Briony was so involved, in fact, that she didn’t notice the moment when more vampires arrived. They came as the one fighting Vigor had come, scuttling along the ceiling and dropping down to attack. Aunt Sophie kicked one back, and then barely parried an attack from another.

  “Fight, Briony!”

  That was enough to break Briony’s immobility.

  She lunged for a vampire, but it twisted away easily.

  Another moved around to her side, dancing back as Briony spun to attack it. On they went, switching back and forth as Briony tried to strike at them, but never quite enough to gain a hit. They were toying with her.

  While Vigor and Aunt Sophie fought hard around Briony, the vampires were actual y toying with her.

  Each one moved so fast that Briony knew it had to be true- these vampires were al at least as old as Pietre. Which meant…

  Which meant Briony, Vigor, and Aunt Sophie had a slim chance of winning. Not like this. Not in a fair fight. Maybe Vigor and Aunt Sophie could have beaten one or two of them, but not as many as this, and not with Briony there. Vigor was right. She was a liability.

  Almost as soon as she thought it, Briony found her makeshift stake knocked out of her hand like it wasn’t there. At the same time though, the two vampires attacking her took a step back. Briony turned, expecting some fresh threat. Except al there was standing before her was a sweet faced girl with jet black hair and green eyes, only a little older than her brother Jake.

  Chapter 10

  Briony took a longer look at the girl. She looked healthy, even beautiful, and was dressed after the fashion of the rest of the court. She had to be some Hugtandalfer aristocrat’s daughter, so what was she doing here?

  There wasn’t any time to ask. “You shouldn’t be here,” Briony said instead. “It’s not safe. Hurry and go before they attack again.”

  Yet even as she said it, a new vampire

  stepped forward. Even by the standards of vampires general y, he was good-looking, appearing to be in his early twenties, with sandy hair and eyes of a deep hazel. He was dressed in black, from the fingers of his gloved hands down to the tips of his highly-polished boots. And he was heading for the girl in front of Briony.

  “Get behind me!” Briony ordered. She ran in front of the girl, placing herself between her and the new threat. Even unarmed as she was, Briony was determined not to let the vampires get to the young girl.

  The approaching man stopped just in front of her, as casual y as if Vigor and Aunt Sophie weren’t stil fighting his fel ow vampires just a little ways away.

  “Princess Briony, I presume,” he said, giving her a courtly bow that had to be designed to mock her. “We have been awaiting your arrival for a very long time.” He smiled, and just for a second, Briony was reminded of Fal on. The same near beauty in his face. The same delicacy to his features. Then the new vampire’s fangs appeared, and he snarled.

  “Where is the scepter?”

  “Scepter?” Briony asked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  The newcomer shook his head and stepped stil closer. “There’s no point in trying to deceive me.

  You’re Waltham’s heir. Of course you would know about the scepter.”

  “Believe me, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Briony looked around, trying to locate a weapon. Aunt Sophie was on the other side of the room, fighting off two vampires with desperate speed, while Vigor on the other side, stil trading sword moves with the dark haired vampire who had been the first to attack them. Neither was near enough to throw over a weapon, and in any case, both looked as though distracting them might prove fatal. It seemed Briony was on her own.

  The vampire in front of Briony grinned, looking almost frighteningly friendly despite his fangs.

  “You know, I think I actual y believe you. Stil , you may not know what the scepter is, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help us get it.”

  “I’l never help you,” Briony said.

  “Oh, I think you wil .”

  Briony tensed, expecting the vampire to rush her, but he just stood there grinning, crossing his arms casual y. Why wasn’t he attacking? Something was wrong. As Briony began to think that thought, she felt strong hands grabbing her from behind, a feminine laugh sounding in her ear. The girl?

  It was indeed her. She laughed again. “You real y are that naïve. You couldn’t even tel …” Briony turned her head and saw the girl’s fangs exposed as she stared longingly at Briony’s neck. “I haven’t had human blood in so long. She smel s so good. Can I just have a taste, Barron?”

  Thankful y, the vampire in front of Briony shook his head. “No, Elise, we must keep her alive. Bring her.”

  The girl, Elise, improved her grip on Briony, holding her around the waist and lifting her with one arm. Briony tried to twist out of the hold, but found the vampire had as much strength as anyone she had ever met. She was fast too. Before Briony could cal out to Aunt Sophie or even Vigor for help, she was being borne away through the castle with blurring speed. And when they reached a window, the girl leapt.

  It was so different to the time Fal on carried her through the air. It was smoother, far more control ed, and somehow Briony knew that Elise had done this thousands of times. She barely skimmed the ground with each leap before taking to the air again, while a black blur soon joined them as they passed through the nearby forest and into the hil s.

  Eventual y, they came to a stop. The land around was different than the rest of Palisor, and it took Briony a moment to realize why. It was dead. The sky was a dul , cloudy grey. The rocks around were jagged, with no signs of vegetation. And at the top…

  It was the kind of castle Briony had always imagined vampires having; a thing of pointed towers and dark banners, set with spikes on the outer surfaces and imposing its might on the world around. It could almost have been stolen wholesale from Transylvania.

  Elise set down Briony, letting her scramble to find her footing on the rocks. Meanwhile, the black blur that had accompanied them resolved itself into the too handsome form of Barron, who took Briony’s hand, touching his lips to it in a parody of a courtier.

  “Princess,” he said, mockingly. “Welcome to the Kingdom of Darkness, our home.”

  “By our, you mean…”

  “Vampires,” Elise put in. “What else?”

  Briony shuddered. The castle reminded her of something from the days of black and white horror films. She did n o t want to go inside. Not that she would get a choice, probably.

  Next to her, Elise laughed. “I had forgotten how a human would see this castle, Barron. Just look at the Princess’ face. Such dread. Quite lovely, real y.”

  “Come,” Barron said, taking hold of Briony by the waist and lifting her. Couldn’t someone just let her walk for once? “It is much cozier inside.”

  He sped to the top of the hil through the main gate and into the castle, not stopping until he had reached a suite of rooms, where he set down Briony on a chaise lounge covered in deep red velvet.

  It went with the rest of the room. Everything there was red, or black, or silver, and it seemed no expense had been spared. The reds came in velvet, silk and rubies, the blacks in ebony, onyx and jet, while al the silvers had to be platinum, given the way vampires reacted to the real thing. Put together, it looked either like the most expensively furnished place Briony had ever been in, or like further proof that vampires liked to take decorating tips from old movies.

  “Don’t

  make

  yourself

  too

  comfortable,

  Princess.” Elise sat down besides her, throwing an arm around Briony like they were best friends. “You won’t be here long if Barron has his way, and he usual y gets what he wants.”

  “The scepter,” Briony said.

  “Oh, so you have been listening,” Elise said drily. “Yes, the scepter. Al supernatural creatures of the dark want it, after al .”

  “Why?” Briony asked. “What’s so special about it?”

  “Power, obviously.”

  “What kind of power?”

  Elise laughed. “I could explain it to you, but I suspect it would be too much for your wee human head to take in.”

  “Elise,” Barron’s voice shot through from a hal way. Briony hadn’t even noticed him step outside.

  “Don’t be patronizing to our guest. She is after al , King Waltham’s daughter.”

  He came back into the room with a cut glass goblet in each hand. Elise reached out for one, but Barron ignored her, handing one of the goblets to Briony.

  “Here.” His voice was soft. Almost gentle. “You must be thirsty after our little jaunt.”

  Elise reached out her hand for the other goblet Barron held, but he kept that for himself, drinking from it in one smooth swal ow. Elise didn’t seem impressed, but Barron kept his eyes on Briony.

  “You look like her to say the least.”

  “Who?” Briony said, looking into her goblet.

  Was it blood?

  “Your mother,” Barron said. “And no, it isn’t blood. Those of my kind who make it to Palisor are general y old enough to put such thirsts beyond us.

  Blood is just a conduit for other things in any case, and as we age, we no longer need it to act as a medium.”

  Briony thought back to Elise asking to drink from her.

  “Elise is the youngest of us,” Barron said.

  “She found her way into Palisor during the time you would cal your Middle Ages. She does not need blood, but is stil weaning herself off of the memory of it.” Barron smiled again. “And yes, I can read your thoughts. That is one of my gifts.”

  Elise stood up, was obviously not happy about the comment. “You could at least have brought one out for me. You know how to torture a girl, don’t you? I smel the Princess, and I’m suddenly back to craving human blood.”

  “Then show some wil power, Elise,” Barron said. “You have no need for the blood. How many years have you not had human blood and lived perfectly wel without it?”

  “Too many to count,” Elise admitted. “It doesn’t make it easier, though.”

  “I have a job for you that wil see you clear of the Princess for a while, then,” Barron said. “Go send a message to King Waltham that we have the Princess, and we wil feed on her if he does not bring the scepter to us.”

  “Assuming he even has it,” Elise said. “I searched the castle before throwing the dagger down on the banquet table, and it wasn’t there. Nor was King Waltham. I would have finished him off before he could rejuvenate if he had been.”

  “He must have the scepter with him, then,”

  Barron said. “And he must not be in the castle.”

  “So, how do I send word to him?” Elise asked.

  “Do I just run al over the Kingdom looking for him?”

  Barron appeared to ignore the sarcasm in the question, reaching out to Briony with a hand, softly touching her hair, feeling its silkiness between his fingers. Briony tried not to react. Not even when he leaned in close to breathe in the scent of her hair. “Ah, human hair,” he touched her cheeks, “human skin…so soft, so warm and alive.”

  Elise coughed, and Barron came out of his dreamy look. “There was a time when I wanted to become human again, but that was long ago, and since finding Palisor, I am glad to be what I am… a vampire.”

  Barron’s fangs extended and he came in close to Briony’s neck. So close that she was sure he would bite. She even started to twist out of his way, but in an instant, Barron was gone. He was standing up away from her, a lock of blonde hair in his hand. He’d taken it from her. Barron took out a handkerchief and placed the hair in it, wrapping it up, before handing it to Elise.

  “Give this to one of the courtiers,” Barron said.

  “They wil get the message to Waltham without you having to run about anywhere.”

  “Except back here,” Elise said. “I’l run al the way. I won’t be long.”

  Barron’s eyes were fixed on Briony again.

  “Take your time. There’s no hurry. So long as Waltham gets the message, it does not matter.”

  Elise grimaced. “Yes, Barron.”

  Barron didn’t look at her even then, but Briony did. The vampire girl gave Briony a hostile look. One that promised retribution in the near future, before speeding off. Frankly, with Barron stil so close to her, Briony suspected that she had bigger problems.

  Chapter 11

  Briony watched Elise go, blurring off from the room. She didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not. On the one hand, it got rid of a vampire who had already asked to taste her blood. On the other, it left her alone with Barron.

  Barron smiled over at her. “I knew your mother quite wel , you know.”

  “How?” Briony asked.

  “I watched her when she first entered Palisor from the mortal world. I thought she would be the one to help us.” Barron’s eyes clouded over. “She was your age, young, confident and very lovely. I see where you get your looks, Briony.”

  Briony wasn’t sure that she wanted another vampire around her who spent his time complimenting her. Not when they invariably wanted something from her, at least.

  Barron went on. “I thought I was the first one to see your mother come through the gate. When she came over, she was lost, and I helped her get her bearings. For a while, I was intoxicated by her, the smel of life, the feel of warmth on her skin. It made me remember what it was like to be human…so long ago before I found Palisor.”

  “Shouldn’t finding Palisor make you want to forget everything about the mortal world?” Briony asked. “Isn’t that’s why you’re here?”

  Barron smiled slowly, “On the contrary, I am like al the vampires who have made it through here – the old ones, the ancient ones. We yearn for this place so much so precisely because it offers us the ultimate gift, the ultimate power here in Palisor.”

  Briony knew she had to ask. “What is that?”

  “Life.” Barron said it simply, but Briony could hear the yearning in it. That was what the vampires wanted here? Just to be alive? To be human again?

  “Don’t underestimate it,” Barron said, obviously reading her mind once more. “To become human again, to feel blood, our own blood, rushing through our veins again… there is something special to that, Briony. And we could achieve it so easily.” Barron moved so that he caught Briony’s chin, turning it up to look at him. “We simply need the scepter, and someone who is stil human enough.”

  “Which means I am the way to meet both of those needs,” Briony guessed.

  Barron nodded, obviously pleased.

  “Precisely.”

  Briony laughed to herself.

  “What is it?” Barron asked. “You’l have to think more clearly if you expect me to understand.”

  That, Briony decided, could quickly get annoying. “It just occurred to me that Pietre and the others like him spend so much time trying to get here, thinking that it wil make them more powerful vampires, and here you are saying that the big prize of Palisor is to be human once again.”

  Barron shrugged. “Even among creatures

  as long lived as us, lore shifts and changes. Stories don’t say what they original y did. Meanings shift.

  People mishear, or hear what they want to. I am sure you have seen it before.”

  The stories about vampires and

  werewolves back home sprang to mind. Stil Briony wanted to be clear. “So, if you get the scepter, you wil turn back into mortals once again?”

  Barron nodded. “Assuming that we have a human around so that the scepter can have a life essence to copy and give to us.”

  “So why fight with the Hugtandalfers?”

  Briony asked. “If you truly intend to become human again, then you don’t need to antagonize them or their king. Why steal me away like this? Why sneak into their castle?”

  “Why not just ask for it?” Barron finished for her.

  “Would you stop doing that?” Briony nodded though. “Yes. Why not just ask?”

  Barron smiled once more. “If it helps, I am asking you, Briony. Help us.”

  Briony thought about it for several seconds.

  Her first instinct was not to trust this man. This vampire. For al that Barron had said, he had stil kidnapped her. Yet, if al he wanted was to be human…

  Briony nodded. “Al right. I can find the scepter for you and perform this transformation There’s a price for it, though.”

  “Name it,” Barron said.

  “You don’t harm anyone else. I’m doing this to curtail a war.”

  Barron’s smile became bril iant. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear you say, Briony. I can accept your terms.”

  “You stil haven’t told me why you didn’t just ask King Waltham, though,” Briony pointed out.

  “Surely he would have helped? I mean, why wouldn’t he and his people want to turn the vampires back into mortals?”

  Barron’s eyes narrowed, and Briony knew that she had said the wrong thing. “Because we are evil, and you do not help evil things. That is what they cal us, anyway. We are the ‘evil ones’, our corner of their world is the Dark Kingdom. They need to feel that they are good, and for that, they need someone to label as evil. It is the same in your world, though at least there, humans have a reason to fear those of us who have not shifted to more civilized means of feeding.”

  “You sound like you hate King Waltham.”

  “Hate?” Barron’s voice grew lower. “Hate can barely begin to describe what I feel for him. He hunts us down, cal ing us monsters. He has denied us our right to the scepter’s power. He has kept us from being… human again. To me, h e is the monster.”

  Barron seemed to make an effort then, composing his features. “And yet I wil do what you asked, because I am not.”