“Your eyes! They… they’re green.”
I heaved a sigh.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. They change every now and then. What was it you wanted?”
Still staring at my eyes, he said, “You’re going to be late for lunch. It’s in five minutes.”
“I’m not hungry.”
I motioned to close the door, but he held out his hand. “Rhys’ orders.”
I scowled.
“All right. I’ll be down.”
I closed the door and pulled on some clothes before heading down to the dining room. The high-ceilinged hall was already almost full with vampires and witches. I made my way over to the end of the table where I took a seat in between Helina and Erik.
“Kiev! Your eyes,” Helina gasped as soon as she saw me. “They’re green!”
“Yes, I’m aware,” I said dryly, rubbing my temples.
“How?”
I gave her the same answer I’d given Erik. And before she could ask more questions, Rhys stood up and raised his hands for silence.
I glanced briefly at Mona. She sat next to Rhys, her eyes fixed on her plate. Her face was ashen.
Silence fell upon the hall.
“I assume the word has got out already.” His eyes traveled along the table. “We have a traitor in our midst.”
I stared right back at him as his gaze reached me. He didn’t linger on me any longer than the others.
“What I thought might have been a foolish mistake is now clearly much more. Somebody released the humans on our island just after the humans here went missing. Since the Novalics have been unsuccessful at finding the culprit, Efren and I will take over from here. We will be interrogating each and every one of you. We will get to the bottom of this, so I suggest that you admit it now rather than drawing out the pain. Because we will find you.”
Mona’s hand clenched around her fork. Helina tensed beside me.
I kept my breathing calm and steady as I watched Rhys.
“Interrogations will be conducted in here. We’ll begin directly after lunch.” He turned to the right of the table and pointed to the first two vampires sitting there. “You two will be first.” He looked back at everyone else. “Make sure you’ve finished eating by two o’clock sharp. Nightly rituals will also be paused until we’ve caught this traitor.”
Rhys sat back down and continued to glare at us.
I swallowed back three glasses of blood and stood up. I didn’t give Helina the chance to hold me back. I melded in with a group of vampires hurrying out of the hall. I slipped out of the entrance and walked around the back of the castle, where one was less likely to bump into people.
I needed some fresh air to clear my head.
If I was to be suspected, it would be due to Tiarni. I needed to make sure she wouldn’t tell. Because if she did, although I wasn’t particularly worried about what would happen to me, it would affect my siblings.
A hiss came from behind me.
“Kiev!”
Mona stood ten feet away from me. She wore black gloves and a cloak over her long dress. I closed the distance between us.
Her eyes were wide. “I need to meet you back in your room. While Rhys is busy with the interrogation. Go there now. I’ll follow in five minutes.”
She turned and walked away.
I did as she requested and returned to my apartment.
She knocked on the door a few minutes later.
“Tiarni,” she breathed.
I nodded.
“Have her here in your room by ten o’clock tonight. I don’t have time to explain. Just do it.”
She turned to leave. I reached out to grab her hand.
“Leave me.”
“What are you planning?”
She struggled against me. “I don’t have time to—”
“You’ll kill her too?”
She stopped struggling and stared at me for several moments.
Her lips parted, and I thought she was about to answer. But then she vanished into thin air.
Chapter 5: Mona
Rhys didn’t pay attention to me for most of the day. He was busy interrogating vampires and witches, and then scouring the island along with his two sisters in search of Celice.
I spent most of my day round the back of the castle, watching the entrance to the island’s underground spell room. Efren was in there for hours and I was beginning to lose hope that he’d ever leave, but finally he emerged from the trapdoor, leaving me less than two hours to concoct the potion I needed for later that night.
I ducked down further into the bushes, waiting with bated breath until he’d disappeared from sight. Then I crept toward the door. I fumbled around for the clasp and lifted it up. I hurried down the steps and shut the door over me. I had to hope that none of the witches would need to use the room for the next couple of hours. If someone came in and asked what I was concocting, I’d just have to make something up.
I looked around the dim circular chamber. A rusty smell of human blood wafted into my nostrils. Shelves of potions and leather-bound books lined the walls. Also fixed to the walls were wide wooden counters, upon which lay various knives and other metal utensils. Two young women were chained in one corner, both on the floor, unconscious.
Focus, Mona. You don’t have much time.
Averting my eyes away from them, I approached one of the shelves. Heaving off a thick black book, I placed it down on the counter. I flipped through the fading parchment pages until I reached the recipe I needed.
My breath hitched as I looked at the complexity of it. I looked around the ingredients shelves and prayed that we had everything.
I approached one of the cauldrons in the center of the room and stoked a fire. I ran around the room, collecting bottles off the shelves and tipping them into the black pot. Fortunately, we did have everything. Arielle always made sure that we were well stocked.
The cauldron bubbled and spluttered as I churned it. An hour later, it had formed into a thick orange liquid. I sniffed it, worrying that I might have burnt it.
I scraped it out of the cauldron and poured it into a metal goblet. Then I cleaned up, leaving the room in the state that I’d found it.
Concealing the goblet with my cloak, I climbed out of the spell room and closed the trapdoor behind me.
Then I transported myself back to Rhys’ chambers to check if he had returned yet. Relieved to see that he hadn’t, I walked straight out of the room and toward Kiev’s apartment. I ducked down in the shadows in the far end of his corridor and waited.
It was ten o’clock and Tiarni still hadn’t shown up, so I could only assume that Kiev had gotten her in there before I had arrived. Either that, or he’d failed to lure her in.
I walked over to his door and placed my ear against the door.
Soft moaning.
She’s in there.
I opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind me as quietly as I could.
I crept along the hallway and peeked through the bedroom door, which had been left open.
I felt a sharp twinge in my chest as I caught sight of the redhead lying beneath Kiev in his bed. Although they were still clothed, the way he was touching her cut me deep. Swallowing back the pain, I ducked down on the floor and crawled until I was as close as possible to where they were lying.
I raised my head up to the bed’s level. Tiarni’s eyes were closed as Kiev kissed her, but he noticed me. I held up the goblet. He seemed to understand.
“Close your eyes,” he whispered into Tiarni’s ear, his voice hoarse and seductive.
“Why?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Okay,” she breathed.
He kept one hand over her eyes while he reached the other hand out to me. I passed him the goblet.
“Open your mouth.”
Tiarni did as she was told and Kiev tipped the liquid down her throat. She coughed and spluttered.
&nb
sp; “Wha-what are you…”
Her voice trailed off as the liquid began to take effect.
Kiev crawled off of her and stood next to me as we both stared down at her. Her eyeballs rolled in their sockets and her whole body trembled. As soon as her lips began to swell, I gripped her head between my hands and closed my eyes, picturing the visions that I was about to implant in her as memories.
The night the humans escaped The Shade, you let them out. You also let the humans free on your own island. You did this to take revenge on Rhys for shunning you all these years in favor of Mona who is nothing but a traitor. You’ve never forgiven him for it. You knew how important his and Isolde’s rituals are to him right now, so you wanted to disrupt them. While you were freeing the humans on your own island, Celice followed you and tried to stop you. You killed her and dumped her body in the sea.
I let go of her.
She stopped trembling and her eyelids flickered shut.
I swallowed back the lump in my throat and looked up at Kiev.
“There’s no ritual tonight,” I croaked. “She needs to stay with you now until morning. By about nine o’clock, she will wake up with the memories I implanted in her… and her confession will force out of her lips when Rhys interrogates her.”
“What confession?”
“You’ll see.”
My hands trembling, I rushed out of the room.
Tiarni always had gone out of her way to make my life hell, but I knew the kind of punishment that would befall her now. A punishment that even she could never deserve.
But it was done now. I’d made my decision. I’d taken it upon myself to sacrifice her life in favor of ours. It was too late for regrets or second thoughts.
Two murders. In the space of a few days.
Who will be next?
Chapter 6: Kiev
Mona is darker than I imagined.
I still didn’t understand what fate would befall Tiarni or even what she would confess to Rhys, but I knew enough about the warlock by now to know that he wouldn’t let her off lightly.
As Mona had predicted, Tiarni woke up at about nine o’clock. She looked up at me and smiled seductively. She clearly didn’t remember anything about Mona interrupting us.
“Good morning, Kiev.”
I kept Tiarni occupied in my room until I heard a knock at the door. I opened it to see Efren, her ginger brother, standing there.
“Rhys wants to see you both now.”
I walked back into the bedroom.
“It’s your brother,” I said. “Get dressed.”
“Why?”
“Rhys needs to talk to us.”
Panic filled her eyes. I picked up her gown from the floor and helped her get into it. Catching her by the hand, I led her out of the room, hoping Efren wouldn’t detect anything strange about her behavior as we walked. Thankfully, he walked ahead of us so he didn’t.
The more we neared the dining hall, the more Tiarni dragged her feet. I picked her up and carried her the rest of the way. I put her down once we arrived outside the entrance.
Efren glanced at his sister just before we entered. “You look so pale.” He frowned, lifting a hand to her cheek. “It’s nothing to worry about, Tiarni. It’s just Rhys and I going through procedure.”
Afraid at what he was seeing in her, I tugged on Tiarni’s arm and pulled her into the room. Rhys sat at the end of the long table, leaning back in his chair, one boot resting on the seat next to him.
He remained silent, watching us as we each pulled up a chair.
Once we were sitting, he cleared his throat.
His eyes settled on me first.
“Novalic, I admit that I barely know you, but your siblings have been loyal to us for many years now.” He picked up a quill and placed it down on a piece of parchment. “Tell me, where were you the night the humans—”
“I did it,” Tiarni blurted out. Her knuckles were white as she clenched her fists together on the table, her nostrils flaring as she began to take in shallow breaths. “I freed the humans.”
Efren’s jaw dropped.
Rhys was also stunned into silence, his lips parting as he stared at her.
“Tiarni,” Efren gasped. “What are you saying?”
“I did it. I set all the humans free, both on this island and also back home!”
“Why would you do that?” Rhys spoke this time, his voice low and menacing.
“Because of you!” Tiarni screamed, jumping up from her seat and walking over to Rhys, glaring down at him. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to return my love. But every time, you turned me away for that scrawny blonde. Even Kiev I only slept with hoping to make you jealous!” She sank to her knees and began sobbing. “I’ve taken your insults for too long, Rhys. I needed to do something to soothe the wounds you’ve caused me.”
Rhys stood up, towering over her, his chest heaving.
Efren jumped up and placed his hand over Tiarni’s forehead. He looked up at Rhys with desperate eyes.
“Can’t you see she’s sick? Rhys, listen to me. There’s no way in hell my sister would have done this.” He turned to face Tiarni and shook her. “What are you saying? Of course you didn’t do this.”
In two strides Rhys had walked over and pulled Efren away from his sister. He reached for her ear and twisted it until she yelped in pain.
“Once and for all, I will punish you for this stubborn infatuation you have with me.” He threw her down, her head bashing against the stone floor.
Rhys picked up his pen and parchment and, glaring at Efren, said, “This investigation is over.”
He reached back down to pick up Tiarni. He caught hold of her long hair and pulled her into a standing position.
Tears streamed down her cheeks and her lips quivered as she breathed, “I-I also murdered Celice.”
A stunned silence fell upon the hall.
“Celice followed me back home,” Tiarni cried. “I killed her and dropped her body in the sea. R-Rhys, I only did it because—”
Efren yelled and gripped Tiarni by the throat, choking her before she could utter another incriminating word.
But it was too late.
Rhys burned with a fury so wild, I could practically feel his blood boiling. Tiarni screamed as he pounced on her, and they both vanished.
Chapter 7: Mona
All the residents of the island gathered that night on the beach. We stood around a heap of wood. Rhys had insisted on building the pyre himself.
Julisse and Arielle had scanned the island in search of Celice one last time at the plea of Efren, just to check that Celice definitely wasn’t here and this wasn’t all just a strange lie by Tiarni. Of course, they’d returned unsuccessful.
Now Rhys prepared the wood, his face white. He walked over to Tiarni, who lay semi-conscious on the ground a few feet away. Now, he wanted her to be fully conscious again.
Rhys had already pried away her fingernails and toenails one by one with a blunt knife. Then he’d torn away her hair with his bare fists, until her scalp was a patchy, bloody mess. We had all watched, as was our custom whenever a traitor was found among us. Even Efren had been forced to stand by. I looked at the scattered nails and hair on the sand a few meters away.
Now, Rhys stripped Tiarni naked and threw her clothes on the pyre.
“No!” she shrieked, coming to consciousness again and clutching Rhys’ shirt. “Please don’t do this. Rhys, I love you! I love you! I’ve always loved you—”
“Silence!”
Rhys struck her with his fist so hard I was sure he’d broken her jaw.
He tied her against the post erected in the center of the wood, fixing her there with magic bonds that no amount of struggling could break free from.
I looked at Efren. He had averted his eyes to the ground, tears spilling down his cheeks.
A spark emanated from Rhys’ palm and a fierce bonfire erupted. We all took a step back from the sudden heat.
Tiarni’s bloodcurdling sc
reams filled the night air.
Rhys resumed his place next to me, his jaw clenched, his hollow black eyes flickering against the flames.
I felt like I was about to throw up. My stomach had twisted itself into knots so tight I could barely breathe.
I should be the one burning in that fire right now. And yet I decided to save my life at the cost of an innocent’s.
How could I have done this?
What is happening to me?
I held my hands against my ears as the flames licked Tiarni’s skin and melted her through to the bone.
I choked on the smoke as it stung my eyes. The smell of burnt flesh pervaded the area—a stench that even the sea breeze was having trouble dissipating.
Julisse and Arielle stood on the other side of Rhys, sobbing in each other’s arms. Isolde, their aunt, who stood still further along, had an expression almost as controlled as Rhys.
Rhys’ face was still ashen, his eyes still fixed on the fire.
Sensing my gaze on him, he muttered, “And this is what we do to traitors.”
I shivered.
I feared that Rhys’ darkness had penetrated my being too much already. Without me even realizing it.
As I looked back at the flames that had now devoured the young redhead, one thought circled in my mind:
I need to get away from this life.
Chapter 8: Kiev
I had never cared for the redhead, but I wouldn’t have wished such a fate upon her.
The crowd finally dispersed as the bonfire began to dim. Rhys turned to Efren before leaving and pointed to the heap of his sister’s nails and hair on the sand. “Burn those too,” he said.
Efren glared after Rhys as he walked away. It looked like it was all he could do to stop himself from attacking Rhys.
I had looked over at Mona from across the bonfire several times throughout the burning. Her expression had been hard to read. I still couldn’t shake the surprise over what she had done. Even I wouldn’t have been so quick to condemn Tiarni to such a fate.
I waited for the hushed crowds to leave, and I avoided joining my siblings even though they beckoned me over. I told them that I would stay outside a while longer.