“But now, after the cities were built, we have an even larger pool of personnel with modern skills in that area, don’t we? The people who were involved in creating the Hidden Cities might welcome the challenge of doing it again.”
Nick nodded grudgingly. “They might. It would still need a point person. Someone to fit the pieces together. I don’t have time for a project of that magnitude.”
Jeremy smiled. “But I do.”
NOW: April 2142; Sanctuary, French Alps
Nick watched the Nightwalkers packing up their goods as the sky began to lighten, to be immediately replaced by the Daywalkers and Sentinels who were just arriving. The market ran continuously, the better to serve the needs of the entire population. They never knew him. Never knew how much he sacrificed for them to have a real chance at a normal life here. Nick had been dubious at first, but Jeremy had thrown himself into the project with single-minded passion, brokering the relationships between the metahuman factions into a cohesive whole.
The Air Sentinel had led the new city of Sanctuary for almost the rest of his natural life, only giving up his dream into Nick’s keeping as his strength began to fail. Nick had retired from leadership of the Armistice government to rule the city after Jeremy’s death in 2094.
It had taken a decade of carefully understated seduction on the part of Rory and Lorcan for him to step back from his exacting administration of the fortress, finally recognizing the depth of his grief in his dedication to this tribute to his fallen lover. He still set overall policy in the city government, but he had delegated more and more of the daily management in subsequent decades to his trusted lieutenants, recruited to House Luscian from the ranks of those who had come to this place in search of a better life, mortal and immortal alike.
Nick started when he felt a light touch on his wrist, turning to face Layla. “Sorry, what?”
“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you?” She seemed more amused than annoyed.
Nick felt his cheeks redden. “I apologize, Layla. I’m just a little distracted today.”
She shrugged, stepping forward to look down into the bustling courtyard. “That’s understandable. It’s your anniversary, after all.”
“No, that’s in December,” answered Nick automatically. Then he flushed deeper as he realized what he’d said. “What I mean is—”
She cut him off with a harsh glare. “Nick, I admire your faithfulness to your first husband. Really I do. But you have two wonderful men in your life who love you more than anything else in the world. When are you going to accept that they deserve to be first in your heart?”
Nick looked away. “They were mated for a quarter century before they invited me to join their union. They just formalized our bond on their anniversary so we would all be equals. It’s still more their day than mine.”
She sighed, shaking her head ruefully. “Nicholas, you may be a gifted strategist and administrator, but sometimes you're so stupid you make me want to strangle you.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “I’ll keep that in mind the next time you ask me for advice.”
She covered his hand on the stone wall with hers. “They were just biding their time until you came far enough out of your shell to accept them after Jeremy died. Are you really so blind and insecure that you can’t understand that you were the gold ring to them, not the brass?”
Nick swallowed thickly and stared out over the tiered rooftops of his city. “I guess I’m scared.”
She frowned at the hesitation in his voice. “Scared of what?” Her voice was gentle.
Nick took a deep breath and let it out. “Everyone I have ever loved has grown old and died. It left me hollow inside. Sanctuary was all I had, and for a while, it was enough, until the two of them began to fill the emptiness. Rory and Ruarc were there for me every step of the way, holding me up against the grief. Looking back now, I realize they’d planned it that way all along. I know how hard it must have been for them to wait for me to be ready to open my heart again.
“It’s…humbling to know that they thought I was worth it, even that far back. How can I possibly live up to their expectations? What if they lose interest in me? I don’t think I could go on living if I lost either of them.”
He felt her silently studying him as he tried to keep his voice level. Then he faced the sunrise, gripping the stone of the battlements tightly against his rising panic. I shouldn’t have burdened her with my doubts.
She turned his head to face her. “Of course you’d go on,” she said. “Nothing lasts forever, no matter how much we wish it would. But I have watched you commit yourself to this community for decades. You gave them back faith in themselves, after they fled the people they were before. You lifted them back onto their feet for the sake of Jeremy’s dream. If you could do that for him, then why can’t you find the strength for your own sake just to accept that they love you, and see where it leads?”
Nick chuckled. “You must think I’m a complete idiot.”
She patted his hand in sympathy. “It’s okay to have regrets. Just don’t let them cripple your spirit. Now get out of here and go enjoy your anniversary.”
April 2142; House Daviroquir stronghold, London, England
William frowned at the coded message on the virtual screen in front of him before it automatically erased itself. He appreciated the need for security, but there were times when his alliance with the other Daywalker Houses tried his patience. It had taken twelve hundred years of intrigue and murder to work his way up to Consul rank, and his conversion by the Grace had not touched the core elements of his personal desire to triumph over his enemies. The only difference was that now, as Magister Daviroquir, he was part of a larger strategic alliance dedicated to a single goal: the redemption of the Children of Darkness.
A century of effort to promote the Great Work, and less than a dozen houses have joined us.William contemplated the sunset through the uncovered penthouse windows of the skyscraper. The fading light painted the glass and steel furniture of his ultra-modern office a bloody shade of scarlet. Perhaps I was wrong, and we should have chosen conquest over subterfuge. He smiled as he recalled the encrypted summons he had received. There’ll be time enough for slaughter. It’s only a matter of time before the other houses get over their mutual distrust enough to present a united front against us. Then we’ll see bloodshed aplenty.
He locked down his computer system, then stood and made his way to the teleport gateway. The Court’s teleport network was relatively rudimentary compared to that of the Armistice, due to the Nightwalkers’ distrust of the AI software required to manage a more advanced system, but travel to and from the Council Chamber Complex was easily managed for all of the Greater Houses. Standing in the center of the spellform inlay on the floor, he closed his eyes and generated the proper energy pattern to unlock the gate, then jumped to the master gateway in Alexandria.
He arrived in an underground courtyard, and breathed deeply of the perfume of incense and flowering plants kept lush by magic. Then his eyes snapped open as he heard a single heartbeat waiting for him.
The Night’s Herald watched him impassively from a few feet away. “Good evening, Prince William.”
He nodded brusquely to her. “Herald.” Idly, he noted that she had cropped her hair short, and allowed it to return to its normal shade of brown. It gave her an air of severity that mirrored the plain-hilted sword belted at her waist. He stepped to the side, exiting the gateway while keeping her carefully in sight. “Don’t let me keep you, if you need to use the gate.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Do you have a pressing errand?”
William frowned. Is she fishing for information, or does she already know? It was impossible to determine how deeply her spy network ran. Despite access to Armistice AI security programs, he remained paranoid that her near-AI constructs could have penetrated his computer systems. No, that way lies madness. She is only one woman, albeit the mistress of a shadowy host of agents. She is not omniscient
. She only wishes me to doubt myself. He stood straighter. “I have been called to a meeting with my Magister. If you will excuse me, I must be going.”
“Ah, yes, your Magister. I am shocked that you still bend your knee to a man less than half your age. Surely that must rankle.”
William’s eyes shaded to red. “The terms of the Challenge of Kings are clear. Are you questioning my honor?”
She shrugged. “You owed House Diluthical a century of service. In two months, that debt will be paid. What then? Do you intend to maintain your alliance, and yoke your house to Lorcan’s will?”
William scowled as he bared his fangs. “What do you want, Razheel? Speak plainly.”
She hissed, her eyes shifting to show her anger. “Do not address me by that name. I am the Night’s Herald. I have no other identity.”
William snorted. “An official fiction, to be sure. You remain Tribunus Talizered in your heart, and your favoritism toward your former house renders you unfit to carry the banner of the Court.”
She stood stiffly at attention, her left hand moving unconsciously to grasp the grip of her sword. “I am a servant of the Court, and no other. If you question my loyalty, then raise your objection before the Court, Magister Daviroquir. I will be happy to answer your charges in the dueling circle.”
William growled in a low rumble. “You are not worthy of my blade, servant.” Then he turned his back and walked deliberately away.
CHAPTER 15
April 2142; Court of Shadows Council Chamber Complex, House Diluthical Embassy, Alexandria, Egypt
Lorcan checked his computer again for messages, then frowned at the grandfather clock in the corner of his office. Where the hell is William?
One of his consuls knocked lightly at his door before opening it to allow William to enter.
The Magister Daviroquir knelt before him. “Master, my life is yours. I am your blade to wield.”
“I accept your honor, to defend as if it were my own. Rise, William, and tell me why you’re late.”
William got to his feet then sat casually in a leather armchair. “I was intercepted by the Night’s Herald.”
Lorcan’s annoyance evaporated. “For what reason?”
William smiled. “She wished to determine my plans once I am released from my allegiance to you.”
Lorcan tilted his head to regard his chief vassal with narrowed eyes. That was fairly obvious. The Herald is usually more subtle. “And your response?”
William shrugged. “I merely insulted her honor and left. It seemed the prudent course.”
“No doubt. She would have twisted any answer to serve her own purposes.” Lorcan continued to watch William carefully, noting the size of his pupils and the beat of his heart. “So what are your plans?”
William met his gaze imperiously. “Do you question my commitment to our cause, Master?”
Lorcan shook his head slowly. “No. But your role will change once you are no longer my subordinate. You may wish to forge your own separate alliance with the Redeemer, rather than accept my orders.”
William sighed. “My Lord, my goal is not to elevate myself, but to achieve victory. You and the Redeemer are one. It would serve no strategic purpose to sever my ties to you and divide our forces. The Great Work is paramount. All other concerns are secondary.”
Lorcan nodded. “I envy your purity of purpose.” He reached back and picked up a datacrystal in a portable reader. He handed the assembly to William. “Enter your security code on the keypad.”
William glanced at the unmarked datacrystal. “What is this?”
“This is the complete record of all of our strategic assets and alliances, as well as the intelligence we have managed to gather on prospective partners in the Great Work.”
William gaped at him. “You collected that information on a single datacrystal? Are you mad? What if it were acquired by our enemies?”
Lorcan smiled. “The crystal is encrypted with three data keys. Two keys are required to open the archive and release the data. Rory and I each hold one of the keys. I have cleared the temporary code for the third key, so you can enter your own.” He took a deep breath. “If I am killed or captured, then you and Rory will be able to access the information in order to plan your counter-attack.”
“And if the Redeemer is also captured?”
“If Rory is taken, then the cause is lost already, and the data will make no difference either way.”
William stared at him for a few moments, then turned his attention to the keypad and entered a twenty-digit code. He handed it back to Lorcan without further comment.
Lorcan saved the code to the encryption matrix, then removed the crystal and handed it to William. “Take good care of it.” He glanced once more at the grandfather clock. “And now, I have a prior engagement, I’m afraid.”
William examined the archive in his hand for some sign of its terrible secrets, and then casually slipped it into his pocket. “Happy anniversary. Give the Redeemer and Prince Nicholas my regards.”
April 2142; Northwest of Juneau, Alaska
Rory swept up the pine needles that had accumulated since the last time they had used the cabin. Setting his broom aside, he looked at the night sky and watched an owl flit across the moon with his enhanced sight. He settled into the rocking chair on the porch and relaxed, opening his telepathic senses wide to find no hint of another mind other than Lorcan’s for miles around. Listening to the Daywalker working in the kitchen, he closed his eyes and luxuriated in the psychic silence. I should get away from civilization more often. I keep forgetting how much psychic chatter there really is around any of the Hidden Cities. Thank God Ruarc thought of buying this place, or I’d have never known what I was missing.
Lorcan came out onto the porch and leaned against one of the wooden pillars. “Dinner’s ready, as soon as Nick shows up. Did he say why he was going to be late?”
Rory shook his head, keeping his eyes closed. “He said he had to get something special out of storage.”
“I’m surprised he went to the trouble.”
Rory opened his eyes and glanced closely at his lover, hearing the edge in his voice. “We agreed not to rush him.”
Lorcan laughed bitterly. “I know, but I keep wondering when he’ll be ready to let go, finally.”
“You know he loves you.”
“He loves both of us. But he was in love with Jeremy. Is he ever going to put us first?”
Rory sighed. “Ruarc, we formalized our mating less than a year after Takeshi died.”
Lorcan blinked and faced Rory, his face showing confusion. “That was political. I tried to give you your space.”
“And you did. You never pressured me to accept you as anything other than a partner.” Rory’s voice softened. “Do you remember the first time we made love?”
Lorcan took a deep breath. “Our eighth anniversary. You took me completely by surprise.”
Rory smiled, feeling his heartbeat accelerate, remembering his lover’s tentative caress, the uncertainty in his eyes. “You were afraid that it would hurt me to be with you, but you let it happen anyway.”
“I wanted it to happen,” whispered Lorcan.
“And so did I. But you gave me the time to realize it for myself.”
Lorcan looked away, his face flushed. “It’s been over four decades, Rory. How long can he hold on to his grief?”
“It took you four centuries to get over Connor.”
Lorcan winced, but said nothing.
Rory heard a soft tone in the back of his head as the perimeter ward around the cabin unlocked. Lorcan straightened against the pillar, and Rory followed his gaze to the lone figure walking silently across the shadowed yard toward them.
Nick ambled into view of the porch light and stopped, staring at the two of them. “Hi, guys.”
Rory nodded. “Welcome home. Did you find what you were looking for?”
Nick swallowed and hesitated for a moment before answering. “Yes, I think I d
id.” He walked the rest of the way up to the porch. “You have both been so patient with me. More so than I deserve. I wanted to give you something to show how much you mean to me. It just took a while to find the right gift.”
Rory frowned. “You don’t have to give us anything, Nick.”
“Yes, I do,” answered Nick. He set a small velvet box in Rory’s lap. Then he turned and handed another box to Lorcan. “I want you to have these.”
Rory picked up his box and looked at Lorcan. The other vampire met his gaze, and shrugged minutely. Then Lorcan opened his box.
Rory heard his lover’s heart skip, then race wildly, but it was his own heartbeat thundering in his ears when he saw the plain, gold band shining in Lorcan’s hand. Tearing his eyes away from the other box, he snapped open the small box in his own hand to see an identical ring nestled in the soft red velvet.
Lorcan’s voice wavered when he spoke. “What is this, Nicholas?”
Nick met Lorcan’s stare with apparently complete calm. “It’s my wedding ring.” Then he looked at Rory. “And that’s Jeremy’s.”
Rory felt his tongue catch in his throat, but forced himself to speak. “Nick, you can’t give these up. It’s too much.”
Nick shook his head. “It’s what I want, and it’s what he would have wanted.” He took a deep breath. “Rory, Ruarc, I love you both, forever and always. Will you marry me?”
CHAPTER 16
August 2142; Jumpvessel Singularity, Hephaestus Station, lunar orbit; four months later
Antonio watched the virtual image of the space station slide off the edge of the screen as the Singularity completed its final approach.
“Mooring clamps engaged,” said the voice of the ship’s AI, Pulsar. “Hard dock confirmed.”
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