The Force of Wind (3 page)

“You’re hungry.”

He growled low in his throat as her scent washed over him. Giovanni loved the fragrance of her skin when she first woke. His fangs descended, but he shook his head.

“I took too much yesterday. I’ll drink a bag later.”

Beatrice frowned. “I don’t like it. You’re not as strong from the bagged blood. I can tell.”

She was right, but he shrugged anyway. “I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want you ‘fine,’ I want you as strong as you can be.”

“Beatrice—”

“I know you don’t like feeding from other humans, but we’re going to have to figure something out eventually.”

He rolled away from her, annoyed she had brought up the argument that had plagued them for months. “Can we not talk about this here?”

“You’re not going to be able to feed from me forever. Not if you want me to—”

“I don’t want to talk about this when we are about to go into a very unknown situation!”

She glared at him and sat up in bed. “And I don’t want you going into an unknown situation at anything less than your strongest. It’s not smart.”

He snarled, pacing the small cabin, but she didn’t back down. Instead, she rose to her knees, brushed her dark hair to the side, and took a fingernail to her neck, scoring it so deeply she bled.

Giovanni hesitated only a second before he rushed her, licking at the thin line of blood that marred her skin for a second before he latched on. He could feel the quick bite of her nails on his shoulders when he pierced her neck, but the flash of pain was quickly overwhelmed by pleasure as his amnis spread across their skin, and the rich, warm blood flowed down his throat.

She held his head to her neck and arched her body against him, but he took only a few deep swallows before he stopped and sealed the wounds by piercing his tongue. He closed his eyes and looked away from her, angered by her actions.

“Gio?”

He shook his head and walked to the small washroom attached to the cabin.

“Don’t do that again,” he said before he shut the door.

The boat from the mainland left at midnight, ferried by a young water vampire who greeted them with a nod and a polite smile. They climbed aboard the small junk and walked toward the seats the pilot indicated near the bow of the vessel. Giovanni’s senses were on alert, but he could only feel faint traces of old energy signatures and the expected hum of their escort.

“Just us,” Baojia murmured in English, his eyes scanning the water around them. “Nothing in the sea, either.”

He nodded and placed a hand on Beatrice’s back to lead her forward. They had come to an uneasy truce since their argument earlier in the evening, and he caught her eye, giving her a slight smile as they took their seats. As soon as they were seated, the young water vampire held out his hands at the stern, propelling them forward in the dark water and toward the hidden island in the Bohai Sea.

“How does he know how to get there?” Beatrice whispered, looking around the boat, which was devoid of any modern navigation equipment.

She had dressed in her typical uniform of slim black jeans and a black T-shirt before they left, but had failed to bring a coat in the warm summer air of the city. The wind on the water was brisk, so he put an arm around her and drew her closer as he answered.

“Penglai Island has a particularly strong energy signature because of the high immortal population. Even I can feel it, and it is not my home.”

“And you’re sure they’re expecting us?”

“We wouldn’t be going if they weren’t.”

“Tell me what to expect again,” she said. “I feel like I’m going to forget.”

“There will most likely be some sort of reception when we arrive, since we are expected and friends of Tenzin’s.”

“Why is Tenzin so important?”

Baojia chuckled quietly. Even Giovanni had to smile.

“Tenzin’s sire is one of the Eight Immortals, Beatrice. The one I think your father sought out, Elder Zhang Guo.”

He heard Baojia mutter something under his breath, clearly displeased by their destination.

“So, what? Tenzin’s really important, then?”

“Tenzin could be one of the Elders if she wanted,” Baojia said. “Unfortunately for them, she’s too smart and has too low a tolerance for bullshit.”

“She’s older than most of them, Beatrice. And far more powerful.”

“And her father’s one of the main guys? Is he a good guy?”

Giovanni glanced back to their pilot. Though he was smiling and looking straight ahead into the night sea, he knew the vampire was memorizing their every word.

“Elder Zhang Guo is a great and powerful immortal. We are fortunate that he chooses to see us. He is deserving of great respect.” He nudged her shoulder when she frowned at his rote answer, and she looked up at him. Giovanni made sure she caught the long look he gave the unknown vampire out of the corner of his eye, and he saw her mouth part as she nodded in understanding.

“I’m looking forward to meeting him, then,” she said in a cheerful voice. “And to seeing Tenzin. It’s been weeks since I’ve talked to her.”

Giovanni smiled. Beatrice had proven to be a natural at the more political side of his life, and there was no way their pilot had missed the implied intimacy between the legendary wind vampire and the young human woman.

The sky had become strangely overcast, and a swirling fog covered the surface of the sea the farther they sailed away from the mainland. He glanced to the side to see Baojia curl his lip. The water vampire lifted a hand to reach out in front of him and, with a broad sweep of his arm, brushed the fog away. The dark blanket parted to reveal a great, glowing mountain, rising out of the water. Its stone walls were lit with golden lamps, and a wide avenue curled around, leading to a large palace that spread across the summit. The whole island shone like a jewel in the moonless night, and Giovanni could feel the energy rolling out from it in waves.

“The Elders do like their fancy castles,” Baojia said as he stared at Penglai.

Giovanni turned to him. “You really didn’t want to come here, did you?”

Baojia shook his head.

“I thought you were Chinese,” Beatrice said.

“I’ve been an American far longer than you have, Beatrice De Novo.” He curled his lip again as he stared ahead. “There’s a reason I was willing to enslave myself to the Pacific Railroad in order to leave this place.”

Giovanni glanced back at the silent water vampire who piloted them. Baojia caught his look, but only shrugged, seemingly unconcerned to make his opinions public.

They entered a small bay and approached the dock that reached into the ocean. A crew of humans met the junk and tied it up before helping them off with quick movements and near-constant smiles.

The sounds of Mandarin filled the air, though the humans looked to be a mix of ethnicities from all over China. Giovanni pushed the humans back to help Beatrice off the boat and up the walkway, only to be met at the road by two hand-drawn carriages that were pulled by even more human servants. He tossed their small bags into one, which Baojia boarded with a quick nod, then Giovanni helped Beatrice into the second, and they started up the cobbled road toward the castle at the top of the hill.

Taking advantage of the weak human ears, Giovanni whispered to Beatrice in English.

“Remember what we talked about. Be very cautious what you say or what you commit to when talking with anyone. You are taken at your word here and must always follow through or you will lose face.”

“Got it. I’ll be careful.”

“And remember, everyone will smile. Even if they want to kill you, they’ll do it with a smile to your face and a knife to your back.”

He felt her begin to tremble and he pulled her closer.

“I won’t ever leave you unless I absolutely must. Trust me and Tenzin. No one else.”

“And now I’m scared.”

Giovanni was too, and he hated bringing her into such an unknown situation, but he knew that the possibility of open conflict on the sacred mountain in the middle of the sea was also very low.

“Don’t be scared. Be smart. You’ll do fine. Just remember, everyone has an agenda.”

He tucked her head under his chin and stroked her hair. A part of him wanted to force the carriage around and take her back to the safety of the plane, but he knew that running was no longer an option. Lorenzo had forced their hands with Ioan’s death and Beatrice’s abduction. Giovanni was convinced they had to find her father and the book he carried if they were ever going to end this.

Their carriage approached the grand gate to the Temple of the Eight Immortals. Two giant stone lions guarded the steps leading to the entrance and Baojia waited nearby. He held a hand out for Beatrice and helped her down when the carriage came to a stop. Two human servants in dull brown robes rushed off with their bags, and the carriages sped away, leaving the two vampires and the human woman standing at the gate of the palace.

He heard Baojia sigh. “Let’s get the circus over with. I’m hungry.”

The two vampires flanked Beatrice, Giovanni walking slightly forward and to her right, while Baojia stepped behind her and took up her left side. Their eyes scanned the long staircase and the surrounding forest as they began climbing.

When they reached the top, two human servants met them and swung open massive doors painted gold and decorated with semiprecious stones set in elaborate patterns. The entrance to the palace was designed to impress, and by the look on Beatrice’s awestruck face, it was working.

A hum seemed to come from beyond the antechamber when they walked in and two smaller, but more richly decorated, doors swung open. They walked into a massive stone courtyard lit with more golden lamps and decorated with ancient stone statues. Fountains and pools cut through the space and a huge open lawn ran through the center.

The flaming lanterns and flowing water, the open earth and empty sky all combined to provide a perfect balance of the four elements mastered by the immortal Elders that dwelled in the palace. Giovanni, Beatrice, and Baojia crossed the lawn dotted with tall, twisting rocks and walked up another set of steps leading to the main hall of the complex.

Through it all, Giovanni kept an eye on Beatrice, watching her as she took in the grandeur of the palace and the wealth on display. She was subdued and looked around with curiosity, but no great outward reaction. She was handling herself perfectly, he thought as he reached back and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

They climbed the steps and waited for an even more elaborate set of carved doors, overlaid in pure gold, to be pulled open by saffron-robed monks. Finally, they entered the Hall of the Elders and Giovanni paused, taking a deep breath to sense the air.

The few times he had come to this place in his five hundred years, the sheer spectacle of it was enough to start his heart. The hall was lined by enormous malachite pillars, and the walls were coated in silver. The oil lamps were gold, and the floor was a pure, white marble. Deep red rosewood benches lined the walls, but his eye was drawn to the end of the hall, where eight ancient thrones were placed, each from the era and province of the immortal who sat upon it.

His eyes moved from left to right as he faced them.

Elder Zhang Guo, the oldest of the eight, was Tenzin’s sire and a warlord of some kind from the ancient steppes of the North.

Royal Uncle Cao, the youngest of the eight, was still over twelve hundred years old. An earth vampire of unknown origin, he usually wore a pleasant smile.

The Immortal Woman, He Xiangu, sat next to Cao. Giovanni met the eyes of his fellow fire vampire, who nodded at him with respect.

Lu Dongbin, the ancient water-master, scholar, and reluctant leader of the eight, sat near the center next to Zhongli Quan, a wind vampire who met him in an uneasy truce. The two had been embroiled in a somewhat-polite tug-of-war for power for almost two millennia.

The earth-master and legendary healer, Iron Crutch Li sat next to Zhongli, and next to him was possibly the most enigmatic immortal Giovanni had ever met.

Lan Caihe was a fire vampire who had been turned at a very young age, but that was all anyone knew about him… or her. No one even knew that much, and Lan wasn’t sharing.

The last of the eight was the philosopher and water vampire, Han Xiang, a watchful immortal with a smile that never reached his eyes.

Giovanni estimated that at least sixty other vampires and numerous humans milled around the room, positioned in relation to their allies and associates. All of them paused and turned when Giovanni, Beatrice, and Baojia entered the room.

As one, the Eight Immortals, wearing identical white robes, rose to greet them, and the rush of energy that rolled through the room was enough to make Beatrice stumble back.

“Welcome, Giovanni Vecchio,” Zhang greeted him in Mandarin. “And welcome, Baojia. Your presence is unexpected, but not unwelcome.”

Baojia nodded, but refrained from bowing toward Zhang.

He Xiangu, the Immortal Woman, smiled as she surveyed the group. “It is pleasant to have such respected vampires in our midst, particularly a famed one of my own element.” She nodded toward Giovanni. “But who is this young human you have with you? Who is this girl who warrants protection from both the lion and the dragon?”

Giovanni stepped forward. “Elder He, may I introduce the granddaughter of Don Ernesto Alvarez of Los Angeles, a friend of Tenzin, and my companion, Beatrice De Novo.” He motioned Beatrice forward, and she nodded respectfully toward the Eight, as Giovanni had instructed her. When she spoke, it was in English, which Giovanni knew all the Elders spoke.

“I am honored to be introduced to the hall. Thank you for your invitation, Elder Zhang Guo.”

“You are welcome here, Miss De Novo,” Zhang answered with a smile. “It is my pleasure to meet my daughter’s dear friend.” He looked to Giovanni as if searching for a reaction when he continued. “I believe there is another present in the hall who is even more pleased to see you than the Elders.”

Zhang looked at Lu, who lifted an open hand and motioned to the side of the enormous room. The crowd parted to reveal a slim vampire dressed in the blue-grey robes common among scholars of the court. Giovanni recognized him immediately and turned to Beatrice to hold her hand as she gasped in recognition.