by A. M. Hudson
“Did he…did the guy die?”
“Yeah. I kid you not, yo. Guy just dropped dead, right there on the floor in front of me.”
“Wait! How is he killing vampires?”
“Don't you know?” the kid said, his eyes wide. “There’s some new drug called Venom. Wipes ‘em out in seconds.”
“Drug?” I said, looking at Mike.
“What do you mean by drug?” Mike said.
“Dunno. I just heard some High Council dude say something a few weeks ago.”
“What did he say?” Mike asked.
“Something about vials—said we had four but Drake took it to his lab in Sussex and had it expanded into...I don't know.” He swallowed, as if his mouth had made too much saliva to keep talking. “I can't remember, but he made enough of it to walk ‘round the castle with a sword and just start cuttin’ guys up. Their eyes were open, ma’am—he just left ‘em there. Just…dead!”
I covered my mouth. “So, then you left?”
“Yeah, but I was lucky. I followed some guys out this tunnel and came out to a road.”
“How many escaped?” Mike asked. “Are you the only one that came here?”
“There were twenty who ran. But they all went in different directions. I only came here ‘cause of Eric.”
“Eric de la Rose?”
“Yeah. He—a few months ago he said he was fleeing the Set—asked me to come. I didn't wanna risk capture, and he wouldn’t tell me why he was leaving, so I told him I’d stay. He just handed me a map and said if I changed my mind to come here.” He looked up at Falcon. “I'm sorry, man, I didn't know this was some royal château or nothin’. I just thought Eric had really rich parents or something.”
Falcon laughed and helped the vampire to his feet. “No harm done.”
“What did you say your name was, kid?” Mike asked.
“Nate.” He folded over a little, obviously still in pain.
“Well, Nate, welcome to Loslilian. This here—” Mike presented me, “—is our princess, soon to be the new ruler of the Three Worlds.”
Nate looked at me then, flipping his chin. “’Sup.”
Everyone in the room laughed.
“Blade, go get Morgaine. Tell her to prepare a guest room for our new friend.”
Blade saluted with two fingers and turned on his heel, disappearing. He’d learned to use that speedy vamp run really well for a vampire who was only a few hours old. Smart bugger.
“So, you guys are all Lilithians?” Nate asked.
“Yep.” Mike bristled with pride.
“I heard of your kind.”
“What have you heard?” I said.
“You drink vampire blood. Some say Drake’s building a new army to come get some kid you guys stole or something.”
“New army?”
Nate nodded. “He ships humans in—thirty a day. At first I thought he was just really hungry, but then a mate of mine in decomp said he was only burning about half that.”
“Decomp?” I looked at Mike.
Mike winced and without looking at me said, “Decomposition. It’s the guys who get rid of bodies.”
I felt queasy. “So, he’s creating a new army?”
Mike sunk back a little, exhaling through his nose as realisation seared through him at the same time it did Falcon and Quaid.
“Because of the allegiance shift?” I said.
“Yep. But he can't make them swear an oath because, not only does he not have access to the Stone, but the oath would be invalid as soon as you swear yours. He’ll have to brainwash them.”
“Mike—” I grabbed his sleeve, my eyes tearing. “We have to save those people.”
He wrapped me up in his arms, grimacing at the blood on my hands, dirtying his shirt. “Baby, there’s nothing we can do to help them. We’re not ready to go after Drake, yet.”
“But this is good news,” Falcon said. “Not that humans are dying, but that his army won't be ready for some time. He needs to change them, train them and make sure they’re reliable enough to carry out whatever task he asks of them.”
Quaid looked at Nate then at Falcon. “Right. This at least means Ara’ll be safe while she does the Walk of Faith. I doubt he’s gonna come onto Lilithian grounds without some protection.”
Falcon nodded and clapped Nate affectionately on the shoulder. “Nate, my man, welcome to Loslilian.”
“A toast.” Mike, chirpier than usual, stood and tapped his glass. “To the knights, for their exceptionally quick reaction time, the successful capture of an alleged bad guy, and also to our new comrade, Nate.”
We raised our glasses, one by one, all thirty-something people down the table. More chairs had been added since our little family grew; first, my Private Guard being invited to dine with us each night, then a half dozen new vampires, and now Nate. But the head of the table still remained empty—another reminder we had no king and, for me, another reminder that David would miss my coronation ceremony tomorrow.
“Well, I'm glad to be on this side of the fence.” Nate held his glass up to Falcon. “Your knights pack a pretty wicked punch.”
Falcon sipped his wine, smiling into his glass; it was the same kind of smile he gave when he knew he was right about something.
“I must say,” Margret, now nick-named Mrs. Peacock, spoke over everyone. “Michael, I underestimated you. It seems you’ve trained your knights well.”
“Yes,” Moustache Man piped up. “I watched from my window this morning as they caught our new friend.”
Nate shuffled in his seat.
“Young Falcon here is quite a force,” Mrs. Peacock said.
“Just doing my job.” Falcon nodded once.
My ears adjusted to a quieter conversation near me, and as the rest of the table went about their private dinner chatter, I looked at Eric and Nate.
“What’s it mean?” Nate asked Eric.
“It’s permanent, man. You’d have no life.”
“How is that different to now?”
“Amara’s disbanding the Sets when she’s sworn in—we’ll be free to go where we want.”
“Serious?” He glanced at me then back at Eric. “Can I go home—to my family?”
“No, man, but you can get on with your life.”
“So, are you swearing an oath?” Nate asked.
“No.”
“You will if you want to be on the Private Council,” Arthur said, coming into the conversation uninvited.
Eric’s jaw came forward—the serious side of him. He looked down at his plate.
“Why, Arthur?” I asked across the table; several people hushed.
“It’s the law. Those in your Private Council must be sworn to the throne or to the people.”
“What does the oath do?” Nate asked.
“It makes those who bear the mark bound to obey any command given in strong order by their ruler.”
“Except those sworn to the people,” a man said. “Then they may disobey, should they see the order detrimental to the greater good.”
“Right.” Arthur nodded.
“And what if they swear to the other one—the…throne, was it?” Nate asked.
“Yes, the throne,” Arthur said. “In that case, they must obey, no matter what.”
“Did you swear an oath, Arthur?” I cut in.
He nodded, sipping his wine. “I was on the World Council. It was a requirement.”
“But not as Set leader—like David was?”
He shook his head.
“So, Arthur, if Drake was to call you up now and tell you to come back, would you have to?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“What if you were sworn to the throne?”
“Yes.”
“And Jason? What was he sworn to?” I asked, ignoring the quiet gasps when I mentioned his name.
“The throne.”
“So, when I take over, his allegiance would automatically have transferred?”
Arthur nodded.
“And I swear my allegiance to the people?” I touched my chest.
“Yes.”
“But, I don't have to do what they say if they order me to?”
“No. As long as you never do anything that directly affects the people in a grossly negative way—”
“What if some of them would die by a decision I make?”
“As long as you knew in your heart it was for the greater benefit, it would be okay.”
“And…if, say, Nate was to swear to the throne, he’d have to do whatever I tell him?”
“No. The compulsion act only applies to orders of a certain nature,” Arthur said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you can give an order for Mike to, say, punch Falcon,” Morgaine started into the conversation. “And he can refuse. But if you compel him to obey, he would have to.”
“How do I do that?”
“It’s a kind of energy you use, so I'm told.”
“You will come to understand it once you’ve made your oath,” a man with a long grey beard said, bowing his head slightly.
“So, I can only use that after I'm sworn in.”
“No, it would work now, for those who have made an oath to the people—if they believe you to be the true ruler.”
“How do I do it—how do I compel someone?”
Arthur leaned forward, his arms on the table. “Request something of them as though you hold all authority. Ask as though you would bring all hell down on their soul if they did not do as you said.”
“Morgaine?” I turned to her.
“Yes, Majesty?”
“Can I try it on you?”
She rubbed the top of her arm, the place I knew she had the same marking as Jason. “Of course, Princess Amara.”
I took a breath and worked up the same tone my mum used on me when she was sending me to my room, and I would look in her eyes and know damn well if I didn't move it, she was going to start spitting green stuff, her head turning around on her shoulders. “Answer this honestly; do you believe any of the people at this table may be traitors?”
Everyone gasped, the energy in the room going tense.
Morgaine looked into her plate. “Yes.”
“You can keep your whispers to yourself, Margret,” Arthur said suddenly in his stern voice. “I would just as soon give my life at her feet. I am no traitor.”
I offered him a warm smile. “I know that, Arthur.”
“And I cannot be the traitor,” said Moustache Man. “I'm Lilithian.”
“As am I,” said Grey Sideburns, then a few others. No one seemed to look particularly guilty, except Morgaine. I wondered if she knew who the traitor was or if she only suspected someone. Either way, we were going to have a sit down chat—a long one.
“So, those who swore to the throne of Lilith, what happened to their oaths when she died?”
“They remained faithful. Since Drake never made an oath, he could not have control of us,” Margret-slash-Mrs. Peacock said, bowing her head. “Our allegiance remains faithful to the Lilithian rule, even if you never make an oath.”
“So, if I wanna stay here,” Nate said, “do I have to make an oath?”
“Only if you plan to serve on the Private Guard or the Private Council,” someone said.
“Cool.” He nodded. “Well, if it’s all the same, I’ll just stick to being one of the guests for now.”
“That’s fine, Nate,” I said, tearing my eyes away from his with the sense of another’s on me, and when they brushed across Arthur’s face, he looked away.
“Morg?” I kicked her foot under the table; she looked up at me. “Is your ‘getting people’ thing turned on right now?”
She frowned, half smiling. “Why?”
“Can you read…I mean…” I nodded in Arthur’s direction when he turned away to answer a question. “He looked at me weird.”
Morgaine stared at him, then shook her head and smiled.
“What is it?” I asked, leaning closer. “Why was he looking at me like that?”
Arthur looked right at me then, and I sat up, pretending not to be talking about him, but I felt my cheeks flush, the heat rising up from my chest. I could only imagine what scent he was catching from me then, because he scratched his brow with one finger, laughing a little. Even Morgaine laughed.
“Morg?” I whispered, not so quietly. “What are you two laughing at?”
“You don't have anything to worry about.” She smiled at Arthur, who didn’t even bother to look away this time. “From what I gather, he thinks you look pretty tonight.”
With another flush in my cheeks, I looked up at Arthur’s vibrant blue eyes and smiled.
“Stop that!” Mike kicked my foot.
“Ouch,” I whined. “Stop what?”
“Flirting.” He leaned closer. “I can feel the heat coming off your body.”
“I was not.” I scowled at him and went back to eating my dinner.
From my peripheral, I saw Mike point at Morgaine. “You shouldn’t encourage her.”
Morgaine just giggled and looked up at me from under her lashes, but her gaze slipped quickly past me to look over at Nate, talking with another vampire about David.
“What about David?” I shot my voice across the table; all hushed.
Nate shifted in his chair.
“He just found out he’s dead,” Eric said.
I twisted my wedding band around with my thumb. “You didn’t know?”
“I—I keep to myself. I’ve pretty much just hidden in my room at the castle since I was changed. I didn't even know there was a war going on.”
“Nate’s new,” Arthur explained. “He was recently brought in by a Scout.”
“Scout?” I frowned.
“Like Orion,” Morgaine said. “Same guys who would’ve eventually come for Emily.”
“Oh.” I looked over at our newcomer. “So, you knew David, Nate?”
“Yeah. I went to school with him.”
“When?”
“Just last year.”
My core imploded. “Nate—is that…is that short for Nathan?”
“Yeah, sure is.”
“Holy cow! You’re Nathan Rossi? I went to your funeral!”
He laughed. “Really?”
“Yes! Oh, my God. You’re not dead!”
“Ur—” He looked down at his own body. “Not as far as I can tell.”
“Oh, my God!” I said a few times. “Does Emily know?”
“Emily?” Nathan looked at Eric. “Who’s Emily?”
“Emily’s a vampire, Nathan.” I tried to contain my excitement, but heard my own voice travel across the table louder than it should be. “Emily from school.”
“Emily…” His eyes widened. “Emily Peirce? David's Emily?”
Everyone went quiet.
“David’s Emily?” I gulped. “What exactly do you mean by David's Emily?”
“She…she was…I mean, she was the only girl he ever hung out with.” He shrugged. “They were close.”
My heart dropped in my stomach. “Close?”
“Yeah. None of us guys were allowed to touch her. So…what happened to him—David? Why’d he die?”
Eric clapped Nathan on the shoulder. “I’ll fill you in after dinner, man.”
I scratched my head, sitting back.
“So, is she here? Em?” Nate asked.
“No.” I looked at Mike; he was as stiff as I was. “She will be tomorrow, though.”
“Cool.” Nathan grinned. “That’s really cool. I always liked Em.”
“Well, she’s engaged now.” I jerked my head in Mike’s direction.
“Yeah? No kidding. That's awesome.”
Mike nodded and looked down at his lap, a blue light making his face glow from under the table. I felt the double vibration of his message tone come through the base of my seat.
“So, how did you know David, Princess Amara?” Nathan asked.
Eric leaned in to Nathan and
whispered, “She was his wife.”
Nathan sat taller, his eyes wide. “Oh. But—I thought he…I mean, last I spoke to him, he was hooked on some other girl. Ara, or something weird like that.”
I laughed through my nose. “Yeah. That’s me. I get called Ara, Ara-Rose, all different names.”
His lip quirked on one side as he took a closer look at my face than he had before. “So, you married him?”
I nodded, unable to stop from smiling at his obvious joy.
“Well, I'm really glad to hear that, Ara.” The table huffed at such an informal address, but Nathan didn't even notice. “I know he was pretty in love with you.”
I nodded. “Yeah. He was.”
“I'm sorry he’s dead. He was a good friend of mine.” He looked down at his plate.
“So, who turned you?” Morgaine asked, looking around Falcon, down the long line of vampires on her side of the table.
“Yeah,” I added. “David told me once it wasn't him.”
Nathan looked at Arthur, then at Eric. “I uh…I don't know.”
“Oh.” I looked down. “So, you didn't see the guy?”
He shrugged. “Could’ve been a girl, for all I know.”
A few others shot questions at Nathan, while I looked at Mike. Him, with all his rules, was the last person I ever expected to see texting under the table. “Mike?”
He looked at me.
“Who are you…?” I nodded to the phone.
“Em,” he said quietly.
“Oh. Did you tell her about Nathan?”
He nodded and held up his phone.
All I saw was exclamation marks, then laughed. “Guess she’s happy then?”
“Uh, yeah, just a tad.” He leaned forward and stuffed his phone in his back pocket.
“You okay?” I asked, patting his hand.
“Yeah. You?” he breathed, forcing a smile.
I swallowed. “David's Emily.”
“Look, I kind of knew it was like that,” he said. “And I think you did, too. Doesn't mean anything, baby.”
I nodded. “I know. It was just a shock to hear it put that way.”
He patted my hand with his other one. “I know. I just feel sorry for…you know who. I bet they”—by they, he meant David— “are gonna cop an earful when you see them next.”
