Blood and Ice Ch. 01

Chapter One: The Beginning

It was an age of war; we had been battling our enemies for as long as either side can remember. The war of blood as it had been named, had claimed the lives of many brave warriors on both sides. No one truly knows how or what started the war, but in the midst of all the fighting, Lucifer our clan leader,and his wife Melissa, were able to have a child. When our enemies heard of the birth, they launched an attack on the castle. Lucifer and most of his councilmen were captured and imprisoned. Melissa managed to get the child to safety, although she was never seen or heard from again. The days of honour and glory were now scattered to the four winds. All of our hopes now rested on a child that was now being raised by a couple in a small village. Only time would tell if the child will save us all.

Unlike most of my classmates, I stuck out. I was, by far, the tallest girl of my age in the school. My long black hair, reaching just below my waist, my cheek bones we're unusually high, I was pale as a ghost, and I was extremely thin. No matter what I did I just couldn't put on weight. The doctors couldn't explain it. It just wasn't natural. To me it seemed that I wasn't natural in many ways.

My adoptive parents, James and Sarah, seemed to be like all the other kid's parents. My name is Alexandria but most people call me Lex for short.

I didn't have many friends. Jess was my best, and only, friend. Considering the group of people she normally associated with, it was strange that she and I were best friends. She was like the rest of the girls; the right weight, blond hair, blue eyes, "Little miss perfect" I nicknamed her. The students in my collage seemed to be split into sharply defined groups. The largest of these groups were ordinary school kids. They had "no axe to grind" with anyone. I was in this group. The second group contained the "in crowd". It was mainly populated with kids "from the right side of the tracks". That included my friend Jess. The third, and maybe the strangest group, were the Goths. They had adopted a very strange. View of authority. Both the "in crowd" and the Goths seemed to feel that they were some part of a "secret society", like the Freemasons or such. Even I avoided the Goths they were even too weird for me!

Anyway, at the end of the school day Jess asked me, "Are you coming over to my house tonight Lex?"

"I'll need to ask James and Sarah. If they let me, I'll be over about seven or so. Is that okay Jess?"

"Give me a ring if you can't make it. I'll hope you'll be able to come Lex. Bye!"

"Bye"

If James and Sarah let me go I would have to retrace my steps since Jess and I lived on the opposite sides of the town. The town was pretty quiet. In general, you seldom saw a fight after closing hours on a Saturday night. I didn't really care for alcohol.

One reason I got picked on was that I walked passed the graveyard on the way home. Jess always got "the creeps" when we passed the graveyard, but I loved it. That was one of the reasons why I go to her house and she very rarely comes to mine.

James and Sarah adopted me when I was a small child. They'd been honest with me and insisted that I called them by there first names, not mum and dad. Other than their last name, I never knew my real parents so as far as I was concerned they we're my parents.

I got to the door and started rummaging for my keys in my school bag. As usual, they we're at the very bottom of my bag. I'd just gotten to them when James and Sarah pulled up in their car.

"Hi Lex, how was school?" James asked.

"It was okay. Can I go to jess's about seven or so?" I asked.

"Only if you take your mobile and you're back before eleven. Okay"

"Okay, thanks James."

We went into the house and they chatted, with me, about collage and their work. They both worked in a laboratory doing some form of testing. I hadn't ever really paid that much attention to their work. Scientific sorts stuff bored me. They also had a side business. Our house had a barn and a few acres of pasture. At one point our house was "in the country" but slow growth had it now on the town's edge. Anyway, James and Sarah boarded horses for various people. The horses all belonged to other people, so riding them was not an option. Beside that, I was nervous around such large animals.

Sarah made a lovely dinner of chicken potatoes gravy and vegetables. After dinner I got ready to go to jess's. I put on jeans, a t-shirt, and my favourite red jacket. I tied my hair back into a ponytail and went down stairs to tell James and Sarah I was leaving. They made sure that I had my mobile and my house keys with me.

I bid them farewell and set off for Jess's. It took me about half an hour to get to her house. I knocked on their door. Jess's dad answered, "Hi Lex! Jess is upstairs just go on up." he said.

"Thanks!"

I went up to her room and knocked on her door.

"Come in."

That night we talked for quite a while about collage and what we wanted to do after collage. Jess wanted to become a beautician when she graduated. I wasn't at all sure what I wanted to do, but I wasn't worried. I had plenty of time. I was only nineteen after all.

I looked at my mobile. The time was half past ten.

"I'm sorry Jess but I have to go. James will kill me if I'm late. I'll see you tomorrow at school."

I left. I hurried along the street. As I got near to the graveyard I got the feeling that someone was following me. I tuned around and sure enough there was someone standing there.

"Are you Alexandria Blackhavour?" the figure asked.

A chill went up my spine. How on earth did he know my birth name and not even Jess knows it?

"Who wants to know?" I asked.

"Just answer the question! Are you Alexandria Blackhavour?"

It sounded as if he was starting to get a bit annoyed.

"Yes I am. Who are you, and what do you want?"

The figure stepped into a cone of light formed by one of the street lights.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Matthew and all you need to know is that we've been looking for you for a very long time. You need to come with me quietly. I promise I'll make it quick." he said.

"Make what quick?" I asked dreading the answer.

"Your death of course. Did you honestly think that we would just let you walk around after what your father did?"

That was more than enough for me. I turned and bolted for James and Sarah's house. I realized that there was no way I was going to make it to the house without him catching me. I saw the graveyard and made my way there. I ran as far, and as fast, as I could, hoping and praying he wouldn't catch me. I dived behind a headstone at the very back of the graveyard. I had my mobile out and was half way dialling the house number when I felt a hand push my mobile away.

"You won't be needing that any more!"

I thought for one bone chilling second that Matthew had caught up with me. I looked up and was surprised that it wasn't Matthew. I hoped that he might be on my side.

"Stay here! I will deal with him." I wasn't in any position to argue. I kept crouched behind the headstone but I could hear what went on.

"You can't hide her there forever Michael." my would be attacker said.

"I have no intention of hiding her in here"

There we're some loud noises that sounded like a struggle. Then I heard footsteps.

"You can come out now Alexandria."

I got to my feet slowly and shakily my rescuer grasped my arm. "We must leave before more of them arrive."

We set off at a steady pace I was practically being dragged back to James and Sarah's. The man who helped me rang the door bell.

It was James who answered the door. "Michael what on earth are you doing here?"

He dragged me inside and pushed me into the living room to a very surprised Sarah.

"Matthew just attacked her. She's lucky I was there. She would have been killed. Why the hell was she out alone at this time of night you know that they're getting desperate to kill her!" Michael said.

I was thoroughly confused about what was going. Sarah handed me a mug of coffee that I almost downed in one swallow. I was still shaking from the nights events.

Michael and James we're having a heated discussion about what had happened

"She can't stay here any longer! It's not safe for her here!" Michael said.

"But, there's nowhere else for her to go! They took all the strongholds over." James said.

"Not all! There's one left, Eithidan. She can go there. It's safer." Michael said.

James didn't like what ever he was proposing.

I asked James, "What's going on? Why did that guy attack me? Where am I going?"

"He was trying to kill you so could never come to the throne. Our kingdom would be completely lost if both you and your father are killed." Michael explained.

"My parents are alive? I thought they both died." I said.

"Your mother died just after the attack on the castle. We think that your father is still alive. There haven't been any executions we've heard of." he said.

"What's happening now, and where are you taking me?" I asked.

No one answered me.

"Where am I going?" I asked again.

"Eithidan, the last stronghold of our people. We're just waiting on the horses to arrive." Michael said.

"Horses? That's how we're getting there?"

"Well yes. How else do you expect us to get there?"

I was lost for words. I mean haven't these people never heard of auto-mobiles? What century have they been living in? I just sat down on the couch and started to drift off when James gave me a shake.

"Lex wake up! The horses are here it's time to go."

I got up and went to look for my red jacket when Michael said "You won't be needing that jacket where you're going. Use this instead." He draped a thick black cloak round me it was far too long I was almost suffocated by it.

I went outside and there was Michael standing next to four stunning horses. They we're jet black, quite big, and their coats shone like diamonds in the moonlight. I was gob smacked. I'd never seen horses so beautiful in all my life.

Michael walked over to me. "Do you like them?" he asked.

"They're so beautiful. Where did you get them?" I asked.

"These horses are bred for the councilmen and the royal family. No one else is allowed, by law, to own one. They're scared to us. He brought me over to one of the horses. This one is yours." The only way you could have told it apart from the rest was that it had a tiny spot of white on the face, just below the forelock. The horse was stunning!

I asked, "This horse is mine?"

"Yes he's yours. He doesn't have a name yet. Picking his name is your job. We must be off. We'll be in formation around you. I'll be in front. My son and the guards will be to your sides and rear. If we come under attack my son Damien will protect you so stay close to him and never under any circumstances take off your cloak. Do you understand Alexandria?" I nodded.

I pulled the hood of the cloak up over my head. Michael helped me up onto the horse as I had never been on one before. I had to admit I was extremely nervous. A young man about my age rode up beside me. "Are you okay your highness?" he asked.

"Yes, but I am just a bit nervous. I've never been on a horse before and I'm no princess." I said.

"Are you Lucifer's daughter?"

Before I could answer Michael interrupted.

"You know she is Damien. And you also know that she doesn't know anything about us or her father. She was too young to remember anything."

"My apologies father, I forgot myself."

Before I could say anything Michael said "Right! It's time to go Damien. Stay next to Alexandria and get her to Eithidan at all costs. You understand?" he said.

"Yes father." and so we set off.

I had no idea of what was happing or where on earth we we're going. I was a little bit wobbly on the horse. Damien kept a close eye on me. I snatched a quick glance at him and I had to admit he was very good looking. He had shoulder length black hair and deep almost black eyes. I don't know how long we had travelled. The scenery started to change and soon after we had left civilisation far behind us. We stopped in a shady glen. I dismounted from my horse. Only then did I realize that riding a horse could leave you sore. I still hadn't thought of a name for the horse. The rest of the group had dismounted and a lit a small fire. No one really said anything. Damien asked if I was okay and handed me some food and water.

I ate it quite quickly as I hadn't had anything in a while. I looked around to try and find out where I was. I finally asked Damien "Where are we Damien?"

"It's the path to Eithidan. It's quite long. It will take a few days to get there but it's the last stronghold of our people."

"Who are our people?" I asked.

"The shadow raiders and your father, Lucifer, is our leader. We're proud to serve both you and your father!" Damien explained.

I looked around. I didn't see James or Sarah. I started to panic.

Damien must have seen me panic because he said "it's okay. James and Sarah aren't allowed to come with us"

I nodded. I was a little afraid of being all alone with these people that I didn't know.

After a few hours we got back up on the horses. Damien had to help me because getting onto a horse in jeans isn't an easy task. We continued on our journey. The glen turned into a very dense forest and the temperature stated to drop. Before long it started to snow quite heavily. I wasn't getting cold. I think that it was the cloak that was keeping me warm.

We didn't stop until the following noon. I was so tired that I almost fell off my horse.

We slept for a several hours. Then we got going again. I was hoping we would get there soon as I was getting very sore and tired from travelling.

Damien handed me a sword. "Here! Take this in case we're attacked. Please don't hesitate to use it for your own safety."

"Do you think that we might be attacked?"

"There's always that possibility, especially now our enemies are getting desperate."

I strapped the sword to my waist hoping that I'd never need to use it. We set off again. I was wondering how much longer it would take to get to where we were going.

We hadn't gone very far when we stopped. The atmosphere changed completely. Every one was on edge. I heard the guards talking to Michael. He seemed quite tense. The guards and Michael started to circle the area. He nodded to Damien. He then whispered to me. "On my signal hold on tightly, dig your heels into you horse, and keep going north. What ever you do, don't stop! Do you understand your highness?"

I didn't know what to think. There was a loud bang! Damien shouted for me to run. I didn't object I dug my heels in a little too hard and my horse bolted at top speed. I wasn't sure where I was going but I didn't care. I looked to my right. I saw hooded figures on horseback trying to catch up with me. I just kept looking in front of me as the horse sped on. I saw a flash of silver. I ducked my head just in time dodging my assailant's blade. I started to panic because I couldn't see anyone from our group. I decided to draw my sword and swung it half heartedly. I didn't do any damage but it was enough to make my assailant back off a little. I saw another flash of sliver to my left I realised that I was surrounded. I ducked, but the force of the attack knocked me off balance. I just managed to grab my horse's mane. It was enough to keep me on the horse. I was in way over my head! Where on earth was Damien?

"Give it up princess! We have you beaten! There's nowhere to run." the person to my left said. I wasn't going to give up without a fight. I dug my heels into my horse. I could hear the thunder of horse hoofs and the clashing of blades.

"Give it up Gabriel. You'll never get your hands on her!" It was Damien!

"Oh no? Just watch me." he made a grab for me but I hurt his hand with my sword. He yelped in pain as Damien caught up with me he rode along side me fighting off anyone who tried to make a grab for me.

We were coming to the edge of the forest. Just up ahead there was a large black gate set in a long wall. The wall seemed to stretch a great distance in each direction.

"Get through that gate and you'll be safe. They can't cross it!" Damien shouted.

I dug my heels in to my horse. The horse tore ahead as if it knew what was going on. I saw more flashes of sliver intercepted by Damien. I was almost within the gate when I felt a strong pair of hands yank me off my horse and throw me to the ground. The wind had been knocked out of me. I scrambled to my feet and ran for the gate but just before I could reach it I was grabbed by the waist.

"I don't think so little princess. You're not getting to go home!" my attacker said. I remembered that I was still armed I grabbed my sword in plunged it behind me only meaning to injure him. He let go of me and I ran for the gate. I was just getting through the gate. Before any one could grab me again I looked back. I saw the person that had grabbed me. He was a man in his late thirties with blonde hair and striking blue eyes. He was lying in a pool of blood. It was then that I realised what I'd actually done. The man convulsed, coughed up blood, and then was completely still. I had killed him! I was violently sick. I couldn't believe what I'd done. Before I could dwell on the matter Damien grabbed me and almost threw me up onto my horse. We sped away at high speed. Our pace didn't slow until we were safe. We only stopped to allow the horses, and ourselves, to rest and get food and water.

I was still in shock about what I'd done.

"Are you okay your highness?" Damien asked.

"Not really. I killed someone. It's not exactly a walk in the park is it?" I said.

"That man you killed was our enemy's leader. You just tipped the scales in our favour. With him dead we have the best chance of getting your father and the councilmen back and restoring glory and honour to our clan. We owe you thanks your highness." What Damien said had stuck with me the rest of the journey.

I'd never thought of getting my father back! I never thought I could. Thankfully the journey didn't last much longer. We came up to a small derelict castle it looked like it hadn't been looked after very well. There must have only been about five or six floors to it and there was a large shed like building next to it, we headed towards that. When we reached the shed

I realised it was a stable for the horses. I got off mine and lead it into a stable and went to remove its tack when a stable hand came in and said that they would take care of that. Damien gestured for me to follow him so I did. He led me out and up the front of the castle and into the entrance hall. It was very dark. The carpets we're dark green and gold in colour. He led me up to a very large door and said "This is your room. You'll find everything you need in there. If you change, I'll take you down to the food hall."

I entered the room. It wasn't especially big but the bed was massive. It was bigger than a queen size bed. I couldn't wait to lie down in it as it had been an extremely long few days. I looked around the room and saw what looked like a wardrobe. I opened it and saw it was full of dark green dresses.

"You've got to be joking! I've never even owned one let alone wore one." I thought to my self. I had no choice. I had to wear them. I reluctantly got changed into one of them and had to admit that it did feel lovely on me. I'm almost certain it was real silk. I found matching shoes, all of these clothes were the right size! There was a small sink in which I took a quick wash. I untied my hair and brushed it. I heard a knock on the door. I went over and opened it. Damien was standing in the doorway with Michael.