“I’ll mention this to the Witches League,” Sophie said. “We may have been too hasty in by-passing such ordinary witchcraft. Adding enhancements to existing spells is a terrific area for research.” She fell into thoughtful silence. “Sorry.” She raised her head. “That doesn’t help you, when you have so little time.”
Ari winced. She didn’t need a reminder of the ticking clock. It wasn’t so much the foxes’ deadline—she’d find a way to work around that if necessary. It was more the knowledge that Andreas’s life could end at any given moment. He’d already been tortured. Maybe was being tortured every day. She closed her eyes. Please Goddess, no. But the O-Seven were so unpredictable. She couldn’t guess their next move—or their time table. The takeover of Riverdale had failed. Yet he was still alive.
“What do they want with Andreas?” she blurted aloud.
Lilith and Sophie both turned to stare at her.
“I know I’ve brought this up before, but we still haven’t found an answer. If they just wanted him out of the way, why not kill him?” She got up and paced across the room. “Why isn’t he dead?”
Lilith choked on her last bite.
“Oh, don’t looked so shocked. I’m just trying to think like the elders.”
Lilith swallowed the last bite of food and nodded. “All right, how about looking at it from a different angle? What could they hope to gain by torture?”
“Information,” Sophie said promptly. “What does he know that the O-Seven doesn’t?”
Ari dropped into her chair again. “I’ve racked my brain, but there’s nothing. He keeps a lot of secrets, but not about something that could get us killed. He would have told me or Gabriel or Prince Daron. But I’ve been thinking…what if it’s something they want him to do? Like renounce Prince Daron. Or kill him or kill someone else. Whatever it is, it would be something big, at least big to them.”
“I hate to bring this up, but this is the O-Seven we’re talking about. Torture might simply be their idea of punishment for disobedience.” Sophie compressed her lips. “Or just for fun.”
“Sheesh.” Lilith expelled a noisy groan. “There’s no way for us to know what these monsters would do.” Suddenly she sat up and looked at Ari. “You ignored me when I suggested this before, but maybe it’s you they want, Ari. They’ve been trying to discover something about you since Sebastian died, then their enforcer disappeared. They may be using Andreas to get to you.”
“I didn’t ignore you, I just think you’re wrong. One witch isn’t worth all this trouble. It’s the same problem I had with control of Riverdale being their goal. We’re a blip on the vampires’ radar. I won’t be around to bug them for the next thousand years.”
Sophie refilled their coffee mugs. “What do your vampires at home think? This Gabriel you mentioned.”
“That Prince Daron is the main target, that they’re going to strike at him through Andreas. It actually makes the most sense. Daron is a real threat to their way of life. It’s rumored that they can’t kill him because of a powerful protector, but they’ve destroyed others around him. Riverdale might have been a warning—to show what would happen to anyone who sided with Daron.” Ari warmed to any topic that wasn’t just torture for fun. A reason would give them something to work with. “I haven’t talked with Daron in the last twenty-four hours. Maybe he’s heard something. What time is it?”
“Almost five o’clock.”
Ari frowned in concentration as she calculated the time difference. She really needed some kind of special clock if she kept communicating across international time lines. “If I did the math right, Daron won’t be up for four or five hours yet. I’ll try calling him at nine.”
That made the second call that had to wait until the vampires awoke. It was becoming very inconvenient that they had this compulsory sleep thing.
“I wish I could help more.” Sophie pushed away from the table. “But I still have work to do around the camp. The generator and refrigerator should be here any minute. If you think of something, I’ll be close by. Otherwise, you should take a nap. You look frazzled.” She pointed at Ari’s face. “You’ll get wrinkles from those frown lines.”
Ari rolled her eyes. But Sophie was right. She was frazzled. Part of her stamina was linked to her guardian powers. When she helped move the new generator an hour later, she once again noticed her strength was impaired. Just another complication in the long list of things that weren’t working to her advantage.
When the refrigerator was unloaded and Lilith began stocking it with beer from crates next to the cabin’s back door, Ari slipped outside for a walk on her own. The woods were quiet this late in the day. The solitude should have been a relief, even soothing, but Castle Verdammung consumed her thoughts, looming larger than life in her imagination. Its dark presence haunted, even taunted her. Surely it had a weakness. Just one little flaw was all she needed. Why couldn’t she find it?
Chapter Twelve
Dusk was starting to settle, and Ari still hadn’t come up with a plan. Not a good one anyway. Posing as a blood donor might be her best chance to get inside after all. And then what? How did she get close to Andreas? Close enough to touch him and teleport out?
She was beginning to fantasize about having the castle bombed or obliterated with long-range missiles. Where were those special forces an ex-CIA officer had once promised her, now that she needed them?
Ari listened to the evening sounds without consciously thinking about it. In the short time she’d been in Germany, she’d learned constant vigilance was a necessity for staying alive, that hostile vampires or hired assassins might be anywhere. As a result, she knew Lilith was coming, even before the werelion called her name.
“Ari, where are you?”
“Over here.”
“What are you doing out here alone? The vampires are awake by now, and Sophie was worried when you didn’t return.” The lioness came into sight.
Ari smiled. Sophie was worried. Yeah, right. As if she didn’t know Lilith was the worrywart.
“I came to get you because we have company. Ramon’s foxes.”
“Here?” Ari regarded her in dismay. “I thought they were staying inside the castle another day.”
“Something happened, I guess.” Lilith kept pace with her as they turned back toward the cabin. “But they wouldn’t tell us what changed. They insisted on talking to you.”
Had something bad happened to Andreas? She picked up speed, breaking into a jog. Lilith easily matched her stride. Sentries stationed on the perimeter of the campsite nodded as Ari and Lilith passed. The lights in the cabin and surrounding area had been turned on, and Ari saw the four werefoxes and several witches near the front door. Two of the witches held assault rifles at the ready position.
Ari slowed and stepped onto the porch. “Are you Ramon’s scouts? Everyone’s OK? What happened?”
A dark-haired male werefox peered at her. “You’re the American guardian?”
Slow down. Ari took a deep breath. Don’t assume the worst. “Yes, I’m Arianna Calin. Why are you here?”
“We had to leave the castle. It wasn’t safe any longer. The vampires were doing a sweep of all foreigners, and anyone suspicious was being detained or executed. We got out just in time.” His face clouded, and he shifted his feet. “But we saw Master Andreas.”
“Is he OK?” Fear gripped her as she searched their solemn faces. “What is it? Where is he?”
The werefox hesitated. “He looks fine…but he’s joined the O-Seven. He’s one of them now.”
She gaped at him. “You’re crazy. What makes you say that?”
“We saw it. He was acting very friendly with them.”
“You’ve misinterpreted something,” Ari snapped.
“Why don’t we sit down inside and discuss this.” Sophie held the door open and motioned for the women to put their guns away. “Now we know who you are, you’re welcome here. And after this news, I think we all need a drink.”
“It is
n’t news,” Ari said. “It’s a mistake.” Or a big, fat lie. Adrenaline rushed through her body; her fingers twitched. Why would they say such a thing? Had they been captured by the vampires and sent here to convince her to give up and go home? She stood in the open doorway, staring at them as they sat down at the table. Had they been bespelled?
“Are you coming?” Lilith asked.
“In a minute. I’m calling Ramon first. Go on ahead, I’ll join you.” Barely keeping her anger under control, she stepped back outside. Her fingers shook as she punched in Ramon’s number. “Have you talked with your scouts? They’re either lying or under some kind of mind control.”
“I know what they’re saying is hard to believe, but I’ve talked with them twice since they left the castle. I know these people. They aren’t under any spell, and they’d never work for the vampires.” Ramon paused. “Their interpretation may be wrong, but you can trust what they observed.”
They argued another five minutes. By the time she hung up, Ari had accepted his assessment. The foxes believed what they were saying.
She entered the cabin and dropped into a chair at the table. The scouts gave her a wary look but kept eating. Ari shook her head when Sophie tried to set a bowl of stew in front of her. “Tell me what happened the last couple of days after your communication was cut off. Details please.” She kept her voice carefully neutral.
Tony, the dark-haired fox, spoke for the group. “I need to back up a day or so. Eva and I had been casually snooping around the castle and reporting to our partners each evening.”
Eva, a woman with long red hair and pixie eyes, smiled. “It was kind of fun at first.”
Tony ignored the interruption. “We discovered Andreas was being kept in a lower level dungeon and tried to pass on the information, but our links were dead. Then we heard about a spell on the castle and that the warlock had returned. They were holding some big meeting.”
“This warlock…he was a tall, blond?” Ari asked.
Tony lifted his brows. “Yeah, do you know him?”
“We might,” Sophie interjected. “Did he have a small scar above his right eye?”
Ari glanced at her. Did Sophie want the answer to be yes or no? Although the priestess kept him at a distance, there were moments with she showed a distinct partiality for Gerhard.
“I don’t remember seeing one, but I might not have noticed. Is it important?”
“It is to me,” the priestess murmured.
“So, what happened at the elders’ meeting?” Ari brought them back to the main topic.
Tony shrugged. “We tried to get near enough to hear, but the raptors were everywhere. And I’m not messing with those guys.”
“They’re nasty.” Eva grimaced. “They’d been unfriendly ever since we got there, but after the warlock did the spell, they watched us all the time. Not just us, thank God, but anyone who was new. One of the werebears I’d befriended warned me there was going to be a purge, that every stranger would be killed or expelled, and we should get out while we could.”
Tony took up the story again. “We were planning our escape route, when we heard Andreas had been brought to the elders’ chambers. So I hid under the skirting of a blood cart that was going in. It sounded like a party when I got inside—lots of laughter, clinking of glasses. I couldn’t leave the cart, because the smell of blood was masking my scent, but I did peek out. That’s when I saw Andreas. He looked fine, neatly dressed in the red and black uniform worn by secondary court members. I didn’t see any restraints.”
“What was he doing?”
“Drinking and laughing with the warlock, and Bastian had his arm slung around Andreas’s shoulders.” Tony’s eyes darted to Ari. “I’m sorry, but that’s what I saw.”
She was stunned. Of course Andreas was pretending, but why? And why would they believe him? The questions were spinning in her head when the fox dropped the final bombshell.
“There was also a woman, a human woman, hanging on his arm.”
A woman. Sex or food? Ari kept her face blank. She willed herself to stay calm. There was some rational explanation. But either way, she couldn’t help but feel betrayed. While she was missing him so much and working hard to free him, was he consoling himself in the warm and willing arms of another woman? She asked the only question that seemed safe and answerable. “Who’s Bastian?”
“One of the elders. The Council of Seven has no single leader, but Bastian is one of the most influential.”
“I can show you his entire history,” Sophie said. “We have a computer file on every elder.” She turned to one of her sisters. “Judith, would you copy our O-Seven files onto a flash drive for Ari? And print off the section on Bastian.” Sophie turned to Ari. “All I remember is his ability at mind control. Maybe he’s bespelled your vampire.”
“Not possible.” Ari shook her head for emphasis. “Andreas is too strong for that. Besides, I would know. I’d feel it.” She gave Sophie a pointed look, not wanting to reveal the psychic link in front of the foxes. Too many people already knew that particular secret. “He’s fooling them, playing a game, until he can find a way to escape.”
“Simple survival.” Lilith backed her immediately. “Playing along would be his best chance at staying alive until we can arrange his rescue. He knows we’ll try.”
Ari nodded, grateful for the moral support. She wasn’t seeing it on other faces.
Tony frowned. “He didn’t appear to be pretending, but…” He looked at Ari and seemed to make up his mind. “I suppose his act would have to be pretty good to fool the elders.”
Sophie wasn’t so easily convinced. “I know you want to believe he hasn’t changed, but vampires are very pragmatic. The O-Seven could offer him a lot. Increased powers, even a return to their natural feeding habits. It might be irresistible.”
“You don’t know him.” Ari’s voice held a warning. “He wouldn’t care enough about those things to accept a deal from the O-Seven.”
“What if they threatened to kill you?”
That stopped her for a moment. Hadn’t she just given up her job, her world, for him? Wouldn’t he do the same? “But they don’t have me.”
“You think they wouldn’t lie about it? Listen to me, Ari. Everyone has their price. If not power or money, Andreas’s price might be you.”
“He would demand proof. Which they can’t give.” Bristling with irritation, her eyes flashed to the priestess. “Honestly, Sophie, this is useless speculation. Andreas hasn’t joined the damned elders.”
Tony broke the tension by standing and motioning to the other foxes. “It’s time for us to go. We’re headed back to Italy tonight, but if we can help again, let Ramon know. Good luck. I hope you succeed in getting him out of there.”
Sophie closed the door behind them. “At least this gives you extra time to come up with a plan. Your vampire doesn’t appear to be in immediate danger.”
“That’s only your assumption.” Ari pushed back from the table, stood, and turned toward the door, nearly bumping into the young witch who held out a thumb drive and a few sheets of paper.
“Your copy of the background on the elders,” the girl said.
Mumbling thank you, Ari took them and walked out before she said something to Sophistrina that she couldn’t take back.
“I just meant whatever he’s doing, it’s given you…” Sophie’s voice was cut off by the slamming door.
Ari stuffed the computer information in her pocket and hurried around the corner of the house, hoping to get out of sight quickly if anyone attempted to follow. When no one did, she continued to an isolated area behind the cabin, threading her way through several tree stumps and leftover logs from the building projects. She stopped and leaned against the back of the building, closing her eyes.
Sophistrina had years of experience with vampires, and she knew their behaviors, their strengths and weakness. And, yes, they were pragmatic enough to adapt when the situation required it. But Sophie was wrong about Andr
eas. For him to truly join the O-Seven and embrace what they stood for would violate everything he was. He wouldn’t do it.
With that confirmed in her own thoughts, Ari tried to figure out why he was playing nice with the elders. She didn’t have much to go on. A little vampire logic might be helpful. She pulled out her cell phone to check the time. Gabriel wouldn’t be awake yet, but Daron might. She perched on a newly sawed off tree stump and keyed in the Toronto number.
She had to convince three different screeners that she knew the prince.
“Wow, Daron. You’re getting as hard to reach as the White House.” She was glad to hear his gruff voice. There was a time, not so long ago, when she was afraid of this man. Not that he couldn’t be frightening if he wanted to, but he had accepted her, initially for Andreas’s sake, but she’d strengthened the relationship by saving his life two years ago.
He chuckled. “Modern conveniences have only added to the need for vigilance.”
“In other words, you don’t want to be bothered with unimportant calls.”
“Something like that, but I’d never put you in that category. I assume this call is about Andreas. What do you think of their demand?”
“What demand?”
“Is that not why you called? A messenger delivered the elders’ demand a few hours ago before I was awake: Andreas’s life in return for giving them control of the Toronto court.”
“Well, crap. That makes no sense.” How did this square with the scene the fox had observed?
“How so? It makes perfect sense to me,” Daron said. “I consider myself a man of honor, Arianna. They know my friendship with Andreas will force me to consider their proposition.”
“But he wouldn’t expect you to accept.” She almost choked on the words. She would give anything to have Andreas back, but she couldn’t ask others to do so. Not Gabriel, not Daron. Andreas would never forgive her if she did.
“I have no doubt you are correct, but I lose with either decision,” the vampire prince said. “I can retain my court but lose my friend and be known as the prince who allowed another to die in his place. For make no mistake, I am the one they wish to harm.” He bit off the last words. “Or I can relinquish Toronto and start over someplace else. It would not be the first time. But I do not know I can trust the elders to keep their side of the bargain and release Andreas. I would need more than their simple word.”