Chapter 81 Thirst Hall II
❀ Maeve ❀
After the meal, I stretched and once again headed for the bathing room.
I was startled to see Jessica still standing there.
“Are you… waiting on me?”
“Oh, yes, Your Grace. It’s truly an honor. Master Dragomir doesn’t want to overwhelm you, so I’m to serve, feed, bathe, dress—”
“Oh no. No, no,” I cut in. “I handle those quite well myself.”
I looked her over. It wouldn’t hurt to have an informant. A cog in the wheel.
“Where is Nikolai?”
“He’s either in the castle, overseeing business, or out hunting, milady,” she eagerly supplied.
I hummed. He’d mentioned the glass sand beaches and gem mines.
“And my friend, Tammy. Do you know her? She was newly turned.”
Her brows furrowed. “I do not know this Tammy.”
“But you must know where they keep the fledglings. I must find her.”
Jessica shivered, eyes darting. “I don’t know where—”
“Don’t even dare,” I hissed, gaze burning into her. “You do not want to lie to me.”
She gulped. “Fledglings are held at the eastern gates of the castle. The Thirst Hall.”
Ominous.
“You’re going to take me there.”
She blinked. Then bowed.
After my bath, I didn’t bother with another dress, not wanting to attract attention.
Luckily, either Nikolai or his staff had stocked my wardrobe with loose pants and shirts for outdoor activity.
I eyed the racier, royal numbers, then forced myself out of the dressing area.
Jessica led. I followed.
She suggested horses—the favored transport of non-royal vampires who couldn’t trace, and human servants.
Pleased to see it was daytime, I perched stiffly on a gorgeous chestnut mare. I’d never ridden before, but I figured as long as I stayed on, I was doing just fine.
Jessica rode beside me on an older, testy stallion.
Despite my simple clothing, I still received stares from the few slave wolves and humans we passed.
Had the crown issued a description of me along with the rumors?
Beware the flighty queen, note her every step and prevent any escape?
Veilmoor was immense, the castle a needle in the distance. The sun lashed the air, heating everything with punishing intensity.
“How long have you served, Jessica?”
I surveyed her slim body. She didn’t seem beaten down.
“Going on my tenth year, Your Grace. It’s not all bad.”
I raised a brow.
That didn’t match the horror stories I’d heard about vampiric systems on this side of the world.
By the time we reached the eastern gate, still far from the main castle, my skin was sticky with sweat.
Eager to see Tammy, I slid off my horse, leaving Jessica to handle them at the gate.
One look at me and the gatekeeper—an old human man, immediately cranked the metal bar, bowing fervently.
I ignored how it made me feel. Important. Powerful. Deserving.
I strode into the narrow walkway, into the dank shadows of the eastern gate.
Polished white stone curved in subtle waves, growing darker and rougher the deeper I went.
The corridors extended so far it looked almost endless.
Jessica hurried to catch up, her steps echoing. Her breaths were loud, punctuating the eerie silence.
There were no windows, only narrow slit openings that diluted sunlight through the walls.
The silence was absolute. A stench strengthened the farther I got.
I didn’t need to ask where everyone was. The fledglings, especially low-ranking ones subjected to the Thirst Hall, were neglected.
Daytime meant whoever oversaw them would be sleeping.
Jessica had just caught up when I called, “Tammy?”
Nothing.
We reached a high metal door, one of many lining the thick walls. A small rectangular slit allowed a view inside.
Standing on my toes, I peered in.
“Is it her?” Jessica whispered.
My eyes adjusted. Horror struck.
Bodies were piled inside, so tangled I couldn’t tell which limb belonged to whom. Bloody. Bent at unnatural angles, and the smell—
I gasped.
Gods.
I staggered back, heart thudding.
They were packed like rats.
Had Tammy been subjected to this? Was she tangled in a feral heap right now?
Fury seared my chest.
“This is the Thirst Hall?” I sneered. “This is where innocent, vulnerable people are forced to survive the turn?”
Jessica stepped back, eyes wide.
“They’re not all innocent—”
I ignored her, raising my hand to bang on the door.
The clanks echoed, rebounding down dark corridors.
“Tammy!”
A slithering hiss answered—from multiple doors.
How would I know which cell held her? What if she couldn’t hear me? What if she was unconscious, or dead, trapped beneath a stinking pile?
With a shudder, I drew back my arm to strike harder—
Something shifted behind me.
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” came a low drawl.
I froze, my arm still raised.
Then months of irritation surged.
I whirled on him, ready to unleash everything—
And lost my breath.
How in the seven hells did he manage to look more breathtaking with each passing day?