by E Hall
“Where is he?”
“Ash.” Her voice is just as dry.
“You killed your son?”
“Sometimes sacrifices have to be made to reach goals. However, there’s a distinction. I destroyed him, but the damage had already done when he requested to become a vampire and renounced his role as a mage. He broke the code, humiliating me.”
“I’d argue that you’ve broken the code, whatever it is.”
She snorts. “In many ways, he started this. I will end it. I’ll do what he could not. Soon we will return to the Southlands and I’ll take the throne. The Northlands and Westlands are in tumult. The Eastlands remain, but their stronghold cannot last forever.” Her smile is sinister. “But my glory as ruler of the realms will.”
“And then what? What will you do when you have all the power?” I ask. “Will it be enough?”
She tilts her head ponderously. “I daresay yes.”
I shake my head slowly because I know that isn’t true. “You will always be hollow, empty. No amount of power will fill you because power doesn’t give. It takes.”
“We’ll see about that. For now, I’ll expose your shadow and I will rend it. You’ll let me or else...” Glandias gets to her feet and wheels another exam table into view. A familiar figure rests on top. Tyrren. He’s as still as stone.
I fight the tingles that run up my spine.
“It isn’t only shadow fae that will be useful in this war. I’ve developed a serum to employ the vampires. There are many in this city and they’ll bend to my will, destroying the nats as you call them.”
She takes a needle from her work area and pricks Tyrren’s arm, driving the plunger down until the red, viscous substance disappears beneath his flesh. He twitches once and then begins to writhe in pain, absolute agony. His back arches. Straps attach him to the table, keeping his limbs from flailing, but sweat pours from his skin and his eyes roll wildly in their sockets.
“Stop.” I’m not bound and lunge at Glandias, but she blasts me back. I slide across the filthy floor.
“Your realm has useful tools and instruments. This is a trial formulation. I’m still perfecting it. When I have it right and when he’s been given enough, he won’t be able to fight his nature and choose not to bite people.”
She’s going to control the fae and the vampires? “You sicken me,” I say, “I’ll fight until my last breath.”
“Yes, under my orders.”
“I’ll never bend to your will.” A dark thought crowds my mind. Maybe death will be more peaceful than the existence we’ve known. The tension between the vampires and fae, the theft of shadows... No. I can’t think that way.
“I’m not offering you a choice,” Glandias says. “You’re a fiery one, Lea, which is exactly what I want. Anyway, I’ve never met a person who I can’t break.” Her lips turn up, but not in a smile. She lifts one of the needles.
I flinch, afraid she’s going to inject me, but she places it in my hand.
“Your turn. You can begin to bleed your friend Tyrren dry.” She laughs at her little joke.
I let the syringe fall, smashing to the floor.
“There is more where that came from. Let’s try again.” She gets another needle.
Glandias forces me to grip the cold metal in my fingers.
The room shifts slightly. For a moment, I think it’s dizziness. “What was that?” I ask, buying time.
Her gaze darts to the door.
The four walls in the room shake again.
“Go on, Lea. Give Tyrren a dose. Do it now with the knowledge that soon you’ll be doing it to him and others. I’m still working on obtaining your uncle. I look forward to unleashing him in the city.”
Every part of my body is screaming. On fire. Filled with hate.
“I see the revulsion in your eyes, but I trust that in time, you’ll come to understand that sometimes we have to do difficult things to reach our aims.”
“Yes, yes we do,” I say. I always have a choice. I take a deep breath and plunge the needle into my arm.
Her expression blanches.
I use the pain that sweeps through my veins to attack. Glandias is faster and stronger than I expect. She knocks me back. Her hand presses against my face, mashing my cheek into the nasty floor. I try to fight back, kicking and punching, but her hands grip my neck and tighten, choking me...
I suddenly feel an undertow, the pull of light from shadow. It’s like going too fast on a rollercoaster, the sinking feeling when you hit the bottom, and the thrill as you hurtle and loop, letting go, giving in to the wild freedom of it.
She’s rending my shadow. My shadow. It’s my choice whether or not I let her.
The room shakes again and plaster from the ceiling rains down on us.
Spots dot the edges of my vision. A suctioning feeling comes next, gripping, tugging, ripping me up.
“Give me your worst. I dare you.” I manage to say these last words as I let my shadow slip away.
Chapter 22
Tyrren
I thought the worst pain I’d ever experienced was when I was turned into a vampire. It was agony. Blinding. Piercing. I was human with a human body going through the change. Makes sense. Now, I’m a vampire. Organs, muscles, blood—everything that made me human on the inside is different now.
And yet. And yet my entire body is on fire. Inside and out. The blinding and piercing pain before was nothing to what I experience now. Something vicious courses through me. It moves slowly, inch by inch, devouring me with sharp teeth.
I didn’t know vampires could feel, well, anything.
I moan.
I howl.
I shout.
Something dry rains down, filling my mouth and I cough, sputtering. A cold hand lands on mine. I blink open my eyes. I wasn’t asleep because vampires don’t sleep. I don’t know what happened to me. I do know that I’m hungry. Starved. Can someone be turned twice? The desire I felt the first time, the longing for blood, is amplified tenfold. I must feed. I start to get to my feet. Before I was an even split between my human mind and driven by my vampire body. Whatever happened in this room, pushed the ratio toward instinct.
A shadowy figure hovers over me. When our eyes meet, I stagger backward.
I’d recognize them anywhere—they’re Lea’s mysterious eyes, only duller, almost hollow.
Something is different about her. Forgetting my agony for a moment, red flags and alerts lift and sound in my mind. My connection to her goes deeper than curses and magic. It’s older than the monster I’ve become. Through all of this, my feelings for her persist and have grown in strength.
From the floor, someone in a robe groans and begins to rouse. The room shakes.
“What’s going on? Where are we?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” Lea’s voice is thin.
The scene at RIP Jr comes back to mind in fits and spurts.
Emeric. The truth of his identity as a vampire.
Jurik. The headmistress transforming herself into a mage.
That mage, who called herself Glandias, gets up from the floor.
Anger, unlike I’ve ever known, courses through me. Whatever this is, she did it to me. Rage pierces me. Blinds me. I get up from the table and rush at her. Kicking. Punching. Pummeling.
I have the dim awareness that an explosion issues from somewhere nearby, shaking the room. Or maybe it’s just the force of my rage. I knock Glandias into unconsciousness.
Lea stands by watching with an empty smile.
The smell of acrid smoke fills my nose. Part of the cement wall yields to another explosion. I shield her. I have to get her to safety. After that, I’ll need to rely on her to keep everyone else safe...from me.
The possibility of being trapped in this room or it collapsing on us forces thoughts and action to take shape. The thundering of the bombs seems to be coming from the wall with the clock.
I throw myself into the door. It hardly budges. I repeat the motion until I’m numb to the p
ain of whatever Glandias did to me. Smoke fills the hall. I move away from it.
Right now, my hunger is a caged thing, clawing and gnashing, trying to get out. Grabbing Lea by the hand, I dive onto my stomach and crawl through the darkness. There’s another tremor. I pause and listen. I hear voices, shouts. My desire for blood increases.
The building shakes. Plaster rains down. Heat comes from the hallway, dry and fast. I divert us into a room free of smoke. Dimly lit, dozens of tables line the vast space.
Lea moves robotically like she doesn’t fully understand the urgency of whatever is happening...or my hunger. The sooner we get out of here the sooner I can feed. The desire is overwhelming. I glimpse the smooth curve of Lea’s neck, imagining her citrus spice taste. I stagger.
No.
Not her.
Not anyone.
I focus on the knowledge of my mind and not my body’s desires. The sooner I get Lea out of here, the sooner I’ll spare her and the world my wrath.
Smoke billows through the original doorway we used, urging me toward a door at the far side of the room. Before we reach it, we plunge into darkness. The power went out. Thanks to being a vampire, my senses are heightened, including my vision.
Another series of explosions urge me to move quickly. An orange-red glow appears on the far wall. Fire. Flames lick the small glass window framed in a metal door.
Yet another bomb blows up nearby and the fire crackles, devouring the door. I scramble, trying to find a window, anything. The room gets warmer. My hand slides along the wall and it’s cooler. Outdoors?
Lea’s breath comes in bursts and sweat pricks her skin. I have to get her to fresh air. I kick and claw at a square of plaster until it comes free.
Dim light and cool night air rush through the hole.
This is it.
I’m about to shove her through, but when we get to the other side, the beast in me will be loose.
We’re both crouched and I grip her shoulders. “Lea, listen to me. Whatever happens, please, don’t follow me. Glandias must have done something to increase my appetite for blood. It’s all-consuming, but I won’t succumb.”
She blinks from the haze she’s seemed to be in as though understanding what I’m telling her.
I nod. “Yes, this is goodbye.”
Her shadowed gaze holds mine. It’s like she’s in shock and is fighting to pull herself to the surface. I know the feeling.
From outside, late-season snow falls from the sky. Either that or we’re north of the city. For a moment, it’s so beautiful, it feels like we’re in a dream. But the nightmare is happening within me.
Lea holds out her hand. The snow doesn’t melt on her palm. It’s ash and almost the same color as her skin. It’s like she’s a shadow of her former self. My jaw drops. Glandias took her shadow.
Lea gazes back the way we came as the flames creep closer. Metal creaks, fire blazes, and soon it’ll consume me too.
Her hands land on me as if to stop me from what I must do. Her eyes dim further. “You don’t mean to run into the fire?” She always knows what I’m thinking.
“I have to. I won’t be able to stop myself. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Her voice is faint. “This isn’t a goodbye, Tyrren. You helped me. I’ll help you.” She gets to her feet. Her eyes flash. Her arms tense at her sides and fists form. A golden cuff rings her wrist. It starts to glow with a faint reddish hue and then blasts apart.
Crimson magic sizzles along her arms and hands. She waves her fingers in front of my face. “I’m shadow fae now, Tyrren and I’m not sorry that I’m about to use glamour on you.”
I suddenly feel like I’m wearing a mask—like during the Fae Court ball. Where there was ash before now blood rains from the sky. The scent and desire are overwhelming.
“Go outside,” Lea says. Her voice is muffled and sounds far away even though she’s right in front of me.
I follow orders, crawling through the hole and into the bloody rain. I open my mouth, slaking my thirst.
“You’ve had enough,” Lea says, marching me forward.
In the distance, lamplight spills across sleek black armored vehicles like dark stars. We scramble down a hill. The large building we occupied stretches in both directions with no clear beginning or end. Flames dance in the windows, chunks of cement fall away, and yet another bomb detonates.
Lea shoves me into the Humvee. She pushes buttons and toggles switches, but nothing happens. She checks the visor. “I suppose you need a key for a tank on wheels.”
Sirens wail. Lights flash. Voices call and boots pound close.
Even through my suddenly foggy thoughts, I know that if we’re discovered, it’s directly to RIP. Then again, there, I’d be locked up and away from anyone I could bite.
Lea compels me to get into the back of the vehicle. We lay down, hiding as others shout orders for water to contain the blaze.
From my reclined position, the blood turns to ash, falling like flakes of snow. For a moment, I imagine a peaceful winter’s day. I cycle from fear to confusion. Lost in thought, suddenly both doors open.
Lea waves her hand over my face.
I’d almost left the fog but return now, feeling numb all over, and not inclined to move.
Beside me, she lays still, barely breathing.
Two men get in without looking in the back. The armored vehicle rumbles to life.
“That was close,” says a smooth voice from the driver’s side.
“Being a raven shifter has its benefits.” The other guy lets out a gruff chuckle.
“But we’re not out of the woods yet. Being a king has afforded me many things, but that didn’t include driving lessons.”
“It’s probably the same as riding a horse,” says the one with the gruff voice.
“Did they have war wagons such as these in Raven’s Landing, King Soren?”
“No, they did not, King Callen.”
They start to speak formally and then both laugh.
King Soren must be the one with the gruff voice. The one attempting to drive is King Callen. I’ve never heard of them. Maybe they’re part of some kind of gang like the Brooklyn Vampire Club—maybe they’re X-Crew.
“I learned that Glandias was moving the shadow fae that remain to another facility,” Soren says.
“And I thought it was bad back in Borea.” Callen sighs.
They’re from the other realm. Lea shifts slightly beside me.
“It boggles my mind to see what Glandias has already established here,” Callen says.
“Ah, another piece of information I gleaned while in raven form. This was all someone named Emeric’s doing.” He pauses a beat. “Why does that name sound familiar?” Soren asks.
“Because Emeric is the king of the Southlands.”
“If that’s the case, he was the king of the Southlands. Glandias destroyed him. At least that’s what she said when she took over the facility, replacing him.”
“Destroy like a vampire or demon?” Callen asks.
Soren makes a grunt of affirmation.
“That means no one is ruling the Southlands,” Callen says. “Then where is the crown or more importantly the stone?”
“Question of the day.”
The vehicle lurches forward.
“Question of the day is more like how do I drive this thing?” Callen asks.
“Want me to give it a try? I bet you could drive headlong into the building and free the rest of the fae.” Soren sounds excited by that prospect.
“Not a bad idea. But I’m guessing the guards that Kiki called police officers won’t be too pleased. They arranged everything—make the bombing look like X-Crew, tip off the police, and free the fae.”
We’re moving now and by the sound of it, away from the burning building.
“Good point. I guess we’ll have to trust that the girls are taking care of business.”
“They’re not to be messed with.”
Callen laughs darkly. “I l
earned that lesson the hard way.”
“I had no idea Kiki was so cunning...and good with explosives.” Soren sounds slightly concerned.
“She is fae,” Callen says as if that explains it.
“Seelie fae,” Soren corrects.
“All the same, fae are hardcore.”
“Ooh. Look at you picking up on the Terra slang already,” Soren teases.
“I try.”
“Okay, try not to hit that—” Soren shouts.
The Humvee slams into something solid.
Lea’s hand reaches for mine as we thump into the backs of the seats.
“Whoa, whoa. Sorry about that,” Callen croaks.
“I’d be better off shifting and flying out of here,” Soren says.
“Yeah, but we need to pick up the girls at the checkpoint.”
“Do you think they found Lea and Tyrren?” Soren asks.
Lea turns abruptly to face me. I let myself get lost in her eyes, let them anchor me to my mind—to the life I knew before I was turned.
Her face squishes up like she’s going to sneeze. I have the vague memory that her sneezes are the cutest sound, but now is not the time. She squeezes her eyes shut. The tiniest muffled sound escapes.
Soren looks over his left shoulder. Our eyes meet. His are blue. Panic rises within me but thirst squelches it.
The two guys in the front are absolutely silent for the space of three seconds. They get out of the Humvee. Maybe they’re assessing the damage. Perhaps Soren doesn’t have good eyesight.
Lea holds my hand tight, willing me not to move a muscle. Above, all I see is vast darkness.
I roll over hills of various scenarios, valleys of doubt, and uncrossable chasms of debate. What do we do? We have to get out of here. Why didn’t Soren acknowledge me? What would happen if I bit a king? The back gate of the armored vehicle opens.
