Ray Of Hope

When I opened my eyes I saw every one staring down at me, with Seph holding me tightly in his arms.

"What happened to you all?" I couldn't help but ask, they all looked like shit, and that's me being nice.

"Ugh you don't like to listen do you. You know the whole were bonded together deal just doesn't sink in your head now does it." Rohan said as he knelt down beside me, the men following him. I gently rubbed Seph's hand that were still wrapped tightly around me. "I think your breaking a rib, Seph."

"The real question is what happened to you?" Kindred said as he patted my head affectionately.

"I was out just riding and thinking and all of a sudden I felt great pain and I fell off Ella and was knocked unconscious. It was a dream but it didn't feel like a dream. I was standing and I was watching things, watching days go by, months go by! I dreamed of...of witches, definitely witches. They were chanting on amulets for what seemed like months, vampires all headed in the same direction from different parts of Noraah. Human slaves making weapons. Then I saw my eyes or were they Christen's eyes, well someone eyes that looked like mine. But they, they were hard and they held such evil in them and then weirdly enough I saw Seph with a birthday hat." I said trying to puzzle in why the hell Seph was in it, with a birthday hat I might add.

"Oh shit, tomorrow is my birthday. They're going to attack tomorrow. The amulets? Chanting on them for months, huh. Sounds like they're preparing for war and...the Amulet of Exception! They're going to attack, tomorrow, at day. We'd never expect it and they would have stomped on us." Seph said as his hold on me doubled again. Every one sat their staring at me.

I guess I did retain some on my parents knowledge because I had never heard of the Amulet of Exception before but I knew everything about it. The items needed for it, the spell itself and even the...

"Well Tristan you're the leader of this wacked out group, what do we do." Christen interrupted me as he looked at me.

"Well go to Seron, he will know what to do." I said, knowing that was the safest place to be and in the best hands one could ask.

"He will not do anything Tristan. He will wait orders from you as well. He is king but only of Belatricus. There are two other kingdoms and this is a threat not only to us but to all in Ganfald which, not officially, you are, well, the ruler to." Ella said as she laid down so that it wouldn't take much on my part to mount her. I got on her and the boys and I went galloping full forced to the royal castle.

When we reached into town every one moved out of the road and stared at us while we made our way to the castle. We reached and found Seron, Rhond, Sondren and Melisd their waiting outside the door.

"Seron, the vampires will attack tomorrow morning. What do we do?" I said hoping what Ella said wasn't true. His response was quick, without hesitation.

"That is what I should be asking you." He said as he smiled down at me. At the point I really wanted to just throw a full blown I'm-at-Toys-R-Us-and-mom-wont give-me the toy-I'm-in complete-love with tantrum. Trying to keep my dignity I paced in a little circle, working the nerves out of me. Finally, I just sighed in frustration.

"Seph, call all our wizards, powerful or not and let them meet me somewhere in the castle big enough to fit all of them. I want them all here in thirty minutes. Rohan, I want all the slayers here pronto. " I said solemnly as I headed inside, I whispered something in Seron's ear as we entered the large living room.

"Sondren, Melisd and Kindred I want you all to go to the gates of Ganfald and I don't want anyone allowed out and only residents allowed in. I also want you to call all the people who might have left already, get them back here immediately. Make up something that wont have people suspicious. Like were holding an inauguration for Seron and we want every one present. Seron I want a meeting with all the other kings in Ganfald. Rhond I want all the guards here and held in a different area where I can talk to them after I talk to the wizards. Christen your coming with me and gentlemen I want this all to be very top secret." I said as all the men went running in different areas, while Christen and I walked up the stairs to my old apartment.

"You don't want me to do anything." He said as he looked around when we finally made it.

"I just want you by my side" I said as I gave him a great big hug that kind of threw him off.

"Do you feel...like we've..." I added searching hard for the words.

"Like we've known each other." He said filling in the sentence for me.

"Yes" I said.

"We don't know each other but my presence is familiar with you, it should be. I've watched over you my whole life." He said softly, I stared at him shocked.

"What?"

"I was there when our father raped your mother. I didn't participate or anything but I didn't stop them as well. Father wanted me so badly to be vicious like him. He'd take me with him to his most heinous acts, sometimes pleading with me or forcing me to take part. That night when the baby appeared, your mother put a heavy spell on you to protect you from our father taking you. She didn't get to finish it and I made a decision that I would finish it for her and so I did. A shield came around us and I watched as the thing I feared the most came to pass, any bit of love in his eyes for me disappeared and turned into burning hate." He said, no traces of emotion in his voice. Like he was telling the tale of a stranger.

"If I had not finished where your mother let off there is no doubt that you would not be the savior of Noraah, but her very destruction." He said slowly as he sat down on the couch.

"Our father was the world to me. The only thing I had left. I lost all I knew in this world for you, for my baby brother. So innocent and pure laying in his dead mothers arms. The compassion and empathy that my father was forcing out of me returned full force and I vowed to protect you, to make you my world." He said with so much conviction.

"The spell wouldn't allow anyone with wicked intentions to touch you. It was a timed spell, for 10 years. I held you and took care of you many nights, but I started to get really sick. My body got use to blood and I was returning back to food. If I wasn't half human I could have never went back, but I did. But it was a very heinous process to go back to solids, more and more often I would break out in cold sweats or I couldn't move. I wouldn't be able to take care of you properly. So I rested you on the doorstep of this couple who was trying hard to have a baby and bewitched half of your town into thinking that the baby was truly theirs. I started to work hard, to become powerful. The thing about human/vampire offspring is that were very weak in the beginning and have to work twice as hard to be strong. So I had to work very hard to get myself in a position that I thought I could protect you properly. All the while I kept a vigil eye on you. All my training did come in handy because on many occasions dark wizards came to take you and get you on their side. When Seron finally came I knew you were in good hands. So I wasn't watching your every step like always, stayed farther away. I didn't want Seron to notice me and then all of a sudden I get this dream telling me to go to Ganfald, to the royal castle and well you know the rest." He continued as he looked intently at me.

"I felt your presence, you had me puzzled for a bit because I didn't know exactly what I should do about you. That's until one day I saw you in his room next to his bed staring at him. I only felt love from you, so I figured he wasn't in danger." Seron said from the door. I stared at Christen kind of in shook, he knew everything about me and I knew nothing about him.

"They're all in the southwest wing. That's where all the conference rooms are. We put them all on the fifth floor. The Belatricus wizards are here, they're in conference room two and the guards are in conference room nine, the slayers are in conference room eight and the kings will be arriving in four hours. We have a special conference room set up for a meeting like this and we are preparing it as we speak. You may want to change both of you." Seron said as he headed out. I looked at Christen and just realized he only had a pair of pajama pants on and a undershirt, but he sure as hell did have his black waist holster that he carried his sword in. As for me I had dirt all over my clothes from when I fell.

"Follow me" I said as I went into my room and rummaged around the clothes that I had left there. I handed him a midnight blue leather pants, a button up shirt with a matching long leather jacket. I handed him the brush and band to pull up his smooth brown hair into a ponytail. I threw on the same outfit, instead of midnight it was ocean blue. I brushed my wild curly hair and tried to tame it as much as I could but It didn't like to listen to me. It wasn't yet long enough for a ponytail so I just gelled it back. As I was walking Christen handed me something. I looked to see a holster and the sword that I declared I was in love with at our home. I gave him a big hug and buckled the holster around my waist.

"You received the shooting star instead of the silver stars, which leads me to believe you are special. And when I feel something I get the strange feelings that the others can almost feel it but you, you feel it just as strong as me. I cant do this all alone and for some reason my heart points to you for help." I said as I stared at him.

"Your heart points you the right way." Seph said as the other guys walked in. "Didn't mean to eavesdrop but we came to get dressed, I don't think its appropriate to walk around for the rest of the day in pajamas."

"Oh no, don't worry. Hurry up and dress we'll wait for you all." Christen said as he pulled me into the living room and hugged me tightly. The guys stuck to the uniform that Christen and I had going on. Kindred came out in dull red, Rohan in the faintest blue and Seph naturally was in black.

"Do you guys mind, but...um Tristan can I talk to you for a second or two?" Seph said, igniting every ones curiosity. I could feel their eyes on my back as we walked into Seph's room. It was surprisingly enough only the second time I had been there, because he tended to keep it locked. When he unlocked it by some secret word he whispered under his breath we walked inside. I was stunned to see that on the once off white wall opposite his bed was filled with sketches with black paint.

Totally forgetting Seph I walked over to the longest wall and traced it from one side to the other. Their were pictures of Seron and Rhond embracing each other, Seron weeping on his shoulder. From the outfit it looked like the day Seph came back and I first arrived. Their were sketches of my head laid against a rock in the Jacuzzi, Rohan around the table laughing his ass off. When I came to the middle of the wall I saw two things that shocked me. I saw myself and Melisd in a tight embrace under the waterfall. It was from two angles. One where it was the back of Melisd head and my face was shown, my eyes closed and a smile on my lips and the other angle was from the back of my head and it seemed Melisd was looking straight into my eyes. A smirk playing on his lips. I felt the anger in that little deception starting to come to me so I continued on. Then there was a picture of me from my waist up and I was twisted and pleasure was written all over my face. Safe to say I had a little blush going on and then I came to the end of the wall and saw myself laid across the bed sleeping. This picture was different then the rest, though the others had detail, this had the most. Every muscle, every feature done perfectly. If it was 3d I'd have trouble telling me and it apart.

"I'd love to watch you for longer but we don't have that much time." Seph softly said, snapping me out of my daze. I turned to see him sitting on the bed.

"So why'd you really go out this morning?" He asked, his eyes intent on mine.

"I needed to think."

"About us?" He asked, like almost always I couldn't tell what he was thinking. His face non void of any emotion. I wondered if him and my brother went to the same school for that nonchalant thing.

"Yeah"

"Did you come to a decision?" He said as I walked over to sit beside him.

"Yeah"

"And?" He asked, a small flaw in his nonchalant appearance was showing. No matter how passive his face was, his left foot was bobbing back and forth slightly, not enough to draw your attention unless your really looking.

"And what?" I said, wanting to see if I could get him to freak out.

"The answer is yes." He said sounding triumphantly, a smile spread quickly over his face.

"I didn't say that." I protested, weakly. A smile that I was trying hard to suppress made its appearance.

"Yeah, but I know how you work and I can see it in your eyes. You just want to see me get all worked up before you answer me." He smiled as he laid back on the bed and pulled me on top of him. His hands softly running through my hair, undoing all the hard work and gel that I had done.

"So you think you have anymore thinking to do? Cause I'm not really built for it, I'm going to lose my mind with all this antagonizing you do." He asked seriously.

"My minds pretty made up and you know how us stubborn people are. When its made up, its made up." I said as I kissed him softly.

"I love you Tristan, I love you so much. When I awoke to that pain. I cant explain how it feels, you feel it intensely but its distant. It doesn't make you double over but it gives you the impression that you should and then I opened my eyes to see you gone and I swore my heart was just going to stop all together. I had thought the worst and..." He rambled on. I decided to help him sum it all up with a kiss.

"I love you too Seph." I said as I brought my forehead to his. He stared into my eyes as his hands slid up my neck to my face. His hands pulling my lips down to his. Soft loving kisses were distributed fairly on my face. Lips caressing cheats, eye lids, brows, noses and lips.

I chuckled softly as I pulled back from him. "Though I'd love to just lay here and just enjoy all this tender loving care, but, you know a war is going to be going down tomorrow and it would be nice if we had somewhat of a plan."

He pulled me back into a soft kiss before he let me up. Again pulling me into another kiss before we left the room and entered the living room with the guys waiting. I looked at their faces and knew that somehow they heard us. How? I don't know but they weren't nearly as anxious as they should be. My eyebrows went up to Rohan and Christen who hands were locked under the pillow. Hold on, rewind, lets take it back a notch. How the hell did I see their hands locked BEHIND a pillow. By now I was staring so hard at the pillow that they got self conscious and let go. I felt Seph pull me against his body as he whispered "Your finally opening your eyes."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I reverted my eyes to Seph now. I had to fight really hard not to just lean in the 2 inch distance and kiss them.

"You've got powers, strong powers. Your mothers strength alone would be enough to make you a force to be reckoned with, but your fathers abilities on top of that and your damn near untouchable. You, my friend, can see and do things that we cant." Seph said, his eyes would drop to my lips and stare for a moment hungrily before his eyes would fix back on mine.

"So you saw that too?" I whispered for only us to hear, which wasn't really helping seeing that every one was sitting around staring at us.

"Nope, but I can take a wild guess from the way their hands snaked away so fast from the same place. Plus add on the way you were just staring kind of sealed my assumptions."

"Well you know what they say about assuming." I heard Rohan say underneath his breathe.

"I thought I was suppose to have all these powers in tact by the seventh's night...day..week...you know what the hell I'm talking about." I said a little frustrated.

"You do have all the powers, but you've been so busy. So caught up that you haven't really had a chance to feel your way around, inside of you. Its all there in bold print, but you do actually have to look to read it." He said as he disentangled himself from me and hustled us out the door. We all headed to the southwest wing and made our first stop was conference room eight. With our outer police force, better known as slayers.

We walked into the large conference room to find a whole set of men and woman all dressed in black. The room was as large as a football field. The seating was much like a dome. A small round table in the middle and black connecting tables and chairs leading upwards to the ceiling. The stairs in the passageways were illuminated and was the main source of light. I couldn't help but think how much Seph would fit in, in this crowd. We took a seat around the table, our backs against the table instead. I started not really having time to waste seeing that it was noon already.

"I am Tristan leader of Noraah's Council. What is said in this room is confidential and will stay that way." I said as I stared at the hundreds of them.

"The Vampires will be attacking at sunrise, when we would normally least expect it with the help of the Amulet of Exception. Though you could probably do a lot of good over here, we don't want to leave Noraah totally unprotected. I'm pretty confident that there are still a couple of thousand Vampires who the army didn't want or who didn't want to be part of the army left. They'll all be out tonight in full attack mode. They're thinking that we'll probably call all of you back to help the home country, so tomorrow night Noraah is going to be a big `all you can eat buffet' they think. Operation Extinction will be taken place. You all will be teamed up, five to a team. Any vampires that see you I want you to make sure you kill them, we don't want them warning the other Vampires. We want them to think they're free to roam, hopefully we can clear out the majority of them from Noraah. This operation is to go down even if we don't prevail. Rest up and be prepared, tomorrow night is your night!" I said as someone walked into the room.

"Seron, do you have what I asked for, already?" I said as I looked at the now entering Seron and about twenty men following him, who all held big boxes.

Seron nodded and they all laid the boxes on the counter. Inside the first few boxes were crosses made of indestructible glass, with the purest water inside them. We passed the crosses out to every one. Along with sword handles that matched the cross. In the last few boxes long black leather coats that had many hidden pockets and had heavy protection spells on it with a liquid silver star emblem on the right breast area.

"I want every one to wear those crosses at all times and replace those handles with your current ones. It is for two reason that I gave you a new handle. That is way for every one to know that your on our side and since it has holy water inside it no vampires can take it from you. You should wear the coats all the time, they should keep you well protected." I said as I watched every one empty out their coats and replace all their stuff in the new ones, crosses being put on and sword handles thrown to the ground while being replaced with the new ones.

"I'll have a clean up crew come in so don't worry about the mess." I said sarcastically as I watched the floors getting cluttered.

"Okay, find out the members of your teams, these teams aren't a temporary thing either. I want you all moved in together by the end of the day. When your out patrolling tonight, do it by yourselves, be normal. Good luck to you all, meeting adjourned." I said as I stood up.

"Huh I thought Seph was scary, it was like a room full of Sephs'" was all Rohan could say while we were walking to the next conference room, Seph pushed him into a wall as a response.

"Seron, no one is to leave until they have their teams. Make sure that the power is diverse. I don't want the five most powerful slayers on one team. Just as I don't want the five most weak slayers on one team. I want who, where they'll stay, and the name of the teams in my office before eight o'clock." I said as Seron smiled at me, I knew what he was going to say " Could you please find me an office" I asked as the smile widened and he headed back to the slayers.

"You kind of have him running around like a servant." Rohan mumbled staring at his fathers back. "Rohan he is king, I wouldn't trust just anyone to team all those men up. Just like they wont let just anyone boss them around. Best person for the job is your dad." I said as we made it to conference room nine, with the guards that protect the kingdom. This conference room was very much the same and their were hundreds of guards as well. All dressed in the faintest shade of blue, I looked over at Rohan. Damn it seems like every room we go in someone of us fits in perfectly. Did that mean anything? The twenty men that had brought the earlier boxes in to the slayer room also returned with more boxes. I handed them out as well and waited for all the men to change. These boxes contained the same crosses and sword handles but the long leather coats were the faintest blue also.

"Ok, at midnight I want everyone's family to be in the royal castle. Not just your families but everyone's families. I want every one in by 1 o'clock." I told them as a whole set of whispering went around the room. I proceeded to tell them about the attack the vampires had planned and told them that they should try to get as much as sleep as they could and that we'd be having another meeting in five hours, after I talked to the other kings.

From there we went to conference one, with all the wizards. I handed out only the crosses and told them about the attack. I put them to work immediately. I sent them to start pouring on spells over the royal castle.

We all ended up in the dining room of my apartment. Sondren, Rhond and Melisd joining us. We ate a quiet lunch, not saying much just thinking about all the shit to come. I made sure that food was sent to Seron and the slayers that were still in the conference room sorting out who goes where and with who and to the Belatricus wizards that were adding more protection to the already heavily protected castle. The guards were all home packing enough clothes for their family for a day or so and I had all the maids and servants busy at work preparing the large castle for the whole kingdom to fit. I had an hour before the rest of the kings of Ganfald come.

We all migrated towards the living room. Every one was sitting down stiff and uncomfortable. Not knowing whether they wanted this day to pass quick and just get over with it or wanted it to go slower. Every one was edgy except Seph, you should have known. He sat down beside me and pulled me into a hug. He's been affectionate with me all day. I wondered if this was because I was on the verge of spazing at any minute or because he was an affectionate guy. I bet my money that it was because I was spazing. I could feel Ella approaching and soon enough she came galloping in along with the rest of the Elementals.

"Well I figured now was the best time to tell you guys exactly what I meant about wind and water." She said as they all kneeled down on all fours.

"You were all picked to be in Noraah's Council. Your middles earth last hope. The Sola Elves and Meyet Wizards have long given up the fight for Noraah and the Belatricus efforts are dying down rapidly. You were blessed with extra powers to help you along your almost impossible journey. Have you guys ever thought about just where you all were born. Rohan you were born in the midst of a tornado, Seph you were born inside the forbidden forest, Kindred you were born in the debts of a volcano, Christen you were born in a raft in the lake of death and Tristan you were born in all four elements. Wind, water, rain and earth. We are called Elemental Unicorns not because we can control the elements but because the men who could control such things would choose us to be their beast. I am Ella, short for elements. My master will be able to control the elements." Ella said as she looked at me.

"I am Breeze, you will be the master of the wind." Rohan's unicorn said staring at him.

"I am Nature, the trees will hear your calls and listen to your command." Nature said to Seph.

"I am Fierce, you reign king of fire my lord." Kindred's unicorn said to him.

"And I am Aqua, water is yours to rule." Aqua said as she bowed to Christen.

We all just stared at them. Each of us with the same expression `yeah, alright, whatever you say guy.'

"Say a command." Fierce said to Kindred. Kindred looked around before his eyes settled on Fierce. "Light the fireplace"

"Don't ask me, I am not the holder of your powers, you are. And that is not a command. I forgot to inform you one thing, you must start off with `Fires of this world hear my command.'" Fierce said to Kindred.

"Fires of the world hear my command, light the fireplace." Kindred said in a voice that clearly told every one how stupid he thought this was and how much he didn't believe the Elements. We all looked at the fireplace, every one except for the Elementals whose eyes were still fixed on us. The fireplace did not light, not even a spark.

"You must believe. Elements of this world will not listen to a command plagued with doubts" I head Ella say inside of my head. I stared at her and decided to give it a try.

"Elements of this world listen to my command, light it." my voice boomed, not even going into specifics with what should be lit. Sure enough the fireplace was filled with fire, sending a wave of heat towards us.

"Unlike the rest of your powers, there is no need to practice. All you have to do is believe. And when you do, really do then you'll no longer even need to say your command, just think it and it will happen." Ella said as the unicorns got up and abruptly left without a bye.

"Wow" Rohan said in amazement as he commanded the wind to blow out the fire.

"They could of left with a bye, pretty rude." Seph said, probably wanting to ask them a million questions now.

"Who are you to talk?" Kindred sneered at Seph, who just flicked him off. Which led to another heavy argument between them, but was stopped abruptly when Rhond came to get me.

I had to leave every one and head to the last meeting of the day, the kings. I entered the room and spotted a tall, thin, long white haired wizard in a robe that appear to glow. The elf was easy to spot, red hair and large pointy ears and a looking worse for the wear Seron. I talked to them about the attack on Ganfald and we all decided that we would have all those who were too young or too old to fight go into the royal castles and that our forces would unite to destroy the Vampires. `We were stronger then them, we would win this battle. We had the element of surprise on our side now and we will come out triumphant!' I couldn't help but think as I watched the slayers leave and watch the guards rounding up every one. "Nothing could stop us.'