Page 51 of Clash of Kingdoms

VINE

Our kingdom might be silent now that the intruders were gone, but the echo of their destruction continued to reverberate against the rock and stone. They’d managed to escape and make it to the surface before we could retaliate.

I made the long journey deep underground, crossing all the bridges to arrive where I desired, the blue shine of the crystal visible from leagues away. The gates opened at my arrival, and I stepped into the domain that was forbidden from everyone else.

I crossed the courtyard with trees made of stone, the light from the crystal so bright it hurt to look directly at it. Even when I looked down, it was uncomfortable, because the gold tile reflected the light the same way a mirror reflected sunlight.

When I entered their fortress, I approached the throne room where the three chairs sat. Last time, it had been only Lord Ashe who entertained me, but now all three Demon Lords were present—fully aware of the travesties I had failed to prevent.

My hands clasped behind my back, and I awaited judgment from the beings that gave me their endless stares. There was a quiet hum in the background, the power of the crystal distinguishable in the silence. It was a tenor, deep like the bottomless chasms, the life of the underworld.

Minutes passed, and nothing was said. Prepared for the onslaught of insults and heated disappointment, I waited for punishment to be announced, but the silence continued, as if it were my responsibility to interrogate myself. “The broken bridge is being repaired as we speak. Construction will continue around the clock until it’s fixed.”

“And the traitorous snake?” It wasn’t Lord Ashe who spoke, but Lord Stone, the Demon Lord to the right. His appearance was much different from the others, with rubbery black skin that was shiny like oil. He had no hair at all, his bald head shiny like the rest of his skin. His eyes were too big for his head. His mouth too big for his face.

“She’s been punished.” It wasn’t she who had received the beating, but one of her hatchlings who were imprisoned in the vault. He was beaten until large tears dripped from her eyes. Only then had I stopped. “I warned her what would happen if she chose wrong again.”

“She’s served us a long time,” Lord Stone said. “Strange for her to have a change of heart so suddenly.”

“The vampire can speak to snakes.” No words were spoken among them, but I saw the connection between their eyes, the way an entire conversation passed within their minds. Beast had been transfixed by him the moment their eyes locked. “How, I do not know.”

Lord Opal held his silence as he stared, not once blinking as he regarded me, his look empty as if he didn’t know who I was. Each Demon Lord was drastically different from the others, their secrets still buried deep behind their eyes.

Lord Stone narrowed his big eyes on me. “Perhaps all vampires have this ability…or perhaps it’s only their kind. In whichever case, the Teeth failed to inform us that the humans have a powerful ally.”

“Rancor said this vampire is acting of his own accord.”

“For now,” Lord Stone said coldly. “Until more of his kind reach these shores. We were supposed to conquer these humans and put them to work just the way we did with their relations on this side of the mountains. A vampire army changes that—drastically.”

“Are you suggesting we attack now?” I asked.

Lord Stone leaned forward slightly, his large eyes formidable in his strange face. “I suggest we take these humans while they’re ripe for the picking. Defeat them. Enslave them. We scour their lands for what we seek, and as a token of our mercy, leave them to live off the barren land rather than execute them all.”

“King Rolfe pleaded for his kingdom and insisted they would never surrender.” I despised humans, viewed them on the same level as livestock on a farm. But this one had more…substance.

“Put a sword to his wife’s throat, and he’ll change his tune. Chop his pretty daughter into little pieces, and he’ll bend the knee. He will fall like the others before him—and he won’t be the last. Prepare the armies to destroy their kingdoms—and put our new prisoners to work.”

ELEVEN

HARLOW

I was dead asleep when I felt it.

The earthquake.

It was gentle, so slight that I wasn’t entirely sure if it was real or just a vivid nightmare. But when I opened my eyes and looked around, Aurelias was already sitting upright because he’d heard it too.

When I sat up, he turned and our eyes met.

It was a long stare, an entire conversation passing between us without a spoken word. Terror gripped me by the throat and squeezed. My heart suddenly hurt, like a powerful fist had punched me square in the chest. Fear like I’d never known kicked me right in the stomach because I knew what that vibration meant.

Aurelias moved his hand to mine and squeezed it—like he felt my terror. “It’ll be okay.”

I continued to breathe hard, looking out the window as if I would see an army rushing us in the distance.

“Baby.” He commanded my gaze.

I looked at him.