I was more worried about what Lyla knew. If she knew about Fabian, what was there to say she didn’t know about my father?
‘I’ll scream if you don’t play, Violet.’
‘Look, Thyme, if I give you a piggyback ride, will you stop asking?’
She nodded eagerly, and squealed in reply. Sighing, I picked her up and swung her onto my back. She shrieked excitedly as I spun around, her tiny arms choking me as she clung onto my neck. After a while I stopped, dizzy. The air had turned distinctly colder, and I wondered if they were finished with the council meeting.
The room levelled out and a quiet laughing seemed to fill my ears. A laughing I recognized: a patronising, broken chuckle.
I turned slowly, letting Thyme slip from my hands to the ground. The double doors of the entrance were thrown open, three figures framed by the twilight. One held a bleeding body in their hands, the unfortunate victim limp, with arms twisted into positions that could only cause pain.
My eyes locked onto the man stood in the centre, his dark crimson cloak billowing in the wind. His manic laughing echoed around the room, as Thyme scuttled behind me.
‘You just won’t die, will you, Violet Lee?’
I opened my mouth and screamed.
THIRTY-THREE
Kaspar
‘But Your Majesty, what do you intend to do with the rest of the Crimson family. Surely they cannot still attend court after their son disgraced them so?’
‘Valerian Crimson has as good as disowned his son and will therefore be allowed to return to court in due time.’
I clenched my fist under the table. ‘I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Violet keeps mentioning that Ilta Crimson will come back for her. She’s terrified. She can hardly be left alone.’
Mutterings erupted around the room at that news and my other fist clenched as patronizing comments passed from person-to-person, most denying outwardly that Ilta would ever do such a thing. But they haven’t seen Girly. Whatever he said to her, he meant it.
Ashton cleared his throat and stood to address the council, many of whom were missing as preparations for Ad Infinitum, the annual celebration for dark beings, began. Charity was one of them and I was thankful that was the case. ‘The girl need not fear. I have personally searched the whole of Kent, far beyond the boundaries of Varnley. I am one of many doing so and we have contacts patrolling the borders of Transylvania, should he choose to return to Romania. Ilta Crimson has left the country, I am quite sure of that.’ He bowed and sat down.
I spoke up. ‘I don’t disagree with you, Ashton, but think about the message we would send to Violet by allowing her violator’s father into court. You say you want her to change of her own free will, but you’re not exactly making it an easy task for any of us to convince her.’
Again, there were murmurs of agreement, mainly from the younger vampires who I knew would understand Girly’s mindset better than the rest of the council.
Father shot me a scathing look I knew all too well. It is better to keep our enemies close, he said in my mind. And I share Miss Lee’s suspicions. I believe Ilta had a motive behind his actions.
‘The decision has already been made. The girl has no reason to come into contact with him, in any case,’ he declared, aloud. His booming voice told all that no more was to be said on the matter. ‘Furthermore, none of what occurred on the night of Autumnal Equinox can reach Michael Lee. I have no doubt that the Prime Minister would allow Lee to go ahead with his plans if they knew. News has already spread, so I can only urge you to guard your words, particularly around those with sympathies for the slayers.’
‘What of Miss Lee, in any case? Does she show any signs of conceding?’ Lamair demanded to know in his brusque manner. I sealed my lips, leaning back on my chair as far into the shadows as I could; glad I had chosen to sit in one of the corners. She let me take blood from her last night. She’s wavering. But was that her or what Ilta has done to her?
‘Kaspar, you are rather quiet. Do you not have any thoughts on this?’ Eaglen asked pointedly, turning his gaze to me. His unnaturally polite smile told me he was up to something again. Heaven knows what. But why does he always have to involve me?
‘I have nothing to say.’
‘Are you quite sure about that? You are far closer to Miss Lee than any of us here.’ He gestured about the room and I followed his hand around. My eyes caught sight of Fabian, who sat on the opposite side of the room, fists clenched, clearly angry at Eaglen’s false statement.
I sighed, knowing Eaglen would not give in until he had heard me out. ‘No, I don’t think she hates us. I believe she has a begrudging trust in us.’ I crossed a leg over the other, resting my ankle on my knee, leaning back into the gloom once more.
‘But do you think she would ever want to join us?’
I narrowed my eyes. ‘I could not tell you that, Eaglen. I don’t have the gift of seeing what is to be,’ I snarled, letting my lips curl back; tensed until a spine-chilling scream cut through my anger. Her scream.
I remained still for an instant before leaping up and knocking the chair over, flying from the room, Fabian hot on my heels. Behind us, we left the shocked faces of the councillors.
Horrific thoughts sped through my mind. Violet was as good as alone. Could it be possible?
THIRTY-FOUR
Violet
My eyes locked with his for a moment, the scream ceasing to flow from my drying lips. They slid down to the dead woman lying in the arms of one his accomplices, who looked down at Thyme with a manic grin, revealing his reddened fangs. Her gaze was fixed on the woman and through the gore I could vaguely recognize a black-and-white uniform, complete with pinafore and laced cuffs.
‘Nanny Eve!’ Thyme wailed, her eyes emerald bulging, tears falling unchecked from them.
‘Oh my god,’ I breathed, seeing for the first time the woman’s face. Her neck was pierced, blood staining her porcelain skin and white clothes, occasional drops sliding from her hand, which fell lifeless towards the floor. I felt bile rise in my throat and swallowed it back, gulping.
I pushed Thyme further behind me, hiding her from the atrocity before us, scurrying back.
‘You cannibals,’ I spat, at the figures framed by the setting sun.
He only laughed harder. ‘Try telling that to your pretty little saviour back there.’ He nodded behind me and I glanced over my shoulder, keeping as much of my gaze as I could on Ilta. There, in the corner stood Kaspar, the council members flooding into the room. He was visibly shaking, his fists turning purple as they clenched together, anger pulsating through his veins as his eyes faded to black. An arm was placed firmly on his shoulder and I saw Ashton physically restraining him. Another vampire I did not recognize stepped forward to help.