Vampires Realm Prophecy 01 - Child of Light

without leaving the confines of the armchair.
    “There is magic mentioned in the scroll. The Three have the key. Head to Paris and seek them out. Valentine will know where to find them. They will know you are coming.”
    She looked across at him. The corners of his mouth tugged into a brief smile that he hoped reassured her that he did indeed know where to find the witches Mathias had spoken of.
    “And what of the scrolls?” Her attention returned to Mathias.
    Valentine wondered just when she had began to take everything in her stride. The child he had seen in her over the past few days seemed to have disappeared since their conversation in the courtyard. She had accepted her fate and was now determined to face it head on and win. Did the things he’d said have anything to do with the woman now sitting before him? The layers of insecurity and confusion seemed to have been stripped away and she now looked as she had done the night he’d met her. She looked strong and defiant, ready to take on the world if she had to.
    He didn’t look away from her when she looked at him surreptitiously out of the corner of her eye while continuing to face Mathias. There was a shy edge to her expression, as though she’d realised that he’d noticed the change in her and she was embarrassed by it.
    She shouldn’t have been.
    She was enthralling when she was like this. She was powerful, almost commanding, and he could see why she was the child of the prophecy.
    He could see the woman that he had witnessed in his vision, one strong enough to lead an army.
    “The first half is still held where it has been for nearly three centuries, by someone both I and Valentine know.”
    Valentine looked up at Mathias, trying to think of a person they both knew that wouldn’t care about the end of vampires, that wouldn’t be tempted to translate the half of the scroll they had been given.
    “A veritable princess,” Mathias said with a small smile.
    Valentine nodded in understanding.
    The woman in question was as close to being a princess as vampires got.
    “And the other?” Prophecy’s voice was still certain and his attention was drawn back to her.
    “The other is lost. It was stolen by humans many centuries ago. Thankfully they have never been successful in translating it, so the meaning remains hidden. While you are in Paris, I will attempt to locate the second half of the scroll.”
    “There will not be a train tonight,” Valentine said and thought over everything they would need to do before heading to Paris. “We will have to get more clothes so we are not so easily spotted.”
    He looked down at the jacket he was wearing. He supposed it would do him good to get out of it. It was a tie to his past that he was better off without. It only served to remind him of what he had lost.
    “When will we go?” Prophecy said.
    He stood.
    “We leave tomorrow night.”

Chapter 10
    Valentine led the way as they walked through customs at Gare Du Nord in Paris. Prophecy waited in silence behind him, watching in fascination as the guard checked the passports and ushered them through without so much as a suspicious glance. She met his eyes as she passed, wondering if he was still under Valentine’s spell. The guard winked at her and made some comment to his colleague. The two men grinned at each other like Cheshire cats.
    She didn’t need to speak French to know they’d said something dirty about her.
    She glared at them and then pressed her hand to her stomach as it growled. Hunger pushed her, making her want to change and feed. She screwed her face up in agony and told herself that she couldn’t change here. No matter how much satisfaction she would get from scaring the life out of the two guards.
    Valentine would find her something to eat soon enough. They just had to make it to the hotel. He had promised to get them both some blood once they were safely there.
    She looked up to see that while she’d been standing still, he’d continued walking and was now waiting for her by the exit. She hurried to him, ignoring the wolf whistles that the guards gave her as they laughed.
    When she reached him, Valentine turned away and continued towards the underground. She didn’t pay attention to where they were going. She let him lead the way while her eyes roamed the dimly lit corridors and the people who were coming and going. She smiled as a group of people passed them, laughing and playing with each other as they headed down into the depths