Throne of Vampires (Kingdom of Blood and Ash Book 3) by D.S. Murphy

Author:D.S. Murphy [Murphy, D.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Urban Epics
Published: 2022-02-18T16:00:00+00:00

12

I woke in the afternoon. The sky was pink and yellow, the light sharp. The smell of food brought me to a small outdoor oven where a woman was serving fish-head soup and a hard, compacted flatbread that was stiff and chewy, flavored with salt and rosemary. She offered me a bowl without comment. I didn’t know if it was a restaurant or just her private home, but I had the feeling she was used to serving strays, and she didn’t ask for coin.

Kids were playing a game that involved throwing sticks and jumping through a series of hoops. It was too complicated for me to follow but I enjoyed watching until I finished my food.

The settlement was bigger than the shire, a few hundred people at least, and not all of them soldiers. It took me a while to explore my way through the hidden tunnels, finding new pockets of activity. A larger center ring was bustling, and a dozen servers dished out hot chowder and spiced fishballs on wooden sticks.

I found Camina first, sitting with a group of women stitching nets. I couldn’t tell if she was teaching or learning, but they all seemed engaged in the task, while asking questions about what it was like to live in the compounds. Something about the scene was encouraging; the rebels viewed all chosen as little more than bloodwhores, but maybe it was just the militant branch of the havocs that were raised to be so openly opposed to the covenant. Out here, the dangers and comforts of the citadel seemed far away. Camina nodded at me as I joined, catching the last light of the afternoon and relishing in the warmth it spread across my face and arms.

I was anxious for the sun to go down, so I could let Damien out; but also a little sad to see it go. Everything was so much clearer and brighter in its presence, it almost seemed to melt away my fears and doubts.

I realized most of the women’s skin had a red hue, and a few of the men, especially the bald ones, were nearly beet-red.

“Nobody is used to it,” Camina said, catching my eye. “It’s not just the elite; it burns us too. Just more slowly.”

I found Luke and Trevor next, and we explored from one end of Harpoon to the other. Besides the piles of trash and debris, a few nearly intact boats made tall walls around the settlement, and the spaces had been filled with the tall metal shipping containers stacked like massive colored blocks.

It was a good spot to hole up, almost better than the compounds, and despite its junky appearance, it had a life that Havoc hadn’t. People were living outside, instead of buried in the underground ruins of their former cities.

Finally the sky turned dark, the moon and stars poking out from the clouds, and I turned back towards our compartments, fishing for the key Damien had given me last night.

When I opened the door

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