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Something twanged my senses, magic being used. Were they magical themselves? I couldn’t tell. They seemed strangely blank to my perceptive elvenblood.
“Who are they?” Dimitrimuttered.
“Not the HOA security, I’mguessing.”
A shadow rose up out of the street as the figures crossed, heading toward the vacant house, and it seemed to engulf them. They disappeared from my sight and the magic faded from mysenses.
“Friends of Zoltan, maybe,” Iadded.
The real-estate agent remotely turned off most of the house’s interior lights, leaving on the driveway lights, then drove away. A few seconds later, a security car cruised through. It pulled into the driveway, and the patroller got out and walked up to the front door with his flashlight and nightstick.
“This is taking forever.” The house next door had all of its lights off, so I headed up the street for itsdriveway.
Dimitri stayed close. Once again, I was tempted to send him back to the van, but after seeing those hooded guys disappear, I worried he would be safer with me. Once I reached the next driveway, I summonedSindari.
I sense a vampire,he informed me before he’d fullysolidified.
That’s Zoltan. Do you sense anyoneelse?
Hm, I smell many people about, across the street and walking around that domicile.His nose was pointed at the vacanthouse.
The securityguard?
No, this is a group that’s moving around the side of the house and heading to the back. I believe stealth charms are being used, but they are not as good as yours, since they do not camouflagescent.
I headed up the gravel driveway, the only gravel anywhere on the street, to a log rambler that must have been here long before the rest of the neighborhood was built. I wondered if the HOA trooper covered it, or if it was left out of theclub.
The windows were dark, so I led the way around to the back, where the mowed grass stretched halfway back to a pond, with much taller, unkempt grass beyond it. Once we were back there, two structures were visible behind the vacant house. A horse barn and arena setup that alone had to have cost a million dollars and an out-of-place, dilapidated carriage house on the back corner of the lot. There were no lights there, but I could tell the wood siding was falling off and one door hung halfway off its rustyhinges.
I sensed the vampire’s aura in thatdirection.
Are the hidden people heading there?I pointed at the old carriagehouse.
No. They’re lurking behind what I perceive is a children’s playhouse there beside thepatio.
The playhouse was bigger than my apartment inBallard.
And looking in this direction,Sindari added.You may wish to activate your cloakingcharm.
The security guard walked into view, shining his flashlight around the side and back of theproperty.
I don’t suppose you’d like to lead everyone away?I didn’t want to see the guard get jumped by the vampire or the mystery pack of magicalpeople.
That didn’t go well with thedragon.
He’s not here. The vampire is the most dangerous thing we should encountertonight.
Very well, but if something flies out of the sky and tries to light me on fire again, I’ll have cross words to share withyou.
Thank you,Sindari.
Before heading off, Sindari paused, his tail swishing as he looked at Dimitri. He had shifted closer and had a hand out toward the tiger’sback.
“Uhm, can I pet himnow?”
Pet him?Sindari asked.What is petting? A thing you do to a pet, yes? Should I beinsulted?
No.Out loud, I said, “You forgot to point out how regal heis.”
