I took in the upside vision of the monk’s face, the deeply etched frown-lines, the middle-aged jowl. I didn’t recognize him and I was passed caring.
“My name’s Vanderbilt,” he whispered. “You understand what is happening? We have waited for this moment for too long.”
Crowther opened his eyes and offered Vanderbilt the chalice.
Vanderbilt ignored him and leaned closer to my ear. “You’re not alone.” He gave a subtle gesture to one of the other hooded monks halfway hidden behind a bluestone. It was Sebastian staring back at me.
“Shall we?” Crowther opened his palm and a silver tipped stake was placed within it. “This is your last chance to admit your sins.”
“I confess,” I muttered.
Crowther leaned into my ear.
“I confess . . . I never told her just how much I love her.” I closed my eyes.
Shutting out the world . . .
We could have been anywhere, but St. Michael’s Mount seemed as good a place as any. Allowing my musing to save me from this moment, I went with my imagination, finding myself standing with Ingrid upon the Mount’s roof.
Holding each other’s hands, we shared these final moments. As I listened to her voice lulling me, telling me not be afraid, I surrendered . . .
But only to her.
And then I realized, Ingrid was here.
My eyes searched for her, fearful she may be in harm’s way. There came a scuffle, monks fighting monks . . .
No, it was vampires fighting monks, and even more nightwalkers descended around me, taking up the fight with Sovereign.
Crowther was shoved forward over the central stone, his face looming close to mine, his jaw gaping, his eyes wide in horror; poking out of his chest was the tip of a silver arrow.
He slumped onto his knees, moaning his pain.
Marcus was standing right behind him, having just impaled Crowther with an arrow. Marcus flashed me a crazed defiant smile. The fight ensued, and even more vampires appeared from the shadows, joining the fray.
Still bound to the central stone, I struggled to get free. “Marcus, untie me,” I called out.
Though if he did hear me he was too busy fighting.
Mercury, our enemy’s only defense, would do nothing to protect Sovereign here. A vampire’s warring would leave bodies flung against the stones, others fallen where they’d stood, their necks broken by the swift and unseen attack of the undead.
My kind had not only battled Sovereign’s lack of intolerance, but also derailed their plan threatening mortals and vampires alike.
When eventually the stillness returned, vampires peeled off their disguises leaving monk robes scattered. The only victims here were the fallen members of Sovereign.
Ingrid ran to my side and tore at my chains, trying to remove them.
“Here, I’ll do it,” Marcus said to her and reached for them.
Feeling their loosening I breathed deeply, throwing a glance at Crowther’s corpse.
“It’s time,” came Fabian’s familiar voice as he grasped my shoulders and eased me back down onto the stone.
Panic welled within me and I resisted, trying to rise.
Lucas pressed his hands against my chest. “William, I have the scroll we need.”
Ingrid reached for my hand. “Is this what you want, William?” she asked, tears welling. “Is this what you want?”
What I want?
Marcus leaned over me and held my shoulder. “Belshazzar’s.”
I frowned his way.
“Orpheus,” Marcus said insistently, “meet me there.”
As his words settled into my bones, I knew my time upon this earth was close to ending.
Lucas nudged Marcus out of the way.
“Belshazzar’s, remember that.” Marcus stepped back, hesitating, holding my gaze. “William . . .” He shook his head, conflicted.
“I’ll see you there,” I told him, sharing the words he needed to hear.
Seemingly reassured, Marcus was gone.
Fabian brushed a few stray hairs out of my eyes. “Do you have the faith to face the light, William?”
Though I tried to reply, the words were lost forever in a sea of fear.
Sebastian appeared by my side and took my hand. “I’ll wait with you.”
Ingrid took my other hand. “We won’t leave you.”
“What will happen?” I asked Fabian.
“We start in reverse,” he replied calmly. “And later, we resurrect the ashes.”
“Dear God . . .” My throat was dry with trepidation.
“He’s here,” Fabian said.
Following Fabian’s gaze, I took in each stone, focusing on their flawless irregularities, their masterful alignment. Their domineering perfection.
“I want to live . . .” I whispered.
“Death is merely an illusion,” Fabian said.
Lucas stood at the end of the central stone looking down upon me. He unraveled the scroll and he took in what was written upon it, his face scanning the Coptic words with a steady eye.
“What does it say?” I asked him.
“It’s an incantation,” Lucas said.
“We must begin.” Jacob’s focus did for a minute settle on the horizon as though wary of dawn’s imminence.
Sebastian gripped my hand though I suspected it was as much for him as it was for me.
“Sebastian, promise me,” I whispered, “you’ll dance again.”
“I’m counting on you being there when I do,” he said bravely.
“Fabian, watch over Catherine.” I focused back on Sebastian. “Take care of Alex.”
“I promise,” Sebastian said.
Above me the clear starlit sky; the first tinges of dawn kissing my flesh.
I held Ingrid’s gaze and found comfort there. “I love you,” I told her.
She pressed her lips to my hand, her strength feeding mine.
“Sebastian, after we leave make sure William remains on the stone,” Fabian said.
My attention fell on Sebastian, checking he’d understood the warning. Fabian, seemingly satisfied, gave a subtle signal to Lucas that he was to begin.
Sebastian squeezed my hand. “It’s been an honor.”
“You make it sound so final,” I said and then swallowed hard.
“William, I’ll always love you,” Ingrid said. “Always.”
Lucas raised the scroll high, interpreting the Egyptian and chanting the incantation with clarity and confidence, his accent thick, his intonation exact. The ancient language carried upon the air, echoing and filling the space around us. Spellbound, I marveled at the way the stones shimmered, their grandness emphasized by the soft blue hue emanating.
“Do you see it?” I blinked several times, fearing the brightness.
Silence found me; the chanting having ceased.
Fabian, Lucas and Jacob had gone.
Reading Ingrid’s expression, it pained me to see her so fraught.
I held her gaze. “I will find you.”
Lips trembling, her hand shaking in mine, Ingrid conveyed her faith that I would.
I sighed my surrender.
These were more than individual pillars brought here centuries ago to be worshiped, and when placed together each was more than a sum of its parts, a profound conduit for power.
Harnessing that which offered itself willingly and trusting in the silent words they spoke to me, I glimpsed the other side . . .
A place of wonder and trueness.
Sunlight struck the stones and the rays caressed the pillars, bouncing off each one and pouring intense crystal shards down and around me. A bright, orange sun bowed low and swept me up into her arms, carrying me into her very center. I willed myself to know her brilliance.
And remember the light . . .
Chapter 36
I WRITHED, GASPING FOR LIFE.
Through blurred vision, I made out a standing stone and there, slumped at its base, was Orpheus.
Fragm
ented memories.
My flesh felt like it was melting but I forced myself to ignore it and rallied my strength, staggering toward him.
Scattered memories . . .
I crashed Orpheus’s head against the stone and he struck out, shoving me. He was on his feet again now, flying up into the air toward me, punching my jaw with a crack, knocking me backward.
Stunned, I paused, realizing there was only one stone.
Instead of the night sky, there was a high vaulted ceiling painted with intricate frescos, dramatic scenes portrayed from the Book of Genesis and at my feet marble flooring inlaid with emblems.
More striking still, my shirt was off and these trousers weren’t my own; I was barefoot. Orpheus too was dressed like me, trousers only, chest bare and shoeless.
He scanned his surroundings, seemingly as baffled.
Orpheus flew at me, grabbed my shoulders and thrust upward, slamming me hard against the ceiling, his fingers squeezing my throat. He let go and we tumbled to the floor.
I rose to my feet and readied for another attack.
Orpheus was standing a few feet away, his face twisted in confusion. “I can’t . . . do it.” He stared at his hands. Trying to read him, I culled his thoughts for how we’d gotten here.
Orpheus flinched as though struck by an invisible force, his face contorted in horror. “I can’t kill you.”
“Where are we?” I muttered.
His eyes searched the chamber again, looking for anything familiar.
“Sunaria’s alive,” I said.
With a suspicious gaze, he considered me. “What the hell happened?”
“I see you’ve woken up.” Fabian was standing casually beside the megalith.
“What is this?” Orpheus yelled.
Fabian stepped nearer. “Orpheus, a part of you is within Jadeon, and he in you.”
“What did you do to us?” he snapped.
“Separated you,” Fabian said.
Orpheus backed up. “Where . . .”
Fabian threw me a reassuring glance. “St. Michael’s Mount.”
“Fabian Snowstrom?” His mouth gaped in horror as though remembering. “What the hell did you put me through?”
“I had nothing to do with your joining, Orpheus,” Fabian said. “But everything to do with you finding your way back.”
Orpheus straightened. “Sovereign?”
Jacob appeared beside Fabian and said, “All dead. Though the son lives.”
“Not for much longer.” Orpheus faced me again, realizing. “Jadeon doesn’t remember, does he?”
Fabian tilted his head. “He will.”
“Sunaria?” Orpheus’s hands stretched behind him.
Fabian gestured to the doorway. “You won’t be stopped.”
Orpheus was gone.
Taking the three short steps toward the megalith, I caressed her irregularities, running my fingertips over her coldness. Spreading my hands over her width as though waiting for her to spill her well-kept secrets honored over centuries.
“The incantation?” I asked.
“Went smoothly,” Fabian replied. “The scrolls did indeed hold the key to your separation.”
“Miraculous,” I whispered, “that such a spell even exists.”
Fabian lowered his gaze.
I read the trepidation in his expression. “What other incantations do the scrolls possess?”
Fabian raised his hand. “You have visitors.”
Catherine appeared in the doorway. “I couldn’t wait a moment longer.” She ran and threw her arms around me, kissing my cheek. “You did it!” she said to Fabian. “You actually did it!”
Ingrid was lingering a few feet behind her, watching nervously. Catherine motioned for Ingrid to approach.
“How do you feel?” Catherine asked.
I tried to find the words. “Hung over?” I turned to Fabian. “Is this real?”
“It is.” Fabian said.
“How much do you remember?” Ingrid asked.
Caressing my temple I reached for the memories, shocked with the clarity of all that had unfolded. “It feels like a dream. No, make that a nightmare.”
“You’re safe now,” Ingrid said. “It’s over.
“And you’re both alright?” I asked them.
Ingrid snuggled in, wrapping her hands around my waist and squeezing me tight. “Now that we know you’re okay.” She looked up at me and a tear fell.
I wiped it away.
Quiet ensued and I felt peace sweep over me, over all of us, a long awaited serenity that had always promised to find us.
Jacob stepped forward and offered Ingrid a rolled up parchment.
Ingrid accepted the scroll, holding it reverently. “Hornub’s scroll?”
“Lucas retrieved it from Bodiam Castle,” Jacob explained. “Hornub’s guide to the other side.”
“It belongs with Hornub,” Fabian agreed.
“I’ll see it’s returned to him,” Ingrid said. “What will happen to the other scrolls? The book of Toth?”
“They’ll be kept safe,” Fabian said.
Catherine rubbed Ingrid’s arm with affection. “Jadeon, we’ll wait for you upstairs.” She slid her arm through Ingrid’s and they headed out of the chamber.
It felt good to see them both safe.
I found Fabian’s gaze again. “I came to you . . . visited you at Leeds castle.”
“We talked at length,” Fabian coaxed me on.
“It’s still a little foggy . . .” I admitted.
“Come.” Fabian led me behind the standing stone, through the secret doorway behind it and down the stairwell. Jacob followed close behind us.
All three of us entered Dominion’s tomb.
Chapter 37
AGAIN I WAS STRUCK with the dramatic standing stone, the way she towered reverently over Dominion’s sarcophagus, the other half of her disappearing into the ceiling.
Fabian gestured toward the coffin within. “When something is found,” he spoke softly, “what does one do?”
“Cease the search,” I said.
Jacob gestured with a sweep of his hand. “The best defenses are the ones you don’t know exist.”
Fabian stepped toward me. “Jadeon, two hundred years ago, I approached your father Lord Artimas with a proposition. I foresaw that if the Stone Masters continued to wage war on vampires that the suffering of both mortals and immortals would endure. Therefore, I proposed a truce, one that would place a vampire officially within the Stone Masters. The idea being that they would advance with joint rule.”
“I had already infiltrated the group,” Jacob said.
“Over centuries,” Fabian said, “Jacob feigned inheriting the title of Stone Lord from his father, and his father before him. We remained one step ahead. In doing so we prevented much of their persecution of our kind.”
“Lord Artimas,” Jacob continued, “was informed that we’d chosen one who would govern with an uncompromising hand over vampires. Jointly Lording alongside the Stone Master himself.”
Fabian raised his chin. “And his name was—”
“Dominion,” I said, my focus finding the tomb again, exploring the ornate carvings.
Fabian broke the silence, saying, “Lord Artimas conceded that a vampire ruler would best reign over his own kind. He agreed with us and took our proposition back to the other Stone Lords.” Fabian looked grave. “His men voted against Lord Artimas. They hunted Dominion, intending to kill him. Carnage ensued.”
“Lord Artimas and his men refused your offer of peace,” I said.
“This tomb was a ruse,” Fabian acknowledge.
“A diversion,” said Jacob.
“With Jacob securely ensconced within the Stone Lords, he set about building this sarcophagus.” Fabian gestured to the standing stone. “She’d been here for one thousand years, carefully hidden. It was the perfect place for a tomb, ensconced within the very heart of the Stone Masters.”
“Once this sarcophagus was built,
” Jacob said, “and secured, we set about choosing the men who would guard it.”
“You feigned Dominion had been captured?” I realized. “You asserted he was actually in there.” I studied the empty coffin. “Didn’t Lord Artimas insist on seeing the body?”
“We waited for a distraction,” Jacob said. “We chose the night your mother died in childbirth. Lord Artimas was so riddled with grief that he gave over the power to entomb Dominion,” Fabian turned toward Jacob, “to Father Jacob Roch.”
“We ordered all vampires to leave Cornwall,” Jacob added. “Though they knew not why. And when vampire attacks ceased—”
“The Stone Masters were convinced they really did have Dominion,” I said.
Jacob shared a look with Fabian and said, “I chose the men who would guard the tomb. I named them Sovereign. Monks were considered to be unquestioning. They were regularly rewarded with sips of blood offered up in a ceremony.”
“For eight years there was peace again,” Fabian said. “Harmony.”
“Vampires were tempered,” Jacob said. “Stayed in the shadows.”
Fabian grimaced. “We hadn’t accounted for man’s greed.”
I understood what he was intimating. “Until a member of Sovereign became obsessed with actually drinking from the fountain of bliss, Dominion himself.”
Jacob pursed his lips with tension. “One of the monks pried open the tomb. Sovereign believed it was the Stone Masters who’d stolen him. Their allegiance became strained. Sovereign broke away with their own agenda.”
My focus fell on the empty sarcophagus again. “Did Dominion ever really exist?”
Fabian raised his chin high. “He does. When we chose him he was merely a boy. Bright, well educated. His temperament gentle, like his mother’s. He was of course mortal. We needed him to grow, flourish and see the world anew. Believe in the possibilities of peace.”
“We placed servants around him,” Jacob said, “to protect him.”
“And great teachers to educate him,” Fabian added. “To enlighten him.”
“We hoped he would one day join us,” Jacob said. “Give his own life over to become a vampire.”
“And he did,” I murmured.
“But not by our hand,” Fabian whispered.
“Orpheus transformed him,” Jacob said. “Removing Dominion’s free will.”
A Vampire's Dominion Page 29
