Troubled (The Binding Chronicles #4)

12. Darkness Personified

Darkness Personified

F ire ran through Vivienne’s gums, her stomach cramped, and hunger was a hollow pit in her stomach. She wasn’t sure how long had passed since she’d been placed here, but judging by the daggers stabbing her gut, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten, it had been hours, if not days.

She was alone.

Not even rats visited this black pit where the humans had dumped her. The only reason she knew she was still alive was the steady thrum of the dark monster living deep in her soul and the constant drip, drip, drip of water somewhere nearby.

Light didn’t exist here. Even her vampiric sight was no match for this all-consuming blackness.

At least she still had her other senses.

The bitter, cold air tasted of fresh snow. Cold, smooth stones were beneath her, covered in a thin, slick layer of ice. Gouges ran along the walls, methodical straight lines, as though someone had been keeping track of the days they’d spent in here .

Her wings were gone. The cold collar was still clamped around her neck, blocking her from her magic.

Prohiberis.

It was just as horrendous as she’d always imagined it would be.

When she first woke up, she’d called out for the prince, wondering if he was nearby. It hadn’t taken long to realize that she was completely alone.

A long time had passed since then.

Death was coming for her. If not at the hands of the human villagers, which seemed likely at the moment, then from the king for failing to protect her charge.

At this point, Vivienne was done evading death.

Maybe dying would be better than being alive for an eternity. In the hours that had passed since she first woke, she’d replayed their awful encounter with the First countless times. The ancient vampire had been caught in the grips of madness the likes of which Vivienne had never seen.

If that was what happened to vampires who lived for thousands of years, she didn’t want any part of it.

Maybe it was time to be done and leave this life for the next.

Maybe.

A sliver of incandescent silver light shone above Vivienne’s head.

She exhaled a ragged breath at the beautiful sight, her cheeks dampening. Pressing her back against the stone wall, she craned her neck and stared at the light.

It wasn’t long before a dark laugh came from above. Blinking away her tears and steeling herself for whatever was coming, Vivienne kept her gaze trained on the small sliver of light as stone grated against wood.

A cover was lifted, and moonlight shone brightly above her.

Before she could appreciate the sight, three men of varying ages peered down from above at her. Silver outlined their bodies and illuminated the stones around her.

Her stomach dropped as she realized her prison was a dry well. At least her surroundings made sense now, in an awful way.

Her captors leaned over the edge, some fifteen feet above her. Judging by their scents, all three were human. Any hope that Vivienne might have had that they might’ve been friendly dissipated when she took in their hostile expressions.

She wanted to stand up, fight back, and yell at them to release her, but she didn’t think they’d react kindly to that.

Maybe appearing harmless was the way to go. It was worth a shot.

Wrapping her arms around her legs, Vivienne willed a few tears to roll down her cheeks. She curled in her shoulders and curved her spine, trying to appear as small as possible.

A whimper escaped her lips. “Please, help me.”

The words were barely audible, and she didn’t fake the way forcing them out of her dry mouth hurt. The ache in her fangs multiplied, and she trembled.

The youngest of the trio, a teenager with short black hair and dirt streaked across his face, frowned.

“She doesn’t look dangerous,” he said, shifting as though to lower an arm for her. “Maybe we should?—”

A hand smacked his arm away, and the man with salt-and-pepper hair who looked like he had never smiled in his life glared at the teen.

“That’s how they get you, son,” he sneered, his voice thin and reedy. “ Vampires are monsters, the lot of them. Don’t ever let them trick you into thinking otherwise.”

Damn it. Maybe appearing weak hadn’t been the right course of action. Unfortunately, it wasn’t like she had a slew of other available alternatives. The prohiberis was blocking her wings, and she couldn’t climb out. The stones were too slick for that.

Vivienne looked at the youngest man, widening her eyes. “Please. Where is my companion?”

The oldest of the three men scoffed, and his eyes shone with unmasked hatred. “Don’t worry about him. You’ll get to see him soon enough.”

There was nothing comforting about his tone of voice, and Vivienne shivered.

“What do you mean?” Cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck. “When will I see him?”

“Very soon,” the oldest man sneered as he pulled out a small black bag. He reached inside, withdrawing a handful of glittering dust. “Be a good little vampire and stay still.”

The air shifted, and the oldest man had an almost manic gleam in his eyes as he snickered menacingly. Vivienne’s breath caught in her throat, and the three looming humans suddenly seemed far more dangerous than they had moments ago.

She wasn’t even sure what she was begging for when she said, “Please, don’t?—”

He chuckled and blew on the dust. Silver and black glittering particles fell, raining on her. A blood-curdling scream filled Vivienne’s ears. It took her a moment to realize it was coming from her.

Fire swept over her.

Everywhere the dust touched felt like it had erupted into flame. Black spots filled her vision. Her lungs squeezed tighter, tighter, tighter. She tried to brush off the dust, but there was too much of it. Tears poured down her cheeks, and she wept as the pain worsened.

Laughter filled the air, the sound mixing with her screams in a dreadful harmony.

She was vaguely aware of someone lowering a ladder into the well, but she could barely breathe through the pain, let alone fight back.

One of the humans laughed, “Not so dangerous now, are you?”

Something slammed into her temple, and she tumbled headfirst into darkness.

Thank all the gods, the burning faded, and Vivienne’s mind returned to her. That was where her good luck ended, though, because she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

A hundred curses ran through her mind, each worse than the last.

Oh, gods.

This was by far the worst of all the situations Vivienne had found herself in since her Making.

That said something because a few decades ago, she’d been stationed at a remote northern outpost during one of Eleyta’s worst winters on record. She had been alone for an entire month while the blizzard raged, and the solitary existence had nearly driven her to madness.

This made that seem like a summer holiday.

Her hands were stretched above her head to the point of pain. A thick rope was wrapped around them, binding her to a pole. The prohiberis collar was still around her neck, and she was kneeling in snow. A cloth gagged her, the material so tight it was cutting into the corners of her mouth. Tears pricked at her eyes, and her empty stomach felt like a bottomless pit .

The moon was full, and snow fell like sparkling diamonds, blanketing the cobblestones on which she knelt. If death weren’t looming over her, she would’ve loved to paint this scene.

A whispering crowd of humans circled her, blocking her view from the rest of her surroundings. The crowd was almost exclusively made up of men, although there were a few women. No children were present, save for a few babies strapped to their mothers’ chests.

There were nearly a hundred mortals, and every single one looked at her with undisguised hatred. They whispered amongst themselves, their voices low enough that a human wouldn’t be able to hear them.

Unfortunately, Vivienne wasn’t human and had no problem hearing the vitriol spewing from their mouths. If she hadn’t been so hungry, she probably would’ve cried. As it was, her eyes burned.

One person called her a blood-sucking leech. Another commented that it would’ve been better if she’d never been Made. A third cursed her, saying they’d dance on her grave.

Such hateful words coming from people who didn’t even know her. Their disgust for vampire-kind crawled over her skin like millions of ants. It felt like hours passed as they spread their malicious words, although it was probably only a few minutes.

After a while, the crowd shifted, revealing more of her surroundings.

She was in the village square, a slight upgrade from the well. A wooden platform stood forty feet in front of her, and four men were dragging two empty chairs onto it.

And then she looked to her right. Vivienne’s stomach churned, and bile rose in her throat.

Another pole stood a few feet away, and it wasn’t empty.

Marius’s arms were outstretched, his wrists bound like hers, and his chest heaved with labored breaths. He was shivering, his head hung between his shoulders, and his skin was far paler than normal. A gag prevented him from speaking, but the material didn’t seem as tight as hers.

She hissed, trying to get his attention.

The prince’s head slowly turned towards her, his brown eyes widening. He looked like he hadn’t slept for days.

“I’m sorry, Viv,” he whispered around the cloth, his voice rough and broken. “This… my… fault.”

He broke off into a cough, the sound rattling his chest.

His fault?

Perhaps at the beginning, when he dragged her onto this cursed expedition, that was true. But in the end, she was the one duty-bound to keep him safe. She’d let herself get distracted and failed to properly assess the humans as threats.

Now, they were tied to poles in the middle of a hostile human village.

This wasn’t his burden to bear. She shook her head and widened her eyes, hoping he understood what she was trying to say.

This was her fault. She took the blame for all of it. She’d failed him .

Maybe she deserved the prohiberis collar clamped around her neck. It seemed like a fitting punishment.

Lost in the depths of her shame, Vivienne kept her gaze trained on the ground until the whispering died down. Silence blanketed the square, and the air thickened.

Her shoulders tensed as the crowd split into two groups on either side of her and the prince.

Two men, adorned in heavy fur-lined cloaks, golden watches, and silver chains that glimmered in the moonlight, climbed the wooden platform. One sat while the other strode to the edge and looked over the gathering.

“People of Winterwood.” His voice boomed across the silent square. “ As you know, we have suffered a great loss this past week. Several among us lost brothers. Husbands. Sons.”

Muffled weeping came from the crowd. A woman covered her mouth with a scarf and buried her face in her neighbor’s shoulder.

“Yes, Marie. Weep for your husband. Your son.” The man pointed at Marius and Vivienne, his finger quivering. “ They’re the reason why your men will never cross your threshold again. Lucille, it’s their fault Gerome is dead.”

A sob came from the crowd.

“Philippe, your father is gone because of them.”

“Kill them!” came a voice from Vivienne’s left.

“Death to the murderers!”

“Avenge our people!”

More cries for blood came from all around. Each was more desperate than the last.

Vivienne tugged on her restraints desperately. They held firm.

Her head pounded, and her stomach twisted as bloodlust filled the air.

She’d failed, and now…

Death was here.

Vivienne shuddered, lifting her head and seeking out the prince’s gaze.

I’m sorry , she thought.

She never should have let any of this happen.

Eventually, the cries died down, and the man on the stage smiled. “You will get your revenge, but you must be patient. After all, there is a judicial… process that we must follow.”

His words made it sound like things would proceed fairly, but she heard the undertone of what he was saying.

There would be no fair trial here tonight. No chance to plead their innocence. Not really. Even if they were allowed to defend themselves, it wouldn’t matter.

These people wanted blood, and they wanted it now.

The speaker continued, riling the people up into a frenzy. Vivienne barely paid attention to his words, trying desperately to free herself from the bonds.

She wasn’t worried about herself—death was coming for her tonight. But if she could cause a large enough distraction, Marius might be able to get away.

He was young and strong. Surely, he could evade these bloodthirsty humans long enough to find people willing to help him get back to the castle.

Vivienne ignored the crowd and stared at the prince, trying to transmit her plan as best she could. His eyes widened, and he yanked on his bindings. The skin around his hands was bright red, the difference stark against the white snow falling around them.

The second man produced a gavel, which he struck on the side of his chair.

Thwack, thwack, thwack.

The crowd quieted, and he rose from his chair, stepping forward.

“The bodies of our slain countrymen were discovered a few days ago.” He paused, allowing for a flurry of gasps to rise from the crowd. “They’re being brought home for a proper burial, but all evidence points to these two as the culprits. Their necks were torn apart, and they died bloody deaths.”

A woman fainted.

Others screamed and yelled profanities.

Vivienne worked twice as hard to get free. Even if she had to break her thumbs, the pain would be worth it. She just wanted to save the prince before these hateful humans killed her .

She was so focused on waiting for the perfect moment to execute her plan that she almost missed the dark wisps pooling at the base of the platform.

Almost.

But she did see them, and her heart rate picked up. Her breath caught in her throat, and her hands grew slick.

None of the humans seemed to notice the new shadows. They were all focused on the men who, if the cheers that rose all around them were any indication, had just declared them guilty.

So much for getting to defend themselves.

Vivienne didn’t bother looking up, the shadows solidifying until they were inky pools of nothing.

Someone screamed profanities at her.

She didn’t blink.

Even if the world began to quake and stars fell from the heavens, she wouldn’t look away from the scene unfolding before her.

The darkness that had resided in her soul since the night of her Making sang as power—true, unadulterated power that could bring death in the flash of an eye—stepped into the square.

Shadows rippled around the pair of vampires.

One was much taller than the other; their hands were joined, and an aura of strength and violence radiated from them.

These weren’t just creatures of the night.

They were darkness personified.

The most powerful beings in the land.

Crowns rested on their brows, but neither required the marker of royalty.

Enormous midnight wings hung from their backs, and the night air shimmered with darkness as their presence forced light away.

They were the night and power and strength itself .

Vivienne exhaled, her shoulders loosening for the first time since she saw the sliver of light. She didn’t know how they were here, and frankly, she didn’t care.

The king and queen had arrived.

For a moment, the royals stood still, their dark gazes sweeping over the crowd.

Then, someone gasped.

The air, which had been filled with feverish bloodlust only minutes before, shifted. Silence fell upon the village, and the distinct aroma of fear flooded Vivienne’s senses.

More shadows streamed behind the royals, and moments later, two more vampires stepped out of the darkness. Phyrra, the king’s spymaster, and another vampire that Vivienne didn’t recognize.

The king’s eyes darkened, his fangs flashed, and a deafening roar echoed through the square.

Vivienne sagged against the pole.

Thank the gods; the prince would be safe.