Vampires Don't Sparkle: Deathless Book 3 (30 page)

“Be silent, both of you,” Isis snapped, shifting to wolf form in the blink of an eye. She rounded on them. “Yes, the deathless are generally the enemy. I will remind you that Osiris was deathless, and he was an ally for many millennia.”

“Yeah? Where is he now?” Jordan asked, taking a step toward Isis. “Oh, that’s right. He betrayed us all, and now we have to figure out a way to stop him. I can see your point. Deathless are really fucking trustworthy.”

Blair gawked at the Commander. Isis’s eyes flashed, and a low rumble came from deep in her chest. She leaned closer to Jordan, her voice a bare whisper. “If you speak to me again—”

“You’ll what?” Jordan interrupted. “Rail at me? Chastise me? Or kill me? Is that what you do, kill allies who disagree with you? Here I was under the impression you needed all the allies you can get. But if that’s changed, just say the fucking word and I’ll be on my way.”

That cinched it. Jordan wasn’t acting himself. He’d never been this aggressive, nor had he allowed emotion to rule him. Not ever. He was always in control, always making the best tactical choice. Goading Isis into attacking him was about as suicidal as he could get. Not the kind of move he’d make, unless something were very wrong.

“Hey,” Blair snapped, stepping between the two of them. Both Jordan’s armor and Isis’s wolf form towered over him, but he didn’t let that deter him. “Both of you need to stand down. In fact, all three of you. Jordan isn’t going to do anything stupid, but you guys can’t casually dismiss his paranoia either. Trevor’s been an enemy. He’s also clearly earned Ra’s trust or she wouldn’t be sending him to meet with us. We don’t have all the facts yet, so let’s reserve judgement. If he’s an enemy, then we’ll deal with it. Until we know he is, we treat him like an ally. Everyone cool with that?”

“Yeah,” Jordan said, a bit sullenly. What the hell was wrong with him?

“You are correct in that I need you, Ka-Dun. For the moment. I will overlook your disrespectful tone,
this time
. Do not let it occur again,” Isis snapped, spinning to face the cliff. She shifted back to human form as she did so.

Liz rested her sword on her shoulder, silent for a long moment before finally giving a tight nod. Fuck. Hadn’t they learned from the whole Irakesh episode that they needed to band together? Blair had made mistakes back then. Mistakes like arguing with friends and not trusting the right people. He’d be damned if he was going to let Liz and Jordan make the same ones now.

“Why don’t you guys let me do the talking?” Blair said. He didn’t wait for an answer, instead leaping over the cliff to the rocky trail below. He waited there as Trevor approached.

His friend had changed, outwardly at least. His t-shirt and jeans had been replaced by flowing white garments very similar to what Isis wore. He also wore a sword belted to his side, a long, curved weapon much like an Arabian scimitar. The blade rode naturally there, as if he’d practiced often with it.

“Blair,” Trevor called, perking up as he approached. He gave a wide smile, which was more than a little unnerving given the razored teeth. “How the hell are you, man?”

Blair rushed forward, embracing his friend. He clapped Trevor on the back, guiding him up the trail towards Liz and the others. “Eh, you know, on the run and outgunned as usual. You look, uh, different.”

“Yeah,” Trevor said, glancing down at himself a bit sheepishly. “I’ve gone a little native I guess. I wish you’d been there. There’s so much I don’t understand, but from the little I do I think you’d be fascinated by Ra and her pantheon. It’s like witnessing all the history you’re always talking about.”

“Assuming she doesn’t kill us all, maybe I’ll get a chance,” Blair said, laughing in spite of the dire circumstances.
 

Blair leapt up, seizing the lip of the cliff and pulling himself over it. Trevor landed a moment later, garments fluttering in the wind as he straightened. He stared curiously at each of them, gaze finally settling on Jordan.

“So, looks like Hades got to you too, eh, Jordan?” he said, his tone sympathetic.

“What do you mean?” Jordan asked, with more than a little hostility.
 

“Wepwawet donned a set of the armor too. They put it on him while he was unconscious,” Trevor explained, resting a hand idly on the hilt of his sword. The gesture looked reflexive. “He hasn’t been able to take it off. I’m guessing you can’t either?”

That took Blair by surprise, especially when Jordan gave a tight nod of assent. So he was trapped in the armor. That explained why he hadn’t taken it off. How did he go to the bathroom?

“Look man, I’m sorry about how things have gone down,” Trevor said. He stood a step closer, turning to Isis. “Ra put this collar on Jordan. I’ve got the bracelet that controls it. Is there a way to remove it?”

“Of course,” Isis said, stepping up to Trevor. “Give me your wrist.”

Trevor offered it willingly, and Isis put her tiny hands on either side of it. She closed her eyes, and a moment later there was a flash of bright, golden light. Then the bracelet opened with a click, and she gently removed it.

“Well that’s one prison dealt with,” Jordan said, more than a little bitterly. “Thank you, Trevor. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I still think you’re a fucking pompous ass,” Trevor said, but there was no heat to the insult. “But I also know you have more reason than ever to think I’m a traitor, especially after what I’m about to say.”

“Oh?” Liz asked, finally entering the conversation. She eyed Trevor coolly, which surprised Blair. He’d expected her to be more enthusiastic at her brother’s return. Maybe she’d just been burned too many times.
 

“As Jordan has no doubt told you, Ra has adopted me into her court,” Trevor said, clearing his throat awkwardly. “I’ve chosen to embrace that role, for a good reason. Ra listens to my advice. I’ve been tempering some of her decisions. If I leave and rejoin you guys, I’ll lose that influence.”

“Oh my god,” Liz said, eyes widening. Then they narrowed, clearly disapproving. “Jordan was right, you’ve gone native. You’ve got a thing for her, don’t you?”

“No,” Trevor shot back, just a little too quickly. “And by no, I mean yes. So what? It doesn’t make me an enemy. Ra wants an alliance with Isis, but she’s too proud to come herself. If we can seal that alliance then it means none of us have to be enemies, even if I stay with Ra’s court.”

“I don’t like it,” Jordan growled. “Ra is callous and cruel. Her son is a petulant little shit, and he listens to Steve. That gives Captain Douchey influence over Ra, even if indirectly.”

“That’s exactly why I have to stay,” Trevor said, heaving a sigh. “Listen, guys, it’s all very complicated, but here’s the gist. If I stay, I can be a moderating influence. I can counter Steve and Irakesh.”

“The decision is yours,” Isis finally said. She’d been holding the bracelet pinched between two fingers, touching as little of the golden metal as possible. It was the same way Blair might have held a bag of dog shit. She looked at Trevor. “Like it or no, Sekhmet and her ilk are your people. I bear you no ill will, nor do I begrudge you seeking a place among your people. Your fate is secondary, however. What message did Ra send you with?”

“She wants to meet,” Trevor said, squaring his shoulders. “She said she’s willing to come here, but she offered her camp as a better meeting place. She’s guaranteed your safety, and that of your pack.”

“Are you fucking crazy?” Jordan said. He began laughing, a harsh, digitized sound. “Walk right into an enemy encampment with no support?”

“That is
exactly
what we shall do,” Isis said, eyeing Jordan coldly. “Sekhmet—the one you call Ra—can be cruel. She can be callous. But she is a woman of honor. She’d sooner take her own life than allow harm to come to us while under an aegis of protection. We will be safe for the duration of the negotiations, and gods willing we will reach an accord in the process. Osiris must be stopped, and we will need her help to achieve that.”

Chapter 54- Near Sisters

Isis strode boldly into the hastily constructed camp. She ignored the stench of death wafting from the army of deathless, their putridity an affront on the very land. She ignored the row of Anakim gathered near the mammoths Sekhmet was using for transport.

It would probably be more prudent to think of the woman as Ra, not as her near-sister. Yet she could not. She and Sekhmet had discovered much together, had fought uncountable threats together. They’d birthed the first empire together, with Osiris leading them into battle. She understood why her friend had adopted the name Ra, but she could not bring herself to think it, much less say it.

Isis stood tall, or as tall as she could. She was shorter than nearly everyone, especially the knot of figures waiting for her just inside the camp. Anubis was a good eight feet, taller even than Jordan in his tainted armor. Sekhmet was the same as always, a head taller than Isis and much more heavily muscled. Sekhmet’s son had inherited that height, the dark-skinned whelp standing behind his mother with a petulant expression plastered across otherwise attractive features.

“Steve,” Blair growled, low in his throat. His eyes narrowed, and the Ka-Dun tried to surge past her. She raised a hand, gently squeezing his shoulder. It was enough. Blair subsided, eyeing her apologetically. “Sorry. I owe the bastard, is all.”

“A fact that will be addressed today,” Isis said, eyeing Blair critically. He’d grown much, but was still far too impetuous. “Follow my lead. Do not speak, unless you are spoken to. That goes for the rest of you as well, especially you, Liz. It is possible Sekhmet may try to bait you into combat. Do not let her provoke you.”

Liz gave a nod. She, at least, seemed calm. Jordan was a tangle of emotions, raging next to her like a bonfire. At least part of that came from the armor, though his own mind gave it fuel. The deathless Trevor was calm as well, walking next to his sister, just a few feet behind her and Blair.

It was a ragged little pack. Each possessed power in their own right, but they were all of them young. Too young to be fighting such battles. Unfortunately, they were all she had. Sekhmet had brought members of her pantheon with her, as evidenced by Anubis’s presence. Would that Isis could have done the same. It almost made her wish she’d woken Jes’Ka, though after hearing about her father’s apparent treachery, not doing so had proven prudent.

“Welcome, Isis,” Sekhmet called, voice clear and strong. It sent a shock through Isis, the familiarity of it. It had been so long since she’d heard it.
 

“Hello, near-sister,” Isis said. It was the best compromise she could come up with. She could not call her friend Ra, but neither would she dishonor her by using a name she’d discarded. Sekhmet was well and truly dead.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” Sekhmet said, her expression impassive. She wore her traditional garb, the flowing white garments very similar to Isis’s own. She bore no weapon save a belt knife, though odds were good she had a sunsteel spear ready to summon. “Would you like refreshment before we begin?”

“I would not,” Isis said, fighting to keep her tone even. She didn’t want to know what food Sekhmet would have offered. “I am eager to conduct our business. Time is precious, if Hades is to be believed.”

Sekhmet’s face grew more grim, a darkness overshadowing her legendary beauty. “Indeed. I have prepared a tent for our use. I’d have my advisers close, unless you object.”

She gestured at Irakesh, Anubis, and the Ka-Dun Steve. Isis considered a moment, then gave a nod. “I’d bring my pack as well. You’ve met the Ka-Dun Jordan. This is Ka-Dun Blair, Ark Lord of the Redwood. His Ka-Ken is Liz.”

“Well met,” Sekhmet said, nodding graciously. She turned to the deathless Trevor. “Join us, my vassal. I’d have your counsel during these negotiations.”

“Uh, sure,” Trevor said, eyes flicking between Liz and Sekhmet uncomfortably. Isis could understand why. She recognized the depth of feeling in his gaze. He was loyal to his sister, but felt a growing affection for Sekhmet. That kind of pressure could break a man, if he were forced to choose between them.

Sekhmet turned for a large blue pavilion that had been erected in a meadow a little ways from the main camp. It had been set upwind, which mercifully cut the stench to a tolerable level. That had almost certainly been intentional, and Isis appreciated the subtle courtesy. It suggested that her friend still lurked in that undead body somewhere.

Isis filed in after Sekhmet and her retainers, blinking a couple times to adjust to the reduced light. A ring of fluffy pillows had been set at the edge of a massive rug that dominated the floor. It was simple, harkening back to their mutual roots. She made for one side of the ring, sitting gracefully as Sekhmet did the same. The retainers on both sides took positions around the ring, all save two. Jordan didn’t sit, instead standing behind Blair with his metallic arms folded. A second figure moved on the far side of the ring, one who’d already been in the tent. He wore armor identical to Jordan’s, and Isis didn’t need to see his face to know she was looking at Wepwawet. She could smell the same taint that wafted from Jordan’s armor, and felt a stab of pity for the wolf-headed god. She’d always liked Wepwawet, and not just for their shared love of the noble wolf.

Sekhmet waved her hand, and a vacant-eyed thrall moved about the tent with a pitcher of wine and a tray of bronze goblets. The thing was obviously dead, her stringy blonde hair matted to the side of her face as she mechanically served them. Isis waited for the process to finish before speaking.

“It is good to see you, near-sister. I hope that today, if we both find wisdom, we will somehow put aside the millennia of warfare and come together to face a common enemy,” she said, her voice competing with the flapping of the pavilion’s fabric from the wind outside.

“That’s a title I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear from you again,” Sekhmet said. Her gaze was searching, the putrid green in her eyes still strange after all this time. “Before we can reach an accord that will satisfy both our people, perhaps we should discuss the nature of the threat. I’m willing to share what I’ve learned, if you grant the same courtesy.”