A Valley of Darkness (A Shade of Vampire #52)(43)

“It’s most likely endemic to the area,” Jax replied.

“It could be from her killer.” Hansa frowned, looked at the map again, then at one of the notebooks. “If we get you some floral specimens, would you be able to match to what you picked up from Minah, Avril?”

“Absolutely.” Avril nodded, then went on with her scent tracking.

“You’ll be out and about today, anyway,” Patrik said, “to help me with the spell. Might as well take the opportunity to gather some floral samples.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Jax replied, then glanced at each of us. “Everyone clear on that?”

“Yeah, we’ll collect whatever flowers we find.” Fiona nodded. “I’ll bet some of the private, higher-level gardens have plenty of specimens…”

“Don’t tell me you want to peek through the Rohos’ garden.” Heron smirked. “I’m sure there are better ways to bump into Vincent.”

I noticed Fiona’s glare. Hansa’s, on the other hand, made even my blood freeze, while Avril and Jax both rolled their eyes. Had the situation not been so dark and dire, I probably would’ve laughed.

“There’s a time and a place,” Hansa replied bluntly.

“Guys.” Harper’s voice made us turn our heads. She was scanning Minah’s upper body, her glimmering eyes settled on her chest. “I think I found cause of death…”

Jax immediately moved from the table and joined her.

“I think she died of an embolism,” Harper continued. “There’s a massive blood clot near her heart. I can see a puncture wound on her side, by the fifth rib.”

“Patrik, can we touch her through the preservation spell?” Jax asked.

“Yes, you can. The spell resonates through me, so I know if someone’s touching her, but it’s not you I’m worried about being near her in the first place,” Patrik replied, stuffing powders and herbs into small leather bags.

Jax nodded, then put his hand through the protective casing. Its surface shimmered at his touch. He lifted Minah’s arm, to get a better look at her torso, removing part of the bandages. I saw both Jax and Harper’s expressions change, their eyes widening and lips slowly parting.

“Puncture wound, huh?” Hansa deducted, resting her hands on the map.

“Yeah, it’s small, but visible,” Jax replied. “Air was inserted into an artery. It caused a blood clot that led to a heart attack, I presume…”

“Yes, the heart muscle is damaged. This was quick, overnight… I can see residual traces.” Harper squinted.

“What about fingerprints?” Jax asked Harper. She shook her head.

“Nothing. They must’ve had gloves on.”

Jax then put her arm back down and stepped away, rejoining Hansa by the table.

“So, she was… discretely injected with air,” Harper concluded. “Her body couldn’t deal with a blood clot, not after everything she’d been through. She was still recovering, after all. The impact was swift, the heart attack fatal. She died in her sleep.”

“Whoever did this had some knowledge of the Imen’s anatomy.” Jax exhaled sharply. “Therefore, despite their claims, the nurses are still suspects.”

Patrik cursed under his breath, dropping one of the leather satchels to the floor, its contents scattering at his feet. He dropped to his knees to collect the powders and herbs, stuffing them back inside the bag. He was angry and frustrated—it was written all over his face.

“Patrik, don’t beat yourself up over this,” Jax said, his eyes fixed on the Druid. “You didn’t stand a chance last night. Mind-bending can be a powerful weapon, even against the most capable Druid. They caught you in a vulnerable moment.”

“It doesn’t make me feel any better,” Patrik muttered, tying the strings around the satchel and placing it next to the other three he’d prepared.

“Okay, we need an action plan now.” Hansa took a deep breath. “Patrik needs help setting up the protection spell for the city. Provided it works, we might just save some lives tonight.”

“These need to go into four walls at the base of the mountain.” Patrik brought the satchels over to the table, while we all gathered around the map. “One for each direction. North, south, east, and west.”

He then took out a tin jar, took the lid off, and showed us the contents—a thick, dark red liquid with traces of purple herbs and black crystals.

“This needs to be used to paint these,” he said, placing the jar on the table next to a sheet of brown paper, scribbled with swamp witch symbols, “on specific walls all over the mountain.”

“How specific?” Harper asked, her gaze settled on the peculiar paint and symbols.

“Ten walls facing the north, ten facing the south, and so on,” Patrik replied. “They need to be relatively scattered across the mountain levels. They’ll need room to ‘breathe’ once the spell is armed, because they’ll be drawing energy from the living creatures around it to fuel the shield.”

“Living creatures… As in Imen and Exiled Maras?” Hansa asked, and Patrik nodded. “Won’t they be able to tell?”

“Not really,” Patrik replied. “They might feel a little more tired than usual, but that’s why I want the symbols scattered throughout the city. It’s inconspicuous. Besides, this is a special paint, a proprietary blend. It becomes invisible to the common eye as soon as it dries. The more discreet we are about it, the better.”