Authors: Bella Forrest
I
can’t take
any more of this.
Another lunch sitting opposite Tiarni and Kiev at the table finally sent me over the edge. I felt sure that he didn’t even like Tiarni. He was just using her to get back at me. Just as I was using Rhys against him.
I was glad when Rhys told me earlier that morning that he would be visiting his aunt straight after lunch. I told him that I planned to go for a walk alone and that I’d meet him again in our room later on in the evening.
Instead, I sat at the table until Kiev had finished his blood. Then I left after him. He was heading outside, through the great doors. He took a left turn and, walking down the steps, passed through the center of the courtyard. I knew how sharp his hearing was. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d already detected me behind him, but I was careful to make as little sound as possible—even going to the extent of removing my shoes and leaving them in a bush.
I followed him as he descended a set of stairs leading away from the courtyard. He stopped when he reached the pond. He stood still, staring into its waters. I took this opportunity to run down after him after looking all around me to check that nobody was watching.
A cluster of leaves crunched beneath my feet as I approached. He turned round to face me, surprise flickering across his handsome face.
“You,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest again, resuming his guarded body language.
“Yes, vampire. Me. And I need to talk to you.”
“What’s wrong? Don’t like that I can play this game better than you?”
“Shut up, Kiev. Please. I don’t have much time—”
“Of course not. I’m sure your lover boy is already wondering where you are.”
“This isn’t a game!” I hissed.
He seemed to notice the urgency in my voice and fell silent. I cast another worried look around us. This place seemed too open. We needed somewhere more enclosed. I grabbed his cold hand and pulled him into the shadows of the woods. I kept leading him forward until I felt comfortable that we were a safe distance from the castle and any open areas surrounding us.
It was quiet now. The only sounds that could be heard were the whistling of the wind in the trees and the occasional chirping of a bird.
I let go of his hand and looked up at him.
“I need to tell you why I left,” I said, taking a deep breath. “The real reason. I don’t think I can live with myself any more until I have told you the truth.”
I owe you that much, at least.
He leaned his head against a tree and looked at me, intensely, as though he was hanging onto my every word.
“I may be here now because of Rhys. But I didn’t leave… I didn’t leave the island for Rhys.”
What I was about to say, before I caught myself, was:
I didn’t leave
you
for Rhys.
He frowned. I paused, preparing myself to utter the words I’d never spoken to anyone before. It was all I could do to not break down right then and there.
“I’m cursed, Kiev.” I exhaled sharply as I said the words. “I’m cursed by two strokes. Two heavy, bloody strokes.”
I wrapped my hand around a tree branch for support. I felt like I was grasping for any bit of grounding at that moment.
“A binding spell and an unbreakable oath have their hands wrapped around my soul. It’s a long, long story, but right now you just need to understand the basics of what it means: I was cursed when I was younger to be bound to Rhys. I can’t ever be with anyone else. And if I do leave him, everyone I come to care about will die.”
Kiev stared at me, barely blinking.
“Now that I’m back with him, I’m hoping that the curse will no longer act. My magic has also been restored to me. But the moment I leave him, the curse will act again. And more people will die.”
I paused and looked into his crimson eyes.
“And why exactly do you feel the need to tell me this?” he asked, still careful to keep his face expressionless.
The way he asked it was more of a challenge than a question.
I blushed.
“Was I someone you cared about?” he asked.
I averted my eyes to the ground and, biting my lip, I nodded.
“You might have been,” I whispered.
“Am I someone you care about?”
“You might be,” I breathed.
There was an awkward pause as I continued staring at the ground. I couldn’t bear to look up at him and witness his reaction.
Finally, I managed to clear my throat and compose myself enough to look him in the eye again. “I… I just wanted to leave things cordially with you, all right? I want you to stop feeling bitter toward me.”
He nodded slowly.
“I see.”
“I need to leave now,” I said, and turned to walk away.
“So you’re not interested in how I got here?”
I paused mid-step, wincing.
I was burning to know how he got here. I was burning to know whether he had betrayed Matteo and Saira by joining these vampires. I was burning to know why his eyes had reverted to red.
But I had to leave. Staying any longer alone there with him would just make things more painful.
I’ve done what I came here to do.
Now, I must let go.
Though it cut me deep, I turned around to him and said, “I can’t, Kiev.”
Before he could say another word, I made myself vanish.
I
found
myself staring at the spot she had been standing in long after she’d disappeared. I was still processing her words.
But the words that came to the forefront of my mind, the words that still rang in my ears, were:
“You might be.”
I stood still in the forest, trying to make sense of what I was feeling. Although I still felt in the dark about certain details, I now knew the cause of her departure. I knew why she’d repelled me for apparently no reason. I knew why she tried to keep her distance from me. So much light had been shed on things I’d been in the dark about for so long.
So why didn’t I feel even a semblance of satisfaction? Or of peace?
Why did such a heavy feeling of disappointment envelop me?
None of it made any sense.
Later, once night had fallen, I sat in the cave, round the sacrificial stone, and made sure to position myself opposite Mona.
I had been ignoring her each night since she got here, but that night—the first night that she was doing everything she could to avoid
my
gaze—I barely took my eyes off of her. I watched her every movement. Her every flicker of expression. As if deciphering her body language would give me an insight into her mind.
It was then, as I examined her beautiful face, that it all came crashing down on me.
I realized exactly why I’d used Tiarni against her. And I realized why I’d been hit with such heavy disappointment.
Hooking up with the redhead hadn’t been just to make the witch feel the pain I’d felt. It wasn’t just to taste revenge by meting out punishment on her. No. It was far more than that. Deep down, I’d been thinking that if I made her jealous enough, she’d return to me.
Now I knew that could never happen. If she had told me the truth, her hands were tied.
In a passing moment, I entertained the idea of still pursuing her. I wasn’t scared of Rhys. But I knew that my brother and sister were. I also knew that if he ever found out about our relationship, everything my siblings had sacrificed to keep peace and safety on this island would be compromised. Their own brother—a Novalic—would be caught having relations with the cult leader’s woman.
It would cause irreparable damage.
Even I could see that.
If only for my siblings’ sake, I ought to stay away from her now.
Still, as I lay in bed later that night after the ritual was over, I couldn’t take my mind off her. She’d been in my thoughts before I drifted off to sleep each night since she’d arrived on the island, but that night was particularly vivid. Memories of our time together on Matteo’s island flooded my mind.
Memories of that impossible, endearing witch.
I was still awake in the early hours of the morning when I heard a knock on my door.
“Kiev?”
The knocking grew louder. I ignored it.
“Kiev, it’s me. Tiarni.”
I lay deathly still.
“Do you not want to see me tonight?”
She knocked a few more times but eventually saw the futility of it. I listened as her footsteps disappeared down the corridor.
A
fter a sleepless night
, I found myself sitting in my sister’s room. She sat on her bed while she manicured her nails. I’d already passed through an hour of small talk so that it wouldn’t seem like I’d come specifically to ask about this.
“All these humans we have in the dungeon. We use them for food, as well as the rituals. All of them are kept in that basement, correct?”
Helina nodded. “Normally the witches take a human out of there to prepare them before the ritual, but otherwise the supply is always in the dungeon.”
“I see,” I said. “I wonder where the humans come from?”
“You’ve asked me that question before. The witches bring them to us.”
“Yes, I know. But where do they come from? I’m just curious how the witches get hold of all these humans.”
Helina’s eyes darkened and she shook her head.
“I couldn’t tell you that, Kiev. I have no idea.”
“You’ve really never thought to ask?”
“Yes, we have. Erik and I have questioned the three sisters before. But they claim not to know. They say that only Isolde, Rhys and Efren know where the humans come from. The three of them disappear for a day together, every now and then, to top up the supply. My guess is that they steal from the ogres.”
“Hm… interesting. Where do you think they store all those humans, once they’ve stolen them? I mean before they’ve brought them here.”
She narrowed her eyes on me.
“You seem awfully interested in logistics, Kiev.”
“I’m just curious.” I shrugged. “Because it must be quite a task to keep procuring more, both for the rituals and for our consumption.”
“Yes, I suppose it is,” she said, relaxing a little. “I guess they must keep them somewhere on their own island before bringing them here.”
“Interesting.”
After that, I shifted the conversation elsewhere. I stayed for about half an hour longer chatting with her, and just before I left, I asked, “Any idea where Erik and Julisse are?”
“They’re in the cave, tidying up from last night’s ritual.”
Perfect.
I left my sister’s quarters and walked a few feet across the corridor to my brother’s. The door was unlocked, which wasn’t a surprise to me. People didn’t seem to feel the need to lock doors around this castle. I pushed it open and stepped inside.
I’d already scanned my sister’s rooms for a bottle of liquor I could take with me, but it appeared that she wasn’t fond of drinking. I’d noticed, however, that my brother had a sizable stock and likely wouldn’t notice if a bottle went missing.
I headed straight for his sitting room, opened up the glass cabinet in the corner of the room, and pulled out a particularly fine-looking rum from the back of the cupboard. Then I left his apartment, careful to close the door behind me.
I returned to my room and placed the bottle underneath my bed.
A
fter the ritual that evening
, I made my way to Tiarni’s room. I knocked on the door. When there was silence, I knocked again and called, “It’s Kiev. Open up.”
The door opened instantly. The short redhead stood in the doorway, hands on her hips.
“What happened to—”
She barely had time to finish her sentence as I leaned down to kiss her. I kicked the door shut behind me and pulled her into the bedroom. Her face flushed and she breathed heavily.
“I missed you last night,” I said.
“What? I came knocking on your door.”
“And I was so, so sorry that I wasn’t feeling well enough to open it.” I sat down on the bed, and gripping her hips, I drew her closer to me, placing both her arms over my shoulders. “And I know that I need to make it up to you now.”
She cocked her head to the side and gave me a sultry smile.
“How will you do that, Novalic?”
“I remember that you mentioned a few days ago how much you’d love to take me to your island… how it’d be just the two of us in that old empty castle… away from everyone… for a night of passion.”
“Oh, Kiev. Yes. Yes,” she said breathlessly.
“Let’s leave. Let’s leave now,” I whispered into her ear. “Take me there. I’m yours.”
“Hold my hands,” she said, grabbing both of my hands.
She mumbled a spell and a few seconds later, after a whirl of colors blinded me, I found myself in another bedroom. It was a much darker room, filled with black wood furnishings and velvet fabrics.
“Welcome,” she said. “You know that not anyone can enter this island. They have to be invited by one of the members of our coven. And certainly not just anyone can enter my bedroom…” She gripped my shirt and tugged me toward her bed.
“Wait, Tiarni. We have all night. Let’s have a drink first.”
Her eyes lit up and she hurried toward a cabinet in the corner of the room and pulled out a bottle of blood-red wine.
“I thought you said you didn’t like liquor, darling?”
“I don’t,” I said. “But this is a special occasion.”
She poured out two large glasses. In her excitement to be drinking with me, she swallowed down the wine in a few gulps. I insisted on pouring her another. And another. In the meantime, I was careful to take just a few sips of my own. I kept her so entertained with suggestive quips that she barely seemed to notice that she’d finished the bottle by herself.
Once she was decidedly drunk, she got up and once again tugged at me to follow her to bed.
“First won’t you show me around?” I asked.
She seemed pleased with my request and happily led me out of her bedroom and around the dark, empty castle. We started at the highest level—where Rhys, Mona, Efren and Isolde resided, according to her. There was only one room that she wasn’t able to show me on that floor. A room with a red door. She claimed that it was for witches only.
“It’s where they conduct the most complicated spells,” she slurred. “I’ve been in there before. It’s really nothing interesting. There’s just a round table and a few shelves with potions and things…”
We made our way down the levels, passing noticeably smaller rooms. We continued walking until we reached the bottom floor, where there was a dining hall and what appeared to be a kitchen area. Then I suggested that we take a walk outside. I made excuses to stay out until we finally came across what I’d hoped to see. A cluster of boats washed up on the beach. Old roughed-up boats that probably hadn’t been used for many years, but boats nonetheless.
After that we returned inside. She stopped when we reached the kitchen again and said, “We’re done!”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it! Oh, wait. There’s also the dungeon, but that’s a dirty stinky chamber you wouldn’t want to see. Really nothing interesting down there.”
“The dungeon? What do you keep in there?”
“Humans.”
“I see.” I nodded. “But what will we do for dinner? We may as well get a human from down there while we’re at it.”
Her eyes lit up. “Why, yes, of course! It really is a shame you only drink blood, you know. I make a delicious eyeball stew.”
She continued blabbering about her cooking abilities until we reached a trapdoor located in a corner of the kitchen. She fumbled with the heavy bolt and pulled it open. Hanging on the wall just beneath the trapdoor was a large set of keys. She pulled it off and staggered down the steps, indicating that I follow.
Screams echoed all around the chambers as soon as we entered. I was right to not assume that the witches had brought all of their humans to The Shade.
The state these humans were kept in was about as dismal as the dungeon back in The Shade. Tiarni lost no time in unlocking one of the cells where a group of at least a dozen men were kept.
“Guard this gate,” she said. “Don’t let any of these pesky little things get out.”
I did as she instructed while she reached for a young man nearest to her and pulled him out. He struggled against her, but not for long. She cast some kind of tranquilizing spell on him, after which he immediately became docile.
She locked the gate again and handed me the keys to hold as she led the boy up the stairs back to the kitchen. I followed and placed the keys back on their hook, then bolted the trapdoor behind us.
She chained the boy to a corner of the kitchen and muttered something about looking for a knife.
“You know, Tiarni, I’ve changed my mind. Why don’t we go back to your bed first before eating? We might be hungry afterwards…”
She nodded and smiled broadly.
“Anything you say, Novalic.”
She vanished us both up to her bedroom. We undressed and got into bed, where I stayed until she passed out from exhaustion.
Once she was snoring, I dared get out of bed, pull on some clothes and leave the room.
I sped down the levels of the dark deserted castle and didn’t stop racing until I’d reached the kitchen. The boy chained to the wall was sleeping. I unbolted the trapdoor, reached for the keys and shook him to consciousness.
“Boy, listen to me,” I whispered urgently.
He whimpered as soon as he saw my red eyes staring at him.
I covered his mouth with my hand. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to help you escape. All right?”
Overwhelmed and bewildered, he nodded. The spell Tiarni had placed on him was still heavy upon him. Still, he at least seemed to be able to comprehend what I was saying.
“Follow me.”
Predictably, as soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs, the whole dungeon erupted in screams.
“Silence!” I shouted. I gripped the boy’s shoulder and pushed him in front of me. “I’m here to help you all escape. Do exactly as I say.”
I rushed around the chamber unlocking all the cells. Once all of them were free, I ordered that they follow me up the stairs.
I gathered them all in the kitchen and looked around at their skinny frames and hollow faces.
“Now, you mustn’t make a sound. Follow me. Move as fast as you can.”
I led them all out of the main entrance and hurried along the rocky shoreline. It took much longer than I was comfortable with because they were terribly weak from lack of sun and nutrition. But we arrived eventually.
I pointed to the creaking boats.
“Climb aboard. The strongest of you must take the rowing positions. Organize yourselves.”
I waited while they scrambled to board the boats and decide on their respective positions. It was a sorry sight to see. They were all so weak, I wasn’t sure how they’d survive more than a day at sea. And even if they made it to a mainland somewhere, God knew what creatures would be waiting for them there. Still, hope sparked in their cloudy eyes. And that hope was enough to give them the strength to row those old vessels away from the witches’ island and out into the deep dark ocean.
I hoped that whatever lay in store for them would at least be better than what would have befallen them should they have stayed under Rhys’ reign.
That I didn’t find hard to believe.