A/N: I hope that you all enjoy the chapter. Please leave a comment if you have the time.
All best,
CKat
Chapter 46: What Now, What Next, Where To
1:00 a.m.
"Wipe your mouth, Dearest," Appius said gently, handing Alexei a handkerchief.
"He was yummy," the young vampire smiled. "But too broken to play with," he added, his smile disappearing into a petulant frown.
"I am sorry," Appius responded, though he didn't sound apologetic at all. "But I was a bit angry when I broke him," he informed, gesturing toward Warren's drained corpse. "He shot at me—with bullets of silver and wood," he added, his voice edged with rage.
Appius and Alexei both looked up as Bill came speeding toward them.
It had been ten minutes since Andre was supposed to have met them at the Northeast gate of the estate to offer them safe passage into the queen's estate. And that passage was supposed to have been secret, too, as Andre was supposed to have disabled the surveillance system.
But—as Alexei had been enjoying his meal—Andre had not arrived as planned. And after three minutes of waiting—impatient waiting—for the queen's child to show up, Appius had sent Bill on a reconnaissance mission around the estate to see what had become of Appius's "extracurricular activities" with the guards on the west side of the property. Karin was still in the van—and still out of her right mind, thanks to Hallow's craft. She was waiting impatiently to get to Eric, but still obedient to Appius's directions.
Meanwhile, Hallow and Mark Stonebrook had erected a concealment spell around their group, and three coven members who had traveled with them were holding it in place as the brother and sister were speaking quietly about the strong defensive magic Hallow had detected around the guesthouse.
Appius drew from their conversation that the witch duo, though powerful, could not bring down the spells surrounding the guesthouse—at least not without more time than Appius intended to spare to his project of getting Eric and the telepath into his grasp.
The elder vampire wondered again if it wouldn't just be easier to return to the witches' lair and then call Eric to him. His child would have to come—eventually. But—then again—that prospect didn't sound very fun to Appius; plus, he didn't want to risk losing the telepath.
"The alarm has certainly been raised, Master," Bill informed as he approached the small group. "Even now, the human guests are being escorted from the grounds."
"May we eat them, Father? Before they leave?" Alexei asked, his eyes wide and innocent-looking, though his question was anything but innocent, especially since his fangs were still down and dripping gruesomely with Warren's blood.
Appius seemed to be considering for a moment, even as Bill's tensed.
"I think not, Child," Appius responded, giving Bill a wink. "I believe that the humans who were at the ball might be a problem to us—if they went missing. Right, William?"
"Yes, Master," Bill answered with some relief.
Alexei whined. "Does that mean we will not be going to the ball—after all?" he asked, shifting his disappointment to another topic. "I was hoping to dance the Mazurka with you and William! I want to teach my new brother!"
"I believe the ball has been cancelled," Appius said with an affected sigh. "But—not to worry. We will teach William all of your favorite dances in the years ahead. Now—occupy yourself with your game as we plan what is next for tonight," he added with a parental air.
Alexei sighed, his shoulders slumping, and stomped back into the van, even as Hallow and Mark approached Appius and Bill.
"Likely, it was your," Mark paused, "premature entry onto the grounds that has raised the alarm."
Appius ignored the slight rebuke from the Were-witch. "Or maybe Andre found his voice and spilled to his maker," he responded.
Hallow shook her head. "Andre may have failed in his mission, but he would not have been able to speak of it. Of that—I am sure."
Appius looked toward the gate. "It is of little matter. Indeed, my fun foray onto the grounds earlier has made me reconsider my plans. And the queen's shuffling the human witnesses off of her estate merely facilitates the vision I now have for the rest of the evening!" He gestured with a flourish—as if painting a moment in that future for those in his little group.
"Master?" Bill asked.
"I am seeing a much more straightforward approach," the elder vampire remarked.
Bill's eyes widened. "Do you intend to kill the queen?" he asked.
Appius shrugged. "I no longer intend to deal with her through her unreliable child; that is for sure. However, I will let her own actions tonight dictate whether she lives or dies. If she and the Arkansas king have already made their agreement as planned, perhaps King Threadgill will be reasonable if Queen Sophie-Anne fails to be." Again, he shrugged. "Only one of them must be cooperative, after all. I will kill the other—if needed."
"What if both monarchs are less than excited about your appearance here?" Mark asked cautiously.
"Someone in there will be reasonable," Appius responded offhandedly. "Someone always is—eventually. If needed, the last one standing will take over the monarchy—put there by me, of course. And I will control that individual like a puppet. At least, for the next year!" he laughed.
"Alexei!" he called.
"Yes, Papa?" the young one asked, emerging from the van again.
"Perhaps, we will have an opportunity to dance tonight—after all—even if it is on the ashes of those inside," Appius grinned. He looked at the witches. "Your little coven can stop their chanting. I no longer care if this is found," he said, gesturing toward Warren's remains.
"What is your plan?" Mark practically demanded.
Appius looked at him with a mixture of displeasure and amusement. "At some point, you and I will find time to," he paused, "settle your little lapses in judgment and respect. In the meantime, I will humor you. The plan—now—is to go to the ballroom, which I think will be a very fitting setting for my reunion with my child and Karin's "date" with Miss Stackhouse!"
Bill tensed again—to which Appius smiled. "Do not worry, William. I am sure that all will come out as it should," he winked.
The Civil War-era vampire nodded.
"Yes! The ballroom will be perfect for the theatrics to come! For now, we will walk onto the queen's estate through the front gates," he emphasized. "If anyone dares to try to stop us, we will kill them. If anyone dares to use magic to impede us, you, your sister, and any able coven member you have brought will stop them, and then we will kill them. Simple!"
Mark didn't look convinced, but he also knew better than to challenge the elder vampire any more than he already had.
"Come, Karin Dear!" Appius said loudly.
In the next moment, the vampiress sped out of the van. She looked ready to take off—like a rabid dog, but she focused on Appius and waited for him to direct her, though her body was twitching with energy.
The elder vampire took a phone out of his pocket and dialed what he knew to be the queen's direct line, something that he'd made Andre supply to him.
Within moments, the line was picked up.
"Yes?" came a gruff male voice.
"Ah—you must be Wybert or Sigebert!" Appius greeted. "I am Appius Livius Ocella, and I require an audience with your queen in ten minutes. I will meet her in her ballroom."
"The queen is indisposed at the moment," came a stiff response.
"She may stay that way for nine minutes or so," Appius returned casually. "Oh—and if my party and I are bothered on our way in, I will destroy all who are inside, your queen included. Be so kind as to tell her majesty that—and to make sure she understands that I do not like to be kept waiting," he added lightly before hanging up the phone.
"Shall we?" he asked the others in his group.
Appius looked at those around him, enjoying their expressions and reactions. Of course, Alexei was ready to follow him anywhere and was teeming with anticipation. Karin, too, was primed to get moving—and Hallow's spell continued to make her extremely compliant, which pleased the elder vampire greatly. William was looking at Karin as if he might kill her. Appius smiled to himself. Indeed, he wouldn't mind if William was the one to eliminate Eric's oldest child after she'd served her purpose.
The witches were looking at him with contrasting expressions. Hallow seemed eager—ready to help secure her prize: Eric and his blood. By contrast, Mark Stonebrook was clearly pensive, but Appius had no doubt that he would follow the lead of his sister, which meant following Appius's lead.
He spared a moment to regret that his appearance would no longer be a surprise, but he was supremely confident that the result of the night would be the same—and, perhaps, even more dramatic than he'd planned.
He would soon have his Viking—to use as he wished, at least until being around him became too uncomfortable for the maker to bear, due to his own maker's ancient command that he allow his children their distance from him after two hundred short years by his side. Still—he would make his time with Eric count! After all, he'd had centuries to plan the kinds of meaningful impact he could have on his child in short bursts of time! And Eric's fixation upon the telepath and the presence of Karin in the equation gave him so much new material to work with! Indeed, he felt that he could be generous and order Pamela from the situation. She could be saved for some future encounter with Eric.
Appius smiled in anticipation. Soon—very, very soon—Eric would be on his knees before him.
Begging.
Relearning how to serve his maker.
And, ultimately, learning to heel—at long last!
FIVE MINUTES EARLIER
Sophie-Anne kissed Hadley gently on the forehead, even as she looked up at her remaining male children, the wise and loyal Wybert and the strong and cunning Sigebert. In so many ways, the "Berts" were her crowning achievement, so long overshadowed and held back by their older brother, Andre.
The queen closed her eyes tightly as she spared a moment's sorrow for her child. She did not question her choice to allow her strongest sheriff to kill Andre. No—Andre's fate was already teetering on a fine edge. And learning that he'd been colluding with Appius Livius Ocella—behind her back—was the last of many straws during the past decades. Sophie-Anne wondered if she was to blame for Andre's behavior as she took the bag of blood that Wybert had just warmed for her.
She smiled softly at him before handing it on to Hadley, who was still in clear pain and distress from the ordeal of feeling a member of her bloodline perish. Certainly, Sophie-Anne's close connections with her children added to the pain that was shared among them. The queen had tried—and succeeded—in taking the brunt of that pain, but there was bound to be some that got through, and Hadley was the least experienced when it came to taking pain.
The "Berts" had dealt in pain well before Sophie-Anne had come into their lives—both doling it out and receiving it. And their bodies had carried enough scars into their vampire existences to prove their dealings with suffering.
Sophie-Anne was not unused to pain either, though the last centuries had been easy ones. However, she'd had more than her fair share during both her time as a human and her early years as a vampire. And—though many underestimated her ability to get down into the trenches because they mistakenly thought that she hid behind her children—Sophie-Anne had known quite a bit of physical pain on her way to her queenship.
Experiencing the death of her child had been one of the most painful moments of her long existence. But she knew that experiencing the loss of him would be even more painful in the years to come.
Yes—Andre had deserved his fate at the hands of Eric Northman, but she already missed him profoundly, nonetheless.
"Shhhhh." She rocked her youngest child as Hadley finished her drink. Wybert had just warmed another bag of blood and handed it to his maker. This time, she took the nourishment, knowing that her "boys" would never drink before her—unless she commanded them to do so.
Seeing his maker drinking, Wybert quickly readied bloods for his brother and himself, and both "Berts" drank them cold, even as Wybert began the warming process for another bag for his maker.
Other than Hadley's whimpering—understandable given her lack of tolerance for pain—the room was silent for several minutes.
As soon as the queen was done with her first bag of blood, Wybert handed her another, which she took a long drink of before sharing it with Hadley.
Sophie-Anne was about to suggest that—other than Hadley—they return to the others; however, her phone rang. Unwilling to allow anyone to hear his maker when she might sound even the least bit weakened, Wybert put out his hand and asked for the phone from his queen.
As soon as he answered—and she heard the caller identify himself—Sophie-Anne's heart sank.
There had been a part of the queen that was holding out hope that Appius was not involved in the bloodshed that had already taken place that night on her estate. In addition to Eric's losses, the queen had lost two trusted guards in her retinue due to Andre's foiled attack against the surveillance room. Rasul has met the true death. Moreover, Jude Hensley, one of the most trusted Weres in her retinue, was also likely lost. Both Rasul and Jude had been great assets and would be difficult to replace; more than that, however, Rasul had been a friend.
Sophie-Anne stood up and straightened her dress as soon as she heard Appius demand a meeting. She believed what he said—that he would kill all in his path if he didn't get his way. But she was the Queen of Louisiana—dammit! And—though she was currently safe in the guesthouse—there were many others on her estate, and she was responsible for all of them.
As soon as Appius hung up, the queen spoke to her children softly. "Wybert, contact Lance and Quinn. Have them make sure none of our two-natured guards try to impede Appius in any way. And do the same with our vampire people."
"You're going to meet him?" Hadley asked, the fear clear in her tone.
"Yes," Sophie-Anne replied to her softly, but firmly. "If I don't, he will kill all in his path." She turned back to Wybert. "I want Lance to quickly, but quietly evacuate all of the human staff. Or—if that's not possible, they should take shelter in the bunker on the north side of the complex."
"The bunker will not withstand someone as strong as Appius," Sigebert said gruffly. As always, he was contemplating any weaknesses to defensive or offensive strategies.
"I know, my child," the queen said softly. "I hope they can be evacuated instead. But the bunker is—at least—something that could protect them from lesser threats." She sighed. "It is all I have for them. Likely Appius's focus will be on us—on Eric. So they can escape at dawn."
Sigebert nodded as Wybert sent the texts to Lance and Quinn.
The queen looked at her two Saxon warriors. "I have never needed you two by my side more."
Both brothers stood straight and nodded in readiness.
"Go tell Eric about the call from his maker. I will be out there in a few moments," she instructed.
Wybert and Sigebert both glanced at Hadley before leaving the room.
Sophie-Anne looked back at her youngest child. She wondered how much more loss she would face that night—when her loss of Andre was already threatening to take over her emotions. But she had to push those emotions aside. She had to try to protect her remaining children, her retinue, her kingdom, and herself.
Not surprisingly, Hadley had tears streaming from her eyes. She didn't understand all that was happening, but it was clear that she knew her maker would be in grave danger when she met Appius.
"Dearest," Sophie-Anne said gently, even as she took Hadley's hand. "I love you. I turned you because I did not want to imagine my existence without you." She chuckled a little—ruefully. "We vampires like to think of ourselves as immortal, but we are not. Remember what I told you before I turned you? When I asked you to choose to be my child?"
Hadley nodded solemnly. "You said that I shouldn't say 'yes'—if all I wanted was to live forever."
Sophie-Anne nodded. "Vampires can die—just as humans can," she said. "It is the inevitability of death—the ticking clock—that gets removed for a vampire." She stroked her child's cheek. "I want to live forever with you. That is why I changed you. But I will settle for as long as I can have with you. If I meet the true death tonight . . . ."
"No!" Hadley interrupted forcefully.
"You will carry on without me," Sophie-Anne finished her thought. "And—in so doing—you will help me to live on. If one of your brothers remains, he will help you. If they are all gone, but Peter remains, he will take care of you."
Hadley was shaking her head. "No!"
Still, Sophie-Anne went on, "If you feel your brothers and I are all gone . . . if Peter is gone . . . if Eric and Sookie are all gone . . . ."
"No," Hadley repeated, gasping.
"If we are all gone," Sophie-Anne continued, "I want you to slip away. This home is safe, but—if Appius kills me and the others—the rest of Louisiana will not be. As soon as you can, make your way to my safehouse in Baton Rouge and contact the Queen of California. She and I made a pact long ago that—if the worst occurred for either of us—we would give places and aid to each other's children."
Red streaks stained Hadley's cheeks as she continued to shake her head in denial. "No," she whimpered again.
Sophie-Anne bent down to kiss her. "I love you. Live on from this night—I command you."
"If you die, the command won't work," Hadley managed to say, despite her sobs.
"I know," the queen responded with a gentle smile. "But you will do it anyway—because you love me."
Hadley nodded.
The queen squeezed her child's hand one more time before speeding from the room to meet the others in the living room area.
"It is time to go," she said definitively after sparing a single glance towards the ashy remains of her first child.
"Sophie-Anne," Eric began, "Appius wants me. I will go. You all must stay here—safely."
"He could have you right now—with a simple command," Sophie-Anne responded, her voice strong and resolute. "So it's clear that he wants more. I will hear him out."
"He'll kill you if you deny him anything," Eric emphasized.
The queen gave her sheriff a sad smile. "Our lots run together, Viking. You have protected me from harm more than once. My choice has been made to protect you this time."
"Let's go," Peter grinned. "Let's see what the bastard wants."
"I love your courage, Peter. But you didn't ask for this," the queen said to him. "You should stay here."
"For better or worse," the Arkansas King winked.
Sophie-Anne rolled her eyes. "We did not share human vows."
Peter shrugged. "But I chose you to be my partner for the next one hundred years. I'm not gonna prove unworthy of that partnership on night one."
The queen nodded gratefully and reached out to place her hand on Peter's forearm.
Hyun-Ae, the representative from the Vampire Council who'd attended the ball as a witness to the joining of the monarchs, spoke up. "I will inform the Council of what happens here, but I cannot be officially involved. Even if ridding the world of Appius Livius Ocella would be something many in the Council would want, we cannot seem to take sides, for—if Appius wins . . . ."
She left her thought unended, but the consequence that might befall the Council if Appius were to turn his wrath onto them was clear to all in the room.
The queen nodded. "I know, Hyun-Ae. This guesthouse is warded well. You should be safe here."
The Asian beauty nodded. "If the worst happens, I will help your Hadley. I only wish I could do more."
"You have my thanks for that," Sophie-Anne said to the unexpected offer.
The lovely Asian vampiress nodded. "Good luck. Nobody wants a vampire like Appius Livius Ocella to stay long on United States soil." She glanced at Eric and nodded respectfully.
"It is time," Wybert informed the queen.
Sophie-Anne turned to leave, and Eric fell in line to follow.
"Stay with your bonded," the queen ordered sternly, stopping him in his tracks. "We will soon see what your maker wants."
Eric looked ready to protest, but Sophie-Anne didn't give him the chance, for she was already progressing toward the tunnel, flanked by Sigebert and Wybert.
Following them were three monarchs: Peter Threadgill; Russell Edgington, who gave Eric a significant, but enigmatic look before he left; and Ian Bowles, King of Tennessee, who looked just as ready as Peter for a fight. Jennifer Cater and Betty Joe Pickard followed their kings.
As soon as they had left to go into the tunnel, Pam and Padma entered the room, and the remaining occupants seemed to move into clusters. The two Demon lawyers were in the kitchen area, though Mr. Cataliades was clearly keeping one eye on Sookie, thanks to the guesthouse's open floor plan. Hyun-Ae and Pam sat at the small dining room table; Pam's worried eyes were on her maker, while Hyun-Ae was typing furiously into her phone. Padma and Thalia positioned themselves on either side of Sookie and Eric, while the couple now held each other near the couch.
"Maria-Star? Is she gonna be okay?" Sookie asked Padma after a moment of solemn silence had passed.
Padma nodded. "I have given her my blood, and she will recover. Dr. Ludwig has locked down the medical treatment area. It would take a lot to get in there," she added softly.
Sookie bit her lip nervously and looked up at Eric, who was looking toward the tunnel entrance with a haunted expression on his face. She took his hand.
"I knew this night would come—a night when Appius returned to my life," he said, his voice hollow-sounding. "I knew that—when it did—he would cause damage. For he has never interacted with me when he did not."
He shook his head a little and brought his gaze from the tunnel entrance to his bonded. "I should never have let myself fall in love with you," he whispered, ignoring the fact that there were others in the room. "I should never have allowed myself to feel such joy. I made myself a target to his sadism. I made you a target. And now, he has come to destroy all that I hold dear. I am sorry, min kära."
"Don't say that," Sookie responded insistently as she brushed a tear aside. "The time we've been together has been the best time of my life. And we're gonna find a way to beat him. We are!" she insisted. "I need you to believe that!"
Doubt clouded Eric's eyes, but he nodded. "I do believe in us. I will never stop fighting for that."
Sookie fought against crying as her pain for her bonded, her anxiety, and her fear ricocheted within her.
Instead, she looked at Thalia, who had been on the phone with Molly since Wybert had told them about Appius's call to Sophie-Anne.
"Appius has entered the compound," Thalia informed. "There are several with him; among them—from all that we know about her appearance—is Hallow."
Determination replaced the doubt in Eric's eyes. "Get Octavia and Amelia," he ordered no one in particular. "Molly," he said at a normal volume, knowing that she would hear over the phone, "is there a way that we can watch what is happening in the ballroom with one of your computers?"
"She showed me how to patch in," Padma said, moving quickly down the hall to get the witches and then to retrieve Molly's laptop from the room where the queen had just said her goodbyes to Hadley.
Moments later, she was back in the room. Shadow trailed behind her, immediately took in the mood of the room, and then went to stand protectively next to his mistress. Octavia and Amelia followed, and Hadley—looking haggard and even paler than usual—brought up the rear.
"You should rest," Sookie told her cousin as Padma hurriedly set up the laptop, as she listened to some instructions from Molly.
"I'll go crazy if I stay in there alone," Hadley responded timidly.
Sookie gave her a little smile.
"The feeds from the ballroom are up," Padma alerted.
Eric nodded and led Sookie over to sit on the couch. As soon as he saw the image of his maker, his whole body tensed. Sookie took her vampire's hand.
However, it was the appearance of a female a few steps behind Appius that really rattled the Viking.
"Karin," he whispered, his voice laced with horror. "She is with him."