In the gargoyle realm, I was given a necklace by Sharra's sister, Silindra. She wasn't actually there, and I didn't know how it worked exactly, but she gave me the necklace. All I had to do was think of where I wanted to go and it would take me there. It was tucked under my shirt, and I pulled it out. Wrapping my fingers around it, I thought of the house in Salem, Massachusetts where my mom grew up. When we arrived, I sighed. It looked the same as when I left it, expect maybe a little more dust. The house was empty, not even the gray cat, Gatsby wandered the rooms. It felt vacant without him there. Troy escorted me to my bedroom door before going into the bathroom to get cleaned up. I showered, allowing the hot water to rinse away the stress that clung to me from the troll realm. My interchange with the assassin still ran through my mind. I didn't know whether I should believe him or not. Part of me felt like it was too easy. None of the other assassins had offered so much as a h

"Young love. The two of you are sweet." Her voice was sarcastic and instantly recognizable. Sharra. My body vibrated with anger, outrage, and fear. How dare she come into my room at my happiest moment? "Get out!" I climbed off Troy. "Unless you've come to return my mom and dad, leave." I lunged forward and got in her face, completely out of control in my fury. "Jasmine." She wore a long black dress and carried her staff with the orb on the end. Her face was calm, but her eyes sparked with interest when they fell on the gems in my forehead. "You've collected three already. Good. That's very good." Her wicked chuckle chilled me to the bone. My anger died, replaced by a growing sense of dread. "The world will be completely encompassed in darkness soon and I want that elven crown. With it, no one will ever be able to stop me." I sucked in a large gulp of air. She obviously didn't think I was any sort of threat. That hurt, but it was also understandable. I hadn't been a formidable opp

The next morning I found some clothes. A long muslin dress in burgundy with embroidered trim around the collar and along the edge of the hem. It had a gold belt, and white sleeves. It was a little itchy, but the underdress helped. The shoes were plain and brown. I left my hair down, but braided a piece from each side and pinned it back. I thought I looked very fifteen-century France. "You look lovely," Christopher said, when I came out of my room. "It's a little chilly outside though. I recommend this be added to your outfit." He held out a dark wool cape with a hood attached. "Let me help you put this on." "Thanks." I turned and he slipped it over my shoulders. When I faced him I noticed his clothing. He wore a cream shirt with rough material. A chocolate brown vest buttoned up tight over the top. Dark pants and brown boots on the bottom half. His belt matched his boots. He also had on a cape. His clothes brought back a memory from when I was younger. I'd seen him looking almost

Christopher and I spent the next several hours obtaining horses, gear, and food to keep up appearances. I asked him more than once why we didn't just have someone draw us a map and use our vampire abilities to run to the chateau. We'd be there in hardly any time and we needed to hurry. He just smiled and said Abernathy felt I needed to spend some time with Adam Henry, which was why the dragon had dropped us in his town. We couldn't do that if we just ran. "I guess," I said. "But he must realize how dire the world's circumstances." I still felt the urgency to get the remaining two pieces so I could save the world, rescue my mom and dad, and Troy. A lot had to happen in a short amount of time. "It's important," he added. "Something to do with helping you grow." "Fine." I gritted my teeth. What was it about adults always thinking they knew better than me. I let out a breath. That kind of thinking is what got me in this mess in the first place. If Abernathy said it was important,

The next morning we woke, ate, and started out. Nobody said much. Arthur and Lance kept mostly to themselves. But the rest of us weren't talkative either. Each lost in our own thoughts. The day shone bright and beautiful. Clear skies, not a cloud in the wide, blue sky. Birds dipped and dove through the tops of the trees. Small animals skittered along the branches and in and out from under bushes. Our group still rode parallel with the stream. It rushed on; it's gentle music filled the air. I felt more at peace than I had in a long time. That peace left by mid-morning when I sensed something hunted us. I used all of my vampire abilities to find out what it was, but the predators were cunning. The only thing I could tell for certain was that they were big. "Something is stalking us," I said to Christopher, keeping my voice low enough so only he could hear. "I hear them too. It's going to be hard to keep our secret about what we are if we have to fight for real with our bare hand