Call Out My Name

EPISODE THIRTEEN

“I can’t tell you that either,” he said, holding up his hands. I laughed. This was completely ridiculous. Utterly useless to the very end.

“You helped them capture my dragons and you can’t tell me where they are?” I run the hand that didn’t have fire through my hair. “I should kill you now” I gritted.

“You should” he agreed.

"This is why Aysa will always be the better man" I hissed. "Even if he is dead" I added quickly. Soren didn't know that the half--blood prince was alive and I planned to keep it that way.

Soren flinched at my words

“Leave Soren and next time you want to wonder why we are not together. Get a mirror” he scurried out of my house and the ball of fire in my hand went out.

I had so much work to do and nowhere to start.

Maybe I had a start. The witches were taken by the Bellefortes, my dragons too. I was sure Soren knew exactly where they were. All I had to do was follow him until he led me somewhere but that was easy to say and harder to do with his guards. It was a long shot. Too long.

I took sage from the kitchen. I would cast a good luck spell. I needed it. Sighing, I burnt the sage leaves and circled it around my head, reciting the incantation I heard mother use years ago.

The door clicked open and Grace walked in, face flushed.

“Alphea, you won’t believe what happened today” she rushed. Did the good luck charm work already? Grace poured herself a glass of water, gulping the whole thing down, it dripped onto her scrubs but she didn’t seem to care.

“What happened to you?” I frowned at her appearance.

“Car broke down. Had to run”

“There was a witch in the hospital” she smiled. “Just five years old but a witch. Her throat was slit. Some guy brought her in. Said he found her washed up at the bank of a river”

I didn’t get it. Why was she so happy? A witch was dying.

“Why are you so happy about this?” I was so confused.

“She had burn marks on her wrist. They’re wounds from being captured. She might have been captured with other witches. She could help us” she squealed.

Was Grace always like this? Figures. Now I had awoken, there was no need to play the strict caring mother.

“She’s in critical condition though. That’s why I rushed back for you. I need you to heal her”

“What” I gasped. “If I heal her, won’t the doctors find it weird? They’d know it was a witch’s work and we’d have put a target on our backs.” I said, voicing out my thoughts.

“She needs you. You’re her queen now” Grace took my hands in hers, a pleading look in her eyes.

I gave it some thought. Mother was gone, it was all on me. “Let’s go” I said, rushing to grab my car key.

We reached the hospital quickly because of how fast I drove. The little girl was lying in a bed, all kinds of machines going in and out of her. I could feel her power, it was fighting hard to keep her alive but she wouldn't last without help. Her chest rose and fell heavily. I walked up to her and held her hand. Grace stood at the door keeping watch.

She was on the verge of death, I couldn’t heal her. I closed my eyes and tried again. Somehow, I knew what to do. I did what I had seen my mother do back in Valrok when she turned a woman into a witch. I put a small piece of myself in her. I felt something snap in me, a silver ball of light, the size of a marble flew out of my mouth and into hers.

Her eyes opened, flashing silver briefly. She closed her eyes, her breathing slowed down and she fell into the gentle embrace of sleep.

I fell to the ground when I tried to stand. I was dizzy and tired. I felt like I was dying but I wasn’t.

“Grace” I breathed. She hurried to my side and helped me up.

“Bring her home. Find a way. Whoever did this will come back to finish the job” I held onto her, my breathing was slow and heavy.

“Let me take you home first” I nodded, leaning against her for support. I needed to get stronger or we were all screwed. As we walked out of the room, I noticed a strand of her black hair turning silver like mine.

There was a golden envelope at our doorstep when we arrived home. It was an invitation to the annual Belleforte ball. I had never attended one before. Now, I would.

I had to.

The school was buzzing with gossip of the purple rebels. Apparently, they had struck again. They had been a pain to the supernatural government for a few years now—stealing precious jewels and well-guarded items. Well, it wasn’t my problem anyways. I bumped into a student and my books fell to the ground.

Not again, I thought to myself as I picked them up.

The boy handed me a book, I went to thank him but froze when I saw a flash of purple eyes.

Aysa?

He hurried off, leaving me confused. Aysa just pretended like we didn't know each other.

Hurt filled my chest but I pushed it away and walked to class. I would talk to him later.

I shook it off and hurried to my first class.

Brady sat beside me, her annoying smirk in place. “Okay, what is wrong with you?”

“Me? I’m fine” she brushed me off but she still had that look. The look that said ask me. Ask me. Ask me.

“What is it?”

“There’s a new hot guy” she squealed. “Came in this morning. He’s so hot. Beautiful skin and eyes. He’s got the muscled body of a thirty-year-old. I’m not even sure that’s legal” she sighed dreamily.

Oh Brady. I facepalmed.

During lunch break, Brady kept staring behind me and sighing. Leah smacked her a few times to snap her out of it but she didn’t. When she sighed for the hundredth time, I turned around to check out what she was staring.

“It’s the new kid” she sighed. Again.

I followed her line of sight to find the boy. He sat with a group of six friends, all new kids I was guessing. They spoke quietly amongst themselves. He wasn’t talking, only listening.

Brady was right. He was gorgeous.

I turned back towards my friends “I’m going to the Belleforte ball this year” I announced.

“You never attend,” Leah said.

“It has something to do with what you saw in Prince Soren’s head. Doesn’t it?” Carl asked.

“It does. I might find something if I snoop around their house” I replied. “Who’s coming?” I smiled at them.

“All of us” Leah squeaked, excited for our first mission.

“What’s the exact plan?” Brady asked.

“The study. I’m sure there’s something in the study or the basement” I replied, I didn’t have any plan. I was going to dive in and run out.

“What about the underground tunnels they have?” Carl suggested.

Underground tunnels?

“I got lost during last year’s ball and ended up in this underground tunnel in the Belleforte mansion. A guard found me. He was not happy to see me there. Not happy at all” he narrated.

“Can you take us there?” Leah stared intensely at Carl.

“Like I said, I got lost. Can’t really remember how I got there. It’s a pretty big place” he shrugged. “But maybe being there might jog my memory”

I nodded, satisfied that he was willing to try.

I felt uneasy though, I was putting them in danger, lots of it but they were willing. Maybe they needed to see so they could make a final decision. I needed to show them what we were really up against.

This wasn't child's play. Someone could die. We all could.