JAVIER (5 page)

“Another Empath?” asked Gabriel.

“Yes, definitely an Empath. They showed me a
photograph of a woman and told me what I would have to do. When I refused again
the second Empath hurt Flavia, he didn’t even have to touch her; he just went
straight into her head, into her mind, she screamed with the pain…..”

Cassia leaned forward with a sob, hiding her face in
her hands before sitting up and scrubbing fiercely at her eyes;

“He didn’t need to do that. I would have caved in if
he’d merely threatened. I agreed, I would have agreed to anything at all as
long as they didn’t hurt her. When they explained what I had to do it seemed
crazy, all that to lure some man to follow. I asked why they couldn’t just ask
you, I wondered what they really wanted from you.”

Javier straightened up in his chair, yes, this was
exactly what he was wondering, it was an awful lot of effort just to, what? Get
him into their clutches? And then what? Cassia leaned forward again, her eyes
ablaze with intelligence;

“But now that I know who you are it makes perfect
sense.”

“How and why?” Javier leaned forward, hanging on to
her every word.

“Well, look at you all, look at this place.” Seeing
their puzzled expressions she glanced from one to the other;

“The Warrior’s Council? A commander on the Warrior’s
Council? The Comte de LaSalle? Come on Javier of Seville, you lot are
untouchable, powerful, at the top end of our world and raised high above us
ordinary civilians. If someone wanted to get at one of you, to get something
out of one of you, the only way is something personal. They knew enough about
you to know about your consort. You lot are famous, there are many stories
about you.”

The three men stared at her silently for a moment then
LaSalle said;

“I suppose we forget how we are viewed sometimes. We
are accountable Cassia, to the High Council and through them to the whole
Vampire world. Your theory is very accurate but there is still no clue about
the why…”

“I knew where we were.” Cassia stated abruptly,
glancing at Javier.

“What? How?” Gabriel asked.

Javier waited, he knew what was coming. She was
certainly telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth he
thought.

“Cassia!” Flavia whispered urgently,

“It’s alright Flave. The thing is, five years ago I
stole a Goya from that house. I have an excellent memory. I never forget
details. As I told Javier that house used to belong to an Empath called Erebus.
I think it still does.”

LaSalle stared at her, astounded;

“You stole a painting from that house? Fuck! Erm, I
mean mon dieu.”

Javier coughed to cover up a shout of laughter.
LaSalle’s face was a picture. Cassia carried on;

“I persuaded them to untie us and bring us something
to eat and drink. They seemed content to do that once I agreed to help them. As
we were eating the two Empaths were talking in the next room. Empaths forget
how very acute our hearing is added to which they were speaking in Italian.”

“You understand Italian?” Javier asked

“Of course, I speak it fluently. It’s essential when
you’re an art expert.”

“Or art thief.” countered Javier.   Cassia scowled at
him;

“To be a successful art thief it is pretty essential
to also be an art expert. I could hold my own against the very best of them.”

“I have no doubt.” murmured Gabriel, “Get to the
point.”

“They were talking about an upcoming meeting with the
knights. That’s definitely what they said…the knights. The knights wanted
something. Javier, I think they meant to ransom you.”

“Are you sure?” Gabriel asked, “Knights? Cavalieri?”

“Yes, cavalieri. My Italian is fluent.”

“Cassia was also certain that the household had Human
visitors.” Javier added

“Fuck, Empaths and Humans…I’ve never liked that
combination…” muttered LaSalle, “If ransoming you was their plan Javier, they
would have been disappointed. We never ever pay ransoms. We would have found
you and got you out.” He leaned forward in his chair and addressed Flavia.

“Mademoiselle Flavia, you were in that house for
almost three weeks. Did you hear anything, notice anything that may help us?
Take your time.” His voice was gentle and Flavia sat up and looked in his
direction, her deep blue eyes wide and unfocused. Cassia watched as the men’s
expressions softened, even Gabriel Bathory. This always happened with Flavia.
There was something about her delicate fragile beauty that made men want to
fight dragons or lay down their cloaks for her to step over or go on quests. As
for herself, well she usually made men want to throttle her. She didn’t mind,
not much.

“They left me very much to myself and I was quite glad
about that.” said Flavia;

“They brought me regular meals and allowed me to
listen to music. After a few days Cassia brought me my guitar and I would sing.
Well, it relieved the boredom and kept my mind off things. Then one of them
asked me if I would go downstairs in the evening and play or recite. So I did. They
didn’t touch me and I suppose they assumed that because I can’t see they were
safe. They also assumed that because I can’t see I wouldn’t be able to hear or
understand anything either. That happens sometimes you know.”

“They were wrong though weren’t they querida?” said
Javier

Flavia smiled dazzlingly in his direction;

“Completely. I listened carefully. Cassia is right,
there were Humans there, I could smell them. They deferred to the Empaths. But
when the Humans weren’t there the Empaths deferred to their leader. I have a
feeling they were following orders from someone much more important. They spoke
a lot of Italian. Oh, and once someone commented that the knights of the dagger
had only one of their main weapons left but that would soon be remedied.”

Gabriel Bathory shot to his feet, his face pale;

“Flavia, are you absolutely certain that they said the
words knights of the dagger?”

“Yes, yes I’m certain. What does it mean?” Flavia
asked

Cassia saw the three men look at each other. This was
obviously bad news. Gabriel Bathory was about to speak when his head turned
suddenly to the study door; seconds later someone knocked then entered and his
whole face transformed. Cassia knew this was his Empath consort even before he
drew her into his side with a smile.

“Hera, beloved these are our guests. I wonder if you
could check Flavia just to make sure she is alright after her imprisonment.
Flavia, Hera is a trained nurse and a paramedic. You will be in good hands.”

As the slender blonde haired woman smiled at Cassia
then leaned to take Flavia’s hand, Cassia heard Flavia gasp excitedly;

“Hera…Hera of the House of Achilles? The daughter of
Rhea? Oh, I never ever imagined I would actually meet you. She’s the one
Cassia, the one I told you about. The last of the healing women. You are,
aren’t you?” Flavia held both of Gabriel’s consort’s hands as the Empath broke
into a slow beautiful smile and answered;

“I am. Welcome to our Island. I am told you have both
had a hard few weeks.”

It was kind of the Empath to include her, thought
Cassia. She was sure Flavia had told her about this woman but she had probably
been distracted. She often was these days. So Gabriel Bathory’s Empath consort
was not just any old Empath, she was the sister of the High Councillor of all
the Empaths and a woman of the legendary healing line. And she was the consort
of a commander on the Council. This woman was as close to being royalty as you
could get.

Cassia sensed the men wanted them out of the way and
she didn’t mind going with Hera. She seemed remarkably normal and strangely
calming. Perhaps she should get herself checked out too, she felt tired, as
though she was going down with a cold.

LaSalle thanked them then the men all stood as they
left.  Cassia glanced quickly at Javier. He smiled and inclined his head
slightly; it was oddly reassuring.

The minute the door shut behind the women LaSalle
jumped to his feet and rummaged in his desk then lit up one of his slim cigars
and inhaled deeply as he threw himself into his customary position. Leaning
back in his comfortable work chair with his boots up on the desk he pointed the
cigar at Gabriel;

“Gabriel, I thought you killed the last of those
bastards more than a century ago.”

“So did I.” Gabriel ground out, “Do you think she
misheard?”

“No, both those women are extremely intelligent. I
believe they heard exactly what they said they heard.” Javier replied

“So we haven’t got all the daggers then…” said Gabriel

“No, obviously not.” LaSalle took another drag on his
cigar then slammed his fist on the desk, “Fuck, fuck, fuck!  Slayers…I hate
fucking slayers. Unstable mad religious maniacs the lot of them!”

“I couldn’t have put it better myself my Lord
LaSalle.” said Gabriel dryly, “I’m going to head down to Ops and see what the
surveillance team has to report.”

LaSalle nodded, “Keep it quiet Gabriel. I don’t want
to start a panic. I want us to wipe this latest lot out before any of our
people get killed. I’ll talk to Aries and Chronus; we need them on board
urgently. I’d like to know if this Erebus has flagged up on their radar.”

As Gabriel hurried off Javier felt rather than saw
LaSalle’s smoky grey eyes focus on him and waited for his commander to rip him
to shreds verbally. However, when LaSalle spoke his voice was quiet and gentle;

“You knew it could not be her, my friend, you knew.”

Javier’s head jerked up and he took a deep breath to
calm himself as he nodded;

“Yes, I knew. I just couldn’t help hoping…hoping that
somehow she escaped, that somehow she’d come back. I let myself get distracted,
I was careless; if you want me to step down…”

He got no further as LaSalle raised a hand to silence
him then came round his desk and leaned against it; his eyes fierce;

“Stop that Javier of Seville. I would trust you with
my life; I would trust you with the lives of my consort and my son. If the so
called fucking knights are back we are going to need you for the fight ahead. I
am not going to allow our people to be hunted and slaughtered by them ever
again. You stay here and you do your job.”

Javier nodded; he was surprised his voice worked at
all, the blockage in his throat felt so huge;

“As you command my Lord LaSalle.”

“I do. Javier, about Charlotte…we have not forgotten
her, none of us here on the Island. You know, do you not, when you are ready to
perform the ceremony we will all be there with you.”

Javier stood and turned away blinking fiercely as he
cleared his throat. God, some days eight years ago felt like yesterday. He
wondered if he would ever have made it through those first days after her death
without LaSalle. His commander had been friend, brother and father all rolled
into one. He had stopped him from putting a bullet through his own head.

“I know, thank you. I’ll go and see what the latest
news is.”

“And I’ll contact our friends in Venice.” LaSalle said
as he ground out his cigar.

It was business as usual.

CHAPTER 6

Javier shut the study door behind him and leaned
against it for a moment rubbing his face with his hands. He would check in on
Beatriz then head underground to look through the latest reports. All around
him he could hear the muted familiar sounds of the household at work; a
household he had joined with Charlotte towards the end of nineteen seventeen.
He had been newly promoted to commander.  His father, LaSalle’s predecessor had
been a proud witness at the ceremony and Charlotte had stood watching the
proceedings with his mother, her hazel eyes shining with love.

He had spent the last eight years looking back into
the past. When he was with Beatriz he saw a future for her, never for himself.
Oh, he saw himself doing his job, fulfilling his oath to be a protector of his
race but that was as far as it went. More and more these days he was filled
with a yearning for something more. Gabriel and Hera’s obvious happiness just
sharpened that yearning into a constant physical ache, a longing. Javier
sighed; this was pointless. Better to just concentrate on work. If the slayers
had really re-formed things were about to get nasty.

He headed for the stairs then stopped in surprise.
Cassia was sitting on the bottom step. Her elbows rested on her knees and her
head was bent over causing her long black hair to sweep forward like a curtain
and brush the floor. Her hands were clasped loosely together.

“Cassia?  What are you doing here?” he sat down next
to her on the step.

Cassia flicked her hair back wearily and turned to
him;

“Hey, Javier of Seville. I just needed some space…I
was looking at that Chagall up there. That’s never been seen out in the Human
world you know; I would estimate its value to be at least three million pounds,
at least. Beautiful isn’t it?”

Javier examined her face, alarmed. She hadn’t regained
any colour and her speech was slightly slurred.

“Cass, are you feeling unwell?”

She regarded him steadily, taking a deep breath as
though she was summoning up energy;

“Funny you should say that…I think I’m coming down
with something.” She lifted her hand to tuck her hair behind her ears and
Javier noticed a small tremor. He tuned in to her heartbeat, it was sluggish.

“Cassia, when did you last take blood?”

She stared at him then her eyes widened as realization
dawned.

“More than a month ago. I didn’t think, what with
everything that’s happened.”

“I bet you gave your blood to Flavia while she was
kept in that house didn’t you?” Javier asked.

“Yes, of course I did. They were Empaths, they didn’t
want to know about any of that. It disgusts them.”

Javier stood and put out a hand. Her energy seemed to
be draining out of her as they spoke;

“Come on, I’m taking you to our Donor right now. Give
me your hand, I’ll pull you up.”

Cassia looked up and focused on Javier. What did he
want? Oh yes, her hand. She reached out and felt him take it then pull her to
her feet. She felt herself sway, she’d better not let go. Her legs were as
heavy as lead and her head felt woolly.

Suddenly the world seemed to tilt and she gasped in
surprise. He had just bent and scooped her up in his arms as though she was
some sylph-like Empath female. Wearily she let her head rest against his
shoulder; it felt solid and warm and safe.

Javier marched as quickly as he could to the Donor;

“God Cass, you should know better than to let things
go so far. Why didn’t you say something earlier? You really are a very annoying
woman.”

He should have realized. She had gazed up at him, her
midnight blue eyes unfocused and dreamy. Normally he would have found that look
intensely arousing except that he knew she was on the verge of slipping into
unconsciousness. She had turned so very pale back in the study and she had
endured the constant threat of knowing her sister was in danger for the last
three weeks. Of course she would have given her blood to Flavia without any
thought for her own needs; he had a feeling she always put Flavia first. Her
head was resting against him and Javier bent without thinking and brushed the
top of it with his mouth. She would hate being so dependent, he had no doubt
that she would be absolutely mortified when she felt more herself again.

Shouldering the door open he bowed as well as he could
to the duty Donor. She was one of the Elders and had lived on the Island for
three centuries; he spoke the ritual words in the Old Language;

“Madam, with respect, I ask urgently for
the gift of life.”

She returned his bow and smiled her response as he
laid Cassia in an easy chair, brushing back the curtain of heavy black hair.
Should he score his wrist and touch it to her lips? Her head turned slowly and
he watched with relief as her canines descended white and sharp into her mouth;
good, she wasn’t as far gone as he had thought. The Donor offered her wrist and
Cassia bit down into the older woman’s vein and paused for a moment then Javier
heard her sigh with relief as she took long, thirsty drags.

Heading over to the comfortable armchair in the corner
Javier waited, his mind racing. Slayers; if it was true it was the worst
possible news. It had been over a century since their last encounter with the
self-styled knights. That had been quite a battle; he still remembered his
injuries from that day. At least they had been caused by bullets; had they used
one of the daggers on him he would have died instantly.

He waited till Cassia released and closed the wound
then raised the Donor’s hand and touched it to her forehead as she thanked her
in the proper way. Jumping up he went and helped her to her feet as he bowed to
the Donor. Cassia was in the warm dreamy state that followed blood-taking and
her pupils were hugely dilated as she murmured her thanks, her hand resting
lightly on his arm as they left the room. This time his heart started an
insistent crazy thudding and he experienced an almost uncontrollable urge to
plunge his hands into her hair and kiss her long and deep.

What the hell was the matter with him? He needed to
keep a professional distance. Dragging in a calming breath he looked down and
saw her smiling insolently up at him;

“I can hear your heart beating Javier of Seville. Is
it nerves or what?”  The Welsh lilt was slightly more pronounced and her voice
was soft and teasing. Javier felt flustered; he, expert flirt that he was;
Cassia was making him feel flustered!

“You’re not my type Cassia Mathrafal. Now, you haven’t
eaten yet, come with me…that’s if you can manage to walk in that post blood fog
you’re obviously in or do I need to carry you again?”

Cassia blinked rapidly and he watched her almost shake
herself into alertness as she replied waspishly;

“There is no need to take that tone with me. I’m very
grateful for your assistance but I can manage just fine. Food would be good
though, I’m absolutely starving. And just so we’re completely clear, you’re not
my type either.”

Javier turned rapidly away and headed for the kitchen
so she wouldn’t see him laughing.

Half an hour later he watched with approval as she
finished off the omelette he had made her and sat sipping coffee.  The colour
had come back into her cheeks and he found himself, once again, under the
spotlight of her wary intelligent gaze. God, she had the bluest eyes he had
ever seen.

“That was delicious, thank you. I didn’t know warriors
learnt to cook.”

“They don’t…I can’t, well, just omelettes and anything
you can throw on a barbeque.” Javier paused, “Back there, in LaSalle’s study,
you were very afraid when Gabriel mentioned Empaths. Why was that?”

Cassia stared down at her coffee, absently stirring
the liquid round and round in the cup;

“My father, Hugo Mathrafal, joined Aries Achilles’s
underground reform movement in its early days. It wasn’t long after the great
conflict as you know. I was a small child and Flavia was a baby. He was caught
by agents of the hard line Empath Council of the time, taken to their
headquarters in Venice and interrogated. He was lucky to get let out alive a
whole year later. He came back to us but he was never the same; they destroyed
his mind. His life was a living nightmare until one day, when I was just past
my adolescence, he killed himself. It was Flavia who found him. She was eleven
years old. She has been blind from that day. My mother…my mother fell to
pieces. It was a very hard time for us all.”

She fell silent as she remembered. There had been so
little money and she had suddenly found herself to be the one they all depended
on.

Javier watched her as she seemed to retreat into her
memories, her eyes very far away.  Overnight she had become the head of her
family whilst barely in possession of all her abilities; her body hardly
recovered from the trauma and pain of the transition from childhood into an
adult Vampire. Who had she been able to turn to? He tapped her hand gently to
bring her back to the present.

“Did you have no kin? What about the other males of
your father’s bloodline?”

Cassia smiled at him sadly and shrugged;

“They were all wary of being linked to a dissident, a
collaborator. Perhaps they thought they might meet a similar fate. I am close
enough to my cousins now and my mother found a new consort in time but that
first decade was not easy.”

“That must have been very tough. I had wondered about
Flavia’s blindness. The only blind Vampires I have come across have been
warriors who have lost one or both of their eyes in battle.”

Cassia sighed, “There is nothing wrong with her eyes.
It’s all in her mind Javier. It is as if the sight she saw was so traumatic
that she simply decided not to see. We have been told that the situation could
reverse quite as suddenly; it hasn’t happened yet.”

“Tell me how you got into the world of rare and
valuable art theft? Your uncommon thievery as you call it. Have you never been
afraid of being caught by the Human authorities, of being exposed?”

“I have always loved fine art, always been interested
since I was a small child. My father encouraged my interest; he was mad keen on
Roman history himself hence the names he gave me and Flavia. Good Roman names
he used to say. I read anything I could lay my hands on. When he died we had a
little money but it soon went. My mother could barely function and Flavia, well
she had to cope with losing her sight. Those were Victorian times Javier, there
were not many options available for a young woman who could not possibly go out
in daylight, you know what I mean. One day someone made me an offer as a joke.
I got the piece of art easily of course, what with my speed and ability to
shift not to mention being able to manipulate a human mind. It was child’s
play, easy money that we sorely needed. Things went on from there. As for being
caught by the Human authorities…you know as well as I do that there isn’t a
Human prison that can hold our kind. I never harm anybody Javier. The worst
I’ve ever done to a Human is to erase his short-term memory.”

Javier nodded. She was right about her limited
choices. He had come across a few very beautiful Vampires in Paris back in the
nineteenth century who had resorted to becoming highly paid courtesans or
actresses which in those days had usually amounted to the same thing. They had
been hugely sought after in the Human world for their lasting, ageless looks
and their robust good health. Vampires did not get any of the Human diseases.

“And exposure, you operate mainly in the Human world,
in their society, how do you handle that?” Javier found himself fascinated by
her story.

“With very great care. It can get tiresome; they have
some extremely strange ideas about Vampires; especially about blood. Our laws
and protocols governing blood taking and the fact that we nourish each other
never occurs to them; they’d rather believe we go around preying on hapless
Humans.  I suppose the reality would be so much duller than the fiction.
Actually I’ve managed to have a couple of good friends who were Human. They are
dead now; they have such short fragile lives. Flavia says that I spend so much
time living in their society that I have lost touch with what’s happening in
our own world.”

“And relationships, lovers? Human too?” Javier asked
casually as he sipped his coffee,

Cassia gave him a severe look;

“That’s my business Javier of Seville. What about
you?”

 Why would he ask that she wondered?  It was none of
his business, none of anyone’s business. She didn’t have a man in her life
currently, Human or Vampire. Her heart was well guarded. Of course there was no
way she was going to admit this to Javier; it didn’t go with her image.

Javier watched her as she finished the last of her
coffee; she certainly had secrets. He couldn’t believe there wasn’t a man
around somewhere; she was a beautiful and challenging woman. He answered her
question;

“No one at the moment. Things have been rather busy
these last few months.” He leaned forward;

“You took care of everyone; who looked after you Cass?
Did you ever need anyone?” He watched as her mouth tightened and her eyes grew
hostile;