Page 27 of The Vampire Castle in the Sky

“Because I missed you too, Hector,” I said. “I still miss you. Every day.”

I fell asleep after that.

It was the best sleep I had in four years.

9

Thea

When I woke up, Hector’s side of the bed was cold, and my head was muddled by the lingering effects of yet another strange dream, not of Esperida this time, but of three completely unrelated objects. A burgundy cravat with a subtle pattern of the same color thread, an ornate silver vial the contents of which remained a mystery, and a hunter’s sword, long and wide with a slight curve to its blade.

Indeed, a very peculiar assortment of objects to be dreaming about while in the Castle and even more bizarre once considered as a continuation of my other premonitions: Esperida in the glass, and the black-clad man with the pale hands drifting toward me like a fairytale portent of doom. I had no idea what to make of them. They all felt like the odd and mysterious part of a story I hadn’t quite grasped yet.

It was a gloomy morning, crows nestling by the eaves while rain-swollen clouds glided past the fogged windowpanes, but the early hours flew pleasantly by as Hector and I spent them in the drawing room going over the details of our supposed union and the reasons for our upcoming separation. The Castle was in a genial mood as well, for everywhere you looked flowers were blooming—roses and anemones and forget-me-nots—their lushness mingling with the wafting of bergamot andthe vague scent of sugar from the array of sweets cluttering the table between Hector and me. We painted a rather comical picture, actually, sitting here in our nightwear, eating desserts for breakfast, and devising our plans like a couple of naughty children. Now, if I could only convince him to turn tonight’s banquet into a proper ball, that would be just fantastic.

“I’m still in mourning, you know,” bristled Hector as he refilled his teacup with blood. And yes, the irony of sipping blood from something as delicate as a porcelain teacup was not lost on me, although it was clearly lost on him.

“You know what I think?” I prodded, then answered my own question before he could interject, “I think you’re refusing to experience joy in their absence. You’re punishing yourself for being alive while they’re not. But we both know this isn’t what Esperida and Eron would have wanted for you. They would have wanted you to celebrate your ascension to vampire society, not just have another one of your somber dinners.”

“According to you, I’ve been refusing to experience joy ever since I was born,” he muttered under his breath.

“I’m being serious,” I hissed, nervously nibbling on a sugarplum.

Determinedly, Hector pushed a glass of water and a plate of eggs, roasted tomatoes, and hearty rye bread toward me. “The answer is no.”

I squinted at him. “Are you trying to make me healthy or more appetizing to you?”

“I’m trying to keep you from having a stomachache first thing in the morning,” he grumbled and did not stop glaring at me until I finished every bite of myproperbreakfast.

Even the glaring he did handsomely, though. To say that he looked even more striking with his sleep-tousled hair and his rumpled nightshirt would be a terrible understatement.He looked like a prince. A rather solemn, hopelessly brooding prince, but still.

“Will you look at me for a moment, Hector dear?”

Hector hid his face behind the dainty teacup. “The fawn eyes don’t work on me, so don’t even bother.”

“Then look at me.”

“No.”

“Because if you do, you’ll fold like a lawn chair?”

“Maybe.”

Long story short, we were going to host a ball tonight.

After we reached land, Hector went into the forest to hunt—the details of which I preferred not knowing—so there would be plenty of blood to go around with our repast, while I made sure that all the rooms were restored to their initial glory.

The families were only going to be here for one night, and I planned on making the most of it. I let Hector think I wanted to make this a grand event for the sake of entertainment alone because I didn’t want him to be more anxious than he already was, but I did have other reasons as well.

Vampire hierarchy was an unsophisticated thing. The Castle was the ultimate symbol of power, and whoever held its loyalty was bound to be their ruler. A little diplomacy and a blatant display of Hector’s unbreakable bond with the Castle were going to help him prove that he was more than capable of leading vampire society even in a time of great personal anguish.

Of course, diplomacy had never been Hector’s strong suit. I, on the other hand, had witnessed more than enough political maneuvering at the Thalorian Court to know that a celebration was a lot more than an excuse to wear a pretty dress and get tipsy on sweet blueberry wine. A celebration was a statement of prosperity, security, strength. And this was exactly the kind of air Hector and the Castle should exude tonight.

After I was done assessing the rooms, I selected a gown from Hector’s little treasure trove and spent an hour or so preparing myself for our guests.

The dress was of dark green velvet, lush but effortless, with layered skirts and long, flowing sleeves that fell a bit carelessly off the shoulders. Then I focused on the details: a necklace of trickling emeralds to cover my neck—and any possible mark I might have there—no bracelets, of course, to bring more attention to my gold wristlet, and a hairpin encrusted with peridots in the exact shade of green as my gown to secure my updo.

By the time my reflection in the mirror brought me enough confidence to get through this first meeting, dusk had already fallen over the forest, misty and grey. From the bedroom window, I could see the city of Lumia coming up to a firefly glow. If this were the Faraway North, the night would be laden with a golden mist akin to pixiedust, unburied souls meandering around the Dragonfly Forest. Even the air was pure magic there, divinity spilling from the stars in ribbons of celestial light. But Lumia shone as still and clear as a city in a painting, the Castle the only spark of wonder in the air.

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