Page 141 of On Wings of Blood

I looked up and saw the sign that creaked in the night breeze above the door.

The Wandering Page.

Was this one of Blake’s hangouts? Had he even come this way? For all I knew there were multiple ways off the island. Maybe each house had a secret passageway of their own. Would I run into Catherine Mortis or Kage Tanaka next?

My stomach plummeted as I thought of something awful. Had Blake come here tofeed? Had he stepped out of The WanderingPage and grabbed a child, just like that other highblood man had done?

No. Blake Drakharrow might have been many other horrible things but he wouldn’t harm a child. I had to believe that. Didn’t I?

But he does need to feed, my mother’s voice said from my boot.

Oh, you’re still here, are you?

You get sarcastic when you’re worrying about something, you know.

I had no idea,I said.Thanks for telling me.

Of course, my dear. You know, I might come in handy tonight. There’s something to be said for having something sharp with you as you walk down dark streets alone.

She was right. That didn’t mean I’d be taking her with me everywhere from now on.

Consider this a special occasion,I said. I felt a twinge of guilt.We’ll figure out a way to free you fully soon. I swear it.

Of course, we will, she said with false cheer.I have no doubt of that.

I looked around. It was growing late and I had no idea where to go next. My eagerness to explore Veilmar had dissipated.

I glanced at the children again. I longed to do something to help them. But what? I couldn’t exactly smuggle them back to my rooms.

Did Florence know about their existence? Had she grown up seeing beggar children like these and simply become jaded to the idea of children selling their blood?

Something brushed against my leg and I jumped. I looked down, half-expecting to see another rat.

“You!”

It was the fluffin.

“Did you follow me?” I demanded. My eyes narrowed. “You’re a sneaky little thing, aren’t you?”

The fluffin gave a happy little yap, then wagged his fluffy tail and ran a little ways ahead of me. He barked again.

“You want me to follow you?” I put my hands on my hips. “Is this where you’ve been sneaking off to? Florence is going to have a conniption when she finds out.”

Are we really about to follow this dog?My mother inquired, sounding half-amused, half-curious.

Unless you have a better idea, we are, indeed, about to follow the dog, I said with a sigh, starting to follow the fluffin down the street.And it’s called a fluffin. You already know that.

I do, but I’m not about to use such a ridiculous name, Orcades said with a sniff.It resembles a dog and so a dog is what I will call it.

I sighed.I believe it’s more like a fox mixed with an owl. Let us simply resign ourselves to the absurdity of this situation and make the best of it.

I ran to cath up with the fluffin.

The cobbled streets of the city shone as the moon rose higher overhead, the stones slick with moisture from the nearby sea. I followed the little creature, weaving through winding alleys and side streets, the noise from The Wandering Page fading behind us.

After a while, we began to enter a new part of the city.

A seedier part. The street lamps were more scarce here, and what light they cast was dim.

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