Darkness Is Rising Page 23

  “That is everything your sources have gathered thus far?” Marcella asked before taking another swig of her goblet.

  “As of right now yes, Your Majesty. I have no doubt that they will provide more information in a week’s time once they have settled in and adapted.” Emilia sat down after Marcella excused her with a nod.

  “Does anyone else have anything they wish to bring forward?” Vittoria asked the room.

  Silence met her.

  Marcella hummed next to her. “Well, I believe that when we meet again in a weeks time there will be more information.” Marcella turned to look at Vittoria. “What information do you have to bring forward?”

  “I actually believe that Atticus covered what I knew,” Vittoria said before giving Marcella a look that said they would speak later.

  “Oh, Your Majesties, I believe that there was one more thing I had to present. I apologize for it slipping my mind, especially because it is quite important,” Atticus said as he stood.

  “Please proceed,” replied Vittoria, curiosity evident on her face.

  “I have heard whispers of a very powerful vampire running around Seattle.”

  Vittoria felt her blood chill, as well as Marcella stiffen next to her before quickly relaxing.

  “What of this vampire?” Marcella asked, her voice steel.

  “No one knows who she is. However, I doubt she is more powerful than Your Majesties. But, word of her arrival is spreading and I have heard some talk of bloodlusters becoming…excited at her arrival.”

  “Then this vampire is female,” Vittoria stated.

  Atticus hummed. “The bloodlusters seem excited by this prospect of a powerful vampire. Why do you think that is?” he asked as he looked directly to Vittoria.

  “Atticus, I implore you to remember that the bloodlusters are mad vampires, only driven by their lust for blood. They are not in their right mind. They probably think that the vampire is Lilith, since they worship her like a god,” Vittoria said with a laugh. Marcella joined her soon after, fake laughing as well to keep up the air of ridiculousness.

  “What if this vampire is Lilith?” Atticus asked harshly.

  “That is absurd. Lilith has not been seen in thousands of years,” Marcella replied with a chuckle. “The vampire Lilith is likely dead, and has been for some time.”

  “No Queen has ever seen Lilith’s death, she only disappeared,” Atticus said pointedly, his frustration growing.

  “If Lilith is still alive, then where is she?” Marcella asked as she looked around the room. “She has not been seen. Were she alive, would she not have contacted Vittoria or I?”

  “Agreed,” Vittoria replied easily.

  “I do not believe we should take this arrival lightly, though.”

  “I agree,” Vittoria began. “We will investigate this new vampire. Most likely, she is just an ancient that is passing through. Regardless, we will take a look to appease your curiosity, Atticus.”

  The man bristled, but gave a slight nod in agreement before sitting down.

  “I believe that is all we had to discuss for tonight. The Council is dismissed,” Marcella said before dismissing them with a wave of her hand.

  Once the room filed out and the doors shut behind them, Vittoria looked at Marcella. “I spoke to a wolf earlier tonight. He said that there is someone powerful leading the devourers and bloodlusters, has them all riled up. He also confirmed that the wolves are split on the issue of remaining hidden or becoming exposed.”

  “Did he say anything about the influx?”

  “Just confirmed what Atticus said, that the influxes are everywhere, not just Seattle.”

  Marcella sighed. “So it seems that we have been right so far in all of our assessments.”

  “Indeed. However, no one knows where the leader is, but it does not appear that they are in Seattle. I believe we would know if they were.”

  “Lilith would have known immediately.”

  “Speaking of, what should we do about Atticus?”

  “Well, unfortunately, we cannot kill him outright now. That would look suspicious.” Marcella sighed.

  “We could have a trusted scout follow him. Keep an eye on his movements.”

  “I will make sure I choose someone incredibly skilled. We would not want a blunder like Demetri following him.”

  Vittoria laughed loudly before nodding her agreement.

  “We also need to be careful where we tread with Lilith. We do not want anyone realizing it is her.”

  “I will keep an eye on her,” Vittoria said.

  “Did you find out where she has been staying?”

  “No. But, she will be staying at my apartment with me for now. I thought it would be better if she remained there. The coven house would be an obvious place to look, and no one inside the coven knows where my apartment is.”

  Marcella hummed her agreement. “I believe that is a wise decision.”

  Vittoria sighed and stretched as she stood. “I should head back and make sure she’s settled in.”

  “If you need anything, let me know. I will see you tomorrow. We need to keep our eyes and ears open for any change in the wind.”

  Vittoria nodded before heading toward the exit of the throne room. She easily navigated back to the entrance of the house before sprinting from the property toward her apartment. It wasn’t very far from the estate and, with her speed, she made it back to her building in a few minutes.

  She took the stairs two at a time, quickly reaching her apartment door and letting herself in. She smiled to herself as she saw that all of Emma’s clippings had been picked up, organized, and now resided on the coffee table instead of the floor.

  “I hope she does not mind,” Lilith said from the doorway to the bedroom. “I hated the clutter.”

  “I’m sure she won’t.” Vittoria offered Lilith a smile as she made her way into the living room and plopped down on the couch.

  The elder vampire joined her one moment later and Vittoria found her eyebrows rising slightly at Lilith’s appearance. “You look positively mortal.”

  Lilith let out a chuckle as she looked down at the loose fitting t-shirt and shorts she stole from Vittoria’s room. “I have grown tired of sleeping in tight-fitting clothes.”

  “That is understandable,” Vittoria replied with a small smile.

  “So, how was your meeting? Anything interesting?”

  Vittoria groaned. “Basically the information that was presented—we already knew. It only confirmed our assumptions.” Vittoria sighed. “I spoke with the wolf that guards the club—before I came inside and found you. He told me that someone powerful is leading the bloodlusters and devourers.”

  “Again, confirming our assumption,” Lilith muttered. “Nothing new then?”

  “No. However, Atticus, one of the council members, had received word of a powerful vampire appearing here in Seattle, and apparently the bloodlusters are riled up by this prospect.”

  “Ah,” Lilith said, her eyebrows rising. “I see.”

  “Just keep a low profile.”

  “I shall. What did you and Marcella have to say to him?”

  “We joked that they probably believe it is you. We made light of the whole thing and squashed any argument that it is you.”

  Lilith hummed. “Still, it is not good that I am even thought to be here.”

  “Agreed. So, just keep a low profile, and Marcella and I will stay calm on the subject. As long as we appear aloof, you should be fine.”

  “Thank you,” Lilith said sincerely, her brown eyes boring into Vittoria’s green.

  They held each other’s gaze, neither bothering to look away and break the fragile moment that was transpiring between them.

  A quick knock and opening door broke the moment as Emma entered the apartment, briefly appearing startled at Lilith’s presence and casual attire.

  Vittoria had been alarmed by the sound and was completely caught off guard. Lilith, on the other hand, seemed cool and composed as us
ual, leaving her to wonder if the vampire was aware of Emma’s approach or if she simply did not care. Either way, Vittoria was sure that if her heart still beat, it would be racing from the intensity of their gaze.

  “Emma,” Vittoria greeted, finally pulling herself from her thoughts. She glanced at Lilith, suddenly aware of how close they sat to each other.

  Lilith seemed to finally take notice of their proximity as well. However, the ancient merely looked back at Emma, not bothering to move from her position next to Vittoria.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” Emma said to Lilith, surprise evident in her voice. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two vampires.

  “Lilith is going to be staying here with me while we handle the influx. She needs to keep a low profile,” Vittoria explained as her friend rounded the couch and sat down on a nearby chair.

  “O—okay,” Emma replied, her eyes glancing over Lilith’s form.

  “Vittoria just returned from a council meeting,” Lilith supplied casually.

  “Learn anything new?” Emma asked.

  “Everything just confirmed what we already knew,” Vittoria replied with a light smile. “Hopefully we get some new information at next week’s meeting.”

  “Did you come by for your clippings?” Lilith asked Emma as she gestured to the organized stack on the coffee table.

  “No, I just came by to see Vi and ask about what happened at the shop earlier today,” Emma replied, her eyes flickering to Vittoria’s.

  “What did you want to know?” Vittoria asked, playing dumb.

  “Why did Eva keep looking at me like it was my fault Marcella hates witches?” Emma asked. “I wasn’t even born.”

  Lilith slowly turned her eyes to Vittoria, and Vittoria turned her eyes to Lilith. Silently they came to an agreement about what to tell Emma.

  “I don’t know why Eva looked at you in such a way,” Vittoria began carefully, “but I can tell you why Marcella holds such a hatred for witches. However, I recommend you never mention that I told you of this. Marcella would not take kindly to it.”

  “Okay,” Emma agreed, fidgeting in her seat.

  “Are you sure?” Lilith whispered, her voice so low that only Vittoria could hear.

  Emma looked at them curiously, aware that they were speaking to each other but she was unable to hear what they were saying.

  “We need to give her some sort of answer,” Vittoria replied, her voice equally as low.

  “Just tread carefully, Vittoria,” Lilith began, “she cannot know everything just yet.”

  Vittoria nodded, shivering slightly at the ghost of Lilith’s words near her ear. “It started in the year 64 in Rome. Marcella was thirty at the time and…”

  “It is when she was turned,” Lilith said.

  Chapter VIII

  Imperium Romanum

  Roma

  64 A.D.

  “Make way for Prefect Antonius!” the guards shouted as they escorted the man and his wife through the busy market crowds. They were on their way back to their estate, as Antonius had just finished some magisterial duties.

  “How was your business?” Marcella asked as she linked her arm with her husband’s. She glanced down at her light dress, softly swaying with the breeze.

  Antonius sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly before offering his wife a smile. “Tiring.”

  “As per usual, then,” Marcella replied with a light chuckle. “Anything of actual importance?”

  Antonius released a laugh and looked at his wife. “The Christians are becoming a thorn in Emperor Nero’s side. We have been doubling our efforts against them, but they are like a Hydra; you chop off one head, and three more appear.”

  Marcella hummed thoughtfully. “I personally do not understand why Nero despises them so. Or why anyone does, for that matter.”

  “Do not let anyone hear you say that,” Antonius warned carefully.

  “Well, it is true,” Marcella whispered. “They are peaceful people. They only wish to help others.”

  “They deny our gods,” Antonius countered, equally as quiet.

  “So do others, yet we have temples everywhere of gods that our not even our own.” Marcella looked at Antonius pointedly as they walked.

  Antonius smiled at his wife. “There is also the matter of the barbarians constantly pressing against our borders. Although it is quieter than it has been in some time.”

  “Barbarians,” Marcella scoffed. “They are no match for Rome.”

  Her husband nodded his agreement, but they spoke no more on the matter.

  “What do you plan to do today?” Antonius asked his wife, easily changing the subject.

  “I was thinking of taking Rena and Davena out for a walk. It is a beautiful day, although it is a little cloudy,” Marcella replied as they arrived at their estate. “What of you?”

  “I have a few more matters to attend to,” Antonius said with a sigh. “I need to pay a visit to the bathhouse for a meeting.”

  Marcella nodded in understanding before kissing her husband on the cheek and seeing him off. She turned on her heel and moved inside the house, calling out for her daughters to come and meet her. She stopped in the atrium, her eyes glancing over the plaster walls and the mosaics that decorated the floor. Her eyes flickered toward the courtyard in the back, the plants illuminated by the soft sunlight that had just poked through. They drifted down to the trough in the center of the atrium. The water that had collected there was shallow, and Marcella made a mental note to pray for rain later.

  Rena, her eldest, came into the room first—her long brown hair done in a braid and swinging across the middle of her back. She had her father’s eyes, greyish blue, and Marcella’s lightly tanned skin. Beautiful as her daughter was, she was spirited. Although Rena was only twelve years old, she appeared to possess the demeanor of someone years her senior.

  Davena, on the other hand, was a wild thing and still blessed with the spirit of childhood. She was easily excited and entertained by most things in life, as all eight-year-olds were. Davena resembled her mother more so than her father; she looked like a small Marcella, dark brown hair with red undertones, and bright hazel eyes.

  The youngest rushed into the room, hastily following her elder sister as they ran to greet their mother.

  “Hello, my girls,” Marcella greeted, grinning happily as she embraced both of her daughters. “How was your morning?”

  “Davena hid from the slaves again,” Rena said with a slight roll of her eyes.

  “Why did you hide from them?” Marcella asked, amused.

  “They wanted me to take a bath,” Davena said with disgust.

  “What, pray tell, is so wrong about being clean?” Marcella asked with a raised eyebrow.

  Davena remained silent, unable to give her mother an answer. Instead, she stared sheepishly at her own feet.

  “That is alright. You may have your bath when we return from our walk,” Marcella said with a smile as she took both girls hands and escorted them from the house.

  “Where is father?” Rena asked as they walked down the street, releasing her mother’s hand a moment later as they passed a group of young boys.

  Marcella gazed at her eldest, choosing not to comment on Rena’s action. “He had a few more matters to attend to. I do not expect him to return home until dinner.”

  Davena released her mother’s hand and rushed off nearby to play with a dog, giggling as she chased the mutt around.

  “Oh, there are Clarissa and Sera,” Rena said, pointing to her two friends. “May I go?”

  Marcella nodded before speaking, “Take your sister with you, and stay within my eyesight.”

  Rena nodded happily before rushing to Davena and dragging her toward the other two girls. They weaved in between the people, their eyes glancing back to make sure they could still see their mother.

  “Adorable girls,” an accented voice said from behind Marcella, causing the woman to jump in surprise.

  “Thank you,” Marcella sa
id, finally turning to see who spoke.

  The woman looked a few years younger than herself, and had brown skin that matched the light brown color of her eyes. Her hair was dark brown and came to rest on her shoulders, which she carefully brushed away from her face as she looked at Marcella. A curious smile adorned the woman’s face as she looked Marcella over.

  “You are Egyptian,” Marcella said with a wondrous smile. She was always fascinated by other cultures and their ways of life.

  “How could you tell?” the woman asked with a laugh.

  “The kohl around your eyes,” Marcella replied with a smile.

  “Ah, yes. I sometimes forget that I wear it even,” said the woman easily.

  “I apologize. I have not even properly introduced myself. My name is Marcella Camelius.”

  The woman’s eyes brightened a moment. “Camelius? You would not happen to be the wife of Antonius, would you?”

  “I am,” replied Marcella, suddenly curious.

  “I have met your husband before at the temple of Isis,” the woman explained. “He is a kind man.” She paused a moment before continuing, “I apologize, I did not offer my name. You may call me Samia.”

  “Samia,” Marcella said, sounding out the woman’s name on her tongue. “It is beautiful. What does it mean? Do you know?”

  “An odd question but interesting nonetheless,” Samia commented with a smile. “To my knowledge it means ‘elevated,’ or ‘sublime.’”

  “How lovely,” replied Marcella.

  “What of your name?” Samia asked as she and Marcella both turned to look at Marcella’s children.

  “‘Warlike,’” Marcella answered.

  Samia’s eyes sparkled. “How very Roman.”

  “Indeed,” Marcella replied with a chuckle. “Would you like to walk with me? I need to keep an eye on my girls.”

  “I would be honored.” Samia met Marcella’s strides as they easily walked through the crowd and watched after the girls. “They are still young, although your eldest appears to be approaching womanhood.”