Bella Flores Urban Fantasy Collection

by R D Martin

  "He's only speaking through me," Bella said, trying to insert herself between the vampire and the desk. She might as well have been trying to slide between the bars of a jail cell for all the good it did her.

  Darius frowned before nodding. Taking a step back, he straightened and stared at her. "So, who does your master say is responsible for his kidnapping and the Algonde's murder?"

  Though he asked with an even tone, Bella could hear something beneath it. Anger? Suspicion? She wasn't sure, but she didn't have time to guess.

  "I, uh…" Bella reached up and grabbed the sides of her head as though trying to block out a loud noise. "I don't understand. It's all a jumble. He, he says a vampire did it. I can't get a clear image. One broke into our rooms and smashed his box. It tried to kill him then, but my master was too fast and escaped." Bella started shuddering like someone had doused her with ice water, and her eyes rolled up.

  "Yes? Then?" Darius asked.

  Bella shook and convulsed as though experiencing a seizure. Her knees buckled and she flopped to the floor, where she curled up in a ball, shivering and wrapping her arms around her legs to pull them tight. Wallace went to his knees beside her, placing a hand on her arm as the convulsions slowed. When they stopped, Bella's form uncurled and she took several large, gasping breaths.

  "Are you okay?" Wallace asked from her side. Scooping a hand beneath her, he helped her sit upright.

  "I'm okay. I'm okay," she replied as she rubbed the sides of her head. "It was just too much. Too many images at one time and I couldn't handle it."

  "What did he say, though?"

  "It doesn't make sense." She shifted to look up at Darius. "He says you broke into our room and tried to kill him. He, he hid with the Algonde and watched you kill her and everyone in the room. That you even broke through his wards as he hid, attacking him and leaving him for dead. But that can't be right, can it?"

  "Well, you have some details wrong, but mostly, yes." Stepping forward, Darius raised his hand and brought it down on the yellow pad, squashing the form on it. There was a sickening pop, and when the vampire lifted his hand, his palm was covered with a black and gray smudge. Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped at the smear until his skin was clean.

  "Darius!" The Representative shot to his feet. "I must protest. That was—"

  His words were choked off as the vampire reached out in one smooth motion, grabbed him around the throat, and lifted. Wallace grabbed at the arm, trying to force it away even as his feet kicked beneath him.

  "Do you really think I'm so stupid?" Darius asked as he looked down at Bella. "Did you really think filling the room with magic would keep me from smelling this thing?" He shook Wallace like a rag doll. "This isn't the Representative, it's his assistant. No magic could disguise that smell."

  So saying, he twisted his hand to the right. There was a bone-grating sound followed by a pop, and Wallace's form went limp. The vampire loosened his grip and the body fell to the floor in a heap. Bella's gaze shifted back and forth between the vampire and the body at his feet, stopping only when the form changed. As its skin crawled and shifted, it made a sound like seashells rubbing against each other. The clicking and scraping only lasted a few moments before settling into the form of Wallace's assistant.

  "You had me worried, at least for a moment," Darius continued. "I've known the Finder for centuries and he's always been a thorn, but I would never kill him. Surely you know what would happen if someone did?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

  "He's still alive?"

  "Of course he is, bag. Alive and safe for now. I'd almost begun to think you'd rescued him somehow until your little show. That would have destroyed my plans and ripped away the lovely opportunity you gave me."

  "What plans? What opportunity? Why did you kill the Algonde?"

  "Ah, now, that was just so much fun. You should have seen the look on her face when I tore open the stomach of one of her toys. I haven't enjoyed myself so much in a long time. She tried to fight, but her powers were, um, ineffective. Let's just say trying to charm a vampire is never a good idea."

  Reaching down, he grabbed Bella by the hair and lifted. Her hands shot up to grab the hand, keep it from tearing out her hair by the roots, but she was as powerless to stop him as Amalga had been.

  "Now, what to do with you." His face was passive, and as far as Bella could tell, he seemed to consider the question.

  "Go ahead, kill me, monster," she squeaked. Her heart pounded and her blood raced. He'd lifted her high enough the tips of her toes were all that supported her.

  "Kill you? I need you. Weren't you listening?" This time he smiled, though the expression never touched his eyes. "You will attend the Conclave and vote as I tell you to vote."

  "Why, why would I do that?" Her stomach twisted in knots and her arms were aching as she held on.

  "Why? Because if you do, I'll let you live."

  "And if I don't?"

  "If you don't, I'll still let you live, at least for a while. Do you know how long a human can live under torture? Let me assure you, it's quite a while. And if they do the torture right, you won't even have the escape of losing your mind."

  It wasn't a hard choice, and it was all the easier to make when he shook her.

  "Yes, yes. I'll do it."

  "Good girl," he said, setting her down and releasing his grip on her hair. Bella's legs wobbled, but she remained standing, if just barely.

  Darius stepped over Amalga's fallen body and, using the same handkerchief he'd used to clean his own hand, scooped up the remains of the smeared caterpillar before tucking it away in an inside coat pocket.

  "Now, then, shall we go? We don't want to be late."

  Bella felt the steel-like arm wrap around her as he lifted her. This time, there was no pretense at being gentle. Looking up, she locked eyes with him and for the first time saw genuine emotion touching them. He was filled with joy.

  "I believe," he said, breaking eye contact, "today will be an interesting day."

  26

  Bella wondered if Darius heard or maybe even felt her heartbeat as it thundered in her chest on the brief trip to the Conclave hall. She didn't have time to think of much else before he deposited her at her table near the dais. She shifted to ease the soreness in her muscles from being carried by the vampire and then forced to sit on the cold stone.

  Members of the Conclave began shuffling in as the third bell tolled, signaling the start of the meeting. The cacophony of noises made by attendees, everything from chirps and growls to normal speech, was as deafening as it had been before. However, this time Bella caught edges of conversation that made the hair at the nape of her neck stand on edge. Every snippet of conversation barely overheard was about a murder and the possibility of a trial.

  Cold swept through her as if her own soul was shivering. If they were talking about murder and a trial, then the Council must have reached a decision and informed the delegates. Bella had made to rise to get a better view of the recent arrivals, possibly ask them what they'd heard, when a hand clasped her shoulder and pressed down.

  The space behind her, empty just a moment prior, was now filled by a vampire she recognized as one of her guards and personal escort at her inquiry. The woman wore a stern expression and shook her head as she pressed down with a little more force. Just the fact that Bella's shoulder wasn't broken or dislocated was evidence enough the woman didn't want to hurt her, but the implacable force of the woman's hand was evidence enough to show she could.

  Bella's heart sank into her stomach. Darius had set a guard to make sure she didn't escape. She tried to tell herself that she hadn't planned to run, that she would stay and clear her name, but it didn't seem to help. There was no escape from this place, not now. She'd either walk out of here in the next hour as a free woman or be carried out as a dead one.

  She settled herself back down and the hand lifted, though Bella could still feel a cold imprint where it had been.

  Doors boomed open an
d the Council shuffled out of their meeting room and walked toward the dais. Darius led the group, followed by the octopus-headed creature she knew as Bob. After him came Jurile, the lizard-man, then the only member of the Council she had yet to meet, the woman in white representing all the species without delegates. Bella's skin tingled as she saw Wallace, dressed in black from head to toe, at the rear of the procession. She wanted to catch his eye, to find out if he was okay and their plan was still working, but he never lifted his gaze from the floor in front of him.

  As the Council took their seats, the noise in the Conclave chambers died down to a dull roar. They built this room to amplify sound, so even whispers carried some distance.

  Bob, the octopus-bear mismatch of a creature, slammed his paw on the table in front of him and the boom carried above, cutting through the remnants of conversation like scissors through silk. The remaining noise died away as he rose to his feet.

  "Delegates," he said through the translation spell that blanketed the entire hall, "I have grave news. One of our members has been murdered."

  There was silence as some members nodded, confirming they were aware of it, while others stared in shock as they processed the news. Moments passed, then a sound, like the chirp of a grasshopper on a summer evening, drifted down from the darkness high above. As if that were the signal to start Armageddon, delegates shouted out, demanding answers. Bella slapped her hands over her ears to block out the noise as delegates screamed and shouted.

  The entire Council rose to its feet, banging on the desk, shouting for order. From their spot at the center of the room, their voices washed over the crowd like a tsunami, pushing back against the onslaught of questions. As an uneasy quiet pervaded the hall, most of the Council returned to their seats, except for Bob and Darius. There seemed to be an uneasy tension between the two of them, though Bella wasn't sure she understood why. After a moment of staring at each other like two dogs ready to fight over the same scrap of meat, the octopus-headed member sat, leaving Darius as the sole focus of the entire hall.

  "Gentle Beings," he said, raising his hands like a politician at a campaign rally. "We understand your shock. Never in the Conclave's history has the peace been broken like this. For centuries we have gathered to ensure the continued well-being of all creatures, to oppose those in power as they worked to oppress us." Before continuing, he turned so every member of the assemblage could see the thousand-watt smile plastered on his face. "We work to protect the weak, defend the defenseless, and ensure cooperation between species instead of war."

  Bella frowned. Listening to Darius's speech was like listening to politicians just before they announced a raise in taxes. He didn't have any problem laying it on thick, and Bella suspected he would take credit for sunrise and sunset if he could. But whatever she thought of him, he was still impressing the delegates. Murmurs rose as they agreed with him, though not loud enough to make it hard to hear what Darius said.

  "We have used every resource at our disposal to flush out the murderer. We have approached some of you to ask for help. In the spirit of the Conclave, some of you have lent your assistance, and for that we are grateful."

  At the mention of asking members for help, there was an increase of volume, whether for pride in being asked or in jealousy at not, Bella wasn't sure. Darius, however, let the mutterings continue a moment longer. He was manipulating the crowd like a master, and even Bella had to give him credit. Delegates were on the edges of their seats, waiting to hear his next line, almost desperate to follow his lead.

  "The direction the investigation took was troubling at first, as something like this should be. It was a relief to learn the murderer was not one of us, not someone dedicated to keeping the peace built up over centuries. It was still a shock when we learned the identity of the betrayer, the being responsible for trying to tear down everything we've accomplished."

  This time the crowd wasn't silent. Shouts descended on the dais, demanding to know who was responsible, who would dare betray the Conclave.

  Council members shouted for order, banging on tables as they demanded delegates to silence themselves, but regardless of how much they yelled, the crowd ignored them as they howled for answers.

  Bella stared openmouthed at Darius as he turned in place. With just a few short words, not only did he have the delegates eating out of the palm of his hand, but he had whipped them into enough of a frenzy they would do anything he wanted. He should give human politicians lessons. When he lifted his hands again, the assemblage did for him what they refused to do for the other Council members and quieted, at least low enough so Darius's next words could be heard.

  "At first, we believed the assassin to be Bella Flores, daughter of the known murderer Oberon Flores." Darius pointed a finger at her from where he stood and Bella felt as though someone had plunged a knife in her chest. Delegates sitting near her rose from their seats, some with looks of anger and hatred etched so deep in their features that Bella was certain they were about to attack, ripping her to shreds where she sat.

  She opened the floodgates of her magic, ready to fight off anything that attacked, but something stiff and cold pressed against her throat and she stopped. There are few things in the world more distracting than having the edge of a blade slid across the skin, and a vampire, a creature who looked at death and decided it was lunch, held this one.

  Bella released her hold on the magic, and the blade quivered before her guard pulled it back. She resisted the temptation to reach up to see if it had cut her, but it was a near thing.

  "Please, please," Darius yelled, though not as loud as someone really wanting to be heard over the roar of the crowd.

  If he wanted a bloodthirsty mob, Bella thought, he's got it. But what's he going to do with it?

  "My friends, please." This time his shout cut through the noise, though it still took a few more moments for the delegates to settle. "At first I too wanted to blame her. The evidence was enough for that, but it turns out she was just a pawn, being ordered around by a greater power. A power that cares nothing for the well-being of the Conclave, a power that would watch us burn and grind the survivors beneath heavy boots."

  Darius spun and the same finger he used to point her out settled on Wallace. "It was him. The Imperium Representative. He is responsible for all this chaos. He directed the Finder's own Prime to assassinate her master. He murdered the Algonde in cold blood. The Imperium is making the move we all feared they would and have spent centuries trying to stop. They want to crush this Council, disband the Conclave, and grind us to dust under their control. It is time, my friends. Time we rise up and take back the authority they have stolen. Who is with me? Who will oppose the Imperium, with their death and oppression? Who will help me protect our families and loved ones from being murdered in the street?"

  The entire assemblage was on its feet now, each voice raised and howling for blood, and Darius basked in their fury like a human bathes in sunlight. His arms extended to the sides and he turned in a circle as a tide of beings descended toward the dais.

  The first being to reach the retaining wall tried to jump over and stopped as a rainbow-hued wave of color pushed it back. Even seeing that happen to their fellow member wasn't enough to stop other delegates as they slammed into the shield.

  A firm hand wrapped around Bella's arm and jerked her to her feet. She pulled, trying to break the grip on her arm, but it was like trying to rip through solid steel. She caught a glimpse of her bodyguard from the corner of her eye before she felt a wrenching in her shoulder and everything became a blur.

  When it came back into focus a second later, Bella stood on the dais with the Council. A firm push sent her tumbling to her knees on the platform next to Wallace. For the first time since the beginning of the proceedings, she caught his eye and as he shook his head at her, she felt as though the world had fallen out beneath her. That simple, slow shake told her he'd failed.

  He'd been so certain he could convince the Council of Darius's misdeed
s, so certain they would come around to his point of view, and she'd believed him. That was his part in the plan. She kept Darius busy while he used his influence and position to convince the other members of the Council to investigate Darius, strip him of his seat, and convict him of the Algonde's murder.

  She was sure he'd tried his best, but if she read his posture right, it hadn't been enough. Now they were both about to be tried for murder. Darius's version of events had them tied together as conspirators from the start. A few pretty words and he'd sealed both their fates. He might walk out of here alive, though by the look of the delegates there were only even odds of that happening, but she didn't have the Imperium's protection.

  Delegates continued to pound against the shield, sending rainbow-colored flares running up and down its surface, and howling for blood. It was a powerful ward, but even the strongest magic will break under enough pressure. Inside the spell protecting them from the enraged assemblage, the only thing she could hear was the arguing of the Council.

  "You incited them on purpose." The metal-on-crystal voice translated the words of the octopus-headed Council member well enough that Bella was sure he was angry.

  "Yes," the lizard-man, Jurile, intoned. "It would seem you wanted the Conclave to react in anger. Why is that, I wonder?"

  "That was not my intent, of course," Darius replied, looking calm and composed as ever. "I was informing the Conclave of our findings—"

  "You mean your findings," the metal-on-crystal translation spell interrupted. "We have had no such findings. Where is your proof of their conspiracy? We must maintain the decorum of our stations, and that means we cannot make such an accusation without evidence."

  "We have all the evidence we need. We have the witness testimony, we even have their own confessions of working together."

  "We've been through that. The evidence could point in either direction. We need to speak with the Sea Hag before we rush to judgment."