Red wings spilled across the bed behind him—they were magnificent and of no interest to him at the moment.
His brother was dead.
Without a word, I worked my way beneath one of his arms and settled on his lap before laying my head on his shoulder. His arms wound around me then, and he wept.
* * *
Avii Castle
Lissa
"When Justis is available, I'll discuss moving that four-armed monstrosity from his dungeon," I sighed.
"What about the child in the coffin?" Merrill asked. "It has a spell on it—the coffin and the lock. The child inside is in stasis, likely placed by Cayetes' warlock."
"Is it his child—the four-armed man's?" Dena had brought tea to Merrill and me inside Gurnil's massive library.
"I believe that's true," Merrill inclined his head in thanks for the tea.
"Do you think that's the hold this Cayetes' person had over him?" Dena asked. "Is your tea to your liking? I have more honey and milk, if you want it."
"I'll have milk," Merrill smiled at her. She blushed at his attention.
No, Merrill isn't handsome or anything. I turned my head so he wouldn't catch my smile.
"It is most of the hold Cayetes has over him." Quin had come, with Justis right behind her. She'd spoken; Justis looked haggard. I couldn't blame him—he'd lost the only brother he'd ever had.
Now he was saddled with the Avii throne while he mourned Jurris and worried about Liron and his mother.
"What do you think we should do with Mr. Bleek, Quinnie Bee?" I asked.
"I think I should heal his son, and then see what Bleek does. I just don't have a way past the spell on the lock or the coffin."
"I can get the boy out," I shrugged. "Without upsetting the spells."
"I'll have to heal him the second he's out," she sighed. "He'll die if I don't."
"What about the one who killed my brother?" Justis muttered, anger in his voice.
"I killed him," Quin turned to Justis and placed a hand on his chest. "I made him die—as he killed your brother. I'm sorry I couldn't save Jurris. I wanted to."
"Who was he?" I asked.
"Cayetes' assassin," Quin turned back to me while Justis placed his arms around her and leaned his chin on her shoulder. "Magul. That was his name. I wish I could send a message to Cayetes, but I know he's already left Zephili—he did that the moment he knew his ships around Harifa Edus were under attack."
"You said he was on Zephili," I sighed, covering my face with both hands. "An Alliance world. Fuck."
"He could be anywhere, now," Quin said. "He's quite good at self-preservation, as we've seen already."
"We found Sirenali aboard each of Cayetes' ships," I dropped my hands and blinked at Quin. "Most of them are dying, and they aren't that old."
"A flaw in the cloning process," Quin explained. "I healed one of them. I can heal the others, too. I don't believe any of them wanted to be where they were. None of them can speak, either, if they're like the first one."
"Yes, we've already discovered that," I agreed. "None know how to read or write—they only know they'll be beaten if they don't obey."
"Like Terrett," Quin closed her eyes and lowered her head.
"Terrett teach himself," Yanzi appeared, bringing Terrett with him.
"Terrett?" Quin jerked her head up and held out her hand.
He took it and kissed it, giving Quin a smile. I'd never seen a Sirenali in love. I'd only seen those who were cold and calculating, who valued no lives except their own. This, I think, was how it was supposed to be.
"Shall we heal a young Blevakian?" I stood and held out a hand to Merrill.
"Why do you want to heal him?" Justis growled. His arms dropped and he frowned at Quin as she turned to look at him.
"Because I want to see whose side his father falls on afterward," Quin replied. "Cayetes is afraid of Bleek. If Bleek agrees to work with us, he will become a powerful soldier in our army."
When did she become a general? Merrill quipped in mindspeech.
No idea, I responded. Let's heal the boy and see what happens.
* * *
Quin
"Queen Lissa will bring your child out of the coffin," I explained to Bleek, who looked as if he'd been punched in the stomach when we'd arrived to examine the coffin. He was terrified for his son—that was easy to see.
"How?" Bleek's voice was a low whisper. The bars of his cage held him back; he might have tried to kill all of us if they hadn't. All four hands gripped thick, steel bars as he gazed upon his son. "He'll die," Bleek moaned.
"That is not our plan," Lissa snapped. "Quin will do her best to heal him. After all, the boy hasn't done wrong. Just you."
"How can you get him out?"
"I'm a vampire who can turn to mist," Lissa said. "I can mist him out, the spell won't be triggered and the boy won't be harmed."
"Show me." Bleek's grip on the bars tightened.
"All right."
Lissa disappeared before Bleek's eyes. Then Bleek disappeared a moment later, landing outside his cage beside Lissa and not far from the coffin.
"For now, we'll trust you," Lissa said. "Make a wrong move and Merrill here will kill you."
Bleek studied Merrill, whose vampire claws slid from his fingers. I hoped Bleek didn't move—Merrill was swift and deadly. Bleek wouldn't stand a chance against a King Vampire.
I think he knew that. He wanted to step back from Merrill's claws, but was afraid to move.
"I'm going in," Lissa announced. "Are you ready, Quinnie Bee?"
"I am," I nodded. Lissa turned to mist. A moment later, she reappeared, the boy's body in her arms. My healing glow was bright enough to blind those about me; they closed their eyes against its dazzling intensity.
Chapter 12
Lissa
Bleek held his son, Barc, in his arms as the boy turned pages on a book Quin had given him. Bleek didn't know whether to laugh or weep with joy, so complete was the child's recovery.
The child, placed in stasis for nearly six years, should be much older than he was. Time would rectify that. From now on, he would grow normally and come to adulthood as he should.
We'd given Bleek a new prison—a suite inside my palace that was shielded and warded against his escape.
Barc could come and go as he pleased, as could anyone else. LaFranza stood at my elbow, watching Bleek and shaking his head. Bleek had nearly killed him on Vogeffa II, so I doubted LaFranza was ready to trust Bleek, if ever that time would come.
"He's a bastard, but he's wicked with his blades," LaFranza grudgingly admitted.
"I'm waiting to see what Quin does with him," I said.
"It didn't take her long to pass judgment on Drood Juffa. I think he stood on the edge of a knife and ended up falling on the wrong side of it."
"That happens," I agreed. What I didn't add was that usually, only the powerful could see such things. I'd gotten mindspeech from Salidar earlier—he said the battle for Vic'Law was heating up. Already, half of Der'Vek was on fire, with refugees pouring out of the city in a terrible winter, looking for another place to stay while their homes burned behind them.
Bear Wright had reported two more ships bound for Vic'Law had been taken under Cayetes' nose and their cargo sent to Mundia. Wherever Cayetes was now, he was likely furious.
On the downside, three more worlds were now infected with the poison. Jurris' memorial service would be held in two days; Quin would stay with Justis until then, unless the Orb had other plans.
I, on the other hand, had an appointment with an old friend—Bryan Riley, the vampire in charge of the news stations in Lissia and Casino City. He'd asked for an interview with Trese Herak, who was in my dungeon, charged with conspiracy to commit murder. She'd taken Magul right into the glass castle with her, because he was a good lay.
Her skills as an investigative journalist were questionable, in my opinion. Bryan asked me to be present when he questioned her, to ensure that nobody th
ought him guilty of laying compulsion during the interview.
It didn't matter; she'd already answered Gavin and Tony's questions, under their compulsion.
People should learn not to commit crimes on my planet. Le-Ath Veronis was filled with vampires, all of whom could place compulsion, warranted or not. Laws were in place forbidding unwarranted compulsion, but if you were involved in any crime, inadvertent or not, compulsion placed by law enforcement became legal on Le-Ath Veronis.
"Will you ask Quin to come while we interview Ms. Herak?" I turned to LaFranza. "I'll find someone to transport her, if she agrees."
"I'll ask."
* * *
Quin
"I want to come, too," Justis said. I could tell by his frown that he wanted to lift that woman by the throat and shake her. Without her perfidy, Jurris would be alive.
"That is acceptable; Lissa said you'd ask."
Queen Lissa had sent her Falchani mates to take me to her castle. Justis wanted to come with me. Drake and Drew were amenable to the change. I grasped Justis' hand in mine; he laced our fingers together and nodded to our guests. In moments, we were inside Lissa's private study.
"You will be allowed to stay only if you remain silent," Lissa warned Justis. "If you have questions you'd like asked, send mindspeech to me. I'll make sure Bryan asks, as long as they're reasonable."
"I'll do my best," Justis nodded. He still gripped my hand, as if it were a lifeline. His pain ran deep, as he was older than Jurris and had helped raise his younger brother. He'd stood by his brother, too, even when he'd made less than wise decisions. At least Jurris was better at those things after Halthea's death.
I didn't want to speculate on my involvement in any of that—I'd healed him after she'd tried to murder him. Another vampire walked into Lissa's study, offering a warm smile to the Queen.
"Bryan, this is King Justis and Quin of the Avii," Lissa introduced us. "Justis, Quin, this is Bryan Riley, head of the news network in Lissia and Casino City."
Bryan turned a brilliant smile on me, squeezing my free hand while Justis held onto the other. Justis, his right hand free, shook with Bryan, as was proper. I could see in him that he wanted to interview Justis as the new monarch for the Avii, but was willing to wait until a better time to ask.
Ask him in a few months; things will be better, then, I sent mindspeech to Bryan, whose eyes widened imperceptibly at the unexpected communication.
I will, Bryan replied, surprising me with his own mindspeech. I understood then that Queen Lissa had seen to it that he could walk in daylight, send mindspeech and eat normal food if he wanted. It helped him in his profession and proved to me that she held him in high regard.
The Queen chose carefully those who received her blood.
"Shall we?" Lissa interrupted my thoughts. Within a blink, she'd transported us to her dungeon.
* * *
Puntia
Vic'Law
Barstle Cardino glared at Vardil Cayetes' back. He'd appeared suddenly, accompanied by his witch and warlock, half a dozen captives including a set of twins, his personal assistant and a bevy of servants. More of Cayetes' crew wandered through the house, taking stock of available space and planning Vardil's takeover of Barstle's compound.
Cayetes was now in the process of claiming Barstle's private suite of rooms for himself. Nardes Churg, who'd thought to argue with Cayetes, was now a pile of charred ash and bone on the floor. While it saved Barstle the trouble of killing Nardes himself (he'd planned to do it much later), he still needed Churg's allies for now, especially in light of this new threat. If they discovered that Nardes was dead, they'd fight against him instead of with him.
Vardil Cayetes had played them all; Barstle realized his error in trusting Cayetes. Barstle now worried that his worst mistake from involving himself with Cayetes was yet to come.
* * *
Quin
"He was handsome and good in bed. I was a fool," Trese wiped tears away. Her cheeks were raw from frequent bouts of tears. I could see that she was stunned by the violence of Jurris' death, and shocked by how quickly it had happened. One moment her lover had stood at her elbow and everything was fine.
The next moment, she was involved in a heinous crime; one she still couldn't comprehend.
"You have to believe me—I didn't know," she quavered.
"Yet you violated the terms of your agreement with your employer, in addition to the journalist's agreement you signed upon your arrival on Le-Ath Veronis. Every journalist knows this rule and follows it; it can damage the reputation of their company if they fail to comply. You ignored all that and allowed a stranger to pose as one of your crew in a private interview with a reigning monarch," Bryan Riley pointed out.
"I thought it only meant Queen Lissa," Trese wept fresh tears.
"The agreement says reigning monarch," Bryan stated. "No names are mentioned on the agreement by design. King Jurris made his home here, and often, other monarchs visit the palace. The agreement covers all of them."
"I guess that makes sense." It didn't to her, but she wanted Bryan's questions to stop. She worried about how she looked while the vid-cam was recording the interview. She worried about losing her job. She worried what her punishment would be.
She was least worried about Jurris' family, who were left behind to grieve.
I didn't want Justis to know what I saw in her—he wanted her punished severely for what she'd done. I gripped his hand tighter and wondered how I might get him out of the dungeon if it became necessary.
"Will it interest you to know that your news agency has already taken steps to terminate your employment?" Bryan asked. "King Jurris was something of a celebrity across the Alliance, and many people have called to express their dissatisfaction with the company, because of your involvement in his death."
Bryan Riley wasn't letting Trese get by on her looks, which is likely what had mattered most when she was hired.
Queen Lissa, do you suppose that somewhere, Cayetes has a financial interest in her news agency? I sent.
It's possible, but his involvement could be buried so deeply we might never find it. It could explain why Magul went looking for her, or, more than likely, knew where she'd be at the proper time.
This is terrible, I responded. I know Jurris wasn't the main target, Liron was. That means Cayetes will still be hunting him.
What in heaven's name for?
The Orb, I gave a mental sigh. It appeared in Cayetes' dreams. Told him it was Liron and was bringing his death. The paranoid criminal nit doesn't know the difference between a god and a child.
How do you know this?
For a moment, while it was flinging me from the ship to Avii Castle, I saw parts of its memory—some of its intentions. It happened so fast, the information about Cayetes was just about all I saw.
It really wants Cayetes that bad? How did it manage to invade his dreams?
I don't know, I said. I wish I did. If I could, I'd invade his dreams and tell him I'm bringing his death—for what he did to Siriaa and to Jurris.
This bears thinking about, Lissa said. Let me know if you discover anything else about the Orb. I'm beginning to worry that it could cause even more trouble than it already has.
That makes two of us, I replied.
* * *
Lissa
"I'll edit what I got and we'll air it on the late news," Bryan flopped onto a chair in my study. Justis and Quin had already left—Drake offered to return them to Avii Castle. Justis was grim during the interview and didn't speak afterward—I felt Quin would have her hands full trying to calm him down when they got home.
"The more I learn about Cayetes, the more I worry," I said. "At least Magul is dead and that airhead didn't really know anything about him—or Cayetes."
"You say Quin and the others are going back to Vic'Law in a few days?" Bryan asked.
Yeah, I shouldn't have told him that.
"Why do you ask?" I said, although I already knew where this w
as going.
"I want to go back with them, to report on what is happening there. What other Alliance news agency has access to a non-Alliance world like that, and can report on a coup in progress?"
"Are you sure you want to go yourself?"
"I absolutely do. Usually I'm stuck at the office, handling this problem or stomping out that fire, and I want back in the field. I'll leave somebody in charge—they'll have to figure it out because there isn't much chance of getting regular communication on Vic'Law."
"It's colder than a gravedigger's ass there, right now," I pointed out. "Winters in Mundia are pretty awful."
"I have a coat."
"If Caylon says okay."
"I'll ask."
"You do that."
"I will."
"Good."
"Fine."
Bryan was grinning as he passed Gavin on the way out of my study. "What was that about?" Gavin demanded.
"Banter," I said. "Want some?"
* * *
Quin
Drake dropped us off in Gurnil's library. We found the Master Scholar waiting for us. "Dinner with your Council is waiting," Gurnil said softly. I looked up at Justis' face. "We'll fly down," I turned to Gurnil. "Give us a few minutes, all right?"
"I'll tell them the King is on his way," Gurnil rose from his seat at a library table. I recalled eating meals at that table, with Dena, Ardis, Amlis and several others. I had no idea that those times would become the happier times of memory.
Things had gone strange—and evil—since Siriaa's destruction.
* * *
Justis flew around the castle twice before landing on the balcony outside the throne room. I landed right behind him. Without speaking, he strode toward the door while I struggled to keep up with his longer, determined stride.
He was walking into a Council meeting for the first time as King of the Avii. I didn't know what to expect from anyone waiting for his arrival, other than Gurnil and Ordin.
Those two would welcome him as their King.
Every member of the Council was waiting as Justis walked toward the throne. Ardis, now Commander of the Guard, went to his knee and bowed his head when Justis approached. Everyone else in the room followed suit, as if they were waiting for Ardis' cue.
BlackWing: First Ordinance, Book 3 Page 17
