Page 10 of A Vampire in a Pear Tree
“Train station.St.Pancras.”I glanced around a statue of two lovers embracing, my spirits forlorn when I saw no sign of vampire markers on the ground, a few scattered dragon scales, some arcany that indicated a fairly large group of mages had passed through, and even a few markers from an earth elemental.“The trail was clear until I got to the station.I’ve searched all the floors, but there’s nothing.Savian—I really don’t want to fail my very first job, but I don’t know what to do.”
“Hmm.That’s the international hub.”His voice was thoughtful, and he was quiet for so long that I glanced at my phone to make sure it hadn’t dropped the call.“I don’t like that.”
“I’m screwed, aren’t I?”I sighed.“He’s probably in Europe by now, and I’ll never find him, and that scary Dr.Kostich will kick my ass out, and I’ll have to go back to doing mortal work, because no one wants a bad knocker with a reputation for failure.”
“While I admire the depths of the pity pool into which you have sunk, I don’t think it’s as dire a situation as that,” Savian answered, amusement rich in his voice.“It’s daytime, and most vampires don’t like to travel when they have to be out in the sun.”
“I’m not sure this guy is actually a vampire,” I said slowly, thinking over what Jerry had told me.“His mom called him a thane, and said he was one of her four sons who formed the race of vampires.Or rather, Dark Ones.”
“If he made them, then he’s bound to have the same traits as them,” Savian argued.“Regardless, I’ll make a call and have one of the sprites I use help find his trail.”
“Sprites?The little girls from the Court of Divine Blood?”I asked, confused why I would want someone from what most mortals thought of as heaven.“I don’t see how they can help.”
“I was planning on discussing sprites as aides in locating markers in our next thief taker lesson, but it sounds like I’d better do it now.Although, yes, they do frequently take the appearance of young girls, my go-to team of trackers usually look like twenty-somethings.Why, I can hear you thinking to yourself, do sprites help?The answer is simple: they can see markers that are too faint for you and me.Where, exactly, are you in St.Pancras?”
“First floor, near the statue of the lovers,” I answered, a faint glow of hope blossoming to life within me.
“Stay there.I’ll send Tarantella to you.She’s in England, and can get to you quickly via the Beyond.”
I hung up, wondering about beings who could travel in the alternate version of reality known as the Beyond, but decided I wouldn’t question any help, no matter whom it came from.
Almost half an hour later, a young woman sat down on the bench beside me.She had turquoise-and-pink hair done in braids that hung to her waist, wore bright-yellow overalls, and bore a pair of oversized sunglasses that reminded me of pictures of Jackie Onassis.
“Hi.I’m Tara.Savian said you need some help finding a vamp?”
“Yes, please,” I said, tucking away my phone.I’d been searching for information about exactly what a vampire thane was, but there was nothing online.“I’m at a loss as to where he could have gone.”
“Let’s see where you looked already,” she said, getting back to her feet.I took her down to the ground floor, retracing my earlier movements as I searched that floor, the mezzanine, and the upper level.“The only markers I saw were at the door and inside the entrance.But after that, zzzt.The trail goes cold.”
“There’s certainly no sign of your thane up here,” Tara said as she slowly paced, her gaze scanning the floor ahead of us.“So I think you can stop worrying that he took a train out of the country.Let’s go back to the entrance.I want to take another look at the pattern of sanguine there.”
I didn’t see how that would help, but I wasn’t a super tracker, so I followed her downstairs, and watched as she searched the entrance where I’d seen the sanguine.There was less of it visible now, no doubt due to the dispersal generated by so many people passing through the area, but to my surprise, after about fifteen minutes, Tara suddenly stood up from where she’d been doubled over, examining the floor.“Got him.This way!”
I trotted after her when she ran down a side passage where the bathrooms were, which led off to administrative offices.
“See here?He paused at the toilets, then stood for a short time on the corner before heading this way.I wonder why ...ah.”The administrative hallway split, one side leading to a dead end filled with trash bins, while the other clearly held offices.“Here’s where he ended up for a bit.”
I wrinkled my nose at the massive trash container.“Ew.”
“I’m willing to bet it wasn’t for the ambience.The sanguine is pooled like he stood here for five or ten minutes, but someone else was here with him.There’s two voids in the marker pattern that can only be the feet of another person.”
“Was he hiding with someone?”I asked, more confused than ever.I studied the ground but only saw the very faintest of shimmer indicating the sanguine Owain the thane had shed.
“He’s a Dark One, right?”She gave a little shrug before starting back the way we’d come.“He was probably feeding from some mortal.OK, now that I have his marker down, I can see his exit path.The game is afoot!”
It took about twenty minutes, but at last I was able to see the trail that Tara had followed out of the train station, and down to Russell Square.“You’re brilliant, and are a godsend,” I thanked her when I had been able to follow the trail on my own for a block.“Er ...how much do I owe you?”
“Not a thing other than a good review on my Court of Divine Blood profile page,” she said with a bright smile.“Your cousin has me on retainer, and it was the least I could do for him, since he’s laid up for a week or so.”
“He is a good guy,” I agreed, glancing around the area.“I wonder what the thane is doing in this area.It doesn’t scream vampire hunting grounds to me.”
Tara gave a half shrug.“The British Museum is just over there.Maybe he went in it.There’s also an entrance to Abaddon a couple of blocks from here, but I can’t imagine why he’d want to go there.Welp, if you don’t need me for anything else, I’ll pop back to the Court.My aunt is Sovereign, and I promised her I’d help with a problem she has concerning some mages.See ya!”
I thanked her again, and stood for a moment wondering what Owain the thane was doing, and whether he was going to give me any trouble once I found him, but decided it was a waste of energy worrying about the unknown.
The markers were fairly visible as I followed their trail to the south, before I came to a dead end at a small red-and-white brick building.There was no obvious sign of its purpose, but the sanguine ended at the door.I took a few steps back to eye the building, noting that the two upper floors looked uninhabited, its windows crusted with dirt and bits of dead ivy.
But what gave away the truth about the building was the sense of a thick, stifling presence that I recognized as dark power.This had to be the entrance to Abaddon that Tara had mentioned.I hesitated, glancing up and down the quiet street, lined with scattered small shops located on the ground floors, but with few people to be seen.
