Liz to come live here in Naos, but the timing wasn’t right. Plus, I was afraid to ask. I didn’t think it would upset her, but I was frightened of hearing the word no. Holding back the question meant I could hold onto the hope that she could someday say yes.
Walking past the meeting room where the others were strategizing for the war, I saw how heated it was becoming. They had better come to a decision soon; I didn’t think that Ana or The Dark were going to be very patient. News that I was not longer at the palace must have definitely broke by now. All they needed to figure out was if I was their first target or if Nicolae was.
It was hard for me to visualize the threat. All I could picture in my mind was Ana’s face covered in my blood. If The Dark were any worse than her, which I was certain they were, then we were all in big trouble.
“I’ll go. I know the city and the palace layout,” Arrick said confidently.
Over the past week, scouts had been sent out to figure out the state of the Noire region and to locate Ana. They had failed.
“You will be a walking target, Arrick. Just because the city is running normally, doesn’t mean every vampire in that region isn’t aware of what’s going on. It will only take one of them to see you. Just one!” Jarvan shouted.
“No one will see me. I swear it,” Arrick protested and looked to my father for his approval.
“He’s right.” I hadn’t meant to interrupt, but I believed in Arrick. He had been my guardian my whole life; now it was time I paid him back somehow.
I stood by his side, pushing back the tingle in my gut as our hands brushed, and raised myself to my full height. “He has experience in the region and I trust him. Arrick will be the one to go. If you must” I looked to Jarvan with anger boiling inside me, “then someone will go with him.”
My father’s smile peeked from within his beard, but quickly vanished when Jarvan turned his way. “We must handle this delicately, your majesty,” he said. “If anything goes wrong, we could turn the eye of evil unto us.”
“That’s enough. We have debated long enough. Some of you have seen the dark ages, as have I. I understand your resistance, but doing nothing, only invites war to our doorstep. We are a region of peace, but peace must be maintained.” Jarvan opened his mouth to protest, but my father slammed his heavy fist onto the table to silence him. “Arrick will go and get as much information as he can.”
A few heads in the room nodded in agreement. I was glad. It appeared that Jarvan was the only one that didn’t agree. I might have been born in this region, but I didn’t share the stand by and watch ideals that Jarvan seemed to desperately cling to. I had a hinting suspicion my father felt the same. Sure, we both favored peace. So far, I thought Naos was the perfect place to live, but there was no way in hell I would let anyone threaten it in any way. The Dark may not have done so directly, but if they gained the power they wanted by taking Nicolae’s throne it would only be a matter of time.
As everyone filed out of the room, I stayed behind. “Are you sure you want to go back?” I wanted to hear the words directly from his mouth. It was going to be very dangerous and I guess I was worried about him.
“Without a doubt.”
Something about him had changed since we had been in Naos. Being back home had made him more confident, more focused, making him all the more attractive. I imagined that bringing me home safely had earned him a lot of respect, not from Jarvan obviously, but definitely from everyone else. From me too. I didn’t think I was just a job to Arrick. At least I hoped I wasn’t because I didn’t want to be.
My father approached, “How soon can you be ready?” he asked, locking arms with Arrick in a show of respect. For the first time I truly saw Arrick for the warrior he was.
“Tomorrow night.”
“Good. You have three days. Learn as much as you can and
Walking past the meeting room where the others were strategizing for the war, I saw how heated it was becoming. They had better come to a decision soon; I didn’t think that Ana or The Dark were going to be very patient. News that I was not longer at the palace must have definitely broke by now. All they needed to figure out was if I was their first target or if Nicolae was.
It was hard for me to visualize the threat. All I could picture in my mind was Ana’s face covered in my blood. If The Dark were any worse than her, which I was certain they were, then we were all in big trouble.
“I’ll go. I know the city and the palace layout,” Arrick said confidently.
Over the past week, scouts had been sent out to figure out the state of the Noire region and to locate Ana. They had failed.
“You will be a walking target, Arrick. Just because the city is running normally, doesn’t mean every vampire in that region isn’t aware of what’s going on. It will only take one of them to see you. Just one!” Jarvan shouted.
“No one will see me. I swear it,” Arrick protested and looked to my father for his approval.
“He’s right.” I hadn’t meant to interrupt, but I believed in Arrick. He had been my guardian my whole life; now it was time I paid him back somehow.
I stood by his side, pushing back the tingle in my gut as our hands brushed, and raised myself to my full height. “He has experience in the region and I trust him. Arrick will be the one to go. If you must” I looked to Jarvan with anger boiling inside me, “then someone will go with him.”
My father’s smile peeked from within his beard, but quickly vanished when Jarvan turned his way. “We must handle this delicately, your majesty,” he said. “If anything goes wrong, we could turn the eye of evil unto us.”
“That’s enough. We have debated long enough. Some of you have seen the dark ages, as have I. I understand your resistance, but doing nothing, only invites war to our doorstep. We are a region of peace, but peace must be maintained.” Jarvan opened his mouth to protest, but my father slammed his heavy fist onto the table to silence him. “Arrick will go and get as much information as he can.”
A few heads in the room nodded in agreement. I was glad. It appeared that Jarvan was the only one that didn’t agree. I might have been born in this region, but I didn’t share the stand by and watch ideals that Jarvan seemed to desperately cling to. I had a hinting suspicion my father felt the same. Sure, we both favored peace. So far, I thought Naos was the perfect place to live, but there was no way in hell I would let anyone threaten it in any way. The Dark may not have done so directly, but if they gained the power they wanted by taking Nicolae’s throne it would only be a matter of time.
As everyone filed out of the room, I stayed behind. “Are you sure you want to go back?” I wanted to hear the words directly from his mouth. It was going to be very dangerous and I guess I was worried about him.
“Without a doubt.”
Something about him had changed since we had been in Naos. Being back home had made him more confident, more focused, making him all the more attractive. I imagined that bringing me home safely had earned him a lot of respect, not from Jarvan obviously, but definitely from everyone else. From me too. I didn’t think I was just a job to Arrick. At least I hoped I wasn’t because I didn’t want to be.
My father approached, “How soon can you be ready?” he asked, locking arms with Arrick in a show of respect. For the first time I truly saw Arrick for the warrior he was.
“Tomorrow night.”
“Good. You have three days. Learn as much as you can and
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