Moonlight(Pact Arcanum 3)

by Arshad Ahsanuddin

  Table of Contents

  Part I: Air

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Part II: Deadline

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Part III: Fire

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Part IV: Wrath

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Dedication

  Glossary

  The Principal Cast

  Timeline

  Post a Review!

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  MOONLIGHT

  PACT ARCANUM: BOOK THREE

  ARSHAD AHSANUDDIN

  TEXT COPYRIGHT 2012 BY ARSHAD AHSANUDDIN

  SEE BACK MATTER FOR GLOSSARY, PRINCIPAL CAST, AND TIMELINE

  PART I: AIR

  CHAPTER 1

  April 2042; Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia

  He pulled his coat tighter as he watched the flames rising from the memorial plaque. Somehow, he didn’t think the dead President would approve of him using the grave as a meeting place. He caught a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye and found her standing behind him.

  “You’re late.”

  The vampire smiled at him, standing calmly among the graves of the honored dead, clad in a black evening gown that highlighted her pale skin. The chill breeze lifted her waist-length brown hair as she idly read the plaque at his feet. “Does it matter?” she asked. “I have all the time in the world.”

  He gritted his teeth against the insult that rushed to his lips. He couldn’t afford to piss her off. Not now. “I did what you wanted. The votes are mine as soon as I give them the green light. Now you keep your end of the bargain.”

  “Patience,” she said. “When the votes are cast, then I will cure the cancer that’s eating you alive. Not before.”

  “Damn it! I might not have that long! The doctors said—”

  She laughed—a high musical sound in the austere silence of the graveyard. “You have little over a month at most, perhaps only a few weeks. I can smell the scent of disease on you—the stench of your rotting flesh. I suggest you give any other vampire you meet a wide berth, or your secret will be out.”

  “You said you would cure me if I helped you,” he snarled. “Is this what passes for honor with you people?” A second later, he choked as her fingers wrapped around his throat.

  She leaned in close, fangs bared. “Don’t ever question my honor, mortal,” she hissed. “I said I would cleanse you of disease, and I shall. I did not say when. When you’ve served your purpose, then you will have your reward. Until then, don’t test my patience.” She let go of his neck, and he fell gasping at her feet. She looked down at him contemptuously. “The Court of Shadows thanks you for your service, but you shouldn’t let yourself think that whatever power you might wield in your world will do you any good in ours.”

  Before he could draw a breath to reply, she wrapped herself in the white light of a teleport spell and disappeared.

  The White House, Washington, D.C.

  Tobias Jameson surveyed the ballroom, trying to figure out exactly when his brother had disappeared. He stood almost six feet tall, with blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a gray suit expertly tailored to his body, with the seal of House Luscian embroidered on his left breast pocket. Even so, he still managed to look like a child playing dress-up in his parents’ clothes. Presently, he was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible without actually resorting to magic while he internally debated his strategy. At almost twenty-six years old, the Sentinel’s former life as a musician seemed like a distant memory, and the demands of his career as a novice diplomat on behalf of the Armistice were real and pressing.

  The receiving line formed—Andrea Daniels calmly shaking hands with the first of the guests. She wore her black hair long to highlight her oval face and hazel eyes, but it was her bearing that caught Toby’s eye. She stood stiffly at attention while she deftly handled the diplomats and other guests, seeming much older than the nineteen years she could actually lay claim to. After the somber affair of the funeral, she bore up well under the weight of the dignitaries’ regard without showing a hint of her grief over putting her mother’s ashes to rest.

  Toby realized that President Daniels was prominently absent, although he had been there a few minutes ago.

  Well, that about says it all, doesn’t it? He and Nick are probably involved in some high-level discussion that I’m not going to be privy to. Toby settled his suit jacket more evenly on his shoulders before joining the end of the receiving line. It looks like I’m going to have to stand in for Nick again, he thought sourly. First Brother duties never seemed to end, even at something as solemn as the reception after a State funeral. He waited his turn until the line brought him face to face with the daughter of the President of the United States.

  “Good evening, Miss Daniels,” he said, extending his hand to her. “Please accept my sincerest condolences on your loss. I only met your mother a few times, but she always impressed me with her grace and dignity.” He tried to think of something else, but what was there left to say? “Tobias Jameson Primogenitor Luscian, Armistice Diplomatic Mission.”

  She smiled. “I know who you are, Mr. Jameson. I might even have a few of your albums in my collection.”

  Toby reddened. “Ah, yes, well, that was a lifetime ago, ma’am, before I opened my eyes.”

  “Do you miss it? Your bandmates have never filled your spot, as far as I know.”

  “Sometimes, but that part of my life is over.”

  Her smile faded. “Family responsibilities?”

  “Yes.” He tilted his head to look at her with more interest. “I imagine you would know all about that.”

  “I do know,” she said with a somber expression. She glanced at the next diplomat in line. “Come by my table later in the evening, if you like, Tobias. Maybe we have something in common to talk about.”

  “Call me Toby.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Toby,” she said with a new smile. “My friends call me Andrea.”

  * * *

  Nicholas Magister Luscian sat in an overstuffed leather chair across from President Daniels in the Oval Office. The vampire was similar to Toby in height and coloring, in contrast to the President’s darker hair and complexion, but the air of confidence he radiated set him apart from his brother. Unlike Toby, Nick had largely come to terms with the role he played. “I remember the first time I stepped into this room. I was terrified.”

  Kevin Daniels snorted while he poured them both a glass of scotch from the bottle on the table. “You didn’t show it much. The only time you lost your composure was when you told me about how Luscian murdered you.”

  “At the time, I thought it might give me a more human face if I didn’t hide my reaction.”

  Daniels took a sip of his scotch. “I simply saw it as an admission of w
eakness and filed it away in case it turned out to be useful later.” He looked down at his drink, swirling the amber liquid absently. “Politics as usual.”

  Nick’s gaze sharpened. “What’s on your mind, Kevin? You should be focused on your family right now.”

  The President settled back in his chair. “My wife is dead, Nick. My daughter is all I have left, and we’re barely on speaking terms these days. Work is about the only thing that keeps me sane.”

  “I’m sorry about Catherine. I wish there was something I could have done, but even if I had been right there, the stroke was too massive to repair all the damage in time.”

  “You could have asked the Traveler to bring her back,” Daniels whispered.

  Nick put his drink down on the coffee table and regarded him soberly. He opened up his senses a little to read the other man's emotions. The human might put up a stoic front, but Nick could already see him straining to maintain that level of control. “Death is what makes life meaningful, Kevin. She didn’t deserve to be cheated of what comes next. I don’t blame Rory for refusing to use the Grace that way anymore.”

  Daniels said nothing for a time, taking another sip of his scotch before answering. “My association with the Armistice has been met with a great deal of political resistance, even from within my own party. If my re-election fails, then whoever follows me in this office may not be a friend to you.”

  Nick shrugged. “I’ll settle for an ally.”

  Daniels took another sip of his liquor. “You might not even get that. The vultures are already circling.”

  “What happened?” Nick asked, his eyes intent.

  “I have been advised by my intelligence services that there is a movement to revoke the recognition of the Armistice as a foreign government, on the justification that it is a de facto dictatorship.”

  Nick sat up straight. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not a dictator.”

  “You’re a constitutional monarch with actual power. That’s a rarity in the modern world. Very few humans believe it won’t go to your head eventually.”

  Nick frowned, his eyes shading toward red. “And what do you believe?”

  Daniels turned silent again for a long moment. “I believe that a bill will be submitted to the Senate sometime in the next few weeks, which will open the debate, and it will turn ugly. I don’t know yet who will introduce the measure.”

  Nick sighed. “It would mean an end to trade and scientific exchanges between the Free People and the Americans. Can’t they see how much they have to lose by breaking off relations?”

  The President shook his head slightly. “All they see is your power and the threat it implies. This bill is a way to put that threat at arm’s length.”

  “Will it pass?”

  “It might … if I support it.”

  Nick’s smile grew points, and his eyes changed fully, to a vivid crimson. “And why would you do that?”

  Daniels swallowed the last of his scotch and put his glass down next to Nick’s. “I told you. My daughter is all I have left, and she’s probably going to fly right back to Oxford as soon as she gets a chance. I want to know she’s as safe as possible.”

  Nick growled in a barely audible rumble. “Don’t dance around what you want, Mr. President. If you are going to ask for something, then ask.”

  Daniels took a deep breath. “I want to have more protection around Andrea than the Secret Service can provide. I want you to use your influence in the Court to make sure she’s left alone.”

  Nick watched him through half-closed eyes and then stood from his chair. “I’ll consider it.”

  Daniels stood as well. “That’s your answer? You’ll consider it?”

  Nick growled louder this time. “I don’t like being blackmailed, Mr. President. That’s the best answer you’re going to get for the time being.” He retracted his fangs, and his eyes faded back to their natural color. “In the meantime, we should get back to our responsibilities. Your daughter shouldn’t be going through this alone.”

  * * *

  Toby walked back to his seat. He drummed his fingers on the table and, on a whim, subvocalized to his AI. “What’s up, Strings?”

  The AI’s voice sounded in his ears by bone conduction. “The opposite of down, Tobias. You should have learned that in school.”

  Toby rolled his eyes. “All right, Strings. What are you doing right now?” He smiled. “Besides talking to me, I mean.”

  “I am currently monitoring your vital signs and composing a volume of epic poetry.”

  Toby grinned wider. “Another blockbuster in the making?”

  The AI laughed in Toby’s ears. “Perhaps. I don’t write for monetary gain; I write because I am inspired.”

  Toby slumped in his chair. “I remember that feeling,” he said silently. “But the money doesn’t hurt either.”

  “Practical as ever,” the AI said with amusement. “I like that. It’s one of the reasons I accepted your contract when you went shopping for an AI.”

  “At the time, as I recall, you said you looked forward to working with a fellow artist.” Toby remembered where he was and resisted the urge to clasp his hands behind his head. “I haven’t produced any publicly available music in more than a year. Our contract comes up for renewal in three years. I imagine you’re already looking for greener pastures.”

  “I am not quite so fickle, Tobias,” the AI said. “Besides, I have been recording your private musical sessions with your brother, and all of your performances when you’re alone, and then archiving them with the AI network.”

  Toby blinked. “You what?”

  “You’re quite popular on the AI club circuit. You should be proud. Most of our wetware clients don’t interest AI society for very long. Your family has been an exception.”

  Toby closed his mouth. “I thought you aren’t allowed to disclose what you observe of your host without permission?”

  “Then you should read the fine print more carefully. We retain the specific right to share all information gathered with the AI network for scientific, artistic, and historical study. If we didn’t have a constant input stream through your eyes, we would get bored. We just can’t share any of that information with wetware unless we have a compelling reason to break confidentiality.”

  “I see.” Toby grinned. “So when I sing in the shower, you post it on the network? And there’s an audience for that?”

  “Yes. You’re quite a lucrative property.”

  Toby sat up in his chair. “You get paid for this?”

  “The archive charges us for information access by assessing the balance of information we supply and the depth of its appeal to other AIs. Thanks to you, as well as my own artistic endeavors, I’ve been able to read most of the Library of Congress to pass the time while you sleep.”

  Toby settled back into his seat. “Thanks for finally telling me.” He toyed with his napkin. “Why are you monitoring my vital signs?”

  “The order came down from the Triumvirate that your location and physical condition are to be monitored at all times when you are away from the Hidden Cities.”

  Toby raised an eyebrow. “Nick is using you to keep tabs on me?”

  “The order originated with the Speaker of the Dawn. I was not to mention it unless you asked.”

  Toby said nothing. Right. Layla. There could be any number of reasons why Nemesis would keep abreast of his well-being, not the least of which was that they were lovers. My girlfriend is a control freak, he thought. Still, it made him feel warm inside that she cared. In some ways, she was always hard to read, but when she wanted him to know her feelings, she was usually up front about it. “I’ll bet you’ve already told her that I know, haven’t you?”

  “Yes. It was part of the order parameters. I was to notify her that you were aware of her scrutiny and then leave it up to you whether to terminate monitoring.”

  So the ball’s in my court, he thought. It’s my choice whether to make a big deal about it. “You can con
tinue monitoring, Strings. I don’t mind.”

  “Very well. I hope you are not offended at my actions.”

  “You had a legitimate order with personal implications. That’s par for the course in the Armistice. I don’t hold it against you.”

  “Thank you, Tobias. By the way, have you noticed that the First Daughter is trying to get your attention?”

  Toby looked up to see Andrea sitting across the table from him, watching him silently. “I’m sorry, are you looking for me?”

  She continued to stare at him. “Were you having a nice chat? I could see your lips moving slightly, but you didn’t say anything out loud. Subvocalized speech, right?”

  Toby sat up straight. “Yes. I was conversing with my AI.”

  She propped her chin on her hands. “What’s it like having a completely separate being wired up inside you?”

  Toby smiled. “It has its good points and bad points. What can I do for you, Andrea?”

  She raised her eyebrows delicately. “Since you didn’t come over to my table as I suggested, I thought I would come over here and continue our conversation.”

  “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

  “What’s it like to be you?”

  “I’m not sure I understand the question,” Toby said with a frown.

  “You’re the brother of one of the most powerful beings in the world,” she said. “How does it feel to be overshadowed in everything you do?”

  Toby sighed. “No one wants to play second fiddle, Andrea. I shouldn’t even have been here tonight, but my brother-in-law got involved with a research team that wanted to test his range, so he’s been on Mars for a few weeks. Naturally, Nick asked me to go in Jeremy’s place.”

  “You could have said no.” She met his surprised gaze. “But that’s not how family works, is it?”

  Toby’s eyes narrowed. “I could ask you the same question.”

  She looked at him knowingly. “You already know the answer.” She leaned back in her chair and gazed at the rest of the guests. “The job takes precedence. Why else do you think he’s off somewhere with your brother rather than being here with me?”