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Chapter 1
I’d been walking the streets of Ichoryllia for hundreds of years, but the same feeling had always come over me: emptiness. Something was missing, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I had money to buy everything I could dream of, but it was just empty objects to fill my mansion. I’d taken women into my bed, men too, but beyond the pleasure of the flesh, there remained a constant desire that nagged at the depths of my soul. I was caught in a constant state of dissatisfaction, trying to fill the void without ever succeeding.
Even when I was a young vampire and my parents were alive, I could never find what was missing from my life. I’d had a good childhood with a good upbringing. My parents tried to spark interest in me, but I was so disinterested in everything that they sent for a doctor. But there was nothing to be done, and the doctor prescribed that I sign up for private lessons, saying that I would eventually discover a passion. Singing, dancing, painting, anything my parents could think of—to no avail. I went from one day to the next with the same desolate weariness.
I pushed back the collar of my long black trench coat, my piercing blue eyes staring back at me in the mirror. I ensured I was clean-shaven and tied my dark hair in a bun.
The letter had arrived early in the morning and was addressed to Aleksander Dumoulin. I was surprised—it had been ages since anyone had addressed me by my full name because most people called me by my title of Lord. The royal seal on the envelope explained it all. My family had been employed by royalty for generations. Growing up, I had spent much time at the castle, so they were accustomed to calling me by my first name.
I came from a long line of piano makers and repairers. Over the centuries, our work had earned us the title of nobility. My father had always told me I should be proud, but I didn’t care about our title. Now that he was dead, it was my duty to carry on the family name. As an only child, there was no one there to do it, and besides, what would I do otherwise? I was skilled with pianos, having learned the trade from my father. It’s not like I could do something else. Nobody else was in the piano business in the kingdom, and money was good.
I went out into the street. A few vampires were happily strolling along. The day was cloudy, but it wasn’t raining. Still, the landscape was very different from previous months. There used to be many humans walking around, most of them working in the blood banks, but all that had changed. The city had been in disarray since the Queen reinstated the old vampire laws. Human breeding farms had opened on the same day. Some people had been astonished by the severe shift, but I wasn’t fooled. One didn’t open an establishment so quickly without warning. It wouldn’t be the first time there had been corruption in power. Whatever I thought of it, I wouldn’t let it show in my work with the castle that I knew the Queen was part of this corruption.
Some vampires were horrified by the new laws. Hybrid families had been torn apart. Some vampires went to the streets to protest, but the Queen repressed any upright with violence or death, cutting short any revolution. I knew the people would settle eventually, but truth be told, I liked the new laws. Humans have been treated as our equals for too long. I was happy to see them back where they belonged on the food chain.
Not that I hated them, but it was simply the natural way of things, and it was time they accepted it.
The old king had been weak—I didn’t like him. He didn’t propose anything new for the city and was content to continue what his parents had started. The new laws might have been a bit extreme, but they awakened my ancient vampiric instinct, the predatory instinct, which I liked. Was it the prospect of capturing prey? The sight of humans being captured in the streets? I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter.
I felt alive.
Soon, the castle came into view. Built on top of a mountain, it dominated the town. The walls were made of white stucco and black brick. They looked exotic, contrasting with the gray bricks of the outer walls. Ever since my father had taken me there as a child, I’d always found the castle magnificent.
Lysander greeted me upon arrival. The old servant always welcomed visitors, even if he had to lean on a cane to walk. He had worked with the previous king and his parents, but now that the cursed king was gone, he served the Queen.
“Lord Dumoulin!” called out Lysander. “The Queen will be pleased! She was distraught when the piano broke.”
“I didn’t know Her Majesty was so fond of the instrument,” I commented.
“Oh yes,” answered the servant. “She asks for it to be played daily.”
I followed Lysander into the palace. It was the first time I’d been back there since my parents died, and a wave of sadness swept over me. I remembered walking these corridors alongside my father as he brought me to all his contracts. He explained everything to me. I benefited from his experience without even realizing it.
I’d been learning the trade for some time now. I was a young vampire, only 215 years old. My father would come with me to the contracts, but he’d watch me work rather than do it himself, content to give me advice when needed. That’s when he fell ill. A few doses of fresh blood were usually enough to enhance vampiric healing powers enough to cure, but it hadn’t worked. The doctors diagnosed the same disorder, which had recently affected several vampires at the time. An as-yet-unnamed blood disease that turns the blood milky. No cure had yet been found to this day. He had survived a few months, but it had been excruciatingly difficult to watch him decline without being able to help.
I forced my thoughts aside, concentrating on the surroundings. The portraits of the goddess Hecate, mother of vampires, had been replaced by those of Alastor, demon and spirit of vengeance. I wasn’t religious, but even I knew this was wrong. However, the Queen had changed the official kingdom’s religion, and nothing could be done about it. Sometimes, it was better to keep our opinions to ourselves than to speak out, especially when any opposition was punishable by death.
Servants were busy repainting rooms and changing curtains and chandeliers. I continued, following Lysander up the grand staircase and into the music room. It was decorated with the same refined elegance as before. In the center was a grand piano, its polished ebony surface gleaming in the soft lighting. It was one of the most beautiful pianos I had seen during my career.
“Please, go ahead.” The old vampire motioned at the instrument.
I approached the piano and assessed its condition. It was a classic case: strings had rusted, hammer felts needed replacing, and the soundboard was damaged. Fortunately, I had everything I needed to repair it with me. Time always seemed to stand still when I was repairing a piano. Alone with the smell of the instrument’s old wood, I would lose myself in the strings. It was as if the piano had a story to tell, and I its sole audience during these repairs. I had no idea what time it was when I finished, but Lysander was still there.
“All fixed,” I said to the vampire.
“Ah, thank you,” he remarked.
As I left, I caught the scent of prey. My eyes darted around the room, and I noticed a human staring at the guitars in the corner. He looked tempting, even if I wasn’t hungry. I hadn’t expected to see one here.
“May I ask, what’s a human doing here in the castle?”
Lysander nodded. “This is Jason. He is the new pet of Her Majesty.”
“A pet?” I asked.
“Yes,” the old vampire answered. “He seems rather fond of instruments.”
He couldn’t have come from a breeding farm as they wouldn’t produce mature humans for another twenty years. That left only the pet store. The idea of getting myself a pet had never crossed my mind until now. Jason looked well cared for and seemed at ease even though vampires surrounded him at the castle.
