Vanguard Legacy: Fated

By Joanne Kershaw

Defeated but not vanquished, the foes of light have retreated. But victory came at a terrible cost to Elora Walker, with her friends lost and scattered. Eleven months later and just seventeen, she commands her own Vanguard quad but struggles with a past that won’t release her and a future she hesitates to embrace.

The barriers between worlds continues to weaken, Dark Seekers are emboldened, and David still plans to engulf humanity in eternal night. Elora means to end the threat once and for all but dreads the personal consequences. Will saving the world demand the ultimate sacrifice? And who must pay it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xchyler Publishing
• Release date: Mar 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781940810393

Book preview

Prologue

Step aside, please, Miss Navell. My mother’s voice was calm but her shoulders taut. Aaron’s mother has come to claim his body. Behind her, Aaron’s sister clutched at her mother’s arm. My heart wrenched at the vision of the confident, happy child I once knew, now broken. It was all because of me.

No! Teya hissed. Later. Come back later. One hand gripped the door frame, the other the door itself. Her body barricaded the morgue. A cold breeze filtered around her, the air conditioning turned up fully to preserve Aaron’s body. Teya’s eyes were desperately wild, her fear tangible in the air about us. I was ashamed that I hadn’t realised the depth of her feelings for Aaron. But he was my best friend—my almost brother—and I missed him, too. She hadn’t allowed me in yet, either.

I placed my hand on my mom’s arm and encouraged her aside. Perhaps I would have more luck. If I appealed to her, best friend to best friend, maybe I could resolve the situation peacefully.

Teya, you have to let us in. This isn’t optional anymore. I need to say goodbye. My voice broke on the last word. For the last forty-eight hours, we had allowed Teya her privacy. She had carried Aaron to the morgue after the Magicae transported us back to Nikolai. It was strange; I had expected Aaron’s absence to cripple me, but it didn’t seem to have hit me properly yet.

No, Elora. Come back later. Teya’s voice did not waver.

Growing dread filled me from deep within until it clutched my heart. I hadn’t felt his absence. Little had changed. I hadn’t reached out for him because I knew he was dead, yet my heart wasn’t broken. Bruised, maybe, but I still felt Aaron around me. At first, I thought I was simply consumed with Zak and my own recovery, and then because I had yet to see Aaron. That strange, uncomfortable feeling in my chest expanded, tendrils of anxiety curled and stretched within me. Something else was wrong. Very wrong.

Teya? I asked as thoughts and fears filled my mind. Let me in. My voice was low, cold, and her eyes widened. It wasn’t a request. It was a demand.

I can’t. It’s not a good idea.

That was it. Her words confirmed what I suddenly understood.

Teya. What did you do?

My gaze zeroed in on Teya, while the thoughts of Aaron’s loved ones swelled within me like a cacophony of agony. My fists clenched as my own heartbreak became amplified by the desperation around me.

Just let her in. No one else. Just Elora. Aaron’s distant voice drifted out towards us on the cold air.

NO! Aaron’s mom fell to the ground, dragging her daughter, Aaron’s sister, with her. Anguished sobs filled the stunned silence that had risen around us.

Teya looked at me, a challenge in her eyes. I will not protect you from him, she whispered. This is as much your doing as mine. The venom in her voice stilled my heart and I glared back at her. Aaron had chosen to sacrifice his life for mine. If he hadn’t, we might all be walking under a cloud of Eternal Darkness, watching the world be devoured by evil. His choice had been noble. Honest. Heroic, even.

It was an unbearable climax to the events that had passed two nights ago.

Teya stepped aside and released the door. Behind her, the dark room scared me. With one final look into Teya’s icy eyes, I stepped inside. She closed the door behind me and I was plunged into darkness. Alone with the soon-to-be vampire.

It took mere seconds for my eyes to adjust to the blackness, and I was quickly able to define the outlines of furniture. A tall cupboard, a metal slab, a set of drawers. And Aaron. Huddled in the corner, body pressed against the wall, my best friend’s vampire eyes stared out at me.

What did she do? I whispered.

What she thought was best. Aaron’s voice was dry, papery in the air. I started to move closer, but he lifted his palms into the air, forming a barrier between us.

Please, don’t come closer, he begged. It’s too painful.

I stepped back again and then sank to the ground, my legs crossed. I waited for Aaron to speak, unable to form words myself. Questions crawled through my brain and I slowly realised that they weren’t just mine. The thoughts of the confused people outside were seeping through my defences. I strained to hold up the barriers as my thoughts were overpowered by my feelings.

Silence continued. My eyes adjusted more to the darkness and I was able to see Aaron more clearly. His face was pale, drawn at the cheeks, his pallor grey. Bright but pained eyes shone in the darkness, unbridled hunger battling desperate pain. I swallowed nervously and looked away for a brief moment. He was dying. It was almost tangible.

How much longer? I asked, knowing he would understand exactly what I meant.

Twelve hours or so. I was hoping that Mom would take longer to get here, that it would be over before she arrived.

His words scratched the air around us, clawing at my consciousness. Desperation and resignation flooded through me as his thoughts were embraced by my mind.

What does it feel like?

Being an almost-vampire or dying for a second time? Bitterness. Anger. Frustration. I heard them all. Felt them all.

Both, I guess.

"When I gave myself up for you, for your cause, I knew that it was the last thing I would do on this earth. I believed it completely. Then I woke up in here, to her." He spat the last word as though the very taste of it in his mouth was repugnant.

She loves you.

No. She did this for herself. She didn’t want to be alone, to face the world as a single vampire. I bet she thought turning me would make me stay by her side forever.

I turned the thoughts over and over in my head. Were Teya’s motivations really so selfish? It was hard to believe. In the past, her choices had always been about others. She chose to live—if that’s what it could be called—for her father, to help alleviate his guilt. She helped me so that she could save others and prevent Dark Seekers, our natural enemies, from taking over the world.

Could she really turn Aaron just so she wouldn’t be lonely anymore?

I couldn’t believe it. I never imagined that she would be able to make a choice like this, driven by desperation and anger. It was plain that Aaron had neither accepted nor welcomed the change.

So, this is it? You’re just going to fade away? The anger in my words came from deep within, but whether from the situation or Aaron’s giving up, even I was unclear.

He slumped down the wall a little, his shoulders heavy. I stared into his new, brighter eyes. I realised what was strange—shouldn’t they be black?

I can’t live like this, he paused, sighing. "You know, you’ve always smelt good, Elora. Delectable. Only now I could literally eat you. I hear every beat of your heart, hear the pulse of your blood through your veins. Each and every one is like a sword to my throat. It burns, it aches. Yet some part of me likes it. What does that say about me?"

It says that you are changing, adapting. Maybe this doesn’t have to be it.

Of course it does. I am not going to drink human blood to save myself. To live like this.

Speak to your mom; see what she says.

Without warning, Aaron was beside me, his hand tight around my throat. There was no air and I grabbed at his arm, desperate to be free. His near-translucent skin triggered a shudder that shook my entire being.

"Do not let my mother in here. Do you hear me?" Aaron growled in my ear.

I nodded. There wasn’t enough air in my lungs to speak.

If I hurt her, if I hurt anyone, Teya has to live with that. You will have to live with that. His grip eased and he extended his arm a little, though his fingers were still around my throat. It wasn’t clear if he realised that or not.

Aaron, I gasped, please, think this through. You can still help people, still be a hero.

Behind the scenes? Gathering clues and compiling evidence? That’s not me, Elora! I need to be on the front lines. I am a Vanguard, born and bred. How can I abandon that?

He released his grasp on me and walked away, hands stuffed deeply into the pockets of his uniform. It was only now that I saw he still wore the clothes he died in. Everything was such as mess.

Could I fix it this time?

The door closed softly behind me as I stepped out and Teya slipped back inside. Her demeanour hadn’t changed, but my mother’s and Aaron’s mom’s had.

What’s happening? asked Mrs Lewis—Aaron’s mother—as she dried tears on her cheeks.

He’s waiting it out, I replied quietly.

He’s doing what? Her words were barely a whisper now.

I recounted our conversation, editing out Aaron’s pain and desperation where I could.

It’s impossible not to blame myself for this, I added. If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have been battling my father and sister in that damned African wasteland.

Vanguard Walker, said my mother, using my new formal title, blaming yourself will not improve this situation or change it. She hugged me, brief and stiff with our audience, but the sentiment was honest. I looked into her eyes, the sadness I felt mirrored there.

I’m really sorry, Mrs Lewis. I don’t think there’s anything that will change his mind. He wants us to leave him be, to let him go. I think we should honour that.

Aaron’s mother nodded and turned away, his younger sister clinging to her waist as they walked back towards the guest accommodation.

I have to find Matthew, I said to my mom. Now. She nodded assent and I took off for Matthew’s dorm. He was recovering from the effort expended during the prophecy and I was certain I would find him there.

~*~

Elora? Matthew’s face was pale, though not the deathly grey of our friend’s.

It’s Aaron. Without an invitation, I strode past him into his dorm room and threw myself into his desk chair.

Show me, he said, perching on the edge of his bed and clasping my hands within his own. He was warm, pulsing with energy, and the silver in his gaze shimmered and churned. I found it hard to read the emotions of Magicae, their eyes silver orbs that rarely expressed emotion. Except for Matthew. Somehow I always knew what he was feeling—perhaps the connection forged when I was born made the link easier. I showed him Aaron. With the mental connection open between us, my own emotions coloured events and I felt each and every reaction again as Matthew struggled to understand.

He just wants to die? he asked.

Yes. This isn’t what he wanted for himself. It’s not the dream he had for his future.

And that’s a reason to give up? Matthew continued. Was that disgust I heard in his tone, or anger?

Of course not! But he’s in pain and terrified he’s going to kill someone. Imagine that! Imagine if he lost control and killed someone whilst in the thrall of blood. He would lose his soul, be immediately consumed by a Dark Seeker. His enemy. He could become the one thing he truly hates.

And you might have to kill him. Matthew understood. I was pretty certain I could never do that.

My tirade over, I hunched over and cried. Painful, wrenching tears overflowed and my chest burned with the effort. Yet it was nothing like Aaron felt now. Desolate and empty, I allowed Matthew to hold me as I struggled to find a solution that meant I wouldn’t lose my best friend.

Again.

~*~

It was dark and quiet. Several hours had passed since I had spoken with Aaron.

Since I had told Matthew.

Since I realised everything had changed.

 It was the time of night I enjoyed most. The compound hummed with activity. Active Vanguards were deployed, my classmates completed training, Magicae and Sisters of the Spirit flitted about fulfilling this task or that. Everyone was united and driven by one cause, my cause, to rout out evil in our world and keep the Ignari safe.

It was a binding, driving force. Dark Seekers took a lot of defeating. It wasn’t like we could kill them in their sleep, because they don’t sleep. Zak had been an exception to that rule. He had slept for months after the spell to hide his true identity had been lifted.

Zak.

In all of the confusion over Aaron, I had almost forgotten about him. I changed course and headed back towards the hospital. This time, though, to the medical wing rather than the morgue.

He’s slept on and off all day, but he seems to be recovering well. The nurse answered my question before I even asked it. I looked through the window to my boyfriend . . . ex-boyfriend . . . boyfriend . . . something else entirely. Not for the first time, our complicated history tumbled through my mind as I struggled to make sense of everything, to find answers to the questions that churned deep within.

Zak had been sent to Nikolai to seduce me, to trick me into helping my evil father complete a curse I was fated to conclude. Yet, he had truly fallen in love with me. The parts of his soul that clung on, confused by his ranging emotions, and the conflict he faced and struggled with, allowed me to escape their clutches the first time.

After that, the waters surrounding us grew murkier. Zak had sided with my father and twin sister, helped them gather the artefacts needed to complete the curse that bound us all together. Yet he had abandoned them, come back to me, his love for me stronger than the Dark Seeker that consumed him from within.

That’s how he had been there. He had watched Siva—my twin—and I as we fought an age old battle. Each a champion for ancient powers that vied to control our planet. Good and evil, light and dark. As the battle ended, I fell to earth, still humming with the power that had surged through me. He had thrown me away from the chasm that had torn apart the ground below me, knocking himself unconscious in the process. But when he finally awoke, all of our hopes and wishes had been granted. His eyes were his natural blue, all traces of the Dark Seeker he had once granted entry to, were gone.

But he had forgotten me.

Now he lay in the hospital bed, a bed that had often seen me recuperating from an attack or training gone wrong, and he struggled to grasp his story. I had told him everything, shown him what I could. Each time he shared his story with me, back when we were still struggling with impending events, I had been grateful to understand him. When he lost everything, I was grateful I could give it back.

Now it was clear that I had gone too far. He refused to see me. Against my own rules—and my better judgement—I snuck in and read his mind. The depth of his anger towards me, his mistrust, was sudden and shocking. He didn’t understand who he was, how he could have been that creature. In the process, he hated that I had given it all back to him, didn’t allow him to forget.

I knew then that I would probably never get back the young man with whom I had fallen completely and absolutely in love with. In the past, I had dared to dream of what our future might be like. We hadn’t spoken of it. The chance of the Dark Seeker being cast out during the prophecy was so remote that it seemed ridiculous to make plans. Foolishly, though, I had made them anyway. Now those hopes were dashed.

Vanguard Walker?

I glanced around briefly, looking for my mother, before realising the comment had been addressed to me. It was still strange to think of myself as pinned, as being a fully fledged Vanguard.

An older Vanguard waited for acknowledgement. His sleeve was littered with the tiny silver marks that defined captures or kills during active service. The man before me had been formidable, and he was still alive, therefore careful and cautious.

Yes? I said.

Vanguard Walker sent me to find you. Mrs Lewis, Recruit Lewis’ mother, is asking to speak with you.

I nodded my thanks.

I turned back to Zak. He slept on, his face peaceful in the moonlight streaming through his window. There was nothing left for me there, in that room. It was time to accept that Zak was finally out of my life. Gathering the shattered pieces of my heart, I turned away and bit back new tears.

~*~

Mrs Lewis? I called as I tapped the thick, wooden door.

Elora! Please, come in. Come in. She flung the door wide and I stepped past her.

Look at you! she smiled thinly. I glanced down. My official uniform was still strange to me, though not very different to my training one.

Not the uniform, though it’s great to see you pinned, Mrs Lewis continued. I meant your eyes, your hair, everything.

I caught my reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall to my side. Whilst my hair had returned to its original hazel, there was a white streak which ran through it. I tried to brush my hair to hide it but nothing seemed to work for long. My eyes were more noticeable, the green in them permanently replaced by a blue so light it was almost white.

I know that it’s unusual, but I’m getting used to it.

Just another battle scar, Mrs Lewis acknowledged sadly, tracing the strands of my hair with her finger.

I suppose. I smiled.

She led us towards a group of chairs around a small coffee table. I hadn’t been in the guest quarters at Nikolai before and it struck me how similar the room was to my own dorm room, just a little larger with an extra bed and the chairs and table.

What happens now? she asked quietly and my attention refocused on her.

I don’t know.

When he’s gone, will there be a body to bury?

Yes. As far as I understand it, anyway.

How much longer?

A few hours, maybe a little more. Teya didn’t finish the process until the early hours of the morning. If it’s exactly three days, then—I glanced at my watch and noted it was a little after ten in the evening—we have around three hours.

I see.

I didn’t need mind reading powers to see that Aaron’s mom wanted to say more, to ask more. I waited.

Elora, could you change his mind?

I shook my head sadly. Pretty sure his mind is totally made up.

He’s afraid of hurting others. You could make sure that doesn’t happen. You’re strong enough to stop him.

Are you saying that you think I’m the only one capable of killing him if necessary? My voice was cold, distant, but only because I had already come to this conclusion myself.

No! Aaron’s mom gasped. Just that you’re in his head, you can feel if he’s going over. You could talk him back.

Grief coated every word and filled the room like the Seripa of dark magic. Thick. Heavy.

I’m not sure that anything I say or do could work.

Just try. That’s all I’m asking. You’re like a daughter to me. You practically grew up in my kitchen. Surely you can do this for me?

~*~

Facing the door to the room that housed my dying best friend, it was hard not to feel nauseated. He knew I was there; I felt it. Teya came to the door without me having to knock. Her head tilted, unbridled disgust in her eyes. She stared at me for a long time. Then she sighed and walked away, drifting down the corridor silently. I sadly watched her go and then stepped into Aaron’s room.

Why are you here?

I sought him out and finally found him curled up in the corner, his body shuddering.

Does it hurt? I blurted out.

Of course it hurts.

I was certain he meant to sound bitter and angry, but all I heard was anguish.

Can I do anything?

You can take away your tasty self and stop tormenting me.

I hesitated for a second before stepping closer.

Great. Nice to see you haven’t changed in all of this. Still stubborn and doing things your own way.

I laughed despite the grave situation, and Aaron joined me. Albeit weakly.

Your mom asked me to come find out if this was what you really wanted. She thought I might be able to change your mind.

Do you? Think you can change my mind, I mean.

No. But that’s because I’m not sure if your decision is set.

Of course it is. I don’t want to live like this. His tone wavered, his voice hoarse.

But you’ll die like this? I asked. It was difficult to be sure, but I thought I felt a shift in the atmosphere around me.

I am already dead. This purgatory is temporary. I am finally on my way to join the Spirits.

But you’re not dead! I yelled, suddenly angry. You are here, now, and you get to choose.

It’s no choice. If I choose to continue in this life, to become a vampire, every single day I will have to fight to keep my soul.

Teya does it.

I am not Teya.

I couldn’t interpret the tone, too many emotions churning through him and me.

No. You’re Aaron Lewis, Vanguard Recruit. You’ve saved my life and helped save the entire world. If anyone should get a second chance, it’s you! You deserve to live, Aaron!

This is not living! he yelled. His sobs came loud and thick and I shuffled closer, desperate to ease his pain.

Please, don’t, he sobbed.

I ignored him, and sat next to his shuddering form. I pulled him close and held him. There was nothing else I could do or say. I didn’t want to live without him, but that didn’t give me the right to ignore his choice.

Elora. What will become of me?

You will walk the Spirit Plains with the Spirits of our history. You’ll hear their stories and gain eternal enlightenment. You’ll have everything you want.

Everything I want is here, he said solemnly. He looked into my eyes. His irises were still light, devoid of darkness. I lifted a hand gently and traced a finger lightly across his cheekbone.

Why are they white? I asked softly.

Because I haven’t fed. If I take blood they will fill with the blackness you see in Teya’s eyes.

My hand dropped away and I drew a deep breath. Let me save you. I heard the words come out of my mouth but didn’t remember thinking them. I realised then that I meant it.

Aaron moved back and drew his legs up to his chest. You need to go. His voice was small.

No. Aaron, I know I’m right! I felt excitement building within me.

Go away.

I won’t let you take too much. You won’t kill me. And you can stay here, with me, with us.

GO!

NO! I can’t watch you die twice! I grabbed Aaron and hauled him to his feet. Frantic, I tried to reach inside his mind, to show him what I believed. Do you really want this to be it? I whispered.

I held my breath, my heart raced wildly. Each beat hummed through me and I knew Aaron heard it, felt it. Take my blood, Aaron. Live on. You were meant to make a difference and you can’t do that from your grave.

I knew I had him then. It was a cheap shot, to play on his hopes for his future, but I took it. Aaron lifted his hands and placed them on my shoulders. They slid up to my neck and he looked at me again.

Are you certain? he breathed, blood lust filling every inch of him.

I nodded. I won’t let you kill me.

He paused again, briefly, before pulling back his lips. Fine daggers lined his mouth. The final step of his transition. He bent his head down to my neck.

I felt his canines slide through my skin. It burned, but not unpleasantly. Aaron’s grip tightened as my blood began to flow.

I was right. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.

Chapter One

My back slammed into the red brick wall and a hot breath rushed out of me. Gasping, my eyes flickered shut for a second before I felt myself rise again. Cold, hard hands gripped my neck and lifted me until my face was level with a pair of menacing, soulless black eyes. I didn’t wriggle or squirm, not that I didn’t want to, but the hold the vampire had on my neck was choking the life out of me. Pushing out with my mind, I tried to find my back-up. Where on the Spirits was the rest of my quad?

My quad, however, seemed oddly absent and I felt my heart beat grow a little more frantic—and probably more delicious-sounding considering my current company. Desperate now, I swung my legs up hard and punched my feet into the centre of the vampire’s chest. A dead thud reverberated through me. He snarled derisively while I pushed against him, trying to force him to release his grip on my throat. One shove, another. The third time, I summoned all of the Vanguard strength I had in me.

I caught the smug creature off-guard—my short stature often led my enemies into a false sense of security. His grasp loosened for a fraction of a second and I twisted away, both of us falling in a tangled heap on the floor while I gasped for breath. I scrambled away, the dirt from the alley pushing up under my fingernails as I skittered backwards. The vampire moved fast and I was unable to put any real distance between us before his shadow loomed above me.

I cast my eyes towards the shadow, trying to anticipate the creature’s next move. It was not the vampire but my quadmate and commander, Marcus.