Trials of the Vampire

by Emma Glass

My gaze took in the charred sight again. “She clearly wanted to taunt her captors, whoever we wound up being; her magic did an intentionally poor job at destroying her body.”

  Lost in my irritation, I frowned at the guard. “Torch the cell. There is nothing more I can learn from her defiled bones now. I want the contents of this room completely obliterated.”

  “Do you want her remains moved first?”

  “No.” I glared down at what was left of Sabine with burning hatred. “There should be no record she was ever in here. I want every last trace of her wiped from existence; and if there’s any chance that her spirit might stay trapped where she died, then I want her ghost to rot in this disgusting dungeon cell for all eternity…”

  The group of dungeon guards prepared the cell for total eradication, and then backed away.

  At my request, they’d been thorough in their fuel stacking. Estimates put the coming blaze hot enough to scorch away any evidence of her bones. All that would stay behind was ash and crumbles.

  The guards nodded among themselves.

  One struck a match; another nearby turned to me with a concerned look. “My Lord, are you sure you really want to see this?”

  I crossed my arms. “Do it.”

  The lit match sailed towards the far wall, and the entire cell burst into flames. Several guards took another step back from the inferno’s sudden heat; they held up gauntleted hands, attempting to shield their faces from the blaze.

  Well played, Sabine, I begrudgingly admitted. Now, you can never be used against Akachi Azuzi…

  The fire roared. The blaze must have burned for half an hour, but I didn’t move a muscle. I was determined to see this through to the very end.

  So that’s exactly what I did.

  Only as the last flickering flame finally faded did I relax at last. When I re-entered the cell, the traitor’s body was cleansed away in fiery baptism. All evidence of that victorious smile was gone; her very bones had been wiped from sight. There was nothing left of my betrayer but charred ashes.

  “It’s finally over,” a guard sighed.

  No, I bitterly disagreed.

  I feel it’s only just beginning…

  25

  Elliott

  Clara was exactly where I knew she’d be – curled up in my bed, quietly weeping in the dark.

  I sat beside her and placed a hand on her back. Grief overwhelmed me as I stroked her shoulders, feeling how they rolled with her gentle sobs. In her silent sorrow, Clara was more beautiful than ever before.

  The realization hit me like a brick:

  I can never keep her safe here.

  The other vampire lords knew she existed. It was only a matter of time before she was made an international fugitive. Acting on orders, a threat had infiltrated the castle. Worse still, I personally invited said danger into my own stronghold. This young, delicate life had been put in peril, and the only person I had to blame was myself. It seemed that nothing I’d done since her arrival had done anything but paint a bigger target on her back.

  If I can’t foresee a threat like this from within my own kingdom… I steeled myself. I’ll have no chance at protecting her from the other rulers of the Eight Holds. The others have made themselves clear. They’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on her…

  Nikki was right.

  War loomed on the horizon, and there would be no stopping it now. Even with the few allies I had among the vampire lords, the only testimony I had left to provide of Azuzi’s treachery was that of my deranged sister – and the very human being they strove to take for themselves.

  They would never listen to me. I’d lost my one and only chance at proving his culpability. When the chips finally fell, I’d stand alone. Lord Azuzi had never dared to strike against Lorelei while she sat on the throne, and he obviously considered me weak and vulnerable.

  If that’s the game you want to play, Akachi… My eyes narrowed in grounded conviction. If you so desperately want to see what I’m truly capable of, I’ll be more than happy to show you.

  Clara broke me from my thoughts.

  She reached for my hand, taking it into hers. She pulled it to her face, and I had to lower myself down to the bed around her. “I’m so sorry, Elliott,” she whispered in the dark. “If I hadn’t come here, you wouldn’t have to do any of this. Lorelei and you were right all along – all of you are in danger because of me.”

  “No,” I murmured in her ear. “No, don’t blame yourself for this at all. You did not sneak into my kingdom and try to steal from me. Whatever happens next, it happens because of terrible, vile people trying to abuse their power. They’ll all get what is coming to them, Clara. Maybe this was inevitable; if not through you, maybe they would have struck at me another way. But it ultimately doesn’t matter, because today we won.”

  “Did we, though?” Clara rolled over to face me in the dark. “This just feels like the beginning. If they’re so willing to attack you now, what’s going to stop the vampire lords from doing something even worse next time?”

  “Me,” I replied darkly.

  “You? What do you mean, Elliott?”

  “I will make Akachi Azuzi pay. He’s old and feeble, and he must be taught to never challenge me again. I must send a message to the others, plain and clear, showing them all what happens when they dare to antagonize me.”

  Clara shook her head. “I don’t like the sound of that. This vengeance, this anger… that’s not the Elliott Craven I’ve grown to know and adore.”

  Then perhaps that Elliott Craven is overdue to finally grow up, I reasoned silently.

  “Lord Azuzi has broken the peace. Whether or not they believe me, I must make it clear that I’ll tolerate nothing like what happened today. If I don’t, they’ll come to see me as a weak ruler, and they’ll take advantage. That goes double if I have something they want – something like a human.”

  Clara emotionally sank down into herself. “I know… but there’s got to be a better way, Elliott.”

  “If there is, I’ll find it.”

  “We’ll find it,” she whispered quietly, pulling my wrist to her face. Clara planted a small kiss on the knuckles. “Together.”

  The knife twisted in my heart as I lied to her.

  “…Together.”

  Tossing and turning in grief, I could barely rest that night. The fact that Clara managed to sleep through it at all was a small wonder unto itself.

  The dawn came, but I was already awake. For once, I watched how the rising light drifted into the room, bathing it in the dim glow of early sun. Since I’d had all night to think, the drapes had been pulled aside for that very purpose.

  Satisfied, I rose from the bed and pulled them back shut. Clara barely murmured as I sat on the edge of the bed and admired her sleeping form.

  She was so beautiful. The thought of losing her to that horrible fate – disappearing across the world into some dark and distant hold – tugged at my heartstrings.

  My trembling fingers stroked her hair lightly, indulging in the feeling of her tenderness. I can’t ever let that happen to her. Above all else, even with the distance of that bed, I wanted nothing more than to rest with her. The warmth of Clara’s body near mine was utterly intoxicating, and not just because of her blood.

  There was no denying it any longer.

  I loved her.

  In my heartache, I sighed with responsibility. After all, I was still the vampire lord of Stonehold. Regardless of my personal life and its tragedies, I had a duty to uphold to my people.

  Pausing to give her a quick peck on her cheek, I turned and left her to finish her slumber. The last thing I recalled from the night before, just as we drifted to sleep, was that Clara asked me to let her talk to my sister. I’d been so beside myself with regret that I’d allowed it, but now that morning had come, I reconsidered the wisdom behind that choice.

  Well, it was important to her, I remembered. Nikki has made her true alliances clear, I suppose…

  As the day slo
wly dragged on, I forced myself to go through the motions.

  For over an hour, listened to Silas’ rambling. Afterwards, I oversaw the inspection of several barracks and stockpiles around the castle. Later in the day, I even sat down with several advisors to work out some sort of fairer taxation system.

  But in all these things, I was barely there.

  I skipped lunch. I avoided my family.

  In my dark and troubled state, I found myself wandering the castle towards the late afternoon. By now, most of my staff was aware of what had happened; I was given either a wide berth, or faint and sympathetic smiles.

  To be honest, I was eager to be rid of them all. It felt impossible to clear my head with almost constant company. So, I sought out a remote and quiet place for some peace and quiet.

  I teleported down into the sage’s library, and my feet aimlessly took me forward. I had no true idea what I expected to find down here now, so I wandered towards Sebastian’s office. Even in my anti-social state, I considered him a guiding voice that I could never refuse. Perhaps he can offer me some wisdom on the matters that plague me...

  His office stood empty and abandoned.

  Disappointed, I quietly wandered throughout the countless bookcases. Shelves upon shelves of endless tomes greeted me; I just couldn’t pull the energy to pluck one from its place, finding a place of respite to read it.

  After a short while, I came across a small area designed for seated study. I slumped down into an ancient, dusty armchair, finally letting myself sink and wallow in my pained thoughts…

  Hours passed; I know not how many.

  “My Lord?”

  I stirred, unaware of how long I’d been there. To my small surprise, Sage Sebastian stood before me with a thick book under his arm. I recognized it as the same one he’d used before; within those pages, he’d found the magic that almost cured us all of our bloodlust for Clara…

  “Sebastian?” I asked drowsily.

  “Lord Elliott…” the sage hesitated reluctantly. “I believe I may have found the answer to all your problems. But I must warn you, what I am about to tell you involves a great deal of sacrifice…”

  I sat up wearily in my seat, waving away his fears. “You have already done so much; I wouldn’t dream of asking you to forgo anything else.”

  “Were it so easy…” he solemnly replied. As his words trailed off, the sage looked at me much like I’d expect a father might; his eyes were filled with a great and loving reluctance.

  “The sacrifice must be yours, Lord Elliott.”

  26

  Clara

  Sleeping fitfully with horrible dreams of danger, I didn’t wake up until very late in the afternoon.

  Of course, Elliott was gone.

  Expecting him to spend the entire day in bed with me wasn’t exactly reasonable. I still hoped I could wake up beside him, one of these days. But he stayed so distracted with his responsibilities as a powerful ruler. It didn’t help that it sounded more and more like his education for it was built on the concept of ‘trial by fire.’

  As I lay in bed, I wondered instead when I might see Lorelei again. I wanted to talk to her more about her fears for the future, and why she abdicated the throne. Maybe she’ll think I’ve grown up a little more, especially after what just happened. I questioned if she’d be more forthcoming now, as if she’d think the experience toughened me up.

  I heard her voice: The black wind howls…

  I’d been able to think these things without having to deal with the aftermath, but it couldn’t last. Terrible snippets of my harrowing night snapped back to memory with a vengeance. The events still took their toll on me, both physically and spiritually. If Elliott hadn’t intervened when he did, that horrible sight of the sorceress could have burned into my mind… But, thanks to him, I’d gotten nothing more than a fleeting glance at the dungeon cell and its gristly contents.

  The picture was just as short-lived to me now as my old nightmare. It seemed strange to me that entire days had passed without me thinking–

  I bolted up in bed, remembering my dream.

  Terror flooded my heart. I lifted a trembling hand to my face, holding back tears as I suddenly remembered the images that had spent the entire night assaulting my mind.

  It was the forest nightmare again.

  It had never occurred to me to really question that it vanished once I’d arrived here. Even telling Lorelei about it, in the building days before the spell, had done nothing to bring it back.

  “Why?” I gasped aloud. “Why now?”

  The fact that it was back sent a shudder down my spirit, and I feared the implications. It felt like another warning. But how, I wondered fearfully. It’s a day late. The danger came for me last night…

  On the one hand, at least I was actually in the same world as the shadowy silhouette that always protected me within the nightmare; on the other, I couldn’t shake the foreboding of what it meant that it had returned…

  No matter how ridiculous it sounded, it felt as if the dream had found me. It was as if the dream had spent all this time searching for me, since I’d been off of my own Earth for so long…

  You know, I thought as I blew hair out of my face, it’s funny how much just a few weeks can really change a person.

  After I cleaned myself up, I stepped into Elliott’s suite. Wilhelm and Viktor were passed out cold on the couch; their stern companion was sitting idly at the table and staring off into space.

  With the recent thrills, I’d forgotten all about that particular talent of theirs.

  “Being a member of the royal guard can get awfully dull,” Wilhelm had contentedly explained the day that we first met. “Think about it: you are always standing at attention, always alert and cautious. You can imagine how, say, three hundred years of that can get a tad… droll.”

  “That’s right,” I recalled aloud as I watched Asarra snap back to reality at my presence. They probably did this all the time while I was deep in a book, and I just didn’t notice. “You were ‘treated’. All of you were ‘treated’…”

  The knight cricked her neck. “That is correct. The treatments, they are sometimes convenient. Some people say boredom is the greatest curse of long life. But not for me, thanks to the treatments. Boredom shall never come for me again. When it tries, well…” Her eyes drifted to me. “I say ‘no.’ I turn myself off until it stops.”

  The idea still made me really uncomfortable. I felt ashamed that I’d even forgotten about it in the first place, and I wondered what it might take to convince my beloved vampire lord to abolish the practice outright.

  He’s got enough to worry about for now… that conversation can wait until later.

  Asarra meaningfully looked over at the other two. Her face was always stoic, never expressive; of all the vampires I’d met here, she was the one I could never hope to read.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked her.

  She glanced back. “It is unimportant.”

  I didn’t agree, but I knew better than to try to push that point. Even counting my experiences back home in England, this woman was the most insular, closed-off person I’d ever met in my life.

  Instead, I made her a simple request.

  “Can you find Nikki for me, Asarra?”

  The knight gave me an incredulous glance. Her reply came in a flat tone. “You are not serious. You cannot be serious.”

  I couldn’t help a smile. “I am, actually.”

  “But… Lady Craven attacked us. She removed you from our care. Do you have, what do they call it?” Her Eastern European accent grew even more endearing with her frustration. “A death wish?”

  “No,” I smiled. “I don’t have one of those.”

  “Then… I do not understand.”

  I leaned toward her with a knowing smile, partly bent over the dining table. “Asarra, did you ever figure out why I wanted Wilhelm and Viktor to protect me, even though they put me in danger once before?” I tilted my head with interest. “
Or maybe why I requested you, too, even though you forcibly captured me when I first arrived?”

  “No,” she muttered. “Why is that?”

  “Because I forgave you, Asarra,” I enlightened her. “I forgave all of you. In your own little ways, all of you do what you think is right. I know none of you intended to ever really cause me any strife. You all care about me, but you show it differently. I trust you all enough to let my life stay in your hands, and that includes Nikki.” I winked with endearment. “Even if I’ve gotta admit that some of you are way better at it than others.”

  She stiffened in her chair, tightly pursing her lips. On anyone other face, you could barely tell she was flustered; considering the young guard’s self-control, it spoke volumes of her emotions.

  “Wilhelm and Viktor acted poorly before, yes. They almost got you killed. An innocent man had to be punished because of their stupidity. You are silly in the head, Clara. You are too silly in the head for your own good.” I could definitely sense her annoyance, but her delightful accent and unusual grasp of the language was honey to my ears. “Lady Craven, she did the same thing. They are all brash. They are all people who should know better, and yet they make dumb mistakes.”

  “Everybody makes mistakes.”

  “Some, eh. More than others, I think.”

  “You’re probably right,” I conceded. “But I get a good feeling about you, and them, and even her. I can’t really explain it, Asarra. I wish I could. The only way I can describe it is that… well, I guess something just tells me I need all of you around. So I asked Elliott for it.”

  “But you still want idiot Wilhelm and boring Viktor to protect you?” Asarra laughed. “You must have, how do you say… death wish after all…”

  My fingers absentmindedly caressed the dark necklace around my throat, dangling within my clothes. It felt heavier somehow, but only a little. “Trust me, I really don’t want to die. But I can’t help feeling that all of you give my best chance at staying safe… yes, even Nikki Craven.” Giving her my most endearing smile, I lifted my eyebrows. “As your friend, Asarra, I’m asking you to bring her to me. I want to talk to her.”