Reckoning

by J. C. Wilder

  She stood at the bottom of a narrow shaft. On one side were footholds not unlike those on a rock-climbing wall. It was much lighter here and she knew she wasn’t as far from the surface as she’d thought.

  Turning back, she was stunned to realize she could see into the oubliette as if through a window. Her eyes widened when she realized she hadn’t been alone at all as there was someone looking at her.

  She was looking at herself.

  “Get moving, kid. Don’t worry about her. She’s waiting for someone and she’ll catch up later.”

  Turning away, her hands were shaking as she started the climb to the surface. Maeve only hoped that the woman she was leaving behind would find her way out soon.

  Chapter Twelve

  Quinn stared at the façade of Mortianna’s house. The sheer number of windows on the south side made the place almost impossible to defend against attack. All it would take was a talented sniper and a high-powered rifle and anyone inside could be picked off one by one.

  Then again, only a fool would dare face the dragon in her lair.

  Fool, table for one?

  Bliss’s coffin appeared to be undisturbed. The minions were gathered in a tight circle around the outer edges of the pentagram. Standing two deep, they formed a wall. They surrounded Bliss’s coffin, resembling a midget honor guard from hell. Mortianna was nowhere to be seen.

  “Aren’t we delivering ourselves right into her hands?” Alexandre Saint-Juste appeared on his left. The leader of the Council of Elders had met them outside London, joining forces with them for the coming confrontation.

  “You’ve got that right,” Val muttered. “How do we know this isn’t a trap engineered by you and your mother?”

  “You don’t.” Quinn walked toward the front door. “We can’t afford to waste the time it would take to convince you that I’m being honest. Besides, you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

  Alexandre chuckled. “I guess he’s heard about your hard head, my friend.”

  Val muttered a physically impossible act under his breath, and Quinn grinned when Alexandre laughed.

  When they reached the door, Quinn felt a moment of hesitation. The upcoming confrontation wasn’t about his sister, her lover or the imagined slights Mortianna collected like a miser with piles of pennies. This was about good and evil, mother and son and he felt as if his entire life now hinged upon what happened in the next few hours.

  “This isn’t your battle, you know.” Quinn turned to face his companions. “You can walk away, and I’ll not think less of you for it.”

  “Like hell it isn’t,” Val answered. “That bitch threatened the life of my best friend and has aligned herself with Mikhail, who is definitely my problem. You might try to stop me but I’ll climb over you so fast you won’t know what hit you. I’m in.”

  Quinn nodded, then looked at Alexandre.

  “I’m the head of the Council of Elders.” He threw a wry grin in Val’s direction. “Such as it is. It’s my duty to protect the interests of those I serve. If that means declaring war on your mo…Mortianna then that’s what I’ll do.”

  Both of these men were brave and if they survived, Quinn would be proud to call them friends.

  “I’m not sure I can convince her to back down, and this could get ugly real fast.” He said. “We may very well die here tonight.”

  Val threw up his hands in mock surrender. “Now he tells us.”

  Alexandre grinned and looked up at the clear night sky. “Today is a good day to die.”

  Taking that as their acceptance, Quinn turned and reached for the doorknob.

  “Shouldn’t we knock?” Alexandre spoke, and Val laughed.

  “Trust me.” He grinned at both of them. “She already knows we’re here.”

  Before he could turn the knob, the door opened wide. The entry was empty, and the flickering gaslights created a panorama of shadows. It would be easy to mistake the movement for an enemy on the attack.

  “We’ll take this as an invitation,” Val said, stepping through the door.

  Quinn followed with Alexandre close on his heels. Once they were in, the door closed with very little sound.

  “Parlor tricks,” Val muttered under his breath, contempt dripping from every word.

  Quinn had warned them earlier that Mortianna would try and throw them off balance with small feats of magic. The likelihood of staying alive rested on their ability to remain calm and focused no matter what happened around them. One thing he could say about the witch—she was predictable.

  The vampires fell into step behind him when he led the way to Bliss’s chamber. The minions gave no sign of being aware they were trespassing. The air was heavy with tension.

  “Son of a bitch,” Alexandre hissed. His gaze was locked on the coffin, and his lips were parted, exposing his fangs.

  On silent feet Val moved forward, shoving minions out of the way as he approached the casket. Alexandre followed in his wake. The little beasts made no attempt to stop them. Instead they regrouped seamlessly as if nothing were amiss. Both men stared at his half sister’s mortal remains. Alexandre’s expression was blank while Val’s was pissed off.

  “Why?” Val asked. “Why didn’t Mortianna bury her daughter?”

  “Because I cannot bear the thought of placing my child underground for all eternity.” Mortianna swept into the room. “Dirt may suit your kind, but my daughter will remain above ground.” She walked toward them, the minions parting like water before her.

  Dressed in her usual black, Mortianna’s haggard appearance shocked Quinn. Deep grooves bracketed her mouth, and her hair was completely gray. She seemed to be smaller, almost shrunken. Her magic had faded a great deal since he’d last seen her. What caused this drain of her powers, and why did she seem to be oblivious to the changes in her appearance?

  “On the contrary, Mortianna, not all vampires sleep below ground,” Alexandre responded. “Many of us sleep in beds as humans do.”

  “Coffins are so sixteen sixty-eight,” Val mocked.

  A small woman entered the room, and she was dressed in black leather from head to toe. She smiled at them, and her fangs caught the light. This could only be Gabrielle, Mikhail’s consort.

  “Val, your sense of humor is so refreshing.” Looking at Alexandre, she flashed her fangs again. “ Lovely to see you again, Alex,” she trilled. “I see you’ve met my new friend, Mortianna.”

  The witch gave the vampire an indulgent smile before redirecting her attention toward the men. “To what do I owe this pleasure, gentlemen?”

  “You know why we’re here,” Quinn said. “We’ve come to retrieve Maeve, among other things.”

  “Maeve?” Mortianna feigned surprise. “I can assure you she is doing quite well. We’ve come to a mutually beneficial agreement, and she’s perfectly content to remain where she is.”

  “I’d prefer to hear that from her,” he responded.

  “I’m so sorry.” She shook her head. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. She’s quite busy right now as she has much to prepare for.”

  “You gave her the spell?”

  “That and a few others that could come in handy.” She smiled. “A woman alone must be prepared for anything these days.”

  What the hell did that mean?

  “Where is she, Mortianna?” Quinn pressed.

  “Oh, really, trying to spoil my fun.” She rolled her eyes. “She required assistance in realigning her priorities so I made the gentle suggestion that she needed some time alone. You know, to organize her thoughts before we proceed.”

  “She’s not on the premises,” Val said. “I can’t feel her.”

  “Neither can I,” Alexandre spoke.

  “Who knew vampires could be so…astute?” Mortianna waved her hands as if to signal the end of the discussion. “Enough talk of her. We have many more stimulating things to discuss.” She gave a chilly smile. “Normally I’m an excellent hostess, and I’d invite you to partake of some refreshments. Howev
er, I have no fresh blood on hand.”

  Quinn was reluctant to let the subject of Maeve go, but for the moment he didn’t see that he had any choice. Mortianna wouldn’t give up her location until she was ready and all he could hope for was that she would remain safe until then.

  “Fine then let’s talk about your plans with Gabrielle.” He nodded in the female vampire’s direction.

  Mortianna laid a hand on her daughter’s coffin. With a great show of unconcern, she traced one of the seams on the glass lid. “Why is this any of your business, my son?”

  “You made it my business when your actions threatened the lives of innocents.” He moved through the lines of the minions, using magic to shove them aside so he didn’t have to touch them. “Historically, the witches have never chosen sides nor have we participated in the affairs of the Council. Bliss was a member of the Council and she made it clear that she spoke for the revenants, not the witches. Now, with all the trouble in the preternatural world, you plan on joining with Mikhail and Gabrielle and pulling all of us into a war we can ill afford.”

  “And if I had my choice, I would never have entertained the idea.” Her voice was low, steady. “Instead my daughter was murdered by one of their kind—” she nodded toward Val and Alexandre, “—and I’m left with no choice but to join sides.”

  “The man who killed your daughter is dead,” Val ground out. “You think by joining Mikhail that you can change what’s already happened? What will you gain from this?”

  “Control of the Council, of course.” She spoke slowly as if to a dim-witted child.

  “What do you hope to accomplish with the Council that you couldn’t undertake on your own?” Quinn asked.

  “Wealth, more power, the elimination of vampires.”

  Gabrielle snapped to attention. “Hey, that’s not what—”

  “Shut up, you twit!” Mortianna snapped. “You’re nothing but a stupid child who should’ve known better than to trifle with a witch of my powers.” Her gaze scraped over the woman. “You and your kind sicken me.”

  Quinn let her words fade into meaningless drivel. Slipping a hand in his pocket, he removed a small drawstring bag he’d put together last night. He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to use it, but the time for compromise was gone. His mother had lost control, and things were unraveling faster than he’d imagined. It was time for him to salvage what he could from this situation before anyone else got hurt.

  Opening the bag, he dipped his fingers into the talc-fine mix of dried herbs and mother’s milk. Taking a pinch between his thumb and forefinger, he withdrew his hand and let it fall to his side. Moving slowly, he rubbed his fingers together, disbursing the powder in a small but steady stream.

  “Vampires,—” Mortianna was saying, “—are nothing more than parasites. They prey on humans and innocent little girls like my Bliss. They destroy all that is good and subvert it into something dark and evil.”

  “This isn’t part of the plan,” the vampire wailed. She looked so angry Quinn was surprised she didn’t stomp her feet.

  “And once I am in control my first command is to destroy the vampires.” Mortianna laughed. “Why would I help Mikhail assume control when I can just as easily do it myself? When you first came to me you’d hinted that it would be better if you were to replace Saint-Juste.” She glanced at the vampire, but if she was hoping for a reaction, she was disappointed. “Then I realized you are far too stupid to be given such an important task.”

  Gabrielle gaped at the woman she’d called friend only minutes before. “You’re nuts,” she shouted.

  “Begone, fiend!” Mortianna waved her hand in Gabrielle’s direction.

  Four of the minions broke formation and moved toward the vampire. She made a sound like that of a scalded cat. Almost faster than Quinn could blink she stood in the doorway, her delicate features twisted with rage.

  “You haven’t heard the last of me!” With her gaze throwing daggers at them, Gabrielle left with the minions hot on her heels.

  “Well now.” Mortianna smiled as she rubbed her hands together. “Now where were we?”

  “What about Bliss?” Val asked. “What would she say about this?”

  Her smile vanished. “My daughter can’t say anything. She’s dead.”

  Quinn continued his slow journey as the conversation ebbed and flowed around him. Careful to keep his movements unobtrusive, he divided his attention between his task and the discussion, waiting for the right time to jump in.

  “What my friend meant was, if Bliss were here right now, what would she say about your plan?” Alexandre’s tone was soothing.

  “Why do you think I’m doing this?” She rubbed the spot between her brows. “My daughter, my beautiful daughter.”

  Mortianna frowned as if she were confused. Her gaze was distant, fixed on something they couldn’t see. She looked as if something were bothering her, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Quinn knew it was the powder, and she was feeling the effects. He continued his task, moving in a wide circle as he enclosed them in a circle of magic.

  “Don’t you think she’d be upset that you’re trying to destroy her friends?” Alexandre asked.

  “Well, of course she would be. The silly twit believed she was in love with St. James. He bewitched her. That’s the only explanation there could be.” She started to pace. “No witch could ever love a bloodsucking fiend.”

  Quinn kept an eye on her as he completed the circle. Even though she was unaware of the boundaries, Mortianna paced within its confines.

  So far so good.

  “Mother.”

  The witch stopped and looked at him as if she’d forgotten he was there. Her grief, etched in every inch of her face, was sharp and real. For all her faults, Mortianna had truly loved her daughter.

  But not him. Never him.

  He waited for the pain to come, but it didn’t. Only a bittersweet whisper resonated through his mind when he thought of the severed relationship between his sister and mother. His biological family certainly took the fun out of dysfunctional.

  “What?” she snapped.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” he spoke softly. “Once upon a time, Bliss loved Sinjin with all her heart and she made a commitment to him.” He looked down into the serene face of his sister. “And he loved her as a man loves a woman. Vampire or not, your mortal daughter did love…how did you phrase it?”

  “I believe she called vampires bloodsucking fiends,” Val said.

  For a second, Quinn thought she’d erupt in flames. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes took on a reddish tinge before she forcibly calmed herself.

  “He tricked her.”

  “And how did he accomplish this? What did he do to convince Bliss to leave everything she knew and loved to join with him?”

  She waved her hand and resumed her pacing. “I don’t know. Vampires have powers that even I don’t understand completely. My daughter could have never loved one of them.” She indicated Val and Alexandre.

  Quinn laid his hand on the glass cocooning Mortianna’s daughter. “You’re ignoring the fact that Bliss did love one of them. She left you for the man she loved and she only returned because you told her if she stayed, you’d destroy him.” He stroked the glass directly above his sister’s face. “Only then did she leave because she didn’t want to bear the burden of his death should you have gone through with it.”

  “What else was I supposed to do?” Mortianna’s pacing increased.

  “Let them live in peace.” He drew a pentagram over his sister, disbursing the last of the dust that clung to his fingertips. “You thought you’d won and your daughter would leave him and return to your side but it didn’t work out that way did it?”

  “No.” The word came out as an anguished sob.

  “You drove your daughter out of Sinjin’s life and in doing so she cast you out of hers.” He turned from the casket. “She never returned here did she?”

  “Not until I brought her here s
everal months ago.” Tears ran down the witch’s face. “She told me she could never forgive me, and she’d not set foot here ever again.”

  “And she kept her word.”

  “Yes.”

  “Even though she did as you commanded, she left the man she loved and now that she’s gone, you seek to betray her memory by killing him and his kind.” Quinn shook his head. “The vampires haven’t harmed you, yet you will see them die because you made a mistake that drove away your daughter? Does that make any sense at all?”

  Slowly, Mortianna turned her face toward him. She was even more wrinkled and wizened now. She appeared to have aged another twenty years in the past few minutes. Her eyes were bright with anger as her gaze met that of her firstborn’s.

  “My only mistake in life was in allowing you to take your first breath.” She pointed at him, and her hand was shaking. “Your father was weak, and he bred a weak child upon me. He begged me to spare your life and foolishly I listened to him.”

  “I guess you made two mistakes then.” Quinn felt her gaze bore into his body and he refused to react. If this was the power she held in a weakened state he’d hate to have faced her at full strength.

  “One that I shall soon rectify.” She laughed.

  Nodding at Val and Alexandre, he gave the signal to divide and conquer. Both vampires edged away and Quinn shifted, careful to keep her attention on him as he moved, so she wouldn’t notice what Val and Alexandre were doing.

  “You would kill your own son?” he asked.

  “With great pleasure.” She was smiling.

  “The Rede states, ‘An it harm none, do what thou wilt’ and you would kick it aside like it’s a meaningless greeting card?”

  Mortianna laughed and it wasn’t a pleasant sound, not by a long shot. “You fail to see the big picture. Even as the most powerful witch alive, I barely know a tenth of all there is. There are untapped resources of alchemy out there waiting to be discovered.” She waved her arm to indicate the world outside the boundaries of her house.

  “For a price, of course,” he drawled.