Court of Wanderers by Rin Chupeco

Author:Rin Chupeco
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: S&S/Saga Press
Published: 2024-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

16

THE GODSFLAME

To Remy, the court kindred were accustomed to treating humans with condescension, having deemed them inferior stock regardless of the close relationships they themselves maintained with their familiars. To hear Lorien declare so blatantly that they, too, were considered ill-bred blood by others was met with both anger and incredulity.

“Who does this bitch think she is?” Raghnall sputtered, as if he had not toyed with the idea of joining up with the empress only minutes before. “We are of the Night Court! There is none else that could boast the purity of our lineage!”

“If she has reason to claim closer ties to the Night King than even Lord Malekh, then it would be no idle boast. The question is whether we treat it as bravado or truth.” Hylasenth leaned back, a frown crossing his lips.

“Milord,” Xiaodan said. “Did you by any chance catch a glimpse of the kindred’s face? Most of the coven we have encountered tend to be under a strong compulsion, and rarely do they speak with their own mind.”

“If I may speak, milady?” Lady Rotteburg spoke up formally from the audience. At Xiaodan’s nod, she continued. “Our attackers wore hoods, preventing us from recognizing them. Lord Tattersall saw no other identifying marks on them, though we knew little of the courts to understand what to look for. You are right when you said that the coven vampires acted like they were under some thrall, but there were one or two that appeared of their own mind, and it struck me then that it was they who commanded those kindred.”

“So the Night Empress is not without her own allies, serving her of their own volition.” Xiaodan frowned. “Zidan has the right of it as Ishkibal’s successor, but if her predecessor was sired earlier by the Night King…”

“Then she has better claim over the Allpriory,” Fanglei finished. “And we are therefore duty-bound to accept her as such.”

“No,” Xiaodan said. “This is madness.” She rose to her feet, glaring at them all. “That you all feel beholden to the Allpriory is exactly what is wrong with all this, and the reason the Third did not wish to use this place as our meeting ground. Zidan has been vocal about sundering our ties completely to the temple, to grant us the freedom to rule our own clans without interference from lingering influences of the Night Court. Ishkibal has been dead for centuries. It is the rest of you keeping his unreasonable customs alive.”

Hylasenth sighed. “You are far too young to understand, Xiaodan. That the clans are cordial now does not mean we shall remain so in the future. Before Ishkibal’s court came into existence, kindred killed kindred indiscriminately. His guidance is what gave us any measure of peace in those early years.”

“And that means naught if this new empress is prone to Ishkibal’s weaknesses.” Fanglei turned to regard the temple priestess, who had said nothing throughout the proceedings. “If the Night Empress comes to take the throne and proves that

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