I grit my teeth in frustration. Patience has never been my strong suit. Neither has idleness.
An hour later, Dagan actually gets up. I look at him and start to rise. He fixes me with a glare that tells me to remain absolutely still… and turns around to walk to the farther reaches of the cave.
I wait until his footsteps fade from hearing. Then I wait some more, until I can no longer pick out his presence in the underground tunnel.
Only when I’m absolutely sure he’s gone, do I stand up and approach Riyu.
“You,” I say. Riyu looks up. “You can do magic. How?”
He looks at me, unblinking. He doesn’t reply.
I leer at him. “Look,” I say. “You know who I am. If you were smart, it would do you well to get in my good graces. My Father is the leader of your coven, and if you—”
Riyu yawns, bored, and turns away.
My anger flashes. “Look, you worthless maggot,” I snarl, seizing him by the neck. “If you think I’m just going to take your insults without—”
A blue halo bursts around Riyu. A sudden chill washes over my body. My limbs seize up. The cold quickly spreads, until only my tongue is left working.
“What…”
Riyu slips from my grip. He gives a little smile, a sly wink, and suddenly I’m free again.
I stagger back. Now my rage truly flares. I focus all my vampire strength onto him. He should be trembling when faced with somebody as strong as me. All the vampires in these caves should, other than perhaps Dagan.
“Kneel, worm,” I hiss. “Kneel to me and offer your apology. I will not be made a fool of by the likes of you!”
Riyu looks at me… and starts to laugh. It’s a high-pitched, almost feminine sound.
It infuriates me even more.
By now, the confrontation has attracted the attention of the other vampires. All of those so much weaker than me. Humiliation takes me that I cannot control any of them.
I try blasting my strength at him again. The vampire hierarchy is universal. All should abide by it. It’s in our nature. It’s implanted in our very souls.
But Riyu only looks at me and shrugs. The waves of power wash off him like water off a duck’s back.
“Go to sleep, James,” he says. His voice has a dreamy, ethereal quality to it. “Everything will go so much better if you don’t fight.”
Then, as if he has any right to dismiss me, he simply turns away.
I stare daggers at him, anger and hatred rising to make a vile concoction in my throat. I spin around, challenging the other vampires with my eyes. I can feel all their individual strength. All are weaker! Why are they not supplicating themselves to me?
That’s the moment I feel Dagan returning. I cast one last menacing stare around and, almost like a sulky child, go back to my spot.
The vampires around me do not so much as whisper a single word.
Does Dagan truly have such a tight rein over them? I wonder. I remember their laughs and jeers when they were kicking me…
The monstrous vampire returns. One look at our company and his cheek twitches.
“What did you do?” he demands of me.
I try to play it cool. “Me? Nothing. I—”
The words choke off in my throat. Dagan extends his power over me, and I find myself all too eager to tell the truth.
“I wanted to speak to the others while you were gone. I attacked Riyu in my anger. He made a fool of me with his magic.”
Dagan’s hold on me vanishes. I gasp. How easy was it for him to bring that confession out of me? Only a vampire who is magnitudes of times stronger would ever think about attempting to do something like that!
“That’s not the first time Riyu’s been underestimated.” Dagan snorts. Some of the others snicker.
Then they begin to laugh. Their laughter pierces my head, making my temples throb, making this feel like some sort of awful dream.
He cuts them off abruptly. The other vampires fall silent in perfect synchrony with him. I marvel at how easy he makes it seem, at how simple their coordination comes about.
“You used the Mind Gift on me!” I accuse. But something feels wrong about saying the words. It’s almost like I know they’re not true.
“No,” Dagan says. He swings the amulet around his neck once. “The confession came courtesy of this torrial.”
“AS YOU SAID,” he booms in my head, “ONLY A VAMPIRE WHO IS MAGNITUDES OF TIMES STRONGER THAN YOU WOULD ATTEMPT TO USE THE MIND GIFT LIKE THAT.”
Shock races through me. I know the torrial gives the ability for him to speak telepathically. But can he also read my thoughts?
Before I can do anything he turns away. “Get ready!” he booms at the others. “We’re leaving for The Crypts at once.” He looks at me. “You’d best prepare for the journey of your life.”