Kingmakers, The (Vampire Empire Book 3) (22 page)

A
DELE HAD BEEN
studying reports for hours, but not really seeing them. She was preoccupied with difficult thoughts of Lord Aden's fate and Mamoru's future. Greyfriar stood at the window of her private office, watching the dark skies outside, nearly motionless for more than an hour. He suffered no remorse for killing Aden, so he must have been contemplating his coming actions in the north. Or perhaps he was simply silent out of respect for Adele's discomfort. It was difficult to know.

Anhalt's voice penetrated the quiet. “Greyfriar is riding an elephant.”

“He's what?” Adele's confused eyes rose over her tower of memoranda to confirm that Greyfriar indeed was not riding an elephant.

The general sat at a table across the room with a stack of paperwork in front of him. He looked up in surprise, seemingly shocked that he had spoken aloud. Anhalt had been flipping through a potboiler novel titled
Swords of the Jungle.
He held the open book toward Adele sheepishly, displaying artwork of a man with a trailing cloak atop an elephant. “I'm sorry, Majesty. I found this book here. It's about how Greyfriar defeated the vampires in the Mountains of the Moon.”

“
He
defeated them?” Adele grunted in annoyance. “Ever since I became empress, it's become improper to use me as a character in those cheap books. So now he does everything.”

“I'm very popular.” Greyfriar crossed to Anhalt's desk, where he took the pulp novel and studied the picture with a satisfied hum. “Impressive. However, elephant-riding prowess aside, I do have something serious that needs discussion.”

Adele set down her pen and rubbed her eyes. Here it was. This was the reason for his brooding.

General Anhalt rose from the corner desk where he was supposed to be annotating a pile of reports for the empress's attention. “I'll take my leave.”

“No, General. I'll want your opinion.” Greyfriar perched on the corner of Adele's desk.

The empress appeared calm and engaged, but nervous energy clenched her stomach. She pulled the scarf from Gareth's face and slipped his glasses off, as she did ever more frequently when they were alone. She saw a tense uncertainty in him that she had rarely encountered, and it frightened her.

He looked her directly in the eyes. “Adele, I've been thinking about this for a while now. I am going to kill Cesare and actually become king of Britain. It's no longer a ruse in my mind. It must happen.”

Adele looked bewildered, glancing at the equally surprised Anhalt, and then back to Gareth. “I'm sorry. What did you say?”

“I intend to be king.”

“When did this happen? You said that it was just a story to get Flay to play along.”

“It was. I believed what I told Flay was nonsense. I was merely trying to work myself into her good graces. But she accepted it, so easily. She believed I could become king. And Flay knows as much about clan politics as anyone.”

“Couldn't she be clouded by her feelings for you?”

“Perhaps. But if she thought it was a ludicrous idea, she would've said so. So I have to believe it is indeed possible.”

Adele clasped her fingers together nervously. Gareth reached down and covered her fidgeting hands. When she glanced up, she now saw a passionate clarity in his face. His blue eyes were intense, purposeful, and inspiring.

“Think of it, Adele. Just as we talked about in Edinburgh. Neither of us believes the differences of our kind must be played out in blood. There must be another way, and with me ruling there and you ruling here, it's more likely that way can be found.

“I've fought against the brutality and wastefulness of my kind by pretending to be something I'm not, hiding from my own nature. Dressing as Greyfriar for another year, or a hundred years, won't make me human. I can never be human. And I don't want to be. I'm the eldest son of King Dmitri. I should be his heir.”

Adele shifted in her chair and regarded him sympathetically. “Please don't take what I'm going to say the wrong way. Are you merely thinking this because you're grieving over your father's death?”

“Maybe. I began to consider it after Flay told me about my father, although I didn't realize it at the time. However, there's so much more to it. I won't have my brother soiling Dmitri's legacy.” Gareth's voice grew hard. “He doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as my father. I used to think I could turn away, but I was wrong.

“The fact is Cesare doesn't even understand what my father stands for,” he continued. “Humans know the name Dmitri as one of the leaders of the Great Killing, and so he was. But that wasn't his true nature. He was pressured into becoming a war king, pressured by fear. We were afraid of the humans. We believed that we had to strike when we did. To wait any longer meant we would be overwhelmed and destroyed.

“Dmitri had spent his long life preaching that vampires should tread light on the Earth. We had our place, as humans had theirs. The Great Killing was against everything he believed. But he was also committed to the survival of his kind. So he joined the growing war movement and turned us into something we never should have been. That act drove him mad.” Gareth sighed sadly and leaned into Adele's hand stroking his hair. “Perhaps it drove me mad too.”

“Don't say that,” she said.

His gaze lifted to stare into her dark eyes. “Now Cesare has started another war, born of that same fear. Fear of the humans. But this war won't just drive us mad. It will finish us. How odd that I, of all people, should develop some messianic desire to save my father's people, my people.”

“I understand.” Adele paused to let him gather his emotions. She was battling her own. There was such a change in him that it was infectious. But she had to have the more sensible head. “Gareth, I'm not saying I approve of this idea, but if it were to happen, how would you do it?”

Gareth took a deep breath. “It won't be easy. A clan coven is a peculiar thing.”

“How so?”

“All the clan lords gather, along with whatever foreign kings wish to participate, usually few, but I suspect Cesare will have his allies like Draken and Ashkenazy. The lords sequester themselves without outside contact for a few days while they make a decision. I would strike Cesare once the clan lords went inside. That would leave me as Dmitri's only heir. But even so, that's not sure enough, so I need to arrange for Flay to use her packs to overawe the clan into naming me the king.”

Adele stood and began to pace. “Certainly I fully support the goal of killing Cesare. It creates confusion among the clan allies, and protects your people in Edinburgh. However, this whole subterfuge with Flay is too perilous. The risk of playing it through and placing you on the throne is very precarious. Why should we take that chance?”

He stepped in front of her, bringing her up short. “We both know with Cesare on the throne, the war will have a bloody and miserable end. I may be able to affect it otherwise.” His fingers entwined in her hair. “This war is wearing on you, and you are paying the price every day. You need my help, and this is how I can do it. You can't save the world by yourself.”

“Well played, my dear,” she said with a deep breath. Then Adele suddenly froze as another thought occurred to her. “What about Flay?”

“What of her?”

“Whatever shall you do with her? You're going to use her to gain the throne, and then what? You've said yourself she's the most dangerous creature you know.”

“So she is.” Gareth stroked his chin. “I don't know for sure. I'll need her to consolidate my rule, as I have no packs of my own. With time, I can create my own loyalists to replace the more troublesome clan lords. But you're right, I'll have to deal with Flay eventually. And so I shall. I'll destroy her.”

Anhalt noted from the side, “You said you couldn't beat Flay.”

Gareth nodded. “Not in a straight fight. I'll have to think of something else.”

As he was talking about the fearsome Flay lurking next to the British throne and his obligations to the clan lords, an idea swirled into shape in Adele's mind. She saw it with amazing lucidity, and even though it was surrounded by ill-defined shades of risk, it was a plan that she, and only she, could accomplish. It allowed her to play a role in safeguarding Gareth during his dangerous journey, potentially removed Flay from a formative role in the coup, and it relieved any others from taking a terrible risk, which was the sort of plan she preferred.

Gareth settled on the arm of a chair and leaned back, watching her obsessive gaze with uncertainty. “Whatever you're thinking now, I'm against it.”

“I'm thinking of all the damned clan lords and all the kings of the vampire alliance trapped together under Buckingham Palace. All in one place. I'm thinking of a way that you wouldn't need Flay's packs to launch your reign.”

Anhalt stood. “No, Your Majesty.”

Adele didn't listen. “I can eliminate them all. Every bloody one of them. They will never see it coming.”

Gareth rose also and took her by the shoulders. “Now you're talking madness.”

“Was it madness in Grenoble?” she argued.

“Yes, it was. But it happened to work.”

“I could kill Cesare and every significant enemy leader. And just them.”

“It isn't your place to kill Cesare,” Gareth said stiffly. “It's mine.”

“But don't you see? I can end the war with one stroke. I have that power!”

“At Grenoble, you had the support of an army. You're talking about London far to the north.”

“I've been there before and survived, you may recall.”

“Adele, I pray you listen to me. If you use your…ability, your power, again on that level, it could kill you.”

“Oh, you don't know that!” she dismissed. “You're just trying to protect me. How can you be such a mother hen toward me when you're going up to face your entire clan alone? And you expect me to wait here for a telegram that you're just fine?”

“I am trying to protect you, from yourself. I've tasted your blood, and I know how drained you are. I have never felt you so weak.”

“Nonsense! I feel fine. Grenoble was weeks past. I'm completely recovered.”

Anhalt came closer. “What is he talking about?”

“Nothing.” She flashed Gareth an annoyed glance.

Gareth didn't relent. “The power she wields is slowly killing her.”

The general fixed her with a panicked stare. “Is this true?”

“Of course not. I feel fine.” She glared at Gareth. “Don't bring General Anhalt into this.”

The general said, “You didn't tell me about any risk to your health, beyond the normal danger of war. You inserted yourself into my tactics without informing me of this existing threat to your life? That is unacceptable, Your Majesty.”

Gareth towered over the young empress. “Believe me, Adele. You are frail on a level that you cannot conceive. I know you in ways you can't.”

Adele was annoyed that he tried to overwhelm her with his height. “None of that matters. I can do it. How can I stand here in Alexandria and watch the bodies of our dead soldiers be shipped back to their wives and children for years to come when I can prevent it?”

“If I may,” General Anhalt said loudly, parting the glowering empress and the vampire prince with his sharp tone. “There is another way to accomplish the same objective without risking your life, Majesty.”

Adele started to argue that perhaps she
wanted
to risk her life, but silenced herself and motioned for the general to continue.

The sirdar said in a measured tone. “If we could determine the date of this coven—”

“We can,” Gareth said eagerly. “It can't begin until I arrive in London, and I control my own progress.”

Anhalt nodded. “Excellent. We could certainly arrange a traditional solution.”

“What do you mean
traditional
solution?” Adele asked.

“A fleet of bombers to kill the clan lords as they gather.”

“But again, General, why should I put those airmen at risk?” Adele replied fervently.

“I won't lose you for something so unnecessary,” Gareth shouted.

Anhalt replied after him, “Your Majesty, there's not a soldier, sailor, or airman who would not give his life in battle for you.”

Adele clenched her fists in exasperation. “Why won't you see the simple fact that I'm a geomancer and more than capable of succeeding?”

Gareth took her fists in his hands. “You are a geomancer, true, but there is so much more to you. You are the guide for your nation. And you are the woman I love. You must relent, Adele. In this case, you must allow us to be what we are: loyal soldiers. That is all we do. That is all we are.”

With gentle fingers, Adele brushed his temple and gazed into the crystal blue of his eyes. “My darling, I would've swooned for that speech last year. But I'm older now. Do you actually think for one second that I would allow you to be in London under the bombs of my own navy? Do you think I'm deranged?” She kissed him on the cheek. “The answer is no.”

“But I won't be under the bombs.” Adele began to object, but Gareth continued, “Let me finish. Once the coven commences, I will kill Cesare. Then I will fly up to the approaching ships with the signal to attack. There will be no significant resistance because it's customary for all the clan packs to be sent away during the coven. When the bombs fall on Buckingham Palace, I will be with General Anhalt aboard an Equatorian airship. And then, I can even remain in London and take charge of the clan during its hour of crisis.” He pulled her close. “Adele, I have steered your army wrong with my mistakes. Cesare has made me look like a fool, and caused me to endanger your people on the battlefield. I must pay him back. I must pay you back.”