A Shade of Vampire 43: A House of Mysteries(43)

I have seen him! In a vision, and not a happy one, but at least I know he is alive! I feel like I have gone almost half mad. I am writing this in the middle of the night, having just woken, and I don’t know what to do with myself.

Almus was in the jungle somewhere, calling out to me with silent cries, his arms raised—in welcome or warning? I couldn’t tell…it was the least vivid vision I have ever encountered. The images confused me, flickers of Almus more than a solid sense of his being. But still it is hope.

I need to decide what I am to do.

Almus always told me never to leave the confines of the house…but what if he needs me? I need to decide before dawn. I am sure I cannot stay here and do nothing—I am prepared to take the risk. But what of Draven? I can’t leave him here, but can I take him with me? It seems too dangerous.

He needs to be protected. At all costs. Almus would never forgive me if anything happened to him. What do I do? Oh, diary, I wish you could tell me.

I heard noises coming from the greenhouse, and with reluctance I drew my eyes across the garden to see who it was. It was Jovi and Field. They waved to me, and started to make their way over.

“The diary?” asked Jovi as they approached.

“Yeah. It’s just getting good.”

“We won’t disturb you then. We were going to have a training session,” he added, slapping Field’s back and sending the Hawk stumbling forward.

“You’re going to pay for that,” Field mocked, dragging him down into a headlock.

“Where’s Phoenix?” I asked. I would have thought that my brother would have wanted to join them.

“Don’t know,” Jovi replied. “We looked for him, but he’s not in the house.”

I looked worriedly toward the outskirts of the garden.

“He wouldn’t,” Field replied, understanding my thought process. “I wouldn’t worry about him, he’s probably gone in search of that tree.”

I let out a breath. Field was right. I’d even told him to do that myself.

“We can look for him out front if you want?” Jovi asked.

“Nah,” I replied, shaking my head. Phoenix hated missing out on training sessions, but my brother also liked to spend time alone…or sort of alone. It was usually in the company of a girl who didn’t live in The Shade—but I guessed in absence of any available outsiders, he’d gone off hunting for a tree. I smirked. I was sure my brother thought the change of priorities was as ludicrous as I did.

“Give us pointers?” Jovi asked. I rolled my eyes, waving the diary.

“I’ve got other priorities,” I replied.

“Aw, come on. You can stop Field from cheating,” Jovi said.

I snorted with derision at that. Jovi knew Field was too honorable to cheat—which was probably why it was so fun to tease him about it.

“What?” Field replied with mock indignation.

“I’ll watch,” I replied, “only to keep an eye on Field.” I winked at Jovi and the two of them headed off to a clearing in the grass where they wouldn’t be in danger of accidentally hitting me.

I watched them for a while, laughing as they took turns knocking one another to the ground, their punches and throws echoing around the stillness of the garden. I imagined that the force they battered one another with would have been surprising for anyone who wasn’t a supernatural, but I was used to the excessive supernatural strength they both displayed.

After a while, I turned toward the greenhouse, sensing another presence. It was Draven, leaning on the broken doorframe, watching the boys as they fought. Field must have noticed him too, because a moment later, he called out to him.

“Want to join us, Draven?” he called, his smirk challenging but not unkind. Jovi frowned briefly, but his sense of competition won him over, and he grinned at the Druid, beckoning him over.

“All right,” Draven drawled, making his way over. “Who’s first?”

Field and Jovi glanced at one another, Jovi smiling broadly.

“I’m taking you down,” Jovi replied, the two of them having reached some kind of agreement. Field backed off and came to sit under the shade of the tree next to me.

“This should be good.” He whipped off his sweat-drenched shirt, revealing his muscled torso.

I smiled in agreement. I wasn’t worried that the Druid wouldn’t be able to handle himself. I’d seen what he was capable of in the forest, though that was with magic…but those muscles, and that broadness. I was pretty sure it wasn’t just there for show. Jovi would have a fight on his hands—an entertaining one for Field and me, as Jovi was sometimes too cocky for his own good.