Fallen Embers

by P. G. Forte

  Georgia nodded. “When you killed him you absorbed his essence. In that instant, ownership of all that he had, was transferred to you, and thus became hers.”

  “So it’s true then? I did not misunderstand you? She benefits each time I kill? Every death makes her stronger?”

  “It is not quite as simple as that. Say rather that she does not lose anything by your actions. Every vampire you defeat makes you stronger. But it’s only when your victim hails from another House that she benefits. When you kill someone who already belongs to her, she neither loses nor gains. Her power remains largely unchanged.”

  His mouth tightened. “Had I but known that, I might have let them kill me—all for the pleasure of robbing her of yet another prize.”

  “Then it’s glad I am that you did not know.” Georgia reached out to feather the hair at his brow. “For you to have died before ever we met would not have suited me at all. In fact, I thank the stars above for your ignorance—and your mistress too, for failing to enlighten you. It seems she did us both a favor.”

  Quintano captured her hand and brought it to his lips. “I, too, am filled with gratitude that fate has brought us together. However, I refuse to credit that foul creature with any of it.”

  “Are you sure that’s all that ails you?” she asked when his expression remained grim.

  He stared at her for a moment longer and then sighed. “I am feeling unusually restless tonight for no reason that I can name. I think perhaps we should move on from this place.”

  “Aye. Most likely we should,” Georgia agreed reluctantly. She pressed a kiss to her lover’s chest, then stretched, enjoying the press of his body on hers, the clasp of his arm as it tightened around her, drawing her even closer. It was good to be mindful of such little things, so pleasurable, so memorable, but ultimately, so very fleeting.

  They’d been camped in the same sweet little hollow for the past ten days, probably longer than was prudent for them to tarry in any one place. Arguably, they’d been the most idyllic ten days of her life, so perhaps she could be excused for being reluctant to move on. If she had her choice, she’d choose never to leave this spot. But after all this time, she knew better. Such bliss as this could not be expected to last. It was foolish to risk getting used to it. “I wonder if it’s not your mistress’s thoughts that are affecting you. She propped herself up on an elbow and gazed down at him. “I hesitate to mention it, but perhaps what you perceive as simple restlessness is in reality the bending of her mind to find you and urge you home.”

  Quintano laughed rudely. “Good luck to her if that be the case.” He pulled Georgia back down to him and kissed her soundly. “Home did you call it? You must never do so again. You defile the very word if you use it to refer to so vile a place. Domus Hera Noctis was never anyone’s home. Hades itself would be a better place in which to dwell.”

  Georgia sighed. “I pray you will find a way to endure it there, for it grieves me to think that you will be so unhappy. Whatever you choose to call it—Hades or home—it makes no difference. Eventually, we must both return to that place where we belong, I to my sire, you to yours.”

  “Return?” Quintano stared at her aghast. “To the very monsters who made us what we are? Are you mad? I shall never return there! Knowing what I know now… How can you think it?”

  “If you still believe it to be a matter of choice, you must never have tarried overlong on your travels. For I assure you, if your mistress wanted you back, you would know it. And return you would, whether it pleases you or not.”

  “You think me so weak? So corrupt?”

  “No, love.” Georgia shook her head. “Of course I do not. You’re no weaker than I or any other of our kind and far less corrupt than most. But when our sires compel us, there is naught for us to do but bow to their wishes. There is no shame in doing so. It is our nature. The pain that results from our attempts to do otherwise is enough to break the strongest of us.”

  “Pain is a constant of this life we lead. In truth, ’tis more painful to be in her presence than anything I could experience anywhere else. Indeed, I’ve been aware of her foul voice in my mind for several weeks now, but one can train oneself to ignore almost anything. Being with you soothes me in ways I cannot express. But even were that not the case, I still would not return. There were but two reasons I stayed as long as I did. The first was because I thought myself a monster and believed her dungeons to be the only place for which one such as I was fit. The second was in order to fight. Her chief mode of entertainment has always been to pit her slaves against one another in battles to the death. The chance to kill a score or two of my brethren, mayhap rob her of a few of her pet champions in the process—aye, that was a very attractive lure. Now that you’ve shown me what else may be possible, there’s nothing that could draw me back.”

  “You never said why you were sent away.” Georgia gazed at him curiously. “Is that the reason? Because you killed too many of her best warriors?”

  “Oh, no. That was, perhaps, the smallest part of it. Indeed, she was pleased at first—even after I killed the captain of her guard and her chief favorite. There’s nothing makes her happier than bloodshed and despair. Unfortunately, she assumed my eagerness for the arena stemmed from a desire to impress her, to win her favor and, in the case of her late captain, to take his place in her bedchamber.”

  “And did you win it?” Georgia didn’t know why she even asked. It had nothing to do with her. Certainly she was deriving no pleasure from imagining a Quintano so besotted with another woman that he’d fight to the death to bed her. She hid her discomfort with a casual shrug. “If so I’m even more perplexed. Surely you did not disappoint her there?”

  He shrugged once again. “I care not at all whether she was disappointed. Indeed, I’d much sooner bed a viper.”

  “And would I be that viper then, sir?” Georgia asked mockingly. She drew away and looked at him askance. “I’ve a feeling I’ve just been insulted.”

  “Vixen.” Quintano gazed fondly at her. “You are the moon of my night, the sole blessed light in a world gone dark. I’d think you an angel come down from heaven, but for one salient factor that, even with the best will in the world, I find I cannot ignore.”

  “And that factor is?”

  “Teeth.” He pulled her to him once more. With fangs unsheathed, he scored her neck, allowing just a hint of venom to slide through her veins, drawing a moan of pleasure from her lips. Then he closed her wounds and set her free, smiling as he said, “I am not a learned man, as you’ve oft remarked, but I’ve yet to hear that angels bite, nor moan, nor yet behave in so thoroughly decadent a fashion as I have observed in you.”

  “Then that is their loss,” Georgia replied, somewhat breathlessly. “And we must weep for them. But you’ve yet to answer my question.”

  “Perhaps I’ve forgotten what you’d asked? Your beauty, as always, is a powerful distraction.”

  “Flatterer. I’d asked what ailed your mistress. How is it that she did not appreciate having you in her bed?”

  Quintano sighed. “Many things may have ailed her—whatever foul illnesses there are that rot the mind and eat the soul. Assuming she possessed either in the first place. I suppose she was satisfied enough in the beginning. Until the night she chanced to remark on how much it must please me to be so honored.”

  “Do not tell me you confessed to her your lack of interest?”

  “She should not have asked had she not wanted to know. I told her I would have preferred to have died a hundred times over than to have been forced to bed her for even one night. She did not take it well.”

  “Indeed, I marvel that you’re still alive.” Had his mistress truly been unable to think of any more dire a punishment than banishment? Or did worse await him upon his return? “But if I may offer a word of advice, my love, we live in a world where such honesty as yours is not valued very highly. It woul
d serve you well to cultivate a certain level of politesse—wherever you may chance to go.”

  Not surprisingly, he brushed her concerns aside. “Plain speaking suits me well enough. I do not possess the patience for anything else. I am but a soldier. As long as my strength does not fail me, and my steel continues to serve my needs I am happy.”

  “And when those fail?”

  “If they fail, then I pray I might make a good end, and take as many of the bastards along with me as I can.”

  “Ah, love. There’s more to life than battle. But, tell me, what kind of life do you imagine you will lead if you do not return home? A solitary existence, constantly on the run? It saddens me to think of it. We all need to be part of something, do we not? A soldier needs an army, as well as a cause. He needs a leader to direct his actions, a goal to pin his hopes to. If you were on your own, for what or for whom would you fight?”

  Her lover regarded her steadily for a moment before answering softly, “You. I would fight for you, if you’d allow it. You would be my cause and I would be your army. I would make it my life’s goal to keep you from harm.” He shrugged. “Or, if you’d prefer it, I would fight alongside you. I’ve seen how you comport yourself, and I certainly would not scorn your assistance in battle. Indeed, I’d rather have you at my side than many a battalion I’ve been part of. Perhaps the life I envision is not as solitary as you imagine. With you beside me, I’d need no army, no leader, no other goal—nor any other home but this.” He gestured at the camp around them. “And I would be content, no matter how many days or years or centuries are left to me.”

  Georgia dropped her gaze. His words were pretty enough. But she suspected he would soon grow tired of such an existence. And, as for herself, she knew she would not be content to live in this fashion forever. Always out in the open, at the mercy of the elements, constantly on-guard and just as constantly on the move? That was not her ideal.

  Maybe she was foolish to hope for more, or maybe she was too ambitious for her own good, but she craved a life of ease—more comfort, more security, more riches, more peace. In the long term, she feared that not even Quintano’s company could make up for the lack of all the rest.

  In the short term, however… “Ah, love, if only such a thing were possible. But that which is fated will not be denied. We are neither of us free. And, unlike you, I have not the strength to resist my master’s call. Sooner or later, he will remember my existence and recall me to his side. And when that happens, like it or not, I must go.”

  “If that’s your decision, then I will go with you.”

  “You will do no such thing.” Georgia stared at him in alarm. “Are you daft?”

  “’Twould not be my first choice, but as you see, I’m prepared to make almost any sacrifice on your behalf. Is your master so proud he would disdain my services? To have my sword at his disposal is no small thing, as I’m sure you’ll agree. Plus, if I’ve understood all that you’ve told me, it appears I’ve lately vanquished one of his chief rivals. Why should he not be glad to parley with me? He has nothing to lose and everything to gain. And since he does not appear to value you as he should, why should he not agree to my terms?”

  “What terms are these?” Georgia asked, so terrified by what his answer might be that she felt faint.

  “Merely that I be allowed to take you away with me.”

  “Oh, my love, of course he will not allow such a thing. Why should he? I assure you, if Rupert were ever to deign share me with you in such a fashion, it would only be for the pleasure he’d derive from taking me back at some later date and thwarting us both. And that’s assuming you would manage to speak with him. In all probability, he’d have you killed on sight.”

  “Why so?”

  “For your strength, which would belong to whoever took your life. And because despite what you may believe, rivalries between Houses are seldom settled amicably. You’ve defeated his rival, aye, and thus set yourself in his place.”

  “Not according to you.” Quintano’s lips twisted into a bitter grimace. “Apparently I’ve set my mistress in Edwin’s place.”

  “Even worse. Were you to approach Rupert as an equal, a force with whom to be reckoned, he might have given you some measure of courtesy. But one such as he does not parley with an underling, no matter how well-meaning.”

  “But…”

  “Yes, yes. I know. You were sent here on just such a mission—or so you were told. Hence why, as I’ve said, you were lucky to have survived.”

  “You may call it luck. I prefer to think of it as skill.”

  “Call it what you will. It’s unlikely to serve you a second time. Indeed, if Rupert did not order me to kill you myself, I would at the very least be forced to stand by, helpless to intervene, and watch as you died. Please do not let it come to that, for truly, my heart would break were such a thing to occur.” Georgia shook her head. “I cannot help but fear for your safety, my love. I’m convinced these odd notions will be the death of you.”

  Conrad shrugged. “That, surely, it is yet another reason why I need you with me. For how am I to avoid such difficulties without you by my side?”

  Georgia sighed. “Alas, I do not know. If I were given a choice, I would of course choose to stay with you—if only to provide you with the guidance you so obviously need. But, as I’ve explained to you, such a thing is impossible.”

  “Is it?” He sat up and reached for her hand. “I do not agree. To the contrary, I believe it to be entirely possible. Come away with me and allow me to prove it to you.”

  “What?” The blood drained from Georgia’s face. He could feel her fear in the trembling of her hand. “Where is it you want to go? You and I… We are not fated for each other. We’re lucky to have met at all, and I will be forever grateful that we did, but this brief interlude is all we can ever hope for. Must I remind you again who and what we are? We are not the masters of our fate. We are not free to choose our own roads. That reality is unlikely to ever change.”

  “There are those who say we make our own fate.” Conrad shrugged. “Who’s to say, in the ages yet to come, that we will not both win our freedom? I spoke the truth when I said that being with you soothes the pain of defying my mistress’s wishes. Indeed, I feel I can withstand anything with you by my side. Why should not the same hold true for you? Come with me across the channel. Mayhap, at that distance, you’ll find your own sire’s summons will fall on deaf ears.”

  “It sounds like a dream. By which I mean it seems too good to be true. I don’t know if I can risk it. If we were to be found out, it would be a disaster.”

  “To be parted at all ’twould be disaster. What do you lose by trying? You’re not under duress at the present time, are you? So why not chance it? If, at any time, you find that being with me is no longer to your liking you need only say the word and I shall escort you wherever else you wish to go, without delay.”

  Georgia eyed him, indecision writ plain on her face. “I wonder if I can believe you.”

  “Have I proven myself so false that you can no longer take me at my word?”

  “It is not that I think you faithless.” Georgia sighed. “But life has taught me not to trust in anyone overmuch. Promises given in the heat of passion are oft recanted later. I would hardly be surprised if that proved to be the case.”

  “I give you my word that I shall honor your wishes—always. Though it would grieve me to lose you, I will stand by the promise I made to you on the night we met. I will take nothing from you that is not freely offered, including the pleasure of your company. You are free to leave at any time.”

  “You should not make such vows lightly,” she replied sternly.

  “I assure you, I do not.”

  She studied his face a moment longer, searching his eyes as he gazed steadily back at her. Finally she nodded. “Very well. But be forewarned, I shall hold you to that promise.”<
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  Conrad could not keep from smiling, even though she still insisted on calling him by that hated name. He was elated by her acquiescence. “Ah, ciccia,” he crooned as he pulled her into his embrace. “You may hold me to whatever you like. I only pray you may continue to do so for a very long time.”

  Conrad’s optimism, though boundless, was tempered with a certain amount of realism. He judged it best that he get Georgia out of range of her sire as quickly as possible—before she had time to think too much and change her mind, or before Rupert could take steps to recall her. Though it appeared her sire was not quite a match for Conrad’s in terms of cruelty, Georgia’s turning had been almost as brutal as his own. In some ways, perhaps, it had been worse.

  Whereas Conrad had been a man, and in his prime, when he’d been taken, Georgia had been yet a girl when she was stolen away from her family. Too young to be safely turned, she’d been forced to work in her master’s household until he’d judged her old enough to be made his spawn.

  She’d spent those intervening years at the mercy of her master and all his family. She’d lived in constant fear for her life and with the knowledge that any failure to please might result in her death, in her being thrown into the dungeons, so that the emerging Invitus might use her for sport. Nor was that an empty threat. For, as she’d told Conrad, she’d seen it happen to many of the others.

  Conrad could not stand the thought of returning her to that bleak existence. She’d given him back his life. The least he could do was to try and improve upon hers. Ultimately, however, the choice was not his to make.

  The rising sun had turned the sky to blood on the morning they set sail for the continent. The ship’s crew shook their heads and muttered gloomily. Conrad ignored them. He had enough on his mind. He’d been feeling the effects of the brackish environment since before they’d even gotten underway. Ignoring the crew seemed preferable to the beast’s suggestion—that he grab them one by one and rend them to pieces.