by R D Martin
"Only if you want me to eat him before you get back." Gar smiled and his teeth seemed more pointed. "Besides, you should take him along. You'll be gone at least three days and sitting in a room by yourself most of the time. You'll want the company.”
"You've never been stuck in a room alone with him," she mumbled. "Okay, so pack for at least three days. Where are we going? Should I pack shorts or a jacket? And what are we going to be doing?"
"I didn't say? I thought I had."
"No, you didn't say."
"Oh, well, then. Must have lost track of my thoughts when you mentioned Cat. You know, now that I think about it, I could watch him for you. And you'd get most of him back too."
"Funny, Gar. But seriously, where are we going? What are we going to be doing?"
"All right, all right. If you insist. You and the Finder are going to the Conclave in Florence."
"Italy?"
"No, Texas. Of course, Italy."
3
The tingling sensation of stepping through a travel portal always felt, at least to Bella, like being doused with freezing water. Even though her clothes were dry, she still had icy shivers running up and down her spine. If stepping through the portal was a shock, though, what she saw on the other side made her jaw drop in surprise.
I'm going to kill Gar. Bella and the hairy giant had spent hours the previous night going over her role at the Conclave, what the Finder expected her to do, the timetable, and all the minor things Gar said were his job at one of these affairs. When describing the place, though, he'd made it seem like they held the Conclave in a dark cave lit by torches, hidden in the middle of nowhere.
Staring at her surroundings, she tried to think of a word, any word, to describe what she was seeing. After a moment, she settled for opulence, though even that didn't seem right either.
The lobby, at least that's what Bella assumed it was, would make any five-star-hotel owner turn green with envy. It was large enough to hold the hundreds of people and creatures already in it without feeling crowded. In different areas, travel portals flared to life on platforms created to keep beings from being sliced in half by the travel magic. Their surfaces reflected light and the images of nearby people like highly polished mirrors before rippling like water as travelers stepped through.
Beings with feathers walked across carpets so thick their feet disappeared in the pile, while even their brightest plumages seemed dull against the backdrop of color splashed everywhere. Bella stared in awe as something with long black-and-white feathers tore at the carpet with curved talons. Shredded bits of red, green, and gold flew into the air around it until, satisfied with its work, the creature seated itself in the torn section like a mother bird on her nest.
Even before Bella could look away, a group of people were approaching it, waving their hands and arms in the air. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but by the looks on their faces, she could tell they weren't happy.
"If you please, madam."
Bella jerked at the noise and almost dropped the small wooden box she carried. Turning to her right, she eyed the speaker even as she tried to control her racing heartbeat.
The speaker was a young man with black hair slicked back by so much grease that standing near an open flame would be dangerous. But, while his hair was dark enough to blend into shadow, the combination of his waxy pallor and bloodshot eyes did nothing to hide what he was. A vampire. If Bella were to guess, he was probably a newly turned one at that. For whatever reason, every new vampire dressed as though they'd just stepped out of a classic horror movie. It made them easy to spot, even in a crowd like this.
"Excuse me?"
"The dais," the vampire said, pointing to the platform she stood on. "Please step down. You are holding up other travelers."
"Oh. Um, yeah. Sorry about that." She felt her cheeks burn and was certain he could see her blush. Stepping down, she tried to ignore the man's not-so-subtle mutter and shake of his head. Moving away from the portal's edge, she felt the magic holding it open slip away, and its mirrored surface winked from existence. Before she'd made it two feet from the dais, she heard a whoosh of air as a new portal opened behind her. Resisting the urge to turn and stare, she tried to pass through the crowd without gawking too much.
Beings of all types filled every space in the reception area. She'd become used to seeing such a variety of creatures in the Circus, the marketplace and crossroads of the supernatural world, but she'd never seen such an assortment anywhere else. There were creatures with fur of every shade and feathers so bright it hurt to look straight at them. Everything from an Aigamuxa, something almost humanoid in appearance but with eyes on its feet instead of its face, to a Zilant, a small creature that looked like a mix of dragon, chicken, and snake. Though, from the collar and leash around its reptilian neck, she thought it might just be someone's pet.
Adding to the cacophony of hundreds of creatures trying to speak at the same time was the magic suffusing the air. The energy was so thick as to be almost visible, and Bella was sure if someone tried to cast a simple spark spell, they'd end up destroying the room with lightning bolts. She only hoped nothing accidental happened until she could get clear of the area. While some beings, like witches, harness magic to use as they see fit, others taken hold of by the power don't have that luxury. Shape-shifters have no control over what they change into and are forced to change whether they want to or not. Some beings, like unicorns, are a creation of magic and exude the wild energy. Even mundanes can feel the magic flowing from one of those majestic beasts.
Passing between, and sometimes under, Conclave attendees, Bella made her way toward a man waving a clipboard and shouting at others. In all the chaos, he seemed to be the only person with any idea of what was going on. As she approached, though, she felt waves of power radiating from him. It was as though he'd become the center of her universe and she couldn't take her eyes off him. Without realizing, Bella came to a stop so close she could touch him, and her trembling hand was reaching up to do just that.
The man, or maybe god, stopped shouting orders and looked down at her. His ruby-red eyes seemed to stare straight into her soul and, unable to look away, Bella felt her stomach begin twisting in knots. Nothing else in the world seemed as important as this moment. It was just her and him. Every noise but the beating of her heart became a distant muffle. Every light seemed to shine on his pale skin until he gleamed as bright as the sun.
Bella's pulse quickened and her hand shook harder, though it was still inches from him. He was what she needed. He would fill the hole in her soul she didn't know existed until now. He was her future, her destiny, her everything.
Bella.
The Finder's thought barreled through her mind like a freight train plowing through a vehicle stuck on the tracks. Nothing stood in its way as it bounced off the insides of her skull. She wanted to scream at the invasion, to slap her hands over her ears and block out the noise, but she was stuck, frozen in place like a mammoth trapped in ice.
After a moment that felt like an eternity, the pain faded. Blinking away tears, she looked at the man in front of her. He was still handsome, but no longer godlike. And though she could feel the power flowing off him in waves, his charismatic pull was dimmed to something manageable. Seeing him now, no one could deny the man was a vampire, an old and incredibly powerful one.
"May I help you?" The man's deep timbre sent shivers running up her spine.
"I, um, I… that is…" She was still at a loss for words.
"Human." The man's eyes didn't shift, and the corner of his lip quivered as though he was trying not to smile at a joke only he heard. "And who are you here with, I wonder?"
The man's hand shot out in a move so fast Bella wasn't sure she'd even seen a blur. One second it was by his side; the next, the tips of his fingers were against her temple, firm and cold, as unyielding as a marble statue.
Before she could react, even so much as to take a step back to break the contact, the vampire was i
n her mind.
When the Finder rooted in her head, it was like she was a scrapbook, open to him to read her past in any manner he saw fit. There was no subtlety in what he did, and she always felt as though she was a passenger along for the ride. With the vampire, however, it was almost the opposite. His touch felt as if they'd become one being and it was her choice to open to him. He was encouraging and warm. There was no need to hide from his mind and she wanted to share everything with him, even those dark things kept safe behind locked doors. She was his, she was…
When his fingers left the side of her head, Bella felt as if a small part of her was missing, and she blinked, stunned from the intrusion. How dare he? How dare the vampire enter her mind and play around as though it belonged to him? She would burn him where he stood, turn him to ashes and bring the building down on his head. Opening herself to magic, she let the power fill every cell as it coursed through her. She'd show this vampire what a witch could do.
Bella raised her hand to release the power, but stopped when he bowed.
"Welcome, Finder." The words were deferential, as though he was showing respect for an old friend. The deep timbre was still there, but all traces of the energy that suffused it were gone. "I am glad to see you have arrived in good stead."
Thank you, Darius. Your greetings warm me.
Bella shook her head. Words had come from her mouth, but they were not her words. Rather, they were the thoughts of the Finder. The vampire Darius smiled, this time without causing a thousand volts to run through Bella.
"We have a fine turnout. All the young ones seem… keen on attending. Fortunately, most of the old ones have arrived as well."
That is good. It has been ten years, and we must air grievances.
"True. Though depending on the vote, petty grievances might be the least of our worries. We have prepared quarters for you. Will your, uh…" He paused and looked Bella up and down. "Your assistant be needing accommodation as well?"
Prime. She is Oberon's daughter.
"Oh." The vampire's eyebrows rose at the news. "Forgive me, Prime. Your father was an impressive man for a human. His death was a loss for us all."
Her father? He'd been here? How did this vampire know him? What would he have been doing in a place like this?
Before she had the chance to ask questions, Darius snapped his fingers. The sound seemed to cut through the conversations of people nearby, and before it faded, another young man and a woman in a long white flowing dress appeared at his side. With the speed at which they arrived, Bella would have been willing to believe they'd always been there, just hidden behind an invisibility spell. Darius gave the duo a set of orders, and while the young man disappeared as fast as he'd arrived, the young woman beckoned Bella to follow her.
Walking in her guide's wake, Bella passed through the crowd and entered another chamber. Beings had already begun filtering into the room and had taken seats. If she had thought the reception area was large, it was almost minuscule compared to this room.
The room was round and built like a Greek amphitheater, row upon row of stone seats and tables all circling a main dais. The ceiling overhead was so high the lights of the room failed to penetrate the dark. From the high-pitched squeals and squawks filtering down from the darkness, Bella thought that might be a good thing.
Her guide never slowed down as she descended level after level of stairs. They were almost at the lowest level of the amphitheater before the woman stopped. Indicating a seat, the guide nodded once and disappeared as though made of smoke and blown away in a breeze.
"I guess this is us," Bella mumbled. Setting the box she carried on the stone table, she slid onto the bench, shivering for a moment as the cold from the seat ran up her backside. Though the stone was smooth, either from work or age, it was created for utility, not comfort. Shifting a little, she made a mental note to bring a pillow to sit on next time.
Finally situated, she pressed the pads of her thumbs to the opposite corners of the box she'd brought. Whispering a short incantation, she fed the smallest stream of magic she could into the box. Her control had to be perfect. Too much magic and the spell would fail; too little and it wouldn't activate. As the magic took hold, small red lines filled the scrollwork of the box, following the carvings until they covered the entire top with a glow stretching from thumb to thumb. Where the lines met in the center, a small blue star appeared, flashed once, and faded.
Following the star's example, the box started fading as well. Beginning in the center of the lid, the box changed, becoming translucent as though turning into a pane of glass with a layer of frost on it. In moments that frost disappeared as well, leaving the entire box clearer than the finest glass. Though she could still feel it beneath her fingers, the only thing she could see was the Finder inching his way around the interior.
"So, we're here. Can you tell me why now? What is this all for? And why was the last time a decade ago? And my father? What does any of this have to do with him? How did that vampire know him? And what's a Prime?"
Calm your mind. The Finder's thoughts slid into her head and cut off her line of questions. We hold the Conclave every decade as a way for us to air our grievances with the Imperium. You didn't think they ran everything by strength of power, did you?
Bella tried to ignore the flush creeping up her neck at his words. To be honest, she'd never given it much thought before. To her, the Imperium had always been the bogeyman in the closet, shock troopers ready to kick in the door and drag away guilty and innocent alike, never to be seen again.
"So what am I doing here, then? I mean—"
You are here because I require you to be here.
"I know that, but why?"
She didn't know if the Finder could sigh, but regardless, as his thoughts filtered through her mind, she would have sworn he did.
It is considered… impolite to enter another's mind unbidden. Besides, there are too many here for me to speak with at once. So I shall speak through you.
That made sense, she guessed. But there were still so many questions. Even as she tried to think of how to ask them, more beings shuffled, slithered, and soared into the room. The quiet din became a roar as the assemblage tried to speak with each other, attempting to be heard over the echoes of those nearest. The noise rose a level that made Bella want to cover her ears.
Just as it reached a fever pitch, the sound cut out as five beings entered the amphitheater through a lower door and made their way to the stage. Three of them were human, or humanoid. She recognized Darius, and the man behind him, dressed in black from head to toe, seemed familiar as well. She couldn't place her finger on it, but she knew she'd seen him somewhere before. It would come to her eventually, so she pushed the thought to the side to watch the rest of the procession. The third member of the procession, a woman, moved with a grace that belonged to runway models. As for the remaining creatures, one was lizard-like, and Bella didn't even recognize the other’s species. She was about to ask the Finder when his thoughts interrupted hers.
It has begun.
4
Bella had watched politicians on television and, watching Conclave delegates argue and shout, came to one inescapable conclusion. It didn't matter if the speaker was human, shifter, or something that only communicated through bubbles that made sounds when popped, politics was still boring.
The first half of the morning's session was devoted to roll call. Every delegate attending stood to give its name before announcing who it represented. Some were there to represent clans, while others represented their entire species. When the Pukwudgie, a short humanoid with gray skin like a troll, introduced himself, he claimed to represent all the North American Pukwudgie. Bella hadn't even known they'd existed. Others represented multiple species. Any species not having an attendee, however, were represented by the woman on the dais.
The routine became so monotonous that it was almost a shock when it was her turn to stand. Fortunately, while she had tuned out most of the previous
hour, the Finder had not. One thought from him snapped her back to attention and she rose as smoothly as she could before the Finder took control of her voice. It was a weird sensation to hear someone else's words coming from her mouth, and she hoped he didn't have to do it often.
She tried to pay attention to the rest of the meeting, but it proved to be almost as boring. After roll call, there was a motion to bring up past business. Of all the items brought up, the only one that caught her attention was one tribe of water dwellers attempting to get Council approval to sacrifice a thousand members of a neighboring tribe to resurrect a dark ocean god. They voted the motion down, but the description of the sacrificial ritual, along with the images of the angry god supplied by the Finder, made Bella's stomach queasy.
When the morning session ended, she was more than happy to take the Finder and leave the amphitheater as fast as possible. Not only was she sore from sitting on the stone bench, but she was sure the entire room would break into chaos at any second. Listening to the members, she could believe they were all after blood. At least she'd get a break for a while, though. The afternoon session wasn't scheduled to resume for another three hours. Apparently, it took that long for some members to eat a light lunch.
Arriving at the set of adjoining rooms she and the Finder would share for the next few days was as much a disappointment as a relief. With the opulence of the reception area still in her mind, Bella had thought her room would be comfortable as well. Instead, she found rooms that looked as if they'd been ransacked by Viking raiders. The Finder's room wasn't exactly bare, but it might as well have been. Besides a few colorful tapestries hanging from the walls, the only thing in the sizable room was a single stand carved from a dull red wood that seemed to absorb all the light touching it. Following her employer's instructions, she activated the room's security wards, slid the dead bolt on the door into place, and set his now opaque box on the stand before checking out her own room.