The Hive
I’d never considered what it would look like from the outside.
A grand castle towered over me, built directly into the side of the Irriset mountains.
Sharp spires cut into the sky, making their regality known from a distance.
Torches lit the multitude of tall, pointed entries and balconies.
Shadows from their flames danced along the dark, ornate stone walls, pillars and peaks of the vampiric community.
Even through my lingering blood fog, the enormous structure gave me a confusing sense of wonder and worry.
“Lady Reyva, welcome to our humble abode.” Rhazien gestured to his thriving kingdom and smiled proudly.
“Humble?” I asked breathlessly as I fought to keep the blood’s yearning at bay.
Rhazien offered his arm and my hand instinctively found a comforting shelter in the crook of his elbow. He tucked me in tight and his blood sang. There was no hesitation, no nervousness as I found a happy home at his side.
Dommik, among other Hive guards, watched us from atop their mounts. A clumsy smile spread across my lips, but the blood scolded me for my lingering gaze. He didn’t return the expression and abruptly looked away.
Rhazien’s blood muted my disappointment at Dommik’s avoidance.
Perhaps he wouldn’t be a friendly face after all.
The regent and I walked arm in arm, our strides naturally matching like it was something we’d done hundreds of times. Vampire citizens scurried around us, tending to the horses, hauling goods, marching in formation.
The massive structure could easily house hundreds. That amount of vampires, all requiring blood to survive scattered chills across my skin.
“How many of you—”
A male vampire crossed our path with a sheep in tow, awkwardly bowing as he cursed at the squirming animal.
Rhazien waved the male away and answered my unfinished question, “I’ve lost count, but we’ll take a census in a few weeks.”
I slurred another question that sounded like, “And you ALL live here?”
“Some of our traders and animal farmers go to ground outside of the Hive, but yes, a good majority of us call this place home.” He paused and turned me toward him. “And now this is your home too.”
Home.
No place had ever felt like home. Born the less desired gender, my parents’ home could never have been mine to inherit.
I’d made myself as comfortable as I could in my husband's home, but as the barren second wife to a wealthy lord in desperate need of an heir, it became less and less welcome with every failed moon cycle.
No, I might live here, for however long Rhazien would find me useful, but the Hive would never be my home.
My future, my master, the orchestrator of my livelihood, held me in his courtyard. The vampires busied themselves around us, but perked ears and sly glances gave away their attention to every movement and word exchanged between us.
“Reyva,” Rhazien whispered as he tucked a loose tendril behind my ear. “You’re home.”
A small faction of leather-clad guards shielded us from the citizens of the Hive. A thriving market bustled on the ground level. Trinkets, animal meat, carpets, oils for lamps, casks of wine littered the vendor stalls.
Through the cracks of our bodyguards, vampires and humans alike, only differentiated by their garb and sometimes visible fangs, craned their necks to glimpse who was being delivered by a royal escort.
Smoke intermixed with herbs and a plethora of spiced aromas.
Humans wore cloaks similar to mine with different embroidered designs, I assumed to signify their ownership.
We strode over the market cobblestones toward a set of bronze double doors with a symbol matching my cloak. The doors opened, revealing a wooden platform and pulley system.
Two guards flanked us as Rhazien ushered me to the platform. The blood cradled my doubt and despite its efforts to keep me focused on him, I found myself wishing Dommik was with us.
Another pair of royal guards took position next to a wooden wheel and set themselves to untying the appropriate ropes and levers. Metal clanged as the bronze doors shut and I gasped as we began to slowly ascend.
My body swayed in the darkness, periodically brushing against the regent who stood tall and unmoving.
If only my mother could see me now. Wine buzzed and blood drunk, I gripped onto one of the most famous vampires in known history for balance.
“Gorvin will meet you in your room,” Rhazien said, filling the space with something other than darkness and the occasional creaking and scraping of the rising platform.
“And then what?” I lost my battle with balance and nearly stumbled forward into the wall of the stone shaft.
Strong hands caught me, pulling me back to safety before I collided into the unforgiving rockface.
Rhazien held me tightly, our bodies flush from my shoulder to our ankles.
Involuntary heat crept in again as the blood sought its connection back home.
“And then we wait.”
“Wait for what?” I lifted my chin in his direction. I pushed down the almost insatiable need to be near him—it wasn’t me. His blood wanted to know how long until its master would sink his teeth into me, pulling it from my body into his.
“So many questions.” His hand found my chin and his thumb caressed my jaw.
I hummed at his touch. The platform stopped abruptly and a sister set of bronze doors swung open. Our armed accompaniment fell back as we approached a new pair of waiting soldiers.
“Ah, Your Majesty, Lady Reyva,” Gorvin greeted us.
How did he beat us here?
Beyond the polished steward was a grand, empty ballroom.
A paper slipped between the regent and his steward, which he tore open while I admired the meticulous details.
Golden pillars featured intricate gilded designs, towering up and up and up until they spilled across the expansive ceiling.
Murals looked down on sparkling chandeliers and I could almost hear the memory of a song shared between the hundreds of crystals dangling from their golden rungs.
Rhazien cleared his throat and handed the missive back to Gorvin. “I must go and give my attention to some urgent matters. Gorvin will ensure you’re attended to and we will see each other again tomorrow at dusk.” The blood panicked inside of me and I clutched him tighter.
“It’s not you. It’s the blood,” he whispered as he planted a gentle kiss on my hand. My skin cried out for his touch the second his lips parted.
It’s not me. It’s the blood.
“Tomorrow,” Rhazien repeated.
With that, he turned, guards falling in line to their dutiful choreography. I stood, vulnerable, in an unknown place, fighting the foreign blood inside of me screaming at the distance.
Deep breath in. It’s not me. Let it out. It’s the blood.
Gorvin provided a welcome distraction from the foreign panic as he elegantly gestured for me to follow him down an opposite hallway.
He explained which rooms were accommodations for aides to the regent and which were for guests of some nature. “Your chamber will be at the very end of the hallway amongst some of the other human boundlings of high-powered individuals of the vampire court.”
Beyond the fortress walls, a clock chimed. The commanding note rang through the halls, surprising me enough to pause my already blood-heavy gait.
Gorvin stopped in front of a massive door with Rhazien’s royal symbol. “The tower informs us how long we have until dusk and dawn. It chimes one hour before sunset and one hour before sunrise.”
Ornate, iron keys appeared in Gorvin’s steady hands. “We will continue to improve your quarters, Lady Bergmont. Just give us a bit more time.”
The door groaned open and Gorvin gestured for me to enter.
A gasp tumbled from my lips as I peered inside. They put any other chamber at the Ashford estate to shame. Even the Illica summer castle didn’t have rooms this grand.
I walked through a spacious entryway to a formal, but cozy sitting area.
Plush furniture angled toward a towering stone fireplace.
I wandered to the double doors to my right, behind which I found my sleeping quarters.
The oversized bed, enough for four people, would have made a lesser room feel cramped and crowded.
An armoire with double doors, purposefully left open, displayed a stable of exquisite gowns.
The grandiose decor perfectly complemented the dark and moody style of the Hive’s exterior.
I rejoined Gorvin in the sitting area and as Rhazien mentioned, there were surprises—gifts—throughout the room wrapped in glossy black paper with matching velvet bows.
Huge bouquets of out of season lilies adorned with the same matching decorative fabrics were placed on end tables, filling my quarters with a fresh, earthy aroma.
I caressed a petal, admiring its enhanced colors thanks to Rhazien’s blood but immediately sneezed. They were beautiful, but I was terribly allergic.
“Lady Reyva, is this to your liking?” Gorvin inquired, ready to serve.
I straightened and folded my hands in front of my dirty, ill-fitting gown. “It will do.”
“Very good.” He adjusted a decorative vase I wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t fussing with it. There was simply too much to look at. “We’ve assigned a most adequate chambermaid to assist you. She’ll bring hot water for a bath shortly, and a hot meal after that.”
“Thank you, Gorvin. A bath sounds divine.” Genuine appreciation wove between my blood-slurred words.
The steward nodded, “Your maid, Alba, may come and go periodically, but you shouldn’t notice her at all. She’ll be quiet as a mouse.”
On the contrary, I expected to notice everything. Every sound, every smell, every minor movement. No detail could escape me while the vampiric life force flowed within my veins.
Gorvin left me with a sweeping, effortless bow and I stood in my grand chamber, not entirely convinced this wasn’t all a dream.
That I wasn’t in the keep awaiting my execution.
So much had happened and after being in constant motion for so long, I hadn’t processed all that had transpired during my journey.