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SEBASTIAN SPENT A COUPLE of weeks exploring Nox so he could learn as much as he could about the Immortal Triumvirate. His hopes that he would be able to seek revenge against Lord Kreaton were rapidly fading. In his darkest moments, he wondered if he’d made a grave mistake coming to this city.
He was strolling through the Vampire District when he saw several kisses gathered together in front of a modest house. He heard someone approaching and drew back into the shadows when he realized it was Xiara Evora. The Guardian of Nox was wary as she reached the mob. “What’s going on?” she asked.
Her staff was glowing with divine white light and they drew back a few feet. “Another kiss has been taken,” a young master told her. He’d barely been dead for a century.
“Did anyone see who took them?” Ms. Evora queried and glanced at the door. Sebastian had already noticed that the images of bats were missing. That had to mean the inhabitants were dead.
“No one saw anything,” one of the fledglings replied.
“I found this lying on the sidewalk,” someone else said and held a black feather out to show the huntress.
“Can I have that?” Ms. Evora asked. “It could help with my investigation.”
That drew snorts of derisive laughter. “You’ll forget all about this by tomorrow night,” the young master vampire predicted scornfully. “Three kisses have been wiped out now and nothing has been done about it.”
Xiara took the feather and slipped it into her pocket. “Has anyone reported the disappearances to the Immortal Triumvirate?” she asked. “Lord Kreaton needs to know about this,” she added when they just shuffled their feet and looked everywhere but at her.
“We don’t bother Lord Kreaton with our petty problems,” a female master told her coldly. She had pale skin and long white blonde hair and a British accent. She was older than the male master, but only by a century or so.
“I can’t execute whoever is responsible for the alleged murders if no one reports them,” Ms. Evora said in exasperation. “How many more vampires need to go missing before one of you will be brave enough to come forward?”
“You have no idea what it’s like for us here in the City of Night, Guardian of Nox,” the blonde said icily. “If we wish to survive, we walk small, we keep our heads down and we keep our mouths shut.” Murmurs of agreement came from the others.
“Who do you think is behind this?” Xiara asked, gesturing at the empty house.
“It has to be the human witches and wizards,” the male master replied. “They’ve grown tired of being our food and they’re retaliating by wiping us out kiss by kiss.” The murmurs grew darker at that point. They sent glowers towards the District that lay on the other side of the river.
“Maybe if you guys didn’t drain your food to death, this wouldn’t have happened,” the huntress pointed out.
“Do you know what it’s like to starve, Ms. Evora?” the blonde master asked her archly. “I’m not talking about missing a meal or two, but a lengthy process of starvation over several decades.”
“No,” Xiara admitted with a hint of guilt in her tone.
“We have just enough magic stored in our District to keep it barely functioning,” the blonde said. “We don’t have enough to spend on keeping our meals fed, bathed and healthy enough to live off them indefinitely. Our only choice is to choose a victim once a week and drink just enough of their blood to keep us alive.”
“We can’t keep going on like this,” one of the other fledglings muttered. “We used to be strong and feared by those who are lesser than us. Now we’re as weak and pathetic as the shifters have become.”
“The Immortal Triumvirate leech us of our energy just like we drain our food of their blood,” the blonde said. “They should never have siphoned off so much of the Night Cursed fools’ energy,” she added. “It’s thanks to you and your kind that we now live in squalor.”
Angry glares were turned on the huntress. “We didn’t ask to be turned into batteries to power a city,” she told them as Wrath’s glow brightened when they moved to surround her.
“Maybe not, but we’re starving and you look like you have plenty of blood in your veins,” the male master said. Their fangs descended as they prepared themselves to attack her.
Sebastian moved with the shocking speed that only someone of his age could employ. In the blink of an eye, he was leaning against the wall of a nearby stone fence with his arms crossed. “I would strongly advise against attacking Ms. Evora,” he said before the small mob could rush her.
“Why not?” the blonde demanded. “She is forbidden from killing us. Even if we drain her dry, her precious leaders won’t order her to execute us. We used to feed on her kind every night. The Night Cursed are abominations, but at least their blood sustained us.”
Sebastian straightened up and sauntered closer to them. He still wore his black cloak with the hood pulled up to hide his identity. They sensed his power and unconsciously shifted into postures of subservience. “I’m new to Nox, but I’ve heard Xiara Evora is a skilled fighter,” he said.
“So?” the young and far weaker male master demanded. “She is but one woman and we are many.”
Sebastian gestured gracefully at the sword that was strapped to the huntress’ waist. “She carries a silver blade. How much energy will it take to heal even a small wound from her weapon?” he pointed out in a low, reasonable tone. Glances were exchanged and the level of anger and desperation lessened slightly.
“He’s right,” someone muttered. “It isn’t worth getting stabbed in the guts for a few mouthfuls of blood.”
They’d all witnessed Ms. Evora executing her targets and they knew what sort of damage she could do to them if she was provoked. The crowd dispersed and headed back to their homes. “Thanks for being the voice of reason,” Xiara said.
Sebastian inclined his head in response. “It would be wasteful for them to pit themselves against you,” he said in an offhand tone.
“How did you get them to change their minds so easily?” she asked.
He looked around and listened hard to make sure they were alone before replying. “I am a powerful master. Lesser vampires have little choice but to obey me.”
“Two of them were masters,” she pointed out.
He shrugged elegantly. “Compared to someone of my age, they are mere children.”
“What’s your plan?” she queried, dropping her voice to a bare whisper. “Why did you come to Nox? Was it for revenge?”
He studied her from beneath his hood before speaking. “I have come to ensure that justice is served to an old enemy,” he said just as quietly.
“You can’t defeat a member of the Triumvirate,” Ms. Evora warned him, somehow knowing he was talking about one of them. “They have spells protecting them from all forms of danger.”
“So I’ve heard,” Sebastian said. “It would seem I require the aid of a powerful magic user. Someone who is accomplished at spellcasting.”
“You should speak to a warlock by the name of Kade Sinclair,” she said, then appeared slightly shocked that she’d made the suggestion. Her reaction intrigued him.
“Warlocks can’t be trusted,” the former lord said dismissively. “They are too unstable.”
“Kade isn’t a full human,” she told him. “He’s half fae, so he won’t go crazy in his old age.” Again, she appeared surprised that she was divulging this information to him.
Sebastian’s eyes locked onto hers and he took a few steps closer. “Why are you helping me, mademoiselle?” he asked in a seductive tone as he tried to bedazzle her with his vampiric magic.
“Vampire mojo doesn’t work on the Night Cursed,” she told him with a hint of amusement.
He let out a sigh and straightened up. “So I see,” he said ruefully. “I would still like an answer to my question.”
She looked away before replying. “I don’t like the changes that are happening in Nox. It was supposed to be a haven, but it’s become a prison. No one is safe here. Even the bad guys and monsters have become the victims.”
“You wish for new leadership?” the vampire asked in surprise. “I thought you said you couldn’t defy your masters.”
“I can’t,” she admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t wish things would get better for the inhabitants of Nox.”
“How do I know you aren’t leading me into a trap?” he asked. His tone was curious rather than suspicious. Not much could rattle the ancient bloodsucker.
“The Immortal Triumvirate aren’t aware that Kade is half warlock,” Ms. Evora informed him. “He didn’t even know what he was until I told him.”
Sebastian studied her intently. “How did you know what this Kade Sinclair was if he himself wasn’t aware of it?”
“It’s one of my talents,” she replied. “I can sense things about people sometimes.”
“You are a peculiar woman,” the former lord said. “Yet I sense you are being truthful. I will think on the advice you have given me.” He bowed politely, then used his incredible speed to vanish. Her words lingered with him and played on his mind as he continued his quest during the next few nights.
