by E. M. Knight
“Are you always such a stickler for planning?”
“It’s not planning,” I say. “It’s taking precautions. I am still Prince. I owe allegiance to the Queen. No matter who she is. I cannot just run off and forsake her and the coven. Not unless I have permission to do so.”
Rebecca’s expression changes from one of slight amusement to outright hostility over the course of my little speech. “There you go again, always living under the shadow,” she condemns. “I’m trying to break you out of it, while you’re doing your damnedest to undermine my efforts. It’s like you don’t even know what’s good for you!”
“Hold on,” I snap. “Don’t you dare accuse me of that. I am doing what’s right by The Haven. These are my vampires as much as they were Mother’s. I have a responsibility to them.”
“What responsibility?” she challenges. “What have they ever given you?” She lowers her voice. “I’ve kept my ear close to the ground. Even as I toiled underground, I had my Tentoria bring me whispers of what was happening on the surface. I know how you led the vampires in the fight against The Convicted. I know what you lost in that fight. You nearly gave your life for them, and what did it get you? Nothing!”
“Those are responsibilities of the Prince.”
“That is the Queen’s responsibility!” she explodes. “And the Queen has never treated you fairly. Neither the old one nor the new. You were sent on an impossible mission, to bring Eleira the Forsaken Sisters, without knowing anything of the danger involved.”
“I knew exactly what I was getting myself info,” I start, beginning to feel annoyed.
Rebecca laughs. “And the fresh wound on your shoulder, the one that can never heal, the one that requires you to live as a leech, a parasite, on your brother’s magic? You think that is a victory for you?”
“There are always casualties in war,” I say softly.
“War? War? You think this is war?” She is starting to sound hysterical. “This is not even a battle, not even a skirmish, Raul. This is nothing compared to what is coming. You want to see war? Then stick around. The Haven will be attacked, and it will fall. If you knew what was good for you, you’d be far away from here by the time that comes.”
“The Haven won’t fall,” I say firmly. “It can’t fall. Eleira erected wards.”
Rebecca laughs. “And what if your wards aren’t quite as solid as they’ve been sold? What if they have a vulnerability that can be easily exploited by one who knows the trick?”
“What are you taking about?”
“Look around you, Raul!” Rebecca demands. “Look at the scorched earth, look at the desolation of the land. Does this look like a prosperous coven?”
“Eleira destroyed an entire army on these grounds,” I tell her thinly.
“Oh?” she challenges. “Were you there for that? Was anybody? That is what you heard happened. But nobody asked for the truth.”
“What’s the truth?” I ask, crossing my arms.
“The army was not a threat,” she tells me. “I raised it to depose Morgan. When I found out she’d already lost the crown, I had no further need for revenge. I did not want to take over The Haven. Can you imagine that? It would be ridiculous! A vampire as weak as I, trying to rule over so many of you through extortion and fear? No, no. When I learned Eleira was Queen, I made her a deal. I gave her control of my whole horde. It would have been your coven’s greatest defense. The Tentoria are physically weak, yes, but their screams would have crippled any attacking vampires.”
“You had a deal with Eleira?” I wonder.
“Yes. And what did the Queen do with my offer? She took it, then spat in my face and destroyed them all. Why? Because she is a frightened little girl!”
I snarl and grab her arm to yank her to me. “Do not speak of the Queen that way.”
“Finally, a bit of passion,” she mutters. She squirms out of my grip. “Too bad you can’t use the same to fight for your own self-interests.”
I look at her, trying to make sense of all the conflicting thoughts raging through me.
Eleira went back on her word? She wouldn’t do such a thing… would she?
As if reading my thoughts, Rebecca says, “You have to let go of the puritan fantasy. Your precious Queen is not as perfect as you might assume.”
“I never said she was perfect,” I grunt.
“Then why—again--do you fight for her interests so blindly, with so much zest, without once stopping to use your head and consider what’s right?”
“You make it sound so simple, when it’s not,” I tell her.
“Isn’t it? Why can’t it be simple, Raul? I’ve told you what I think. You are half the man you could be because your whole life you’ve deferred to women. No man who wants to reach his true potential should ever do that, no matter who the woman might be.”
“If you know all the answers,” I say, with a great deal of sarcasm, “what do you suggest I do?”
Her eyes take on a new fervor. “I’ve told you what. Run away with me. We need time to plan, to regroup, to wait out the storm.”
“What storm?” I question. “You keep hinting at catastrophe. It makes me suspect you know something I don’t.”
“I know many things you do not,” she tells me coyly. “If you want to find out, you’ll have to earn my trust.”
“I thought I already had that,” I say, giving her a sideways glance.
She rolls her eyes and turns away. “Please. You can’t even make up your mind about me.”
That does finally hit a nerve. I hate the constant accusations everyone makes of me of being non-committal.
I grab her arm, spin her back, pull her into me, and kiss her hard.
When I let go, she’s breathless. Her cheeks are red.
“Well,” she says.
“How’s that for making up my mind?”
I’m tired of the constant second-guessing, of the consistent fight I put up against my own nature. Already, I’d told Phillip I would no longer be a slave to hesitation. Coming back to The Haven, it was too easy for me to fall into old habits.
‘No more,’ I vowed. I was a changed man on the flight back. Memories of my first encounter with Liana flash through my mind. That is the vampire I am. That is what my true nature is.
This damn neutering, this indecisiveness, is contrary to every instinct in my soul. I want to break free. It’s time to break free.
“Tell me exactly what you mean about the storm,” I ask of Rebecca.
She bites her lip… then decides to answer.
“The true prophecy speaks of two girls chosen for the task,” she says. “Eleira is one. There is another. Two girls chosen…” she holds up two fingers,“…but only one survives.” She drops one. “It doesn’t matter how strong the wards are, how good her magic is. All that matters is that there will be a showdown, sooner or later… and either Eleira or the other girl will die.”
I search her eyes for any sign of disingenuity.
I find none.
“You’re telling the truth,” I whisper. “How many here know?”
“Your Mother and I. Maybe some of the very first vampires she brought into her Royal Court. But most of those, I suspect, have already suffered the fate thrown unto me. Except they were not so lucky to survive.”
“We must tell Eleira,” I say. “She has to know—”
“Raul,” Rebecca cuts me off. “Telling her won’t change a thing. Her fate is already decided. When the girl of prophecy is chosen, all the dominoes will start to fall. There will be war amongst vampires on a massive scale. The prophecy says she will either unite us all—or destroy us.”
“I had the full prophecy in my hands,” I tell her. I make a fist and open it. “I had it, I found it in Mother’s apartments. And it was… taken from me.”
Rebecca shakes her head gently. “Whatever you had was a forgery. The true written account of the prophecy was destroyed by Morgan long before she decided to sever my soul from my body.”
She laughs. “The vampires you grew up with were the ones you went pillaging with outside these walls. When you were free to be yourself.”
I narrow my eyes. “How would you know?”
“Because I remember the way you were when you returned from those expeditions. Every time you left with a crew and returned with fewer. What happened to those you left outside?”
“They were killed or—”
“Don’t lie to me,” she cuts in. “You let them go. I know it. The ones who did not want to live forever under your Mother’s rule. Secretly you lusted to go with them. But your sense of responsibilities always drew you back.”
I say nothing. It’s astounding how close to home her words hit.
“And every time you returned, burdened with the weight you take upon your shoulders here, a weight that is of your creation, you wilted. Within a few months, without fail, you would become somebody else.”
I look at her without speaking.
She steps closer to me. She gently lays a hand on my cheek, “You need to be somewhere you can thrive,” she says softly. “That’s all I want. That’s all this is about. You are stifled here.”
I put my hand over hers. The touching of our skin feels… right.
“You’re saying to forget all this?” I whisper, glancing about.
“These are not your people. You are not even the eldest son. James is. And where is he?”
“He left,” I say.
“He saw the writing on the wall. Just as I’m trying to show you. Come away with me. We will find your friends. We will watch the first battle from the sidelines. Then, when the time is right, you and I will re-emerge so much stronger for the experience.”
I hesitate.
“What is there for you here? The Queen’s hand in marriage? We both know that is not going to happen. So why wait around? Why inflict more misery upon yourself?”
I look her up and down. She stares right into my eyes, unflinching.
Finally, I ask, “Where would we go?”
She brightens right up. “I know just the place.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Eleira
The Haven
“…done,” Allura says suddenly, breaking me from my trance.
I look at her. She is standing right on the edge of that secret doorway. She’s been probing the way down for hours.
I stand up. “And?” I ask. “What did you find?”
“There is something… special… at the very bottom,” she says. “I can’t tell quite what it is. It’s too far down. But it is not dangerous.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Morgan smile.
“The path to the bottom is clear,” she assures me. “No traps, no inverted weaves. Nothing that could harm you, other than the fall itself.”
“How long ago was the way excavated?” I ask Morgan.
She gives an indifferent shrug. “How old is the moon?” she asks rhetorically.
“Careful,” I warn. “You’re still on thin ice with me.”
She offers a grave nod. “Of course. I understand, my Queen.”
She’s called me by my title so many times I’ve gotten quite used to it.
Strange, that.
“Then it’s time to go down.” I point at the former Queen. “You first. I’ll go after you. Lorne, Sute, you follow. Allura, you stay behind. I want the entrance guarded from this side.”
The Forsaken Sisters nod their agreement.
Morgan stops at the entrance. She holds her arms out, supporting herself against the frame.
“There’s something you should know,” she tells me, right before she drops down. “Raul was never meant for you. He was there as a test. The prophecy has a dark part you have not yet been told. It says the one chosen to lead the vampire race into night eternal is cursed in love.”
I narrow my eyes. “Cursed, how?”
“Anybody her heart quickens for is doomed to an early death. The girl of prophecy must stand alone, because only she has the strength needed to do what must be done. And love, I am sorry to say, makes one vulnerable.”
She looks over her shoulder at me. “So, you see, it was the best you could do to push my son away. Had you not, his flame would soon go out. Why else do you think he’s had such a run of catastrophe of late?”
With that, she hops into the shaft and disappears from view.
I look after her for a moment, unsure of what to think. Could she be telling the truth? Or is she just making things up to mess with my head?
I turn to Sute and Lorne. Their expressions tell me everything I need to know:
Morgan’s interpretation of the prophecy is accurate.
I swallow down the knot of pain suddenly caught in my throat.
How many more secrets about myself do I not yet know?
I give myself a quick shake to dispel the warning signs of pity. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself—I’m long past that.
It’s just that Morgan’s presence is still difficult for me to come to terms with. For the whole duration of our relationship, I was below her, and now that our roles are reversed, I’m finding it just a little bit difficult to break out of that mold.
“It doesn’t matter,” I mutter, and put my focus on the task at hand. My gaze catches onto a handhold on the other side of the shaft, and I jump for it.
I give a small grunt on impact. There’s something off about the wall. It’s not as if there’s silver underneath, but the moment my skin made contact I felt a sort of repelling resonance emitted by it.
I brush the discomfort off and look down. I can just make out Morgan’s shape below. She is scaling the wall as if its second nature.
So, I start down after her. I hear Sute and Lorne land above me. Both of them give little gasps of pain at the unexpected sting.
“It’s fine, don’t worry,” I tell them. “Follow me.”
We all start down the shaft. I use my speed to catch up to Morgan, then tell her to slow down so we don’t leave the two fledglings behind. She seems annoyed at the suggestion but does as she’s asked.
The two Forsaken Sisters, not yet fully adapted to their vampire abilities, make proceeding slow.
Given the fact that their restored bodies have been stagnant for hundreds of years in the tombs, it is no wonder.
The way down is wholly unremarkable. We climb using the grooved siding for grip. After a while, I lose sense of how far we’ve gone. When I look up, I see nothing but black. When I look down, I see the same thing.
Nothing interrupts the monotony of the journey. The slight reverberation I feel from the rock does not increase or lessen in intensity. Everything seems static; for a long time, it feels like we’re just stuck in place.
But after an indeterminable amount of time the darkness starts to diminish. From somewhere far below us comes a muted, bluish glow.
I have to do a double take the first time I notice it. It reminds me of the color of The Paths.
My heart starts to beat faster in excitement. That exact blue is specific to the crystals in the other realm. If this is a way down into The Paths, a way without need for a portal, a way in without the need for magic to be cast…
Well, that can change a great number of things in how I can marshal my vampires to defend the coven in the future.
As we go farther, the glow becomes stronger, and at the same time, unmistakable. It is the blue of The Paths.
Excitement and anticipation coalesce to life inside of me.
“Wait.” Morgan suddenly stops. “I feel something. A hint of magic.” She looks up at me. “Eleira, is this where your ward ends?”
I’m impressed that she caught it down here. Then again, I have to remember that she was the most powerful witch I knew for a long time.
“Yes,” I answer.
“If we cross, will anything happen?”
“Anybody can exit from the inside. They just won’t be able to come back in. The wards are porous from within, impenetrable from without.”
“How do you let outsiders through?”
“There are points along the barrier where the weaves are inverted. They have to meet me there, and I bring them in.”
“Cumbersome,” she murmurs. “If we pass through here, will you be able to let us back in?” she asks.
I hesitate. “I… think so.”
“Not good enough,” Morgan says. “We need a guarantee of being able to return this way. The shaft is the only way down and up. If we cannot return this way, we will perish there.”
I shake my head. “I’m not on the throne. I cannot adjust the wards.”
“Then our journey ends now,” Morgan says.
Sudden anger takes me. “Why didn’t you mention anything before?”
“I did not expect you to be as absent-minded as a child,” she snaps. “This was obvious from the onset.”
“Hold on, hold on,” I say, an idea coming to mind. “What if I were to cast a portal here, over to the other side? As long as it stays open from the inside, it will work.”
“You neglect your link to The Haven, Eleira,” Morgan says. “As Queen, you cannot leave the grounds or else your link to the crown, and the throne, falls.”
“What?” I say. “That’s not true at all. I’ve felt the Elemental Forces binding me to the throne. I know what they are. I know how they function. My link to it won’t be severed if I step outside the boundary for a few moments.”
“I’m just telling you what I know,” she says flatly. “Listen or not, that’s your prerogative.”
“I’ve already been outside the wards,” I challenge. “When I welcomed Raul and Phillip and the Forsaken Sisters to us. Nothing happened.”
“Suit yourself,” Morgan says. “Just don’t blame me when things go wrong.”
“Nothing will go wrong,” I promise her.
I open myself to the Elemental Forces. The currents flood into me with tremendous strength, filling me with life. All my senses become augmented—the specks of dust on the rock become more visible, sounds are amplified, and I feel one with the world around me.