Vampire Girl 3: Silver Flame(46)

I am. So drunk I might have let him kiss me. So drunk it’s hard to think. "And?"

"If there is to be anything between us, you should be of clear mind. I wish no regrets upon you."

This is the last thing I expected the Prince of Lust to say. In many ways, Dean would make a better king than his brother. He wouldn’t focus on fighting and accruing wealth, but on bringing joy and comfort. Isn’t that the sign of great ruler? One who could bring upon a golden age?

"Thank you," I say. "For being a gentleman."

He grins, though I see in his eyes he wishes more could have happened between us. He stands, offering me his hand to help me up. "If you would indulge me, Princess. I have one more surprise left."

I nod and take his arm.

He guides me to the outskirts of the city, to a tunnel built by man. I raise my dress, trying to keep it from dragging in the mud. "I must say. You surprise me once again. What are we doing?"

"The Fae lived here for millennia before we arrived, and who knows—perhaps there was something even older once. I have seen things in my travels, artifacts brought to my museum, that are neither Fae nor vampire, but relics of an ancient age. So, I’ve tried to find more."

We descend deeper into the tunnel, and it grows hotter as torches cast hot yellow lights at us. Dean wipes his brow and removes his shirt. "I’ve had my servants digging for artifacts for years. And a few weeks ago, they uncovered this."

He motions me to stop, then grabs a torch from the wall and dips it into some black liquid. Oil. It lights on fire, streaking across the darkness, illuminating the giant cavern we have reached.

Before us stands a giant stone door, cracked open in the center. It is dark green and covered in ancient glyphs. It reminds me of a Waystone, and for a moment I fear Dean has uncovered Avakiri. But then I look past the door, and see that it doesn’t lead into a Waystone, but a garden. "What is this place?" I ask.

"Not sure yet. I’ve held back on exploring, waiting so we could do it together. I needed something to impress the princess." Dean grins and grabs my hand, pulling me past the door.

And we emerge into a giant ruin, with ceilings as high as the palace, the walls around us withered stone covered in green moss. Tiles cover the floor, and a barren fountain stands before us, long dry. We walk forward, past doors and windows overgrown with vines and trees. Past a dirty pond filled with flowers. And then I see them.

The statues.

Five of them.

Tall and majestic, carved from emerald green stone. Two are men. Three are woman. Each carries an animal on their shoulder. "The Druids," I whisper, realization dawning on me. "These are the Four Druids and the Midnight Star."

Dean nods. "This must have been some kind of temple. Someplace to honor the Wild Ones. Look here behind them." I follow Dean up a wide set of stairs to a giant wall completely covered in ancient text. "Can you read it?"

I run my hand over the glyphs and cast the incantation to translate languages. Most of the words change, but not all. "It seems to be written in a form of Fae, but I don’t recognize all the characters. This language must be ancient. More ancient than anything I've seen."

Dean smiles with glee. "Can you make anything out?"

"Yes," I say, studying the markings. "It’s the tale of the Primal One. It’s well known amongst the Fae, but this version is longer. There are details I've never heard." I’d heard children sing the tale of the Primal One back in Avakiri, but it was never this. I focus on the wall and continue reading.

"The Primal One was first of our kind. When he came to this world, he found it ravaged by the elements, in a state of constant chaos. At first he sought to fight them, but even he could not conquer nature. So the Primal One tamed the elements, taking their power within him and brining balance to the world.

"But it was so empty.

"So the Primal One used his power and created others in his image. The Fae.

"He told them how to live, how to be happy. And they listened. So powerful was the Primal One, that his words, his thoughts, became theirs.

"And the world was happy, and yet it was sad. It was full, and yet it was hollow.

"As the years went by, despite all the people around him, the Primal One grew more and more lonely. And in his despair, he drew something else to this world.

"Darkness." I shiver before continuing.

"A being that preyed upon weak worlds. It attacked Avakiri and Inferna, consuming all in its path. The Primal One fought the beast as best he could, using the Fae as an extension of his arm when needed, but he couldn't stop the Darkness.

"Though he was everywhere, a part of everyone, he could not focus on all things at once. It was then that the Primal One realized, by making everything a part of himself, he had created nothing. He had made the world empty.