by Petra Landon
“Nothing here, Marco” Giovanni Donati proclaimed, his eyes never leaving Temi. “Move deeper.”
Though he’d spoken softly, she knew his words would carry to his Undead search party.
Temi made sure to keep still. His companions were close by. Any sound she made would carry to them, much as Vanni’s words had. He waited for what seemed like an eon to Temi, but was likely only a few minutes, contemplating her silently in the darkness.
Only then did he speak. “Don’t look back, cara.”
One pithy sentence and he was gone, flying through the air to leave her gasping with shock and residual fear.
With her heart thumping hard, she stared blankly at where he’d stood with the moonlight beating down on him. A rustling behind had her turning again, this time in fright.
ElMorad stood by the entrance to the cave, staring at her, his hulking presence solid and reassuring in the darkness. Without a word, Temi made haste to slip back into the cave, and turn on the flashlight. He followed her in, all the way into the tiny cavern she’d spent an anxious night in.
In the light of the torch, they faced each other. Temi, reeling from the near disaster as well as Vanni’s altruism and immensely relieved by ElMorad’s return, said nothing.
“Like I said — a taste for danger” he asserted coolly, the pale eyes on her. “And the sense of a pea-brain.”
He slung the rucksack off his shoulder, to drop it on the rocky ground.
“You’re damned lucky no one caught wind of your scent, Red. Your shroud’s worn off by now.”
He caught the tell-tale flicker of Temi’s eyes she could not hide. “Aah, not so lucky after all” he attested perceptively.
Bending down, he rifled through his pack to pull out a package.
“You are a serious pain in the arse.” The rich tones were even, with a surprising lack of rancor. “I was looking forward to a night’s rest and you’ve put paid to that.”
He threw the package at Temi, who caught it neatly.
“Put on the shoes and let’s move out, before the Vampires corner us in here” he directed.
Temi peered into the package, to find plain sneakers and two pairs of white socks.
“The Vampires won’t come looking” she said absently, her eyes on the shoes. “Vanni led them away from me.”
The pale eyes narrowed on her. “If Vanni is one of Monseigneur’s, he will lead them right here.”
Jolted, Temi’s eyes snapped up to meet his. “Monseigneur” she repeated. She hadn’t told him about the Lombardi Master. When she’d attempted to warn him at the lodge, he had shut her down.
“Those are his Undead that hunt you” he said matter-of-factly. “He’s not known to forgive betrayals.”
“I know” she whispered under her breath but he caught it all the same.
A frown puckered his brow but before he could say anything, she reiterated again. “Vanni will not lead the others to me.”
He ignored her statement. “You have five minutes to change” he said dismissively. “Otherwise, you can rot in here for all I care.”
He was furious that she’d disobeyed his orders, Temi realized. Just very good at not showing it. She’d messed up badly again, and she must fix it. He’d trekked for a day through the forest to bring her shoes.
“Vanni …” She hesitated, the words not coming easily. Temi bid herself sternly — she owed him an explanation. “Vanni would never betray me.”
He merely glanced at his watch. “The clock’s ticking, Red.”
“He as good as brought me up” she confessed in a rush. Vanni was the closest thing she had to a paternal figure, since her own had passed away. He’d steered her artfully through the pockets of influence and power in the large Nest, though until tonight, Vanni had never gone against Monseigneur’s orders. Temi had always assumed that Vanni’s benevolent shadow over her had been at his Master’s direction. Until tonight, when he’d openly encouraged her to flee and not look back.
This time, she had his attention.
“Father figure?” he questioned her.
Temi nodded mutely, to confirm it.
“Where’s your father?” he asked.
“Dead.”
“What about your mother?”
“She’s gone. Left me to the Nest when I was born.”
Temi noted that she had surprised him. For a moment, he stared at her.
“Why the fuck did you leave the cave when I told you stay put?” he demanded.
Temi took a deep breath. “I thought you weren’t coming back and wanted to get a lay of the land — see what I was up against.”
As her words died away, echoing through the cavern, he took a stride forward, his jaw clenched. “Careful, Red. You’ve already cast aspersions on my manhood. I might not be so forgiving if you question my honor.”
The rich tones, with the underlying note of menace, almost sent a shiver down her back. But Temi held her ground, trying to calm her thundering heart.
In the light from the torch in her hand, the pale eyes glittered fiercely.
“You were hours late” she remonstrated weakly. “How was I to know that you’d return?”
“Let me get this straight. You risk everything, and for what — to strike a bargain with a stranger you don’t even trust to keep his word” he retorted sardonically. “I take back what I said about you having a taste for danger. It’s far worse. You run towards it when you see it — like a bull to red. It’s a wonder you’re not in the ground yet.”
“I knew that ElMorad had a reputation for always getting his immortal. And that’s all I cared about” she cried, attempting to defend her actions. “I never expected you to help me escape the Blutsaugers.”
He pursed his lips, his eyes blank. But even the inadequate torchlight could not hide the fury he reined in.
Temi took the plunge. “Why did you?” she asked baldly.
He shook his head. “No, you don’t get to ask the questions. I do.”
She stared at him, her heart thumping. Was he going to rescind his offer to assist her, Temi wondered despondently.
“I told you at the lodge precisely what was on offer” he said deliberately. “I’ll add one more caveat to that. I can’t have you questioning my orders or disobeying them, every time doubt clouds your mind. That will put us both in peril. You want to risk it and mistrust me, it’s your funeral, Red. But this stops now.”
There was a finality to his words that had her blanching.
“You’re walking away?” she whispered, unable to hide the tremor in her voice.
“There you go again, proving my point” he countered calmly. “No, you have a day to decide whether you can follow orders unquestioningly. If not, we will part ways at the town where I bought the supplies. However, if you decide to stick with me, be very sure. The first hint of second guessing me, and I will leave you behind before you can blink, Red. Never forget that it was once my job to disappear into thin air.”
She stared at him, her jaw slack.
“Be very certain of what you decide” he emphasized, before striding away.
Temi watched him stroll to the other end of the cavern, until all she could discern was the merest hint of an outline in the dark. Her heart still beat much too fast for comfort, but Temi couldn’t tell whether it was the confrontation with him or his ultimatum that had her rife with urgency. As silence descended upon the cave, she turned her attention to the supplies he’d trekked through the forest to acquire. Propping the flashlight by her, she used the light to undo the leaves he’d bound her feet in.
He was unmoving, a large silhouette in the dark.
“How do you know about Monseigneur?” she asked.
“The Vampires that stopped your bout at the arena were his.”
He’d recognized her Blutsauger guards, Temi reflected. Given Monseigneur’s penchants and notoriety, it wouldn’t surprise her if ElMorad had faced off with the Master.
“You were doing a good job of dodgin
g the brute in the pit, until you decided to let him at you” he observed, almost conversationally.
Temi’s heart, starting to slow down, thumped again. She busied herself with the sneakers, hoping fervently that he would drop this.
“Why did you?” he asked, a disembodied voice in the darkness.
“My foot slipped” she answered, without looking up.
“Try again, Red. I don’t like being lied to.” His voice, the smooth tones that seemed to caress the very air, was implacable.
Not working, she apprehended. With ElMorad, the only strategy was to take the fight to him.
Temi leant back against the wall, to peer at him through the engulfing darkness. “I tried to explain my circumstances to you before, remember? You said you didn’t want to know.”
“I changed my mind.”
Temi grit her teeth, to choose her words carefully. “The arena was an act of rebellion. Once I’d made my point, I gave up the fight. I knew the Blutsaugers would not allow anyone to harm me.”
“Hmm.”
She couldn’t tell from the grunt whether he believed her or not. Temi focused on the shoes, hoping he’d bought her explanation. After a minute, he moved towards her, to loom large before her. Her eyes flashed to him. The flashlight, propped by her, cast shadows on his face.
“Were you lying when you came to my room?” he asked, the pale eyes glinting in the darkness.
Temi’s eyes widened, her heart galloping like thunder. Unsure what he was getting at, she took refuge in silence. He moved imperceptively, to bring his face into the light.
“About ElDarZin’s artifact” he clarified, something in his expression letting her know he was aware that this line of questioning made her wary.
“No, I was not” she answered vehemently, glad to be able to categorically deny this.
“How would you have access to such an artifact, Red?” he asked conversationally, his demeanor making it clear that he did not believe her.
“The Chosen that created it gave it to me” Temi admitted, with some reluctance.
This time, she had a reaction from him. He arched an eyebrow, looking thoughtful.
“I’d heard the rumors of him working with Monseigneur, but dismissed it” he murmured pensively. “You knew him?”
She nodded mutely, afraid her voice might betray her if she used it.
For a moment, he was silent. “From what I know of him, ElDarZin was a good man, even if a trifle misguided about the past” he professed.
Temi stared at him speechlessly, taken aback by the comment.
“Monseigneur, however, is not a good man, under any definition of good or man” he added brusquely, the pale eyes holding her captive.
Short as it had been, her life flashed through Temi’s mind. She had never been offered a choice. Instead, her hopes and dreams had been crushed at the altar of Monseigneur’s aspirations and greed.
“You’ve tangled with him?” she asked.
“We’ve had run-ins” he acknowledged.
Temi hesitated, wondering how to ask the question delicately.
“I did not hunt him” he said witheringly, correctly guessing what she wanted to ask. “If I had, he’d be dead.”
The look in his eyes had Temi swallowing. In the dark little cavern under the light of the torch, Temi was reminded why she’d approached him in the first place. A very fine line separated ElMorad from Monseigneur. It’s what made him uniquely suited to take on the Lombardi Master, but it also behooved her to watch her step with ElMorad.
He studied her. “When I enforced the Elders’ writ, it was only for Chosen who had ignored our most sacred of laws. Monseigneur is too smart to court the First Ones’ displeasure, never giving them any excuse to target or punish him.”
Temi sighed silently. In her case too, the Elders would not fault Monseigneur, for he’d followed the letter of the First Ones’ laws.
Silence reigned between them again. Hoping that she had satisfied him with her responses to his questions, Temi cast a surreptitious look at him. He had retreated from the light again. And the shadowed face appeared pensive. She waited for the hammer to fall.
“How far did you venture from the cave?” he asked her, after a few minutes of rumination.
“Just where you found me.”
“I’ll take care of any lingering scent” he said brusquely. “Get some rest. We leave at dawn.”
Temi watched him walk away, immeasurably relieved and incredibly confused by how one of the deadliest Chosen, to walk in their midst, managed to tie her up in knots without even trying.
CHAPTER 9
The Archmage has a name
It was late evening when they departed Belize. Tasia had spent a desultory day locked in the lodge. After the ambush the night before, word had come down from the Alpha to stick together and stay close. Even Sienna, itching to walk the grounds with Jason, had not demurred at the diktat. Tasia sensed that the Rune Mage’s successful infiltration, within touching distance of them, had Sienna a little on edge.
Tasia waited with seething impatience while the plane readied to taxi under overcast conditions.
Once they were in the air, the Alpha addressed Roman. “You have a name, Durovic?”
Roman looked unusually grim. “A name that has thrown me for a loop” he admitted. “But first, there’s something you should know, Merceau. The lodge has known since the beginning who set the explosion. It seems he left behind a letter, with assurances that the resort would be compensated for damages.”
Quite an altruistic Mage, Tasia reflected, hope stirring in her. Perhaps, the Deadly was not as bad as her imagination had conjured him up to be.
“Who is it?” Elisabetta interjected with an edge of impatience in her voice.
Roman ignored her, squarely meeting the Alpha’s gaze. Raoul’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly at what he saw on the Ancient’s face.
“ElMorad” Roman announced grimly.
Tasia felt her heart thud at the name. Across from her, Sienna’s eyes goggled and Nandini bolted up in her seat. Even Hawk, never at a loss for words, was rendered speechless. This was bad. Though only a handful could claim acquaintance with him, there were few Chosen unfamiliar with the legend of ElMorad. Her father had declared that, as the First Ones’ enforcer, the mere mention of ElMorad’s name was enough to strike fear into Chosen hearts. His magic, like that of many Ancients, was shrouded in mystery, though his storied success in taking out fearsome Chosen hinted at lethal powers.
Though rattled like the others, Jason, nevertheless, felt a measure of relief as he recalled Sienna’s conclusion from her last vision. “You’re sure you have the right Mage?” he asked the Ancient.
Roman was confident. “Like I said, the lodge has known this since the explosion, Jason.”
“That suggests the lodge linked the disappearance of the girl, in the Lombardi party, to ElMorad right after the explosion” Duncan mused aloud.
“I’d say so” Roman concurred. The connection was hard to ignore.
“Are the Lombardis a usual presence at The Games, Roman?” Maartje inquired.
“Yes, though the lodge says that it is the first time the girl accompanied them.”
Sienna came alive. “They knew!” she said wrathfully. “Yet, they didn’t question why the Lombardis had a young non-Clan girl with them?”
Nandini shot her half-sister a speaking look, but it was Roman who remonstrated with the Wizard.
“The Primogeniture Canons being what they are, it is likely that the Clan has legitimate claim on her, Sienna” he said quietly. “No one would question that, least of all a First One.”
To maintain the sanctity of the Supreme Edict, each Chosen faction was responsible for Magicks under its jurisprudence. Thus, it was crucial that no Chosen be without an umbrella faction to oversee him. A collection of precedents since the beginning of Chosen history, the Primogeniture Canons were the decisive authority on categorizing Magicks with multiple claims on them. They ens
ured that every Chosen had a faction to belong to, based on his magic. It was the Ancients who’d first insisted on the Canons. Barring Chosen with mixed heritage, the Canons usually applied to the First Ones with their complicated rules on classifying magic.
Sienna subsided, comforting herself with the future she’d been allowed a glimpse of. Her sister did not fear the Archmage, she reminded herself. More than ever, it gave her solace.
Atsá stirred. “What does ElMorad want with ElDarZin’s daughter?”
No one had an answer to his question.
“Both ElMorad and ElDarZin are First Ones, Atsá, though the former enforcer is Eru” Roman responded. “I know of no other connection. But if the girl’s disappearance is unconnected to ElMorad, then I’m at a loss to explain where she is. The lodge confirms that the Lombardis returned to Venice without her.”
“I’m inclined to believe that she’s with him” Duncan asserted. “If the Lombardis couldn’t retrieve her, it suggests that she had help getting away. Who better than the Ancient infamous for slipping in and out of Chosen fortresses to enforce the Elders’ writ?”
Tasia concurred silently with Duncan. From the lack of any counter-argument from the others, it was apparent that they did too.
The Alpha cut to the chase. “I’m comfortable making the assumption that he has her. How do we chase down ElMorad, Durovic?”
Roman pursed his lips. “He’s not a man to be messed with” he warned the Alpha. “I understand why the Setik at the resort were reluctant to give me the name. They were wary of offending him.”
“I’m aware of his reputation” Raoul said. “But we have no choice. We must get to her before her mother does.”
Roman sighed. “I’ll send out feelers, to see if anyone knows how to contact him. He’s always shirked publicity. But since his retirement, he’s gone completely off the radar.”
“On the bright side, if she is with him, it’s unlikely that Lady Bethesda will get to her easily” Luis chimed in. “We have time on our side.”
“True.” Roman looked pleased, for more than anyone else, he knew how tough chasing down ElMorad was likely to be. The man had made disappearing into thin air an art form.
