Page 66 of Across the Sapphire Sea
Elias returned the smile with a shy one of his own, then lowered his gaze out of respect.
A tall, thin man with sharp features and straw-colored short hair stepped forward. “Greetings to all of you.” His eyes lingered on Valeri, and his scrutiny intensified before moving on. “We prefer to keep our location secret. However, since Lajos informed us you already knew where we reside, we’ve decided to hear your request. Have a seat.” He gestured to the empty chairs.
In Bran Vigny, The Dozen had sat in a straight line behind a looming table while petitioners stood before them. This circular setting was far less formal. More cooperative. Yet it was the only welcoming aspect thus far.
The green-eyed vampiress beckoned to Elias, indicated he should sit in the chair next to hers. Elias tugged Valeri in her direction.
“Thank you,” he said softly as everyone found their seats. “I’m Elias.”
“Sachi,” she said, extending her hand.
“Nice to meet you.” Elias went to take her hand, but she reached farther to take his wrist instead. So he took hers as well. Their eyes met, hers twinkling with a glow not unlike Remy’s and Laurence’s. She must be very old or very powerful. Or both. But her bare wrist was soft beneath his fingers, and if she meant him harm, Elias couldn’t tell.
“Nice to meet you too.” Sachi gave a nod and resumed her seat.
On Elias’s other side, Valeri sat stiff and silent. The wooden chairs had maroon velvet cushions, plush and comfortable. Sitting in a wide circle like this, they could all see one another’s faces. If he wasn’t so nervous about what was about to happen, he’d have called this setting cozy.
Ash filled the silence before it could turn uncomfortable. “You have my humble apologies for intruding upon your solitude. Shall I proceed directly to the point?”
“Please,” said Isla.
“We’re here to beg your wisdom. It’s come to our attention that many among your number have lived well past the two millennia mark without succumbing to the aging sickness that plagues our kind in the south.”
Ash paused, inviting a representative from their number to speak if they wished, but all remained closed-lipped. Elias would have betallof these vampires to be past the two millennia mark. They slipped into a stillness so deep they could be mistaken for statues. Only their clothes looked real, long tunics, loosely flowing in solid colors, and none dressed for the weather. Perhaps they always stayed indoors. But how did they feed?
Ash continued, “Where I’m from, there is a madness that takes hold of older vampires. They suffer. Moments of lucidity come and go. Often their past returns in their minds with such force it’s as if they’re reliving old times. Some pleasant, and some quite the opposite. Nothing we’ve tried has helped. No herbs, no medicines, or no magic have made a difference. At length, death comes to put an end to their suffering.”
Sachi frowned. Among them, she was the only vampire to appear concerned. Sachi, Isla, and the androgynous vampire seemed different somehow, but Elias couldn’t put his finger on it. Aside from the sheen to their skin and their twinkling cat-like eyes, they looked like young people. Mind-boggling to think they might have witnessed the turning of tens—or hundreds—of centuries between them.
Ash glanced from face to face. “A vampire suffers as we speak. A sweet and gentle man, called Mahu, who hails from the ancient lands of Egypt. I’ve known him my entire life. Mahu has a generous soul and a kind word for all who cross his path. We don’t know how much time he has left.”
Elias glanced to Remy, who would be dead now if not for Mahu’s selfless donation of blood during his transformation. Remy watched the proceedings with a cautious expression, his body leaning toward Laurence. Perhaps out of all of them, Remy had the most reason to wish a cure for Mahu.
When met with their continued silence, Ash had no choice but to put their case bluntly. “Do you possess a cure for this aging sickness? Is there something we can do, something you could tell us, or give us, or teach us, to save our friend Mahu, and vampires like him, who have yet to develop the sickness but inevitably will?”
There. A poignant plea followed by a resounding silence. Surely one of them must reply.
The answering voice belonged to Isla. “We denied Valeri’s first request for an audience. We sent a warning via our agent. I personally told Valeri to leave and not to come back or he risked his death, and yet here he is with an entire delegation.” She scanned their number with cold eyes.
“I beg your forgiveness,” said Ash, who had to be irate inside that Valeri withheld that crucial piece of information. If the others hadn’t wondered what else Valeri was hiding before this, surely they were wondering now. “We’ve been horribly rude to bother you so. But we’re in desperate need of your help. If you could look past our trespass and teach us what we need to know, we’d be in your debt. Perhaps there’s something you want that The Dozen could provide in return.”
“We need nothing from you,” said the tall man who had not given his name. “I’m sorry your Mahu is sick. We aren’t monsters, but one man’s suffering won’t justify the consequences of our exposure.”
Something in his tone sparked Elias’s anxiety. Aella sat stiffly and glanced to Laurence and Remy. The three of them were here to protect all six, and it looked as if they were preparing to do so.
“We would never expose you,” said Ash. “We’ve only found you thanks to Valeri’s sleuthing, and he has only told our people. The ring of knowledge need not extend any further.”
“That is already too far,” said Isla, her tone firm.
Valeri’s hand reached out to clench Elias’s, his grip nearly painful.
“If you could advise us what to do for Mahu,” said Ash calmly, “we’ll be on our way and will never disturb you again.”
“You don’t understand,” said the tall man. “We cannot allow you to leave with the knowledge of our location, much less our secret of longevity.”
Fear spiked in Elias’s chest. His gaze found Sachi’s. She met his frightened expression with a sad one.
The tall man continued, “Our options are limited and will be put to a vote. We wipe your memories, transport you to Russia, and leave you to pick up your lives with a blank slate.”
