“I’m happy to come, if you’ll have me,” Skye said, putting on a bold smile.
The gypsies gave her a surprised look.
“There you go, putting yourself in danger again,” Jonas muttered, crossing his arms.
“What’s the point of living if you never do anything exciting?” Skye asked.
Jonas gave an uncomfortable tone, rubbing at his brow with a hand.
“I’d be honored to have you along,” Aazzi said to her. “I’m humbled by all of your assistance,” she added to the others.
“I’m going too, if you all are,” Myra said with determination, getting to her feet as well.
“No, you’re most definitely not,” Twist said instantly, standing beside her.
“Why not?” Myra asked, looking to him reproachfully.
“Because,” Twist answered, struggling to put his mental list in order. “It’s terribly dangerous, and frightening, and who knows what might happen.”
“But you’re going,” Myra protested.
“I’m honor bound to help my friend,” Twist clarified.
“She’s my friend, too.”
“You’re not in the least bit skilled with violence, and you’re fragile.”
“I can’t die,” Myra snapped, her words growing sharper. “And I don’t even have any blood for them to feed on.”
“I’m not letting you go with us, and that’s final,” Twist snapped back at her.
“Oh, it’s final, is it?” Myra asked, her eyes wide and her tone acid. “And if I leave my puppet, just how do you intend to stop me?”
“If it’s not too dangerous for you, why’s it too dangerous for her?” Jonas asked Twist coldly.
“Don’t encourage her,” Twist spat at him. “Why do you want to go so badly?” he asked Myra. “This isn’t going to be any fun at all. It’s probably going to be horrible. We might not all come back.”
“Then I’m most certainly going,” Myra said, her eyes like daggers on him. “If there’s even the slightest chance that you might not come back, then…damn it, I am going to be there with you.” Her voice cracked slightly at the end, and she looked away, biting at her lip.
Stunned, Twist felt his argument fall to dust. She hadn’t forgotten about Jonas’s vision and likely still feared that it was about Twist even though he’d refused to admit it to her. Even with the new knowledge that he couldn’t be fed upon, Twist couldn’t be entirely sure that the vampires wouldn’t find some other way to kill him. But even as the details that Jonas had told him about his vision played in Twist’s mind, he clung to the certainty that Jonas was wrong. He couldn’t see Twist’s death. This wasn’t going to be his end.
“I’m sorry,” Twist said softly, reaching up to put an arm around Myra’s shoulders. As he’d feared, her dread met his Sight. Her anger was only a mask. Myra moved into his arms, holding him close.
“I’m coming,” she said, her voice weak but defiant.
“Only as a ghost,” Twist replied, keeping his voice gentle now. “Your puppet could be damaged. You’ll have to leave it behind.”
“Fine,” Myra said, her tension releasing slightly. “I don’t care.”
Twist petted her hair and prayed that she would be spared the sight of anything grotesque.
Once things calmed down, Myra seemed to take it upon herself to speak to Aazzi and try to soothe her nerves. She asked Aazzi how things had been before all of this business with Philippe’s kidnapping had begun and then paid delighted attention to everything Aazzi said. Aazzi soon began to smile as she spoke, relating adventures and travels aboard the Vimana, helpless against Myra’s charming nature. Skye joined in as well, the two women working together to keep Aazzi’s mind on brighter things.
As the gypsies struck up a conversation with the Frenchmen, Jonas drew closer to Twist. “We need to talk,” he said softly.
Dread tingled up Twist’s spine. The buzzing at his neck was still cold and miserable, and Jonas’s eyes still looked colorless to Twist. Twist glanced at Myra, who hadn’t noticed anything yet as she still spoke with Aazzi. Rather than risk alerting her to any trouble, Twist agreed to leave the room with Jonas. The two rose and slipped away without catching much attention at all, and no one spoke to them or followed.
They walked silently together, down the stairs to an open cloister on the first floor. The glow of the city around the monastery rose gently over the edges of the high walls, blotting out all but the brightest stars in the square opening above this small garden. Rather than flowers or soft grass, small crops stood in neat rows in the plowed earth, filling the garden. A narrow, covered corridor of stone ringed the garden, edged with archways all along the square.
Jonas stopped, staring out at the crops for a long moment in the silence. There were no monks around them now, and the only sounds came from far beyond the high, stone walls. Twist stood beside Jonas, waiting as patiently as he could to hear whatever Jonas wanted to say. He already guessed that Jonas would try, again, to convince him not to join the mission, and so Twist used his time to construct his own reasons to go.
“You have to tell Myra,” Jonas said finally, not looking at Twist.
“Tell her?” Twist asked, startled by the idea. “About your vision? No, no, I can’t do that.”
Jonas looked at him with eyes as lifeless as the stones around them. “She loves you, Twist. She deserves a chance to say good-bye.”
Twist stared back at him, stunned. There was no hope at all in the man before him. No part of Jonas believed that Twist would survive the coming ordeal. All of Twist’s efforts to convince him of the truth had failed utterly.
“But I’m not going to die,” Twist said. “You can’t see my death. You never have before.”
Jonas’s gaze dropped to the stones at their feet, the buzzing in Twist’s neck hardly changing at all, only growing slightly colder.
“Jonas,” Twist said, stepping closer and putting a hand on his friend’s arm. His Sight filled instantly with an icy, silent fog, as dark and ominous as London fog on a moonless night. Twist pressed on, clinging desperately to his own certainty. “I don’t want to frighten Myra, if you’re wrong. And you are wrong. I’ll be fine.”
“I didn’t tell Ara,” Jonas said, not looking up to him. “I robbed her of her chance to say good-bye to our parents. I hate myself for that. Don’t make me do it again,” he added, finally meeting Twist’s gaze.
Twist realized that, along with giving up all hope of Twist’s survival, Jonas had also given up all hope of convincing Twist not to go at all. After all, his visions always came to pass. He could do nothing to save Twist. He had already moved past those thoughts and was now trying to handle the repercussions of what he was sure would happen. As bleak as this revelation was, it gave Twist a spark of inspiration.
“If you tell Myra that I’m going to die, she’ll never let me go. She’ll tell the others. They’ll side with her and try to stop me too. So, since you’ve already seen me go along with all of you, you can’t tell Myra. Telling her would stop the vision from happening at all, but you can’t change your visions.”
Horror flashed across Jonas’s face and rippled through the dark fog in Twist’s mind. “What the hell is wrong with you? Do you want to die?”
“Of course I don’t,” Twist replied, startled by the suggestion. “I’m not going to die!”
Jonas turned his back on Twist, shaking his head. Twist let him go and tried to stifle his own aggravated sigh. Was there no way to make Jonas see the obvious truth?
The silence stretched between them, while the buzzing at Twist’s neck writhed with flickers of anger and dread, in an ocean of hopeless ice. Twist could think of nothing new to say. Every point he could make had already been made. Finally, Jonas gave a sigh and turned around, looking at him again.
“You’re right.”
Twist’s relief fell flat the instant he realized that Jonas’s eyes were still gray, and his spirit was still heavy.
“In my vision, the
others will all look shocked when you kill yourself to save us. But if we tell Myra, she will tell them. So I guess you’re right. We can’t tell her. But it’s not fair to her. She’s unlucky enough to love you. This is going to break her heart.”
The idea of causing Myra pain made Twist’s stomach turn. He shook his head, clinging tightly to reality.
“Right now, she’s happy,” Twist said. “There’s no reason to frighten her over nothing.”
Jonas didn’t respond. He simply stared back at Twist, his eyes empty of all color and hope. Twist couldn’t imagine anything else to say to the man that he hadn’t already said. Jonas finally gave another sigh. “I hate my Sight. I’d rather be blind than see what I do.”
“I’m sorry, Jonas,” Twist said on his own sigh. “I wish you could see this whole thing the way I do. You just couldn’t possibly have seen my death. Logically, I have to survive.”
Jonas nodded, his spirit not moving. “Sure, Twist.” He took a breath and seemed to struggle to clear his mind. “We’d better get back before they miss us.”
When Twist and Jonas returned to the others, Myra seemed to be surprised to find they had left at all. Twist waved her curiosity away with an easy smile and a notion that he and Jonas had simply gone for a walk. Jonas fell into a chair and didn’t speak, his cold gray gaze falling on nothing at all, but he didn’t say a thing to Myra or the others.
It was just a few hours before sunrise when one of the monks came to speak to Aazzi. “Madam, you have another visitor,” the monk announced with a tight voice.
“Do I?” Aazzi asked, seeming surprised. “I didn’t invite anyone else.”
“The visitor is not…human, madam,” the monk said darkly. “We will not allow him across the threshold.”
Aazzi’s expression turned cold. “I see.”
The monk took this as an answer and left the room without another word. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern had both become very somber at the news as well, while no one else seemed to understand.
Jonas turned to Aazzi with a frown. “What’s going on, then?”
Aazzi seemed to wake from her darkened thoughts to look to him. “This is a monastery. Strictly speaking, I shouldn’t be allowed inside. These places are seen as safe ground for any living human in this area: a place to be sure that there are no vampires. Howell explained the situation and that my husband is human and in need of rescue. Fortunately, the monks took pity on us and allowed me inside as long as I remain on my best behavior.”
“Then, that’s a vampire outside?” Jonas asked, his tone chilly.
Aazzi nodded.
“Any idea what it wants?”
“No idea at all,” she said, shaking her head. “My family sent me a telegram, explaining that Philippe would be waiting for me to call on him at my earliest convenience,” she added with a sneer. “I haven’t heard anything else from them since then.”
“We shall come with you,” Rosencrantz declared. Many of the others nodded as well.
“Thank you,” Aazzi said to them with a brave smile.
Twist held Myra’s hand as they followed the others through the monastery. When they came to the front of the building—where the large, open front door gave way to a wide courtyard with a tall fence of wrought iron surrounding it—he was surprised to find a number of the monks now standing on either side of the door, holding large wooden crosses and small glass bottles of what looked like water. Torches had been lit in the courtyard as well, filling the space with a warm, orange glow.
An elegant cab with a pair of shining black horses stood on the pebbled path that looped through the courtyard, and three men stood waiting before it. Two of them were clearly the coachmen, standing near the horses and wearing matching, sharp black uniforms. The third man looked barely older than twenty, if even that, and was small and slim in stature. He wore a very fashionable-looking European-style suit of royal blue, with a black top hat and cape, and a pair of spotless white gloves. The young man’s hair was a brilliant silver and tightly curled, and his deep-mahogany face bore fine features and gleaming silver eyes.
Looking at him, Twist was struck by the odd feeling that the vampire and himself looked strangely alike. They shared the same stature, the same style of hair if not the color, and a similar profile. Clearly noticing this as well, Myra glanced between Twist and the vampire in quiet surprise.
The vampire bowed deeply to Aazzi, and when he rose with a smile, said something in a round accent that Twist couldn’t follow at all.
“Badu,” Aazzi said in cold acknowledgment. “Why have you come?”
Badu’s smile changed into a hurt expression. “All right,” he said with forced patience, “English, then. But, sister, we’ve been apart for so long. Aren’t you at all pleased to see me?”
Aazzi stared at him with cold silver eyes. “My little brother died a long time ago.”
“Of course,” Badu muttered bitterly. “Well, whatever you say, I am very pleased to see you, dear sister,” he said, putting on a smile.
Twist shivered to see the two pairs of opposing, long, pointed fangs that marred his smile.
“If this is all you wished to say,” Aazzi said, “then you should leave.”
“There is something else,” Badu said with a sigh. “Your husband grows lonely. We do what we can to entertain him, but it has been nearly a week. Are you planning to abandon the poor fellow?”
Twist glanced at Aazzi and was startled by the force of the rage in her silver eyes. Her form, however, remained still. “I would sooner step into a fire,” she responded, her voice as hard as stone.
“Then why do you keep us all waiting?” Badu asked pleasantly. “Don’t tell me, dear sister, that you need any more incentive.”
Terror tingled up Twist’s spine at the thought of what else this monster and his family might do to lure Aazzi to them. Everyone looked to Aazzi, but her clearly growing anger was still held in check.
“I will come to you tomorrow evening,” she said stiffly.
Badu’s face washed over with delight. “Will you? That’s wonderful news! Will you be bringing along some of your own refreshments?” he asked, glancing over Twist and the others at her side.
“I will come alone,” Aazzi said.
“Very well,” Badu said with another sickening smile. “We shall throw the greatest celebration this country has ever seen, to commemorate the prodigal daughter’s return!”
“Take our scriptures out of your mouth, demon,” one of the monks growled.
Badu laughed lightly to himself, his silver eyes flashing with a wicked light. “Don’t trouble yourself with finding your way, sister,” he mentioned brightly. “We shall pick you up. Say, one hour after sunset?”
“Fine,” Aazzi said with a nod.
“Lovely.” Badu grinned. “I truly cannot wait to welcome you back home.”
Aazzi said nothing more but turned on her heel and walked back inside the monastery. The monks didn’t hesitate to advance on Badu and his cab, holding their crosses aloft and demanding that he leave immediately. Badu didn’t protest. He simply climbed into his cab, and the coachmen began to drive away. Twist followed the others back inside and found Aazzi only a few steps down the hall.
She had apparently collapsed to her knees on the floor and held her face in her hands as she sobbed heavily. As much as it pained him to see her so distraught, Twist failed to think of any way to comfort her. Most of the others could only look on, clearly at a loss as well, but Myra rushed forward and knelt before her.
“Oh, Aazzi,” she cooed, pulling the woman into her arms. Aazzi melted into her clockwork embrace without protest. “Philippe is going to be just fine,” Myra said gently, rubbing at Aazzi’s back. “We’re going to save him. You’ll see him again soon.”
Twist marveled as he watched Myra expertly soothe Aazzi slowly back into calm. Following her example, the others gently spoke as well, offering whatever support they could. It wasn’t long before Aazzi had regained her composure.
She accepted Harman’s offered hand to help her to her feet and then took a deep breath as she put on a smile for them all.
“Thank you,” she said, sounding somewhat embarrassed now. “You are all very dear friends to me. I will never forget your kindness.”
“Aazzi,” Jonas began thoughtfully. “We’re all here. Why are we waiting until tomorrow night? Surely the vampires would be more vulnerable in daylight.”
“Yes, and they know that they are,” Aazzi answered. “They seal their fortress in the daytime, making it impervious to any attack. The only way inside is at night.”
“But you’re not really going alone,” Luca said.
“My return will be a huge distraction,” Aazzi said, shaking her head. “I assumed they would offer something like this. I can only hope that while they escort me inside, you will be able to make your move. At least, that is the best plan I could come up with this past week.”
“Do you know anything about where inside the fortress they are keeping Phil?” Jonas asked. “Or how many guards they have?”
Aazzi shook her head. “I dared not go near the place alone,” she said mournfully. “That is specifically why I asked for the potion from the gypsies. I wouldn’t risk any of your lives in such an uncertain attack, without some insurance of your safety.”
“Don’t trouble yourself about us,” Guildenstern said gently. “You have enough to worry about as it is. We’ll take things as they come and will do whatever we must to rescue both you and Philippe from those monsters.”
Aazzi smiled, while the others moved to agree with him. Only Jonas remained silent.
It wasn’t long before the sun rose over the lush green mountains to the east of the city. The exotic cries of native birds wafted on the air as the electric lights were shut off. Looking out at the city through the monastery windows, Twist marveled at the thought that these city streets were never left to darkness. Somehow, though, the sight of the sun made him suddenly aware of the fact that neither he nor any of his traveling companions had slept during the night.
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