by Serena Robar
Awaiting me was a reply from Piper, complaining that she was on vacation and really didn’t want to traipse around Ileana’s musty old homes but she would do it, of course, as a favor to me, yada, yada, yada. No one did guilt like Piper.
I started to compose a reply and stopped in mid-sentence. How did I announce a half-blood murder in e-mail? Should I ask how her day was first and then say something like, “By the way, you’ll never guess what happened to me today”? I lightly tapped my fingers on the keyboard drawer. I should tell her but I didn’t want her freaking out that I was in danger.
In the end I decided to forego telling her about Tina but stressed how important finding out more about Ileana was to me and to start immediately. It sounded sort of melodramatic, even to my ears, but I shrugged. Piper was used to my drama. She wouldn’t blink an eye at the tone.
There was a timid knock at my door.
“Come in.” I turned off the computer monitor and swung around to greet my guest.
Sage tentatively opened the door and entered.
“Hey,” I said gently. “How are you holding up?”
Her eyes were swollen and her skin was blotchy, but despite that she still looked beautiful. Sage was just one of those people.
“I’m doing okay, I guess.” She crossed the room. “Can I sit down?”
I jumped to my feet and swept the array of stuffed animals and pillows off my bed. “Of course.”
She sat down and looked around my room, eyes settling on a glittering tiara on my dresser.
“Nice crown,” she commented.
Not wanting to prompt her if she wasn’t ready to speak, I admired the crown as well.
“Homecoming queen, my senior year.”
She nodded and admitted, “Your room’s cool too.”
“Thanks,” I responded. Mentally I was poking her with a stick so she would explain why she was here.
“I think I know who killed Tina,” she blurted out.
That was so not even in the ballpark of why I thought she was visiting me.
“You do?”
She nodded her head vigorously but said nothing.
“Do you want to tell me who?” I prodded again.
“I … I think Lance may have done it.”
“Lance? The ex-boyfriend, surfer vampire Lance? What makes you think that?”
“The last time they broke up, I could tell Tina really meant it and so could Lance. They’d broken up before, dozens of times, but Tina was really through with him. Anyway, she told me he took it really hard. He accused her of being ungrateful after all he’d done for her. Then when that tactic didn’t work, he told her if he couldn’t have her, no one could.”
“But we saw Lance arrive with Cookie,” I pointed out. Why did vampires have to go off the deep end?
“I thought that too, but when I was talking to Cookie, you know, after we found Tina, she mentioned that Lance left the same night we did. He took off right after discovering we’d gone to Psi Phi House. He met Cookie at the airport and brought her here.”
I digested this bit of information. I didn’t believe that a vampire had broken into the House—but what if Tina invited him in? He could have shown up right before dawn and convinced her to let him inside to talk, and no one would have been the wiser.
But why didn’t I see them? I was up at dawn and that was when the Tribunal Security was coming on duty. Could it be I just missed him?
“Thank you for telling me this, Sage. I know how hard all this is for you. Especially since you trusted me to protect you both.”
“I don’t blame you, Colby. Cookie begged me to go back with her. She would have gone up against the Tribunal to take me back but I didn’t want to go. I want to be here, with others like me. It’s like I finally belong, you know?”
Now this reasoning I could totally understand and I was grateful she didn’t blame me for Tina’s death. If Lance was responsible—and that was still a way big “if ” in my mind—there was no safe place for Sage.
“Why didn’t you tell Cookie or me sooner, that Lance had threatened Tina?”
Her eyes threatened to overflow again as she answered in a tiny whisper, “Because Tina always exaggerated things. And Lance was sort of the same way, you know? They lived off the drama. I guess I didn’t really believe he would hurt her. But I should have, I should have done something.”
She broke down into tears again and I rushed to her side.
“Don’t. Don’t do this to yourself, Sage. You’re not to blame. The person who killed Tina is at fault and no one else.”
She wiped her nose with a tissue I offered from the desk and nodded in agreement.
“I’m gonna go now. Sophie promised to make some chamomile tea and read Harry Potter to us. It sounds so much cooler when someone with a real English accent reads it.”
I hid my surprise that Ileana would let Sophie do anything that wasn’t serving her, but then I realized Sophie was probably reading the book to Ileana. And Ileana was just benevolently letting the others stay and listen because Tina had died. She was a saint, that one.
After she left, my computer beeped, telling me I had new mail. It was from Piper.
C—
Local vampire lore. Found in book in private library of Ileana’s English manor. Got kicked out and missed the changing of the guard to e-mail info to you.
—Piper
I stamped down the guilt I felt for intruding on Piper’s vacation. Sheesh, it wasn’t like she missed something important, like seeing the Crown Jewels or something. It was just a bunch of soldiers getting off work. I tried to tell myself that but I still felt bad. Scrolling down her e-mail, I read the local vampire lore. The whole four sentences of it.
This time the mixed blood will rise,
The One who is Undead but Alive,
who is pure but not whole,
And they will bring forth the beginning of the end.
Huh?
I needed help deciphering this and the only person I could think of was Thomas, but there was no way I was going to ask him for help right now. That left one other person. Ugh, I was going to need a ride, again.
I printed off the e-mail and sought out Carl. He was in the dining room, reviewing documents. How predictable. I stood behind him and started massaging his shoulders.
“How’s work coming along, Carl?” I asked sweetly.
“Whatever you want, the answer is no.” He didn’t even bother to look up from his reading to talk to me.
Twelve
I ignored him and continued talking. “Yeah, work can be such a strain. Especially when you don’t have a car and need to head to the Tribunal offices to, you know, work.”
He continued to ignore me until I pinched his neck.
“Ouch!”
“Sorry, don’t know my own strength.” I went back to the soothing massage and he went back to ignoring me. After a moment I pinched him again.
“Dammit, get your purse. We’ll go right now.”
I smiled in satisfaction.
We arrived at the Tribunal offices, Carl grumbling about the cost of gas the entire way.
“I suppose you’ll want me to wait for you as well?”
I batted my eyelashes at him in reply. He turned off the engine, reached into the backseat for his briefcase and followed me inside. Please, it’s not like he didn’t know that in advance. Why else would he have brought his briefcase?
We rode the elevator up to the top and exited to the plush gray and black offices of the Tribunal. Mrs. Durham sat behind the imposing reception desk, typing away.
“Hiya, Margaret,” I greeted her as Carl hid a smile.
She took one look at me and declared, “He’s busy.”
I nodded enthusiastically, both of my hands on top of the reception desk, which was made of glass. I slid my fingers toward the edges, creating smeared fingerprints on its pristine surface. “Don’t I know it? Me too. Busy, busy, busy. But, when you’re the only half-blood Protector, what’
s a girl to do?” I shrugged in her direction. Carl settled down in the reception area and pulled some documents out of his case to review. We watched him in silence for a moment. I knew Mrs. Durham was fighting for control so I waited until she gained her composure. I’m not all bad, you know.
“So.” I emphasized my point by tapping the glass desk, making more fingerprints. “I’m gonna need to see Mr. Holloway ASAP.”
She glared at me, looking from the dirty desktop back up to me, and insisted, “I told you he is very busy.”
I blew out my breath and leaned forward. “You know, Margaret, I’m really sorry I missed the shopping excursion. Heard it was memorable. Is that a new outfit you’re wearing?” I pretended surprise and delight. “Fabulous color on you. Really, gray is your color.”
I smiled sweetly, holding her gaze until she finally broke eye contact and grabbed the phone. Her knuckles were white as she announced my presence into the receiver.
I winked at her when I heard Mr. Holloway request she send me back straightaway. Her lips were compressed so tightly, a white ring had formed around them. “He will see you now.”
“Great!” I exclaimed. “That’s super.” I walked toward the side door and heard the buzz indicating she’d unlocked it. I pulled on the handle.
I knew where I was going and walked straight to Mr. Holloway’s office. I knocked twice and opened the door. He was seated behind an impressive walnut desk, leaning back in his chair, expecting me.
“Colby,” he greeted me. “Must be important if you came all the way down here.”
I thought he was scolding me, but chose to ignore the implication that I was wasting his time. Instead I got right to the point and gave him the printed paper with the vampire lore on it.
“What’s this?” he asked. Then read the lines. Except for the brief flaring of his nostrils, his face remained impassive.
“At first I thought some vampire clan who hated half-bloods had a spy in the Tribunal and that’s how they knew to attack us right after we arrived. But when Tina turned up dead, I started to think it was one of the girls. Sage told me she thought it was Tina’s ex-boyfriend.” I walked about his office, picking up things, looking them over and then putting them back down.
“I haven’t totally written off Lance, gotta talk to him first. But funny thing is, I find out about this little vampire lore and I wonder where it fits in. Why discover it now, in the midst of this mess?”
I ended my speech by sitting in the chair opposite his desk and folding my hands across my chest, elbows supported by the chair arms.
“Colby, where did you get this?” Mr. Holloway finally asked.
“A friend found it for me. What is it, exactly?”
“Vampire myth or lore.” He shook the paper gently. “It is difficult to interpret. The ancient texts from which these are translated are dreadfully incomplete. No one knows for sure how much of the original texts exist and who is in possession of them.”
“Why is that? Aren’t they listed in some vampire library somewhere?”
Mr. Holloway smiled. “You are assuming all the texts reside in one location. That is not the case. Several ancients are collectors, as it were. They alone wish to decipher the texts.”
I knew that ancient vampires were a bit fragmented; apparently, they don’t share their toys either.
“What do the texts do? Exactly?”
“Do? They foretell the future, for those who put stock in such things.”
“Do you? Put stock in such things, that is.” I wondered exactly how steeped in political aspirations Mr. Holloway was, or if he still had a little vampire voodoo hunter in him.
“There are some ancient clans who place great stock in the texts. Throughout history, I have even known of human groups who have sought their meaning. It always ends badly. To gather too much information is to make powerful enemies. Perhaps such prophesies are best left undiscovered.”
“Do you think Tina discovered something about these texts, or knew too much?” It seemed a far stretch. After all, Tina wasn’t the brightest bulb out there.
“Unknown. After talking to Cookie, it seems unlikely. She may have stumbled onto something, quite by accident, that made her a liability. Did you find this in her things?”
“No, Piper found it in a library in one of Ileana’s royal houses.”
“Ileana Romanav?” He didn’t sound terribly surprised.
“Do you think she may have had something to do with Tina’s death?”
He shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t think so.”
I exhaled and slumped back in my chair. Could someone at Psi Phi House be a member of one of these ancient clans who guarded the texts or sought to understand the prophesy? If so, why not Ileana? It was odd Mr. Holloway seemed pretty unconcerned that I’d found the texts in her ancestral home.
“It sounds like this Lance character is a good lead. Even so, we shouldn’t rule out a spy in the House. There are clans of vampires who are capable of killing half-bloods and feel they are justifiable in doing so. Their hatred is great and there is no telling what lengths they will go to to end Psi Phi House and the program.”
“But not Ileana?” I had no leads and really thought the grand duchess reeked of suspicion.
“No one is above suspicion, Colby. Some think perhaps you killed Tina. That the pressure of being the Protector has become too much and you may have snapped under the pressure.”
Gee, I wonder what little bird was whispering that into his Tribunal ear? I inadvertently glared at his closed door, wishing I could kill Margaret with a single glance.
“So, no one is above suspicion but some candidates are less likely than others?” I interpreted. Mr. Holloway smiled at me and nodded.
“I have faith in you,” he said, handing back the paper, in effect dismissing me.
I stood up and walked to the door. As I did, he said, “I meant what I said about there being vampires who would think it was nothing to kill the members of Psi Phi House. You must be ever vigilant.”
I nodded. Even I had a lot to think about. I needed to question Lance and continue to patrol my fellow sisters and perhaps dig a little deeper into Ileana’s life, despite Mr. Holloway’s doubt she was involved. Playing Investigator was giving me a headache. What I needed was a little snack to boost my energy.
Carl was waiting for me where I left him. When he saw me, he immediately packed up his things and we walked out of the reception area. I remembered what Mr. Holloway said about someone thinking I murdered Tina and offered a cutesy “Toodles, Margaret” as we left.
Once we were safe inside the elevators Carl scolded me, “Colby, we’ve told you a million times not to provoke that woman but you just don’t listen. She is a powerful figure in the Tribunal and not an enemy you want to have.”
I didn’t want to tell Carl what malicious lies Durham was spreading about me, since he knew she hated me and wouldn’t believe her anyway. I just shrugged and changed the subject. “What do you know about vampire lore?”
“Vampire lore? You mean like vampire legends and myths?” I nodded and he said, “As much as the next Undead, I guess. Why do you ask?”
We exited the elevator and made our way through the parking garage to his car. “Do you know of any prophesies that vampires believe in? You know, the way some humans believe the Book of Revelations. Doom, end of the earth, the coming of the apocalypse. Some believed Nostradamus’s prophesies. Anything like that for vamps?”
He rubbed his chin a moment and thought. “I’m told ancient vampire texts existed once, but not anymore. The blood wars destroyed a lot of our history, I’m sorry to say. Other than that, I guess we have our version of Nostradamus just like humans but his predictions were more about demons than vampires.”
“Demons?” I asked, surprised, as we arrived at his car.
“Well sure, you didn’t think we were the only Undead walking the earth, did you? Really Colby, that’s kind of arrogant, don’t you think?” He slid into the drive
r’s side and I hurried to join him in the car.
“So there are demons walking around, just like there are vampires?”
Carl started the car and maneuvered out of the parking garage. “I’m not sure they hang out in public or anything. They look much different than humans. Vampires can do it because we are so similar to the living.”
“Huh,” I said, because I didn’t have anything else to add. Imagine that.
“What about hard-core full-blood bigots? Know any of them?”
Carl snorted. “Yes, and so do you.”
“I do?”
“Yes, and you insist on needling her every time you come to the Tribunal office.”
So Margaret was hard-core, was she? Note the utter lack of surprise on my part. At least she didn’t just hate me—she hated all the girls.
“So where to next?” He seemed to accept the fact that he’d become my unofficial chauffeur for the night.
“Feel like setting a trap?” I asked.
“Are you the bait?” he countered.
“Absolutely.”
“Then I’m in.”
Thirteen
Yes, Carl could easily take Piper’s place if the need ever arose.
I filled him in on the Lance situation, which he insisted on relaying to Thomas. They spoke on the cell phone while I blatantly tried to pretend like I was ignoring the conversation when I was secretly eavesdropping, but I couldn’t hear Thomas’s end of the conversation at all. Why is it that super hearing was the one vampire trait I didn’t get? How fair was that?
Carl hung up and announced that Thomas didn’t like our plan for using me as bait to trap Lance.
“So that’s that?” I said. “Thomas says no and you go all girly? He’s not the boss of me.”
Carl smiled at my petulance. “No, but he is the boss of me.” I pouted in silence and after a moment, Carl said, “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”
I snorted, with my hands folded across my chest, and said, “Whatever.”
Carl ignored me and continued. “Yep, you sure don’t see nights this nice all the time. The weather is mild, the stars are bright. It’s the perfect night for a walk in the park.”