“Thana, you, Jerris, Kanan, Garhan, Mari, and I,” he said.
“You might want to add Magretha to that list,” Corina replied. She’d gotten to know the woman very well in the preceding weeks, and she thought the redhead would skip out if Magretha wasn’t there.
“Very well,” Keiran said, picking up the bottle to take with him. “I’m going to go rest with Thana for a while.”
* * *
Keiran’s attempt at relaxation was short lived. While Thana had managed to drift off after crying over Father Beezle, the young king hadn’t been so fortunate. There were things he felt he should be doing, and he knew real rest wouldn’t come for him until later that evening. He’d left their room, not wanting to disturb Thana with his restlessness.
Though he dreaded facing Sorna after learning what had happened, Keiran realized he couldn’t put it off forever. Besides, if he got it dealt with, he’d no longer have it hanging over his head. Reluctantly, he descended the stairs into the dungeon.
Sorna was sitting on her bed with her hands folded in her lap. She looked up, her eyes widening upon seeing the vampire.
Keiran stopped before her cell door, letting his left hand grip onto one of the iron bars. He felt her initial spike of fear, though he took no pleasure in it.
“You’ve returned.” Sorna did her best to cover up the dread welling up within her, knotting her hands together tightly. “I was wondering how long I had before you arrived and signed off on my execution.”
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I’ve come to do no such thing, Sorna. You know me better than that.”
“Indeed, I do not,” she replied. “Knowing what you are, I’m keeping my hopes for you being some sort of angel very, very low.”
“It’s odd that you keep throwing around how evil I am to everyone while you’ve been the one going around and acting like a tyrannical monster.” Keiran let his hand drop away from the bars. “I’m sure the irony is lost on you, but the rest of us have noticed.”
Her mouth fell open and her brow furrowed. “How dare you say—”
“No, Sorna!” Keiran let his anger creep up just enough to get his fangs to emerge. “I have been more than patient with you since becoming king, but I am through with it!”
She watched in horror as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a key before slipping it into the lock on her door. There was no one else in the dungeon to give her attention for her theatrics, and legitimate fear sprang up within her. Sorna scrambled up from the bed and retreated to the back corner of her cell.
Keiran threw the door open and stepped within before closing it behind him and putting the key back into his pocket. “I’ve realized something about you and the way you’ve acted toward me.”
“You’re going to kill me yourself!” she cried out, crouching down where she stood and placing her hands over her head.
He moved around her bed, stopping directly before her. “You always act so damn brave when you confront me or say that I’m a monster, but you only ever do so when others are around. Alone with me, you turn into nothing more than a terrified, weak old fool.”
She didn’t move other than the involuntary trembling that had overtaken her. Sorna knew she’d lose her mind once she felt him touch her, and she braced for the inevitable.
“However, I’m the same whether others are around or not,” he said, dipping his head down and trying to look into her eyes. “I’m genuine, Sorna. I don’t act, I just am. I know everything you’ve said about me, but, the fact is, you don’t have any evidence to back any of it up because there is none.”
Sorna kept her head down and closed her eyes once he’d bent down far enough to be in her line of sight. “You’re going to kill me…”
“Give me your hand.”
She didn’t make any move to do so.
“I said give me your damn hand!”
A loud sob escaped her and she pulled her right hand away from the top of her head, extending it toward the vampire. She didn’t know if he was going to bite into her wrist or slit it with a knife in order to get his fill, but she braced for whatever pain was going to follow.
He pulled the key back out of his pocket and pressed it into the center of her palm before standing up again and taking a step back.
Sorna opened her eyes slowly, feeling him move away. She lifted her head and stared down at her hand, confused at what she saw. “What is this? What sort of game are you playing with me?”
“I’m not playing a game with you, Sorna.” Keiran turned to the side and looked at the cell door. “You’re free to go.”
“You just want me to think I’m going to be released, but the moment I go for the door, you’ll tear me apart!” she said, slowly standing.
“You’ve said multiple times in recent history that I was going to do one bad thing or another, yet, I haven’t. Not once.” He looked at her again, a brow cocking upward. “All of the ill-will that has come to pass between you and I originated in you. Every last instance of it.”
She looked at the key in her hand again, before clutching it to her chest. In the back of her mind, she knew his words were true, but admitting how horrible her behavior had been up until then was too humiliating. Instead of launching into another tirade toward him, however, she opted to remain silent.
Keiran realized he had her attention. While he knew he couldn’t completely change her in one meeting, he hoped it would do some good. “Now, before you go, I do have two conditions.”
Sorna gave a small nod, her eyes coming up to meet his. Whatever the outcome of this was going to be, she wanted it to be over.
“Once you leave this castle, you’re to go back home to your brother’s farm,” he said, lifting a finger. “You will stay there from now on, period. If any guards or town law enforcement see you around, you will be locked up for the rest of your life.”
There was another tiny bob of her head, her eyes not deviating from Keiran’s. “…and the second?”
He raised another finger, his eyes narrowing as his lips pulled back to display his fangs in full view. “While I can tolerate having you speak ill of me and wish harm upon me, if I ever hear of you threatening or saying anything bad about Thana, our child, or anyone else I care for ever again, then and only then, will you find out exactly what I am capable of.”
Though her trembling had improved a little after she’d stood up, his last statement had caused it to return twofold. Her eyes fixed on his pointed fangs, and she swallowed audibly. Perhaps he wasn’t the monster she’d been making him out to be, but he definitely had the potential.
Knowing he’d gotten through to her on some level, he stepped away and motioned toward the cell door. “Now, get the hell out of my home.”
Sorna nodded yet again, though it was exaggerated that time. She skirted around him, sticking to the perimeter of the cell as she headed for the door. She worked to get the key into the lock, though her shaking hands made it difficult.
Keiran didn’t move while she worked to get out. Every time she looked back at him while trying to open the door, he only offered her a smile.
The door finally relented, and she threw it open before running toward the stairs as quickly as her limping gait would allow. Kanan met her at the top of the stairs and escorted her out to a carriage that would deliver her right back to her brother’s farm.
Keiran closed his eyes and remained in the silent dungeon for several minutes. He hoped for his sake, but more for Thana’s, that their issues with Sorna would be over.
* * *
Once Sorna had departed, Keiran made his way into the castle’s library. He sat at a desk within, the painting he’d taken with him from the Alerian manor house placed on the desk’s surface.
He stared down at his mother’s smiling image, lost in his thoughts. She looked like he’d always imagined her. As a child growing up and not understanding that Jerris wasn’t actually his brother, he’d subconsciously assigned the missing woman red hair. She very well
could have been Jerris’ mother, too, simply based on her looks, but he knew she wasn’t.
Hearing something, he lifted his head and saw Garhan standing a short distance off. “Exploring a bit before dinner?”
The other man gave a small nod, coming over and cocking his head to look at the painting. “Art thief, are you?”
Keiran hadn’t thought of it quite like that. “It would have just burned if I’d not taken it.”
“True enough.” Garhan pulled over a chair and sat across from him. “I painted that, you know.”
“Did you? It’s very good.” He reached out and touched the image of his mother.
“It’s a copy of a painting inside the palace. I always liked it, so I reproduced it while confined. When I was first locked up, Adira at least allowed me the supplies to indulge my hobby.” Garhan leaned back into his chair, lacing his hands over his stomach.
“And the portrait of you hanging beside it?” Keiran asked.
“I did that one, too. I hoped it would be found someday, so I wouldn’t be completely erased from the record.” He offered up a smile. “Better for that painting to have burned than me, though.”
“Well, I’m impressed. You’re talented. Any attempt I made to do something like this would be laughable at best.” Keiran gently slid the painting to the edge of the desk. “How is Mari doing?”
“Not bad. She’s been given some clothes to try on, so I decided to take the opportunity to find you,” he replied. “I wanted to thank you for getting me out of Aleria and for giving us someplace to be for now.”
Keiran offered a smile, able to see the exhaustion still hanging around his brother. “It was the right thing to do. You two didn’t deserve any of what happened back there. Honestly, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Still, we owe you.” Garhan tipped his head back and looked up at the ceiling. “If there comes a time to fight Athan, I want you to know I will offer my full support.”
The younger man dropped his gaze away, thinking about what he’d seen in Athan’s mind and what had happened before his trip to Aleria. While secrets needed to be guarded, Garhan was Ilana’s son, too, and he had every right to know some things.
“Did our mother ever mention a sword to you?” Keiran asked, watching closely for Garhan’s reaction.
He gave a nod, a brow lofting. “Yes. Our family had a pair of swords that Dante Aviatrov used during his purge of vampires from Aleria. One of them, mysteriously, disappeared after mother departed for Tordania. My grandparents were furious, but short of launching an invasion into Tordania to try and get it back, what could they do?”
“Adira asked about it,” Keiran said. “I denied any knowledge of it.”
“A thief and a liar?” Garhan replied, a smile cropping up. “What sort of family do I have?”
“Sorry about that.” Keiran grinned as well. “If you want to go back in light of it…”
“Not at all,” he said, lifting his hands in mock defense. “But you do know about the swords?”
“The one she stole, aye.”
“And what of that sword? Is it safe?” Garhan asked. “I know its location, if it still exists, is undoubtedly secret, but I have wondered what became of it.”
“It was safely stowed after her death,” Keiran said. “Athan never got a hold of it.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear that. Maybe, someday, it will be put to the use our mother intended it for when she took it.” The older vampire closed his eyes. “I have to say, I feel rather at ease here already. Not being sealed behind a door finally has been good for me.”
“You’re free to do as you like here,” Keiran said. “Within the law, of course.”
“Says my lying, thieving brother.”
“Aye.”
* * *
Dinner was served shortly after sunset, all those invited coming into the private dining hall to find the table already covered in a wide assortment of dishes.
Keiran sat at the head of the table, Thana immediately to his right. The others were present as well; Magretha and Jerris on one side, Garhan and Mari on the other, with Kanan and Corina on the opposite end.
They ate silently at first, all of them mourning either Father Beezle or Stepan. The somber mood made the atmosphere heavy for a time, but once the alcohol being served kicked in, they started to unwind a bit.
Corina’s initial fears about Garhan were quickly soothed as she spoke with him. She was pleased to see that the newcomer was a lot like Keiran in his mannerisms and attitude. She could clearly see Athan in Keiran’s brother, but it seemed to go no further than his looks.
As they all relaxed and the wine continued to flow, Keiran eventually rose up. He looked over his companions, a smile cropping up. “I have two announcements I’d like to make.”
Everyone went silent and turned their eyes toward him.
Keiran looked down at Thana and placed a hand on her shoulder before looking at the group. “Upon my arrival back home, Thana shared some important news with me. We are going to be welcoming our first child.”
Jerris nearly knocked his chair over backward, giving out a cackle of laughter. Magretha quickly silenced him with a firm whack to the back of the head, saving Kanan the trouble.
Keiran’s eyes went to Corina. The old woman was absolutely beaming with happiness, and it made his own smile grow. Kanan, beside her, leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, and he gave the young king an approving nod.
“One piece of good news absolutely needs to be followed up with another.” Keiran grew serious, and he leaned forward onto the table. “Aside from learning about my brother during this trip, I learned of something else of great importance. Corina, Kanan, I think the two of you will be very happy to hear what I have to say.”
They both looked at one another before turning their attention to Keiran. Corina placed her hand onto Kanan’s shoulder as a nervous rush seeped into her. There was an intensity in Keiran’s stare down the table that struck a chord within her.
“We encountered Athan on the way home,” he stated, not letting his attention waver from the old woman. “While it is known he can look into our minds with ease, for the first time, I was able to see right back into him. There it was—the answer to a question that has persisted for over twenty years. Athan learned something so powerful recently it has damaged his self confidence and has him absolutely terrified.”
Corina nodded along with Keiran’s words, liking anything that gave the elder vampire a reason to be afraid. “What is it?”
The left corner of Keiran’s mouth twitched upward. “Talaus has been invaded by the Nahli.”
“The elves that live at the North Pole?” Jerris asked, stifling another laugh.
Keiran looked over at him. “They aren’t elves, Jerris. They are beings of incredible power; power that makes Athan’s look like mere party tricks.”
Jerris fell silent at the serious tone of Keiran’s words. Like most children in Tordania, he’d grown up hearing stories of the mythical, magic elves living in the northern wastes, but maybe there had been a hint of truth in those old stories.
The vampire brought his attention to Corina again. “Regardless, Athan was told who’d inspired the Nahli to attack his country, and that scared him even worse.”
“Who is it?” Corina asked, thoroughly stymied.
“Corina, the Nahli are being led by Kayla Sipesh,” he said, tears forming in his eyes. “My sister is alive.”
The old woman covered her mouth before turning and throwing her arms around Kanan. She let go with tears of relief and happiness, the pain of wondering what had ever become of the young princess finally pulled away.
The old man welled up, too. He’d long believed Athan had killed the young woman ages ago. Hearing the news moved him, and he tightened his grip around Corina, using her to hide his tears.
Keiran smiled and slowly sat down, looking at everyone around the table. His family was growing, and what he had was a real family�
��and it was worth protecting.
If he could find a way to contact his sister, he knew they would finally have a real chance at taking down Athan Vercilla.
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