Elyssa got out of her seat and pushed past Beck, resisting, with great effort, the desire to shove him down the auditorium stairs.
"Where are you going?" Bella asked.
"To sleep."
Elyssa stepped out the door, and sensed a cold presence come up next to her.
"Elyssa Borathen," said the cool slithering voice of the vampire envoy, "I'd like a moment of your time." He had an Italian accent, though not as strong as Fausta's could be at times.
She stepped out of the flow of departing Templars and regarded the thin, pale man. What in the world would someone of his standing want with a recruit? "Can I help you, Envoy Pavarotti?"
"I'm quite confident you can, Miss Borathen." He smiled, showing clean white teeth. "Justin Slade has, of late, become a topic of conversation in the capitol."
Elyssa felt a spark of surprise. How would the vaunted politicos of the Overworld know about Justin? Then again, why wouldn't they? Hadn't he just brought in Vadaemos Slade, one of the most wanted fugitives? And his connections to the most powerful spawn house in the States might also make him a person of great interest. It meant people like Pavarotti might want to use him to their advantage.
"What can I do for you, Envoy?" She tried to keep her voice calm.
"First, let me express my sincere regrets about his kidnapping. Maximus will be brought to justice, I promise you."
"And?"
The vampire smiled. "The Red Syndicate would very much like to meet with Mr. Slade, assuming, of course, his rescue is successful."
Elyssa's stomach knotted. To think they might fail was too painful to even consider. "If the Red Syndicate helped rescue him, he might be willing to meet. Otherwise, I doubt he will."
"Point well taken, Miss Borathen." Pavarotti swept a hand at the crowd of Templars. "I'm highly confident your father will succeed. But I will take your request to the Syndicate and do what can be done from our end." He licked his lips and offered another greasy smile. "It's a very delicate situation, as I'm sure you understand."
A delicate situation would be if she held her razor-sharp katana against his pale throat. She resisted making the comment. "Very well, Envoy. I hope the Syndicate can come through." Any bit of leverage she had was well worth spending if it meant getting Justin back. "And I'm sure my father would feel indebted to the Syndicate for any help rendered." More likely, her father would look at it as interference, but she didn't care.
"Thank you for your time, Miss Borathen." He offered her his hand, giving her the kind of soft, wimpy shake she'd expected from a politician.
Exhausted and cramped with tension, Elyssa went to a guest bunkhouse and tossed her duffel bag on one of the empty bunks. She locked the door behind her, hoping the others would go to one of the other guest quarters in the complex. She'd barely faced away from the door when a knock sounded. Elyssa growled. Unlatched the door, and flung it open. "What—" The words died on her lips.
A large man in a type of scaled armor she had never seen before stood outside. His face was covered by a mask of the same material. He towered over his comrade, but Elyssa would rather face the big man any day than the person he was with.
Underborn, the most notorious assassin in the Overworld, smiled at her. "Good to see you again, Miss Borathen."
Chapter 11
I would have face-palmed if not for my obvious inability to do so at the present time. Why hadn't I thought of using magic before? True, I could barely light a candle or blow it out, for that matter. And my attempts so far usually ended with disastrous results. Setting myself on fire wouldn't solve anything, and the room appeared to be made of concrete on all sides. A gust of wind wouldn't do me much good either, not unless I could blow myself right out of this hellhole.
Shelton and Bella had taught me quite a bit of general magical knowledge. Willpower was a big deal. So long as I could envision and desire an action with enough focus, I could make it happen. I had no problems with the desiring part, and envisioning wasn't too tough either. Focus was my problem. My mind was like a reel of discombobulated images, constantly fighting for airtime.
Maybe, just maybe, I could figure something out. I thought of the vampire guarding me. Mind control