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“It’s been my aunt’s constant companion for several months now,” Ben told him.
Callidus scowled at the white stuff as the rest of us joined them. “It feels as though there’s a strange evil from it.” He turned to me as I came up and a faint smile appeared on his lips. “You look a tad worried about the fog, as well, miss.”
I snorted. “I’m more than worried. That stuff tried to give Ben and me a hug last night that was as warm as an iceberg.”
“What do you mean?” Edouard snapped at me.
“Patience, Commander,” the emperor scolded his guard as he continued to study me. “What do you mean, Miss Lucas?”
I shrugged. “I wish I knew exactly, but having that stuff touch you isn’t good for your health.”
“As my aunt’s groundskeeper can attest,” Ben chimed in. “He has a touch of vampirism since his interaction.”
The emperor’s eyes widened and Edouard gave an exclamation. “My God! Vampirism?”
“Among other maladies,” Ben confirmed.
Edouard swallowed the lump in his throat and turned to his emperor. “Sire, perhaps we should return you to the safe depths of the house.”
Callidus shook his head. “None in my line have ever run from danger, and I shall not start such a horrid tradition. Now then, if memory serves me the barn is to our right. Shall we go?”
“After me,” Ben insisted as he stepped out into the pouring rain.
The men followed behind him except Fysan and I made to follow. A wrinkled hand caught mine and I half-turned to find Dreda with a worried look on her face. “You’re sure you want to go out there?”
I tilted my head to one side. “Shouldn’t I?”
Her eyes flickered down to the canister on my arm and she leaned in to whisper. “I know what you carry with you. Such powerful magic cannot be hidden by those familiar with magic.”
I set my hand atop hers and smiled. “I came here partly to find out how to use it. I can’t do that if I’m not sticking my nose where it might get cut off.”
“Be careful, and mind Ben, will you?” she pleaded.
I nodded. “I’ll try my best.”
I slipped out of her reluctant grasp and hurried to catch up to the men. They had slipped into the barn but left the doors open so light spilled out into the darkness. I kept one eye on the fog and couldn’t help but suspect that the thick air crept closer to me. My pace quickened with my suspicions and I soon reached the open doors.
The barn had several stalls on either side and another entrance at the back where they stored the hay and grains. Lit lanterns hung near the stalls where the black horses owned by the emperor had been installed. Ferox, too, was set in one of the boxed rooms. All the animals, Ferox included, paced back and forth in their stalls.
The men stood in a loose circle in the middle of the barn with Ben stooped over something. I hurried over and watched him pick through the shattered remains of a glass lantern.
“Where is he?” I asked the crowd.
The emperor scanned the area with an uneasy look on his face. “We have not yet found him.”
Ben dropped the pieces of the lantern and stood. “Whatever happened, there was a struggle. The scuff marks in the hay show as much.” He lifted his gaze to his steed and strode over to the stall door. “Where is he?”
Ferox snorted and bobbed his head in the direction of the rear door. Commander Edouard wrapped his hand around the hilt of a short sword on his hip. “I will go see.”
The commander marched to the rear entrance and stopped in front of the swinging doors. He drew out his sword and tipped the tip of one boot against the entrance. The door eased open and revealed a clearing with corrals on the left and a wall of bushes on the right with a gap in the hedges to allow access to the rear of the house. Nothing stirred save for the wisps of fog that crept out of the larger body and floated along the ground.
“I see nothing,” Edouard called to us.
We moved forward and joined him at the doors, the other of which Ben swung open. Ben narrowed his eyes and I caught a glimpse of a faint glow of red in them. “I see a faint trail through the wet dirt that leads toward the cemetery.”
My ears and pulse picked up at the mention of that word. “What cemetery?”
“The Rookwoods have their own cemetery on the grounds. Many generations are buried there, as are their servants,” Ben explained.
