by Emma Glass
“Something like that,” I replied coolly.
She noticed my expression. “Oh! I didn’t mean to pry. I’m sorry, Elliott.”
“No harm done,” I reassured her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
She offered a polite, endearing smile as I shut the door. Her three guardians acknowledged me with respectful nods, and I left her in their care.
But along my short walk to the teleporter, I couldn’t keep her off my mind. My thoughts were filled with not only lingering questions about what she really was to us all, but also constant and irrational fears for her safety. I tried to push these nagging ideas out of my head as I returned to the great hall and searched for my sister.
Luckily, Nikki was right where I expected.
Standing quietly in the castle study, my sister leaned against the magnificent fireplace, with one hand held on the sturdy, polished mantle. As I approached, she didn’t even seem to notice me; her mesmerized gaze was trapped deep within the dance of the flickering flames.
“You’re thinking about the sunlight thing,” I predicted calmly.
“It sounds crazy,” she nodded distantly. “Can you even imagine? Burning alive by walking into the sun? How do vampires even live there?”
“There are none of us in her world,” I told her. “Only stories and folklore, all of which are wrong. It’s the same way that we don’t have humans here. The two races have never coexisted.”
“Yet, we have stories of each other.”
I nodded quietly. “Curious, though. It makes me begin to wonder if there was some sort of a trade between worlds when she came.”
“A trade?”
“Yes, a vampire for a human.”
“Heh. One of ours could get into some serious trouble on a human world, especially out of their depth. Well, so long as that whole ‘sunlight’ thing was wrong after all…” Her body shivered. “Such a wild thought. I wonder what it feels like…”
“Burning alive?” I raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll bet it’s spiritual. Cathartic, even.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I imagine there’s probably a lot of screaming and flailing. It can’t be that pleasant of an experience.”
Her eyes gleamed in the fire’s light. “I’d love to see it happen, Elliott. What a sight to behold! One of ours, burned down to ashes by the sun…”
Now there was the sister I remembered.
I hastily reminded myself that I was here for a reason. “I’ve been very patient, Nikki. I think it’s about time you finally told me your real purpose for daring to come back here,” I crossed my arms sternly. “What are you after?”
My sister sighed, reluctantly pulling her rapt attention from the flames. “There’s a civil war on the horizon, brother. I’ve come to help before we all erupt into darkness.”
Dread pooled in my stomach.
“War? What war? Stonehold is in peace.”
She shook her head sadly. “Not our beautiful kingdom, Elliott. I mean something much greater. I’m talking about the kind of war that will shake the foundations of our whole world.”
“Nikki…” I looked her firmly in the eyes.
“You know…” She averted her gaze and held herself tightly, as if she were cold. “I didn’t believe the rumors for a second, when it was said that our mother was abdicating the throne. It just seemed so out of place for her to step down. In my travels, I could see firsthand the gradual effect that it had on the people. As far as they were concerned, their entire era of peace was being threatened down to its very core.”
My sister met my gaze again as a small smile graced her lips. “Certainly, you’re not what I’d call the most popular ruler to them, but you’ve not done as poorly as I first thought.”
“Such a strong vote of confidence,” I quipped.
Nikki briefly shrugged. “Not saying I would have done any better, Elliott. Let’s be honest here. I’m not cut out to lead, not by any stretch.” A dark glimmer slipped into her eyes as she smiled.
There was definitely no arguing that.
“So why did Mother drop her reign?” My sister asked; the devilish glint still subtly hung in her dark, curious gaze. “It doesn’t make any sense…”
“No idea,” I told her matter-of-factly.
“Oh.” She leaned back. “How disappointing.”
“Whatever her reasoning, she won’t discuss it with me. Perhaps you’ll have better luck. She was always fond of you, after all.”
“Hah hah,” Nikki narrowed her eyes. “I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived. But defying all expectations, I see that time with the human has given you a sense of humor…”
“Stay on topic,” I rebutted her.
“Right,” she cleared her thoughts. “But this is more related than you’d think. From what I’ve heard from even among just our own subjects, the news of the human’s arrival is spreading like wildfire. War is coming, Elliott.”
“Then I was right to be paranoid,” I sighed. “Tell me, Nikki… have you walked among any of the other holds?”
“No. I didn’t think that was safe.”
“Right. Of course.” She wasn’t wrong, but I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. Any news that she could have picked up from abroad would have been useful. “Well, at least I still have a little time.”
Nikki took a step closer. In her eyes, I saw the kind of firm resolve that sent a shudder down my very being. For all her lunacy, when Nikki Craven grew serious, I paid very close attention.
“No, Elliott. You don’t. Not anymore.”
I swallowed. “What are you saying?”
“Don’t you see?” Nikki smiled sadly as she placed her palm along my cheek, lightly caressing my face with her thumb. I felt partly unnerved by the darkly serene look that filled her expression. “My dearest brother… I’m just the first.”
I didn’t want to ask. “The first what?”
Almost lovingly, she gazed into my eyes. Nikki’s face switched from alluring wickedness to maternal adoration as if merely changing clothes.
“The holds know, Elliott. They’re coming.”
My heart froze in my chest.
“How… how can you know for sure?”
She shrugged aloofly, pulling her hand back. “Our people aren’t the only ones slinging rumors. Every so often, I’ll pick up some things from other travelers from faraway lands. But when I start to hear the same stories in the same words…”
I dwelled on her words. All this time, I’d been afraid of the news breaking out and getting into the other kingdoms. Among just my own people, it could mean unrest and fear. But once the truth hit the other holds, Stonehold could face a threat on a global level.
If that had already happened…
“What do you intend to do now?” I asked her. “Now that you’ve come all this way to warn me… and, for the record, I appreciate you for taking the long way here. The other vampire lords are aware that you’ve been traveling. If you were recognized suddenly using the chrysm nodes to move back across Stonehold the second this all broke out, that could look suspicious to them.”
“Of course,” she eyed me with a sly chuckle. “I might be crazy, but I’m not stupid. I’m just glad none of them tried anything before I could slip all the way back here…
“And to answer the question, I meant what I said. I’ve come to help, however you want.”
I appraised her with a long glance.
Nikki Craven, for all her strengths, was not a remarkably sane woman. Her self-imposed exile into the kingdom had been one of necessity, given her more… questionable qualities.
But despite her lust for chaos, she still had her heart in the right place. Well, mostly... So long as my sister didn’t indulge in the buried temptations of her sadistic nature, she could indeed be useful. After all, she was skilled at hiding in plain sight, even moving around people who knew her face. In all the time that Nikki had been wandering the hold, there were very few sightings; I suspe
cted that the only vampires to recognize her were ones who she’d specifically chosen to reveal herself to, for one reason or another.
Beyond that skill, she had seen much more of the world than I had. Nikki could undoubtedly handle herself in a pinch, and she held a distinctly different point of view from me – admittedly, a deranged one. But once you scraped away the thin layer of bloodthirstiness and violence…
“I’ll need you,” I spoke honestly. “We need to be ready for whatever comes next, and I’ll take all the help I can trust.”
Nikki tilted her head curiously, her lips curled in an ominous smile. “Elliott, you were always an incredibly arrogant one. Whatever this human girl is doing to rub off on you so well…”
She shifted a little closer.
“I think I like it.”
With a flick of her hair, she strolled past me. “If you don’t object, I’ll be taking my old suite in the opposite tower. See you at breakfast.”
I waited a full minute after I no longer heard her movements, then picked up the nearest piece of décor – a delicate, small clay urn. Brushing my thumb along the ridges, I savored the feeling of the notches and indentions against my skin. Time passed without me for a few moments before I hurled it across the room, shattering it into a thousand pieces.
Collapsing into a chair by the fire, I studied the flickering flames and fell deep into thought. Much like that priceless urn, I held in my hands the delicate balance of my kingdom.
I could only hope that it took greater power than mine to shatter that, too.
22
Clara
The following day, Lorelei came to me.
We were all holed up in the library again; at my prodding, the Knightly Trio was educating me on the finer nuances of vampire royalty etiquette. While they discussed certain types of bows and courtesies that they’d seen over the years, Lorelei Craven appeared in the doorway.
“Leave us,” she gestured to them. “I wish to speak to our guest alone.”
The guards shared a concerned look, unclear how to proceed. Viktor reluctantly spoke: “I don’t know that we can, Your Royal Highness… we are bound to very strict guidelines.”
“Your son threatened to behead me if I let this one wander out of my sight,” Wilhelm cheerfully replied. “I’m rather fond of my skull, personally.”
“Go ahead,” I tried to wave them off. “I know that Elliott gave you orders and all, but this is his own mother. If she wants to speak to me alone, then I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
The three shared a look.
“I grow impatient,” Lorelei threatened.
“Well, I certainly don’t want to deal with the business end of that,” Wilhelm shrugged casually. “Alright then, Clara. You win. We’ll all be waiting just outside the room.”
Reluctantly, the others followed him out until it was just Lorelei and myself left, surrounded by books centuries older than me. Lorelei turned to me with a sly grin. “Well, Clara dearest, would you like to come take a walk?”
I was flabbergasted. “But they…”
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll be perfectly alright,” she smiled pleasantly. “Besides, as I’ve so heard, you have some interest in my gardens?”
That was something I wasn’t going to argue.
Lorelei led me out the door, down a corridor, into a hidden room and towards a glowing, round platform of some kind. I wondered if this was more of that chrysm stuff Elliott had mentioned.
A voice cried out: “Wait!”
She turned sharply. My guardians sulked near the doorway. “What is it? Did I not make myself clear to you? I want to be left in peace!”
When the others stumbled over their words, Asarra sighed. “All due respect, Lady Craven, but your son will have our heads if we let Clara out of sight. Allow us a compromise – let us accompany you from afar, and we’ll remain out of earshot.”
Lorelei thinned her lips in irritation. “Fine.”
Even Asarra looked relieved. Fast as I’ve ever seen them move, the guards joined us at the foot of the glowing platform.
“What is this?” I asked Lorelei.
“I see that my son still has not explained even the most basic components of the castle,” she replied aloofly. “This is a chrysm node. It will take us to another part of the castle grounds. Here, step up onto the circle, and I will demonstrate…”
I did as she ordered. Lorelei moved onto the platform beside me, and the Knightly Trio quickly flanked us.
The platform began to glow brighter under our feet. A column of red light rose up around us; I found myself enraptured at how the light moved between my outstretched fingers. In seconds, it grew brighter, until suddenly…
As I gingerly lowered my shielding hand from my eyes, I realized in wonder that our environment had completely changed.
The others seemed unfazed and stepped off of the circular platform; I clumsily followed.
“That is a teleportation node,” Viktor sensed my questions. “It is powered by chrysm, the same material that operates the lights, elevators, and assorted machines of Stonehold Castle.”
“I didn’t know you guys had teleportation,” I groaned in disorientation. Without the warning, my eyes were still acclimating to the borderline blindness of the trip. “What kind of utterly crazy world is this? My Earth would flip out over this!”
“Do they not have instantaneous movement there?” Lorelei asked curiously. “With the right resources in place, you can cross the world just as quickly.”
“Crossing the world takes more like a day, by the time it’s all said and done,” I answered.
“Huh. How strangely primitive…”
I could see now that we’d appeared at the edge of the castle gardens. My hostess stopped us and turned expectantly to the knights.
“Oh, right,” Wilhelm smiled awkwardly. “You wanted us to make ourselves scarce…”
Lorelei merely narrowed her eyes.
“Well! You heard the lady!”
The Knightly Trio hung back, keeping us both in sight but far enough away for privacy. Looking satisfied, Lorelei turned back and gradually led me around her gardens.
They were so much more beautiful up close than I could have imagined. It was so obvious that she had poured a great deal of love and care into every last nook and cranny of this place. The grass was lush, the hedges perfectly manicured, and the walls of flowers were utterly exquisite. I couldn’t identify half the beautiful plants in here, but each one was prettier than the last.
The castle stood tall and powerful beside us; the main tower of Craven Keep pierced high into the sky. It was crazy to think that, in all the days I had spent on this vampiric Earth, this was my first moment of actually standing on the ground.
Realizing my opportunity, I took off my shoes and pushed my toes into the grass. It felt springy and spongy beneath my feet, and I was overcome with a great love of Lorelei’s work.
“I take it you enjoy the gardens,” she smiled aloofly, leading me between hedge walls covered in beautiful flowers. “It’s rare to get a secondary opinion, but I find that this place quite suits me.”
“They’re majestic,” I murmured in awe. “This is beauty beyond anything I’ve ever seen before.”
“Excellent. I’ll be sure to remember that.” She graced a few rose hybrids with her fingertips; the buds undulated at her touch, and I thought I saw the leaves dance just a little. “Few of these plants are indigenous to the Isle of Obsidian. You may have gathered from the name that this setting isn’t terribly nurturing to the flora.”
My attention drifted to the tall, thick woods that boxed in the other three sides of the gardens. “I’m not so sure about that. This place seems to do alright enough…”
Lorelei followed my gaze. “Oh, the forest? My grandfather had that grown. He spent a great deal of magic to get the barren soil to take.”
“And yet, you grew this magnificent garden. Did you have to turn to magic to create all of this beauty, too?”
/> “No.” Her fingers lightly trailed a hedge wall as she led me around a corner. “I chose to do this the old-fashioned way. I spent over two centuries having the earth properly cultivated and seeded with nutrients before I planted the first flower.”
A few minutes later, Lorelei led me out from the hedge maze to the center of the gardens. This open space stood dominated by a pair of large, connected ponds, bridged by a wooden walkway that lightly arched over the flawless, crystal-blue water. Tall stalks of riverweed stood and swayed along the lake, faintly buzzing with the lights of small bug swarms. Forming a perimeter outside the ponds was a line of low, sprawling trees with glowing pink leaves; as the light breeze passed through the branches, they sang an improvised chorus of small, faint notes in the wind.
Lorelei gestured towards a concrete bench, one of many that ringed the ponds. As I took my seat beside her, I spotted my guardians, hovering together along the distant shore of the ponds.
We sat together in silence for a time, taking in the sheer beauty of what she’d accomplished.
Lorelei finally broke the silence with a lofty, smile. “Human, I’m afraid there’s something that I’ve been meaning to ask you…”
“Oh?” Her tone struck a fearful chord in me.
With her eyes still on the ponds, she tilted her head closer to mine. “When you met my son for the first time, I was there, watching from secrecy. Ever since that night, I can’t help but recall how you first looked at him…”
“What do you mean?” I asked timidly.
Her gaze hardened. “You recognized him.”
I swallowed. “Well, sort of.”
Lorelei scoffed. “If you are truly from another world, as we believe you to be, then I am curious as to how you could know him.” She turned to me. “Tell me, Clara, how that is possible.”
The only explanation I had was one that even I wouldn’t believe. But there was no use making up some sensible reason to her. So I told her the truth. “I dreamt about Elliott before I arrived.”
Something changed in her eyes. “Is that so?”