“Who would gain from all of this?” I asked Barden.
“From taking on the organization? I doubt anyone would gain. It might reveal their presence, and depending on what you believe, that could be either a good thing or a bad thing,” he said, smiling at me. I wasn’t exactly sure which way he believed, but knowing Barden, he could likely see value in either side. “As far as I can tell, the organization has existed for a long time, long enough that they have significant resources.”
“Do you think they have more resources than the vampires have accumulated over the years?”
“I don’t know. And even if they have, it is unlikely to matter. You saw the way one man—one hedge mage—was able to confront multiple vampires.” Barden clenched his jaw, shaking his head. “I call myself a skilled mage, Dr. Stone, and have been at this a long time, but I have nothing rivaling that level of skill. If I did…”
“What would you do?”
“I don’t know. I like to think I would do just what your friend claims, that I would try to ensure the magical world remained separate from the rest of the world, and that we ensured that threats which might exist on this side of the Veil were neutralized, but I have to admit there might be temptation to do more.”
I stood quietly for a moment, trying to work through things. “How long?”
“What was that?”
“You said you been at this a long time. How long?”
Barden chuckled. “Do you like it when people ask you your age?”
I shrugged. “I’m a woman—and relatively young, at that—who works in an emergency room. I get asked my age all the time.”
“Does it matter?”
“Not to me, but some people want someone with experience…” I turned toward Jean-Pierre, watching him. “You don’t talk about your age at all, Barden.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Exactly. To a mage of your level and experience, it doesn’t matter. I’ve noticed something about him, though.”
“What is that?”
“In all the times I have visited with him, he references his age. It’s almost as if he needs to remind others of his experience.”
“Dr. Stone, even though he appears youngish, in order for him to sit on the Council of Elders, he must be considerably old.”
“I agree, but what if there are some who think that is not enough?”
“You think this is the vampire council at work?”
“I have no idea but there’s one way to find out.”
I followed Barden over to Jean-Pierre, and the two of us stood in front of the chair. As I looked down at him, really looked down, I realized I had no sense of age from him. When I had first encountered him, I had thought he might be in his fifties, but it was difficult to tell. In this light, the lantern light and that of the flickering fireplace, it looked as if he were older—but maybe because he wanted us to think that way.
“Do you get along with the Council?” I asked.
Jean-Pierre looked over at me, smiling. “The Council of Elders provides a guiding force to the rest of the vampire families, Dr. Stone. It scarcely matters if I get along with them.”
“You also told me you work together, but at the same time you are all predators. Do you have any enemies on the Council?” The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. For someone to have known Jean-Pierre was coming to Minneapolis previously, they would have to have been informed by one of the vampires, and considering what we knew about the vampires, I wondered if there was anyone who would reveal that.
“Again, Dr. Stone, you don’t—“
“I don’t know the workings of the vampires. I’m aware of that. At the same time, I understand people, and from what I know, vampires used to be people, unless that’s not true.”
Jean-Pierre watched me for a moment before glancing at Barden. “Are we about to be done here? I think it’s time for you to return me to the Vangalor family.”
“You’re welcome to return to the Vangalor family, but if you have others on the Council who are trying to remove you, how long do you think you have before another attack comes?” I asked.
“As I’ve said, I have survived many attacks over the years.”
“How long have you sat on the Council?”
“Nearly a century.”
Barden glanced over at me, and I could tell there was a hint of hesitation. A century was a long time, even to vampires. It seemed unlikely they would work to remove him now. Unless there was something more to it. Maybe there was another explanation we hadn’t come up with.
“You don’t have any enemies?”
“None who would attempt to harm one of the Council.”
“What if they did?”
“Why?”
“Who would replace you?”
“There is a process in place, and there are many names presented, but ultimately the remainder of the Council would choose.”
“And that’s how you were chosen?”
“At the time I was chosen, there weren’t many names presented.”
“Why not?”
“At the time, our numbers were diminished. There was a line of succession. The newer members have an entirely different process in place.”
“Newer?”
Jean-Pierre tilted his head at me. “I am the oldest on the Council.”
I looked at him in a new light. Everything he’d said had suggested an age to him, and experience, and I wasn’t surprised to know he was one of the oldest of the vampires. Hell, even the title of their Council suggested they were old. I was, however, surprised to learn he was the oldest of them.
“You still haven’t answered your question,” Barden said.
“And which question is that?” he asked. “Would it be the question about whether I have any enemies? Do you, Barden Leifan, have any enemies? When you have lived as long as I have, and you have worked as long as we have within the magical world, you acquire people who feel as if you aren’t as deserving of power.”
It was more than whether or not they were deserving of power. It was a matter of whether or not they wanted to remove power from him.
“I have enemies, but I also have friends,” Barden said.
“I have friends, as well.”
“Do you?”
It was an odd thing to think about. It was possible Jean-Pierre didn’t have anyone else he could go to for support. Why hadn’t I considered that before? He’d had a pair of guards the last time, men he said had been with him for the last one hundred years—a long time even in the vampire world. Other than that, who did he have? He had the support and structure of the vampire families, but that was only because of his position.
Had we uncovered a vampire council coup? My mind raced through the possibilities. I could imagine how the rest of the Council would use Matt’s organization to hunt Jean-Pierre. Doing so would not only draw them out of the shadows, but it would make it so that vampires still didn’t harm vampires. If this was what it was, it was something neither Barden nor I were equipped to get involved in. It was the kind of thing where we had to stand aside, let the vampires sort it out, and deal with the repercussions later. Only the more I knew, the more I wondered if we were going to get caught up in the repercussions regardless.
“It would be helpful if you shared with us what’s going on.”
Jean-Pierre glanced from me to Barden before finally sighing. “There are some among the Council who would like to see the vampires take a greater role.”
“What sort of a greater role?” Barden asked.
“The kind that would involve stepping out of the shadows, as it were, and pushing for greater leadership.”
I didn’t know a lot, but I had the sense the Mage Council tended to lead the magical world. If the vampires suddenly decided they wanted to get involved, how would that influence Barden and his role? How would that influence the Mage Council? Furthermore, how would it influence the shifters? I had so little knowledge of what took place within the
magical world and what the various factions did that I had questions.
“You would prefer not to become more involved?” I asked.
“I would prefer that any involvement we have is cautious,” he said.
“Why?”
“Vampires have something of a reputation,” Jean-Pierre said.
“One would argue it is well-earned,” Barden said.
“Whether or not that is the case doesn’t matter. It is the reputation that does.”
“And what would the vampires who want to push you out like to do?”
“They would like to increase our numbers.”
“And you fight that?” I asked.
“As I’ve said,” Jean-Pierre said, looking over at me, “there can be too many predators. There comes a time when numbers are not an asset.”
“That’s why they attacked you,” I said. Matt had thought they went after Jean-Pierre to get his token so they could have vampire powers, but it was something far different. Although it was tied to gaining vampire powers, with a token like that, they could increase vampire numbers.
“That is my concern.”
“Why not tell us?”
“It is vampire business, Dr. Stone.”
“This is my life, Jean-Pierre! You got me involved.”
He flashed his fangs at me. “They were intending to shift the dynamics. The newer vampires tend to have a different perspective on things. Unfortunately, it’s a perspective that is not tempered by time, not the same way that those of us who have lived for years have.”
I had already decided Jean-Pierre must have an incredible perspective on things after having lived so long, but I would never have imagined that perspective to be so important in maintaining the delicate balance between the magical races.
“So this was all about power,” I said, looking to Barden.
“Power?” Jean-Pierre said. “This is about more than power. This is about control. If there has been an attempt to coordinate with the organization, and if that coordination has been designed to overthrow the Council, then it is about far more than just power.”
“Where’s the rest of the Council?” Barden asked.
“The rest of the Council is intact.”
“Are you sure?”
“Why?”
“Because if the intent here was to destroy and disrupt the Council, then it seems to me all members of the Council would be in danger, not just you. What would happen if the Council disappeared?” I asked.
“The families would be responsible for coming together and meeting. Each family would choose a representative to sit upon the Council, to serve all of the families. A process like that takes a long time, as you can imagine.”
“I can’t really imagine,” I said.
Somehow, we had to resolve this, but I didn’t know if I should even be a part of it. Then again, if Matt were involved, however remotely that might be, I felt as if I needed to be a part of it. I might not want to get involved, and I might want to sit off to the side and let the others with more power deal with this, but if I were to do so, I would be abandoning a different oath.
“We need to get Matt back, and then we can figure out who else is involved,” I said to Barden.
“I think you’re right,” Barden said.
“You do?”
“I have a feeling your friend is not as involved as it appeared at first.”
“How will we get him back?”
Barden looked over to Jean-Pierre. “I think we need to do what they did.”
“And what is that?”
“Set a trap.”
Jean-Pierre watched us for a few moments, and he nodded. “If you intend to set a trap, it needs to be convincing. And effective.”
“What do you propose?” Barden asked.
Jean-Pierre reached into his pocket, pulling out a small coin. He held it in his hand, but I realized there was something else in his other hand. A matching coin. When he opened his hands, the Mark of the Elder rested it in the palm of each hand.
“You have two of them?”
“Not two. Only one is the real thing, but I’m hopeful none will be able to identify that.”
“Will they realize the mark is out of your hands?” I asked.
“Since they recognized the importance I have placed upon you, Dr. Stone, I suspect they will believe it.” He motioned for me to come over to him, and I glanced over at Barden before doing so. When I was there, Jean-Pierre held out his hand, and I held mine out. He rested his palm on top of mine, pressing the coin into my hand. He murmured something softly, and a surge of energy seemed to pass between us, flowing through the coin. Warmth washed along the surface of my hand before dissipating. I tried to jerk my hand away, but Jean-Pierre held it there, his grip far stronger than I could move. When he was done, he opened his eyes, looking at me.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I have made certain you are the only one who can use this.”
“Why me?”
“You have shown wisdom that is unusual for someone your age.”
I frowned at him. “Thanks, I guess?”
“I would not take that as an insult.”
“I’m not sure how to take it,” I said.
“You realize that you just forced her to be involved in this.” Barden said.
“She was always going to be involved in this,” Jean-Pierre said.
“She wasn’t if I had anything to do with it.”
“I’m not sure you will be able to resolve this without her.”
Barden cocked his head to the side, frowning, and then his expression changed. It looked almost as if understanding past across his face.
“Come on, Dr. Stone. It is time for us to see what we can do about that friend of yours.”
19
When Barden wanted to set a trap, unfortunately I hadn’t realized how involved I would be in it. If I’d had any choice in the matter, I would have stayed separate, but I think I needed to be a part of it. Barden had something else in mind for me, and it was something I wasn’t sure I would be able to do, and yet, he seemed convinced I might be the only one able to do it.
“Why here?” I asked, looking around the warehouse. It was adjacent to his main warehouse, but this one was empty, except for a van that looked as if it were designed for kidnapping. A concrete floor was illuminated by a couple florescent lights hanging overhead. Dust motes hung in the air. A stale odor hung with it.
“They will expect me to be someplace like this, and if we put off enough signals, I am hopeful we can convince them to follow those signals rather than going to where I am normally known to be.”
“You want to draw them in.”
I looked around. There were a few dark mages arranged within the warehouse, though all of them were concealed, hiding behind masking spells, and it made it difficult for me to see them. Dozens upon dozens of circles had been worked into the cement, some of them painted, while others seemed to be stamped into the concrete itself.
Having access to circles like that was valuable, and while I doubted there would be anything I could do with those circles, not quickly, at least they were there if it came down to it.
“We need to draw them in,” Barden said.
“I’m the one who’s drawing them in, though.”
Barden looked over at me. “If there were any other way…”
I shook my head. I knew there wasn’t. It had to be me, partly because I was known to be trusted by Jean-Pierre. Because of that trust, it would be believable that I would have the token on me.
I reached into my pocket, feeling it. It was circular, but rough edges along the side of it reminded me of coins. A symbol stamped on both sides had some meaning, but Jean-Pierre had been unwilling to share with us what it was. Even as a forgery, it still had power.
“What if they manage to find where you’ve hidden Jean-Pierre?”
“That location is secured by a combination of factors,” Barden said. “Not only does the
river offer a certain level of protection, but there are hundreds of spells that have been placed over the years to add to it.”
“After what I’ve seen from Matt and his people, I’m not especially reassured by the idea of spells offering the same protections that we think they should.”
“No, which is why I arranged for another layer of protection.”
“What is that?”
“I called in a favor.”
“What favor?”
“A northern one.”
It took a moment, but I thought I understood. Shifters.
It was too bad I had to stay here as bait, as I thought it would be interesting to spend some time with the shifters. One of them in particular was incredibly powerful, and I could only imagine the kind of things she might be able to share, though I had a sense from my visit with Kate that the shifter alpha wasn’t eager to reveal secrets to outsiders. None of them were. It wasn’t so different with the Dark Council, either. Until I had shown any predilection toward magic, Barden hadn’t been interested in revealing much to me. The vampires were the same way. Each magical species wanted to keep their secrets to themselves, almost as if it protected them.
I wondered whether they would find even more power if they were willing and able to work together. They were specialists, after all. It just so happened that each specialty was a little bit unusual. I smiled to myself at the thought.
“What is it?” Barden said.
“Perhaps nothing. I’m just being stupid.”
“I doubt that.”
“What if they don’t buy this?” I asked.
Barden glanced my pocket. Jean-Pierre had been adamant that I had to be the one to hold it, and he had done something to tie it to me. Neither Barden nor I were able to figure out what that was, and I wondered if it meant I was now bound to it.
I was tempted to toy with the coin, curious whether or not I would be able to use the power within it. And there was power within it, though I wasn’t sure how to access it. Maybe I could trigger it, but I wondered if it worked the same with vampires. Even though it was a copy, the fact that it carried some warmth, and there came a certain vibrational energy to it, told me that there was more to the coin than merely being a decoy. I wondered if Barden was aware of that.
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