Page 17 of Of Shadows and Death

Raúl sits down until Carmen raises an eyebrow. “Do you not have duties to attend?”

He sighs and stands up. “Yes, yes. I’ll be back later.”

He leaves out the door, and I watch his retreating back.

“Beth,” says Carmen. “I need at least three others to braid this.”

Beth nods and leaves as well.

“Now, we are finally alone,” says Carmen. She starts untying the strips of fabric holding my hair into a rope. “Tell me about yourself. It’s been a long time since Raúl was interested enough to bring a woman around. Ever since his father died.”

“His father is dead?” I say with a gasp. Raúl had made it sound like he had just left.

“Yes,” she says.

She doesn’t continue, so I answer her other question. “There’s not much about me to tell,” I say uncertainly. “I live in the tower and I stay there day after day. I take care of Mother’s needs and do chores. That’s it.”

She pauses her task and stares at me. “You’ve never left the tower?”

“Yes, once.” My voice wavers, and I grit my teeth and refuse to say more. Carmen doesn’t press, but instead asks about my duties and my favorite activities. I tell her how I first met Raúl, and our baking deal. She laughs when she hears it, commenting that Raúl has the largest sweet tooth in all the realm.

I tell her a bit about Mother, and what it’s like living with her in the tower, but I don’t provide much detail. She hums when I tell her why my hair is long for my mother. The conversation stalls, and then a knock sounds at the door. Beth walks in, followed by three beautiful ladies. Each has ebony hair curled into elaborate styles on top of their heads. Their gowns are in a modern cut, each a different color and design. They look like princesses.

“Oh, my. By the grace of dragons,” says one vampire. “This is a lot of hair.”

I snort at her understatement, then cover my mouth at being so informal around new people. The ladies laugh and immediately sit next to us. “Don’t be shy. We aren’t like the human court, all proper and rigid. We enjoy ourselves here, since we have all the time in the world.”

My back stiffens as her words remind me I am in a vampire castle. Vampires surround me, and I have no way out. Carmen grins slyly at me, as if knowing I taste fear on my tongue. “She is under Raúl’s protection. No harm will come to her.”

The ladies ooh and ahh, whispering to each other. My face reddens, but Carmen gives me a warm smile. She directs the ladies and soon all four are sectioning and braiding my hair. I revel in their idle gossip, talking about which lady prefers which gentlemen. Carmen eventually stops them, reminding them I have no idea who they’re gossiping about. One lady, the one with the emerald green dress, tsks. “Carmen, you tell us a story, then.”

She smiles. “I have the perfect one. Penny, have you ever read the legend of the five queens and how they destroyed the realm?”

Chapter Sixteen

“No,” I say softly. “In the books I’ve read, the five queens are mentioned, but I know nothing about them.”

“You said you never cut your hair, but there are uneven strands at the end.” Carmen holds up the end of my hair, confusion on her face as she shows me the jagged edges.

I shrug. “I’ve never cut it.”

She hmms. “Would you be opposed to me taking a small sample? Something is… different about your hair.”

I frown. “I guess that would be okay.”

Carmen finds some scissors out of her desk, then clips a strand at the end of my hair, only a hand width. I shiver, a slight tingle in my core, but it disappears quickly. She puts the hair away in an envelope on her desk before returning.

“Now, where was I.” She laughs. “At the beginning, of course.”

The ladies giggle, and Carmen winks at them, reminding me of Raúl. “A long time ago, before you were even a twinkle in the sky, this land was ruled by five queens.

“They ruled with iron kindness, if there is such a thing. However, not everyone in the realm was happy. Fifteen male mages saw the power wielded by the queens. Jealousy raged through them and they met in secret, vowing to dethrone the queens by any means necessary.”

One of the vampire ladies tsked. “Always someone who wants to ruin a good situation.”

The others murmur agreements, and Carmen continues. “Yes. All fifteen mages met together, swearing a pact of secrecy. With their combined magic, they summoned a demon from Mictlan itself.”

“What’s Mictlan?” I ask. It is a term I’ve never read before.

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