A Den of Tricks (A Shade of Vampire #54)(12)

I couldn’t reveal myself, but I needed to talk to him.

Here goes nothing…

“Please don’t be alarmed,” I said slowly.

The Iman’s head shot up, then turned left and right, his eyes wide as the color drained from his face.

“I’m right here,” I whispered, stepping forward. “You can’t see me because I’m cloaked.”

“Da… da… daemon…” He was horrified, slowly slipping to the back of his cage. His mouth opened as he prepared to scream from the bottom of his lungs.

Of course he thinks I’m a daemon. I’m freakin’ invisible!

“No, no, no, I’m not a daemon! Please, please be quiet,” I breathed, my voice trembling. “I’m here because I need to find my friend. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I would’ve already, if I wanted to.”

He breathed heavily, almost hyperventilating, as he processed my words. He exhaled deeply, his shoulders dropping as he concluded that, indeed, I wasn’t going to hurt him. He was definitely more alert than the others, but still physically weakened.

“What… What do you want?” he mumbled, pulling his knees up to his chest, his cuffs jingling with each movement. “Who are you? How do I know you’re not a daemon, just playing with my head?”

That last one was a stretch. Even he probably knew it, given how his voice pitched higher toward the end of the question.

“I’m definitely not a daemon because if I were, I’d literally be draining the life out of you, and you probably know that, after last night.” I groaned, rolling my eyes. He couldn’t see me, though, which was a shame. It would’ve made my statement a lot more dramatic. “I’m Fiona, and I’m using the same cloaking spell that the daemons are using.”

“How… How did you get it?” He blinked several times, visibly dazed.

“That’s a long story. What’s your name?”

“Merin,” he replied, not sure where to look, since he could see right through me.

“Merin, why are you in prison?” I asked, trying to get the ball rolling, as I noticed him slowly loosening up.

“I… I stole gold from a Mara lady,” he sighed, guilt drawing shadows on his pale face. He wrapped his arms around his calves, pulling his legs closer to his chest. “I don’t know how long I’ll be here… A few months, maybe a year… If I live that long.”

“Why wouldn’t you live through it? Are they hurting you in here?”

His bitter chuckle made me rethink my question. He looked terrible, obviously not the recipient of any five-star treatment.

This is prison, Fiona. And it’s not your world. Focus!

I would’ve made a fantastic human rights campaigner, had I not been born and raised in The Shade.

“Did you not see those creatures trying to kill us last night?” he muttered, resting his forehead on his knees. “Not that I could see them, per se… but I could hear them. The others screaming and crying out in agony… They didn’t reach my cage, but the others behind you… they didn’t stand a chance…”

I glanced over my shoulder and saw the empty cages—six of them, to be precise, the iron bars bent, the locks broken, and the shackles discarded in a corner.

“What happened to the bodies?” I asked.

“The Correction Officers took them away, I guess… I don’t know, I’m mostly sleeping these days…”

“Merin, I don’t think the daemons will come back,” I told him. “We’ve sealed the tunnels, and we put a protection spell over the city. Hopefully last night was the last time you will see them.”

He shrugged, then let a sigh roll out of his chest. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, though he deserved to be in here. You’re supposed to pay for your crimes, after all.

“Hopefully,” he echoed.

“How did you know about the daemons? How did you know they’re called daemons?” I asked.

“They’ve been… part of our folklore for ages,” he murmured, staring blankly ahead. His tone felt a bit automated. “They’re evil and big, with red eyes and long claws… and they eat your soul.”

“Was last night the first time you saw them, so to speak?”

Merin blanked out for a moment, as if looking for the memory. He shook his head.

“I… I think so. I’d remember it. Right?”

“Why are you asking me? Were you mind-bent?” I replied.

“Would I know if I was mind-bent?” The corner of his mouth twitched. Yeah, he was definitely mind-bent, and I wasn’t going to get much out of him regarding the prison.

“That makes sense… sort of,” I muttered. “Listen, Merin, I need your help. If you can, that is. I’m looking for my friend Demios. Arrah’s brother? He worked in the Roho mansion. Do you, by any chance, know him?”

“Mm-hm…” He nodded slowly. “Most of the Imen my age know Demios. He used to be such a rascal when we were kids. One time, he almost burned down the White Star Hotel by accident, and we—”

“Merin, I’m in a bit of a rush here,” I interrupted him. On any other occasion, I probably would’ve endured one or two childhood memories, but my clock was ticking. I was maybe fifteen minutes away from needing a refill on my invisibility spell, and I had to be in Demios’s presence when that happened, so he could see me. “Do you know where they’re keeping him?”