This Same Earth: Elemental Mysteries Book 2 (43 page)

Giovanni glanced back at the silent water vampire who piloted them, and Baojia caught his look but only shrugged, seemingly unconcerned to make his opinions public.

They entered a small bay and approached the dock that reached into the ocean. A crew of humans met the junk and tied it up before helping them off with quick movements and near-constant smiles. 

The sounds of Mandarin filled the air, though the humans looked to be a mix of ethnicities from all over China. Giovanni pushed the humans back to help Beatrice off the boat and up the walkway, only to be met at the road by two hand-drawn carriages that were pulled by even more human servants. He tossed their small bags into one, which Baojia boarded with a quick nod, then Giovanni helped Beatrice into the second, and they started up the cobbled road toward the castle at the top of the hill.

Taking advantage of the weak human ears, Giovanni whispered to Beatrice in English.

“Remember what we talked about. Be very cautious what you say and what you commit to when talking with anyone. You are taken at your word here, and must always follow through or you will lose face.”

“Got it. I’ll be careful.”

“And remember, everyone will smile. Even if they want to kill you, they’ll do it with a smile to your face and a knife to your back.”

He felt her begin to tremble and he pulled her closer.

“I won’t ever leave you unless I absolutely must. Trust me and Tenzin. No one else.”

“And now I’m scared.”

Giovanni was too, and he hated bringing her into such an unknown situation, but he knew that the possibility of open conflict on the sacred mountain in the middle of the sea was also very low.

“Don’t be scared. Be smart. You’ll do fine. Just remember, everyone has an agenda.”

He tucked her head under his chin and stroked her hair. A large part of him wanted to force the carriage around and take her back to the safety of the plane, but he knew that running was no longer an option. Lorenzo had forced their hands with Ioan’s death and Beatrice’s abduction. Giovanni was convinced they had to find her father and the book he carried if they were ever going to end this.

Their carriage approached the grand gate to the Temple of the Eight Immortals. Two giant stone lions guarded the steps leading to the entrance and Baojia waited nearby. He held a hand out for Beatrice and helped her down when the carriage came to a stop. Two human servants in dull brown robes rushed off with their bags and the carriages sped away, leaving the two vampires and the human woman standing at the great gold gate of the palace.

He heard Baojia sigh. “Let’s get the circus over with, I’m hungry.”

The two vampires flanked Beatrice, Giovanni walking slightly forward and to her right, while Baojia stepped behind her and took up her left side. Their eyes scanned the long staircase and the surrounding forest as they began climbing.

When they reached the top, two human servants met them and swung open massive doors painted gold and decorated with semiprecious stones set in elaborate patterns. The entrance to the palace was designed to impress, and by the look on Beatrice’s awestruck face, it was working.

A hum seemed to come from beyond the antechamber when they walked in and two smaller, but more elaborately decorated, doors swung open. They walked down another set of steps and into a massive stone courtyard lit with more golden lamps and decorated with ancient stone statues. Fountains and pools flowed through the space and a huge open lawn ran through the center.

The flaming lanterns and flowing water, the open earth and empty sky all combined to provide a perfect balance of the four elements mastered by the immortal Elders that dwelled in the palace. Giovanni, Beatrice, and Baojia crossed the lawn dotted with tall, twisting rocks, and walked up a second set of steps leading to the main hall of the complex.

Through it all, Giovanni kept an eye on Beatrice, watching her as she took in the grandeur of the Eight Immortals and the wealth on display. She was subdued and looked around with curiosity, but no great outward reaction. She was handling herself perfectly, he thought as he reached back and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

They climbed the steps and waited for an even more elaborate set of carved doors, overlaid in pure gold, to be pulled open by saffron-robed monks. Finally, they entered the Hall of the Elders and Giovanni paused, taking a deep breath to sense the air.

The few times he had come to this place in his five hundred years of existence, the sheer spectacle of it was enough to start his heart. The hall was lined by great malachite pillars and the walls were coated in silver. The lamps were gold and the floor was a pure, white marble. Deep red, rosewood benches lined the walls, but the eye was drawn to the end of the hall, where eight ancient thrones were placed, each from the era and province of the immortal who sat on them.

His eyes moved from left to right as he faced them.

Elder Zhang Guo, the oldest of the eight, was Tenzin’s sire and a warlord of some kind from the ancient steppes of the North.

Royal Uncle Cao, the youngest of the eight, was still over twelve hundred years old. An earth vampire of unknown origin, he usually wore a pleasant smile.

The Immortal Woman, He Xiangu, sat next to Cao. She met the eyes of her fellow fire vampire, who nodded at her with respect.

Lu Dongbin, the ancient water-master, scholar, and reluctant leader of the eight, sat near the center next to Zhongli Quan, the wind vampire who met him in uneasy truce. The two had been embroiled in a somewhat polite tug-of-war for power for over two millennia.

The earth-master and legendary healer, Iron Crutch Li sat next to Zhongli, and next to him was possibly the most enigmatic immortal Giovanni had ever met.

Lan Caihe was a fire vampire and had been turned at a very young age, but that was all anyone knew about him…or her. No one even knew that much, and Lan wasn’t sharing.

The last of the eight was the philosopher and water vampire, Han Xiang, a watchful immortal with an enigmatic smile. 

Giovanni estimated that at least sixty other vampires and numerous humans milled around the room, positioned in relation to their allies and associates. All of them paused and turned when Giovanni, Beatrice and Baojia entered the room.

As one, the Eight Immortals wearing identical white robes rose to greet them, and the rush of energy that rolled through the room was enough to make Beatrice stumble back.

“Welcome, Giovanni Vecchio,” Zhang greeted him in Mandarin. “And welcome, Baojia. Your presence is unexpected, but not unwelcome.”

Baojia nodded, but refrained from bowing toward Zhang.

He Xiangu, the Immortal Woman, smiled and nodded as she surveyed the group. “It is pleasant to have such respected vampires in our midst, particularly a famed one of my own element, but who is this young human you have with you? Who is this girl who warrants protection from both the lion and the dragon?”

Giovanni stepped forward. “Elder He, may I introduce the granddaughter of Don Ernesto Alvarez, a friend of Tenzin, and my companion, Beatrice De Novo.” He motioned Beatrice forward and she nodded respectfully toward the eight, as Giovanni had instructed her. When she spoke, it was in English, which Giovanni knew all the Elders spoke.

“I am honored to be introduced to the hall. Thank you for your invitation, Elder Zhang Guo.”

“You are welcome here, Miss De Novo,” Zhang answered with a smile. “It is my pleasure to meet my daughter’s dear friend.” He looked to Giovanni as if searching for a reaction when he continued, still in English. “I believe there is another present in the hall who is even more pleased to see you than the Elders.”

Zhang nodded toward Lu, who lifted an open hand and motioned to the side of the enormous room. The crowd parted to reveal a slim vampire dressed in the dull, grey robes common among scholars of the court. Giovanni recognized him immediately and turned to Beatrice to hold her hand when she gasped in recognition.

“Dad?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Hunter
is the author and independent publisher of the
Elemental Mysteries Series
.

She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College in the Department of English (Linguistics) and a former English teacher.

A native of Central California, she now lives in Southern California with her husband, son, and an assortment of dogs. She enjoys reading, writing, travel, and bowling (despite the fact that she’s not very good at it.)

Learn more about her writing at her author website,
elizabethhunterwrites.com
or contact her by e-mail at
[email protected]