Alpha Blood Box Set(36)

Stacy showed off her torn clothes and gestured to the rest of us. “You think we hurt ourselves?” she quipped. At that moment Alistair returned with Brier’s lieutenant, and we turned to them.

“Well?” Luke asked his manservant.

“It’s as this man said. The explosives are gone and so are the bodies,” Alistair replied.

I blinked in bewilderment. “How did that many explosives just disappear?” I wondered aloud.

“Perhaps they walked off,” Stevens sneered.

“Sir, I myself was a witness to their stopping the terrorists and to the deposit of explosives. Besides that, nothing else could have made that earthquake that rocked Sanctuary,” Brier spoke up.

Stevens turned to the lead Protector. “And what have you to say about these accusations?”

“That you should listen to these people. They saved us all from this conspiracy, and their word should carry more weight than you’re giving them,” Brier insisted.

Lance stepped up to the side of the desk and raised his hand. “If I might have a word in this intimate discussion of my honor.” Stevens frowned, but nodded, so Lance continued. “If so many people question my honor then I will rescind my name from the nomination for the position of High Lord and demand an inquiry be made into this terrorist matter. I will make all information I have available to the investigator,” he offered.

“And ensure the outcome’s still in your favor,” Luke quipped.

“ENOUGH!” Stevens shouted. He glared at all of us. “I have heard accusations and haven’t been presented with a single shred of evidence. While I take you at your word, Protector Brier, and believe there was some trouble in the dungeon that explains the explosion, I won’t accept a verdict of guilty on anyone until a written confession or piece of cloth is presented to me.”

“But this is too important to ignore!” Stacy protested.

“It could mean the outcome of the election,” Luke spoke up.

“The outcome has already been decided. The votes were turned in and counted while you were off getting yourselves hurt,” Stevens replied.

Luke stiffened. “And?” he asked the man.

“With Lance’s withdrawal Simpling has won the High Lord seat, so all your fussing and conspiracy-mongering was for nothing,” Stevens told us. Luke and Stacy glanced at each other, and their expressions were enough to tell me that they believed their worries were justified. Lance had one of his allies in the highest seat of government. “Now get out of my office before I have you arrested! I have more important matters to attend to like getting all these people safely off the mountain!” Stevens ordered us. He plopped himself down in the chair and held his head in one hand in a sign of tired exasperation.

“Dad, please-” Stacy began, but he pounded his free fist against the desk.

“That’s enough! I will not hear anymore until a proper investigation is initiated!”

“By yourself, or by your successor?” Luke asked him.

“Naturally by my successor who will take over the reins of government this day, as you well know,” Stevens reminded him.

Stacy scowled at her father and brushed past us out of the room. Baker followed closely behind, and Burnbaum put a heavy hand on Luke’s trembling shoulders. “We must leave,” he whispered to Luke.

“Come, sir. We must pack,” Alistair reminded him.

Luke growled, brushed off Burnbaum’s hand, and stomped out of the room. I aimed to follow, but my eyes were caught on the bright blue ones belonging to Lance. He smirked and bowed his head to me. “Until we meet again, Rebecca, and I hope to find you in such attire” he gave his farewell. I shuddered, clutched the blanket to me, and hurried out with Alistair and Burnbaum bringing up a protective rear. I had a feeling our next meeting would be all too soon.





28





I caught up to Luke in the deserted foyer where he stood with Stacy. The dungeon door was sealed, but unguarded. All the evidence had vanished so there was no need for a Protector at the entrance. Baker was gone, too, probably to his room to pack and leave this terrible place. Stacy paced the floor with her hands clenched at her sides. “That idiot! What the hell does he think he’s doing giving the seat over to Simpling without starting the investigation?” she exclaimed.

I snorted. “I don’t think thinking’s involved,” I muttered.

“Whatever his decision we’re going to have to deal with it,” Luke philosophically told us.

“I do not like this. It means big trouble,” Burnbaum spoke up.

Luke nodded. “Yes, but we don’t have much of a choice. Stevens doesn’t have the courage to be the High Lord who starts an investigation into a rival lord without absolute proof.” He turned to Alistair and gestured to the dungeon door. “You’re sure everything piece of evidence is gone from down there?”

“Yes, sir. I don’t know how they hid the explosives so quickly, but the bodies and the boxes of armbands are certainly gone,” Alistair replied.

“Don’t talk here,” a voice spoke up. We turned to see Protector Brier stride toward us. He nodded his head toward the foyer entrance doors. “Follow me.” He walked outside, and after a moment’s hesitation we followed him. He led us down the path toward the train station, but before we reached the platform he took a sharp right toward the west and guided us down a barely visible trail into the woods. Brier didn’t stop and turn to us until we were completely enveloped in the trunks and canopy of the forest. My tender human feet complained about the rough path, but I didn’t think everyone would wait for me to change to finish this conversation. “My brother is very good at planting eyes and ears in buildings so not even your rooms are safe,” he told us.

“Isn’t it dangerous to your position to be seen with us? Farber and Simpling are going to be your bosses soon, and they’re not too crazy about us,” Stacy asked him.

“It is, but my position demands I care more about those I protect than keeping my job,” he replied.

“What did you want us out here for,” Luke interrupted them.

Brier turned to Luke with a grim expression. “I know you speak the truth, but Stevens refuses to listen to reason. He’s intent on keeping the peace even if it means destroying the rule of law.”

Stacy sighed, and the noise was full of annoyance. “We’ve already established my dad’s a pain in the ass, but how’s that going to help us now?”

“For what it’s worth you have my eyes and ears here, and the help of my men,” Brier promised. From Stacy’s face she wasn’t impressed, but Luke bowed his head.

“And we’re grateful for the help. Right now we need evidence to convict Lance of the attempted crime.”

Brier shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t help you there. My men scoured the dungeon with your own-” here he nodded at Alistair, “-and found nothing as to the whereabouts of the dead men nor the explosives. It’s like they simply vanished.”

“Nothing simply vanishes, so I want you to keep looking even after we leave,” Luke insisted.

I couldn’t take my silence anymore, and stepped forward so I stood in the center of our little group. “So that’s it? We’re going to leave and let them win?” I asked them.

“For now, but the trouble’s only just started,” Luke admitted.

Stacy nodded. “Yes, and with the highest office in their power the next move is theirs.”

“So we just wait until they what? Kill us or a bunch of other people?” I mused.

“They may try that, but they will make other moves to consolidate and increase their power. Those are what we have to check,” Luke replied.

“So watch your backs, ladies and gentlemen. It’s going to be a bumpy coming months,” Stacy quipped.

My face fell and my shoulders slumped. “We are so doomed. . .” I mumbled.

Luke smiled and wrapped me in a hug. I was almost comforted by the feel of his strong body against me. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I snorted. “But Lance and his goons haven’t made that promise,” I argued.

Stacy set a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. “Luke won’t be the only one looking out for you, and we’ll be looking out for each other. If Lance so much as sneezes we’ll be there to wipe his nose off,” she assured me.

Burnbaum laughed and wrapped us all in a bone-crushing hug. “I will do my part to wreck plans of our enemies,” he spoke up.

“That’s good, but you’re helping the enemy by crushing us,” Stacy gasped.

“Oh, I am sorry.” Burnbaum released us and I peeled myself off of Luke. Alistair chuckled in the background.

“Well, now that the hugging session is over, what now?” I asked them.

“With the voting over we go home,” Luke replied. He glanced over to Burnbaum and Stacy. “We’ll be counting on you two to tell us any news from your regions, and we’ll do likewise.”

“I will do my best,” Burnbaum agreed.

“And I’ll try to convince my father that he’s a stubborn ass, but I don’t think I’ll make much progress,” Stacy replied.