Sweep of the Blade (Innkeeper Chronicles #4) - Ilona Andrews Page 0,87
run to him crying, he’ll be honor bound to do something about it. They’re getting bolder.”
Ilemina’s gaze was direct and cold. Maud had seen this exact expression on Arland’s face, right before he threw himself at a world-destroying flower. Ilemina had made up her mind. Neither Kozor nor Serak would get off this planet unscathed. It chilled Maud to the bone.
“Do you want the post of Maven?” Ilemina asked.
She didn’t even have to think. “Yes.”
Ilemina turned to the screen glowing on the wall. A recording began playing. Onscreen, Seveline dashed at a group of otrokar. Each of the five Horde warriors was bigger than Seveline. Maud had fought the Hope-Crushing Horde before; they had earned their name and then some. Seveline danced through them, slicing limbs, cutting bodies, graceful, lethal, unstoppable…A radiant smile played on the vampire knight’s lips. Blood stained her blond hair. She looked like a berserker, lost to the slaughter, but she moved like a fighter completely in control of her body. Fluid. Precise. Aware. Underneath a caption glowed.
Seveline Kozor
57 confirmed kills
Shit.
Onscreen, Seveline beheaded a warrior with a single swing and laughed. She seemed to know where every one of her opponents was at all times, anticipating their movements before they made them.
Ilemina sank steel into her voice. “You will go to this wassail and you will endure every assault on your honor and dignity. Under no circumstances are you to draw your sword. Do you understand me, Maven?”
“Yes, Preceptor.”
“So, is it customary for humans to be kept as pets?” Seveline asked.
Maud sipped her coffee. It was genuine Earth coffee, given as a gift to the bride by House Krahr, and sweetened with some local syrup until it was less drink and more dessert. The bridal party about lost their minds when they watched her pour cream into it.
She was painfully aware of both Onda and Seveline starring at her. The questions started the moment she sat down and became progressively more outrageous. The last one was an insult. If she were a vampire, by now there would be blood.
It wasn’t a bad plan. Isolate her. Get her drunk. Insult her until she threw the first punch, then kill her. They were likely recording this to absolve themselves of blame. Maud had done a mental sweep of the room when she entered. The situation hadn’t changed. They were in a tower, in a round chamber. Eight tables, four vampires each. She could hold her own, but nobody was that good. Ilemina was right. If I draw my sword, I won’t make it out of here alive.
Her best defense was to pretend to be dense. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said.
Seveline heaved a sigh. Onda leaned forward, brushing her chestnut hair out of the way. “It’s a logical question. You are not a member of our society. You have no rights, no purpose, and offer no benefit to House Krahr.”
“Aside from sexual amusement for the Marshal,” Seveline added.
“In other words, you’re being kept around as a source of comfort, much like a dog.”
“That’s not true,” Seveline said. “Dogs serve a purpose. They warn you of intruders and add to your safety.”
“Very well, not a dog then.” Onda waved her arm. “A bird. A pretty, ornamental bird.”
Maud raised her eyebrows. “So, what you are saying is, I’m here for the Marshal’s sexual amusement like a pretty bird? Are members of House Kozor in the habit of copulating with their pet birds? I had no idea you had such exotic tastes.”
The two women blinked, momentarily derailed.
Seveline switched to Ancestor Vampiric. “I’m going to wring her neck.”
The bride chose that moment to float by, all smiles. She smoothly turned, rested one hand on Seveline’s shoulder, and still smiling, said, “Do it and I will personally jab a knife in your eye. You have a simple job—provoke this bitch. How hard could this be? The hunt is about to start. Get on with it.”
Interesting.
Kavaline offered Maud a bright smile. “Are you enjoying yourself? These two aren’t bothering you, are they?”
The temptation to answer in Ancestor Vampiric was almost too much. “Not at all. They’ve been the soul of courtesy.”
Onda looked like she was about to have an aneurism.
The bride’s smile sharpened. “So glad to hear it.”
She floated away.
“So, you’re content with being a bedwarmer?” Onda asked. “How will this reflect on your daughter? Or do you expect her to learn by example?”
“What a good question,” Seveline said. “Perhaps you have already selected a client for her?”