Imitation and Alchemy

by Elizabeth Hunter

He stretched and rolled over. “It tells us she’s either got him fooled, or there’s more layers to the Mad Duke than we’re seeing.”

  Tenzin nodded and crossed her legs on the end of his bed.

  “Do you know who she reminded me of?” Ben finally said.

  “Emil Conti?”

  “Yes.” Ben wasn’t surprised Tenzin had picked up Filomena’s similarity to the vampire in charge of Rome. “Old but progressive. The Naples court is too insular for her.”

  “I’m betting she didn’t know Alfonso sent two men to follow you.”

  “I’d bet you’re right. She had too much respect for you to piss you off.”

  “I think before we meet with Alfonso and give him his gold—”

  “You mean, give him your gold that you very nicely forged for him?”

  “Exactly. I think before we meet with Alfonso again, you should have another meeting with Filomena and… fill her in.”

  Ben narrowed his eyes. “What kind of trouble are you trying to cause, Tiny?”

  “Benjamin, you know I only cause the very best kind of trouble.”

  Chapter Eight

  BEN MET FILOMENA AT THE same restaurant where they’d had a drink before he left Naples. The vicious heat wave had not let up, but the breeze across the bay cooled the evening enough to make things slightly less miserable.

  He spotted Filomena walking along the boardwalk. She was wearing a long summer dress that evening, which made Ben wonder where she was hiding her weapons. Wherever they were, he had a feeling he’d have a fun time finding out. It was a shame he had to talk about politics.

  “Hey,” he said when she came close. “Nice dress.” He flipped one of the tarì at her, and her hand shot out to catch it.

  Filomena held it in her palm. “Nice gold.”

  “Did ya miss me?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  She sat and slid a hand along his thigh until she’d leaned forward enough to brush his lips with her own. “Hello.”

  He tasted cherries and smiled against her lips. “Hey, Filomena?”

  “Yes?”

  “I want to give you a nickname. Can I do that?”

  “If you call me baby, it might result in injury.”

  “No baby.” His fingertips slid along her soft shoulder. “I’m going to think about it. I’m just warning you. A nickname is coming.”

  Filomena pouted. “If only I were too.” She sat back and held up the tarì. “You got them.”

  “We got them. But we had some company—”

  “What?” She straightened, all flirtation forgotten. “You had what kind of company?”

  “The kind Alfonso sent. Anyone go on vacation lately?”

  “That…” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Was Tenzin very angry?”

  “She wasn’t happy. Which is why I wanted to meet with you before she sees Alfonso again.”

  “He’ll claim he was protecting his interests.”

  “And she’ll claim his sending people to follow her is an indication of distrust. And an insult to her reputation. Which, Filomena, you know it is.”

  She said nothing, torn between loyalty to her boss and realization that he’d made a significant misstep. “What do you suggest?”

  “Would he apologize?”

  Filomena snorted. “Never.”

  “Not even privately?”

  “No.”

  “Then we’re at an impasse.”

  “If…” Filomena’s mouth pursed in concentration. “If the vampires who followed you were acting on their own…”

  “But they weren’t.”

  “But if they were…” She raised an eyebrow.

  “If they were,” he said, “it would change things, but they both claimed Alfonso sent them.”

  She smiled slowly. “But we’re terribly dishonest creatures, are we not?”

  Ben deliberated.

  Tenzin had sent him to find out how much Filomena knew, but Ben knew he could also work this around to his benefit if he played his cards right. Filomena wanted to appease Tenzin and cover her boss’s ass. And yet if word got out that Tenzin had allowed Alfonso to track her without consequences, it set a dangerous precedent.

  “She’ll give him the coins,” Ben said, “but she’ll need a higher finder’s fee. It caused some trouble when she had to take care of them.”

  It hadn’t—they hadn’t heard a peep from the council in Venice about the two dead vampires—but Alfonso didn’t need to know that.

  “Of course,” Filomena said. “I’m sure an additional fee could be arranged to compensate you for this unfortunate incident. As long as the transaction was agreed to privately. I’ll guarantee the increased fee and the exchange will work out as previously arranged.”

  Private was a… fluid concept. Gossip in Naples would spread the word that something went down and that Alfonso paid the price for it. Not knowing specifics would allow both Tenzin and Alfonso to save face. On the surface, it was a perfect solution.

  So why was a voice in head telling Ben he was missing something?

  “I’ll take your proposal back to Tenzin and let you know,” he told Filomena. “I’m fairly sure that will be sufficient. And of course, if you didn’t know about the scouts, I doubt anyone else did.”

  A little flattery never hurt.

  Filomena’s eyes flashed. “I would have known if they did.”

  They exchanged pleasantries for a few more minutes, but the playful banter had died when Ben mentioned Alfonso’s mistake. Filomena’s mood had turned from flirtatious to calculating. She chatted with Ben, but her mind was elsewhere.

  They finished their wine and bid each other good-bye at the waterfront, and Ben walked back to his hotel alone. When he got to his room, Tenzin was reading a book on his bed.

  “Fairly confident I’d be spending tonight alone, were you?”

  “You’re not alone.” She patted his side of the bed without looking up. “You have me. And I’m far more entertaining.”

  “She didn’t know about the scouts,” he said, kicking off his shoes and stretching out on the bed. “And she wasn’t happy about them.”

  “Interesting.”

  “She agreed to a larger finder’s fee to compensate for our inconvenience.”

  Tenzin put down her book. “Well, that was clever of you. Nicely done.”

  “But she says he won’t apologize.”

  She frowned. “So this is private? No public acknowledgement?”

  “No mention from either party. Filomena will arrange the money. I have a feeling Alfonso is using public funds for this. Might not want his people to know how much he’s spending to get these back.”

  “Very… interesting.”

  “Because?”

  She shrugged. “We’ll have to see whether this deal you worked out with her actually happens. If the exchange goes as planned… When?”

  “Tomorrow night. Midnight.”

  “If it goes as planned tomorrow—we make the transfer and Alfonso gives us a higher fee privately—that means Filomena is acceding to Alfonso’s authority and allowing him to take security steps without her knowledge.”

  Yeah, Ben had a feeling that wasn’t going to be the way it went down.

  “And if it doesn’t go as planned?” he asked.

  “Then duck.”

  ❂

  THEY met two of Filomena’s people in front of Alfonso’s nightclub the next night. She’d warned Ben that she wouldn’t be coming herself, so neither Ben nor Tenzin was surprised. The two younger vampires led them through the popular club, openly baring fangs at humans who laughed and ran from them.

  Ben looked around in sudden realization. “They think it’s a game.”

  Tenzin said, “They usually do.”

  Ben, Tenzin, and their two escorts stepped behind a heavy curtain at the back of the club and descended stone steps where two more vampires guarded the entrance to Alfonso’s court. The pulse of music pounded at his back
, growing softer as they descended. As one, the two vampires opened the double doors for them and they stepped through, the damp earthen smell assaulting Ben’s senses after the smell of cologne, alcohol, and sweat in the club above.

  Tenzin walked behind him. He could feel her wary energy in the subtle press of wind against his back. He reached a hand back and gripped hers for a second before he released it. In his other hand, he carried a metal briefcase full of fake Sicilian tarì.

  It was heavy, which meant he could use it as a weapon. Not a bad thing to have in your hands when you were walking into a giant den of vampires. The knives at his waist pressed into his skin, reassuring him with their cool presence.

  The court was full that night. Dozens of dark-eyed vampires lounged on the steps around Alfonso’s throne, others gathered in the shadow of pillars that held up the old Roman ruins. Filomena was one of them, her tall figure clad in a brilliant shirt of blue, yellow, and red. It glowed in the low light. Ben let Tenzin take the lead, coming up behind her, still carrying the gold.

  Filomena stepped forward and said, “We welcome your return, Tenzin, daughter of Zhang Guolao. Sired of air. Mated to water, scourge of the Naiman Khanlig. Commander of the Altan Wind. Protector of Penglai Island. Patron goddess of the Holy Mountain, protector and scribe of New Spain. Friend of Don Ernesto Alvarez of Los Angeles.” Filomena took a breath. “And we also welcome Benjamin Vecchio, ward of Giovanni Vecchio, scholar and ally of Rome.”

  As soon as Filomena said his uncle’s name, silence fell in the court. He could feel the air in the room shift as vampires turned to stare at him.

  Okay, so things were already going sideways.

  “Lovely,” he muttered. “Always nice to be the center of attention.”

  Tenzin spoke in Mandarin. “Stay close.”

  “This is the ward of di Spada?” Alfonso rose to his feet. “In my city?”

  Filomena gestured toward Tenzin. “Tenzin is Di Spada’s old partner, my lord. You knew that when you hired her. Is it any wonder she brings the assassin’s son with her?”

  “Not his son,” Ben said quietly. “Not that it matters, I guess.”

  Alfonso was glaring at Filomena. “I will deal with your insubordinate tone later. Tenzin, did you find what I hired you to find?”

  Ben held out the briefcase to Tenzin, who took it. He suddenly felt naked and put his hands in his pockets, pressing his forearms against the blades at his sides.

  Tenzin said, “I found it. I will expect the fee transferred to my account by the end of this night.”

  Filomena stepped forward again. “Did you not know that she had found the tarì, my lord? After all, you sent Patricio and Armand to follow the boy when he left your city so you could be kept abreast of their progress.”

  Suspicious murmurs from the crowd of vampires. Alfonso’s lip curled up at his lieutenant.

  “Silence, Filomena.”

  “Where are they?” Filomena asked, pressing forward as a dozen vampires moved to guard her sides. “Have your scouts not returned?”

  Aaaaand any hope of getting out of Alfonso’s glorified basement fled at that moment.

  Ben glanced at Tenzin. Her head was cocked, watching Filomena with narrow eyes.

  “What is she doing?” he whispered.

  Tenzin said, “She’s being very shrewd. Filomena has drawn me in. I can’t ignore Alfonso’s slight now.”

  “What?”

  Tenzin flexed her shoulder and smiled. “She’s maneuvered me into becoming her ally. Clever, clever girl. This just became interesting.”

  “I really wish you didn’t sound so chipper right now.”

  “But it works out beautifully!”

  “How?” Ben hissed. “How does this work out in any way that could be considered beautiful?”

  Ben could see factions already forming as over half the vampires in the room drifted toward Filomena while others gathered closer to Alfonso. In truth, the factions had probably lain beneath the surface for months or years. Or centuries.

  “You spend the wealth of our city treasury to find a fortune you claim as your own,” Filomena said, walking toward the throne. “You put corrupt humans in place and allow them to steal from your own people. What makes you better than the Romans who looted Naples in the first place?”

  “I am Naples.” Alfonso rose to his feet. “And you are nothing.”

  “I am the woman who will take this city from you!” Filomena said, drawing her sword. “And my people stand behind me.”

  With a surge, the vampires of Naples met in a clashing roar.

  “Now is the time that you duck!” Tenzin yelled, shoving him behind a pillar and throwing the briefcase at his chest. “Here, hold this!”

  Ben slid down the pillar, holding the briefcase. “Can’t. Breathe.”

  That swing might have crushed a few ribs, but Ben listened to Tenzin. He had absolutely no dog in this fight, and he did not consider armed combat a fun way to hang out on a Saturday night.

  He scrambled to a better location, knowing that in the rush to avoid eternal death most of the vampires had probably forgotten about the giant pile of gold he was holding, but not all of them would. Immortals were nothing if not opportunistic.

  Ben noticed the first lurker as the vampire made his way toward the stairs. The stocky brown-haired man spotted Ben from the corner of his eye and grinned.

  “Yeah,” Ben said. “Can’t imagine what you want, buddy.”

  The vampire jumped on him with stunning speed, reaching for Ben’s throat as Ben swung his knife deep into his attacker’s gut and pulled up. He twisted the knife around a few times until the vampire let go of his neck.

  Quick. Messy. Ben’s hands were covered in blood, but his throat and the briefcase were safe. The unexpected attack was enough to deter the vampire, who was only looking for easy prey before he fled. With a snarl, the immortal ran toward the back stairs, holding his bleeding gut.

  Tenzin landed beside him. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, but—”

  She took off again. Ben tried to make himself invisible while still keeping an eye on the fight.

  It was clear that Filomena’s allies had come prepared. Most were cutting down Alfonso’s friends with quick chops and sweeping strokes from blades while many of Alfonso’s allies were unarmed. It was an ambush. Ben saw mostly European blades, but Filomena carried a katana, and Ben even saw a few battle-axes.

  Retro.

  A few took the time to feed from their enemies, but most of the carnage was practical. Cut down. Take head. Go for the next one.

  The second vampire who attacked him tried to grab him from the side. She launched in Ben’s direction and latched on with all four limbs, slamming him to the ground before she attempted to dig in with clawlike fingernails. Ben twisted away, grappling with her superior strength while tossing away a butcher knife she’d stowed on her back.

  He managed to roll far enough away to put a hard boot in her neck. The impact stunned her enough that Ben got in another couple of kicks before she hissed and ran away.

  He crawled to another corner, dragging the damned briefcase with him. Tenzin was swooping over the heads of the fighters, one of the few air vampires in the room. Most of Filomena’s people were, like herself, water vampires. Isolated from easy access to their element, the battle was dirty and bloody and crude.

  It was hard to tell how long it lasted. All Ben knew was, by the time the third vampire attacked, he was sick. The smell of blood was thick in the air; he could taste it on his lips. He saw the vampire running and aimed a throwing knife at one eye. He threw it, hit the target, then sent three more into the twitching body before he walked away. He hadn’t killed it, but it was on the ground and one knife had gotten close enough to the thing’s neck that Ben doubted it would chase him.

  “Tenzin!” he shouted.

  She landed a few minutes later, her face flushed like a child coming in from play. “Are you hurt?”

  “No.”
>
  “Is the gold safe?”

  “Yes.”

  She frowned. “Then what’s wrong?”

  His throat was tight. “Is this almost done? I want to turn over this gold, collect our fee, and go home. Unless someone else is planning to attack us.”

  Tenzin’s eyes took a slow sweep around the room, then she poked her head around the corner and reported, “Filomena has almost killed Alfonso. I think this is close to done.”

  Ben joined her, craning his neck around the pillar to see Filomena roar, her blouse drenched in blood, two swords in her hands. She whirled and struck at Alfonso, who parried with surprising speed. Alfonso had brute strength going for him, but it was clear who was the better swordsman. Filomena worked Alfonso across the dais until he was bent back over his throne.

  “How does the throne feel now, you mad Spanish bastard?” Filomena screamed.

  Alfonso tried to roll away, but she brought her blade down on his neck before he could escape. Unfortunately, the blade didn’t go clear through, and Alfonso’s head listed to the side but didn’t quite detach.

  Ben winced and looked away.

  “Unfortunate,” Tenzin said. “She hit him at a difficult angle. She’ll get it on the next—ah. Gone now.”

  The roar of the crowd told him that Filomena’s allies clearly considered their side victorious. Since Ben didn’t know which bodies belonged to which side, he couldn’t judge just by looking at the carnage.

  “We done now?” Ben said.

  “I believe so.”

  He crossed his arms and leaned against what was now his favorite pillar, his boot resting on the edge of the briefcase with all the gold tarì. A thought struck him. “Hey, Tiny?”

  “Yes?”

  “Was Alfonso the only one who ever saw the original coins?”

  Tenzin leaned against the pillar next to him. “Other than me, I believe he was.”

  “So there is now no one who’ll be able to…”

  “Correct.”

  He let out a slow breath. “Did you plan this out in advance?”

  She shrugged. “Let’s just say that it was time for Naples to leap into the twenty-first century. We just gave it a little nudge.”

  Ben heard Filomena giving some kind of inspirational speech in the background about the new Neapolitan republic and the end of foreign oppression as she stood over the bodies of the vampires she’d killed.