Page 178 of A Vow of Blood and Tears

Hakkon hummed to himself, drifting close enough that I felt his sickening body heat in the chill air.

“Let me ask you, little red one, what didyousee? Did you look at the land? Did you wonder at the vast and empty ruin of it?”

I raised one shoulder in a noncommittal shrug, not wanting to admit that I had. There was nothing in Foria, at least this side of the border, but dry prairie grass and poisoned dirt.

“So you did, then.” Hakkon chuckled. “The Rift was ours, once. Radomil, that weak pretender—I will not call that slinking coward a king—knew that, too. He came to us, promising richfarmlands, rich mines, the territory that was once rightfully ours… and he used us and threw us away. My people starve by the day. The women grow weak, and what few pups are born are stunted and frail.”

My lip curled. The Light only knew what red milk those ‘pups’ needed.

“Bane is an honorable foe, worthy of destruction.” Hakkon raised his eyes to the ceiling as he thought, as though he could see the sky through the earth. “Worthy of my every effort. He has tested me sorely. But Radomil… when we have retaken our land, that worm will not be raised in Wargyr’s dark sight. He will be pissed upon and left to rot, food only for the crows.

“But before that happens, we will take the Rift. We were born there, and we will die there, all of us standing as one. The sheep will feed my hungry children, and I will no longer lament their painful cries as they go to sleep at night with empty bellies. The farmlands will grow our supply, and with the mines and forests we will have secure homes, no longer living in holes in the ground. Until the day comes that I see all the packs under Wargyr’s eye living in comfort, I will keep trying.”

Those sheep arehumans, I said furiously.You despise all of humanity. Don’t pretend you’re some hero, not after what you’ve done to these people. You’ve turned them into monsters.

I heard the smile in his voice as he spoke. “Despise? No, redling. Does the shepherd despise his flock? He culls the herd, he feeds his family with their mutton, he spins their wool into cloth for his children’s clothes, but never does he despise them. No, helovesthem, he cares for them as though they were his own. As you will all be cared for, tended with the greatest effort.”

That’s monstrous. They’re people, not animals.

“In the wolf’s eyes, all are sheep. Surely you have some knowledge of this—does your own husband not feed on theirblood? You will understand when you join us, when you feel the strength and freedom of Wargyr’s blessing.”

My chest and stomach felt full of cold stones, dragging me down.I’d rather be dead, I signed sharply.

“Unacceptable. Miro Kyril has told me of your ancient lineage, your wealthy inheritance. To continue the metaphor, you are the prize among sheep. Your worth lies in your lands and your cunt, not your meat.”

Unseen, facing the darkness, I spat, letting Hakkon know what I thought of that. He laughed openly, unphased.

“You will be fresh blood, the mother of a new pack born on Veladari soil—lai Darran soil. We will raise them there in the safety of your family’s house, and grow strong on the fruitfulness of your land. He has told me of your research, your academics: you will learn the language of the blood-drinkers, and teach us. They will no longer control their own past or teachings. They will eventually die, as they should have done before.”

I stared down the passage, eyes gritty and sore, but the darkness pressed in on them like a solid thing. My hope was already guttering out, like the futile wish in my heart that this was all a nightmare, that I had even a sliver of a chance of escaping.

There was no hope. Miro had murdered my blood-kin, and put me in a position to be used by Wargyr’s high priest for unspeakable things, and as long as I prayed for Bane to stay away, to save himself… there was no hope left over for me.

So. Escape was no longer an option, then. All I could do was ruin myself, refuse to become a pawn for Hakkon’s plans.

I walked faster, trying to put him behind me, following twists and turns until I no longer knew which direction we faced.

It was hours later when Hakkon exhaled, tipping his head from side to side as sharp crackles and pops filled the silence.

“We are close,” he said quietly, as though speaking to himself. “Be good now, red one.”

Never.

Some time later, I heard Miro cry out.

“Stairs ahead, woman. Don’t stumble.”

I managed a sore, tired sort of trot, desperate to be away from Hakkon and the rancid smell of wargs emanating through the tunnel, and found a set of stone steps.

They led upwards in a spiral, and when I reached the top—an empty landing, with an ironbound door cracked open before me—I halted, unable to go any further.

Every fiber of my being screamed at me to turn and run, to flee the wargs that awaited me. The stink in the air… the scent of dirty and mossy stones gave way to their stench, a powerful animal reek of carrion and blood and fur.

“Oh, redling, don’t be afraid.” Hakkon touched a lock of my hair, examining it with a curiosity that was more speculative than lascivious, and it was more disturbing than if he’d felt any sexual urges at all. I could vaguely understand how to handle a man with desires; I had no idea what to do with a man who looked at me like livestock. “None shall harm you.”

It was only the need to get away from that touch that drove me through the door.

I pushed it open, stopping in the doorway at the sight before me.

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