JEREMIAH

Since Ky told me about our parents, I stayed in my room. No one came to bother me to attend classes or eat my meals. I had half a mind to believe they forgot me. Kenneth would come by sometimes, but I couldn’t find anything to say to him. He would sit on my bed in silence for a while until he had to go back to work. At least he made the effort to check up on me.

Sometimes he would ask me about the dragon egg, but even that lost its meaning to me. I wanted to hatch it for my mother and now she’s gone. Iara’s booklet didn’t even offer me any new information so far. I had only managed to read half of it. It did mention the only thing to hatch a dragon’s egg was the breath of its mother. I wasn’t a dragon and I certainly couldn’t breathe fire.

The jar Iara had given me was almost as useless as the booklet too. I would pull it out several times a day and ask simple yes or no questions to make sure it was working. It answered correctly until I started asking it questions to help find my mother’s body. The search teams still haven’t brought her back. It meant the mourning would only be prolonged. She needed to be put to rest next to Father as soon as we could. The funeral couldn’t take place without both of them. Ky and Iara couldn’t publicly be crowned until it was all over.

I didn’t know what else to do with my time. I only locked myself up in my room to avoid the horrible truth out there. My parents were both dead. I knew I needed to go out soon, come to terms with everything. I couldn’t keep myself locked away forever. As much as I wanted to wallow in my own grief, it did nothing to help my brother.

He was king now. Iara was queen. They would need a lot of support from anyone who would offer. The thought of them ruling was unsettling. It was a change no one was ready for, not even the council members. I knew they didn’t think my brother and his wife were ready. They were far too young, by a vampire’s standard. They were children compared to the centuries old vampires around them. It led to a lot of unrest in the palace. Everyone was scared.

My door handle jiggling pulled me away from my thoughts. It swung open without me even unlocking it. I was relieved when it was Ky who stood there. He slammed the door behind him and rushed over to me. “Jer, Mother is still alive,” he whispered urgently to me.

I sat straight up in bed. “What? This isn’t funny,” I hissed. I felt my eyes sting with angry tears. My heart raced at the thought. My brother could be mean sometimes, but like this?

He grabbed both my shoulders, his fingers digging into my skin. “I’m not joking,” he said in a firm voice. “Pack what you can and let’s go. She’s in the old courtyard.”

“What do you mean? How is she alive?” I demanded. I stood at the edge of my bed as Malachi grabbed my bag and shoved it at me.

“She has Father’s soul in that crystal,” he explained, gesturing to his neck. “It’s keeping her alive for now. She can tell you more when you see her. Hurry it up.”

I shook my head as I stood and grabbed my bag. “Why do I need to take anything?” I assumed we’d only go be with her while she died. There was no way keeping Father’s soul could have been a permanent solution. She must have done it to give her enough time to come home so she could say goodbye.

Ky groaned in annoyance and started to dig through my dressers. “We aren’t staying here.”

“What?” I frowned at him. He was manic, throwing things out of my drawers left and right. He threw me a change of plain clothes and turned back to my bed.

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“Where is that dragon egg? You should take that too,” he mumbled.

“Why aren’t we staying?”

“Mother can explain more to you.”

Once I shoved what I could in my pack, along with the lockbox containing the egg, Ky led me through the halls. We went down old, dusty corridors not even the staff used anymore. He was trying to avoid people. The pieces started to click in my head. Mother must have told him something horrifying. I fell in step next to my brother. I brushed cobwebs out of my way every few paces. The halls here were uncleaned and cracking. The tiles under our feet were uneven and broken. I was surprised these halls weren’t boarded off.

“We’re going to be killed as well, aren’t we?” I asked numbly. The words didn’t even sound like my own.

Ky didn’t say anything. His silence was answer enough. His face couldn’t hide the fear he felt. His carefully blank expression faded, his brows knitting together in worry. He must be too tired to keep it up anymore.

When we made it outside, Malachi broke into a sprint. The sun just started to peak over the horizon, golden rays stretching across the ocean that was just ahead. When we reached the iron gate, Ky yanked it open and Mother came into view. At least, who I hoped to be Mother. I had to take a second look. She was old. Her face was folded up with wrinkles, her hair grey and thin. The slip she wore was hanging off her thin frame. Her back was hunched and her hands shook as she reached out to me.

“Jeremiah,” the old woman breathed. Her voice confirmed her identity. It was just as I remembered it. I fell into her arms and willed myself not to cry. Mother didn’t need to see me break down.

“Mother,” I replied. “What’s going on?”

Ky shrugged off the coat he had on and draped it over Mother’s boney shoulders. “I stopped by the stables before this. There is one horse waiting with a few days of rations for you. I didn’t know where you were going, and we should keep it that way in case. . .” His words dried on his tongue. He glanced at me and his brows knit together in worry.

Mother nodded knowingly in response. “Thank you Ky,” she replied. She grabbed my hand tightly and gave me a small smile. “Let’s go. Ky and Iara will be fine together.”

“We aren’t all going together?” I squeeked. My voice cracked and I felt my throat thicken.

My brother shook his head. “Iara and I need to go overseas.”

“I’ll explain everything as we go,” Mother said, pulling me to follow her.

I broke from her grasp and threw my arms around Malachi. I felt the dread of leaving my home behind hit me like a sack of stones. This could have been the last time I would see him. I knew there was a chance that he could die. I knew there was a chance I could die. “I love you, Ky,” I whispered. “Please be safe.”

“Jer,” he grumbled. “I love you too. Don’t give Mother a hard time.”

I nodded and turned back to Mother. We headed along the outside palace wall towards the stables. I gave Ky one last glance over my shoulder as we rounded the corner. He waved at us. He looked so alone in that moment. My heart sank when we stepped around the corner. That would be my parting memory of him. So alone and lost looking. I prayed to all the gods that we would all be okay.

Mother and I found the horse Ky had gotten ready for us. Lucky that no one was around while I helped her up. I could tell how weak she was. Being old didn’t suit a vampire. The last time I saw her she was as strong as could be. She had always been a commanding presence. She was every bit a queen, elegant and poised. But now she looked frail, easily broken. Her skin was hanging off her aged bones, wrinkled and thin. It hurt to see her like this. If this was how other patronages aged, I was glad we were immortal.

I got on the horse behind her and we started to ride north west. “Where are we going?”

“The neighboring kingdom of Sherwoods,” she said over her shoulder. “I was. . . friendly with a human farmer once upon a time. He left me all his land. We’ll be staying there.”

Friendly? I frowned, not wanting to hear more. The thought left a sour taste in my mouth. But a farm? Would we even be safe there? I trusted my mother but I wasn’t sure what her plan was. She had always done what was best for me and my brother. I wouldn’t doubt it now.