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“His friends are growing hungry and weak as well, and they think they’re dying, until one night, a group of males attacks their camp and the big brother bites and sucks from the blood vessels in their necks. They all drank that night. The attackers died. That was the first taste vampires got of what it feels like to drain fae magic, and they never looked back. It was, in their experience, the most exhilarating feeling in the world, for it made them feel alive again.” Et’enne gives me a pointed look.
I swallow and touch my neck. “He hasn’t fed on me, if that’s what you’re suggesting. No vampire has. I don’t share my magic.”
Et’enne continues. “The big brother’s friends try their hand at raising the dead too, and soon, the group of only a few males grows into over a hundred. Word of bloodsucking creatures killing and raiding at night spreads through the villages, and soon the villagers are calling them the vampire horde. Once the numbers reach about three hundred, the vampire horde returns to the juncture of the three rivers and exacts their vengeance on the two tribes. They keep most of the males from the original two tribes.
“They’re growing at fast pace now. The fae people are noticing, they’re forming alliances, and going on the offensive, and before you know it, hundreds of turns have passed and the small group of males now numbers in the tens of thousands, and the fae numbers are falling.”
“Shocker,” El’jah says. “The big brother was a nasty motherfucker.”
Et’enne narrows his eyes. “Or you could say he was the general who led the largest undead army history never recorded. Twice over.”
“Who did they fight?” I ask.
“The living.”
We stare at our king.
Someone knocks on the door, and I gasp, startling after the silence that followed the revelation that vampires hunted fae and ruled these lands.
“Forward,” Et’enne says to the people at the door.
A guard I’ve often seen with the commander steps onto the terrace. “There was no dungeon breach. All prisoners are accounted for, and the dungeon master apologizes for any misinformation. He assures us everything is normal downstairs.”
“No way,” I whisper as the male leaves.
“Fleur, did you actually see this male leading the prisoners out of the prison?” the commander asks.
“Yes. Well, not all of it. Not at the end. I was in the safe cell, so I didn’t see them walking out. But that’s what happened. He was here and he took them. Prisoners were missing. Locked cell doors were open. I’m not lying. Et’enne, please, you have to believe me.”
Et’enne taps his fingers on the table. “I believe you.”
“Thank you, brother.”
“If he couldn’t compromise you, this means everyone else has been wiped. Whomever you met last night carries substantial power.”
“June can tell you anything,” the commander says. “Anything that’s happened.”
Et’enne shakes his head. “She told me enough. We must leave the fates out of our affairs. If we call upon one, they all come, and I may then have a situation out of my control.”
“And wehatezzzit when things aren’t in our control,” El’jah says, his voice like Et’enne’s.
I suppress my laughter. Et’enne loves power, and with it, control over decisions and people. Most kings do.
“What are your orders?” the commander asks.
“We operate under the assumption there’s a powerful vampire on the rise. It’s unlikely he’ll be interested in the fae, but more in the politics of his people. The houses are always warring, which is how we like them. Busy with their own problems. Activate our sleeping vampire allies and let them report on anything they hear. You’re dismissed. Fleur, a word.”
I remain with my brother on the terrace.
He hooks my pinky with his, the ring that identifies him as the Summer king reflecting the moonlight.
“You’ve been purging too much of your magic,” he says. “You’ve barely anything left.”
“I know. I…” If I tell him I used it to lure in vampires and prisoners, he might lose his mind. While I mingle in society and listen for potential threats and also opportunities for our court, Et’enne forbids me from engaging with anyone, especially not a dangerous notturno. “I’ve been visiting the iron bench more often.”
Et’enne makes a sour face. “Easy on the purging, and stay away from the dungeons.”
“Yes, my king.” I flex my pinky as a promise.
