‘You must listen to your mother. She is Raven, after all.’ My father’s expression is stern, but there’s a tinge of sadness to his golden eyes. I get it. My mother’s decree is now common knowledge, the attack on the seat of Raven fuelling news and gossip throughout the realm.
‘I’m not saying there doesn’t need to be a response from us. But isn’t there another punishment we can use? One that isn’t so… er… wasteful?’
‘Mistral will ensure only rebels are selected. You don’t need to worry. We don’t need stock like that, anyway.’
‘They’re notstock. They’re humans. Like me.’
And there it is. The thing that’s been bothering me. For the first time in my life, I’m realising what it truly means to be human, in this world that my family has created. I might be Raven, daughter of vampires, heir to half the planet, but no matter how much I’m paraded at Gatherings, festooned with jewels, or dance with princes at private parties,I’m human.Just like the people who are farmed into Safe Zones, who live in cages so others can feed. Who will be sacrificed, whether or not they committed any crime.
My parents are both staring at me. Oh for fuck’s sake. Did they not realise?
I turn and walk out. My mother calls my name, but I keep walking.
Two guards fall into step behind me. I wish I could shove them through the wall. There’s an ache in my chest, my breathing uneven, the guards keeping their distance from my excess of emotion. The rebellion has broken into my mind as surely as it broke into our house, the explosion in the ballroom starting a chain reaction in me. Time is running out, though, taking with it any chance I might have to stop the Moon Harvest. My impotence infuriates me – trapped on the estate, with few resources. A cage indeed, no matter how golden.
But I’m notentirelywithout resources.
When I reach my room, Bertrand is there. I stop when I see him. ‘Bertrand.’ My voice cracks. ‘Is Kyle back yet?’
Bertrand nods to the guards following me. They both salute and leave, whooshing down the hallway.
Bertrand tilts his head, a faint smile on his face. ‘He is, my lady. He’ll be feeding now, then on shift later. You’ll see him when you wake, I believe.’
‘When I wake?’ My heart is beating faster and I hate its traitorous dance.
‘Yes, my lady. It’s near dawn, so I suppose you’ll be sleeping soon. Unless you need to feed, of course.’
‘Er, no, I don’t.’ I’d eaten earlier, a lonely meal in the kitchen downstairs, the lights on bright in an attempt to dispel my gloom.
‘Well then. I’ll be here until shift change, if you need anything further.’
‘Thank you.’ I stand there for a moment, but can’t articulate what I need and don’t think it’s Bertrand I need to tell, anyway. I slip into my room, closing the door. I sit at my dressing table, pulling my laptop towards me. I’m too wound up to sleep, even though I know it’s close to dawn. I open the laptop, typing three words into the search engine.
The North Wind.
A list of websites pops up. I’ve already been through most of them, mainly vampire-run news sites talking about the rebellion. It seems to be confined to the UK, for the time being. I scroll through the listings. An attack on a vampire nightclub in Watford. A riot in Oxford. Damage to Raven holdings in Edinburgh. And, of course, the attack on Father. The list goes on.
I’m desperate to know more about what’s driving them. Oh, I have an idea, of course I do. But to be forced to a point where rebellion is their only option? Fighting vampires leads to only one thing, when you’re human. Death.
I know. I’m still going to give away the whole Raven thing, the privilege, the darkness, the guards that constantly surround me, in exchange for a human life, lived in sunlight. But people can’t just come into my house and try to blow up my family.
Again there’s that feeling of holding two opposing truths. Part of me is angry, angry at the threat to my family. While the other part of me understands, more and more, that being human is a death sentence in my world. My family name protects me, but that’s all. Without that, I’d probably be long dead. It’s an uncomfortable feeling, as though the walls of the house and all that protected me are gone, leaving me to navigate an unfamiliar space. My endless glittering nights feel like a dream. I’m awake now. I need to understand what I’m leaving to, what it’s going to be like where I’m going. Perhaps I can still make a difference, somehow.
I scroll through the North Wind results again, but there’s nothing new. Just more videos of vampires reading the news, images of fire and smoke drifting through the night. Sighing, I sit back, rubbing my eyes. I’d hoped to find something more, some way I could understand what was happening, or even contact them. I might not be able to stop the Moon Harvest, but perhaps there’s a way to avoid further violence. I rest my head on my hand and go over the events of the ball again, in case I’ve missed anything. My gaze goes to the garden, dark trees swaying in the November breeze, a faint pale glow in the sky harbinger of dawn.
It comes to me then.
Oh my god and darkness.
It’s anursery rhyme.
That’s what the blood dancer had said, on the night of the party. Ahumannursery rhyme. Very smart, when I think about it. Vampire children have their own rhymes. And, when my parents control everything, when our agents are no doubt scouring the internet for any clue that might lead them to the rebels, what better way to hide than behind something so innocuous?
I pull up the search engine bar and type again.Popular Nursery Rhymes.
Another list of results appears. I scroll through them, clicking occasionally when something looks promising, but most of the links are broken, or contain a few rhymes. Maybe I’m wrong.
I keep scrolling.
