Crimson Queen

Slave

A/N: I know it has been a while. Here is a small reminder.  ... Lucinda and Michael discover the missing townsfolk and bring them back to Kana. Lucinda turns into a vampire and she escapes. A group of Holy Knights appear.

Lucinda's POV

I was drowning. The darkness suffocated me.  It swarmed around me, clouding my thoughts – my being.

The only thing I was aware of was pain. It felt filtered through a screen but I knew it was there. I felt . . . different. My body felt wrong. I didn’t fit in it properly. My body was the wrong size for me.

Flashes of images bombarded my mind from all sides; of a man in armor, the despaired faces of people locked away; the face of a deadly and beautiful woman. I knew all of them but I couldn’t remember from where or how.  I tried to concentrate on the images but a dark mist prevented me from thinking about them.

I felt so cold. Drowsiness settled on my mind. I wanted to sleep and yet, I couldn’t. There was something that I needed to do. Something . . . what could it be?

‘Come to me, my daughter.’

The voice grew louder and louder. I could recognize that voice anywhere.

She was my torturer; the vampire who made me . . . into a monster.

Monster; is that what I was?

I was going to kill innocent people.

Red filled my vision. Disgust flooded my body. Something within me woke. My consciousness felt sharper. The darkness lifted and I could see again.

I forced myself to stop. Looking around, I noticed the thick forest with incredible detail. Sounds bombarded my ears and my nose – scents from everywhere - filled my head with images. Despite all of that, I could sense the sun rising. Urgency gripped me, propelling me forward.

I ran, faster, panicking. A strange memory swirled into existence. I was told once about newly turned vampires; a man had told me but I couldn’t remember his face or how I knew him. All I did remember was that I cherished him. This man had told me that sunlight would kill any newly turned vampire. One touch would burn this new body of mine.

Somehow, I knew that he would want me to wait until sunrise. My father would want me to destroy myself but there was a task that I couldn’t remember, and it struggled to get my attention. There was something I had to do. It was something that must be done before I could surrender to the light. Even though my soul was lost, maybe in this act I could repent.

So, I ran. I ran toward the darkness and that voice. My body led me deeper and deeper into the forest, further than I had ever traveled before. Dark twisted scents caught my attention but I had no time to investigate. Just as I thought that I would run forever, a small cave came into view.

Darkness flooded from the cave. I could feel it on my skin and in my mind. It called me. I stepped inside. The twisted scents became vampires; they hovered around the entrance, their fangs flashing at me and their eyes glowing red. I followed the path down, slowly. I was beyond going back now. Though I wanted to, I couldn’t disobey the voice in my head.

Her voice grew louder; I could feel her power in my body, pulsing with compliance and submission. They pushed me further inside, dragging me. Further and further I walked. Figures melted out of the darkness, greeting me with snarls and growls.

My vision blurred and the darkness was illuminated. There were hundreds of them. Some from Kanya, other faces were unfamiliar.

“Come closer.” The words vibrated through my skull.

I wanted to stop. I wanted to turn back . . .  to go . . . somewhere; anywhere but here. But I knew would never be able to leave. I was a slave.

Then, I saw her.

She stood at the center of her people; glowing, if that was possible. Her pale skin illuminated the space around her. My gaze shifted to the unconscious boy at her feet. My creator smiled at me, displaying perfect white and deadly teeth. She motioned me to approach with pale finger.

Without a choice of my own, I complied. Though my heart no longer moved, I could feel it now, pounding and thundering with life. My eyes ached but the tears never dropped. I was incapable of ever feeling human. I would no longer see the sun as it rose and slept. I would never feel its warmth against my skin.

I belonged to the night.

“I have a gift for you, my daughter,” my creator said. “Drink and join your brothers and sisters in eternity.”

I dug my heels into the ground but my body kept moving. Panic took root in my chest. I willed myself to stop; to disobey but before I knew it, I stood before the boy.

“Don’t be afraid,” she said. “You are one of us now.”

Dropping to my knees, I heard the boy’s heart beating against my ears. He looked so young. How old was he? Where were his parents? Had they perished?

“Drink,” my creator commanded.

In horror, I watched myself lift the boy up in my arms. I felt the roof of my mouth itch and my fangs slid out. A groan escaped my lips. My throat burned and my body ached for a drop of blood. It would only be a drop and nothing more. I wouldn’t kill the boy but he had to share his blood.

“Drink!”

With a gentle touch, I exposed the boy’s neck. A thick vein pulsed underneath his skin. My lips inched closer and closer. I took a deep breath of his scent. Hunger gripped me. I could feel my body shaking with anticipation. I needed his blood. I wanted it.

Laughter echoed all around me. My gaze never moved from the vein. My lips brushed against his skin. He was so warm. I opened my mouth and leaned in.