Freaky Fangs, page 9
part #9 of Mystic Caravan Mystery Series
“The caves.” It seemed the obvious answer. “The caves are a perfect breeding ground for Grootslang — and they’re a great place to hide. Maybe they’re not extinct. Maybe they simply learned how to hide.”
I was encouraged when Max didn’t dismiss the idea outright. “How will you confirm it?” he asked.
“We need to find a local expert.”
“And how will you do that?”
“The internet is more than just a place to fight with people who live in their mothers’ basements,” I replied, smirking as Max’s expression darkened. “I think it’s a job for Raven and me. It can’t be that difficult.”
“It can’t possibly hurt,” Max confirmed. “While you’re doing that, I’ll take our shifters into the woods to see if we can uncover anything. Perhaps the answer is right in front of us.”
“That would be a nice change of pace.”
9
Nine
After a solid hour of research, the only local historian I thought might be able to help us was a woman named Edna Napoleon. She had a solid reputation online, even being mentioned in certain paranormal circles. I figured she was our best shot.
Raven and I took Kade’s truck. He didn’t put up a fight, but I could tell he was agitated when I sidled up to him, graced him with a kiss, and then confiscated his keys.
“Maybe I should go with you,” he suggested.
“I think Raven and I can handle ourselves with a historian.”
“I know, but after what happened last night ... .” He didn’t finish the statement. He didn’t have to. I knew exactly what he was worried about.
“The vampires can’t come out during the day,” I reminded him. “We have plenty of time before dark. We’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, but there’s something else out there. You heard Max.”
“I did. If these creatures are hanging out with the vampires, it’s a good bet they’re constrained by the same rules.”
“Unless they’re not.” He refused to back down. “I’m serious. Maybe the vampires paired with these creatures because they can go out during the day. Maybe they struck a deal or something.”
I hated to admit it, but it was an intriguing idea. Still, our hands were tied. “We need information. This is the best way I can figure to get it.”
“Yeah, but ... .”
I cut him off with a firm shake of my head. “I can take care of myself. It’s not as if I’ll be alone anyway. Raven will be with me. We’ll be fine.” My eyes drifted to where Max was amassing his hunting party. “Besides, I think you have something to do here that requires lots and lots of testosterone.”
He followed my gaze, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “He wants me with him.”
“Of course he does. You’re his son. You guys worked well together last night.”
“Yeah, but the truth is I was so afraid that I didn’t even think about using magic until he made me. I was just following orders. I didn’t do a single thing on my own.”
My heart went out to him. In some ways, it was as if he’d been with us for years. We were so comfortable with one another I’d almost forgotten what life was like without him. Still, this was all new to him. He was still wrapping his head around a reality that he thought was impossible six months earlier.
“You did your best.” I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and gave it a squeeze. “It’s not second nature to you yet. You’re still growing accustomed to this world. It will get easier.” I studied his profile a moment, watching the way the muscle worked in his jaw. “I mean ... if you want it to get better.”
His expression was unreadable when he shifted his eyes back to me. “What is that supposed to mean?”
I shrugged. “Just that you might not particularly like this world. If you don’t ... .” I had no idea what to say.
“Don’t go there.” He shook his head, firm. “I love this world.”
“Or maybe you only love me in this world.”
“Oh, I love you. Never doubt that. You’re what drew me into this world. I would be lying if I said otherwise. This is my life now, though. I love it ... almost as much as I love you. I just feel like an idiot sometimes. I don’t like the feeling.”
His response was enough to garner a smile. “It will get easier. I promise.” I rolled to the balls of my feet and gave him a kiss. “Don’t worry about Raven and me. Focus on what you’re doing. If you’re right about these creatures being out during the day you’ll be more at risk than me.”
“I guess.” He ran his hand down the back of my head, tilting my chin up so I had no choice but to stare directly into his eyes. “Don’t worry about me not loving this world. I’m exactly where I want to be. You’re not keeping me someplace I don’t want to be.”
That was a great relief. “I’m right where I want to be, too.”
“Of course you are. Between Luke, Cole and me, you have your own reverse harem going.” His eyes gleamed with amusement. “It’s funny to me how you and Cole have become thick as thieves so quickly.”
“It’s amazing how clear my mind is when I’m not being negatively affected by elemental magic, huh?”
“It is.” He briefly rested his forehead against mine. “Be careful while you’re out.”
“You be careful.”
“I’m always careful.”
And because that was true, I wasn’t worried about the manly excursion that I knew would be taking place in my absence. They would be absolutely fine.
EDNA’S HOUSE DOUBLED AS A STORE. The outside was painted a garish peach, the trim a bright lavender. The building was like something straight out of a fairy tale in which an elderly woman entices children from their parents so that she can eat them.
“This place is the pits,” Raven offered as she joined me on the sidewalk and wrinkled her nose. “I mean ... the absolute pits. It’s weird.”
She wasn’t wrong. “She’s the best option I found online.”
“Is that saying much?”
I shrugged. “It can’t hurt to talk to her. We’re already here.”
“I guess, but ... .” She trailed off when the door opened to reveal a tiny woman, well into her eighties, who sported steel gray curls and a flowing pastel muumuu.
“Hello.” The woman’s eyes were keen as she glanced between us. “Lamia and ... something else,” she noted. “It’s been a while since I’ve felt power like the two of you have. Are you coming inside?”
Raven and I exchanged heavy looks. Some of the most powerful seers in the world were capable of identifying us simply from the magic flowing through the atmosphere around us. Apparently this woman was one of those rare seers.
“You must be Edna,” I said, extending my hand as I stepped forward. “Poet Parker.”
“I know.” She shook my hand and turned to Raven. “I haven’t seen one of your kind in twenty years.”
“We’re laying low,” Raven replied as she joined me. “We tend to keep to our own kind these days.”
“I know. You’re different, though. You’re ... old.”
Raven’s eyebrows hiked as amusement flitted across her features. “I am. So are you.”
“I am.” Edna bobbed her head. “Well, come along. I’ve got a pot of tea on. You’re obviously here for a reason.”
“We are,” I agreed as we fell into step behind her. She wasn’t what I expected. She was more ... which was a good thing. “How long have you lived here?” I shifted my eyes to the ridiculous peach paint as she closed the door.
“My entire life. Are you just visiting?”
“We’re with Mystic Caravan Circus.”
“Really?” Edna’s eyes lit with intrigue as she ushered us further inside. “Is everyone with your circus like the two of you?”
I hesitated, unsure how to answer. We rigorously protected our own whenever possible, though. The woman obviously had powers and could read our surface thoughts.
“That’s okay,” she cackled. “You don’t have to tell me. I would keep things like that a secret, too. I was simply curious. Like I said, I haven’t seen anyone with the amount of power you two have in a very long time.”
“Our group is ... unique,” Raven supplied after a beat, her eyes going wide when she glanced around the store. The walls were cluttered with various magical portents, including a few talismans that I recognized from books. “What exactly are you?”
“I’m a great many things,” Edna replied. “I’m guessing your friend here is the same.” She inclined her head toward me. “Where does your power emanate from?”
I shrugged. I honestly didn’t have an answer. “My parents died when I was a kid. I don’t know the origins of my magic. It’s a big mystery.”
“That’s too bad,” Edna tsked as she moved to grab the pot of tea from the counter. “It’s always a shame when you don’t know where you came from. In your case, it doesn’t sound like you have much chance of finding out.”
“Unfortunately, that is true. I’ve learned to live with it.” I settled into one of the wooden chairs at the table and looked back to the wall. “You have some interesting items here.”
“I’m a collector,” she volunteered. “I’ve been frequenting garage and estate sales since before you girls were born.”
“Not since before I was born,” Raven teased.
“That’s true.” Edna chuckled. “I keep forgetting you’re not as young as you look. You feel ... old.”
“If I was the vain sort that could be considered rude,” Raven noted.
“Are you saying you’re not vain?” I challenged.
She shot me a look. “No vainer than you.”
That was a ridiculous lie. “Okay. Whatever.” I rolled my eyes and focused on Edna. “We’re actually here for a reason. Um ... something happened to us last night. We were attacked by creatures that came from the woods.”
Edna widened her eyes as she sat. “Really? That’s ... disturbing. Were they vampires?” She didn’t appear embarrassed to ask the question.
We were obviously playing things straight, so I nodded. “They were. It was a lot of vampires.”
“Did you take any losses?”
“No. We managed to fight them off. We’ve tackled vampire nests before, but this one was huge.”
“Oh, the number of vampires in this area has tripled in recent months,” Edna said sagely. “They’re building an army.”
Raven shifted on her chair. “How do you know that?”
“I keep my ears to the ground. I like to know what’s happening in my own backyard. I’m old but I’m not dead yet, and I don’t want to go out as dinner for a monster. Why do you think I have crosses over every door?”
I hadn’t noticed. I shifted my gaze to the door we’d walked through. Sure enough, there was a huge bronze cross mounted over it. “Have you seen any vampires?”
“I’ve seen my fair share over the years.” Edna leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers and resting them on her stomach as she regarded me. “Luckily, I’ve been too old to garner much interest from them for two decades. They like to feed on the young and recruit the strong. I am neither.”
“I don’t know about that.” Raven flashed one of her rare smiles. “You’re strong in your own right.”
“Yes, but it’s not a strength they fear, because controlling the mind of a vampire is labor intensive ... and it only works if you’re dealing with a lone creature. Given the numbers we’re dealing with here, it’s impossible.”
She wasn’t wrong. I rubbed my cheek, frustrated. “I don’t understand how the numbers have grown so fast. Do you have a lot of missing people?”
“Oh, yes ... but they’re not technically missing. From what I’ve been able to ascertain, they’re going after entire families.”
“Which means there’s no one left behind to report the missing,” Raven mused. “That’s smart ... and diabolical.”
“We come through here every year,” I argued. “Why haven’t we crossed paths with them before?”
“I can’t answer that,” Edna replied. “The vampires have been an issue for years. When they first descended on the area they largely kept to themselves. I got the feeling that they’d been displaced from their homes, but that could simply be some fanciful thinking. Perhaps I wanted to think of them as something other than mindless beasts.”
“I’ve never met a vampire who had a conscience,” Raven said. “When did you first notice them?”
“I was in my sixties and heard that three young girls had gone missing on their way back from the movies. It was big news around here because of the small population. I followed the news, but the story died quickly. When I did a little digging, I found the girls had returned home. I camped out near the homes of two of them, and when I finally saw them … it was after dark ... and they were altered.”
My stomach constricted at the news. “They’d been changed.”
“They had. And then they’d been sent home. It wasn’t long before their families were changed, too.”
“Did they stay in their homes?” Raven queried.
Edna nodded. “At the start, but that didn’t last all that long. The houses went into foreclosure. I know because I monitor property records. I’ve been keeping abreast of this situation for a very long time.”
That was smart ... and probably extremely disheartening. “Did you consider telling anyone?”
Edna snorted at the suggestion. “Who? The police aren’t equipped to deal with it and, quite frankly, I think half the force has been turned at this point. It was a strategic move. Those who weren’t turned are essentially collaborators now. They get to keep their lives as long as they don’t make waves.”
“That’s just ... unbelievable.” I shook my head. “Where are they nesting?”
“The only place a group that big can amass and be sure to avoid the sun.”
“The caves.” It was the easiest answer and I’d already come to the same realization. “What about tourists? Have they been attacking tourists in the caves? I mean ... they can roam freely there no matter the time of day.”
“Luckily, at least so far, I haven’t heard of any tourists going missing. That won’t last. Their numbers are too great. To stay fed, they’ll have to start venturing out.”
“Which is why they attacked the truck,” I surmised. “There’s no way to keep that number of vampires in line. They might have rules, a hierarchy of some sort, but you’re always going to have rogues.”
Edna’s eyebrows drew together. “Are you saying that accident on the highway was vampires?”
I nodded. “The scene didn’t look right. We discovered the vehicle.”
“Which is probably not what they wanted. They most likely thought the vehicle would go undiscovered for a long time ... especially since the troopers had no interest in actively looking. Once you reported the accident, they had no choice but to head in that direction.”
“The news reports say it was an accident, but if they have representatives on the force they can probably fake whatever evidence they want,” Raven noted. “We’ll never get a true story out of them unless we infiltrate and force them to tell the truth.”
“Which is a losing proposition unless we do it during the day,” I noted. I wasn’t ruling out the possibility, but it hardly seemed necessary. We already knew what was going on. Er, well, mostly. I had another question. “Do you know if the vampires are working with other creatures?”
The question clearly caught Edna off guard. “No. Do you have reason to think they are?”
I told her about the footprints we’d discovered, mentioned my Grootslang theory. “No one in our group recognizes them. The prints, I mean. We’re fairly worldly and knowledgeable — and we have a really old lamia, as you’ve sussed out — but nobody can figure out what we’re dealing with.”
“I don’t know.” Edna looked legitimately baffled. “The only thing I can think is that it’s the strigoi.”
I frowned. “I don’t know what that is.”
Raven stirred. “I do.” Her gaze was intent as she focused on Edna. “Why do you think you have strigoi in the area?”
“I’ve done research. I have no proof, but it feels right.”
I was still in the dark. “What are the strigoi?”
“Trouble,” Raven replied, hopping to her feet. She was suddenly intent on escaping the store. “Big trouble. I thought they were extinct.”
“But what are they?”
“A different form of vampire, one from the old country.” Raven rubbed her chin, her mind clearly busy. “We need to head back, talk to the others. If we’re dealing with strigoi, we have a huge problem.”
“Bigger than the army of vampires we fought last night?”
“Much bigger. Much, much bigger.”
Well, crap. That was not what I wanted to hear.
10
Ten
“Tell me what you know about strigoi,” I demanded when we were in the truck and on our way back to the fairgrounds.
“Not much,” Raven replied, gazing out the window. “I know the legends ... but everyone knows the legends.”
Actually, I did not know the legends, which made me feel as if I was behind. I hated that feeling. “Why don’t you explain it like I’m new, huh?”
Slowly, Raven tracked her eyes back to me. They were an odd silver color and I’d often thought they were her best feature — even though I knew she would argue that title went to her body — but they were clouded today.
“I’ve dealt with strigoi before,” she said quietly. “A long time ago ... back when a different sort of monster roamed the Earth exterminating an entire race of people.”
Other than a few odd mentions, she didn’t often talk about her past. The one thing she did let slip occasionally was her whereabouts during World War II. She was in the thick of things then, trying to save as many people as she could, and I couldn’t help but wonder how much of a toll what she experienced back then had taken on her.
“You fought the strigoi when you were helping the Jews escape the Germans?”
