Chapter 17 - Spy
1716 Words
“No. You’re not a monster. I should have been here sooner. I have food for you. But I guess you can now hide it away until you need it next.”
“Is it every three or four days I will need to?”
Erevus shook his head. “No. It’s not. The more you develop as a vampire, the longer you will be able to go. It’s just at the beginning you will need it more.”
I had to turn away from my victim feeling the full shame of my actions.
Erevus touched the side of my face, making me turn back to him.
He said, “How are you doing?” He glanced at my victim. “Besides that. Trust me, he will be alright.”
I lifted my right leg, exposing my bare foot and ankle with the shackle still securely around me.
“Well, Torrin has me quite contained and monitored at all times.”
“Does he?” Erevus playfully lifted his eyebrows.
I grinned, I had escaped. “I guess not exactly. But I’ve been trying to be the old Isadora. Not really easy.”
“What’s been going on?”
He rubbed my arm.
I took a deep breath, laying my heaviest burdens on him. Once I began, the rest tumbled out. “Well, my sister returned today with bruises all over her because of the High Duke as punishment for my disappearance. My marriage with Torrin was supposed to protect her from him. I tried talking to my father and his council about perhaps finding out what the Dark Kingdom’s motivation is or if anyone has actually ever reached out to you. But no one has.”
“I could have told you that,” he mumbled.
“Torrin has my father and his councilors convinced that Vampires can not be reasoned with. They are preparing for war, especially after…”
I shoved him away. “Because you took another mine. Erevus, we are having riots on the streets and desperate citizens at our gates.”
His frown deepened. “You know my reasons, Isadora.”
My shoulders dropped. I did, and the worst part is his fears were not wrong.
I said, “I looked into our silver distribution. You are not wrong. Torrin takes over half of what we mine and the majority of it is taken to weapon masters.”
Erevus did not appear surprised. I shook my head. Erevus was doing right by his kingdom, but in so doing, he was destroying mine. This was not easy.
“My people…” I glanced up, “Erevus, they’re hurting, they’re desperate. They need work.”
“Is silver Fildira’s only natural resource?”
I didn’t answer, because I didn’t know.
He came close to me. “How are you doing? You told me about everyone else, but you.”
I closed my eyes, wondering how I felt too. But it wasn’t hard to figure it out. Slowly, I peered up at him. He stood patiently waiting for my answer.
“It’s hard being here. I don’t think my stomach can handle any more heaving. I want to feel like I did in the forest that first night when I was with you… under the moon and stars. I want to feel free with no responsibility like I feel when I’m by the ocean wrapped in a cloak of constellations.”
His hand touched the side of my cheek as he took another step closer to me.
“I want that too. I want to show you my world, so desperately.”
The man in the corner moaned as he rolled to the side. Erevus walked over to him, grabbing him by his clothes and easily lifted him to his feet. When their eyes connected, the man’s posture went limp and his face turned to stone. I approached them. Erevus kept his gaze on the man.
After a moment, Erevus let him go. Garith glanced right at me, but held no recollection of who I was before leaving the stables.
“What did you do?”
Erevus watched him leave. “Hypnotized him. He won’t remember you or what happened.”
“You can do that? Can I?”
Erevus glanced hesitantly at me. “As a purebred, yes.”
My eyes widened. Could I use this to my advantage? Maybe I could hypnotize Torrin or my father. I could convince the council to speak with Erevus, I could stop this war.
Erevus grabbed my upper arms. “I know what’s going through your mind, Isadora. It won’t work. You can’t convince people against their beliefs. They won’t accept it. The man tonight never actually believed he had a chance with the High Princess, so it was easy for him to accept that he had never met you and what happened tonight was him getting drunk. He does that often enough.”
“So, you can only convince them of their own truths?”
“You convince them of a story that aligns with their own beliefs.”
“How do you do it?”
He bit the inside of his cheek. “I don’t like this. It takes time to practice. Once you come back, I can teach you everything.”
“Why can’t you tell me this now?”
“Please, Isadora, for your own safety, it’s better if you don’t know right now. Done in the wrong way, can have consequences. There is so much to learn. There is a lot of hidden beauty within you that I still need to show you.”
I huffed, how frustrating all this was. “I’m almost tempted now to beg you to take me back to the Dark Kingdom.”
Erevus chuckled, moving my hair away and tucking it behind my ear.
“I’ve already been tempted numerous times to take you away.”
His hand trailed down my neck. Warmth flooded over me. I leaned into his hand, now cradling my face. It calmed me in a way I hadn’t felt in days. Needing to feel him, I went back into his arms. I just wanted to feel safe, for a brief moment, I wanted to feel safe. I wanted to erase this galaxy from my being and enter his. I wanted him to show me the new constellations that could be found under his night sky.
“I should go,” I mumbled against his chest.
He squeezed me tighter, as if, like me, he didn’t want to have to go.
I stepped away, and reluctantly he released me.
He tilted my head up and said, “You’ll be okay.”
“I will be. When… when will I see you next?”
“Four days?”
I nodded. “Four days.”
He took another step away, nearly tripping over my robe. Now realizing I had been standing with Erevus only in my thin nightgown, I quickly put on my robe.
“Isadora, one last thing. What did you hear about their preparations for war?”
I froze. My heart stilled. Dread washed over me. Erevus sent me back to the castle, now I realized, as his spy. I was the Dark Kingdom’s inside source to it all. Was this all a ploy, his touches and soft words, all as a way to get me to trust him, so I doom my own kingdom?
“You want me to spy.”
I took a deep breath, my lungs finally working. I spun around, taking long strides to exit the stables.
Erevus grabbed my arm at the entrance.
“Isadora.”
I twisted towards him, jerking my arm out of his.
“I won’t do it for you, Erevus. I won’t doom my entire kingdom for your war.”
“That’s not-“
“Tell me truthfully, you had hoped to get information.”
“You brought up the war counsel, not me. Naturally, I would be curious.”
“Naturally, you would want information on your enemies. Naturally, I would be the ideal choice disguised as I am and my implications with both kingdoms.”
His face went serious, his jaw clenched. His face turned to one of no expressions, no way to read him. But I didn’t need to. I already knew.
“It’s all a survival game, isn’t it?”
I turned around before he could even have the chance to comment or refute me. Quickly and quietly, I ran to the sequoia tree and climbed up it.
As I neared my window, I was expecting Torrin to be standing there chain in hand, angry.
To my relief, he was absent. I silently climbed in, reattached the chain links, trying to bend it back into place as best as I could, slipped off my robe, and climbed into bed.
Torrin entered the room hours later. I was guessing somewhere between three and four in the morning. He appeared upset and frustrated.
I was almost afraid to ask, but I was too curious about where he had gone. He smelled like the ocean. Why would he have been at the ocean?
“Torrin?”
He turned towards me.
“Apologies, Isadora. Go back to sleep.”
“Where did you go?”
“Scouting.”
“Why?”
“The Dark Kingdom does well at hiding themselves.”
I didn’t say anything. He approached my bed, sitting on the edge.
“How have your dreams been?”
Curious change of conversation.
“None tonight.”
He hit his hand on his leg.
“Why?”
“Nevermind, my bride of the dawn.”
He stood and pulled off his jacket and shirt as he walked to his bed. With my undisturbed vision, I could easily see the muscles defined across his back as well as a few scars. I gulped at his sculpted stature. I had never seen a man shirtless before. Quickly, I twisted onto my side away from him.
But as I laid there, I was very aware of a few things. I was aware of the attractive shirtless man in my room, and that if I didn’t come up with a solution fast for my Kingdom, then under Torrin’s leadership he would plummet us into war.
- Writer
