Blaze, p.1
Blaze, page 1
Blaze: An Oreylia Novel
Blood Prophecy Book Three
By L.H. Cosway
Copyright © 2023 L.H. Cosway.
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by L.H. Cosway. Cover image elements from Shutterstock.com.
www.lhcoswayauthor.com
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NIGHTFALL EXCERPT
Books by L.H. Cosway
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To listen to L.H. Cosway’s playlist for Blaze, go HERE.
“The path to paradise begins in hell.”
- Dante Alighieri.
1.
There was a brief period of quiet, just the sound of waves moving against the shore. Then, sirens.
In the blink of an eye the small beach we’d washed up on was surrounded by members of the Guard. My parents, Peter, Rebecca and Grace were there, too. Tears welled behind my eyes. A whack of emotion stole my breath. I’d missed them all like crazy.
Too much had happened in quick succession. Vasilios and Sven were gone. Red Armand took them back to Oreylia and the mark burned like an inferno inside me, raging to act. Now that Vas and I had bonded, the mark didn’t like that we were separated. I could feel it pulsating and rebelling as though it were a living, breathing entity.
“Are you okay?” Peter asked, picking me up and pulling me into his arms. “God, it’s so good to hold you.”
I choked up as his familiar warmth and energy surrounded me. I looked and felt like a drowned rat, and he was just so comforting and full of vitality that I latched onto him and didn’t want to let go. My emotions were being torn in different directions. I was relieved to be back in Peter’s arms, but there was another part of me that felt the urgency to rescue Vas.
Whatever route I took next, it was going to hurt.
Tears clogged my eyes but now wasn’t the time. I had to suck them back. My parents and Sergeant Davis were at my side then, eager for an explanation. Rebecca and Grace stood behind them, matching distraught expressions on their faces.
“Darya, where are the prisoners?” Sergeant Davis asked in a gentler voice than he normally used. He could obviously see that I’d been through a lot. Carrabelle still sat on the sand behind me and I recalled that she was injured. Was she able to stand? Not answering the sergeant’s question, I drew away from Peter and went to help her.
Carra was a slight woman and seemed to have some kind of leg injury that had been left untreated. What a monster Red Armand was to leave her like this. He used her for her magic and then abandoned her when he didn’t need her anymore.
Slowly, I helped her walk a few steps before introducing her to everyone. “This is Carrabelle. She’s a witch and she came here from Oreylia with the man you’ve all been chasing these past few weeks. The same man who murdered Belinda. His name is Red Armand.”
Carra nodded meekly to confirm what I said and Sergeant Davis stepped forward. “My apologies, Miss, but I’ll need to take you to the station to answer some questions.”
“You know she wasn’t an accomplice, right?” I interjected. “She was a hostage. And she can tell you all about Red Armand, but it might not be much use now that he’s portalled back to Oreylia and taken Vasilios and Sven with him.”
“Hold up a moment, Darya,” my father intervened. “He’s taken them to Oreylia?” I nodded. He sighed, running a hand down his face. “I think you’re going to have to start from the beginning and tell us everything you know.”
So, I did. I began with my entry into the prison, how I soon discovered Vas wasn’t behind Belinda’s murder and how Red Armand had come to take him and Sven back to their home dimension. I explained how he framed me because I possessed Vas’ mark, and he needed us close to make Vas stronger so that he could finally escape the wards surrounding the prison. I detailed how Red Armand didn’t have strong magic himself, which was why he’d taken Carrabelle with him so that she could be used to cast spells.
“But why did you escape with Vasilios?” Mum asked. “We were on our way to get you. All you had to do was wait—”
“There was another inmate who knew my real identity,” I explained. “Today she decided to tell the other prisoners about me. I had to leave, otherwise they were going to hurt me. Besides, this way you don’t have to pay that arsehole warden any money.”
“The money has already been transferred,” Dad said and my stomach plummeted. “But don’t worry about that. The main thing is that you’re safe.” He stepped close and drew me into his arms. “I’m afraid there’s a good chance I won’t let you out of my sight for the next century.”
“The next two centuries,” Mum corrected, relief in her voice, and my stomach plummeted even further because I was going to have to leave them again. And soon. If time really did move five times faster in Oreylia then that meant Vas and Sven had already been there for hours. A day here was the same as five days there. It made me even more anxious to get planning how to rescue them.
What was wrong with me? Never in a million years did I imagine I’d feel such a strong urge to save those two from their fates. A few weeks ago I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid if I heard they were in danger, but everything was different now. Things had changed.
I had changed. And my feelings for Vas, well, those were something I had yet to sort through. Those same feelings were stuck like a stray twig in my heart as everyone peppered me with more and more questions. I was exhausted trying to keep up, and when Dad noticed how weak I was he announced that the interrogation was over and he was taking me home.
Sergeant Davis and the other members of the Guard went to deal with the situation at the prison. Vas and Sven might be out of their reach but Serg was still on the loose somewhere. Although I imagined he’d be difficult to catch in his eagle form. I still felt a twinge of dismay about his escape but it couldn’t be helped.
Mum and Rebecca brought Carrabelle to see a doctor and have her injuries looked at, while Peter, Grace and I climbed into the back of my dad’s car. Peter tucked me under his arm and I closed my eyes, the rumble of the engine soothing my frayed nerves.
It was a bittersweet feeling to step inside my house. Grace hugged me for a long time at the bottom of the stairs before Dad told Peter to bring me to my room.
I was in a daze as my boyfriend quietly and carefully undressed me then helped me into the shower. I’d never been so tired in my life. It was a struggle to keep my eyes open while I washed.
I emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a soft, fluffy robe that felt sinfully luxurious after the harshness of the prison. Peter sat near the foot of my bed and I could see from the dark circles under his eyes that he hadn’t been sleeping well.
Stepping in front of him, I ran my fingers through his hair that had grown long and a little scruffy again. I liked it best this way. Affection and love filled my heart as I stared down at him and his hand came out to softly caress my hip.
“I missed you,” I whispered and Peter emitted a slow breath.
“I missed you more than words can express.” His hand slid up to my ribs and a shudder went through me. At the same time, Vas’ mark sizzled hot under my skin. I wasn’t quite sure what it meant but I had a fair idea.
Peter stilled, his eyes roaming to the spot where I felt the mark alive and beating within me. He frowned, his eyebrows wrinkling, and I suddenly feared he could sense it was there, so much stronger than before. I didn’t want to talk about it, and I definitely didn’t want him asking me questions, so I brought up a different subject.
“Belinda told me about your dad, and how your mother’s not been well.”
Peter glanced at me, distracted. “Belinda?”
“Right,” I breathed. “I haven’t told you about her ghost. She’s been visiting me from the other side, or well, the in-between. For some reason she hasn’t moved on but we don’t know why yet.”
“That is…so strange.”
“Tell me about it. I had her check on you while I was in the prison. I hope you don’t mind. I just really needed to know how you were doing. She told me about your dad and how you’d moved back into your parents’ house to care for your mother and brothers.”
Peter seemed a little unnerved to hear a ghost had been spying on him, but finally, he gave a tired sigh. “Yes, there was nobody else to step in and…it’s been exhausting. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if it weren’t for Angela. She’s been helping me out, cooking meals for my brothers, doing laundry. I told her she didn’t have to, of course, but she insisted.”
Hearing this, I pressed my lips together flat. When Belinda first told me about Angela being there for Peter I’d been relieved, but now that I was home and hearing it from him first hand, I felt somewhat…proprietary.
Finally, I said, “I would’ve expected Sophia to help you out. Angela’s never been a close friend of
He rubbed his jaw. “It was random, really. I was talking with her after class when my mother called with the news about Dad. She saw I was upset and insisted on picking my brothers up from school while I went to the house to check on Mum. Ever since then she’s been a Godsend. I think she might’ve been a saint in another life because my brothers can be a handful at the best of times.”
“She’s a nice person, selfless really. She’s always been that way,” I said, while a tendril of jealousy curled it’s way around my insides. I had no right to feel it, especially given everything that had transpired between me and Vas, not to mention the vision of the future Sarasin had shown me. And besides, I was certain nothing was going on between Peter and Angela. Neither of them was the type.
“You must be tired. Come here,” Peter said while pulling me back onto the bed.
“You look tired, too. Have you not been sleeping?”
“Not as much as I should. I certainly have a newfound respect for my mum. It’s non-stop taking care of those boys.”
“I bet,” I replied and he helped me climb under the covers then wrapped his arms around me. A yawn escaped me as I asked, “Who’s with them now?”
“Mrs White, our neighbour. She’s human so I don’t often ask her to babysit since the boys sometimes like to prank her with spells. But when I heard you were getting out of the prison I had to come.”
“Oh, Peter. I hate that your dad did this to you all. I hate even more that it happened while I was gone.”
There was a brief flash of pain behind his eyes. “You’re back now. That’s all that matters.”
Again, guilt swirled within me. I was being torn in two different directions, a force slowly tugging away at my seams. If only I could magically clone myself, sending one version of me to rescue Vas and Sven, while the other version stayed and helped Peter with his familial responsibilities.
I nestled into the crook of his neck and closed my eyes. Too many worries filled my mind to sleep. Most urgently I needed to figure out how to get to Oreylia. A part of me wished to go immediately, but I didn’t have the magic to get there and Carrabelle was too injured to open another portal. I at least needed to let her rest and heal first.
“Peter,” I said in a soft voice.
“Hmm?”
“Do you know what kind of spell it takes to open an interdimensional portal?”
At this, he stiffened. “Not in detail but I have a vague idea. I’m sure Rita or your mother would know. Why do you ask?”
I fell silent, unsure how to answer. Peter still saw Vas and Sven as escaped convicts, criminals. He had no idea how my feelings towards them had shifted, no clue of the passion that had been stirred within me, the need to help them be free. Unsurprisingly I left all that out of the account I’d given of my time in the prison.
“Is this about Vasilios?” he asked then, his voice low and my heart gave a sharp thump.
“Yes,” I answered honestly.
“Do you think the Guard are going to travel through dimensions to Oreylia just to put him back in the Prison of Thorns? Whatever he’s facing now is surely far worse.”
He had no idea how his words made me sick. I just kept remembering the look of betrayal on Vas’ face when he learned I’d been undercover. That I’d tricked him yet again. And then the next minute he was gone. I was traumatised by it all, plagued by the need to explain myself, to make him see that as soon as I got to know him I wasn’t working against him anymore. Surely, if I were then I’d have informed one of the guards about his and Sven’s escape plan as soon as I learned of it, but I hadn’t.
“What’s wrong? You seem troubled.” Peter shifted on the bed so that he could look at me.
I lowered my gaze. “It’s nothing.”
“Darya, you can tell me anything. You know that, right?”
At this I glanced up. “It’s just that…” I trailed off for a moment, unsure what to say. Peter was staring at me with such open affection and kindness in his eyes. I forced myself to continue, “I got to know Vasilios and Sven quite well during my time in the prison and I know this is going to sound crazy, but I’m not sure they deserve this. He told me all about his childhood in Oreylia, how he and Sven spent their entire lives working in the mine. To think that’s what they’re being dragged back to, it makes me feel ill.”
I watched as he digested this. “You got to know them?”
“Well, yes, I didn’t have a choice. Don’t get me wrong, I never expected to empathise with them, but when I was in there I suddenly had all these other dangers to worry about and Vas and Sven became my allies. They protected me from other prisoners more than once.”
“Vas?”
I stilled, embarrassed that I’d referred to him so informally. I blew out a breath. “Like I said, we became more familiar with each other, and once I realised he wasn’t the one who framed me, well, it’s surreal to say it but we became friends. I hate thinking about what they’re going through right now.”
Peter didn’t say anything for a long while. Then he reached out and stroked my cheek. “You’ve got a good heart.”
No, I don’t, I thought to myself. If my future was to be believed then I was going to leave Peter at some point, and that made me a horrible, awful person. The worst. “I’m not that good,” I replied quietly, my hand going to my chest where I felt the mark alive and pulsating. Why hadn’t it been like this before? Spending time with Vas had activated it somehow. “His demon mark is inside me and it’s permanent. It makes me want to…go to him. Save him.”
Peter fell silent. He drew away and ran a hand through his hair. I watched as his eyebrows furrowed. “What makes you believe it’s permanent?”
“He said it was,” I replied.
“Well, that might not be true. There might be a way to remove it. There could be a spell.” I saw his mind working while the mark vibrated angrily. It didn’t appreciate talk of removal, and strangely, neither did I. There was a moment while we’d been trying to break through the prison wards when the mark came alive in a way it hadn’t before. It made me feel strong, my magic bolstered, and I was certain it had been why Vasilios finally managed to break through the wards. His magic and mine joined up. We’d been stronger together.
Peter clearly saw the conflict on my face because he pulled me to him. “Let’s not talk about this now. I just want to enjoy having you home and safe. We can deal with everything else tomorrow.”
I allowed him to hold me, trying to rid my mind of worries so that I could rest. Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep. I wasn’t sure how much time passed when I woke up briefly. Peter was leaving.
“Where are you going?” I asked groggily.
“I have to get home and pay Mrs White for babysitting. Go back to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning,” he whispered. “I love you.”
“Love you, too,” I whispered back but I was so exhausted that it didn’t take long for me to fall right back asleep.
In my dreams I wandered to a faraway place, one where it was hot and humid. There was an oppressive quality to the air like it was weighing down on me. The sky was grey with patches of fiery orange and red. The air smelled sharp, tinged with sulphur. I was there but not there, at once struck by an intense feeling of the place, but I couldn’t see any people, couldn’t interact. I saw tall metal gates and then a doorway that led down, down into the depths of the earth. The sound of gears grinding and a flash of a mine shaft, the image quick and bright. Clink, clink, clink was all I could hear then, the sound growing increasingly louder before I woke on a gasp.
Light filtered through the curtains. I glanced at my alarm clock and saw it was only mid-morning. Normally my parents would still be asleep but I could hear them downstairs pottering about. The comforting aroma of bacon and pancakes filled the house and my stomach gurgled. I hadn’t eaten in what felt like forever and I was ravenous.
I went to my dresser and put on a T-shirt, a hoodie and some leggings before throwing open my bedroom door. I didn’t expect to find Belinda standing there like she’d been about to knock.
“Um, hi?”
“Your mum asked me to come wake you for breakfast,” she replied in her usual slightly touchy tone. It was like interacting with me was such a chore, even though she’d decided to make her ghostly self at home here in my house with my family.
