My brow furrowed at the odd list. I put down the first letter and read the second. It expressed some frustration with the items that were left, demanding an exact amount of the same items, more wine, some pipe tobacco, and, again, the priestess with the silver runes. The rest of the letters went on the same way, and my breath came short and fast, reading the demanding words, knowing that this vampire king wanted me as a ransom.
By the time I picked up the last one, my eyes were glazed over, and my breath was shallow. I unrolled the scroll, noting the bloodstains on it. The writer warnedthat this was the last letter because the demands had not been met, and there was a consequence.Faith. He demanded one last sacrifice and named a date and time. Three days from now, in the glade. I was to be sacrificed. Just like in the old days, eerily similar to the tales of death and sacrifice that Titus had shared with me.
I put down the letters, staring at High Priestess Merci. Her mouth was set in a firm line, but her eyes were sad.
“You knew of this,” I whispered. “How long has this been going on?”
“Since spring,” High Priestess Merci admitted. “I told Captain Elroy that we were not giving in to these demands, but as they continued, we paid the ransom of goods.”
Mouth dry, I glanced at Captain Elroy, suddenly understanding why he’d asked of me. I was the sacrifice. I’dalwaysbeen the sacrifice.
“I gave in,” Captain Elroy admitted, addressing the High Priestess. “Lucia agreed to come with me, but both times, the vampire king eluded us.”
“Bothtimes?” I asked in surprise. I’d assumed they’d captured the vampire king while I was with Titus. I hadn’t anticipated failure.
Eyes heavy, he nodded at me. “Yes. Two days ago,we were closer than we ever were before, but he escaped into a labyrinth under the mountains.”
“We are going to try again,” the High Priestess explained. She took my hand and squeezed it. “I will go in your place, Lucia. The knights will take the hounds, and we’ll cut off all escape. Once we have the vampire king, we’ll force him to lead us to their base, and then we will destroy them all.”
The plan felt like a fool’s hope, unlikely and impossible. “No,” I pleaded. “Let me go.”
High Priestess Merci shook her head. “You saw what happened to Faith. It’s too dangerous. I’m placing you under the guard of the knights for your own protection. I’ve seen how you’ve changed, Lucia, and it’s not for the better. Something is affecting you, and I believe it’s the same sickness the vampires cast on their victims. No more. You are important, and your place is here. No more sneaking out, no more walking during the night. I want you to be safe. It is my sworn duty to protect the priestesses, to protect this village, and Captain Elroy and I will do so. Together.”
I leaped to my feet and pointed at the letters. “Then why bring me here? Why tell me the truth if you’re not going to let me help?”
“I was wrong,” Captain Elroy explained. “I actedwithout the blessing of the High Priestess, and this situation has gone from bad to worse. If we are to win, we need to stop keeping secrets and act together.”
My lips trembled. “The other night, we were so close.”
Captain Elroy nodded. “We were, and this third time, we will catch him.”
14
LUCIA
Ipaced in my room, alternating between sitting on the bed, knees bouncing until I frustrated myself and sprang up to pace while biting my knuckles. A trail of thoughts thrashed in my mind, torn between yearning and guilt and fear of discovery. Somehow, some way, I had to warn Titus that this time would be a trap, and he needed to stay away.
It would happen three nights from now, which gave me one day and one night to outsmart the knights who stood guard in the abbey. During my years as a priestess, knights had never been welcome to enter the abbey after nightfall. Understandable since the abbey was full of young, single women.
I tried to untangle my thoughts and understand the position of High Priestess Merci. It was possiblethat High Priestess Merci controlled the movements of the garrison and kept us in the dark, likely to keep us from panicking.
And then there were the letters.
I sat down on the edge of my bed and dropped my head into my hands. I’d spent one heavenly day and night with Titus, and if my heart spoke true, I wanted more of him. Not just his touch or his warm body pressing against mine, giving me euphoric pleasure, but his very soul, the essence of who he was, a broken man trying to claw his way back to truth and light. I admired him for his determination, his tenaciousness, and his self-control with me. He’d alluded to the fact that he hadn’t always been a creature of darkness, yet he’d never sucked my blood.
All the same, I’d let down my guard and invited him inside. It was one thing to put myself in danger and another to put the entire abbey in danger. The priestesses were my sisters, my family. . . I closed my eyes against the reminder of Faith’s skin, torn and bloodied. My stomach roiled as I rocked back and forth. I was the one to blame, and I didn’t know how to stop any of this.
A soft knock came at the door, and I leaped to my feet, anxious for a distraction.
Edith’s worried face appeared, and she spokebefore I had the chance. “Lucia, I came to check on you. You disappeared for two days and. . well. . .” She twisted her fingers together, trailing off. “I thought you could use a friend to talk to.”
A friend? A sudden slash of red-hot anger burned in my belly. On some level, I was aware that it was my own guilt and anger I was projecting on her, but ugly words hummed in my mind.Who was Edith but a liar who broke her vows and spent time with Captain Elroy?
Ashamed at my vicious thoughts, I locked my gaze on the hem of her dress as I shuffled back, holding the door open.
“Come in,” I mumbled.
Edith paused, taking in my posture. Instead of embracing me, she strode into the room. Shutting the door, I leaned against it, still avoiding eye contact as I weighed what to say. But Edith went to the window and stared out at the darkness. “It’s terrible what happened to Faith, I can’t imagine what she went through, nor figure out why she was out there at all.”
