Jeremias’ expression turns to pity as he glances at me. “You’re not very well-liked, Mr. Stavig. I can see why you prefer to stay in America. In fact, for your sake, that’s where you should have stayed.”
“Yes. And with Lenore.”
He shakes his head. “No. Because she is still part of the plan. Did you know that I put the idea in her head to come here? I told her I foresaw the future, that a man would come for her, needing her help, that she would be instrumental in destroying Skarde. That was a lie, of course. I don’t see the future. But I did want her to trust her father enough to take the chance.”
There is rage building deep within me, the kind of rage that is hard to come back from. I do all that I can to keep it under control because I can’t help Lenore if I don’t.
“You don’t deserve the privilege of calling her your daughter,” I seethe.
He shrugs. “That might be so. It might be that she isn’t worthy of calling me her father. She’s done nothing worthwhile so far, aside from killing the Dark Order. Somehow, I doubt she’ll have the power to destroy them now that they’re deep in Skarde’s world, close to him, the source of their energy. And she certainly won’t be able to do anything if Skarde turns her dark, breeds his army through her.” He steps away, the witch’s blade going from one hand to the next. “Of course, we won’t let that happen.”
“We?” I repeat, my eyes glued to the blade, afraid to take my eyes off it in case he’s about to plunge it into my heart, which I’m sure he’s about to do.
“Me. And Kaleid. He’s going to use Lenore to get to Skarde. Then, together, we’ll kill him. Kaleid thinks he can just overtake the throne and become the new king. He hasn’t said as much to me, but I’m not a fool. I know. I think you both know it too. Of course, I won’t let that happen either. I’ll kill your brother.”
“What about Natalia?” Valtu asks, voice hard.
Jeremias shrugs with one shoulder. “Depends on how Skarde feels about her. But when I get there, if she’s not dead yet, I’ll kill her myself. And then I’ll bring her body to you. Or maybe just her head.” He gives him a quick smile.
I swallow thickly. “And Lenore?” I whisper roughly.
“Ah, Lenore,” Jeremias says. He takes the blade and leans in, pressing it delicately above my heart. I can feel the blade’s energy pulse deep inside me, my skin feeling like it’s shrinking, the blood leaving my body. “It always comes back to Lenore, doesn’t it? You must actually love her somehow in that black heart of yours.”
“You know I do,” I manage to say, feeling weaker by the second.
He stares at the blade, twisting it around slowly. Any more pressure and it would pierce my skin. “I don’t wish my daughter any harm. But she is still a vampire. And my whole purpose in life is to keep you all in line. Well, I’m tired of doing that, and as you can see from your father, you’re getting out of control. An army to take over the world? Ridiculous. No, I won’t harm Lenore. She’ll be the only vampire on this earth that I’ll let survive.” He pauses, taking the blade away. “As long as she joins me.”
I shake my head, strength returning again in the form of rage. “You know she won’t join you.”
“Then I’m going to have to kill her, Absolon,” he says. “Just as I’m going to kill the two of you. Eventually, anyway.”
He puts the blade back in his pocket and starts walking off through the forest. The Lapp Witches lead Valtu and I, never letting go, and I know even if I tried to stop, they’d make my legs move with mind control. I have magic but it’s not enough to fight back against them.
“Being led into the woods to die,” Valtu mutters. “Nice fucking in-law you have there, Solon.”
“Her actual parents are pretty nice,” I say absently. My god, I don’t know how they’re going to take this if something happens to Lenore. She never even told them why she was going to Finland, just that she wanted to go on vacation with me. Obviously, she didn’t want them to worry, because they’d try to stop her, just like I should have tried to stop her. I should have tried harder.
If she dies, her death is on my hands.
It’s just that I’ll probably be already dead by then.
We walk through the woods for what seems like hours, but could be days, could be minutes. All I can think about is how I have spent so long on this earth, dodging death and loss as much as I could, thinking that in time I would be hardened to everything that could try and make me soft.