Chapter Twenty
Changes
Alice stared at Azura’s back as she left the room. She touched her cheek, it was wet with tears. He did this. He abused her and raped her, and when I took her away and she was finally happy, he killed her. She spun on Altair.
“I’m going.”
“What?” He stared at her dumbly, taking in her flushed, angry face. “You can’t…”
“I’m going to kill him,” Alice gasped through tears. “I don’t care if he is a god.”
“Alice wait, think about what…”
“I’m not just going to stand here and do nothing!” she yelled.
“You can’t just march in there.”
“Try and stop me.” Alice reached up towards the ceiling, sending out a furious summons, and the magic whipped toward her like tree branches in the wind. She closed her hands around as many threads as she could, concentrating all her anger into one firm command.
Take me to Ambrose.
It shouldn’t have worked, but Alice felt time and space shift around her. Her surroundings swayed and stretched. She heard a shout from Altair, and then something snatched at her arm. She jumped forward, startled, but the grip on her arm only tightened. Wind howled past her ears, pulling her hair back, tearing at her eyes. She took a few blind, stumbling steps forward, feeling Altair trying to drag her back and then the wind stopped abruptly, and the light behind her eyelids grew darker.
She opened her eyes and found herself looking up at the giant mansion that was now so familiar. Ambrose’s house. She’d made it. Alice turned around at splashing sounds, followed by an angry cry.
“Are you insane?”
Altair had apparently let go a second too soon and landed in the multi-layered stone fountain in the middle of the driveway. He climbed out of the bottom layer, sputtering and red faced. His shoes squished soggily as he walked towards her and floods of water came off his clothing.
“You can’t just march in there and attempt to kill him. You can’t kill a god! I’ve researched this for years! Don’t you think I want to kill him for what he’s done to me?” He threw up his arms, flinging water everywhere.
“Please don’t do this!”
“Why did you follow me?” Alice asked crossly. “I swear you nearly yanked my arm off trying to pull me back.”
“I wasn’t trying to pull you back - I was hanging on for dear life!” Altair replied angrily.
“You could have been killed,” Alice snapped. “I don’t know how to Plains Walk! I could have got us to Saudi Arabia in the middle of an alligator pit or something.”
“Why do you think I grabbed your arm?” Altair growled. “And there are no alligators in Saudi Arabia.”
“I don’t care,” Alice retorted. “As for it not being possible to kill a god, I’m just angry enough to try! Are you coming or what?”
“Of course I’m coming, but for the record, this is a really bad idea.” Altair huffed, and followed her to the door, leaving a small river behind him. It seemed as though Vampires didn’t sleep, nor did they hibernate in coffins during the night. They surprised two of them as they burst in and marched down the first hall way.
“Where is Ambrose?” Alice demanded of them, a short blonde female and a male with glasses and curly hair.
“Er…he’s in the parlour I expect,” the female replied, “But you can’t just…”
“It’s Alice,” she snapped. “He simply loves me. Now let me by.”
She shoved past them, not caring that they turned and began to follow her down the hall. At last they reached the parlour, and by then Alice was fuming, ready to lash out. It had to be him that sent her. I’ll kill him. I’ll burn the whole place down.
Suddenly, Alice remembered the vision she had - of fire and blood and disaster, all caused by her - and instead of warning her against the magic it gave her a savage moment of satisfaction. Perhaps that was what her vision had been about. She hoped it was. All she had to do was think about how small and helpless Maya had looked lying there, her throat a grim canvas of slash marks, and Alice knew she would gladly raze this entire mansion and kill all the occupants. As she marched down the hall, neither she, nor her companions noticed that every stray thread of magic that hung from the ceiling was sucked down in the instant she walked underneath, clinging to her skin and clothing, as if drawn there by an invisible magnetic force.
The parlour doors slammed open with an alarming bang, and they found themselves facing six or seven of Ambrose’s court. Two security guards in black stood up, hands reaching into suit jackets. She had a good idea what they were reaching for, and flung several strands of magic at each of them. They stood frozen swiftly, only their eyes moved back and forth frantically. The stooped old Wizard on the other side of the room stood up. He stopped several feet behind Ambrose, eyeing the many shining threads around Alice’s torso, arms and shoulders. She was struggling to keep herself grounded against the torrent of magic bombarding her. Again she was touching so much that it threatened to take over. She closed her eyes against the rush of power and the images it brought. It would be easy - just a lift of her hand to release the magic and it would do the rest. The house would fall down around them, stone by stone it would crumble. A hot, white fire would consume everything. She could bring down earthquakes, hurricanes or floods on these horrible people and wipe them off the earth.
They deserve this. And she could do it. She could lift her hands and it would be done.
The bracelet’s anchor was warming gently against her skin, making her pause with sudden knowledge. Her Aunt Ruby had somehow known this would happen; she had realized that her niece might be swept away by the violent tides of magic, and she had prepared her for it. Obviously her Great Aunt wouldn’t have wanted her to turn into some kind of tyrant. What Allira had done was barbaric - wasn’t she better than that? It had been foolish to storm in here thinking she could kill a Greek god.
Faintly, in the back of her mind, Alice became aware that her body was shuddering and her eyes were not shut, but she was looking at the back of her eyelids. She must have looked terrifying. The tone of Altair’s voice said as much.
“Alice? What’s happening to you? Alice! Snap out of it!”
She gasped, shaking her head, fighting off the persistent press of magic. At last she opened her eyes, letting out a shaky breath as she resumed control.
Ambrose stood up from the couch, his face filled with fierce, burning hunger. Smoke circled up from a cigar he held in one hand, and he wore a ridiculous purple velvet jacket and black suit pants.
“Alice! What brings you here in such a fine temper? I see you’ve attracted every bit of magic in the place. Amazing!”
She had to be sure Allira was really gone for good.
“If I cannot kill you I will have the truth. Was it you?”
“I don’t understand what...”
“Allira! Did you send her?” Alice demanded furiously. “Don’t try to hide it from me, Ambrose. I just resisted the urge to burn this entire place down.”
There were murmurs at this statement, malicious glares from his company. Some of the Vampires bared their teeth and one Fairy even shook his sparkling wings at her. How very intimidating, she snorted contemptuously. Altair glanced sideways at her as if he was afraid she might be losing it.
“Allira?” Alexie Ambrose looked around at his lackeys. “I haven’t seen her since I kicked her out. Anyone?”
They all shook their heads, some of them reluctantly, shooting sullen glances at Alice. Clearly they were wondering why Ambrose wasn’t giving them the order to tear into these intruders. Alexie glided over to where she stood, but he held back his usual smarmy mannerisms, perhaps because he could see her nearly vibrating with rage.
“What happened?”
She stared at him furiously. He was acting ignorant. That seemed unlikely.
“Maya is dead,” she said shortly.
Ambrose stared at her blankly. “How did she die?”
“Allira killed her – cut her throat...” Alice replied angrily. “She broke into my home and murdered her.” Probably on your orders.
Ambrose’s handsome face registered shock and grief, and for a moment Alice was swayed into believing that he didn’t know. Perhaps, in his sick and twisted way, he had actually loved the girl who’d resembled Pandora. His expression turned in a manner of seconds from sorrow to thunderous rage, and he spun and roared at his people.
“Go find Allira - bring her to me now.”
His voice, deep and angry, shocked Alice. She had never heard him do anything but purr and coddle. In a rage he was much more formidable, and she nearly backed up a step when he turned back to her. She decided not to mention the fact that she had vanished Allira. Let them search.