The Sacrifice (29 page)

As
she climbed the long staircase, tears blurred her vision. With each passing
day, hope fell away from her like the leaves she
’
d
watched float to the ground from her balcony at the compound. What she wouldn
’
t
give to be back there, wrapped in the security of Cy
’
s
arms. Instead, despair wrapped around her like a living entity, pulling her
deeper into its bottomless pit.

***

After
Lily reached her room, she emptied the food from her pocket and looked for
Iggy. He wasn
’
t there yet. She knew if she made Vind mad enough,
he
’
d send her to her room.

Before
long, Ms. Rizzo unlocked her
door
and came inside.
“Master Vind
would like for you to come help him feed his pet, Miss Lily. Afterward, I will
bring hot cocoa to help you sleep.”

“Riana
said I should stay away from you. I
’
m not helping him do
anything.”

Ms. Rizzo gave her an arched stare.
“Child, this is not a request. When Master Vind tells you to do something, you
will
obey. If you refuse to
cooperate, Riana will pay for your disobedience.”

Lily
didn
’
t want to make things harder for Riana. She
’
d
heard Riana crying herself to sleep at night. “Fine.”

She jumped down from the tall bed and
followed Ms. Rizzo to the end of the hall. They got on an elevator and went one
floor up. When the door opened, Lily hesitated and peered down a dim-lit
hallway. It reminded her of a spook house Kyra once took her to. “What kind of
pet is it? Why would it be up here and not outside?”

Lily flinched when the women grabbed
her wrist and yanked her through the elevator doors. “Come along child, and
stop asking questions.”

At the end of the hall they entered a
large room. Vind stood in front of a glass enclosure covering one end. He
watched and whispered to something inside.

Lily stopped several feet away and
looked, but the only thing inside were plants and trees. She locked her knees
as Vind reached back, grabbed her arm and pulled her forward.

“
Come out, Salvador,
” he called. “There
’
s someone here I want you to meet.” Vind placed
his hand on the back of Lily
’
s neck, his grip painful as he pushed her closer.

Lily
’
s
heart raced when an enormous, gray and black snake slithered to the edge of the
glass.

“
No, Salvador,
” he crooned. “The child is not your dinner, although I do have a
treat for you tonight.” Vind squatted, forcing Lily to look into his black
eyes. “He does enjoy the occasional child.” He turned back to the snake. “However,
he knows it is only on
special occasions
.” He said the last two words
loud, as if he were scolding the snake.

Her knees trembled as the snake came
closer. “Can he talk to you?”

“Yes,
as a matter of fact he can. We have a bond, because I
’
ve
fed him my blood since he was young. It made him incredibly large and strong.
Not to mention, smart,” he boasted.

Lily
’
s
face reflected in the snake
’
s glassy eyes, as he moved his nose back and forth
over small holes in the glass.

“Do
you know what he
’s doing?
” Vind shoved Lily against the glass.

She gasped in a large breath and held
it. Unable to speak, she shook her head. She had no doubt Vind was about to put
her inside the cage.

“He
is memorizing your scent,” Vind said. “Once he has it, he will never forget who
you are. He
’
ll be able to find you anywhere inside the castle.
He will fantasize about how good you will feel sliding down his throat, and how
content he
’
ll be while you lie inside him and digest.”

Vind pushed a button on the wall. The
monstrous snake whirled around and slithered toward the end of the cage. A
small door slid into the wall, and a baby lamb came through. As soon as it saw
the snake, it turned back toward the door to make an escape. But, Vind pushed
the button again. Both Lily and the lamb jumped as the door slammed shut
trapping it inside.

Lily turned her head away.

No,
no, no! I can
’
t watch this!

Vind
’
s
grip tightened painfully on her neck, and he forced her head back toward the
cage. She covered her eyes with her hands, and he pried them away.

“You
will
watch this, or you
’
ll be next.”

Lily
’
s
heart pounded, and tears blurred her vision as she watched the lamb pace the
length of the wall, searching for the nonexistent door.

Suddenly
the snake was on him. It pinned the lamb against the wall, and latched its
fangs into the side of the lamb
’
s neck. Lily released a loud sob while her mind
screamed,
no!

“He
’
s
draining its life-blood. Since he has my blood regularly, he craves it, the
same as I,” Vind said, as if he were proud. “He will not kill him. He prefers
his victims to be aware of what is happening, but too weak to put up a fight.”

It
didn
’
t take long before weakness overcame the lamb and
its legs crumpled. The snake then clamped its huge mouth over the sheep
’
s
head, and slowly started consuming it. Each time Lily averted her eyes, Vind
’
s
grip tightened around her neck. Then he
’
d push her face
against the cage again, a non-verbal threat to put her inside with the snake.

“Why are you doing this?” Lily cried.

“Because
I am growing tired of you defying me,” he said through clenched teeth. “It
’
s
time you realized who you
’
re dealing with. If you keep it up, and don
’
t
do as you
’
re told,
this,
” he motioned toward the
snake, “will become your fate.” Large tears flooded Lily
’
s
cheeks.

I
’
m as trapped and helpless as that poor lamb.

After
the giant snake consumed the lamb, it was nothing more than a bulge inside of a
monster. The same way Vind would consume her and Riana if they didn
’
t
get away.

Lily
heard her sister
’
s voice, and what she said the day their parents
died. ‘We are strong Lily, not weak. We will never allow ourselves to become
victims again.
’
At that moment, Lily decided to let Vind think he
had broken her will, if that
’
s what it took. She was more determined than ever
to find a way for her and Riana to escape the monster standing beside her.

When
Vind finally turned Lily loose, her neck ached where he
’
d
squeezed. He instructed Ms. Rizzo to take her to her room. Lily kept quiet and
her head down on the walk back. When they arrived, hot cocoa waited on her
bedside table. Ms. Rizzo stood over her and waited for her to finish. She
gulped down the warm beverage so the woman would leave. Exhausted from the
ordeal, Lily curled into a ball on the bed, and drifted off to sleep on a
tear-soaked pillow.

Iggy changed into ferret form to wake
Lily. The last thing he wanted was to frighten her, so he nudged her face with
his cool, wet nose.

Lily
’
s
lids fluttered as if they
’
d been glued together. “Iggy,” she whispered. She
ran her hand down the fur on his back. “I tried to stay awake and wait for you,
but I got too sleepy. I brought you lots of food from the evening meal.”

“
Good, I
’
m starved. It took me a while to find a way
inside. I had to wait until the kitchen staff opened the back door before I
could get inside. In fly form, I
’
m so fast no one can catch me,” he bragged,
telepathically. “I
’
m going to change back to my natural form to eat.
It
’
s easier when you have thumbs,” he snickered as he
jumped off the bed onto the floor. “Would you mind throwing a blanket over me
while I change?”

Lily did as he asked and placed her
blanket over him.

Iggy
summoned his true form, and then popped his mop of blond curls from beneath the
cover. He laughed at the wide-eyed look on Lily
’
s face. He wrapped
the blanket around him and sat on the bed beside her.

While he ate, Lily told him a horrible
story about an enormous snake and the guy holding them hostage threatening to
put her inside the cage. Then she told him about her sister, and everyone at
the compound. By the time he finished eating, Lily’s lids were heavy and he
could tell she struggled to stay awake.

“Iggy,” she said sleepily. “Will you
stay here with me tonight?”

“I
’
ll
stay and make sure no one harms you. Sleep sweet, Lily Magnolia.”

The
words had no sooner left his mouth before Lily slipped into a relaxed sleep.
Iggy sat on the bed and plotted his revenge on Vind for scaring someone as
sweet and innocent as her. Someone inside this place had already harmed her. He
’
d
sensed it while playing with her in ferret form at the garden today. When he
had climbed onto her stomach, he
’
d felt her pain and a definite injury. He swore to
remain with her and find out who it was. Then they would pay just like the bald
guy would for killing his brother. But first, he had a snake to take care of.

He covered Lily with the blanket and
changed into a fly. Iggy traveled the vents to the next floor. The scent drew
him to the exact room. He stopped in mid-air as he saw the massive viper inside
the cage, stretched beneath thick vegetation. The bulge of the lamb was still
evident.

Good,
that should slow him down a bit.

Iggy
flew around to the small door leading inside the cage. In order to get inside,
he changed back to his natural form, then pulled the door open and latched it.
As he crawled through the opening, he used his own weight as a gauge and
changed into a ninety-eight pound hedgehog. Besides being a most effective
snake killer, the quills would protect him from the viper
’s poisonous bite.

The
snake turned and slithered toward him. Iggy tightened the muscles in his body
that lifted his quills. He launched toward the snake, and tucked his legs into
a tight ball, rolling his massive body over the snake’s head.
Bingo!
His
quills penetrated one of the snake
’
s eyes, and blood
ooze from the wounds where each one made contact.

Iggy
’
s
breath came in quick gasps as he circled the snake, choosing the exact angle to
inflict the most damage. He propelled his massive body toward the snake
’
s
head, aiming for its remaining eye. When Iggy straightened, the snake flung its
head from side to side, blood spraying from both eyes. Without a moment to
spare, Iggy pounced on the snake and latched his long teeth behind its neck. A
satisfying crunch vibrated through Iggy
’
s jaws, and he
separated the viper’s head from its body.

Take
that, you monster! You will not be eating Lily!

As
Iggy glanced at the blood running down the glass walls, he felt a moment of
satisfaction. Then he thought about how mad Vind would be when he saw the dead
snake. If he connected it to Lily, she might be in even more danger. But who
would believe a child her size could kill a giant snake? He
’
d
just have to make sure none of this fell on her. He
’
d
sworn to protect Lily and that
’
s what he
’
d do.

He
changed back to a fly and hurried to Lily
’
s room. As Iggy flew
through the vent, a female who worked in the castle had Lily
’
s
sleeping body in her arms. She strode out of the room, and Iggy barely made it
through the door before it slammed shut. He lit on the woman
’
s
shoulder as she waddled down the hall and stopped in front of an elevator.

Where
on Earth was she taking Lily? Using telepathy, Iggy yelled for Lily to wake up.
She was so sound asleep she couldn
’
t hear him. He had no
choice but to stay with her. If he went after Riana, he
’
d
lose them.

The woman got off the elevator on the
top floor. She entered a large room that smelled like antiseptic, and laid Lily
on an exam table.

Iggy
zipped from one side of the room to the other. He had to do something, but
what? He didn
’
t want to leave Lily to go for help. He froze in
mid-air when the door opened.

A man in a white lab coat came into
the room. “Hello, Ms. Rizzo. How has she been today?”

“She
’
s
fine,
” the woman snapped, her
tone filled with disdain. “She is becoming somewhat difficult. Master Vind is
losing patience with her.

The
man in the white coat rubbed his chin. “I guess the drugs we
’
re
using to put her to sleep could cause some irritability. Maybe I should adjust
her dose,” he mumbled to himself.

Iggy
’
s
wings accelerated, and he zipped from surface to surface. If he didn
’
t
change from a fly soon he would draw attention to himself. He flew up to a vent
in the ceiling so he could see what was happening and still move around
undetected.

The
woman removed Lily
’
s underwear and placed her feet in stirrups on
each side of the table. The man sat on a stool at Lily
’
s
feet and pulled a rolling table over to him. It held a tray of surgical
instruments.

Iggy panicked.

 “
Oh
crap, what are they doing to Lily? I have to stop this, now!
” He shifted
into a hornet, flew down, and circled the man
’
s head. A bald spot
on top gave Iggy the perfect bull
’
s-eye. He picked up as much speed as possible and
sat down stinger first with everything he had.

Before the man had a chance to react,
Iggy nailed him two more times, once on top of each ear. He shot back to the
vent and watched the man flail his arms in the air, wincing in pain.

“What the hell was that?” the man
screamed.

“I
think it was a bee.” The woman looked at the top of his head. “There
’
s a
large, red, swollen spot.”

“It
stung my ears and they
’
re on fire.” He touched the top of his head and
winced.

“Are you able to continue, or do you
want to put this off until tomorrow night?”

“I
must continue. If I don
’
t get some of her eggs harvested each night, Vind
is going to kill me. After his marriage, he
’
s promised the child
to Soren. Even if she lived through what that cruel bastard will do to her, a
female this young would have nothing left of her reproductive tract to
salvage.”

Alarm
shot through Iggy. His heart raced as he flew through the ventilation system.
He had to find Riana
’
s bedroom. He shot through the vent and hovered
over her bed for a moment. She
’
d never seen him. Why hadn
’
t
he let Lily tell Riana about him? This could turn real ugly. Oh, well, here
goes nothing. “Reeeana, wake up!” He shouted telepathically. She was sleeping
almost as sound as Lily.
What are they giving them to make them sleep like
this?
After the third try and still no response, he screamed as loud as he
could,
“Riana, wake-up-now!”

***

Riana
’
s
heart leapt as a voice screamed her name. She sat up in bed and squinted,
searching the dim lit room. “Who
’
s there?”

“It
’
s
Iggy. We need your help.”

 A bug buzzed by her and
disappeared into the bathroom. Riana flopped back on the bed. She must be
dreaming.

“I
have to talk to you. Lily
’
s in trouble,” the voice said.

Riana
sat back up in bed. Dream or no dream, ‘Lily
’
s in trouble’ got her
attention.

“Wait,
did you say you were Lily
’
s ferret friend?”

“Yes!
It
’
s Iggy. Hurry, get up. We have to stop them.”

“Stop who—?” Her words died when a boy
came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. He
looked about thirteen and stood around five-six, with a lean, athletic build. A
crop of golden blond curls framed an angelic face. However, right now he was so
hyper he looked like an angel on speed.

“Hurry,
Riana! We have to stop them! They took her to a room upstairs, and there
’
s
this doctor taking her eggs. He said Vind was going to give Lily to that big
bald feeder, Soren. He will end up killing her. Please, Riana. We can
’
t
let him do to her what he
’
s done to the others. She
’
s
just an innocent little girl.”

Iggy
dashed around the room, talking so fast Riana couldn
’
t
keep up. All she knew for sure was Lily
’
s in trouble. Riana
grabbed her robe and pulled it on over her nightgown. “Okay, calm down and show
me where she is. You did the right thing by coming to get me.”

As
Riana ran down the hall, Iggy vanished and his towel hit the floor. Some type
of insect buzzed past her ear. She pushed the button on the elevator and the
doors opened. Ms. Rizzo stood inside with Lily asleep in her arms. Heat
radiated from Riana
’
s face. She stepped forward and took Lily from the
woman. She wanted to beat the ever-loving hell out of the old hag. “What have
you done to her?”

“Nothing,”
Ms. Rizzo said.
“She wasn
’
t feeling well. I
took her up to see the doctor. He gave her something to help her sleep.”

“That witch is lying!”

Riana
winced, as Iggy
’
s scream blared inside her head. “
I don’
t believe you.” Her hatred for the women drenched each word. “If you
have harmed her, I
will
kill you. If you ever come near Lily again, I
will slice you into so many pieces they will
never
find them all!” Her
eyes narrowed. “I
’
m a surgeon. Trust me. I have
no
problem
using a knife on someone.” Her legs shook from the surge of adrenaline flooding
her body.