As Shadows Fade gvc-5

by Колин Глисон

  Damn Pesaro and his blasted leadership and negotiation. They weren’t going to get what they wanted, and the three of them had little means to fight against Lilith and her guards. Even if somehow they succeeded, then they’d have to actually find the rings.

  Not the best odds.

  “So what will it be, Maximilian my pet?”

  “Yet another impossible choice you offer me.”

  “Come now, my dear. It won’t be so terrible.”

  “I do believe it would, in fact.”

  Lilith laughed. “Again, how you delight me. That lovely mix of pleasure and pain, arrogance and sensuality. How I’ve missed it.” Then she sobered, that cunning look slanting her eyes again. “And if you refuse, and you leave here… Of course, I’ll let you leave, my dear. I find the hunt a good part of the fun, you know. And now that I know you’re truly worth hunting again…”

  She turned and paced back to her chaise, settling on it once again like a princess who was about to receive a great gift. “If you leave without the means to close the portal, you know what awaits the world. Your race. You won’t be able to beat them back, of course. And… don’t forget your Illa Gardella. She’d be in the very middle of it all, wouldn’t she?”

  “You’d part with the rings, then.”

  “You know I would. As you say, it would be to my benefit. In several ways. You, my pet, for eternity… in exchange for the rings.”

  Pesaro nodded then, a sharp acquiescence, and it was at that moment that Sebastian realized this had been his plan all along. He’d known he’d never leave, but that he’d need to bargain himself for the two rings.

  Sebastian opened his mouth to protest, but Max seemed to know, and he turned to silence him.

  “As you wish,” said Lilith with distorted kindness. “One moment while I retrieve them for you.” She stood with another dramatic sweep of silk and beckoned to a pair of guards, standing in the dark corner. She then moved over to what appeared to be a plain stone wall. But she spoke in an ancient tongue and moved her hand over it. A small door appeared, through which she stepped.

  Moments later, she returned, closing the door, which again melded so well into the designs on the wall that Sebastian wasn’t certain he’d be able to find it again, even though he’d just seen it open. They would never have found the rings themselves.

  But now that they had them, surely Pesaro intended for them to fight their way out?

  As Lilith approached Sebastian, offering the two copper rings, he saw the pair of Guardian vampires move toward Pesaro. As Sebastian took the rings from Lilith, he heard the dull clank of metal. Turning, he saw the heavy bands as they were fastened about Max’s wrists.

  He realized belatedly that there was no way to fight out of the room. They were outnumbered by four Guardians, plus Lilith. They had no weapons, nothing to use for them. And if they tried and failed, the rings would stay… and so would they. Either as corpses or guests of the vampire queen.

  Neither of which appealed to Sebastian.

  As if reading his mind, Pesaro looked at him as the two Guardians pulled him by the chains. “Take the rings. Go. Close the portal. There is no other way.”

  Seventeen

  In Which Sebastian Exercises Unusual Prudence

  Victoria couldn’t breathe.

  “Where’s Max?” she asked again. She tried to keep her voice calm. She was sure she succeeded. It was a simple question. It should have a simple answer. He’s coming. He’s just around the bend. He’ll be along in a moment.

  Sebastian took her arm, turning her to face him, away from the road on which he and Michalas had just ridden in. “Victoria,” he said, his voice sharp, “he obtained the rings for us. We have the last two rings. He stayed.” He spoke clearly, slowly, and she wondered vaguely how many times she’d already asked, and how many times he’d replied.

  He stayed.

  Victoria closed her eyes and crossed her arms tightly across her churning belly. No. Nononononooo.

  “We have the rings,” Michalas said in a gentler voice. “Lilith gave them up.”

  But she kept Max.

  “We-I-have to go after him,” she said, her head suddenly clearing. The cobwebs slipped off; the nausea filtered away. Confidence settled over her, and purpose.

  This she could do. This was her duty, her task, her calling. She’d come face-to-face with Lilith before. Max must know she’d come after him. He’d planned it this way.

  Though her fingers trembled, she drew herself up regally and looked at each of the men in turn. “Michalas, you know the way to her lair now. You can lead me there, and I’ll find a way in.” She turned to Sebastian, who’d opened his mouth to argue. “I know we have the five rings. You and Brim can go and retrieve the orb while I free Max.”

  “We have guests,” Sebastian said, his thick blond hair riffled by a breeze. He’d not stopped looking at her, a mixture of pity and understanding in his gaze. “Lilith sent some of her own to assist.”

  Victoria turned and saw three heavily cloaked figures standing in the shadow of the small inn where she and Brim had rested. That explained the chill at the back of her neck, the sensation she’d barely acknowledged when she realized Max was not with Michalas and Sebastian. Every other thought had fallen away when she realized he wasn’t there.

  Now she accepted the presence of vampires, well covered to protect themselves from the lowering sun.

  “They’re to return the rings to her when we’ve finished with them,” Sebastian told her.

  A sizzle of relief tickled her. “And Lilith will release Max then? She’s holding him only as a hostage?”

  He shook his head. “That wasn’t part of the arrangement.”

  Her stomach pitched again. “Then it will be as I said. Michalas and I will go to free Max, and you’ll go to the enchanted pool.”

  Sebastian drew in his breath to speak, but Victoria turned away and approached the vampires. They stood in a tight cluster, careful not to allow any part of their flesh to be exposed to the sun. Under their heavy black hoods, two of them looked at her with red-violet eyes, and the third with ruby-pink irises. She saw the gleam of a sword falling from the invisible hand of one of the purple-eyed ones. Two Imperials and a Guardian.

  Victoria felt a little chill up her spine. “I am Victoria Gardella,” she told them.

  “We know who you are,” replied the tallest of the three, who happened to be a female Imperial. The sword she held, the Imperial weapon of choice, shifted menacingly against the side of her cloak. “I am called Mercy because I show none. Lilith sends a message to you.”

  Victoria inclined her head to accept the message.

  “We three are to take you to the enchanted pool, and then to lead you to the Midiverse Portal. We’re to return unharmed immediately after with the rings. If we don’t return within a week’s time, Maximilian will suffer.”

  “She’ll release him when you return?”

  The Imperial laughed. “No… Lilith merely promises not to torture him before she turns him undead.”

  “Simply being in her presence is torture,” Victoria said, forcing the words from her dry mouth. “That is no guarantee. Nothing to keep me from turning you to dust at this moment.”

  The Imperial shrugged, her sword brushing against the cloak of her companion. “So be it. If we three do not return with the rings in a week’s time, you can be assured that she’ll keep her word.”

  Victoria firmed her lips and turned away. She had to get to him. The others could retrieve the orb. They could go to the Midiverse Portal. They didn’t need her.

  She couldn’t leave Max here.

  She had to go after him.

  Without another word, Victoria turned and went inside the inn. Once in the small chamber she’d used to sleep in, she dug through the long leather bag in which she stored her weapons. She’d go in well armed and fight her way to Max.

  She could have Michalas show her the entrance to the lair, and then he could go with the ot
hers. They would need the three of them, certainly, to fight the demons escaping from the portal, but they could do it.

  She knew they could. They were Venators.

  Max.

  Victoria brushed angry, sharp tears from her eyes. How could he have done this? He had to have known what would happen.

  How could he have left me?

  They should have gone together.

  A noise behind her drew her upright, and she dashed her hand across her eyes again before turning. Sebastian stood there, blocking the doorway.

  “Victoria.”

  “You can’t stop me,” she said flatly. “Don’t try. I have to go after him. He’d go after me.”

  Sebastian nodded. “Of course he would want to. But you know Max, and how damn insufferable he is about doing the right thing. He’d rather suffer than be happy.”

  “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but you’re not going to change my mind.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not here to change your mind. He knew you’d go after him. And of course you should, Victoria. I’d come after you. Always.”

  Another blasted tear stung her eyes. Why now, why after two years of angst and fear and anger did she have to act like a watering pot every time something happened? Aunt Eustacia had never shed a tear.

  “But I wanted to tell you what it was like in there,” Sebastian continued, walking into the room. “He was brilliant. I bloody well thought I’d never admit it aloud, but the man was brilliant. And strong. So damn strong. He was ahead of her every step of the way; he knew what she was going to say-and do-before she did it. He’d planned it all.”

  “Why in God’s name didn’t you just kill her and get the rings and go?” Victoria burst out. “Why did he have to trade himself? Didn’t he know what that would do to me?” She clamped her mouth shut, but her voice had already risen in a high-pitched wail.

  “I wondered the same thing, but then I understood,” Sebastian said, almost gently. His amber eyes focused on her, a depth of seriousness she hadn’t often seen within them. “There was no way to get the rings after she was dead. They were hidden in a little chamber. She touched the wall with her hand, and the door appeared as if from nowhere-some kind of magic, I think. We would never have found the chamber or the rings, and it would have all been for naught.”

  “But after you got them,” she said desperately, “you could have attacked her and left with the rings. You didn’t have to leave him there!” Now the tears exploded, to her great chagrin and shame, and she knuckled them furiously away.

  He opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to think better of it and instead drew her into his arms. She allowed him to embrace her, to settle her head on his shoulder and to feel the familiar comfort of his body, the faint scent of cloves and tobacco. How many times had he done this for her? And this time… this time she knew he had no ulterior motive.

  He meant only to give comfort. Dear Sebastian.

  “Victoria,” he said, his voice rumbling in his chest against her ear, “he knew the risk. He was fully aware of the sacrifice he made.”

  Sacrifice.

  Damn Max. Why did he have to be so bloody noble?

  “We had no weapons. There was no way to leave unless she allowed it. He knew that. He’s been there before. He knew what he was doing, the risk. The sacrifice. There was no other way.”

  Sacrifice.

  Aunt Eustacia had sacrificed herself, too. She’d made Max do the unthinkable because she knew he would. One life given for the safety of many.

  Victoria pushed the thought away. This was different. This was Max. Her Max.

  She’d free him, or she’d die trying. She didn’t want to live without him.

  Coward.

  Dying is easier than going on without.

  I’m a coward when it comes to you.

  She pulled away from Sebastian. “Go and get the orb. I’ll…” Her voice broke. She felt as though her insides were twisting like a rag being wrung out. Harder, tighter, until every bit of feeling leeched away… leaving her empty.

  She swallowed, stood upright, and looked straight at him. “I order you to go, as your Illa Gardella. Get the orb. Close the Midiverse Portal. God willing, I’ll see you after.”

  Sebastian looked at her. “Illa Gardella,” he said, reaching to touch her cheek, brushing away a tear. “You are a magnificent woman, Victoria. A brave, intelligent leader. Beautiful and strong.” His expression grew intense, and he took her chin to keep her eyes fastened on him. “You are Illa Gardella. Never forget that.”

  He turned her face up and kissed her… not on the lips, but on the cheeks-one side and then the other. Then he left the room, closing the door behind him.

  She realized then that he’d finally accepted her love for Max.

  Turning back to her preparations, she felt a wave of fear again. What if she was too late?

  What if they didn’t get the orb? If something went wrong, and the portal wasn’t closed?

  You are Illa Gardella.

  She was.

  Victoria’s knees gave way and she let herself sink onto the bed.

  You are Illa Gardella now, Victoria. You have an obligation to the Consilium and the rest of the Venators. You can no longer think only of yourself, of your needs and desires, but of the far-reaching consequences of your actions. Or inactions.

  It’s time you learned sacrifice.

  Max’s angry words came roaring back to her, words he fairly shouted at her during their escape from Nedas, months ago.

  Sacrifice.

  Bloody damn sacrifice.

  Illa Gardella. Last of the line.

  Of course. He meant to protect not only her, Victoria, the woman he loved… but also her, the last of the line.

  Of course.

  She didn’t like it, but she understood better why. Why he’d leave her behind, why he had to leave her behind. Why he thought he had to leave her behind.

  And she knew she couldn’t go after him. At least, not yet.

  Not until the task at hand was done.

  Duty before desire.

  But then. And then she’d do what she vowed to do: She’d find Lilith, and she’d kill her.

  And then Max would be free.

  The five rings fit perfectly, amazingly, from thumb to pinkie. Sebastian had slipped them all on, one by one, and they snugly enclosed his fingers.

  The copper bands, half as wide as the length from knuckle to knuckle, felt surprisingly comfortable. They weren’t particularly ornate or unusual-five simple rings, made of braided copper strands, each slightly twisted and plaited differently from the one before it.

  He looked over at Victoria, her short hair curling around her pale face. She couldn’t see the glow that flushed her cheeks, but he recognized it with a deep pang, and felt another halfhearted wave of jealousy. Unless he was wrong, she carried Pesaro’s child, the child who would continue the direct Gardella line.

  He wondered if Pesaro knew.

  He suspected if he had, he would not only have left her behind, but probably imprisoned her safely somewhere.

  Not that Sebastian wouldn’t do the same, were he in that enviable situation.

  And not that it would have done any good, to try to put Victoria out of action.

  Thank God she’d decided not to risk herself going after Max, for the loss could be greater than they realized.

  Her eyes wandered briefly to the mountain that rose behind them, and he imagined how the need to go there must drive at her.

  But she’d abandoned her plan to go after Max. The portal had to be closed first, and difficult as it was, much as the strain showed in her face and around her eyes, he saw that she’d made the decision. She’d accepted Pesaro’s sacrifice. And perhaps she did realize that her duty as Illa Gardella extended beyond anything the men could do.

  “The pool is there,” said Mercy, breaking into his thoughts. She pointed with a powerful hand toward a small outcropping of rock.

  Now that
the sun had set, the undead had shed their cloaks and moved about with ease. The two Imperials sported swords at their waists, but kept them sheathed.

  For Sebastian, such casual interaction with vampires bothered him little. He’d become used to it while living with Beauregard off and on over the years. Of course, this situation was different, yet he had heard Lilith’s orders. She’d given her followers direction in the ancient language, presumably unaware that Sebastian’s grandfather had taught it to him long ago.

  Her instructions were clear: They weren’t to harm the mortals in any way until the portal was safely closed. Then they were to get the rings, take Victoria prisoner, and kill the others.

  Of course, Sebastian had passed that information along to his companions, who had agreed with him that the undead wouldn’t make it to see the Midiverse Portal. They didn’t need them as guides for anything but the location of the pool, and here they were.

  Now he moved toward the indicated crust of rock formation. The sun had set, but still cast a generous glow from beneath the horizon. That last bit of light would fade fast, and the moon had waned to a generous half circle since they’d left Prague more than a week ago.

  He wouldn’t be able to see well for much longer.

  Victoria and Michalas moved forward with torches to light his way, while Brim lagged behind the trio of vampires to watch for anything unexpected.

  Sebastian had insisted on being the one to wear the rings and to dip his hand in the pool, for if he was wrong about the protection of the rings, it was only fitting that he bear the results. And aside from that, he needed to do it. The desire was just as compelling as the curiosity that had driven him to look at the Gardella Bible, and he saw no reason to fight it.

  He still sought whatever path had been set for him.

  The vampires agreed with him, although Victoria argued and wanted to don the rings herself. But Sebastian had stood firm.

  The torchlight glinted over the glasslike water. Despite the soft breeze that had kept the day from being miserably hot, even though they were in the foothills of a huge mountain, the water didn’t move a ripple. Instead, the surface reflected their tall torches and the last streaks of light in the sky behind him as Sebastian knelt next to it.