Homesick Book 2. The Secrets of Blackthorn Manor

Snakes and Magic

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Chapter Twenty-One

Snakes and Magic

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'You look well,' said the dragoness as she swept Adrian forward into a hug. Adrian hugged her back tightly, ignoring Owethu's scowl from where he sat at the table. Duchess was trapped between them, utterly delighted and purring up a storm. Mariana drew back, the feline cradled against her chest.

'Thank you for coming to see us on such short notice. Everything ended in a bit of a fiasco last time,' Adrian said apologetically.

Dumitru crouched down as Prince came dancing over to him, his white tail waving jauntily in the air. Duchess had positively yowled on their arrival and had refused to be quiet until Mariana had swept the black cat up into her arms. Duchess was slow-blinking now, her tail curling happily. Dumitru straightened up, Prince clambering quickly onto his shoulder. Owethu gave the cats a commiserating look. The combination of the mewling cats and a scowling naga was enough to make Adrian grin.

'You found your parent's letter?' asked the male dragon, scratching Prince behind one snow-white ear.

'Yes. In the office of High Councilman, Rupert Maynard,' Adrian replied flatly, his smile fading. The two dragons stared in amazement. Adrian shook his head. 'That's its own story for another time. I actually asked you both here to solve a different mystery.'

Mariana smiled, her eyes twinkling. 'There's always a mystery to solve when it comes to your family.'

'Yes, I'm beginning to discover that myself. Sorry, but I'm going to give you the cliffnotes of everything that's happened. Stop me at any time.' Adrian pulled out the photograph. 'Since finally being able to read the letter, we've been able to find the family catalogue, which is great, but we've also uncovered some fairly unpleasant artifacts. During all this mess, Simon Davis came by and left this photo with me. Apparently, they were all working on some big project, but unfortunately, we are having a little trouble working out what that project was on account of nearly everyone in the photo either being dead or dying.'

He placed the photo on the table. The two dragons, now both wide-eyed and very interested, moved closer to have a better look. Adrian continued. 'We've reached out to a few people who we know are still alive but haven't heard back yet. The timing of the whole thing is rather creepy though. To make matters worse there is a naga in this picture who doesn't belong to the Selvagem Clan.' Their eyes, already wide and round flicked to one another and then to the stoney-faced Owethu. They understood the significance of an unknown naga invading clan territory.

'And this man, we are pretty sure is a vampire,' Adrian said, pointing to the pale man in the photograph. 'We were really hoping you might recognise him? Vampires don't really mix with human society these days.'

'No,' Dumitru agreed. Prince leapt from his shoulder onto the table. His tiny white paws carried him over to Owethu where he sat down and looked expectantly at the naga. If he was waiting for a petting, he wasn't going to get it because the man looked at Prince as though he was contaminated. 'In the last few millennia, vampires have withdrawn and avoid interacting with humans as much as possible. The irony is with modern laws and media, humans are more interested in them than ever.'

'I believe I do recognise him,' Mariana said thoughtfully.

Adrian nearly choked on his own air. 'You do? Who is he?'

Mariana held the photo out to her mate. 'I could be mistaken, but that man does look a lot like Elliot Romani, does it not?'

Dumitru looked at the photo, his eyes tracing over the faces. 'I do believe you are correct though, it has been a few decades since we have crossed paths.'