A Shade of Vampire 80 A Veil of Dark - Bella Forrest Page 0,33
remote Rimian villages,” Kalon replied, his initial anger finally subsiding.
“Can’t I do both?” Trev said, smiling like a most mischievous little boy.
“We were worried,” I murmured. “Well, Kalon was significantly worried. He didn’t think you’d be safe out here with the Darklings searching for you.”
“My friend Kalon forgets that I have friends in the empire, hidden, waiting for a sign to stir trouble against the Darklings.” Trev chuckled. “I’ve got a few more things to do, but I will see you both soon enough.”
He turned to leave, prompting me to scoff. “What, you’re leaving already?”
“Well, we only get a bit of time by the river, here,” Trev said. “Which reminds me. Sprinkle some of this on yourselves. It’ll keep the Darklings off your tracks.”
He handed me one of his black mineral satchels. I stared at him in disbelief. “Trev. We came to find you.”
“I have a safe place you can go to, until we capture the Darkling leaders,” Kalon interjected. “You know my family has several properties on the—”
“Don’t,” Trev replied. “I told you. My work isn’t done yet, and I’ll be damned if I let the Darklings push me into a corner.”
“Have you heard anything about Zoltan?” I asked, hoping that he at least had some useful intel to share, since he clearly didn’t seem willing to stick around—let alone hide in Kalon’s lake house. “Since he escaped the palace, I mean.”
Trev shook his head. “Nothing, I’m afraid. The Darklings keep a pretty tight information network. It takes a lot of groundwork to find places like Tromb, where they get their blood slaves from. If it weren’t for our own spies, we would’ve taken a lot longer to catch the bastards tonight.”
My mind wandered back to that night in the palace dungeon, but I wasn’t sure what the questions were that I needed to ask. “Trev, when Zoltan cut me with the Reaper scythe, you were there, right?”
“I was, yes.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You don’t seem surprised by my use of the term ‘Reaper scythe.’”
“I figured that’s what you called it,” Trev said.
Why did I want to believe him so badly? And why couldn’t I? It made no sense to accuse him of lying, not after everything he’d done for us, but there were gaps in my memory that desperately needed filling.
“Have you seen weapons like that before?” I asked him. Kalon watched us both intently, but he remained silent. Ansel seemed worried. I had a feeling this kid might give us more to go on. Trev seemed just as in the dark as I was, shaking his head.
“No. Listen, I have to go. I’m meeting other Rimians up north, where another raid is expected,” he said. “I will see you back at the palace in precisely seven days, after sundown. Okay? Don’t look for me anymore. There might be Darklings following you, as well, since they’ve been unable to track me. Keep working your leads, and I’ll keep working mine. In seven days, we’ll compare notes.”
Kalon let a deep breath out, his shoulders slumping. “Be careful. Luna wouldn’t want you getting yourself killed over any of this.”
Trev smiled. “I know she wouldn’t. You two watch your backs, too, even with this little scoundrel brother of yours,” he said. “If he’s in with the Darklings, you can’t trust him.”
The three of us looked at Ansel. “Don’t worry, I’ll remind him of his true allegiance soon enough. He’ll be a Visentis again in no time,” Kalon declared, and Ansel shuddered, still kneeling by the stream.
“Treason is punishable by death,” I reminded Kalon of their own laws.
“Given Ansel’s last name, he might have a shot at clemency, if he shows remorse,” Trev said. “Anyway, let’s see what happens. Be safe.” He made his way upstream, keeping close to the rocky riverbed. I didn’t exactly agree with such selective punishment, but this wasn’t my world.
The woods were dark and thick, crowns stretching over our heads and keeping the moonlight and the stars at bay. I listened to the water gushing downhill, the nocturnal birds singing nearby, the occasional predatory growl of four-legged forest dwellers.
Kalon stayed quiet, as well, likely still reeling from his Ansel issue. When our eyes did meet, I could see his anguish. It was eating away at him, and he didn’t seem to know what to do with himself anymore.
I decided to take the lead, sprinkling black mineral dust over myself and giving him the satchel to do the same. He used some on his brother, too.