The Reign of Darkness

by Britney Jackson

  “Sure,” Kara said with a dismissive shrug. “So, when do I get to do it?”

  “I assume you know the layout of my tunnels already?” Talulah guessed.

  Kara grinned. “How do you think I snuck out the night I betrayed you?”

  “I figured,” Talulah said. “You used them again with Rose, didn’t you?”

  “I did,” Kara confirmed. “I told you before. Consistency is bait to me.”

  Talulah rolled her eyes at that. “In a few hours, I’ll have the commanders move everyone to the first level of the tunnels—the level that leads into the city.”

  “Where’s the next level?” Rose muttered to herself. “The Earth’s core?”

  “I’ll bring some alcohol and music—try to keep everyone calm—and you can tell them the bad news at the party,” Talulah said. “We’ll move everyone to the lowest level, once they know the truth. We’ll be safest from the attack there.”

  Rose nodded. “I need to discuss battle plans with the army. Is that okay?”

  “You mean your army?” Talulah said. When Rose reluctantly nodded, she nodded, too. “You should have plenty of time before the party. I left your rooms empty, by the way. If you’d like to discuss your plans somewhere that’s not cold.”

  “Oh my gosh, I love you!” Rose exclaimed. When Talulah’s face twisted with confusion, Rose quickly amended, “Not romantically. Just…professionally.”

  Talulah’s frown deepened. “How do you love someone professionally?”

  Kara laughed at them. “We’ll be in our room, then. Until the party starts.”

  “Then, the world, as we know it,” Talulah sighed, “will come to an end.”

  Kara smiled. “Sounds fun.”

  20

  A Lust for Power

  Zosime lounged in the armchair in Rose and Kara’s room. She smiled as she patted the armrests. “I like this…chair. Is it a chair?” she said. “It hugs you!”

  Rose glanced back at her, arms full of clothes, and laughed. “If you think that’s comfy, you should try sitting in a recliner. With a book and a fluffy blanket.”

  Zosime lifted an eyebrow in amusement. “It’s only comfy with a book?”

  “Well, duh,” Rose scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You have to have the book.”

  Princess Myrinne stood beside the nightstand, pouring herself a glass of blood-wine from the bottle she’d brought with her. Over the last several months, Rose had learned that the princess rarely went anywhere without a spare bottle of blood-wine. “I do enjoy reading the old journals and prophecies from my days as the high priestess, but I don’t know that I’ve ever been that passionate about it.”

  Rose shoved her folded clothes into a backpack. “That’s only because no one has introduced you to fiction yet. Non-fiction is great, but fiction is the best.”

  Princess Myrinne set the bottle aside and picked up her glass. “Speaking of your peculiar…passions,” she said bitterly, “what happened to your warrior?”

  Rose squinted at that peculiar passions remark. “Kara? She’s fine. She’s just at the party,” she assured the princess. “Talulah asked Kara to tell everyone about the attack, so I told her I’d stay and pack our bags, while she went to the party.”

  “That’s unfortunate,” the princess muttered. “That she’s fine, I mean.”

  Rose picked up one of Kara’s sports bras—which had ended up over by the fireplace somehow—and carried it to Kara’s bag. “I’ll have to join her soon.”

  Princess Myrinne lowered her glass, frowning at the bra. “What is that?”

  Rose froze. She glanced at Princess Myrinne and then followed her gaze to Rose’s hand, where a black, spandex bra dangled from her fingers. “Uhh, this?”

  Princess Myrinne tilted her head. “It’s like a shirt. But…only half of it.”

  “It’s a sports bra,” Rose said, her brows high. “It’s a type of underwear.”

  That only confused her more. “I just don’t see how that would work.”

  “It’s for the upper-body, not the lower-body,” Rose explained. When the princess shook her head bewilderedly, Rose sighed, “For breasts. It’s for breasts.”

  Princess Myrinne lifted her glass to her mouth, sipping her wine. “Why?”

  Rose blinked. She glanced at Zosime, only to find that Zosime had folded her hands over her stomach and was watching her expectantly, as well. Rose rolled her eyes. “It’s support,” she told the princess. “If you’re really active, it’ll give you a little support. Or…for people with…larger breasts, it might prevent back pain.”

  With no emotion whatsoever, the princess said, “People like you, then?”

  Rose’s eyes widened a little. “Umm,” she stammered, blushing. “Yeah.”

  Princess Myrinne glanced at Zosime. “Do you have back pain, Zosime?”

  “Not anymore,” Zosime laughed, “but I think I did when I was human.”

  Rose shook her head. “This is the most awkward conversation I’ve ever been trapped in,” she grumbled. She continued muttering under her breath as she shoved Kara’s bra into a bag, “And I’ve been in a lot of awkward conversations.”

  “Zosime tells me that the Son of Lilith is here,” Princess Myrinne said.

  “Who?” Rose mumbled, but then, she remembered, “Oh, yeah. That was what your crazy cousin called Aaron, wasn’t it? Yeah, Aaron’s one of the leaders.”

  Princess Myrinne took another sip of her wine. “Lilith was the one who made him. She was far more notorious than he was. She taught him everything.”

  Rose continued packing Kara’s bag. “Lilith?” she said distractedly. “You don’t mean the Lilith of Jewish folklore, do you?” When Princess Myrinne didn’t immediately deny it, Rose looked up at her. “It can’t possibly be the same one.”

  “Why not?” Princess Myrinne said. “All stories come from somewhere.”

  “We’re not totally sure which legends she inspired,” Zosime told Rose.

  “Only that she was powerful,” the princess said, “and manipulative.”

  Rose nodded at that. “So that’s where Aaron gets it from,” she muttered.

  “We didn’t often interfere with things outside of our kingdom,” Princess Myrinne said. “We didn’t want people to know about us, after all. But Lilith made it…necessary, occasionally,” she explained. “Aaron’s nothing, compared to her.”

  Rose laughed. “Aaron would flip out, if you said that in front of him.”

  Princess Myrinne took another sip of her drink. “Maybe I will, then.”

  Rose lifted an eyebrow at that. She returned her attention to Kara’s black, leather duffel bag, which was so full of weapons she could barely zip it up. “Why did you want to know,” she asked, as she tugged at the zipper, “about Aaron?”

  “I’m worried about you,” Princess Myrinne said, causing Rose to frown. “I know the Son of Lilith has a history of killing those who threaten his power—especially those with psychic abilities, which is what he probably thinks you have.”

  Rose’s frown deepened. “Uhh, but…I do?” she said. “I have telekinesis.”

  Princess Myrinne exchanged an amused look with Zosime. “I’m sure he thinks that,” she said, her tone patronizing. “I also know that Kara often does his dirty work. So, I was concerned—about her being reunited with her commander.”

  Rose was still frowning at that puzzling dismissal of her psychic abilities, when the princess said that last part. Her confusion instantly morphed into a flare of irritation that prickled warmly over her skin. “Were you?” she said with a scowl.

  Princess Myrinne didn’t seem to notice Rose’s ire. Instead, she lifted her glass to her lips. “Yes, of course! I wouldn’t want the Eklektos to suffer,” Princess Myrinne sighed, sipping her drink, “simply because she dated the wrong woman.”

  Rose turned to the princess. “And what’s wrong with who I’m dating?”

  The princess started to laugh—until she noticed Rose’s glare. She cleared her
throat. “Oh, you’re…serious,” she mumbled, her eyes wide. She set her glass on the table and straightened. “Well,” she said nervously, “you must know…Kara Unnarsdóttir has quite the reputation. She’s defeated entire armies by herself, assassinated world leaders, seduced queens and conquered their kingdoms…”

  Rose shrugged. “People are allowed to have hobbies.”

  Princess Myrinne frowned. She opened her mouth and closed it again—clearly not sure what to make of Rose’s flippant attitude. “She also dated Alana,” she tried again, “a powerful, telepathic vampire who tried to destroy the world…”

  “Okay, but who hasn’t accidentally dated a sociopath before?” Rose said.

  “I’m just saying,” the princess said with a scowl, “she clearly has a type.”

  “Yeah,” Rose said slowly, her eyebrows high, “it’s called…women.”

  Princess Myrinne shook her head, her lips pursed. “It’s called power.”

  Rose’s resolve faltered a little at that. “She’s the second-in-command of the most powerful vampire colony in the world, and I’m a geek with a total of like fifty-three cents in the bank,” she scoffed. “Kara isn’t dating me for power.”

  “You can kill entire armies with one thought,” Princess Myrinne argued.

  “Well…yeah. Technically,” Rose mumbled, “but I’m still not a queen.”

  Princess Myrinne stared at her in disbelief. Her gaze dropped to the stone that hung around Rose’s neck—dark red and glowing. “No. You’re much more.”

  “More,” Rose repeated, lifting her eyebrows skeptically, “than a queen?”

  “No one has seen what you can really do yet,” Princess Myrinne told her, “but they will. Soon. And when they do, how do you think your lover will react?”

  Rose shrugged. “I don’t know. Kara’s a bit unpredictable. It’s part of her whole…persona, I guess,” she said, “but it doesn’t change the fact that I trust her.”

  “I’m sure you do,” Princess Myrinne said, “but Kara Unnarsdóttir has a long history of betrayal. She always goes after the ones with power, and she always betrays them—whether it’s for Aaron or for herself.” Her pale blue eyes softened. “I know you don’t like to hear me talk negatively about her, my Eklektos, but my duty has always been to serve you. So, of course, Kara being reunited with Aaron concerns me. Of course…her habit of seducing powerful women concerns me.”

  “Thank you for your concern,” Rose said irritably, “but it’s not needed.”

  Princess Myrinne pressed her hand to her chest, her long cloak flattening against her skin, and bowed. “Of course. I’m sorry that I upset you, my Eklektos.”

  Rose sighed, a pang of guilt stabbing at her stomach. “Look, Kara—she means a lot to me,” she explained, “and thanks to our bond, I feel really protective of her.” She shrugged. “But it’s not just the bond talking, when I say I trust her.”

  “Of course,” Princess Myrinne said. She was quiet for a while, until Rose turned to grab her bags. Then, she said, “And I’m sure she’s never lied to you.”

  Rose froze. Pain lashed through her chest at the harsh reminder, and her stomach fluttered with insecurity. She met Zosime’s gaze briefly—whose brown eyes were soft and sympathetic, almost remorseful. Then, she picked up the bags.

  “I have to go,” Rose muttered, as she left—without even saying goodbye.

  —

  Rose hardly recognized this part of the tunnels—not when every inch of it was covered in people, anyway. Somewhere within the tunnels, someone played a guitar—a slow, bluesy folk song that Rose had heard somewhere before—and a powerful, mezzo-soprano voice sang along with it, resounding throughout the tunnels with a melody that alternated between soothing and passionate, soft, then strong—like powerful waves crashing against a shore, then sliding back so gently.

  Rose couldn’t help but wonder how many vampires used their immortal lives to pursue an art. It seemed like a beautiful way to make use of so much time.

  Creating things.

  Adding beauty to a lightless world.

  Who better to do that than creatures of darkness?

  And if they were able to make peace with humans, Rose thought, vampires would be able to share their creations with the world, just as humans already did.

  It seemed so cruel and pointless, to Rose, to force lovely, helpful things into the shadows, just because some people didn’t want to acknowledge that the ones who created them existed. And maybe Rose was being naïve again, but she was just so tired of accepting that only one kind of people was allowed to be seen.

  That beautiful song resounding through the tunnel deserved to be heard.

  And every kind of person on the planet deserved to be seen. Even if they were different. Even if some people didn’t like them. Even if some people called them scary or obscene. No one should’ve been forced into the shadows—for the comfort of people who just didn’t want to expand their narrow view of the world.

  Rose wanted to believe that there were enough decent people to make a better world—once this war was over. If that made her naïve, then she was naïve.

  Her emotions tended to teeter on the edge of hopeful and hopeless. So, she clung to hopeful, in that moment—because the alternative was just…painful.

  She set her bags down beside some of Talulah’s things and then sucked in a deep breath. Crowds created small spaces, and small spaces created flashbacks for Rose. She had to prepare herself for the way her mind and body would react.

  Rose closed her eyes, focusing on that threaded feeling in her chest—her blood bond with Kara. She sensed a pleasant tug, and then, she opened her eyes.

  And immediately made eye-contact with a pair of piercing, icy blue eyes.

  Kara stood on the other side of the tunnel, talking to a woman with short, brown hair, but she wasn’t looking at the woman. She was looking at Rose. Even though there were countless people between them, she’d made eye-contact with Rose, and Kara’s gaze—so intense and familiar—helped Rose ground herself.

  Kara curled three fingers back toward herself, beckoning Rose closer.

  Rose grimaced when she saw Kara waving her over. She reluctantly made her way over to Kara and the vampire Kara was currently talking to—reluctantly, because of all the things she could do on what might be her last night on Earth, meeting people was at the bottom of the list. Down there with getting her eyes gouged out by clowns and spending more than five minutes around Benedict. She reached them just in time to hear the woman say, “Kara Unnarsdóttir? In a serious relationship?” She laughed, “The world itself would end, if that ever happened.”

  Kara exchanged an amused look with Rose, when Rose reached her side. Then, she slipped her arm around Rose’s waist, casually pulling Rose against her.

  Rose smiled nervously, when the woman’s gaze shifted toward her. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” the vampire repeated, offering her a baffled smile. “Who are you?”

  With a painfully awkward shrug, Rose mumbled, “Serious relationship?”

  The vampire’s eyes widened. Her wide, brown eyes shifted toward Kara, who simply smiled. “Oh, no,” she said, blinking. “The world is ending, isn’t it?”

  “Well…I mean…possibly,” Rose said dismissively, “but not until later.”

  All of the color drained from the vampire’s face. “Wait. What?”

  Kara leaned in close and whispered, “I hadn’t gotten to that part yet.”

  Rose frowned. She turned to face Kara, feeling a little colder when Kara’s hand slipped away from her hip. “You said you’d warn everyone while I packed.”

  Kara frowned worriedly. “Ah! I forgot to ask you to grab my battle-axe.”

  “I got your battle-axe, Kara,” Rose laughed. “It’s kind of hard to forget.”

  Relief washed over Kara’s face. “You’re wonderful,” she said, and then, she leaned in, clearly planning to kiss Rose—only to be stopped by Rose’s finger.

  “Focus!”
Rose said with a laugh. “You were supposed to warn everyone.”

  “I am warning them,” Kara assured her. “I just haven’t had enough time.”

  Rose gave her a skeptical look. “You haven’t had time to warn them that they’re all going to die, but you’ve had time to tell them I’m your new girlfriend?”

  Kara grinned, her light blue eyes sparkling. “I’m very proud of myself.”

  Rose tilted her head, flashing a sassy smile at her. “Aren’t you always?”

  “Uhh, hello?!” the vampire interrupted. “You said the world is ending?!”

  Rose glanced back at the woman—who she’d, admittedly, forgotten for a moment—and winced guiltily. “Sorry. I tend to make jokes when I’m nervous.”

  With a flirty smile, Kara added, “Rose has the sexiest sense of humor.”

  Rose blushed, baffled by all of these compliments Kara kept giving her.

  The vampire glanced back and forth between them, her shock morphing into anger. “You were joking?” she said incredulously. “About the world ending?”

  “Kind of?” Rose said, frowning. “I mean, it’s possible. But not certain.”

  “What do you mean it’s possible?” she shrieked. “What is going on?”

  Kara sighed and let her arm fall away from Rose’s hip. “Layla,” she said, her eyebrows lifting, “just calm down for a moment, all right? Then, I’ll explain.”

  Layla instantly softened her voice. “What is it? Are we being attacked?”

  Kara nodded. “Yes,” she confirmed. “A human army is headed this way.”

  “Fucking assholes. We’re harming no one here,” Layla snarled under her breath. She raked her fingers through her short, brown hair. “I can’t believe this.”

  “Hey, we’ll survive the attack, okay?” Kara said. “We’ll be in the tunnels.”

  “I know,” Layla sighed, “but it still feels like the beginning of the end.”

  Rose watched silently, her chest tight—because she knew something that the rest of them didn’t know. Thanks to Zosime’s warning, she knew that it was.