Chapter Eight #4
Alex said, “Challenging Jane as clan head, instead of as queen, was brilliant. It created a dynamic and dangerous layer of machinations set in place over twenty years ago, before Jane became queen and before Edmund became emperor. Those relationships were never dismantled and they should have been.”
EJ still looked lost so I said, “Only three swordsmen, Jane’s tertio, secondo, and primo, stood between her and the leader of Clan Yellowrock, and through her to multiple kingdoms.”
My brother squinted as if he was finally putting it together.
While he thought, I wallowed in a pool of guilt.
I had walked away from coven, clan, and royalty.
I had effectively been out of the loop of vampire politics except those brought to me by my husband.
No one had seen a reason to share the information until now.
It was possible—likely—that I had been the central pivot point for all this.
On top of the guilt, I was…I was pissed. At myself.
Walter sniffed the air and his entire body tightened at the rage-stink he could smell, leaking out of my pores.
“I already knew Asshat courted and married me because of my relationship with Aunt Jane.” I managed a breath that burned my lungs. “And now I see it was also because of my relationship with the emperor.”
EJ said, “Explain? Please, somebody, explain.”
I said, “Because Ravensport challenged Aunt Jane instead of the queen, she had to go through only those three people to get to fight her. Originally, in Clan Yellowrock, before he was emperor, Aunt Jane’s primo was Edmund. No one changed the paperwork when she became queen. It was a loophole.”
In vamp hierarchy, if you challenged the top vamp, you had to fight through every single one of that vamp’s top fighters and win, before you could actually get to fight the top dog.
In Clan Yellowrock, Edmund was one step down from Aunt Jane.
One step. If our enemy had won, she would have been Empress of Europe before she fought Aunt Jane.
EJ said, “So, by challenging her as leader of Clan Yellowrock instead of as queen, she cut through all the red tape and only had to outfight and kill two people before she faced Edmund. Who, even then, ruled over all of Europe.”
Alex said, “Julietta Ravensport is calculating and conniving, with a heart as black as tar. She holds a very long and very violent grudge. And she can fight like a fallen angel.”
He added, “I’ve sent a compilation vid of all of her most prominent duels to your office, and a snippet of those top three to your unicoms and Ojos.
“Ravensport’s contract involves The Firm’s client, Chancy/Cennet and your girlfriend, Little Evan,” Alex said, using EJ’s childhood nickname, perhaps as a way to soften the blows he was delivering. “And your ex, Angie Baby.
“We believe she’s in town and has promised each of her coconspirators what they want: Walter to Willim, Angie Baby to Karson along with Master of the City status, and the queen and the emperor for herself, with posts and positions of power to any others who chose to support her.”
“Already put that together,” I said, my words clipped. I flashed angry-hot, and turned down the heated seats.
“Well, I’m still not up to speed,” EJ said.
The car was rocked by another gust of wind. Outside, frozen rain and sleet were peppering down and had begun to accumulate. The higher elevation meant colder temps. The vehicle changed gear to traction control, and slowed.
“Whatever they’re planning,” Alex said, “they’ve been laying the groundwork for a long time.
Their opening move in Chat-town was Tony Montgomery taking Angie—but getting Angie’s friend—in order to force Walter on scene so they could take him.
Except Tony failed because Angie Baby is a badass fighter, and then Londyn got angry and set things in motion too soon.
That’s the current consideration of the sec team.
And now we’re all having to play catch-up and cleanup. ”
“Thank you,” Walter said. “I assume you are aware of our location and our destination.”
“Yup. Keep your heads.” Alex ended the call.
Keep your heads. A statement referring to not losing a Sangre Duello challenge. They were allowing us continued autonomy, meanwhile, coven and clan would be making plans without our input. As usual.
The vehicle made a soft purr as the frictionless sodium-battery engine climbed higher. The wipers swished as a swirling blast of wind whipped against the vehicle, rocking it. Winter storms were rare. But they always sucked.
Walter touched his screen and paired his unicom to the larger screen on the dash.
A woman’s image, who I assumed to be Julietta Ravensport, appeared.
She stood in front of the queen’s official residence, carrying two swords and wearing combat armor.
Her black hair was tied back in a fighting queue.
She roared a challenge. “I challenge Jane Yellowrock in Sangre Duello, for her position as leader of Clan Yellowrock.” She whipped her swords in a move like angel wings unfurling and rising.
Walter paused the action, focusing on Ravensport’s face, which was vamped out and violent, fangs down, eyes black.
EJ leaned into the screen. “I didn’t know any of this.”
“You were at war. Angelina was no longer under royal protection,” Walter said. “All that stood between the queen and another war, were three swordsmen, Jane’s tertio, secondo, and primo.”
“And her primo was the emperor,” EJ said.
“Had Ravensport defeated all three,” Walter said, “she would automatically have become the Empress of Europe. She then would have fought and killed Jane Yellowrock. Three Sangre Duello challenges instead of dozens, to become the Empress of Europe, the Dark Queen of the vampires, and the holder of the loyalty of every vampire in the country.”