Raging Blood And Bond

A'xelaan tilted his head to the side as I let my right fingers crawl across his long, manly neck; from the prominent muscle on the side to his apparent collarbone. I rubbed it roughly, feeling the bones with my index tip.

I used to think he was smart-like he'd have already read my intent with my moves. But maybe not. I did overestimate him.

With quick reflexes, I set the penknife in my other hand to his throat, but A'xelaan caught me by surprise when he had me bent over on the desk.

How he managed to pull me to his front and trap me in a split second, I didn't know. All I knew was his body brushing mine, my arms stretched above my head, grinding against the desk while being pinned down at the wrists by his powerful hand.

He patted my fingers and the knife fell from my grip. I chuckled painfully.

"You learn one smart move and decide to play a game?" A'xelaan snarled, his breath fanning my ear. Only then did I realize how close we were.

That close. Very close.

The feel of his lips grazing the side of my face was cold and smooth as he pressed down on my lower back with his other hand, his gruff voice causing me to flinch. "Maybe you've not realized this, but you are mine."

"Oh yeah," I kept chuckling. "Show me some fucking proof then!"

A'xelaan huffed and, without warning, something cold and sharp pierced into the skin of my left shoulder.

I was whimpering at first before a scream flew out my lips, my legs trembling as my hands struggled to break free of his grip.

Soon, the piercing stopped and A'xelaan's wet, hot tongue slowly licked the area. It gave a burning, itchy sensation.

When he let me go, I scampered from his side while feeling the mark his bite left on my shoulder.

"What did you just do?" I asked as I watched him lick a side of his lips, his index finger wiping the part he licked. He did a slow-motion head roll before fully setting his eyes on me.

"I just marked you, and I tell you, fiery Magpie, your blood tastes so... damn good," he drawled. His hooded eyes sparkled as he blinked, a side of his lips curling up.

"Take it off now."

"You'll have to kill me first."

"Well, if only you can fucking die!"

"I can; for three seconds at least." A'xelaan sat in his chair and leaned against the backrest. He regarded me under thick, well-lined brows. "Let's play a game. If you can stab me in the heart, you will have your freedom. Deal?"

I looked at the bitten area. The mark the bite left wasn't clear because of the swollen, red skin around it, but the teeth prints were evident. As I narrowed my eyes at him, I noticed how he still had the mischievous, satisfied smile.

His harmonious features were like a majestic piece of art that I wanted to cover with color strokes; the way his long, bold chin fitted his well-defined facial bones, or was it how his pale skin made him look like the devil as he sat there blowing hair from his eyes while sneaking a wink at me.

As good as they looked, I wanted to be the one to wring the arrogance from his expressions, wipe the smirk off his lips, maybe also poke the mischief out of his eyes. And I was going to do it-even if I had to play dirty.

"I'm in!" I said with assertion, raising my chin. A game without rules had my prints after all.

ERYEVIR.

There were muffled voices in the darkness crawling in; inaudible at first. Then, they turned to whispers.

I heard the door open before loud footsteps against the ceramic floor followed. Someone stopped beside me. "Open your eyes. I know you're awake," an order came and I obeyed.

Large, sparkling hazel eyes stared at me. She looked twenty, her love-shaped lips stretching to a grin, revealing her perfectly aligned dentition. I thought I'd seen a fairy.

"I'm Zenir Abia, but I am mostly called Fairy," she said soothingly.

I nodded as I looked across her to find Cleopatra standing at my feet, supporting her body on one of the four bedposts.

Zenir glanced at the latter. "This one kills batteries. How did you survive? I never thought I'd meet someone more frustrating than the King." She made for the door after tugging at Cleopatra's sleeve.

As the two stood in the hallway, Zenir whispered, "She's not mine. I'd feel the connection if she were. What sort of person is she?"

Long, tedious silence ensued.

Zenir sighed. "I understand that you prefer to keep your words to yourself but, in this situation, that won't be necessary."

Another silence.

Zenir rubbed her nose as she threw a glance at me, one of her hands involuntarily swinging to her waist. She thrust her face to the trainer, her next words flying out of her mouth. "The bond between a Viesix and a Firne develops depending on the kind of person they are. I will need some information about her so..."

"Impulsive," Cleopatra cut in.

Zenir didn't change her stance. "Is she violent on a regular day?"

"When provoked, yes."

"Then that explains the swell in character. Any parents?"

"Gone."

"I know. What happened to them?"

More silence.

"Uh! Forget it!"

Zenir stomped back to the room, leaving Cleopatra staring into space.

As much as I wanted to ask about what the hell was going on, I was more focused on the contrast between the two.

They were like antitheses in the flesh. While one leaned towards the mystic and reserved side, the other seemed bright-like a fairy.

I shifted slightly on the bed, as my body ached. Thankfully, the pillow supporting my head was soft enough to ease the pain at the back of my head.

I had no thoughts before. But now they came flooding in; Terin attacking me, Cleopatra's forceful training at the Aultik, and Mae's sudden assault.

My stare switched to a glare as it aimed at the Trainer. "I saw the poster about a heart donation, but I didn't know it was for you," I snapped. "So, what now, I'm not grounded anymore?"

I didn't know if I still resented her or not. Often, she locked me in my room, a cell, the training box, or anything that could be used to deny freedom, and I hated her momentarily for it.

"Anyways, I'm not angry anymore." I couldn't tell if that was a lie. "Jeez! I don't know! Where the hell am I anyway?"

This vinyl wall paneling wasn't something you'd come by in the Aultik. The presence of daylight was out of the equation too.

Curtains that looked like they cost my whole life were pulled apart, dust particles swirling in rays the windows let in.

"This is the royal Palace," Zenir said as she sat beside me. "I'm a Firne. You were brought here for me to..."

"Leave her," Cleopatra hissed while moving to the full-length mirror beside the door.

Zenir huffed, her disbelief was evident. She left the room, but not without throwing an unfriendly look at the Trainer who could not be bothered by it.

"Come here," the latter ordered me. I caught her looking at me through the mirror.

When I defeated my sore body to stand in front of her, I watched her hands appear from behind my back to hold my shoulders.

I did not realize it until now, but she was taller than me. The last time I measured my height a few months ago, I was about five foot four. Cleopatra stood some inches above me.

"What do you see?" she asked, rubbing my shoulders.

Aside from the bruises on my hands and my tired-looking face, there was Cleopatra and her dark sunshades, her tan skin in accord with mine.

I shrugged. "Just a girl who needs her rest?"

"Look closer," Cleopatra urged, causing me to puff my cheeks.

I couldn't tell what was so special about what I saw. Or was it the environment?

I looked across at the four-post bed to the intricate wallpaper patterns behind it. And there was the black and white framed painting with 'The Lady Art' inscribed with bold strokes at its edge.

Regardless that Cleopatra wouldn't care less about the painting, I still found it to be the only thing out of place, seeing that it was in the Palace of a King who strongly professed against the belief in fictitious beings like Lady Art, the Ice King and the seven brothers of woe.

"Is it ole Lady Art over there?"

Cleopatra looked at the painting through the mirror. "No." Then she tapped my shoulders. "Your eyes, Eryevir."

"What...'' I squinted my eyes, noting how it looked like there was a gray layer over them. The brown color of it was fading! How on earth did I not see that when it was right in front of me?

"What the..." I shut my eyes and rubbed them, but nothing changed. "What did you do to me, Cleopatra?" I asked as I shrugged her hands off me, facing her.

She didn't reply. Instead, she looked to the windows.

"Now you won't say anything?" I rasped, trying to go to her but my body wouldn't let me. I inclined on a bedpost.

"I need you to understand this, Eryevir. You are changing, and that is why you are here."

"Well, then make it plausible." I chuckled nervously, gulping hard as a wave of pain struck the back of my head. My vision blurred for some time, but I let my grip tighten on the bedpost.

Cleopatra turned to me. "You are a Viesix. Do you know what that is?"

I've heard of those creatures, and I didn't even think for a second that I was one. Now, I stood in an unfamiliar house, frozen to the bones after being fed the fact that I was one of the chosen granted to a Firne as a mate by the snow goddess. Proper bollocks!

"You will be fine," Cleopatra mumbled softly. That was the most comforting thing I've heard her say in nineteen years.

But, in truth, I wasn't bothered about not being fine. I was more... dumbfounded.

I'd heard how Viesix were treated with reverence because of their rare nature, so it made no sense why the snow goddess chose me of all sane people on Earth.

Me-the impetuous girl who unleashed her shenanigans wherever she found herself!

Does the snow goddess want a fucking streak left on her name?

"So, who is this unlucky mate?" I asked while sitting on the bed.

Zenir marched into the room. "We don't know yet. Until the new color of your eyes appears, or your mate comes to claim you, we won't know who she is."

"Then how long will I be here?"

"Not for long. I've sent a message to Amperes. If your mate doesn't find you, they will find her."

Amperes-the Firne headquarters. I'd never heard anything good about the place, but I still wanted to see what it was for myself.

They said it was the underworld itself; a pitch-black building towering to sun-starved skies, dark, rumbling clouds hovering about it, an Abyss surrounding it.

They said screams echoed occasionally from the Abyss, shadow beasts crawling around the Tower, attacking anyone they saw fit.

Only Firnes could fight off these monsters since it was their creation, which meant that if it attacked non-Firnes, it dragged them to the dark hole. Their souls get lost and not even the Firnes could save them then.

Yet, even with these scary shits, people still wished they could set their eyes on it at least.

"Are the stories true; the Abyss and stuff."

Zenir swung her hand as if waving off the matter. "Oh, it's not that bad." It didn't seem like a very pleasing answer, but what monster would find a girl who'd stick to her room and enjoy the thing she loved best?

"I hope they have some good wine then," I said as I tried to make it to the chair beside the bed. Zenir saw me struggling and helped me.

"Lots of it. They'll heal your wounds too."

I smiled. That was much comfort, at least. I could imagine being free of one thing that reminded me of the events of these past days.

I hoped that, despite its horrors, the Tower would, at least, have some nice scents, and warmth too. I was already tired of the sweaty, metallic (sometimes bloody) smell that had become of the Aultik.

"They're here. We need to head to the woods," Zenir rasped while lingering in front of the window.

I frowned. "I'm leaving now?" She nodded, and I couldn't help but sigh. "Just when I was beginning to get comfortable. So.." I cleared my throat, looking at Cleopatra. "If there are good drinks like Zenir said, I don't think I'd want to return to the Aultik." The Trainer turned to me and if looks could kill, I'd be six feet under. Gulping hard, I mumbled, "Just saying."

When she turned away, I noticed how resolved she was to stay. She had her back to me, and I stared at it.

I hoped she'd say more-maybe warn me about my attitude or something. Her ignorance made me sense an emptiness growing.

With Cleopatra by my side this whole time, it all seemed easy. I'd never had to live without her for nineteen years, so I couldn't imagine how staying in a realm of strangers without her would be.

For the first time, I felt my ability to adjust to situations easily melting away. "How long am I staying there?" I asked Zenir who offered her arm for me to hold. I took it.

"I really don't know. It's probably until you meet your mate, but unless she permits you to return to the Aultik, you might have to stay where she chooses."

I huffed. "Well, that sounds like a very toxic relationship."

Zenir tugged my arm, urging me to follow her.

As we left, I kept looking at Cleopatra.

It felt like nineteen years ago when Madam Vadffa carried me out of the hall and I just stared at the Trainer's backside, with the tattoo at the back of her head that still intrigued me to this day.

The wood was quiet. Too quiet, I must say; not even a cricket sound.

It was cold and damp, and the only noise we heard would be the rustling of dried leaves under our feet.

I couldn't see much of our way because of the fog that loomed on it. And the more I looked at it, the more it seemed like it approached us.

"Uhm... I don't think we should proceed with..." I was saying as I tried to tighten my hold on Zenir's arm, but it suddenly slipped from mine. "Hey!" I called while swinging my hands about as if to get a hold of Zenir again, but she was gone. "Ah! Where did she go?"

My heart took to its fastest beat. Looking around, I could hear myself breathing heavily in my head. The fog had reached me, and the silence started to haunt me.

I felt deaf, blind, and confused. Yet, all I saw was gray fog.

Something pulled me down-more like knocked me off my feet. At first, it didn't feel like it. But, at a later moment, gravity betrayed me.

I was drowning; trapped between splashes and harsh waves that hit me from all sides. The water was cold, so each crash on me was excruciatingly painful.

I tried to keep my head up even though the torrent kept shoving me down, causing me to drink and choke on water. My legs kicked aggressively and my arms flailed about.

The gray fog was long gone when I fell. What I now saw, through the splashes, was a rotating clear blue sky with white clouds blurring away.

Suddenly, the torrent stopped. The sea became calm, its splashing noise dying down.

"Out, Princess. You don't expect me to come carry you, do you?" Someone was saying, but I couldn't care who it was as I crawled my way to the rocky shore, retching until I finally puked what was left in my stomach onto the rocks.

It went on for some time, with groans and grunts. When it stopped, I tried to catch my breath.

I was on all fours, water dripping down my clothes. I looked beyond to find the teenage girl standing akimbo under a pile of boulders. Behind her was the mass of limestone on which Amperes Tower stood. Like they said, the Tower was pitch black and reached the skies. However, the rest of the story is pure fantasy.

I didn't bother looking back as the girl led me into a dank cavern, leaving behind the starting turbulent waves to deal with itself.

My body still ached so I could imagine how painful the walk would be. We walked for quite some time through rocky grounds and streaks of water.

The cave was dark, with stalactites hanging down its roof. If not for the candle held up by the teenage girl, it'd have been hard to see through, though I still couldn't figure the way. I had a few bad falls too.

When we arrived at what looked like a room in the cavern, I didn't know how we got there. My legs gave out before I slumped to the rough floor.

There wasn't any difference in temperature from the rest of the cavern. A simple four-post bed alongside a side stool and a full-length mirror was situated at the far end.

My only lighting would be the candles lined up around the bed and around a big pool beside which I lay.

The girl left me by myself, and I subconsciously imagined many scenarios of things that could happen here; getting caught by frost, monsters emerging from the pool or the wall.

For some reason, this place didn't feel right.

I figured that maybe if I borrowed a blanket from the bed, the cold wouldn't be so bad. When I tried to move, I heard rumbling from the pool.

Hisses echoed as if snakes crawled about, only there were no snakes.

I struggled to sit up. Then I brought my knees to my chest and hugged my legs, warily watching the pool as bubbles gathered at a spot.

Someone came out of the water naked. I felt like I needed to curse out. However, I was freezing and too frail to even open my mouth.

She advanced towards me while I looked at her feet, wondering how a person's gait could be so calculated.

"So, introductions first," she announced as she walked past me.

I opened my mouth despite chattering teeth. "I'm..."

"No, no! None of that," she cut in. All I could do was bury my chin between my thighs. I heard her continue. "I don't care 'bout your name, an' you don't want to know mine either. Hm? So, let's jus' talk. Heart 'o heart." She had a strong, unfamiliar accent. It made her sound like she rasped her words.

When I turned to her, she was dressed in a red see-through maxi dress that favored the floor and her figure. Her hair was long-like butt-length long-wavy sections of its silky strands cascading down the sides of her oval-shaped face, kissing the glassy skin of her shoulders.

I tried to get up before she stopped me. "Uh uh! Stay there and turn away. I don't appreciate awful, scared faces. Oh, and about the treatment so far, I hope you can adjust. Viesen are treated depending on who their mate is. Ones with no mate are worse. There's nothing anyone can do about it too."

I sighed as I resumed my previous sitting position, watching candlelight shimmer in the water. Chills crawled up on my back to my neck, and then my face, something tightening in my chest. I choked back tears.

"Put this on." She tossed a pair of denim pants and a red sweatshirt to me.

Without looking at her, I asked, "Where can I change?"

"What, you're shy? Come on, people have seen it all already. It's not like it changed much since you were a kid."

I struggled to my feet and gradually took off my wet clothes. From my side eye, I saw her sit upright on the bed, her monolid eyes narrowed as she regarded me with a smirk.

The only thing I had on me now was my underwear, which I was hesitant to remove even though they were wet and some hours due already. As I battled with the pants, I heard the strange Lady hooting.

"Ooooh! My mistake, lass. Look at those juicy boobs!" She cackled, her expression wearing a mask of excitement.

I used the shirt to cover my upper body, my gaze hurling daggers at her. As she continued laughing, I felt my rage build. I believed she enjoyed how I looked at her; the anger that left its trace on my face.

If my body didn't ache so bad that I could barely move, her face would be buried inside these rocks already. That annoyingly small nose of hers would be wonky, blood gushing out.

"Who the fuck are you anyway!" I bellowed, and the Lady stilled. The tranquility that followed forced spit down my throat.

The look she gave me was so cold that her eyes glowed like a vicious blizzard. "Use that tone with me again, young lady, and you'll find yourself stuck beneath that pool," she warned sternly, causing me to drift my gaze to the pool.

Surely, no sane person would want to be down there. It was so dark you wouldn't see its end. Moreover, the vapor from it was scary enough to convince even Zeus himself.

"Now, let's do this," the strange lady began with her former tone. "Each question you answer correctly earns you a point; like food, warmth, bath, more clothes, maybe even some peace because you won't come by that here. Nod if you understand or... I don't need you to understand anyway. Viesix bond triggers when you and your mate are within the boundaries of a place. Have you ever felt deeply connected with someone while you were at Suvan?"

"I don't know," I mumbled. The only person I thought I had a connection with was Cleopatra even though she was always quiet and indifferent. It felt like she understood me more than anyone. And if I were mated to her, she wouldn't have sent me to this godforsaken island.

"Have you felt strange lately, or even before?"

I shook my head. "I've always felt normal? I don't even know what is normal anymore." I said the last sentence under my breath as I sat on the floor.

"Have you perceived any sudden scent that didn't belong?"

"No. I'm not sure." I was nervous for an unknown reason. The answers I was giving flew right out of my mouth without consideration.

The lady cocked her head to the side and watched me, muttering, "Not sure... Hmm."

When she left the bed, she stood before the mirror and closed her eyes. "Did you hear strange voices or feel any sudden urge while you attacked your friend?" She asked after some time and I jumped out of my skin.

Attacked my friend? "Whoa, hold up a second!" I held my hands up in panic. "What do you mean? The motherfucker attacked ME." I emphasized 'me' while pointing a finger to my chest.

The stranger shrugged nonchalantly. "It's none of my business. We got this information from Abia who was informed by your... whatever she is to you."

"No! You have to listen to me. I didn't attack Mae."

"That's why you were brought here, lass. Your eyes changed during the bang bang."

The whole thing was getting frustrating. Why would Cleopatra lie to these people when she saw what happened? She was the one who stopped Mae too, and I still remember the look she gave me after that.

The stranger didn't look concerned by my panic at all. She held strongly to what she was told.

"I said she bloody attacked me! The girl bashed my fucking head to the goddamn glass! I felt the pain, I know what I'm saying."

"How about now?" She asked as she wore a red Weimao that had, instead of curtains, numerous strings of red beads that dangled to her feet.

Thinking about it now, the ache I'd been feeling was gone. My bones were no longer weak, and the back of my head had stopped hurting. I didn't even feel the bruise stings that had intensified when I entered the cavern.

I jumped to my feet, making for the mirror where the lady once stood. I pulled up the shirt sleeves to find that the wounds were gone, the ones on my face too.

"Until seconds ago, you had a pain in your head that disappeared with your wounds when I healed you. The pain was a result of someone knocking you out. And if your face were bashed as you say, it'd have been a lovely work of art," the Lady said before she headed to the entrance, the Weimao beads clattering with every step she took.

When she nearly cleared out of the room, she stopped and uttered in a low tone, "I saw the girl you beat, and gods you did knock the spirits out of her. If she survives that, it's her luck. I'll see you again."

As she exited the room, she left in her wake echoes of rhythmical hums; a ballad tune that led a somber mood to the room.

I stood speechless, thinking about Cleopatra. I imagined that if she were here, she'd tell me the truth and why she lied, and then make me understand, even though she'd do it in a relatively cruel way.