Rivalry (War of Nytefall Book 3) Read online

  “That wasn’t very nice,” Clyde teases, his gushing wound swiftly healing. Taking a seat on the bed, he snaps his fingers to erase the illusion and lets a little of his Lord’s Rage out to make sure it still works. “I can’t figure out if I’m a prisoner, a guest, or a toy. The confusion is making me twitchy, which means you have very little time to explain the situation. If you want, I can pretend to be shocked when this Vampire Queen coughs up her story. Pretty sure the walking relic is eighty percent dust by now, so I don’t want to be too difficult. Not until I get some answers and then she’ll be turned into pulp and powder.”

  “You are quickly becoming one of my favorites,” Dean admits while he gently puts down his cup. Holding his hand over the cart, he whispers a spell that creates a small beam that disintegrates the entire thing. “To be honest, you are all three. My master will be entertained by you while you are treated like royalty, but you cannot leave until the festivities are over. That is if you desire so. Congratulations on passing the final test too. All of our guests were given such an implant, which only the strong can remove without killing themselves. You are one of the few who managed to do it without causing incredible harm to yourself as well. The stories about you don’t do you justice.”

  Licking his lips, the Dawn Fang turns his back on the butler and casually checks all of the furniture. “Flattery won’t get you very far with me. The truth is that I’m always suspicious of those who praise me so . . . rabidly. Only person who can get away with it is Mab, but she’d never do it in the first place. Hope she’s the one that came along with me. It’s a weak guess since she’d have appeared by now. You do realize that I’m going to keep poking and prodding until I either get some answers or you leave.”

  “In that case, I must be on my way,” the vampire declares, his tan skin briefly taking on a yellowish hue. Seeing that the sun is in his path, he transforms his jacket into a night cloak and heads for the door. “A small suggestion. The servants and myself might not be able to give you answers, but your eyes still work. Please don’t leave the room until you are summoned for the banquet. The last thing we want is one of our special guests to get lost before they meet the Vampire Queen.”

  Clyde waits to hear the door lock, but instead the entrance disappears in a cascade of sparkling light. Convinced that he is nothing more than a prisoner, he strips off his clothes and tosses them into an empty drawer. No sooner has he turned around than the folded garments reappear on the chair in front of him and the room begins to heat up. A bubbling draws his attention to the basin, which is releasing plumes of steam. He watches as the water steadily evaporates, which makes him realize that he is starting to dehydrate and mummify. The moment he gets dressed, the temperature returns to a comfortable level and he feels a beckoning breeze on his face. His coughs are answered by the tinkling of ice falling into a cup, which appears at the entrance to the balcony alongside a glass pitcher. Scooping up the drink and finishing it in gulp, the Dawn Fang takes the obvious hint and steps through the white curtains that billow around him.

  Finding himself on the northern side of a sapphire tower, Clyde can see most of the castle and surrounding island. He watches a flock of colorful parrots soar by and head into the jungles that are only a mile away from the sparkling wall. Every house resembles a teardrop gemstone and the stores are built like multi-faceted jewels. The Dawn Fang leans over the railing to see that there are other towers that are placed around the central keep, which has a door shaped like a giant lock. The longer he stares at the castle, the more it makes him think of a closed treasure chest due to its curved roof and rectangular walls. There are no guards, but Clyde sees happy and barely clothed citizens in every direction, their fluid and superhumanly fast movements betraying their vampiric nature. Cheering catches his attention and the noise is followed by a faint series of grunts. Tracking the curious sounds, he gazes at a circular lagoon that is on the other side of the trees. The beautiful sight is cut off from the ocean by a coral reef that connects to the shore, which gives Apelios the appearance of a jeweled ring. With sun shining directly into his eyes, it takes Clyde a minute to make out the form of a large arena sitting in the middle of the calm water.

  “I have a bad feeling that I’m going to be spending a lot of time there,” the Dawn Fang mutters before going back inside for a bath.

  *****

  Clyde does not bother to speed up when the young woman sent to escort him to the banquet skips down the hallway. He watches her bounce ahead, her flowing clothes designed to show off her arms and midriff. After having spent hours watching the locals from his balcony, the Dawn Fang is fairly certain that they have been trained to seduce. Aside from the garments leaving little to the imagination, the citizens of Apelios have proven to be highly attentive and refuse to accept that the guests might want some personal space. Rubbing at his neck, Clyde checks his hand to find that there is still some lipstick from where a maid kissed him without asking permission or giving him a warning. The incident had caused his escort to get angry and hurl the unexpected rival through a wall, which he found amusing at the time. Now, he wonders how many vampires on the island are on the verge of breaking into a frenzy fueled by either lust or rage. Keeping an eye on the blue-haired servant, he begins to scan the area for possible escape routes, but notices a figure lurking in every doorway. Resigned to going along with whatever the Vampire Queen has planned, Clyde puts his hands in his pockets and moves a little faster to catch up to his giggling escort.

  Turning a corner, the Dawn Fang is met by a jewel-studded door that is opened by a pair of nude guards. He is tempted to ask how useful they could be if they have no armor, but the light from inside hits one of them and reveals a scale-like pattern on his skin. The young maid disappears into the crowd within seconds of entering the room, which is an open-air garden filled with gemstone statues. Most of the artwork depicts a beautiful woman, but there are others that show a short, grotesque figure with claws and a serpentine tail. Staying on the edge of the mingling crowd, Clyde cannot shake the feeling that something is familiar about both of the images. Ignoring the itch of worry in his brain, he grabs a glass of wine from a passing waiter and leans against the back wall. It does not take long for him to realize that most of the guests are males from various walks of life and species, but all of them are Dawn Fangs. He spots two of Xavier’s councilmembers near a blood fountain that is shaped like a soaring drite, its fairy-like wings made of jewel-encrusted glass. A ring of columns runs around the edge of the banquet hall to suspend a walkway with a long staircase in the center. The marble steps lead to circular pillar of glass that acts as the base for a golden throne, which has a single, watermelon-sized ruby embedded on the top. The transparent tower is difficult to see from far away, which gives the illusion that the polished chair is hovering over the festivities.

  “Not sure if you being captured too is a good or bad thing,” Titus says as he approaches his friend. Unlike the other guests, the muscular vampire looks like he has been roughed up and he has been left with nothing more than his pants. “Good thing this isn’t a fancy party or I’d feel embarrassed. I take it you were treated like an honored guest. The room was nice, but the servant who greeted me wasn’t very friendly. Tossed my swords and armor off the balcony, so they’re sitting in the jungle somewhere. To be fair, I tried to bash through the door, so I might have been punished for breaking a rule. This Vampire Queen doesn’t want anyone to ruin whatever it is she has planned.”

  “Definitely feels that way,” Clyde mentions, his attention more on his friend’s bruises and cuts. He is about to speak when he spots Luther lurking on the other side of the room, the forest tracker trying his best to remain inconspicuous. “Strange, but they only said one of my gang was here. Maybe they grabbed all the food and thought he really was a candy bird. Hey, Grathan, come over here!”

  “I was stripped of my chocolate coating, so maybe I was an accident. That would explain the cold treatment,” the tall warrior suggests as his s
tomach rumbles. Pointing at a waiter, he gets their approaching friend to claim an entire plate of lobster tails, which he greedily devours when they come within reach. “I haven’t eaten since I was encased in that damn chocolate. You have any idea how torturous it is to be starving and surrounded by such a delicious scent, but you can’t eat it? Of course not because I’m the only one in Windemere to have gone through such an ordeal. By the way, I got a look at most of the shoreline from where I was staying and during the walk here. There aren’t any ports or ships, so I don’t know how they got us here.”

  Luther reaches back to take a plate of caviar, which he delicately eats using a tiny, beryl spoon. “Considering the tropical temperature and environment, I’d say we’re somewhere in southern Cerascent. I talked to one of the servants to get the date and we’ve only been gone from Nyte for half a day. There’s no way our captors could have gotten us here by boat in that time, especially since we’ve already been here for a few hours. If I had to guess, I would say our enemies used some form of teleportation.”

  “I saw a flat-topped pyramid in a courtyard, which had a large crystal on it.”

  “There’s a suspicious clearing to the south as well.”

  “It’s possible for them to have multiple teleportation devices.”

  “What do you think, boss?”

  Swirling the wine in his mouth, Clyde takes a seat on a pedestal that holds a ruby statue of a beautiful dancer. He gazes at the sky to see if there are any wards over the island, but there is no telltale shimmer. The idea that they are not being contained through magic does little to ease his nerves, which remain on edge. Stretching his arms and yawning, the Dawn Fang counts how many servants are wandering through the crowd. None of the other guests appear to be worried and are thoroughly enjoying the feast, which makes Clyde curious as to how long most of them have been on Apelios. Glancing at one of the monstrous statues, he hops off his perch and goes in for a closer look. He practically touches his nose to the display’s face and notices that there is a hint of green in its eyes. Taking a step back, he cannot shake a strange sense of amusement towards the monstrous piece of art.

  “Teleportation is the most likely scenario if they don’t have ships, but there’s also the chance that we haven’t seen the port,” Clyde explains, his voice only slightly louder than a whisper. Waving his friends over, he snarls at an approaching waitress wearing nothing more than maple leaves. “This place is giving me the creeps. It’s like if Chastity was put in charge of Nytefall and decided to lose what little restraint she had. Even then, there’s something else in the air that is driving me crazy. Almost like I should be picking up on signs of what’s going on, but there’s one central piece that I’m missing. Okay, does this thing look familiar to anyone else or am I losing my mind?”

  “The face reminds me of my sister,” Titus says while tapping at the statue. Walking around the pedestal, he notices tiny details such as a set of lockpicks hidden in the foot. “Mab used to have a set like this and kept it in her boot. Wait a second. This could be a demonic version of my sister, which means this Vampire Queen knows . . . We have to get off this island. Luther, turn into a raven and go hunting for the teleportation device. If I’m right then this has very little to do with all of us.”

  “You don’t mean-” Clyde begins, his eyes going wide.

  “I think so.”

  “You said you threw her into a volcano.”

  “Well, obviously it didn’t do the job.”

  Luther grabs his friends by the arms and hisses, “What are you two talking about? Who took us and what does it have to do with Mab?”

  “Please be quiet for the Vampire Queen!” Dean announces from the top of the walkway.

  The doors slam shut and walls of melted gemstones rise between the columns to create a beautiful cage that many of the trapped Dawn Fangs foolishly applaud. Colorful diamonds rise from the floor and fly through the crowd, the jewels circling each of the vampires to leave a trail of sparkling dust in their wake. Rising high above the banquet, they hover for a second before soaring towards the empty throne. The gems collide with the large ruby and explode into a shower of rainbow shards that open like a curtain to reveal a woman whose crimson eyes glint in the light. Her sleeveless dress resembles liquid sapphires and she is wearing as much jewelry as she can without appearing gaudy. Two slits in the side of her skirt reveal her toned legs, which appear longer due to the stiletto heels that are made from polished metal. Many of the guests whisper about how beautiful the black-haired vampire is, the servants chiming in to add that the Vampire Queen is kind and generous. Satisfied with the waves of admiration, the woman pulls a folded fan out from behind her back and holds it over her head to get complete silence. Reaching out her other hand, she conjures a silver tiara that is studded with teardrop-shaped purple topazes and a single starburst emerald.

  “I welcome all of you to my beautiful island home,” the Vampire Queen announces before blowing a kiss to the crowd. She giggles when she spots Titus in the back, the warrior having covered the eyes of his friends. “I promise that there will be no manipulation on my part, so please relax. You are all going to be a part of history. As you know, the Dawn Fangs have changed the dynamic of our world, but they remain unorganized. No offense to their leader, but the new breed needs the touch of an elegant and sophisticated woman. That is why I, the legendary Vampire Queen, have decided to become a Dawn Fang and bring them into my kingdom. Of course, this cannot be done until I have a proper king. Many would believe that Clyde or Lord Tempest deserve this right, but I do not feel they should be given anything for free. Let them fight for my hand like everyone else. There is always a chance that one of you will prove to be the true Vampire King and win the contest that I have created. With the exception of one, all of you are the strongest and smartest of the Dawn Fangs. Use that power and desire to battle for the greatest title of our world!”

  “Yup . . . That would be my maker,” Titus mutters under his breath. “Say hello to the vain and greedy Jewelz. Like I said, we need to get out of here. Now.”

  *****

  Leading the way through the hallways, Clyde does his best to remember where he saw a small courtyard. With it being impossible to hide Titus, he repeatedly darts forward to knock out anyone who comes into view. He considers killing the locals to avoid them waking up and sounding an alarm, but knows that a trail of bodies could make the situation worse. The Dawn Fang finds it hard enough to tuck the unconscious vampires into closets and cabinets, so he can only imagine the challenge of cleaning up a bleeding body. Rushing around a corner to kick an Elven maid in the chest, Clyde spots the courtyard as the surprised servant bounces down the hallway and lands on a couch. Waving for his companions to follow, he walks backwards to make sure nobody is following them. Coming to the unconscious servant, the Dawn Fang rearranges her so that she is hidden beneath the cushions. Joining the others, he sees that they have already moved to a corner that prevents them from being seen unless somebody walks through the main entrance.

  “First thing that has to happen is Xavier must drop the Luther form,” Clyde states as he takes a spot near a window. He holds up his hand to stop the other vampire from arguing, his fangs extending enough to be seen. “Don’t try to lie, Tempest. Why would Jewelz take your councilmembers, but leave you behind? She wouldn’t bother with Luther too unless she took Bob as well. Smart move approaching us as a friend since I probably would have suspected you were behind this and attacked before our host appeared. Now that I know we’re all in the same mess, I’m willing to restrain my urges.”

  “Never imagined that you would be the one to suggest a truce,” Xavier admits, his malleable body returning to its natural form. Appearing naked for a moment, he changes his clothes to a light blue shirt and black pants instead of posing as a noble. “Considering our situation, a truce would be smart. If this Vampire Queen truly wants a king then it would have to be either myself or Clyde. That is if a consort is her goal. From what you s
aid, it is much more than that and I might be nothing more than an expendable pawn. Is that correct, Mr. Winthrop?”

  “Wish I could give you a solid answer, but you can never tell with her,” Titus answers with a frown. Hearing footsteps, he stops talking and puts his hand on a marble potter, which he can easily throw at anyone who intrudes. “Jewelz was fueled by two things when she turned me. She wanted all of the gems in the world and revenge on Mab. I never learned the details of what happened between them, but they were bitter rivals by the time she tried to use me as a weapon against my sister. No idea how she survived that volcano, but Jewelz was always carrying enchanted gems and one of them could have protected her from harm. She probably created the Vampire Queen rumor out of ego since she couldn’t use her real name without attracting her enemies. It’s been so long that I can’t be sure of her goals. Safest bet is that she wants to wed the strongest Dawn Fang, rule over all vampires, and make Mab suffer. If Clyde becomes her king then that’s all three goals in one shot.”

  Xavier rubs at his wedding ring and wonders if the Vampire Queen is aware that he is happily married. “While I do not wish to shy away from a battle, winning would still result in disaster. Nadia is my wife and to even consider fighting for the hand of another is a betrayal of her heart. The rage she will unleash on this place will be frightening. Since you are not attached, Clyde, would you consider simply accepting her hand? There would be no reason for a tournament of the first Dawn Fang seduces her, so the rest of us could go free.”