The Lightest Dark (The Dark series Book 1) (7 page)

This was making me uncomfortable and I wasn't even the one being yelled at. Then again, he did just insult me. "Okay, I'm standing right next to you and I do not appreciate being referred to as a whore."

Cillian took step back, releasing Dark's shirt and taking a deep breath as he did. "I apologize. It was not my intention to call you a whore, however indirectly it was."

"Yeah, I'll just bet. So you know, they say the truth always comes out in the heat of anger. If I were you, I would keep my temper in check." That said, I turned to Dark. "As for you, I may not have been around you for the last two years, but I'm not so stupid as to think this wasn't a calculated move on your part. Why did you do it?"

"It wasn't intentional."

Disbelief didn’t even begin to cover how I was feeling. "Really? I may not know all that goes along with these marks yet, but I'm not going to stand here and let you insult my intelligence any more than I let Cillian call me a whore. I don’t have time for this BS.” I started off in the direction I’d seen the Fae Warriors guys go. At least I assumed that's what they were. I may as well see what havoc my being here has caused.

I was almost to the outskirts of the forest according to the voices in my head that had returned after I left Dark’s side, when Cillian and Dark finally caught up and started to walk alongside me. In all honesty it felt more like they were escorting me, but I shook it off.

I decided to put the last ten minutes behind me for the moment and move on to the here and now. “So no one told me exactly what the plan is, or what’s going on. Does this have to do with me, or is it just a coincidence?”

Dark looked uncomfortable with my question. Cillian scoffed at him, “These creatures have been asleep for the last 500 years, Highness. While I do not know for certain that you are the cause of their sudden awakening, it would be foolish to think you have nothing to do with it.”

I shrugged, “Point taken. So what’s the plan then? Am I just going to let those creatures find me? Do we know what they want?” I had no idea why I wasn’t freaking out and running away. Any other circumstances and I probably would have been, but for some reason I felt like this wasn’t real. Like it was happening to someone else.

“Well, we plan-” I didn’t hear him.

The forest around me had suddenly faded out and I was standing in my house at the compound. Instinct took over and I immediately started looking around trying to figure out what it was I was supposed to be seeing, or interpreting as the case may sometimes be.

All thought about what was going on with the forest and the creatures that had awakened faded as I made my way over to where Ryan’s room was in the vision, ignoring the confused looks I was getting from Cillian and Dark. They could wait. There was something I needed to see and I usually had a limited time to see it.

I opened Ryan's door stepping inside to check it out. It looked the same as it always did. Clothes thrown haphazardly around the hamper with a few hanging off it, a guitar propped up in the corner, a few posters he'd drawn up of his favorite manga characters, and a small stack of said manga on the floor near the bed. Seeing nothing out of place I made my way over to Tristan’s room.

I was about to step in when something stopped me. It took me a moment to realize I was hearing whispers of conversation from the kitchen.  I made my way over hoping that was where I was supposed to be. As I started moving in that direction the voices started to become louder and more familiar to me.

Tristan, Ryan, and if I wasn't mistaken, Brett, the head of the council were in there. I wasn’t quite close enough to make out what was being said, but from how angry Ryan sounded it couldn’t have been anything good. Especially since a council member was involved.

The fact that Dark was hinting at the council being corrupt earlier and my own first-hand account that they’d been lying wasn't giving me any warm fuzzy feelings either. This could go in two different directions and I didn't think either of them were good. Especially since I was in the middle of a vision.

I rounded the corner and walked in. Suddenly everything became brighter and I had to blink at the effect. On occasion my visions were weird like that. The things you need to see always tended to be a bit brighter if not blinding, so at least I knew I was in the right spot.

“Ryan, I understand that you want to get your sister back. We all do, but we can’t just go charging out into demon territory without a clue as to where we’re going. We need to plan. We need to let the guardians heal up a bit after the attack today. We'll wait a few days and then we can send them out to scout for answers as to what the hell happened. In the meantime, let’s try to stay positive. We at least know they wanted her alive.”

Brett sounded like he was trying to calm him down, but anyone who knew Ryan would have understood that what he’d just said was only going to rile him up all the more.

I couldn’t understand why Tristan wasn’t trying to diffuse the situation. Instead he stood in the corner leaning against the counter, a dark look like I’d never seen on his face.

It brought to mind the fear I’d felt as I faced him in my earlier vision when we’d gone to get Ryan from the makeshift jail. Something tells me that wasn't all that I was meant to see either. The fact that I hadn't been able to move around probably hindered me.

Then again with as much blood as was on those walls, I don't think I want to know what was going on there.

While I couldn’t feel his magic and I didn’t see any blood coating the walls here, I sensed that familiar fear all the same. It wasn't making me feel any better about this vision either.

“I know what happened to her! None of you idiots want to listen because you all think I’m some punk kid who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I may pull pranks but I’m not stupid. I also know that you all have no intention of going after her. You’re just going to let whatever happens happen, just like you do with everyone else. Well I’m sorry, but I can’t sit back while my sister might be in the hands of some demon doing who knows what with her.”

Brett sighed, "I know what you mean, but they don't kidnap women for that. They have plenty. I'm not sure why, but they need your sister for something. More than likely she has some hidden talent that's getting ready to peak."

He shook his head, "What crap are you trying to feed me?"

"Sometimes, though rarely, a demon can sense a certain ability before it matures. They will take whomever they're sensing and wait, then steal the ability. We have time."

Ryan snorted, "Yeah, 'cause I believe that. I know as well as the next person you don't have time when it comes to demons. I'm going after her. Help or no help. I leave tomorrow." He crossed his arms and stood with his feet shoulder width apart, glaring at Brett as if he was daring him to say no.

“Ryan, I’m sorry it had to come to this. I really am. You had great potential and I’m sorry to see you go.” he turned to look at Tristan “You know what to do. I expect you to report back to me in an hour tops. See you then.” He turned to the door, but paused casting a last glance at Ryan, “Ryan, for the record we have every intention of looking for your sister. We need her here. More so now than ever before.” With that he walked out and a sense of dread started to creep up on me.

Tristan started to move from the counter toward Ryan. The dark gaze I’d seen on his face seconds earlier only seemed to intensify and I felt my heart leap into my throat. I didn’t think about the fact that this was only a vision. I screamed at the top of my lungs, my arms waving back and forth trying to get his attention. “RYAN! RUN!”

Nothing.

Not even a sliver of acknowledgement, but then I hadn’t really expected there to be one. I shook my head as I watched the scene unfold before me and there was nothing I could do. I felt helpless. I couldn't understand why Ryan hadn't picked up on what Brett had meant. The only thing that was keeping me from losing it was the fact that I knew this hadn't happened yet.

Tristan came up behind him, grabbed his head, pulled it back and slid a blade across Ryan’s throat. It seemed to happen in slow motion and yet I knew it was mere seconds.

I screamed.

I screamed to the point that my vocal cords hurt and my head was throbbing. The fact that I knew it hadn't happened yet and this was just a vision didn't matter. It still felt like I’d just had my soul ripped from me and crush into the ground.

I could feel the tears streaming down my face as the vision faded and the forest came back into view. I looked out into it slowly sinking to my knees, though I didn't realize. My mind was focused on one thing and one thing only.

I had just watched my brother die and there was always the very real possibility that I may have to see it a second time if I couldn't find him before it happened. Something in my mind snapped at that reality and I could feel myself fading from reality.

It was a few minutes before I realized I was on the ground with Dark’s arms wrapped around me as he cradled me to his chest. It felt comfortable, if not a bit awkward. “Please, Dark. I need you to take me back.” My throat felt raw, but my voice came out clear.

“I know. Cillian has gone to make the arrangements. We leave in ten minutes, fifteen tops. We'll get Ryan out whatever it takes.” I had a feeling Cillian’s compliance had more to do with who my mother was and the fact that I was probably the cause of the fae creatures waking up, but I was grateful all the same.

“Thank you.” He didn’t say anything for a moment, but I knew the question was coming. Rather than wait, I decided to get it off my chest. While I may not trust him entirely, I needed to talk to someone about what had just happened and he was the only one around that I felt remotely comfortable with.

I moved to sit across from him on the ground then I told him everything that had happened in the vision down to the last detail of Tristan being the one to slit Ryan’s throat. I think
that
betrayal was the one that stung the most. I could have cared less about Brett.

Tristan had been the one I turned to in a jam. He's the one I asked to come live with Ryan and me. He'd also been the one I'd shared almost all my secrets. To see him do something like that to Ryan... I couldn't comprehend it. It was a bit like learning your favorite food- that you've had every day for the past three years- doesn't actually exist. It was an illusion and you’d really been eating trash.

After I'd finished talking, Dark had a thoughtful look. “Candy, I know this isn’t the best time, but I have to ask. How long have you been having these visions?”

I contemplated his question, trying to think back to when the visions had started. I’d been having them for so long, it was hard to pinpoint when exactly they’d started and they’d only recently started to get more frequent. Before I’d  have one maybe once every few months.

“I think the first vision I ever had was when I was about five. They were a lot easier to tell what a vision was and what reality was then. I remember being with Ryan and my mother. She’d been cooking dinner at the time and I was watching Ryan. I remember seeing her trip and spill scalding hot water on the two of us. I moved Ryan and I out of the kitchen the second the vision faded. Sure enough, not five minutes later I heard the crash in the kitchen."

"Can I ask you something else?"

I gave him a wary look, but didn't see the harm. He was distracting me enough from what I'd just seen that I could function and not feel like there was a heavy weight on my chest. "I guess, but I reserve the right to refuse to answer." He nodded like he expected that.

"It's two things actually. The first is, what did you feel when you stopped in the forest?"

"Like I'd been here before. The fact that it felt familiar was the least strange thing about it though."

He gave me a curious look, "What do you mean?"

I shrugged, not seeing the harm in answering. The worst he could do was lock me up, but I'm pretty sure Cillian wouldn't let him. Especially with how he'd reacted to who my mother was. "I kept hearing voices in my head telling me all these different facts about the forest. It's how I found some food and this stream."

"If I hadn't believed you before about your mother, that right there would have done it. Only members of the Doneele Sept have that ability. Something to do with how the land here responds to you."

I looked around me. "Where is here anyway? I thought the fae all lived in Ireland."

He smiled, "That's funny. No, they live wherever they feel the veil between the two worlds is thinnest. There are quite a few who live in Ireland, but they have made their way to little spots all over the world. "

I nodded, chewing my lip in thought. "You're not going to tell me where we are, are you?"

"Not a chance."

"I figured as much, but I had to try." I narrowed my eyes, an idea popping in my head. "What if I guess?"

He raised a brow. "Do you really think that's possible? Not one state looks the same as it did three days ago, let alone five hundred years ago back when the book maps you like to study were accurate."

I smiled, "So bet me. I get three tries. If I guess it right, you tell me."

He smirked, "And if you guess wrong?" That wiped the smile right off my face. I'd done it again without meaning to. I was getting comfortable with Dark again, letting my guard down.

I gave him a wary look. "What would you want?"

He put his hand to his chin looking up to the left like he was thinking about it, but I knew better. That was the same pose he used to pretend he wasn't sure he had a good hand, only to take everyone to the cleaners at the weekly poker game.

He seemed like he was about to answer, when he suddenly stood a bit straighter his face became a blank mask as his eyes fell behind me. "How about I think on it. Right now we have more important things to attend to."

Confused, I turned around to see what brought about such a drastic change. Moving toward us at a clipped pace were ten men. Each were similarly dressed in leather boots, cloth pants, and bare chests. They all had different length hair, but it was similar in color to Cillian, who was leading them.

They came to a stop about three feet from me, dropping to one knee in the same position Cillian and Dark had taken earlier. "We swear fealty to you Gray Goddess." The second the words left their lips I had a similar feeling as before in my arm, only more intense.

Instead of freaking out over the fact that ten men I didn't know just pledged their loyalty to me, I lifted up what little sleeve I had to see what was going on.