by E. M. Knight
“Why?” she demands. “April’s been there. She can show me. She can introduce me to the people she knows.”
I shake my head. “You don’t understand. Vampires and humans keep separate. They do not mingle. We live here together, yes, but the only way the arrangement works is if we both keep to our own parts. Besides,” I look her up and down, “word will have spread about you. Nobody would dare speak to you for fear of inciting a vampire’s wrath.”
April takes a sudden step forward. “I speak to her,” she says.
“Yes, but you’re different from the rest of them,” I nearly snarl. “You are not so cowering. You have ambitions the other humans would not dream of entertaining. Is it not true you lay with my brother? Is it not true you are the one who helped frame Jacob and Patricia?”
April wavers under my questions.
“Ha!” I bark. “Just as I thought.” I see the surprise on Eleira’s face. “Oh, and your friend thought it was a lie, did she?” I ask. I can’t help the tempestuous words spilling from my mouth. “She thought the accusations were false? Or maybe your friendship isn’t yet on the level I’d assumed. Hmm?”
Both girls stare at me as if I’d transformed into some horrible monster.
“I saw…” Eleira says. “I saw the Queen do something to your arm.” She looks at April. “She protected you. Didn’t she?”
April nods, but then shakes her head as she says, “I don’t know why she did it.”
“So you see?” I demand. Both their attention snaps back to me. “You girls are out of your depth. I’m the only one who can offer sanctuary. Will you come with me, or not?” I give a cruel smile. “I’d much rather not have to force you to my will.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
ELEIRA
Raul takes us back to the luxurious chamber in the treetops. This time, however, he offers me a key card.
“It’ll work on only the doors you’re allowed through,” he explains. “Wherever it doesn’t open, you shouldn’t be.”
When I take it from him, our fingers brush. An electric jolt races up my arm.
I suck in a breath and pull away.
Raul’s eyes widen, and I know he felt the jolt too.
“Incredible,” he murmurs, so softly I almost think I imagine the word.
“What is it with you two?” April asks when we’re alone. “The way he looks at you…”
I stare at her. “What?”
“Nothing, nothing,” she says, holding her hands up. “I didn’t mean to sound hostile.”
“I’m sorry,” I shake my head. “I’m just tired, and overwhelmed, you know? Twenty-four hours ago I thought I’d be a Convicted’s meal. And now, I’ve been introduced to all of them here as their Princess? It’s ludicrous.
April comes up to me and takes my hand. “But you’re not in it alone anymore,” she promises. “Remember that.”
I nod. “Thank you.” A yawn comes unbidden. “How long have we been up? It’s so strange keeping time when it’s always night out.”
“It’s like we’re behind an eclipse,” April agrees.
“How do the other humans do it?” I ask as I walk to the balcony and look at their primitive village below. “How can they live with no sun?”
“They don’t know any other life exists,” April says.
“It’s so sad,” I say. “Those brought in from the Outside get bewitched. Those born here aren’t aware of any other way of life.” I feel a resolve building inside.
“This is bigger than just me,” I mutter. “I’m not the only one being held prisoner. All of these people are, too.”
I turn to face April. My resolve is transforming into a new idea. Into a purpose. “If they want to elevate me to a position of power,” I say, “then I’m not going to forget the injustice being done. I will free these people, April. I’ll free them of this tyranny. Because all of them—every single one—deserve to have their lives back.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
PHILLIP
“…deserve to have their lives back.”
I stop the video there and look at Raul. “That’s quite the riveting speech she gave.”
My brother grunts. “You know, I almost wish she had it in her to do it… or at least to try.”
“You don’t think she would?”
He smiles sadly. “Not after the transformation takes hold. She’ll be like the rest of us. Some might try to do good, but it goes against our nature. We are creatures of the night. And the night is dark and full of terrors.”
I laugh a little. “You’ve been watching that TV show again, haven’t you? What’s it called? Game of…?”
“Game of Thrones,” he says. “And maybe. It’s a guilty pleasure.”
“What Mother would say if she knew…”
“Mother has her own problems to worry about. Anyway, that’s not why I came. Have you made any progress with your search?”
“You mean your search,” I correct. I sigh. “And no. There’s no such thing as an antidote to vampirism. It can’t be reversed.”
“You need to look harder, Phillip,” Raul says. “I know there’s something there. There has to be. I can feel it!”
“For all your protestations, you’re a lot like James, you know that?” I rib him gently. “All passion and energy, just less of the anger.”
“Oh no,” he said. “There’s anger here.” He touches his chest. “Lots and lots of anger. Believe me.”
I turn back to the computer. “There’s no antidote,” I repeat. “But I did find this,” I pull up a scanned image of an ancient parchment.
Raul’s attention instantly goes to the screen. “What is it? How’d you get it? Those letters…” his fingers run along the screen. “It’s Arabic, isn’t it?”
“It’s the same alphabet, but not the same language,” I say.
“Well, you’re the master of tongues! What does it say?”
I grimace in annoyance. “Unfortunately, I can’t read it. Not properly. Bits and pieces of it make a little sense—”
“Get on with it,” Raul growls. His hands tighten on the back of my chair.
“As best as I can tell,” I begin. “It speaks of a ritual. Conducted by the ancient pharaohs of Egypt. They believed,” I clear my throat, “they believed some of our abilities came from the Sun God. But that when they tried to transfer the Sun God’s abilities onto humans, an evil spirit interrupted the procedure and infused those powers with night.” I shake my head. “Like I said, I can’t make much sense of it. But it’s definitely speaking of what we are.”
“This is our origin?” Raul marvels.
“It could be.” I admit. “And just as easily, it could not. But the reason I’m showing this to you is that I think — I think! — that the ritual they’re describing is an attempt at exorcising the bad spirits from the human form and restoring the Sun God’s gift to what it was meant to be before it became tainted.”
“But then that’s it!” Raul exclaims. “That is the solution. That is the cure!
“No,” I say. “You’re jumping to conclusions. For one, more than half of the description of the ritual is missing.” I scroll through the image of the parchment to show him. “See? Significant parts are lost.”
“Why, that’s not —” Raul grunts. “That doesn’t mean the original is gone. It’s just the scan that’s missing, isn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“Where did you get it, anyway? You never answered my question.”
“I… hacked into Father’s coven’s computers,” I admit.
“What!” Raul exclaims. “If it’s traced back to us—”
“Don’t worry, I have more tact than that. Unlike James’s diplomatic mission,” I add.
“Okay, good,” Raul says. “Have you heard anything from our eldest brother yet?”
“It’s only been a few days. No.”
Raul makes a sound deep in his throat. “Just keep looking. And for now? Turn the camera off to El
eira’s room. I want to give her the privacy she’s due.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
ELEIRA
The next few days pass uneventfully. I expect somebody to come for me and April, to get some sort of summons, to be told what to do…
Nothing. We have food brought to us, but there isn’t any interaction past that.
That first night back I ventured out with the key card to see what access it grants me. Precious little. All the doors in the hall outside my room remain locked, except for one that leads to a wide balcony facing the opposite way from mine. The view from it is all trees and darkness; the village lies on the other side.
I start to worry about what my family and friends out in the real world think of what happened to me. There’s probably a police search going on at this very moment.
I sigh. I’ve seen enough to know nobody will ever find me.
But eventually… I will make my way back. I won’t just abandon all that I’ve known and grown up with. Not for some creatures who shouldn’t even exist. Not for the way they pulled me into their twisted games.
“Enjoying the night, Princess?”
I spin around. I hadn’t heard anybody enter!
Standing there is a lanky, boyish looking vampire. He has the tell-tale pale skin and enhanced good looks, but something about him feels… different.
He’s wearing glasses, for one. I thought all vampires gained perfect vision. And there’s something about his hair, too. It’s not as sleek, not as shining and healthy and vibrant as every other vampire I’d seen.
“Who are you?” I ask, wary. I back away. “If you know I’m the Princess, you know the Queen’s orders. I’m not to be harmed.”
His eyebrows go up, and he gives a little laugh. “Harm you? Why ever would I harm you? As appealing as your kind is to some of my kin, I choose not to partake… in their viciousness.”
I narrow my eyes. “What do you mean?”
He spreads his hands. “I don’t drink human blood.”
“What? How is that even possible?” I eye him up and down. “I don’t believe you.”
“Believe it,” he says. He steps to the railing and looks out into the forest. “It’s not been easy, mind you. But the thirst… lessens, after so many years.”
“So you don’t feed at all?” I ask. Something about his honesty intrigues me.
“Oh I feed. But just on animal blood. It’s a sacrifice I’ve consciously made. While other vampires grow stronger every time they take a life and get a new infusion of blood, I simply… linger.” He turns his head to me. “Something you could do, if you so choose, when your transformation is complete.”
“What’s your name?” I ask. “There’s something familiar about you, I think.”
“That’s because you’ve met both my brothers,” he says. “Raul and James.”
“You’re Phillip!” I exclaim.
He smiles. “The one and only.”
“I heard Raul calling for you the first night I was here.”
“Ah. About that. I’m sorry, but it was all James’s idea. He has a mind for theatrics. He thought it would be,” his lips twist in distaste, “fun to see how you react waking up in the atrium.” He shrugs. “He always liked to play with his food.”
I shiver.
Phillip notices. “James won’t hurt you,” he says. “He’s been sent away.”
“I know.”
“In fact, nobody in The Haven will dare hurt you. They know you have my Mother’s protection. And yet…”
Phillip turns to face me. He looks into my eyes.
“I came to warn you, Princess. Not everything here is as it seems. Everything we do gives the appearance of relative peace and prosperity under the Queen’s rule, but there are rumblings underground. Not all are happy that you’ve been chosen as her successor. There are many who would have preferred the true heir came from within our own ranks. That’s part of the reason we’re turning you, you see. So they won’t see you as an upstart, defenseless human—no matter how reluctant you may be. Your enemies will choose not to see that. The truth is… the truth is Mother doesn’t need a vampire to rule. She needs a witch. That is what you are, through your ancestry. It is one thing you can never deny.”
He turns to leave. “Forgive me for interrupting. I wish you a pleasant night.”
“Wait!” I say. “Wait, you say you came here with a warning? What is it?”
“Only that you should treasure these peaceful times,” he says. “Because they will not last for much longer.”
“Wait, no, Phillip, don’t go.” He’s the first vampire I don’t feel frightened of. “Nobody is telling me anything. I heard about the transformation, but past that, I don’t know a thing! Am I supposed to feel different? Because I don’t. Is something supposed to happen to my body? Because it hasn’t. Maybe it’s all just a sham, a way for you to try to endear me to your cause, or, or…” I blubber on. “I don’t know.”
A look of genuine concern flashes across Phillip’s face. “You haven’t been told anything about it?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No.”
“Well, that’s not good…” he taps his lips. “What can I say? You’ve been injected with James’s venom. There’s only a tiny bit of it in your blood. There are changes happening within your body right now. They have been since that first night. But they are happening very, very slowly, because you’ve been given such a miniscule amount.
“The slower it happens, the less risk there is. Mother thought you precious, and so she only let James give you the minimal effective dose. I wouldn’t have thought he’d be able to hold back, but my brother might be more disciplined than I’ve given him credit for.”
Phillip steps toward me. “Let me see your eyes,” he says. He hesitates, then reaches out and takes hold of my face. His touch does nothing to me. It’s completely inert, like a doctor’s examination.
“Hmm,” he says. “Look this way.” He points. “Then that.” He points again. Then he lets go.
“Your eyes are changing,” he says. “It’s the most subtle shift. But the eyes are where the transformation first takes hold. And then, the body, and then, the mind…” He trails off and shudders in discomfort.
“What?” I ask. “Is it that unpleasant?”
“You could say that,” he sighs. “But I don’t want to frighten you.”
“How long…” I swallow. “How long before it begins?”
“It’s hard to tell. It all depends on your body’s reaction. Could be days. Could be a few weeks. Could be a couple of months. It’s not something that’s exactly been studied. We don’t turn just anyone. In fact, there have been less than ten vampires made in the last hundred years.”
“Oh, wow,” I say.
“So if it helps, you should feel honored,” he says, drily.
I blink at him. Was that an actual joke?
“Oh, one more thing,” he adds. “Tomorrow, you’ll be let down in the village. There is a,” he waves a hand through the air, “a special event that all humans are required to attend. And since you still are, in fact, mostly human…” he shrugs, “it’ll just be a formality for you to be there. You shouldn’t worry.”
But I don’t even know what there is to be worried about.
Chapter Thirty
ELEIRA
April and I are awakened after less than six hours of sleep by a loud knocking on the door.
“I’ll give you five minutes to get dressed,” Raul calls from the other side. “And then I’m coming in.”
She and I both scramble into our respective clothes. I put on another ridiculous dress. She gets into the peasant garb.
Raul sweeps into the room. It’s the first time I’ve seen him in days, and my breath catches at his crisp outfit. He looks stunningly handsome and very sharp.
But he doesn’t so much as glance at me. Instead, he speaks to the air. “Both of you will accompany me down to the town square,” he says. “You will not speak to anyone unless g
iven explicit permission by me. Eleira, I know you won’t have any problems with that. April—you might. Lots of people down there know who you are. They’ve been wondering about you. Unless you want to lose your place as Eleira’s favorite, and at the same time forsake my Mother’s protection, you will keep your mouth shut. Understand?”
April nods.
“Hold on,” I say. “You’re not telling us anything. Why are we going down there, what’s happening?”
He glances at me, and I can’t help but suck a sharp little breath in. For a moment, I thought I glimpsed actual fear in his eyes.
“Nothing,” he says finally. “Nothing you should worry over. It’s just a formality. Nothing more.”
His words remind me so much of what Phillip said last night that they all but confirm there’s a secret the two brothers are keeping from me.
***
It feels ridiculously good to be let go out into nature again. But the feeling evaporates as soon as I hear and see the anxious crowd of humans buzzing in front of me.
They are gathered around a large bonfire that blazes far above their heads. Murmurs and whispers abound. As Raul leads us to them, a nasty feeling of apprehension floats up in my gut.
“Psst,” I whisper to April. “Hey, do you know what this is?”
She casts a look at Raul to see if he objects to us talking before nodding and saying, “Yeah. It’s the draft.”
“Draft? Draft for what?”
“Draft for the lottery, for The Hunt,” she says. “They have us put our names in now, then draw them the night before.”
“But we just had a full moon,” I say. “Why are they doing it so early?”
“I don’t know.” April sounds concerned. “Usually it’s a week before.”
Raul glances back. “Silence!” he commands.
April and I shut our mouths.
When we walk through the villagers, a way parts for us. I hear their whispers. They’re just as confused and concerned by the early gathering as April.