*Lena*
Kiern ca to in the morning with four maids trailing behind her. Xander shot up in bed, watching with arched brows as I was whisked into the adjoining bathroom on the far side of the room. Kiern ntioned sothing about breakfast being served in the dining hall, motioning with her hand for Xander to leave.
I caught a glimpse of Xander’s face before the bathroom door was closed, his eyes wide with surprise.
What a way to wake up.
I was given a fragrant bath rich with dried petals and oils that soaked into my skin while Kiern rattled on and on about what needed to happen today. She was taking into the village of Brune to et with a Wise Woman, and apparently, there was a very specific way I needed to dress for the occasion.
Xander wasn’t in the room when I was ushered out of the bath and back into the bedroom. My hair was combed and dried, then pinned away from my face as I was dressed in a white gown that brushed against my ankles and sported puffy, cotton sleeves. It was an odd look, but I noticed Kiern was dressed the sa, only in dark colors. She was missing the glimring jewels she’d worn on her fingers and neck the night before, and her hair was twisted into a loose bun on the top of her head.
She looked normal, simple, and radiant.
But I felt like her doll as she fluffed the sleeves of my dress, fussing over with a motherly touch. A cloak was placed over my shoulders and clasped across my chest with a broach made of pure gold, a giant opal in the center.
“Don’t we need shoes?” I asked as I hustled behind her as we walked briskly down the corridor toward what must have been the main foyer of the palace. She looked at over her shoulder, giving a girlish grin.
“And not be able to feel the grass beneath our toes? I think not!”
Two guards opened the three-story high double doors leading out of the palace, and I was montarily blinded by the light that spread over us. I blinked into the artificial sunlight and gasped.
It was paradise.
I wouldn’t have known we were underground had I not been told as much. The sky, or the ceiling, was covered in what looked like crystals that reflected the rays that lit the entire kingdom up like the sun. Rolling hills of the softest grass I’d ever felt lay before , lush and thick. Huge trees I couldn’t na, their leaves a multitude of colors, fanned out in thickets, flanked by small houses carved out of pure marble and adorned in jewels.
Kiern was pleased by my shocked reaction. She grabbed my hand, squeezing as she led forward into the grass. We followed no trail, and I didn’t stop to look over my shoulder until we reached the crest of a hill.
Beyond lay the village I’d see from the window, but it was much larger than I’d expected. How they’d managed to create this massive space underground and house so many people, I didn’t know. I couldn’t even fathom it.
But what was behind took my breath away.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Kiern smiled as we gazed upon the palace.
It was made of pure crystal, and shown like a rainbow in the lights that danced around it. Crystal stairs led up to the palace, which had been built into the side of what I realized was just a large cavern that must have extended for miles and miles.
“I hope you’re hungry. Narcissa won’t let us leave her ho unless we eat sothing,” she grinned as we turned our heads back to the village and began to walk down the hill into town.
The villagers stopped to bow to Kiern as we passed, casting suspicious eyes on , but overall were friendly and welcoming. The village was busy and loud, with several markets going on within the great space at one ti.
What surprised the most were the children who ran through the street, their voices lifted in gaiety.
“There’s not many of them,” Kiern said with a hint of lancholy in her voice, tilting her head toward a great marble fountain in the center of the market square where four children were sitting and playing with toys. “Children are precious to us, a rare blessing.”
I had the sudden urge to tell her the truth and reveal what I knew about King Nikolas–and what he wanted to do to , but I bit my tongue and followed her through the market square, passing street after street until we reached the very edge of her kingdom.
Trees cut the village off from the far edge of the crystal cave. We walked into what looked like a small forest, and in a mont we were standing on the edge of a cliff. I looked up at the crystals that covered the ceiling, my gaze lowering to the spot where the crystal faded into black granite, and disappeared altogether into all-encompassing darkness.
There was a bridge before us, hanging over a drop-off. I could hear water roaring far, far below us, and could only imagine just how far down the water was. My skin prickled with unease as I followed Kiern onto the bridge, walking slowly and cautiously until we reached the other side with nothing but lanterns to light our way.
I’d been putting blind trust in Kiern since the mont I’d opened my eyes in this strange place. I prayed to whoever was listening that I was right about her and her people–and that I wasn’t being led into a trap.
The cave ca to an abrupt end, funneling to a stop as the ceiling above us beca shallow. I could reach up and run my fingertips over the damp rock above our heads as we closed in on what looked like a house built into the rock, much like the palace had been built into the unending crystals.
Before we reached the front door, Kiern turned to , her hands on my shoulders.
“I need you to know that you are safe. No one in this kingdom is going to harm you, Lena.”
“Oh, I–okay–”
“And,” she continued, her expression turning serious, “you cannot speak a word about what is said here, or what you’ve seen.”
I swallowed back the anxiety tightening my throat as she turned toward the door.
“I wasn’t totally truthful when I said King Nikolas was the only High Vampire left,” she said, lifting her hand to knock.
Every downy hair on my body stood on end as footsteps sounded behind the door. It swung open, showering us in faint amber light.
“Narcissa,” Queen Kiern said as she curtsied.
I looked up into the eyes of the woman standing in the doorway, and found it impossible to move, or breathe.
***
“So, you’ve brought the Moon Goddess,” Narcissa said as she removed the kettle from its hook over the hearth.
She was the tallest woman I’d ever laid eyes on, her long silver hair brushing against her knees in soft waves as she moved around the spacious, one-room ho tucked at the very edge of the underground Kingdom of Brune. I realized why she lived here instead of the village instantly as I gazed upon her nearly translucent skin. It sparkled in the firelight, a pale silver in color as she poured four cups of tea.
I wasn’t sure who the fourth cup was for, but I didn’t ask. Her presence alone was enough for to want to cower and run. Even the power within trembled with fear.
She was a High Vampire–ageless, but ancient. She’d lived during the ti that Leto, Morrighan, and Lycaon ruled the pack lands.
And she had welcod into her ho, pouring my tea and filling a plate with pastries and cookies for to enjoy.
I took a ginger bite of one of the cookies, unable to stop my hand from shaking. Narcissa’s eyes were a deep violet flaked with crimson red around the irises. She was watching intently, her mouth curving into what I hoped was a friendly smile as I chewed and swallowed the bite.
There was a crash outside the door leading into the house, and soone cursed as they stepped inside the house. A young woman dressed in a black cloak gathered a basket into her arms and bent to pick up what looked like bundles of herbs that had spilled onto the floor when she’d entered the house.
She looked up at us, surprised, then narrowed her eyes at Narcissa.
“Oh, don’t be so sour, Starla,” Narcissa said with a wink before turning her gaze back to .
Starla hurried into a small kitchen area tucked in the corner of the room and began to noisily empty the content of her basket on the counter.
“I poured you so tea, darling,” Narcissa chirped.
“I’m not thirsty.”
“Suit yourself. I will drink it,” Narcissa rolled her eyes and folded her hands around her tea cup. “So, I see that you’re terrified of , young Goddess.”
I blanched, tucking my hands in my lap as Narcissa studied my face. Kiern seed unbothered as she casually sipped her tea.
“Most people are, but that is fine. I’m used to it. Kiern told you’re in need of assistance with so grand plan you have to kill my brother, is that true?”
Brother?
“Nikolas, of course,” she winked, just as Starla placed a bowl of blood dusted with fresh herbs on the table in front of her.
I felt the sudden urge to vomit as I paled, clutching my stomach. How had she known? I’d never spoken that plan out loud to anyone, including myself. Narcissa was reading my mind, and it was likely Kiern had the ability to do that as well.
Narcissa shrugged, looking over at Kiern, who gave her a gentle smile.
“I told you, you are safe here, Lena,” Kiern urged, nudging with her elbow. “Now is the ti to ask any questions you have about this realm. You need to know what you’re up against.”
My eyes traveled to Narcissa, who was waiting patiently for to say sothing, anything. She was beautiful, but in a strange, deadly way that erased whatever kindness she laced her words with. This woman... this thing–she was death itself.
“Why can’t you kill him?” I asked.
“Because we share a maker, the God of Night. If I were to kill him, I’d carry around a piece of his soul inside of . He killed our siblings; our brothers and sisters. Now their souls carry out their revenge by having the opportunity to tornt him forever.”
I opened my mouth to respond but found I had no words to convey the questions dancing through my mind.
“We were supposed to be shepherds of the people our father created, not the masters. I chose to live here, with them, rather than rule over the realm alongside my siblings and aid in their tyrannical bloodbaths and slavery.”
“Do you know what he wants for?” I stamred, my chest tightening around the words. Narcissa sighed deeply, shaking her head as she glanced at Kiern, who nodded her permission to continue.
I found this gesture odd. I would have assud Narcissa had authority over Kiern, and even Costas, but she was taphorically bending the knee to her.
“He thinks he can get a child out of you, an heir, but this is based on falsehoods. It’s based on sothing our father said to us long ago, when the realm was born and we were young.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he was the true father of the twins Morrighan and Lycaon, and given the fact we had been created in our father’s image, Nikolas believed he was able to father children if the female harbored the blood of the White Queen, or the Dark King in the realm of the wolves. But, he’s wrong. He’s possessed by this theory. He beca especially frantic when the witches proclaid a great prophecy had been fulfilled, and the Moon Goddess would be born again and be coming ho... you, my dear.”
“Coming ho? Here?”
“Oh, no. Not here. This is hell, child. I’m speaking of the realm of the gods.”
“What do I need to do in order to kill him?” I said, feeling a little lightheaded as I reached for a pastry. She smiled as I popped the entire thing into my mouth.
“Slowly, painfully... that’s how I would do it. I’d make him pay for all of his wrongs. But all you really need is a little light,” she said.
Behind her, Starla was rummaging through a cabinet along the far wall. Starla walked toward us and dropped a velvet bag into Narcissa’s waiting palm. She handed the bag to , smiling as I opened it and dumped the contents into my hands–a twig, a dried flower, and a golden gem the size of my thumb.
“You must go now. They are waiting for you,” said Narcissa.
“Who?” I asked, but Kiern had risen and was already walking toward the door, Starla following close behind.
Narcissa reached out before I could rise to my feet, wrapping an ice cold hand around mine.
“Everything you ever questioned will be answered in ti,” she whispered, giving a genuine smile.
“I don’t know what you an–”
“Morrighan would have been so proud,” she continued, squeezing my hand before she let go.
“You knew her?”
But the feeling of her hand around mine evaporated, and in an instant she was gone, disappearing completely. I flinched as I turned around, eting Starla’s gaze.
“It’s a sunstone. Rember that you have it,” she said sharply as she motioned for to leave. Kiern was waiting for in front of the bridge leading back to the village. I looked back at the little house once more before I faced Kiern.
“It’s ti for you to go now,” she said with reluctance, and maybe even regret. “Does Xander know what you plan to do?”
“No,” I replied, my heart squeezing as I t her eye.
“We’ll keep him safe,” she said, and we returned to the village.
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