Vampire Kingdom 1: The Trade

by Leigh Walker

  Some of what he said seemed remotely plausible, but the year did not. “But I’m from a different time. A long time ago.” I shook my head as if to clear it. “How is it possible that I’m here?”

  Dominic smiled. “I’ve no idea.”

  “But you seem as if you know me, as if you expected me here. And I saw you that night, outside of my window. So you must’ve traveled back through time! Tell me how you did it!” It suddenly occurred to me that the prince must know how to go back and forth. I couldn’t explain his presence outside the Dixons’ any other way.

  “I did it the same way you did—under the gate. That’s how we always cross. But for some reason, I can only go to your time for a little while. You can stay here longer.”

  “How does it work?” I cried.

  “I don’t know. I just know that’s how you came here the first time, and that’s how we’ve communicated ever since.”

  My head throbbed. “What do you mean, ‘the first time’?”

  The prince took my hands in his, his dark eyes meeting mine. “It’s a terrible shock to hear this, I know. But you’ve come through many times, Victoria. The first that I remember was almost nine years ago. But time is funny, and my memories are no longer reliable. We’ve both gone back and forth so much, it all seems a bit…fluid to me now.”

  “I came here when I was nine? I’ve no memory of that. I don’t believe you!”

  The muscle in his jaw jumped. “You weren’t nine. You were the same age as you are now. Eighteen.”

  I shook my head. I hoped they were serving wine at dinner, because I was going to drink all of it, whatever curse the queen had cast upon it be damned. “None of this makes any sense, but that really doesn’t make any sense. Explain.”

  “You’ve taken a course in physics, correct?”

  “Yes.” I prayed that his answer wasn’t related to the class. My brain didn’t feel equipped for physics at the moment.

  “Did you study the concept of time?”

  “Of course we did. We did a whole section on Einstein and his theory of relativity. It made zero sense to me then, and it makes zero sense to me now.” I remembered some of what our teacher had said, about Einstein’s hypothesis of how space and time were somehow linked. I’d gotten about as far as the “somehow.”

  Dominic took a deep breath. “There were several great philosophers during your time, and more after. They believed, and proved through scientific equation, that time is…malleable.”

  “What do you mean?”

  His brow furrowed as he struggled to explain himself. “It’s flexible. Time is not a straight line, though we experience it that way. It’s more like everything is occurring at once.”

  I took a deep breath. “I’m having an easier time believing in vampires than what you’re saying—I don’t understand it.”

  “Okay, okay. You don’t have to understand it. Just suspend your disbelief or confusion for a minute while I tell you this next part. Then we’ve got to go.”

  I nodded, too breathless to answer.

  “You first came through nine years ago. I found you myself. You were half frozen to death, washed up on the shores of the lake. When I saw your clothes and heard you speak, I thought you were a demon. I brought you back to the castle and hid you from everyone. Some instinct told me to do that. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I fed from you back then. I hadn’t gotten control of myself at that particular point in time. But your blood made me sick, weak.”

  Dominic went and stood at the window and looked at the darkening sky. “One of the guards found us. He was bewitched by the scent of your blood and drank from you, though I lay nearby, too ill to warn him. He died right in front of me. I’d never seen that happen before—a human’s blood kill one of us.”

  I shivered. I killed someone. How could that be true? “What happened next? Why don’t I remember?”

  He turned back to me, his dark gaze matching the sky beyond. “I don’t know why you can’t remember. I wish you could. All I can tell you is my experience and what I’ve learned from it.”

  “Go on.”

  “You escaped that night. I was still sick, but I vanished your bite marks. Then I followed you back to the lake. You were crying, begging the gods to take you back to your time. You went into the water and went under, and I didn’t see you for a long time. I thought you might have drowned, but I never found your body. If it weren’t for the dead guard, I would’ve thought I’d imagined the whole thing.”

  We looked at each other for a beat.

  “Then?” I asked.

  A smile broke out over his face, and did I imagine it, or did his eyes glisten with tears? “Then you came back to me. You came back.”

  13

  The Longest Day

  “Tell me everything. Tell me every time, everything that happened, every detail. I want to know all of it.” The idea that I’d experienced time travel before but had no memory of it frightened me, but I was also fascinated.

  “I will. But not now. We have to go before my parents come looking for us—it’s very important that we do what they ask. You need to steer as far clear of my mother as you can. I don’t want her becoming interested in you. That’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way.” He held out his hand. “Come with me, Victoria. We will try to bear this together. Remember what I said about keeping your eye on the ball. Much of what you see tonight will upset you, but it’s your job to stay alive. You help no one by putting yourself at risk.”

  “I have so many more questions—”

  “And I will answer them,” he said, “but not tonight.”

  I took his hand, which was surprisingly warm, and followed him from the study. Perhaps it was what he’d told me, or maybe it was the feel of my hand in his, but something seemed different between us. It felt right to be close to his side. It was as if I belonged there, though that made no sense.

  But we knew each other. He’d said I’d first come through nine years ago. I’d been close to him before. And apparently, he’d drunk my blood… I shivered again, forcing the image away. I didn’t want to remember that part.

  We traveled down one hallway then another. The castle was a labyrinth of dark stone paths.

  “Remember, you have a role to play.” Dominic kept his voice low. “Any other girl in the kingdom would be honored to be here as my fiancée, so you must act as though you’re thrilled. And the villagers do not know what we are—a regular candidate would be shocked by what she sees tonight.”

  “So I’m allowed to react when they bring the other girls out?” I asked.

  “Not exactly. You should seem surprised, but you must remain composed. A normal candidate would be afraid, but she would also be grateful to be my bride. That gratitude trumps any other feeling, I’m afraid.”

  “Even fear of vampires?” I looked at him sharply.

  His handsome features were outlined in the glow of the lanterns. “The villagers have been, er, influenced by my mother’s potions over the years, along with a few other tricks of my kind.” He shot me a quick look. “They’re brainwashed. They think that my family is divine and that marrying me is the ultimate incarnation of faith, as close to the gods as one can get here on earth.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

  Dominic sighed. “My point is, any of the candidates would put their engagement to me above anything else, even watching their fellow citizens made a meal of. You have to act like you want to be with me no matter what my parents do to the other girls. You have to act as though it’s a privilege, the greatest privilege on earth.”

  “Seriously? The other candidates would be sitting on your lap and cooing while your mother guzzles one of their sisters?”

  “Um…yes.”

  “Ridiculous.” Although I could imagine my neighbor, the tall girl with the curls, doing just that. Brainwashed, indeed.

  “I’m telling you for your own good. So feel free to sit on my lap and look at me adoringly. I won�
��t mind in the least.”

  “Good luck with that,” I whispered.

  He paused outside of the dining room and squeezed my hand. “We need to get this right from the beginning. Tell my parents only the smallest details about your life in Margate, and stick as close to the truth as possible so that you do not get caught in a lie.”

  “What about the humans? What am I supposed to do about them?” I didn’t know if I could bear watching what was about to happen to the other sacrifices. My stomach tied itself in a knot.

  “Don’t do a thing. They’re used to it, if it’s any comfort—and it might look like they’re going to die, but they won’t. My parents know what they’re doing.” Dominic shook his head. “Do not say a word to the other girls. Just remember them in your prayers. For now, that’s the best we can do.”

  My mouth went dry as he led me into the room, which had high ceilings and a crystal chandelier lit with hundreds of candles. The longest table I’d ever seen, made from cherry and set with fine china for fifty people, commanded the room from end to end. A sumptuous orange-and-crimson Oriental rug covered the floor, and an enormous fire blazed in the fireplace along the far wall. It looked as though a big party was expected, but the drafty room was empty except for the king and queen.

  They waited by the fire, reflections of the flames dancing across their faces. Their blazing appearance did nothing to calm my nerves. Still, I plastered a smile onto my face as we approached. Dominic had told me to stay alive; being pleasant to my captors seemed to be the first step in the right direction.

  “Lady Victoria, how lovely to see you.” The king swept into a deep bow. Like Dominic, he wore an ebony ceremonial uniform, formal and polished.

  “Thank you for joining us.” The queen curtsied. If possible, she looked even lovelier than she had at the ceremony. She was dressed in royal-blue satin, the cap sleeves and neckline trimmed with black velvet. A gold crown adorned her head, and her hair was free from its braids. It cascaded over her shoulders in dark waves, framing her heart-shaped face.

  “Good evening. T-Thank you so much for having me.” I stiffly curtsied, or at least stiffly approximated a curtsy.

  “Please. Join us.” The queen motioned toward the table.

  Dominic held out his arm for me again. We followed his parents and took our seats—the queen at the head of the table, her husband to her right, then the prince, then me. I was grateful for the buffer.

  The queen picked up a small bell and rang it. A liveried server immediately emerged from an adjacent room and filled our goblets with red wine. Remembering Dominic’s admonishment, I only allowed myself a small sip.

  Tilting her head back, the queen relaxed against her chair after she’d had some wine. “Ah, that’s better. The day of the ceremony is always a long one. Would you agree, Lady Victoria?”

  “Yes, Your Highness.” It had been the longest day of my life.

  “Have you witnessed the Trade before?”

  I cleared my throat. “Not in person, Your Highness. But it is always the talk in Margate.” I guessed that was true.

  “And have you always dreamed of being a candidate?” she asked. She seemed quite comfortable, leaning back in her chair and drinking her wine.

  “Yes.” I nodded for emphasis. “Ever since I was a little girl.”

  “Your parents raised you right, then.” She held her goblet in my direction. “To Lady Victoria, the newest member of our family. May the gods keep you, and may you bring my son great joy and fulfillment.”

  Dominic gave his mother a tight smile. “I’m quite fond of my choice, Mother. She’s already brought me great joy.”

  The queen leaned forward, her eyes intent on her son. “And once you marry her, she will bring you real fulfillment. The kind of the flesh, the kind you’ve denied yourself for too long.” With a challenging look, she rang the tiny bell again.

  Another servant came in and bowed, awaiting direction.

  Never taking her eyes from Dominic’s face, the queen said, “Bring us our entertainment. And of course, dinner for the lady.”

  The servant disappeared and quickly returned with a plate for me.

  “Lady Victoria.” He set it before me then bowed.

  “T-Thank you.” I nodded, unsure of the proper response. I wasn’t accustomed to so much formality—the nicest restaurants I had eaten in had laminated menus and self-serve beverages. I eyed the food before me: sliced turkey, roasted potatoes, and asparagus with lemon. It smelled delicious. I wondered why the vampire staff had learned to be gourmet cooks, then I remembered the sacrifices—the blood slaves. They had to be fed, kept plump and juicy for their masters. I hid my grimace.

  “Please eat,” the queen said.

  I knew it wasn’t just a suggestion. It was an order.

  The others watched me closely as I carefully cut my meat.

  “Do you like turkey?” the prince asked me. But of course, he already knew the answer—he must. It was my favorite.

  “I love it.” Beneath the table, I patted his hand, and he grinned at me in response.

  I was starving, but I hesitated as the king and queen watched me. I had a small bite of turkey and chewed it as they stared. I supposed they didn’t have human guests to dinner very often.

  The queen continued to watch me as I ate, seemingly fascinated. I was afraid to disappoint her, so I cleared my plate in as ladylike a fashion as I was capable of. We sat in awkward silence the whole time.

  When I finished, I quickly put down my utensils. “Thank you. That was delicious.”

  “Good girl,” said the queen. “You must eat every meal that we prepare for you—you need to keep your strength up. You’ll need it for my son, who is of course very athletic.”

  I coughed, unsure of her meaning, but she ignored me and rang her tiny bell again. The same servant appeared, and without turning around to look at him, she announced, “We’re ready for them.”

  “Right away, Your Highness.”

  The servant disappeared, and the king leaned forward, looking past Dominic to me. “Lady Victoria, I must warn you—”

  “You must do nothing of the kind.” The queen sounded indignant. “She is part of our family now. She will know the truth. We’ve nothing to apologize for.”

  “Danica, please.” The king smiled tightly at his wife. “I’m just trying to prepare her so it’s not a shock.”

  “Were you shocked to watch her eat her turkey? I think not.” The queen arched an eyebrow. “Ah, here we are.”

  Three servants came in, each with a young woman in tow. The women were dressed in festive gowns, their makeup tastefully done. All three of them were quite pretty. One had bronzed skin and brown curls, one had fair skin and a blond chignon, and one had darker skin and thick ebony braids. Each of them kept their faces composed, three masks of politeness. But I recognized the look. It was that of a dog who’d been kicked repeatedly and was too afraid to either wag its tail or run away, lest its master react.

  Dominic reached for my hand under the table and held it tightly.

  “And now,” the queen said, her eyes sparkling, “it’s time to eat.”

  14

  Poker Face

  “Mia, please come to me.” The queen rang that damn bell again.

  The blond woman hesitated only for an instant then came forward and bowed. When she rose, her posture was perfect, and her gaze was clear. “Yes, Your Highness. What is your pleasure?”

  “Please have some wine, my pet.” Queen Danica smiled, but it was a selfish sort of smile, with no warmth in it for the recipient. “Then come and visit with me—it’s been too long.”

  Mia bowed again then accepted a goblet from the nearby servant. She drained the glass immediately, which made the queen chuckle. “Pour the girl more wine, please. It’s been a while. She might need to loosen up a bit.”

  The waiter poured Mia more wine, and she gratefully accepted it. Then she held her head high, her gray gown billowing behind her, as she approached o
ur party.

  The queen patted her lap. “Here, dear. Sit close, so I can feel all of you.”

  Dominic’s grip on my hand tightened as the girl sank down onto the queen’s lap. She automatically tilted her head to the side, away from the queen’s face, so that her long, pale neck was exposed. My heart thudded in my chest as I shrank back beside the prince. I didn’t want to watch, but he’d warned me that I must.

  The queen whipped her head toward the king. “Darling? Don’t keep the other girls waiting.”

  “I’m…” The king gripped the bottom of his goblet, his eyes on his glass. “I’m not comfortable.”

  “Nonsense.” The queen’s tone was sharp. “Girls, are you unhappy?”

  “Not at all, Your Highness,” Mia said immediately.

  “It’s an honor to be a sacrifice,” the young woman with the braids said.

  “Our kind cannot exist without your kind,” the third girl said. “We are blessed to be here.”

  The queen stared at the king. “See? We are all in agreement.” Her voice was icy.

  “Very well.” King Declan cleared his throat. “Constance, would you do me the honor?”

  The girl with the braids smiled, and I thought I caught a flash of relief in her eyes. “It’s my pleasure, Your Highness.”

  The king stood and reached for her hand. “Is it acceptable to you if I drink from your wrist?”

  “For the love of the gods, Declan, stop babying them!” The queen’s voice was shrill.

  King Declan smiled at his wife, but the smile did not reach his eyes. “I am simply being polite, my dear. You might not recognize the behavior.”