A Shade of Vampire 43: A House of Mysteries(54)

“Why on earth did we bring him along, then?” I burst out, directing my question at Draven. The Druid laughed out loud.

“It makes no difference,” he replied carelessly, “the Daughters will know already that Bijarki and I are working together. There is nothing, no secret or action, that can be hidden from them for long.”

I sighed, leaning back against the rock. I still didn’t think it was a good idea to have brought Bijarki along. It would hardly help our case, and his story made me even more wary of his species—though him specifically, and the designs he had on my friend. The incubus from the story had obviously somehow managed to trick the Daughter into believing that he loved her, otherwise who would face such a horrible fate? I wasn’t surprised that they hated the incubi.

I glanced over at Vita, who had managed to become even paler than before. She was staring at the ground as if deep in thought, and I wondered if she too was thinking about the dangerous nature of the species. I hoped she was. Bijarki couldn’t be trusted.

“I’m going for a walk,” I stated, getting up off the floor to stretch my legs. The heat was bad, but I’d go crazy sitting there all day. Vita and Aida both scrambled to their feet.

“We’ll come with you,” Aida said, looking relieved to get away.

“Don’t go far,” Draven warned. “We are in uncharted territory.”

I nodded dully, already feeling drowsy as the heat beat down on my scalp. Bijarki cast a look in Vita’s direction, as if angling for an invitation. I scowled at him, and he averted his eyes.

Don’t even think about it.

When would Bijarki get the hint that I’d rather pummel him to a bloody pulp than let him get anywhere near my friend? I’d give him some credit—he certainly had thick skin and persistence. But like the incubus in the story, I doubted that his ardor would last.





Serena





We’d walked around for a short while, looking at the nothingness of the dry and desolate land, none of us really speaking. I’d tried to get Vita and Aida to open up about what the shape-shifters had called out to them, but neither of them seemed willing to share. I understood that. I imagined that my particular fears were small fry compared to both girls’. I doubted any of us really knew the full extent of what they’d seen in their visions, how horrific it had been to be up close with the Destroyers or speaking to the Oracle.

What worried me most was that this would be the start of a separation between the three of us, a void in our friendships that wouldn’t ever fully recover. We’d always been so close, and had shared most things. Would that be lost now? Would the experience of Eritopia create an unfixable separation? I hoped not. The tough situations we were facing, at least in my mind, should have been bringing us closer together, not further apart. It was the same with my brother—he had always been a bit aloof, never letting me in on what he got up to in Hawaii, but other than that we’d been close. We’d shared a lot and helped one another as much as we could at home—small things, like homework, household chores, etc., but that stuff had mattered, and we had a sibling bond that was pretty solid by ordinary standards.

Once the novelty of walking had worn off, all three of us made our way back to the rock, desperate for more water. The sky had started to darken to the west, and I imagined it would be nightfall before long. I’d heard how cold deserts could get in the evening, and I wondered if this would be the case here.

When we returned, Draven had lit a fire—it seemed to appear from the core of the earth, as there were no branches or any kind of wood that could have created it. But the flame was strong, heat radiating off it, and smoke billowing up into the air.

“Is this the same flame that’s in the basement?” I asked curiously. It might have been nice to take a look at The Shade for a while. Even if it was painful, I’d have loved to see my parents’ faces just for a few moments, to reassure myself they were okay.

“No,” Draven replied. “It’s just a flame. Nothing can be seen. I’m sorry.”

He had guessed my intentions, and his gaze met mine with pity in his eyes. I shrugged, pretending it didn’t matter, and sat back against the rock.

Watching the fire, I started to grow drowsy. Draven had come to sit next to me, heat radiating off his body and warming me further. A breeze had picked up, and it lightly ruffled his hair, brushing it against his jawline. He seemed content to sit and watch the flames in silence, but when I looked down at his forearms I could see that his muscles seemed to be taut—as if he was coiled to spring into action at a moment’s notice. Perhaps not as relaxed as I’d assumed, then.