by E. M. Knight
But there’s nothing there. Nothing has changed about it. I was half-expecting to see a magical glow, or some sign of the activation of the Forces.
“Victoria, do you know what happened?” I demand.
The vampire shakes her head. From the sides, the other two girls are staring at us in confusion.
“Sylvia, there’s nothing there,” I say, my words coming in a low hiss. I bring my hands under her shoulders and haul her up. “What’s wrong with you?”
Smithson, from his spot behind us, barks a laugh. “I know what’s wrong with her. And she won’t tell you.”
I growl at him. “Then you will,” I say, making sure there can be no doubt about the threat behind the “suggestion.”
“She’s bound by the tenets that were imprinted on her when she was branded,” Smithson says. “The Crusaders utilize a sort of magic for that. She cannot reveal their secrets. Not because she doesn’t want to. Although given the circumstances, I can’t say I’d blame her for that.”
I shake my head. “What does this have to do with the Crusaders?”
“If Sylvia believes it does, that’s enough. The brands are enough to hold her tongue. No amount of your influence will break that.”
I look at the woman. “Is he right?” I ask.
She swallows… and bobs her head up and down in the affirmative.
“So we’re here just looking around, something triggered it, and you cannot say what?” I scoff. “A grand misadventure if I ever heard of one.”
“James,” Victoria says softly. “Look at her. I think she’s actually scared.”
“What does she have to be scared of?” I demand haughtily. “She’s a vampire, not some little girl! Her old fears should hold no sway over her any longer.”
“Have you forgotten how long it’s been since she was made?” Victoria fires back. “It takes a fledgling years to become used to her powers. More! And that’s for the ones who wanted it, not the ones like her, who detest everything to do with our kind.”
“You’re standing up for Sylvia now?” I ask, incredulously. “After the spat you two had just minutes ago?”
“We’re all in this together, James. It’s your leadership,” she flicks the word with certain scorn, “—that I have to be wary of. Not little problems with her.”
“Careful,” I warn, my tone low and dangerous. “I’ve let you get away with too much already. It—”
Suddenly the ground above us trembles.
I cut off and swear. “What was that?”
“Maybe you should pay more attention to your surroundings,” April quips. The girl seems to have taken Victoria’s side against me. “And trusted Sylvia. Then you’d know.”
My eyes zero in on her. “Respect,” I growl.
She drops her gaze.
The shaking has stopped. But that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear.
“Victoria?” I say. “Did you feel anything?”
“The same thing that keeps the currents locked up inside prevents me from knowing what’s going on outside,” she says. “But the trembling wasn’t caused by anything internal.”
I mutter another oath. Whatever I’d expected to find here—it wasn’t this.
My attention shifts to Sylvia. “And you?” I ask. “Do you know anything?”
Mutely, she shakes her head. She still has that whole deer-in-headlights look about her.
“Then we’re done,” I announce. “I’ve seen all that I need. If Cierra isn’t coming back, and there isn’t anything left for us to find—”
Again I’m cut off by another rumble. This one makes the ground roll as if on a wave.
Alarm flares inside me. I am not at all comfortable with the position we’re in.
The shaking stops. “We go,” I say. “Now.”
My vampires make no move to disagree. I lead them out, and they all follow.
I plan on returning by myself, at a later time, and properly examining that which requires my attention.
But the moment we emerge from out of the stump, we’re greeted by a nasty surprise.
A ring of ten vampires circles us. They’re dressed in rags but emanate considerable strength.
“Hello.” Their leader steps forth and looks me dead in the eyes. “Cousin.”
Chapter Thirty
Raul
The Haven’s stronghold
I hurry through the twisted passages of the stronghold, searching for Eleira.
I’m about to turn a corner when a vampire’s presence flares into being in a room adjacent to me.
I stop short. There was nobody there a moment ago.
I’ve been a member of The Haven long enough to recognize each of the Elite’s own individual presence. So this new vampire, I recognize immediately. And before I can make a conscious decision, my claws are out, my fangs bared, and I’m barreling into the room in which he appeared.
The heavy door slams against the wall with enough force to make the place shake.
Carter.
Before he can get a sense of his bearings I crash into him, tackling him to the ground. The portal from the Paths shrinks until it is no more than a small dot.
My hands are on Carter’s throat and my claws are perilously close to drawing blood. “Give me one reason why I should let you live,” I hiss.
Whatever surprise he affected when he arrived evaporates immediately. “Get off me,” he growls. “Even you’re not so debased as to take justice into your own hands.”
He shifts his free arm, and for a half second I think he’s reaching for a hidden weapon.
But then he simply pulls out an ornate necklace.
“What’s that?” I snarl.
“Proof of my innocence,” he says. “Now get off me. This is disgraceful.”
I consider him for a good, long moment. Then, with a muttered oath, I push off from his body.
I make a point, however, of not helping him up.
He stands and dusts himself off. Then, with surprising indifference, he looks around.
“I won’t blame you for the way you reacted to my arrival,” he says with a sleazy type of grin. “I imagine you suspect me guilty of some heinous crimes.”
“You led the faction of the Elite that were against Morgan when I was gone,” I say. “You collaborated with Deanna to kidnap the Queen.”
“No,” he says squarely. “I realized what Deanna was doing and went after her to rescue the Queen. I wanted to bring our monarch back. And as for the faction…?” He shrugs. “Some vampires were unhappy with the rule. We did not do anything against The Haven law. And anyway, I’ve since had a change of heart. We need to be united in the face of our threats. Not bickering like little children.”
“An eloquent speech,” I say dryly. “Not one word of which is true.”
“Heh.” He chuckles. “You really think so poorly of me?”
“You’ve never given reason for me to change my opinion.”
“Maybe not,” he considers. “But this necklace should help in that regard.”
“What is it?” I ask. I stand with my arms crossed between him and the door.
He’s not getting past me until I get the answers I seek.
“It belonged to Deanna,” he says. “Who I destroyed for her attempted treason. And I must say, I’m sorry for your loss. Phillip wasn’t my favorite, but he had certain admirable qualities. His death will be a burden borne by all.
“Phillip is not dead,” I tell Carter with contempt. There wasn’t a shred of sincerity behind any of his words. “He survived. He still lives. He and I, with others, followed you into the Paths. We know what happened there.”
Carter’s eyebrows go up in surprise. For once, the reaction is genuine. “I’m glad to hear our Captain Commander is so resilient,” he mutters.
“If you were truly well-meaning,” I say, “you would have alerted the guards to what was done. Not gone after Deanna yourself. Your lies are nothing more than a spittle of crockery.”
“Time
was short,” he says easily. “When I discovered the Queen missing and Deanna gone, too, I had a very narrow window in which I could duck after her into the Paths. I have no magical ability, as you no doubt know. The portal was closing. I had to make a choice.”
“You made the wrong one,” I sneer. “You think that little necklace will exonerate you?” I scoff. “Think again. The only reason I didn’t rip your throat out was my respect for Haven law.”
He offers a thin smile. “For that,” he says. “I am extremely grateful. But no matter your biases toward me, I am completely innocent of any wrong doing.”
“The Court will decide that,” I say. “As will the Queen.”
“So you got Morgan back, did you?” he asks. “That’s quite good. It means our equilibrium is no longer under threat. I will call the vampires who sided with me to come to our coven. We only have one home, and this is it.”
“How did you return?” I ask him. “You said it yourself, you know no magic. A portal requires a witch. Who aided you?”
“Did you think I would rush off into the Paths with no conception of their danger?” he asks. “No, no. The truth is, dear friend, I had one of two tricks up my sleeve. It is possible to get out of the Paths without using magic. You just have to know what to do.”
“And you profess to have that knowledge,” I say flatly.
He smiles. “I think I just demonstrated that I do.”
“None of your games matter, Carter,” I say. “I’ve wasted enough time talking to you. You’re under custody. You can come with me willingly, or I can use force. I can also call the guards… but that would ruin all my fun.”
I fill the word with all sort of insinuation about exactly the sort of “fun” I mean.
“And where, pray tell, do you intend to take me?” he asks.
“You’re going to the cells,” I say. “Where you’ll be kept prisoner until your trial.”
“What trial? There hasn’t been a charge.”
“There is now,” I tell him. “I hereby accuse you of treason and attempted murder of the Queen.”
“Oh, how quaint,” he mutters. He sighs and then holds his hands out. “Very well, then, do with it as you will. Take me in. I’m so frightened.”
He rolls his eyes to show the utter disdain he harbors for me.
I take him roughly by the arms and twist his shoulder back in a pin-move. “Understand,” I growl in his ear, “that if you even try to break loose, I won’t hesitate to kill you on the spot.”
“So ruthless,” he mutters.
I lead Carter down the pathways of the stronghold. We pass two uniformed guards. They see me, see the Royal Court member and instantly connect the dots. Without saying anything, they turn around and trail after me.
While I don’t exactly need them there, I am comforted by their company. It tells me, if nothing more, that there are still vampires in The Haven loyal to the Soren name.
We reach the prison cell. I pull open the silver-barred door, not letting any of the pain I feel on touching the metal show on my face.
Carter hobbles inside without incident. He turns around and smiles at me as I close the gate.
“I won’t stay here for very long, you know,” he says. “This is more ceremony than anything else.”
“Oh, I’ll let you believe that,” I say as I turn the key and lock him inside.
I tell two of the guards to take up posts around the cell and not to let him out—or anybody in—for any reason.
They agree. However, just to be safe, I ask a messenger to beckon one of the guards who went with us to the Paths to join their company.
I trust him more than I do these two, just because of his most recent experiences with us.
With that matter settled, I quickly return to the affair that brought me here in the first place. Namely: helping Eleira secure the succession.
I make a series of quick inquiries about her whereabouts. After my ill-advised jaunt into the meeting hall where the humans were all kept, I make no pretense of being here for any other reason.
It takes more questioning than I would have liked, mostly because the vampires I find have all been following orders and remained within their rooms. They’re waiting for the imminent call of the Queen, to gather them for the ceremony taking place tonight.
I get a queasy feeling any time I think about it. The hound I saw, the unnatural state of the moon, the damn glowing parchment… all of those weigh heavy on my mind as enormous unknowns.
And the one thing I crave most of all for Eleira is certainty. Can she get through this without being harmed, without being put at risk by Mother?
In that case, everything that comes after will be much easier.
This is the last required step before she and I can move forward and start tackling the real, important issues.
Like resurrecting the wards.
Like establishing a new way of life for the humans.
Like challenging the horrendous vision of the future painted by Beatrice and my Father.
Finally I get an answer from a group of vampires I find gambling in a small common room. Tudor tells me that Eleira was looking for Felix and went to his rooms in my absence.
I thank him for the information and hurry that way. Every second that passes brings us closer and closer to the ultimatum… to the final hour in which everything will forever change.
I reach Felix’s room. I try the doors. They’re locked.
Before knocking, I probe out with my vampiric powers but feel nobody on the other side. No—wait, that’s not quite right.
I frown. It’s not that I don’t feel anybody, it’s more that there’s an absence of my abilities to sense others when I focus my attention on the space before me.
It’s a subtle difference, but very important. I’ve never noticed it before, but that’s because I wasn’t paying enough attention. Perceiving other vampires comes so naturally to all of us that we take it for granted. But this failure of my ability? It can only mean one thing.
Eleira is on the other side, and she’s shielded Felix’s rooms to prevent discovery.
Hope blooming in my chest, I raise my fist to knock… but before I can, the door flies open, and a breathless Eleira steps into view.
Chapter Thirty-One
James
Outside Cierra’s lair
My fangs come out and my claws emerge. I’ve never seen this vampire before, this one who calls me cousin. None in his company are familiar to me.
The leader has dark blond hair, almost brown, and slight, tilted eyes. His lips, his nose, his chin and cheeks are all soft and nearly feminine.
In fact he looks almost like a cherub, and the discrepancy between his look and his strength makes me uneasy.
His nine companions fan out around him, blocking our escape. If a fight is in the cards, the Nocturna Animalia cannot win. This group outnumbers us two-to-one, and each of them is stronger than my companions.
Except for me, of course. Of course, I tell myself. Of course!
Yet I don’t actually feel such conviction in my strength anymore. The experience of last morning, out in the sun before the cabin, has me questioning my own ability in a way that I’ve never done before.
Luckily, I still have that one ace up my sleeve. I’m still cloaked. To these new vampires, that makes me a wildcard.
I must play that up with all I have.
“Now, now, now, now,” their angel-faced leader mutters. “There is no need for that.” He casts a disdainful look at my claws. “We’re not looking for battle.”
“Who are you?” I demand. “Why did you call me cousin?”
He chuckles and gives a casual shrug. “Don’t you recognize family when it looks you right in the eye?”
A warning growl emanates from my throat.
Their leader holds his hand up. “Don’t get hostile, now,” he mocks. “We don’t want blood spilled this night.” He looks up through the canopy at the moon. “Already the stars align to speak o
f great loss.”
“Look, I have no idea who you are,” I say in warning. “Nor where you come from. But let me and my coven pass, and in return, we will—”
I’m interrupted when the vampire facing me starts to laugh. It’s a full-throated, hearty laugh, and it rankles me more deeply than I would have thought possible.
“Your coven?” he chuckles. “This bedraggled bunch?”
Victoria steps up to my side. “We are his,” she tells him fiercely. “And if you think we won’t fight, you’re wrong.”
She bares her fangs.
The tension is high in the air.
“You have… how many?” their leader asks. He points to each of us and counts out loud. “One, two, three… oh, my. The odds don’t seem to be in favor at all now, do they?”
The ring of vampires around him all snicker.
“Look,” he says. “We don’t want to kill you. But force us to fight, and we’ll have no choice. It’s been a long time since any of my friends have drank the nectar that is vampiric blood.”
“And it will remain that way,” I growl. “Force us to fight, and I will destroy you.”
He scoffs. “You think I cannot tell how strong you are? I don’t need to feel you to be sure. It’s a simple matter of deduction, based on your age and your… habits.”
“What do you want?” I ask again.
“An apology,” he says casually, looking at his nails. “At the very least. You’ve trespassed on sacred ground.” He gestures behind me at the stump. “That is a transgression we cannot simply overlook.”
“You called me cousin,” I say again. “Why?”
Once more comes that skittish, child-like laugh. “James, James, James,” he says. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re a Soren. I’m not a Soren. But my mother was Morgan’s own sister.”
My back stiffens. “Morgan does not have a sister,” I say.
“No?” he looks at me sideways. “Then tell me. Whose lair did you just emerge from?”
For some reason, the question makes Victoria gasp.
“Cierra’s,” I say shortly. I see no reason to hide the fact that I know the witch’s name. “What of it? She has no relation to The Haven’s Queen.”