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Templars were killed off, so were the Sunwalkers. Not a single one has been seen in over 700 years.” He shut the book with a thump, sending up another dust cloud.
    I sneezed again. “But I thought some of the Knights survived the Purge?” They certainly never mentioned Sunwalkers when they were talking about the Knights Templar in history class.
    He shrugged and wrapped the book back up in its silk covering. “That’s the rumor, but no one really knows. It was such a long time ago. Records have been lost, truths have been covered up.” He frowned as he stuffed the book back under the counter. “I would have thought, though, that this book would tell the truth. It usually does.” His face brightened. “Then again, it has a mind of its own, most days.”
    Riiiiight. “Sure. But theoretically, if some of the Knights Templar survived, a Sunwalker could have survived, too, right?”
    He gave me a rather shrewd look. “Theoretically, yes. If any Knights truly survived, it’s entirely possible a Sunwalker could have survived as well, though one would have thought that there would be rumors of such a thing.”
    “You don’t think he would have gone underground for 700 years?”
    He laughed. “I wouldn’t have thought so.” He grew thoughtful. “Then again, the bloodlust could have been disguised as a vampire attack, if Sunwalkers have such a thing as bloodlust. And if he’d been careful not to turn anyone, then it would be less noticeable. No one’s exactly sure how the Sunwalker ability was passed, or if it could be passed. Some think they were an entirely different species from vampire, though the book says otherwise.”
    I sighed. “Right, so how do I find this guy, if he exists? Look up Sunwalkers in the Yellow Pages? Take out an ad in the Oregonian , better yet, the Willamette Week? ” I named the two biggest newspapers in Portland.
    He threw his head back and laughter spilled in waves. There was almost a magic to it. Certainly nicer on the ears that whatever he was playing on the stereo. “Now that would be interesting, but no, I don’t think it works that way.”
    “What then?”
    He stroked his lower lip. “Well, you obviously won’t be able to count on the usual vampire haunts, seeing as how, if he exists, he can walk around in daylight.” This guy really knew how to state the obvious. “Your idea might not be that bad after all.”
    “What, taking out an ad?”
    He chuckled. “Maybe not that exactly, but something similar. Imagine you are an ancient, mythical creature that’s been able to hide out for centuries without detection. Then some nosy person comes along and starts blabbing all over about looking for you. You might get a little nervous that her investigation would be heard about in certain circles, putting your very existence in jeopardy. What would you do about it?”
    “Shut her up.”
    He grinned. “Exactly.”
    Great. I was about to go out and seriously piss off a centuries old Sunwalker. Yay, me.
     

Chapter Four
     
     
    My first stop that night was Inigo’s. It’s a good idea to take back up along when going to piss off ancient, mythical creatures. Plus he was always good for a laugh. Not to mention great eye candy, which was not something I would ever admit to anyone, even under pain of death.
    “Where to?” Inigo asked as we headed to my car.
    I sighed. “Not sure. Basically, I need to blab to the mythical underworld that I’m looking for a Sunwalker. I’m not exactly sure where to start. I mean, I’m usually going to kill somebody in the mythical underworld, not have a chat over coffee.”
    Both eyebrows hit his hairline. “Excuse me? Are you trying to piss this guy off?”
    “Yep. Pretty much.” I wasn’t totally thrilled with the idea of turning myself into bait, but it was the best plan I had at the moment.
    He rolled his eyes. “Great. Just great. You must be positively suicidal.”
    “Cordelia’s contact — really interesting guy, by the way —