35. The Blood Thief

Leila immediately began to panic. Her mouth was dry, and her lower lip tasted bitter. Blood was rushing to her dizzy head.

While her flute stone was safely placed on the windowsill, the flask containing Thorn’s blood was gone!

She had searched everywhere in the room - the space between the bed and the wall, under the cover and pillows, the entire surface of the floor. But still, she found nothing. Strangely, the door to the room remained locked from the inside. Even the key couldn’t open it from the outside. Had it fallen out of the window?

Leila leaned out to look below. The room was on the top floor of the inn, facing a narrow lane. From the deep darkness, she could tell it must be very late. Even the oil streetlamps were dying out. A line of potted plants were growing under her window, but she could not possibly see any farther into the night. She knew that the dragon blood was valuable, and Thorn had asked her to keep it safe. How could she lose it?

Blaming herself, she left the r