Summoning Shadows: A Rosso Lussuria Vampire Novel

by Pennington, Winter

  “I need space and time to think,” I said, my hands trembling. They didn’t seem to want to stop.

  Needless to say, Queen Helamina eventually gave up trying as well.

  Later that evening I lay in bed, clutching one of the pillows to my chest. It smelled of Renata’s scent. Had I any more tears to cry, I would have. As it was, my heart ached for her. I gazed at the fire burning in the fireplace and lost myself in the dancing flames in a sort of daze.

  I didn’t hear Iliaria enter. Even so, she made sure I saw her soon enough. She moved in front of the fire to block it from my sight and call my attention to her.

  “Last chance, Epiphany,” she said and her tone was colder and less sympathetic than the others had been. “Feed or be forced. I’ve already discussed matters with King Augusten. If you don’t feed willingly, there are ways to make you.”

  I didn’t care. I was lost in my own darkness and blinded by grief. Iliaria came to me and I lifted my gaze. She cupped my face in her hands and I tried to pull away from her.

  She pulled me to my knees and pressed her mouth against mine. I growled and pushed at her chest. She broke the kiss. “Look at me,” she said.

  Angry, I refused and she used the grip she had to turn me to face her. Her other hand slid down my body. I closed my eyes. “Stop.”

  “No, Epiphany. Look at me.”

  “Why must you torment me, Iliaria? All I ask is to be left alone to figure out what to do.”

  “No, Epiphany. That’s what the others are doing wrong. You don’t need to be left alone, not in the state you’re in.”

  I pushed at her chest again and the hand she’d placed against the base of my spine was suddenly as unyielding as stone. She gripped me tight against her, making sure I felt every inch of her body that pressed against mine.

  “Do you love me so little to throw away all hope?” she asked.

  “You don’t understand.”

  “I don’t, do I?” she whispered the words against my cheek. “I understand that she is your Siren. I understand the bond there, and I understand your love for her, Epiphany, but I also understand you in ways the others do not. I understand you’re grieving, you’re mourning, and that there’s a strength inside you even you’ve yet to tap. You know this isn’t the answer. You’re not alone, Epiphany, and it’s not just your lover who’s missing. The others are missing their queen too.”

  I didn’t fight her when her arms encircled me and she raised me off the bed.

  “So get up,” she said, “feed, take a bath, and get dressed.” She set me on my feet and put her hands on my shoulders as if to keep me in place. “When you are done I want you to come down and speak with us as we try to devise a plan to rescue your queen.”

  Wordlessly, I nodded. Iliaria tilted my face up toward her again. She searched my gaze. “Will you do that?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you promise?”

  “Yes.”

  “If you lie to me,” she said, her voice dangerously low, “I will make you feed, I will make you bathe, and I will carry you downstairs kicking and screaming if I must. Do you understand?”

  I sighed, knowing better than to call her bluff.

  “Yes.”

  *

  Anatharic and others of the Dracule had gathered in the downstairs room, as well as King Augusten and Queen Helamina. There wasn’t enough furniture for everyone to sit, so most of us stood. Vito, Vittoria, and Nirena stood on the side of the room against the wall closest to the door. Vasco and Emilio stood off to my left. Cuinn sat on the floor in front of me, and Iliaria stood nearby. Vasco and Emilio were paying rapt attention to Queen Helamina. Dominique stood in the corner looking as crestfallen and as lost as I felt.

  I was not the only one that felt Renata’s absence. I realized how selfish I had been, grieving by myself. I stood straighter and concentrated on the conversation at hand.

  “The Dracule were to attack us here at the castle with an army, not a group to take your queen hostage,” Queen Helamina said. “This means we understand less of their plan than we thought.”

  “More importantly,” Vasco said, drawing her attention to him, “I think we should figure out how it is they took her. Capturing the Queen of the Rosso Lussuria is not an easy task, especially with so many of us gathered here. How did they do it? Did they infiltrate the castle and slip our guard?” He shook his head. “I don’t think it likely, even working with witches. There are too many of us here not to have noticed something.”

  “A valid point,” King Augusten said. “I agree. Unless someone here is working with the Dracule and has betrayed your queen…someone she trusts implicitly.”

  “Renata is no fool to trust anyone implicitly,” Vasco said, “and if you are implying that I am a traitor or any of those she brought with her are, that’s ridiculous. I think, signore, you forget her power. It is not easy to deceive a queen who can hear and discern your most intimate thoughts. To attempt to do so is unwise.”

  Indeed, it was. Their conversation got me thinking. If someone had tried to betray Renata, how would they have done it? Surely, she would have sensed their intentions if they had tried to lure her out of the castle or to a place where Damokles and his men could capture her.

  The group discussed assembling a party to interrogate all those in the castle. There were those that argued against it, considering it a waste of time. Namely, the Dracule agreed that it was a waste of time, but Nirena, Vittoria, Vito, and Dominique also thought so.

  “If King Augusten is right and someone is working with the Dracule, we are housing a spy,” Queen Helamina said. “And any of our future plans will be laid to waste as well. We cannot harbor a spy. It’s too great a risk. We’re better taking the time to flush them out.”

  “What plans do we have left to us aside from trying to save our queen?” Dominique asked and there was a thread of heat in his tone as if he was becoming angry. “If we don’t save our queen, all is lost for us. Maybe not for you, my lord, my lady, but for us. For the Rosso Lussuria, we are nothing without our Siren.”

  They began to discuss the matter more heatedly, and I tuned them out as I found myself distracted by my own thoughts. I moved to the fireplace and traced my finger through the dust on the mantel.

  “Epiphany.” Nirena’s voice called me back to the conversation. “What are you thinking?” Her eyes narrowed inquisitively as she tried to assess me. The others turned to look at me as well and I ignored the expectation in their gazes.

  “Nothing.” I had thoughts aplenty, but none I was willing to share in their midst. None I was willing to share with everyone in the room.

  Of course, it wasn’t just them. Some of my thoughts I had not even had time to process myself, let alone share with those I trusted. I returned to my silence, they picked up their conversation again, and I allowed myself to drift on the tides of pondering. Renata had told me to rely on my wits, and so I tried to set aside my battered emotions and do just that.

  When they were done, it had been decided. A party would be put together to interrogate all those within the castle. We left Queen Helamina and King Augusten to assemble their interrogation party.

  Iliaria’s shoulders were drawn tightly together as we ascended the stairs. I uttered Vasco’s name under my breath and he and Emilio and Dominique followed.

  Dominique closed the door behind them.

  “Emilio,” Vasco said.

  Emilio went to the door and raised his hands, placing them against the door until the room filled with the weight of his magic.

  “They will not hear us now. You may speak freely.”

  “Good,” Vasco said and thanked him. “What have you thought of, sorella?”

  I shifted my attention to Dominique and sat on the edge of the bed. “You were not with Renata when she was captured,” I said, reiterating what I already knew. He nodded and I continued. “What did she tell you, Dominique? Where did she tell you she was going?”

  “To speak with
the Dracule privately,” he said and I could tell he didn’t understand why I questioned him.

  He spared a glance at Iliaria and she shook her head. “Anatharic did not do it, if that is what you suspect. I will give my oath on his loyalty to me.”

  “I’ve seen his loyalty to you,” I said. “I don’t think he would do it, either.”

  “My lady,” Vasco said, “I mean no offense, but it is far more difficult for Renata to read the intentions and thoughts of a Dracule than another vampire. Are you certain he would not betray us?”

  “Very,” Iliaria said, giving him a look that said, tread cautiously.

  “Then, perhaps one of the other Dracule—” Vasco continued and I interrupted him.

  “No.”

  “What do you mean, ‘no’ sorella? It is a possibility.”

  “No, Vasco. I don’t think Renata was betrayed at all, at least, not without her consent.”

  “Are you saying that you think our queen, that your lover, handed herself over to Damokles willingly?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying, Vasco. Think about it, brother. You know Renata, mayhap not as intimately as I do, but you know she would have put up more of a fight than she did if she seriously hadn’t wanted to be captured. As it was, she put up enough of a struggle to convince them that she was not being dragged away willingly.”

  “What makes you think this, colombina?”

  “She spoke to me before they left,” I said, trying to remember her words through my emotional upheaval. “She told me to use my wits, Vasco. The next move, she said, is ours.” I shook my head. “I didn’t understand it then. I didn’t understand what she meant by it being a game of chess, but the more I think on it, the better I begin to understand her move.”

  “You really think this is a scheme of her own making?” Dominique asked.

  “Don’t you?” I asked. “She sent you away to allegedly speak with one of the Dracule, but who? And why would she not tell you who? If she was going to talk strategy with anyone, it would have been her.” I gestured with a hand toward Iliaria. “I think it was a ruse to get you away from her so she could make her move. If you had known what she intended, you would have sought to stop her, I know that, Dominique. If I know that, Renata most definitely does.”

  Vasco grunted. “I am not trying to discredit your thinking, colombina, but why would she turn herself over?”

  “You heard what Queen Helamina said. This changes things. Renata is changing the game and playing it on her terms. She must’ve figured out more than we know. She was right about Damokles not slaying her. If he was going to, he would have done it in front of us to make an example of her.” I ran a hand through my hair to push it out of my face. A piece of the puzzle slid into place. “She’s figured out what Damokles is after.”

  “Have you?”

  “I think I just did.”

  “What is he after, colombina?”

  “Us.”

  “But Damokles hates vampires,” Iliaria said.

  “Really?” I asked her. “Are we so certain of that? He marked Baldavino. He may not have come to his aid when we caught him, but he got close enough to form an alliance with him. He may hate us,” I said, “but he wants us. If he didn’t, he’d have slain Renata and with her, all the vampires she’s created. The others talk of cutting off the serpent’s head, right? All Damokles has to do to destroy hundreds of vampires is execute our maker.” I gestured to Vasco and Dominique. “Yet, here we stand. And now, we know what he’s really after. It has to be us.”

  Vasco touched a finger to his bottom lip. “So you’re saying our queen turned herself over to change the game and reveal their hands?”

  “Precisely.”

  “So now what?” Dominique asked.

  “It’s our move,” I said. “We have to figure out a way to get Renata back.”

  “Aye,” Cuinn said from behind me. “I’ve an idea.”

  “That would be?” Iliaria asked him.

  “Send one of the Dracule you trust to find out where they’re keeping her and bring her back.”

  He made it sound so simple.

  Iliaria stubbornly shook her head. “No,” she said. “It’s too risky. Damokles will recognize anyone I pick to send.

  “Bugger.”

  “Not necessarily,” Emilio said. “Not if we find someone he doesn’t know.”

  “He will recognize a vampire and he will recognize those that are loyal to me, witch. I will not risk it.”

  “I wasn’t talking about them.”

  “Then what are you suggesting?”

  “Someone new. Someone the Dracule won’t recognize.”

  “If they’re not Dracule, Damokles isn’t likely to take them. Your magic is far-reaching, Stregherian, but even you cannot alter another’s true form.”

  “No, I can mask it, though.”

  She shook her head again. “If you used a glamour, a Dracule would smell it. It won’t work.”

  “There is someone with a power stronger than anyone in this room has. He can do what I speak of and his gifts run through the blood of both the Dracule and vampires alike. The only problem is that I don’t know how to contact him.”

  “You’re mad,” Iliaria said incredulously. “Death? You’re suggesting we find a way to contact the Angel of Death?”

  “I am, lady. I cannot truly change another’s form, as you said, but Azrael can. He holds the keys to life and death. He gave your king the ability to make the vampires.” Emilio took his time in motioning at those of us that were vampires. “He has the ability to reshape them.”

  “Well bugger me in the arse,” Cuinn mumbled. “The witch has got a point.”

  “And what makes you think that Azrael will listen, Stregha?”

  “I’m not presuming he will,” Emilio said, “but I’m not presuming he won’t, either.”

  “The Dracule fell from his favor long ago,” she said. “I am not so certain he will be keen on hearing us now.”

  “That may be well and true.” His gaze that was such a mirror of Vasco’s met mine. “But they are here and his power still courses through their veins.”

  An unspoken question lingered in his eyes. I thought I understood it. “I will do it.”

  “What?” Vasco didn’t bother hiding his shock. “Do you know what you are saying, colombina?”

  “Yes and no, but I will do it. I will beseech Death.”

  Iliaria grumbled under her breath and whatever she said was lost on me, for it was not in any language I understood. The intent behind her words, however, was quite clear.

  She wasn’t happy with my decision.

  “He heard your king’s cries once, Iliaria, and he took pity on him. He created us in the name of mercy. So,” I said, “Let him hear mine and let’s hope for the same clemency.”

  “You are sure?” she asked. “There must be some other way to retrieve your queen, Epiphany.”

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “You realize that what you’re saying is that you are going to try and chase down the Angel of Death? Even if you do manage to get his attention, that could be a very dangerous thing to have.”

  “I know,” I said. It might’ve been a fool’s errand, but I had decided and was resolute in my decision.

  What did I have to lose that I had not already lost in some way? I had faced death before. Mayhap, not as a physical entity, but his shadow had been thrown over my human life, and when I was reborn a vampire, I had passed through his veil.

  I knew his power every time the sun rose and I did not wear Iliaria’s ring. His very touch had both taken and given much to me.

  Who better to beseech Azrael than me?

  Chapter Fourteen

  I made yet another pointless plea for privacy. Iliaria refused to leave me alone, and arguing with her only made her more resistant to my request.

  “Do you even begin to know what you are doing?” Iliaria asked from where she stood on the other side of the bedroom.

&n
bsp; “No,” I admitted. “I obviously don’t know how to contact Azrael, either.”

  “Then how do you suppose to do it?”

  That was a very good question and I obviously hadn’t thought that far. “Do you know?” I asked hopefully.

  Her elegant brows furrowed thoughtfully. “There are only a few accounts of Azrael appearing to the Dracule throughout our history. Many of the texts were lost during the reign of King Theodosius.”

  “Lost?” I asked.

  “Destroyed,” she said. “There were once temples in Drahalia. King Theodosius ordered their priesthood disbanded and the temples burned when he took the throne.”

  “There were temples to Azrael?”

  “To our entire lineage,” she said.

  “What about Azrael’s priesthood?” I asked. “Surely, they would know. What happened to them?”

  “They reintegrated into Draculian society. Those that were caught honoring our bloodlines were executed by Theodosius. When my mother took the crown, there was little for her to save among the ruins, and many of the old priests remained in hiding. Theodosius had turned most of our society against them,” she said. “They hid their faith out of fear.”

  “So you wouldn’t happen to know anyone that had once been a priest in Azrael’s temple?”

  Iliaria was dangerously silent, but I knew her.

  “Iliaria?” I pressed her for an answer. “Do you?”

  “Morina might know,” she said at length. The firelight bathed the side of her face in darkness. “Her father was a priest.”

  I sighed heavily. “That’s bloody fantastic.”

  Iliaria raised her shoulders. “Choose as you will, Epiphany.”

  “I suppose I must speak with her then, if she’s the only one who might know.”

  Iliaria frowned, a line forming between her perfect brows. Cuinn muttered a complaint and rolled his eyes. I couldn’t entirely blame him.

  Seeking Morina’s aid wasn’t a task I relished.

  *

  I entered Morina’s chambers to find her standing yet again near the balcony’s doors. This time, she turned around when the door shut behind me. I’d asked Iliaria and Cuinn to let me speak with her alone and after much persuading, they had agreed, so long as they took over Emilio’s watch at the door. If we kept our voices low, we hopefully wouldn’t be heard, as we had no intention of sharing our plans with the others, especially if there was a spy in our midst. We’d already had Emilio provide us with a quiet place to talk earlier. It was too risky to ask him to call his magic yet again, and so Iliaria and Cuinn were also keeping watch.