Dark Heart Rising (27 page)

I made my way to the Great Room where the last of the guests were sitting around at table, supping grape juice, or whatever it was, helping themselves to the slabs of cheese and oatey-looking biscuits laid out on the table. I even saw the band, the Vampire Jazz Quartet, deep in conversation at one end of the room.

As I walked in, all eyes immediately alighted on me, and I saw faces leaning into each other whispering. I found a seat apart from everyone and settled myself on it, concentrating my gaze on the tablecloth. When I did allow myself to look up, I was relieved to see that the occupants of the room had lost interest.

All except one.

I looked up, and my heart sank at the sight of Lowe standing at the entrance to the room. Thankfully he had made himself absent while all the drama had been going on in the hall, but seeing him, lounging – insouciant and mocking – in the doorway, brought back memories of another time, another palace party, and another me. I swallowed my food and tried to set my face in an unfazed expression.

‘You?’ he drawled, coming towards me. ‘My goodness. You had me fooled I must say …’ He pulled up a chair next to me and I couldn’t stop myself from shrinking away.

‘I am not interested in anything you have to say,’ I said, lifting my chin. ‘I’ll be gone soon.’

He regarded me, a weirdly peaceful look on his face.

‘Not yet, I don’t think. Raphael may want a few … words with you first.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Well I have nothing to say to him, either.’

‘Oh, but you are now implicated in a serious contravention of the law.’ His self-assured tone sent a surge of irritation through me.

I inhaled, to stop myself from reacting in the way he wanted.

‘Go away,’ I said blankly.

‘But this is important, this is not just between you and Luca …’ He put his cracker back on the table. ‘Who is Soren? Where did he come from? Nobody knows him. Lila – well, Lila is confused. She is gibbering something about a brother, but’ – Lowe looked about us, before leaning even closer, his tone confidential – ‘Lila is a sweet, innocent girl. I just wonder what exactly
his
motivation is?’ He raised an eyebrow, indicating that I should explain.

I shrugged. ‘Nothing that you should concern yourself with,’ I told him. ‘Really. It is none of your business, Lowe.’

He sat back. ‘You’ve developed a bit of a backbone, haven’t you? Or perhaps you have just exposed your true character?’ He grimaced. ‘You’re still trouble. And you will harm our family … And that boy being held downstairs – he is trouble too.’

‘So what do you want?’

Lowe frowned. ‘I want him thrown out of Nissilum. But mostly I want you gone. We don’t want the likes of you on Nissilum.’

‘We?’ I said boldly. ‘Perhaps it is just you?’

‘We don’t accept mortals infecting our society with their loose morality,’ he replied coldly.

‘We have a word for people like you in my world,’ I told him, shaking my head.

‘I’m assuming it isn’t complimentary … ’ He eyed me. ‘Have it your way, then. But one way or another you will not get what you want. You’re a miserable, doomed mortal. One day you will die, and you will deserve to … All of you do. You have no proper society. No real authority. You all do exactly as you wish, and damn the consequences.’ He slammed his palm down on the table, jolting me, and making everyone else in the room look over in our direction. Ignoring them, Lowe got up, pushing back his shoulders arrogantly.

‘You’re wrong about that,’ I whispered.

‘They’ll be asking for you soon,’ he told me. ‘If I were you, I’d get my story straight. The Celestials don’t look kindly on subterfuge.’

With a last look around the room, Lowe walked out of it, leaving me the subject, yet again, of unearthly intrigue.

T
hough the expression on his face was one of fierce authority, appropriate to his status, Raphael felt curiously excited. He had lain awake all night, eyes wide open, running through the bizarre events of the night before.

But were they bizarre?

For as soon as Luca had come in and told them all of Soren’s revelation, an important part of the puzzle had fitted into place. If Soren was to be believed, then he could indeed be Saul, the renegade cub who had committed that infamous crime, documented by the palace, all those years ago. Soren’s connection with the vampires was the one jarring fact; given the bad blood that lay between the vampires and the werewolves – throughout entire mythology – how had Vanya and her lot come to be his family?

Raphael was wired as he walked the cellar corridors, impatient to get to the prisoner. He had got very little out of Jane Jonas, who had been protective of Soren when he’d talked to her last night – refusing to deny or confirm anything. The girl had got tougher, Raphael had observed. No longer the fresh-faced, trusting creature she had been when he first knew her.

The guard outside Soren’s cell was slumped on his chair half asleep. As Raphael approached, he cleared his throat to announce his arrival.

The guard jerked awake, fumbling, embarrassed, with his hat, and getting to his feet.

‘Sir?’ He nodded, the keys at his waist jangling. ‘Good morning, Your Celestial Highness.’

Raphael nodded back curtly, his eyes on the grid on the door.

‘One moment …’ The guard shuffled to the grid, opening it to take a view of the prisoner inside.

‘Wake up, boy,’ he said gruffly. ‘Make yourself ready for your visitor.’ There was the sound of shuffling and coughing, and the guard motioned to Raphael to go in.

As he entered the cell he saw the large dark shadows underneath the boys eyes which, like his hair, glistened black. Soren was gazing at him, but without emotion. Raphael took a chair from its place against a wall and drew it up in front of the boy.

They exchanged a look of hostility then, but of some understanding too.

‘Who are you?’ Raphael said without preamble.

‘Interesting question.’ Soren had the beginnings of a small smile on his face. ‘Interesting that
you
should ask it.’

‘What does that mean? Are we going to be talking in riddles? Is this another part of the game?’

‘It’s not a game,’ said Soren. ‘I assure you of that.’

‘So … answer my question. Tell me the truth. What was that display all about yesterday?’

‘The truth needed to be heard.’ Soren sat forward and bent his head over clasped hands. ‘This whole place – is like a perfect rosy apple, but deep inside there is a rotten core. You are all delusional.’

Not all of us
, thought Raphael, but he said nothing, waiting for Soren to continue.

‘I spent a long time hiding the truth from myself – growing cold-hearted, but then something happened. I came back here to see Vanya Borgia—’

‘Vanya is a friend of yours?’

‘An old friend.’ Soren gave him a wry smile. ‘It was Vanya who showed me true friendship many years ago. After’ – Soren hesitated – ‘after I did what I did.’

‘Tell me,’ Raphael said calmly, ‘what … exactly … did you do?’

‘If I tell you, then that’s it.’ Soren sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. ‘You would be hard pressed to find a punishment severe enough to fit my crime. It is simply unacceptable. Why do you think I ran away, hid myself from everyone for so many years?’

There was a tense silence. Outside the cell, the two of them heard the guard snoring lightly. It would have been a comical moment, if either boy felt in the least bit humorous.

‘What if I told you there would be no punishment?’ Raphael looked hard at Soren. ‘That in return for your help, this whole thing would be forgotten?’

The other boy frowned. ‘I don’t want it forgotten,’ he said. ‘And in what way would I “help”? I don’t understand.’

‘I believe you share my opinion of Nissilum – the rules, the rigidity of its traditions. And now that the cracks are beginning to show, I realise it is all an utter sham. Even my own family—’

‘Are corrupt?’ Soren’s expression was at once lit up by a wry smile.

‘You find it funny?’

‘No – no, not funny … just terribly predictable. Of course they are corrupt.’ He shook his head. ‘My family were certainly corrupt – or at least my parents were. My mother committed a sin – and then she covered it up. When I found out, I—’

‘What did she do?’

‘She was unfaithful to my father … became pregnant. With me.’

Raphael’s eyes widened. ‘Indeed, that is unusual. You wolves are such sticklers for fidelity. You pride yourselves on it.’

Soren answered with a wan smile.

‘How old were you when you discovered this?’ Raphael asked.

‘Ten. And I never would have … had a stranger not told me.’ Soren sat up, looking more animated. ‘Just walked into my life, and then out again, leaving me to deal with it. My real father—’

‘So you have come back here to find the family you have left – and that is all?’

‘Is that so hard to believe?’ Soren stared at him. ‘That I should want to find the sister I grew up with. My closest companion.’

Raphael shrugged. ‘I suppose not. But you realise that what you did has not been made public. Deliberately. Why would Henora believe you? Why would Lila?’ He hesitated. ‘I wonder why you were simply sent away …’

‘Because the Celestials have no idea how to deal with the kind of crime I committed,’ Soren said. ‘It is not in their remit.’

‘Indeed not.’ Raphael sighed. ‘I need to think about this. Perhaps there is a way we can be of help to each other.’

Soren raised an eyebrow. ‘You mean to leave me here.’

‘I need to look as though I am dealing with you … There are certain troublesome factions who bay for blood, as it were. I need to attend to a few things,’ Raphael told him. ‘But you are safer here, for the time being.’

Soren shrugged. ‘I have to trust you. I have no choice.’

‘No, you don’t.’ Raphael got to his feet. ‘But I appreciate your honesty.’

He left the cell, turning things over in his mind. He didn’t know what to make of Soren, but something told him, there was more to the boy’s story than he was letting on.

I
 had changed back into my own clothes, but in every other way I didn’t feel myself.

I sat on the bed in Vanya’s room, wondering how, if, I would get home. Soren was still at the palace, and the only other person who could help me was holed up with his parents. Not that he would help me. I was mixed up with Soren now – the enemy – as far as Luca was concerned.

I also didn’t want to leave until I knew what would happen to Soren. Vanya had gone back to the palace this morning, but Soren had sent her home again.

‘Apparently I am surplus to requirements,’ she’d told me as I sat waiting for her in her dark kitchen basement. ‘Raphael tells me that Soren doesn’t need anyone’s help, that he won’t be punished. I can’t say I find that terribly reassuring. Raphael is not exactly known for his consistency …’ For the first time I saw Vanya looking something less than coolly beautiful. She looked wiped out.

I fell back on the bed, and as my head hit the pillow I felt tiredness overwhelming me and my eyelids closing. Faces, voices flashed inside my head. Lila, confused and child-like; Soren’s pain and unexpected vulnerability; and Luca. Still standing his ground. His was the last face I saw, those green eyes, that look of softness when he realised my intentions were good. And then his face faded and sleep came.

‘Jane, wake up.’ Vanya was shaking the bedclothes, her face a picture of anxiety. ‘There is something going on out there …’

I sat up blearily, the sound of shouting ending my peace. Vanya was at the window, craning her head to see what was happening.

‘So, who is it?’ I rubbed at my eyes, putting my legs out and on to the ground.

‘What a ghastly noise!’ she muttered, then turned to me. ‘There seems to be some kind of protest going on … I am sure that’s the wolf-boy’s brother out there. I forget his name …’ She wrinkled her nose, thinking.

‘Lowe?’ Suddenly I was alert, jumping up and joining her where she stood. Down below, Lowe and a couple of his werewolf friends I vaguely recognised appeared to be rousing the gathering crowds.

‘We need to cleanse Nissilum of this creature … and of the mortal girl in our midst,’ he spat out nastily. ‘She has wrangled her way into this world to seduce my brother, despite the fact that he is about to be married!’ She is the real poison.’ He cast a glance up at Vanya’s house, and she and I ducked away from the window and out of his view.

There was shocked murmuring from the observers gathered around him, faces frowning. Lowe was garnering support.

‘Idiot boy.’ Vanya sighed. ‘It’s always the young who are destructive … So full of misguided vitriol. Such a pity. Youth is indeed wasted on them.’

‘The Celestial monarchy are too soft on criminals. Let’s hope that the heir to the Celestial kingdom will come down harder on these renegades in our society!’ Lowe shouted. ‘If justice were done, Soren Balzac would have been banished from Nissilum by now. The mortal girl needs to be taught a lesson she will never forget.’