Bloodlines of the Night

Chapter 1: The Cost of Blood

Chapter 1

Elira

Elira wiped the blood from her hands, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The body of a vampire lay crumpled at her feet, eyes wide in shock, as if he could not believe she managed to kill him. She could not believe it either. His sharp fangs still gleamed in the moonlight, the only sign that he had been a predator just moments before. Now, he was nothing but a cold, lifeless corpse. The forest around her was quiet, too quiet. Elira's heart pounded, her mind racing.

She had killed a vampire.

Not just any vampire-a noble. And in this world, there was no greater crime.

Elira lived in the last human settlement on the continent, tucked away in the wild, northern woods where the sun lingered long, and the nights were short. Here, they were safe from the vampire lords that ruled the cites and towns to the south. Or at least, they had been safe. The borders had been breached more and more frequently in recent months, the vampires growing bolder, sending patrols to remind the humans that they were never truly free. One patrol too many, Elira thought bitterly.

She had acted on pure instinct, her hunting knife plunging deep into the vampire's chest when he attacked her brother in the woods. A single strike perfectly placed. Pure luck.

And now, her life was over.

"Elira!"

She spun around at the sound of her brother's voice. Kieran came stumbling through the trees, pale and clutching his side where the vampire's claws had slashed him. He was still breathing, but barely. His eyes darted to the body on the ground, then back to her. "What have you done?"

"I had no choice." Elira whispered, her voice shaking. "He would've killed you."

Kieran swore under his breath. "We need to get back to the village. Now."

But they both knew there was no running from this. Killing a vampire, especially a noble, would not go unanswered. The vampires had ways of knowing when one of their own had fallen. They would come for her.

They would come for them all.

The two siblings' half-ran, half-stumbled through the forest, the night pressing in on them. Elira's thoughts raced, trying to piece together any feasible way out of this. She was a skilled hunter, a survivor. She had lived her while life on the edge of danger, always a step ahead of death. But this... this was different. The vampires had power that humans could not match-speed, strength, and worst of all, the law. Even out here, in the remote north, the laws of vampires reigned supreme.

By the time they reached the village, the alarm bells were already ringing. The people of Fellgrove were gathered in the square, faces pale with fear and suspicion. They knew something had happened, even before Elira and Kieran stumbled into view.

The village elder, Old Saris, stepped forward, his gnarled hands gripping the staff he always carried. His eyes fell on Elira, sharp and knowing. "What have you done, child?"

"I-" Elira began, but the words got caught in her throat. "It was a vampire. He attacked us. I... I killed him."

A ripple of shock passed through the crowd, and for a moment, there was silence. Then Saris sighed, as if the weight of the world had settled on his shoulders.

"You've doomed us all," he said softly. Before Elira could protest, a sound cut through the air-a sound that froze her blood. A low, haunting cry, like the wail of a wolf, but more terrible. The sound of the vampires' hunt.

"They're coming," Saris said, his voice grim. "We don't have time. There is only one way to save this village now."

Elira's heart sank. "What do you mean?

"You must go to them. Surrender yourself."

Her pulse quickened. "You want me to hand myself over? They'll kill me."

"Perhaps," Saris said "But if you don't go, they'll kill all of us.

The crowd murmured in agreement, eyes wide with terror. Elira looked at her brother, but he said nothing. There was no other way. Saris stepped forward, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "There is one more thing. We managed to check the patrol list. The vampire you killed-he was a direct servant to the heir." Elira stiffened. The heir. The vampire prince. The very thought of him filled her with hatred and fear. He was said to be more ruthless than any other, cold as death and twice as merciless. "They will demand you go to him," Saris continued. "Only he can decide your fate now."

***

The next morning, the vampires arrived like predicted. They came on horseback, their pale faces hidden beneath dark cloaks, the stench of death hanging in the air around them. At their head was a tall figure, his face shrouded in shadow, but his voice was smooth and commanding.

"I am Lord Raelis, envoy of Prince Kaelan," he said, dismounting from his horse. His eyes scanned the crowd until they settled on Elira. They must have remembered her scent from the vampires lifeless corpse. "The girl."

She stepped forwards, heart pounding. Her hands clenched at her sides, but she forced herself to stay calm. She would not show fear. Not in front of them.

Raelis smiled, revealing sharp fangs. "You are to come with us, by order of the prince. You will face judgment for your crime."

Elira glanced at the villagers-her friends, her family. She saw the fear in their eyes and knew she had no choice.

"I'll go," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "But you leave my village alone."

Raelis's smile widened. "As long as the prince is satisfied, they will remain unharmed. For now."

Elira swallowed her fear and stepped forward, climbing onto the back of one of the vampires' horses. As they rode away from Fellgrove, her heart twisted with dread. She was heading straight to the heart of the vampire kingdom, to face the prince of the species she despised of all others.

She had no idea what awaited her there, but one thing was certain: her life would never be the same again.