by Lund, S. E.
I rise and go through my morning routine of washing and brushing my teeth, dressing and brushing my hair. I braid it, so that I can keep it under control for our trip.
I leave the bathroom and see that Julien is sitting up on the side of the bed. “Why are you up so early? Come back to bed.” He pats the bed and looks dejected, his mouth turned down, and a frown on his face.
“Have to get going.”
I throw a few items into my travel bag. I know Julien wants to make love once more before I go but I don’t think we have time.
“I don’t like this,” he says softly. “Not one bit.”
“I know,” I say and go to him, standing between his spread thighs. I pull his head against my chest and he wraps his arms around me. “I don’t like it either. Michel will or won’t find me, depending on his plans. I’ll be back before you know it, either with him or alone.”
He glances up at me and his eyes are imploring. I bend down and kiss him tenderly, running my fingers through his hair, which is slightly messy, now that it’s longer than he usually keeps it.
Finally, I pull away and continue to pack a small bag with a few changes of clothes. I don’t know how long we’ll be but it will be pretty rough going for the trip to New York. We will likely have decent accommodations, given that Soren has people everywhere and technology on top of it. But I have to plan for a pretty low-tech time of hotel rooms with little or no heat and pretty basic food.
A knock at the door draws my attention away from my bag and I answer to find one of Soren’s guards.
“My Lord Soren will see you in the dining room in five minutes,” he says and stands at attention.
“Tell him I’ll be right there,” I say but he shakes his head.
“I’m to escort you. Please prepare yourself.”
I nod and close the door. When I return to my bedroom, Julien is dressed and sitting on the bed beside my small bag.
“I’m going to have breakfast with Soren,” I say with a grin. “Are you going to join us?”
Julien grabs my hand. “The only thing I wanted to eat was you, but I guess I’m out of luck considering you’re all dressed…”
“You are insatiable,” I say with a laugh, hoping to lighten his mood.
He smiles. “With you, there’s no other option. You make me insatiable. I’m going to miss you. More than you can know.”
“I’ll miss you. Now, I have to go. Please come have some breakfast with us.”
“I will.”
Julien gets up and joins me at the door. I open it and the guard eyeballs Julien but says nothing so I take it Julien is invited as well.
The guard leads us down the hallway to the dining room where Soren and the Twelve and a half-dozen of Soren’s lieutenants are seated, chatting and eating breakfast. Soren sees us enter and smiles.
“Come in, come in,” he says and points to a couple of chairs beside his seat. “Oh, Julien, please go to the sideboard and fix the table several carafes of juice will you?”
I take my seat while Julien goes to the sideboard where there are glasses and jugs for juice and coffee. I think it’s strange that Soren has asked Julien to do this when there are waiters there who could do it, but I shrug and take my napkin, opening it and laying it across my lap.
At that moment, the door opens and the guards drag in a young vampire dressed in a black uniform. He has a sword in a scabbard and looks like one of the guards patrolling the compound.
Julien stops where he is and watches, as do the rest of us.
The guards take the man to the center of the room and hold him there.
“Ahh,” Soren says and stands at his place. “The main event. This is the guard you found with the dead girl?”
The guard on the left bows his head. “Yes, My Lord,” he says, his tone dark. “He drank her dry and left her outside her home. The neighborhood is in an uproar. There are petitioners outside demanding to speak with you because you promised to keep them safe from vampires.”
“So I did. And this guard broke those rules and killed a young woman in the prime of her life. I suppose,” he says and turns to me. “I suppose, Eve, that I have to punish him. Do you concur?”
I look at the young vampire, who still has blood on his chin. “I suppose you do,” I say, although I don’t like being part of this little performance.
“Yes, we must keep the order and those who break my laws must be punished. So be it.”
I glance over and Julien is still standing at the sideboard, pouring juice from a larger carafe into a smaller one.
“Julien, you watch as well.”
Julien puts down his carafe and turns to watch.
Soren remains where he’s standing and wipes his mouth with a napkin after drinking down the rest of his juice.
“So, Aaron, you’ve been accused and found guilty of taking the life of a mortal without proper and lawful order. Do you have any last words before I pass your sentence?”
The vampire named Aaron glowers at Soren.
“Under what authority?” he asks, his voice a direct challenge to Soren.
“Under the terms of the Treaty of Clairveaux, under which all vampires operate.”
“The treaty’s dead,” Aaron says and shakes his head. “It has no power anymore.”
“Under my rule, the treaty is in force. All those who break its terms will be punished.”
I turn to watch, frowning, surprised that Soren is going to mete out justice right here in the dining room.
“If you have nothing else to say, so be it. Aaron, I sentence you to death.”
Aaron gasps and struggles in his chains as if he wasn’t expecting a death sentence.
“Did you forget that the punishment for unlawful death of a mortal is death? Perhaps you should have paid more attention to my decrees about the Treaty for I clearly stated to all my staff and to all those who operate in my territory that mortals will no longer be open season. That as the terms of the Treaty indicate, only those with permits that have been officially sanctioned will be able to take a mortal’s life and then only with just cause.”
I don’t remember hearing Soren’s decree about the Treaty and at that moment, I doubt that he made one, or made it very public. Besides, I was in a state of shock the night he showed his powers to the congregation so perhaps I missed it.
Regardless, Aaron is certainly not prepared for his death sentence and fights with the two guards that take hold of his arms.
“Silence!” Soren yells and his voice is so loud and so deep that everyone stops and stands still.
Soren turns to me and winks. “Watch this, Eve,” he whispers.
Then, he reaches out his arm and points at Aaron. “I sentence you to die.” Then Soren snaps his fingers.
Before our eyes, Aaron frowns, his mouth opening as if he’s struggling to breathe. His shackled hands grip his throat like he’s trying to pull open his windpipe. Soon, his face becomes extremely gray, his eyes bugging out, and he falls to his knees.
Soren keeps his hand out, watching while Aaron falls forward, his body limp. I assume he’s passed out due to lack of oxygen.
“Check him. See if his heart has stopped.”
One of the guards bends down and places his fingers against Aaron’s neck. He kneels like that for a moment and then rises up, shaking his head.
“He’s dead.”
Soren lets his hand drop and he walks over to the fallen vampire, standing over him for a moment. Then he turns to the rest of us.
“I don’t take the life of a vampire lightly,” he says. “For an immortal to lose his life is a grave punishment. But if we are to win the hearts and minds of the populace, we have to ensure they feel safe. I am not yet ready to cure vampirism entirely, but when I do, mortals will no longer live in fear of being killed or rounded up and enslaved for their blood. It is my promise to mortals that if they follow me, if they hold me above all others and obey me, I will keep them safe. Anyone who breaks my laws, and who disobeys my
orders, will be punished.”
Soren then walks back to his place at the table and sits down while the guards drag the dead vampire away.
“Burn his body,” Soren says before they leave the room. “Bury the ashes somewhere and leave the grave unmarked.”
The door closes behind them.
I sit quietly, trying to process this show of power on Soren’s part. I knew he could resurrect mortals and vampires, but I didn’t know he could kill at a distance like that. His powers must be magnified now that the Twelve are all restored and after sharing blood the way we did in the cathedral.
“So, Eve,” Soren says as he holds out his empty glass. “You can see that I have the ability to kill at a distance. For example, I could kill Julien where he stands pouring juice into a carafe for the table.”
I turn and see Julien still pouring juice. He frowns and turns to face Soren and the rest of us.
“Why would you?” I say, alarm building in me.
“If I had reason, I could. I just wanted you to know that.”
Julien comes over and pours some orange juice into Soren’s glass, which he holds out. Obviously, Soren enjoys showing how much power and authority he has over us all, that he can order one of the oldest and most powerful vampires in existence to be a servant to him.
I begin to realize that this whole business with passing judgment and sentence on Aaron was part of Soren’s way of warning me that I had better obey his orders or he’ll kill Julien just as easily as he killed Aaron.
Precisely.
I glance up at Soren, who smiles at me.
“I’ll obey your orders,” I say with a shaky voice. I know that Soren wouldn’t think twice about killing Julien. I’ve always known that he cares less about Julien than Michel. He wants Michel to return and be his high priest. He will use Julien as a bargaining chip to ensure that I cooperate and bring Michel back.
I take a sip of my juice, my throat suddenly dry and a feeling of dread heavy in my gut.
Julien goes around the table, topping off everyone’s juice and coffee like a servant. The servants stand at the side of the room, their hands clasped in front of them, with nothing to do while Julien takes over their duties.
“Yes, Eve,” Soren says, his voice sounding so self-satisfied. “I am the law now. You have to obey me if you want to return and find your beloved Julien in one piece, still slavering after you the way you like.”
I watch Julien’s face to see how he responds, but he says and does nothing. He continues to go around the table, still refilling everyone’s coffee and a few glasses of blood. Finally finished his little display of power, Soren smiles and turns to one of his lieutenants and starts to talk about the security arrangements on our trip.
Julien returns and sits beside me, drinking down his own glass of juice. He turns to me.
“What do you think of that? Nice warning,” he says and leans in closer to me.
“He made himself pretty clear,” I say. “Although I didn’t need to see him execute someone before our eyes.”
“It’s war,” Julien says and digs into his meal. “You have to get used to summary execution. Happens all the time on the battlefield, or used to.”
He seems unconcerned and eats his meal with gusto. It really must be different to have seen so many battles over the centuries. To have killed so many and to have seen so many dead. Does it make them immune to death?
I push my own food around on my plate and wonder what the day will bring. It’s quite a trip to New York and I don’t look forward to it, but there is no choice, so I try to resign myself to my fate.
When we’re done, I stand to leave, to finish packing my bags. Soren stands as well and surprises me by joining me before Julien and I make it to the door.
“Eve,” he says and opens the door. “I thought we’d walk together and talk about this little trip you’re taking.”
“Of course,” I say.
“Julien, please stay behind and speak with the others about our plans for the week.”
“I want to see her before she goes,” Julien says in protest.
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, you will,” Soren says and makes a face of impatience. “Did you really think I’d force you to not see her off?”
Julien leans in and kisses me on the mouth before he returns to the table and sits down, craning his neck so he can see us before we leave the room.
“Don’t worry about Julien,” Soren says and escorts me out into the hallway. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t miss you too much. I’ll keep him busy.”
I frown, not really trusting Soren to keep Julien happy. Besides, keeping Julien busy could mean a lot of things, and of course my mind goes immediately to Gabrielle and how Soren pushed Julien and Michel at her to make me jealous. I wouldn’t put it past him to do it again.
“Oh, Eve, you know me far too well,” Soren says with a laugh. We arrive at my suite and he comes in with me, watching while I finish packing my bag.
“So,” he says, sitting on the bed, watching me rifle through my drawers in the chest against the wall. “I know you’re now cooperating, but you have to know I want Michel back here, and compliant. I’ll do what I have to in order to get him back, but never fear,” he says and crosses his arms. “I want you both back. Nothing will happen to you.”
I fold a sweater and push it into the bag on the bed beside Soren.
“I hope so, but you’re taking a chance,” I say.
“I have a pretty good idea of how things will go,” he says and taps his temple. “Prescience, you know.” He smiles at me.
I zip up my bag and stand with it. “I’m ready,” I say, not wanting to acknowledge anything.
“Good,” Soren says and leads me out of the room. A guard is waiting there and the three of us make our way to the front entrance, where a tall vampire in full SWAT gear stands speaking with Julien. Relief floods through me that I’ll be with someone who at least looks strong. As well, I see that Soren has come through with his promise to allow Julien to say goodbye, but neither Dylan or Sarah are in sight.
One of the servants takes my bag and goes out to the waiting vehicle in the driveway. Soren takes me over to the vampire I’ll be traveling with and introduces us.
“Jan,” he says and points to me. “This is Eve Hayden, whom you have heard so much about. Eve, this is Jan Clermont. He’ll be your guide and guard on this trip. He’s from Marguerite’s homeland so you know he’s one of the oldest vampires in existence. I trust him with my life and I trust that he’ll be able to take care of you. Now, go find that damned rebellious Michel and bring him back to me.”
I nod at Jan and he extends his hand for a shake. I take his hand and his grip is firm and strong, but not too strong. He is aware of his power, evidently. That’s good.
Then I turn to Julien, who stands beside us, his face flushed.
“Julien,” I whisper, and lean into his arms, not caring if Soren is watching us. “I’ll miss you. I’ll think of you every day. Every night at midnight, think of me.”
He buries his face in my neck, kissing the skin beneath my ear and sighs. “I’ll think of you more than you’ll think of me. You’ll be so busy, traveling, finding Michel…”
I pull away and look in his eyes. “I love you,” I say and hold his face in my hands. “You. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” he says finally and we kiss once more, deeply. I hate to leave him, and I’m angry at Soren for not sending Julien along with me, but I’m sure it’s for strategic purposes.
What those purposes are, I have no idea, but I have to trust that Michel knows.
I pull out of Julien’s arms with reluctance and follow Jan down the stairs and into the waiting vehicle, a large black SUV, which is running, its electrical engine barely making any sound. We get strapped in and as we drive off, I turn to see Julien standing there beside Soren and a few of Soren’s lieutenants.
Julien waves, and I fear in that moment that I’ll never see him again.
; Chapter 118
The trip out of Boston and Cambridge is slow and tedious, as we have to carefully navigate through streets clogged with broken down and abandoned vehicles, their doors open, hoods popped, and tires nothing more than a grungy muck on the street below the rims. Often, there is too much debris and we have to find an alternate route entirely. The streets themselves are empty and devoid of life, the shop windows broken and the provisions already raided long ago by roving bands of robbers.
Here and there are burned out buildings, razed to the ground because there’s no functional fire service. Whole blocks have burned, and the blackened hulks are stark against a winter sky.
When we finally leave the city limits on the road south to New York, I feel the weight of the city leave and the open country is more refreshing. We drive through a forested area on a narrow road that has been cleared of all vehicles so travel is relatively quick. I’m sitting in the front passenger seat and Jan is beside me in the driver’s seat. Between us, on the console, there are a couple of weapons – a revolver and a stake, in case anyone tries to attack us on the open road.
Behind us in the back seat, my bag is next to several boxes of provisions for the trip. I see earthen crocks for water, glass vials of blood in boxes of ice to keep them cool, and cans of food, paper bags filled with bread and other dry goods. We have enough to eat for the several days it will take to get to New York. We should be able to make the trip in a day, in the times before the plague, but with the main interstate being impassable, we’re forced to take US Route 1 and that makes for a longer journey. As well, our vehicle goes only one third of the speed of a car before the plague struck, so even with clear roads it would take us three times as long to make the trip. Jan tells me that we’ll likely stop for the night in New Haven, Connecticut and then drive on to New York tomorrow.
I settle back into my seat and watch out the side window, examining the scenery, trying to enjoy the trip along the coastal road. Now and then, when we have to bypass a blocked section of Route 1, we take a road that borders the Atlantic and I can see glimpses of the ocean and it makes me happy.
