Page 71 of A Monarch's Fall

“Rude,” I whispered under my breath.

“In here,” came the answer to my question, and it was easy to forget how well a vampire's hearing could be.

“Does it not drive you crazy?” I asked as I approached a door near the end of the corridor.

“Does what, now?” she asked as she stepped out into the corridor.

“Hearing everything. I would lose my mind,” I said.

She cocked her head to the side slightly and smiled.

“It’s nice to have you here, are you with your grandmother, Lady Sofi of Coactus?” she asked.

“Of course. But I’m here for you, Selene,” I told her. “How are you? What do you know of Percy?” I asked.

She sighed and looked away.

“Physically, I am fine,” she said, taking my upper arm and dragging me into a room, and shutting the door behind us.

“You know how I hate being dragged,” I complained.

“This is the only safe room within the entire castle in which to talk, although truthfully, I’m not sure if that is true,” she told me.

I looked her over closely. She seemed physically okay, but dark purple circles hung beneath her eyes, and she looked as if she had not slept in weeks.

“Correct me if I am wrong, but vampires do sleep?” I questioned.

She nodded, “Of course, what does that have to do with anything?” she said, frustratedly.

“You look like you’ve been foregoing sleep. Have you looked in the mirror lately, Selene? You’re dishevelled!” I told her honestly. Even her hair, which was always impeccable, was frizzy!

“I’m sorry if I’ve been preoccupied trying to locate my soul match while recovering from venom poisoning. My appearance isn’t the top of my agenda right now.” She growled angrily.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t judge, but perhaps your appearance should be a priority during the Royal Conference,” I suggested. With my grandmother’s warning and Vlad’s notions of coming power, now wasn’t the time for Selene to appear weak.

“Are you not in the least concerned with Percy?” she asked accusatorily.

“I am!” I was quick to reassure. “Truly, I worry for her greatly, but I’m sure that wherever she is, she is safe. She’s not exactly the typical Flores witch, not with her novel ability.” I highlydoubted that she was being mistreated. She was a valuable bargaining chip or weapon. “Grandmother told me that she was not taken by a northern rebel group. That there were others involved in the attack against Ardens —"

“The New Foundation,” Selene interrupted, “What do you know of them?” she asked me. I shrugged. I knew nothing, really, “Grandmother said that there were secretive alliances forming in the south; I assume they have something to do with that.”

“As far as we are aware, they are an Auster loyalist group,” she told me.

“I wasn’t aware such groups even still existed.”

Selene exhaled and walked to sit on her bed.

I looked around the room. It was sparse, given that it was her room, but the floor contained many doors, and I suspected her bedroom was entirely for sleep and other bedroom-only activities. I sat beside her.

“They are more than a rebel group; our intelligence suggests they are a true threat to kingdom stability. So much so that Father has ordered all resources to be pulled from all other areas and focused on them. I’ve been told to find Percy myself,” she revealed.

“Yourself?” I questioned in shock. “But how?”

“I know that she is somewhere within House Halvorsen, most likely within the estate of Arvid Halvorsen,” she answered.

“How? House Halvorsen? Are you sure?”

“Yes. General Creel confirmed it. It appears that House Halvorsen has joined an alliance with House Viridis, and all the intelligence that we can gather puts the New Foundation base firmly in their land.”