by E. M. Knight
I step up to the machine. I reach out, let my fingers brush over the cool steel. “You designed it?” I ask.
He shrugs, almost indifferently, but I feel a hint of pride in his words. “A long time ago, yeah. I took some designs I saw and improved upon them.”
“I didn’t know you could work metal.”
“Mother did most of it… Her magic shaped the parts.” He shakes his head gruffly. “You’re distracting me. This was before. I’m a very different vampire now.”
I turn and face him. Slowly, I approach.
He goes still.
When I’m close enough to feel his breath on my face, I search his eyes and whisper, “No. I think not. I think Morgan tainted you, but the affliction can be fixed.” I bring my hand up, put it on his cheek. “I think you still have good inside. I think I can help.”
He looks at me without blinking. “What are you talking about?” he says, and for the first time in a long time, his voice sounds like it belongs to the old Phillip.
“I leeched the poison out of Raul’s wound,” I say. “I’ll figure out a way to extract the corruption. I think what you are suffering from is similar.”
He snarls and rips away. “I’m not suffering from anything,” he hisses. He’s breathing hard, his chest rising and falling with tremendous speed. “How dare you claim that of me!”
“No, Phillip, you are.” I turn and face him. “Here, we’re all alone. I know what you’re going through. I can see it.”
“How can you know?” he snarls. “You’re just an upstart little girl, thrown into our lives because of prophecy, with no qualifications or reasons to be there!”
“And yet, I’ve succeeded in everything I’ve tried,” I say gently. “i want to restore you. You let me do it, and I’ll figure out a way to lift the oath. I promise.”
“Why would I take your word?” he asks. The miasma is streaming across his eyes in a powerful current. “After what you did to me, after how you tricked me?”
“You did the same to me and Raul,” I remind him. “Don’t you forget that. But I do not hold it against you. Not at all. Not when I know it was your Mother’s fault. Not when I know that you can be restored.”
He sneers. The expression twists his face into a hideous mask. “Restored to what? To weakness? To frailty? Are you going to propose I give up my new powers now, too?”
“No,” I say. “Never. I would not offer this if I thought it would diminish or destroy your abilities to wield magic.”
“Well, that’s very kind of you,” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “But I will not be some sort of failed reclamation project for you!”
“I see you’re angry,” I say. “This is not who you are, Phillip. You do not have this rage inside you. It’s a part of the taint.”
“Taint, what taint?” he demands.
“I thought of it first when you told me what male magic feels like,” I say. “Ever since then, I’ve been probing the Elements, testing the currents, for what you said.”
“I was with you the whole time since then,” he scoffs. “You weren’t using magic.”
“Remember that women can multitask far better than men,” I tell him.
“So what? You expect me to believe you found something that will help you deal with what happened to me?”
“Yes,” I say. I want to come closer, but I feel like if I do, I’ll lose him. “I can release your body from the taint. It’s the taint that makes the currents difficult for you to control, not the magic itself.”
“It’s not difficult,” he says.
“You said they fight you. That’s what I mean.”
He grumbles something inaudible.
“What?” I ask.
“Let’s say I believe you,” he tells me. “Let’s say your offer intrigues me. What then? How would you ‘fix’ me, assuming such a thing is even possible?”
“It will be done in the Paths,” I tell him. “The magic needs to be pure. The taint has to be fed somewhere after it’s drawn from you. The crystals there are the only things that can withstand taking it in.”
His eyes search mine for a long, sobering moment.
Then he turns away.
“No,” he says.
My heart sinks. But I’m determined not to give up.
“No, what?”
“No you can’t do it. No, it won’t work.” He looks back at me, and I am astounded to see moisture in his eyes. “I can never go back to who I was.”
I take a careful step to him. “I’m not saying go back. You will keep all your strength. Keep all your power. The only difference is, the taint will be gone. Your mind won’t be clouded and absorbed by darkness.”
“And who says my mind is clouded?” he snaps, showing a flash of anger.
I hold my hands up in an appeasing gesture. “I can see it in you, Phillip. It’s the same thing that happened to Raul.”
His hands clench into fists. “It’s nothing,” he says slowly, “like what happened to Raul. Don’t you understand what Mother did to me? She destroyed all that I was. This isn’t some fairy-tale fantasy, Eleira. Who I am now—that is who I’ll always be!”
I shake my head. “I’m not saying we’ll restore that,” I tell him. “All I’m saying, is you’ll be able to control your emotions better. You’ll be able to use the Forces better. Hell, you might become stronger, if anything.”
“All great hypotheticals,” he says. “But they have no basis in reality.”
“There is a precedent for this,” I insist. “I’m not doing it blindly. I sapped the power from Raul’s wound and saved him. The goblet, the one I drank from after I was turned—it changed where my powers come from. I’m not a regular fledgling, drawing upon her maker’s powers. Combine those two, and you get a situation similar to yours. Trust me.”
He steps away and places his hands against the wall. “How—why—do you see anything redeemable in me?” he wonders. “I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve your kindness. After what I did—after so many I killed—after what I tried to do to you…”
“I’m not going to abandon you, Phillip. Whatever you think is wrong can be fixed. I still remember how you helped me escape when The Convicted were chasing us.”
His shoulders hitch. “That was a very long time ago.”
“Not so long that it is forgotten. Please. Let me try. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
“Why do you want to help me so much?”
“Because I am Queen,” I say. “And all the vampires of The Haven are my responsibility,” I lower my voice. “But above that, because you are my friend.”
He sniffs. “You are either incredibly naïve,” he says, “or incredibly determined.”
He sighs and turns to face me. He closes his eyes and spreads his arms to either side, offering himself.
“Fine,” he says. “Fine, I want you to do it. I want you to try. But, Eleira? This stays between you and me. Nobody else knows. Not Felix, not Raul, not anybody. If you fail, it will be our secret. And if you succeed—”
“I won’t fail,” I interrupt. Without willing it, my hand runs over the smooth skin of my forearm.
I think I can feel the runes underneath.
He laughs. “At least, you’re confident.”
“Always,” I tell him. “So, you show me where to direct the magic of the throne so our coven has electricity, and right after, I’ll take you to the Paths and do as promised.”
“Deal,” he says, and extends his hand to shake.
Smiling to myself at the victory, I take it…
Immediately, his grip clamps down. My eyes widen in alarm. Before I can do anything, he yanks me off-balance and swings around to grab me in a chokehold.
“You think you can bargain with me?” he hisses in my ear. I feel his claws come out and press tight into my chest, right over my heart. “You even try wielding magic, Eleira, and I kill you.”
My anger explodes in a white hot pillar of rage. As soon as the threat leaves his l
ips, I pull on the strongest current of Fire. True to his word, he tries to sink his claws into my heart, but the Fire makes an impenetrable barrier over my skin.
His surprise lasts only a moment, yet it’s enough time for me to break out of his grip. My claws come out and I swipe at his face in a blind fury. He ducks under the blow and leaps forward, as if to tackle me…
A blast of Air knocks him to one side. The runes on my skin are glowing—I am using all of the powers available to me. Phillip gapes, obviously not expecting it.
He tries to jump to his feet but I shoot a beam of Fire where his head would be. He manages to step aside just in time to avoid being decapitated.
“You dare?” I scream. “You dare attack me?” I shoot another blast of Air at him, hurling him against the wall.
His head bounces off the rock with a horrifying crack. Just like that, he falls, limp and unconscious on the floor.
I’m not taking any chances. I bind him with unbreakable bonds of Earth, Water, and Air. The flows wrap around his body like strangling vines.
The door bursts open.
Raul is there. He takes one look at the situation and immediately darts for his brother.
He has his claws on Phillip’s throat before I can blink.
“Raul, it’s okay,” I say quickly. “I have him bound.”
He stops when he realizes that Phillip, in fact, cannot move.
“What happened?” he demands. “What did you do to him?”
My anger flares. Maybe it’s in part due to the adrenaline rushing through me… but how dare Raul throw insinuating accusations at me?
“Nothing I cannot take care of,” I tell him coldly, walking toward Phillip. “You left like a coward, Raul. You left without a word! What are you doing back?”
Phillip lifts his head, weakly, and sneers, “Come to beg you to take him back.”
“You don’t talk!” I exclaim. For good measure, I seal his mouth shut with another strand of Air.
I face Raul. “Well? Answer me.”
He looks at me. He looks like he’s on the verge of confessing something…
And then his gaze hardens, and he steps to one side, and he gestures at the door.
“I brought a guest.”
I turn around and discover Riyu standing in the doorway.
Chapter Forty-Two
Riyu
The Haven
As soon as I lay eyes on Eleira, I could tell she’s changed.
She’s stronger. That much is obvious. It shows in the way she stands, in the way her presence commands the room.
But there’s also something else. There is some additional, impenetrable layer that I’m not quite seeing.
But I am confident it’s there.
The moment she turns, I’m on my knees bowing before her.
“Stand,” she snaps. “Get up, Riyu, and tell me what you’re doing here. This is my kingdom now.”
Slowly, I push myself up.
“If you’ve come to grovel for favors on behest of your master you can forget it,” she says. “The Haven will never stand in alliance with The Crypts under the terms you previously offered. So you can go back to your King and tell him that.”
So forceful, I marvel. So very direct.
No more is she the little girl pretending. No, now, she really is Queen.
“Unfortunately,” I begin once I’m at full height, “I’m not here as a messenger. So I cannot carry back that message for you.”
She crosses her arms under her breasts and scowls. “Then what are you here for?” she asks. “I saw you at the ceremony. If you couldn’t tell, I succeeded. The Haven is now properly guarded against any attack.”
“Not any attack,” I say.
Her eyes narrow. “You want to insult me?”
“No. Not insult. Only warn.”
“Warn of what?”
I hesitate for a split second… then make up my mind.
Eleira is powerful enough a Queen for me to swear her my full alliance.
“First I want to tell you that I no longer belong to The Crypts,” I say. “My Father wanted me dead. He sent Dagan to do it. I escaped, but only just.”
“Your Father?” she asks. “Who? The King, Logan, same as…”
She trails off. She glances at the brothers at her back.
“Same as these two,” she finishes in a bare breath.
“Yes,” I say. “I am Logan’s illegitimate son. But let me tell you—all of you—that he never treated me like one. My whole life I was nothing but a scourge to him, someone to be resented, repulsed by, reviled. My Father hated me for what I could do, and for what I am.”
I look down at my slender hands, which are unconsciously moving over each other, as always happens when my perverse inclinations come up.
“For what I am,” I repeat softly.
Eleira raises her eyebrows. “What you are?” she asks, not fully understanding.
“What do you think?” I exclaim. To hell with all propriety! “I like men, I don’t like women, and I can’t do a damn thing to change it!”
“Oh.” She looks taken aback. “I didn’t… I mean, maybe I suspected… but I didn’t know.”
“Well, now the secret’s out,” I say sourly.
“Riyu.” Her voice turns gentle. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is—”
“Of course, it matters!” I cut her off. I don’t know what it is about the situation that is so unsettling to me. Is it the fact that I’ve decided to lay it all bare in front of the vampire Queen who just a few months ago was an innocent little girl? Or is it being in the presence of two of my half-brothers, on their turf, for the first time, not as an enemy, but as someone begging acceptance?
Or is it that I’m still reeling from what Dagan did, from what I saw in the Paths, and from everything that happened to me thereafter?
All I know is I am standing on some of the most unsteady ground I’ve ever stood on, but not even the most dangerous one!
“Of course, it matters,” I repeat, shaking my head. “If there was a cure, I’d take it. If there were a potion I could drink that said once I do, I’d be normal, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” I stab a finger at Eleira before she can speak. “And don’t you even think of patronizing me by saying this is normal. Everybody knows it’s not. I live it, and I goddamn know it’s not!”
She takes a careful step forward. “Why don’t you come in,” she says. “You can close the door. Everyone can hear you outside.”
I look back, startled—and ashamed—to realize how loud I’ve been yelling.
I do as I’m asked.
“Have you looked?” she asks me.
I blink. “Looked for what?”
“Looked for a cure. The world isn’t limited to what we know. Not with magic in the mix.”
I sniff. “Magic doesn’t heal,” I say.
“No, but it transforms,” she informs me. “Maybe the spell hasn’t been discovered yet. That doesn’t mean it’s not possible.”
“What are you saying?” I ask her softly.
“That if it’s possible, and if it’s what you truly want, perhaps we can find a way to change it. For some reason, she runs one hand over her forearm as she says it. “I’m not patronizing you, Riyu. If it’s what you really want, I can help.”
I almost gape. “You’re offering me that,” I say, “without even knowing the full reason of what I’m doing here?”
“I’m offering you that because I take you at your word,” she tells me. “I can see it in your eyes. You are being truthful.”
“Eleira…” Raul warns.
She shushes him with a wave of her hand.
I feel moisture building in my eyes. Disgusted, I swipe at it and turn away, so nobody can see.
“If we can do that,” I say. “If you can help… it would be incredible.”
“What about his ability to do magic?” Raul interjects. “I always thought it was predicated on the fact that he’s… the way he is.”
&nb
sp; “Oh, just say it,” Eleira snaps. “We’re not kindergartners here.”
“I assumed he could only do magic because he’s gay.”
“Phillip can do magic, and he’s not gay,” Eleira says.
Now it’s time for my eyebrows to rise. The youngest Soren is like his Father?
I take the time to look at Phillip properly, really for the first time since I arrived. And right away, I see from the stiff way he’s standing, that he is locked in place by invisible bonds.
“Well, well,” I murmur. “How interesting.”
“Enough of this,” Raul says. He steps to Eleira’s side. “Riyu, why don’t you tell our Queen what you wanted to when you arrived?”
“Your Queen,” I mutter. “She’ll be my Queen, too, if she takes me.”
“You’re seeking sanctuary, is that it?” she asks. “You want to trade your knowledge of The Crypts for guaranteed safety here, if I am correct?”
“That’s only a small part of why I came,” I say. “But yes. Take me in, let me swear fealty to you, and you will have no better subject.”
“Done,” Eleira pronounces.
Raul’s face warps in shock. “What? Eleira, no, you can’t just—”
“I can, as I’m Queen,” she tells him, more than a little impatiently.
I sense a large degree of strain between the two.
“Now, Riyu.” She addresses me. “Tell me what you will. And spare me the pleasantries of how much this means to you. Your actions from here on out will speak much louder than words.”
“Certainly,” I bow my head. “And thank you. I’ll only say it once. But thank you. You are generous and I will not let you down.”
“Get on with it.”
I snap to attention. “Yes. Fine. Well, my banishment from The Crypts is only one thing I came to tell you of. I know you shouldn’t care what happens to me, but the important thing for you, as Queen, is to know why.”
“Why, what?”
“Why I was banished.”
She blinks in expectation. “And?”
“It’s because Logan has also learned to channel the Elements.” I take a breath. “He’s deep in Blood Magic.”
Raul gasps. Behind him, Phillip’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head.
Eleira considers the news calmly. “So our rival coven has a ruler with great power,” she says. “Fine. I am not afraid of him.”
