A Shade of Vampire 79: A Game of Death

by Forrest, Bella

  “And you think Trev Blayne is involved?”

  “We’re not sure. Mind you, Esme and Kalon are following up on rumors right now. I’m sure they’ll tell us everything once they have more information,” I replied. “Either way, I think the key objective here should be to figure out what it is that the Darklings are after. I’m not buying that anarchy crap. It’s mindless. Anarchists have never fared well in the long run, and I’m saying this after studying numerous civilizations across the universe. A lack of specific purpose in political attacks is always short-lived. The Darklings wouldn’t have survived for millions of years here without an agenda. We just need to find out what that is.”

  Valaine nodded slowly, pointing ahead. We’d left the marketplace behind us, reaching a broad corner with teahouses and flower shops. Parting in the middle, they gave way to a narrow alley with hanging lamps overhead. It seemed empty, leading into a maze of streets and cul-de-sacs where mostly Rimians and Naloreans lived.

  “The former Darkling sanctuary is down there and to the left,” she said. “It was discovered and raided about twenty years ago. It’s the most recent of their known locations.”

  “Who raided it?” I asked.

  “Kalon, with a regiment of gold guards,” she replied. “Most of the Darklings fled the scene, and no one among the neighbors was willing to cooperate. They were all terrified at the time. I was working my way through a tournament then. My father and Kalon have been more preoccupied with the Darklings. I didn’t really get involved… until last night, when it got personal.”

  Three-level houses rose on both sides, with elegant stone steps and forged-iron gates, small garden patches and shuttered windows. It was a nice area, a good place to live—close to the marketplace and just an hour’s walk to the palace. I knew some of the palace servants had homes in these parts of the city.

  “And you think the neighbors will be willing to talk about the Darklings now?” I asked. “What would have changed to make them want to cooperate after twenty years?”

  She looked at me and smiled, making my heart beat faster than usual. “I’m hoping you might be able to get through to them. After all, you got my father to listen. That was no easy feat.”

  “You give me too much credit.” I chuckled. “But I will definitely try. What of the sanctuary itself? What is it like?”

  “You’ll see for yourself in a bit,” she said as we turned the corner.

  Another street lay ahead, with dark blue facades and white window frames. The roofs were sloped and charcoal gray, and small red and white flowers hung from the sills. On the left, about fifty yards from our position, a light gray building stood out like a sore thumb, with four levels and black, shuttered windows. A wooden sign hung outside, above the main double-door entrance. I didn’t recognize the name scrawled in red paint.

  “Is that it?” I asked, staring at the building as we got closer.

  “Mm-hm. It used to be an orphanage—until Kalon raided it. The Darklings had taken over the basement, using the poor Rimian and Nalorean children as spies,” Valaine explained. “Kalon and Trev worked together on this, luring some of the children away and promising them safety. It worked, and they gave the Darklings away. By the time the golden guards got here, however, most of them were gone, and the ones who stayed chose not to go down without a fight. None survived.”

  “And the children?”

  “They were relocated to the northern side of the city. I think some of them moved away afterward.” Valaine sighed. “I suppose living under Darkling oppression must’ve traumatized them.”

  Something moved to our left as we stopped to look at the building. A shadow vanished between the neighboring houses, and my pulse raced for a few long seconds. I didn’t like it. My skin tingled, reacting to a microscopic change in the atmosphere. A sense of danger settled deep within my bones, and I wondered where the golden guards were. I couldn’t see them, not even a head peeking from behind a corner.

  “All right. Let’s see what the neighbors can tell us,” Valaine said. She walked up to the house on the right side of the former orphanage and knocked on the door.

  About a minute later, an elderly Rimian woman came out, eyeing us suspiciously. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice coarse and heavy. Wrinkles drew deep lines down her tanned face. Her eyes were vivacious, though, as if untamed by the years that had passed, still bright and brown and filled with questions.

  “Good day,” Valaine replied. “I’m Lady Crimson, and this is my colleague, Mr. Vaughn.”

  “Tristan, please,” I said, offering a curt bow.

  The old lady scowled at me. “Why are you masked? Are you hiding something?”

  “No, no! I’m just sensitive to the sun,” I replied.

  “Pfft. That’s new,” she grumbled. “You young Aeternae are all weird as hell! With your spiced bloods and deadly fights and now light sensitivity. I mean, I’ve never heard of that one before.”

  Valaine smiled, giving me a brief sideways glance. “I was wondering if you could tell us more about the orphanage. Were you here when it was still operating?”

  “I was. And I’ll tell you what I told your friend, Lord Visentis, when he came around and raided the place. I didn’t see anything,” the old Rimian replied.

  “So you know me,” Valaine concluded.

  “I know of you, Lady Crimson. And let me tell you, you’re not scarin’ me into tellin’ you anything!” she retorted, her slim brows furrowed and her chin up and defiant.

  “You need not be afraid of us,” I said.

  “Who said I’m afraid?!” She shot me a deadly stare. “I just told you I’m not easily scared!”

  “Well, I can understand why you’d be afraid, especially given your condition. Old age must be truly a scary time,” I replied, matter-of-factly. Her heart was thudding, her pulse drumming in my ears. I knew she was afraid, despite her attitude, but she had to be coaxed into talking, and she clearly didn’t respond to niceties. Reverse psychology worked best for people like her.

  “I’m not afraid!” the old Rimian growled. “I’m merely vigilant. And I didn’t see anything.”

  Clearing my throat, I looked at Valaine. “We should go. We’re not going to get another word out of her.”

  “Are you sure?” Valaine asked, looking dumbfounded.

  “Yeah. I mean, look at her. She’s terrified, thinking we can’t see through this fake bravado of hers,” I said with a shrug. “She’s not going to tell us anything, so we might as well check with the other neighbors.”

  Valaine nodded and joined me as we descended the small steps leading from her door, when the old Rimian finally found her courage. “Maybe I did see something.”

  Thankfully, my sun mask hid my smile as I turned around to face her again. “Pray tell.”

  “Not out here, you insolent boy. Come in!” the old Rimian replied, moving away from the door to let us in.

  I admired her courage. She definitely didn’t fear an elite Aeternae like Valaine—at least, she wasn’t afraid of speaking her mind. But there was definitely something that had made her stay quiet over the past two decades, and it was connected to the Darklings.

  They were still active. They could still seek retribution against anyone who snitched on them, which was why she was inviting us into her home now. I’d riled her up enough to make her want to talk to us, but she retained her extreme cautiousness by moving the conversation inside.

  Valaine looked at me as we went in. I could tell from the glimmer in her eyes that we were both thinking the same thing. We were on to something here. We were maybe one lead closer to unmasking the Darklings… and maybe even stopping them for good, this time around.

  Tristan

  “I’m Katlin, by the way,” the old Rimian woman said as she welcomed us into her small living room. The house itself was economy-size, but bright and airy. She pulled the shutters closed as we settled on a pale blue loveseat, and I took my sun mask off.

  “Thank you,” I repl
ied.

  “You’re easy on the eyes, I’ll give you that,” Katlin grumbled. She went into the kitchen, while Valaine and I looked at each other, listening to the clanks and the sound of water running down the hallway.

  “She’s right. You are easy on the eyes.” Valaine chuckled.

  “Oh, hush. You’re embarrassing me,” I replied, trying not to laugh.

  “She might invite you to dinner,” she said, clearly amused.

  “Don’t get me wrong, she’s nice and hospitable, but she’s not my type.”

  Valaine covered her mouth, stifling a chortle, but immediately put on a more serious face when Katlin returned with a silver tray, on which she’d brought a porcelain tea service. She placed it on the coffee table in front of us and sat in the armchair next to our loveseat. Exhaling deeply, she pointed at the flowery tea kettle.

  “Help yourselves. I’m already tired.”

  I nodded, pouring a cup for myself and one for Valaine. It smelled of roses and cinnamon, likely a local tea variety. I’d caught a similar scent back at the marketplace, and it filled my lungs with a quiet but much welcome tranquility.

  “Tell us, Katlin, what do you know about the orphanage?” Valaine asked, holding the cup and saucer in her lap.

  Nervously glancing around, the old Rimian frowned. “I knew about the Darklings. But my husband was ill at the time. None of us on this street dared to rat them out, anyway. We saw what they did to snitches.”

  “So you saw them in there,” Valaine concluded, nodding toward the window.

  “Every day for thirty years,” Katlin said. “Some left, others came, but there were always Darklings in that place. The children feared them, but they had no other choice. They had to serve them, to watch the streets for them.”

  “And what happened on the day of Kalon’s raid?” Valaine asked.

  “The Darklings were tipped off. I saw them carrying wooden crates and leather bags out of the building, hours before the golden guards came. They left the children and a few of their newer recruits behind—fodder for the soldiers, really. But the big bosses fled to safety. They’re probably still somewhere in the city, plotting their operations.”

  “Do you know what they were?” I replied. “I mean, only Aeternae, or Rimians and Naloreans, too?”

  “None of us would ever consort with their kind.” Katlin scoffed, visibly disgusted. “Whatever their beef is with the government, we will have no involvement. They’re evil and dangerous. They kill people without so much as a blink. One night, they beheaded a new recruit right outside the orphanage, for everyone to see. The guy who did it said the recruit was a spy from the gold guards. Wanted to show us all what happened to those who tried to go against them.”

  “The orphanage is abandoned now, isn’t it?” I asked.

  She thought about it for a moment, watching me intently. “I don’t think so.”

  My blood ran cold. Briefly glancing at Valaine, I could see that she was equally disturbed. She leaned forward, her gaze fixed on the Rimian woman. “You saw Darklings in there?”

  “I’m not sure what I saw. It could’ve just been squatters,” Katlin replied, her hands shaking in her lap, a little more than before and enough to prove that she was genuinely fearful.

  “Please, Katlin. Whatever detail you remember… it’s important,” Valaine said.

  “Why, though? It was twenty years ago. There hasn’t been any word of the Darklings since!” The old Rimian sighed, lowering her head.

  “We had issues with them last night,” I interjected, drawing Valaine’s ire.

  “Tristan!”

  “Whoa… They’re back?!” Katlin murmured, her reddish brown eyes wide.

  “It’s confidential, for now. We’re trusting you with important information here,” I said. “So, please… What have you seen recently?”

  Katlin looked at the shuttered window for a long moment, then back at us. I kept my eyes on her, knowing I’d made Valaine angry over the disclosure of last night’s attack. But I had a feeling it would work out in our favor. The old Rimian woman was surly and secretive, but she was also lonely. There was no sign of her husband still being alive, and she clearly enjoyed our company. Giving her the sense of helping us, of helping save innocent lives from the Darklings, seemed like a good angle.

  “They go in there in pairs, never alone,” Katlin finally said. “Long black hoods. Golden masks. Always after dark, close to midnight, when most of the residents here are asleep. I’m more of a nocturnal creature myself, so I hear them, every other day. Their footsteps… their whispers… the squeaking of old doors inside. I don’t know what they do in there, but they never stay for more than a few hours.”

  “You’ve never gone inside during the day?” I asked, half-smiling. She struck me as the annoyingly curious type.

  But she shook her head. “Normally, I would poke my nose. These are Darklings, though. I may be old, but I ain’t done living yet.”

  I glanced at Valaine. “Do you think we should go in? It’s still daylight, and we’re not alone.”

  “We should definitely go in,” Valaine replied, and got up. She gave Katlin a warm smile. “Thank you for sharing this information with us, and thank you for the tea,” she added, setting her empty cup and saucer on the coffee table.

  “Just be careful,” Katlin said. “That house might be empty now, but you never know.”

  “I’m curious, why did it stay empty? It’s been twenty years,” I asked.

  Valaine shrugged. “I don’t know. But you’re right. It became property of the Visio Council when Kalon seized it. They would’ve sold it, normally.”

  We left Katlin’s house, and I pulled my mask back on. Stopping at the bottom of the steps, I turned around and bowed politely. “Thank you for your hospitality,” I said to the old Rimian woman.

  She didn’t say anything, but her eyes glimmered with kindness, blinking slowly as she stepped back and closed the door to her house. Valaine and I were on our own again, and the sun was heating everything up as it peaked at midday.

  “I’m sorry I went ahead and told her about the attack,” I said to Valaine. “I thought it would help get her out of that shell.”

  “It worked,” Valaine replied. “Your methods may irk me, but you get results. Given what happened last night, I’ll take results over secrecy any time.”

  “How are you feeling?” I asked as we walked over to the orphanage building. From the outside, it looked empty, darkness reigning inside.

  Reaching the double doors, she looked at me, a haunted look imprinted on her pale, beautiful face. “I haven’t slept. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder. They know me well enough to actually have a shot at killing me, and the thought scares me,” she admitted. “But I lived to see another day, so perhaps the universe isn’t ready to let me go just yet. I’m just eager to understand why they want to kill me.”

  “This is as close to the Darklings as we can get, given the little we know about them,” I said. “Maybe we’ll find some answers inside. Or, at the very least, a better lead.”

  Valaine tried the doorknobs, but they wouldn’t turn. “It’s locked.”

  “We could break the door open,” I replied. “However, if we want them to come back tonight so we can catch them in the act, some discretion would be advised.”

  I fumbled through my jacket pockets for my lockpicking tools—lockpicking was a trick I’d picked up while traveling through Purgaris in search of an ancient, stolen Druid artifact with my sister. I found myself utterly useless, as Valaine had already removed one of the hairpins from her tight black bun and was halfway through picking the lock.

  The alley was remarkably quiet, considering the time of day.

  “Where are the guards?” I asked, keeping my voice down.

  Valaine looked over her shoulder, checking both ends of the street. “I don’t know, but they must be nearby. I did tell them to stay out of sight.”

  The lock turned with a click, and we snuck throug
h the doors, careful not to be seen by anyone else—though I knew Katlin was probably watching us like a hawk from behind the curtain. Inside, there was nothing but semi-darkness, dust, and dilapidated furniture. Splintered wood was scattered across the floor, and the occasional ray of sunlight cut through the blackness, slipping through the broken window shutters.

  It smelled old and musky.

  “What would the Darklings be doing in here?” Valaine mumbled. “If that’s who Katlin saw, anyway.”

  “The black hoods, the golden masks? It had to be them.”

  “Okay, so what would they meet here for, and only two at a time? It doesn’t make sense.”

  Advancing through the wide reception area, I noticed all the doors around us were open, most leading into other rooms. The kitchen and dining space were at the back, accessible through a narrow hallway, and there was a bath chamber to our left. Grime and dirt and dust covered every single inch of this place.

  Yet there were distinct footprints on the creaky wooden floor, apart from ours. I crouched to get a better look, and Valaine inched closer, following my gaze. “These can’t be older than a day,” I said.

  “So, they were here last night or the night before,” she replied.

  “Maybe it’s a safehouse, still. Are there other entrances?” I asked.

  She circled the reception area several times, peeking into each room as she moved, then stopped at the base of the stairs leading to the upper floor. “Not unless they’ve got some form of access from above. I doubt it, though; it’s the tallest building on the street, and it’s not connected to the other houses.”

  “The basement,” I reminded him.

  “I think you’re on to something.” A male voice shot through the semi-darkness.

  I jumped and quickly turned around. A shadow bolted across the room. I caught a glimpse of metal, hearing the blade whistle as it left its sheath. Footsteps tapped past me, and my side burned from the pain. He cut me!