Pain. An excruciating pain takes me out of my unconscious state and I'm tempted to whine out loud for a second till I remember... a breath of warm air, the backyard door open, a hooded figure at the doorstep, a blow to the head and then... darkness. It doesn't take brains to realize that Ruby's enemy has kidnaped me, the Sorceress warned me that something like this might happen but I didn't expected it so soon. Once again, I regret being so stupid and I'm sorry for disobeying my girl. Anyway, there's no good solution to that so I'd better think of how to get out of here.
First thing is becoming aware of my own body. I'm resting on my side on a hard surface and my head is throbbing because of the blow but is bearable, on the contrary the sharp pain in my side only allows me to take shallow breaths: I think I may have one or two broken ribs. That's bad news. It don't feel my hands or ankles tied up but I don't think I can get very far if I try to run away, above all because of the pain in my ankle that is telling me it's probably broken too. So the overall situation is all fucked up. Yes, I know, it's weird to hear me cursing but I think the occasion demands it. In addition to this, I feel pain, lot of pain, not only in my ankle or ribs, but all over my body. The temptation of casting a healer spell is great, I'm not able to heal serious injures with my power but I could ease the pain a little.
"Don't do that Iselen, the energy flows around you when you gather it to cast a spell and she could sense it. Kyte doesn't know that you have some magical knowledge and you can take advantage of it. So keep calm and hold on." This is funny: I give advice to myself with Ruby's voice. Just for a moment I feel like laughing despite my problems. If it weren't for this pain...
I think I passed out again but I don't know for how long. I have no doubt that the Sorceress will come for me but I hope this won't take long, the pain is less now but I'm feeling weaker and weaker. I believe I'd be dead if it wasn't for all that vampire blood in my system giving me strength. I swallow hard despite my almost dry mouth, I should be doing something useful instead of lying here feeling sorry for myself. I need to do something to take my mind off the pain.
All right, let's start again. There's a hard and cold surface under my body, it seems like stone so I think I'm lying on the ground. The air is also cold around me, I feel the breeze and I can hear a trickle of water somewhere behind me... Is this a basement or maybe a dungeon? No, the sound of water echoes like this is some kind of big room. I'm in a cave, most likely. I can't sense any movement around me or steps echoing in the distance, there's no one near so I dare to open my eyes a little. There's no one in sight. I blink to focus on my eyes and confirm my suspicions: I'm lying on the ground of an enormous hall or cave, I'm unable to see the walls or the ceiling since the light can't reach the end of this room, despite the fact that there're two candelabra with five candles each on a table surrounded by dark wood chairs in front of me.
I can hear steps getting closer now. I close my eyes and try to keep stabilized my shallow breaths, I don't want them to know that I'm awake. Sounds like two people: they leave something on the table from what I can hear, someone drags a chair along the ground and the legs make an unpleasant noise, then glass pieces rattling... They have opened a bottle of wine and someone is pouring a glass. The steps of one of the two guys come closer to me but they sound light on the ground, with the distinctive sound of a pair of woman's high heeled boots.
- She's still unconscious, I think I hit her too hard – the voice I sweet and melodious, not what I was expecting – Anyway, it's her fault, who would've thought that the girl was going to fight even halfway passed out. Ruby likes them feisty, that's for sure: it's a pity that she's going to lose this one. By the way, where is she? She should be here by now.
- I'm sorry my Lady but there's absolutely no sign of her yet. The guards told me that she isn't even following the trail. Maybe she doesn't care about this girl after all.
- I'm sure she'll be here soon, even if her human pet means nothing to her Ruby hates when people touch her things – the tip of a boot presses against my ribs and then kicks me slightly, I can't help letting out a stifled moan.
- If you know that I hate when people touch my things, why did you take my pet?
The voice of my Sorceress echoes through the cave bringing tears of joy to my eyes. I was about to ruin my cover-up screaming her name but I control myself at the last second. Wait a minute... has she called me 'pet'? What the hell...? With my eyes half-open I can see Kyte slightly sideways to me: she's not that tall but slim, with dark blonde hair and a pretty face but nowhere near as strikingly beautiful. Her lips are pursed in a fake grin taken by surprise by my girl's arrival. She seems about my mother's age, she looks good but it's pretty obvious that she isn't a vampire and she's aging more noticeably every day. To be honest she doesn't impress me much despite being a powerful sorceress, instead she wants to compensate for her lack of charm with fancy clothes, overly embellished with gold thread on a blue velvet background, a very eye-catching dress... but vulgar.
Ruby enters my field of vision while walking towards the table. She doesn't turn to look at me for one moment, she gives the impression that she hasn't even noticed my body lying on the ground. In contrast to her enemy she dresses in black simple clothes but the feline grace of her movements, her perfect standing posture, her impeccable facial structure, her flawless pale skin framing her colourful tattoos, her cocky smirk and her cold eyes, even if they have the colour of precious stones, leave no room for doubt: she's a lethal creature. She exudes power effortlessly, her self-confidence forces everybody to bow their heads as she passes... like the minion behind her has just done right now. Kyte notices it and frowns furiously before ordering him to leave with a wave of her hand. Not matter how much she tries... she will never be like my Sorceress. Ruby's naturally elegant.
- How did you get here without following my trail? – Kyte asks with genuine curiosity, envy is perfectly visible in her expression and her clenched fists. It's pretty obvious that she's thirsty for the vampire's power.
- Oh, come on! You can't expect me to reveal my tricks so easily. I like this cave, very big and comfortable although a bit cold. I didn't know that you had a den so close to Kerys. You look good my dear mentor, fantastic to be honest, despite the fact that it's been years since the last time we met – Ruby's smile is lovely but absolutely fake.
- Yes, I know I look good, above all because I'm almost a hundred years old – Well, she certainly is older than my mother... and my grandmother – Magic is a great help, obviously, but you know that staying this young entails certain sacrifices.
- Human sacrifices of girls under the age of 10 to use their blood in the potion, as far as I know – I try to control my nausea when I hear that. Under Ruby's neutral tone of voice a very deep feeling of disgust is hidden, I know her well, she's always bragging about losing her ethical compass but she never, ever would hurt a kid.
- Yes, well... one needs to do what one can to stay this beautiful. However, you don't have to stoop to that – So that's what she wants... she wants Ruby to give her the 'gift,' I don't know how she's going to force her to do that.
- Whatever Kyte... I want to know why you touch my things knowing that I don't like it.
- Are you talking about your pet? – She points at me, probably trying to force Ruby to notice that I'm here lying on the ground, but she loses her time. The Sorceress keeps her eyes fixed on her enemy ignoring me, like she doesn't even care about me – I'm sorry, I think I've damaged your property since that ankle seems crooked in a strange angle, doesn't it? It's most likely broken. I just wanted to get your attention so we could have a talk, you know, like in the old days... before you killed my son.
- The thought of knocking at my door never occurred to you? And you know that I killed your boy because he had killed my brother and sister in law before, we already talked about that – Ruby picks a piece of lint off her jacket absentmindedly. Okay, fine, I know she's faking, she's trying to distract the attention of this psychopath by giving the impression that she doesn't care about me but, to be honest, she's a great actress. If it wasn't for the fact that I know her well I could believe that she doesn't care what happens to me. No, I'll never doubt her. Ruby is fond of me, she doesn't see me as a simple and funny toy, does she?
- You wouldn't let me get close to your house and you know it. By the way, you want a drink?
- A glass of wine would be great, is that red? – She purses her lips in disgust while she sits down on a chair far from me calmly.
- Of course, you prefer white. Wait a minute, I have a bottle cooling in a water stream back there.
Ruby nods absentmindedly again and that's the last straw, I can't take this anymore: she hasn't even looked at me, apparently she isn't worry about my injuries and now she's going to drink a glass of wine and socialize with her enemy while I'm lying here, chilled to the bone and in agonizing pain. I don't know if this is part of her plan or she really is going to let me die here not giving a damn about my life and, in addition to this, I hate being called 'pet.' Despite the fury that is boiling in my veins, I have a flash of lucidity that prevents me from talking out loud and get noticed; I don't want Kyte to know that I'm awake just in case my girl has a plan... other than dying of boredom on that chair which is what she seems to be doing right now. I'm going to try something that I've never tried before and if I fail at least I'll be able to grab her attention. Focusing the best I can ignoring my sore body, I project my consciousness towards Ruby with all my strength and then I jump into the emptiness of my mind.
Well, this is... different. While a part of me still feels the hard and cold ground under my body and the pain in my ribs, the main part of my mind is in this well-lit room surrounded by filing cabinets, with locked drawers labelled with an indecipherable code. I turn around to explore my surroundings and notice that the cabinets fill the room as far as the eye could see. Amazing...
- Where I am?
- In my mind.
Caught off guard, I turn around to see Ruby just two steps away from me, her expression remains neutral while she is looking at me.
- Really? I bet my mind it's nothing like this. So I managed to get into your head, I didn't think I could do it...
- Your mind is more like a chaotic trunk overflowing with clothes – I wince slightly with embarrassment when I hear her – It's all right, few people have a mind as disciplined as mine. You need it when you accumulate a lot of knowledge. And you can't get into my head without my permission, the only reason why you're here is because I let down my defences for one second in order to project my own consciousness towards you at the exact same time you were projecting yours.
The Sorceress tilts her head to one side, staring at me cautiously, then she touches my cheek with her hand and her thumb rubs my lips.
- Are you all right? – "She really cares about me" I think while a tear runs down my cheek.
- No Ruby, I'm in so much pain... my ankle and my side too. There's something wrong, I feel very weak, I don't even know how I managed to gather the strength to be here right now.
- Fine, listen to me, we don't have much time. Kyte is a very powerful sorceress but above all she's very fast, that's her main talent; if either of us try to use some magic she'll notice how we concentrate energy and she'll cast a spell to kill us before we can even blink. We must do it old school style.
- Old school?
- Without magic, Iselen – my horrified look shows what I really think about her crazy plan – Listen, when a sorceress becomes very very powerful usually she makes a big mistake: she tends to use magic for everything, she trusts in her power so much that she never does anything herself. In fact, it's very easy to forget about how many things you're able to do with your own hands... like killing someone. Moreover, you become egocentric and paranoid, everything seems so complicated to you, there're so many machinations around you that you go blind and unable to see the simplest things.
- All right, I'll do whatever you say, tell me your plan – I feel my body getting weaker, I won't be able to stay in Ruby's mind much longer.
- Behind you there's another table, a smaller one, with some pieces of glass on top: some glasses, bowls and a couple of vases. I know you're in pain but, after Kyte comes back with my glass of wine, I need you to push the table as hard as you can so the pieces of glass fall on the floor shattering. I need that distraction. Then you're going to curl up in a ball on the ground and stay still. I'll take care of everything, all right? Can you do that for me?
I nod without a word, of course I'll do it but it's going to hurt like hell. The Sorceress hand touches my cheek once again.
- You have to go now but before tell me: have you ever had any doubts about me? You knew I'd come, didn't you? Do you think that I don't care about you?
- I was absolutely certain that you'd come but, to be honest, I got confused when you ignored me. I thought it was part of a plan but...
- All right – she seems hurt... I didn't mean to make her feel bad – It's my fault, I've been mean to you lately but I want you to know that I do care about you, you're important to me; I want you in my life, by my side, okay? We're gonna get out of this room and we'll travel to another country, together... Does this look right to you?
- Yes, but Ruby... don't call me 'pet' – I scowl at her pretending to be angry.
- I'll never do that again, honey, I promise. Come on, you must go.
With a mental shove Ruby sends me to my own body. Fuck! It hurts, I'm all fucked up. Through my half open eyes I see Kyte coming back with a glass in her hand and a bottle of wine in the other one. The Sorceress is sitting down on a chair that faces me so our enemy has to turn her back to me inevitably to give her the glass of wine. My muscles get tensed, I'm ready to jump ignoring the pain. Ruby stretches her arm smiling mischievously and, when her fingers graze the glass, I move back blindly pushing the table with all my strength throwing glasses everywhere, screaming my lungs out when feeling the excruciating pain in my ribs and ankle.
In the middle of the mist of pain that clouds my mind I'm able to see Kyte turning around to look at me, she seems to be whispering a spell but she trips over her own feet when something pushes her forward: that was Ruby stabbing her in her back with a dagger, piercing her heart. Kyte falls down on her knees screaming with rage, weakened but still able to gather enough strength to try to cast her spell on me, in a final attempt to take from Ruby her most valuable possession. Before she can even say the words, a dark shadow jumps beside her and the arterial blood splatter everywhere from Kyte's ripped throat. The damned witch dies on the ground covered in her own blood, ending with a death rattle, while Lucifer in his panther form licks casually the claw he used to cut the throat of his mistress' enemy.
I can't take it anymore. My eyes close but I feel Ruby kneeling down next to me and calling me in the distance, Lucifer's warm body pressed against my back makes me realize that suddenly I'm freezing to death. The words "internal bleeding" that my girl whispers stick in my brain... That doesn't sound good. I slip gently into unconsciousness but Ruby wakes me up shaking me with her hands on my shoulders. "Please Sorceress, let me sleep, I'm so tired..." I think unable to say the words out loud.
"No," I hear her harsh voice echoing through my brain. "Drink! Come on, Iselen, open your mouth and swallow, now."
I don't have the energy to refuse really but my mouth is so dry I can't lick her sweet blood like I always do. Ruby presses her wrist against my lips and my tongue feels the delicious taste of vanilla, this is more than the few drops I use to get. With a last effort I swallow two sips before passing out.