Vampires Realm Prophecy 01 - Child of Light

something so familiar and calming as talking to Serenity. “He really is.”
    “What happened to him?”
    “I don’t know. I think Arkalus’ men left him unconscious in the square. He’ll be fine though, I’m sure of that.” Her eyes strayed to the dress. “I’m the one who needs to escape. He’ll be coming here and Arkalus has ordered his men to kill him. I have to get away, Serenity.”
    “I’ve seen the security Arkalus has set up in the house and grounds. There’s no way you’ll be able to get out unseen, and even if you do, they’ll only hunt you down again.”
    “It’s a chance I have to take. I have to save the world, Serenity. Everything they told you was a lie. I’m not going to destroy it. I have a choice, a role to play in this prophecy, but I believe that I’m not the destructor. I’m the saviour. I’ve had visions that have shown me my path.” She stared at the dress. “If Arkalus claims me, he’ll never let me go again. I won’t be able to escape him if he can sense me so keenly.”
    “He’ll kill you if you try to get back to Valentine.”
    “I know, but it’s where I belong. I’ve seen the lengths people are willing to go to in order to stop me. I’ve seen humans butchered by werewolves. I’ve met vampires intent on turning Valentine against me. None of it will stop me from fulfilling my destiny,” she said and moved her gaze to the windows. “I’ve been amazed by the lengths people are going to just to help me. They believe in me. I believe in me. Valentine has put himself in danger so many times, and I know it isn’t because of his sense of duty towards me. There are other feelings at work in both of us. This magic I have, I had it all along. I met witches in Paris that awoke it inside of me where it had been waiting. They were good people. I know that I’m not evil. I have a choice and I’m choosing to save the world and everything in it, but I can’t do that while I’m trapped here.”
    She noticed that Serenity was staring at her hand. Her eyes dropped to it. The magic was weaving around her fingers, sparkling with threads of purest white and making patterns of light dance on her skin.
    She looked at the light reflecting on Serenity’s hair and then at the dress.
    She smiled at her friend.
    “I need you to do something for me.”

Chapter 23
    Prophecy covered her face with her hair. The darkness of it blocked her view like a veil but she couldn’t risk letting someone see her features. She kept her hands by her sides, resisting the temptation to wrap them around herself and headed towards the small stairwell at the end of the hall.
    She kept close to the wall while several guards passed her, and caught snippets of their conversations. None of them were about her. She willed her stomach to settle and her magic to keep itself hidden.
    The last thing she needed to do was draw attention to herself.
    Reaching the stairwell seemed to take an eternity. Each step she took was achingly slow and she wondered if she would ever make it off the second floor, let alone escape the house.
    She stepped onto the winding narrow staircase and let go of the breath she’d been holding. She glanced back at the hall and the guards that were still stood outside her door, completely oblivious to what had just happened. If this worked, she owed Serenity more than her life. She owed her everything.
    She looked out at the landing of the first floor as she passed it by and then carried on downwards to the servant quarters. Her marks itched and burned. She tried to ignore them, but the feeling became so intense when she neared the kitchens that she had to stop.
    Her eyes widened when Arkalus walked out of the wide doorway and up the hall, heading away from her. She pressed her hand to her chest and silently thanked the magic. If she hadn’t stopped, she would have walked straight into him.
    It would have been game over.
    He disappeared out of sight around the corner, heading towards the main area of the house. It wouldn’t be long before he went up to her room and discovered what had happened. She hoped Serenity would be all right. Her friend had suggested tying her up, but she knew if she did that then Arkalus would kill her on the grounds of incompetence. If her plan worked, he wouldn’t be able to kill Serenity.
    She ducked down the narrow hall that led to the exit at the side of the house. She just had to make it past the guards patrolling the grounds and she’d be free