Free Vampire Girl 2: Midnight Star by Karpov Kinrade Page A

flame. It sits on his arm and roars.
    "I am Oren, Druid of the Flame, Keeper of Riku, Spirit of Fire."
    The dark skinned woman lifts her right arm, and her serpent screeches, spikes standing up on its back. Water begins to float around the hall, leaving goblets and bowls. A man drops his plate, trembling at the clear water filling the air before him. A streak of wine glides past me, and I run my hand through it, tearing it in two. The serpent snaps at me.
    Its master smiles. "I am Metsi, Druid of the Waves, Keeper of Wadu, Spirit of Water." She turns to the crowd. "Join us. Tomorrow, we march on the demons."
    The Fae roar with rage and bloodlust.
    A gust of wind shoots through them, knocking men and women down to their feet, quieting all. Varis jumps, gliding through the air, and lands on the pedestal beside me. "What does Lianna think of this? You are but two of the five."
    Lianna. The last of us. The Earth Druid.
    Oren shrugs. "I have heard no news of her. Nor do I see her here. Apparently, she was more clever than I, not honoring this charade with her presence."
    Varis frowns, glances at the door, seemingly hoping for the final Druid to arrive. No one comes. He points to me. "The Midnight Star unites us. Unites the Four Tribes. And she will bring peace between us and the demons."
    Oren spits at us. "How can you speak of peace, when my own sister is a slave to vampires? We cannot make peace with monsters." He points to Asher. "Why does this one still live?"
    A silence fills the room, and a nervous edge. The rage in Oren's eyes fills his body. He won't let this be. He—
    I run for Asher.
    Oren throws his arm forward, flinging Riku at the prince. The phoenix becomes a streak of flame, bright as the sun.
    I leap to the side, pushing Asher out of the way, throwing myself in front of the blaze. The heat singes my skin. Blinds my eyes. My lungs burn. My tongue tastes ash.
    And then…
    Cool. Soft wind. Fresh air in my lungs. I open my tearing eyes.
    Varis stand before me, a flurry of wind exploding around him, keeping the flame at bay. "Will you really fight here, Oren, in the Crystal Palace? Where is your honor?"
    The flame dies down. I check on Asher, laying under me. His skin is smooth. Not charred. Not burned. Not like Daison.
    My body collapses, tears pour out.
    He holds me, whispers words of calm, his breath cool against my skin.
    I raise my arms. They are pale, clear. I too am safe.
    Oren sees us. He roars with rage. His ashen hands blaze with fire, his eyes glow red. "Where is your honor, Varis? Siding with our killers. With our slavers. With those who came to our peaceful world and destroyed it!"
    Varis says nothing. But the wind picks up. Harder and harder. Oren begins to slide back. He scowls, raising his arms.
    Metsi touches his shoulder. "No more, brother."
    Oren looks from Metsi to Varis, from me to Asher, from Durk to Lucian. His hatred grows in his eyes.
    And then he looks at Madrid.
    "Very well," he whispers. He drops his hands, and the fire dies, his phoenix fizzles, turning to a pile of ash at his feet. He and Metsi walk to the door, but once more, Oren turns back. He turns to the crowd, but I can see, he looks only at Madrid. "There will be war," he says. "Which side will you be on?"
     

Chapter 6
    RIKU
    Fenris Vane
     
     
     
    "I am Oren, Druid of the Flame, Keeper of Riku, Spirit of Fire."
    —Oren
     
    Slumber does not dull my senses the way it does humans. I hear her, smell her, sense her, before she knows I'm awake.
    She is of the water. She smells of salt and sea, of fish and wind. No one can sneak up on the Prince of War while he slumbers, not even a Druid.
    I turn and study her, standing by my open window. Her dark skin gleams in the moonlight. Ritual tattoos cover her bald head. A green-blue snake coils around her arm.
    "You have one day to free all the slaves in Inferna," she says with her lilting accent. "Or we will invade and destroy the lands here and beyond. Yours, your brothers, and the next