A Cold Day in Hell (The Hellcat Series) (30 page)

Julius sent Alexander and Quentin out ahead of them; Fergus and Athena followed Gabi and Julius, while Kyle and Nathan brought up the rear.  To anyone else their procession might appear random, but Gabi knew it was a well considered wall of protection around her. 

There'd been no incidents during the course of the day.  Julius had stayed awake until midday, then he'd used his own blood to rouse Alexander to take over babysitting duty.  Athena had cast a spell over the suite to alert them to anyone trying to enter the rooms, and all their food had been thoroughly checked by the Magus before anyone ate.  Gabi hadn't been allowed out of the suite, and despite still being exhausted from the effects of the belladonna, the imprisonment had driven her to a state of frustration just one step shy of crazy. 

When they reached the doors of the Princeps' Hall and entered the chamber, Gabi was once again struck by the grandeur of the room.  Kyle, Nathan and Quentin were looking around with astonished eyes, but Athena seemed unimpressed; perhaps the Magi High Council resided in something equally as opulent.  Gabi, Julius and Kyle were directed to stand in front of the Princeps' table.  The others were herded to one side of the room between a pair of already present Vampire guards.  The entrance of the Princeps was the same procedure as the first meeting.  The twenty-four guards entered first, followed by the Princeps in exactly the same order as before.  Gemini had not yet made an appearance.  When they were all seated, Eliasz once again stood and took charge.

"Good evening, Master Julius," he said politely.  "Lady Consort," he acknowledged Gabi, "and I assume this is the one they call Wolf?" he asked, looking to Kyle.

"This is Kyle," Julius said.

"He is the Werewolf who was born a werewolf?" Eliasz pressed, not happy with Julius's evasiveness.

"Yes," Julius's reply was short. 

Eliasz's lips thinned slightly, and Klara's face grew stormy.  Watching for reactions on the Princeps' faces, Gabi's gaze found Santiago's, and her pulse leapt as anger boiled through her.  Nex's solid warmth reminded her how easily she could pull the blade and wipe the smug leer from his wretchedly handsome face.  She forced herself to move her gaze onward, assessing the others instead. 

"We all know who he is, Eliasz," Oleksandra commented.  "Let's move on.  Cassandra, will you please read the first charge against Master Julius." 

The thin, blonde woman stood and looked at them with sad eyes.  Gabi knew that if they were sentenced to death by the Princeps, this woman would be their executioner.  Julius had explained that it was considered a kindness to allow her to take the life from a person, as it was a painless way to die.  Her particular kiss of death was only offered to high-ranking Vampires and their immediate associates.  The plebs were simply beheaded by one of the guards. 

"The first charge is the unlawful killing of another Vampire during a Master challenge.  The charge is laid against Master Julius, his consort, and the
packless Werewolf known as Wolf," she intoned. 

"Do you denounce this charge?" Oleksandra asked Julius.

"Yes, my lady."  His veneer of politeness was growing thinner.

"Based on what grounds?" Eliasz asked.

"On several, actually," Julius replied.  "Firstly there could be no Master challenge, as Dantè had not officially obtained the level of Master."  Mariska had apparently been unaware of this little fact when she laid the charges.  "But even had it simply been a Clan leadership challenge," Julius continued before any of the Princeps could muddy the charges with this possibility, "Dantè was acting directly against Vampire law."

"How was he doing this?" Faruq asked, sitting forward, the truth in Julius's words striking a chord with the Vampire lie-detector. 

"He and the Maleficus, known as Mariska, were summoning Demons from the Etherworld and building an army of Demons and Ghouls to attack my Clan and the humans of the City." 

The hall fell silent.  Many
Princep eyes turned to Faruq for confirmation of what they had never been told before.  The Arabic man nodded slowly.

"Of course, you may believe this yourself, Master Julius, but that doesn't always tell the full story."  Klara spoke up for the first time, her guttural accent barely understandable. 

"If you think I am mistaken, you are welcome to question my witnesses," he said, indicating the rest of the group lined up nearby.  "They include a representative of the Magi High Council.  Perhaps her view of the circumstances would be more trustworthy than my own."  His tone was mild, but his irritation was obvious. 

"Before we question your witnesses, are there any other grounds you are using to refute this allegation."  Oleksandra spoke again, her expression knowing.

"Yes, my lady." Julius's tone was a little less icy when addressing the grandmotherly Princep.  "At the time that I killed Dantè, he was holding Gabrielle captive and had been torturing her with the help of the Maleficus.  On those grounds alone I had the right to take his life, as Gabrielle was at that time my concubine." 

Gabi forced herself not to stiffen at the word.  She didn't like the term, even though Julius had explained earlier that it meant something a little different in Vampire society; it just made her sound like his servile fuck-buddy.  Movement caught her eye on the left. 

Benedict leaned back in his seat indolently.  "If that is true, Master Julius, then you did indeed have cause to kill the Vampire known as Dantè," he drawled.  "It's clear that the Dark Magus is ignorant of Vampire Law.  Faruq has confirmed the truth of Julius's statements.  I say we throw out this charge and move on.  This is becoming a waste of my time."  He flicked his hands at the rest of them as though the whole thing was boring him to death. 

"I agree."  Fianna's lilting voice was stern.  "This allegation is just a nuisance.  In fact, I move that the Dark Magus be handed over to Master Julius to exact revenge for the pain and suffering caused to his City and his consort."

"Let's not be hasty."  Helene's clipped British accent interrupted Fianna and earned the English beauty a disdainful glare from the warrior.  "There is still the more serious charge to consider before we go handing anyone over for retribution." 

"Master Julius, you and your Clan are accused of knowingly harbouring a direct threat to the safety of all Vampire-kind," Cassandra read from the sheet in front of her.  "Do you have anything you wish to say in your own defence?"

"Yes, I do," Julius confirmed in a strong, confident voice.  "I contend that Gabrielle herself is not a direct threat to Vampire society.  It is impossible for one Dhampir to kill or expose the whole of the Vampire world."

"That is just semantics."  Helene tried to brush aside the argument. 

"No, he makes a good point," said Fianna.  It seemed that if the Irish woman hadn't been on their side before, Helene's rudeness might have just pushed her that way now.  "It isn't the Dhampir herself who is the threat to us all; it is the secret of her creation that is the real danger." 

"He was still harbouring the secret, so the charge remains true," Helene argued.

"Ah, but if the secret is the threat, how can we punish the Dhampir?"  Benedict spoke again. 

"We're not discussing punishments yet," Klara reminded the group.  "We must first deliberate guilt or innocence of the charges."  It was technically against the law to have considered punishment before confirming guilt. 

"Perhaps we need to rethink the charges," Oleksandra put forward.  "It is clear the Dark Magus was even less forthcoming with information than we originally realised.  We may need to consider a lesser charge." 

"The Dhampir is a threat.  The information she and some of those around her hold in their minds has the power to ruin us all."  Akshita spoke up for the first time.  "They know this, and that is why they have been trying to hide it." 

"Or they have been hiding it because they think they can quietly begin to build an army of their own."  Santiago's voice was a sexy purr, making Gabi's skin try to crawl off her body.  She felt physically sick hearing him speak and knowing what she did about him now, thinking of him using that voice to coerce young girls to do his bidding.  She wasn't sure if the shudder that followed was from revulsion or fury. 

"That is something we can clear up immediately."  Cassandra surprised Gabi by speaking up.  "Master Julius, have you or do you intend to use your knowledge of Dhampir creation to beget your own unstoppable army?"

"No, Lady Cassandra," Julius said firmly, "I do not ever intend to create another Dhampir, nor will I allow any other under my control to do so either." 

Eleven sets of
Princep eyes turned to Faruq.  He simply nodded.  Julius spoke true, and there was no doubting it.  In the instant of silence that followed this revelation, Julius spoke again.

"If I may make a suggestion," he said.  "We agree fully with you all that if the truth of Gabrielle's creation were to get out, there is the distinct possibility that it would lead to war among Vampires.  It is with this in mind that we have already taken steps to ensure the protection of the information, not to claim it for our own uses."  He speared each of them with a look as he continued.  "If you decree that the secret is too dangerous for anyone to know, then it will be for you to order the destruction or mind-wipe of anyone who knows the truth.  The secret of the creation of Dhampirs will be lost forever.  However…" 

Gabi held her breath.  This was the gamble; this was the only hope they really had of walking away with their lives and memories intact. 

"If you concede that the truth is only dangerous in certain hands, then you will agree with us that the secret, finally revealed after centuries of concealment, should not be lost."  Julius took a step forward towards the
Princep table, and the guards behind the Princeps tensed.  "Consider the fact that the day may come when being able to create Dhampirs could save us all.  The ability to create loyal followers who can walk in daylight and pass as human is a powerful weapon.  One that we may need if humans ever prove our existence and decide they would be better off without us in the world.  If the secret is too great a threat, we will also lose one of our most powerful defences."  The threat was unspoken but implicit: find them guilty and no Vampire would ever know how to create another Dhampir. 

An uncomfortable air rippled through the seated Vampires.  They didn't like being threatened, but the implications were hitting home.

"We don't believe this is in the best interests of Vampire society," Julius continued, pressing home his advantage.  "We would prefer to offer the secret of Dhampir creation to the Princeps to protect and, should the need ever arise, to use.  If you accept that the information is not intrinsically dangerous to all Vampires and find me and my clan not guilty of these charges laid against us, we are prepared to record the exact details of Gabrielle's creation on a script, and seal it in a vault protected by Magic, only to be opened by the blood of all twelve Princeps.  There would have to be unanimous agreement among the Princeps that the need outweighed any possible consequence before the truth could be revealed." 

A murmur had started up in the hall as Julius's suggestion caused them to reconsider their initial stance. 

"What of the fact that you and some of your Clan, as well as some humans and Magi, already know this information?" Akshita asked, her quick mind already processing the possibilities. 

"We understand the need to protect the truth," Julius replied.  "We would trust you to help us in that regard.  Those of my Clan who are privy to the information will be unable to share that information with anyone.  You all know well my ability; I will ensure that the secret never passes their lips.  As for the others who know the truth, they are very well versed at keeping it hidden, as they
have already done for nearly thirty years.  If not for the publicity brought about by these allegations against us, the secret would still be perfectly safe." 

They all caught what he wasn't saying; the entire Clan and the City was in danger because the Princeps had allowed the rumours to run wild.  They would need to clean up their own mess and ensure the gossip was stopped in its tracks. 

"I think we have heard enough to retire and begin our private deliberations," Oleksandra declared into the silence that followed Julius's subtle admonishment.  "Unless anyone else has a question to ask the Master or his witnesses?"  She threw a glance around at the others. 

"I would like to hear from the Dhampir herself," Fianna said in her lyrical Irish voice. 

"What would you like to know?" Gabi asked, glad to hear her voice come out clear and strong. 

"How do you feel about being the only Dhampir in existence?"  Fianna asked.  "Do you feel the need to create others like yourself?  Do you feel alone in the world?"

Gabi considered the questions before answering.  "Yes, I do feel alone at times, but having the truth of what I am explained to me has helped in that regard.  I no longer feel like an unexplained phenomenon.  I am beginning to come to terms with what I am and what I need.  But no, I don't feel any desire to create others like me.  I am quite happy to be a one-of-a-kind." 

Faruq was nodding even though the others weren't really looking to him for confirmation. 

"You wouldn't share the secret for personal gain?" Helene sported a snide look of disdain as she asked the question.