Dark Ascension

by J. D. Brown

  I glanced at Jesu. “Actually, do you think he’s healthy enough to make a trip to Berlin? We’d like to take him home.”

  “A Huntsman is coming to the castle to see him,” Jesu added. “Since this is not technically a medical problem.”

  Shénshèng nodded. “There is always some risk involved in transferring a coma patient, but in this case, I believe the risk may be worth it. I have some spells I can try.” She shifted the folder under her arm to her hands. “But I cannot guarantee any of them will work. The Huntsman’s wisdom will be of better use.”

  “What kind of risks are we talking about?” I asked.

  “Tiny ones,” said Shénshèng. “He is breathing on his own. His heart rate is normal. All signs point to a perfectly healthy sleeping man. The risks would increase the longer he stays comatose. If a feeding tube or other life support become necessary, the danger would be traveling with all that machinery. Batteries could die, technology could malfunction. Things like that. But since it’s only been a few hours, and he doesn’t need any of that yet, the risks involved are limited to unforeseeable possibilities. There is just no way for us to know the damage of his subconscious.”

  My shoulders drooped with the weight of the decision. We could try Shénshèng’s spells first—but how long would that take? Every day we stayed here increased the risk of travel, and what if Shénshèng’s spells had adverse effects? I pulled both lips between my teeth and bit down until I tasted blood. We can’t stay here anyway. I’d worn out our welcome at the museum. But I was not about to leave my father here alone.

  “We’re taking him home with us,” I said, looking at Shénshèng. “Thank you. For everything.”

  She touched my arm, and her pale lips curved in a kind smile. “Don’t forget the seeds.”

  I nodded, and then hugged her goodbye.

  Shénshèng arranged for two EMTs to give us a lift in an ambulance. We stopped by the hotel just long enough for Jesu, Tancred, and me to pack. Then we were off to the private hanger. I once again found myself grateful for the royal Alpan’s secret aircraft system, as it allowed us to bypass human customs and any rules regarding a very comatose passenger.

  Dad had been strapped to a stretcher in the ambulance. The EMTs lifted him into the cabin of the private jet, along with a portable vitals scanner and an IV drip. The EMTs secured the stretcher to the back of the plane, between the outer bathroom wall and the last row of seats.

  I stood on my knees on one of the leather seat cushions, facing the backrest so I could see Dad. I kept expecting him to wake up—any second now—but this wasn’t like the movies.

  “We’re in the airplane now,” I said to my father. “We’re going back to Germany. It might be a bumpy twelve hours, but I promise you’re safe. Just keep fighting whatever is going on in that head of yours.”

  Jesu stood beside me and squeezed my shoulder. With a sigh, I turned around and lowered into my seat. The co-pilot shut the airplane door with a very final suctioning sound, and the overhead fasten-seatbelt light brightened. My nerves turned over in my stomach as I glanced between the backrests at the stretcher behind us. The vitals machine gave a little beep at regular intervals, signaling the all-clear. Still, I wished Dad would just wake up.

  Jesu turned his hand palm-side-up against the arm rest and I took it, threading my fingers with his. The engines roared to life and we rolled down the runway for takeoff.

  Once we were in the air, and the seatbelt sign dimmed, Jesu excused himself to use the restroom. I took the opportunity to stand on my knees and look over the backrest. Dad was the same. Breathing fine. Heart beating normally. I sighed into my seat again. It was going to be a very long twelve hours.

  I noticed Tancred watching me from over his shoulder. I caught his gaze and scowled. He stood and came over, taking Jesu’s seat beside me.

  “It’s time you and I had a quick chat,” he said.

  “Is it?” I focused straight ahead, avoiding his gaze. Tancred had been cooperative during this entire mess, but I had no idea what he was planning for our return. Once we were back at the castle, it would be business as usual. Them versus me.

  “You’re getting your contract.”

  I blinked at him. “What?”

  “If you still want it, that is. I’ll make a very strong case in favor of the alliance.”

  Did I still want it? I didn’t even know anymore. But if Shénshèng’s predictions were true, and I only had twenty-one years to find a cure...

  “I didn’t kill Lilith,” I said quietly. “I tried to, but it was Jalmari who made the final blow.”

  “Is that what you want my report to say?”

  I gave the Commander a hard sidelong stare. “Why are you willing to help me again? What’s your deal?”

  He sighed. “None of this was personal, Ema. It’s my job to challenge the King’s decisions.”

  “I thought your job was to follow orders.”

  “I protect the crown. Sometimes that means saving it from the person wearing it.”

  I balked at him. “You don’t think Brinnon’s a good king?”

  “I never said that.”

  “You’re implying it.”

  Jesu exited the tiny airplane bathroom, but, seeing Tancred, he backtracked and waited near my father with one arm braced against the wall. He said nothing, perhaps as curious as I was to hear Tancred’s explanation.

  Tancred lowered his gaze and drew a breath. “I’ve known Brinnon since the day he was born. He’s a good man, and a good prince, but there’s a difference between fighting for the crown and having it handed to you on a velvet pillow. Nikolas had a hundred years of war to earn his title and my trust. He knew how to make hard decisions, and believe me; the crown comes with increasingly difficult demands. I love Brinnon like a son, but protecting him is not going to help him. The people need to see their leader being challenged. They need to know how he handles those challenges. That is what matters most. So you will become the King’s assassin. You will protect him where I cannot. Just know that if I ever do become a true traitor of the realm, it will be because I have done my job, and he no longer needs me.” Tancred stood and went back to his seat.

  Jesu lowered beside me. “Are you all right?”

  I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure. “Did Jalmari say anything to you in the park?”

  Jesu shook his head. “I did not give him a chance. Why?”

  I leaned back in the leather chair and tried to think. Do I still want the contract? Did I want to be the King’s assassin?

  VALAFAR

  The elevator door slid open. Tancred and Logan stepped into the corridor of the twenty-third floor. I drew a deep breath—Kill Logan, kill Logan, kill Logan—and followed.

  The crane shut behind me, and I jumped; the sound a physical blow to my raw nerves. Sweat beaded my brow as the elevator's mechanisms creaked and the device continued its routine existence.

  Vampyre and Hunter stopped before the suite door at the end of the hall. Tancred reached for the keycard in his back pocket. Logan waited. Neither of them noticed the storm raging in my brain. Without Lilith, they thought me as threatening as a dormouse. But even mice can inflict death.

  I licked my lips, and then shoved my hands into my pockets while putting one foot in front of the other. White-hot pain flickered behind my eyes, its heat so consuming, I squeezed my lids shut and winced. My knees wobbled and my shoulder hit the wall.

  “You okay?”

  They were looking at me when I opened my eyes. Tancred's mouth dropped into a scowl, but Logan...

  His brow softened as he searched my gaze. He offered his hand. “Come on. I think we all need a rest.”

  Yesterday, Logan had told his daughter I was better off dead. He had invaded and violated the most intimate part of me—my mind—like I was some worthless lab rat.

  I shook my head to clear my mind. Logan took it as a sign of rejection. He lowered his hand and turned toward the door as Tancred opened the latch. It was a
good thing, too. The sire command was too tightly knotted around my own will. I didn't know which thoughts were mine and which were hers. I didn’t know what would happened if Logan touched me.

  And therein lay the predicament. How much longer could I stay with them before I lost myself to the command?

  They entered the suite. I drew a shaky breath, and pushed away from the wall. Two steps to the door... It felt like miles. The air thickened in my lungs and a haze ebbed in the corners of my vision. Static, white and hot, prickled through my skull.

  Kill Logan.

  Kill Logan.

  Kill Logan.

  I gripped the door frame and pressed my forehead against the back of my palm. Why resist? He was a Hunter. He’d killed dozens of my kin. Hundreds even. He'd kill me as soon as the mood strikes him. He helped kill my mother.

  The pain intensified. Bolts of white-hot lightning shot through my skull. I dropped to my knees at the threshold, my head in my hands. I burned all over, an invisible fire; vapors of heat that singed through my flesh, straight down to my bones. Rolling, boiling, raging. It consumed me entirely. I couldn't even scream. I was frozen in pain.

  A tiny voice managed to shine through the madness, like a beacon of light in the middle of a deep, dark void. Her voice...

  Ya know how to stop the pain, child. My sweet boy... Ya can make it stop.

  My fangs ground together. I shook so violently, I thought my bones would shatter.

  Enough. Make it stop. Kill Logan.

  I glanced up, moving only my eyes. They were in the living room, murmuring to each other. Still not thinking of me. Not noticing me. Despicable human. I'd be doing the world a favor.

  My fingernails tore at the skin over my hands. As the flesh ripped open, my essence swelled, building to a crescendo. I didn't even have to concentrate. My powers knew their target by instinct. Mind and body fully given to the command, the pain lessened. It didn't dissipate exactly, but it moved through me. Moved with me. It stood. It ran. I was on top of Logan in an instant.

  I woke drenched in sweat and shivering. I'd flown from Shanghai to Berlin, finally landing on the roof of my sister's brothel—except the landing had been more of a collapse. Exhausted from the flight, I'd fallen asleep immediately. Something I hadn't done in over a thousand years, and would love to forgo for a thousand more. I sat upright and glanced skyward. Dawn had just broken over the horizon, spilling bright pinks and oranges onto the edge of an otherwise dark canvas. Storm clouds rolled overhead, so thick I couldn't spot a single star. I rubbed my eyes and fought the recent memories that threatened to surface.

  I killed Logan.

  I completed Mum’s final command. I didn't know how I felt about it yet. Wait, yes I did—confused.

  But I didn't have time to ponder my sins. Right now, I needed to get inside and see my sister. I had a bad feeling in my gut ever since she appeared in People's Park. Even if it hadn’t been her, why would Lilith choose to disguise herself as Dora?

  The sign at the front of the brothel glowed in neon pink letters that announced Pandora’s Box. Though it was still lit, the front door was likely an exit-only zone at this hour. I phased to the ground behind the brick edifice, and solidified near the backdoor, where I wrangled the grimy metal handle and let myself inside.

  Cigarette smoke and cheap perfume formed a hazy film over my vision as I marched past cartons of booze. Small storage rooms and closet-sized offices gave way to the bar and lounge where the girls typically displayed their wares. A few women still lingered at the tables, counting out cash and nursing that final drink, shoes kicked to the side. The ladies noticed me, and I quickly found a very large man with yellow-gold eyes blocking my path. Images of another man with eyes like corn and the body of an Adonis came to mind.

  “Brinnon...”

  “We’re closed,” said the bouncer with a flash of fangs.

  I messaged my temple with a sigh. “Is my sister here?”

  The guy narrowed his gaze. “Who’s your sister?”

  “Dora,” I said, hooking my thumbs in my belt loops as I glanced around. I’d always been proud of my sister-slash-daughter for owning a business. Who was I to judge what people did with their bodies? At least Dora was smart enough to get paid. I still gave the milk away for free. I met the bouncer’s dubious gaze with a smirk. “You know, the madam?”

  “She’s not here.”

  I rolled my eyes, about ready to knock this punk on his backside—

  “Nobody’s heard from her.” A feminine voice called out from somewhere behind the hulking vampire. I pressed the tip of my middle finger against the bouncer’s left shoulder and increased pressure until he eventually stepped aside.

  “What do you mean, darling?” I scanned the lounge for the speaker.

  “I mean—” My gaze went to the flaming redhead sitting in a booth on the other side of the room. “—she hasn’t been to work in the last couple of days.”

  I cut across the room and slid into the booth next to her. “Come again?”

  She wrinkled her nose at the bad pun, and then lifted her hand to let the bouncer know it was okay. They get so testy about the monsters who try to steal a free lunch. Not that I blamed them. It was smart of Dora to have good security.

  “A few of us tried to contact her when she didn’t call in, but...” She wet her lips and looked at me in that way people do when they’re trying to guess how you’ll react to something; totally conspicuous. The inkling of worry in my gut doubled in size. My fingernails bit into my palms as my fists clenched.

  “But?” I coaxed.

  The redhead—I had the strangest sense her name started with a ‘C’—tilted her chin. “How do you know her?”

  “I’m her brother.”

  C wrinkled her nose. “No offense, but you look like her grandfather.”

  Shoot. I should have said daughter. “Mum started young.”

  She side-eyed me, not believing.

  I scowled. “I didn’t take my vitamins. Get on with it.”

  The woman shrugged. “She’s not answering her phone. I swung by her place yesterday. I know she’s... Well, I thought maybe something happened with the...” She looked past me, and then whispered the word, “baby.”

  It took a minute to absorb what she was saying. When the words finally sank in, I scoffed. Was I the only person not thinking of the child? Dora’s had a dozen miscarriages. Our women always did. I didn’t understand how anyone could become so attached to motherhood with those odds. Clearly, we weren’t meant to procreate. Forget the child, save my damn sister.

  “Let me guess,” I said, “she wasn’t home?”

  C shook her head. “I thought maybe she was at a hospital, you know? But I called Ian—”

  “Who?”

  That earned me a scowl. “Dora’s fiancé? The baby’s father.” She flipped her hair from her shoulders. “Anyway, he isn’t answering either. So then I thought—”

  My gods she was chatty. “Were her things still there? At her apartment?”

  “I was just saying. So, I thought maybe they decided to elope or something and skipped town, but if they did, they didn’t take any—”

  “Were there signs of a struggle?” I slid out of the booth and stood. “Anything broken or out of place?”

  C’s face scrunched. For a moment, I thought she might tell me I was crazy, but her gaze lowered and she drew a deep breath, her hands fretting in her lap. “No, I don’t... I don’t think so.” She winced and then met my gaze. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know who else to call.”

  No, of course she wouldn’t. I wasn’t mates with my sister’s whores. A customer who took advantage of the family discount, sure, but not mates. None of them had my number—and it wasn’t like we had anyone else; no cops, no R.E.D., no other clan or creed that would bother with a missing succubus.

  I turned my back to her and phased out of the building.

  When I solidified again, I stood in the middle of Dora’s living room. I turned in a sl
ow circle, getting a feel for the place, but it dawned on me... I hadn’t been there in decades. It was the same apartment, but the furniture, the pictures frames... It was all different. I no longer knew my sister well enough to tell whether the laundry strewn across the couch was normal. Anger burned through me. I went to her bedroom, but paused before the threshold, and then backtracked two steps.

  Dora’s apartment was a two-roomer located in the projects, which meant the spare room was the size of a shoe box. She’d used it for extra storage. Until now.

  I stared into the small room, seeing the simple wood crib pushed against the far wall, the matching changing table and drawer set, the soft white curtains over the double reinforced panels of the lone window, and the freshly polished floor. It smelled of antiseptic and baby powder and, well, love.

  I pressed my spine against the wall just outside the nursery and slid to the floor, my eyes never wavering from the crib. All I could do was stare at it—and burn.

  Burn, because I wanted her to have it.

  Burn, because it was everything I had ever wanted for myself.

  It was right there. Staring at me. An untouchable dream.

  Ian was dead. He was human, so he was dead. Lilith had no remorse for the mortals. She probably dumped his body in a ditch somewhere.

  As for Dora? There was a fifty-fifty chance she still lived. Lilith obsessed over her grandchildren. The younger ones never knew the torment their parents endured. But with Lilith gone, the real danger lay in finding my sister. Sometimes our psychotic mother locked the pregnant ones up, trying to prevent the inevitable miscarriage. Sometimes it was a bedroom she locked them in. Other times it was a literal coffin. Once there was a meat locker. My eldest sister died of dehydration inside it.

  I banged the back of my head against the wall. Think. Think! There were millions of places, both known and unknown, where Lilith could have hidden her. I had to try the most obvious first. I popped out of my physical form, and then flew to the abandoned cottage in the woods behind the Alpan castle.