Dyed in Red

Two: Search

"I was to die knowing everything yet unable to save anything."
~ Hazel Dawson

TWO

We stepped into the cave. I insisted not to use the massive shotlight that the hunters brought. If vampires staked out this place, everything should be functional without light. I had to see every trail the same way as they did.

First, I noted that the cave was skillfully cleaned up. There were no creepy crawlies or eerie echoes.

Second, I scrunched up my nose. "I think I smell a bit of blood. Dried blood. Over there by the ground."

After Arthur told his team to take samples, I faced a stone wall. But I refused to believe that such a promising lead only gave us a blood sample.

"Blood looks way older than two years, Chief," someone said. "I don't think we can trace DNA with this."

Just as I thought we ran into another dead end, I suddenly remembered my useful ability. I turned to the dried blood. I wish I knew whose blood this is and how old it is.

I almost screamed. "My mother's blood! That's my mother's blood. It's about ten years old."

One of the hunters was about to question me before Arthur stopped him. Only my closest ones knew my power, and Arthur was one of them.

"Are there any other clues in here?" he asked. I repeated the wish in my head. What popped up in my brain led me to the far corner of the cave. Concealed behind scattered stalagmites was one drip of dried blood to which I made the same wish as before.

"This blood belongs to... Nœrlaide? It's also about ten years old." I turned back to Arthur. "Who's Nœrlaide?"

While Arthur's brows furrowed, Aurelya spoke up, "That sounds like a Pureblood family name. The extermination happened, like, a century ago."

"Oh, then it looks like one of them was involved in this," I muttered.

Aurelya tilted her head. "That's plausible. Might be a fish that escaped the net."

I ignored the indifference in her tone. I wish I knew who this Nœrlaide is. The answer had me nearly screaming again. It was a progenitor; Nœrlaide is the name of the second progenitor. I couldn't find the first name, but this was one baby step in the direction of truth.

"Ow!" I yelped. A sharp, stabbing feeling in my right temple interrupted my thoughts. I checked in with myself and found that I'd used up eighty percent of my energy, but how could that be? I should've felt gradual exhaustion from all these small wishes. Unless the pain came from my wishing to know Nœrlaide's identity? Was it this physically draining to learn about a progenitor?

"Hazy, are you okay?" Arthur appeared in my blurry vision. "What happened?"

"I'm alright now. I think I just overexerted myself somehow," I said. I wasn't sure if it was the brightest idea to let these many hunters know that a vampire progenitor was still alive. I had to share and investigate this lead with Harvick and Zach.

"My squad and I will stay here and keep sweeping the area. We'll analyze the rocks and soils. We'll definitely find more traces. Go home with Kaydence," Arthur instructed. I then spotted several machines pushed into the entrance of the cave. It seemed Arthur ordered technical equipment while I relied on wishes and instincts.

I nodded. "Okay, thanks. Let me know immediately if you find even a hair."

As I drove Kaydence home, I started, "I know you're worried, but you just got back on track with your life, and you're no longer involved in the world of vamp––"