Page 61 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

His words are like the hammering of a nail into a coffin, dread settling around me. No, he is just being dramatic and pessimistic. This is his prediction, not a true vision into the future, I tell myself. Everyone can have opinions, and this is his. However, Ama sent me here for a reason, so there must be something he can help me with.

Pushing away the panic, I focus on what he said. He brought up Havoc messing up our chances. I never mentioned the prophecy, nor my reason for being in the city, which means he also thinks there is a connection. The king suspected this too. Perhaps this is why I am here.

“Havoc? You think this is linked to the prophecy?” I try to keep my voice even, not wanting him to know how badly I need this information.

He snorts and looks at me like I am the most stupid being in the world. “Strange things have been happening for a long while now, tensions building between the different races as time passed and the prophecy remained unfulfilled, waiting for the brides to come of age. Things have been escalating since you were called back to the city. Now, there is a disease that affects only vampires as you fail your task?” He bares his teeth at me, his face contorting. “You were supposed to save us, but you failed, and now we are all doomed for insanity or death.”

I don’t deny it, after all, he is right. Through no fault of my own, I did fail, and I will have to carry the weight of that for the rest of my life. His words hurt, opening old wounds and insecurities. The dark whispers in the back of my mind are vicious, welcomed forward by the harsh words thrown back in my face.

I am convinced that there is another way, though, or at least something I can do to help my kind. Hiding my hurt, I stand tall and hold his gaze.

“I am trying to find another way to fix the prophecy. That’s why I need to know about the disease,” I explain, needing more information. “You said things have been strange for a while. Can you tell me what you mean?”

He lets out a defeated sigh and clears his throat. “Strange happenings, disappearances, feral attacks among the vampires that were being written off as one-offs.” He shakes his head like he doesn’t believe it in the slightest, a suspicious gleam in his gaze.

“Vampires were going missing, so I decided it was time for me to disappear,” he continues. “I could not return to Trador, since I am not welcome there, so I created a new life for myself on the docks. I have the gift of knowing when storms are coming in, so I share my predictions with several sirens in return for food. They then pass the news on to the main docks. I do not have to leave the boat, and only a handful of people know about me.” His gaze went distant as he spoke, but now it narrows on me. “Until you came along.”

He told me far more than I expected, yet I do not know how any of this is supposed to help me. Was I led here because of his gift? No, that does not seem right. Storm predictions, while useful, will not turn the tide in helping the vampires. The growing disturbances, disappearances, and general animosity within the city all sound like the buildup of trouble we were promised by the prophecy if the brides were unable to come together.

“How can I stop this? Can I prevent the spread of the disease without fixing the prophecy?” There is a growing sense of urgency in my gut, and without meaning to, it comes out in my voice.

“Do I look like a fucking crystal ball? I do not know about any of that.” Despite his insistence that he knows nothing and has nothing to do with any of this, his frustration seems to be growing—a frustration that is not aimed at me. He is annoyed with himself, perhaps because he is unable to help. Yes, I think that deep down, he wants to do something to help, he just does not know how.

He grumbles to himself under his breath, muttering about cursed prophecies and feral vampires when he suddenly looks up, his hands held wide in a hopeless gesture. “The only thing…” He trails off, something clearly playing over in his mind.

My heart leaps in my chest. “Please, if you know something, tell me.”

He grumbles under his breath again, rubbing a hand over his face and mumbling about uninvited guests.

Eli clears his throat, his voice rumbling from his chest and through my back where he is pressed against me. “Have you always been this antisocial, or are we just lucky?” He’s stayed quiet until now, and I know it was an effort for him to hold his tongue when the vampire has been so vocal about how useless I have been.

Harvey bares his teeth in a snarl, his eyes narrowing on my mate. “Fae,” he growls and spits on the ground. “I have never trusted them, and I never will. Get him off my boat.”

Wonderful, just what we need. Ama warned me that he would not be welcoming, but this is a step further than I expected. I am surprised Eli has held himself back until now, yet it is clear the animosity between them is just too much.

“He’s my mate, he is just here to protect me,” I explain, attempting to calm the situation down.

Harvey’s gaze swings back around to me, his eyes blazing. “If you want any more information out of me, then you will get him off my fucking boat!”

I look up at Eli, having a silent conversation with our eyes and the bond. He does not want to leave, but he knows how important this is. Decision made, he sighs quietly and turns to the vampire with the promise of pain in his eyes. “If you touch her or hurt her in any way, I will make sure that your remaining days on this land are filled with misery and torture.”

“Mates and their dramatics,” Harvey mutters with an eye roll as my mate removes himself.

I can still feel Eli, and although he is off the boat, he is not far away. This probably benefits us, as he can keep a look out while I talk to Harvey. At least, that is what I keep telling myself. The darkness that lurks within me seems to pulse, reacting to the stressful situation, and although I have full control over it right now, it feels as though it is ready to leap into action should I need it.

“What do you know?” I ask once more, putting emphasis into my words to show the urgency of this. The longer I am away from the castle, the more chance I have of being caught.

Harvey looks thoughtful now, staring into the distance, and I can see that something is troubling him. Holding back the urge to demand answers, I bite my tongue. When he finally meets my gaze, the look he gives me fills me with dread. His expression is grim, as though he has come to a harsh realisation.

“I think we have been looking at the prophecy wrong,” he starts, his frown deepening. “A thirst for blood will twist the tide,” he quotes, shaking his head as though he is stupid for not having realised it before. “A thirst for blood? The rabid attacks? The prophecy warned about this. You may be a bride, but the prophecy said nothing about your marriage to the prince breaking it.” His voice gets louder and more passionate as he stalks towards me, grabbing my shoulders to emphasise his point. “Blood, my lady. I think the prophecy requires your blood. The question is, are you willing to pay the cost?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

The words blur on the page before me, and my tired eyes ache. A long, exhausted sigh escapes me, my shoulders sagging and head hanging forward as my sore neck protests the hours spent in this stationary position. Closing my eyes, I rub the bridge of my nose and curse the tellers of the prophecy for making it so obscure.

No one truly knows what the prophecy means, and those who created the prophecy died. The power that such a large vision took killed the seven females who made it. If only they were still around now, we could ask them for more information or to confirm our thoughts, which could help us turn the tide.

It has been a week since I was last allowed into the slums, the vampire attacks now deemed too dangerous for me to leave the castle. Although I have protested this and tried to explain to the king that this will only negatively affect the vampires, he will not hear anything of it. As well as potentially being attacked, there is concern that my entourage or I could catch this new mystery disease. Since I am no longer welcome to meet with the other brides, due to suspicions from the others that I will curse them and they will be unable to marry, I have been spending almost all of my time training with Finnik or here in the library.

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