“Very nice,” Garhan said, looking over the prosthetic as it sat on his desk. He’d taken the glove off of it, marveling at the inner workings and attention to detail. “Whoever made this is very good at what they do.”
“Any thoughts on where something like this would have come from?” Thana asked, looking over Garhan’s shoulder as he inspected the piece.
Garhan gave a slow nod. “Have either of you ever seen a Weslanese music box?”
Both Keiran and Thana shook their heads and replied in the negative. If Kayla’s mother had ever brought such a thing from her homeland into Tordania, it had vanished long ago.
“Well,” Garhan smiled to himself and spun around in his seat to face them, “these gears are exactly what you would see inside one. Very precise work. You say you just found this sitting on your dresser?”
Thana nodded. “Out of nowhere.”
He let out a sigh and met Keiran’s eyes. Something silent passed between the two vampires.
Garhan finally shook his head and turned back around, looking at the prosthetic again. “Well, as I said, it looks Weslanese to me. Not to put down your people, Keir, but I’ve never seen anything like this come from Tordanian craftsmen. There’s no wear on the mechanism within, so we can probably assume it wasn’t something old and on hand that was donated to Thana. It seems to have been tailored specifically for her.”
“It works wonderfully, but unless you can assure me there is nothing in it that will harm me, I’m afraid to use it,” Thana said.
“I will continue to study it. If I find something unexpected, I will let you know.” Garhan looked back over his shoulder and offered a smile.
Thana nodded. “So, how did it get into our room?”
Keiran shrugged. He didn’t want to say anything about his suspicions and what he and Garhan had discussed earlier in the day, but he knew Thana had a particular knack for getting anything she wanted out of him.
Garhan almost smiled as he watched Keiran squirm and let the tense silence build for several seconds before taking it on himself. “That is the question we need to really concern ourselves with. So, let’s start with the list of likely suspects. I will throw in Athan and Baden to begin with.”
“All right.” Keiran looked at his brother. “They have the means of getting in here unseen and leaving such a thing, and Athan obviously has the resources to have procured it. However, why would he do so?”
Thana snorted. “Why indeed? He’s not going to do something without getting recognized for it anymore than the Sadoris would. Subtly isn’t his specialty.”
“Admittedly, it is not,” Garhan said. “And if it was left here by Baden, to what ends? Athan wouldn’t have sent him here after he was captured last time unless he’s gone completely mad.”
“That’s exactly what Athan is, but this isn’t reflective of his particular sort of madness.” Keiran shook his head. “I suppose it’s possible Baden brought it here of his own accord, but I can’t see a reason for it.”
“You said he seemed to have been reached on some level during your trip to get Kayla home,” Thana said. “Maybe he’s rebelled against Athan?”
Keiran frowned. “Even if he did so of his own volition, the why behind it still bothers me. What is he after?”
Garhan huffed and looked back at the prosthetic again. “Let me continue to look it over. Perhaps there is something else here we’ve missed. If it is completely benign then, perhaps, you have gained an ally. Either way, I’d suspect their anonymity won’t be terribly long lasting.”
* * *
Keiran and Thana left Garhan’s room together, heading off to collect Zach from Corina. As they neared the bottom of the stairs, Thana abruptly stopped and turned to her husband. “All right, I saw the look you and Garhan gave one another when I asked where this could have come from. Out with it.”
He quirked a brow and averted his gaze. “I’m certain I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She leaned closer to him, squinting. “You’re terrible at hiding things. You should know that by now.”
Keiran groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “I happened to be talking to Garhan earlier this morning, and he mentioned he’d felt something odd during the early hours. I had to admit that I’d picked up on it as well.”
Her jaw set. “Odd as in Baden or Athan sneaking around?”
His response was an awkward shrug.
Thana rolled her eyes and started back down the stairs again. “You can’t keep things like that from me.”
“I didn’t want to upset anyone,” he weakly replied.
She shook her head and stopped again, turning around. “Keir, you have to be honest about these things with me! If you’ll recall, the last time we knew Baden was spooking around the place, I’m fairly certain he watched me bathe.”
Again, he couldn’t bring himself to look at her.
Thana sighed and reached out her left hand, placing it on the center of his chest. “I’m not particularly pleased that you didn’t come to me with it the second you felt it, but I’ll let it go this time. Have you felt anything around here since this morning, or do you think he’s gone?”
“If it was him earlier, he’s gone.” The corner of his mouth twitched upward. “To be honest, my senses are so dull, I wasn’t even really sure I felt it at all until Garhan came forward and said something.”
“So, are you fairly confident that hand was left by Baden?” she asked.
“Baden and Athan are the only ones I know who can get in here like that. Maybe there are more vampires in the world than I’m aware of. I can’t really say. It’s honestly all speculation at this point.” He covered her hand with one of his. “Though I can’t tell you I know what’s going on, I don’t get the feeling it’s malicious in anyway if that makes sense.”
She gave a nod. “Well, I do trust your instincts, and I know you’ve been quite stressed over what’s happened this winter. Next time, however, you come to me first even if you think you’ve imagined feeling someone in our home.”
“That’s fair,” he replied, relieved she hadn’t gotten angry.
* * *
Emperor Betram stood atop the tallest tower of his palace in Takrah. Though it was night, the city was far from dark. A massive blaze raged against one of the city walls, the light it threw off reflected by the white buildings. Men on horses raced through the streets below him, some his own soldiers, others Quitam invaders.
He turned upon hearing someone behind him. “Report?”
The soldier knelt down before the emperor. “As you can see, they’ve breeched the city’s defenses. There aren’t many in this wave, and they will be eradicated. However, there is a much larger force moving in.”
The old man turned his face up toward the sky. “Our reinforcements will not arrive in time.”
The soldier gave a slow shake of his head. “I’m afraid not.”
Betram’s heavily lined face lacked much expression, his mind too exhausted. “Have the asashis all been evacuated successfully?”
“Sarit was the last to leave, and she departed through the tunnels. She will be well on her way by now. It would be best for you to go before the larger force arrives. We will be able to keep them from finding your escape route long enough to get you clear of Takrah,” the soldier replied.
He sighed, letting his head tip forward so his chin touched his chest. “The asashis have their tribes and homelands to return to, but where is a deposed emperor to go? The Quitam want my head, and I will be hunted down anywhere I flee.”
“Surely you don’t intend to remain here!” the soldier replied, eyes widening.
“I am a proud old man, but I am not a fool.” Betram looked out over the city, wondering if he’d ever get the chance to do so again. “If the other tribes can band together and stop the Quitam, then they will need me back. I will leave the palace, but I cannot stay in the Sador Empire. Unlike the asashis, I have the ability to leave our land, and I’m afraid I must d
o so.”
The soldier rose back up. “I will go with you.”
Betram started to reply as he looked down toward the street, but his words caught in his throat.
There was a man on a white horse down below, staring right back at him.
Despite the distance, when Betram squinted, he was able to make the figure out. His hands gripped the railing of the tower and he leaned forward. “By the gods, it’s Danier!”
The general could see the moment the emperor recognized him. He flashed a wicked smile back. “You haven’t run yet? I will take great pleasure in ripping you apart!”
Betram reeled back from the railing, a wave of fear rolling over him. He spun around, seeing the expression the guard wore behind him as Danier’s words had carried well despite the din of the town being overrun.
“He’s gone mad!” Betram said, closing the distance between them. “We must go. Hurry, hurry!”
The guard spun and drew his sword, running inside before Betram. Though the palace itself hadn’t yet been breached, the young man’s fear was spiraling into panic.
Emperor Betram may have been eighty-five-years old and out of shape, but the warrior’s spirit he’d developed in his youth was still within him. He could sense his guard coming unraveled, and he knew he needed to control the situation.
“We must have provisions for this evacuation. I will get my sword and some gold to sustain us. You gather the others and take them into the lowest level of the palace. Wait for me there,” Betram said, already jogging past his guard.
The younger man did as ordered, but the number of guards he managed to collect was woefully small. Most of the others had already fled with the asashis, leaving only six guards to escort the emperor.
By the time they reached the sublevel of the palace, Betram was waiting for them. He’d tied his old sword around his thick waist, a curved dagger on his opposite hip. He clutched the handle of an ornate glass lantern in his left hand. His tired eyes scanned over his small group, and he managed a proud smile for them.
“You are my bravest men, and I am honored you have stayed with me,” he said before raising a finger into the air and turning. “We will take the tunnels! Come!”
The lot of them headed down into the passages beneath the palace. While Betram had memorized the subterranean passages long before, they were an alien place to his guards. They stuck close to his back, afraid to get separated and end up lost in the catacombs and sewers making up much of the city’s underworld.
* * *
Unfortunately, Betram and the asashis weren’t the only ones who knew about the assorted escape routes beneath the streets. As Danier’s uncle had been the previous emperor, his family had retained some knowledge of them. While the vampire didn’t know where they all specifically went, he knew they were there, and he knew the old man would have headed into them to make his escape.
Danier, aware of at least some of the entry points to the catacombs, entered the dark labyrinth. Unafraid of getting lost despite not knowing where he was going and having no light to navigate by, he started to let his other improved senses lead him forward.
He could smell Betram over all the assorted reeks and odors within the passages. Danier smiled, feeling more like a cat chasing a mouse than a vampire.
The Quitam man didn’t mind it one bit. The thrill of this completely animalistic hunt was something he’d never quite felt before. All he needed to do was test the air at each junction he came to, going toward the scent of the assorted infused oils the old emperor doused himself with every day.
After nearly an hour of slinking along in darkness, Danier saw a faint light ahead, his ears picking up the sounds of several men making their way through the tunnels. He smiled and kept close to the wall, the group moving away from him.
Danier drew a curved knife from his belt and gripped it tightly in his hand. He timed his steps with the last man in the group, closing the distance between them carefully.
The guard last in line, riddled with terror, never heard Danier coming up behind him. When a hand suddenly clamped over his mouth and his throat gashed open, it was a complete surprise.
Danier held the man close to his chest, knowing it would only take seconds for him to bleed out and die. The man’s blood was a toxic flow, tainted with the garlic he’d eaten. It held no appeal to the vampire, and he let the blood spill unused to the wet tunnel floor.
The guard next in line heard the scuffling behind him, and he stopped to look back into the darkness. Having faced toward the lantern Betram carried, it was hard for him to see much.
“Come! We cannot delay!” he said, seeing the outline of his friend lagging behind.
The other guard didn’t reply, only falling to the ground when Danier finally released his body.
The rest of the group stopped, Betram raising the lantern as high as he could as he turned.
“It’s General Danier!” the last guard shouted, the weak light finally illuminating their pursuer.
The vampire felt unthreatened as he watched the other five guards hold forth their swords, standing between him and Emperor Betram. Given the confines of the tunnel, even their Sadori short swords were too long for the environment. Danier flipped the knife around in his hand and widened his stance, eager for the fight to begin.
While the guards would have preferred to attack in unison, the tunnel was simply too narrow.
Danier stepped over the dead man’s body and gave a toothy smile, his fangs evident. “You cannot stop me.”
The first guard shook in fear, but didn’t back down or move out of the way. He swung out with his blade when Danier was close enough, but the vampire was easily able to deflect the blow with his long knife.
Danier wasted no time and snapped his free hand forward, grasping the front of the tunic the guard wore and jerking him forward, impaling him on the blade in his right hand without effort.
The guard struggled to fight on, even as the blade within him was dragged through his gut. He attempted to move his sword again, but Danier stepped back and kicked him in the stomach, sending him reeling toward the others.
Betram leaned to the side, desperate to see what was happening, but his short stature and the darkness beyond kept him from making out much. He could hear the second victim of Danier’s blade crying out in agony as he lay on the ground, tangled in his own intestines.
Danier had no sympathy for the cruelty he’d subjected his last victim to, and he stepped forward again, waiting for the next guard to come forth and sacrifice himself.
The young man stood there, horrified at what he’d just witnessed. He knew Danier would cut him down just as easily as the last man. His courage failed him and he turned to try and run, but the others were simply in the way.
There was no mercy from the vampire, however. Danier took another step forward, over the last man still writhing on the ground. He plunged his knife into the center of the guard’s back, immediately paralyzing him and sending him to lie with the previous victim.
Betram watched as the number of guards between him and Danier continued to shrink. He knew he wasn’t far from the end of the escape route he’d chosen. As Danier engaged the fourth guard, the old man ushered the other two remaining men past him.
Danier tossed the fourth man he’d now killed behind him, his eyes narrowing as they fixed on Betram. “Finally…”
Betram didn’t cower, locking gazes with the former general. The flickering light from the lantern glinted off something in Danier’s smile.
Fangs.
“Vampire…” Betram’s heart sank, and he recoiled a step in fear, his bravado failing him. He knew he’d never win against Danier in a fight, and he did the only thing he could think of.
Danier didn’t have anywhere to go as Betram hurled the oil-filled lantern at him. The glass shattered, the oil splattering against him and igniting. He howled in rage and pain as the flames raced up his body, burning through his clothing and into his flesh.
Betram d
idn’t take time to watch as Danier started to burn. He spun to follow his remaining two guards into the darkness. Though he gave a glance back over his shoulder to see Danier dropping to the wet ground, the old man was still filled with terror.
The three of them raced forward, visibility diminishing the further they got from the blaze. Betram knew they’d emerge out of a sewage drain over the river before much further.
It happened before any of them expected it. None of the three men slowed their pace as the passage ended, the solid stone beneath them giving away to nothingness. They plummeted downward, all three hitting the water, the impact stinging their bodies before they vanished beneath the surface.
Danier rolled in the filth and mud, the flames slowly going out. The pain from his burns was short lived, his body immediately beginning to heal as he’d suffered no lack of blood in recent days. He stood up, his eyes readjusting to the darkness.
There was a faint light ahead where the passage opened up to the outdoors. He jogged forward and came to a stop. The night air gave a welcomed reprieve from the stink of his burnt flesh. He looked down to see the river some distance below, the Takrahn Bridge off to his left.
He scanned the water, but there were no signs of Betram or his two remaining men. Though he hoped the old fool had drowned in the current, he suspected being rid of the emperor wouldn’t prove that easy. Despite his age, the old man had done remarkably well.
Danier panned his gaze across the river toward Ibia. Sending soldiers over the bridge to begin a manhunt without knowing for certain if Betram would go there would cause him more problems than he needed. He knew he could afford to be patient until he had information confirming the old man’s location or death, but there was little hope in him for the latter.
It would give him time to hire bounty hunters, and, perhaps, he would be able to get in contact with a particular specialist in recovery work.
“You won’t get far, Betram,” Danier called out into the void below. “You will wish I had killed you tonight!”
Chapter 2
Athan sat with his hands steepled before his chin, silent as he scanned the multiple drawings lain out before him. His advisors and engineers stood around nervously, awaiting any reaction from their master.
The King's Knight (Royal Blood Book 5) Page 3