Embracing the Shadows (25 page)

I followed him back to a corner where a
hallway led off. It was posted as employees-only and there was a
security guy standing nearby, but we ignored both and strolled on
back.

It was an L-shaped hallway lined with doors
for offices and supply rooms. Turning the corner, I was surprised
to see Grigori Olinchenko standing next to an office door. He was
leaning against a wall and cleaning his nails. When Viggo and I
allowed ourselves to be seen, though, he snapped to attention.

"Grigori, I did not expect to find you at a
function such as this," Viggo said quietly as we approached.

"I didn't either, elder, especially with how
crowded it is. May I ask who your imposing friend is?"

"Ah, my apologies; you have met Mr. Beck
before." Olinchenko's eyes widened as he stared at me. Viggo
continued, saying, "He is the reason we are here this evening. What
is yours?"

The question brought Olinchenko back to
Viggo. "I followed your suggestion and met with my emissary, Mr.
Zapada," Olinchenko answered. "He took an interest in my
photography and insisted I meet with the Doyenne. Once he
introduced me, I was invited to this hosting to discuss sales of my
own work. I wait back here to avoid the crowd while I wait to see
if I can make some money. Did you have need of me?"

Because of the respect Olinchenko was showing
Viggo, I wondered if he was blood-bound as well. For that matter,
did my sire have any real friends at all? Did hemos like Barnabus
and Skin admire him for who he was, or were they simply forced to
kiss his butt? I didn't know anymore.

"Perhaps," Viggo answered. "Besides Doyenne
Le Meur and Mr. Horn, who else is in the room?"

"Emissary Zapada, for one; he seems . . .
quite taken with the Doyenne. I find it troubling. Also within is
the enforcer, a Mr. . . ."

"Tomasino," Viggo said. "Good, there will be
proper witnesses. Since they are aware of your presence, Grigori, I
ask that you make them aware of ours. As I recall, the Doyenne is
not overly fond of uninvited guests. Would you herald us,
please?"

It sounded more like an order than a
question. Olinchenko nodded and opened the door. I was the last one
to walk in, so I didn't catch anyone's initial reaction when he
said, "Doyenne and esteemed numen, the eldest Eidolon has requested
an audience." He then shut the door behind me.

The office was fairly spacious. There was a
desk and chairs to the right, a couch to my immediate left, and a
wet bar across from it against the far wall. Le Meur, wearing a
casual business suit, had just stood from her chair behind the
desk. Zapada, in stylish clothes to compliment his Greek features,
was getting up from his chair in the near right corner. Neither of
them looked happy at the intrusion.

Horn sat nearest to us, in a chair across the
desk from Le Meur. The last time I saw him was just after I jammed
tree branches in his chest; I wondered if he remembered. Sitting
there in jeans and a dress shirt, his young face under a mop of
sandy brown hair held a mix of emotions. Enric Tomasino, on the
other hand, showed only his wariness. In a sharp suit as always, he
stood near the wet bar that he'd laid his big sword on.

"Grigori," Zapada said through clenched
teeth, "what are you -"

"I will be quick," Viggo butted in. "It is
not my intent to disrupt your evening, which, for Mr. Horn's sake,
I hope is a pleasant one."

"Thank you, elder," Horn said quickly.

Le Meur glared at the young artist and
growled, "Be quiet, Sebastian." She then turned her glare to me and
Viggo, not that we were worried about it. Her bark no longer had
any bite, but I guess she had to put on a show for the sake of her
bloated pride. "You've already barged in," she said, casting a
withering glance at Olinchenko, "but you said you'd be quick. State
your business and be done with it, Veleti."

Letting Le Meur's bitchy attitude pass, Viggo
said, "As our laws mandate, and with good numen to bear witness, I
have come to present my scion. Doyenne, this is Leo Beck. You may
have heard of him."

I don't know what thoughts passed through Le
Meur's mind just then, but, judging by the expression on her
angelic face, none of them were good. She held her temper. "I do
not acknowledge Mr. Beck. I will not accept this introduction. He
must leave my city, now."

I wasn't able to tell, but I bet Viggo rolled
his eyes. "You cannot deny a proper introduction," he calmly
explained. "Nor can you cast out any numen without cause. Mr. Beck
has broken no law, vampire or mortal. He has been presented to you.
It is done. I bid you all a good evening."

Just as Viggo turned and gestured for me to
open the door to leave, Le Meur said, "You are forgetting
something, Veleti." He and I turned back to see her smug expression
mixed with a scowl. "I never gave you permission to create
progeny."

Shadows began to roll off Viggo. "That is not
a core law," he replied, low and ominous.

"So? As the Doyenne, I have every right to
use and enforce it at my discretion." The bitch was almost smiling,
thinking she had the upper hand. It didn't last long.

Viggo stepped closer to her; his form was out
of focus, and the room began to dim. "Emmeline," he said, his voice
sounding like a volcano about to erupt, "your vanity and your
despotism have left you undone. In your posturing, you have
overlooked the rights of your subjects." He used a single finger to
push the desk out of his way, making Horn scoot his chair back.

I noticed that Olinchenko moved nearer to
Zapada, and Tomasino rested a hand on the hilt of his sword. I kept
my place, as tense as everyone else.

"What right is that, Veleti?" Le Meur asked
with a snotty tone. She had more balls than brains.

"The right to challenge your rule," Viggo
answered as he reached for her.

A lot of shit happened at once, although I
mainly focused on Viggo. Tomasino pulled his sword out. Olinchenko
grabbed Zapada, who was yelling at him to let go. Horn stayed in
his chair, covering his head with his arms. Le Meur was fast, but
was also backed into a corner. She hit Viggo with a blur of
punches; they had no effect. He clamped a big hand around her
slender neck and lifted her up. Distorted shadows and void-ribbons
swirled around the room, disorienting everyone except my sire.

Darkness was quickly gathering behind Le
Meur, who struggled in Viggo's iron grip. The two Outsiders were
grappling; Zapada seemed stronger and faster, but Olinchenko had
wrestling skills. They distracted me from noticing Tomasino moving
forward and raising his sword.

I darted forward and caught one of Tomasino's
arms, ruining his attack on Viggo. Faster than I expected, he
pivoted and reversed his swing. The flat of his blade smacked me in
the side of my head and sent me reeling. He could've cut me with a
sword edge, but for some reason didn't.

Catching myself on the arm of the couch, I
saw that Tomasino had returned his attention to defend Le Meur. A
vertical, wavering black pit had formed behind her. The widening
hole into the abyss obscenely rippled and swelled, giving the
impression it was hungry.

Tomasino swung hard. The blade hit Viggo on
his left side, slicing through clothes and biting into tough flesh.
Barely flinching, my sire turned his head at the distraction. I
surged forward again and grabbed Tomasino by his suit. Using all
the strength I could muster, I twisted and flung the enforcer as
hard as I could toward the far side of the office.

I apparently didn't know the extent of the
power I had on hand. Tomasino sailed across the room and smashed
through the far wall, tumbling into the unlit storage space next
door.

"You do not deserve any further lenience,"
Viggo thundered at Le Meur. I turned to watch as he held her close,
their noses only inches apart. "You do not deserve mercy," he
continued. "You do not deserve the tolerance of your betters. Your
blood does not merit spilling. You are not worthy."

Legs kicking, hands uselessly slapping at the
arm that held her up, Le Meur franticly pleaded. "No, Veleti, do
not do this! I beg you!"

Viggo ignored her. Thrusting her away from
him into the black pit, he simply said, "The void welcomes you." Le
Meur and her screams were swallowed as she fell away into cold,
dark nothingness.

POLITICS

Emissary Vincent Zapada let out a bellow of
rage and tore away from Olinchenko's grasp. Before he could charge
two steps forward, Viggo swung a backhand fist that caught Zapada
in the face. The crunching impact slammed the emissary to the floor
in a heap. What a stupid bastard.

It was over. The distorted shadows dancing
around the office immediately faded away to their natural
positions. That's when I noticed Horn, who was cowering on his
knees over by the wet bar.

From the across the room, Tomasino said in a
demanding tone, "What have you done?" He was stepping back through
the hole he'd just made. His tie was crooked and his suit was dusty
from drywall, but he otherwise didn't appear to be hurt. "Where is
the Doyenne?"

"For all intents and purposes," Viggo stated
evenly, "Emmeline Le Meur is gone. Accept it as fact so that we can
move on. There are details to be handled."

Tomasino hesitated; he was in a tough spot.
"Look," I said to him, "I know it's your job to protect the
Doyenne, but like Viggo said . . . she's gone. We've got some shit
to handle here, and we could use your help, okay?"

There was a sudden pounding at the door, and
a muffled voice started asking questions. I guess that someone
being thrown through a wall made a bit of a ruckus. I yanked Horn
to his feet and harshly whispered for him to handle the guard out
in the hallway. We all waited in silence while he cracked open the
door, smoothly apologized for the noise, and said that everything
was fine.

As soon as the door shut, Tomasino said to
Viggo, "Eidolon, if you will not return Lady Le Meur, then we have
a vacant position. A vacuum in power will draw unwanted
attention."

"I am quite aware of the possible
consequences," he replied while looking down at Zapada's limp
body.

I felt a rush of panic, thinking that my
demented sire was going to blood-bind the Outsider emissary into
servitude. "Grigori," I quickly said, "can you bring Mr. Zapada
around?" Viggo turned and gave me a curious look; I did my best to
ignore it.

"Yes, although he might be in the same state
of mind before the Veleti downed him."

"Do it anyway," Tomasino said. "If he is
still in a rage, I will calm him. We need all of the emissaries to
make important decisions. That is, unless the Veleti plans on
taking the city throne."

Viggo shook his head and said, "The only
interest I have in the throne is to see a proper leader in it." He
pulled out his phone and added, "I will call Mr. Merritt and ask
him to contact Mr. Powell so that they both might join us here.
Excuse me."

"I - I hate to sound petty," Horn spoke up,
"but I'm expected out in the gallery."

"Yeah, okay, just give me a second." I
glanced around, getting priorities straight. Olinchenko was knelt
over Zapada. Viggo was on the phone with his back to us. Horn was
still shaken from the eerie shadows and Le Meur being thrown into
the void. Tomasino remained tense. I asked him, "What's the big
fucking deal if we don't have another leader for a little while?
Can't the emissaries handle the political shit until they choose
one, or however it works?"

"If only it was that simple," he said with a
sigh. "A vacant seat of power will draw contenders who want it.
They may wait for our faction emissaries to decide, or they may try
to take the empty throne by force. The latter would make targets of
the emissaries and me. I'm not fond of that idea. And that, Mr.
Beck, is only the initial danger we'd have to deal with if the city
throne is not filled soon."

"Uh, alright, what else is there?"

"The Consortium . . . I'd rather not dwell on
that now, especially if the seat can be filled and avoid it."

"Okay then," I said to Tomasino, "here's what
I had in mind. I need you to bring Mr. Riva back here; I'd ask
Grigori over there, but he doesn't like crowds. Riva will introduce
Mr. Horn to the people out there, now that Le Meur's gone." I
looked over to Horn. "Hey, he's your sire, anyway, so it only seems
right. Mr. Zapada is coming around. The rest of us will make sure
he's a good boy. When the other emissaries show up . . ." I glanced
at Viggo, who nodded while still holding the phone to his ear,
"it'd only be proper that the enforcer escorts them back here,
right?"

"It would," Tomasino agreed.

"Good, then they can pick a new Doyen between
them, and no one will be the wiser except to know there's been a
shift in power. Does that sound okay?" They nodded, and I turned to
Horn. "Give me your phone. I don't want any of this leaking
out."

While he handed over his cell, Tomasino said,
"I will collect Mr. Riva's as well," and then left the office.

Zapada didn't fly off the handle again. He
sat on the floor in the corner with a stunned expression. At
Viggo's request, Horn and Olinchenko watched over him. My sire led
me to the far side of the office and quietly, sternly asked, "Why
did you do that, Leo?"

I shrugged, playing stupid. ""I used to be a
unit leader. I'm used to stepping up and making a plan on the fly.
Sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes." I wasn't sure if Viggo knew
he had a serious 'hoarding' problem. If he did, then he just
realized I recognized it and was going to be either defensive or
pissed. But if he didn't think he had a problem, then I might've
just denied my magpie of a sire another shiny hemo.

"While your leadership skill pleases me for
other reasons, that is not what I -"