“Well said.” Adele remarked.
Gareth slipped an arm around Adele’s waist.
Adele stiffened in alarm. “He’s speaking Arabic. Just as if he was in court in Alexandria.”
The old vampire smiled as he pushed himself out of his chair. “Not so elegant as yours, I fear, but I used to hear it often in the old days. I thought it would make you more comfortable. Come, I’ll show you our memories again.”
He strolled past them, and Adele thought she heard a faint chuckling from the Demon King.
General Anhalt opened his eyes. Something had awakened him. He heard the gentle crackle of the fire. His back was against the warm brick fire pit and he was wrapped in a thick rug. He hadn’t intended to fall asleep; he wanted to be awake when Adele returned. He hated to look unprepared to her. He threw back the rug in a futile pretense that he was simply resting.
Takeda stood a few feet away, holding the general’s glowing Fahrenheit saber. Anhalt’s hand instinctively flashed to his sword, but only found the empty scabbard. He came up on one knee, fumbling with the flap of his holster and drawing his service revolver. The vampire let his gaze drift from the green glow of the sword to the gun. He betrayed no sense of alarm.
Anhalt feared the vampire’s presence meant something ominous. Perhaps Adele and Gareth had been seized, or even killed. And now this creature had come to finish off the foolish visitors. The general tightened his grip on the pistol.
Takeda weaved the saber through the air, watching the emerald haze left behind. “What is this?”
Anhalt aimed at the vampire’s head. At this range, it was a solid bet he could hit the thing, which could well kill Takeda or at least buy time for a second shot. The vampire stared past the muzzle into Anhalt’s eyes.
Takeda said, “I am not here to harm you, or you would be dead.”
“That does make sense.” Anhalt didn’t lower the pistol. “But you took my sword.”
The vampire nodded with eyes closed. “Forgive me. That was improper.” He slowly held the saber to Anhalt with blade down and hilt forward.
Anhalt reached out his left hand and delicately grabbed the sword by the pommel guard, careful not to brush the vampire’s fingers.
Takeda kept his hands away from the katana in his belt. He nodded toward the pistol. “Humans are so distrustful.”
“Attempted genocide has that effect.” Anhalt used the sword to push himself to his feet. The revolver didn’t waiver. “This is a Fahrenheit blade. It will burn even you.” He carefully slid the saber back into the scabbard. With the vampire’s gaze following him, Anhalt leaned over and took the shotgun in one hand. He brought the heavy gun to bear and holstered the pistol. He sat carefully on the edge of the fire pit with the shotgun pointed at Takeda’s chest.
The vampire said, “A larger gun gives you more confidence?”
“I wouldn’t mind a cannon, but this will serve.”
“May I lower my hands now?”
“No.” Anhalt had begun to believe that his earlier fear was misplaced. The general lost his concern for Adele and Gareth but was still worried about the vampire’s visit. “What do you want?”
Takeda bowed slightly, acknowledging Anhalt’s direct question. “I want to know why she is here.”
The general felt the hard steel of the trigger guard and the smooth wood of the grip. He wondered if Takeda was trying to catch the humans in a lie if Adele had already given some story to Yidak. He could have been independently seeking answers to pass on to the old Demon King. Or he could have been trying to protect his leader, who was not always attentive to his own security. Anhalt almost smiled at the last thought. “That’s not for me to say.”
“Only my kind comes here, looking for something or trying to hide from something. But he did not bring her here. This is clearly her mission. That vampire is merely her tool. Why has she come to this place?”
Anhalt stayed silent.
“You are a soldier.” Takeda studied the general, who wore common clothes with a heavy coat and no indication of his service or rank. “How many of my kind have you killed for her?”
“Quite a few. Not enough, however, or the war would be over.”
“So are you losing the war?”
“No. We’re winning.”
“You must have improved yourselves since the first war.”
“We have. Our weapons are better, and our will is stronger.”
Takeda asked, “You are content to exterminate us?”
Anhalt shifted slightly to ease the pain in his leg. Takeda noticed. The general adjusted the shotgun to remind the vampire that the big gun was leveled at his chest. “Tell me, how many of my kind have you killed?”
“None recently.”
“But during the Great Killing?”
“Oh. Many.” Takeda smiled, his teeth showing. “Many.”
“You seem pleased by it.”
“At the time, I had no qualms with it. But you understand that, don’t you?”
Anhalt admitted, “I do.”
“Take solace though, General. I have also killed my own kind.” Takeda looked around the chamber at the meager pile of their possessions. “And what of your . . . man, Gareth? He has the look of one who has spilled human blood.”
“I’m told he has.”
“But you forgive him, and treat him as a comrade. Why?”
The general pursed his lips with a slight smile. There was something he found compelling in this vampire that he didn’t feel for Yidak. Something in his manner that Anhalt recognized. Takeda, no matter what else he may have been, was a soldier. It was a commonality, even if the creature was a potential mortal enemy. For that reason, the general had to guard against saying too much.
Takeda nodded with acceptance of the silence. “What about that woman? How odd that both you and your blood-soaked colleague follow a woman. It wouldn’t be strange for my kind, but I thought humans held females to be weak.”
“Not all humans.” Anhalt grinned now. “Of any of us, that woman is the one you should fear most of all.”
Takeda grew grim. “Then why shouldn’t we kill her now?”
“One, because you probably couldn’t. And two, because she is also the one human who might save you from extinction.” Anhalt exhaled and lowered the shotgun into the crook of his elbow. “All right, put your hands down. You’re making me tired.”
The vampire stood unsure for a moment, then he lowered his arms. “I can still smell your fear, despite your pretense of unconcern.”
“I’m sure you can. I am afraid. You could slay me quite easily.” Anhalt set the shotgun aside. “But this isn’t some sort of pretense. It’s called living with the fear. We’ve changed in that way too. Your kind still terrifies us, but now we fight all the same. I’m having some tea. I assume you wouldn’t care for any.” The general turned his back and shifted pots on the fire. He hoped the vampire didn’t notice the slight tremor in his hands.
Takeda strolled toward the glowing coals. “I would, actually. I will try it.”
Anhalt paused only briefly in his preparations before carrying on. While settling the tea, he saw a face peering between the edge of the yak rug and the door. It was a young face, and the general felt no threat from it. He stared at the blue eyes and they quickly darted away.
The general said, “You may tell your young friend to come in.”
Takeda didn’t turn to look. “Hiro. Stop lurking and step inside.”
The thick rug shifted slightly and a young, male vampire came in on his hands and knees. He looked warily up at Takeda and then down at the floor, refusing to meet Anhalt’s eyes.
“Stand up,” Takeda chided. “Don’t crawl.”
Anhalt bowed to the young male. “Hello. I am Mehmet Anhalt.”
The boy rose slowly, unsure whether to respond.
Takeda said, “Speak.”
The young vampire blurted out, “I am Hiro.”
“Very pleased to meet you.” Anhalt pressed th
e water vessel deeper into the hot coals. “Would you care for tea, Hiro?”
The boy looked confused by the question but stepped forward. “What is it?”
“It is a drink,” Takeda said. “You won’t like it.”
Hiro frowned. “Then why drink it?”
“I like it,” Anhalt told the boy.
Hiro tilted his head. “Then I want to try it. Is it hot? Is it hotter than blood?”
General Anhalt froze briefly, eyeing the young vampire. “I don’t know. But it is hot.”
“Why?”
Takeda grunted with annoyance. “Why must you ask so many questions?” The samurai reached out and cuffed the boy lightly on the back of the head. “You do not need tea. Go.”
Hiro looked disappointed, but he slowly wandered for the door. He gave Anhalt another silent glance of deep interest, then slipped outside.
“We are not spying on you,” Takeda said. “Hiro’s curiosity is abnormally extreme.”
Anhalt smiled at the fact that the vampire felt the need to explain and excuse the lad. “I understand completely. He doesn’t seem too different from young men I know.”
“You have children then?” Takeda asked, trying not to sound too eager.
“No.” The general poured two cups of tea. “Is Hiro your son?”
“No,” Takeda responded. “He is not my blood, but he is mine, for better or worse.”
Anhalt handed the small cup to Takeda who took it with great concentration on exactly where to place his fingers. He was clearly trying to be sure that he didn’t accidently crush it. The general lifted his cup and held it out. The vampire looked at it, unsure what to do. Anhalt tapped his cup against Takeda’s. “Cheers.”
Takeda lifted the cup to his lips. He smelled the liquid and then drank the contents in a single gulp. He stood as if waiting. Finally he lowered the cup.
“Well?” Anhalt asked.
Takeda smacked his lips without conviction. “I’m sure it’s very good.”
The general smirked and sat on the edge of the fire pit. “Your name is Japanese. Is that where you’re from?”
“Originally yes. I was born on the island of Hokkaido.”
“And Hiro as well?”
“No. He is from the great clan lands of Chengdu. To the east.”
“Isn’t Hiro a Japanese name?”
“We take whatever name we wish. Sometimes we take many names. I think Hiro took that name because I am Japanese.”
Anhalt swirled his cup, watching the dark tea leaves swim in the liquid. “How did he come to be here? He seems far younger than anyone else I’ve seen.”
“Hiro came because I brought him after I killed his parents. He had no one else.”
General Anhalt gave the samurai a curious glance. “Does he know that?”
“He does.”
Anhalt grunted with interest, but Takeda didn’t seem disposed to go into greater detail. The general lifted the pot and found the vampire extending his cup. Takeda took the refilled tea and went to the door where it was colder. He settled cross-legged on the floor.
Anhalt watched the samurai shifting his katana to the side. “How did you come to use that blade? I’ve never known a vampire to do such a thing, except for Gareth.”
Takeda ran his fingers over the hilt of the sword. “I killed so many men who used them. Yet they seemed confident in the ability of these things to protect them. They were wrong, of course, but they never stopped believing it. I found it fascinating.”
“Most of your kind would think it’s pathetic.”
“Most of my kind don’t think. At all.”
Anhalt laughed. “We have something in common then.”
The vampire smiled with a conspiratorial nod. He swirled his tea around, similar to the way Anhalt had done. “You have led young men like Hiro into battle? So you have experience making children into adults?”
“I have led many men into battle, some barely children, yes. But I only have detailed experience with a particular young man who has been my charge, off and on, throughout his life.”
“How did you acquire him?”
Anhalt laughed. “I didn’t acquire him. As a soldier, there were two children whose safety has been my duty. A young man named Simon and the woman you see with me here, Adele.”
“Ah. I see.” The vampire nodded thoughtfully. “Duty.”
“Their well-being is not just my duty; it is my honor. What you would do to protect Hiro and to serve Yidak, I would do the same for Adele, and for Simon were he here. You understand that, don’t you?”
Takeda stared at the old soldier for a long time. His blue gaze studied the brown eyes of Anhalt. Then he raised his teacup as if to click it against Anhalt’s.
“Cheers.” Takeda drank.
Anhalt swallowed the last of his tea and set about brewing more.
CHAPTER 26
Caterina prowled the halls of the Tuileries. The sun was warm and it suppressed activity around the palace. Most were asleep, but she was restless. Apparently so was Lothaire because he was not in his usual resting place. Likely he was with the children. So she headed for the nursery, feeling the urgent need to be among her family. Caterina turned the corner into the corridor where she saw Fanon standing in the hall. He had been a long trusted retainer of the clan and the war chief for centuries. He was old now; he had been one of Lothaire’s primary mentors and a ferocious fighter during the Great Killing. Normally his steady presence was comforting, but now Fanon jerked oddly to attention when he saw Caterina. His gaze fell to the floor.
“Fanon, I’m surprised to see you here.” She regarded the old soldier, but he refused to meet her eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing, Majesty.”
Caterina assumed that Fanon was simply uncomfortable or ashamed to have lost his position as war chief after so long, particularly to someone like Honore. It wasn’t unusual for the eldest child to become war chief, but Honore was not qualified, even his mother had to admit that. Then she heard voices. One of them was her oldest daughter, Isolde. The other was not Lothaire.
It was Lady Hallow.
Caterina exchanged a quick accusatory glance with Fanon. He offered a brief embarrassed look. She snarled and broke into a run. She swept through the nursery door, searching the room frantically for any disturbance. In the far corner, near a broken window that overlooked ruined gardens, Isolde and Hallow sat knee to knee in deep conversation. They looked up in surprise at Caterina’s dramatic entrance. Isolde was wide eyed with excitement. Hallow was her usual calm self and raised a warm smile for the queen.
“What’s wrong?” Caterina asked. “Why are you here, Lady Hallow? Is something wrong with Honore?”
“No, Your Majesty.” Hallow’s voice was like a smoothly running stream. “I’m visiting with Princess Isolde. Didn’t Fanon mention I was here? I left him in the corridor.”
“Why are you here? Why are you visiting my daughter?” Caterina felt small hands on her legs. Her youngest peered up, insistent for attention. She lifted the babe into her arms.
Isolde beamed. “I’m going to fight.” The girl was a little younger than Honore, but nearly as tall as her mother already, and dark like the queen.
“Fight whom?” Caterina searched the room, spotting her inseparable twins sitting quietly against the far wall. She turned back toward Isolde, who approached with a manic grin.
“Humans.”
Caterina pushed the baby’s gnashing teeth away, trying to focus on Isolde’s senseless comments. From across the room, her son shouted, “Can I go too?” followed by his sister arguing that she should fight instead because she was more vicious. Isolde yelled at them to be quiet; no one had asked them to fight.
Caterina went to the door, wrestling with her baby. She called for two human servants who cowered nearby. “Feed him!”
The pale couple shuffled forward and took the wriggling child so Caterina could spin back to her squabbling family.
“Quiet!
All of you! No one is fighting the humans.”
“I am!” Isolde barked. “Lady Hallow said.”
“Did she now?” Caterina glared coldly at Hallow. “Well, Lady Hallow doesn’t make all the decisions in this family yet.”
“Honore needs me—”
“Isolde, silence!”
The young female gaped back at Hallow for support against her tyrannical mother. In return, the pale wraith said, “Your Majesty, the Dauphin has requested Princess Isolde begin her war training. There is a raid on Poitiers being planned. Fanon will be beside Her Highness at all times. You trust him, don’t you?”
Caterina felt a coldness in her stomach and struggled to keep her voice calm in front of her children. “She’s too young.”
“I am only doing my duty. I am Prince Honore’s adjutant.”
“And I am the queen.”
“I will remind him.”
Caterina froze in rage at the temerity of her reply.
Isolde whined, “Please, mother! Let me fight! I want to help. I want to be like Honore, not like father.”
“How dare you!” Caterina rounded on Isolde, but she looked into the fiery eyes of a young female vampire rather than her daughter. Rage drained away to be replaced by gloom. A sense of sadness for Lothaire swept over her. His children were everything to him, but they only knew him as the sedate old father content to raise them. They had never seen him as he was.
Isolde retorted, “I am going to fight. Honore needs me and he’s running the clan. If you don’t let your older children fight,” she jabbed a finger at her younger brother and sister, “you’ll watch Equatorians bayonet them in the streets of Paris this summer. Right, Lady Hallow?”
Hallow remained unmoved, watching Caterina with a despicable triumphant expression buried beneath her bland face.
Caterina managed to say in a rough growl, “You may withdraw, Lady Hallow. And you will never set foot in this wing of the palace again without my express permission.”
Hallow gave the queen a curt bow and put a brief hand on Isolde’s arm as she passed. Hallow departed and there was a rustle as Fanon fell in behind her. Isolde followed, but Caterina seized her wrist.
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