Chapter Five
Iwake up in the morning to the terrible realization that being a vampire does not exclude you from having a menstrual cycle.
I put the pillow over top of my head and scream.
After bathing and freshening up for the day, I take a look at the different tonics Ivorie gave me that are supposed to help with cramping.
I also might have told her I needed new undergarments and a specific type of period product. She told me that she would leave to go to town and get them for me.
I do not need new undergarments, and the palace has period products somewhere around here because she told me it does.
Did I say this knowing she would leave to go get them so I could be alone for a while? Yes.
Do I feel guilty about it?
Also, yes. But I have to have some time without her following me if I want to find another way out of this castle.
According to Draven the castle is warded, but what if there is another way out of the castle, like underneath it. Every castle has to have some kind of tunneling network for workers, or even secret passageways, or trap doors. These things in castles are common. I think.
I dress myself in a simple pink linen gown and flats then head out the door. I plan for my first stop to be the library so I can get my hands on a map of the castle. A map should be able to give me a better idea of what I am looking for.
I start walking down the hall, the walk to the library becoming quick and familiar. Workers and other vampires who pass me continue to stare, but I just nod my head and continue on.
I step into the library and see that it is just me, the librarian, and one other person in here. Perfect.
I approach the librarian as I attempt to look very innocent. “Hello, can you tell me which section the maps are in? More specifically maps of the castle. This place is so big it is almost kind of easy to get lost in huh?” I pull off the most casual laugh I can.
The librarian lowers her book and looks down her very large nose at me. “The maps are on the bookshelf three rows back.”
This is the first time I have looked at her and it is clear that she is not a vampire. There are no fangs showing when she speaks, her skin looks identical to tree bark, and her eyes have slits down the middle like a cat.
“Thank you very much, have a great day,” I say with a smile.
She just huffs and goes right back to reading. I try and hide my excitement as I turn and walk to the shelf she described.
The map was quite easy to find. There are many different versions of the castle drawn into maps, but I choose the largest and pull it off the shelf. I take it to the nearest table and sit down, marking the library as I scan the different locations.
My eyes immediately fall to the prince’s wing, tracing the way to get there. It has a large bedroom and bathroom with multiple different lounging areas.
I shake my head and quickly move on, examining every room in the palace. I do not see any trap doors or passageways so I push the map to the side and grab the next one.
Then the next one, then the next.
By the time I get through every map of the castle, I am left with nothing but a headache.
What kind of damn castle is this? I fall back into the chair with a heavy sigh.
I know I have been in here for some time and Ivorie is bound to be back by now. I should probably call it quits and try again tomorrow.
As I go to stand, a dark shadow in my peripheral stops me. My head snaps up and I turn, locking eyes with Draven. I quickly lean forward in attempt to cover the giant map in front of me.
I go to speak but he beats me to it.
“Well, it looks like we meet again. In a library.” He turns his head to the side as he looks at me with a questioning expression.
I do my best not to shrink under his golden gaze.
“Oh yes, you know, just trying to find some books to read to pass the time. You know how it is.” I casually shrug.
He nods. “I see, and the books you have chosen are castle maps.”
We sit in silence for a moment as I try to think of explanation, but nothing comes to mind.
“Alright, you got me.”
“Still trying to find a way to leave me I see,” he says with a smirk.
I throw my hands up in the air. “I mean can you blame me? I am stuck somewhere I know nothing about. Like I truly have no idea where I am even at still. No one will tell me anything because of your dad.”
“So, your plan is to sneak out of the castle and go out into a world you know nothing about, with nowhere to go.” He cocks one of his thick, black eyebrows up.
“Okay well, when you put it like that it sounds like a bad idea. But there has to be some way to get back to the human world. I can always go back, try to live there again.”
“That’s probably because it is a bad idea. I do not recommend leaving the castle by yourself, especially when you do not know where you are.”
He has a point.
“Also, you cannot go back to the human world. It will no longer work for you, but against you,” he says, shaking his head.
I drop my head down and cannot help but feel defeated. He may be right, again.
“May I join you?” he asks.
“Yeah, of course.”
He sits down, crossing his ankle over the opposite knee. “How about this, I will answer some of your questions you have.”
I lean forward. “Seriously, you will? That is going to piss off your dad.”
“That is because Father believes that knowledge is power. I also do not care about what rules he has in place.” He slides back in his chair, standing up.
I watch as he walks over to the map section, grabbing a few off the shelf.
He pulls out a large map first, laying it out on the table. “You are looking at the wrong map if you want answers. This is where we are, the Etherealm.”
The map he places in front of me looks like something someone completely made up and slapped on a piece of paper. I trace the outline of the map, noting how large it is.
“The Etherealm is parallel to the Humanrealm. Both exist simultaneously, so you can cross from one to the other and it will still be the exact same time and day. The Etherealm holds every creature that the Humanrealm cannot.”
I nod my head up and down in understanding.
“As you can see, the Etherealm is split directly down the middle.”
I look at the map, noticing the vertical line that separates the map evenly in two.
“We are on the left side of the map. This is the Vryko Kingdom, claimed by the moon, and ruled by the vampires.”
“So, it is always dark here, no matter what?”
“Correct. On the right side of the map is the Faeria Kingdom, claimed by the sun, home of the fae. It is always daytime there, opposite to us”
“The fae. Like as in fairies?” I ask.
“Yes, something like that, amongst other creatures.”
I take in the information as fast as it is coming, not wanting him to stop.
“Okay, so I noticed the librarian is not a vampire. So other creatures live here as well?”
“Yes, they do,” he says.
“What kind of creatures?”
“Creatures of the night. Werewolves, trolls, incantors, night elves, nightlurkers…”
He points to the map. “This is the Whispering Woods. Most werewolves live here as well as nightlurkers and some incantors.”
He moves his finger over to what looks like a small town. “Most everyone else lives here in town. It is a normal place like in the Humanrealm. People work and live. They sell things like clothing, food, potions, spells, secrets, weapons, blood—”
“That’s not like a normal place in the Humanrealm,” I interrupt.
He ignores me and keeps talking. “This is the palace grounds where we are at, and this over here is the Swamplands. Do not even look at the Swamplands. There are monsters that live in here that will swallow you whole if given the chance.”
I suppress a shudder. “Okay, so what is an incantor, like a witch?”
He smirks at that. “Oh, don’t ever call an incantor a witch, they get very offended. Witch is a human term.”
I draw my brows together, frowning. “If there are so many creatures here, why are vampires the ones who rule?”
“Because there is not a creature in this kingdom that can overpower a vampire,” he says with determination in his voice.
“Well that is comforting. So, I will be okay if I do make it out of here.”
“I meant vampires like me, not ones who have turned just two months ago,” he says, voice teasing.
Oh.
“Anyways,” I say.
I see the corner of his mouth lift in another smirk.
“How is day and night separated the way it is then?”
“Magic. You see this line.” He points to the middle of the map. “It is called the Line of Ether. My father and others created it with a form of magic. A tale for another time.”
“So, there is magic.”
“All kinds of magic,” he says.
I shift uncomfortably in my chair. “So why separate day and night?”
“Vampires cannot go in the sunlight. We will die a painful death if touched by the sun for too long.”
Disappointment settles over me. Another thing for me to grieve.
“Bummer. So no one can cross the line to get to the other side?” I ask.
“There is a certain way to get across that only my father, myself, and the rulers of Faeria have the ability to obtain.”
“That kind of sucks that not everyone can go across but you guys.”
He shakes his head. “Vampires and fae cannot coexist. It does not work and it never has.”
Interesting.
“Does your father get along with the King of Faeria?”
“Yes, he does.”
He replies in a way that I can tell he is not going to speak about the topic any further, so I change the subject.
“So what do you even call anything around here, is morning still called morning and evening called evening?”
“Everything is the same as it is in your world. It is just dark all the time. The morning is still what it is, as well as the evening. Meals are the same, days are the same, the years are the same, and even the seasons are all the same.”
“That’s convenient.”
I sigh way louder than I mean to.
“So basically, there is an entirely different kingdom to the right of us filled with fairies and sunshine, and I got stuck in the one that is always dark and has a bunch of scary shit living in it.”
Draven looks at me with a shocked expression then he tilts his head back and laughs so loud, the librarian slams her book down and shushes us.
I cannot help but start to laugh with him. His laugh is the kind that makes you want to join in.
“I can promise you the fae are not as lovely as they seem. They can be just as evil as anyone here and more, hardly carrying a moral compass. They do many things differently over there because it is within their nature to do so.”
The grass is not greener on the other side then, got it.
“I have another question. You said the other night when I first met you that you have another lead to look into. What did you mean by another lead?”
“You are very observant.” He glances down at his watch. “I have to leave. How about this, the next time I see you, I will give you more answers to your questions.”
I guess I pushed too far.
He stands up from the table and puts each map back.
“Wait, what do you mean the next time I see you?” I ask.
He starts to walk backward toward the exit. “Yes, the next time I see you. We live in the same place, do we not?”
Well, he is not wrong. Why does every response have to be given in a riddle.
He leaves before I can give a reply. My head falls into my hands with a sigh from my lips.
There is a whole different world on the right side of that map. One I may never see. But after what Draven said, I am not even sure if I can.
Knowing I will never feel the sun against my skin makes my chest tighten.
I look over at the sound of the library doors shutting and see Ivorie walk in. Her eyes search the room and land on mine. She gives me a smile and rushes toward me.
“Solene, I found everything you needed. How are you feeling?”
“I feel better after the tonic you gave me. Thank you for everything today, I really appreciate it.”
Guilt floods through my body.
“Of course, I needed to go into to town anyways and it is what I am here for. Anything you need just tell me.”
“I will, thank you.” I give her a smile and stand up with a stretch. “I spent most of today reading while you were gone, but I think I could use a walk and talk if you are up for it?”
“Of course, let us go to the garden.”
We walk toward the exit of the library and I wave goodbye at the librarian. I swear she rolls her eyes at me in response.
As we walk, I get the overwhelming urge to ask Ivorie upfront about any type of tunneling systems.
“Random question. How do you guys travel around the castle? Are there tunnels under the castle you all walk through to get to places faster? You guys are everywhere at once so I am just curious.”
Ivorie starts laughing. “Tunnels under the castle? There is no such thing. Some get to places quickly because of magic, and vampires do because of their increased speed.”
I just laugh with her and nod.
Escape through secret tunnels under the castle operation, canceled.
I loop my arm around Ivorie’s, and we continue our walk to the garden. As we are walking, a group of vampires rush past us. They carry hushed whispers and look like they are walking with a purpose.
Seconds pass and another couple of vampires pass us in a blur, my hair blowing back behind me. I see what she means by increased speed now.
“What is going on?” I ask.
Ivorie looks behind us, nervously chewing on her lip. “Oh nothing, do not worry about it. A staff member may have injured themselves in the kitchen or something.”
She is lying to me. I can tell by the way she answered me.
I narrow my eyes at her. “Hmm… well, I hope they are okay.”
The way those vampires looked, something happened way worse than a kitchen injury.
More secrets for me to uncover.