She didn’t stop.
She would never stop.
In the end, Therese was the last one standing. Red coated the floors, and where music had been playing, now there was only heavy silence.
As she called back her shadows and exited the hall, licking blood from her fangs, there was a bounce in her step.
This was how things were always meant to be.Thiswas the terror her kind was always meant to instill upon the mortals that called this land their own.
A kingdom?
No.
This was, and always would be, the land ruled by the Twelve.
Ipothan Plains and Ancient Ruins
“We’ve arrived.” Luna squeezed Marius’s hand as they stepped out of the Void. Sebastian and Vivienne were a few feet away, the king having brought the other vampire with him.
Marius exhaled, cool air filling his lungs as he took stock of his surroundings. They definitely weren’t in Castle Sanguis anymore.
The sky was dark, clouds shrouded the stars from sight, and the moon’s silver glow was muted. It wasn’t snowing yet, but the frigid air and wailing wind spoke of a coming storm.
Marius bit back a shiver, the cold finding its way through the many layers he wore at Luna’s insistence. Even the temperature couldn’t dampen his mood, though.
They stood on the edge of a snowy plain on the other side of the Koln Mountains, the forests of Eleyta nowhere to be seen. Something about the flat landscape called to Marius’s heart.
He’d spent countless hours of his childhood wistfully watching children play on the Ipothan flatlands outside his bedroom window. He’dnever been able to join them, even on his better days. The Wasting Illness had stolen that from him.
Now, he’d get his chance.
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, eager to get going. Hoisting the pack on his back, which contained his supplies for the next several days, he took in the plains.
Their destination was barely more than a speck on the horizon. If Marius squinted, he could make out a massive stone arch standing in front of what appeared to be expansive ruins. Maybe once, they would’ve formed a beautiful structure. Now, they were remnants of times passed, dotting the horizon and beckoning him forward.
The House of Forgotten Shadows.
The name sounded like something pulled out of the books Marius had read when he was younger, dreaming about following Phyrra’s footsteps.
His magic thrummed excitedly in his veins.
Thiswas why he’d begged Luna to let him explore the world. The feeling coursing through him chased away the cold, giving him life.
The air vibrated with ancient magic, and his Fortune Elf side felt closer to the surface than usual. He flexed his fingers, his brows raising as silver sparks ran along the back of his hand. That had never happened before.
“This is as close as we can take you,” Sebastian said, his voice drawing Marius out of his thoughts. “Wards prevent vampires from shadowing any closer to the House of Forgotten Shadows, but you should be able to walk through them.”
“We’ll make it,” Marius said confidently.
He’d walked the silver planes earlier, and even though he hadn’t been able to See what awaited them inside, every single path he’d traced had shown them arriving at the ruins.
“I believe in you.” Luna squeezed his hand before turning her attention to Vivienne. “You fed, right?”
“I did, Your Majesty.” Vivienne fanned out her wings and dipped her head. Fighting leathers hugged her curves, and her sword was sheathed behind her back. She looked every bit the warrior Marius knew her to be. “I’ve returned to my full strength, and I’m ready to protect the prince.”
The vampire standing before Marius was a far cry from the one he’d freed from in the prison cell four days ago. He’d never admit it, but when he first saw her in that cell, he scarcely believed she was the same person. There had been a pain in her eyes that he’d never seen before, and an aura of death had surrounded her.
Thank all the gods, both were gone now that Vivienne had fed, showered, and slept. Marius was happier about that than he should have been, considering that their relationship should’ve been purely platonic.