by Irina Argo
Deep in his heart, Tor had never given up the spark of hope that things could change, that some miracle would release them all from this situation, and that one day Arianna would be back with him. His life without her had turned into merciless torture. His emotional pain felt like an open wound, his heart ripped out of his chest, leaving him alive but torn apart and bleeding. He had hoped that with time the pain would lessen, but it just kept getting worse. Against the power of the Goddess of Love, his iron will was as fragile as a house of cards in a hurricane.
Tor’s only escape was his dreams. As he drifted into sleep, Arianna was with him, nestled against him, nuzzling his cheeks and throat, cuddling and kissing him. He felt the silk of her hair between his fingers and tasted her rich, powerful blood in his mouth. In his entrancing dream world, he felt loved and desired, his open wounds healing every night only to be reopened again in the morning. Wanting to keep dreaming forever, he started sleeping for eighteen or twenty hours at a stretch and almost got addicted to sleeping pills. In his delirium, he came to believe that his dreams were the gateway to a parallel world where things were right, where he lived with the female he loved and she was safe and happy forever, cradled in his arms. Worried about his sanity and health, members of his pride started waking him up, but then once awakened, he’d just sit motionless, staring into the flames in the fireplace.
He hadn’t slept at all over the past several days, though, spending all his time meditating on finding a solution to his dilemma. Executing all of the Keepers but Arianna would be a worthless gesture: since the Queen was the one charged with appointing new Keepers, she’d only have to name four new Keepers and they could all turn the Key right then and there.
Desperate for guidance, Tor called for Ken and had him summon Crian and Etain. He was relieved to find that they were still in Brussels, and it was only a couple of hours before they were escorted to Tor’s study.
“Etain, Crian, thank you for coming.” He hugged them warmly and then directed his attention to Crian. “So, you have accomplished your life’s goal, my friend.”
Crian smirked. “Yes, majesty: Serena is finally in Sekhmi hands. We haven’t had a chance to face the bitch yet, though; the Guardians are keeping her unconscious and bleeding her daily. They’ve assured me that I will have a chance to confront her. Or, ideally, kill her myself.”
“But meanwhile, Serena is a very dangerous enemy indeed,” Etain added. “No one knows how many blood-bonds she has, and it’s likely that as soon as she regains consciousness she will burn them all. We’re trying to find a solution, but unfortunately there is no magic that can break the blood-bond.”
“The blood-bond might be broken by another Amiti,” Tor suggested. “If all of her blood-bonds could be identified, we could ask sympathetic Amiti to blood-bond with them and break Serena’s bonds that way. Or you can rid yourself of her without letting her regain consciousness, which is the easiest way.”
“But not nearly as satisfying. We’ll review both options,” Crian said. “But that’s not why you summoned us.”
“I’m happy to serve you, your majesty.” Etain already knew the real reason, of course.
“Thank you, Etain. Yes, I need a reading. I want to know if there is any way of ensuring Sekhmis’ survival without killing Arianna.”
They each took a chair around the large table in the center of the room and Etain laid out the cards from her Tarot deck. After studying the cards for a moment, she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, obviously not liking what she saw. She spread the cards again, then again, then again. Finally, sighing deeply, she spoke.
“I’m sorry Tor, but the answers I’m getting are not what you want to hear. The Amiti will never be totally defeated as long as their Queen is alive.”
“Well in that case, can Arianna stop being the Queen?”
“That would require direct intervention by the Gods who granted her powers in the first place: Ra and Hathor.”
“Does Arianna herself specifically constitute a threat?”
“I’m afraid I can’t give you good news on that front either. Yes, Arianna does present a threat to the vampire race. There was something interesting in the first spread. The central card was The Lovers, meaning that according to her destiny, that card should have influenced all her choices. But somehow she has managed to push it away. The Lovers was at her feet in the second spread, and then it disappeared altogether in the third one. Arianna is rewriting her destiny. Love is not her priority in this life any longer. I’m sorry, Tor.”
“If it’s not love, then what is it?”
Etain shuffled the deck, pulled a card, and dropped it on the table in front of Tor. “Death.”
Tor waited silently for Etain to elaborate, and after a moment she continued. “Death is one of the most powerful cards in the Tarot, the greatest unknown, the end of the old era and the birth of a new one. It’s telling me that if Arianna stays alive she will bring an end to the world as it is now and give her people a new life, a rebirth from the graves where they currently reside. The transformation will be violent, involving enormous loss—likely the destruction of the entire vampire race. And it will be Arianna who initiates and fulfills it.”
“Thank you, Etain,” Tor said politely, but she’d been right: this was not the answer he wanted to hear. Not at all. “Can you also read the Akashic records?”
Etain rolled her eyes, but thankfully, she indulged him anyway. He knew he was grasping at straws, but what if there was another possibility? He couldn’t afford to miss anything, would never, ever forgive himself if a way out of this miserable situation became clear after it was too late.
Over the next three hours, Etain read the Akashic records, tried several runic and druidic divinations, and even consulted a friend of hers who specialized in astrology. Tor asked the same questions over and over again, searching for any workable solution. And over and over again, he got the same answers, varying only according to the symbolic system Etain was querying at the time. All of them said that if Arianna lived, she would use any means she could to fight for the freedom of her people—and all predicted that the Key would be turned unless all of the Keepers, including the Queen, were eliminated.
At last Tor could no longer ignore the sorceress’s growing impatience. If he was going to find an alternative, it wouldn’t be coming from her. He thanked Etain and Crian, let them go, and then went back to staring at the flames in the fireplace.
He’d done everything he possibly could to save her, but Arianna’s destiny was to die.
He tried to imagine his life without her, but he couldn’t. There was nothing there, just total darkness. There was no life.
He couldn’t live without her. Maybe love was no longer her life path, but it had become his. Love lived in the depths of his soul, in every cell of his body, in every breath he took.
It was Hathor’s retribution, he realized, the Goddess of Love relishing the chance to punish him for all the misfortune and misery he had inflicted on her children.
Fine: you win, Goddess. If he couldn’t live with Arianna, he could die with her.
A knock at the door distracted him.
“Sir, Antar is here and requests an audience with you.” Ken reported.
“What does he want?”
“He won’t tell me. He insists on speaking only with you.”
“Show him in then.”
Antar entered Tor’s study and his powerful aura like a wild wind shifted the energy in the room. Tor smiled and hugged him. “What’s wrong, my son? What brings you here?”
“Father, we need to talk.”
“Of course. Please, have a seat.” Tor gestured to an oversized leather chair facing the fireplace, opposite his own.
“I got an anonymous call,” began Antar, “saying that Arianna is asking the Legacy to resume her Sanctuary and that she’s locked in the basement of Anock’s Brussels residence. The caller didn’t say whether he meant the pride�
�s or the Guardians’; I assume it’s the latter?” At Tor’s nod, he continued. “I called Anock, but he said he had no idea what I was talking about. When I requested that I be allowed to inspect the Guardians’ headquarters, he refused on the grounds that I had no authority over the Guardians; they obey only the King. You may be aware that Anock has a personal issue with the Legacy now. He’s irrational. It’s impossible to talk to him.”
“Yes, I heard about it. You have his female.”
“She asked for Sanctuary. I think he’s planning to storm us. But that’s nothing we haven’t seen before; when a female asks for Sanctuary she’s usually being stalked. But this isn’t about Cara; it’s about Arianna.”
“So you’re here to get my permission to search the Guardians’ mansion.”
“Yes.”
“And if you do find Arianna, the Legacy intends to grant her Sanctuary.”
“Yes.”
“Arianna’s there. You don’t need to search.”
Antar stared at Tor, his mouth hanging open. Under any other circumstances Tor would have laughed.
“Well in that case I guess I’ll go get her.”
“No. You won’t.”
Tor could see the conflict in Antar’s eyes. The Legacy answered to the Confederation, not the vampire King, but Tor and the Legacy had almost never come into direct conflict, even before Antar assumed the role of Alpha.
Antar cleared his throat. “We promised her Sanctuary and we’re keeping our word. Technically, in fact, she has been entitled to our protection since she requested and received Sanctuary prior to her kidnapping. I’m asking you to have the Guardians stand down so that we can protect her. Otherwise, there must be a fight, and I know that neither of us wants that.”
Leaving Antar waiting for a response, Tor stood up and walked over to the wet bar, pouring himself a cognac. “Would you like one?”
“No. Thanks.”
Tor was stalling. Inside, part of him was shouting that this was the opportunity he’d been looking for: he could say that the Legacy had jurisdiction here. They’d take Arianna, protect her, and it would be out of his hands.
But nothing Etain had said, nothing he’d heard anywhere else or thought of in all his time meditating, implied that there was even the smallest chance of the outcome being altered. Anything he did was just as likely to make things worse, and he didn’t want his actions to be the last nail in the coffin, what made the final destruction of his race possible.
He returned to his chair and leaned toward Antar. “You know that Arianna is the Queen of the Amiti and one of the five Keepers of the Key of Life, the Ankh, right?”
Antar nodded.
“And you know that Istara was killed by the Amiti because she refused to help the other Keepers turn the Key. She wouldn’t do it herself, and later she refused to name new Keepers who she thought might do it. Istara feared that turning the Key would unleash the destructive power of Sekhmet. I don’t need to tell you the magnitude of the devastation that could cause: natural disasters on a scale we’ve never even imagined; or, given modern circumstances, it might manifest as a nuclear war. It won’t just mean genocide for vampires; it could destroy all life on Earth.
“Right now there are four active Keepers. All of them—Arianna included—want to turn the Key, and we’ve got them all in custody at Guardian HQ. Arianna’s the only one capable of naming the Keepers. You must be able to see that there is absolutely no way we can agree to release her.”
Tor could practically see the wheels turning in his son’s mind as he assimilated the information and considered what to do next.
“I need to meet with her,” Antar said after a moment. “She’s waiting for me; it would be cruel and cowardly not to respond. I’ll let her know why we can’t help her. I think it’s best to be straightforward.”
Tor nodded. “I’ll call Anock and ask him to take you to her. And I’ll tell him to put his personal issues aside for the time being so that you can work together. We can’t afford tension like that right now.”
When Antar stood in the doorway, about to leave, Tor stopped him. “Wait. There’s one more thing. Can you do me a favor, son?”
At Antar’s nod, Tor continued. “I think I know who your anonymous informer was. Arianna has a blood-bond; that’s the only way she could have communicated with you. His name is Khay. When this is all over, please see that he is eliminated. She said that she wants to kill him herself, but if she’s not able to ... ” And if I’m not able to ...
Antar just gave him a look that said consider it done and then left, closing the door quietly behind him.
His body leaden, Tor returned to his chair at the fireplace and called Ken.
“Ken, I need to meet with Kohl. Send a jet for him.”
That evening, the Sekhmi lawyer Kohl —also known as Herr Bern Koch, a renowned attorney at law in the human world—sat on the same chair in Tor’s study that Antar had vacated just a few hours earlier.
“Where’s the fire, Tor? Your guys pulled me away from a hearing just as I was winning the case. Of course, I never mind seeing my King. But what’s going on?”
“Thank you for coming, Kohl. I’m sorry for inconveniencing you. I want to draw up my will.”
Chapter 80
“Antar!” Anock came down the stairs to greet Antar “The King called to say I should expect a visit from you.”
Antar knew Anock well enough to hear the false note in his voice, but at least the guy was making an effort to keep up appearances.
“You’re here to see Arianna,” Anock continued. “If you don’t mind, brother, I’ll need to blindfold you.” It was an absurd request—everyone in the Legacy was well aware of the nature of the Sekhmi-Amiti relationship, and even blindfolded, Antar’s senses were keen enough that he wouldn’t miss a thing. And besides, Antar recognized a power play when he saw one.
“What’s the problem? Are you keeping her in the cells? What, it’s so bad that you think I’ll faint at the sight of it?”
“Hey, it’s just a precaution, standard operating procedure for non-Sekhmi. Please don’t make me get into the details of our security measures.”
“Whatever.” Antar really didn’t want to waste any more time listening to Anock’s diplomatic diatribe. Turning around, he let Anock tie a black silk scarf over his eyes and then lead him onto an elevator, in which they descended for what felt like two levels. They walked down what sounded like a corridor, stopping in front of a door that Anock unlocked by dialing a combination. Then they stepped through it and Anock removed Antar’s blindfold.
Arianna was so pallid she looked almost transparent. This wasn’t the resplendent young female he’d met a year and a half ago; it was her shadow, lifeless and colorless. Great Tyr, what had happened to her? Antar remembered her glowing skin; he’d always wanted to stroke it but never dared. He recalled her gentle touch, her terror and then her unselfconscious joy as they flew above Anavilhanas.
Seeing Arianna like this, his first impulse was to snatch her up and fly away with her, out of this grave. His nature shouted at him, demanding that he hide her somewhere and take care of her. Having been abused himself as a child, Antar couldn’t tolerate seeing it happen to others; that was why he’d created and remained so committed to the Legacy’s Sanctuary policy. Over the centuries they’d saved thousands of females. At least he hadn’t wasted his life.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Anock muttered.
“How do you know?”
“I have the same thoughts.”
“Why then do you keep her here? How can you?”
“Did Tor not explain it clearly enough for you?”
“Antar,” Arianna finally seemed to register Antar’s presence and struggled to rise into a sitting position, leaning against the wall behind her.
She looked visibly worse, Antar realized; just the effort of sitting up and speaking seemed to exhaust her.
He sat on the bed
and took her thin hands in his. He addressed Anock without looking at him: “Tor told me why she’s being held here, but he said nothing about the abuse she’s being subjected to. You must stop it.”
“She’s not being abused, Antar. She’s just suffering nausea and anemia from the blood loss. Nobody touches her except to bleed her. We’re having to draw a substantial amount of blood from her on a daily basis. It’s the only way we can guarantee that her powers won’t surface.”
Antar tilted his head, scrutinizing the helpless girl beside him. It was hard to believe that the vampires were afraid of this wisp of a girl. Even more, it was impossible to believe that she was one of the most powerful children of Hathor, the one capable of destroying the world. But Tor wouldn’t lie to him. The King had a heart; he would never doom one so young unless there was no alternative.
“Please, Antar, take me out of here,” Arianna murmured. “You promised me Sanctuary. I ask for Sanctuary. Take me out of here, Antar, please ... ”
Bleak hopelessness filled Antar’s chest, heavy as a boulder. Why had he come here only to hurt her more? He had never refused a female Sanctuary. Never. All females had the right to ask for it if they were in distress. Theoretically, they could be turned down, but it had never happened. For the first time in his life, he had to say no. She wasn’t just an abused female; she was a captured general. This was a political situation. The laws of Sanctuary did not apply.