Page 28 of Unkindness of Crimson Ravens (The Crimson Duet #1)

Brink of Death

C old sweat broke through my skin. The frost enveloped my heart, squeezing it tight. “I don’t understand,” my voice shook. “What does that mean?”

Francis and Roxanne shared a concerned look.

“Why would they take the children?” I persisted, taking a step toward the pair.

A heavy silence filled the air when her—full of terror—eyes met mine.

The wind howled its loud serenades, shaking the castle with its force. Dozens of snowflakes hit the windows above us in a beautiful waltz.

Francis cleared his throat, taking Roxanne’s crimson hand. “You need rest, let’s get you to bed.”

“No!” She shook her head rapidly. “I must stay.” She tried to move away from Francis’ embrace. “I have to be here. Florence needs me.”

Francis lowered his voice to a whisper. “You will only be in Caleb’s way and you know it.” He helped Roxanne to get on her feet; her shaking legs barely kept her upright. “Come now, Rox. You are about to lose consciousness.”

“No—I—No,” she stuttered, losing her balance for a moment. “I can’t—”

I caught her other hand for support. “I promise I will get you the moment Florence wakes.”

Roxanne stared me straight in the eyes for what felt like an eternity before she finally gave in. “All right,” she nodded slowly. “All right. Wake me if anything happens—anything at all.”

“I swear.” I squeezed her hand.

Francis’ eyes met mine when he mouthed a silent thank you before walking Roxanne up the stairs.

I was left all by myself in the hall by the main entrance. The blood slowly dried on the floor, painting the marble in a color of death.

Florence’s crimson body did not leave my mind, her frozen in place features made my lips tremble.

Her bright smile had turned into a blue—as ice—sorrow.

She will be all right, I told myself, not believing my own words.

Everyone seemed confident in Caleb’s ability to heal, but I’d seen the damage.

No one could survive a wound like that: no human at least—

The front door flew open, inviting the storm inside. Snow rushed toward me, cutting my face. My hands shielded my skin from the impact when I saw a figure standing at the threshold of our home; my hand flew toward the weapon at my waist.

“I came as soon as I could,” a familiar voice exclaimed. “How is she?” Simon forced the door closed behind him.

I took my hand off the sword, rushing toward our guest. “Caleb is healing her now.”

“Good. That’s good.” He took his snowy coat off. “I was so worried when they left. I would’ve gone with them, but—” Simon paused, setting his coat on the handle. “They destroyed Faris. Many lost their lives.”

I could not imagine the extent of horrors he had to witness firsthand.

“As long Florence is with Caleb, everything will be well.” Simon put his hand on my shoulder; I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of his words.

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.

“We will next week, during the meeting.” Francis entered the room, heading straight toward me. He took an empty glass from my hands, pouring himself a drink.

“How is Roxanne?” I asked him.

“She will be alright,” He shrugged, finishing the drink in one gulp before returning it to me. “Thankfully her wounds did not need Caleb’s attention.”

Hours passed as we sat in silence. I stared at the flames, imagining their powerful hands stretching out and brushing my skin. The fire was slowly dying out, yet no one seemed to care about the heat leaving the room.

Heavy steps grew louder against the marble, stopping just outside the room. Our heads flew towards the door, waiting for the owner to show their face.

The door creaked open, revealing a figure covered in blood. Caleb’s white tunic was now bright red, the exhaustion reaching his eyes made him look a lot older.

“How is she?” Francis got up from his chair.

Caleb did not say anything as though his mind traveled into places we will never know about. Francis repeated his question, taking a step forward. Their gazes met before Caleb finally responded, “She will be alright.”

I let out air from my lungs that I didn’t know I was holding. She will be alright. I looked at Francis, his eyes were closed in silent relief.

“When will she wake?” Simon’s voice carried through the room.

“In a week. Perhaps two.” Caleb took a seat next to the fire. “It is hard to tell. She’s lost a lot of blood.”

“I should go tell Roxanne.” I charged toward the door.

“I will tell her.” Francis caught my hand, holding it firmly. “You go rest, Princess.”

His thumb brushed over the back of my palm, burning my stomach aflame.

“I should go too.” Simon looked at our hands’ embrace and I immediately moved away. “Dawn is near.” He sent me a curt smile.

“Good night,” I said to no one in particular, rushing to the exit.

Simon’s words did not leave me when sleep claimed me, nor did they leave me a whole week after when I was preparing to meet with the Barrens.

The shaking in my hands increased with every passing moment, making it more challenging to braid my hair.

I cannot do this! My thoughts screamed at me as I watched my reflection. The dark blue gown tightened around my ribs, around my neck. I can’t. I can’t! My irritated skin tingled when I pulled the fabric off of my neck. Perhaps I should change.

“Ready for another adventure, my Princess?” Francis knocked on my open door, making me jump in my chair.

“Cease calling me that,” I spoke through clenched teeth, meeting his gaze through the mirror.

I wiped my sweaty hands on the gown before attempting to braid my hair for the tenth time.

“Why not?” Francis picked up Silver—who, I am sure, mewed at him to leave—with outstretched hands, studying the cat as though he’d never seen such an animal before.

I forced a lump down my throat, though it just grew bigger. “I am a princess no more.” I tightened the braid around itself several times. “And certainly not yours.”

Breathe in. Breathe out. I commanded myself. I can’t do this! What if he is there? My lips trembled.

“Is she always this gloomy?” he asked the cat, tapping on its head.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

“Are you always this childish?” I rolled my eyes, securing the end of the braid with a pin. Thick air wouldn’t let me breathe. My chest ached, yet I refrained from checking if my heart was still in its place.

I shook the invisible hands of my body, breathing way too fast.

“Are you alright?” Francis raised a brow, putting the cat down. When I didn’t reply he added, “You have nothing to worry about, Princess. The Barrens are all bark and no bite,” he smirked.

“I’m fine,” I bit out, walking toward him. “What do you need from me, Francis?”

“Uh—” He crooked his head. “Nothing, I suppose.”

“Then leave.” I spat out, slamming the door in front of his nose.

My insides turned upside down—

My legs carried me to the bathing chambers just when my stomach emptied itself out.

I washed my face with warm water; my lungs finally expanded with relief.

I studied my expression in the mirror; barely visible dark circles under my eyes suggested the restless day I had. Nightmares had haunted me, begging me to not bring them into reality, yet I had no choice. I had to go.

William Barren would never believe the authenticity of the documents were I to choose to stay behind. I had to go if I wanted a chance at safety for the people I loved.

I put my cloak on, closing the door behind me.

Making my way down the hall, I stopped by the door Florence had told me was hers when I first arrived, with a goblet of blood in my hands.

The door creaked open, showing two figures lying atop the bed sheets. Red, matted hair lay upon the pillow as if in flames. Roxanne’s sleepy eyes found mine.

“I just wanted to visit Florence before we left,” I whispered, offering Roxanne the goblet.

She nodded slightly, propping herself up on the bed as she took the drink.

My eyes traveled past her, stopping on Florence’s still features. Her dark, warm skin now looked lifeless. Her full bright lips were now pale.

I walked around the bed, taking Florence’s lifeless hand into mine.

“She is strong, nothing could ever break her,” Roxanne whispered.

“She is.” I squeezed Florence’s hand before heading for the door.

“Wait,” Roxanne’s hoarse voice called after me when I reached for the handle. “You have to make them believe,” she rasped. “Promise you will do whatever it takes.”

“You are not coming, then,” I said more to myself than to her.

Roxanne shook her head, “I cannot leave her.” Her eyes burned into mine. “Swear to me you will do everything possible.”

Why would she think I was capable of something like that? “I swear,” I said anyway.

“They will regret what they have done,” she bit out. “I will make sure of that.” She glanced at the figure by her side.

My hand grabbed the handle of the door when my eyes stopped on a beautiful painting staring at me from the wall. Two women were in a tight embrace, dancing through the empty ballroom. At the bottom of the painting it read, To the love of my life, R.

“You painted this?” I turned to Roxanne, who now gently brushed Florence’s hair.

“She actually painted everything in the castle,” Francis' voice brushed over my ear.

Dressed in fancy attire, he now stood by my side, at the threshold of Florence’s room. “We have to go,” he offered me a tight smile, leaving the room.

“It’s beautiful,” I sent Roxanne a small smile before following after him.

Our steps echoed through the corridor as we made our way down the stairs. The world increasingly spun the farther I strayed from safety. I drew a deep breath, reaching for the banister. Francis’ worried gaze fell upon me, though he refrained from saying anything.

Our earlier encounter floated above us like a heavy cloud. I should apologize for my outburst, yet the words would not come.

“Give me a moment.” Francis disappeared into—what looked to be—his study, without sparing me a glance when we reached the end of the stairs.

My heart burned, falling down to my stomach as I stared at Roxanne’s painting resting on the wall. Dear Moon, I cannot breathe.

“Where are the documents?” Francis called out from the room.

I peeked into the study; Francis frantically searched through the stack of papers on the table. “I gave them to Roxanne,” I told him carefully.

“They were here last night,” he gestured in front of him. “I put the documents right here.”

“What is going on?” Roxanne’s voice echoed from behind as she pushed past me.

Francis’ gaze met hers when he said, “The documents are gone.”