Chapter 3 The Silver haired Stranger
Aura's POV continued..
“You’re the one that sleep spelled me”
“I….” she started but I cut her off immediately
“You led them there.” My voice cracked sharply. “You brought those creatures to harm innocent people.”
“Silence,” the older woman said calmly, “you do not understand what truly happened.”
“I understand enough to know that you are a witch that betrayed her own kind to play house with the enemy”
I shoved the blankets away and stood, though my legs threatened to give out beneath me.
“People got hurt.”
The younger witch looked sick with guilt while the older woman laughed
“Play house with vampires? Funny girl. You don’t even know anything about your own kind and the attack on the old witch, that was never supposed to happen.”
“Really?” I laughed bitterly. “You brought vampires into a mortal village and expected kindness?. I know my history well enough to know that the Strigoi are the enemy” I snapped staring her down
The older woman stepped forward carefully.
“The Strigoi did not attack Miridia for blood.”
“They hurt Maevah.” I countered
A silence followed, the heavy and uncomfortable kind where the other party either decides to use violence or retreat. I was hoping for the latter
Then finally, she straightened and I relaxed a little
“That,” the older witch said quietly, “was not part of the agreement.”
Agreement.
“What agreement?”
Neither of them answered immediately, the older woman sighed softly and stepped forward
“My name is Valenna,” she said instead. “And this is my daughter Rhais.”
I stared at them coldly.
“I don’t care.”
Rhais swallowed hard before speaking carefully.
“The book in Maevah’s possession is a journal from the first generation of free witches to this present generation. It contains answers that we need”
My stomach twisted but I said nothing
“That book contains records from before the First War,” Valenna continued. “Ancient writings preserved by the oldest witch factions. Answers that could point to a cure.”
“The vampires want a cure,” Rhais added
I blinked.
“A cure?”
“For their curse.”
I almost laughed at how absurd that sounded
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No,” Valenna replied calmly. “But perhaps you should question why immortals cursed for thousands of years would suddenly become desperate enough to seek Witch knowledge.”
The room fell quiet again. I hated that part of me was curious about this but why would they go an extra mile by kidnapping me anyways
“What does any of this have to do with me?”
Rhais and Valenna exchanged a quick glance.
“You truly were not part of the plan,” Valenna admitted finally. “Prince Xarion only discovered you after the attack began and he believes you might be useful to the cause”
Something about that unsettled me deeply. Before I could ask more questions, Valenna gestured toward another doorway.
“There is water prepared for you.”
“I don’t need your kindness.”
“It is not kindness,” she replied smoothly. “You are a guest of Sol Diminium now.”
I almost laughed at that, guest? Right that’s just another way to put kidnapped or maybe prisoner
Valenna moved toward the exit with Rhais following behind her.
At the doorway, Rhais hesitated.
“ Maevah is fine by the way, thought I should let you know”
Then they left.
The chamber doors closed heavily behind them. My knees locked and I fell to the floor shaking. I placed my head in between my knees, anger, frustration and fear washed over me in waves. Nothing made sense anymore.
A cure for vampire? I remembered the look on Maevah’s face back then. Did she know?
Does this have anything to do with the unknown spell that I cast that night. gods I must be cursed then
I pressed trembling hands against my face and sat there awhile before I finally forced myself toward the bathing chamber.
Steam curled softly through the bathing chamber before me stood a copper tub large enough to fit two people. i sat at the center surrounded by candles burning silver flame instead of gold. Courtesy of the witches I guess. Everything here looked really expensive, even the water smelled expensive.
the warmth felt good against my frozen skin.
As I scrubbed dirt from my hands, memories kept returning in sharp flashes.
Maevah’s face,Villagers running through snow.
That silver haired man watching me like I was something fascinating instead of human.
My chest tightened painfully as I remembered Sara, gods hope she’s okay, I swallowed hard against sudden tears.No crying not here in a vampire citadel where they could hear me.
I finished quickly and stepped back into the main chamber wrapped in dark fabric.
A dress had already been laid carefully across the bed. Dark green. The material shimmered softly like liquid Emerald beneath candlelight.
I stared at it suspiciously, then glanced toward the locked doors. And the room. of course there was no windows low enough to escape through.
Wonderful.
After changing reluctantly, I began searching the room anyway. There had to be another exit, every prison had weak points.
I crossed toward the towering bookshelf against the wall when a voice drifted from the shadows behind me.
“What are you doing!.”
I spun around so quickly my pulse jumped painfully.
“F*ck” i exclaimed
He stood near the doorway,dressed entirely in black again. His eyes on me
I hated how beautiful he looked.
His silver hair fell carelessly across his forehead,his eyebrows raised but it was his eyes that unsettled me the most
“Were you not taught to knock” I snapped.
“ my Apologies, next time I’ll bring a herald to announce my arrival, if your nerves are that fragile” he replied with a smirk
My mouth parted slightly before I could stop it. Was that humor?
He stepped further into the room slowly.
“I trust the witches explained enough to prevent you from trying something reckless.”
“You mean besides kidnapping me?” I stepped away from the shelf as he approached
His expression barely changed.
“You were not kidnapped intentionally.”
“That might be the worst apology I’ve ever heard.”
Something almost resembling amusement flickered briefly across his face. It was gone almost immediately
Silence stretched between us.
Finally, he glanced toward the towering windows.
“ My name is Xarion. Welcome to Sol Diminium”
