Entwined Realms Volume One(89)

“I am not asking you to watch the woman for my sake, Clan Leader, but for you and for your Clan.”

“What do you mean?”

“She is connected to the future of your Clan. Guard her well.” With that pronouncement, the Oracle turned to leave.

“What do you mean?” Terak called after her. “How is she important? What am I to guard her against? I demand answers.”

The Oracle looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Feel free to make an appointment. I believe I’m free in a few years.”

The scene shifted, and now as Terak Larissa was looking upon many arguing gargoyles. Valry stood. “Have we sunk so low as to bow before the Oracle?”

“The Oracle has never been wrong,” called a voice from the back.

“How can she be, when she makes such vague pronouncements? Merely by the act of being observed, this human becomes important to our Clan as she has taken our Mennak away from us for long periods of time. We have no use for the outside world, especially for a woman such as this, one who lives in the confines of the human-only city. Think she cares about gargoyles?”

Loud agreement followed the words, with shouts and stomping of feet. Malek stood. “While I will not say I am in complete disagreement with Valry’s words, I am not so eager to cast off the words of the Oracle. I would wish to observe the human for a period of time. What can that hurt?”

Larissa-as-Terak stood. “I have heard all your words. All of it wise counsel, but I must choose a path. I choose to watch the human. While I do not trust the Oracle, I will not ignore her for no reason other than pride.”

The scene faded, replaced by other. Now the scenes sped up.

Her. It was Terak watching her, before they had ever met.

She saw the seasons change. How long had he been watching her – two, three months?

And then the bottom dropped out of her stomach.

The building across the street. The protective presence she sometimes wondered about, always attributing to an overactive imagination.

Stupid. Stupid woman. Why the hell didn’t you ever question anything? Why did you never question Terak?

Because everything had always been going so fast. There never seemed to be time to sit still and think.

Terak hadn’t shown up as some good Samaritan who happened to pass by. He’d been watching her for a long time.

“Don’t cry, Miss Miller.” Taneasha covered Larissa’s hand with her own. With her other hand, Larissa put her fingertips to her cheek, shocked that tears covered the surface.

“I’m so sorry, but you have to see one more thing.”

Again she was looking from what she assumed was Terak’s point of view. This time he was looking at a man.

Red eyes. No, not a man – a vampire.

They were in a wooded area, the light dim but not yet full dark, so it had to either be at sunrise or sunset. The trees contained the full spectrum of color, which meant this hadn’t happened very long ago. The vampire spoke first. “We need her and her alone. To possess her we would be willing to pay a very high price.”

The vampire had to mean her. He was talking to Terak about her.

“How high?”

No, no. That can’t be. Terak was setting him up, there was some kind of trap being planned at that exact moment. He could not be asking what this vampire would give in exchange for her.

“When we return the Magic Realm to its former state, gargoyles will rule over all, second only to the necromancers.”

Any moment, a band of gargoyles would jump out and trap the vampire. Any moment.

Any moment.

“I need time to consider my options. How do I contact you to reopen negotiations?”

The little ball went white.

The heater in the school room kicked on, blowing hot air directly overhead. Outside the door the five-minute warning bell rang, indicating that class would be over soon. A couple doors opened, and a low hum of voices drifted on air currents.

All so normal. How could everything be so normal? Shouldn’t this much pain be heralded by some change: a blizzard, a volcanic explosion? Shouldn’t something happen in the world when her heart shriveled in her chest?

Terak had betrayed her.

He had been watching her for months, planning to give her to the vampires since the beginning. Helping her? He probably was keeping her safe to get better terms for his Clan.

Taneasha wrapped Larissa’s hand with her own. “Miss Miller, I know they’re watching you right now. I can cast a spell to get you out of here without them seeing. Do you want that? I can take you to my Master and he can help.”

“Yes.” She’d use Taneasha’s help to get away from them, then she’d go home. She’d tell Dad everything and let him figure out the next step, because she was done. She was finished being terrorized and bullied and made love to…