Page 63 of Visions in Blood
This was a room I could handle.It was an office like any other.A desk brimming with stacks of papers, files, and books.Bookcases and file cabinets lined each wall, and two simple, wooden chairs faced the desk.I took the time to review the labels on the file cabinets and the titles of books on my way to the desk.Nothing popped out at me.The desk drawers were my first priority, but the six of them held nothing more than standard office supplies.I ran my hands over the walls of the drawers and the frame of the desk, searching for secret compartments.
Nothing.
I stared at the mess on top of the desk and went with the easiest approach, starting on my left and working my way right.Under the second stack of files, I found a name plate laying on its side.It was one of those old styles that sat at the edge of a desk with a black background and white lettering.Philipe Renaud.That made sense.But that didn’t help with where the book might be.
I sat back and scanned the office.At my first glance at the desk, it appeared Philipe was one of those messy intellectuals, perhaps an old professor who didn’t notice the chaos around him.Yet, the bookcases were neatly arranged and the top of the cabinets bare.The only clutter was the desk.
I flipped through some of the files.Most held a single form with a request to either move an artifact from one library to another, loan it to an outside museum, or request restoration.The rest appeared to be induction forms for new inventory.Reference books filled the remaining space.
If I’d bothered to look at this with a more open mind, I might have noticed right away that this was an office that hadn’t been used in a while.Requests were simply added to the pile as if Philipe would return one day and restore everything to order.
The question I couldn’t answer was how long Philipe had been gone.Without knowing how often these requests came in, he could have been gone a couple days or several months.And that gave me a new perspective.
I stopped looking through the top portion of the stack and focused on the bottom, searching for anything that might have made Philipe not want to return.It seemed a sinister thought, but it was interesting how many roadblocks we’d faced looking for the book.There was no reason the state of the office had anything to do with the missing book.Was it nothing more than a coincidence?Possibly.
I returned to the file cabinets.The folders were arranged alphabetically, and I searched under every name I thought might provide insight on where the book might be—De første dage, House Trelane and Venizi.Again, nothing.Disappointed but feeling I’d covered all the bases, I went back to the desk.
The note was buried under two inches of papers that had been scattered across the desk.The name on the empty folder was Aramburu, the fourth House created at the same time as Trelane, Venizi, and Renaud.
An itch crawled up the back of my neck, and I was still scratching it as I tried to read the pages that had fallen out of the file, but they were written in French.Great.Other than pulling the pages together, I had no idea if they were related, so I shoved them back in the file anyway.And that was when a portion of the desk was clear enough to see the note partially hidden beneath a stapler.It was a thin slip of paper, no larger than a sticky note, and although the note had been ripped from something larger, the remaining words were clear enough.
“athreat to all magical creatures and humanity itself.”
That earlier itch spread to race down my spine.I took a deep breath.The scrap of paper could have been ripped from anything.Maybe vamps had a secret passion for creepy suspense thrillers, or it could have been written centuries ago.On the off chance it was part of the Aramburu file, Devon would have to decide.I shoved it in the folder as Simone appeared in the doorway.
“We have to go.Now.”
I stuffed the folder in one of the deep pants pockets, and though bulky, it didn’t seem to hamper my movements.Before stepping away, I scattered another file to replace the one I’d taken so at first glance everything looked as I’d found it.With one more quick glance around the office, I raced for the outer door to the hallway where Simone waited.
“Keep your flashlight off and stick close.”
I slipped my dagger out, and tracking the soft sound of her boots, managed to keep up without falling on my face.It was a quick race up the stairs, and we sprinted across the third sublevel until I ran into Simone, who’d stopped and spread out her arms to keep me from passing her.
Two vamps, arms crossed over their chests, leaned against a bookcase, blocking access to the stairs that lead to the main floor.
“Edgar said to be patient and wait for the mice to come to the cats.”The vamp on the left glanced at his buddy.
“Edgar is always right.”The second one smiled.His fangs gleamed in the low light, and his eyes glowed an eerie electric green.That was disturbing.
“I hope he wasn’t the smartest of your group, assuming that was him and his partner I left on the west staircase.”Simone didn’t move, her feet already planted for an attack.
The two glanced at each other, and the first vamp’s eyes flickered with a soft amber gleam.
Good grief.While I was messing around with office supplies, she was out killing vamps.I had to admit, two were better than four.
The two didn’t bother with any further discussion and launched themselves at us.The one with the neon-green peepers came at me with amazing speed and agility.If he thought I’d run like a frightened human, he was only half-right.I waited for him to get within striking distance, raising my dagger as if ready to swipe down, and he watched my dagger rather than which foot I’d placed my weight.
With his next step, I swung a roundhouse kick with my right leg, planting it squarely in his solar plexus.While the kick wouldn’t have done much damage, I couldn’t help grin at his shocked expression as he flew back and hit one of the stacks, knocking several books off the shelf.
I cringed, hoping I hadn’t damaged any of the rare books, but before I could take a step, he was up and charging again.
I managed to duck the expected blow and twisted, sweeping a leg out from under him.On his way down, I kicked out, landing a solid hit to his head, and the sound of his jaw colliding with the cement floor was gratifying.
Devon’s training slammed into me.Don’t be a hero.Attack and run.The vamp will ultimately win.It was a bitter pill, but I swallowed it, noted that Simone was doing just fine on her own, and ran for the stairs.
“What’s going on here?”The voice was muffled, still several stacks away, probably hearing the fighting but not close enough to see us.
I flew up the stairs and was approaching the main level when Simone caught up to me and touched my elbow, but I’d already slowed.
