by Cege Smith
Angeline climbed as quickly as she could up to her feet, pushing aside the stinging pain that scattered across the left side of her body. Her only thoughts were of Connor. She found that she was on the bank of a small stream. Green grass stretched alongside of it on either side, but the stream was just wide enough that she would not be able to jump across it if for some reason she wanted to. Rocky stone walls extended out on either side of her as far as she could see. She was in what appeared to be a green mountain pass, which was exactly where she had been told she would find the Clan.
The difference was that she was alone. Connor was nowhere to be seen.
“Connor? Connor, where are you?” She kept her voice low. The portal was supposed to deliver them to an area just outside the camp of the Clan. She didn’t want to draw attention to her presence until she had a chance to assess the situation and devise a plan. Unfortunately for her, a large part of that plan had included Connor.
“He’s not here.” The female voice was oddly familiar, and Angeline whirled around to find a girl standing behind her. She was a girl that Angeline met before, on the other side of Altera in a place called Craven.
“Hello, Becca,” Angeline said slowly. She was stunned, and a little bit scared. Becca was a member of the Clan, and if the Clan provided a welcoming party, that meant the Clan was expecting her. Angeline didn’t see any good coming from that possibility. “Where is he?”
“Untamed blood drinkers aren’t allowed into the Clan’s sacred home,” Becca scoffed.
Angeline’s heart began to pound in her chest. The goal of her and Connor’s journey to the Clan’s hidden mountaintop lair depended on the element of surprise. She didn’t see any surprise in Becca’s eyes. She didn’t know what she would do if something happened to Connor because of his involvement with her.
Angeline decided that it wouldn't help her to act like a scared child. In fact, that may even be what the Clan wanted. She wasn’t coming to the Clan to beg them to help her. She was there to demand that they lift the curse upon her and allow her to rule her land once again as she was destined to do. The Clan’s meddling had already caused too much heartache in her life, and she had a country to protect.
“Connor Radwin is my escort. As the queen of Altera, I usually travel with a retinue, but he was the only one able to join me on such short notice. I expect that any host receiving me would respect and care for a member of my party with the same attention that they would give to me,” Angeline said, drawing herself up to her full height.
Becca seemed unsure of herself for just a moment. During their previous meeting, Angeline remembered the girl being surly and a bit smug, but Angeline had been in the throes of her wraith consciousness at the time. She was in much better control of that part of herself now, but after the fight with Elvry she wasn’t sure that was a good thing either. As more time went on, Angeline felt a kind of melding going on between her and the darker consciousness that resided within her.
“They’ve already made an exception for you,” Becca said, chewing on the corner of her lip.
“An exception? For me?” Angeline let the annoyance filter into her tone. She wasn’t about to be treated like a commoner. The Clan needed to see her position as one of an equal, not some subservient being coming to beg at their feet. The last thing that Angeline would do was beg for anything. “Pray tell, why is an exception required for the queen of Altera?”
“Because you are a wraith, Majesty,” Becca said, casting her eyes downward. “Believe me, your arrival has caused quite a stir.”
“So I was expected,” Angeline tried to ensure that her words didn’t sound like a question. Someone had betrayed her. The only logical conclusion was that it was Malin or his sister, Corrinda.
“Of course, Majesty,” Becca said.
“Where is Connor?” Angeline demanded again. She crossed her arms and scowled. “I want him brought to me immediately.”
Becca kicked at the dirt around her feet. The gesture was childish, and Angeline forced herself to remember that she was dealing with just a girl. “I can’t do that.”
Angeline was already tired of Becca’s evasiveness. From what she understood, it was to be expected though in dealing with the Clan. She thought she would have made it to the actual people in charge though before she ran into it. The longer she spoke to Becca, the more worried she was about Connor. He felt further and further away from her with each passing minute.
“Why not, Becca? This is silly. Bring Connor to me and then we can be on our way. I’m sure that if I’m expected, then we shouldn’t dally here for long. I don’t want to keep anyone waiting. I know that we have important matters to discuss.” Her father always told her to tell her subjects what she wanted them to do, and that would increase the likelihood that they would do it, even if they hadn’t planned to do it. She hoped that would be the case here.
“I’m not supposed to tell you,” Becca said.
Angeline didn’t have time to waste. She moved to within inches of Becca and took the girl’s chin. Even though Becca was probably just a few years younger than her, Angeline felt ages older. That was the price of being born into a royal family. She lifted Becca’s eyes to her own.
“Becca, I’m going to guess that you already know that we are family. I’ll admit that I don’t know the specific lineage, but I’d know the Robart eyes anywhere. You should know that, to me, there is nothing more important than to protect my family. It has been ingrained in me since I was born. I never had a sibling. I lost my father three days ago. I thought that I was the last Robart. So imagine my surprise and delight to find that I do have family after all.” Angeline let her words sink in. She felt something inside of her connecting with the girl. She didn’t know if it was the sentiment or something else more manipulative, but she didn’t want to examine it further. She knew that she had the vampire ability to persuade and influence. She just hadn't had a chance to use that ability yet on an actual person. If that was the influence working on Becca, she didn't want to know.
“It's easy enough to figure out. The first Robart king was from the Clan,” Becca said.
Angeline cursed herself for not thinking about the connection before. It made perfect sense. Everything in Altera seemed to begin and end with the Clan. Its tentacles extended into all parts of her world.
She didn’t want to push Becca to fast. She needed the girl to trust her. “That was Barnaby Robart, right?” Barnaby was Alair Robart's father. He began the work of bringing all the gypsies and nomads of Altera together and his son cemented that leadership when he supposedly ended the vampire threat three hundred years ago.
A smile flitted across Becca’s face, and she nodded. “Barnaby was well-loved by the people of the Clan. He was wise and fair and would have made a good leader, but it was Alair who was appointed by the Clan to be the first real king of the humans.”
Angeline found herself wishing that she had more knowledge of the Clan to guide her words. Caspian’s teaching about them in the cave during her time under his tutelage was woefully thin on the subject.
“Barnaby was a great leader,” Angeline agreed. “He started construction on Craven before he died. It was the first city in Altera before the bogs of Mangalore swallowed it. Was your ancestor Barnaby’s brother?”
“He was my great, great, grandfather,” Becca said.
“That’s impossible,” Angeline sputtered. “That would mean that you are much older than you look.”
Becca shrugged. “We don’t keep track of such things. Time means little within the Clan. It is different here than it is for humans.”
Tons of questions immediately burst into Angeline’s mind. “Where are we, Becca? Are we still in Altera? I was told that this place was in the mountains of Gilnor, but now I'm not quite so sure.” Angeline fervently hoped that she had not been transported to another time or plane of existence. Getting back to Brebackerin might be more difficult than she anticipated.
A bright smile broke out on Becca�
��s face. She grabbed Angeline’s hands and squeezed them tightly. “Majesty, this is your home. This place is magical and beautiful, and it is a place that you will never want to leave.”
The fervor in Becca’s voice was unsettling to Angeline. “Eventually, I will have to leave, Becca. I have a kingdom that waits for me. I have people who depend on me.”
“Of course,” Becca said, dropping Angeline’s hands. “You are right, Majesty. You are expected. We should go.”
“My companion, Connor,” Angeline prodded. “You were going to tell me where he was.”
“I wasn’t,” Becca said slowly. She looked around them and Angeline felt a chill run down her spine. She didn’t think it was possible that they were being eavesdropped on, but she couldn’t rule it out. “May I call you Angeline, Majesty?”
“I appreciate you asking me that question. It is very important that, in my discussions with the Clan, people remember and respect my title. We’re family, Becca. You may call me Angeline whenever we are alone,” Angeline said. It felt strange. Angeline had been queen for a mere two days, but she was already falling into well-established routines.
“Angeline, it isn’t proper for you to be traveling in the company of a wildling vampire,” Becca said. “They are treacherous and wily creatures who think only of themselves. While they give the appearance of being docile now, there are many who believe it is nothing but for show.”
Angeline knew that better than anyone. Alron, the Master of the vampire coven who lived on the very edge of Altera in the Forgotten Lands had reasserted himself as a power player when Angeline was crowned. It was a real threat that she had to deal with when she returned to Brebackerin, the capital city. But Alron was not Connor. Connor had declared his allegiance to Angeline and so far, he had proven himself worthy. There was only so much of this that she wanted to reveal to Becca though if the Clan did have a prejudice against Alron’s coven members.
“Connor may be a vampire, but he is different,” Angeline said. She found it strange that even though the Clan itself had vampire roots, there was such a strong dislike of vampires as a whole. Becca’s mirthless laugh interrupted her. Angeline stood up straighter. “His allegiance lies with the Robart throne. That is all you need to know.”
“His allegiance lies with you,” Becca said.
“There is no difference,” Angeline said stiffly.
“There is all the difference,” Becca said. At that moment, Angeline realized that the girl was more cunning than she had let on. The innocent appearance ensured that Angeline’s guard had come down. “He is the sire of your wraith. You are bound to him.”
The words hit Angeline like a punch. They were all true, but to have it so blatantly spoken felt harsh and wrong. Angeline didn’t want there to be any appearance that her judgment or reasoning could be swayed or influenced, particularly by a man who just weeks ago would have been her sworn enemy.
“As long as I live as I do, my people and my kingdom are in danger,” Angeline said through clenched teeth. “A Robart has sat on the throne of Altera since the beginning of the kingdom. Clearly that has been the intention of the Clan all along. Our bloodline ensures peace and prosperity. To upset the balance now would be a terrible mistake.”
Becca nodded. “Now you speak sense, Angeline. That is what we would expect from a queen. I suggest that, for your sake, you forget Connor Radwin, and hope that everyone else here can forget as well. Your kingdom depends on it.”
Angeline was shocked at the girl’s words. “You dare?”
“My name is Rebecca Kelson Robart,” Becca said. A slow straightening of her spine brought her eyes even with Angeline’s. “My brother, Thomas Robart, has a legal right to the Robart throne.”
Angeline’s eyes widened. She had never considered that the Clan would consider trying to take her birthright. “It is my throne. I will not give it up to anyone,” she spat. The anger swirled beneath the surface of her mind.
“There is a question amongst many in the Clan that you may not be fit to rule, Majesty. Your pet vampire is where he belongs for now. That is all you need to know. If you truly are the queen that you make yourself out to be, focus on your kingdom.” With that Becca turned and walked away, deeper into the valley.
An outraged Angeline had no choice but to follow.
CHAPTER TWO
The moment that Angeline’s hand left his, Connor whirled around to find out the reason. Then he felt his entire body being sucked backwards. The unexpected propulsion caused a tightening of his throat and the croak that came out was barely louder than a whisper in a storm.
“Angeline…”
Then the world went black, and Connor wondered if his miserable existence had finally reached its end. He made a mistake bringing Angeline into the portal. He should have tested it first before risking her safety. Foolishly he trusted Malin and his sister to deliver them to the Clan. Now he was lost and so was Angeline. His body felt weightless, and he floated along in the darkness with no sense of his limbs. He heard nothing. He could see nothing. As far as he could tell, he was entirely alone.
If he was dying, his only regret was that he was leaving Angeline to fend for herself with no one to trust at her side. Whether she was somewhere out in the darkness, or if she survived to find the Clan on the other side of the portal, it appeared that she would have to finish the journey without him. Whatever he did in his wretched life, it seemed that he always came up short. He should have been used to it.
The only reason that he knew that he still lived at all was that he felt the hunger begin to gnaw at his insides. Connor spent the last fifty years sustaining his undead life on the blood of animals and rodents. He broke that rule though, hiding his new allegiance to Angeline from a group of vampire assassins, led by his sire Monroe, when they invaded Brebackerin intent on causing mischief for the new queen. Truth be told, he had shattered his self-imposed rule entirely. He fed on a lot of mortal blood in the last twenty-four hours and now his body wanted more of the same.
With the infusion of human blood, his senses were heightened, and he saw crispness in the darkness surrounding him. It wasn’t natural. That was his first indication that he had traveled somewhere else. He wasn’t dead. He was simply lost.
“Hello?” He called out. “Is anyone else here?”
A spark of light flared in the darkness and hurt his eyes. His raised his hand trying to make out who, or what, held the torch that now blazed like a beacon in front of him.
“I know you are there. Are you too much of a coward to show yourself?” Connor needed to draw his companion out into the open. The thought worried him just a bit. Things that lurked in the dark weren’t usually things that he wanted to meet out in the open. There were things that even a vampire feared.
“Coward? I think not.” The voice slithered across Connor’s mind. The words weren’t spoken out loud. Connor felt a pang of annoyance. Usually his ability to read other people’s thoughts was his advantage. If the person playing with him in the darkness knew that he had that ability, he lost a distinct advantage.
“Who are you?” He deliberately spoke the words out loud.
“Your babysitter,” was the hissed reply.
Using the torch as a guiding beacon, Connor didn’t give the person a chance to react, but charged forward. He wasn’t quite sure how he did so without actually being able to perceive his limbs, but he did. He sensed magic afoot. Everything in this place seemed as if it were driven by thoughts, and so he imagined jumping forward to collide with the person holding the torch and, just as he saw it in his mind, it happened.
A high-pitched squeal filled the air and then the torch fell downwards. Immediately after the collision, Connor felt the hardness of the ground beneath his feet. He snatched the torch out of the air and held it high swishing it back and forth. His eyes caught the movement of someone in the shadows darting deeper into the darkness. As he started to move toward the movement, suddenly it was as if someone turned the lights on.
Roaring in pain, he dove for the hole and drove his upper body inside. It was a tight fit for his broad shoulders, but he used his elbows to pull the rest of his body into the cool darkness. Once out of the direct sunlight, he had a moment of reprieve, but the damage had been done. Connor couldn’t see where the tunnel led, but he couldn’t stay jammed inside the entrance of it waiting for the sun to go down. The abrupt transition between light and darkness was confusing. He had no idea where he was or if the tunnel would lead him anywhere at all.
Taking a few calming breaths and thinking it was lucky that he wasn’t claustrophobic; Connor began his slow, painful crawl deeper into the darkness. The skin on his face and hands, which bore the brunt of the sun’s rays from his brief encounter in the courtyard, still sizzled. The sound made him ill, but it was the pain that threatened to make him pass out.
Connor had only been caught in direct sunlight once in his hundred years as a vampire. At the time, he had only been undead for two years, and already he was tired and disgusted with his new life. While Monroe thought that he should be embracing his new vampire life, Connor’s obsession with finding a cure was growing by the day.
The ways to kill a vampire were few. Their weaknesses included only sunlight, fire, or a stake through the heart, although silver and garlic weakened them. One day, satiated and disgusted by his recent feeding on human blood, and in a sad state of depression, Connor stumbled outside of the coven’s walls into the daylight, fully intending to kill himself.