Curse of Blood and Shadow

by J. M. Kearl

  The redhead’s two minions trailed after her and folded their arms, each had a metal mug in hand. The blonde one scowled. “Watch it princess or you’ll wind up with scars on that pretty face.”

  Even the joy-enchanted treats couldn’t stop my anger now. “Come near me and I’ll do more than scar your face.”

  Taking a step closer but staying out of range Liola touched her sword.

  I tensed, readying myself to spur into action. If she drew that thing I’d blast her across the little party before it even left the sheath.

  “Just because you’re a princess doesn’t mean I won’t slit your throat in your sleep or perhaps even now.”

  “Empty threats as usual.” Kyan lazily pointed to where she’d come from. “Why don’t you skitter along now, Liola. You’re boring me.”

  I swore I could see flames flicker in her eyes. “You always were an ass.”

  Half his pretty mouth turned up. “And yet you keep coming back for more.”

  That did it, her cheeks flamed with color and she stamped away swearing and complaining to her two friends.

  “History with that one?” I asked.

  His eyes fell to my face. “We may have had a brief liaison but it’s been over for a long time.”

  “Too bad she didn’t try anything, I’d have liked to kick her teeth in,” Legacy said, smirking.

  A group of boys standing by a table full of drink cups yelled at Kyan and waved at him. “I’ll be right back.” He looked pointedly at me then Legacy, “Stay out of trouble for a couple minutes, will you?”

  “We can’t help it if trouble seems to find us,” Legacy said with a laugh.

  It was minutes before a boy seemed to come out of nowhere, giving me the most peculiar smirk as he approached. When he looked me up and down, I had the strangest feeling that I’d seen him before, something about his dark hair and that arrogant set to his jaw was familiar, but I couldn’t remember ever meeting him. That was two people now I swore I’d met but didn’t recall. His eyes roamed over me and lingered longer on my neck than was normal. “Interesting. I thought Kyan said you were off-limits and yet he brings you here and leaves you alone with your pretty friend.”

  “Who are you?” I made sure to sound bored. “And why are you talking to me?”

  “They said that tongue of yours was sharp.” I hated the way his eager gaze wouldn’t leave me. “I like a little fight in a woman.” The longer he stood near, the more I realized there was something dark and dangerous about his presence. A blackness almost rolled off of him, seeping and infecting things around him. And somehow I knew he wasn’t—human. Fear trickled into my veins and I wondered if Legacy noticed it too.

  “You’re so far out of your league,” Legacy said as if he wasn’t worth wasting her breath, “and your attempt at conversation is not hitting the mark. It’s creepy actually.”

  Then this bastard leaned in and sniffed me. Sniffed me. “Mmm the smell of fear and magic, my favorite.”

  His cool breath oozed down my neck and I shoved him in the chest as hard as I could with an extra push of magic that sent him stumbling ten feet. “Back off.”

  In a blur, Kyan was in front of Legacy and me, a low snarl thundered in his throat. Legacy and I exchanged a wary look. I wasn’t sure that either one of them was human at this point. I’d never heard a human growl like that.

  “I told you to stay away, Senica. Off-limits,” Kyan barked, and they stared at each other in a clear power struggle. I couldn’t see Kyan’s face but I imagined a calm rage. With Liola, Kyan didn’t act like she was a real threat but it was evident Senica was.

  My eyes flicked back and forth between them and tension steadily grew. Off-limits? Like he claimed me?

  “Or what? You can’t bring her here and say she’s not fair game. I told you before her scent is too alluring.”

  My scent? I was ninety-nine percent sure he was a vampire after that. Had I known my being here would cause so many problems, I’d have gone to my room and went to sleep. But since I was here, I’d had enough of this prick’s disrespect and pulled my sword, the ring of it leaving the scabbard drew the attention of some around us. I pointed the tip of it at him. “Don’t talk about me like I’m some whore. You want a game? Pull that weapon and let’s see what you’re made of.”

  “Oooooh,” a group of spectators jeered.

  “Or.” I jumped at the male voice behind me. “Fight me. I was just getting warmed up in the tournament.”

  I turned to find Zyacus and Aric both simmering with wrath. Aric slowly stepped toward Legacy and she didn’t move away when he slipped his hand into hers. Leaning down, he whispered something in her ear and whatever he said made her back away with him. Zyacus stepped up beside me, and Kyan didn’t break eye contact with Senica.

  “You won’t always be so protected, Princess,” he said, his eyes flashing red. “Once I want something, I get it.” Then he was gone. He’d literally moved so fast he’d become a blur.

  I’d suspected before but those eyes proved it. I felt the color drain from my face.

  With a scowl, Zyacus asked, “Who was that?”

  I wasn’t sure if he was asking Kyan or me. “I don’t know.”

  Kyan looked Zyacus up and down. “He’s a bastard that needs to be taught a lesson in manners. I’m Kyan.” He stuck out his hand.

  “I know. Aric told me.” Zyacus didn’t accept his offer. Then he turned to me. “Will you come have a walk with me?” When I didn’t immediately answer, he added, “Please.”

  “It’s getting late anyway.” I tried to muster a smile at Kyan but I wasn’t sure about him. He did protect me. I didn’t feel that evil blackness from him like I did with Senica so maybe my worries were unwarranted. “It’s been... mostly fun, Kyan. Thank you.”

  Kyan took hold of my fingers and kissed the top of my knuckles. When his lips touched my skin I felt a pulse shoot up my arm and go through my body. It felt like magic but I didn’t know for sure. What was that?

  He stood erect. “I can walk you back if you’re not comfortable—”

  “She’s plenty comfortable with me, don’t worry,” Zyacus cooed and took my hand from Kyan.

  “I’ll be fine,” I said, still wondering what happened when he kissed my hand, and allowed Zyacus to lead me toward Legacy and Aric, who were pushing through the tall grass that surrounded this spot.

  Once we were out of earshot of anyone at the party, Zyacus peeked over at me, “You should stay away from him.”

  “Why?”

  Aric and Legacy, still holding hands I noted, stopped and we circled up. Zyacus nodded at his cousin who answered me. “Look, I don’t know for sure about Kyan but I’m certain that Senica is what we in the North call a ‘vampire’ or ‘blood drinker’.”

  I about fell over in shock. Not from the news of what I already suspected Senica was but that Aric just came out and said it. When I asked before he hadn’t given me that information, even seemed afraid to tell me.

  “We know what it is,” Legacy said, looking at me then to the boys. “Visteal and I found it in a book at the library.” She paused. “We—I suspected that’s what you were Aric and why I broke up with you. The book said that blood drinkers who can go in the sun are marked on their skin by magic.”

  Zyacus laughed and I didn’t think this was something to laugh about, Aric sure as hell looked melancholy. “He’s not one of those things.”

  “No, I’m not.” Looking at Legacy, he tried to smile, but it was half-hearted. “I wish you would have told me. It’s the mark of a curse I suspect but not the mark of a blood drinker.”

  “So you don’t know what it is?” she asked.

  Feeling ill, I looked at Zyacus. If Aric was not a vampire then the vision I saw was for sure a premonition of his death. It could be any day—it could have been tonight at the party. It still could be tonight. I peeked around, the scenery certainly matched. “We should get inside,” I croaked.

  All three of them seemed suspicious o
f my abrupt outburst.

  “If Senica is a blood drinker then it’s not wise to linger in the dark.”

  “That bastard comes at any one of us and I’ll cut his head off,” Zyacus growled. “Even if he’s harder to kill than a human that will do the job.” Then his gaze searched my face and his voice softened, “But since he has a particular interest in you, we should get inside.”

  We started back to the academy, walking faster than usual. “What do you know about them, Aric?” I asked.

  Aric shook his head. “I know that many of them have integrated with our society in Collweya, and they know how to blend in. My father and uncles do hunting parties for them but that is only for the ones who hunker in the shadows and come out at night and are savages. The daywalkers… seem to have become civilized. Enough that someone or a group of people has given them the magic to become daywalkers. Some of them might even have magic stones from their families. I don’t know.”

  “So this dark magic that created them years ago, do they use it to create more?” Legacy asked.

  Solemn and worried, Aric fidgeted with his hands. “I once snuck out after dark, in the North it’s not something most of us risk, but I wanted to see. While out on the deserted streets, I heard something and being on edge, I hid behind a building. I peeked around the corner and saw a blood drinker holding a boy I knew from school against a brick wall. He wasn’t struggling; in fact it almost looked like he was enjoying her biting his neck. She pulled back and I saw the gleam of blood on her lips. He said, ‘I’m ready. Turn me’ and she laughed, bit her own wrist, then he licked her blood. She said, ‘If you die with my blood in your system, you’ll turn. When you do, come find me. Or perhaps I should snap your neck for you now.’ I ran after that.”

  I shuddered. I don’t think any of us knew what to say; no one spoke for a few very long moments. Until Zyacus broke the silence. “Did you see him again?”

  “Yes, he was gone for a month but then he was back at school. I tried to convince the headteacher he was a blood drinker but since there was no proof and he hadn’t hurt anyone and could walk in the day, nothing was done about it. His father was also a very rich donor. No one died at that academy.”

  “So are you saying not all of them are murderers?” I asked, thinking of Kyan. If all of us suspected him, there was at least a chance I’d become acquainted with a blood drinker but I didn’t want to condemn him like we did with Aric so soon. I was just starting to like him. The thought of him biting someone and drinking their blood disgusted me, however.

  Aric seemed to contemplate this for a moment. “I’m saying that no students died. Not that they didn’t kill people outside of the academy.”

  “One of those things killed Finnick. I know it,” I said quietly. “I would bet it was Senica.”

  Aric looked at me, eyebrows furrowed. “What makes you think that’s how he died? They said he fell out of his window and broke his neck.”

  “We saw it,” Legacy whispered. “We saw him die and he was attacked by someone.” Then she looked at me apologetically.

  But neither one of them asked why we were there, they went along with it. “We need to get rid of Senica.” Aric put his arm around Legacy pulling her close to him.

  Zyacus locked eyes with me then turned to Aric. “He threatened Visteal, threatened to hunt her. And drink her blood, now that I think back on it. He needs to die, not simply leave.”

  I was inclined to agree but that meant killing a fellow student, and another dead body would mean the closure of this academy. No one would know what he was and how would we prove it?

  “Killing a blood drinker is not simple, plus he’ll be a trained fighter on top of it.” Aric let out a long breath before continuing. “And it would have to be quiet. If any one of the professors found out there was a blood drinker here, the academy would likely close. As dangerous as they can be, I went to school with a few daywalkers I knew of and they never killed anyone. It would seem Senica is a rogue. Hell the others might even take him out if he exposes them for killing Finnick.”

  The more Aric talked, the more I suspected Kyan. He said I was off-limits. And I didn’t think he meant from a romantic perspective anymore. He must have meant drinking my blood was off-limits. I tried not to appear horrified but my expression probably gave that away nonetheless. “How many do you think there are here?”

  Aric shrugged. “I have no idea. Could be just Senica, could be a few, maybe even more. There are three hundred and three of us from Collweya at this academy.”

  I swallowed hard. “And you think Kyan is one of them?”

  “Yes,” Zyacus answered.

  Aric however, tilted his head back and forth as if unsure. “I’ve known Kyan for a long time. We’re not close friends but friends, and all in all, he’s a good guy. If he is a vampire, he hides it remarkably well. I never once suspected him until I saw how fast he moved to protect you two. But that could have been magic.”

  “He snarled like… an animal, like a wolf,” Legacy said. “Unless that was magic too, I’ve never heard a human sound like that.”

  My thoughts exactly. We needed to come up with a way to test if someone was a vampire and create a hunting party of our own. I then wondered if Kyan was one of these creatures, could I kill him? Should I? He’d only ever been kind to me.

  “Whatever you do, don’t tell any of the professors or they’ll send us all home,” Zyacus said. “And I don’t want to go home.” Moments before we walked inside after Aric and Legacy, he grabbed my arm and stopped me. “Maybe—maybe you should go back to Delhoon until we can figure this out.” His eyes showed real concern, another glimpse of the kind boy I knew lurked beneath his arrogance.

  “I’m not leaving.” I felt the urge to lean in, to let my guard down with him. “What sort of princess would I be if I ran away because someone threatened me? It’s different in Delhoon than Hesstia. Queens in my kingdom aren’t meant to only be pretty and quietly agree with their husbands. We rule.”

  He stepped closer, close enough that I felt his hand brush mine. “You can’t rule if you’re not alive.”

  “Then help me make sure my heart keeps beating,” I breathed. His hand slowly trailed up my arm and by the way his lips inched closer to me, I thought he might lean in and kiss me. My heart was definitely beating. Definitely. I was scared and nervous. I wanted to shove him away but yet, energy shot through me at the thought of his lips on mine.

  Peeking her head back through the doorway, Legacy said, “What is taking so long?”

  I stepped away from Zyacus, awkwardly pushing a stray hair behind my ear.

  “We were talking.” He gestured for me to go inside first. “Your timing is phenomenal by the way,” he said to Legacy as we went inside.

  Chapter 20

  When Legacy and I split off from the boys and made our way toward the girls’ dorms, Bindy appeared in front of us. Literally appeared using magic. I nearly screamed.

  “Busy night?” She tossed an apple into the air and caught it with the other hand.

  Dang, we were caught out way past curfew. Neither of us responded.

  “You realize I’m aware of the majority of your movements.” One thing about Bindy was she’d never been angry with me but tonight might have changed that.

  Tentatively, I started with, “We went to an after-party—”

  “Did you not hear me? I said I was aware of your movements. What concerns me is that you’re so reckless with your safety. Both of you. You saw Finnick die, same as me.” Her steel gaze went from me to Legacy. “I see you’ve made up with Aric.”

  Legacy blushed, I could see it even in the dim orange light from the torches. “I made a mistake.”

  “And you.” Looking at me, Bindy tossed her apple again and again before she spoke. “There is something off about those boys from Collweya you were with. Not just the one who threatened you. They’re dangerous, and not the sort of company you should keep.”

  “I understand that now.”
/>
  She chomped into her apple and we waited silently for her loud crunching to stop. “I understand this academy is about unifying the kingdoms but if someone threatens your life, you don’t let them get away with it. You are the Princess of Delhoon. You have to prove you’re worthy to rule one day. If people see weakness they’ll be all over you like flies on shit. It’s the only reason I didn’t step in.” I now understood Bindy’s anger stemmed from her worry about the danger I’d been in. She surveyed Legacy and me for a moment before continuing. “Luckily Zyacus and Aric showed up to assist.”

  “I didn’t let that boy totally get away with it. I challenged him to a duel,” I argued.

  “In my day you’d have cut his throat and been done with it.” Bindy bit into her apple again. “But things are less… intense with your mother as queen.”

  “Students did not kill each other at the academy when you went,” I said, as dramatic as her statement sounded.

  “You bet if a student threatened the life of our future ruler like that, at the very least a beating. Our people have respect for their princess. Apparently Collweya and Hesstia do not. Perhaps it’s time you earn it.”

  “How?” I asked. I didn’t like being called weak.

  “That girl that came at you tonight threatening to scar your face and the other who said she’d slit your throat—You should have beaten both of them bloody and set the tone. You too, Legacy. You left the door open for others to come at you and then the men, by nature, came to your defense. Don’t let that happen again.”

  I hadn’t even realized my leniency had made me look like a victim, which was probably why Senica pounced as quickly as he did. The memory of the girls threatening me made my blood hot. Not the actual threats so much as how I’d responded to them. Bindy was right. “It won’t,” I promised.

  ∞∞∞

  The next morning Legacy and I met our friends and the four of us headed to the horse barn. My stomach fluttered as we began saddling our horses. I hadn’t ever been to the city nearby and I was excited to see what had been built there. I picked a golden gelding with a black mane and tail. He was beautiful, with a shiny coat and long flowing hair that made him majestic. When I put my foot in the stirrup and swung my leg over he started off. I gently tugged back in the reigns. “I know you’re ready to go but we have to wait for the others,” I said and patted his neck.