by Petra Landon
Temi watched as he strode away without a backward glance. Then, with a protein bar in hand, she moved into the larger cave flooded by sunlight. There were a few hours of light left and she wanted to conserve the flashlight batteries.
On their way to the airport, the Alpha brought up a pending matter with Faoladh. A promise was a promise — was how Raoul looked at it.
“The Guardians desire an audience with you, Faoladh” he said. “The one who brought us the Seer’s interpretation asked me to intercede on their behalf.”
Faoladh was unsurprised. A particular Guardian had been remarkably persistent recently. “Thorne?” he inquired.
The Alpha confirmed it.
“Did you promise him a meeting with me, Raoul?” Faoladh asked.
“No, only that I would inform you he seeks one.”
“Good.” Faoladh was pleased. “Matters with the GCW are delicate right now. I’d rather avoid a one on one with the Guardians.”
Hmm, Raoul mused, Faoladh was aware of how the wind was blowing with the Guardians. Not that he had expected the Alpha Wyr to be in the dark.
“This is to do with the GCW’s ambition to elect a new First Wizard” he remarked.
Faoladh looked astonished. “You know about it?” He had not expected the Alpha to be in the know about internal Guardian politicking. Though on second thought, it struck Faoladh that Raoul had a Guardian who resided in his Lair. The Alpha was more likely to track GCW politics now, because of its repercussions on his investigation.
“I heard that the GCW was intent on calling for a full assembly to vote on the matter” Raoul acknowledged. “However, LaRue has not received his invitation yet, which suggests that they might be rethinking the strategy.”
“ElThor and I have let it be known, through unofficial channels, that replacing the First Wizard, while her relationship with the GCW is in the doldrums, will not be taken kindly by the other Chosen” Faoladh declared, not without relish.
Faoladh had been busy, Raoul realized. The Alpha Wyr’s proactiveness on this did not surprise him anymore, now that Raoul knew that Faoladh’s alliance with the First Wizard went back a long way — at the heart was Faoladh’s friendship with a Seer who’d asked the Wyr to keep an eye on his protégé.
“Esmeralda has allies on the Council, Raoul” Faoladh asserted. “ElThor is no fool. He might hesitate to involve his First Ones in the hunt for Bethesda, but he will not allow the GCW to destabilize the Wizards with petty politics. He was keen to join me in firing a shot across their bow. The Guardians understand that a new First Wizard will have less clout at the table if both ElThor and I do not offer our support to him or her. It has made them reassess their strategy.”
“Is this the end of the Guardians’ plan to replace the First Wizard, Faoladh?” a curious Duncan inquired from the back seat.
“I doubt it, Duncan. They won’t give up that easily. I have my people keeping their ears to the ground but I don’t want any truck with the Guardians yet. The threat of withdrawing support on the Council will be somewhat diluted if I indulge the Guardians with a personal exchange. At the end of the day, it’s a bluff. Neither ElThor nor I can do much if the Wizards change their representative to the CoC. They are within their rights to call for a new election.”
Both the Alpha and Duncan got the subtext of Faoladh’s comment. It was a delicate game that Faoladh and ElThor played, one that could unravel easily with a false step. Faoladh steering clear of the Guardians would ensure that no avoidable move was added to the choreographed game plan.
“Having said that” Faoladh continued. “I’d like to know why Thorne is so insistent to meet me. There are limitations to how many GCW rumors I’m privy to. A quid pro quo might be worth pursuing — having a Guardian on the inside would be enormously beneficial.”
He paused to reflect on the matter. “Tell Thorne that I will not grant him an audience but you’ll hear him out, Raoul” he directed.
The Alpha refrained from rolling his eyes. “Faoladh” he pointed out mildly. “I have no interest in Guardians or their politics.”
Faoladh grinned at the long-suffering tone of the remark. “Think of it as a mission to wrest potential ammunition for the investigation, Raoul.”
As the Alpha met his eyes, Faoladh banished all frivolity. “To get the First Ones to take the threat of her seriously, we’ll work to force Bethesda out in the open. Even as we pursue a different strategy with the Vampires, per your suggestion. With them, we instigate the other Pure Blood Masters to confront Monseigneur, which they will if they believe that he’s jeopardizing the Clan by his association with Bethesda. The Vampires have always walked a fine line, Raoul. They are not children of the Forebearers. If they step out of line, the punishment for them will be more severe than the others. They know it well. But while we work on the Vampires and the Ancients, we must make sure that the Wizards do not fall apart. Because if that happens, Bethesda will move in for the kill and take over the GCW, and the Wizards, in one fell swoop. I cannot afford to take my eye off that ball. That is why I make sure ElThor is always kept attuned to any GCW moves to weaken the First Wizard. As long as Esmeralda remains First Wizard, we have a shot at saving the Wizards from the destructive path the Guardians seem bent on.”
Raoul could not disagree with Faoladh. Things were at too fine an edge. And the Spell Casters were the closest to it, teetering on the brink, as was their wont.
Faoladh shot him a pointed look. “I’ve seen you outmaneuver Mistress Franciszka and bind together your local Chosen Alliance. You have the chops to squeeze the Guardians for information. Talk to Thorne and find out what they are up to. He’s influential within the GCW and commands a following. Anything you get from him will help us checkmate Bethesda from taking over the Wizards.”
Later, on the drive back after Faoladh’s plane had departed from Corfu, Duncan remarked. “We might be making more of Faoladh’s non-admission regarding Lady Bethesda as the rainmaker, Raoul. As he reminded us, everything is pure conjecture at this point.”
The Alpha shot his passenger a glance. With Duncan, he never hid anything. And his old friend knew him well enough to read the cues under the inscrutable exterior.
“He’s holding something back, Duncan” Raoul said bluntly. “At first, I thought he was being circumspect, to protect a friend’s confidence. But to what end? Sienna is the only one who might be affected by any disclosures about her father and she’s one of us, searching for answers about what is to come.”
“Somehow, I doubt Faoladh gives a damn about any repercussions to the Oracle’s wife” he contended.
“Maybe, it is Lady Esmeralda he’s protecting” Duncan suggested shrewdly. “Her position is precarious.”
“She was the Oracles’ protégé and the Guardians have long memories” Raoul countered. “Plus, her equation with the GCW is already in tatters. Nothing, certainly nothing from the past, could worsen that relationship.”
Duncan’s eyes searched the Alpha’s profile. The boy’s instincts had always been stellar, even when he’d not cared enough to exercise them.
“What do you think Faoladh is holding back?” he asked.
Raoul shrugged. “Beats me. He told me that he picked me to run this investigation for a reason, one he’ll share when the time is right.”
“Since then, I’ve been wondering about it, Duncan. Think about it! Why did he pick me? More to the point, why pick another Shifter to dig into Lady Bethesda. He needs a Wyr to run the investigation, the Guardians will not cut it. That I get. Yet, among the Shifters, he knows her best. He was also friend to the Seer whose prophecy is now at the center of the investigation. He could easily have dug into the past himself, using his investigators to do the grunt work. Why ask me to look into it?”
“He wasn’t wrong about picking you, Raoul. Look how far we’ve brought the investigation.”
Raoul was blunt with his friend. “The witchling happened to be with us while we were searching for the answers. Without
her, we would not have come this far so quickly. But Faoladh doesn’t know about her. So, why?”
Duncan concurred with the Alpha’s assessment of Tasia’s role in the investigation. Her presence in the team had helped to fast track their success. Tasia’s unusual circumstances gave her a different perspective from the Pack and even other, more established, Chosen. And her unique magic had contributed singular insights that had given the team many of the breakthroughs that pushed the investigation forward.
“It is puzzling” the English Shifter agreed. “But there’s another way to look at it. Perhaps, Faoladh was attempting to stay above the fray, knowing that he would have to save the First Wizard from her Guardians. In choosing you to run the investigation, he put you in the crosshairs of the GCW, while giving himself the room to counter their moves against her.”
“He knows you can take the heat” Duncan proclaimed, as Raoul reflected on the English Shifter’s comment. “Not only take it, but thrive under it. I’d consider that a vote of confidence.”
“He did admit that he knew the Guardians would play hardball with The Prophecy records” the Alpha murmured. “And that I’d wrest them from the Wizards.”
“Lady Esmeralda going to Faoladh was a double-edged sword for him” Duncan pointed out. “Faoladh finally had the excuse to dig into Lady Bethesda, but he also knew that to confirm or disprove his suspicions, he’d eventually need access to the Seer’s notes. Much to his relief, you tied Lady Bethesda’s actions to what he believes is the culmination of the Oracle’s unfinished prophecy. But as he’d suspected, once the Guardians knew that Faoladh was working with the First Wizard, they shut off access to the records. Keeping some distance from the investigation made it easier for Faoladh to deal with the GCW. ”
Raoul mused on his friend’s words. Duncan had a point. Yet, something about the conversation with Faoladh made him uneasy, an undercurrent he could not put his finger on. The relationship with Faoladh had always been straightforward. He knew where he stood with his Alpha, as was the way of the Wyrs. But for the first time, matters appeared not as cut and dried as before. They stood poised at the cusp of great change, not because that is what The Prophecy foretold, but because Raoul sensed that the coming conflict would affect everything — all the associations and relationships nurtured over time would be ripped apart. If there had ever been a time for the Wyrs to be completely in sync, it was now.
“Faoladh’s playing a long game, Duncan” he said pensively. “Maybe you’re right and he’s using me as the battering ram to open the doors he knows will resist him.”
“You’ll open every door we need, Raoul.” Duncan was confident, and proud. He knew how dogged and determined the boy could be. Lady Bethesda’s rampage over the Chosen reminded Raoul of past horrors and that made him dangerous to the Wizard. “Because at the end of the day, Faoladh is not wrong. She must be stopped.”
The English Were-Alpha paused, to chew on Faoladh’s confidences about the past.
“He could also be motivated by something else. We know now that he was once too close to some of the principals. Perhaps, Faoladh feels that someone like you, with no biases and preconceptions about the past, has a better shot at getting to the bottom of this.”
“I hope you’re right” Raoul said.
Duncan, who had his suspicions about what concerned the Alpha, played devil’s advocate.
“If Faoladh is destined to defend the rainmaker from the wrath of other Chosen, keeping his distance from the investigation is not likely to stop what is to come” he submitted.
Raoul was equally blunt. “No, but my guess is because this is the Oracle’s prophecy, he can’t disregard what is to come, much as he wants to. Wyrs have never believed in prophecies, Duncan, and I’d bet good money that Faoladh still doesn’t when it comes to other Seers. But this one hits too close to home for him.”
“Since it is the Oracle’s prophecy that advances Faoladh as the champion, he is apprehensive that it might be true” Duncan murmured, finally understanding what had the Alpha preoccupied. “And that is why he asked you to lead the investigation?”
Raoul brooded on what Faoladh had admitted to him.
“I hope not, Duncan” he said heavily, not denying his friend’s assertion. “But Faoladh, no believer in prophecies, is a firm believer of the Oracle. And right now, everything the Seer says is pointing at Lady Bethesda controlling the narrative.”
Duncan’s eyes tangled with his friend’s. “If that comes to pass, Raoul, Faoladh will be the one on the wrong side of this. Elisabetta is right about Faoladh. I cannot see him sacrificing his principles just because he believes that is what the future is meant to look like, irrespective of which Seer foretells it.”
Raoul let the comment pass, hoping fervently that whatever the future held for the Chosen, he wouldn’t have to choose between his Wyr fealty and stopping a ruthless Magick who threatened their way of life.
CHAPTER 7
An Archmage and a vision
Denver, Colorado
The elegant lady glanced up as a pale young man walked into the room to greet her.
“What news, Rafaelo?” she inquired.
“The Alpha’s on the move” Bianchi said.
The lady was pleased. This could work to her advantage, she deliberated. Strike while the Wyr was distracted with other business. The Alpha was an astute and adept adversary and she would not be bamboozled by his Shifter persona or reputation again. She’d bide her time and get her ducks in a row, before she went up against him. Matters were entering a critical phase. Faoladh continued to be singularly stubborn about playing his role. And Raoul Merceau would not join her cause while Faoladh kept his distance. But she was made of sterner stuff. Plus, she’d had over two decades to plan her comeback and eventual triumph, over the Magicks that had run her out of town before. The fallback plan had been set into motion and she was eager to see the results. Faoladh would soon discover that he was not the only game in town. Perhaps, it was time to pry her daughters away from the pernicious influence of the Shifters, until Faoladh’s allegiance was public and unequivocal.
“How many guard my daughters?” she asked him.
The Vampire looked startled. “My Lady?”
“In San Francisco, Rafaelo” she expounded, a tad impatiently. “Find out how many guard them.”
Bianchi was pleased by the subtext of her query. Frankly, he was bored. He hated this twiddling of thumbs. He was a man of action. And Pure Bloods were not meant to lie low and skulk in the shadows. They were fated to be the fourth pillar of the Chosen; legitimate Magicks with a seat at the high table. Also, scheming was only fun when he was allowed the opportunity to test his strategies.
“They accompany the Alpha, My Lady” Bianchi explained, holding his eagerness in check.
It puzzled the Vampire no end that the Alpha’s entourage now included two of the Lady’s daughters, not one. He wondered at it. Whatever strategy she’d employed, to draw Faoladh into her corner, had not yet borne fruit. But Rafaelo was confident that the Lady would eventually get her way. He’d observed her tactics at close quarters for a long time and she’d proved to be an incredibly smart operator, always a few steps ahead of her adversaries. Rafaelo suspected that it was this quality of hers that had persuaded Monseigneur to back her.
The lady was puzzled. “Why take them along on Shifter business …?” She paused, to reconsider it. “Unless, it’s not.”
“My source says he’s traveling with a large party” the Vampire offered helpfully.
“Where to?”
“Greece.”
Her eyes flashed to him. “Greece” she muttered, going a little pale.
“One of the islands, My Lady.”
“Which island, Rafaelo?” she asked sharply.
“Corfu.”
Rage swirled through her. But she tamped down her fury. She would never show any weakness before Rafaelo Bianchi. He was loyal to her, in his own way, because he’d been ordered to serve her an
d because she dangled the prospect of a future with influence before him. But the real master, he answered to, would always be Monseigneur. She was careful to hide any hint of vulnerability from the Pure Blood Master. Ally or not, Monseigneur would turn on her the day she became a liability for him. She was ever vigilant to give him no ammunition for such a turn of events.
This would never have come to pass if Faoladh had essayed the part written for him, she raged silently. Instead, his intractable pet Shifter was running amuck in Corfu, digging into matters meant to stay buried. If she were the cause of bringing the First Ones to Monseigneur’s doorstep, he would throw her to the dogs without a second thought.
She took a deep breath. “I want to know why he’s in Corfu” she directed imperiously.
“Of course, My Lady.”
Bianchi cast a last glance at his preoccupied mistress, before exiting her presence. He would reclaim her daughters for the Lady, now that she was ready to welcome them back into the fold. And once he had wrested them from the Beast Lord, he’d make sure that it was his Pure Bloods that guarded them, not the B team that had allowed the daughter to escape. Rafaelo was wary of the Beast Lord; the Wyr was a scary bastard whose prowess and acumen were not to be taken lightly. And this was before the whispers suggested that the Alpha had survived a day and a night of silver in San Francisco, to break through his cage and confront his Wizard captors. This particular Wyr was shrewd like a Pure Blood, with the intellect of a First One and the power of a Shifter. He must never push the Beast Lord to the wall, or the Wyr would come rampaging after him. But if working for Monseigneur had taught him anything, it was that there were always multiple ways to slither into a citadel, no matter how fortified it be. Though neither Monseigneur nor the Lady had ever articulated their vision of the future to him, Rafaelo had had ample time to figure out their goals. He knew exactly why Monseigneur had gathered so many First Ones to his court over the years. During his time at the Venice Nest, some had become allies in the quest to survive the factionalism that ran rampant within Monseigneur’s inner circle. It was time to call in some favors. Wily or not, Bianchi was confident the Wyrs could be blinded by Pure Blood cunning.