I'll fold us out, if there's danger, Lynx sent mindspeech. Gavin barely nodded, as did Tony, and they followed Ibbitt into darkness. Ibbitt's footsteps crunched—it was an old trick; place nutshells or another, similar substance on the floor—it was meant to alert anyone inside to their presence. Gavin could hover or lift himself, using the power afforded him as an older vampire. He lifted Tony and Lynx and sailed silently behind Ibbitt. Ibbitt found another door, and there was the dimmest light coming from the crack beneath it. He reached out for the handle and pulled the door back.
"Welcome, Ibbitt," a disembodied voice spoke. "Did you bring your guests with you?"
* * *
"Honored guest," the Pelipu bowed slightly to the one who'd come, and then stared at Alvoritt. This is what you've brought me? was the question trembling on the Pelipu's lips, but he dared not voice it aloud. "Thank you, Alvoritt," he murmured instead. "I appreciate your efforts on my behalf." The one Alvoritt had brought was of medium height, if that, and completely unremarkable. The Pelipu had been expecting a champion, at the very least—someone with a physique to match Alvoritt's description of a torturer, if nothing else. This one didn't appear strong enough to wield tongs, even.
"You have the prisoners?" Alvoritt asked.
"Of course. Would you prefer to go to the dungeons or have the prisoners brought here?" He hoped he didn't have to bring them here to his audience hall—he had expensive rugs on the floor and had no desire to toss them away if the blood flew.
"We'll go down," Alvoritt agreed amiably. He nodded deferentially to the one he'd brought in, who didn't even blink at the respectful gesture. Silently he followed as the Pelipu led them toward a doorway at the side of his audience hall. He waved off the guards, too, who prepared to come along.
"Stay here, I'll be perfectly fine," the Pelipu assured them; they were ready to ignore Alvoritt's unspoken command.
The dungeons were three flights of stone steps beneath the Pelipu's temple. The prisoners were kept in cages, nearly starved, and not allowed to bathe. The dungeon stank with old blood, excrement and death.
"I will not accept them if they are filthy and smell." Those were the first words the guest had spoken as they passed cage after cage.
"Then perhaps these," the Pelipu walked to the last cage. Inside it was a group of three men and one woman, all fairly clean—they'd been snatched from the market only that morning.
"Bring out two of the men," the guest ordered. The Pelipu snapped his fingers at the dungeon guard, who brought the keys. Another guard had to be brought forward to help pull two unwilling male prisoners from the cell.
"Oh, never fear, your turn will come to feed the god," Alvoritt crooned to the two remaining inside the cell as the guard locked the door behind him.
"Where would you like to do this?" The Pelipu's voice was tinged with the slightest bit of mockery—he imagined his guards might be forced to assist their guest.
"Here will be fine," the guest replied, immediately transforming into the largest serpent the Pelipu had ever thought to see. At least forty feet of gleaming, coppery scales now stood before the Pelipu, with a head crowned with spikes and a multitude of sharp, needle-like teeth inside the gaping mouth. The two prisoners disappeared down the serpent's wide throat in seconds. The Pelipu only had a moment or two to marvel at what he'd invited into his temple before he followed the two prisoners into the belly of the monster.
The monster transformed back to a humanoid appearance, only now he held the Pelipu's face and form. The dungeon guards, just before they died, wept and begged for their lives.
* * *
"Please, come in. We were hoping someone would come."
"I recognize this one." There were six inside the rock-walled room. All six were vampire; Gavin knew by their scent. But for one of them recognize Lynx, well, he hadn't expected that.
"And I recognize you," Lynx nodded to the vampire, who stepped forward to study his three visitors—Ibbitt had been led aside and settled onto a chair against a wall. "It has been two thousand years or so, I believe?"
"That is so," the vampire nodded. "Are we in danger again, my friend?"
"Not from those—not here," Lynx replied. "Although there are rogues out there who may cause problems before this is over."
"Perhaps you should introduce us to your friends," the vampire said.
"Very well," Lynx grinned. "This is Gavin, and this is Anthony," he pointed out his companions. "These," he said, indicating the six vampires, "are the Rith Naeri—the Order of the Night Flower on Hraede."
* * *
"You are all former Kings of Hraede?" Tony stared at the one who'd known Lynx—his name was Rigovarnus, but Lynx called him Rigo.
"Yes. I was the first King to be made vampire. My heir was set to mismanage my kingdom. My sire had no desire to see Hraede suffer, so he turned me as I lay dying. I supervised my heir through his entire reign, and then the next six kings and queens as well, until Halimel came along. That is when I began the tradition of marking my subsequent vampire children with this." He tapped the side of his neck, where a tattoo of the Hraedan night flower lay. The actual flower was such a deep purple as to appear black, and hung on a delicate stem, nearly upside down. Only the flower itself, with its petals fully open with tips curling upward, was depicted.
"We attempted the turn with two queens, but I'm sure I don’t have to tell you how unsuccessful that was," Halimel added. "Then came Rondival, Alrenardo, Brinelodus and Yandiveri. Only we call each other Hal, Ron, Alren, Brin and Yan. It's a lot easier than those stupid proper names we were saddled with," Rigo almost smiled.
"But you arranged this?" Gavin was trying to sort out why they were there.
"We were hoping someone would come," Rigo agreed, nodding. "And we worried for your Queen. We wished to learn how well she was protected, and if we might send a spy inside the Queen's city. We knew Ibbitt was much too old to go himself, so we watched the one he sent. Paulin is not particularly talented in espionage, and he managed to breach the walls. You have weakness there, my friends. Your Queen must be protected better than this. Those poisonous seeds Paulin held weren't really poison. He was led to believe they were, to impress upon him the potential danger of his mission. We wanted him to be caught and followed, to test the strength of the Queen's protection. No good vampire would allow a clumsy humanoid to get past them, if they truly wish to keep the Queen alive."