Chapter Thirty-Two #2
“Did you brush past me earlier? I felt someone in the dining room.”
“No, it wasn't any of us. But I sense other Raltven here.”
“Shit. Bara has better security than we thought.”
“Yeah, but don't worry about them. I'll sense them if they get close. I've been avoiding them all night. Oddly enough, they don't seem to know we're here. All three of us have been searching the house, and the others haven't chased us, not once.”
“How could they not sense you in return?”
“I don't know. Maybe they're not as good as we are. Forget about them. You need to see this.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me out to the corridor.
We headed deeper into the house, and then down a narrow stairwell, Sudar keeping a grip on my wrist. I assumed the stairwell was a servants' passage.
But at the bottom of it, we came to a room that was clearly the master's domain.
Sudar pulled a light cord. His transparent form was revealed. And so much more.
“Great Gods,” I whispered.
It was a basement. Open and vast. Bara had divided it into areas featuring glass cases, metal tables, and wooden shelves.
It had the feel of a laboratory to it. Directly to my right was a shelf full of shiny instruments, many of which bore sharp edges.
The table nearby had a gutter around the rim.
Combined with the drain in the floor, they led me to very bloody conclusions. But that wasn't what startled me.
All the other areas featured stacked glass boxes—cases of the sort you might display precious items in. Or keep venomous snakes in, if you were so inclined. There were no snakes in Bara's cases. Frankly, I would have preferred them.
I knew I didn't have much time. So, despite my unease, I hurried over to the left, where a giant glass case the size of a coffin stood on metal legs beside a work table.
A chill crept up my spine as I peered into it.
There were many cases in that section, but this was the only one that contained something.
A fluttering white mass. With one tap on the glass, the white emperor moths burst into the air to reveal the bloody carcass they'd been feeding on.
“That's an . . .” I cocked my head. “Is that a bear?”
Sudar peered at the carcass as the moths began to land. “Yup. That's a bear.”
“Damn it,” I muttered and stood. “I thought I'd found proof. There has to be something here.” I went down to the next section.
In this section, the glass boxes were smaller and stacked onto metal frames.
All the cases were full. My steps slowed as I approached, the chill returning.
These glass containers didn't have mounds of fluttering white wings inside them.
Instead, there were bones. Lots of bones strewn over the bottom of each case. And the bones were writhing.
Sudar came up beside me. “What the fuck is on those bones?”
I bent and peered into the case. No tapping required this time. I could clearly see the bones. They'd been sliced open—sawed in half and split so that the marrow was revealed. All sorts of bones of various sizes filled the cases. And feeding off the exposed marrow were little white worms.
“Larvae,” I whispered.
“What? Why?” Sudar hissed.
I straightened and looked across the room.
Down near the end came a faint glow that was barely noticeable under the overhead light spheres.
I hurried past several areas until I came to the glowing section.
Sections, that is. Two large work areas, set across the central aisle from each other, glowed pale blue.
“Raltven bones!” Sudar snarled and ran to the left.
I didn't have to follow him. I could already see that the glass cases there contained sawed-open bones like the others, with moth larvae feeding on them.
The only difference was that the marrow in those bones glowed pale blue.
What interested me more were the cases on the other side of the room.
No movement came from within them. Only that terrible glow.
I hurried to the collection of glass boxes on the right. Propped against the glass were bare tree branches. Bare of leaves, that is. Instead of leaves, hundreds of cocoons hung from the branches. Glowing cocoons.
I jerked upright and spun toward the aisle.
“Boss, what the fuck?” Sudar had come up behind me without my noticing.
I flinched, but kept calm.“Find the others and get out of this house as soon as possible.” I ran for the stairs.
Sudar was smart enough not to argue or even confirm my order.
He simply ran after me. At the top of the stairs, I felt the breeze of his departure.
I sprinted to the end of the hallway and then down the main stairs.
Only when I reached the doorway to the dining room, did I pause to smooth my hair and slow my breathing. Composed, I entered the room.
“I'm sorry that took so long,” I said as I sat down. “Your butler took me to an upstairs suite.”
“Yes, I apologize for the inconvenience.” Bara motioned blithely. “I've had some plumbing issues with the ground-floor washroom. Is your food still warm? I can have Hiln bring you a fresh plate.”
I looked down at the stewed meat, roasted root vegetables, and flat bread. After clearing my throat, I said, “No, I'm fine. Thank you. I'm a light eater.”
Vas leaned toward Bara. “He's got the palate of a child. I can never get him to finish his main meal. But he'll clean his dessert plate.”
As Bara and Vas laughed, I forced a smile, trying to keep down the small amount of food I had eaten earlier. The image I had in my head was incomplete, but it was still unappetizing.