“Mirrors show the truth in all things; even the most powerful blood magic can’t obscure it.” It now occurs to me why the vampir covered all their mirrors. I can’t imagine the pain it would be to know you were cursed but only ever see yourself as you once were. “Describe this man,” Ruvan commands.
“He had bulging veins and paper-thin skin. The whites of his eyes had turned black. His hair was a mottled brown and his protruding fangs were gnarled. He looked like Death itself.”
“It sounds like the curse,” I say.
“It does.” Callos taps his fingers. “A vampir would be afflicted by it, just as we are, even in the Natural World…but perhaps he’s been able to subsist off human blood and whatever other strength he can derive from this blood lore he’s woven. That’s how he’s made it for so long outside of stasis.”
“What did he have you do?” Ruvan remains focused on Drew.
“Normal things for the master hunter. Or, I thought them normal. Tasks Davos always performed. But I suppose it would all seem normal…that bird was in his brain, too. That vampire—vampir—is the master hunter.”
“When you say this man was in your brain…” Winny leaves her question hanging.
“He commanded me. He had control of my body. It was as if my mind had been removed entirely. And if I tried to break too close to the surface he would push me back. He would tell me that my sacrifice was for the greater good. That I had failed in killing the lord of the vampires but I could still serve the hunters with my submission and begin our preparations for the next Blood Moon.”
“Why would a vampir be trying to kill the lord of the vampir?” I sweep my gaze across the table. None of them seem to want to answer. Their silence and stewing anxiousness only further spurs me. My mind begins to follow the logical progression of what’s laid before me. “He had mentioned a throne… What if he’s trying to take power for himself?”
“To be the lord of a crumbling castle and a cursed, slumbering people. Truly something to kill for,” Ruvan says dryly.
I purse my lips. “No…it’s not that. You said a human could be given the blood rites and turned into a vampir.”
“That blood lore hasn’t been done since King Solos, and there’s only record of one human being turned. Human blood was too valuable unturned and the cost was too high.”
They’re thinking like vampir, that’s why they don’t see it. That’s how the Raven Man stayed two steps ahead. But I’m catching up.
“Unless this vampir wants to make his own kingdom.” My hands are almost trembling. Though I’m not sure why. Anxiousness? Excitement stemming from the sense of figuring out this puzzle? Fear? “What if the Raven Man is the one who laid the curse?”
“What?” Lavenzia gasps.
“No, think about it,” I say hastily before anyone else can object. “This vampir flees across the Fade and cements his control in Hunter’s Hamlet, where he knows he has a steady supply of blood, of power, and willing servants. You had said there was record of a human group escaping after those experimentations and subsequent losses—what if this vampir is the one who helped them escape? Then he earns their trust by laying the curse, knowing that it will affect him, but he has a whole stockpile of resources to see himself through. He was going to let the rest of the vampir die off and then turn the people of Hunter’s Hamlet into his new followers without them even realizing it.
“But he didn’t account for the long night and deep slumber. So now he’s been waiting, trying to hunt the vampir—knowing the lord would eventually come to try and beat the curse. And once the lord and his covenant were dead—”
“There would be no one left to wake the next watch,” Quinn whispers in horror. “The rest of the vampir would be locked in an eternal slumber and he could deal with us at his leisure.”
“He wants more than just the lord of the vampir,” Drew says. “He would whisper to me at night and tell me that the vampir were just the start. When he had full control of the blood lore, he would use it to rally the lykin, and then he would kill the Elf King.”
“He wants to rule all of Midscape.” Ruvan scowls, folding his arms. Murder is in his eyes.
I lean forward, over the table, and tap my finger into the center. “This is the man who laid the curse. This is the man we’re after. We get this Raven Man and we don’t just free the vampir, but the hunters as well.”
“Flor, we’ll be in the debt of the vampir, then,” Drew murmurs in disbelief. It’s hard to imagine. But I also think it’s true, even if it’d be the last thing the hunters will want to admit.
“Enough, at least, that the hunters might be willing to agree to the ceasefire we spoke of. Because the vampir will be in our debt, as well.” I turn to Ruvan. “That’s your answer. That’s how we win. Kill the Raven Man, end the curse, and give a reason for all of us to make peace.”
