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I stared, keeping the question behind my lips until I couldn’t hold it back any longer. “The Bloodsinger we’re seeing, Umbri… She’s gone too far?”
The Lord squared his jaw. “Yes, Cal. She has.” His tone was even, but it didn’t stop the eerie feeling from creeping into my gut.
“How come your appearance hasn’t changed with your blood sacrifices?”
“Like I said, Umbri doesn’t follow the rules. But she is the only Bloodsinger even remotely nearby. So we have no choice.”
I kept my mouth shut but I couldn’t shut my mind up. There was a choice. There was always a choice.
? ? ?
“Welcome,” the small, wispy woman said, her voice hollow and haunting.
“Umbri,” Lord Castemont greeted. His voice was far too cheerful for the darkness that surrounded us in the tiny shop. Tyrak had been all too happy to wait outside, and I thought I heard him praying to the Benevolent Saints under his breath as we left him on the street. Acrid smoke hung in the air. My nose and throat stung with every breath I took. “A pleasure to see you again.”
The Bloodsinger bowed her head slightly, her thin, oily black hair falling against cheekbones that were too pronounced. Her eyes were an unnatural shade of ruby. I tried not to stare, but I couldn’t help it. She looked like she’d crawled from the deepest pit of Hell, her fingers so bony that it looked like they’d snap with a gust of wind. “The pleasure is all mine, Lord Castemont.”
Though I towered above both the Lord and the Bloodsinger, I felt like the smallest person in the room. I squared my shoulders, pushed my jaw forward, and reminded myself of my position and skill.
“This is Belin Cal Myrin, an esteemed member of the Royal Guard,” the Lord declared. I made no effort to extend my hand, instead opting to take on Tyrak’s usual greeting of a slight nod.
“So young for the Royal Guard,” Umbri remarked, emotionless.
Lord Castemont gave a small laugh, turning to me with a familiar look of pride. “He’s been in the Guard for three years already. A bit shorter in the tooth than most of the Guard, but an exceptional soldier all the same.”
I dipped my chin in another shallow nod, my eyes glued to the Bloodsinger. My gut turned as she stared back.
Lord Castemont turned back to Umrbi. “I’ve brought him along to show him your craft. He’s from Eserene, so he’s rather unfamiliar with blood magic.”
I wanted to correct him, tell him I did know what blood magic was because technically, I wasn’t from Eserene. I kept quiet, though, instead further surveying the room. Multiple doors stood closed around the perimeter. The brick walls looked like they were covered in soot.
“A first-timer,” Umbri remarked. I said nothing as the woman’s eyes bored into me, her irises the color of freshly spilled blood. “Come along.” The gaunt woman heaved one of the doors open, ushering us through to a windowless room where the darkness quickly swallowed us.
Panic seeped into my bones, my heart thundering as the darkness grew thicker, more formidable. It was my duty to protect Lord Castemont, and I didn’t feel I could do that here. “My Lord,” I leaned in and whispered through the pitch black. “I think we should leave.”
“Nonsense, Cal,” the Lord answered, his tone light and completely unbothered.
“Lord Castemont, I must insist, I–”
“Shh. Watch.”
Tiny flames sparked as dozens of candles came to life at once. The small room was all at once illuminated in shadows that flickered and danced. Lord Castemont’s smiling face was cast in the orange light as he watched. The ivory candles were lined up, perfectly uniform on the stone floor against the back wall of the room. Sitting on a small wooden altar was a single candle that rose high above the rest, its column blacker than the darkness that had surrounded us moments ago. It seemed to swallow all the light around it, soaking it up as if light were its life force. The Bloodsinger’s shadow stretched across the walls like a reaper closing in on its victim. But there was nothing else in the room — only us, the candles, and the creeping feeling that our lives were in danger.
“Lord Evarius Castemont of Eserene,” Umbri started. Her voice sent a chill through me like metal on stone as she stood before the altar. “Is it true that you come once again to seek the blessings of the Darkness Beyond?”
“It is,” the Lord answered flatly, as if the eeriness of our surroundings had no effect on him.
“A blood sacrifice is required to proceed.”
I swallowed hard. My eyes were wide as the Lord stepped forward, reaching into his coat and producing a small vial. He pulled the cork out as Umbri stepped aside, the flame of the black candle suddenly burning brighter than the others, an unsettling red glow radiating from its center. My eyes flashed back and forth between Lord Castemont and the Bloodsinger, their expressions leaving me even more unsettled, more panicked–
“Timu en sangu verinia hostinhah,” Umbri chanted as Lord Castemont stood before the altar, holding the vial upright over the flame. “Nia nhah shisweh nia nilzha, agyun, kepitaa, sarehka, az styaa.”
Something evil lurked here, and Umbri’s words summoned it.
The Bloodsinger gave a small nod and Lord Castemont slowly tipped the vial, letting a single drop of blood escape and fall to the flame. It let out an angry hiss, its light banking then growing brighter, larger, the shadows around the room moving more erratically.
“Hostinhah!” Umbri yelled to the empty room with a voice that was now noticeably more sinister. “Disim!”
