Feathers and Fire Series Box Set 2

by Shayne Silvers

  In a way, hearing Le Bone had appeared to curse me—from beyond the grave, apparently—actually made me feel a whole lot better. Because it was suspicious.

  Someone who could cast a spell to make me look like a demon must have been able to cast an illusion over themselves. Yet they had chosen to look like Le Bone—a dead man. An easily verifiable fact if someone did a little digging. That was either a huge mistake…

  Or a hidden message of some kind.

  I was dismissing the possibility that Le Bone was a zombie out of sheer ick factor. Then again, maybe Claire had been correct. Necromancy…I shuddered. That was way out of my wheelhouse. Barring further proof to the fact, I chose to keep that one out of my analysis.

  This assailant could have chosen to appear as any random stranger that I had never seen before, making me waste a bunch of time fruitlessly searching for him. It was almost like whoever had cursed me had wanted me to spin my wheels—but only for a little while. Buying time.

  That was…baffling, but it showed me this assailant was either the world’s greatest idiot, or brilliant. Did that actually make him a potential ally? I ran through potential suspects, but kept discarding them, always ending up on the same theory.

  Anyone openly standing against Roland—Fabrizio’s Vatican crew—was immediately out of the suspect pool, because if any of them had seen Callie Penrose suddenly reappear, they would have bent over backwards trying to convince me to talk some sense into Roland.

  The only other suspects who might have wanted me to stay away from Roland would have been other vampires who fully supported Roland and his goals—but any vampire caught concealing the fact that Callie Penrose was, in fact, alive and well, would have been spit-roasted above holy fire faster than you could say three Hail Mary’s. so loyal vampires were most likely out, too.

  It had to be a third party—of which Kansas City had plenty, all in hiding.

  Or…an enemy hiding in the shadows—someone who openly supported Roland, but did not support him in actuality. A vampire stupid enough—or clever enough—to disguise himself as a man most knew was dead. He had faith enough in me to believe I could work from the shadows while hunted as a demon by everyone, to get my answers without immediately derailing Roland. But…why? To steal Roland’s prize?

  And this person knew I was alive only minutes after I returned to Kansas City, which made my every orifice pucker. Had a member of the Sanguine Council made it into Kansas City before the barrier went up? Working behind the scenes to derail Roland’s conquest?

  Or maybe…it was Henri Bellerose—despite how weak he had appeared. Had that been camouflage? Henri wanting Roland to spearhead the whole Dracula heist and then steal it form him after the dust settled—if Roland survived.

  That was typical for vampires. Schemes. Games. But why show his hand to me in a way I could easily see through? Henri would have been better off disguising himself as a stranger.

  Dracula…

  The thought crept in so stealthily that I almost jumped in fright. Was that even possible? Could Dracula have done this to me? Somehow picking up on Roland’s secret plan and using some ancient vampiric power to shut the shit down from the shadows? Had I been…

  Dracula’d?

  I realized Alucard was still staring at me, waiting for my reaction. I forced my face to remain calm even though my heart was practically bursting through my chest. Alucard would know something had frightened me—able to sense heartbeats since he was a vampire—but I kept that last suspect to myself. The barrier prevented Dracula from coming here. It had to. Or Roland would never have dared to consider it—to go through all this work.

  I took a calming breath. “Fine. Some unknown person who looked like Le Bone cast this illusion over me.”

  He nodded thoughtfully, scratching at his jaw. “I’ll admit, we all thought Haven’s necklace was malfunctioning when it started dinging last night, but after we saw the aftermath in the alley…what you did to them…” He trailed off, studying me as if he’d never met me before—like his respect for me had instantly skyrocketed. “Anyway, it caused quite the panic. Paradise and Lost sent a few vampires off to investigate, tracking your movements through a few alleys with the necklace to verify that the impossible was true. That a demon had managed to break through the barrier that we knew for a fact blocked demons. The barrier that blocked everyone, even Roland, it’s maker.”

  I stared at him for about three seconds, not wanting to reveal any ignorance, but I was feeling plenty ignorant. “What necklace?”

  “It goes off if a demon is within a few hundred feet of it. An artifact Roland took from Haven after he killed him. It hadn’t made a sound since Samael left town, apparently. The last time we used it was when we scoured the city right after the barrier went up—to make sure no demons were trapped inside with us.”

  Cain was muttering something to himself under his breath but I didn’t bother trying to decipher it. If the vampires had a necklace that could track a demon, and it worked on me…

  Then why hadn’t my boots reacted when Claire had put them on, pointing at me? Maybe they only worked when I wore them. Regardless, between my boots, the necklace, and what I’d heard so far, it was becoming blatantly clear that no other demons were in town. Roland wanted them out for his big plan, so whoever Le Bone had really been, at least he wasn’t a demon. At least he hadn’t been Samael in disguise.

  Given the circumstances, it was a relatively small relief, but a relief, nonetheless. It also enabled my conspiracy theory. That someone within Roland’s flock was a schemer—who just so happened to have access to an artifact that could keep tabs on me if I came too close, too early. In which case they could instantly call up an army to keep me at bay until my assailant was finished with his machinations.

  “Anyway,” Alucard continued. “Paradise and Lost were still freaked out about the alley slaughter this morning. They even asked me to help with guard duty, and I haven’t been asked to do anything useful in months.” He arched an eyebrow at me. “You really did a number on them. It looked personal. Very personal…”

  I nodded, not denying it. I even felt marginally pleased that I had caused a panic among their ranks. Those…things I had executed last night had been true monsters—and that appellation had nothing to do with them being vampires.

  “Roland’s vampires deserved worse than I gave them,” I said calmly, not attempting to hide my double meaning—that Alucard was also one of Roland’s vampires. He got the message, leaning back ever so slightly. “They didn’t know the meaning of the word consent,” I added, deciding it was wise to dial back the threat. No use putting him on defense so soon.

  He cocked his head, frowning for a moment. Then it seemed to suddenly dawn on him, and his eyes smoldered as he stared off into the middle distance. After about ten seconds, he turned back to me. “Yeah. Okay. You did me a favor, then. I suspected such…tendencies about a few of them, but I never had any proof. Otherwise I would have found a way to take care of it myself.”

  He bowed his head to me, and there was no question that his unspoken thank you was authentic. I nodded back, acknowledging his gesture in the same manner it was delivered.

  Chapter 26

  I let out a frustrated breath, thinking on the demon angle. “And you’re certain that a demon can’t break through Roland’s barrier?” I pressed, needing to be certain.

  He nodded grimly. “Roland and Henri summoned a demon just before the barrier went up. Then Roland sacrificed the demon—along with many others—to power the fucking barrier. Trust me. No one is getting through that thing until Roland decides to take it down. It’s why Paradise and Lost were so freaked out about the necklace dinging yesterday.”

  Henri again…

  I kept my face composed, wondering again if Henri could be the one behind my demon affliction, playing everyone like puppets despite the apparent broken man demeanor I had seen outside the church. Maybe that had been a disguise in itself. Like the Usual Suspects movie wit
h Kevin Spacey as Keyser Söze. Because I knew for a fact that Henri had been an extremely powerful vampire, and that even Roland had tread carefully around him before all of this. I turned to Alucard, thinking.

  “Is there any chance that Roland is being played?” I asked, taking a risk. “That someone else is actually behind all this madness?”

  Alucard shook his head sadly, looking as if he empathized with my pain. “Not a chance. I’ve been here from the beginning, Callie. As much as I hate to say it, this is all Roland.”

  I kept my gaze steady, reading him for any sign of defeat. I hadn’t seen any crimson glow to his eyes like Roland’s other oathbound followers, but with the Silvers there had definitely been some tie between the two—even if it had seemed conflicted, Roland’s crimson cord battling with Alucard’s cord of golden light.

  Was Alucard his own man or was he a pawn? Either way, he was a criminal working for Roland. Worse, he might not even know about that sinister crimson cord latching onto him, thinking himself independent when he was in fact a puppet of Roland. I kept all these thoughts from my face as I studied Alucard “What about Henri? Every time I hear Roland has done something terrible, Henri is never far away…” I suggested.

  Alucard…

  Let out a harsh, incredulous laugh, his momentary empathy evaporating in an instant. Cain and Claire shot me considering looks, as if silently asking if they could kill Alucard yet, but they didn’t speak out loud.

  Alucard slowly regained his composure, dabbing at his eyes with his sleeves. “I’m sorry to laugh. I get it. Really, I do. It’s just…you haven’t been here. Haven’t seen what Roland has truly become,” he explained, regaining that momentary sympathy. “I suspected Henri at first, too, refusing to accept the fact that Roland had changed so utterly. But that all changed in one fateful day,” he said, losing the amused smile. “The day Roland earned his nickname, the Red Pastor.”

  I leaned forward, wondering how this could be any worse than what I’d already heard about Haven. “Enlighten me, vampire,” I said, coldly, not appreciating his outburst.

  He nodded in resignation, propping his elbows on his knees.

  “Henri is an old, and very powerful, vampire—but he couldn’t use magic like Roland. However, old vampires run across all manner of interesting tidbits as the years go by, which apparently really seemed to interest Roland.” That tracked with Xuanwu’s theory—that someone had told him about Dracula. “Those conversations were before my time, but I do know that Henri gave Roland the books on how to make his barriers—since Henri was unable to do anything with them himself, not having magic at his disposal.”

  “What books?” I asked almost feverishly, thinking that Solomon might have some solution in the Temple that could counteract the books.

  Alucard shrugged unhelpfully, deflating my excitement. “Magic books. All I can tell you about the barriers is that blood powered them, and I only know that because I saw some of the sacrifices in person.” He sensed the frustrated look on my face and lifted his hands helplessly. “Look, I don’t know anything about magic. I don’t even know enough to make up a story. I’ve spent time around Nate, and all I can tell you about his magic is that when he lifts up his hands, a lot of people die. How?” He wiggled his fingers dramatically. “Magic. Other than that, I have no fucking clue. I can’t tell you what I don’t know. But I can tell you that even the Shepherds were stunned by the barriers—probably because it cut off their reserve troops and they never could figure out how to take them down.”

  I sighed in frustration, waving him on to continue. He sounded genuinely annoyed—as if he had been mad at himself for not having an answer long before I ever asked the question.

  “After the barriers went up without a hitch, Roland began to grow reclusive—not spending much time with Henri or myself. We had kind of expected the opposite after such a big win. Or at least some inkling of why he’d wanted the damned things in the first place. Because as soon as they were up, he no longer seemed concerned about the Shepherds constantly bothering us in the streets. He told us to keep them busy, and to keep the infestation of spies from snooping on the church,” he said, eyes flicking to Claire meaningfully, “but it was an offhanded command, like he was just trying to get us to leave him alone.”

  He absently scuffed his boot on the floor, either collecting his thoughts or gathering his resolve, I wasn’t sure.

  “That’s when I began to grow nervous that my time was coming to an end—truly realizing for the first time that I had no way to escape. I wasn’t in the circle of trust anymore. Hadn’t ever been in the circle of trust, as a matter of fact. I began to fear that maybe Henri had done something to Roland. That Henri had even killed him or subjugated him somehow…”

  I nodded. “That exact thought had crossed my mind,” I admitted.

  Alucard looked up at me, his eyes haunted. “Apparently, a rumor just like that began to spread through the vampires, and Roland happened to hear about it. He called a meeting that very night, and told us to all wait outside in front of the church. There were about a hundred of us, give or take, all wondering which one of us was going to pay for spreading rumors. Or if we were going to find out that the rumors were, in fact, true.”

  He kept his eyes low as he continued. “The doors kicked open and a bloody sack of a broken man was hurled down the steps. We all thought it was Roland’s dinner,” Alucard said in a hollow tone, still staring at the ground. “But when that bloody man lifted his head to turn back and look at the entrance of the church, we realized it was Henri Bellerose. Roland calmly walked down the steps, his once-white dress shirt literally dripping with blood, and he grabbed Henri by the hair, ignoring his screams, his apologies, his pleas. I will never forget that image. I see it every time I look at Henri,” Alucard whispered. “That was the first time I heard one of the new vampires call him the Red Pastor…and he said it like he had gazed upon God. It was just a terrified, awed whisper that night, but it soon became a title to be feared by all.”

  We sat absolutely still, stunned silent.

  Alucard met my eyes briefly. “Then Roland ripped out Henri’s fangs with his bare hands.”

  My eyes almost bugged out of my head at Alucard’s blunt delivery, and I thought I heard Claire gag. Good god.

  “Does that mean he’s no longer a vampire?” Claire asked incredulously.

  Alucard shook his head. “No. He’s still a vampire, and that’s the point. He’s an old, powerful, Master Vampire…who now needs help eating his food.”

  “Holy shit,” Cain breathed, folding his arms. “Roland neutered him.”

  Alucard nodded with a mirthless smile. “Roland bound Henri’s power into those teeth, inscribing them with symbols right there on the steps of the church for all to see. He even explained it for us non-wizardly types—maybe for Henri, too. It was a blood oath that forced Henri to always serve Roland—that Henri would starve to death and wither away to nothing without Roland’s support. He called him Renfield.”

  Cain was shaking his head numbly, having met Henri and knowing full well how powerful he had been. Renfield…like that character in the original Dracula lore.

  “Henri is literally a servant now—a brittle husk of the man he’d once been. He lives with an ever-present fear, now, like he’s always one loud sound away from running for his life. But he can’t run and he knows it. He can’t do anything that might bring direct or even indirect harm to Roland. He can’t even take his own life. It’s disgusting. Worse than death, and all because of a rumor that challenged Roland’s authority.” Alucard shivered, rubbing at his arms forcefully. “And Roland did that to the man who gave him the barriers…”

  He turned to look at our horrified faces, nodding somberly. “I see it in your eyes. Sense it in your heartbeats. The distrust, the suspicion of me…” he shook his head and finally shrugged. “You wonder why I haven’t fought Roland or tried to run away and hide in a cave…maybe now you understand,” he said softly.

  I s
at frozen in my seat, unable to speak. I hadn’t even known such a thing was possible. A Renfield. One thing was for certain. Henri had just been dragged kicking and screaming from my dwindling suspect pool.

  Chapter 27

  Something he had said in his story caught my attention. Something I had almost missed because I was so focused on Henri’s plight. “You were his fixer, weren’t you? You were the one who bought off the politicians and media. That was your role for Roland.”

  Cain and Claire both made soft, startled sounds.

  Alucard nodded, not looking proud. “It’s a talent of mine. It’s how I took over New Orleans, back in the day. Before I grew bored of the politics and packed up for St. Louis.”

  Cain grunted again. “Just like that, huh?” he said dryly.

  Alucard shrugged. “I used money and influence to make the humans in charge look the other way. Or, I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. For those unwilling to take hush money or succumb to blackmail, I offered to turn them. You’d be surprised how many suddenly preferred to take the money,” he said thoughtfully. “Anyway, I took over the city not through violence, but through business and handshakes. Politics. Roland said he wanted minimal human casualties—but I’m pretty sure he just didn’t want outside interference.”

  As disgusted as I was about Alucard’s part in all of this, I had to give him credit. His tactics had a far lower mortality rate than open war. And as much as I hated to admit it, I had no evidence that Alucard had done anything unforgivable. No murder sprees or anything. Just…white collar crimes. Which only added to my frustration.

  No matter what suspicions I held, there had been no faking Alucard’s fear of Roland. That didn’t vindicate him or anything, because everyone was afraid of Roland—even his most devoted followers. Like Henri Bellerose.