Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
We took the offered seats, each of us staring at the book on the lectern as if we’d been mesmerized. When we were all seated, Fiona picked up a tray with brandy snifters and cups of espresso. Rom, Lucas, and Jacques took a snifter while Bella and I took espressos.
“I realize how pretentious this looks.” Philipe wiped his brow then stuck his hands in his pockets. “It’s been quite some time since I’ve given a lecture, and I don’t mean to this evening, but I tend to fall back to my days as a curator whenever I have more than just Fiona to impart information.” He leaned an elbow on the lectern, seeming to fall more into his role. “First, this isn’t the original De f?rste dage . Fiona and I felt the book was too fragile, as well as dangerous, and decided to reduce the risk by keeping it hidden. Since we’ve had time over the decades, we made three copies by hand. These also pose a risk and are kept in their individual secret locations. This—” he waved to the book, “—is one of those three. We didn’t add any notes or observations in the copies. Each book is in the exact words and languages as the original.”
“Wait. It’s written in more than one language?” Lucas asked.
“Two from what we can tell. One is old vampiric, which in itself is difficult to decipher for most vampires. Though Philipe and I can read it easily enough, we developed a decent key in the hopes that one day others would have access to the book. The other language has proven to be more problematic. It’s not something either of us is familiar with or remembers seeing before. However, Fiona has found various texts that appear similar, perhaps a dialect difference.”
“You believe dreamwalkers have their own language?” Lucas’s tone was one of wonderment. This had to be more than he’d ever hoped for when given this assignment.
Philipe pointed to Lucas. “Exactly.” He turned to Fiona. “We were on the right track.”
Fiona shook her head as she smiled at him. “Having a third person suggest the same hypothesis is a far cry from proof. If we had just one other source material we might be able to create a cipher, but if there’s something in the Renaud inventory, then it must be in the old country.”
“What if there was someone who could read it?” I asked. It seemed a simple solution. Everyone was up to speed that dreamwalkers existed. I shrugged. “Maybe Colantha can read it, or maybe she recognizes the language. If she’s an heiress to the Seven Tribes, she must have seen an ancient text.” I glanced at the others. “I mean, it makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“That’s an excellent idea.” Philipe glanced at Fiona, who nodded approval. “I planned on giving you a copy of the book to take to Devon. Would he be able to contact this Colantha Dupré?”
“We’ve been gone for a couple of weeks,” Lucas said. “I don’t know if Colantha is still at the manor, but if she isn’t, we can contact her.”
“While there’s a great deal I can’t tell you, there are a few things we’ve learned.” He began to pace like instructors do when they get on a roll. “Much of it describes societal customs, political hierarchies, and economic conditions. Quite ahead of the times compared to the other species of that day and age. The text also identifies another race that has some form of symbiotic relationship with vampires. They called the race dreamwalkers, and this connection to vampires stems from one thing—the Blood Poppy.”
I broke away from the spell he’d cast and noticed everyone focused on Philipe, apparently enthralled with the information being shared.
“The problem is,” Fiona continued for him, “the reason for this connection must be explained in the second language. This relationship between the two species didn’t happen overnight. They’d been at war for years until one day the two sides decided they’d had enough of meaningless death. They reached some form of accord at a place called Omar. There’s a picture of the dreamwalker medallion in the book. It looks just as Ginger described it.”
“You know…” Philipe stared at the book and tapped his fingers along the edge of the lectern. “The more I recall of the meeting with Guildford, Hamilton speculated that the Vampire Council purposely hid the truth of our origins and our relationship with another species. It worried Guildford, even though there wasn’t any proof to Hamilton’s claims.”
“Colantha said the Council became concerned about the dreamwalker’s powers.” Lucas had settled back in the chair, his brow furrowed in concentration. He was digging this. “There was trouble with some rogue dreamwalkers who took advantage of their abilities. Instead of waiting for the dreamwalkers to handle the situation in-house, the vampires took things into their own hands.”
“But instead of simply taking care of the troublesome dreamwalkers, they decided genocide would be best.” Although Rom had been silent since entering the library, he’d been paying attention.
“That’s a stretch.” Philipe stepped away from the lectern and stuck his hands in his pockets.
“I don’t think so.” I set my empty cup down. “Colantha used that word. Genocide.”
The room quieted for several minutes. Genocide wasn’t a pleasant story for anyone’s history.
“The other part of the book has to be deciphered before any thought of taking this to the Council,” Philipe said.
“But will they believe the translation if it came from a dreamwalker?” Rom set his snifter on a nearby table. “Just playing devil’s advocate here. If today’s Council is as suspicious or downright disbelieving of dreamwalkers as previous Councils, will they take the word of a single dreamwalker?”
Philipe picked up the book and handed it to Fiona. “Suddenly, I’m feeling very tired.”
She took the book and his hand. “Perhaps if we had a cipher, we could confirm what’s written.”
I considered the possibility, and Lucas glanced over. I had no doubt we were thinking the same thing. “What if we asked Colantha whether a dreamwalker language exists? Or maybe one did a long time ago, but like Latin, is no longer spoken. Perhaps she could provide a cipher. Would that be enough for an unbiased review of the text?”
“It would be a start.” Fiona answered the question, and Philipe nodded. “If we could locate one or more books where the cipher could be used, that would reduce any doubt.”
“It’s been a long day.” Rom stood. “I suggest we get a good night’s sleep and let the enormous amount of information that has been shared today settle in. We can finish the discussion at breakfast.”
I woke the next morning when Lucas kissed my temple. I reached for him, my brain fuzzy from sleep, confused as to why he wasn’t spooning me. An eye popped open. “You’re dressed.”
He grinned and tousled my hair. “Keep sleeping. Rom called about an early game of golf before breakfast. I’ll meet you in the dining room afterward. Or, if you’re still in bed when I finish, I’ll pull you out myself.”
“’Kay.”
I vaguely heard a door close. Sometime later, my eye popped open again. I was still face down in my pillow, and I lifted my head to check the clock on the nightstand. Nine a.m. I turned to find an empty spot next to me. The sheets were cold. Then I remembered. Golf. Ugh.
A hot shower woke me enough to hear grumbling from my tummy, but I needed coffee. I slipped on the leggings I’d bought at a discount store while on the run and grabbed a sweater dress from the closet. I rubbed my eyes, still trying to focus. I needed that coffee in the worst way. The ballet flats would have to do.
I found my way to the dining room, but the table was still being set. One of the staff pointed me to the salon, where I found Fiona reading a book.
“Morning.” I took the seat across from her where, thankfully, a coffee service waited.
She set down the book. “Did you sleep well?”
“Like the dead.” I picked up one of the empty cups and filled it. The scent alone was enough to clear the remaining cobwebs.
She smiled. “The men are finishing up the last hole and should join us soon for breakfast. Do you need anything to tide you over until then?”
“The coffee will do for now. But if they take too long on that last hole, I can’t make any guarantees I’ll wait for them.”
Fiona laughed. “We’ve gotten in the habit of eating late. We usually have coffee and a croissant or beignet and then get lost in the books until ten when Millie has to come find us for a decent breakfast.”
“That’s a schedule I could live with.” I glanced around. “Where’s Bella and Jacques?”
“Jacques made up the foursome for golf, and Bella is training with the security team.”
“Of course, she is. I should have known.”
“I understand from Iris that you have skill in that area.”
“Cressa taught me defensive martial arts a few years ago as a way to defend myself. We shared an apartment before we got involved with vamps. Sorry, vampires.”
Fiona smiled. “I’m not offended as the older vampires are. Go on.”
“Cressa’s career required her to stay nimble, and martial arts seemed to suit her.” I didn’t see a reason to share her career choices. “When she ended up working for Devon, we had some trouble with vampires from another House, and it seemed wise that I learn how to defend myself. One thing led to another with the threat of sanction, and next thing I knew Sergi and Simone thought it amusing to give me a dagger.”
When Fiona laughed, I smiled. “That’s really how it went down. I think Simone started it, teasing me, you know. Then Sergi handed me the dagger and said ‘let’s see what you got.’” I sipped my coffee. “I have to say, I’m pleased they aren’t laughing anymore.”
“Good for you. This issue between species has always been a problem. But then, not everyone has read as much as Philipe and me to understand how wars start. Even in this day of supposed enlightenment. But enough of that. What are your next plans?”
“Lucas needs to report back to Devon on what we’ve learned. He should be back soon from his trip to meet with Aramburu.”
“Really? I haven’t heard anything about that House for some time.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Fiona waved a dismissive hand. “Nothing that’s been shared during your visit will leave the Family. We understand the stakes. It’s critical that House Trelane garner as many allies as possible.”
“Well, during the raid on Shadow Island when we recovered Hamilton, there were two vampires that Cressa had met several times before. They told her they worked for Aramburu and that the House gave Devon their regards. I guess that was an open invitation to visit.”
Fiona nodded as she gazed out the window. “They would make formidable allies. They started out as a warrior House, as many did all those centuries ago. From what little I’ve heard about them since, they pulled back from vampire society and embraced technology. They have established strong ties in several industries yet remain private.”
“From what Cressa said, they don’t seem pleased with the current Council.”
Fiona chuckled. “Who is?”
“This might sound like a strange question, but do you know where House Bertrand is located?”
She considered the question. “I believe Chicago.”
Before I could press for more details, we were interrupted.
“There you are,” Philipe hurried across the room. “We thought you might already be at breakfast.”
“We preferred to wait for you. Where’s everyone else?”
“Lucas and Rom went upstairs to change, and Jacques went to find Bella. Let’s wait for them in the dining room, if you’re finished here.”
I rose with Fiona, and Philipe extended his elbows for each of us to take as he guided us out of the room.
“Ginger was asking about House Bertrand. They’re in Chicago, I believe.”
“Yes, one of the major Houses in the area and a strong ally to Renaud and Trelane.”
“Who won the golf match?” I changed the topic, not wanting to labor the point on House Bertrand with Lucas nearby.
“It was just a practice play.” Philipe tried to brush off the question.
“In the human world, a game of golf might start out as practice, but someone always ends up keeping score. Are you sure there was no betting going on?” I teased but knew I’d hit the mark when a bit of pink touched Philipe’s cheeks.
Fiona laughed. “I think he’s embarrassed to say he lost the wager. Were you betting individually or in pairs?”
He grumbled. “I thought for sure Rom and I would tromp them, but apparently, House Trelane has a wide array of skills.”
I squeezed his arm as we arrived in the dining room where the others waited. I leaned over and whispered, “We call that beginners luck.”
He seemed to appreciate the sentiment and was more cheerful when he addressed the rest of the room. “I’m surprised you were able to change faster than I was able to walk two beautiful women to breakfast.”
The food could have fed an army, and I stuffed myself to the point that going back to bed to sleep it off seemed a great idea. The conversation was lighthearted and avoided any talk of the book, war, or Venizi.
As breakfast wound down, Lucas broke the news. “As much as the four of us would like to stay and enjoy a couple more days of your incredible hospitality, we have pressing business to return to.”
“Of course,” Philipe answered. “We have a security team ready to take you to a car rental. I’m afraid the airport is too far.”
“A car rental is fine. Shall we say an hour?”
Philipe nodded. “Fiona has a few things she wants to send with you. We’ll meet you in the foyer.”
We didn’t have much to pack, so we spent the extra time sitting by the window staring at the valley. Then we grasped hands and walked down to the foyer, where everyone waited except for Rom.
“Rom has decided to stay another few days. It’s been decades since we’ve seen each other, and he’d like to read one of the copies of the book.” Philipe nodded to the small package that lay on the table behind them. “I’ve provided a different dust jacket to disguise the book I’m sending with you. It won’t bear up under close scrutiny, obviously, so I suggest you keep it wrapped in the small satchel. I ask that you never leave it out of your reach until you’re behind the gates of the Trelane manor. I’m sorry to be so paranoid, but…”
Lucas waved his hand. “I agree with your precautions and wish I had a plane of my own to fly directly home. We’ll remain low-key until we reach the safety of the manor.”
Philipe seemed somewhat appeased. “You’ll contact me the second you’re home to let me know the book arrived safely. Oh, and I’m sure Sergi will think of this on his own, but I suggest a secure place where a very limited number of people have access, or quite frankly, even know about it.”
Lucas smiled. “I can assure you all precautions will be put in motion to secure it.”
Philipe chuckled. “Of course.”
“You’re like a mother hen,” Fiona teased. “Based on what we’ve heard last night, and their harrowing story in searching for us, I don’t know of anyone more aware of the book’s importance.”
“You know the real one will be required for the Council.” Lucas wasn’t telling them anything they didn’t already know, but he wanted to cement the point.
Philipe nodded. “When it’s time for the Council to review it, it will be made available. However, it will be done in the most secure of environments with the Council, Sentinels, and Eliminators present. I will also ask for specific House leaders to be present.” He paused and seemed to be considering something. “With Devon working with The Wolf, I might also request Remus’s presence. If there’s a decision to sweep this under the rug again, it won’t be just the Council making that decision.”
“I agree.” Lucas glanced at me before adding, “But I would also suggest that Colantha Dupré be present. It’s only fair that at least one dreamwalker be included since this impacts them the most.”
“Of course. That was a clear oversight. I can’t wait to meet her myself.”
The two shook hands, and Fiona kissed each on their cheeks.
“I assume Rom is already reading one of the copies,” Lucas said.
“He said you’d understand.” Philipe walked them through the doors and down the steps to the van where Bella and Jacques waited.
“We said our goodbyes earlier this morning.”
“While the seats aren’t the most comfortable, you won’t be required to wear the restraints or head coverings. My security sometimes gets too heavy-handed.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done to make our stay pleasant.” Lucas shook his hand and climbed in behind the others.
The drive to the nearest car rental agency was three hours away, though I thought they drove us that far to make it more difficult to pinpoint where the retreat was. None of us minded.
It took another couple of hours to get to the airport in Atlanta. After Jacques and Bella entered the airport, I pulled Lucas aside.
“I was wondering if we could make a stop before going home.”