Summoning Shadows: A Rosso Lussuria Vampire Novel

by Pennington, Winter

  I daresay, Vasco didn’t even see her coming, for when she grabbed him around the waist and pushed off the ground, he screamed. By the time they made it to us, tears of laughter rolled down my cheeks.

  Iliaria landed, rolling unceremoniously to break her fall. She caught Vasco before he rolled right into us and knocked us all off the narrow walkway. She was laughing, too, a strangely deep rumbling peal of laughter that sounded odd coming from her human lips.

  Vasco sprung to his feet and dusted off his breeches. “What, colombina? You’ve never heard a grown man scream?”

  “Like that?” I asked. “No, Vasco. I have never heard you scream like that. If the clan of Bull Shoals didn’t know we were here, I imagine they do now.”

  Vasco fussed with his attire, obviously more than a little embarrassed. “Brava for such a graceful landing,” he muttered.

  Iliaria made a choking sound as she suppressed a laugh. “Had you not been flailing like a little girl that would not have happened.”

  “We ssshould dessscend now,” Anatharic said as he eased beneath a low hanging arch and down the narrow walkway to follow the descent that spiraled toward the cave’s belly. Dominique waited for Renata’s command. She nodded, indicating that yes, we should follow. Anatharic dropped to all fours after having to duck through several low hanging stones. I walked between Renata and Vasco, the only person in our party that did not have to duck or bend. Iliaria took the rear, so that our party was placed between the two Dracule.

  If a person didn’t know the cave had been spelled so that the humans would not find it, it became obvious when the pathway steepened so that even if they had, it would not have been a tourist attraction. There were too many precarious steps and treacherous footholds.

  Anatharic called us to a halt. “The path is broken. There’s a gap up ahead.”

  “Another reason the caverns are fitting,” Renata murmured.

  Large stalactites dripped like massive stakes from the center of the cavern’s ceiling.

  “What about dropping down?” I asked.

  “You have not looked over the ledge recently, have you, colombina?”

  At Vasco’s words, I peered over. The drop was not so terrible that it would cripple a vampire, but the stalagmites stretching upward from the cave’s floor were an entirely different matter. Oh, we’d probably survive, skewered or no, but I did not think anyone in our party was exactly keen on testing the idea.

  “What about climbing, then?”

  Iliaria shook her head. “The walls are too slick with humidity. It would be too difficult to gain a hold.”

  “Flying?”

  “There isss not enough room.”

  “Anatharic is right,” Iliaria said. “There’s not enough room to gain any momentum in here.”

  “Then we jump,” Nirena said from behind Anatharic. “Can you leap so far, Great Sire?”

  “We ssshall sssee.”

  “Back up!” Dominique called. “We’re going to need room to make the leap.”

  One by one, we scuttled back up the path, trying to give Anatharic the space he required. I was far enough back I couldn’t see the space they were jumping over, but if Dominique said we needed more room, we’d do it.

  Out of all of us, the Dracule had a better chance of making the leap given their stature. Though the others were in the way, I heard Anatharic take his running start on all fours. A few seconds later, I heard him land softly on the other side of the gap.

  “I’ll go,” Dominique said, and I knew he had stopped Nirena from trying to make the jump before him.

  His booted feet slapped the stone on the other side.

  “It’s wider over here,” he called. “Nirena, give yourself more of a run before jumping.”

  We backed up some more.

  Nirena made it, then Renata. Vasco was up next and since we were closer, I was able to more clearly see where exactly it was we were jumping.

  My stomach lurched. “Vasco, I can’t make that. I’m not as tall as any of you.”

  “You will make it,” Iliaria said behind me.

  “I can throw you over, colombina?”

  “I’d rather you not.”

  He patted my shoulder with a smile. “You will be fine.” He turned and ran, leaping over the break in the path with the ease of a sprinting gazelle.

  It was my turn and I frowned.

  “It is not about your reach, Epiphany. It is about your speed. You are a vampire. You can make this leap.”

  It really did not look physically possible.

  She’s right, ya know. You’ll certainly not make it doubting yourself.

  “If you say so…”

  Iliaria pulled me back up the path. “Here,” she said. “You need even more of a running start than the others. Now, run.”

  I did.

  The cavern streaked in my vision and when it came time to jump, I faltered and misjudged. I leapt too late and fell, trying to catch the ledge with my hands and slipping on the wet stone.

  A hand caught my wrist.

  Vasco grinned down at me. “You didn’t think I would let you fall, did you?”

  I gazed down over my shoulder at the spike-riddled floor.

  “Sì,” he said, hoisting me up with ease. “That would not have been pleasant.”

  “Thank you, Vasco.”

  “Always, sorella.”

  Anatharic led the group down the last several feet of pathway. Iliaria made the jump easily behind me and caught up with the rest of us.

  The floor was thick with stalagmites of various sizes, so many that there was absolutely no way of navigating to the mouth of the narrow tunnel without stepping through them. Anatharic used his body to push against the stalagmites, toppling some over and giving us a path through the perilous field.

  Finally, we made it to a tunnel.

  “Do you know where thisss leadsss, Queen?”

  We could hear the sound of water flowing from somewhere beyond the tunnel.

  Renata said, “Follow the water, Dracule. That will lead us to the clan of Bull Shoals.”

  The tunnel was a great deal longer than I reckoned and uncomfortably small, and though none of us had too much trouble walking through it, the walls were so close it was impossible not to brush against them. Every so often, we had to carefully round corners and ended up with scrapes in spite of our careful efforts to slip through. Blessedly, we were not reduced to crawling through on our hands and knees.

  The sound of water grew louder, echoing from the chamber beyond and throughout the tunnel, which spit us out into a much vaster room. Stone draperies hung in thin sheets from the ceiling, appearing as though all it would take would be a gentle breeze to send them swaying. Pillars lined the room, some as high as the ceiling itself and some like small phallic altars. A single lit torch in one of the pillars illuminated the brown and tan stone formations around us.

  “Well,” Vasco said, rubbing his elbow as if he’d knocked it against the wall on his way out of the tunnel, “by the looks of it, I’d say we’ve made it.”

  A man’s voice startled all of us to attention. “State your purpose!”

  Vasco grinned back at me like some kind of wicked cat. “See?”

  “Aye,” I grumbled. “We’ve made it.”

  The Dracule pushed us into a tighter group as Renata responded. “Inform your king, Keeper of Bull Shoals, that the Queen of the Rosso Lussuria has arrived and wishes to gain an audience with him.”

  There was a moment of heavy silence before the sound of stone grumbling against stone emitted throughout the cavern.

  “Are you armed?” the man called.

  “Sì,” Vasco called back. “We would be foolish to stumble into your territory without means of protection.”

  “As you say,” the man’s voice called out again and several cloaked figures stepped out from behind their hiding spots until a dozen of them surrounded us.

  I daresay, the King of Bull Shoals was either paranoid or simply employe
d more guards than Renata had ever thought to consider.

  They were all cloaked from head to foot in black garb, their faces shrouded and hidden from sight. A dozen crossbows with silver tipped arrows were aimed in our direction.

  “I suggest you not draw any of those weapons. Do not draw and we will have no reason to fire.”

  “Very well,” Renata said, encouraging Anatharic and the others to move aside so that we could both see the person speaking. “We will give you no cause to attack.”

  The figure raised his bow in Anatharic’s direction. “Who are they and why are they here?”

  Anatharic gave an unhappy growl, and the figures around us stirred, some of them training their bows on him.

  Iliaria said his name and he quieted.

  “They are Dracule and a part of the matter that I wish to discuss with your king.”

  One of the figures stepped out of the circle of guardsmen, and a woman’s voice came from her shadowed hood. “That cannot be.”

  The woman drew back her hood to reveal a pretty face with high cheekbones and wide, doe-like eyes. She lowered her crossbow as she inspected Anatharic and Iliaria.

  “Istania!” the man called. “What are you doing?”

  “If they were going to kill us, Gulliver, they would have already done it.”

  The woman, Istania, came closer to our group and knelt before all of us. She placed her crossbow on the ground beside her.

  “I am Istania, Elder and huntress among the clan of Bull Shoals. They have sent word of your arrival to our king, Queen Renata. I will take you to await his audience.”

  The rest of the figures followed her lead. She smiled with genuine sincerity and political politeness that made her dark green eyes seem gentle and kind.

  “Move aside, Gulliver.”

  Istania gestured to an area between two ivory pillars. “This way, if you please.”

  Stone grumbled against stone again as two other figures pushed open a stone doorway.

  Thus, we were ushered inside with a small army of armed Bull Shoalians marching silently behind us.

  Chapter Seven

  Istania and her party led us through a clean and narrow hallway. Beyond the hidden stone door, the cave was much more obviously inhabited. Stone steps had been carved where the paths sloped, and stalagmites and stalactites had been cleared away, all save the ones too large to move. Istania indicated a long stone bench, and we sat down to wait. Small burners had been placed atop wide pillars throughout the room, casting a soft light. Our sight is keener in the dark than a human’s but when a vampire hunts in the dark, we rely more on other senses than eyesight. Most of the Rosso Lussuria preferred light on a normal basis. Clearly, the clan of Bull Shoals did as well.

  I sat between Renata and Vasco, and only Iliaria and Anatharic did not take a seat. They stood like deadly guards at each end of the long bench. The stone was damp and cool beneath my clothes.

  I thought Istania would strike up conversation with us, but she didn’t. She waited with us without offering as much as a peep. When she caught me watching her, she didn’t smile. Her features remained steady and focused.

  Some minutes later, a cloaked figure pulled aside a linen hanging to reveal another doorway. “The king will see you now.”

  He held the hanging in his hand and stepped aside to permit us to pass through.

  *

  “Queen Renata,” Augusten called from his throne as we entered the throne room, “to what do I owe such a pleasure?”

  The others in our party fell back to allow Renata to walk ahead. I slowed my pace, remaining near enough to see her profile.

  “King Augusten.” Renata’s voice was politic and honey smooth. Her lips curled in a smile that made her eyes sparkle invitingly and she curtseyed, appearing every inch a monarch paying courtesy to another while she did it.

  King Augusten was dressed from shoulder to foot in black leather. He rose from his throne, the dark ringlets of his hair clinging to his forehead and offering only flashes of the silver circlet at his brow. His face was clean-shaven and masculine, his jawline strong, and the arch of his nose unmistakably Greek.

  “So,” Augusten said as he moved toward Anatharic, assessing him without bothering to hide it. “I have heard that you wish to speak with me and that you arrived at our humble abode with two demons in tow.” Augusten made his way down our line to observe us. He hooked his thumb under his belt as if it were a habit. As he passed, the others bowed their heads in respect.

  “Feigning ignorance does not become you, Augusten. You know as well as I what and who they are.”

  I lowered my gaze when King Augusten stood before me.

  “True, but why they are here, with you…” He waved a hand in the air. “That I do not know, Queen Renata.”

  “Allow me to enlighten you,” Renata said. “We have been attacked by their kinsmen. The Great Sires standing before you are our allies.”

  Augusten’s leather boots were still in my field of vision. He stayed silent for a long moment.

  “Who is she?” he asked. “She does not appear to belong with your party, Renata. Your guardsman,” he said, gesturing idly toward Dominique, “your beauty and political brains,” he gestured toward Nirena, “and your cunning warrior,” he said, nodding at Vasco. Augusten reached out to touch me, placing his calloused fingers beneath my chin and lifting my face.

  Iliaria’s tail slithered across the stone floor and I felt her agitation rise. She didn’t like Augusten touching me.

  “What are you?” the king asked ponderously. His chocolate gaze searched my face. “A present, perhaps?”

  “She is mine, Augusten. Epiphany is my Inamorata.”

  “Ah,” he released me and I did not lower my gaze. “I had heard some years ago that you had taken a woman as your pet. This is her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you love her?” he asked and it seemed like a terribly odd question for one monarch to ask another.

  “Yes.”

  “And you,” Augusten moved toward Iliaria. If he was scared of her, he did not show it. “You were unhappy when I touched her. What is the girl to you, Great Siren?”

  “She is my dragă.”

  “She is your lover, too?”

  “Yes.”

  “I suspect if I touch her again you’ll rip my arm off and feed it to me, no?”

  Iliaria wisely did not respond.

  “What of you, girl? Do you speak?”

  I kept Renata’s advice in mind and tried to speak with subtle confidence. “I speak, my lord, when I am spoken to.”

  “Where ever did you find this one? You’ve the hint of an accent, girl. English?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “Ah, and I’m guessing you’re far older than you seem. How old are you?”

  “Two hundred, my lord.”

  “She has a sweet tongue, Renata.”

  “More than you will ever know, Augusten.”

  King Augusten beamed at her in good humor. “Come,” he said, and the cloaked figures that had moved to stand against the wall moved to escort our party. “We shall discuss and dine. Let it never be said that the King of Bull Shoals lacks in hospitality toward a neighboring queen.”

  The tension in the air seemed to slacken like a rope let loose as the king and his party led us to a room designated for the king’s private dining. When I moved to sit at the table, Augusten spoke to me. “Come here, girl.” He held a chair out from the table expectantly.

  I cast a glance at Renata and she offered a slight nod.

  Humor him, cara mia.

  “Thank you, my lord.” I offered a brief curtsey and sat. The king took his seat at the head of the table while Renata took hers across from me.

  Augusten clapped his hands together twice, and two cloaked figures moved from the line they had formed against the cavern wall and disappeared through an archway that led to another room. When they returned, two men and two women garbed in white linen robes followed sub
serviently behind them. Their white robes were sheer enough to leave little to the imagination. They were quite obviously nude.

  “I believe our customs differ slightly,” Augusten said, sparing a glance at Renata. “The clan of Bull Shoals prefers the fruit straight from the tree.” He smiled as one of the women knelt before him. He swept aside her pale hair to expose her neck.

  Augusten struck like a snake, and much to the woman’s credit, she made only a small sound of pain at the bite.

  I silently reminded myself of the lesson I had learned with Justine.

  A woman knelt before Renata, her brown hair spilling from the hood and covering her breasts. Renata grabbed the woman by the arm and pushed her onto the table. The woman’s hood fell back to reveal a face that was soft and doe-like. Renata jerked her head to the side, exposing her neck.

  “Cara mia,” she said.

  The rapid beat of her pulse sang to me and I followed its song. I bit the side of the woman’s neck, and when I bit her, Renata pushed up her gown and sank her teeth into the pulsing drum high up on the woman’s inner thigh.

  I flushed with jealousy and the girl beneath me squirmed uncomfortably, drawing me back to myself. I still had not released the wound after biting and had only bitten down harder when the jealousy surged through me. I unsheathed my fangs from her skin and sealed my lips over the wound as her pulse pumped her blood eagerly into my mouth.

  Renata held my gaze while we fed. I sensed more humans being ushered into the room, heard their gasps and startled cries when our party found a place to bite.

  It is just food, cara mia.

  I shut my eyes again and drank.

  Renata drew back first, dabbing at the corners of her mouth with a square of crimson cloth.

  I pulled myself away with an effort, swallowing and licking the blood that had dripped onto to my lower lip.

  When the others were done, Augusten raised his hand and his cloaked guards led the light-headed humans back through the archway.

  Augusten smiled at me when he asked, “Did you enjoy?”

  I forced myself to return the smile as politely as I could. “Yes, my lord.”

  He patted my hand on the table. “Good, that is very good. Queen Renata.” He turned his attention to her, but kept his hand unnervingly on mine. The urge to move my hand away from his was instinctive. I was wise enough not to move, however, for fear of insulting him. “We have matters to discuss. You mentioned a particular problem with their kinsmen?”