A man sat in one of the wingback chairs, his knee casually draped over his other leg. He was wearing a designer suit—I couldn’t tell what label, but there was no mistaking the quality of the material. He was sturdy, though not husky in any sense of the word. Athletic would be more appropriate. And his coppery-colored hair was shoulder length, pulled back in a neat ponytail. With a chiseled jaw and eyes that were almost turquoise, he was a striking man. The two guards moved to flank his sides as he motioned for us to sit on the sofa.
“Lord Herne, you honor me with your visit. I am Dormant Reins, regent of the Vampire Nation, the Pacific Northwest Division.” He glanced at Yutani, nodded, then his eyes slid over me and passed on without acknowledgment. Part of me bristled, but given the immense sense of power behind the stare, I was almost grateful to be ignored.
“May I introduce my fiancée, who is also an agent with the Wild Hunt, Ember Kearney.” Herne seemed determined that Dormant give me some sign of recognition.
Dormant shifted just slightly enough to signal to me that he really didn’t want to respond, but he inclined his head. “Ms. Kearney.”
I wasn’t sure what to say, so I stuck with the familiar, “How do you do?”
Herne slid in immediately, saving me from trying to make small talk with the vamp. “And this is Yutani, another one of my agents.”
“Yutani, welcome to my world.” Dormant motioned to one of his guards. “Drinks.” He turned to us. “What will you have? My bar is stocked with just about anything you could hope to order.”
Herne answered for all of us. “Café mochas would be good. We’re on duty, so we’ll forgo the alcohol.”
Dormant snapped his fingers and the guard immediately disappeared through the door. My guess was he was headed across the corridor to the club that Eldris was waiting in.
“So, what might I do for you?”
Herne cleared his throat. “I assume you are the local liaison with the United Coalition?”
Dormant shook his head. “My right-hand man is. Elliot Cordova. Why do you ask?”
“Did he fill you in on the situation with Typhon?” Herne went straight to the point, which made me breathe easier. I really didn’t feel like hanging around here any longer than we had to.
“Yes, I know about the Father of Dragons.” Dormant’s eyes narrowed. “What of him?”
“We are trying to create a united militia. The dead are rising, and not in the way of your people. I know this might be a delicate subject, but—” Herne paused as the guard returned, carrying a tray with three to-go iced mochas, and one glass that looked like it might be bourbon or scotch. He held the tray out to me first and I took one of the mochas, murmuring a thank-you. Herne and Yutani followed suit, and then Dormant accepted the glass.
He raised his glass. “Here’s to dispensing with pleasantries. Be blunt, Lord of the Hunt. It’s better to state the facts than tiptoe around them and risk miscommunication.”
Herne saluted him with the glass. “Thank you. All right, someone has been raising the dead in the form of vrykos, and we also know that there have been incidents with skeletal walkers, ghouls, and an inordinate amount of ghost sightings. I don’t know if we’ve seen zombies yet, but they’re sure to come. Typhon is waiting in the astral, sending in his emissaries. Did you hear about the incidents with Pandora?”
Dormant sipped his drink, then contemplated his glass for a moment before speaking. “Yes, actually. I have my finger on the pulse of most of what goes on in this city. I heard about that, I heard about the serial killings, and of course, the incidents of the other day were broadcast far and wide. I saw your press conference with the mayor. What do you want from the Vampire Nation?”
“We’ve made arrangements with the Fae Courts and the Shifter Alliance to outfit militias to help tackle the problem with the undead. Humans can’t handle them—not without weapons. And bombs and hand grenades aren’t the answer for crowded city streets.” Herne shrugged. “So we come to you, seeking a similar agreement. We realize that vampires cannot come out during the day, but we’re wondering if you can create patrols to walk the city at night, to help keep the rising dead at bay. And if we need reinforcements at night, to help back us up in case of a fight. The police were forced to stand back and let us take care of things since they weren’t prepared.”
Dormant took another sip of his drink. “So you want a vampire militia? Who would have authority to call them out?”
“The Wild Hunt, or if something should happen to us, then Mayor Neskan. But most often, it would be me. This would cover the entire greater Seattle metropolitan area.” Herne paused, then added, “You said to speak bluntly. This would go a long way toward cementing relations between the city and the Vampire Nation. And I know there are several vampire rights issues that are floating around the political arena. This might be a good boost toward passing them.”
The regent smiled, looking even more fierce than when he was stone-faced. The tips of his fangs appeared at the corners of his mouth, but instead of feeling pulled toward him, I felt terrified. Vampire glamour could be used in a multitude of fashions, and he obviously wasn’t trying to charm us.
“You make an excellent point. Very well, I’ll give the orders and contact you when we’re ready.” He straightened up, uncrossing his legs. Motioning to his guard, he set the glass on the tray and stood. “If that’s everything?”
Herne looked as surprised as I felt. We had discussed the possibility of rejection, or of the regent stalling us, but we had never expected an immediate agreement.
“You’re agreeing?” Herne blurted out.
“Of course. It makes sense and, as you say, it would show…that we’re good neighbors. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll begin work on this tonight and contact you within a couple of days. Expect a call from me by Thursday.” He turned to the guard who was still holding the tray. “Fetch Eldris and see them safely out.” And with that, he followed the other guard out of the room.
“Wait here,” the guard said, carrying the tray with him as he headed to the door. As soon as he was gone, I turned to Herne.
“Can you believe that went so smoothly? Do you think it was too easy?”
Herne shook his head. “He might be many things, but from what I understand, once he makes up his mind, that’s the end of a subject. We’ll have the vampire militia working with us, and I suspect it will be far sooner than we expect. Now, quiet until we leave the Catacombs.”
The guard returned at that moment, Eldris behind him. Eldris motioned for us to follow him and we retraced our steps. Within ten minutes, he had led us back to the elevator leading to the exit through the art studio.
He turned to us before we stepped into the elevator. “You must have impressed the regent. The guard told me that Fire & Fang is receiving a bonus from the VN, which means things went well and I’m getting a commission out of it.”
I glanced at Herne, who shrugged. Turning to Eldris, I said, “We came to a mutual agreement, yes. Thank you for playing intermediary.”
Eldris smiled then, once again the glamour hitting me full force. “You’re welcome, Ember. Any time. And whenever you feel the need for a jaunt on the wild side, you know where to find my club.” Before Herne could warn him off, the golden-haired vamp turned and vanished into the crowded corridor. We silently rode the elevator up to the main level of the Viaduct Market and, given it was barely eleven, managed to leave the way we had come, through the art studio.
When we were on the streets, I took a deep breath, holding the fresh air in my lungs. Regardless of what anybody said, vampires made me nervous, and I suspected one day, we might regret letting them into the United Coalition. But for now, they were acting as allies, and we needed all the help we could get.
The next morning, I headed out back while Angel was fixing breakfast. We had both gotten up early. I slept like the dead, which surprised me after the meeting with Dormant, and woke up with my side aching far less than it had. Angel changed my bandage
for me, and the wounds were starting to heal quickly, though I was still a mass of bruises.
I was wearing a loose shift again, to avoid pinching the stitches with a waistband, and a pair of flat sandals as I walked out to our side yard to check the kitchen garden. The tomatoes were ripe and hanging on the vines, the lettuce was growing like weeds—everything was flourishing. The mums were starting to flower, though the roses were almost done for the season.
I made my way over to one of the benches and sat down, breathing in the early morning air. A light breeze fluttered past, tossing my hair in its wake. I closed my eyes and tilted my head up. The sun had already risen, but it had yet to heat up the day. Light clouds drifted through the sky, a blur reminding me of a wide jet trail. But there was something beneath the August morning—something that I usually didn’t feel until later in the month. There was the slightest tang in the air, a faint prescience of autumn, still distant, but it was a hop and a skip beyond the horizon, warning me that it was on its way.
A crow landed on the bench beside me and I reached up to touch my crow necklace Morgana had given me. It signified our bond, and I wore it like an amulet. The crow let out a caw, then hopped closer, staring up at me.
“What is it? Do you have something you want to say to me?” I very slowly held out my hand. The crow regarded it for a moment, then hopped on. I held my breath, waiting, but it seemed comfortable. After a moment, I raised my hand, trying to hold it steady, and the crow remained perched on my palm. As I brought it to eye level, it met my gaze and then opened its beak and let out one raspy caw and flew away. I watched it go, wondering what that had been all about, as the crow circled me three times and then flew over to perch in the oak.
“Breakfast!” Angel called from the sliding glass door.
I gave the crow one last look, then headed back to the house.
First Avenue was humming when I pulled into the parking garage. Angel had left a few minutes before me so she could stop and pick up a package that the Parcel Service Unlimited—PSU—had inexplicably refused to deliver. As I made my way to the office, all around me were buskers and jugglers, streeps playing guitar and street artists. It was then I realized that it was Urban Street Fair week, and all over the city, artists of all sorts were hustling their services and wares.
I stopped to listen to a girl who couldn’t be more than fifteen as she sang a traditional Celtic ballad, and her voice was scintillating. Pulling out my wallet, I tossed a fiver in her guitar case and smiled, waving as I moved on. She waved back, and I wondered who she was and where she lived. I didn’t recognize her, but the streeps came and went, a continual flow of all ages.
Some slept in the alleyways, some in flophouses run by slumlords who turned over the beds on a shift-by-shift basis. Others chose to live in the tent cities that lined parts of the freeways. The city was beautiful—but Seattle was like a jewel surrounded by a tarnished setting, the grace and elegance of the port city glossing over the underside where the poor had no place to live, and even grandmothers were turned into beggars, asking for handouts because there weren’t enough jobs or affordable housing. But a fraction of the streeps were actually happy in their life style, and they tended to gather in the downtown area, forming a culture of their own.
I passed through the throng on the street, carefully dashing up the steps to the door of our building. As I pushed through into the hallway, the noise miraculously vanished. The building had been soundproofed long ago. The landlord might not be fully on top of things, but he had built an accessible ramp up to the building, and the elevator seldom broke down anymore.
As I stepped into the waiting room, I saw Talia behind Angel’s desk. She gave me a cheery wave. “Did you see the crowd out there? It’s like a party.”
“It is, in a way. Remember? Urban Street Fair Days? That’s this week.” I glanced around. “Angel still not here? We took separate cars.”
“Nope, she hasn’t come in yet. Herne’s been here and left again. Yutani and Viktor are waiting in the break room. Rafé called, he’ll be in when he can. Herne sent him on a post office run and there’s a huge wait because there was a bomb scare and the police are just now clearing the area.”
“Bomb scare?” I froze. We had been through far too many bomb scares with the Tuathan Brotherhood.
Talia picked up on my thoughts and shook her head. “Random psycho, false alarm. They caught the guy and they’re just checking to make sure that there really isn’t any bomb. But since he’s down there with all the packages, Rafé didn’t want to come all the way back, just to have to go again later.” Talia glanced at the calendar. “Remember, Herne has to meet with the mayor this morning, so you and Yutani are supposed to do intake for the Jessaphy case.”
I nodded. “She’s coming in at ten, right?”
“Right. So it’s up to you to run the staff meeting as well.” Talia paused as the elevator opened and Angel appeared. “Here she is. Why don’t you head to the break room and I’ll lock up and we’ll meet you there.”
“Sounds good,” I said. Slinging my purse over my shoulder, I headed toward the break room.
“Let’s see.” I looked over the notes Herne had left for me, scanning the checklist. “Henny Jessaphy will be here at ten. Yutani, you and I will field that one. How are the research efforts on locating Echidna? Anything new?”
Talia glanced at her tablet. “We’ve uncovered a few things. Legends have it that she vanished shortly after Typhon was put into stasis and the dragons driven into the Forgotten Kingdom. She was last to go—she was actually working with Gaia at that point to corral Typhon, a little-known fact—and it’s unclear where she went. There’s no record of her being consigned to the Forgotten Kingdom like her children.”
“Hmm…all this took place near Greece, right? Because…well…Olympus and the Greeks and all that?” I asked.
Talia snorted. “And the Greeks…and all that. Right. Remember, that’s where I hearken from, missy.” But she was laughing as she scolded me. “Honestly, nobody’s quite sure where the actual battle against Typhon occurred. It might have been Greece, it might have been somewhere else in Europe…who the hell knows at this point.”
“Gaia…wouldn’t Gaia have information on all this? Why can’t the gods just go ask her?” As far as I was aware, Gaia was still aware and active.
Talia shook her head. “No, they can’t. For one thing, the Titans…well…they aren’t like the other gods. They were primal forces, embodied into form. Gaia is literally the soul of the planet, and when she takes form, it’s for appearances only. She doesn’t act or think like the rest of the gods at this point. Same with the other Titans. Every one of them is a primal force, and every one of them is so far away from humanity—or the gods they engendered—that you can’t predict how they’ll act when approached.”
“Which means, we can’t have Herne just ask her to meet with the gods and grill her on what she remembers from that time period.” I sighed. “Is there any way of contacting her? I suppose that’s a question for Herne to look into.”
“Yeah, because none of us is going to be the best choice for that investigation.” Talia shrugged. “We think Echidna left Earth after Typhon went down, and after her children were banished.”
“But you’re not sure?”
Talia shook her head. “No, we’re not.”
“Maybe she went into hiding?” I frowned. “Think about it—she helped trap her husband. She helped drive her children out. Maybe she decided that the day might come when she would be needed again.”
“You mean she might be hiding out in some ancient cave? Or someplace like that?” Yutani scratched his chin. “I suppose she might be. We can run a search on any mentions of dragons over the past few hundred years…see what we come up with. A number of dragon sightings will just be hallucinations or maybe large birds or something like that, but it can’t hurt to look.”
“I’ll get on that as soon as the meeting is over, while you and Yutani talk to the new ca
se.” Talia jotted down a few notes.
I looked at Herne’s list again. “All right, let’s see. Oh!” I jerked my head up. “Angel, this is for you. It seems Herne has located where DeWayne is and he’s going to pay a call on him today on his way back from the mayor’s house.”
Angel giggled. “Hopefully, that will be the end of DeWayne bothering DJ and me.”
“I hope so,” I said, glancing back at the list. “Other than that, Herne says he’ll be back around lunchtime and he’s bringing lunch today, so don’t order anything.” I leaned back. “So, Yutani and I went with Herne to see the vampire regent last night. Surprisingly, Dormant Reins jumped on board immediately with the idea of a militia. So we’re waiting for a call from him—he said he’d call on Thursday.”
“How were the Catacombs?” Talia asked.
“Spooky, as usual. Dormant is an efficient man…vamp…I’ll say that much for him.” I glanced at the clock. It was eight-thirty. “Yutani, meet me in Herne’s office a few minutes before ten. Until then, back to work, everybody.” And with that, I ended the meeting and headed back to my office to face the never-ending pile of paperwork that just seemed to grow and grow.
Chapter Eighteen
It felt odd, sitting in Herne’s chair, behind his desk, though I rather liked it. There was definitely a “seat of power” placement to the desk and the chair. Yutani pulled one of the wing chairs over beside the desk and took my usual spot, taking notes while I talked to Henny Jessaphy.
As Henny entered the room, escorted by Angel, I sized her up. She was strong, short, solidly muscled, and by the scent that filled the room, I realized she was a very nervous skunk shifter. She blushed, groaning as she sat down.
Autumn's Bane: A Wild Hunt Novel, Book 13 Page 18