The First Touch (51 page)

That was when she noticed it, a waving of grey figures behind each of the council members. They moved as if they were
separate
but still grounded, connected at their feet to each of their bodies. But unlike the dragon figure that she had seen before, their bodies were colorless, save Serena’s
whose
eyes glowed with golden globes that rested in her
sockets
.
Autumn
was surprised to see that Galen’s wings
which
were also connected to his wavering shadow as well. She had so many
questions;
she hoped t
hat Utvic was able to find some
thing for her.

Autumn
cleared her throat and turned towards Grayton and smiled unusually brightly, “Grayton will you please come with me?” He nodded and followed her out of the room and then as soon as the door closed
,
she slumped towards the ground.

Grayton caught her waist and pulled her back up to him. Then
Autumn
mumbled eyes closed, “I need to see Ivan.”

He
nodded and picked her up
carrying
her in his arms
, “
I will take you to him.”

Autumn
whispered
, “
Thank you,
” and she rested her head on his shoulder rubbing her eyes allowing them to close
, “
Did I do ok?”

He
grinned
, “You were perfect.”

She
smiled her eyes still closed and her voice st
rained, “Yay
me.”

She nodded off and then came to almost
immediately
blinking the sleep from her eyes, “Wake me when you find him.” Grayton grunted his
disapproval
, and
Autumn
asked sleepily, “Is that a yes?”

“Yes, but you obviously need to rest.”

Autumn
nodded
, “
I will, just take me to him please.”

Gr
ayton replied, “As you wish
.”
She
grinned, nuzzled his neck and
went to sleep.

New Eyes

Ivan came to and sat up. H
e was in the basement cell, covered in blankets. He pushed them
off
and a pad of paper fell on to the floor. Ivan tried the door,
but
it was locked. Then he turned and picked up the pad of paper and saw a note
written
upon
it.
Autumn
asked me to take you from the stage and keep you safe.
Ivan huffed and dropped the note pad on the bed and tried the door again.

Then he heard scratching behind him and he turned around
,
looking at th
e note pad. A
floating pencil was scratching a message on to the paper. Ivan walked over and read
Autumn
is alive, Mirth is dead
.

Ivan asked the space above the pencil, “Then why am I here?”

The pencil scribbled, “She was hungry I do not think that she will come and retrieve you until she has eaten her fill. She seemed...”

The pencil stopped and Ivan asked seeming frustrated, “She seemed what?”

The pencil scribbled, “She seemed different, changed,
and darker
. She is the eye.”

Ivan nodded, “But?”

The pencil scribbled quickly,
“She looks different, Isisa
, only darker. Her eyes are unlike anything I have ever seen before. It was quite disturbing
,
when I saw them
, perhaps
better once she eats.”

Ivan said seeming worried then, “Describe them to me.”

The pencil wrote slowly stopping and starting jerkily, “They were solid
metallic
blue
... with a pea
rl sheen... that moved
...inside of them as if they were trying to escape.”

Ivan nodded, “Her face, veiny like
Mirth’s
as well?”

The pencil wrote, “Yes. There were more of them though and other changes. Her
features
were sharper some
how and she moved differently.”

“
She may need me.”

The pencil shook back and forth chastising him then and wrote, “She wanted you away from her so she would not hurt you, her beast was strong and she was barely able to contain it long enough for me to take you from the stage.”

Ivan asked, “Me?”

The pencil hesitated and then wrote
,
“M
y name is Utvic,
I
am a sort of
a
personal guard for the eye.”

“Why have I never known this before?”

The pencil scribbled, “
I
s
i
sa
requested that I stay hidden.
Autumn
seems to have another agenda for me.”

Ivan soured
, “Baby sitter.”

Utvic scribbled, “I do what I am told...” Then the pencil tapped and continued, “I consider it an honor to protect the mate of the eye.”

Ivan shot the pencil a look, “She is not my mate.”

Utvic laughed silently,
then
scribbled
, “
She seems to think otherwise.”

“
When did she say this?”

Utvic scribbled, “Last night while she
waited for her sleep to come. She sleeps a great deal for a vessel. I
s
i
sa
would go months without sleep.”

“I feared that she was holding back her powers, since her first mentioning of the darkness inside her.”

He
replied writing quickly, “I fear you may be right.”

Ivan asked then turning from the pencil, “Did she say why she did not come to me and tell me herself?”

Utvic nodded though he realized that Ivan was still awaiting an answer, “She said that she wanted to keep you out of danger for as long as possible. She made me promise, she said when she was finished today that she would tell you then.”

Ivan asked, “If she told you not to tell then why are you doing it now?”

Utvic shrugged invisibly again and replied
, “
The test is finished, there is no point in you not knowing, besides, I needed to stall for more time.”

Ivan asked narrowing his eyes, “Stall.”

“This cell will not hold you if you are determined to get out.” Ivan nodded seeming satisfied, then Utvic scribbled, “Someone is coming.”

***

Grayton slid his hand up and unlocked the door to the cell and walked inside carrying
Autumn
safely in his arms. Ivan was standing next to the bed his eyes on
Autumn
instantly, “What is wrong with her?”

Grayton snapped back, “Nothing she is just tired,
she killed Mirth and his
clan.”

Autumn
turned opening
her eyes sleepily frowning confused, “Mirth?”

Grayton hushed her, “No go back to sleep.”

Autumn
frowned and nuzzled him again; about to drift back off to sleep then she stopped herself. She began sniffing his neck and then bit him and he hissed in pain and she lifted her head her brow furrowed, “I told you to wake me when you found him.” Grayton handed her off to Ivan
who pulled her tightly to him, she
watched Grayton out of the corner of her eye, “Don’t be so over dramatic, I didn’t even break the skin.”

Grayton smiled and winced, “I will leave you two alone.”

Autumn
smiled and nuzzled Ivan and said, “Thank you Utvic and thank you Grayton.”

Grayton seemed confused by her words but did not stop to ask his comfort level being met at seeing her smiling in Ivan’s arms.
Utvic slipped out as
Grayton closed t
he door behind him saying, “You are
welcome.” Ivan
lay
Autumn
down on the bed and stood next to it watching her. She finally looked up at Ivan then, her brows furrowing, pat
ting the bed next to her. He stood
stiffly and watched her unmoving.
Autumn
rolled over facing away from him and said, “Hold me love.”

Ivan
lay
next to her and slid his arm around her though he did not pull her closely.
Autumn
huffed and then
scooted
back, grabbing
his arm
, pulling him
closer to her body. When she released his arm he loosened his grip again, and
Autumn
snapped turning towards Ivan
in annoyance
, “What’s wrong?” Ivan cringed at her words, but he didn’t speak, so
she
huffed, “Should I just call for
Drake
then?”

Ivan seemed confused, “
Drake
?”

Autumn
snapped back, “Yes
Drake
, he owes me and I will sleep better if I am being held by someone who makes me feel safe.”

Ivan huffed, “Do you want me to go and get him?”

“No I want you to tell me why your acting so strangely so I can go back to sleep.”

Ivan’s eyes widened, “You look different.”

“Yes I guessed that. Is that why you’re uncomfortable?” Ivan did not answer, and
she
took it as a yes, and she cursed under her breath.

Ivan twitche
d slightly when she
cursed,
Autumn
asked seeming alarmed now
, “
How different could it be? What do I look like?” Ivan still did not answer and
Autumn
felt the anger beginning to build, “Am I that different? Am I hideous? Am I
zombie all puss and oozing?”
She began frantically touching her face but it felt the same to her. Then she saw his look of fear and
she
jumped from the bed, “Am I like demon scary?” Then she cursed again and then touched her face again the anxiety building in her chest.

Autumn
recognized that something was wrong t
hen, “You should go now Ivan.” W
hen
she
felt p
ain shoot through her then, Ivan stepped closer to her
and her cold voice snapped, “Get out.”
Autumn
felt the fire building in her chest and she cursed again grabbing her chest. Ivan still stood there watching, and
she
hissed weakly, “The fire is coming. Run and take the guards with you.” Ivan
finally
backed away slowly and banged on the door
, reluctantly
. It opened and he slipped out and told the guards to clear the basement.

Then to
Autumn
’s
disappointment Ivan stepped back into the room leaving the door ajar.
She
dropped to her knees and closed her eyes and whispered, “I am scared Ivan, please leave.”
Autumn
saw him walk over and open the door, then
Autumn
heard Galen’s wings flapping and heavy thudding coming from a parade of feet. Serena was the first to the door and
Autumn
dropped her head to the ground as her skin began to bubble,
as she screamed,
“Away!”

Serena already had her arms around Ivan pulling him from the room. Ivan struggled against her in the
hallway, their feet shuffling. W
hen a thud followed and Serena hissed, “She will kill you if you stay.”

Ivan growled, “She needs help.”

Serena hissed, “I saw you die!”
Sending a look of disbelief from Ivan
, while distracted
Galen bit into his
neck while Henry held him and more growling followed, Ivan continued g
runting and snarling as they drug
him away.

Seconds later, they opened the final heavy door leading from the cellar to the mai
n floor. As they finally yanked
Ivan through it
,
flames shot from the door way covering
them all in it
. They scattered
,
Henry dragging Ivan with him as
he crashed
thru several walls to escape the flames that followed him. When they were
all
safe enough that the flames could no longer reach them Henry finally put Ivan down.