A Shade of Vampire 79 A Game of Death - Bella Forrest Page 0,29
have no involvement. They’re evil and dangerous. They kill people without so much as a blink. One night, they beheaded a new recruit right outside the orphanage, for everyone to see. The guy who did it said the recruit was a spy from the gold guards. Wanted to show us all what happened to those who tried to go against them.”
“The orphanage is abandoned now, isn’t it?” I asked.
She thought about it for a moment, watching me intently. “I don’t think so.”
My blood ran cold. Briefly glancing at Valaine, I could see that she was equally disturbed. She leaned forward, her gaze fixed on the Rimian woman. “You saw Darklings in there?”
“I’m not sure what I saw. It could’ve just been squatters,” Katlin replied, her hands shaking in her lap, a little more than before and enough to prove that she was genuinely fearful.
“Please, Katlin. Whatever detail you remember… it’s important,” Valaine said.
“Why, though? It was twenty years ago. There hasn’t been any word of the Darklings since!” The old Rimian sighed, lowering her head.
“We had issues with them last night,” I interjected, drawing Valaine’s ire.
“Tristan!”
“Whoa… They’re back?!” Katlin murmured, her reddish brown eyes wide.
“It’s confidential, for now. We’re trusting you with important information here,” I said. “So, please… What have you seen recently?”
Katlin looked at the shuttered window for a long moment, then back at us. I kept my eyes on her, knowing I’d made Valaine angry over the disclosure of last night’s attack. But I had a feeling it would work out in our favor. The old Rimian woman was surly and secretive, but she was also lonely. There was no sign of her husband still being alive, and she clearly enjoyed our company. Giving her the sense of helping us, of helping save innocent lives from the Darklings, seemed like a good angle.
“They go in there in pairs, never alone,” Katlin finally said. “Long black hoods. Golden masks. Always after dark, close to midnight, when most of the residents here are asleep. I’m more of a nocturnal creature myself, so I hear them, every other day. Their footsteps… their whispers… the squeaking of old doors inside. I don’t know what they do in there, but they never stay for more than a few hours.”
“You’ve never gone inside during the day?” I asked, half-smiling. She struck me as the annoyingly curious type.
But she shook her head. “Normally, I would poke my nose. These are Darklings, though. I may be old, but I ain’t done living yet.”
I glanced at Valaine. “Do you think we should go in? It’s still daylight, and we’re not alone.”
“We should definitely go in,” Valaine replied, and got up. She gave Katlin a warm smile. “Thank you for sharing this information with us, and thank you for the tea,” she added, setting her empty cup and saucer on the coffee table.
“Just be careful,” Katlin said. “That house might be empty now, but you never know.”
“I’m curious, why did it stay empty? It’s been twenty years,” I asked.
Valaine shrugged. “I don’t know. But you’re right. It became property of the Visio Council when Kalon seized it. They would’ve sold it, normally.”
We left Katlin’s house, and I pulled my mask back on. Stopping at the bottom of the steps, I turned around and bowed politely. “Thank you for your hospitality,” I said to the old Rimian woman.
She didn’t say anything, but her eyes glimmered with kindness, blinking slowly as she stepped back and closed the door to her house. Valaine and I were on our own again, and the sun was heating everything up as it peaked at midday.
“I’m sorry I went ahead and told her about the attack,” I said to Valaine. “I thought it would help get her out of that shell.”
“It worked,” Valaine replied. “Your methods may irk me, but you get results. Given what happened last night, I’ll take results over secrecy any time.”
“How are you feeling?” I asked as we walked over to the orphanage building. From the outside, it looked empty, darkness reigning inside.
Reaching the double doors, she looked at me, a haunted look imprinted on her pale, beautiful face. “I haven’t slept. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder. They know me well enough to actually have a shot at killing me, and the thought scares me,” she admitted. “But I lived to see another day, so perhaps the universe isn’t ready to let me go just yet. I’m just eager to understand why they want to kill me.”