Page 58 of Pining for the Prince
Another understatement. “They’re not. But they don’t want this becoming public knowledge as it would highlight a weakness that others may try to exploit.”
“Fucking fae, fucking elves, why can’t they keep their issues in their own realm and leave ours out of it?” Goya growled under his breath. “So it is a matter of retrieval.”
“Looks like it.” It felt wrong to agree with Goya, but it couldn’t be helped. “Just the little problem that no one knows where it is.”
“You said Prince Hyax could sense the elves’ involvement. Do you think he could track them if we lift certain limits in place?”
There were strict rules about when and how species from other realms could operate here. “Maybe, depends on what you have in mind.”
“Leave this with me. I’ll contact the Warlock Ruling Committee. No doubt they’ll have legal options and may involve the Invigilators.”
He hadn’t expected the Invigilators to be dragged in. Their chief remit was neutral oversight of the Vampire Council to avoid infighting and other types of shit hitting the fan.
“So the Vampire Council is involved?”
“Only peripherally until now. But the elves fucking over the fae, and pumping out shit that has affected a couple of your sort means they’ll stick their oar in properly now. Well, as much as they ever do.”
Penelope asking questions was one thing but add in the warlocks and this could get messy. “I’m sure Hyax would be willing to help.”
“Speak to him. Explain the situation and we’ll talk again,” Goya said, standing. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to keep this strictly to a need-to-know basis. I called you in because you are already part of things due to His Highness, but with this new vamp connection they’re going to want one of their own involved and we don’t have bloodsuckers on the force.”
“You could’ve if you’d have accepted my application.”
Goya snorted. “Don’t let me keep you, Mr Hilt.”
He wasn’t going to get more out of Goya, and to be honest, he was surprised he had been told as much as he had, and the sooner he got back to Hyax the better. As intrigued as he was about the vampire angle he couldn’t help thinking about what Goya had said about the effects of Stardust, and once he’d realised Hyax hadn’t been coerced into kissing him due to taking Stardust it had taken supreme concentration not to let his mind wander back to the topic.
He let himself into the house, wondering how he was going to tackle this. His priority was to clue Hyax in to the vamp angle, which might include a crash course in the Vampire Council, but after that he needed to address what had happened with that kiss. His mind was in two camps. The first was to ask Hyax again if he remembered the kiss. He’d said he didn’t and there was a possibility he was telling the truth, in which case it might not be great to just spring it on him. The other thought was to agree to dinner, then go all-out acting like a proper date and then make his move once they got home.
Hyax was watching TV in the lounge, and the visceral feeling of want hit Gwil harder than he’d ever experienced. There was no way he could wait to wine and dine the beautiful bastard.
“Gwil, you’re back. What did Goya say?”
“He tried to deflect at first, which wasn’t unexpected, but he knows it’s the Stone of Ljin and that the elves are involved, and there’s been several other interested parties who are lending potential support.”
“Elves aren’t someone he’ll want to deal with on his own.” Hyax wrinkled his nose. “Dare I ask who else he’s working with?”
“Given he deigned to have me in his presence I’m sure you can make a deduction.”
“We knew the vampires had an interest, your sister insinuated as much.”
“How much do you know about the echelons of the Vampire Council? I know your fae tribe don’t exactly cooperate with them, especially considering the Calanti situation, so I’m guessing only the basics.”
Hyax patted the sofa next to him. “I know there are four vampire houses: Hewel, Cartwright, Devereaux and Langley. Each house has three members on the Council: a duke, an earl and a viscount or the female equivalent. And basicallythey’re Vampire nobility who keep the wheels of vampire society turning.”
“There’s a bit more to it than that but it’s the general gist.” He needed to explain the rest of it or Hyax wouldn’t understand. “There’s an additional control loop that the four original sires put in place to help keep order when they formed their Houses and the Council—that’s the Invigilators. They are warlocks of exceptional gift who enforce the rules, smooth arguments and ensure the succession of each House is suitable, although that part is not so clear.”
Hyax puffed out his cheeks. “I’d heard there were internal mechanisms but not the details.”
“It’s not exactly publicised… I know bits from investigations and work I’ve done for Penelope and Council members, but I’m too low down the pecking order to know exactly how the Invigilators work.”
“I didn’t know there were specific warlocks working with the vampires, as magic users there’s usually a degree of information sharing. So I take it from the worried expression it’s the Invigilators who are interested.”
“The elves have crossed the line and once vampires started getting hurt it makes sense they’d step in to help—but not directly. Goya inferred the Warlock Ruling Committee could put something in place to make it easier for you to track the stone.”
Hyax leant closer, he seemed unable to form words for a moment. “Makes sense, warlocks are the ones who cast the wards and prevent magic from being used in certain areas or by certain species. If those wards are lifted, even temporarily, then I should be able to pinpoint where in the human realm the stone is.”
So that was what Goya was alluding to, he should have realised. “I guess you know what the stone should feel like, andyou’ve a taste of the magic masking it so it would make sense that you could find it if your powers weren’t limited.”
