Shattered - By Sophia Sharp Page 0,40

the clearing’s edge, he marched up to the tower. And bent his head close, examining its surface. “There are markings here, too,” he told her. “Just as I suspected. And I think I can understand them.”

“You can? How?”

“Come closer and I’ll show you.” She hesitated. “You needn’t worry; I don’t think this tower will have any effect on you.”

Cautiously, she inched her way closer. Just close enough so she could make out the inscriptions. She saw foreign letters and shapes, completely different from the ones that adorned the white tower. They spiraled up in much the same way, but in an opposite direction.

Logan ran a finger along one line. “These,” he said, “are ancient vampire symbols.”

“They are?”

“Yes. It is a language that has been long forgotten in favor of the human tongue, but I’ve picked up bits and pieces of it over the years. Not many of my kind even know it exists, now. But I think I can make out enough…” he paused, studying the letters. His finger ran up, following the twisting text, and he walked around the tower slowly, reading. “This predates the elders,” he said to himself with awe.

“The elders? You’ve mentioned them before, but you never explained to me who they are.”

“Ah. Well, just as it sounds. They’re the most ancient of vampires, and they watch over our race. We answer to their demands, and they administer justice over matters of… importance. They provide their wisdom, and ensure the unity of the Vassiz. They are highly revered. Almost as much as the vampire creed.” He smiled at Laura knowingly. “Which I broke.”

“How long have the elders had control?”

“Since our history started being recorded. Perhaps longer. There is not a single vampire alive who can say they lived in a time when the elders did not rule. But this…” he looked to the tower “… this, I have not heard mention of before.”

“You said the markings predate the elders?”

“Yes. I believe so. If they do – if these towers do – it is a monumental discovery. There is no consensus as to how the elders came to power in the first place. But there are whispers, uttered in only the darkest of crevices, and under penalty of death, that their ascent to power was not peaceful. In fact, some say it was much the opposite. They say our race paid a great price for the overseers.” He turned his head back to the tower, and continued reading. “I think… I think this was a place where great rituals once took place. And I think there’s more to it than just these towers.”

“What do you mean?”

“If we look, I think we can find it. A sanctuary, maybe. A part of the writings, they say… ‘Come hither, Thou who seek Respite, and Fear Not for your Mind.’ I think… that this was a safe-place for the Vassiz, once.”

“A safe place from what?” Laura could not imagine a single vampire – a Vassiz – needing to hide from anything.

“Maybe if we find it, we’ll find out.” He set off, but Laura caught his arm.

“Logan, wait. I don’t think this is a good idea. What I felt, what I saw, when I touched that tower…” she shuddered.

“You’re with me, remember?” he said reassuringly. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Besides, I suspect that part of the power of the sanctuary is to keep humans away.”

Chapter Eighteen

~Into the Ruins~

Laura and Logan had been searching in the area around the towers for the better part of two hours when Laura hit her foot on a stone. They were surrounded by dense forest on all sides, limiting their viewing distance severely, which made it significantly more difficult to look for anything. Annoyed, and frustrated with their lack of progress, she kicked at the stone – and was surprised when it didn’t budge. She bent down to pick it up, brushing away the earth and grim that covered it. And surprised herself by finding nearly washed-out markings on it.

“Logan? Logan, I think I found something!”

Logan came over and peered over her. “What is it?”

“Markings. I can’t make them out, but they look a lot like the ones on the tower.”

“Hmm.” Logan bent down beside Laura to look at it himself. Then he nodded satisfactory. “You’re right. Nicely done.”

“What do you think it is?”

“I don’t know. But what I can tell you is that it’s not just some stone stuck in the ground. I think it’s a part of a much larger structure… like