The Elementals Collection

by L. B. Gilbert

  “Can your errand wait? There is something I’d like to show you, and it’s nearby,” Alec said in a hopeful tone.

  “What?” she asked, drawing away from him as they stood up and walked to the door.

  “It’s something very old. Ancient, in fact,” he said, opening the door for her with an elegant gesture. “Do you like museums?”

  13

  “Who gave you keys to a Harvard museum?” Diana asked, her brows drawn down in a little V as Alec ushered her through the basement door of the Peabody museum.

  He glanced behind him to meet her eyes briefly. “In addition to being a consulting archaeologist, I’m an excellent donor. A set of keys to the basement entrance isn’t too hard to come by when you ask the right person the right way.”

  “You’re obviously very familiar with this place,” she said as he made his way through the Peabody’s basement like an employee.

  “I’ve spent a fair amount of time here in the past,” he said as he led her through a series of darkened rooms. “I raided it for knowledge of my kind as soon as it was established. There was nothing here related to vampires, of course, but I started to come here a lot to do unrelated research. Once I began traveling, I sent some things here from my personal excavations.”

  “So this thing you want to show me is something you found yourself?” she asked when he stopped outside an exhibit in the upper story.

  “Yes, in an excavation in Veracruz about fifty years ago or so. I sent it here because I don’t believe in maintaining a personal collection.”

  “Not very vampiric of you,” Diana pointed out.

  “I guess I think more like an academic. I want to share the things I find and get the interpretation of others about my findings.”

  Diana stopped short and waited until he turned to face her. “Have you published your theories about these artifacts?”

  “I couldn’t consult without a proven publication record,” he said frankly. “I simply change my pseudonym periodically. And avoid conferences.”

  “Humph,” Diana grunted.

  Like so many other things about him, she was ambivalent about his chosen career. She thought better of him for having one, but if his research was centered on Elementals then she wasn’t thrilled his finds were displayed publicly.

  I doubt he would be so open about vampiric artifacts, she thought, following him into one of the larger display rooms.

  Inside, glass cases holding an assortment of Mesoamerican relics were lit with a subtle glow, even though the overhead lights were off. Wondering if they did that for the guards, she followed Alec farther inside.

  She had only taken a few steps when a weird buzzing filled her head. It was faint, kind of like when your ears started to ring, but in this case between her eyes.

  “Here is what I wanted to show you,” Alec, gesturing to a stela covered with glyphs the same way a game show hostess presented a new car.

  Was it Mayan? Aztec? Curious, Diana walked toward it. When she did, the buzzing in her brain grew fainter, as if she was walking away from its source. She frowned and turned away from the stela to glance around the room. Nothing stood out.

  “Is something wrong?” Alec asked.

  Diana shrugged and turned her attention back to the stela. She gestured toward the glyphs. “Can you read it?”

  “Yes,” he said with a smile before pointing to a central set of characters. “This set here is you,” he said proudly.

  Diana leaned in to study the glyphs. The pictograph didn’t even resemble a human, let alone a woman.

  “It’s me?” she asked.

  “It’s the fire goddess for a small tribe, an offshoot of the Olmecs. By my estimate, this representation is from around eleven hundred BCE. It’s the oldest evidence of the existence of Elementals. That I know of anyway,” he finished self-deprecatingly.

  He was actually pretty close, but it wasn’t the oldest artifact that she knew of. Serin’s people had artifacts that old or slightly older in their island’s repository.

  Diana had never really dived into Elemental ancient history and hadn’t ever entered the crypt Serin’s community guarded, where the bodies of Elementals of their line were kept. It was also where they kept their most sacred documents and ancient artifacts. Personally, she found the idea of the place macabre and hadn’t bothered with the dusty and earnest scholars who’d followed her around the one time she visited the island.

  Alec would probably give his left nut for access to that crypt. Maybe someday, she thought. If he proved reliable in the long run. And if he doesn’t insist on publishing a paper on it.

  “You’re sure it’s a Fire Elemental?” she asked aloud, making a face. “Lots of civilizations have fire gods in their mythos. Especially if there are volcanoes nearby or if the area is prone to wildfires.”

  “I know, I thought of that. It took some time for me to be sure, but some of the neighboring tribes also had a fire goddess legend, and some of those mentioned a sister goddess of the river. That is the most reliable pattern. One village would receive a visitation and then one nearby would years later. Sometimes it was the goddess of the streams and lakes, sometimes of the ocean itself, sometimes the wind or the soil,” Alec said animatedly, using his hands for emphasis.

  It was just one piece of the puzzle. The legends appeared across so many of the major ancient civilizations. It proved to be a more interesting subject of study than that of my own people.” He rocked on his heels and got what Diana was beginning to recognize as his crafty look. “So, do you think there are older records than this still out there in the world, or can I retire now?”

  Well, that wasn’t exactly subtle. “I’ve never concerned myself with our ancient history, and I know little about the artifacts related to us,” she answered with a half-truth.

  “Is that because you can speak directly to the Mother and she tells you whatever you need to know?” he asked earnestly.

  I walked into that one. “That’s not really how it works,” she said wryly.

  Communicating directly with the Mother was difficult at the best of times. And it didn’t involve talking.

  Alec paused long enough for Diana to think she’d adequately discouraged him, but he screwed up his courage enough to ask, “So, how does it work?”

  “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” Diana sighed halfheartedly, fingering the stela despite the sign prohibiting touching the artifacts.

  She had to nip this line of questioning in the bud before he whipped out a recorder and started to interview her like the classic anthropologists whose work was all around them. Turning her back, she walked toward the display cases nearest the door.

  The buzzing she felt earlier had subsided quite a bit next to the stela in the far corner, but near the entrance it increased again. It was like walking toward one of those irritating alarms that buzzed instead of wailed. It set her teeth on edge, but she didn’t see anything significant in the nearby cases, nothing that could be causing it.

  Diana exited the room and checked the nearest display case outside. The buzzing intensified, coming off in waves from part of a stone artifact with a fragment of a design made up of curving lines. It was too incomplete to make out much of the original pattern. The sign under said: Fragment of Olmec figurine or totem, period unknown. She looked up to find Alec also staring down at the piece of stone.

  She may as well use his expertise. “Do you know anything about this?” she asked him.

  “Yes, but not much. There isn’t a whole lot known actually. It was found in a major Olmec excavation and couldn’t be dated properly. I don’t think anything else was found near it that resembled it. Whatever it was, that’s all that survived,” he replied. “Why? Do you sense something from it? Is it magical?”

  She answered his question with another question. “How about you? Do you sense anything from it?”

  He should. He’d already admitted to being sensitive, but this wasn’t a ward. She didn’t know what it wa
s.

  “No, it’s not giving me anything. What is it you’re feeling?”

  “Irritated.”

  “Oh,” he said with a crestfallen look.

  She caught his expression and shook her head. “I’m irritated by that,” she pointed to the stone. “It’s buzzing. Like a giant mosquito.”

  “Really?” he asked with a sniff. “I wouldn’t have guessed that it was of any significance.”

  He didn’t sound upset, but his face was a little tight.

  Diana fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Are you seriously that annoyed that you didn’t realize it was different before I did?”

  “Of course not,” he said dismissively. His face cleared as his mood shifted back to academic curiosity. “I think it’s interesting you can feel it. Your sensitivity must be off the charts. All part of the package, I guess.”

  Stepping back, Diana made her second spontaneous decision of the evening. “Will you do me a favor and look into it some more? Maybe the records the museum keeps have some more details. I don’t need you to fly to Mexico or anything.”

  Alec lit up like a campfire. “Of course. I know the archaeologist who found it, and good news, he’s still alive. I can speak to him and pump him for information.”

  Diana nodded absently. “This thing is giving me a headache. I’m going to leave now. I’ll meet you outside the club at one sharp,” she said, turning away.

  He shifted, blocking her path. “I think it might be a good idea if you came with me,” he said, his expression growing less confident as he took in her growing scowl.

  Diana did not like being stopped in the middle of stalking out of a room. “I had Daniel get you a few different choices for outfits. You know, like a disguise. . .” he trailed off as her face grew darker.

  “I don’t do disguises,” she said flatly and continued out the door.

  He followed close on her heels. “It’s only that your description is pretty widespread in the local Underlife, and you agreed it was a good idea to go in quietly.”

  “You are way fucking braver than you look,” she returned with a bite as she exited the building and he locked up behind them. “I’m not going to dress up like one of your blood sluts.”

  The temperature around Alec dropped by several degrees. “I don’t like that term,” he said, his tone suddenly sharp as he grabbed her arm in one swift motion.

  Diana gave the restraining hand a pointed look before slowly raising her eyes to meet his own. He faltered slightly when he met her eyes, which were no longer green. His hands dropped to sides, but he kept on.

  “A blood donor should be given the utmost respect,” he added with a careful measured tone. “A vampire should always be grateful for their gift. I don’t like when others use that term—even one of my own kind. And yes, I know they use it a lot.”

  There was a trace of an apology in his tone by the end of his little speech, but she ignored it and walked away.

  “Are we still on for tonight?” he asked. She was halfway down the block before he tried again. “Diana?”

  “One AM in the back of the club,” she called back before disappearing from his sight.

  “He’s a total nerd and a self-righteous prig,” Diana told Logan through the aether. She was actually feeling guilty for using the term blood slut but wasn’t about to admit it. “And insane. He actually had his servant get me disguises—a trampy vampire groupie outfit I bet,” she huffed.

  “Well, he does have a point about not wearing your uniform.”

  Taken aback, Diana looked down at her black cargo pants and tank. “It’s a good uniform.”

  “If you don’t want to be recognized immediately, changing it would be a good idea. And the winds are whispering about you. The description circulating through the local Underlife is not too far off. Why don’t you borrow something of mine from the closet? I left a plain black corset and leather pants in there. That’ll be perfect and not so far from your usual clothes. Although the combat boots have got to go. . .”

  “No way.” Diana was aghast. “The boots are non-negotiable.”

  “Okay, well, I have some other boots in there, I think.” Logan was unfazed.

  “You know I can’t wear anything with heels.” Diana was close to whining, and she hated herself for it.

  “I think those are Serin’s. I left some that are like knee high riding boots. Those are perfectly okay, and you know it.”

  “Fine,” Diana grumbled, aware she hadn’t put up much of a fight.

  She had long ago realized arguing with Logan was pointless. The girl was relentless till she got her way. It would be annoying if she wasn’t so damn lovable.

  Digging around the walk-in closet for the boots, Diana filled Logan in on the rest, including dinner and the visit to the museum. She mentioned the weird buzzing artifact.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that sort of thing before,” Logan sounded intrigued.

  “Not even in the mausoleum on Serin’s island?” she asked.

  Diana had refused to get anywhere near it, but it hadn’t bothered Logan much. She said it had been like visiting the catacombs in Rome.

  “No, but I didn’t really check out the artifacts,” Logan replied. “I mostly skimmed the written records. But those old guys get pretty huffy if you want to actually touch their stuff, so I didn’t stay long.”

  “What about all that crap about preserving the record for future generations that they always go on and on about when they chase you around for interviews?” Diana asked with frustration.

  “Well, I’ve decided it means future generations of scholars, not actual Elementals who inherit the gift,” Logan said.

  “Figures. . .They’re all eagerness and sunshine till you try and make them useful,” Diana grumbled as she pulled the corset from the closet.

  Am I seriously going to wear this? It has embroidery. “How do you tie this thing up if it laces in the back?”

  “Those are just for show. That one has clips in the front.”

  Diana signed loudly. “This is stupid. I don’t know why I’m bothering. We don’t have to hide what we are. . .I can track down this club owner without getting all girlied up.”

  “But it might be faster to do it Alec’s way. Especially if your mark has already left town. I know you will track him down eventually, but first you need to find something deeply personal, and he might have cleared all that stuff out. Or he could be another dead end, and you’ll have to find the circle another way. The Supes will want to talk to Alec. He’s their Prince William with a better hairline, even among the non-vamps. If there were more Supes in the world, he would get mobbed all the time. They’ll bend over backward to get on his good side.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t think he likes that,” she confided.

  “Rough to be a celebrity,” Logan said authoritatively. She had met several of the Hollywood variety in the human clubs she frequented. “So, what do you really think of him now?”

  Still a little annoyed that she felt guilty for the verbal insults she’d been slinging, Diana said, “Surprisingly prudish for a vampire. . .but if he acted like a typical one I’d already have set him on fire.”

  Logan practically squealed, “Aw! I’m glad you like him.”

  “Not what I was trying to imply but whatever. . .” Diana grunted while squeezing into the leathers to see if they fit.

  She wondered if they were supposed to coordinate with the corset because they had lacing up the side too.

  “When do you have time to go shopping for this stuff?”

  “I bet it only takes slightly longer than your clothes shopping does.”

  “Since I order in bulk online and deliver it to a safe house, I’m going to call you on that one,” Diana said, squeezing into the skintight leathers with a pant.

  “Fine. I like to shop, and I like to dance. Doesn’t make me less effective at what we do.” Logan sounded a little wounded, and Diana felt guilty for a whole other reason.


  “Of course it doesn’t,” she quickly agreed. “It just makes you more interesting than the rest of us.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. And I think the vampire prince finds you plenty interesting.” Logan was back to normal.

  “Maybe,” Diana said. “But not in the way you think. He is more interested in learning all he can about us. He’d write a paper—or several—on us if we let him. And I don’t plan on letting him.”

  “Are you sure that’s all he’s interested in?” Logan sounded disappointed.

  “What more could there be?” Diana asked, though she knew perfectly well what Logan was getting at.

  “I know you never believe me when I say this, but you are drop dead kill-for gorgeous. Any heterosexual male would give his right testicle for a chance with you. Men would give up their fortunes, leave their wives, and possibly sell their souls.”

  “All right, enough,” she laughed. “I’m not ugly, I get it. But you mention another distinct possibility. What if Alec isn’t hetero? I mean, he hasn’t been linked with women since his wild youth. Maybe he’s not into girls,” she added, sounding satisfied with that explanation even though she knew it wasn’t right.

  Alec watched her in that non-platonic way men did when they were interested. She just didn’t know what to do with that interest. He wasn’t the jerk she’d assumed he was. But she didn’t have male friends. Could she be friends with Alec? She could email him from the road maybe.

  What am I thinking? Pen pals, seriously?

  “Well, I forgot to add that one to my diatribe—gay men would switch for you.” Logan was unfazed.

  Diana rolled her eyes at her reflection. “Okay, stop.”

  A pretty face wasn’t important. Look where her mother’s attractiveness had gotten her. The other Elementals were better looking than her anyway. If they had been friends and not Elementals, their collective beauty would worry her. A lot. That kind of loveliness tended to attract the wrong kind of attention.

  “Will you ask Gia if there’s anything she can do to speed up my search at the Denon headquarters? If you talk to her before I do, that is? And if you can put your ear to the ground about Brenda, Katie’s mom. See if you can get a bead on her location,” Diana said while adjusting the borrowed corset.