Mirror: Book One of the Valkanas Clan

by Noelle Ryan

  Well that isn't a very satisfying answer, I replied.

  Tom chuckled, fortunately snatching his hand off my leg quickly enough that Marcus's inquiring glance didn't have the chance to catch us. I suppressed the urge to giggle, feeling abruptly like a teenager trying to escape parental notice. Of course, I'd been far too much of a nerd in high school to ever need to sneak around behind my parent's back, so the comparison was an imagined one.

  You, a nerd? Really? Tom smirked. I never would have guessed.

  I sent him a quick mental picture of me smacking him on the shoulder for his remark.

  You better thank your stars we have company, hot shot, or else you'd be in a big trouble, I told him.

  Oh really? he said. He arched one eyebrow and returned his hand to my leg. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the seat, smiling.

  Twenty-two

  Damian’s lead foot meant we were able to make the drive in under two hours, and I found myself climbing out of the car—and away from Tom's hand—with a regret I hoped wasn't noticeable. We arrived at an extremely posh looking condo complex, which didn't surprise me, given who the owner was. There was a small guardhouse adjoining the front doors, something I supposed made the human residents feel safer—though I wondered how safe that would make them feel if they knew what their part-time neighbor was.

  Damian spoke with the guard briefly, then turned and waved us forward.

  We entered, rode up ten floors in the elevator, and exited into a hallway lined with plush carpet and pleasantly soft lights. Temora’s unit was at the end of the hall, one of only four on the floor, and her door opened to a beautifully furnished and surprisingly open space with a gorgeous view of the downtown lights.

  Wow, this is a spare apartment? I mused.

  Yeah, money can’t buy you everything, but… Tom replied, keeping his chuckle solely on mental channels this time, for which I was grateful. Marcus had lived too long not to guess what was going on if we kept giving him clues about it.

  As we stepped forward, I noticed there were two other vampires waiting for us.

  “Alyson, allow me to introduce Jade and Orchid, two of Temora's most trusted knights,” Marcus said, taking over Damian's usual role. “Between their help and mine, I’m sure we can avoid whatever nasty trap Cesar might have set for you.”

  I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him as he turned his back to me and found a seat. Then again, the patronizing tone made me feel like I might as well act like a child if I was going to be treated like one. Instead, I stepped forward in my best graceful-as-Valerie impression, extending my hand to each of Temora’s knights in turn.

  Jade was tall and slim, with waist length jet black hair, almond eyes, and lightly tinted skin. She had the kind of multi-ethnic beauty that would probably leave modeling agents tripping over themselves in their attempts to turn her into a client, and men and women alike tongue-tied. Even though she was slumped against the back of the couch, eyes at half-mast, she gave off the impression of alertness. It was like being in the presence of a resting jaguar—the fact that she seemed almost half-asleep didn’t make me feel the least bit relaxed.

  Physically, Orchid was her opposite, petite, with bright red curly hair trimmed at chin length and a perky ski-slope nose. She even had freckles. Despite her features, however, it didn’t take more than a second to see her elegant name fit her perfectly. She was just as cat-like as Jade, her legs coiled under her seeming somehow more regal than child-like. If they hadn’t looked so completely unalike, I might have pegged Jade and Orchid for twins by their similar bearing alone. As it was, I wasn’t sure how to define the relationship between them, other than to notice that they both made me equally nervous.

  Once I’d finished greeting both of them, I dropped into the loveseat that sat on the opposite side of the room from Marcus, glad to stay as far from him as possible. Tom joined me after briefly exchanging his own greetings with Temora’s knights.

  A few minutes later, Valerie, Sam, and Luis arrived. Sam and I studiously avoided each other’s gazes, and I tried to decide how I could eventually apologize to him for bringing up painful memories without sounding condescending. Maybe it would be best if I simply didn’t bring it up at all—after all, it could be that he wouldn’t have wanted me to know such intimate details about his history, and making it obvious I now knew that much about him could give him cause to resent me all the more. Perhaps I could simply enact my apology more discreetly by never mentioning my issues with vampiric power structures around him again.

  That’s a good idea, Tom agreed, and I startled, having temporarily forgotten he could hear my every thought. It was still uncanny, and, though it had its perks, the lack of privacy was starting to bother me a little.

  I’m sorry, he immediately responded, I guess I’m still finding it so delightful to be able to listen in on this sexy brain of yours whenever I want that it didn’t occur to me not to. I’ll try to stop doing it when I’m not specifically invited, though it might be hard.

  Sexy brain? I thought wryly. You’re really stretching on that one, you know. I could feel his amusement more than any particular words as I continued. Anyway, I know you can’t help it any more than I can; we just need to find a more effective way of shielding than me getting angry.

  Agreed, he replied.

  ”As we all know,” Marcus said, interrupting our silent exchange, “we are here to see whether the latest addition to Damian’s family” he gestured to me “might be able to shed some light on the circumstances surrounding Joseph’s death, and hopefully pinpoint the current location of Cesar in the process.

  “Earlier today, she received some kind of warning that this was all a trap. Thus, though I am sure Cesar and his little elf are no match for all of us,” he chuckled, and I resisted the urge to smack the patronizing grin off his face, “prudence dictated we change our plans and all leave for Cesar’s together, from here. We will take three cars, park a mile from the house, and then split into two groups so that we might approach the house from different angles. Once we’ve eliminated any threats—assuming any arise, that is—most of you will station yourselves about the perimeter as guards. Damian and I will accompany Alyson inside to protect her as she explores the house.”

  I could feel Tom stiffen beside me. That’s bullshit! I should be inside with you as well—Marcus will only protect you as long as it continues to suit his self-interest.

  I squeezed his hand. I wasn’t wild about the idea of him staying outside when Dorothy had sensed a trap, nor of being in such close proximity to Marcus while exploring a murder scene, but I also realized that protesting would accomplish nothing. Marcus didn’t look like the kind of man to change his mind easily. Just stay close enough to keep our link active, I told him, that way we’ll both know what’s going on inside and outside.

  Fine, but if I get even a hint of something going wrong—

  I wouldn’t expect anything else, I replied. Besides, Damian will be there—I’m sure I’ll be fine. It’s you I’m worried about.

  I’m not the one Cesar is after, Tom replied, his brow creasing.

  And that’s precisely why you’re in more immediate danger—look at what happened to Joseph. And then I tried to cut off that line of thought. Tom and I might have just gotten involved, but I already felt closer to him than I had my last three serious boyfriends, and the thought of Cesar hurting him made my insides churn.

  I can see why I’d beat out your exes—I am incredibly sexy, after all, Tom teased.

  Hey—a little privacy here! I could feel a blush climbing my cheeks, one that was only antagonized as I noticed most of the room, with the obvious exception of Sam, was staring at me. Wonderful. I really needed to get a grip on this telepathy thing—I was already prone to distraction when it was just me in my head, much less when there was someone else there with me. And then I realized that Tom had only been teasing me to help chase the gruesome images out of my mind—and my embarrassment was quickly replaced
by gratitude, which had the added benefit of chasing the flush off my cheeks.

  “Alyson," Damian said, "I was just saying that this probably shouldn’t take long, since most of your episodes have tended to come on pretty quickly once exposed to the right stimuli."

  I nodded, thinking that if this was how miserable I made my students feel when I called on them while they weren’t paying attention, then maybe I should drop that teaching strategy.

  “That is all, then," Marcus said. "Shall we go?” He stood without waiting for an answer.

  Jade and Orchid stood only milliseconds behind him, and the rest of us followed suit. Sam walked out without ever looking at Tom or I, and Luis gave a bemused shrug as he passed us on his way out. Only Damian and Valerie followed us, locking the door as we left.

  Thirty minutes later Damian was opening Cesar’s front door. We’d seen no evidence of any unpleasant surprises anywhere around the house, and I hadn’t picked up anything else, so we’d decided to go ahead and enter. Jade and Orchid had ghosted off into the trees, presumably doing another sweep of the perimeter, while Valerie, Sam, Luis and Tom spread out around the exterior of the house.

  Walking through the door was like stepping knee deep into sludge. My legs went cold, and each step seemed to require twice as much effort as the last. Suddenly, I realized Damian must have let all of Cesar’s attackers live the other night, because this was what it felt like to walk through the residue of a murder. I hadn’t seen or smelled anything to indicate what had taken place, but I already felt sick, nausea rising in my throat. I was grateful it had been a few hours since the last time I’d eaten, or else I was sure I’d be spewing blood across the floor right now, and that was not something I cared to experience.

  Aly, what’s wrong? Tom’s voice rang through my head with exaggerated clarity, and it took me a moment to realize it must be the result of the fear that was laced through the sludge. It was lowering my shields.

  Nothing, it’s just—try to give me some space if you can, okay?

  Alright, he responded, quieter this time. I realized he must be moving further from the house, lessening the force of our contact, and I was grateful.

  Marcus had already left the foyer, going on to scout out the remaining rooms on the first floor while Damian stayed with me. Damian gave me a worried, quizzical look, but when I shook my head at him he nodded, apparently understanding that I wasn’t up to talking just yet.

  Marcus returned the foyer, then stepped around me to open the door.

  “Jade, Orchid, if you are finished with your perimeter sweep please come inside and examine the upper and lower levels while I accompany Damian and Alyson to the living room,” Marcus called, and seconds later Jade and Orchid appeared, making their way silently upstairs.

  Marcus gestured at Damian and me, leading the way down a hall and into the living room. Here, the sludge turned almost to concrete, yanking me to a standstill just inside the door. The feeling was so strong I almost couldn’t register that it was the same room I’d walked through just two nights ago, during our first trip through Cesar’s house. My throat closed in, and I began to panic.

  Twenty-three

  Aly, calm down; you don't even need to breathe. In fact, you should probably stop anyway—it might help not to smell what happened.

  Tom's reminder helped me get a grip, and I was able to refocus on what lay in front of me. Unlike the previous visit, the solid wood coffee table now lay in splintered pieces across the center of the room, mixed in with fragments of some kind of broken pottery. The ficus tree that had stood in one corner was now on its side, potting soil spilled across the floor. For some reason I abruptly felt sorry for the plant, struggling to live in such nastiness, and I labored my way towards it and pushed it upright, scooping handfuls of soil into the pot. Damian joined me as soon as he saw what I was doing, and though the look on his face made it clear he wasn’t sure why we were doing this, I appreciated his willingness to help.

  “Please," I said, "I know this will sound stupid, but could someone take care of the tree?”

  Damian nodded. “It will be watered before we leave tonight, and someone will pick it up tomorrow. I apologize—I asked everyone to leave the room as it was, with the exception of Joseph’s remains, of course. I hoped it might help your ability to pick up on something. I did not anticipate how much it would upset you.”

  I shook my head, knowing that if I spoke I'd begin crying. I could feel Marcus’s cold, inquisitive stare from across the room, and I turned away from him, looking out the window. I reached up and idly stroked the leaves of the tree as I stared outside, waiting for my feelings to subside. I felt ridiculous, getting upset over a plant when a man—well, a vampire—had been killed in this room not too long before.

  As I stroked the leaves, calm flowed like liquid warmth from the tree and down into my arm. When it reached my shoulders they relaxed, dropping them from the tense height I’d unconsciously been holding. Slowly, everything in me relaxed; even the feeling of hardened sludge slipped down my legs, until it was just a slight puddle beneath my feet. I sighed in relief, releasing the breath I'd held trapped in my lungs since Tom's latest advice.

  It was that sigh, somehow, that caused me to realize this had been Marielle’s tree. The tranquility emanating from it was so similar to the one I’d felt in her presence that I suddenly couldn’t imagine how anyone could get angry enough to commit murder in this room. The level of rage would have to be immense to overcome the calming effects of this tree.

  “Can you all feel this too?” I asked, turning back towards the room.

  Marcus raised an eyebrow, then came over and placed a hand on the slender trunk. Damian did the same. I watched the miniscule signs of both of them relaxing, though the effect seemed far subtler on them than it had on me.

  “Interesting. This must have been where the elf stored her emotional extra reserves as a protection against great drains on her well-being. To have stored so much in such a small plant would take a great deal of skill, or power—perhaps both. How someone as young as Cesar has managed to bond someone this powerful is curious indeed,” Marcus said, and his inquisitive glance deepened, sweeping both Damian and I.

  It was all the confirmation I needed that Damian and Valerie had stuck to their plan of not telling Temora about the possibility of the Sringara, information I tried to mentally forward to Tom so neither of us would slip and mention it in front of Marcus, Jade, or Orchid. If Marcus suspected us of hiding something, however, he showed no other sign of it; he stepped away from the tree and made himself comfortable on the couch, the destroyed coffee table in front of him not serving as a deterrent in the least.

  I was reluctant to step away from the tree and the sense of peace it gave me, but I realized the sooner I fully explored this room the sooner I could leave it, and the nasty feelings it contained, behind me. I carefully picked my way through the broken pieces of wood and clay scattered across the floor, holding each one briefly and then dropping it when nothing happened. Next, I turned my attention to the bookshelves lining one wall. I lightly swept my hand across their contents, not taking the time to pick anything up. I felt nothing until I reached a collection of curios on an upper shelf midway across the room. My hand began tingling, faintly, and I slowed, standing on tiptoe to better see the contents of this section of the bookcase.

  “Have you found something?” Damian asked.

  “I’m not sure—is there a footstool, or something else handy I could stand on?”

  Damian left the room, returning a moment later with a sturdy wooden chair. He set it down beside me, and I stepped up, now eye-to-eye with the strange collection. Some of it seemed like it could be priceless, while other items looked like complete junk. There were at least twenty pieces, a mixture of wooden, stone, and metal sculptures. I moved my hand across them, discovering the tingling sensation grew strongest towards the back left corner. I had to slide a few pieces to the side to even see what was hiding back there. It looked
like some kind of incredibly gaudy tree, with a curved wire-wrapped trunk and bits of wire sticking out in rather shoddily constructed “branches” at odd intervals. It was only a couple inches tall, and the trunk itself was very slender.

  As I grasped it to pull it towards me a mild shock traveled down my arm, causing me to release it suddenly. It fell on its side, and as it did I saw that the bottom of the trunk, the only place on the tree not covered in wire, was some kind of clear stone.

  Oh my god, it’s the Sringara! I realized suddenly, freezing. Then I heard Marcus stand up behind me, and I quickly flipped the tree back into an upright position.

  “What have you found?” he asked mildly, peering over my shoulder.

  I know you don’t like to, but now is the time to lie, Tom’s voice slipped into my mind suddenly.

  “Oh, nothing," I said, "I must have gotten a false alarm because my mom had a statue just like that when I was growing up. I lost it in a move a few years ago though, and I always hoped to find another one to replace it.”

  I gestured at the tree, praying he’d see only what I first saw: something gaudy and poorly made. I was willing to bet Cesar wrapped it in copper himself to conceal it from Marielle, and couldn’t take it when they came back for fear of alerting her as to what it was. Still, leaving it here seemed incredibly foolish, given that Temora had claimed the property as her own.