Vampire Elite (62 page)

Fine: you win, Goddess.
If he couldn’t live with Arianna, he could die with her.
 

A knock at the door distracted him.

“Sir, Antar is here and requests an audience with you.” Ken reported.
 

“What does he want?”
 

“He won’t tell me. He insists on speaking only with you.”
 

“Show him in then.”
 

Antar entered Tor’s study and his powerful aura like a wild wind shifted the energy in the room. Tor smiled and hugged him. “What’s wrong, my son? What brings you here?”
 

“Father, we need to talk.”
 

“Of course. Please, have a seat.” Tor gestured to an oversized leather chair facing the fireplace, opposite his own.
 

“I got an anonymous call,” began Antar, “saying that Arianna is asking the Legacy to resume her Sanctuary and that she’s locked in the basement of Anock’s Brussels residence. The caller didn’t say whether he meant the pride’s or the Guardians’; I assume it’s the latter?” At Tor’s nod, he continued. “I called Anock, but he said he had no idea what I was talking about. When I requested that I be allowed to inspect the Guardians’ headquarters, he refused on the grounds that I had no authority over the Guardians; they obey only the King. You may be aware that Anock has a personal issue with the Legacy now. He’s irrational. It’s impossible to talk to him.”

“Yes, I heard about it. You have his female.”

“She asked for Sanctuary. I think he’s planning to storm us. But that’s nothing we haven’t seen before; when a female asks for Sanctuary she’s usually being stalked. But this isn’t about Cara; it’s about Arianna.”
 

“So you’re here to get my permission to search the Guardians’ mansion.”

“Yes.”

“And if you do find Arianna, the Legacy intends to grant her Sanctuary.”
 

“Yes.”
 

“Arianna’s there. You don’t need to search.”
 

Antar stared at Tor, his mouth hanging open. Under any other circumstances Tor would have laughed.
 

“Well in that case I guess I’ll go get her.”
 

“No. You won’t.”
 

Tor could see the conflict in Antar’s eyes. The Legacy answered to the Confederation, not the vampire King, but Tor and the Legacy had almost never come into direct conflict, even before Antar assumed the role of Alpha.
 

Antar cleared his throat. “We promised her Sanctuary and we’re keeping our word. Technically, in fact, she has been entitled to our protection since she requested and received Sanctuary prior to her kidnapping. I’m asking you to have the Guardians stand down so that we can protect her. Otherwise, there must be a fight, and I know that neither of us wants that.”
 

Leaving Antar waiting for a response, Tor stood up and walked over to the wet bar, pouring himself a cognac. “Would you like one?”

“No. Thanks.”

Tor was stalling. Inside, part of him was shouting that this was the opportunity he’d been looking for: he could say that the Legacy had jurisdiction here. They’d take Arianna, protect her, and it would be out of his hands.
 

But nothing Etain had said, nothing he’d heard anywhere else or thought of in all his time meditating, implied that there was even the smallest chance of the outcome being altered. Anything he did was just as likely to make things worse, and he didn’t want his actions to be the last nail in the coffin, what made the final destruction of his race possible.

He returned to his chair and leaned toward Antar. “You know that Arianna is the Queen of the Amiti and one of the five Keepers of the Key of Life, the Ankh, right?”

Antar nodded.
 

“And you know that Istara was killed by the Amiti because she refused to help the other Keepers turn the Key. She wouldn’t do it herself, and later she refused to name new Keepers who she thought might do it. Istara feared that turning the Key would unleash the destructive power of Sekhmet. I don’t need to tell you the magnitude of the devastation that could cause: natural disasters on a scale we’ve never even imagined; or, given modern circumstances, it might manifest as a nuclear war. It won’t just mean genocide for vampires; it could destroy all life on Earth.
 

“Right now there are four active Keepers. All of them—Arianna included—want to turn the Key, and we’ve got them all in custody at Guardian HQ. Arianna’s the only one capable of naming the Keepers. You must be able to see that there is absolutely no way we can agree to release her.”

Tor could practically see the wheels turning in his son’s mind as he assimilated the information and considered what to do next.
 

“I need to meet with her,” Antar said after a moment. “She’s waiting for me; it would be cruel and cowardly not to respond. I’ll let her know why we can’t help her. I think it’s best to be straightforward.”
 

Tor nodded. “I’ll call Anock and ask him to take you to her. And I’ll tell him to put his personal issues aside for the time being so that you can work together. We can’t afford tension like that right now.”
 

When Antar stood in the doorway, about to leave, Tor stopped him. “Wait. There’s one more thing. Can you do me a favor, son?”
 

At Antar’s nod, Tor continued. “I think I know who your anonymous informer was. Arianna has a blood-bond; that’s the only way she could have communicated with you. His name is Khay. When this is all over, please see that he is eliminated. She said that she wants to kill him herself, but if she’s not able to ... ”
And if I’m not able to ...
 

Antar just gave him a look that said
consider it done
and then left, closing the door quietly behind him
.
 

His body leaden, Tor returned to his chair at the fireplace and called Ken.

“Ken, I need to meet with Kohl. Send a jet for him.”
 

That evening, the Sekhmi lawyer Kohl —also known as Herr Bern Koch, a renowned attorney at law in the human world—sat on the same chair in Tor’s study that Antar had vacated just a few hours earlier.
 

“Where’s the fire, Tor? Your guys pulled me away from a hearing just as I was winning the case. Of course, I never mind seeing my King. But what’s going on?”
 

“Thank you for coming, Kohl. I’m sorry for inconveniencing you. I want to draw up my will.”

Chapter 80

“Antar!” Anock came down the stairs to greet Antar “The King called to say I should expect a visit from you.”
 

Antar knew Anock well enough to hear the false note in his voice, but at least the guy was making an effort to keep up appearances.

“You’re here to see Arianna,” Anock continued. “If you don’t mind, brother, I’ll need to blindfold you.” It was an absurd request—everyone in the Legacy was well aware of the nature of the Sekhmi-Amiti relationship, and even blindfolded, Antar’s senses were keen enough that he wouldn’t miss a thing. And besides, Antar recognized a power play when he saw one.
 

“What’s the problem? Are you keeping her in the cells? What, it’s so bad that you think I’ll faint at the sight of it?”
 

“Hey, it’s just a precaution, standard operating procedure for non-Sekhmi. Please don’t make me get into the details of our security measures.”
 

“Whatever.” Antar really didn’t want to waste any more time listening to Anock’s diplomatic diatribe. Turning around, he let Anock tie a black silk scarf over his eyes and then lead him onto an elevator, in which they descended for what felt like two levels. They walked down what sounded like a corridor, stopping in front of a door that Anock unlocked by dialing a combination. Then they stepped through it and Anock removed Antar’s blindfold.
 

Arianna was so pallid she looked almost transparent. This wasn’t the resplendent young female he’d met a year and a half ago; it was her shadow, lifeless and colorless. Great Tyr, what had happened to her? Antar remembered her glowing skin; he’d always wanted to stroke it but never dared. He recalled her gentle touch, her terror and then her unselfconscious joy as they flew above Anavilhanas.
 

Seeing Arianna like this, his first impulse was
to snatch her up and fly away with her, out of this grave. His nature shouted at him, demanding that he hide her somewhere and take care of her. Having been abused himself as a child, Antar couldn’t tolerate seeing it happen to others; that was why he’d created and remained so committed to the Legacy’s Sanctuary policy. Over the centuries they’d saved thousands of females. At least he hadn’t wasted his life.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Anock muttered.

“How do you know?”

“I have the same thoughts.”

“Why then do you keep her here? How can you?”

“Did Tor not explain it clearly enough for you?”

“Antar,” Arianna finally seemed to register Antar’s presence and struggled to rise into a sitting position, leaning against the wall behind her.
 

She looked visibly worse, Antar realized; just the effort of sitting up and speaking seemed to exhaust her.
 

He sat on the bed and took her thin hands in his. He addressed Anock without looking at him: “Tor told me why she’s being held here, but he said nothing about the abuse she’s being subjected to. You must stop it.”

“She’s not being abused, Antar. She’s just suffering nausea and anemia from the blood loss. Nobody touches her except to bleed her. We’re having to draw a substantial amount of blood from her on a daily basis. It’s the only way we can guarantee that her powers won’t surface.”
 

Antar tilted his head, scrutinizing the helpless girl beside him. It was hard to believe that the vampires were afraid of this wisp of a girl. Even more, it was impossible to believe that she was one of the most powerful children of Hathor, the one capable of destroying the world. But Tor wouldn’t lie to him. The King had a heart; he would never doom one so young unless there was no alternative.
 

“Please, Antar, take me out of here,” Arianna murmured. “You promised me Sanctuary. I ask for Sanctuary. Take me out of here, Antar, please ... ”
 

Bleak hopelessness filled Antar’s chest, heavy as a boulder. Why had he come here only to hurt her more? He had never refused a female Sanctuary. Never. All females had the right to ask for it if they were in distress. Theoretically, they could be turned down, but it had never happened. For the first time in his life, he had to say
no
. She wasn’t just an abused female; she was a captured general. This was a political situation. The laws of Sanctuary did not apply.
 

* * *

Arianna sensed his response before he spoke.
 

“Antar, please, take me out of here,” she repeated, staring into his deep, sorrowful eyes, reaching for the irrational male inside of him, for the wild, primordial instinct to protect. Antar was her last chance to get out of here and she had to make it happen, no matter what. Since they’d locked her in the Guardian’s dungeon, they’d been draining her daily, keeping her barely conscious. She felt worse than she ever had, but that very suffering had made her realize the truth: they did it because they were afraid of her power, of what she might be capable of if they weren’t taking so much of her blood. What they inflicted on her was a reminder of how important she was to her people. She had no right to die. For their sake, she had to survive. She must survive. She must. Goddess, help her.
 

“I can’t.” Antar forced himself to maintain eye contact with her so she could see how hard was it for him to say it. “I can’t, Arianna. The Legacy cannot grant you Sanctuary. You present a threat to all of us.”
 

“A threat to all of you?” She tried to look as harmless as she could.
 

“I know that you’re one of the Keepers, and I know what the Keepers want to do. You can’t be allowed to turn the Key. You can’t imagine the disaster you will create. You’re too young to have seen mass destruction. I’m not.” Antar stood up. “I’m truly sorry that I can’t keep my commitment to you. And I do feel for the plight of the Amiti. But the Legacy is accountable to all immortals, responsible for the safety of every immortal family, tribe, and pack. There’s too much at stake here; it overrides our granting of Sanctuary. Goodbye, Arianna. I pray that you can find another way to help your people.”
 

* * *

Anock escorted Antar back to the building’s entrance. Outside, rain was falling in a steady downpour, but instead of waiting in the vestibule, they both descended the front steps. Antar turned his face to the sky and Anock did the same. Neither spoke; they just stood there for a moment letting the icy droplets burn their skin. It felt cleansing.
 

Sargas pulled up in the car and Antar climbed into the passenger seat. Anock watched the car move down the driveway to the front gate. Then he went back inside, scrubbing his hands over his face to wipe off the water, and returned to his office.
 

He found Ken standing by the window watching the rain. Wordlessly he handed Anock an envelope bearing the King’s seal.
 

Anock broke the seal and removed the single sheet of paper inside the envelope.
 

He sank into his chair to study the document, his eyes shifting from the text to Tor’s signature and back again, over and over. At first, his mind refused to assimilate the information; then it began methodically expelling anything—thoughts, feelings, sensations—that might prevent Anock from fulfilling his assigned task.
 

Once that process was complete and Anock was totally numb, he leaned forward to push the intercom button. “Blade.”

Blade immediately appeared in the doorway.
 

“The Keepers are to be executed at sunrise,” Anock told him. “Take care of the preparations. And ... there’s one other thing. Please inform Arianna of the sentence. And ... ask if she has a last request.”