Page 141 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

Finn shrugs. “In theory, vampire venom is just raw magic. It can be used for many things if you play around with the amount you use and what you mix it with.”

Ajax shivers. “That gives me the creeps.”

“It’s actually how humans got the upper hand in the middle of the war.”

“They never got the upper hand,” Kaia says defensively.

“Ok, sore subject. Let's go back to practicing walking,” Finn says.

My mind trails off as they all continue squabbling about whether they look human enough.

What is bothering you, young one?

I shake my head.

I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling. Something weird in the pit of my stomach.

I think you humans call it nerves.

It’s not that…it’s…it doesn’t matter. I just want to get this over with so that when we finally find Willow, we have a way of helping her.

“Ok, I think this is as close as we’re going to get.”

Finn’s voice breaks me from my own thoughts, and my eyes shift to where the three vampires stand. They look uncomfortable, and I can’t help but smile. They look like themselves but not. It’s as though the magic has given them human imperfections and flaws. It’s almost hard to explain. And with the clothes from a shop that Finnborroweda few outfits from around ten minutes ago, they truly look the part.

“Let's just go before I change my mind,” Kaia spits.

We all move through the darkness, and it takes around ten minutes before we finally stop outside of an old workshop, not too dissimilar to the one that Finn runs. We wait quietly as Finn taps a fist against the door, using a sound that is clearly some kind of code. After a few minutes, a large guy with abald head comes into view as the door swings open. He eyes us suspiciously before returning his attention to Finn.

“The workshop is closed,” the man grunts, beginning to close the door in our faces.

“But open if you know where to look,” Finn says. The man pauses and draws his attention back to the group of us again. “They’re with me. I can vouch for them.”

The man pauses for a moment, and I see Kaia take the slightest step forward, readying for a fight, until he nods.

“Hurry in before one of them filthy bloodsuckers comes by.”

Ajax tenses beside me, but I place a hand on his arm, and he relaxes. We rush inside, and when he slams the door, we are cast into complete darkness. Within seconds, the glow of a ball hovers above us, and as the man moves, it follows.

“How the hell did you get your hands on starlight?” Ajax asks.

The man looks over his shoulder to glance at him.

“Easy when you know who to pay.”

He doesn’t offer anything else, and I see Ajax and Kaia pass a look between them. I have grown to trust the vampires during my time in the palace, but a small part of me still wonders whether they can be trusted with knowledge like this. If there is another war and we are forced onto different sides, it’s information like this that they could use to win against us. I shake away the thoughts. It won’t come to that. That’s why we’re here. We’ll get what Finn needs and, in the process, save Willow and every other impure who hasn’t completed the full transition.

We descend a steep set of stairs, and all I hear is our breaths echoing in the heavy silence. I can just about make out the wooden walls that sit on either side of us as we delve deeper. The man keeps going when we reach the bottom, leading us into what looks to be a simple bedroom. He closes the door behind us and moves toward a wardrobe standing against the back wall. He turns a few knobs, and a gasp leaves Piper as the wardrobestarts sliding to the side by itself. I try to pretend to be surprised, but after what I saw when I tried to get Tori out of this place, it’s no longer so shocking. I only wonder how many rooms like this are out there.

The man nods in the direction of the now open space, and a soft howl of wind escapes from within it to meet us in the room. The chill has me rubbing my hands together.

“You know the way from here?”

The question is directed at Finn, and he nods, taking the lead as we all follow him. We each move quietly through the gap, and I jump at the sound of the secret doorway being slammed behind us. Luckily, the orb of starlight is still hovering above us, keeping the small space in front of us illuminated.

“What the hell is this place? Are you humans trying to plan another war?” Kaia asks.

Finn blows out a breath.