Monday morning broke over the City and I was awake early to see it. The sun burnt the sky a brilliant red, which gave way to a large range of the spectrum before settling on a deep blue.
Before the phone rang, I knew something was wrong. That little thing at the back of my mind, that Insight that nagged at me now and then, buzzed with anticipation and told of a dreadful night. Then the phone gave a quick, sharp buzz and my hand closed around it, sliding the screen up. Ryker.
“We left you to sleep,” Ryker sounded out of breath. “But just promise that you won’t panic when I tell you this, ok?”
“I can’t promise anything, Ryker,” I replied, concern worming its way into my voice, snaking around every syllable.
“Well, let’s just say that Bryn’s little spirit friend didn’t just pay him a visit,” Ryker said. “Most spirits can live inside a host, but the host must have a certain aura, as the spirits call it. They must have a certain quality that allows them to make suitable hosts for the spirit. It just so happens that Bryn is just right.” Ryker paused briefly before continuing. “It’s a dangerous spirit called the Guardian Spirit. Its name is Rikoru.”
“What happened last night?” I asked.
“Bryn was attacked by the spirit and he ended up temporarily gaining certain aspects that the spirit has, like one large black feathery wing, slit pupils, golden-bronze irises and a bad attitude… things like that.”
“Did he attack you?”
“Sort of. He was in a lot of pain and Rikoru was clouding his judgement, so he tried to attack, but Bryn has a lot of willpower, so he could hold himself back just long enough for Rennisse and me to escape. Bryn stopped after about an hour and we took him back to Rennisse’s house. He didn’t hurt us much, if that’s what you mean.”
I sighed slightly with relief. “So you’re all ok?”
“Bryn is recovering, but he’ll be ok. But we won’t be able to get the spirit out of him. Once a spirit chooses a host, they can’t be moved without killing the host and possibly obliterating the spirit. That’s why spirits only take hosts when they are badly injured.”
“Ok,” I said. “Be careful. I’ll be round later, after school. Take care.”
“You too,” Ryker replied before the connection was terminated.
Soon I was getting dressed and getting last-minute school things together and heading out to catch the bus that took me directly to school. I got on and walked to the back of the bus, where it was empty. This was the first stop and usually there were three other people getting on here. But the bus trundled on along the road and I peered out to see no one hurrying after it. I sat down in my seat and waited.
There was usually a bus-full by now. The last stop and only six other people were on the bus. Six other people. That was weird. It seemed far more than just a simple coincidence. And there was that Insight bugging me again.
My head felt like it had cracked in two as a pain wracked through my brain. Here came a vision. I clasped my head quickly, scared that I’d collapse off my seat or something. My sight turned black and a vision danced before my eyes. There was a huge castle that sat on a large hill. Around it there was a dark sky, no stars, clouds or moon. It had odd shades of red dancing through it and felt like an infinite space. Within the castle was Fyrid, sat upon a large throne. There was a flash of light from somewhere outside, possibly from a servant’s lantern and I realised with horror that the throne was made out of compressed bones. There were the shapes of skulls here and there, all crushed together to make a whitish throne that looked like marble.
Fyrid looked up at me, or my point of view, and smiled. How did I know it was Fyrid though? I’d never seen him before. There seemed to be some kind of knowledge locked away in my mind with the Insight that knew of Fyrid.
“So Princess Sight-seer has been dragged into my vision,” Fyrid said. He dashed towards me, spinning in a circle as he came closer, hands raised up to motion around the throne room. “So how do you like my castle, Chloe? It took decades to transport all of this material here. I took it all from some medieval ruins.” Fyrid turned back to face me, his hands dropping to his side. “We are the same, you know. I also possess the Insight. Except I have had far more time to practise it. Vampires live for a very long time, Chloe.”
Terror was all that I could feel coursing through my body. Fyrid looked curious all of a sudden, walking ever so slowly towards me.
“Oh I see,” Fyrid said. “You haven’t learnt that much of the Insight’s power, have you? You can’t talk to me yet.” He was stood just in front of me now. His voice turned dark and sinister, like the voice of the creatures that reside in the dark, the creatures you know are in your bedroom at night, but the light supposedly proves they’re not. “Or are you afraid of me?”
The fear was too much. My mind was sent spiralling from the vision and I was back on the bus with a girl shaking my shoulder insistently.
“Come on,” she said. “We’re at school now.”
Still terrified of the experience, I stood up, grabbing my bag and hurried off the bus. I wondered what Rennisse would make of this.