Page 41 of The Vampire King's Victory

Christian would insist he be a part of things even if he claimed to wish to be alone. And he would stay with them, amused despite himself, by Balthazar’s antics and the gentle ribbing between him and Arcius. Christian’s parents would be floating about, looking at everything and speaking in low tones as scholars do. Hemighteven allow Christian’s father to speak with him as he so clearly wished to do.

So why--other thanpride--did he not do just that? Turn around and go to where there was light and life? Balthazar would tease him, but it would not be the sharp, weaponized verbal sparring that would hurt. He rather felt Balthazar would be pleased to have him. Stay with the Eyros. Leave the Kaly behind. Be Christian’s teacher and Balthazar’s friend and…

But he could not. He had things he had to do. He could not run away even to a home that was actually a home to him. He stared at the Kaly Palace.

The whole palace would have appeared like a weapon--a bunch of swords tied together, thrusting into the sky as if disemboweling an enemy--but then there were the stained glass windows that made it seem more like an offering of beauty to the sky.

Centered directly above that arching doorway were three huge round stained glass windows. The central window had a crowned skull with roses threaded through the empty eye sockets. The stained glass window to the left had a depiction of a human being going through all the stages of life from birth to death and decay. The stained glass window to the right showed a soul gem bursting with light as if what it contained was precious, even though it was used asfuel.

Caemorn moved the soul gems in his hand, his fingers sliding over the smooth facets, inspecting the pointed cuts, exploring the edges. They were warm. He felt the lives inside of them.

Life equaled power.

But not in this case. He would need power from somewhere else to create the bodies that would house the Harrows and then to transfer them from cold stone to warm flesh. He had a feeling that he would find that power here.

He hesitated at the base of a set of broad steps--each set at a gracious, easily climbable height--that led to the palace’s front doors. They were so precisely cut with not a nick or scratch on them that it was hard, on the one hand, to think they were anything other than brand new. Yet the feel of this place was ancient. Not old. Eternal. As if it had always stood and always would stand.

I’ve been here before, he thought.

Caemorn blinked. He did not know where that unbidden thought had come from. It was, of course, wrong. He had never been here. He wasn’t even born when Nightvallen was locked away.

But as he studied the facade of the palace, he felt heknewit. And it was more than that. For example, he knew that there would be nine columns on the second story of the third tower before he looked to confirm he was right. And he was correct.

Caemorn’s frown deepened. Precognition wasnota Kaly gift. That was squarely in Seeyr’s corner. But, then again, this was thepasthe was seeing, not the present. It was a memory not a premonition.

I could not have a memory of this place,he repeated.Unless a spirit could be communicating to me.

But truly, only a Speaker to the Dead could fully communicate with spirits in any case. For the most part when a Kaly Vampire took control of them, they became almost zombie-like. Their own selves were locked away and, if there was any special knowledge they had from being dead, that was locked away too. He and Christian really would have to perform some experiments on this…

Caemorn shook himself. By thinking of Christian again, he was avoiding the fact that he was experiencing deja vu. An extreme form of it. It was almost sickeningly dizzying. He curled his fingers against his palms, digging his fingernails into his flesh to anchor himself.

Test… I must create a test to see if this is just deja vu or if I really do know this place.

Caemorn looked up at the doors. He pulled out his phone. It was useless, of course, for making calls or receiving texts or searching the internet.

We should really consider setting up a cell or satellite network here! I must discuss this with Daemon as not all of us can read minds!

But that, too, like his thoughts of Christian and the experiments they should run were pushed to the side. The phone was fine to simply make brief notes.

And so he typed:There will be a rectangular atrium. The floor will be made of this perfect white stone. However, there will be the Kaly symbol of the skull with the crown inlaid into the floor in black stone.

Now, with his belief written down, his mind could not pretend the moment he saw the floor that it matched a memory from the past. The skull would either be there or not. He would be right or he would be wrong. He would have electronic proof that he knew what was on the floorbeforehe saw it or he would have proof that he was having a breakdown of some sort. He saved the note and walked up the steps.

Before he had a chance to touch the doors, they opened and silvery light spilled out all around him. Caemorn blinked as hiseyes adjusted. There was a rectangular foyer. There was the Kaly crowned skull in black in the center of the floor. Caemorn stared at it without blinking for a long time. He checked the electronic note. It matched. His mind was not playing tricks, but that didn’t mean he was right that he had been there before.

The building is reminiscent of a cathedral,Caemorn told himself.Therefore, it would be logical to expect a rectangular atrium. Further, this is the Kaly Palace. That the Kaly symbol should be displayed prominently in such a space is not surprising. I should not take this as proof.

His gaze swept upwards to the light source. It was a crystal chandelier, except the crystals were soul gems and the light did not come from candles or bulbs, but from the illumination of souls alone. Caemorn was struck by several things at that moment.

To have such powerful souls used as mere illumination showed the power of the Kaly Vampires in the past. It seemed to suggest that filled soul gems were no more valuable than lightbulbs or candles.

That no Kaly Vampire had stolen from such a horde meant that they were either terrified of Kaly themselves or, again, that filled soul gems were so plentiful that no one would bother. He wasn’t sure which he believed.

And, finally, he realized this would have to be taken down. Balthazar, Christian and Julian would be horrified by this display and… He cared about what they thought. Of Kaly. Of him. The soul gems were beautiful and horrifying. They were the basis of a Kaly Vampire’s power. But had they spent the souls of people as cheaply as a light source?

Bodies were one thing. They were made to die for most beings. But souls? Souls were supposed to be eternal. And they didn’t know what happened when they spent all the energywithin them. But they kept doing it anyway. He found himself walking.

Like in a cathedral, there was a nave. A long central corridor of another rectangular room with a ceiling soaring three stories above his head. There were pews on either side of him, places where the Kaly Vampires would worship their Immortal. He could almost hear their voices whisper in prayer. His steps faltered for a moment.

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