told me we had another three minutes before the press conference was due to be held. I muted it until the mayor came on.
“How did you sleep?” I asked.
Angel leaned back against the headboard. She was wearing a sleep shirt and a pair of pajama shorts, pale pink against her rich brown skin. “Okay, I guess. The storm was hard to ignore but when I did fall asleep, I slept deep.”
“I wish I had. I’m still groggier than a tranked elephant. Which is why I’m so grateful you brought the caffeine.” As I sipped the ice-cold latte, the announcement flashed on the station that the mayor would be speaking. I raised the volume.
A moment later, Mayor Neskan appeared on the screen. She was wearing a white pantsuit with a pale blue shirt beneath the blazer, and her hair was neatly pulled back into a tidy bun. She was wearing sunglasses, and looked every inch a successful, hip politician. She launched into her introduction, which we mostly ignored.
“Last night, there was an incident in Faraday Cemetery in the Worchester District. A full contingent of police officers along with members of the Wild Hunt Agency were battling a brigade of creatures called ‘vrykos.’ As reported, these are reanimated corpses. They are not—we repeat not—vampires. While most of the creatures were subdued, several vanished in a van with the license plate of B14DRC89C. That’s a white Toredoro van with a side-loading door and two doors in the back. Members of the community are urged to avoid this vehicle if you see it, and to immediately call the police.
“Meanwhile,” the mayor continued, “we must discuss a difficult situation. We have confirmation that the invasion of vrykos is spreading across the continent. We have some idea of why this is happening, but until we know for certain, we don’t want to spread unnecessary rumors. I’m joined today by Herne the Hunter from Annwn.” Her expression took on an almost dreamy look and I realized she was heavily in crush. I snickered.
“Yeah, she wants to jump his bones, that’s for sure.” I took a long swig of my drink.
“Does it bother you?” Angel asked.
“No. I trust Herne, and let’s face it, he’s a god and he’s gorgeous. If I got upset every time some girl or woman mooned over him, I’d be unhappy the rest of my life.”
Herne stepped up to the microphone. Several other members of the camera team backed away, as though they thought he might flatten them or something. He was handsome, yes. But he could also be intimidating when he chose to be.
“Lord Herne, what can you tell us about this situation?” Mayor Neskan turned to Herne.
“Just this: If you see one of the vrykos coming toward you, get the hell out of the way. They are dangerous. Their bite is as deadly as a Komodo dragon’s bite and the infection from their saliva is contagious. If you are bitten by one of these creatures, get away at all costs or you may forfeit your life. Immediately go to a hospital and tell them what happened.”
“What do the vrykos want?” the mayor asked.
Herne let out a sigh and he took the microphone from the mayor. He turned back to the cameras, his expression serious. “The vrykos themselves don’t have an objective—they are being controlled by forces beyond our ability to contain at this point. We will be working with members of the United Coalition to do our best to track down and destroy the vrykos, but we expect to miss a number of them, and the forces controlling them are probably going to continue to reanimate more of them. If you see one, run. When you are a safe distance away, phone the authorities. We need every citizen to be on their guard. I cannot stress how dangerous these creatures are. They will kill you if you get too close.”
“What about reports that someone saw a low-flying plane over Faraday Cemetery last night?” a member of the press corps asked.
Herne closed his eyes for a moment, then glanced at the mayor, who gave him a nod. “That was no plane. I will be discussing this with the United Coalition. Look for a statement within a week or so. Until then, please don’t feed into rumors. Unverified rumors and patently false information will only lead to harm. For now, please stay away from cemeteries. Keep alert. Again, if you encounter one of the vrykos, get away and alert the authorities. Thank you.”