"I, Silindra, Queen of the Vampires, do solemnly swear to do whatever it takes to win." That was my new personal mantra. Of course, no one knew it but me. I'd been the ruler of the vampires for over a thousand years. The position hadn't remained in my power because of luck, or a convoluted idea.My sister Sharra disagreed. She was wrong, though. I still ruled because of systematic planning, a shrewd knowledge of the citizens I governed, and my ability to deal with other magical creatures.Like dragons.Dragons and vampires meshed well together, for the most part, but while some of the human vampires craved dragon blood, the originals, like Sharra and me, had no stomach for the foul-smelling creatures. The oldest and most impressively magical dragon of them all was called Abernathy.I needed to speak to him.He was kind of a prickly character, but once you got around his rough edges, he had the heart of a gentleman.Moving with vampiric speed, I reached the entrance to his cave. He wa
Abernathy gave me a knowing glance, and I cringed.Clearing my throat, I steeled myself and tried to glare. The idea of forfeiting one's magic made no sense to me. Why would someone willingly give up such a gift? Choose to mate with lesser creatures? Weakening their power. There was no rhyme or rationale behind the logic. I flapped my wings in frustration. "The unicorns believed as Sharra does, and they are nearly extinct, each generation's magic diluted until the youngest no longer grow a horn and can't communicate with other creatures of magic. It's a disgrace! They are called horses now, and Sharra has sent them all to the human realm to do the humans' dirty work." My words came out ragged, but that was the truth. It was despicable what happened in the name of Sharra's "evolution.""Perhaps," Abernathy said thoughtfully.I fisted my hands, the muscles under my brown fur straining from the pressure. Would he refuse me?A blip confuzzled my mind, and I was no longer in Abernathy'
I exited the dragon's cave and was met by Ryden, my most trusted friend. The pixilette had transparent wings and hair the color of daisies. Gabriel, one of Sharra's hunters and my secret lover, was also there. I was surprised they found me. At the sight of Gabriel, my breath hitched. It still shocked me that I had any kind of physical reaction to him since he was a human-vampire, but I craved him like a flower craved the light. He wore his black hair long and in a braid. Several strands had fallen out and framed his chiseled face. His eyes were emerald green and seemed to overflow with serenity and goodness. He wasn't tall, about my height, and muscled. He wore black pants, fur-covered boots, and a matching black shirt without sleeves. Strapped to his back were crisscrossed swords. His sensuous lips were puckered with worry.Sharra had used her magic and her blood to change him from human into a vampire. With no wings and no fur, he should've been ugly, but he wasn't. Although I
"I could, but he wouldn't come. He's arrogant like that." I took a deep breath. "We have to do this." I stepped over a pinecone the size of Gabriel's head. "Stay on my shoulder," I told Ryden lightly. If a pinecone fell on her, she'd be squished."I will, Silindra. Everything is so big. I could live in one of those pinecones." To prove her point, a hairy spider as big as my fist crawled out of one. "Holy monster, I'm hiding in your hair," she said with a shudder. I let her do as she pleased. The spider would make the pixilette into an appetizer if it caught her. "I'll get rid of him," Gabriel said, shooing the spider away with the tip of his boot. There wasn't much growing under the canopy of trees, just a lot of dirt, pine needles, pinecones, and the occasional fern. It made sense. The sun was all but blocked from view. Shadows danced within the stilted silence. In the distance, I could hear the waves crashing, and something else. Moaning. "The song of the dead," Ryden whispered,
"To the body, no. But the mind - " Veb let his words trail off. "They are excellent at getting inside here." He pointed at his head. "They spin tales you can't help but believe until it's too late.""What do you mean?" I asked. "Plug your ears," I mumbled to Ryden so the elves wouldn't hear. "On it.""Three full moons ago, a couple of humans stumbled into the forest by accident. They owned a measure of magic, though they didn't know it, but it was enough that the trees within our forest opened to them. Within moments of entering, their minds were altered. The phantoms twisted their thoughts and made them believe they were on a boat, stranded at sea. For days they rowed until the female died.""Why didn't you meet them as they entered, the way you did with us?" Had they wanted the humans to suffer? Some of the magical creatures believed humans to be less than animals."They had magic, but it wasn't enough to alert us. The magic you and the others possess is much stronger, so when we
I grunted in answer. She'd described what I felt exactly, but I doubted she saw a human girl in her mind."The city looks like the end of a rainbow," Ryden added.I nodded, expanding my wings, making sure they were still in one piece. When I was satisfied, I relaxed a little. "Keep your wits about you, Ryden, my friend," I whispered."I will."Opulent grass gave way to crystal-paved streets and buildings, ranging in color from light red to sunny yellow, sapphire blue to the palest purple. The structures correlated with the roads. Sunny yellow streets contained businesses, homes, and gardens swathed in yellow. The purple streets correlated with purple buildings, blue with blue, green with green, and so on. Elves were everywhere, busily bustling about their lives. After several minutes I realized the elves wore clothing associated with street colors. Where all of the colors appeared overwhelming at first, their meaning quickly became apparent. It was a pecking order. Fascinating, I
The sound of roaring water came from somewhere within the building and grew louder the higher we went. When the guards, Ryden, and I reached the top, I understood the noise. A large waterfall raged, causing the mist to churn and swirl, making the air wet. It smelled of lilies. The droplets clung to my fur and slicked off my wings.Directly in front of us was a rounded landing dangling by six silver cords. Veb climbed on and beckoned me to follow. I stifled a sigh, knowing if the bottom fell out from under me, I could use my wings to escape. Still, I held the slick crystal rail encircling the landing, hoping to steady my nerves.Slowly, like molten lava, the landing moved, pulling us closer and closer to the waterfall. When it looked like the raging water would soak us, a circular piece of ceiling, just larger than the landing, appeared, diverting the water around us.At once, we were swallowed in darkness. I was thankful my eyes easily adjusted to the dark, but I knew Ryden wasn
"Silindra, it is me. I know I am usually melancholy. But you are in my home, in my garden, my most favorite place in all the world." Devoran smiled, and I noticed the tiny wrinkles feathering near his eyes. "Can I show you around?" he asked, rising.I nodded, feeling out of sorts, but stood as well. The sooner we finished with pleasantries, the sooner I could be on my way. "Good." He looked at Veb. "You are excused," he barked."Thank you, sire." Veb bowed and left.Once the water curtain resettled itself and Veb was gone, Devoran smiled. "I know why you've come."I wanted to respond, but the girl inside my mind tried to break free at that moment, pushing against my mind, and I found my consciousness floating like a cloud back to her time. It was apparent she missed a boy named Gabe. I found it interesting her love's name was the same as mine.***"Happy Halloween, Snow. I know you hate girlie stuff, so I only put a little bit of clear gloss on your lips, added just a few sparkles to