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“The Whisperweave witch,” I said woodenly, staring off into space. I had guessed that Sebastian had used one to cast the illusion that had hidden my prison from the outside world, but Donna had confirmed it. The Whisperweave witches were powerful illusionists, and Sebastian would have needed one to successfully pass off another dead body as my own without alerting the clan heads that any magical trickery was afoot. Hewould have also had to commission a powerful Stoneheart witch to craft the sarcophagus he’d sealed me in.
Who else had been in on my imprisonment? Had Sebastian found witches from all five clans to aid him? The thought was disheartening, and only reinforced the warning Maximillian had given me.
“If you really are Kitana Nightshade,” Donna said, and the healthy dose of skepticism in her voice told me she still didn’t believe me, “then what are you doing, allying yourself with the son of a vampire high lord? The Kitana I heard stories of would never debase herself like that.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “But that Kitana was from a different time, when the sun was still shining and humans could walk free through their own lands.” I puffed out a breath. “I can’t tell you why I’m working with Maximillian, not without compromising my mission. But I can tell you that my dedication to bringing the vampire king to justice has not wavered.”
The words I spoke rang true, taking even me by surprise. It had been days since I’d thought about my revenge plan for Sebastian, days since I’d stopped trying to figure out how to get out of this place and started thinking about how to help the people who lived here.
“I hope you’ll stay, Kitana.”Maximillian’s words from that first dinner so long ago echoed in my ears.“I have grand plans for us. And you may even find them fun.”
Jinx rematerialized in my lap and butted her forehead against my chest, asking for head scratches. “Well, I can’t deny that the cat is pure shadow magic,” Donna said wryly. “I’d heard storiesof you riding a giant panther into battle, but I thought those were made up.”
I snorted. “Jinx would never deign to let anyone ride her, not even me. But she’s definitely ripped off the heads of a few bloodsuckers,” I said, giving my cat an affectionate smile as I scratched beneath her chin. “Haven’t you?” I cooed, and she purred, leaning into my hand.
“So, you really did come here to ask about the disappearance of a friend?” Trystan demanded.
“Yes. Well, a friend of a friend,” I amended. I explained to them how I’d met Hannah, and what she’d told me about her friend Imogen. “I figured if there really was a rebel cell here at the Red Tavern, you guys could tell me if an Imogen came to you for help.”
Trystan sighed. “The name doesn’t ring a bell, but I can check our records. Sometimes people give assumed names, too,” he warned. “So, if your friend’s friend has any aliases or nicknames, that would be helpful.”
“I’ll ask her.” I got to my feet again, and Jinx promptly jumped down, vanishing before she hit the ground. Apparently, she’d decided her services were no longer needed for the night. “Thanks for your help. And for not killing me.”
“Anytime.” The Verdantia witch smirked, but the expression faded as her eyes dropped to the gouges on my wrist. “Let me get those taken care of for you before you go. The last thing you need is to be walking around these streets smelling of fresh blood.”
Belladonna fixed me up with a poultice and bandages, then sent me on my way. I walked back to the Tower in a daze, lost in my thoughts about what I’d learned.
There really was a rebel base here in Lumina, helping humans escape to the Wildwood Forest in the east. And there really were witches helping them.
I desperately wanted to ask Belladonna more about that—about how many witches were working with the rebels, about whether Sebastian or the other clan heads were offering any aid, about the stronghold itself. But I knew I was lucky to have escaped that first encounter with my life. Trystan and Donna would chew on what I’d told them, put out feelers to see if they could verify any of what I’d said, and draw their own conclusions. In the meantime, I would visit Hannah tomorrow to get more information about her friend, then return to the Tavern and see if we could put this mystery to rest.
I was so lost in thought that I failed to notice the carriage rumbling down the street until it was coming up on my heels. Startled, I moved aside to let it pass, but before I could fully get out of the way, the door flew open, and a meaty hand yanked me inside by my upper arm.
“Hey—mmph!” I cried as a bag was shoved over my head. The door slammed shut as my assailant yanked my arms behind my back and secured my sore wrists with a tie. I slammed theback of my head into his face, and he swore loudly as his nose crunched. But my victory was short-lived when a fist crashed into my jaw, making stars swim in my obscured vision.
Which gods had I pissed off to deserve being captured not once, buttwicein one evening?
As the carriage creaked and groaned around us, I became aware of the sound of muffled sobbing. Concentrating, I took in a deep breath through my nose, trying to get a sense of my surroundings through scent. There were two vampires—the one holding me in his lap, and the one who had punched me—and three humans. The scents of blood, tears, and piss tainted the air, and the wave of terror rolling off the humans was a sharp, icy thing that made my skin prickle.
I held perfectly still as I waited for the ride to end, listening carefully for any opportunity to escape. But the vampires didn’t give me one. The moment the door creaked open, the vampire holding me in his lap threw me over his shoulder. The situation was far too reminiscent of the time Sparrow had snatched me off the street and dragged me back to the Tower—except that this time, I had no idea who had taken me, or where we were going.
A few minutes later, the vampire dumped me onto the ground. I yelped as my ass hit the hard stone floor, and the thuds and sobs around me told me I wasn’t the only one here.
“Be quiet,” the vampire hissed, ripping the bag off my face. I could barely make out his features—the room was pitch-dark aside from a small, narrow window set high into the opposite wall, allowing a scant amount of moonlight to stream through. “The master will be along in a little while to inspect you all, and he has a tendency to pick whoever screams the loudest for dinner.”
The woman sobbing next to me immediately clamped her lips together, and the others around me followed suit. Satisfied, the vampire and his lackey friend went around the room, checking that all our bindings were tight, then closed and locked the door behind us.
I blinked a few times to let my eyes adjust to the darkness, then looked around the room. There were five humans here—all lower-ranked slaves, judging by their simple garments and the lack of a vampire family crest that would usually be stitched onto their clothing to signify private ownership.
“How long have you all been here?” I asked in a whisper.
The humans who had arrived with me stayed silent, but a young man sitting in the corner lifted his head. “Fancy seeing you here,” he rasped, a pair of broken spectacles askew on his bruised face.
“Simon?” I gasped, recognizing him at once. “By the gods! Are you all right?”
“Am I all right?” He barked out a laugh as he shook his head. “I’ve been sitting here since yesterday without any food or water, along with these two.” He jerked his chin to the man and woman huddling a few feet away from him. “That vampire wasn’t joking, by the way. There was another girl who arrived with us who wouldn’t stop crying, and the commandant ripped her throat out right in front of us, then made us watch as he drained her.”
Fuck.An icy shiver crawled down my spine. “What do you mean, the commandant? As in Commandant Vinicius?”
