The Source
Rhazien’s gaze was murderous.
He seemed well. Not a hair out of place beneath his crown. No blood stains on his clothes. No sign of the ink-black veins spreading from his eyes. Just a postured, centuries old royal vampire waiting for an explanation. But he also looked entirely different to me. Dirty, ruined.
He swiveled his shoulders between us. “Well?”
If we hadn’t been in a secluded hallway, maybe he would have lowered his tone.
“Explain yourselves,” he spat and my gut soured.
“Explain yourself!” I shouted. My fists shook and shackles rattled at my sides.
Rhazien’s face twisted into a puzzled expression.
Like he wasn’t aware of what I’d been through.
The danger, the fear, the isolation, the loneliness.
All of which was caused by the absence he deemed a diplomatic necessity, but what I’d witnessed in my vision was so far beyond the boundaries of his duties.
“Commander Thorne.” My eyes stayed locked on Rhazien’s as he spoke. His glare was sharp as a drawn sword. “I expected more after all I’ve done for you.”
“Dommik has done nothing but protect your interests,” I gritted, stepping between the men.
Rhazien might not have looked out of sorts, but he certainly wasn’t thinking clearly.
To any onlookers, I was still dressed as a chambermaid.
Even if I were in the fine garments I’d become accustomed to wearing, humans didn’t give orders to vampires in the Hive.
Best to try to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible so we could all get out unscathed.
“I’m sure he has.” He scoffed before taking a deep inhale. “You reek of him.”
“And you—” I removed my veil, letting my hair tumble down over the rest of Alba’s gray robes “—smell like blood, whiskey, and whores.”
Rhazien leveled his commander with a deathly glare.
“He didn’t tell me anything,” I said, drawing Rhazien’s attention back to me.
“What ever do you mean?” he growled.
“I saw it myself,” I said with an eerie level of calm. “Everything.”
Rhazien’s jaw shifted along with his weight. He was caught and he appeared to care. Did I?
“I’m taking my leave,” I declared, not sure if I could or if he would let me.
“And where—pray tell—will you go?”
Home, I wanted to say. But the Hive wasn’t my home. Not really. Just another cage. Another prison. Another holding cell.
“Back,” I responded simply, not breaking my stare.
He arched his brow. “You mean to travel home?”
“Yes.” Hurt flashed across his face. And for a moment, I think we both wondered how we’d gotten here. “Considering I haven’t seen or heard from you for the better part of a week, I assume you will not miss me.”
It was a petty coldness I didn’t even extend to my late husband. This new sense of frustration rooted firmly in my disappointment with myself as well.
Why had I thought this would be any different? How could I have been so foolish and na?ve? When was I going to learn this lesson?
People take. And take. And take.
And if I gave much more, there wouldn’t be anything left of me.
Rhazien’s mask dropped. The lines from his prominent frown were visible even through his unruly stubble, like he was finally grasping the gravity of his offenses.
“Reyva, I—” His hands found my covered shoulders and I shrunk beneath his grip. I’d seen where his hands had been, what they’d done. He felt me flinch and they fell to his sides in defeat. “Please stay.”
I lowered my gaze and shook my head.
“I’m going to fix this.”
My gaze was fixed on the stone floor beneath us. The hurt was a chasm—large, black, alluring.
As if he was trying to convince us both, he whispered again, “Reyva, I will fix this.”
Rhazien folded his hands, kneading them as he searched me for a sign of agreement, but I only met him with defiant silence.
“Will you let me try?” Desperate eyes darted between mine.
No. My mind didn’t hesitate.
What would be the point? If life would always be like this, was it worth staying and fighting? For what? To be just another version of a woman always waiting around for Rhazien to give me a morsel of attention. Endless days without any purpose other than to be decoration for a man.
I’d lived that life before. I didn’t need to do it again.
He lowered himself to capture my gaze. “Reyva?”
I gave him a smile so soft, it was guaranteed he knew it was fake, or forced, or both.
“Yes,” I whispered through a soft, disingenuous smile. “Majesty.”
“Thank you.” The regent exhaled, relief relaxing his brow line. He pulled me into a hug that felt more like a trap than a comforting embrace.
My return to the Southern Hive had signaled the tipping of an hourglass.
A kaleidoscope of bouquets were designed and fluffed.
The window trimmings were replaced with new, elegant dark fabric.
Every inch of the Hive was under inspection and accordingly attended to in preparation for the noble and notable guests who would attend the upcoming Solstice events.
The pure excess infuriated me. All of this luxury and comfort with so many living in squalor and suffering in the Northern Hive. But I couldn’t be bogged down or distracted. I had a part to play as the dutiful prospect to the regent. A future queen of the Hive. A fate I grappled with in silence.
“Lady Reyva, your eye is impeccable.” Gorvin—my travel companion back to the Hive—had complimented me more than once. He flitted about like an excited hummingbird after a long winter, each task a new flower for him to savor. It was odd to think he was a descendant of Ruelle.
Seeing Gorvin in his element, fully alight with pride and passion, sparked a sour jealousy within me. My purpose was forced on me while his came naturally. I wondered if I’d ever feel that again. Something that lit me up, that felt like my own.
“And the lilies from your chamber have been replaced with something more seasonally appropriate. Commander Thorne passed along your request.”
I perked up at the mention of Dommik. I hadn’t made any such request, although the change would be a welcome one. The lilies, beautiful as they were, sent me into sneezing fits.
Either Gorvin was far too engulfed in his responsibilities, or my nonchalant mask was a convincing one.
Between the choices of flora, details of the feasts to come, and decor that would be discarded promptly following Solstice, I walked the halls of the Hive empty as one of the soulless shades deep within the Irriset caves.
When awake, rare moments of silence were haunted by visions of human slaves living in squalor within the caverns of the Northern Hive.
I didn’t mind that sleep evaded me. When my body leaned into rest, I was met with horrific nightmares.
Images collided into a myriad of memories.
Rhazien’s indiscretion. Talia’s sisters. The shade.
Exhaustion was easier.
On my second evening back, Oddo called on me. The young master’s eyes grew three sizes when they noticed The Source haphazardly tucked beneath a pillow in my chambers.
“You brought it here?” he breathed, handling the book like it might disintegrate in his hands.
“There wasn’t much time to think,” I told him, chewing on my cheek. “We were nearly found. I saw my family name and I just had to know more.”
Oddo nodded and began slowly turning the pages, devouring its contents with a familiar fervor.
“This is remarkable,” he said, his finger tracing the same lines I’d been obsessing over. Then he listed a weary gaze to me. “Were you hiding this?”
I folded my hands and looked down to my feet. “Yes,” I admitted to the floor.
The book released a gentle thud as Oddo closed it and pursed his lips. The young master’s brown eyes softened as he stated, “Your instincts are sound. This book is very special. One we likely won’t copy for the public.”
My guilt melted. I hadn’t meant to deceive Oddo, who had been nothing but kind to me, but this book held more information about my family and our inherited magic than I’d ever known.
It also contained details about the creation of Lorana’s stone. The stone Rhazien needed to wake his maker and squander Eryx’s malicious ambitions.
“I’d still like to read it if that’s allowed.”
“Of course, my lady.” Oddo’s pinched expression reminded me I didn’t need to beg in this Hive. “But I would like to house it in the Hall of Archives, if that's amenable. We have a special place for texts like this.”
I nodded reluctantly. I’d taken good care of the book, and it felt more mine than Oddo’s considering its subject matter, but I understood his concern. If the book was as important as Oddo assumed, it would be discovered that it had been moved. Well, not moved. Stolen.
If he hadn’t already, Eryx could notice it was missing at any moment. The realization raised major concerns. I was angry with Rhazien, but I didn’t want him to suffer Eryx’s consequences because of my actions.
Oddo was right. The book would need to be stored in a safe place.
Gorvin wasn’t pleased that my studies with Oddo took precedence over Solstice planning. I would linger in the Hall of Archives comparing known texts with the new one.
Papers and parchment littered our tables. We kept our conversation quiet so any sensitive information wouldn’t echo.
Familial names were altered every few generations.
Like the sigils of the original four vampires, symbols were assigned to bloodlines, making it possible to track the history of the lineage.
My own name, Bergmont, had three other variations back to the first known magical matriarch of my line, Bronwynn.
The name settled on me like a secret I should have known my entire life. Just knowing they existed brought my magic to life. My fingertips tingled as if the magic was asking to be put to use.
“Absolutely incredible,” I mused, sitting back in my chair.
“It really is.” Oddo beamed beside me. “And it’s refreshing to spend so much time with someone with as keen an interest as you. It’s almost uncanny to His Majesty’s affinity for collecting knowledge. You’re well suited for each other.”
I tensed at the mention of Rhazien. All this time buried in the magical history of Atoris had distracted me from thoughts of him. The vision of him being pleasured by a human slave of the Northern Hive was enough to twist my insides.
Amongst the ranks in Illica, men were forgiven for their indiscretions while women were expected to remain faithful.
Dommik had known, seen it with his own eyes.
That’s when it dawned on me, Dommik hadn’t meant to show me those memories.
I had pulled it from him, and the most curious part was, I hadn’t been searching for an item. I had wanted to find Rhazien.
Locating a person through a memory hadn’t been available to me before, and I had tried.
Why now? I wondered.
It wasn’t because we were so well suited for each other, as Oddo said.
“Lady Reyva? Are you all right?” Oddo tipped his head, his posture reminding me more of a curious pup than an immortal.
This was not the person nor place to air out my dirty laundry with his regent—a man he so admired.
I needed to occupy my mind to keep it from wandering back to unhappy memories.
“I think I can locate it,” I said, looking up at him with tired eyes. “The stone.”
“What do you need? How can I help?”
Oddo eagerly procured a quiet space to focus and try to conjure a vision. With my training and recent elevation in my abilities, I was more confident than ever that I could locate the stone.
I sat, back straight, feet firmly planted into the smooth tiles of the archives. The Source laid open in front of me to a page containing a drawing of the stone.
I drew all my focus toward that image and asked my magic to show me.
Show me the stone. My body tensed immediately.
My spine stiffened further and my breath caught in my throat as I was pulled through a dark tunnel.
My magic searched frantically, finding only fakes and duplicates.
Nothing as large as the image on the page but a ring, then a circlet, then a mask, then a cuff, and finally, a necklace.
My magic lingered there with the necklace. The center gem was almost as vibrant as its glittering neighbors, but I knew better. Because I knew that stone. It had been passed from matriarch to matriarch in my family for generations. It was my mother’s and then it was mine.
When the wearer's face became clear, I gasped.
Cova.
Cova was wearing the necklace.
But. How? Why?
I was sure the human Crown confiscated it after my arrest, but here it was. Cova must have retrieved it.
I held the vision just long enough to get a glimpse of Lydia coming up behind my sister to hug her. My daughter and my sister. I thought I would never see them again. The walls of the vision were crumbling around them.
No. No. Just let me look a bit longer.
But the magic retreated, sending me whirling back into my body so quickly, I nearly toppled out of my chair.
“My Lady! My goodness. What did you see?” Oddo was ready with a quill and parchment to recount my vision.
“I—” I pressed my fingers into my eyes “—I couldn’t find it. The vision was too frail.”
“Oh, I see.” He slowly set down the quill and folded his hands. “Let’s call it a night. Go get some rest. The knowledge isn’t going anywhere and you can always try again when you feel ready.”
Silently, I added Oddo to the list of people I was actively lying to.
Alba found me pacing on my terrace at sunset. “My Lady, have you slept at all?”
I chewed on my nail bed, willing the sun to set faster. The quicker night came, the quicker I could get to the library. Oddo had The Source under lock and key so it could be protected while the Hive slept.
My vision had been echoing all night. The items, especially the necklace Cova wore, were a consistent loop, repeating in time with my paces.
“Umm. A bit…I think,” I lied, halting my steps as I reached for the hot mug of coffee from Alba, but she retracted it.
“My Lady, you need rest,” she encouraged me, like a good friend would.
“I can’t,” I snapped, then softened and repeated myself, “I can’t.”
There was too much to do, too much unknown.
I couldn’t rest. Not without the crushing weight of guilt, anyway.
On the other side of the answers we sought was the possibility of progress and peace.
Despite my predicament with Rhazien, I had entirely adopted his cause once I’d seen the Northern Hive for myself.
And despite my best efforts to keep my family out of harm’s way, fate was sucking them back in again.
Alba sighed beneath her gray robes.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. She was only trying to help. “There’s just so much pressure—”
“What if—” Alba interrupted me, gesturing to the mug in my hands. “What if I offered you something stronger?”
I cocked a brow. “What did you have in mind?”