"It is what is done when one of the worthy is dying," Roff whispered. "Hush now, everything will be done that can be done." Toff watched as a tall, dark-skinned man was led into the kitchen. He knelt next to Cheedas and the Queen.
"Lissa, pretty girl, back up and give me some room," the one called Oluwa said gently. "He's still with us. I'll save him if I can." Lissa nodded and allowed Gavin to pull her away.
"Young one, this will be frightening and unpleasant to watch, so I will take you away if that is your desire," Roff said.
"What is going to happen?" Toff whimpered.
"We will attempt the turn," Roff replied. "Usually we have more time than this. Oluwa will have to hurry."
Toff watched in horror as a very sharp claw emerged from one of Oluwa's fingers, and he used it to slice into Cheedas' wrists—three lengthwise slits on both. Blood began pumping from Cheedas' veins. Toff's mouth worked but he couldn't force a moan past his lips. Ry and Tory were now hugging their mother, who'd come to stand beside them. Gavin was kneeling next to Cheedas' head, keeping him from moving as Oluwa lifted one of Cheedas' wrists to his lips and began to drink.
Toff couldn't say later how he'd managed to keep his feet—perhaps it was Roff, standing there with him, hushing him and reassuring him, telling him that this was the way things were. Toff watched as Oluwa stopped drinking from Cheedas' wrist, laying it down gently beside the cook's body. Oluwa held a wrist out to Gavin, who formed a claw on a finger and opened Oluwa's veins. Dark red blood welled up immediately.
Oluwa then held his wrist to Cheedas' mouth as Gavin raised the old cook up, and Oluwa's command to drink had Cheedas swallowing the vampire's blood. Radomir came in from somewhere and began counting off time. At some prearranged moment, Radomir called time, Oluwa removed his wrist from Cheedas' blood-covered mouth and Cheedas' heart stopped beating.
"That is the way of it, my child," Roff crooned softly, lifting Toff and carrying him from the room.
* * *
"We should know something soon," Oluwa sighed as Gavin lifted Cheedas from the floor.
"Oluwa," Lissa went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, allowing her head to droop against his chest.
"It will go as it will, little Queen," Oluwa soothed. "We should take him to the waiting rooms and clean him up a bit."
"You can't leave him here?"
"It is better this way," Oluwa said. "Come now; let me do my duty as a sire." Oluwa allowed Gavin to carry Cheedas away.
"Mom?" Tory's voice was shaky as he reached out toward Lissa.
"Honey, I'm so sorry you had to see that," Lissa went to her boys.
"Mom, Uncle Tony explained it to us two years ago. We just weren't prepared for the reality, and we weren't ready for it to be Cheedas," Ry wanted to weep or scream—he couldn't decide which.
"It's always that way, honey. You're not prepared for it to be the one it is. Cheedas had a heart attack, I think. I didn't see any wounds on his body."
"I can confirm that," Karzac appeared in a brief flash of light.
"What happened to Toff? Where is he?" Lissa looked around her.
"Uncle Roff took him."
"Did he see this?"
"Yeah, Mom. He did."
"Oh, no." Lissa raked a hand through her hair.
"We will explain to him, little firefly. We will do our best to make him understand," Karzac had hands on Lissa's forehead. They eventually wandered down to her abdomen. "The baby is fine and strong," Karzac allayed any fears in that direction.
"Avilepha, the Half-Fae difik has escaped." Kifirin was back to himself when he appeared in the kitchen. "With help, but he escaped, nonetheless."
"Let me guess—Zellar?" Lissa sighed as she looked up at Kifirin. His eyes still appeared completely black; otherwise, he was back to normal.
"Zellar and another," Kifirin confirmed. "We must hunt all three of them, now. If Tiearan had spoken his fears earlier, this might have been avoided. I grow weary of waiting for Toff to reach adulthood."
"Eleven more years," Lissa muttered.
* * *
"Toff?" Lissa came into Toff's bedroom, followed by Ry and Tory. Roff was still there, Toff held tightly against him as they sat on Toff's bed.
Toff looked up as the Queen and the two Princes walked in. "Honey, I'm so sorry you had to see that. We wanted to wait to tell you about this. You have to believe me when I say that this is what Cheedas wanted. This is what he and many others hope for at the end of their lives." Lissa came to sit on Toff's bed. Ry and Tory stood behind her.
"What is it? What did he hope for? I saw that man drinking his blood." Toff's voice sounded sullen. Roff's wings rustled in agitation.
"Honey, I know they never taught you what Le-Ath Veronis means. I wanted to wait awhile before we told you, so you could get used to all this. That's not an option any longer."
"What does it mean? What are you talking about?" Toff wasn't sure now what he should do. He didn't want to go back to the Fae village and he was nearly too frightened to stay at the palace.
"Honey, Le-Ath Veronis is from an ancient language. You remember that Le-Ath Veronis was destroyed all those years ago? Nobody speaks that language anymore. Except Kifirin, perhaps. Toff, Le-Ath Veronis means Heart of the Vampire."
Toff struggled in Roff's grip, but Roff wasn't letting him go. "Sit still, little one and let us explain," Roff said softly.
"I have to explain what the comesuli truly are—what they were created to be," Lissa began. "You know how some insects have a nymph stage—they look much like an adult, only smaller?"
"Y-yes," Toff couldn't keep the stutter from his voice.
"That's what the comesuli are. Young vampires. Vampire children, you might say. If you decide to stay with us after we explain things to you, then I will show you the laws that govern Le-Ath Veronis. The first of those laws levies a death sentence against any vampire who drinks from a child. And as Cheedas told you, you are not considered an adult until you reach the age of twenty-nine. That means that no comesula under the age of twenty-nine can be considered for the turn. That is what Oluwa did for Cheedas—he has attempted the turn. We should know in three days if Cheedas survived the turning to become a vampire. Sometimes it takes longer than that, but if the body survives intact for three days, that is a very good sign that the turn will be successful. If Oluwa hadn't done what he did, Cheedas would now be dead. That is another of our laws—that the candidate must be dying and of good character before the turn may be attempted. Vampires are strong when they wake. We do not make criminals into vampires; their penchant for disobeying laws follows them into their next life."