Blood and Ice Ch. 14

Father nodded and we headed down to the stables. Spirit was ready for me to mount. After mounting, I put my helmet on.

Peter rode up beside me, "Lex?"

"Yes Peter?"

He pulled up close to me he leaned in and gave me a kiss.

"I missed you last night I just hope after we marry that you won't be letting our bed grow cold."

"Don't worry! After we marry we won't be out of bed for the first few months!" I whispered back.

"I look forward to that!" he said as he kissed me again.

"Could you two love birds keep a lid on it please?" father said.

I giggled.

"Do you know where the grounds are?" father asked.

Peter nodded. "Very well Peter lead the way if you will."

Peter nodded and went to the head of the council. I rode beside him with father on my other side.

Father whispered "so tell me when do you conceive?"

"It's not until after we marry, but don't say anything to Peter. He doesn't know I told you."

Father nodded but no matter what I said he couldn't stop smiling.

"What's he so happy about?" Peter asked.

"You got me!" I said.

It took us a good couple of hours to reach the light raiders execution grounds. We hid the horses in the trees and journeyed to the top of the hill. The grounds looked empty. Normally they would be hiving with light raiders.

"Where are the light raiders? They should be here." I said.

"I don't know, but I don't trust them." father said.

Father, Peter, and I approached with caution. We got to the gates, they were still open from the last time we were here. Blood was still covering the floor but still there were no light raiders about. The rest of the council were waiting at the top of the hill for any sign of trouble.

"So, where do you think this armour is Lex?" Peter asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think we should start with the prisoner cells."

Father and Peter both nodded. We went down to the prisoner cells.

"How far do they go down?" I asked.

"I'm not sure." father said.

"Right, we go down as far as we can and take it from there."

We headed to where father was held. I took a torch from the wall and headed down into the belly of the beast. We kept on going down and down. We must have been walking for two or three hours.

"Is there no end to these stairs?" Peter said.

"Peter quit your winning." I said.

Just as he said that, the stairs evened out. At the end of the corridor there was a very high door with a very strange lock at the bottom of it. It was long and instead of numbers there were letters that could be turned. There were enough to spell out a sentence.

"What do we do now?" father asked.

"We have to figure out the lock. It's difficult, but not impossible." I said as I saw the look on my father face.

"And just how, exactly, will we figure out the lock?" Peter asked.

I sat my torch down and placed my hand on the lock. When I did I saw my grandfather. He showed me the answer to the lock. I turned each digit until I spelled out "Things are never what they seem." As I turned the last letter into place the lock spun and clicked and fell to the floor.

"How did you do that?" father asked.

"It seems as if grandfather was the one who set the lock up."

"Your mothers father?" father asked. I nodded.

"Help me with this door." I said.

Father and Peter helped me open the door with great difficulty. The door opened up to a large room that looked exactly like the one we found the shield in. We walked in.

"Okay, just were exactly is the armour?" Peter said.

"In this room somewhere." I said. I walked up to the table.

"Do you have a small knife?" I asked Peter. he handed me a small knife. I sliced my hand and dripped the blood over the table. The table spun and opened. The armour and the orb came out of the table. I removed my armour and put on the armour of shadow.

Then I placed my hands on the orb. I felt like I was flying I saw the black temple that I first went to. I passed over it, it took me to a forest. There was a small black temple there. I went into the temple. In the main room there was a man standing on a platform. He turned around and spoke.

"If you are seeing this I'm sorry that I never got to know you my granddaughter. I wish I could see you become the most powerful shadow raider but I know that in my heart that you will find this with out any problems. My only regret is that I never found the sword. No one ever has.I only ever the armour, but I know that you will find them. This place that your seeing is one of the portals to the over side. I know that you will find the sword; it's your destiny!"

"Alexandria are you okay?", father asked as I came out of the vision.

"I'm fine Grandfather showed me a portal to the other side, what ever that is." I said.

I looked at father.

"The other side is where my father is. There are a few portals to get to where he is. Where was the one you saw?" father asked.

"It was in the middle of the forest. What do you mean by the other side father?" I asked.

"You will know when you meet my father. I can't tell you" father said.

I looked at father.

"Why not?"

"My father insists that you don't know the truth until your ready to know. As he's still alive I have to obey him, he is my father after all."

"Your father must be truly terrifying as I've never seen or heard of you taking orders from anyone!"

Father just shrugged his shoulders.

"Let's get out of here before the light raiders get here!" Peter said.

Father and I both nodded. We headed out of the execution grounds. We went to where we had the horses. As we were mounting them the rest of the council came running up.

"Any trouble my lord?" Alexander asked.

"No, nothing! I'm surprised at that!" father said.

Father rode up beside me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Alexandria was right. The armour was there!" father said.

"Come on father we better get back before mother starts to worry"

Father nodded as we set off and headed towards the castle. It wasn't until we got to the castle we knew something was wrong. All the lights were off and there wasn't a guard in sight.

"Father, something wrong!"

We all stopped.

"What do you mean Alexandria?" father asked.

"Something isn't right. All the lights are off and do you see any guard on duty?"

Father looked. "Your right, something is wrong."

Father said he was about to charge in. I managed to grab him before he did.

"Father wait! We need to think before we go in."

Father shouted at me, "Alexandria let me go now! I'm not loosing your mother again!"

"Father, be reasonable. Do you honestly think I will let anything happen to mother? If you rush in you will give them a reason to harm her we need to think about how to tackle this." I shouted back.

But father wasn't having any of it. This called for drastic measures. Father took off on his horse I sped after him. As I did I slid my feet out of the stirrups, pushed my self up, let go of the reins, and when I was level with my father I jumped off my horse and knocked him off of his. We rolled over onto the ground I managed to pin him down.

"You listen to me! If you go in there you condemn them all to death, mother included is that what you want?"

I looked in to his eyes.

"Get off of me Alexandria!"

"Not until you see that if you go in there without a plan that you will kill them all. You know as well as I do that if you go in there that Gabriel will take great pleasure in killing them, mother included!" I shouted into his face.

"Your right. But I don't want to loose your mother again. I couldn't face loosing her again!"

"If I let you up will you cool down? Save your energy and your rage for the people who really need it"

Father nodded. I got up and off him. The horses had run to the stables. Father stood up.

"So what's the plan?" he asked.

"Simple we walk into the trap and then bargain with them."

"We don't have anything to bargain with though."

"Yes we do now lets get going father."

He nodded and the rest of the council got off of their horses and gathered round. I told everyone of my plan. They all nodded and agreed to it.

We set off to the stables and put the remainder of the horses in the stables and headed up to the throne room.

I saw mother sitting on one of the thrones she looked over at as and tried to shout but she had obviously been gagged and tied to the throne, as she couldn't move.

Father rushed over to untie her. Before he could he was stopped by Gabriel.

"What's your rush Lucifer. I kind of like her that way."

"Let her go now or suffer the consequences."

"And what would they be exactly?" Gabriel said.

"Do you know that we know the location of the sword of shadows?" father asked.

Gabriel looked at him. "How is that possible, we've been searching for nearly a thousand years for the sword."

"Tell you what Gabriel why don't we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

"If you leave the castle and everyone in it I will give you the location of the sword."

Gabriel looked at my father then at me.

"There's only thing that I really want." Gabriel drew his sword and pushed it to my mothers throat.

"Your choice Lucifer. Your wife or your daughter."

He wasn't expecting that. I had no choice, I had to intervene. I stepped forward

"If you let my mother go I will go with you Gabriel, but you have to swear never to touch my mother or father again."

Gabriel nodded. "I can accept that is it a deal then?"

"No Alexandria! Don't do this."

"Father, I'm doing this! End of story." I said as I walked forward and stood next to Gabriel.

He got one of his men to tie my hands together as they released my mother, father grabbed mother and told Alexander to get her out of the castle.

"Now we will leave you alone with your wife. I will send word of your daughters execution, just so you can watch her die." Gabriel said as he pulled the rope that was binding me and handed me to his father.

"Take her to our camp and make sure she doesn't escape." he said.

His father nodded and pulled on the rope. I followed him, he took me down to the stables. He mounted his horse and someone put me behind him and tied me to him. I could smell him. It smelt like he had never taken a shower before.

"Don't you ever wash?" I shouted at him.

"Be quiet or I will silence you!" he shouted back.

He dug his heels into the horse and sped off with me on the back. I looked back at the castle where I had been born and wondered if I would ever see it again.

I don't know how long I was on the back of his horse but I was glad to get off of it. He had brought me to a large clearing. There were tents scattered everywhere. There was a large pole next to one of the tents. It looked like it was for tying the horses up. He untied me and let me slid from the horse. He was very quick getting off the horse. He pulled me over to the pole and tied me to the pole. He gave me enough length to sit and walk around the pole.

"So how dose it feel to be the one on the lead for a change?" he asked me.

"Bear in mind that you did not capture me. I went of my own free will."

"It doesn't matter. You're our prisoner now and you will pay for what you did to the princess!"

"Your still holding that against me, how pathetic."

He slapped me across the face. "I may be pathetic but am no murderer." He said as he walked away from me I sat down on the ground.

As I did I could hear the thunder of hoofs, then Gabriel walked over to me.

"Stand up!" he said to me.

"I don't take orders from you."

He reached down grabbed the rope and pulled me to my feet.

"You have two options. Turn to us and we will give you and honourable death or we will make you suffer in pain and agony the same way that Jess did."

He looked into my eyes. I turned my head then back again then spat in his face.

"I will never betray my father and mother."

"Pain and agony it is then. Prepare to move out to the cave."

The rest of his men started to cheer. They left me to sleep out in the cold. I waited until they all went to there tents. Because I was near Gabriel's tent they didn't keep a guard on me. Little did they know that I still had Peter's small knife in my pocket.

I pulled it out and started to cut though the rope. It didn't take long to get through the rope. I quickly got to my feet and ran as quietly as I could. I knew that I had to put distance between me and the light raiders. My problem was that I had no idea where I was, but I ran none the less. I could see lights in the distance.

I was in luck, it was the village that James and Sarah lived in. I ran at least hoping to get to the graveyard. I never stopped running by the time I got to James and Sarah's. James was just getting into his car when I came running in

"James!" I shouted.

I ran into his arms. "Shh, its okay, get inside." he said as he guided me inside the house.

"Look who turned up." he said.

I looked around the room. Father was there with Alexander and mother.

"Alexandria!!", father rushed over and gave me a bone crushing hug. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" father asked.

"Father I'm fine. They didn't hurt me but we need to go as they will be coming after me as soon as they realise I'm not there."

"She's right Lucifer. We need to go." mother said.

"Are you armed Alexandria?" father asked.

I shook my head. He handed me my sword and shield that I had left on Spirit.

"Thank you father. Do you have Spirit?"

"Yes. Alexander, you get Melissa back to the castle. Alexandria and I will protect you at either side."

Father turned to James. "My apologies for interrupting your life James."

"It's an honour my lord. Just think of this house as a safe house for shadow raiders." James said.

Father nodded, we went outside, and I mounted Spirit. Alexander got behind my mother and took off. I rode to his right father to his left. It wasn't long before the light raiders appeared. They surrounded us.

Gabriel came after me but I was ready for him. I swung my sword, I didn't injure him but I winded him enough to cause him to fall off his horse. We were completely surrounded. I had though that we might loose them in the forest, but they were relentless. We got through the forest and onto a flat plain of grass. That's when we knew we were surrounded.

"Give it up Lucifer you're beaten." Gabriel said.

"I don't think so Gabriel!" I said.

"Tell me how is it that every time we have you pinned to the corner you escape." he asked me.

"That's my secret, one you'll never find out." I said.

"We will see about that!" As he said that, Gabriel charged at me.

However, father intercepted the blow with his sword. When father did this the strangest thing happened. A voice in my ear told me to get off of my horse and face Gabriel.

"Father, let him through. Let's see if he can kill me or if he's as weak as I think he is."

Father looked at me. He seemed very confused but he saw something in my eyes that told him that I knew what I was doing. He pulled his horse back to where Alexander and my mother were. I could hear them whispering.

"So! come on then since your such a big man!" I said.

He looked at me. He seemed to be very confused. He dismounted and faced me.

"The offer I gave you still stands. All you have to do is say that you convert and it will all be over with." Gabriel said.

"And like I told you Gabriel, I will never betray my mother and father. What part of that are you having trouble with, or are you just stupid?" I said.

I could hear father and the council laugh at that.

I could see him getting angry. He lunged at me with his sword. I just stood out of the way. He stumbled forward and fell to the ground. He stood up. I don't know what made me do this, but I did it anyway.

I threw my hand forward at him and from the palms of my hands pure black shadows were thrown at him. It threw him about twelve feet. He got to his feet. He was in shock!

"What the hell are you?" he shouted at me.

Before I could do anything he was on his horse and away, along with his men. What was I? It was a good question. One I didn't have the answer to, but soon I would have all the answers I needed.