Free Freed (Vampire King Book 3) by Kenya Wright Page A

see.”
    “I
don’t quite trust you, either.”
    “That
doesn’t matter.”
    “You
have a spy that you send messages to.”
    I
quirked my eyebrows. “And who is this spy?”
    “I
don’t know, but I heard you talking to him or her in your wagon an hour ago.”
She placed her hands on her hips.
    “I
was talking to no spy.” I laughed. “I was simply talking to the dead woman I
have lying next to me in the bed.”
    “You
think you’re so funny, don’t you?”
    “I’d
planned on being a royal court comedian, but…things changed.”
    Phinova
changed it all. Being that Nai was older than me by a minute, the crown went to
him. As the second son, I could do anything I desired and possessed a good
amount of wealth to ensure I could take care of myself while I pursued my
dreams. I figured comedy was the place for me, either as a royal performer or the
writer of comic plays. I would have been happy to do anything.
    But Phinova came along with that
taunting scent that snared me like rope around my neck and dragged me along
wherever she strolled by.
    And now I’m here with you again. Phinova’s
voice filled my head.
    “Shut
up.” I frowned.
    “I
won’t.” Leeta glared.
    “I’m
not talking to you. I’m talking to the dead woman.”
    Leeta
shook her head. “Samuel and Brie are having sex every minute and you’re taking
none of this seriously. Perhaps I should join
the Quiet King’s side. At least he is serious and has all of his wits.”
    “His
wits?” I chuckled.
    Nai has been listening to our Phinova
for all these years. No wonder he’s covered the land in blood, slavery, and
poverty. He was no longer my brother, just a shell of him that moved around
like a puppet at the command of a corpse. And I feared I’d
be listening to her for even more years if I didn’t figure out a solution soon.
    I’m not dead, Phinova
shrilled into my head. I just need more
mage blood. Once I’m fed, we can make love.
    “Quiet,
Phinova.” I pulled out my metal binoculars and directed my attention at the
border. A large part of mage-vampire wars occurred here and destroyed the land.
Although my brother exhausted years in trying to cross over, he never succeeded
in and had lost hundreds of men each year.
    The
line between vampire ground and mage territory was clear. On our side, the
rough, deserted land served as the ground due to their being more ash and
decayed vampire soldiers’ dust than dirt. It sunk in some places and hardened
in others. No animals existed in this area, not birds, wild tigers, coyotes, or
even vos snakes that slithered in the grimiest places like the sewer. No
sensible beasts ventured this way but us.
    Clearly, Samuel, Brie, and I lost
our sensibilities a long time ago.  
    On
the mage’s side, lush grass grew high and leaned in the direction of the wind.
Tulips as red as cherries scattered along the field. On our side, various
scents lingered in the cool night air—the bitter odor of blue kotaki vines as
they hung from battered trees and the sweaty stench horses earned from riding
for a long time. In contrast, the aroma of magic and enchantments drifted from
their land whenever a breeze blew my way. It charged my nostrils and sparked
against my skin.
    Since
dusk arrived, I’d been monitoring the mage territory, waiting patiently for
Samuel and Brie to finish. Tribe Flame had been prepared for our arrival.
Hundreds of brown-skinned men and women wearing loincloths made of wolf hair stood
a mile ahead of us.
    Tribe
Flame commanded fire. Balls of raging fire hovered over their heads. They were
the worst tribe for vampires to approach in any manner, whether for diplomatic
reasons or battle. Vampires couldn’t heal burns and Tribe Flame guaranteed that
a blaze would result if they believed they were being disrespected. We could
have approached Tribe Stream in the west of this region or even Tribe Wind farther
north. But Tribe Flame ruled them all. They established mage law and supervised
the chiefs in