“You appear eager to speak,” Adrian said, directing his attention to the stranger, who took a moment to bow. As he straightened, his gaze darted to me, and it took everything in my power to remain still, not to shiver under his stare. There was something about how he looked at me, as if there were no depth to his eyes, that left me unsettled, and I found myself releasing my blade from its holder, seeking the comfort of its hilt in my hand.

“I believe I might be useful,” he answered. His voice was low and deep. If there had been any other noise within the room, I wouldn’t have been able to hear him.

“And you are?” Adrian asked.

“I am called Solaris,” he said.

“Have you no country?”

“I have no allegiance,” he said.

The villagers exchanged looks, seemingly just as confused as I was.

“Then why have you come to Revekka?” Adrian asked.

“To hunt a witch.”

Chaotic chatter broke out at his comment, and I rose to my feet, gritting my teeth as I spoke to Adrian.

“End this,” I said. “Now.”

He looked at me, his eyes passing over my face once before he turned back to the witch-hunter, but he hesitated as he started to speak, eyes narrowing. When I followed his gaze, I saw Noblesse Dracul pushing through the crowd. He was dirty and dressed in black; his clothes were weathered and worn. Something about the way he moved seemed wrong. He was staggering, almost as if he were drunk…but the longer I looked, the more I realized that he did not have dirt on his face.

It was blood.

Then a woman screamed, “His eyes! His eyes are bleeding!”

“It is witchcraft! We have been cursed!”

Panic ensued as those gathered rushed to put distance between themselves and Dracul while Adrian took a step forward, attempting to shield me as the vampire stopped before us.

“Dracul,” Adrian said, but whatever he had intended to say was useless, because the noblesse was already dead. He tipped forward and landed hard on the marble floor, a pool of blood blossoming around his head.

A second passed and then Adrian lifted his gaze to Solaris.

“You have my attention,” he said.

Ten

Isolde

I had gone horribly numb.

It took everything in my power to remain standing when all I wanted to do was collapse, my legs suddenly too weak to hold me up.

“Silence!” Adrian commanded.

“Allow me,” said Solaris. He pulled one glove off, revealing a mummified hand, and turned toward the crowd, palm out.

Everything went quiet and everyone was motionless.

He had frozen all the villagers in the room.

Razan snickered. “What was it you said, Queen Isolde? Only women can possess magic?”

I glared at the noblesse.

“It is not magic exactly,” said Solaris. “It is an ability granted to me by the goddess Dis.”

“What did you say?” Adrian asked.