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“This is his daughter, Anastasia.” Damien gestures to an ethereal young woman with a mischievous glint in her amber eyes. With long, flowing chestnut hair and full ruby lips, she smiles knowingly from the portrait. Then he points to another woman. “His wife, Lavinia.” I see the resemblance between Anastasia and her mother, though Lavinia’s eyes and hair are darker, and her expression holds a hint of melancholy.
“And this one is Cyrus, Vladimir’s son.” The teenage boy holds his head high. Messy black hair falls across his brown eyes, and there’s a hint of a smile playing at his full lips. His skin is milky pale, like the surface of the moon.
When I look at Cyrus, I can’t help but feel sorry for him and his family. “It all seems a bit… I don’t know. The idea of killing them all because of one power-hungry guy?” I frown. “I’m struggling to get my head around it. Were they all as bad as Vladimir? His family, I mean? Did they contribute to all the nastiness?” It’s like I’m searching for meaning. For justification. This world is so harsh, and I want it to be less so.
“Not really,” Damien says. “From my studies, I found itlikely the children knew little of their father’s orders. But Lavinia most probably did know.”
I gaze into Lavinia’s eyes, recognising that I’m already creating a new story for her in my mind, one where she is trapped in this marriage to a tyrant, and that’s why the sadness comes out from even her portrait.
“Aura politics is all very new to you, Kira.” Damien pats me on the shoulder in a soothing gesture. “Once you’ve learned more about your history, everything will begin clicking into place.”
“I hope so,” I mumble.
The librarian turns to leave.
But I have one more question before he goes. “What about my family?” I look into his eyes. “What part did they play in the wars?”
Damien’s features tighten, and a ripple of tension works its way up his jawline before he lets out a short breath through his nostrils, which flare slightly. “Your ancestor, Alaric Belvedere, killed Vladimir Dracul.”
I can’t hold back a sharp gasp.I was not expecting that.
“He led the charge against the vampires,” Damien continues. “It was on his order that they were all killed.”
Fifteen
As I walk awayfrom Damien, I’m in a trance. I find a quiet part of the room, away from everyone, and sit down alone. But I still can’t stand the faces around me, watching me. They all know what my ancestors did.
Maybe this is the real reason why my mum rejected magic. Alaric did something terrible. Evil, even. I’m sure the weight of it has hung over our family for generations. His blood runs through my veins. I’m a product of him.
And others,I remind myself.
My grandmother, my father, and all of those other relatives, both distant and close. My mother.
I should speak to Mum soon. She has a lot of explaining to do.
When I start to imagine that the entire room is whispering about me and it gets too much, I wish I could get away from these people. Quietly, I pick a moment when they’re all looking away and slip over into the next room.
The tightness in my chest relaxes as soon as I’m away from the other students. After letting out a long breath, Iexamine the room. It’s cosy compared to the hall, with a large armchair next to an alcove and plenty of full bookcases.
I settle into the chair and begin thumbing through one of the books, Vampiric Blood Pacts.There’s a lot of palm-cutting and oaths in this one.Yuck.
I try another,Raising the Dead.
One page states,“Necromancy can never be used for personal gain. The intentions of the spellcaster are woven into the spell itself. You will never be able to resurrect a loved one. These spells are only for acts that benefit others.”
There are so many rules about magic. I’m not sure I’ll ever learn them all.
I put the book down and explore the room instead. There are more portraits here, but they aren’t quite as grand and impressive as those in the other room. It’s odd that so many of the Dracul family artefacts are left around the castle. Why didn’t Alaric, or whoever then took over the castle, throw all the vampires’ belongings out? Why keep them here as a reminder of what they did?
Perhaps they stand as a warning to whoever might challenge the current system:This is what will happen to you.
If that’s true, then the royals and the council are no better than the Draculs.
I must be wrong. I hope I’m wrong.
As I browse, I pace. I need to know why and how my family left the magical community. I’m beginning to suspect it might all come down to this Alaric guy and his battle exploits. Wiping out an entire circle…
Randomly, I make my way over to a bookcase and browse the spines.Blood Moons and Prophecy, Werewolf Anatomy, Broken Oaths and the Consequences…
