It smelled of dried blood and rotten cloth. The combination was sharp, as if someone was holding a dirty blade against her nostrils. From experience Athene knew that a surprised vampire was an angry vampire, so she pushed her hood back and roughed her footsteps. She wanted them to hear and smell her coming, even over the other stench and the rush of underground marshwater through the cave's walls.
She needn't have worried. When she arrived in the central cavern Movarth's entire coven was waiting for her, spread out around the walls. Once she stepped forward there was no way she'd escape, so she hovered near the exit, searching the group.
There she was. Agni. A child with pale cheeks and a half-smile. And on her shoulder was Movarth's grasping hand.
He raised his other hand in welcome.
"I wondered when you'd appear," he said.
"Thank you for keeping her safe. We'll be going now."
He laughed. His coven laughed, two dozen of them. The air filled with undead mirth.
She hadn't really expected that would work, but figured she'd start there, to give her an edge. Relaxed vampires were happy vampires were vampires she could work with.
"Agni, do you want to stay here?" Her next tactic.
The little girl looked up at the master's face.
"Tell her," he said.
"I will tell her," Agni parroted. "I want to stay here."
"Oh, come on. You can't expect me to believe that. You've brainwashed her."
"Be careful, guest. Or I might reconsider how pleasant we've been thus far."
"What do you want with her, anyway? You have enough followers here. This is one little girl with little to offer, and she needs to return to life."
"And you can do that for her?"
Athene paused. "I know someone who can."
"Is it Falion? Because I'm sorry to tell you that ended badly for him." Movarth's eyes drifted up and then fixed back on Athene.
She looked up. She couldn't help it. The high cavern ceiling was dark but there was something shiny up there that glinted in her torchlight. She strained to see, and: ah, she got it. Petrified flesh and slick white bones nailed to the stone with steel spikes.
Falion had been crucified.
One of Movarth's women tittered. Unlike the others she wore tavern clothes and a breast was bare where the cloth had slipped off her shoulder.
"A gift to him," the master vampire said, bringing her back to Falion. "To thank him for all my children he's taken over the years."
Babette had really left out a lot of details.
"Do you want to stay this way forever?" Athene kept looking up but she hoped Agni would know she spoke to her. "Surrounded by torture and death? Never growing into your own woman, never having a choice to make for yourself?"
"Tell her," said Movarth.
"I will tell her," said Agni. "I want to stay this way forever."
Athene ground her jaw shut. She glared at the master.
"From the mouths of babes," he said.
"Speaking of that, you remember Babette? The other eternal little girl? She says hello. She's good friends with Sybille Stentor, the court wizard up at Solitude. Surely you must have heard of good old Sybille. Ancient, old Sybille."
Please oh please have heard of her, Athene thought.
Movarth's mouth twisted. "Solitude is far away."
"Is it really? I can see its shadow from here. I can see the shadow of one politically powerful wizard who has a lot to hide. A lot to make up for. And a vested interest in rooting out vampires wherever she finds them."
Her back was to the exit. She had her ebony blade and one silver dagger, and she was quick, and wanted to live. Would it be enough?
The woman in tavern clothes was scowling. She took a step forward, bare feet shuffling.
Athene brandished her torch and took a step back. "It would be a shame if she found out about this place. I imagine she'd bring fire. She's excellent with fire."
"You'd kill all of us for one girl?" Movarth spat. "Am I truly the villain here?"
"Mr. Piquine," Athene said. "You don't know the half of it."
"Tell her you'll go with her." The master shoved the girl forward and it seemed to take a few seconds for Agni to realize what had happened. She didn't run, and she didn't lose her half-smile. Her eyes were glassy and there were twigs in her hair. Even without the dirt, it looked like her brown hair hadn't been brushed for weeks.
She looked up at Athene and said, "I'll tell her. I'll go with her."