Read Online Afterglow (Brotherhood of the Blade Trilogy #2) by Eve Paludan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Eve Paludan
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the face and the contact information and shoved the photo in my wallet.
“ Doesn’t your husband, Lucian, know his own street address?”
“ If he is himself and alive. Human.”
“ What do you want me to do if he’s a vampire, Uta?” I asked. “What then?”
“ I don’t know, Uncle,” she said in a small voice.
I sighed as I looked at the sweet children who all looked like him. My heart was breaking for the family.
“Call me Rand.”
“ Rand?”
“ My nickname.” I paused. “How did I come to be next to you on the train?”
“ Only God knows,” she replied. “Only God knows.”
She crossed herself in the Eastern Orthodox way, from right to left, in the same way that my vampire hunter friend, Mikhail Markov, did.
Not even knowing if my phone would send it across several countries, I sent Ambra a text:
Possible bad news. Vlad may not be dead.
“ Who are you texting?” Uta asked, as she looked for a fresh diaper for the fussing baby.
“ Her,” I replied.
“ The new woman you love?” Uta paused. “I saw the whole thing in your palm, so don’t try to deny that you love her.”
“ Yes. Her .”
“ You should tell her how you feel. Just in case tomorrow never comes.”
I looked up at the ceiling and squeezed my eyes shut. I nodded, opened my eyes and sent a second text, this time, in her preferred language:
Je t’aime.
Funny how my high school French for “I love you” came back to me when I least expected it.
Chapter Nine
As it turned out, it had been fortuitous to be seated next to Uta and her three children on several trains from Zürich to Transylvania. She knew her way across countries and navigated us through train stations like a professional travel agent. When we got to her neck of the woods, which was almost to the neck of the woods where I wanted to go, I got off at her stop, instead of mine, and we took a minibus together to Bran.
She didn’t even travel with a stroller. I couldn’t imagine how she could manage a one year old and twin three year olds. I carried two of the sleeping children, the heavier ones—and her luggage, too—from the bus stop to her small home above a butcher shop. She lived right off the main street in a town that looked like it was the setting of a cheesy Renaissance festival.
She wanted to just give it to me, but I bought something from her: her husband’s small electric motorbike, which was outfitted with studded snow tires. Best of all, it was silent and fully charged.
She fed me some sort of spicy meat stew that she pulled out of the freezer and stuck in the microwave. She let me use her laptop and even drew me a better map than the internet had of how to get to the ruins of Raven Citadel.
“ How do you know all of this about Vlad’s secret stronghold?” I asked.
“ I can’t tell you,” she said.
“ You know some vampire hunters.”
“ I suppose you do, too?”
“ I am one,” I admitted.
“ Well, there you go, sir. I know you. I know a vampire hunter.”
I nodded. “And you are married to Lucian.”
She nodded. “Him, also.”
“ Oh, my God. He was a hunter?”
“ Rand, I don’t want you to think that everyone in Transylvania is chasing after vampires, but…”
“ It comes with the territory, right?”
“ Yes. The tourism of the official Citadel brings much money to our area. But it also brings the paranormally curious, and the legitimate vampire hunters, like you.”
“ I find it ironic that Vlad still has a castle here. I mean, all this time and he could have gone somewhere else.” I shivered in front of her wood stove as she loaded it. “He could have gone somewhere warmer.”
“ Like Southern California?” Uta said.
I was startled. “Why do you mention that area?”
She pressed her lips together. “I saw your palm and you are a good man, so I’m going to trust you with something.”
“ Okay.”
“ When Lucian disappeared six months ago at the Raven Citadel, he
“ Doesn’t your husband, Lucian, know his own street address?”
“ If he is himself and alive. Human.”
“ What do you want me to do if he’s a vampire, Uta?” I asked. “What then?”
“ I don’t know, Uncle,” she said in a small voice.
I sighed as I looked at the sweet children who all looked like him. My heart was breaking for the family.
“Call me Rand.”
“ Rand?”
“ My nickname.” I paused. “How did I come to be next to you on the train?”
“ Only God knows,” she replied. “Only God knows.”
She crossed herself in the Eastern Orthodox way, from right to left, in the same way that my vampire hunter friend, Mikhail Markov, did.
Not even knowing if my phone would send it across several countries, I sent Ambra a text:
Possible bad news. Vlad may not be dead.
“ Who are you texting?” Uta asked, as she looked for a fresh diaper for the fussing baby.
“ Her,” I replied.
“ The new woman you love?” Uta paused. “I saw the whole thing in your palm, so don’t try to deny that you love her.”
“ Yes. Her .”
“ You should tell her how you feel. Just in case tomorrow never comes.”
I looked up at the ceiling and squeezed my eyes shut. I nodded, opened my eyes and sent a second text, this time, in her preferred language:
Je t’aime.
Funny how my high school French for “I love you” came back to me when I least expected it.
Chapter Nine
As it turned out, it had been fortuitous to be seated next to Uta and her three children on several trains from Zürich to Transylvania. She knew her way across countries and navigated us through train stations like a professional travel agent. When we got to her neck of the woods, which was almost to the neck of the woods where I wanted to go, I got off at her stop, instead of mine, and we took a minibus together to Bran.
She didn’t even travel with a stroller. I couldn’t imagine how she could manage a one year old and twin three year olds. I carried two of the sleeping children, the heavier ones—and her luggage, too—from the bus stop to her small home above a butcher shop. She lived right off the main street in a town that looked like it was the setting of a cheesy Renaissance festival.
She wanted to just give it to me, but I bought something from her: her husband’s small electric motorbike, which was outfitted with studded snow tires. Best of all, it was silent and fully charged.
She fed me some sort of spicy meat stew that she pulled out of the freezer and stuck in the microwave. She let me use her laptop and even drew me a better map than the internet had of how to get to the ruins of Raven Citadel.
“ How do you know all of this about Vlad’s secret stronghold?” I asked.
“ I can’t tell you,” she said.
“ You know some vampire hunters.”
“ I suppose you do, too?”
“ I am one,” I admitted.
“ Well, there you go, sir. I know you. I know a vampire hunter.”
I nodded. “And you are married to Lucian.”
She nodded. “Him, also.”
“ Oh, my God. He was a hunter?”
“ Rand, I don’t want you to think that everyone in Transylvania is chasing after vampires, but…”
“ It comes with the territory, right?”
“ Yes. The tourism of the official Citadel brings much money to our area. But it also brings the paranormally curious, and the legitimate vampire hunters, like you.”
“ I find it ironic that Vlad still has a castle here. I mean, all this time and he could have gone somewhere else.” I shivered in front of her wood stove as she loaded it. “He could have gone somewhere warmer.”
“ Like Southern California?” Uta said.
I was startled. “Why do you mention that area?”
She pressed her lips together. “I saw your palm and you are a good man, so I’m going to trust you with something.”
“ Okay.”
“ When Lucian disappeared six months ago at the Raven Citadel, he
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