“Is your lord in residence?” she asked.
“He is not.”
She took a deep, anxious breath.
“Is there some danger?” Baudoin's glare settled on the soldiers around her.
Adele gave a subtle nod and bit her lip. “I have come to offer a proposition to Prince Gareth. I assume we are welcome to wait.” She tried to remain a politician but still convey to Baudoin that they needed to talk privately.
The servant remained stoic. He merely turned on his heel and proceeded back down the dark passageway toward the main hall. There soon came a familiar rustling amongst the shadows, and the Harmattan stiffened in alarm.
Adele spoke loudly as Pet began to struggle in her arms for the first time. “You are in for a rare treat, gentlemen. Don't be afraid and consider this a warm welcome from the true residents of Edinburgh Castle.”
Feline shapes swarmed forward from every nook and cranny.
“Cats!” exclaimed Shirazi.
Adele knelt and released the eager Pet into a mob of his old cohorts. She greeted as many as she could within her reach. The Harmattan stood staring, though Adele was pleased when the youthful Corporal Darby bent down and scratched one of the many heads pleading for attention.
Shirazi leaned close to her and asked, “Does he eat them?”
Adele laughed. “I thought the same thing once. But no. They are just companions. The castle is an empty and lonely place.”
Shirazi said, “I'm beginning to doubt your choice for the next king of the vampires.”
Baudoin had disappeared, but Adele knew her way through the gloomy passages. Luckily they had brought lanterns from the ship and their way was illuminated slightly. The glow preceded them into the great hall where once she had dined on a magnificent feast. It looked dim and vacant now with no one there. Even with Baudoin's departure the Harmattan did not relax, and if anything, drew tighter around her, facing out toward the shadows. She couldn't laugh at their fears. They were too reminiscent of her own once upon a time.
“Put yourself at ease, Captain.”
“Not likely, Your Majesty, given where we are and what we just met.”
“Baudoin may seem mysterious and stoic, but he's not a threat. Or did you mean the cats?”
With a scowl in place he replied, “He may be old but he's still a vampire.”
To her relief, Baudoin soon returned. He entered through another door on the far side. Adele saw him first and sidled away across the room to stand near the mantel of the dead fireplace, well away from her men but not so far as to cause concern.
“When do you expect Prince Gareth to return?” she asked as Baudoin approached her. The Harmattan caught by surprise made to close in around them, but Adele held them at bay with a hand.
“He will return when he wishes.”
“It's imperative that I talk to him.”
“I'm sure. Life is a long series of imperatives with you.”
“Is there a way to send word to him?”
Baudoin regarded the soldiers, contemplating how much to relate in front of them. He looked long-suffering. “Has there ever been? What do you want with my prince now?”
Adele lowered her voice. “An assassin is in Edinburgh. A woman. She is here to kill Gareth.”
“A human?” There was the barest sense of derision in his voice.
“A geomancer.” Then not knowing if he understood the term, added, “Someone like me.”
That brought a rise out of him, but it showed only in the widening of his eyes. Baudoin cursed quietly in vampire. “You bring this danger to our doorstep.”
“I am here to make sure she doesn't have the chance. Where vampires may not see her, I can. I will stop her.”
Baudoin scowled and repeated with an air of resentment, “Frail old retainer?”
Adele offered a half shrug along with a wry grin. “I had to make you appear less threatening to my men.”
“So long as they don't attack me, they're safe.”
“They won't disobey me, but remember they are far from home and frightened. I would ask you to show restraint. If some incident does occur, don't kill them, as I know you are fully capable of doing.”
Baudoin tried not to look impressed. “Such words. You are quite adept at using them. Is that how you mesmerized Gareth?”
“He knows exactly what he's doing.”
The servant closed his eyes briefly in dismay. Then he turned to depart, shoulders slumped. “You will be the end of him.”
ADELE BUSTLED AROUND her old room. It hadn't changed, still pristine as if it had been waiting for her all this time. The early spring sun couldn't penetrate the dense stones of the castle, leaving the room damp and cold, but a fire crackled in the fireplace.
There was a knock on the door and Captain Shirazi's voice called out. “Your Majesty, you have a visitor.”