Aris Reigns (33 page)

Wiping her face with her jacket sleeve, Sarah turned to search for Jane. She caught sight of her friend racing across the courtyard toward the castle. Above her head, what appeared to be the remnants of the tower bridge extended from the crumbling wall. The span ended in thin air. The tower that had supported it lay in rubble beneath it. She froze at what she saw on that bridge.

DeMarco and Mariska had cornered an Immortal against a pile of fallen stones. Sarah cried out as she recognized the trapped male. It was Aris. He fought like a demon, but the two vampires were working together to wear him down. They laughed as they took turns worrying him and jabbing him, cutting him with their weapons.

Without thought, Sarah jumped for the piling holding up the bridge. She began to climb like a spider, clinging to the rock as she
raced up the wall. Her newborn strength and speed left Jane trailing behind her in their climb.

Jumping over the low stone wall edging the bridge, Sarah readied her weapon. Furiously Aris fought DeMarco. As he ducked to evade the point of the King's impaler, Mariska raised hers high, preparing to stab him in the back.

“Mariska!” Sarah shouted her name, causing the Queen to halt mid-strike. She whirled to face the furious voice. Just as she turned, Jane climbed over the stone wall directly in front of the Queen. Mariska laughed as she plunged the sharp metal point into the Immortal's chest. She hit her mark. Jane crumpled to the ground. As if turned to stone, Sarah stared unmoving.

Mariska jerked the weapon Jane carried from her dying hand. Sarah knew what the vampire planned, yet still she stood frozen in horror unable to move or protect herself. Rushing her, the blade held high, the Queen let out a high shrill shout of victory.

Turning from Aris and seeing Mariska lunge forward, DeMarco leaped between the Queen and Sarah, taking Mariska's raised blade in his own heart. His last word as he sank to the ground was the name of his only love: “Sarah.”

Aris lay gasping, for a moment unable to rise to her aid, a huge open wound in his shoulder, his thigh ripped from hip to knee. No longer immobile, Sarah pulled the impaler from the gaping wound in DeMarco's chest and prepared to meet her adversary. With a frenzied battle cry and one fatal jab, she felled the Queen. As Mariska's knees buckled beneath her, Sarah grabbed her by the hair. Pulling the impaler from her heart, she sliced the dead vampire's throat with its point, wrenching her head from her shoulders. Holding the gory mess high above her head, she screamed for the warriors to see their dead Queen. Her wild voice cut through the battle sounds, silencing all those below as they raised their eyes to the bridge. The sun had risen as they fought and they could see clearly the tableaux on the
bridge.

Standing tall, the head of the dead Queen held high, Sarah shouted for all to hear. “It is ended. Look here. Your Queen and your King are dead. The Immortals commit their damned souls to the fires for all eternity.”

The combatants stared at her in silence as Aris rose to his feet, his wounds closing even as he moved toward her. He dragged the body of the King to the edge of the bridge, lifting the corpse to prove to the vampire warriors they no longer had either leader.

“These are the terms of surrender.” He spoke slowly, clearly, first in English, then Spanish. “All who step forward to take the Blood Oath, to swear to abide by the Laws of the Catacombs, will be saved. You will return with us to England to live among us in peace. Any who wish to turn their backs on our terms will die without mercy.” He waited while his words settled among the crowd.

At last, dropping their weapons, three stepped forward, two men and a woman. They were covered in dirt and venom. One was spitting something vile from his mouth.

“Three of you? Only three?” Again, he paused. “This is my last offer. Step forward in surrender or die.” No one moved.

Lifting the body of DeMarco over his head, he flung it onto the rocks below. “Kill them all.” His command rang clearly through the now silent night. “Kill them all, leave none standing.” He turned in time to see Sarah fling the head of the dead Queen from the bridge to join her mate in the flames of eternal death as the sounds of the battle below the bridge began again.

Aris wrapped his arms around Sarah as she held the head of her dead friend in her lap. She removed Jane's black cap, running her fingers through her soft blond hair and touching her unmoving lips.
“She didn't want to come.” Sarah's words were thick with grief as she buried her face in her hands. “She didn't want to come and now she's gone.”

“Sarah,” Aris spoke gently. “Sarah, Jane loved you. She could never allow you to come here alone. And you, of all people, know she never wanted Immortality. It was a bitter gift to her. She told you she wished she had died a human death. Now she has peace.”

“No, not yet. We don't know what she chose until we find her death request.” As she spoke, she reached into the zipper pocket of the dead woman's leather jacket, drawing from it a small folded piece of paper.

She read it, then handed it to Aris. It read: “Grieve not, dear friends, burn this body. Give me peace I have not known these hundreds of years. From dust I came and to ashes I return. To Sarah, know that you have given me moments of memory that brought joy and understanding to a poor Immortal who was lost before you came. Thank you with heartfelt love. Jane Howard.”

Aris and Sarah stood. Aris lifted the body of their beloved comrade and the couple left the bridge, carrying their cherished friend to the fire where she would find the eternal peace she craved.

As he lowered her body into the purging flames, Sarah was sure she heard the distant howl of a wolf.

It was two nights and two full days before the Immortals had burned all the dead and cleared the battlefield of all traces of combat. The three that surrendered, Garret, Stefano and Martha, had been put under guard to wait quietly in the ruins of the tower where Sarah had been held prisoner in what seemed to her to be another lifetime.

It was early on the morning of the third day. Aris and Sarah stood next to one another as they watched out the window of the castle
throne room. Richard, Gabriela and Sebastian had just said goodbye to the remaining commanders and were making their way across the courtyard to take the three surrendering vampires back to the Catacombs.

“It's really over.” Sarah leaned her head against Aris' shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Yes. You are safe at last.”

“I've been safe since the moment you came into my life.” As they stood in silence waiting for their friends, her mind drifted back to the first time Aris manifested during her hypnotic session with Carlos. It seemed so many lifetimes ago. She questioned the existence of the Immortals then. Now, she questioned the existence of her own human life. She had been so overwhelmed by the events of the past few weeks; it had been days since she had even thought of Chicago and her human friends.

When Sarah finally did think of them, she knew she must telephone Colleen and her mother as soon as they returned to England. She didn't want to cause anyone any concern for her well-being and it had been several days since she had spoken to anyone in the States. She considered calling while they were still in Spain, but thought better of it. There were too many events to put in order in her mind and process before she spoke to any mortal.

“We are ready to travel. Gabriela and Richard have gone to collect the three.” Sebastian spoke as he entered the room. Aris and Sarah turned from the window to greet their comrade. “Everyone is on their way home. It is time for us to return.”

“Yes, our flight from Barcelona is later this evening. We will be leaving shortly. We all look forward to being home.” As Aris spoke, Gabriela entered the doorway.

“All is ready. Richard waits with the guards and the defectors.” She kissed Sarah on the cheek and embraced Aris. “We will see you at home.”

They said their goodbyes as Sebastian and Gabriela left the room.

Sarah wrapped her arms around Aris as she spoke. “I miss Jane so much. I keep wishing she and Hawke were waiting for our return.”

“Jane is at peace, her request met. We must accept her decision and be grateful that we knew her gentle spirit.”

“Yes, just as I am grateful to have you.” She lifted her eyes to his, then closed them as his tender lips touched hers.

CHAPTER 47

O
nly one table sat vacant in the crowded Sanquinaria. Aris and Sarah made their way through the gathering of the celebrating Immortals to claim it. As they settled into their seats Richard and Gabriela entered, waving in recognition. Stopping a waiter as they hurried by, they ordered their drinks before joining their waiting friends.

“Have you heard? The three will take the Blood Oath tomorrow?” Richard shared the news as he and his mate settled into the chairs that awaited them.

“No. So soon? We have only been home for a few days,” Aris answered.

“Yes, but they have been questioned without ceasing by the Council and Henry since their arrival. Garret has been the main spokesperson for the three. He told the Council that he and Stephano and Martha had longed for a peaceful existence before the war. They had planned for some time to desert the Spanish court when the time was right and somehow make their way to the Catacombs. All three swear they fully understand the code of ethics we demand of our citizens. All three say they will vow to abide by the Blood Oath for all of eternity so Bartholomew sees no reason to delay. As Head Council, he will present his request to Queen Akira.”

Aris sipped from his goblet, his voice troubled when he spoke. “Queen Akira. Yes. Sebastian told me she was furious that I allowed for surrender. He says she will call me to audience before the Blood Oath can take place.”

“What will you tell her?”

“I will tell her the truth. I will remind her both you and Gabriela originally came from the Spanish coven. You took the Blood Oath and you have lived a perfect life ever since, never looking back to what you once were. I was unable to eliminate every vampire without giving them a chance to find a better existence. There was no other way except to offer them sanctuary if they chose to change.”

Gabriela spoke. “What is a wonder to me is only three came forward.”

“I must be honest and say I was amazed that even three would be willing. I still wonder if this is not subterfuge.” Aris reached for Sarah's hand resting next to his on the table. Interlacing his fingers with hers, he continued. “They lived a savage life. They know no better. Even when they swear, I will not be content to trust them for many centuries. Remember DeMarco? He fooled even Henry. No, even though I gave them the chance to denounce their past, I will keep watch over their actions for a long time to come.”

The waiter brought their refreshment to the table and the conversation turned to Hawke.

“Henry said the white wolf howled for many hours then was seen no more.” Richard handed Gabriela her drink. “When the army returned to the Catacombs, they spent a day and night searching for him, yet there was no sign that he was anywhere to be found.”

Sarah thought of the howl she heard at the moment Jane's body was laid to rest in the fire. She knew no one would ever see Jane's beloved companion again. She squeezed Aris' hand, knowing the man as well as the wolf would wander alone throughout time.