Page 66 of Unkindness of Crimson Ravens

How could he be so confident?

“Has Caleb treated wounds like this before?” I argued.

Panic threatened to stop my heart for eternity.

“He’s treated worse,” Simon’s voice lowered.

“Worse?” I almost screamed in terror. “How much worse could it get? Florence was barely alive! Her stomach was cut open, her—”

As if the winter storm broke into the castle, my whole body shook like never before. The nausea crept into my flesh, sabotaging my well being.

“You need to sit down, Cordelia.” Simon walked me down the hall to the common area. “Caleb is a great healer, believe me. He can treat anything as long as the heart is beating.” He gestured for me to enter the room. “I will bring us something to drink.”

I walked straight toward the fireplace.

Francis must have been here before the disaster crashed upon our castle. A few glasses of crimson liquid sat upon the table next to his settee. I took a careful sip of his long forgotten drink.

The warmth of human blood rushed down to my stomach, calming my aching heart. I took another sip, and another, until the glass was empty.

My body collapsed on the nearby settee: fatigue overwhelmed me. I didn't notice the figure standing in front of me until my hands were free of the glass.

Simon refilled my drink, his lips moving: he must be talking to me. I forced my mind to focus: in vain.Wurdulacs took the children.My mind repeated again and again until the words faded into one incoherent noise, ringing loudly in my ears. My head was going to explode.

“Cordelia?” The whisper finally forced my invisible wall to shatter.

I raised my head, meeting Simon’s eyes. A bright red line decorated his cheek. “Are you hurt?” I pointed at his injury.

“Don’t worry about it.” He crouched in front of me. “Do you need anything?”

“Why would they take the children?” My gaze hardened.

Simon’s troubled eyes moved to the fire as he took a seat beside me. “They are the best weapon for achieving their goal—” His voice froze the blood in my veins. “To wipe out the human population.”

“What in the Kingdom are you saying?” My voice did not belong to me. “Can someone stop speaking in riddles and tell me what’s going on?” I lashed out at him.

My head spun from all the anger and frustration that consumed me. Simon did not deserve the harshness of my tone, did not deserve the anger I put on him. “Sorry,” I added quietly.

“That’s all right.” A sad smile found its way onto his face. “I understand. All of this must be a lot to take in for someone in your position.”

I wanted to argue that my position was no different from anyone else's, instead I simply nodded. “No one tells me anything,” I told him. “I want to help, but I don’t even know what is going on. My siblings are in danger.”

Simon took a deep breath. “Vampire children are the easiest to control,” he explained. “They are just as strong as we are, but they are easy to manipulate, easy to capture. And it doesn’t take as long to starve them.”

Simon sighed. “Wurdulacs will starve the children until they go so wild, they could drain anyone in an instant.”

“Starve them,” I repeated in disbelief.

“You must know by now: the hungrier you are, the harder it is to control the urge to drain out the first person you see.” He sighed. “They will make the children so hungry, the moment they’re unleashed on human grounds it will be over before it even begins.”

My eyes burned. “Over,” I whispered.

“They will wipe out the human village, so Faris would have no other choice but to go elsewhere—” Simon’s gaze dropped.

“They are turning all humans against vampires.” I guessed. “If they destroy the villages, no human will feel safe allowing Faris to feed.”

Simon nodded. “Their goal is to destroy the treaty, weaken our alliance and our strength; so when they come we won’t stand a chance.”

“We must warn the humans about the attack.” I refused to accept the calmness in his words.