Page 33 of Elegy of Twilight
I stared into the hole, looking for signs of life. Two glowing orbs stared back at me. His eyes had changed, become luminous in the bleakness, and it stirred fear in my heart.
He shook the chain. “I’m too weak for this.”
My stomach twisted. “They tortured you?”
“Not everyone asks for secrets nicely.”
I glanced at Edith. “What should we do?”
“We can try to lift him out, but. . .” she trailed off.
“I’ll go down,” I said, the announcement halfway catching me by surprise.
Edith grabbed my elbow, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Lucia, are you certain he’s not. . .”
“I’m sure,” I whispered back, hoping my words were true. “He’s just a man.”
Edith frowned, shaking her head. “I don’t like it.”
I held out my hands. “Give me the bandages and herbs. I’ll see if I can help him.”
“I’m the healer. It should be me going down.”
“No, stand watch,” I protested, afraid of what Titus might do to her if she went down in my place. Besides, if one of the knights happened upon our ill-prepared plan, she could make up some kind of excuse.
I tucked the bundle under my arms and grabbed the chain. It bit into my fingers, and my arms burned as I lowered myself into the bleakness. Down there, in the hole in the ground, my runes itched more, and a faint glow emitted, enough to see the shape of Titus.
He moved away from me as I arrived, his voice rough. “I don’t want you to see me like this.”
“I came to help,” I said. “Let me.”
“Lucia. Tell me truly. Is this a trap?”
“You doubt my affection for you?”
He came closer, the glow in his eyes intensified, terrifying. “Because we are irrevocably split between light and dark, day and night. You come down here to help me heal, to give me strength, to bandage my wounds, but it’s not herbs and potions I need. It’s light and hope.”
“Whatever you need, I will give it to you.”
“You tempt me with words you know not.”
“You can help, Titus, help stop this madness. You told me so yourself, and now people are dying, and it might be at the hands of your brother. He’s the vampire king, isn’t he? How do we stop him? He’s written letters demanding my sacrifice, and you’ve told me of my magic and what it does. I want to try.”
“Do you?” But the question wasn’t a question, merely a note, a warning, and suddenly he was upon me. Arms enveloped me, and his head dropped, sinking to my bare neck, and then came pain. Sharp and instant, then swelling, growing as his teeth sank into my skin. This time he sucked, and I felt the blood leave my body to fill him.
Horror arrested me, but my arms were trapped under his, and my feet were laden. It was the shockof it that rendered me mute. All this time, I’d believed in him, trusted him, and now, at last, those haunted words spoken in the dark by his half-brother came true as Titus sucked my blood.
What a fool I’d been, falling for darkness and devastation. I’d once thought of myself as a sacrifice to save others. The bitter truth washed over me. I couldn’t even save myself.
16
TITUS
At last I’d fallen for the trap, and the knights of the garrison had attacked and captured me. When I’d seen the woman tied to the tree, a blind rage had come over me, and I hadn’t slowed down to inspect my surroundings. I assumed it was her, and after the two days we spent together, making love and magic, I was furious that she’d attempted to betray me again.
Except it wasn’t her, and when I sprang back for my lute, they came out of the woods and beat me down with heavy blows. My strength had sapped away under the onslaught, and blood dribbled out of my mouth as they bound my arms and legs, put a hood over my head, and dragged me away.
When they snatched the hood off, I sensed I wasunderground, and try as I might, I couldn’t break free. I needed blood. I needed her.
