by Iris Walker
Megan’s head swirled with images of the dark forest, of crimson blood slithering down the handle of that dagger, of the bugs and the snakes and fog crawling along the moist ground, as Fausta massaged soap into Megan’s hair, creating a rich lather with each brush of her fingertips.
“You asked me about death, little wolf,” Fausta murmured. “I have always believed, like my people, that death is one of those ancient forests, untouched by man. There is a keeper at the roots of the tree, named Weles, and he brings you to the underworld. I pictured it like the forests of my youth, those mystical places that stretch on like the ocean itself. I think that when you die, Weles brings you to his forest and it is dark, and you wander, moving through the shadows forever, surrounded by other spirits like the wind.”
Megan pictured this, the haunting forest of Fausta’s mind, as Fausta’s marble hand covered her nose and pushed her gently under the water. Megan squeezed her eyes shut, letting the warm water envelope her, clinging to the peace. In the muffled silence of the water, Megan couldn’t help but wonder if death was more like a river, if she’d slip underneath and float on and on, forever. Just as she felt her lungs cramp for air, Fausta pulled her up and Megan drew in a breath of salty steam, the roar of sound returning to her ears.
Chapter 10 Introductions
Robin
Robin caught her breath, each successive journey through the portal easier than the last. It only took her a moment to recover, and when she did, she felt Reykon’s warm fingers reassuring against her own, intertwined. She looked to him, his dark charcoal eyes, seeing all the trepidation, caution, and alert that came with walking headfirst into a vampire stronghold. He returned her small smile, a silent affirmation, the knowledge that they were together and that was the only thing that mattered. On the other side of her was Lucidia, her sister, her guardian angel, and her fierce warrior. Darian walked in front of them, with Chadwick trailing a few steps behind. A strange assortment of supernatural beings, walking into a lions’ den.
What was new, right?
It seemed that no matter how hard they tried, danger just had a way of sucking them back in. Robin wasn’t sure if it would ever end. She wasn’t sure if that was just life now, but no matter what, even if that was the future in store for them, as long as she was with Reykon, it didn’t matter to her.
They walked through the garden in piercing mid-morning sun, the same garden that Robin had seen before, the same garden that had housed a dying Lucidia just days prior. It was a lush Garden of Eden, but even still, there were slash marks, burns, wreckage that nobody had had the time or energy to pick up. Further along the path they ventured, until a stronghold came into view, looming taller with each step. Robin’s attention was draw to a rustle sounding out from in front of them, and Robin peeked around Darian’s figure, trying to see who it was. Even with the vampire master escorting them, she’d be damned if she wasn’t on her highest guard. From what she’d observed, Darian was a man of his word, which was all well and good, though she wouldn’t be dropping her defenses anytime soon. But instead of seeing a fierce vampire guard, or a group of strongbloods, Robin’s eyes fell on a young girl with a tempest of dark curls and fierce, dark purple eyes, now lighting up with the massive grin that spread on her face. She tore like a cheetah across the space between them, passing Darian like he was chopped liver, and barreling right into Lucidia, colliding with her so hard that Robin felt the impact in her own chest. Lucidia staggered back and wrapped her arms around the girl. Robin had never seen her sister smile so big. She didn’t even know Lucidia could smile that big. “I knew you wouldn’t die,” the little girl said. “I told the others, but they didn’t believe me. They’re idiots.”
They moved on, further down the path. Robin saw more and more subjects in the garden, people walking and talking quietly, some of them vampires, others humans, and others strongbloods. She hadn’t considered the number of children that were housed in strongholds, but as she looked around at young people, old people, and everyone in between, she realized that they were just… well, normal people. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, maybe Magnus’s palace gathering, but this was nothing like that night. It was surprisingly mundane. They ventured further, closer to the looming brick and ivy walls of the stronghold. It wasn’t until they approached a vampire guard and a fierce, marble-esque royal vampire that Darian spoke. “Gather the others. Everybody will await our imminent arrival in the grand hall.”
Lucidia ushered the girl away, pointing at the door, and she ran off, her little legs like lightning against the ground. No doubt, she was going to scream it down the hallways that Lucidia had come back to save them. Robin smiled at this, imagining the others’ reactions, their surprise. But just as much as Robin hadn’t believed the wolves when they’d told her Reykon was gone, Robin wouldn’t have believed that death had claimed Lucidia Draxos, even if Darian himself were to relay the news.
They waited there, watching shadows and figures move through the halls of House Albus. Robin rubbed her arms, feeling little sparks of fire underneath her skin. Conclusion? There were a lot of vampires here. Like, a lot. More than Magnus had had in his stronghold in Louisiana, and certainly more than they’d faced at Darian’s winter retreat. “You good?” Reykon asked, his words brushing her ear.
“Yeah,” she said, giving him a smile. “I can feel the vampires, is all.”
Reykon nodded, his thumb rubbing smooth circles on her hand.
Robin felt the pulses of energy settle, the movement quelling, and she knew that everybody had gathered in the grand hall. A shiver raced up her spine, her memories flashing back to the procession she’d had at Magnus’s hands, the way she’d been dragged by her wrists like cattle, the cheering and snapping jaws of vampires in their seats. It wasn’t much longer until Darian swiveled his burning red gaze to them and gave a single nod. Guess that meant it was go time. He led the pack, striding forward. A vampire servant opened up the garden doors for them, and they entered a corridor bathed in morning sunlight. Robin couldn’t help but let her eyes trail upward, at the delicately curved ceilings. Thick beams of light cut in sideways, filtering through the massive windows. House Demonte had been a wash of gleaming gold and brash red, everything coated in smoke and velvet, and Darian’s winter retreat was a little too medieval gothic for her, with wrought iron and walls thicker than a mid-sized sedan, everything covered in animal pelts with the faces still intact. In contrast, this stronghold was truly, utterly majestic. It was all light gray stone and forest green, deep and rich. Daylight bounced off the walls and mirrors, shimmering everywhere she looked. Silver accents and lighting fixtures sparkled, and Robin’s favorite part: they were all electric. The air was actually clean, for once.
They continued down the long hallway, which opened up to a foyer-like area that housed all the staircases, four of them, each going to a separate wing. Robin gasped when they stepped into this area, looking up and admiring the lofty, vaulted arches reaching impossibly high. When she felt eyes on her, she dropped her chin, finding everybody looking at her like she’d stepped on a land mine. “What?” she asked. “This is the most beautiful building I’ve ever been in. It’s… well, we don’t see things like this in Portland.”
A slim smile curved on Darian’s lips and he turned forward as they progressed, coming closer and closer to a set of massive arched doors that looked like they’d been carved out of pure ivory, holding designs and images of historical figures Robin had no knowledge of. Darian nodded to the vampire guards, and they moved in choreographed steps, grasping the beautifully carved handles, those ivory doors yawning open and revealing a packed room of strongbloods, vampires, and humans. Robin’s pulse jumped into her throat as she faced the crowd, and Reykon’s hand gripped hers even tighter as they exchanged a look of understanding. Lucidia seemed entirely in her own element, throwing her shoulders back and stalking along with them, down the gauntlet. A forest green carpet lined the aisle, and Robin forced her eyes forward, not looking to
any of the figures that now peered at them from the aisles. How long is this rug? she couldn’t help but wonder as they ventured further into the never-ending room. When they finally made it to the front, Darian glided up the steps first, and each of them followed, like little ducklings, taking the marble steps one at a time until they were on the dais with the rest of Darian’s royal vampires. And boy, were those guys drilling holes into her back.
“Friends, subjects, refugees,” Darian began, his voice echoing off the stony rafters and multiplying in the massive space. “I have returned, and with me, I bring both startling news and a source of hope for all our fates. Over the course of my retreat, I was approached by a creature that possessed knowledge of an attack in the imminent future.” A wave of murmurs ran through the crowd, vampires stiffening in their places. “With this harbinger approaching rapidly, I have come with friends and allies that have pledged to assist us in the battle for our lives, and our freedom.” He gestured to their line-up and Robin shrank a little, every pair of eyes in the room trained on them. Oh boy, she thought with a growing sense of angst.
“I know that not all of you are from my house,” Darian continued, taking a step down, and then another step, in smooth, controlled motions, until he stood on the same level as his subjects. “Some of your masters have been murdered, killed, some of your family has been slaughtered. We have all suffered greatly. For this, I apologize. But now, we have the chance to form a new family, a new bond, we have a chance to rise up and destroy Fausta, the imposter. We have a chance at justice for what she has done. Fausta hopes that we are suffering,” Darian said, spreading his hand out to the crowd. Angry scowls popped up amidst the subjects, whose agitation surged at this. Robin couldn’t help but admire Darian’s charisma, his silver tongue, crafting the words perfectly. “Fausta hopes that we have lost our will,” he echoed, own his voice rising in anger. The rumbling among the crowd surged, people crying out in rage and stomping their feet. “Fausta hopes that she has broken us already!” Darian roared, invoking a thunderstorm of applause and war cries. A wave of goosebumps crawled up Robin’s spine as she found herself mesmerized by Darian’s proclamations. He continued, his voice as smooth as silver, as sharp as steel. “But I see it in your eyes that we are not. We have not given up hope, and we will never stop fighting for what is ours. I have returned from my search with two of the most powerful strongbloods in existence, a cunning caster with knowledge unparalleled, and the very person that destroyed Magnus Demonte himself.” The crowd quieted, a hush falling over them like a wet blanket, and all eyes centered on Robin. She’d let go of Reykon’s hand, forcing herself to stand tall, and now surveyed the crowd with fierce determination. Her heartbeat jacked inside of her chest, thumping with the attention, with the fear of over a thousand vampires staring at her. It was a sea of faces, angry and scared, glaring at her, until her gaze centered on two figures near the front: Ezra and Harley. They were both smiling, their expressions lighting up like the fourth of July. Robin, against all odds, forced a smile on her own lips, and nodded to them both. The others melted away and she was focused on them, those ones that had been there when she was on the cusp of exploding, of being ripped apart by her abilities.
“These warriors have pledged to fight alongside us as equals, to put their lives on the line to right this injustice that has taken so many already. So I ask you, all of you: no matter where you came from, no matter what you believe, you have come here because of a monster that wishes you dead. We may have been strangers, we may have even been enemies at one point, but now… now we are tied together by the cruel whip of injustice, we are brought together in mutual suffering, and by our making we will triumph together in mutual victory. Will you raise arms with me, as one, to send the tyrant Fausta back to the depths of hell where she belongs?”
Thousands of angry people roared in agreement, a war cry that crashed into her ears, surrounding everything and surging like a tsunami. Lucidia was cheering, too, and Robin soon found, despite all the odds, that her hands were clapping, her voice lifting to the rafters, joining the thunderous war cry. It seemed like the applause stretched on for hours, until her throat was raw from cheering and her hands red from clapping. With a closing sentence, Darian announced that tonight would be a night of festivities, and tomorrow, we would prepare for war. Creatures began filing out of the benches, leaving in droves, along with the royal vampires. Robin felt the pulses of fire behind her move, and she turned to find a royal staring at her with a sneer, a glare, or something in between. At one point, she would have cowered. At one point, she would have buckled in fear. But not now, not when the power of a thousand exploding stars wrestled underneath her fingertips. Now, Robin let a slim smile curve on her own lips as she stared the vampire down and set her stance. Anger flared in his eyes, and he gave a searing glance to Darian before whipping his cloak and following with the rest of the vampires. “Pity,” she murmured, shifting her gaze to Reykon’s dark eyes, now burning with anger for the look. “I thought you were going to have to defend my honor.” That crooked grin that sent her heartbeat fluttering appeared once more and she leaned over, brushing their lips together.
“Get a room,” Lucidia teased, knocking Reykon in the shoulder hard enough to make him stumble.
“Children,” Darian called in an amused tone, “you have visitors.”
Robin turned, facing Harley and Ezra. Her grin widened even further, and she braced herself as Harley bounded up the steps and hugged her with enough force to shatter glass, lifting her off her feet and twirling her around until the room spun. “I never got a chance to thank you,” the strongblood said. Robin grinned, and Harley released her, glancing up and down at the fierce, glowing energy. “You look amazing, killer.”
“So do you,” Robin beamed.
Ezra approached her next, taking her hand in a smooth motion and kissing it once. “Lady Robin, I am glad to see you are well.”
“You too,” she grinned. “Especially after I heard about what happened in Sedona.”
His expression hardened at the memory, and Ezra turned to Reykon next, Robin watching them both with curiosity and concern. Reykon stepped forward, outstretching his hand. “Water under the bridge?”
The vampire clapped his hand on Reykon’s forearm, a soldier’s handshake, and leaned forward with all of his menace. “Not quite. First, I would like a rematch. And second, just because you’ve gotten a burst of power doesn’t mean that a vampire will not cut you down at the ankles given the chance. Tomorrow morning, we start training. You must learn how a vampire fights if you are to truly fight a vampire.”
Reykon’s wicked grin deepened. “You’ll get your rematch if you admit that I beat you the first time.”
Ezra released Reykon’s arm and gave a smile of his own, the humor Robin recognized from when she first met him peeking through his stony exterior. “Sure, Thraxos. You bested me once, when I was unaware of the circumstances. I do hope you are proud of the achievement.”
“All’s fair,” Reykon chuckled.
Robin turned to Lucidia, who was talking to a woman with shorter blonde hair and striking gray eyes. She wore a black hoodie and a leather jacket, jeans with frayed slits, and thick combat boots. It wasn’t quite the garb Robin expected to see in a medieval castle. Her gray eyes flicked over to Robin. “So this is the girl that stole Lucidia Draxos’s heart,” the girl hummed, looking Robin up and down before thrusting her own hand out. Robin shook it with a polite smile. “I’m Max,” the woman said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Robin raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Yeah, and not all good. How boring that would be,” Max grinned, her eyes lighting up.
As far as Robin could tell, Max was just a human. She made a mental note to ask Lucidia how they knew each other. Before she could say anything else, they were being ushered to the side door. “Where are we going?” Robin asked.
“To our quarters. We’re supposed to get ready before the party starts,” Lucidia said
.
“The party?”
Lucidia quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah, Darian said we were celebrating tonight.”
“I know, but… it’s 11 a.m.,” Robin said with a confused expression.
Lucidia and Reykon chuckled to themselves, and Reykon wrapped an arm around her. “You’ve never been to a real party,” he said, “it’s not your fault.”
Robin feigned offense. “I’ve been to plenty of parties.”
“Not like the kind we throw,” Lucidia said with a grin.
Robin let it slide, walking up the ornately carved private staircase behind the grand hall. Ezra led the way, bringing them up to the second floor, opening a beautiful stone door. “I thought the second floor was for vampires,” Robin whispered to Reykon, her eyebrows pulling together.
