Mistwalker

by Fraser, Naomi

  “And now?” Radu turned a page in the folder.

  “I met Juliun instead, who turned me into a vampire, and I dreamed of my attackers. They were vampires, too. I dreamed of their teeth the first night I escaped from here.”

  Radu froze, and his face lifted to Juliun in alarm. “Juliun—”

  The edges of Juliun’s body shimmered in a wash of black mist. “They killed your mother?” Outrage echoed in his voice. “That is what you meant when you said you were afraid. Why Tammy was going to help you. Why you needed a werewolf. Who are they?”

  Simone struggled to hold onto her glass of blood. “Juliun, my mind was wiped. I don’t know.”

  “You would know their voices?” Radu asked, obvious urgency in his voice. “No other identifying features?”

  “I can’t remember. I saw enough to know they both drank from my mother.” Simone’s arms slackened, and she slumped forward. She rested the glass on the floor by her feet and released a deep breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. Her head fell between her hands. “Maybe from me.”

  Juliun’s fingers smoothed over her cheek. After a tentative moment, his caress moved to the scar at the back of her head and tickled the skin gently. “Poppet, nothing can hurt you now you are here. It is all right, love. It will be okay. I will find them. I will find out what happened to your mother.”

  She shivered and sat up, staring at him but seeing only pain. “Can you do that?”

  He acknowledged her words with a simple nod. He instantly collapsed into black mist and disappeared from the room.

  Radu rose and floated to the front of the desk. His black robe glittered with gold, the high neck cupping his chin. He smiled. “I trust Juliun has told you the rules of feeding. You must never bite another without the mist. The Council have decided you must sign a pact.”

  “Juliun’s already broken that pact.”

  Radu lifted a silencing finger and stared off into a great distance. “He is the first to have disobeyed this rule in longer than I care to remember. There is no precedent since the War. Others have tried to take from us and are put to death. This will not be the case with you. You are not at fault, and the Council has no right to murder one of the Royal family. I would crush them all to dust and start again.” His voice held the weariness of eons. “It would not be the first time. I have seen into Juliun’s mind and realised the truth. The transference was accidental.”

  She clenched her hand around the leather arm rests at that information. “Yes.”

  Radu caught her hasty look at the door. “You have no need to fear me, child. I will not be as rash as those younger than me. The only thing I require is your oath and signature that you will not bite another without the ability. And here is my warning: I will protect my family. Do not underestimate me or it will be the last thing you ever do.”

  She nodded and understood why he warned her. He loved Juliun, had lost his own son. “Why are there rules for the mist?”

  “Ah, you want to know more. Power is a great divider. Some are not capable of holding authority in their hands and will always be the ruination of everything. They want it all. Would it surprise you to learn that another powerful civilisation existed before this one?”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Her brow creased. “I don’t understand.”

  He nodded. “That is expected.” His gaze pierced her; the chandeliers making his eyes glow with gold lights. He lifted his glass and drained the blood in one easy gulp. “I forget how young you are. I meant the populace of Earth nearly destroyed itself.” He floated across the glossy wooden floor to a mahogany cabinet and poured himself another glass of blood. “We had to build all over again with few vampires and assorted immortals. The humans overran us.”

  She stared at the back of his coat, at his bent head, then over at the walls of books and rubbed a nervous hand down her arm. “What do you mean?”

  He tipped back his head and drained the glass again. “My parents lived in a time of great upheaval in Romania. A time of darkness. Over the centuries dissent grew between royal vampire families, between leaders with the most power.” He floated to the desk, coat flaring out behind him as he seated himself. Sapphires and rubies sparkled on his aged fingers; gold rings that matched the threading in his clothes. “They needed land to expand their kingdoms which meant more humans to feed from. To gain control, powerful families extended their reach into sacred human communities.”

  She tried to keep up. “How was that a problem?”

  “In the beginning, the mist was…an anomaly. One vampire family had the power. That family did not comprehend the true meaning of the power. The mist spread, bartered for favours and jewels.” He twirled the stem of the empty wineglass. “Two vampire families infiltrated communities sacred to humans, and the mortals grew angry. Of course, they were killed, but it set the seed of what was to follow.”

  She sat up in the chair, breathless. The first strike—the opening gambit. “War.”

  “Like you have never imagined in your worst nightmares.” He set the glass on the desk. “The thing everyone had feared came to us. Blood flowed across the lands for years. No one was safe, not the royals or other immortals. The common vampire grew tired of the monarchy. There had never been a better time to overthrow their country’s regimes, and they had the humans on their side. The aristocracy were feeble and greedy, so concerned with their entertainments, wealth and corruption.” He quietened. “My entire family were murdered. They never stood a chance against millions of vampires around the globe who appeared at their side, ready to slaughter them.”

  She closed her eyes. “You’re here. That means you escaped. How?”

  “Have you seen a survivor of a war, Simone?” His question was hard, brisk.

  She shook her head and stared at him.

  “Someone so close to death that those around them fell?” He floated over to one of the many bookcases and pulled out a large golden tome, then returned and placed the book on the desk in front of her. “They live because they do the thing they must.”

  She waited.

  “I played dead. There was no point running away. I was capable of disappearing to any point on the planet, but so were other vampires and immortals. I was stronger than most, but I would have been found and killed like all the rest. What I did still troubles me today, but there was nothing I would not do to survive. This urge,” he said, “I think you understand. The rebels rioted, killed and tallied the heads, throwing them onto open fields that spanned territories. The Hills of Dust they used to call them.” He looked out over her head as though seeing events from a great distance. “Gold, jewels and lands would not sway them in their task. They wanted complete power. They made lists of the dead. I was forced to go out on my own. Separate myself from my friends and hide like a coward inside or amongst the bodies of the dead and feed upon their blood until it grew rank. Then I’d move onto the next one. The next community, the next country. I lived beneath the soil by day and followed in the killers’ path like a pathetic scavenger of death.”

  Simone stared at him, caught in the spell of his tale.

  “I hid inside friends and family. In my more rational moments, I imagined they would have wanted me to feed from them and use their body as a shield. I do not like to speak of sanity. It reminds me how close I came to losing my own.” His face grew hard, grey eyes endless. “The need to live burned within me. Every loved one I lost became an internal tally, a revenge I would envision to keep me going.” He breathed deeply. “I waited until I was a shadow of my former self, until the vampires and humans realised they had killed all the royalty, and no more powerful immortals existed. They slaughtered so many species.” He paused. “Then those who remained turned against themselves.”

  “And you instigated that?”

  “I waited. I planned,” he acknowledged. “The new common vampires formed a Council, forging a pact with the humans. Yet, even this they could not adhere to, angry that they could not have their
own way like squabbling children. There was so much wisdom lost with the death of the elders who had never had a hand in the corruption. Then one by one,” he said slowly, “I infiltrated the homes and gave them all cause to believe each betrayed the other. They believed all who could fade to mist were gone so one death from me spiralled into many. They killed each other for imagined wrongdoings. There was no end to the methods I chose. My name was written on the list.” He smiled grimly. “My internal tally demanded retribution, and I wanted to live. I came forward once every last immortal and human in control of the new regime had died.”

  He’d said earlier never to underestimate him.

  He smiled. “I felt no greater achievement, other than the birth of my son and grandson. Still, those who remained would not trust me. I could not blame them. The vampires and immortals left over were weak and helpless. Species almost wiped out. The humans did not trust the vampires. They had seen how we lied about sharing power.” He grimaced. “However, I would not give in to their demands. After proof of my royal blood, I stayed where the last confrontation took place as a reminder of the dangers of the mist. The humans who once shared control have long gone and so have their descendants, but the memory of what happened lives on in me and is a forewarning to all.”

  “You’ve lived here ever since?” She lifted a hand to indicate the castle.

  He nodded. “Ravenkeep was built before time was recorded. It is protected by old magick. The truth is, I move around sometimes like Juliun to keep an eye on the vampires, but my kingdom is here.”

  “How long did you hide?” She hated to ask that question, to remind him.

  “I had no idea of time during the War. Nights…merged. I hid until the bodies stopped lying in the open fields, until I no longer found communities slaughtered. Afterwards, I investigated the records held by the Council, and two hundred years had passed.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “I tell you this so you understand the necessity of not transferring the mist. This pact you will sign in blood works in conjunction with the oath. The new Council I have built myself will have your life in their hands if you break it.”

  Her jaw firmed, and her teeth clenched at this caveat. “I have to sign in blood?”

  “You hold immense power in your hands, Simone Woods. Now choose who you shall become.” He slid a small gold chalice toward her and faster than she’d ever seen anyone move, including Juliun, Radu slit her wrist with a scalpel and then clenched her arm in a fierce grip. Her blood dripped into the chalice on the desk.

  He released her arm, and she jerked it back angrily. “Are you crazy?” White finger marks coloured her wrist.

  “Lick it,” he advised. “It will heal before you have left the room.”

  Ordinarily, she would have been totally grossed out by that, but she lifted her arm and did as he said. The taste of her own blood filled her mouth, strong, heady and luxurious. Her heart thudded against her ribs. The pink edges began to fuse.

  He handed her a quill and a piece of paper. “Sign at the bottom next to your name.”

  She hesitated, going over his story her mind. His tale correlated with Willem’s warning about transferring the mist. For the safety of others, she had to abide by the rules. If unscrupulous killers got hold of the mist, the carnage would never end. She knew transference was real and dipped the pen in her blood, then looked up at him. “Thank you for telling me your story.”

  He studied her and nodded. “I do not give false advice. This is for the fate of the world. I will not live through that twice. Juliun and I understand the difficulties involved with not feeding from source, and it is somewhat similar to your experience when you were human. I have tasted another back when my parents were alive. You have felt sunlight on your face. It is something we can never do again. Together, we are a family. You have a family here.”

  How her heart squeezed at that reminder, but she’d seen more than enough blood spilled as a human.

  His face remained determined. “First the oath. Repeat after me: I, Simone Woods, will not directly feed from any other being that does not have the ability to fade into mist. To do so would mean the destruction of everything and everyone. I sign this pact in my blood.”

  In that instant, she saw in him the single mindedness of a vampire who would survive. She repeated the words and scratched her name on the paper.

  He took the scroll from her, rolled it up. “Juliun is coming and will await you outside. Take this book.” He tapped the large tome on the desk. “It tells the story of the Great War, the species that remained, and the protocol you must follow as a mistwalker.”

  He swept toward the door, but before he left, he cast her brief, humorous look. “The plate in your head is the reason Juliun’s glamour did not work on you, Simone. I’d hazard a guess that your mind cannot be manipulated at all, by anybody, no matter their power. It seems you were fated to be with us.”

  She stared at his disappearing figure through the doorway, her mouth open. Reality returned, and she looked down at her wrist. No marks marred her skin at all. She sighed with relief and picked up the book, shifting the weight to her hip. Quickly, she drank the rest of the blood that had now cooled and studied the painting on the wall.

  A knock sounded on the door. “Are you all right?” Juliun snuck his head around the corner, his brow furrowed, grey eyes piercing as they took in everything about her. “Grandfather’s finished?”

  She nodded, and Juliun moved into the doorway. He’d changed into a black long-sleeved woollen shirt that moulded to his broad chest and shoulders. Her mouth dried at the sight of this dark haired vampire striding so intensely into the room, coming straight for her.

  He peered at her intently. “You have something here.” He reached out and caressed the corner of her lip with his thumb, sweeping across the flesh, slightly entering her mouth to touch her teeth. He pulled back his hand, blood staining the tip of his thumb. He flicked out his tongue to taste, and his grey eyes fired into a fierce glow that lit his entire face. “I imagine Grandfather frightened you.”

  She trembled at the taste of Juliun’s skin. It was clean, musky and delicious. “No.” Then, “Well, he is a little overwhelming.” No more than you. “Did you have to sign the scroll, too?”

  He frowned, and the atmosphere in the room darkened. “Grandfather trusted me at my oath. What happened in here?”

  “I signed the oath.” She shifted the book and glanced at her wrist. “In blood.”

  Juliun caught at her arm. “Let me see.”

  “I’m fine.” Defensively, she curled her arm back around the book. “Don’t, or I’m going to drop the book.”

  He plucked the weight from her arms as though the book were a feather instead of being absolutely massive and placed it on the stand beside the library door. “Show me your arm.”

  “I’ve licked it.”

  “I believed he would wait for me,” he murmured and looked to where Radu exited.

  “I understand why he couldn’t.”

  Juliun lifted his hand, touching her cheek with the back of his fingers. “You are defensive of him. It is a scary tale to understand. But do not fear us.” He pushed wisps of her red hair behind her ear. “Try not to think of it. I have something I want to show you anyway, poppet.”

  She stilled beneath his touch, thinking how much easier everything would be if she were back at home, but how could she blame Juliun? He had reasons for being with Lars that night—he’d tried to save a friend from dying. His glamour usually worked on everyone he met. Fate. Full circle.

  “Did you find out anything new about my mum?”

  His exotic face grew brooding. “I have informed our best investigators, but I have a hunch many minds have been wiped, as yours was. I should know more later on tonight.”

  She pasted on an expression that she hoped held back the pain. “Do you think we’ll ever find the truth?”

  “I will not stop until you do,” he said.

  She couldn’
t face what that meant right now. For some reason the notion of unconditional love made her want to cry. She couldn’t think of Juliun that way. “What did you want to show me?”

  A half smile crossed his face, and his eyes glinted mockingly. “You have not seen the rest of Ravenkeep.”

  “Why do I get the impression this will be to your benefit?” She narrowed her eyes on him in amusement, but turned back for the book. “Should I take that with me?”

  “We will come back for it later.” He held out a large hand, palm up. “I will also give you some bottles of blood to take home.”

  “Blackmail.” She stepped closer to him and hesitantly lifted her hand, and then clasped his. His fingers closed over hers, firm and secure, engulfing her hand. Her heart thumped out an unnatural rhythm, skipping beats and fluttering.

  He led her through a series of high arched stone corridors flanked with impressive portraits and shining suits of armour. Lavish chairs, sumptuous side tables and fake plants dominated the rooms, combined with the rich wood panelling and marble columns. A golden glow from chandeliers shone down upon magnificent statues and wooden cabinets laden with precious artefacts. If she had been alone, she would have liked to stay and browse through the castle at her leisure. They entered an alcove, and he pressed a series of numbers into a keypad in the wall. Wood panelling slid back, and steel doors swung open. The wind whistled and pushed through the door first, coming from a stone-flagged path that meandered from their feet to a lone building set on the green moor.

  She laughed, thinking of the similarity to Vinnie’s little hideaway. Seemed all the men in her life kept secrets.

  Juliun led the way along the path, and the cold wind whipped at her ponytail, pushing at her to retreat. The breeze held the scent of the sea and him. The outside of Ravenkeep definitely did not resemble the luxury inside. The grey stone walls were all gloomy and depressing.

  “Why the mystery?” she asked. “Why not use the mist to take us there?”