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  Chapter Five

  Venice was a haven and a hell for all nightwalkers. It was the seat of the coven—the ruling body of the nightwalker nation. It had been the home of the Elders for centuries, and I expected it to remain that way for many centuries more. It was a piece of the Old World, slowly decaying but still grasping to her faded charms and dusty manners like a shield and sword against the hectic pace of the modern world.

  The island of San Clemente rose up around us as we stepped off the boat and onto the stone dock. I stood with my hands resting on my hips, staring at the wall of trees before me. Nightwalkers crowded the island, watching me, anxiously awaiting my arrival. It had been more than a century since a new Elder took a seat on the coven. Elizabeth had risen to power from out of nowhere, destroying Adam to take his open seat. The coup had been a shock to many, and the other Elders declined to challenge her ascent to power. I hadn’t been in the city at the time, but Jabari filled me in later with his own speculation.

  Now, the Fire Starter was to take her place as an Elder on the coven. I would be the first in a very long time that wasn’t a true Ancient. I had yet to reach that critical thousand-year mark and the various powers that came with that age. There would be some willing to challenge me to take the seat, but they had to question whether they were willing to take on Jabari as well. Even though we were at odds, it was no secret that I belonged in some strange way to the Ancient Egyptian nightwalker.

  Frowning, I dropped my right hand onto the handle of the short sword I wore at my waist. A second, longer blade hung across my back, while an assortment of knives was strapped to my body at various points. I would not use my unique gift unless I was backed into a corner. For now, I was content to rely on the fighting skills I had honed over the many centuries. I needed to beat them with a sword in my hand. It was more than the rush of power that came from taking a creature’s life with the edge of a knife. It was the assertion of my powers beyond my horrifying gift, which allowed me to burn any nightwalker to a crisp in a matter of seconds. They needed to fear me and all my skills.

  “Are you ready?” Danaus asked as he came to stand beside me. The hunter wore a long, black leather duster that snapped in the growing bitter winter wind. He was also ready for battle. If things went poorly for me, he needed to at least have a fighting chance to get off the island.

  I looked over at my companion, flashing him an evil grin. “Heavily armed and looking for love.”

  “In all the wrong places,” Danaus added, with one of his rare grins.

  We walked down the winding path through the wooded area to the massive building that housed the coven. It was a tall, dark stone building with a few slit windows. An imposing structure, with its wrought-iron banded doors and stark face. The exterior and surrounding grounds were not lit by any kind of lighting, helping to ward off any curious guests that might have wandered down the path from the nearby hotel. Danaus and I reached the home of the coven unmolested. All the nightwalkers were in the warmth of the hall, waiting for our arrival.

  I paused with my hand on the door handle to the structure and let my powers flare out around us. After a while I simply stopped trying to count. More than one hundred nightwalkers waited inside for us. Danaus wouldn’t have a chance if I was killed. I was beginning to have second thoughts about bringing him inside. I had felt that I needed someone there at my back. He was the only one capable of freeing me from Jabari’s hold, should the nightwalker attempt to control me. He was the only one I could rely on to come to my side if I were injured. He was the only one I trusted.

  “I’m not leaving,” Danaus announced as he came to stand beside me.

  “And miss out on this bloodbath?” I forced myself to smile at him despite my gnawing concerns. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Jerking the heavy metal handle, the door slid open. The cold wind rushed in ahead of us, causing the candles to dance on their slender perches. I raised my hands and the candlelight stilled and grew brighter, beating back the heavy shadows to reveal that we were alone in the vestibule. Danaus followed me in, pulling the door closed behind him.

  After only a couple steps the set of doors barring our way to the throne room of the coven soundlessly swung open. Danaus drew his blade from his back, ready to take on any that approached us, but no one came. They were waiting for us, though. The hall was brightly lit, and yet the floor remained a dark pool of shining black marble. Jabari, Macaire, and Elizabeth sat in their respective chairs on the raised dais at the far end of the room, watching my approach. To my surprise, Our Liege’s chair remained empty. I had been expecting him to make an appearance for this rather momentous occasion, unless he didn’t actually expect me to formally ascend to the position of Elder. That dark thought slowed my steps a bit as I reached the doors.

  My gaze danced around the room to find the three walls before the dais lined with hundreds of nightwalkers. So many faces I didn’t recognize. None of them looked particularly friendly. I didn’t see Valerio, but I knew he was there. Unfortunately, my eyes did light on Stefan and my frown deepened. The Ancient nightwalker looked at me with a fresh, burning hatred. He had been waiting to officially hit the millennium mark before he finally ascended to the open seat on the coven. I imagined that I beat him to it by a matter of weeks at the most.

  Don’t do it, I mentally said, pushing the words exclusively into Stefan’s brain. The nightwalker had survived two attacks on Machu Picchu. He had fought the naturi beside me, and even helped me stop Danaus when the hunter was temporarily possessed by the bori.

  It’s my right to challenge you, Stefan snarled.

  True, but I need you alive, and Jabari won’t allow me to lose. I could feel his instant rage, but the nightwalker said nothing. He had planned on challenging me for the seat on the coven, and I suspected that he would actually have a good shot at defeating me if he acted quickly enough. However, we both knew that Jabari liked his edge on the coven, and he wasn’t about to give it up if he could help it. For now, Stefan was willing to step aside, but I knew he would attack me the first chance he got away from the Main Hall.

  Stepping farther into the room, I was hammered by a great swell of energy that pulsed out of the throng of nightwalkers that filled the hall. The air was glazed in red, and I felt as if I was moving through a thick wall of heavy mist. The feeling was both energizing and irritating. Their energy was at odds with my own, as if just slightly off center. I couldn’t grab it, couldn’t use it. It would have been like trying to cram a square peg in a round hole. The only bits that felt in harmony with my own powers flowed from Danaus beside me and Jabari before me. Unfortunately, I wasn’t willing to try to use their powers at this exact moment. If I were about to be attacked, it didn’t seem a safe time to go out on a limb and try something new.

  In the center of the room, I stopped and gave a sweeping bow to the members of the coven, but I couldn’t keep the smirk off my lips. Jabari was outwardly grinning, practically beaming at the prospects of putting a puppet on the open seat. At the same time, Macaire appeared to be positively livid, his wizened face twisted in anger. He knew that it would be only a matter of time before Jabari used me to make a play for his head and heart. Only Elizabeth seemed unmoved by the proceedings. She’d been no fan of mine after I slaughtered her companion Gwen last summer. However, such things were a fairly common occurrence when one dealt with the coven and its court. It was wise not to get too attached to anyone.

  “I am Mira, daughter of . . . many,” I announced, twisting the words in my mouth before releasing them into the air. Unlike all the other nightwalkers, I actually had three makers: Sadira, Jabari, and Tabor. Oddly enough, only Jabari remained. “I am the Fire Starter and I have come to claim the open seat on the coven. Are there any who would challenge me?”

  A heavy silence filled the air as I stood waiting for anyone to step forward. I knew what they were thinking. Would I stick to my oath that I would not use fire while on the island of San Clemente? It was an old promise
I had been forced to make shortly after being reborn, because I was burning through too many Ancients. During my last visit, I had broken that promise in an attempt to save my life and Danaus’s. I had done it when I lost my temper at the presence of a naturi in the Main Hall.

  “I challenge you,” announced a deep voice in a heavy Russian accent. I flinched before I could stop myself. I didn’t need to turn around to see the speaker. I knew the voice, knew the accent. The Ancient nightwalker claimed all of Russia as his domain. I hadn’t expected to see Yuri there. He’d distanced himself from the coven during the long centuries and had never before expressed any interest in becoming involved in the politics of our people.

  Turning slowly so I could see the nightwalker over my left shoulder, I arched one eyebrow at him. “Do you think I am not concerned about what is best for our people? Do you think I will not endeavor to protect our kind from the naturi?”

  “It is hard to believe that you are concerned about the best interests of our people when you’ve got a known hunter at your side as a pet,” Yuri snapped.

  “Consort,” I corrected, which sent up a gasp and a murmur of conversation around us. I looked around to find that even Jabari had stopped smiling. Consort meant that I had not bent Danaus to my will as he may have hoped. The hunter was the only one capable of blocking Jabari’s control over me. I was trapped between them, a toy both children were fighting over.

  “Consort? A human and a nightwalker hunter as a consort?” Yuri demanded, as if his mind failed to fully comprehend what I was saying.

  “Yes, he is my consort and I will protect him from any who would take a step against him,” I replied calmly. “Do you oppose me because I would not be the best for our people, or because of the people that I associate with?”

  “Both. You would drive us into war with the naturi. You would leave your ‘consort’ to run free hunting us.”

  “War with the naturi is inevitable.” I turned around to completely face him, my hands resting on my hips. “Aurora is free. Rowe is free. The great horde of the naturi race is free. If we hope to survive, we face war with them. They are not interested in coexistence. Not so long as Aurora leads them.”

  “And the hunter?”

  I shrugged. “He protects mankind and our secret. Is that not in our best interest?”

  “He has no place among our people, not after killing so many of us!”

  “And how many of us have you killed?” That question stopped him, his raised fist dropping back to his side while his face contorted with a fresh surge of anger. Yuri was like any Ancient. He had made a name for himself by killing countless nightwalkers. It was no different than Jabari, Macaire, or even me.

  “You will not become an Elder,” he firmly said, taking a step forward so he was separated from the rest of the crowd.

  “Then you must come stop me,” I said, opening both of my arms, welcoming him out onto the floor. My smile never wavered as I glanced briefly over at Danaus. His face was expressionless, but I could feel his powers above all the others, beating against me. He was continuously scanning the area, using it as a warning system against any who might try to sneak up on us. Go stand beside my seat and watch your back, I directed him.

  You watch your back, too. The hunter casually strolled over to the open seat on the dais and mounted the three small stairs. It was all I could do to suppress a wide grin when I saw him place one arm on the back of the seat and cross his left foot in front of his right in a relaxed stance. He appeared utterly confident that it would be only a matter of minutes before I was sitting in that seat.

  Drawing the short sword from my side, I waved one hand at Yuri, inviting him out onto the floor. The Ancient stepped forward, shedding his heavy, floor-length fur coat to reveal a pale bare chest. The creature was thin and bony, like an animated skeleton wrapped in medical gauze. His brown hair was wild, sticking out in every direction from his head as if he spent his nights running among the wolves he controlled. From his waist he pulled out a long wicked knife. Twisting his wrist, the blade caught the flickering candlelight, winking at me.

  The nightwalker took one step forward and disappeared. Every muscle in my body tightened as I fought back the swell of panic that erupted in my chest. Ancients could easily teleport from one spot to another in an instant. I couldn’t do that. Not yet. However, I could feel the swell of power just a half second before he reappeared. There was a brush of energy against my back. Pivoting on my right foot, I twisted around and raised my sword in time to block the blow that aimed for my neck. Metal clanged against metal, sending up a brief clash of sparks. Yuri looked genuinely surprised when I pushed him away from me. He had been expecting to take me completely by surprise and end the fight with a single blow.

  “You’re going to have to try a little harder than that,” I sneered. In a flash of steel, I sent a flurry of blows in his direction, keeping him backpedaling. Not one had been aimed to be a killing blow. I was simply proving to him that I was better than he anticipated. I would kill him in a moment, and I would do it without using my powers. The gathered horde of nightwalkers needed to know that I was just as dangerous when I wasn’t using them.

  Yet no matter how fast I moved or swung my sword, Yuri was always faster. As an Ancient, he always would be. Backed to nearly the dais, the nightwalker caught a blow aimed at his chest, easily halting the blade before it could pierce flesh. He smiled before pushing me off of him. I slid more than a yard across the slick black marble, the soles of my shoes squeaking as I struggled to stop myself.

  “You’ve improved since I last saw you,” Yuri admitted as he closed the distance between us.

  “I’ve had six centuries to practice.” Yuri had appeared before the coven many years ago, when word hit that a fledgling nightwalker that could control fire was making her first appearance. I had been a freak show for all to see as they tested both my strength and endurance. I lasted longer than most, but in the end I broke like all of those before me.

  Yuri lunged at me with incredible speed, swinging the blade to remove my head. I barely raised my own sword in time to stop it. The vibrations down the blade nearly shook my hands loose, leaving them stinging from the impact. Muscles burned as I struggled against his greater strength. I was beginning to question my earlier vow. The Ancient was both stronger and faster than me. He had more powers than me. My chances of winning on skill alone were growing dim.

  Again the nightwalker vanished before my eyes. Immediately, I sent my powers out from my body, tapping into the energy that surrounded me. I sensed Yuri just before he reappeared behind me. Spinning around, I ducked lower into a squat and slammed the flat of my blade into the back of his legs. The impact was enough to send him sprawling onto his back. Kneeling beside him, I drove my sword down into his chest before he could roll away, narrowly missing his heart. At the same time, he lifted his blade, shoving it through my shoulder.

  Our matching cries of pain reverberated through the air as the scent of blood filled the hall. Jerking my sword from his chest, I pressed the tip into his throat.

  “Will you yield and swear to follow me?” I demanded through clenched teeth.

  “You have not won yet,” he bit out, twisting the blade that was still in my shoulder. A low moan escaped me, but I held my own sword steady in my hand.

  “It’s over,” I said firmly. “This is your last chance to walk away.”

  To my surprise, Yuri disappeared. I slammed into the floor, my free hand sliding in his blood as I tried to stop myself. A wall of flames shot up around me as I pushed to my knees again. Pain pulsed down my arm and across my chest. The flames had been a reflex reaction to save myself from being stabbed in the back.

  Yuri reappeared beside me. He grabbed a handful of my hair, but before he could tighten his grip, I pushed on the floor, using his blood to slide out of his reach and through the dancing flames. Regaining my feet, I threw a knife at him before I stepped back into the circle of fire. The blade embedded itself deep in the
creature’s stomach, bending him over in pain. With no remorse, no hesitation, I raised my sword and chopped off his head.

  The headless body collapsed at my feet, while the head rolled several feet away. With a snap of my fingers, the wall of flames vanished as Yuri’s body became engulfed in flames. Walking over, I kicked his head toward the dais so it lay before my chair like a trophy.

  “Who’s next?” I shouted, extinguishing the flames so that only my voice echoed through the heavy silence. No one moved. No one spoke. Even wounded, I was still a threat they were unwilling to take on. I was not an Ancient, but I would take my seat on the coven as an Elder regardless of whether I truly wanted it.

  This arrangement will not last, Stefan whispered in my head.

  I smiled as I turned to face the three seated Elders before me. You’re right. This won’t last. Just give me time and I will hand you an open seat, I promised. I didn’t always agree with Stefan and his outlook toward the other races. However, he was strong and he would help me stand against the naturi. I needed him alive and seated on the coven beside me if my people were to survive the long nights that were approaching.

  “It seems there are no others willing to cross you, Mira,” Jabari said, beaming at me like a proud father. “Once again I recognize your claim to the open seat on the coven.”

  My gaze turned to Elizabeth and Macaire, waiting. All the members of the coven had to recognize my claim on the open seat or they had to challenge me. After my fight with Yuri, I was weaker than I had been when I first walked into the Main Hall, making me potentially easy prey for Macaire and maybe even Elizabeth. Both held grudges against me for their own particular reasons. My muscles tightened, increasing the pain in my shoulder even as it struggled to finally heal. My hand tightened around my sword, sending a stabbing pain through my arm, but I was ready.