Chapter 5 #3
“But he took a risk and insulted you anyway.”
Vander grunted as he nudged Maddox into a gallop. “I said I was recognizable. I never said I was universally liked.”
We passed more Noctans, although there were no repeats of the pixie’s rudeness.
Creatures of all shapes and sizes traveled the road.
Some looked as ordinary as any Gheddan, although I knew they were nothing of the sort.
Others bore features too unconventional to be human.
Glistening scales. Feathered wings. A nest of snakes in place of hair.
Vander took to murmuring the names of various creatures and their powers—and dangers—in my ear.
“Siren,” he said when an ethereal woman with long, dark hair rode by on a horse with glowing red eyes. “Not someone you want to go swimming with.”
“And the horse?” I asked.
“Kelpie. Also bad for swimming.”
Some creatures were friendly. Most acknowledged us with polite respect.
As we crossed a bridge, an enormous boulder shuddered, then unfolded into a man with arms that trailed down to his rocky toes.
Tufts of grass protruded from various parts of his body, which appeared to be collections of rocks and pebbles.
The ground rumbled as he lifted a hand in greeting.
Vander returned the wave and then flipped the man a coin. He caught it and shoved it in his mouth, the sound of his chewing like rocks tumbling down a mountainside.
Vander waited until we’d cleared the bridge to speak into my ear. “Bridge troll. Much more easygoing than their cave counterparts. That one is called Timmon, and he used to require the answer to a riddle, but traffic would back up for days.”
The road wound on, curving its way through rolling hills and dense forests.
Eventually the landscape shifted. Mist floated along the sides of the road.
The trees grew taller, their trunks thicker.
In some places, their branches stretched so high that they entangled with trees on the opposite side, forming a skeletal tunnel.
The air changed, filling with a charge that lifted the fine hairs on my body.
The sparkling, sugary lights remained, but they were different now—no longer just mystical but ancient, the light somehow heavier.
And knowing. I didn’t need supernatural senses to know we were being watched.
The mist thickened, great clouds of it rolling across the road. It clung to my hair and dampened my skirts, reminding me that I wore my mother’s dress as I retraced her steps, preparing to meet her secrets face-to-face.
Vander slowed Maddox to a walk. “We’re nearly there.”
My heart quickened, and my hands grew sweaty on the pommel. As we rounded a bend, I caught my breath.
A castle rose from the side of a rocky cliff, its base wreathed in mist. Dozens of spires thrust from a stone keep, their silhouettes sharp against the purple sky.
Light gleamed from windows that dotted the massive facade.
Tiny figures moved atop the battlements.
Black and red banners with some kind of swirling design descended the keep’s walls.
The road narrowed to a long bridge that stretched over a canyon so deep the bottom was an inky void. As Maddox’s hooves clicked across the stone, my mother’s voice flowed through my memory. A wise woman builds her house away from the cliff’s edge.
We passed under a stone arch and entered a courtyard lined with statues of various creatures.
Sirens. Centaurs. A large mass that resembled Timmon the bridge troll.
Before I could identify the others, a pair of tall men in black armor strode from the shadows.
Crimson capes flowed from their shoulders.
Neither wore helmets, and their faces were stoic as they stopped and saluted.
I didn’t need Vander to tell me what they were.
Vampires. The knowledge prickled over my skin, and something kindred flowed through the air between us.
For a brief moment, I wondered if one of them was my father.
But I dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it formed.
Somehow, the connection wasn’t quite right for that.
They were kindred, but they weren’t my kin.
Vander dismounted and lifted me from Maddox’s back. Our gazes met as he set me on my feet, and he kept his hands on my waist as if he meant to steady me after the long ride.
“Why didn’t I sense you before?” I asked.
The look in his eyes let me know he understood what I meant. His reply was barely audible as he squeezed my waist. “A question for another time, my inquisitive one.”
It wasn’t really an endearment, but it put heat in my cheeks as he steered me toward the vampires.
They said nothing, and their expressions remained inscrutable as they fell into step behind us.
My heart pounded and my throat went dry as we approached a set of steps leading to a pair of doors as tall as some of the trees I’d seen on the ride through Nocta.
The moment my foot landed on the top step, a deep knell reverberated around the courtyard.
My heart thudded against my ribs as the doors began to slowly open.
The panels swung soundlessly inward, giving me a glimpse of glossy black floors and a soaring ceiling.
As I strained for a better view, a man appeared between the doors.
He moved toward us, his gaze locked on me.
I stopped, my heart like a hummingbird in my chest.
The doors continued to open. The man kept coming, his features more visible.
He was tall and young, with black hair that fell past his shoulders.
His black clothing was embroidered with intricate designs worked in silver thread.
Polished black boots rose to his knees. Gemstones winked on his fingers.
None were as bright as his eyes, which gleamed like emeralds.
Green eyes.
Beside me, Vander sank to one knee and lowered his head. The clank of armor at my back let me know the other vampires did the same.
“Majesty,” Vander said.
“Majesty,” the vampires echoed at my back.
The man stopped before me—young everywhere but his eyes. No one looking in his eyes would ever call him young.
Green eyes. Ancient and knowing. The same shade I’d seen every time I looked in the mirror or a window or the still surface of a pond.
He was a powerful nobleman in King Rasimir’s court.
Your father seeks you. I’ll take you to him.
Had I known all this time?
Had I known from the beginning?
Kindred. And kin.
“Corinthe,” King Rasimir said, a catch in his voice.
He stared at me like he’d just discovered something rare and precious.
He drew a shuddering breath, and a hopeful smile chased the weight of age from his eyes.
He looked down. I followed his gaze and held my breath as he took my hand and tangled our fingers together.
We looked up at the same time. He gave a watery laugh, joy gleaming in his eyes.
“Daughter.”