The Vampire Gift 2: Kingdom of Ash

by E. M. Knight

  But if I use my wits… if I somehow convince the vampire Queen that Eleira should be given another chance… then maybe, just maybe, Mother will see reason and let Eleira go.

  I look up at the table at the head of the room. Mother is sitting in the tallest chair with a jewelled crown atop her head. I haven’t seen that gaudy thing in centuries.

  On her left-hand side sit Collin, Mark, and Nestar, drinking from their goblets and sharing stories with each other. Mother glances at them occasionally while granting them a small bit of her attention.

  Most of her focus, however, is on the man on her right.

  Smithson.

  When did she and he become so… comfortable together?

  I see the way she clings onto his every word. As the night progresses, she touches him more and more, on the arm, on the wrist, on the chest…

  It quickly becomes obvious that if I want to influence Mother, Smithson is the man I have to go through.

  At a certain point he excuses himself from the table. I take it as my chance. I follow him into the night.

  The door behind me barely has a chance to swing shut as he steps out from beside the building and lunges for me. I’d been expecting that, however. I parry the attack, spinning us both so his back collides against the outside of the building.

  One hand wraps around his neck. I protract my claws and press them none too gently into his skin.

  “Well done,” he growls, with a particular sneering inflection. “I never though you much of a warrior.”

  “Then you’ve been blind,” I say. I let him go. He straightens and dusts himself off.

  “I felt someone following me,” he explains. “I did not know it was you. I would never have attacked the Queen’s son.”

  “Somehow, I find that hard to believe,” I say. I look around. It’s quiet out here compared to the raucous party inside. “Why did you leave the festivities? You looked so comfortable with Mother.”

  “Is that what this is about? Your jealousy?” He stands taller. “Are you worried someone will take your place? You’re not threatened, are you?”

  “I know my place, Smithson. I’m concerned about yours.”

  “Morgan would have me believe otherwise.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Since when are you and she on first-name basis?”

  “Come now. It’s just us men.” He smiles. “There’s no need for pretense. You came after me for a reason. Tell me what you want.”

  “I want to know what your intentions are with the Queen.”

  “Intentions? No, no.” He shakes his head, and I know the next words coming from his lips are falsehoods. “I have no intentions. I am her humble servant. I do everything as she commands.”

  “Bull,” I accuse. “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have some ulterior motive. What are you trying to gain, Smithson? Why did you come to The Haven in the first place?”

  “Are you always so suspicious? That should be my role as Captain Commander of the guard. Perhaps we should trade positions.”

  “Cut the crap.”

  “Fine. Why did you follow me?”

  “I had to speak to you in private.”

  His eyes shine. “It wouldn’t happen to be about that… thing… you found in the woods earlier today, would it?”

  My gut clenches in both anger and distaste. “That was a horrible thing you did. Patricia—”

  “Is no longer a thorn in the Queen’s side. I think I’d have the Queen’s gratitude.”

  “You know the laws against killing a vampire,” I hiss. An awful cognitive dissonance stirs up inside me.

  I’ve killed four.

  “But I did not kill her,” Smithson smiles. “The Narwhark did.”

  “And you thought your pathetic silver net would capture it?” I snort a laugh. “The mechanism didn’t even go off.”

  “No.” Smithson walks around me. I turn my head to follow his movement. “The net was for a vampire who might stray too close. I did not mean to capture the Narwhark. I simply wanted to see what it was capable of.”

  “You put her there as bait.”

  “Better her than one of us, hmm?” Smithson asks. “Better a nobody, a weakling vampire, than one of the vampire elite.”

  My rage takes me. I cannot help it. I grab his shoulders and slam him into the wall. “She was my friend,” I hiss.

  Smithson’s eyes are ablaze. “Do you know how many friends I’ve lost over the years? Do you know how many people I’ve had to watch perish, how many vampires I’d seen die on the Outside?” He shakes his head. “But of course you don’t. You’ve been protected here for centuries. You know nothing of the cruelties of the world. You’re soft and pompous. You—”

  “I am not,” I growl, pressing him harder against the surface, “—soft.”

  “And yet where is your beloved? Where is Eleira? Oh, that’s right. She’s left suffering in the silver cell because you’re too cowardly to do anything about it.”

  More of my anger boils. “Don’t,” I warn him, “accuse me of cowardice.”

  “What, then?” he asks. “You consider doing nothing a declamation of love? Please.” He looks down at my hands. “You might as well let me go, since we both know you’re not going to dare harm me tonight.”

  With a grunt I shove off. How is it that I let this vampire get so deep under my skin?

  “That’s better,” Smithson says. “As it so happens, you and I are not enemies. We both want the same thing.”

  I eye him skeptically. “And that is?”

  “Peace,” he tells me. “Your Mother fears a war, but she does not realize that her actions are inciting one. She opened The Haven up to all the covens of North America. Do you know why only the weakest came?”

  “Enlighten me,” I grunt.

  “Because,” Smithson says, “the others fear a massacre. They considered the invitation a Trojan horse. Get them here, get them comfortable—and slaughter them in their sleep.”

  “We would never—”

  “You might not,” he interrupts. “But the Queen? Have you noticed her behavior recently?”

  Smithson steps away. “You aren’t aware of the mystique surrounding The Haven in the outside world. This coven is spoken of in hushed, reverent tones. It is the only one on this continent that has survived for centuries. It is the only one governed by a witch. The other covens are nowhere near as organized. Mostly it’s a clan here and there, wandering through the world, mixing with the world of humans. Some live in cities—New York, for example, has fifteen blocks around Central Park secretly owned and lived in by vampires. They feed using the Little Drink and mingle with humans as if nothing separates our species. They go to plays, they explore the nightlife, but they are always—always—vulnerable and exposed to the currents of the outside world.

  “Compare that with what you have here. A perfect piece of paradise. Nothing can touch you. You are free to feed. Yes, yes, I know all about The Hunt, but that is mostly for ceremony and sport, isn’t it? You keep the blood banks full. No Haven vampire has to worry about a crusader against evil murdering him in his sleep.”

  I narrow my eyes. “Crusader?”

  Smithson laughs. “You don’t even know?”

  “Tell me.”

  “Crusaders are humans devoted to hunting down and killing every last vampire in existence. They make their purpose known openly. Most regular humans think them insane. After all, how many regular humans believe in the preternatural? In a world of science and discovery, it is precious few.

  “But the crusaders have weapons. They have funding. They are almost fanatics in their zeal to seek out and kill.” Smithson lowers his voice. “Do you know the best thing about killing a vampire?”

  I wait for him to tell me.

  “They leave no bodies. A week, two weeks, after the death, the force that gives us eternal life dissipates. All the shells we inhabit, our stolen bodies, waste away with breathtaking speed. They disintegrate, first into dust, then into n
othingness.

  “So the crusaders can kill, if they’re smart, without being caught. Not caught by vampires, no. Caught by other humans. By the police, by the authorities.” Smithson spreads his hands. “Without bodies to give evidence, there is no crime.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because I want to open you to the world around you! To the vampire existence you are utterly blind to, shielded here in these magnificent redwoods. I’m trying to show you that not all live a life as privileged as what the Queen provides. And as such, in the vampires of the Outside, there is jealousy, jealousy and suspicion. The best thing the Queen can do is to remain hidden, to let the rest of the world forget The Haven exists. Instead, she is at the top of the mountains, screaming with all the brashness God gave her: ‘WE ARE HERE, WE ARE HERE, COME WITNESS US!’ And if you think that can end in anything but disaster… I pity you.”

  Smithson stops talking. I look at him for a long moment, taking it all in.

  Could he be right? Could the world outside The Haven really be so dark?

  “You’ve gone quiet,” he observes. “I trust you’ll leave the matter of Patricia’s death on the down low. In return, I’ll speak to your Mother about Eleira. That is what you really want out of me, isn’t it?”

  Before I can answer, he turns away to rejoin the party. “Have a good night,” he tells me. “Please try not to do anything stupid. The Queen is, going to be very much occupied until the false morning. The guards I’ve posted around the castle are bound to let their attention waver. It would be such a shame if something unexpected happened to Eleira the night we welcome another coven to our midst, don’t you think?”

  With that, he closes the door, stranding me outside. I turn immediately for the castle.

  A more blatant hint of what he’s given me permission to do I could not imagine.

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  JAMES

  Supressing the almost insatiable urge to cough, I push the top of the sarcophagus off just a sliver, and test the air.

  I hear nothing. No movement. No sound. No indication that my hiding spot has been compromised.

  Then again, this is exactly what Beatrice promised.

  With a grunted effort, I push the massive stone slab the rest of the way off. I sit up. My eyes pierce the dark.

  I can’t help but smile.

  I’m in the very familiar lower keep of Mother’s castle. This was the place originally reserved for outside guests. It is just one level below the main floor. It was designed before she cast the spell that maintained eternal night over The Haven—back when she actually entertained delegates from other covens.

  Being underground, these dungeons were the safest place for visiting vampires to sleep without fear of being burned by the sun.

  And now, after all these years, she seems to have found use for them again.

  I look around at the coffins lying on the floor. They are all filled with gold and jewelry and precious gemstones. As payment from the Wyvern coven for letting them in.

  When Beatrice first told me of the plan to smuggle me in, I was incredulous. I would never believe that Mother would be so careless as to openly welcome vampires from another coven in, especially not after what I heard about her reinforcing the wards and blocking access in or out.

  But the delegation’s entry was the one moment the wards would be relinquished. It was my only chance.

  Of course, any Haven guard worth his salt would sense a vampire as powerful as me hiding in one of the coffins. That’s why Riyu cast a concealment spell that camouflaged my powers.

  I stretch my neck from side to side and roll my shoulders. Four days of being confined inside that coffin have made every muscle in my body extraordinarily stiff. The effects of Riyu’s spell make it worse. It feel like I have a wet suit three sizes too small wrapped around my body. There’s not a part of me that doesn’t feel the tightness.

  But if this grants me freedom, and proves my loyalty to Father… who am I to complain?

  After all, Father is the only vampire I’ve ever recognized to share my ideals about the world. He wants our kind to rise to power. He wants vampires to have dominion over humans because we are greater than men.

  The trick, of course, is getting him to see I share the same sentiment.

  I do another cursory scan of my surroundings. Nobody is even remotely nearby. Beatrice promised she would have somebody help me once I arrived—a mole on the inside—but I doubted that possibility very much.

  Seems like I was wrong.

  It makes me all the more curious about the woman. She is ruthless, yet tactful. She is everything Mother wishes to be, but is not.

  It only makes sense that Father would align himself with one such as her.

  With one last, final push, I shove the slab all the way off, and rise to my full height.

  “My, but how good it feels to be back,” I say to no one in particular. A crude smile forms on my face. “Mother, you have no idea what you have coming.”

  I creep toward the door and crack it open. I’m pleased to find it unlocked. Whoever was charged with arranging my arrival did a superb job.

  I creep up the hallway toward the hidden entrance to the castle. Riyu’s spell is uncomfortable, but it gives me a rare advantage. I can sense other vampires—they cannot sense me.

  For all intents and purposes, I am like a ghost stalking the halls.

  I touch the amulet on my chest. The torrial is my one existing link to The Ancient and to Father. Even with the wards up, I was assured it would allow telepathic communication, just as before.

  My new goal is simple. Find Mother’s staff and retrieve it. Present it to Father. Fall into his good graces, and, if all goes according to plan, be gifted a drop of The Ancient’s blood.

  My mouth salivates at the prospect. If I had my own strength augmented by what The Ancient could give… why, I’d rival Eleira in might. I might even rival Father.

  Prove yourself, first, I think.

  The whole castle is abandoned. I remember snatches of conversation I heard while in the coffin. There was to be a great welcoming feast tonight. I guess that’s where everyone is.

  I suspect it’ll take days of stalking The Haven before I find the staff. I don’t know if Mother carries it on her at all times. That would make my job more difficult, but not impossible.

  If only I had a visible ally here…

  Then it strikes me. Victoria! She is still in The Haven, likely still a prisoner. The little blonde spitfire would be someone I can definitely count on to have my back.

  Especially if I rescue her.

  I change paths and start for the holding cell reserved for the usual prisoners and dissenters. Halfway there, I stop.

  Mother wouldn’t put Victoria below ground. She’d want her close at hand, somewhere she could extract information from her.

  She’d keep her in the silver cells.

  I run up through the castle, taking the stairs three at a time to the uppermost level. The haunting portraits on the walls seem to follow me with their eyes. I ignore the uncanny chill that they send down my spine.

  Finally I reach my destination. I pull open the doors leading to the five silver cells. Their entrances are spread in a circular pattern around a small lobby.

  To my surprise, two of the doors are closed. That means Mother has two prisoners.

  I frown. In all the time I’ve lived here, there’s only been one instance that warranted a prisoner being held here. And currently Mother is holding two?

  I go up to the first one. The silver within makes it impossible to sense a presence on the other side. That’s why the view-latches exist. I slide it open and take a look.

  The cell is empty.

  I step back, confused. What little I know about Mother’s magic has always given me the impression that actuating one of these cells required her constant concentration. It’s not just the silver artifacts inside that exert their unpleasant effects. No, it’s the way her m
agic warps them to make the interior absolute hell for a vampire.

  And the cells are only locked when they’re activated. To keep one closed and empty… it makes no sense.

  I look into the second cell. Sure enough, Victoria is inside.

  Triumph shoots through me.

  I pry open the door. She’s faced away from me and doesn’t bother turning around.

  “I’ve already told you all I know about the girl,” she begins scornfully.

  “Victoria!” I hiss. “It’s me.” From the corner of my eye I think I see a small shadow dart inside. I blink and look.

  No, it was nothing.

  Victoria gasps and spins around. “James?”

  “The one and only,” I grin. “Come to get you out.” I beckon her to me. “Come on.”

  “But I… I don’t understand,” she begins. “Last I heard you were to become a Convicted. How are you here? What happened?”

  “Plans change,” I grunt. “Now hurry. I’ll explain later.”

  She picks herself up. “I never thought you’d be the one to help me escape.”

  Suddenly, the stupidity of what I’m doing strikes me. I can stalk around The Haven unseen. But when Mother realized Victoria is missing, she’ll put on a full-scale manhunt—

  Before Victoria can reach me I step back and slam the door in her face.

  An enraged scream comes from the other side. “You bastard!” she accuses. “Why come back only to taunt me! What are you doing? Let me out, let me out!”

  She pounds on the other side of the door. But her ferocity is quickly lessening, as her strength is being sapped by the silver.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’ll come back for you if I can, once this is done.”

  I start to walk away. That’s when a blood-curdling shriek comes from Victoria’s cell.

  I spin around. Suddenly the sounds of a battle flit to my ears. I fly to the view latch and yank it open.

  Victoria has her claws extended and her fangs bared, fighting against a pitch-black… shadow?

  What the hell?

  Blood is pouring from multiple gashes on her body. The black thing attacks her without mercy. It rips at her throat, at her neck, all with blistering speed. It moves too fast for me to keep up with all its frenzy.