by Kate Martin
“The Council,” Cade said to me, apparently noticing my straggling. “You’ll see them in the flesh soon enough, so don’t fall behind.”
Oh, yes. I wanted nothing more than to stand before all these slices of history all at once. Just seeing their pictures was unnerving enough. But it was the only way to get Rhys back. I made sure not to fall behind again.
More guards stood at the end of the hall, and they opened one final door.
Cade tossed Solo in ahead of him, and Aurelia ushered me through before her. I caught Solo by the elbow, feeling a bit guilty for his treatment, and steadied him. He put his hand over mine, and I could feel a slight tremble in his fingers. What did it cost him to do this? A hunter at the heart of the vampire nest. Discreetly, I checked the leather wristband he always wore to cover his hunter’s mark, making sure it didn’t show.
Cade pulled the blindfold from Solo’s head.
The doors shut with a thundering sound behind us.
Aurelia approached the table that stood at the center of the room, and for the first time, I laid eyes on the Council as a whole. The paintings come to life. The one with the white beard sat at the center, the General at his right, the dark, scarred man to his left. Graceful as ever, Aurelia bowed, as did Cade. On impulse and instinct, I did the same, pulling Solo down with me, afraid he wouldn’t have acted on his own.
Sonya’s melodic voice greeted us. “Welcome. We have anxiously awaited your arrival. This development is certainly well met.” She sat with Demitri to the General’s right.
The dark vampire huffed, his posture tense and angry. “We shall see about that.”
“Peace, Tyrus,” Sonya said, still calm. “We seek the truth, whatever it may be.”
So that was Tyrus, the one who had caused all this. The one who wanted me dead as recompense for the death of his mate. I thought upon meeting him I would hate him, but I didn’t. Beneath all that anger, he looked sad; broken and wounded in a way that time would never really heal. I pitied him. Pitied the man who would see me dead.
How mature of me.
The bearded vampire at the center of the table slammed his hand down. “Bah! Skip the prattling. I was in the middle of important matters when this was called in.”
The General tensed at his side. “I’ll thank you to take this matter a bit more seriously, Aldric. It does, after all, concern the fate of my initiate.”
“I would think you would want to skip the inane prattle as well, then,” Aldric said, then cleared his throat, coughing like an old man. Once finished, he cast his gaze on Aurelia. “And you, girl, stop looking so smug. This ailment has cursed me for the better part of three centuries, it will not kill me.”
“Whenever you see fit to die, Aldric,” Aurelia said as though paying a compliment, “you know I will keep your seat warm in your place.”
The old Aldric waved her off, annoyed.
“Could we please get on with things?” the only other woman said, resting her chin against her hand, the bangles along her wrist jangling musically. I thought back to what Aurelia had told me along the way. This had to be Nadia. “I am curious about this stray with the ability to read our blood.” She looked at Solo like he was something to be played with, a toy that would hold her attention until she moved on to better things.
Apparently they had been filled in ahead of time. Good. We didn’t have time to waste. I was supposed to die in less than a day.
“Yes. I am curious as well,” said the vampire who reminded me a bit of Rhys, sitting at Demitri’s other side. The blue markings were gone from his body, but tattoos lined his right arm, disappearing beneath the collar of his every day tee-shirt.
“You would be, wouldn’t you, Rourke?” the vampire with the long blond hair and stormy eyes chuckled, then stood from his seat between Cordoba and Nadia. He was gigantic, looming over them all, his shoulders broad as the boat that had been in his painting. “If what they say is true,” he said, walking around the table, and towards us, “then he could call up all those lost memories of yours. Remind you of home. Of the good ol’ times when men fought in the nude, and a woman could gut that same warrior without dirtying her frock.” That grey gaze fell on me, leering. I stood my ground, despite every part of me crawling with discomfort. I would not hide behind Cade or Solo. I would stare down this ancient man, and not give him the satisfaction of making a little girl cower.
Rourke got up from his seat as well. “Osgar, leave the girl alone. You are making a poor, yet accurate, first impression.”
Osgar smiled at me crookedly. “I always like to make a lasting impression.”
“You are a giant, unruly Viking who, even with two thousand years of life experience, still hasn’t perfected bathing. I’m sure she’s unlikely to forget you.”
Osgar’s laugh was like a roar, filling the room as he tossed his head back, then slapped Rourke on the shoulder. At least he was amused. Rourke took the jostling as stoically as a statue.
A Celt and a Viking, standing side by side. I’d had history teachers who would have killed for this chance. I just wanted it over with.
A chair creaked, drawing everyone’s attention back to the table. Cordoba leaned forward on the table, his hands folded beneath his chin. “Back to the matter at hand,” he said. “How shall we prove this new evidence that has been brought forth? I’m certainly not volunteering my blood for testing, and besides that would prove nothing. This stray could be making it all up. We need definitive proof. Tyrus will certainly be happy with nothing less. It is the boy’s mind that must be proven, not just his ability.”
That icy feeling crept over my neck again, just as it did every time I encountered the great Bartolome Cordoba. Coincidence? Maybe, but I was beginning to think not. Every time he came around, something terrible happened soon after. I wished he would leave. I didn’t need him as a bad luck charm.
“Thank you, for your ever present optimism, my old friend.” The General looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes and a hunch to his posture. “But to answer your concern, I have already spoken with Sonya on a possible solution.”
Sonya folded her hands over the General’s in clear support. “We can use my Daniel. He will be able to read the stray’s mind and tell us if the claim is true.”
Aldric pushed his chair back, standing on what seemed to be arthritic joints. “Good. Do it.”
Osgar turned, nearly taking off Solo’s and my heads with his hulking arms as he did so. “That tiny thing? We’re going to pin everything on what your pet has to say? We don’t even know if it’s sane.”
“Of course he’s sane!” Sonya stood in a fury, and I had no doubt she would attack the ancient Viking—and probably win.
Demitri, however, held her back with a gentle hand on her arm. “Sane or not, Osgar,” he said, “the boy is not a liar. You know that.”
“Fine, have it your way.” Osgar shrugged it off.
Crossing the room at a snail’s pace, Aldric grumbled. “Hurry up. I said let’s do this, so let’s get it over with.”
The rest of the Council rose at that, all making their way down from the long table and following the eldest of them all. The General came straight to us, taking Aurelia’s hand, and exchanging a quiet look with her before turning to me.
“Are you all right, Kassandra? I understand there was another attack.” He gingerly touched the new burn along my face.
“I’m okay. Nothing I can’t live with.” I tried to smile for him, but my nerves got the better of me, and I think my well-intended expression ended up looking more like some sort of facial twitch.
Regardless, the General seemed put at ease by it. “Good. And this must be the young vampire I have heard so much about these past weeks. A stray who killed his own sire at a young age, and now who can give me back my family.”
Solo squeezed my hand as he came under the gaze of the General, and I understood his trepidation. Of course, I also wondered . . . what would he think of all this? Of the vampires he had sworn to
hunt and kill having feelings of love and loss? Would it change his mind, or was he unmovable on the matter? “I’ll do what I can. To help Kass.”
“Indeed.” The General seemed too tired to read into things, but he did look at our joined hands, then me. I hoped he knew this was all for Rhys. Every bit of it. I only held Solo’s hand because I knew he was scared, and because I owed him. I wasn’t a monster. I wouldn’t take advantage, and not acknowledge his risk. “Is it true then?” The General asked, shifting his gaze back to Solo. “You can prove Rhys is innocent?”
“I can, sir.”
“Let’s hope so. I have little hope left.” With that, he kissed Aurelia’s hand.
“Who’s the mind reader?” I asked, not seeing any better time for the question in the immediate future. “What’s he like?”
Aurelia continued to hold the General’s hand, and I thought perhaps that had they been alone, she would have been doing much more to comfort him. “He is a young man Sonya acquired many years ago. Quite beautiful, actually. Psychic in life, his power grew with his turning. But the ability cripples him, and he cannot stand to be among others for very long. With a touch, he can hear each thought that passes through your mind.”
“That’s so sad,” I said, feeling guilty yet again. One more person who would have to suffer in order to save Rhys.
“It is,” Aurelia agreed, “but Sonya is good to him, as we should be as well.” With a fleeting touch to the General’s cheek, and a light kiss, she led him away.
Cade placed a hand on my back. “We should go as well. Aldric does not like to be kept waiting.”
“I can see that,” I said, my feet still rooted to the floor. How could I be so afraid of something that would return everything to normal? Maybe it was the ice still creeping along my neck.
“You remember what I told you?” Cade said, leaning in and whispering the words so they would be between only us. “On the day of the arrest, about the mind reader, and the one time Rhys was in his presence?”
Did I? My mind was too frozen to remember much of anything, but I tried, tried to sort through the jumble of thoughts and memories I had collected since that day.
Then I found it. The mind reader had collapsed, claiming that Rhys’s mind had caused him pain, carried too much energy—or something. Because Rhys was different, and the Council wanted to know why.
And I was different too. Just how different, we were about to find out.
We walked into one of those rooms like you see on TV. The room adjacent to the interrogation room with the one-way window that lets you see inside. On the crime shows the cops always crowd around, commenting on the interrogation tactics of their colleague on the other side. The suspect almost always confesses, or succumbs to ridiculous sobbing because they’re either crazy or innocent.
Cade leaned in, explaining how everything worked. A current ran through the glass, disrupting psychic signals, buffering the mind-reader from our thoughts. I didn’t ask for anything further, and he didn’t offer. Simple was all my brain could handle at the moment. This room was exactly what I had thought it would be. Cold, bare, and unforgiving. The grey stone walls were plain and unadorned; not even the hum of computers or cameras graced the air. The only sound to be heard was my nervous breathing. Everyone else seemed perfectly calm. Everyone, except Solo.
With his hand still gripped in mine I could feel the slight tremble that ran through his body. He didn’t breathe at all. I studied his face, white and ashen as though he hadn’t fed in some time. He stared straight ahead, but I could tell his eyes were unfocused. Whatever he saw wasn’t in this world, it resided only in his mind. I wondered suddenly—worried—what doing this would cost him. If it hadn’t been to save Rhys, I would have felt incredibly selfish.
Council member after council member filed in. Unlike the small rooms on TV, this room was more than large enough to accommodate us all. Aurelia and the General entered after Nadia, Osgar and Rourke, but walked straight to my side. They provided some measure of comfort; buffering me from the other council members who hovered around, eager to decide the love of my existence’s fate. My fate. I wished Millie had been allowed to come, her gentle presence would have been a comfort. Cordoba placed himself at the back of the room, leaning against the darkest corner. Tyrus stood beside him, staring at me; glaring at me.
Aldric’s scratchy old voice entered before he did. “Let us get this nonsense over with. I have better things to do with my time.”
Aurelia scoffed and the General tightened his grip on her hand. How much longer would he be able to keep her from creating a seat for herself on the Council?
Aldric swept into the room like an enormous piece of drift wood, not caring what got in his way. He placed himself immediately at the glass pane that peered into a darkened room on the other side and folded his hands into the long sleeves of his ancient robes. He didn’t utter another word.
Sonya and Demitri came right behind him. After taking stock of all those in the room, Sonya lifted her chin and released Demitri’s hand. “Well, if we’re all ready, I shall go retrieve Daniel.”
“Not you.”
Sonya stopped short, spinning on her heel to face us all again after having turned to go. “Excuse me?” Her gaze was fixed on Tyrus, the one who had spoken.
Tyrus looked at her, his expression as apathetic as ever. “Send his caretaker. You should have no contact with him before the process is complete.”
An angry hiss preceded Sonya’s next words. “You don’t trust me?” It sounded less of a question, and more of a threat.
“Daniel will be influenced by the thoughts of whoever enters that room.”
“What do I care if Rhys O’Shea is innocent or not?”
My heart thumped at the sound of his name.
Cordoba held up a hand, silencing Tyrus. “We all care, Sonya,” he said. “In one way or another, we all care.”
“Daniel has never done this without my support. You have no idea what this does to him.” Rage and fear colored Sonya’s usually angelic face. Demitri had her by the hand again, but the gesture seemed to hold her back more than anything else.
This time Tyrus batted away Cordoba’s hand. “And we have no idea how often you influence him with your thoughts as he reads.”
“How dare you insinuate that I—”
“This matter calls for a far more delicate approach.”
“You don’t know what you are asking! Aldric, tell him.” Desperation coated her voice, and her arm pulled taught at length when she stepped towards the old vampire, Demitri refusing to let go of her hand.
All went quiet. What would happen if Aldric was ever gone? Who would they defer to then?
“The point has been made,” he said, not bothering to look at anyone. “I know we normally allow you to coddle and console your mind reader, but this is a different matter. This is a matter at the very heart of our own ranks. We cannot risk a taint.”
“If it weren’t for me we wouldn’t even have a reader to turn to!” Sonya sprang forward, but Demitri pulled hard and yanked her back. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her tight to his chest.
Aurelia grabbed me by the shoulder and put herself between me and the rest of the vampires. My grip on Solo’s hand was no match, I had to let go, but the General had moved Solo to the far wall much as Aurelia had shielded me. I peered around Aurelia’s side, not daring to move but curious. What would happen if a fight broke out? Rhys was scheduled for dismemberment at dawn. The order to hold off had not been sent. If we didn’t settle this now, we would be too late.
Though Aurelia and the General had taken precautions, Aldric didn’t seem worried over Sonya’s outburst. He continued to stare into the dark room beyond. “We will put it to a vote if it makes you feel better.”
Oh, god. We didn’t have time for a vote. I’d already seen them try to come to a decision—something told me a vote could take hours.
“Fine.” Sonya relaxed against Demitri. “Vote.”
“Speak up then,” Aldric said. “My old bones can’t take much more of this nonsense.”
“Sonya stays here,” Tyrus said first.
“Agreed.” Cordoba.
“I also agree.” Nadia made sure to smirk as she said it. I had a feeling her vote had been based more on what would piss Sonya off than what she thought was right.
“I don’t care either way,” Osgar said.
Rourke shook his head. “I remember what happened last time. Sonya should go in.”
Demitri kissed Sonya’s neck before speaking. “Sonya goes in.”
“We all know my vote,” Aldric said, “and we surely know Sonya’s. So what say you, Julius?”
I watched his face carefully, having no idea how he would vote. I didn’t know how I would have voted had I the opportunity. I just wanted this over with. The General was quiet for a moment; he closed his eyes and let out a breath, then he looked right at Sonya. “I am sorry, Sonya, it is nothing personal, but I want there to be no doubt.”
You could see her heart break. And while it was probably my imagination, I could have sworn I had heard it too. She collapsed against Demitri, who held her up easily, but nonetheless looked as tortured for her as she now looked for Daniel. He kissed her temple, then looked at the General. “We understand,” he said, juggling Sonya’s weight as she struggled to find her feet again.