A/N: As promised, here is the next chapter of The Engine. I hope that you enjoy it! Leave me a review/comment if you have the time!
All best,
CKat
P.S. Thanks to everyone who read & commented on the previous chapter! It's so heartening to know that many of you are still with me!
Chapter 45: Who's Sorry Now
Sookie's body was teeming with energy. She wanted to pace. She wanted to scream. She wanted to fight. She wanted to run. She wanted to do something—anything!
But she was sitting still—in the lap of her beloved, his strong arms binding her to him as if she might float away if he didn't keep hold.
"We should be out there," she said miserably.
"That is likely exactly what he wants," Eric said softly. Despite his exterior calm, Sookie could feel that he was in turmoil—mixed with sadness.
The losses had already been too high.
FIVE MINUTES EARLIER
Almost as soon as Sookie had told Queen Sophie-Anne, King Threadgill, King Edgington, and Wybert that she was 90% certain that she was feeling an Appius-induced echo in her bond with Eric, there had been confirmation in the form of Thalia.
She'd "lost" Andre. Or—more accurately—she'd chosen not to follow Andre past a certain point because some vampire "radar" she possessed let her know that Andre was moving toward an extremely powerful being—one that made the vampiress concerned enough to let Andre go for the time being.
For Sookie, the situation was simple math: her dread-causing echo from her bond with Eric, plus Thalia's feeling of looming danger due to a mystery badass, equaled Appius Livius Ocella in fucking vicinity!
Almost immediately after her horrifying theory had been confirmed as fact, Palomino contacted Eric and Thalia to inform them that Andre was back in the queen's compound, seemingly heading towards the surveillance room, though he was taking the long way around.
Maxwell Lee and Chow had been sent there to help, even as Thalia had insisted that—given the "almost" confirmation of their potential foe—her place was right back by Sookie's side.
And Eric had insisted that all of their places were back in the guesthouse—since that truly was the safest place on the queen's compound at that moment. Eric had invited Queen Sophie-Anne and the other monarchs to join them there to plan, but he'd lost no time at all picking Sookie up and speeding her back to the guesthouse.
She'd never felt him move that fast.
He was afraid—for her and for what Appius might do.
A minute later, the guesthouse had started filling up.
Sookie took a deep breath and tried to keep calm.
Amelia and Octavia were in one of the bedrooms—going over some blocking spells. Thalia and Padma were both on high alert—with Padma guarding near the entrance to the tunnel and Thalia over by the single door that led into the estate's large yard where Sookie knew that most of their two-natured guards were patrolling.
Sophie-Anne and Peter had arrived a short time after Eric and Sookie—after tasking Quinn with offering their apologies to the ball's attendees. Specifically, he'd been instructed to lie his ass off and tell them that Sophie-Anne and Peter were having a lovers' spat and had, therefore, postponed the pledging ceremony that was supposed to be later that night. He'd been further instructed to get the ball broken up as quietly as possible and to get all of the guests, especially the humans, off the estate safely—and quickly. There were, after all, very powerful humans in attendance, including the Governor, the Mayor, and a U.S. Senator, and it wouldn't do for them to witness any of Appius's antics—or, much worse—to die at his hands!
To their credit, neither Sophie-Anne nor Peter gave any thought to the gossip that would definitely ensue at the hasty cancellation of the party or their pledging. Indeed, both were clearly in battle mode, discussing with Wybert and Jennifer Cater about where to best position their loyal vampires. Meanwhile, Hadley was safely stowed in another bedroom in the guesthouse—fine with being out of the way. She was dog-sitting Shadow, who was restless due to all the tension in his Mistress. Given the situation, Sookie thought it would be better to have him out of harm's way, too. Meanwhile, Sigebert and Jacob, Peter's personal guard, were both patrolling the tunnel, along with Indira and Pam.
Sookie jumped a little as Eric's phone rang.
Her nerves were not helped when Wybert's rang a moment later.
Of course, Sookie could not hear what the callers were saying; however, she did pick up the fact that all the vampires in the room stiffened because of what was being said.
"Very well," Wybert said. He was the first to hang up.
"Take them to the infirmary," Sophie-Anne spoke—as if she were talking directly to the phone in Eric's hand. Sookie tensed even more at those words.
"You heard the queen," Eric said in a soft voice, even as he hung up. Before anyone could tell Sookie what had happened, the Viking's phone rang again.
He squeezed her hand and tried to send her a little comfort through their bond, but both of them were too anxious for it to be that effective.
As Eric answered and listened to his second caller during the last minute, Sookie noticed that the queen was making a call.
Sophie-Anne spoke into the receiver as her call connected. "Ludwig, we need you here." There was a pause. "Several two-natured. In the infirmary."
"Understood," Eric said as he and his queen hung up their phones at almost the same time.
"What's happened?" Sookie asked quickly, before either phone could ring again.
For a moment, Eric paused, and their bond indicated his reluctance to convey whatever bad news they'd gotten.
Wybert took the reins to share the news of his call first. "The one I sent to Andre's safehouse has called. He discovered Rasul's remains on the front porch of the safehouse and a trail of Were blood leading into it."
"Were blood?" Sookie squeaked out.
"It's Jude's; he's a Were we employ for surveillance," Wybert informed, his expression troubled. "The one I sent knows Compton and picked up his scent outside of the safehouse. But it was a vampire with a different scent that killed Rasul and took the Were into the safehouse. There is no way for us to know if Jude is alive or dead inside of the house, for our vampire cannot get beyond the porch."
"Why do we need Dr. Ludwig?" Sookie asked, her voice shaking as she turned to Eric.
Her bonded squeezed his eyes shut for a moment—as if steadying himself. "The second call was from Molly. Andre has been apprehended, but Debbie Pelt is still on the grounds. They are looking for her, but she's somewhere hidden from the cameras right now. They are going through old footage to see if they can pin down her general location. Sookie," he paused, "Andre and Debbie killed two of the queen's people—and Palomino."
Immediately, tears sprang to her eyes. "The first call?" she managed to ask, though her voice was cracking.
"It was Mustapha," Eric said softly. "Something—someone—got onto the grounds. He's not sure who it was. But I believe it was Appius," he said, his voice full of regret.
"What did he do?" Sookie asked her hands shaking inside of his grip.
"Willow is dead," the Viking responded softly. "Warren has been taken and is presumed dead as well."
"Oh, God!" Sookie exclaimed, her tears flowing freely now. "Willow! Warren! Oh no! You said Mustapha was the one to call?" she asked, her voice full of compassion due to the fact that the Were had to deliver such news about his beloved.
"There is more," Eric said softly. "Onawa and Maria-Star have both been injured. That is why the queen called Ludwig."
"Oh, God! How bad?" Sookie asked desperately.
Eric shook his head. "Humans would have died from their injuries, but the two-natured are different. Still, Mustapha believes their condition is critical. The doctor will tell us more."
Sookie rose to her feet quickly. "We need to get to them! Where did this happen? Are they in the infirmary yet?"
"Sookie," the queen said from across the room, her voice a strange mixture of sternness and comfort, "it is very likely that our foe is hoping to draw us out—you and Eric specifically."
"It is what Appius would do," Eric confirmed softly. "He enjoys creating spectacles, tragedies designed to distract and rattle people. He wants us to respond in a haphazard way."
Thalia stepped toward them. "From what I know of Appius and what I saw of Andre's movements, I believe that Appius had in mind for Andre to eliminate Molly and shut down the surveillance system so that you would not know he is here," she said to Eric before looking at the queen. "I believe Appius hoped to isolate Sookie, capture her, and then call Eric to him."
Shaking on her feet, Sookie sat back down on the couch and allowed herself to be encompassed into the comforting arms of her beloved again.
"However the two came to be together, Bill has likely told Appius how much you mean to me, Sookie. And my maker would have felt it, too," Eric said softly. "He would know that I would do anything he asked if he had you in his grasp," he added.
"Andre did not know about all the spells around this guesthouse," the queen observed. "So Appius won't know either. But Andre does know where the gaps in our surveillance are on the grounds, and he could have told Appius all about them. Perhaps, Appius thought Eric would send you here, Sookie."
"The 'me' that Appius knows," Eric acknowledged, "would have sent you here—thinking you would be safe enough with your guards—while I went to track down any threat. He would believe that I would have no issues separating from you—if there was a fight to be had."
"Why have Andre work with Debbie Pelt though? I mean, she's not exactly stable," Sookie shivered as she remembered how the werefox had pushed her into the trunk with Bill—the trunk that Eric had saved her from before her so-called first love could rape, drain, and likely turn her.
"Distraction," Thalia posited. "And to set up a dangerous situation that would cause Eric to go on the hunt."
"And Debbie would have given my child a convenient scapegoat so that he could cover up his own involvement," Sophie-Anne growled, her fangs coming down.
"Why attack our guards once he figured out there was magic around the guesthouse though?" Sookie asked.
"Another distraction," Thalia guessed.
"Perhaps. Appius doesn't like for his plans to be foiled in any way, so he might have attacked out of rage. Or maybe it was a move meant to terrorize us. To ratchet up our dread even more," Eric said bitterly—angrily. "My maker is a monster."
"And monsters don't stop," Peter commented from a wall that he'd been leaning against. "And he don't sound like an idiot monster either. And that means he'll know soon enough that Andre has failed, that he can't get into the guesthouse to get to Sookie, and that the ball has broken up. So the question is: How will he come for you now that his plan has fallen through?"
Padma entered the room from the entrance to the tunnel. "The Kings of Mississippi and Tennessee are asking for entrance—as are Hyun-Ae Kim and the Dae lawyer, Cataliades. Chow, Maxwell, and Andre, too," she added, looking pensively at the queen.
Eric nodded, even as his phone rang. So close to her own ear, Sookie could pick up the acerbic voice of Dr. Ludwig, though she couldn't hear all her words.
"That is promising news," Eric said after a moment—before he hung up.
"What?" Sookie asked, moving out of his arms a bit so that she could look at his face.
"Onawa will recover on her own. Her back was broken, but shifters have even greater healing power than other two-natured beings. She should be fine within a few weeks. And," he paused, "Ludwig said that her child should be fine as well."
"Child?" Sookie asked in surprise.
"Very likely, the child is your brother's," Eric responded.
"But . . . ." Sookie started, but did not complete her thought.
"The pregnancy is new, according to the doctor," Eric explained. "Onawa did not know."
Sookie shook her head a little. "What about Maria-Star?" she asked, her voice cracking a little at the news that she would be becoming an aunt.
"Her condition is still in the balance," he said softly. "Ludwig wants to give her vampire blood to help her, but Maria-Star has refused to take any unless it comes from you," he added, looking at Padma.
The beautiful Indian vampiress smiled slightly, though her eyes still held her concern.
"Well—what are you waitin' for?" Sookie charged.
"I must stay here—to guard you," Padma said with a little bow of her head.
"Go save Maria-Star!" Sookie insisted. "That's an order." She shook her head and swiped away some tears. "Warren, Willow, and Palomino. Not to mention Rasul and everyone else that's been in Appius's crosshairs. It's already too many losses." She shook her head again—even more vehemently. "No more. Especially not Maria-Star. Please," she said, gripping Eric's hand and imploring Padma.
"It is your choice, Padma, but if you care for her, your choice should already be made," the Viking said.
Padma nodded and moved to leave.
"Come back as soon as you can," Eric added.
"But don't let that stubborn Were try to come with you," Thalia scoffed, though it was clear that the vampiress held great respect for the head of Sookie's day-guards.
"Let the kings and others into the tunnel on your way out," Eric ordered, sharing a look with Sophie-Anne.
The queen sighed. "I was hoping that Andre would continue to exist and that this situation could be resolved. I was wrong in my calculations to have him followed, and now one of your people and two of my loyal vampires are dead because of that. And Andre is, at least, partly to blame for the rest of the deaths tonight, too," she added regretfully.
In that moment, the room became even more filled as Russell Edgington, Ian Bowles, Hyun-Ae Kim, Desmond Cataliades, Betty Jo Pickard, Maxwell Lee, Chow, and Andre entered.
Eric stood when Andre's fangs dropped at the sight of Sookie. He ordered, "Chow, secure him over there." He pointed to a chair on the other side of the room.
Sophie-Anne leveled a stare at her eldest child; soon, he was seated, and the silver net was arranged to keep him that way.
"Is your new master Appius Livius Ocella?" she asked him.
Though Andre could not speak due to Hallow's spell, his expression conveyed any final confirmation that was needed.
Sophie-Anne shook her head. "You fool. You were so intimidated by Eric—so suspicious of his actions—that you may have destroyed my queendom with your own actions! How could you have thought that getting into league with that deranged vampire would lead to anything but destruction for this state? For me? How could you have thought that I would just stand by while one of my sheriffs was destroyed by his own maker? You—of all people—should know that I despise the idea of a maker misusing a child—as my maker misused me! It is why I gave one such as Compton a chance in the first place—because Lorena was so sadistic! I was giving him a way to break free from her!"
"And Northman?" Andre snarled out in Eric's direction. "You took him on too—over my objections—even though you knew his maker was still undead. Do you not see now? Do you not see how he is to blame?" Immediately, Andre doubled over in pain—because he had broken his maker's command by speaking to her.
Sophie-Anne turned her back on him and looked at Eric.
"Kill him. Do it now so that I can recover and fight beside you tonight," she commanded, the strength and determination clear in her tone.
"My queen?" Eric asked.
"You or me," Peter said forcefully, moving to stand next to Sophie-Anne. He took her hand. "This is to be my pledged. I don't have the same kind of romantic sparks behind my eyes as you have for your bonded, Eric. But Sophie-Anne is going to be MINE for the next century.
"She is to be my partner in making our states stronger—my queen to rule with me!
"I won't have her harmed because she is weakened due to Andre bein' under silver all night long. And I won't have her incapacitated if the mother fucker gets himself killed at an inopportune time. You have a greater right to Andre's head than I do. But he's gonna be taken out of this equation within the next minute or two." He crossed his arms. "So you or me?"
Sophie-Anne looked at Peter with a soft, though forced smile. She nodded in acceptance of his proclamation.
Meanwhile, Eric looked at Sookie.
She was looking up at him with understanding in her eyes.
"I think that you, Sigebert, and Wybert should go back to where Hadley is," Sookie said to the queen. "There's bagged blood in the fridge in there since that's the room where Padma and Molly are stayin'. Y'all should have all of it," she added softly.
Red tears now rimmed the queen's eyes as Andre struggled helplessly against the netting.
"You are kind," Sophie-Anne responded to the telepath.
A moment later, Sigebert came into the room, obviously having been called by his maker. Without questioning what was going on, he followed Sophie-Anne and Wybert down the hallway.
Sookie stood and looked at her mate. "You should be the one to do it," she said decisively. "King Peter's right. It is your right."
Eric could feel her understanding in their bond. "I never want you to believe that I am the monster my maker is," the Viking said softly, forgetting—for a moment—that there were others in the room.
Sookie shook her head and put her palm against his cheek. "You could never be anything like him. You are not killing for sport or to terrorize. You are exacting punishment for what Andre has done to Palomino and the others—and for what he wanted to do. Octavia told us earlier that she and Amelia couldn't break the spell on him without a lot of time. And we don't have that right now. That means, he's of no more use to us, and—if his bein' under silver will weaken Sophie-Anne—then he needs to go," she added, her voice even.
Eric shook his head a little. "In the past, you would have . . . ."
She interrupted. "In the past, you hadn't helped me to discover who I really am and what I really stand for." She leaned up and gave him a brief kiss on his lips before looking at Thalia. "But that doesn't mean I need to see it. I'm going to go into our room and change into something that's not a ballgown," she smirked. "Thalia will come with me."
Eric nodded and kissed his bonded's forehead before she and her vampire guard left the room, and then he turned his now-murderous gaze upon Andre.
"If a little torture of you wouldn't affect your maker so much, I'd find the time," the Viking spit out, even as he walked toward the queen's soon-to-be deceased child.
"This is all your fault," Andre seethed, looking at Eric with hate-filled eyes.
Eric stopped in his tracks for a moment and shook his head. "You, Bill Compton, and my maker are the only vampires I've ever known who blamed their issues on everyone other than the man in the mirror." He scoffed. "You were so lucky, Andre. Lucky to have a maker who loved you—who made you a trusted partner. Losing that gift is on you."
"I was trying to protect her from you!" he yelled insistently.
Again, Eric shook his head. "You have an honorable maker, yet you do not understand the concept of honor. And I pity you for that. The only way I would have ever been disloyal to Sophie-Anne is if she broke covenant with me first."
"She is your queen! She has no covenant with you!" Andre insisted.
"You're a fuckin' idiot," Peter scoffed. "And now even your maker knows it." He stepped forward a little. "I haven't been a king long, but even I know that the street between a monarch and a subject goes both ways. Eric's right. You have no fuckin' honor!"
"And you don't have any more time either," the Viking seethed as he took a stake out of his pocket faster than human—and many vampire—eyes could have seen and stabbed it into Andre's dead heart.
Eric regretted his act for a moment—as the queen's cry of pain could be heard from the back of the guesthouse, but as Andre's body disintegrated before him, that feeling was quickly replaced with satisfaction—similar to the feeling he always got when he vanquished an enemy.
But that feeling, too, was fleeting—as Eric thought about the other enemy that was waiting for him in the dark.
It was an enemy he feared he could not vanquish.
Sookie was silent for the first minute that she was in the bedroom, but that silence was not because of any misguided grief over the death of Andre. On the contrary, a significant part of her had been tempted to stake the bastard herself—as he had apparently been helping Appius and Bill in some kind of machination.
No—Sookie's silence was for the grief she felt regarding Palomino, Willow, and Warren.
"If Warren's gone . . . ," she finally said to Thalia, "if he's dead, we have to get his body." She roughly brushed away some tears, knowing she didn't have time for them. "I won't have Mustapha going through not having that—at least. And I won't have those bastards do God knows what with him!" she growled.
Thalia simply nodded.
"And Willow. Where is she?" Sookie asked, her voice shaking.
"Her body is being cared for," the vampiress replied simply.
"Appius has already proven that he's out for blood. He won't stop until he gets more—will he?" the telepath asked, even as she finished changing her clothing into something much more practical than a ballgown.
Thalia sighed.
"Don't sigh," Sookie admonished with a shaking voice. "Anyone but you can be scared right now." She shook her head. "If you seem scared to me, I swear to God that I'm gonna rattle apart!"
The vampiress managed a little smirk. "Okay then. I am not scared. But I am ready for a fight. Are you?"
Sookie steeled herself. "A fight for Eric? Hell yeah!"
Thalia gave the telepath a sincere smile—a proud one. "In that case, I will tell you the truth."
Sookie nodded and straightened her posture as much as she was capable—as if ready to deflect the bad news that was coming.
"Appius clearly came here tonight for Eric—and for you. I'm sure that Bill Compton would have told him about your gift, and—from all I know about Appius—he would have spent a good deal of time imagining a fate for you that would most hurt your bonded."
"Would he use the witch to break our bond?" Sookie asked, suddenly afraid of that possibility. "Could he? Is that possible?"
"Maybe—eventually. But first, he would use the bond to break Eric further," Thalia said with a shake of her head. "Appius likely plans to command Eric to hurt you or to stay away from you. Either would destroy him."
"And me, too," Sookie whispered.
Thalia nodded. "Yes. Bill Compton likely figures into Appius's plans for you as well."
The telepath winced, but then growled. "That fuckin' bastard. I can't believe I ever thought I loved him!"
"Trust me—I cannot believe it either," the vampiress deadpanned.
Sookie gave her a wry smile before frowning deeply. "I think Bill would have turned me—in the trunk that Debbie pushed me into. I think he would have violated me, drained me, and turned me. If he gets ahold of me now . . . ."
She left her thought unfinished as she looked at her vampire guard intensely.
"He won't," Thalia said firmly, her eyes fiery. "I won't let that happen."
"Promise me that—if there is a choice between Eric's life and mine . . . ," Sookie started.
"No!" Thalia declared before Sookie could say another word. "I will promise only that I will try to protect you both, but you are my priority, Sookie Stackhouse."
The telepath sighed. "And you are my friend, Thalia . . . . Hey—do you have a last name?"
"None that matters," the vampiress smirked.
"So like Cher or Madonna," Sookie observed in a moment of levity.
"They wish," Thalia responded before she got serious again—deadly serious. "Appius will not react well when he learns that Andre failed to shut down the surveillance system. You asked earlier if I thought he'd be satisfied with the blood he's already taken tonight. The change to his plans all but ensures that he will want more."
"Octavia and Amelia are certain that Hallow can't use her magic to bring down their spells—at least not quickly," Sookie said as if to reassure herself. "So he can't get into the guesthouse."
"He cannot. But he can order Eric out," Thalia reminded softly.
Sookie closed her eyes tightly. "Could Eric fight his pull?"
"He could, but he won't," Thalia responded.
"Why not?" Sookie asked with a frown. "Why put himself into harm's way like that?"
"Because he will save his fight for a command from his maker that he could not abide. And he will be hoping for Karin to kill him if that happens—if he is in the open, that is."
Sookie's eyes widened. "You know about Karin? How?"
"She told me," Thalia responded. "Right before she went after Appius."
"She went after him?" Sookie shook her head. "Eric wasn't sure. They—uh . . . ," she paused. "There is something off with their bond," she said enigmatically, not wanting to share her bonded's secrets, "so he couldn't be sure where exactly she was."
"Still, she could feel it when you and Eric bonded," Thalia shared. "So there must be some connection between them. Has he mentioned that she is no more?"
"No," the telepath answered. "Karin is still undead. Of that, I'm sure."
"So maybe she is near," Thalia mused. "And—if she is near—she could be of help."
Sookie took a deep breath. "Or she might kill Eric and spare Appius the trouble."
Thalia nodded, her expression grave. "It would be better—for Eric and for you."
"Eric dying won't be better for me," Sookie whispered. "I think it would kill me too."
"Your bond is very deep," the vampiress responded, though she neither confirmed nor denied Sookie's hypothesis.
The telepath sat onto the bed and laced up the boots she'd put on. "If I die, promise me that you will look after my nephew or niece?" she asked, still obviously trying to get used to the idea that Onawa was pregnant.
"If you die, I will have fallen before you," Thalia averred.
Sookie looked at the vampiress with affection in her eyes. "I know that. I was talking to Batanya—wherever she is."
Thalia chuckled. "The Britlingen better have fallen, too—if you are gone."
The telepath bit back her own smile. "Then I guess we all have to live—okay?"
"Okay," Thalia returned.
"So Appius is gonna have to die tonight," Sookie said, knowing that that was the only outcome that would protect Eric from his maker.
"Yes," the vampiress growled, even as Sookie moved toward the door so that she could rejoin her bonded.