by Mark Henwick
Bian arrived, throwing open the door and startling me. I had a glimpse of an escort in the corridor and steeled myself. She saw where my eyes went and kicked the door closed.
I wondered nervously which Bian I had tonight.
It was the Diakon, maybe.
“My escort, not yours, Round-eye.”
“In Haven?” I couldn’t quite keep the incredulity out of my voice.
She just looked at me.
What the hell was going on?
I retrieved the SD with the recording from my laptop and handed it over.
She stared at it lying in the palm of her hand like it was a scorpion.
“This is that bad?” I asked.
Her fingers closed around the disk. “This is not good for me, personally. Or for Altau,” she said.
The door opened again.
Skylur. An angry Skylur.
He closed the door behind him with exaggerated care and motioned me to a seat in front of the window. Bian sat on the edge of the bed.
He folded himself into the seat opposite me and laid his linked hands in his lap. His eyes were hooded, the brilliant blue gleaming from the depths of shadow. He looked tired.
“You got my message,” he said quietly.
It wasn’t a question, but I nodded.
“And you’ve turned up here in the middle of the night. Twelve hours later.” He ran his eyes up and down me. “You’ve been in a fight. Matlal?”
“No.” The bruises and torn jeans were from Alex, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. “A gang jumped me as I was making my way to the car to come here.”
“What were you doing wandering around Denver?”
I was in the wrong, but I wasn’t going to sit and listen to this for too long.
“Look, Matlal didn’t get me. The closest he got was when I used your secure phone and they were tracking it.”
It got so quiet I could hear them talking in the corridor. I shouldn’t have stayed out there, but my argument was sort of valid. The most dangerous thing happening was that Altau had a spy feeding Matlal information.
I wanted Bian to say I had a good point, like Diana would have, but she didn’t. In fact, Skylur was the one to admit it, even if it was with the curtest of nods.
“I grant you that. You provided us with the proof and you evaded the Matlal teams yesterday.”
I thought that was better, but he went on.
“Which was a fraction of the number of Athanate and Were searching for you as soon as they found out you’d tricked them. Over two hundred, Amber. Not just their elite squads. In fact, most of House Matlal.”
He let that sink in. I’d thought a couple of dozen at worst.
“And they knew enough about you to track you down at any of your usual places. I’ve had to change long-running plans and use assets that I held in reserve to cover you, flush the ambushes. The ramifications are still running. I keep things secret for a purpose,” he said, his voice going colder. “I do not like my purposes crossed.”
“There are so many Basilikos in the city that even the Warders have had to admit they’ve noticed it and make complaints to Matlal,” said Bian. “And everyone, everyone, now knows that you’re being hunted by Matlal, and most of them think they know why. And Panethus are demanding to know why there appear to be no Altau in the city.”
“Hold on, I’m not responsible for leaking information,” I snapped back. “I’m not responsible for the numbers of Altau, which you won’t even explain to me. And the rest of what I was doing out there was important. If it crossed your purposes, you should’ve briefed me better.”
Skylur sat forward, frustration coloring his voice. “Perspective, Amber! Matlal was distracted. You achieved that. You provided us with the evidence on the spy. Everything else was just more risk. Unjustifiable risk.”
Well, some of it had been risky and not agreed to with Skylur, like working with the FBI. But Diana had specifically said I must not discuss Emergence with Skylur—he had to have plausible deniability in front of the Assembly. Which gave me another problem. How was it going to look if I said that I needed to speak to Bian privately about that, if she was under some suspicion herself? Better to keep this until I could talk to Diana. The same about the colonel as well.
But it was becoming clearer to me that although Skylur might be angry at me, there was something else he was even angrier about. Okay. He was taking it out on me because I happened to be in the way. Not so okay, but I could handle that.
“Well, now that we’re talking about it, what else have I done wrong?”
“You’ve represented us to the werewolves without authority,” said Bian quietly.
“I talked to them, on a matter for them. When it became apparent there’s been a breakdown in communications with Altau—”
“Stop. I understand, Amber,” Skylur cut across me. “I am much less concerned with that anyway. Simply inform me in future.”
I seethed, but quietly. What part of ‘a matter for them’ didn’t he understand? But the wording of the oath I was scheduled to take the next day came back to me. That didn’t give me leeway. I was being herded into something I didn’t fully buy into by the lack of alternatives. And I saw the contradictions in my thinking. If I said there were matters that were just for the pack, then I had to accept there were matters that were just for the Athanate. Both increasingly felt wrong, but they weren’t something to fix tonight.
What would Top have done? Play the hand he was dealt.
I took a deep breath. “Okay. My apologies. I can’t say I won’t get it wrong again, but I’ll try not to.” I paused. “What’s my situation now?”
“Unchanged,” said Skylur. “This is not a prison, but you have to stay here while Basilikos remain in Denver, other than in exceptional circumstances.”
Everyone was calmer. I’d done what I could out there. Alex and the pack were at least aware of what was going on. Jen was staying anonymously in hotels with guards. Tullah was out of the way, and I suspected it would be an unwise Athanate that went up against Kaothos. With them off my mind temporarily, I could handle the Assembly.
“You need to understand.” Skylur leaned forward again, resting his elbows on his knees. “I cannot let you—”
One of his staff opened the door and said something. Some of the team outside looked pale with shock.
Skylur’s face went stiff, and he rose.
“Ten minutes, meeting room 6,” he said to Bian curtly and strode away without a glance.
I glared after him.
“Cut him some slack,” said Bian.
“I am.”
“Not enough, Amber.” She checked that the door was closed and bent close to me, making my heart stutter. “Listen, it’s not all your fault, but you don’t understand the position you put Skylur in.”
“Then explain it to me!”
“This is Basilikos’ perfect storm. If Matlal starts a war, Panethus and the independents would unite against Basilikos. But if Skylur were to start a war, not only would Panethus split, but the independents would stand aside, except the Midnight Empire.”
“Okay, I understand that. But Skylur isn’t—”
“Panethus need a strong leader,” Bian went on, talking over me. “They expect a strong leader. They think they know what your Blood will do. Some of them would have expected him, required him to go to war if you had been taken by Basilikos today, simply on the threat that might pose. And they would have split if he had not, in which case Basilikos would strike anyway. Think on that hanging over his head this last couple of days. Now you’re safe and he should move to the next concern—keeping Panethus together in the Assembly. And now…” she shook her head. “Well, have some appreciation for his position.”
One of her escort put her head around the door and spoke briefly in Athanate, while listening to something on an earplug. Bian went to the door and paused with it held shut. “This has been a frightening buildup to the Assembly, and you’ve had your part in
that, Round-eye. Some of it’s your doing and some of it’s not. We may be on the brink of a war, which cannot be won, and will be a complete disaster for the whole Athanate. It’s a real worry that he hasn’t been talking to me, but…” she glanced at me over her shoulder, “I still trust him. He’s the only one who can get us through this.” She bowed her head and closed her eyes for a minute as if gathering her strength, then squared her shoulders and went out. I was alone again.
Damn. Some of it was my fault. Not the war, even though I might have been a trigger to start it. But I had caused problems when they should have been concentrated on the volatile situation. I’d been stupidly angry with Skylur, reacting rather than thinking things through. I wasn’t going to waste time second-guessing my decisions from today, but I did have to grant them they had reason to be unhappy with me. And I’d been rattled enough by what’d happened today I wasn’t thinking clearly. My mind skittered away from it all. Now, there was whatever had just happened in Haven that had shocked everyone, which no one wanted to explain to me.
I gave up guessing and took a shower, then collapsed on the bed, wrapped up in Pia’s bathrobe. I was too tired to deal with things like finding new clothes to wear. I made sure Tullah’s emergency cell was at the bedside, and everything else was off.
The next thing I knew, Pia was bending over me. I struggled to get up, but she pushed me back.
“Just rest, I’ll get the bedclothes straightened out.”
We tugged the sheets around until they covered me and then she left me to go take a shower. I drifted off again. A few minutes later and she slipped in beside me, warm and smelling of lavender soap. And buck naked.
I woke up in a hurry. I was Mistress of an Athanate House. I had duties. I swallowed nervously. Blood was out; Skylur’s ban was still in place. That left sex, I guessed. Crap. I surged up. I did not want—
Pia seemed to understand. She giggled. “Relax.”
She slipped out of bed and came back in what I guessed was David’s bathrobe.
We sat on the bed a little awkwardly.
“I’ve made progress on the charter you asked for,” she said. “But Skylur’s been keeping us very busy.”
“I’m looking forward to the charter. What have you guys—”
Pia held up a hand. “Mustn’t say,” she said. “Direct orders from Skylur. Talk to no one.”
“Did that mean me?”
She looked thoughtful. “Possibly not. I suppose we could assume—”
“No.” I stopped her and saw relief in her expression. “No. I’ve been too close to the edge with Skylur this week. I’m not going to push it.” I narrowed my eyes. How far did this House bond go? “Just for interest—”
“Yes, Mistress,” she murmured, lowering her eyes. “I would answer if you asked.”
I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t put her in that position. That would definitely be a misuse of my authority. The feeling of Athanate connections came back to me. Confusing, powerful. Even a little scary.
“I told you, Pia, it’s Amber. Definitely not Mistress,” I said, mock angry.
She smiled a little. “That’s in public.” She looked down again. “In private, I need the Mistress of my House. Calling you that helps me feel the connection with you.”
“What’s it like?” I asked, curious.
“The connection? A little of everything. My spouse, my boss, my priest, my team captain, my big sister, my friend.”
I chuckled uneasily. “Damn! I hope I can manage all that.”
“You will,” she said, and this time her smile was stronger.
“Can I ask about when you were House Altau?” I was worried that might be taboo for Athanate.
“Of course!”
“Was the connection like that with Skylur?”
She shook her head. “It was a very safe feeling, being part of Altau. And we’re affiliate, so I can sort of keep that.” She tilted her head. “But it was never so…” she frowned and shrugged, “companionable, I guess. Skylur was always too busy for me. Diana’s too scary and Bian’s too, well, Bian for me.” She paused.
“I’d never get to sit on the bed with Skylur and just talk about things.” I could feel her contentment, almost smugness. “And you’ve made me exotic and popular. Our marque is attractive. I can’t tell you what a boost that’s been. Even tucked away and working my butt off, I’ve never had so many proposals before.”
“As in you’re getting proposals for sharing blood?”
“They’re not allowed to have the real thing,” she looked shyly at me, “so they try for the next best. But Skylur says no Blood for the moment, and besides, I don’t want to dilute it in any way. I really want to be House Farrell, Mistress.”
My Athanate purred.
“And as for the other proposals,” she gave a contented little growl, “I have David. Or at least, I do when we have time. Been a bit busy this week.”
I laughed and leaned back against the headboard. This wasn’t so bad.
David stumbled in at that point, hollow-eyed with fatigue.
He came and sat on the edge of the bed and Pia twisted around and gave him a hug. He spared a smile for me.
“Done?” Pia asked.
“Yes, finally finished.”
“Go shower and come to bed,” said Pia, giving him a gentle shove in the right direction and watching him as he dragged himself into the bathroom, shedding clothes.
She was facing away from me and her beautiful hair cascaded down her back, black waves making a startling contrast with the white bathrobe.
I picked up a stray lock and let it run through my fingers like a piece of silky midnight.
Kath had always had beautiful hair too. We’d sat just like this countless times.
Pia sighed and stretched, shaking her head and making the whole dark waterfall shiver.
I combed it back with my fingers.
“That’s nice, Mistress,” she murmured. “Why so sad?”
I hesitated, then went on combing. “I was thinking of my sister, how we used to do this. Now she hates me.”
“We are sisters, now,” she whispered.
David’s shower stopped. It was very quiet.
“There were a lot of other roles for me,” I said.
“You’re doing well, believe me.”
She leaned back a little, so I could run my fingers the whole length of her hair. I could feel her willing my dark thoughts away. “You get ten Mistress points right now,” she said.
“For combing your hair?”
“With your fingers. In bed. And you only get one for the combing. The other nine are for enjoying it.” She sighed. “I can feel that. It feeds me and it feeds the bonds between us.”
“Oh.” That wasn’t so difficult, at least. “Good.”
David came to bed. At least he had a pair of boxers on.
My uncomfortable feeling returned, but in seconds they arranged themselves on either side of me like brackets. David was asleep as soon as he lay down, his face against my shoulder.
Pia switched the light off and settled down on her pillow. The earlier tension was back. It was wrong. I did have a duty and it was for nothing more than we’d felt while I combed her hair.
Moving tentatively, I reached out and pulled her closer. She wriggled up against me until her head rested on my pillow and she let a last small sigh escape.
I was tired. A profound sense of Athanate family stole over me. I would do everything to be worthy of the trust that they were placing in me. Some mysterious Athanate response kicked off in me and Pia breathed deeply and purred as she fell asleep. David shifted closer without waking.
Haven wasn’t home, by a long shot, but this was my Athanate family. I was putting out something soothing in my marque and they were unconsciously reacting in the same way. It felt like I was being stroked to sleep.
I slept very well. All the more shattering when I was woken early by Tullah’s call.
“Amber, Jen’s been kidnapped.”
>
Chapter 42
SATURDAY
“Exceptional circumstances, Bian,” I said on the cell, gunning the Ford out of the underground garage. “That’s what Skylur said.”
“You don’t even know where she is,” replied Bian. “And this is just one woman against the future of the Athanate. This Assembly—”
“This Assembly is a farce and you know it. Basilikos are already moving against us. They’re only interested in keeping the appearance of the Assembly going to weaken support for action in the Panethus party.” I took deep, calming breaths. “And for me, it’s not just one woman. It’s Jen…and she’s family. She’s kin.”
Bian was silent. I turned onto the driveway and headed for the gates. They were still closed and the guards were coming out now, weapons in hand. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. I had to get out, but I couldn’t fight these people. They were family too.
I could hear sounds in the background as someone asked Bian a question and she replied. They spoke in Athanate, so I didn’t know what had been said. It sounded angry.
“I understand, Amber,” Bian said to me and the gates started to open. I blinked, relief flooding through me. Bian’s voice sounded strained. “Good hunting. If you find her, call me, and I’ll push for help.”
“Thank you, Bian,” I whispered and ended the call. The guards moved aside and waved us through.
David’s hand came from the back seat and squeezed my shoulder. “We’ll find her,” he said.
David and Pia were dressed in black combats and carrying their P90s and Kevlar vests in a sports bag. The ugly little P90 machine gun was Altau’s standard issue and they’d be useful.
I was in yesterday’s damaged clothing, but I’d brought all my operational equipment from my Audi. I was as well armed as I could be, heading into the unknown. And if this wasn’t the most experienced team I could have as backup, it was still immensely comforting to have them there.
At Manassah, Tullah was standing outside and I skidded to a halt next to her.
“Stay in the car, guys,” I said to David and Pia. “I don’t want the police to see you in that gear.”