Page 6 of House of Vampires and Flame

We’ll leave if Father breaches this place, Sy said.

I nodded. Without me, Ruin wouldn’t be able to bleed this land dry.

Right now, let’s settle in here. In Mist of Cinder, we’ll grow stronger, Sy said, liking Cinder already, while I collapsed on the long, lush grass.

On this side of the hill, I didn’t sense anyone in my proximity. My instincts told me that the Shriekers wouldn’t be able to pass through the Veil even if they sensed or found it.

I sank deep into the grass. With the long stalks concealing my body, I closed my eyes for a nap to speed up my healing.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been out until Sy poked me awake.

“Why?” I asked, blinking my sleepy eyes, then the scent of stewed rabbit wafted toward my nostrils.

You need to feed, Sy said.

In the wake of the setting sun, a splatter of pink and orange splashed across the sky, twilight tinting the ivory tower. The long stalks of grass waved in the breeze, and magic rose from the soil, calling to me.

The delicious smell of stew wafted in my direction again, and my stomach grumbled.

I rolled to a sitting position, checking my injured leg. It’d stopped bleeding, and the wound had sealed while I regenerated in my sleep. My ribcage still throbbed in pain, but it was more like an irritation now. I’d had much worse.

I climbed to the top of the hill. The view in front of me took my breath away.

Blooming gardens encompassed shining buildings, houses, and shops, with the ivory tower shining like a jewel. To the far east, a verdant forest stretched, trees and blossoms waving in the wind. A large lake glinting like a vast gem dominated the far west.

This was the most beautiful place I’d ever visited, the air brimming with pure magic, wine, spring rain, and a flowery scent. I tilted my head as I listened to the sound of laughter and chatting that brought the new town to life.

It’s the campus of a school, Sy corrected. It’s big.

“Let’s go,” I said as I hid Deathsong, my dagger, within a shrub that bore pink flowers before scrambling down the hill.

~

Pressing myself against the walls and sticking to the shadows, I watched students my age stroll along the paths toward different buildings. Girls wore white tops, red skirts, and high stockings; boys had gray-and-blue jackets and slacks.

I’d need new clothes to blend in. Mine were in tatters.

When I spotted an older woman in a servant’s uniform walking toward a russet building, dipping her gaze to the ground, I trailed after her. She passed by the framed golden letters “Jubilee Haven” etched on the wall and entered through a side door.

I waited for several seconds before striding toward the same entry.

It was magically warded. In fact, the whole three-story building was warded, but no wards could stop me. I turned the handle, offensive magic alighting on my fingertips. I brushed it off as if it were a spiderweb.

I slid into the building and closed the door behind me. Luckily, I didn’t meet anyone, so no one stopped me. I gingerly crossed the hall and paused at the base of the stairs that led all the way down. From my experience, servants usually dwelled in basements, and no one guarded their humble quarters.

What kind of thief would be dumb enough to rob a servant?

The current one. Sy grinned, but she approved my thinking as I sprang into action.

I took the steps two at a time and reached the bottom floor. There were several rooms on either side. I headed left and pushed on the first door. It was locked. I could get it open, but it would take time and effort, so I moved on. I got lucky with the third door.

I slid into the room.

Just as I assumed, it was a servant room with a bed and minimal furniture. I went straight for the open closet. Three sets of male servant uniforms that were obviously two sizes too big for me hung on the rack.

With a sigh, I worked on shrugging off my blood-tainted, tattered shirt and pants and putting on the servant’s uniform. At least it was clean. I also found a cord to tie the pants at the waist so they wouldn’t fall off.

The servant had two spare pairs of shoes, so I took the liberty of inserting my bare feet into the nicer pair. They were an inch and a half too long, but it wasn’t the time to be picky. I swiftly cleaned myself up a little to make sure no blood was left on me, then I wrapped my old clothes into a roll, snuck out of the room, and dumped my dirty clothes into the trash can at the other end of the corridor.

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