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SEBASTIAN HAD THOUGHT long and hard about the advice Xiara Evora had given him. He knew he didn’t have the ability to break through Lord Kreaton’s shields. He’d been stalking the Triumvirate leader and had witnessed several assassination attempts. He’d seen arrows splinter, magic spells dissipate and knives shatter against the invisible protection that surrounded his enemy. It was obvious he needed an ally who could use magic. If Kade Sinclair was half fae and half warlock, then he would be a good candidate.
Another person who could be a useful ally was Efrem Prager. The werewolf hated the Immortal Triumvirate, but he despised Lord Graham the most. Sebastian had heard the stories about Mr. Prager’s only son being executed right in front of him. It had been a way for the alpha werewolf to punish a high-ranking member of the Shifter Guild. That had happened over two decades ago, but Efrem’s hatred had only grown over time. He hadn’t been executed for voicing his displeasure with the Triumvirate, but a lot of shifters listened to him.
Deciding to take a chance, Sebastian sprinted from the Vampire District to the City Square. He intercepted an aged, overweight witch as she struggled to get out of a carriage after several other younger witches. She was wearing an unflattering dark brown dress and ugly shoes. He snatched her up and carried her a few blocks away before she could squawk in surprise. He stared down into her watery blue eyes and ensnared her with his vampire magic within seconds. “What’s your name, madame?” he asked.
“Poppy,” she replied in a dreamy tone.
“I need you to send two letters for me, Poppy,” he said in a seductive tone that worked best on humans.
“I’ll do anything you want,” she replied eagerly and tried to press her pudgy body against his.
He kept her at a distance with his hands on her shoulders as he gave her some instructions. “Send a letter to Efrem Prager and Kade Sinclair, asking them to visit a warehouse in the Vampire District as soon as they can tonight,” he instructed her and told her the address. He could have sent the magical letters himself, since he seemed to be able to call on the magic that powered Nox without any trouble. He didn’t really trust it, though, so he’d opted to use the witch instead.
Poppy had to delve into her reserves of magic to obey him, which was going to weaken her. “I need to send two letters,” she said and two sheets of paper and a pair of quills appeared in front of her. Swaying on her feet from having her magic drained, she repeated the messages the vampire had given her and the words appeared in black ink as the quill went to work. Envelopes were created out of thin air to wrap around the letters, then they fluttered away, heading in two different directions. They would seek out their targets like homing pigeons. “What now, master?” Poppy asked.
“Now I’ll take you back to the City Square,” he replied. In a few moments, he returned the witch to where he’d found her. “You won’t remember any of this,” he murmured, then vanished before anyone could notice him. The witch blinked, shook her head, then stomped towards the guildhall where the magic users worked.
Both letters found their targets within minutes. Kade Sinclair was almost at the door to the Magic Guildhall and Efrem Prager was in his office in the Shifter Guildhall. They opened the letters and hope seized them both when they read the short notes. The message was from an anonymous person who wanted to speak to them about forming an alliance. Both men decided to take a chance and hurried to find a carriage that could take them to the Vampire District.
Kade lifted his hand to hail a carriage that was clattering towards him just as a shifter across the road lifted his hand as well. The carriage pulled to a stop and the werewolf crossed the street. “I have an urgent meeting to attend,” he said in a growl, trying to intimidate the cloaked magic user.
“So do I,” Kade said, not budging from his stance. The skeleton clicked its teeth in annoyance and gestured at the door as if inviting them both inside. A strange intuition came over the warlock. “I’m going to the Vampire District. Where are you heading?”
Efrem looked the wizard up and down, noting his dark red cloak. He saw purple eyes peering at him from beneath the hood and recognized him as the fairy who had brushed against him a few weeks ago. “I’m going there, too,” he said grudgingly. The letter he’d been sent had vanished, but he knew the address of where he wanted to go.
“Perhaps we can share the carriage,” Kade suggested. He had a strong feeling that he’d been meant to meet this shifter. He knew who Efrem Prager was, of course. The werewolf was a well-known member of the Shifter Guild. He attended most of the meetings that were held by the Immortal Triumvirate.
Mr. Prager nodded warily, then told the skeleton the location he wanted to go to. He climbed inside, but his companion didn’t give their driver his destination. Instead, he climbed inside and turned to regard the shifter. “Did you receive a letter from an anonymous person seeking to form an alliance?”
Efrem was alarmed for a second as the carriage took off. The fairy was ridiculously handsome, as were all of his kind. “I did receive a letter,” he said. “I assume we’re going to the same location?”
Kade nodded, then they subsided into silence. They were both lost in their own thoughts and fears that they were making a huge mistake trusting strangers like this.
Sebastian peered out through a filthy window of the empty warehouse when a carriage approached. Two men disembarked. One wore a red cloak with the hood pulled up. The other one was Efrem Prager. The master vampire hadn’t expected his potential allies to arrive together. Maybe they already knew each other.
He waited for them both to enter before he spoke. “Merci for agreeing to meet me here, messieurs.” He kept his face shadowed with his hood like the magic user was.
“I presume you’re the one who contacted us regarding an alliance?” Kade asked warily as if he expected a trap.
“Oui,” Sebastian replied. “If I’m correct, you would both make effective allies against my enemies.”
“Who are your enemies?” Efrem demanded.
“They are the same as yours, mon amie,” the master vampire said smoothly. “None of us have any love for the current rulers of Nox. I propose that we join forces and devise a way to topple them from their thrones.”
“Why should we trust you, stranger?” Kade asked. “You could be a spy for the Triumvirate for all we know.”
Sebastian uttered a bitter laugh, then he pushed his hood back to reveal his face. “My name is Sebastian,” he said proudly and Efrem gasped in recognition. “I am no spy for the Immortal Triumvirate.”
“Am I supposed to know who you are?” the warlock asked in confusion.
“Sebastian killed Lord Kreaton’s entire kiss and half of the Vampire Council,” Mr. Prager explained in a strangled tone.
“Both are lies,” the vampire said dismissively. “Lord Kreaton killed his own kiss and framed me for their murders.”
“Why would he do that?” Kade asked. “What would drive a master vampire to destroy his own people?”
“Power,” Sebastian replied as if the answer was obvious. “I’ve heard that Lord Graham and Lord Dallinar also lost their entire pack and family. They somehow found each other and decided to form an alliance. They became so powerful that they were able to create the Night Cursed and this city to house them in.”
“Are you saying that the Immortal Triumvirate killed their own people in order to build Nox?” Kade Sinclair asked.
“I don’t have concrete proof, but it seems evident to me,” the vampire replied. “Lord Kreaton was always terrified of dying. It seems he and his allies have become so powerful that nothing can kill them.”
“Their shields are too strong for them to be defeated,” Efrem said bitterly. “Dozens of my people have sacrificed themselves trying to destroy it to no avail.”
“There could be a way,” the warlock mused, but he seemed reluctant to explain further.
“If you know how we can defeat these evil monsters, tell us!” the werewolf said in a harsh whisper.
“I’ve heard Lord Dallinar has powerful and dangerous spell books locked away in his secret conjuring chamber,” Kade replied. “If we could get our hands on his spell books, I might be able to find an enchantment that will destroy their shields.”
“No one knows where the conjuring room is,” Mr. Prager said. “Only Lord Dallinar could enter it even if we did learn of its whereabouts.”
“Let me think about this,” Kade said. “I’ll send a letter to you both when I come up with an answer.”
“I can’t believe I’m trusting a vampire and a half breed fairy,” the werewolf muttered. “You’d better find a solution soon, or we’ll all pay the price once the Energy Tax comes into effect again.”
“Au revoir, messieurs,” Sebastian said. “Until we meet again.” He bowed, then used his innate abilities to sprint away so quickly that it seemed like he’d vanished. A carriage arrived to ferry Kade Sinclair and Efrem Prager back to the City Square. The master vampire hoped he’d made the right choice. Mr. Prager wasn’t an alpha and he would never match up against Lord Graham. He didn’t know who else to trust, so he was stuck with this fragile alliance for now.
