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Feeling Alwar’s jealous eyes on me the entire time, I follow Tiago. There’s nothing inside his tent except a few gray furs on the ground. The tent is made of woven dark brown fabric that reminds me of burlap. It’s not waterproof, but then again, it only rains here every hundred years, and when it does, the water is pure acid.
The only clean water they get comes from River Wall. That water is fed into a stream that eventually goes underground. Those closest to the water supply, like the War People, raise a few crops, which they use to trade or to supplement their meat-heavy diets. The kingdoms that are furthest from the water source survive off hunting alone.
With so little clean water, one has to ask how this world has so many trees and plants, but then again, none of them resemble the beautiful dense forest back home. Here, everything glows neon during the day. Perhaps the vegetation has adapted to feed off sunlight and any moisture in the air.
Or they just eat meat.
Tiago remains standing, staring straight ahead. “Go on then, leech. Take your meal.”
Did he just call me a leech?“Lie down. I want to sip from your neck.”
His golden eyes float down toward me.
“Do it, Tiago, or I’ll call in your soldiers to hold you down. After you attacked me,your queen,I doubt they’d object.” The War People were pretty pissed off about his behavior. They believe I’m good luck.
He exhales with a grumble and lies on the soft furs. I walk up to the side of his head and sniff. “On second thought, I’d rather starve. You smell like weakness.”
“But you—what the…”
I laugh and leave the tent, knowing that Tiago will never like me, but perhaps I’ll gain his respect. He’s a warrior through and through with a one-track mind, which is why he’ll never make a great king. To him, fighting and killing are all that matter.
“What happened?” asks Alwar.
“I prefer to discuss it in your tent.”
Alwar stifles a smile and leads the way. He offers me his wrist the moment we’re alone. I think he likes when I need him. He likes the intimacy of this act. Maybe because we can’t have sex. Or maybe this is all a show, to make me believe he has real feelings. I know his biggest priority is getting back on the big throne.
Not whining. Just stating the facts.
I bite down on his wrist and feel his hand cup the back of my body.
“I cannot wait to be the same size, Lake. I know the fucking will be amazing.”
I stop drinking and lift my head to look up at him. The sincerity in his eyes is so convincing. He is truly a good actor.
I return to my meal. After this, we have a long hike through the Blood Lands. It’s a trek I’ve made before.
CHAPTER FIVE
We wait until the sun is completely down before departing, given how the sun doesn’t agree with vampires. I equate it to standing under those warming lamps used at grocery stores to keep the fried chicken hot all day. Is there a point at which the heat vaporizes us? Don’t know. Don’t care. Don’t plan to be a vampire long enough to find out.
We march in a formation a half-mile long and one hundred yards wide, with me somewhere in the middle.
I feel like a football that everyone’s trying to get to the goal line, General Rool especially. He insisted on bringing a hundred men of his own, and I know it’s because he doesn’t trust the War People. Alwar wasn’t much better, ordering everyone in his party, a hundred giants, to accompany us.
Honestly, this is overkill, which makes me wonder if their numbers have to do with something other than mutual distrust. Is there something they’re not telling me? I wouldn’t be surprised. Even I’m keeping secrets, like Mato believing Alwar is going to die soon and wanting to marry me. Gabrio is gunning for me, too. Then there’s my own personal agenda: free humans from the threat once and for all, no matter the cost. We all have our secrets.
The procession follows Rool and his men while the giants fan out to my sides and flank us. I can practically taste the anxiety in the air, the vampires and giants—both women and men—ready to attack the smallest threat. The moonlight is so bright tonight everything is bathed in eerie red tones, including the intense expressions of the giants.
“What’s everyone so worried about?” I ask Alwar, who marches at my side, crunching branches and brush with his large feet. All around me, the ground thunders and quakes, announcing to anything in our path that the War People are coming. Other than that, the forest is quiet.
Alwar glances down at me, bending low to duck under a tree branch. “Sonofabitch is going this way simply to annoy me. There is a much easier path on the other side of those hills.” He points to a small swell in the ground with a rock formation that seems to be moving.Are those Mato’s pet rocks?
I blink and they’re gone. Strange. I feel like we’re being watched.
Alwar suddenly hops, stepping over a series of boulders. I maneuver between them. I’ve noticed that when the War People travel, which is always on foot, they stick to wide-open spaces. Maybe because it allows them to see anyone attempting an ambush. Theydohave the advantage of height.
“I’m sure Rool’s just going the way he’s used to,” I say. “Are you going to answer my question?” Everyone’s on edge. Why?
