“Lady Rochford,” Verity whispered.
She picked up her skirts and ran back down the stairs toward the queen’s court.
Rhys waited for Verity at the open door to the queen’s chambers and mentally berated himself for the manner in which he had dealt with Olivia at their last meeting. Within him, unaccustomed rage simmered and licked at his tight control. Had the Vampire blood affected him so profoundly, or was he simply allowing himself to be angry for once in his life? He was tired of being manipulated and damn tired of losing those he loved to this endless conflict.
“Well?” he demanded as Verity approached him. “Did you find out anything?”
Verity put her finger to her lips and beckoned him away from the doorway. “I’m fairly certain she was taken against her will. I do not think the Vampire Council is involved.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I could smell Janus’s servants and also a hint of another familiar Vampire—Lady Rochford.”
Rhys frowned. “I have already taken a stroll around the queen’s apartments. Queen Jane is sitting with the lady Mary. They are about to take the lady Elizabeth to bed. There is no sign of Lady Rochford.”
“Then we must assume she is involved in Olivia’s disappearance.” Verity sighed. “We will have to wait until Elias returns to do anything.”
“And he is in the Other Realm with the Vampire Council, where neither of us can reach him,” Rhys muttered. “There must be something we can do.”
Verity took a fortifying breath. “Don’t forget, we must also watch out for Mistress Hopkins. She might be bringing us news about how to defeat the Vampire.”
Rhys scowled. “Mistress Hopkins and the queen will have to wait.”
Verity stepped away from him. “Rhys, that cannot happen. We are here to save the queen—you know that.”
“Olivia is more important.”
“Just because you feel guilty about her?” Verity stared at him wide-eyed. “Does that mean you intend to compromise your loyalty to the crown—and to me?”
He went still. “There is no need to be overdramatic, Verity.”
She bit down hard on her lip. “I am not the one allowing my emotions to interfere with my duty.”
Frustration rose in him. “And that is so like you, is it not? Never let it be said that you allow your emotions to rule you. You’d rather let your fears do that.”
Color rose on her cheeks, but she kept her voice calm. “This isn’t about my feelings. It is about your loyalty.”
“Aye, my loyalty to Olivia.”
“And to her half brother and his wife.”
“Why do you have to bring Rosalind into everything?”
Verity stiffened. “Because your rash words speak of your loyalty to Rosalind and her husband’s kin rather than to me.”
“This is no time for jealousy, Verity.”
“I am not jealous!” she snapped. “I am trying to make you see reason!”
He swung around to face her. “What exactly do you want from me?”
“We must put the queen first. It is our duty.” She swallowed hard, her expression resolute. “You seem most unlike yourself. Please wait until Elias returns. We can hear what he has to say and make our decisions based on whether Olivia is held by the Vampire Council or not.”
Rhys’s hand flexed on his sword, but he bowed his head. His little Vampire slayer was developing wisdom. In other circumstances it would have pleased him greatly, but at the moment his desire to save Olivia threatened to consume him.
“I am obviously yours to command, my lady. I only hope this delay does not endanger Olivia further.”
“If it does, Sir Rhys, you can blame me. I’m sure you will anyway. I will await Elias in the queen’s chambers.” With that, Verity walked away from him, her head held high.
Rhys decided to retreat to the outer courtyard and see if he could sense Elias’s return to Hampton Court and intercept him before he reached Verity. Pacing in the cooler air would also help him to calm down and regain control of his emotions. He knew that Verity was right: They could do nothing until Elias returned. But he still didn’t like it.
He took a deep, steadying breath of the humid air. Were all Vampires this easily roused beneath their cold exteriors? If so, Rhys could only marvel at Elias’s control, although Elias was one of the most powerful Vampires around.
Rhys straightened as he felt a disturbance in his mind, and immediately focused his thoughts on Elias. To his relief, the Vampire appeared in the shadows of the exterior walls and made his way toward Rhys. He looked more troubled than Rhys had hoped.
“Did you find Olivia?”
“No. She is not being held by the Vampire Council.”
“Verity believes that Lady Rochford is involved somehow.”
“Lady Rochford?” Elias looked grim. “If so, she will pay dearly for her disobedience.”
Elias looked over Rhys’s shoulder. “Where is Lady Verity? I thought I sensed her quite close to you.”
“She stayed with the queen.”
“Are you sure?” Elias frowned.
Rhys suddenly went cold. For the first time he deliberately tried to locate Verity in his mind and found nothing. “Can you still sense her?”
“I can, although there seems to be something shielding her emotions.”
Rhys drew his sword. “Can you take us to her?”
Elias reached out and touched his long, elegant fingers to Rhys’s throat. The next moment they were in the small darkened anteroom beside the queen’s bedchamber. As he righted himself, Rhys struggled not to crash into the ornate prie-dieu where the queen prayed.
Verity turned in surprise. She was talking to a white-robed figure that Rhys recognized as one of the Elders from the stone circle. He immediately went down on one knee. “Lady Alys.”
She bade him rise. “Sir Rhys.” Her melodious voice remained the same, as did the faint golden light that seemed to surround her body. “And Master Warner. We meet again.”
Elias inclined his head. “My lady.”
Verity ignored Rhys and went straight to Elias. “Did you find Olivia?”
“Unfortunately not. I suspect you are right and Lady Rochford and Janus have her.”
Lady Alys nodded. “It is all one and the same. Janus must be stopped. It is forbidden for a Druid to seek Vampire powers as this man has done. That is why his blood is cursed and destroys from within. He betrays his race and yours, Master Warner.”
“The Vampire Council were not pleased to hear that this Vampire has Druid blood. Janus deceived them.”
“Then they will not stand in our way if we choose to punish him?” Lady Alys asked.
Elias’s smile was cold. “They will not. I give you my word on that. Neither of our races sanctions those who defy our laws, which exist for good reason.”
“Indeed, Master Warner.” Lady Alys bowed her head. “Sometimes we must choose the lesser evil. In this case we believe Janus needs to be destroyed and we need your help.”
Rhys cleared his throat. “Then what are we to do about Olivia?”
Lady Alys smiled at him. “If we stop the Vampire, all that you desire will be restored to you, Sir Rhys.”
He opened his mouth to question her further and then glanced at Verity, who didn’t look very happy at Lady Alys’s choice of words. “Thank you, my lady.”
Verity turned back to Lady Alys. “What exactly must we do to destroy Janus?”
“You must face him together, physically and mentally linked.”
“The three of us?” Rhys asked.
“Aye. Master Warner’s blood will play a crucial role in this too.” Lady Alys looked serious. “We need to separate what remains of the Druid from the Vampire.”
“How can that possibly be done?” Rhys said.
“With your shared link it is not only possible but proven to work.” Her expression grew serious and she studied each one of them in turn. “But you must remain faithful and believe in each other. There is no room for uncertainty or doubt.”
Verity looked at Rhys and he saw the worry in her blue eyes before she turned away.
Lady Alys held out a piece of parchment and gave it to Verity. “There is a spell you must speak together. You must keep repeating it until you feel the Vampire start to weaken in your minds.”
“What happens if one of us is injured and we can’t unite our powers?” Rhys asked.
“Then the Vampire will take what he wants and leave the rest of you to die.”
“He will not succeed,” Rhys said strongly. “We will make sure of it.”
Lady Alys met his gaze. “I hope that is the case, Sir Rhys.”
“But what of Olivia?”
Elias turned to Lady Alys. “Sir Rhys needn’t concern himself. I can take care of Lady Rochford and Olivia. Lady Rochford will not escape justice.”
Lady Alys cupped Verity’s chin, her expression grave. “You will need all your courage to survive this, Verity. You will be tested in ways that you cannot imagine. You must remember that you are a Llewellyn and that you bear the mark of Awen. With the support of these two men, nothing can defeat you, even your worst nightmares.”
She kissed Verity on the cheek. “I will be praying for you, and sending you my strength and light.”
“Thank you, my lady,” Verity whispered.
Lady Alys turned to Elias. “You are an ancient and powerful Vampire, Master Warner, yet you have still retained your humanity. I thank you for that, and for your help. Rest assured that if you ever need us, the Druid Elders will answer your prayers.”
Finally Lady Alys came to Rhys, her white hair gleaming in the candlelight and her brow unlined. She put her hand on his shoulder and looked up at him. “Your destiny appears clouded, Sir Rhys, but stay true to your heart and all will be well.” She rose on tiptoe to kiss his cheek and he heard her faint whisper. “Lady Verity needs you. Stay strong for her, Vampire slayer, even when all seems lost.”
She released him and then she seemed to shimmer and glow until she vanished in a cloud of golden light. Rhys exhaled and Elias lowered his hand from where he had shielded his face.
“Shall we leave this space? I would hate for the queen to find us here.”
Verity nodded, her expression preoccupied. Rhys guided her and Elias out the nearest door and into the narrow servants’ passageway that ran along the back of the queen’s chambers.
“Where shall we go?”
Elias pointed at the far end of the corridor. “There is a vacant room down there.”
Once they were all safely inside the chamber, Rhys turned to Elias. “I can sense Olivia. You can take us to her, can’t you?”
“You can sense her?” Elias slowly inhaled as he examined Rhys’s face. “Why do you have Olivia’s scent on you?”
“I tended to a cut she had on her hand last night.”
Elias raised his eyebrows. “With all due respect, Sir Rhys, your mouth must have touched her blood for you to have gained her scent.”
Verity turned her back on Rhys and went to stand by the shuttered window, her shoulders rigid.
“I can’t explain it, but I sealed the wound with my tongue,” Rhys admitted. “It just seemed like the right thing to do.”
Elias frowned. “The complications from joining my blood to yours continue to confound me. It might also explain why you are being so . . . protective toward Olivia. For our current purpose it is also a gift. Can you tell us exactly where she is?”
Rhys exhaled slowly. “I will try.”
“Excellent.” Elias took Verity’s hand and came across to Rhys. “When you find her, I will take us to her.”
Chapter 22
R
hys closed his eyes and concentrated his thoughts on Olivia. Almost instantly he felt her fear and fought hard against a compulsion to sink into it with her. With all his strength he shared his image of Olivia with Elias and Verity.
“Ah.” Elias nodded. “I can tell that Lady Rochford is not currently with her. It is a good opportunity for us to seek Olivia out and return her to her rightful place.”
Before Rhys could say anything in response, the world disintegrated as Elias drew them into a whirlwind of blackness.
When Rhys came to his senses, it was still dark and it took him a moment to realize they were underground. There was stone beneath his feet and all around him. He sensed Verity to his right and reached for her.
“Are we under the palace?” Rhys asked.
“Aye,” Elias whispered. “I believe we’re in the old wine cellars that belonged to the priory that once stood here.”
Rhys sniffed and realized there was indeed a faint hint of rotting oak caskets and stale wine in the unmoving air. There was also the more recent scent of blood. He reached into his leather pocket. “I have flint and a candle. Do you need me to light the way?”
“Not yet,” Elias answered. “I’m not quite sure whether Olivia will be under guard. We need to proceed with caution and use our other senses. I’ll follow after you.”