Christopher withdrew the much-folded piece of parchment that Olivia had given him from his pocket. He carefully spread it out. “This parchment also comes from the archives. It states that only those who are
pure of blood
may be inducted into the Mithras Cult. Is that not so?”
As he passed the parchment to Brother Cedric for verification, he saw the first faint flash of alarm on his uncle’s face. “What relevance does this have to the charges?”
“All the relevance in the world, seeing as you perjured yourself to induct me into the cult.”
A gasp ran around the assembled members, followed by a buzz of conversation that refused to die away.
“What are you suggesting?”
“That I am not pure-blooded.” Christopher let his gaze rove over the assembled members. “Most of you already suspected that. Rumors about my ‘mixed’ blood have circulated for years, and they are indeed true.”
Edward stood up. “You have no proof of such a thing.”
“Actually, I do.” Christopher snapped his fingers, and Olivia materialized beside him. Her likeness to him was unmistakable, her features set in the same uncompromising lines as he suspected his were. “May I introduce my half sister? As you might have noticed, she is a Vampire.”
Shouts and shocked cries rained down from the benches and Edward struggled to restore order, his face white, his voice ineffectual.
Christopher turned to the monk. “Brother Cedric? Do you believe I have just cause to nullify this trial?”
“I do, my lord. You are unfit to even stand in front of this court.” Brother Cedric raised his voice. “All those in favor of calling a mistrial say ‘Aye.’ ”The resounding roar of agreement made both him and Christopher wince.
Edward tried to shout above the racket. “You may not make this decision. That is up to the council after you have voted!”
A chorus of boos greeted his words, and shouts of “Vampire lover” and “betrayer.” Edward sat back down, his face ashen and his hands shaking.
Brother Cedric nudged Christopher. “May I suggest you leave rather quickly, my lord? I do not think the membership are very pleased to have you or your sister in their midst. I would rather they expended their anger on your uncle rather than on yourself. I doubt he will survive this added blow to his authority.”
Christopher shook Brother Cedric’s hand. “Thank you, Brother.”
“Thank you for finding Brother Samuel’s killer and bringing him to justice. Now go, and let your uncle deal with the turmoil he has created.”
Christopher started for the door, but Olivia tugged urgently on his sleeve. “This way,” she said. “We must hurry.” When he turned to her, she touched his throat, and everything blurred into a seamless motion that made him want to puke. He landed in soft grass and stayed down until the dizziness abated. He needed time to reflect on what had just happened and craved his bed like his next breath.
Olivia crouched down beside him, her face full of concern. “Christopher? Are you all right? We have to help Elias. He is in danger.”
Christopher raised his head and met her worried blue gaze. He felt as weak as a newborn lamb, but he had to help Elias. He owed the man his life. He struggled to his feet and let Olivia steady him.
“Where is he?”
“At the Druid stone circle. I cannot go there alone.” She shivered. “I’m not sure how Elias got in there, or why he would choose such a place.”
“I can take you.” Christopher recognized the oak trees rimming the edge of the valley that concealed the stone circle. “Follow me.”
Chapter 25
R
osalind and Rhys tied up their horses and crept down the hillside toward the stone circle. Although it was dark, the moon was bright, and it was possible to see quite clearly. Rhys led the way, his bigger body making a path for Rosalind through the dry long grass and trailing branches.
“There are numerous Vampires around the boundary of the stone circle,” Rosalind whispered. “They probably can’t get inside, but they are waiting for us.”
“How many?” Rhys murmured.
“At least a dozen, I think, and all quite young by their scent. Not the Boleyns either.”
“Of course not. They prefer to get others to do their dirty work. Let’s split up and take as many as we can from either side.”
Rosalind nodded, and crept toward the right of the circle. She spotted the first Vampire, his back to her as he looked down on the dull upright stones. It took but a moment to creep up behind the young man and stab him through the heart, not much longer for her to decapitate him.
She kept moving, her senses alert as she tried to pinpoint her next victim. Something smelling of daisies crashed into her from the side and Rosalind went down, grabbing at the Vampire’s arm and deflecting the death blow to her heart. She shoved her other hand into the Vampire’s long hair and, as they rolled down the incline, she wrenched back the female’s head to expose her throat and slashed at it.
By the time they reached the bottom of the slope, she was straddling the Vampire, and was busy avoiding the woman’s snapping fangs. Behind her, she heard a commotion and caught the scent of fresh blood. She tried not to let it distract her. If another assailant came up on her now, there was little she could do about it.
With all her strength, she shoved the Vampire’s head to one side, heard the cracking of bone, and saw the life leave the female’s eyes. Breathing heavily, Rosalind stabbed the creature through the heart and then used her sword to lop off the head. The scent of orange blossom surrounded her and she looked up to see Olivia in front of her.
“Get away from me, Vampire,” Rosalind hissed. “I am not in the mood to be merciful.”
“Neither are we.”
Rosalind blinked as Christopher appeared behind Olivia, wiping his bloodied dagger on his buckskin-clad thigh. Seeing them side by side left Rosalind in no doubt of their close relationship. “What are you doing here?”
“The same as you, I suspect. Trying to save Elias.”
Rosalind got to her feet and brushed at her knees. She couldn’t look at Christopher and prayed he wouldn’t touch her. At this precise moment, she wasn’t quite sure if she would stab him or kiss him. It was probably best to follow his lead and deal with the current problem rather than give in to the seething current of her emotions.
“All we know is that George has him, and that we were to meet in the stone circle.”
“
George
?” Christopher asked. “Not Anne? Why in God’s name would George venture into a Druid stone circle?”
“Mayhap George did it to taunt us. The circle isn’t as dangerous or difficult to enter between festivals.” Rosalind kept her gaze on Olivia, who was staring back at her. “George is a fool. Anne would never provoke a Vampire of Elias’s age.”
“We all know that,” Christopher muttered. “Now, how are we going to get Elias out of his clutches?”
Rosalind gathered her strength and looked at him. “
You
don’t need to do anything, my lord. Rhys and I will take care of it.”
She gasped as Christopher grabbed hold of her leather jerkin and yanked her up so that they were nose to nose. He looked as if he had gone through hell, his blue eyes ravaged, his mouth a hard line. “Rosalind, I know you think you hate me, but please, let us put aside our feelings for the moment and concentrate on saving Elias.”
She glared into his narrowed eyes. “We do not need you. Go away and take your little sister with you.”
Christopher dropped her so abruptly she stumbled backward. He spoke to someone behind him. “Oh, there you are. Mayhap you can talk some sense into my lady. What can Olivia and I do to help?”
Rhys strode forward, sheathing his sword, his face breaking into a smile when he saw Christopher and Olivia. “My lord, my lady, you survived!”
Christopher thumped Rhys on the shoulder. “I’ll tell you about it later. Now, how can we save Elias?”
Rosalind turned away from them all, and pretended to watch the trees for Vampires. The injustice of it burned in her gut. It seemed everyone had forgotten what Christopher had done, except her. Mayhap they could rescue Elias without her help as well. She started back up the hill, and Rhys blocked her path.
“Where are you going, my lady?”
She wouldn’t look at him. “You have this all well in hand, Rhys. You scarcely need my help.”
“What?” He held out his hand. “I need you to go into the stone circle with me.”
“Why not take Lord Christopher? I’m sure he’ll be far more useful than I will ever be.”
Rhys’s sigh of exasperation made her want to bolt, but suddenly a black leather doublet loomed out of the darkness. She inhaled the scent of blood, Christopher’s and someone else’s. He had been injured. Even through both their efforts to protect their minds, she could feel his pain.
“My lady, please.” Christopher spoke softly. “I realize you are upset, but surely Elias deserves our help.”
“Upset? Why on earth would you think that, my lord?”
A muscle tightened in his jaw but, for once, he didn’t answer her. He just kept staring until she wanted to squirm like a worm on a hook.
She bit down on her lower lip and turned her gaze away, refused the subtle plea emanating from his mind as well. He tried to take her hand, and she snatched it back. She turned to Rhys instead.
“All right. I will help. Tell me what you want me to do.”
Rhys exhaled and put his arm around her shoulders. “Just come with me into the inner circle. We’ll do our best to bargain with George while Olivia and Christopher see off any Vampires who threaten us.”
“How can we trust them to kill their own kind?” Her words sounded cold even to her own ears, and Christopher cursed under his breath. “My lord has not proven very reliable in such circumstances before.”
Christopher swung around, his expression lethal. “Rosalind!” The anger in his voice made her glad. He
should
feel hurt, feel shame, feel as bereft and betrayed as she did.
“Not now, my lord.” Rhys shoved Christopher away, and stood between them, one hand on Rosalind’s shoulder. “Let’s concentrate on getting Elias, shall we, and leave the rest for later?”
Rosalind shrugged off his hand and started toward the circle, Rhys just behind her. She didn’t look to see what Christopher and his half sister were doing. She couldn’t bear to.
Multiple scents drifted over her, and she spun around to warn her companions just before half a dozen Vampires exploded from the trees. It was all chaos then, a matter of stabbing and hacking, of avoiding snapping fangs and claw-like fingernails—of merely surviving. She found herself fighting back-to-back with Christopher, both of them moving away from the main fight, surrounded by four Vampires intent on killing them.
She fought on until her arm was like lead, and there was only one opponent left attacking Christopher. His face was pale, and he looked exhausted. Suddenly he stumbled and left himself open to a killing blow. Without thinking, she lunged forward to save him, and met the force of the blade with her own. Christopher went down as the Vampire’s lifeless corpse fell beside him.
In the sudden deathly quiet, Rosalind waited for Christopher to rise, but he didn’t. After a quick glance around, she crouched down and crawled over the Vampire’s body to where Christopher lay. He was on his left side and was cursing like a fiend. She stood and used the toe of her boot to roll him onto his back.
He gasped and grabbed at his left shoulder, his face in the moonlight now a sickly green. Rosalind felt a flutter of fear at his condition. She wanted to take him in her arms and hold him. How could she be so pathetic? She swallowed down her concern. “Can you get up?”
He set his jaw. “I’m fine. I just—need a moment. Go back—to whatever you were doing.”
She didn’t waste another second on him, but turned on her heel and strode back toward Rhys. Christopher caught up to her, but she ignored the heaviness of his breathing and the fresh undercurrent of pain radiating from him.
“You were going to leave me there?”
She kept her gaze on Rhys. “You said you were fine, and you definitely don’t need me for anything really, do you?”
He groaned. “Are you going to take these little jabs at me all night? I’m already bleeding enough. Can’t you see that?”
She forced herself to face him and smile. “No. Now leave me alone.”
He grabbed her arm. “You are still my wife, and I swear by all that is holy that there will be a reckoning between us.”
“So you say. But we both know that your word is worthless, don’t we?”
All the good humor was stripped from his expression to reveal the hard steel of the man beneath. “Rosalind, I’ve escaped death twice tonight, and for what? To face you in this humor?”
“I do not know, my lord. I am simply trying to save my friend. A man who has been more loyal and honest than you have ever been.”
“I can see it is pointless trying to reason with you,” Christopher snarled. “Perhaps you will be more amenable after we have sorted out this muddle.”
“I doubt it.”
He bared his teeth in a humorless smile. “Then I’ll have to find a way to persuade you to listen to me, won’t I,
wife
?”
“You can certainly try, but you promised never to bother me again if I agreed to this sham of a marriage.”
“You have that wrong, my lady. You told
me
you never wanted to see me again. I certainly didn’t agree to that.”
Rhys cleared his throat. “Lady Rosalind? Are you ready to come with me to the stone circle?”
“Indeed, I am, Rhys.” Rosalind moved sharply away from Christopher. Verily, at that moment, to avoid Christopher’s furious, heated gaze, she would have braved Anne Boleyn’s private chambers.
“We need to determine what George wants,” Rhys said. “I’ve asked Olivia to seek out Lady Anne, and make her aware of what her brother is doing.”
“You are trying to make things
worse
?” Christopher asked.
“No, I don’t think Anne has orchestrated this, do you? She cannot want us to die. We are bound to her by oath
and
she cannot get the potion if she kills us.”
“That is true,” Rosalind said, nodding. “Perhaps she will be able to stop George.”