The Roman(61)
“Send word to the Princess of Umbria, warning her of the incursion. Ask that she send Umbrian troops to the border in support of our alliance.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Send a message to Venice, ordering them to send supporting troops as soon as possible. And send a message to Ambrogio at my residence, ordering him to initiate the Geneva protocol. Find Gregor. I need to speak with him. Now.”
Emiliano bowed once again and ran at top speed to the door, far in advance of the soldier who was supposed to be escorting him. Both vampyres disappeared into the corridor.
“Soldiers?” Raven whispered.
The Prince nodded tersely. “Your priest must have been attempting to rescue you before the invasion.”
“Does this mean war?”
The Prince looked grim. “The Curia wouldn’t send three hundred soldiers from Rome unless they were intent on war.”
“What will we do?”
“We have the support of the Roman. I’ll send an urgent message asking for reinforcements. Hopefully, the Umbrians and the Venetians will send soldiers as well.”
Raven met his gaze and offered a sympathetic look, but the paleness of her complexion belied her calm.
“If the Curia fear the Roman, why would they provoke him?”
“I don’t know.” William was pensive. “Perhaps this is a show of force in order to motivate the signing of a new treaty. Vampyres are supposed to keep their existence hidden. Ibarra flouted the treaty.”
He touched her hand, and she gripped him tightly.
“Pardon, my Lord.” Gregor announced his arrival, bowing just as he entered the chamber.
“Gregor, I’ve just spoken with Emiliano. I want you to send an urgent message to the Roman, asking him to send reinforcements immediately.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Gregor eyed Raven as he approached the throne. “But I have news you should hear.”
“Proceed.”
“This news would be better spoken in your private ear.”
“You may speak freely.”
Gregor swallowed noisily, giving one last fleeting glance to Raven. “The Roman replied to our initial request for support.” He held out a piece of paper.
The Prince snatched it from his hand. He read the message quickly. “Was there no other answer?”
“No, my Lord. As you can see, Lieutenant Cato sent the message electronically so it would be received quickly.”
“Was the sender confirmed?”#p#分页标题#e#
“Yes, it arrived as a secure communication.”
The Prince tossed the paper back. “Clearly, Rome has not heard about the movement of troops. Inform the king we will shortly be under siege and need his immediate intervention.”
Gregor retrieved the paper from the floor. “And the other matter?” His eyes moved to Raven.
“Send the message as I commanded, and send it now!” William snarled, his anger getting the better of him.
Without thought, Raven reached out and placed her hand on his arm.
“Yes, my Lord.” Gregor flew down the aisle and out of the chamber.
Once the door closed behind the head of security, Raven turned to William. “What did the Roman say?”
The Prince paced in agitation in front of the throne. “It wasn’t the Roman; it was Cato. I can’t be certain the Roman even saw my initial communication.”
Raven stood on uneasy feet, blocking William’s pacing. “What did Cato say?”
“He said I was to hand you over to the Curia and put an end to the conflict.”
Raven gasped. “Is that why the Curia are sending troops? Because of me?”
“No. Why would your priest come for you with ten soldiers when he could have come with three hundred?” William shook his head. “Something has changed since your priest left Rome.”
He closed his eyes and lifted his chin, his body going still.
Raven watched him, wondering what he was doing.
At length, he opened his eyes. A look of cold resignation shone from the gray depths.
“The Curia is gambling that if they march on Florence, the Roman won’t intervene. Perhaps they are colluding with Cato. Perhaps the Roman has been led to believe the Curia is willing to wage a war in order to rescue you.”
“If I went to Father willingly, would it avert a war?”
“No, for I would be obliged to come after you.”
Raven encircled his waist with her arms. “We could escape. We could leave the city now before the soldiers come.”
“Now is not the time to flee, not when I have a chance to save the city. The Curia are angry about the policeman. I can hand over Aoibhe and Ibarra to placate them.
“Hopefully, my message will make it past Cato to the Roman himself. We can try to hold off the troops until they arrive.”