as we could, and immediately the rock slid shut behind us. I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling safer than I had since we arrived.
There was a narrow staircase in front of us, so thin I almost had to turn sideways to start up the steps. Sip went first, and already her limp was barely visible - the power of Keller’s healing magic at work.
It wasn’t a long climb, and at the top was another rock face.
“What is this?” I whispered.
“Advisors to King Daemon used this space to spy on meetings they weren’t allowed into,” Sip explained. “Apparently it was built centuries ago and then forgotten for a long time. But a couple of advisors found out about it, and instead of telling the king they used it for their own ends. Daemon started to realize that they somehow knew information that they shouldn’t, but instead of confronting his advisors, he followed them. When he found out about this place and what they’d been doing, he strung them up at the top of the mountain.”
I shivered. King Daemon was respected, but a respected vampire ruler was always ruthless. It was something I knew Lanca had struggled to reconcile until her sister was murdered. War with the Nocturns had given her other things to think about lately, though.
Meanwhile, Sip and I were in a secret passageway in the bowels of Vampire Locke, and Sip seemed to have a clear idea of what to do next even if I didn’t. She pressed her hand to another rock and a section of the wall slid away in front of our eyes, revealing several narrow slits designed to be invisible from the other side, but to let anyone in the passageway see into the coronation room.
I stifled a gasp. We could see directly into the huge hall, which was filled with demons and darkness mages. Everywhere I looked was a rolling sea of black and fire.
So many rings burned black, just like Lisabelle’s, that it was hard to take in the dark power concentrated in that room. But I knew that Lisabelle’s ring had always been black, unlike the others’, which were turned black. Lisabelle wore the First Black Ring, an object of power that would have killed a lesser paranormal.
In the center of the room stood a strange wooden contraption. At first, I didn’t know what it was, but Sip did.
“There’s going to be a hanging,” Sip whispered, her purple eyes huge.
“Vital,” I said.
“No,” said Sip, pointing. “I don’t think they have Vital. If they do, he isn’t here. Look.”
I followed her gesture with my eyes, and the bottom dropped out of my stomach. Risper was sitting to one side of the contraption, very near the noose. His hands were chained along with his ankles, but it didn’t matter. He sat with his head slung low on his chest. I could see his hair, slick and dark.
“He’s bleeding,” said Sip. “Among vampires.”
It was true. I could see Cortov Decimatar standing among several other vampires, and he looked hungry, although for all I knew that was just eagerness to watch Risper die.
“We have to do something,” I said. “We can’t just stand here and watch them kill him!”
“Where’s Lisabelle?” Sip was scanning the crowd, but I couldn’t see our friend. “No way she lets this happen.”
“She doesn’t have a choice,” I said. “She can’t break her cover, not even for Risper. He wouldn’t want her to.”
Sip stared at me as if she’d never seen me before. “Of course she can,” she said. “She has to! It’s Risper.”
“He must have been caught trying to retrieve the Globe White,” I said.
“He would have thought it was especially urgent to get it back after Public fell,” said Sip. “Now all the Objects on the Wheel except the Mirror are in the possession of Nocturns.”
But she stopped talking when the air in the room suddenly shifted. The anticipation was palpable.
“They’re going to hang him,” said Sip, pressing her hand to her stomach. “I feel sick.”
Two Nocturns came forward and hauled Risper to his feet. I
There was a narrow staircase in front of us, so thin I almost had to turn sideways to start up the steps. Sip went first, and already her limp was barely visible - the power of Keller’s healing magic at work.
It wasn’t a long climb, and at the top was another rock face.
“What is this?” I whispered.
“Advisors to King Daemon used this space to spy on meetings they weren’t allowed into,” Sip explained. “Apparently it was built centuries ago and then forgotten for a long time. But a couple of advisors found out about it, and instead of telling the king they used it for their own ends. Daemon started to realize that they somehow knew information that they shouldn’t, but instead of confronting his advisors, he followed them. When he found out about this place and what they’d been doing, he strung them up at the top of the mountain.”
I shivered. King Daemon was respected, but a respected vampire ruler was always ruthless. It was something I knew Lanca had struggled to reconcile until her sister was murdered. War with the Nocturns had given her other things to think about lately, though.
Meanwhile, Sip and I were in a secret passageway in the bowels of Vampire Locke, and Sip seemed to have a clear idea of what to do next even if I didn’t. She pressed her hand to another rock and a section of the wall slid away in front of our eyes, revealing several narrow slits designed to be invisible from the other side, but to let anyone in the passageway see into the coronation room.
I stifled a gasp. We could see directly into the huge hall, which was filled with demons and darkness mages. Everywhere I looked was a rolling sea of black and fire.
So many rings burned black, just like Lisabelle’s, that it was hard to take in the dark power concentrated in that room. But I knew that Lisabelle’s ring had always been black, unlike the others’, which were turned black. Lisabelle wore the First Black Ring, an object of power that would have killed a lesser paranormal.
In the center of the room stood a strange wooden contraption. At first, I didn’t know what it was, but Sip did.
“There’s going to be a hanging,” Sip whispered, her purple eyes huge.
“Vital,” I said.
“No,” said Sip, pointing. “I don’t think they have Vital. If they do, he isn’t here. Look.”
I followed her gesture with my eyes, and the bottom dropped out of my stomach. Risper was sitting to one side of the contraption, very near the noose. His hands were chained along with his ankles, but it didn’t matter. He sat with his head slung low on his chest. I could see his hair, slick and dark.
“He’s bleeding,” said Sip. “Among vampires.”
It was true. I could see Cortov Decimatar standing among several other vampires, and he looked hungry, although for all I knew that was just eagerness to watch Risper die.
“We have to do something,” I said. “We can’t just stand here and watch them kill him!”
“Where’s Lisabelle?” Sip was scanning the crowd, but I couldn’t see our friend. “No way she lets this happen.”
“She doesn’t have a choice,” I said. “She can’t break her cover, not even for Risper. He wouldn’t want her to.”
Sip stared at me as if she’d never seen me before. “Of course she can,” she said. “She has to! It’s Risper.”
“He must have been caught trying to retrieve the Globe White,” I said.
“He would have thought it was especially urgent to get it back after Public fell,” said Sip. “Now all the Objects on the Wheel except the Mirror are in the possession of Nocturns.”
But she stopped talking when the air in the room suddenly shifted. The anticipation was palpable.
“They’re going to hang him,” said Sip, pressing her hand to her stomach. “I feel sick.”
Two Nocturns came forward and hauled Risper to his feet. I
Similar Books
