Chapter Fourteen: Taking a Chance

~ Marie ~

Her muscles rebelled painfully as she tried to sit up. She had fallen asleep curled up in an awkward position on the floor. Somehow she had kept from knocking over any of the piles surrounding her. Well, she had until she woke up and knocked several piles over. She glanced at her watch. Eleven-thirty. Marie slowly pulled herself to her feet using the bookshelf behind her. More aches and pains made themselves known to her but she ignored them as she studied the room. Was it just her or did it look smokey in here? It reminded her of the time Micheal, her mentor, had tried to cook and burned the eggs he'd been trying to make. She went over to the door and opened it.

Marie coughed as more smoke flowed past her and into the study. The rest of her house was filled with a thick concentration of purple smoke. Fire was ruled out but what was the point of something like this? Distraction? At least she didn’t have to worry about inhaling something deadly since her body was resistant to poison. A quick magic scan of the area didn’t reveal much beyond the fact that the smoke was jamming her senses. It was like the whole house was coated in magic.

“Marie!” She thought he had left already but it was definitely Adrian’s voice she was hearing. Marie went towards his voice but he was beside her before she had taken more than a couple of steps. “What’s going on?” His voice was low but it didn’t hide the anger.

“When did you get back?”

“Just now. The back door was open.” So whatever was causing this was still generating smoke. But from where?

“Do you see anything?” Marie felt him stiffen up beside her.

“There might be something near the stairs.” She stepped forward only to be scooped into his arms. She tried to see if she could sense anything but her magic senses were still jammed. He put her back down after a while. They were probably right near the stairs. “Right in front of you, on the ground, there’s something there.” With her hands out in front of her, she knelt down and searched the ground in front of her. She moved her hands around until she touched something sharp. Marie jerked her hand back before bringing it right back to the spot. Carefully, she examined the object. It felt like a box. Marie placed both her hands on the cube and— “Did you find it?” Impatience colored his voice.

“Yes. Give me a minute.” She pulled her focus inward as she studied the spell. This was not going to be simple. This box had spell upon spell layered on one another. The smoke was just one of the many spells layered together. It was possible that if she dispelled one another might activate. Marie frowned. She didn’t have any time to be messing with this. Mark was getting further and further away as she sat here. This needed to be dispelled as quickly as possible. It wouldn’t be pleasant but that was fine.

She would be fine.

Marie grit her teeth as she dismantled spell after spell, brute forcing them with pure magic. Once she came to the core, she smashed through it. There. She sat back as she used a simple spell to open the windows.

The smoke should start dissipating on its own but she used another spell to create a small bit of wind to push the smoke out. Better to get it out as soon as possible. Just because she didn’t have to worry about poison, didn’t mean the same could be said of Adrian. Marie examined the object she was holding. The box was made out of wood and had multiple talismans plastered all over it. She checked the mark before burning up the box. Better safe than sorry. Marie let the ash fall through her hands. She could clean up the mess later.

“Was that the same as the other talismans?”

“Yes.” The magic signature was the same. It meant that whoever had taken Mark was working with the vampires. “Can you track Mark now?” Adrian’s jaw tightened as he shook his head.

“I can feel the link to you is still active but I can’t feel his.”

“Dead?” There was a twinge in her heart but she ignored it. It was better to know and plan for what came next.

“No!” He slammed his fist against the stair rail but he was still in control since the rail wasn’t damaged. Adrian turned away as he ran his hand through his hair. “No. He’s not dead. It’s more like I’m being blocked. The bond is still there but it doesn’t go anywhere.” Hmm. What was the point of blocking the bond? “Can you track him?” Marie shook her head as another thought occurred to her.

“Did he contact you before he disappeared?”

“He did. He said he wasn’t sure about something. Then nothing.” Odd. Why did he contact Adrian when she was right there? She wrapped one arm around her waist as she brought her other hand up to her mouth. Marie’s body tensed as a small ache started in her arms. She had taken too much time.

“I’m going to check the rooms upstairs. He might have left a note.” Unlikely but she needed a reason to go into her room for a couple of minutes.

“You really think he would have left a note?” She shrugged as she went upstairs. Marie ignored the look he was giving her and hoped she would make it to her room in time. She didn’t get very far, maybe a third of the way up, before there was a flash of pain and she crumbled on the steps. “Marie! What’s happening?” Adrian knelt beside her and tried to help her sit up but she brushed his hand off.

“I’m fine.”

“We have very different definitions of fine.” Adrian shook his head as he reached out again to help her up. Her body tensed as another wave of pain washed over her. This would pass, she just needed to keep going. Marie pressed her lips together to keep from biting them. She didn’t need to be bleeding in front of a vampire. Again. Marie was so focused on her pain, she didn’t even realize that she was being carried up the stairs until the wave had passed.

“I can— ”

“Fall down the stairs. You can’t even take two steps without collapsing.” He stopped to glare at her. “I want to know what’s going on.” She opened her mouth but she snapped it shut as another wave of pain assaulted her. Adrian kept a firm grip on her as she curled in on herself. After the pain had passed, he rushed her to her room and put her on the bed. She tried to figure out how she was going to stand up with him here when more pain flowed through her. Right as the pain began to fade, Adrian spoke. “Tell me.” He stood next to her bed, with his arms crossed.

“It’s a curse. It’ll pass.”

“From the box?”

“Yes. When I dispelled it, I was hit with something at the end.”

“How is this curse different from the other one?”

“I won’t die. It will only cause pain until it fades away.”

“How long until it fades?”

“15 minutes.” Maybe. For sure, it would be less than an hour but she didn’t want to wait out the time. She preferred to be doing something. Like figuring out where Mark went rather than resting.

“I’ll continue to look for him. Wait here.” He walked out without a backward glance. Tsk. She wasn’t going to stay here. Marie sat on the edge of the bed just as the door to her room shut. Another wave of pain hit just as she stood up and she tried to use the nearby nightstand to stabilize herself. Her hand slipped on the letters she had stacked on top and she fell to the floor. A shower of letters followed after. Her shoulder hurt from hitting the nightstand on the way down but the pain in her shoulder was nowhere near the amount of pain she was feeling from the curse. She took a shaky breath. Based on the last wave, it seemed like the intensity was starting to fade. Good. If that was the worst then she should be able to deal with the rest.

Marie focused on the letters that had fallen with her. She started to gather them up when she spotted something strange. A piece of paper that was folded in two lay amongst her letters. She picked it up and quickly scanned it for magic but it came up clean. There was no address or any other identifying mark on the outside. Another wave of pain hit and she was careful not to crush the letter in her hands. Once it passed, she opened the paper and read what was inside. The door opened. Adrian looked down at her with a frown on his face.

“What are you doing on the floor?” Based on his frown, he already knew why. But he didn’t know about this. She held the note out to him.

“Someone left another note.” He eyed the paper before looking back at her. “Says that you and Noah fought over more than just hospitals.” The letter stated that the two Masters fought over the same woman and so had a grudge against one another and if she wanted to hear the truth she should head over to Bel Meade. Why this person decided to share this info with her was still a mystery but it was looking more and more like this had been designed to place the blame between these two clans. Adrian eyed the paper again before he took it from her hands. While he read, she quickly checked her body with magic. No injuries at least. There was still pain but the intensity was low enough she could ignore it.

“Where did you find this?” His voice was expressionless but his eyes were narrowed in anger.

“It was on the nightstand.” She gestured to the other letters that had managed to stay when she knocked everything over. Whether it had come from her mailbox or not was debatable. Since she knocked everything over when she fell, it was hard to tell if it had been on top or mixed in with her other letters. “Do you know where that is?”

“Yes.” He glanced down at the paper before he folded it and put it in his pocket. “No.” He crossed his arms.

“I’m fine.” To illustrate her point, she stood up and crossed her arms as she stared back at him. “We need to check out the address and see if Mark is there.”

“And if it’s a trap?”

“Then we use it to our advantage. Only two groups want Mark. Bel Meade and whoever framed him.”

“And if they’re one and the same?”

“Then we only have one stop to make.”

“Why don’t you stay here and rest? I can take care of the rest.”

“And you’ll keep me up to date on what’s going on?” It was a rhetorical question. The answer was obvious. His smile only proved her point.

*~*~*~*~*

“How did he get outside?” The two of them were sitting in the living room. Waiting. She should have memorized the address and gone by herself. As it was, Adrian told her the address was too far to walk to and that they would need a car. He'd “contacted” one of his people and they were bringing a car to her house. Marie had asked but he still wouldn’t tell her how he was contacting them. She sighed. Marie hated doing nothing but unless she was willing to knock Adrian out and take the paper then she was stuck waiting. According to Adrian, they would only need to wait about five minutes. Marie resisted the urge to look at her watch and answered his question.

“What are you talking about?” Clearly, he walked out.

“I thought you prevented him from leaving.” Adrian leaned forward and rested his arms on his legs.

“There wasn’t anything in place to stop him.”

“Nothing magical?” Ah. He was probably talking about that. Marie shook her head as she crossed her arms. “I heard something very different from Mark.”

“Nothing prevented him from leaving.” Adrian glared at her. She stared back at him. What did Adrian want her to do with him? Lock him in his room? There was no reason for Mark to listen to her. Though given what had happened, it might have been better if she had locked him in his room.

“And what about the letter?”

“What about it?”

“Is it true?” He raised one eyebrow and crossed his arms as he leaned back. She tried to keep her irritation down. With the conversation over, the rest of the time was spent quietly.

“They’re here.” Marie stood up and followed him out. A black car was parked in her driveway. She didn’t know anything about cars. One car looked like another to her but she was certain it had one thing most cars didn’t have. The tint on the windows was almost as dark as the car itself. Adrian opened the driver’s side door and got in while she sat down in the front passenger seat. Whoever had dropped the car off was gone. No one was in the car. Were they watching them leave? Marie scanned the area but didn’t see anything. She turned her attention to the road.

Ten minutes passed. She glanced at Adrian occasionally but he never took his eyes off the road or spoke to her. This was clearly a trap but in what way, she hadn’t figured it out yet. It was looking more and more like she'd have to take him with her.

It looked like they had arrived at their destination when he slowed the car down after turning into a neighborhood. He parked in the street and turned the car off.

“Let me go in by myself first and talk to them.”

“Why would they let you in, considering what’s happened?” Adrian frowned as he tapped his finger against the steering wheel.

“What do you propose then?”

“I go in first.”

“And you leave me out here?”

“I said I’ll go in first, not I’ll go in alone.” He looked ready to argue but he closed his mouth without saying a word. It wasn’t that she wanted to work with Adrian. It was just, right now, with everything going on, it was smarter to keep him by her side. The extra backup would help in a situation like this and if he was able to sense Mark again, she could follow him. They got out of the car and she followed him to the house.

Her eyes swept the area. The house was two stories tall with a wide front porch. The yard was neat and well maintained. From the outside, all the lights were on and music drifted down to them from somewhere on the second floor. It would have been festive to anyone else but it only made her apprehensive. Marie walked briskly up the porch stairs and knocked on the door. Adrian stayed a couple of steps behind her, just outside the porch light. The door opened and she turned her attention back to the front. A young man in his early twenties leaned against the door in a relaxed manner. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and jeans with rips around the knees.

“Can I help you?”

“I’d like to speak to your Mistress.” He laughed and smiled.

“I don’t understand.”

“Tell your Mistress the Guardian is here to see her.” The change from pleasant to expressionless was almost instant. His eyes swept over the both of them before he stepped out of the way and gestured for them to come inside. There were fifteen vampires in the room they entered. Some were sitting on the three sofas that were pushed up against the walls while others stood near them. There was only one other door in the room and it was located at the very back. The man closed the door behind them before he went over to a sofa and sat down. That was the cue the vampires in the room were waiting for. No one talked as fifteen pairs of eyes stared at them. A female vampire wearing a black dress and large red earrings sashayed over to them.

“Why are you here?” Her focus was completely on Adrian.

“He’s my escort. This is my right as Guardian.” The woman turned her eyes on Marie and sneered in her direction.

“Right? He’s only using you to enter. Once he’s done, maybe he’ll leave you here so we can have a taste.” The woman took a step closer and the rest of the vampires in the room seemed to lean in, hunger on their faces. Would the Mistress refuse to talk to her if she knocked a few of the vampires out? If they got any closer then she was going to need to take the chance. Her view was blocked by Adrian as he moved to stand between her and the other vampires.

[Someone is coming.] Marie frowned. There was no way she was going to get used to that. She heard the clicking of heels getting louder.

“Welcome.” A female voice spoke in a pleasant enough tone. The woman stood in the doorway for a moment before she sauntered towards them. The vampires in the room froze for several moments not even blinking before they scrambled to stand on either side of the room.The vampires in the room stood still with their head bowed. They didn’t even look like they were breathing.

The Mistress of Bel Meade was wearing a tight grey skirt with a long sleeved button up top dyed a deep red. Her jet black hair swished from side to side as her gray-green eyes took in the entire room.

“It appears my people need to be reeducated.” Several vampires flinched at her words. “I didn’t want to commit further offense after what happened but it seems I didn't do enough. I will make sure that such rudeness doesn’t happen again.” She opened her arms and gestured to the entire room. “I welcome you and your escort into my domain.” Her eyes never left Adrian’s face. She didn’t even try to hide the scornful look she gave him.

“I assume you wished to see him.” The Mistress turned away and gestured for them to follow her. She walked back through the door and the vampire who had let them in, followed after her. Adrian turned toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

[Walk in front until we reach the door.] Marie did as he asked. It was better just to listen to him when she wasn’t sure what to expect. When they reached the door, they found the Mistress and the other vampire waiting for them. There was no one else in the hallway, so Adrian took the lead this time and kept himself between her and the other vampires. She didn’t need his protection but she preferred him in front so she could keep an eye on him. If Mark was here, he would be the first to know. That and standing in between vampires wasn’t a good idea.

This was impossible. Marie followed the vampires through yet another door. The outside of the house was normal but the inside was built like a maze. The hallways they entered looked exactly the same. Pictures and furniture were duplicated in the exact same places. She had given up trying to keep the route straight in her head and hoped Adrian would remember for the both of them. Her thoughts turned inward as she stared at his back. She tried to keep her emotions even, considering the vampires, but some of her frustration must be leaking through. He glanced at her but didn’t say anything.

Calling him her escort, was not what she’d planned when she originally told him she was going first. She had originally thought about saying she needed a bodyguard or something like that to get them to let Adrian in but then she had to go and say that. Adrian glanced back at her again. Marie forced her emotions back down. He turned back around and she went back to brooding.

Escort was the official title given to the partner of a Guardian. To become one, a person needed to go through a ceremony and have them recognized by the Council, the governing body for the Guardians. There shouldn’t be any repercussions for her but she didn’t want to take any chances. This would be the one and only time she called him that. With that issue decided, she focused back on the vampires and wondered if they were almost there.

Finally, after going through what felt like the hundredth door, the Mistress stopped and gestured to the door in front of her.

“This is where we have kept Noah. We have decided not to lay him to rest until whoever has done this is punished.” A malicious smile curled her lips. “We are quite eager to see justice done.” Adrian remained silent. His clenched fists and stiff posture let Marie know he wasn’t unfazed. “Please inform Daniel when you are done.” She gestured to the other vampire before disappearing into a door further down the hallway.

Daniel opened the door and went inside with Adrian close behind. Marie glanced around the hallway one more time before she entered the room.

The room was small. Almost half of it was taken up by a large wood table that sat in the very center of the room. On the table lay an ornate coffin made of some dark wood which looked heavier than the table it sat on. The rest of the room was bare. Daniel leaned against the wall near the door, watching the both of them.

Marie turned back around. Adrian was on the other side of the coffin and looked ready to open it. She quickly put her hand on the lid and shook her head. He frowned back at her before crossing his arms.

[Why?] Always asking questions. She went around the coffin and gestured for his hand. He eyed her hand for a moment before looking her in the eyes. Adrian kept his eyes on her as he gave her his hand. Before he changed her mind, she quickly wrote script on his hand and a matching one on hers. She let his hand go before crossing her arms.

[I want to check the area first.]

[Why?]

[For traps.]

[No, not that. I’m asking about the spell. Why didn’t you use it sooner?] Marie shrugged. He wouldn’t believe her so she didn’t bother to tell him. The simple fact was she forgot about it. What use was a spell to talk to others when she worked alone? His eyes narrowed but he didn’t ask again. Marie stepped up to the coffin and put her hands out in front of her. She felt his eyes on her and she hesitated for a moment. Marie gave herself a mental shake as she turned her attention inward. Her senses were pulled in and then very slowly she opened up her magical senses until they only filled the room they were in. It was better not to explore further, in case, there were traps or security measures in place. She didn’t need to trip anything before she got a chance to examine the body. A faint magical signal was detected inside the coffin but there was nothing outside it. Marie opened her eyes and stepped back.

[I can open it then?]

[Yes. There’s no magic on the outside of the coffin or in the room.]

[The magic inside the coffin won’t trigger when I open it?] Marie shook her head but he wasn’t convinced. He didn’t trust her. No matter what she said he wouldn’t believe her. But he could see magic so that should work in her favor. Marie went up to him and touched him.

[Barrier?]

[If anything triggers, that should protect you.]

[Do you have enough magic for this? Aren’t you still supplying Mark’s barrier?]

[No. I’m cut off from him too. Mark still has a barrier but it’s a normal one.] Whatever had cut off Adrian had also cut her off too. She was no longer feeding energy to the barrier. Mark could only count on whatever magic was left in the barrier to protect him.

[Why didn’t you say anything sooner?]

[We don’t have time for this right now.] If he wanted to get mad, he could do it later. He narrowed his eyes at her as a frown tugged at his lips then the moment passed and he went back to being expressionless.

Adrian slowly opened both of the lids then leaned in to study the body. Marie leaned in as well and nearly stepped back in surprise. If it wasn’t for the stake sticking out of his chest, Noah would have looked healthy. This wasn’t right. If he was as old as she thought he was then he should be a decomposing corpse or, if he was older, a skeleton. As long as a vampire’s regeneration was active they would be able to shrug off most things including a stake to the heart. It was only when you pushed them past their limit, could anyone even hope to kill them. After that, it would take twenty four hours for decomposition to take effect. The corpse would look like any other body that had been sitting under ground for years. In Noah’s case, it would be decades. He shouldn’t look like this.

[Is it the magic keeping him this way?] Possible but given the weak nature of the spell it didn’t seem like that was the case. She shrugged.

[I won't know without checking the spell.] Until she checked the spell, she couldn’t say anything for sure. Adrian reached out to touch the body but she quickly stopped him.

[Going to check again?] His tone was irritated but he pulled his hand back and waited.

[No, I’m going to get rid of the spell.]

[Is that wise? You don’t even know what kind of spell it is.]

[I’ll know once I start.]

[Are you sure you should be doing this given your current condition? It could be a trap.]

[Do you think I’ll get another chance later?]

[No.] Marie heard the resignation in his voice even though his face gave nothing away. [What about our guard?] It was clear that the vampire had been left behind to keep an eye on them. Whether or not it meant that he would prevent her from doing what she needed to do was uncertain.

They spoke a bit more before Adrian turned toward their guard.

“We’re done here.” He gestured to the door and Daniel opened it and stepped out. He held the door open as they walked towards the door. Just as Adrian reached the doorway, he yanked the door away from the other vampire and shoved him through. Adrian slammed it shut just as Daniel turned. Marie stepped forward and placed a spell on the door to reinforce it and keep it closed. She met Adrian’s eyes. He slowly let the doorknob go and stepped back. They ignored the banging on the door but it wouldn’t be long before they would have company. “How long will this hold?”

“Hours. As long as nothing interfered with the spell.” He nodded before glancing at the coffin then back at her. It looked like he wanted to say something but instead remained silent. Marie went back over to the coffin and placed her hand above the stake. Slowly, she lowered her hand until it was an inch away. A second spell activated. Like a tiny barrier it prevented her from coming into contact with the stake. It was a simple spell that was easily shredded with her magic. That was the easy part. Now for the hard part.

The spell that was actually attached to the stake was more complicated than the spell on the box. The stake contained layer upon layer of spell but each of them were interlocked at different points. If she messed with one, the others would react at the same time. Marie read over each script of each spell trying to find its weakness. And then she had an idea.