Unease filtered through my consciousness at the troubled look in Roman Dvorsky’s eyes.
‘About that,’ said the Schwatz leader, his voice tinged with evident distaste. ‘There are some among us who believe we should attempt to negotiate a pact with the Crovirs.’
Stony silence descended inside the van.
‘What?’ Gabriel said stiffly. Costas’s face tightened in a stormy expression beside him.
‘I know,’ Roman murmured apologetically. ‘I’m only expressing the views of a few members of the First and Second Councils.’ His tone hardened. ‘We still have to vote on it, of course.’
Costas leaned toward the monitor.
‘What is this going to achieve?’ he snarled. ‘Santana will never agree to a treaty between our races. That woman wants to exterminate us once and for all!’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Are some of you so willing to forgive and forget the atrocities she has committed against our kind?’ he hissed. ‘Are you so eager to bow to her for a chance to taste true immortality that you would ignore the fact that she tried to kill our next leader only days ago?’ His voice rose to a roar. ‘And you dare call yourselves Schwatzs?!’
Gabriel placed a hand on the immortal’s shaking shoulder. ‘It’s all right, Costas.’
‘It would be wise to listen to Gabriel and Costas,’ said the Council member next to Roman. ‘I will not have you doubt our allegiance to our race so easily, Costas, although I understand why you would think that way.’ His narrowed eyes darted to several faces around the table. ‘I for one will definitely be voting against the idea of a pact and for swift and aggressive retaliation.’
Gabriel watched the figures on the screen. ‘When will we have your decision?’
‘Tomorrow at the earliest,’ said Roman. ‘The Council members would like to consult with the nobles under their command.’
I stepped up to the terminal.
‘That’s too long.’ I did not bother to hide the resentment in my voice. Further mutters arose from the Schwatzs on the screen and frowns clouded several faces when recognition dawned. ‘With or without your help, I’m going after them.’
‘We’ll have an answer for you soon enough,’ snapped a Council member. ‘And do you really think you can take the entire Crovir army on your own, half-breed?’
‘He won’t be alone,’ Costas retorted. He glanced at me. ‘And I guarantee you that all the Schwatzs here today will follow him without a second thought.’
‘We’ll be mobilizing as soon as we know where they’ve taken the Godards,’ said Gabriel.
Roman nodded gravely. ‘I trust your judgment. Do what you think is best.’
The screen went blank.
Anatole let out a low whistle. ‘Wow, you sure told them.’ He gazed at Costas in wide-eyed admiration.
The Schwatz noble glared at him. ‘This doesn’t mean we’re friends,’ he said gruffly in my direction before storming out of the vehicle.
‘Sure,’ I murmured, studying the disappearing figure.
Gabriel grimaced and patted me on the shoulder. ‘Don’t take it personally. It took me two hundred years to get him to exchange Christmas greetings.’ He turned to the Schwatz tech manning the onboard computer. ‘We need to call in some favors. Is the system fully functional yet?’
The tech nodded. ‘Yes, as of a minute ago.’
‘Good,’ said Gabriel. ‘I want you to contact this number on a secure line. Put it on speaker phone once you get through.’
Static echoed around the interior of the van when Shamsky Gazmuuk answered the call a couple of minutes later.
His voice came through brokenly. ‘What happened in Washington?’
‘We got our hands on the vaccine. Unfortunately, Thorne got away with the virus.’ Gabriel frowned. ‘Where are you?’
‘Egypt,’ said Gazmuuk, his voice fading and crackling.
Gabriel’s eyebrows rose. ‘On Crovir business?’
‘Not quite. Just indulging in one of my pet projects.’
‘Does it have anything to do with matters at hand?’ asked Gabriel.
‘I’m not sure,’ came the enigmatic answer.
‘The Crovir Hunters stormed our compound in Virginia. They took Sheila and Tomas Godard. Do you know where they are?’
Silence rose from the speakers.
‘Shamsky? Are you there?’ Gabriel asked sharply after a moment.
‘Yes,’ came the quiet reply. The Crovir noble sounded perturbed. ‘That’s the first I’ve heard of it.’
Gabriel hesitated. ‘Do you think she suspects you?’
‘No. Santana is renowned for keeping her cards close to her chest. This is likely to have been a last-minute strategy. She doesn’t need the approval of the First Council for urgent tactical decisions.’ Static erupted across the line again. ‘—find out what I can—get back to you—’
The transmission ended abruptly. Gabriel stared at the speakers.
‘Are our satellites back online?’ he said after a while.
‘Yes,’ said the Schwatz tech.
‘Good. I want you to start tracking all known Crovir facilities around the globe. There’s bound to be a lot of activity on the ground if they’re detaining the Godards in one of them.’
Dusk was falling across the mountains when I entered the building that housed the lab. Foam from fire extinguishers coated the floor and walls, turning the ash and soot into muddy slush. I made my way to the service elevator and went down to the bunker.
Glittering fragments crunched under my feet as I crossed the floor to the outer room.
Bullets had damaged the equipment Sheila and the scientists had been using. Documents lay scattered across the worktops, most shredded beyond recognition by volleys of rounds and debris.
I stopped in front of a workstation and trailed my fingers across the back of Sheila’s chair.
‘We’ll find them,’ said Ashely behind me.
I kept my back to him, afraid to speak. My hands clasped the edge of the seat tightly while I stared into the isolation chamber where I had lived as a virtual prisoner for three days.
The familiar scent of Pall Mall clouded the air. A smoke ring drifted past my ear. ‘She’s quite a lady, isn’t she?’
‘Yes, she is,’ I murmured. I turned to Ashely. ‘Sheila and I,’ I started hesitantly, ‘we—’
He raised a hand. ‘Stop right there. I know what you’re gonna say. A blind man would have guessed what was going on between the two of you.’
I hesitated. ‘And it doesn’t disgust you?’
Ashely shrugged. ‘You’ve been around for hundreds of years. And it’s not as if you grew up in the same crib. Besides, I think the normal rules of morality have to be bent slightly for immortals, a bit like for royalty.’
A wave of gratitude washed over me. ‘Thank you.’
A companionable silence fell between us.
‘Never thought I’d hear the bulldog defend you,’ Ashely said after a while.
A smile crossed my lips despite my inner turmoil. ‘Neither did I.’
Footsteps sounded behind us. We turned and watched the figure striding across the floor of the bunker.
‘Gabriel wants you,’ said Bruno.
Chapter Twenty-Five
‘Gazmuuk called.’
We were on the ground floor of the lodge. The Schwatzs had recovered some of the equipment from the operations room and were busy setting up camp in the kitchen.
I ignored the bustle around us and studied Gabriel intently. ‘And?’
‘The Godards are in Europe.’
I took a step forward. ‘Where?’
There was a flicker on one of the smoke-stained walls. An infrared, night-vision satellite image appeared on a projection screen. A Schwatz tech brought the shot into sharp focus.
We inspected the grainy picture silently.
‘They’re on an island in the Mediterranean Sea, somewhere between Sardinia and Sicily,’ s
aid Gabriel. ‘The only reason we know its location is because Shamsky gave us the exact geographic coordinates.’ He glanced at me. ‘It doesn’t appear on any maps of the area. In fact, according to the US Geological Society and the European Federation of Geologists, it doesn’t exist.’
‘It sure looks real to me,’ muttered Ashely.
The island was a fortress. A jagged ring of rocks surrounded the rugged landmass, churning the dark waters around it into a roiling, foaming death trap. A few night birds danced and swirled above the silver spray. White-topped waves surged and crashed against the sheer, three-hundred-foot-high cliff walls soaring vertically above the sea. Tendrils of scrub clung to the bare rock face.
A castle stood on the summit of the bluff. A nightmare concoction of towers, rooftops, and terraces, it sprawled across the prominence like a scar on the land and was enclosed by hundred-foot-high, towering brick ramparts. Narrow courtyards and labyrinthine paths intersected the extensive grounds in front of it. Barred casement windows glimmered in the dark, the leaded glass reflecting the glare from the security lights around the perimeter of the monstrous citadel.
Dozens of figures guarded the walkways topping the walls. Scores more patrolled the ground.
The place was swarming with Crovir Hunters.
‘Gazmuuk and the rest of the Crovir Councils have been summoned to the island,’ said Gabriel. His expression hardened. ‘Santana is intending to make an example of Tomas. He will be the first Schwatz to be exposed to the Red Death in more than six hundred years.’
Numbness spread through my limbs at the Schwatz noble’s words. ‘When does she plan to do this?’
‘Not for a day or so, at least. She’ll have to wait until all the Council members are gathered on the island.’
Gabriel’s eyes moved briefly to Costas’s stony face. ‘One out of the other three Crovir First Council Heads has pledged to help Shamsky stop Santana and Thorne, as have several members of their Second Council and Assembly. They each command about a hundred men.’
Ashely grimaced. ‘So, what you’re saying is, we’re kinda outnumbered three to one.’
‘We wouldn’t be in this position if the Schwatz Councils stopped sitting on their hands and did something!’ Costas snapped.
Gabriel turned a steady gaze on him. ‘Roman will persuade them.’
‘When? By then it might be too late!’ Costas exhaled loudly and rubbed his face. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just that—’
Gabriel crossed the floor and put his hand on the Schwatz noble’s shoulder. ‘The friends who betrayed us will be made to atone for their treachery,’ he said coldly.
A hunted look flitted in Costas’s eyes. ‘Seven hundred years. That’s how long I’ve known Grigoriye. You would think after all that time I’d know the man inside out.’
A hush followed his tortured words.
‘From what we witnessed earlier, there are others in the Schwatz Councils who want to imitate his actions,’ said Gabriel.
‘They will have to answer to my blade if they do!’ Costas growled.
My nails dug into my palms. ‘When do we leave?’
‘We can be airborne in two hours.’ Gabriel walked to a table on which a map of the Mediterranean Sea was spread out. ‘But first, we have to consider the small matter of logistics.’
We left the compound within the hour, the convoy of SUVs and vans traveling swiftly through the night to the private airfield where we had landed days previously.
Gabriel and Costas spent the drive making a number of long transatlantic calls.
A cold wind was blowing in from the Virginia coastline when we arrived at the airstrip. The C-40 Clipper stood waiting in the glare of a dozen halogen floodlights.
Shadows soon danced across the gray fuselage as the aircraft was loaded with weapons and hardware. Many of the Schwatz Hunters were still recovering from their recent injuries and some moved more slowly than others.
Forty minutes after reaching the airfield, we were in the air. It was a nine-hour flight to our destination. Gabriel finalized the details of our operation and ordered everyone to get some rest.
Despite my bone-deep exgotzetion, sleep proved unsurprisingly elusive once more. I stared out of the window next to my seat, my mind filled with images of Sheila and our grandfather from the previous week. My fingers unconsciously tightened on the armrests, my emotions fluctuating from anger and frustration to fear at their fate. Clouds glowed in the moonlight beneath the belly of the plane; occasionally, a break in the white blanket afforded a glimpse of the dark waters of the Atlantic below.
‘Can’t sleep?’ someone murmured beside me.
I looked to my left. Ashely had moved up the aisle and taken the seat opposite mine.
‘No.’
He watched me steadily. ‘We’ll get them back. You have to believe that.’
I sighed. ‘I know.’
He shrugged. ‘Look on the bright side. Half the immortals on the planet are no longer trying to kill you.’
I smiled and leaned against the headrest. My gaze shifted to the dark sky outside. Memories of the night before flashed past my eyes once more.
It felt like a lifetime ago since I’d held Sheila in my arms.
Sometime before noon the next day, we landed on a military airfield in the south of Sardinia. I stepped off the plane onto hot, cracked asphalt and looked around.
The base was teeming with officers from the Italian Air Force. A dozen transport and fighter planes as well as a pair of combat search-and-rescue helicopters stood parked on the tarmac. The C-40 Clipper earned a few curious stares as the Schwatz Hunters started unloading the plane.
Cloud-wreathed peaks rose to the west of the base. Two dots appeared above the shimmering foothills of the mountain range.
Seconds later, a pair of F-16 fighter jets boomed overhead and disappeared in the azure skies to the east.
A smoke ring blew past my ear. ‘That’s a sight you don’t see every day,’ said Ashely.
I looked at the cigar in his hand.
‘Oh, this? I got it from Costas.’ He grinned at my expression. ‘The bulldog’s bark is definitely harsher than his bite.’
We headed toward a hangar where Gabriel and Costas stood in conversation with a tall, distinguished-looking, gray-haired man in uniform.
‘This is Major Vincenzo. He’s the commander of the base and an old friend,’ said Gabriel by way of introduction.
Shrewd eyes studied us from beneath a pair of thick, white eyebrows. ‘Are these the men you want me to coach?’
‘There are six others,’ said Gabriel. He signaled to a group of Schwatz Hunters hovering close by.
Surprise darted through me when I spotted a familiar face. ‘It’s good to see you again.’
Friedrich nodded an acknowledgement. His injuries appeared to have healed and he walked with barely a limp. ‘Gabriel thought my skills might come in handy.’
The major observed him critically. ‘How many jumps have you done before?’
‘Twenty,’ said the German Schwatz Hunter.
Vincenzo’s gaze shifted to the sky framed by the hangar doors. ‘We’ve got six hours left till sundown. Come with me, gentlemen.’
We followed him to a DHC-6 twin otter plane standing on the tarmac a short distance away. Several figures loaded bags full of gear into the rear of the fuselage. The turbo engines roared into life as we reached the aircraft.
‘Get in,’ ordered the major. ‘We’ll go through basic drills in the air.’ He hesitated. ‘Have any of you performed accuracy landings before?’
Bar Friedrich, everyone shook their head.
Vincenzo sighed. ‘Well, we’ll have to see what we can do.’
‘Oh boy,’ Ashely muttered as we climbed inside the plane.
The light was fading fast when we made our final descent to the base hours later.
I stepped off the aircraft and gazed at the kaleidoscope of orange and pink str
eaks arching across the horizon to the west; though my heart still raced and my limbs shook from the intensive training we had just received, I was aware that time was fast running out for the Godards.
The major was the last man to exit the plane. He dropped onto the tarmac while his officers wrapped up the equipment we had used during our exercises.
‘That was good work. You’re all fast learners. I can safely say that none of you are likely to kill yourselves after what we’ve just put you through.’ A guarded look appeared in his eyes. ‘As to what happens after that, I’m not in a position to comment.’
We returned to the hangar assigned to the Schwatzs. The brightly lit confines were a hive of activity. A line of army trucks and jeeps stood at the ready at the doors of the building; the Hunters were getting ready to leave.
A command center had been set up in a corner of the vast space. The lights from the monitors cast shadows on the faces of the people gathered around the terminals.
Gabriel looked around at our footsteps. ‘How did it go?’
‘He said we wouldn’t die,’ Ashely replied.
Gabriel smiled. ‘Coming from Carlo, I would take that as a compliment.’
I stared past him at the flickering screens. ‘Are we ready?’ I asked, unable to conceal the edge in my voice.
Gabriel nodded. ‘Yes. Shamsky and the remaining Council members arrived on the island an hour ago.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘They’ll have the radar-jamming devices set up by twenty-hundred. Costas and I will be heading for the port in fifty minutes. You should get some rest before you leave.’
Although I felt drained from our flight drills, I was too tense to follow his advice.
I found a deserted spot at the edge of the airfield and practiced with the swords under the rising moon. It took all my concentration to quell the nervous tension building inside me. A warm breeze blew in from the sea and flicked the droplets of sweat beading my face and arms onto the tarmac.