I shut my eyes and concentrate on the graveyard, but the vampire sinks his fangs into my leg and it feels like my skin is on fire. But I focus past the pain, grab a nearby stick off the ground, and flip over onto my back, plunging the stick into the vampire’s back. He screams as I scream, my whole body feeling as though it’s melting, my skin hot wax, my veins ash.
Blood. More stars. Alex. Then I’m sucked away into the darkness.
Chapter 22
When I open my eyes the sun is rising over the mountains and across the valley, painting the land with hues of pink and orange. Birds are chirping and a light breeze caresses my skin. I blink against the morning light, roll over to my stomach, and push myself to my feet. There’s no sign of the vampire anywhere, but there’s ash is scattered in the gravel just in front of my feet so I’m guessing when I stabbed him, it went through his heart.
I stretch my arms above my head and start walking, rounding the corner and crossing the cemetery, looking for Aislin, trying not to think about how I saw the mark on the vampire, which means Stephan’s been getting more followers.
Aislin is in the spot where I left her, gathering her candles, looking pleased with herself. When she sees me, however, she frowns. “You didn’t find her.”
I give her a funny look. “Who…Oh! Aleesa. Shit.” I glance back at the gate. “I completely forgot about her… I ended up running into some trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Aislin asks as we hurry toward the entrance. “And why is your leg bleeding?”
I look down at my leg where blood is soaking through my jeans. Then I sigh and tell her what happened as we leave the cemetery and head back toward the house, searching yards and places nearby, looking for Aleesa.
“So he’s marking vampires now?” Aislin shakes her head, frustrated. “God, this is getting out of control.”
“I know,” I say as we reach the corner of the street. “I need to get into that mapping ball and hopefully fix it.”
We hop over the curb and start across the lawn toward a park, searching for Aleesa.
“I don’t even want to think about where she’d go,” Aislin says as she looks around the slide and swing area of the park
She’s right. Aleesa is so new to the world and the idea that she’s wandering around alone out here is frightening, especially if there are marked vampires and probably other things as well.
“What is that?” Aislin asks, squinting at the road.
I track her gaze to a Mazda parked beside the curb. “Shit.”
The car door opens and Alex gets out, looking pissed. At first I think it’s because we snuck out of the house without telling anyone, but then I see Aleesa sitting in the passenger side of the car.
“Did you two lose something?” he asks as he strides across the lawn toward us.
Aislin lets out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, where did you find her?”
Alex crosses his arms as he halts in front of us. “She came running into the house, screaming at the top of her lungs,” he says. “When I got her to calm down, she told me you two were at the cemetery and that there was a crying fire woman there.”
“Hmmm… that’s weird,” I say, trying to get us out of an Alex lecture. “Maybe she imagined it.”
“It’s okay, Gemma,” Aislin says then looks confidently at her brother. “We were at the cemetery doing a spell which is going to hopefully remove the Mark of Malefiscus… I just need to try it out and see…” Aislin glances at me. “I’d like to try it out on your mom, but I understand if you want me to find another person to test it on first, just in case something happens. We could maybe track down that vampire.”
“I think it’s dead,” I say. “At least I think that’s what the ash was on the ground in front of me.
“Wait, what vampire?” Alex interrupts, with that look on his face that warns me he’s about to go into “Protect Gemma at All Cost Mode”, so I quickly explain to him what happened and that I staked my very first vampire. And for the moment, he kind of looks proud of me, which is a first for me, from anyone. And it makes me feel kind of proud of myself, which is also a first.
Chapter 23
When we arrive at home, Aislin goes up to my mother’s to try and see if she can get the mark off her. After Alex gives me a brief lecture on being more careful with myself then tells me that he thinks that I should start training, to get a better grasp on my fighting skills. But then says that he wants Laylen to do it, not giving an explanation why. But I know the answer—because he’s trying to keep his distance from me.
So I agree and then go up to my room to change out of my pajamas and pull my hair out of my face. As I’m waiting for Laylen to show up, I decide to flip through the Foreseer book some more, to see if I can find the answer to the Purple Flame. It seems more important than ever now that I know the mark is traveling throughout the world.
But after searching through page after page, I grow frustrated and become desperate. I’m not sure if it’s meant for what I’m about to do, but I decide it’s worth the risk of trying.
“The Power of a Foreseer’s Mind.” I shut my eyes, focusing on seeing what I need to see, but am retaliated by light.
See past the light, see what you need to see. I’m not sure whose voice it is but I do as it says and look past the light.
The Purple Flame… the Purple Flame… the… Purple… Sharp pain erupts through my skull, like my head is cracking apart. I tip sideways on the bed and fall out of it. When I hit the floor, I slip deep inside my mind.
***
I’m energized, powerful, glowing. I can feel the energy inside me, about to combust and go out into the world. I’d be free from it and I realize I want to be free from it.
“Open your eyes, Gemma,” a familiar voice whispers.
I open my eyes and then step back. I’m in the City of Crystal standing in front of the massive crystal ball that’s about the size of a football stadium, flaring brightly within the enormous space of the cave. Attached to the crystal, solely by chains are people with tubes embedded in their skin, giving energy to the ball for the Foreseers.
“What you need is not in the book,” the voice says to me. “It’s in there. Touch it and you’ll see.”
I inch tentatively toward the crystal ball then taking a deep breath, I extend my hand toward it. My fingers are magnetized, begging us to connect. When I place my palm on it, the hot surface scorches my skin and a fire blazes through me. My heart slams against my chest as energy zips through my body, charging me. Powerful. I am powerful. I pull away and hold up my hand where a purple flame burns vibrantly in my palm.