A Dawn of Strength Read online

  Ibrahim and Corrine ran toward me. “Vanish us to the Pit now,” I said.

  I was relieved to see Derek sitting up as we approached.

  “Good grief!” Corrine said.

  “What happened?” Ibrahim asked, as the two witches bent down next to Derek and began examining him.

  “The cure didn’t work,” Derek rasped.

  “He took two vials of immune blood we found in your drawer,” I said.

  “Lie back down, dear,” Corrine said to Derek. She looked up at me. “Let’s take him back to the Sanctuary.”

  I gripped Ibrahim’s shoulder as we all vanished from the clearing and reappeared in Corrine’s potion room. Ibrahim cleared the table and I helped him lift Derek onto it.

  I walked over to Corrine, who was standing over a cauldron, tipping in ingredients and stirring them vigorously. She looked at me. “From what I can tell, even the skin that wasn’t exposed to the sun is damaged. You’re going to need to strip your husband and pour this entire cauldron over him. The liquid should reach every part of him.”

  “Okay.”

  After she’d finished mixing in the ingredients together and brought it to a boil, she lifted the heavy cauldron off the stove and placed the handle in my hands.

  “Ibrahim and I will wait outside, in case you need help.”

  I stared down at the simmering liquid. “But this is boiling hot. I can’t possibly pour this over Derek.”

  “It has to be hot, or it won’t work. Unless you want me to waste time explaining why, you need to just trust me on this, Sofia.”

  I gulped, nodding.

  They left Derek and me alone in the room.

  I placed the cauldron down on the stone floor as I helped Derek sit up and remove the last of his clothes.

  “Okay. You need to stand in the center of the room.”

  I drew up a stool next to him so I would be high enough. Then, reaching down for the cauldron, I tipped the hot liquid over his head.

  He shouted in pain as the potion hit his skin, and there was a disturbing hiss, but I was relieved that he remained rooted to the spot. Careful not to miss any part of him, I poured the potion until I’d emptied the last drop.

  Once I was finished, he staggered toward the wall and, arching his back, leaned his palms against it.

  “Christ,” he panted. “That hurt.”

  I approached him cautiously, eyeing his body. I was relieved to see that, as the liquid dripped off him, his skin was beginning to become recognizable again. I leaned my shoulder against the wall, staring up at his face. Before my eyes, the fried loose flesh was vanishing and being replaced by smooth, pale skin.

  “Thank God,” I murmured.

  Once the potion appeared to have finished its work and every portion of skin had replaced itself, I picked up a clean white towel hanging over the back of one of the chairs and tied it around his waist.

  “Does it hurt still when I touch you?” I asked anxiously.

  He slowly placed his palms on either side of my face. “No,” he said. “It doesn’t.”

  I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight. “You have no idea how terrifying that was, Derek.”

  There was a banging at the door before he could answer.

  “Are you finished in there?” Corrine called.

  “Yes,” Derek said, his voice still hoarse. “You can come in.”

  Corrine and Ibrahim reentered the room. Corrine walked up to my husband and circled him, examining his skin closely.

  “Good,” she muttered. “I’m sorry it was painful. The potion had to be hot to stimulate your body’s natural healing capabilities into high gear.”

  “That’s all right,” he said, stretching out his arms and eyeing them. “I’m just thankful you were able to sort me out… But why didn’t the cure work?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” she replied, shrugging.

  “That immune blood in your drawer, it’s not diluted or anything?”

  “Oh, no,” she said. “If anything, it’s a higher potency than the blood in the cooling chambers.”

  “Then how could this have happened? The cure’s worked on me before.”

  “Maybe that’s the reason,” Ibrahim said.

  “What?” Derek asked.

  “This was the second time you took the cure,” Ibrahim said. “It could be that you’ve developed a slight immunity to it. Perhaps a higher dosage of immune blood was required.”

  We all stared at Ibrahim as we took in his words. Although I was curious, asking these questions was wasting time. We’d attempted the cure and it hadn’t worked. We couldn’t afford to waste more time. Our people needed us in the Armory.

  “Then let’s try that,” Derek said, just as I was about to suggest we leave. “I’ll take ten times the dosage this time and see if that works.”

  I gaped at my husband. “Are you insane?”

  “Yes,” he said impatiently, “but that’s beside the point. If there’s a chance more immune blood will bring back my powers, this is a risk we should take.”

  “Forget it,” I said, stamping my foot on the ground. I gripped his arms and glared daggers at him. “You are not putting yourself—or me—through all that again.”

  “I could go in with Derek,” Ibrahim said.

  I whirled around to face the warlock.

  “I’d wait with him and watch closely to see if it’s working,” he continued. “If he starts showing signs of burning, I’ll assume the experiment failed and I’ll drag him straight out before he gets too damaged.”

  “It will be okay, Sofia,” Derek said.

  I looked reluctantly at my husband.

  “Okay,” I scoffed.

  After the state I’d just seen him in, even with Ibrahim with him, I didn’t want Derek going within two miles of that damn pit again.

  Still, I trusted Ibrahim, and there wasn’t much of an argument against it.

  “Okay.” I heaved a sigh. I looked down at my watch. “Then we need to hurry. We’re running out of time.”

  Chapter 19: Rose

  As I sat with Vivienne, Anna and Ariana in one of the small private rooms, I tried to lose myself in conversation. We all tried. But every word we spoke was just an attempt to distract ourselves. Every sentence sounded forced. None of us could stop thinking about what might be going on outside the Black Heights as we sat here in the quiet of the mountains’ chambers.

  I managed to remain seated for a few hours in their company until finally I could bear it no longer. I stood up and stretched my legs, feigning a yawn. I looked down at my aunt leaning back in her chair.

  “I’m sure I won’t be able to, but I’m going to try to sleep,” I said. “It will be less painful… and I do still feel pretty sleep-deprived.”

  Vivienne looked at me doubtfully. “Where are you going to sleep?”

  “I spotted a spare room on the level above us. There might even be a spare mattress up there.”

  To my dismay, she stood up and held my hand. “We’ll go together. I’d also like to try and sleep.”

  “O-okay,” I said, fighting to hide the disappointment in my voice. Clearly my aunt was already suspicious of my intentions—not that I had any right to blame her for it—so now I had no choice but to play along. I forced a smile. “That will be nice, actually, to have someone else for company.”

  We said goodbye to Anna and Ariana before leaving the room. Walking along the corridor toward the flight of stairs that led up to the next floor, I hoped that there was indeed a spare room up there somewhere.

  Vivienne slipped an arm around my waist as we climbed the staircase. “I’m proud of you, Rose.”

  I winced internally. I wished she would have saved that statement for a later time.

  “I’m not sure why,” I muttered.

  She raised a brow. “I’m sure most young women your age wouldn’t have managed to survive what you have… at least, not with their mental faculties intact.”

  I gave her a
funny look. You don’t know they’re still intact, was what I wanted to say. But now wasn't the right time for this joke considering what I was planning.

  We reached the upper floor and began to walk along the corridor. We passed locked door after locked door. What was I thinking? Every human on this island was locked within these mountains now. It was unlikely we’d find a spare room without venturing further up. I was about to suggest we keep climbing to the next level when Vivienne pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. It was ajar. We walked up to it and Vivienne knocked. When nobody answered, she cautiously pushed it open.

  “It’s empty,” she said, lighting up one of the lanterns fixed to the wall.

  I walked inside after her and looked around the room. It was about the same size as the one we’d just left. There was a chair in one corner and three single mattresses spread out on the floor.

  “Perfect,” she said, sighing and lowering herself onto one of the mattresses. She patted the one next to her, indicating that I do the same.

  I flopped down onto it, spreading out my legs and looking up at the dark stone ceiling. Vivienne did the same, resting her hands over her stomach. Now I just had to hope that Vivienne would eventually grow tired enough to fall asleep.

  “Have you and Uncle Xavier decided what you’ll name the baby if it’s a girl?” I asked, running a hand gently against the side of her belly.

  She nodded, her face lighting up. “We talked about it on the journey back here. If we have a girl, we both love Aurora.”

  “Aurora,” I repeated, listening to the name roll off my tongue. “I love it! And if you have a boy?”

  Vivienne smirked. “Xavier and I had a disagreement on that. He likes Leo, while I love Isaac… Which do you prefer?”

  “Leo Novak. Isaac Novak. Hmm. I gotta say, I’m leaning toward Xavier’s choice on this. Leo… it’s just such a kickass name.”

  She frowned at me in mock disdain. “Well, Anna and Ariana prefer Isaac.”

  “Have you asked my dad yet?” I narrowed my eyes on her. “I’ll bet you a hundred dollars he’ll prefer Leo.”

  “Then I’ll ask your mother instead.” She winked at me. Then her expression became more serious as she chewed on her lower lip. “Leo. It’s just too fiery. Our son will have Novak blood running through him as it is. The least I can do is give him a name that’s a little more… relaxed.” She paused, letting out a yawn. Her eyelids flickered shut for a few moments before opening again.

  “Let’s try to sleep, Viv,” I said, taking advantage of the pause in the conversation.

  I turned onto my side, facing her, and watched as she mirrored my action.

  “Honestly,” she said, “I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep when I was downstairs sitting in that chair. But now I’m lying down…” She yawned again. “Maybe it’s this pregnancy making me feel exhausted.”

  “Then rest,” I whispered.

  She reached for my hand and held it. As she closed her eyes, an expression of worry settled in on her face. I knew she was now imagining what I was trying not to imagine. I closed my own eyes and kept as still and quiet as possible until, finally, I was confident that sleep had claimed her.

  Her grip on my hand had slackened, so it wasn’t difficult to detach myself from her. As I slowly sat up in bed and cast my eyes toward the closed door, I could only feel thankful that Vivienne was no longer a vampire. Her hearing wasn’t nearly as sharp. If I was careful enough, I might just be able to escape without disturbing her.

  Opening the door as quietly as I could, I stepped out into the corridor and pulled it shut behind me. I knew there was no point trying to convince Kyle, or whomever else might be guarding the exit now, to let me step outside. No, I had to find another way out.

  I hurried toward the staircase and climbed up to the next floor. I kept climbing level after level. Along the way, fortunately, I only bumped into three humans who were only vague acquaintances of mine. Finally, the stairs stopped and I could climb no higher.

  I was relieved to see that this top level was less populated than the lower ones. Many of the doors were wide open. I stopped outside the last open door to my left at the end of the hallway. I stepped inside the dark, empty room and looked around.

  As children, Ben and I sometimes used to sneak into the Black Heights with our friends to play hide and seek. I was always the last to be found in those games, and nobody understood why. I’d never revealed my secret to them—the secret that used to lie within the very walls I was standing between now. Yet it seemed that my hiding place had been removed. Where there used to be an old narrow fireplace was now solid wall. The whole room looked so different than how I remembered it.

  Unless this isn’t the same room. Perhaps I’m on the wrong side of the corridor…

  I hurried back out of the room to see the door opposite me was closed. I pressed my ear against the wood, and, on hearing no signs of anyone being in there, gripped the handle and pushed it open.

  This room was almost identical to the previous room. There was no fireplace. However, there was a wide cabinet fixed into the furthest wall. I rushed over to it and crouched down. The hinges groaned as I pulled open the doors. Dust billowed into the air and it took all I had to fight off a coughing fit. The cabinet was stuffed with blankets. I pulled them out onto the floor, revealing a spacious area—large enough for me to crawl into—and charcoal-black stone walls. I climbed inside and, tucking my legs beneath me, looked directly upward. There was a narrow hole where the ceiling should have been, and a thin metal ladder leading upward.

  My suspicion had been correct—the fireplace had been removed, and the cupboard built in its place. However, from the darkness of the tunnel, it was clear someone had also blocked off the opening at the top of the chimney—it used to open up at the top of a cliff. Still, gripping hold of the rusty ladder, I began to climb.

  I kept going long after my hands became sore from the metal. I didn’t stop until the top of my head brushed against a ceiling. It was pitch black now. Looking down, I could only vaguely make out the light emanating into the room downstairs from the corridor outside. Holding onto the ladder with one hand, I reached up to push my palm against the ceiling with the other. To my surprise, it was slightly crumbly. I’d expected to feel the same stone that constituted the walls and all the other ceilings in this place. Whoever had sealed the hole had done it with clay. I wondered just how deep the layer was.

  My brain whirring, I descended the ladder and looked around the room. My eyes fell on the only portable metal object in the room—a lantern hanging from a hook on the door. I pulled it down and examined its base. There was a sharp ridge running around the bottom of it. I had no idea whether this would do the job, but there was only one way to find out. I climbed back up the ladder with it. Reaching the top, I brushed back the hair from my face with one hand and tipped the lantern upside down. And then I began to scrape.

  Slowly but surely, the clay crumbled beneath the ridge. Dirt fell onto my face if I looked up, so I kept my eyes cast downward as I worked. I wasn’t sure how long it took me to dig deep enough into the dirt before the small ceiling gave way, but eventually it happened. The chilly night air touched my face as I stared up at the dark sky.

  Before I squeezed myself through the opening, I climbed down the ladder one last time and crawled into the room. I walked to the door and made sure it was closed before picking up the blankets. Squeezing back into the cupboard, I brought the blankets in with me and arranged them as neatly as I could before pulling the closet doors shut and standing up to climb the ladder again. I hoped that Vivienne would remain sleeping for at least a few hours. I reached the top of the chute and hauled myself through it. I only narrowly avoided getting stuck. I wasn’t as small as I’d been the last time I’d climbed up here, and if my hips had been even slightly thicker, I was sure I wouldn’t have made it through.

  Breathing heavily, I found my footing on the rocky cliffside and stared down at the island, looking
for any signs of battle. It didn’t take long for me to find them. I clasped a hand over my mouth as my eyes fixed on the shoreline in the distance. Balls of fire blazed through the air as two lines of witches faced off just outside the boundary. I scanned the mainland once again, relieved to see no signs of struggle. It appeared as though The Shade’s boundary was holding up, at least for now. I looked back at the witches. One cluster were black witches, based on their garb, while the other group looked like white witches. They seemed to be falling fast, but there were still too many of them to be our own witches. For some reason, we had outside help.

  I wasn’t sure what to do now. I would only be putting my family, Caleb and our people in more danger if I attempted to leave the mountains. I’d thought that coming up here and seeing what was going on would relieve the burden weighing down my heart. But I should have known that it would only make things worse. Now I saw for myself the threat closing in around us while I stood here powerless to help or do anything other than watch.

  But no matter how much I was called to, I simply couldn’t leave here as the weak human that I was. Even though it killed me, right now, all I could do was wait.

  Chapter 20: Sofia

  Waiting outside the gate, I could breathe more easily now that I knew Ibrahim was inside the Pit with my husband. As the hours passed, I could shout through asking about Derek’s state and receive an immediate answer from the warlock, reassuring me that the cure was working.

  I also stepped inside briefly just for a few seconds to verify it with my own eyes. Although Derek was writhing in pain, he was clearly transforming and wasn’t displaying any abnormal symptoms.

  My breath hitched when the two men finally emerged from the gate, Derek’s arm wrapped around Ibrahim’s shoulder as the warlock supported him.

  Derek’s pallor was gone, and his skin exuded a healthy warm glow that only a human’s could.

  He stepped toward me and, placing his hands on my waist, drew me against him. He kissed my cheek, then my lips.