Chapter 12

The carriage was fitted with the finest wood from our forests and elegantly decorated with ember and emerald stones. It was a gift that I had given Leon after his Rites ceremony. A ceremony in which he was acknowledged as the next leader of the vampire creatures. It was kind of strange that we were using this particular carriage to take us to A’el’s ceremony. In whatever case, the beauty of the carriage and the nuance of the moment did very little to distract me from the light jostling that occurred as we rode through the dense forests. My unease must have been written on my face because Monica kept looking at me and asking if I was alright. After asking me the same question and receiving the same answer for the hundredth time, she kept her question to herself but wore her worry like a brilliant colored mask for all of Kelor to see.

“I’m fine, Monica. Stop worrying about me.”

“But you don’t look fine, Prince Deven. Is t