I FELL TO THE FLOOR, thrashing, my spine curving backward as if my head meant to reach my feet. Coldness gripped my throat. There was no air. The frigid feeling traveled down into my chest, my stomach, my legs. A low droning sensation filling my chest where the natural warmth of my body seemed to fight with the cold.
I shivered. My limbs twitched. I screamed, but only in my head. I couldn’t utter a word. Vampire blood had frozen my insides.
Thud, thud, thud.
Heartbeats echoed in my ears. At first, they were fast with panic and fear of death. Then they slowed.
Thud...
I was dying. No air. My lungs ached.
Thud...
Flashes in my vision.
Bright. So bright.
Thud...
A choking sound. Then everything went still. Quiet and peaceful.
The scent of blood filled my head. I inhaled, moving my head in the direction of the smell.
Arms wrapped around me, helping me to a sitting position. I tried to open my eyes, but there was something terribly bright in front of me. I squeezed them shut. Something warm pressed against me. I relaxed into the feeling. I was so cold, and it felt wonderful.
The smell of blood grew stronger, and there came a new thudding. It wasn’t my own heart. It was someone else’s, the person who had helped me sit up and was now holding me in their arms.
They placed a hand on the back of my head and forced it forward. My mouth and nose touched skin.
My senses flooded with the sweet scent of blood, a scent more delicious than any I had ever experienced—even sweeter than Talyssa’s Sweet Briar roses or my favorite raspberry pie.
I bit into it, savagely, greedily.
Blood poured into my mouth like a river of honey, and I drank the warm, delicious liquid until someone pulled me away. I fought to get loose. I wanted more, but whoever held me was too strong.
Time passed, and I calmed down. I was released.
Slowly, my vision cleared.
I blinked at my booted feet stretching before me. Glancing up, I found Knight Kelsus and Knight Ferko standing in front of me, their arms behind their backs as if they were keeping watch. The room seemed brighter than I remembered.
“What happened?” I asked.
Ferko’s mouth twisted. “Well, that was fast.” She sounded surprised.
Knight Kelsus frowned as he offered me a hand. I took it and stood up. I glanced around, searching for the Queen. She was gone. Instead, I noticed two servants exiting the throne hall. They were carrying a man out, holding him by his feet and arms.
Jumbled images appeared before my eyes. Flashes of light.
Blood, so much blood.
“Wait!” I said and staggered toward the servants, my legs acting as if they weren’t mine.
The servants stopped and glanced at me with a mixture of fear and disgust. Inching closer, I tried to focus on the man they were carrying, but all I saw was blood. On his shirt, his neck, his face, his hair. He was covered in red, slick, shining under the moonlight. His neck was ravaged as if a rabid dog had attacked him.
“Go,” Knight Kelsus ordered, walking close and wiping his hand on a black handkerchief.
I took several steps backward, shaking my head. I lifted my slick hands and stared at my fingers. I touched my face. It was wet, too. I tried to wipe it away with my sleeve but it was also soaked. Blood. All over.
The urge to lick my fingers assaulted me.
I nearly screamed. Lowering my hands, I made tight fists, hiding my fingers even as I imagined my tongue licking lazily over them.
“Did I do that?” I asked.
It was a useless question. I knew the answer.
I had become a beast.
“You will feed once a week,” Knight Ferko said. “A person will be provided for your delight. You will do it here, in the palace. I supervise until you’re used to it. You are not to drink blood in public. Ever. Breaking this one rule will immediately mean your execution by the Queen. Do you understand?”
I ran bloody fingers through my hair as I tried to deny what was happening. “None of this was in the contract,” I said.
“Of course not,” Ferko said as if I were stupid. “Contracts are public records. We wouldn’t want our citizens to be scared of us, would we?” She barked a laugh, and as she left the room she said, “Follow me. You need to clean up. We can’t have anyone seeing you like this.”
Knight Kelsus regarded me with an impassive face. There was nothing in his expression that indicated how he felt, but I thought I sensed disappointment. He inclined his head and started to walk away.
“Was it like this for you?” I asked in a hurried breath.
He stopped, his gaze on the floor. His long hair with its many braids was tied at the back of his neck by a piece of leather with tassels at its tips.
“It’s like this for everyone,” he said. He made as if to leave, but on second thought, he turned back and faced me. What he said next, he spoke in a low whisper that I could barely hear. “It takes a strong will to remain true to yourself, but it’s possible, Bianca. You are a good person.”
I shook my head. “I’m not. I just killed someone.”
“You will do much worse than that, I assure you.”
What could be worse than what I’d just done? I’d killed a man. I’d... slaughtered him with my bare hands and teeth.
“Then how?” I asked. “How can I remain true to myself?”
“As I said, it takes a strong will. Every day you will want to give up, and sometimes, you will. You’ll see no point in fighting it, but no matter how far you fall, you can climb back up. If you really want to.” Knight Kelsus inclined his head then turned on his heel and left me in the empty throne room.
I fell to my knees and cried.
CHAPTER 9
Ferko took me to a washroom in the back of the palace. It had showers, bathtubs, and a hot spring pool ten times the size of the one in the Pawn dormitory.
“This is where you will clean yourself after your weekly feeding,” she said then pointed to a closed door. “That is a closet where you can find something to wear if your uniform is ruined. Next week, they should have Rook uniforms to fit your measurements.” She smiled, her black gaze roving over my blood-soaked garments.
“I really like this room,” she said, walking away as she began removing her clothes. “It’s always quite relaxing to take a bath after a good feeding.”
She discarded her jacket and shirt in a large weaved basket, then sat on a long bench to remove her boots. I stood on the tiled floor, feeling lost and trying not to look at the Knight as she undressed.
Ferko’s boots thudded to the floor. “I have to wait for you, so I might as well enjoy a nice bath before dinner.”
Moonlight filtered in through a set of narrow windows close to the ceiling, though most of the illumination came from gas lamps affixed to the walls. Their flames danced and flickered, making it feel as if the floor was moving. The gentle sounds of moving water came from the hot pool. A fresh soap aroma rode the air, though the metallic scent of blood on my clothes should have overpowered everything else.
The urge to rip off my uniform assaulted me. I fought it and walked slowly off to the side. Facing the wall for some privacy, I began to undress. I was down to my undergarments when I noticed a mirror on the wall to my right.
The entirety of my face was covered in dry blood and only the whites of my eyes were visible. I walked closer to peer better at my eyes. When I caught the muddy red color that swam in their depths, I nearly fell to my knees. I jerked my eyes down.
My hands and forearms were stained too, and blood had seeped all the way to the strips of fabric that bound my breasts.
I tore them off and dropped them to the floor on top of my ruined uniform. I stared at my naked torso in the mirror, that same droning sensation filling my chest. There were red blotches on my chest and breasts, dry blood that had found its way through three layers of fabric. I patted m
y matted hair as tears spilled down my cheeks, creating small red rivers.
It takes a strong will.
It takes a strong will.
Knight Kelsus’s words repeated inside my head as I wondered if I had what it took to remain sane, to remain true. I’d always thought of myself as a strong person, but my tribulations had amounted to wilted flowers and ruined embroidery. Even if these last few months had tested me in unexpected ways, this was much different.
Every day you will want to give up... but no matter how far you fall, you can climb back up.
Climb up.
Indeed, it felt as if I’d fallen into the deepest hole of immorality. How could I ever climb up from here?
When I got myself under control, I picked up my clothes and discarded them in the basket. I took a towel from a shelf and covered my nakedness. As I turned, I found Ferko still sitting on the bench. She was fully naked, watching me closely.
“I’ve never seen anyone recover so quickly after their first tasting,” she said.
What could that mean? That I was made for this? That it really was my destiny?
She stood. Her body was lean and muscular. She had small breasts and narrow hips. Scars crisscrossed her arms, legs, torso. I’d acquired a few of my own in my short time here. Ferko had been at this for years.
“It took me three years to become Rook,” she said, a measure of resentment in her voice. “And six more to become Knight, and here you are, a mere four months and look how far you’ve climbed. It’s not unheard of, but unusual. You’re very lucky.”
She’d said the last word as if she believed luck was the only reason I’ve made it this far, and maybe she was right. I certainly never imagined or planned to take Rook Neculai’s place the way I had. Still, I had defeated Breen and Yessenia fairly. That had to count for something.
“Do you want to be Queen, Rook Flagfall?” she asked.
Her blunt question took me by surprise. “Isn’t that why we’re here, Knight Ferko?” I said and was glad my voice was steady.
I walked toward the showers, forsaking the hot spring and bathtubs. I wanted running water to wash all the blood away, then drain it out of my sight. I selected the very last stall and stepped onto the porcelain floor, drawing the curtain closed. I had no desire to talk to Knight Ferko. All I wanted was to wash away my crime and go to sleep so I could forget what had happened.
The curtain flew open as Knight Ferko jerked it out of the way. I jumped and took a step back, my back hitting the exposed metal piping that delivered the water. Maybe a shower had been a bad idea. I was caged. By The Decapitator.
“You and I are the only clever women in higher ranks,” she said. “Rook Daciana is useless if you haven’t noticed. The Bishops are both male and very close to Lovina. They’ve been with her for hundreds of years. They protect her and she protects them.”
This was new information to me. It made sense, but I hadn’t thought about it. I’d been too busy trying to survive being Pawn.
Why was Ferko telling me all of this?
“Almost three-hundred years,” she continued. “That’s how long Rasvan and Viorel have been Bishops.”
Their names sounded strange. Almost no one ever said them out loud as if doing so would conjure them. I’d never even seen their faces, only their white, hooded robes as they glided together after the Queen on a couple of occasions. In my mind, I imagined them grotesque, disfigured. Why else would they hide their faces?
Ferko reached inside the shower and turned on the valve. Warm water sprayed between us. It splashed against the floor and circled down the drain, making a hollow sound that seemed too loud.
The Knight leaned in closer and spoke in a whisper. “Neculai was right about one thing. To get far in this game, one should have allies. We can help each other become Bishops. Though after that, it’s everyone for herself.”
I narrowed my eyes. My body was taut with reluctance, which Ferko must have seen because she added, “You don’t have to answer now. You can think about it.”
I had no intention of aligning myself with this woman. If I did, she would expect me to challenge Knight Kelsus and not her. And I had no intention of doing that either. But if I refused...
“I’ll think about it,” I said. “Right now I just want to...” I gesture toward the water.
“Sure,” she said. “You’ve had a hard day. A lot has changed very quickly and more will change still. It takes a few days for the blood to have its full effect.”
“What?” I asked, dumbfounded.
Ferko shrugged. “You’ll see.” She pulled back and closed the curtain as she went. I clutched my towel tightly, wondering what she’d meant exactly.
Was I supposed to find out on my own? Would she not give me any instruction on what to expect? She was my Quadrant leader. It was her job to do so, wasn’t it?
Evil creature!
It must delight her to leave me in the dark. Maybe Kelsus would tell me if I asked. Maybe he was the one I needed as an ally.
Lowering my head, I hung the towel on a hook and turned the valve to increase the water pressure and temperature, then, for the next thirty minutes, tried to wash away my guilt.
CHAPTER 10
I sat up with a jolt, sweat trickling down both sides of my face. I was panting as if I’d been running in the woods. My chest droned as hot and cold fought to fully take over.
“My apologies, Rook Flagfall,” a small voice said from the back of the room. It was Aurora, one of the servant girls. She had a poker in her hand and was standing next to a fireplace, which, from the looks of it, she’d been tending to.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said, bowing low, her eyes set on the floor.
“It’s fine, Aurora,” I said, warily glancing around. “You didn’t wake me. Carry on with what you were doing.”
I stared at my hands, somewhat taken aback at how quickly I’d been able to go back to my old, mistress-like ways, even if I hadn’t had servants in a while.
Fighting the fogginess that weighed on me, I kicked off the covers and slid off the bed. An actual bed, not a cot. I’d stumbled into the Rooks’ dormitory last night, barely aware of my surroundings. Now, I took in my new dwellings with a misplaced measure of satisfaction—a feeling I tried to deny. Had these past months done nothing to rid me of my selfish nature?
“Aurora, actually, leave that. I’ll do it.”
I walked closer and took the poker from her hand. The girl jumped away from me, pulling her hand behind her back.
“Uh, Rook Flagfall, it’s my job. I’m here to... make you comfortable.” She spoke in a hurry, flustered, awkward and very afraid.
My stomach growled as if I’d eaten a wild cat. I pressed a hand to it and absently poked the embers. Their warmth felt wonderful on my naked legs and bare feet. I was wearing only a long shirt, my dark hair draping over my shoulders.
“I think I’m... hungry,” I said, putting away the poker and turning to face the room. It was dark, its only illumination a lone ray of sunshine that managed to slip through the crack between the shutters.
“Breakfast time has passed, Rook Flagfall,” Aurora said as I walked toward the window. “But I can bring you something from the kitchens if you’d like.”
“That sounds good,” I said, opening the shutters.
Light cut through the window panes. I screamed, turning away and covering my eyes as I fell to my knees.
Feet pattered across the floor. The shutters were drawn back into place.
“Are you okay, Rook Flagfall?” Aurora asked.
I rubbed my eyes as light seemed to throb in my vision. The painful assault passed slowly. I rose to my feet. Aurora stood to the side, her eyes wide with panic. She was a slight girl, several inches shorter than me. A sweet scent wafted from her. I glanced down at a pulsing vein on her neck. My stomach twisted. She took a step back, placing a hand on her chest and swallowing.
“I’ll... I’ll bring you some breakfast.” She rushed to the d
oor, grabbed a coat from a hook on the wall, and left the room.
I sat on the bed, holding my head. What was happening to me?
It takes a few days for the blood to have its full effect.
Trying to remain calm, I glanced around the room. It was decorated in an austere fashion. There were no hangings to soften the stone walls and no color to liven the dark furniture. There was another bed across from mine. Rook Daciana’s. It had a night table and a clock on top of it, a mirror image of my side of the room. Had she spent the night here? I didn’t remember seeing her last night when I came in. Of course, I remembered little after my conversation with Ferko.
A sudden thought jolted me back on my feet. My bloodshade! It was still in the Pawn’s dormitory, hidden in my pillow’s stuffing. I needed to take it!
Carefully, I tried the window again, though this time I only peeked through the crack. I had to pull back as the light lanced into my eyes like needles. Gods, there was no way I could go outside. I wouldn’t make it two steps out of the room.
Covering my eyes and willing the pain away, I stumbled to my bed, begging that the vampire blood had really cured me, and I wasn’t a Trove anymore. If it hadn’t, I guess my journey here was over. Oddly, I felt comforted by that thought and before I knew it I fell asleep.
When I woke, it was dark. The fire had reduced to embers. I sat up. A dark figure stood in the middle of the room, observing me. My heart sped up like a chased rabbit. I squinted and found that I could tell the person’s features.
“Daciana,” I said.
She shrugged out of her jacket and walked to her bed. It seemed she’d just come in and that’s what had awakened me. There was a tray with food on my night table. Soup of some kind and a piece of bread and hard cheese, which I could smell as if it were pressed to my nose. I sniffed and turned away.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“After midnight,” Daciana answered as she removed her boots and pants. “Have you been in bed all day?” she asked.
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