A Shade of Vampire 81 A Bringer of Night - Bella Forrest Page 0,50

there to study the paintings more closely in order to get a better picture of Lyrus and Esmeralda. In the meantime, I found my heart warmed by their story.

It made this custom of consuming blood from plates all the more beautiful and deeply meaningful. “This is a wonderful thing you’re all doing,” I said. “Honoring your ancestors this way.”

As much as I’d enjoyed their story, it was time to test their reactions and figure out how much each of them knew about the Darklings—particularly Kalon. I wondered if he and Ansel were the only ones in contact with them, or if the rest of the siblings were also involved. Petra had struck me as the all-knowing type of mother, secretive and resourceful, so had Ansel truly deceived her or was this all just an act?

For a moment, I’d allowed myself to bask in the romantic history of the Visentis dynasty. Reality was bound to come back and bite me in the ass. I might as well be the one to do the biting first, I thought to myself.

“Has Kalon told you about Zoltan’s capture?” I asked.

Petra stilled, her hand gripping the spoon tight enough for her knuckles to turn white. She looked at her son. “No, he hasn’t,” she replied. “When did this happen?”

“Yesterday,” I said.

“Why didn’t you tell me as soon as you arrived?” Petra hissed, scowling at Kalon. He didn’t seem that affected, and I wondered what that was all about.

“With everything that’s been going on, I admit it slipped my mind,” Kalon said.

“Tristan and Valaine are on their way back from Astoria,” I added, further analyzing Petra’s expression. “They’re bringing him in for judgment. They lost several of their gold guards, but they got him.”

“What of the Darklings?” Petra asked me.

“They ran away. Some were killed. A couple were captured and put with the others they caught in the village raids along the Green Road,” I said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us upon their return, since we’ll have to interrogate each of them. We can’t stop now. Zoltan was merely the tip of the iceberg.”

Petra thought about it for a moment, her gaze wandering across the table. Kalon’s hand found mine under it, and my heart skipped a beat as he squeezed gently. I wasn’t sure of the meaning behind this gesture, and I didn’t dare make any more assumptions. There was too much I didn’t know yet. A lot he hadn’t told me.

“Well, I, for one, am pleased. Relieved, even, that the bastard will be brought to justice,” Petra finally said, leaning back into her chair. “For all the shame he’s brought upon our empire, I see no penalty more appropriate than death.”

“We won’t kill him until he tells us everything he knows about ghouls and death magic. The fact that he and the Darklings have this kind of knowledge is beyond alarming. In fact, it goes beyond your jurisdiction as Aeternae. This may be your land, and we obviously respect that, but the Darklings’ use of such occult powers concerns all the living, not just you.”

Aganon frowned. “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m trying to make something clear here. As a member of GASP and a guest here, I’ve reduced the degree of my involvement in your affairs where the Darklings are concerned, keeping myself to a consulting role, at most. But now that we know the Darklings are using Reaper scythes and ghouls—two elements my kind are more familiar with than yours—it is time for us to exert a little more authority over how Zoltan and the Darklings are questioned.”

Petra was quick to get my point, though she wasn’t exactly thrilled. Still, she nodded once. “I understand. And, of course, it makes sense. You clearly know more about this than the rest of us, so I’m certain the Lord and Lady Supreme won’t have a problem with granting you more authority over the investigation into the Darklings,” she said, her tone flat. “I admit, I’m deeply ignorant about ghouls and… death magic, you called it?”

“Yes. It’s not something we would ever have wanted to deal with ourselves, but we’ve had our share of interactions with Death and her Reapers… not to mention the ghouls. They’ve been a staple of our troubles for decades,” I replied.

“You must tell us everything you know about them, then,” she urged me, and her sons seemed to agree. They looked expectantly at Kalon and me. “The Aeternae must be made aware of how they can protect

readonlinefreenovel.com Copyright 2016 - 2024