Suffocate In Spirit - Shadows of the Night 4

Chapter 27

Hi,

This is a long chapter - still trying to redeem myself after the late update on Monday. ;-) Anyway, I hope you all like it! So, any idea what's going to happen and what the Lumenis does in particular, anyone?

Lara

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Chapter 27

We were in a stone room, on the highest point of the mountain. The 'person in charge' was nothing like I expected. He was probably in his late thirties, if the hints of first wrinkles were any indication. It was a fact. Vincenzo was younger than Giuliana. Much younger. Too young to be the leader of the Lumenis. And much more hostile than the rest of the entourage.

He was staring at me with a dark look in his deep brown eyes that was eerily familiar. I'd seen this type of stare before. And it bode ill.

Black, curly hair reached his shoulders, the same shade as the stubble on his jaw. He had that kind of dishevelled look that was easy on the eye. Vincenzo wasn't handsome, not in the classical way, but there was something about him that made you look at him. He exuded confidence. Just being in the same room, seeing how he held himself was enough. It made me believe he had the determination it took to not back down from a fight no matter the odds. He might have looked too young, but Vincenzo was a leader.

In contrast to whoever else had taken a liking to bullying me ever since I stepped out of the portal, he had a more silent, subtle approach. That didn't mean it was any better. Quite the contrary. There was true hatred in his eyes, as if it had been brimming underneath the surface, nurtured over years. I wondered whether it was born out of a dislike for outsiders in general, or if it was reserved for me and who my parents were.

"I told you, nobody sent me," I said for the third time, "I came here via portal. Alone. How could anybody know where I was going when I didn't even know?"

Another distasteful look from those dark eyes. "Let me introduce you to how the Lumenis functions," Vincernzo said. "This village's true purpose has been hidden for decades. It has no outside visitors. Ever."

I arched an eyebrow. "That's insane. This must be a place that exists on maps. People must come here from time to time. Are you telling me you've spelled this out of existence?" I said it and realized it was exactly what they did. I'd seen the invisibility shield. It was powerful enough to fool a greater part of the magical community.

Vincenzo smiled and gestured out the window, hand poised at the small assortment of houses and stone walls below.

"Look at this place. There are no tourists. There's nothing for them here. And if one or the other stray human gets stranded on this lonely coast, all they see is a big, desolate forest."

I narrowed my eyes. "You've got more wards. And the spell out there is powerful enough to make you invisible to vamps and witches alike. They can't sense the shield, or what's behind. Am I right?"

He didn't smile like I expected he would. In fact his gaze seemed to darken. Apparently he didn't like that I'd come to the conclusion that fast. Why?

But I knew I was right. That was how they found me. I'd been going so fast and uncoordinated, I probably tore right through their outer wards, triggering off a cacophony of alarm bells.

"No supernatural being that's not part of the Lumenis can enter this village in a circuit of a mile," he said. "No one has tried – for years."

A circuit of a mile? That was one hell of a shield. Just how did they cover that much space?