Since my hearing is advanced, I was able to hear the eeriest collection of voices calling my name from within the fog. No one else would have been able to make out the creepy voices calling myname.
“Carpe Noctem,” I said under my breath and ran towards tocastle.
“Look at that fog!” Sean calledout.
He was still standing in the same place, and Michan was running toward him from thecastle.
“Get inside, Sean!” I yelled and pointed at thecastle.
As I ran, I tried to think of how Carpe Noctem could have found out that Drishane was flourishing and that it was back on the map. Or that Queen Octavia was still alive. I grabbed Sean by the arm, and the three of us made our way to the front of the castle when I heard a voice call out for help. The three of us stopped running and looked around. Just past the entrance, Liam was calling out for help withOctavia.
“Help!” Liam yelled out while holding herup.
“Queen!” I hollered and raced over to Octavia and Liam. “What happened?” I asked Liam as I picked Octaviaup.
“I do not know. She stepped outside, and I saw her reach for her head, then she stumbled forward,” Liamexplained.
I hurried towards the castle and made sure Michan and Sean were still with us. Once we all got inside, I set Octavia down in one of the large supportive chairs in the formal diningroom.
“That is some wicked storm,” Seanbegan.
“Did you see that fog?” Michanasked.
My mind was far too busy for their questions right now. I had to think. I tried to tune everyone out with the exception of Octavia. Ethan set some tea in front of her, and she eagerly acceptedit.
“Do you recall what happened?” I askedher.
“It was just a headache. I stepped outside the castle to look at the sky. Within a few moments of being outside, the terrible headache came on.And—”
The Queen took another sip of her tea and looked at me. I could tell that she was unsure if she should tell me the rest of thatsentence.
“And, what, myQueen?”
“For the moments that I was outside and until you carried me back into the castle, I had lost my hearing and vision,” Octaviaadmitted.
I nodded and encouraged her to sip on her tea. From the main dining room, we could see into the foyer at everyone bustling around. I could hear hushed comments from the castle hands that moved about in the foyer about vampires being out there. I glanced at Octavia to see if she gave off any indication that she hadheard.
“Silly people,” she said under herbreath.
“What?” I askedher.
She shook her head as if she were protecting me from whatever knowledge she thought that shehad.
“They think there are vampires out there. As if they are just out there waiting to attack,” she said quietly tome.
“Is that silly to believe?” I asked. “I do not believe it is silly to be vigilant, myqueen.”
“Vampires cannot cross onto the castle grounds. The castle is protected,” shesaid.
I wanted to tell her it was a good idea to be vigilant, and that the protective spell she speaks of is flawed. After all, I was not only on the castle grounds but sitting right next toher.
I noticed that she kept rubbing her hand over the finger that she usually wore the silver dragon sheath ring. Though a force to be reckoned with, Octavia was every bit of a leader, but I could tell that she was worriedtoo.
“Is your hand alright, my Queen?” I inquiredquietly.
“Yes, I left my ring upstairs. It is a family ring. A witch made it centuries ago. It protects the Darick castle,” sheexplained.
“How?” I asked, trying hard not to soundskeptical.
