Page 73 of The Vampire's Bride

“Yes, but I was unconscious then, so I do not remember it.”

“Everything will go dark for a moment once we enter, but that is all,” he reassures me. “And then we are out the other side and it is only a few miles’ travel to Nightshade from there.”

“Elsie said the Gates are similar to portals.”

He nods. “They were created by the Ancient Ones.”

“Ancient… Ones?”

“The Ancient Ones were the original Vampires that used to inhabit these lands. They’re all gone now, but there are dozens oftheir ancient gates still spread throughout Morrowynd. We use our blood magic to activate them.”

As if on cue, Eben taps on the roof and calls out. “We’re approaching the Gate.”

The carriage comes to a full stop, and Valaric turns to me. “I must activate the Gate. I’ll be right back.”

I follow him out of the carriage, curious to see what he’ll do.

The Dark Gate is tall and imposing, an ancient archway carved from obsidian stone. Intricate glowing purple runes and glyphs are etched into its surface, and black mist swirls in the center like smoke.

Statues of ancient Vampire knights, carved from dark stone, stand on either side of the gate like eternal guards, their eyes gleaming with an eerie silver light.

Valaric raises his arms and begins to move his hands. I watch in wonder as he uses magic to draw glowing purple runes in the air, weaving them together until they form a glowing, swirling circle of floating symbols and complex patterns.

He pushes the circle toward the gate. The black mist in the center wraps around it and then expands outward to touch the sides, creating a glowing lavender veil of magic. He draws another rune in the air and it ripples across the shimmering surface like a pebble dropped in a still pond, revealing an image of a wide road cut through a field, and a shining city in the distance.

“Is that—”

“The city of Nightshade,” Valaric answers. He turns to me. “Before we pass through, give me your arm.”

I hold it out, and he gently wraps his hand around my wrist, turning my palm up to face him.

“I’m going to give you a rune,” he explains. “If you pass through any Dark Gate in Morrowynd, it will return you to this spot.”

“Why are you giving this to me?”

His eyes flick up to mine. “If anything were to happen, I want to make sure you can still access the gate to return home.”

Worry prickles my skin. “Are you worried someone will—”

“It’s just a precaution,” he explains. “Eben already has one as well.”

“Will it hurt?”

“No.”

Magic crackles across his fingers like lightning. I watch in wonder as he traces the tip of one claw across my palm, leaving behind a purple rune that glows brightly before fading into my skin.

His crimson eyes flick up to mine. “To activate the gate all you must do is press your palm to the stone.”

I nod. “Thank you.” I only pray I never have to use it, because doing so would mean something has happened to my husband.

He helps me back into the carriage. It lurches forward, and the world goes black. My stomach drops, and I blink several times as if that will somehow magically restore my vision.

Valaric threads his fingers through mine and just that small gesture anchors me, reassuring me that I’m not alone in this strange void. It feels like forever before the darkness recedes and we’re on the other side.

I glance out the window and see the bright lights in the distance once more. It’s quite a bit warmer here and the ground is not covered with snow.

“Spring has already come to this part of Morrowynd.” Valaric gestures out the carriage window. “And on the other side of Nightshade”—he points at something his Vampire eyes can see but mine cannot—“is the Shadow Sea. Our manor sits on the beachfront, along the outskirts of the city.”

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