Ghost Light

Oh, right, telepathy.  Apparently the vampire servant didn’t need to go inside to communicate our request for an audience.  I discovered on my last visit that the master of the city and members of the vampire council had the ability to speak to one another telepathically.  I hadn’t been sure if young vamps had the skill, but Gerald had the entranced look the old vamps had exhibited when using their minds to converse.

I bit my lip, hoping the master of the city was in his chambers and willing to see me again.  The Boss, and his vampire cronies, had ended our last meeting with veiled threats.  I reached inside my jacket, gripped the lighter in my pocket, and checked the stakes at my back.

I hoped I wouldn’t need my weapons, but I came prepared.  Just in case.

Chapter 15

A tingle of magic, like static electricity, rushed over my skin and then faded as the doors to the council chamber opened.  The wards had been deactivated.  Gerald stepped forward and gestured for us to enter.

Apparently, the master of the city was willing to talk.  If his answer had been negative, we never would have got past those doors.  The wards would have blasted us into ash if we tried.

Ceff gave me a reassuring smile and we stepped over the threshold together into a large, cavernous room.  I strode across the marble floor with Ceff at my side.  Gerald fell into step behind us, bringing up the rear.

The room itself had not changed since my last visit, but the scene was not what I’d expected.  I stopped mid-stride and blinked.  The doors slammed shut behind us with a boom that sucked air from the room and made my ears pop.  The wards had been reset, sealing us in with the vampire master of the city—and his friends.

The master of the city wasn’t alone.  Sir Gaius Aurelius, master of the city and chairman of the northeastern vampire council, sat at the head of a long table surrounded by the most powerful vamps of New England.  From the looks of it, the entire vampire council was present.

Gerry, you plucky duck.  I looked over my shoulder to where Gerald stood in the shadows.  He was leaning against the wall and when he saw me turn, he grinned, showing more fang than usual.  The vamp had known the council was in session, but brought me in anyway.  I’m sure he was enjoying my discomfort.

Touché.

I sighed and returned my attention to the gathered council members.  The vamps sat around a large table in the center of the lavish banquet hall.  The council was made up of the most powerful vampires in the North East, and every single one of them was staring at me.  I felt like a bug pinned to velvet for their amusement.

I did a quick threat assessment.  Oh yeah, we were screwed.  There were thirteen vampires seated at the table.  With Gerald at my back, that made fourteen vampires total.  The vamps continue to stare at me, and all but one sat eerily still.

Sir Gaius, master of the city, who I’d mentally nicknamed The Boss on my last visit, sat with fingers steepled.  The tips of his fingers rustled like dead leaves as they tapped repeatedly together.  Blood pounded in my ears as everyone in the room waited for the master of the city to speak.

I flexed my hands, but kept them at my sides away from my weapons.  I wasn’t here for a fight, but, if push came to shove, this little bug could sting.  I lifted my chin and stared at Sir Gauis’ forehead.

I’m not sure what Ceff saw when he looked at the assembled crowd, but I’d warned him ahead of time not to trust his eyes.  Vampires change their appearance with innate magic similar to faerie glamour.  Their magic portrays the image of a sexy, beautiful creature with seductive eyes, full lips, and alabaster skin—and for good reason.  Vamps would never lure an easy blood meal without hiding behind their magic.

Vampires in their true form are nothing more than fanged corpses, dried out husks of flesh and bone.  Their skin, the color and texture of dried parchment, is stretched tightly over bones and skulls giving each face a toothy, rictus grin.  The watery parts of the body are always the first to go, and these vamps were old.  They all stared out from empty eye sockets above gaping sinus cavities.

Too bad the lack of eyeballs didn’t lessen the risk of mesmerism.  Vampires can only permanently change memories through the introduction of their saliva—one of the few sources of moisture still produced by their bodies—but their ability to ensnare minds with a look is legendary.  I wasn’t about to let these creeps ensnare me with their gruesome eye sockets.

I focused on The Boss’s forehead and bowed slightly.

“Corpse candle,” he said.

“Sir Gauis,” I said, nodding.

The master of the city had addressed me this way before, but I hadn’t known who, or what, I was at the time.  Corpse candle is another term for wisp.  Not the most flattering address, but accurate.  I wondered how the vampire knew that I was fae.

Maybe those empty eye sockets saw more than they let on.