Golden Goblet by K.Ann.M (graded readers .txt) 📖

Chapter 1

Contessa tensed when her father approached her, and then forced herself to relax. She was being silly; she had wanted this after all. She had been delighted when she finally came of age and could join her father’s covenant, but why was she having doubts now?
Kneeling, her red blond hair swung forward and concealed her face like a curtain. Her white skirt puddles around her on the marble floor, the hems of her dress had an intricate golden pattern that caught the light and caused the hems of the dress to shimmer. Her father paused before her, his red robes swaying. The gold goblet held in his hands filled to the brim with blood laced with wine. Lifting her head and straitening her back she raised her startling green eyes to meet his soul-searching black ones. After staring into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity he lifted his gaze from her and swept it around them at the crowd gathered.
"We are gathered here today to instate my daughter into our coven, if any gathered here to witness have a reason why she should not be allowed to join, please speak your peace," her father stayed where he was but seemed to withdraw from the proceedings.
After a few minutes wait her father seemed to be present again and began to speak.
"She is of age, is trusted, and can be relied upon to do what is necessary, so if we have no objections," his gaze once again swept around the room, "I will proceed without further ado." and with that he bent forward and placed the lip of the goblet in front of her mouth.
Grasping the goblet with both hands Contessa downed it in one gulp; the sweet tang of the blood laced with wine seemed to bring with it warmth, which became a burning that seared her veins. Though she knew it was coming the blazing pain surprised her and she let loose a scream before she could stop herself.
As quickly as the pain came the blazing pain left, leaving her shivering uncontrollable. It was like liquid nitrogen was being poured into her veins, freezing them and stopping her heart. Just as soon as her heart stopped it started beating again, only stronger and faster than before. Her blood forced itself into her veins, the pressure making it feel like she was being pulled apart. Then finally the pain disappeared altogether. She had fallen over some time during the process, so she sat up and once again got to her knees before her father. He placed his hands upon her head and spoke words of an ancient language.
Contessa closed her eyes and bowed her head, exhaustion almost overwhelming.
"Rise Contessa and let your coven complete the ceremony and embrace you'" he said smiling. Rising Contessa was overwhelmed by a sudden urge to run away, and it overcame her. She was a blur racing past her father and the coven, and into the dark arms of a cloaked stranger. The stranger threw back his hood, for he was indeed a man. He wrapped an arm around her and something overcame her, she was immobile. Some force making her still and unable to move. The man raised his hand palm outward; on the back of his hand was the insignia of a mage. A bright light suddenly bloomed in the palm of his hand and he hurled it at her father and the coven. They were rendered to ash, and the stranger released her and she fell to her knees staring at the place where her father once stood.

Chapter 2

No tears came, but anger reared its ugly head and rose inside her. All of a sudden marks that crisscrossed on her skin appeared that glowed with a sinister red. It shone brightly, casting the man in an eerie red glow. He was bald with the tattoo of an eye on his forehead, his face all angles, with a mustache that many policemen would envy. Contessa ran at him, but was again held immobile by some unseen force. He walked around her slowly and examined her marks, muttering silently to himself all the while.
“My name is Leon Noble,” he said suddenly breaking the silence. He stopped in front of her and his blue eyes stared into hers, obviously waiting for her to tell him her own name. Instead of speaking she spat on the ground at his feet, and he suddenly punched her in the stomach.
“You will show respect,” he said quietly and calmly.
“YOU KILLED THEM, for no reason!” she shouted at Leon vehemently.
“You don’t know them like I do,” his eyes seemed to flare up with red light as he said this, “they, unlike you, deserved to die.” Leon said.
“WHY!” Contessa shouted again, struggling against the invisible force that bound her. Leon looked her in the eye, and what he saw there made him shake his head resolutely.
“I cannot tell you why, you are not ready for the answer,” holding up a finger warning her not to interrupt he continued, “but I will tell you this, all you have known and been told is a lie.” With that he flicked his hand at her and she was conscious long enough to notice that the in visible force that had held her immobile had vanished before she blacked out, only to awaken chained up in a cell.

Chapter 3

Contessa grasped the chains and tugged with all her strength, trying to break the bolts holding it in place. The manacles chafing her wrists as she strained against them. After hours of trying to work the bolts out or break them she finally realized that her straining wasn’t having any effect at all she collapsed in exhaustion, her breathing ragged.
A screeching noise coming from the dark, damp cell across from hers ceased her breathing altogether. Pushing her red blond hair out of her eyes she stood and went as far toward the bars of her cell as her manacles would allow, straining her eyes to see into the cell across from hers. The darkness seemed to congeal into different shapes and disperse before she could register what it was.
Every so often a tendril of that darkness would stretch toward the bars of the cell only to be sent back with a screech by a burst of white light that came from the bars of the cell. Shivering she sat back on her haunches and examined her cell. The small window located ten feet above her on the back wall of her cell flooded her cell with moon light, the light only making it harder for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She finally registered the footsteps making their way toward her cell and she retreated toward the back of her cell. Torchlight flooded her cell and blinded her as the footsteps halted, and she feebly raised her hand to shield her eyes. While the person struggled with the lock she prepared herself to try and overpower the person she could now see was a man due to her eyes having adjusted to the light being thrown off by the torch. The cell door screeched open and the man placed the torch in a iron holder on the wall. Going over to crouch against the far cell wall, the chains attached to her manacles rattled across the floor after her.
Staring at her wearily the man, whose age she could now see was closer to her own, said a word in what sounded like the same language Leon had used and waved his hand at the manacles. With a flash of blue light the manacles opened and fell to the ground at her feet, the loud clang making the guy wince and glance at the cell opposite of hers. Gesturing for her to follow him he stepped outside of her cell and took the torch out of the iron holder. Still crouched she slowly moved so that she was directly in front of the opening of the cell. He made a hurrying motion with the hand that wasn’t holding the torch and she hurriedly moved out of the cell to slump against the wall beside her cell that went in the direction he had come from.
As she was slumped against the wall he shut the cell door and left it unlocked. He walked up to her and she was relieved that she had decided against trying to overpower him, because even if she had been in better condition she couldn’t have managed it. He was lean and that made him look weak, but the powerfully built muscles rippling along his arms told her that her could have taken her without breaking a sweat. He had black hair that was tied back, his eyes a startling bright blue. He said something in a completely different language that before and she looked at him in confusion, not understanding. He held his wrist out palm upward and gestured for her to do the same. Still confused she complied, and when he brushed the place where the manacles had chafed her with his hand she winced. Looking up he caught her wince even though she tried to hide it. Gesturing at her wrists he said a few words in the language Leon had used and with a flash of bright blue light the pain in her wrists vanished along with the marks the manacles had left behind.