A Vampire’s Vow

by Kayleigh Sky

  Rune relaxed and took deep breaths of the smells of home. His mother’s city of Kolnadia, the city to which she’d been banished and from which he’d just come, was smaller and darker. Celestine was the jewel of all vampire cities, and one day, like the others, it would be his to rule.

  When the train stopped, he jumped off and headed across the plaza until a shout stopped him.

  “Yahoo!” He grinned at the sight of his sister, Mal, bursting out of the crowd and running his way.

  She was cheerful, wild, and honorable, with a heart as big as Celestine, and with their father, Qudim’s, bold courage.

  Heads turned to gaze after her.

  With her hair loose and flowing, its inky gloss absorbed the colors of the jewels in the granite ceiling. Her eyes were the color of obsidian and framed by dark lashes.

  Rune gazed behind her, but nobody followed her. Which meant she’d snuck out. Of course she chafed at the rules of the castle. The rules for her. She was a princess and only fourteen, but any words he had on his tongue burst out of his chest at the crash of her body against his. She wrapped her arms around him, and he laughed at her happiness.

  “Missed me, did you?”

  She let him go. “Don’t be silly. I just need you to take over babysitting duty.”

  “Taking care of Jessa is good practice.”

  She snorted. “For what? This is the only child rearing I ever plan to do. You owe me a week of babysitting service starting now.”

  Rune slung an arm around her shoulders and steered her through the carts ladened with food and fabrics. “Starting after my party. I just got home.”

  Most of his time had been spent on the train, four days there and four days back. Only two days with his mother, which had strung his nerves on edge. Though he loved her, he’d slept with one eye open.

  Kolnadia was cold and dark and Abadi’s home until her death. The luxury of Celestine meant nothing to her. She was just as much a queen in Kolnadia. His whole time there, her followers had lurked in the shadows, watching him. In case he meant to kill her, he supposed, though it was far more likely she meant to kill him.

  Her attack on Dawn, Qudim’s new wife, and their child, Jessa, was pure vampire vengeance. She’d never been faithful to Qudim. Never loved him. But Dawn was Qudim’s fated love. A love so rare and revered among vampires that many didn’t believe in it any more than they believed in magic or witchcraft. But it was a love Abadi didn’t have, and she wasn’t going to be cheated by a human and her crossling child. Like all the Nezzarams, she was bloodthirsty to the bone.

  “The brat’s been crying for you,” Mal said.

  Rune grinned, remembering the scamp’s lips at his ear when he’d given him a hug before getting on the train…

  “I dreamed of us in a big house in the sun,” Jessa had whispered. “I liked it.”

  “Hm… Well, we live in a castle now. That’s pretty big.”

  Jessa had wrinkled his nose. “I like towers. I want you to take me with you on the train.”

  Rune had chuckled. “Kolnadia doesn’t have towers.”

  “I want to go with yooooou.”

  Sniffles and tears had followed the plaintive cry.

  “Come now. I won’t be gone forever.”

  “You-you promise?”

  “I promise.”

  Shifting his bag from one shoulder to the other, Rune now said, “Let’s get him some treats before we go home.”

  Mal cocked a smile at him. “I already ordered them.”

  She dragged him across the plaza in front of the Celestine Library. The vampires who knew them dipped their chins, and Rune dipped his in return. A few gazes lingered on Mal. She wore a pale blue gown the color of topaz from the Astremia Gorge, but where the style flowed on others, it clung to her.

  “Why are you unescorted anyway?” he asked. “Did you sneak out?”

  “Of course not. I brought Squy.”

  “I don’t see him.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I told him to wait. I don’t need a babysitter.” She poked his shoulder with a painted fingertip. “That’s what you’re for.”

  “You’re a princess, Mal.”

  She gestured with open arms at their surroundings. “I’m right in the open. And this is Celestine. You worry too much.”

  And with that, she stuck her tongue out at him and darted away. Laughing, he followed her to the merchant stalls.

  Celes Delights was a narrow establishment set deep in the rock. Vampires sat at tables inside and out, and the air smelled of sweet herbs and fragrant oils. Rune took a deep breath, the aromas curling inside him, familiar and warm.

  Inside, Mal picked up a box of Jessa’s favorite sweets, a tart made with moon lace and honey stolen from the surface. She carried it by the string wrapped around it as they made their way through the city streets to the dock where Squy awaited them in their boat. Rune said nothing to him and ignored the dip of the vampire’s chin.

  The boat was large, with a cockpit and three rows of canopy-covered benches. Wood was rare, spoils from raids on the surface, but the boat was constructed of a rich mahogany and polished to a gem-like shine.

  Lake Senera was twelve miles across and close to twice as long and lay like a still, ink-black mirror under a massive dome of rock. Its surface rippled as the boat edged away from the dock and set out toward the distant glow of Senera Castle a mile and a half away.

  Behind them, the city sounds faded and the slap of the paddles as Squy peddled echoed in the great space.

  Rune breathed in the fragrance of spice and moon lace. The fern clung to the cracks and crevices around Celestine and emitted a faint, licorice-like scent. Beside him, Mal chattered about the preparation for his dilmenia.

  “I didn’t even get breakfast. The kitchen looks like it exploded, and I warn you, Bettina’s on a rampage. Everything has to be just perfect for you.”

  Out of nowhere, a stab of anguish struck him in the heart. What if he failed? What if his spirit rebelled at taking the vow?

  But the turmoil in his brain was too much right now, and he clamped his mind down on the treacherous thoughts swirling inside him.

  True, Qudim had slaughtered many of the Nezzarams, and on the day he’d stormed Majallena, he had worn their blood. But he was a vampire, and they had risen against him, whipped into a frenzy by Abadi.

  Qudim was a strong and just king, and he cast a shadow that loomed as high as the glittering roof over Celestine, a city he’d partly built. He wanted Rune to follow in his footsteps. He expected Rune’s vow, and a peculiar loss, as though this wasn’t a homecoming but a leave-taking, spread an ache through Rune’s chest.

  “Are you listening to me?”

  He smiled into Mal’s annoyed face. “Watch out for Bettina,” he echoed.

  “She likes you better than me.”

  Now he laughed. “I’m just less spoiled.”

  Mal bit her lip and turned her gaze to the castle. “Was it awful?” she asked.

  Rune took a moment. Abadi hadn’t asked to see either of them. He had asked to go. Mal’s hurt was deeper than his, the pain of a child still young enough to need her mother. She was stronger than her mother though. Stronger than him maybe.

  “The roof was low,” he said.

  “Oh.”

  Though used to small spaces, vampires didn’t like rock pressing down on their heads any better than humans did. “And very cold,” he added.

  Mal said nothing else.

  When Squy’s peddling ate up half the lake, the blurry shape of a building emerged from the gloom.

  Senera Castle was a grand palace, enormous, but stark and shocking. The rock wall that surrounded it had been gutted, chipped away over decades to expose the shape of the castle. Celestine City was only three hundred years old, young by Ellowyn standards. The original castle had been almost as old and shallow like most other structures dug into the rock.

  Qudim’s great grandfather had created the greatest castle in all the Ellowyn w
orld and followed it with the Celestine Library. He’d studied architecture with humans, and both his son and grandson had followed after him.

  The castle façade mirrored the long and elegant shape of stalagmites, spire-like columns rising from the rock bed. The halls and rooms burrowed deep into the cave wall, and a stone terrace stretched from one side to the other.

  The terrace was decorated with many art pieces, most of them the glasswork Rune loved. Watching the artist create them had awoken a passion.

  As they drew nearer, the shapes of people on the terrace slowly appeared in the cold mist that floated above the surface of the lake.

  The force of Mal’s arms coming around him stunned him for a moment. She squeezed him to her and whispered, “I was afraid she wouldn’t let you go.”

  He waited until she released him, then tapped her forehead with his. “I know who my family is.”

  And it wasn’t Abadi though he loved her. He’d lived on edge around her in Kolnadia. Her people were clannish and secretive and… watchful. He’d sensed eyes on him everywhere and had worn a cloth embedded with metal under his shirt to deflect knife thrusts.

  Whoever had been watching him was strong. And Abadi had been aware of the surveillance.

  Had it been her lover?

  She was beautiful, and she had never been lonely in Celestine, but she’d kept no company during Rune’s stay.

  “You are alone?” he’d asked, because he hadn’t believed it.

  “I am with my son.”

  And her family. They’d gathered in a common hall each night beside metal bowls piled high with stones warmed in a nearby spring. Vampires wandered in and out. And every night Rune had sensed the one who had stayed hidden and vigilant. Her family was loyal to her. Who knew how many others were too.

  “It’s good to be home,” he said, glancing back at Mal.

  She grinned and slapped his arm. “Even better, our blossom’s babysitter is here.”

  As though on cue, a squeal cut through the air. “Rune!”

  The little scamp bolted down the pier, a long-dead flower in his grip. He raced past Mal, who yelled, “I have the treats, you ungrateful little wretch!”

  Rune dropped his bag and opened his arms, snatching his little brother up and almost crushing the breath out of him. Jessa hugged his neck. “You came back!”

  “Of course, I came back. What did I tell you?”

  “The servants told me lies,” Jessa whispered.

  “Oh, did they now.”

  Jessa had a cute little face, but not pretty like most vampires. His little nose scrunched in dismay at almost everything. Nobody behaved. Nobody listened to him. Nobody gave him what he wanted. But for all of that, he was nothing but a bundle of love. “Didchya get me something?”

  A spoiled bundle.

  “You ran right by it.”

  “What?”

  “After dinner.”

  Jessa nuzzled his neck, and after a moment, dampness warmed Rune’s skin. He stooped for his bag and headed up the dock. “What’s the matter, blossom?”

  Jessa reared back, face tear-streaked. “Don’t call me that. I’m not a blossom. I was waiting and waiting, and you didn’t come back. I was aloooone!”

  “I was alone,” Rune said. “And now I’m home with you.”

  “For forever?”

  “Forever and ever.”

  Jessa hiccupped. “Okay.”

  “I see you found yourself a flower.”

  The little boy nodded. “Uriah took me. I had fun.”

  “Good.” Rune smiled at Bettina, who stood at the top of the pier. “I’ve got him.”

  Bettina nodded, her frowning gaze locking on his. She turned as he strode by. “You look in one piece, I suppose.”

  “Of course. It was just cold,” he said, skirting any reference to Abadi.

  Bettina snorted. “I bet.”

  Mal had already disappeared, and Jessa snoozed with his head on Rune’s shoulder.

  “The King is home, I take it.”

  Bettina nodded. “In his study.”

  He climbed the terrace steps. Sparks, bright as fireflies and gold as flames, danced above open pits from the dusting of an umber rock called allipio over the warm stones inside. Cousins and other vampires sat talking and playing games.

  Dawn met him in the hall, her gown long and loose, hiding the bump in her belly. He bent into her arms, her scent blowing away his worry. Her hug woke Jessa though, who squirmed sideways and said, “Rune’s gonna play with me, Mommy. Uriah played with me today, and I got you this.”

  He shoved the dead flower at her, and Dawn took it with a wide-eyed gasp. “Oh honey, that’s beautiful.”

  “Like you.”

  “Oh.” She laughed and reached for him. “You sweetheart. No more playing today though. We’re going to have dinner in a little while.”

  “With the King?” Rune asked.

  She looked up at him and shook her head. “He wants to clear his agenda before your dilmenia.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t fuss.”

  She’d taken a couple steps down the hall, but stopped now, and said, “Don’t be silly. I’m so happy to celebrate with you. Even if it will be three days late,” she added with a smile.

  “It’s just a birthday. Almost no one has a dilmenia anymore.”

  She brushed Jessa’s chin with the wilted flower as they headed down the hall to their private areas. “You aren’t anybody, Rune.”

  “The vow is a formality.”

  Just a few ritual questions and answers. But his heart squeezed tight at the lie he’d just told himself.

  After repositioning Jessa in her arms, Dawn glanced up at him. The light of the lamp that slid over her face was bright and bold and shooed away the shadows. A flicker of fear showed in her eyes. “You are going to take it though, right? Your mother didn’t—”

  “No,” he said quickly. “She didn’t say anything to me. We never spoke about it. I’m loyal to Qudim. I love him.”

  Which was not the same as vowing obedience, but Dawn breathed out and smiled.

  “Well, you are a prince. This is a celebration. Only one more day of official childhood. What are you going to do?”

  A smile split his face. “Explore.”

  “Please don’t get lost.”

  He laughed. “I won’t be alone.”

  After dinner and watching Jessa stuff his face with the moon lace tarts, he went to his room. His windows, like all the windows in the castle, were small. There was no sunlight to let in, only the faint glow of the city.

  He stepped out the door onto his balcony and gazed down at the glimmering lake. Celestine was known for its small hidden pools and for the caves tucked into its cracks and fissures. Rune had sketched a few of the caves, though only to remember what he’d found. But when Dawn discovered the drawings, she’d bought him pens and pencils and paints from above.

  “You are so good,” she’d said.

  Rune had played with his new toys to humor her, sure he had no more than the King’s eye for meticulous detail. But after a time, his sketches had veered from the real and showed the fantastical depictions of the emotions he hid inside him. He’d turned one of his rooms into a studio, but it was Protis who woke true passion in him.

  He peered down over the balcony railing and gazed at the glass artwork that decorated the patio. Protis had taken him to the surface once to show him the pieces in sunlight. The colors had swirled and mixed in the glass like the flow of water or… blood.

  But his life was about other things than art.

  Vows.

  His duty as a prince.

  With a sigh, he pushed away from the railing and returned to the hall. It was empty, but a soft chuckle reached him from around the corner, and he followed it and found two vampires playing a game at a small table.

  A lamp glowed on the wall above them.

  They looked up, and a smile split the face of the one named Uriah. He was a cousin, related through Abadi
’s family, but raised in Qudim’s household, so Qudim had not sent him away when he banished all the rest of the Nezzarams.

  “Rune. Welcome home. Good to see you.”

  “And you.”

  “This is Tomas. He’s new here.”

  The vampire, a youngster, maybe fifteen or sixteen, stood and touched his chin to his chest. “Prince. You honor me.”

  “The honor is mine,” Rune said. He touched the boy on the shoulder. “Would you run an errand for me?”

  The boy’s head snapped up. “Of course, Prince. What do you command?”

  “My friend, Zeveriah Dinallah, is staying with his family, the Gorans. Do you know them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Go to them and tell Zev to meet me at the library steps tomorrow at the ninth bell. I want to explore, so he should dress for that.”

  The boy grinned. “I’ll do it. Right away.”

  Rune waited until Tomas had disappeared then turned to Uriah and laughed. “Where did he come from?”

  “I have no idea. I guess he petitioned.” Uriah waved at the table. “Care to play?”

  Rune took the seat opposite Uriah and stayed for several games. Uriah asked him no questions, and he was grateful. A few hours later, they parted company, and Rune crawled into bed. When the earth jolted, he dug his fingers into his sheets and waited. But after the one jolt there was only stillness. Humans, the vampire on the train had said.

  Doing what, Rune wondered. Some said it was fracking that caused the earthquakes. He thought of the rock that had almost hit him and was glad of the canopy that hid the stone over his head.

  He fell into an uneasy sleep.

  3

  True Hearts

  In the morning, a pair of three-year-old knees punched him in the stomach. If that didn’t wake him, a squeal as loud as the brakes on a train the next moment made sure sleep was over. “Rune!”

  “I know my name,” he muttered.

  Jessa’s tiny fangs protruded past his equally tiny teeth. Rune tapped one of the sharp points. “Put them back.”

  The little crossling screwed up his face and grunted in concentration. He let out a gasp when his fangs retracted. “Like that?”

  “Just like that,” Rune said.