Vendetta (Legend of the Ir'Indicti #4) (23 page)

"All right, I’ll come," Ashe dumped the study guide on his cot and stood to stretch. Pizza Neetsa was in a dome-shaped building on the outskirts of town, about three miles from Winkler's beach house. Ashe knew where it was—he'd seen it every time he'd passed through Port A. He hopped to a spot right over the building, turning to mist before he became visible. Dropping through the roof, he landed in an empty stall inside the restroom and walked out to find the others sitting at a long table. Sure enough, Wynn was leaning against Ace, who wore a bemused look on his face, as if someone had given him a winning lottery ticket. For a
lot
. Ashe scooted into the chair next to Cori, who didn't mind leaning into Marco to give Ashe room. Marco put his arm around Cori possessively.

"He’ll want sausage and mushroom," Sali said when Ashe was about to place his order. Dori slapped Sali's hand for being rude.

"It is what I want," Ashe handed his menu to the waitress. "With extra of both." He hadn't had lunch and it was nearly time for dinner. Winkler, Trajan and Ace had been absent most of the day,
on business
, Winkler said before they'd taken off in one of the two vans Winkler kept in Star Cove, leaving Ace and Andy there to stand guard.

"See, I am good for something," Sali hung his head.

"I never said you weren't," Ashe pointed out. "I just said I didn't trust you. That's all." Ashe wished he could take the words back as quickly as he'd said them. "Dude, I didn't mean it quite like it sounded," Ashe apologized as best he could.

"Let's leave that for now. We’ll agree to disagree," Ace said. "Salidar, sit up straight. You're mortifying your date." Dori was certainly staring at Sali.

Dude, I’m sorry. I think Dori wants you to put an arm around her or something
. Ashe's silent sending had Sali straightening up and slipping an arm around Dori. He went one better and kissed Dori's temple. Dori leaned against Sali with a sigh of contentment. Sali gave a brief nod to Ashe and things were better after that.

"I can get myself home," Ashe said when they went to load into the van later.

"No, ride home with us," Cori held out a hand. Ashe squeezed in beside Cori, and that's how he ended up hopping Cori and Marco to London when he knew his father was in trouble.

* * *

"Winkler, I don't know what happened—Ashe yelled 'Dad' and he, Marco and Cori disappeared from the van. We're on the side of the road—I pulled over as soon as they were gone." Ace phoned Winkler after stopping the van.

"He's in London," Winkler's voice held little doubt. "I’ll get the Head of the Council on the phone right away." Winkler hung up, leaving a frustrated Ace kicking a tire he'd aired up earlier.

* * *

Marco and Cori had turned. Cori's panther yowled at the six Elemaiya who were threatening her and Marco, her tail flipping angrily at them. Ashe, as invisible mist, hovered over Marco and Cori's heads, sending mindspeech.
Don't let them attack you—just look menacing
, Ashe instructed.

His father's body was nearby—the Elemaiya had managed to drag it out of a nearby house, securely wrapped in a black cloth. Ashe figured they wanted to question Aedan as soon as he woke; that meant they were looking for him and they hadn't found him near his father. Sunset was close, too, and Ashe knew his father would wake fighting—Aedan always drew in a heavy breath when he woke. That would tell him he was outside and not inside—a vampire's nose was as sensitive as any wolf's.

At the moment, Aedan's wrapped body lay on the grass outside a large cottage, somewhere in the English countryside. Ashe might have thought it was pretty where they were if not for the direness of the situation. The Elemaiya intended to use Aedan—perhaps blackmail him, in order to find Ashe. Ashe was determined to remain mist as long as possible, allowing Cori and Marco to hold off the kidnappers.

"Just let us have this—it's dead anyway," one of the Elemaiya cajoled, pointing to Aedan's wrapped body. Cori yowled louder. The Elemaiya stepped back. They weren't prepared to take on a panther and a werewolf. Things might have gone well; sunset was very close and Marco and Cori were holding the Elemaiya off, but another half dozen appeared from nowhere. When the Elemaiya already present saw the newcomers, turmoil erupted.

* * *

Winkler checked his watch and hit the number again. Sunset would arrive any moment in Great Britain. Many older vampires woke a short while before sunset if they were inside a dark, safe place. They moved sluggishly at first and would, as long as any sunlight might reach them. Once the sun dipped below the horizon, they were prepared for anything. "Come on, pick up," Winkler muttered frantically.

"Charles speaking," Wlodek's assistant answered the call.

"Charles, this is William Winkler. I have reason to believe Aedan Evans is in trouble and that his son has gone to help," Winkler's voice was breathless. The Dallas Packmaster was rattled and he was never rattled.

"I’m dialing one of our Assassins on another phone," Charles was calm in a crisis. "Gavin, how long will it take to get to Aedan Evans’ home?" Charles had placed the call on speaker.

"I can be there in twenty." The line went dead.

"That's one on the way," Charles announced and placed a second call.

* * *

Twelve Elemaiya, six on six, now stared one another down after a brief altercation that had turned into a standoff. Ashe, feeling itchy, became corporeal and jerked the cloth off his father the moment the sun dropped below the horizon. Marco's wolf and Cori's panther held their ground between the Bright and Dark Elemaiya when Ashe and Aedan joined them. Aedan had claws and fangs out in a blink. "Go home," Ashe snapped, glaring at the twelve. "You have no business here." He lifted the short sleeve of his shirt, displaying the gold medallions. Elemaiya on both sides stepped back in surprise.

"You have no authority over us," one of the Bright Ones said.

"Come closer and find out for yourself," Ashe snapped. "Your people need you. You have no business here."

"How would you know that our people need us?" The same Elemaiya demanded.

"Jeez, you really are stupid, aren't you?" Ashe muttered. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out where the Dark King is. Or where the Bright Queen is." Ashe spoke mentally to both sides after that, telling them exactly what he knew and giving precise locations—telling the Bright Ones where the Queen was, the Dark Ones where the King might be located. "What are you, idiots or something? Go home. Hide better than that if you expect to live."

"Are you going to stop us? We were instructed to bring you to the Dark King," a Dark Elemaiya guard bluffed while he backed further away. Neither he nor his companions could fathom how Ashe knew where their camp was.

"No. The boy dies here," one of the Bright Elemaiya snapped. Aedan had listened patiently to the dialogue, but at that statement, he growled. The Bright Elemaiya who spoke took another step back. Vampires could kill Elemaiya easily; they all knew it. In addition, the boy held all eight of the talismans, Bright and Dark. Perhaps there was truth in the H’Morr after all.

"How do you think I got these?" Ashe pointed to the talismans on his arm. "I killed the ones who held them. Go home. Whoever sent you after my father made a mistake. This isn't my father. My father is Elemaiya." One of the Elemaiya hissed in a breath.

"How can you know this?" The first one spoke again.

"Someone who can't lie told me," Ashe said. "Go home. I’m not in the mood to kill anybody today."

"You lie." The second Bright Elemaiya accused.

"He does not." The brown-haired man appeared and all the Elemaiya took another step back, looking frightened. "He is pure-blood. Tell the Queen that. And your King." The tall man nodded to each speaker. "If they are using that as an excuse, then they should rethink their motives. Do as the boy says. Go home. Live to fight another day. Two more vampires are coming. They will not allow you to live. Ashe is offering a generous gift. I suggest you accept."

The Elemaiya looked frightened to Ashe. Cori's panther leaned against Ashe's legs and growled low. Marco's wolf stood nearby, snarling at the Elemaiya. Aedan had claws and fangs at the ready. "More vampires are coming," one of the Elemaiya squeaked. All twelve disappeared shortly before two vampires ran up in a blur.

"You missed it, Gavin," the brown-haired man observed as a tall, wide-shouldered vampire appeared at his side. "Twelve Elemaiya, gone in a blink." He snapped his fingers.

"Griffin, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave the continent," Gavin snapped.

"But I haven't had dinner yet."

"Gavin, you have no control over this one. Leave it." The other vampire said.

"Russell, you have always had more patience than I. I have only heard that I shouldn't attack this one." Gavin wasn't giving up easily, his dark eyes focused on Griffin.

"By the Honored One's command. Don't risk your life. Aedan, are you well?" The vampire called Russell asked. Russell stood at six-six, only a bit taller than Aedan and Ashe. He had dark-brown hair, brown eyes and was built like a boxer.

"I am fine." Aedan retracted claws and fangs. "It appears I need a new place to stay."

"There are safe houses in the area. You may have one of them if you want. Contact Charles." Gavin was finished since the enemy had fled.

"Dad?" Ashe said. He sounded lost. Aedan hadn't spoken to him.

"Ashe, go home. I’m not sure how you arrived, but you should leave now." Aedan wasn't looking at Ashe. Instead, he kept his gray eyes focused on Griffin, deeming him the greater threat.

"Someday, you will regret those words. And your actions," Griffin informed Aedan in an icy voice before he disappeared.

"Cori?" Marco was human again and pulling clothing on hastily.

"Here," Ashe pulled up the cloth the Elemaiya had used to cover his father. Draping it over Cori, he waited for her to change. She appeared under his arm and he helped her wrap herself in the heavy black drape. Marco gathered her scattered clothing, some of it ripped in Cori's haste to help.

"I guess we’ll go, Dad. Since you don't want us." Ashe lifted Cori and Marco in his mist and hopped to Star Cove. Aedan cursed as they disappeared.

* * *

"Thank goodness," Winkler muttered when Ashe appeared in Winkler's kitchen with Cori and Marco. "Kid, what happened?"

"Six Elemaiya pulled Dad out of his house and had him lying on the ground, wrapped in this," Ashe pointed to the cloth in which Cori was wrapped. "And then another six showed up from the opposing camp. Since they didn't find me with Dad, they intended to get information from him on where I was. One side wants to kill me, the other side wants to take me and make me work for them. We had a few words before that Griffin guy showed up. They all took a step back when they saw him."

"If they'd attacked him, they'd have died," Winkler said. "They wouldn't have enough to take him down if they'd had thirty times their numbers. How's your father? Did those two vampires get there in time?"

"Yeah. Two showed up, right after Griffin convinced the Elemaiya to leave. Somebody named Gavin and Russell. Dad's fine. He told us to leave." Ashe wanted to go to his room and sulk instead of answering questions.

"Gavin is Chief of Wlodek's Assassins and Tony Hancock's surrogate sire. Russell is Chief of Enforcers," Winkler said. "Charles sent the best he could."

"Now I know why Hancock's so grumpy, if that's his surrogate sire," Ashe said. Winkler pulled him into a hug.

* * *

Ashe found himself on a conference call with the Grand Master shortly after that. Cori and Marco had to come, too, and give their account. Bear Wright had come to sit with Cori, since she was a shapeshifter. "Just to make sure Weldon doesn't get away with anything," Bear grinned and patted Cori's shoulder. Nathan might have come, but it was still daylight.

Ashe relayed the incident to Weldon, while Winkler and Trajan listened and Andy recorded everything. Cori and Marco added their bit, then Weldon and Winkler asked questions after that. "Ashe, how did you know you could do that hopping thing to England?" Weldon asked.

"I don't know. I just knew Dad was in trouble. I didn't even think about the distance."

"If I’m asking about this, you can be sure your Dad is getting grilled by Wlodek. If not now, then very soon. He’ll want to know."

"Not surprising," Ashe said, ducking his head and staring at his shoes. A few blades of grass clung to one of his sneakers—grass from England. Grass from his father's front yard. The house had looked to be a country house, with London in the distance. Somehow, the Elemaiya had found his father. Ashe hoped Aedan would be well hidden from then on.

"Ashe, there's something else we have to tell you," Weldon said when the questioning was done. "We’ve worked this out with your mother. Your father has officially refused to support you—I learned this from Wlodek. And with the way things stand with your mother, well, Winkler has asked to be appointed your guardian. Your mother signed the papers in Corpus Christi today. If you agree to sign, too, Winkler will make sure your expenses are covered and you have everything you need. Your mother seems a bit confused, so we think this is for the best. If you object, we’ll work this out."

Ashe sat, his wrists and hands dangling over his knees. Confused was a mild description of his mother's condition. "No. It's probably for the best right now," Ashe agreed. Taking the offered pen, he signed the paper the Dallas Packmaster placed before him. Then, rising swiftly, he stalked from Winkler's study.