all in, I am sure. The elves might spare some of you, but they might not. Your best bet is not to get caught.” He reached into his pocket and extracted a glass vial filled with red liquid. “Given your current state, you don’t have a chance. You are too weak, Charity, drained by your ill-functioning magic. The little puppy isn’t much better, though he is doing a miraculous job of hiding it. If you continue on in this fashion, you and your friends will be overtaken.”
“And let me guess, you are offering yourself as my savior?” Charity said dryly, the note forgotten. The only thing on her mind right now was survival, because he was absolutely right. Her reserves were nearly empty, and if she didn’t have time to rest and regain her strength, her condition would only deteriorate. “You’ll whisk me away and run me to safety?”
“That is very tempting, but impossible, I am afraid,” Vlad said, and Emery frowned, clearly surprised by his answer. Charity’s gut churned. “If the elves capture even one of you, they will crack you open like an egg and extract all the information you are trying to guard. All the information I would like you to guard. So, with deep regret, I must leave you in the hands of your watchdog and his friends. It pains me to admit they are your best bet now. Given this is partially my fault for being waylaid by…an intriguing new adversary, I have brought something to aid you.”
He pushed his hand forward, his fingertips nearly touching the ward. Somehow he knew exactly where it existed. The vial lay on his palm.
“This is a vampire’s best kept secret. I cannot tell you what it is, but I can tell you that it is your only hope. It will restore your energy and then some. It is like a drug, however, and it will not last forever. You will crash at some point, but hopefully you will find your people before that happens.”
“We’re still days away,” Emery said.
Vlad shook his head, analyzing Charity. “You don’t have days. Take the fastest route.”
“But—”
Vlad held up his other hand to silence Emery. “The elves are following you. They have not guessed your destination yet, dimwitted and uninformed about the wilds as they are. If you take the fastest route, by the time they realize their error, you will be in the Flush. I will clear the way, have no fear about that.”
“What are you, the godfather of the Realm?” Penny asked. “You can’t have everyone in your pocket.”
He laughed. “Those who don’t want trouble will find somewhere else to be. Those who are more audacious are either in my employ, or are too stupid to realize their position on the food chain. I will simply…educate them.”
“And if they are minions of the elves?” Emery asked.
Vlad’s eyes sparkled with malice. “I will kill them, as they would me.”
Charity shook her head and took a step back, her eyes on that vial. “How can I possibly believe you?”
Vlad’s hand swung in Emery’s direction. “I trust you would believe him?” He raised his eyebrows. “He has no doubt heard certain rumors, and is wondering if one of those rumors could possibly allude to what is in this vial. Let him convince you. But do not dawdle. You have precious little time before that elf will break up this camp. You had best be on your way. Oh, and one more thing…”
He bent to place the vial on the ground next to the ward and extracted a piece of paper from his pocket.
No, not a piece of paper. A picture.
Charity’s stomach flip-flopped as he held it out.
“How did you find that?” she asked, nearly charging through the ward to get it.
“What is it?” Devon asked.
Vlad placed the picture next to the vial.
“A picture of a man,” Penny said, squinting down at it.
“It’s my mom’s. Her first love,” Charity murmured, staring at her BFF in blind rage. “She never spoke of him—I think he broke her heart—but she always kept his picture. It was in the package I left for her in the little cubby in the closet. How did you even find the cubby? Did you go through that whole package?”
“I do apologize,” Vlad said, taking a step away. “When it became evident your stepfather would not be very helpful, I had to investigate further. That picture struck a particular interest for me, so I needed to borrow it to ascertain the man’s identity.”