Chapter 19 #3
Until that moment, I was under the impression I was the only human inside the entirety of the Heart. Yet, here before me, I was presented with three more.
“Who are you? Are you being kept as prisoners?” I said worriedly, as if my displeasure could free them somehow.
The tall one in the back of the room let out a small snort, leading me to relax somewhat. Surely, they weren’t under duress if one of them had the audacity to find humor in my line of inquiry.
“This is Tyber,” Vastion said, smiling.
“Master Tyber,” the old man corrected him. He then made a small bow toward me, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, My Queen.”
The youngest male rushed to Tyber’s side and dipped into an even lower bow before introducing himself. “I’m Novice Cade! I’m so pleased to meet you; you’re just as pretty as His Majesty said.”
Tyber kicked the boy’s foot for the indiscretion, and his cheeks immediately blushed with embarrassment.
“My apologies,” he added abruptly, dipping his head once more in respect.
I stared at the color warming his cheeks and felt my lashes prickle.
Gods, how long had it been since I got to see pure human emotion?
The tell-tale signs of real humanity sitting beneath the flesh.
All these days surrounded by Vampyr, I hadn’t realized how numb I’d become to their stoic, often frozen facial expressions.
Beautiful, regal maybe, yes…but Cade’s expression was like sunlight on a field of flowers grasping for the last signs of summer.
The last of the trio finally moved to address me. His tall, lanky frame even towered slightly over Vastion.
“I am Apprentice Atticus,” he said as I held out my hand, partially from habit, expecting him to peck my knuckles.
But as I reached, the sight of his arm stopped me.
It was malformed, not from the trauma of an injury, but shaped that way from birth.
I had seen such a thing only once or twice before, when mothers brought their newborns to my father for inspection.
Fearful they had done something wrong to cause their baby’s state, he would remind them there was nothing to be concerned about and that their child’s uniqueness was not to be treated like some malady.
I averted my gaze, hoping he did not take offense.
I lifted my other hand to his opposite arm, and he took it gently.
Instead of dipping low to place a kiss atop it, he leaned his head down and bent slightly into another bow to show his respect.
Cade chirped, looking up at me, “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, for not kissing your hand.”
Tyber rolled his eyes. “Heavens, boy, do not touch her with those filthy hands,” he chided.
Their interaction amused me, and I saw his excitement fade quickly to disappointment.
“Would you like to?” I asked sweetly.
The boy looked toward Tyber who turned his chin in annoyance, and then he rotated to look up at Atticus, asking for permission.
“Well, don’t make it weird, go ahead,” his giant of a friend responded, encouraging the interaction.
Cade’s cheeks bloomed again, and I raised my hand to him. Realizing his were in fact quite dirty, he tucked them behind his back, bent over and placed a sweet boyish peck atop it before rising to a stand.
“Cade, quit flirting with my wife,” Vastion teased, his tone just stern enough to make the youth question if he had crossed a line.
Tyber was a man bordering on feeble, given his hunched back and waddling stride, but his mind remained sharp.
This contrasted greatly to Atticus, who appeared strong and virile, maybe ten years my senior.
But Cade was just a boy, perhaps barely twelve.
I could not be for certain of his age, but his voice still carried the pitch of youth.
The presence of three human males after all this time surrounded by Vampyr had me feeling a true sense of calm.
But, as Cade and Atticus returned to their duties handling the mess on the floor, I was immediately jarred back to the scene that had unfolded only moments ago.
“What are you doing down here with a Rabid?”
“If we tell, we’d have to kill you!” Tyber said. But his wicked smile, followed by a wheezing laugh, indicated he just enjoyed seeing me squirm. Judging from Vastion’s expression, he too was absolutely tickled by Master Tyber’s empty threat.
“Don’t let the old man scare you,” Vastion chuckled. “He won’t admit it, but he’s just happy to see a new face. These three are sick of me.”
“Who else knows you keep humans here?”
“Orin, Mina, and Lailanor.”
I was shocked he answered without evasion, not even for a moment. Hints of honesty from our earlier conversation were beginning to rouse my otherwise secretive husband.
“Are they safe?” I meant in more ways than one. Were they safe from whatever number of Rabids they were exposed to? Were they safe from any random bystanding Vampyr that might find them? These were my people. Humans. And I was instinctively protective of them.
“They are safe. Their work is dangerous, but necessary,” Vastion said, as if that quelled my worry.
“What work?” I demanded, trying to make sense of everything I’d just witnessed.