Only now did I understand what Sunaria had endured.
This barbaric torturing of mind, body and soul, stripping away all identity and leaving behind its victim so filled with terror that the fight inevitably turns inward. Regret was all that was left, mourning for all that could have been.
And yet would never now be.
Aiden’s face loomed over me. Crowther wouldn’t be far away. My throat tightened when that familiar chanting arose, that terrible cadence announcing what was to come. Lord Crowther took his position at the head of the table, the once position of the Stone Master himself, now seized by Sovereign’s leader.
The first slice of a knife through my wrist brought excruciating pain; the sound of my blood trickled into a goblet. The fine bejeweled cup was then handed from monk to monk and supped from. Each man’s chanting ceased only to imbibe. Unlike the Stone Masters the drink was shared, savored, enjoyed. Gradually, their expressions turning blissful.
All except one, a monk who stood to my left, his hood pulled well over his face, his hands steepled in prayer.
“We gather to celebrate my son’s induction,” Crowther began. “We welcome Aiden into the fold.”
I flinched when yet another slice made its way through my wrist, my teeth chattering.
Lifting my head again, trying to count the number of men, I caught Aiden gulping the entire contents of the bejeweled vessel, his lips smudged red as he violated me with that very act.
Still in denial I wanted to believe I could take them on, all of them, though resistance from the chains insisted my judgment was skewed.
“We offer up this sacrifice to the brothers, our blessed Watchers of the Night,” Crowther suddenly seemed distracted.
All eyes were on Aiden, who was sitting on the ground wearing a ridiculous grin, his eyelids forced shut, forgetting why he was here as the blood raged through his veins, setting every cell alight with supernatural velocity. His grunts of pleasure were embarrassingly loud.
Crowther watched on horrified, his expression abashed—shamed. One of the monks ambled toward me and from beneath his hood familiar eyes stared back.
Sebastian’s.
He reached for the discarded knife and rested it against my wrist though applied no pressure. “Now and again a man glances at the island just off in the distance,” he said, his Welsh accent lulling me. “He wonders what goes on there.” Sebastian removed the knife. “Then one day he travels to that very island and turns to face the old land and realizes . . .”
My eyes stung with tears.
Crowther snatched the knife from Sebastian. “We finish this tomorrow.”
Sebastian stepped back, his hood falling over his face again.
Unsecured now, I was dragged off the table and past the monks who were trying to control a frenzied Aiden. Instead of turning left where they’d initially imprisoned me, I was shoved head first into another cell.
The door locked behind me.
Peering into the darkness, there lying on his side curled up in a ball was Raven, his cheeks sucked in and drawn, his terrified face turned upward at the ceiling.
Paradom was hanging upside down, his clawed feet holding him steady from a low wooden beam, and in his arms lay a barely conscious Angus. Paradom’s lips were locked on Angus’s throat and he was sucking hard.
“William?” The woman’s voice sounded fragile.
There came a wave of emotions, everything from joy at seeing Ingrid to angst that she was here.
She flushed with horror when she saw the arrows protruding from my chest.
“Get . . . them out,” I muttered.
Fearing what I asked of her, she carefully ran her fingertips over the nocks testing how deep the arrows went. Despite the wrenching pain, knowing she was alive gave me the strength to stay conscious, and when the final arrow left my flesh it felt like air was filling my lungs properly again.
Ingrid approached Raven and persuaded him to hand over his coat, then carried it back, laying it over me. “What did they do to you?”
I eased myself up and reached for her hand. “Did anyone hurt you?”
She pointed to that circled brand of hers and then glanced up at Paradom. “They saw this and stayed away.” She took my hand and squeezed it.
My gaze slid over to Raven. “He kidnapped you?”
“Yes, and him too.” She gestured to Angus who was still caught in Paradom’s clutches. Ingrid shifted closer. “I never made it out of the Ritz. Within an hour men burst into our room and all three of us were brought here.” She frowned. “My captors got kidnapped.”
“Raven’s plan got derailed,” I said, my mouth dry. “This place belongs to Sovereign.”
“What is that?” Ingrid whispered, her wide eyes sliding up toward Paradom.
“He’s one of us,” I explained “But something . . . happened to him.”
“What exactly?” Ingrid asked, her fearful stare now locked on the doorway.
Aiden was silhouetted there and he had something in his hands. I staggered to my feet, readying to protect Ingrid despite my unsteady gait.
Aiden took a careful step closer. He was carrying an urn. “You were asking about your friend, Lucas?” Aiden lifted the lid and flung its contents over me.
A cloud of grey dust billowed, covering me entirely in ash.
My chest wrenched and I froze in utter horror.
Aiden was handed a small device and he raised his arm, pointing it toward the ceiling. Paradom screeched and let go of Angus, dropping him to the floor. Paradom landed at Aiden’s feet and scampered out the door behind him. The door was locked again.
I slumped to my knees, wiping my face with trembling hands, trying to fill my lungs with breaths that I couldn’t catch. I cursed myself for bringing Lucas here, the pain in my heart dimming my vision, blurring my eyes. Ingrid was speaking but I couldn’t make out her words.
Raven’s voice came out of the dark. “We’re all dead.”
Angus crawled toward Raven, whimpering.
Ingrid pressed her wrist against my lips. “You have to.”
Gently I nudged her hand away. She looked around and I could only assume it was for a sharp object.
“No,” I insisted, squeezing my eyelids shut, hating my weakness.
“Otherwise we’ll all die in here.” She pressed her wrist to my mouth again.
I nuzzled into the crook of her arm and punctured her flesh with a delicate bite, tasting her blood, wanting to turn away but I feared wasting her precious offering.
Sharing in more than just her life source, her essence too, drinking that which might just save me. Save us.
She was trembling . . .
Her love for me pouring out with her blood.
I buried a fang into my thumb and used the scarlet liquid to heal where I’d punctured her flesh. I hugged her into me, holding her tighter than I ever had.
A key turned in the lock and the door slowly opened.
Sebastian’s head peeked round and he quickly entered, still dressed in the garb of a monk, throwing an uneasy glance over at Raven.
Sebastian knelt by my side. “Can you walk?” As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he reacted to the grey-tinged ash covering me.
“Have you seen my friend Lucas?” I barely managed to say.
“Lucas told me where you were,” Sebastian explained. “They went to find the scrolls.”
“Who’s they?” I asked.
“Lucas and his friend. A priest? They’re getting the scrolls then they’re coming back for us.”
“Did the priest have a name?” I asked.
“Jacob, I think.” Sebastian frowned, studying the ash. “What is that?”
“When did you last see Lucas?” I asked.
Sebastian threw a wary look over at Raven.
Both Raven and Angus were sidling toward the doorway and bolted through it.
“Seb?” I tugged his shirt.
“Five minutes ago,” he said.
I threw my head b
ack in relief. “Aiden told me these were Lucas’s ashes.”
“He’s a right little shit, that one,” Sebastian said. “You okay?” he asked Ingrid.
“I’m fine,” she replied, though clearly she wasn’t.
“We have to find Paradom,” I said.
Sebastian grimaced. “What exactly is that thing?”
“I’ll explain later,” I insisted and struggled to my feet.
“Whatever it is, they’ve inserted a device next his heart,” Sebastian said, assisting Ingrid up. “If Paradom so much as makes eye contact they shock him.”
I shook my head, disgusted with their cruelty. “Get Ingrid to safety.” I grabbed Raven’s coat and pulled it on. “That includes you, Seb.”
“I’m not leaving without you,” Ingrid said.
“You can’t stay here a moment longer,” I said.
Sebastian pointed toward the door. “There’s a fully working laboratory down here.”
“They’re other prisoners here too,” Ingrid said. “We can’t leave them.”
“First, I have to get inside that lab,” I said.
“Perhaps that’s where they’re testing the mercury?” Sebastian asked.
We headed out into the corridor.
“How did you even know we were here?” I asked Sebastian.
“Didn’t. That notebook you gave Alex,” Sebastian explained. “Anaïs was able to bring out the writing with lemon juice. Bodium Castle was mentioned in it.” He shook his head. “I came here to check out the place. Got caught by the man dressed as the Grim Reaper. Luckily I managed to talk my way out of trespassing because he recognized me. This was the place where I was initiated.” Sebastian guided us on. “The lab’s this way.”
“Sovereign still dress as monks,” Ingrid said, “and yet behave like barbarians.”
Sebastian peeked round the corner. “White coat heading our way.”
The middle-aged laboratory technician, whisked around the corner and virtually bumped into us.
Reading his nametag, I sent a trance wave and said, “Dr. Cass, open the lab.”
He stepped back, unaffected.
“Mercury,” I said, realizing, and quickly applied a choke hold until he’d lost consciousness. I threw him over my shoulder.
Sebastian unclipped Cass’s ID and swiped the card through the mechanism. The small light on the security pad blinked green. The door clicked open and we headed on in.
I laid Cass’s unconscious body in the corner. Sebastian, Ingrid and I set to work, searching for anything that might reveal what the scientists were working on.
Ingrid flipped over one of the computer keyboards and peered beneath. “Secret codes are only useful if kept that way.” She righted the keypad and typed away.
“Are you in?” Sebastian asked her, peering over her shoulder at the screen.
“Yes.” Ingrid began opening files, trying to decipher what she was reading. “Blood results?”
“We have to get you out of here,” Jacob called over to us. He was standing in the doorway and he was yet again wearing reverend attire, his clerical collar neatly fitted.
“That’s the priest I was telling you about,” Sebastian whispered.
“How did you get in?” Ingrid rose from the chair.
Sebastian took a protective step toward her.
“We can trust him,” I said.
“I stole one of the guard’s ID’s,” Jacob said.
“How many Hail Mary’s will that be?” Sebastian asked.
“I’m not Catholic,” Jacob said flatly. “God will understand. I’m assisting my friends, after all.” He stepped closer. “Lucas has the scrolls. It’s too dangerous for you to stay here.”
“Paradom?” I asked. “I’m not leaving without him.”
“I’ll find him,” he said. “Please, get out of here. Before they find you again.”
“How did you get into the castle?” I asked.
“Bodium once belonged to the Stone Masters,” he said.
“You’re still a Stone Lord?” I asked.
He raised his eyebrows gesturing his sincerity. “For all the right reasons.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“I needed you to trust me.” Jacob relented and gestured to the equipment. “Sovereign are researching the alteration of DNA from continued mercury intake. Their notion is that over many generations of mercury ingestion, human DNA tolerates higher levels.”
“Human cell mutation?” Sebastian clarified.
Jacob looked woeful. “Sovereign’s long term plan is to alter the DNA of every human on the planet. Provide a form of immunity to vampires.”
“Deliberately poison everyone?” Ingrid asked, astonished. “So that we’re all contaminated with mercury?”
“Yes,” Jacob said. “They’re adjusting DNA in order to turn off what makes mercury harmful.”
“They’re planning on contaminating water and food sources,” Ingrid realized.
“Ancient Egyptian’s were the first to discover the power of mercury,” Jacob explained. “They ingested it to aid health and discovered it had other uses.”
“Blocked the mind control of vampires,” I said.
There came the sound of men shouting just outside the lab.
“This way.” Jacob guided us through the laboratory toward a smaller, colder room.
The second laboratory was stark white and at the center was positioned a long examination table.
“You should have told me about this place,” I said. “Give me one good reason to trust you.”
“William,” Jacob said, “I was the one who came here to save Rachel.”
“Why not tell me that?” I asked.
“We couldn’t risk you destroying this place,” he said.
“You feared I’d destroy the scrolls?” I whispered.
Jacob gestured his sincerity. “Now that we have all of them we can separate you.”
“This is not about me!” I snapped.
“Yes it is.” He raised his hand, insisting. “It’s always been about you.”
Men were now inside the larger lab, their shouts louder, more insistent.
Jacob flew toward the other end of the room and went for the air vent, ripping it from the wall. “Hurry,” he motioned frantically. “This leads to a storeroom. There’s a stairwell to the left of it. Go!”
I lifted Ingrid up and through the vent and then assisted Sebastian into it.
“I’ll meet you back at the Mount,” I said.
“William, you too,” Jacob said. “I need to know you’re safe.”
I slid the vent cover back in place.
Crowther and his men burst in, aiming their arrows at the ready.
One of Crowther’s men had a silver tipped arrow pointed straight at my heart. I froze where I stood, reassured at least that Ingrid and Sebastian were on their way to escaping.
“Promise me,” I sent the silent message to Jacob. “You’ll save Paradom.”
Jacob acknowledged he would. “William, I failed you.”
I tried to read from his expression what he meant.
Crowther’s glare scanned the room. “Where’s the girl?”
“How’s your son?” I asked.
Crowther’s attention zoomed in on Jacob. “We had an agreement.”
“Did we?” Jacob answered calmly.
Studying Crowther, I was left with the distinct impression he had no idea Jacob was a vampire, and though his mind was closed, Crowther’s lack of hate for Jacob confirmed it.
Crowther narrowed his gaze. “Father Roch, I let you have Rachel. Our bargain was set. You promised never to return.”
“Let William go,” Jacob said. “I’ll deal with him.”
“You gave up any right to bargain when you broke your word and came back,” Crowther said. “Now you can help me clean up this mess.”
Jacob was stunned into silence.
“We kill the vampire at first light,” Crowther said. “Father Roch
, you can administer the last rites. Though I doubt it’ll do it any good.”
Chapter 35
WHEN I CAME ROUND, a hessian sack was covering my head.
The shock of being flung upon a cold hard surface brought me back to consciousness. An excruciating burning went over my entire chest as though the silver from the arrows was leaking into my flesh and spreading out, radiating down my arms.
For at least two days, I’d slipped in and out like this, having been tortured by Crowther’s men. Bled . . .
And I’d told them nothing.
The Gregorian chanting sent chills snaking up my spine, and struggling to breathe I sucked in air but hardly filled my lungs. There was a clang of metal chains and the sensation of them being drawn across my body, securing me again. My arms were stretched wide and my feet bound taut and held fast. The chill of dawn and the squawking of ravens were a terrible portend of what was to come.
The hood came off and I caught my breath when I saw the grand rocky gods of Stonehenge surrounding me, inexorably reaching toward the dusky sky and the outer circle of continuous lintels towering over me.
Their sacrifice.
Crowther’s face came into focus. “It is with truth and honor that I command your spirit into the afterworld, where you will be judged accordingly.”
The slice into my wrist made me flinch.
“It is within my power to grant you forgiveness.” Crowther held the goblet over my head.
“Do you repent?”
“Is that question for you or me?” I murmured.
His lips thinned and he tipped the cup, spilling the contents, his mouth twisted in hate. There came another cut and a trickling into the vessel—more of my blood.
Crowther raised the goblet again. “What do you plead?”
“For your death to be slow,” I whispered.
He leaned closer. “Death awaits you, vampire.” He took a gulp and his eyelids flickered, and he pouted in response to the rush. “Status Regal, this is indeed an honor.” He coughed off his reaction. Crowther’s eyelids closed as he savored the sensations.
“William?” A man’s voice came from behind me.
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