Lena’s gaze had not strayed from your hard, unflinching stare. I was proud of both your stubbornness and your dignity. You didn’t owe her a damn thing.
“That, my son, was extremely foolish. You’ve practically castrated yourself in the eyes of the Grigori. What were you thinking?”
Your eyes narrowed and a sardonic smile played upon your lips.
“Well, as I was ingesting my own eyeballs and bleeding from my skull, I suppose I was thinking, ‘I sure hope Mater has some creative ideas for how I might impress her old-ass demon friends, because I don’t think these bad boys will be growing back anytime soon.’”
I didn’t care to make light of your trauma, but I did enjoy seeing how Lena might react to your irreverence.
“Sarcasm does not become you, my dear,” she said curtly.
“It’s about as flattering as your cruelty,” you retorted.
Her gaze was impassive, but I knew a seething rage when I saw one. Not knowing where to direct her anger, she caught sight of Stefan lounging naked by the pool. He could have been one of my garden statues, so picturesque was his pose. Like the vain Narcissus who worshipped his own reflection until he perished.
“What is his purpose here, Lucian?” our mother snapped. Finally, she and I were in agreement. He was at best, a distraction and at worst, a menace.
“He serves no purpose other than to make my home more beautiful and inviting, which he certainly does.” Lucian turned his attention away from Stefan with some reluctance. “So, Vincent can’t use seduction. Who cares? He’s sunborn. That’s impressive enough by itself.”
“You’ve seen proof of it?” Lena asked.
“We have.” I stopped short. Other than shimmering in Shade Vales, there wasn’t much more we could say about it, so rare and undocumented were the sunborn. I also didn’t know how the reemergence of the thirteenth tribe would be received by the Grigori who might see your very existence as a threat.
“Even still, that won’t be enough to convince the warborn, and they’re the ones we need on our side if we hope to defeat the Imperium.”
“We’re not defeating the Imperium,” you said. “We’re liberating them.”
Lena shot you an uninspired look. “Those soldiers will kill and die for their master. Their loyalty runs deep. Just ask Henri. Before your rebirth, he was one of Azrael’s most loyal servants.”
As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. I’d sacrificed you—Orlando—to Azrael to keep your soul safe from Lena’s clutches. And now, here we were again. Had it all been in vain?
“Do notspeak for him,” you said sharply, eyes widened with fury. “I’ve been interrogating Azrael’s soldiers for the past six months. They’re not all loyal. Not by a long shot. And I know which ones can be compromised.”
Lena’s head tilted, moved at last by what you had to offer. “We’ll make a list. We have a few contacts on the inside. It will help us to determine which strongholds will be easier to infiltrate.”
“We’ll infiltrate the one where my father’s being held first,” you said.
“Our first attack must be a win,” Lena argued. “It’s the only way to rally the forces behind us.”
“Then we’d better make sure we’re prepared. What do the warborn expect of their leaders?”
“Pragmatism,” Lena said drolly. “Proficiency in fighting techniques, self-sacrifice, and an unwavering commitment to the cause. They expect complete obedience from their tribesmen, both human and divine, and they adhere to a very rigid hierarchy. They have no tolerance for betrayal…” Lena paused, perhaps recalling some skirmish between our tribes. Largely thanks to her scheming, we didn’t have the best reputation for honest dealings. “And since you’ve lost your powers,” she continued, “they’ll likely want you to demonstrate your abilities in mortal combat, if only to humble us.”
I could see your sharp intellect working. I was impressed by how you’d handled yourself thus far in the negotiation.
“How long until they arrive?” you asked.
“Three weeks.”
“I’ll begin training today. I have experience in fencing and Aikido, so I won’t be starting from scratch.”
Lena laughed. It was not kind. “The warborn train from near infancy. Their humans are skilled with all manner of blades and martial arts. They excel in archery and marksmanship. They know all the ways in which to wound and kill—beast or man—and how to survive any element. You, my young prince, have lived a pampered life in comparison. You’re not hardened enough to take on a warborn.” Lena glanced toward me. “Have Henri fight in your stead. He has a far better constitution for killing.”
“I’m going to train,” you said with conviction. “With your own assassin. She’s of similar build to mine, and she’s probably been through the warborn protocol. I’ll show them I am deserving of their respect. And if and when I earn the allegiance of the other tribes, I expect you to be the first to bow down before me as your Parousia.”
Lena’s mouth fell open—I doubted anyone had spoken to her quite like that before—and you directed her own personal assassin to follow you. The warborn did so without a word. Her sudden shift in loyalty made me wonder if she’d truly been sent here to protect Lena, or if her duty was to you.
There was a thrum of tension in the air, one that we all felt. Lucian eyed me surreptitiously, and Lena slowly recovered her wits. She rubbed her temple, her exhaustion from traversing the earthen realm beginning to show.
“You’ve been suspiciously silent in all of this,” she said, addressing me at last. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
I considered my next words carefully. If this was my opportunity to sway her, I wanted to be impactful. “Vincent doesn’t seek your approval, as I have always strived to gain. And he doesn’t crave your affection like Lucian. In fact, he doesn’t need you at all, and that rosy picture of motherhood you spent so many years curating when he was a child was utterly shattered when you sold him to Azrael. So, I’d say your best bet would be to pledge your loyalty sincerely and let him lead, because that’s what you raised him to do. And as an aside, if you so much as look at him the wrong way, I will kill you.”
Her eyes raked over me with fury and she said primly, “I don’t know why I ever ask for your opinion. You never tell me anything good.”
“That’s because if there’s one thing you can’t stand, it’s to be confronted with your own hubris.”
I assumed that when you left, you’d been heading to the training yard, so I followed suit. I didn’t trust the warborn assassin not to harm you, even accidentally. Despite your boldness and conviction, you really had no idea what you were getting into.
