Reggie made the mistake of arriving alone. The Queen's guards were at his back, his insane sister in front of him. "Darling, Sophia. How's the evening progressing for you? Out for a bit of fresh air?" he asked smiling. The wind blew harshly, blowing his coat open.
Sophia stood before him in her flimsy red dress, the skirt blowing in the wind like a bloody streamer. Her lips pulled back into a smile, revealing her pointed teeth, "Nice to see you, brother. Have you brought me more gifts? Or perhaps returned the one that was stolen from me?" Sophia looked past him, but only saw her guards. When she looked back at her brother, she lifted a delicate brow to indicate she was waiting for a reply - and it better not suck.
Reggie clasped his hands behind his back and smiled widely. "You know, the strangest thing happened. When I left yesterday, I managed to get lost in the storm. Thomas drove us into the wasteland where I came across a young man and a red-headed girl."
Sophia stepped toward him, half excited, half angry. "Where are they? You found both of them?"
Reggie, beamed, nodding, not exactly sure how to play his hand since his salvation ran off and didn't come back. Damn that girl. "I did. They're here now. I set them loose once we were on the grounds. Will was bringing her back to you, when they disappeared. I heard there was some question of loyalty last night, and I wanted to present them to you myself, but I'm not a fool."
She folded her small arms over her chest, "Apparently you are, dear brother, because I've yet to see young William or the girl."
"Yes," he said nervously, but still smiling. "But a gift given is still a gift, sister. They are here. Your guards know it. They've seen them."
Sophia snapped her fingers impatiently, her red nails flashing in the moonlight. The guards that escorted Reggie in fell in front of Sophia, bowing lowly. "Did you see the girl? Or Will?"
The guards rose. "Yes, Your Majesty. They were both in the truck when your brother arrived. The girl fell out the door, and the boy ran after her. We sent a pair of guards after them."
"So," Sophia said, speaking like they were toddlers incapable of understanding her, "where are they?"
The guard's looked at each other for a split second, and then lowered their gazes to the ground. "On the grounds, My Queen." One of them said at last. "We had to stay with Regent Reginald. They were charged with capturing the girl and bringing her back."
The Queen listened, tapping her ruby red nails together, which made an annoying clicking sound. A gust of wind howled and she stopped. It yanked her dark hair hard, pulling the curls loose. Sophia felt her hairstyle unraveling, but she didn't move. She didn't touch. Staring at the two guards, she hissed, "Find them. Now."
The two guards turned to scurry off, but stopped in their tracks. The front door to the palace was thrown open and light cut across the dark snow, cutting a wedge of light on the sparkling lawn. Sophia's lips parted, before curling at the corners. "How sweet. My husband has returned."
"I don't think he's bringing you presents, sister," Reggie said after stopping next to Sophia, and leaning to her ear. "He tried to drain her, you know. Bit her neck, and nearly lopped Kahli's head off. Somehow I doubt it was because he was bottling her blood for you..." Reggie trailed off as he saw the massive vampire appear in the threshold and follow the King onto the lawn.
Sophia remained relaxed. Her dark hair blew in the frigid wind as she watched her husband walk confidently toward her. The King stopped a few paces from his wife. "Sophia," he said once, but didn't incline his head as was the custom. Slipping his hands into his pockets, the King stood there, looking dashing as tiny flakes of snow whipped around him.
"Jared," Sophia replied, using his name, rather than title, to show she was through with him. In all the years they were together, she tolerated much, but this was the last straw. Sophia sauntered to him, swaying her slender hips as she went. "It's been drawn to my attention that you tried to drain my prized possession."
The King laughed like it was funny, "Prized possession? I hardly think she was your prized possession. That would be your mirror, but things have changed, haven't they Sophia?" He smiled with his lips closed, intending to appear smug. Celticad's shadow stretched out across the ground behind him. Everyone was in place, except the girl. Where was she?
Sophia's lips curled back into a vicious smile, revealing her pointed fangs. She licked them with her tongue, a slow stroke, the way she did when she was younger, when they met. "They certainly have."
The King's eyebrows lifted as his lips pulled into a small smile, still careful not to reveal his fangs, "Well, this makes things more interesting, does it not?" He looked at Reggie who had drawn back when the King strode across the lawn. The vampire was standing in a patch of moonlight that doused his dark hair, forming a halo. Jared laughed. "The old ways are returning, and with the old ways, old times, eh, Reggie?"
Reggie inclined his head, his full lips twisting into a smirk, "So it would seem."
Sophia's eyes darted between the two and for the first time in a century, she wasn't certain she knew everything. They were referring to something, something from their past. But their lives didn't intersect. They never had. Sophia's gaze narrowed, "Enough of this. If you are here to take what is mine, do not dishonor me with such idle chatter. Jared, the butcher's child, son of a peasant - I gave you this life and I can end it."
The King remained calm, "Then you better do so, my dear, because I've had enough of you to last a lifetime or two."
The Queen sprang on him, moving faster than the eye could see. The King shouldn't have seen it, he shouldn't have had time to react, but he did. Stepping to the side, the Queen flew by, comically streaking through the air like a kite. Landing hard on her feet, Sophia screamed and rounded on Jared. "You drank her blood," she accused.
The King shrugged, "It was there and I had nothing better to do, since you removed all my previous pastimes."
"Human relationships are off limits," she hissed, baring her fangs.
"I never kept them around long enough to have a relationship, my dear. In the olden days, I simply used them to my liking and drained them. But since you made that silly law, I was forced to sneak around behind your back." Sophia's black eyes narrowed to slits, her body tensing, but she didn't attack. The King continued, goading her and enjoying it immensely, "It made it fun at first, but now it's just a hassle. So, ask me, Darling..."
"Ask you what?"
"How many girls I've had since that law, you know, the ones that were forbidden - the girls from your private collection." He stepped toward her, his finger resting at the base of her throat. Looking into Sophia's eyes he said, "All but one, my Queen, and make no mistake - I will have her, too." The King's lips pulled back into a sinister smile, revealing his fangs.
Sophia saw them and froze. While her fangs were still forming, barely even points, Jared's were fully formed, coming to sharpened points. His finger was on her throat, trailing a line down her neck to Sophia's collarbone. He was close enough to kill her and strong enough to do it. Sophia went rigid, knowing she would lose. She didn't know how it was possible, but he'd had more blood than her. That was the only reason his fangs were fully formed, and if his fangs had returned, so had his other powers. "If you came to execute me, do it. I'm not your toy to bat around."
"Actually," he whispered in her ear, "you are." Pulling back, he dropped his finger and winked at her. Sophia hissed at him, but did not strike. The King grinned. "Fangs, Sophia - your transformation to the old ways is so near completion, but not quite." Sophia remained rigid, her shoulders squared off, watching her husband pace around her. "I'd planned on just slitting your throat and dropping a match, but what fun is that?" Snapping his fingers, Celticad walked up behind him and held out a glittering chain. The King tilted his head toward Sophia, "Wrap her up."
Celticad stepped toward Sophia. She shrunk back as the giant vampire came toward her. She noticed his smooth skin, the lack of translucence. While she could fight him and win, she could not defeat her husband. It was a fact, and yet, if she didn't do something, she would die. Sophia acted. Launching herself forward, she attacked Celticad. Her tiny body, slammed into the vampire hard. The force of the hit made Celticad stagger back a step and blink. When he looked down, he saw where the Queen stabbed him in the side with a dagger. Looking irritated, the vampire reached down and pulled it out. The blade came away stained with red blood. Sophia's eyes widened as she looked at the dagger. Without a word, she attacked again, screaming for her guards to do the same, but they stood there, blinking in shock.
"Enough," the King bellowed. He moved faster, hit harder, and had the Queen pinned to the ground at her brother's feet. Jared rested his hand on her face and the other at the base of her neck, exposing her throat. Without a word, he lunged at her, sinking his fangs into her neck. Sophia screamed out, clawing at him, trying to wrench herself free. But as the King drank, she grew weak. The burning at her neck faded, and soon she felt numb. Pulling away, the King, grinned down at her, his lips covered with her blood. "Just like old times, my dear. Ending it like old times will be much more fitting, don't you agree?"
"What do you mean?" she barely had the strength to ask. He'd drained all her power and she couldn't make her body move. She couldn't even bring herself to sit up. She needed blood.
Snapping his fingers, Jared pointed at his prone wife. Celticad brought the chains forward and wrapped them around her body, pinning her arms to her sides. The metal hissed on contact and Sophia cried out, "With the return of the old powers also comes the old ailments - silver, sunlight." He paused seeing the shock in her eyes, "Oh, you poor thing. You didn't know. To tell you the truth, neither did I, until that precious pet of yours stabbed me with a silver comb." He grinned as Sophia laid at his feet, squirming, her skin smoking from the silver. Looking up at Reggie, he asked, "The box? Or sunlight?"
"Why not both?" Reggie grinned.
Sophia's gaze cut to Reggie, "You planned this with him."
"I told you I'd kill you given the chance. The King was kind enough to offer me that chance. Good-bye darling sister." Reggie laughed and turned back to his truck, gesturing for the guards to fetch the items from the bed. "I brought a lovely box."
The guard's hauled a wooden box from the truck and lowered it next to Sophia. She stiffened when she saw it. "Remember this, sister? Remember teaching me how to hunt by locking me in this wooden coffin for months on end? It left me so starved, that by the time you let me out, I'd do anything to get blood."
Sophia swallowed hard, her eyes wide. Her jaw locked as if she was steeling herself to her fate. "A few decades trapped inside sounds perfect." The King practically purred. Stepping over the Queen, he lifted her like it was their wedding night, his eyes filled with emotion. The silver chains burned into his arms, but he didn't care. This was worth it. Reggie opened the lid and Jared lowered his bride inside. Sophia screamed as he did it, thrashing in her chains, making her skin hiss as more of it was burned away. She stilled for a second when her back hit the wood. Leaning over her, Jared kissed his wife on the forehead, and said, "Next time you see my face, you'll die, but you'll be so deranged by starvation by then, that you won't remember. Sweet dreams, my love." He stepped away, and Reggie lowered the lid. Celticad wrapped the coffin in a thick set of chains and the three vampires looked down at the box with the Queen screaming inside.
"Where do you want her?" Celticad asked.
"The tunnel under the palace," the King ordered. He stared at the coffin, saying, "I want to be able to visit her once in a while, make her remember who she was and how she came to be in that box. Parade her through the palace, first. Tell them that their Queen is no more." Celticad nodded once, like it was a normal request. Ordering two other vampires to lift the box with him, Celticad and the others started walking back to the palace with the Queen's coffin lifted high on their shoulders. Her scream pierced the night and faded, carried away by the wind as they brought her inside.
With a grin on his face, the King turned slowly, sensing her. "Come out, my dear, and see how forgiving I can be."
Kahli stepped from the shadows behind Reggie's truck. The others were surprised to see her, but not the King. "Vampires don't forgive," Kahli breathed, her green eyes narrow, pulse pounding in her ears. The way the King looked at Kahli made too many emotions slither through her body. Part of her wanted to go to him, to let him have her, while the part of her brain that slayed his Trackers wanted to feel his blood running between her fingers.
The King's lips pulled into a devastating smile, "No, we don't." He stared at her, neither commanding her to come or moving toward Kahli. The wind whipped his dark hair and blew through the buttons on the front of his shirt, filling it with air. He looked like a god, standing in front of her, dripping with power. After a moment, his smile shifted to a self-satisfied smirk. His eyes cut the side as he said, "Isn't that right, William?"
Will stepped through the crowd of vampires gathered behind the King. They parted for him, as Will walked slowly forward, his eyes fixated on Kahli. His suit was streaked with red and black blood like he'd been fighting. Kahli's heart twisted so hard she thought it broke. In that moment, it felt like time stopped. This couldn't be what it looked like. The King didn't own Will, he'd told her as much, but that meant that Will was there by choice.
A bright red stain ran down the back of Will's head. It was from the spot where Kahli hit him with the flashlight. The blood was still fresh, dripping down his neck, forming long streaks of scarlet across his white suit. Will watched her, his bottomless blue eyes locked on hers. "It is. We're a vengeful lot. Vindictive to a fault, fixated on getting what we want - at any cost." Will stood between Reggie and the King, his arms folded, his eyes hard. He stared at her with disgust in his eyes.
"Will," Kahli breathed his name like he was a ghost. For a moment she thought they caught him, that Will stood there like that because he was forced to, but that wasn't the case. The three were standing together, shoulder to shoulder, like allies. Her throat tightened so quickly that she couldn't speak. Bile rose up her throat, pooling in her mouth. All that time together in the cave, all those things he told her - the stolen kisses - everything was a lie. It was to lure her in, to make Kahli trust him. A sensation so bitter, so sour filled her stomach and fluttered through her body that she couldn't stand to look at him another second. The wind blew cold and fierce. Kahli was like that wind - cold and brutal - and completely alone.
Glancing at them, she had to make a choice. There was no time to ask Will what he was doing, if this was what it looked like, if all the things he's said to her were lies - there was no time for any of that. For their plan to work, she had to act now, but Will was standing with them. There was no way to protect him.
Tears stung her eyes, but Kahli refused to let them fall. This was his decision. Will was standing with the wrong side. He chose the vampires over her. There was no way to save him now. Pressing her eyes closed, Kahli allowed the pain to flood her body. Her voice was firm when those green eyes opened again, determination prominent. Kahli blinked at Will, his face fading as her lashes fell. Turning away, she said, "Light it."
Instantly, a wall of flames sprung from the ground, like golden bars of light, nearly engulfing the vampires closest to her, including Will. He stepped back, staring at her through the flickering flames, refusing to sever their gaze. Kahli's stomach twisted, her throat felt like it was crushed. There were shouts of shock as the flames shot out of the ground like sleeping beasts. Screams of pain sprung out as the wall of flame raced toward the palace. Another bright spot flickered in the distance, racing toward them, trapping the vampires behind the inferno. The flames formed a golden cage, holding the vampires back. The flames hissed, pushing the vamps away from Kahli and toward the palace. The wall of flames billowed with black smoke, stretching high into the night sky. Will wasn't the only set of eyes on Kahli. The King's golden gaze was locked on her face, his chest filling with smoke as he breathed in the air. His body was too close to the flames, but he refused to step back. Reggie finally pulled him away, shouting things Kahli couldn't hear over the roaring flames. The rest of the vampires scattered when the flames flew through the landscape, and raced back toward the palace. Vampires ran toward their home to protect it, while others went up in flames, having the misfortune of having the fire spring on them like a wolf. The suits they wore were very warm, but very flammable.
More screams erupted as Kahli stood there, eyes locked with Will, her red hair dancing in the wind like tongues of fire. It seemed like a lifetime, standing there, staring at him. Somewhere in the back of Kahli's mind, she knew she needed to run, but her feet wouldn't listen. They remained glued to the spot as the fire flared in front of her. Cole ran forward, and grabbed Kahli by the wrist. The rune burned as he touched her, but Cole didn't let go. He tugged hard, and Kahli finally stumbled away from the smoke and flames, choking as the wind shifted and blew the black smoke in her face. Cole raced away from the wall of flames, making sure their bodies were lost in shadow beyond the flickering golden light. Kahli felt empty, like someone carved out her insides and left them with Will. She didn't feel anything as they ran, and the banshee-like screams of the vampires burning within the palace walls floated over her like a whisper. It was a moment that should have made her feel something - pride, fear, fulfilled vengeance - but Kahli felt nothing.
Cole was hissing at her as they ran, but she didn't hear him either. She couldn't focus. Cole's words floated over her like snowflakes lost in the wind. He stopped where he had a bike waiting. Out of breath, he turned to Kahli, scolding, "Snap out of it." When she didn't blink, Cole grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard. She felt his hands on her, but her mind kept repeating, Will. Will is one of them. Cole yelled at her, but Kahli barely heard him. It wasn't until his palm connected with her cheek that she blinked. When he raised his hand a second time, her green gaze focused. Catching Cole's hand by the wrist, she stopped him before he struck her again. Kahli's gaze was blank. She held his arm and jerked him close, like she was going to snarl in his face, but she didn't speak.
Cole ripped his arm away, "You need to drive us to the others. Now. Snap out of it, Kahli. They need you. I can't do this alone. Cassie means well, but she doesn't know what's out here. You do." His words bit into her like a starved animal. Each word stung, making her feel foolish for being so shocked.
Breathing hard through her nose, Kahli nodded. Kahli grabbed the bike and swung her leg over the top as Cole stood next to her. Kick starting the bike, the engine turned over and Cole climbed on back. Without a word, the two circled the palace to survey the damage. Carnage would better a better word. Kahli knew if she turned around to look at Cole's face that it would have a satisfied smile. The palace was burning at both ends. Only the center seemed untouched. Pillars of black smoke stretched into the night sky, illuminated by the golden glow of the flames consuming everything and everyone in its path. It was a moment that she'd never forget. Everything that place represented was burning, soon it would be reduced to cinders and charred earth. Kahli glanced over her shoulder at Cole. He nodded once, and then they headed toward the others, allowing the wind to cover their tracks.
Cole clung to Kahli's back, bouncing around on the back of the bike every time they hit a bump. When they were off the palace grounds, they ditched the bike and continued on foot. Kahli grabbed the contents from the bike's frame and shoved the stuff in Cole's pack. Cole hadn't said anything to her. They walked for over an hour in silence, the wind making their faces raw. Kahli didn't grab a mask to protect her face from the weather. It was a novice mistake, but she didn't think she'd need one. Kahli's plan had been to go back for Will after torching the palace, but things changed.
Kahli's heart slid down into her stomach like a piece of lead. The heaviness crushed her chest, making her ribs feel like they could crack under the weight of remorse. It was all she could do to make her legs move.
"He's not worth it," Cole finally said, glancing over at her. Kahli stared straight ahead, her face devoid of emotion. "Kahli - " Cole reached out for her hand and held onto it. His fingers pressed into her hand. Kahli stopped and glanced over at him. Cole's voice was less poisonous than she expected, it was almost supportive, "I know you feel betrayed, but you can't shut down right now. That fire bought us a few days at most. The vamps were dousing the interior flames before we got off the palace grounds. You're the only one that's survived out here for any length of time. They need you." After a moment, his voice softened and he said something uncharacteristically Cole, "I need you. I can't do this on my own. There are too many of them. And the world isn't like it was last time. There's no palace to run to, no safe place for us. We need you." He released her hand, allowing it to drop to her side. It hung there like dead weight for a moment.
His words sank in slowly. Kahli nodded. Swallowing hard, she finally spoke. Her throat burned from swallowing so much smoke. It made her voice sound like gravel, "We can't go to the safe house. Will knows where it is. I suspect that he knows where all of the safe houses are." Cole's face pinched together, making him look years younger. Cole was always fighting, always trying to save himself and Cassie. It wore him down, making him bone weary. Kahli could see it in his eyes. She knew how it felt, how desperate things can be. Kahli explained, "Will was following me, tracking me, before I realized he was there."
Cole's eyes widened. Concern made his voice urgent, "Then where do we go?"
Kahli looked back at the sunrise spilling over the horizon. Long beams of orange spilled across the white earth, chasing away the night. An idea formed in her mind. "We have to go somewhere they'll never find us. Someplace that never existed. The place we were supposed to go if we were caught..." Kahli took Cole's hand and turned it over. Pushing back his sleeve, she looked at his wrist, and pointed to the rune. "We'll go here."
Cole didn't blink. He didn't contest her. Instead he nodded, and she dropped his arm. "Do you think it's still there? The camp, I mean. I was told the same thing. If I was captured, I was to show them the brand on my wrist. The vamps would take me home, but they said the brand was fake, that we concocted it."
Kahli shrugged, "I was told the same thing, but it doesn't make sense. Why would both our parents be so certain that Section 8 existed, and tell us to get there if there was nothing there." She shook her head slowly, her hair floating around her face, "I believed Will. I believed it wasn't there and that we got busted, but maybe that isn't true. It exists." Certainty flooded her body. She felt like the brand was a puzzle piece and they were holding it upside down. "Maybe the vamps didn't know about it because it's not a farm. Maybe it's another safe house? One we missed? Besides, I don't see another option." Walking, she kicked the snow, sending white flakes flying. When she walked through the cloud of white, snow clung to her collar and stuck in her hair. Glancing at Cole, she asked, "Were you ever there?"
Cole shook his head, "My parent's spoke about it and told us about the rune, but I've never been there. Honestly, I thought it was just meant to keep vamps from realizing we were wild. After all this time, I thought Section 8 was a fairytale."
Kahli smirked, "Same here, but I guess it's time for fairytales to come true. Since your crest burned the rune off my wrist, we'll have to hope yours is enough. The rest of the palace humans were raised on farms. They won't have any idea where it was. Let's just hope we can find it."
Cole looked at his wrist, at the mark he'd though was a brand all these years, wondering if it was something more. He nodded to Kahli and said, "To Section 8."