Chapter 30 #2
‘I am home,’ I snapped. I turned to everyone else then.
‘The prince didn’t kill your family members last night, but there are others like him here and they’ll kill again when the sun is down.
’ As I spoke, I felt a spreading chill as the mountain’s shadow crawled towards us.
‘If you want a chance at surviving the night, then you need to run while you still can. Barricade yourselves in the church and as soon as the sun comes up, go to the cathedral in Triz. The people there will know how to help.’
Everyone looked to Father, and no one moved.
‘They’re not going anywhere without your prince’s head.’
‘While I appreciate that you’ve given me so much thought,’ came a voice from behind me, ‘I’d prefer to keep my head, if it’s all the same to you.’
Raleigh stepped out of the carriage, into the ever-lengthening shadows around us.
He had taken the time to arm himself, but he was still delightfully dishevelled, his cravat askew, hair rumpled.
It would have been scandalous, but the terror painted on everyone’s faces made it clear they weren’t thinking about why we were both half-dressed.
Most of them wouldn’t have seen Raleigh since the festival fifteen years ago.
They knew him only by reputation, and that wasn’t the reputation of a harmless eccentric.
‘Get back.’ Father pulled out a clumsily crafted wooden crucifix. I knew then how I must have looked on my first night in Castle Rostenburg. Raleigh raised his brows, just as he had that night, and rolled his eyes.
‘Right. Moira, deal with that.’ He snapped his fingers and Moira was at Father’s side, twisting his arm until he dropped the cross. She tossed it to Yann with her spare hand, and told him to put it somewhere safe before she let Father go.
He staggered back, blustering with fury. ‘How dare—’
‘You all know what I am,’ Raleigh called to the crowd. ‘I won’t try to hide it from you. If I’m out here, then you are no longer safe from others of my kind.’ He paused, taking the time to look as many people in the eye as he could. ‘I am as responsible for your suffering as Juri is.’
‘Raleigh, stop talking,’ Moira hissed.
He continued on. ‘But I have only ever fed from those of you who are already dying. I never wanted you to starve. Those deaths could have been avoided if you hadn’t put such blind faith in your mayor.
I won’t pretend I’ve been a good ruler, but I am still the Prince of Rostenburg and you are all under my protection.
Those of you who treasure their lives, follow me inside the castle.
Take shelter until morning, and all I ask in return is that you resist the temptation to kill me. ’
Father looked incredulous. ‘Do you think we’re—’
Yann stepped forward, then bowed his head. ‘Thank you for your hospitality, Your Serene Highness.’
Father grabbed his shoulder in an attempt at holding him back. ‘He’s obviously lying.’
‘One of you is,’ Yann said, wrenching himself free. ‘But if what Clara says is true, then we can’t stay out here. And I trust her more than anyone.’ He dipped his head to me. ‘Lead the way, princess.’
Something was wrong. I could feel it the moment we stepped inside. The castle was unsettled, as if the enchantment didn’t know what to do with fifty hostile humans invited inside the walls.
Raleigh halted halfway into the entry hall. From the way his face wrinkled I knew that he could feel it too. He pulled me back to him, murmuring for me to stay close as the humans fanned out, gazing at their humble surroundings in mutual disappointment.
‘I take it you don’t have guests often,’ Father remarked, oblivious to the atmosphere. He reached the stairs and ran one finger through the dust caked on the edge of the balustrade.
‘Were you hoping for an invitation?’ Raleigh asked, though his attention was fixed on the doors to the dining hall.
Yann’s neighbour Kay had strayed close to them, curiosity overriding any semblance of etiquette.
Like the others, he’d been taken by an urge to explore.
It never occurred to him that his host had fallen behind, nor that a thousand-year-old castle could be a home.
He parted the doors without waiting, oblivious to their creaking protest, and was swallowed by the waiting dark.
I held my breath, but Kay emerged again moments later, looking annoyed. ‘Can’t see a bloody thing in there,’ he said to Yann.
Then time slowed. His eyes went wide. Blood drained from his face. A slender hand took hold of his collar and dragged him back into the dark.
All at once I was hit by the smell of blood as I had never smelt it before. I never knew anything could smell so strong. The room spun again. My head felt like it was going to roll off my shoulders.
‘Everyone out!’ Raleigh roared. ‘Get back outside now.’
Everyone stood to attention and were halfway to obeying before realising it was neither Father nor Yann who gave the order.
Yann lurched like he was going to rush to Kay’s aid, but Moira echoed the reaching phantom, grabbing him by the shirt and hauling him back as Enrique slammed both doors shut.
The wise scrambled towards the front door on Raleigh’s words alone, but most hadn’t seen Kay disappear and weren’t ready to take orders from anyone without a pulse.
With Yann scrambling to free himself from Moira, they turned to my father, seeking his counsel.
‘You tricked us,’ he said, eyes glued to Raleigh.
‘Why would I bother—’
‘We should have killed him in the sunlight, but instead he lured us in here where he could feed us to his brethren.’ Father wasn’t speaking to Raleigh anymore, but to the people of Orlfen.
Some looked as though they were swallowing every word, each syllable fuelling their bloodlust. Others looked to Raleigh. No, to me.
‘We didn’t know,’ I cried. Then, ‘You all need to leave now.’
‘She’s been hypnotised. Who knows what’s waiting out there for us!’
Yann untangled himself from Moira’s grasp. ‘What’s your plan, Juri?’ he yelled.
The sound jarred everyone to silence. Even I had never heard Yann yell like that.
‘Did you not see what just happened? Are you trying to get us all killed here because you couldn’t starve us to death? Well, I’m not dying today.’ He marched into the doorway. ‘Anyone who wants to live can come with me.’
With that he was gone. Despite the ill will that had come between us, I couldn’t help but feel a buzz of pride. This was the Yann I used to love.
The rest of the humans lingered. Then, one by one, they made their decisions. Stay with Father on his futile crusade or flee with Yann to safety.
‘How terrifying,’ came a sickening voice. ‘An army that crumbles at the first whiff of battle.’
Raleigh threw me behind him before I could catch a glimpse of the speaker. Over his shoulder, I recognised the flowing golden hair at the top of the stairs, the lilting smirk. I could smell the blood on his shirt from here.
‘Lukas,’ Raleigh sneered.
A dozen other pale figures melted out of the shadows, lining the upper railing while Lukas held command at the centre. ‘You can stay or go,’ he said, addressing the humans. ‘Your fate will be the same either way.’
Yann came staggering backwards through the front doors again, arms thrown out in front of him, brandishing the crucifix Moira had thrown at him earlier.
‘They’re outside,’ he cried, then swore as he spotted the line of newcomers.
More faces crowded in the doorway, their pale smiles illuminated by the dull light of evening.
‘Your business is with me,’ Raleigh called up to him. ‘Let everyone else go.’
‘My business is with all of you.’ Lukas took a step down towards us. ‘The hunter.’ A step. ‘The half-breed.’ Another step. ‘Your human pet.’ He stopped. ‘Fear not, we only have orders to kill the hunter. Her Majesty says that death is too easy for the rest of you.’
I hoped Lukas would be dead before I had to learn what that meant.
‘Don’t you dare speak about my daughter that way.’ As Lukas descended the staircase, Father had ascended. They met halfway and despite the step between them, Father’s height had them standing nose to nose. ‘She is the Princess of Rostenburg, and you will respect her as such.’
Lukas looked amused. ‘I didn’t realise you had in-laws, Raleigh.’
‘Don’t ignore me,’ Father said.
Lukas rolled his eyes, and simply stepped around him.
There is a particular arrogance unique to creatures perched at the top of the food chain.
To a human, a stalking cat is adorable, a yapping dog is a nuisance, a violent hen is tomorrow’s dinner.
That’s all we were to the court; the strongest and fittest of Orlfen were simply an ill-behaved cluster of livestock, not smart enough to realise they would live longer if only they behaved.
Lukas brushed my father aside like he was nothing but a persistent bug, but fleas have killed more humans than every vampire combined.
As Lukas passed, Father turned. He raised his crossbow, but didn’t shoot.
Instead, with a jolt, I realised he was looking for my clearance.
I lowered my head, so slowly that Lukas never would have noticed I was nodding. But Father understood.
Lukas whirled around at the click of Father’s crossbow, but it was too late.
The bolt hit him in the throat. He yanked it out at once with a spurt of boiling blood, but the silver had already worked its poison into his skin.
A dark smouldering crack wormed its way across Lukas’s face.
Silver alone couldn’t do that; Father must have dipped the bolts in holy water.
He was smarter than I cared to give him credit for.
‘I did warn you,’ Father snarled. He levelled the crossbow again.
‘You are nothing.’ Lukas turned his back to his oncoming death. ‘Take care of it,’ he said. And then Father was flying. A woman from the landing had launched herself at him, her claws wrapping around his throat. They crashed into the floor, near Raleigh’s feet, and chaos erupted.
There were vampires everywhere, pouring from the stairs, the doors. And then sprays of blood. Clouds of ash. I thought the people of Orlfen would fold in an instant, but they had come prepared to fight vampires, and all had vengeance burning in their veins.
Somewhere in the melee, Raleigh fought with them.
I caught the occasional flash of his crimson waistcoat, and then he vanished again.
There was no sign of Lukas. He had either made a strategic retreat or become one of the ash clouds festering in the air.
I wasn’t optimistic enough to believe the latter.
I unsheathed my own dagger and tried to join the fray.
‘No.’ Moira threw herself at me, then turned and slashed at an attacker. ‘You and Raleigh need to go.’
‘We can’t leave them.’ My eyes were on Father. He wasn’t moving.
Moira shook me. ‘I don’t mean leave. You’ll give us all a better chance of survival if you lead the fight away.’ I didn’t know if that was true. ‘Go to the armoury, get as much silver as you can carry and bring it back or fight until your arms give out. It’s our only chance.’
‘And you?’
‘I’ll hold the line.’
‘You’re not well enough!’
Moira spun around, kicked heavily at one oncoming vampire, then continued the spin to slash wildly with one of her daggers at another’s throat.
Cold blood splattered us both, then turned hot as she thrust again and turned her attacker to ash.
‘Lying down isn’t really an option right now, princess,’ she said. ‘Raleigh.’
Raleigh was with us in an instant, windswept and bloodstained.
‘Armoury’ was all Moira said to him before hurling herself into the maelstrom.
He understood at once. I wondered if they had discussed this eventuality in the past.
‘Let’s go,’ he said.
We made it through the room relatively unmolested, Raleigh cutting his way forwards, while I followed backwards, brandishing my cross at anyone who dared approach. I scanned the room for any signs of Lukas, but he had vanished.
As we reached the doors, I spotted Yann nearby, gamely holding back a would-be attacker with his wooden cross, while badly waving an axe.
‘Wait,’ I told Raleigh, then thrust the hilt of my dagger in the man’s face.
In the seconds it bought, I yanked Yann towards me.
Raleigh took my place, slashing with his sword.
‘How much do you want to kill Raleigh?’
‘What?’ Yann glanced at the blur of Raleigh, then unconsciously flexed his right hand. ‘Is that a serious question?’
Raleigh’s blade sliced through the air, inches from Yann’s ear. Ash settled on his shoulders. ‘Hurry up,’ he said, and vanished again.
‘Not right this second,’ Yann squeaked.
That was enough for me. ‘Go upstairs, find my room. In the wardrobe there’s a bag of gear you can use. It’s not much, but it’s better than that.’ I nodded to the wooden crucifix. The sight alone made me anxious. I’d feel better knowing he was equipped with silver.
‘Which one is your room?’
‘You’ll know.’ I looked up. ‘Guide him,’ I said to the walls, and then to Yann, ‘Trust me, the castle’s enchanted. It will take you there.’
He looked unsure but nodded regardless and vanished into the crowd. I watched only long enough to see him emerge at the foot of the stairs before Raleigh appeared again at my side.
‘We need to go now.’