Page 142 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

“No. We’re just trying to survive, and that’s a little hard to do when you always have a bl—vampire up your ass, so we had to get creative.”

“This isn’t creative. It’s treason.” The words come from Ajax, but Finn doesn’t answer. The silence is heavy between us as we trail through the tunnels that look the same as they did on the night that Tori died. We keep going until we finally exit through a small door that leads to an abandoned street, with buildings that have missing roofs and moss growing up the side of them.

Finn moves quickly, and just as I’m about to ask how much longer, he stops in front of an empty alleyway.

“We’re here,” he whispers, and we all exchange the same confused look.

“There’s nothing here,” I tell him, but I’m only met with his smile as he steps over the threshold of the alleyway and completely disappears from sight.

“Where the hell did he go?” Piper blurts as we all look on in confusion.

Before any of us can answer, he reappears again, eying us all.

“Are you coming or what?”

He must see the confusion on our faces, and this makes his mouth curve up into a smile.

“It’s a glamor, cross the line and you’ll see.”

He points down to the floor, where the cobblestone changes to wider bricks. I slip in behind him this time, and as the roar of chatter swells around us, my mouth falls open. People are everywhere, people I could not see just mere seconds ago. Market-style stalls line the two walls of the alleyway, selling everything from fresh fruit to books. I look up and find the soft glow of starlight orbs shining down on the place, illuminating it in a yellow glow that makes it appear like it’s daytime.

This can’t be real.I look at the others and can tell that I’m not the only one stunned by what I’m seeing. We’ve always been told that the only magic in existence is that which belongs to the vampires, but this proves that it’s simply not true. Do the vampires even know that magic like this can exist? From the looks on Ajax, Piper, and Kaia’s faces, I’d say no.

“I’m sure you all have plenty of questions, but right now, you're sticking out like a sore thumb when we should look the exact opposite,” Finn warns.

My eyes flit to the people moving around, their eyes sweeping over us, and I hate to admit that he is right. I have so many questions, but now is not the time.

“Come on.”

Finn leads us deeper into the fray, and I can’t help but smile at the scene before me. People sweep by with smiles on their faces as they clutch onto the baskets hanging from their arms, filling them up with things they are purchasing from the different stalls. My heart tightens at what it would be like to bring Corahere. Tori would have loved it too. Things like this are how the old world is described: humans thriving and enjoying freedom, or making their own rules. I can’t help but be angry at the vampires at this moment and remember all that they have taken from us.

“Not much further,” Finn says as we pass a stall stacked high with books.

“Fancy a good ole romance, my love, or maybe you prefer a little crime?” a lady calls out as she tries to get me to approach her, but I offer a small smile and move on, following closely behind Finn. It’s like that everywhere we go, people selling trinkets, fruit, cakes, and jewelry, all trying to see if you’ll part with a bit of coin to experience their goods.

We take a turn as the alleyway comes to an end, making way to a slightly wider road. It’s quieter here, and we keep going until we stop outside of a thin old wooden door. Finn taps a fist against it, and a man opens it mere seconds later.

“I said we’re fucking close—”

The man’s words die on his tongue as he makes eye contact with Finn, looking down at him like he’s seen a ghost, then he quickly schools his features when he sees us.

“What’s your business here?” he spits.

“I’m here to buy something.”

The man looks down at Finn for a long while before he steps aside, making room for us to come inside. The sound of the busy marketplace dies instantly as the door closes. We move into a medium-sized living room and all take a seat next to a burning fire.

The man scuttles around, grabbing a metal jug and filling several cups with water. He brings the tray over, allowing us all to take a drink from it.

“I imagine you’ve traveled a long way to get here,” he says to us all, and Finn nods.

The man blows out a breath before sinking into a battered armchair as he faces us.

“I don’t mean to be rude, Finnian, but it’s been a long time. What exactly do you want?”

“I don’t go by that name.”

The man lets out a laugh and sinks further back into his chair as I greedily chug back the water. It’s not as fresh as that of the palace water and has a slightly strange taste, but it still does the trick.