Forces Collide by Jamie Wilson (ap literature book list txt) 📖

I heard her mutter as she shut the door. No doubt she'd just locked the door.

That gave me something to deliberate about. She was as graceful as my kind, but definantly not an elf. It was obvious she was not fully human either. Thinking about those thoughts, I fell asleep.

I was next awoken by the woman unlocking the door.

Here she comes again, I thought.

This time, you're not the one asking the questions. I am," the woman said. "My king wishes to learn something's that only you can tell us."

I don't think I can lend a hand with that, I thought. Then I replied to her lightly, "I greatly doubt that I can really help."

"Ackaro!" snarled the woman. She pointed at my left arm.

A second later I yelped as her spell made a shallow cut in my lower arm. My blood felt extremely hot on my cold skin as it ran around my arm and dripped onto the table.

I looked up when the woman hissed hungrily as my blood started to come out. Her blood red eyes flashed in excitement.

Uh oh, that's not good, my mind told me. Since when did one of then live here in Nuban?

Though things were starting to fit together in my head as to what the woman was, I still did not fully comprehend.

"Now where is the wyvern I know you ride?" asked the woman. I could tell that she was not really interested in questioning me; her eyes seemed to burn as she watched my blood dry.

Hastily I lied, "I ride no wyvern. The only wyvern I know of is Rhothilion, King Marcos!"

"Seetha!" the woman hissed.

Something like ice grappled with my mind. I knew it was the woman and I fought to withstand her attack. I shrieked as she shrugged past my defences.

I can't allow her to catch a glimpse of Gaelira, I thought in protest. Swiftly I began to refocus my defence around all my memories of Gaelira. As I did, I tried not to provoke the woman's suspicion.

"Don't bother," the woman said, "I got much more than I needed."

Oh dear, I hope she does not know of my gift or Drannor's one either, I thought.

Ackaro." I yelped as the cut on my slender arm became twice its original length. The woman's eyes burned again at the smell of my blood fresh in the air. "Don't lie to me elf," the woman hissed and then left again.

That deadly, beautiful voice left me in a bit more of a trance. I finally got out of it. Hmm, her eyes had brightened at the time she hurt me. She got excited about the scent of my blood. Her movements were elegant and fast. A picture started to form in my head.

h great, I thought sarcastically. She's one of them.

'One of what?' Gaelira inquired unexpectedly.

'Gaelira?' I asked in relief.

'Who else has my voice?' Gaelira mused.

'Can Drannor speak through you Gaelira? I need his help,' I asked.

'I'll let him into my mind.' She fell silent.

Then a voice I missed so much came through from her, 'Gem?'

'Drannor,' I replied sighing mentally.

'What's going on?' he asked. 'Where are you?'

'In Ciarbera. They're torturing me for information. There's a vampire involved, I know it,' I replied swiftly, wincing as my arm stang.

'We'll come and get you straight away,' Drannor replied. 'Don't give any information to them if you can help it.'

But I already had, the vampire had read my mind by force. I could not say that though to Drannor, it would be wrong. 'I won't.'

The next day, the vampire came again into my cell. The foul leech used magic to lift me into the air, and then toss me like a rag doll to the ground.

I vehemently refused to lie on my back. So the woman kicked me over and I gasped as her freezing, barefoot collided powerfully with my back. Then magic bound me in place again.

Time for more of this torment, I thought. What is it going to be this time? I grimaced at the sore spot that was bound to be a bruise soon.

“I heard that you sent a feather somewhere before my man had fully exhausted you. Where did you send it and why?"

I smirked at the vampire as I thought of a smart response. It did not matter how much I got hurt, friends were coming for me soon. I'd rather die, than tell the truth, I thought. Quickly I looked up at her and lied, "I do not know what you're talking about."

The vampire rested her foot on my wrist and pressed her weight onto it. With a sickening snapping sound, my wrist broke. I yelled at the sudden pain, completed expected from the bloodsucker.

Days went by and still I endured. Though, the vampire's control was weakening. She would not last much longer before draining me.

"Tell me the location of your home, girl," the vampire demanded.

"Never, you'd never get in anyway," I snarled.

"Woil hack akaro dep," the vampire hissed.

I screamed as a deep cut ran down my arm, opening any half healed cuts that it touched. I screamed again as it did the same on the other side of my arm. Bright crimson blood poured from my arm, and for the first time I felt weakened.

My eyes sought the vampire's almost black ones, and I was horrified to see the hunger that shone in them. It seemed she was struggling against her instincts and almost losing.

Then she whirled around and snarled irately, "How did you get in here?"

I peeked passed her to see Drannor and Haemir looking at her, both of them scowling.

"How about we heard her screaming," Drannor spat back, indicating me with his hand. There was obvious rage in his voice as he spoke to the monster.

"Now you're going to find out exactly how agonizing it was for us to hear," Haemir declared, drawing his blade.

The woman chuckled. "More prey for me."

Drannor simply sidestepped her lunge, and moved quickly over to me. "Gem," he said worriedly.

I felt the magic holding me decrease in strength. I instantly sat up, scowling in pain. Haemir must be fighting, I thought.

"Easy sweetheart," Drannor said soothingly. "Haemir's got this under control."

"That thing will slay him, it was going to eradicate me," I stuttered.

"Haemir's clever enough that it won't get a chance," Drannor assured me. He tenderly picked me up, cradling me in his hands. "I've got to get you to Gaelira. Haemir's going to bait the parasite to her." With that he started to run. I was quite aware of his lilac scent as he moved.

Soon I was up in Gaelira's saddle, and heard hurrying feet. Haemir darted towards Ackron. As soon as the leech caught my scent and swerved towards me, Gaelira reared and let loose a sparkling jet of white flames.

The vampire shrieked and writhed in pain as she was consumed by the flames. Gaelira leapt into the air, and soared away, followed by Ackron.


Chapter 9

Several days past by in peace. Drannor and I seemed inseparable.

Every day I'd spend three hours sparring, with different elves, always learning. Soon it became common knowledge that I could not be beaten.

This was an achievement that elves generally earned over time. It had only taken me a few days. I was the best with a sword for my age. Some of the time I used my gift, but rarely. It was good not to, because it meant that I could win without deception.

Though my father said that Drannor could not stay in the house after a certain time, he always crept back in after Zelphar went to bed.

One night, when I was spending a rather romantic evening away from home with Drannor, we had a serious talk with each other.

"I think there's something more than friendship that brought us together," I said.

"Of course there is. Our fates are meant as one, Gem," Drannor laughed.

Could he not stay out of my head right now? It was -

"Sorry love, it's hard not to pay attention to your thoughts," Drannor apologised quickly.

"Hard not to hear me? How?" I was intrigued by that little idea.

"I've become quite firmly attuned to your mind," he offered as an explanation.

I guess that makes sense, I thought. I smiled at him, truly happy to be with him. "I don't think we'll ever part," I muttered.

"I think you'd see it coming before it happened," Drannor teased me. His clever reminder about my gift amused me.

"There are some holes in my gift. I can't see anything unless a decision is made," I said. That truly annoyed me, it was pointless watching Lindan marcos. I was currently watching so many things, on the alert for any danger. Mainly any threat, he threw at us.

My mind strayed for a moment. "Drannor, you don't suppose Lindan Marcos is aware of my gift?"

"He might be, if that vampire got anything out of you, which I hope she did not," Drannor assured me.

"That parasite would have only been new to that way of life, she was younger than me," I mumbled. "She slipped through the borders."

Then my eyes glazed over briefly.
***

About twenty or more vampires sat on white warhorses, facing my army. Behind them, over two thousand men sat on their horses waiting.

Drannor and I were both on wyverns, I with Gaelira, Drannor with a younger wyvern.

Two wyverns faced us in the air. One was massive, blue scaled and red eyed. The other was steel grey in body, violet eyed, smaller than Gaelira. Gaelira's fury rushed through me at the sight of him.

***

"What happened?" Drannor asked, his arms around me, they were gentle but very hard.

"Another vision, we can deal with it in due time," I replied. I shook my head to clear it. "It's not anything happening for a while yet," I assured him. I kept my thoughts neutral, so he would not anything new with his gift. Instead I occupied my mind with the idea he'd not finished about our fates. Could he have been right? Were we meant to be together? It seemed to be alright, we'd had no trouble with each other, ever.

Our conversation turned pleasant. and it seemed that both of us were  very pleased with each other anyway, this time.

More time passed and we soon found that things could easily go up another level. Well I found out anyway this time.

We were alone, yet again, and Drannor seemed unusually jumpy for some reason.

"What’s wrong with you, Drannor?" I asked. I was only getting flickers of his plans, nothing that I could follow.

"Gem, I want to ask you something, but please, will you answer me true to your own feelings?" Drannor asked.

"With a gift like yours against me, I doubt I would get away with anything," I replied. "But yes, I will."

So Drannor took my hand in his and walked around to face me. I watched curiously as he lowered himself down onto one knee, eyes not leaving my own.
What is he doing? I wondered.

"Gem Hawksong,