by Ally Shields
“Hell, yes. But I didn’t know anything about this offer. I just find it confusing.” She explained what the fox had seen, except she didn’t mention the woman. She didn’t even want to think about that yet. “Some vampire dude named Bastian even had his arm draped over Andreas’s shoulder.”
“Bastian.” Sudden silence followed the quiet repetition of that one word.
“Do you know him? I’m told he’s one of the bigwigs.”
“Yes, I know him.”
“What can you tell me about him? Would he have any special interest in Andreas?”
“I need to think about this.”
“Think about what? Why do you sound so strange?” Then a possibility popped into her head. “I don’t mean to get personal, but is Bastian your sire?”
Deafening silence this time. She continued to wait, hoping she hadn’t made him so angry he’d hang up. He finally asked, “Did Andreas tell you this?”
“Only that your sire was one of the elders and that’s why they hadn’t tried to kill you. Andreas wouldn’t tell me his name.”
“I am not certain he knows. It is fairly common knowledge I have a connection to the elders, but I made a pledge to Bastian that I would not reveal his name.”
“But the elders have lots of descendents, why the secrecy? What’s so special about your relationship? Unless…are you a First Son?”
Daron’s heavy sigh answered the question for her.
“I don’t understand. Why would he hide that?” The first male and the first female sired by any vampire held special places of honor in the bloodline.
“Being his First Son makes me an even bigger embarrassment.” Daron hesitated. “I admired Bastian in the beginning, until I saw the streak of cruelty in the elders’ treatment of our people. When I became vocal in my opinions, the council ordered me to stop such heresy. I defied them and left the court. That act made me a hindrance to Bastian’s ambitions. At first he tried to force me to rejoin the council.” Daron’s pause was longer this time. “He finally realized he could not control me, and if I had not been his First Son, he might have had me killed. As it was, he offered me his on-going protection if I would cut all public association with his name. We have both honored our bargain.”
“Would he protect Andreas?”
“Because of me?” Daron released a bark of humorless laughter. “The opposite, in fact. The elders have gone out of their way to hunt down and destroy my friends.”
“I know that’s what the council has done, but maybe Bastian hasn’t been part of it. Are you positive he wouldn’t help?”
“Do not get your hopes up, Arianna. Have no illusions about my sire. He is not a good man. He obviously agreed to Andreas’s abduction. It takes a unanimous vote of the council to interfere with any vampire prince. No, it is more likely he intends to use Andreas to discredit and humiliate me.”
It was a harsh judgment. Could a father hate his son that much? In her experiences with the Riverdale vampires, they took care of their own. Those that didn’t were ostracized. Had Bastian been totally alienated by Daron’s beliefs? Cut off forever from a First Son?
Daron was a First Son. It was hard to believe. Now that she thought about it, it also made him much older than she’d thought. Not hundreds of years old, but maybe thousands.
“When do you have to give the O-Seven an answer?”
“They gave no deadline. But soon.”
Soon. She was so sick of that word. It had echoed in her head all week, yet she wasn’t any closer to making something happen than when she first came to Germany. “Any ideas on how I can get him out before you have to do anything?” She bit her lip, hating the hint of desperation that had crept into her voice.
“I have spent the last few days thinking of little else. I can only suggest that you do what you do best. The unexpected. Trick them, surprise them. But don’t try to fight them or you won’t have a chance.”
Ari hung up and thought about what he’d said. The unexpected. Hell, maybe she’d just march up to the castle door and knock.
As she shoved the phone in her pocket, her fingers touched the papers there, and she pulled them out. This might be a good time to find out all she could about Bastian. His name just kept cropping up. She moved to the side of the building until light from a window fell across the printed pages.
The witches had neatly divided the background information into categories and columns, beginning with a physical description that didn’t amount to much: medium height and weight, dark hair, age: unknown, mid-thirties in appearance. There was no sire listed. No one seemed to know how the O-Seven came to be. She glanced away from the paper and thought about the theories she’d heard: that they were sired by a son of Satan, mutations caused by some long extinct disease, or cast off by an alien race. She’d have to ask, if she ever met one of them and survived the encounter.
She dropped her eyes to finish reading. Bastian’s original home was recorded as Bavaria, but it was followed by a question mark. He had a First Daughter named Elise, who was an enforcer, but the spot for a First Son was blank. That squared with what Daron had told her.
She flipped through the pages, skimming his known history. Geez. For Daron to say he wasn’t a nice man was an understatement. Bastian had a recorded history of bloody massacres, spanning nearly two thousand years. By comparison he had mellowed over the last five centuries or he was just too busy with council affairs to wander around the world slaughtering people.
She skipped to a paragraph on the last page, covering Bastian’s primary abilities. Top of the list was mind control. Well, damn. She wouldn’t be staring into this guy’s eyes. Funny Daron hadn’t mentioned it, but he’d been more focused on history and the practicalities of gaining Andreas’s freedom.
And so should she, instead of wondering what made Bastian tick.
She refolded the papers, stuck them in her pocket, and returned to her perch on the stump. She still hadn’t figured out how to get into the O-Seven’s stronghold—and then out again.
She was obsessing about Daron’s prediction on fighting the elders—“you won’t have a chance”—when Lilith finally joined her, dropping onto one of the larger logs. Ari shared the news about the O-Seven’s demand and Daron’s concerns that she needed a plan that didn’t include what he considered an unwinnable fight.
“Well, he was honest anyway,” Lilith said. “Not that we ever thought we could wipe them out short of dropping a nuclear bomb.”
Ari chuckled to herself, remembering her earlier thoughts of a similar solution. Macabre humor. Funny how weapons of mass destruction came to mind when you were talking about vampires. “Well, I don’t think Andreas would appreciate being nuked with the others. So how do we do snatch him out of there without a fight?”
“Convince Sophie to try the teleportation again.”
“She’d need to train new witches. Only six remain of her original coven—not enough to power a teleportation spell. That could take weeks. And since every witch’s energy is different, we’d have to blend the new magics with mine all over again.”
“Sounds complicated.”
“Yeah, and time consuming.” Ari picked up her cell phone again and checked the time. “But unless Gabriel can suggest something, I’m out of other options. I’ll have to go to Sophie, and the coven might refuse. Rebekah will definitely be against it.” She finished putting the code into her phone and waited for Gabriel to pick up.
“Hey, Ari,” he answered. “Any good news?”
“Sort of. Andreas has been seen alive. And apparently well. They claim he’s made friends with the elders.”
“That’s a relief. But he’s no friend of the O-Seven.” Gabriel chuckled. “What an act he must be putting on. You know he can be diplomatic when he has to—but friends? Never.”
She related what the foxes had said, even casually mentioning the woman—after all, this was Gabriel—and then told him most of her conversation with Daron, withholding the Toronto prince’s relat
ionship to Bastian. She wasn’t about to get caught in the middle of a pledge made between very powerful vampires.
Gabriel was silent for a moment. “It’s the woman that bothers you most, isn’t it? Whoever she is, she’s meaningless to him. You’re the only woman he thinks about.” He paused, as if picking his words. “When you’re around the O-Seven, you have to say and do certain things just to survive. He must have convinced them he’ll abandon Daron, which makes them bloody idiots.” His voice grew cautious. “Surely you don’t believe it?”
“No, but I know him. Others don’t understand, including Sophistrina. If we can’t think of some other way to get Andreas out of the stronghold, my only chance is the witches. And they have no reason to trust that he’s any different than the others. To them, this looks bad.”
“They don’t have to believe in Andreas. Only in you.”
She thought about it. Would it be enough for the witches to put aside their fear they’d be rescuing the enemy? Could she stretch sisterhood that far? “Any other ideas?”
“Hunt down and kill that damned warlock. Then you’ll be the only one with fire magic, and even the elders aren’t immune to fire.”
“It’d help if I knew which brother to trust and which one to kill. One of them has a small scar above his right eye. Does that fit the guy you saw?”
“No, I’m sure of it, and I’m good with faces. Which of the Kirsch brothers has a scar?”
“Gerhard.”
“So Warin is the killer. Twenty-one of our vampires died inside the compound that day, plus five lycanthropes. That doesn’t include the three people who died outside. If Andreas didn’t expect me to stay here, I’d love to accompanying you to Germany and rip out the warlock’s throat.” Gabriel’s voice held more than a hint of loathing.
Ari nodded on her end of the phone. “If I get a chance, I’ll tell him you said hello.”
Gabriel laughed before hanging up. It wasn’t a happy sound.
Chapter Thirteen
“Now that you know Gerhard isn’t working for the O-Seven, maybe you should ask him to help you,” Lilith suggested. She and Ari were still sitting outside in the dark, debating their alternatives. A couple of the witches had been in and out of the cabin during the discussion, but no one had come near the Americans. “Two fire witches against one would be good odds.”
“He offered. I just didn’t trust him enough to accept. Maybe I was too hasty.” The cell phone in her pocket buzzed.
“It’s me, Gabriel.”
“Didn’t we just talk?” It had been less than five minutes.
His serious tone didn’t match her flippancy. “I may have given you bad information. I don’t think so, but now I’m not certain.”
“About what? Cut to the chase, Gabriel.”
“It’s the scar. A friend who was locked in the audience chamber during the attack thinks the warlock had one. I’m almost positive he’s wrong, but in case he isn’t…I didn’t want you trusting the wrong guy.”
“Damn.” Just when she thought the mystery was solved. “Well, thanks, I appreciate the call back. I’ll be careful around them.” She hung up. “So much for getting Gerhard’s help. He could be the bad guy after all.”
“Gerhard? I’m really sorry to hear that.” The figure coming toward them was Sophistrina.
Ari gave her a measuring look. “It’s a possibility. I checked with the vampires at home. They aren’t positive whether their attacker had a scar or not.” She didn’t usually ask a lot of personal questions, but she really needed to know the extent of Sophie’s allegiance. So she asked. “What’s Gerhard to you? I sense you have a past.”
Sophie gave a sheepish laugh and settled on the other side of Lilith. “It started a long time ago. We had a fling in high school, but I have to admit he’s rather unforgettable.” From Sophie’s tone, Ari knew she’d see a blush if the light was better. “It’s made our on-going relationship a little touchy. A few years ago we even had what I like to call a temporary relapse. I’d hate to believe he’s involved in this, but…” She shrugged. “He wasn’t particularly nice even back then. We broke up because he was sneaking out with other girls. Being faithful isn’t exactly his thing.”
OK, as a high school boy he’d been flighty and deceitful. Still a long way from betraying your entire race.
“Hey, um, back there, inside the cabin, I didn’t mean that I didn’t trust your belief in Andreas.” Sophie’s tone was conciliatory. “I remember how he helped us too, but you have to admit—”
A loud, wailing siren saved Ari from hearing whatever she was supposed to admit. She whirled looking for attackers, but Sophie was running for the parked vehicles, and witches poured of the building, headed in the same direction.
“What’s that?” Lilith demanded.
“Trouble, but apparently not here. We better hurry.” Ari sprinted after the priestess, and they reached Sophie’s van just before the door was closed.
“What’s up?” Ari asked, swinging into a back seat.
“It’s our version of 9-1-1. The system is set up to alert any coven within twenty miles that an encampment needs assistance. We’re headed for Dory’s place.”
She had no idea who Dory was, but Ari was in the mood to kick a few vampire butts. She clung to the seat as they skidded around a curve. They must have been less than twenty miles away, because ten minutes later the van slid to a stop and the witches piled out.
Most of the fight was over. A warlock was chasing two vampires across an open area, shooting streams of fire after them. Patches of flames flared in the grass and brush. Witches rushed to tend the wounded or put out fires. Sophie and her sisters grabbed bandages and water buckets, while Ari and Lilith ran toward the warlock. He caught another of the vampires in a stream of fire, but the very last one slipped into the woods.
“Damnation.” The blond warlock turned to meet them. “I hate it when any of these suckers gets away.”
Ari glanced at his right eyebrow. Gerhard.
“Eight,” he said, as if she’d asked a question. “That makes thirty-four I’ve toasted in the past few days. They must be breeding them like flies up at the stronghold.” He frowned in the direction of the woods. “I would have liked to have made it an even thirty-five.” He grinned at Ari and shook a lock of hair out of his eyes. “Although I would have saved some for you, if I’d known you were coming.”
“I appreciate the thought.”
They started walking toward the main encampment where the other witches were gathered. Sophie was still dousing a small fire on the cabin roof by using a water spell. The smoldering bones indicated a vamp had burned to death up there.
Ari glanced at Gerhard. “I take it this isn’t your first fight this week. You didn’t mention any trouble when we talked with you yesterday.”
“Why would I? You weren’t in a very chatty mood. This is just an ordinary week for me.” He frowned, as if reconsidering. “Except for the size of the groups last night and the teleporting. That’s new. Have you been stirring up trouble?”
She considered his question. It was possible her efforts to reach the castle via the tunnel had sparked the increased activity, but she hadn’t yet decided what, if anything, she was willing to share with him. She wasn’t sure she liked him, and she definitely didn’t trust him. She studied his profile. Why was he telling her about his kill count? Just bragging? Or trying to convince her what a team player he was?
“Too bad Warin isn’t here to help.” She watched for a reaction. “Have you heard from him yet?”
“No, but I didn’t expect to. If he has joined the vampires, he won’t be calling me for support. But what progress have you made? Any luck with the trolls?”
She shrugged, lifting her hand in a dismissive gesture. “They showed us some old tunnel, but it was caved in. Probably just an abandoned mine. I don’t know if it ever went near the stronghold, but it’s no good now.”
“So, what will you do next?”
She turned h
er head to study him. “I don’t know. Any ideas?”
He met her gaze. “Do you really want my opinion? If so, I’d tell you to go home. What you’re proposing to do has been considered impossible for hundreds of years.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he raised an admonishing finger. “Hear me out. I don’t want to see anything happen to you, so I’ve given you my best advice. But I already know you won’t listen. So the best alternative—accept my offer of help. If we put our fire abilities together, we would pose a substantial threat, even to the O-Seven.”
“How do you propose getting close enough to use our fire?”
Gerhard laughed. “You’ve got me there, but I made the first suggestion. It’s your turn to come up with the rest.”
“What suggestion?” Sophie joined them as they reached the cabin. “Don’t let him talk you into anything, Ari.”
Gerhard began to chuckle until he saw the priestess’s face. “Why I believe you’re serious, Sophie. I know Warin is in the doghouse, but what have I done?”
Sophie’s eyes narrowed but she turned away without giving him an answer.
Gerhard looked at Ari and raised his hands in defeat.
Dog house? Warin’s betrayal was a whole lot more serious than that. How could his brother take it so lightly? Unless he sympathized or knew Warin was innocent. Damn, she was tired of this. She would love to put the brothers in an interrogation room and grill them until she had her answers.
Ari shrugged. “She’s just upset.” Until Ari knew more about the brothers Kirsch, she didn’t want to spook Gerhard into disappearing like his brother had. “She’s had a bad couple of weeks.”
“That’s true. But she doesn’t have to take it out on me,” he grumbled. “After all, I was the one who dealt with most of the vampires tonight. If I condoned my brother’s defection, would I have done that?”
