Page 97 of Dhampira

My Yes, Father stuck in my throat. I couldn’t make myself say it. Not this time.

Rasimir stared up at the fountain, diffused sunlight touching the sharp planes of his face as his expression grew contemplative once more. “Of course,” he said, “Lorcan has disappointed me in the past. Did you know he once allowed a mind-keeper to slip from his grasp?” Rasimir looked at me. “The man disappeared in the middle of the night. He was one of the last of his kind, his power unparalleled. Lorcan claimed the man spelled him to sleep.” Rasimir’s eyes went solid black. He blinked and they flipped back to green, but his fangs lengthened as he added, “I found his explanation insufficient.”

Dread formed an icy pool in my gut. I forced myself to hold his stare. I didn’t want to know how Rasimir had expressed his “disappointment” over Lorcan’s failure.

“And yet,” Rasimir said, “the prince has served me well these past three centuries. Captain Vander, too, although the latter has his share of faults.” Rasimir sighed, his shoulders lifting. “Crowns are lonely things, Daughter. No servant, no matter how loyal or high-born, is ever perfect. It’s my lot to have two servants who prefer to stand in opposition to one another. Lorcan believes Vander is too brash, too human. And the captain delights in challenging Prince Lorcan’s authority.” The hint of a smile played around Rasimir’s mouth. “Vander is jealous for my company. Lorcan gets in the way of that.”

I swallowed so I wouldn’t ruin everything by telling him the truth. Any satisfaction it brought would be short-lived.

Rasimir’s smile grew even as his tone went chilly. “Still, both men serve. And now, they serve a very important purpose.”

Silence stretched, its length as brittle as my nerves while I waited for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, I knew he meant for me to speak.

“What purpose?” I asked obediently.

“Helping you reach your full potential. Keeping you alive. They know your safety hinges entirely on their competence.”

Foreboding whispered around me. “What do you mean?”

“The Resistance grows more desperate every day. The werewolves fight because they’re too stupid to understand that overthrowing me will only trade one overlord for another. The witches will never share power with beasts.” Rasimir huffed. “The spellcasters have fed them an appealing tale, and the werewolves have swallowed it whole.” His eyes gleamed as he leaned forward. “The witches are far more clever than the wolves they use to fight their battles. They’re also more practical. They know that once I unlock your potential, their days are numbered. Their magic will become obsolete, old power supplanted by new.”

The fountain splashed beside us. Mist clung to my lashes, but I barely noticed, my heart pumping hard as I held my father’s stare. “What kind of potential?”

“The ability to steal power from any creature and retain it.” He stepped closer, hunger glittering in his eyes as his voice dipped lower. “Imagine an army that can shift like the werewolves and speak the vor scapa like the witches. Think of a vampire in possession of wings and claws. Fangs and a siren’s song. A banshee’s wail. A centaur’s strength. All that power, yours, forever, with no need to drink and no danger of becoming overburdened by others’ memories.” He cupped my cheek, his fingers cool against my skin. “You could be such a beautiful monster.”

My lungs burned, the discomfort an echo of the pain I’d endured when he strangled me in the dining room with Duncan’s body roasting in the fireplace. But I didn’t dare breathe. I held still and focused on the monster in front of me.

“The witches fight their impending irrelevance,” he murmured. “That is the greatest defeat in life and war, Corinthe. Not death, but insignificance. What point is there in living when we’re no longer needed?”

He was wrong. And he was as shortsighted as the werewolves he disdained. He thought of relevance only in terms of power. But life held more meaning than his warped worldview. Mama didn’t pass on any power to me when she braided my hair or taught me where to find herbs in the forest. But I still needed those things. I needed them because they brought us closer together. Because I loved her.

Rasimir brushed a gentle thumb over my cheekbone. “Your transformation will be fascinating to watch. I do hope you’ll learn quickly, my dear. I’d hate to get creative with your education. There are so many ways to hurt someone without killing them, and I’ve had centuries to perfect my methods.”

The pixie’s deflated corpse appeared in my mind. Above me, the petrified merman spewed water into the air.

“Yes, Father,” I rasped.

“I’m so pleased we had a chance to speak,” he said. “However, my duties beckon.” Dropping his hand, he turned and strode toward the Drakhold. Just as relief swam through me, he turned back. “You’ll continue to train with Lorcan and Captain Vander. I expect more progress, Corinthe. Don’t disappoint me.”

I waited as he moved up the path, the afternoon sunlight glinting in his hair. Overhead, sugar-coated clouds smeared across Nocta’s pink sky. Movement at my shoulder made me turn. The fountain faded, the merman’s muscular body and the maze behind him giving way to the forest. It shimmered and then grew solid, its heady pine-and-soil scent teasing my nose. The witch who created the enchantment was probably dead, crushed under Rasimir’s boot like countless others.

A scuffling sound made me spin. Two knights stood in the path, the crimson snakes on their chests standing out against their black armor. Awareness prickled through me.

Kindred but not kin. But Rasimir wasn’t my kin, either. He was my jailer. It didn’t matter if Nocta wanted me or not. If I failed to kill Rasimir, I wouldn’t be the only one to suffer. Nocta’s people would continue to suffer. Any children I had would suffer, too.

“You’ll be more comfortable in your chamber, Your Highness,” one of the knights said.

A breeze picked up, stirring the leaves of the trees at my back.

Always assume someone is watching. And reporting.

Appearances were everything. If I acted like a prisoner, the knights would treat me like one. Rasimir wanted me to embrace power? Fine. But I wasn’t going to wait for someone to show it to me. I was going to seize it. And I had to start right now.

The knights waited. One moved his hand to the hilt of his sword.

“Thank you for the escort,” I said, striding forward. The men parted at my approach, letting me pass between them. Then they closed ranks behind me. I didn’t look back as I entered the Drakhold. And when I passed a group of courtiers, I didn’t slow. I kept my eyes straight ahead, my sense of purpose growing with every step. I would never be Rasimir’s pretty monster.

But I was more than willing to be his undoing.