I jumped back in shock. Taking one last look at her trembling form, I left.
I need to find Mogda. I need to tell her what’s going on in here. Elsbeth’s parents need to know how her brother is treating her.
As I approached the exit, something rammed into me, sending me crashing against the cold stone floor. My head reeling, I looked up to see the young boy on top of me, his strength terrifying. He reached for my neck and gripped it hard.
“What did you just do to make my sister scream?” he hissed, his pupils dilating with rage. “What did you do?” He spat in my face. “Know your place. Know that I will have you thrown out—or worse—if I catch you interfering again. And don’t even think about going to my parents. I’ll warn you only once.”
He released his hold on my neck and gave me one last glare before returning to his room, slamming the door behind him.
My whole body trembled as I pushed myself back against the wall. Clutching my windpipe, I breathed in heavily. Once I’d calmed down, my shock was replaced with outrage and frustration at the hold this boy had over the young girl.
What is this place?
Chapter 7: Kiev
After hours of searching, I concluded that the castle was the only building on the island. Unlike The Shade back in the human realm, this place was covered entirely by forest, with the exception of a few clearings. There were no mountains, and the hub of all activity seemed to be the castle. I assumed that the witches must be somewhere inside there too.
Narrowing my list of places to search down to the castle helped somewhat, but the castle was so big for such a small number of vampires that it was still a task to look through.
I ran from room to room—even searching in closets and under beds—but I didn’t find them.
The only place left for me to search was the top floor—the Lord and Lady’s chamber. These were the most spacious and comfortable of all the living quarters, but still I found no sign of any witches.
As a last resort, I ran down to the dungeon from which the vampire had retrieved my meal. The dungeon was huge, and the humans—men and women—were kept in cages in the dark. As soon as I opened the trapdoor, light flooded down and they screamed, crawling to the back of their cells.
As I scanned the underground chamber, I couldn’t fathom where they got all these humans from. I had been told before that there weren’t many humans in this world of supernaturals that Cruor hadn’t already snatched up for themselves.
Brushing the thought aside, I finished searching the dungeon and, still not finding anything, I decided to head back up. It seemed that I might have to ask the vampire after all. I had wanted to avoid this in case he became suspicious. But time was running out.
I decided to go back outside and walk around the island one more time, in case I had rushed my search too much before and missed something. Then, if I still haven’t found them, I’ll just have to ask the vampire.
I exited the castle and walked back through the woods until I reached the beach. As I was about to begin walking along the sand, I heard something that chilled me to the bone.
Someone calling my name.
“Kiev… Kiev.”
Matteo. No!
I had suspected that he might come to search for me. Furious, I whirled around toward his voice.
Beyond the boundary, Matteo stood in a boat along with Lorena and three other vampires, all looking around blindly, completely oblivious to the island right in front of them.
I dove into the water and swam as close as I could to them without crossing the boundary. If I crossed it, I would have no way of getting back in. I’d have to call the vampire again, and that might cause suspicion. I couldn’t risk that.
“Matteo, shut up!” I hissed.
He fell silent immediately and looked toward my voice. I feared that the old vampire could have already heard Matteo’s shouts.
“It’s me. Kiev. Go away. Leave this place. I’m safe. They don’t seem to know I’m affiliated with you. Just trust that I will do all in my power to bring a witch back with me before the end of three days…”
I stopped short, as a pain seared through my skull. I groaned.
“What’s wrong?” Matteo said, his voice quieter this time.
“Quiet!” I hissed, closing my eyes shut and biting my lower lip. The migraine had returned tenfold. It was a feat just to string a short sentence together. “Just g-go… Now! I will return to you with a witch. I… I promise you.”
My promise seemed to assure Matteo, and he nodded.
“Thank you, Kiev,” he whispered.
Without making another sound, he turned the boat around and sped off into the waves.
Struggling to keep myself afloat, I somehow managed to swim back to the beach where I crawled onto the sand, lying on my back and panting. But the minute I had climbed out of the water, my migraine disappeared just as suddenly as it had arrived.
What in the world…
I stood up and stared at the ground, frowning.
Can this really be a coincidence?
Chapter 8: Mona
I spent the night curled up in the tiny cupboard Mogda had given me to sleep in—just a few meters away from the royal siblings’ chambers—listening to Elsbeth sob herself to sleep.
I breathed out in relief when there was a knock at the door the next day. As soon as Mogda opened the door, I walked out of the room before she could step in.
“I need to speak with you,” I whispered.
She looked at me curiously.
“I can’t do this,” I said. “I can’t sit in there and watch the way that monster is treating his sister. I don’t know what he’s doing to her, but if I stay up here, I’m going to interfere. Do you know what is going on with him?”
She looked scared and shook her head. “You want me to give you a different job?”
I nodded. “Please.”
She scowled. “You were only just given this job.”
“Please.” I clutched her heavy arm and shook it.
She shrugged me off and sighed. “All right. I’ll find you something to do. Come with me.”
I followed her down several staircases and along dozens of dark corridors. We didn’t stop until we had arrived back in the same hall that contained the entrance to the dungeon I’d been thrown in when I first arrived on the island. But rather than descending back down into that dungeon, Mogda opened a door on the opposite side of the room. It led to a narrow set of stairs. We descended and reached yet another door at the bottom. She creaked the door open.