Luckily, my power is heightened based on my proximity to Sephania. With her so close, I have enough in me to get us to Nuhav and where she needs to go.
Jinneth fusses with a potato sack she’s filled with provisions for the journey. The elder human yells from the hallways and rooms of her abode, “Hold on, hold on, handsome devil. Don’t rush me! I need to make sure I have my apples. Seph, would you like one? I’m bringing you one. You’re looking frail.”
“Frail, Mother? Have youseenthese curves? Save your apples for the stick girls here who actually need them!”
When Sephania joins me at the front door, I spot Keffa nervously fidgeting in front of her belly, watching Jinneth’s tizzy.
Sephania puts a reassuring hand on the Iron Sister’s arm. “Don’t worry, Keffa. We’ll have her back by daybreak. I promise. It’s just a short jump—”
“Oh, it’s not Jinneth I’m worried about. I was without her for twenty years; I can last a day without her. It’syouand Master Skartovius. I hope she doesn’t bring you two to murder with her fussiness!”
Sephania laughs and turns to me. Her eyes glint with joy, which makes me smile. I care nothing for Jinneth, and even Keffa I can do without, though I consider her an ally. I’m a vampire, after all. My feelings onanyoneare minimal.
But Sephania? That smile brings out something in me I haven’t felt in eons. She is my weakness and strength. My flickering light that dares to pierce through the sturdy veil of my darkness.
As I begin to form another shadow portal on the wall of the Chained Sisters’ abode, drawing “oohs” and “ahhs” from the younger Sisters watching, I say, “I’m glad you came to me, Sephania. I assume it’s because of what’s been happening in Nuhav that you decided not to charge headlong by yourself.”
“Nonsense. I can make the trek by myself, and I have. It’s my mother and her, uh,advanced age,I worry about. Besides, what’s been happening in Nuhav?”
I turn to her, brow furrowing. “You haven’t heard?”
Worry forms on her features.
“It’s changed, love.”
“In a matter of days? I was just there recently!”
I sigh, turning from her to focus my powers on the wall. I’ll need a healthy dose of Loreblood after all this, and I can’t wait to taste her essence on my tongue.
I wouldn’t mind tasting her blood, either.
“The way I’ve heard it, the city is running amok with humans fighting each other, fomenting rebellion, battling the Bronzes. Rumor has it a new leader has emerged, invoking a name I haven’t heard in ages. He’s calling himself the Silverknight, and he sounds like a dangerous menace.”
Once I’ve ported us to Nuhav, I have to take a break. For nearly an hour, we wait in an alley as I gather my strength, seated on the ground with my head between my knees, struggling for breath.
Finally, Sephania says, “Mother, turn around. You won’t want to see this.”
Jinneth, standing at the mouth of the alley to make sure no one approaches us, looks over her shoulder. “What are—oh martyrs and Truehearts, girl, what are you doing?!”
I stare up at the sharp scent of blood, the aromatic smell inches from my face, and find Sephania leaning over me with her wrist sliced open.
Her Loreblood trickles into my mouth, rejuvenating me in a matter of moments, and I suck on her arm for a few seconds before begrudgingly pulling back.
“There. Now we’re ready,” Sephania says, smiling. She wraps a piece of torn cloth around her wound to stop the bleeding and to stop me from agonizing over the scent.
We head out into the smoky night. It’s smoky because people have been lighting certain houses on fire. Nuhav has become a leaderless powder keg, it appears, with riots forming in various parts of town.
“What are they angry about this time?” Jinneth asks.
“I’ve heard they’re tired of losing their sisters and daughters to slavers,” I say. “So they’re going after anyone associated in the flesh trade.”
“Well that makes sense,” Jinneth finishes. “Good for them.”
I have a hood pulled low so no one can notice my pale skin. I doubt vampires—the typical possessors of said slaves—would be welcomed here at a time like this.
“It’s causing the distraction we need, at the very least,” I say near Sephania.
She stares ahead as she leads our trio down the winding alleys and roads, avoiding large groups of people, heading ever southward. Clearly she knows where she’s going, which allows me to keep my head on a swivel, watching for danger.
