The vampire queen stood near the window, where she’d been watching this entire scene play out. If any of it fazed her, she didn’t let it show.
“Put out a call for the eligible princesses from the six kingdoms to come to the palace at once,” he told her. “I will meet them, and we will enact your idea of creating a show of the whole event. Because soon, I will choose one of them to join my side as a future princess of the Vale.”
Annika
The dungeons were so dark and empty that I had no sense of time.
After Camelia had given me the potion to cure my vampire blood hangover, I’d tried calling out to the humans in the other cells. No one answered. I was either alone, or still trapped within the sound barrier she’d casted earlier.
I’d searched the cell for an escape, but found none. I hadn’t thought I would. No human had ever escaped the dungeons. Once they were brought here, they were never heard from again.
There was no way out on my own. So I shivered and lay on the floor, reminding myself of the blood oath. While it might feel like it, my situation was far from hopeless. I wasn’t just another human who’d been brought here to be fine dining for a royal vampire.
For some reason, Camelia’s special seeing crystal believed I was destined to find this sapphire ring she desired so badly. And once I brought her the ring, I would get what I’d wanted for months—I would become a vampire. I could leave the Vale and fend for myself in the world of supernaturals. I would no longer be weak. I would no longer be hunted.
I wasn’t sure where I would go after becoming a vampire, but at least I would be free. And hopefully, wherever I went, Jacen would come with me. We hadn’t known each other for long, but there was a connection between us—I felt it, and I knew he felt it too. He wouldn’t have tried to help me escape if he hadn’t. He wouldn’t have fought the vampire guards after Camelia had found us in the woods. I believed him that he’d changed since going on that murderous rampage one year ago.
However, he was a vampire prince destined to help rule this kingdom. He couldn’t just up and leave.
Then again, maybe staying in the Vale as a vampire wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, especially with the ears of the prince. Perhaps, with Jacen’s help, the two of us could change the way the entire kingdom was run. We could petition Queen Laila to stop kidnapping humans, give them actual rights… and give them a choice if they wanted to stay or leave.
But I was getting ahead of myself. I needed to take this one step at a time.
The first step was completing Camelia’s task and getting that sapphire ring.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Camelia arrived at my cell. She wore all black—as always—the only color on her outfit was the green pendant she wore around her neck.
“It’s dawn,” she informed me. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” I told her, since it was true. The potion she’d given me hadn’t just cured my hangover—it made me feel like I’d just eaten a full meal, too.
“Good.” She lowered herself so she was level with me, reached for my arm through the bars, and suddenly, the world vanished around me.
Annika
In an instant, we were standing on a snow-covered mountain—and my entire body felt like it had been turned inside out.
Camelia let go of my arm and I fell to the ground.
The world spun around me, and I took a few deep breaths, holding onto the ground to steady myself. There were no trees around us, and the air felt so thin that I had to focus on making sure I had enough of it to breathe.
“What…” I started, looking up at her in shock. “What did you just do? Where are we?”
“We’re at the peak of the mountain that leads to the Crystal Cavern,” she told me. “The entrance is right behind you. I teleported us here.”
“Teleported?” I repeated, turning around to see this entrance she spoke of. Sure enough, there was a slim opening in the rocks, leading into what appeared to be pitch-black darkness.
“The act of transporting across a distance instantaneously,” she said simply.
“I know what the word means,” I snapped, standing up and brushing the snow off my jeans. “I just didn’t know it was possible.”
“It takes a significant amount of magic,” she said. “Especially when teleporting someone with me. So I only do it when necessary.”
“You didn’t teleport with Mike.” I shivered, my wet jeans feeling like ice on my skin. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to warm up, but it didn’t do much to help. “You brought him on your golf cart.”
Camelia waved her hand, and my jeans were dry. She also must have created some kind of warmth bubble around us, because the temperature rose from hypothermia inducing to somewhat tolerable. “I dropped him off at the base of the mountain,” she said. “Teleporting him wasn’t necessary.”
“And it was with me?” I asked.
“Yes.” She narrowed her eyes, her voice like ice.
“I suppose you’re not going to tell me why?”
“No.” She smiled and pulled something out of her bag—a flashlight. “Take this. You’re going to need it.”
I took it from her and pressed the button to make sure it worked.
It did.
“The batteries are fresh,” she said. “It’ll have more than enough juice to light your way through the cavern.”
“Thank you.” I gripped the flashlight, gazing back at the entrance to the cave.
“Wait to thank me until you have that ring,” she said. “And remember—touch nothing in the cavern other than the ring.”
“Why?” I quickly shifted my focus back to her. “What will happen if I do?”
“The cavern is full of dangerous items.” She lowered her voice, as if afraid someone would overhear. “They’re items of dark magic. There are reasons they’re locked in there. For example, the seeing crystal. It has such strong powers that if someone other than a witch touches it, it scorches them to death. Like what happened to your friend Mike.”
I shuddered at the image that flashed through my mind.
“It wasn’t pretty.” She nodded, as if to rub it in.
“And the sapphire ring?” I asked. “Why am I able to retrieve it and no one else?”
“I have no idea.” Camelia scowled. “The seeing crystal wouldn’t reveal that information. But make sure that once you find the ring, you don’t touch the gem. Touch only the setting.”
“What happens if I touch the gem?” I asked.
“So many questions.” Camelia rolled her eyes. “Don’t you realize that everything I’m telling you is for your own safety?”
“I’m just curious,” I told her. “Sorry.”
She watched me for a few seconds, as if contemplating how much to reveal. “Touching the gem will release great magic,” she said with a huff. “You can’t risk touching it without a witch nearby to protect you.”
“I assume you’re referring to yourself?” I asked.
“Who else?” She straightened her shoulders. “We made a blood oath—I’m bound by magic to ensure you survive this mission, so that I can see through your transformation into vampire. If I break the oath, my blood will turn to poison and I’ll die. We’re on the same side. I’m not sure what else I can do to prove it.”
I pressed my lips together, saying nothing. After all, she had a point. Camelia might have inadvertently gotten Mike killed—and I would never forget it—but I needed to stop thinking of her as the enemy.
“You’re right.” I turned to face the cave, taking another deep breath to calm my nerves and readying the flashlight.
“Of course I am,” she said. “Now—go. And don’t come back out until you have that ring.”
Annika