hellcat 05 - come hell or high water (32 page)

“Oh, relax,” Benedict drawled, looking around at them.  “I’m not here to cause trouble, well, not the kind you seem to be expecting.”  He took another swig from the bottle, burped loudly and flopped into the nearest leather sofa.  “Actually I’m here with answers to some of your questions.  And with an invitation.” 

“Exactly what questions are you here to answer?” Julius asked, his tone one step away from outright mistrust.

“Well, actually, I need to make the invitation first,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of one hand. “Your answer will determine what questions I can and can’t answer.” 

Julius and Gabi exchanged looks as they silently debated the options. 

“Fine,” Gabi finally said, sitting to retrieve her coffee and wrapping her fingers around the mug’s warmth.  “Let’s hear about the party you’re inviting us to.” 

Benedict’s face turned serious, and he straightened from his slouch and sat forward with his elbows on his knees, the bottle dangling from loose fingers.  “Well, it’s not so much of a party as a…faction, I suppose you could call it.” His gaze went distant and he looked upward, as though searching his memories.  “You see, most of the Vampires in the world get on with life as well as they can, obeying their Masters or eking out an existence as a Solas Nomas.  But a few, mostly the powerful or the well connected, or sometimes just those in the know, get pulled into the Game.”

“The Game?” Gabi repeated. “You say that like it has a capital G.”

“Well, I suppose it does,” he agreed, taking another swig from his bottle.  “And it obviously isn’t the kind of game that children play.  But it does have some similarities; there are two sides, and each side wants to win as much as the other.  Of course, the prize is control of the world, not a medal or the right to call yourself the winner.”

“You’re talking about the whole good versus evil thing,” Gabi said, but it was more of a question.

“It’s a lot more complex than that.  And neither side thinks of themselves as evil.  They just have different ultimate goals, and different views of what the world of the future should look like.”

“And you’re with one of these sides?” she asked. 

Benedict inclined his head. 

“And you would like to recruit us to your side?”

“Of course,” he agreed.

“Who is the other side?” Gabi knew she should give someone else a chance to speak, but the questions kept tumbling out.

“I’m sure you can guess that.”

“The ones we call the Shadow group,” Julius said flatly.  “The ones known as the Decuria.”

Benedict raised the schnapps bottle back to his lips and finished the last remaining dregs without answering the question.

“So one side wants to recruit us and the other side is trying to kill us?” Gabi said. Things were so confusing they were almost beginning to make sense.

“The ‘other side’, as you call them, is not trying to kill you,” Benedict disagreed.  “They are merely testing you.”

“Testing us?” Gabi felt stupid asking, but she was just so confused.

“Testing you,” Benedict confirmed.  “Once the testing is over, they will then decide to either destroy you or recruit you.”

“So why would you jump the gun and recruit us first?” Julius asked.

“We’ve been watching you for longer.” Benedict grinned. “We often watch to see how potential members react to the Decuria’s tests.  If we think you’d fit our vision better than theirs, we step in first.”

“Wait,” Gabi interjected, shaking her head; she definitely needed more caffeine.  “Are all the Princeps part of your side?”

“No, some of us are on one side or another, but a few remain neutral.  At the moment we have the upper hand.”  His grin was wide.  “Thanks, of course, to the two of you.” 

“So Helene and Santiago were part of the Decuria?” That would come as no surprise to Gabi.

“Not the Decuria,” Benedict corrected. “They were Centuria; that’s the next level down.”

“Centuria?” Gabi truly hated being this confused.

“The Hundred,” Fergus supplied with a growl.  “I’ve ’eard of them, boot only as whispers of myth and legend.”

“No, they exist. They’re stronger than ever, actually.” Benedict looked mournfully at the empty bottle in his hand before placing it on the table in front of him and burping again.

“So they’re the bad guys, you’re the good guys?” Gabi asked.

“As I said before, neither side thinks of themselves as bad guys,” he countered.  “We merely desire control for different reasons.”

“And what reasons does your side have?  And what do you call yourselves, anyway?” she demanded.

A hint of a dimple formed in one cheek as he grinned.  “Humans have had many terms for us over the years. We have become more legend than history, exactly as we prefer it.”

Gabi’s flat stare only made him grin wider.

“We’ve been called the Illuminati, the Freemasons, the Children of the Eye, amongst others.  But we call ourselves the Lucis.”

For several seconds the only sound was from a nineties action rerun playing quietly on the TV mounted above the fireplace.

Finally Gabi found her voice again.  “So you want to bring in a new world order?”  She’d officially gone from confused to completely addled. 

Benedict actually burst out laughing.  “No, no.” He shook his head adamantly.  “That’s not our objective, like with much of what humans get their hands on that has been mangled over the years.  We, in fact, would like the status quo to remain steady, for life to continue on with peace between the supernatural races and the humans kept unaware.”

“And the Decuria want what?” Alexander finally spoke up.

“What else?” Benedict threw his hands wide.  “World domination and Vampires to become the master race, with some others as valued minions.”

“That’s what Dantè wanted,” Julius growled from between clenched teeth. 

Benedict sobered.  “Dantè was probably your first test.”  He scratched his head, looking hesitant, almost uncomfortable.  “Julius, Dantè was one of the Centuria.  He was highly ranked.  With your support he may even have been strong enough to make a play for a position as one of the Decuria.  That’s probably why he wanted to reconnect with you, he would never have been strong enough on his own.  The Decuria cannot be forced out, they have to be killed or resign.  And only one Vampire has ever resigned from the Decuria and lived to speak of it.”

“How do you know so much about the other team?” Gabi asked, a sudden sense of deep suspicion settling in her stomach.

“Because I am the one that lived,” Benedict told her, a half-smile played across his face as if he enjoyed shocking them. 

“You were one of the Decuria?”  Damn, could she phrase a single decent question sometime tonight?

“Yes, many, many, many years ago.”  Delight glinted in Benedict’s eyes.

“Exactly how many is many?”  His amusement wasn’t helping her temper one iota.

He pursed his lips, and Gabi thought he was going to evade the question. But then: “Eight hundred and fifty.  Give or take a decade.”

Gabi knew her mouth had sprung open, but she still couldn’t shut it.

“So why come to us now.  Why not weeks or even months ago? Why the secrecy?” Alexander’s words were mild, but there was steel beneath them.

“There are many layers to that answer, but the topmost is that we needed to be fairly certain you wouldn’t be choosing the other side.  We’ve been burnt once or twice.” His tone implied that it was more than just once or twice and that the consequences had been severe.  “We’ve had moles and we’ve had those who turned once they knew our organisation.  Needless to say, that isn’t good for business.” 

“So what happens if we join you?  Will the other side attempt to kill us or seek some other kind of retribution?” Julius asked, his expression carefully neutral, but Gabi could sense his mix of strong emotions.

“That is hard to say,” Benedict conceded.  “For the most part we don’t attack each other’s main players. We try to keep some kind of professional courtesy, at least on the surface.”

“Except for occasional treachery,” Alexander put in.

“Of course. That is all part of the Game,” the Princep explained. “Why we aren’t sure in your case, is that they’ve invested a lot of time and energy in testing you.  They have a strong interest in you, they are obviously aware of what Gabi is, and suspect, like we do, that she is capable of more than you’re letting on.  They may keep coming at you until you surrender, or they may even try to find something to use to control you.  Personally I think that’s what they’re trying to establish with their current probing.  Either way, they’ll make a move soon.  The Game is dangerous for those sucked in unwillingly.”

“But we’re now a part of it, whether we like it or not?” Gabi felt the weight of inevitability settle onto her shoulders.

“Precisely,” he agreed.

“What role exactly would you want us to play in this Game? If we joined your team?” Julius asked.

“That would largely be up to you. Every member works towards a common agreed goal and tries to thwart the opposition as frequently as possible,” Benedict explained.

Another thought popped into Gabi’s head.  “So what happens when one side wins the Game?”

He smiled at her like a mother smiles at a child who has asked a naïve question.  “One side will never win the Game, Gabrielle.  No matter how many of us are wiped out, there will always be more, on both sides.  It is only the balance of power that shifts, and we strive to keep the balance in our favour.”

Silence fell as Gabi mulled over his answer.

“Who are the other leaders of the Lucis?” Julius finally spoke again.

“I’m afraid that information I can’t divulge until I have some kind of assurance that you’re joining us,” Benedict said.  “The Decuria know much, but we hate to simply hand them information on a silver plate. I’ll retire now and leave you to discuss this.  I know you have much to deliberate.  Be assured that if you take on the task force as the Princeps have asked you to, it will be easy to fulfil your part in the Lucis. After all, we put you in the position for a reason.”  Benedict rose, and before any of them could form any more questions, he vanished from the room. 

They were all still sitting in silence moments later when her phone rang.  Razor jumped up from his nap with a start.  Holy Lord and Lady, she swore she’d changed the ringtone to something less blaring, but now “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC blasted her once again.  She’d really have to pin Kyle to the ground with Nex at his throat and make him tell her how to undo his idea of a prank. 

Athena’s name appeared in neon letters.  That was odd; did she know Benedict was here?

“Yes,” she answered, still too befuddled to force politeness into her tone. 

“Gabi.” Athena’s voice was cool, but there was an underlying note of something…anger? Tension?  “She’s gone.”  Now her voice was flat.  “Mariska is gone.  Escaped.” 

Gabi’s breath left her lungs in a whoosh.  “What?”  An icy cascade trickled down her spine. 

“You heard me.” It was anger; Athena was pissed.  “And one of Julius’s helped her escape.  And not only that, but the Gemini Twin is gone too.” 

Gabi was sure she hadn’t heard correctly. 

“One of our Diviners examined the rooms they were taken from.  He was able to use a scrying bowl to project the faces of the two who helped her.  The one I didn’t recognise, but the other was Caspian.”  She spat the name.

“Fuck,” Gabi swore. “You’re sure?”

“Positive,” Athena affirmed, her tone clipped.  “It’s now in your hands.  I’ve cleared it with the Council.  We wash our hands of the matter.  If you find them, you are to return the twin to us, dead, alive or comatose.  You can do what you want with Mariska and the Vampire.  If we find them, she will be executed, pregnancy or not, and the Vampire will be staked out in the sun.” 

Slightly numb, Gabi ended the call.  There was only one reason Caspian would take Mariska.

“What’s wrong?” three voices asked simultaneously.

“The task force has its first mission,” she informed them. 

EPILOGUE

Gabi tugged a few weeds from the edge of the headstone.  The takeaway coffee cup warmed her chilled fingers as she settled down on the neatly trimmed grass over her father’s grave, her back to the engraved marble.  The surface was cold against her back, even through the thick jacket she wore.  Razor circled a few times before approving of the patch of grass he’d flattened with his enormous paws.  He settled his rump in the depression, but remained alert, his gaze scanning the graveyard.  He never sat directly on the grave with her, and always gave her a little personal space at times like this.

“Hey, Dad,” she said at last.  She patted the grass beside her, as she could remember patting his knee when she sat on his lap as a little girl.  “I’ve been scarce lately, haven’t I?  Sorry.”  She wasn’t sure why it was so freeing to speak to him like this.  If she truly believed in the afterlife, she knew he’d be with her whether she was near his mortal resting place or not, but this was where she felt the closest to him, and no form of reasoning thought would change that.  “Wow, you won’t believe the changes,” she mused.  “The City.  It’s so different from just a few months ago.  I think the new dynamic would fascinate you.  Probably piss you off a little, but then you’d come to realise, like I am, that change isn’t always bad.  Evolution is necessary, change is inevitable.”

She looked out from her slight vantage point towards the City lights in the distance, some of them just beginning to blink off with the strengthening of the dawn light. 

“The Magi have mostly withdrawn from us.  They’ve taken the uncovering of the Source hard.  The status quo for them has shifted so far that they’re struggling to adjust.  They’re so set in their ways, you know?”  It was true, the Magi were the ones who most fiercely clung to their tried and tested ways of doing things.  Having witnessed the ins and outs of Vampire society up close, Gabi could see that they were prepared to shift their mindset to accommodate an ever-changing world.  It wasn’t something she’d expected.  “And the Vampires.  You wouldn’t believe the Vampires.  A race that can live for centuries; you’d think they’d cling the hardest to what they know and feel comfortable with, but they’re forward thinkers, innovators, chameleons.  Well, some of them anyhow.  Enough to make the difference for all of them.”  She took a long sip of the cooling coffee.  “We can learn from them.  I take strength from that.  It reminds me that change can be healthy and positive.”