“And you wouldn’t switch sides to Niniane? To hold your power?” someone else asked.
“We don’t have time for this,” Belshazzar said. “He doesn’t have any interest in serving Niniane. He’s an ally. Can we please get some information on where Queen Gwynnore is, and we’ll be out of your hair?”
The military man and the woman looked at each other, and the man sighed. “We aren’t sure. It’s been strongly rumored that she is in the Barren Mountains. But the people in Elkthorne would know better.” A nasty little smile slipped over his face. “And I’m sure that they will be ever so excited to see you, Lord Knight Aiko Elkthorne.”
I stared at Aiko, who swallowed and looked quite terrified and conflicted at the same time.
Chapter Sixteen
GWYNNORE
I think I swallowed my tongue. Igroanedin pain, patting at my pink tongue to make sure it was still there. My mouth might as well have been stuffed with cotton balls it was so dry. I mumbled in delirium, “I think they are trying to kill me.”
How long had it been?
I only had the burning cramp in my stomach to go by. It had to be a week so far. Barely any food, crumbs of bread, maybe a slice a day. Clean water was poured into the tiny crevices from above, enough to lap it up from the floor or the stone as it poured down.
But no blood given.
I would truly go mad soon.
If Bel waited much longer to find me, I would need to put myself into Rest. It would be the only safe option to save my sanity—vampires without blood went crazy.Truly fucking crazy.I didn’t want that for my own life, even if it did feel so damn small right now.
I hunched over on my side, holding my aching stomach and gazed at the gems—my only companions here. “Why hasn’t Bel found me yet? How fucking big can S’Kir be? I saw it from the damned boat. It’s an island. I couldn’t have gone too far, you know?”
The minerals hummed a soothing glow.
They had been doing that a lot lately.
I knocked my head softly against the stone floor, trying to focus my faint thoughts. I would pass out again soon, that much was clear. I blinked blurry eyes at the many beautiful colors, and I mumbled, “I’d like to talk to my father, too, before I die. We have a lot we need to discuss, and I didn’t have time before leaving. Ineedto tell him. Heneedsto know I don’t hate him anymore…” I sighed and closed my eyes, my gaze burning with unshed tears. “Fucking hell. I’ll die, and he won’t know. That’s what unsaid words get you.”
More soothing glows all around.
“Maybe I should pray.” My shoulders shivered on the cold, damp ground. “I’ve never done that before. The humans think it helps, for some finagled reason. I’ll try anything right now. Please, Jesus, if you are there… I need blood.Please.Just give me one throat to rip open, and I will be so grateful.”
The gems blinkedreallyslow.
“Shut up. It’s what I need.”
The boulder behind me started to creak.
I turned as fast as my weak body could, staring with wide eyes from the ground. The boulder was moving—finally. I muttered in shock, “Sweet baby Jesus, thank you.”
All the gems went mute. Their colorsgone.
Were…they hiding? Fuck if I knew.
I sucked in a sharp breath as a dart pierced my neck in the darkness. “Goddamn. Filthy sonsabitches! I can’t even move as it is!”
Maybe they’d heard my prayer. Dammit!
My two kidnappers strolled into the room, looking clean and refreshed.Well-fed on blood.Everything that I was not right now, a jaunty hop to their steps—in fine damn moods.
From my back, I bared my fangs. “You two are assholes.” I couldn’t move again, the Vampire’s Draught having affected my system much faster than before—because I wasn’t healthy right now, I was sure. I couldn’t even twitch a finger. I wasn’t positive my mouth was truly moving or not, my words difficult to decipher even to my own ears. “Let me guess. You’ve come to beat me up when I can’t move. My, how courageous of you.”
I was going to kick Bel’s ass for ever inventing this damned crap. It was quite bothersome when you’re loaded with Vampire’s Draught and trying to be fierce. The effects weren’t exactly what one wanted.
As evidenced by me lying on the floor.
