Vampire Girl 3: Silver Flame (3 page)

I don't know what to say. How can I defend myself? How can I defend what I've done by releasing this magic into his life? Into the lives of the innocent people who live here. Why can't the right choice be easier to see? Why must it all be shrouded in gray?

Marco and I share no more words, and my thoughts turn to the afterlife. Does dying in this world change what happens in the next? Or would I experience the same fate regardless of the world my life ended on?

After a time, my existential crisis is put on hold by more pressing concerns of the flesh. Namely, my growing need to relieve myself. I've been loath to use the pot they provided, with guards watching my every move, but eventually the urgency of my need trumps my modesty. So I pull the pan as far away from Marco as I can and do my best not to make a mess of myself. It's not a pleasant experience, made worse so by the clearing of a throat.

I'm just finishing up when I hear something tap the bars, and I nearly kick the pot over. A man stands at my cell door.

Only the light of flickering orbs illuminates this corner of hell soaked in darkness, but even without seeing his face I know who stands there. Will he really be the last person I see before I die? Lovely. "Hello, Levi."

The Prince of Envy smirks. "Princess Arianna, how low the mighty fall. Fancied yourself queen of everything, did you? But here you are, no better than sewer vermin, and smelling much the same." He wrinkles his nose.

I glare at him. "I seem to have misplaced my perfumes."

He chuckles. "I must admit I respect your spirit. You have a way about you that attracts admirers from all walks of life. You might have even made a great queen, had fates turned out differently."

"What do you want, Levi? I'm busy."

He scowls. "Of course, I mustn't take up too much of the lady's precious time. After all, you have only a few hours remaining of your life. How does it feel, knowing you're about to die? Your tiny mortal life snuffed out in just a few short years? And no mum here to trade her soul for yours."

I'd forgotten that this all started when I died once before. How odd that I'm about to face for a second time something most only ever face once.

When I don't respond to Levi, he frowns, then leans against the bars and plasters a smile across his face that doesn't reach his eyes. "Come to the door and place your hands together. You are needed elsewhere."

"Needed? For what?" My heart is racing. Is he going to have me killed early? Will he steal the last few hours I have left just out of spite? Does he really hate me that much?

I consider refusing. Fighting. But honestly, any chance to get out of this cell is welcome, even if it is for my execution. I walk to the cell door and put my hands together, slipping them through the slit in the steel.

Marco clasps chains around them and I pull my hands back in as he unlocks my cell. Levi steps away, letting the guard do his job of securing me.

"Where are we going?" I ask, when Levi refuses to speak more about what's going on.

"You'll see soon enough. Let's just say you never had the proper Presenting, and now everyone is dying to see the true face of their admired princess."

I shiver as I think about the Presenting Levi arranged for me when I first got here. I look down at my dirt-caked body. My hair is a tangle of straw, mud and who knows what else. I smell like an animal carcass left to bake in the sun. Is this really how I will be presented to the world?

And then I remember my ears. My signs of Faeness. I used illusion magic to make myself look human the first few days of my capture, then I stopped after the guards beat me. It wasn't worth the pain. Now I’m too weak to cast the spell even if I tried.

I can guess at Levi's plan. He wants the world to hate me before I'm killed. He wants to turn all those who loved or respected me against me, so that they are more loyal to him.

And it just might work, if Marco's disdain for me is any indication. Everyone is turning against me. Ace. Zeb. People I thought cared for me, for Fen. There is no loyalty here. I was a fool to believe otherwise.

I'm dragged through the tunnels and up stairs. When we reach the main castle, my heart clenches. This is Stonehill. This is what home feels like. Or used to. Everything has changed now. It was a twist of cruel irony that Levi had both Fen and I locked away in Fen's own home. In his own realm. With his own people guarding us. A twist of the blade into his gut. And mine too.

We reach a door and suddenly I am thrust into sunlight. My eyes go blind from the brightness, so long have I been stuck in darkness. I'm reminded of Plato's Allegory of the Cave. When we live our lives in darkness, the shadows seem like the only reality, and the truth is too blinding to accept. I wonder if this is what the princes' lives are like. They are cursed in their sins, stuck in their lack of growth. Perhaps their evil is not their fault, but the fault of the curse and the darkness in which their souls are fated to live. The light hurts them, and thus makes the shadows their only source of truth.

But that does not make their deeds any less evil to those they are perpetrated on.

It takes time for my eyes to stop hurting, for my vision to return. I stumble through the training yard, the sound of swords clashing cuing me to my surroundings. But the closer I come to any group, the quieter it becomes. A natural hush falls around us, as people gawk and stare. Then the whispering begins as they join with the throngs of people following us. I am surrounded by guards now, not just Marco, and Levi leads the way as if he has already been crowned King of all the lands. He relishes this power, and covets it as he does all things not his by right.

We approach a wooden stage and my legs stumble on the steps, still weak from my time in the cell. My muscles have atrophied. Marco grabs my arms to keep me from falling on my face, and he is gentle as he helps me stand. A small kindness in the face of what's to come—one I appreciate.

"Here she is!" Levi yells to the growing crowd. I've never seen so many people in Stonehill. It's clear from the diversity of dress and style that Levi planned this ahead of time. All the realms are represented here, not just Fen's.

The crowd quiets enough to hear what Levi will say next.

The Prince grabs my arm and shoves me to the edge of the stage. The same platform used for the slave auction. The same platform used to torture the Fae they captured in battle. I wasn't here for that, but I heard the stories of what happened while I was in Avakiri. I can see the stains of blood worn into the wood under my bare feet.

The blood of my people.

We are all monsters. The Fae. The vampires. All of us, for the war we have wrought. If I somehow survive this, I will make sure this platform is destroyed. It is soaked in evil.

"Take a good look at her," Levi says. He pulls back my hair and the crowds gasp, seeing my ears for the first time. "She is one of them. She always was. She is Fae. And not just Fae. No!"

He then tugs at my dress… if you can call it that. It's a shapeless canvas thing that used to be white but is now so stained you can hardly tell. It has long sleeves and falls to my ankles, covering most of my body. Covering the tattoos that formed when I became the Midnight Star.

I know what's about to happen, and I close my eyes, the tears stuck in my throat. I take a breath and steel myself for what he's about to do as hate and anger grow in me.

I feel the prick of a knife against the skin of my back as he cuts into the cloth. I hear someone—Marco, I think—suck in his breath in shock, but no one does anything to stop Levi.

And then I am naked, the dress a crumble of rags at my feet. Levi shoves me forward again, parading me before the crowd as he shows them the tattoos that definitively prove I am of Royal Fae blood.

"She is the reason we are at war," Levi shouts to the crowd. "Look at her. She is the reason your loved ones are dead or injured. She is the reason the Druids are back. She betrayed you. Us. Our world. She used your love for her to destroy you. She is no Queen. She is no friend to our people. And at sunrise, she will pay for her sins with her life." 

His hands are still on me, taking liberty to touch me anywhere he wants, to move me around like a puppet master. I have to open my eyes because he forces me to walk through the crowds as the people reach out to hit and scratch and grope my naked body. I want to hide, to cover my face, but instead I force myself to look into the eyes of as many of them as possible. Each person who touches me. Each person who cheers at my abuse. I stare at them. I challenge them the only way I can. They spit on me and throw rotten fruit at me, and still I look. Still I hold their gaze and make them see me.

Many turn their eyes at that. Many still have some conscience left. Some do not. Some laugh and gloat and my challenge goads them on further. They are lost to their hate.

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of people, and Levi seems determined that every single one of them will have a chance to defile my body. My bare feet are bruised and bleeding from the rocks I'm forced to walk over. My body hasn't fared much better.

When one man tries to put his hands where they don't belong, I knee him in the crotch. Levi backhands me, and I fall to the ground. "See how she does not submit to her punishment? How she thinks she is better than you?"

He leans down and grips my arm, then speaks to me quietly, so that only I can hear. "This can go on as long as I want. This can get worse too. I could let the men do what they clearly want to do. Throw you into a room with the worst of them until they are done."

I shudder, and he laughs.

"Or… there is another way. I can end it all. I can save your life, and the life of Fen—even the life of your pathetic human mother. I can make you Queen and give you back all your luxuries and dignity. Which is it, Princess?"

I look up at him, wondering what game he's playing at, and he smiles.

"Marry me. Choose me as the next King, and I will drop all the charges against you. I will make this whole thing go away. Like it never happened. You’ll get to be my obedient queen, and Fen will live to see another day."

So this has been his plan all along. I can't say I'm surprised. But he played his cards well, putting me in this hell and then making me choose. "What if I pick a different prince? Maybe one of the others would like this same deal."

His face hardens. "I control the people now. I control your fate. I am the only one with enough power to offer you freedom."

I need to buy time, but I can't outright say no. I believe his threats. The crowds have changed in the hours we've been out here. As the sun dies down, the women and children have begun to disperse. Now it is the hardest of men who have stayed. They want what Levi is promising. I can't let that happen. I'm not sure I'd live through it.

"Give me time to think. I can't think out here like this."

He pauses, considering my words. "Very well, Princess. I'll give you time. But if you haven't made up your mind by midnight, these men will enjoy a few hours with you before sunrise." He licks his lips and stares at me with a lascivious look in his eyes. "And I'll be taking the first turn."

"Her blood pumps through my veins, like fire and ice. I am not a man accustomed to fear, but I feel it now, filling me with its poison of doubt. What have they done with her? What will they do? What if I never see her again?"

—Fenris Vane

Levi sticks a
stone into my hand and commands Marco to take me back to my cell. "You have my mark, Princess. Use it before it's too late."

I look down at the stone and see his demon mark painted onto it in black. Marco places a hand on my back and draws his sword, keeping the crowds at a distance as he guides me to the castle. When we've walked far enough to avoid detection from Levi and the crowds, Marco takes off his red cloak and drapes it around my shoulders. "I'm sorry, Princess. You didn't deserve that."

His voice is cracked and full of emotion. I can only imagine what he's going through right now. How torn he must feel. I thank him for the cloak and pull it more tightly around me, covering my nakedness and bruises and cuts as he leads me back to my cell.

My eyes adjust to the darkness again, and I stand leaning against the bars of my cage staring at the stone in my hand. If I accept Levi’s offer, I will live. Fen will live. He won’t be free, but he’ll live. And my mother… my mother will live. I’d have fulfilled my contract, and her soul would be free, her body healed.

How can I refuse?

But…

But…

Levi would make a horrible ruler. He's a misogynistic racist blowhard who thinks he knows what he's doing, but he doesn't. He would destroy the Fae, ruin this world, corrupt everything and everyone. He's a poison that would seep into the very soul of this place.

If I refuse his offer, I am damning Fen to death, and my mother to imprisonment for eternity. If I accept, I am damning everyone else to slavery and a tyrannical ruler for who knows how long. Can I really condemn thousands to save the lives of a few? Would my mother even want me to sacrifice the safety of my people for her? Would Fen want to stay alive only to see me wed Levi while he remains imprisoned?

And what of me? Can I face my own death? I am the last of the High Fae. If my blood dies, it takes the last of this world's magic with it.

I glance at the window, the light almost faded. I must choose. And I am running out of time.

I sink onto my straw mat in exhausted defeat, my body so sore from the abuse I took on the streets that I can't point to a single spot that doesn't hurt. Through the pain, I barely feel the pouch pocking into my back. The pouch of expensive fabric tucked into the straw.

I open it and find an old steel skeleton key inside. It's rusted and ancient. With it is a small bit of parchment. I unroll it to find a note.
This key unlocks all doors within Stonehill. Free Fen. Meet me at the docks on the north-west river. There will be a boat. Come quickly.

It is not signed, and I don't recognize the writing. Is this a trap? Some twisted game Levi is playing? Or is someone really trying to help me?

Marco still guards my door, but he is alone. I can't leave if he doesn't let me.

I stare at the key in one hand, the stone in the other. If I try to escape and rescue Fen, I could fail, ensuring our deaths. If I call for Levi, we could live.
Dum spiro spero
. While I breathe, I hope. There is no hope left if I'm dead. Agreeing to Levi's terms would buy us time to find a better solution. But what if I don’t find one?

I weigh the choices in my hands. There are grave risks in both.

I drop the contents of one hand to the dirt-packed floor, and stare at my other hand.

I have made my choice. Now, I just hope I can live with the consequences.

It doesn't take long to put my plan into place, but my hand still shakes as I cut my wrist with the sharp edge of the stone and draw Levi's mark into the ground with my blood.

Only the last line is left unfinished. I look up at Marco, who frowns. "Are you sure?" he asks.

I nod. "It's the only way. You've seen what he's capable of."

Marco drops his eyes in resignation. "I'm sorry I was a part of it. Fen would never forgive me."

"If this works, Fen will know you helped me today. He will know you did your best. I'll make sure of it."

Marco nods, still frowning. "Just be careful. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Are you sure he's with Fen?" I ask.

"Yes. It's not pretty. You shouldn't have to see that."

My stomach clenches. "Fen shouldn't have to endure that," I say through a thick throat. "How long will it take Levi to get here once he feels his mark?"

"He has to cross the castle. You're in different wings of the dungeon. But still, not long."

I nod. "And you're sure about this?" I know what he's risking.

He nods. "I'm sure. I should have done this long ago."

I hold up a tin cup to him and clear my throat. "Is there any way you could get me more water? I'm parched."

He looks at the cup for a longer beat than necessary, and then takes it from my hands, through the bars. "Yes, Princess."

Once he is gone, I leave the rock with my blood dripping from it on the ground next to the unfinished demon mark, and I grip the key still in my hand.

It's time to save Fen.

***

I've lived in this castle long enough, explored the secret passages and tunnels enough to know how to get around without being seen. That knowledge comes in handy now, as I escape the dungeons and duck behind a tapestry on the wall and into one of the many hidden passages within the walls. Fen was amused when he discovered how much I'd learned about his castle. Now my snooping just might save both our lives, if I get lucky.

I use a small light globe I stole from the dungeon to travel through the passages, feeling my way through dust and cobwebs. My feet are still wrecked and I need clothing, but those concerns will have to wait. I'm on a tight timeline.

The sound of leather slapping against flesh and bone is all I need to know I'm in the right place. I swallow back the vomit forming in my throat and steel myself for what I know I'll see.

But there's no way to prepare yourself for seeing the love of your life tortured while you can do nothing to stop it.

And that's exactly what I have to do.

Fen hangs upright, looking as if he’d collapse if he could, if chains didn’t shackle his writs to stone columns. His lips are stained dark red. Crimson streaks cover his back.

Snap.

A leather whip lashes through the air, tearing another line of flesh open across Fen’s back. He doesn’t cry out. He says nothing.

Levi steps into view, whispering something to his brother.

I watch through a crack in the wall, too far away to hear what Levi whispers to Fen, but close enough to see what he does next.

It makes me sick, and angry. Someday I will kill that bastard. But I am naked, unarmed and injured. Exposing myself now will only get me caught. I must wait and hope Marco does what he promised.

After what happened in the streets of Stonehill, Marco's anger at me transformed into guilt. He explained he'd spent the last few weeks spiraling out of control in his grief over his family. That Levi promised him vengeance against those who caused the battle. Against me and Fen.

But seeing the kind of king Levi would be, the kind of ruler he is, Marco couldn't support him. He knew I wasn't the enemy, that I had no control over what I was born as. So when I found the key to my cell, I took a risk. I asked Marco to help me.

He wouldn't help me escape, per se. That would be too risky, even for him. But he could get me water. And tell me where Levi was. And he could finish Levi's mark in the dirt with my blood, after I left. To give me more time to free Fen and escape.

So now I must wait for Levi to feel the pull of the mark. To come to my cell.

It takes so long I fear the plan failed, that Marco chickened out, or I hadn't left enough blood. But then Levi stops talking and looks down at his wrist.

He says something that makes Fen scream louder than any of the torture had, and then leaves the dungeon laughing.

I grit my teeth and wait until I can no longer hear his footsteps, then I push out the loose stones I know are there and climb out.

When Fen sees me, his mouth falls open.

"You know, you really have to stop getting yourself captured and beaten," I say, trying to lighten the mood.

I rush over to him and shove the key into the lock, hoping it works. It truly is a master key, because his chains fall off, and I support his body as he steps away from the beams. "How did you get here?" he asks, his voice hoarse and low. Even in this broken state, it soothes me to hear it.

"Remember, I know this castle's secrets," I say. Then something whines behind me, and I turn to see Baron chained in the corner. "Oh my god, what has that monster done to you?"

I quickly free the white wolf and check him for injuries. There are none, and Baron rubs his head against both me and Fen. I still can’t believe this wolf is the Earth Spirit, but I will have to think on that later.

Fen pulls me closer to him, and I take comfort in the warmth of his body, in the hardness of his muscles and the feel of him so close. And beneath the layers of stench we both have brought with us, I can smell him. The wildness that clings to him always. The pine and woodsy scent. I breathe him in and dig my nails into his arms to hold him tighter. 

I sob into his chest, all the fear and tension of the last few weeks flowing out of me, releasing in one great swell, like a wave I can no longer control or hold back. The beat of his heart is steady and strong and I sigh into his embrace, so happy to be with him again. I haven't seen him since the trial, and I feared I would never see him again. After a moment, I pull away just enough to look up at him. He's still Fen, with his ruggedly gorgeous features, his piercing blue eyes and sandy brown hair with copper flecks always a little disheveled. But he's also more. I reach up to touch the points of his ears, now so much like mine. "This is my fault," I say softly.

He reaches for my hand and pulls it against his chest. "No. You didn't even know what you were until we brought you here. This isn't your fault. Never blame yourself."

I nod, wiping the tears from my eyes. "We don't have long. We must leave. Levi will know we've escaped as soon as he gets to my cell."

That's when Fen looks down at me and notices I'm wearing only a cloak. "What happened to you? What did he do to you?" A growl forms deep in his throat, and the new tattoo on his stomach glows a slight pale blue, radiating his magic.

"I'll explain later. Right now we have to go."

Fen presses his lips together but nods, reaching for my hand as we climb back into the secret passage. He returns the stones to their proper place and we make haste through the dark, hidden halls as quickly and quietly as we can. I know he has many questions, as do I. They will have to wait.

As we pass one door, Fen stops and holds up a hand. "We need our gear. Our weapons. Normally they’d be in the armory, but ours are a special case, so they should be kept here." He looks down at my feet. "And you won't get far without some clothes and shoes."

I can't argue with that. I'm limping along as it is.

He pushes through the door and peeks out, then ushers me in. It's Fen's quarters, though it's clear Fen's not the one who's been sleeping here. "Levi has taken my place," Fen says with venom in his voice.

I look at the disheveled bed and unfamiliar clothing that litters the floor and I seethe with rage. "That bastard."

Fen opens a few trunks until he finds what he's looking for. He hands me Spero—my sword—and the dagger Daison made for me before he died. Then he hands me clothes. "They will be too big, but they're better than nothing."

I shrug them on over tender skin as he also undresses out of his rags and into his leather armor. Light but still offering some protection. I try to look away when he's naked, but don't quite succeed. He catches me staring and smiles for the first time since the dungeon. "There will be plenty of time for that later, Princess."

I'm flustered but don't turn my eyes away. "I hope so."

And I mean it. I'm tired of waiting. Tired of second guessing. We aren't guaranteed any kind of future. I want to live my life now. Which means being with Fen. Loving him. Regardless of what the future holds. I spent so much time worrying about who would make the best king, I failed to consider that fate might conspire to take the choice from me altogether. I almost lost him once in the battle, and again at the hands of Levi. I won't lose him to my own foolishness now.

He raises an eyebrow at me as he pulls on his clothes. He says nothing with his mouth, but so much with his eyes. For a moment it's almost easy to forget everything that's happened. Everything we are running from. We are in his room. We are safe. We are together. But we can't let our guard down. He takes three long steps and is standing in front of me. He raises his finger to my cheek and runs it down my jaw. "This face, these eyes, this mouth, filled my thoughts every moment I was imprisoned. I feared I would never see you again."