— Snide Dorn, “A Report on the Decline of Personal Magic in the Age of Industry,” page 63
Emily sat on the edge of her bed. The faint smell of garlic and rosemary sizzling in a pan drifted up through the floorboards. It smelled good, but despite that, she wasn’t in the mood to eat anything.
Mina had told Karaline to come over and keep an eye on Emily while she patrolled the outskirts of Cresthill, and until it was certain that there weren’t any other vampires lurking around, Emily wouldn’t be permitted to leave the house. All it meant was a lot of waiting, and not much else to do but reflect on the day, and so much had happened. Her mind could hardly stay focused on a single thing. Every time Emily closed her eyes, she saw those three Sangrevoros. She saw the gun in her hands aimed straight for them, her finger on the trigger. The shot was clear; she had a chance. It wouldn’t have even been her first time killing one of them, but all she could do was freeze, and Mina had to save her again, twice in less than sixty seconds. Deep down, she knew she could have done it. It was what all of that training had been for, so that when the time came, she would be able to act quickly and defend herself. It was for nothing. Knowing that made her feel all the worse. But it still paled in comparison to Mina.
Emily covered her face with her hands as she flopped back onto her bed. “Ughhh…” She didn’t even know what to think. Mina was the Princess of Alnwick. The Traitorous Princess. Emily had been so caught up on the other word she hadn’t even stopped to think about what the vampire had said. If Mina was a traitor, that meant she wasn’t working with Queen Lockhart, right? But she was at some point? There were too many things she wanted to ask, but Emily knew getting answers for all of them was going to be impossible.
A knock sounded from her door before it creaked open slowly. Violet poked her head inside. ‘Karaline said that dinner will be ready soon,’ her pen wrote into the notebook floating above her head.
“I’ll be down in a minute…” Emily grumbled.
Violet lingered in the doorway for a moment, then timidly walked in. She was carrying a wooden marionette in her hands, while another was hanging from the side of her purple, elven dress. Her eyes were shimmering through the holes of her mask. ‘Are you alright?’
Emily wanted to say she was fine, to wave Violet off and pretend everything was okay, but she couldn’t, not with the way she was looking at her. In the little time Emily had known Violet, she was too caring a person not to see past such an obvious lie. Before she could even stop herself from saying anything, the words spilled out: “Can I trust Mina?”
‘There isn’t a person I would trust more.’
“You know?”
Violet nodded.
“You didn’t think to tell me?”
‘It wasn’t for me to tell. I keep Mina’s secrets just as she keeps mine.’
Emily groaned again, propping herself up on her elbows. “She’s the Princess of Alnwick though.”
‘Has she done anything to make you doubt her intentions?’
Emily paused, then sighed. “No…”
‘While I may not condone Mina’s secretive nature, it is not without intent. As I said, it is not my place to say, and you would be better to question her yourself regarding this, but Mina has been through a lot. I am sure that if she were to keep such a detail from you, it was not without reason.’
“I want to ask her but she’s not here.”
‘She is out ensuring your safety. Does that not constitute an ounce of truth behind her intention?’
Emily stared back. “Maybe you’re. I don’t know, it’s just… it hurts that she wouldn’t tell me that. And it hurts more that…” She paused. “Mina is training me to kill her own mother… and I don’t know if I can even do it.”
Violet tilted her head.
Emily nodded. “I mean… I never wanted this. I just wanted a normal life. I wanted to be a witch…”
‘But would being a witch constitute not having a normal life?’
“You know what I mean.”
Violet climbed onto the bed beside her and remained quiet.
“There are days when it feels like I’m starting to get it,” Emily said, glancing down at the faint, hairline fractures in her palm. “Like I’ll lift something just right, or hold it steady longer than usual, and I think, Hey, maybe I’m actually figuring this out. Some days I can light a flame, control the way it moves, and how hot it is. And then the next day… poof. It’s gone. I can’t even lift a pen without it shaking or flying across the room like an arrow.” She clenched her fists. “It’s like… trying to catch smoke with your bare hands. It’s there, and then it’s just not. And it’s not just the magic either. I’ve been training with Mina, but I still feel slow. I feel… weak. Like I’ll never be as strong as her, or as strong as I need to be.”
Violet nodded. ‘But consider this: You are learning faster than I ever did. Your telekinesis is coming to you with a strength most people would envy. It is wild and unpredictable, yes, but it is powerful. Unshaped stone is still valuable. It just needs time.’
Emily frowned. “But what if I don’t have time? A vampire found us. I knew they would eventually, but… I didn’t think it would happen so quickly.”
‘I have read many books, and from my research, I have come to understand that time is strange. We think we have too much of it, or not enough. Sometimes, it takes years to reach a point you thought would come in weeks. And sometimes, what seems like a step backward is actually just the breath you need before the next leap. In my personal experience, I had—’ The pen ran out of room. The notebook flipped to a new page, and the pen continued. ‘—expected to learn faster the more I studied. What I had not accounted for was time. I could read as much as I wanted, but it did not equate to the time I needed to physically master telekinesis, or other things, for that matter. It is the same with your training. A few days of exercise do not make you healthy, just as a few days of eating did not replenish you from malnutrition.’
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Emily read the notebook as the pen continued scribbling.
‘When I first started learning telekinesis, I couldn’t even lift a pebble. For months, I could only feel the object moving, never see it. It took me a year to do what you’re already doing now. I practiced in silence, alone. That silence helped me, but it also slowed me down. I still am alone, in some ways. There are parts of me I would wish to share with the world that I do not yet feel comfortable with. But I cannot rush it. My comfort will have to grow with time. But I was alone because I chose to be. You haven’t had to be alone in your learning. You’re growing because of it. You are not where you want to be yet, no. But neither was I. Or Mina. Or Karaline. Or anyone.’
“…It’s just hard, knowing people are counting on me. I feel like I’m just… not enough.”
Violet stared back, and slowly, her book lowered to eye level with Emily. ‘Feeling not enough does not make you weak. It makes you honest. If you were to ask me, I think you’re more than enough.’
Emily blinked at the line, her eyes starting to sting as a small smile stretched her face. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Violet smiled back, then gestured to the door.
Emily chuckled softly. “Right. I’ll be down in a minute. I just need… well, a minute.”
Violet nodded and hopped from the bed, but just as she reached the door—
Silence.
Emily’s eyes widened, and she immediately looked out the window, scanning for Sangrevoros. Outside, in the far distance, an orange glow was lighting up the far side of Cresthill Valley. One of the buildings was on fire, but she couldn’t tell which one.
Violet had stopped and glanced back at Emily, her eyes narrowing in confusion.
Emily was already out of bed, the shock from the sudden silence alone shooting through her like a bolt of lightning and kicking her into action. She grabbed Violet by the wrist and yanked her out of her room and down the stairs.
They nearly collided with Karaline at the bottom. She raised her hands to stop them and started mouthing something, but no sound came out. Her brow furrowed in alarm as she tried to speak again.
Emily opened her mouth to try and explain what was going on, but stopped herself. How was she supposed to explain something she couldn’t even hear herself say?
Violet stepped past Emily and started signing to Karaline. Emily watched helplessly, unable to understand. She was really going to have to learn sign language.
There wasn’t time for that, though.
Emily made a finger gun and pointed downstairs before bolting past them both. She snatched the equipment she had thrown off earlier and quickly strapped it to herself before bolting out the door.
The cold hit her as she scanned the valley. Emily scanned for any shifting shadows or signs of the attack. There were Sangrevoros in the town, she knew that much, most likely by the fire. She stood frozen in place, torn. Does she head toward it? Or stay here? Were the Sangrevoros already moving in, or was the fire just a distraction? How did it even start?
Then, something brushed her shoulder.
Emily jumped and spun, silently firing her gun.
Karaline grabbed the barrel just in time to yank it skyward. She had Mina’s shotgun in her hand. Violet stepped out from behind her, a small dagger in hand.
Emily’s heart was hammering so hard she could feel it in her throat. She shook her head furiously and motioned for them to go back inside.
And then she saw it.
A Sangrevoro dashed from behind the house.
Emily raised her gun, but before she could fire, the Sangrevoro pounced toward Violet, then froze in midair. It hung suspended, like a puppet tangled in its strings.
Violet slowly turned the creature, her hand outstretched.
Emily pulled the trigger and shot a hole through the monster’s skull. She could have sworn that the moment she saw the monster drop, so did the arms of the doll hanging from Violet’s dress, like it had been grabbing at the fabric.
The world was still devoid of sound. There was another one nearby.
Emily scanned the area frantically, spotting the second Sangrevoro darting up the hill. She aimed quickly and fired, hitting its side and staggering it.
Sparks erupted from Karaline’s shotgun, mangling the monster’s body and sending it tumbling as blood sprayed out in a fine mist.
Sound flooded back into Emily’s ears, and she could hear her panicked breathing again. Pride swelled her heart as she stared at the two dead Sangrevoro. She wanted to let the moment sit with her awhile longer, the knowledge that she didn’t freeze this time being enough to kick her mind into gear, but she needed to expel that energy on something else.
Emily turned back toward the town.
“For the love of Asdros,” Karaline said, “what the fuck’s goin’ on?”
“Sangrevoros are attacking,” Emily replied.
“Oh, you don’t say.” Karaline lowered her gun and gazed out toward the fire. “Where the hell did they come from?”
“I don’t know. A rift, I think. That’s what the vampire said before Mina killed it.”
“And that is…?”
“Bad…”
“Well, where’s the rift?”
“I don’t know. We didn’t have time to go out looking for it. But they’re coming through. And they’re attacking people. We need to help! Now!” Without skipping a beat, Emily bolted deeper into Cresthill.
Karaline grabbed Violet by the wrist and pulled her along. “Right. Then we focus on keepin’ folk alive!”
“They emit a field around them that muffles all sound,” Emily said between her ragged breaths. “We won’t hear anything once we’re in it. Keep your eyes peeled. They never hunt—!”
Silence.
Emily cursed mentally before scurrying to a stop. From here, it looked like the local bakery had caught fire. At this point, it could have happened for any number of reasons, but Emily didn’t care at the moment. As long as everyone got out, it would be fine. The building was far enough away that the embers hopefully wouldn’t catch on to anything else.
Several people were out of their homes, glancing around, confused. Most were mesmerized by and heading toward the fire. Emily tried running up to them and stopping them, gesturing for them to go back inside, but no one hardly listened. That is, until they all saw the Sangrevoros.
The canine-beasts bolted from around corners, lunging and biting at whoever they could.
Emily took shots where she could and switched to her sword whenever she needed to reload. Violet would pivot around, holding Sangrevoros with telekinesis just long enough for Emily or Karaline to get a shot in.
A few townsfolk got wise and started fighting back with hunting rifles from atop their roofs, and eventually, Karaline wised up and did the same with Violet.
Emily, however, remained on the ground, fueled by the adrenaline racing through her body. She dodged and weaved around the Sangrovoros, narrowly avoiding their claws and fangs. She missed her mark a few times, grazed a few with her blade, and almost lost a chunk of her side as one of their claws sliced through her shirt. But no matter how many she managed to graze or kill, the silent field never dropped. There was always more of them.
Where was Mina? It was the only thing on Emily’s mind as she dashed through Cresthill, spurred on by the knowledge that anyone could be seconds away from dying. Then, through the chaos of it all, two people were running from the forest.
Lux and Tristen.
Three Sangrevoros were on their tail, quickly closing the distance.
Emily started running to them, but she was never going to make it in time. The Sangrevoros were too quick.
Lux tripped and pulled Tristen down with her.
One of the Sangrevoros pounced, only to be caught midair. Violet was on the rooftop nearby, keeping hold of the beast just long enough for Emily to put a bullet through it. The other two quickly followed suit, and Emily reached out with her own magic, letting the power surge to her fingertips. She held both creatures in midair, feeling their combined weight on her body like a heavy blanket. Still, she pushed through the strain and shot one of them, then sliced the other across its back.
The monsters dropped dead, and Emily, panting and matted with sweat, hurried to help Lux and Tristen back to their feet. They were both streaked with dirt and blood, their eyes wide with panic. Emily pointed them toward a nearby house with its door open. Father Winslow was waving them over.
Lux nodded shakily, then stopped. Both her and Tristen’s faces twisted in horror as her gaze fixed on something behind Emily.
Then they ran.
Emily spun around, raising her gun.
Hulking toward her was something as big as a lion, and not with a frail, skeletal body, but something like an ape. It’s massive twin tails swam from side to side as its gleaming red eyes burned a hole through Emily’s head. Two rolled horns protruded from just above its eyes, and its long, saber-toothed fangs were stained red.
The Alpha.
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