I hesitantly step through the doorway. It quickly becomes apparent why General Brandon sent me here again. Theo is sprawled on the couch, a half-empty bottle of whiskey by his side. His eyes slowly shift toward me, and I feel a wave of unease wash over me. I take in the room’s state. There are empty liquor bottles everywhere, and I can smell his blood. “Kaiya!” he greets. His arms open towards me. “Come and join me!” I glance at him. “King Theo, I–” “Ah, right! You don’t want to. You don’t want to have anything to do with me.” He chuckles and leans on the couch again. “Any reason you are.... h-here?” he slurs. He stands up, but instead of taking a step, he stumbles and hits his head on the table. I flinch. So, that’s why I can smell his blood. I move closer to him and support him to his bed. He reaches for my cheeks and peers into my eyes. I pause. “You aren’t here because you love me,” he whispers. “Or are you?” “I am here because General Brandon asked me to check on you.” “G
******* TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE AND RAPE ******** Theo and I travel through the corridors of the castle, our shoes clacking against the stone floors. Servants scurry past us with trays of food balanced in their hands. We approach the courtyard. And cross through the hall, before arriving at the garden where Inanna prepared her ritual. Inanna stands in the center of a large circle, illuminated by the bright full moon and a dozen flickering candles around her. There is the smell of salt and herbs. She is wearing a sheer chemise with a silver clasp. Her skin glows in the candlelight, and she is obviously wearing nothing else underneath. I shift my attention to Theo as Inanna approaches. He is appraising her, and I can’t help but nudge his side. “She looks lovely,” Theo whispers to me. “But I still chose you. You don’t have to worry about that.” When she’s close, her eyes flicker between Theo and me. “You will have to pardon me with my clothes,” she apologizes. “In fact, it is done
“Yes, I saw it,” I admit. “I know what happened to you–what the Blood God did to you.” She bites her lip to keep from crying out loud. I get up from the circle and hug her tightly as I hear her whimper from the pain of having her body ravished by a god. When her body relaxes against me, I pull back to look into her face again. She is afraid to speak, so she closes her eyes and buries her face into my shoulder. “So, this is how you saved me,” she whispers. “The day you saved all of us.” I swallow hard while her body shivers with emotions of regret and sadness. “I’m so sorry, Inanna. I didn’t know,” I whisper. “I could have helped you sooner. But I am not your savior. I am as weak as everyone else.” She pulls back to look at me with a quivering lips and tears in her eyes. “It’s supposed to happen in the future. I don’t blame you for that.” I cup her cheeks and look into her eyes. “The Blood God mentioned the reaping. Do you know about that?” She nods. “Yes, it means the Moon God
The Kingdom of Owusu looks like a stunningly beautiful opera, draped in rivers, forests, and nature. As I get closer to the main castle, I can smell the sweet aroma of orange groves and crisp, fresh air. Everywhere I gazed, I saw an expansive sea of green trees that seemed to stretch for miles and miles. Inanna and the other vampires join us as we move along. The dense woodlands provide a sense of security. The trees reach high in the sky and cast shade and shadows over the land. It might have been the reason Bryer chose this Kingdom to hide in–the cover it provides allows him to slip away without being noticed by unwelcome onlookers or listeners. “Well, this is massive,” Harbin whispers beside me. He insisted on coming, knowing the underground trove of books in Owusu. “You are still only seeing stones, Harbin,” I remark. He grins at me. I know he is excited about books alone. As the portcullis lifts, granting us entrance into the fortress, my tho
From sunrise to sunset, we investigate the woods and its surroundings for any signs of vampire activity. After that, we meet up in several spots to report what we find. We have also setup a few traps in strategic areas, just in case a vampire decides to make an appearance. It was late in the night and a tense silence fills the room when Inanna rises from her chair. Her voice is a gravelly whisper as she pulls her cloth blindfold that obscures her vision. "Bryer knows we are here," she hisses. “How did he find us?” Klevon asks. She turns around and looks at Klevon, who has an expression that shows that he doesn’t want to believe her. “How?” Klevon repeats her question with a hushed voice. “Are you sure?” She nods and grits her teeth before answering, “Yes, I am sure. Bryer finally felt us. He is getting more powerful.” “Shit.” Klevon grunts. “The search will become harder then.” “Is there no other way to find this va
We move out and shiver as we step out into the cold, early morning air. Only me and Klevon, though, since the three vampires seem to relish the chilly air. We follow Klevon to the library where they had the Magic Sensor. As Klevon warned, it took us four hours to reach our destination. Thankfully, the Owusu’s built it in a less chilly place. In fact, dewy grass is underneath our feet. Klevon leads us through a cobblestone path where some elm trees–which nature pruned into eerie shapes–flank us. Klevon is telling us how much he likes the place because he can be alone and can practice his swordsmanship any way he wants. As we come closer, the library comes into view. The said library, however, does not look like a library. It only has a small door that is only four feet in height. As Klevon opens it, the smell of old parchment and leather-bound books greets us. “Pardon the musty smell. I am the only one who likes this library,” Klevon says. Klevon stoops down and enters through th
I am stunned by what Gezer said. I can’t believe it to be true. And so my gaze flicks back and forth between the three vampires, trying to understand the implication of what he just said. “You are kidding, right?” I ask. On the other hand, I also think that his words are valid and sensible. “We are not. You can do it here. We’ll be outside.” “What the hell are you saying?!” I shift my attention to Klevon. “Hey! Tell them how absurd of an idea this is!” “Don’t worry, Kaiya,” he starts. “It’s fine with me. Just say the word, and I will do it. You don’t need to do anything extra for me. I will do all the needed work. You missed my fingers inside you, right?” he teases, winking at me. “Klevon! This is not the time to kid around!” “It’s the same as all the other kings. Theo has been doing it too despite knowing that it will hurt you,” he smirks. “Do it for duty.” I scowl at him. “Duty?!” His expression right now does not seem like he will do it for duty! Then he guffaws. I glare at
The wind howls until it seems to announce the presence of an unseen entity. I could hear it rustling through the bushes, stirring up a flurry of leaves that dance in the night air like frightened wraiths. Something is out there, watching us. I could feel its malignant gaze upon us—Vampires. Its hunger for our warm blood is palpable in the air. “Whew! Vampires really give me the chills,” Klevon comments as he grips tightly on his sword. I prepare my knife and coat it with my fire magic. Klevon is right. The presence of these vampires is sinister, much more than the original vampires with us. “They’ve drained dry a couple of humans already,” Inanna whispers. “That’s why their presence is like this. Feel the difference?” “I do,” I respond. Then there’s the sound of wings. The heavy flapping grows louder as the second passes. “That sounds like wings,” I remark this time. “I never saw you use your wings before.” “We have wings, but we don’t need them because our jumping ability can