Vampires Realm Prophecy 01 - Child of Light

you?”
    She didn’t know why. She had been shown this place for a reason, but now she felt as though they had interpreted it wrongly.
    “Maybe I shouldn’t be here. Maybe I’m not supposed to meet this witch. Maybe I should be doing something else.” She knew she sounded panicked, but every instinct in her was telling her to leave.
    “You are right. She is a witch. The only reason you want to leave is because everything here is created by her power and therefore we can feel it the whole time we are here. It takes people many visits to grow used to the feeling and overcome the sense of fear it instils in them. I felt the same way as you once.”
    His little speech did nothing to calm her nerves, but she could see that he wasn’t going to allow her to leave like she wanted to. Maybe he was right. She was probably just overreacting. But the magic here was strong. It felt stronger than the power of the Three.
    “Come. Nothing terrible will happen. I promise.” He held his hand out to one side, intimating the house.
    She took a reluctant step towards it. He passed through the iron gates and walked up the steps to the door. Stopping just before the gates, she looked up at the two columns towering either side of the dark wooden door and then down at her amulet. She removed it, slipping it safely into the pocket inside her skirt. A feeling of calm washed through her when her magic lost its point of focus. She took a deep breath before starting up the steps after Valentine.
    He was waiting for her by the door. When she reached it, it swung open to reveal a brightly lit reception room and a young woman. The maid smiled, bowed and let them in. Prophecy’s eyes stung as the brightness of the lights hit them. She heard the door close behind her but didn’t hear what Valentine said to the maid.
    The house looked even bigger on the inside it. It was grand, with two staircases that swept up either side of the room to meet at a balcony in front of her. The walls were highly decorated with beautiful white and black marble with the occasional accent of green. She frowned at the floor. There was a mosaic. The design of it seemed familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on where she’d seen it before. It was a circle that contained a star, and within the star was a heart. There was a snake threading its way through the points of the star, and symbols that she felt she should know marked its path. She stared at it, trying to remember where she had seen something like it and hoping to decipher what it meant.
    A sense of power rushed through her and she pressed her hand against her chest as the star there burned. Her head shot up. She stared at the woman who had appeared on the balcony. The woman was shrouded in darkness. It clung to her like a veil, hiding her features as Prophecy tried to see past it to catch a glimpse of her face.
    Prophecy shrank back as the woman moved forwards, still hidden by shadows as though they were following her. She was about to turn to leave when she felt Valentine’s hand in hers. Latching onto it, she used the sensation of comfort it gave her to calm her unsteady nerves and soothe her.
    The woman extended a bony hand and crooked a finger.
    A chill ran through her.
    She felt powerless to resist the command behind the single word the woman uttered.
    “Come.”

Chapter 20
    Prophecy moved forwards, her feet carrying her towards the stairs even as she tried to resist and turn away. She struggled against the power that was forcing her limbs to move of their own volition. Panic filled her, making her every vein hum with fear and her skin prickle.
    “Valentine?” She could hear the desperation in her own voice, as though it wasn’t her that had spoken.
    “Leave her alone, Elena.” His command seemed to break the spell.
    Prophecy clung to the banister for fear of falling as control of her legs came back and they wobbled beneath her. Strong hands caught her under her arms before she could collapse into the railing.
    “Got you,” he whispered into her ear. She closed her eyes, her whole being crying out over the safety those two words made her feel.
    “I was just playing.” A voice drifted down from above her.
    She leaned into Valentine, seeking the comfort of his arms as coldness swept through her again. He pulled her up onto her feet and turned her around to face him. Opening her eyes, she stared straight into his.
    “She likes to test people’s will. Try not to let her get to you,