A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)

Blaze had made it back from Mount Zur just in time, using one of the flying horses that my sister kept in the stables downstairs rather than flying back in dragon form. After the war, the species had dwindled, so Serena had gotten involved in a complex conservation effort that had helped replenish the flying horse population to the point where the creatures could be used by most households on Calliope.

The fire dragon chose a seat near us, flanked by Caia on one side and Heron on the other. Patrik, Serena, Jax, and Hansa were farther to our right and closer to the head of the table, accompanied by Jovi, Anjani, Vita, and Bijarki. The newlyweds looked exhausted, hogging large coffee mugs and frequently moving their heads around to relieve some of the tension in their necks. Judging by the love pouring out of them, Jovi and Anjani had consummated their wedding night and then some, but didn’t get that lazy breakfast in bed that they’d probably planned for, given Rewa’s arrival.

The Exiled Mara sat at the other end of the table, flanked by Jax’s wards on both sides. She didn’t seem very comfortable, but, then again, she was surrounded by Maras who would gladly cut off her head if she made the wrong move. Her people had certainly left their mark on Eritopia.

Incubus servants brought out pitchers of water, hot coffee, and fresh blood, along with a selection of pastries and fresh fruit for the non-vampires in our ranks.

“I hope you don’t mind. I know we don’t normally serve food during our meetings.” Serena smiled. “I figured we could all use a little pick-me-up, given the intensity of the last twelve hours and everyone’s tired faces. Mine included!”

She was right. We all looked like hell in the aftermath of a wedding party loaded with spiced rosewater and little to no sleep. I rubbed my eyes and took out the report we’d compiled in the Druid Archives last night, ready to pass it along to Derek and Field when needed.

“Rewa.” Derek began the conversation. “Before we can determine our next course of action, you need to tell us more about Neraka and your people, as well as the circumstances of these disappearances and efforts to find those gone missing.”

Rewa nodded, then straightened her back, placing her hands on the table.

“Neraka is slightly smaller than Calliope in circumference,” she said, “and it orbits three stars. We call them suns but, technically speaking, the largest of them is the center of our galaxy, and the other two stars are large, bright, and close enough that we stopped making the distinction. Our planet has three moons, which are small satellites with rich crystal deposits that give off different colored hues at night. The weather is good and gentle in the summer, but cold and unforgiving in the winter. There are mountains and valleys, stony ridges and dark gorges, many rivers and lakes, deep forests, and active volcanoes. It is a world like many others, inhabited by Imen, creatures who look like you and me but live shorter lives, raise animals, inhabit small villages, and hunt and gather for sustenance.”

“Were the Imen happy to see you, when you first made it to Neraka?” Jax lifted an eyebrow, clearly ready to take her on another round of questioning. Hansa sat next to him, quietly watching the exchange.

“No, milord.” Rewa sighed. “I would be lying if I said they were. It was hard in the beginning, from what my parents told me. Many years of fighting and territorial squabbles passed before our people could finally settle in peace. The Imen did not like the mountains much, mainly because of how rough the winters got around them, so that’s where we built our cities. We evolved; we adapted.”

“Did you feed off the Imen?” Sofia asked.

“I did not, ma’am,” she replied. “But my forefathers did, over the course of a few decades. They didn’t kill many, but still, the Imen did not like it. Frankly, after what my people had been through already over such selfishness and greed, they’d gotten tired of it, too. There were no swamp witches to save us the second time around, so we had to find a way to make peace with the locals. In the end, my people swore off the Imen blood, and turned to animals for sustenance. I’ve never had the blood of an Iman, and nor has anyone else in my generation.”

“What about the rule of law?” Jax took a sip from his cup of blood, his eyes fixed on the Exiled Mara.

“Very strict, milord. Those who hurt Imen, who feed on them against their will, are immediately imprisoned. Those who kill Imen are executed on the spot. It is part of our peace treaty with the Imen. We cannot tolerate violent creatures in our midst. We cannot control them, either, but we can at least make an example out of them.”

“And the disappearances?” Draven leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table.

“The first of our people vanished two years, three months, and five days ago.” Rewa sighed. “At first, we thought they’d just run off to start new lives somewhere, but then children started disappearing as well. Our city is less than a mile away from a cluster of dark gorges where people have gone missing before, but never so many over such a short period of time. Nevertheless, we thought they might hold the answer to our questions. The scouts we sent to check never returned, either. One by one, our people vanished. It got to the point where the notion of a foreign and hostile entity lurking in the darkness began circulating. It’s truly a mystery, and I don’t know what else to tell you about it.”

“Were any bodies recovered?” Jax asked.

“None whatsoever, milord.” Rewa shook her head. “We asked the families of the missing for details of the last time they’d been seen, but nothing concrete came up. Whether they left the city on their own or were abducted from their homes remains unknown. The last Exiled Mara to disappear was Sienna, the daughter of Rowan Roho. House Roho is one of the five Houses in charge of my city, Azure Heights. The disappearances do not discriminate. The rich and poor are taken alike. But Sienna was my best friend…”

The Exiled Mara choked up, tears brimming in her eyes.

“We grew up together. I’m the firstborn of my House, and so is… so was Sienna,” she added, her voice trembling. “We were going to inherit Azure Heights. We live good lives there, milord, you have to believe me. We’re peaceful and happy. We love our culture and fashion. We throw season balls and celebrate the little pleasures of life as best as we can… It’s not fair for our species to dwindle like this, when we’ve done nothing to deserve it. We live full lives, and some of the Imen have even chosen to live among us because of our prosperity and our beautiful customs. None of the Maras who have gone missing did anything wrong. Especially the children—they wouldn’t hurt a fly!”