Thirteen
1111 Words
Gladdis had spent most of the day giving me a breakdown on this realm. It turns out vampires, werewolves and argents weren't the only kind to be banished here. According to Gladdis, the realm was oversaturated with additional beings such as faeries, werejags, pixies, seers and werebears. It was safe to say all this was going to take some getting used too.
Gladdis said it was rare for the kinds to intermingle, with the argents inhabiting the North and the vampires controlling the south. Werewolves took the East and werejags took the West. The faeries, pixies, werebears and seers moved around in their 'packs' a lot, never seeming to settle in one place. It made me wonder where my father had taken respite, considering no one had seen or heard from him in over twenty-one years. Right now, my priority was Wroe but locating my father was certainly on my to-do list.
Once Gladdis told me I could control the elements, obviously the first thing I did was see what I could do outside the cottage. Unfortunately, other than somehow creating a gush of wind to suddenly knock me off my feet, I wasn't able to do much. However, Gladdis said she had a friend coming over in a few days who was an expert in controlling elements, so I'm hoping whoever he is can teach me.
On other news, I was given some more information on this 'Ajax', the Vampire King who I'm convinced has taken my brother as leverage. Supposedly, every year on the Blood Moon Ajax hosts a grand ball in celebration for his followers. It's an evening of feasting, praying, dancing and probably sticking their fangs into whatever they can find. Even the guards join in. And, it just so happens to be tomorrow night. Now, I understand that it may seem rather stupid to just jump into the lions den with no admirable skills to get out, but I'll take any chance I can get when it comes to recusing my brother.
The plan was quite simple really, sneak in as a server, find the dungeons and my brother, sneak back out. Job done.
Besides, it wasn't as though I was going in completely blind. Gladdis' nephew, Joey, made an appearance this morning. He was an incredible warrior for the witches council and after we went back and forth regarding how stupid my plan was, he finally gave in to my stubbornness and decided to use the next few hours to teach me as much as possible about fighting.
"Willow, keep your hands up!" Joey groaned, bringing my wrists in front of my face, just as he had the previous seven times he had said the same. "I keep forgetting! I'm too busy trying to stop you from tackling me to the ground again." I retorted, feeling the burning sensation on my backside after it had hit the hard surface more times than I could remember.
Joey chuckled, shaking his head, as he stepped back into starting position. I raised my wrists, blocking unwanted blows to my face as we circled one another, our eye contact never breaking. His long, wavy blonde hair danced with the wind as a mischievous twinkle surfaced in his chocolate eyes. He was about to lunge. But this time I knew what to do. He had told me to use my small frame to my advantage, so that was exactly what I planned to do.
Joey leaped across to me in a sudden movement, almost catching me off guard. Almost. I quickly skid underneath him, missing his blow before jumping to my feet and sending a painful kick to his back, causing him to fall flat to the floor. I heard him chuckle as he started to regain his composure, but I seized the opportunity by straddling him and pinning his arms to the ground.
Just as a smirk started to creep along my lips, he quickly bucked his hips and sent me flying over him. Quicker than I could blink, he straddled my back, keeping me in place. "Do you yield?" He teased.
I slumped my body, tricking him into thinking he had won this round. As he loosened his grip, I took the opportunity to send my elbow into his abdomen with a powerful strike. Joey groaned as he rolled onto his back, his face scrunched up as he bared the pain. I jumped to my feet in a swift movement, before standing over Joey with a quirked brow. "You know, I think I'm getting the hang of this." I shrugged, pressing my lips tightly together to avoid the giggle that was threatening to escape. Joey shot me a deathly glare before finding his feet. "Again." He ordered.
Four hours later I collapsed on the bed, my body finally admitting defeat after a gruelsome afternoon of training. I'm not kidding when I say it hurts to even blink. I groaned as I sat up against the headboard, I needed to get a bath and relax my muscles so I was ready for tomorrow.
A dreadful feeling compiled in the pit of my stomach, nervous for what was to come but I pushed it away as I drew a bath in the ensuite, ignoring it completely. There was no time to be nervous. Wroe's life was in danger and by the sounds of things, rescuing him from Dracula was considered mild compared to the plans the fates had in store for me.
As the water filled the tub, I looked through the collection of clothes Gladdis had arranged for me in the wardrobe. Joey said Ajax liked his workers in next to nothing during the Blood Moon. He considered a woman's body a 'work of art' and what 'better time for it to be cherished than during the night of gratitude and celebration'. I couldn't help but snort at the thought, what a pervert.
The dress code for the servants was red and luckily for me, Gladdis had retrieved me a piece that was perfect. I trailed my fingers along the latex fabric, reaching the hem of the very short dress. The sweetheart neckline was certainly going to flaunt my best assets, whilst the thin straps would show off my toned arms. I studied the dress for a moment, why would Gladdis get me a dress like this? Did she know I would end up planning something like this?
No, surely not. How could she?
I shook my head, deciding not to focus on unnecessary details and instead, enjoy a soak in the bath before getting an early night. After all, tomorrow was going to be a big day.
- Writer
