Truth

My hands are drawn up from the back, a rope restraining me from above to an overhead branch is holding me in place. The beer girl from earlier took me by the jaw, having me look into her eyes I was not as confused as I thought I would be.

"Christian! You are finally awake!" Alice shouts.

Alex was still out, Clarence was staring at me as I am the one in the center of them all.

"Okay, idiot! What is going on?" Steel argues.

"I–don't know…" I mutter.

"Do you want to know why you are here?" She asks.

"I would!" I yell.

"While no we do not enchant the moon, I know who you are Christian!" She threatens.

"You are Saniya's little toy, we aren't fooled!" The man explains.

"He was released to his true clan!" Alice shouts.

Small chants manifest my collar, a long chain falls to the ground from the loop. The look of disbelief on Alice's face made me feel guilty. If Gavyn tries to help they surely kill his spirit for good thus I decide not to ask for help.

"Saniya never releases her bonds." The man explains, "Let's make a deal."

"I am not gambling his life!" Alice says.

"But I can…" I reply.

"You are willing to give yourself up for your friends?" He questioned.

"Alice, I was supposed to steal the sword. I am a traitor…you need to leave me!" I shout.

She goes silent on me, she doesn't want to process what she just heard from me, or maybe she knew? I was unsure what she would say.

"That's why you fought me then…" She laughs.

"Yes now take Master and Mistress Steel to safety!" I plead.

"I will come back and free you like you did my parents!" Alice screams at me.

I feel my face redden on the impact of those words, settling back into position I never realized that she would have known. The sorcerer grabs a tuft of hair on my head headbutting me so hard my head falls to my chest dizzying me.

"Stop bickering! Come to a conclusion!" He tells us.

"Jabber!" Alice bellows.

The scary bulbous doll appears out of nowhere, chewing through my ropes releasing me. My chains fade back into my skin, Alex jumps to his feet busting through his ties.

"Master!" I shout.

"I heard the whole thing! You have to explain later!" Alex comments.

"Vampires have no chance against magick!" The beer girl states.

"That's why I am staying!" I argue.

"You aren't!" Steel responds, "You can't…we just met you."

Colton manifests in front of us, my not-so-double makes his random appearance to us all. Throwing his hands in the air.

The gathered witches and wizards are confused by his presence, double-taking a moment they marvel at our alikeness circling him, judging him till one tries to detain him falling right through his body.

"Did you make this illusion?" The beer girl asks.

"Illusion? Oh!" He shouts shocked.

Closing his eyes his opaque image becomes solid, he sneaks a grin at them replicating my chains in a dramatic fashion.

"You seem to think my double here is me!" He said with confidence.

"Then who is he?" The man prods.

Colton throws his hands down creating a duststorm of pitch-black soot covering everything and everyone in sight, they all cough and hack at the dirty trick he would pull on them making me vanish into his void pocket temporarily.

I didn't know where I was walking into this surreal black world of his to protect me, I was unsure if he will come to get me or if it will dissipate slowly and I will be somewhere else. Are Alice and the others okay?

It felt like a non-stop journey in the blankness of the situation, it started to get colder and colder the longer I stayed here. Despite no actual snow, the chill was damning in a suit causing me to warm myself up by rubbing my arms with my hands.

Using my breath to blow into the palms of my hands or patting my sides time from time, I could see plumes of frost rise from my mouth in the frigid temperatures of the place.

Winding down gradually and shivering to I decide to stay in one place waiting for Gavyn to retrieve me. I look up to darkness, below me all the same, maybe I was in hell?

"Come child…" The female voice beckons me.

"Come where?" I ask.

"You are in the bridge before the veil, are you looking to descend?" She questions.

"Bridge?"

"You are a vampire, you don't belong in the human world." She tells me.

"Who are you?"

Her features were icy cold, her dress a long robe of light blue, the sleeves were serrated and jagged flowing downwards, her hair long with two strange silver balls at the top decorating the top of her head. Her eyes were an unnatural darker shade of blue.

"It doesn't matter who I am…I need you to sleep."

On command, I started to feel woozy and tired, but I didn't want to sleep. That's when I noticed the white tunnel in the back. I was exhausted from the numbing coldness. She takes me in her arms holding me close.

Closing my eyes I find I had actually awakened in the forest again Colton holding his hand to my forehead coming out of the deep sleep. Alice and Alex bent down.

"Christian, are you okay?" He asks, "I am sorry I left you for so long."

"The witches are gone now," Alice explains.

"We're going home, witches are getting dangerous to deal with lately," Clarence announces.

The bustling fire warmed me enough to get up, I thought I was a goner enchanted by the whims of a witch once again.

"Who was that I saw?" I ask.

"That lady was Mrs, Frost…she haunts that area. I didn't expect you to meet her so soon, she eats the hearts of vampires." Colton states.

"You were passed out in her fingertips, but not surprised since you were frozen limp in her arms," Alex says.

My bonded restraint had made itself permanent on my neck appearing outwardly now, I thought it left but has made a long-lasting home there now squeezing my throat slightly tight.

"We should leave now." Steel suggests.

"We have to stay…" Colton yells, "I am sorry…"

"Why, what's going on?"

"Saniya is coming now…" Colton states.

"Then we will stay with you!" Alice answers.

"I was afraid you would say that." Colton almost whispers.