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  None of the others spoke a word, choosing to remain in silent contemplation.

  “Do you know where she is, or at least have a clue to where we may find her?”

  “Yes, I believe we all know the answer to that…” Thedryk took a look around the table, taking in the slow and steady nodding of heads. “Home. As you once knew it.”

  “There? Eliza told me it was a wasteland, nothing living there.”

  “That is true, but it seems ideal, perfect. She would never be sought or bothered there; it’s where she should have died. We left and never returned, with exception of a few expeditions on rare occasion to see if there was any change to the land.”

  The thought of the traitors popped into my mind. “How could they not know who was sent?”

  Thedryk grimaced. “After the death sentence, it was Zachariah. He went alone.”

  “When was that?” A sense of unease settled into the pit of my stomach.

  “Fourteen years ago.”

  “And when was this woman put to death?”

  “Fifteen years.”

  I shut my eyes considering the implications.

  “We must return to Eliza; she must be informed as well as the others,” Thedryk stated.

  “No.” The room seemed to mute my voice, trapping it within its walls.

  “No?” Thedryk repeated.

  “No,” I reaffirmed. “We would lose too much time, and too much has already been wasted on this wild chase.”

  “Neva, Eliza and The Order must be informed. We should not be doing this in a vacuum.” Thedryk’s harried tone was unsettling, grating my nerves.

  “The castle grounds are only a night’s travel away, considering we take horses,” Helsing offered, no more smiles or quirky expressions, but a solemn mask covered his face.

  “Helsing!” Thedryk chided.

  “Whether or not you accompany me, Thedryk, I will be going at sunset with no delay,” I said.

  “That would be suicide, Neva, you know that! Your visions—”

  “Are apparently subject to change! She’s at the castle, those ravenous creatures were taunting us purposefully, and no one else from my vision should be present. Not Eliza, Amelia, or anyone else. Who is to say my visions are set in stone for the future? I plan to change them, thank you.” In my self-righteous state I stood from the table and moved to my bed, the pale light of the candles casting softened shadows upon each wall. For a moment I heard movement and watched the shadows shifting and reflecting Thedryk’s body in sync to the noises, but a hand, Helsing’s I gathered, held him in place. I lay, listening and watching until they all believed I had fallen asleep.

  “Helsing, I need one of your men, at the very least, to bring a message to Eliza,” Thedryk was whispering. “She must be informed of what has transpired here.”

  “Hadi travels the fastest, keenest sight and swiftest feet. Are you up for the challenge, Hadi?”

  “Do you really need to ask? Going alone, I can make the trip in the first day.”

  My breathing tensed at the news, and the men at the table seemed to notice, forcing me to relax and adjust my position ever so slightly. Thedryk stood, the chair sliding backwards. I could hear his movements, though he did not come to me. Instead, I heard his rummaging through his bag.

  “You are certain she is asleep?” Duval’s voice, I assumed.

  “We’ve waited at least an hour. She’s normally asleep within fifteen minutes of her head hitting the pillow,” Thedryk responded, sounding quite sure of himself.

  “It won’t take but tomorrow for her to reach that castle,” Helsing considered. “Eliza will not make it in time—” The sound of pen to paper had ensued.

  “I know.” Thedryk’s voice was strained. “Eliza will need to wake Xavier.”

  “Is that wise, considering his present condition?” I worried at the sound of genuine concern in Helsing’s voice. “I checked him before he went for his long rest; all the recent portals put quite the strain on his body and soul.”

  “Neva isn’t exactly leaving us many options, now is she?” Guilt panged my heart at Thedryk’s words, but not enough to alter my plans.

  “Yes, I suppose that’s true enough.”

  “Tomorrow, at sunset, you must leave the moment you are able, Hadi.” The whipping of the pen’s liquid tip to the matted paper surface intensified, a rough scraping coarse and abrasive. “The rest of us will accompany Neva. Understand where we are now; we are just to the northeast of the road leading into the Ruined Lands. Our route should still be easily recognized, considering all things.”

  “Perhaps we should consider subduing Neva,” a voice I didn’t recognize suggested. “Give Eliza and the others a chance to reach us. This seems awfully foolhardy, Thedryk.” The voice was oddly high; I knew it had to be one of the men, but I was not sure why any would try to mask their voice. Do they know I’m awake? I wondered nervously for a moment.

  “That would not be wise, Simon,” Helsing responded, to my great surprise. “She is clever and possibly more powerful than any of us have begun to imagine. It would not surprise me if she has been listening the entire time.” I could hear the pleasure in Helsing’s voice in calling me out, but I refused to give any indication it was true.

  “Seriously? No,” Merrick chimed. “After hearing Simon’s voice, most women can’t hide their surprise.” A collective chuckling took over the group, muffled as they contained their volume.

  “Such a comedian,” Simon responded dully, though a little high pitched. “I’m going to bed.” With that their little meeting concluded, and I heard each taking their turn within the backroom, each climbing into their beds silently.

  I waited another two hours before I felt assured they had all gone to sleep. Sneaking out of my bed, I went to Thedryk’s belongings, making not a whisper of a sound as I withdrew the wrinkled letter. A single large pillar candle had been left, lit, upon the table. Through the washroom’s cracked door another candle of equal size had been left burning, allowing me to sneak away.

  I found the washroom larger than I anticipated with a tub angled in the corner, two chairs lining the wall, a rug centered on the floor, and two stands with matching mirrors. The water pump was situated over the tub, and four buckets lined the wall. Taking a seat in the chair closest to me, I opened the letter and read it in private. It was not exactly ideal to learn the truth, but Thedryk had proven less than trustworthy already to divulge that on his own.

  Eliza,

  She’s alive. Felicity did not die as we had expected. Somehow, she survived. Awaken Xavier, meet us at the X castle. Neva still does not know the truth. It is not my place to say, though I fear she will discover soon enough. Do not delay.

  Thedryk

  My hands shook the letter slightly, involuntarily, as I read over the name—Felicity—several times. He knew who it was, where she was. Carefully I closed the letter, controlling my erratic breathing, when the sound of creaking came from just behind where I sat. I turned hastily in my nervous response to find Helsing, and not Thedryk, watching me in the careful way he sized up the wounded and dying.

  “He means well, you know. Always has.” He kept his voice low as he entered the washroom with me, closing the door behind him. “Never have I seen a man so wholly dedicated to a woman as Thedryk is to you.” His tone carried a weighted sentiment. “I have been in this world for nearly as long as your lore has been passed down. I’m only, oooh, about a hundred years younger than Thedryk, and even he waited before drinking your blood. That is how, and why, he looks older than he was when Kareese passed away.”

  “Are you going to tell him?” I gripped one hand on the seat, no doubt that Helsing would inform Thedryk of my trespass.

  “No.” Helsing smiled as he watched my expression unfold from grim certainty to confusion. “I have no inclination to tell him anything. He silenced me when I felt, and still feel, you had every right to know before. When he was writing that very letter.” His voice was barely above a whi
sper. “I knew you were awake, listening. I’m a doctor and scientist, before all other things. Sleep cycles and their signs is one of my many studies, and you had not fallen asleep. Honestly, Thedryk must have known. If not, he was a terrible study under my tutelage.” Helsing huffed a small laugh to himself. “Yet there is nothing that can be done about it now, is there? He had no right to keep me from telling you anything I desired, but I have known him so long I simply respected his wishes in that moment.”

  “Quite the friend, I gather…” I was lost for how to take his admissions, conflicted in whether to feel sympathy for Thedryk’s trust being broken or thankful someone had finally decided to be completely honest with me. As far as I could tell.

  “Now, my dear Lady Neva.” Helsing pouted, an odd response I thought. “Don’t judge me so. I am telling you this for a very few reasons. First, I hate keeping secrets. Particularly important ones that can sway a person’s choices that I believe they have every right to make, with all knowledge available. Second, I don’t believe Thedryk could tell you all of what he knew, even if he had wanted.”

  “I fail to see how that could be. He is capable and his own person, is he not?” I tucked the letter just within the belt line of my pants, angrily considering why he could not tell me the truth. Eliza? I wondered. Because Eliza told him not to tell? The thought aggravated my nerves; she hid too much from me still.

  “He may be his own person, but your comments from before tell me you know of the Blood Oath, the Laws of the Vampires. They are quite real and binding. Do you know what happens when someone breaks an oath of blood?”

  I shook my head. “Only that they pay with their lives, their blood.”

  “When a vampire swears an oath of blood, it means they would suffer, horribly, or surrender their life for breaking the oath. I have witnessed this twice, and both times the lives were taken. The death invoked is more painful than you could ever begin to imagine. Even I found myself shaken.” Helsing had disappeared to his thoughts, a distant look in his eyes that pulled together the lines in his face before jolting back. “I suspect Thedryk has been forced into one of these to keep certain details withheld, until permission is granted.”

  “Permission?” God, how that word riled my nerves. “Permission for me to know the truth about my life, to know facts that could save my niece’s life?” I stood, my voice raising without care. “Why is it everyone else is allowed to determine what I do and do not know? How I am allowed to navigate my life?” Turning to leave, using my vampire speed, I found myself instead caught in Helsing’s arms. Slipping his arm around my waist and taking up my left hand in his right, he swept me into a smooth dancing motion. Startled, I tried to pull away, but he refused to relent his hold, and his strength surprised me enough to try harder.

  He held fast and only chuckled lightly in my ear. “No need to fight against me, Lady Neva. This is only a temporary distraction.”

  I could hear him taking a deep breath, taking in the scent along the back of my neck and hairline before dropping me into a low dip. My head fell back, my eyes shot up, and Thedryk stood in the doorway, knob still in hand, and his face an expression I had never witnessed before. His face read of fire and lightning, impending doom as he flicked his eyes up to Helsing’s. I followed his gaze and found Helsing’s face barely inches from mine, that crooked grin stretching fully across his face. I was upright and slung free in an instant, landing in Thedryk’s arms. He, just as hastily, set me aside and strode forth to Helsing who merely held up one hand, stopping Thedryk’s advance.

  “Just what do you think you’re doing, Helsing?” Though his words were low, they were acid, a volatile substance that reeked of underlying implications.

  “Only what I had to,” Helsing teased, but he visibly cringed at the fury awakening in Thedryk. “You two need a moment I believe.”

  Helsing was beyond Thedryk’s reach before his hand could reach Helsing’s arm, stopping in the doorway with me. He leaned in close; I could feel the stubble from his face brush against my cheek.

  “Nothing is ever quite as it seems, Lady Neva.” Once more he stepped away before Thedryk could react, giving me enough time to catch Thedryk’s arm before he passed.

  He stopped at my touch. I could see the muscles along his cheeks and jaw pumping in coordination against one another.

  “Thedryk,” I said as I slowly pulled him into the washroom before closing the door.

  “What did he tell you?” Refusing to look me in the eye, Thedryk stood over one of the wash basins, first looking down into the bowl and then into the mirror where he caught my reflection.

  “What do you fear he told me?” More, there had to be more I knew, but Thedryk refused to answer. I sighed, considering the warning Helsing had provided about the blood oath, about its bonds and binding powers. “He was trying to convince me of how much you have always cared for me, how much you still do.” It wasn’t entirely a lie, but I was finding the truth was subjective in our relationship. Only available when it was convenient or allowed.

  “That’s all?” Disbelief dominated the inflection of his tone. “I find that hard to believe with Helsing.” Again, the jaw, the muscles, the stern expression and cold look in his eyes, and I noticed a slight bead of sweat. He had been so furious before, jealous. At the moment, he seemed…nervous. Afraid of what might follow.

  “That is all.” Trying to hide my caution, I moved closer to Thedryk, placing my hand on his arm gently. “We should rest now.”

  “Why were you up?”

  For a moment my mind went blank. “Why?” I repeated, almost stupidly.

  “Yes. What were you doing in here?”

  “I…woke and wanted to wash myself. I went to sleep without cleaning off the blood and dirt from earlier; it felt disgusting.”

  Thedryk turned and looked me over once, twice. “It seems Helsing’s interruption kept you. I won’t stop you, please.” He motioned to the tub. “I will leave now.” His voice held an edge of relief. He had almost shut the door when his head popped back in. “Neva, be careful with Helsing.”

  A slight smile curled around my lips. Although I wasn’t pleased at violence through jealousy, it was endearing to see his concern as Helsing had stated. “Afraid he might whisk me away?” It was only in jest, but Thedryk’s face darkened again. “All right.”

  He closed the door, and I was left feeling displaced. Eliza trusted Helsing to find Lucy, Thedryk as well, but not for me to be left alone with him. Why? Because he would tell me their secrets, or because he might win my heart? Unpinning my hair, I shook free the tangled mess, and set to cleaning it and wiping myself clean from the grime. That much had been true as well; I had needed a wash, desperately.

  SLEEP HAD COME and gone in its violent fashion, causing everyone to shake as I did. Those who were present during the encroaching confrontation could see her clearly; we could see the path we would take in leaving this hidden gem of a village. She emitted a malice, a coldness and emptiness that bit into our skin and cut to the bone. Her mere presence was death in its confident strides, undeniable in its claim. She could not be refused in what she sought, and what she sought was everything. In the dream we all dreamed, she came to conquer all. The vampires, the continent, the world. No words were needed, the intention and desire were felt, as well as one expectation beyond words. Reegan. Demons. I could not know how I knew that was her ultimate goal, but I knew she wished to return them to this world at any cost.

  Helsing was the first to speak to me as we all prepared for the day. “Lady Neva, are you entirely certain about moving forward with your course of action?”

  I wanted to tell him no, that I feared facing this woman and wished she would simply disappear, but I knew she would not. I knew she had Lucy, and I had to save my niece. “Yes, we will reach her long before sunrise.” That was no lie; as we reached the surface, the sun no longer painted the ground in its reddish-orange patchworks but kissed the mountain tops. The sky was clear with stars replacing the clear
blue; a deep navy had been pulled across and was deepening to night.

  Cheyne stood, his gear and weapons in hand. “I am going with you.” His statement was solid in fact.

  “Cheyne,” Helsing began.

  “No.” I cut both men off in what was to be the battle of wills. “You must remain here. Protect your village. If we fail, your village will be one of the first stops.” By that point, I had dealt with enough men and was finished with being outnumbered. “Collect your friend from the tower, and be prepared to leave here.”

  Cheyne’s face clouded over, considering my words and his pride, weighing them against one another. “But—”

  “No.” My decision was final, a flat tone that indicated no further discussion was allowed, a nice lesson from Eliza. “You have already lost too many.”

  Oliver stood alongside the remaining people of their village, all watching the exchange with uncertain expressions, intermingled with doubt and the hurt of loss. Oliver had been cleaned and changed from the previous night’s clothes, and he stood a little taller with his arms clasped behind his back.

  “Where would we go?” Cheyne worked on settling himself into the idea.

  “Head north. Should we fail they will return, and you are on their path to where they would head next.”

  “And that would be?”

  “Back east, to a place far beyond yours, but you would still be in their way. They will finish what they started here, having already decimated other villages and undoubtedly crippled even more.”

  Cheyne looked at the crowd that had slowly built around us. “All right,” he conceded. “I understand.” He beckoned to the small boy. “Oliver, go ahead and hand it over.” Cheyne smiled down at the boy, ruffling his hair in a roguish fashion.

  Oliver swung his hands from around his back to produce two large waterskins. “For a safe trip.” His angelic voice touched my heart. Sweet, pure innocence. I accepted both.

  Helsing took one from my hands, popping off the top. “My, my! Quite a treat for the group.” Helsing knelt down before Oliver, sheer excitement covering his features. “It seems they are all aware of what you lot are,” Helsing teased, passing the waterskin up to Thedryk, who took a quick sniff of the contents.