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hovered in the doorway of the kitchen before he turned and retreated into the kitchen. The young man that had been fighting with them earlier also disappeared into the kitchen right behind him.
    Jack nodded to William to sit before grabbing the chair he had vacated and sliding into it. His bow and quiver had been shoved under the table with William's, but they appeared otherwise untouched. He found his gaze drawn back to Hannah as Calvin took hold of her hand again and leaned toward her. Her spine was as straight as an arrow, her shoulders remained rigid. She had to keep tugging the collar up of the lightweight, faded green dress that was baggy on her slender frame.
    "What is going on here?" William hissed in his ear.
    Jack shook his head as he glanced around the tavern again. He'd been in hundreds of these kinds of establishments over the years, but he'd never been in one that remained as hushed as this one. He could hear the clatter of pots and dishes in the back, and if it hadn't been for the flute, the only other sound from the patrons would have been the occasional shifting of someone in one of the wobbly chairs. Though Jack got the distinct impression that most of the occupants were fighting the impulse to flee, they all remained seated. His gaze was drawn back to Hannah and Calvin seated just three tables away and talking discreetly amongst themselves.
    An hour slipped by but the easy camaraderie that had filled the tavern, even during the fight, never returned. No one else even entered the building. Only Calvin seemed pleased as he chatted happily and with florid hand gestures that Jack thought were far more exaggerated than they had to be.
    After a few more minutes, Hannah said something and rose to her feet. Calvin stood beside her, took hold of her hand and bent over to place a kiss on the back of it again. She stared at him before nodding and hurrying away to the kitchen. Calvin retrieved his gloves and gestured for his men to follow him out of the building.
    After a few more tense minutes an oppressive weight seemed to lift as shoulders relaxed, cards were dealt and laughter filled the barroom once more. Jack found his eyes repeatedly drawn back to the kitchen area but Hannah didn't reappear as the night wore on. Rubbing at his neck, Jack pushed away his empty tankard and rose to his feet. William had started a game of dice with some of the men within the room but he stopped in mid roll when Jack stood.
    "I'm going to see if I can find us some rooms," Jack informed him.
    "There's some rooms above that Abe will rent to you for the night," one of the men at the table informed him.
    Jack nodded as he made his way through the room toward where he'd seen Hannah disappear earlier. He'd only meant to stay in this town for a few days, but he was beginning to suspect it may end up being even longer. His curiosity had been pricked by the strange effect Calvin had over the men and women gathered within this building. The practice of keeping blood slaves had ended, there was supposed to be equal rights for everyone. He was certain that Calvin had more power here than he was supposed to though, and that he wielded it in ways that Braith, the Council, and the rebels had all fought to end. Many people and vampires had died to make sure vampires like Calvin didn't run things anymore. He wasn't going anywhere until he knew exactly what was going on in this strange little town.
    The frail looking man Jack had seen earlier appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. He took a step back when he spotted Jack right outside the door. "You have rooms for rent?" Jack inquired.
    The bowlegged man nodded enthusiastically. Jack could tell by the lack of a heartbeat that the man wasn't human but his hunched shoulders and graying hair made him appear to be in his sixties. Jack wondered if perhaps he'd managed to survive the change or if he had some defect in his DNA, like Saul, and hadn't stopped aging in his twenties like most vampires did. He