Chapter 5 – Axl
Chapter
Five
AXL
I pace the perimeter of the courtyard, my eyes scanning every nook, every stone, and every turret, looking for a weakness in Giorgios’s fortress. The house itself is built into the bedrock of the mountain, using the former monastery structure as its base. It has been fortified and extended since it was first built, but there is one way in and one way out.
A gray stone wall, twenty feet high and three feet deep, runs around the entire perimeter of the half-acre courtyard, which was once the temple gardens. Six turrets loom over the area, vast and imposing. Two on either side of the gate, two on the east wall, and two on the west, each manned by at least six guards armed with swords. There are more guards patrolling the perimeter wall and at the gate. There is nowhere in this entire courtyard where we cannot be seen.
Xavier falls into step beside me. Any luck finding a way out of this place yet?
Nope. Giorgios has this place locked down tighter than Shawshank. You?
No. He nudges my arm. But Andy did get out of Shawshank, remember.
Why does a vampire who claims to spend all his time reading books need this many guards? Is he expecting an invasion?
Xavier raises an eyebrow at me. I asked one of the guards, an old Ruby Dragon member I recognized, and he said one can never be too careful.
Yeah, well, there’s careful and there’s planning for a full-on military invasion. This is the latter. Isn’t keeping Lucian out a new development?
Xavier looks around, his deep-blue eyes narrowed. Apparently so. And I can’t help thinking that these guards are designed to keep us in as much as they’re supposed to keep anyone out. Something is very off in this place.
I spoke to one of the guards too, asked about using a cell phone, and he said there’s no chance we can get a signal this deep into the mountains. So we’re basically cut off from all civilization.
“Everything okay, gentlemen?” The voice comes out of nowhere, and we spin around to find Giorgios standing behind us.
I immediately bring down the shutters in my mind like Alexandros taught us all to do in the presence of powerful vampires. I’m not as good at it as Xavier and Ophelia, but I’ll do whatever the hell I can to keep Giorgios out until I know for sure whether we can trust him. “Yup. Just taking a walk and checking the place out.”
“These mountains are amazing.” Xavier looks up at the one looming over us. “I’d love to climb one.”
“The Himalayas are treacherous mountains to climb. Especially this far inland. Very few try to climb the cliff faces here.”
“Yeah, well, being a vampire and all, I’m not too worried about falling to my death.” He flashes Giorgios a grin that seems friendly, but those of us who know him well know better. “Can I get out there and give it a try?”
“You do not have the appropriate equipment, Xavier, and vampire or not, climbing mountains in these conditions even with the appropriate gear is dangerous. Do we not have plenty to worry about without having to launch a search and rescue party to find you?” His tone is pleasant enough, but there’s an underlying hint of annoyance.
“How about a walk, then?” Xavier rolls his neck. “I really could use a little exercise.”
“There is a well-equipped gym in the house and all the space you need here in the courtyard.” Giorgios scowls, no longer bothering to mask his irritation. “There is no need for you to leave these grounds. Any of you.”
My hackles rise, and I roll back my shoulders, but Xavier speaks before I do. “But what if we want to anyway? You wouldn’t stop us, would you? I mean, we’re guests here, not prisoners.”
Giorgios’s blue eyes flash with anger. “Not prisoners, no, but you are here under my protection, and the best way to protect you until we learn of Lucian’s whereabouts and his intentions toward Ophelia is for all of you to remain here. I swore an oath to my brother that I do not intend to break, Xavier, no matter how insolently you ask me to.”
Back off, Xavier. You’re pissing him off, and we need to keep him on our side while we figure shit out.
Xavier nods, conveying his acceptance of the rules. “I understand. I was just asking. I hate being cooped up, is all. But I guess we can handle it for a few weeks while we figure shit out.”
Giorgios stares at me, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as though he’s waiting for my objection, but I give him no cause to doubt my compliance. I learned to mask my feelings from the best, and no matter how powerful Giorgios is, he’s no Alexandros Drakos. He doesn’t even come close. “That is good to know. Ophelia’s protection is our most important priority.”
I nod my agreement.
Xavier voices his. “Damn straight.”
Giorgios glances at his watch. “To that end, I have a meeting I must get to. A lead on Lucian’s whereabouts.”
That sparks my curiosity. “Let us come with you.”
He shakes his head. “Alas, I must transport there, and without Enora’s spell combined with Ophelia’s power, I can only do so alone. I will update you upon my return if I learn anything of use.”
He offers a nod of farewell and then walks through the gate, the guards standing aside as he passes.
Growling, I watch him go and wish we could walk out of here just as easily. He insists this is for our protection, but Xavier was right before—we’re little more than prisoners here. Every fiber of my being urges me to rail against that. To walk out of here with Ophelia, Xavier, and Malachi and never look back. Only my concern for Ophelia’s safety stops me, and there’s no chance in hell we would leave without her.
Why the fuck did he do that? Xavier asks.
Do what?
Walk outside to transport. Why not do it right here?
Dunno. Something to do with the holy ground thing?
Xavier shakes his head, and we resume our walk around the courtyard. No, I’m pretty sure that’s only for a witch’s or an elementai’s powers. It has no effect on vampire powers.
I stare at the gate, unable to see anything through the thick steel grid and the guards standing in front of it. But Xavier is right, why bother leaving to transport?
You guys find anything yet? Malachi asks through the bond.
No. Not yet , I answer. Either of you?
No. But Giorgios’s library is huge. He was right about it rivaling Thucydides. Ophelia is grabbing books and sorting them into piles like a demon. The quicker we can identify the useful ones, the quicker we can read and find some answers.
I glance back at the gate again. Giorgios has disappeared, and there’s little else to do out here while the guards seem to be watching us so intently. You want us to help out?
Yeah, before our girl works herself into a frenzy. I’ve never seen her so determined.
Necessary determination. Her sweet voice fills our heads now too. Kai should have known that nothing gets by her.
It’s not a criticism, sweet girl. I just don’t want you to strain yourself carrying fifty books while I’m not looking.
Still have my vampire strength. That’s not affected at all , she retorts.
Xavier rolls his eyes at me. “We’d better go and see what she’s doing, yeah? Kai is right—it will go quicker with all of us.” Plus, if Giorgios won’t let us do anything else practical, then at least this is a good use of our time.
When we reach Giorgios’s library, I drag her into my arms and squeeze her tight, feeling immense guilt for what I said to Xavier earlier. The strength of my feelings for Ophelia scares the fuck out of me sometimes, but that’s only further proof of how real they are. I have bitten plenty of people in my long life, and I have never felt the need to see a single one of them ever again. From the moment I tasted her, I have been hers. If I am under some kind of fucking spell, I never want to break it.
“Hi,” she says, her eyes sparkling with determination. It’s a damn sight better than the despair I’ve seen in them recently.
“Hey, Cupcake.” Xavier gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Tell me what we can do.”
She gives us both instructions on what kinds of books and topics to look for and points out the various piles she’s been sorting them into. The concentration needed for the task at least gives us all something to focus on other than the obvious.
While we work, Xavier and I explain what we learned while we were in the courtyard. Malachi and Ophelia share our concern, but none of us has the headspace to examine it in great detail right now. By the end of the afternoon, we have eight distinct piles of ledgers and books waiting to be pored over.
With her hands on her hips, Ophelia blows a strand of hair from her eyes and triumphantly declares, “These are some of the oldest and rarest books in here. Some even rarer than the ones back at Montridge. I’m sure we’re going to find the answers we need.”
Her enthusiasm and determination are infectious, and they filter through all of us, reinvigorating and purposeful. And for the first time since we lost him, I feel a genuine spark of hope that we’re going to fix it. If anyone can find a way, it’s our girl. The most powerful creature who ever lived.