Page 15 of Losing The Vampire King

Now they’re all looking in my direction. I still have the upper hand. I could jump them, catch them off guard. If I lose that card, I might not be able to take them all out. I can’t risk it. If I’m going to attack, I should attack now.

Now.

Now.

My mind keeps repeating these two words again, reminding me that the clock is ticking. Act now. Now.

But my body doesn’t want to listen. I stare at the first man, whose face I can’t see clearly in the darkness, but there is something about it that isn’t allowing me to act upon this impulse to attack. My instinct won’t let me. It is telling me to stay put, that now isn’t the time to act. I should remain hidden.

My heartbeat is now in my throat. I feel like I’ve swallowed a rock and it’s stuck in my windpipe, making it increasingly harder to breathe. I try to remain calm, as much as that is possible under the circumstances.

Suddenly, one of the other men puts a hand on the first man’s shoulder.

“We need to keep going,” he says.

The first man seems to agree, but he can’t stop staring in the bushes where I’m hiding. I know only one second is separating us from attack, where one of us will die. I don’t want to die. But somehow, I don’t want him to die either. Otherwise, I would have attacked him already. I would have attacked them all, because it wasn’t a question of fear.

It isn’t fear I’m feeling right now, it’s something far more complex, and more difficult to make sense of. That is why I am rendered unable to act, still hiding in the bushes, waiting to see what the four men will do.

Finally, after what seems to be a small eternity, all four of them turn around and they head in the opposite direction. My breathing calms down. My entire body relaxes. I don’t feel like the string on a violin any longer. I am safe… as much as I can be in this situation. I know I can stumble onto them again, so I have to be careful.

A part of me wants to go back to the cabin, but another part of me wants to keep going. Tonight is a night for discovery. I don’t know where I might end up, but I know now that I’m on this path, I don’t want to go back. I want to keep going. I want to see if I will find out anything about myself.

I wait for a few moments, then I stand on my feet. My knees seem to have fallen asleep in that unnatural position, so I shake them a little. Above me, an owl hoots and it gives me a quick start. My breathing intensifies for a few moments, then I calm myself down.

“It’s nothing,” I whisper. “Just keep going.”

That is, however, easier said than done. I gaze in the direction where the men went. Should I follow?

No, that voice inside of me surfaces again. We followed enough. It’s time to listen to yourself.

Again, easier said than done. I try to do that, but my own voice isn’t making any sense now. I feel like this place is new to me, although I’m sure that I’ve been here before, a long time ago. And I’m also sure that–

Water.

Suddenly, there is the sound of running water in my mind. I turn to my left. There is a small path through the clearing, and back into the woods. I don’t know where it leads. I can’t know, but it is drawing me, pulling me into itself more than anything else before.

Water.

Again, that sound. I try to remember something about water. A river? A lake? A waterfall? No, a waterfall would be much louder than that.

Once again, I keep fighting my way through the thick shrubbery of the lush woods, holding an invisible thread which I know I can’t lose. Otherwise, I will never find this path again and it will be forever lost to me.

As if in an effort to help me, the moon starts to shine even brighter, illuminating the path. It almost feels like daylight. I keep running, my hands flailing about me, pushing away the thorny branches, until finally, I see a lake. Its surface is smooth and polished, like a mirror, with the moon bathing in its reflection. I am in awe of the sight before me, as if my presence would do nothing but disturb it. I have to remain quiet.

I walk slowly, one foot at a time, trying to make as little noise as possible. I know this place. I’m sure I know it. My heart recognizes it, but my mind is still rebelling against the idea that it belongs to my past. I feel like I have two parts of me right now, both fighting for dominion over my mind. One is telling me to go back, that this place will do nothing but confuse me even further. The other part is telling me to stay, that I might find out more about myself, even the things that I never dreamed of.

My head explodes sharply, bringing horrible pain. I grab the sides of my temples, closing my eyes, in an effort to soothe the pain, but it’s difficult, almost impossible to do so. I drop down to my knees, pressing heavily on my temples, but it’s not working.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps behind me. I jump back on my feet, thinking it’s the four men, who heard me and followed me here. I rush back into the darkened part of the woods, and hide myself among the trees, while still having a clear view of the lake. To my surprise, it’s not the four men. It’s someone else.

Chapter Nine

Bianca

Kano asked me to join them, but I know we’ll cover more ground like this. Besides, if Eddie tried to attack me, he’ll probably want to attack them as well. I can’t risk them hurting him in any way. I have to find him first, before they do, and I have to make him drink this tea, before it’s too late.

Those are the thoughts that keep plaguing me as I roam through the woods alone. I’ve never been afraid of coming here alone, not when I was with the skin walkers, and especially not now that I’m with Eddie, now that I’m the vampire queen. I still feel like there is so much in here left to be discovered, and as a nymph, this should be the place where I feel most comfortable.

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