Veridian Shores

Chapter 34 - One Hell of a Party

Capper had no idea if he'd done the right thing by letting Lilly come with him, but when she confronted him with the choice, he didn't see how he could refuse. What she'd said was true. As a thrall she had a single, albeit demeaning purpose and he had denied her even that. Until the words hit him he'd never thought about it; always assumed he was the altruistic exception to the other Elder-Bloods who happily let their thralls fuss over them day and night.

And it was also true that if Rune traced the theft of the map back to her once Capper's disappearance had been discovered, she would probably be killed under a charge of treason. He had caused enough murder and mayhem already; he didn't need Lilly's blameless ash on his conscience either. So she followed his lead as he made his way across the open tract of ground toward the rear of the mansion. Copses of trees thickened here, rising up against the concrete walls of the buildings immediately bordering the estate itself. In one of those streets lay a sewer drain that they would be able to follow out into Glaive territory, getting several blocks from the mansion before they would need to surface. And once there, they would have to dodge the especially vigilant lookouts as they made their way down to the shore, and the great train that would take them north.

Lilly, for her part, asked no more questions, aware enough to know that any talking would need to wait until they were well beyond the estate grounds. She stayed close on his heels as he dodged between the guard patrols, weaving his way to the rear wall. When they reached it, he bounded onto the wall top, clearing the twelve feet of concrete and the iron spikes with ease.

He companion's ascent was a little less effortless. Although still possessing some moderate enhancements of strength from her vampire blood, Lilly was no-where near in the league of an Elder-Blood. She got high enough to catch the top of the wall, left dangling there until Capper reached over the iron rails and heaved her up the rest of the way.

Then they were over the wall and out into the city.

The guards might have been looking for them already. Capper knew how things would be done in the event of his escape. There would be no clanging gong to alert the estate, because anyone involved knew that such action would alert him too. No, he needed to act like they were hunting him right now, whether they were or not.

So he wasted no time in leading Lilly to the sewer drain that would serve as their escape from the heavily patrolled Glaive territory. He hauled the heavy iron manhole cover aside, its metal grinding agonizingly against the concrete of the street. A sickening stench wafted up out of it, but he swallowed down his disgust and climbed down the rusting ladder bolted to the inside of the shaft.

A human wouldn't have been able to see their hand in front of their face in the dark of the sewer, but fortunately Capper's vampiric eyes were more suited to night hunting. He could pick out the walkways that followed the path of the sewage canals, letting him steer Lilly clear of the stinking slurry.

"Milord," Lilly whispered a few minutes into their journey through the sewer.

"Mmm?"

"What did Gliss steal that provoked such reaction?"

He sighed. "Something called the Keystone. It's a relic, back from the days of the Ancient Vampyr. We think it might open a vault of powerful weapons, weapons we can't leave in the hands of her clan."

"I would not have suspected," the thrall murmured. "The time I spent with her preparing for the Synod, she seemed so genuine."

"Well, that's spies for you," Capper grunted. "She was sent to Verdian Shores to get the Keystone and nothing else. No matter who she had to hurt and betray."

"Like you?"

"Yeah, like me."

"I am sorry."