Intricate symbols made a perfect circle around where I now stood in the center of the basement. All were powerful witch runes meant to help aide my father in whatever terrible idea he had come up with. "Blood magic is forbidden," I heard myself whisper.
"Riley!" Shane slowly traced his way around the outside of the circle, much like a Lion pacing. He made a move to step over the ring of symbols and hissed in paid as he moved back away from the outer ring. "What have you done?" Shane seethed as he turned to our father.
The smirk that pulled at his lips had chills racing down my spine. "Calm, down. I'm merely keeping her contained at the moment. I haven't begun the actual spell," he said with a wave of your hand.
Shane growled as his eyes traced over many of the ancient runes that had been carved into the circle and were now filled with blood. "You promised your wouldn't hurt her!"
"Yes, I did." He agreed without any hint of remorse. "But, seeing as how you have been of no help, my son. Your sister must now help the family live on." He shrugged as if it mattered not before pulled a crumpled, yellowed paper from his pocket.
"How could you do this?" I cried as I began to shake with fear. I knew I was going to die. Blood magic was powerful and terrible magic that had long since been forbidden. It worked on the power of blood - the life source of all living creatures - and stole from the host. Blood magic was powerful, painful, and dangerous. It was especially difficult to preform on family, but because my blood was so different from my father's, I knew he would succeed.
I immediately pushed all thoughts from my head and called for Shane. "Listen to me, Shane. When this is all over I need you to do something for me. Tell Alexander that I love him and that I'm sorry for all for all of this. Tell him what's happened." Shane had begun to shake his head, tears of guilt filling his eyes. "Shane," I pleaded. "Listen! I don;t care about any of this. Just promise me you will get that message to him."
I didn't wait for his response.
I turned on my heal, using all my strength to as I sprinted and threw one of my daggers directly towards my father. He simply sidestepped the twirling breath. I cursed under my breath before trying to push through the barrier knowing it was pointless. Pain erupted in my veins just beneath the skin of my left hand as I pushed against the barrier. I knew this spell. I was going to die. All because my father was a selfish asshole.
The stairs creaked and I didn't have to look to know that Shane had ran from the room. I really needed him to relay my message to Alexander. He was going to be so mad that I had managed to get myself killed after I promised him I would come back. I think a part of me knew I wouldn't becoming back though.
"Good, now we can begin."
I grimaced as my father began to recite the spell written on the tattered paper. Almost immediately, pain erupted in my skull. I dug my heels into the compacted dirt floor and forced myself to remain balanced. I ground my teeth and turned my hard, silver glare onto my father. The man soon to be responsible for my death.
Using my own dagger, he continued to chant - his voice having taken on a thicker accent I no longer recognized - and slashed at the air causing a gash to open on my forearm. A small whimper escaped my mouth before I fell to my knees, causing even more blood to pour from my body. I watched in horror, unable to move, as my blood began to fill in more hidden runes. I recognized the word for power among my father's chanting before I slumped over.
Alexander's point of view
Riley had gone over the plan again and again with both my father and myself before she vaulted from our balcony and disappeared into he Forrest. I hated the thought of her leaving, of me not being able to be there to protect her. She had never been fragile, even as a human, but a part of me needed to be there to protect her. I needed her in general. I had always been drawn to her.
I had been on my way to my father's private quarters within the castle when a burning pain seemed to course through my veins. It was enough to make my head spin and blur my vision for several seconds. I gasped for breath as the pain subsided, only then realizing that it hadn't come from myself. Riley was is trouble.
I ignored the strange looks and calls for me to stop as I sped through the long halls of the castle. I wasted no time in knocking on my father's door. Luckily, he was only with the doctor discussing something about Riley.
"Riley, she's in trouble!" I practically screamed. The pain was returning and I knew that no one would be able to take so much pain. As vampires, we may be stronger, but we can still die. It's just a harder job.
My father immediately stood from behind his large desk and rushed to my side. Because Riley had bared my mark before she had been turned, we were connected. The doctor mumbled something to my father before hurrying from the room. It appeared no one wanted to waste time in protecting the princess.
"We have to hurry," my father growled as we tore through the halls.
Riley's Point of View
I have no idea how long I was out. A few minutes maybe? Or maybe it was a few hours. When I finally opened my eyes again, the pain of my father's spell came rushing back. My weakened limbs were shaking as I barely managed to pull myself to my knees.
Glancing around the room, I noticed hundred of tinier runes had been filled with my own blood within the circumference of the larger ones filled with my father. My father was still chanting, his eyes turned completely black and unseeing. Shane was slumped against the far wall, clutching his arm. Through the sickeningly sweet scent of both mine and my father's blood, I could make out the scent of my brother's as well. He must have attempted to stop our father.
The cut on Shane's arm had stopped bleeding but was making no attempt to heal, something that would normally only take a vampire seconds to recover from. Black veining radiated from the cut, as if it had been poisoned. I was worried he wouldn't make it if he didn't leave now, while our father was otherwise occupied. Just because I was going to die didn't mean Shane had to.
"Shane," I whispered so low I was worried he wouldn't hear. I knew my father wouldn't be able to above his monotonous chanting.
Slowly, as if unwillingly, Shane opened his eyes. Once he saw it was me that had called to him, he seemed to perk up. He winced slightly as his movement jostled his arm. "Riley?"
I nodded and motioned towards the stairs. "You need to leave, Shane," I whispered quietly. Before I finished he was already shaking his head violently. I nodded, continuing to motion towards the stairs. It was pretty clear he wasn't going anywhere.
A growl escaped my lips as I looked around the room for anything to improve the situation. I knew my father wouldn't waste any time in killing Shane once he was done with me. Even if I couldn't get away, I could at least try and stop him from hurting anyone else. I was okay with dying, but I couldn't allow someone else I cared about to die. Shane had just come back into my life, and whether he was the brother I remembered or not, I had to do something.
As if my thoughts somehow triggered it, a glimmering caught my eye. One of my daggers had fallen just outside the circle. I knew I wouldn't be able to reach outside the circle, but I was hoping it could be pushed in. Shane followed my gaze to the dagger and gave a slight nod. Silently, he crawled across the basement floor to the dagger. He had tried to brake through the circle earlier to no avail, so instead he opted to kick the blade hard enough to send it over the blood barrier.
A quick glance to my father assured me he was still preoccupied. I knew his spell would be drawing to a close quickly, I could feel myself growing weaker. My slow, weak heart began to pound in my chest as if on its last legs.
I had lived the last several years of my life trying to be anything other than what my father had been - cruel and unloving. Since I had found out everything, his plans, his true intentions, I had grown to hate him even more. Blood magic was evil. It was something that literally took the life force from a living being and transferred it to another being or object. In the legends, that is essentially what vampires do. However, vampires were forbidden to kill. Their blood was obtained by other means - mostly though donations made by willing parties. Doing what I knew I had to do made my stomach churn, but I couldn't let my father win.
Using all the strength in my body, I forced the dagger into the rune to my right. It was one of the only runes I actually recognized - thanks to Maddie's rather boring witchcraft lessons. It was the symbol for strength. Immediately, the blade began to glow as it appeared to absorb some of the blood withing the rune. The same symbol for power that I had just forced it into seemed to burn intseld onto the hilt of the dagger. The entire thing felt as if it was pulsing in my hand.
My father's brow furrowed and his spell faltered before he regained his composure and continued his incantation. His eyes began to lose some of the darkness within as the whites of his eyes struggled to reappear.
My legs felt a bit stronger, but still shook as I forced myself to stand. I had one shot if I was going to stop my father. I could feel myself dying. I pulled one last, centering breath into my body before I aimed. Using all the strength left within me, I hurled the shining blade imbued with power from my own father's blood directly at the man who was so content with ending his own daughters life.
The world turned black around me and I felt the floor coming up to meet me.