Page 7 of Elegy of Twilight
“What if it was one of the knights?”
Edith squeezed my hand under the table, eyebrows raised, which meant she had an idea and wanted us to investigate this ourselves. It wasn’t ourplace to catch thieves. We had other duties, but like her, I found myself curious.
“Ladies, it is not our place to give in to wild speculations and fear. While it is disconcerting to know that someone snuck in and stole from this place of safety, I know we will find whoever is responsible, and they will be dealt with. Now, let us clear our minds and focus on the day at hand. Everything will fall into place, as it should.”
Edith and I exchanged glances before folding our hands and closing our eyes. Doubt poked at my mind, doubt that didn’t belong in the mind of a priestess. Last night, I’d been with a man, the vampire king himself. Vampires could not cross a threshold without being invited, and I hadn’t invited him inside.
4
LUCIA
As the days passed, I tried to forget about the mysterious man who’d kidnapped and kissed me. The work required of me in the abbey kept me busy from sunup to sundown. Travelers came for prayers, to seek rest, or to bathe in the healing pools that surrounded Veilix.
Each day when I worked in the garden, I tried to keep my focus on the Creator who blessed us with gifts of nature. My life’s work was to deny worldly pleasures and focus on sacrifice, the giving of myself, and my time to serve others.
Midweek, the young women in the village came to my garden to learn how to use herbs for healing. It was a class that Edith and I taught together. I focused on how to forage for herbs, plant and tendthem, and tell each one apart, while Edith focused on the healing properties and how to ground, mix, and dry them, then activate them.
Seeing those young women, some single, others married, and some beginning their own families, made me feel fiercely protective of them. They were my family, the village was my home, and it was my duty as a priestess to do whatever was in my power to protect Veilix and those who dwelled there.
The gate burst open, and Sabine ran in, hair tumbling out of her braid. “There’s been an attack!”
A slow sludge of fear weighed me down, and my gaze flickered to Edith. She shook her head slightly, but it was already too late. One of the women screamed, and they gathered around us like a flock of panicked hens.
“Who was it?”
“What happened?”
“When did you find out?”
“Are they coming for us?”
Sabine bent over, catching her breath before joining us, her green eyes wide. “It wasn’t one of us but a traveler. Word is he was on his way here when the vampires caught him early this morning. The knights found him on the roadside, bite marks on his neck, drained of blood. It was the vampires.”
More shrieks and hysterics followed, and Edith spun on Sabine. “That’s enough,” she said sternly. “Ladies, this has happened before, and we know what to do. When twilight comes, go inside, lock your doors, and stay inside until day breaks. If you are too concerned to go home, there is always a place for you here. We cannot thrive on fear. Keep the faith. The knights are investigating, and the Creator will provide a way.”
For the rest of the day, Edith’s words danced through my mind. She was right. We should not feel powerless, locked up in the formidable walls of the abbey while terrors ruled the night. If we had the opportunity, we should act, and I’d been provided a way to act. The knowledge burned within because I, of all people, had the power to take action.
After everyone retired for the night, I dressed cautiously, a giddiness rising within as I pulled on my boots and selected a warm cloak. Finally, I took up my knife, recalling what I’d learned about self-defense from Caption Elroy and his men. Vampires were fast, but I’d faced the vampire king before. Perhaps tonight, he’d be reasonable and less inclined to kiss me.
I tiptoed down the silent halls, boots in hand, the stone cold beneath my feet. All the sisters werebehind closed doors, reading, meditating, or sleeping. Still, it wasn’t until I slipped into the garden that I breathed a sigh of relief and tugged on my boots. Unlocking the gate, I let myself out into the night.
The air was still as I walked downhill, headed toward the wood where the knights had taken me to trap the vampire king. Blackness crept in around me, and even though I’d brought a lantern, I hesitated to light it and draw attention to myself.
Once I slipped beneath the leafy boughs, the gravity of my situation overwhelmed me. Freezing behind a tree, I attempted to gather the courage I’d had while in the abbey. What if I couldn’t find the vampire king but one of his minions instead? I’d be the next body that was found drained of blood.
Spinning around, I had every intention of fleeing back to the safe walls of the abbey.
Until I heard the music.
A somber tune pierced the night like a lonesome call, a song of the heart. A tug came from within, and my pulse quickened. Silver beams of moonlight filtered through the trees, encouraging me to take action. Moving with confidence, I made my way toward the pool in the glade where everything had happened.
As the trees thinned, I paused and set down my lantern, reminding myself to be calm and level-headed. I came with a purpose, and it might not be him.
But it was.
There, by the pool of midnight blue water, he lounged on a boulder, playing his lute, the low notes blending with the thunder of the waterfall yet somehow echoing back. My lips tingled, and my body ached at the reminder of what he’d done to me, but I hadn’t come for pleasure. This was strictly business.
I marched into the clearing, aware I knew nothing about him. Not even a name.
