“I…” What do I tell them? I have to do anything to keep up the charade. I know I can’t outright lie to Ruvan, but what of the rest of them? “I’m a hunter”—so I can lie to the others—“not a scholar. I don’t ask questions of my superiors.”
“Ah, because the true measure of loyalty is not questioning,” Callos says sarcastically, rolls his eyes, and returns to the bench.
“You found a real useful one, Ruvan.” Lavenzia sinks back into her seat.
“She will be useful. She will get us inside the door. And if she can’t, then she will still know of the hunters’ attempts at blood lore. That might give us some clarity on how they made the curse in the first place—she might know something without realizing it.”
I look up at Ruvan from the corners of my eyes. The way he speaks makes it sound like he’s been as diligently planning on contingencies as I have. Maybe he’s right and we both need each other. But if we are of similar mind then that begs the question, how is he planning to kill me once this has run its course?
If he truly is like me, he’s thought of several ways.
“You know the Succumbed will frenzy at her scent,” Winny says.
“Callos can find us a path of least resistance through the old castle,” Ruvan counters.
Old castle? Succumbed? Curse anchors? I’ve no idea what they’re talking about but I try and mentally take note of it all.
“I think it could be amusing to watch the Succumbed tear her limb from limb.” Lavenzia leans forward in her chair, eyes gleaming. She looks ten times more deadly and now competes with Ventos for the most terrifying person here. Perhaps it’s the bloodsworn, but Ruvan is solidly third and I almost want to tell him so just for the sake of a jab.
“She is one of us now. No wishing for her death,” Ruvan reminds them.
“No.” Ventos stands, chair toppling over with the force by which he does. He’s clearly a hot-headed fellow. “She might have sworn an oath to you, and we might have a duty to honor your commands and oaths you make. But she is not, and will never be one of us. She is a hunter. She is the enemy.” He thrusts a finger at me.
Vampires act so much like humans. Emotional. Capable of speech. Vampires feel. And if they are all so loyal to Ruvan…why do they speak out against him?
They seem to think their own thoughts rather than being a hive-like group… But they are monsters, I’ve seen as much, just not the kind I was always told. They are monsters that wear the skin of humans, drink blood to gain human feelings and emotions, masquerading close enough to humanity that it’s almost confusing. They want me to sympathize with them, to see them as not so different from me. Well I won’t be fooled.
“I would never want to be one of you,” I say quietly. All eyes are on me instantly. “I will fulfill this oath for all of humanity and rid myself of this place and the vampire forever.”
“Well said,” Ruvan appraises. “The sooner we break the curse the better, on that much we can all agree.”
Ventos reluctantly nods, righting his chair and falling heavily into it. It’s a wonder the thing doesn’t crack under the weight of all that muscle.
“Which means, tomorrow, we’re headed into the old castle,” he declares.
Worry and apprehension flash in their eyes. I think back to the dark windows Quinn and I avoided. “What is the old castle?” I dare to ask. None of them seem prepared to answer. A few open and shut their mouths. Finally, it’s Ruvan who speaks.
“The place where the rot of your curse festers. Where you will see the true horror of what your dear hunters have done to our kind.”
