father and Kalon have been more preoccupied with the Darklings. I didn’t really get involved… until last night, when it got personal.”
Three-level houses rose on both sides, with elegant stone steps and forged-iron gates, small garden patches and shuttered windows. It was a nice area, a good place to live—close to the marketplace and just an hour’s walk to the palace. I knew some of the palace servants had homes in these parts of the city.
“And you think the neighbors will be willing to talk about the Darklings now?” I asked. “What would have changed to make them want to cooperate after twenty years?”
She looked at me and smiled, making my heart beat faster than usual. “I’m hoping you might be able to get through to them. After all, you got my father to listen. That was no easy feat.”
“You give me too much credit.” I chuckled. “But I will definitely try. What of the sanctuary itself? What is it like?”
“You’ll see for yourself in a bit,” she said as we turned the corner.
Another street lay ahead, with dark blue facades and white window frames. The roofs were sloped and charcoal gray, and small red and white flowers hung from the sills. On the left, about fifty yards from our position, a light gray building stood out like a sore thumb, with four levels and black, shuttered windows. A wooden sign hung outside, above the main double-door entrance. I didn’t recognize the name scrawled in red paint.
“Is that it?” I asked, staring at the building as we got closer.
“Mm-hm. It used to be an orphanage—until Kalon raided it. The Darklings had taken over the basement, using the poor Rimian and Nalorean children as spies,” Valaine explained. “Kalon and Trev worked together on this, luring some of the children away and promising them safety. It worked, and they gave the Darklings away. By the time the golden guards got here, however, most of them were gone, and the ones who stayed chose not to go down without a fight. None survived.”
“And the children?”
“They were relocated to the northern side of the city. I think some of them moved away afterward.” Valaine sighed. “I suppose living under Darkling oppression must’ve traumatized them.”
Something moved to our left as we stopped to look at the building. A shadow vanished between the neighboring houses, and my pulse raced for a few long seconds. I didn’t like it. My skin tingled, reacting to a microscopic change in the atmosphere. A sense of danger settled deep within my bones, and I wondered where the golden guards were. I couldn’t see them, not even a head peeking from behind a corner.
“All right. Let’s see what the neighbors can tell us,” Valaine said. She walked up to the house on the right side of the former orphanage and knocked on the door.
About a minute later, an elderly Rimian woman came out, eyeing us suspiciously. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice coarse and heavy. Wrinkles drew deep lines down her tanned face. Her eyes were vivacious, though, as if untamed by the years that had passed, still bright and brown and filled with questions.
“Good day,” Valaine replied. “I’m Lady Crimson, and this is my colleague, Mr. Vaughn.”
“Tristan, please,” I said, offering a curt bow.
The old lady scowled at me. “Why are you masked? Are you hiding something?”
“No, no! I’m just sensitive to the sun,” I replied.
“Pfft. That’s new,” she grumbled. “You young Aeternae are all weird as hell! With your spiced bloods and deadly fights and now light sensitivity. I mean, I’ve never heard of that one before.”
Valaine smiled, giving me a brief sideways glance. “I was wondering if you could tell us more about the orphanage. Were you here when it was still operating?”
“I was. And I’ll tell you what I told your friend, Lord Visentis, when he came around and raided the place. I didn’t see anything,” the old Rimian replied.
“So you know me,” Valaine concluded.
“I know of you, Lady Crimson. And let me tell you, you’re not scarin’ me into tellin’ you anything!” she retorted, her slim brows furrowed and her chin up and defiant.
“You need not be afraid of us,” I said.
“Who said I’m afraid?!” She shot me a deadly stare. “I just told you I’m not easily scared!”
“Well, I can understand why you’d be afraid, especially given your condition. Old age must be truly a scary time,” I replied, matter-of-factly. Her heart was thudding, her pulse drumming in my ears. I knew she was