by Emma Glass
But never before had I felt so completely hallow.
* * *
Recognition flickered. Hearing my name, I stirred from my poisonous memories and realized I had been distantly scratching a fingernail into the tabletop. It seemed that my name came in passing—it was a small relief.
Idly, I listened on.
Clara Blackwell was still addressing the Council of the Eight Holds—or more accurately, what still remained of it. Their numbers ever dwindled; the formidable collective of world rulers looked utterly broken by recent events.
Well. I suppose we finally have something in common…
I barely paid attention to Clara’s tale. She recounted the days that we spent marooned together on her world—Was it truly so short a trip?—and she eventually came to the part I tried so badly to forget. Ignorant to my plight, Clara told the enraptured vampire lords what it was like to meet those armoured humans, with their strange and powerful weapons. She told them she believed she might have never seeniu me again.
It was a close call. I might’ve never made it…
That damned, handsome smile filtered to the forefront of my mind once again, rattling me. His streamlined and athletic build could have made him a fantastic warrior, if only his human strength could be augmented…
Not that it made a lick of difference now. He was gone.
A lot of eyes I didn’t want were suddenly on me.
Bitter old Valentine asked: “Is this true?”
I cut her a glance that could cut through glass. “Yeah.”
The fools hung on my reply. She added: “…Well?”
I leaned forwards against the table, both elbows down, wrists crossed. “We were ambushed by warriors that look similar to portal gatekeepers in our own castles. Each one carried a weapon unlike anything that I have ever seen: an extending rod, filling the body with excruciating lightning. One connection and you are overwhelmed. I was only barely nicked by one—and it completely shut me down. Let me be perfectly clear: I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. There weren’t too many of them, either. It should have been an easy fight all around…”
The council was mesmerized. Even Elliott was quiet.
“And how did you defeat them?” She asked.
“I didn’t. I ran. It was the only way to survive.”
“I have never seen you back down away from a fight,” my brother noted with abated breath.
“A fight is surmountable. This was anything but.”
Lord Vasiliev sat back in her chair. “This is impossible. You wish me to believe that a weak and frail human could physically oppose a vampire with ascended blood…?”
“I speak the truth,” I noted obliquely.
Clara spoke up. “Yes. She could have been killed.”
“Oh?” Valentine glared over at her. “Such a boast—for one so painfully young and naive.”
“You underestimate my kind. Any one of you could be overpowered on my world. Hell, all of you together would never stand a chance against them. All it has to take is one human with the right weapon. Magic or not, they would destroy you—and you would never see it coming.”
“What. am I supposed to be scared?” the vampire lord quipped, her lip snarling.
Clara nodded solemnly. “Whether you’re scared or not, it’s true. Nikki was defeated by stun batons and guns that can kill you from hundreds of yards away—for all intents and purposes, practically toys compared to the weapons we use to wage war. Real war. Humans are inventive when it comes to killing things. We left swords and clubs behind centuries ago. We were lucky to escape. Very lucky.”
“Remarkable,” Svetlana tented her fingers.
“I wouldn’t call my escape lucky,” I grunted.
“But it was,” Clara insisted, ignoring my tone. “If they came with bigger guns, or tanks… or planes… or…”
“Meaningless words to me,” Valentine cut her off.
“It doesn’t matter how lucky or fortunate Nikki’s escape from the humans was,” Elliott spoke up, ending our small argument. “I have seen much of the insanity of the human world with my own eyes… but such fears are better saved for another day. We have a greater enemy—and she isn’t hidden beyond the abyss that separates the worlds. Lord Blackwood is dead, and a dark sorceress has risen from the dead. She walks this world in the stolen flesh of a vampire lord, twisted to suit her image. She defeated all of us in the council chambers. The sky burns because the Calamity has arrived. Sabine de LaVierre is our true enemy.”
“You’re wrong,” I insisted darkly to Clara.
Her brows furrowed. “No, I’m not. The only reason you got away is that they were limited. With knives and clubs, it would take a castle full of humans to even stand a chance against you. But you’re never going to fight them that way. They moved past swords hundreds of years ago. There are places where even the poorest of them could own a weapon that would kill you—before you could even close the gap.”
“Luck wasn’t the only reason I got away. There was…”
I realized that I stood on my feet—and that I shouted. I had the attention of everyone in the room, though I didn’t want to see any of them right now. I certainly didn’t want any of their attention, or their questions, or their sympathy if they heard the truth. My brother was perhaps the single exception to my overwhelming disdain for every last one of these imbeciles in this accursed place.
It should have been one of you left dead in that chamber. Even me. Any of us… but not Mattias. Never Mattias.
And as for Clara...
“Nikki?” She stood up too. “Are you… okay?”
I turned my face. I knew better than to close my eyes—I would have only seen that nameless human’s face again, and that would bring pain I wasn’t ready to bear.
“I am… tired,” I spoke in a monotone.
“Be that as it may,” Lord Lovrić replied with sympathy, “the end of the world is here at hand. Anything you might know on said topic would be greatly appreciated.”
“I’ve done my part.”
“Lady Craven,” Chandra Song smiled despondently, in her stupid little sing-song voice, “I could only imagine the pain you’ve been through—“
“No,” I cut her a glare. “You can’t. None of you can.”
Elliott cleared his throat. “Nikki. Maybe you should get a bit of rest. We can try and talk this over later—“
Valentine Vasiliev narrowed her eyes. “No. The girl can answer our questions or earn our collective contempt. This is far too important for her to simply slip away. We need to know everything. Your sister is unaware of our efforts and preparations in her wake. If any of us hope to survive this coming clash, whatever it is…”
“Look at her,” Chandra nodded my way. “She’s scared. Exhausted. Suffering. Any of us can see—“
“Silence,” Valentine demanded.
Wearily, my eyes rolled. Clara and my brother watched me with quiet sympathy. I hated it. I hated them, briefly.
“I am not enduring this tonight,” I insisted. “The rest of you are free to do whatever you’d bloody well like. But it has been a long day, and I require my rest.”
“If you leave now,” Valentine snarled, “we will hold—“
“—Nothing,” I told her frankly. “You shall hold nothing over me. I brought you all the body of Mattias Blackburn. I fought for him before your very eyes and you hold a mock funeral over an empty casket? Despicable.”
“Nikki,” Elliott warned in a low voice.
“I served my purpose. I brought you your leader. I—“
Valentine snapped: “Mattias Blackburn is not our—“
My fist slammed down hard on the tabletop, driving a series of cracks partway across the surface. “You defile his memory with your ignorance. Mattias was a better warrior and a greater vampire lord than any of you—more than all of you! We saw things that would freeze the blood in your veins! While you sit here with your hands tied and dare to judge me, we went and did something! Without
our efforts, none of you would be ready for what is coming!”
“Nikki!” Elliott shouted. “That’s enough!”
“Is it? Was it enough, brother, to watch him die? Was it enough to leave his shattered body in that forsaken place? Was it enough to make that battleground his tomb? Tell me now, because I would love to know. Tell me how the rest of you are cowards. Tell me how you left Lord Blackburn to rot in that dark and broken place…”
“You are out of line,” Ooktuk Krum noted.
I smirked, but this time it was not out of sadism. Only anger played out across my face. “You need me. All of you need me. The last few years have made that abundantly clear. And I am telling you now that what I need… is rest.”
“We don’t have the time,” Svetlana replied calmly.
“Then make the time. I am exhausted beyond reason…” I reached for my dagger, realizing I didn’t have it on me—instead, I chose to place my palms down on the tabletop and lean towards Valentine in a tone sweeter than venom. “We all know Mattias was the best among you. If you ever speak less of that great warrior again in my presence, I will let no border, castle, exhaustion, or spell impede me from what I shall do to you.”
“Lady Craven… Are you threatening me?”
I snorted, letting my eyes convey the seriousness of my words. “Old and stupid. Fitting. Perhaps you have reigned for too long.”
Their faces were united in complete horror. Meanwhile, Elliott and Clara merely sighed, sharing a sullen look.
“I am going to my chambers now. If any of you disturb me, the world had better be ending.”
It felt good to leave the council chamber. It felt good to see the looks on all their faces—even Elliott’s—when I cast them all aside, changing my mind at the last moment. This was not a time for sleep, but a time for paying my respects.
An empty casket? An empty gesture.
While they were all content to mutter words at a mock funeral and sit around discussing the burning sky, I would honour Mattias’s memory—in my own way.
The way he would have appreciated.
Chapter 4
Elliott
I took a long, deep breath as I watched the sky.
There was a lot to unpack from the meeting.
Nikki didn’t exactly leave a good impression with the others, but I was lucky in that Clara returned with gifts from a world abroad. I would never be able to forget how proud I felt when she unveiled stacks of paper filled with hundreds of years of complex human ingenuity. Svetlana in particular was taken by it, staring in shock and wonder as she studied the pages as if her entire world depended upon it.
Of course, perhaps it did.
Nikki had left us all a gift as well. Strange vessels full of human blood almost caused a breakdown in civility that would have thrilled my chaotic sister, had she been here to witness it. Clara only managed to prevent our lustful feast when she explained that drinking pure human blood had temporarily stripped my sister of her magic and made her vulnerable to attack. None present wished to be rendered weak as the Calamity approached.
As Clara filled in more details and moved about the room, I’d stepped outside to get some fresh air. I recalled the unexpectedly frightful look in Nikki’s eyes as she told us of the human warriors. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Nikki was hiding something behind her fearful gaze.
Something potentially… crucial.
But the meeting went onwards; we dispersed an hour later. I was standing in on my balcony atop Craven Keep. A smile rose on my lips as a presence approached; I did not have to turn around to recognize it. Sure enough, I felt her head against my shoulder as Clara Blackwell nestled against me.
“We leave in the morning,” I noted solemnly.
She quietly nodded. “I know.”
We stood in silence together and observed the formerly beautiful night sky—now frozen in the middle of tearing itself apart. From even this distant vantage point, we could faintly study the storm of chrysm light that beat down across the sea in a vibrant column. Even in such dangerous times as these, I could never deny the pleasure of having a moment alone with her.
It was a brief peace before the coming storm.
A shudder ran along her spine. I felt how it rustled her shoulders. “Are you alright, my love?”
Another nod. “I wish that we could’ve had a few more years before we had to deal with all of this… madness. More time for us. It doesn’t seem fair.”
I thought on that. “Ever since you and I first met, we’ve lurched from one disaster to the next. It’s ceaseless, really. I wonder what it would take to finally make that stop.”
“The end of the world, I guess.”
I mirthlessly laughed. “I suppose so.”
Clara stiffened up against my side, clearly preoccupied. As she dug around for the right words, I pulled her closer into my embrace and studied the scorched skies. It looked like burning magma, drowning the cosmos above.
“This could be our last night together, Elliott.”
I agreed—reluctantly. “Yes. I suppose so.”
“If the Calamity was really waiting for me to return…“
“Clara…”
“—If it is, I don’t have another night to do this.”
That caught my attention. “To do what?”
Her face turned; her eyes captured my gaze. “I don’t care what comes tomorrow. Meeting you—loving you—has made all of this worth the pain and the hardship. All that we’ve seen, and all that we’ve done… I want you to know that I am forever and impossibly yours.”
I was caught off-guard. But I smiled. “I know.”
“Elliott Craven, do you know what ‘marriage’ is?”
I lifted a brow, amused at the word. “Marriage?”
“You… really don’t, do you?”
I thought to myself. “I cannot say I’m familiar with the term, but it sounds familiar. Care to elaborate?”
She looked a little heartbroken.
“Clara, what’s the matter?”
“I was just… thinking back to an old conversation with Kinsey, a long time ago,” she replied despairingly. “I never got around to asking her what she meant…”
My raised brow darkened. “Hmm?”
“Do vampires, or vampire lords, even… take mates?”
“Mates?” I almost chuckled, though I caught myself. “I, well… historically, no. It is rare to experience the emotions I feel for you. When we build a union, it is typically done in the context of a business transaction. In the specific case of the vampire lords, such endeavors are seen as a liability. We reduce ourselves if we are being driven by love.”
She looked concerned. “That’s so sad. Is that really it?”
“Most believe that it splinters the priorities of a capable sovereign—it represents a point of failure. A ruler could be forced to choose between their lover and their citizens by an outside force or even a rival lord. The people feel safer knowing their ruler has no… distractions.”
“But that’s just… depressing, really.”
“It is.” I rubbed her other shoulder, keeping her close.
“Did you think this way before, Elliott?”
I smirked. “Before I met you?”
“Before or after.”
After a moment’s hesitation… “Yes. A long time ago.”
“After you first met me?”
“Of course not. Before.”
“How soon before?”
“Right up until we met, I think,” I thought aloud. “For centuries, I viewed my emotions as weakness. I had to be prepared for anything as the new ruler of these lands. As far as I was concerned, taking a mate was the very least of my worries. My heart had little room for romance. I was a creature of logic and calculation. Driven by responsibility.”
A cocky smile came. “That never changed.”
“It is difficult to be a creature of rationality when along comes someone like you to unravel my life…” I planted a warm kiss o
n her cheek. “How cunning and deliberate can I really be with you here—watching over me? Loving me? Guiding me away from a darker path?”
“The darker path…” She disappeared into thought.
“Clara?” I tilted my head.
She blinked. “Right. Sorry. I was thinking.”
I nestled her hair with my lips. “Thinking about…?”
“Your words reminded me of Broadmoor Park. I can’t believe how long it’s been since I have even thought of that place. But they made me think of the path down to the lake. Broken. Meandering. Trapped in darkness. All of the pieces, broken up from the ground beneath. It feels like it takes forever… and suddenly, there you are…”
I remembered this path.
I’d walked the gnarled, torn pavement at her side—but there had been another. We weren’t alone as we navigated the gnarled, twisted footpaths towards an abandoned lake that barely touched my world here.
Clara, that human boy Peter, and myself. I have not thought of him in quite some time, either. I hope that he’s doing well for himself among the humans. I have to admit… without him, she and I may never have made it back to the lake in time—and I might’ve been burnt to a crisp at the next dawn’s break…
“Sounds like the path that led us to this very night.”
“No, Elliott. It was the path to tomorrow.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
We watched the sky a little longer. The path to tomorrow. The path to whatever new fate lays before us now that our destiny has been so thoroughly tampered with…
“Marriage…” I turned to her. “Explain this term.”
“Oh. It’s… silly,” she looked away.
My thumb caught under her chin; I lifted her face up to meet my own. “I’m sure that it isn’t. Tell me, Clara.”
Hesitance briefly clouded her features. “Humans… we, well… we take the concept of mates pretty seriously. Every last corner of the world, every civilization we’ve ever had, we’ve come up with a hundred different formal rituals to make a sort of… commitment between two lovers…”
I turned away, hiding a smile. “I see.”