Princess Before Dawn

  “Do you think she’s hiding?” asked Liam.

  “Wouldn’t you be if you had made vampires angry?” Annie asked him.

  “Zoë’s never been here before. She wouldn’t know that the garden was behind that wall,” said Liam.

  “Of course she’d know!” Annie said, her voice loud inside the helmet. “You can smell the flowers as soon as you walk out the door. And lots of walled gardens have hidden niches and tall shrubs that are perfect for hiding. If you don’t want to look there, I can go by myself. That garden is where I’d hide if I were Zoë.”

  “I’m coming,” said Liam. “I can’t have you wandering around in the dark by yourself.”

  “Good!” Annie declared. “I’d much rather wander around with you. Have you seen Squidge? The wind carried him outside, too.”

  “I saw him grab hold of a vampire. Squidge wanted to go.”

  “Did someone say my name?” Squidge asked from out of the dark.

  Annie had to stop and lean over, turning her head inside her helmet until she could see him. “You shouldn’t pop up like that,” she told him. “I can barely see what’s in front of me and I could have stepped on you.”

  “I saw you walking around all stiff like a toy made out of sticks,” Squidge told her. “I haven’t laughed that hard in hours. Why are you wearing a metal skin?”

  “It’s a suit of armor,” said Annie. “We’re wearing them so the vampires can’t bite us.”

  “Oh, right! That’s what I wanted to tell you. I followed the vampires to see what they’d do. A lot of them turned into bats and flew off when they got out here, but some of them are lurking in the shadows. I’ll go look for some so you can poke them with your swords. Ready or not, vampires, here I come!” the little sprite shouted.

  “Now that was definitely not quiet,” Liam muttered as the sprite ran off into the dark.

  Squidge had scarcely disappeared when a sound like rushing water came from the gatehouse and bats poured into the courtyard. Annie and Liam moved closer to each other and stood back-to-back with their swords raised. The bats swooped down on the search party, attempting to reach them while avoiding the slashing swords. Annie and Liam shuffled closer to the garden even as they tried to fend off the bats. After a half dozen bats had fallen to the ground, motionless, the others retreated.

  While the knights readied themselves for the next onslaught, Annie and Liam took advantage of the lull to run across the courtyard. They had just opened the gate when the bats fell on the searchers again. Curiously, none of the bats followed Annie and Liam into the garden.

  “Now what?” Liam asked Annie.

  “Now we look for a place where she might hide,” Annie told him. “Wait, is that Francis?”

  The young knight was standing on the garden path, holding something in his hand. When Annie drew close enough to see, she realized that it was a black dragon’s scale that flashed blue if he turned it one way and red if he turned it another. “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Looking for Zoë,” said Francis. “I remembered that I had this in my storage acorn. My mother gave it to me. It goes red if I’m heading in the right direction and blue if I’m not. There, it’s red again. She’s over this way.”

  “In the rosebushes?” Annie asked, surprised as they headed that way.

  “That’s what it says,” Francis declared as he hurried down the path. “Zoë, are you there? It’s me, Francis.”

  “You came for me!” a little bat cried, creeping out of the shrub. With a flutter of wings, the bat landed in front of Francis. A moment later, Zoë the girl was there, throwing her arms around her husband despite his suit of armor.

  “Did you really doubt that I would look for you?” he murmured into her hair.

  “Uh, guys, we have company,” Liam said as bats surrounded them, only to resume their human forms.

  Annie’s helmet kept her from seeing anything that wasn’t directly in front of her, but she heard a vampire say, “We were waiting for you to find her for us. You’re not leaving here with that half-breed princess.”

  “And you’re not getting anywhere near her,” Francis announced. “Zoë, stay behind me. Annie, don’t get too close. I need my magic to work.”

  Liam put his arm around Annie and they both stepped away, turning to face the approaching vampires.

  “Lumen!” Francis shouted, and a bright pulse of light shot from his suit of armor. The vampires cried out, covering their eyes with their arms and capes and falling back a few paces. A moment later, the pounding of feet and rattling of armor announced the arrival of Captain Sterling and his knights.

  Even as the vampires rushed at him with swords drawn, Francis cried, “Awake, Torrin!” and drew his own sword from its scabbard. With a mighty stroke, he hacked at the advancing vampires, driving them back as his sword began to sing:

  Away from us, you nasty foe

  Dare not to draw so near

  I’d gladly slice your nose right off,

  Leave you with half an ear.

  And if you come at us again,

  Just know I’ll do my part

  I’ll turn a little lower then,

  And aim straight for your heart.

  While Francis and Torrin were able to force the vampires to retreat, Liam was just as valiant. Annie used her sword to protect his back as he followed Francis and Zoë across the garden, slashing and hacking at their assailants. Captain Sterling and his knights spread out around the garden, taking on the vampires lurking behind their friends. The fighting was fierce until one by one, the vampires turned into bats and flew off. Finally, only Zoë and the humans were left behind.

  “Wow!” Squidge said, peeking into the garden. “That was really something! I didn’t know that you guys could fight like that.”

  “What is that creature?” Francis asked. “I’ve never seen his kind before.”

  “He’s a sprite,” said Liam. “He may look innocent enough, but he can make more trouble than a room full of vampires.”

  “I like that!” said Squidge. “Do you mind if I quote you?”

  “Do whatever you want,” Liam replied. “You always do.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Before the vampires regrouped, Francis and Zoë ran to the castle door hand in hand, with Annie and Liam only a few paces behind them.

  “Quick!” Francis shouted at Annie. “Invite Zoë in.”

  “Zoë, please come in!” Annie hurried to say, then they all ran in at once while Captain Sterling and his knights brought up the rear. As soon as the door was shut and bolted, Annie took off her helmet and sighed with relief.

  “No one should go outside for the rest of the night unless they’re wearing a suit of armor,” Liam announced.

  Annie nodded in agreement. “If we’re lucky, the vampires will go home tonight and we’ll never see them again. I hope this is the last group of uninvited guests. I don’t know if my mother’s nerves could take any more.”

  Zoë gave Francis an odd look, but neither one said anything.

  Conway, the castle steward, hurried up with a group of worried servants behind him. “Everyone is wondering if we’ll be safe now,” the steward said, glancing from Annie to Liam.

  “You should be, provided you stay inside until dawn,” said Liam.

  “Do you have a room we could use tonight?” Francis asked. “Zoë is exhausted.” His wife was leaning against him, yawning so broadly that Annie could see her pointed vampire teeth.

  “Of course!” Annie exclaimed. “I should have offered sooner. I’m sure Conway can find you one. Thank you so much for helping us. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

  “We’re glad we could help,” Francis replied.

  As the steward escorted Zoë and Francis down the corridor, Annie turned to Liam. “I’m going upstairs to get out of this suit of armor.”

  “I’ll be along as soon as I’ve talked to Captain Sterling,” Liam told her. “I think we should stand guard inside the castle j
ust in case.”

  “Good night, everyone,” Annie said, and started for her room.

  Tired from wearing the armor and with its weight still slowing her down, she took longer than usual to climb the stairs. She was trudging down the corridor when she saw a maid and asked her to come along to help her unfasten the armored pieces. Hot and sweaty from wearing the armor, Annie sent a footman for bath water.

  The water was a little hot at first, but as Annie got used to it, she sank down and relaxed. Her eyes were half closed and she was nearly asleep when she heard something scraping on the window. Thinking it was an owl or a confused bird, she turned her head and opened her eyes. A shape moved on the other side of the glass. Annie gasped when she realized that it was a face. One of the vampires was right outside her window

  “Let me in!” cried the vampire, moving closer until he was almost touching the glass. “We need to talk.”

  “Are you flying?” Annie asked. “This is the third floor. How can you be up here?” She started to get out for a better look, but hurriedly sat down again when the cool air touched her wet skin and she remembered where she was.

  “Just let me in and I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” the vampire said in a cajoling voice.

  Annie frowned. “How long have you been out there?” she asked.

  “Long enough,” he said, leering.

  Annie’s face turned red and she sank deeper into the water. “Go away!” she shouted.

  “But I have so much to tell you,” replied the vampire.

  The door opened and Liam stepped in. “Sorry it took me so long,” he said, then noticed where Annie was looking. “There’s a vampire here, too? Your parents had the same problem. The vampires wouldn’t leave until we covered the windows with tapestries.” He looked around the room and shook his head. “There aren’t enough tapestries in here to cover all the windows, so I’ll have to send for more and get some footmen to help me put them up.”

  “Can you use something else for now so I can get out of the tub?” Annie cried. “This is so embarrassing.”

  “I suppose I can use a blanket,” Liam said, looking around. “But the tapestries—”

  There was a knock on the door and it burst open, admitting Squidge, who was once again riding on Dash’s back.

  “Did someone call my name?” the sprite asked as he rode into the room, waving a long knife in the air.

  “No!” Annie and Liam both said.

  “Well, you should have,” said Squidge. “I can take care of this for you.”

  “What is that?” asked the vampire.

  “It looks like a kitchen knife to me,” said Liam.

  The vampire shook his head. “I meant the little delicious-looking creature.”

  “I’m your worst nightmare,” Squidge told him.

  “Squidge, you need to leave!” said Annie. “And Liam, would you please put that blanket over the window? I really don’t like company when I’m in the bathtub.”

  The sprite kicked Dash, making the hound leap forward. When Squidge was close enough, he climbed onto the windowsill. “I’m here so you can bite me!” Squidge shouted at the vampire as he pulled down his collar. “See my neck! Don’t you wanna bite it? But you can’t get it because you’re out there and I’m in here.”

  “You’re not helping, Squidge,” said Annie.

  Squidge held his collar down and wiggled his body, chanting, “Nanny nanny, boo boo. You can’t get me!”

  “I don’t have to listen to this!” the vampire cried. There was a flurry of movement outside the window and he was gone.

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thanks for coming in, Squidge,” Annie said. “Now, would you mind leaving the room so I can finish my bath? This water is getting cold.”

  Squidge hopped onto Dash’s back and turned the hound toward the door. “That’s something I don’t understand about humans. Why take a bath when you smell nice and ripe without one? My mother always told me that baths remove your natural body oils and are bad for you. I remember when—”

  “Good-bye, Squidge,” Liam said, shooing Dash out the door and shutting it behind him.

  “Would you please put the tapestries over the windows?” Annie asked her husband. “I won’t get any sleep if I think that vampire might come back. But let me get in my nightgown first. I’d prefer to have clothes on before anyone else comes in the room.”

  Even with tapestries over all the windows, Annie didn’t sleep very well that night. The vampires were still outside the castle, calling to the people inside. Sticking her fingers in her ears and placing a pillow over her head didn’t fully block out the sound of their voices and they haunted her dreams the few times she did manage to fall asleep. The vampires didn’t stop calling until the first rays of the sun touched the tallest of the castle turrets and the roosters began to crow. Annie fell into a deeper sleep then, determined that she’d do something about the vampires that very day.

  Annie and Liam slept late that morning, but they weren’t the only ones. When they went downstairs to the great hall, they found Zoë, Francis, and Annie’s parents seated on the dais, eating their breakfast, while Captain Sterling and a group of tired-looking knights sat a few tables away. Annie had scarcely taken her seat on the dais before she turned to Zoë and Francis. “Did you have any idea that the vampires might stay around?”

  Zoë shrugged. “I was afraid they would, but I really hoped they’d go. I didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily.”

  “Next time you’re not sure if you should tell me something, please don’t hesitate. I’d rather worry and be prepared than be completely taken by surprise,” Annie said, stifling a yawn.

  There was a flurry of activity by the door to the hall and two guards hurried in. They spoke to Captain Sterling, who stood and approached the king’s table. “Three people in the village were bitten last night,” he told King Halbert. “Two men and a woman are lying unconscious in their beds.”

  “Send men to the village to warn everyone that they must stay inside after dark and not open their doors for anyone, no matter who they say they are or what they want,” the king told the captain.

  “What about the people who were already bitten?” asked Liam. “They can’t stay with their families if they’re going to turn into vampires.”

  “Will they definitely turn?” Annie asked Zoë.

  “Probably,” Zoë told her. “Although nothing is ever certain.”

  “Then they should be isolated,” said Liam. “At least until we know one way or another.”

  “Liam, I don’t know what we would have done if you and Annie hadn’t come to help,” Queen Karolina told him. “This whole thing terrifies me. Halbert and I have never had to deal with anything like this before.”

  “Is there anything we can do to make the vampires leave the kingdom?” Annie asked Zoë and Francis.

  “I don’t know of anything,” said Francis.

  “Neither do I,” Zoë told her. “Most of them were very respectful, but they stopped listening when I told them they had to leave. They were having too much fun, and that’s one thing vampires hate to give up. The only one they might listen to is my father. He has authority over all the vampires. Although he’s usually very sweet, he’s the most powerful vampire in our part of the world and knows how to make them obey him. I’ve asked him to teach me how he does it, but we haven’t gotten to it yet.”

  “Could we ask him to help us?” the king asked Zoë.

  “We could,” Zoë replied. “Except there’s one problem. My parents are on their annual tour of the vampire lands. I don’t know where they’d be right now or how to get hold of them.”

  “Then I guess we need to go find them,” said Annie. “I don’t think we have any time to waste.”

  “It may take me a while,” Zoë told her. “Especially if my father is busy with negotiations. The vampires he’s visiting can be difficult to deal with.”

  “I’ll go with you so I can convince him
to come straight here. I can be very convincing when I try,” Annie said.

  Liam laughed. “You aren’t kidding,” he said.

  CHAPTER 9

  “What do you mean you want me to stay here?” Liam asked after Annie told him her plans a few hours later. “You know that I don’t want you traveling by postcard alone.”

  “I won’t be alone,” said Annie. “I’m going with Zoë and Francis. I know you want to go, and I would be much happier if you did, but my mother asked if you could stay here. She’s terrified of the vampires and says that she feels much safer with you protecting the castle. Captain Sterling said that it was your idea to put the tapestries over the windows, which helped a lot. Plus, you’re the best non-magical swordsman he’s ever seen. Please stay in Treecrest, Liam. I won’t worry about my parents so much if you’re looking out for them.”

  “I’ll watch out for Annie,” said Francis. “Zoë and I both will.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Annie assured her husband.

  “So will Liam,” Squidge told her. “Dash, Scarface, and Bumpo will help me take care of him.”

  “Who are Scarface and Bumpo?” Annie asked.

  “You know—the cat and the hedgehog,” said Squidge.

  “Good luck with that,” Annie murmured to her husband. When he looked as if he was going to object again, she kissed him until he forgot what he was going to say.

  Zoë and Francis were standing on either side of Annie with their hands on her shoulders when she added, “Just be sure that everyone stays inside after dark.” Liam opened his mouth, but Annie touched the center of the postcard she was holding before he could speak … and they were gone.

  The sun was setting when they arrived in front of the castle in Greater Greensward. The guards stationed on either side of the drawbridge nodded when they saw the new arrivals, but neither of them seemed surprised.

  “Where should we go first?” Annie said, turning to Francis and Zoë.

  “Probably inside the castle,” Zoë said. “We can ask if anyone has seen either of my parents lately. Emma and my mother are best friends, so my mother would have come straight here as soon as they got back.”