Sunrise(Pact Arcanum 2) (37 page)

Nick blinked away sleep.
“What was that for?”
he growled over the link.

“Combat magic,”
replied Scott, opening his psychic senses wide.
“The discharge was somewhere inside the train station.”

Nick immediately opened his senses as well, augmented by his vampire abilities. “
Five minds, heavily shielded, attempting to board the train maybe four cars ahead of us. Seven more outside the station.”
His eyes widened.
“Make that six. One of them just died.”

Scott focused his senses on the targets that Nick fed him over the link.
“Oh, my God. That’s a Sentinel quad out there on the street taking down a cadre of Nightwalkers.”

Nick redirected his attention inside the station.
“The other group looks like another quad
 
…
 
and the last mind—shit!”

“What’s wrong?”
asked Scott.

Nick ground his teeth in frustration.
“She’s a Nightwalker
—
a strong one. She caught my sensory probe and traced it back to me. She knows I’m here. She’s definitely on the train now, and the other four are trying to make it through the crowd to get on board.”

Scott glanced out the window, into the station.
“The train only stops here for a few minutes. Can they make it?”
As he spoke, the train smoothly accelerated out of the station.

“They made it,”
Nick thought.
“All five minds are on the train. She’s coming this way fast, but the others are moving cautiously, making sure she’s not hiding anywhere.

“Any ideas?”
asked Scott.

“She knows about me, but she might not have detected you. I’ll draw her off into the last car and knock out the rest of the passengers there. Then you can flank her after she goes by. That’s our best chance to take her out and avoid collateral damage.”

“Do it,”
thought Scott.
“I’ll stay here and play dead until we can get the drop on her.”

Nick muttered a spell under his breath and rendered their bodyguards unconscious where they sat. Then he got up and made his way to the rear of the Green car. Reaching ahead with his mind, he put the passengers in the last car gently to sleep. He slipped out into the next car. Behind him, Scott wrapped his shields tightly around himself and feigned sleep.

Nick walked through the train until he stood at the rear of the last car’s passenger compartment. Folding his arms in front of him, he waited, his shields fully active.

The door he had come through opened and an Asian woman entered the final car. Waist-length raven hair fanned out behind her as she strode briskly forward to stand in the center of the car, ignoring the sleeping passengers. Her eyes locked on Nick’s. “Master, I am Kukiko Consul Sojosten,” she said in Arcolin, her voice calm and controlled. “I seek sanctuary.”

CHAPTER 47

Nick was floored. He’d been expecting a fight, not … this. Instantly, he cast his mind along the length of the train, noting the location of the four Sentinels working their way through the carriages, still three cars away.
Five minutes, maximum.
He reached out over the link.
“Scott, get in here. We have a serious problem.”

Nick focused on the Asian woman. “Consul Sojosten, what makes you think I am in a position to grant you sanctuary?”

She frowned. “My Lord, I have tasted your strength. Only a Magister could wield such power. My petition is valid by law and custom. If you deny my request, then at least help me defend myself against the enemies who pursue me. You are a Head of House. Where are your attendants?”

“I’m right here.” Scott moved away from the door and into the compartment, allowing himself a clear line of attack.

Snarling, she whirled to face him, calling a katana to her hands. “I will not be taken, Sentinel!” She called over her shoulder to Nick, “My Lord, join me, and we can kill them all!” Then she froze as she looked down at the cobalt flames of Reaper’s blade at her throat.

“Touch him, Consul, and you will die—and more than die,” Nick whispered in her ear from directly behind her.

She swallowed, staring straight ahead at Scott. “Prince Nicholas,” she said softly, “forgive me for not recognizing you.”

“We have only a few minutes left before your enemies get here, Consul. Are you sure you want to be subject to my authority? You may wish to rethink your request.”

She stood straight, careful to avoid the black steel of Nick’s sword. “Magister Luscian, I have no allies, and the train is moving too fast for me to teleport away. I died the moment my guards allowed my pursuers to board the train after me. Only your assistance can save my life. My petition for sanctuary stands.”

“Sanctuary?” Scott asked incredulously.

Nick nodded.

“She asked you formally as a Head of House?” Scott’s mind leapt ahead. “Nick, you can’t. You’ll be bound to protect her from all enemies. She’ll become part of House Luscian until you release her.”

The black sword faded from sight and Nick dropped his arm to his side. “If I let them take her, she’s dead.”

“She’s a Nightwalker!” Scott was furious. “She deserves it!”

“Rory is a Nightwalker. So is Lorcan. Do they deserve it, too?”

“Nick, we have less than a minute before a quad of Sentinels comes through that door. You can’t seriously expect me to support you in this.”

“No, I can’t expect it, Scotty,” said Nick, meeting his gaze. “All I can do is ask.”

“Shit!” Scott glared at him then turned his back on the two vampires to face the door.

An Asian quad entered: two men and two women. Ignoring the sleeping passengers, they critically assessed the other three occupants of the carriage. One of the women stepped forward. “Well?” she asked in Arcolin.

“Sentinels, I am Nicholas Magister Luscian, called Soulkiller’s Bane, and I am a Child of the Dawn.” Nick folded his arms. “This Nightwalker has petitioned me to grant her sanctuary within the Armistice. Can you give me good reason to deny this petition and let you take her?”

One of the men strode forward arrogantly. “Do you think you can stop us?”

Scott growled. “Step back.”

The Sentinel stared at him, shocked, then visibly struggled as he took two steps backward.

“Brothers and sisters, I am Second among the Four Winds,” said Scott. “Out of respect for my authority, please give my dyad brother a fair hearing.”

The other woman in the quad scowled at Scott momentarily, then told Nick, “She is one of the highest-ranked Nightwalkers in Japan. She has personally killed thousands over the centuries and assisted other houses in killing thousands more. What is there to consider? She deserves death, and we shall give it to her. Now stand aside.”

“No doubt you’re right,” Nick said. “But suppose we leave that decision to a higher power?”

“Meaning what?” The Sentinel’s gaze sharpened in suspicion.

“It is not in my nature to condemn anyone to death, but I will make my offer of sanctuary contingent on the judgment of the Grace. Let the White Wind decide if she deserves to die.”

The first woman scoffed. “And we should accept that? Stand aside and we will make her death painless. Consider it a gift.”

Nick smiled lazily at her. “My Lady, are you prepared to fight us? You’re seriously outgunned, I assure you.”

The second man snarled. “Sentinels don’t back down from combat, no matter how outgunned they are.”

Scott sighed. “No, they don’t. But they can pick their battles.” He drew himself up and addressed the first woman. “We are offering to remove her from this territory and constrain her from hurting anyone else. If she accepts the Grace and then breaks her vows, we will kill her ourselves. It solves both of our problems—if you can leash your bloodlust enough to see it.”

The quad members glared at them defiantly as they debated over their link. Finally, the first woman spoke. “Very well, we agree. We will accompany you to Osaka Station, after which you will remove her from our territory immediately.” She smiled unpleasantly. “In the future, I suggest you watch your backs in Japan, gentlemen. This incident will not be forgotten.”

“Wonderful,” Scott said as they made their way back to the Green car. He glared at Kukiko. “You had better be worth it, lady.”

December 2038; Armistice Security Headquarters, Anchorpoint City, Colorado

“Sanctuary?” asked Nemesis. “Has he gone mad?”

Takeshi sighed. “He had to come up with something or he would have had to kill her on the train. Who knows how many passengers would have died in the battle?”

“And he wants me to give her the Grace?” Rory asked dubiously. “Without any preparation and against her will? He might as well have killed her in Japan.”

Take shrugged. “Look, all I can tell you is what Scott linked to me. They’ll be here as soon as they can give their security the slip.”

“How did they explain the presence of the Sentinels and this Nightwalker to their security?” Nemesis asked.

“They planted the suggestion in their bodyguards’ minds that the Sentinels were a group of fans they met on the train. It wasn’t so hard once Nick started pretending he was interested in the Nightwalker.”

Nemesis snorted. “It probably reassured them to see Nicholas going back to his old tricks. I’m sure they’ve been wondering why he hasn’t been bringing any fans up to his room since he climbed into bed with Lorcan.”

“No doubt,” Rory said with a tight-lipped smile. “Did Scott say who this Nightwalker was?” he asked Take.

Take shook his head. “No, but we’ll see soon enough. They’re leaving Japan now. Ana’s got a couple of quads waiting on the tunnel level to escort them to the council chamber.”

The teleport gateway flared and Nick and Scott appeared next to Kukiko, who was surrounded by a host of uniformed Sentinels led by Anaba.

Rory’s jaw dropped as he saw her. “Oh, my God.”

Take looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

“Kukiko Consul Sojosten.” Rory closed his mouth with a snap.

Take, Ana, and Layla immediately made the connection.

“Holy shit,” said Take.

“Do you know each other?” Nick looked back and forth between them and Kukiko, who glared scornfully at Rory.

Nemesis answered, her voice cold. “She was Jiao-long’s mate, Nicholas.”

Nick focused on Kukiko in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?”

Ignoring him, she approached Rory. “So you do have his memories.” She appraised him. “Good. That makes things easier.” She drew herself up. “Sean Magister Jiao-long, I am Kukiko Leshir Jiao-long. I name you Usurper and false Magister. I challenge your mastery of my house. You have no honor.” She spat at his feet.

Nick grabbed her shoulder and dragged her roughly around to face him. “You conniving bitch! What the hell are you playing at?”

“I am exercising my right as a member of House Jiao-long to challenge my Magister to honor combat, Prince Nicholas.” She smiled. “I wish you the best of luck.”

Nick stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

Nemesis answered, her words choked with barely controlled fury. “You granted her sanctuary, Nicholas. You have agreed to act as Champion against her enemies. Honor demands you take her place in the duel.”

“You can’t be serious!” Nick turned to the Speaker for the Dawn with his mouth hanging open. “I’m not going to fight Rory.”

Kukiko laughed. “Then you will be forsworn before the Court, as I am relaying this entire scene to the Magister Sojosten in the Council Chamber.”

“This was a set-up,” Scott spat. “You fucking planned this all along, didn’t you?”

“My offer of sanctuary is withdrawn, Consul Sojosten,” Nick said and his face paled with anger. “You can fight your own damn duel. Good luck with that, seeing as Rory can’t die.”

She shook her head. “The sanctuary relationship was in place when the challenge was issued, my Lord. Like it or not, you are my Champion. Whether you wish to bear the consequences of dishonoring your word before the Court is up to you.” She turned back to the Triumvirate. “My Lords, as my sponsor has withdrawn sanctuary, I ask to be conveyed to the Court embassy in Icehaven for asylum until the duel is complete.”

Takeshi motioned to the Sentinel guards. “Get her out of here. Let Lorcan deal with her for now. She is not to leave the embassy without my personal authorization.”

Nemesis seethed silently while the Nightwalker was escorted onto the teleport gateway and removed from their presence. Then she strode over to Nick and slapped him across the face. He staggered backward in shock as Nemesis stood over him in a towering rage. “You fool! Your spineless simpering has endangered everything we have fought for. Why didn’t you just let them take her from the train? It was no concern of yours whether she lived or died!”

Nick straightened and glared at her. Through clenched teeth, he muttered, “She asked me for help. That made it my concern.”

Nemesis threw up her hands. “She was just using you for your relationship to the Redeemer, you pathetic imbecile! She only approached you so you would bring her to Sean. Hell, she probably leaked her location to the Sentinels to make her impending capture look convincing. I have used the same tactic many times myself. How could you be so gullible?”

“She agreed to take the Grace!” Nick shouted. “No one would be stupid enough to bear false witness before the Light!”

Nemesis snorted. “And now that you have withdrawn the offer of sanctuary, you can no longer insist she follow through on the bargain by Court law. Again, you have acted foolishly. If she had submitted to the Grace and been destroyed, then her challenge would have died with her. Instead, you have guaranteed that the duel must go forward.”

“This is ridiculous.” Nick’s face was ashen. “I’m not going to fight Rory for her. It’s crazy.”

“You don’t have a choice.” Nemesis folded her arms. “If you refuse to defend your honor, the Court will declare you renegade and strip you of your titles. They will kill you if you step outside the Armistice Zone without the shield of your rank. They might even infiltrate the Armistice with assassins to enforce the edict of treason. Your family, your friends, your dyad brother—they will all be fair game in forcing you to submit to execution. Do you honestly think you can defend them all?” Her expression was stern. “Do you?”