Each exhalation brought a wheezing mantra past her lips. It took every ounce of willpower to push herself to her feet. She conjured thoughts of General Anhalt and his army giving their lives to buy her time, of the little girl below in Grenoble waiting for liberation, of Gareth distracting the clan leader so she could make her way uncontested. Focusing on all those people, she resumed her way to the fort. Finally the gaping mouth of an arched cavern loomed before her, promising some protection from the elements.
Adele halted inside the arch to let her snow-strained eyes adjust to the inky interior. A minute dragged by before the darkness receded, only to be replaced with the blurry shape of a vampire standing no more than a foot away from her, his fanged mouth gaping slightly, but thankfully gazing past her. He was sniffing the air, as if sensing something wasn’t right.
She forced her breathing to shallow. Her body, however, wouldn’t stop shivering. Her jaw clamped shut against the chattering. The vampire eased its masculine frame from the wall where he was leaning and moved toward her. Adele shifted and laid her body as close against the wall as possible, trying to avoid him touching her.
The vampire followed the scent he was tracking, stepping past Adele to go outside. Only then did she remember the animal carcass down the hill. The blood was probably like a beacon to any vampire. With relief, she pushed off from the wall and proceeded deep into the Bastille.
Gareth saw the bulk of King Vittorio surrounded by his clan lords on the crumbling terrace of the Bastille. Before the Great Killing, vampires were never so fat, but now it wasn’t uncommon. Snowfall cut the visibility, but the sounds of Anhalt’s assault were clear, as were flashes of fire and the chatter of small arms. Scouts dropped and lifted from the terrace carrying news and ferrying orders from the king. The jowly monarch looked up with a start as Gareth and his bodyguard landed nearby. The king continued talking with messengers and his gathered nobles, but his eyes flicked to Gareth occasionally. Vittorio didn’t seem shocked to see his visitor, but rather annoyed.
Gareth grew restive waiting for the king to summon him. His impatience must have shown because Vittorio smiled smugly. Valuable time passed, minutes of Adele being alone and unescorted. Gareth began to calculate what it would take to escape this situation, but he couldn’t be assured of killing all these vampires, and leading a chase back to Adele was useless. He could only wait for the fat king to acknowledge him. When the last round of runners went scurrying off, Vittorio raised a finger at the soldiers around Gareth.
The cadre’s commander bowed to the king. “Sire, we have found a visitor who craves your attention.”
“Gareth, isn’t it?” Vittorio said. “I haven’t seen you in a century or more, but you look like him, only older and softer.”
Gareth didn’t reply that Vittorio looked like an obscenely bloated version of the last time he had seen the king of Grenoble.
Vittorio flinched from a massive blast in the valley, then said, “I know why you’re here. I thought I was quite clear to your ambassador months ago that I have no interest in your Grand Coalition. As you can see, we are managing these humans quite well. I have no intention of surrendering my independence to Cesare, that upstart king of kings. Sending his brother won’t change my mind.”
Gareth’s brow gathered in surprise just as another explosion vibrated the ground. Cesare had courted Grenoble?
The king smiled, mistaking the reason for Gareth’s reaction. “Does battle disturb you, Prince Gareth?”
“No, Sire. I am far from danger here with you.”
Vittorio bristled and shook a plump finger at the foreign prince. “Watch your mouth.”
A messenger interrupted. “Your Majesty, I am sent from the war chief. The humans have completely abandoned their camp and have come in full force.” Several of the nobles tensed. “But they are already flagging. Their power will soon be spent.”
The king forgot Gareth’s comment and glanced at his noble companions with a satisfied air. “See, gentlemen? I told you they would have to come. Humans are so predictable. They have gambled and lost, as they must.” He turned to the courier. “Tell the war chief I want all packs out. Send three to fall on the humans from behind. There is no retreat for them this time. This is the moment we have waited for. We must crush them.”
The messenger departed up into the flakes. Several nobles bowed to the king and also took flight, eager to be in on the glorious slaughter they assumed was coming.
Vittorio put a friendly hand on Gareth’s arm. “As I told the lovely Lady Hallow, a human attack holds no dread for me. Unlike you Brits, we here in the Alps fight the humans in the south frequently. I told her we welcome an army, Equatorian or whomever. They came, and we trapped them like the foolish bugs they are. We bled them slowly until they had no choice but to attack, or lie down and die. Now we will finish them. Meanwhile, those weaklings who allied with your brother have fared much poorer. St. Etienne is gone, and Lyon may be next. I will stay safe and independent in my mountain fastness, thank you.”