There was a knock at the door to the office, and all three of them jumped.
“I’ve returned, and I brought Sorna,” he said, his voice muffled by the heavy door.
They moved to the door and worked together to shove the desk to the side. Thana yanked the door open, finding herself eye-to-eye with her mother.
Sorna was restrained by the guard and one of the town’s deputies. She had tears in her eyes and was visibly shaking. The men had dragged her out of the house against her will, easily overcoming her repeated attempts to fight them off. Her hands were shackled together before her stomach, the lower edge of her dress caked in mud from her march to the cathedral.
Thana’s gaze didn’t waver from the older woman. “Mother, I’m going to ask you only once, and you better tell me the truth.”
The demon had been on the roof when they’d filed in through a rear entry, so Sorna hadn’t seen it. The guards hadn’t told her anything, either. She’d feared from the outset her arrest stemmed from the demon carrying out its orders, and now seeing Thana before her, her eyes widened.
“Ask me what?” Sorna’s brow furrowed.
“The demon that’s after me, did you send it?”
Sorna looked past Thana into the room, seeing Corina and Father Beezle standing behind her. She gnawed on her lower lip, deciding what to say.
“I’m waiting,” Thana added, taking another step closer.
Sorna looked to the side and huffed, rattling her chained hands before her. “I didn’t call up that thing or intentionally send it after you.”
“You didn’t intentionally send it after me?” Thana’s eyes narrowed.
Sorna’s mouth tugged down, and a visible sweat broke across her skin, despite the cool interior of the building. “No! It attacked me out at the farm. I didn’t call for it to come! I was in fear for my life!”
“There is no way that demon attacked you and you survived without something stopping it,” Thana shot back. “It killed all but one of my guards in a matter of seconds! What did you do?”
Sorna lifted her chin into the air a bit but continued to keep her gaze averted to the side. “I was already damned for raising a woman like you.”
Thana felt the nails of her left hand digging into her palm, her fist clenched so hard her forearm was beginning to cramp.
Father Beezle moved up beside Thana. He frowned at Sorna. “You had to have given it her name to ward it off of you. Don’t you realize if it manages to kill Thana that it will simply return to kill you afterward? You cannot make deals with demons!”
“If that is how it must be, there is nothing I can do about it. Dying, Thana, is better than you living as that vampire’s concubine for the rest of your days,” Sorna replied, her voice going monotone.
“I see.” Thana turned away from her mother and looked at Corina. “She’s beyond reason, but I have my answer.”
“Sorna, why would you do this? What sort of mother would send such an abomination after their child?” Randall asked, shaking his head. “Making a deal with an unholy creature? What happened to you? You used to have such strong faith.”
Sorna’s eyes slowly turned to land on the small priest, her posture going rigid. “For all of my faith all of my life, what has God ever done for me, Father? I did the decent thing in raising an orphaned child after I was rendered barren. My husband died a needless death, and the child grows up impudent and willing to give herself to a man created out of evil. I was damned before I ever did any of it.”
A shock of cold ran down the priest’s spine. Sorna was too far gone to help. He took a step back and looked at Thana and Corina.
Corina switched her gaze between Randall and Thana, her hands knotting up before her stomach. “What do we do? How do we get it to leave?”
Randall hung his head. “Now that we know what we are up against, there are a few ways to deal with it outlined in the book.”
“Such as?” Thana asked.
“The simplest is to kill the one who originally called the demon out in the first place,” he said. “I couldn’t agree to that, however. Everyone needs to get out of this alive.”
As furious as Thana was with Sorna, like Father Beezle, she couldn’t stomach that idea. She shook her head. “What else, then?”
“Find a way to contain or kill the demon through magic,” he said. “There are no physical means of fighting it effectively.”
Corina took a step back and shook her head. “Isn’t that moving into the areas of magic that Peirte was involved in? It’s not allowed!”
Father Beezle drew in a long breath. “Technically, all magic is forbidden by our church. However, if I hadn’t broken that rule by using the spell I placed on the cathedral, Thana would already be dead.”
“How often have you used magic, then?” Corina asked.
“I can honestly say I’ve only done it a total of four times during the whole of my life. The church banned it to keep people from slipping into the darker arts like Peirte did, but not all magic is evil,” he replied. “The magic I’ve invoked so far has been the type the founders of our church once used quite freely. It calls upon divine power, not demons. The rules forbidding all magic only came down within the last two-hundred years. It was a decision made by humans, not an order given to us by God.”
Thana looked at Corina and then Randall. “What must we do in order to kill this demon to save not only Sorna and I, but to keep it from going after anyone else ever again?”
Father Beezle offered a sly grin and turned away, lifting a hand into the air. “Let me get my books.”
* * *
With Adira out of the room, Keiran and Garhan found themselves staring at one another. In meeting for the first time, there was an awkward tension in the air between the brothers.
“I came here hoping to learn about my mother, and when Adira told me her version of events, I knew something wasn’t right,” Keiran said, needing to break the silence.
“Adira grew up with no real prospect of coming to power, being the younger child. However, once Ilana conceived me and realized Athan’s plan, she feigned madness to be taken from the line of succession. Adira ultimately was the one who benefitted. She grew paranoid of losing her power if the facts ever came to light,” Garhan replied. He looked down at the filthy clothes he wore and frowned. “I very much would like to get changed before we leave. Come with me, Keiran, so we can continue this discussion.”
Keiran readily agreed, asking the guards to remain downstairs to keep watch. He followed Garhan back up the damaged staircase and down the hall toward the room he’d found him in.
Garhan went to the overturned armoire and pulled open one of the doors. He bent down to rummage within, searching for something to wear.
“Even at that young an age, our mother knew what Athan was after?” Keiran moved to sit in one of the few intact chairs present.
“She was exceptionally intelligent,” Garhan said, standing up with a bundle of clothes pressed to his chest. “Adira will only argue that Ilana was insane, but that was far from the case. Ilana studied our country’s history in depth beginning in childhood. She was absolutely fascinated with it.”
“So, she understood what vampires were capable of,” Keiran added.
“Yes,” Garhan replied. “Now, if Athan hadn’t told her who he was when he’d attacked her, it might have all gone differently. He’s too egocentric, however, so he did. She never told her parents, but rather than go on to live her life as queen, she gave it all up willingly to not only try and protect me, but to protect the country. See, she didn’t know what sort of a person I’d grow up into. I know she loved me, but she wasn’t willing to take any chances, and I don’t blame her.”
Keiran watched as Garhan went and righted a dressing screen that had been knocked over before he disappeared behind it to change.
“For her to make such an unselfish decision at that young of an age says a lot about her,” Keiran said. “Athan wanted Aleria ruled by someone he cou
ld control. That’s his plan with Tordania as well, I’ve often suspected. By making me a vampire, he figured eventually I’d see the world as he does.”
Garhan’s head popped out from the side of the screen, and he pointed a hand at Keiran. “Precisely. He wants the world run by vampires or… in my case, something at least close.”
“Close?” Keiran asked, leaning forward in his seat and cocking his head to the side. “You are a vampire.”
“I am a vampire, but I’m not certain I’m exactly like you. I inherited the traits of vampirism from Athan, but with Ilana not ever being infected herself, well… I’m not actively infected. I can’t pass it on like I presume you can.” He vanished behind the screen and tossed the rags of his old shirt off to the corner. “At least, that’s my working theory from researching the subject in the library after I was returned to the palace.”
Keiran sat back again and crossed his arms over his chest. “I had to die after taking human blood to become, well, a true vampire. You just drank it and came around, maybe you are different.”
“Ah, that wasn’t the first time I’d had human blood,” Garhan replied, emerging in better clothing. He moved over to find his boots and sat on the floor to pull them on. “And at some point, I did die from my isolation in here. Actually, if we’re being honest, I decided to take my own life. A quick slash with a shard of glass and that was intended to be that.”
“But you woke back up a while later?” Keiran asked, thinking back on his resurrection.
Garhan audibly sighed. “Yes, I woke up, but afterward I started to waste away. Without any blood, I eventually began to just… dry up.”
“But you’ve been locked up in here alone.” Keiran narrowed his eyes. “How did you get blood?”
“I wasn’t always locked up in here. This happened only when our grandmother died and Adira was crowned. Before, after I’d been returned to the palace in my illness, I had free run of the place.” Garhan struggled, finding his boots had grown stiff from disuse. “I had opportunity, and I knew what was wrong with me and why I was ill.”
“Because of our mother telling you who your father was?”
“Correct. I didn’t choose to share it with anyone except the one I eventually drank from. Adira’s physicians later diagnosing me simply gave her an excuse to have me put away. She still saw me as a potential threat to her claim to power. I wasn’t legally capable of challenging her, but she’s always been terribly paranoid. I should be grateful she locked me up instead of caving to Victri’s urges to have me killed.”
“I can’t say I cared much for Victri in the short time I knew him. I looked into his mind, and I saw a few of his recent encounters, not only with Adira but with other females around the palace,” Keiran said.
“He never confronted men like that, but he’s never been above imposing his will on women.” Garhan pulled himself up from the floor and wandered to a mirror hanging on the wall. He wiped a spot with his shirt sleeve before looking at himself for the first time in years. “I hope my hair grows back. Regardless, Victri’s death is not a great loss.”
Keiran rose up from the chair. “He physically attacked Adira right before I arrived here, that’s why he was in the dungeon and escaped with us. He’d shoved around some tiny little woman right before it, too.”
Garhan’s entire body went rigid, and he turned around to look at Keiran, his eyes wide. “The tiny one, what did she look like?”
He tried to think back. The vision had been very short lived. “Ah, light-brown hair? Tiny, thin, smaller than I think I’ve ever seen an adult woman. I can’t really tell you much more than that.”
Garhan clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth before turning to what was left of a dresser and reaching into one of its open drawers. He pulled out a long strip of fabric and went back to the mirror, tying it around his head.
“Does she sound familiar?” Keiran asked, still watching.
Garhan turned from the mirror, looking better after getting dressed properly. He gave a small shrug, though, something hopeful still lingered in his eyes. “I’ve been locked in here for so long, I’m not certain I would recognize anyone anymore. In any event, I’m ready to leave. I don’t know where you and your friends intend to run off to, but I’d appreciate being allowed to go with you.”
“I’d already planned on taking you with us.” Keiran moved back toward the door. “We should get under way before Adira decides we aren’t leaving.”
Jerris nearly plowed into Keiran as he stepped back out into the hall. The redhead was sweating, his eyes wild. “She has decided we’re not leaving. They’ve set the house on fire.”
* * *
Father Beezle had poured over several ancient magic books he’d retrieved from a locked trunk in the corner of his office. The books had been pulled from the church’s library decades before when the use of magic had been banned. However, they’d never been destroyed, remaining in the sole custody of the church’s leader.
With nightfall, the demon’s cries and activity on the exterior of the cathedral had escalated. Several of the large stained-glass windows had been broken in during the creature’s assorted tantrums and attempts to gain access, but she’d never breached the interior.
However, they were beginning to have their doubts on how much longer she’d be kept outside. While more guards had wanted to enter when the demon moved away from the doors, Thana had given the order for them to stay outside. There would be little they could do if the demon gained entry, and it would only mean more would die if she managed to get inside.
Sorna had been kept inside and had fallen silent. She sat in the corridor before the office, her hands chained together. Though she was absolutely terrified what would ultimately happen to her, there was no point in giving Thana or anyone else the satisfaction of seeing how upset she was. Whenever the demon shrieked or broke out another window, Sorna flinched, but she was otherwise stoic.
Thana sat at Father Beezle’s side, reading along with him to pick up what she could. While the aged texts spoke of several things she was unfamiliar with, she did catch much of what it meant. If the situation had been different, she would have asked Randall several questions about what was written in the books.
The entire building shook, causing Father Beezle to lower the book he held to the floor, and he rose up. He looked at Corina and Thana, brows knitting.
“She’s figured it out,” he whispered, pulling his glasses off.
“Figured what out?” Thana asked, standing up.
“The spell I’ve cast on this building only really keeps her from entering through the doors or windows,” he said, motioning around with his hand. “So, she’s now going to try going through the ceiling or walls.”
The building rocked again, followed by the sound of stone shards falling from the vaulted ceiling in the dome of the cathedral. The splintering crack of pews being crushed echoed down the corridor.
“What do we do?” Corina asked, having spent the past several hours pacing the office.
Father Beezle looked to both women before offering them a smile. “It’s time for me to go and deal with this creature once and for all.”
“I’ll go with you,” Thana said, moving to follow him.
“No, you and Corina stay here. Not to inflate my own importance, but I’m the only one who can do this,” he replied, turning and placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Is there anything we can do, though?” Thana knew the magic in the book was beyond her abilities, but she felt the need to do something.
“Pray,” he said before giving them another smile and moving out into the hallway.
Thana went closer to Corina, feeling sick to her stomach. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Protect the baby inside of you.” Corina put her arm around Thana’s shoulders. “That is most important.”
Sorna’s head snapped up. Though she was sitting in the corridor against the wall opposite to the door of the office, she’d heard Cor
ina’s last words clearly. “Thana, you’re pregnant?”
The younger woman turned around and faced her mother. There was a proud air around her, and her lips curled into a smile, despite the situation. “Aye. That’s why I came to the cathedral today, so I could receive a blessing from Father Beezle. Had I not been here, that thing you sent after me would have killed me already.”
Sorna’s mouth snapped shut and she looked off to the side. Though she shouldn’t have been surprised to hear about Thana’s pregnancy, something about it hit hard. The grim memory of how she’d never managed to conceive her own biological child reared up, stirring the long-standing sense of injustice she’d felt regarding the world for ages.
Realizing Sorna was going to fall silent again didn’t make Thana’s rage toward her diminish. She took several steps forward, stopping in the doorway to the office, glaring down at Sorna.
“You honestly don’t care about that demon coming to kill you after it finishes with me?” she asked, slowly crouching down to be on Sorna’s level.
The woman scowled, setting deep lines into her face. “If I must die, at least some good should come of it. Killing you now will spare the world the birth of at least one more vampire. I can only assume the child within you will be like Keiran. Evil only begets more evil.”
Thana sighed and stood up again, shaking her head. Her shoulders slumped, and she slowly turned away from her mother. There was a small spark of guilt within her, fearing her relationship with Keiran really had been what had driven her mother over the edge of sanity.
Corina moved forward and put a hand on Thana’s shoulder. “The stress of letting her get to you isn’t going to help you or anyone else.”
“I know. I just think she wouldn’t be so far gone if I hadn’t married Keir,” Thana said, shrugging.
“Sorna’s been changing since she first arrived at the castle. She went through a considerable amount over the years, and some people just aren’t capable of handling the woes of life without losing themselves,” Corina replied.
Thana began to respond, but another loud crash from the main portion of the cathedral cut her off, and they moved down the corridor, signaling the guards to remain near Sorna.
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