The Last Guardian Rises (The Last Keeper's Daughter)

by Rebecca Trogner

  “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

  Krieger knew Beline had said this to himself and didn’t reply. He could not argue with the king’s words, though. She was a rare beauty.

  “When I was a boy, I fell in love with a lass like her. There were many women with the same coloring then, not rare like it is today. Why is that?”

  Krieger didn’t know, nor had he seen Beline in this particular mood before.

  “King Carlos must go. His rule has gotten sloppy. He spends more time with his milkmaids than listening to his subjects. What Queen Pao said is true. He is siring vampires; pitiful, weak things that he uses for his sick pleasures.” Beline took the seat facing Krieger. “Will you oppose this decision?”

  “The siring of vampires has not been an issue for many years.” Krieger heard the woman mumble something in her sleep. A pregnant woman’s blood was highly prized. He ran his tongue over his teeth. Their blood was rich, more complex, more filling than regular human blood. He realized Beline was watching him, waiting for him to continue. “If Carlos is capable now, then there will be more made, which means we have a broader issue.”

  Beline raised an eyebrow. “Which is why I’ve already spoken to the other members.” He tapped his finger on the arm of the chair. “Except for Carlos, of course. We all agree that it is time for him to cede over his territory.”

  “Why now?” Krieger never understood the logic of making Carlos king in the first place.

  “You’re isolated, protected by distance from the motherland. The Brotherhood is stronger here. We must prepare for a time when our existence can no longer be hidden. Too many births.” Beline looked at his woman. “Eventually the Brotherhood will do something that can’t be undone, something that the humans will not be able to deny. We must prepare to be discovered.”

  Krieger thought of Nina. Her discovery and identity were still a mystery to them. “The Others will be massacred. Humans will not tolerate someone higher on the food chain than themselves.”

  “You speak a truth, but not the truth.”

  “Have you gained a diplomat’s tongue since the last time we met?”

  “No.” Beline bellowed with laughter, causing the pregnant woman to stir. “Come.” He motioned outside to the balcony and led the way. “The wind is high today.” The men looked out over the cold waters that bashed against the shores of the small island.

  Of all the council members, Krieger felt closest to Beline, probably because they were men of battle from the wild shores of Europe. They both loved the rocky coasts, the cold northern waters, and the salt from the ocean being blown into their faces. At each council gathering, he and Beline always sought each other’s counsel, sometimes to discuss strategy, or to tell old tales, but most importantly, to keep their friendship alive. They both understood allies were harder to keep than enemies. Which made him think carefully about each word he was about to speak.

  “We’ve fought by each other’s side, shoulder to shoulder like brothers, but I won’t vote yes to declaring the Others to the human world. It would mean sending them into battle as cannon fodder.” Krieger cut his eyes to see what Beline was doing, but he hadn’t reacted to anything Krieger had said. “We’ve coddled the Brotherhood. Treated them like errant children. It is time we bare our teeth and put them to ground and be done with this matter.”

  “What the boy said is true. The magic returns and with it the Others prosper.” Beline lowered his head. “As we prosper.”

  “We can prosper without being discovered.” Krieger was puzzled by Beline’s behavior, and for now dropped the matter of the Brotherhood. “Then there is no opposition to Grigori’s rule?”

  “What good would it serve? So far he has posed no threat.”

  “The precedent of having an Other rule could be a threat to us.”

  The wind snapped Beline’s standard back and forth like a whip.

  “I hear your concerns.” Beline watched the waves. “We’ll force Grigori to accept a vampire queen to rule by his side.”

  “You’re serious.” Krieger couldn’t keep the astonishment out of his voice.

  Beline scratched his beard and squinted as he looked over the horizon.

  “So you believe this Grigori is the son of the Elder?”

  “I think he believes himself to be the Elder’s son.” Beline leaned his forearms against the railing. “What would it serve to overthrow him when the will of the people is behind him? Instead have him take a vampire as queen and co-ruler. If he should become a problem...”

  Krieger understood. “Then he will be dealt with.”

  “Precisely. Why make trouble before it is needed?” Beline leaned back, still holding on to the railing. “I miss our adventures. The way they kill these days with lasers and drones, it takes all the fun out of it.”

  “It makes them feel more civilized.”

  “Killing is killing.”

  “I need to speak with you about a delicate matter.” Krieger waited to continue until he knew he had Beline’s full attention. “We’ve been unable to infiltrate the Brotherhood. A year ago I lost two men who were getting close.”

  “I see.”

  “On his deathbed, my Keeper confessed to assisting the Brotherhood.”

  “Pompous mongrels. We should have murdered them all decades ago.”

  “Their usefulness had passed,” he agreed. The Keepers were corrupt at worst and impotent old men at best.

  “Do you think it was the Brotherhood that destroyed the Legacy Foundation?” Beline asked as a cold breeze caught the edges of his shirt collar.

  A lie would be the easiest, most expedient way to handle this, but Beline’s spies were legendary, and he probably already knew the truth. “It was under my orders that the archives were removed, and Mathers has taken residence in my territory.” Though the Foundation was within Beline’s territory it was not a part of it, similar to the Vatican City being a country unto itself inside Italy.

  Beline’s face gave nothing away. “I thought as much. You should have consulted me.” Beline kept his eyes on the horizon. “What do you make of the gates?”

  “We need more information,” he replied. “We’re exhausting every resource, every lead, but so far we’ve found nothing of any use.”

  “Nor I. I find myself not caring. Oh, I don’t doubt there has been a shift, something we cannot explain, or have the ability to understand, as yet. Whatever the Elders sealed off was done here, in this world.” Beline pounded the railing for emphasis. “We just have to find it.”

  He hoped it would be that easy.

  Beline slapped him on the back. “This Grigori, could he be any worse than Ekaterina?”

  “Let’s hope not.”

  “A strong Russia will unite us and keep Pao’s ambitions of ruling over Mongolia at bay.”

  “Won’t a strong Russia pose more of a threat? Right now, in such disarray, it poses no threat to the rest of us.”

  “That’s what I like about you.” Beline tapped his temple. “Always thinking two moves ahead. Russia never bares her teeth unless provoked.” He wagged his forefinger back and forth like a pendulum. “And I will make sure she is happy and content, even if it means having a half-breed Other sit on the throne.”

  Krieger thought carefully before he spoke the next words. “I had feared that Grigori might be—”

  “The strong force we feel?”

  “Yes.”

  “As we all feared.” Beline walked back into the room and resumed his seat.

  Krieger closed the balcony doors and joined him. “Then we strengthen our alliances and wait for the force to make itself known to us.”

  “Waiting is for women, but right now it is our only option.”

  “And Carlos?”

  “How many Others and vampires have petitioned to enter your territory from his?” Beline asked, and abruptly stood and walked over to the sleeping woman. He delicately brushed her hair away from her face and pulled the blanket bunched at her feet over he
r body before going to the fireplace.

  “More than a few,” Krieger responded.

  Beline brought the fire back to life by stabbing it with a poker and stood with his back to the warmth. “Now who has the diplomat’s tongue?”

  “Many Others have fled. I give them sanctuary in my kingdom. The vampires are fewer, but with each day I receive more petitions of entry.”

  “As do I.” Beline fixed the collar of his shirt which had been blown up by the wind.

  “He was made king before my reign and, in my opinion, should have never been made, but now that he is here and ruling, why risk having two untested rulers? Wouldn’t it be better to wait and see how Russia fares before dethroning Carlos?”

  Beline gave him a sly look. “We have no intention of putting an untested ruler on Carlos’ throne.”

  “No,” Krieger said, shaking his head.

  “Yes.” Beline laced his fingers together and rolled his thumbs. “There is no objection to you ruling the North and all the way to South America. It is past time, in fact. With our combined territories, we can conquer whatever may come. Especially if Grigori is what he claims to be.”

  Krieger had never sought to rule over a larger territory. “What do Pao and Merneith have to say?”

  “It was Merneith who broached the subject first.” Beline sat in the chair opposite him and let his arms fall to the sides. “We must prepare for whatever the future holds for us. If our presence should be discovered, would you want Carlos as the poster boy? Any feeble-minded human could research his image and find his origins on the Spanish throne, and his activities with the Inquisition.” Beline tapped his fingers against the chair legs. “You are right, he should have been put down centuries ago. He was a monster of a human and no better as a vampire.”

  “There must be a council vote.”

  “We have voted.”

  They sat in silence, listening to the waves bash against the rocks and the crackling of the fire. Krieger didn’t need or want a larger kingdom, but he couldn’t reject the offer. Beline had played his hand well.

  “Who is she?” Krieger asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

  “What do your senses tell you?”

  “Human.” Krieger inhaled the pregnant woman’s scent. “You’ve given her your blood.”

  “A Sanguis Ancilla, much like your own.”

  “Our laws,” Krieger started and then stopped. There was no point in lecturing Beline about vampire laws regarding feeding from pregnant women.

  “I have broken no laws. She believes her belly grows with my child.” Beline leaned forward to touch the blanket that covered her. “I have delved into her mind and found no deceit.”

  Krieger thought of Lily. “This has the feel of the Brotherhood’s handiwork.”

  “I’m sure it is and I’m waiting to see how they think to use her against me. She bears the mark of the upturned cross of the Brotherhood. I have taken precautions in case she is a spy or something worse. I won’t hesitate to do what must be done.”

  He didn’t doubt Beline’s words, knowing how he’d slain his own brother to seize the throne. “Can you afford to take the chance?” Wasn’t that exactly what they were doing with Nina?

  “You just said you lost two men trying to infiltrate the Brotherhood. We are getting nowhere using that tactic. Whatever the reason they sent Eva to me will be shown soon enough.”

  He bit his tongue. Who was he to judge?

  “She made me marry her in the church. You should have seen the priest’s face.” Beline eyes twinkled with mischief at the memory. “He knew there was something about me, but he married us just the same.” He looked at Krieger. “I’d forgotten what it is to feel like a man again. Since becoming vampire, I’ve lain with thousands upon thousands of women, knowing it would bring them no life. It is something that we gave up when we were made vampire. Century upon century it made me cold and hard as the stones which built these walls. I know that I did not spark the life growing inside her, but with my blood nurturing mother and child, my line will go on. It is something I never thought to feel again.”

  Krieger remembered Merlin’s dream. Could it have been Eva who he saw and not Lily? Or was this part of the reawakening of magic? He could tell that Eva was almost awake. “I should prepare for the evening’s festivities.”

  Beline reached out and Krieger placed his forearm to his, in the Roman way. “You have my vow that together we will break the Brotherhood, but we must bide our time and wait for the moment to strike.”

  Krieger left the room and closed the door behind him. He took his time walking down the tower stairs and paused in the communal room, watching the servants prepare the night’s meal before ascending the stone steps of his tower. The fate of two kingdoms now weighed on his shoulders. If he wasn’t successful in uniting them, then he would be replaced, and no ruler ever left the throne living.

  Hunter

  “Did any of the security cameras catch the man with her?” Hunter asked the hotel security manager.

  He, Meirta, and Harvey – Harvey was a vampire Meirta had worked with before – had flown to Sydney, Australia. Hunter kept a close eye on any strange, unsolved murders around the world. The massive cave-in and the death of an entire mining crew in Australia had not seemed like anything mysterious. Not until he saw a tabloid piece saying something deep underground had been unearthed.

  He was intrigued and called the reporter, an Erich Blount who after some research Hunter realized specialized in articles about unexplained phenomena. Was there a monster in Loch Ness? Had aliens invaded the pentagon? If Hunter hadn’t experienced the Other world he would have never given this article a second glance, but now he liked to think he had a more open mind. As he expected, it didn’t take much convincing to get the reporter to talk. Blount had spoken with the emergency crews who’d arrived at the cave in. The dead bodies were neatly stacked like cordwood. Some were completely torn apart, resting against others that looked almost normal, except all had been drained of blood. All except for one man who had lived long enough to say a few words to the EMT before he died. The dying man said that one of the miners came out with a man he’d found inside. A man who’d been imprisoned deep in the earth, wrapped in silver chains inside a cage of iron.

  There was a trail of unsolved murders leading to Sydney. All the victims were men with bite marks on their bodies and massive blood loss being the cause of death. On the plane ride over Meirta had handed him a more reputable tabloid that specialized in all things Hollywood.

  “Read this one,” she’d said, tossing it into his lap.

  One of Meirta’s guilty pleasures was keeping up with Hollywood gossip. She had a long list of sites she checked daily. Something so mundane and human made her even more endearing to him.

  “Why?”

  “Just read it.”

  It was about Audrey Moon, an American actress who’d been promoting her film in Sydney. How she’d met a man who’d completely changed her life. How she no longer needed drugs or alcohol and how much she wanted to thank him. Hunter scanned through the rest of it looking for a name. “Anson,” he said out loud.

  “She’s making a very public plea in an attempt to locate him,” Meirta responded. “I think it’s our rogue.”

  That’s what they’d been calling him, the rogue. Hunter liked rogue better than Anson. Now they were at the hotel where Audrey had stayed and encountered this man. Hunter used his police skills to obtain information and when that wasn’t effective, Harvey used his trancing abilities.

  “She had her own guards with her. More brawn than brains,” the security manager said.

  Hunter had met the type before. Usually high profile celebrities wanted bodyguards that were attractive and large instead of efficient and deadly.

  “Here.” The manager tapped the pause button. “She’s coming through the front entrance.” He advanced the images frame by frame. “All those men are her guards. I don’t see anyone else with her party.”<
br />
  “Pause it; I want to look at all the faces following.” About twenty people trailed Audrey’s party. Some were taking pictures and some were probably hoping to get an autograph. Hunter didn’t see anyone that looked out of place.

  “We don’t have cameras inside the suites,” the manager continued.

  “What about the elevators and stairs?”

  “We have them in the elevators, but not the stairs. I tried to get them installed on all the floors but management says it’s too costly.” The manager hit the play button and they watched Audrey and her entourage board the elevator. “I do have some cameras positioned on the two top floors.” He looked a little sheepish. “Towards the VIP suites, just in case there is any trouble.”

  They watched Audrey, her head down, shoulders slumped, and looking nothing like the femme fatale of her movie roles. Hunter was an admirer of film noir and from her images in the tabloids he’d thought she was a dead ringer for Veronica Lake. Same long hair tossed to one side and that certain glint in her eyes that could switch from sultry to playful in a blink. The guards held the elevator doors open for her and walked in front of her to the suite. The manager had to switch to a different file to see the floor footage. They could see her enter her suite and the guards station themselves outside her door.

  “See, it’s always the same. She goes out for public appearances and then back into her room for the rest of the day. We’ve had our share of celebrities here. Ms. Moon was not a problem. Back in the nineties we had a boy band and—”

  Hunter interrupted him. “Stop, go back.”

  “It’s just room service.”

  “No,” Hunter shook his head. “Look at his uniform. It doesn’t fit him, the pants are too short and the jacket is too tight.”

  “You’re right.” The manager hit the play button and they watched him enter the room and not leave.

  “How long does this tape run?” Hunter asked.

  “Till five p.m. that day.” He fast forwarded but there was nothing more.

  “Can you give me a still picture from the footage?”

  “Sure, it won’t be good quality though.” The manager activated the printer.