Ruler [Blood Magic, Book 3]

Chapter 6: Compound Bound

Arthos barely spoke as he drove; his focus remained locked on the road. He kept to the highways wherever possible, pushing the speed limit only as much as he could without risking getting pulled over. I knew he wasn't worried about being ticketed - all Nosferatu who regularly ventured out into the human world had disguises and IDs that would hold up to law enforcement scrutiny - nor was he concerned about my having been reported missing. That simply wasn't the way Ephraim and Bruce and League of Sorcerers operated: they'd keep any search and rescue - or search and annihilate - efforts out of the official records. What Arthos was worried about was making it back to the compound before dawn; the way he regularly eyed the digital clock on the dashboard and the corresponding road signs was a dead giveaway. Though Nosferatu could stay awake during the day, and Arthos had a particular talent for it, the sun itself still posed a problem.

Unlike Keel, Arthos drove with the radio off. When I reached out to turn it on, his cold hand intersected mine before it touched the knob. "I need to concentrate - and think," he muttered, as he pushed it away.

I frowned at him, then went back to staring at the indistinct shapes of trees and farmhouses and the far-off dotted lights of unknown towns whizzing by the passenger window. I longed for my phone; at least then I could whittle away the hours playing games, but Arthos had tossed it into the river before we'd left the city. "Can't have the sorcerers tracing its GPS," he'd explained. Of course he was right, but I hated watching it sink out of sight nonetheless. It made leaving the human world feel that much more final. With it gone, I was well and truly cut off from everyone I knew topside, and I wasn't even underground yet.

I removed my gloves from my coat pocket and shoved one inside the other to form a skinny makeshift pillow and leaned my head against the window. I counted the passing mile markers as if they were two-dimensional, stationary sheep, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

When I awoke, Arthos' focus had turned to the eastern horizon. While it still looked as dark as night to me, sunrise must be nearing, which meant we had to be approaching our final destination - and Keel. I felt a tiny flutter in my chest, wings comprised of both anticipation and dread. It was an uncomfortable sensation, like what I imagined skydiving must be like in those final nervous seconds before you plummet out of the plane.

I straightened and stretched, at least as much the seat belt allowed, and wiped the sticky bleariness from my eyes, instantly regretting not removing my contacts before passing out.

"Good, you're awake," Arthos said. "We should talk about the Induction Ceremony before we arrive."

"Okay." I retrieved another bag of peanuts from the glove box. At least Arthos had the foresight to stock up on some snacks before coming to get me.

"It's of utmost importance that you do exactly what I say. Any deviation will be seen as an affront to the king and that won't be tolerated in front of the council. Do you understand?"

I nodded, though I was still half-asleep. "What do I have to do?"

"Most importantly, be solemn and respectful; don't hesitate and don't resist. Swear the oaths you are asked to swear without dispute." He paused and looked at me for the first time since we'd climbed into the van. "I'm afraid there will be aspects of the ritual that will be distasteful to you - remember, it was designed to initiate our kind alone - but don't let that show. Think you can manage?"

"What if I mess up?" I wasn't exactly the queen of calm, cool and collected.

"You mustn't," Arthos said.

"Tell me about the ritual then. If I know what I'm getting into, maybe I can mentally prepare for it."

"It's a bloodletting in which you'll be vowing your subservience to His Majesty and your faithfulness to the enclave as whole."