Chapter 6

Ifollowed the guard down the winding stairs of the tower. The air was cool and moved through the slate castle like wind through a pipe. The rock did nothing to insulate the castle from the wind, the heat, or the cold. Living here was like living out in the elements with only a rock to hold overhead for protection. The stairs continued to wind downward for what felt like ages until I reached the bottom where it opened into the courtyard. Soldiers huddled in a large clump in the middle of the courtyard. Around the perimeter, they usually trained with weapons in different areas. But even the ones on patrol at the top of the walls surrounding the castle looked down into the center of where they all stood. They leaned into each other talking and milling around, staring at something that'd shaken them.

"Step aside. Let me pass," I barked, and the soldiers all parted.

There in the center of all of them lay two of our own. Their faces were contorted into painful, silent screams, streaks of dried blood ran from their eyes and noses. Their skin held the blue tinge of poison, and it sent a chill down my spine. "What happened?"

"A woman was seen running from their bodies, my lord," one of our watchguards answered.

Ice ran through my veins. "What woman?"

"One touched by death," the guard muttered, and the others all nodded and mumbled in agreement.Whispers of devil, witch, cursed, and all other manner of things that would give children nightmares were going through the crowd.

"There is no such thing. Do not let your superstitions rule your minds. There is an explanation for this other than awoman." It was too much of a coincidence for this not to be her.

"And what rebellious scum did this?" King Dacio sauntered into the courtyard in all his glory.

He was nearly as tall as me, with black eyes and long, straight blond hair that fell down to his elbows. The crown on his head had thick horns jutting up from it in all different directions. He wore thick metallic armor that looked like straps of metal had been braided together to fit him perfectly. It wove over his chest and down to his hips. His face was regal with high, sharp cheekbones and a long, straight nose. He stood over the bodies, studying them with interest in his eyes. The others all watched his every move with a loyal sort of reverence in their gazes. King Dacio ruled with an iron fist, but we all respected him for it. If it hadn't been for him, we wouldn't have survived the turning from vampire to demon after the explosion fifty years ago.

The guards all fell back into straight lines while bowing their heads to him. I motioned to the soldier who'd fetched me earlier. "Tell him."

He cleared his throat. "A woman, Your Highness."

The king lifted his hand and smokey brown magic drifted down from his fingers and into the ground below the bodies. When his magic emerged from his hand his cream-colored horns drifted back over the top of his head and blended in with his blond hair. His crown covered them and if I hadn't known him so well, I might not have seen them. The slate answered his demands and lifted the bodies up higher for him to get a better look. He tilted his head from one side to the other, looking at the bodies for long moments. "I see no stab wounds or injuries. Poison?"

"That's just it . . . it looked like . . . magic." The soldier's words were hesitant and almost awe struck.

The king waved him away, dismissing the soldier back to the ranks. "You're dismissed. Back to your duties, everyone."

The guards all fell back to their training, leaving me alone with Dacio. He opened his hand and the ground below the dead soldiers opened. He lowered down toward the tunnels running under the castle where their bodies would be held and eventually dealt with.

He crooked his finger at me, and I leaned in closer. "Did you retrieve what I asked for?"

I'd returned to Earth, to retrieve what he asked for. I still didn't know why he'd asked for a traitor like her, and yet I'd forced myself to be with her for as short a period of time as possible. I was aware of what he wanted, yet I'd served him well as I always did. "Yes."

The King narrowed his eyes at me. "Where is she then?"

I sighed and motioned to the imposing castle walls. "Acquainting herself with our land."

"Do you think those deaths were due to her presence?"

I shrugged. "It's a possibility." The happenstance was too strong for it not to be her.

His eyes bore into mine. "Such power . . . Bring her to me. I want her for the selection. Do not fail this time."

I'd never failed him once before, and even this time, I had retrieved his coveted treasure . . . Lily. A traitor to us all. But for my kingdom, I would do anything, including bringing her into our midst for my King. "Consider it done."

His lip pulled up into a sneer. "I thought I had last time."