Blood Oath (24 page)

When
Anca looked down, she saw why the girl was crying. Ylenia was lying facedown on
the floor in a heap. A deep-red stain had soaked through the back of her silver
robe, and she wasn’t moving. Obviously, she had tried to stop Nikia or had
failed to cooperate.

As
Starr finished speaking and Nikia raised the goblet, Anca remembered her
purpose, and she rushed forward. “No, don’t do it. Papa told me to keep you
from killing yourself.” She ran, but the goblet touched Nikia’s lips before she
was even in reach. “Don’t do it, Nikia. Please.”

Nikia
didn’t pause. She gulped the contents of the chalice in greedy swallows. Some
of the blood dripped from the rim and trickled down her chin, but she didn’t
pause to wipe it away. She didn’t stop until she had consumed every drop.

She
slammed the goblet onto the dais and rounded on Anca. Her brownish-green eyes
held a red glint. “The power. I can’t believe it. I can feel it flowing through
every pore…my heart pumping, sending it throughout…” She broke off as a strange
expression flitted across her face. She clutched her chest, seeming no longer
enthralled by the power flooding her.

Her
expression was quizzical as she met Anca’s sad eyes. Nikia held out her hand,
seeming to be pleading for something, but having no voice to utter her request.
Her eyes widened, and she coughed. Blood poured from her mouth, staining her
white robe. She fell to her knees, and a piercing scream freed itself from her
throat.

She
looked up, meeting Anca’s gaze again.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this,
Nikia said as she collapsed on the stone floor.

Anca
heard footsteps behind her and saw Demi approaching slowly. She rushed to him,
embracing him. “I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen.”

One of
his hands smoothed her hair. “She was beyond hearing. She craved power so badly
she couldn’t see reason.”

Starr
approached timidly. “You have to hurry. There’re only a few minutes left.”

Anca
wrapped her arm around Demi’s waist, and he leaned against her as they walked
to the dais. She saw Starr fumbling with the chalice, trying to hold it in her
bound hands. She leaned Demi against the dais, making sure he had a secure
grasp, and turned to Starr. “Let me untie you.”

Starr
held out her hands, and Anca struggled with the rope, not making any headway
with unraveling the complicated knots.

“She
had a dagger.” Starr jerked her head in Nikia’s direction.

Anca
went to Nikia, rolling her onto her back. Her eyes widened when she realized
her sister breathed shallowly. “She’s still alive.” She touched her throat,
finding a weak, but steady, pulse. She noticed Nikia’s eyelids moving back and
forth rapidly, and opened one of her lids. Her eyes were twitching in a
semblance of REM sleep. “I think she’s in a coma,” she said uncertainly.

“There’s
no time to worry about her right now,” Demi said. “Find the dagger, Anca.”

She nodded
and looked down. Nothing stuck out of Nikia’s belt, and there wasn’t anything
in her pockets. “It isn’t here—“

“Look
out, Your Highness,” Starr screamed.

Anca
looked up in time to see the woman who had assisted Nikia by taking Demi’s
blood rushing toward her with a dagger held over her head. She had been in the
shadows of the corner, apparently forgotten by Starr. She rolled out of the
way, as the mad woman lunged at her. She kicked out with both of her feet,
catching her attacker in the stomach.

With a
breathless groan, she fell onto the floor, dropping the dagger in the process.
Anca rolled forward and plucked it away before gaining her feet. She searched
for some way to bind her, but the only rope she saw was on Starr’s wrists.

“Hurry,”
Starr urged.

Reluctantly,
Anca grasped the sturdy handle of the dagger and hit the woman against the
temple, causing her to crumple into unconsciousness. Absurdly, she found
herself saying, “Sorry,” as she hurried back to the dais.

She
freed Starr, and the other woman used her sleeve to wipe out the dregs of blood
remaining in the goblet. Then she held out her hand for the snifter of blood
from Valdemeer. It had started to congeal, and she grimaced as she dumped it
in. “Quickly, I need your blood, Your Highnesses.”

Anca
passed the dagger to Demi, unable to cut herself. He exhaled sharply when he
sliced his forearm and held it over the goblet. When he took her hand and
exposed her wrist, she closed her eyes. The blade was sharp and penetrated
easily. She opened her eyes again when he moved her wrist over the goblet. The
wound closed seconds later, and the chalice brimmed with crimson liquid.

Starr
rotated the goblet on the dais and positioned the pendant to absorb the beam
from the orb. “Lord Nicodemus, you begin, since you know the Oath. English will
be fine, for Her Highness’s sake.”

He put
his hand on the base and began speaking. “I acknowledge and embrace my duty as
companion to the Protector of Corsova. I pledge my life to protect hers, and I
vow to honor the ways of our people.”

“Take
a drink,” Starr directed.

Demi
lifted the chalice and swallowed some of the blood before returning it to the
dais. He aligned it perfectly before moving aside so Anca could stand by the
dais. He put his arm around her, offering silent support.

She
grasped the base of the chalice. “What do I do?”

“Repeat
after me.” Starr took the parchment from her pocket. “I acknowledge and embrace
my duty as the Protector of our people.”

Anca
repeated the line, pausing uncertainly when her hand began to tingle. She
finished the first section when Starr admonished her to hurry.

Starr
continued reading when she finished speaking. “I will protect our people and
traditions. I will remain loyal to our ways. I vow to be a just and fair
leader. I accept my burden with grace. I am the Protector of the old ways, and
shepherd of the people. I am Corsova.”

Anca
had to have Starr repeat part of the Oath, and again she was distracted when
the tingling crept up her arm and spread throughout her body. By the time she
uttered the last word, she was aware of the tingling in every part of her body.

“Now
drink, mistress. Drink it all.”

As
Anca finished the goblet of cooling blood, grimacing at its congealed state,
Starr spoke in Corsovan, finalizing the ritual. When she returned the chalice
to the dais, her body burned with energy, though it was painless. She turned to
share her wonder with Demi and was astounded to see he had healed completely
and looked restored.

He
touched his chest. “The power healed me. I’d forgotten that would happen.” He
held out his arms.

Anca
went willingly, burying her face against the softness of his sapphire robe.
Tears leaked from her eyes, and she didn’t know the exact reason she cried.
Grief for her father, an overwhelming sense of power, and fear of the unknown
were all reasons for her sobs, but there was something indefinable too. Perhaps
pity for her sister, she decided tentatively.

He
held her until the storm passed, murmuring soothing words in Corsovan.

When
Anca lifted her head, she felt marginally better. “What happens now, my love?”

“We
live our lives and do our duty.” He kissed her gently. “We follow our destiny.”

Sadness
shadowed her eyes. “My father…”

“He
was ready, Anca. He knew what would happen, and his last days were happier for
having met you.”

She
nodded, and her gaze settled on Ylenia before moving to Nikia and the woman on
the floor near her. “So much suffering and death. What will we do with Nikia?”

“We’ll
send her away to be cared for. There are no facilities in Corsova to meet her
needs, and none secure enough to hold her if she awakens. She can’t be allowed
back into our country.” Demi’s face tightened when his gaze settled on Sian.
“She will also be banished. Death is no more than she deserves, but…”

She
nodded, understanding his reservations without having him utter them. Doubt
seized her as she wondered how she would ever live up to the Oath she had
taken. Anca looked up, meeting Demi’s eyes, and found her answer. His love and
support would see her through.

Author’s Note:

When I
set out to create a country to act as a haven for those who weren’t fully
human, I wanted it to be realistic. My first step was to find a suitable
location for a “vampire” world. When I thought of vampires, Romania came to
mind, but I didn’t want to be obvious. Eastern Europe still seemed like the
perfect setting for such a country, and I scoured maps. Eventually, I
“borrowed” a section of the Ukraine and made it into Corsova.

There
was more to creating a country than deciding on a name. I had to figure out
geography, economy, flora, fauna, and culture. In order to have Corsova mesh
with the other countries in the region, I did a lot of research on Moldova,
Romania, and the Ukraine. Taking the best parts of each country, I formed a
composite that became Corsova.

Corsovan
is spoken a few times throughout the book, and the language is based heavily on
Romanian, which had the easiest translator to find online and understand. The
addition of a few letters transformed Romanian into Corsovan.

Any
inaccuracies in the real places mentioned are a byproduct of artistic license.

Also by Kit Tunstall