A Vampire’s Vow

by Kayleigh Sky

  Now Rune gazed back at the castle where the old vampire was pointing. “We have not had a cave-in in centuries.”

  “Hush,” his wife murmured. “It was an accident.”

  “We’re in danger.”

  Zev’s aunt looked up with a thin smile. “Perhaps tomorrow we should go to the surface until he feels better.”

  The Gorans had a home in the human world.

  “We’ll take you,” said Zev.

  His cousin nodded. “We can stay for the summer.”

  Near the shore now, they bobbed in place while the boats ahead of them let out their occupants. A few minutes later they pulled alongside the pier, and Lem Goran struggled up with a painful grimace. He slapped away Zev’s and Moss’s arms and climbed the steps into the city. Rune followed, and Zev dropped back to his side. “Come with us to the surface.”

  “I—”

  That was all he got out before Zev flew away as though something had jerked him off his feet.

  A swirl of black and gray and green spun in Rune’s eyes as he crashed onto his side and rolled under a cart that had come off its track.

  The roar of crumbling rock thundered in his ears, growing louder and louder as boulders smashed into the ground on all sides. The earth shuddered and convulsed. Screams of fear turned into screams of agony.

  People bolted, running blindly for cover. But there was none. Walls collapsed, and more boulders fell.

  Rune curled up under the cart, and a body pushed against his as somebody else dove underneath.

  The street under his hip stilled, but the echoes of destruction pulsed inside him, churning in his gut.

  He fought the rising bile and crawled out into the open where boulders jutted up like broken fangs.

  A few lamps emitted a watery green glow. Silhouettes moved like haunted ghosts. Walls lay in rubble, but across the plaza, the library still stood.

  Over the strange whine in his ears, mutters and cries rang out now.

  Rune let his gaze drift and settle on something sticking out beneath a boulder beside him. He squinted through the gray-green light. Locks of long dark hair flowed toward him, but the bottom of the boulder lay flat on the ground. Something dark oozed out from underneath.

  He bent over, clutched his knees, and threw up. Bile burned his throat, and he gagged, prickled by a cold sweat. Not Zev… Not… Not…

  He spat and straightened. Small lights bobbed in the gloom.

  “Zev!”

  A hand grabbed his ankle. The guy under the cart. Rune dragged him out and pulled him onto his feet. Wandering people jostled him. He scrambled over a boulder and took the arm of a bloody-faced woman. She turned a dazed gaze on him. He led her to the library steps and sat her down.

  “Wait here.”

  An older vampire approached. “Prince, what can I do?”

  “Go to the castle. Get the King.”

  The vampire dipped his chin and disappeared.

  There was still a castle. Still a king. Still his sister and little brother. There had to be. Tears flowed down his cheeks as hot as blood. They had done this. Humans!

  He wanted to wail, and a scream tore from his throat. “Zev!”

  “Rune!”

  He yelled into the growing babel. “Where are you?”

  A pair of arms waved, and he climbed onto a boulder and spotted Zev running toward him. He jumped back down and opened his arms. Zev hugged him close.

  “Your family?” Rune asked.

  “Okay. They’re waiting for me by the train. We need to get out.”

  “Take them. I’m going to stay here and wait for the King.”

  “You have to get out too.”

  “I’ll follow.”

  “I’m coming back for you.”

  Rune kissed him harshly on the mouth, breathing a breath into his lungs before he pulled away. “I forbid it.”

  “Rune—”

  “No. Go.” Zev’s jaw tightened, and his fingers dug into Rune’s arms. “Your family,” Rune whispered. “Take them up and wait for me.”

  Zev groaned but nodded, and Rune pushed him away, staring after him until he disappeared. Rune shivered as the darkness deepened. Above him, under a ceiling torn open like a raw wound, dots of green light twinkled like stars. He climbed on top of another boulder.

  “This is your prince!” he shouted. “Come to the library and help whoever you can on the way!”

  Slowly, the bobbing lights moved toward him, and he jumped down. The dead lay as still as rock. He stepped over them and hunted for survivors. His heart bled as he picked people up and led them to the library steps. Every twitch of the earth set off screams and moans as more rocks showered to the ground. He made trip after trip into the rubble.

  “Rune.”

  He turned and faced Qudim, who strode forward and gripped his arms.

  “Sire.”

  His father clasped him close, cheek pressed to his. “Thank God.”

  “Our family?”

  “Alive.” Qudim released him. “Go home with Uriah. Get everyone to the surface. I’ve sent enforcers to ensure our safety from the humans. Don’t waste any time.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll come when my people are safe. You take care of the family.”

  Rune stopped and turned back. “Zev—”

  “I’ll get him,” said Qudim. “Go on. Nothing here is stable. Half the castle collapsed. Hurry.”

  Rune ran to the boat with Uriah behind him. Squy was waiting. Uriah jumped into the seat beside him and helped peddle across the lake. Horror at the sight of the castle turned Rune cold inside.

  “How many dead?”

  Uriah grunted. “Only eight.”

  Only.

  “That boy who was with you last night?”

  “Gone.”

  Rune closed his eyes. “Bettina and Fritt?”

  “They made it. Best not to think about this. Think of the ones you can save. Let the dead lie.”

  Yes. The ones he could save. Only them.

  He opened his eyes and stared ahead. The people who hadn’t made it back to the city in time milled about on the veranda. The castle looked blasted, sheered down the middle. Rune’s room, what had been his room, stood open to the air, the outer wall gone.

  “Rune!”

  He jumped up. Jessa ran down the dock, Dawn racing after him. The little boy tottered, just as Rune leaped from the boat and caught him in his arms. He hugged Jessa close, breathing him in. “It’s okay, blossom. It’s gonna be okay. I promise.”

  “You didn’t diiiiie!”

  “No, no, I didn’t die.”

  “Don’t go away.”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  Dawn stood behind him, a hand over her mouth, eyes stricken.

  “It’ll be okay,” he said.

  She nodded, and Rune unwound Jessa’s arms from his neck. The boy’s face was splotchy red, his eyes swollen. “I’m scared.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you. You stay with your mommy now though, okay?”

  “I wanna stay with you.”

  “I’m right here.”

  Dawn reached out and tugged Jessa away. He wrapped himself around her, and her face softened as she pressed her cheek to his. “It’s all right, baby.”

  “Where is Mal?” he asked.

  “With Bettina.”

  Rune turned back to Uriah. “Come with me.”

  The vampire dipped his chin.

  “How many of us?” Rune asked.

  “Forty-one.”

  Rune bit back a groan. He took Uriah to the steps on the other side of the veranda and said, “Keep everyone calm. I’m going to check the tunnel in back.”

  “May I speak?”

  Rune nodded. “You are always free to.”

  “Why not go with the others?”

  He shook his head. “I want my family out, and I don’t want to force our way through. This will be quicker.”

  “There will be aftershocks.”


  “That’s why we need to hurry. Get me some water while I get a lamp.”

  Uriah turned away.

  A few minutes later, Rune scrambled down a rocky slope and made his way behind the castle.

  The tunnel was snug and dark and slimy with fungus. Rune crawled in, pushing his lamp ahead of him. The air was muggy, and his lungs struggled. Sweat ran down his face, and the rock tore at his hands and knees.

  He pushed on until spots danced in front of his eyes, and he dropped his forehead in slime and grime. His heart pounded in his ears, and goosebumps popped out on his neck.

  Then a breeze brushed his skin.

  Startled, he pushed up, knocking his head into the top of the tunnel. His lungs swelled with air. Lifting his lamp, he dragged himself forward and crawled on.

  Soon the dark took on a faint gray cast. Light.

  Slithering backward, Rune twisted until he slid on his ass. As soon as he crawled out of the tunnel, he ran toward the castle. A sharp jolt tossed him off his feet, and somebody screamed. He staggered back up and raced around the corner.

  “Is everybody okay?”

  Uriah met him. “Just scared. Are we a go?”

  Rune nodded, swallowing mouthfuls of air. Mal ran up to him, and he hugged her tight.

  “Stay with Bettina, so I know you’re safe,” he said.

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll keep close, don’t worry.”

  He released her and went to Dawn. “Let me carry Jessa. It’s going to be hard, but we can do it.”

  “You go. I’m staying here.”

  “You can’t. He’d kill me.”

  He said it without rancor, and Dawn stared at him for a moment. But he’d meant it. He had no doubt, and she nodded and twisted Jessa toward him. Jessa stretched out his arms, and Rune took him. “Gonna be out of here soon,” he murmured, and Jessa nodded against his cheek.

  With that, he turned and faced the group on the veranda. Some huddled together. A few hot, black stares met his. “Other than Uriah, the King’s enforcers are either with him or have gone to the surface. Our only risk is staying here. Something unusual is happening.”

  “Humans,” someone said, and a soft hiss followed.

  “That’s not important now. We’ll be taking the tunnel behind the castle. I’ll lead the way, and Uriah will follow you. Squy, you go one ahead of Uriah. Everyone move as quickly as you can. Remember those behind you.”

  “Aren’t we taking anything with us?”

  “We’ll be lucky if we all fit. Now follow me. No more talking.”

  He turned away and shifted Jessa from his side to his chest. “I want you to hold on and not go to sleep, blossom. The ground is sharp.”

  “I’m not tired. Tell me a story.”

  Rune chuckled. “Tonight. Now you just be quiet and don’t let go.”

  “You neither.”

  “Me neither,” Rune said.

  At the tunnel, he stopped and said, “Who will follow me?”

  Fritt, Bettina’s husband, stepped forward. “I will.”

  Rune gave him his lamp. “I can’t hold Jessa and this. Try and light my way.”

  Fritt’s normally solemn face split in a smile. “You have my word.”

  Good people. They didn’t deserve this.

  With a deep breath, Rune cupped Jessa’s head in his hand and crept into the dark.

  5

  Ascent

  The climb dragged on. Grunts and cries burst out as rocks cut flesh.

  Gripping Jessa around the waist with one arm, Rune clawed at the ground with his free palm, biting through his lip as the skin shredded. The pain was like fire up his arm, and his head swam again. He wasn’t certain of time anymore. Jessa’s breath hitched, and Rune panted. “Are you… crying?”

  “N-n-no.”

  “This… is… an adventure.”

  “Like C-c-captain America?”

  Rune gasped a laugh. Jessa loved the stories his mother told him. “You’re… the… hero,” said Rune.

  Cool air brushed his face, and his lungs eased.

  “Bastards,” somebody grunted. “Make them pay.”

  “Save your breath!” Rune yelled.

  After what seemed like hours, the brush of cool air touched his face. “Almost there!” he called out.

  Soon gray tones in front of him revealed the shape of the rocks. A glow burned in the distance and shadows filtered through a wall of greenery. The floor leveled, and Rune pushed through the bushes into daylight. He struggled onto his feet, holding Jessa close, and his breath froze in his chest.

  “Look,” somebody behind him whispered.

  Fritt stepped alongside him and released a long sigh.

  They stood on a mountain, and below them, fires spread in a ruined city. Over the crest of a range of hills a glistening bay swam with wreckage, and the tops of sunken buildings glittered in the sun.

  Rune set Jessa down and took his lamp from Fritt. One by one the other vampires appeared before darting into the shade.

  Uriah scrambled out last and stood with a hand over his eyes. He gazed down on the city, and a look of sorrow crossed his face. “For fuck’s sake,” he muttered. “Look what they did.”

  “How did they do it?” asked Dawn, cupping Jessa’s head to her leg, a hand over his ear. “How do you know they did anything?”

  Uriah approached her, not backing down, but he dipped his chin. “I honor you, my Queen, but your people have dug into the earth for hundreds of years. They have blasted, injected chemicals, and flooded us with poison. Look.” Uriah gestured at the view with a sweep of his arm. “Some of the fires are hundreds of miles away. Look at the clouds.”

  Rune shivered. A moment ago, the sky had been clear, the smoke of the distant fires only faraway puffs. Now the smoke flattened under strange menacing clouds, which appeared out of nowhere. Ponderous gray and purple, low to the ground and streaked with rain. The sun dimmed as the vampires stood there. Rune glanced around and said, “We go up. Come on.”

  He waved his arms and the sullen vampires trudged up a thin strip of asphalt to the parking lot of a stone building that had an attached tower on one side. No humans appeared. Mal left Dawn’s side and hooked her arm in Rune’s. Heavy shadows fell over them, and the air was sharp and cold.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  Caution tickled his spine. He forced a glower onto his face and said, “Why wouldn’t I be? We were lucky.”

  “I don’t mean that. I know you, Rune. I know you’re going back. I want to go with you.” She lowered her voice and shifted her gaze from side to side. “You are stronger,” she whispered.

  “What are you talking about,” he whispered back.

  “Papa has changed,” she said. “Ever since Mama—”

  “Mama’s a vengeful witch,” Rune hissed. “I don’t trust her. That has nothing to do with Qudim. I don’t know what you’re saying.”

  “I’m saying you aren’t safe. I saw what you did. What you didn’t do,” she added.

  My vow.

  He took a breath. “That’s personal. This is about our people. One of us has to be here. That’s you.”

  He pulled his arm away and climbed the steps to the stone building. It’s wooden doors stood open, its narrow windows intact. Uriah emerged from inside.

  Rune tipped his head, and Uriah followed him.

  “I want you to keep Mal here. I’m going back.”

  Uriah’s face darkened, his brows low. “Going back to what?”

  “Qudim. I’m not leaving him. I’m not leaving any survivors.”

  Uriah sighed. “Our cities are gone.”

  “We don’t know that.” No matter the war with the Nezzarams, Qudim was a good king to them all, and brave. His shadow loomed large over Rune’s smaller one. He had much to live up to before he was ready to be king. “Qudim is risking his life for us.”

  As they stood there, the sun dimmed again, barely bleeding a circle through the thick dark clouds.


  “Tell me that’s normal,” said Uriah. “I lived up here for almost a year. Quakes don’t destroy everything for hundreds of miles.”

  As though triggered by Uriah’s words, the ground shook again, and Rune grabbed hold of the railing beside him. A roar like a hundred trains rattling through the tunnels tore through the stillness.

  “Fucking God,” Uriah barked out. “We’re all dead.”

  But they weren’t dead. Rune was alive, quaking in a body he had to keep still. He released his grip on the metal rail and turned back to Uriah, who sat on the walkway. Rune’s voice, strangely, was calm and steady. “Not yet,” he said.

  He stretched out a hand, and Uriah grabbed it and stood. “The bastards.”

  “Dawn is human. Jessa half. Do not forget that.”

  “They are us,” Uriah said.

  “Not all humans are to blame. We can’t think about that anyway. Go and take care of my family.”

  “You can’t go back now. The tunnel’s rubble.”

  “If I can’t get through, I’ll turn back. Obey me, Uriah.”

  Uriah’s jaw bunched as he clenched his teeth, but he dropped his chin to his chest. “Your command.”

  “I trust you,” Rune said.

  Uriah sighed. “I am honored.”

  He nodded, and Uriah turned away.

  The moment he was out of sight, Rune ran down the road and slid down the slope to the wall of bushes they’d crawled through. This time he noticed an uprooted tree and a deep crack running through the hillside. Crumbled rock surrounded the bushy outcropping. They had emerged out of an exit that probably hadn’t existed that morning. Not until the quake had opened it.

  A shiver crawled up his spine. What if it closes again? On me?

  Chilled, he broke through the bushes and dove into the dark. Halfway down the tunnel, he groaned as it shrank to only a quarter the size it had been. The dark pushed at the light of his lamp, and the rock pressed down on him. He’d never feared the tunnels and caves before, but now his heart pounded. When the tunnel canted sideways, he squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, forcing back panic.

  Fuck.

  The tunnel had shifted. If he went back… how far away was the Grania Portal? Was it even there anymore?