Follow Me When the Sun Goes Down (27 page)

Once the barrier was gone, there was a burst of activity – delegates offering their congratulations, money exchanging hands, all as Angel was led away.  Bridget greeted me with a high five, and Macallister grabbed my arm and raised it in the air like I’d won a prize fight.  Rob hung back, his face shuttered, but I thought I saw a brief glimpse of relief mingled with pride and love.  I spotted Bishop standing on the edge of the crowd, but he didn’t come near me, his face puzzled as though maybe he was trying to figure out what I’d said to Angel. 

Only one person’s face matched the glower on Corley’s, and it came from an unexpected corner.  Felix hung back, his anger palpable from across the courtyard whenever he looked in my direction.  I couldn’t fathom why he’d be so upset to see me win, and as soon as I was able, I excused myself from the impromptu party that sprang up on the terrace and drew him aside. 

“Hey, Felix what’s up?  Don’t tell me you bet against me,” I teased, but he kept his voice low and angry.   

“What was that about?  How could you let Tommy’s death go like that?  You should have ripped that bitch apart, piece by piece.”

All at once I understood the reason for his anger.  “I did something better,” I insisted.  “Angel was a tool, an instrument.  It wasn’t her idea to go after Tommy or me in the first place.  Killing her wouldn’t bring Tommy back.  I made Tommy’s death mean something.”

Felix tried to process it, but came up blank, too short on details.  “I don’t get it.”

“I know, but I’m asking you to trust me.  It’ll be better this way, I promise.”  I couldn’t explain what I’d done to Angel, especially not with so many other people nearby.  Felix let out a long breath, his head hanging, and I thought I’d have to try something else to win him over.  Instead, when his head came up, I saw faith shining in his eyes. 

“Alright, I trust you.”

“Thank you.”  I clasped his hand warmly, my smile returning.  “Someday you’ll understand, I promise.”

“What about that rat bastard
, Corley?  You gonna let him go too?” He braced himself for the blow, but I was quick to reassure him.

“No, that’s something else entirely,” I replied, lowering my voice to match his.  “He deserves to
go down.  And I know just how to do it.” 

It was both easier and harder than I’d thought it would be to sneak around in the lower levels of the mansion.  I knew Sylvius spent all of his time down there in his grand suite of rooms, but I had no idea where the heck it actually was.  Neither did Rob, who insisted on tagging along with me.  After the scare I’d given him during the middle of my fight with Angel, I didn’t even try to talk him out of it.  Besides, he was way more stealthy than I ever was, vampire reflexes or not. 

It helped that there was almost nobody down there, the Order all out wreaking havoc on peoples’ lives and most of the other vamps busy with the party upstairs.  A party in my honor, but they were all much more focused on partying itself than honoring me for anything.  If anyone saw Rob and me slipping away, I’m sure they expected a feeding after my ordeal, not the covert operation currently under deployment. 

Sneaking through the wide stone corridors, I almost wished we had hand signals to trade, like they did in the movies.  I was willing to bet Rob knew a few, but what good would it do if he had to stop and explain them along the way? 

The ornate
, gold leafed door was a dead giveaway that we’d come to the right place.  I waffled back and forth for a few seconds on whether or not I should knock first before I tried the knob and swung the big door open. 

“Hello?” I called out softly, comforted by Rob’s solid presence at my side and the promise of friendship given by the Elder on my last visit. 

Sylvius hunched by the fireplace in front of a huge, folding table, the surface covered in tiny puzzle pieces.  A tall guy, his shoulders stooped over the table, making him seem like an old man despite the lack of gray hair.  He wore a long, pale blue tunic, stained at the neckline with dark, rusty blotches.  His long hair draped around his shoulders, like a mantle.  The puzzle box on the floor depicted the Sistine Chapel on the cover, and he ignored us, his fingers hovering over the pieces, searching for the right fit.

“Sylvius?”  I tried again, half afraid someone would show up and toss us out at any second, but he appeared to be completely alone.   

His head came up at the mention of his name, blue eyes crinkling with delight as they landed on me.  “Carys?  You’ve come to visit me at long last,” he beamed, only to take in my exercise gear.  “You’re strangely dressed, go and put on a proper frock.”

Was the lighting in there really that bad?  Apart from the fireplace, there were several candles lit throughout the room, definitely enough for me to see him clearly
.  As far as I knew, vampire sight didn’t fade with age, if anything it seemed like it’d grow stronger.  “No, it’s not Carys.  It’s me, Anja… Anja Gudrun?”

He stared at me blankly.

“We met about a month or so ago… I was with Bishop, I mean Ulrik,” I prompted gently.  Sylvius had gone completely still, so frozen I only barely resisted the urge to wave my fingers in front of his face to see if he was still conscious.  “Sylvius?”

“Yes, child.  How may I help you?” he smiled benignly as if we hadn’t exchanged any greetings yet. 

“Well, I um… I came to talk to you about a problem in your House.” 

“You’d better come back tomorrow then.  I’m dreadfully busy.”  Another smile was given before he turned his attention back to his puzzle, ignoring us completely. 

I traded looks with Rob.  If Sylvius was taking a permanent mental vacation, my plan was about to go down in flames.  “Your Grace, I really have to talk to you about Simon Corley.”

“Yes, what about him?”  He didn’t bother to look up this time.

“He’s been playing dirty politics lately.”

“That’s why I leave all of that to him.  It gives me time to focus on my most important works.”  He gestured expansively to the puzzle on the table.

“Okay, but he’s been plotting to assassinate people.” 

“Surely not,” he snorted.  “It was probably a misunderstanding.”

“No, he was behind a plot to murder Thomas Lyons.”

“Never heard of him.” 

“He was the Elder of the West.” 

“Don’t be silly, girl.  Lucius is the Elder of the West.”

I shrugged my shoulders at Rob, and he cleared his throat.  “Lucius died nearly two hundred years ago, Your Grace.  After Lucius came Haysom and then Lyons.  She’s right though, Corley killed Lyons, as sure as if he’d been the one to fire the arrow himself.”

The Elder vampire’s brow creased into deep furrows.  “Who are you people?  How did you get in here?” he demanded.

“I’m Anja, sir.  I’m the Elder of the West.”

“I thought you said it was this Lionel person?”

“Lyons,” I corrected him gently.  “No, Thomas was the Elder, but I took over when he died.  And now Corley’s tried to kill me as well.” 

“And what do you want me to do about it?” he whined like a spoiled child being asked to take out the garbage.  “Make him apologize to you?  It’s nothing to do with me.”

“With all due respect, Sylvius, you’re the Elder here, not Simon.  Doesn’t it bother you that he’s plotting to kill the heads of other Houses?”

Sylvius blinked up at me, and I saw the confusion behind his eyes.  He couldn’t remember what we were talking about.  “How can I help you, child?” he smiled. 

The hope died in my heart, and I pulled Rob away, leaving the old vampire to pick up his puzzle pieces again.  “What do we do now?” I whispered.

“He’s gone mad as a hatter,” Rob muttered, his eyes on the Elder.  “Even if we can get through to him, he can’t be left to rule Vetis.  The Lords will tear the House apart scrabbling for power without a strong leader.” 

“I can’t worry about that right now.  First thing’s first – we have to get Corley out of power before he tries to kill someone else.”

“Or you,” he added, his eyes telling me that was all he cared about and I basked in the warmth of that love for a few seconds. 

“Or me,” I acknowledged, turning my head to study the man by the fire.  “I have to try talking to him again.  He was perfectly lucid the last time we were here.”

“Maybe he has good days and bad ones?” he shrugged.  “Can’t poke around down here for too much longer without someone noticing though.”

“Let me try something else.”  I approached the man, taking a chair beside him when he didn’t acknowledge me in any way.  Taking a deep breath, I sang softly,
O My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose
, the song that had brought him up to see me before.   Before I got through two bars, I saw I had his attention, and by the time I was done with the first stanza there was the light of intelligence shining behind his eyes.  I wasn’t sure whether to stop and pounce on him then or keep singing, but I took a chance and finished out the song. 

“That was lovely, my dear,” he beamed, reaching out to pat my hand gently.  “Thank you for coming to visit me again so soon.”

“You remember me?” 

“Of course I do.  I never forget a pretty face.  Anja Gudrun, daughter of Carys, daughter of Jakob, or so we’re meant to believe,” he chuckled touching a finger to his nose. 

“Oh, thank God!”  The breath rushed out of my body in relief. 

“What is it, child?” he blinked in surprise at my distress.  “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be set to right
s soon enough.”

I must’ve set the record for speed talking, wanting to get it all out in a rush before he lost his marbles again.  Not having to breathe for anything beyond speaking helped quite a
lot, and I hit the high points in no time at all, laying out the basics of Corley and Angel’s crimes. 

“Are you certain of these facts?” he asked when I paused for another breath.

“I am.  I compelled them from Angel myself.”

His gaze flicked to Rob’s shoulders.  “It’s not wise to share that
ability with others.”

“I trust Rob with my life,” I declared, meeting his eyes boldly, and I meant it one hundred percent.  Sylvius considered that for a few seconds before he nodded again.

“Then I trust him with mine as well.”  He clapped a hand to Rob’s shoulder.  “I’ll have to hear it from Simon’s own mouth, of course.” 

“Of course,” I nodded.

“Very well then, set your fears to rest. I’ll take care of Simon.”

“What will you do?” Rob asked. 

“I should have him killed, I suppose… but I find myself less eager to take lives when coming so close to the end of mine.”

The end… I thought I’d misheard him at first, but the solemn cast to his face made me think I had the right of it from the start.  “What makes you think you’re coming to the end of your life?  You’re immortal, aren’t you?”

“Immortal does not necessarily mean fit to live.”

What was I supposed to say to that?  “You look perfectly fit to me.” 
Not a lie,
physically, he was as strong as ever, despite the stoop to his shoulders.   

“Most days I’d agree.  Then again, most days I find myself missing more and more time, so it’s difficult to say.”

“Then, you know that you’re…”

“That I’ve grown feebleminded?”  He smiled faintly.  “Yes, I’m sad to say that I am.”

He seemed so resigned about it.  Here he was, sounding as normal as anything, it was hard to reconcile him with the old man at the puzzle I’d found when we came in.  “Maybe there’s something you can…”

“Shhh, don’t trouble yourself on account of an old man.  When the time comes, I shall be more than ready for it.  But for Corley, we must act quickly.”  Sylvius reached for a bell pull in the corner of the room and less than a minute later, the door was opened by a liveried servant.

“Yes, Your Grace?” he bowed. 

I had to get me one of those…

“Send for Corley at once.”

“At once, Your Grace,” he repeated, but I stopped him before he got completely away. 

“Also fetch Felix Hannover, Khalid, Aubrey Cantrell and, um… Brody.  Tell them to come right away.”  I figured we might need a few witnesses, and not all of them exclusively known for being on our side. 

“Yes, Your Grace,” he bowed again, his eyes darting back into the room with curiosity before he scurried off.

Brody was the first to arrive, his demeanor immediately shifting once he caught sight of me in the Elder’s chambers.  Remaining true to his order not to speak to me unless spoken to, he retreated to a corner while the others filed in, first Felix and Aubrey, both with champagne flutes still in hand and then Corley and Khalid, equally concerned over the reason for being summoned. 

This wasn’t my show anymore, and I let Sylvius take the lead, more grateful than I could say that his mind still seemed intact. 

“It’s been brought to my attention that my Warden has been implicated in a number of unsavory dealings,” Sylvius began, his voice grave.

Corley instantly scowled in my direction, only to recover his smile for the Elder.  “You can’t believe that I would be a party to these heinous crimes,” he began in a reasonable tone.  “I’m afraid Miss Gudrun and I have come down on opposite sides of the negotiating table.  Surely you can recognize a personal vendetta when you see one, Your Grace.”

“Sit with me, Simon,” Sylvius ordered, taking a seat at the puzzle table, and I worried he might ask him to pick up the pieces and go back to his
important work
in the next breath.  Luckily, his gaze remained strong and focused as Simon sat across from him.  Corley, for his part, took the invitation as a sign of vindication, and the smugness returned to his lips as he faced us.  The others in the room watched with avid interest, particularly Aubrey, whose eyes had taken on a particularly avaricious light.

“There are penalties when a woman lies,”
Corley declared, his eyes narrowing to slits. 

“Leave off the threats for now, Simon,” Sylvius interrupted him irritably.  “You have not escaped investigation yet.  Now then, you will answer me, and answer me truly, as your Elder.  Is that clear?”  Sylvius was so adept at manipulating him, I wouldn’t have guessed Corley was being compelled unless I knew to look for it. 

“Yes, Your Grace,” Simon replied evenly.

“Have you been manipulating the West for your own gain?”

Simon answered without hesitation.  “No, Your Grace.”

My mouth fell open, I was sure he was involved.  How was he able to beat the compulsion?  Or was the Elder starting to lose his stuff, like he’d started to lose his mind?

“Then you have not plotted against the Elder of the West in order to influence the negotiations at the Gathering?” Sylvius prompted.

There was a longer pause this time as Simon searched for the right words.  “Isn’t it right I should attempt to secure the best for the House of Vetis?”

A lightbulb went off for me.  The weasel was trying to doubletalk his way out of it without actually lying.  “Ask him if he gave the order to kill Tommy,” I interrupted.  “Ask him flat out.  Not his reasons why, not whether it was in his interest or for Vetis.  Ask him if he’s a murderer.”

“Answer her,” Sylvius said softly.

“I committed no murder,” Corley said shortly.

“But did you or did you not put Angel up to it?  Did you tell her to use the hunter situation to her advantage and get rid of Tommy?”