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When I had spent as much time with them as I dared, I returned downstairs, slowly and on foot this time, and demanded to see the video feed

"Ysabeau is in the fa it now" Miria had since Gallowglass ht, but Ysabeau slammed the laptop shut as soon as I entered the roo her here, Miriaht to know," Miriarand "Besides, Auntie won’t obey your orders any more than you obeyed Baldhen he tried to keep you from Philippe until his wounds healed" He pried the laptop froers and opened the lid

What I saw led sound of horror Were it not for Matthew’s distinctive gray-green eyes and black hair, I ht not have known him

"Diana" Baldwin strode into the room, his expression carefully schooled to show no reaction to my appearance But he was a soldier, and he understood that pretending soo away He reached out with surprising gentleness and touched my hairline "Does it hurt?"

"No" When my body had absorbed the Book of Life, a tree had appeared on it as well Its trunk covered the back of ned with the column of my spine Its roots spread across my shoulders The tree’s branches fanned out underes of my face Like the tree on ely intertwined along the sides ofCeltic knotwork

"Why are you here?" I asked We hadn’t heard fro

"Baldas the first to see Benjahtaway, then shared the neith Marcus"

"Nathaniel had beaten me to it He traced Matthew’s last cell communication--a call made to you--to a location inside Poland," Baldwin said

"Addie saw Matthew in Dresden, en route to Berlin," Miriam reported "He asked her for inforot a text He left immediately"

"Verin joined Addie there They’ve picked up Matthew’s trail One of Marcus’s knights spotted hilanced at Ysabeau "He was traveling southeast

Matthewnorth until then Why did he change direction?" Marcus frowned

"Matthewto envision all this on the map "We found a letter from Godfrey that

"What do you have?" Marcus listened for athe surface of the library table Once the screen illuminated, he keyed in a Web address Close-up shots froreater clarity One was of a clipboard

Another, a corner of fabric draped over a chair The third, aMarcus put down his cell phone and turned on the speaker

"Explain, Nathaniel," he ordered, soundingofficer than his friend

"The room is pretty barren--there’s not et a better fix on Matthew’s location These items seemed to have the most potential"

"Can you zoom in on the clipboard?"

On the other side of the world, Nathaniel e

"That’s the kind we used foron the bedrails" Marcus tilted his head

"What do you see?" Nathaniel asked

"It’s an intake forht, weight, blood pressure, pulse" Marcus paused "And he’s indicated the medications Matthew is on"

"Matthew’s not on any medications," I said

"He is now," Marcus said shortly

"But vas if" I trailed off

"If they ingest the hi hiainst the table and swore "And the drugs in question are not exactly palliative for a vampire"

"What is he on?" My mind felt numb, and the only parts of h my body like roots, like branches

"A cocktail of ketamine, opiates, cocne, and psilocybin" Marcus’s tone was flat and iht eyelid twitched

"Psilocybin?" I asked The others I was at least faen derived from mushrooms"

"That co Mattheould be too quick for Benjamin’s purposes," Ysabeau said "What about this fabric?" She pointed to the screen

"I think it’s a blanket It’s mostly out of the picture frame, but I included it anyway," Nathaniel said

"There are no landmarks outside," Baldwin observed "All you can see is snow and trees It could be a thousand places in Central Europe at this ti’s happening," I said, pulling the laptop toward irl into the roo white nightgoith lace at the collar and cuffs The cloth was stained with blood

The girl wore a dazed expression, her thumb in her mouth

"Phoebe, take Diana to the other roo here Mattheon’t feed on her He won’t" I shook my head

"He’s out of his ently "Matthew’s not responsible for his actions"

"My husband will not feed on a child," I said with absolute conviction

Benjairl’s neck The skin was torn, and blood had caked around the wound