Linda Welch - A conspiracy of Demons (26 page)

“Good.” I wet my
lips. “We can see from here and
follow him in.”

I leaned on the wall. Royal paced back and forth. We didn’t wait long. A big black car with tinted windows drew up to the curb outside headquarters. Bob Pride and another man got out.
The car drove away.

I pushed from the wall as Pride stiffened and his head swiveled in our direction.

In those couple of seconds, Royal grabbed me and we were
away
in a blur.

Robert Pride was Gelpha.

We merged with traffic on I-15.

“It had nothing to do with
a police
investigation.
Lynn saw Bob Pride. She sees Gelpha as they really are. She made an appointment and confronted him.” I thumped the seat. “How could she be so stupid?”

Royal shook his head mutely.

“Royal, this is big. He uses his influence on voters. Everyone he talks to loves him. He c
an do any damn thing he wants
. He’s
running for governor next time.
Think of the power
he’ll
wield in the pol
itical arena.
”

“I am thinking exactly that.”

Heat scalded my face.
“It isn’t right. I
f he’s an honest man and
wants to
do right by
the people of this nation
, fine, but
he’s not. He’s a murderer.”

His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Dark Cousins killed Lynn. We do not know if Bob Pride is involved in her death.”

“
Don’t give me that.
L
ynn talked to him, she’s dead.
And why
did you zip us out of there
before we could speak to him
?”

“We must go to the High House Council with this.”

“Why? We need those douchenozzle
s’
permission to question
Pride? Bull!”

“Calm down, Tiff.”

“I don’t want to calm down!” I all but screamed, fists clenched so my nails dug in
the
palms.

“As you say, this is big.
We cannot go to the police, we can offer them no evidence or motive which implicates Pride in Lynn’s death.
And i
f we did, do we want human law enforcement involved? If he is unscrupulous, he will use the same wiles on the police as he does on his constituents. He w
ill
not
remain
in custody. No, we need the High House’s backing, and
the High House will interrogate him
, a Gelpha matter, not a human concern.”

“Ah.”
The
tension eased and my muscles relaxed a fraction. “I see what you mean.”

“
If the Council agr
ees, I will ask for backup. I want to be prepared should he resist.”

“
Why wouldn’t
they agree?”

“I think
they will,
given the possibility
Dark Cousin
s
are involved
.”

The Interstate took us nearer to the mountains in the east. Willard Bay and its campgroun
ds stretched out west of us. I ca
me here
with my ex
,
Colin
,
to watch for bald eagles
one winter
.
Dumping me was the best thing Col ever did. He marri
ed a girl from Mantua last year and
they are already expecting a little Colin Junior.

“Something I don’t understand,” I said to Royal. “Pr
ide’s been all over the country;
don’t tell me other Gelpha haven’t seen him
.
”

“
I agree. And if the Gelpha community here knows, so does the Council.”

Does
this goes deeper than I thought
?
I
would not
be surprised.
Lawr
ence’s last council was crooked;
this one could be as bad for all I knew.

Maybe
Lynn’s killer was not a Cousin, but
a Gelpha who
botched an attempt to erase his fingerprints.

Nice try, Tiff, but doesn’t explain away a Dark Cousin attacking Royal and trying to shoot
both of
you.

“I’m coming with you.”

I expected him to say no, but he agreed. “Until this is over, we are safer together.”

We drove
directly
to Montague Square, parked outside the market and
walked to the Gate. Traveling the Ways had b
ecome
almost
commonplace.
I automatically stepped
inside
Royal’s embrace and let him whisk me along.
Almost
, because I doubt
I’
ll ever be
comfortable
with this mode of travel. But I stood on the sidewalk
in Ambrose
feeling
at ease
, not psyched by the Gelpha in our proximity
as they went
about their daily business.

Royal hailed a cab, a long, narrow, sleek green machine with gold trim on doors and wheel hubs. We clambered in
the back
, Royal told the driver we wanted the High House
and off we went.

I think we travel
ed the same route I took before
when I rode the blue bus. I recognized a
few
building
s
, sign
s and
intersection
s
.
Then we were in the countryside driving between
rolling grass-clad hills
which swept
from both sides of the road, copse of trees, the road running over swells and
through
vales. The sky, as
always, was pale, sunless blue and
the air humid.

The car turned down a narrow lane enclosed by high hedges
and trees
with
l
imbs
which
stretch
ed
overhead till their tips meshed
. T
he dirt surface
had been
packed
down
by the passage of thousands of feet and vehicles
. A flash of white wall caught
the corner of my eyes;
we
were nearing
the High House.
The cab swung
around
a wide bend and pulled up in front of the High House’s grand portico.

“Wait for us, for as long as it takes,” Royal told the driver after we
exited
the cab.

We went up the steps to the open door and inside the huge white hall with its floor-to-ceiling windows
,
and two slick staircases curving to the upper floor either side. No mor
e than a score of Gelpha waited and they
st
ood as
still as statues. We paused inside the entrance.

“Someone will come for us,” Royal said quietly.

The Council
knew we were here. They knew we were coming the moment we set foot in
Bel-Athaer. Only Dark Cousins go
t in undetected, and
please
God
never
let it
happen
again
. Dagka Shan’s
incursion could have ended in disaster. People died, but it could have been
more than a handful
.

Sky-blue gown billowing
at
her ankles, a
woman whose long silver
-blue
hair fell down her back to her knee
s swept down the left staircase
. Flat-soled
blue
shoes on dainty feet seemed to skim the slick-looking steps. I loathed those steps, they looked dangerous. A banister would have helped.

She floated over the floor and smiled at Royal from huge, slanting silvery-blue eyes. Talk about knowing how to coordinate
,
everything about her matched:
hair, eyes and
clothes
. After the smile, she di
pped down in
a graceful curts
y. “How may I be of assistance,
my
Lord?”

Royal smiled at her. “I would speak to the High Lord
and C
ouncil on official business.
”

She came upright. “
If you will follow me
.” And off she swept, back up the staircase.

The other Gelpha eyed us curiously.
They dazzled me, in their formal silks and velvets, sparkling jewels, shimmering met
allic hair and glittering eyes.
T
hey were like fireflies sparking in my peripheral vision
as we went up the steps
.

Knowing how
much
I hated the stairs, Royal tucked my hand in the crook of his arm and stepped slowly.

I could walk
straight down the passage
to the Council Chamber’s big double doors blindfolded
.
Two Gelpha with dark—
brown hair threaded with glittering black and dark-copper eyes, who looked like brothers, sto
od either side. They wore tight
velvet pants, leather ankle boots, embroidered vests over silk shirts and held long, slender swords.
I presumed they were guards, although it was hard to tell as those employed in the High Lord’s service do
n
o
t wear a uniform.
They dipped their heads and one opened the door.

The councilor
s
were already in the chamber
or got there quickly
every time Royal and I came to see them
. Today was no exception. In an ornately carved, high-backed wood chair which dwarfed him,
y
oung Hig
h Lord Lawrence sat on a dais at the
facing side of the circular room. His father Gryphon sat beside him on a slightly smaller but no less ornate chair. The six councilors
stood
behind a table which faced the dais. I
knew
Darja, her fading-salmon hair done up in
a topknot, a loose, shimmering, dusty-pink gown
flowing down her slim figure. I a
lso
recognized
Brismal, another
Gelpha who Cicero imprisoned in his mountain. Brismal had lost his fascinating little pot belly during the incarceration, fascinating b
ecause he was the only Gelpha I ha
d seen who lacked a perfect build. I recognized the other four councilors, but didn’t know their names.

Two vacant chairs waited over at one side between the Lords and the Council. We went over there but didn’t sit. Sitting seemed too casual a stance for what we had to say.

Lawrence stood and made a half-bow in our direction. “As ever, your presence pleases us, Ryel,” he said in his formal voice.

“
Thank you for seeing us, my Lord
,” Royal
replied
solemnly
as his gaze swept over Lawrence, his father and the councilors
.

Lawrence sat down.
Royal squared his shoulders. “I come before you as Enforcer f
or the human sphere,” he began.

At his tone, Gryphon’s and Lawrence’s expressions smoothed out and their eyes darkened imperceptibly
, as if they felt Royal’s tension thrum in the air between them.

But
Gryphon interrupted
before Royal did more than say
Pride
occupied a government position
. “We know of Robert Pride.”

Holy hell. If the C
ouncil and Lords were in on this, we were in trouble.
“You know?” burst from my lips.

“The other sphere is home for many Gelpha, they occupy all walks of life. Why should they not have a place in government?
”

“They shouldn’t occupy that walk of life. He uses his abilities to sway voters. He makes
people
he
meets
adore him. Nobody in po
litics should have that power.”

Royal’s knee deliberately nudged mine. I ignored him.

“
Robert Pride’s achievements on behalf of h
is constituents are commendable,
”
a councilor with bright copper hair said as he leaned back in his chair, one palm molding the side of his face.

Lawrence gave me a look I interpreted as reassuring. I
did not feel
reassured.
Thousands of Gelpha lived in my world
and likely thought
a Gelpha in
the
government was a tremendous coup.
Heck, if the Council was anything to go by, the whole of Bel-Athaer considered it an accomplishment.

I spoke slowly. I didn’t want them to miss one word.
“M
y friend Lynn spoke to him and ended up dead, probably at th
e hands of Dark Cousins.
Cousins tried to kill us too.”

That shocked them
. Two councilors
stiffened
, the others stirred uneasily.
Lawrence blanched.

Gryphon came to his feet. “What is this?”

Royal told them the rest, ending with, “Nothing can be proven, but I think
the implications
warrant bringing Pride in for questioning.”

Gryphon sank down next to Lawrence. In a heavy silence, I heard
myself breathe
. From the way they stared past us, I had the feeling
their
thoughts had scattered and they were trying to pull them back together again.

Lawrence moistened his lips and looked at me. “What do you make of i
t, Miss Banks?” he asked
softly.

I lifted my hands, a ge
sture of helplessness. “I can’t
say for sure.
I think Lynn told Pride she knew what he is, but why
would
he kill
her for that? It seems m
ore likely he’d tell her to go ahead, spread the word,
because
no one
would believe her.”

“And the Cousins?” from Gryphon.

“I cannot believe a Gelpha associate
s
with Cousins, let alone persuade
s
them to murder a human.
Yet Lynn Summers ran for her life after speaking to Pride. A Cousin killed her, and Cousins tried to kill me and Tiff. Why?” Royal
raked one hand through his hair.
“
Tiff and I have been over it too many times to count, we can only take it one step at a time and the first step is
to
question Pride.”

Gryphon stood again. “If you will excuse us, the High Lord and I will return shortly.
”

Lawrence
used his hands on the
chair arms
to help himself up.
He and his father
moved behind the dais to a door and left the chambers.

Royal and I stood there like
lampposts while the councilors whispered among themselves. Royal could hear them, but being a Gelpha without all the benefits, I heard nothing but murmurs. I looked
at
the room
, but nothing had changed and I ha
d seen it before, so I looked at my feet and tried not to think about anything.

Lawrence and his father returned a
fter what seemed like an age
.
They mounted the dais and stood before their seats.

Lawrence cleared his throat, then said,
“Ryel, I charge you to apprehend Robert Pride and bring him here. Do you need anything from us?”

“Yes. Six men. We cannot risk Pride
escaping
us.”

“You have them.” Lawrence looked
beyond the councilors to where the silver-haired woman stood
in the doorway
. I had
no
t heard or noticed her entrance. “Please go with Clesance
. Your men will join you
in due course
.”

We followed Clesance from the chamber and
down the wide corridor, then down a side passage
, through a small
room -
small by Gelpha stand
ards, about fifteen feet square -
and
along
another passage
to a side door.
She showed us
to
a
room
crammed with furniture. Couches, massive sideboards, tables of
varied
shapes and sizes, high-backed armchairs, footstools, table lamps
and a clock as big as a pony. B
rocade and wood and gilt, the lot perched on deep, plush
blue
carpet. Two large
multi—
paned windows looked out on an expanse of lawn, lake, ponds, trees and tiny summerhouses surrounded by the
High House’s
four
inner walls
.