The Vampire Gift 2: Kingdom of Ash

by E. M. Knight

  I roll my shoulder and bring my bound arms forward. Mother’s eyes gloss over me, just as they’ve done so many countless times over the centuries.

  Everything I’ve done and she still hates me, I think. Some things will never change.

  For a long moment she considers my request. And then:

  “Un-cuff him,” the Queen orders a member of her guard.

  “And when did you find this one, I wonder?” I ask after my arms are free. He’s a fresh-faced vampire I’ve never seen before. I rub my wrists. “A castaway from one of the neighboring covens?”

  “Easy,” Raul warns from my side.

  I look at my younger brother, and then back at Morgan. “So,” I say, “Is it true? Did you really send Raul after me and threaten to kill Phillip if he failed to get Eleira back?”

  Morgan doesn’t answer. Instead, she sweeps up right to me, and slaps me across the face.

  My head snaps to the side. I scowl as I straighten and rub my cheek.

  “I suppose there could be worse ways of greeting me,” I grumble.

  “Be thankful I granted your first request,” she says. “It was not an act of mercy, nor do you deserve to be free. But you are right. A member of the royal family should not be held prisoner without trial.”

  “Is that what you intend?” I can scarcely keep the incredulity from my voice. “You want to make an example of me? Just like you wanted to do of Patricia and Jacob?” I look at the rest of her guard.

  I don’t see my friends in their numbers.

  “Where’s Andrey?” I ask.

  “Dead,” she says flatly.

  The revelation staggers me. From the corner of my eye, I notice Raul stiffen.

  “Along with three of those closest to him,” Morgan finishes. Her eyes swerve over me, searching for any emotion on my face.

  I keep it locked inside. News of his death comes as a shock, but I cannot show it with the audience around us.

  “It seems your rule is crumbling around you, Mother,” I say under my breath. “No wonder you went through such extremes to ensure Eleira’s arrival. But don’t worry,” I gesture back to the plane. “The girl is on there, stronger than even you could have envisioned her to become. All thanks to me.”

  I take a bold step forward. If Morgan calls me on my bluff, I might suffer the consequences for decades… but if I can angle my perspective properly…

  “I’d always intended to bring her back,” I announce grandly, so that all the vampires around me can hear. “I saw what Father has done in The Crypts. It’s quite extraordinary. You sent me there to destroy him—” Gasps sound from the vampires surrounding us. Usually they are not privy to the inner workings of the royal family, “—But I did you one better. I earned his trust. And with it, free passage in and out of the coven. He commands power such as you’ve never seen. It’s harnessed from the blood of The Ancient. Had you had just a little more patience, Mother, I could have brought you a vial of that vampire’s most powerful blood. I’m sure with your advanced witchcraft you could have made great use of it.”

  I sigh and tilt my head to Raul. “But instead you send him to bring me back prematurely. I cannot fault my younger brother for listening to your command. I only wish you would have had the foresight to realize that all I did… was done for the good of The Haven.”

  I stop talking and wait for her reaction. Tension rises in my body, but I do a great job masking it. I’ve laid it all out on the line: lie after lie after lie after lie.

  Now we see if Mother takes the hook.

  The silence stretches. I can tell Raul is eager to speak his bit. But I also know that he’s nearly as cunning as I am. He understands my gambit. He knows what I’m playing at.

  Above all, he understands just how precarious our Mother is.

  And because of that knowledge, I can rely on him to keep his mouth shut.

  For now.

  “Oh James,” the Queen says finally. “How I wish it was only foresight that I lacked.” Her voice takes on a mocking quality. “But the truth is, my son, it was my trust that you were misusing.”

  She gives a sad smile. “And my trust that you will never have again, after insulting me with that barrage of untruths.”

  She withdraws a whip from her sleeve and snaps it forward before I can react. The end coils around my neck.

  Panic rushes through me. It’s silver!

  I try to grasp for the end but the pain that takes me is staggering. I fall to my knees. I try to fight, but it’s not just silver—the damn whip is infused with some sort of magic that makes it stronger. One of Mother’s accursed spells is augmenting the silver’s effects and making the anguish a thousand times worse.

  “I sentence you to become one of The Convicted,” she announces. Her voice soars through the clearing as pure horror washes over me. “You will not see the moon or the stars again for as long as you linger. You will not have another taste of blood for the remainder of your existence. From this day on, I disown you as my eldest son. From this day on, I have only two male heirs—and I will treasure them for all they’re worth, because neither has ever dreamed of going against me as flamboyantly as you have.

  “Your imprisonment will begin the day after the next Hunt. I want you to see what you’ll be missing—what you will never again have access to.”

  “Mother!” Raul exclaims. His voice is filled with urgency. “You can’t! Think of the consequences. You mustn’t—”

  Through the shock of her pronouncement, through the pain lashing through my body, I still find the ability to be astounded that Raul would stand up for me.

  “You have no right to speak to me!” Morgan shrieks. She’s suddenly hysterical. “No right at all! My word is law! The sentence is final!”

  Mother tugs on my chain. It drags me to her, making me feel pathetic as a bag of suet. I kick at the dirt and thrash against the onslaught of pain. But there’s nothing I can do to lessen it—nothing I can do to ease the horrid sensations raging through my body and mind.

  “I’ll take him to the prison cells myself,” she says to the gathering. “And after… we will welcome our returned runaway, Eleira.”

  Chapter Eight

  ELEIRA

  I’ve been on this plane for what feels like hours. I’ve been by myself after James left, waiting for Raul to return and bring me out.

  I wonder what’s taking him so long. He was supposed to be quick. I can feel the presence of The Haven’s vampires surrounding the plane.

  What will their reception of me be? I wonder. Now that I’m one of them…

  But I’m not. Not really. I’m removed from what they are because of how my transformation came about.

  Because of how much stronger I am than any of them.

  The trouble is that I don’t understand what that means for me now. Raul’s warning about the vampire hierarchy is something I took to heart. I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

  If the Queen is out there, amongst the mass—as I know she is—then I’m stronger than her. Does that undermine her rule? Does that make me easier to hate?

  I sit upright as I feel a vampire approaching. The cabin door opens.

  Morgan steps inside.

  She’s dressed in an extravagant red gown. It flows around her body and hugs her shape. The rubies around her neck remind me of the ones used in the chalice during the ritual in the Crypts that transformed me.

  For some reason, she’s carrying a staff. She grips it hard, putting most of her weight on it as she walks.

  It's made of black ivory and comes up just past her shoulder. The top is carved into a menacing, snarling wolf's head. Above it is a fat ruby that looks like a demon's eye. Dark imperfections run across the surface, giving both it and the staff the impression of great age and power. At the opposite end is a speared tip with yet another, smaller, complementary jewel. The edges of that look sharp as a huntsman's axe.

  What happened to her? I wonder.

  Quietly, she closes the cabin do
or. The space inside immediately grows colder. She turns around and I gasp.

  Her eyes are glowing.

  An incandescent blue surrounds them. I have the faintest hint of a memory of that color. It was the same blue that exploded from out the witch’s cavern that I discovered as a little girl.

  She steps toward me. For the briefest moment, her face looks tired and old. One more step, and the lines around her face disappear. She’s fresh and young again, and none of the fatigue shows.

  She gives me a smile full of secrets.

  “You can see past the vampire mask,” she tells me. “It is both a gift and a curse. Only those who belong to the ancient witch bloodline have the ability.”

  The blue glow fades. But the iciness in the cabin still remains.

  I start to push myself up, but she stops me with a wave of her hand. “I should be deferring to you,” she acknowledges. “Of course, it would not do to have me admit that in the presence of others. A Queen has to rule, after all. Even in the face of an upstart young vampire such as you.”

  She sits down across from me. “So,” she continues, “just so there’s no confusion. You are stronger than I. But your instincts are not honed enough for you to make use of that strength. If you let me, I will teach you to harness your powers. Both those granted to you as a witch—” she holds her hand out, and a small blue glowing orb appears in her palm, wreathed in flame, “and as a vampire.”

  The orb vanishes. She turns her hand the other way and extends her claws.

  “However,” her eyes flash, “should you refuse, you will find me an uncompromising adversary. You best me in pure strength, but I am superior in knowledge and experience. I am going to set out a series of rules for you—”

  “Wait,” I say. She’s been talking to me as if I have a full understanding of what she wants, whereas in truth, I know nothing. “What about The Hunt? What are you going to do with me? Am I still going to be made prey?”

  She laughs. “That? That was nothing. A test for my sons, all three of whom failed. You were never in any danger. I’d never let a vampire taste your blood.”

  My eyes narrow. I don’t believe her. But I know better than to voice the doubts out loud.

  “When you walk off this plane,” she says, “every vampire in The Haven will be in awe of your strength. They will hate you for it. They will whisper amongst themselves and say that your powers were stolen, not earned. They will be envious of the speed of your ascent. They will loathe you for your introduction into the royal family. But most of all—most of all—they will fear who you have the potential to become.

  “I’m here to guide you, Eleira. You cannot think of me as your enemy. You and I want exactly the same thing. We want—we need—for you to prosper. We need you to take your proper place and lead The Haven into the 21st century. I’m willing to treat you as an equal, if you give your word you will not go against me or challenge my rule. If I can be guaranteed your loyalty, you and I will be capable of spectacular things.

  “But,” her voice becomes hard, “if you choose to defy me, I assure you, I will make your life here a living hell.”

  She stands and gives a little self-congratulatory nod. “I’ve let it be known to the others that you have complete freedom to roam and explore the entirety of The Haven. There are no restrictions. You will find no doors that are locked to you. Consider it an extension of good faith. I’ve had your rooms made in the upper reaches of my castle. I’m sure after your escape, you will have no trouble finding your way back, hmm?”

  She smiles at me. “Raul is waiting for you outside. Think of what I’ve said, and what I’ve offered you. I will beckon you to me in three days. You can tell me your choice then. But truly, Eleira…” she gives a little laugh. “There is only one path forward for you, if you want to keep your life.”

  Chapter Nine

  PHILLIP

  April’s sweet blood flows down my throat. It sinks into me and is absorbed instantly by my body. Soon it courses through my veins. I close my eyes and lose myself in the ecstasy of the drink.

  Never before have I felt anything like it. Never before have I even come close.

  I draw upon the carotid artery in her neck. I’m filled with the thick, robust, and precious fluid. It is my nectar. It is the stronger aphrodisiac I have ever known.

  The animal inside me struggles to be let free. After centuries of starvation, it is ravenous.

  Keeping its instinctual longing at bay is the most difficult thing I have ever done. But I fight it, even as I drink.

  I must stay true to myself.

  I lose all sense of place and time as I drink and drink and drink. I’m vaguely aware of somebody else having entered the cavern. I give the entrant the same amount of attention that I might to a faraway gnat or a fly. All I know is April. All I feel, all I taste, all I experience is the precious human girl beneath me.

  Her beating heart sends surges of hot blood into my mouth. It’s so strong. The blood is better, infinitely better, than the thin animal blood I’ve sustained myself on. It has kept me alive, yes, but it is putrid and weak compared to this.

  How have I ever resisted the call?

  I feel April start to weaken. Her body goes slack. Her limbs, which were full of strength only moments ago, fall to her sides. Her heartbeat slows to a dull and ominous thud-thud-thud.

  Alarm grips me, and I realize I’ve drawn too much.

  It’s the hardest thing that I’ve ever done, but I force my fangs away. I draw back from her and hold her upright.

  She looks at me through drooping eyelids. “You stopped,” she says, so softly I can barely hear. A weak smile creeps onto her lips. “I knew you had it in you.”

  And then her eyes close completely, as she falls into me.

  “No!” I cry out. “No, April—“

  Laughter greets me from behind.

  I spin on my heels. That new, despicable Captain Commander of the Queen’s guard is there, his sword drawn, laughing at me.

  There’s a short female vampire at his side. I cannot see her face because she has some sort of cloth sack covering it.

  “So,” the Captain Commander says. “It looks like your humanity can be overcome by darkness after all. Congratulations, brother. You are now truly one of us.”

  He holds his hand out for me to clasp. I look at him in disbelief.

  He thinks I’d take it?

  He shrugs and draws it back after a moment. April’s eyes flutter open, for a second. Hope blooms inside me—hope that despite the amount of blood she lost, she might still be able to recover.

  “I was a vampire before you were made,” I tell him. “Whenever that was. Don’t insult me with your congratulations.”

  The words on my tongue feel false. I have a sense of the Captain Commander’s strength. Like nearly every other vampire in The Haven, it is greater than mine.

  He laughs in a mocking sort of way. “You truly think so?” he asks. He leans into me. “You don’t remember me at all, do you, boy? And why should you? But it was I who introduced your Mother to the idea of this sanctuary.” He gestures around the cavern. “All that you know, everything that you’ve grown up with… it all stems from me.”

  My eyes narrow. “What are you talking about?”

  April wavers again. I catch her under the arms. “What are you talking about?”

  “I was one of the first vampires your Mother ever made,” he gloats. “How do you think she found me so quickly following the death of her former Captain? She and I have a history unrivalled by anybody else. We knew each other before you were even born.”

  He steps closer. The thirst for more blood is pulsing through me. It’s all I can do not to sink my fangs into April again.

  But through an enormous effort of self-control, I manage to keep the urge down. April’s willingness to offer herself to me, and the value she placed on Patricia’s life make me capable of it.

  “I know your Mother is using you,” he continues. “I can see
through the act she puts up. I’ve known her for longer than you’ve been alive. And because I’ve known the Queen for so many years, all the things she thinks are clouded in secrecy are to me transparent as glass.”

  He stops an inch away from me. “I could be on your side. I could help you navigate through all the turmoil that is to come.”

  “What turmoil?” I ask. My natural suspicions are swinging in with full force.

  “You think the succession is going to be smooth?” He laughs. “I considered you more intelligent than that.”

  “You don’t know who you’re talking to,” I say. “I’ve been here my whole life. Maybe you were made first, but you’re an Outsider. You don’t have a tenth of the influence you claim to possess.”

  He smirks. “Is that so? Then tell me, please, how I managed to subdue this one—” he snatches the bag from the female vampire’s head, and all of her strength is suddenly revealed to me. I nearly stagger back from shock.

  She is, without a doubt, the most powerful vampire I’ve ever encountered.

  “—with her being so much stronger than I?”

  “Oh, hello.” She smiles at me. “You must be the youngest of the Soren’s. I’ve heard plenty about you.”

  I put April behind me to shield her with my body. My venom hasn’t yet sealed the wound on her neck. With her blood flowing freely, she’s at risk of being made prey by the two vampires here with us.

  “Don’t worry about her,” the blonde prisoner says. She looks at the Captain Commander. “May I speak to him?”

  He nods but keeps his sword in hand.

  “I come from your Father’s coven,” the female explains. “Raul brought me here alongside James. I did not think you and I would meet for a long time. But I’m glad we did…even if it comes on such unexpected terms.”

  “What do you mean, unexpected?”

  “You’re supposed to be the one to have rejected human blood, aren’t you?” she asks. “And yet here I find you, feeding on a timid human girl.”