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KANA
I woke uphungry.
And not for any kind of mushroom or leaf I could collect here. No - I wanted blood, and lots of it. Jillian and Darnell still snoozed like unsuspecting lambs, and the night sky above had barely begun to be edged with the gray pull of morning.
But if I bit them... they would fight back, and I wasn’t sure I could resist killing them.
I needed someone willing. Iwantedmy thief and his rich, pure blood. The problem was, I had no idea how to find him.
The mist was settled around me like a blanket, and when I called myaima’s name in my mind, it drew together quickly to form his body, though it was much more transparent now than the previous time.
I need blood, I said simply, pushing the words into Nic’s mind and hoping he would have an inspiration. He looked slowly at my teammates, and I could tell he was making the same conclusions I had. Biting them would only cause problems.
Can you lead me to Kas?I asked, biting my lip and worrying at the bead of blood that my fangs pulled up.
The mist will only bring you back to your team.
I nodded, frustration rising in my chest like a storm brewing. I was so fucking tired of all the limitations placed on me in these Trials.
It’s not instant, though, I told Nic, thinking of how long Jillian and Darnell had been gone the day before. Maybe they had stopped somewhere and just stayed instead of rounding yet another corner, therefore gaining time away from me instead of distance. Time was all I needed, after all.
Nic seemed to have lifted the thought from my mind, because he nodded and rose, the mist tugging me up with it.
It could work, but we must be quick. I’m not... I’m not the only mind in the mist.
With that, he dissolved, and the mist began to move, swirling down a corridor like smoke in the wind. I hurried to follow, wondering about what he’d said. Of course, the mist would contain the souls of all the vampires who had died over the millennia.
But I hadn’t thought about the fact that maybe there would be disagreements, or a hierarchy to follow.
It was sounding more and more like Nicolas had somehow retained his personality - his individual soul - andthatopened up a whole new set of possibilities. He wasn’t just a puppet for the mist. He remembered our past and felt desire for our future.
And now that I knew Blaise had entered the mist and returned, I would never stop looking for a way to help Nicolas do the same.
The mist paused to swirl around a very narrow cave opening, barely tall enough for me to crawl into. It was dark and could hold any number of deadly plants or animals.
This is the nearest way to them.
Nicolas was back, or mostly anyways. His head and torso floated near me, the rest of his body shrouded in the mist. I grimaced.
I can’t go in there blind, Nic.
You want them?he questioned, and I nodded.
Of course. But that’s... reckless. To go in there, not knowing what might kill me.
But do you want to know? Or do you want to be safe?
I cocked my head at him, wondering what he was getting at.I guess I’d rather be safe than know. But if I know, I can keep myself safe.
Nicolas nodded.But if you can keep yourself safe, you don’t have to know every danger.
I huffed in frustration and knelt down to peer into the black tunnel. Obviously, he was right. I’d spent my whole life in one kind of training or another, learning how to both keep myself safe and defeat my opponent. But nobody was invincible.
Vampires were once closer to invincible. You’ve just forgotten. It’s time to remember your birthright, daughter of Amélie.
I whipped my head up to look at Nic, but what faced me wasn’t my deadaimaat all. Instead, I saw a shapeless mass, full of glinting black eyes, flashing fangs, and the whisper of ancient voices.
Remember to remember to remember...the voice continued as the mass spread and circled me like I was in the eye of a tornado, the whispers growing louder as they each chanted the word over and over.
