Summoning Shadows: A Rosso Lussuria Vampire Novel (19 page)

“Spying on vampires is a dangerous hobby,” Augusten said, his voice smooth and detached. “I will ask you one question and only one. If you answer falsely, you will be executed by my guardswoman. Why were you spying?”

The man shifted against the wall, his hands coated in the blood spilling from the wound high on his chest.

“Because the Rosso Lussuria vampires need my help.” He raised his face defiantly, his azure eyes filled with stubborn courage.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw understanding dawn over Vasco’s features.

King Augusten spared a glance at Istania and Istania tipped her head. Yes, he was telling the truth.

Augusten moved in a blur of black leather. A sword rang from his sheath; the man against the wall raised his hand and swept it in an arc through the air. Augusten’s sword went flying, clanging against the stone before he could point it fully at the injured man.

Vasco gave a choked sound as if he was trying to restrain a laugh. All faces in the room turned on him.

A wave of irritation rippled from Augusten. “Do you know this man?”

“Sì,” Vasco continued to laugh. “Ah, sì. I believe I do. And you know me, if I am not mistaken?” he said to the man on the ground.

“Sì, padre.”

Vasco sheathed his sword and strode forward. He held a hand to help the man up. “Does your mother know you have been following her?”

The man’s eyes, a startling mirror image of Vasco’s, narrowed. “No.”

Augusten raised his hand in a gesture and his guardsmen turned their bows on Vasco. Istania hesitated, briefly, before she too directed her weapon as her king had ordered.

Renata stepped forward. “Augusten…”

“You should have told me you brought one of the Stregha into my kingdom, Renata.”

“We did not know we were being followed, King Augusten.”

Augusten turned to Vasco. “Is that so? This man says he is your son, but you are a vampire. How is that possible?”

“It is so, I did not know we were being followed. It was a very long time ago, King Augusten. Stregherian witches do not age as mortals.”

Cuinn answered my silent question.
They’re descended from Fata blood, remember?

The Fatas are immortal?

Aye, and if the Stregha have enough of our blood in their lineage, they age very slowly.

So some of the Stregha do age?

If the magic in their blood is weak, aye.

Istania spoke in Vasco’s defense as she lowered her bow. “He is telling the truth. He did not know the boy followed him,” she said. “And I think if the witch meant any direct harm he would have done more than disarm you, my lord.”

Augusten nodded and the guards lowered their bows one at a time.

“You say the Rosso Lussuria needs your help and that is why you have been following them?” Augusten asked, then said, “Stand up, boy.”

“I am older than some of the vampires in this room. Do not call me a boy.” He rose with some difficulty, grimacing as it obviously pained him to rise. Vasco stepped back when he realized his son was not going to take the hand he offered, though he uncertainly hovered nearby. The man pressed his hand more solidly against his chest in attempt to staunch the flow of blood and winced.

“No,” Vasco said, a thread of sadness in his tone. “You are a man fully grown now. I am sorry. I never knew. I want you to know that had I known, I would have found you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” the man said. “I’ve found you.”

“How?” Vasco asked.

“As you said. I followed my mother. She’s always been tight-lipped.” He coughed, spitting on the cave’s floor with an expression of disgust. “And was even more so when she left to help you. I knew something was amiss.”

“And so you took to spying on her?”

Vasco’s son grinned widely, and a pang of sorrow and regret made my chest tight. I felt Vasco’s emotions like they were my own.

“Sì. My mother quite despises you,” he said, wincing again, his chest rising harshly as he fought to breathe. “I know she’s withdrawn her aid.”

“It was requested that she withdraw her aid,” Vasco said. “Do you need a healer?”

“I’m healing. Your vampire just dealt me a deep wound.”

I flicked my gaze to Nirena, who didn’t bother to apologize or even look terribly sorry.

“My mother is a fickle woman,” he said. “She never wanted me to know you. Well, I know you now and I know your clan is in trouble.”

“Why would you offer your aid?” I asked.

“I am not like my mother,” he said. “I have gifts she does not possess.”

“What gifts are those?” Augusten asked.

“I can see the true nature of a person.”

“And what do you see?” Vasco asked, inching closer to him.

“In you? I see strength. I see loyalty and honor and humor. I see pain and sadness and a man not held back by life’s misgivings. I see a man that fixes his heart to the compass of love, not retribution and hate. My mother cannot see past her own wounds,” he said, leaning against the wall and letting it bear his weight. “She never has. I would come to know you, if you would allow it.”

I looked at Vasco then and though he made no noise, tears trickled down the paleness of his cheeks in the firelight.

My chest grew tight again.

Vasco smiled sadly. “I would like that.”

“Well,” Augusten interrupted, “now that your little family reunion is settled. Shall we carry on with more pressing matters?”

Renata kept her gaze pinned on Augusten when she said, “Vasco, take your son to your quarters and have Nirena heal the wounds she’s dealt him.”

“I do not need healing,” Vasco’s son protested.

“You will,” Nirena said, “and only I can heal what I’ve dealt.”

Vasco laid a hand on his shoulder. “What is your name?”

“Emilio,” he said. “My name is Emilio, father.”

Vasco slipped an arm around Emilio’s waist and helped guide him to his chambers while Nirena and Anatharic trailed behind.

King Augusten escorted us to his private study to continue our discussion. “I will send some of my guards with you when you take your leave,” he said to Renata. “As I said I would and as a show of reinforcing our newfound alliance. Tell me, what will you do with the other clans? Will you travel to them as you have traveled here?”

“I do not yet know,” Renata said, though she seemed to consider it. “It is dangerous.”

“It is,” Augusten said. “As it was for you to come here, but you came anyway. Why? It has been long since we last met. What made you think I wouldn’t have you captured and imprisoned?”

Renata smiled coyly. “I did not think you had changed that much in some hundred years, Augusten. You were always more fair-minded than that, I think.”

Augusten toyed with his facial hair. “Was I so easy to read, even then?”

“Yes.”

“I would have formed an alliance with you without the bribe, you know.”

“I know,” Renata said, “but I too try to be fair.”

“The others won’t be like me. Some, perhaps, but not all. We know one another of old, but there are those you do not know, Renata. I’ve met King Circen of the Reve Noir clan. He will not be easily convinced. Might I offer you some advice?”

Renata raised her brows, but said, “If it pleases you, Augusten.”

“Let me send word to them again, all of the surrounding clans. Set a date to meet with each of the rulers on neutral territory. Queen Helamina of Ravenden expressed a certain amount of interest. I think she will be easily wooed into an alliance. I can only guarantee you safe passage to Helamina’s territory, as she is a friend of old. What will you?”

“Send word to Queen Helamina, if you will, and we will go from there.”

“Shall I send word that she should expect a visit from you?”

“Do you trust her?”

“Yes.”

Slowly and obviously slipping into thought, Renata nodded. “We might as well.”

I spared a glance at Iliaria.

“If King Augusten sends his men, we cannot carry all of them,” she said.

“Not to worry, Great Siren,” Augusten said. “There are those among us that have their own preferred methods of travel.”

“So it is decided?” she asked, her gaze sliding from Augusten to Renata. “We will go speak with this Queen Helamina before returning to your kingdom or reaching out to the others?”

“So it seems,” Renata said.

*

It did not take long for Istania to fetch us with word from King Augusten. A few hours passed, at the most. It seemed awfully quick for the message to have been delivered by bat and so I wondered how Augusten had contacted Queen Helamina. Istania and a handful of Augusten’s guards escorted us to meet with him again. Vasco’s son, Emilio, was whole and healed.

We were led to another circular chamber. There was a small reflective pool of water in the middle of the room. Unlike the others, the room was not lit by any torchlight. Two of the guards that headed our party procured lit torches from outside and carried them in. Augusten stood before the pool. At the edge of the pool, water droplets splashed down into it, sending the reflected torchlight flickering as if the water itself had caught on fire.

“Queen Helamina awaits your audience, Queen Renata.” He swept his arm outward, gesturing toward the pool.

“Is Queen Helamina a fish, Augusten? I do not understand.”

“Gulliver,” the king said.

Gulliver tossed back his hood and went to the edge of the pool while Augusten spoke. “I told you, there are those within my clan that have their own means of travel.”

“Ah,” Renata said, watching Gulliver as he placed his palms flat over the open pool. The pool rippled as if he’d thrown a stone into it, and a small breeze of power made the curls of my hair cling to my damp cheeks.

Gulliver stood back and bowed his head. “It is done, my lord.”

“A veil parter,” Renata murmured, “how quaint. I did not know the clan of Bull Shoals boasted of such power.”

“Some powers are best not boasted of.”

“Hmm,” she mused. “Your secret is safe with me, Augusten.”

“Good,” he said. “I’d hoped you’d say that. I will send five of my men and women with you. Istania, Gulliver, Titania, Anicetus, and Liberius. Each of them possesses skills that will aid you, have you need of them. And…” Augusten turned, waving forth another cloaked guardsman. The guardsman carried something covered in a cloak of exquisite crimson. “This,” Augusten said, “is for you, Lady Epiphany.”

For the second time in my life among the Rosso Lussuria, I was not sure how to react. Renata tipped her head slightly, just enough to let me know that I should indeed accept Augusten’s present.

The guard handed the large item to me. As soon as I took it and its weight hefted in my hand, I knew what it was.

“My lord?” I asked, perplexed.

“You seemed to have taken a liking to them, no?” Augusten asked with a boyish smile. “Worry not, lady. It is only a gift. The cloak too, is yours to keep.”

I sank into somewhat of a curtsey, as much as I could whilst holding the cage. “I cannot thank you enough, my lord.”

“No thanks necessary,” Augusten said. “It is my pleasure. Take good care of him and do not forget to let him out to hunt at night.”

I was not exactly sure what motivated Augusten’s gift, but I was not so foolish to believe it came without strings.

Gulliver moved to face the small body of water and raised his hands to his chest, as if he were about to pray. His hands parted and the water parted with them, forming two walls of water that stood on either side of a pathway leading to a doorway.

Emilio grumbled, “I could’ve done that.”

Vasco put a hand on his shoulder. “No doubt, but why waste the energy when there’s someone else to do it?”

The walkway was narrow, not as narrow as the entrance to the Bull Shoals kingdom, but narrow enough that we could only walk two at a time. Anatharic and Istania took the lead and we fell in behind them. Iliaria placed me between herself and Renata, while Vasco and his son walked behind her. Gulliver and the rest of Augusten’s guards took the back of our line.

Emilio said, “Wait,” and started working his way up toward the front of our group. Renata, Iliaria, and I formed a single line so that he could pass. “Let me lead with you,” he said to Anatharic. “As a precaution. I can help if we come under attack.”

“Asss you will, Ssstregherian.”

Nirena and Dominique moved to allow Emilio to walk beside the Great Sire.

“We will pass through the doorway and into the clan of Ravenden,” Gulliver said. “Queen Helamina will have sent others to await us on the other side.”

Anatharic and Emilio led. When Anatharic reached for the door handle, Emilio stopped him, holding a hand above it as if he was checking to make sure it wasn’t spelled. He opened the door and light from the other side spilled outward, making the dark walls of water glisten around us.