Hello wonderful people! here is a snippet of the book I’m working on I hope you like it and enjoy reading!!!
The perpetual grey winter did not merely bite the air of the Sunless Slums– no. It ground its ash and ice into the very marrow of anyone foolish enough to survive the blood-filled streets. Every ragged breath in the cold air burned Zoriah’s lungs, but she kept moving through the slush, clutching a loaf of rye bread to her chest, her mind completely focused on the shivering eight year old sister in their crumbling hovel. She pulled at the hood of the threadbare cloak trying to shield herself from the ash and snow. Her tangled jet black hair falling in waves down her shoulders falling right below her waist. Above her, the dark obsidian towers of Castle Dracul-Vane pierced the ash grey clouds in the dark sky constantly reminding her and the people living in the Sunless slums of the price the Midnight Architect demanded from the “cattle” the derogatory term the vampires gave the living years ago to remind them of their place.
From the pitch-black alleys, the clicking boots of the Dhampir outcasts echoed through the fog, their hollow, rhythmic footsteps a constant reminder of the half-blooded monsters that lurked in the shadows away from the flickering gas lamps. Zoriah kept her head down keeping her gaze averted from the shadows so as to not draw attention to herself. Their low whistling to signal each other echoing throughout the streets, eerie and unwelcoming. With every few steps, the metallic like sound of their hidden claws scraping against the stone followed her. A threat to the cattle that they were always willing to rip anyone who stood in their path to shreds.
She finally reaches their crumbling hovel. Shoving the rotten wooden door open, she slips inside slamming the door behind her and aggressively clicking the iron lock closed. The sounds of the Dhampirs muffled instantly from the thick wood. Turning around, Zoriah hurriedly moved toward her little sister; Lina’s frail frame huddled in a corner shivering under a pile of rags by the empty and unlit stove. She sits beside her on the dirty ash and dirt ridden floor, the loaf of rye bread in hand, a small, weak smile crossing her pale face. “Here, you need to eat” she whispers, handing Lina a generous torn off part of the rye loaf. “Eat slowly though, we don’t want you getting sick, Firecracker”
Lina takes the piece, immediately biting into the crust, chewing slowly like Zoriah told her to. Lina’s hazel eyes, identical to her sisters, lighting up with a sudden bright warmth as she chews. The much needed food drives the cold away from their minds for a brief moment.
As Zoriah ate her piece of the bread from the rye loaf her mind drifted to what she had done, she had forced herself to square earlier to the booth stationed in the middle that was surrounded by Fledgelings, newly turned vampires. Soldiers meant for the Midnight Architects use. Pawns on a massive, blood-stained chess board. The booth existed for one singular purpose; for cattle who wanted to enter the Tithe, The rules were simple, twisted, and utterly devastating. Anyone living in the slums could enter; trade their freedom in exchange for food, clothing and all things essential to go to the members of their household.
It was often used by the bigger families living in the slums. Parents would force their oldest to enter so that the rest of the family had food while the person who entered was destined to either a life of servitude or as a meal for the Fledgelings. Looking at the dark crumbing ceiling of the hovel she wondered how she would end up. She did not know, yet, perhaps becoming food for a hungry Fledgling was the better option rather than to be forced to act like a living tool for the empire.
Zoriah pulled her sister close to her side in hopes that her own body heat would help Lina stop shivering. She ran her cold fingers through Lina’s jet black hair untangling some of the knots. “Zoriah?” Lina asked quietly, her hazel eyes looking up at her. “Are the big carriages coming back tomorrow?”
Zoriah paused for a moment her chest tightening, but she forced herself to keep her small smile steady. “Yes Firecracker, they are.”
“Will they bring more bread? And black rocks for the stove? Maybe I won’t have to be cold anymore.”
“They will bring everything you will need, Firecracker. The stove will be hot and your belly will be full” Zoriah whispered, grabbing an old worn blanket draping it over Lina’s small frame “You won’t have to shiver anymore, I promise.”
also thank you :)