The Gift

Chapter Fifteen

The smell of smoke sipped through the air-condition of Vladimir's sports car. The smell of blood mixed with burned flesh made Rose heave.
"Please stop the car, I need to throw up", she said as she placed her hand on her mouth trying to keep her stomach contents from travelling upwards.

"I can't stop now. We need to get there...Here, take my shirt and breathe through it. It will cover up most of the smell." He said as he grabbed a shirt from the back seat and threw it on her lap.

"Thanks."

"Better?" He asked.

"Much."

"You'll get used to the smell," he told her.

"I don't want to," she whispered.

"Nobody wants to, my cerise. Well, unless you are a young Vampire then the smell of blood gives you an incredible high," he added.

Rose did not respond to Vladimir's comment, she was so shocked by the horrifying sight spreading in front of her. Houses on fire, people running around like headless chicken trying to put down the fires. Bodies lying lifeless in the middle of the streets, beheaded. Limps were ripped off.

Hordes of the undead marching up the hill, towards what Rose assumed was the palace, reeking havoc as they passed by.

"We need to get to the hill, get out of the car." Vladimir said.

"Umm," was all that Rose managed to annunciate, despite her shock she managed to command her limps and quickly got out of the car.

"Jump on my back," he ordered her. Without missing a beat she climbed on his back and held on tight. He dashed through the woodland surrounding the elves kingdom avoiding the undead. They reached the castle back wall.

"Hold on tight, my cerise," he told her and with an impossible leap Vladimir hurdled over the thirty meter wall.

"You remember what the undead did to you in your vision?" He asked.

Rose nodded her head, "Yes."

"You remember that my brother tried to kill you?" He asked again.

"Yes," she hissed angrily.

"Good. Use it NOW." He commanded as he placed her directly in front of the undead.

Rose took in a deep breath, looked at the battle, chose her target that consisted mainly of the undead and screamed. She screamed her lungs out, she screamed for all the things that had been tormenting her now and in the past. She screamed for all the elves that were now dying because they didn't have any warning to back down from the fight.

She directed all the built up angst in her core towards the undead. The elvin soldiers started to rush inside the castle walls behind Rose as they held their ears; they didn't want to be crushed to pieces by her wails.

"To your right." Vladimir shouted at her.

Rose turned, she saw them regrouping and coming after her, only her. They had stopped going after the elves. A flood of thorns was hauled at her from all sides. She clenched her fists and directed her screams, not as skilfully as she would like because the majority of the thorns passed through.

Her body was aching from the pain, "Great, now I look like a hedgehog," she muttered to herself. She thought she heard a chuckle behind her, "I will deal with you later," she informed him and with a force that she didn't know she had within her, she shouted so hard that the undead vanished to ashes in an instant.

"Vladimir, help me get these things off of me," she barked at him.

"Your wish is my command, my lovely hedgehog," he replied.

"Do you wish to be cremated as well?" She asked raising her eyebrow.

"That would be a great loss for humanity, my cerise."

"Oh just shut it and come help," she said as she started to pull off the thorns.

◇◇◇◇

The elves had formed a circle around them. Their faces reflecting a mixture of emotions; amazement, freight, happiness.

"Vlad, they are staring at me," she whispered.

"I saw."

The crowd started separating creating a path from which the most mesmerizing man walked through. He was tall, slightly tanned with bright green eyes and pointy ears.

"I am not a jealous guy, but if you keep gauging at him my ego will be irreversibly hit," Vladimir hissed lowly in her ear.

"It would be good for you," she snapped back and turned her attention to the newcomer with her brightest smile shining on her face. She could hear Vladimir's low growl of protest but paid no attention to him.

"Why aren't you dead?" Green eyes demanded.

"Hi, I'm Rose." She said extending her arm.

"Vladimir, why is she not dead?" He pressed ignoring her.

"Jioni, my warmest greetings to you and your people," Vladimir said looking around. "We have come here to inform you of some significant developments but it appears that we were not fast enough."

"It would appear so," Jioni replied pursing his lips realizing that this was not a conversation to be had in front of an audience. "Mena, show our guests to the grand hall I shall join you in a few moments."

Vladimir and Rose were escorted through the crowd and into the grand hall. A wooden throne was placed at the end of the rectangular high room. Lilac velvet fabrics draped the long windows from top to bottom. On the other side of the room there were paintings covering every inch of the wall.

"Those are paintings of our people's history," Mena informed her.

Rose took a step towards them to study them closely, she saw that in that particular painting there were not only elves depicted but also unicorns and other creatures she couldn't name.

"Vlad look there are unicorns, I thought those were a myth!" She exclaimed enthusiastically.

"A myth, hmm, and what do you think you are?" He asked with one eyebrow raised.

"I believe that I should have a talk with my granny when I get back home. Apparently she left out a lot in my education of the inhuman," she said silently.

"You do that."

Jioni entered the grant hall and instead of taking his place on the throne, as Rose expected he walked over to Vlad and gave him a warm hug. Then the two of them walked over and entered the small study adjacent to the room. Rose was following them as fast as she could, it wasn't her fault she had short legs.

"So," Jioni said as he closed the door behind him, "How come she didn't die?"

"She's the daughter of a banshee and Mars." Vladimir informed him.

Jioni was shocked he kept staring at Rose and then back to Vladimir.

Awkward, Rose thought.

"Let's have a drink, shall we?" Vladimir said to Jioni trying to shake him out of his shocked state that was making Rose uncomfortable.