“See that the horses are ready” was all Cassius said, not glancing back as he left the chapel.
Chapter Four
Thalia didn’t want to say goodbye.
Didn’t want to watch as Katrina silently cried. Didn’t want to look at Reina as she checked that her carriage was ready. She’d be taken by her soldiers to the border of the forest, and from there she’d enter into the Vampyr realm.
Vaccarium.
Thalia had never seen it but had heard the stories. How the land was fertile, the waters clear, their shorelines picturesque thanks to the ore within their mountain. Thalia assumed it was some sick joke from the gods that the creatures in the north got the better end of the stick while the humans below scraped by.
Then there was the forest itself, which had always been a barrier between their realms. Only the Vampyrs knew how to get through it. And before her family was all but killed, the few Vampyrs who traded with humans would guide them to and from. Back when commerce had flourished between their worlds, when the two species managed to coexist and could live side by side without fear of retaliation.
But that was before a Vampyr ripped out the throat of the king.
“Thank the gods I caught you before you left.”
Thalia turned, surprised to find Marcus before her. The head librarian panted, his brown skin flushed as though he’d run all the way from the library in the heart of the dying city. “You heard?”
Marcus nodded, his curls flying, trying to catch his breath. Gods, she hadn’t thought about leaving him behind, even though they’d been distant of late, both consumed by their own missions. “Everyone’s heard.”
Thalia swallowed, ignoring the fact that now, if she failed her mission, all of Agripa would realize she’d led to their downfall. “What’s this?” She nodded to the satchel in Marcus’s dark hand.
“Some books on the Vampyrs. It’s not a lot; I had to dig through the archives for them. But maybe it could help.” He handed her the bag. Thalia wondered if he knew or had guessed that she’d been given a new mission, one that would require far more knowledge than she’d been previously granted.
“Thank you,” Thalia got out.
Marcus nodded, his attention going over her shoulder. Thalia didn’t have to turn to see who drew his gaze.
Cassius was ensuring his own horse was ready, his fingers deft as they checked the buckles of its saddle.
Marcus made a face but didn’t comment. The three of them had been close before Cassius’s treachery. Before Cassius decided he wanted more. Before he betrayed his kingdom—betrayed them—to become a monster with power.
Marcus jerked his attention back and pulled Thalia into a tight embrace. “Don’t get eaten.”
She wanted to laugh, but it died in her throat.
Marcus released her just as Lord Damien stepped out from the shadows. “Princess, your new home awaits.”
Thalia slid her gaze to the Vampyr, ignoring the way he watched her. She looked to the palace, but her mother hadn’t appeared for her send-off. Only Kamith stood on the cracked steps, watching as the night deepened.
“It is a pity she wouldn’t see you off,” Lord Damien practically purred, following her gaze.
“She’s the queen; she has more important things to do.” Bitterness coated Thalia’s words before she could stop herself. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her so much. She’d never cared in the past when she’d gone to ensure Agripa was still standing. But perhaps it was this newset of circumstances placed before her Thalia wished the queen had at leastacknowledgedthe shithole she was about to enter.
“Perhaps, but one should always say goodbye to family, especially those they may not see again.”
Thalia stiffened, eyes narrowing. “Is that a threat, Lord Damien?”
The Vampyr cocked his head. “Hardly. Merely speaking from experience.”
“Oh?”
Lord Damien forced another smile. “My brother left one day, and I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. Now I never will.”
“What happened to him?”
Lord Damien’s eyes seemed to glow. “You killed him.”
