Padma nodded. "My word."
Damian, Jason, and Rafael just suddenly appeared around Fernando. He reached out to his father. "I am your son."
Padma would not look at him. Even when I crawled off him, he curled on his side away from Fernando.
I wiped blood off my chin with the back of my hand. The munin was leaving, draining away. I could taste blood all the way down. I rolled onto my side and threw up. Blood does not improve the second time around.
Jean-Claude reached out to me and I went to him. The moment his cool hand touched mine I felt better. Not a lot, but some. Richard's hand touched my face gently. I let them draw me into the circle of their arms. Jean-Claude seemed to gain strength just from my touch. He sat up a little straighter.
I glanced over to find Gideon and Thomas doing much the same with Padma. Blood poured from all of them, but only Padma's eyes were still haunted by fear. I'd pushed him to the edge of the abyss. Pushed us both. I'd been raised Catholic and I wasn't sure there were enough Hail Marys in the world to cover what was happening to me lately.
52
Fernando tried to make a break for it but he was outmanned. Or would that be out-monstered? They bound him with silver chains and gagged him. The last was to stop his constant begging. He just couldn't believe his father had betrayed him.
Liv didn't fight. She seemed to take it almost resignedly. What seemed to surprise her most was the fact that I didn't kill them both where they stood. But I had other plans for them. They'd insulted the pack. It would be pack justice. That was sort of a group activity. Maybe we'd invite the wererats and have a cross species jamboree.
When they were led away, a silence so deep and wide that it thundered in the ears filled the room. Yvette stepped into that silence. She was smiling and lovely, fresh and beautiful on Jason's blood and our mingled power.
"Jean-Claude must still answer for his traitorous ways," she said.
"What are you babbling about?" the Traveler said.
"My master, Morte d' Amour, has accused him of trying to start another council in this country. A council that will steal our power and make us but laughable puppets."
The Traveler waved it away. "Jean-Claude is guilty of many things but that is not one of them."
Yvette smiled, and the smile was enough. She was going to say something bad. "What say you, Padma? If he is a traitor, then we can execute him for it. He can be an example to all others who would dare usurp the council's power."
Padma was still on the ground, cradled in the arms of his two servants. He still wasn't feeling too good. He stared at our little group. We were still huddled on the floor, too. The six of us were not going to be dancing tonight. The look in Padma's eyes said it all. I'd humiliated him, scared the hell out of him, and forced him to give up his only son to sure death. He smiled, and it wasn't pretty. "If they are traitors, then they must be punished."
"Padma," the Traveler said, "you know this is false."
"I did not say they were traitors, Traveler. I said ifthey were traitors. If they are traitors, then they must be punished. Even you must agree to that."
"But they are not traitors," the Traveler said.
"I use my master's proxy to call a vote," Yvette said. "I think I know what three of the votes will be."
Asher came to stand near Jean-Claude and us. "They are not traitors, Yvette. To say so is a lie."
"Lies are very interesting things. Don't you think... Harry?" She held out her hand as if it were a signal and Harry the bartender joined her. I didn't think I could be surprised anymore tonight. I was wrong.
"I see that you know Harry," Yvette said.
"The police are looking for you, Harry," I said.
"I know," he said. At least he had trouble meeting my eyes. Didn't make me feel much better, but a little.
"I knew Harry was one of your line," Jean-Claude said, "but he is truly one of yours."
"Oui."
"What is the meaning of this, Yvette?" the Traveler said.
"Harry leaked the information to those awful fanatics so they would kill monsters."
"Why?" the Traveler asked.