Finding Home - The Light

Chapter Twenty Eight - Keep Your Enemies Close

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

Keep Your Enemies Close

　

Sara spent the next few days in chains being hauled around the castle wherever Vladimir went. She strove to make herself as annoying as she could at every possible opportunity. Aside from causing his cup to spill every time he tried to take a drink, she blew his papers off of his desk while he was working, singed his mouth with hot food at every meal, and randomly made it rain or snow in whatever room they happened to be in.

Though he threatened to punish Travis with every prank she pulled, his threats rang hollow after nothing happened the first few times. Sara sat at the large dinner table, her hands chained tightly to the arms of her chair, watching the scaly looking demons gathered around the table as they ate their meal. Every now and then, Vlad would offer her a bite from his own plate. She chewed her food thoughtfully, trying to decide the best way to ruin tonight’s meal. Inspiration came when the fires were lit in fireplaces lining the walls. She glanced at Vlad to see him staring at her with furrowed brows. She smiled, pretending innocence as she accepted the bite he offered.

No one seemed to notice the temperature in the room slowly rising at first since the fires had just been lit. Sara tried to her best to look innocent as small beads of sweat appeared on Vladimir’s forehead. Within a few minutes, the room was sweltering. The windows were thrown open and the fires dampened, but the temperature continued to rise.

“Enough,” Vlad said sharply, unlocking her chains and hauling her up from the table. “You are like a child, forever causing me problems.”

“I try,” she said beaming up at him happily.

Sara had to jog to keep up with him as he led her down two sets of stairs and into a familiar room. Sara couldn’t help but cringe as she eyed the four posts that ran from ceiling to floor. Vlad pulled them into one of the dark corners and clamped his hand tightly over her mouth while his other arm was locked around her waste.

The door opened again and four guards entered surrounding two hooded prisoners. Sara fought against his hold on her when the hoods were pulled off. Travis and Roderick stood facing each other, their emaciated bodies bruised and bloody. She stopped struggling and closed her eyes when she realized it was futile.

She heard the sharp crack of the whip before Travis cried out in pain. She opened her eyes to se a thin line of blood seeping through the filth on his back. She tried to hold back her tears as the guard drew back the whip, but when Travis cried out again, she felt them fall from her eyes. Vlad jerked his hand back as if he had been burned, turning her to look at her face.

“Stop,” she pleaded lifting her eyes to the prince. “Please Vlad, make them stop.”

He turned her back to the gruesome scene as the guard moved to Roderick. Sara clenched her hands as she was forced to watch them whip the man who had been like a father to her. She could feel Vlad’s eyes burning into the back of her head. The weight of the guilt she was feeling threatened to crush her very soul. She felt something snap inside when Roderick finally cried out in pain.

“Stop!”

The ground shook as her voice echoed throughout the room. Something sharp and painful was moving from her chest into her arms. When it reached her hands they exploded with electricity. Suddenly, arcs of lightning were shooting all around the room. One guard was struck directly in the chest, falling to the floor with a large scorch mark on his armor.

“Sara,” Travis whispered, turning his head to look at her.

The room disappeared when Vlad wrapped both of his arms around her to be replaced by his bedroom. He held her tightly until the electricity had run it’s course through her body. When the last of the sparks died from her fingertips he cupped her chin and forced her eyes to his crystal clear blue ones.

“You will stop your childish behavior or they will die,” he said coldly.

Sara held back her argumentative nature and thought of the tortured look in Roderick’s eyes. She nodded slowly, never taking her eyes from Vlad‘s. Her heart was pounding in her chest as he leaned closer, stopping when his lips were almost touching hers.

“We do not have to be enemies. We can be so much more together.”

“Yeah right. Only until you figure out how to strips me of my powers for your own selfish gain.”

He stepped back, keeping his eyes locked on hers for a moment before leading her to the bed. He chained her hands to the bedpost and left without saying another word. Sara awkwardly climbed under the covers and tried to ignore the torturous scene replaying in her head.

Vladimir stormed to the roof of the castle, trying to sort through the confusing thoughts in his head. Emotions he thought were long dead flared brightly in his chest whenever he looked at her. Far from cowering at his feet like he expected of her to do, she stood against him every at every chance. He knew he was falling in love with her and there was no way to stop it.

Unwilling to go back to his bedroom to see her peaceful face sleeping in his bed, he whistled loudly for his raven. He heard the beating of it’s wings before it appeared over the side of the castle, and leapt from the roof top to land smoothly on it’s back. Vladimir let the raven guide them as they flew through the dark night, trying to understand the warm feeling in his chest.

Sara woke the next morning to find herself still alone. She sat on the edge of the bed waiting impatiently for Vlad to come and get her when an idea struck her. She remembered how a breeze always seemed to hit her just before Vlad‘s voice when she was still in Caraveil. She focused on the open windows, drawing the breeze towards her before whispering softly and sending it back out of the window.

“Vlad?”

She screamed when he appeared instantly in front of her, grabbing her shoulders and looking wildly around the room.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I didn’t even know if you would hear me!”

Butterflies erupted in her stomach as his bright blue eyes searched her face before he pulled his hands from her shoulders. He looked away from her before he spoke to her again.

“I’m sorry. I over-reacted.”

Sara felt her jaw drop open at his words. For a second she thought that she had heard him wrong, but when he still couldn’t meet her eyes, she realized he had really apologized. She said the first thing that came into her mind.

“I’m hungry.”

She smiled up at him when he finally met her eyes again. The corners of his mouth turned up as he released her from the bedpost.

“Then we should eat.”

Sara thought that breakfast was a dull affair without her antics to keep it lively. She sighed and slumped back in her chair, finding it slightly amusing that everyone kept glancing around, as if waiting for her to pull the next prank. Vlad held a bite out for her to eat, a smug look on his face when she leaned forward to get it. Though she despised being fed like a child, she hadn’t been drugged once since he had started feeding her off of his plate at every meal.

She nearly choked on her bite when she saw familiar black eyes looking at her through a doorway across the room. The figure disappeared before she could be certain it was Alexander. When Vlad offered her another drink, she accepted.

After breakfast Vlad led her to the gardens in the courtyard. Sara admired the beautiful plants as they walked slowly through the manicured lawn. Vlad kept his arm loosely draped over her shoulders as they strolled along.

“You know, these chains kind of take away from the whole happy couple look you’re going for,” she scolded.

“Maybe, but they keep you close.”

She stumbled when she looked up to see Alexander again, walking through the gardens with several other elven soldiers. He was smiling and chatting with them as if they were old friends. His black eyes flicked to her every now and then.

“Thank you, Vlad,” she said absently as he helped her regain her balance.

She fought the urge to look and see if he was still there. She could hear their voices fading as they walked away. She suddenly felt much calmer and more confident. If Alexander was here, he would find a way to get her.