Come Hell or High Water (Hellcat Series Book 5)

by Sharon Hannaford

  Fortunately Gabi also tended to worry at the ring when she was bored or anxious, so Kimberley’s slight fidgeting wouldn’t draw unwarranted attention. The replica Nex nestled in a replica sheath down the back of her faux-fur-lined, leather bomber jacket; it might not be deepest winter here anymore, but the castle held a bone-chilling coolness almost all year round. She wore Gabi’s auburn curls loose, shielding her face to a degree, giving her a margin for error in facial expressions and unconscious reactions. Julius was impressed with her acting skills; she was a true chameleon. So good that it seemed almost magical in nature. He was more than impressed that she’d agreed to this madness. He hadn’t even needed to resort to manipulating her mind, she’d signed up willingly. He would be in her debt once this was over.

  They’d devised a wordless communication system during the long hours on the plane; ways for Kimberley to tell him if she was nearing the exhaustion point, and ways for him to warn her she was doing something unGabi-like. The system required physical contact, which didn’t bother Julius, he’d been in close physical contact with female Feeders and unknowing donors for centuries, but Kimberley had to steel herself to his touch. She was still nervous of him, and it took everything in her not to flinch when he came too close to her.

  She was under orders to say as little as possible without arousing suspicion. One of the Princeps, a Vampire named Faruq, had the ability to tell truth from falsehood. Julius was shielding Kimberley using his Magi abilities, but he wasn’t sure that would keep Faruq from sensing her deception. Julius was counting on Faruq doing as little as possible to call attention to himself, especially where Julius and Gabi were concerned. After all, he’d been one of those fooled by Helene, the Vampiress maneater, into doing her bidding against Princep ordinance, and had only just forced himself to speak the truth instead of defending her. The others all knew how close it had been, and, having proven his fallibility, the integrity of his word could now be in question.

  Their guide, a short, stoutly built female Vampire, slowed at a door. It was a carved, wooden door much the same as numerous others they’d passed down the long, heavily carpeted corridor, but Julius could sense the other Vampires behind it. The Vampire servant, not the same one who’d overseen their stay the last time, knocked quietly and then opened the door, stepping back to allow Julius and Kimberley to enter.

  The room was large and severely extravagant. It was like a scene from Downton Abbey, and possibly what his family home would’ve looked like if his mother hadn’t been the eclectic free spirit she was. Heavy brocade curtains contended with heavier brocade furniture and onerously patterned rugs, the overbearing tenebrosity exacerbated by dark wood furniture and morbid paintings of bloody battles and malcontent portrait subjects. Julius wondered whose idea of decor this was.

  He turned his attention to the gathering of Vampires. All twelve of the Princeps were already in attendance; gathered in small groups of two and three, some standing, some sitting.

  “Ah, Julius,” Oleksandra greeted him, from her seat in a gaudily tapestried wingback chair, “it is good to see you looking well.” Her heavy accent was laced with authentic happiness. “Welcome to you both.” She turned her grandmotherly smile to Kimberley. “I hope the trip was not too tiring.”

  “Thank you, Lady Oleksandra,” Kimberley replied on cue. “The trip was fine.” She, like Gabi before her, had had to learn the names, faces and abilities of all the Princeps on the plane trip here. A point in Kimberley’s favour was her natural photographic memory; this particular trait was intrinsically linked to her incredible grasp of her Doppelganger ability. Without perfect recall, a Doppelganger could never pull off what she did.

  “Excuse the informal setting.” Eliasz stood from his small clique and extended his arm around the room, a look of pride on his face. Ah, now Julius knew who had commissioned the oppressive decor of the room. He just barely kept himself from glancing at Klara, Eliasz’s wife and puppet master, who was seated primly beside him. “We weary of the formalness of the Hall, so we thought it would be more comfortable to have our meeting here in our library instead.” It took a little searching, but Julius did eventually find the pair of bookshelves in a far corner, neatly packed with old tomes.

  “Of course, Princep,” Julius said with a tiny bow of his head. “It is always a treat to be reminded of my roots.”

  Eliasz’s return smile was bland.

  “Thank you for taking time to attend our summons.” Cassandra stood, as thin and waiflike as always. Her kind blue eyes so utterly contrary to her awful ability to kill with a touch. “I understand there has been strife in the City; I know what it must cost you to leave at this time. We will be as brief as we can.” Cassandra was the youngest in Vampire years of the group, this translated into a better grasp of current standards of tact and diplomacy, but she was also, by nature, an understanding, non-judgmental soul.

  Benedict was sitting near her, though lounging would be a better term. Slouched in a delicate armchair with his grungy boots planted uncaringly on another and his sunglasses halfway down his nose as he chewed gum, he was pointedly ignoring Klara’s death glares.

  “Thank you for understanding my predicament.” Julius inclined his head to Cassandra politely. “I ask your forgiveness in advance should something untoward happen and require me to leave urgently. It would be with no intention to disrespect the Court, but my Clan are at high risk with both myself and my Consort here.”

  “Of course, Julius.” Oleksandra spoke again, interrupting at least three others who would’ve spoken. Klara and Akshita, the Indian beauty, looked put out by the mild rebuke; the other was so far unknown to Julius and she narrowed her dark, feline eyes, clearly assessing him. “We all understand the need to protect our Clans, do we not?”

  No one added vocal agreement, but no one dared defy the Princep Prime either, not on a matter so relatively trivial. Julius was glad she seemed to be on his side; however he was clueless as to what he’d done to deserve her amenability. Perhaps she too hadn’t been overly fond of the now-deceased Helene. “Oh, and of course, you haven’t met our two newest members,” she continued, following the line of his gaze.

  “This is Dendara.” She indicated the slim, dark-haired woman who was still sizing him up. She wore modern clothing, unlike many of her counterparts, a smart, silk pants suit, and flaunted perfect make-up and expensive jewellery. She appeared cool and businesslike, but Julius sensed an underlying animosity. He made a mental note to ask Benedict and Xavier about her even as he smiled a polite greeting.

  “And that is Magnus.” Oleksandra leaned forward to wave towards a man who rose from his seat near the back of the library.

  Julius only just caught his face from betraying his astonishment. He’d heard a rumour or two about the size of the Vampire known as Magnus, but seeing him in the flesh was astounding. He was massive. Julius himself stood well over six feet tall and couldn’t ever remember being referred to as scrawny, but that’s how he felt right now. The man was a mountain, nearing seven feet tall, and half again as broad as Julius. Without an ounce of extraneous fat on him, he was one of the most physically imposing people Julius had ever laid eyes on. And yet Julius hadn’t even noticed him until the man stood up. Quite remarkable.

  “Master Julius.” The man inclined his head cordially. His voice was a deep rumble reminiscent of Fergus, sans the heavy Scottish accent. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He smiled then, and the sentiment crinkled the corners of his eyes.

  Julius acknowledged the smile with a genuine one of his own and turned slightly to glance at Kimberley. Gabi/Kimberley was looking the huge man up and down with an appreciative eye, not the woman-assessing-a-guy kind of look, but the natural-born-warrior-eying-another-impressive-warrior kind of assessment.

  Magnus too turned his attention to Kimberley. “Consort Gabrielle, I have heard much about you. I hope we have time to speak before you leave. My curiosity burns me like hot coals.”

  “I’ll hav
e to check my schedule,” was Kimberley’s quick riposte. “I’ll get back to you.” She cracked a half smile at the man, who bowed deferentially.

  Julius suppressed a sigh; it seemed Gabi had yet another admirer.

  “Well, let’s get to the business of the night.” Eliasz broke the camaraderie. “We have much to discuss before the trial.”

  ********************

  “So let me see if I have understood you correctly,” Julius said half an hour later. The faces of all twelve Princeps were turned to him. They sat around a large, carved table nestled at the far side of the library. Expressions ranged from boredom to expectant to commanding. Benedict’s face was for once blank and unreadable; Julius had become used to seeing the man as a friend and he didn’t know what to read into the lack of emotion. Kimberley sat composed at his side, carefully not fidgeting or meeting anyone’s gaze directly. “In essence you want Gabrielle and myself to form a…” he searched for words, “specialized task force?”

  “That’s an appropriate title for the position,” Fianna agreed. The fierce Irish woman had been more vocal at this meeting than at any of their previous encounters, though it made sense this discussion was one that would interest her; she was a renowned warrior, one who had never been bested in battle, not even by the best male fighters. “You would be provided with everything you need. All costs would be carried by the Court. You would report to none but us. You will be free to enlist whomever you wanted as part of your team; we don’t expect all the work to be carried by your Clan. We would ensure that members from other Clans were at your disposal. You would be able to draw on resources and skill sets from any of the Clans or our own Court staff.”

  “Within reason,” Klara interjected. When all eyes turned to her, some glaring, she rushed to explain herself. “Well, some Masters have need of certain members; surely it would be allowable that there be some give and take.”

  “Your concerns are noted, Princep,” Julius interjected. “I understand your reasoning, and I wouldn’t want to upset any of my fellow Masters, I assure you.” He turned back to Fianna. Magnus was seated next to her, and he seemed as invested in the discussion as she was. “Are you certain this approach will not cause disharmony with the Enforcers? That system has been in place many centuries.” He didn’t say aloud what others would be thinking; the Enforcers were the Princeps’ elite army, the ones who tracked down those who’d broken Vampire law, and the ones who most often dished out the punishment decreed by the Princeps. There was a strict hierarchy in place, and only the best of the best were appointed to positions in the squad. Each member had to prove him or herself repeatedly to earn their position, and they were coveted roles, with the result that most of them walked around exuding a certain level of arrogance. Julius could not imagine them reacting well to the formation of another force, especially one that would ultimately have authority over them as well.

  “It is not the Enforcers’ job to make this kind of decision,” Fianna told him, breaking eye contact and glancing around at some of the other Princeps. There was a sternness in her tone; perhaps he wasn’t the only one who thought the Enforcers had been given just a little too much leeway. “They will accept whatever we decree. And they will pretend to like it.” A note of finality rang in her words.

  “Agreed,” Magnus chimed in. “Master Julius, the Enforcers will not be an issue you need to concern yourself with. I have taken it upon myself to lend a little guidance to our Enforcers. It seems that they were becoming a little staid and set in their ways. I consider it a personal mission to drag them back into shape.” He smiled reassuringly, but something wolfish underscored that smile, and Julius thought that the Enforcers might just be in for something of a shock.

  “We would set up our headquarters and be based in the City?” he checked.

  “Of course, Julius,” Oleksandra said. “We know the place is important to you, and we do not expect your Clan to suffer because of this special assignment. We do not even expect you to do it forever; we would reassess the need for it every couple of years. It may well be that you are not needed very often after we convict the first few; but it is imperative that we show not one ounce of weakness or mercy right now while the Vampire world is in such dangerous flux.”

  A few heads around the table nodded. Klara and Eliasz remained still and their expressions were clouded. Julius noted that Dendara and Ashita also didn’t seem to share the sentiment of the majority.

  “We would have the freedom to investigate anyone, from any Clan, including here at Court?”

  There was a slight but definite pause, and more than one indrawn breath. Perhaps this had been one question they’d been hoping to avoid. It was important to Julius, though. In fact, it was the most important one. The answer to this would be the deciding factor as to whether he walked away from negotiations right now.

  “You would be charged with that responsibility,” Fianna said at last. “The ultimate fate of each suspect would still be decided by trial here at Court,” she waved a hand around at her fellow Princeps, “but it will be entirely up to you whether to pursue someone, as it will be your responsibility to provide proof of their wrongdoing. The Enforcers will be at your disposal to assist with bringing those identified to Court for trial, unless you prefer to do this yourself.”

  “And if the suspect is killed during the investigation or while being apprehended or transported to Court?” Julius wasn’t leaving anything to chance when considering this proposal.

  “Occurrences like these would be investigated by a panel of Princeps,” Fianna explained, “probably myself and Magnus, as we have the most experience in this regard. Provided the evidence was clear and the use of force reasonable, you will be cleared. We have been dealing with this exact kind of situation for centuries with the Enforcers, and only once has an Enforcer been held personally responsible for an unnecessary death. We are asking you for your assistance largely because we trust your dedication and your honesty. That is as much assurance as we can give you.”

  A knock came at the door. “Come,” Oleksandra called. A male Vampire opened the door. He bowed deeply, keeping his gaze focussed on the floor.

  “They are awaiting your presence in the Hall, your Ladyship,” he said. “The trial is ready to begin.”

  ********************

  Following his near miss at the Estate, Caspian decided to change tactics. He had come to the conclusion that no one in the Clan knew anything about the one he sought. He needed a new line of investigation. He’d never needed to be an investigator before, but he decided it was something he could learn, he’d taught himself many skills over the centuries. Clearing his mind and opening himself up to other options had led him to the revelation that he’d been following the wrong people. If Gabi and Julius were harbouring the Maleficus, he would’ve heard something about it. And if they weren’t holding her…ah, the young High Council Magus. If anyone in the City knew where the Dark Magus was being held, it would be her. Now just to find her.

  ********************

  Benedict was pacing the length of the sitting room. The two of them were alone. Kimberley and Derek were sleeping off the jet lag, and the others had gone off in search of Feeders. He was relieved that Benedict had shown no indication that he was aware of Kimberley’s trickery. If they could deceive him, they could deceive anyone. Julius had no idea what was bothering Benedict, but he was clearly disappointed when Julius told him that Gabi was too tired to join them. Julius curbed his impatience as he waited for the Princep to finish pacing and explain the reason for his visit.

  “I owe you an apology, Julius,” Benedict said finally, coming to a halt and facing him. He’d jammed his fists into the back pockets of his artfully ripped denims. “I haven’t been entirely honest with you during the last several weeks.”

  Julius stilled, confused and concerned.

  “I didn’t come to the City purely to help with the protection of the Source. I needed to assess you and the Clan for suitability for
this assignment.”

  Benedict’s admission hit Julius in the stomach; it felt horribly like some kind of betrayal. Not until that moment had he realised just how much he’d actually trusted the Princep.

  Some of his thoughts must have shown on his face because Benedict rushed on, nothing like his usual cocky, self-assured teenager self. “It isn’t what you’re thinking,” he said. “Fianna, Cassandra and Oleksandra came to me after those stupid, trumped-up accusations against you and Gabi. They knew you were going to be called on to put yourself forward as a potential Princep. They all knew you didn’t want that. They begged me to come up with alternatives, ways to disqualify you.” He broke off, shaking his head. “You have no idea what it means that they support you so fully, and without expectations. Some of the others have championed Masters and lower-level Vampires in the past, but it was always with some kind of agenda, there was some kind of personal gain for them. You…you inspire loyalty and friendship just…” He waved harshly up and down, indicating the whole of Julius. “Just by being you. I could easily hate you, you know?”

  Benedict calmed himself with a deep breath. “Together we hatched an idea to put forward to the rest of them. We figured if you were busy with some other assignment, something only you would be suited to, the rest would bypass you as a potential Princep. The idea would have to be put to the vote, and we could only vote once we had a full complement. We figured the idea would be swept to one side once voting came and nothing more would come of it.” He returned to his pacing. “But you became the victim of our own success; the idea of a separate team to deal purely with Dhampir-related transgressions fired up some of the others, and suddenly Fianna could see the merits in it. My time with you was to ensure you genuinely don’t have plans to try to wrest control from the Princeps or pervert laws to further your own ambitions. We will be laying a lot of power in your hands, even power over us to a certain degree. When I was called back, well, I couldn’t lie with Faruq in the room and tell them you aren’t trustworthy.”