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“Hello, Governor,” says Theodore, his dark eyes landing immediately on Whitfield. “I’ve been searching for you. What a coincidence to find you here with my dear little treasure.”
I have always hated Theodore’s pet name for me, but right now I hate it with every fibre of my being. It’s almost like he’s mocking me, like he knows how frustrated it makes me to have all of this power bottled up inside and not know how to use it, how to tap into it. I’m a treasure for anyone who can capture me, but hardly ever for myself.
“Rita,” I burst, “what are you doing with him? Please, just stop this and come back to me. I know you’re in there somewhere, you are!”
Theodore wags his finger in my direction. “No, no, no, she’s mine now. Contrary to what you might believe, my daughter has only just become her true self. Before she was a shell, had not yet discovered her potential. Oh, isn’t it marvellous how grief can transform a person, how it makes them see the world the way it is truly supposed to be seen?” He pauses and glances at Whitfield, who has suddenly lost the confidence he had before the sorcerer showed up. All of a sudden, getting his revenge by killing me is no longer his top priority. “I suppose I have you to thank for that, vampire.”
“What do you want with me?” Whitfield demands, his voice coming out strong and firm. It’s clearly a façade, because it’s obvious even to me that Theodore’s sudden presence has shaken him. I don’t think he was even aware of the sorcerer’s presence in the city until now.
“With you?” says Theodore. “Why dear Governor, I want to kill you of course. You might not yet have heard that I recently ended Pamphrock. Now I only need to take care of you and the city will be mine again.”
Angered by Theodore’s words, Whitfield gestures for his men to advance on the sorcerer. They barely get the chance to move an inch before Rita’s hands come up and black waves pulse out of the palms of her hands. The waves halt the vampires in their tracks and then they are still as stone, unable to move their own bodies against her magic.
“Isn’t she just magnificent,” Theodore beams, his eyes cutting slyly to me, as if to rub it in my face that Rita is now his to use as he sees fit.
Seeing how Rita is holding his vampires captive within their own bodies, Whitfield becomes desperate. This is clear when he pleads, “Look, I’m sure we can come to an arrangement. I could simply hand the city over to you and command my people to do your bidding. Look down onto the streets and see how many vampires there are, and that’s only half of them. Why waste what could be a beneficial alliance by killing me when you could have an army of vampires at your beck and call?”
“When stripped of your bodyguards, you really are spineless,” Ethan quietly fumes, interrupting Whitfield’s ruthless proposal.
Whitfield lets out a harsh laugh. “This coming from the man who only a few minutes ago was running away from me like a coward.”
“I ran away like a man who has a brain in his head and knows when he’s been outnumbered. But unlike you, Jeremy, I would never sell my people out to a sorcerer. Do you even realise the gravity of what you have offered? To save your own skin you would enslave the very people who look up to you to guide them. If that is not cowardice then I don’t know what is.”
“Do not talk down to me. I am hundreds of years older than you, Ethan Cristescu. You have no idea what it takes to survive that long.”
Theodore coughs loudly, an amused expression on his face. “I hate to break up this little domestic you vamps are having, but I do believe I’m the one holding all the cards here.”
Whitfield loses the hateful expression he’d been wearing when speaking with Ethan and turns back to Theodore.
Satisfied that the attention is back on him, Theodore goes on, “So, if I’m understanding this correctly, you are offering to serve me and to command your vampires to serve me too if I spare your life?
“That is correct, Sorcerer,” Whitfield answers, affecting a supplicating demeanour.
“Well, I have to say, that is certainly an attractive offer,” Theodor
e rubs at his pale chin thoughtfully. “With my magic and the physical prowess of your vampires no one would dare try to overthrow me.”
Well, he’s certainly changed his tune. Before he had planned on driving the vampires from the city by starving them of blood.
“It’s true. We vampires are far stronger than any humans,” Whitfield agrees, a little too enthusiastically. “I promise you would not regret gaining a vampire following.”
Theodore takes a moment to study him, before gesturing him closer with a wave of his hand. “Come with me, we shall discuss this away from prying ears. Daughter, be a dear and make sure that my dear little treasure and the vampires don’t try to flee.”
Rita doesn’t breathe a word, her expressionless face gazing straight ahead. The black magic streaming from her hands keeps Whitfield’s vampires at bay. I momentarily wonder what would happen if I simply hopped onto Ethan’s back again and told him to run. Would she use her black magic to freeze me too? Or would she somehow remember that I’m one of her closest friends and let me go? Right now I don’t have the balls to test out the theory. Besides, as Ethan said, we’re penned on all sides by vampires, so we wouldn’t get very far even if we did try to run again.
This is it. I stare at Whitfield and Theodore, who are deep in conversation on the other side of the roof. Theodore has his hand on Whitfield’s shoulder, a gesture that could be interpreted as either new-found friendship or dominance. In my gut I’m going with dominance.
Theodore might seem like he’s interested in teaming up with Whitfield, but let’s face it, he’s only doing it so that he can add to his strength. Moments ago he was all set on killing the vampire governor to get him out of the way. And to be honest, I don’t get why he doesn’t just kill him. Having the vampire population at his beck and call aside, Whitfield is clearly only biding his time by offering this deal. The very moment he spots a weakness in Theodore’s armour I have no doubt he’ll dive right in for the kill himself.
But I don’t know why I’m even bothering theorising about all of this. I should be spending my time worrying for my own life and for Ethan’s, because let’s face it, we are the weakest of the three opposing teams on this roof. After using so much of my magic tonight, I feel drained. I wish I could somehow fill it back up, but something tells me it’ll take time to restore itself. Sort of like when you lose blood and it takes a while for your body to recuperate.
Thinking this, my thoughts fall on my blood and all of the power it can give to a vampire if ingested, or a witch if used in a spell, which makes me wish I could somehow wield that power myself. If only I knew more about spells then maybe I could cut myself right here and now and cast one to get me out of this mess. The problem is, Rita had only ever gotten around to teaching me the basics. I don’t know any spells powerful enough to help me in this situation.
Frustration consumes me as my attention returns to Whitfield and Theodore, who now have both their heads drawn close, most likely throwing together some dastardly plan or other. I’m practically shaking with fear as I see my death coming for me. Whitfield was right when he said it was in the air, because I’m as good as dead now. Seeing how I’m shaking, Ethan takes my hand into his to calm me. I look up into his beautiful eyes as he stares down at me, his expression full of affection and grief. He knows it too, knows that the both of us are done for.
Closing my eyes to stop myself from crying, I turn into him and rest my head on his chest, feeling his heartbeat drum a rhythm so different to my own. I think of Ethan’s physical strength and how powerful he has always seemed to me. I guess no matter how strong you are, there’s always someone out there who’s stronger.
As I’m thinking this, the strangest thing happens; the book opens in my head again. I say strange, because the book normally only comes to me when I’m determined to get past some barrier, but right now I’m not determined, I’m resigned to my fate.
