by E. M. Knight
“Say that to my face,” I dare him.
“Easy to be strong,” he sneers, “when you’ve handcuffed your adversary. I will not fight you, brother.”
I grunt, relaxing my grip a little.
“Do it,” he challenges. “Do it. Rip my throat out. Claw my heart out. I know you want to do it. I know—” the miasma storms, “—how afraid you are of me.”
I look at him in absolute disgust.
“Your mind’s been poisoned.” I say. “You cannot be trusted.”
I let go and spin away. “Come—”
Phillip slams into me, tackling me to the ground from the back. I snarl and rip back, fangs bared, claws out.
But before I can even try to attack, Phillip leaps off.
“I don’t want to hurt you, brother,” he says, with a smug air of absolute superiority. “But you shouldn’t forget that I am infinitely capable of your destruction. Even with this old thing on my neck.”
He walks over, as I start pushing myself up, and offers me his hand.
I look at it, then spit to the side and rise on my own.
“Don’t you see it?” he asks me softly. “Don’t you see your own hatred?”
“What hatred?” I snarl.
“All this animosity between us,” he says. “It doesn’t need to be there. You are always the perpetrator of it. Not me.”
“What are you talking about? You are the one with the taint. You are the one who attacked me outside the celebration feast. You are the one who dared to raise his hand to the Queen!”
“After she humiliated me with her suggestion,” he says. “And anyways, all that has been forgiven. It is water under the bridge.”
“You might think that, but I will never forget what you did. What you are capable of. What you are responsible for!”
“What am I responsible for?” he asks. “As far as I know, your precious Eleira is on the throne. Mother is dead. The ceremony has occurred, the wards are up, The Haven is back to the way it was. What is so catastrophic about any of that?”
“Oh, and you want me to give you credit?”
I laugh.
“I nudged Eleira in the right direction,” he says simply. “Without me, she would have still been slave to Mother—or worse.”
“How dare you suggest that?” I hiss. “You did everything in your power to undermine her, to disrupt the prophecy!”
“The prophecy, the prophecy,” he mutters. “What, do you think the prophecy so weak as to fail to stand on its own? I helped test it, brother, helped ensure that we were not hoodwinked by a pretty face. Much like what happened,” he adds slyly, “with you and Liana.”
A pillar of rage erupts inside me. I do my best to force it down.
I cannot lose my temper twice in such short succession. Especially not over something that happened so long ago.
If the mere mention of Liana is enough to goad me into stupidity, then it is a fatal weakness.
So, despite the explosion of anger, I do not act on it.
“Not even one word of protest?” Phillip asks, feigning surprise. “I’m impressed.”
“Go to hell,” I hiss.
He smiles. “I suspect,” he says stepping between two trees and pointing out a camouflaged cave entrance in the side of the mountain, “that we are not so far from there.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Eleira
The Haven
I stare at Morgan’s horrid shape before me, unsure whether to believe my eyes.
The guards have this secret place surrounded. I ordered the four dead ones they found by the wall to be given the proper burial ceremony.
I do not know what that ceremony is, or even how vampires treat their dead, but it seemed the right thing to say at the time.
With me are Felix, Geordam, and Riyu.
“I thought she was dead,” I whisper.
“But you did not kill her yourself,” Felix says.
I glance at him. “No. In our battle, we fought… but Raul threw me off her before I could do it.”
And I didn’t intend to, anyway, I think. Not with the promise I made to the Forsaken Sisters.
“Who verified her death?” Felix asks.
“Phillip,” I sigh. “I should have known. He was so quick to remove the body…”
“You had pressing matters to attend to,” Felix reminds me. “The wards. The crown. The throne.”
I shake my head. “If she’s alive, how is it that I inherited rule? The only way to break the link to the throne is a clean death.”
Riyu steps forward, a little timid.
I know he’s just putting up appearances for the sake of Felix. When he’s one-on-one with me, he has no such hesitations.
I look at him. “What do you think?”
“Given all that I know of Morgan,” he says. “I would consider it a given that she was capable of discovering some way to break the bond with the throne without requiring death.”
“Well, the evidence is right here before our eyes,” I sniff.
Cautiously, I approach the stone slab she’s lying on. I can feel the subtle pull from the torrials that maintain her life.
I bend low and examine the markings on the stone.
“Now would be a good time to put your skill to use,” I tell Felix. “What do these say?”
He approaches, stopping a respectful distance away from his former Queen’s shape.
His eyes scan the symbols. He frowns.
“These… are not familiar to me,” he admits. “They look similar, they use almost identical base hieroglyphs, but the language, the syntax, everything is altogether different.” He looks at me. “I’m sorry, Eleira. I don’t know.”
A vile swirl of irritation runs through me. “If you don’t know,” I say testily, “then I see no reason for you to remain. You’re dismissed.”
A look of surprise flashes across his face. He seems to be on the verge of protesting… then wisely holds his tongue.
“As you wish,” he says, and leaves the enclosure.
I exhale a long sigh of relief when he’s gone. I look at Riyu. “So?”
He shakes his head. “You cannot trust him.”
I touch my temples. “I know,” I say softly.
“There’s something off about him, Eleira,” Riyu continues. “It’s just a vibe I get. I know it sounds silly. But I’ve learned to trust those feelings. They are more attuned than other vampires have. Without them, I would not have survived so long. Given… given who I am.”
“I understand,” I say. “And I believe you.”
He nods, not quite going so far as to bow, and turns his attention to the Queen.
Or—the former Queen. I am still unused to feeling like I am the monarch, especially in Morgan’s presence.
“Cover her up,” I command. I cannot stand the sight of her, not ruined and perverted as she is.
Geordam steps forth and places the white sheet back over Morgan’s body.
I look at the two vampires with me. “So,” I begin. “What do we do?”
“That’s solely your decision, my Queen,” Geordam says respectfully. He shoots a glance at Riyu, no doubt troubled by his casual demeanor toward me.
I decide not to draw any extra attention to it. Riyu and I have a special relationship that not even Geordam, as loyal as he is, would understand.
Suddenly, a new thought occurs to me. I trust Geordam. I don’t trust Felix. Not in full.
“Geordam, what if I were to make you my new Captain Commander?” I ask.
He blinks, caught off guard. “My Queen?” he asks. “Now is not the best time to—”
I cut him off by sweeping my arm out to the wall where the four bodies were found. “You knew the dead guards?” I ask.
He bristles. “Of course.”
“I don’t think Felix even batted an eyelash when he saw them,” I say. “That type of apathy will not command loyalty from his troops. Felix was the throwaway choice, he was just the first to come to m
ind when I decided Phillip could not continue. He hasn’t even inherited the position yet. And he won’t. Now, it falls on you.”
This time, Geordam bows deeply. “I will not let you down,” he promises.
“As soon as Phillip returns, we will conduct all the necessary ceremonies,” I say.
“As you wish.”
From the corner of my eyes, I see Riyu nodding his head.
“You think it a good decision?” I ask.
“Yes. For the reasons you stated, and some others raised on my personal beliefs. But if I may make a suggestion…?”
I motion for him to speak freely.
“Do not make it look like you changed your mind. Make Felix and the rest of The Haven think that you did it because you found a task of greater importance for him.”
“Like what?” I ask.
“This is your coven,” he says slyly. “I would not presume to know.”
I sniff, more in amusement than annoyance.
Riyu turns to face the Queen.
Former Queen, I correct myself angrily. I cannot let myself be rattled so easily, dammit!
“I can read some of these symbols,” he says softly.
My ears perk up. “Can you. What do they say?”
He squints, scanning them and mouthing the sounds silently.
Then he steps back. “They’re… they’re to do with Blood Magic.”
“Well, that comes as a surprise,” I say, sarcasm dripping from my tongue. “Anything useful?”
“They speak of… demon blood,” he says. For some reason, he touches his back and shoulders. “Demon blood and demon venom. The two… substrates? Required for…” he concentrates on the writing again, “… for some kind of grand transformation.”
I step closer. “What else?”
“Unfortunately, that’s all I can make out,” Riyu admits.
My mind flashes back to Morgan’s vile feeding on the Narwhark. The poisonous, corrosive blood running down her cheeks. The blood staining her clothes. The awful stench, her madness…
I shudder, too. “We have to kill her,” I say.
But the moment the words leave my lips, a tightness comes over my whole body. For a second, I cannot move.
When I finally break free, my forehead is covered with sweat.
Geordam stares at me with his mouth gaping. He points at my arm.
I don’t need to look to know what has his attention.
The runes on my skin are glowing.
Riyu looks at me without expression. But I can tell his mind is working fast.
I try to assert my conviction again. “We have to ki—”
Again the tightness explodes over me. This time I cannot get the rest of the words out.
I fight against the sudden constriction. I’m not pulling on any magic.
The glow might be the Forsaken Sisters activating their hold on me, forcing me to keep my promise.
“My Queen?” Geordam asks. “What is it?”
I shake my head gruffly. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.” I exhale. “I was rash. Morgan has to live.”
Geordam looks startled. “But you just said—”
“I made a promise,” I cut him off. I shove my arm out. “This is my reminder of it. I wasn’t thinking. We keep her alive. Until Phillip returns and is put to the question about what happened.”
“How will the rest of The Haven react when they discover she’s alive?” Riyu asks innocently.
I turn to him, scowling. “The rest of The Haven,” I begin, “doesn’t have to know.”
“Too late for that. You let Felix go.”
I curse. But then I add, “He’s not fool enough to let it slip.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. You don’t know his purpose.”
I grunt. “Yes, that’s true.”
“Anyway,” Riyu continues. “From the looks of it, she is not much of a threat. You feel the difference in the currents down here, don’t you?”
I bristle. “Of course.”
“This place is somehow sealed off from the rest of the world,” he says. “It could be a variation of the wards that surround The Haven. But the cocoon is what gives her life. She draws on the power of those torrials—” he points them out, “—and staves off death. If she were taken away, she would not last the hour.”
I frown. “Of this you’re certain?”
“I started probing the Elements the moment we arrived,” he says.
“I didn’t feel you use magic.”
“Inverted weaves,” he says. “And only a small trickle. You don’t need a lot to probe.”
“What did you find out, then?” I ask, not entirely comfortable with the idea that he could have channeled magic so close to me without my knowing.
“What I told you. We bring her out—she dies.”
“But if she remains, she gathers strength. She can recover.” I shake my head. “We cannot have that. The Haven cannot have that. I cannot have that! I will not let my era of rule be overshadowed from the very beginning by the presence of… of… of her!”
“The Elite will have to see for themselves,” Geordam says softly. “They will demand to be shown Morgan’s form.”
“The Elite can go screw themselves!” I snap.
Geordam gives no reaction aside from a tightening of his eyes.
He does not approve of his Queen using such language, either.
I sigh. “Look,” I say. “Nothing good can come of this. You can ring the entrance with your guards. If you want, I can cast a spell around it, erect a barrier of the sort that sealed the crater in the earth.”
“No,” he says. “I do not think that will be necessary. If anything, that will only pique The Haven’s vampires even more.”
“And I do not think she has the capacity to recover,” Riyu adds. “Not like this. Not on her own. As is, she is just barely clinging to life. The torrials sustain her—that’s it. They do not lend her strength.”
“How confident of that are you?” I ask.
He hesitates… and then commits. “As confident as I’ve ever been about anything in my life. You can test the weaves for yourself. You’ll come to the same conclusion.”
“I’d rather not,” I mutter.
With all that Morgan’s capable of, what’s to say she hasn’t laid a trap in here for me, triggered by my use of the Elements?
“Here’s what we’re going to do.” I turn away from the altar. “Geordam, you call the rest of your guards here and establish a perimeter. All those who are free, not the ones watching the stronghold. Riyu? I want you to stay here. You’re the only one I trust to be able to say if anything changes. You will alert me to the slightest shift you feel immediately. I do not want Morgan stirring. I certainly don’t want her waking.”
“I can do that,” Riyu vows.
“As for me,” I mutter. “I will have to go announce to the vampires that she is still alive.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Raul
The Yukon
I tell Phillip to stand by the trees as I approach the entrance.
I trace my hand over the rock. I can see bits and pieces of very old markings in the stone, weathered by age.
I flare my senses, direct them into the cave, just to be safe.
I do not feel anybody inside.
I motion Phillip to come forward. “This is the way?”
He nods. “That is what Felix said.”
“The cave goes on forever,” I say. I got a sense of the size of it just now. “It extends all the way under the mountain. All across the land!”
Phillip gives a knowing smile. “Now you know why the journey is supposed to take a week.” He steps inside. “Come on.”
I follow him in.
There is nothing remarkable about the place at first. But as we venture deeper down, I get the strangest hint of… oppression.
“Do you feel that?” I ask Phillip. “Do you know what it is?”
He glances at me, then shakes his head. “I feel it.
But I don’t know the cause.” He gestures at the collar. “In theory, this thing should stop it if it were caused by magic.”
“Magic from this earth,” I say.
Phillip glances at me. “What do you mean?”
“Eleira said there are forces in other planes. The Demon Realm, for example.”
“That’s nonsense,” Phillip scoffs.
And yet, he does not sound entirely convinced.
We keep walking down the narrow tunnel, walking deeper and deeper into the Earth. As we go, that sense of oppression grows ever stronger.
Eventually we reach a great opening. The ceiling shoots up, the walls expand enormously, and we find ourselves in a gigantic, almost unimaginable, cave formation.
The distant walls are so far away that I cannot see them from this side even with my vampire vision.
Old entrances leading every which way dot the outside. There are hundreds of paths to take.
I feel like we are in the middle of a labyrinth.
“Not a bad guess,” Phillip mutters.
My eyes shoot to him. I didn’t realize I said that last part out loud.
“I assume,” I say tersely, “that this is where you take the lead.”
He nods and walks to the first entrance. He examines the faded markings in the rock, then shakes his head and moves on.
He does the same thing by each entrance, taking them in one by one, until my patience with him bursts.
“This is going to take forever,” I say. “Tell me what you’re looking for, and let me help!”
He glances over his shoulder at me. “And give away what small advantage I have left? I don’t think so.”
I make a growling sound deep in my throat.
Phillip looks back to one of the entrances he’s already dismissed. “It’s that one,” he says.
I can’t believe his audacity. “You’re toying with me.”
“No,” he walks back over and walks in. “Come on. Don’t want to be left behind.”
I roll my eyes, annoyed, but then follow.
The path is long and crooked. The tunnel looks like it was carved into the rock with the most primitive tools.
“Why are you always so antagonistic?” I ask him, just as a way to break the monotony of the trek.
He glances over his shoulder. “Me?” He sniffs. “You should ask yourself that question, Raul. First you went against your family with Liana. Now you’re turning your back on us with Eleira.”
