After a moment, Adrian turned to me. “I will leave one of my men behind to aid your father, but we must continue on to Revekka.”
I hesitated as he spoke, the hate I felt for him overpowered by a sense of gratitude.
He called to one of his soldiers. “Gavriel!”
A large blond vampire strode forward, his gold armor glinting in the firelight.
“Return to Castle Fiora,” Adrian said. “Take Arith and Ciprian with you.”
“Yes, my king,” he said and then looked at me. “My queen.”
The three wasted no time mounting their horses and setting off in the direction of my home. I worried at their return but hoped my father, at least, would accept their aid.
“Thank you,” I said to Adrian, though the words sounded strange in the space between us.
He did not smile, did not act as if the words affected him.
He crossed the field to his horse. It took me longer to move as I stared at the flames that were now consuming the wooden wall, effectively erasing Vaida from existence. I could not explain the grief I felt for my people or the guilt that burdened me as I prepared to leave them to face this unknown enemy.
But there was a part of me, a small one, that felt like it was some kind of retribution.
I relented and went toward Adrian, mounting his horse. He followed behind me, his body cradling mine as we continued through the darkness.
*
I had expected to relax more as the hours passed on our journey. Instead, I found that I was even more on edge, waiting for the next attack or to find the next massacre. It had only been a day since leaving High City, and yet those hours had been filled with a horror I’d never expected—something far greater than the arrival of vampires at our border.
“You are safe,” Adrian said, and I was conscious of how his hand pressed against my stomach.
“I am safe,” I said. “But what about my people? You said you would protect them.”
“I have given you all I can against magic,” he said.
I wanted to be angry at him for not being that powerful, but I couldn’t muster the energy. Instead, I asked, “I did not think there was anyone left who could speak spells.”
“Do you really believe a king let that kind of power slip through his fingers?” Adrian asked. I turned my head toward him, but with my back to his chest, I could only feel the brush of his jaw against my cheek. He was referring to Dragos, the former king of Revekka, whom he had killed.
“Is that why you murdered him?” I asked. “Because you wanted what he had?”
He did not answer the question. Instead, he said, “So you know my history.”
“Everyone knows your history,” I said. “You stormed the Red Palace and murdered King Dragos and his pregnant wife in their sleep.”
“I did not murder them in their sleep,” he said. “They were dragged from their beds, and when Dragos faced me, he begged for his life to be spared and offered his wife as a gift. I slaughtered him. His wife I spared, but she jumped from her tower window.” He paused and then added, “I did not know she was with child until after her death.”
“Do you think that somehow excuses your actions?”
“I am not seeking a pardon,” he replied.
I expected him to explain himself, to tell me that the murder was justified, but he didn’t, and after that, we did not speak.
We did not travel as long as the previous night, stopping a few hours before sunrise. Once again, when we reached our chosen campground, the tents were already up, and the vampires who had ridden ahead to prepare camp had already lit fires for warmth and food.
“Tomorrow, we will be in Revekka,” he said, following me into our tent. “Do you need anything?”
He seemed in a hurry, which I found strange. I thought he would linger, and I hated to admit that I’d hoped he would. I had questions about spells and witches and the Burning, but if he could read my mind, he did not jump to offer answers. I wasn’t sure if that was due to my emotions not being extreme enough for him to sense what I was thinking or because he wanted to leave, so I shook my head. “No.”
I noted how he swallowed and inhaled a sharp breath. “Then get some rest.”
I would ask him where he was going, but I did not want him to think I was asking him to stay, so I let him go.
Once he was gone, I shed my clothes and curled into Adrian’s warm furs, but I could not sleep. I kept thinking of how quickly those in the castle, at the gates, and in the villages beyond High City had turned on me. Even Killian seemed to think my choice to marry Adrian meant I had chosen a side. Except now, I felt like I was being forced to the only side that had defended me, that had sworn to keep me safe and had actually done so.