by E. M. Knight
“Worse,” Phillip says. He’s deadly serious. “Taken hostage.”
“By whom?” I ask.
“There aren’t any vampires who would harm her,” Raul says. “They know she’s under the Queen’s protection. Morgan offered April clemency at the same time she introduced Eleira to the others. Remember?”
“That was before Bradley’s murder,” Phillip points out.
“Which is even more of a deterrent not to go against the Queen,” Raul says.
“You don’t think Bradley had friends?”
“April wouldn’t be their target. Mother considers her unimportant.” Raul’s eyes sweep over me. “Only Eleira matters to her.”
“But April matters to me,” I say. “Everybody knows she’s my friend. I’m strong enough to protect myself. April isn’t! She’s only human. What if Phillip’s right, what if she’s been taken hostage, what if they mean this as a warning, what if this is somebody getting back at us…”
I trail off. I’m going in circles.
“We still have to find her,” I finish lamely.
“What’s to say she didn’t just walk out of the infirmary on her own?” Raul asks.
Phillip shakes his head. “She couldn’t have. Not in the condition she was in when I saw her last.”
“Fine,” Raul says. “We’ll look for her. But the three of us stay together. We can’t risk being seen apart. With Mother acting so impetuously, we have to present a unified front. We don’t yet know which of the other vampires is on our side. And if Phillip’s right, and April’s been taken hostage… that means we do not have much time.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
SMITHSON
I drag the cuffed human girl behind me through the dank, underground tunnels of The Haven. When I came across her alone, unprotected, and unguarded in the infirmary, I couldn’t believe my luck. April was exactly the one I needed to get an “in” with Eleira.
A few rare, precious, gold coins from a bygone era slipped to the doctor was all it took to get him to turn a blind eye.
I shove April into a chair and rip the tape off her mouth. Her eyes are red and bloodshot. She’s trembling from the cold. Her entire body seems weak, fragile, and pale.
Few humans can lose as much blood as she has and still remain standing. The fact she is conscious is a testament to her internal strength. Usually, I’d respect that—find it attractive, even.
But there’s nothing attractive about the murderous way she glares at me with those eyes.
“What do you want?” she demands. Her voice is stronger than I would have thought possible. “Are you trying to frighten me? If you think I haven’t seen this before—” she glances around the dark and enclosed dirt space, “—you’re sorely mistaken. I’ve seen this, and experienced worse, at the hands of your guards. You don’t scare me, Smithson. For you to scare me, I’d need to be afraid of death.” She laughs. “Right now, I’d welcome it.”
“Is that why you let Phillip feed?” I ask. I lower my voice. “You don’t know what that cost me.”
“I don’t care to know. You’re a nobody.”
“You forget yourself, little girl.” I rise up. “I am Captain Commander of the Queen’s Royal Guard.”
She snickers. “You’ve been here less than a month. You come from the Outside and strut about like you own the place. Yet you know nothing. You think you intimidate me? I’m under the Queen’s protection. Dragging me underground, chaining me to a chair? Cheap tactics. I’m unimpressed.”
“Are you, now?” I ask softly. I pull up a stool beside her and sit so our eyes are level. “What if I told you that I know who you are? Not who you pretend to be—but who you really are.”
Her eyes narrow a fraction of an inch. “I’d call you a liar. And a fraud.”
“Is that so?” I clamp a hand on her leg, pressing my claws into her thigh just short of drawing blood. “I know you’re no ordinary girl. I know you belong to a long line of humans, all of whom were born into an ancient cult called the Fang Chasers. Isn’t that right?”
Her sharp intake of breath is all I need to confirm my suspicions.
“The Fang Chasers are an obsessive cult devoted to one thing,” I continue. “Falling into the hands of vampires and being given the Gift of eternal life.”
April’s eyes widen in horror. She shies back.
The grin on my face is nothing short of maniacal. “You see, dear girl? I know more than you think. Certainly more than the vampires who’ve been sheltering you above ground do. But tell me—not one of them has offered you what you seek. Have they? And you know as well as I do… your time is running out.”
I press my claws into her skin and sidle a tiny bit closer. “The Fang Chasers have a strict series of rules. No human can be turned after the age of twenty-four. They don’t believe in, ahem…” I clear my throat maliciously, “…wasting the Gift on someone who’s already peaked, in human years.”
I touch her chin and tilt it upward. “And how old are you, sweetest?”
“Nineteen,” she says defiantly.
“So you have five years left. Maybe that’s enough time. Maybe not. Who can say for sure? Do you really want to live with such uncertainty? Five years… it seems like eternity to one so young as you. Yet it is nothing to a vampire. It will pass in the blink of an eye. And you… you’re so pretty. Your skin is flawless. Your hair is fair. Your body—when it’s healed—is in the best shape it will ever be. Every day that passes brings you closer to old age. Closer to imperfection.”
“Is that why you brought me here?” she asks. “To mock me?”
“Certainly not.” I look into her eyes. “I brought you here to make an offer.”
“What offer?”
“The offer of The Gift.”
She sucks in a raw breath.
“My organization…” I chuckle to myself, “…has been keeping an eye on the Fang Chasers for generations. Would you like to know the greatest secret of your cult? Would you like to know why they have remained merely a fringe institution for all these years?
“It’s because not one of your members has ever been successful.”
I back off. “Think about that for a moment. Generation after generation of humans have been chasing eternal life, with none receiving it. But imagine! You could be the first.” I reach out and stroke her hair. “Or, if the Queen discovered your true motivations… you could be dead within the fortnight. Do you think she would let you live, if she suspected what you want?”
April stares at me and doesn’t answer. I can see her feeble human brain working feverishly behind those eyes.
“What is your organization?” she finally asks.
“We are called The Vorcellian Order.” My lips curl up in a haunting smile. “From the blank look on your face, I take it you’ve not heard of us?”
April shakes her head. I notice she’s trembling. From fear?
No. Adrenaline.
This one is bolder than I thought.
“You are amongst a handful of Fang Chasers to ever actually penetrate a vampire’s coven,” I continue.
“How do you know?” she asks.
“Because,” I say. “I helped engineer your kidnapping.”
“Liar!” she accuses.
“Oh no,” I say. “Everything I say is true. You see, the Vorcellian Order… we manipulate things. Creatures of the night think they are the lone source of power in this world. Their arrogance is the Order’s strength, the Order’s opportunity. I let you be captured… because I knew you might prove useful to me in the future.”
I stand up and start walking around her. “It was James who abducted you, was it not? Why am I asking? We both know it was. He was also your first real lover, wasn’t he? And you, fool girl that you are, thought you stole his heart.”
Cracks start to show in April’s façade of strength.
“You see, my order doesn’t just deal with vampires. Oh, no. We watch over all supernatural beings. We separate the legends from w
hat’s real. The Loch Ness? Doesn’t exist. Bigfoot? Simply a myth. But vampires, and witches? They’re real. Ghouls, too, and spirits… but I don’t want to scare you with stories of those yet.
“My order controls a small band of witches. Not very powerful ones—none so mighty as your Queen—but they are ours. They are on our side.”
I grip the back of her chair and whisper in her ear. “I was the one who ordered a witch to give James a longing for you. You had a consistent routine in your old life, didn’t you? Every day, you would go from school to the seedy diner where you scraped together just enough cash to pay the rent. Every night, you left for your crappy apartment at exactly the same time. You took the same path. You never looked up.
“Really, April. You made it too easy for us.”
She breaks. Silent sobs start to rock the girl’s body. Hearing of her past is undoubtedly painful for her.
That’s why I’m so eager to do it.
“I had my witch implant an image of you into James’s dreams. Just the smallest inkling of your likeness… but enough to make him obsessed.
“The hunter’s instincts took over. He saw the streets you walked on, he knew the time, the place, the pathetic monotony of your life… and he whisked you away from there. He made you his lover. His pet. But never, not ever, did he intend for you to become…” I lower my voice, “…a vampire mistress.”
I smile cruelly. “So. You now know my secrets. It’s time to give me yours in return. First, who is Eleira to you?”
“What?” April’s head snaps to me. “Her? She’s nobody, some human wench—”
I slap her. “Don’t lie to me, girl,” I hiss. “You and I both know she’s already a vampire. What I want to know is why she is important to you.”
“She isn’t—” April begins.
I spin her around and take a deep breath. “You’re trying my patience. We’ll give this one more go, from a different angle. Tell me, please, why you might be important to her.”
April looks at me. I see the conflict in her eyes.
Finally, she sags down and speaks.
“I was her very first friend. I was the first human she met in The Haven.”
“Hmm,” I say. “That’s interesting. Very, very interesting.” I trace a claw under April’s chin. It draws a thin line of blood. “So if something were to happen to you… Eleira would not take it well.”
April closes her eyes and shakes her head vigorously.
I step away. “Thank you. You’ve been very forthcoming. I’ll let you go, for now… but a word of this to anyone, and your life is forfeit.”
“You… you promised me the Gift,” she mutters.
I sneer. “You think I would give it to you now? No. Remain cooperative, don’t betray my confidence, and stay alert. I’ll give you orders when the time comes. Follow through on them, and eternal life can be yours.”
Her eyes widen. Her breath hitches. “I’ll do anything.”
“Good. For now? Stay quiet and observe. I’ll come to you when I need you next. Should you do anything to compromise our little arrangement, however—I will know. And trust me. You do not want to get on my bad side.”
She nods quickly. “I won’t say a single word.”
“Good,” I tell her. “That’s all I ever asked.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
ELEIRA
Raul, Phillip and I rush through the scattered remains of the village, searching for April amongst the humans.
She’s nowhere to be found. Even worse is the reaction I receive when I try talking to the villagers. They regard me with a mix of suspicion and fear.
It’s a nasty way to be looked at by people you want to do good things for.
Raul and Phillip don’t seem to notice. That reaction is nothing unexpected for them.
I do catch an attractive woman somewhere in her thirties casting furtive glances at Raul. It’s almost like she knows him—but then again, everybody here should know the Prince.
When I point her out he becomes strangely defensive. “Just a slave,” he offers curtly. “Nothing more.”
Could she be the one he rescued from the vampire guards?
But I don’t press. April is our most pressing concern right now.
On my suggestion, after conducting a thorough search of the village grounds, we start for the castle. My thinking is that if Morgan set tracers on me to know where I am in The Haven, she might have done the same with April.
But we don’t even get that far. Halfway there, we run into April walking on her own in the opposite direction.
“April!” I exclaim. “We were looking for you!”
She looks puzzled—then breaks out into a big smile. “Good. Because I was looking for you, too.”
As she joins with us, Phillip gives her a quick once-over. “You’re unharmed,” he says. “I was worried.”
“Needlessly,” she tells him. “I felt better, so I went for a walk. It’s amazing the things you see in The Haven when the blocks are lifted from your mind.”
I wince. Every reminder of the blocks is a reminder of how the Queen keeps the humans grovelling.
“You shouldn’t be out by yourself,” Phillip says. “Other vampires know who you are—“
“Of course they know who I am,” she says imperiously, eyes flashing. “I was introduced to all them with Eleira, remember?”
“That’s not what I mean. They know who you are with regards to us. You don’t know what the Queen has been doing. You’re in more danger now than before.”
“Phillip is right,” I say. “You need to be careful.”
She crosses her arms. “I’m always careful.”
“You need to be more careful,” Raul says. His voice is low and grave. He takes hold of her elbow and pulls her into our little group. “If you value your life, you’ll stay with one of us at all times.”
She casts a glance at all of us. “Is that why you’re looking for me? To babysit me?” Then she sighs. “So be it. But if it’s anyone I’m staying with, it’s Phillip.”
She crosses over and links arms with him. He looks befuddled, but then gives a short nod, all resolute again. “Fine by me.”
Raul elbows his brother in the ribs. “I thought you’d be a lot happier,” he teases.
“Now is not the time for jokes,” Phillip says.
Raul holds both hands up in apology. “You’re right.”
“So what has been happening?” April asks. “The Haven seems so… quiet. Everybody is so subdued.”
Raul looks at her… and then at me. “Right now?” he says. “It’s the calm before the storm. And trust you me—this storm is going to be the largest one we’ve ever seen.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
JAMES
The world spins as I throttle though the blue vortex. I cannot tell up from down or left from right. There’s pressure, an enormous pressure, inside of my head, and it’s pressing against my body, making me feel like I’m being flattened, like I’m being crushed, like it will never relent, like—
Without warning the torrent of sensation stops. I land on my feet and stagger forward a few steps, surprised to be upright. I hear the snickers from the vampires around me.
Somebody grabs my shoulder and yanks me out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed by Dagan. He apparates in the spot I was in, out of the other end of the portal above my head. Next comes Riyu, and then the portal winks shut.
We’re in a spectacular crystal cave. That same magical blue glow is imbued in all the semi-transparent surfaces I see around me. The walls are glowing with it. Jagged shards of crystal ebb with the light.
I’ve never seen a place like this.
I turn my head up. The top of the cave seems to go on forever. There is a mystical beauty here. It’s almost like standing in the pits of a great cathedral and looking up at all the images of the human’s false gods.
They are false, of course, because my immortality has shown me the truth of the world.
The only beings who deserve such reverence are my brothers of the night.
It’s a conviction I’ve not forgotten, despite what these last few weeks have put me through.
“What is this place?” I wonder aloud.
“These,” Dagan grips my shoulder, “are called the Paths. They are a relic of an ancient time, when magic was not forgotten, nor feared, in the world. The only way in, or out, is through the use of a portal such as Riyu summoned.”
“We’re… underground?” I ask, thankful Dagan is feeling talkative.
“You could say that. The Paths were created as a secure, covert way for witches and warlocks to travel. Without arousing suspicion from the outside world. They are beneath ground… but exist on a parallel plane. You cannot simply dig your way here. Magic must be used to enter.”
“Who uses the Paths now?”
If Mother knew about such magnificence…
But then the glitter of the crystals catch my eye. In a flash, I realize I’ve seen the same sort of stone before.
Mother’s crystal throne is made of the same stuff.
Dagan grins, almost like a proud father. “None but those granted permission by our King. Knowledge of the Paths has been eradicated from the world. The only ones to still know of them are members of The Crypts. The Paths are a closely guarded secret. Now that you’ve seen them?” he smiles a cruel smile. “You are bound to us for life.”
So that’s why he’s so willing to divulge information. He wants to trap me.
“I already made my allegiance known to Father,” I tell him. “My loyalty is only with your coven.”
Dagan scoffs. “We’ll see about that.” He looks at Riyu. “Ready?”
The weaker vampire nods.
Dagan gestures for him to move. “So lead the way.”
***
We journey slowly through the interconnected network of tunnels that make up the Paths.
After leaving the monstrous cave we arrived in, the space becomes significantly tighter. There were parts where we had to squeeze through gaps in the crystals with our shoulders rubbing against the walls.
