42nd & Lex (39 page)

Inside there is no one at the front desk so
we walk towards the elevator bank and pack inside the first car held open by a
waiting attendant. I wait for the wave of nausea that is sure to overtake me in
a packed elevator. Before it can erupt Lucan takes my hand. “
I’ve got you,”
he
thinks to me.

The doors open again and we file out into
the marble hallway outside the Council chambers. Sarah has been completely
silent up to this point. “This place looks like something out of those
Harry
Potter
movies,” she says.

Lucan laughs. “Abri thought the same thing
the first time I brought her here. Stay here while Zaid and I go greet the
Council.”

Amelia and I stand with Mark and Sarah outside
the heavy chamber doors. The thought that I will walk about of here a bonded
Sodalis sends a shiver up my spine. I haven’t told anyone about our plan to go
through with the ceremony today or about our engagement. We are so focused on
the hunt for Serge that it’s dominated every conversation this morning. Strangely,
I am not nervous, only excited.

Mark looks nervous enough for the both of us.
“It’s going to be okay, man,” I offer. “Between you and Serge, you at least
haven’t eaten anyone. That’s gotta count for something.”

“I sure hope so,” he says quietly. “I can’t
help but worry they will want to kill me if we can’t find Serge. Sweep it all
under the rug.”

Amelia chimes in, “Abri’s right. The Council
is nothing if not just. They wouldn’t take your life as payment for Serge’s
misdeeds. Most Halflings are nothing more than the walking dead. It’s like a
rabid dog; the only humane thing to do is to put it down. You’re no different from
a full-blooded vampire as far as I can tell. As for what happened in the past,
even Zaid and Lucan get a little trippy if they don’t eat right. The only
information they will want from you is about Serge.”

Zaid opens one side of the chamber doors,
muttering to himself in a language none of us understand. “Come on in. Jonathan’s
out of town so they can’t give a formal order to kill his ass but they are still
willing to take testimony from us. If only we’d been able to come here sooner.”

“What does that do to completing the
ceremony?” I ask. Sarah gives me a questioning look.

“It’s a no-go as well,” Zaid grumbles. “Who
goes on vacation this time of year anyways? He was just here yesterday
afternoon.”

 Arius and Sophie are standing at the front
of the room with Lucan. They are dressed weekend casual and Sophie has a mug of
what I hope is coffee in her hand. Seeing Arius in a Nike tracksuit is just
weird. He looks like Paulie Walnuts from the
Sopranos
and is no doubt every
bit as lethal.  

“Abri, my love,” Arius calls across the room.
“I'm so glad you’re here. It’s been too long since I’ve seen your lovely face.”

“It’s good to see you both as well,” I reply.
“So I hear Jonathan is out of town. Does that mean you can’t give the order to
dispose of Serge? Or perform the Sodalis ceremony?”

Lucan and Zaid groan beside me. I figure if we
are going to stand around all coffee klatch cozy that I might as well be as straightforward
as I would be with any of my own contemporaries. The Council was not my
governing body. Lucan shakes his head at my thoughts. 

“You miss nothing, Miss Cole,” he chuckles.
“You are correct. Our laws dictate that a full Council must be present for both
instances. Jonathan was called out of town unexpectedly. He will return next
week.”

“Next week?” I fail at masking my anger even
as I consider that the passage of time obviously means nothing to these two. A
week’s passage would cause them no more notice than an hour’s passage would for
me. “So what am I supposed to do until then? Lock myself in the bathroom and
hide?”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I feel
horribly bad. Bad that I have been so disrespectful to Arius who has never
given me any reason to believe he is anything other than a kind soul. Bad that
I’ve spoken out of turn to the Council, even if they aren’t my rulers, they are
Lucan and Zaid’s… and maybe Mark’s. Arius begins to chuckle, Sophie too.

“Child, it’s been years since anyone’s been
that forceful with us,” she coos. “Lucan you have certainly got your hands full
with this one.”

“Aye, Reveré,” Lucan says with his eyes cast
downwards and a hint of shame in his voice. “Forgive Abri. She does not know
our laws and means no disrespect. This situation has her trapped between our
world and hers…something I forget possible after so long.”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Lucan. She’s
just frustrated, as we all are,” Sophie chides in her sweet southern twang. “Abri,
don’t you dare apologize for how you feel, you are completely within your
rights to be upset. Now, let us hear from the Halfling. Come forward child.”

I am starting to think Lucan gives the
Council too much deference. Then again, maybe they just think of my boldness as
a curiosity and allow my outbursts for their own entertainment.

Mark lets go of Sarah’s hand and steps
forward. Unsure of whether he should bow or shake hands with the two Council
members in front of him he reaches his right hand out a bit and then tucks it
behind his back, keeping his eyes downcast. Lucan and Zaid move to stand on
either side of him in what I hope is a sign of solidarity.

“Sophie, Arius, this is Mark Ainsworth, the
Halfling,” Zaid offers over Mark’s shoulder. “The vampire known as Serge Rozanov
would be his maker, had he been able to complete the task.” The sarcasm in his
voice causes Sophie to raise an eyebrow. So maybe it is just me they allow to
be reckless with my words.

“Mr. Ainsworth, it’s wonderful to meet you.”
Arius gives Mark a little bow. “Your existence is causing quite a stir around
here.”

From what I knew of Arius, his comment is
not meant to be accusatory or demeaning; he is just stating the obvious. Mark
shifts nervously, not knowing how to respond, or if he should. After a second
he offers, “I'm sorry.”

A chorus of laughter goes up in the
cavernous chamber. First, from Arius and Sophie, and then followed by Lucan and
Zaid. Relieved that the tension has been broken, the rest of us chime in as
well. Even the halogen sconces seem to flicker in enjoyment. 

“I think we’ve seen all we need to see,”
Sophie states as she put her coffee mug down on the wickedly carved bench. “Mr.
Ainsworth, welcome to the Enclave.”

“Does that mean you’re letting me live?”
Mark asks, finally raising his eyes to meet her gaze. Lucan sighs in defeat at
Mark’s direction questioning of the Council.

“Of course, my boy. Welcome,” adds Arius. “Now,
let me speak with this charming lady. Sarah, is it?”

I give Sarah a little nudge and she moves
forward to stand between Mark and Lucan. “Yes. Hello, sir,” she says quietly.

“Sarah. Tell me, how are you adjusting to
all this? You are Mark’s wife, correct?” Arius asks, taking her hands in his.

“Yes sir, I am. I was shocked at first, but
I figure if Abri can handle it so can I. I'm just glad he’s not crazy.”

“Good. Good,” Arius soothes. “Now, are you
obliging to service his blood needs?”

Sarah blushes. “It was my idea,” she
whispers. “He was eating raw meat before.”

The vampires in the room cringe. It dawns on
me that Mark’s lucky he doesn’t have the digestive track of a full-blooded
vampire or that would lead to a rather nasty post-dinner situation. Lucan holds
back a gag as he hears my thoughts.
“What?”
I think at him with a smile
on my face.
“Don’t listen if you’ve got a weak stomach.”

“What a resourceful young man you are. So
many Halflings die of demented starvation. It must have given you just enough
to overcome the venom’s degradation. Very brilliant, young man,” Arius praises.
“Lucan, I trust you will help our new friend become acquainted with this life?”

“Aye, Reveré. I will do everything possible
to see he transitions well.”

“Very well. Then as soon as Jonathan returns
from New Orleans, we will sign the order for Rozanov’s death. You and Zaid have
done well and the Council thanks you.” He gives Zaid and Lucan a little bow. “Now,
Abri, my dear, to the business of your binding. While we cannot perform the
ceremony until Jonathan is present, I will promise you our protection until
then. I will order the Council guard to be stationed at the Chrysler and we
have a contact at your office that will alert us to anything suspicious.”

My mind is racing at the news that Jonathan
has been unexpectedly called to New Orleans. I can’t help but think Jonathan’s
absence is the result of an intervention by Hicks to give Serge a head start
against us. None of us knows how well Serge knows Hicks; but we do know Serge
connected Mark to Hicks and Hicks is connected to someone on the Council and
New Orleans. Lucan’s face tells me he’s either had the same thoughts or has
been listening to mine. I wish we could ask Arius and Sophie Collette about it
but I know we can’t.      

“Thank you, Arius,” I manage to respond.

Lucan cringes at my use of his first name
but I don’t know his last name, or if he even has one. And since I’m not sure
if it’s okay for me to call him Reveré, I don’t.

“It’s been such a long time since we’ve done
a Sodali binding. I’m ecstatic.” Sophie beams, cutting into my train of thought.
Her voice is cool, but then again she never really seems anything but. “I think
the full formal ceremony is appropriate, even given the urgency, don’t you
think?”

Like anyone has the ability to disagree. “I
do,” Lucan replies for us all with a sincere smile.

Amelia reaches over and pats my arm. “I’ll
send for my ceremony dress as soon as we leave here. You won’t have time to
have one made. This is so exciting.”

I glance at Sarah and Mark. At least I am
not alone in my confusion; they look equally overwhelmed with the discussion. The
entire morning’s exchange has been so surreal. Here we are standing around
kibitzing about dresses and parties with what, I assume, is the supreme law of
the land for vampires, like it’s our regular Saturday morning brunch club. All
we need are some coffee and a few Danish. 

After all the buildup, the decisions on
Serge and Mark’s lives have come rather easily and uneventfully. I am glad, but
I feel a little deflated as well. Which, in and of itself, is stupid given the
fact that I still have a giant fangy target on my back. Or was it my neck? Screw
coffee, I need a drink.

After a little more polite conversation,
Lucan dismisses us humans and half humans back into the hallway while he and
Zaid finish their meeting with the Council. As the massive doors close behind us,
Sarah lets out a huge sigh. “What the heck was all that?”

“That was Arius and Sophie, two thirds of
the law in these parts—for vampires at least.”

“I got that part. But what is this about a
ceremony? Are you and Lucan getting married?”

Well, I guess I wasn’t going to escape
friendly concern over my sanity in binding with Lucan after all. I should be
more careful with what I wish for. “Yeah, about that…”

Sarah and Mark listen as Amelia and I
recount an abridged version of the Sodalis bond and its ability to protect me
from Serge and restore Lucan’s soul. No matter how many times I hear about it
or think about it, it is still a little ludicrous to me. I believe in it, but
that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sound crazy when spoken aloud. 

When Amelia and I finish Sarah shakes her
head in disbelief. “Do you think there is any hope for Mark and I in that
department?”

“Ah, I don’t know, but, um, a blood exchange
before the ceremony is performed kinda closes the door on it from what I
understand.” I hate being the bearer of bad news.

“Oh.” She takes Mark’s hand again.

Lucan and Zaid file out of the Council chambers
a few seconds later. Zaid is mumbling to himself again in some foreign tongue. The
looks on their faces have me wondering if they’ve suffered for our unintended
disrespect earlier. Maybe they’ve discussed the New Orleans/Hicks situation. Lucan
shakes his head at me in answer to my thoughts but I don’t necessarily believe
him.

The ride back to the Chrysler is fraught
with clipped conversations attempting to fill the frustrated and emotionally
drained void in the car. This is going to be a long week.

With the Council meeting out of the way,
there is nothing left to do but focus our efforts on finding Serge. Zaid and
Lucan have turned the apartment into a command center, complete with a police
scanner, several laptops, and a blow up map of the city. Everyone is staying
with us until things are safer. It all makes me feel like we are part of some
counterintelligence operation. It’s very
Jason Bourne
around here.

The movers arrive with my boxes just as we are
sitting down to plan our next move. Ordinarily, I would be upset at not packing
my own belongings but there is no way I am going back to my apartment with
Serge on the loose—even if Zaid and Lucan have offered to go with me. I will
have to go back for the furniture and to turn in my keys once things have
calmed down in a few weeks. The landlord will be sad to lose a regular paying
tenant, but five years is long enough in that rap trap. 

When I come back upstairs from showing the
movers the storage room Zaid is laying out his battle plan for the group.

“We know he’s not going back to the Essex
and he hasn’t been in the park. I’m going to make another pass of his apartment.
Even if he knows I’ve been there, it’s still the most logical place for him to
go if he’s still in town.” Zaid’s irritation at his failure is palatable.

“He has a car so he could be anywhere, even
outside the city. It’s a Mustang, but that’s all I remember.”

“Until we know something more, we need to be
ultra careful. The stairwells above the sixty-fifth floor are sealed off and
there are motion sensors that would make the Louvre jealous on every door and
window. Zaid hacked into the elevator system; no one can get above the sixty-fifth
floor without a retina scan.”