Page 24 of A Touch of Madness

And then he’s gone, melting into the shadows as easily as he arrived, leaving behind only the faint echo of his presence and the lingering taste of his threat.

I pace the perimeter of the room as remnants of Viago’s presence cling to my thoughts like cobwebs, and though he’s gone, his words echo in my mind.

Sylvie.

I had thought I could protect her by keeping my distance, by keeping her at the edges of this war. But Viago’s arrival has shattered that illusion. He knows about her—what she is, what she could become. And worse, he sees her as a means to an end, a pawn in his endless game of power.

* * *

I hadto return to my schoolroom after meeting with Viago. Unfortunately, it was bound to be a late night. I’ve had nothing but extenuating circumstance after extenuating circumstance to tend to, and these papers refuse to grade themselves.

My door opens, and I turn sharply, my tension easing only slightly as I see Sylvie step inside. Her presence is sunlight breaking through the storm clouds, though it’s a light I know I don’t deserve.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she says softly, her eyes darting to the scattered books and papers on my desk.

“You’re not interrupting,” I reply, though my voice is tighter than I’d like. “What are you doing here? It’s late. I thought you’d be tucked away at home.”

She hesitates, her hands twisting together. “I went to the library and lost track of time after my theory class. It’s too hard to sit still, Lucian. Plus, I wanted to ask how your meeting went with the Ascendency guy.”

“Well, it went, that’s for certain,” I tell her with a sigh. She pulls me by the hand over to the student chairs, and after a chaste kiss, we sit next to each other. Looking into her eyes brings me a peace I can’t deny. I am in love with her. I never lost the love I had for her; in fact, I believe it only grew with each year we spent apart.

“There’s something I need to show you,” I say, my throat tightening around the words. “It won’t be pleasant, but it’s the only way to explain.”

She watches me with those steady, unyielding eyes, and I know she’s braver than she gives herself credit for. I’ve seen it time and time again in the short time she’s been back in my life.

I reach for her hand, the connection between us sparking to life the moment our skin touches. She flinches, but she doesn’t pull away.

“Close your eyes, love,” I murmur.

When she does, I let my power unfurl and mingle with hers, drawing us both into the memory. The room dissolves around us, replaced by a flickering vision of years past.

The hall was oncea grand ballroom—arched ceilings draped in velvet banners, shimmering chandeliers overhead—but now it lay in ruin. Torn tapestries dangled from the walls, and heavy drapes fluttered in a breeze that reeked of death. My footsteps echoed on the marble floor, sticky with fresh blood. Every breath tasted of copper and ash.

I had arrived there with a single hope: to end the war. Humans and vampires had been locked in senseless conflict for months, both sides leaving fields of bodies behind. I believed I could broker a truce, a chance for us all to coexist. I was naive enough to think peace could be negotiated with words alone.

When I stepped into that hall, the fighting had already reached its bloody crescendo. Bodies—human and vampire alike—littered the floor. Some had fallen clutching weapons, others with their throats torn out. The air hung thick with despair, and my heart thundered against my ribs, each beat screaming that I was too late.

And at the center of it all stood Viago.

He was young by vampire standards, his hair still dark and cropped close, his eyes holding a spark of arrogance. But he wore authority like a second skin, radiating power despite his youthful appearance. The Ascendancy faction had chosen him as its leader, a ruthless prodigy who could bend others to his will in their totalitarian lifestyle. Around him, pockets of remaining fighters cowered or lay dying. They hadn’t stood a chance.

I stumbled through the carnage, desperate to reach the survivors. My clothing was soaked with the blood of allies I’d tried—and failed—to save. Still, I clung to the belief that if I could only speak to him, show him reason, it might not all be lost.

“Viago!” I shouted across the expanse, voice echoing. My words sounded hollow against the moans of the dying. “Enough blood has been spilled. Call off your forces. Let’s… let’s end this.”

For a moment, he didn’t acknowledge me. He turned slowly, wiping a crimson blade on the tattered remains of a fallen human’s cloak, as though my plea was merely background noise. Then he smiled—that cold, calculating smile that would haunt me for eternity.

“You speak of ending a war,” he said softly, almost gently. “But you arrive too late. The Ascendancy has already claimed its victory here.”

I forced myself to approach, despite the trembling in my legs. The weight of so many deaths pressed in on my mind, the thick stench of blood nearly overwhelming. But I had to try. “This… this isn’t a victory,” I said, voice taut. “Look around you. You’ve won nothing but more hatred, more grief, more war.”

Viago tilted his head, considering my words. “Hatred. Grief. War. These are trifles, Lucian. What matters is power.” He gestured with his blade, indicating the corpses strewn around us. “I’m forging a new world order, and you think you can negotiate it away with pretty words?”

I swallowed hard, glancing at the few humans still clinging to life. I could hear their ragged breaths, sense their fragile hope that I might somehow save them. “I’m offering a chance,” I said. “A chance for peace.”

A low, mirthless chuckle slipped from Viago’s lips. “Peace? The only ‘peace’ these humans will know is in their graves. Their existence is an obstacle to our dominance.” He flicked his blade toward the captives. “Unless… you’d prefer I spare them?”

I froze. I saw the cruelty in his gaze, how he relished the moment. He was going to twist my idealism into a weapon. Sure enough, he turned to his subordinates—other vampires in the Ascendancy faction, hungry-eyed, loyal to him—and murmured a command I couldn’t quite catch. Instantly, several more humans were brought forward, bound and trembling.

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