Page 38 of Treasured

Grabbing the nearest object, I hurled the crystal cup at the wall. It shattered, spraying the room with countless pieces of glass, but the violence did nothing to ease the rage within me.

I’d suspected the Blood Ruby was losing its power, but this was all the confirmation I needed.

Why was this happening to me?

I grabbed another cup, intent on throwing it as well, when a knock came on the door. I swung around, my fingers tightening around the glass.

“What is it?” I yelled.

The door creaked open, and a human servant with a red ribbon tied around her neck slowly entered. Trembling, she dropped into a low curtsy. “Good evening, Your Majesty.”

Good? No. This was not a good evening. This was a very, very bad evening. Downright terrible, even.

“What do you want?” I exclaimed.

The servant blanched. “Apologies, My Queen,” she said, staring at the floor. “I have an urgent message for you.”

Tapping my foot, I put my hands on my hips. “What is it?”

“Prinos had a vision,” she whispered. “He is confined to his rooms, for walking the silver planes has drained him, but he says it is of the utmost importance.”

Finally, some news. Gripping my ruby, I tilted my head. “Is that your message?”

She gulped. “Y-y-yes.”

I didn’t respond. Why should I? The servant was nothing but a mortal, her lifespan a mere heartbeat compared to mine. Gathering my shadows around me like a cloak, I was beside her in a second. My fangs burned, and I grabbed her. It turned out this was the perfect moment to ease my thirst for blood.

My fangs were in her neck before she even registered what was happening. She cried out, and fear added sweetness to her blood. Taking what I needed from the servant took little time. In mere minutes, her heart slowed, and she twitched in my arms. She was moments away from death.

I could have stopped.

I didn’t.

This was my right as ruler of this realm.

When not even a drop of blood remained in her veins, I released her. The nameless servant fell in a heap, and I left.

Someone else would take care of the mess.

* * *

“What did you See?” Sitting across from Prinos, the Fortune Elf, I tapped a near-frantic beat on the armrest.

He blinked, clearing the film in his eyes. The elf was in bed, his face as pale as the sheets beneath him. His brown hair was shorn, barely dusting his scalp, and sweat covered his body. Of all my Fortune Elves, he was the oldest and closest to the Fade. Even now, his skin was almost translucent, and he appeared to be moments away from taking his last breath.

He couldn’t Fade yet. I needed him.

He opened and closed his mouth as though he was searching for the words.

“Tell me!” I yelled, growing impatient.

“I have… Seen your son,” he rasped, his eyes widening.

My spine straightened, and I gripped the chair as though I was on the verge of falling out. My heart raced, and something akin to hope flickered to life within me.

Finally, someone was doing something right.

I asked, “Where is he?”

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