Blood of Gods
Page 16
“Let. Him. Go,” I commanded.
The king released Aiko’s ankle and turned to look at me. “Really, girl? A sword?”
“Really, Belshazzar. A sword.”
He tried to come around at me at vampire speed, but he seemed to forget that I was also half vampire, and he’d taught me mere days ago how to move. I stepped, the sword not moving more than a few inches.
I held the blade at his crotch.
“Are you done acting the fool? We’ve just wasted time with this stupidity. Aiko doesn’t want to be here. He has the right.” I pulled the sword away and slipped it back into the scabbard. “Can we go? Can we please go? None of us is sure what the hell is going on, so stop thinking that we’re wasting time or lying. We don’t know.”
He pulled the gun away from its target—my heart—and slipped it back in its holster. He stared at me and growled. “I need blood. Your boyfriend over there did a number.”
“My boyfriend is also in need of blood,” I snapped. “Ask your brother.”
His hand shot out and closed around my neck. “How about if I just take yours?”
“I’m sure your brother would be delighted to let you use his woman that way,” I whispered. “Wouldn’t you, Dorian?”
“Let her go, ass. You can have mine. You only need a damn sip anyway. It’s barely a scratch.” Dorian cocked his head. “And for gods’ sakes, stop threatening everyone. We know already. You’re an angry, vengeful vampire.” He yawned.
Belshazzar threw a punch, and I just turned and walked away. Let the brothers fight. Roran and Rilen ran after me as I ran after Aiko. I caught up to him and captured his elbow to slow him down from his speed walk. “Aiko—”
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said.
“You had just said there was a reason you were a Lord Knight at Savion’s court.” Rilen laughed. “Apparently, he didn’t believe you.”
“I didn’t have to prove it,” Aiko answered.
“He would have choked you out, and then we’d have to wait for you to recover,” Roran said. “We don’t have time for that nonsense.”
Aiko stared at Roran. “I was a fool to attack him. That was a game for him. He could have easily killed me—killed us.”
“Yes, but if he killed you then he would have had to deal with the four of us, and I don’t think he can best Dorian. You did the right thing.”
“Do you need blood, Aiko?” I asked.
“I shouldn’t. It’s healing already. I feel the itch.”
“Are you going to be okay walking into this city?” Rilen asked. “This is a lot to ask of you if you didn’t leave on good terms.”
We walked a few paces, quiet. Aiko finally spoke.
“I’m not okay, not with this. But we need to find Gwynnore because I’m starting to think she’s the only one who can control that man back there.”
“I won’t disagree,” Roran said.
“I can hear you!” Belshazzar snapped.
“We don’t care!” I snapped back.
Making our way down the hill, we wound down to a massive gate that guarded the entrance of the city. It was open, and a few people were coming in and out, as well as people coming from both north and south. A few people were waiting around the gate, looking like guards, but for the most part, it wasn’t guarded.
Aiko walked to the first guard on the right.
“Guardian, is the Triumvirate in session today?”
The guard raised his eyebrows. “They are near adjourning for the day. I’d hurry if I were you.”
Nodding his thanks, Aiko strode into the gate while the guard dropped his pike in front of us, barring us from following.
“Aiko!” I called.
He turned and seemed surprised. “What’s going on? They are with me.”
“They are not from Elkthorne. They need the sector captain’s permission to enter,” he answered. “It will take a few minutes before I can get him here. You can go to the triumvirate, and they can wait for permission.”
“We don’t have time. We need—”
“Sir, rules.”
“Aiko, go,” I said. “We’ll wait here. We need to talk to the Triumvirate, and the sooner we do, the sooner we’re on our way.” I turned to the guard. “Fetch the captain. We don’t have time to waste, and you really don’t want to deal with the angry vampire we have with us.”
Aiko nodded. “Guardian, send them to the Tower Square when you have permission.” He turned and started to jog to the center of the city.
“Be mindful!” the guard called. “We don’t abide the speed in our city.”
“Get the captain,” I repeated.
He left us standing there while he walked to the wall and picked up a strange device with what looked like two cups on it. He tapped some button on the face of the object and waited with one of the cups on his ear.
He spoke into the cup, “Sir, main gate. We have visitors who arrived with a citizen.” He paused. “Of course, sir. Yes. We’ll be waiting.” He pressed another few buttons and balanced the two cups on the top of the device. “The captain will be here in fifteen minutes.”
“More time-wasting?” Belshazzar growled.
“Rules, sir,” the guard said.
Belshazzar lunged for him, but Dorian caught him. “Stop. We’ll abide by the rules. For the space of fifteen minutes. Once that time has elapsed, we’ll see ourselves in.”
“You’ll stay where you are.”
The king flashed his fangs.
The guard flashed his back.
Dorian quickly slid between them. “Fifteen minutes. Not one minute longer.” He physically pushed Belshazzar back from the gate.
Just as Belshazzar was striding back to the guard at the gate to choke him and make dinner out of him, another one of the guards appeared behind him, with a few more epaulets and a wider gold stripe on his cuffs.
“Guardian?” he asked.
“These strangers ask permission to enter the city with a citizen. However, the citizen was in a hurry to speak with the triumvirate and bustled off.”
“This is a waste of time,” the captain said. “We need the citizen here to verify the information.”
“He hurried because you told him the triumvirate was about to adjourn for the night,” Rilen said. “We need to see them as well and have been patient. We’ve sailed from West S’Kir—”
“You’re druids?” The gasp was loud.
“We’re here to see the triumvirate,” I stated, repeating Rilen’s words. “We are here with Aiko Elkthorne—”
The captain turned and glared at the guard. “You allowed Lord Knight Aiko Elkthorne into the city?”
“Sir, I didn’t think—”
“There is a standing order against him,” the Captain said. “Did you even ask his name?”
“Why would I have? Lord Elkthorne has been gone for years, and I certainly didn’t expect him to walk up to the gate. I didn’t know what the man looked like!”
“These five are not allowed—”
“Stand down, Captain,” came a command from behind them.
Aiko was standing there, next to three people: two men and a woman. One of the men was a near-identical version of Aiko.
“You may let them in,” the woman said.
The five of us walked through the gate to the other side, where Aiko turned to stand between the two groups. “Masters, mistress, I present to you Master Dorian, Masters Rilen and Roran, Mistress Kimber, and King Belshazzar.” He turned to us. “Your graces, Your Highness, may I present the Triumvirate of Elkthorne. High Master Yuuto Tallpine, High Mistress Aoi Wavebreaker, and High Master Reo Elkthorne.” He paused. “My father.”
20
Kimber
A banquet in our honor.
I could see Belshazzar steaming mad across the table from me. I couldn’t fully fault him for being angry. We didn’t want this court reception when we desired simply to be on our way with a little direction and maybe a horse or six.
Suri was very, very pregnant.
“So, Masters Druids,” Yuuto said, slicing into his dinner. “Whatever has brought you this far east?”
“Good cheese and bad company,” Belshazzar grumbled, stabbing a piece of it off his plate.
“We’re looking for someone,” Rilen answered, plowing over the king’s words. “Someone in our protection was taken, and we’re looking to rescue her.”
“Did you travel here through the Scar?” Aoi asked.
“We came by boat on the Southern Sea,” I said. “We sailed to Lick, and they sent us on to you. We are hoping for horses and replenishment for our supplies.”
“And so my many-years-missing son led you here?” Reo asked, spearing a piece of his fish and popping it into his mouth.
“He has, your grace,” I answered.
“Why not through the Scar?” Aoi asked.
“Because Niniane’s army holds it,” Roran answered. “There are dangerous explosives planted on the east side, and we certainly didn’t want to risk that, or the Stronghold. We all had doubts about the prisoner being held there, anyway.”
“She would most likely escape that hell as soon as she could,” Aiko said.
The look that Reo shot his son should have killed him. Belshazzar chuckled. I just rolled my eyes.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” I said. “Where she would have gone if she left the Stronghold. That’s our goal. We believe she or some of her soldiers kidnapped our friend.”
Silverware rattled down to plates as there was an astonished gasp in the room.
Aoi stared at me. “You’re going after Niniane?”
“Yes, your grace,” I answered. “We need to find our friend and get her back to her people. She’s more than important there, and it’s critical—”
“You can’t face the mad queen,” Yuuto said. “She’ll kill you. She’ll rip your face from your skull.”
“I survived her,” Aiko said, folding his hands. “She’s mad, yes. Absolutely. But madness breeds a certainty that does not exist, and we need to bring her down. We need to bring Gwen home.”
“Gwen?” Reo asked. “Is that who you seek?”
“My woman,” Belshazzar said.
“So you help a man none of us know to find his female, and you ask us for such information, but you chose to join Savion when I asked you to do the same for your sister.”
The room turned to ice. Penetrating, deep, overwhelming ice.
Aiko stared down at his hands. “Father, may we not discuss this here?”
“But you can ask me for help in such a forum?”
“I’m asking for the help,” Belshazzar growled.
Ignoring both the king and his own son, Reo stated, “I had hoped that you perhaps would have seen what was really going on and helped your sister out of her situation.”
Aiko lifted his head. “I had no interest. I was well off, well respected, and powerful there. Not just the second, disappointing child of the town elder. Why would I turn down that life?”
“And you are still disappointing,” Reo said.
“Oh, shit,” Belshazzar mumbled.
I totally agreed.
“Father, not here,” Aiko said.
“Why not here? You come here with druids and foreigners and ask my help. Why wouldn’t I want to air our grievances?”
Suri laid a hand on her husband’s arm. “Reo, please. This isn’t the place.”
“I will not be made to look the fool in my own city.”
Aiko sat up straight, and I saw his eyes go hard, red. I put a hand to my mouth and debated for a heartbeat if I should dissuade him. But I was also fairly convinced that they had already made up their minds not to help us. So I said nothing.
Aiko stared at his father for a long moment, then spoke. I was sure Reo would never be the same after the words that followed.
“Kumi and I shared our quarters when Savion didn't bed her. She was delighted that you weren’t there to yell at her for being imperfect.
“She was happy to lie down for Savion’s pleasure. Because he didn’t nitpick her hair or her face, he didn’t make comments about the size of her waist or the inadequacy of her bosom. He never criticized her education or what she liked to read.
“I stayed because I didn’t have to listen to you tell me how I wasn’t fast enough, or strong enough, or smart enough to follow in your footsteps, how I would be nothing more than a plain merchant with no prospects for a wife and give you no grandchildren.
“When I realized what would happen to Kumi if she fell pregnant, I tried to help her. I tried to get her away, and I tried to keep her infertile. I realized that he was desperately trying to get her pregnant so he could kill her. He was bored with her.
“I poisoned my own sister to make sure that Savion never got her with child. I gave her all kinds of drugs and herbs and foods to make sure that her body could never take a child.
“He sent me on an assignment that lasted six months. I returned in time to see him hoist her pregnant body over the blood fountain and take her head. He made sure that I saw it. He made sure that I heard her plead for her child and for her life.
“The very last thing she saw was me standing there, and the very last words out of her mouth were, Forgive me, Aiko. Not ‘Tell father I’m sorry.’ Not ‘Tell mother I love her.’ She asked me to forgive her.”
Reo stared at him. I knew that he didn’t see his wife’s distress, right next to him. She had finally found out how her firstborn had died, and it was crushing her—but Reo just stared at Aiko.
“And did you?” he asked.
“I took an oath that day that I would see Savion dead. I would watch his head roll as far and as fast as my sister’s had. From that day, I worked against him. I helped the rebels. I made myself valuable to the future of S’Kir and would have died to see our land free of him.” He cocked his head and stared at Reo. “Not once, during those two hundred years, did I think about you. Not once did I consider how you would feel or think about all of this. You became inconsequential—a footnote in my life. I realized I would never please you, and you would lay my sister’s death at my feet as you have.
“And oddly enough, though I dreaded this confrontation, I don’t care what you think of me.”
Reo shook his head. “And still, you failed at your own oath.”
Aiko stood. “I didn’t, though. I never swore that I would be the one to kill him. I wasn’t that foolish. I knew how many enemies Savion had and how many wanted to be the one to make sure his head rolled.”
“Here you are, with these druids, having missed the whole event,” Reo said.
“Wow, really?” Belshazzar said, leaning forward. “This is exceptional.” He looked at Aiko. “Has he always been like this? Anything to discredit you?”
“Yes.” Aiko nodded.
Reo snorted. “How could he ever prove that he was there—”
I slammed the flat of my sword on the table. “This is the blade that took off Savion’s head while he and most of the court watched me.”
There was a collective gasp again as everyone turned to me. I stood slowly and leaned forward. “I am not going to listen to this degradation of someone who has been nothing but kind and good to me.”
“You expect us to believe a woman, no—a child killed King Savion when so many have failed for thousands of years?” Reo rose from his seat. “Do you even know which end of that to use?”
“You’re a real asshole,” Belshazzar stated.
“Would you like a demonstration of how much the Lady Raven knows about her sword?” Dorian asked, following a bored yawn.
“I would be delighted to give her a lesson,” Reo nodded.
I pulled the sword off the table and pushed my chair back. “Lead the way, High Master Elkthorne.”
Standing and
pushing his chair back, Reo walked from the table and out the door without another glance at me. I guessed I was supposed to follow, so I marched out behind him, into the courtyard of the house.
A servant in livery came running up with his sword. I stood at the other end, feet together, hands clasped behind my back, chin up. I could hear my father’s voice in my head. Never give them a preview of what you know.
I watched him, though. He went through a series of warm-ups, then a collection of moves used in fighting. I could see he was using a technique that my father had warned me about, an old and dirty form that, as long as you knew they were using it, was easy to defeat. It also mimics a perfectly legitimate fighting style that had a few key differences.
I kept the smirk off my face. Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake.
And showing Lady Stormbreaker, Bright Sword, that you fought dirty was most definitely a mistake.
Thank you, Daddy.
He removed the fancy jacket he was wearing as the rest of the guests funneled out into the courtyard. I took six steps forward and resumed waiting in the same position, just watching.
“Child, you should always warm-up,” he chided.
Dorian snorted from where he was leaning against a support beam on my left. Roran and Rilen were on either side and had their arms folded. Aiko marched up to me.
“Kimber, please, you don’t have to do this. He’s a master swordsman.” He dusted his hand over my knuckles behind my back.
“I do,” I whispered, still watching him. “But I promise I won’t hurt him.”
“Hurt… Kimber…” He shook his head.
I turned and looked at Aiko for just a moment. “You know it wasn’t luck that took Savion’s head off, Aiko. You’ve seen me with the sword. Trust me?”
He glanced over at his father, still uselessly whipping the sword around. “Yes. I do”
“Step back, son,” Reo said, the derision clear. “Let’s let the young girl show me what she thinks she knows about the pointy knife.”
Aiko looked at me again.
I smiled softly. “Trust me, Aiko. I know what I’m doing.”
He sighed and went to stand next to Rilen.
Reo danced up into the courtyard, further under the moonlight. He was swinging the sword aimlessly in patterns that weren’t even good for warm-up. Fool’s patterns, meant to distract you.