by E. M. Knight
But nothing untoward happens. We carry the obsidian to the plane without incident. Smithson locks the vault, we secure our haul, and quite soon we’re in the air again.
“That was easy,” April says to me, after we’ve been flying for about an hour. “Here I was, the whole time, expecting calamity to strike.”
“Smithson’s fears were unwarranted,” Selene volunteers.
I turn my body to her. “Do you not remember what I told you? Careful how you address your elders. You haven’t even had your first feeding yet. You are blind to our world.”
“I’ve watched you interact with her and him,” she says, nodding first at April, then to the front of the plane, where Smithson is. “I’m a fast learner. Believe me.”
I sit back and cross my arms. “If that’s going to be your attitude, you’ll be in for some nasty surprises when you meet our coven leader.”
“I’ve dealt with powerful men before,” she says casually. “All have fallen before me.”
“Oh, how naive you are. Or maybe that’s arrogance?”
In a flash, I’m on her, pinning both her arms to her seat and breathing on her neck. “You know nothing of how our world works. You’ve had two and a half decades of human experience to draw from. You think that compares in any way to centuries in the blood?”
She looks into my eyes, cold, completely sure of herself, lacking even the capacity of fright.
“You brought me to April so she could kill me,” she says softly. “Instead, she gave me the greatest gift of all. That should tell you all you need to know about my capabilities.”
I scoff and shake my head. “Your hubris tells me all I need to know.”
I return to my seat. Just as I’m lowering myself into it, I think I see something, an odd black shape, from out the corner of my eye.
I spin on it. It’s gone. Yet, a second ago, I was sure it was there.
April leaps to her feet when she sees my reaction. “What?” she demands. “What is it?”
I scan the cabin carefully, searching for any potential anomaly.
“I don’t think,” I say softly, extending my claws, “that it’s just us on this flight.”
No sooner do those words fall from my lips than a loud boom of thunder comes from outside. The accompanying lightning rocks the plane. All of us are thrown against the side.
“It’s a thunderstorm,” Smithson tells us over the intercoms. “Secure yourselves. The ride is about to get bumpy.”
I leap off the cabin wall and hook my claws into a bolted chair. April grabs Selene’s hand and together, they do the same.
The plane keeps shaking, rocking violently from side to side. Lightning flashes through the windows. The bolts of thunder blast through the cabin.
“Smithson!” I scream. “Are you sure this bird can handle it?”
He responds with an oath. “Just hang tight!” he yells. “I will get us out.”
The plane keeps rocking. I hear the engines outside strain to keep us in the air.
The turbulence is insane. In the cargo compartment, the obsidian crashes from side to side.
Smithson fights the sudden storm as best he can. I do not think the plane is up to task. We’re being thrown back and forth, side to side, the violent winds being too much.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning strikes one of our wings. The metal is ripped to bits at the point of impact. Though the little window, I see the tip of the wing dislocate and fly off.
A warning blare starts to sound. The plane loses altitude. Immediately, I feel us on the descent, going at the ground fast.
Smithson strives to correct our course. But as we drop, our momentum starts to work against us. Something hitches, we dip, and suddenly we are going straight down.
“SMITHSON!” April screams. “What the hell do we do?”
In the madness surrounding us, I hear Smithson give a sudden, pained grunt. Immediately after that, his presence starts to fade.
I curse. The plane is now in free fall.
“April!” I scream. “Get the parachute! Under your seat! Selene, you too! Strap on now!”
The two women hurry to do as they’re told. I have no idea what happened to Smithson. I dislodge myself form my seat and clamber down toward the cockpit, having to hook my claws into the cabin floor to propel myself that way as the plane dives toward the earth.
I reach him quickly. He’s buckled over the control panel, unconscious. I see the hilt of a knife sticking out from his side. He’s losing blood fast.
I have no time to consider where it came from. I grip it and yank it out. Smithson gasps upright and roars in pain.
I look at the bloody blade in my hand. Pure silver.
Cursing again, and even more aware of the danger posed to us now, I grab Smithson under the shoulder and extract him from his seat. He’s barely conscious, only just able to cling to me.
With him clinging to my side, I strap the pilot’s parachute onto my back. The computer system is going crazy, alarms blaring everywhere. In a matter of minutes, this plane will be nothing but wreckage on the ground.
“April! Selene! You know how to use those? Just strap them on, and when I give you the signal, pull!” I scream. I maneuver Smithson and myself to the emergency exit. “Here!” I yell at the other two vampires. “You jump from here! Go, now!”
I pull the lever back and the door flies free. The loss of pressure sucks all the free objects out. “April!” I scream. “Now!”
Gritting her teeth in concentration, she launches herself for the exit. Thanks to her vampire instincts she makes it through her first try.
“Selene! Hurry!”
She shows herself to be equally adept. She leaps out the side of the plane, into the storm, without a trace of hesitation.
“Now us,” I say. I secure Smithson beside me, holding him tight.
I’m just about to jump out, when again from the corner of my eye, I see that dark object. I’ve already committed to the jump, so as my body follows through, I only have enough time to barely look back at whatever the shadow is.
And, for just a fraction of a second, a space in that darkness clears, and I see a man’s bald head. His eyes shine with a mad sort of delight, and his lips are pulled back to reveal a rictus smile.
And then I’m through the door and out into the raging storm.
But the minute I pass through the exit of the plane, everything changes. The sky is clear. There are no storm clouds. No wind, no rain, no thunder.
I am too shocked to properly comprehend what’s happened. In fact, I have no idea what the hell just went on.
In the time it takes me to remember myself and pull the parachute cord, my mind has attempted a million different explanations for what just happened, all of them dismissed just as quickly.
The parachute flares open and catches me. I hang on tight to Smithson. Looking down, I see to my relief that April has deployed hers.
And yes, elsewhere in the air, Selene also has opened hers.
I look back up toward the sky. Sure enough, I see our plane there, flying along at a perfect altitude, absolutely untouched. The wings are both intact. It just continues on its predetermined path through the sky, as if nothing we’d just experienced really happened.
“It was… the Slender Man,” Smithson says, with great effort. “Damn, I should have known! He stabbed me, stole my blood. He was there the whole time, waiting!”
“Easy,” I tell him. I glance down at the wooded land below. “We’ll be on the ground soon. You can explain there.”
Chapter Sixteen
Eleira
The Haven
I enter my apartment and discover Morgan being held afloat in the middle of the room by very visible weaves of Air.
“Is that really necessary?” I ask, gesturing at her. “Why does she have to be off the ground?”
Immediately upon hearing my question the Forsaken Sisters lower her. Morgan’s feet touch the carpet. She lends me a quick, grateful smile.
I stroll up to her, showing not a single degree of fright. I am The Haven’s rightful Queen. I have to assert dominance.
I cannot let my past experiences with this woman keep me from doing what I have to do.
Morgan, for her part, stares me right in the eyes as an equal. With the demon blood leeched from her body, she is well on her way to being restored to her prior beauty and grace.
“You put your favorite son through a hell of a lot,” I tell her quietly. “He almost died for you.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t have favorites,” she tells me in her sing-song voice. “You’ll have to be more specific than that.”
“You manipulated Phillip, exposed him to Blood Magic, and nearly ruined him!” I say.
“Oh. Is that so?” she asks. “I thought all I did was awaken him to his true potential.”
I sniff and turn away. “You knew the dark forces would kill him,” I say. “Luckily we had Allura here shield him from it.”
“Which means he will keep on living, much stronger and more assertive than he ever was before.” Morgan laughs. “You should be thanking me.”
I ignore the provocation. “Your crimes are grounds for execution,” I tell her. “Treason. Murder.”
“Remind me, please, whom I killed?” she asks sweetly.
“Vampires died at your hands, because of your decisions,” I snarl. “Vampires who swore themselves to you. Vampires who are now under my protection.”
“Well, well, well,” she says. “Aren’t you the little upstart ruler. You’re taking your role very seriously, aren’t you?”
“As if there’s any other way,” I say angrily. I turn on her again. “I would burn you now, here before me, and be fully in my right to do so. Lucky for you—” I show her my teeth, “—I made a promise to your three guardians I would let you live and hand over your custody to them.”
“They have your hands tied, don’t they?” she says. “I can feel your rage, Eleira. I can feel how badly you want to kill me. I can feel your growing, growing, ever growing frustration that you can’t.”
She moves her head a tiny bit closer, the only movement her bonds allow.
“It’s eating you up inside. Eventually, that rage will destroy you. Unless you harness it to something else.”
“Did I ask for your advice?” I roar.
My scream catches everyone by surprise. There is a second of shocked silence.
Then, Morgan starts to laugh.
“You detest me, yet you are me,” the former Queen says. “I see through it all, Eleira. You think you will differentiate yourself, and your rule, from mine. Somehow.
“But let me tell you a secret. You are still very young. You have idealized notions of justice. Spend but a year in your new post, and it will transform you. It will transform you… into something you will hate.”
“What do you know of it?” I demand.
“I ruled this coven for more than five centuries,” she says calmly. “I know all there is.”
“You brought me to The Haven because of prophecy,” I say. “One I wanted no part in. I did not ask for it. I did not seek it out—”
“You speak as if you ever had a choice,” she interrupts. “This is your destiny.”
“Even destiny can be changed,” I tell her softly. “You know that better than most. It is why you tried to destroy me. Why you tried to feed me demon blood.”
“Is that what you think?” Again, she laughs. “You think I wanted to destroy you?”
“You had me imprisoned. You were torturing me. I saw what the demon blood did to you. You wanted me dead!”
Morgan shakes her head, oh-so-slightly. “You could not be more mistaken, Eleira”
“I had to get their help!” I point to the Forsaken Sisters, who are listening to the exchange silently from the side. “I had to get their help to save myself from you!”
“No, no, no,” she mutters. “You have it all wrong.”
“Oh?” I demand. “Then tell me. Let’s see what lies fall from your lips this time.”
“No lies, my Queen,” she says meekly. “Only the absolute truth.”
I stiffen when she uses that title. I know she is mocking me with it.
“I did not want to kill you,” she says. She looks around her. “You were needed to bring peace to The Haven.”
“Don’t tell me you care about peace.”
“I care about peace very much. I kept the peace between this coven and all the rest for many, many years.”
“All the rest?” I repeat. “There is only one rival coven, and that is headed by your one-time husband. Who, coincidentally, managed to almost destroy The Haven by using your Convicted against you. That is the only attack I know of, the only direct threat by an aggressor while you were in power. How much were you able to protect The Haven then? Your castle is in ruins, your stock of humans completely depleted, and a demon loose, all in the aftermath. From my vantage, Morgan, you presided over a period of ‘peace’ only because there were no other attacks. Whereas I, already, have resurrected the wards and destroyed the army of Tentoria you let linger underground. Don’t give me your deluded fantasies about your rule. Reality is a much better judge.”
Morgan narrows her eyes and speaks softly. “You think the only way to keep peace is through defending the coven against attack? If so, you are surely ill-prepared for your post. I kept the peace by brokering deals with other covens, so that we wouldn’t be attacked in the first place! My peace was pro-active. Your conception of it is reactive. There’s much more to diplomacy than you know.”
“What other covens, Morgan?” I demand. “A few scattered vampires here and there, roaming the wild as a group? The Wyvern Coven, who fled at the first sign of a fight? None of those hold any influence, none of them hold any power. It’s like building a glass greenhouse and then acting proud it keeps the bugs out.”
“There is much more to our world than you know, Eleira,” she says in a serious tone. “You would do well to listen to what I have to say. Tell your lackeys to release me. Then we can speak on even footing.”
“As if you deserve even footing,” I mumble. But, at the same time, I motion to Allura to undo the bonds.
If the three Forsaken Sisters and I cannot keep Morgan under control, well, then we deserve whatever we get.
“No magic,” I warn. “If I so much as feel you trying to access the Elemental Forces, I will unleash such a barrage of the currents on you that you’ll beg for the simple bonds the Sisters trapped you with.”
“Understood,” Morgan nods. She approaches the table in the room and pulls out a seat. “May I?”
“Might as well,” I say. She sits down. The Forsaken Sisters move to either side of her.
I remain upright.
“This is so much more civilized, isn’t it?” Morgan says. She is getting all her old arrogance back. She glances toward the Sisters, quickly, not making eye contact but not acting intimidated either. “I’m afraid I have not yet thanked you for extracting the poison from me,” she says. “If it wasn’t for you, who knows how long I would have remained in that wretched state.”
“You’re not in the clear yet,” I remind her. I look her in the eyes, impressed by how quickly the healing process has taken place. An hour longer, maybe two, and I bet she will have completely recovered.
“Tell me what you meant before. About there being more to the vampire world than I know. I mean,” I correct, putting both hands down on the table, “of course, there are things I don’t know. But you were speaking about something specific. Other covens? Other threats?”
“Oh, yes.” Morgan smiles. “There are many other ‘covens.’ They are not structured as you would think. They are groups of three, or four, or five ancient vampires living together. Living in little bubbles outside of time, hidden away from the world. Capable of exerting great influence over all
the rest of us but choosing consciously not to.”
I narrow my eyes. “Ancients? Like The Ancient with The Crypts.”
“Or older. Stronger,” Morgan replies.
“How is that possible?” I ask. “How many know of them?”
“Very few,” Morgan admits. “It’s a secret I’ve closely guarded. We have had… envoys… approach us, from time to time. They shield their strength and mask their power. But I could see the cloak on them as soon as they came before me.”
“Do they pose a threat?”
“For now? No. We leave them be, and they let us proceed doing what we want. At least…” she leans closer, “…that was the understanding when I was Queen. When news reaches them that the crown has changed heads, who knows if the old pacts will last.”
“You know where these ancients are? I will send—”
“Who?” Morgan interrupts. “Who can you send? There is nobody capable of speaking to them without trembling in awe except you and me. Only we are strong enough to face them, and even so, when we do, they will out-power us as much as you or I out-power the newest fledglings.”
I search her expressions for any hint of dishonesty.
I don’t find it.
“What reason would they have to break the pacts?” I ask. “I intend to honor them, as they are what I inherited.”
“Do they know of your intentions?”
“The Haven vampires are contained here,” I say, “within the borders of our coven. If those stronger, older vampires take issue with that, all of a sudden, when there have been no problems before…”
“No problems because I ensured that,” she says.
“Yes, fine. The credit goes to you.”
Morgan shifts back a tiny bit, momentarily placated.
“If you and I are the only vampires capable of speaking to them then our only choice is to wait for them to come. Anything else is distraction. And we have much more important things to focus on.”
Morgan tilts her head to the side. “Like what?” she asks me.
“Like the threat from your sister,” I snarl. “And all the vampires of The Crypts, united to destroy us.”
Morgan’s eyebrows go up in amusement. “Logan will never move against me. Not for real.”
