Just A Taste | BOOK 1 The Night Lords Series

27. Shadow Memories

Master Bane, I mean, Jacques, takes one look at my bewildered expression before snapping his fingers.

"Eövalk!" he snaps.

The shadows respond immediately to his foreign command. I yelp, jumping back in my seat as the ebony limbs suddenly expand to encompass the whole room before contorting to create an illusion that we were somewhere else. The chaotic study vanishes to be replaced by a street that makes me feel as if I've traveled back in time. I inhale sharply, gripping the edges of my seat as the cobbled road comes to life with every soft chant articulated by Jacques while he waves a pale hand through the air, his brow furrowed in concentration.

The ceiling crumbles away to reveal a brilliant, baby blue sky. Velutinous, white clouds hover in the distance like the sky mountains they were. I watched in awe as brownstone houses surged out of the ground to create twin walls on either side of the road before the empty street began to flow with a realistic vitality. Horse-drawn carriages, small carts overflowing with goods, and people made of Jacques's dark shadows bustled all around us, completely oblivious to our presence. I nearly screamed when a carriage barreled straight towards us but a spell from Jacques kept me from jumping out of my seat. I threw up my hands with a cry once the carriage was upon us, sure that the massive black stallions pulling the bulky box would trample me but the snorting beasts passed through me along with their haul. I still, shocked, before turning my head to watch it amble down the road. The people in its way hurried to move, their fear of being trampled somehow something to take seriously while I sat here unscathed. A few more people came to pass through me and I just sat quietly, feeling more like I was the illusion intruding on this world, wherever we may be.

"It's all a hallucination, my dear." Jacques's voice brings my attention forward to see him sitting comfortably, his right arm bent at the elbow and resting on the chair so that he could prop his chin upon his elevated fist. A barking stray dog ran straight through his lower body followed by a shouting boy. The vampire didn't even flinch.

"I am going to explain what I can. Don't bother asking questions unless you absolutely have to and keep in mind I am trying to conclude my little rant with the expectation that we'll be on the same page. This," He waves his free hand half-heartedly at our surroundings, the faint cacophony of the scene like background noise. "Is just something to help you keep up. Understood?"

I nod, still confused but mildly determined to listen nonetheless. It's about time someone helped me understand the chaos I've been thrust into.

Jacques gives a little nod before motioning with his finger for me to look left. I do. That's when I see a small boy with white hair standing in a thin, shadowed alley. The illusion around us focuses in on him just like a movie. Without even moving, we're suddenly drifting towards the young Jacques, close enough to see him clearly now that the crowd wasn't in the way. He was breathing heavy, his small pale hands clutching at the alley wall creating divets in the red brick. Those violet eyes were wide and frightened, no sign of the devious, pernicious demon he is today. Young Jacques was still a child- an immortal child who was afraid and alone. My heart goes out for him and I lean forward without thinking.

"When I was human, I was the son of a very powerful man. His connections throughout London and beyond brought wealth and glory to my family. I had a loving mother and, as an only child, I was given the world." Jacques's voice created a soft and pleasing narrative but the movie-like images kept me entranced enough not to look away.

"Of course, as business goes, with great power comes great enemies. My father left me and my mother alone one night for a meeting scheduled by one of his partners. We later found out that it had been a lie, nothing but a diversion to get my father out of the house. That night, it was my mother and I who met my father's partner."