Page 82 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

“So you see. It is such a waste of energy to be pining on the man when you can have him at any time,”the Vulture whispers in my ear in a sugary voice.

The Boar’s apparition moves to study the healed wound on Svenn’s back.

“I love this artwork. Why did you have to mess it up?”she chides, stomping her feet.

“It was an experiment.”The Vulture merely shrugs.“I needed to test out some theories. I was right, of course. The tattoos somehow don’t regenerate with the rest of him.”

My body trembles with rage listening to their rubbish conversation. I keep watching the Vulture’s memory playing in my front of me.

She moves closer to touch his face lovingly, her scarlet robe shifting in the movement. “Maybe if you just let us have what we want, we’ll finally end you.”

Svenn slowly lifts his head at the offer. A strange glimmer sparks in his eyes.

“Look at that. This is the best part.”The Vulture claps her hands proudly. “Just a chance at true death has him salivating like a broken dog.”

I can hear the musical lilt in her voice. She enjoys torturing him.

“That’s right. If you play nice, I will let you go.” A twisted smile pulls at her red lips. “I’ll grant you the true death so you can finally be at peace.”

The Boar covers her mouth with glee.“You’re too good at this, sister.”

“The trick is to let them dream they can escape,”she announced with pure delight.“It’s a harder fall when a person goes from grasping hope to being plunged into despair.”

The two apparitions break into a cacophony of sickening laughter. Their voices grow raucous in my head, and I struggle to focus on the memory in front of me.

The Vulture takes a step closer towards Svenn, running her hand on his pecs. The entitlement of that touch makes me sick. I want to strike and push her away. Even if I know this is only a memory.

“What do you say?” She twists the lock and the heavy chains drop from his wrists. She has no intention of letting him go. But Svenn doesn’t know that.

“You would free me?” he asks.

My heart breaks at the hopeful note in his tone.

She lets out a soft, wicked laugh and nods. “One night with me and then… bliss. I’ll give you the end you’ve always wanted.”

It’s a lie, Svenn… she’s lying,I want to tell him.

My heart cracks and crumbles in its hollow chest. This is the past. I can’t do anything to fix what is done.

What she—they all did was not only cruel, but it was… nausea rises to my throat. I finally understand the flinches, the reason he is absolutely repulsed by me, the reason he tried to kill me. Svenn would rather be imprisoned in the dark dungeon for another millennia than stay with the Rhunhraefn’s vessel.

I can’t forget the disgusted look on his face when I offered to share a bed with him back in the tent. If I knew of the torment he had to endure, I wouldn’t have been so inconsiderate. If I knew, I wouldn’t have touched his chest earlier. I feel like the worst filth.

“Come now.” The vulture releases him from the shackles. She places his hand on her breast. “What do you say?”

I clench my fingers into a fist to keep them from shaking.

“Will you make love to me for your freedom?” she croons seductively.

I don’t stay to hear his answer.

“Enough.”

I slap my hands together and the terrain changes from the torture chamber into a forest background. The memory of Svenn and the Vulture vanishes like tendrils of smoke.

The two curse bearers cease their whisper immediately.

I look at the women, at each of their faces. One hundred and thirteen heirs. A few of them are staring blankly intonothingness while others have become too mad, too distraught from holding the curse.