trust you to police each other and refrain from eavesdropping.” Then he gave them a mysterious smile and turned away to head for the kitchen.
Chapter 13
Once in the kitchen, Will wasted no time, and since it was his old friend who had come to visit, he decided to use some of the special ingredients that Arrogan had tucked away in the limnthal. He summoned out fresh butter, the spice box, and choice cuts of beef and then went to check the stove to see what the temperature was like.
As usual, it needed some more fuel added and time to reach the proper heat, so he busied himself preparing the vegetables, and when he got to a place where he could think, he reactivated the limnthal and addressed the ring. “Why did she say there would be a slaughter?” he asked without preamble.
“It isn’t a certainty, but there’s a strong possibility,” answered Arrogan. “If the creature you encountered is one of the Drak’shar, and if it captured Tailtiu, well—”
Will remembered the word ‘drak’ from his studies, and he knew it was an old word for dragon. “Dragon? What does it have to do with dragons?”
“Very little, except they were first made using a twisted transformation of blood from a dragon.”
“That sounds fascinating.”
“No, it isn’t. It really, truly isn’t,” said Arrogan with genuine emphasis. “The creatures that were produced bear no hint of the noble pride that dragons are known for, nor are they truly alive.”
“They’re dead?”
“Undead. They’re what are popularly called vampires, and we thought they were gone.”
Will finished mincing the onion in front of him and began massaging it into the meat. “It makes sense. I remember seeing a spell in that necromantic tome that called for vampire blood. You should have explained them to me back then, when I asked.”
“You had more important things to worry about,” said the ring. “And I wouldn’t touch any spell involving the blood of the Drak’shar with a ten-foot pole, though there’s a potion that might be handy if you ever have the opportunity.”
“A potion?”
“Dragon’s Heart potion,” clarified the ring. “It doesn’t require a dragon’s heart, but it does need the blood of an immortal. It got the name because the wizard who invented it somehow had a supply of dragon’s blood to experiment with. Later on it was discovered that it could be made with different types of blood, so long as they came from an immortal.”
Will’s interest was piqued. “What does it do?”
“It’s no good for you. Taken by a second- or third-order wizard, the potion would be ruined, if not completely nullified. Your body wouldn’t allow it to work. It’s meant for warriors. Makes them stronger and faster than usual.”
“The same way I can make myself stronger or faster by manipulating my turyn?”
“Way past that,” answered the ring. “It’s beyond anything normally possible for a human. For a short period of time you can make a man or woman as fast and strong as one of the Drak’shar. Anyway, we’ve gotten off on a tangent.”
“I want to look that potion up later. Just in case the opportunity arises.”
“It’s in Gidding’s Apothecary, but again, we’ve digressed. The reason Aislinn said there would be a slaughter comes down to the fact that the Drak’shar aren’t meant to feed on other immortals, particularly the fae.”
“Because—?”
“If that thing really is a vampire, then Tailtiu’s blood will act like a potent narcotic and hallucinogen. Whatever self-control the creatures have will be lost and they’ll likely go into a frenzy.”
“If they’re that keen for blood, wouldn’t they already be out there killing people?”
“Only with the greatest care and discretion,” answered the ring. “We wiped them out, or we thought we had. If any of them survived until now, they did it by hiding themselves almost perfectly, without giving in to their urges. Most importantly, they won’t have been transmitting their disease.”
“Disease?”
“The first Drak’shar was created, but it was created as a disease. If they aren’t careful when feeding, then they pass it on to their victims. A newly created vampire has