But she shook her head. “Normally, I would poke my nose. These are Darklings, though. I may be old, but I ain’t done living yet.”
I glanced at Valaine. “Do you think we should go in? It’s still daylight, and we’re not alone.”
“We should definitely go in,” Valaine replied, and got up. She gave Katlin a warm smile. “Thank you for sharing this information with us, and thank you for the tea,” she added, setting her empty cup and saucer on the coffee table.
“Just be careful,” Katlin said. “That house might be empty now, but you never know.”
“I’m curious, why did it stay empty? It’s been twenty years,” I asked.
Valaine shrugged. “I don’t know. But you’re right. It became property of the Visio Council when Kalon seized it. They would’ve sold it, normally.”
We left Katlin’s house, and I pulled my mask back on. Stopping at the bottom of the steps, I turned around and bowed politely. “Thank you for your hospitality,” I said to the old Rimian woman.
She didn’t say anything, but her eyes glimmered with kindness, blinking slowly as she stepped back and closed the door to her house. Valaine and I were on our own again, and the sun was heating everything up as it peaked at midday.
“I’m sorry I went ahead and told her about the attack,” I said to Valaine. “I thought it would help get her out of that shell.”
“It worked,” Valaine replied. “Your methods may irk me, but you get results. Given what happened last night, I’ll take results over secrecy any time.”
“How are you feeling?” I asked as we walked over to the orphanage building. From the outside, it looked empty, darkness reigning inside.
Reaching the double doors, she looked at me, a haunted look imprinted on her pale, beautiful face. “I haven’t slept. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder. They know me well enough to actually have a shot at killing me, and the thought scares me,” she admitted. “But I lived to see another day, so perhaps the universe isn’t ready to let me go just yet. I’m just eager to understand why they want to kill me.”
“This is as close to the Darklings as we can get, given the little we know about them,” I said. “Maybe we’ll find some answers inside. Or, at the very least, a better lead.”
Valaine tried the doorknobs, but they wouldn’t turn. “It’s locked.”
“We could break the door open,” I replied. “However, if we want them to come back tonight so we can catch them in the act, some discretion would be advised.”
I fumbled through my jacket pockets for my lockpicking tools—lockpicking was a trick I’d picked up while traveling through Purgaris in search of an ancient, stolen Druid artifact with my sister. I found myself utterly useless, as Valaine had already removed one of the hairpins from her tight black bun and was halfway through picking the lock.
The alley was remarkably quiet, considering the time of day.
“Where are the guards?” I asked, keeping my voice down.
Valaine looked over her shoulder, checking both ends of the street. “I don’t know, but they must be nearby. I did tell them to stay out of sight.”
The lock turned with a click, and we snuck through the doors, careful not to be seen by anyone else—though I knew Katlin was probably watching us like a hawk from behind the curtain. Inside, there was nothing but semi-darkness, dust, and dilapidated furniture. Splintered wood was scattered across the floor, and the occasional ray of sunlight cut through the blackness, slipping through the broken window shutters.
It smelled old and musky.
“What would the Darklings be doing in here?” Valaine mumbled. “If that’s who Katlin saw, anyway.”
“The black hoods, the golden masks? It had to be them.”
“Okay, so what would they meet here for, and only two at a time? It doesn’t make sense.”
Advancing through the wide reception area, I noticed all the doors around us were open, most leading into other rooms. The kitchen and dining space were at the back, accessible through a narrow hallway, and there was a bath chamber to our left. Grime and dirt and dust covered every single inch of this place.
Yet there were distinct footprints on the creaky wooden floor, apart from ours. I crouched to get a better look, and Valaine inched closer, following my gaze. “These can’t be older than a day,” I said.
“So, they were here last night or the night before,” she replied.
“Maybe it’s a safehouse, still. Are there other entrances?” I asked.
She circled the reception area several times, peeking into each room as she moved, then stopped at the base of the stairs leading to the upper floor. “Not unless they’ve got some form of access from above. I doubt it, though; it’s the tallest building on the street, and it’s not connected to the other houses.”
“The basement,” I reminded him.
“I think you’re on to something.” A male voice shot through the semi-darkness.
I jumped and quickly turned around. A shadow bolted across the room. I caught a glimpse of metal, hearing the blade whistle as it left its sheath. Footsteps tapped past me, and my side burned from the pain. He cut me!
Worst of all, he wasn’t alone. Four other attackers appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The second one came after me, while the remaining two focused on Valaine.
They were fast and vicious, their swords short and slender and sharp. I dodged their slashes as I moved backward, trying to get to the doors so I could at least let some light in. Valaine grunted, and I briefly saw her swerving to the side. I heard the sound of flesh and bone being cut. One of her opponents cried out from the searing pain, then hit the floor with a heavy thud.
My hip hurt, but I didn’t have a second left to waste, as both Darklings hurled themselves at me simultaneously, their swords up and eager to swing downward. I managed to pull a flash-bomb out of my pocket—I’d decided on carrying some of them around, just in case. I smashed it at their feet, and it burst into bright green flames, temporarily blinding the bastards.
I lunged at one of them and drove my claws through his throat. I yanked my fist back, ripping him apart. He fell to his knees, gurgling and choking on his own blood. I tore his head off with both hands, as his colleague rubbed his eyes and found me again.
Unlike the dead one, however, this one was much better accustomed to my movements. We’d fought before—likely last night. He dashed to my right and brought his sword in, nearly stabbing me. I slapped the blade away and moved back, still panting from the loss of blood. Vampire or not, my wounds could still slow me down, even if just for a moment or two, which, in circumstances such as this, could easily get me killed.
I heard Valaine gasp. She was on the floor, and her attacker was about to drive his sword through her chest.
“Valaine!” I shouted.
Armor jingled outside. Boots thundered and sharp voices got louder.
