Chapter 20

The sun had risen up in the sky, blinding me from the side, but thankfully I could still see Kaden and the others beside me. It was dangerous flying at day. But Kaden assured us that no one could see us with our speed and the slight cloud cover.

I tried to keep my mind from straying back to the image of my mother dead. It was hard not to, I was still in shock over the whole thing. The only real parent I had was now gone. And at a time I really needed advice from her.

I was so confused about this prophecy, I hoped that we could find a prophet to tell us the whole story. And maybe what to do about it.

As the day went on, we passed over towns, cities, rivers, and trees. Lots of trees. We had to take a break every once in a while to use the bathroom and eat. Lyric had the bladder of a newborn baby. She had to use the bathroom every ten minutes. Kaden at one point got very agitated. Saying that if we didn't hurry it would take much longer to find a prophet.

Trinetta and I didn't talk much. I could sense that she was trying to not say anything in case it made me more upset. I was upset, I had so much on my mind. One is that I now felt scared for Trinetta. Because this could become dangerous for her. I couldn't leave her, but I didn't think about what could happen to her if things got rough.

I loved Trinetta, with everything inside my very being. And I don't think that if something happened to her, I would be able to go on. I may be strong, but I'm not that strong. I never thought I could love someone like that, enough to not be able to survive without them. But I do, I love her and I won't let her die. I will do whatever it takes to protect her.

I looked down at Trinetta. Her eyes scanning over the clouds below us. She didn't look scared, in fact, she looked determined. Like she was also thinking the same thing I was, that she would protect me too. After a moment of watching her, she turned to look at me. Her eyes brightening as they connected with mine. My arms curled around her tighter so that I could lean in and kiss her softly.

She responded with passion, her lips moving feverishly. It was like she was getting all that she wanted to say out with the kiss. It spoke to me better than words ever could.

"We are getting close, another hour or so," yelled Kaden back to us. I looked up at him, he gave me a thoughtful look for a minute, glancing back at the others. I understood what he was thinking. He didn't know if it was a good idea to bring along the humans.

I didn't know much about prophets, I only knew some stories that my mother had told me of when I was younger. She had told me that they were usually women, living in small groups in secluded country areas. They usually were very calm and quiet people. Never violent, just very secretive. So I didn't think there was danger involved there.

After a little while, we began to descend lower past the cloud cover. I looked at my wristwatch to see it had taken us nearly a day to get here. It was close to eight pm.

Slowly we got closer to the ground, it was getting darker, but I could see that it was all flat land. Houses and small towns were scattered here and there. But mostly it was all just grasslands.

"The church is just over there" called Kaden ahead of me, pointing towards a small building a little further ahead. "all this area is prophet land. So it will take no time to find one that can help."

I nodded. And we all flew to the ground landing just a couple yards from the church. Landing in a felid across from it. I sat Trinetta on her feet, she happily stretched. I did the same after I pulled my wings in. I was exhausted from all the flying. I loved flying, but not for that long.

"I've been in a prophet church before, so I can say that it's not going to be extremely pleasant for us vampires. Humans will be ok, but many prophets are afraid of other supernatural beings. So there will likely be spells cast over the church to make us uncomfortable or to test to see if we are here to harm them. So just be careful." Spoke to Kaden.

I nodded along with my brothers and Mark. Kaden gave us all one final look and then we proceeded towards the church. As we did. I looked around at the area. Most of the roads were not cement but dirt. In the dim light, I could see a small lake just maybe a kilometre from the church. And all of the houses looked run down and old. All of the houses though seemed to be surrounding the church. As if it were the main part of the very small town.

The church looked worse than the houses. It was made out of light coloured brick, the windows were stained glass, with strange symbols upon them. Some panels were broken. On either side of the wooden double doors, there were torches lit, the flames danced with the slight breeze. But what caught me about them was that the fire was not golden coloured. Instead, it was a bright blue.

We ascended the many steps up to the doors. Trinetta's hand squeezed mine, I could feel slight apprehension in my stomach. I looked over to her, she seemed a little nervous about going inside. I pulled her closer to me, showing her that I would keep her safe. But she still seemed a little uneasy.

We stopped at the front doors, Kaden looked back at me. "Once we are in, we will walk up to the altar and we all must bow at the statue of the prophet that will be there. It shows respect and that we are not working against them. Then we can see the head prophet."

We nodded. Kaden then turned and opened the doors. We walked slowly, huddled together. I looked down as I stepped over the threshold, then suddenly, I became very weak. My body going tired as if I had just gone through horrible bloodlust with no end. I could barely move my body. I looked to see that Kaden had stopped and leaned against the brick wall to the side of the door.

So this was the spell of that Kaden told us about.

"Why can I not move my legs?" asked Vince from behind me. He was leaned against Mark who looked like he was barely able to stay up.

"It's the spell," spoke Kaden, his breathing was shallow. "They want us to be weak so we have no power to harm them."

Vince groaned. "We don't want to harm them."

"They don't know that," said Kaden. He pushed himself away from the wall, only to fall back against it. He looked around. "Well, will you humans help us move?"

I wanted to laugh at the look on his face but decided not to. He looked a little angry at feeling helpless, so I didn't want to make him angrier. Blaze came to him and pulled Kaden against him and moved forward into the church. Trinetta pulled me against her and helped me move my stiff, worn body ahead.

As we moved further into the church, I looked around at the high ceilings. There were many statues sitting on the ledges at the top of the church. A large bell was hanging in the middle of the ceiling. On the floor, there were benches with strange markings carved into the wood. The same that were on the windows. We walked along the aisle until we came to the altar. There was a platform with a single statue upon it.

It was a statue of a very old looking woman with a cloak around her. The hood covering her head. In her hands was a large book. The book also had the strange markings.

"We must bow to her. To show her respect. Then maybe we will get our strength back." spoke Kaden softly.

Slowly, we all moved to bow at the statue. For a few moments, we held the bow. And then, I was able to feel my strength returning. I looked around to see that Kaden, Mark and my brothers were getting their's back as well.

"I see that our Prophetess has approved of you. But I am weary as to why you are here in my ancestor's church." came a voice to the right of us. I stood and looked up to see a woman with a long dark purple dress on. Her hair was a light shade of red. She looked to be in her late thirties.

Kaden stepped forward slowly. "We are here to see if there is a prophet who could help us understand a prophecy better."

The woman watched us all carefully. "And what prophecy do you speak of?"

"The Halfling Prophecy," said Kaden.

The woman's eyes grew slightly wide. She scanned us over for a half second before her eyes landed on me. She walked forward in a daze until she stood two feet in front of me.

She looked over me. "It's you. Your aura, it's so strange. So dark yet bright." she then began to mumble in a language I did not recognize. After a second her voice trailed off, but her eyes remained wide. Her hand reached out and felt the air around me. Her eyes growing more wide and bright.

"You're the Halfling. And positively the most powerful vampire I have ever seen." she removed her hand from around me and then looked me in the eyes. "I can help you. I am the daughter of one of the prophets who wrote out the Halfling Prophecy."

I nodded. "Thank you."

She smiled brightly. "We have been praying for the Halfling to appear. It has been very unnerving. But I am sure the people will be very pleased to know that you are in our colony." she smiled happily. She held out her hand to me. "My name is Jillian."

I smiled and shook her hand. "Emery."

She went around to shake everyone's hand. Then she beckoned us to follow her into a room off the side of the main hall.

We came into a dark candlelit room. The walls had black velvet sheets over them. And in the middle of the room sat a table with chairs around it. In the middle was a strange small fire pit. Then to the side was a black bag.

Jillian went to sit in one of the chairs. Gesturing for me to sit across from her. I sat down, bringing Trinetta to sit beside me. Kaden sat on my right, Trinetta to my left. And the others fanned out around the circular table.

I took a deep breath, watching Jillian stoke the fire with a small silver stick. Then she opened the bag and pulled out a smaller bag.

"These are oracles. The bones of a dragon. They will tell me your prophecy." she said. She took out four black coloured bones. And then handed them to me.

"Feel them, think of yourself and the prophecy and then place them in the fire," she said.

I took the bones, feeling their smooth surface. I looked over them for a moment, then closed my eyes.

I thought about who I was. And all that I have been through. All that I knew about the prophecy. And then I opened my eyes and threw the bones into the fire.

All of the sudden, the golden flames turned a gruesome dark red colour. Everyone gasped as strange shapes and figures moved in the flames. And then I began to feel strange as my aura lit up on its own. Everyone jumped away from me as I began to ascend in the air. Almost hitting the low ceiling.

Then my eyes became unfocused, and then images flickered in my head.

An image of a baby came into my head. I recognized myself sitting in my mother's arms. She singing a soft lullaby to me.

Then the image changed to me just learning how to fly. Me laughing and fluttering in the air for a split second before falling on my butt.

Then to me the night when my father tried to kill me and my mother. My eyes blazing at my father.

Then to the day, I met Trinetta. When she had run into me. And my eyes locking onto hers. Then another image of the night when I kissed Trinetta, then making her my mate.

Then to now. Of myself floating in the air. Everyone's eyes were on me, except Jillian who seemed to be chanting with her eyes closed.

The fire grew hotter and bigger. The red growing brighter. And then another image came to my head.

Myself standing on a hill. A man beside me, looking over the field. His eyes seemed tired but determined. The sun was beginning to rise, a soft light coming over the horizon.

"Its time," he said. His voice was faint.

It was the same dream I had that one night. The man giving me his power.

Then the image changed to the one dream I had had of flying in the field with Trinetta. Her body almost lifeless. And myself changing her. I shivered internally as I watched it before my eyes.

Then another came to my head. It was myself, looking down from a strange castle-like building. My aura glowing brightly as I watched the darkness beyond. But my aura was not the dark purple its always been.

It was a strange black with a golden halo around the outside. My eyes turned completely black with a white gold around the outside. I gasped at how different I looked. How scary I looked at myself. I looked dangerous.

Slowly I began to float back down to the chair. The red flame growing smaller, and the fog in my head cleared. The flame then went out and the room was dark all except for the candlelight on the small table by the door and my still pulsing aura.

I took a huge breath, trying to calm myself down. My body still excited. I looked at Jillian for answers.

She opened her eyes in awe. She took in my light and then moved to open the bag once more. She pulled out a small black book. The cover was velvet with the same strange symbols on it. She then pulled out a quill and ink and began to write very quickly.

"This prophecy is one that is hard to be deciphered. But my ancestors have helped me all that they can. And I believe I know what you will have to do." she said as she continued to write.

"The prophecy itself speaks of a girl born from a royal descent, born as an only child to a full vampire father and a half vampire mother. She has power beyond any other supernatural being in our universe. She will grow up in the dark of who she is and the war will have gotten to its worst point in time. Until the time comes for her to arise into a full powered vampire. She then will be turned into a shadow lurker, the curse of a vampire being bitten and killed by a demon with the intention of changing into a demon vampire hybrid. She will then be an unstoppable force, to help end the vampire and demon war."

My eyes went wide. "When does all this start?"

She looked up. "Tonight."

My eyes grew wide. I sat in silence as she continued to write. I couldn't really take it all in. my mind just wouldn't let me as I thought over her words. But then I stopped.

"Wait, you said the vampire will come from the royal descent. I am not from the royal descent. Nor am I an only child, and my mother is full blood and my father a human." I said.

Jillian grimaced. She looked up to me in sympathy. "The woman who has died is not your mother. She is your mother's sister," she spoke softly, her eyes saddened.

I stared at her in disbelief. There was no way. I never even met any of my grandparents. I didn't even think that I had any other family to speak of. So there was no way.

Jillian smiled sadly. "I'm sorry Emery. But when your parents learned of the prophecy, they knew they had to protect you. Your father, the king of the vampire world and your mother were well known. And they knew that the demons could invade them and kill you. So they hid you away with your aunt and her two children from the world. That is why she has been moving you all your life."

I shook my head, refusing to believe. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.

But then I thought about all the moving. Why she was always so insistent on us not talking to anyone or associating with people too much. And then the thought of me not looking like her and my brothers. Their dark features of which I didn't have. Of all the secrets she kept from me about the world of vampires.

I breathed in and out slowly, trying to keep my heart from bouncing out of my chest. Could it all be true? Was Annabelle Carpathia not really my mother, but my aunt?

"I have looked in your past and their pasts. It is true Emery. Your parents wanted you hidden. Your aunt was willing to take care of you, she was already under close watch due to her human infatuation, the man you knew as your father. They smuggled her out of the palace with you and gave you a new name."

I looked back up at her. Her eyes held sincerity and sympathy. "Your name is Princess Aurelia Emery Ulrika. Your father is King Demetrius Aurelio Ulrika. And your mother, Queen Arabella Emera Ulrika Carpathia. They are in hiding as of now because of the war. Their palace is well hidden in the Carpathian mountains."

In my mind, I began to think of what they looked like, and if they would know me. If I would fit in with them like I never fit in anywhere. Would they love me?

"So what happens now?" asked Mark.

"Emery will have to find the man in her vision. The Full blood is very near us. He is sick. And has been searching for an eternity for her. Once you have found him, he will know what to do to help you. From there you will need to be very careful. Your road is rocky and unpredictable." she looked down at her book. Her eyes squinting slightly. "you will need a prophet to help you along your way."

She stood. "Come with me."

I stood. My body feeling heavy and tired. But yet strong. I felt old weights lift off and new ones set in. it was tiring. I took Trinetta's hand as I followed Jillian out of the room and back into the main part of the church.

I looked at Trinetta, she seemed to be thinking. I wondered if she was almost as shocked as I was to find that my mother wasn't my mother. Or maybe she was finally in shock about the vampire world and how complicated it is.

Jillian led us outside. Walking along the dirt road until we got to one of the run-down houses. She walked up the grassed yard and to the front door. She knocked softly.

The door opened to reveal a pretty red-haired girl. She looked to be a few years over me. But still very young. She was maybe a few inches taller than me. Her smile was contagious.

"Hey, mama! Who is this?" she looked around at us all. Her eyes found me and she gasped slightly. "The Halfling?"

Jillian nodded. "Can we come in Sapphire? There is much I need to talk to you about."

The girl, Sapphire, led us into the small house. It was made of stone. The first room we walked into was a small kitchen, then into a little living room. Sapphire gestured for us all to sit down. There were only one couch and two matching chairs. So I decided to stay standing, Trinetta beside me. The others taking the seats.

"Sapphire. The time has come for the big journey that you saw in your future. Emery is the Halfling and she will need all the help she can get. I would like for you to go along with her." spoke Jillian to Sapphire.

Sapphire looked to me with a bright smile. "I would be honoured."

Jillian looked at her for a moment and then spoke in the strange language as she did when she first met me. Sapphire then answered in the same language.

Jillian turned to us. "If we could have just one moment. We will be right back." I nodded and both of them stood and left the room.

"Emery." I turned to look at Daniel. His eyes held both shock and sadness. I didn't have to ask him to know what was wrong. He was shocked and upset to know that I wasn't really his sister, but his cousin.

"I don't even know how to handle this," spoke Vince.

I walked over to where they both sat on the couch. I kneeled down to take both of them in my arms. They hugged me back with all their strength, almost suffocating me.

"It doesn't make a difference to me if we are from the same mother or not. Your still my crazy annoying and loving brothers you always have been to me." I spoke.

They both clutched onto me tighter at my words. Daniel kissed my hair, while Vince whispered that he loved me too. Something I hadn't heard him say since we were kids. He was always too prideful to say it, until now.

We pulled away. I looked them both in the eyes, finding that both of them were shedding tears. I smiled and punched them lightly. "Man up boys." they both laughed and wiped their tears.

"So what do we do now?" asked Blaze from behind the couch.

Kaden looked up at him in apprehension, "Well, I guess we have to look for this guy. Whoever he is."

I sighed, biting my lip. "I think he is an elder vampire. I had a vision and a dream of him willing his power to me."

Kaden looked to me in concern. "Willing someone's power to another is dangerous and painful. It also kills the person willing their power."

"But what if this guy is dangerous?" asked Mark. "What if he tries to hurt us or Emery?"

"We will be there the whole time. No one is going to kill anyone." Spoke up, Daniel. He looked Mark and Kaden with a firm expression. He stood. "I don't care anything about this prophecy. No one is going to kill Emery or any of us. Because I won't let it. We will end this and flee before that happens." his aura lighting up.

The blue colour filling the room and his eyes shining. I stood taking my brother's arm. "Daniel. Calm down. Its ok, I know everything will be ok. I will make sure of it."

He turned looking at me, his eyes slowly returning to his normal shade of light blue instead of the bright shining blue they had been.

I reached up to wipe away a stray tear. "I won't get hurt, Danny boy. I promise." I said smiling, using his old nickname I had called him as a kid.

I turned as we heard Jillian and Sapphire coming back in. they gave us small smiles.

Jillian spoke. "It is decided that you will be leaving tomorrow. Sapphire has been trying to track the man who you will need to find. Tonight you may stay with me. My house is next door. Plus, it looks like you could all use some food." she said smiling warmly.

We all nodded.

Jillian led us over to her house, it was a little bigger then Sapphire's. Jillian was going to stay with Sapphire so we could use her room as well. Though we all did our best to refuse, she still wouldn't budge. So we just thanked her.

Jillian made chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans for us to eat. She was very kind to us. Laughing when Dev wanted to know where her T.V. was.

Jillian explained that they didn't have any electronics. They had one computer and two phones in a small shop for the town to use. And they were very lucky to have actual electricity for lights and cooking.

After we ate, Jillian showed us the three bedrooms she had for us to share. She gave us all blankets and towels for us to take a bath if we wanted to. She apologized that she didn't have a shower.

I sat down on one of the beds after changing and washing my face. The others were busy fighting over who gets a what room, who is sharing with whom and who gets to take a bath first.

I placed my head in my hands, trying to fight away the tears. I couldn't take in all that I had been told, all that had happened in such a short time.

I felt warm arms slide around my shoulders, pulling me against a slender body. I caught the familiar scent of Trinetta. Her soft caresses on my shoulders and back made the stress melt away from my body. My arms wound themselves around her and held her tightly. I didn't want to let go of her. I just wanted to hold onto her forever.