The Force of Wind (25 page)

“Indeed,” Giovanni spoke up, “I would be happy to reimburse Lorenzo for any expenses, though I sent him into the world with wealth, as is the custom.”

“I was wondering,” Elder Zhang spoke, “why your son took these books, Lorenzo. You imply that it was for money. Did he not have an allowance from his sire?”

“Why would you?” Beatrice whispered.

All eyes turned to Stephen as he spoke to the hall. “Sadly, my father did not send me into the world with anything, Elder Zhang. I had to fend for myself.”

A low murmur of disapproval filled the room. Beatrice looked at Giovanni. “What? What’s the big deal? I mean, not every vampire is turned by their choice, right? It’s not always friendly. Why would Lorenzo give my father anything?”

“Even in cases where the vampire is unwilling, Beatrice, it is still customary after a certain number of years to send a child into the world with some degree of independence if they want to leave. Since I was Andros’s only child, he would have given at least a quarter of his wealth to me if he had sent me away.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t have gone—he had far too much influence over me—but when I sent Lorenzo out on his own, I sent a third of my wealth with him.”

“It is the custom among our kind,” Baojia whispered. “If you send a child away from your care, out of your aegis, it is considered very shameful to send them away with nothing.”

“But Dad escaped.”

The room was still milling, and Beatrice could see a sour expression on Lorenzo’s face.

“My son,” Lorenzo spoke over the crowd, “Stephen, ran away from my aegis. If he had told me his desire to leave, I would surely have given him gold, as is proper.”

A few vampires on Zhongli’s side nodded, as if that explanation was satisfactory, but Beatrice could tell by the subtle frowns and veiled expressions of the vampires in the hall that the mood of the room had shifted against Lorenzo.

“Perhaps he took these books out of spite,” Elder Han, the water vampire, said. “Why should we honor the actions of a spiteful child?”

“Why should we deliberate at all?” Elder Lan finally spoke, and the attention of the room swung toward the previously silent vampire. “Why shouldn’t it remain with Lu’s monks? I’m sure they are taking good care of it.”

More nods were seen among the Elders, and Lorenzo pursed his lips.

Beatrice didn’t like the idea. They needed to find out more about the book, and currently, it was being held at a monastery of unknown location, and they couldn’t even examine it. If they were ever going to find out what the secret of Geber’s elixir was, they needed the manuscript.

“What is this book that we deliberate over? What makes it so valuable that it warrants the time of the council?” Iron Crutch Li asked.

Lorenzo stepped forward, confident again. “It is an unfinished manuscript of the alchemist, Jabir ibn Hayyan, or Geber, as he is known in the West. It is not among his published works, but Geber was an acquaintance of Andreas, and it was given to him for safekeeping. It had… sentimental value to my grand-sire.”

Beatrice asked. “Is that true?”

Giovanni shook his head. “I have no idea. It’s possible, but my father had little regard for alchemy when I knew him. He considered it more superstition than science.”

“This claim seems very straightforward to me,” Lorenzo’s ally, Zhongli, said. “The book is clearly Lorenzo’s.”

“Of course it is,” Beatrice muttered.

Elder Han spoke. “This book may have been intended for Andreas’s son, but he forfeited his rights by not pursuing the manuscript when it was lost. I see no claim here by Giovanni Vecchio.”

“I see no claim here by Lorenzo,” the Immortal Woman spoke up. “Can we not honor the intentions of the great Andreas and give his property to his only child? Let this conflict be between sire and child. The book belongs to Vecchio.”

At that point, whispers began to circulate the room, and Beatrice looked around. The hall seemed to be split exactly as Tenzin had predicted, and Beatrice’s eyes sought out the one elder that no one seemed to be able to predict. When she found Lan, the enigmatic vampire was looking straight at her. Lan scanned the crowd, propped herself up on her knees, and addressed the gathering of immortals.

“Brothers and sisters,” Lan said with a smile. “I feel at a disadvantage after my travels. It seems that so much has passed in my absence. May I be permitted to ask a few questions?”

Lu Dongbin leaned forward and nodded to Lan. “Of course, Elder Lan. The hall is yours.”

“Oh good!” Lan clapped and grinned. “Dr. Vecchio, did you send your son into the world with wealth?”

“Yes,” Giovanni answered respectfully. “I sent him with half of my gold, and I gave him property in our homeland, as well. It is what my own sire would have wanted.”

“You honor your father, Dr. Vecchio. And did you send him with any of your father’s library?”

“It was my own son that had the care of my father’s books when he was human,” Giovanni said.

Careful, careful, careful.
Beatrice’s heart raced.

“After my father’s home had been raided, and Andros died in the fires, Lorenzo gave me the grave news that my father’s property near Ferrara had also been ransacked by brigands and the majority of the library lost. Rumors abounded for many years that this piece or that had survived, but there was little fact. My own business now centers on finding lost books and antiquities, in part to find what I can of my father’s collection. But I had no knowledge of this manuscript until a few years ago. I have been searching for it since I learned of it.”

“So you
were
searching for it?”

“Yes, Elder Lan.”

“And found it here?”

“In the stewardship of Elder Lu’s monks.” Giovanni nodded at Lu. “I have full confidence they have handled it with care and respect.”

“And do you ask for it to be returned now?”

Giovanni paused, as if considering. “Though I would prefer that the book return to my own library, I ask only to be able to examine it. I am willing to leave the book in the care of Lu’s monks if that is what the council desires.”

It wasn’t the ideal outcome, but if they were allowed to examine the manuscript more carefully, Beatrice realized that Giovanni would probably be able to memorize it enough for their purposes.

“Lorenzo?” Lan turned to Giovanni’s son.

“Yes, Elder Lan?” Lorenzo stepped forward with an ingratiating smile.

“How many children have you sired?”

Beatrice blinked at the unexpected question.

“What does that have to do with anything?” she whispered to Stephen.

“Canny vampire,” Baojia murmured.

“Why?”

“The Eight Immortals have been outspoken against those who sire many children, Beatrice.” Giovanni looked at her with a subtle smile. “They consider it irresponsible and unwise.”

“Oh.”

Lorenzo didn’t look pleased. He looked nervous. “I… I have had the joy of siring many children in my life, Elder Lan. I cannot give you an exact number at this time.”

“Or he doesn’t want to,” Baojia said.

“You have sired so many children that you can’t remember the number?” Lan said with a raised eyebrow. “That is… unusual.”

“Is it?” Beatrice whispered.

“How many children does Carwyn have, Beatrice?”

“Um… eleven, right?”

Giovanni nodded. “Eleven in over a thousand years. And that is considered a very large family.”

“Oh… so Lorenzo—”

“Is not making himself look very responsible if he can’t even remember the number of humans he has turned.”

Lan still questioned Lorenzo. “Have you ever taken a mate to help care for all your children?”

“What? Are we questioning his family values here?” Beatrice asked between clenched teeth. “Is Lan going to ask if he uses corporal punishment next?”

“Well, the answer to that is yes, but I have no idea where Lan’s going with this,” Stephen said.

Lorenzo looked confused, as well. “I have never taken a mate, no.”

Lan broke into a huge smile. “But your father has!”

Lorenzo returned a tight smile of his own. “Yes, he has a mate now.”

“I have met her. She is a scribe. She spent many years training to care for books in her university. I like her very much. Do you?” Lan leaned forward with a dancing smile. “You must like her, too! I heard she was a guest of yours for some time. Is that true?”

Lorenzo spoke carefully. “Yes, Miss De Novo was a guest at my home in Greece for some time.”

Beatrice’s ire spiked, and she whispered, “Why do people keep forgetting the whole kidnapping and murdering thing?”

“Calm down, B,” Stephen said behind her. She could feel the water in the air drawn to her, and her skin became damp.

“She’s very intelligent, is she not?” Lan continued. “And your own child, Stephen, sired her. You must be pleased since you like having a large family.”

“Of course, I’m very pleased.” Lorenzo didn’t look pleased; if anything, he looked a little green.

“And so Mistress Scribe is part of your family and mated to your own father, as well. It’s all so wonderful, is it not?” Lan clapped again, seemingly delighted by the happy circumstances. The rest of the council looked either confused or disinterested, most of them accustomed to Lan’s odd outbursts.

“Yes, it’s… very wonderful,” Lorenzo forced out.

Just then, Beatrice caught a strange light in Lan’s eyes. “It is, isn’t it?”

She was bewildered, and Giovanni looked as lost as she did. Her father placed a protective hand on her shoulder, and Baojia seemed to stand at attention. Beatrice glanced at Tenzin and Zhang, but both wore completely impassive expressions that were impossible to decipher.

Beatrice looked back to Lan, who had sat back on her throne and seemed to be thinking. Finally, the elder piped up, “I have no idea which vampire should have the book! It’s all quite confusing.”

A collective breath seemed to leave the crowd. Everyone had been waiting for Lan’s judgment, but if none came…

She looked around. “Does that mean Gio and Lorenzo will fight?”

Stephen leaned forward. “If the council cannot come to some agreement, that is the only option.”

Even as he said it, Beatrice sensed a buzzing from the crowd. What had been anticipation and interest was slowly building into a more heated energy. The vampires that surrounded them seemed to be preparing for a confrontation. She could see some silently moving to the edges of the hall, slowly shifting position as a new current swept the room.

Giovanni was tense, and she could feel the heat building on his arms. Beatrice reached a hand out for him, only to hear the hiss of steam when their fingers touched. Her own body seemed to be preparing for a fight without her mind thinking about it; she felt damp air at her collar.

“What’s happening?” Stephen asked.

Through it all, Beatrice kept watching Lan. She sensed, somehow, that the small vampire had not finished, though the crowd’s attention had left the elder. Lan lounged in her throne, examining her fingernails and playing with the ends of the hair that had slipped out of her topknot. Suddenly, the innocent-looking vampire took a breath and Beatrice tensed.

Lan murmured, almost under her breath. “Unless…”

Every eye focused on Lan as the small vampire spoke. Lan’s eyes lifted and sought Beatrice again.

“Perhaps there is some sort of compromise we can reach, after all.”

Chapter Eighteen

Penglai Mountain, China

November 2010

Giovanni blinked. Though he tried to remain impassive, the unexpected statement from Lan startled him. His mind raced, trying to predict and plan around the unknown.

“What kind of compromise could there be?” Zhongli asked. The wind vampire was looking around the room with suspicion. “Either the book belongs to Vecchio or Lorenzo. What compromise—”

“Perhaps the book belongs to the world.” Lan sat up on his knees again. “It sounds very important. A book of universal knowledge? Wisdom to be preserved and shared? I don’t know…” Lan flicked his wrist carelessly. “Perhaps it needs only a caretaker. Someone”—Lan’s eyes swept the hall, landing briefly on Beatrice before he looked at Lorenzo—“who both parties can agree is a learned and able steward. A scribe who could care for the book. One that has a connection to both Lorenzo and Dr. Vecchio.”

Giovanni’s eyes flicked to his wife.
They wouldn’t…

In a flash, Lan’s peculiar questioning made sense. He had constructed the trap perfectly, and Lorenzo would be forced to walk in. Giovanni’s heart began to race, though his face remained blank.

“A scribe?” Elder Zhongli asked with a slight smirk. “Who could…” His eyes fell on Beatrice and grew wide. It was only a fraction of expression, but the whole hall began to stir. Furtive glances were directed at Giovanni’s wife, who still stood next to him, apparently clueless to the web she was being drawn into.

“Now that’s an interesting development,” Baojia muttered.

“What?” Beatrice whispered. “Who are they talking about?”

Lan smiled and clapped. “There is a scribe present who has a connection to both the parties! She has even been acknowledged by the Elders. The daughter of Lorenzo’s son. The mate of Giovanni Vecchio. She has even studied book science at a modern university. Beatrice De Novo is clearly able to care for the book. It is the perfect compromise.”

“What?” Beatrice whispered. “Not… not me. It’s not my—” Giovanni reached over and clutched her hand, willing her to be silent as the Elders deliberated.

Lorenzo looked livid. “And where exactly would she keep this precious book? Has she a monastery like Elder Lu? A library of her own?”

“As a matter of fact,” Giovanni stepped forward before Beatrice could speak, “Miss De Novo has an extensive library in Southern California, in the territory of her grandfather, Don Ernesto Alvarez, a noted scholarly and artistic patron. While the facilities do not have the history of Elder Lu Dongbin’s monastery”—Giovanni nodded toward Lu and the Elder nodded in return—“they are extensive and modern, the very finest in the New World.” He could feel Beatrice squeeze his hand. If he was a mortal man, his fingers would have been crushed by the pressure.