Crown of Smoke and Blood

by Sadie Jacks

  Magda nodded. “Tavis mentioned that he spoke to you in very surface terms about what I wanted to speak to you about.”

  I nodded. Looked at Koehn.

  He nodded back, and we both looked at Magda again. “And what is that, precisely?” he asked.

  Magda took a drink of water. “I don’t want to say there’s a prophecy…”

  I snorted. “But there’s a prophecy. And I’ll say the same thing to you that I said to Tavis. If there is a prophecy about the Vast, then I would have heard it. I’ve been searching for ways to free us for over a hundred years.”

  Georgie and Cat both choked at the same time. Great hacking coughs that made me fear for their lungs and throat linings. Tears streaked down their cheeks when they failed to get control.

  Tavis went over and patted them on the backs. He almost shoved them into the middle counter, his help was so heavy. “You’ll get used to it if you hang around very long.”

  Once they dried their eyes and got their expressions back under control, they nodded. “Sorry, that came out of nowhere,” Cat said. “But please, go on. I’m positively riveted.”

  Georgie nodded. “I have so many questions for you, my lady.”

  My nose wrinkled. “Okay, now that we’re not at the mansion, just call me Vari. Please. I’m not a queen, a mistress, or anything else deserving of titles or honorifics. Just Vari.” I tipped my head to the side. “Or V if Vari is a mouthful for you.”

  Koehn laughed. “Good luck getting any of the family to call you that, but I’ll enjoy watching you try.”

  “If we could get back on track, please?” Magda said. She shook her head, a slight smile on her face. “A pair more prone to getting off track, I’ve never met.” She slashed her hand through the air when I opened my mouth. “Not happening. Back on track.”

  I sat back, shoved some more chicken in my mouth. Pouted.

  Koehn wagged his eyebrows at me.

  “The prophecy is not about the Vast, my child. It is about you.” Magda waited for a beat. “Specifically, you.”

  The chicken almost fell out of my gaping mouth. I caught it at the last moment. Gave it a couple more chews and swallowed it. Shaking my head, I said, “No. There’s no way. I’m no one important. Literally. Just one of many.”

  Ambrose cleared his throat. “Not so. By your own statement, you said you were the first successful experiment of the Vast. Out of almost four hundred trials in your test group alone, you were the only one to show promise. What is that if not important?”

  I fought not to look towards Georgie and Cat as they gaped some more. If their minds were blown by so little, then gifting them with some power and abilities was going to incapacitate them. I’d have to go slowly. Very slowly.

  Everyone was staring at me. The way they looked at me made me feel as if I were still that scientific experiment. Like I was nothing more than an interesting specimen on a glass slide for someone to poke and prod.

  Incoherent fury rushed through me. Impotent rage ate at me from the inside. I’d left all of that behind. The feelings of being examined but never seen. Like my value was only in what I could bring to an outcome, but never me as a person.

  Easy, V. They’re not hurting you. They’re surprised. Stunned. You’ve grown up with this. They haven’t, Beastie said through my head.

  I tried to listen. Tried to make his words matter. But with everything that had happened over the last few hours—shite, days—I was on my last thread.

  “Stop looking at me like that.” The words were out before my brain could filter them. Even I heard the threat of violence in my tone. The edge of something not quite human threading my voice.

  A cool breeze rushed through the space. Cooling not only my flushed skin, but the feverish rage that took big bites out of me from the inside. I looked around, saw Magda’s eyes had gone white.

  I blew out a breath. Shook out my arms. “Do not pity me. Do not look at me like I’m some kind of bug on a board held there with pins in my wings. I’m Vari. I’m annoying, highly skilled, a fantastic killer, a sporadic rage monster, and a lover of chocolate just like always.”

  Koehn snorted. “I’ve seen all of those. Definitely Vari. But if you have wings, we’re going to be having a discussion.” He smiled at me. “And if I ever meet your father, I’ll be sure to hold him still for you to beat into a meaty pulp. I’ll help you string up his intestines like party streamers. Use his hollowed out skull for disco lighting. I’ve got you, Queen Vari. And I’m not letting go.”

  “I did not mean to reduce you to so little, Mistress Vari. But I think you do not fully see your specialness,” Ambrose said. “Nor do I think we have seen the extent of your abilities. But by your very nature, you are important and special. That there is a prophecy about you seems quite small in the grand scheme of things, I should think.”

  See? That’s what I said, Beastie replied.

  “That’s not at all what you just said, you freak. Shut up so I can listen.” I rolled my eyes at him. Even though he couldn’t see it.

  Thefreaksaidwhat? The words were garbled and incoherent.

  “What?”

  Exactly. And stop talking to me with your outside voice. I heard the smile in his tone.

  Looking around the room, my stomach fell. Damn it. Heat filled my cheeks. “Yeah. Sorry. That wasn’t directed at any of you.”

  Only Magda looked at me like I hadn’t lost my damn mind. I focused on her. “You were saying something about a prophecy that concerns me?”

  “Oh, no. You can’t slide away from it this time. I have witnesses, by gods,” Koehn slapped his hand down on the table. “Who the feck do you talk to that only you can hear?”

  I gritted my teeth. The girls would find out soon enough. I guess it was only right that the vampires learn the truth as well.

  Licking my lips, I fought the inherent dread that rose up the back of my throat and curdled my belly at the thought of giving anyone knowledge about me. But I’d already told the vampires some of my enhancements. They’d certainly seen some of my creatures.

  Blowing out a breath, I directed my attention to Georgie and Cat. They were the only ones who didn’t know something about what was going on right now. “I carry the essence of four different races inside me. I’m also the unhappy and unwilling host to five different creatures. One of these creatures is someone I call Beastie.” I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  Koehn was staring at me, a light of anticipation in his eyes. “You can talk to one of them while you’re awake?”

  I nodded. “He doesn’t fit in the cage I keep everyone else in while I’m conscious. So the arsehole just sits around riding co-pilot.”

  “And he can see and hear everything that goes on?” Magda asked, excitement in her tone.

  I nodded again. “He’s pretty harmless. Unless he…or I…gets really mad.” My smile was a little evil. “Bit of a baby, if I’m being honest. Very douchey and unpleasant, really.”

  That’s rude, the douchey, unpleasant baby himself said.

  I snorted. “Doesn’t change the facts.” I felt him push at the inside of my hand. When that didn’t work, he tried for my vocal cords. By the time he was done trying to find an escape route, I was laughing. “You’ve been trying that for how long and you never find a weak barrier. Just learn to live with the fact that I’m better and stronger than you.”

  Koehn made a noise in his throat.

  I looked up, cheeks red again. Damn it.

  Beastie laughed like a loon deep inside me.

  “I’m guessing he had some interesting things to say about your choice of description?” Koehn asked.

  I nodded.

  A low buzzing went off.

  Koehn jolted back and reached a hand under the middle countertop. When he pulled his hand back up, he held a black rectangle. Put it up to his ear. “Koehn.”

  “Some of the family are trying to leave for dinner. What do you want us to do?” Gideon’s voice came through the black thing.
<
br />   I looked at Tavis, questions written clearly on my face.

  He smiled, walked over. “A phone. Kinda like telepathy on the outside.”

  I nodded. “So Gideon is still at the mansion?”

  Tavis shrugged. “No idea of his location. Most people carry phones on their person all the time.”

  Everyone around the table, minus Georgie and Cat, lifted their own rectangles. Wiggled them in the air.

  “I’ve more than one, honestly,” Hector added. “One for work. One for play.” He pumped his eyebrows up and down theatrically.

  “Vari!” Koehn said.

  I looked at him. Saw the expectation on his face. “What? I’m sorry.”

  “Can we speak to Mistress Anouk? If we can get Michael’s accomplice, we can put that to bed and focus more fully on your war.”

  Cat leaned forward. “I vote for that.”

  Georgie nodded.

  Shite. I stood up from the table and waved everyone to follow me into the sitting room off the back of the kitchen. “I don’t want to get…stuff on the food. I’m going to need to eat again when I’m back.”

  “Where are ye going?” Cat asked.

  I shook my head as everyone came in and took a seat around the room. “I’ll still be here. Just not here, here. You’ll see for yourself in a minute. Just remember, she won’t hurt you.”

  I lowered my head, forestalling any additional questions. Most of them would be answered by allowing them to see the shift.

  Settling my breathing and finding that long hallway inside myself, I walked down its length. Stopped at Anouk’s door. “They have some names for you.”

  She came to the door, a pretty smile on her face. I knew that what others saw in the human world wasn’t what she really looked like. She was quite lovely, in all honesty. Long, flowing black hair that always seemed caught in an invisible wind. Fully black eyes and creamy white skin. The only color on her face was from her lips. They were a deep, ruby crimson that looked wet all the time.

  “You look better, Vari.”

  I nodded. “I got to eat.” I patted my metaphysical belly. “I’m a bit stuffed, actually.”

  “Good. Make sure you take care of all of us. Not just you.”

  I rolled my eyes at her bitchy answer. “Just go. They’re waiting.” I lifted my hand to the door. Started the opening sequence.

  When the door finally swung open, I stopped her. “There are two women with them. Don’t scare them. I’m going to bring them into the fold, so to speak.”

  Her eyes widened, her jet black brows winging up. “You’re going to share?”

  I nodded.

  A glaring pout overtook her features. “With two humans? Do you know how foolish that is? How stupid?”

  I pushed her on her way. “I’m in charge of this freak show, Anouk. I’ll keep them safe.”

  She snorted as she walked away from me down that long hallway. “I’ll make sure you do. We don’t need one of King Atavian’s offspring bringing more pain and suffering into the world, now do we?”

  Her words were a spike through my heart. Was I doing what my father had done just to get more people for my army? Was I worried only about myself and winning that I would purposely inflict harm and hurting on innocents?

  I sat down to wait for Anouk. Prayed to any god listening that I wasn’t a monster like my father.

  Please don’t let me be a monster like him.

  Chapter 38 – Koehn

  Mistress Anouk stood before us in all her boney, ghostly glory. This time I was sure I would recognize her power signature in the future. Also, her cashmere and vanilla scent was a bit stronger. But I was chalking that up to the smaller room.

  “Vari tells me you have names for me,” she said. Her hands were folded at her waist, her gaunt features tipped up in…excitement? Maybe? I wasn’t very good at reading skeletal facial expressions.

  “Yes. Agnes Richards and Bethany Carstairs,” I said.

  Georgie and Cat were sitting on the couch, huddled together. Their mouths open and their hearts pounding so loudly it more closely resembled an EDM concert in here.

  Mistress Anouk dipped her chin once. Then she arched her neck back and raised her face to the ceiling. Lifting her arms out to her sides, I felt her call on her power.

  Just like before, when Vari had allowed her to come to the fore the first time, it felt like the magic that made me a vampire was trying to go to Anouk. Like it was trying to leave my body and leave me an unanimated corpse.

  Mistress Anouk lowered her head slightly. Looked at me, Hector, and Ambrose in turn. We all took full heaving breaths once she looked at us. “You are safe from me, as promised.”

  I nodded, braced myself on the balls of my feet. Just in case something else came with the power she called. I wasn’t going to be caught flat-footed.

  “Agnes Richards and Bethany Carstairs, I summon you,” Mistress Anouk said.

  It took a minute, but two ghostly forms appeared in front of her. Agnes Richards looked to have been in her eighties when Michael killed her. Not quite stooped, but not in the blossom of youth either. She held her head tall as she looked up at the grim reaper before her. “Yes, Mistress Anouk?”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m here. Whaddaya want?” Bethany Carstairs probably hadn’t seen her twenty-first birthday when she died. Her hair was up in a messy knot that was a favored style of women today. Her clothes—what there were of them—barely covered the essentials.

  Nothing like the house robe that Agnes wore. Agnes’ shoulders bristled at the younger woman, but she didn’t give her the evil eye or a finger shaking. I was a little surprised at the older woman’s restraint.

  “You have been summoned to speak the names of your killers,” Mistress Anouk said. “These men have vowed to avenge you.” She lifted her hand towards us.

  I stepped forward, the literal king of this shitshow. “I’m Koehn. King of the Vampires for Ireland. If you could give me the names, I will make sure no other harm comes to innocent women such as yourselves. You have my deepest apologies that you were harmed in my territory.”

  Bethany rolled her eyes. “Right. You’re a bloodsucker, just like they were. What do you care?”

  “Give him the names, Bethany Carstairs. He has apologized for sins not his own. His heart is pure. Give him the names or be on your way,” Mistress Anouk said.

  Agnes stepped forward. “Ye’re a good lad. Once I give ye the names, if ye could tell my daughter that I loved her with all of my being, I would be so appreciative.”

  I nodded. “You have my vow.”

  Agnes smiled and looked around the room. Her eyes widened when she saw Georgie and Cat. “Ye’re alive. Thank the stars and the saints. I’ve been watching over ye. Praying that someone would find ye.” She turned back to me. “I heard four names while in captivity. Michael, Bennington, Samuel, and Hector.”

  My heart stopped. We only had first names in our world. No names were repeated. No names were duplicated.

  Turning to my old friend, I felt anger rush up through me.

  Agnes spoke again. “But I believe the last name was someone Bennington was terrified of. He kept mentioning his entrails becoming his extrails and that Hector would dance in his blood like it was 1999.”

  Hector’s whole body sagged in relief. “Oh sweet saints, my lady. You almost got me killed.” He stepped forward. Reached out a hand. “And for what was done to you, I will make his entrails become extrails and I will dance in his blood. But more 1719 than 1999. These children don’t know how to party like barbarians.”

  Agnes tittered like a schoolgirl as she lifted her hand to Hector’s. Hers passed right through his form, but they both smiled.

  “My daughter’s name is Beatrice.” Agnes blew me a kiss. “If all vampires acted with honor such as ye, there wouldn’t have been so many deaths.”

  My mouth fell open. “Please correct me if I’m wrong, dear lady. Are you saying that once you died, you remained to watch over those who came
after you?”

  Agnes nodded. “Aye. The world lost thirteen women by my count. There was another group of women before the ones in this room were saved.”

  Georgie clutched her knees before she shoved her fist into her mouth. She moaned. “So many?”

  Agnes moved to the fallen woman. Put a ghostly hand on her blonde curls. “That I knew of, anyway.” She smiled. “I knew ye would make it.” She looked at Cat. “Both of ye would. Fighters, ye are. Strong and courageous.”

  Bethany pouted. “I heard the same names, too, you know. But also another one that she didn’t say: Mateo.” She shoved her chin in the air like she was somehow special for contributing to the conversation. I was this close to beating her silly for her petulance, but reined myself back in. This wasn’t about me.

  I looked at Bethany. “Were you taken at the same time as Agnes?”

  Bethany jutted her chin forward as if I’d called her integrity into question. “Yeah. What of it?” She slammed her fists on her hips. Then she glared at me as if I were at fault.

  “Can you confirm the same number of lost innocents?”

  Bethany barked a sharp laugh. “I wasn’t going to stick around and watch that horror show. All the women in our group died. I was the last.”

  “How many would that be, good lady?” Hector asked softly.

  “Eight,” Bethany snarled. “Eight of us, including Mrs. Marple there, were beaten, raped, abused, battered, and eventually killed.”

  Horror and rage ate through me at her words. “And Michael, Bennington, Samuel, and Mateo were your perpetrators?” I pushed the words through the constriction in my throat.

  Bethany nodded. “Not that you’re actually going to do anything about it.” She stomped around in a circle, glared up at Mistress Anouk. “There. Can I go now?”

  Mistress Anouk waved a hand, and Bethany vanished. She shook her head once the last of Bethany’s essence had evaporated. “Youth today.” Mistress Anouk shuddered.

  Agnes gave a soft chuckle. “That one was angry the whole time. I think she just needed some love. Probably never got it as a child, so she took to demanding it as an adult. Not the best of looks for a young woman. But she’s a good lass.” She turned to Mistress Anouk. Dipped her chin. “My lady, if that is all, I’ll claim my eternal rest now that these monsters have been caught.”