Behind me, near-silent footsteps haunted my path. Shildreth’s intel had been correct. The scouts were already here. I only hoped Shildreth would be able to trace where they had entered the keep and secure it, so that none of Menelaus’s demons could hope to snuff out the vampire king in his sleep. The many servants and soldiers on the upper floors reassured me, but still I worried.
The demons picked up their pace, hot on the trail of their prey. I continued my leisurely tour, as if oblivious to them.
I knew I would never return from Decanum. Never see Paris’s face again. But this was the only way to end the demon who would see the keep and all within it dead. And Menelaus had the power to make it happen with the snap of his fingers. I did not look forward to my fate, but neither did I fear it. I would die as a warrior and take Menelaus down with me. My heart faltered at the thought of losing Paris, but this was the only way to give him a chance to become the king I knew he could be.
A hand dropped over my mouth, silencing the scream I didn’t bother making. The assailant forced a cloth to my nose, the scent like summer flowers tinged with something darker. It was the darkness that overtook me.
Chapter Thirty-One
Paris
Faren and I had walked through the village at the edge of the keep and inside the high walls. It had once been filled with scores of vampire families, though portions of it were now decayed and gone under Desmerada’s harsh rule.
The few vampires who still lived there were hesitant at first, scared that I would be just another Desmerada. But they began to speak with me and show me their shops and homes. I was humbled by them. They had suffered so much under Desmerada’s rule, but persevered, surviving and raising families. They were the future of the race, not the dark and twisted nobles who had laid waste to Priam’s legacy.
We continued along until the suns began their gradual descent. We’d circled the great keep and moved up another level to the Nobles’ Road. The houses here were grander but silent—their masters having fled or taken up residence in the dungeon. I was pleased to see the Darkwood vampires moving in along the road, as well as some of the villagers with larger families. The crimson was coming down here, as it was all over the keep.
The friendly little girl from the village was helping her mother unload their sparse belongings from a cart. I strode up and petted the family’s friendly amaranth before hefting several heavy bags and a ragged chest of drawers up the grand steps into the home. The items from Darkwood clashed with the glitzy interior of the manor house, though I rather enjoyed the meeting of the worlds.
The mother bowed, and the child did her best to do the same. I caught her before she toppled onto her nose. I settled her back on her feet as she darted her shy gaze away. “That bow was good, but it may need a little more work, precious one.”
Her mother bowed even lower. “Askenith.”
“Shakorah.”
“Halt!” Faren yelled from outside the building.
I tensed and glanced to the main road. “Stay here and lock the door.”
The mother obeyed as I rushed out onto the stoop, closing the door behind me. Faren stood on the bottom step, his sword drawn as a vampire came running down the road at a hellish pace.
“It is I, my lord.” The runner stopped and bent, putting his hands on his knees.
Faren recognized him and sheathed his blade. “What’s got you running like one of Arachne’s spiders is after you?”
“Shildreth sent me. They’ve taken her.”
“My Shildreth? Where, who?” Faren dashed to the exhausted soldier.
“No, not her. Askenor. The demons came for her. Shildreth sent me to find you.”
My blood turned to ice. If Menelaus even thought to harm Helen… I yelled to the amethyst firmament, my anger a scourge on the air.
I rushed to the winded soldier and dragged him up by his collar. “How long has she been gone?”
“Hours, my lord. I tried to find you, I ran through the village, I-I—”
I didn’t wait to hear the rest. Dropping the soldier, I took off up the steep road leading to the keep. Faren followed close behind. I blew through the open keep doors and hurried to the throne room. Shildreth sat there on the steps, her face drawn.
“They took her through a lower corridor. A secret passage even the servants didn’t know about. I’m so sorry, my lord. So sorry.”
I paced, trying to think of a plan, some way to get to Decanum and reclaim Helen. But she was the tactician, and she was gone beyond my reach.