A Shade of Vampire 80 A Veil of Dark - Bella Forrest Page 0,32

What the hell did you do?”

Ansel didn’t say a word, and that just made Kalon all the angrier, to the point where he started shaking his brother. Trev stepped in, putting a hand on Kalon’s shoulder. “I doubt he’ll talk. He needs a few minutes. Look at the boy—he’s terrified.”

“I don’t think he thought he’d be running into you, of all people, tonight,” one of the Rimians chimed in, and I was inclined to agree with him.

“We can’t stay here,” Trev warned us. “More Darklings will come soon. If you were looking to help the villagers, I doubt you’ve managed to do much with this stunt.”

“What are you doing here, then, if not the same thing?” I replied, frowning as I stood on my own two feet again, moving my weight onto my healthy leg.

“I was hunting Darklings,” Trev said, looking at Ansel, who, in turn, carefully listened to each of us. The shadow of a smile fluttered across the boy’s face. My blood ran cold.

“He knows there are more Darklings coming,” I breathed. “His team was only the first wave.”

“There have been rumors about Trev headed up here,” one of the Rimians said. “We planted said rumors, knowing we’d draw more Darklings to this tavern.”

Surprisingly enough, Jacinda and Jayan had not told us about this. I wondered if they’d heard anything and deliberately kept this from us. It didn’t really matter now. We’d found Trev, and that was what truly mattered.

“Trev is right, though. We can’t stay here,” Kalon said.

“Go through the back door and follow the grassy path into the woods,” the barkeep replied. “It’ll take you to the river. You should have more privacy there.”

Trev patted a satchel hanging from his belt. “I’ve got enough black mineral paste for the four of us.”

“You, me, Kalon, and Ansel,” I mumbled, glancing at the Rimians who’d helped take the Darklings down. “What about them?”

A second Rimian gave me a sly grin. “We’re the cleanup crew now. A mop here, a sprinkling of black mineral dust there, some Wailing Widow in our bloodstream… We’re ready to handle that second wave of Darklings, worry not.”

Confusion must’ve registered in my expression, as Trev felt compelled to explain a few things. “Wailing Widow is a poisonous herb. Thing is, it’s only poisonous to the Aeternae. For the Rimians and the Naloreans, the worst-case scenario is serious indigestion. For the Aeternae, it’s—”

“Paralysis inducing.” Kalon completed his sentence, looking as if he was seeing his friend in a whole new light. “And the black mineral dust is to throw them off our scent.”

Trev nodded. “My friends here will get rid of the bodies. I’ve set up a pretty decent crew. They’ll hold the Darklings off for as long as they can. Hopefully, whatever Scholar controls this region won’t send a friggin’ horde our way.”

We said goodbye to the Rimians and thanked the barkeep for his assistance. Leaving them behind, Trev led the way through the tavern’s back door, and I followed closely. Behind us, Kalon dragged Ansel, without bothering to restrain him. It was obvious that the boy wasn’t going to run anywhere—his brother would find him, no matter where he ran.

By the time we reached the river, Ansel’s side wound had already healed. He kneeled by the stream to wash some of the dirt and blood off, while Kalon watched him like a hawk. I pulled him a couple of yards to the side, leaving Trev to watch over Ansel.

“What the hell is going on here, Kalon?” I asked. “What is your brother doing with the Darklings?”

“I thought I made it clear that I had no idea,” Kalon replied, anger burning blue in his eyes. There were flickers of grief, too, like sapphire embers that I simply couldn’t ignore. They resonated with sharp pangs in my chest, as I almost felt his pain. “I don’t know how Ansel got into the Darkling faction. I can assure you, the Visentis dynasty is loyal to the Aeternae, but we are not fanatics.”

“I believe you,” Trev said. “Give the boy some time. He’ll talk, eventually.”

“You underestimate my loyalty,” Ansel spat.

Kalon backhanded him so fast, I actually heard myself gasp. “Your only loyalty is to your family and your empire,” he growled. “I’ll beat it into you, if needed.” Ansel’s lips trembled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but Kalon moved his focus to Trev, instead. “We’ve been searching for you.”

“I told you I’d be in touch.”

“I thought you were in hiding, not hunting Darklings in