by Emma Glass
The three of them shared a look, but I knew I had already won the argument.
“Sounds good to me!” Wilhelm grinned.
Viktor frowned. “I, uh… well… okay.”
“Fine.” Asarra groaned in defeat, grumpily lowering her head. “We will wait out on the stairs for you to read some of your book…”
“Thanks!” I grinned. “You won’t regret it.”
After I watched them settle outside, I closed the door and made myself comfortable in a chair. Tucked away with the hardback book that I had been reading in the days leading up to my coma, I nestled into the cushions and found my place in the pages again.
My fingers absentminded fiddled with the black necklace around my neck; something buried deep down in my mind told me I needed to keep it a secret from everyone, so I did.
It had belonged to my grandmother. That’s all that I could really remember about it, but it felt like something of...
It was hard to entertain the thought.
But it felt like a relic of power.
Still, I had no answers as to how it wound up around my neck again, but I did have a book to read… and so, I descended into the stories again.
Had I been a little older and wiser, I would’ve just listened to Asarra – because they did regret it. I should have never let them leave the room. We all regretted that choice in the long hours that soon followed. My naivete and foolishness set into motion powerful events that would change everything forever.
Because, the truth of the matter was that I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life.
Destiny came in the form of a distracting noise.
I glanced up from the book. “What was that?”
Nothing answered. For a moment, I thought I heard some kind of commotion outside the door, like a few faint buzzing sounds and then a hard, heavy thud. But the moment that I’d looked away from the novel in my hands, it was gone.
Well. That’s certainly odd.
“Elliott?”
Nothing changed.
My face twisted with a frown. This thing with the vampire lords has me on edge, I reasoned. After all, Elliott made it super clear that they could put me in serious danger…
Yeah, I nodded to myself. That must be it.
Eager to shake off the ominous feeling about the dangers of faraway vampire royalty, I turned my attention back to the book. It had just started getting really good again; I eagerly wanted to see where it would take me.
Besides, I reminded myself, the Knightly Trio is still out there. They were fully trained royal guards. If something were to happen, they could handle it.
The door clicked open.
“Wilhelm, if that’s you, then I…”
As I glanced up at the sight in the doorway, my words meaninglessly trailed off into the air. Judging by the motionless bodies draped against the stairs, there wasn’t anybody coming to save me this time.
The hardback clattered to the floor as I leapt up from the chair. “No…” In my growing terror, the word was barely higher than a whisper.
Before I could try and scream for help, the vampire murderously descended upon me.
Everything soon went black.
20
Elliott
Within the small and circular room, carved out deep within the ground somewhere on Earth, the Council of the Eight Holds awaited me.
Every hold ruler had his or her own throne; together, they all formed a central ring of power. Each throne sat firmly in its own half-quadrant, divided from its peers by ancient magical shields and clearly meant to keep us from tearing one another apart. I could only imagine what kind of political bloodshed must have occurred in the old days to require such precautions…
Despite arriving ten minutes early, I was still the last of us to arrive at the council chamber. The others were speaking in hushed tones as I stepped into the room; they quieted as I took my seat.
Akachi Azuzi turned to me, stroking his long and elderly beard. “Greetings, Lord Craven…”
I gave him a curt nod. Despite our animosity, I was better served by feigning politeness than picking a fight with him in front of the others. With so much at stake… that went double.
“It is good to see you again so soon, after our little visit,” Azuzi mused aloud for the group’s benefit. So, they already know. No possibility for me to spring that as an accusatory surprise, then… “Tell me, how are things in Stonehold? I hear that there’s been some trouble in the mines?”
“Things have been settling for the better,” I responded tersely. “It’s true, chrysm mining has taken a few hits in the passing months. But I’ve been assured that the worst’s already behind us.”
“Is that so? Good,” he smiled curtly. “I would hate for your hold’s supply to run out. With the amount of it we rely on, that could certainly cause some alarm among the rest of us…”
I couldn’t tell if he knew more, or was merely trying to psyche me out before the council. Either way, I won’t give him the satisfaction…
The vampire lord of Bleakwood rose from his throne. Tall, broad-shouldered Mattias Blackburn reigned over a frozen kingdom of desolate tundra and gnarled, haunted forests far across the ocean. If we had a leader – and we didn’t – he would be the closest thing to it. No vampire lord dared to defy him; in return, the ruler of Bleakwood was very particular in voicing his opinion.
“I hereby call into session the Council of the Eight Holds,” he spoke in his booming voice. “We have all been called together today to address an exceptionally interesting rumor…”
Mattias quietly lowered his gaze onto me.
“Allegedly, a human has come to Earth.”
The others turned. The collective strength of their curious stares underlined an intimidating point: I had the undivided attention of the seven most influential vampires in the world…
Mattias stoically asked: “Anything to add?”
I could try to deny it, but there was no telling what rumors had already spread to their holds.
This is a game that I must play very carefully…
My fingers curled around the armrests of my throne, whitening my knuckles. “It’s true. There is a human on our world.”
Hushed mutters spread among the others.
“Silence, my Lords!” Mattias ordered. “You can mindlessly speculate to your hearts’ content after we learn more of this… most unexpected visitor.”
I didn’t trust him any more than the others, but there was no denying his prevailing voice of reason and sensible air. These qualities had given me a begrudgingly respect for Lord Blackburn.
“Continue, Lord Craven.”
Drifting my gaze around the ring of thrones, I took a moment to briefly study their expressions. They hid their true intentions well. If this were a high-stakes game for the fate of the world, I’d be at a complete loss. But Elliott, I considered: in a lot of ways, isn’t that exactly what this is?
“Just over two weeks ago, I felt the presence of an intruder in Stonehold Castle.”
“Felt?” Svetlana Lovrić smirked in a casual air. Equally enigmatic and beautiful, the ruler of the nearby Drenchlands lifted a questioning eyebrow. “What is this, ‘felt’ you speak of?”
“Something felt wrong,” I explained carefully. “Lorelei Craven felt it too. We sensed the arrival of a mysterious guest that didn’t belong. My guards found her and brought her to me.”
“So it is a ‘her’,” Mattias noted calmly.
I shouldn’t have been surprised they already knew that. Instead of annoyance, I redirected my irritation into relief that I’d made the right choice in being forthright. If I had lied to them, I’d have lost any semblance of control in this meeting…
“Yes. The human is a woman.”
“A woman?” Eyes-Like-Fire shook her shaved and bone-pierced head. Her striking appearance was dominated with the traditional tribal tattoos of her nomads, a proud and mystical vampire people. “I heard that she was a girl…”
“Their lifespans are much different than ours,” I replied nonchalantly. “In the context of a human lifetime, she says that she’s already–”
“She says?” Akachi asked suddenly.
“Yes,” I responded tensely.
Lord Blackburn turned to me. “Before I form an opinion on these affairs, I wonder: how similar to vampires is this human, Lord Craven?”
“I don’t think I understand.”
He hid a small smile. “Does she think?”
“Does she think?” I blinked in total surprise. “Of course she thinks! We’re not discussing some stray animal here – the human almost passes for one of our kind. She even speaks our language and reads our books.” I crossed my arms in defiance. “Does she think…? You insult her intelligence.”
The rest of the room pondered this; in fleeting realization, it occurred to me that I might have given away too much about her. But the thought of them lumping Clara into the same category as a common animal angered me.
“You were saying something about lifespans,” Mattias noted again. “That they are different than ours? Care to elaborate?”
“Humans do not have the equinoxes that we enjoy. As they continuously age, their lifespans are significantly shorter than those of vampires,” I reluctantly admitted while thinking of how to leverage this information. Perhaps I can convince them to think of her less as a naive girl, and more of an intelligent and thoughtful woman… “She may be young, but the girl tells me that she’s lived nearly the first fifth of her years.”
“A fifth?” Svetlana Lovrić scoffed. “How long is a human life, if she is but a girl?”
Begrudgingly, I answered: “Eighty years to a century, under the right conditions.”
The vampire lords burst into a loud flurry of loud derision and laughter. “Under a century?” Lord Lovrić heartily laughed, wiping at her eye. “Why, they’re nothing but children!”
During their brief distraction, I tried to quietly rehearse a way of taking control of the conversation. I can’t let the rest force me to stay on the defense. I’ll be boxed into a corner over her…
I felt eyes on me, and I turned.
With his fist clasped hard in his hand, elbows propped on the armrests of his throne, I realized that Mattias Blackburn was quietly watching me. What I wouldn’t give to have that extrasensory perception right this moment…
Akachi Azuzi grinned wickedly, taking the opportunity to address me. “Seems to me that our little Lord Craven has made himself quite the scholar to the ways of humankind…”
I didn’t like his smug comment. Particularly, I didn’t like how it met thoughtful stares and quiet murmurs of agreement. But in this game of chess, I could see no appropriate answer… so I allowed my questioning glare to do the talking for me.
“Tell me, my Lord,” Akachi narrowed his eyes. “Why is it that you chose against convening the Council of Eight Holds?”
The room went silent at the accusation.
“She has not been here long,” I replied. “I had to be certain that I wasn’t wasting your time, and that included conferring with Lorelei Craven…” I hated to hide behind her name, but I needed any shield I could find. “You pre-empted me by only a couple of days. After all, there was no guarantee that the human wouldn’t vanish, just as quickly as she arrived…”
“So, you did not summon her here?” Svetlana tilted her head curiously. “I was told that you had found a way to pull humans to Earth.”
“Seriously?” I had to stifle laughter. “Go back and ask me three weeks ago if humans existed; I’d have laughed in your face. In fact, I almost did just that, when my sage brought up the suggestion.” I chuckled in perplexed amusement. “No, my dear Lord – I am not a miracle worker. I haven’t quite discovered how to summon mythical creatures from beyond the veil into our world…”
Most of the others snickered or laughed too; Sveltana looked embarrassed. It was good for my case to have finally gotten some of them to smile.
Akachi looked unperturbed. “Your reasoning makes sense enough, Lord Craven, but here is the real question… when do you plan to bring the human before us? Surely, you don’t wish to hoard such a historic visitor all to yourself…”
I should have seen it coming. He’d backed me into a corner, and we both knew it. I had no choice but to rely on the truth – or some version of it.
“You’ll all try to drink her to death before you even get the chance,” I replied gravely. “The tales are true about human blood. The very scent of it triggers a powerful bloodlust, especially when it comes to vampire lords.”
“Haven’t already drunk her bone-dry, then?” Akachi cruelly spoke. “Such persevering restraint you must have… after all this time, I have clearly underestimated you.”
“I had a spell cast on her,” I noted.
“Oh. Well, problem solved!”
I leaned forward. “It didn’t entirely work.”
“Get a better magician, then!” Akachi grinned. “In fact, for an hour alone with the girl, I’ll even lend you one of mine! Just to talk, of course…”
“Of course,” I narrowed my eyes.
Mattias spoke up. “Lord Craven, what caused the spell to fail?”
I considered my words carefully.
“Without another human to confirm, there’s no telling. It’s either because of her in particular, or humans are naturally resistant to magic.”
The room went dead quiet.
“What exactly are you saying, Lord Craven?” Valentine Vasiliev, ruler of The Wastes, spoke in thin accusation. The cold and calculating vampire lord leaned forward in a dark, foreboding tone. “‘Resistant to magic?’ Nobody and nothing on this planet is ‘resistant to magic’, Lord Craven…”
“Yet, human beings are a fairy tale, nothing more than folklore we tell to young vampires.” I tilted my head authoritatively. “Whether or not you believe me, and I’d honestly rather you didn’t, I’m telling you that a human is in Stonehold.”
“We believe you,” Eyes-Like-Fire rolled a bone piercing in her ear between her playful fingers. “We all felt the human arrive.”
Wait.
WHAT.
Mattias Blackburn turned to me. “We all knew she was here, Lord Craven. Every vampire lord on Earth felt her appear on Earth. The only problem is that we didn’t know where she was…”
I sank back into my seat.
It had never occurred to me that they’d feel her arrival as well. The sensation must have been limited in scope, but if this was true… if they’d all known as soon as I did…
Then I’d been screwed from the start.
“Cheer up, Lord Craven,” Akachi Azuzi smiled over at me. “With that look on your face, it sounds like you just found out your mother died.”
The others turned on him angrily for daring to make that joke, but I barely heard any of them. Clara was in much greater danger than I thought. The grim reality of the situation had been made ten times worse than my deepest, darkest fears…
“Order!” Mattias bellowed. “Order, all of you!”
There was no way to play this safe anymore. If they’d known all along that Clara was on Earth, and they’d now confirmed that she was in my hold, then the only way to keep her protected was to go off the rails. It’s time to show them who I am.
My gaze lifted as I sat forward.
“What are your plans for the girl?”
The others looked at each other.
“Plans?” Eyes-Like-Fire asked confusedly.
“There’s no telling when she might vanish,” I told them in no uncertain terms. “She might even be gone by the time I return. But if I were to bring her here, what would you want? How can we best utilize this gift?”
Mattias leaned forward. “Just to be clear, Lord Craven, are you suggesting that you’d be willing to part with the human?”
I ignored the question.
“Let us dispense with formalities.” My gaze drifted around the ring. “All of you have already thou
ght up some plan or another. Some, far more obvious than others…” Before moving on, I briefly lingered on Akachi’s cold stare. “Feel free to lay all your cards on the table, all of you. This is a place for discussion. If I can be convinced that there is a plan that mutually benefits us all, and it keeps the human traveler safe, then I’m open to debate.”
The vampire lords remained silent. Fleeting glances among them told me that half of them waited to see if any others would speak up.
“If any of you choose to attack Stonehold, you will plunge the world into war. I won’t hesitate to defend my people, or guests of my royal family, and just to make it painfully apparent: the human is the guest of the Cravens. Striking at Stonehold will not shatter my resolve. There is too much at stake now, and we understand so very little. All I ask is, if you do not present a better idea… allow me to discover what I can.” I smiled sincerely. “In return, I will share all that I learn.”
Akachi Azuzi narrowed his eyes menacingly. “A nice speech, but you forget something, little Lord Craven: she is not your right. You will bring the human to us or suffer the consequences. Do we make ourselves clear?”
I rose from my throne to glare down at him. “You? Yes. But you are one among many. Tell me, my Lords…” I glanced around the thrones. “Are the rest of you so willing to risk global warfare to secure your ownership of this single human girl? One, might I remind you, who travels between worlds by complete accident?”
Confronting the room, I held my arms up in authority. “Let us not play pretend: warfare will throw my hold and yours back half a millennium of prosperity. Maybe even more. And while Lord Azuzi seems so very willing to jeopardize your main source of chrysm development and mining by threatening Stonehold, I can’t help but find myself wondering if you share his…” I met his glare with my own. “…Enthusiasm.”
I sat down, leaning back into my throne. “My Lords, what I suppose you must ask yourselves, is… well, is it worth the cost?”
The vampire lords carefully studied me with various expressions. Nearly all of them showed me some form of approval, amusement, or quiet envy. Only Akachi seemed to hold a furious glare.