Free Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews Page A

gate of the cell crept up. The vampire stood still.
    â€œDisengage the collar,” Ghastek ordered.
    The vampire snapped the collar open.
    â€œBring him forward.”
    The vampire took a tentative step forward. Another . . .
    Its eyes flared with bloodlust like two glowing coals. Danton screamed. The bloodsucker charged us, eyes shining, jaws unhinging, huge claws scratching the platform.
    No gun.
    I dashed forward, pulling a field knife, but Raphael beat me to it. He swung, slashing in a precise arc, and checked himself in midmove.
    The vamp froze. It simply stopped, petrified, one clawed foot on the ground and the rest in the air. Raphael had stopped his knife blade a mere half an inch from the undead throat.
    â€œYou have excellent reflexes,” Ghastek said. “A shapeshifter?”
    Raphael simply nodded.
    â€œI sincerely apologize,” Ghastek said. “I’m piloting him at the moment, so he won’t cause us any further concern.”
    The vampire leapt backward, landing at Ghastek’s feet, and hugged the floor, his forehead pressed to stone. Ghastek’s face showed no strain. None at all.
    Raphael stepped back, the knife vanishing into the sheath at his waist.
    On the platform, Danton slumped into a heap, moaning softly, white clumps of foamy spit sliding out of his mouth. A medical team with a stretcher emerged from the side corridor and loaded him up, strapping him in.
    Both remaining journeymen stared at Danton in horrified silence.
    â€œYou may go,” Ghastek said.
    They fled.
    â€œA shame, that,” Ghastek said softly.
    â€œWhat happened to him?” I asked.
    â€œFear. Done correctly, the contact with the undead mind, while repulsive to some, is completely harmless.”
    The vampire uncoiled and rose straight up. It had been quite tall during life, but its body had shifted to a quadruped locomotion. Yet it stood straight as an arrow, probably in pain but staring right into Ghastek’s eyes. The Master of the Dead studied the twin points of furious red. “Fear of contact, however, can bring about horrible consequences, as you saw.”
    The vampire dropped on all fours. “Perhaps we had best continue this discussion in my office.” Ghastek smiled drily. “Please.”
    I walked next to him, Raphael on my right, the vampire on Ghastek’s left. “Navigating a vampire is similar to riding a large wave: you have to stay on top of it or it will crest and pull you under. Danton, unfortunately, permitted himself to drown. If he’s lucky, he should be able to regain enough cognitive ability to feed himself and tend to his own personal hygiene. If he’s unlucky, he’ ll spend the rest of his life as a human vegetable. Would you care for an espresso?”
    The vampire sprinted ahead.
    â€œNo, thank you. Watching a man foam at the mouth tends to short-circuit my thirst and appetite.” What happened to Danton deeply bothered me, but I knew the People’s contracts, and everything that had transpired was completely within the law. The journeymen signed their lives away when they chose to work for the People.
    â€œAgain, my apologies. I could have postponed the test, but Danton had avoided it twice already after daring to brag about how well he would do. I don’t tolerate displays of baseless egocentricity. The test had to proceed as scheduled.
    He’s a rare case. Most of our journeymen manage to fail without quite so much melodrama.”
    We climbed the stairs and headed through the maze of the hallways until Ghastek opened the door to one of the rooms. Spacious, it resembled a living room rather than an office: a semicircle of sectional sofa upholstered in a warm red shade, a plain desk in the corner, books lining the shelves. To the left, through the door, I saw a small kitchenette and a vampire mixing a drink. To the right, floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the stables from above.
    â€œPlease sit