“Dad,” said Sip.
“Never mind,” Hyder snapped, storming out of the room. “Get yourselves killed.”
Helen gave a helpless look, but followed her husband.
“I’ll show them where to go and then come back for you,” said Lanca, not remotely ruffled by Hyder’s outburst.
“So, this is an interesting development,” said Sip. “And we were worried we wouldn’t see Lanca at all.”
“I don’t like it,” said Lisabelle, shaking her head.
“What’s to like? She has to sneak around her own mountain,” said Sip, shaking her head. “She has handlers and they don’t want her talking to us. That’s bad. On the other hand, we have a friend who has a mountain!”
“It’s way worse than that,” said Lough from the doorway. Lough Loughphton stood framed by the little light that came from the hallway behind him. He had blond hair, a round face, and bright red cheeks. He smiled easily and laughed even more easily than that. Lough was a sophomore with Sip and me, in the Airlee dorm. He was one of only two dream givers on campus. Unfortunately, the other dream giver, Trafton Rooks, was also in love, or at least in extreme like, with Lisabelle. Luckily, Trafton had decided to go surfing instead of attending Lanca’s coronation.
“Yay!” Sip cried happily, racing forward.
“It’s about time,” said Lisabelle, moving at a slower pace.
“Nice to see you,” I said. The four of us hugged as one, Lough wrapping his chunky arms around the three of us. His cheeks were still rosy and he still had that lovely smile. He tried hard to hide his love for Lisabelle, but when he pulled back and looked at us it was obvious that seeing her warmed his heart. It made me miss my own warm-hearted boyfriend.
“Sorry,” he said. “Lanca just sent word that you were here and that she was meeting you and that secrecy was necessary.”
“Do you know why?” Sip asked worriedly.
“No,” said Lough, “But I know that since her father’s death she hasn’t been left alone. I’m pretty sure she has a body double in her room or something. I have no idea how she managed to get away.”
“Are there other darkness mages here?” Lisabelle asked. “Is she afraid of something?”
“There are darkness mages everywhere,” said Lough. “Like, loads of them. I’ve never seen so many crabby people in my life.”
When Lisabelle glared, Lough said quickly, “None as crabby as you, though.”
“Where are they all staying?” Lisabelle pressed.
“No,” Sip cut in. “Lisabelle, you are not seeking them out.”
Lisabelle rolled her eyes. “I have to talk to them at some point.”
“Fine, but I’m going with you,” said Sip, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Yes, that’s a good idea, take the angry werewolf to see the crazy darkness mages. Couldn’t possibly go badly.”
“I forgot about their bickering,” said Lanca, coming back into the room and looking at me with another small, tentative smile. “I have not had much reason to smile recently.”
“I’m sure you’ll remember quickly now,” I said.
“I’m delighted to amuse you,” said Lisabelle. “Don’t you have some explaining to do?”
Lanca sighed. “Yes, let’s go for a walk.”
“Can’t we just go to our rooms?” Lough asked. “They could really use a shower.”
“Excuse me?” said Lisabelle, pushing one dirty lock of hair out of her face and pretending to be offended.
“We can’t go to your rooms, because your rooms have been bugged,” said Lanca patiently, as if she was talking to stupid children.
“That won’t last long,” Lisabelle muttered darkly. “Rude.” I could see some magic in the form of bug-destroying in Lisabelle’s near future.
I shifted. Vampire Locke was not a comfortable and welcoming home like Sip’s or Public. It was more like a prison. I didn’t like the idea that even my own room was ruled by enemies.
“Only tamper with them if you can make it so that no one realizes I warned you,” said Lanca tiredly. “I don’t want to tip anyone off that I know how closely I’m being watched.”
“Wait, you don’t mean there are bugs in your room as well?”
“The Rapiers have very sophisticated monitoring systems at Vampire Locke,” said Lanca. “There are no rules like the ones at Public about not spying on paranormals.”
“But you’re the future queen,” I said, pointing out the obvious, worried now for Lanca’s safety. “Don’t you have a say?”
“Just follow me,” she commanded, and glided away. The four of us exchanged looks and followed her. “We have a lot to discuss.”
“This is even worse than I thought it would be,” Lough muttered.
“Imagine exactly how bad it can be,” said Lisabelle. “You are a dream giver, so you should have a healthy imagination, and then picture it as much worse. You still probably aren’t close.”
“You don’t really think Lanca is in danger from other vampires, do you?” Sip demanded.
Lanca was leading us through corridors and down dimly lit halls. We never saw another vampire. We never even heard other living creatures.
“Of course she’s in danger from other vampires,” said Lisabelle. “She’s the main source of power for vampires in their own caste system. The Raors and the Radvarious would love to see the Rapiers crumble. Her father’s murder was the start of that process, or so they hope.”
We continued to follow Lanca, or rather, the sound of her footsteps, because long ago we had stopped being able to see her. We were spiraling downwards, and the further we went the warmer, closer, and darker it got. The dank smell of mold and wet hair hung around us and I wanted to cover my mouth, but I didn’t dare.
“Pretty sure my mom was right to be worried,” said Sip grimly.
“Your mom is smart,” said Lisabelle. “That’s why she wants you to stay away from me.”
Sip looked genuinely hurt.
“Mom doesn’t understand,” Sip said hotly.
Finally, we came to a rock wall. We had to get really close to even see that that’s what it was, because there was no light. “Oh good,” said Lisabelle. “End of the line.”
“Almost,” Lanca murmured.
“How did you even know how to get here?” Sip asked. “I can’t see a thing.”
“My dad made me memorize the way when I was a little girl,” Lanca explained softly. “It was a game we would play on rainy nights. My mom and my sister would be asleep and my dad would wake me up and say ‘count to 100, then come find me.’”
“Did you always find him?”
“It took me years,” said Lanca, her voice warming at the memory. I had never met the vampire king, but I had heard of his great love for his family. Lanca missed him dearly.
“So, he wanted you to know how to find a rock wall?” I asked. I could see enough to know that we were staring at the side of the mountain. There was no way through.
“It’s not a rock wall,” said Lanca, as she held her hand up and stuck it into a place that was about the height of Sip’s elbow. Her thin hand was quickly swallowed by shifting rock.
“It’s silent,” Sip murmured in wonder, and it was true, there were no sounds around us. Not the running of water or the skitter of little feet, just an enveloping silence.
“This should be creepy,” said Sip.
“But it isn’t, because you’re with me?” Lisabelle asked cheerfully.
“No, you make things more creepy, not less,” said Sip, staring at the place where Lanca’s hand had disappeared.
“Aww, thank you,” said Lisabelle. “Whenever I start to think well of myself I just talk to you. Shapes me right up.”
“Any old time, Roomie,” said Sip. “And I like my neon decorations.”
“You’re the only person on campus who thinks they look good, Bad Interior Decorator Party of One. And stop calling me Roomie.”
“Make me,” said Sip, folding her arms
over her chest and setting her chin in a stubborn line.
“Don’t tempt me,” Lisabelle warned.
Lanca gave me a crooked smile and I just shook my head.
The rock started to crumble and Lanca said, “Step forward.”
“If a mountain is falling in on us, don’t you think we should step back, not forward?” Sip asked nervously. “I prefer back.”
“Yes, but that’s not what is happening. The door to my father’s secret study is opening. We are about to enter the only safe haven Locke has to offer.”
Chapter Ten
Safe haven was a good description. Burning on the other side of the crumbling rock was an eternal glow.
“Cool,” Sip breathed, as the rock fell faster. Soundlessly the rock hit the floor and disappeared.
“It wasn’t a wall at all,” said Lisabelle. “Impressive.”
“Of course it’s impressive,” Lanca muttered. “It was my dad’s idea.”
In fact, we were not yet at his study, we were in another tunnel. But this one was wider and well lit and the floor was smooth stone instead of scraggly dirt. At the other end I could see the door, only instead of rock it was made of heavy wood, with long black metal straps across it.
“Nice,” Lough said. “I couldn’t dream this up.”
“My dad could,” said Lanca, looking around proudly. “Apparently he had it built when he had children, in case we ever needed a safe place. Well, he probably wasn’t planning to die, but I need a safe place.”
She stepped into the corridor as the four of us followed behind. What could Lanca’s father have possibly thought would go wrong that she would need a room that no one else knew about?
“Does Dirr know about this?” I asked.
“No,” said Lanca. “Not yet. I haven’t had time to show her, and I don’t want to worry her. She’s pretty upset, and she just got back from Public.”
We were now in King Daemon’s study. Each wall was lined with black leather bound books. There were heavy black velvet drapes that could be pulled across the walls to cover the shelves of books, and the carpet was thick and red, so plush that it felt like several carpets stacked on top of each other. All around were chairs and sofas, and in the center was a large desk strewn with papers.
Lanca sank into the leather chair that was pushed up against the large desk.
I had thought she looked tired before, but the way she wilted into her father’s chair made me realize that she had been trying hard to appear upbeat, and now, in the safety of King Daemon’s sanctuary, she could finally crumble.
It was a long time before she stopped crying. Sip and I went to her instantly, while Lough sat awkwardly on one of the couches and Lisabelle prowled the room, examining everything.
It was something I had recently noticed about Lisabelle. She wanted to see everything in a room, examine it and touch it, learn its nuances. I wondered why it had taken me so long to notice.
When she made a move toward King Daemon’s papers, Lanca stirred.
Hiccupping, she wiped the back of her hand across her eyes while Sip fished a handkerchief out of the desk.
“I know I’m being silly,” Lanca sniffed. “I’m going to be queen, and here I am crying like a baby. No wonder my advisors are worried.”
“Who exactly is worried?” Lisabelle asked, still gently moving papers around on the table.
“I haven’t even had a chance to look at those,” said Lanca. “It’s so hard to get away. Dacer had to help me,” she said, glancing at me. My ears perked up at the sound of my mentor’s voice, but I wanted to hear the answer to Lisabelle’s question, so I didn’t ask where he was. I was just glad he was helping.
“Castov, for one,” said Lanca bitterly. “And his ridiculous spawn Faci. They are pretend worried, anyway.”
“Who is Castov?” I asked. The name wasn’t familiar, and I was only just realizing how much I didn’t know about the paranormal world outside Public.
“My father’s ‘most trusted’ advisor,” said Lanca, shivering a little. “I never liked him, and since my father died he has become unbearable. He has actually asserted that my father agreed for me to marry Faci, that is, that we are officially betrothed.”
“Even though they’re not of royal blood,” said Lough. “Castov is pushing hard for the union.”
“Basically he wants to rule the Rapiers, and he thinks he’ll get his wish if I marry his son,” Lanca explained, staring at the walls absently.
“How old is his son?” Sip asked.
Lisabelle snorted. “Seventeen.”
Sip rolled her eyes. “What are you going to do?”
Lanca shrugged. “I agreed to the ‘betrothal’ to shut Castov up. The more I’m around Faci, though, the more I think I can’t possibly marry him. He is evil, maybe not naturally evil like the demons, but evil nonetheless.”
“He’s good friends with Validification,” said Lisabelle. She was walking slowly around the room, looking at every book. Some she picked up and examined, always carefully, while others she merely brushed her hand over. “They’re two peas in a black pod.”
“So, Daisy and Dobrov are here?” I said. Dobrov Validification had turned out to be a powerful ally. He and his twin sister Daisy, who had a hate-hate relationship with Lisabelle dating from when they were children, had started at Public that fall. They were hybrids, half vampire and half darkness mage. It was not a good combination. They had boiled-looking skin that often broke out into sores. Dobrov had spent the fall barely talking, while Daisy had made it clear that she would rather kill you than exchange words.
But Dobrov had helped save us in the forest the night our Tactical team was sent out to face demons. Since then, I had thought of him as a friend - kind of.
“Daisy is here,” said Lough, chewing on his lower lip. “Girl makes me nervous. But Dobrov won’t be here until tomorrow. Daisy has been enough of a handful all by herself.”
“I can imagine,” said Lisabelle dryly. Daisy’s arrival at Public last year was the first time I had ever seen Lisabelle rattled.
“Is Castov the one spying on you?”
Lanca sighed. “I don’t know. Either that or it’s one of the other vampires families. Or both. You should be careful of any vampire who does not wear my crest.” She pointed to her shoulder, on which there was a tiny red design of a Rapier, the sign of her sect.
“Castov wears your crest though, does he not?” Lisabelle asked shrewdly. “As does his child Faci.”
Lanca rested her elbows on her father’s desk and rubbed her temples tiredly. “So, just be careful of everyone. Lisabelle, that shouldn’t be too hard for you.”
Lisabelle wandered over to the desk and stared down at one of King Daemon’s papers. “Does Castov know about this place?”
“No,” said Lanca quickly. “My father didn’t tell anyone but me. It was his way of making sure that I had a safe place to go. Recently I’ve wished I could stay here forever. He kept some very important Rapier heirlooms here. I would not bring anyone here that I did not trust implicitly.”
She said it wistfully, but I knew part of her really did want that peace and safety. No matter what, from now on Lanca would never have either, no matter how long she lived.
I wondered if one of the heirlooms she was talking about was the Fang First. It was one of the artifacts of the Paranormal Wheel, and I knew at least two people, Risper and Malle, who would love to have it in their possession.
“Don’t you have other friends who can advise you?” Lough asked. “There were always vampires around you at school. Some gave their lives.” During my first semester at Public a vampire named Tale had died saving Lanca when we were under attack. It was something that still pained the vampire princess.
Lanca lifted a shoulder, her eyes sad. “I have a couple of friends I trust, although recently they’ve questioned whether or not that is true. But no, I don’t want to discuss these problems with other vampires. They hit too close to home. You four, and Keller, ar
e the only ones I can talk to about them.”
“Is that what you wanted to talk about? Castov trying to marry you to his son?”
“Oh no,” said Lanca. “I can handle that. Faci is only a boy. I do believe, though, that my parents wanted me to choose someone I loved, even if that is unusual for vampire princesses.”
“My parents just want me to find someone who will tolerate me,” said Lisabelle thoughtfully. “They’ll be waiting a rather long time, I’m afraid.”
“Basically, another me only less cute, and male?” Sip asked.
“Yeah, just like that,” said Lisabelle dryly.
“What else did you want to discuss?” I said. My friends’ banter had a tendency to get us off track, and Lanca clearly needed rest soon. She would have none in the days to come.
Lanca took a deep breath and I braced myself for what she was about to say. When she tried to speak tears filled her eyes. She needed several tries before she managed to get out, “I think my father was murdered.”
Lisabelle frowned. “We know he was murdered. The report is that he was attacked by demons. Do you not think that’s true?”
“Oh, that’s definitely true,” said Lanca. She absently shifted papers on her father’s desk. “I just don’t think the demons tracked him down. I think a Rapier told them where to find him. He never had a chance.”
“How awful,” said Sip, her eyes filled with sadness. “Why would anyone do such a thing?”
“Power,” said Lisabelle shrugging to say it was obvious. Most paranormals who have it fight to keep it, and most paranormals who don’t have it fight to get it.
“That’s not very specific,” said Sip. “Power through . . . what means? What does a Rapier gain from King Daemon’s death?”
“My father was trying to get paranormals together to fight the demons,” Lanca explained. “The paranormal police academy was his idea. Granted, it will take a while to get it off the ground, but he was all in favor of working together and compromising. Fewer and fewer paranormals support that these days.”
Elemental Dawn (Paranormal Public) Page 7