A Shade of Vampire 37: An Empire of Stones(7)

“The delusions of paranoia,” Sahaero muttered. His robes were white, and I assumed he was the ruler of the air kingdom.

“Sahaero,” another king interrupted. “Peace! I want to hear what Sherus has to say—and why he has brought outsiders to our meeting.” The king glared at us both, but his outburst silenced Sahaero.

“Ierde,” Sherus addressed the green-robed king, “I want the Novaks to assist us in trying to understand what exactly this threat is. My knowledge is limited—I only know what I feel and what I see in the stars. The Novaks and their army have a great reputation on Earth and in the supernatural dimension for achieving the impossible, bringing peace where others wish bloodshed.”

“We have never aligned ourselves with outsiders,” Ierde replied, and Sahaero nodded in agreement.

“For good reason,” Sherus agreed. “Until now. I believe our isolation policy will do us no favors here. We are about to confront a great threat, and I do not know for sure that we alone have the power to stop it.”

More silence ensued, and I risked a glance at my father, who looked faintly skeptical.

Eventually the last king spoke up.

“We have heard you, Sherus,” he said. “We need time to think on what has been said. You ask a great deal of us—a great deal of trust. Let us reconvene at another date, and we will determine how we should proceed.”

The kings bowed their heads, and Sherus sighed.

“Let it not be too long,” he replied quietly.

While the kings remained with their heads bowed, Sherus nodded toward the door. It opened and a guard appeared, waiting for us. My father and I left the silent kings, and stepped out into the hallway. A few moments later we were joined by Sherus, and to my surprise, he was smiling.

“All things considered, that did not go badly,” he informed us as we descended the staircase.

What?

Sherus smirked at my expression.

“The fae are different, Benjamin. We tend to take our time on decisions—rarely acting rashly.”

Like making an impossible deal with ghouls? Oh, please.

“Think what you like of us,” he continued, “and of my warnings. But I tell you that there is danger coming, and your Earth will not be immune. With or without the support of the kings I intend to fight this—but I do wish for your help to discover what it is we will be up against. Will you help me?”

My father, still frowning, looked at me before nodding to the fae.

“We will help you, Sherus,” he replied.





Hazel





As promised, at the crack of dawn, Tejus knocked on the door to my bedroom. I was already bathed and dressed, and though I’d only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before, I felt clear-headed and was absolutely convinced that we would find Benedict today and bring him back. I would do whatever it took.

“Good morning,” he said as I opened the door.

That’s a first.

I drank in the sight of Tejus, with dark shadows under his eyes and a brooding expression on his face. He was dressed in his usual sentry attire, black pants and shirt with his long hair knotted at the back with a leather clasp. Combined with the dark stubble on his jaw where he obviously hadn’t shaved for a few days, the effect was startlingly attractive, and it took me a few moments to collect myself and refocus.

“Same to you,” I managed, heat rising in my cheeks.

I caught him looking at me with the same level of inspection, starting with my face and roving downward, his eyes becoming darker and more intent as the silence between us grew. Unable to handle his scrutiny for much longer, I cleared my throat.

“We should…” I began.

“Yes,” he muttered, and reluctantly turned back toward the living room. He strode over to the table and lifted up a large sheet of parchment.

“These are the most comprehensive blueprints of the castle and the surrounding area,” he began to explain as I made my way over. “The passage that Benedict entered isn’t marked, but should be here.” He placed his finger down on the paper, near where the emperor’s quarters were marked. “I am presuming that the passage predates the origins of the castle, and if that’s the case then the passage will likely be straight—it would have been easier to create that way, with more rudimentary tools.”

Unsheathing his sword, he laid it across the page, aligning it with where the passage began. I traced my finger along the paper, carefully avoiding the blade. Directly ahead of the passage lay miles of forest, and then a small cove.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“That’s the place I showed you—where we found the temple.”

“The temple of the Acolytes?” I asked sharply.