Even though I was the youngest, I led the others down the tunnel. Jacques seldom protested having me ahead of the group. My size was intimidating, but I suspected he allowed me at the front so he could watch for enemies approaching from the rear. And with his extreme speed, he could always attack an enemy ahead of us before our adversary or I even blinked.
The tunnel remained quiet other than our slow advance. No water dripped. No rats or bats stirred. It was too quiet. Like death. Matilda had mentioned magic traps and to be wary. I detected nothing magical except for the faint pulse of magic deeper in the tunnel. But then it happened.
A large black shadow draped across the tunnel ahead of us, moving like a windswept curtain, preventing us from seeing anything beyond it.
“What now?” I asked.
Matilda’s dark eyes narrowed, and she nodded ahead. The black veil had vanished. In its place stood Esmeralda and the three Gypsy men from the other night. None held weapons, but the expressions on their faces indicated they didn’t have need of any.
“You were warned!” she said in a low menacing tone that chilled to the bone.
I held her gaze without blinking. “As I recall, you welcomed us in.”
“To my shop, yes. Here, no. My men gave you my wishes to come see me. Instead you defied their order.”
“My allegiance isn’t to them, or to you. They don’t tell me what to do. They might fear your power—”
“Forrest!” Matilda hissed in a stern whisper. She shook her head.
“I assume you’re the one accusing me of murder?” I asked, unflinching. “That’s a bold allegation, even for you.”
Her eyes narrowed, growing dark. “But you murdered him.”
“Who?”
“Trenton.”
My lips curled into a slight smirk. “He was a vampire. It’s my duty and calling to slay vampires. Any vampire.”
“He was an ally, not our enemy,” she replied.
Jacques frowned. “You aligned your people with a vampire? Do you understand how dangerous that is?”
“Not as dangerous for us than when Duke Raginwulf finds us.”
“A vampire acts only in his or her best interests. Mortals are never benefited by any proposed agreements,” I said. “They view mortals either as a potential food source or an expansion of the hierarchy.”
“Not all—”
Through gritted teeth, I said, “All.”
Father said, “Forrest was paid handsomely for killing Trenton, which means someone apparently viewed the vampire as a major threat to the residents of Whitechapel. How could you not sense his evil?”
She regarded my father with a harsh frown, but didn’t answer his pointed question. Instead she turned her attention back to me. “A bounty?”
I nodded. “I suppose one might consider it such, but none was offered ahead of time. No one offered me a bounty to kill him.”
“Perhaps a price should be placed upon your head,” Esmeralda said in a near whisper. Her piercing dark eyes were colder than a venomous serpent coiled to strike.
“Careful,” Jacques said. “Any threat placed against Forrest is directed toward all of us.”
She pursed her lips before releasing a small laugh. “You’re all fools to think you can ever intimidate me.”
“The duke has come for you, and you hold great fear of him,” Jacques said.
Her brow furrowed.
“See?” Jacques said. “I’m certain if Matilda worked the proper set of spells, she could release your hold on the hedgerow, allowing him direct access to Lowbey.”
“You’d side with that vampire?” she asked.
“Why not?” Jacques replied. “You had allied with one.”
“To rid ourselves of a more powerful one.”
“That didn’t work in your favor, did it?” Father said. “The last thing you want to do is kill us. We are probably the best allies you could ever have. Don’t make us your enemies. Trust me. It won’t end well for you.”
For several moments I stood in awe at my father’s sudden bold words. Over the past few months, during our travels and pursuits of other lesser vampires, he had seldom spoken a word, allowing Jacques and myself to speak while he stood quietly in the background.
“I’d rather not have you as enemies, but you tried to enter our village unseen like thieves slipping through the shadows. Trespassing in areas where you’re not welcome is not the action of an ally or a friend. We lack trust between us now, and that’s difficult to rebuild.”
“What are you hiding?” I asked.
“Whatever do you mean, Hunter?” She feigned childlike innocence. “You uttered similar words the other night. Tell me why?”
I slid my dagger into its sheath, placed the cross in my pocket, and crossed my arms. I stood in long silence until her discomfort caused her to shift her feet. She kept our gaze, but her nervousness increased. Her body became restless. The men standing behind her became uneasy. They looked about, like they hoped to find weapons.
“For a man who is from Romania, you dare challenge a Gypsy witch by staring into her eyes? Have you no fear of the consequences? Misfortunes befall those foolish enough to engage us,” she said. Her tone and boldness didn’t back her warning.
I grinned and shook my head slightly but stared intently into her eyes. After my extended silence, she bit her lower lip. Her building fear caused her to look away. “Perhaps you stared into Trenton’s eyes too long, Gypsy. A vampire can enslave humans to do his bidding. It’s foolish for most anyone to gaze into a vampire’s eyes, but I am one who is capable of doing so without the fear of being seized by his charm. That’s because I’m a Hunter. I have no fear of gazing into their eyes, nor do I have any fear of looking into yours. I can perceive one’s nature and her lies.”
“I’ve not lied to you,” she said in a quiet voice.
“Perhaps not, but you haven’t told us everything,” I replied.
“Our affairs aren’t your business.”
“A master vampire has traveled across several countries because of something you have done. He’s killing innocent people, which makes it our business, especially if you want our aid in killing him.”
Esmeralda frowned. “I’ve never requested your help.”
“No? Apparently before the duke is finished, you’re going to need it. Eventually, he’ll find a way past your magical barriers and when he does, he will slaughter dozens of your people. Maybe even hundreds of them. Is that something you wish to risk?”
She broke our gaze and swallowed hard.
“Let us pass and find what it is that you’re hiding,” I said.
“No,” she said evenly. Her eyes grew fierce again. “If you wish to speak with us, then come above to my shop. But you’re not welcome beneath our village.”
I smiled and looked past her. “Then what you’re hiding is in that direction.”
“Go!” She pointed toward a ladder with her thin crooked finger. “If you return to this tunnel, horrible unspeakable things will befall you.”
A wave of dark energy washed across me, but I pretended not to notice. I fixed my gaze on her, but she still refused to yield additional information or hold my gaze. Finally, I said, “The longer you withhold what you’re hiding, the stronger you’re making him. You do realize that, don’t you?”
Esmeralda looked away uneasily. “I said, ‘Go.’”
“As you wish.” I walked past her to the ladder leading to the street above. Jacques, Matilda, and Father followed. “Now may be the only chance you have to reveal your secret because there’s a good chance we might leave London before this vampire is ever slain.”
“You’re a Hunter. You’d let him stalk the people of Whitechapel rather than destroy him?”
“Isn’t that what you’re currently doing?” I asked. “It seems you want me to rid you of a problem you’ve incited. Duke Raginwulf has come to Whitechapel for one purpose. Vengeance. He wants to punish you for whatever you’ve done and have refused to dis
close to us. It’s not necessary that I kill him anytime soon. I can hunt him later, after he has completed his vendetta by killing you.”
Tears of frustration welled in her eyes, but she held her silence. I shrugged and went up the ladder. We all exited onto the street in Lowbey without her calling after us. Other than rude cold stares from peddlers, we suffered no threats or harassment as we left the village.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lord Albert greeted us inside his underground chambers when we entered. George stood to the right of Albert’s crude throne and Clyde to the left. The other three sat in front of Albert. The four of us stood before him like meager humans before a rat king.
Albert smiled, resting his chin upon his slender, rat-fingered bridge. “I see you got my message.”
I nodded.
“The boys told me of your interests in what lies beneath the Gypsy village. Did you find what you were seeking?”
“No,” I replied.
“What prompted you to enter where those of us refuse to tread?”
“Esmeralda.”
His eyes widened slightly. “The Gypsy witch?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you seek her? I thought your primary interest was in killing this murderous vampire.”
“She’s the reason Raginwulf is here.”
Albert eased back in his chair. He ran a slender hand along his long goatee, pulling it straighter before twirling the end of it around his index finger. “That’s an interesting assumption. What is your logic behind that line of thinking?”
“Because her niece was married to him, and according to Esmeralda, they unwittingly killed her, not knowing she was a vampire,” I replied.
“Do you believe her?”
“I believe she’s hiding more than what’s she telling us. It’s under Lowbey in one of the tunnels.”
Albert frowned. “What do you think it is?”
I shrugged. “I’m not certain, but whatever it is, she has bound magic to shroud and protect it.”
Albert glanced toward Matilda. “Is this true?”
She nodded. “I have sensed the presence of magic deeper in the tunnel, but we weren’t able to get near it. She has used magic to set up barriers along the tunnel to prevent anyone from sneaking underground.”
“You do realize the dangers that come from provoking the anger of a Gypsy witch? The curses they can bestow upon those they view as enemies are unsurpassed and unrelentingly cruel. A Gypsy carries a grudge forever, and the curse continues long after her death. These are some of the reasons I have forbade my boys from setting foot within Lowbey’s village borders.”
“I have no fear of her,” I said.
Albert studied me long and hard. “You should have respect of their powers, if nothing else. Just because you’re a Hunter doesn’t mean you can traipse through any territory unscathed. With your excessive size I tend to view you as a man, but your mind is still soft and learning, like my boys. Mischief tempts you to take unwarranted risks. And although you killed Trenton, your fight with that vampire almost killed you.”
Humility overcame me, and I nodded.
“Now, you’re stalking into the Gypsy community, and with a defiant supreme attitude nonetheless, if I had my guess. That’s a foolish endeavor for you or any shape-shifter. Anyone outside of their village they do not trust. Often outsiders are betrayed, robbed, or swindled, as Gypsies are the masters for the slight of hand.”
I glanced toward the smallest were-rat who had tried to still my Hunter box upon our first encounter. “Perhaps the little one there should seek a Gypsy trainer in Lowbey. His stealing skills are lacking.”
Albert’s eyes narrowed. “Impudent—”
“Forrest!” Jacques scolded, grabbing the crook of my left arm.
I yanked my arm away and pointed at Albert. “Honesty, remember? He has no right to lecture me when he’s allowing his own boys to roam the streets to steal from vendors and unsuspecting visitors. A thief is a thief, regardless of his cultural upbringing.”
Albert snarled his upper lip and bared his teeth. Anger stirred in those red eyes. His hands tightened on the armrests of his chair, and he appeared ready to spring forward to attack. I braced myself, placing my hand on my dagger. After a few moments, he expelled a long sigh and forced a nod. “Quite right, Forrest. We shouldn’t steal, but look at us. What occupation can we have on the surface? I’m cursed like this for the rest of my days. The boys can appear as humans for a few hours during the day, but they have no forewarning of when they will transform into their rat form. The older they become, the less time their bodies will look human. In time they will be like me, nothing more than sewer scavengers, living off the scraps of society.”
“My apologies,” I said.
Albert gave a nonchalant wave of his hand. The soured expression on his narrowed mouth signified he held no interest in my regret. “Not necessary. We’ve more important matters to discuss.”
“Why do you fear the Gypsies so much?” I asked. “Do you think Esmeralda could curse you more than what you already say you are?”
Albert scratched at his neck and chin. “Most Gypsies are wanderers. They stay a short time in a place before moving on. Generally before their true tactics are discovered by the less fortunate. Lowbey is actually the first settlement I’ve ever seen where they’ve not set up a temporary camp of wagons. They’re occupying buildings and setting up businesses.”
Father nodded. “I had wondered about that behavior myself. I remember wagon caravans.”
Albert looked at his boys affectionately and then he glanced to me. “Myself, I have no fear of them or Esmeralda for that matter. But when it comes to my boys? Think about it. The traveling caravans of Gypsies not only have fortune-tellers and healers, but they have freak shows where, for a price, people can view bizarre humans and animals. Imagine what they’d do if they captured one of my boys. He’d be nothing but an animal to make them money. A prisoner for people to gawk at.”
“They have shows like that in Lowbey?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It’s doubtful. I’ve seen no placards promoting such shows in Whitechapel. But that wouldn’t stop them from selling a were-rat child to their relatives passing through in a caravan.”
“That’s true,” I replied.
Matilda shook her head. “It’s disgusting.”
“Mortifying,” Albert said. “And yet, it happens. Forrest, may I ask you something? It’s actually the reason I requested you to come here.”
“Sure.”
“Why did you face Trenton alone?”
“I was not looking for him,” I replied. “I wasn’t planning to confront any vampire. I had gone for a walk.”
“Was he, perhaps, looking for you?” Albert asked, folding his long fingers together.
I thought about that for a few moments. Our encounter didn’t seem by accident. Trenton had been watching me out in the open. “Now that I think about it, that’s possible.”
Jacques cocked a brow, looking at me. “You think so?”
“He appeared on the street beneath a lamppost, and he was watching me.” A sudden revelation came to me. “She sent him.”
“Who?” Albert asked.
“Esmeralda.”
The were-rat’s brow furrowed. “Why would a Gypsy witch have any association with a vampire?”
Jacques said, “She told us she had allied herself with Trenton.”
“To fight Duke Raginwulf,” I said. “But Trenton confronted me soon after we left Lowbey. She knew I was a Hunter.”
“You said that he wanted you to help him kill Raginwulf,” Father said.
I nodded. “He did.”
“I speculate,” Jacques said, “that he knew you’d refuse to befriend him. He wanted you to attack.”
“Either she wanted to eliminate you,” Albert said, “or she was testing you.”
I glanced toward Jacques. “When we had talked to her earlier and she learned I had gotten a bounty for killi
ng Trenton, she said a price should be set upon me. But perhaps she had already set one.”
Albert shook his head and chuckled.
“What?” I asked.
“Can you see the treachery of offering your trust to a Gypsy? Perhaps she was testing both of you. For Trenton to defeat you meant it was possible for him to kill Duke Raginwulf. If he failed, London had one less vampire to worry about.”
I grinned. “And yet, she was the one who actually killed Trenton.”
“How’s that?” Albert asked with a curious stare.
“The stake that killed him was from a hedge she had enchanted to attack and slay vampires. The magic on the stake propelled it into the air and through his heart.”
“The irony,” Albert said with a shrewd smile that made him appear even more sinister than normal. He rubbed his slender hands together briskly.
“How do we discern her true motive?” Jacques asked.
“I don’t think we can,” I replied. “She pitted us against one another. Since we don’t know if she was trying to have Trenton kill me or me kill him, we cannot trust her.”
“Her anger increased when she acknowledged you had killed Trenton. That’s a good sign she wanted you dead,” he said.
I shrugged. “That and the hinted bounty on me indicate she’s not an ally. And besides that, she remains defiant in revealing what she’s hiding. I believe she possesses an item of great value that Raginwulf refuses to abandon.”
Albert rose from his throne and stretched. His long gray robe flowed around his ankles. “None of you have any idea what that item might be?”
“No,” I replied.
“What makes you think that’s his actual reason for being in London?”
“Because he’s a master vampire. He’s abandoned his social status, his lair, and everything else in his pursuit of Esmeralda.”
Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter [Book 2]: Blood Mists of London Page 18
