Morvicti Blood (A Morvicti Novel Book 1) (43 page)

CHAPTER 76

The underground site’s security measures rivaled any Austin had ever seen before. Even with his training, returning to the surface would depend whether the Morvicti allowed them to.

Every passageway required different state-of-the-art security measures that had to be satisfied to go deeper into the facility. The hallways were monitored with cameras behind glass. No way to disable them. The doors were made of thick metal that to him looked to be blast proof. Fort Knox would be a cakewalk to break into compared to this complex.

“This place is very impressive, Octavian.” Michael kept his arm wrapped protectively around Angelique.

“It’s the center of the world,” Gita said in a tone of awe, continuing to hold Thomas’s hand despite receiving the angry stares of the Morvicti they passed. “This is where our Imperial Morvicti Council helped elevate Charlemagne to be the first emperor of Europe after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Here, also, was where they guided the Allies to victory during World War II.”

Octavian entered a code into the next set of doors. The man’s words had been few since their meeting in Doc’s library.

The doors swung open, revealing a lavish passageway. The walls and floor were marble. Large columns lined the walkway. Jewel-encrusted chandeliers lit the space in a warm glow. The ceiling was coffered with gold leaf insets of images depicting apparent historical events.

A battle. A coronation. A wedding.

The one image that reappeared again and again was a chalice.

As they walked further into the hallway, the juxtaposition of ancient and modern was reflected everywhere—from the electric lighting above to the torches in the walls; from the large medieval tapestries to the modern black and white photos.

Ahead, the passage came to a circular space. In the center of the floor was a large image of a chalice inlaid in the marble. The circle was divided into nine sections denoted by the different shades of marble that met in the middle where the chalice was. Each section’s wall had a painting of an individual. Eight of the nine wore judicial-looking robes. The ninth painting’s subject was above the massive double doors. He wore a crown, carried a scepter, and was adorned in regal purple attire.

Octavian Drake. My father. The king.

Standing at attention by the doors were two guards dressed in ceremonial garb, complete with long swords. But Austin could tell by the bulge in the side of their coats that they each also carried a pistol. Beside the guards was a woman with sandy brown hair and blue eyes.

The two men bowed to Octavian, and in unison, said, “Your will is our duty, Your Majesty. Always.”

The woman prostrated herself on the marble floor in front of Octavian. “Forgive me, Your Majesty. I did not know my brother’s treachery. I swear.”

Octavian bent down and helped the crying woman to her feet. “Lisa, there is nothing to forgive you for. The crime was David’s.” His tone was kind, reminding Austin of the night he had listened to him tell the story about losing his parents.

Then Octavian was my lieutenant. Now…he is my father?

“Wait for me here with these guards, Lisa. I will return in a moment.”

“Yes, Majesty.” She lowered her eyes.

“Open the doors,” he commanded the guards.

They swung the doors wide.

“Oh my,” Angelique said. “It’s beautiful.”

The opulence of the massive room overshadowed everything they’d seen thus far. The chandeliers were more extravagant. The walls held solid gold crests; nine of them in all. Even the chairs, obviously meant for spectators of the court, were made of dark cherry wood and had silk cushions with gold stitching for comfort.

Along the far wall were nine thrones, though the one in the center was solid gold and elevated above the other eight. It radiated one message:
Power.

Octavian guided them to the large table with five chairs placed directly in front of the thrones. “I will be back shortly. Please have a seat.”

He left and they sat in silence taking in their surroundings.

“Well, this is intimidating.” Michael continued glancing around the space.

Angelique nodded. “Like most thronerooms I’m sure that was the intention when they designed it, sweetheart.”

“I wish I could have a couple puffs from my pipe.” Doc put his arm around Gita’s shoulders.

She leaned into him. “The last time I was here was for Octavian’s coronation. Happier time than this one.”

“Don’t lose hope, Gita,” Angelique said.

Morvicti began filing in, moving to the spectator seats.

Except for the nine thrones, every seat was taken and many Morvicti were left standing along the back walls. There had to be four hundred people in the room.

He caught a few of their whispers.

“Are those King Octavian’s halfblood bastards?”

“They are our heroes; they killed The Ripper.”

“They don’t deserve to walk on this floor.”

It seemed the immortals in the room weren’t united in their opinions of them.

If it hadn’t been for wanting to protect his sister and the others, Austin would have taken his chances and disappeared instead of appearing before this ridiculous court that had no right to decide his life’s end.

CHAPTER 77

Octavian led Lisa to his private office.

She trembled violently.

“You have nothing to fear, Lisa, but this talk is long overdue. You need to know the truth about your father.”

“My father?” She stiffened. “I know his truth.”

“But maybe not all of it.” He opened the door to his office and they walked inside. “Please have a seat.” He motioned to the sofa.

She did and he sat next to her.

“Majesty, I-I hate what has happened to your family. Your brother Romulus is dead because of David.”

“And you have lost family, too.”

“David and I were never close like you and your brother.” She sighed. “David had horrible plans and many accomplices to achieve them, Majesty. Others in my bloodline helped him.”

“Yes. I am aware of that. The fanatical orthodox Bathrys have scattered to the wind. It wasn’t just Bathrys involved. But we will find them. All of them.” He grabbed her hands. “Lisa, do you know how your bloodline was given the task as caretakers of The Sanctuary of the Forgotten?”

She shook her head. “I always thought it was the Bathrys’ duty.”

He stood and retrieved one of the ancient books from his shelves. Turning to the page that gave the history of the Bathry Bloodline, he showed it to her. “Your ancestor, Kharon, had a child with a human female thousands of years ago. He loved his son. The ancient ways were more brutal and cruel then. Halfbloods were not shunned as they are today. They were beheaded without thought or trial.”

Lisa frowned. “The orthodox, like David, wish to return to those horrible, barbaric ways.”

“Yes, they do. Kharon Bathry refused to kill his son, but my ancestor, King Astoroth, came with the other bloodlines and executed the child.” Octavian ran his finger over the image of Astoroth the Bloodlust King, holding the head of Kharon’s infant son in the air. “Kharon and his entire bloodline were punished, losing their standing among the Morvicti. It was then declared that your bloodline become the keepers of the dead and forgotten or else every Bathry would be staked for eternity. Kharon chose the nobler path instead of revenge and saved the remainder of his family.”

“I never heard that story.”

“That was when the ill will between our families began. You told me you knew your father’s truth. Was it about him and my grandmother Roxanna?”

“No, my lord,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “It concerns me. Actually, it concerns both my father and my brother, too. You must wonder why I am not grieving David’s death. I hate him is why. Just like my father raped me, so did my brother.”

He felt a knot of rage in the pit of his stomach, but he kept silent, realizing how difficult it was for Lisa to share such a horrific truth.

“Again and again, they defiled me. One night Simon. Another David. It went on for years. Until one evening I brought a knife to my bed. I was only seventeen at the time. My father’s breath stunk with whisky. Terrified what might happen, but unwilling to let it go on any longer, I brought the blade up to his throat. I didn’t say a word. I would have killed him if he touched me again. But he didn’t. His last words to me were, ‘Finally, you are acting like a Bathry.’ He left. Several nights later, David came to my room. Emboldened, I brought out the knife again, but unlike my father I had to slice his flesh to get his attention. I screamed and he fled. We never spoke of the incident. And he never tried to touch me again.”

“I cannot imagine what pain you had to suffer, Lisa. I always sensed you were strong, but I had no clue how strong.”

She smiled. “I hate being a Bathry, Majesty. I’ve never wanted a part in any decisions for the bloodline. Not now. Not ever. So I became the socialite and the shopper and the flighty woman. They thought I was stupid and flippant, someone who could not make decisions. That suited me fine. David and our entire bloodline believed the role I had created. It was the only way I could survive being a Bathry…being the daughter and sister of monsters.”

“And you did survive, Lisa, when others would have crumbled. You are strong and you are smart.”

“I don’t feel strong or smart, Your Majesty.”

“Listen carefully, because this has not been shared outside of the Drake Bloodline ever, but you deserve to know everything.” At least one dark secret would be brought into the light, and that gave him hope about the future for his people. Secrecy was vital, but it was also an anchor. With each revelation, the weight lightened a little. “Your father attacked my grandmother, tried to rape her when she was in the care of your grandfather during the Stalcuc uprising.”

“He told a very different story. According to Simon, Roxanna rejected him after promising to marry him when she became queen.”

“He lied.” He finished telling her about how Roxanna had escaped from the sanctuary and Simon, returning to her father, the king. “Simon would have been staked had Roxanna not kept silent about what had happened. She had known the peace between the bloodlines after the war was shaky. And once she became queen he would never be able to harm her again. Lisa, I plan on giving the decree to stake Simon’s body.”

“I thought you knew, my lord. My father’s body has been taken from our family sanctuary.”

“I did not, but I am not surprised. Belisarius interrogated Albert Bathry this morning. He confessed everything. Your father and brother were co-conspirators in everything that has transpired these terrible days. The orthodox cowards are in need of fallen champions to rally behind. Your brother and father are their martyrs. They will use their memories to recruit others to their cause and poisonous beliefs. Trust me, I will find Simon Bathry’s body and send him to The Sanctuary of the Forgotten.” He smiled. “Lisa Bathry, you are now the head of your bloodline.”

“But I thought…like the Stalcucs…you would…”

Octavian grinned. “I would what?”

She lowered her eyes. “Your will is my duty, Your Majesty. Always.”

“I trust you will keep our laws, Lady Bathry. Under your rule I believe your family will rise again to the noble bloodline they once were during the time of your ancestor Kharon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I swear it with my own blood.”

CHAPTER 78

Angelique didn’t know what to expect next. She sat between Michael and Austin, which gave her some comfort. But the seriousness of the situation was obvious to them all.

A man dressed in a red robe, carrying a golden horn entered from the back. “All rise for the Imperial Morvicti Council of the Eternal Morvicti Empire.”

She stood with everyone as a hush of reverence fell over the crowd.

The judges entered the room from two doors, opposite the center throne, four from each. They stood in front of the lower thrones.

The man sounded his trumpet and every Morvicti in the place, including Gita and the eight judges, bowed.

Octavian walked out of the center door behind his throne wearing the same regal attire she had noticed in the painting just outside this room. He held a scepter in one hand and a chalice in the other.

In a single voice, the Morvicti said, “Your will is my duty, Your Majesty. Always.”

Octavian held the chalice above his head and said something in a language unknown to her, but reminded her of a blend between Latin and Greek.

The crowd responded with a few words in the same tongue.

Octavian drank from the cup. The man in the red robe took the cup from Octavian and offered it to each of the other judges.

When the last one drank from the chalice, Octavian sat down.

“My lords, you may be seated.”

The eight judges sat back on their lesser thrones.

Angelique looked at Octavian with awe and pride.
He’s my father. How many years have I searched and wondered? A king. I never thought I’d be the daughter of a king.