Page 29 of Night's Reckoning
Black Warrior. Water.
It finally clicked in Ben’s brain. Giovanni had chosen black so that the elders would be reminded who Ben belonged to in their world. Some might have been tempted to see him as Tenzin’s human partner. Giovanni was reminding the elders—and reminding Ben—who he was.
He was Giovanni Vecchio’s son.
Ben had been chosen and adopted by the immortal child of Kato, ocean god of the ancient world. Reared by an assassin, a scholar, and a scribe.
Ben lifted his chin as the doors swung open, and he walked into the Hall of the Elders of Penglai. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight.
Silver leaf coated the walls, and massive malachite pillars held up a soaring roof. The floor was pure white marble, and rosewood panels lined either side of the center walkway.
Ben kept his eyes forward as they followed Andrew.
Easily a hundred people filled the Hall, all of them turning their attention to the newcomers as the three humans walked by. There were vampires and humans buzzing around, whispering in ears and casting sidelong glances at the mortals who merited an invitation and formal introduction to the Hall.
And at the far end of the building, eight vampires sat on individual thrones, each reflecting a different geography or period. All were clothed in identical pure white, the color of death in Chinese mythology.
Because they are the masters of death.
Ben had memorized their names from books, but he couldn’t place all of them. There was no illustrated directory of vampire royalty that could give him a clue. He guessed that the tall, thin immortal in the center of the group was Lu Dongbin, water vampire and chairman of the council. The vampire to Lu’s right was the only woman on the council, He Xiangu, a legendary fire vampire said to keep a phoenix as a pet.
Ben could also identify Lan Caihe on the far right, the other fire vampire on the council and possibly the most enigmatic. Elder Lan appeared to be the youngest of the council, but they were actually one of the oldest. Giovanni had instructed Ben never to underestimate them. Lan was cagey and clever, a gender-fluid trickster who enjoyed a bit of excitement and was often the one to provoke the more serious elders.
The rest were mysteries Ben would have to discover another time.
As they reached the front of the Hall, Ben and Fabia halted behind Andrew, who nodded to a bearded vampire on the far left with waist-length hair who could only be their host, Zhang Guo.
He was clothed in white, but his robes reflected the style of the ancient Eastern Steppe. His features were Central Asian, like Tenzin’s, though his eyes were dark. His skin was darker and his beard thicker.
Ben locked eyes with the immortal, refusing to look away as Zhang took stock of the humans in front of him. His expression was unreadable.
He looks like Tenzin.
Or rather, Tenzin looked like him.
Ben hadn’t been expecting that.
Was there a blood relation? Did they come from the same family? Ben knew so little about Tenzin’s human life—he had no way of telling what her human relationship to her vampire sire might have been. Whatever he’d been as a human, as an immortal, Zhang was one of the most powerful presences Ben had ever felt.
The elder rose and said, “Welcome, Andrew Leu, my dear friend. It is always a pleasant sight to see you in our hall.”
Andrew bowed deeply but did not angle his neck, indicating he was not Zhang’s blood donor. “Thank you, Elder Zhang.”
“Please introduce my guests.”
“Honored Zhang Guo, esteemed elders of the Hall, I present to you Benjamin Amir Santiago Vecchio, adopted son of Giovanni Vecchio. He is a friend of Rome and Master of Iron in Lothian.”
Zhang Guo looked directly at him. “Welcome to Penglai, Benjamin Vecchio.”
Ben finally spoke. “Thank you, Elder Zhang. It is my honor to be here.”
Where was Tenzin? Was she watching? There were too many vampires in the Hall, and he couldn’t sense her. The press of amnis was too strong.
Andrew continued. “It is also my pleasure to introduce Fabiana Teresa Salvadori, human scholar under the aegis of Giovanni Vecchio. She is a friend of Romeandan assistant professor of archaeology and art history.”
As Ben’s eyes furtively scanned the Hall, a pleasant murmur of approval surrounded him. He had to stifle a smile. Apparently being a scholar of Rome was far more agreeable than being a sword master in Scotland.
Where was she? She had to be here.
