“Good. If I get a letter that she is killed, I’m coming foryou, Viper.” He shoved his finger at him.
“Dad.” My stomach dropped. Viper could seriously hurt my father—kill him. Viper wasn’t even human. He was a legend in the League of Assassins, and my father was but a humble tradesman from a small village.
Viper tilted his head, and kept his hands behind his back, like my father posed not enough of a threat to even bother reacting, and didn’t respond.
I looked around to see if Kace was still here but didn’t find him. “How are you getting home?”
“I’ll leave at first light.”
“But Mom?—”
“Will be fine. Kace said he’d tell her what’s happened. He’s on night watch again or he would have stayed, too.”
“Will you tell Kace... I would have said yes.” My heart broke a little. When would I see him again? I wanted to say goodbye and get the kiss I never had. Viper hadn’t answered my question about whether I’d be allowed to go and see my family.
“Don’t worry about Kace right now. Just do whatyouneed to do.”
“And where will you sleep?”
“Anglor will keep me company.” He reached over and patted our old horse’s ruddy neck. He smelled like hay and home. “The wagon has a sleeping blanket under the seat.”
“We need to go,” Viper announced.
I threw my arms around him one more time, ignoring the pain in my side. “There’s a gold nugget in the nightstand drawer in my room. Sell it.”
His big hand patted my back. “Show them what Aesira the Bonecarver can do.”
I tried not to cry as I walked away, but my cheeks were wet and sticky. Viper silently guided us through the streets. And for the first time in my life, I looked up and was able to marvel at the stars.
We slippedinto a dark alley and through an old door at the back of a rundown building with crumbling stones and holes here and there, down a set of twisting stairs and into a tunnel. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but I could see perfectly—all ducai could. Another adaptation to fight vampires. Most people were scared of the dark because they couldn’t see, I was afraid of what Icouldsee lurking in it. I stuck close toViper’s side. Probably too close. He glanced down at me a few times and even put a little distance between us. But where I was from, a vampire could be hidinganywhere.
There were so many turns in the tunnels, I wouldn’t be able to find my way back out. I’d get lost in this maze. We went up more stairs and back outside through a door half covered in foliage into a thick grove of cedar, pine, and oak trees. Moss and other vegetation hung off the branches, creating what looked like a curtain. Our feet lightly crunched over the ground—well, I should saymyfeet did. He didn’t make a sound.
After walking for a while, we came to a break in the forest. I paused to examine the glittering night sky again and grinned. It was beautiful. Grandma Thora explained there were shapes in the stars. I tried to see the one she called The Archer, but everything looked scattered to me.
Viper had stopped several paces ahead. He was staring, annoyed. Even from the small gap in his mask, I could see it on his face. “Keep up.”
“Sorry, it’s just, I’ve never really seen the stars before.” I rushed to his side, and we marched on until he came to an abrupt halt.
“This is Drakthar, LOA headquarters. You never bring anyone who is not one of us here.”
I glanced around, confused. There was nothing to see but tall spooky trees, and between the trunks, high twisting cages of dark red roses full of thorns spread far and wide. Was LOA headquarters behind the dark wall of thorns? He couldn’t expect us to crawl through there, we would be shredded. I shuddered at how quiet it was, and my eyes automatically scanned the shadows created by the moon for danger. For all I knew, he could be taking me out in the middle of nowhere to dump me off and get rid of his problem. “Not much to look at.”
He stared down at me, and I swore I felt his flicker of annoyance. “Because I haven’t told you the words that will reveal it yet. It’s veiled by magic.”
Oh, Taewyn said that, but how would he expect me to know? I’d never experienced magic before. I flushed and decided I should just stay quiet. “Yes, sir.”
“You never tell anyone this. Even if you’re tortured for the information. Even if someone threatens to kill your friends. Even if it’s your father asking. Not even a leader from another guild. When I saynever, that’s what I mean.”
“I understand.”
He stared until I felt the sweat beading on the back of my neck.
“Sir,” I added.
He nodded once in approval. This man meant business. “It’svolar ketsa. It roughly means, darkness is mine.”
Like darkness belonged to the assassins not vampires? The corner of my mouth curled until the rose bushes with blood red blooms started to move, revealing a path through. Thirty yards away, a dark stone structure shimmered into existence. Gasping in surprise, I took a step back to take in the sheer size of the towering, crenelled walls. It just... appeared.
