The following evening, Nikolai was sitting outside the council chamber, waiting for them to call him. Angeline sat next to him with her head on his shoulder, holding his hand.
The two of them said nothing, sitting in silence, not wanting to ruin the peaceful moment they shared. Lucas happened to walk past them in route to Ender’s chamber.
He stopped in front of them and instantly thought of how he could torment the two of them some more. “I heard the two of you have joined.” Nikolai didn’t say anything to Lucas, nor did he change the position he was in. He averted his eyes upward and glared at Lucas. Lucas smiled and continued, “I see Father has told you that I am disowned.”
Without letting go of Angeline’s hand, Nikolai raised his head and said, “Yes, Master Lucas, he did. He is no longer your father, and I am not your brother. So, please, I would appreciate it if you left me to be at peace with my mate.”
“Nik-”
“You will address me as, Master Nikolai.”
“Pardon me, Master Nikolai, but what are you doing outside of council chambers?”
“Master Lucas, I have no reason to speak to you any longer.”
“It is because you tried to kill me that you are here, is it not?” Lucas asked.
Nikolai rested his head upon Angeline’s and replied, “Please move along, Master Lucas. I no longer wish to look at you.”
Lucas decided to bait his brother. He looked at Angeline and said, “Mistress, you have managed to join with a whore.” Nikolai’s temperature began to rise, but he didn’t move as Lucas continued. “He has joined with you, but will not stay with you. He joined with you out of obligation. He does not love you. He loves another.” Nikolai’s anger became a bit stronger. He raised his head and glared at his estranged brother. Lucas continued. “It is only a matter of time before he sinks his teeth into the one whom he truly desires.”
Nikolai let go of Angeline’s hand and stood up. Angeline said, “Nik, no.”
Nikolai ignored Angeline, took a step closer to Lucas, and said through his teeth, “Master Lucas, please move along. I no longer wish to look at you.”
Lucas ignored Nikolai, looked at Angeline, and continued, “This one is his final conquest. He was supposed to have her by now, but your joining has postponed that I would think.”
Nikolai’s face was now red with anger and he said, still through his teeth, “Master Lucas, you will get away from me now. Do not address my mate and do not address me. Leave now and you will leave with your life. Stay and I will gladly be executed in the courtyard for all to see.”
“You have gained self-control, I see. I suppose that this is a good thing for me. You will not have to concern yourself with me, Nik-”
Nikolai took another step toward Lucas, continued to grit his teeth, and said, “Master Nikolai.”
Lucas’ smile didn’t fade. He continued. “Master Nikolai, you will not have to concern yourself with me much longer. The council will sentence you for your crime. I just wanted to see if you would be forthwith and tell me of this fact. Since you were not, I hope you burn in hell.”
Nikolai hissed, drew back, and attempted to hit Lucas in the face. Luckily, for him, Angeline caught his arm before he could follow through.
She looked at Lucas almost in tears and said, “Lucas, please leave us. You have done enough to sabotage our relationship, but it has not worked. I love Nikolai and he loves me. Nothing will ever separate us, not even you. Though you may not have lied to me about him, I love him enough to forgive all that he has done. You have done enough to damage our reputation. Is it really worth losing your life over? He did what he did because of me. Not that I need it, but he is protecting what now belongs to him. Now that we are together, please allow us the little time that we have left. We wish to be left alone.”
“Angeline, if he manages to be exonerated, he will hurt you. Even if he is not, he will hurt you anyway. Fine. I will leave the two of you alone for now. Do me a favor and think upon all that I have told you. I have not lied to you because I have no reason to. Good day, Master and Mistress Thorn. I wish the both of you good luck. You are going to need it.”
Lucas walked away, satisfied. He left Nikolai and Angeline to deal with the trauma he caused.
Nikolai was angry and firmly asked, “Angeline, why did you stop me?”
“Because if I had not, the council would kill you. Where would that leave me? We have only been joined for one night. Please let me hold you for as long as I can.”
Nikolai sighed and said, “Forgive me, my love. You are correct. Let us go back to what we were doing before we were interrupted.”
They sat back down and held each other. Nikolai wanted to kill Lucas. He wished the council would save him, so that he could do just that.
As Nikolai and Angeline sat outside the doors, the council was discussing Nikolai’s fate. Darth addressed the council as king, but in the back of his mind, he only thought of the life of his favorite grandson.
“Family, we are here tonight to discuss a matter that has happened at the Baby Farm. Master Nikolai Thorn took it upon himself to try to rid the world of his brother, Master Lucas Thorn. To kill a member of your own coven is punishable by death. However, Nikolai did not kill Lucas. Lucas still breathes. Because he vocalized to Master Boris, a highly placed member on the council, that he still had plans to kill Master Lucas, justice will take place.
“Nikolai is special and very unique. He is the only one within our coven that was born a vampire. Upon his birth, we did not know what he would do, or what he would become, so we allowed him to survive. Why did we do this? Curiosity. I am now over being enamored with the miracle of his birth for he is now twenty-six years old.
“He has used his uniqueness to his advantage. None of us cared, because nothing he did touched us in any way. Family, we are here tonight because the aforementioned man has decided to attempt murder.
“Though he is special, he must be judged. I look upon all of you to decide his fate. My heart is heavy, because he is my grandson. Ignore my feelings and tell me of your own. Master Malachi, what are your thoughts?”
Malachi sat up straight in his chair and said, “He is your grandson, my lord. Master Nikolai is indeed special. He did, however, violate coven law.”
“That he did. Kali, what are your thoughts?”
“My lord, in my opinion, Master Nikolai should be spared.”
“Why?”
“I will say that it will hurt you deeply if he is not spared. Free Nikolai.”
“Master Boris?”
“I am not fond of Nik, but he is one of my clan. Spare him, my lord.”
“Igor, you are always one to tell the truth. What is your opinion?”
“Master Nikolai has violated a coven law. Please put him to death, my lord.”
“I will think upon it. Angela, your opinion?”
“I agree with Igor. Put him to death.”
Darth looked around the room and said, “We have not heard his words and yet those who I have heard from are willing to condemn him.”
Eulisses spoke up and said, “It is all about our laws, my lord. Nikolai is guilty.”
Darth went about the room and asked various opinions. With all opinions spoken, the vote was split.
“Family, I have heard from you. Now it is time to hear from him. Master Nikolai waits just outside the door of the council chamber. Are we ready to hear from his mouth?” No one objected. “Belinda, if you could call him in, we will hear all that he has to say.”
Belinda opened the council chamber door to find Nikolai embracing Angeline. As much as she didn’t want to disturb them, she had no choice.
“Master Nikolai, the council is ready for you now.”
Nikolai stood up, faced Angeline, and said, “Go home. Do not wait for me.”
“Nik, I will wait.”
Nikolai shook his head and said, “No. I will be a while. If you are called upon to testify for me, you will be summoned.”
“Nikolai, you are very brave, and I know that you are not afraid. Do not be taken away from me. For if you are, I will know that you did not try and I will be very angry.”
“It is not my wish to anger you, my love. I will do my best to spare my own life.”
Angeline looked Nikolai in his eyes and said, “Kiss me.” Nikolai didn’t hesitate. He did as she said. Angeline looked into his beautiful eyes and said, “Last night, you told the council of your love for me. Tonight is when you prove it. I do not wish to become a widow at twenty-six.”
“I will do my best.”
“I know you will. Good luck, beloved.”
“Thank you, my dear. I will attempt to make you proud.”
Belinda looked at the torn couple and remembered her duty. “Master Nikolai, you are to stand before the council now. Come, we will not keep the king waiting.”
Nikolai stroked Angeline’s cheek and said nothing. He left her standing in the spot she held and didn’t look back. He went into the council chamber, the door closed and Angeline didn’t know what to think.
She knew Nikolai didn’t want her to stay, but everything about her wanted to. She decided that he was right and went home. If the council wanted to speak to her, they would call for her.
Nikolai went into the council chamber and waited to sit in the chair in the middle of the room. The former king didn’t allow those charged to sit. Darth thought that was a bit cruel. In order for him to get the truth, he wanted them to be as comfortable as they could. He introduced a comfortable chair into interrogation.
“Master Nikolai, welcome to council. Please have a seat.”
Nikolai sat, and found the chair quite comfortable. He was pleased that he could answer any questions in comfort. Once Nikolai sat, Darth began.
“Your name is Nikolai Jaymes Thorn, is it not?”
“It is, my lord.”
“Why are you here, Master Nikolai?”
Nikolai was not about to admit guilt so he replied, “I do not know, my lord.”
Darth expected him to reply as such and said, “It has reached the council’s ears that you have a desire to kill your own brother. Is this true?”
“It was at one point, my lord. Lucas did something to me and our brother that is unacceptable.”
“You have three brothers. Lucas is the one involved, so we can exclude him. Of which of your other brothers do you speak?”
“Lucas has pitted my brother Kristopher against me, my lord.”
“Meaning what, exactly?”
“Meaning that he has arranged to do things that would allow us to fight unnecessarily.”
“I see. When did he first do this?”
“I am not aware of when he started this.”
“Why not?”
“Because Lucas would do simple things, like take my mirror and move it to Kristopher’s room.”
“Making it look like Kristopher was the one who took it.”
“Exactly, my lord.”
“If I understand correctly, to an outsider, it would look like Kristopher and yourself were just being normal.”
“Yes.”
“When did you discover that Lucas was doing this to you?”
“I believe it was two weeks after Byron’s birthday party.”
“Byron is your youngest brother, correct?
“He is, my lord.”
“So, this has gone on for your entire life?”
“As far as I am aware, my lord.”
“Interesting. Why do you suppose Byron told you about this?”
“Honestly, my lord, at first I believed that it was Byron doing this to Kristopher and me. After all, he is the youngest, and only a child would do such things.”
“Why did Byron tell you about this, Master Nikolai?”
“I am ashamed to say it, but I have had eyes for his woman for a very long time.”
The entire chamber gasped, but Darth continued with the questions. “You believed that he blamed Lucas to keep you from blaming him.”
“That is correct, my lord.”
“Master Nikolai, I still have not heard anything that would give you cause to want to kill Lucas. There has to be something else. The way it sounds at this point, Byron is the one you wanted to kill. You would do this so that you could pursue his woman. Do not delay in telling us any longer. Why did you want to kill Lucas?”
“Master Lucas tired of trinkets and began to play with our lives. He would make it seem as though Kristopher was trying to pursue my mate.”
“You mean to tell us that Master Lucas attempted to tear you and Mistress Angeline apart?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Why?”
“I do not know, my lord.”
“Are Kristopher and Angeline friends?”
“They are close, my lord.”
“So Lucas could use this to his advantage and make it appear as if they were flirting with each other.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Tell me why you did not just ask them what was going on?”
“Kristopher and I have competed for everything all of our lives. I sincerely believed that he was attempting to take her from me.”
“Master Nikolai, I happen to know for a fact that you do not back down from anything. Why did you just not ask them?”
“I did not believe Kristopher would have told me the truth.”
“So you just let them continue.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Are you aware of any instance that Master Kristopher lied to you?”
“No, my lord, but I believe that he would have lied to me about Angeline. The entire coven knows my feelings for her. Up until Byron told me otherwise, I assumed what I was seeing to be the truth.”
“How did Master Byron convince you that Master Lucas was behind this?”
“When Kristopher and I fought at Byron’s birthday party, it was about Angeline. She was angry with me about something I said to her, and she went to go to speak with Kristopher. Moments later, Lucas approached me.”
“What did Master Lucas say to you?”
“It appeared that he witnessed the disagreement between Angeline and I and he came to give me some advice.”
“Master Lucas is always forthcoming with good advice. What did Master Lucas say to you, Master Nikolai?”
Nikolai sighed and said, “Lucas said that if I did not get serious about Angeline, Kristopher was going to take her from me. He then pointed across the room to show me that they were again smiling in each other’s faces.”
“Did you confront Master Kristopher?”
“I did, my lord.”
“What did you say to your brother?”
“I told him to stay away from her.”
“What was his response?”
“He told me that they were only friends.”
“And because of your lifelong competition with each other, you did not believe him.”
“I did not, my lord.”
“All of us are aware of what happened after that. We were all at Master Byron’s birthday party and witnessed your scuffle. You still have not told us how Master Byron convinced you it was Lucas causing turmoil between Kristopher and yourself.”
“He reminded me of the facts that led up to Kristopher and me fighting at his party. He proceeded to tell me that Lucas was behind all the problems and issues that I had with Angeline and Kristopher.”
“How were you certain that Master Byron told you the truth?”
“Because my youngest brother is still very naive about things. He has an unmistakable innocence about him. He respects me as his elder brother and would never ever lie to me.”
“So, of all of your brothers, you are saying that he is the most honest.”
“Exactly, my lord.”
“What did you do next?”
“I did nothing.”
“You did not confront Master Lucas at this time?”
“No, my lord.”
“Why not?”
“Because Angeline was not around for me to witness her and Kristopher together.”
“You needed proof.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“When was it that you did confront Master Lucas?”
“A few weeks ago, I received a letter from Master Damon denying my requests to see Angeline. I was angry and remembered the reason I believed I was not allowed to see Angeline. It was then I went to Lucas and spoke to him. I asked him if what Byron told me was true, and he did not deny it.”
“How did this make you feel?”
“I was angry.”
“What did you do next?”
“I told him that he was going to have to leave the farm and never come back. If he did not leave, I was going to kill him.”
“Did he take you seriously?”
“No. He proceeded to tell me things that made me even angrier than I already was.”
“Things like what?”
“He told me of several accounts that he purposely pitted Kristopher and me against one another. He told me that I did not deserve to be with Angeline. He said that of all of us, he was the smartest and deserved the throne. The thing that turned my stomach was he considered it all a game.”
“A game, Master Nikolai?”
“Yes, my lord, a game. He believed he was the smartest in the clan and wanted us to acknowledge it.”
“I do not understand why he would do this.”
“I do not either, my lord. Perhaps you can ask him.”
“What happened after that, Master Nikolai?”
“At that point, my anger was out of control and I grabbed him by his throat and raised him off of the ground. Before I could get a good grip on him, Master Remus discovered us and told me to put him down.”
“Did you put him down, Master Nikolai?”
“No, my lord. It was my intention at that point to smash his skull and rid the world of him forever.”
“How is it that Master Lucas is still alive?”
“He was struggling to get free. Because Master Remus interrupted me, I lost my grip.”
“I suppose Master Lucas was very lucky.”
“Yes, my lord, he was.”
“What happened next?”
“Master Remus stood between the two of us and told Lucas to leave. Lucas left the farm and came here.”
“Has Master Lucas been back to the farm?”
“No, my lord. It is my opinion that he still believes I am going to kill him, so he has not returned.”
“Do you still plan on killing Master Lucas?”
“Up until my arrival, it was still my intention to kill Master Lucas.”
“Why have you changed your mind?”
“I was going to kill him to keep him from poisoning Angeline’s mind against me. She told me he could not do that because she loved me. I changed my mind after that.”
“Because he was not successful in doing this, you no longer wish any harm to come to Master Lucas?”
“I did not say that, my lord. I said that it is no longer my choice to kill him. If someone else murders him in his sleep that would be just fine with me.”
“I see. Why do you feel this way? It is my understanding that your father has since disowned him.”
“He has been disowned, my lord.”
“When was the last time you saw Master Lucas?”
“Right before I came into council chambers.”
“What happened?”
“He tried to start a fight with me so that I would indeed take his life. This would ensure that I would certainly be put to death and in his afterlife, he would be happy.”
“This is the reason you feel that Master Lucas should die?”
“Yes, my lord, but it will not be me that will do it.”
“I understand. Master Nikolai, are you aware that what you have done is a very serious crime?”
“I am, my lord.”
“Tell me, what do you think your punishment should be?”
“I know that you can still put me to death and wish that you would not, because I did not kill Lucas. I think that I should be put in the stockade.”
“For how long, Master Nikolai?”
“For however long the council sees fit.”
“You do not believe you should be exiled for what you did?”
“No, my lord.”
“Very well, then. You are excused Master Nikolai. We are not finished with you, so you are to confine yourself to my chamber. Master Sirus, please have one of your clan escort Master Nikolai to my chamber and stay there to guard him.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Brothers and sisters, we are to have a short recess until this is completed. When we reconvene, we will hear from both Master Kristopher Thorn and Mistress Angeline Thorn. Mistress Belinda, please locate the two of them for me and have them wait outside council chambers.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Master Boris, might I have a word with you in private?”
“Certainly.”
Darth and Boris moved back beyond the chairs of the five elders. Boris asked, “What is it, my lord?
“Do you believe he is telling the truth?”
“Nik may be lots of things, but I have not known him to lie about something so serious.”
“When I asked him if he knew why we called him here, he told me he did not.”
“Nik is smart. If he immediately admitted guilt, he would not have been able to be heard.”
“I see.”
“Are you going to exile him?”
“That is the punishment for attempted murder. You know that. If this is what the council chooses to do, then I have no choice.”
“I understand.”
“What would you have me do?”
“Set him free.”
“I will hear your opinion on that when we are deliberating. Thank you, Master Boris.”
“You are welcome, my lord.”
Twenty minutes later, Darth was sitting in his chair, looking Angeline in her face. He didn’t immediately allow her to sit. When she began to fidget, he said, “Welcome to council Mistress Angeline. Please have a seat.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Do you know why you are here?”
“You wish to speak to me about Master Nikolai.”
“That is correct. We will not keep you for very long.”
“I appreciate that, my lord.”
Darth smiled and said, “Mistress, how long have you known Master Nikolai?”
“We met in the garden when I was thirteen, just as school was out for the summer.”
“How old are you now?”
“I am twenty-six, my lord.”
“So, you have known him for half of your life.”
“I have.”
“How long have you known Master Kristopher?”
“I met him on my first visit to the Baby Farm. It was the first summer after Nikolai had finally committed to me.”
“How old were you then, mistress?”
“I was about to turn eighteen, my lord.”
“You have known Master Kristopher for approximately eight years.”
“This is also correct, my lord.”
“Mistress, it is obvious to all of us in this room of your feelings for Master Nikolai. We witnessed your joining, just last night. What I want to know about are your feelings for Master Kristopher.”
“Feelings, my lord?”
“Yes, mistress. Do you like him? Do you love him? Do you despise him? What are your feelings for Master Kristopher?”
“We are close friends, my lord. I do like him very much.”
“Have you ever had eyes for Master Kristopher?”
“No.”
“He is quite handsome. Are you sure of this?”
“I am very certain, my lord.”
“Good. Upon your visits to the farm, did you often speak with Master Lucas?”
“Master Lucas often spoke with me, yes.”
“What did you talk about?”
“He often told me that Master Kristopher wanted to speak with me about something or another.”
“And you would go to see Master Kristopher?”
“Yes.”
“In each scenario that you can remember, how often was it that Master Nikolai would find the two of you together?”
“Just about all of them, my lord.”
“This did not seem suspicious to you?”
“No, my lord.”
“What would happen most of the time?”
“Nikolai would simply take my hand and lead me away from Kristopher.”
“You still did not find this suspicious?”
“No, my lord.”
“Was there any time that Master Kristopher ever touched you?”
“There was a time on one of my visits he stroked my cheek in a way that was not acceptable and I should not have allowed it, but I did.”
“Tell us what happened.”
“It was the first time that I witnessed Nikolai so angry. He hit Kristopher and knocked him to the ground.”
“What did Master Kristopher do? Did he strike back?”
“No, my lord. He apologized to Nikolai for his betrayal.”
“What did Master Nikolai say?”
“He told him to never touch me again.”
“Has Master Kristopher put his hands on you since?”
“No, he has not.”
“I see. Mistress Angeline, are you aware that you and Master Kristopher have become such good friends because it was designed to be that way?”
“I am not sure I understand your meaning, my lord.”
“I mean, were you aware that you were put together on purpose?”
“Are you asking if I am aware that it was Master Lucas that pushed us together? I will say that in the beginning, I was not.”
“When was it that you learned of this?”
“Only two days ago, my lord.”
“I would assume that it was Master Nikolai that told you of this.”
“Yes.”
“Did he tell you why he had been called to council?”
“Yes he did, my lord.”
“I see. Master Nikolai has told us that he wanted to try to keep Master Lucas from poisoning your mind against his. Do you believe this to be true?”
“I do, my lord.”
“Why?”
“Because Lucas did try. He told me of things that I was already aware and some that I was not.”
“This did not sway your love for Master Nikolai?”
“It did not, my lord.”
“I see. Tell us when you last saw Master Lucas?”
“It was not long before Nikolai was to come into chambers.”
“Tonight, mistress?”
“Yes.”
“Tell us what happened.”
“Master Lucas attempted to start a fight with Nikolai.”
“How did he do this, mistress?”
“He said horrible and hurtful things to both of us.”
“I suppose Master Nikolai got angry.”
“He did, my lord.”
“Why do you think Master Lucas did what he did?”
“I do not know, my lord. He does not seem to be right in the head.”
“Are you saying you believe Master Lucas to be mad?”
“I do.”
“Mistress, I would like you to tell us about Master Nikolai’s character. What kind of man is he?”
“He is kind and loving. He can be very pompous at times. He is very sure of himself, and he is very brave.”
“Would you say that Master Nikolai is a liar?”
“I do not believe him to be a liar, my lord.”
“Thank you, mistress. Please return to your chamber, we may need you again and would like to be able to find you.”
“I will, my lord.”
Angeline got up and left. Once the door closed, Darth looked at Belinda and said, “Mistress, if you will retrieve Master Kristopher for us, I would appreciate it.”
Moments later, Kristopher was sitting in the comfortable chair in the center of the council chamber. Darth looked at his grandson and said, “Welcome to council, Master Kristopher.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Do you know why you are here?”
“Nik tried to kill Lucas.”
“That is correct. You are the final piece of a complicated puzzle. Once we are finished with you, we will have the whole picture. Tell me when it was you learned about what Master Lucas had done.”
“The very night that Nik tried to kill him.”
“Who told you?”
“Nik did.”
“Were you surprised to learn that Master Lucas had been doing this to you and your elder brother?”
“I was, my lord. It made me angry.”
“Angry enough to kill him?”
“No, my lord.”
“Are you satisfied that Master Lucas is now disowned?”
“I am, my lord.”
“Why?”
“Because he can no longer cause unnecessary turbulence between Nikolai and me.”
“Do you still care for Master Lucas?”
“I do, my lord. He may no longer be my brother, but I still care about him.”
“If Master Nikolai had been successful in murdering Master Lucas, would you be angry with your elder brother?”
“No.”
“You just told us that you still care about him. Why not?”
“Because he would have gotten what he deserved.”
“You believe that Master Lucas deserves to die?”
“All men who are mad deserve to be put out of their misery.”
“Please be careful what you say. You do realize that Master Malachi leads a whole clan of people who are mad,” Darth said.
Kristopher looked at Malachi and said, “I am sorry, Master Malachi. I did not mean to offend you.”
“Do not worry about it, Master Kristopher. I understood what you were trying to say. Please continue with the questions.”
“Thank you, Master Malachi. Master Kristopher, you are telling us that Master Lucas is mad.”
“I am, my lord.”
“I see. Tell me about Master Nikolai. I wish to hear what you think about his character.”
“My brother is a brutally honest man who seems to only care for himself. He is a snob and he loves women.”
“You said that he is brutally honest. Meaning what?”
“Meaning, do not ask him something that you do not want to know the answer to. Nik will waste no time in giving you your answer and his opinion on the subject.”
“Thank you, Master Kristopher. We may call upon you again, so you are to go to your chamber and stay there. You are excused.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
Once the door closed behind Kristopher, Darth said, “Well, brothers and sisters, it seems that we have a job to do. Before we get Master Nikolai back in here, I wish to know what you think. Master Malachi, it is again your turn.”
“My lord, it is my opinion that even though Master Nikolai attempted to murder his brother, he was justified in doing so. I say we do not punish him at all.”
“Mistress Kali?”
“I seem to remember something written in our law that says the council is not to intervene in clan business. I agree with Master Malachi. I do not wish us to punish him either.”
“Master Boris, you are his clan leader. What do you think?”
“I had not remembered this part of our law. Since he is one of my clan, I think that I should be allowed to punish him.”
“So you are on the same side as Malachi and Kali.”
“I am, my lord.”
“We have come to the very wise and also brutally honest, Master Igor.”
“It does not matter what this part of the law says. Master Nikolai attempted to kill Master Lucas. That is still a very serious crime against the coven. I vote to exile him.”
“In the eyes of our law, attempted murder is the same as murder, and both are punishable by death. Why do you vote to exile?” Darth asked.
“I do not think it wise to widow Mistress Angeline. If we kill him, she may seek to murder Master Lucas, herself.”
Darth smiled and said, “You are indeed a wise man. Mistress Angela, your vote?”
“I was going to vote for death, but Master Igor did make a very good point. Exile him.”
Darth looked over to Master Heinrik and said, “Heinrik we wish to hear from you next.”
“I think of what either his death, or his exile, will do to his parents. I remember what it was like when I lost my beloved Selena. I do not wish Master Alec to go through this pain. I say we let him go.”
“I had forgotten that you lost your daughter. Master Cameron, you are next.”
“I agree with Heinrik. Let him go.”
Darth went around the room and got the opinions of the other council members. When finished, the one thing that Darth didn’t want to happen happened. The vote split right down the middle. He did not want to be directly responsible for deciding his grandson’s fate.
Darth sighed and said, “I had hoped that it did not come to this. Is everyone absolutely certain on their vote?” No one spoke, so Darth continued, “Master Sirus, could you please get Master Nikolai for me? I wish to tell him what is going on.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Minutes later, Nikolai returned to the council chamber. Darth looked at him and said, “Master Nikolai, it seems that though you have violated one of our coven laws, there are still people in this room that think you should be cleared. Because of those on your side, we are at an impasse. It is up to the panel of elders to decide on what to do with you. Either we will set you free, and allow Master Boris to punish you, or we will exile you for a period of ten years. I do not know how long this will take for us to discuss, so do not go anywhere. You are to return to my chamber until we call upon you again. At that time, we will tell you of our decision. Do you understand?”
“I do, my lord.”
“Master Sirus, will you please escort Master Nikolai back to my chamber and then return to your own?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“The rest of you are to return to your chambers. I do not wish to look for you when we make a decision. You are excused.”
The panel of elders deliberated for three hours. Bertrand, Julian, and Xander stuck to their plan and voted to free Nikolai. Aurora, now an elder, believed the same as Igor. Most of the time spent in council chambers was time trying to convince Darth to vote to free his grandson. When he had enough of Xander trying to coax him, he said, “As much as I would like to vote to free him, I cannot. He broke the law. If it were up to me alone, I would have had to make an example of him and put him to death. So, forgive me, I have to remain on the side of the coven.”
Xander looked at Darth. “Please forgive us, brother. We understand.”
“If we are finished, Brother Julian, please go to Malachi and have everyone return to the council chamber. I will tell them of our decision, and then Master Nikolai.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Almost thirty minutes went by, and everyone was back in chambers to hear the decision of the panel of elders. Darth looked around the room and spoke.
“Brothers and sisters, I am both happy and sad at this moment. I am sad because a serious crime will go unpunished. This makes us all look bad, and there will be others looking to get away with murder. As your king, I will not allow this to happen again. If we once again judge one for a crime so serious, we will not vote on it. I will put the accused to death. Please be sure to tell your clans of this. However, I am happy that my grandson will be able to keep his life and share it with Angeline. Master Boris, when Master Nikolai returns, you will give him some sort of punishment. It is not my business on what it will be, but you must be ready to punish him immediately. Am I clear on this?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“All right, Master Sirus, please retrieve Master Nikolai.”
“As you wish, my lord.”
Minutes later, Nikolai returned to the council chamber and looked the king his eyes. He was trying to see what it was that he was going to say. Darth showed no emotion, he only opened his mouth and said, “Master Nikolai, it is the decision of the panel of elders that you will not be exiled. However, as your clan leader, Master Boris is required to punish you. He has not told us what this punishment will be. Your life is now in his hands. When your sentence is over, you will be a free man. Am I clear on this?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Master Boris, the floor is yours,” Darth said as he anticipated Boris’ decision.
Boris stood up. “Master Nikolai Jaymes Thorn, it is my decision that for the crime you committed, you will receive thirty lashings with a cat ‘o nine tails, administered by one from Master Julian’s clan in the courtyard for all to see. Afterward you are to spend ninety days in Master Bertrand’s holding cell. This will allow you to be constantly under his watch. There will be no contact with your family, and yes, this does include Angeline. Do you understand?”
“I do, my lord.”
“Your punishment will begin tomorrow at sunset. Until that time, you are to be in the custody of Master Igor. Master Igor, I trust that you will not allow him to go free?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Master Nikolai, is there anything that you wish to say?”
“I have only one question, my lord and it is for the king.”
Darth looked at Nikolai and said, “What is it, Master Nikolai?”
“What is to happen to Lucas?”
“It is my decision that two days from now we will hear from Master Lucas. We will charge him with criminal mischief. Will that satisfy you?”
“It does, my lord. Thank you.”
Darth looked at Boris and asked, “Master Boris, do you wish to add anything else?”
“No, my lord.”
“It seems that our work is done. I will see you all two days from now. At that time, we begin this process again. Master Igor, Nikolai is yours. This meeting has ended.”
Darth got up from his chair and everyone stood. They allowed him to leave the chamber first and the remainder of them filed out in order of rank behind him.
Bertrand invited Boris and the other seven vampires that were on Nikolai’s side to his chamber to discuss the outcome of Nikolai’s trial. Jayde greeted them and asked, “How did it go?”
Bertrand smiled. “It went according to plan. Nikolai is not free yet, but in ninety days, he will be.”
“What of Lucas?”
“He is to stand before us two days from now. Jayde, my dear, if you will have someone bring us all some wine, I would appreciate it. We are all very tired and we wish to discuss some things quickly.”
“As you wish, my lord.”
“Oh, and Jayde, you are not welcome to sit with us so please take care of this task and make yourself scarce.”
Jayde hated when she was not in control of her relationship as she usually was, but she knew that Bertrand had to keep up appearances if he were to keep his respect. She simply replied, “Yes, my lord.”
Once they all had a glass of wine, they began to discuss what they were going to do about Lucas.
“Boris, you did a very good job with your punishment of Nik. He will think twice before he puts his hands on another within your clan. Because of his pride, you are going to publicly humiliate him and then deprive him of the one he loves. I am certain that he is going to come away from this, hating your guts. Watch your back, brother.”
“I am not afraid of Nik. Besides if he does decide to challenge me, he will have to get through his own father to do it,” Boris replied.
Everyone in the room laughed and Bertrand continued. “I know I previously said that when it came down to Lucas, you would vote on the evidence alone, but I have heard enough evidence tonight to have his ass dragged away right now. I had no idea of his madness. As it is, I have come up with an idea. Master Malachi, Lucas is to become one of your clan.”
“My clan, my lord?”
“It only makes sense. We will vote that he is to be bitten by one of your clan.”
Malachi grinned with anticipation. “I will do the honors myself.”
“Very good. Now let us all enjoy the few hours we have left. It is rare that I get the chance to socialize with all of you at one time. I am curious, however, why you wished to help me in the first place. Boris’ reason was obvious. Malachi, tell me of your reason.”
“When Alec was trying to free the coven, he included me. He did not have to do this. My clan is a lot like Igor’s clan. Most in the coven shy away from us because we are a bit touched.”
Xander chuckled and said, “And most stay away from Igor’s clan because they are all simply ugly.”
They all laughed. Bertrand looked at Xander and said, “What was your reason?”
“My daughter, of course. What other reason could there be? I did not want her to suffer, as I know she would have, so I helped you. What was your reason, Bertrand?”
“I know that Alec would snap in half if he lost his eldest son. This would then become a burden for my brother and I did not want him to have to go through that. Heinrik, what about you?”
“In commissioning Carmine to make the swords for his planned coup, my clan has been returned to greatness. Alec came to my clan to help him and although he was not aware of it, he made me a lot of money. I had to show him my appreciation somehow. What about you, Kali?”
“Alec helped save me from Hannibal. Yes, Xander, I know you killed him, but if Alec had not had the courage to take him on, you might have never gotten your chance. When Hannibal died, I could record our coven history properly. As it was, Hannibal had to read everything before I officially put it into history. Because of this, some of his treachery has been lost. Hannibal was wicked. On a different note, all of Alec’s children have been a delight for me to teach. They are all very bright, especially Lucas. Julian, tell us why you wished to help.”
“Alec saw that I was a good leader and rewarded me as such. I will continue to help him in any way possible simply because he recognized what Hannibal did not. You can count on me to always be on his side.”
Bertrand looked at Cameron and asked, “What about you?”
“Alec is a kind man, and I like him. It is because you sit in your seat, Bertrand that I sit in mine. As you all know, I once held the lowest seat on the council. I was touched that when he had to make a decision about the Clan of Mixed Bloods, he asked my opinion first. This way, my true opinion was allowed to be heard and I did not piggyback on all of your opinions.”
Bertrand looked at Cameron and asked, “You were really doing that?”
“I went with the majority, every single vote, for a hundred years. My clan was the lowest clan. In my eyes, my true opinion did not matter.”
“Amazing. I was not aware of this. What about you, Sirus?”
“First, I did it because I had the rare opportunity to see Alec when he was at one of his lowest points. His compassion for his friends is amazing to me. When Selena died, I could not believe how much he cried. He did not care that others may have been watching as he cried over the death of a friend. Secondly, I am loyal to you, Bertrand. You have but to ask and I will do your will. It is because of you that I am now clan leader.”
Bertrand smiled and said, “Thank you, Sirus. I will remember that. Let us make a toast, shall we? To Master Alec Thorn!”
All in the room raised their glasses and said, “Alec Thorn!”
They all went on to enjoy each other’s company until all of the Nightwalkers decided to return to their chambers. This left only Boris, Sirus, and Bertrand. Boris was glad at this, because it would allow him to tell Bertrand of his true punishment for Nikolai.
“Bertrand, Sirus, I am going to tell you something, but you must not say one word to anyone. If Darth gets wind of this, I will be in a lot of trouble.”
“Brother, what are you up to?” Bertrand asked.
“Nikolai’s only punishment is to spend a night with Igor’s ugly clan and the thirty lashes. The reason that I said he was to be put into your holding cell is so that he could remain close to Angeline.”
Bertrand smiled and said, “I figured as much.”
“He cannot leave your chamber. As far as I am concerned, he can have his own room. It is up to you on how to handle this. Sirus you are to allow only your second to know about this, because they will become Nikolai’s personal guard for the time that he is here. They will stick close to Nikolai to keep up appearances. Clear?”
“Clear,” Sirus said.
Bertrand smiled. “Do not worry, brother. I will handle it.”
“Thank you. I knew I could count on you.”
Bertrand continued to smile. “You are doing this so that Nikolai will not seek you out as his next victim.”
Boris smirked. “Give me a break, Bertrand. It is as I said before, I am not afraid of Nikolai Thorn.”
“Remember, he tried to kill his own flesh and blood. What is to stop him from trying to kill you?”
The following day at sunset, as many as could fit into the courtyard were there to witness the high and mighty Nikolai Thorn publicly flogged.
Quite a few of the spectators were women that Nikolai had promised love and never gave. More of the spectators were mates of the aforementioned women. Some were there just to lay eyes on him.
Mostly everyone who was there had a reason to be there. Kristopher chose not to see his brother beaten. Angeline could not bear the thought so she also stayed away. Damon secretly wished Nikolai put to death, but since he didn’t get his wish, he was there to witness the next best thing.
Alec was there, though he didn’t want to be. He had to be there to show his coven that he did not approve of his son’s behavior. He promised himself he wouldn’t show any emotion. He couldn’t. He was the coven’s great liberator Alec could not fold at the sight of his son’s blood, so he stayed. He was thankful to Boris, because he kept Brie away. She wouldn’t have been able to take what was about to happen.
Darth and Xander were thinking the same thing. Neither one of them wanted to see what was going to happen. Because of their positions, they were required to be there, as well as the remaining panel of elders and council members.
Promptly at sunset, the crowd parted to allow the council to get to their front row seats. Once seated, Darth addressed his coven.
“It is with a heavy heart tonight that I show you what can happen to one who breaks our laws. My heart is heavy because the accused is my great-grandson. He is one who I hold very high. It saddens me to allow you to see this because of who he is. However, it was not my choice to flog him in front of you. It was the choice of his clan leader, Master Boris. Master Boris chose his punishment and I will allow him to get on with it if he so chooses. Master Boris, the floor is yours.”
Boris stood up and looked at Alec. Alec looked back at Boris and nodded, letting him know that he was okay with his choice. Boris had no words for the crowd that stood in the courtyard. “Bring in the accused!”
The crowd parted at the anticipation of Nikolai’s arrival. They stood quietly until they laid eyes on him. When Nikolai appeared in the gateway that led into the courtyard, they immediately began to boo and hiss. Most of them didn’t even know what he had done. Nikolai looked terrible. The night with Igor’s clan, The Clan of the Hidden, was not one of his best. Igor, not satisfied with the outcome of Nikolai’s trial, made sure that he was tortured in every legal way. He personally flogged him. Igor, not satisfied that Nikolai didn’t cry out in pain, went for something closer to Nikolai’s heart. Women. Igor sent the most attractive of his clan to be with Nikolai. At first, he thought that he could handle the three that attended to him, but they clearly were stronger than he was.
They did things to him that his own powers couldn’t control. Nikolai was up against something he had never encountered. Violent, sexually charged women that would do anything to get what they wanted. When Nikolai couldn’t perform to their expectations, they beat him. One-on-one, he could take them. Three on one, he had no chance. Igor sat in the corner and watched to ensure they didn’t cross the line into criminal torture. When he was satisfied, he made the women stop. The following day, Nikolai appeared in the gateway of the Castle of Kings with tattered clothing and dried blood on his face and hands. His usual neat appearance was lost and he was indeed shamed at this. He was a handsome man; he usually took very good care of himself. Women loved him because of his good looks. This night, if he approached any woman, she certainly would have shunned him because of the way he looked.
Before he took one-step, he looked up at Boris. Nikolai was angry with him for his choice of punishment. Boris saw the hate in Nikolai’s eyes and ignored it. Boris motioned for Nikolai’s guards to move him into position. Once Nikolai was secure between the flogging posts, Boris spoke.
“The punishment that you are to receive, Master Nikolai, is thirty lashes with a cat ‘o nine tails. Master Julian has chosen the most brutal of his clan to administer your punishment. Mistress Belinda, if you are ready.”
Belinda stood up and gathered her wits. She picked up the cat ‘o nine tails and said, “Master Nikolai, for the crime that you have been charged with, I give you your punishment.”
Belinda drew back and struck Nikolai the first time. He did not cry out, but his pain was almost unbearable. Belinda swung as hard as she could with each swing. She had to be able to humiliate Nikolai, or her mission would be a failure.
She swung, and had yet to hear Nikolai beg for forgiveness. She continued striking his back as he bled more with each stroke. By the time she got to the tenth stroke, Nikolai had tears in his eyes. By the fifteenth stroke, Nikolai was openly crying, but he didn’t scream. He was a proud man, and believed he would live through his humiliation. However, his family felt every blow as their hearts went out to him. He thought about this and five strokes later, allowed his mouth to scream.
Nikolai’s cries of pain were hard to listen to for those who loved him. Those in the crowd who had no idea of what he’d done stood in silence. By this time, neither one of his grandfathers could watch, so the both closed their eyes. Lucas was in the crowd, and smiled bigger with each scream. He was happy with Nikolai’s punishment. That would teach Nikolai to mess with him.
Boris was saddened at his choice of punishment. He thought of his best friend. What could Alec be thinking? He chose to ignore those thoughts. He was the administrator of Nikolai’s punishment and had no choice but to watch as his best friend’s son was flogged in public. At Belinda’s last swing, she stepped back and looked at Nikolai’s back. It had several deep cuts. She thought, ‘I’ll never do another like this’ she looked at Boris as he quietly said, “Please remove the accused and take him to his cell.”
Two guards quietly stepped up, untied Nikolai, and did as Boris asked. When Nikolai was untied from the flogging posts, Boris sat down and put his face in his hands. He was ashamed with the punishment he’d chosen for Nikolai. The once unruly crowd was now silent as they watched Nikolai move back into the castle with help.
Darth had nothing profound to say. He stood up in front of his coven and quietly said, “You are all excused.”
The members of his coven waited until the council left the courtyard.
Darth went to his chamber and asked that he not be disturbed, and Xander did the same. Bertrand, Boris, and Alec went to Bertrand’s chamber. All of them were silent. Boris felt the need to apologize.
“Alec, please forgive me. I had to make him believe that what he did was serious.”
“But to flog him in front of the entire coven? Boris, we could have done that in private.”
“No, I chose to do this publicly to embarrass him. Now he will think twice before he puts his hands on anyone else.”
“Where is he now?”
Bertrand looked at Alec and said, “He is in my holding cell. That is where he is going to spend his ninety days.”
“You mean he cannot go home after he is healed?”
Boris shook his head. “No.”
“Bertrand, I thought you said that you were going to save him.”
“I did save him, Alec. Nikolai still breathes. It is a good thing that Kali came up with a loophole in the law.”
“What was that?”
“It says that the council is not to interfere with clan business. Seeing that both of your sons were a part of your clan when the incident occurred, Boris was able to choose the punishment. Had Lucas or Nikolai been in different clans, we would have had no chance. So we did save him.”
“Can I see him?”
Boris gazed at Alec. “I am sorry, brother. You cannot. He is to have no contact with anyone.”
“So, he is exiled anyway.”
“That is the best I could do,” Boris said sadly.
“Not to worry, Alec. I will take good care of him. There is already someone from the infirmary seeing to his wounds.” Bertrand said.
“Bertrand, I trust you. I am just concerned about Brie.”
“Brie will be fine. Trust me,” Boris said.
“I certainly hope so. Thank you for saving my son. I am going to see Angeline. I will see you later.”
Bertrand stopped Alec from leaving. “Alec, if you are thinking of going home, you cannot.”
“Why not?”
“The council is going to have to deal with Lucas as well.”
“I have already told you. I do not care what happens to Lucas.”
“You will still need to be here. I have a plan for him and I think it might please you.”
Alec said nothing and walked out of the door. He went to see his daughter-in-law. He arrived at the Delarosa chamber, knocked on the door, and waited for Angeline in the sitting room.
Moments later, Angeline appeared in the sitting room and quietly said, “How is he?”
“I do not know. I was not allowed to see him.”
“Master Alec, you are his father. Why is it that you were not allowed to see him?”
“That is what I am here to tell you. He is going to be in jail for ninety days. After that, he will be allowed to come home a free man.”
“Not even I am allowed to see him?”
“Not even you. Lucas is going to stand trial for his part in this, so I have to stay. After that is over, I am going home and you are more than welcome to come with me. If you want to wait for Nik that is understandable.”
“Thank you, Master Alec, but I will stay here.”
“Tell me something, Angeline.”
“What is it?”
“Are you certain that you love Nikolai for who he is?”
“Well of course I do. Why would you ask me that?”
“I just want to be sure that you did not join with him just to one day be queen.”
Angeline shook her head. “No. I love Nikolai and have loved him for over half of my life, you know that.”
Alec nodded and said, “Yes, you are correct. Forgive me. I just had to let you know what was going on. I will leave you to your business now.”
“Where is he?”
“He is in Master Bertrand’s holding cell, but it will do you no good to attempt to see him.”
“I just wanted to know where he was, Master Alec. Thank you.”
“You are most welcome. I will see you later.”
Alec went to see Kristopher and told him the same thing. Kristopher was just as surprised as Angeline was.
“We cannot see him?” Kristopher asked.
“No.”
“Well, at least he is alive.”
“Yes, he is. Son, if you will excuse me, I am still a little shaken about this whole thing. Your mother must be worried sick about us. I am going to write her and let her know what has happened.”
“Mother is not that worried.”
“How do you know that?”
Kristopher smiled and said, “I know how bad you are at writing when you are worried, so I have written her every day since we have been here. She knows about everything.”
“Thank you, son. I appreciate that. What is going on at home?” Alec asked.
“Nothing special. She says that Byron and Regan cannot keep their hands off one another and Byron has finally taken her hunting alone.”
“How is he handling being in charge?”
“Mother says that Master Remus has had to remind him of quite a few things, but for the most part, he is doing well.”
“I am glad to hear this. Well, I am going to my room and write to her now. I think she will be pleased.”
“She will, father.”
“See you later.”
Alec went to his room within the king’s chamber and sat down at the desk. The entire time he was away from home, he didn’t have the chance to sit back and relax. He still was not his calm and serene self, but he had to talk to someone about his feelings. Alec began to write the letter to his beloved Brie.
‘My Love,
‘Please forgive me for not writing sooner, but you know how I am. When I get an idea in my head, it will not go away until I have taken care of it.
‘Kristopher tells me you are doing just fine despite the fact that you have not heard from me. He also tells me that Byron and Regan cannot keep their hands off one another. I am so glad she finally decided to be turned. Now Byron can be like his brothers and grow up a bit. Nothing like wild, passionate sex to turn a boy into a man. Kris also says that he is doing a good job at running the farm while Boris and I are gone. This is great news. This means that we, Boris, Isabella, you and I, can go on long vacations away from the farm. We have never been able to do that together.
‘Beloved, I wish you could have been here. I am not sure if Kris told you or not, but Damon finally caved and Nik and Angeline have finally joined. Their vows were some of the most beautiful words that I have ever heard spoken between two people. I have plans to have them recite them for you and the rest of the clan since you could not be here to witness it firsthand.
‘On the other hand, I am glad that you were not here to see what happened following their joining. If Bertrand had not thought quickly on his feet, our son would be dead. He devised a plan that saved Nik from death, but there was still a chance that the council would exile him.
‘Kali found a loophole in our law that allowed Boris to administer the punishment. This was both good and bad. It was good because it was up to Boris what the punishment was to be. On the other side of that, Boris purposely embarrassed him by flogging him publicly. He then had him jailed for ninety days without contact with anyone.
‘I wish I had been allowed to see him so that I could see where his head is. I am afraid he will not be the same person he was when he is freed. Bertrand has him in his holding cell. He will take good care of Nik. You have no cause to worry.
‘On to my last news. I have officially disowned Lucas. He now knows that he is not welcome in our home. I will not go back on my word to you. He knows that you are the only one that he can contact. Honestly, Brie, if I were sure that you would not have a breakdown, I would have cut him off from you. Please understand I would never have done this to him if he did not choose to leave us. In case you are wondering if I still love him, the answer is yes. I am still the man who gave him life, and nothing about that will ever change. Please forgive me for what I had to do.
‘Lucas is to stand trial for his part in this. For your sake, I hope that he can still write to you. If not, you will have to figure out a way to hold on to your sanity for my sake. Once Lucas’ trial is over, with the exception of Nik and Angeline, we will be coming home.
‘It is my hopes that Nik will be fine. I rather like the overly confident, brutally honest, pompous asshole that is our son. He reminds me of me when I was his age. Maybe Nik will decide to start a family right away and we will have our first grandchildren. That would be nice.
‘Well beloved, I must go and check on my grandfather. I know he is a strong man and a good king, but we both know that Nik is his favorite and what he witnessed today practically killed him.
‘I only expect to be here for three more days at the most so there is no need to write back. I will see you soon. I love you and miss you very much. Love, Alec.’
Alec sealed his letter and took it to the mail carriage. Afterward, he went to see Darth. He knocked on his chamber door and Ulsa opened it.
“Good evening, my queen. I am looking for Master Darth. I would like to speak with him.”
“He is in his library.”
“Thank you,”
“Alec, he is not himself. Do not take any harsh words to heart.”
“I understand mistress, thank you.”
Ulsa closed the door and Alec went to Darth’s library. It was there that he saw his grandfather sitting in his favorite chair, drinking a glass of wine. Darth didn’t see Alec in the doorway until Alec said, “Grandfather, how are you?”
Darth looked up from his glass and said, “Not good, Alec.”
“May I come in?”
“Certainly. Pour yourself a glass of wine and have a seat. I have had some Madeira imported from Portugal. It is very good.”
Alec did what Darth told him to do and he waited on his him to speak first. Warned of his demeanor and not wishing Darth to yell at him, he waited.
Finally, after a full two minutes, Darth asked, “Why did I allow Boris to do that?”
“It was better this way.”
Darth gave Alec an angry look and snapped, “Better for whom? It was not better for me, it was not better for you and it was definitely not better for Nik!”
“I realize this grandfather, but at least Nik is alive.”
“He has no purpose in life now, Alec!”
“I do not understand your meaning.”
Darth stood up with his wine in his hand, looked at Alec, and said, “Do you honestly think that a man who has been publicly disgraced will ever be allowed to be king?”
“I had not thought of that.”
“I didn’t either, until it was too late. Now it is too fucking late,” Darth yelled. He turned and threw his wine glass against the wall.
“Grandfather, perhaps by the time he is ready, this will have been forgotten.”
“We live forever! No one will forget this! And even if all those who witnessed Nikolai’s shame may be gone, I am certain Kali is writing it into history as we speak!”
“Grandfather, please calm down.”
“For what? Give me a reason to calm down! My eldest great-grandson has managed to kill my dream!”
“It is my fault.”
“How is it your fault, Alec?”
“I should have been more aware as to what was going on in my own home.”
“Both Nik and Lucas are grown men. You are no longer their babysitter. It does not matter. I wish that I would have just killed him.”
“You cannot mean that.”
Darth walked over to his wine bar, began to pour himself another glass. “I mean every word. This way he would not have to live with the shame of being a known criminal.”
“Perhaps you are right.”
“Now, tomorrow, I have to do it again. I have to look at another one of my grandchildren in council chambers as a criminal. I do not like doing this, Alec. Lucas may no longer be your son, but he is still my grandson and I love him like I always have.”
“I do still love Lucas, but what he did was his choice. I did what I had to do so that I may retain my honor.”
“I forgot. The great liberator is above shame. That is the reason you sat there and watched your son be publicly humiliated.”
“What should I have done, stopped what they were doing so that all could see that my son was the exception to the law? That would have gone over really well. That would have really looked good for you.”
“You do not approve of what Boris did.”
“No, grandfather, I do not. Even though Boris and I are as brothers, I did let him know that I was not happy.”
“You have seen Nik?”
“No. The conditions of his imprisonment would not let me.”
“I am the exception. I am the king.”
“Grandfather, when you go see Nik, please let him know that I am sorry for what I allowed Boris to do to him.”
Darth sighed. “I apologize for taking this out on you. I will tell him. After all, you do have two more sons that I can one day see as king.”
“That I do, grandfather.”
“Just keep them out of trouble and you will no longer have to see this side of me.”
“That is a promise.”
Darth sat back down with his glass of wine, sipped it, and said, “This is very good. How do you like it?”
“It is quite good. I have one last question and I will drop the subject forever.”
“Go ahead.”
“Did you react this way when my mother was killed?”
“It thought I told you that Zelda’s death almost killed me.”
“That is why I am asking.”
“What does it matter?”
“I just take comfort in knowing that back then you were not as cruel as everyone said.”
“This room is where I come to think. This room is where I entertain other council members. This is the very room where I turned your mother. When she died, I destroyed this room. Now, are you finally satisfied that I have real feelings?”
“Yes.”
“Please, leave me. I wish to be alone.”
“As you wish.”
Alec left the king’s chamber and decided to go look at the statue of his mother and perhaps go down to the catacombs and talk to her at her grave. He hadn’t thought of his mother in a very long time.
After Darth finished his second glass of wine, he decided that he was going to see Nikolai. Before he left his chamber, he stopped by his room to check on Ulsa. Darth opened the door to find Ulsa reading. She looked up at him and said, “I heard you yelling. Are you feeling better?”
“No. I just had to come and apologize to you.”
“For what? You have not spoken badly to me.”
“No, but I have neglected you and am sorry.”
“I am joined with the king. I understand that you are busy, Darth.”
“Before I was king, I had more time for you. Remember our secret hideaway?”
“Yes.”
“We have not been there in quite some time. When this is all over, I will have one of our servants go there, clean it up and get it ready for us. It is about time that we had some time to ourselves.”
Ulsa was excited. “Oh Darth, really?”
Darth smiled and replied, “Yes, beloved. I promise that we will not leave there for a week.”
Ulsa smiled, “Two weeks.”
“Two weeks it is. We will get away from the castle and do things we used to do. Perhaps we will even go hunting.”
“If it is to be just the two of us, hunting would be best.”
“I am glad you agree. Come now and kiss me. I am going to see Nikolai.”
“I would like to see him as well. Please allow me to come with you.”
“Only if you kiss me first.”
The two of them shared a passionate kiss and went to Bertrand’s chamber. Bertrand was happy to receive them.
“My lord, my queen. Welcome to my home. To what do I owe this honor?”
Darth smirked at Bertrand and said, “Bertrand, stop kissing our ass. You know exactly why we are here.”
“You wish to see Master Nikolai.”
Ulsa looked at Bertrand and said, “Of course. He is, after all, our grandson.”
“Of course, my lady. Please follow me.”
Bertrand led them down to Nikolai’s cell. It was there that Angelus, Sirus’ second in command, sat outside the cell door. When he saw who was coming, he immediately stood up, lowered his eyes and said, “Good evening, my king.”
Bertrand looked at Angelus and said, “Our king and queen wish to visit with their grandson.”
“But, my lord, Master Sirus said I was not to allow Master Nikolai any visitors.”
“Master Angelus, do you see the king and queen of the coven before you?” Darth asked.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Open the door.”
Angelus opened the door and allowed them to go in. He closed and locked the door behind them. Nikolai was lying on his stomach without a shirt, facing the wall. The wounds on his back were visible and still bleeding. Nikolai didn’t want to look at who came into his cell. He spoke, but didn’t turn to look at his visitors.
“Who is there?” Nikolai asked.
Ulsa, devastated by the sight of her grandson’s back. The nurturing woman in her wouldn’t allow her to leave the room. She quietly said, “Nikolai, it is me. Darth is here as well. We came to see how you were doing.”
Nikolai was still angry at what Boris did to him let his attitude show. “I am fine grandmother. Please leave me be.”
“You do not look like you are fine. Has someone from the infirmary come to look at you?”
“Yes, I will be fully healed by tomorrow. Please leave me.”
“Nikolai, look at me.”
“Grandmother, if you were here alone, I might even attempt to sit up and talk with you.”
Darth said, “You are upset with me.”
“Yes. You could have saved me and you did not. I would prefer it if you were not here.”
“Grandson, I could have easily had you killed.” Darth said in an attempt to show Nikolai he was still the king. His efforts failed.
“I wish you had,” Nikolai said with all the hate he had in his heart.
Ulsa said, “Nik, we love you. We did not want you to die.”
“Grandmother, if you wish to carry on a conversation with me, you are welcome. If you insist on having grandfather here, you can both leave.”
Ulsa looked at Darth and he gave her a look that said he was fine with Nikolai’s decision.
“I understand how you feel Nikolai, but your father has sent me to apologize for him. He says he is very sorry he allowed Boris to do this to you.”
“I do not fault my father, or Master Boris. You, however, are the king. Your word is law. You had a chance to save me and you did not. Please leave.”
“Grandson, please forgive me.”
“I will think about it. Get out.” Nikolai’s anger had not subsided, even with Darth’s apology. Darth was even more hurt than before.
Ulsa looked up at Darth. “Perhaps you should leave. I will talk with Nik.”
Darth said nothing. He turned and knocked on Nikolai’s cell door. The door opened and Angelus let him out. When the door closed behind him, Ulsa said, “He is gone.”
Nikolai’s demeanor was suddenly softer. “Why did he do this to me, grandmother?” He asked.
Ulsa, frustrated that her once proud grandson was reduced to this, said, “Nikolai, I will not have a conversation with the back of your head. Please look at me.”
“You are not ashamed of me?”
“Of course not.”
Nikolai turned his head toward Ulsa, and she saw that he had been crying. She gently stroked his cheek and said, “Nik, it will be all right.”
Nikolai was like nothing Ulsa had ever seen. She couldn’t believe the person in front of her was her grandson. Nikolai felt that he could talk to Ulsa. He trusted her to give him the truth. “Grandmother, he did not save me. Why did he not save me?”
Ulsa sighed. “It is unfortunate, but your grandfather is the king. He had to do what is written in our laws.”
“According to him, I am his favorite. This was not supposed to happen to me.”
“Nik, one day, when you are king, you will understand. Darth did what he had to. Do not fault him.”
“He should have just killed me.”
“Now, what purpose would that have served?”
“At least I would have died with some honor. Once I am free, I will never again be the same man. I will no longer be special amongst our people. I will be viewed by our coven as a criminal.”
Ulsa stroked his cheek again, “This may be true, but we all still love you. I do not believe that Angeline will love you any less.”
“Was she there?” Nikolai asked in a panic.
“To my knowledge she was not.”
“I certainly hope not.”
“Even if she was, she would still love you.”
“She will think less of me.”
“She will not think less of you. If that were the case, she would have left you a long time ago. She is going to be your mate for life. She will never leave you.”
“It will be like it is for father and mother?”
“Yes. Your parents have loved each other for a century. It will be the same for you and Angeline.”
“I certainly hope you are right.”
“I believe I am. Now Nik, we must discuss your grandfather.”
Nikolai’s bad attitude suddenly came back. “I do not want to talk about him.”
Ulsa knew that Nikolai’s dislike for Darth was sudden, and he didn’t really mean it. “Fine. I will talk about him.”
“I do not wish to hear it.”
“What choice do you have? You cannot get away from me, so you will lie there and listen. Darth Wolfe has always been a good man. Since he has been king, he has only gotten better. He has always put coven above all else, even me. Darth may have once had the reputation of a very cruel man, but no more. Do you know what changed him?”
“Hannibal’s death.”
“That is what coven history says. There are two things that changed him and I am almost ashamed to say that I am not one of them.”
“What were they?”
“His daughter’s death and your birth. He was devastated at Zelda's death. She was his life. No one ever saw it, but he cared for her. Then a miracle happened. You, his first great-grandson, were born. You filled the empty space in his heart and he was very happy about that. I then began to get the attention that I had missed for a long time.”
Nikolai managed a smile and said, “He refused to give you any?”
Ulsa giggled and said, “He wanted no part of me.”
“It is good that I was born then.”
“Yes, it was. As you grew, although you were not yet aware, you became more special to him. Not long before your fourteenth birthday, he came to me and said, ‘Ulsa, I have decided to make Nikolai my successor.’ I objected. There were plenty in line ahead of you, but he said, ‘I am king and the decision is mine to make’
“Then he told me that he had spoken to you about it. It was then that I knew no one could ever change his mind. Nik, you hurt your grandfather by what you did. In his eyes, you cannot be king because you have committed a crime. He saw no point in trying to save you because you had already ruined your reputation. Please try to see his reasoning and forgive him. You did what you thought was right, so did he. He still loves you, and is sorry. He only wants your forgiveness and your continued love.”
Nikolai calmed by Ulsa’s words, replied. “I will think on it, grandmother.”
“Please do. I will leave you to rest now.”
“Thank you for coming to see me. I will be able to talk to you sitting up next time.”
“I am not sure when I will see you again, but I will try as often as I can.”
Nikolai managed a smile. “Thank you, grandmother.”
Ulsa kissed Nikolai on the forehead and left his cell. Darth was waiting outside for her and he asked, “Do you think he will forgive me?”
“I think he will. He is just very angry right now. I think by the time he is released, you will once be upon the next highest shelf of his favorite people.”
“The next highest shelf?”
“He has recently been joined, my dear. You have now been moved to second.”