“You’re not a witch then?”
“I am a witch,” she sighed, as though this was an explanation she had repeated to many people before. “But I was born without powers.”
“Why?”
“Why were you born with horrible red eyes? These things just happen.”
I averted my eyes to the ground, wincing at her words.
“I don’t belong here,” she whispered. The tone of her voice was urgent, causing me to look at her again. She crawled closer to the bars. It dawned on me then that she was quite attractive without furrowed brows and a scowl.
“That makes two of us.” I grimaced.
“I’ve only been in this hell-hole a few weeks. I… I’m a wanderer. A pirate. I left my crew to come to these shores to collect fruits.”
“That was foolish of you.”
“I’ve made the trip dozens of times before without getting caught. It’s just this time…” Her voice trailed off for a few minutes before she found it again. “I’ve been holed up with these monsters ever since.”
“Why are you telling me all this? If I knew a way out, I wouldn’t be sitting here in a pool of my own blood—”
I stopped mid-sentence.
My stomach twisted into knots. My heart skipped a beat. A paralyzing feeling of dread swept over me. I gazed around the room, trying to make eye contact with any vampire looking my way. From their panicked expressions, they had sensed it too.
A dark presence that was felt but never seen. A presence that we all knew too well.
An unbearable cold seeped into the core of my bones—a sensation that never failed to make me pray for death.
It was too late.
My father had returned for me.
Chapter 3: Kiev
A haze descended over my eyes, making my vision slightly unfocussed.
“I’ve missed you, son.” A hiss echoed in my head. “But you have disappointed me. Have you forgotten all I’ve done for you?”
No, I thought.
“You were one of the first humans I ever infected with our nature. One of my first mutations. With that comes responsibility. I gave you power when you had none. I made you immortal. I gave you these red eyes. Don’t ever forget that.”
I can’t.
“I trusted you. And you betrayed me in the worst way imaginable. You sacrificed my trust to join our sworn enemies. You understand that such behavior cannot go unpunished.”
I understand.
Though his words caused my mind to erupt in panic, I couldn’t help but wonder how in hell they’d managed to penetrate Aviary so quickly.
“Oh, Kiev,” his voice replied in my head, having read my mind. “You should know better than to underestimate the cunning of the Elders after so many years under my wing. We have our ways… but I have more important matters to set your mind on now.”
My body moved toward the bars and my head turned from side to side, surveying the prison. The witch recoiled, her eyes wide with shock.
“You want to escape this place, don’t you? Well, I’ve come to rescue you, my son. Fear not. We’ll find a way out of here…”
My father moved my body to the darkest corner of the cell. I sat rigidly upright for what felt like hours. From the translucent appearance of their eyes, the other vampires had also been inhabited by the evil spirits that called themselves Elders. The original vampires. Except for the female vampire opposite me. Like the witch, she cowered in a corner of her cell.