Drown Under Earth - Shadows of the Night 3

Chapter 5

Hi!

The noose around Anna's neck is getting tighter. Imagine what kind of situation she's in when you read this one. What would you do if you were her? (Apart from starting something with Alexander - I know most of you want THAT...) Anyway, imagine you were her. Alexander (who practically forced you into servitude) tells you to go to that witch club and find out if they're planning something against vamps, or if they already took some action etc.

Where do you think should Anna's loyalties lie? Please let me know!

Lara

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Chapter 5

The Bloody Warden was not as easy to find as anticipated. Not that I wanted to go there. I wanted to get it over with as fast as possible. It meaning betraying my kind and trading information with the head vampire of New York. Not that I would get any information in return.

I rounded the corner and the club finally came into sight. At first the whole atmosphere of the street made me believe that I was seeing another, less glamorous version of the bars and clubs à la Ryon. The smaller details were what made the difference. A devil in the details.

The street was less frequented than those in the center of the Crimson District. The neon signs were less flashy, the noise less obtrusive, the mood not as oppressive. And still people of all characters and flavors were milling about. From couples holding hands, to the half-drunk promising to leave nothing half-finished, to those already stumbling along the sidewalk – everything seemed to have a taste akin and yet different to the one of the usual undead pleasure and entertainment around Ryon.

I stopped for an instant, taking another good look at what lay ahead of me. And then I realized it. I went into second sight for confirmation. The place was empty of any undead, and by that I didn't only mean the club entrance; the absence of vampires was like a void permeating the whole street. I took a deep breath. The absence of dark spots in my vision, of vampiric auras, was both awkward and exhilarating. Like I had been listening to the sounds of a chainsaw for days and now someone had turned on blissful static in my head.

I saw small translucent flickers – humans. They were paired with different shades of lighter red ones. I stared at them. Half-witches?

I checked again, but no, I was right. Humans and half-witches formed a mixed entity in front of the club. I could also make out that particular tone of light red – those auras that belonged to shape shifters. No vamps.

No vamps.

I hadn't even known that such a place existed in the Crimson District, but there it was. A last stronghold against the overpowering waves of vampiric amusement industry. I took a deep breath, stepping even further into this reality that we called second sight. I used the same advanced magic I worked in Magenta Warrens' house.

I looked and stared and saw. My second sight changed, deepening and darkening simultaneously. Slowly, moving layers of a reddish color began to unfold in front of my eyes. They were coating the area around the club like a second skin. The longer I looked, the more it began to make sense to me. It was almost like a shield – which was exactly what those layers were. Someone put a spell on the club.

The moment the thought popped into my mind, the shield was gone from my sensory vision. Again I found myself surrounded only by the usual flicker of auras in a world saturated with different shades of gray. I narrowed my eyes. Someone outside of the Circle was capable of doing very advanced magic. Just how powerful was the witch who did the spelling?