Dissension

by Adrienne Monson

  The spacious lobby was filled with Victorian style furniture and the crystal chandeliers above her looked to be the original ones. It was a magnificent building, and she decided to look around for a while before she found her way back to Leisha. She walked for about fifteen minutes, enraptured by the old portraits of Oxford’s deans, dating back to the seventeen hundreds. Growing up in Florida, Samantha wasn’t exposed to many historical buildings. Standing amid so much history, these structures emitted characters that modern buildings could never imitate.

  She wandered upstairs, but decided it was time to head back. As she turned toward the stairs, she noticed someone sitting in the window seat at the end of the hall. She decided to approach the woman for directions.

  Samantha could not see her well; she was sitting in shadows with the storm as the only illumination through the window. The woman had long blond hair that fell in lovely layers all the way to the small of her back. Her profile looked attractive enough, with a small straight nose and slightly pointed chin. She had her arms wrapped around her leather-clad legs, lost in thought.

  “Excuse me,” Samantha said. “I think I may have gotten a bit lost, do you think you could help me?”

  The woman looked over at her, but Samantha could not see much of her face in the shadows. “You’re the human that brought that thing in our midst,” she said in disgust, clearly English judging from her accent.

  Word must have gotten out fast. “If you mean Leisha,” Samantha responded in a friendly manner, “then, yes, we came here together. Though, to be fair, Tafari is the one who brought us.”

  The woman sneered in the dim light. “You have no right to blame Tafari for her presence. I know she was the one who sought him out.”

  “That’s true, but I know Tafari well enough to say that he makes his own decisions. No one can bully him into anything.”

  Laughing, her tone was laced with affection. “Yes, that is quite true. That’s why he will never be on the council, because he thinks too independently from the rest.” She shook her head and pulled on a pair of sunglasses, even though it was not bright at all.

  She walked up to Samantha and held out her hand. “You can call me Rinwa,” she said.

  Surprised by the change in her attitude, Samantha hesitated only for an instant. She put her hand in Rinwa’s. “I’m Samantha.”

  Rinwa pulled her hand to yank Samantha’s face close to hers, towering over the girl by at least three inches; Samantha had to look up to meet her gaze, spotting her startled reflection in Rinwa’s sunglasses. “If you betray us, and especially if you betray Tafari, I will personally tear you apart limb from limb.” She let go of Samantha’s hand, her demeanor once again polite. “Do you understand, Samantha?”

  “I have no intention to bring any harm to anyone here.”

  Rinwa’s full lips curved up a little. “I’m glad to hear it. Now as long as I see it followed through, I think we can get along just fine.”

  “Rinwa,” came Tafari’s voice from behind Samantha. “You will be nice to our guest while she stays with us.”

  Samantha turned to see Tafari looking at Rinwa in warning, his arms folded across his broad chest.

  Rinwa smiled warmly. “Good to see you, Tafari. I was getting worried that you were avoiding me. After all, you usually come to see me as soon as you get back from your missions.”

  Samantha stared at Rinwa. She was Tafari’s girlfriend?

  “I had business to attend to with the council as soon as I returned. But I am here now.” He walked forward and gave Rinwa a long hug. Tafari stroked his fingers through her hair with the woman snuggling her head into the crook of his neck comfortably, and intimately so.

  Samantha studied Rinwa as she cuddled into Tafari. She was quite beautiful. The teenager couldn’t see her entire face, but could tell that it was pretty with high cheek bones and an incredibly full, lush mouth. Her skin was exotically tan in color. Samantha could not blame Tafari for being attracted to the woman, but was surprised that they were a couple. Rinwa’s whole attitude seemed tenacious, like she was determined to prove something to the world around her. Samantha could never have thought Tafari would be attracted to such a woman, but maybe she was assuming too much. She might not know the real Tafari at all.

  Tafari pulled back and looked Rinwa over, caressing her face with his hand. They looked into each other’s eyes for a few tender moments before either one spoke. “You look good,” he said. “I missed you while I was away.”

  “Are you going to let me meet her?”

  “You already know what my answer is.” Gripping her shoulders, Tafari met her gaze. “Do not defy me in this, Rinwa. Trust me.”

  Rinwa looked annoyed, and Samantha thought she probably rolled her eyes beneath her sunglasses.

  Tafari turned, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her into his side to guide her as they walked toward the stairs. Samantha followed. “I do have a task for you.”

  Rinwa brightened and looked up at him.

  “You are to administer punishment to Sean, as decreed by the council. He disobeyed my orders while we were in South America.”

  Nodding, Rinwa gave a feral smile that made Samantha wonder exactly what the punishment would be. Rinwa seemed tough, and by that grin Samantha could deduce Rinwa liked action. Perhaps violence was a more appropriate word.

  With those thoughts about Rinwa, Samantha was surprised when the woman defended Sean.

  “You know he is loyal to you, Tafari,” Rinwa said.

  Tafari nodded. “That was part of the problem. He thought he was being loyal to me when he assumed I was dead. But he did not wait long for me to return to the ship. I almost thought he wanted me dead so he could take over.”

  Rinwa shook her head. “Sean would never want that. Whatever happened, I know Sean meant well. You know how he thinks with his heart too much sometimes. It makes him act rashly, but it’s always with the best of intentions.”

  They descended the stairs. “That may be true, but thinking with your heart is not wise in our lifestyle. We have pledged ourselves for a higher purpose and must push away those tendencies. A cool head will keep you alive.”

  Rinwa chuckled a deep, throaty laugh. “I don’t think I can count how many times I have heard you give this speech.”

  “Sorry, I did not mean to repeat myself. I suppose it gets more difficult with the years. One cannot always remember exactly when they had a specific conversation.” They were at the bottom of the stairs when Tafari kissed the tip of Rinwa’s nose. “Sean is waiting for you, dearest. Report to me when you have finished reprimanding him.” Rinwa smiled with great enthusiasm as she walked away.

  Tafari finally addressed Samantha. “I thought I told you to stay put.”

  Cheeks flushing, Samantha pushed aside her guilt. “I got restless and needed to go for a walk. You can’t really expect us to stay cooped up in that small room for who knows how long.”

  “No, I was not planning on making you a prisoner here, Samantha, but you could have waited for me to finish speaking with the council. We had much to say.”

  “About me and Leisha?”

  “More about Leisha than you since I am keeping your secret from the others, for now. We will not allow her to bring the other vampires here to destroy us.”

  Shaking her head, Samantha protested. “She won’t do it, I promise. Tafari, she has more honor and integrity than that. She’ll not betray you, I’m sure of it.”

  He gave her a sad smile that made him look weary and years older. “You truly are young, Samantha. If Leisha does have any loyalty, it will be with the vampires. She does her duty, as I do mine for the immortals. It is the way of things.”

  Samantha’s memories suddenly opened to the night when Ptah and Annette made her promise to report back to them. She shuddered as the pain and fear came flying back to her in full force. “If she does her duty to the vampires, I doubt it is because she really wants to.” Her tone came out unsteadily.

  Sh
e blinked and saw that Tafari was right in front of her, peering into her eyes, worried. “What exactly do you speak of?”

  She cleared her throat. “Nothing that I can tell you. Just know that the vampires are vicious and Ptah will do anything to control Leisha.”

  “You think I do not know that already? I have been dealing with Ptah and the vampires for over a millennium.”

  It was time to change the subject. “Does Rinwa always give out punishments to the immortals?”

  Tafari blinked. “Usually. She has a certain talent to distribute enough pain to make an immortal remember for a long time. When she was promoted to the position, a lot of the more ‘rebellious’ immortals started to behave themselves.”

  “You guys seem so organized,” she exclaimed. “I wouldn’t think you would have problems with people obeying the orders around here.”

  “It used to be different. In fact,” he smiled broadly, “Rinwa used to be the one who gave us the most trouble. Ever since she became one of us she has been very willful and passionate. It took many years for her to learn discipline, but I believe that is why she is so talented with chastising the immortals now.”

  “She definitely has that intimidation factor, I’ll give you that.”

  “She is truly a rare gem in this world,” he said, an undercurrent of awe in his voice.

  Disappointment sank to the pit of Samantha’s stomach. She hadn’t realized it until that moment, but she had believed Leisha and Tafari could still work things out. Now, after seeing the beautiful Rinwa and listening to the way Tafari spoke of her, she knew it was not going to happen.

  Tafari turned to the exit. “Come, Samantha. I left your dinner in your room and it is getting cold.”

  CHAPTER 22

  Samantha walked into her room to find Leisha pacing restlessly.

  “They are going to keep me in these confines indefinitely!” Leisha growled as soon as she saw Samantha.

  It had been two weeks since they arrived at Oxford. Samantha was allowed to wander where she pleased, though she knew Sean and Ian were taking turns following her, but Leisha was not allowed to leave the room at all. The immortals would not allow her to return to the vampires.

  At first, Leisha had been her usual self, cool and collected, making witty and snide remarks to any immortal that came to interrogate her, which were not many. But she gradually grew agitated, and it looked like it was about to come to a head.

  “Why don’t you do your tai chi again,” Samantha suggested.

  Leisha huffed. “I already finished it. I have been doing all kinds of stuff like yoga and kick-boxing and anything else I can think of. I’m still feeling on edge.” Leisha paused. “Plus, I can feel The Hunger coming back.”

  Samantha stilled. “Do I need to stay somewhere else for a while?”

  The vampire sighed in frustration. “You would have no need to if I could just go out to a club for one night. They’re lucky Tafari’s blood has sustained me for so long. Normally, I would have had to do some serious snacking to ward off The Hunger for this long.”

  “So, why doesn’t Tafari just donate some more of his blood?”

  “It wasn’t the most pleasant experience for him,” Leisha said, her face expressionless.

  “Okay,” Samantha said slowly. She remembered that Tafari had not spoken much on the boat after he had given Leisha his blood, but didn’t think much of it. “I will talk to Tafari and see what we can do,” she said after a few moments, smiling. “I can even talk to Arthur. Remember, he’s one of the people on the council? I’ve gotten to know him a little and I think he likes me.”

  Samantha had certainly enjoyed talking with him. “Did you know that he was the Arthur? Of the Knights of the Round Table? I couldn’t believe it when he told me. I thought he was pulling my leg! Then he started speaking this crazy language that he told me was Old English. I asked him all kinds of questions about what really happened with Lancelot and Guinevere, but all he would say is that legends grow to unbelievable proportions over time.” She could not help but to stifle a little giggle.

  Leisha smiled, but Samantha could tell it was forced. “Yes, I did know that. I hope you don’t call him King Arthur. The man doesn’t need his ego stroked any further.”

  That made Samantha laugh. “He wouldn’t let me. He said he never was actually a king, and that he preferred it that way.” She hesitated before continuing, “I think he’s a really good man, Leisha.”

  Nodding, Leisha’s face maintained that same tolerant smile.

  “I’ll go see what I can do for you.” Samantha turned and went down the hall in search of either Tafari or Arthur. She wasn’t sure which one to seek out. She had avoided bringing up Leisha with both of them, but Tafari was already familiar with Leisha’s needs. She figured even if Tafari did not want to donate his own blood again, he could probably convince the elders to let Leisha seek out a donor for one night.

  Samantha couldn’t believe she was all right with the idea of Leisha going out and hunting down someone as food. How could she condoned murder so easily? Especially with her own mother killed in a gruesome way, Samantha knew very well the precious gift that was life. Then again, she would not regret the death of her mother’s murderer, which must be why she did not mind Leisha killing others—she knew Leisha would only kill murderers. She didn’t think it was a bad thing for Leisha to take the life of someone who would just go out and kill again.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when she entered the building next door. This one held the cafeteria where most of the immortals ate. It was incredibly large and could hold five hundred people comfortably. The floor was lined with industrial carpeting, eliminating much of the echo. Still, there was always a little reverberation of everyone’s conversations.

  Samantha scanned the long rectangular tables and didn’t see Tafari or Arthur. She turned to go when Rinwa entered. Samantha was still not sure what to think of her. The woman was nice to Samantha whenever they saw each other—Samantha had even sat with her and some other immortals in the cafeteria. It was pleasant, the atmosphere laidback and easygoing. They were very casual with each other, unlike the vampires who operated with strict formalities.

  Rinwa smiled at Samantha, her sunglasses on as usual. Samantha had yet to see her without them. Ian commented that Rinwa liked to use them as part of her “tough girl” image, although Samantha didn’t think Rinwa needed them to accomplish that at all.

  “Are you here to eat? You can sit by me if you like,” Rinwa offered.

  Samantha shook her head. “Actually, I was looking for Tafari. Have you seen him?”

  Rinwa shrugged, her loose sweater jacket falling off her right shoulder to reveal a black tank top underneath. “I haven’t seen him since this morning. He’s been in a lot of meetings with the elders. Poor guy, they’re working him so hard.”

  “Really? Is something going on?”

  Arching an eyebrow, she gave a sardonic look. “Something is always going on around here. But I would never be able to divulge the information. No offense, but especially to you.”

  Samantha was getting used to Rinwa’s frankness—the woman didn’t give out insults lightly. “Well, if you see him, please let him know I’m looking for him.”

  Rinwa scrutinized Samantha from behind her sunglasses. “Why? Is there something going on with you?”

  Samantha paused. For just a moment, she had the urge to explain the situation to Rinwa, but thought better of it for the obvious reason that Rinwa hated Leisha and all vampires, just like the rest of the immortals.

  “Nothing that I can share with you,” Samantha responded apologetically.

  Rinwa nodded in understanding, curiosity flared in her face. “I’ll let Tafari know if I see him.”

  “Thanks.” With that, she left the cafeteria.

  Samantha spotted Ian near the entry to the building. She waved for him to wait for her. “We may as well walk together since it’s your shift to follow me,” she explained when she caught up to
him.

  Ian had the decency to look sheepish. “I like you, Samantha,” he started, “but . . .”

  She shook her head and interrupted, “It’s totally fine. I understand why they want to keep track of me.” She smiled up at him. “But you and Sean are really bad at sticking to the shadows.”

  He laughed. “You think we were tryin’ to be discreet? Oh lass, if I had not wanted to be seen, you would never have known I was there.”

  “Then why didn’t you just walk with me?” she puzzled.

  “The elders wanted you to know that you were being followed so you would behave yourself, is all.”

  Samantha dismissed it with her hand. “Whatever. So, have you seen Tafari around?”

  Nodding, Ian pointed. “I have. I just saw him headin’ for his room.”

  She relaxed a little. “Okay, well let’s go get him.”

  It took no time at all to arrive at the building where Tafari and his men stayed. Tafari answered right away and, after the formalities, he stood, waiting to hear what it was that Samantha had come for.

  “It’s about Leisha,” she began, a little hesitant now that she was actually confronting him. “She’s getting . . . um . . . hunger pangs.” Before he could ask, she said, “Don’t worry. She’s not really bad yet. She had the wisdom to tell me instead of trying to deal with it on her own, but it will become a problem if she doesn’t feed soon.”

  Tafari sighed. “I knew it had to come up sooner or later.”

  “Can’t she just go to a dance club or a pub for one night?”

  Ian scoffed. “We do not condone murder and will not help her commit it.”

  Equally disgusted, Tafari nodded.

  Before Tafari could say anything, Ian sighed in resignation. “I will donate my blood this time, Tafari. You don’t have to burden yourself with it again.”

  A range of emotions fluttered through Tafari’s eyes, but Samantha could not read them. “Thank you for your offer, Ian. But you do not need to make this sacrifice.” He motioned for them to come in, heading to the kitchen. “As I stated, I knew it would happen, so the university had a blood drive a week ago that I volunteered to help with.” He opened his fridge. The two bottom drawers and the shelf above it were stuffed with plastic pouches of blood.