Gran’s face flashes through my mind – her knowing smile when she caught me practicing spells late at night, her quiet strength as she guided me through complex rituals. The woman who never gave up on teaching me, even when I was ready to give up on myself.
I press closer to the shadow of a stone column as a sound drifts from somewhere above. The mansion’s facade seems to shift and writhe in the darkness, windows like hollow eyes staring down. Even the air feels wrong here – heavy with the residue of dark magic that makes my skin burn.
You should have waited for Mom and Dad…
I shake the thought from my head.
Gran is in there. I know it with a certainty that defies logic. And I’m getting her out, with or without anyone’s help.
A whispered incantation and a sweep of my hand create a shimmer in the air around me – my cloaking spell settling into place. It won’t fool a vampire’s enhanced senses for long, but it should buy me enough time to get inside.
The side entrance yields easily to my lock-breaking charm.
Too easily?
I pause, testing the air for traps, but detect nothing beyond the traces of dark magic that seem to permeate everything here.
Moonlight filters through tall windows, casting strange shadows across the marble floor of what appears to be some kind of entrance hall. My footsteps, though careful, echo slightly despite my best efforts. The air feels thick, almost oily against my skin.
Something glints near the base of a sweeping staircase. I crouch down, my heart stuttering as I recognize Gran’s silver bracelet – the one with the charms like the bell I’d found in the garden. My fingers brush the metal, and a jolt of energy surges through me. Images flash: Gran being dragged up these stairs, her power flaring as she fights back. The bracelet must have fallen during the struggle.
At least, I imagine that’s what happened. There’s something about the image that seems wrong somehow.
I close my eyes, focusing on the bracelet. The trace is faint but distinct – like a trail of breadcrumbs leading upward. Rising slowly, I begin to follow the trace, each step taking me deeper into the mansion’s oppressive darkness.
The trail leads me down a long corridor lined with rich tapestries. Their faded scenes depict brutal, bloody battles between vampires and witches.
Charming. Not.
I force myself to keep moving, tracking Gran’s essence as it grows stronger. Whatever they’ve done to dampen her powers, they haven’t managed to completely mask her presence.
The trail veers left, then right, taking me through what feels like a maze of interconnecting passages. Just when I think I’ve lost it, I catch another flash – stronger this time.
She’s close.
Gran…I have to force myself not to whisper out loud.
The silence is starting to get to me. My footsteps seem thunderous in the empty corridors. Where is everyone? I’ve been in this mansion for at least five minutes and haven’t seen a single vampire.
I pause at an intersection, letting my senses expand outward. The dark energy is still present, coating everything like grease, but there’s no immediate sense of movement or life. No whispered conversations, no footsteps, not even the subtle shift of air that usually betrays a vampire’s presence.
It’s a huge place. They could be anywhere.
I run my fingers along the ornate wall paneling. The mansion sprawls like a labyrinth – I’ve passed countless rooms and corridors. For all I know, there could be an entire army of vampires gathered in some grand hall on the other side of the building.
Still, something doesn’t feel right. My instincts are screaming that this is too easy. But Gran’s aura pulls me forward, growing stronger with each step. I can’t turn back now, not when I’m this close.
Focus on the task.Find Gran first, worry about everything else later.
The trail leads me up another flight of stairs, the smooth steps mercifully solid and silent under my feet. The second floor is just as deserted as the first, moonlight streaming through the windows to illuminate empty rooms and abandoned furniture draped in white sheets.
I try to convince myself this is a good thing. Maybe they’re all out hunting or at some pretentious vampire gathering. Better to find Gran with no one around than to fight my way through a horde of bloodsuckers.
But I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something obvious. Even Lucien wouldn’t leave such a valuable prisoner completely unguarded…would he?
The magical signature pulses stronger now, drawing me toward a narrow door at the end of the hallway. My heart races as I detect Gran’s essence – it’s the strongest I’ve felt it since entering this place.
I press my palm against the weathered wood, reaching out psychically to check for traps or wards. Nothing. Just that same oily darkness that seems to coat everything in this place.
