Breath of Fire

Chapter Sixteen

"Samantha, I'd like to introduce you to professor Silas Seraphino, he's a visiting lecturer that we host on specific occasions to help the student's learn first hand what Vampyres are like. He won't hurt you. He's here to share important information that directly relates to you. I know you have a million questions about who you are and hopefully we can finally start to answer those questions."
    I glanced back and forth between the two professors, wondering what new mess of chaos I was about to be thrown into the middle of. Something about the way the vampyre was looking at me gave me the impression that he knew more about me than he was about to let on, and I did not like that one bit.
    "So you're the one they call Samantha? You are not what I was expecting, but now I see why the vampyres are so obsessed with finding you, your blood smells heavenly," the vampyre commented as his eyes raked me up and down. I frowned, not liking the way his eyes sparkled when he called me Samantha - as if he knew that wasn't my real name. For all I knew, he could be a friend of Damien and Cassius, and have been told my true name by them.
    "What are you doing here?" I demanded to know, not caring if I sounded like an impudent child.
    "As professor Pyrion just said, I visit on occasion to lend my knowledge to the students here at the college. However, you yourself are the reason for my current visit."
    I frowned again, not liking where this was going.
    "And what is so important to drag you away from whatever you normally spend your time doing? I want nothing to do with the vampyre community, no offense," I replied.
    "Well it seems you have been quite the subject of debate lately amongst my fellow vampyres. I came here to warn you that they have been coordinating attacks on the school in-order to find you. It seems that they think you are the key in fulfilling an ancient prophecy that will help unleash their full powers on the world. I may be a vampyre, but I don't share their belief that vampyres should be the ones ruling over the realm. But the shapeshifters who have forsaken their ancestors managed to capture me while I was on my way to warn you, I only managed to escape recently and I made my way here as soon as I could."
    So this must be why Damien and Cassius had cornered me in the woods. But that also did not make sense. They had me at their mercy but let me go when they could have taken me away with them while they had the chance. If the vampyres wanted me so badly, then why had they left me there?
    "Why do the vampyres believe that I can be of any help to them?" I asked, deciding not to mention the incident with Damien and Cassius.
    "When the Old Ones; the first shapeshifters, first bound their powers, they vowed that one day, a magical being would arise with the power to wield all four elements and only that individual would have the power to remove the safeguards all around the shapeshifter stronghold and find the book that contains the spells necessary to unbind the shapeshifter's powers once more. It appears that the vampyres believe you to be said individual. And from what professor Pyrion has told me, the vampyres are right. I can smell the power rolling off of you even more than the scent of your blood. You have the olde magic running through your veins, sweetness."
    "So, let's pause for a minute and say that I actually believe anything that you just said, what do you want me to do about it? I can barely control my magic as it is, let alone fight off an angry horde of vampyres!" I said, raising my brows at Silas.
    "We; as in the entire realm, need you to help us find the ancient stronghold of the shapeshifters and find that book of spells before the vampyres or goblyns and anyone else can get to it first," Silas said, taking a step towards me.
    "But if their plan is to have me lead them to the book, isn't that just giving them what they want?" None of this made sense.
    "Not as long as we can make sure to get to the book first, I myself have volunteered along with this four men before you to go along and help protect you, it is up to you, in the end, but I can't stress enough, how important it is that the vampyres, goblyns, demons, and trolls, don't get to it first. The entire realm and that of the human world as well, would never be the same. There would be nothing but destruction everywhere."
    I sank down into the couch as I sighed. Nothing like the weight of the world on your shoulders to get you motivated.
    "Why me?"
    "Because you are the first dragon ever to have control over all four elements, and as I just explained, only someone with your abilities has a chance to get through the protective barriers around the shapeshifter's stronghold of olde. It has to be you!" Silas answered, taking another step forward and laying a comforting hand on my shoulder. "We leave at dawn, so I suggest you run along and get packed," he added. I frowned. I hadn't even said yes yet! Smug bastard...
***
    "Is anyone going to tell me where we are going?" I huffed out in irritation the next morning as I met up with Caspian, Terrance, Elios, Blaise, and Silas on the green.
    "I thought that was obvious, little dove, we are off to the shapeshifter realm!" Elios replied, grinning over at me. I groaned, that would probably mean having to use the portal again, and after what happened the first time, I was reluctant to use it again.
    As the elements whipped around me and my five companions, I closed my eyes and concentrated as hard as I could on landing on my feet this time. I hit the ground hard, but thankfully, managed to stay on solid ground. I threw my hands up in the air and whooped, spinning around in a circle as I cheered. I glanced over at the boys, to see them all smiling at me and grinned back.
    Silas looked down at his map and pointed south west.
    "According to the map, we need to head towards the Forsaken Forest, the castle should be hidden somewhere past the mountain ranges that line the opposite side of the forest. I groaned, after my fight with the vampyres, I didn't like the idea of heading right back into the woods again.
    It was a good thing I had spent the last few months training my body to be stronger and faster otherwise I never would have been able to keep up with Silas and the others. They kept a hard pace throughout the morning and the sun was burning hot down on our backs before we had even reached the forest. I was just able to make out the forest line in the distance by the time we finally braked for a hurried lunch of bread and cheese.
    "Come here, sweetness, it's time I see what these hatchlings have taught you," Silas said to me later that night once we had made camp. He strode over to me with two swords in his hand, offering up the smaller one to me. I sighed as he helped pull me to my feet and tossed me my sword. This was going to hurt...
    It came as a surprise to me, and everyone else, when I was able to last more than a few rounds with Silas. My training must have been getting better than I realized for me to be able to last more than one round with him. It was clear that Silas was an expert fighter, as effortlessly light on his feet as he was. And he certainly wasn't going easy on me just because I was a girl! Nope, he swung at me with all the speed and strength in his vampyre body and it was all I could do just to avoid getting sliced and diced.
    That was how the next few days of walking went, we stopped for quick lunches and the at night where I would spar and practice my powers against one of the men. The sun was hit, and the nights were cold, and I found myself grateful for the first time in my life that I could control the elements. I was able to create personal rain clouds to follow us when the sun was hot and mini camp fires at night to keep us warm. I had a feeling Caspian and Blaise could have done the same if they had wanted, but they showed no sign of wanting to so I shrugged my shoulders and did it myself. I was the one who needed the most practice so I guess it made sense that I should be the one using her powers the most on this trip.
    On the fifth night, we finally could see the forest looming in front of us. I tossed and turned that night, my brain coming up with far too many monsters that we might encounter in the Forsaken Forest to let me sleep properly. Nothing about the woods in front of us looked warm and welcoming...