Burning Both Ends (Guardian Witch #3)

Chapter Five

While they waited for that first critical meeting, Ari and Andreas made numerous calls to Riverdale to confer with his staff, Prince Daron, and the Magic Council. Ari had been granted temporary leave, and Martin, the suburban guardian, would be covering the patrols in her absence. Prince Daron was sending reinforcements. He’d been generous in his support, pleased with the end of the centuries-long feud with Sebastian.

Ari was especially excited that their old friends, werewolf Mike and werelion Benny from Daron’s personal security team, would arrive in the morning along with five weretigers from Andreas’s personal staff. By tomorrow night a dozen and a half Riverdale vampires would join them.

As Andreas had pointed out in private, his biggest challenge would come from ambitious vampires who perceived a power vacuum at the top. Someone was bound to issue a challenge, a fight to claim that spot. Ari was eager to have their friends and recruits around them before that happened.

In the meantime, they had to survive tonight’s initial meeting. By 8:00 p.m., the audience chamber filled with vampires and wolves eager to get a look at the vampire claiming to be their new prince. Although uneasy with the uneven numbers, Ari was prepared to respond to the first hint of trouble. In addition to her usual weapons, she carried several packets of barrier dust and even a sneezing powder that would give the wolves fits. Lilith and Russell were stationed outside the chamber doors, and both were armed with automatic weapons.

Gabriel was an unexpected help. He was well-liked by Sebastian’s vampires, and his history with and loyalty to Andreas appeared to calm some of their suspicions. He assumed the role of making introductions, added a witty remark or two, and the meeting got off to a good start.

Throughout the passing hours, Sebastian’s former associates continued to listen to Andreas, asking questions, arguing now and then. Ari stayed quiet, keeping the focus on Andreas, while she watched for covert signs of hostility, especially from the wolves. At worst, they remained neutral. A new head wolf had taken over the pack, and his respect for power seemed to have outweighed any desire for revenge. Ari still didn’t trust any of them.

The meeting wound down. The vampires seemed confused by Andreas’s democratic approach, patterned after Prince Daron’s rule in Riverdale, but they were happy to be free of Sebastian’s brutality and most of them didn’t raise much objection. Given time, Andreas would win their loyalty.

Andreas finally stood and declared the meeting over. Ari sighed with relief.

Once the doors had closed behind the last stragglers, Andreas and Ari, Marta and her human consort Percy, and Gabriel gathered in the lounge, a comfortable room of plush chairs and sofas located off the audience chamber. The vampires drank wine; Ari curled up on the sofa next to Andreas. As usual Percy’s hand was touching Marta’s shoulder. The vampiress seemed genuinely attached to him despite a past injury that had left him with a permanent limp.

The group rehashed the evening’s progress. Marta thought most of Toronto would celebrate Sebastian’s death. Of course, she could be prejudiced. Marta had rather forcefully expressed her feelings by cutting off Sebastian’s head.

Ari grew sleepy. The evening had ended smoothly, and the worst was over.

“Have you told him of the bigger threat?” Marta asked, turning to Gabriel.

Bigger threat? Ari was suddenly wide-awake.

“Not yet.” The blond vampire grimaced. “I thought it could wait, but maybe not. I suppose now is as good a time as any, since you’ve already brought it up.” He gave Andreas an apologetic look. “I hate to put a damper on things, but Sebastian wasn’t acting on his own. He had support from the Continent.”

“The O-Seven.” Andreas’s voice was quiet.

Gabriel nodded. “You knew?”

“Knew what?” Ari straightened and looked from Andreas to Gabriel. “What’s happening that you’re not telling me?”

“Only suspected,” Andreas corrected, meeting her look. “Sebastian was a brutal bully but not very inventive. I feared he was not nearly as obsessed with Prince Daron as his behavior would suggest. Yes, they were enemies, but that was not a new development, and Sebastian was too self-indulgent—too lazy, if you will—to mount such a determined series of assaults. I presumed someone was encouraging him. As you might say, pushing his buttons.”

She remembered the portrait of the O-Seven that hung in the staircase of his Victorian home. “You think the old ones are behind this? What do they want with you?”

“I am not their primary target,” Andreas said, his look swinging back to Gabriel. “Daron is.”

“Very true,” Gabriel agreed, “but I’m not sure that will matter when they’re breathing down our necks. They won’t mind taking out Daron’s friends along the way.”

“But why? What’s he done to them?”

“It is not what he has done,” Andreas said. “It is what he stands for, his social and political beliefs.” When Ari frowned, he added, “I explained some of this to you before. Do you not remember?”

“I remember seeing the picture of the first seven vampires, and that they had disapproved of Daron.” She hesitated. Should she mention one of them was Daron’s sire? Probably not. That seemed to be some kind of secret. Gabriel might know already, but what about Marta? Ari chose to play it safe. “I guess I didn’t pay much attention to the details. Are you thinking they’ll come after us now? Why?”

“It is complicated.”

“How complicated?” she said impatiently. “Explain.”

“The Original Seven, the eldest and most dominant of our kind, rule over the European countries from a hidden stronghold in Germany and adhere staunchly to the old ways. They are formidable, their power absolute, ruling through intimidation and brute power. Their word is law.”

“Meaning, if you don’t agree with them, you die,” Gabriel interjected. “And that is only after they’ve made you suffer.” He gave an exaggerated shudder. “Not fun fellows,” he said to Ari in an aside.

Marta threw Gabriel a disgusted look and loudly cleared her throat. “It’s hardly something to joke about,” she said.

“The human and Otherworld authorities let them get away with that?” Ari demanded, focusing on Andreas and ignoring the by-play from the other two.

“I can’t imagine who would want to take them on,” Gabriel said, looking at her in surprise. “But presuming someone did, the O-Seven’s activities are shrouded in secrecy. They no longer leave the streets awash in blood and body parts.”

Ari cocked her head at Andreas. “Is that true? No one opposes them?”

“Essentially correct,” Andreas said. “But not the entire story. When Daron broke away from the autocratic beliefs of the elders, they were irate and many wanted to have him permanently terminated. They feared his democratic vision was a threat to the power they had held for centuries.”

“Democratic, as in voting? Does he plan to abdicate the crown?”

“He has not, nor do I believe he will give up the throne. But he does listen to his people, responding to community concerns. As much as is practical, he rules by consensus.”

Diverted, Ari wanted to ask a hundred questions about Daron’s beliefs. She’d never thought much about how unique the Riverdale vamp community was, and now she wanted to know everything about them. At the moment, however, they needed to focus on the threat from the O-Seven. “If the O-Seven wanted him dead, how did Daron survive?”

“An order of termination of a prince or any first generation descendant of an elder must be approved by all seven members. One of those members refused. Soon after that, Daron disappeared, living underground for hundreds of years and eventually escaping to America at the time of the Revolution. He brought a small band of like-minded followers with him. When the O-Seven realized he had established a princedom based on his beliefs, their hired assassins attacked and killed many of his followers. He relocated several times, but they have kept his court from growing large enough to present a threat.”

“This is an ongoing thing? They’ll never stop?”

Andreas sighed. “I am afraid so. Along with long lives come long memories. Unless the dissenter changes his vote, they cannot kill Daron, but there is nothing to prevent them from destroying anyone who follows his ways.”

“Then why did they wait until last year? Daron has been in Riverdale for eight years.”

“To my people, a few years is nothing.”

“It’s more than that,” Marta interjected. “Daron was smarter this time. He chose a small city and built a court without attracting attention from Europe. They kind of forgot about him, and he might have remained unnoticed if Sebastian hadn’t intervened. When he heard about Daron’s growing community in Riverdale nearly two years ago, he contacted the O-Seven. They provided him with gold and incentive.” She laughed, a harsh sound. “They fed his enormous ego. He actually believed the O-Seven would allow him to join their council. That is when he became obsessed with destroying Prince Daron. Regardless of the cost to the rest of us,” she muttered bitterly.

“Now that he’s dead, what will they do?” Ari asked.

“It won’t be pretty,” Gabriel said. “I can safely predict that the mood in Europe will be gruesome. Not that they’ll care about Sebastian’s death, but a majority of the council members wanted to see him succeed. I agree with Marta, they were stringing him along with promises of membership, but they wanted Daron and his court eliminated. They’ll still want that.” He produced a crooked grin. “I’d like to hear their horrified reaction when it dawns on them that Daron’s influence has spread to Toronto.” Gabriel sobered and gave Andreas a thoughtful look. “You can expect to feel their wrath, unless you renounce Daron’s politics.”

Silence followed Gabriel’s chilling words. Ari tried to envision what the O-Seven might do next. Andreas’s people hardly had a chance to celebrate Sebastian’s defeat, and already there was a new threat to think about. What the hell had they gotten themselves into?