Streaks of sunset colours stretched across the darkening skies as Jem sat on the beach, gazing out across the river. It had been a glorious late summer day. Using a spell he’d taught himself from one of Meryn’s books, he had disguised his wings and spent a peaceful few hours running his favourite forest trails behind the village, taking care to watch his speed if there was anyone in sight. No one had given him a second glance. It had felt good to step back into the “human” world and to escape the looming vampire drama.
Behind him, in the beach hut, Trine was busy making preparations for their departure. He had no idea how long they would be gone.
They had both been summoned back to the castle.
An autumnal chill had already seeped into the chambers of the castle as the sun set. As she walked along the narrow hallway to Stefan’s study, Meryn shivered. Without bothering to knock, she entered the room, smiling when she felt the warmth from a large log that was blazing in the fireplace.
“Perfect timing, Meryn,” complimented Stefan warmly. He was standing at the sideboard pouring two generous goblets of blood infused wine. “How was your journey?”
“Tiring,” confessed the vampiress, sinking into one of the chairs beside the fire. “And I miss the Italian heat already.”
“And how is Alessandro?” quizzed Stefan, handing her one of the crystal goblets.
“Anxious to return for the trial,” replied Meryn. “The past six months have drained both of us.”
“I can only imagine,” nodded the senior vampire as he took the seat opposite her. “Any news of Anna to share?”
“Only that she may detest Alessandro more than she does me,” laughed Meryn. “He’s done well to stay shackled to her for so long.”
“He has indeed. His quick actions when she appeared that night are to be commended. If he hadn’t acted as fast who knows what would have happened.”
“We’d still have captured her,” stated Meryn, recalling the scene in the ruined chapel clearly. “Michael and I were only a fraction of a second behind him with the same incantation.”
“True,” nodded Stefan. “The speed of his Italian tongue served him well.”
Pausing first to enjoy a mouthful of her wine, Meryn asked, “Are the preparations complete for his arrival here with her?”
“Almost. Michael is still in New York. By tomorrow night when Alessandro arrives, we will have thirteen full blooded vampires here. Michael will bring both him and Anna once everyone else has arrived. When they get here, I will have the castle fully sealed in so no one can leave or enter. There will be a second seal around the court once we are all inside.”
“I hope that’s enough. She’s resourceful and powerful,” commented Meryn. “And devious.”
“That she is.”
They sat in companionable silence for several minutes before Meryn asked, “Have Trine and Jem arrived yet?”
“They should be here shortly.”
“Thank you for letting them enjoy the summer in their own home.”
“No need to thank me,” said Stefan softly. “Their relationship is blooming. We need to nurture it. We also need to think about strengthening the bloodline. They are a good match for each other.”
“Strengthening the bloodline?” echoed Meryn, somewhat taken aback by the comment. “But Jem’s not a pure blood.”
“That’s where you may be wrong, my dear. He has your pure blood flowing in his veins. Add in the improvements our friend made, albeit without his full consent, I want to test his blood once the trial is over. I am confident that Anna’s actions have purified your son’s blood and removed all human traits.”
Masking her emotions, Meryn continued, “After what happened to Isabella, surely you wouldn’t risk Trine’s life by putting her through a pregnancy?”
“If it was something our young lovers wanted, I wouldn’t be against it.”
“I’m not sure if it’s something Jem would want,” she said quietly. “He still grieves for his original family. His wife. His children. I don’t know if he would risk losing all he has with Trine for the sake of strengthening the bloodline.”
“And I wouldn’t dream of interfering. Equally though, I won’t stand in their way.”
“Hmm,” mused Meryn, turning her gaze back to the flames dancing in the hearth.
Fury was blazing in her green eyes as she pulled the chains hard, drawing Alessandro within inches of her face.
“Bastardo!” spat the dark angel, her tone dripping with venom. “Figlio di puttana!”
Stepping back with ease, Alessandro laughed in her face.
“Is that the best you can do, mia cara?” he challenged as he cast another strengthening spell on the chains under his breath. “Only a few hours more then we leave this beautiful tower.”
Anna hissed at him.
“Haven’t you been well cared for during the stay?” he continued. “You’ve been nursed back to full health Signora Meryn. You’ve been fed the finest of meals. You’ve been served the best Italian wines heavily infused with fresh blood daily. You’ve been allowed to bathe regularly and now have a full wardrobe of designer gowns to replace those rags you arrived in.”
“And I’ve been less than six feet from you at all times!” snarled Anna. “I had more freedom under Meryn’s fucking dome than this!”
“Freedom has to be earned, mia cara,” he reminded her. “And it’s a right you lost your entitlement to a very long time ago.”
“Thanks to you and that interfering bitch!”
No,” disagreed Alessandro. “Thanks to your own inability to bide by the rules. Your freedom is a matter for the court to decide. Now, I suggest you rest. We leave tomorrow and it won’t be a pleasant journey for either of us.”
Hand in hand, Trine and Jem touched down lightly on the ramparts of the castle near their suite of rooms as the last light faded from the sky.
“Home sweet home,” declared Jem, a hint of sarcasm to his tone.
“Not anymore,” sighed Trine, squeezing his hand. “My home’s with you in your beach hut.”
“Our beach hut,” he corrected with a smile. “How long do you think Stefan will keep us here?”
“I have no idea,” confessed Trine sadly as she gazed out over the mountains. “Tomorrow’s full Blue Moon is only the start.”
“Have you seen other trials here?”
The ice maiden shook her head, “I believe there was one when I was about three or four years old. I don’t remember it. I vaguely remember my father being away for what felt like a long time.”
“Didn’t you see him while the trial was going on?”
Trine shook her head again, “The court chambers get sealed until the trial is over. No one enters. No one leaves. The whole castle gets sealed in too.”
“Wonderful….”
“I have been in the chambers once,” she revealed with a mischievous smile. “I must have been about ten years old. I was exploring the castle. Avoiding lessons and most likely my maths tutor. I found it by chance. It’s an entire suite of rooms. It’s not like your human court rooms. These court chambers are huge.”
“Where is it?”
“In one of the basement levels…well its spread over at least two of them,” she explained as they walked along the ramparts towards their rooms.
“One of them?”
“This castle runs very deep into the mountain.”
“How deep?”
“That I don’t know but there’s more below ground than there is above,” Trine revealed. “Sometimes its best not to ask too many questions. Several levels are sealed by enchantments. I’ve never reached the deepest level. There was always one more staircase…” She paused as he opened the door to the stairwell outside their rooms. “As long as we’re together, we’ll be fine.”
“I hope so,” he sighed, closing the door behind them.
Having freshened up, Trine and Jem made their way through the castle to Stefan’s study. It might have been his imagination, but Jem felt as it there was a different energy to the castle. The corridors seemed more alive and everywhere appeared to be more brightly lit. As they walked, they passed several servants carrying trays or piles of bed linen, making him wonder how many “guests” were expected for the trial.
When they entered the warm study, both of them were surprised to find Meryn sitting by the fireplace.
“When did you get here?” squealed Trine rushing to hug the older woman.
“Earlier this evening,” Meryn replied, setting down her glass and getting to her feet. “Jem…”
Slightly hesitantly, Jem stepped forward to hug his mother while Trine and her father embraced. As the vampiress held him in her arms, she whispered, “My study before first light.”
“Wine?” offered Stefan warmly. “Supper will be served shortly.”
“I’ll pour,” said Trine, smiling at her father. “We hunted before we left. I wasn’t sure if there would be time once we got here.”
“Same,” said Meryn, retaking her seat and smoothing out her skirts.
“Tonight is your last chance until the trial is over and the verdict delivered,” stated Stefan solemnly. “None of us will starve though, I promise.”
“Has she arrived yet?” asked Jem cutting to the chase as Trine passed him a goblet of blood infused wine.
“Alessandro will arrive with her tomorrow. Michael will fetch them when he returns from New York,” replied Stefan.
“Who is he bringing with him?” asked Meryn, curiosity getting the better of her.
“He’s been extending my invites to the trial. Invitations were issued to Manuela and Miguel from Buenos Aires along with Jean-Claude and Amelie from Paris. They arrived yesterday. He reached out to William and Hannah from Boston. They will arrive tonight. He’s still trying to locate Jefferson.”
“I thought he was in New Orleans?” mused Meryn.
“He was until about two weeks ago when he left. Michael has tracked him as far as New York but is still searching for him.”
“And if he doesn’t find him?” quizzed Meryn, raising an eyebrow at Stefan.
“He’ll find him,” assured the senior vampire confidently.
“That’s still only twelve,” commented Meryn. “You’ve mis-counted.”
“Not at all. Jai from Mumbai was already here,” countered Stefan. “He’s been in his tower for most of the summer with three students he brought with him from India.”
“Any witnesses to be called during the trial?” Jem enquired casually, still trying to determine how a vampire court trial compared to its human counterpart.
“Several but no other pure bloods,” replied Stefan. “We need thirteen pure bloods to allow the court to sit according to our laws. It’s a similar process to your high court. A bit like a jury, if you like.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of two servants with trays of supper and more wine. There was no further discussion about the trial while they ate. Instead, Stefan quizzed the younger vampires about their simple beach lifestyle, expressing interest in the improvements they had made to the beach hut since his last visit.
“Do you see yourselves living there forever?” he asked casually as he set aside his napkin.
“Forever is a long time, Father,” said Trine softly. “For now, its home.”
The senior vampire smiled at his daughter, pleased that she had referred to the simple hut as “home”. He glanced across the table at Meryn who rolled her eyes at him.
Satisfied that Trine was sound asleep, Jem slipped out of bed shortly before sun rise. Soundlessly, he made his way through the castle to his mother’s tower. As he climbed the narrow spiral stone staircase, he wondered for the thousandth time why she had asked him to meet her in secret.
The heavy oak door swung open as he raised his hand to knock. With a glance round to ensure no one was watching, he slipped inside. His mother was sitting by her fireplace in a long dark blue velvet robe. Her long dark hair hung in a thick braid over her shoulder.
“Morning, mother,” he greeted as he crossed the room to sit opposite her.
“Good morning. Tea?” she offered with a soft smile.
“No, thanks. Maybe later.”
“We don’t have much time,” began Meryn, keeping her voice hushed. “I need to enter the court chambers before the sun is fully over the horizon, as does Trine. Pure blood requirement.”
“She mentioned it,” he replied calmly. “Said someone will come and fetch me and take me to join you about an hour later.
“Exactly,” said Meryn. “And you need to be prepared. Mentally prepared. This trial will be complex. Pay close attention at all times when you are in front of the pure bloods in the chamber. This trial will bring your very vampire existence into question.”
“I’d expected that.”
“But don’t expect Stefan to honour your deal. He has other plans for you.”
“Like what?” quizzed the runner, a wave of anxiety crashing through him.
“If I know him,” continued Meryn. “He’ll vote to get your bloodline tested and try to get you declared a pure blood.”
“Can he do that?”
“That infuriating meddling man can do anything he wants!” Meryn paused. “And he wants you and Trine to continue the bloodline.”
“He wants what?”
“You heard me, son. Now. as far as I’m concerned, that’s between you and Trine and none of his damn business.”
Pausing to digest what his mother had just revealed, Jem sat gazing into the fireplace watching small flames dancing along the edge of a burning log.
“Jem, keep your wits about you around Anna in court too. She can still weasel her way into your mind and twist your words as you give your statement of truth. Do not let her or anyone else, except perhaps me, enter your mind. Do you remember the incantation I taught you to seal your mind from scrying?”
He nodded.
“If you need to use it, be discreet. There are strict rules about the use of magic inside the court chamber.”
“Should I seal it before I enter?”
“No, because I might need to communicate with you,” she replied, glancing out of the window. “Go! It’s getting light.”
Without a word, he rose and left the room, his mother’s words playing over and over in his mind as he returned to his own chambers.
Shortening the chains, Alessandro drew the writhing, screaming Anna towards him. A large metal crate sat in the middle of the room.
“I will not go in that fucking box!” she screamed, her tone piercing straight through him.
“Ma’am,” interrupted Michael, politely. “You are both going in “that fucking box” as you so politely put it.”
Right on cue, Alessandro rattled off an incantation in rapid Italian, sending thin, unbreakable chains coiling round her, trapping her arms and her majestic wings.
“The more you struggle, mi acara, the tighter they get,” he cautioned as Michael held open the side of the crate.
Cursing loudly in Italian, Alessandro wrestled the squirming dark angel into the crate, folding himself in curled around her. The instant they were both inside, Michael slammed the door shut, threw the bolts home and sealed the box in an impenetrable shell.
Next, he fastened the box to the harness he was wearing under his coat, using thick read twisted ropes that were secured at each side. Standing on top of the metal box, Michael drew his wings around him as he chanted the spell Stefan had given him to reduce the weight. The world went dark around him as magic hummed under the leather soles of his boots.
The room stood empty. A single purple tipped feather lay on the floor.
Coral McCallum 