It looked as though the vampire was trying to raise a brow, but instead it twitched before collapsing.

Nelda took a deep breath. “That’s where you come in,” she continued. “I-I have something that could be of… great value to you in your attack against Aviary. Something that could possibly be the difference between winning and losing.”

“What is it?” the vampire asked, taking a step closer.

“A male infant who is capable of being imprinted upon.”

The vampire froze. “Where is this child? How do you know that he could be imprinted upon?”

“He is within Aviary. My husband went to visit an oracle… Hortencia. She gave him advice as to what to do with the child. I returned to see her without him and received answers of my own.”

She paused, eyeing the vampire closely, as if gauging his interest and wanting him to prompt her to continue—which he did.

“Go on.”

“Hortencia saw in the boy a great potential for use by the Elders, and that is why she instructed my husband to keep the boy with us. The baby is currently under Arron’s wing… almost literally. He keeps the baby close to him much of the time, sometimes even during meetings, though the infant occasionally visits the medical building. In either case, I have easy access to him.”

The vampire held up a hand and narrowed his eyes. “Tell me, Nelda. Why should I believe a word you’re saying?”

“I have been truthful about my motives,” Nelda replied. “But you don’t have to believe me, because I am asking for nothing in return. I’m offering you up the baby. Your acceptance of him is the only payment I require.”

The vampire crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell me more about what the oracle said.”

“She sees that this conflict is not one either side can take lightly. She doesn’t see a positive outcome for anyone. However, there is something you can do to gain a significant advantage… Since the baby I speak of is a product of Derek Novak, formerly a vampire, and his immune wife, the possibilities are far, far greater than just an ordinary human. As I said, you can imprint on him—that is, infect him with your nature—and it will lie dormant within the baby. He will appear just like an ordinary human infant, and Arron won’t have a clue what happened.”

“And you would be willing to deliver the child directly to Cruor?” the vampire asked.

“Yes. Directly to your leader. Then after the Elder has done the deed, I would return the baby to his crib in Arron’s quarters, and there he would remain… until the time approached for you to storm the place. Having already infected him, one of you—perhaps even your leader himself—could inhabit him as a vessel, the way you would a fully-turned vampire. Since he is situated within Aviary’s inner city, I’m sure you realize how valuable this could be…”

The vampire’s eyes glinted.

“Very well… Bring the child to us.”

I was panting as I opened my eyes. Aisha, still hovering in the same position, was looking down at me calmly. I shot up from my seat and clutched my head as the final traces of the vision evaporated from my mind.

Despite the revelations I’d just been given, I still felt utterly confused.

“When I was taken to Cruor by that redheaded Hawk, Arron’s wife,” I began, trying to organize my jumbled mind, “in that very first vision that you gave me… that presence that engulfed me, that was one of the Elders’ leaders?”

“That’s right,” Aisha replied. “One of the strongest of their kind.”

“And he imprinted on me… while I was an infant. Which means what exactly?”

“As Nelda mentioned in the vision,” Aisha said patiently. “He infected you with his nature. As you know, Elders are the original vampires. Vampires as most humans think of them—like yourself—are simply mutations of these Elders. Humans who have been infected with their dark nature. Usually, the infection causes them to turn into a bloodsucker. But due to the uniqueness of your DNA, that Elder was able to insert some of himself inside of you without you actually turning. So you appeared to be just like a normal human. As you can understand, this was incredibly valuable—the Elders were able to inhabit you, and use your eyes and ears to understand the workings of Arron’s mind. You were effectively their ally, even as a baby… Of course, then your parents managed to steal you away from Aviary, and so the Elders’ plan to use you as one of their soldiers never came to fruition.”

“Because I was gone before the war actually started,” I muttered.

“Yes.”

“And my symptoms are so extreme because I was directly touched by an Elder?”

Aisha nodded. “And as a child, at that. The Elder’s nature has been ingrained in your system since you were a newborn—from just days after your birth. His nature has become so deep-seated in your veins that when you finally did turn into a vampire and were able to manifest all the symptoms, they have appeared more violently than anyone else you know.”

My head was spinning. I had been infected with this sickness directly by one of the most powerful Elders of all time. It was no wonder I was experiencing such problems. Even my father hadn’t been infected directly by one of those shadowy creatures. It had been Gregor, his own father, who had turned him.

I recalled the last words the Elder had spoken in the first vision I’d had back in The Shade.