by E. M. Knight
“You told him about that?” Raul asks.
“Given all that he’s seen, it seemed inappropriate to leave it out,” I tell him.
Raul shakes his head and then he sighs. “Even if I wanted to believe it,” he says. “What proof do you have? It is your word against all that I’ve grown up believing.”
“Recall again who was charged with teaching you history,” Felix tells him. “The Queen has secrets she’s kept even from her sons. That should come as no great surprise.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Raul says. “In fact, it’s obvious. But claiming that the Black Sorceress is in some way related to me…”
“Do you take offense?” Felix asks.
“What? No, of course not.”
“Then I suggest we table the matter for the moment,” he says. “Cierra is not our immediate concern. Morgan’s plan for Eleira, on the other hand, is.”
He goes back to the table and picks up the magic goblet. “The Queen will use this tonight,” he tells Raul, “not to transfer her power to Eleira… but to steal Eleira’s for herself.”
Concern dawns on Raul’s face. “What do you mean?”
Quickly, Felix explains all that he knows to him.
“But it’s only a suspicion,” Raul says when he’s done, “Right?”
“I think you and I both know the Queen well enough to know she will never cede power willingly,” Felix replies.
I swallow. “It’s the only thing that makes sense, too,” I say.
“So we can’t do it!” Raul exclaims. “Eleira, I won’t let you go through with this. Let me talk to Mother, maybe I can convince her of—”
“Convince her of what?” I ask. “Convince her to give up control? Convince her to spare me, for whom she cares nothing? I’ve watched the Queen too, you know. I’ve seen how she acts. I know how she thinks. You won’t convince her of anything. If you go to her now, you will only alert her to our suspicion.”
“That’s an even greater danger for all of us,” Felix finishes for me. “We have one advantage now, and it is that the Queen doesn’t know that Eleira knows.”
“So what? You’re just going to go through with it?” Raul asks. “That’s your master plan? You’re willing to have Eleira sacrifice herself because you’re too cowardly to—”
“Nobody’s saying anything about sacrifice,” I cut in angrily. “Give me some credit, Raul! You’re always treating me like a child.”
“Maybe that’s because you…” he starts, but clamps his mouth shut before he can finish.
“That’s because I’m what?” I ask, my voice becoming dangerously low.
“Never mind,” Raul says. “I spoke without thinking.”
“No, I want to know!” I insist, growing more and more irritated with him. “If you have something to say to me, then just come out and say it!” I take a forceful step to him and stab his chest. “I’m sick of you treating me like a little girl. It’s demeaning!”
Raul runs a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m sorry,” he begins. “It’s not that I don’t believe in you, or that I don’t trust you. I know that you have good judgment. But the truth is… damn, Eleira, the truth is, you are young. You haven’t even been a vampire for more than a few months! I know you’re capable, I know you’re strong. It’s never a question of that. And I do—believe me when I say this—I do love you. Absolutely and completely. Irrevocably. That’s why I’m so protective of you sometimes. I can’t help it. And I know it might be stifling, but trust me, that is not what I intend. I just don’t want to lose you! I don’t know what I would do with myself if something bad ever happened to you.”
And just like that my heart softens. I close the gap between us quickly and look up into his beautiful green eyes.
“I love you too, you big lug,” I tell him. I bring a hand up and tangle it in his hair and pull his head down to kiss him.
Then I let him go. “I forgive you. Just remember that I am an adult, and I can make my own decisions now. Okay?”
Raul gives a rueful grin. “…Fine,” he hedges. “Then tell me what you intend to do.”
This time it’s my turn to smile. “Felix?” I ask.
Right on cue, he tosses me the goblet.
I hold it out between me and Raul. “Morgan intends to use the contra-torrial’s magic to leech my powers away from me,” I say. “Our advantage is that she doesn’t know I have it. So, I bewitched it. I put the tiniest spell onto it that will serve almost like a funnel. When the Queen tries to draw power away from me, she’ll instead be drawing from the source that the goblet taps into.” I smile at Felix. “It’s actually pretty brilliant.”
Raul appears entirely unconvinced. “You’re talking about tricking somebody who’s dealt with magic for more than five centuries,” he says. “No offense, Eleira, but I don’t think it’s going to work. What’s to say Mother won’t pick up on the difference right away?”
“You forget that I was able to dismantle the cloaked seal,” I say. “I learned a lot from that. I inverted the weaves I used here. There isn’t a witch alive who can see them but me.”
I can see how difficult it is for Raul to accept what I’m saying at face value.
“It sounds like an enormous gamble,” he says. “I don’t like it. The risk here is huge. If something goes wrong…”
“It won’t,” I assure him. “And we have Felix to thank for that. Don’t think I bewitched the goblet blindly. He gave me instructions written by the very same group of dissenting witches who made the contra-torrials in the first place.”
Raul looks at the Royal Court member with deep suspicion. “And where did he find such a thing?”
“As I told Eleira,” he says smoothly, “there was once a time when witches and vampires worked together in harmony. Before the formation of The Vorcellian Order, and many, many years before your mother was born. I carry knowledge and experience from that time. In fact, I am the one who presented Morgan with the goblet. It is one of only sixteen.”
“I cast the spell, and it worked,” I tell Raul. “The weaves were difficult, but they made sense. Believe me. I wouldn’t go through with this if I did not think that was the case.”
“And what if we’re all wrong?” Raul asks. “What if Morgan has no intention of stealing your power? What if the ceremony is exactly what it’s believed to be?”
“Then Morgan comes out of it none the wiser for anything having taken place,” I say. “The spell I put on the goblet won’t be activated. Nothing will happen.”
“It’s an awful lot to put to chance,” Raul says.
“It’s the only choice we have,” I say. “The other vampires were all promised the succession would take place tonight. And we have to restore the wards and secure The Haven again. Going through the ceremony is a triviality compared to the enormity of everything else we face. We just have to move past it. The only way that can happen is if we get it done. Delaying would be useless. That is why Felix and I did what we did.”
“You really do believe it’s the only way, don’t you?” Raul asks.
I nod. “It is. Otherwise there’s too much uncertainty.”
“Then I won’t stand in your way. You have my full support. But damn if it doesn’t make me feel entirely useless being unable to help!”
I take his hand. “You help by believing in me,” I say.
He grunts, unconvinced.
Felix comes to stand between us. “There’s more,” he says. “Eleira and I also agreed to—”
He’s interrupted by the sound of a gong going off in the distance. Immediately, I feel a strange trickle of energy cascade through the air.
Raul stiffens and looks to the door. “That’s the royal bell,” he says. “Mother hasn’t used it for hundreds of years.”
“She’s called a gathering,” Felix says. “All the vampires must assemble.” He meets my eyes. “The ceremony is about to begin.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Raul
The
Assembly Room
Felix, Eleira, and I rush through the hall toward the sound of the bell. There’s already a steady stream of vampires speeding that way. I keep my hand on Eleira’s back, protectively guiding her forward.
The Incolam and Elite alike give us a wide berth despite their hurry.
We break into the assembly room. The place is lit up. All the candles and torches have been ignited, and long shadows are cast from the mass of humans standing, frightened, in a tight ball in the middle of the room.
I look around, searching for Mother. I’m sure if she were here she’d stand out amongst the rest.
But she is nowhere to be seen.
Amidst the swarming bodies I pick out a group of Elite vampires congregating to one side. Some in their company have been friendly with me over the years.
So I point them out and start toward them.
Felix breaks away from us halfway there. He says he’s forgotten something. I pay scant attention as he ducks out of the crowd and goes to find an exit.
I know he has to return the goblet to the Queen in time. As it is, if I were her, I’d be highly suspicious of him having taken it.
The only saving grace I can think of is that he is the goblet’s keeper.
“Hey!” I pull Eleira into me. “Are you okay?”
She nods and gives a grim smile. “Just peachy.”
“The ceremony’s to take place outside,” I tell her. “Mother always made it clear it must be done under the light of the moon.”
“So why call this gathering?” she asks.
“A prelude, if anything,” I say. “Remember that she also promised our vampires The Hunt.”
Eleira’s eyes flash with sudden determination. “She’s not going to kill more humans before I’m made Queen.”
“If I can stop it, I will,” I tell her. I look at the small group of humans clustered together in the middle of the hall. “I promised them I would give them a better life.”
“When?” she asks.
“Before I got to you and Felix,” I say. “And I intend to make good on it. If…”
My words die on my tongue as a sudden hush falls upon the crowd. Vampires start pointing up at a high ledge built into the rock.
I turn my gaze there. A ripple of shock washes over me as I recognize Phillip. He’s standing there, but he’s...different.
He’s wearing the equivalent of a sorcerer’s robes. The long fabric falls from his shoulders in waves.
I’ve never seen a gown like that on any vampire, much less my younger brother.
That is peculiar in its own right, but it is not what concerns me most.
His eyes do.
They look dull and lifeless. He stands there above us, features completely still, almost like a simulacrum. He stares out into the swarm with not a shred of emotion on his face.
It’s like he’s been taken over. Possessed.
“Something’s wrong,” I whisper to Eleira. “Look at him. He isn’t himself!”
Instinctually my hand goes up to my chest, to the pocket where I have a vial of Liana’s blood.
“You’re right,” she agrees. “It’s his eyes. They’re not normal.”
“No,” I say.
Just then Phillip raises one hand.
Absolute silence falls. The lights are such that they illuminate Phillip’s face. Somehow, they make him seem almost ghoul-like.
“Vampires of The Haven,” he intones. His words are heavy, as if he’s speaking though a dense fog. “You have been called here tonight to be given a notice. I speak now as your Captain Commander. The Haven is no longer safe… for those who are not our kind!”
His hand streaks down as he points directly at the humans. “They are here for one purpose. And that is to sustain our lives! We have protected them for too long. We have suffered in hunger and thirst for too many nights! While each of these humans possesses such a rich, sweet, reservoir of blood, we deny ourselves sustenance. Why?”
“Why, indeed!” somebody yells. A dozen more voices take up the rallying cry.
“Something’s happened to him,” I tell Eleira under my breath. “This isn’t my brother speaking.”
“I am here,” Phillip continues. “On behalf of my Mother, our glorious Queen. It is her message that I speak now to you. No more will The Haven vampires go hungry! No more will we defend such a despicable, inferior race! Tonight is the night of the succession. Tomorrow—” he smacks his lips with greed. “Tomorrow, we begin a new era, a new way of life. Tomorrow we will feast as other covens can only dream of! From this day forth, by the Queen’s own decree, The Hunt will take place every week, and our humans will finally be used for the purpose they were designed for!”
The proclamation is met with a series of cheers. Phillip holds his hands up in triumph.
I look at the villagers and see the fear on all their faces.
I cannot stand silent anymore. “ENOUGH!” I yell.
My voice cuts through the cacophony of noise like an air raid siren.
Once more the congregation falls quiet. Vampires turn and look at me.
“Enough!” I repeat, and this time, I don’t need to raise my voice. “Phillip, that’s enough. What’s gotten into you? Have you forgotten what we stand for?”
My younger brother’s lips curl up in a cruel smile. “I forget nothing, Raul,” he says plainly.
A shiver crawls down my spine from the way he says my name. I’ve never heard him fill it with so much scorn before.
“We had thought the Queen called this gathering,” I say. “But it was you! Why bring us here, what do you want?”
“I told you what I want,” he answers. He addresses the crowd around me. “I told you all what I want! A unified vision, shared by all vampires. A new dawn, an era of prosperity and abundance. None of you will be asked to restrain yourselves ever again. None of you will be told to keep your instincts in check! As Captain Commander, I am charged with upholding Haven law. And nothing in our laws speak of protecting humans!”
He flings out his arm again and aims it at them. The men and women in the circle shy away.
Phillip laughs. “So meek,” he says. “All the better for us tomorrow. No more will we shelter them! And when our stock runs out, we will bring in more from the outside world! The Hunt… shall be magnificent.”
He brings his hands together and claps them twice. On the command, a ring of guards streaks out and surround the humans.
“Take them back to the cavern,” Phillip says. “They should have never been given access to this hall.”
On cue, the guards herd them out. I am helpless to stop them from going.
Somebody touches my arm. I turn and look, and see Eleira.
“Look at his eyes,” she says oh-so-softly.
“I’ve seen them,” I reply curtly. My attention is taken up by the humans, the very same ones I vowed to protect.
“No, I mean really look at them,” Eleira says. “Right… now.”
As she asks, I look up. And just then, for the briefest flicker of a moment, I see a swarm of black flecks stream across the whites of Phillip’s eyes.
“He’s using blood magic,” she says under her breath.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Eleira
The Assembly Room
Raul looks at me with a mix of horror and shock. He glances back at his brother, swallows, and turns once more to me.
“You’re right,” he says.
“Did you know he could do it?” I ask. Around us, the vampires have taken on an excited buzz of energy. They are all alight with the prospect of unlimited feedings once the wards are back.
“No,” he says. “Never. He couldn’t have. Otherwise I would have noticed it before.”
“The miasma is a telltale sign,” I say. I bite my lower lip. “Looks like magic runs deep in Soren blood.”
Raul grunts and says nothing.
Above us, Phillip starts to retreat. Just before he disappears from sight, however, he look
s at me… and winks.
“He knows I know,” I say in sudden alarm.
“Last I know, he went to see Mother,” Raul says. “She must have done something.”
“We need to get to him,” I say urgently. “Before the ceremony.”
“The Queen will want you with her for that,” Raul tells me.
“I know. We don’t have much time.” I take his hand and start pushing through the crowd. “Come on.”
Raul trails after me for a few steps, distracted by something I do not see. After he snaps to attention, he quickly overtakes me and leads the way.
We reach the edge of the cavern. Phillip’s guard brought the humans the opposite way. From what I know of the stronghold, this way leads to the Queen’s chambers.
We pass through the exit and soon leave the noise of the gathering behind.
“I don’t think any of the others broke rank,” I say, glancing behind me. “The rest of the vampires are still gathered back there.”
Raul nods. “They’re waiting for Mother to call the assembly. Did you notice how none of them so much as acknowledged your presence? There’s always pomp and ceremony to these things.”
“They haven’t seen much evidence of that,” I tell him.
“That’s because she’s rushing,” Raul answers. “I would have thought the guards would have summoned you before.”
“Preoccupied?” I ask.
“Perhaps,” Raul answers. “Eleira, when I went outside… I saw things. I have to tell you. I didn’t want to in front of Felix, but now that we’re alone…”
“What is it?” I ask.
“I think—I’m not sure—but I think she’s trying to influence the phase of the moon.”
I take a step back. “What? That’s ridiculous. Nobody has that kind of power.”
“Not that we know,” Raul stresses. “But something happened to Mother in the Paths. She’s more capable now.”