I was about to drop the leaf straight into the water, but curiosity overcame me when I unfolded it and saw that it contained a handwritten note. In case he was still watching, I pretended to chuck it into the lake. Then I hurried inside and locked the door.
I sat cross-legged on my mattress and began to read the smudged message.
“Witch,
I understand you’ve been avoiding me.
My conclusion is that you still insist on holding a grudge.
When we were on the boat together, you asked me some questions. I admit that I found them inappropriate.
However, if you want to ask them again, I promise to answer.
I won’t come to you. You can find me in my room.
Or, if you prefer to meet somewhere more public, we could meet by the well, at the usual time.
Or, if you don’t respond within two days, I could come to you…
Sincerely,
Kiev.”
I read the note through several times. My cheeks grew warm and my stomach churned at his mention of those questions. I had hoped he would forget I’d ever asked them.
Why is he still chasing me like this? Is this his way of wooing me? Could Saira have been right after all about him taking a fancy to me?
I knocked the thoughts out of my head as soon as they had entered.
Don’t be so stupid, Mona.
I threw the leaf aside and leaned my back against the wall. Stretching my legs out in front of me, I looked up at the wooden ceiling. I wasn’t sure what to think anymore. I closed my eyes, trying to calm my whirring mind and obtain some clarity as to what my next move should be.
I could just go to Matteo and complain. Tell him to forbid Kiev to bother me again. That would work. Kiev would have no choice but to listen to him, or he’d be booted out of the island.
My other option was to meet with Kiev, and have him answer my questions. Although I knew that this would only encourage him to continue badgering me in the long run, I couldn’t hide the desire that had reignited within me. I could always complain to the captain after Kiev had answered them.
My thoughts drifted back to my unfinished story.
Adrian and Irina.
They might benefit if I met with Kiev. Perhaps his insights might be what I need to finish their story. After all, wasn’t that the real reason I asked them of him to begin with? To help me complete their love?
But, despite my longing to hear his answers, my whole body tensed with fear. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be that vulnerable in front of him again, now that I had no idea if I’d ever see the back of him. I’d bared myself enough to him already.
I sat all day on the mattress, with nothing but my old towel wrapped around me. Kiev wouldn’t seek me out before two days were up. I had some time to think things over.
Early next morning, the perfect solution dawned on me. I took a spare piece of parchment from my drawer and sat down at my desk. Picking up my quill, I began to write. I paused every so often, crossing out words, and trying to find ways to better express myself. Four hours had passed, with several more sheets of parchment used up, before I was satisfied.
I dressed and, folding up the sheets, tucked them safely beneath my shirt. Jumping into my boat and traveling toward the forest, I knew exactly where I needed to stop by first. Kiev had either forgotten to include his room number, or deliberately excluded it. Either way, I guessed that the ogre would know. Unless Brett’s guard duty had changed hours recently, he’d be standing by the wall close to the tunnels at this time.
I was pleased to see that my assumption had been correct. Brett sat on the ground near the gate, humming something out of tune to himself and fiddling with his thumbs. His face lit up when he saw me approach.
“Eh, Mona! How are you?”
He stood up and patted me affectionately on the shoulder. I winced. Brett always forgot that I didn’t like being touched. But I didn’t have the heart to correct him as much as I did Saira.
“I’m fine, Brett. I wanted to know which room…” My voice dried up before I could finish my sentence. I hadn’t envisioned that it would be this difficult.
“You looking for Kiev?” Brett blurted out, a wry grin forming on his face.
“Uh… y-yes. How… how did you know?”
“Well, you’ve been on his mind a lot recently. I guessed he might be on yours too.” Brett winked. “He’s been asking me all sorts of things about you. Even asked me to make a table.”
Kiev had that made especially for me?
“He’s in chamber twenty-five,” Brett concluded, still grinning from ear to ear.
“Th-thank you,” I said, and hurried away, reaching up to hold my burning cheeks.
The lanterns flickered as I crept into the entrance of the tunnels. I looked around, but the place was empty. Most vampires had no reason to be up at this sunny hour. As I walked along the corridors, the only sounds were the odd dripping leak in the dirt ceiling and muffled snores.
Breathing heavily, I stopped outside Kiev’s door. My throat felt dry as I withdrew the parchment from my shirt and bent down. As I was inches from dropping the sheets, my hands began to tremble.
I stopped, my limbs frozen.
Why are you even doing this?
This is a stupid idea.
Just walk away.
Somehow, the braver part of me took over, numbing my doubts and warming me enough to shove the letter under the door. Then I raced away.
As I reached the exit and ran toward the forest, I looked back at the dark entrance of the tunnels. I shivered, despite the mild breeze.
I hope I won’t live to regret this.
Chapter 29: Kiev
I awoke to see parchment beneath my door. Rubbing my eyes, I got up and picked up the sheets. It took me a second to realize that they were from the witch.
How?
I opened the door and looked around. But as expected, she was nowhere to be seen. I supposed she would have visited me some time during the daylight hours.
Still standing, I began to read.
“Vampire,
I was going to throw away your leaf as soon as I saw it, as I did with your dagger and (my) lilies.
However, on realizing that it contained a note from you, curiosity got the better of me. I’ve never before come across a brute who could write in coherent sentences. Though I’m still not sure that chucking it wouldn’t have been a better decision.
In any case, happily, I was able to make sense of your writing.
I accept your offer of a meeting. But not in the way you have proposed. If we meet, we meet on my terms, which are as follows:
You will not attend the meeting as Kiev Novalic.
You will attend as a man named Adrian Angelis. Over the course of the following pages, you will come to know Adrian intimately. I have attempted to detail every facet of his personality. I think you will find these notes quite sufficient to become him convincingly.