The New Queen Rises Read online

  1The Vampire Legacy:

  The New Queen Rises

  By Dawn Gray

  The Vampire Legacy; the New Queen Rises

  By Dawn Gray

  Copyright 2011 Dawn Gray

  Smashwords Edition

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

  This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Edited by Melissa M. Ringsted

  The Vampire Legacy; The New Queen Rises

  The Light, the Dark, the Heart; The Vampire Legacy II

  Familiar Souls; The Vampire Legacy III

  The Kingdom of the Nine; The Vampire Legacy IV

  What Once was One; The Vampire Legacy v

  Also by Dawn Gray:

  Raven

  Before the Moon Rise

  S.P.I.R.I.T: Fire Storm

  About the Author

  Dawn Gray spins interesting tales from a storyteller’s “point of view” bring you into the lives and ways of the vampire clans that live in the old myths. Growing up in the Green Mountains of Vermont helped shape the numerous imaginative worlds that draws readers in and helps them become part of the Legacy.

  Contact her at [email protected].

  http://www.facebook.com/Dawngrayauthor

  http://dawngrayauthor.com/

  Other eBooks at Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34829

  As his vision cleared he found himself lying on a grassy lakeside, staring up at the dotted limbs of trees in a ‘Sunday Afternoon’ painting. He moaned at his luck of waking up in the middle of a Renoir. Sitting up he studied the pointillism technique in the figures that surrounded him, unmoving.

  “That’s it, no more visits to the art museum,” he vowed as he glanced at the couples that suddenly moved about as the canvas came to life.

  “I beg to differ, my old friend,” said a voice spoke to his right. His turned in the direction of this intruder, locking onto the backside of a young man with light, brown hair that sat only a few feet away. “Sappy love stories are in your destiny.”

  “Larado?” he whispered. The young man nodded, turned and smiled.

  “Listen to me, my friend. I am unlocking the knowledge that I had once entrusted to you. Knowledge of events to come.” Larado moved closer and gazed deep into his eyes. “Centuries ago, prophecies were put in motion about the conception of a Queen. Her path and yours will cross, and that will make this foretelling unfold.”

  “Through centuries past, a spirit has endured, whom fifteen years ago was born. Her fate is to lead us all, but there is another that would make our nation fall. This Queen shall bear a son, a great King that will unite us all as one. Mortal and immortal will stand side by side, before this King is able to reside. Heed my warning, my long time friend, there will be a great justice done in the end. As for our nation’s Queen, her future has already been seen.”

  “In the days after her son is born, she will come to you scorned. Her child is lost, all hope is gone, but you must remember the words you were told. Interfere not with the chain of events, for this would cause a catastrophic rift. Things must progress, as they are seen, with the evil, the traitor, and the Queen.” Larado smiled and leaned forward, catching him by the shoulder. “One last thing, before I go, and this is something that you must know. Higher powers seek your help in making these prophecies come about. You’re not the only one involved, so pay attention to the signs that evolve. After all seems lost, and all love is gone, there will be another for you to hold on to. Do not despair and let all prophecies be, for love rules the power of three.”

  The painted world around faded, the ghostly echoes of the young man vibrated through the air causing the strange awareness of those higher powers.

  Today’s the day, come out and play, for you shall meet the Queen. Hurray.

  This invasion of his mind made him sit upright on the bed, pushing the covers away from his body. Sweat poured off him. He ran his hand through his black hair then turned in the direction of the doorway. There stood a tall man, with equally black hair, and darker green eyes.

  “Let’s go,” his brother snapped. “Today is a good day to be outside,” he said, then turned and left, leaving the door open behind him.

  Jumping out of bed, he ran to the bathroom and showered off the cold sweat, but as he dressed, the last few words of his old friend were trapped in his mind.

  “Today is the day,” he whispered to himself as he stared in the mirror, his green eyes staring back at him. With one swift motion, he turned and headed out the door.

  1

  "JULIAN!” I yelled at the top of lungs, as I started to cry. "They took my baby, Julian." I hollered again, dropping to the floor. On my hands and knees, I repeated my cry, in between the ragged breaths I was trying to catch. "They took my baby."

  Nothing but darkness surrounded me as I closed my eyes, this dark revelation held nothing but pain in my heart. My child was gone and what was responsible for his disappearance was even more frightening to picture.

  Where could he have gone? But then again, it really wasn’t a question of ‘where’ but rather of ‘what’ had taken him. I know none of this makes any sense but to understand, we have to go back to the beginning, to the very start of things. To that age where you were supposed to believe in everything because nothing was impossible. Back to a summer that would change my life forever. The summer I turned fifteen.

  When my parents decided to move the family, their thoughts were on improving our education, not setting up the scene for what was to come in my life. They felt that the school system in the small community we had lived in most of our lives wasn't exciting enough to keep us girls interested, so we moved to the ocean side town of New London, Connecticut. We set up residence in a large Victorian style house just off the beach.

  It was just about June and school had been over in Vermont for about a week now, but down here, it was still going. With the option to start the new school with so little time left or explore my new ‘home’, I decided to spend the rest of the school days romping about in the sand, and a chance encounter started the spiral of my life moving.

  It was just about noon one cloudy afternoon when I decided that it was time to check out the large, three-story house that I could see from the window of my bedroom. The house sat about a half a mile down the beach and in the middle of a vast field of green.

  I was so caught up in a daydream I was having where, I was a damsel in distress and waiting for my knight in shining armor to show up, that I hadn't even noticed I had walked past the house until I heard a whistle to my left. I had just come to the edge of the yard and turned around to go back when a boy jumped out at me. I lost my footing and fell back into the water. I sat there with a look of shock at the young man who was staring me down. Suddenly, three other boys, about eighteen, came to the edge of the battered dunes and grinned down at the two of us; me in the water, and the baby-faced creature that had tried to attack me, in total shock. I stood up suddenly, realizing that two of the three on the bank were laughing at me. I walked over to the boy who stood in front of me and quickly jumped at him, knocking him over onto the sand. He was in complete disbelief that I had knocked him down.

  "What was that for?" His voice went straight to my heart, and my heartbeat quickened.

  "You scared the hell out of me!” I started to walk away.

  "Ha, ha!" One of the other three laughed aloud. "Hey, where
you going?"

  "Go to hell!" I glanced back at the one on the ground. He scrambled to get up as I continued to walk away.

  "No, wait!" He walked after me. "Please, wait."

  I stopped, suddenly, and stared. He said nothing, just glared. His green eyes locked on mine and as he just stood there, my temper flared. I couldn't take this silence anymore so I started to walk away again, and then I stopped and went back to him.

  "What? What are you staring at?" Suddenly the laughing from the others started to annoy me. "Knock that off." They stopped instantly, and then I looked back at the one in front of me. "If you have something to say to me, spit it out."

  "I'm sorry." He shrugged. I wanted to stay angry, but the way he said it made the anger go away.

  "What did you say?" I asked and he smiled at me.

  "I'm sorry for scaring you," he replied. I waved it off and then it dawned on me that I was cold. I started to shiver. "Are you okay?"

  "No!" I took a deep breath and continued calmly. "I'm a bit cold."

  "Julian, don't be stupid. She's drenched," one of the trio on the hill growled.

  I looked at two and noticed the resemblance between them. I stared at the one on the dunes, but he turned away from my stare after only a moment. The trio then walked away. Julian, the young man who stood next to me, smiled at me and then took off his shirt.

  "Here, put this on." He handed me his shirt. I looked at his chest and how well built he looked for someone slightly older than I. As I pulled the warm, dry shirt over my head, I inhaled the sweet smell of his cologne. I had never reacted to anyone this way. I was interested in boys, but it was one of the last things on my list. I just wanted to be young and have fun. "You live down the beach, don't you?"

  "Yeah, we just moved there this summer." I smiled at him as he climbed up the bank. He reached down, I took his hand and he helped me up the bank. "My name is Ashley Benson, but most people call me Ash."

  "I'm Julian, but I think my brother ruined that introduction, didn't he?" I smiled at his wit.

  "That was your brother?"

  "Yeah, Quinn. He's younger than I, just by nine months, but he doesn't seem to have a sense of humor," Julian said and scooped a lightweight coat off the ground and put it on.

  "And the others?"

  "Ah, those clowns? The one you told to knock it off was Michael. He is probably the biggest joker in New London. The other one was David, Michael’s shadow. He worships Mike, which is probably not a good idea considering how much trouble he gets into." Julian glanced out at the ocean behind me. "We haven't had any new people come this way in a long time and I think you shocked them by yelling at them. We're used to getting our way."

  "Well, so am I." We started to walk toward the house, but I really didn't get a good look at it because we never made it there. We ended up walking in a circle for three hours talking.

  We stopped by the beach, where we had met, and I turned to look at Julian. "I have to go home. My sisters and my Mom should be home any time now and they freak out if I'm not there." I turned to walk away from him then I stopped and turned back again. "I had a good time talking to you Julian. Maybe we can do it again one day?"

  "How about tomorrow? I’m free all day." He smiled at me. I nodded and then walked toward home. I couldn't think about anything else but Julian for the rest of the day.

  For the rest of the summer, and most of the fall, Julian and I spent every day from early in the morning until soon after dark together. We did everything; from swimming, to taking trips to Rhode Island, to crossing the ocean on a ferry to Block Island. My mother and father never knew how close we had become. They were never there to notice I was even missing.

  It was near the end of October when Julian met me outside my house after I stepped off the bus. The look on his face told me that something wasn't right with him and it showed even more as I came closer. Just the way he admired me told me what he was going to say and my eyes filled up with tears even before he said a word.

  "You're leaving, aren't you?” He seemed little shocked that I had even figured it out, then his face became solemn and he nodded. "When?"

  "Tomorrow afternoon." I hit him solidly on the shoulder. "What was that for?"

  "Not telling me earlier." I tried to walk passed him, but he grabbed my arm and turned me to him. "What?"

  "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't know how to tell you before. I didn't want to see you cry."

  "So, where are you going?"

  "Away."

  "Away? That's it, that's all you’re going to say is ‘AWAY’?" I glared angrily and snatched my hand away. I could hear him following me. "First, you wait until the day before you leave. The day before, Julian, and now all you can say is ‘AWAY’. You've got some balls. I’ll tell you that."

  "Ash, come on. If I tell you, you could get hurt." We stopped at my side door.

  "Good-bye, Julian. Have a nice trip." I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, then peeked out the window as he walked away. I watched him disappear around the corner onto the beach. I couldn't take it anymore. I threw the door open and ran down to the beach.

  "JULIAN!"

  He stood on the beach and waited for me to catch up to him. When I finally reached him I flung myself into his arms and he hugged me tightly. We sat on the sand and wouldn't let go.

  "Don't go, don't leave me here alone." He sighed and said nothing, just held me tightly. We sat there for what seemed like forever before he lifted my head and smiled, looking me deep in the eyes. "When will you be back?"

  "Soon. I'm not sure when but, I will be back."

  I sat up and moved away from him. Julian touched my shoulder, then moved closer and whispered in my ear.

  "If you ever need me, if you ever need to see me, just whisper my name and I'll be there. I promise, Ash."

  "How can you promise me a thing like that, Julian? You can’t even tell me where you’re going!" I stared deep into his eyes again. "I need you, now. Does that change anything?"

  "I need you, Ash. That's why I have to leave. To protect you."

  "From what?" Standing up, I brushed off my pants. "I think I need you right here to protect me. How is going away going to protect me?"

  "I'll tell you everything when I get back." He stood up and grabbed me by my upper arms, not forcefully, but in a way that almost said to me that I was his and that he would never abandon me for any reason. "I'll be back soon Ash."

  "Promise?"

  He leaned down to me and kissed me softly on the lips. "I promise."

  Then, he was gone. I don't even remember him leaving; he was just gone.

  Winter dragged on forever, spring seemed to last another two years, but the eight months that passed seemed to change me for the better. I had grown up. I was thinner, more developed, and I was a woman instead of a scrawny little girl with a couple extra pounds to lose.

  Julian kept his promise. Whenever I needed him all I had to do was whisper his name. Quinn began to follow me. He would watch protectively from the shadows and always be there if the need was great. In the quietness of the night, his voice whispered when his brother was silent, telling me stories of his youth, strange happenings of his days, but he would never approach in the light. I started to feel worried when he wasn’t there, started to search for him in my thoughts but stopped quickly when the emotions attached to Quinn quickly became overwhelming.

  What was I doing? Was I attaching myself to the younger brother as a replacement for the one that was missing? I tried hard to leave it alone, but there was always Quinn’s voice easing me into sleep at the end of each day. Things were about to change when school let out and the summer months began.

  The week of my sixteenth birthday, late in the month of June, was the week Julian returned from his trip. I felt him come into town and I knew when he was home. Our link to each other seemed unbreakable and I ran up the beach to the old house where he lived, hoping that he might be awake. The beach just before his property had been fenced
off and I had to go out to the road and walk in. The sky had opened up and rain began to drizzle down, making it necessary to pick up my pace.

  The front of the house had a long oval loop driveway that pulled up right to the front door of the three-story house, with its dark green roof. The third floor was where the roof slanted down. The second floor had three windows in the middle and one single window on each of the sides, where the building expanded forward. Off to the left side of the house, hidden by a large evergreen was what I thought could only be the servant quarters, it had the same three floors and the same green roof, but it was pushed back so it was less obvious. The first floor windows and doorway, which was a wide glass double door, were covered in lush green vines, cut away just to let in the light.

  Just as I approached the house, the door opened and Julian stepped out. He walked a couple feet and then stopped in front of me, staring as he had done so many other times. His face was different from before, not features but attitude; wherever he had gone it had changed him too. He licked his lips and walked closer to me.

  "You feel right, but you look so different." His voice was soft. The heart in my chest ached and then began to beat quickly. I smiled and crossed my arms.

  "I feel right, Julian," I stated, not quite understanding. As he grew closer, I started to understand, he felt right to me, too. He took me by the arms, as he had done when he left and I grabbed his shirt. "I feel right to you, Julian," I started again, "because you feel right to me. I've grown up, but I haven't changed."

  "You're very beautiful." He kissed me quickly. "Well, shall we go in?"

  He said suddenly, speaking as if we had never been apart. This eased my mind. He took my hand, led the way to the door, and then swung them open like he was unveiling a masterpiece. Suddenly a feeling of darkness stopped me at the door, and my reluctance to follow made Julian, with his childlike face, turn and walk back to me.