Chapter 10 #2
We entered the sliver of ocean caught between two towering cliffsides.
I was a decent swimmer, but the brutal undercurrent that governed these straits would drag even the strongest human to a dark, watery grave.
Swells slammed against the hull as we forged ahead toward gentler waters.
I swallowed against the dryness in my throat, trying to believe our helmsman possessed the skill to see us through.
I hadn’t seen Mina since she boarded and quickly headed to her private quarters.
Vastion busied himself by inspecting the crew’s tasks, occasionally barking orders, but mostly conversing casually with Orin as the voyage made headway with the rhythms of the sea.
Spellbound by the sparkling indigo sea and gentle roll of the waves, I turned to find Vastion staring at me from a few paces away, my gaze serving as an invitation for him to approach.
He did so confidently, and as he neared, I wondered if his eyes were possibly more mesmerizing than the sea.
He reached up and, with his thumb and forefinger, gently turned my head back to the sea as it opened onto a colossal fissure separating the wall of the cliffside.
He said proudly, “Welcome to the Heart of Eventide, your new home.”
As we crept closer, I worried we’d need to transition to the rowboat once more, but the mouth of the cave was massive enough to serve as an entrance for the entire ship.
We rounded the corner, and my breath hitched at the shocking sight before me.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of tiny, luminous lanterns lit the furthest reaches of the cave.
Sizeable stone archways and a dizzying labyrinth of intricate staircases, walkways, and verandahs dazzled me.
While our arrival inside of the cave eclipsed all light from the sky outside, inside the Heart was a world unto its own.
There was no word for it other than, perhaps, magical.
I blinked repeatedly, trying to reconcile its magnitude with great difficulty.
An entire city made just for the Vampyr.
The scope of the place was so staggering that I feared we had severely underestimated how dense their population was.
I realized then the nuance in my father’s plan: It mattered not how many of them there were…
only that we were cutting off their food source.
As long as he and Ari could produce enough of the elixir for the humans, we’d starve them out successfully, regardless of their number.
My advantageous position would help me better understand that number, and just how long our Vassal donations might last.
Horns blared in unison, echoing throughout the cave to signal our arrival.
In response, a wave of cheers and applause resounded as they welcomed the return of the king and his new wife.
The sailors secured the ship with massive ropes while another set of crewmen lowered a ceremonial staircase to the stone landing below.
Once securely in place, one of the crewmen gestured to Vastion, who took my hand and led me toward the exit.
The staircase may have looked the part, but its polished planks were somewhat slippery, and the rope railings did not help steady my movements.
I swore fealty to every God I could think of if just one of them would rid me of this damned dress.
The moment Vastion stepped foot on the ground, all of the surrounding Vampyr bowed in his presence.
Even those perched in distant balconies had their heads bent in deference.
It made me realize that not a single vampire had bowed in my presence since we departed from the Harvest. Not the sentry who tried to help me down from the carriage nor a single sailor.
It was clear that I was nothing more than Vastion’s wife.
I assessed my surroundings, making quick note of familiar faces like Lord Elek and Commander Orin, as well as his sister Samina—Mina, as Vastion referred to her.
None of them paid me any attention and began to greet others like old friends while I stood silently behind Vastion.
I tried to be patient while their conversations continued, but their complete lack of acknowledgement was beginning to feel rude, if not purposeful.
“Ahem!” I pretended to clear my throat in an attempt to draw anyone’s attention. As if I weren’t the only human here, surrounded by hundreds of Vampyr in a Gods-damned bat cave that seemed to rival even Devana’s largest territory.
Vastion turned to me. “Ahh, yes, sorry about that,” he apologized while waving to a woman who was dressed more like a servant than royalty.
What an odd thing, to see class structures in Vampyr society.
I’d only ever witnessed the sentries, now the nobles and the Collectors who would come to claim Vassal donations.
The woman stepped forward. She appeared a bit older than me, but one couldn’t be certain of any vampire’s age.
She curtsied in front of Vastion, then straightened.
“Esiree, this is Lailanor; she will be your lady’s maid and, for today, your guide of the royal wing. She has served almost every human queen before you, and I do hope you’ll feel comfortable in her presence.”
Despite Vastion’s confident greeting, Lailanor did not even acknowledge my presence, except for a critical once-over. Her expression was unreadable apart from clear indifference.
“Yes, My King, I will gladly show Her Majesty to your suite—”
“Your suite?” I interrupted, wide-eyed as I looked to Vastion for reprieve.
“To our suite,” he corrected her, still ignoring my point. Would I not be given my own room? Surely, there were enough in this palace that I could have some privacy. Vastion knew exactly why I was expressing concern yet continued to play coy.
“Es, I am certain you will find it quite spacious. There will be plenty of room for the both of us.”
As if I cared about the amount of space.
I wanted my own chambers. Somewhere I could find solace from all of the Forsaken that surrounded me.
Lailanor raised an eyebrow in his direction, and it appeared like she was trying to hold back a laugh.
Great, even my lady’s maid was entertained at my expense.
Lailanor bowed slightly to Vastion, then pivoted and strode away, clearly expecting me to follow her.
I stayed nearby, and it was impossible to ignore the obvious whispers and stares as she and I passed by the others.
She spoke over her shoulder while I trailed a few footsteps behind, “Vastion’s attendants will deliver your belongings to the royal wing.
They’ll use the Hollows, but that is no place for you. ”
“What are the Hollows?” I asked curiously, hoping that Lailanor would be less cryptic than my husband.
She continued her quick pace, and I feared we had a long way to go, dreading the number of stairs that surely lay ahead.
“The Hollows are narrow and unsafe hidden passageways. Think of them as veins of the Heart. Shortcuts. Only those who know how to navigate them should attempt to travel by them. Not to mention, some of the lower ones may be completely submerged when the tide comes in. They are slippery and dangerous even when exposed.”
Perfect, a loose-lipped lady’s maid. Just what I needed. I realized that in these “Hollows” were places to discover or, if necessary, escape to. I didn’t speak another word of it to avoid drawing attention to my true interest.
By now we had climbed an unforgivable number of steps, and my breathing quickly became ragged.
“Are we getting close?” I questioned, knowing if we weren’t that I might need a moment to catch my breath.
It wasn’t that I was out of shape, but the heavy dress was weighing me down and the shoes were beginning to dig blisters into my poor feet.
What if they made me bleed? Would I suddenly tempt Lailanor into an uncontrollable attack?
“No, Your Majesty. The royal wing is one of the farthest. King Vastion prefers the quiet.”
Probably so his citizens can’t hear him fighting with his human brides, I thought to myself and rolled my eyes while we continued to climb.
“You served Queen Adria before me?” I asked, trying to make conversation despite Lailanor’s clear preference for silence. Vampyr had an eerie stillness about them, which was one of their kinds’ many distasteful qualities.
“Yes, I… I served Queen Adria until her last breath.”
There was a small quiver in her voice, but she continued to march forward stoically, guiding us deeper into the cave. Few others had passed us in the hallways.
“And Queen Kesna...?” I pried, seeing if I could somehow learn of the truth that was being kept from the humans.
Lailanor stopped dead in her tracks and turned abruptly to face me, almost causing us to collide. Her lips were pressed into a firm line. “You would do well to never speak that name ever again, if you know what’s good for you,” she warned.
I was alone in a hallway. With a vampire. There was nothing else to fuel my irresponsible courage except for the fact that I was Vastion’s wife, and the question left my mouth impulsively.
“Why?”
Lailanor’s eyes widened when I pressed the issue. “Because traitors…” She caught herself and paused, reconsidering her words. “If you value your life, do not speak of things you know nothing about.”
She turned on her heel and resumed a faster pace ahead, presumably irritated with my questioning.