We didn’t set foot on Whispers land until we were in Phoenix Ascent, the borough which held their mansion stronghold. It was situated to the southwest of the borough, several miles from the symbolic bridge we’d crossed that marked the change of territory. We were close to Harmony as we wandered through a patchwork of human settlements. Land here was cheap—vampires wanted their food sources close.
I glanced around, expecting something to be markedly unique, from the architecture to the faces of the few people out this late at night. But I could be wandering downtownin the Gilded Yard instead for as little difference as there seemed to be.
There was nothing that identified a Sanguine or a Whispers vampire on sight. The differences were always political. So as long as we kept our heads down, we wouldn’t stand out.
I took off my bracelet and pocketed it, visiting a couple human inns as myself. I looked mostly human, so I had little trouble finding us a room for a couple nights.
Finn sent off his rats to scout again, but this time, we joined them. We observed the House of Whispers from a safe distance. Under the cover of Zane’s silken shadows and my stuttering ones, we confirmed a few things we already knew. Like when the guard shift changed or the few blind spots left in their nightly rotations.
One by one, the rats returned with tidbits of new information. I picked up some of what they were saying to Finn, like glimpses of faces as seen from below. Some excellent nostril views, unflattering even to the fairest of bloodsuckers.
Along with that were names.“Sabine. Sabine. Sabine,”whispered the rats.
Flashes of a pale brunette and the chainmail shirt she wore over ordinary clothes. Was she expecting danger?Well, of course she is. One of the candidates has already tried to kidnap her.
The rats gave us other names, which we wrote down. With their help, we had an idea of who resided in the mansion’s largest rooms.
After a couple hours, we retreated to our inn room before the incoming sunrise. Finn updated the map of the mansion while Zane and I poured over the list of names. Some were instantly recognizable.
“Isn’t she the vampiress who makes your ears bleed when she screams?” he asked.
I crossed off her name immediately and moved on to the next.
“I don’t recognize this one,” I mused. When Zane didn’t either, I underlined the name and placed a question mark beside it.
Together, we were able to identify half of the names as members of the new queen’s council. She’d invited fresh faces into some spots, though not all of them were present in the mansion. I assumed most had estates of their own, like Lorelei.
The rats had noted a male who lived in a corner suite alone. His name was Noir. It rang a vague bell, but I couldn’t figure out why it sounded familiar. Zane snapped his fingers. “Isn’t that the retired assassin? His name has been on the ‘old and vanished threats’ board since we started training as slayers.”
“Oh, yes. He’s a living legend.” As any vampire who’d lived long enough to “retire” would be. He probably still worked in a lesser capacity, training Whispers vampires to fight and kill for their queen.
As hearsay would have it, he refused to fight slayers, typically disarming them with a pat on the head instead. He’d tell them to remember his mercy and suggested they turn their blades on Sanguine vampires instead. A true believer of the saying “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
I’d once taken an interest in him, as he was reported to have a number of unpredictable magical traits. He was a walking enigma. Many deaths were attributed to his name, all of them Sanguine vampires.
“Maybe he’d be amenable…” I mused aloud.
Zane narrowed his eyes at me. “Amenable towhat, exactly?”
“Helping us kill a few more Sanguine vampires, of course.” I tapped his name. “What do you think the Flask will do with the nemesis we bring back?”
“It probably depends on whether the Flask sees a use for them or not. Anyone could be a servant.”
Or entertainment for it. That’s the only reason the Flask tolerates me.
“He’s perfect,” I stated. “We’ll capture him tomorrow night.”
Chapter 29
Sidney
When tomorrow came, we waited until deep in the night before we scaled the stone wall on the outside of the House of Whispers during a guard shift change. My feet sank into soft dirt on the other side. We’d landed in the garden. Jasmine blooms climbed up the side of the mansion, their white petals stark in the moonlight.
Under a cloak of shadows, we followed one of the rats to the basement window. One by one, we wiggled through the small opening and ended up in a storage pantry. I spotted a wedge of yellow exposed in a corner as the rat squealed in my mind,“Cheese!”
Tell him the cheese can wait,I signed to Finn, who nodded. The rodent reluctantly scampered away from the food and under the door leading further into the mansion. He returned quickly, and Finn waved us on. Boris followed on his heels, as Finn had carried him in.
We moved to another basement room, this one full of a variety of supplies and, more importantly, uniforms. We stripped down, fitting our dark clothes into a satchel Finn carried. With some trial and error on sizing, we foundservant clothing that was baggy to hide the arsenal we’d brought. The uniforms bore the silver-and-black-knife emblem of Queen Sabine, newly created with her regime change.
