9. Rise

9

RISE

T he next few days pass in a blur, after our trio returns from finding Iris, and our real power, in Venice. Though the Music has finally stabilized between Lucca, Ariana, and me, we have no time to enjoy it as revolution seethes all around us the moment we return to the Red Letter Hotel Florence.

Everything that transpired in Venice was a match to the flame, as some strange synergy follows Ariana, Lucca, and me wherever we go now. As if the Music vibrates the energy of revolution all through and around us now, Summer Fae, Dark Fae, and Vampires begin flocking to the United Haven of Florence the moment we return.

It’s overwhelming and incredible; Curio, Devi, and I have our hands full finding places for everyone as they take my Master’s Kiss to join the United Haven. Not only that, but Dark Fae from the Hidden City of Venice come to us, too.

Brought here by the resonance that began when the Sages helped us.

It’s amazing, far more than I could have ever hoped for, as rumor mills churn like wildfire in every direction, now that we’ve liberated the Gold Eyes’ taint from our hearts, souls, and magic. I barely see Lucca, in deep conversation with Alleno, Adicus and Illyria, and many Summer Fae Magistros and military personnel who have defected to us.

Many of those are in the Darkwatch; old allies of Lucca’s now returned to him, he meets clandestinely with them at the Red Letter Hotel Florence and at our Livingtree, flying back and forth upon his owl Altenni so his father can’t track him within Summer Fae lands. I’m no less busy, as a veritable horde of Vampires from all around Italy and further flood to me.

Overwhelming our resources at Florence and Pisa—even spilling over into Monaco.

Some kind of alchemy is happening; I don’t know if it’s Iris’ daily and nightly Ascendant Sigils she makes to help us, or if it’s some property of the Music and the way it’s resonating between my trio and the entire United Haven now, but we have become a lodestone for those who would oppose the Council. Many come to us, speaking words that once would have been treason against the Vampire Council of Rome.

I hear them, each and every one, as I wonder where all of this will go.

This evening is a tense meeting that I do alone, however, since Ariana is busy talking with some Dark Fae who have arrived from the Hidden City of Venice, and Lucca is back at his Livingtree, speaking with influential Summer Fae once more. Curio and Devi are at my sides tonight, the three of us dressed to the nines in Vampire couture, since we are housing Vampire guests this evening. The sun has descended and night has arrived; we wait in the Hotel’s vaulted porticos at the east carport.

Waiting for our guests from Rome to get here.

A cadre of representatives from the Vampire Council have requested to meet with us, contacting us just an hour ago about their imminent arrival. I have no idea what we’re in for; all my people are on red alert tonight, only doing menial tasks as they wait upon my signal for a fight, should anything with these Council representatives go awry.

As Curio stands in a glorious white and black Victorian Vampire tux on my left, Devi in draping scarlet and black lace couture on my right, I wear a slim black Armani suit, enhanced by Vampiric details of black satin and lace.

I expect only subservient Council mouthpieces as three black Maseratis pull up now through the outer arches. As they park, the drivers waiting in their cars, the three representatives step from the passenger sides.

Shock fills me—to see these are Council members themselves, rather than just representatives.

I take them in as they approach. Master Parnassos of Meteora stands lean and gaunt, dressed in homespun wool robes as he approaches, his wisps of curling black hair around his balding pate and craggy face reminiscent of ancient monks.

Once a holy man in Greece before he was turned Vampire, Master Parnassos eyes me with dark black eyes that glitter with knowledge as he comes to stand before me. Giving a slight nod, he puts his hands in prayer, an old habit as he acknowledges me. I give him a deep bow, for he is the father of knowledge and lore-keeping among the Council.

He holds me with his dark gaze, as ancientness floods me.

The second Council member who approaches is someone I don’t expect to parlay with me on any occasion. As the haughty and impeccably dressed Mistress of Romania, Elena Iliescu, steps from her vehicle, she wears a slim white pantsuit that shows off her buxom curves, her honey-blonde hair expertly curled, with spiked crimson stilettos even Devi would swoon over.

I know who the thorn in tonight’s meeting is going to be, as I set my jaw hard. She comes to me, cleverness glittering in her light blue eyes as she purses her crimson lips at me.

“Quinn,” she says, giving me a sniff and extending her hand like royalty for me to kiss.

“Mistress Iliescu. Be welcome.” I only nod rather than taking her hand, because we are not friends nor are we allies, and I do not consider myself her peon. She gazes at me for a moment, and then the slyest smile curls her lips as she shakes her head.

Rolling her eyes and facing the last Council member here tonight.

With piercing chartreuse eyes and dark ebony skin, the tall, lean man who comes to us now is of indeterminate age. Dressed in a simple grey suit and shirt with shiny black dress shoes, Master Djalu of Uluru, once known as Ayers Rock in Australia, is not a known creature in the Twilight Realm.

Though he was Sired as a Vampire ages ago, some say even thirty thousand years or more, his original species is unknown, gone in modern times. A subtle, simmering lightning crackles all around him like a Storm Dragon as he approaches. It flickers in those ancient chartreuse eyes, though Master Djalu is no Dragon.

He’s an unknown creature of unknown power as he arrives before me, quiet. His presence is utterly ancient, nearly akin to that of Iris and Staphylogenes as he regards me.

Then gestures inside my establishment. “Invite us in, Master DaPonti. For we should talk.”

“Do come in,” I say wryly now, because I have no idea what these three are doing here, much less all together. As far as I know, Master Parnassos and Mistress Iliescu hate each other, always at-odds upon the Council, and Master Djalu involves himself in no drama whatsoever, though his ancientness and power often tip the scales when there are important decisions to be made.

But what these three are doing here right now, when the Council usually sends underlings to do their talking outside of Rome, I have no clue.

Nodding for Devi and Curio to step behind us, I gesture elegantly for the three Council members to enter the Hotel. I lead, as Master Djalu walks calmly beside me, to a Hotel drawing room on the third floor that is reserved for staff meetings. It was the best I could do on such short notice; we have given our other halls over to extra beds and makeshift rooms, to house all those who have been coming to us.

As we settle at the long ebony staff table, Curio serves a few trays of Florence Hotel chocolates and delicacies, while Devi pours both wine and a special blood cordial we make. Everyone takes a seat, the Council members strangely allowing me to take my usual spot at the head of the long table.

Even Mistress Iliescu only sneering at me a little, as she settles and preens her long, ultra-red nails through her honey-blond hair.

“To what do I owe this impromptu visit from the Council?” I ask now as I open the meeting, knowing from their demeanor these three are not here to engage in a takeover right now.

Though Mistress Iliescu might try it on some dark night when I’m not being vigilant.

“Do you even need to ask?” Elena Iliescu laughs as she gestures around idly. “You’ve been a busy Vampire, Quinn. Or should I say… a busy Dark Fae? Hmmm?”

Everything goes cold inside me, as I recognize my secret’s out. The Council knows what I am; I bristle for war now, even as I sit before them, betraying nothing of my shock.

These are ancient Masters, however, though Elena Iliescu likes to be in vogue. They feel my change in energy like a dark wind, whispering all around them.

And Master Djalu lifts a hand—quieting me.

“Peace, child of fire and Light.” Master Djalu regards me with those ancient, knowing eyes. “We are not here to expose you to the Vampire Council of Rome. Only to help you… when the time is right.”

“Help me?” I blink then, unable to cease my heart as it gives a sudden beat in my chest, then another.

“Oh, don’t look so shocked, Quinn.” Mistress Iliescu waves a hand as she lounges in her chair, rolling her eyes as if she’s bored. “You’re a Dark Fae, we’re all Dark Fae. We’ve been sitting on the Vampire Council of Rome for eons, and now the time has come for us to rise up and change things.”

Astonishment floods me as Mistress Iliescu admits to being Dark Fae. As the other two nod, I suddenly see their visit in a whole new light. These aren’t Council members here to reprimand me for opposing them, or warn me that hell is coming for what is happening at the United Haven of Florence. These are three unlooked-for allies upon the Council itself.

All of them Dark Fae like me—hidden in plain sight.

“Something is happening here, Quindici.” Master Parnassos leans in from his place at the table, regarding me with his dark ebony eyes. “Some resonance of power the Council has not provided for in their plans to annihilate you, and most certainly did not expect. For you are building a vast revolution here, from what one might call the ashes of your former life. Like a phoenix, you and your people rise… and the Dark Fae are watching. To rise with you when the time is right.”

“Every Mentale Dark Fae hidden in Vampire culture is watching this movement,” I say now as I understand what Master Parnassos is telling me. “Especially those hidden right at the very top. Are there more Dark Fae upon the Council?”

“Not upon the Council itself, but there are Vampires who sympathize with us and our plight.” Master Parnassos regards me. “We know who they are, and can court their alliance for you when the time comes. But we cannot be seen to lead this revolution; for though our power is strong, we would be burned alive by the greater Council should all of this come to no success. You must lead this charge, the audacious young Master Vampire with the known Dark Fae on his arm. The rest of us will follow. Doing what we can, along the way.”

“I am the patsy, should all things fail,” I say now, getting it as a hard chuckle escapes me. “I am the fall guy who will get burned by the Council if we are not successful in this revolution among the Fae, Dark Fae, and Vampires.”

“This is the way it has to be, Quinn.” Mistress Iliescu pierces me with her light blue eyes now as an enormous feeling of power rolls off her, fierce. “Take our deal or leave it. And we shall return to Rome… leaving you empty-handed.”

“I don’t even need to think twice about having more friends in high places,” I say now, not about to turn their offer down. “I just want assurances that you three will be where you need to be once this revolution truly gets going. I follow through on my promises and alliances… I will be where I need to be, when the people decide to rise. Will you?”

“Fear is not in our nature, young one.” Master Djalu has the smallest smile now—something I’ve never seen from him before. His chartreuse eyes glitter with blazes of lighting as he regards me. “If it were, would we be where we are now, sitting amongst the most mighty of all Vampires and holding what we are so thoroughly hidden? No. We would be ashes, devoured by our true death, had we lost courage and stumbled in getting where we are. We understand you will not stumble, either. Many upon the council call your actions hubris . I call them brave. As do my comrades here—watching your indomitable spirit rise in a way Vampire society has not seen for ages.”

As I see nods from the other two masters at the table, something fills me. It’s more than a sense of satisfaction at Master Djalu’s words; it’s a feeling that what we’re doing is right , as I give a slow nod back.

Eagerness fills me then, excitement like I haven’t felt in a long while. It’s excitement for a challenge, for an insurmountable obstacle to overcome that I must think my way through, and for battle at the end.

I rise as I know this sudden meeting is finished. There are no pleasantries; they have come to say what they had to say, and I have accepted. If there are details to plan, that will come later. I thank my Council Dark Fae supporters with a low bow to each of them now, glad to my deepest heart they came. They return sober nods as they rise.

Then take their leave, disappearing from the meeting room in three waves of different colored black smoke, rather than take their chauffeured Maseratis back to Rome.

I do not know where the three Council Masters have gone, but it’s not a detail I need to know right now. With a deep inhalation, I give myself a long moment to think.

Then turn to Curio and Devi, standing like warriors beside me.

“Tell the Hotel and United Haven to stand down. An attack from the Council is not imminent. If it were, Masters Djalu, Iliescu, and Parnassos would have warned of it. We have a sliver of time to orchestrate our next move. The Council are unsettled by everything that’s happening here and are taking time to regroup, which means we now have a chance… to take this fight to them.”

“What do you think is going to happen?” Devi’s dark chocolate gaze burns with scarlet, her blade-like power simmering all around me now.

“Truthfully? I do not know.” My gaze follows where my ally Masters went. It’s a tremendous gift, to have even one ally on the current Council, much less three. I know, though we may have our differences, the fact that we’re all Dark Fae creates an unshakable bond between us in our current situation.

Though the future may be as it may.

“Come,” I say. “We need to return to my underground solar to peruse our Florence maps again. The location Iris gave us for the tomb that holds Staphylogenes’ heart is still burned into my mind, though we have yet to find any access whatsoever to it. There must be a way to penetrate that hidden stronghold, however—and we need to find it. The Music has been stabilizing between me, Ariana, Lucca, and even our entire United Haven since we overcame our hate and freed ourselves from the Gold Eyes. But Iris was right; we need something else, something bigger, to aid us. If anything can help us beat the Gold Eyes and make successful this massive movement now happening in Vampire, Fae, and Dark Fae society, it’s an Ascendant’s heart. We must focus everything we have now on finding it.”

As Curio nods and Devi bristles for war, I know we’re onto something. We egress from the third-floor meeting room, back underground where we take the Hotel’s hidden halls to my solar .

The countless bookshelves full of first editions and glowing crystal boxes of priceless musical instruments greet me as we arrive. But there is a new fixture in my most private of spaces; an enormous map table occupies the center of the underground hall now, a gargantuan, ornate thing that was once used in the campaigns of Napoleon.

As Devi, Curio, and I come around it, we peruse the maps spread upon it. All are of Florence; maps modern and ancient, they come from the human world and the Twilight Realm, and detail tens of thousands of passages that warren beneath the city.

From modern-day sewers, to ancient storm drains and burial catacombs, we’ve dredged up everything we could get on such short notice, compiling it here with modern computer data, as well, a laptop with more maps on it available nearby.

I go to that laptop now, firing it up. Yet again, Curio, Devi and I pour over the maps in the area I’ve circled, that lights up bright inside my mind like rainbows on fire in the dawn.

But yet again, we still find no entrance to the space Iris showed us, for it isn’t on any map. I can’t even portal there if I haven’t a clue where I’m going; frustrated now, I rake a hand through my dark hair, growling that I feel so close to all our answers with this new development today.

Yet still so very far away.

“I need Lucca and Ariana. They’ve got this map inside their minds, too, though the passages Iris showed us don’t seem to exist anywhere,” I say, glancing at Devi. “Lucca’s at the Livingtree, speaking with a number of Summer Fae who have defected to us, but where’s Ariana?”

I just finished up a phone call with Master Ilyov and Lady Eiseth, Quinn, and a few of our Dark Summer Fae who were at the Venice citadel. Ariana breaks into my mind, her voice clarion in my head now that I’m thinking about her. Her voice is bright inside me right now, though we’ve taken to blocking each other out, since having so many meetings all at once flooding our minds confuses us. Our operations to reunite Dark Summer Fae in exile with their families who have come to us here at the United Haven now are going well. I can take a break for a while, if you need me.

“Please,” I say as relief fills me. Though I can touch Lucca and Ariana mind-to-mind through our bond anytime, I always feel a sense of solace whenever they are near me. I feel Ariana nod, then take her leave of the Dark Fae, coming to me.

“Devi, Curio, please see to the Hotel and United Haven,” I tell them now, knowing I can puzzle through this next step with Ariana. Besides, some part of me needs to be alone for a moment to process everything that’s happened; I feel Curio and Devi understand through our newly formed bonds.

“We’re just a thought away if you need us.” Devi is fierce as she watches me.

“Come on, Devina.” Curio chuckles as he tugs her hand. “You can’t just stay at Quinn’s side night and day, you know.”

“I know.” Devi gives me a tight smile, tense as we all ponder this recent development with the Vampire Council. “I would, though, if he’d let me.”

They go, and a deep love fills me for my two most stalwart generals, as I watch them depart. Then Ariana arrives, and a blazing sensation fills me for the woman I love.

Who’s also mine, to the ends of this earth and back.