by Simon Archer
“How did that feel?” I wondered with a gleam in my eyes.
“Um, amazing,” he chuckled.
“That is what magic feels like. It’s all-consuming and truly powerful. We just need to work on getting yours out of you without my help.”
His brown crumpled in confusion as he looked at me with his big hazel eyes. “You mean that light was my power?”
I nodded at him, and a giant grin opened on his face. He looked down at his hands and flipped them over as he marveled at the power he hadn’t really believed he possessed.
“We’re going to have to keep practicing. And we probably should keep running tests. That means I want to see you every day.” I let the suggestive smirk creep back onto my lips, and he looked up from where he was studying his hands.
“Oh yeah? I think I can manage that,” he said with a grin.
“I have another idea to make sure you work as hard as possible,” I added as the thought formed in my mind.
Christoff looked at me with an interested gleam in his eyes, wondering what idea I could possibly have.
“Each time you manage to use your powers is a half-hour with me,” I began.
“I already am going to be spending tons of time with you, Sahar,” he interrupted. “That’s not much of an incentive.”
“What I mean,” I continued, “is that you get to spend a half-an-hour with me, naked.”
His brown eyes widened, and his small smirk turned into a giant grin that completely lit up his face.
“Deal,” he blurted out, and we both laughed.
I led him over to my area of the lab and coaxed him to take a seat while I brewed us some tea, a much-needed reward after a long yet productive day. He flipped through a book about potions while I made some notes, and when the tea was ready, I brought him a cup and sat next to him.
“So, Christoff, how are you finding your time in the castle, so far,” I asked him, genuinely concerned about his well-being.
“I guess it’s getting better as the days go on. I get to spend more time with you now, and I like annoying Adriana,” he chuckled.
“So I’ve heard,” I replied and sipped the soothing tea. “What do you think about the Queen?”
He was silent for a minute as he thought about what to say and took a drink of the warm tea. “I’m not entirely sure yet. I’ll admit I never thought very highly of her as a Westsider, but now that I’ve met her, I see a different side to the Vampire Queen.”
I sensed the conflict within him and could understand how those who grew up in the West Village might think the Queen didn’t care for them, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
“The Queen has sacrificed much for the good of the people in Constanta, though she would never boast about such things. She is the heart of the kingdom, adored by many and protected by the strongest army on the continent,” I told him, hoping he would believe my words.
As I spoke, I shifted, and Christoff looked up from his tea and stared at me intently as I spoke about Rozmarin.
“I have all the faith in the Queen that she will rise to the occasion and protect the people once more. It is her destiny,” I added.
All my words were true, and as I spoke, I felt a presence outside the door and glanced out to see Rozmarin peeking in. Our eyes met, but I turned back to Christoff as Rozmarin walked away.
“I guess I hadn’t thought about how hard ruling a kingdom could be,” he mused.
I simply nodded and let him finish his tea. When he was done, I sent him back to his room.
8
Rozmarin
“The horde’s numbers have been rising exponentially, particularly in the east. Numbers have increased to over two-thousand per horde in the abandoned cities here, here, and here.” On a map laid out on the wooden table before us in my study, Aerywin pointed to central cities from the Old World. The labels over the lands read, New York, Philadelphia, and Miami. “Others are quickly catching up. If they keep growing at this rate, their numbers will have tripled in as many moons.” The map indicated that a major kingdom or enclave was located less than twenty miles from each of those growing hordes.
The red-headed faerie emissary had just returned from the scouting and diplomacy trip to the eastern kingdoms. She still wore her traveling attire of leather riding boots, plain dark trousers, and a lighter undershirt with a cloak that allowed her delicate white wings to pop through two holes in the back. The cloak boasted the color of the kingdom. The bulk of it was our signature midnight blue, but it had a silk trim and glistening silver stitching along the edges, including the hood. A silver button held it together at her neck with Constanta’s insignia carved into it: a crescent moon and just below the tip of the top curve, a single droplet.
I closed my eyes in defeat. It was happening again. The virus was spreading, and if the zombie population rose enough again, they would breach the kingdom's borders, and there would be another war. It seemed inevitable.
“We must find a cure,” I said, and it came out as more of a plea than an observation. Restless anxiety filled me as I looked up at my council before me, at my closest companions.
My eyes fell on Aerywin’s tall, slim figure as she gazed thoughtfully at her map. My emissary and fearless companion. We met not long before the Great Purge, when I was traveling to other nations with Anix, attempting to assist them in battling their own zombie hordes while also secretly tracking and mapping the massive swarms to the best of my ability.
Anix and I met Aerywin in the southern lands, at one of the few still-running bars, mapping something out in the far corner of the dark pub. She’d spotted us first, having heard of the infamous Vampire Queen and her zombie-slaying gargoyle, and approached us at our own table. She offered us her services as a mapmaker and emissary. I took one look at her impressive mapmaking skills, comparing her brilliant work to my pathetic scribbles, and hired her on the spot. She had been with us ever since: a good friend and an exceptional mapmaker.
My gaze slid to Anix then. She stared back, unblinking.
War general, commander of the Queen’s armies and, most famously, the Doom Bringer. Unsurprisingly, we met in battle, not long after zombie hordes overran the city of Seattle. I, and hundreds of other surviving supernaturals and humans, had been fighting the eastern hordes for weeks, but we were losing ground. They had nearly pushed us all the way into the old Elliott Bay when the sky darkened, casting shadows over the blood-sodden battlefield. Hundreds of gargoyles flew in from overseas, teeth and talons bared, ready for war. I had heard of the small army before then, how they traveled the continent, saving entire villages in the nick of time. Anix, the commander of the army at the time, and I fought side by side until we pushed the horde from the Seattle city limits once more.
It was then that she and I joined forces, and suddenly, the gargoyle army was mine to command. That was how we earned our reputations as Vampire Queen and Doom Bringer. My strategy and drive to protect those who could not protect themselves combined with Anix’s unmatched skill as a commander of armies, and that was enough for us to take over pockets of land that would become kingdoms for humans and supernaturals to live peacefully within their walls.
Lastly, my gaze moved to the vampire at my right. Rachel was my second-in-command and the closest thing I had to family. In the year 1900, when I was twenty-four, a pair of rogue vampires killed my family and left me for dead. Rachel smelled the blood from miles away and came to investigate. She picked me up and brought me to her home, staying with me through the entire transformation. Then, when I was ready and strong enough, she helped me track down the monsters who murdered my family, and we tore them apart, limb from limb. Well, all except one. Their leader. All I saw of her before I turned was a flash of red hair. It was not enough to track her once she realized her coven was being hunted.
Still, it was not my proudest moment.
From then on, Rachel was my closest companion. Once I learned to take care of myself, we lived separately, but we a
lways kept in touch through letters, visits, and even phone calls once such things were invented. She was the epitome of goth and grunge, in black silk pants, platform boots, and a leather jacket. Of Korean descent, her pale skin contrasted with her dark eyes. She wore her black hair down, her bangs dyed purple. While the rest of us preferred more traditional attire, Rachel’s preferences stayed with those from the later centuries, even though she was the oldest of us. She was the first to speak after my desperate admonition, her sultry voice echoing through my study.
“You must push the sorceress for the cure. If she does not find it before the hordes triple, many will suffer.”
One could never say that Rachel didn’t tell it like it was.
“I have Sahar investigating the thief’s bloodline. She claims that the boy will be an asset to the kingdom.” I rubbed my temples, closing my eyes at the ache that was beginning to form there.
Rachel rested her hands on the table, her tiny fingers splayed across the wood. Delicate brows pulled low over lidded eyes in confusion. “He will be an asset to the kingdom how?”
If only I knew.
Rachel took my silence for what it was. Ignorance. I braced myself for a scolding about letting the sorcerer keep me in the dark, but none came. I looked up at her, and her expression was thoughtful.
“Perhaps the sorceress sees the boy as the key to the war,” Rachel mused. “But how?”
We looked around at the table then, and both Aerywin and Anix looked as stumped and confused as I felt.
“If only you could force the sorceress to tell you what the future holds,” Aerywin mused pointedly, and I looked at her with a raised brow.
“If only,” I replied dryly.
Anix’s slit pupils slid to meet my own silver eyes. “If the sorceress can see the boy allying with us in the war, perhaps we should do as Sahar suggests and include the thief in our efforts. We would do well to do as the seer says. After all, the sorceress has long since earned our trust.”
Despite the increasing secret looks and longing gazes that she’d been sending Sahar’s way, Anix truly believed the alchemist was an invaluable asset to the kingdom and a trustworthy seer.
Aerywin grimaced as she looked up at the scarred Doom Bringer, at least a head and a half above her own.
“She has said herself that she serves only the gods of sorcery and alchemy,” the faerie countered. “The good of the kingdom and survival of its subjects has never been her first priority.”
Anix nodded, listening attentively. That's what I loved about my council. While we all had different opinions, we cared for and respected each other enough to bring our heads and hearts together to have productive conversations in decision making. Together, we were stronger. Together we ruled the kingdom.
“I agree, but I do not believe that she would forsake our kingdom for her gods. She does maintain morals.” Anix’s response was calm and flat, but I didn’t miss the slight tightness of the skin around her eyes. She didn’t like listening to others speak poorly of the sorceress. Interesting.
“I suppose you have a point. I’d rather have her as an ally than an enemy,” Aerywin conceded. She was nothing if not practical.
“What could be so special about the boy?” Rachel asked, more of an outwardly spoken thought than an actual question.
Still, I gave her the only response I could think of. “Only time will tell.”
An hour later, after the council meeting had ended, I found myself wandering down to the armory. It was located on the same level as the alchemist’s lab.
As I passed by the lab, I noticed that the door was slightly cracked open, and voices echoed into the hallway. Sahar’s smooth voice reached my ear, and I almost continued onward, but then I heard the voice of the person she was speaking to, and I paused, moving closer to the door. The voice was rougher than Sahar’s sultry tones. It was the little thief. I didn’t catch it in time to make out what he was saying, but I was able to hear Sahar’s response.
“The Queen has sacrificed much for the good of the people in Constanta, though she would never boast about such things. She is the heart of the kingdom, adored by many and protected by the strongest army on the continent.”
Sahar shifted in her seat, and the thief stayed silent, listening intently to the alchemist’s words. He looked so… focused. Fascinated, I shook my head, returning my attention to Sahar.
“I have all the faith in the Queen that she will rise to the occasion and protect the people once more. It is her destiny.”
I hadn’t realized that I had even moved towards the pair to peek through the small gap between the door and the frame until Sahar’s dark eyes lifted to meet mine, her expression pointed. As quickly as her eyes met mine, she turned her attention back to the thief. They sat in the same area where Anix and I had visited her, and they seemed to share a pot of tea.
The thief did not look my way. Slightly ashamed at having been caught eavesdropping by the sorceress, I backed away from the door and continued on to the armory once more, eager to work off some steam from the past few days. As I warmed up in the armory, Sahar’s words echoed in my head.
I have all the faith in the Queen that she will rise to the occasion and protect the people once more. It is her destiny.
What had she meant by that? Was I a part of some prophecy of the future of the kingdom? I ran through the motions of my sword warm-up, repeatedly, swiftly, acting on pure muscle memory. Soon, sweat was dripping from my brow, and my harsh breaths echoed throughout the armory.
“Thought I would find you here,” Anix said from the entryway. I didn’t pause my movements, sword arcing in the same pattern over and over again.
“Just needed to clear my head. I have much to think about.” Up, step, cut, repeat, switching directions every time. My accuracy perfect, my sword unwavering.
“What will you do about the boy?” Anix asked, walking further into the armory but not going for the weapons as I had predicted.
“Continue to have Sahar look into him. If he is to be an asset to the kingdom in the next war against the zombies, I would like to know exactly how. If he is to serve as a weapon…” My voice trailed off, letting the implications weigh heavily in the surrounding room. For a few moments, my breathing and the swish of air around my sword were the only sounds in the room.
“So you believe Sahar’s prophecy? That the boy will be an asset to the kingdom in the war?” The gargoyle’s tone was not so much skeptical as it was hesitant. Maybe even hopeful.
“I think I would be ill-advised not to,” I replied, still moving and still focused. A brief silence ensued, and for the first time, I took a moment in the middle of my routine to glance at the general.
“Say it,” I said, sensing that she had something to say. A moment passed while she pondered her next words.
“Do you plan to speak to the boy?” she asked.
I looked at her sideways, still not pausing my movements. “Why would I?”
The general’s eyes slid to her boots for only a moment. “He has affected you. You have been avoiding him.” She definitely didn’t beat around the bush.
“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” I replied, my movements becoming a bit more swift, cleaner. Sharper.
Anix sighed dramatically before I saw two forms walk up from behind her out of the corner of my eye. One was short and wore all black and the other, taller, more elegant. I finally paused in my routine, lowering my sword to rest a hand on my hip while attempting to catch my breath.
Rachel and Aerywin stood beside the Doom Bringer. Oh no.
“Is this an intervention?” I asked, and my tone was half-horror and half-amusement.
The three shared a look. That was not encouraging.
“Speak,” I said with a sigh. While I wasn’t in the mood, it was my mission to ensure that I would always take the time to hear my council. Despite contrary beliefs, one woman could not run a kingdom alone. So, I rested my hands on the palms of my sword handle, blade down, and wa
ited for them to speak.
“The boy has been locked away in his quarters for days,” Rachel said, her dark, hooded eyes unblinking. “None of us, apart from Anix, has seen him.”
“On the contrary, he is in Sahar’s company in the alchemist lab this very instant,” I countered, unable to keep the childish quip to myself.
Ignoring my response, Rachel continued, her only sign of irritation hidden in the stiffness around her small, plump red lips. “It would be wise to keep the boy close, not push him away because he intimidates you.”
Ouch. I narrowed my gaze on her. She did not flinch.
“He does not--” I paused. I was about to deny the fact that I was avoiding the little thief, but saying it wouldn’t help my case. Arguing the point would only make me look more guilty.
“If the boy is to be a weapon, we might consider keeping him close.” This came from Anix, ever the Queen’s war commander and strategist.
“Then, what do you propose I do?” I asked, the question aimed at all three of the council members who stood before me, my closest companions. While my voice held an edge, the question was a genuine one. They were the Queen’s council for a reason, after all. If I could not trust them to offer me useful advice and call me out on my own bullshit, why else would I have formed one?
The three council members looked at each other before turning to face me again. Aerywin was the one to speak.
“Invite him for dinner. Tonight.”
9
Christoff
The sun was going to set soon, and I knew that a knock would sound at the door not long after full dark. After that, Adriana or the twins would enter with a full plate of food. I had grown used to their presence outside of my room over the past few days. What was different about today was that I had spent most of it with the mysterious, beautiful alchemist who had shown up in my room. After our odd and sensual introductions, she escorted me down to her alchemy lab, giving me a welcome reprieve from the lonely solitude of my room.