"Dammit, Mircea!" I sputtered. "No one is supposed to interrupt my privacy in these rooms. Who let you in?" I demanded as I shifted into the bathroom and slammed the door.
"Dulceata…do not be displeased with my servants. They were following my orders," Mircea called through the door.
I leaned my forehead against the cool tile of the shower wall, breathing deeply and silently counting to ten. The little exercise worked…I felt marginally calmer. I talked in a normal voice since I knew Mircea could hear me just fine.
"I am going to shower and then eat a late lunch. Please order for me." I showered quickly, with a passing regret at missing a hot soak in the tub. I pulled on the robe that hung on the door and shifted into my bedroom, selecting light tan slacks and a short-sleeved pullover in peach. Sal had selected the clothing for me over a month ago, attempting to mold me into a less rumpled personage. She was dead and gone now; a traitor whom for a time I thought had been my friend. I knew so little about people and why they made the choices they did. I pulled a comb through my damp curls and tugged on some canvas flats. I surveyed myself in the tall mirror, silently resigning myself to dressing with a little more dignity from now on. Robert had not had to say a thing to me…his look had conveyed his surprise and displeasure at my casual attire and tardiness. No one was likely to take me seriously in my new position as Pythia if my own dress and behavior gave them the impression that I did not take it seriously either. I sighed, steeling myself for the coming conversation with Mircea. I had to define boundaries and make him stick to them, yet keep him on my side. If I couldn't manage that, I had little chance of surviving the Pythian Court and all its simmering politics. I whispered the incantation for one of the shield variations Pritkin had just taught me that morning, applying a green power level. He had told me it was not found in any standard magic text, so most people were not likely to know the counterspell. This variation was supposed to shield me from subtle magical influence, like a vampire's mind tricks. I didn't know if Mircea ever used influence on me, but I was not going to allow him to try. I walked out into the living room of my two bedroom suite. I had moved out of the damaged penthouse and insisted on my own rooms. The guards supplied by Mircea had to stay outside the suite. Room service had just completed setting up my luncheon table, with several dishes under silver on a snowy white tablecloth. Mircea smiled at me and pulled a chair out from the table for me, leaning down and kissing the tiny scars on my neck as he slid the chair under me. I felt a warm tingle. I was pretty sure that was a physical reaction and not due to influence. Just in case, I upped the power level of the spell to blue. Using a cloth napkin, Mircea lifted the silver from the dishes and pushed a plate towards me. He had ordered me chicken breast lightly coated with a white sauce and topped with chopped herbed fresh tomatoes, accompanied by a fluffy baked potato and fresh steamed green beans. There was a crusty roll, a side salad and a dish of fresh strawberries. Pritkin would be pleased with this meal…it looked mostly healthy. I took a sip from the frosty glass of iced tea as I watched Mircea settle himself in the opposite chair and pour himself a glass of wine. I smiled to myself. Mircea usually had a servant do that. I guess he was trying to honor my demand that everyone STAY OUT of my suite.
"I didn't expect you back yet, Mircea. How was New York?" I had little hope that he would share details of his trip. It was Senate business and he usually kept that from me. Fair enough…I would be keeping Pythian Court business from him in the future.
"The usual," he grimaced and sipped his wine, telling me absolutely nothing. "How was your session this morning with the Chief Usher of your Court? You were there several more hours than I expected."
"The usual," I supplied with a straight face. Hey, I could give as good as I got! Mircea gave me that hooded look he got when he was being especially guarded.
"Is there something you wish to say to me, Cassandra?"
"No. Robert spent time with me reminiscing about Lady Phemonoe. He had great respect for her. She left behind very large shoes for me to fill." I focused on my meal and carefully cut my chicken. I was going to have to get used to eating like this. Robert had told me that formal Court dinners occurred every few months but that smaller dinner parties with visiting dignitaries were scheduled several times a week. I delicately placed a bite into my mouth and chewed quietly. It was a good thing I wasn't starving; otherwise I would have been scarfing it down without any thought to the impression I made. I was Miss Manners personified, I thought as I congratulated myself on my ladylike behavior.
"Are you nervous about the ceremony?" he asked, warm brown eyes gazing at me with sympathy.
"Yes," I admitted. "This will be a big change for me…I expect I will make embarrassing mistakes before all is said and done."
"I spoke to your Chief Usher before I left for New York. I believe he is dedicated to the Court and will gladly assist you. Since you have now met him, did you get any sense that he would behave differently?"
"No, he takes his duties seriously. Lady Phemonoe selected him for the position without the Circle's approval. He knows I can have him replaced with my own choice as my reign commences. I believe he will do his best and I hope I can rely on him in the future. He told me that you have been generous and your staff has been very helpful," I added, followed by a dainty bite of potato.
He smiled. "The arrangements for your ceremony are nothing compared to hosting representatives of five visiting Vampire Senates for several weeks." He rubbed his eyes. "My staff has been very busy. I am happy your ceremony will be complete in a few days time. Then, Dulceata, your work really begins." He looked at me speculatively. "I have outlined several cases of interest to the Senate. We would like you to concentrate on these first." He indicated a leather portfolio on the edge of the table. "I would greatly appreciate hearing details about any visions these people might invoke from you," he added as he focused his eyes on me. He looked at me intently and I wondered if he was attempting influence on me. I didn't feel any different and I was happy Robert had given me the perfect response.
"You must submit your requests to the Court's Appointment Coordinator," I told him with the most sincere look I could muster. "And details of any resulting visions are only given to the person making the request," I finished.
He sat quietly, the perfectly composed negotiator, as he considered his next words.
"Do you know, Dulceata, I had thought you might appreciate some friendly guidance from me." His eyes looked sorrowful.
I chewed some green beans while I pondered my response, followed by more iced tea.
"I appreciate guidance, but I will not be dictated to. That is exactly what the Silver Circle has done these many years. I am going to break that sorry tradition and set a new precedent," I told him politely. I forked up some salad and tried to look thoughtful as I chewed and swallowed. "I know you will assist in any way I ask," I added. He smiled, warmth returning to his gold-flecked brown eyes. I felt his foot lightly stroking my ankle under the table. I couldn't help it…I laughed. The old easy familiarity with him had surfaced again.
"Do you have time for a date with me this evening?" he asked, eyes twinkling.
"I believe I do," I inclined my head towards him.
"No training with the mages?" he asked with mock incredulity.
"The mages are focusing on security at the Pythian Court, interviewing and vetting the staff. There may yet be more replacements. Pritkin is not happy with the Pythian Guard supplied by the Circle."
"Mage Pritkin is never happy," he replied acidly. "Did he mention the additional guards the Senate has provided to the Court?"
"No. He knows you and Marlowe have already vetted them. He is focused on removing the guards he doesn't trust," I explained as I finished my strawberries.
"Do you know…," he went silent in that way that meant he was communicating with another vampire. He sighed and smiled at me. "Duty calls…" he explained, getting up and stepping over to me. He bent down and kissed my forehead. "I will see you tonight…the Consul willing," he murmured. He grabbed his suit jacket and left. I noticed he did not take the leather portfolio with him. He knew me too well. It was a good bet I would succumb to curiosity and read the contents, just like he wanted…the sneak. I smiled to myself.
With lunch completed, I went looking for Tammy. I found her in the kitchen with several of the kids. Miranda's crew wasn't very busy these days, since vampires didn't need the services of the kitchen. There was a skeleton crew on duty to provide for the few non-vampire guests and visitors.
"Miranda…where is the rest of your staff," I asked with concern. I hoped they had not been shipped back to Fairie.
"They go to Lord Mircea's court to cook for big ceremony," she muttered. "They not needed here so much."
I nodded and turned to Tammy. She looked at me warily.
"Jesse told me that Jeannie has been saying for a few weeks now that she is going to live at Mage Pritkin's house," she announced. "Imagine my astonishment," she continued in a voice edged with worry. "What is going on?"
"Pritkin says she asked to come live at his house and he says he has agreed."
Tammy's mouth dropped open with surprise. "What does he want with her?" she asked bluntly. "He's not a pervert, is he? What does he want with one little girl? And what exactly does he know about children and what they need?"
"He thinks he can mitigate any magic malfunction with a charm or tattoo or special training. He honestly wants to try," I explained in my most soothing voice. "And no…he is not a pervert. He is the most chivalrous man I know. He has a special hatred for anything that harms children," I told her as I remembered his seething accusations of my being a particularly loathsome creature called a Lamia.
"How can he raise a child when he is a war mage? His world is a violent and bloody one, and that is no place to bring a child."
"He is taking an assignment at the Pythian Court, performing bodyguard duties. She will be as safe as I am there. There is a school on the premises and I have arranged to have family quarters assigned to him."
"But what does he know about kids?" she continued pointedly.
"He's doing pretty well so far. When I left them this morning, he was planning on getting her a reading primer and teaching her to read. He loves a good student. He took her to work with him today…to the Pythian Court." I watched her think it through. Letting one of her kids go was always hard for her. But it's not like she had already found a home for Jeannie.
"Tell him to stop by. I want to say a few things to him," she told me with a firm look. I agreed and breathed with relief. Pritkin so owed me for this. I spent the remainder of our time chatting with her about her future plans.
"Are you coming to the ceremony?" I asked.
"Oh no," she laughed. "Too many war mages will be there and I try to stay away from them." She shuddered as she remembered her capture. "I expect to get work in the casino or in one of the shops, so we can stay here a little longer. I'll find a safe place and move on when we're ready." She smiled at me. "Don't worry so much…I'm well-practiced in the art of disappearing."
"When you talk to Pritkin, ask him to remove the tracers on the kids," I urged her as I turned to leave. She nodded gratefully as I left.
I stopped by Augustine's shop to check on my special order. I was pleasantly surprised at the progress made in less than a day. The mannequin was dressed in trousers and a high-necked tunic, both the regulation dark grey of the Corps' dress uniform. They still needed to be hemmed in the legs and sleeves, and buttons and trim were still missing, but it looked really good. The cut of the tunic made the shoulders seem broader and the waist more narrowed. Of course, that may just have been because the mannequin was exactly sized to Pritkin's measurements and he would make anything look good.
"Will this be finished by tomorrow? I want to pick it up at the same time I pick up my dress," I told Augustine.
"Slave driver," he accused. "If you want to help ensure that happens, why don't you help by sorting out these medals? I have to look up every one of them to determine where to place it on the tunic," he complained as he indicated a large book opened on his work table. I sat at the table and started to research the next medal in the pile. As I read the descriptions of each of the medals, I was more and more impressed by what Pritkin had done while in the Corps. He really was a hero. Or he was suicidal. Gradually the board in front of me grew neat rows of colored ribbons and various pins as I found a place for each of the items in the pile in accordance with the book. Pritkin had also earned a Master at Arms-Potions badge. There were several other Master at Arms designations described in the book, but Pritkin had only the one for Potions. Given the number of knives he routinely carried and his skill with a sword I expected him to have Master at Arms-Blade among his badges, but there wasn't one. He also didn't have the badge for Firearms or Ordinance or Wards. I idly wondered what a mage with those badges would be like; probably one scary dude, I mused. According to the book, to earn a Master at Arms badge a war mage had to demonstrate incredible combat skill with that item alone and win in scored competition, as well as teach the item for a specified length of time. At last I was down to one pin left in the pile. It was a small red pin that resembled a stylized dragon. I searched the book and was almost ready to give up when I finally found what the pin was for. It designated Pritkin's specialty branch of service – Demons, and the pin was to be worn on the collar of the tunic. My task completed, I stood up and stretched.
"I'll pick the dress and uniform up tomorrow morning, alright?" I told Augustine.
"Yes, yes," he said irritably as he waved me out of his shop. I headed back to my suite, wondering what Mircea had planned for our date.
I sat in my suite, reading the binder full of forms that Robert had given me. I started with the section on visions. The forms for visions were straight forward with lots of fill-in-the blank questions. I noticed there was no space for interpreting the vision…something I still found difficult to do. I wondered if that was left to someone on the staff. I started a list of my pressing questions, hoping I could get some answers once I was formally installed on the throne. Geez…a throne. I never said it out loud, but that just made me fill pretentious. I yawned and stretched, looking at the clock. I was getting sleepy, understandable since my day had started in England. I looked at the clock…midnight? Already? And where was Mircea? If he thought he was going to stop by at 2 AM for a "date" he was sadly mistaken. I stuck my head out the door and found the guard.
"I am going to sleep now and I do not want to be disturbed. That includes Lord Mircea and any war mages," I told him as sternly as I could muster. Who was I kidding…he would do whatever Mircea told him to do. The guard just looked at me. "Just tell him what I said if he calls or shows up, okay?"
The guard nodded once and turned away. I shut and bolted the door, brushed my teeth and settled into bed. By this time tomorrow, I would be officially recognized as the Pythia.