most innocent little boy!” It seemed that belittling was not beneath her. “When it comes right down to it, men are all same.” Mia’s arms flew up in exasperation, while proceeding to cause a scene. “You’re all selfish, you’re indifferent to other’s feeling and you’re all perverted dogs!” She yelled—her irritation blatant as she turned to storm off away from him.
“Mia, wait!” Exsavior tried, completely confused and shocked at her mannerisms, but Mia ignored his call as she waved her hand in a dismissive manner towards him, without turning in his direction. She was off—better yet—the entire day was off.
‘I couldn’t sense any immortal exactly but there definitely was a presence.’ Exsavior concluded. It was impossible to know exactly, what with all the restlessness of the immortals.
Nevertheless, reality crept its way back to him.
There he stood, as alone as he was from the start. For the first time upon arriving in Oakhurst, Exsavior felt completely helpless, and the multitude of people did not help. It was similar to drowning in a sea of uncaring faces. They laughed at him—at the fact that an immortal depended on them.
Exsavior scoffed in anger, suppressing the vulnerability the best way he could, but it was futile. He found himself conscious of every wary stare and because of this, he ran in the direction of the park. No matter what happened, he would always return to the forest.
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Isabel dragged her battered up body the best way she could. Her clothes were in rags and some parts of her skin were burned from the lightning strike. Limping slightly due to the numbness in her right leg, she held the arm that she used to attack Lynn. It was completely worn out, so much that it pained her.
After waking up, Isabel quickly recomposed herself the best way she could and made it out of the forest. She had no money or cell phone since they fried from the blast, but at least her car keys were still intact. Albeit, the drive was not easy; it took more effort than usual.
A wave of relief washed over her when she arrived at her apartment. The tears almost threaten to stream down her face out of sheer exhaustion and frustration. The overall situation she was in did not look good, but Isabel knew she had to keep it together. If she broke down that would be similar to signing her death sentence.
Reluctantly, she stepped out of her parked car and moved as fast as possible to avoid unwanted glances. Isabel was neither in the mood nor presentable to be dealing with nosy people.
The feel of the glass entrance to her building soothed her—even more than the arrival itself, and after she passed through its doors, she felt someone waiting behind her to advance. This made Isabel take haste in opening the other locked door that was only accessible to the tenants. Luckily enough, no one had noticed her and even the person behind her did not bother to ask. At first, Isabel found it somewhat strange, but the eagerness to arrive home was overwhelming her curiosity.
Finally, the door to her home came into view as the seemingly endless stairwell led her to the third floor at apartment 3-L. She quickly opened the door and shuffled to get inside but lost immediate control.
The force that collided with her back pushed her inside, causing the floor to come in contact with her body as she lay sprawled in exhaustion.
Isabel hardly understood what was happening, the only thing she felt was something fluffy and soft rubbing against her. It meowed.
“A cat…?” She groaned, looking back towards the hallway but seeing no one.
This was definitely not an ordinary cat, and her attacker must still be lurking around.
“Are you a shapeshifter?” Isabel picked up the giant cat, scrutinizing it in suspicion. The cat gave out a lazy meow as it yawned. A daze swept her, unable to break away from the cat’s stare. It captivated her and before she knew it, the cat was on the floor, holding a very familiar object.
‘My Eye of Horus…!’ Her voice had been lost and her muscles were frozen in place. The cat wasted no time to scurry off away from her, its absence curing the temporary paralysis that overcame her.
Isabel fell to her knees in angst, mechanically reaching for her necklace only to realize that it was not a dream.
“No!” The whisper came as ominous to her as the awareness of her defenselessness. After her battle with Lynn, Isabel returned for her necklace, thanking the Mother of All for blessing her with its location. Nevertheless, it was obviously just a mockery of her naivety. Now some unknown being had run off with it.
“This has to be Ezekias. I need to find Exsavior.” The fear was starting to cripple her. She would not have admitted it at that moment, but within her subconscious, Isabel believed that Exsavior could protect her. Even so, it was her best alternative and because of this, she immediately showered and dressed herself. By the time she made it to her car, the afternoon sun was already threatening to set, leaving a foreboding presence.
She had been unconscious for longer than expected.
‘This is not good. The night appears to be bearing something big.’ Such dread was unfamiliar to her, but it gave Isabel the resolve she needed to power through. Ezekias could attack her at any given moment now that she was exposed, and he had the clear advantage, since she only knew to be wary of an old man with a cane.
The car engine purred to a start and Isabel hastily drove off towards Lily’s home, in hopes of finding Exsavior. Never once did she notice the young the mahogany hair colored girl sitting on the bench. When the car sped away, Anise stood for the first time after arriving.
Her unwavering eyes wandered up towards the sun. Its bright glow was dimming and the restlessness of the pedestrians had died down, which indicated the nearing of operation Wild Melody.
‘The Aberhants are now ready to dance under your melody, Master.’ Her thoughts inspired fear within her, but she knew it was unavoidable.
Extending her arms out before her, she worded, “Summundre…catta.” There was a slight pause between spells as the first word caused a glow of mystical pink light to emanate and the second spell materialized the enormous Persian cat in her arms.
“Nicely done, Midnight.” Taking the golden necklace from the otherworldly cat, Anise put Midnight down and proceeded in summoning another being.
“Summundre…Corvus.”
The same light reappeared but instead of a cat, it beckoned a crow that perched itself on her shoulder. She handed it the Eye of Horus and the creature plucked at it with its beak.
“Go, Master awaits it to begin, so make haste.” The bird squawked and flew off in the direction of Oaken-kami, the golden necklace secured in its beak.
Anise watched the crow fly, before she turned to pick up Midnight.
“Come, there is someone in Upperside that we must visit.”
Lifeless as a rootless flower, the tone of Anise’s voice competed with her eyes in a show of indifference, as she patiently walked in the opposite direction of Oaken-kami. Her destination was beyond the Wolf’s Bane Forest.
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Brushwood clawed their way at her from afar, as if the leafless tress taunted anyone who approached them. They invited in but who was to say that they would allow departure? The branchy trees stood out like a mistake within a masterpiece of art, corrupting the elegance of Oakhurst. It was an odd sight; all of the foliage that appeared lifeless was located within the boundaries of a cemetery. This garden of remembrance was far from usual; it was one that overstepped its bounds of the ordinarily ill-omened graveyard. An enormous ancient gate, the elegance of a lone mausoleum and the oddity of all the angel-like stone statues were its most prominent characteristics, and it was those gaudy features that broke the pleasantry of Oakhurst.
“You called me here for a reason, so what is it?” Claire’s voice seemed calmed and unwavering, as it broke her gaze from the zone of death.
Lynn noticed how the sun had set, allowing the night to cast an evil shadow of despair over the cemetery. It was like a Hollywood blockbuster; she found it difficult to believe. Yet, there she stood, concealed within the branches of a live tree much different from the one’s she saw.
In an unconscious gesture, Lynn grabbed her white mantle as she spoke, “Don’t you feel it? There seems to be a powerful mana surge coming from here.”
Claire turned to look at the sign of the cemetery. “Oakwood Melody Cemetery…here lies the souls that dance in the grace of the heavenly wild.”
Lynn just stared at her, contemplating the phrase. “Doesn’t that sound like something to you?”
Claire did not answer, instead she inquired. “Did you call me for backup?”
The questioning made Lynn scowl. “So what if I did?”
Claire just smirked, “So you need my help?”
Lynn held back her annoyance. “No, we need to work together.”
“Why? Is there something you’re afraid of?” Again, Claire mocked her.
Lynn did not want to admit it, but she felt as if she might have been over head. Currently, her jurisdiction revolved only around Mia, there was no need to be delving into other matters. Be that as it may, Lynn knew that she would not stand idly by while the immortals played solely because it was not her direct order.
She was a Templar, and a damn good one at that. Therefore, any immortals stirring up trouble was her business.
“Look, mock me all you want, Claire, but you can’t deny the truth that something is going down here tonight. It’s our duty to stop this.” Lynn stared at Claire with hard eyes, trying desperately to convince her.
The effort went unrewarded. “Sorry, this is not my business. The Covenant has not ordered me to do anything. Better yet, they haven’t notified anyone of such a disturbance.”
Lynn scowled. “So you’re not going to do anything just because it’s not an order?”
Claire nodded. “Lynn, I couldn’t care less about you or your half assed sister, but I’ll give you a piece of advice.” She turned back to stare at the graveyard. Lynn could see how her eyes changed from their usual scornful exterior to something else—something more serious. “Don’t go poking in the belly of the beast; let it come to you where you’re at full strength and have the advantage.” With that said, Claire morphed into her small humming-bird form and flew off, almost impatiently to get away from the area.
Nervously, Lynn looked back to the cemetery. The last time she was afraid to fight an immortal, as she was now, was the first time on the job, but this time was different. Her abilities were honed and she was much sharper, which in turn meant that if her instincts told her to stay away, that was probably the wisest decision.
Then again, her mind had other plans. They constantly flooded with images of Mia. If she did not do something to preserve the peace and tranquility of Oakhurst, Mia’s instability might get the better of her.
‘I won’t lose my baby sister.’ Her mind was frantic but in one instant, she calmed herself.
The sight of a single car that drove into the cemetery came into view, immediately breaking her thoughts. She saw the person make its way to the enormous gate. In one swoop, Lynn dropped down from the tree to observe whoever it was from a better view.
Never once did she realize the navy blue car that arrived shortly after.
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“The fact of the matter is you thought that maybe he could have been your very first boyfriend, and now you’re sulking because of that. You don’t even care about Isabel and David!” Sam’s voice boomed with laughter.
He watched how Mia held her throbbing head with her hands as she was forced to endure all of his berating comments.
“What happened back there with Exsavior?” She questioned.
Sam’s onyx eyes glowed with evil joy. “Whatever do you mean my angel?” His voice became as innocent as a young child.
“I barely had control over myself!” She yelled this time, and Sam noticed how she held the razor blade firmly in place. It tore at her flesh, producing more of her red blood.
“Oh, that…” In an instant he vanished, but reappeared on top of her arm. Sam’s form was miniature, almost like a tiny fairy in proportion. He chuckled and the squeal surprised Mia.
“Mia, Mia, Mia…you see there is a lot more to me than meets the eye.” His voice was squeaky but nerve-wracking.
Whatever the case was, Sam seemed to be exhibiting some changes. His presence seemed more powerful and he reveled in using his abilities on her.
Mia sat there, her eyes dead with a painful gleam in them, as her blood never ceased. It was as if Sam was ripping out her soul, and there was nothing she could do about it. Looking up with defeated eyes, Mia stared at Sam who moved back and forth, ranting about her.
“Sam…” She called to him, which made him stop instantly. He then vanished and appeared in his normal size, amused and curious towards her tone. It always satisfied him when he managed to incite her acknowledgement of his presence, as if it was all a game. This made Sam smirk, pleased with himself.
“Answer me one question, and I’ll never ignore you again.” Mia paused, and he said nothing. “I know you’ve been evading it as much as you can, but if you answer truthfully, I promise I won’t fight you anymore.” Her voice was low and quiet, and Sam noticed how the blood trickling down her arm started to make her feel woozy.
“If you’re real, why can’t others see you? Are you a figment of my imagination? Are you a spirit haunting me? What are you?” Mia stressed the last question with pleading eyes.
Sam scowled for the first time, while staring at her green saddened eyes.
‘Damn, this woman, I can’t begin to feel this again…’ But he knew it was irrelevant. He always felt it—that horrible intangible object humans called ‘feelings.’ It was what caused him to be so taken with her.
Sam scowled in displeasure, as he tried to regain his composure. He smirked and laid one hand over her bleeding arm. “I guess it’s time for you to know.” After that being said, Mia could actually see his body slipping away into her wound!
Sam’s very form melted into a black liquid that found its way into her cut. Mia was shocked as the fear took control. "What are you doing to me?” She screamed—frightened—while scratching at the thick liquid that seeped inside her, unceasingly. The effort was vain; Sam had taken full control this time.
‘No…I can’t give in…’ Nevertheless, that was the last coherent thought she had before everything went dark.
Mia stood from where she was, taking the razor blade and tossing it out of the open window.
“Finally, after all this time she was weak enough to let me in! I have captured the ultimate immortal!” It was obvious that Mia was no longer herself; Sam used her body and spoke in her tone that was also laced with his own disturbing voice.
Using his newly found body, he stretched her legs and arms while relishing the feel.
“This is true power, fit only for kings!” Sam was beside himself as he vanished and appeared before Mia’s mirror. “Or in this case, fit for a queen.” His hilarity was voiced aloud as Mia’s eyes oozed the same onyx-colored liquid that infiltrated her body. Her pupils had turned red and the sclera darkened to pitch-black. The nails on her fingers grew into black long claws and Sam reveled in it. Looking towards the window one more time, an idea struck him.
“Time to unleash your latent powers my little angel.” With his mind made up, Sam unleashed some odd energy from the stolen body, as a strong gust of wind enveloped him, giving him enough strength to jet towards and out the open window. Immediately after his foreign skin touched the air, he laughed and expelled more of Mia’s latent powers, allowing a bluish aura tainted with his own black presence, to burst out of Mia’s back. They created two enormous jet-black extensions made of his natural aura, and he used them to fly over the city.
Sam emitted an ominous laugh that reverberated throughout the town. The night sky masked the blackness that was his and Mia’s intertwined souls, until it almost made them invisible. His body then began to tingle and that’s when he stopped his flight. Far into the distance, he felt the presence of something that was calling him. The power emanated from the reaches of Oakhurst and he instantly realized where it was coming from. “Oaken-kami…” His lips curled into a devilish grin, as he took flight in that direction.