Victoria wrinkled her nose up at the smell coming from the crystal decanter that Lucaese was pouring from. Despite its rich, ruby color, she knew by the smell that it was not red wine. He poured the blood into two crystal glasses and offered her one as he sat across from her at the small table in her room. He frowned when she refused the glass.
“I do not thirst for blood, Lord Lucaese. I’ve told you this,” Victoria said, doing her best to not sound repulsed. The only thing keeping her out of a prison cell was cooperation. All she wanted was to set the whole fort ablaze. But the master vampire possessed powers that far exceeded her own. He held the key to her life in his hands, and he didn’t seem to be completely stable in the mind. For all she knew, if she defied him too much, he’d simply kill her and try again with some other unfortunate girl.
“So you keep saying, but I can’t help but wonder if your refusal to drink is why you can’t seem to forge the connection with Lord Attan.” He set the glass down on the table and sipped thoughtfully at his glass. “You’re certain he’s never tried to make contact with you in your dreams?”
“Never once, I’m afraid, my lord. I don’t ever truly sleep, let alone dream,” Victoria replied. She scratched under the lace of the choker she wore. It was a ridiculous and gaudy thing, with a giant ruby set into the front of it in a gold bezel. Lucaese had insisted on dressing her up in finery—black lace, dresses of velvet and silk, and gold bangles galore. It was as if she was his living doll, the way he fussed over how she looked all the time. Nothing could disgust her more.
“Won’t you try a sip for me, my sweet?” He asked, pushing the glass toward her. “It could hold the key to our success.”
“For you, I’ll try,” Victoria said. She grimaced at the metallic smell. Whoever the blood had come from, it was fresh. Very fresh. It took all her might not to gag as the warm blood touched her lips and the tip of her tongue. Judging by the look on his face, he expected her to drink the whole glass. After the first nasty sip, she set the glass aside.
Lucaese leaned across the small table, wiping a drop off of her lower lip with a handkerchief. The way he looked at her never failed to make her skin crawl. But tonight, it was terrible. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of her and had showered her in compliments the whole evening while they waited for the sun to set. “There, was that so hard? It may be an acquired taste for you. After all, you aren’t truly like the rest of us. That much has become apparent to me.”
“I’ve been trying my hardest to make contact.”
“I know you have, my pet. You’ve taken your meditations so seriously. Everyone can see how hard you’re working. It is no small task to contact an old god. And Lord Attan may still be getting used to mortal form. After so many years in his prison, he must be drained.” Lucaese raised his glass to her as he took another drink. “I have something special planned for us this evening, as a reward for all your hard work.”
“Oh? How exciting.” Victoria forced herself to take another small sip from her glass. “Is it a surprise?”
“Yes, a marvelous one at that. We just have to wait for the moon to hit its zenith.” He poured himself another glass from the decanter, letting his unsettling gaze linger on her far longer than she liked. Had she been playing along too well? To her, it seemed as though he’d begun to show interest in her. She forced yet another sip down to disguise the retch that threatened to empty her stomach. This was worse than any prison or torture she could possibly endure.
There was a knock at the chamber door. Lucaese scowled before calling for whoever it was to enter. Slowly, the three Elitre entered the room and bowed to the two of them. Ludus stepped forward. “Forgive our interruption, my lord. There is a strange creature stalking the perimeter of the fort. Shall we investigate?”
“What sort of creature?” Lucaese asked.
“A ghostly wolf, my lord. It appears to be some sort of familiar.”
Victoria’s eyes widened. Had Klen finally found her? If so, she wondered if there were others with him nearby. She kept her excitement to a minimum. If there was any chance that she could get a message out to him, or even be allowed to bring him into the fort, it could be her only hope of rescue.
“Search the surrounding forest for its master. It could be those damned pesky knights sniffing around again.” Lucaese waved his hand dismissively. “Leave us. If you find anyone, throw them in the prison with the rest of the cattle. We could use more for tonight’s festivities.”
“Yes, my lord.” The three women quickly left the room, shutting the door behind them. Lucaese sat back in his chair, seeming glad to be alone again. “I hope they have been respectful to you when I am not present, Aemani.”
“They’re coming around, I think,” Victoria smirked. In truth, the three couldn’t stand her. They probably knew she was toying with their master. But it was clear that no one could convince Lucaese that she could be anything but his new and devoted right hand. The three had been brutally whipped by Lucaese himself the last time they had accused her of being a fraud. She had just been glad not to be on the receiving end of his wrath just yet.
“That is good. I am sorry that they have not been as welcoming as I expected them to be. It is most out of character for them.” Lucaese rose from his chair and walked to the balcony door covered in heavy velvet curtains. He stepped to the side as he drew them open, revealing the night sky. “Would you join me in the moonlight, Lady Boucher?”
“Certainly, my lord.” Victoria rose from her chair, smoothing the wrinkles in her dress. Together, the two of them stepped outside into the cold night air. She was grateful to get relief from the terrible stench of undead that permeated every room of the crumbling fort. She scanned the tall grass and the forest edge for any sign of Klen but saw nothing. Perhaps he had turned back to avoid being captured.
“It is a rare night tonight,” Lucaese said as he looked up at the three moons. All three of them were full, bathing the plains in their soft blue light. “This won’t happen again for over a millennium. I suppose it is silly to cherish such things when one lives forever.”
“Have you ever seen it before?”
“Once, before I went into hibernation all those years ago. I cannot say how long I was asleep.” Lucaese looked over at her, his eyes lingering on the ruby pendant resting on her collarbone. “It was the Elitre that woke me up, you know. The four of us are the very last of our kind.”
“That must be difficult… to be surrounded by people that aren’t your own.”
“I’m sure you understand my pain, Princess.”
Victoria clenched her jaw. Had he forgotten that he’d personally seen to the murder of her entire kingdom? Or did he just not see the problem with what he’d done, why that would cause her to detest them all so? Either way, trying to play innocent only grew harder by the day. If rescue didn’t come soon, death would be a welcome release.
“Now, now, my pet, I know you must miss your people. But they stood in the way of your glory. Look at you now! You’re an immortal and you have no need to fear the daylight, something I envy greatly. You were destined for this, to be part of something more than the meager life you would have lived otherwise.” He pulled something out of the pocket of his jacket. He opened the small velvet box, revealing a painfully familiar ring. It was her mother’s wedding ring—three large, beautifully cut diamonds set into a white gold band. The ring had been in her father’s family for generations. As badly as she wanted it for a keepsake, she couldn’t stomach the sight of it with the context of the situation becoming crystal clear to her. “I’ve been saving this for our reunion, my sweet. Tonight, I intend to make you my bride, and together we will rule all of Ammoria.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Victoria said as he took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. In reality, she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. This was not a proposal. It was already planned, with or without her consent. Things could not possibly get any worse. At least, she desperately hoped they couldn’t.
“No words need saying,” He said, raising her hand to his lips to kiss it. “There are things that I must attend to before tonight, my sweet. The Elitre will fetch you when it is time.”
“Until later, my lord.” Victoria let out a sigh of relief once he was gone. It took all her might not to scream in frustration. Why did this have to be happening to her? What made her so special to the psychopath that murdered her family and butchered her people into extinction? If the ring on her finger hadn’t belonged to her family, she would have thrown it out into the grass. The only way Lucaese could have gotten it would be if he took it off of her mother’s hand himself. The thought made her sick.
A sudden light in the sky above her caught her eye. At first, she mistook it for a shooting star. But as it grew brighter and brighter, she realized that it was a ball of light. A very familiar blue ball of light. As it drew near, it took the form of a ghostly blue raven that landed on the railing of the balcony before her.
“Klen!” Victoria said. She quickly shot a glance over her shoulder to make sure no one had entered the room. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
“I’ve been chasing you since they took you from the estate. We’ve come to rescue you.” He ruffled his feathers and blinked at her. “Giselle has a party camped maybe three miles from here, out of view of the fort. Are you alright? You certainly look… well, regal and unharmed. I was expecting you to be in a prison cell somewhere.”
“I wish I was in a prison cell.” Victoria held up her hand to show the ring. “This maniac intends to marry me! If you don’t get me out of here tonight, he’s taking me back to Mount Theirran tomorrow night. If that happens, then it’s all over. I’d rather die than be his bride.”
“Well, at least he has excellent taste in jewelry.” Klen laughed at the outraged look on her face. “Are you certain you’ll be on the move soon? The others were going to storm the fort at dawn.”
“You have to get me out of here tonight! It’s only a few more hours until the moons hit their zenith. That’s when he intends to marry me.” Victoria couldn’t believe Giselle had followed her all this way. The resources she must have pulled in over the last two weeks must have been extensive. It was touching that a stranger found her to be worth such a tremendous expense. “How many men do you have?”
“Seventy, including two captains of the Knights of L’Oriath. Will that be enough?”
“There are only about forty or fifty undead here. Lucaese sent a good portion of them ahead of us to Mount Theirran after he realized the large numbers were counterproductive to controlling my transformations. But he’s the source of the magic we sensed on our way to Cintois. Whatever he is, he’s bad news, Klen. We have him and the Elitre to contend with.”
“I’ll take the message back to Giselle straight away. We’ll take them by surprise. Do your best to stall and divert attention away from the northwest. It’ll take us about an hour to get here on foot.”
“Thank you for coming to my rescue, Klen.” She kissed the top of his head, glad to have made such a good friend.
“You’re worth fighting for, Valerie. We witches must stick together.” He took to the skies and flew off. Just as he disappeared behind the trees, there was a knock at the door. She spun around as the Elitre entered the room. This time, they did not bow. Ludus had a cherrywood box in her hands. Closthe held a black dress, and Electra had a long black lace veil.
“We have come to get you ready, Aemani,” Ludus said with great disdain. If Victoria didn’t know any better, she could have sworn there was a touch of envy in her tone.
“Did you manage to find the familiar?” Victoria asked.
“There are guards still searching, but there is no sign of it anymore. Don’t trouble yourself with such things, my lady,” Electra said as she hung the black veil on the back of the chair in the corner of the room. “Tonight is a momentous occasion.”
Victoria entered the bedroom again, shivering as the three sisters began to help her change out of her evening gown and into the black dress Lucaese had insisted she wear. Their hands were like ice on her skin.
“I do not know what our master sees in you,” Ludus scowled as she and Closthe helped her step into the dress. “You may have him blinded, but I know that you’re hiding something. You have not been trying to contact Attan. I don’t think you host anything inside you. You’re a mistake—a fraud.”
“I’d like to remind you of the consequences of what happened the last time you accused me of being a fraud. I tried to stop him, to give you mercy.” Victoria coughed as they pulled the laces tight on the back of the dress. It had been ages since she’d worn anything like this.
“You may be one of us, but you are not worthy of our master.” Closthe seemed to delight in tying the corset just a bit too tight. “You are mortal, a half-breed. Your kind was supposed to be wiped out before Mount Murdu erupted and ruined our predecessors' plans.”
“Then why did he choose me? I didn’t ask for this.” Victoria spat. “I didn’t want any of this. Do you think I haven’t longed for my own death over the last five years? I should have died with my people.”
“Lord Lucaese found your beauty to be captivating,” Electra said. Of the three sisters, she had been the least hostile. Perhaps she knew better than to try and change their master’s mind or appreciated that Victoria had shown her mercy when her own master had not. She opened the box her sister had set on the table and pulled out a gold and sapphire tiara, yet another heirloom from her kingdom. Victoria had worn it during events at court, signifying her rank as a princess. How many relics had Lucaese stolen from the ruins of Halaafin? “Beyond that, it is unclear why you were chosen to be his right hand.”
“He should have chosen one of us. To bind Lord Attan to a halfling is disgraceful.” Ludus stood back as Closthe and Electra pinned the black veil in place. “You look sufficient. Now come along; it is almost time.”
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Victoria’s stomach dropped as they began to descend the steps into the fort’s courtyard. There had been barely more than twenty vampires in all at the fort the previous night. There had to be almost triple that number now. Around the perimeter of the yard, the guards stood silent and still like statues. Lucaese stood on a newly constructed wooden stage underneath an archway of thorns and brambles that had been decorated with orbs of red and white lights. Lucaese’s guests—easily forty people—were gathered around the tables and chairs arranged on either side of the aisle leading to the platform. Everyone rose to their feet and applauded as they spotted her.
Standing before the stage were about fifteen men and women in chains and rags—the fort’s supply of blood, no doubt. It pained her to think how long some of them had suffered here. All of them were gaunt and sickly looking, covered in bruises and cuts. Soon, though, rescue would be on its way. Victoria looked up at the moons, praying that Giselle was close by. It had been over an hour already since Klen had left her. There wasn’t much she could do to stall at this point. All she could hope for was that whatever Lucasese had planned for a ceremony was as long and drawn out as possible.
As she neared the platform, one of the prisoners locked eyes with her. She stopped midstep, shocked. He seemed just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. Tears welled up in his eyes as he reached up to cover his mouth. Victoria wished she could do the same. To see him in such a condition—starved and battered—broke her heart.
“Gerduwin?” Victoria whispered.
“Princess.” He mouthed.
Ludus gently elbowed her in the ribs to get her moving again. Lucaese hadn’t seemed to notice the exchange, or simply didn’t care. He was too busy letting his eyes wander all over her. The Elitre positioned her opposite their master and retreated to a table close to the platform. Lucaese lifted the veil from her face, brushing her cheeks with his hands as he did so.
“You look radiant, my sweet,” He whispered to her. Eager to begin his one-sided celebration, he took her left hand in his and turned them both to face the crowd. Victoria locked eyes with Gerduwin, who had turned to face her with the rest of the prisoners. As Lucaese began a speech about the momentous occasion they were on the cusp of, Victoria used her free hand to try and subtly gesture to Gerduwin that help was on the way. Despite the chains around his wrists, he was able to vaguely gesture back his understanding.
“Tonight, we celebrate our accomplishments,” Lucaese said. “For millennia we have fought a war that seemed without end. But now, the end is fast approaching. We have our savior, our harbinger—our new queen. Lord Attan is with us this evening, even in his weakened state. Soon, once he and Lady Boucher have unified, we will begin our fight in earnest. Halaafin was only the beginning, a mere test of our strength. We are legion! We are united! We will spread to every corner of this continent, and eventually the lands beyond. To Attan! To Lady Azra!”
“To Attan! To Lady Azra!” The crowd echoed in thunderous applause.
Their cheering was so loud that it almost drowned out the sound of marching feet in the forest just beyond the boundary of the courtyard. The wall that would have protected them from the coming attack had long since crumbled into dust. As the cheering died down, so did the clatter of armor. Aside from Victoria, though, it seems no one had heard the clanking of armored boots.
Lucaese was about to speak again when the cawing of a raven pierced the night. Klen came flying out of the woods and circled the crowd as he cawed. He landed on Victoria’s shoulder, finally falling silent as everyone attending stared in surprise. Ludus and her sisters leaped to their feet, reaching for their blades.
“No need to be alarmed,” Victoria said as she stroked the feathers on Klen’s chest. “He is mine. I left him behind at the Labelle manor, but it seems he found his way here. What perfect timing.”
“A raven? How appropriate for you, my little blackbird,” Lucaese chuckled.
“Whatever that thing is, it is not a familiar my lord. We should not trust it,” Ludus said.
“If my bride has control of it, I do not care what manner of creature it is. Tonight is her night; what could be a better gift than her reunion with her beloved pet?” Lucaese wrapped an arm around her waist and roughly pulled her close to him. Victoria’s nose twitched at his awful stench. “Tonight, my sweet, I take you as my paramour. Forevermore, you will be my queen, and all shall worship you in all your glory.”
“No,” Victoria whispered, “I will not be your bride.”
“What did you say?” Lucaese’s expression darkened. He grabbed her chin, his eyes storming with fury as he leaned in closer to her. The crowd was watching with bated breath, seeming to sense that something was wrong. As he whispered back, his lips brushed hers. “I present you with finery and riches, bestowed upon you the greatest gift that I could give to anyone… and you would refuse me, spit my kindness back in my face?”
“I could never love any man, especially not one as vile as you. The only gift you could give me that I want is my death,” Victoria said, biting down hard on his lower lip. He shoved himself back, cursing as he held his hand up to his bleeding lip. Victoria licked the blood from her lips, finding the taste of his cursed blood to be sweeter than any wine she’d even sipped. Klen jumped down from her shoulder, taking the form of a werewolf once more. Several people in the crowd screamed in terror at the sight of him. “You violated me, forced me to bear this curse that I don’t think you even understand. What makes you think that I could ever want you?”
Lucaese launched himself at her. He passed right through Klen as if he was nothing but air and wrapped both his hands tightly around Victoria’s throat. “You may resent me all you like, but I have worked too hard to create you. I do not need you to love me to serve your purpose. You harbor Attan within you, and I will never undo my work!”
“You’re wrong,” Victoria said. But the voice that came from her was not her own. It was deeper, more guttural. Lucaese’s eyes widened, his fury replaced with terror. He pulled his hands away as if touching her burned him. “Attan isn’t here, wretched fiend. In your ignorance, you have brought your doom! Feel my wrath, and die knowing that death has come for you at last.”
“No! It cannot be!” Lucaese staggered backward. Victoria took a few steps forward. She reached out for him, finding that her hands had once again become claws. Her nails had ripped through her black gloves, long and razor-sharp. Klen stayed by her side, snarling as they backed Lucaese toward the edge of the platform. Before she could grab him, the Elitre had sprung into action. They pulled their master off the platform and fled into the fort. As they ran, Victoria turned to the stunned crowd.
“Run,” She cackled, taking great delight as they all screamed. Before any of them could get far, dozens of battle cries announced the arrival of the ambush. From two sides, a combination of imperial soldiers and knight paladins and enchanters stormed the courtyard, taking out the guards with ease. Victoria collapsed to her knees, shuddering as the transformation continued. White fur sprouted from her arms. Desperately, she tried to assert control and change back, but the enraged spirit easily won. Briefly, she was aware of Giselle and Jean kneeling over her before the world went dark.
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Victoria woke with a start, sitting upright as she looked around the room. Wherever she was, the room was tidy and clean. The sheets and mattress were plush and soft. Bright light streamed in from the window beside her bed. Giselle quickly came to her side from the chair beside the bed, tackling her into a tight hug. Shocked, Victoria hugged her back, unsure of how else to respond. After a while, Giselle let her go and pushed her back against the mountain of pillows on the bed.
“You should take it easy. Your transformation seemed to have done a number on you. After you ran off, we found you collapsed in the woods.” Giselle smiled at her, seeming relieved. “I’m glad you’re alright.”
“Did Lucaese escape?” Victoria asked.
“Unfortunately, yes, along with the Elitre. But we liberated the prisoners he had at the fort. Commander Allard owes you his life; he was among them.”
“I think that honor goes to you, Lady Labelle. You’re the one that came after me. Neither of us would be free if not for you.” Victoria couldn’t help but feel disappointed that she hadn’t ripped Lucaese to shreds. His escape meant she wouldn’t be free of her curse just yet. “Is the Commander okay?”
“He’s malnourished and bruised, but recovering back at the citadel just fine. The Knights would like to thank you once he and the rest of his retinue are feeling well enough.”
“Again, I don’t see why I am being thanked. You assembled the group, and you stormed the fort.”
“You sacrificed yourself for Jean and me,” Giselle said. “And you made a master vampire turn tail and flee. If you hadn’t gone with the Elitre that night, we never would have found him.”
“I saw Jean. Is he alright?” Victoria remembered seeing his face before losing consciousness. It still came as a huge surprise that he had been present for the raid.
“He’s just fine. I’m sure he’s retelling the events of that night to Klen in the common room. I think the accomplishment of killing his first vampire that night has gone to his head.”
“Well, it’s high time he slew his first monster. I was slaying them regularly at his age.”
“Yeah….” Giselle laughed softly. She gave Victoria an odd look as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know how. “Are you hungry? Or thirsty? I can have one of the servants bring you something.”
“No, I don’t need anything. What I need is to get out of bed and walk around.” Victoria sat back up again despite Giselle’s protest. She cast aside the down comforter and swung her legs to the side. Luckily, Giselle was there to catch her as her legs promptly gave out on her.
“What you need is to take it slow,” Giselle chided. “You’ve been through a lot.”
“Where are we, anyway?” Victoria asked as she steadied herself on her feet.
“We’re in my family’s townhouse in Tru’Lis.” Giselle let go of her once it seemed as though she could stand on her own.
“How long was I out?”
“Not too long. We came into town about three days ago, early in the morning.” She walked over to the other plush armchair tucked into the corner of the room opposite the bed and retrieved the bundle of clothes. She set them at the foot of the bed. “I brought your armor with us. If you’re feeling well enough to be on your feet, then we’ve got more work to do.”
“Is that so?” Victoria laughed. She liked Giselle’s fire. If there was work to be done, she was more than ready. “What’s on the agenda?”
“Lady Isendra reached out to me this morning about reports of strange blue lights outside the Dark Quarter. She fears the campsite you destroyed has been reclaimed.”
“Blue lights, specifically?” Victoria frowned.
“Yes,” Giselle said. “That’s where you first met Klen, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is. I’ll talk to him about it. The two of us can investigate the area if there’s any other business you need to attend to in the city. I wouldn’t mind getting a bit of revenge on Lucaese’s minion if there’s any undead in the woods.”
“With how heavily the area has been patrolled, I doubt there are any undead. But there may be something else out there that may be relevant to our ghostly friend. He’s been quiet since the letter came in. Meet us all downstairs when you’re ready and we’ll go over everything in detail.” Giselle started for the door. Before she left the room, she looked back over her shoulder. “I also have news for you, but I don’t know whether you’ll find it to be good or bad. It involves you, specifically.”
Victoria felt her stomach drop as Giselle closed the door behind her. Did they all know?