A Den of Tricks (A Shade of Vampire #54)(17)

I slowly raised my hands to stop the conversation from going any further. We needed to brief Hansa, Patrik, and Jax as soon as possible. These findings could have an impact on our strategy going forward. And we also needed to get some sleep.

“Listen, let’s go back to the infirmary and brief the others on all this,” I said, gripping the back of my neck with one hand to relieve some of the tension. My muscles felt as though they were carved from stone. “The sooner we do this, the quicker we can get some shut-eye. I’m feeling broken, and will come apart if I don’t get some Z’s…”

“Harper’s right.” Heron nodded, then patted Blaze on the shoulder. “We’ll leave you two to finish the whole protection spell mojo, and see you downstairs in a bit.”

I walked past Caspian, my hand brushing against his.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said slowly, and I looked over my shoulder, nearly melting when his eyes found mine. That warmth was so strange and unfamiliar, yet so wonderful, it nearly eclipsed the horror of everything that had happened up to this point.

“See you,” I mumbled, not sure what else to say. He baffled me.

We headed back to the infirmary, where Jax, Hansa, and Patrik were going over the gorge map. Avril and Heron briefed them on their findings from the mansions’ ruins, and I broke the news about the Maras’ craftsman:

“Master Dresdel was killed and his workshop ransacked. They looted his ephelis reserve. So, at least the source of the explosives used is confirmed. The weird part is that Master Dresdel got his head cut off sometime between twelve and twenty hours ago.”

Jax, Hansa, and Patrik gave each other a round of confused looks.

“Wait, that doesn’t make sense.” Hansa frowned. “It doesn’t fit our timeline.”

“Yup,” I replied. “It means they were already planning and preparing the attack, long before we got back from the gorges.”

“So it wasn’t retaliation,” Jax concluded.

“Not for what we did earlier.” I shrugged. “Maybe for the ass-kicking they got the night before when they broke into the prison, I’m thinking…”

“Either way, that was vicious. It also confirms our earlier suspicions,” Hansa said. “The daemons definitely know this city and its operations inside out. They knew how to infiltrate the Lords’ mansions without anyone noticing an explosive device. They knew about Master Dresdel’s ephelis reserve. I can’t help but wonder what else they know…”

“I need some sleep before I can try to answer that question,” I muttered, leaning against the window frame. My muscles were starting to liquefy, and my neck was quite stiff. Normally my stamina covered two to three days with no sleep, easily, but after the constant fighting since the night Fiona was taken, I needed a breather.

Caia and Blaze returned shortly afterward, followed by Fiona, who briefed us on Arrah and the successful extraction of her brother, Demios. Finally, a small win for our side…

“She promised she’ll find me by tomorrow night.” Fiona completed her account of Demios’s rescue and return to his sister. “Once he’s safe and hidden, Arrah will be able to talk to us. She feared her brother might have been mind-bent into spying on his own people, if released from prison, from what I understood.”

“Whoa, that’s some serious conspiracy stuff,” I exclaimed, finding it hard to imagine such a scenario after I’d seen Mara bodies being carried out of the rubble upstairs.

“We won’t know for sure until she speaks up,” Patrik said. “In the meantime, let’s set up a proper spell to protect this city. Caia, Blaze, all done on your end, right?”

“Absolutely,” Caia replied with a smirk. “We repainted the symbols around the Lords’ mansions, too. But we used trees this time, just to be sure.”

“Thank you both,” the Druid replied, and moved to the area in the middle of the room that had the spell paraphernalia and drawings prepared. He chanted the spell in a low voice and clapped his hands once, releasing an energy pulse. Golden light burst out of his body and spread out, disappearing beyond the walls of the infirmary. “I used samples from the daemon and the pit wolf collars to specify the threat that the spell needs to keep out.”

We all stood there, quiet for a while, enjoying the silence.

Jax then opened the door, calling out to the Correction Officers stationed outside:

“You there! Tell Lord Kifo that the protection spell is in place to cover the prison, too. However, you should have officers on the second and third floors for the rest of the night.” He then shifted his focus back to us, running a hand through his short black hair. “I’ll need all of us to get some sleep through what’s left of the night. We’re all pretty drained, judging by Harper’s face.”

His smirk made me straighten my back and cross my arms over my chest, exuding faux offence.

“Hah, speak for yourself,” I quipped.

“We have a route set up for the gorges tomorrow, but I trust Lord Kifo will be able to offer some valuable input after the funerals,” Jax continued. “We’ll meet back here at eight, as the procession starts at nine, from what Emilian told us. It’ll give us an hour to hash out details, let the Druid dispose of the daemon corpse, and prepare for what comes next.”