Thea Harrison: Serpent's Kiss

The other three arrivals were Vampyres. They wore protective cloaks in preparation for the sunrise within the next half hour, but for the moment they wore their hoods back. Julian Regillus stood flanked by his second-in-command, Xavier del Torro, and Rhoswen.

Carling looked at Julian thoughtfully. His dark hair was kept customarily short, with sprinkles of white at the temples, and he returned her regard, his strong aquiline features inscrutable. Both his Power and his anger were palpable things. Xavier was much less easy to read. He had shoulder-length nut-brown hair pulled back from pleasant nondescript features. His pleasant demeanor was a deadly camouflage. Xavier del Torro was one of the keenest hunters in any of the Elder Races.

Carling was not surprised at the appearance of either male. Rhoswen, though. Rhoswen was a bit of a surprise. Carling looked at her last. The blonde Vampyre did not meet her gaze but instead stared directly ahead, her youthful face a perfect composed mask.

Wyr Councillor Jaggar said to Dragos, “You should not be here.”

“My First is involved,” Dragos said. “Of course I should be here.”

Light Fae Councillor Dearling said coldly, “The Wyr have been cropping up in conversation far too much of late.”

“Forget that I am Wyr,” Rune said. “That holds no place here. I am not here in any official kind of capacity. For this discussion, I am merely a man.”

“We agree on one thing,” Soren said. “Who and what you are is irrelevant.” The Djinn’s white starred eyes turned to Carling. “The tribunal has come to take you into custody.”

“Under what charges?” Carling said.

“Since the Wyr Lord managed to arrive before we did,” Soren replied, “I’m sure you know very well why we’re here and what we have come to put an end to.”

“Actually, I don’t,” said Carling. She forced herself to remain sounding calm and logical. Rune felt like a powder keg of violence beside her, needing only a random spark to make him blow. He stared at Rhoswen with a cold expression that promised violence. He needed her calm, and she knew from experience that logic would be the only thing that could persuade such a diverse group. “I’ve only heard supposition about why you might be coming, and gossip about decisions that might or might not have been made in my absence. I have not received any official declaration from the Elder tribunal itself.”

Restlessness stirred in the group, and both Sidhiel and Archer looked uncomfortable. Good, Carling thought. This should be difficult for you to do.

It was Julian who spoke next. “Carling, I’ve petitioned to have you removed as Nightkind Councillor, and my petition has been granted.”

When Julian spoke, Rune’s rage spiked. He bared his teeth as he stared with naked hate at the Nightkind King. As Carling nodded, she pressed hard on Rune’s shoulder. Hold on , she whispered gently in his head. We must make them justify what they’ve decided, and put them on the defensive. She said aloud, “That’s all very well and good, Julian. That certainly is the Nightkind King’s prerogative”—although it wouldn’t have been if she’d had five minutes alone with him—“but what does that have to do with the tribunal wanting to take me into custody?”

She sounded reasonable, intelligent, even tolerant. Julian watched her closely. Was that a flicker of confusion in his hard face?

“We have heard a detailed testimony of your condition,” the human witch Archer said, not unkindly.

Don’t I know who that was, Carling thought, as she stared at Rhoswen.

Archer was continuing. “We know that it is due to your advanced age. You are suffering from periodic episodes of increasing severity that are causing your Power to fluctuate and affect the world around you, yet you refuse to remain isolated to protect others. You are too Powerful and the results of that are too dangerous and not well understood. This can’t be allowed to continue, Carling.”

“I agree,” Carling said.

“And so do I,” said Rune. He projected all of his faith, all his passionate hope into his next words. “Which is why it is a very good thing we have discovered how to make it stop.”

The stirring that passed through the group was even greater, as the tribunal members looked at each other. All of them were looking increasingly uncomfortable.

Rhoswen’s perfect, composed facade cracked. Her eyes flashed up to meet Carling’s. Carling met her gaze coldly. Julian moved, a sudden betrayal of astonishment, his expression arrested.

Off to one side, Dragos and his mate stood side by side, watching the proceedings intently, Dragos with his arms crossed.

Soren asked, “You are sure you have stopped them?”

Rune shrugged. He appeared far more casual than he was. “She hasn’t had an episode since California, and we don’t expect her to have any more.”

That was stretching the truth all out of proportion, but he still made it sound completely sincere. Carling pushed the advantage and turned her next words into a delicate whip. “But this issue is far too serious to take any one person’s word for it.” She paused to let that sink in. Julian’s gaze flickered to his left, toward Rhoswen. Ah, that was all the confirmation she needed. She said, “Time will tell this tale. It would be an easy enough matter to set up a household where we can watch and wait.”

“You are willing to stay quarantined for an undetermined amount of time?” Soren said.

“Of course,” said Carling. She focused on Julian. “I didn’t leave the island just to be willful. I left with a clearly defined purpose.”

Rune interjected. “We’re willing only if we’re together. Carling is my mate, and I am not leaving her.”

And there drops the other shoe, Carling thought, as a fresh argument erupted. She almost found it in her to be amused.

Julian no longer wanted Carling in the Nightkind demesne. Carling gave him a heavy-lidded smile. She said gently, “That is perfectly fine with me.”

Her smile said to him, I know what you have done and tried to do. Exile me and turn your land into a prison. I may no longer come to the Nightkind demesne, but take one step out of your jurisdiction, and you are still my progeny, my child, and I may still command you. And now you have no idea how long I might live, or where I might be. You tried to take me down, and you would have killed me, and maybe you did all of that sincerely for the good of your people, but you also did it because you thought you would finally get out from underneath my authority. And while I understand all of that, I will not forgive you, because I know how to hold a grudge with all of my heart, and one day I will remind you of that. One day.

Then Dragos stirred and said, “This is a stupid conversation. Rune, of course you can come home to New York and bring your mate with you.” He gave Carling a machete smile. “We’d love to welcome you into the fold.”

“I’ll just bet you would,” she said to the dragon, with a blade in her smile every bit as keen and bright as his.

The argument that erupted at that was more vociferous and impassioned than ever. It turned out nobody was in favor of that option.

The morning was brightening. Streaks of yellow and pale rose lightened the dark purple sky. The sun would crest the horizon soon. Rune took Carling by the shoulders and turned her to face him. He stroked the short choppy hair off her face. He looked as tired as she felt. I’m not sure anybody could really stop us if we did live in New York , he said. Although there is a great deal of pressure on Dragos right now.

No matter how strongly they had spoken to the tribunal, they still did not know if they had found a solution. She did not say it. She preferred, as he did, to look ahead with hope. Instead she asked, Do you want to go back to New York?