Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 67437 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67437 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Shivering, I opened my eyes and felt more calm.
Thank you, Reye for giving me some sense of peace during my childhood.
I repeated the breathing process over and over again, until I had all control of my thoughts.
My heart rate slowed down.
My hands stopped shaking.
The spinning sensation in my head faded.
Alright. I am back. . .whatever that means.
A sense of relief washed over me.
I rubbed the sweat off my bald head and scanned the space around me, trying to figure out a way to escape.
The cramped room had walls made of coarse wood, and the roof was thatched with dried straw. In front of me stood an empty bowl and plate, left for me by a female vampire.
I devoured the soup and bread to regain my energy.
Outside, owls hooted.
I put my view on the window.
At least I can see the stars. This is better than the dungeon.
I had been trapped in this hut for at least two hours, ever since Camille’s vampires had brought me here.
I should have killed her in the forest. That is what I get for trying to be nice.
On the other hand, it was good that I didn’t. If I had stopped her heart, her kings would have been after me.
While I was sure I could freeze one of the kings long enough to run, there was the other king to consider.
I wish blood magic weren’t so exhausting.
Footsteps sounded outside the hut’s door.
I closed my eyes and focused on my powers.
How many people are out there, guarding me?
I could feel the energy of the blood around me, pulsing through the air.
Two guards.
I lay my hands on my thighs and faced my palms up.
What type of guards did Camille put there? Mages, vampires, or humans?
I opened my mind and surrendered into the depths of crimson energy beyond the door. My spirit hooked on to the creatures. Their vibrancy coursed through as I explored every facet and nuance of their blood.
Hmmm.
Vampires and mages had a unique blood composition that set them apart from other creatures on our planet.
For example, vampires possessed more blood than any other living being. They had a blood content of up to 70% of their total body weight. This excess of blood gave them their supernatural powers.
Contrarily, mages had less blood than vampires. It was around 60%, and was a very different liquid than other creatures. Mages blood had lots of iron that served as the conduit for their magical abilities, allowing them to manipulate the planet’s elements with ease.
Meanwhile, humans, by comparison, only had 60% of water and 10% of blood in their body.
For a blood mage, humans were impossible to control. If up against a human, I would have to fight. . .and I truly had no skills for that.
Vampire guards. Perfect.
My fingers itched to control them right now—to bend their blood to my will.
Patience.
I had to bide my time until the right moment to strike. Camille and the others had no idea what I was capable of, and I intended to keep it that way.
Still, guilt swelled in my heart.
Don’t feel bad. She caused this on herself. I was minding my own business trying to get supplies to escape these mages.
I kept my eyes closed as power grew inside my body, building like a storm on the horizon.
Suddenly, new blood came into my reach.
Two beings. What are they?
I focused on the liquid energy of the beings approaching.
One is a vampire. New. Not much magic in the blood. Thankfully, it isn’t one of the kings. Maybe, it’s another guard.
I switched to studying the other creature walking toward the hut.
This person’s blood sang to me.
Oh.
My body hummed trying to join the person’s melody, but I refused to let myself fall to its sway.
Camille. That must be her.
I opened my eyes.
Why does Camile and even Reye make my blood want to sing with them?
Had my grandmother or even mother still been alive, I would have learned all about this. Surely, we three had a connection to each other. We could have been relatives in some way. Perhaps, we shared a special gene that other blood mages had.
I will never know.
Due to the other mages, my heritage and traditions were lost to me. Not only did I not know my linage, I was ignorant of my own traditions.
I had even forgotten my last name.
It was wrong to do that to a person—to strip them of their heritage. To have them walking this planet with no idea of who they were and what they had come from.
Footsteps sounded louder outside, telling me Camille and some weak vampire would be at the hut soon.
Find the right moment to strike and then run.
I breathed in deeply. My veins pulsed with power.
But. . .do I kill Camille or let her live?
My body tensed, trying to figure out the best solution.
I will do whatever I have to. . .In the end, I must escape.