“I am not mad! You don’t know madness!”
The back of his hand came up and hit me so hard that I tripped sideways. My footing slipped, and I tumbled down the stairs, head over heels, slamming my back, my head, my shoulder, my knees, and—
Someone grabbed me before my head hit again.
The full fury of the insane king drove him into a rage, and he leapt down the stairs and sliced off the head of my rescuer.
The red hair bounced away as the body relaxed, and crumpled behind me.
I stared up at the furious eyes that flashed cold blue through the shocking red glow.
Breathing hard, Savion stood over me with the sword raised. He panted a few times, then threw the sword on the stairs and whirled away from me.
“Clean that shit up!” he roared and growled, punching two of the guards in the face as he passed them, crashing through the doors back into the rest of the stronghold.
He was beyond mad.
“Mistress?” Aiko was suddenly next to me on the stairs. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head, still unable to find my voice.
He offered a hand to me and helped me to my feet. Two of the other guards ran over to grab the dead guard and haul him to the fountain.
Aiko put an arm around me. “Come on, I’ll have the maid draw a—“
I put my hand on his arm. “No.” I walked to the edge of the stairs. “I want to see this.”
“You shouldn’t…”
Turning to him, I stared directly into his dark black eyes. “I need to see this, Lord Aiko. I need to witness the full madness of this so-called king.”
He bowed his head in agreement.
The guards had hauled the body to the edge of the pool, up onto the ledge and wrapped something around his feet. One of the others flipped a series of buttons on the opposite wall. I saw the dunking well drop a few inches, and then fill again as the main fountain slowed.
And then, they lifted the body to hang upside down and headless over the top of the fountain. All the fresh blood in the body rushed down and out and into the pooling dish at the top.
“He will stay there for a day so every last drop will be depleted,” Aiko said. “And to warn people that Savion will take your head and drink you dry if you cross him.” He pointed to the silver tray at the front of the fountain where the guard’s head now rested. “Tomorrow noon, that will go to the vultures.”
I waited another moment before turning away. “My rooms, please, Lord Knight.”
He took my elbow and led me away, promising me a bath and a quiet meal.
I doubted anything would ever help me recover from the sadistic nature of the Vampire King of S’Kir.
ISPENT THE NEXT DAYGOING THROUGHthe stacks and stacks of books. Thousands of years. The vampire’s written language was a little different from ours, but not so much it stopped me from reading.
I read histories and victories, dramas and terrible poetry. Maps and decrees, lineages and declarations. On and on, as much as I could.
It was as much of a distraction as it was genuine curiosity.
Savion had ordered the guards to march me through the front hall where the guard still hung, his dead eyes staring up at the stained glass.
I wanted thiskingdead.
Even though I only flipped through a few of the books, I held on to the ones I wanted to read more of, and I stacked them on a table in a far corner, near a window.
I froze at the window. I could hear a sound, quiet at first, then louder and louder. It clarified itself a moment later into the sound of a woman screaming.
