An End of Night (A Shade of Vampire #16)(6)

“Ernesta,” the ogre muttered. “Yes. We have a vampire of that name here.”

“Where does she live?” Matteo asked.

“The vampire quarters,” Ronan replied. “But I’m not sure that she will be home at this time of night. You might want to look around the town center for her before visiting her home. She’s usually out about now.”

“Okay, thanks,” Mona said.

The ogre’s eyes remained on us as we followed Mona up a flight of stairs. Climbing up the steps, we appeared out in the open—clearly the borders of a makeshift town. Shabby buildings made of logs and bricks lined a wide dirt street. The place was lit with lanterns hanging from trees that gave off a warm glow. Various creatures milled about: mostly vampires, werewolves and ogres, and some I didn’t even recognize. Quite a few of them looked like they had survived some kind of battle. They had physical impairments—some were missing legs or arms, while others looked unstable as they walked, being supported by walking sticks.

“As I said,” Mona said quietly, eyeing a werewolf with a missing hind leg sitting several feet away beneath a tree, “this is an island of outcasts—creatures who were rejected by their own kind. This is where they find their refuge. As for Ernesta, I suspect she came here because she was on the run from the Elders.”

“Makes sense,” a voice muttered a few feet away from me—Kiev’s voice.

I continued observing this strange town as we walked further into its center. Creatures stared back at us curiously, but nobody came up to speak to us, although Mona and Matteo did wave to some of them—old friends, I guessed.

We stopped outside a large stone building with a sign above the entrance that read “The Blue Tavern”.

“This pub is a good place to start,” Mona said. “You should all wait outside while I go in to see Elizabeth.”

Since the front door to the pub was in constant use, we stepped aside so as not to be in the way. Mona reappeared moments later shaking her head. “Ernesta is not in there. Elizabeth advised to try the main square. Apparently that’s where a lot of vampires gather at this time of night.”

We left the pub and wound our way along the streets until we reached a clearing where crowds of vampires were gathered—some sitting around on wooden benches, others standing in clusters talking. Mona walked up to the nearest vampire to us, a short man with a bald head. “Is there a vampire here called Ernesta Helios?” she asked politely.

“Ernesta,” he said, turning to scan the area. “She is over there.” He pointed toward a cluster of females in the far right corner.

“Which one is she?” Mona asked.

“The tallest among them,” he said. “Short dark hair…”

With that, he turned his back on Mona and continued his conversation. As I looked over at the group he had indicated, I could already spot a vampire of that description.

“Ah yes, I see her,” Matteo said. “Ernesta,” he said in a raised voice as we approached but a few feet away from the group.

The tall woman with short dark hair turned her blue eyes on us. They widened as she spotted Matteo.

“Matteo?” she said. “What brings you here?”

He eyed the women surrounding Ernesta. “Could I have a word?”

“Uh, all right.” She looked curiously at each of us before turning to her companions. “I will see you in a bit. Where would you like to speak?” she asked Matteo.

“Your home would probably be best.”

“I doubt all of you will fit inside. You know how small it is.”

“That’s fine,” Matteo said. “We don’t all need to come inside. And hopefully, we won’t be long.”

No further words were exchanged. She led us away from the square and back along the narrow streets. She stopped outside a rickety-looking two-story cottage. Pushing open the door, she held it open for Matteo to step inside, followed by Mona—then the invisible Kiev—then my parents, grandfather, Caleb, me, Helina and Erik. The rest waited outside. Ernesta led us through the dark hallway into a small sitting room. There weren’t enough seats for all of us to sit down, so most of us remained standing.

“Well?” Ernesta said, folding her hands over her lap.

“You can remove the invisibility spell now, Mona.” Kiev spoke a few feet away.

Ernesta’s jaw dropped as Kiev appeared. “Kiev?”

The vampire took a seat between Matteo and Mona.

“What on earth are you doing here?” She looked toward the door, as if checking that it was shut. “You are considered a criminal here, you do realize that, don’t you? Do you have any idea the punishment that would befall me for abetting someone like you? I could be kicked out of this place.”

“As Matteo said, we won’t be long.” Kiev leaned forward in his seat. “We need to know where your brother is.”

“What?”

“Where is Magnus?” Kiev’s eyes blazed into hers.

“I have no idea where my brother is,” she said, exasperation in her tone.

“When was the last time you saw him?” Matteo asked.

She clasped a palm to her forehead. “My… it was many, many years ago. I can’t even remember how long it’s been. I’ve lost track. You see, my brother and I had a falling out. We parted ways due to… irreconcilable differences. “