Darius looks more like death than any vampire I’ve ever seen. His light skin is even lighter, his dark eyes sullen, his mouth slightly agape. Yet still he nods, accepting this fate I still don’t understand.
What is the Tomb of Time? I ask, trying to hide the panic I feel. What does this mean?
Darius doesn’t look at me or answer, toiling with too much panic of his own. Instead, I get a response from Emerus.
A chamber, deep in the bowels of our kingdom. Time passes at its own speed there. One day lasts for a thousand years.
His words hit me right in the knees, and if I wasn’t already seated I would surely fall.
My sweet lover, who only just came back to me, will be locked away for three millenia.
Chapter Eight
My world spins and I feel dizzy, but I can’t tell if it’s me or Darius.
Most likely it’s both of us.
I don’t understand anything beyond the unfathomable number I just heard. Three thousand years? I’d be worked up if he’d said a week. This is unconscionable. I’d think it was a joke but the fear I feel in Darius makes it seem very real.
“No way. Hard pass.”
Emerus frowns and Darius hisses in my mind. Do not be foolish. We haven’t been given a choice.
What are you saying? We’ll all be dead!
Darius gives me a sideways look, and it seems like I’ve missed something. He hesitates a moment before I push him. What don’t I get about three thousand years in a tomb?
He speaks to me slowly, like he’s finding the silver lining in some really bad news. Only three days will pass before I see you again. It will be but a short while for you, but I will live through three thousand years of solitude. It was a punishment designed specifically for the immortal.
That clears things up, sort of. It makes me happy in one respect, because three days isn’t so bad--for me. But to leave Darius here knowing what he’s about to endure... I don’t think I can do it. No. Nope. Nada. Niet. Nine. I’m pretty sure those are all legit languages and all mean the same thing. No.
Darius ignores me and addresses his brother. “May the sentence begin after my friends have left for the fae kingdom?”
I grab Darius’ hand and squeeze it hard, digging my nails into his palms. “No. I do not agree to this at all, and I am not leaving without you.”
“I’m not sure who you think is seeking your agreement,” Emerus says with all the condescension of a king who earned his crown by lucking into the right bloodline. Kings suck.
“Listen, buddy,” I start speaking well before I know what I’m going to say, but I’m sure I’ll figure something out. “You’re on that throne because I didn’t let Darius kill you. You’re alive because Timót doesn’t want me dead.”
“And you’re alive because I helped you and your baby hide from the dragons,” he answers, sneaking in a little fact that weakens my argument a hair. “We both have a debt to each other, which is why I’m willing to join forces with sworn enemies.”
He looks at Zev and Rune for this last line, clearly less than pumped about having princes from the other kingdoms as guests. The fae and the werewolf stare back, less than thrilled about visiting the vampire city.
Emerus stands and walks over to me. At first, it feels like another power move and I grip my wand more tightly. Then he raises his hand in a classic “I come in peace” sort of way, and I try to quell my anger and my nerves. He stops a few feet from me, a thoughtful look on his face, trying to choose his words wisely.
“Outside these walls, the vampires are afraid, directionless, and angry. I intend to convince them this is a cause worth joining, but you cannot forget that a day ago, their previous king had your child on our sacred altar. Victory was declared, and then many of us died.”
He turns his attention to Darius, and I sense a bit of remorse in my blood. The two brothers feel an equal sadness that it’s come to this.
“I trust my brother,” Emerus goes on. “I may be hurt by his priorities, but I understand them. And, as you both might be surprised to hear, I share many of Darius’ feelings about our dead father.”
Thank God. The jury’s been out on Emerus this whole time, but the fact that he’s not totally blind to his dad being horrible will make this united front thing a little easier.
“It pains me to bestow this punishment, but it must be done,” King Emerus continues. “Darius knows as well as anyone that our people won’t commit to me or a new way unless there’s penance for the betrayal.”
Darius doesn’t have to speak or nod or anything for me to know he agrees. I still want to fight it, but it’s clear I’m not going to have any authority on the matter.
“One day,” I counter, putting my last bit of hope on a haggle. “One thousand years of tomb torture seems like plenty, right?”
The understanding look fades from Emerus’ face, and he’s instantly back to being a king with a boner for himself. “No. The sentence begins in one hour.”
He heads back to his throne and a couple of vampire guards, who up until now had been creepily hidden in the shadows, move to escort us out. Darius turns to leave without any resistance, and I’m forced to follow.
We walk in silence back to Darius’ cramped quarters, the guards on our heels to make sure we don’t try anything funny. Once inside the small room, we stand for another few moments of quiet. Zev is the first to speak, and the softness in his voice shows he’s plenty worried for his friend.
“We’ll be waiting for you,” he says. “In four days, we’ll all be laughing about this. Or three thousand years and one day, for you.”
Darius smiles, if only to acknowledge the werewolf’s attempt at cutting the tension.
“You won’t wait here,” the vampire says. “You’ll need to move on to the other kingdoms, to warn and persuade the others. It’s possible Timót has already staged another attack.”
“We also need to get to AJ and Erzsébet,” Rune says. I feel a brutal mix of terror and excitement as I think about finding my friend, and worrying about whether or not she’s okay. Rune takes my hand, helping me to manage the emotional overload.
For three days, I’ll be torn apart, wondering what’s happening to Darius. For infinitely more time than that, he’ll suffer in ways my human brain can’t begin to comprehend.
But that’s just the way it has to be.
When it’s done, we’ll all be alive, and that’s the most I can hope for on any given day. Maybe we can find him a good undead therapist to help him process three thousand years of torture that only he experiences.
“Let’s go,” I say to Zev and Rune, though I keep my eyes on Darius. The last twenty-four hours have lasted a lifetime. I thought it might take longer for me to process and move past the deception that brought us here, but I don’t need any more time. Darius acts almost exclusively out of love for me, and I’m surprised I couldn’t see that the whole time.
Whatever claim to pain I might still have pales in comparison to what he’s about to go through, and now all I feel is fear and sorrow for this man I love.
“We’ll give you two a moment,” Zev says. I let the werewolf take Rain from me, and my baby steps outside with two of her three paranormal dads. If we ever make it back to our world, she’s gonna have the best Bring Your Parent To School days.