Chapter 8
Esiree
My heart beat in tempo with the pounding hooves that carried me toward safety.
I had witnessed the blinding, effortless speed Vastion possessed, and the mere memory of it made me shudder.
If a civilized king could move like a phantom, the Rabids would be a relentless blur, overtaking me the second I wavered.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and my eyes narrowed on the tiny lights in the distance through the tree line.
Their dim glow became more brilliant as we raced nearer, a beacon of hope that I forced myself to focus on.
This was the fastest horse I had ever ridden, and my hands hurt from clutching the reins so tightly.
My mind was a frantic mess of thoughts, fighting to obscure the command I had been given.
Survive.
The entire ride back, I had repeated the words over and over in my head to distract myself from the dread.
Selflessness. Strength. Trust.
Those were the qualities Vastion believed a good queen would embody. With his parting words he had sent my mind and heart into a wholly different kind of shock. If I could just make it back safely then I had all but assured the first step in my father’s plan. But only if Vastion lived.
Cold sweat pooled at my brow, my worry for his safe return consuming me. Even if another Vampyr noble ascended, there was no guarantee they’d choose me. I needed Vastion to live. His stern voice echoed in my memory as my chin itched to turn and glance over my shoulder.
Don’t look back.
Overcome with sheer terror, I could feel the presence of something chasing us.
The rushing wind and thundering of horse hooves rendered my attempt to focus on the pursuers futile.
I dared not look back for fear of glimpsing a shadow of my own demise; I let Vastion’s words guide me.
My only chance to survive rested upon the surefootedness of this magnificent steed.
Sweat began to make my grip less sure, my muscles tempting my mind to let them relax just for a moment.
Mercifully, the forest relinquished its hold and gave way to the open fields leading to the encampment.
As we crested the top of the hill overlooking the valley, I leaned back and screamed for help as loud as my lungs allowed.
“Help!” I called between labored breaths, hoping to alert the sentries. “Rabids! Rabid attack!”
By my second attempt at shouting for aid, ten or more Vampyr arrived as fast as a lightning strike, and were gone just as quickly.
Vastion’s horse halted abruptly at the guards’ sudden arrival, rearing up on his hind legs in alarm and nearly sending me to the ground.
The carnage that erupted far behind revealed just how close a call it had been.
“The King,” I panted to the sentry trying to control my horse. I continued trying to catch my breath while pointing behind me. By now more sentries had passed, eager to fend off the Rabids.
“Where?” one of them snarled impatiently, his sharp fangs at the ready.
“Just beyond the hill…to the east…by a creek. Go!” I begged, still breathless.
“Get back to the gates, now!” he instructed, and before I could even respond, he was gone too, along with the rest of the sentries.
Part of me wanted to see what lay behind. How many Rabid had come for me? How close had I been to touching death’s hand?
I’d only ever seen their mangled corpses—wet, crimson messes of flesh and bone the Watch dragged through the streets at dawn.
I had imagined what they looked like alive.
Father said they were a perversion of the human form, their skin stretched thin, an ash-grey hue over corded muscle.
Mouths split too wide revealed rows of needle-sharp teeth, and their eyes held no soul.
Only a black, predatory hunger that moved with an impossible, stuttering speed.
Sentries would ensure they were beheaded and burned to stave off resurrection.
I needed to know if they had reached Vastion in time, but he would be furious with me if I put myself at risk again.
Not when I was already a few hundred feet from the sanctuary of the gates.
A sudden rustling from the woods scared me out of my contemplation and into swift obedience.
I kicked my already terrified horse into motion and directed him back to the gates as quickly as his tired legs would carry us.
With all the commotion, it had become clear to those inside of the encampment why so many sentries had dispersed while still others took up defensive positions around the exterior.
Commander Orin looked furious and pressed me for information upon my arrival.
My father and Ari were by my side quickly, helping me down from the horse and steadying me as my legs struggled to hold me.
I clutched Ari’s arm, and even the surprise of the moment didn’t deter him from a scolding interrogation.
“Where have you been? Father has been worried sick. It’s after nightfall!”
“I know,” I said, frustrated as they escorted me back to my tent. The rising sounds of chaos buzzed all around us. Ari helped me to a seat while Father rushed to my side with a cup of water.
“Here, drink, drink,” he urged me while trying to assess if I had any obvious injuries.
“I’m fine,” I said in between large gulps, but Father seemed unconvinced.
“If he evades the Rabids, I will kill him myself for taking you beyond the walls without guards.” My father’s threat had Ari nodding.
Before anyone else could arrive to interrupt our privacy, I replied, “You’d better hope he makes it back intact.”
“Why?” Ari asked, confused.
“Because I am to be his wife.” Hearing myself say the words aloud didn’t seem to make them any more real than when he’d said them.
“He proposed to you?” my father asked incredulously.
“Well…not exactly.”
Both their brows furrowed.
“He said I was his future wife before we parted.”
“Then he could change his mind,” Ari declared defiantly, unwilling to let me claim any sort of early victory.
I did not know exactly what had prompted Vastion’s proclamation, but I knew he’d meant it.
The way he looked me square in the eye when he said it.
The way his voice had the most minute quiver of fear that I might not make it back safely.
The instinct to protect me with his life.
I didn’t know what I’d done to gain his favor so quickly, but I knew in my gut if he made it back to us unscathed then he would follow through and make me his wife.
That sureness gave me the confidence to challenge my brother.
“I will be the human queen. Make no mistake.”
My words were carefully chosen. Because I desired to be the chosen human—not Vastion’s wife, but the Queen of Devana. I would take a position of power that would give us the advantage we had sought all along, and I would have no one doubt me. Not even my family.
Father approached me, placing his hands on my shoulders with a doting expression. He lowered his voice. “My dear, I am most impressed. Your mother would be so proud.”
“If what you believe comes true, we will work diligently. Your effort will not have been in vain,” Ari added. Soon they would return home, as much of their plan’s success relied on them stabilizing the elixir and testing it to the point of certainty.
My father’s pursuit of this formula had spanned years.
It wasn’t until he’d fleshed out his hypothesis and the methods behind it that he exposed me and my brother to the plan.
All his days were spent studying the makeup of each blood type, trying to identify the very flaws that distinguished them from us.
His solution involved an elixir that the human Vassals would consume.
While harmless to us, our hope was that when the subsequent donations reached the Vampyr, it would poison a majority of those who consumed the tainted blood.
Those left alive would seek more direct sources for survival, since they could no longer rely on donations.
Humans that weren’t Vassals would also take the elixir, therefore ensuring their blood would be just as harmful and useless to Vampyr and Rabid alike.
Very few Vampyr would simply surrender and allow themselves to starve.
Many would face their demise with a self-destructing vengeance.
Intending to take us down with them, even knowing our blood would only bring death, not sustenance.
He believed the Rabids would be reduced to an isolated threat as the Watch worked to resolve the plague of their distorted existence. There was no reason, logic, or control left in those beasts—madness commanded their predatory behaviors.
The Vampyr would still be stronger and faster for a time but would inevitably weaken. Without blood to heal their wounds, to aid in their long lifespans, to power unimaginable speed and endurance… Our violent acts would finally instill the fear we needed.
We just had to last long enough for their numbers to dwindle.
Many of us would die in the process—the fight would never be without its losses, we knew—but my father’s plan gave us the greatest chance of true freedom from the Blood Reign in centuries.
It was imperfect, full of risks and assumptions—but we had to try something.
We had enemies on two fronts: one civil, but slowly draining us dry, the other a swift and merciless hunter.
That is why the leaders of the territories supported his research and now also the tampering of the Harvest.
Shouts from outside the tent heralded the return of the king. My stomach dropped, and I could only hope that meant he’d survived.
My family and I rushed out of the tent, seeking confirmation of our plan’s continuation.
Behind some of the bloodied and limping sentries, I finally saw him.
Part of me believed I might not actually see those warm brown eyes again.
How could one vampire fend off any number of Rabid alone?
The odds were against him. Yet, here was Vastion, striding toward me.
Albeit, covered head to toe in blood. Dark, almost inky black, blood.
His sister rushed to his side looking frantic but relieved, and Commander Orin marched in lockstep next to him, still on alert.
He halted before me, our gazes locking with one another. The tiniest of smiles shadowed the corners of his mouth upon seeing that I was indeed unharmed. I exhaled with a similar relief. To the shock of all those around us, Vastion dropped to one knee.
“Lady Esiree, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
He reached out for my hand, and I lifted it for him to hold while he awaited my acceptance.
I tried, unsuccessfully, to steady my hand before he grasped it.
He was a grisly sight, slick with gore; I stood there frozen at the realization that I was about to be bound to him—to the Vampyr King of Devana.
With just one word, I would go from being a human nobody from the territory of Leto to an incumbent queen.
I swallowed my anxiety, my silent pause just long enough that I could see Vastion’s confidence begin to wane.
Another part of me was tickled at the idea of making him wait in front of all his subjects.
“It would be my honor to serve as the human queen,” I replied so that all could hear.
Vastion’s raised eyebrow meant he thought my remark was more of our usual banter—but he had no idea the viper he had just welcomed into his den.
He leaned in and placed a cool, soft kiss atop my hand and then released it. I looked down at the smudge of blood smeared across the top of it.
This marriage began in bloodshed, and with the twisted symmetry of fate, it would see it end that way too.