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

“I don’t know how we can do that.” Hera shuddered. “I’m mad… I am so angry right now… I feel so helpless.”

“And the Maras… They seem to know everything,” Cynara added. “I don’t think we can pretend.”

“What if I mind-bend you into forgetting we were ever here tonight?” Heron offered, and both Fiona and I frowned at him.

“Have they not been through enough of that?” Fiona replied.

“Well, it’s the only way for them to pass as mind-bent.” Heron shrugged. “As Maras, we are capable of detecting changes in a creature’s behavior, and right now, I can tell you that both Hera’s and Cynara’s heartrates have increased. They cannot lie to me, and they certainly won’t be able to lie to the others. If I clear their memories of this meeting altogether, they will have nothing to lie about.”

“He’s right,” Hera said, though she clearly disliked the prospect of another memory wipe. “Especially since we’ve told you about the archives. We cannot risk it. Do it.”

“Look for old Iman Lemuel,” Cynara added. “He lives on the third level; he has a small bookstore on the ground floor of his house. He’s well known to the people there, so you won’t have trouble finding his place. We know he has some ancient texts hidden somewhere in there.”

“But try visiting him in the morning, as he’s usually out during the day, and leaves his niece in charge of the library. I don’t think she knows about the archives,” Hera replied. “He likes to paint, and is always out and about, looking for the perfect landscape…”

“Thank you both.” Heron gave them a warm smile, then stepped forward, and I could see his eyes flickering gold as he mind-bent them. “You won’t remember us coming here. You won’t remember talking to us, nor will you remember the fact that you know you’re being mind-bent. My friends and I will walk out of here, and, shortly afterward, you will forget this meeting ever happened.”

The sisters nodded slowly, their pupils dilating and their expressions attaining an eerie kind of serenity, as Heron motioned for us to leave. We reached the corridor and closed the door behind us.

“I really hope they don’t get into any trouble because of us,” I murmured as we went down the stairs and left the inn behind.

“Chances are slim to none,” Heron replied. “They won’t remember anything, so there’s nothing for them to be aware or afraid of. They’ll be okay.”

Fiona stepped in front of us, bringing Heron and me to a halt.

“Let’s be smart about this,” she said, pursing her lips. “Let’s get to Lemuel’s bookstore first. Avril, you can pick up his scent from there, then take Heron with you and track the old Iman to wherever he is. There’s no point in waiting until morning.”

“I agree.” I nodded. “Time is of the essence here.”

“Besides, that way we handle Lemuel, and you get to do your fancy dinner with Vincent.” Heron grinned, and I playfully smacked him on the shoulder.

My reaction made him chuckle, and Fiona gave us a half-smile in return. She wasn’t in the best of moods, but, given everything that had happened, I wasn’t sure what to blame it on.

“You okay, Fi?” I asked softly.

“Yes, mostly,” she said. “I’m just getting more worried about the whole mind-bending thing. We’ve been so busy with the daemons and then the explosion that we haven’t had much time to properly look into this. I guess Heron and Jax were right that we can’t fully trust the Exiled Maras.”

“Honestly, I wish I was wrong,” Heron muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the inn. Lights were flickering in the windows as the evening set in, casting shades of purple and violet across the sky. “I wish they were all innocent and all we had to worry about was daemons, but… turns out we’re not that lucky.”

Indeed, we weren’t lucky at all. We’d already suspected that there was something off about the relationship between the Exiled Maras and the Imen, but only now were we finally beginning to peel away the layers of secrets over this picture-perfect city.

It wasn’t perfect at all. Imen’s minds had been repeatedly erased. Memories had been replaced with false knowledge. There was something terribly off in this city, far beyond the daemons’ recent targeting of its people.

And we were going to get to the bottom of it, one way or another.





Harper





(Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)





We raced across the plains, our indigo horses ridiculously swift, as always. The tall grass and cloudy skies allowed us to blend in a little better as we passed through small bundles of trees to avoid making a straight, clear line.

The idea was that daemons could be watching from the gorges, and they could potentially see us coming in. If we made the most of our surroundings and the trees nearby, we could avoid detection. We reached a cluster of rocks just five hundred yards away from the stream leading into the Valley of Screams, and Jax urged us to stop.

We pulled our horses into the shade as the sun set behind the limestone giants ahead, turning the sky purple with streaks of white clouds gathering. The air felt more humid than usual, signaling potential rain.

“If it rains, it’ll work in our favor,” Jax said as he pulled out the map, spreading it against the vertical wall of one of the rocks. “It’ll wash over our tracks, making it harder for daemons to track us.”

I looked around, using my True Sight to detect any enemy activity, but all I could see were wild animals grazing through green patches in the nearby gorges. Jax analyzed the map carefully as we gathered around him.

“What are you thinking?” Hansa asked, squinting at the sinuous lines of each ravine.

“I don’t think it’s wise if we take one of the central routes through the gorges this time,” Jax replied, pointing at the stream line. “We’re doing recon and don’t want to be detected at all, so I was thinking we could try one of the less traveled paths. What are your thoughts, Caspian?”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Caspian replied from my side, then placed his index finger on a gorge closer to the ocean side, about one mile to the south from our position. “This could be a good entry point. It’s somewhat secluded, and narrow enough for us to make good use of crevices to hide in, in case daemons come along. We could set a trap here, three hundred yards away from the pond. The area is dense with trees, and there’s a clearing in this spot that could help with laying the trap.”

I looked up at him, quietly fascinated by his profile—the blade of his nose and deep-set jade eyes creating an extremely attractive ensemble with his lips and slightly sharp chin. He gave me a brief sideways glance and caught me staring. I immediately shifted my focus to the map, holding my breath. I knew his eyes were still on me.

“That sounds like a good plan.” Jax nodded, then rolled the map up and stuffed it into his backpack.