The Vampire Gift 6: Secrets of Hope

by E. M. Knight

  “I trust your judgment,” I tell him. “What was it that kept you away?”

  “This.”

  He brings up a small, draped object that he’s holding. I cannot see what’s under the cloth, but it looks about the size and shape of a human skull.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  He glances at the guards, then turns away in a conspiratorial manner.

  “It’s meant only for you to see,” he tells me.

  I nod. We wait for the guards to leave, together with the trolley holding the throne.

  When we’re alone, Felix turns to me again.

  “It’s best you take it,” he says, gently passing the wrapped object to me.

  I do. I’m caught by surprise at how heavy it is.

  I peel the layers of cloth off and discover a dark, swirling orb made of…

  I gasp and nearly drop it. “Is this obsidian?” I accuse.

  Felix quickly takes it from me. I look at my hands, at the spot on my palms where the skin touched the glass.

  That part of my body feels uncharacteristically cold.

  “Yes,” Felix says. “And I did not mean for it to surprise you.”

  “You know what obsidian does, don’t you?” I ask. “It resists magic.” I peer closer at the ball. “But then, what are the moving swirls inside…?” I wonder.

  “Of course, I know what obsidian does,” Felix says, almost angrily. “I brought it to you because I remember Morgan having it nearby it when she first erected the wards.”

  My eyebrows go up. “You were there? Raul told me it was done in private. Nobody was to witness.”

  Felix smiles. “It was done in private, you’re right. But I could not fail to notice the absence of this particular item from my collection.”

  “It’s yours?” I ask.

  “I have a small store of such items, as you know.”

  “So why bring this one to me?”

  “Because it was important enough for the Queen to need it the first time the wards were put up. I don’t profess to know how or why. But I thought it could prove helpful to you, given your… ” he stops, and clears his throat.

  “Given the enormity of your task.”

  My eyes narrow. “You were going to say something else.”

  “Nothing important, my Queen.”

  “No! Tell me. What were you going to say at first?”

  “You won’t like it if I do.”

  I fix him with a stern gaze. “I don’t like when you’re not direct with me. That’s what I don’t like.”

  He exhales. “Fine. I was going to say—given your inexperience.”

  “Oh,” I feel suddenly deflated. “And what’s the deeper meaning of that?”

  He pauses for a moment and then speaks his mind.

  “That you’re rushing into things,” he says. “You sent Raul to gather the remaining vampires. But you’ve only just been introduced as their Queen! Nobody expects you to resurrect the wards on your first night.”

  “You’re wrong,” I say. “I do, because if I don’t do it now, I’ll be responsible if catastrophe strikes. We cannot wait. What if we’re attacked while I’m busy preparing? No, Felix. I will not risk it. I absolutely have to do it tonight. I already failed the villagers. I will not fail the vampires I now have responsibility for.”

  “You didn’t fail the villagers,” Felix tells me softly.

  I look at him. “What do you mean?”

  “Most of them are still alive.”

  I blink. “What?”

  “You had our doctor go and find the bodies. He did. But when Phillip fed on the humans, he only drank from the first few the entire way. The rest, he drained—but not completely.”

  “So what, they’re just waiting to die then?”

  “No,” Felix says. “I didn’t want to disturb you. So I gave the command for each of them to be given a few drops of my blood.”

  I step away in utter shock.

  “I understand what will become of me if they all reach the stage where the transformation will take hold,” he says. “My own strength will evaporate, spread amongst so many. Yet I did it for one reason and only one.”

  “And that is?”

  “To give you time to make a choice.”

  I look at him funny. “A choice of what?”

  “A choice for a new group of vampires sworn loyal only to you. The humans know who you are. They’ve seen you when you were still one of them. It will be days, perhaps weeks, before the first of the transformation begin. By then, you’ll have a better understanding of the value that they give you—and the dangers of it, too.”

  I look at him in absolute silence. I’m unsure how to take the news.

  On the one hand, it’s wonderful that the humans are still alive. It means Phillip’s rampage didn’t do quite as much damage as he’d intended.

  On the other, Felix’s actions could be considered a subversion. He did not consult me. In a way, he went against my will.

  “What will you do?” he asks.

  I shake my head slowly. “You should have consulted me first,” I say. “Before making the decision on your own.”

  “With all due respect, Eleira, there simply wasn’t any time. The humans I rescued were all on death’s door. Without my intervention, they’d be dead. You wouldn’t have had a choice, one way or the other. Now, you do.”

  His tone becomes darker. “You could still destroy them. Nobody would know. Send one of the guards to finish the job. Or, give the task to one of The Elite. They will not be opposed.

  “Or, you could let them live. My only request is that we feed them blood from the goblet. So that I am preserved.”

  “It was your decision to give them your blood,” I say under my breath. “You will have to live with the consequences of that choice, Felix.”

  He takes a staggering step back. “Surely you wouldn’t condemn the man you named as your next Captain Commander to that fate!”

  “I have not decided yet,” I say. “All I know is that it’s a possibility.”

  Felix’s face twists. “I offered you a gift,” he says. “And you spit in my face! I will destroy them myself then and take the choice from your hands!”

  “No,” I say softly. “I forbid it.”

  He goes perfectly still.

  “I did not say I would let them weaken you,” I continue. “Only that I could let it happen. As you said. The decision rests with me.”

  “You’re testing me,” he says in a hushed breath. “You want to know if I am completely loyal to you.”

  “I suspect that you are,” I offer. “But next time something like this happens, you will ask for my instruction before. Not after the fact.”

  He bows his head. “I understand.”

  “Well, then, speak to me of the benefits of keeping them alive. Of letting them become vampires. They all hate us, you know.”

  He shakes his head. “They hate the former ruler. They hated the Queen, because she made their life hell. Some have grievances against certain vampires, to be sure. But, I suspect, most can be made committed to you.”

  “Why do you say that?” I ask.

  “You will be the one who granted them a second chance at life. If they become vampires, the lot of them will be yours, and yours alone. The factions that exist in this coven will be meaningless to them. You will have no doubt about whose side they’re on. They will always be yours.”

  “As opposed to…?” I probe.

  “As opposed to the current crop of Incolam and Elite. You saw earlier how easy it was for Carter to get them to split. How many of those who sided with him will respect your rule?”

  “I’d say all of them,” I answer. “We both know what binds vampires to the laws of hierarchy. I am the strongest in this coven, by far.”

  “And what if I told you there was a way around that? What if I said that methods exist for bypassing the hierarchical law?”

  “Then it would be the first I’ve even heard of it,” I answer.


  He raises an eyebrow.

  “Well?” I ask. “Is it true? Does such a method exist?”

  He looks me up and down… and nods.

  “Nothing is ever quite black and white in our world,” he says.

  “Do you know how it’s done?”

  “No.” He shakes his head. “And on that I swear. But you’ve seen my collections of books.” His eyes gleam. “Somewhere amongst the pages is mention of exactly such a thing.”

  “Written by whom?” I ask him. “Who could write that, for you to take it as gospel?”

  “I’m not taking it as gospel,” he counters. “I am simply saying that the possibility exists.”

  “So what, the coven will band together and use this great secret against me?” I laugh.

  “My one real point is this,” he says. “You are so focused on external threats, that you might be blind to the ones lurking closer to home.”

  I look at him suspiciously. “Anything in particular I need to be aware of?”

  “Not now,” he says. “I promised you my counsel, and I will give it. When necessary.”

  “And right at this moment, you think it’s necessary to tell me the humans will be useful when they are transformed?”

  “They are much easier to turn into allies, yes,” he tells me. “It would be wise to have a faction on your side.”

  I consider the suggestion for a long moment. Given everything he’s said, I think it would be good to have more guaranteed followers… but that is a given in every single circumstance, no matter what.

  If I just found out the lives I had mourned as lost were in fact never lost, do I have it in myself to sentence the would-be vampires to their death?

  “You do have my gratitude for giving me the option of a choice,” I say with a sigh. “But my decision will come later. Now, I need to prepare for the ceremony we all were promised.”

  “You said you’d give them all a show,” Felix murmurs. “What did you mean by that?”

  Unconsciously, I run one hand along the back of my arm. The marks are all there, hidden under the surface.

  “You’ll see together with everyone else,” I inform him. “If I know what I am doing, it will be quite a sight. And if I don’t… well, if I don’t, I don’t think I am suited to be Queen.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Raul

  The stronghold

  I run through the ranks of the stronghold, passing on the message Eleira gave me to every vampire I see.

  When I am finished, I quickly race back to where Eleira is waiting.

  I open the doors and see the throne has already been removed from the room. Eleira is sitting cross-legged in front of an odd, glass orb. Felix is looking on from behind.

  Eleira’s face is frozen in a perfect mask of concentration.

  I approach softly. “What’s going on?” I ask the older vampire.

  Felix turns to me. “Do you remember anything of the time your Mother created the wards?”

  Immediately, I shake my head. I haven’t thought that far back in ages.

  “No. Why, what do you need to know?”

  “Eleira wasn’t told the spell,” Felix confides, “that will link her to the throne torrial.”

  I curse under my breath. “I just assumed it was a given.”

  “No,” he says. “It’s not.”

  “But if the link is established, she can erect the wards after.” I turn my gaze to Eleira. “Right?”

  She stirs, then looks up. “What? Oh. Yes. I think I can. It’s not so dissimilar to what I did to Phillip, I don’t think. And there’s more than one way of casting a protective spell. Even if I don’t know exactly what Morgan did, it doesn’t mean I am incapable of coming up with something that works the same way. Maybe even better.”

  “But you don’t know how to link yourself to the throne?” I ask to clarify.

  She grunts and pushes herself up. “No. It’s not as easy as it seems.”

  “We suspect,” Felix interjects, “that this object on the floor has something to do with it. Unfortunately, neither of us know how or why.”

  I rack my brain for a moment. “I can’t help with that. But one person around here might.”

  “Phillip?” Eleira says, before I can. “I thought of asking him. But what chance is there he’ll help me?”

  I grunt in irritation. “Slim to none,” I agree.

  I come closer to the round object on the floor. “What is that thing?” I ask.

  “It’s not a torrial,” Eleira says. “But it has something—some link—to magic.”

  “The obsidian makes it immune to any spells directed at it,” Felix says. “Yet we can all see the moving pattern inside. What else powers it but the Elemental Forces?”

  Suddenly, Eleira gasps. “Felix, that’s it!” she exclaims. “It’s the outer layer that holds out magic. But it also traps it inside!”

  “So the swirls we can see...”

  “Are manifestations of the currents,” Eleira says. “Somehow made visible to all. But how much power is locked within the orb, that’s the question. And why? How could Morgan have used it in the past?”

  “Hold on,” I say. “How do you know this object was used? Why are we assuming it’s key to anything right now? Can’t it just be something totally unrelated?”

  “I suspect not,” Felix says. “Morgan had it on her person the first time she put up the wards.”

  “This was one of the artifacts you brought with you when you came to this coven?” Eleira asks Felix. “Together with the goblets?”

  “Yes,” he replies.

  “I don’t understand,” I say. “Eleira, if you say you can figure out the spell needed to protect The Haven, why are you so concerned with this object?”

  “Maybe you’re right,” she says softly. “I could just be stalling for time.”

  Felix snorts in derision.

  Eleira and I turn on him. “Do you have something to say?” I inquire.

  “Trying to understand how something was done before is not stalling,” he reacts. “It’s an appropriate, intelligent response to the situation.”

  “And it could be that this little orb actually has the answer of how I’m going to link myself to the throne,” Eleira says.

  She looks at me seriously. “I need the Throne torrial,” she insists. “Without it, the wards cannot be maintained.”

  “You said yourself moonlight was key,” I remind her. “So what are we doing down here? We should be outside, in the night, with the Throne visible.”

  Eleira takes a deep breath. “Yes, you’re right,” she tells me. “The only issue is… well…”

  I stride up to her and take her hands. I look into her beautiful, large eyes.

  “Yes?” I say softly. “You can tell me.”

  She hesitates, glancing at Felix. The other vampire sees the need for privacy. He bows his head and retreats to the far wall.

  Eleira looks at me again. “The problem is,” she confides. “Well…”

  She seems very reluctant to say.

  “Felix?” I ask. “If you don’t mind?”

  He nods and quickly leaves the room.

  I look again at Eleira. I squeeze her hands. “What is it? I’m here for you if you need support.”

  “I’m… I’m not certain I can leave the stronghold.”

  I frown. “What? That’s ridiculous. Why would you think that?”

  “The thing you told me about before. Seeing the moon in full above our coven when you went to the apartments. That encounter with the animal.”

  “The white dog,” I say. “I don’t know what that was, Eleira, but if it scares you...”

  “No,” she cuts in. At the same time, she yanks her hands out of mine. “It doesn’t scare me, Raul. You don’t know what I went through to get out of your Mother’s grasp alive.”

  “I can imagine,” I begin.

  “No!” she cuts in again. “No, you cannot, and it’s obvious you do not, becaus
e if you could, or you did, you wouldn’t be so patronizing all the time!”

  I look at her funny. “I’m not patronizing you, Eleira. I’m just looking out for you and trying my best to help.”

  She turns away. “All that does is make me feel unworthy,” she tells me, her voice rising. “How do you think I like being second-guessed by you every step of the way?”

  “I’m not second-guessing you…” I begin.

  “You are!” she insists. “Always looking down on me as if I’m some babe lost in the woods.”

  “This isn’t about that,” I tell her. “Stop conflating the subject. You said you don’t think you can go outside. Tell me why.”

  “I would, if you’d only shut your mouth for a few seconds and listen!”

  “You’re becoming hysterical,” I say. My irritation at her behavior is growing. “If you just wanted to fight, you couldn’t have picked a better time for it!”

  She laughs at me. “It’s always that way with you, isn’t it? Either I’m too dumb, or foolish, or stupid, or childish. And if I’m not, you for some reason always insist on pointing it out!”

  I try to keep my voice calm and as steady as possible. But with all these accusations being thrown at me out of the blue, for no good reason, it’s hard to keep a level head.

  “Look, I get it,” I say. “You’re under a lot of stress. You—”

  “Don’t!” she breaks in. “Don’t belittle me like that again!”

  I make an exasperated sound deep in my throat. “I’m starting to think maybe it’s better if I just leave you alone completely,” I say, with no small amount of sarcasm in my voice. “Obviously you don’t want my help. The only thing you want to do, it seems, is yell at me!”

  “Why didn’t you side with me?” she demands. “Why don’t you side with me, ever? When I bound Phillip to his word you spoke against it. Every time, everything I do, it all seems wrong in your eyes.”

  “That’s not true…” I begin.

  “And why haven’t you even asked about what happened?” she continues. She’s totally enraged now. “Why didn’t you ask me how I was, ask me what happened, ask me why your Mother is dead?”

  She ends the tirade in a scream. I’m shocked at how much of her emotions came barreling out.

  “All the garbage is just floating up to the surface now, isn’t it?” I say without thinking.