Taunt

by Claire Farrell

  Becca held out her arms, as if to embrace him. He knelt down, pulled the bag off his back, and took something out. Becca knelt before him, blocking my view. I couldn’t see what he did to Becca, but I guessed he injected her with a dose of the formula. He stood, grabbed her roughly, and sank his fangs into her neck. Partly to feed, partly to ensure Becca had a dose of his poison in her system.

  I gave a little gasp, but Peter hushed me, fascinated by the proceedings. Becca’s moans filled the night air. They could have been a randy human couple to a casual bystander. The needle, an act of a drug addict. There was a reasonable explanation for everything.

  After a couple of minutes, the vampire let go and pushed Becca away from him, then he walked through the sand as if he knew exactly where he was going. Looking a little disoriented, Becca stumbled after him.

  “What should we do?” I whispered. “If we follow them to Gideon’s, we’ve as good as lost them.”

  “We confront them then. Try and persuade Becca to rat on the others. If we hold that vamp, it’ll open up some questions about how he got here and why. The Council doesn’t allow foreign vampires to travel to Ireland freely, not without a pass. Come on,” he said, his heart racing noisily.

  I followed him warily. Catching a vampire was a lot harder than killing one, but we’d done it before. This time Becca was the unknown; we didn’t know what a fresh dose of formula would do for her.

  As we closed in on the pair, a blinding light shone on us.

  “Halt,” demanded a voice. A group of Guardians surrounded us.

  “Not now,” I muttered.

  “It’s time for you to prepare for your trial,” one of them said, looking rather happy about it. I looked around in a panic; Becca and the vampire were getting away. I couldn’t leave it now, not after everything.

  “Esther!” Peter called out. Esther ran, pushing between the Guardians to get to us.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, pity etched on her face. “Gabe called you in early.”

  “Never mind that,” I said. “Becca got the delivery.”

  A Guardian snapped a tag on my wrist and began to lead me away. Peter held Esther’s arm and tried to speak to her in urgent tones, but I was pushed into a Guardian jeep and driven away immediately.

  Disappointment sank into my stomach like a dead weight. I had been so close, yet I was still on my way to the trial and totally unprepared. I hadn’t expected them to come for me so soon, and now I wouldn’t even find out if they confronted Becca.

  Dejected, I sank into the backseat and avoided the eyes of the Guardians. The long journey back to the Council’s court was over within seconds, or so it seemed. I was thrown into the same room as before and told to wait. There was nothing else I could do.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I changed as the Guardians watched, not leering this time, just seeming impatient.

  “Let’s go,” one said, as soon as I was ready. Again, I had to wear the same plain dress, my hair loose and my feet bare. Yet they let me keep the cross around my neck. It physically hurt when they took my clothes, thus carrying the dagger away with them.

  Trembling with nerves, I shuffled after the Guardians, the anticipation chilling me beyond measure. I had no plan, no way out. All I could do was stay strong and hope for the best, the best being a miracle.

  This time, the marquee-type structure was much bigger. Lots of people gathered outside. Many looked human, but others could have stepped out of the book on hell spawn. They all watched me with interest, some of them with cool hatred in their eyes. They leaned forward, waiting to see a spectacle, a dead woman walking.

  Eddie was already waiting for me when the Guardians forced me toward the ring of scorched earth. He made a frustrated noise and ran his fingers through my hair.

  “Jesus, Eddie,” I snapped, pulling away from him.

  He held his hands out in front of me, placating me. “Please. It’s wild you look. We need you innocent, helpless. Are you still wearing the cross?”

  I instinctively threw my hand up to my chest. I nodded, staying silent as the reality set in.

  “Let them see it. Let them see you aren’t so dark that the light burns you, Ava.”

  I had no idea what he was talking about. He was jumpier than usual and muttering half to himself, but I let the cross dangle in clear sight. I looked around, seeing no one I recognised. The flames lit, trapping me.

  After a few minutes, Aiden, giving me a brief, curt nod, led the rest of the consultants in. That set up a loud rumbling in the crowd, and I looked around in a panic, wondering what was happening. They were merely discussing things amongst themselves, but it felt like they were accusing me of something.

  The Council members themselves entered the room slowly, speaking to a number of people on the way in. Gabe avoided my eyes, and I knew I was doomed. I hadn’t even gotten proof of the formula; there was nothing left for me to do but face my punishment.

  Gideon once again made a grand entrance, followed by some of his coven. He was so smug, it would almost have been worth it to step up and smack him one. Daimhín followed a few minutes later, with some of her coven members gathering around her. She had been ordered to attend, or so Eddie informed me. The child vampire stared at me with dark, blank eyes. Her empty expression told me nothing.

  “Poor kid,” I muttered. Maybe she already knew the outcome.

  Eddie shushed me as Fionnuala stood to speak. “As usual, there will be no violence in this court. Speak in turn, or speak not at all.”

  The way she said it made me think there was real meaning behind the words. A putrid scent filled the air, but then it suddenly changed to a fresher smell, like daisies and grass.

  “We will begin,” she said and sat on the ground. The room stilled, everyone quieting so they could hear each word. Many of them plonked themselves on the ground randomly, and I spotted Carl with my grandmother clinging to his arm.

  Gideon rose from his seat. “Our first charge is the death of our coven leader, Maximus.”

  Eddie leapt to his feet. “Ordered by Daimhín who had seniority over Maximus.”

  “Truth?” asked Erossi, sounding bored.

  Daimhín looked long and hard at me then nodded. “Truth.”

  “First charge dropped,” Koda announced. “Daimhín and her coven must reduce their blood quota for a month and face the wrath of their seniors.”

  Daimhín bowed her head, but she didn’t look too worried. I wondered who her seniors were and what they could do to her. Lowering the blood quota would only affect the youngest vampires, I realised, feeling furious at the idea.

  Gideon stood once again. “Our second charge is the same as the first. She may have been requested, but she had no right to act on behalf of a vampire against another vampire.”

  “Poor judgement,” Koda conceded. He looked at me. “Your reason?”

  Gideon laughed. “Surely no reason exists that would clear her?”

  “We’ll be the judge of that.” Fionnuala narrowed her eyes at Gideon, staring him down.

  Eddie stood to speak, but Koda waved him away. “I’d like to hear from the accused.”

  I looked at Eddie, who nodded. I took a deep breath, trying to think straight. “Maximus wanted to use me to take down Daimhín,” I began, purposely avoiding how he planned on doing that.

  “Lies.” Gideon sounded sure of himself. I had to ignore that.

  “Daimhín wanted to kill me. I was just trying to help Carl,” I pointed at him. “I didn’t want to get involved in any of this mess. But Maximus kidnapped my grandmother, so I had to go to him and trade places with her.” I exhaled loudly, remembering. “Maximus and his coven tortured me until Daimhín arrived and offered me a job. If I accepted, then I would go free. When I healed, his death was my first job. I’m glad he’s gone because he was a monster.”

  The Council muttered together, as did the rest of the room.

  “Can the humans approach?” Koda asked.

  Carl led my g
randmother to the front of the room.

  “What say you?” Fionnuala sounded stern.

  They exchanged glances, and my grandmother spoke first. “It’s true, all true. They would have murdered us. Ava saved me.”

  “And me,” Carl added.

  “That particular vampire was well within his quota limits. Besides, didn’t the accused enslave you?” Gideon asked Carl, refusing to meet his eyes, as if he wasn’t good enough to converse with properly.

  “Yes, but she saved me first!” Carl insisted, almost shouting.

  “She saved you in order to make you her slave? Interesting. And isn’t it true that even this old woman, this grandmother, isn’t it true that she herself raised this half-breed as a demon? That she was afraid of… it? Maybe now she’s still scared, scared of telling the truth.,” Gideon said, his face as smug as ever.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Nancy snapped, her cheeks burning red with anger. “I’m not scared of my granddaughter. Of vampires like you, maybe!”

  “Oh, really? May we introduce a witness?” he requested, looking up at Fionnuala and smiling sweetly.

  Koda shook his head, but Fionnuala said yes. I glanced at Eddie in confusion, unsure of what was going on. The door burst open, and two vampires walked in. They held an old woman by the arms. Her eyes were wide with fright, and in an instant I knew her. Helena, the one person my grandmother had told about me. The woman who had told us part of the reason I should be kept a secret—because no vampire had managed to turn a human in over a century.

  My heart sank as I realised Gideon’s game. My grandmother must have had the same realisation because she made a gasping sound. How had he found her?

  “Tell them what you told us,” Gideon said, pushing Helena forward.

  She kept her eyes low. “The old woman was terrified of her granddaughter. She wanted me to cleanse her of the evil demon inside her. I could not.”

  She lifted her eyes and looked straight at me. “That’s all I know.”

  I gave her a small smile letting her know it was okay. She hadn’t told them anything else. Koda looked at Fionnuala expectantly. She nodded. “Truth.”

  “I’ll say I’m guilty to that charge, if the Council guarantees Helena goes free and unharmed. The vampires can’t touch her again,” I said loudly, my voice steady.

  Helena thanked me with her eyes, but my grandmother seethed with anger. I shrugged, not knowing what else to do.

  “Agreed,” Fionnuala said, and nodded at the Guardians.

  They started to lead Helena back outside. “I could not cleanse the demon because there was none!” she shouted over her shoulder.

  “Next charge,” Fionnuala demanded briskly as though Helena had not spoken. Two Guardians led my grandmother and Carl away from the Council.

  “We accuse this creature of instigating a civil war between vampires,” Gideon said, lazier than before, as if he had already won.

  “Counter?” Koda said.

  “I don’t know anything about vampire politics,” I said before Eddie could speak. “I’ve been avoiding the supernatural world my whole life.”

  “Still, she had to know what her actions would achieve,” Gideon said.

  Erossi shook his head. “She’s not clever enough for that. This charge shall be forgotten.”

  “Fine.” Gideon ground his teeth. “Murder again, for the lone vampire she attacked. In front of humans, no less.”

  “Explain,” Fionnuala demanded.

  “They kept following me around, trying to scare me. Even had humans stalking me. One told me Gideon was coming for me. One attacked me, sort of, kept trying to antagonise me or something. After we fought, somebody shot me. Obviously another vampire.”

  “Lies,” Gideon hissed.

  “Oh, shut up,” I said. “We all know this is part of your big, stupid plan. Give it a rest already. I know Spanish vampires are turning humans, I know you’re buying the formula, and I know you’re testing it on humans, too. So, stop with the holier-than-thou attitude, alright?”

  “Proof?” Fionnuala said, but the colour drained from her cheeks.

  I shrugged. “Nothing that your Guardians don’t already know.”

  “This is ridiculous,” Erossi said. “We don’t have time for this nonsense. Either Gideon proves the half-breed acted with intent, or the half-breed proves Gideon is playing a bigger game. No more accusations that cannot be backed up.” His voice rose until the hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

  Eddie held up his hand. “I should point out that she requested assistance and official protection from Daimhín. Yet none was received, obviously.”

  Koda made a noise and addressed Daimhín, “You did not come to us regarding the girl. Why not?”

  Daimhín glared at him, her rage barely contained. “It must have slipped my mind. I hardly expected such a fuss to be made over her actions.”

  “This child is new to our world and has probably made some bad choices, but most of them were accidental,” Eddie said, sending a pointed look in Daimhín’s direction. “There are others with more cunning who have used her to meet their own ends.”

  “That’s amusing coming from you, Brogan,” Erossi sneered, his haughty face looking prim.

  The anger rolled off Eddie in hot waves. I feared he would ruin both our chances of survival. Before he could react, the murmuring rose to excited chatter. Peter stalked in, pulling Becca along beside him. Esther and an astonishingly beautiful brunette followed him.

  “What is this?” Erossi snapped.

  Esther ran ahead of Peter. I risked a glance at Gideon and covered my smile at his agitation. He jumped up with one final accusation before Esther could speak. “Our last accusation is that the half-breed is a danger to our world. A danger to all of us. She is a daywalker, an unnatural being who upsets the balance. This must be dealt with!” he shouted, the words spilling out so fast that they joined together.

  Eddie groaned and whispered, “Now it is spoken, it can’t be undone. Even if Peter proves something against him, it’s too late; they’ll have to judge you on your heritage.”

  My heart beat louder as the room buzzed with the new turn that had been taken. Some of the observers cried out for judgement. Danger sparked in the air; one wrong move could lead to disaster.

  Esther had to shout to be heard. “Council members! After a tip-off—”

  “What tip-off?” Gideon sounded scornful, but there was fear in his eyes.

  Esther stared him down like he was dirt under her shoe. “The humans you surround yourself with have been happy to fill in the blanks, vampire.” She turned back to the Council. “After a tip-off, one of my circle, Illeana, discovered that Gideon and his coven have been sending large transactions of money to the Spanish vampires.”

  “How large?” Koda enquired.

  “Numbers ranging in the millions of euros,” Esther replied.

  Daimhin jumped to her feet, surprise obvious on her face. “That is clearly against the strictest of rules.” She pointed at Gideon. “This will be dealt with by our own.” Her words carried weight; Gideon bowed his head and trembled under her gaze.

  “This involves us, too,” Esther insisted. “It’s an external matter now.”

  “Carry on, Esther,” Fionnuala said, massaging her temples.

  “Peter Brannigan and I apprehended the delivery of a new formula. A foreign vampire gained illegal entry into this country and passed it on to one of Gideon’s volunteers. This formula is said to aid the transformation of humans into vampires. The Spanish have allegedly already succeeded.”

  “This is not good,” Koda said.

  “Proof, Koda,” Fionnuala chided.

  “Here’s your proof,” Peter said, pushing Becca forward. She was deteriorating rapidly. Her skin was pale and clammy, her heart barely beating. Her eyes had turned scarlet, and she appeared dazed. She’d had her dose of the formula, for all the good it would do her.

  “What is this?” Erossi wrinkled his nose in disgust.
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  “Absolute proof. This used to be the pet of Maximus. He began injecting that formula into her on a regular basis. When he died, Gideon took over, increasing the injections. She drinks blood and is… well, she isn’t doing well. Look at her. She’s agreed to tell us everything she knows about Gideon’s reprehensible actions. A Spanish vampire is currently being contained in the cells, ready for questioning. He delivered the formula and entered the country without a pass. With this woman’s testimony, I believe we have a solid case against Gideon and his contacts in Spain.”

  I almost did a little dance. Peter and Esther had sorted out Becca in my absence. Arresting the vampire was a bonus.

  Fionnuala gestured for the formula to be handed to her. She turned it over in her hands, but her interest didn’t spark until Becca was led to the Council. They observed her with worried glances and a rapid exchange of whispered words. They took a few moments to ask Becca questions, but the rest of us weren’t permitted to hear. The secrecy puzzled me.

  Daimhín spoke once more. “This is a complete violation of our rules. Gideon must be punished.”

  The questioning finished, and Fionnuala nodded her agreement. “This human has confirmed what has been said. Gideon must be tried. His coven cannot retaliate. This half-breed is free of all but the last charge. Daimhín, do you claim her as one of your own?”

  She frowned, but nodded. “She is my employee, therefore I take responsibility. If she survives.”

  “Then she should be paid a wage,” Peter demanded, giving me a sneaky wink.

  “Indeed,” Koda said, barely suppressing a smile. “All employees must be paid.”

  Daimhín gave a curt nod and sat back down, looking entirely unimpressed. Nothing had gone the way she had planned, and now she was stuck with me. However, I knew that if I made it out of the Council’s clutches, hers would be almost as bad.

  “Take this human to the cells. She needs to be examined further,” Fionnuala ordered. Two male Guardians led Becca away but, as she passed me, I felt something shift. My skin crawled as I listened to her heartbeat. Thud . . . thud . . . nothing. Yet she still walked.