Page 57 of Of Shadows and Death

I slump against the sofa, suddenly drained. Raúl picks me up, carrying me to my bed. “Rest.”

“Carmen,” I say in a whisper.

“I’ll wake you when we find her.”

I nod, trusting him, then fall into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Forty-Seven

I wake to a hand on my shoulder. I open my eyes to see Raúl standing next to my bed. “It is before dusk,” he says. “We’ve found a cave where rebels hide. Are you feeling up to going?”

I nod, swinging my feet out of bed. When I stand, I feel none of the pain from earlier. “Yes.”

He walks with me into the other room, where a tray waits, covered in the most delicious food. “Raúl,” I say. “I’m not going to sit here eating while Carmen is trapped in the forest with a handful of bloodthirsty vampires.”

He folds his arms, face stubborn. “And you need food to stay standing. I will not have you fainting if we run into a horde of vampires.”

With a sigh, I sit down on the couch and pick a few items that seem easy and fast to eat. Raúl stands above me the entire time, watching without blinking. Unnerved, I shift in my seat. “Don’t you need to blink?”

He grins and shakes his head. “No. Now eat.”

I mumble about overbearing vampires while I pop a ball made of meat into my mouth. Raúl’s mouth twitches and his eye lights with laughter. Finally, I am full enough and I stand up. Raúl wraps an arm around my waist and we rush out of the castle, my feet barely touching the ground the entire time.

We head off across the field right as the shadows of night swallow the sun’s rays. Through the forest, we fly until we arrive at a cave with a fire pit in the front.

Several vampires are scanning the area, long swords and rapiers out. When Raúl sets us down firmly on the ground, they stand at attention. “Sir, they’re not here. We gather they left before dawn.”

“They’re only a day ahead of us. Fan out and search,” he says.

The vampires salute before disappearing, their speed impossible to track. I wander toward the cave, hoping there are clues to Carmen’s whereabouts. The cave is dirty and dark, nothing in it save for the smell of bodily fluids. I wrinkle my nose and continue to search. My shoulders slump when I find nothing. I turn to leave, when I spot something white at the entrance.

Bending down, I move the rock covering most of it. I pick up the paper and shake it out. It’s crumpled and covered in dirt, with a smear of blood across the bottom.

My Dearest Daughter,

I find I am in over my head. Please, I will give myself up in the castle garden. I know I have failed you, and you have no reason to trust me, but I cannot keep leading these bloodthirsty vampires. Only you can help me now. I will wait all day for you.

Your father,

Julian

“Raúl?” I say. In an instant, he is beside me, sword drawn, looking for any sort of danger. I hand him the note and he reads it, scoffing in disgust.

“The night my grandfather hands himself in, I’ll walk in the sun and live.” He sheaths his sword and folds the note, putting it in his vest pocket. “My vampires will continue to search, but Carmen isn’t here. It could take hours. Would you like to go back to the castle?”

My shoulders droop. I couldn’t move even half as fast through the forest as the vampires. Seeing how fast the others disappeared made me wonder how much I really slowed Raúl down getting here. “Not really, but I don’t want to hold you back.”

He slings an arm around my shoulders and pulls me toward him. “You’re not holding me back. What about your magic? Could you speed yourself up?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know any spells for that.”

An idea forms, and I turn to the forest, grasping a bit of my storm. I will the world to show me as it truly is, and the same essences bloom in my vision. Silver dusting around the plants. Around the rabbit that bursts through the bushes. Shadows around the vampires.

Concentrating, I think to Nava, Can you find her?

We are following the trail north.

“Raúl. Can you fly with me above the trees to the north? Nava says they went that way.”

---