Dark Sonata Page 30

  Thunder split through the air again making her tense even more.

  He closed his eyes and the tattoo on the left side of his face flickered dimly then he sucked in his breath, as if he was in pain, steadying himself against the railing. He looked like he was in great agony which probably didn’t mean good things to come. Victoria braced herself as she watched, her intuition was screaming at her to stop him but there was nothing she could do.

  Ezra’s finger pushed down on a low key and the single sound sent vibrations through the ground. Her heart was pounding now. He did it again but this time stringing a few notes together, making this simple but haunting sound come alive. She was astounded, speechless, for she could feel the notes rumbling threateningly. Mercy. It felt like a deadly storm brewing, gaining power, waiting for the right moment to pound its fury. The notes rang loud in the air like a warning. It was unnaturally loud, as if the wind itself mimicked the sound and carried its deadly power. She could almost see a mist swirling in the night air, like the sound was a force of its own.

  Victoria placed a hand over her mouth and gripped the railing for balance as tremors grew in strength. She heard the screams and pleas of the occupants of the ball, for she was not the only one who was feeling this dark energy. It seemed to drain her vitality, making her limbs shake. The Duchess shrieked, grasping her chest, falling painfully to the ground without anyone to catch her, her body landing hard on the wet floor. No one moved a single muscle to help her, terror overtaking their bravery. It was a paralyzing fear that numbed the brain; emotions were frozen. Their ashen faces pretended not to see, as if any movement would result in their own death. An older lady followed suit, swooning into a painful heap on the cold marble floor.

  Victoria closed her eyes in sorrow. “Ezra stop!” she screamed but he ignored her, playing the dark melody with one hand. “You’re killing them!”

  Victoria glanced out to see the Liorian army still held off by Michael, not letting them intervene.

  Why?!

  “Michael!” she yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping he would hear her and make Ezra stop this madness! Oh please! She couldn’t see through the thrashing rain, so she couldn't be sure if he even heard her. She squeezed her eyes shut and when she opened them Ezra was glaring at her.

  She bit her lip, now realizing how this sounded.

  Moron!

  Ezra probably thought she was calling out to her hero, her lover to save her. The very thing Ezra accused her of!

  If looks could kill ...

  “Calling to your lover?” he hissed, his gaze luminous.

  Victoria stood on shaky legs, refusing to let him scare her into tears. “You’re a blind idiot,” she spat, wiping the rain from her face.

  He raised his brows, a dark grin spreading over his lips. “You look so tempting when you’re mad,” he said as his gaze slid over her. “I can see why Michael likes to screw you.”

  That did it!

  She walked up to him, fists clenched, anger rushing through her body like a crashing wave. He stopped playing the music but the man sitting at the piano keep playing, keeping the flow of the dark melody alive. Ezra waited for her, not moving.

  Victoria raised her hand and slapped him clean across the face. Time seemed to stand still save for the horrified gasps that echoed around her. She was shaking as she watched him slowly turn his head to look at her. Their gazes locked and for one frightening second she thought he was going to hit her back. Ezra stared at her with a look of stunned astonishment.

  Victoria didn’t care if he killed her for that, she was sick of him calling her a liar and being crude. “If you are going to kill me then you better do it. But if you say one more thing about me with Michael so help me God I will live out my days for the sole purpose of making you suffer,” she threatened in her low voice, unsure of where this new found courage came from.

  He tilted his head at her, his eyes wide and disbelieving. Ezra wiped the rain from his face and grinned at her, his mouth opening in a tantalizing way. “Bravo, love.”

  She shivered from the freezing cold, or maybe it was from the intense look he was giving her. Either way she felt too aware of him, her senses on hyperdrive. “I’m serious,” she continued, “now stop this madness before you’re in too deep to back out.”

  He laughed loudly, fearlessly.

  Ezra suddenly grabbed her and pinned her to the rail, his body pressing against hers. Panic seized her, her pulse coming to life. His hand slowly circled around her waist, moving lower, applying pressure to her backside. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “You are so beautiful in this moment that I can see you making any man fall for you. You could tell them anything you want and they would believe you.”

  Victoria tried to move but couldn’t. “Except you,” she hissed.

  “You’re wrong,” he murmured as his lips grazed her neck. He groaned as his mouth moved over her wet skin, drinking up the rain, his tongue caressing her. “I would very much like to strip you naked right here and have my way with you in front of Michael.”

  “Stop,” she pleaded, trying not to be aroused by what he was doing to her.

  “Why?”

  “I loved you once. Do not make me hate you now,” Victoria muttered, trying to escape out of his grasp. It was no use, the man felt like a mountain.

  “Look, love.” He grabbed her chin, making her look over the balcony. “Michael sees me holding you against your will and he does nothing about it but only stares as if he cares not. What kind of lover does that? Not very heroic,” he said with a pitying look to her. “If you were mine I would move Heaven and Hell to get to you.”

  His hand grazed over her cheek as if he didn’t know he was doing it.

  “You just answered your own question. He is not my lover. Michael is smarter than you think and I guarantee if I was his lover I would not be here now. I would never be in this situation if he and I loved one another,” she said honestly, trying to make him see reason. “I am only here because I loved you, once.”

  He stared at her as if for the first time taking what she said to heart. A curious expression passed over his face as he stared, his pale gaze seeming to see through her. “Tell me you love me,” he whispered.

  Victoria stared back at him, trying to see if this was a ploy, an attempt to shoot her down again.

  “Say it!” Ezra looked down at her as if he truly wanted to hear her utter the words of endearment. Like, he needed her to say them, baffling her.

  She flinched, not sure what he was about, but she wanted to tell him. “Ezra … I—”

  Ezra suddenly hissed loudly and blood seeped out of his mouth, dripping crimson. Victoria screamed, not sure what was happening to him. Elm was suddenly beside them, grabbing Ezra by the collar of his shirt, shaking him.

  His cousin yelled, “Ezra let go of the sound! Damnit you’re killing yourself, you’re not focused enough to control this amount of power! Your mind is elsewhere!”

  It was as if a veil of darkness washed over Ezra, the man that was here but seconds ago vanished in the wicked gleam that was now glimmering deep in his gaze. He punched Elm, sending him crashing to the floor in a loud slap against marble as his body cracked the floor.

  Victoria gasped.

  Elm moved, staring up at Ezra in disbelief.

  Ezra seemed to forget everything around him. He raised his hand to the orchestra and the stringed instruments started playing without fault, the low double bass and cello sent tremors sailing through the sky like a swift falcon.

  Victoria fell to her knees, unable to stand anymore.

  The sound was so powerful, deadlier that a sharpened blade forged from the strongest metal. Something exploded to her left but she ignored it, too engrossed in the sound swarming around her, consuming her body and soul. Ezra conducted the musicians like he was Master composer, flinging his arms, producing a sound that rivalled mythical legends. It nearly stole her breath away. She never heard something so haunting, sending shivers racing o
ver her skin. She should be screaming, running for cover but all she could do was watch him.

  He was a Master Musician. Death’s conductor. The marble cracked under her, sounding like the hammer of God coming down upon them. Ezra’s plum top hat flew off his head as he raised his arms

  “Accelerando!” He yelled and the melody intensified, speeding up with amazing force. Blood dripped out of his mouth but he just turned to spit, never missing a beat, or the elegant sweep of his arms. The amount of power he was controlling was probably tipping the charts of insanity.

  Victoria numbly looked out over the balcony, wondering if Michael actually came here just to watch the birth of a Master Musician.

  She glanced around to see the humans who were still alive running off the balcony, no longer being held against their will. They were screaming for their lives scattering in different directions, dodging falling debris. Even the damned no longer stood here, probably sensing their leader has lost his mind, not wanting to be killed in the crossfire. She glanced back to Ezra to see him lower his arms but the music still played with pounding force. He closed his eyes and coughed up more blood, all the while pulling out his silver violin.

  “No!”

  Victoria saw Elm try and make his way to Ezra but he just flicked his wrist sending Elm flying backwards, hitting the back wall. Victoria gasped, crawling her way to him. The wind picked up and the estate was cracking, wreckage falling from the massive building.

  Everything around them was starting to shift, the ground around the estate was splitting. The wind was so forceful it was hard to see, and that mixed with the rain made it nearly impossible to manoeuvre to Elm. God, this was not an ordinary storm, the wind was laced with the tones of Hell and a dash of Death. It was draining her energy considerably.

  Stealing a glance at Ezra made her heart stop.

  He was playing on his silver violin, the sound was so eerily beautiful, ringing high above the symphony, demanding to be heard. He possessed a talent she didn’t think anyone was prepared for.

  She was so lost in the beauty of the harmony that she didn’t realize that ghost-like serpents were manifesting, as if they were an ethereal army of darkness. Victoria suddenly felt someone grab her and yank her to the left as a large piece of stone fell off the top of the estate, smashing the ground where moments before she had stood.

  “Can’t you make him stop?!” came Elm’s desperate plea.

  She couldn’t bloody see. Her hair thrashed around her face and heard a loud crashing sounds to her right, the stone colliding with stone and marble. She squinted as she looked back at Elm, trying to think through all of this chaos. “He won’t listen to me!” She took a breath. “I have tried to tell him the truth but he refused to see it!”

  “Michael is waiting for something! You must know what that is! Bloody hell woman, think!” Elm yelled back, moving her to the side.

  “I don’t know!”

  “You must! Michael must have given you something that would have convinced Ezra! Think! Hell's bells we will all die!” He pleaded and looked towards Ezra, “We only have minutes before he destroys everything!”

  Please remember …

  Focus.

  In her story, he had lost his soul but still didn’t lose himself. Why? Victoria closed her eyes and thought through the crashing thunder and falling fragments. Why was he evil now, and not back then? He was sane of mind because he wore his mother’s necklace.

  Oh for the love of God and everything good.

  “His mother’s necklace!” she cried, mentally smacking herself for not remembering the most important element of his display of love for her.

  “He wears it!” Elm yelled back, shaking his head. “No good, he never takes it off!”

  She grabbed Elm’s shirt, getting him to lock eyes with her. “This is bad! No, I have it! Ezra gave it to me before he died! I've got it!”

  His eyes widened then looked to Ezra. “Bloody shitting hell! Woman, you’re just now realizing that?!” He took a breath, “No wonder he is losing his head! He is not of sound mind without it!” He looked like he wanted to strike her.

  She didn’t blame him.

  “I’m sorry! I don’t know what I was thinking—I wasn’t!” She wanted to cry, to scream from her brainless actions. Mercy, she could have prevented this all from happening. Losing her memory had apparently made her forget the most important thing. She was a scatterbrain! Victoria grasped her neck for the necklace but it wasn’t there, surely Ezra would have seen it on her if she had been wearing it. Sonya. Sonya had taken it off when she was dressing for the ball, for she was soaked to the bone removing everything, including the necklace.

  Dear Heavens, it’s still in her room!

  “I have to get inside!” she yelled at Elm, panicking. “I have to!”

  He looked at the crumbling house behind them. “It’s coming down, too dangerous!” He raked a hand through his hair. “Damnit!”

  “Can’t you use your powers? To shield us?!” she asked hysterically, a crumbling building shouldn’t be a problem for a Liorian. Right?!

  He glanced at her, giving her an equally hysterical look. “Yes, if that’s all that was happening here. Ezra’s power is making it so a single falling piece of stone will feel like a massive boulder to your head!”

  Double damn.

  She looked back to Ezra wishing he would stop this insanity. He did not look good, coughing up more blood as he continued to play the dark tune. “What is he trying to do?! Kill himself?!”

  “Yes! If he stops the sound he will, which is why Michael’s army cannot intervene. If they mess him up with this amount of power it will be devastating!”

  Victoria shot Elm a stunned look. “You can’t be serious …”

  Not again.

  Mercy, he could not die again.

  Chapter twenty-two

  Just breathe.

  Her body started to oddly tingle as if something just touched her.

  Victoria pushed past Elm and headed straight into the crumbling wreckage of the house almost in a daze, a dream. She no longer heard anything, the crashing sounds around her seemed muffled, only hearing the steady breathing of her lungs.

  In and out, in and out.

  Each intake of air becoming steadier and stronger.

  Victoria saw explosions with little sound and cared not. The house was coming down fast but somehow she was calm. She closed her eyes and whispered, “Michael, if you won’t intervene then by God you better keep this house up.”

  He heard her.

  She be damned if he let her do this on her own.

  The distant sound of Ezra’s playing seemed to echo inside the burning estate, bringing it down piece by piece. Each stroke of the violin was like an invisible hammer, smashing onto anything solid.

  She’d bet her life on the fact that Michael could hear her.

  “What the hell are you doing?!” Elm was right beside her but he sounded far away.

  Victoria just kept walking, barely missing a fiery timber as it fell crashing onto the marble floor making a thousand tiny splinters of fire.

  “Victoria!” he screamed. She could tell he was yelling because the veins on his forehead were bulging. He followed her into the burning house, trying to faze her, to get her attention.

  He grabbed her arm but she felt nothing, like some force surrounded her preventing him to apply any pressure on her.

  She ignored him and kept going, walking as though she was floating. This new found calm was refreshing, when moments before she was ready to have a mental breakdown. Was this Michael helping her? Perhaps, because she felt no fear as she walked through the burning estate. Debris was just barely missing her left and right making her think that this was not coincidental. Michael was in fact aiding her. Glancing back she gave Elm a harsh look warning him with her eyes to back off. Victoria stopped and eyed the smoldering house. Her memory was jumbled, everything looking different in this state of destruction.

  “Do you know
where you are going?!” he yelled, dodging this and that from the crumbling ceiling.

  Do I know where I am going?

  “Michael, where is my room?” she demanded as she eyed what was left of the grand house.

  “Oh for fuck’s sake woman!” she heard Elm yell.

  “Michael,” she hissed. Her eyes widened and suddenly she knew where to walk. The heat waves were so strong, gaining force with each passing second. Please let this be right.

  She pointed at a random door, looking at Elm. “This is it,” she said, not knowing how she knew.

  The roaring fire was becoming horrific and it was hard to see or breathe. He immediately kicked in the door. The splintery wood flew off its hinges and she walked inside, covering her face from the flames.

  Once inside her gaze frantically took in the room, praying to see something familiar. A black cloak was draped over a broken bed and the more she stared at it, she realized it was hers. By the saints. It was the cloak she had arrived in, it was here! “Thank you Michael,” she breathed.

  Thank the heavens above.

  She could hear again, her sense of calm was over. The sounds of the burning house came to her painfully loud.

  Michael’s push was over, now it was up to her.

  “Well?!” Elm’s muffled voice was beside her.

  She ignored him and sprinted to the vanity, or what was left of the vanity. Come on. Pulling out the compartments and slots, she was becoming frantic. She was not seeing the silver chain anywhere. Elm kneeled down beside her and was looking desperately around on the floor, brushing debris aside quickly.

  It was not here!

  “Is this it?!” Elm yelled to her left, then coughed.

  Victoria crawled over to him and expelled a breath, seeing the silver chain with the single ring attached to it. “Yes,” she breathed. “Yes!”

  “God’s breath let’s get out of here!”

  She snatched the necklace and ran to the window peering out. “We have to jump!”

  A loud crash sounded to her right followed by the sound of a roaring fire. Suddenly she felt Elm's arms come around her, flinging them out the third story window. Everything happened so fast she didn’t have a chance to brace herself. Fortunately Elm broke her fall, landing right on top of him with a painful thud. He hissed through his mouth then got up, pulling her with him.