Page 43 of Elegy of Twilight
I turned around, taking in the knights picking themselves up. I spun again, my heart thudding in my chest. But I knew, before the sob ripped out of my throat, Titus was gone.
22
LUCIA
“Lucia?”
I straightened my back and pivoted toward Edith, who sank down on the abbey steps beside me. It had been one night and one day since the mountain fell and Titus disappeared. No incidents had been reported thus far, but still I sat on the front steps, watching the twilight deepen into nightfall.
“How are you?” Edith asked, a hesitation in her tone.
I didn’t think words could describe how I felt, so I shrugged and kept weaving flower crowns. My fingers wouldn’t, couldn’t rest and my heart felt as though a great pressure would crush it. It was notknowing what had happened to him that left me feeling light-headed and panicky.
“The knights will keep searching,” Edith offered.
“It’s over.” I sighed. “I can feel it deep inside, in my very bones. It’s like I had a connection to him, and when the mountain fell, it snapped. Sometimes I wonder if it was all a dream, a way to liberate the village from the rule of the vampires.”
“But you lost in the end because your heart is broken.”
I pressed a fist to my chest and faced Edith. “I didn’t know it would feel like that. I loved him, I did, but I didn’t know how much until he disappeared.”
“You shouldn’t give up. You should look for him.”
“Look for him where? In the mountain? Deep in the pools? I believe my choice is clear, and my path is set. This is a chance to start over, to realize that we did what was necessary to cleanse the village of evil, and now we can walk in the light.”
“You’re right. It is a chance to start over. Tomorrow I leave for the village. You can come with me.”
I managed to smile at her. “You’re being given a second chance to do things right, Edith. Is Captain Elroy going with you?”
She gave a slight shake of her head, even though a smile curled around her lips. Picking up one of my discarded flower crowns, she put it on her head. “No, not until we are married this fall. The timing could not have been better because I think I’m pregnant.”
“I’m happy for you,” I said sincerely. “In that case, I will come to stay for a while before you are married. I have the sense that it will be difficult to adapt back to my old life. It’s funny, I never thought I’d leave this place, but now I long to know what else is out there.”
“Maybe you can go, but always return here as you search for him.”
How did she know? “It would be irresponsible to leave the gardens before harvest. Besides, if I were to search, I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“Then don’t worry about it yet. Will you sit here all night? Keeping vigil?”
I nodded. “I sense the shadows are gone, but I want to see for myself.”
Edith stood, a mischievous grin on her face. “Me too. I hoped you might be up for one more adventure. I took a sword from the garrison.”
“A sword?” I raised my eyes. “You know how to use one?”
“No, not one of the big swords the knights use, but a small one.” She held out the blade, just the length from my elbow to my wrist. “As a precaution. I want to take a walk at night, breathe the fresh air, go see my new cottage, and ensure the shadows really are gone.”
I stood. “I’ll come with you then. It will help take my mind off things.”
23
TITUS
“You did it!” Sylvester’s wild laugh echoed through the meadow. “You idiot, you actually did it. Here I thought you were a fool, but at last, freedom!”
He threw back his head and collapsed in a field of clover. In the sunlight, his skin appeared pale, translucent with lack of sunshine. His matted, stringy hair hung down to his shoulders, and there was debris from the explosion tumbling onto the grass.
“What did you do?” I demanded, tossing down my broken lute.
