Carpathian 15 - Dark Secret

her." He pulled a photograph from his pocket. "Have you seen her?"
    Rafael reached for the picture but Vikirnoff retained possession of it, holding it up so Rafael could see it.
    His thumb moved in a small, involuntary caress over the beautiful face. "I am certain I am close."

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    "She was here, tonight, talking in the bar with Colby. Colby said this woman, Natalya Shonski, told her a hunter would kill anyone bearing the mark of the Dragonseeker. She is not only running from the vampire, but from you."
    "She, too, bears the mark of the Dragonseeker clan? Why would she believe such a thing?"
    Both men cast for signs along the ground. They laid their hands over the earth, willing the soil to give them news. They listened to the wind, to the rustle of the leaves in the trees. Even the insects and night creatures usually told tales, but there was no lead to the vampire's trail. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.
    "If what she said is true, Rhiannon had triplets, two girls and a boy. They are not children of her lifemate, but of the wizard Xavier. He held her captive for some time, no one knows how, but she somehow managed to join her lifemate in another world, leaving the children behind. Or it is possible—even more, probable—that Xavier murdered her after the children were born. Xavier hated all Carpathians. He would have raised his children to fear us." Rafael shifted his focus to the south and then to the east. "This young woman you seek is a direct descendant. She has been long in this world, avoiding our people." He pushed his hand through his hair in utter frustration at finding nothing, no sign of the vampire. "Deus! This is getting us nowhere. Where would Kirja hide?"

    19

    "Kirja?" Vikirnoff swung around, slipping the photo into his shirt next to his heart. "He is the vampire?"
    There was a thoughtful note in his voice. "No wonder this one is difficult to find. Kirja was a great warrior."
    "I fear he is involved in a conspiracy to kill the prince."
    "I have spoken recently with Gregori and all of us suspect that a large army is massing against us. What of Kirja's four brothers? Do you have news on them?"
    "I believe they are all involved, but I do not know for certain. When he talked, he implied it was so."
    Vikirnoff examined a pile of boulders that had shifted slightly out of position. "What is off in that direction?"
    Rafael studied the landscape. "The mines." His dark eyes blazed with grim realization. "Vikirnoff, he has gone to the mines. Colby told me they boarded the entrances up years ago because they were dangerous. No one goes there."
    "So he wouldn't have access to ready prey?"
    Rafael shook his head. "No, but he would be able to call the unwary to him. He is incredibly powerful."

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    Vikirnoff nodded. "I remember all of the Malinov brothers. They were very powerful even while young."
    His cool black eyes studied Rafael. "As was your family."
    "We were good friends, and yes, we tested the limits of the law, but we agreed, all ten of us, my brothers and Kirja's brothers, that we would follow our prince and live with honor. I do not know why the Malinov brothers chose the dark path." There was a lingering sadness in his voice.
    Vikirnoff glanced at him sharply. "He is no longer your childhood friend. Let us hunt the undead, and remove the threat to you and your lifemate before the sun rises too high and forces us to ground."
    They shifted at the same time, Vikirnoff choosing the owl and Rafael, the harpy eagle. Both flew low to the ground, scanning as they quartered the most direct route to the mines. Kirja would have stayed beneath the ground. However he had managed to be awake after the first light of dawn, Rafael was certain the effect couldn't last too long. Kirja would have prepared his escape route before he had launched his attempt on Colby's life.
    Vikirnoff? Do you think it strange that the male child of Rhiannon died and yet there is no word on the fate of the females? Colby said she was told her father died, but not how or when. There was open speculation in Rafael's mind.
    Wizards were not immortal. They had longevity, but ultimately, death claimed them. It is one of the reasons they came to resent us. For all their abilities and power, they could not sustain their lives. The prince believed that was the motivation for