Chapter 60
Chapter Sixty
With speed so fast that my ears rang and my head spun, I flew out of Belshazzar’s, heading southwest for Archer’s country estate, my feet skimming the rooftops, following the main road out of London.
Landing near the great house, I arrived just in time to find the Stone Masters loading into the last of four carriages parked out front. Deciding to head them off, I flew down their pathway and waited, pacing.
Within an hour, the first carriage rolled in my direction. The horseman’s expression changed to one of horror as he caught sight of me.
I glimpsed a flash of black as the carriage veered off to the right. The driver had tried and failed to navigate around me, and the two left wheels had lifted off the ground. Tipping onto its side, the carriage crashed into the dense trees, spraying up leaves and dirt.
The other carriages came to a stop. Lord Archer stepped out of the last carriage, saw me, and recoiled.
Several Stone Lords closed in. Archer held up his hand and they yielded, swords readied. Archer gestured to his men, ordering them to assist those injured.
Then he turned to face me.
“You know why I’m here,” I said.
“I can’t stop it.” Archer lowered his voice. “I tried to find another way, but they overruled me.”
“I’m not here to negotiate.”
“Neither am I.”
“Why now?” I asked.
But despite his refusal to answer, I perused his mind and took what I needed.
The Stone Masters had taken years to comprise a list of those whom they deemed worth saving: London’s beloved artists, scholars, politicians, and a few well-known aristocrats.
Missives had been sent, warning them all to leave the city.
On this, the eve of the impending disaster, the Stone Masters had moved out and headed back to Salisbury.
“How can burning down one city solve an issue that affects the world?” I asked.
“Just because you have the facts, doesn’t mean you know the story,” Archer replied. “In the heart of London resides a threat like no other.”
“What threat?”
His mind closed to me.
I heard the sword as it sliced through the air. The thud struck my chest, the tip leading the weapon through. Staggering, I fell onto my back.
My legs felt numb and I couldn’t move them. The blinding pain at my core burned like fire, and images flashed through my mind.
The fireplace, the carved symbol of a fleur-de-lis engraved in the center, representing the Holy Trinity.
The use of the emblem had been a gesture, having come to respect Jacob’s faith. I should have told my son why I’d chosen it for him.
Running my fingers over the design, admiring the workmanship.
My heavy eyelids closed and then strained to open. I gazed up at the twisting tree branches stretching out, reaching for the stars, the bright full moon visible through winding limbs.
The flawless emblem of an iris, the symbol of perfection.
I watched through bleary eyes as Archer stepped back, his hand covering his mouth, a gesture to hide his angst. I reached for the weapon’s hilt.
“Bind him.” Archer’s voice sounded far away.
I clutched the hilt and yanked, but it was so deeply imbedded, the blade resisted. I pulled again, squeezing my eyes shut, seeing Jacob’s face in my mind’s eye.
Another yank and I had the sword out. I sprang to my feet and flew past Archer, close enough to touch him.
Archer’s voice came from somewhere behind me. “Find him. Quickly!”
I collapsed behind one of the larger oak trees, willing the pain to recede, and the wound to heal while ascertaining how much blood I’d lost. Lifting my shirt, I was relieved to see my wound closing.
The faint whiff of vampires carried in the night air, emanating from the last carriage parked about twenty feet away. Flying through the woods, making a wide sweep so as not to bump into any of Archer’s men, I stalked the two men guarding the carriage.
I froze, momentarily startled.
Rachel was incarcerated with two other vampires.
Briefly, I moved away from them. I snapped the neck of the first guard and threw the other high into the air.
He lay still where he landed. Rachel sobbed pitifully when she saw me.
The other two prisoners appeared so weak that I feared they wouldn’t survive much longer.
One of them, a child, sucked on the back of his hand with a lost look in his eyes.
Rachel’s fear was palpable. She was too young a vampire to have used the mind gift with any success – unable to beckon for help. After ripping off her gag, I untied her and lifted her out of the carriage, feeling her trembling in my arms.
When I turned around, I saw we had been surrounded by Archer’s men. Rachel burrowed her face into my chest. I clutched her to me.
“It’s over,” Archer said.
“It’s over when I say it is.” Remembering the verbal sparring we’d done before, the remarkable connection, the mutual respect shared for our differences as well as our similarities, I felt regret.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Marcus standing near the overturned carriage. He’d followed me here.
Archer reached into his left coat pocket and withdrew the chess piece I’d given him, throwing the carved rook at my feet. “Was this not meant to represent that your best is yet to come?”
“That’s one meaning, yes.” My gaze narrowed in on the right side of his jacket.
Archer frowned as his hand disappeared into his right pocket, and he pulled out another black rook. I’d slipped it in there, moving with preternatural speed just seconds before finding Rachel.
“That one means you’ve left your king exposed,” I said.
Archer’s face reddened.
His men fell, attacked so fast that to the human eye, Marcus’ assault went unseen.
After securing Rachel deep within the woods, I returned to Marcus’ side, and together we finished off Archer’s men.
The breeze had died, the forest now quiet.
Archer appeared bewildered and I approached him.
I picked up the black rook. “Now tell me it’s over.”
Archer, staring blankly at nothing, gave a slight nod, and then slumped to his knees.