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Arianna slowed the horse, halting us a mile out from the bridge. The carriage creaked beneath the wind’s push as the forest parted ahead. A herd of derward broke through the trees, long-bodied creatures gliding across the trail in a wave of haunting light. Their antlers shimmered like living crowns, casting gold across the snow. Hollow skulls glowed from within, ethereal and eerie, a beauty born of bone and luminescence.

Martha leaned forward, eyes wide, watching them pass in astonishment.

Our lone horse neighed sharply, as if calling out to distant kin, but the derward didn’t break stride. They floated deeper into the forest until the last set of antlers vanished into the frost.

“We’re about twenty minutes from the city,” Arianna said at last, breaking the quiet as we creaked across the bridge. Two guards stood at the far end, dipping their heads in acknowledgment as we passed. Their golden steel armor gleamed beneath the moons, the royal crest carved boldly into their breastplates. Long blades hung at each hip, reflecting violet light.

“We just need to get around these mountains,” Arianna continued, tone steady. “Then we’ll be there. So keep your senses sharp, Martha.”

Martha arched a brow at the command but nodded. “I’ll do my best. I still remember how Mark smells; it stuck with me. Even if I can’t recall William’s face, I’ll track him.”

Once the guards were far behind us, Arianna snapped the reins, urging the horse faster up the winding terrain. The steed’s breath puffed white into the night as she cracked the leather again, demanding more speed through the frost. The canyon walls rose around us, stone cliffs carved with deep etchings. Each groove, each line, told a story, ancient scenes preserved with remarkable detail. Not just art. Memories trapped in stone.

We climbed higher, and the distant lights of Ameega began to appear, small, flickering glimmers dotting the snow like fallen stars. The wilderness faded behind us, replaced by the first hum of life. Carriage wheels clattered along the far streets. Aromas of simmering meals drifted in the air—Elguto homes steeped in old-world spices. Music floated on the breeze, low and spiritual, humming like a prayer beneath the city’s breath.

While we descended into Ameega’s heart, a towering statue rose over the rooftops. The city’s namesake stood immortalized in metal, Ameega herself, regal and somber.

One hand rested over her full belly.

Her face, though expressionless in sculpture, carried a sorrow that seemed alive. Thoughtful. Burdened. As if she bore not only life…but the weight of every secret Velarune ever buried.

TAINTED| CHAPTER 26

Transgressions

Valentina’s POV

The horse led us down a snowy, cemented road, flanked by buildings stacked high on either side, leaning into each other like tired shoulders. Dim tea-lights hung over every threshold, casting soft yellow pools onto the shadowed streets. Behind fogged shop windows, life stirred. Young women browsed racks of clothing, their laughter muted by glass. Men lounged inside pubs serving spiked blood. Even on the street, elder vampires prowled quietly, lost in their own rhythms.

Though Ameega was considered the poorest part of the land, it felt rich with life. The warmth wasn’t from heated lamps like in the Red Vale. It was from bodies, from breath, from community. I lived closer to the Kingdom, and the difference between Red Vale and Ameega was stark. In Red Vale Crossing, every home towered grander than the next, and even the shopping districts gleamed with polished stone. Here, the buildings were aged, made of timber and time. Where Red Vale had light piped through golden infrastructure beneath its streets, Ameega’s glow came from flickering lights strung lovingly by hand.

Red Vale mimicked the sun. But Ameega… Ameega remembered the dark and lit it anyway.

I had almost forgotten the quiet beauty of this dated city. Not everything had to gleam to be beautiful. The statue that claimed the municipality’s center was enough to give the place the glitter it needed.

The wheels of our carriage flattened the snow beneath us as we arrived in the main square. Ameega’s inner town was far more structured. There was an abundance of buildings compared to those in the run-down outskirts. Arianna guided us through the winding streets until she found a stable for the carriage. The stallion had been on foot for hours and needed rest. Though none of us said it, Mark’s scent would be easiest to track on foot.

Before we entered the stable, Arianna dropped us off in front of the establishment. She mentioned she didn’t need assistance in parking a stallion. The cold bit at my face as Martha and I waited. Both of my hands wrapped around my body as my gaze swept the streets. Not many people were on this road. If they were, they’d only been passing through to visit the town’s shopping district.

“Do you smell anything so far?” I asked, glancing toward Martha.

She closed her eyes, her chest rising with a deep inhale of the cold, rich air. When she opened them again, her brows furrowed. “I think I do… but—” She paused, breathing in once more, slower this time. “I think it’s coming from that direction.” She pointed west, down a narrow stretch of road. “But I’m not sure. There are a few similar scents… It’s throwing me off.”

I hadn’t spent enough time near Mark to memorize his scent. I tried to inhale deeply, but all I could pick up was a mingled storm of aromas swirling through the city. Every breath tasted of iron and spice and old stone. It was overwhelming. Most Elguto smelled similar to me, but only with intense focus could I even begin to pick them apart. Right now, in this crowded part of the city, everything bled together.

“It would help if I had something of his to trace his scent from. But…” I trailed off, my brows furrowing slightly. “If he’s with the Elguto that turned him, then… they’d be like family, in a sense.” That thought had me glancing in her direction again. I had almost forgotten how I passed my blood into her. The warmth of my life flowed through her veins. Perhaps that’s why I felt so close to her now. Shaking away the thought I added, “They tend to take on each other’s scent when bonded that way. It’s like a signature that blends between them.”

“Oh, that’s fascinating,” she said, nodding carefully. And without wasting a second of breath, she asked, “Does that mean we’re family now?”

I didn’t answer her at first. I was her sire, technically; I was the closest thing to blood to her now. We shared the same flow, and even her scent smelled similar to my father but somehow different. There was a hint of humanity that coursed through her. But over the years, I’d assume it’d fade. With the warmest grin, I answered, “I guess… in a way, we are.”

Before we could explore the topic deeper, Arianna peered back into view, her expression unreadable. The cloak around her was carried in the wind like a commander at war, but still ever so graceful.

“Alexander said he wants me to let you lead,” I teased with a smirk.

“This was my quest,” she replied dryly, a half-smile pulling at her lips. “But I appreciate the generous offer to take the reins, Val.” Her sarcasm earned her a hard eye roll from me.

“Well, dear friend, you tell us where to go from here,” I continued on with one eyebrow raised. She couldn’t see it through the veil, but I noted it. Sweeping a hand across the street, I gestured dramatically. “You’re the commander, aren’t you?”