“What the hell are you looking at?” I demand.
He frowns, unsurprised and not amused. He’s been lounging by the wall this whole time, leaning against a space between two paintings. I notice my reflection in the mirror on the other side of the room, realize how angry I look.
I try to gather my wits and affect a neutral expression. It’s hard.
“You’re day-dreaming about her again, aren’t you?” he asks. He gives a little laugh, then waves his hand. “No, don’t tell me. I know you well enough to be able to see when your memories turn to the girl. What a shame she got away, and you had to be saddled with Eleira, isn’t it?”
His voice is dripping with sarcasm.
“Careful, brother,” I warn, voice low. “You are on very thin ice.”
“Am I?” he wonders. He looks at his nails. “So far, not a single thing I’ve done has netted me any punishment—though the gods alone know how. Let’s see!” He starts counting on his fingers. “I fought you. I attacked Eleira. I had an oath cast onto me, yes, but so what? I betrayed both of you to Mother, and then I whisked her away and sheltered her as she told me to do, going against Eleira’s direct orders. My ‘punishment’ for that was accompanying you to find the Forsaken Sisters, where, once again, we fought, and I won. Yet, despite all that, dear brother, here I stand, in your room, as free a vampire as you.”
“Your luck will run out, eventually,” I growl. “Eleira will catch onto you.”
He laughs. “Will she? Is that what you believe? Would it be that much of a stretch to say that she has grown accustomed to these sorts of… exploits… out of me? That is enough to carry me very far.”
“Keep at it. You’re delusional.”
“Am I?” He walks up to me, gets right in my face. “I think your dear Eleira has a soft spot for me. After all, we’ve all seen how her attraction for you has fizzled out.”
I show him my fangs and hiss. “You had best choose your next words very carefully, little brother.”
“Oh, no, I’ve provoked you, haven’t I?” He steps in even closer, until only a hair separates me from him.
“What are you going to do, Raul?” he whispers. “Fight me? You have an all-time losing record. And you can’t kill me, remember? Thanks to our new witch friends, you are bound to me, and I to you.”
“Only if I kill you,” I smile back. “Nothing says I cannot maim you. You unleashed this darkness in me. Next time we fight, I won’t hold back.”
“That sounds like a challenge.”
“Try me,” I dare. “Touch me once, and see what I can do. If you’re so confident in your ability now.”
He holds eye contact, not backing down. The tension builds.
Suddenly, it’s interrupted by a knock at the door. We both look that way.
“Answer it,” Phillip says. “It’s your room.”
“Saved by the bell,” I mutter, and go to the door.
A royal guard greets me on the other side. “The Queen has ordered the stronghold excavated,” he informs me. “Geordam wants you in charge.”
I glance back at Phillip, who is looking on with a distinguished look.
“I didn’t know anything happened to the Stronghold.”
“Parts of it collapsed,” he says. “When the Tentoria attacked. You were there.”
“Oh,” I say. “That. I thought you meant something new. Never mind. When did the Queen ask for it to be done?”
“Immediately,” the guard says. “We’ve already made the rounds and gathered up the other vampires who will help. You’re to lead the expedition. Your team is waiting for you.”
“Well, there’s something I can do,” I murmur. “What about my brother? Were there any instructions sent for him?”
“None that I know of.”
“All right,” I say. “Tell the vampires to wait for me outside the Stronghold. I’ll be there momentarily.”
He gives a proper salute. “Yes, my Prince.”
I close the door and go to my closet to pick out the proper jacket for the occasion.
Phillip taps his lips. “Now, why would Eleira want the Stronghold restored, and what about it is so important as to put you in charge?”
“You sound envious,” I quip, sorting through the hanging clothes until I come upon the coat I want. It’s something like an ancient Visigoth warrior might wear—dark, heavy, Goth. Rather intimidating, with the dark-studded leather chest pieces and a thick, high collar of fur. I throw it over shoulders and push my arms through the sleeves.
“Get ready,” I tell Phillip. “You’re coming with me.”
He looks at me askance. “Eleira only requested you.”
“Yes, but if you think I’m leaving you out of my sight, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“Relegated to being nothing more than a baby sitter,” he mumbles, giving me a mocking grin. “That’s quite a fall from grace for you.”
“Shut it, and let’s go.”
We leave the apartments and start for the stronghold. As we pass through the fields, I can’t help but marvel at all the scorched earth around me. Eleira did all this, all on her own. She defeated all the Tentoria and had not a single vampire casualty to show for it.
That’s incredible to me.
We arrive at the entrance to find about forty vampires gathered, half Incolam and half Elite.
I wonder at the split proportions, but don’t comment. It seems the Elite are just as happy to curry favor with Eleira as they had been with Mother.
“All right,” I say, strolling into their midst. “Listen up. The Queen has asked for the stronghold to be restored. I don’t know why, but that is not for us to ask. I was there when the roof fell. I don’t know how extensive the damage is. It might be isolated just to one shaft. Or, just as likely, it might extend all the way into the far reaches. Our job, as I understand it, is to clear the way so that all of the stronghold is accessible. Is that understood?”
The response is a chorus of “ayes.”
“Fine. We split into two teams. One to break down the rock standing in the way. The other to carry the debris out. Two teams, two tasks. We will switch our responsibility halfway through, so the workload is equal. Let’s go.”
I lead the way underground, Phillip right behind me. “How perfectly egalitarian,” he whispers, mocking my command.
I let that remark slide.
We reach the crater. It goes down quite far.
“The Queen cast a lid of sorts over it,” one of the vampires says. “She did it to trap the white things from getting out.”
And this is where I lost Cassandra, I think.
“The other side is what we need to clear out,” I say, gesturing to the fallen rock. I walk up to the edge of the crater. “Is this secure?”
“It was meant to keep them from coming out. It should have the same solid base from this side,” Phillip says.
I look over my shoulder at him. “How would you know? You weren’t here.”
“I know how magic works,” he sneers and walks out in front of me, right to the middle of the crater. It looks as if he’s walking on air.
“I still want a plank put across it,” I inform the others. “It’s a long way down.”
I single out some vampires to run and get the necessary materials.
Phillip has already crossed to the other side. “You’re too cautious, brother!” he calls out. “The spell Eleira cast is perfectly sound! It can carry all of our weight and a lot more, besides.”
“I’d rather not risk it,” I mutter under my breath. I turn back to the vampires. “You wait here,” I say, then dash across to meet Phillip on the other side.
“Listen,” I hiss, pulling him close. “I know the game you’re playing. But remember the hierarchy. And remember who Eleira put in charge. Just because I’m reliant on you because of the spell the Forsaken Sisters cast doesn’t mean I’ll hesitate to put you in your place. Down here,” I glance at the others, “where so many would see.”