Arranging Fate

Zion didn’t talk to me and I didn’t talk to him. I started going down for dinner, though, wanting to avoid another embarrassing encounter. Heather and Kassandra were making forced conversation at dinner but I refused to participate. At night, we would get dressed, turn our backs on each other, and start up the routine again the next day.

It went like that for a week before I felt like I was going to go insane. I was in my study when Heather knocked on the door. I gave her permission to enter and she shut the door behind her.

“I just got done talking to Zion,” she began.

“Good for you,” I said, turning back to my journal.

“This isn’t good for either of you,” she said. “You’ll both go insane if you keep this up.” I only shrugged. “Please, Aviel.”

“I’m not apologizing,” I snapped. “I’ve done nothing wrong!”

“I’m not asking you to apologize,” she said. “I’m asking you to bury the hatchet. Look, he’s going on a trip in two days. Go with him.”

“No. Where’s he going?” I added after she shook her head.

“To another unclaimed village,” she said. “He’ll be gone for a few days.”

“Whatever,” I said. “Can you please leave? I’m trying to write.”

She sighed. “Just think about it.”

She must be out of her mind. There’s no way I’d go on a week-long trip with Zion on my own.

~-~

I was forced to see him out, though, and stood in the front hall, crossing my arms. He was putting his cloak on and frowning at the floor. After saying goodbye to Heather and Kassandra, he approached me. Our eyes met and I saw something strange flicker in his.

“Are you leaving or not?” I asked and he scowled.

“I’ll be back in a week,” he snapped and left.

“Come on, Aviel,” Kassandra began but I ignored her and went upstairs.

For the first couple days, I spent most of them in my room. I didn’t sleep well with Zion in the bed. I always felt uncomfortable and he had started tossing and turning. It was as if he was having nightmares. Several times he would talk in his sleep and he’s said my name on more than one occasion.

I was getting bored quickly, though, without Heather or Kassandra to talk to. So, I sought them out later in the week.

“They both went riding,” Ilya informed me and I felt a little hurt that they didn’t invite me.

Then again, I have been pretty cold to them lately. I climbed the stairs sadly and went to my study. That’s when I saw his door.

I hesitated. I reached out slowly for the doorknob. He had told me to never go in there but he wasn’t here and neither were Heather and Kassandra…. A little peek wouldn’t hurt anything, right? Besides, if it was that secret, he’d have it locked.

So, I turned the doorknob. I was shocked to find it was unlocked. I looked down the hall but no one was around. As I opened it more, I noticed it made no sound. I slipped in and shut it behind me.

I wasn’t prepared for what I saw.

I backed into the wall, looking around in slight fear and fascination. Everything was dark. The walls were black, making the room feel smaller than it really was. The floor didn’t have any rugs on it like the rest of the house. Instead, it had runes drawn all over it. There were candles placed around the room. They were too random to be anything but intentional, though. As I walked further in, I felt something cold around me.

I assumed it came from the window, though, and continued. He had a lot of books, too, but they weren’t as cheerful as mine were. Many of them were written in the same language as the one he had been reading in bed. When I got to his desk, which was a dark oak, I saw a piece of paper partially hidden under a book.

My curiosity got the better of me and I reached out to pull it out.

“And what are you doing in here?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin. My hand was almost at the paper when I looked up. Zion stood in the doorway, still in his traveling cloak and looking angrier than I had ever seen him. Behind him, Heather was running up behind him.

“Zion,” she said but he stepped in and shut the door, locking it.

I shook as I backed away from him. His cold black eyes swept across the room.

“What have you touched?” he hissed.

“N-Nothing,” I said.

“I told you to never come in here,” he said, still advancing on me slowly.

“I-I just- The door was unlocked and- I’m sorry,” I said but it came out in more of a whimper as he reached the desk. “I won’t come in again. I-.”

I gasped as he grabbed my arm roughly. He dragged me to the fireplace and pulled on a candlestick. My jaw dropped as the fireplace moved away from us, revealing steps. He forced me down first and I stumbled in the dark. I could feel his anger coming from him in waves and I shook in fear. I tried to speak but it came out as a squeak and he ignored me.

When we got to the end of the stairs, there was a heavy door. He reached around me with his arm and pushed it open. It was completely black and I only knew he was there by his angry panting. He snapped his fingers and I jumped as light filled the room from torches and candles.

He shoved me further into the room, finally letting me go. I whimpered in fear as I took in the room.

It was full of weapons and a table was in the center. Was he going to torture me for going into his study!?

Instead of grabbing me, he took his cloak off, and tossed it on the table. I backed up into the wall, bumping into a battle axe and screamed a little. He glared at me and my throat closed. He rifled through a cupboard until he pointed to a chair I hadn’t seen before.

“Please don’t hurt me,” I whispered.

“Don’t be stupid,” he spat. “Sit down.”

Shaking, I obeyed. He grabbed my arm again but he was gentler than before. He pushed the sleeve up and I winced as his fingers went over the bruise he had caused. His face was expressionless as he put his hand over it. He muttered things in a language I didn’t understand and my arm glowed white then he moved his hand.

The bruise was gone.

I blinked at it a few times. Someone knocked on the door and he strode to it, throwing it open.

“Put him on the table,” he said in a dark voice, moving his traveling cloak.

I covered my mouth to stifle my scream. A man was being carried in, his body covered in blood. He was moaning in pain and Damascus lowered him carefully to the table.

“Come here,” Zion ordered to me but I was too scared to move. “Now!”

I jumped and did as he said. The man looked at me and started to try and speak.

“Don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t speak.”

Zion looked at me for a second before nodding to Damascus. I nearly fainted as Damascus broke the man’s neck. I stumbled back, looking at Zion in fear.

“You just killed him!” I cried. “Why would you do that!?”

“His wounds were too great,” he said in a low voice. “Nothing I have could have saved him. It was that or slow and painful.”

“Is-Is this a-a-?”

“Torture chamber?” he asked sarcastically. “Don’t be stupid. I know I’m not the nicest man out there, but I’d never torture someone.”

“But all the weapons…” I breathed as Damascus wrapped the body of the poor man.

“It’s for training,” he said, studying me. “You never should have gone into my office, Aviel.”

“Why not?”

“Now that you know, you definitely can’t leave,” he said. “And you can never talk to your family again.”

My jaw dropped. “So you’re a member of the occult. I won’t tell anyone!”

“I’m not part of any cult,” he said, looking deeply insulted. “We’re vampires, idiot.”