Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

MY SISTER IS SUSPENDED FROM the ceiling in a cage made of shadows.

From here, she watches Prince Bastian on a massive stone throne that sits atop an elevated dais, as two hooded beings are brought before him. Their hands are bound in front of them in black stone cuffs. An entire array of guards accompanies the prisoners.

A pair of Bleeders pull back the prisoners' hoods, and Antonela's eyes grow wide as she sees Red and Cyclops.

"Why are they bound? Why are you here?" Bastian demands of the guards. "You know I prefer to hunt my food."

"This is to cancel their magic," says the Bleeder who escorted my sister to the prince's giant bodyguard. "They are casters."

The prince stares at the prisoners' bound hands. "It is a violation of the treaty—"

"We have permission," says that same guard. "They brought the human here in exchange for blood. We reached out to the casters to confirm their story, and we were informed that murdering a being of Brálaga blood carries the penalty of death—even if the perpetrators are Brálagas, too."

Bastian smirks and looks up at where he knows my sister is watching. "You may go," he says to the guards.

"Respectfully, we cannot risk their magic—"

"I can handle two bound and powerless prisoners," snaps the Iron Prince. "Just like I can handle an entire squad of you." His gaze trails along the line, staring every guard down. "You may go."

This time, they obey.

Still, it's clear Bastian's safety trumps his own authority.

Once he's alone with them, Red kneels and says, "Please, Prince Bastian, we brought you that delicious human because we thought you would enjoy it."

Cyclops drops to their knees, too. "We truly meant no disrespect."

The prince waits them out as they beg for their lives, and when they finish, he waits even longer, until his silence is louder than their words.

"So," he says at last, and both Red and Cyclops jump to their feet. "Shall I kill them?"

"No!"

"Please!"

"I was not asking either of you," he says, and they trade confused glances. Bastian looks up, and the prisoners gasp as they notice the cage and Antonela within it.

"What do you think?" he asks my sister.

She looks down, pressing her face to the shadowy bars of the cage. "No," she says. "Do not hurt them."

Even I'm confused. They just tried to have her murdered. "They sold you to me as a meal," says the prince, putting it more colorfully.

Antonela lifts her chin. "So they get to turn me into a monster?"

He frowns, but Red and Cyclops stare at my sister in awe, like they've never seen a creature like her.

"Pick one," the Bleeder commands her.

"For what?" asks my sister.

"Pick one, or it's both."

My sister points to Cyclops.

Red screams, their face splattered with blood, as Bastian rips out Cyclops's throat and takes a deep drink.

When he's finished, his face is smeared with blood. He looks up at my sister. "Congratulations. Your first kill."

My sister looks on, horrified and speechless.

The prince laughs, but no light shines from his face. "Good news, human caster!" he calls up. "I got you a roommate!"

Red materializes through the shadowy bars almost instantaneously, locked in the same cage as Antonela.

"Your guests are here," says the giant bodyguard from the doorway.

"See you soon," says Bastian before walking out, the blood still staining his face.

"The Bleeder called you human caster, " says Red once they're alone. "Why are you not cuffed?" They don't even look the least bit affected by their companion's death.

My sister shakes her head. "I do not know."

"Can you summon any magic to spell us out of here?"

Antonela shakes her head.

"They must have sensed you have little power," says Red. "You know we will die next, right?"

"I have a plan. But I cannot do it alone."

"What is it?"

"I am going to convince him to bring us back to school. I found a doorway to Earth in the tower, and I will promise to take him there so he can drink all the humans he wants."

"The school is the last place I am going to! They sentenced me to death."

"I will tell them our one-eyed cousin forced us both to come. And in exchange, you will stop torturing me and make sure I graduate."

Red's shock only lasts a moment. Then they nod in assent, willing to betray the memory of their best companion. "It is a pact ."

The cage is on the floor now. It's locked shut, and Red is asleep, while Antonela lies wide awake.

A hand opens the gate, and Prince Bastian waves my sister out.

He seals it closed behind her, then shadows engulf it. Antonela follows him to the dais.

He sits on his throne and pats his lap for her to join him.

She holds her ground in front of him. "I will stand."

"Tell me what you wanted to say, human caster."

"I have come with an irresistable offer. You could drink me now and sate your thirst but a little… or you could drain as many humans as you want on Earth, where blood is limitless and of every variety—"

"There is no way to Earth," he interrupts, "so I will settle for you—"

"I have a way! I can get you to Earth," she says quickly, likely spotting the predatory shift in his eyes and realizing she has only seconds left to plead for her life. "Besides being a feast for you, it also happens to be beyond the reach of nearly every realm, including this one. You would be completely free!"

Prince Bastian stares at my sister. He's already underestimated her once, and I doubt he's in the habit of making the same mistake twice.

"Even if you could pull this off," he says carefully, "I cannot leave my castle. The king is fighting a war, and I am his heir, protected above all Bleeders. Whereas you are a human with minimal power who does not stand a chance against my guard."

My sister's expression hardens with offense. "I did not expect you to be a coward."

The Bleeder springs up, fury flashing on his face, and before I can blink, he snaps off Antonela's oxygen mask. "Goodbye, human caster."

"How can you stand being locked up here?" asks my sister, using her final breaths to taunt him.

His stare and stance remain stoic as he watches her run out of air before him.

"You are royalty. You should live large, have adventures, be worthy of your title. Drink all the human blood you want on Earth, and come back without anyone knowing…"

Antonela sounds like air leaving a balloon, and her words come out in a final burst: "Why obey like… lowliest Bleeder… when you… are…?"

She falls forward, into his chest, her skin turning as blue as the mask, which Bastian now shoves back onto her face. Antonela takes in raking gasps of air.

"If I get caught violating my father's rules again, they will confine me to my coffin," he says in her ear, his voice low and muffled by her heavy breathing. He probably doesn't want other Bleeders to hear him. "Do you understand?"

"You will not get in trouble," says Antonela, cottoning on and speaking in a barely audible whisper. "You will say I hexed you. The ones responsible are your guards for letting in a caster to see you. Once you return, you will say you had to hunt down and kill me to break the spell so you could make it back to your throne. You will be hailed a hero. They will add defeating a caster to your list of accolades."

Bastian scrutinizes my sister like he's considering her offer. "What are you getting out of this?"

"I need a ride, and Bleeders are among the rare beings with bodies strong enough to cross the barrier into Earth's dimension and survive. I am your one-time ticket to this blood-rich world that is nearly impossible to access because I alone can get us through the gateway—and you are my only transport. So, if your answer is no, you might as well kill me now."

The prince looks like he has no idea what to make of Antonela. "What about your classmate?" He gestures with his chin at the cage. "Why save them?"

"We need them to lead us to the gateway back to Brálaga's castle, as I was in a coffin when we crossed over. After that," she adds with a shrug, "I figured you might want a snack."

My mouth goes dry. I underestimated her again .

The prince sits back down on his throne, and there's less hunger and more curiosity in his gaze when he looks at Antonela. Like he's more interested in her brain than her blood.

"We must go now, " she insists, "or we will miss our chance." She holds up her wrist to show him. "The last moon is already gone."

"What does that mean?"

"That the door is open," she says, her voice as low as his. "We have to go through before it closes."

He looks like he is on the brink of a decision.

"Forget your crown," she says. "Forget you are Prince Bastian. Allow yourself this breath of freedom before the kingship and war consume your existence. Unburden yourself. While you are away, you can even change your name. You can simply be… Bast ."

Their eyes connect in a way that tells me she's hooked him. "I've never had a meal nickname me before," he says, but he sounds more flirty than threatening.

"You will not know your full power until you have sacrificed it all." She sounds like Brálaga. "What do you say, Bast?"

I can't believe Antonela just went from a lifetime of being beaten and bullied to owning her bullies and allying herself with the prince of the Bleeders. Bastian seems to be thinking the same thing, and I don't like the admiring way he's looking at her.

"I say you are fearless." His mouth curls up on one side.

"I know." Antonela steps toward him, and right now she's the coolest, most intimidating person I've ever seen. I can't believe we're twins.

"The question is," she says, sliding onto his lap, "are you ?"