Page 14 of Duskbound (Esprithean Trilogy #2)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A grand hall opened before us, a cavernous space dominated by sweeping archways and massive iron chandeliers. Black candles dripped steadily onto the stone floor below, their flames dancing in drafts that seemed to come from nowhere. The effect was unsettling. Like the room itself was breathing.

Nobles gathered in clusters, their voices a low hum of quiet conversation. Despite their fine clothing and rigid postures, there was something predatory in the way they watched each other, in how their eyes darted between one another.

"Your parents are here?" I muttered back.

"Later," she hissed, pulling me along with the crowd. "Just remember to keep your head down and your mouth shut."

We followed the stream of nobles into what appeared to be some kind of chamber. Tiered seating surrounded a central floor, giving the space the feeling of an arena. The ceiling stretched up into darkness, lost beyond the reach of candlelight.

Aether and Vexa had disappeared into the crowd, but I could feel their presence somewhere in the shadows. Rethlyn positioned himself near one of the exits .

"The Conference is now in session," a hooded figure announced.

“Where is the Queen?” I whispered.

Effie hesitated briefly. “She doesn't attend anymore.”

General Urkin stood first, his medals glinting in the candlelight. "Before we address new matters, we'll hear from General Taliora of the Medic's Unit."

A woman with sharp features and practical military dress rose. Despite her rigid posture, exhaustion lined her face. "The drought has reached the mid-Western townships. Our medics can barely maintain enough essence to treat the most critical cases. We've lost three more villages this month alone."

"Lost how?" interrupted a woman. "To starvation or to Draxon's hospitality ?"

"Who are all these people?" I whispered to Effie.

"That's Lady Baldurson," Effie responded in a low tone, gesturing towards the woman speaking. The name sounded familiar. Is that what one of the girls had mentioned in my dream?

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Several Council members exchanged dark looks.

Effie leaned closer, her eyes darting to an elderly man who'd just stood up. "That's Lord Sveinson—terribly traditional family, absolutely despises anything that threatens the old ways."

"My people are dying now ," the man declared, his face reddening. "The grain shipments barely feed a quarter of?—"

A woman with calculating eyes cut him off. "Perhaps if you hadn't been so quick to sever trade relations?—"

"Lady Vallgrym," Effie supplied under her breath.

Yes. These were the same names from my dream. Anxiety coiled in me as I watched on.

"You dare suggest we trade with those who—" Lord Sveinson's anger seemed to fill the chamber.

"Enough!" Urkin's voice boomed through the space. "We cannot afford to be divided. Not now. Not with our enemy growing stronger by the day."

The mention of my realm sent another wave of whispers through the crowd. I felt Effie shift uncomfortably beside me.

A man with dark eyes that seemed to absorb the candlelight stood next. "Our scouts report increased activity near the rip. Their towers draw more essence each day, while we grow weaker. The Umbra's current strategy clearly isn't working."

"Lord Skaldvindr," Effie breathed, a hint of disgust in her tone. "He’s the head of the most influential noble family. A majority of the families will vote as he does."

Skaldvindr… Another name I recognized. I wondered, for a brief moment, if I should tell her—or Vexa— about the dream from the night before. I still had no idea of its importance. Who the two girls even were. But now I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it had happened here. In Umbrathia. But when? Was it a memory, or something happening now? Was it the same two girls from my first dream?

But I didn’t want to tell the Umbra about that ability yet. Because even an innocent conversation about the dreams would lead to revealing things I wasn’t ready to. I wanted to trust them, but I still wasn’t sure if I could. And I didn’t want to give them any information that could turn me into an even bigger asset to them. Information they could use against Sídhe.

That's when the side doors opened. The effect was immediate—like all the air had been sucked from the chamber. A man entered, moving with fluid grace, his fine clothing a stark contrast to the darkened robes of the Council. Despite the realm's suffering, he looked vibrant, life and color flooding his skin in a way that seemed almost obscene among the muted pallor of the crowd. But his eyes... his eyes were wrong. Milky and faded, like clouds had settled over them, yet they missed nothing as they swept the chamber. His glossy black hair was cropped short, emphasizing the sharp angles of his face—his beauty stark and mesmerizing.

"Valkan," Effie whispered.

"My friends," Valkan began, his voice smooth as silk. "How long will we continue to debate while our realm dies around us?"

A murmur rippled through the crowd. I noticed several Council members shift uncomfortably in their seats. Urkin's jaw tightened, but he remained silent.

"The essence-drought spreads." Valkan's voice dropped lower, more intimate, as if he were speaking to each person individually. "Our children grow weaker. Our tethers fade. And yet we sit here, bound by antiquated views, while Draxon's fields still produce." His gaze settled briefly on our section, and I felt Effie stiffen beside me.

I thought back to the whispered conversations I'd overheard in the tower, the way Aether and the others had tensed at any mention of Valkan's name. The nobles spoke of trade with Draxon as if it were something unthinkable, yet their lands remained fertile while the rest of the realm withered. What could be so terrible about this man that they'd rather watch their people starve than accept his help?

"My Lord," a woman's voice cut through the tension. An elderly Council member stood, her silver hair gleaming in the candlelight. "Your terms are?—"

"My terms ensure survival." The words carried a hint of sharpness beneath their silken surface. "Allow my men to serve in the Umbra forces. Let them enter the Strykka, prove their worth to the realm… to the Void. And we will re-open trade routes to Draxon."

"The Void is sacred," someone called out. "To allow them to?—"

"Sacred?" Valkan's composure cracked for just a moment, revealing something darker underneath. The candles flickered violently, their shadows writhing on the walls. "What good are our sacred traditions if we're all dead? Sídhe grows stronger while we cling to old ways. They must be brought to their knees, and my men know how to do it."

A chill ran across my skin, my web nearly pulsing in the depths of my spine.

"These negotiations cannot be rushed," Urkin's voice cut through the growing chaos. "The Council needs time to?—"

"Time?" Valkan laughed, the sound sharp as breaking glass. "Look around you, General. Time is the one luxury we no longer possess."

He gestured to his men in gray, and they moved forward as one, their movements too smooth to be natural. There was something wrong about them—something that made my skin crawl.

I leaned closer to Effie, keeping my voice barely above a breath. "What's wrong with them? His men—they're not..."

"Don't," Effie whispered sharply, “we will discuss after."

The implication hit me like a physical blow. These weren't just soldiers. They were something else. Something that made even the Umbra seem tame in comparison. And Valkan wanted them in the military, wanted them to enter the Void...

"The Council will deliberate," Urkin announced, but his voice wavered. "Until then?—"

"Until then," Valkan cut in smoothly, "remember that Draxon's bounty could feed your starving people. Remember that my men could end this war. Remember that pride is a luxury the dying cannot afford. And to solidify that memory, enjoy the feast. Courtesy of Draxon’s harvest.”

As he turned to leave, his pale eyes swept the chamber once more, and this time, I was certain they lingered on me.

Bodies began to shift throughout the space, whispers and murmurs echoing through the chamber. The Kalfar filed out in waves, their dark forms blending together in the dim light .

"What's going on, Effie? What is he talking about?" I whispered, trying to mask the dread coiling in my stomach.

"Not here." Her voice was tight. "We need to find the others."

We joined the crowd flowing into the great hall. Ahead, Aether and Vexa stood near a massive fireplace, its flames casting dancing shadows across the stone walls. Something in Aether's posture made me pause—his jaw clenched, shoulders rigid, those golden eyes burning with an intensity I hadn't seen before. His gaze caught mine briefly before shifting to Effie. They exchanged a subtle nod.

Vexa turned down a corridor that branched away from the main hall, opposite from where the crowd was heading. The temperature dropped as we followed, our footsteps echoing off the cold stone.

"Can someone please explain to me?—"

Aether's voice cut through the air. "Wait until we're alone."

"I had no idea the support had shifted so much since our last Conference," Vexa breathed, running a hand through her hair. "And now he's trying to buy everyone's loyalty with a feast, of all things. Deplorable."

"So... are we going to join the fea?—"

"Effie. Really?" The edge in Vexa's voice could have cut glass.

"I mean, it's already here." Effie shrugged, her affected manner returning as she glanced over her shoulder toward the distant sound of voices. "Seems cruel to let it go to waste."

"She's seen enough." Aether's eyes fixed on some distant point, his voice low. "It's time to leave."

"It's more suspicious if we leave," Effie countered. "Urkin will wonder..."

"Let him."

"Who is he? Who is Valkan?" The words burst from me before I could stop them. "Answers. Now."

"He's the Lord of Draxon." Vexa pulled us deeper into the corridor where it curved left, out of sight. “It’s the city farthest from the rip. On the Southwestern edge of Umbrathia.”

Bile rose in my throat. "You know what I'm asking. Why does he have fertile land while everyone else starves? Why does the Council look at him like he's some kind of monster? What aren't you telling me?"

"A difference of opinion when it comes to navigating war," Effie said quietly, all playfulness gone from her voice.

"I don't understand. You're all so desperate to stop Sídhe. What about him is so repulsive that you draw the line there? What am I missing?" The words came out in a hiss. They were doing it again—giving answers that only led to more questions.

Vexa's eyes darted to Aether, who stood like a statue, before turning back to me. When she spoke, her voice trembled with barely contained rage. "What he—what his people do to sustain life is... blasphemous. Outlawed across the entire realm. A disgusting rite that goes against everything we are as Kalfar. The defilement of essence is the biggest heresy one can commit, yet he's raised a sizable army of them."

"Of what?"

"Damphyre." The word fell from Aether's lips like a curse.

"They no longer require food," Vexa continued, her voice dropping lower. "They take their sustenance straight from the blood of others. They consume the essence of other Kalfar."

Horror crawled up my spine. "You mean they feed on people?"

Their silence was answer enough.

"But—I don't understand—how is that sustainable?"

Vexa drew a shaky breath. "They provide their... volunteers with a life of near luxury. You'd be surprised what people subject themselves to when everything is taken from them. Since the Damphyre have no use for food, there's more to go around for the Kalfar they drain from. "

"So what does that do to their tethers?" I steadied myself against the wall, suddenly dizzy.

"It strengthens them. Makes them more powerful than before the drought."

The pit in my stomach grew deeper.

"And they want to join the Umbra..." The realization hit me like a physical blow. "To join the fight against Sídhe..."

"Plenty of bodies brimming with essence, and no restrictions on how many they can kill." Vexa's voice was bitter. "The void burns are just an added bonus. It makes Valkan look better when he tries to usurp the crown."

My body went still. This is why they wanted me. This is why they were so desperate. I was the alternative to ? —

"What do we have here?" The voice drifted down the corridor like silk. Valkan stood against the wall, watching us with those unsettling milky eyes, his perfect features arranged in an expression of curiosity.

Effie's sharp intake of breath made me look down. The black was fading from my hair, retreating like smoke being pulled into the air. White locks began to appear.

"Valkan." Aether's voice had dropped to something terrifying. He moved in front of me, his form suddenly seeming larger, more dangerous. "You have no business here. Leave."

Valkan's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "I'm simply curious about your new friend, Aether. Don't be rude—it's unbecoming of you."

He took a step forward, those dead eyes fixed on me with horrible interest. Aether moved with him, maintaining the barrier between us. "Perhaps I wasn't clear enough," he growled. "Leave, before I make you."

"No need for hostility." Valkan raised his hands in mock surrender, but his voice held something darker. "It's a dinner party, after all. Where are your manners? "

In a blur of movement, Valkan was against the wall, his feet dangling as if held by an invisible hand at his throat. But that terrible amusement never left his face. Aether stepped closer, tilting his head, arms folded carefully behind his back. "I guess we'll do this the hard way then."

"Oddly protective, Aether. Who is she to you?" Those dead eyes found me again. "You're lucky I'm in my best suit. Otherwise, I might have to retaliate against this vicious, unwarranted attack. How would your Urkin explain that one?" His smile widened, showing too many teeth.

"Vexa. Get her out of here. Effie, find Rethlyn and do the same."

"But Aether?—"

"I won't repeat myself." The shadows around him seemed to writhe.

Vexa's hand closed around my arm like a vise, pulling me down the corridor. I could feel her pulse hammering where our skin met, matching the frantic rhythm of my own heart.

"Until next time, dear." Valkan's voice followed us as Vexa shoved through a heavy door into the gray air. We ran across the field where the Vordr waited, the sound of our boots on frozen grass nearly drowning out the thunder of my pulse.

Nearly.