Maybe to make up for showing weakness, Pamela wasted no time being extra bitchy and especially mean to her little vampire sister. I could hear her stomping around in her heels on Eric's wooden floors, snapping at Willa. Now that she had a minion to boss around, order was restored in Pam's universe and she was enjoying it.

Just as I was about to press the disconnect button on the King of the Islands' number, a soft voice said, "Oui?"
"Is this Pierre Sauvant?" I said and quickly corrected myself. "I would very much like to speak to his Highness, King Pierre."
"It is I," said the quiet voice. "You are?"
"Magdalena Kennick, I'm…"
".. . the consort of Sheriff Northman," he finished. "I am sorry to hear of his arrest."
"It is not legal," I said quickly, trying to remember what my grandfather had told me. "He was taken illegally, according to the fourth amendment of the 1947 Agreement." It came out fast, the words tripping over my tongue. "He has done no wrong, not by old law or new."
"I see," said the King.
"Will he have your support?" I asked. There was a desperate tone to my voice, my palms were sweating. The King said nothing. I swapped the receiver to the other ear and wiped the palm of my hand on my skirt.
"Get him to the summit and he will have my support," he said.

And without another word he hung up.

Pam stuck her head around the door.
"I've booked us a private plane. The Anubis guys are coming by in an hour to pick up the coffins, the flight leaves at ten. Did you contact the King?"
"He's in," I said, swooping up my purse and my phone. "If we get Eric back to New Orleans, he'll support him as planned."
At that moment my phone rang and I glanced at its screen. I didn't recognize the number so I hesitated before I accepted the call.
"Maggie?"
"Empress?" I said. Pam's ears pricked up; she came in and shut the door behind her. Clearly Willa took this as a signal that something interesting was going on because she immediately opened it and followed her inside. They stood opposite the desk, staring at me.
"Yes, it's me. Don't worry, it's safe, no one knows I'm here. I sneaked out and bought a new mobile phone.I'm in a coffee shop near our hotel." She sounded almost proud of herself. "It's called something with 'Star' and they have a mermaid in their logo, so it might be a seafarers' place. They are open all night long, too."
Hmm. I don't know when I last saw a sailor at Starbucks, but the Empress seemed happy enough with the idea. I could just imagine her sitting gingerly at a little table in the pre-dawn darkness, surrounded by early-morning commuters and insomniac seniors.

"It's nice to hear from you," I said, but I wasn't sure that it was.
"Eric Northman has been arrested on suspicion of treason," she stated.
"Good news travels fast," I said grimly.
"You will go and get him back," she said. "Bring him back to New Orleans and let him make his suit against Catherine."
"Is that an order?" I asked archly.
"Yes," she said. To her mind it was simple.
"I'll do my best."

I meant it. Waiting around for an hour to be picked up by the Anubis crew was far too long for me; I wanted to be doing something.
"You'll need a lawyer," she said. "I shall send Sonya. She will know what to do."
"Empress," I said in a low tone, turning my back on the two vampires, "You know that it would be in your very best interests to have Northman on the throne in Louisiana. Please, please, help me in any way you can."
She was silent.
"Any string you can pull, any favour you can call in," I continued. "Please."
I felt desperate. "Please," I whispered.
"This is not just political then?" she asked. "Is it also personal?"
I felt a tear roll down my cheek. "Yes," I said. "Please, please help me."

… … …

"I am Magdalena Maria Kennick. I'm the granddaughter of Seán Kennick, of the Empress Moya's entourage and consort to Sheriff Eric Northman of Area Five in Louisiana. I want to see whoever is in authority."

The intercom was silent. I pressed the button again, long and hard, and waited for the crackle.
"Did you hear me?" I said. There was a quiver in my voice but I hoped it wouldn't be heard over the speaker. There was a second or two of silence, then I heard a mechanical sound, like a whirring engine but rather faint.
"They heard you," Pam said.
We were standing outside a large door with reflective glass, Pamela, Willa, Sonya and I. The building looked like a pretty anonymous office complex, lots of glass and concrete. No sign of anyone going in or out, no windows on the ground floor. We only knew it was King David's address because Sonya had turned up with it written in the Empress' own hand. She'd arrived at my door soon after the Anubis reps had dropped me at the hotel and deposited the two coffins next to my bed. I'd hugged her so hard that she'd pushed me away squeaking in protest. Then she pulled a notepad out of her bag and interrogated me, taking careful notes as I spoke.

As soon as the sun went down, the lids of the coffins on my hotel room floor had been flung open with force and the two vampire women had scrambled out, ready for action. I made introductions, then showed Pam the address and she snapped her fingers, ordering Willa to get us a taxi. Within minutes, we were on our way. We'd got out of the taxi in front of the large black door and had spent a couple of moments trying to figure out whether this was where we were supposed to be before I stepped forward and jabbed the button on the intercom.

There was no answer from the box on the wall, but finally the door swung open. Behind it was an elevator – the source of the noise we'd just heard. We stepped inside. I was finding it hard to control my temper. I was simmering like a pot, my energy filled the elevator. Pam stepped away from me into a corner, instinctively holding up a hand.
"You're too…jittery," she said.
Willa said nothing. She'd spent a lot of time eyeing me mistrustfully, which only served to make me really feel like I was the wicked stepmother she'd just discovered shacking up with her vampire dad. Not far from the truth, I suppose.

The elevator went up. I had reckoned that the building had about twenty storeys and it appeared we were going right to the top. After a couple of minutes, it stopped smoothly and the doors slid open. We stepped out into a well-lit foyer with beige rugs and beige leather sofas that looked like the reception area of a fancy bank or investment office. I held it in till I approached the desk, then the energy brimmed over and I felt it slip through my fingers, an angry vibration that created discord in the atmosphere. The vampires that had, just minutes ago, been sitting around in their beige leather chairs reading magazines about investment opportunities in the Caribbean all looked up, fangs extended. I turned slowly to face them, sending waves of my rage towards them.
"Don't think about it," I hissed at one who'd stood up expectantly.
The receptionist came around to our side of the desk and reached out to touch my sleeve but her hand stopped short. Her smile froze when I whipped around to face her.
"Ms Kennick? They're waiting for you. Would your associates like to wait here?"
"No," I snapped. "They're coming with me."

She indicated double doors, covered in embossed leather like a book, with two large plants on either side. The poor girl made as though she would escort us, then thought twice about it and scurried back to the relative safety of her seat behind the desk.

There were six vampires in the room – eight, counting my two. I knew instantly who the boss was, although they were seated around a round table in a poor attempt at democracy. Vampires love a pecking order and even in a horizontal hierarchy there'll always be one a tiny bit more vertical than the others. The table was on a large round dais in the middle of a large room with darkened windows down one side, through which the lights of downtown Austin could be faintly seen. There were more beige leather couches and pots with carefully pruned plants. The lighting in the room was dim, except for a few ceiling spots over the table that illuminated the pale faces of the half dozen below. The vampires watched me enter, and as they all had papers and pens in front of them, I surmised that I had interrupted some kind of meeting.

The head vampire had been turned in his mid-forties. He stood when I entered and casually walked down the steps from the dais to stand and wait for us to approach. I couldn't gauge how old he was, but he was wearing a crisp navy suit with a white shirt. No tie, top button open. Formal but quirky – "Hey, I might be a successful businessman, but I'm cool! I'm down with the kids!" I knew the type. A shithead.

"David DeMarco, King of Texas," he said. "Welcome, Ms Kennick."
He didn't extend a hand: most vampires will not voluntarily touch a human in this way. That was fine by me, I wasn't inclined to offer him a handshake either. One by one, the other five stood and introduced themselves. I could place three of them as progeny of vampires I knew of or had met but the other two were unknown to me: one was Asian and the other black, which meant that they might have come from territory beyond the Book of the Undead.

"How can we be of assistance to you?" the King asked smoothly. At that instant, I knew that he knew why I was there and he was trying to engage me in the beloved vampire game of 'let's pretend'.
"You have my vampire," I said in a low voice. "And I want him back."
"Your vampire?" King David said in a tone of wonderment. "What vampire would that be? I wasn't aware that we had your vampire in our care, Ms Kennick."
"You are aware," I said.
The vampires at the table looked at each other, eyebrows raised. Definitely not playing the game, me.
"It was announced at the reception of Empress Moya in New Orleans," I said. "I'm pretty certain you were there."
"Oh, that little encounter," he smirked. "That was your official announcement? Oh, dear. Sad days for the Five Families. This kind of thing used to have such a sense of … ceremony."
I stared at him through slitted eyes.
"And you have reason to believe we have your companion?" he asked smoothly. "What's his name again, this vampire of yours?"
"I know you have him. His name is Eric Northman and I was there when your men took him."
"Northman." He turned to his companions at the table. "Is the vampire in custody called Northman?" he said, feigning innocence. Or pretending to be stupid. One way or another, he was doing it deliberately to piss me off.

The only woman among them looked at her notes and said, "Yes, he goes by the name of Northman but he's also been known as Magnusson. He's the progeny of the old one, Godric, of the Danish line."
"Well, well, well, we seem to have your companion after all," David said with a genial smile. "He's the one we had to take in for attempted treason, as I recall. Do you know anything about this?"
"No," I growled. "I know nothing about attempted treason because he didn't attempt treason."
"Maggie," Sonja spoke up in a warning tone. She approached the King with a polite smile.
"I am Sonja Helsaig," she said. "Of the Five Families and also the special envoy to the summit on vampire legal matters. We have reason to believe that your arrest had no basis in law."
King David made a sceptical face, almost theatrical in its cynicism.
"Hmm," he said again. "A Helsaig and a Kennick. What an honour."

"We want to see him," Pam said, unable to hold it in. "Before this goes any further, I insist that we see him."
"Yes," I said. "We want to see him."
Mr DeMarco made a hmming noise and I felt the rage rise again.
Sonja interjected smoothly, "It is their right to see him, I believe."
King David smiled tightly and said, "Mr Northman mightn't be in the best ... shape for visitors. We've had a very vigorous interrogation session."
Behind me, Willa made a tiny noise but I pressed my lips together and stared him down. I knew what that meant and it wasn't good.
"Will we go to him or will you have him brought here?" I asked.

The King sighed a theatrical sigh and crooked a finger again. The female vampire stood up and left the room.
"Can I get you anything?" he said, conversationally.
"My vampire," I shot back.
"Of course, Ms Kennick, on his way. I meant: a juice. Or a mineral water, perhaps? Something sparkling, aside from the conversation?"
"No, thank you," I said.
He continued to smile at me, so I moved out of the line of his gaze and prowled around the room. I was aware that all of the vampires were watching me, so I used the opportunity to terrorize their plants, plucking off the dead leaves on a ficus and leaving them in a defiant little heap on the carpet. I pretended to admire one of the heavy oil paintings on the wall until I heard the hum of the elevator. I returned to stand in front of King David, planting my feet firmly on the oriental carpet that ran from the door to the steps of the dais. When the door opened, I didn't look around. I didn't have to, I could feel Eric's presence but it felt odd, somehow off. Behind me, Pamela gave a little sob.

Dear God, I thought. I was afraid to turn around, terrified of what I would see.
The King looked over my shoulder and tut-tutted with a pained expression on his face.
"The rug," he said to whoever was behind me.
I continued to stare at him. The vampires on the dais behind him were shuffling their papers, looking elsewhere.
"Well," he said, in exasperation. "Is that your vampire or not?"

I turned slowly, expecting the worst. Pamela was sobbing, her face was streaked with blood and tears, Willa had turned away, her face in her hands. Sonja looked at me and shook her head. Two men stood to the right of the door, dressed in black combat pants and black t-shirts. Between them, they half-held, half-supported a fair-haired man whose face I couldn't see. I didn't need to see it to know it was Eric. The t-shirt he'd been wearing was flittered, it had been lashed from his body, and his jeans hung loosely from his waist because they'd taken his belt. There was a dark lump of clotted hair on the back of his head. One of the guards held him under the arm to stop him from sinking to his knees, but his other arm was free – and no wonder: his shoulder hung at an awkward angle and it looked dislocated.
"You have visitors, Mr Northman," the King said pleasantly, as though we were at a social event.
Eric raised his face. One eye was swollen shut and there were two trails of blood coming from his mouth. He looked at the women and me, but his face was so swollen and disfigured that I couldn't read any expression. But he moved his head a tiny bit, a tiny movement of warning, raising his chin to signal that I was to buck up.

I spun around to the King.
"Was this really necessary?" I asked. "Really?"
"Why, yes," he said in mock surprise. "We have zero tolerance for vampire crime here in Texas. I don't know what you guys let your vampires away with, but here in Texas we run a tight ship."
"This is unacceptable by the laws of the new Charter," Sonja said firmly.
"Good job we haven't passed it yet then, isn't it?" David countered icily. "See how effective my methods are?"

I felt Pam move before she actually did; or rather: I felt her intent and I grabbed her arm in warning.
"Bastard," she hissed, pouncing forward. "I will – "
The woman vampire on the dais shrieked and total chaos broke out. I clung to Pamela, trying to pull her back. Willa, sensing what Pam was about to do, moved forward to grab her, too, digging her heels into the carpet as she yanked arm. Eric said something, tried to say something, the King shouted for help and the doors burst open. Three more armed men stomped in and surrounded us quickly, their weapons trained at our heads.
"No, Pam," I said stiffly. "Not another word."
That's all I needed, another vampire threatening to kill a sovereign. She fell silent, wiping a bloody hand across her even bloodier cheek.

The large room suddenly seemed rather small. We stood facing one another, not sure what to do next. King David, the host with the most, cleared his throat to say something but he didn't get the words out: the receptionist appeared in the doorway and squeaked, "Your Highness, you have company, sir."
"Who is it?" David asked irritably. "I'm busy, can't you see?"
"It's a Mr Seán Kennick," she said timidly. "And he's here with the Vampire James Sutton."
I whirled around in shock. In the doorway stood a tall black man, flanked on either side by people in suits. I strained to see who was behind them but I didn't need to peer for long. The tall man stood aside and my grandfather stepped forward.
"Salve," he said in traditional greeting. He grinned at us all pleasantly and whacked the floor with the silver tip of his walking cane. I recognised it: he had used it to stake seven vampires back in the days when that what the Five Families did. I knew this because when I was a child, I counted the notches on its side and rubbed the smooth spot my grandfather had left for number eight. And right now he was looking around the room as though he were trying to decide who would earn that notch.