The Vampire Gift 4: Darkness Rising

by E. M. Knight

  I want to laugh. “And what happens then? Morgan isn’t going to accept his terms. No—” I go back to my search. “No, our only chance is to wake her up, get her to transfer the power of the torrial to me. I’ll reinstate the wards. The Haven will be safe, and then we’ll deal with the madness that the vampires of The Crypts want to release upon the world.”

  I flip through the next book, scanning the pages with preternatural speed, finding nothing of relevance, and throw it to join the rest.

  Raul whistles.

  I look at him. “What?”

  “I’m just astonished,” he says. “By how much you’ve grown. Hearing you speak like that… Eleira, I’ve never encountered a woman who is stronger.”

  And he strides right up to me, tugs me in by the waist, and kisses me with an abundance of passion.

  My body opens up to his. I want to respond in kind… but I push him off.

  “We don’t have time,” I say softly.

  He touches my cheek. “I know. But I’ll take what I can get.”

  That earns him a smile from me.

  I look down at all the books. “One thing I don’t understand,” I say. “If vampires can read so fast, why haven’t they all gone through the entire library already?”

  Raul smiles obligingly. “Just because we can,” he says. “Doesn’t mean we do. Some things need to be savored. In fact, most—if not all—prefer to read at their regular speed. There’s more pleasure in it that way.”

  “But think of all the knowledge you can gain,” I say, “If you were locked into a real library, out in the modern world.”

  Raul shakes his head. “Speed reading as we do it dulls our comprehension of the passages. And admittedly, yes—some fledglings, when they’re awakened to their power, do go on such ‘knowledge binges.’ But the novelty quickly wears out, and it almost feels like cheating in a way. Besides,” he winks. “Vampires face nothing but an abundance of time in their future. So they’re not rushed.”

  “But we are,” I grumble. “And you’re probably right: I doubt we’re going to find anything in these books.”

  “We should go get Phillip,” Raul says. “He knows more about such research than anybody else here.”

  “Why was he so eager to rush off?” I wonder. “Have you noticed how he’s not exactly… acting like himself?”

  “Yes,” Raul nods.

  “So it’s not just my imagination.”

  “I thought it might be all the responsibilities being Captain Commander brings,” Raul says. “At first. Not anymore. It’s almost like he’s hiding something.”

  “You’ve picked up on it, too?”

  “I know my brother. Living in close proximity for so many hundreds of years gives you the ability to read someone really well. And Phillip—he is definitely hiding.”

  “We all have our little secrets, don’t we?” I say, a touch of sadness entering my voice.

  “I won’t hold any from you,” Raul vows.

  “I don’t want that,” I say. “You can have secrets. Why not? I don’t want either of us to feel like we have some… obligation… to divulge every last thing to the other. Just promise when I ask you something direct, you won’t lie.”

  Raul nods. “I won’t.”

  “So did you ever sleep with your mother?”

  He takes a horrified step back. “What!”

  I smile. “Just trying to lighten the mood,” I say. “Although it’s quite obvious, even to me, how much she wants to.”

  Raul has gone a shade of red I did not think possible for vampires to achieve. “She… I… I mean—”

  “It’s okay,” I tell him. “It’s something I picked up long ago. Whenever I was in her company and talk turned to you...” I shrug. “Well, it’s easy for one woman to see who another desires.”

  “Eleira, I would have never—ever!—done anything like that...”

  “I know, I know, I know,” I assure him. “Let’s drop it? I didn’t mean for you to get so wound up.”

  He grunts. “Mother and I… actually, Morgan and all of us… have a fairly uncommon relationship.”

  “Yeah, so I’ve gathered.”

  “She waited until we were all of one age—or near enough—before turning us.” He shakes his head. “For exactly the reason you think.”

  “I’ve also gathered all that,” I say. I look at the discarded pile of books. “Come on, we’d better find Phillip. We’ve dawdled here too long.”

  “Wait.” Raul takes my hand as I’m about to leave the room. “There is… that other option.”

  “What?”

  “I told you. I return to Father. Ask for more blood.”

  “We’d be exposing ourselves to the enemy’s mercy two times in a row,” I say.

  “If it’s the only chance...”

  “It’s not,” I assure him. “Not yet. When I probed Morgan, even though I couldn’t get inside, I could still feel her life force. She’s all there. She’s too strong a vampire, and a witch, to succumb like James’s coven did.”

  “Still,” he says. “If The Ancient’s blood is the only sure way of reviving her—”

  “And we don’t even know that!” I exclaim. “It was just a shot in the dark. How much does your Father know about the demon and what it’s capable of? How much does he know about the poison? We were never even sure The Ancient’s blood would have revived her.”

  “Father seemed certain,” Raul begins.

  “But your father hasn’t seen her! He hasn’t even spoken with her for hundreds of years. He doesn’t know magic, Raul. Very few people do.”

  “I understand all that,” Raul says thinly. “It’s just—”

  “What? What is it, really?” I’m starting to lose patience with him. “Just say it outright, like you promised you would a few minutes ago!”

  “Fine. You want that? Fine. Here’s what I think, that whatever we find, whatever method we discover, it will only put you in harm’s way. And I can’t risk that. I’d rather take another shot at Father’s mercy than put you under more danger.”

  “And you think I would let you go back to The Crypts alone?” I ask him. “Raul, have you learned nothing about me these past few days?”

  He clenches his jaw and doesn’t answer. He looks at me with hard, determined eyes.

  Then he steps forward and puts both hands on the sides of my face. “Eleira,” he says solemnly. “You are the love of my life. You’ve helped me part the darkness that was clouding me. Because of you, I feel reborn. I feel invigorated. I feel alive.

  “No one ever has even done that to me. No one else ever will. If I can do anything—anything—to help lessen your burden, I will. And that includes putting myself in harm’s way, ahead of you.”

  My eyes start to moisten. I put a hand over his. I turn my face and kiss the inside of his palm.

  “You’re too good for words,” I say. “But nobody can shield me from what’s to come. I’m the girl that the prophecy revolves around, remember?”

  “That doesn’t mean we live in a predetermined future,” he says. “It doesn’t mean we cannot shape our fate.”

  “But the odds are stacked against that, you know?” I whisper. “What you and I have, right now, is each other. Let’s not look for any more. Because, no matter what we go through… no matter what happens next… I’m comforted, I’m content, I’m happy knowing that I am doing it with you.”

  Raul’s eyes soften. He steps into me and puts his arm round my shoulder and holds me tight.

  “There is a storm coming,” he whispers in my hair. “And I just want these little slivers of peace, together with you, until it all blows over.”

  “I don’t know if it will ever blow over,” I answer, just as softly. “I feel the shifting in the air. Even the magical currents are becoming different. Darkness is rising, Raul. It is up to us to find the light.”

  Chapter Twenty

  RAUL

  THE STRONGHOLD’S LIBRARY

  A slamming door break
s me from the embrace. I look over and see a harried guard.

  “Thank God you’re here,” he rushes. “There’s been a catastrophe. Treason! You have to come.”

  My gut clenches, expecting the worst. I look at Eleira.

  She’s got her “ready-to-fight” look painted on.

  “What happened?” I demand.

  He shakes his head. “There’s no time to explain. You have to see. Hurry!”

  And he turns around and takes off at a dead run.

  Eleira and I rush through the underground stronghold, following him. Is it the demon? I wonder. Has the Narwhark returned?

  We’re led on a twisting path through the lowest levels. This is far away from the main, populated areas.

  What could be down here?

  We pass a few Incolam, who look at us in confusion and alarm. I wonder what they’re doing out of their rooms. Phillip’s ordered lockdown still stands!

  But I have no time to inquire into it as we race down hall after darkened hall.

  Finally, we reach a sealed doorway. There is a ring of five guards posted around it. They jump to attention as soon as we arrive.

  “How is it?” the guard who brought us here asks.

  “Bad,” one of them answers. “It’s bad.”

  “What the hell is going on?” I demand. I recognize two of the posted men as Andrey’s friends. Even though they should not know anything about my roles in his death, I feel an uncomfortable apprehension take over.

  This far underground… so far away from the rest… we could easily have been led into an ambush.

  I glance quickly at Eleira. Her body is tense. She looks ready to react in an instant.

  It means she’s had the same thought I did.

  “I’m going to repeat myself only once.” I warn. “Tell me why you brought us here.”

  One of the guards turns the knob and opens the door. “See for yourself.”

  Immediately, the scent of spilled vampire blood reaches my nostrils. I don’t have to look inside the room to suddenly become aware of Phillip’s presence.

  It’s weak, however. It’s fading.

  I burst through the circle and come upon a grisly vision.

  A single bed stands in the midst of the room. There is sparse furniture elsewhere. The grey sheets are ruffled, and upon the mattress, lying shirtless and unconscious, is my youngest brother Phillip.

  Eleira gasps and runs up to him. “Who did this?” she exclaims. “Who is responsible?” She puts a hand over one of his many wounds. “He’s still bleeding! Why haven’t any of you done anything?”

  Sheepishly, the guards look from one to another. “We didn’t dare approach for fear of being implicated,” they admit.

  I grunt. I’d call it cowardice, but in a certain way, it makes sense. I look at the spilled, drying blood all over the floor. Only Eleira’s footsteps disturb it.

  She is quick to act. She punctures two holes in her wrist, bigger than the ones she’d cut for the Queen, and brings them to Phillip’s lips. She holds his head up as she makes him drink.

  As soon as he takes the first sip, a pile of relief falls over me. After the disaster with Mother, I’d almost lost faith in the healing process that our blood initiates.

  Phillip drinks—and drinks greedily—from Eleira’s wrist. That alleviates my fears for his survival. I turn back on the guards.

  “Who is responsible?” I ask.

  “We don’t know,” one of them responds. “We haven’t investigated anything. The first thing we did, after we found him, was to get the Princess and you.”

  It makes me stop for a second to hear Eleira called that. But then I realize, despite the reluctance of some of the Elite, and most of the Royal Court to acknowledge her, the Incolam actually have no problem doing so.

  “You did well,” I tell them. “Who else knows of this?”

  “Only us,” the vampire who’d beckoned us from the library says. “We didn’t think it wise for word to spread. There are enough rumors going around already.”

  “Smart,” I acknowledge. I scan my brain for his name. I should know the names of all The Haven’s vampires—but it doesn’t come. “I’m sorry,” I say. “You are?”

  “Geordam,” he says, extending his hand.

  “Right!” I exclaim. I shake it. “I owe you an enormous debt for saving my brother.”

  “The Captain Commander is as important to us as he is to you,” Geordam says without missing a beat. “I mean no disrespect. But he is proving to be the most capable one we’ve had in ages.”

  “Really.” I’m taken aback. I didn’t expect to hear such high praise, so quickly, for Phillip.

  Before Geordam answers, Phillip stirs. I look over my shoulder. His pants are stained red and more of the blood he’s lost covers his body, but the wounds have all closed.

  Thank the Lord.

  He pushes Eleira’s arm away as he opens his eyes. He blinks, momentarily dazed, as he looks around and takes in the room.

  Then he leaps right to his feet. “Deanna!” he exclaims. “I want her in chains! Find her, apprehend her!” Phillip is angrier than I’ve ever seen him. When the guards don’t move fast enough, he roars, “Well? GO!”

  That makes them jump and race out the room.

  All except for Geordam.

  “Deanna is a member of the Royal Court,” he says thoughtfully. “Her arrest will not be looked upon favorably by the others.”

  “When I show the evidence implicating her,” Phillip growls, gesturing at his bloody body, “they will look upon it favorably, I assure you.”

  Geordam hesitates, then nods.

  Phillip snatches his jacket from the floor and throws it over his bare shoulders.

  “What happened here?” I ask.

  “Deanna stabbed me,” Phillip answers. There is an uncompromising darkness in his eyes that I’ve not seen before. “The bitch will pay for it, I swear. It wasn’t just an attack. It was attempted murder. She will be publicly shamed and humiliated, and then I will execute her myself. In front of all the vampires of The Haven. I will tear her heart out and feast on it while it still beats.”

  “That seems… excessive,” Eleira murmurs behind him.

  He turns on her. “You weren’t there!” he screams. “YOU DIDN’T—YOU DIDN’T—”

  And then he seems to realize who he’s yelling at. He stops. “Dear God,” he whispers. “What’s happening to me?”

  Before things can spiral even more out of control, I bring his attention to the guard. I don’t want Phillip saying anything Geordam shouldn’t hear. And my brother is clearly emotional, so liable to do so.

  “Geordam brought us to you,” I say. “We owe him our gratitude. If he hadn’t come fast enough, things would have turned out much worse.”

  “More than mere gratitude,” Phillip murmurs. “This is the second time Geordam has proved himself invaluable to me.” He looks at him. “From this moment on, I proclaim you my First Officer. You will report directly to me. In the hierarchy of the guard, you will stand second only to me.”

  Geordam raises his hand in a sharp salute. “Thank you, Commander.”

  “I’ll make the proper arrangements with the rest of the guards and officers,” Phillip continues. “I don’t believe any have received the distinction of being the First Officer in quite some time.”

  “Not for centuries,” Geordam says.

  “Well, we’re changing that now. We’ll have to get you a new uniform. And an emblem. An emblem on your vest...” Phillip trails off, and nods. “Yes. Yes, that’s good. Yes, we can trust him,” he mutters to himself. “Yes, Geordam has never failed us.”

  “Phillip?” I ask. I take a concerned step toward my brother. He sounds partially insane. “’Us?’”

  Phillip gives a stare. “The remainder of the guards,” he says in haste. He turns to Geordam. “You’ve done a fine job. But now I need privacy with Eleira and Raul. I want you to spearhead the search for Deanna. I suspect, if she’s smart, s
he’ll be long gone by now. Like Smithson. But we take our chances! I want no stone left unturned. Do you hear me?”

  “I hear and obey, Captain Commander,” Geordam says, with another salute.

  He exits the room.

  When he’s gone, I turn and look at Phillip. “We?” I ask again.

  “A slip of the tongue, okay?” he counters. That darkness hasn’t left his eyes. “I thought you’d be more concerned about Deanna’s treason.”

  “I am,” I say.

  Eleira comes up behind Phillip. She grimaces as she steps over the blood. “Tell us what happened?”

  “She tricked me,” Phillip says. He sighs. “She seduced me, and when we were in bed, she pulled out a dagger, and…” He gives a humorless chuckle. “Well, you see what happened then.”

  “I don’t understand,” I say. “Why would Deanna strike at you? By doing so, she’s forfeiting everything she has. Why? Why risk all that?”

  “Maybe she thought she could get away with it,” Phillip grunts. “How lucky is it that the guards found me? That we have Eleira, with her enhanced blood? Deanna used a silver weapon against me. If the blood I had been fed was any weaker, or even another ten minutes had passed, I suspect I’d be long dead.”

  “So, Eleira is the one you should be thanking,” I say, pointing out the fact that he has not yet once given her his gratitude.

  “It’s fine,” Eleira says. “I’m glad my blood actually helped someone.”

  A silence falls. I watch Phillip carefully. Even standing still, I can tell his demeanor’s changed.

  He is not at all the brother I once knew.

  “She must have planned for the contingency,” I say after a while. “If she’d failed. And why? Why you, what do you have to do with her?”

  “Perhaps The Haven does not hold the vaunted status it once did,” Phillip says. “Maybe the vampires are realizing they are better off disconnected from us?”

  “That’s ridiculous,” I snarl. “We may have our problems, but The Haven’s vampires are loyal to a fault. You saw how they defended their home!”

  “Loyal to what?” Phillip asks. “The Queen? The Royal Court? Or the wards and the promise of safety?” He shakes his head. “All that has been eliminated. Everything is in turmoil. The Narwhark, the other coven, the threat of war. Maybe our vampires are starting to realize they have a better chance of survival if they venture out on their own.