Of Dragons & Vampires

Chapter Five

Isle of Saero

ABEL

"It's not working." Abel huffed, his head resting on his hand as he dangled the dragon ring over the map of the world. They had looped the heirloom through string and adorned the room with crystals, harvesting whatever energy they could. Wyatt, Saero's resident High Priest and the witch Abel owed many sleepless nights to due to his relationship with Amber, had stuffed the room with incense and candle magic.

"Be patient, Abel." Wyatt muttered. He sat opposite, waving what Abel guessed were some magic sticks tied together with a red ribbon. They were lit, smoke gracefully twirling from the ends and reaching the ceiling of Colette's office. Abel was convinced they were just for show. His sisters were perched away at the desk, eyes scrutinising every movement of the ring.

"We've been at this for half an hour." Abel rolled his eyes, so far, the ring had remained steady, refusing to give away the location of Abel's dream-boy.

"Think about him."

Abel's head snapped up at Wyatt's voice, watching the older man rub his stubbled jaw in concentration.

"What?"

"Think about the boy...what he looks like, what he does when you dream about him? Tell us."

"Why?"

"Just do it." Colette snapped, nostrils flaring.

"Fine." Abel straightened, closing his eyes and summoning the image of the vampire boy to his mind. He wanted it to remain personal, his own little secret, but if spilling his secrets allowed him to find him, along with the reason why he'd been consuming his head for over a year, then he would do it.

"Begin with his looks, Abe." Wyatt smiled encouragingly, his hazel eyes alight. Filling his lungs with the perfumed air, Abel began.

"He's a little smaller than me, lithe but muscular. His skin is like porcelain, warm porcelain. His cheekbones are high, his lips full. He kind of looks like an elf." Abel heard Amber stifle a chuckle. "Not as in ho-ho-ho merry fucking Christmas, Amber. He just looks...ethereal. His hair's layered and kind of short, I don't know how to describe it...it's light brown, but you can see threads of gold in it if you look close enough. His eyes are amazing, they're violet-"

"VIOLET?" Colette snarled, breaking his trance. Amber caught her arm as she leapt up.

Shit. He hadn't meant to say that.

"You've been dreaming of a fucking vampire for the past year and a half and you didn't think to tell us? Are you crazy? This could be a trap!" She stormed, arms flailing and smoke curling from her nostrils.

"I don't think it is, Col." Amber glanced between her siblings, watching Abel's mouth open and close like a guppy fish caught in a net.

"I don't give a shit what you think, Amber. Vampires are manipulative, cruel and foul. They're evil. You should have known that when that bastard high lord murdered our grandfather. For all we know they've been planting these visions in our brothers head to lure us into a trap."

Abel growled, standing. "I'm not an idiot, Colette. If it were a trap, I'd know about it. The boy I dream of, he isn't evil. He isn't malicious. He's just a boy, not much younger than me. Someone wants me to help him and I'll be doing just that, with or without your help." They stared each other down, dark blue eyes matching dark blue eyes with as much malice as they could muster.

"Um...Abe?" Wyatt's soothing voice snapped them from their standoff.

The ring had begun to spin in Abel's hand, the string circling manically as if trying to escape the dragon's clutches. Without a word, he let it go, the jewel instantly flying towards the map, landing with a thump onto the paper and spinning earnestly in the same spot.