by Izzy Shows
"Oh." I blinked furiously again, looking up at the dark sky. "I didn't…Oh."
"Like I said, you and I are not alone in wanting things to change. I will keep you and your people safe, if you will only put a little trust in me and Gray."
I was silent for another minute, biting at the inside of my cheek.
At the end of the day, what choice did I have, though? Alex was offering me my best chance of getting my people out of this alive and free.
"All right. I'll try."
Nineteen
Convincing Eva and the others that we had to give ourselves up to the vampires was the hardest thing I'd ever done. I honestly thought if she hadn't taught me to heal, hadn't seen what she took as purity in my soul, that she would have accused me of being on their side.
If Tita had spoken up and told her about the conversation we'd had, when I'd said there were good vampires, I know I would have been done for.
At the end of the day, it had been me falling down while I tried to talk to them that had convinced all of them that I was too weak to defend them, and they knew their choice then was either fight back against the vampires—and be slaughtered, because none of them knew combat magic—or go with them willingly and trust me to get them out of this.
I hated that they had to be backed into a corner like that, but I was glad that at the end of it, they had opted for the latter. Eva had even gone so far as to provide me with some of her energy and had some of the others do the same so that I wouldn't faint on the way to the castle. I was pretty sure she was also hedging her bets that if I had more strength, I might be able to fight our way out.
But me against twenty vampires? Even I knew that was beyond my abilities.
The walk to the castle was long and tedious, with the vampires corralling all of us. They kept their distance from me, though, except for Alex. I was walking with the hybrid I'd subdued beside me—I'd freed its legs and had returned to maintaining control of its mind now that I had borrowed strength. The spell was taking its toll on me, draining away the energy that Eva had gifted to me, but I wasn't going to let it go and lose my one opportunity to discover the truth.
Right now, getting the other mages back out of the castle was my number-one priority, but I hadn't forgotten the threat that the hybrids posed, not just to me and mine, but to the vampires, the wolves, and the humans as well. They were terrorizing the city, and no one was doing anything about it. If I could unlock their secrets, find out where they were coming from, I might be able to stop them.
And it all started with figuring out if any of them were intelligent, and if they were, then I needed to find out what they wanted and how to get them to stop.
Because honestly, if they were intelligent, then it wasn't fair for me to want peace for the humans, vampires, wolves, and mages alone. I would have to include the hybrids in that peace. But I needed to know how to talk to them first, and breaking into this hybrid's mind was the first step in doing that.
"Roger!" Alex called over his shoulder, startling me. We were walking at the head of the party, and he had interspersed his vampires throughout the others surrounding the mages so that I would feel a little more at ease about their safety.
A brunette vampire came jogging up to him. "Yes, sir."
"Run ahead, warn the king of our arrival. Tell him I need him at the castle entrance immediately—and tell him that I have Nina with me."
Roger saluted him then took off, running at that supernatural speed that only vampires could reach, to the point that he was a literal blur.
"Why did you do that?" I asked.
"I don't want the Council to intercept us before Gray can intervene," he said.
"What are you plotting?" Thomas came up beside us just then.
"I'm not plotting anything at all," Alex said. "I believe I'm being quite open about my intentions. I'm going to make sure the king knows what is happening."
Thomas paled somewhat, then took a deep breath. "There's nothing he can do about this, not that I would expect him to. This isn't abnormal, Alex. We bring in blood mages all the time."
"Do we?" Alex lifted an eyebrow. "You might have noticed that you are the first hunting party that has been sent out in quite a while, aside from the ones the Council has sent out behind the king's back, to kill Nina. No one has been hunting for blood mages for quite some time. Don't you think there might be a reason for that? Don't you think the king might have a hand in that and that he might not be too happy about what you've done?"
"I was acting on orders!"
"Orders from who?" he challenged.
"…The Council," Thomas said slowly. "They were orders from the Council. And they were very specific about where we should look."
"They pointed you right to Nina, and do you know why?"
He shook his head.
"Because they knew that Nina wouldn't allow you to take her people. They knew she would fight you, and they sent you with enough people that you would, theoretically—it's hard to say, but if she were at her full strength, I wouldn't put money on it—be able to overwhelm and kill her. And that's all that they really wanted. To kill the blood mage that pulled one over on them and got in the way of their plans to take the throne from our king."
"You can't be serious," Thomas said, and he was deathly pale now. "Alex, I swear I didn't know any of this."
"I believe you," Alex said gently. "Which is why I'm going to recommend the king not sever your head from your shoulders once he finds out you threatened Nina."
Thomas gulped, and I felt a bit of pity for him.
"Thomas, you have a chance to be on the right side of history here," I said. "Everything you know about us, about blood mages, it isn't true. You were taught we were bloodthirsty monsters that were bent on destroying the world before you came to power, weren't you?"
"Well, yes…"
"But you know me. You know that I don't kill anyone just for the fun of it. You know that I've only ever hunted those who have harmed others. You know that I am not without reason. I fought with you instead of letting the hybrids kill you, didn't I? Would a heartless, bloodthirsty monster have done that?"
"No, no, you aren't a monster, Nina. I couldn't possibly think that," he said, horrified.
"It's not just me, Thomas," I said, sighing. "You can't think about it as me just being the exception. In fact, I'm the worst of the bunch. Did you ever think that could be the case? These people you're leading to the dungeons right now, they're all healers. They don't even know how to fight with their magic, and they hate people who do fight with their magic. Do you know that they almost refused to let me stay with them at first, because I was a hunter? They didn't want someone who killed with magic in their house."
He looked over his shoulder at them, and when he shivered, I turned to see that he'd caught the eye of Eva.
"She's a good woman," I said, nodding at her when he turned back to me. "She loves her family—and they're not all blood, but they're all family to her. She's the one who told me that there used to be blood mages who did hunt and kill for the fun of it, the ones who gave us all a bad name. And that's why she was afraid to let me in at the beginning, but after I proved to her that I just wanted to protect people—that at the beginning, I hunted vampires who hurt humans, and then when I came to them I hunted the hybrids who were hurting them—she realized that I hadn't gone bad like the old blood mages did. That's when she accepted me. She hates killers with a passion, Thomas. She would never hurt anyone. She believes in that so strongly that she refuses to learn how to fight, because she'd rather die knowing that she lived for her morals than live as something she's feared all her life. That's the kind of person you're about to put in a dungeon forever."
"Oh." He looked deeply troubled at that, which encouraged me.
"Do you know what it's like in the dungeons, Thomas? Have you ever been down there?"
"No, I haven't. No one goes down to the dungeons except for the guards."
"Right. Well, I grew up in
those dungeons. Bet you didn't know that. I was starved and beaten constantly, and while I was lucky enough that it didn't happen to me, other women down there were raped by your guards. That's the life you're consigning these innocent people, these healers, to. But if you'd just open your heart to them, they could live and work alongside you. There's no need for all this pain."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alex smiling, which bolstered my courage.
"I…I didn't know any of that," Thomas said, sounding perturbed. "I wouldn't want that for anyone, even if they were as we have been taught. I always thought that they lived their lives in relative peace in the dungeons, that they were clothed and fed and allowed to spend time with one another, that they weren't bothered at all by the guards. No one knows that they're treated that way, Nina. No one at all."
"I'd bet you money the Council knows," I said bitterly.
He swallowed. "I am learning many things about the Council that I wish were not true, and so I find I cannot disagree with you on this."
"Stand with us, Thomas. When Roger finds the king, the Council is bound to have spies watching him, so they will be at the entrance with him when we get there. The king needs to see that he isn't alone in wanting peace. You were obeying orders of the Council, so think how much more it will mean if you turn and stand with us. We have the opportunity to rewrite history right here, right now. Please, be on the right side of it."
Thomas was silent, his face grave, for several tense minutes. I knew better than to push him further—I didn't want to put so much pressure on him that he would shy away from me—but it was torture waiting to hear what he would say.
And then the castle came into view, and I choked on my panic. But at last, he spoke.
"I will. I will stand with you, Nina." He turned and looked back, locking eyes with Eva once again. "I will not allow you to be put in the dungeons, my lady. I am deeply sorry for the pain I have caused you this night, but also the pain I have caused to your brethren in the past with my misguided actions. My ignorance is no excuse for any of that, but I pray that you will allow me to make amends throughout the rest of my life to your people. Nina speaks with the wisdom of the ancients and offers us all a chance at a world of peace. It is my hope that we can all reach for it together."
I beamed at him with pride, tears pricking at my eyes, and I looked back at Eva as well to see what she would say. She held sway over the other blood mages; if she wouldn't allow this, if she was bent on revenge instead of peace, then there wouldn't be any hope. If I couldn't convince this group of blood mages, there was no way I could convince the thousands in the dungeons.
"Did I not say that you had a greater destiny, child?" She smiled kindly at me. "My trust in you was well placed. I did not think I would live to see an age of peace and freedom for my people, but I believe that if anyone can bring it to us, it is you."
I blushed scarlet, and now the tears, happy tears, spilled over onto my cheeks.
"Thank you, Eva. I hope I can do this."
"I know you can."
I didn't know what else to say to her, but it turned out there wasn't time left to say anything at all.
"We're here," Alex said, nudging me. I turned my head back to the front and saw that he was right. We were already at the far end of the courtyard that led to the castle doors.
I swallowed a sudden lump in my throat, my hands trembling. The hybrid beside me let out a growl, and I clenched tighter on the magic that bound it. I couldn't allow myself to be so overcome with the happiness Thomas and Eva had just given me that I would lose control of the hybrid; not only would I lose my chance at finding the truth, but it would also wreak havoc on all of us. Likely as not, the twenty vampires could take him down, but how many would die before they could? No, I had to keep my focus, even if my strength was waning yet again.
"You, vampire," Eva barked. "Allow me to imbue my strength into the child. She is weakening."
Alex arched an eyebrow, amused at the old woman giving him orders. "By all means, come forward and assist her. I do not want anything bad happening to Nina."
"You had better not," she chided him as she came forward, resting a palm on my back. I felt her strength flowing into me, replenishing my body. "She is precious to me and to the Goddess. I may not be able to do anything if so much as a hair on her head is harmed, but I do not believe the Goddess will look lightly on anyone who does so."
"Believe me, we will not have to wait for a deity to intervene before anyone who touches Nina is made to pay," he said, his voice grave and, for the first time since I'd met him, a little terrifying. "My king is not the only one who loves Nina, though we do not love her in the same way. She is like a little sister to me, and beyond that, she is much loved at court. I have great pity for the fool who courts our wrath by threatening her."
"Eh? What's this about the king loving you?" Eva asked, poking at me now.
I glared at Alex. "I was waiting for a more opportune time to mention that."
"Well, she's about to meet the king, so I thought she'd find out sooner or later. He's not about to be shy when it comes to claiming you."
My cheeks heated again, and I wanted to say something, but I couldn't think of what.
"You mean to tell me you're involved with a vampire, child?"
"Eva…haven't you just discovered that most of the vampires are just…ignorant? I know it doesn't excuse their actions, but you have to understand, they aren't all evil. Alex here is one of my dearest—actually, he was my first—friends. You know that I spent time in the court as a thrall, when I was undercover for the wolves. I've told you about this."
"Yes, but you didn't mention falling in love with a vampire."
I bristled. "And so what if I did? He's a good man. He's going to keep you safe, you'll see."
She barked out a laugh. "Good for you, child. Do not be ashamed of your heart. I trust in the Goddess, and she put you here to bring unity to our world. If she meant for you to love a vampire to do that, then who am I to argue with her? She knows better than I the hearts of men."
"Oh. Well. Thank you," I said, more than a little surprised.
"What, you thought because I'm an old woman that I'd be eternally prejudiced and incapable of keeping an open mind?"
"I…thought you might be a little set in your ways, yes."
"Mmm, I don't blame you. But maybe you'll keep an open mind about the elderly now, hm?"
I laughed. "A good point."
"Nina…" Alex muttered under his breath, and I immediately fell silent. Somehow, while talking to Eva, I'd been so distracted I didn't realize we were only a few paces away from the great doors.
"Oh, god, Alex, I don't know if I can do this."
"You can and you will. It's all going to be all right. Have faith."
"What if he's changed his mind, though? What if he realized it's crazy for him to pick me over any of the vampires that want to be with him?"
"I don't know this man, but I feel confident in saying he'd be out of his mind to think such a thing," Eva said, her voice full of conviction.
"Eva is right," Alex said, but his voice was more gentle than hers. "Gray loves you, Nina. Do not fear."
I swallowed again then nodded. "Okay. Let's go."
"Er, first I think you're going to need to leave your…little pet outside. It's going to be a tense enough situation with the mages here, and adding a hybrid to the mix isn't going to help things."
"Oh, right. One second," I said, then I led the beast over to one of the guards standing beside the doors. "I need you to watch over this creature and keep him alive and in one piece."
"And why should I allow such a monster to live?"
"Because Nina's will is the king's will," Alex said in a booming voice. "And you will obey her or he will hear of it."
The man paled and nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir, of course, sir. I will do as you say, ma'am."
"Thank you," I said, beaming first at Alex and then at the guard. I laid a hand on the
beast's forearm and uttered a quick spell to reparalyze its legs, and then a sealing spell. It would keep everything in place for the next five hours, possibly six, but that was stretching things. I hoped it would be enough time. "If I'm not back in five hours, you need to dispose of it. At that point it will become dangerous, and there will be nothing I can do from afar."
"Yes, ma'am. As you say." He saluted me, and I hid a quick grin.
I walked back over to Alex and nodded once more at him, and the next thing I knew, the guards were opening the castle doors, and we were leading the mages and vampires into the first hall. My throat went dry at the sight of Gray standing there, just a few feet away from me. He looked resplendent, dressed to his full station. When I had been a thrall here, he had always dressed more casually, in dark grays and blacks, mostly wearing black trousers and a black or grey silk shirt. But now he looked the picture of a king.
I recognized the gesture for what it was—Gray was having to fight for his throne, and he needed to send a message to his people that he was their king and ruler, not the Council. They needed to look at him and have faith in the power that he represented.
Well, he certainly looked powerful right now. His face was carefully controlled, and he had never looked more calm, but the councilman that was arguing with him was practically purple in the face.
"Sire! This should be handled in the Council chambers, as all matters are."
"And I disagree with you, Isaiah," he said coolly. "Let that be the end of it."
"But sire! This shouldn't even be a matter to discuss. They are blood mages, and it is our hunters’ right to corral them and bring them to the dungeons."
