There was a stillness that came from more than the fact that the streets were vacant.
I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.
Liam’s shoulder brushed mine as he came to a halt beside me. His probing look lasted only a second before he scrutinized our surroundings. “Do you sense something?”
I hesitated. “I don’t know.”
And that troubled me.
Liam didn’t question my words, simply accepting them as he scanned our surroundings.
After a moment, a thoughtful look crossed Liam’s face. “It feels like we’re being watched.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
That was exactly what it was. Like there were eyes on the back of our heads.
“Do you think it’s the harpies?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I’m friends with a lot of the flock. If it was them, I don’t think they’d be staying out of sight like this.”
I was here at Natalia’s invitation. They wouldn’t avoid me unless they felt there was danger.
“What if there’s a reason they’re not coming forward?” Liam asked, having the same thought I had.
“We should keep moving,” I decided.
If there was something out there, I was sure it would reveal itself before too much longer.
I slipped into my other sight as Liam fell into step with me.
Using my other sight in the sorcerer’s territory was a risk. There was a chance I could trigger a booby trap. If anyone had knowledge of my kind and how to circumvent our intrusion, it would be him.
A sight as beautiful as it was terrifying spread before me. Threads of violet colored magic ran through every inch of the street and buildings around us. They fused with the trees, bushes and flowers the landscapers had planted throughout Easton in one massive magical network that should have been impossible.
I slowed to take it in, struggling to comprehend the magnitude of what I was seeing.
“What is it?” Liam asked.
“I figured out why we feel like we’re being watched,” I answered.
And why it felt like I didn’t belong here. That if I didn’t leave immediately, something bad might happen.
“A spell by the sorcerer?” Liam asked, seeming a little impressed.
As well he should be.
It took a lot of power to fuel something like this. In essence, a compulsion strong enough to affect a vampire as powerful as Liam.
“Everything we’re feeling is coming from this thing. I bet it’s also why no one in Columbus has tried to move in on this place even with Peter being gone,” I said.
It was brilliant, really. I had to admire those who’d created it.
The spell was designed to slip under your defenses. If not for my other sight, I’m not sure we would have realized it was there. It would have driven us away. All while making us think it was our idea to leave.
“Is this going to be problem?” Liam asked.
“Define problem.”
