Chapter Four

Strangers in the Woods

Liana looked up from her drawing. Something was amiss. The horses were agitated and the bobcats in the woods were growling and pacing. She scanned the skies to make sure she hadn't missed any storm clouds. She didn't smell rain. Her eyes narrowed as she took in her surroundings. Perhaps it was another nomad; they stumbled across her land from time to time. If they were smart, they didn't choose to come poking about. She'd had to silence a few unsavory trackers over the years, and it was unpleasant work. She had to do what was necessary to maintain her peace and solitude. For all intents and purposes, she was dead to the vampire hierarchy, and she wanted to stay that way.

She set her pencil aside and stood. On her balcony, she could only see as far into the distance as the mountains would allow, severely limiting her view of the horizon from her house. It was nestled snugly between three heavily wooded peaks along the Ozark chain. She'd heard it referred to as a 'holler' by some of the local farmers and pilgrims of years past. It was deep in the chain, and only years of spending her savings had made the habitation possible. She had contracted humans to dig several wells, no mean feat in the mountainous areas and the labor was exorbitantly priced. It was also necessary to come up with a reason for the work, as she must needs keep knowledge of the house from the workers. Until routing to the house itself could not be accomplished without that fact known, several had been working at the three different sites. Malera, her only companion and housemate of several years, had then supplied the deficiency, much to Liana's distaste, by selecting two or three of the workmen to complete the routing. She had promised triple the pay without the knowledge of the contractor, who was told the wells were for a future warehouse that would be built to house mining operations in the area. These selected individuals completed the work once the rest of the team were long gone, in absolute secrecy, and were disposed of. Rather heartlessly, but it was unavoidable, as Malera would argue many times after it was accomplished.

They served the purpose of giving them plumbing though. After several decades of chamber pots and outhouses, she was more than willing to spend the money, and put up with the inconveniences of conscience. Electricity was trickier, most of it provided by highly state of the art solar energy harnessing. The things were ugly and bulky, and she had no idea how they worked, but they gave her power for lights, television and music. This was added in much the same way the wells had been, only with fewer people to die afterward. As for a phone, she didn't require one. There was no one to call. She preferred it that way. Truly, the only downfall to her home was that she must constantly be on guard. Staying hidden, it seemed, was an endless battle.

"Malera!" She called out.

After a few moments, a short, tan woman with silvery blonde hair padded softly onto the balcony behind her. "Yes?"

"Lock down the house, quickly. Something is amiss tonight. I have a feeling we may have a visitor, and I must be prepared." Her hands tightened on the railing as she leaned down and whistled. The horses in the flat land behind the house pricked their ears for a minute and then trotted towards the barn, where they would wait until daylight to continue grazing.

She glanced once more up at the night sky before pivoting and stalking indoors, leaving her drawing materials on the table where she had left them. Pulling the double doors shut behind her and closing the steel shutters on the windows with a flick of her wrist, she entered her master suite, turning out all the lights. In a moment of indecision, she listened to the faint sounds coming from downstairs as Malera glided through the house to bolt doors and closed the internal steel window plates. Then, nodding in resolve, she sprinted to her huge walk in closet. She pressed a notch hidden in the panel of the wall and a door sprung open to reveal her armory. Guns, bows, arrows, knives – if you could kill or maim something with it, she had it in here. It was dark inside. She shot a swift glace at the inner wall sconce and a flame sprang to life, providing enough light for what she needed to do.

She armed herself quickly, mentally cursing that such a peaceful night would end so abruptly. She pulled on her black leather jacket, stuffed the pockets with her silver shots and plunked her custom-made Beretta Cheetah into the thigh holster on her right leg. She also grabbed her bow, quiver and tranq-shots. With that, she was good to go.

Liana ran swiftly through her room to the hallway. She nearly collided into Malera coming up the stairs and made a gesture at her to go upstairs and wait. Malera nodded and took off down the second floor hallway, springing in and out of rooms as she continued locking down the house. Liana left her to it without a backward glance.

Another ten minutes found her outside, concealed in the woods to the front of the house. She waited in the upper branches of a big oak. From where she was perched she could see any odd movements through the woods at preternatural speeds. The wind was blowing the scents of the night straight to her. She had positioned herself in a crouch, and her bow was in her left hand, arrow-cocked and ready. She heard the cats calling to each other higher up the summit. They were circling the house as well.

All at once, the woods around her went quiet.

"Liana!" A man's baritone called out. "I know you are out here!"

She tensed further down onto the branch, aghast. He knows my name! How? Shaking her head resolutely she put away the arrow that was coated in the tranquilizer, and swiftly pulled a silver tipped arrow in its place. She would have to kill this one. She didn't relish the thought, after all these years, she still was burdened with her damned conscience.

"Annabelle sent me! I have proof! I need to speak with you!" This time his voice sounded closer, but she hadn't detected a sound. Impressive.

She scowled. Annabelle would never have sent a man out here for any reason. She would have sent word first and they rarely had contact at all anymore. Had this guy killed her? What was this proof? There were just too many questions and she would not risk her home…not after all this time.

"Liana." His voice was at the base of the tree now, and she sighted down her bow and loosed.

The sound of him flinging himself away from the tree was almost thunderous. Not so quiet now, are we?

"Ayustan! Have you no manners, woman? You sliced my shoulder!"

Her second shot missed as well. He had jumped into the tree to her north seconds before the arrow slammed into the ground where he'd been. She had loosed it as soon as he'd spoken, though she had no idea as to what he had said.

Now she could see him clearly. He was holding out a chain with a dangling green stone. She caught sight of its tint, and pinched the arrow harder to hold it cocked. "Is that your proof? You have about three seconds to convince me to look."

"She wasn't exaggerating about you at all." Shade muttered, and before she could bury an arrow between his eyes, he flung the necklace at her and leapt out of sight. An arrow thunked into the tree trunk behind where he'd stood.

Shit! She hadn't heard his feet hit the ground, and the rock attached to the chain had damn-near put her eye out. Her timing had been a little off with the reload, so by the time she was strung and swiveling for a target, all was quiet, and he'd had plenty of time to be a good distance away if he'd ran.

After several agonizingly slow minutes of silence, she let out a breath and slowly released the tension on her bow. Because she didn't want to be caught completely unarmed if he was still watching, she waited a minute or two more before sheathing the arrow, slinging the bow back across her shoulder and pulling the Berretta from her thigh holster. She glanced down at the ground, where the necklace he'd flung had landed. Curiosity was getting the better of her. She stood quickly, made an aerial sweep of the forest floor and slipped from the branch.

She landed in a crouch, sighting down her gun immediately and listening hard. I know he's still here; I can still smell him, and his 'three seconds' were up a long time ago.

From her position, she realized she could also smell Annabelle's scent. That gave her pause. Not lowering her eyes from where she scanned, she reached down with her free hand and grasped the stone.

It was warm, and as soon as it made contact with her skin, a tiny flame sparked to life within its facets. Annabelle…

The necklace did belong to Annabelle, had been around her neck as recently as a few hours ago, and if she had been dead, the stone would have been cold. This man had been sent by her…and Liana had almost killed him.

Liana groaned quietly and rose from her defensive crouch. "Are you still here, stranger? You have my attention now."

Technically, she wasn't to blame. 'Shoot first, ask questions later' was her rule. Besides, she had forgotten about the necklaces. It had been well over a hundred years since they'd been used. The green stone she now held was similar to the red stone she was wearing. They had been purchased in Sicily in 1852 by Annabelle. Each stone was imbued with a spark of their life-force, or so the alchemist had claimed. Liana had thought that he had just injected a bit of Annabelle's blood into them once the bargain was struck, and that was what made them work. She understood next to nothing of alchemy. However, being blood-bonded, Liana and Annabelle literally shared the same blood; and both being pyrokinetic, they had studied and tested for nearly a year to cause the flames in the stones to only spark if in contact with their skin.

In the past, it was a way to be sure of each other's identity, as their nest mates had sometime been extremely gifted illusionists. They'd also used them to warn each other of danger, but it had been so long! Their bond was faint with the distance between them and by the years of their separation. However, it was still enough to cause the stones to spark if it came in contact with either of them. For many years they had protected each other, using whatever means they could find that would not alert their sire, or any of his clan, to their location.

After a long span of time using the talismans, they began to understand that there was something more than just their blood. It was proven after a particularly horrible night that had left Liana beaten within an inch of her life and unconscious. It had taken her months to heal completely from the ordeal. The entire time she'd been unconscious after it happened, Annabelle had told her that the red stone hanging from her neck had gone cold, the flame within guttered so small, it could barely be seen. 'It wouldn't burn, Liana.' Annabelle had cried. 'I thought you were dead!' Liana eventually regained consciousness and as she healed, the stone eventually warmed and the flame grew back to normal. They had both kept their stones all these years.

It was only after their sire had been killed that they had drifted into two very different, separate lives. Annabelle enjoyed the notoriety and power of politics and Liana, the seclusion and peace of anonymity. She'd studied for years in combat, poisons and weapons; enough to be a real threat to any creature who attacked or provoked her. She'd dangerously tested her tranquilizers on herself many times, and knew just how much of each was necessary to incapacitate her kind. Thankfully, she'd never used too much, but she always believed that if she had to die, there were worse ways…and of course, she had Malera.

Malera had been with her for about thirty years, and was the only other being she'd had close contact with for even longer. Once Liana had established her household and settled there for several years, Annabelle had gotten curious and sought her out through their blood bond. It had been a brief but happy time for Liana. They had not lived together for a long time and it brought back many memories; one of which was that Liana was a hopeless housekeeper. Annabelle had contrived to send her Malera to help, with a note that said she would keep sending people until Liana finally agreed to have a housemate. Conscious of the fact that Annabelle was true to her word, and lamenting that her secret residence was now known to two vampires, she had agreed to Malera staying on with her. At the time, she had done so to stem the knowledge of her whereabouts. She had yet to learn all that was required to actually maintain the secrecy.

Malera was turned by Annabelle many years previously, and though they were secretive about their shared history, it became apparent that she was intelligent and capable of dealing with the domestic necessities that came of having a house. Liana eventually forgave her overzealous friend for sending her a 'house-keeper' and she and Malera struck up an easy camaraderie. She became indispensable to her for her knowledge as well. It was Malera who, with quick wits and long habit, shared with her the necessary planning and lifestyle changes to ensure their seclusion. Even more important to Liana, with Malera there to tend to most of the work, she was free to pursue her studies of poisons and tonics for her kind, keep up her physical training and solidify the wards on the house. One of her most exciting discoveries was her development of a substance that, once personalized for the user, masked their scent. It was in the final stages of being completed. If she could create enough of it, she and Malera would be literally untraceable to any by smell. After thirty years of working on the project on and off, she had finally gotten some results. It was the final step in the ongoing project of making the house they shared the safest they could make it. For at that point, once acclimated to masking their scent, most nomads of their kind would find no reason to stop at the house, she hoped. It would be nice, not having to kill every being that came within smelling distance of their house, a radius of about thirty miles. It would make hiding much easier, stalking much more secure, altogether a very great addition to their wards.

All her research and training over the years had accomplished much in the way of keeping her separate from her own kind. It had been decades since she had last seen or heard from Annabelle. Even then, the necklaces had not been used or even mentioned. It was only natural that Liana would not have immediately registered what the stranger in the woods had held in his fist. However, since the stone had flared at her touch, she now knew with absolute certainty that Annabelle had sent him. Unfortunately, she also knew that the reason he was here could not be good. That was not a pleasant thought.

"Are you still here?" She called out again, going over the options in her head. Following him would probably be best, but he was fast. God knows, he'd probably given her up for a lost cause and gone back to wherever Annabelle was to berate her for sending him into a harpy's nest. Not that he'd make it. If enough of her arrow had punctured the skin, he'd likely die along the way. "I'm not going to shoot you!" She refused to yell any louder from long habit of not attracting undue attention, though she doubted anyone was close enough to hear. Closing her eyes, she took a long breath through her nostrils, trying to familiarize herself with his scent in case he came back. His scent was totally alien to her. She shook her head in irritation and pocketed the necklace she'd picked up from the ground. She then cast her eyes about the differing flight paths of the arrows she'd shot at him. No need to waste ammo, she figured, walking sullenly towards the arrow that had buried itself nearly to the fletching in the forest floor. Besides, silver ain't cheap.

She walked towards the house, making the normal amount of noise in case the stranger was listening. She looked at the arrows she was holding closely. One of them had scored his shoulder, he'd said. She didn't see any blood on either one, so it must've been wiped off when it struck the dirt, or when she'd pried it back up. That's a pity, it might have been nice to have another blood sample to test her poisons on, she mused. Figuring the stranger wasn't coming back any time soon, she began to jog. She needed to tell Malera she was okay, and figure out how they would proceed from here. She was so deep in thought as to what the stranger could have wanted and what Annabelle would have to do with him that she didn't notice him until she was out of the woods and marching into the open front yard. The sly bastard was sitting on her front steps.

She froze in place, "What do you think you're doing?" She grimaced at how stupid she sounded. For God's sake, Liana! He wants to talk to you, remember?

"I was waiting for you," The man replied.

Liana sighed. "Okay, I'm here. You have my attention." She crossed her arms, putting her weight on her right foot. Outwardly, her face gave away nothing. She'd mastered the art of hiding her thoughts and emotions over a century ago. She was irritated that he'd been able to get around her and lounge on her own front porch, but she would not let him have the upper hand in the situation by showing any sign of bewilderment or uncertainty.

"Might we speak somewhere more comfortable? It will be dawn soon and I've travelled a long way to see you," he prodded lightly.

Liana shook her head. "I don't know you. I don't invite strangers into my home. Now what brings you?" She was resolved to get to the matter at hand. The sooner he delivered his message, the sooner he would leave.

"What I wish to speak of is not something to be shared out in the open. Annabelle knew as much. I would hope you could show the same courtesy." He persisted warily. He kept his hands positioned where she could see them. He looked directly into her eyes, and he didn't fidget.

She narrowed her eyes. "Annabelle knows I would not be as careless with my home as she seems to be." she countered with a snort.

"Perhaps you would be more comfortable if we introduced ourselves." The stranger countered, resolve etched in his features. Not unattractive features either, she noted. His hair was long, black and straight. His skin was a luminous copper. He had a sculpted jaw and high cheekbones on his smooth face. Those eyes, filled with wary resignation, were a pitch black that swallowed up all light.

"Let's start with you, since you are on my property."

"Very well, I am Shade."

"Shade…" She cocked her head, "Is that all?"

"What more do you want to know?"

"Where are you from? Why are you here and what has it to do with Annabelle?" Each word was slow and distinct. She didn't like having to repeat herself.

Shade, as he had called himself, sighed in exasperation as well. "I am from Santa Carla. I've lived there a very long time. I also hear your friend inside. I was told to speak to you and you alone concerning why I am here. Annabelle either didn't realize or failed to mention any guests you might have. I am trying to keep this matter between the three of us, alone. I have made a promise to your blood sister and I must honor it. This is not a situation that can be discussed at great length in the open. I request that you hear me out, safely. These are dangerous matters."

She was intrigued, but not enough to trust a stranger in her home. If he wouldn't talk, she couldn't risk herself or Malera by inviting him in. He spoke of secrets and dangerous matters. She had more than enough of those inside and had no intention of allowing him to see.

"Look. I don't know you. Sorry you wasted your trip, but you need to leave. If Annabelle has something to say to me, tell her to come herself, or send a note. I'm not letting you in my house." She gave him one last glare and motioned for him to get off of her porch and out of her way.

"Oh, by all that's holy…" Shade muttered as he stood up and walked in the direction of the woods. He'd deal with his own concerns. He'd had enough of feminine wiles for a lifetime, but he remembered the look on Annabelle's face when she told him the reason he was sending him here. Perhaps that was the key.

Liana was standing in front of her door, watching him leave when he turned around and said something that turned her blood to ice in her veins.

"She's going to destroy Max." He had whispered. So faintly, she barely heard it.

Terrible memories threatened, roiling behind her lids as she closed her eyes in horror. Max… After a few moments, her violent shaking and burning hands pulled her from the nightmarish visions of the past. Why hadn't Annabelle told her she'd found him? Why California of all places? Out in the open! What was he doing? A thousand questions she could ask, but she only needed the answer to one. Max!

"Where is he?"

The male vampire was staring down warily at her hands. "In California. Just outside Santa Carla after the last exit." He had assumed she would be amenable to more sequestered environs after that tidbit of information he'd offered. After all, if Annabelle was correct, this Liana would not go after him alone either.

After she had glared at nothing for a full five minutes and her heartbeat had slowed to a more normal rhythm, Liana blinked and focused on the stranger again. She was patting her hip, under which her thigh holster bobbed, seeming to debate with herself internally over some unanswered query. Finally she nodded and called "Malera! Bring a knife and one of your scarves!" She then nodded at him and said, "This matter does need discussion, and I will provide the space," she paused with a direct look into his eyes, "conditionally. My housemate will be with us at all times. Armed. You will be blinded from seeing the inside of the house." She started to turn, then added, "…and I'd better like what you have to say or you won't be coming out again."

Shade smiled grimly, "If Annabelle has not been mistaken in you, you will. I will abide." He stood straight, feet apart and watched as a prim little blonde poked her head out the door, gauging her reception.

"Liana? What is it?" She asked in a soft girlish pitch.

"Bring the knife Malera, and we need a way to bind this one's eyes. He's coming in."

Shade watched as the girl's eyes widened and she slipped back inside. "I take it you don't get much company," he said drily.

Liana smiled. "Funny that. Any who visit here don't return home. It discourages others."

He nodded. "I don't care for company myself. I wouldn't be here if I could help it, miss."

"We will see, uh…Shade, was it?"

"Yes."

She studied him as they waited for Malera. "You look Indian."

"I am of the people."

"I don't believe I've ever spoken to any of your people before."

"There aren't many of us left. Certainly not any of vampire kind." He looked uncomfortable after saying this, so she dropped the matter, giving up on small talk.

Malera returned with the requested items within two minutes. She looked up into the night sky, growing lighter over the eastern summit, and glanced at Liana in inquiry, eyebrows raised.

Liana grimaced, taking the items and moving warily towards Shade. "Will you fry in the sun, stranger?"

He blinked at her and slowly shook his head.

It seemed a fraction of the tension around them was eased by his silent answer. Liana, not sure whether to believe him, judged for herself that he wouldn't, as he had shown no signs of noticing the dawn coming or any fear thereof. She made quick work of securing the material around his eyes, covering his nose as well so as to mask the scents of the house somewhat. She then jabbed her knife into the rapidly healing scratch scored into his shoulder by one of her arrows. He jumped, hissing.

"Relax stranger, you'll need an antidote if you don't want to slip into death before the sunrises. You've been poisoned." She smirked, though he couldn't see.

"I do not like being blinded, and I do not feel this poison you speak of," he grumbled.

She smiled even wider, "You aren't supposed to." She then slashed at her palm and slapped her hand over the wound she had opened on him. "That means it's working."

He shuddered as her blood soaked into him.

"If I had run?"

"You would have fallen along the way." She assured him cheerfully, beginning to lead him towards the porch. "Malera, follow me please. Perhaps being outnumbered and blind will discourage our stranger here from any rash actions."

Malera nodded her assent and brought up the rear of their little procession.

Once Shade had been secured, blindfolded and seemed steadily to become weaker with the rising sun, Liana got down to the business of why he was there. The strong smell of cedar in the basement covered any smells from her work that might escape through the cloth of his blindfold. She'd finally deposited him in a chair when he became antsy and his steps began to slow. He grumbled the whole time about her wasting time, which she largely ignored, on the grounds that if it had been a true emergency Annabelle would have come herself.

Standing directly in front of him, knife still in hand she demanded, "Out with it. What is so important that Annabelle needed to send a stranger to my home against my explicit wishes? What has Max done?"

"I cannot say what Max has done to merit your specific attentions." He replied, choosing accurately the question that was most important to her. "Annabelle made no secret of the animosity she has toward him. I cannot say I know him at all. What he has done is sire a rogue vampire that has formed a clan of at least five other rogues. They are running rampant in my area and leaving a wake of dead. They must be stopped. For this, Annabelle has sent me to you. I mean to take them out and cannot do it alone." He rubbed at his face, agitated. "Of course had I known what reception awaited me here, I might have tried…"

"Rogue vampires." She deadpanned.

"Yes," he snarled. "Rogues that are destroying countless lives! They have no fear of anything. No one will stop them, and now they…" He paused. "They are calling undue attention from the locals."

Liana was mystified. For this, Annabelle had sent a stranger to her secret home. This? "I'm afraid I do not understand why this warrants a visit. There must be something you are leaving out. Tell me everything. If I find that your problem does not in any way render your coming here absolutely necessary, I'm afraid I must destroy you."

"Your friend sent me here." He said through clenched teeth.

"And I need to know why!" She shot back. "Speak Shade! What did Annabelle say specifically! I hear nothing from you that merits your coming here."

"She said she wanted to help destroy the rogues. I swore a blood oath that I would not harm her or you, and that I would not speak of the situation to anyone but you. She does not want the council to know she is acting against their edict."

"The council," she mused bitterly. "What have they to do with this? Aren't the rogues their problem?"

"They won't act." He sighed. "I am running out of time. I need a plan in place."

Liana did regret having to be so cold, but she pushed those feelings aside. She needed to figure out what Annabelle wanted her to do.

"I assume you went to the council first?" She prompted.

"Yes. I was told that two of their Elders were away and had taken a good deal of their strength with them. Some election of some sort, they told me. I don't know anything about politics." He began fidgeting. "Is there no way I can take off this blindfold? I mean you no harm. I've sworn it."

Liana sighed and looked at Malera.

"He's not revealed everything," she said coldly.

"There you have it. My friend is not satisfied." Liana answered.

Shade whipped his head towards Malera's voice, frowning.

"What has Max to do with this?" Liana asked.

"I don't know. I've watched the rogues for about a week. I know that he sired the leader. I haven't seen any communication between them. The one he made is called David. David himself has three other boys in his clan and a woman and a child. The boys roam the boardwalk, killing at will and at random. They leave their mess without a thought to what attention it might raise. They are now stalking individuals that I am sworn to protect. I told this to Annabelle."

"Go on, what was her response?" Liana prodded, when he trailed off.

"She was more concerned about Max. She mentioned that he must have a reason for making David, and turning him loose. I told her I could not fathom it."

"You don't know him, you said. You've had no dealings with him past or present?"

"None." He affirmed.

"She and I," Liana began, starting to pace, "…we've known Max for a very long time. The animosity between us is deeply rooted." She stopped and turned back towards Shade. "But Annabelle is correct about him. He does nothing without a reason, yet I cannot understand it either."

"I must assume that this reason is why Annabelle wanted you involved. She told me before I set out for you that she wanted to destroy Max, and that I had given her the means to do it." Shade replied.

Liana glanced at Malera again, raising her brows in silent question. Malera gave a small shrug, and turned to leave. Sighing, thinking it might be a mistake, Liana reached out and lifted the scarf from Shade's head. He blinked a few times and looked directly at her.

"I guess this means I have to go to Santa Carla," she stated with a grimace. "I hate California."

"It would be a much better place without the rogues," was his muttered retort.

Liana sighed inwardly. "So be it. I'll have to find a way to talk to Annabelle. She might be more forthcoming with me than she was with you."

"I was under the impression that I would be a messenger of sorts. It was assumed by those residing in the council headquarters that she and I had a tryst."

"Really?" She gave a wicked grin, "Annabelle has not changed."

"Quite unforgettable." He agreed sourly.

Liana held out her hand to him. "I apologize for the rude welcome. I cannot be too careful about my safety. Malera was all for killing you out right, you know." This wasn't strictly true, as they hadn't really had time to discuss the issue, but was probable. Shade took the proffered hand and rose to his feet. Liana could tell he was exhausted. "I'm afraid this room is the only accommodation I can offer you while the sun is up. As I said, I am not accustomed to letting strangers stay in my house. When you rise tonight, we will leave for Santa Carla. Have you a residence there?"

"Nothing like your home." He replied. "I live in the woods, but my home is small. I am of the land. I do not require the space."

"I suppose I'll have to find someplace to stay, at least to store my things." She mused.

"That will not be necessary. It may not be as large or fine as this house, but it will be there for you should you like to stay there. It's secluded."

"Sold." She grinned, slapping the arm she nicked with the arrow. "Get some sleep. I can tell you need it. We will put together a plan tonight while we travel. I have to pack." She pointed towards an old brown sofa. "There are no windows down here, so you should be alright on that."

"I shouldn't sleep long." He made toward the sofa somewhat sluggishly. "Wake me when you are ready to leave."

Liana didn't respond. She was making her way to the door. Malera, having exited a few seconds before her, propped on the outside wall waiting for her. Before they headed up the stairs together, Malera swung the heavy door closed, and barred it with a large iron shaft.

"That should hold him in for tonight," said Malera, shaking her head. "I have a feeling this won't be a pleasure jaunt for you."

"Nothing concerning Max ever is. I'll blindfold him before we leave tomorrow. I still don't want him to know the layout of the house. That will be most convenient in future should something go wrong."

Malera nodded.

"Take care of the house. I'll try to make this visit brief. Hunt today, if you can."

"I will," Malera replied softly, "Will you need me to help you pack?"

"I shouldn't, at least not until later. I'll start with the basics. We'll confer over weapons later. If you want to go now, then by all means, I'll be alright for now."

"I don't like leaving you here alone with him in the house." Malera worried as she began to head towards the front of the house.

"He's dead asleep, dear." Liana chuckled, "That poison had gotten pretty far into his bloodstream. He'll be out for at least six hours."

Malera gave an amused, "Ah."

Liana spared a moment to watch her leave the house, and lock up behind her. As she headed towards her room upstairs, she paused in front of a window in the hallway and lifted the steel shutters to peer outside. The sun was just beginning to appear in the east, and she noticed the horses were back out in the pasture, grazing on dew softened grass. The cats were silent. She took that as an omen that for now, she was safe. Closing the shutter, she turned and made her way up to her room to prepare for her journey to Santa Carla.