Ready to give up didn’t even begin to describe Asteria’s feelings as she continued to trek through the woods, and yet her feet kept moving. She had no idea why. She should’ve gone back to the solace of the castle hours ago, should be contently sucking on one of the reserva de sange. Instead, she was nearly at the top of a mountain now, and in the back of her mind, she wondered what it might be like to float right down off of the top into the valley below. Would it hurt or would she bounce right off of the rocky bottom back up into the clouds?
They had already been to the place where Giovani had apparently fallen into a cave of some sort and disappeared for four hours. They’d had no luck anywhere near that particular spot, so Nelo had pressed on, but Asteria was beyond hopeless at this point and certain that she was wasting a lot of time. Meanwhile, she was also certain all of her efforts around the globe were about to be completely ruined as LIGHTS had to be planning something. Aaron had forced her out nearly two days ago. He wasn’t just sitting back twiddling his thumbs, she was certain.
“All right—that’s it!” she exclaimed near the summit, causing the three figures in front to turn and look at her. “I’m finished! This is beyond absurd. I am going back to the castle, and once I’ve had my fill of that tasty morsel you’ve got chained in the dungeon, I’ll be headed back to Melbourne. Hines, you can continue to wander around out here like an imbecile if you’d like, but clearly Daunator knows he has nothing to offer me, or else he’d show himself.”
“My Queen, please. We shall surely find him soon,” Venette argued, her head tipped to the side. Even in the dim light of dusk it was clear she was frightened, and Asteria imagined it was because she’d dare taunt the beast again.
“I have heard the same thing for days,” Asteria reminded her. “I don’t even think he exists.” She turned and took one step back the way she came, and suddenly, the ground beneath her foot gave way. She tried to steady herself, but there was nothing to grab, and she found herself falling into what appeared to be a deep black hole. Her arms went out, trying to slow her progress, but there weren’t even any sides to the tunnel. She could see nothing, hear only the whoosh of air around her, and try as she might to find the strength to levitate, it appeared as if her powers were not working.
After several minutes, the ground came up to meet her, and she hit hard against a rocky floor which she took to be the inside of a cave. She groaned and reached for her ankle, which hurt despite her undead state. Looking up, she saw nothing but inky blackness. It was if whatever had swallowed her up subsequently closed its mouth tightly.
Asteria came to her feet, feeling her baby to make sure he was uninjured. It was impossible to tell for certain, but the thudding of little heels against her hand was reassuring. Even with her incredible eyesight, she could see nothing. Feeling around, her palms met with nothing, and she was afraid to take too many steps for fear she’d stumble over a ledge. Even using her telepathy to try to contact Hines was futile.
“Hello?” Asteria finally whispered, giving up on any other possibility of making contact with anyone or anything down here. “Is… anyone there?”
Her cry was met with silence. Once again, Asteria attempted to levitate, thinking it might be the only way for her to get out of the hole. She wasn’t frightened yet—not that she would even admit to herself if she was—but she had spent some time in a similar place, though this one was not nearly as hot or steamy, and she didn’t like it.
She slid her foot forward on the rocky terrain, feeling for a ledge before taking each step. Whether or not it was a good idea to leave the spot beneath where she had fallen, she couldn’t say since she likely wouldn’t be able to find it again, but how she could climb up when there were no walls and she could not levitate was beyond her, so feeling around for another exit seemed like the only possibility.
“Hello?” This time her voice was louder. “Is anyone here? Daunator? Are you present?” Again, there was nothing except for the faint echo of her own voice. Irritated that she could find no barriers and see nothing at all, she raised her voice. “Hines! Can you hear me?” This time, her voice reverberated around the space, growing louder and louder with each pass until her ears were ringing.
Frustrated, Asteria shouted, “Daunator! Come out! Show yourself! Don’t you know who I am? It is I, Asteria, Vampire Queen! How dare you mock me!” Once again, the noise echoed around her, stinging her ears so that she raised her hands to cover them, and the baby kicked as if he were trying to escape her womb just to avoid the cacophony.
Then, once her own shouting finally dissipated, an answer greeted her. Slow, low laughter rose up from all around her, encircling her with its menacing mockery. Anger bubbled to her throat. Her fangs dropped, and her claws came out. Who was this being to think that he could laugh at her, imprison her, and deny her requests? Asteria was ready to fight. Daunator would regret her ever coming here.
“You cannot fight me.” The voice was right behind her, warming her neck with a vapid breath that held the stench of death. Asteria whirled around but saw no one. “Your power is nothing compared to my own.”
“Do not be so sure!” she challenged. “I have done what no one else has done. You haven’t the faintest notion of what I am capable of.”
