by Nathan Spain
At Draven’s side, Damian rose to his feet in anger. “And what good is preserving it if it means becoming as monstrous as the humans perceive us to be? If it means validating their fear and hatred by committing brutal and merciless acts? I’m shocked to hear you calling for such violence, Lord Thanatos, for you normally give the impression of a civilized man.”
Thanatos’ nostrils flared, but he kept his voice level. “I have presented my case. It is up to my fellow rulers to either embrace or reject it. But I urge you to consider that my vision is one that will benefit all our clans, one where all vampire-kind may finally be united, like you claim to desire.”
“I’m sorry, Thanatos,” Selene said, “but I cannot back such a cause. Your ideas are too cruel for me to endorse. You must find some other way forward if you want the support of Clan Wineblood.”
“Screw these weaklings, Thanatos,” Brone said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “You know you can still count on my support.”
Thanatos locked eyes with Brone for a moment, before giving him a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. Then he addressed the room and said, “Very well. I’ll admit I’m disappointed. I had hoped to see stronger leadership on display tonight. But you all have spoken, and I must respect your verdicts, however misguided they may be. I yield the floor.”
He sat back down, and for a moment an uncomfortable silence permeated the air, before Selene’s voice finally broke it.
“All right,” she said, “we’ve heard two very different ideas presented, and neither has received unanimous support. It seems we must explore other options. But I think we’ve heard enough for one night. The dawn approaches, so I propose we take the day to reflect on what we’ve discussed. Tomorrow we shall reconvene and continue this discussion in more detail. That will be all for now.”
With much clamor of moving chairs and murmuring voices, the crowd began to disperse. But before Draven, Ariadne and Damian could go far, Selene strode over to them, looking grim, and surreptitiously whispered, “We need to discuss our strategy for tomorrow’s debate. For now, get some rest, but don’t sleep too long – I want all three of you to meet me in my quarters shortly before sundown.”
They nodded in confirmation, and she quickly moved away. Across the room, Draven could see Thanatos and Brone sharing a similar huddled conversation.
“Well, that could have gone better,” Damian sighed.
“It could have,” Draven agreed, watching the lords across the hall as they rejoined their delegations. “But it’s not over yet.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The evening sun descended toward the horizon as Draven, Damian and Ariadne knocked on Selene’s door. Inside, Lady Rosanna leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. She gave a little nod of acknowledgement as they entered.
Draven, taken aback, bowed and said, “Lady Stormfang. We weren’t expecting you to be here.”
“I invited Rosanna to join us because I believe she shares our concerns,” Selene explained. “As the only two clans not trying to incite a war, it falls on us to diffuse the situation.”
Ariadne raised a hand to speak. “It seemed pretty well diffused to me when you both rejected their plan. They’ll never succeed in subjugating humanity if half the country’s vampires are refusing to help them.”
Rosanna shook her head. “Thanatos and Brone aren’t gonna just give up. I know a zealot when I see one, and you saw how passionate Thanatos was back there.”
“She’s right,” said Selene. “There’s nothing stopping Thanatos and Brone from taking their delegations and flying away if their minds are already made up, and then the summit will have been a failure. If we want to keep the negotiations alive, we need to give them something they’ll actually consider.”
“Damn it,” Damian swore, and they all glanced at him in concern. He raised his gaze to meet theirs and sighed. “I knew it would be challenging to get everyone on board with a unified plan. I knew Thanatos and Brone would be difficult to negotiate with, and that this whole idea was a long shot, but I believed in it. And look at how quickly it’s falling to pieces. Did you hear the cheering when Thanatos suggested enslaving humankind? Was I wrong to think that we can be better than that?”
“Don’t let them get to you, Dad,” Ariadne said. “You were amazing up there. You stood up to Thanatos and called him out on his hateful bullshit.”
Damian smiled weakly. “I was only following your lead on that last part. You and Draven challenged him first. And I thought you might bite Brone’s head off for a moment there.”
Ariadne gave a fanged grin. “I still might.”
Rosanna laughed. “If I hadn’t been there as a diplomat representing my clan, I would have kicked his ass myself. Brone and Thanatos best hope they don’t end up alone in a room with either of us.”
“I might remind you two of this summit’s policy against acts of aggression,” Selene said, but the edge of her mouth curled into a smile.
Draven couldn’t find it in him to enjoy the moment of levity. His mind buzzed with concern. “What would you call Thanatos and Brone, then, if not aggressive?” he cut in. “I think we underestimated them, Selene. I assumed they wanted to expand their territory and were going to demand concessions from you for their cooperation. But it was never just about a couple of states for them, was it? They’re playing a much bigger game. I knew they were plotting something together, but I wasn’t expecting something so brazen.”
“Nor was I,” Selene said with a frown. “I should have anticipated such ambition from Thanatos – it’s always been a trait he admired. But I thought he was a pragmatic, reasonable man.” She breathed out a long, sad exhalation. “I don’t know how he can look at the current state of the world and think that more conflict, more bloodshed and more cruelty are the answer.”
Ariadne folded her arms. “He’s clearly lost his mind.”
“No,” Rosanna interjected. “He’s quite sane, I’m afraid.” At the incredulous look on Ariadne’s face, she added quickly, “I didn’t say I think he’s right. But it would be a mistake to think of him as an irrational madman. He’s obviously put a lot of thought into this. He’s not crazy, he’s just basing his whole worldview on the premise that vampires are superior to humans.”
“And you don’t agree?” Draven asked, curious.
“Maybe we’re better in some ways – we live much longer, we’re stronger and harder to kill, we have powers they don’t. But they’re the template we’re built from. We wouldn’t exist without them. And I think Thanatos forgets, with his flawed evolution metaphors, that we share the Earth with them. Maybe humans and vampires aren’t the most compatible of neighbors, but that doesn’t mean we should meet them with violence. Which one of us is the superior race is beside the point. We have no inherent right to rule the world.”
Damian nodded in approval. “Well said.”
“The question remains, though,” Draven said. “What can we do to prevent Brone and Thanatos from starting their war?”
Selene clasped her hands behind her back, her spine straightening. “If they decide to proceed with their plan in their own territories, then not much. We don’t have the authority to intervene with the affairs of other clans, even if their actions put all of us at risk. To do so would be considered an act of open hostility. We’d just be starting a war in the name of preventing one.”
“I think Thanatos knows he can’t succeed on his own,” said Draven. “Even with Brone’s help, he doesn’t have the numbers. That’s why he appealed to the two of you. Most likely that’s why he came in the first place. He won’t be able to just conquer humanity in part of the country and leave the rest alone. If he’s going to do this, he’ll have to be prepared to take it all the way.”
“Exactly. We appear to be at an impasse, unless we can get them to agree upon some manner of compromise.”
As Selene spoke, the words Draven had overheard between Brone and Thanatos swam up to the forefront of his mind. But we aren’t compromisers, are
we, Thanatos? When we see a stake in the future up for grabs, we take it.
Damian was saying something, but Draven was no longer listening. His ears had caught a faint, unexpected sound from somewhere else in the building: raised voices. He strained to hear it, a sudden unease squeezing his chest.
“Shut up, all of you,” he said in a low, urgent voice. The others broke off and stared at him in confusion as he stood, still as a statue, with his finger on his lips. “Do you hear that?” he whispered.
They stiffened as the growing commotion drew nearer: heavy footsteps in the hallways, the sound of doors being kicked open, startled shouts and cries that abruptly cut off.
Ariadne stepped in front of her father, and Rosanna set her feet and clenched her fists. Draven exchanged an urgent glance with Selene; for a single, endless moment, all he could think was how strange it was to glimpse fear on her face.
Then the door burst open.
Into the room strode Lord Thanatos and Lord Brone, flanked by half a dozen Nightcloak and Blackwing men, all of them armed with swords and combat knives.
“Ah, here you all are,” said Thanatos in a satisfied tone. He had ditched his formal cloak for a more practical vest and dark shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and he held a long and vicious-looking sword. “Having a little summit of your own, are you?”
Outside in the hallway, the shouts and cries grew louder.
“Thanatos,” Selene barked. “What is the meaning of this?”
“I gave you a chance, Selene. It didn’t have to be this way.”
Draven eyed the blades in the vampires’ hands. They hadn’t had swords before, and they couldn’t have pulled them out of thin air.
“Those weapons aren’t allowed here,” he probed.
Brone chuckled. “That’s the problem with you Winebloods. Y’all are far too trusting. Weapons aren’t hard to conceal under traveling cloaks, and you never even screened people at the door.”
Understanding came in a cold rush, making the hairs on Draven’s arms stand up. “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”
“Only if Rosanna and Selene didn’t see reason,” Thanatos explained. “I told you I want the support of your clans, and I shall have it. If you won’t give it willingly, then you leave me no choice but to force your hands.”
Rosanna jerked her head toward the door. “What’s happening out there?”
“Your people are being…pacified,” Thanatos told her. “And the Winebloods, too. Control is being taken away from you. I regret that it has come to this, but I cannot allow anyone to stand in the way of our future.”
Screams sounded from outside, accompanied by the hideous, unmistakable sound of metal slicing through flesh. Draven clenched his fists until his fingernails bit into his palms. He wanted to do something, to spring into action, but there were too many men and too many swords between them and the door.
“It sounds like a damn slaughter,” Ariadne shouted.
Thanatos regarded her coolly. “Some of your people may find this turn of events hard to accept. Casualties, I’m afraid, are unavoidable.”
“You bastard,” Selene said, her voice tinged with indignant rage. “You’re not going to get away with this. This is an act of war!”
Thanatos turned his gaze to her, shaking his head. “No, Selene, not a war. War implies a prolonged conflict, which I hope to avoid. This is just a coup.”
“Call it what you want,” Selene spat. “You’ll still have blood on your hands.”
“Believe me, it’s not my preference to kill my own kind. I take no pleasure in it.”
“I’m taking a little pleasure in it,” Brone said with a nauseating grin. He approached Ariadne, licking his lips. Immediately, both Damian and Draven stepped forward, but they were shoved back by two burly Blackwings holding machetes.
Brone stepped closer to Ariadne. “Come on, lil’ firebrand. Where are your haughty words now? Not so high and mighty anymore, are you, sweetheart?”
Ariadne stood frozen, her face screwed up in disgust, as Brone leaned in close and whispered, “When this is over, I’m going to teach you how sweet little things like you ought to behave.”
“How many times do I have to tell you,” Ariadne said through clenched teeth, slowly drawing out every word. “I’m…not…sweet.”
Her hand flew at him so fast that Draven barely saw it move, but her aim was true and her nails sharp as they slashed across Brone’s left eye.
Brone staggered back, howling and clutching his face. “You bitch,” he screamed, his voice cracking with rage and pain. “Kill her! Kill all of them!”
The Blackwing men stepped forward, weapons drawn, but before they could act, Thanatos shouted, “No! Stand down.”
The Nightcloaks in the room stepped forward as well, and for a moment, everyone stood frozen in hesitation.
“Enough of this,” Thanatos growled. “You brought that upon yourself, Brone. I need them alive.”
“But not the people out there who your men are butchering?” snarled Rosanna.
“The power to prevent further death lies with you and Selene now,” Thanatos said. “Come with us, all of you. The sooner you surrender, the sooner we can put an end to this violence.”
Flanked on either side by Nightcloaks and Blackwings, they were escorted out of the room. Brone clutched his face and muttered a string of expletives under his breath. In the hallway, they joined other Winebloods being forced from their rooms and shepherded toward the stairs.
As they passed open doors, Draven saw mutilated corpses, their heads severed from their bodies. Having recently drunk their fill from the Wineblood bottles, that blood now pooled on the carpets and bed sheets. He struggled to suppress the hot surge of anger rising inside him.
Their captors marched them down the stairs, through the main entrance hall and outside. The shadows had lengthened as the sun sunk below the horizon. A crowd of tense Stormfangs huddled in the driveway, encircled by armed Blackwings.
A Nightcloak soldier took Lady Rosanna by the arm and hauled her over to her people. She yanked free of his grasp and stood protectively in front of her clan’s delegation.
The Winebloods were pushed into a group across from the Stormfangs, similarly surrounded by armed guards. Draven understood now why the Blackwings’ delegation had been so large; even if the other clans’ ranks had not been thinned in the slaughter, they would have been outnumbered.
Ariadne and Damian exchanged worried looks. Draven stood close to them and squeezed Ariadne’s hand.
Thanatos stood alongside Brone at the top of the stairs and faced the two crowds on the pavement below. “Winebloods, Stormfangs, we have come to a turning point for your clans. We are not enemies – indeed, we have a common enemy, and his name is man. There is only one way to secure our future, and it is the way of conquest. Will you join us, or will you stand in the way of our liberation?” He paused as he turned a contemptuous gaze to Rosanna and Selene. “Your leaders have failed you. They have decided to lead you down a doomed path and withhold from you the glorious destiny that you have a right to be part of. But I do not wish us to be at each other’s throats, and so I shall give them one more chance to change their minds. Let us all hope that they make the right choice.”
Two Blackwings pulled Selene and Rosanna from their clan members and shoved them toward the foot of the stairs to stand before the lords. The guards stood behind them, firm hands on their shoulders, knives drawn.
“Well, Lady Wineblood, Lady Stormfang?” asked Thanatos, looking down at them. “Will you join me, so together our four noble clans can fight as one for the freedom of our race?”
“And what happens if we refuse?” Rosanna asked defiantly.
“If you fight this, it will happen anyway. We have yourselves and your delegations as hostages. Nightcloak and Blackwing forces will be sent to your courts with our demands. Given the choice between helping to conquer the humans for the benefit of us all or sacrificing their leaders and waging a costly
war with their own kind, I do not think your clans will be eager to choose the latter option. Your territories are on opposite ends of the country, geographically cut off from each other’s support, and each will face the combined strength of two larger clans. Resistance would not end well for them. But I don’t wish to see such a chain of events play out. Surrender to me now and pledge your loyalty to my cause, and much violence can be avoided.”
Rosanna and Selene looked at each other, a moment of eye contact that contained an entire conversation, from question to answer to resolve.
“I’m sorry, Thanatos,” Selene said. “If you must wage war, wage it yourself. I will not sacrifice my clan’s ideals in service to your misguided crusade.”
Thanatos frowned. “So be it. And you, Rosanna?”
Rosanna glanced at Selene one more time and nodded, before looking Thanatos firmly in the eye. “Yeah. What she said.”
Draven saw Rosanna’s body tense. He was sure that Thanatos must have seen it as well, but it was too late to react. Rosanna moved faster than anyone could have anticipated, a smooth blur of sudden motion. By her side, Selene twisted her body in sync with her.
Before anyone could move to stop them, Selene and Rosanna had wrenched free from the guards’ grasp, torn their knives from their hands, slipped behind them, and pressed the blades against the two Blackwing men’s throats.
The Blackwings and Nightcloaks flanking Thanatos and Brone drew their weapons and assumed combat stances, as did the guards surrounding the two groups of prisoners. Everyone’s attention was directed toward Selene and Rosanna, but for a long, tense moment, no one moved.