Three nights later, all cases had been made and questions answered, so I had Stephen pass out ballots to every member. I reminded everyone that any votes for Gisele or me would not be counted and then instructed them to vote. After three rounds of counting, the Council seats were all filled. Four of the six elected Council members were as expected (they had held seats on the original Council before it was reorganized by the Ancients), but two came as somewhat of a surprise.
Both surprises were extremely young for such a position. The first was William, who at barely twenty years in the Blood was still a fledgling, and the other was Annika, who had about forty years on William. I suspected that many of the Ekhaya’s younger members had formed a loose coalition to ensure that at least one of their own made it onto the Council, not expecting to actually succeed in voting two in.
The Ancients grumbled about their inexperience, but I was impressed that the young ones managed to overcome their differences and come together for the greater good of them all, and I upheld the vote for a number of reasons. First and foremost, to do otherwise would only serve to undermine the system I was trying to reestablish. Second, the younger revenants deserved to have a voice on the Council. Third, if they turned out to lack the wisdom for the seats they held, they could not stop a normal vote by themselves under any circumstances. And finally, it would be both beneficial and refreshing to have the fledgling perspective on the Council.
Not to mention extremely interesting to watch.
After the election, I called the first session of the Council of the Founders, which turned out to be more of a meet and greet than anything else. I appointed Azriel to sit at the head of the Council, which was not so much a power distinction as a responsibility distinction, and the Council approved the measure in their first vote. They did manage to establish some loose protocols and appoint Stephen to be the Council’s permanent recorder. Council transcripts would be a matter of public record, but only after their release was approved by vote.
After the evening’s business was complete, I let them all know that I was satisfied with how the Council had interacted today, and that I hoped it would continue, though I seriously doubted it would run this smoothly over most issues of consequence. But at least there was hope. I also reminded them that I expected each Council member to vote for what was best for the Ekhaya, and not one faction in particular.
The last thing we needed was for the Council to start mirroring the US Congress.
Azriel motioned for the session to be closed and there were no objections. Members filed out of the Council Chamber, most in search of the night’s meal, until only Octavian and I remained. We had not spoken privately since that night at the restaurant. Man, it seemed like eons ago...
“I must admit, I wasn’t entirely certain this would work, Jason, but it seems that it was the right move.”
“Yeah, well let’s see what we all think after the Council makes a controversial decision. There’s still a distinct division between how the Ancients see things and how the rest of the Ekhaya sees things.”
He nodded, noting that I hadn’t really included myself in that division. “I think you’ll agree that the line is more blurred now than it has ever been.”
“True, but although we see eye to eye more now than ever, there are still some issues where I’ll side against you. I wonder how you’ll deal with the first vote that passes despite your collective opposition,” I pondered aloud, pretty sure that I already knew the answer.
“I’m sure there will be resentment, but I’m also sure that we will get over it. No matter what anyone thinks, you could easily have made yourself emperor, and we would’ve had little choice in the matter aside from leaving the Ekhaya permanently. Reforming the Council of the Founders has returned a great deal of power and control to the rest of us. By suggesting all these changes on your own, you’ve proven that power is not your primary motivation, and that makes it easier, at least for me, to accept your rule.”
I wasn’t sure whether “rest of us” meant the Ancients or the entire Ekhaya, but I preferred to think it was the latter, even if it was a bit of wishful thinking on my part. Regardless, putting Ancients and common Ekhaya members on the Council together should eventually have the effect of removing the distinction entirely.
Well, it sounded good at any rate...
“I know how you felt about Alicia, Octavian, but I wouldn’t have this wisdom if I hadn’t witnessed firsthand how the pursuit of power changed her, or how exercising my power changed the way we related to each other.” My tone was neutral, but to be honest, I was baiting him a bit.
“That only goes to show that something positive can be found in almost any bad decision,” he replied with a smile, but he was only half-joking. He had recognized the bait and still decided to nibble at it.
“Maybe,” I conceded softly. “Or maybe it means that sometimes you should just shut your fucking mouth and wait to see how things turn out...” My smile was wide, but I was half-serious.
In an automatic defensive reaction, Octavian’s face narrowed for a moment, and his ears went back as his gaze turned to a glare. He opened his mouth to retort and then closed it just as quickly. The clouds cleared, and he chuckled softly, nodding his head once in acceptance of my not-so-mild rebuke. He was still laughing as he left the chamber.
“There’s hope for you yet, Octavian,” I said to no one in particular.
epilogue
Several months passed without serious incident, and most of the Ekhaya had gotten over waiting for something bad to happen. With all the turmoil in recent years, many had forgotten that revenant life and society can have long periods free of major conflict. As Octavian and I both suspected, the Ancients didn’t take that first divided vote very well, nor the second or third, but as Octavian predicted, they did get over it.
I discovered that reforming the Council of the Founders had the unanticipated benefit of taking the focus off me. Because I no longer had to make unilateral actions, I found that my relationships with individual Ekhaya members were markedly improved on the whole, and because the Ancients were restrained in the same manner, I noticed similar results with their relationships. Well, when they bothered to make the effort, at any rate.
When revenants interacted with us socially, they no longer saw a decision they didn’t agree with or a display of power that set them on edge, and it went a long way toward bridging the chasm of age and power. I also made it a point to spend more time inside the Ekhaya, moving among its members and participating in various discussions and activities.
Kane and I had put a considerable amount of effort into repairing our friendship, a process that was significantly aided by his relationship with Phobos. She helped him to understand me, I helped him to understand her, and he helped us to find a common interest apart from all that we had shared and lost. It was a bizarre dynamic that worked surprisingly well.
Kane had been increasingly difficult to pin down of late, so I went looking for him one particular evening. Oddly enough, I found him in a chamber that I jokingly call the Arts and Crafts Center. It had once belonged to Temujin during his stay in the Ekhaya. He had enjoyed artwork of just about any kind, and his room had been crammed with a vast collection of pieces so diverse that it was almost painful to behold. After his passing, Nekros believed that there was no better way to honor the Father than to dedicate his room to the creation of art, so it was converted into a studio.
When I entered the room, Kane was standing at an easel, painter’s pallet in one hand and brush in the other. A nearly completed painting rested on the easel. This was shocking enough as I was unaware that Kane possessed such artistic talent, but the even more incredible sight was the pair of models sitting for him.
Gisele sat on the love seat from my chamber, legs crossed and arms spread elegantly along the back. Standing behind her was Phobos, her hands resting lightly on Gisele’s shoulders. They were both utterly gorgeous, Phobos’ long hair flowing and free and Gisele’s pi
led beautifully atop her perfect head, each woman wearing an outfit that was one of my personal favorites.
I almost swallowed my tongue.
Phobos was the first to notice my arrival, and a dispirited look followed it. “So close,” she murmured, alerting Gisele to my presence.
“No kidding,” Gisele sighed, and I tried not to take offense at their reactions.
“Should I leave?” I asked, not having to dig too deeply for the wounded tone. Kane started at the sound of my voice, at once looking both annoyed and guilty.
“It’s too late now,” Phobos answered around a chuckle.
“The damage is already done,” Gisele agreed.
I gave Kane a confused look. “Is it just me, or is this conversation not making any sense?”
“It’s you,” he deadpanned with pretty good comic timing.
“Wiseass,” I remarked dryly, drawing more laughter. It was getting harder to keep from being swept away by the buoyancy in the room.
“Now that you’re here, you might as well take a look,” Kane said, ignoring my dig. I closed the distance, stopping to look at the exquisite rendering on the canvas.
“It’s breathtaking, Kane. Truly,” I whispered as I took in the unique blend of surrealism and photorealism that worked very well. Half of it was due to Kane’s apparent artistic talent, but the rest was the result of his subjects. Any halfway decent painter would have a hard time screwing up the beauty posing for him.
“I’m glad you like it. It’s a gift from Gisele, and it was supposed to be a surprise, but so much for that...” Kane sighed, turning to Gisele. “At least he likes it.”
I was surprised that my jaw made no sound when it hit the floor. Since my return to the Ekhaya, Gisele had made no attempt to push me for a decision or influence it in any way. She had given me plenty of space to work out my feelings and had apparently been using the time to make some of her own changes. That she recognized the importance of my friendship with Phobos made me want to wrap her up in my arms; that she was willing to make an effort to support and solidify it, despite the uncertainty of our own relationship, was more than I would ever have thought to wish for.
Gisele offered a timid, self-deprecating smile. “Change takes time,” she began softly, “but I... I’m working on it.” The significance of the contraction wasn’t lost on me.
“You certainly are,” I whispered, awe rendering me banal.
“On that note, I believe that we’re done for now,” Kane stated. “Phobos?” he questioned.
“Thank God!” Phobos returned, eyes dancing as she gave Gisele’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. Gisele turned to share a private look with Phobos, placing a hand on her shoulder. I watched their easy interaction with a silly smile on my face, wondering dangerously if things could get any better than this, until moments later, Gisele and I were alone, sharing a silent but intense look of our own.
“Have you made up your mind?” she inquired softly, her timid and uncertain delivery testifying to how much was riding on this conversation and how desperately she wanted it to go well.
“It’s really up to you, Gisele. Are you ready to trust me?” My voice shook a little, and I realized that I was almost afraid of her answer.
“Jason, there is a place in my heart that has always been yours, most likely even before I met you, but I was never able to trust in that... I never believed I was worthy of your love.”
My heart went out to her. How difficult it must have been for her to admit that to herself, but to say it out loud, to me of all people, exposed a deep vulnerability that took her well outside her comfort zone. “And now?” I asked softly, allowing myself to hope for the first time in months. I couldn’t let her stand on that precipice all by herself.
“Words are cheap, and you’ve heard them from me before. This time, let my actions be your answer,” she said, finally willing to trust herself enough to be judged only by her actions, and me enough to be the judge.
My heart expanded almost painfully, and I let out a long breath, feeling as close to whole as is probably possible for me. It was as if I’d finally come to the end of a very, very long race, and I wanted nothing more than to be able to fall face first on the other side of the finish line. “I can do that.”
Gisele released a long breath of her own, relief blooming and making her even lovelier, but it wasn’t long before her expression turned mischievous. “Are you ready to move back into your room?” she asked boldly, and it was the first time either of us had mentioned her audacity.
When I discovered that Gisele had brazenly commandeered my room, my first instinct was to have a small meltdown over it. Just about everyone seemed to view the action as an attempt to antagonize me, but for some reason, I didn’t buy it. After all that had happened between us, I could not believe that Gisele would do anything to me purely out of spite. There had to be a deeper reason, and when I figured it out, I calmly made arrangements to stay in Kane’s room, which was vacant most days as he Slumbered with Phobos.
I’m sure you were wondering how she managed to get my love seat out of my room without me knowing about it.
“Where will you stay then?” I wondered aloud, doing my best to hold onto a straight face. She swallowed the hook whole, her face scrunching up as she tried to figure out what the hell had just happened. The expression was so unlike her that I could not maintain my composure, and it wasn’t long before the beginnings of laughter made noises in the back of my throat.
“Bastard,” she snapped after finally getting the joke, and she launched herself at me with a growl. I caught her easily, my laughter trailing into a sigh as her teeth sank into my throat, her hand stroking the back of my head softly. I felt her tongue probing the wound, and as her skin heated up, her lips became a brand, searing my skin and soul alike.
I lowered my head, breathing deeply to take in her scent, and I listened to the beat of her heart for a few moments before slipping my teeth beneath her marbled skin and taking part in the most intimate act that two vampires can share.
And just like that, all was right with the world. Well, at least our little corner of it, anyway.
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Evan Tsoukalas has been a grocery clerk, an inventory flunky, and IT nerd and will always be a former Marine. Frankly, he is still a nerd, but he has also (somehow) become another bald, middle-aged, middle-management guy in corporate America. He continues to resist full suit assimilation, but director-speak has all but taken over, and he can often be heard uttering phrases like “less than ideal,” “feel free to pick an open spot on my calendar,” and “what are your thoughts on...?”
He was born and raised in New Hampshire, but traded in his snow shovel for sunscreen a few years back, and can now most often be found running away from direct sunlight in Chandler, Arizona.
He lives with his better half and a small collection of animals who have more beds in the home than the humans, and is blessed to be included in the life of the amazing young woman who is most often referred to as 'Other Dear.'
He has been writing fiction for almost 30 years now, and it has taken that long to write something he thought was worth sharing with anyone outside of his poor, tortured circle of guinea p... umm... test readers.
Corrupting Alicia Page 46
