Marigold had the staff hustling and bustling about as they made Jack’s room more suitable for mother and baby. She fussed about the fact that the castle had over one-thousand rooms, yet I was being cramped into his quarters with him. We heard all about how it was done in the old days with mild amusement. Marigold’s outrageous ranting were just the ticket to take our minds off what we’d just been through. For Vicki and me, it was the trauma of giving blood and losing blood and then birthing a vampire child and, for Jack, it was being drained of blood and then almost killing me by drinking my blood and then joining Drake in a difficult battle followed by discovering my situation and what followed.
All this within a twenty-four-hour period!
Drake stuck to me like glue, refusing to leave even with all of Marigold’s scolding and carrying on. She finally settled for him sitting at the far side of the room with his b
Vicki managed to rustle up a gown that was suitable for a blushing bride to wear on her wedding day. I was barely able to squeeze into it, but it was the best we could do without Dresser’s help, so I shrugged and told her not to worry. Since the ceremony was to be kept hush, hush, only the castle chaplain and our two witnesses were in attendance; the witnesses being Vicki and Drake of course.If I said I’d never fantasized about a big white wedding while growing up, I’d be lying. Even so, the ceremony was so lovely, so touching, and so meaningful that I felt I’d forfeited very little for the sake of my son. Since it was late and we’d all had an incredibly unbelievable few days, we were in unified agreement that the celebration could wait.Vicki and Drake gave their heartfelt congratulations and said their good nights. Jack had a snifter of brandy to help ease him into a restful sleep while I partook in the tea Marig
The more I listened to Sara’s attempts to convince Jack that she’d done the right thing, the angrier I got. I kept myself connected to Vicki so that I could know their progress in finding Joshua. They found the entrance to the underworld and were heading in there. She warned me that it would be more difficult to keep connection since the surface world dealt with the third dimension and the inner world was ruled more by the second dimension. Crossing dimensions when you’re a novice can be tricky.I explained to Vicki that I was building up a type of rage toward Sara with every passing moment and wanted to snap her neck like I’d done with Mark and his men, even though Joshua was no longer inside me. She said that was the vampire blood taking over. When a new vampire is made, all emotions and senses are heightened to maximum and the energy level is intense. She assured me it would level off as time passed, but warned me
The sun brought in yet another day before Jack, Drake, and a very exhausted army returned to us. They not only managed to infiltrate the castle, but they’d killed the Black King. Those in the Black King’s army who weren’t killed or didn’t escape were given the opportunity to become Jack’s subjects once again. Most of them readily agreed. The few that didn’t were taken to the castle dungeon. Of course, although they were being locked up out of necessity to assure safety for Jack’s kingdom, they were more fortunate than he was when he was their prisoner. Jack didn’t believe in torture.We went to our rooms to see what became of Sara. I had half hoped she’d revived and run away so we wouldn’t have to deal with her.We weren’t that lucky.The power behind my shove was far greater than I’d realized. Sara was still unconscious. Jack seized the opport
The harsh shrill of the quarter hour whistle brought me back to reality like a crisp slap across my face. I was still in that horrid room with those horrid creatures awaiting a fate too horrid to imagine.Horrid… was that the best I could do? This place was beyond horrid. It was so bad there was no description for how bad it was.My mind was fuzzy.I needed to focus.Those creatures, what were they? They went beyond horrid to look at, horrid to be around, horrid to interact with. My brain would not function properly. I could come up with no word to equal what they were. I gave up. Horrid would have to suffice.I smiled to myself. What did it matter what word I used to describe what was happening? Was it really that important? In the not too distant future I would become a nothing, a thing of the past. What I thought and the words I enunciated with would mean less than they already d
When I finally roused enough to force myself free from the sweetest slumber I can recall in my twenty-four years of life, it took a bit of struggling to remember where I was. I sat up on the bed and swung my feet over its edge. They barely touched the floor. I didn’t recall being so small in it before, but then, I’d been pretty messed up with drugs and injuries.Injuries.I remembered my ribs and felt for the bandage beneath my tunic. It was gone. I pulled the tunic up to inspect more closely. Searching the cave interior with my eyes, I was disappointed to find no mirror. I checked myself out as best I could without it. There was no sign of any damage that I could see, nor was there any pain! How had I managed to heal so quickly? It had been quickly, hadn’t it? I couldn’t tell, since I’d lost all concept of time.I made note that my rescue was the second miracle to happen since I’d bee
“Will you listen to the demands she makes? Does she know who you are and just doesn’t care?” L’oana said.Her cackling filled the cave.“Quiet!” Jack snapped.I spun at L’oana.“I know he’s a vampire,” I said. “I saw with my own eyes.”“That doesn’t frighten you?” she asked.“Of course it frightens me,” I replied, “I’ve been nothing but frightened by one thing or another since those vile, scaly creatures abducted me, but I still need… no… I deserve to know what’s happening.”“She’s got courage, Jack, I’ll give her that. Who is she?” L’oana purred.“I told you,” he replied.“You told her wrong,” I stated firmly.Jack turned to L’oana and ordered, “Get out.”“I’m crushed,&rdquo
Jack left me alone to think while he finished the preparations for our departure. The more I absorbed what he’d told me, the more questions accumulated in my mind. I needed to know more about where we were. L’oana told me something far different and believable about our location. I’d been a student of metaphysics for some time now, so I knew full well that there were dimensions on earth; which was why L’oana’s explanation was so easy to accept. I also knew and understood that earth wasn’t the only planet with humanoid life on it. Humanoid, not lizard-like! It’s just that I didn’t expect to be told I was one of those humanoid alien species and I’d teleported back to my planet that was apparently overrun with the lizard-like Dragos.When he returned, I let loose with a slew of questions. He was surprisingly patient with me and answered them as best he could. He didn’t deny the various dime
It felt fantastic to be out of the cave and using my lean muscles to walk along the hilly path that bordered the forest. Had I not known better, I would have sworn I was in the Adirondack Mountains enjoying a good excursion. The air was cool and crisp, as it should be for a mid-fall day. The sun seemed a little brighter than on earth. I questioned Sergeant Org about this and he explained that the sun emitted rays on Kurr that were slightly brighter because, unlike people on earth, the residents of Kurr refrained from using inventions that polluted the atmosphere. Earth would consider Kurr behind the times in many ways, but they were merely eco conscious beyond man’s comprehension.We walked along a well-worn path through a forest of tall pine trees mixed with oak and maple trees. We hadn’t gone more than a half-mile before Jack raised his hand to signal we stop while putting his finger to his lips for silence. I’d been so busy a