Melinda

“Close the gates!” Ashby yelled to the guards in the turrets on the wall surrounding the palace.

Melinda craned her head back to look at the guards peering down at them from atop the wall. Voices and footsteps echoed on the stone above them as more of the king’s guard came out to look down at them. The horse’s hooves rang out on the cobblestone roads within the castle walls as everyone accompanying them crowded into the bailey.

“Did you say close the gates?” one of the guards called down. It was an order that hadn’t been given in some time.

“Yes!” Ashby slid from the saddle and turned to pull Melinda into his arms. “Close them now!”

Around them the survivors of Badwin and the residents of Chippman fanned out into the massive courtyard. Their eyes were wide as they took in their surroundings and murmured with awe to each other. Melinda adjusted her skirt as the gates swung closed and the large wooden drawbridge Braith had ordered built rose into the air.

No moat surrounded the palace, but the heavy piece of wood was extra protection against any possible, future attack. At the time, her brother had believed he was being overly cautious by building it. She’d never been more thankful for that caution as the heavy wood settled into place against the metal gates, blocking out the homes beyond the gates.

“What about the residents of the outer town?” she asked Ashby.

“We’ll have them awakened and brought in now,” Ashby replied. “But those gates will remain closed until the residents are ready to enter and we have more guards to defend these walls.” He thrust his reins at a passing stable boy.

“Make sure all of the animals are well taken care of,” Melinda said to the stable boy before turning to face the palace.

Set into the mountain above them, the palace rose high into the night. Its golden spires gleamed in the moonlight shining down on them. Lanterns flickered in the windows of the main areas within, but many of the rooms were dark. Some of The Council members still resided within, but most of them had moved out of the palace and settled into the bailey town or the outer town.

It was as beautiful as she remembered and as imposing. Atticus had made it a formidable place he could readily defend against his many enemies. The enormous stone walls surrounding the palace enclosed nearly four square miles of land around it.

Aria and Braith had made the palace more inviting since they’d taken over and settled within. There had been no laughter within its walls or in the surrounding town before their rule, but now there were parties and dancing; there was happiness between the humans and vampires who coincided in peace. There was still the occasional disagreement, but more often than not it was solved without the authorities having to get involved. It was a life she’d never pictured having; secure, fun, and full of love, and now it may be coming to an end.

She hugged her arms around herself as she stared at the serene streets. Lanterns came to life in some of the homes closest to them. Doors opened as humans and vampires curiously peered out of the two and three story buildings lining the street.

“Where is Gideon?” Ashby demanded of the head guard on shift who came down from the wall to meet them.

“He is within the palace,” the man replied.

“Have some troops readied to go out and bring in the residents of the town. Bring as many of them to the palace for shelter as possible. Find homes for the rest within the walls,” Ashby instructed. “More of the king’s guard is to be awakened and brought down to defend the wall until there is a guard standing every ten feet around the entire wall. Alert them that we could be facing a possible attack soon and to be on the alert for anything unusual, no matter how small it is.”

“What of the king, will he be returning?” the guard inquired.

“Not tonight.”

The guard’s eyes widened, but he didn’t question Ashby’s statement or orders. The guard nodded briskly before turning away. Melinda watched him vanish into the growing crowd filling the street. Ashby gripped her elbow and led her forward. Her legs felt wooden as she walked beside him toward the palace.

More lanterns blazed to life in the houses surrounding them and residents spilled into the street to see what was going on. The growing voices rang off the buildings until they echoed all around her. Even the animals were roused as a pair of spooked chickens ran across the road before them.

Melinda kept her chin raised and displayed an air of calm she didn’t feel as they hurried up the hill toward the front door of the palace. Before Ashby could grab the handle, the door swung open and the vampire within stepped aside to give them entrance.

“Is Gideon in his rooms?” Ashby demanded.

“Why, yes… milord,” the guard stammered out, his eyes raking over their torn and bloodied clothes. “I believe he is sleeping, but I’ll wake him for you if you would like?”

“No, I will get him.”

Ashby kept his hold on her elbow as they strode across the glistening marble floor and beneath the chandelier to the stairs at the far end of the hall. They ascended to the second floor, where the remaining members of The Council still living in the palace resided. Gideon’s rooms were at the end of the hall, the largest and most lavish of all the rooms in this section. Ashby knocked loudly on the door, but he didn’t wait for a response before opening it.

“Gideon!” he called into the dark sitting room they entered. “Gideon! Get up!”

A woman’s startled cry came from the adjoining bedroom and curses sounded as feet hit the floor.

“Get out!” Gideon barked from the other room and a young vampire scurried out from the bedroom with her clothes still in hand. Melinda lifted an eyebrow at the unfamiliar girl, but Gideon wasn’t known for his lasting relationships.

“What is the meaning of this, Ash?” Gideon demanded as he strode into the sitting room, tying the belt on his red robe as he walked.

Ashby stiffened at the much hated nickname; the two men glowered at each other. Before they could really start going at each other, Melinda stepped forward to end any further bickering between them. Gideon’s hazel eyes narrowed on her over the bridge of his hawkish nose. His straight brown hair was tussled around his face.

“We have a problem, Giddy,” Ashby said and Gideon’s eyes shot toward him. Ashby smirked in return.

“Enough!” Melinda snapped. “Now is not the time.”

Gideon’s eyes came back to her. “What is going on?”

Melinda walked back to close and lock the door of Gideon’s apartment. “Is there anyone else in here?” she asked, well aware there could be a few more women lingering about.

Gideon frowned at her. “No, we are alone now.”

She glanced at Ashby who took hold of her hand for support. “Braith is dead,” she said bluntly, but she had no idea how she could sugarcoat the news.

The color drained from Gideon’s face. He took a startled step back, his knees connecting with the sofa behind him. He sank onto it before rising again. “You’re joking!” he blurted.

“I’m not. We were ambushed. He saved the rest of us, but was shot through the heart with an arrow. He’s dead, Gideon.”

“Ambushed by who?” Gideon demanded.

“We believe it was Sabine, Atticus’s mother,” she replied.

“She’s dead.”

“And so was Atticus, but he came back.”

Gideon blinked at them before spinning away. He stalked over to the sideboard and the cluster of liquors set up on top of it. He poured himself a generous glass of whiskey before turning to face them again. With a trembling hand, he lifted the glass to his lips and drank it all in one gulp. He ran the back of his hand across his mouth before staring at the empty glass as if it had somehow betrayed him.

“Where is Braith’s body? If they came back, he could too,” Gideon finally said.

“Safe, hidden with Jack,” Ashby replied.

Gideon lowered the glass and poured himself another drink. “Where is Aria?”

“Aria, William, and his bloodlink, Tempest, led our attackers away from where Braith is hidden,” Melinda said. “He died shortly after they left us.”

“Shit,” Gideon muttered.

“There’s more,” Melinda said and proceeded to fill him in on everything that had happened with Tempest and William, the new residents they now had within the palace walls, and the ones who would soon be joining them from the outer town, if all went well. “If it really is Sabine, and we all believe or want to believe Aria is right about her, she’s most likely going to come here.”

“Most likely,” Gideon agreed.

“She looks like Atticus,” Ashby said, and Gideon lifted his eyes from his whiskey glass to Ashby. “And the amount of power coming off of her, it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”

“Nothing like either of us have ever experienced,” Melinda replied.

“No one, outside of this room, can know Braith is dead, not yet,” Ashby said.

Gideon poured himself another whiskey and sipped it as he contemplated Ashby’s words. “I agree. I trust the members of The Council, but the death of a king will cause chaos, and the more who know about it, the more likely panic will spread through the masses. Many might turn to who they feel is the strongest leader in order to survive. If this woman is who you believe she is and is as powerful as you say, they could turn to her. That cannot be allowed. Braith’s death will be kept from everyone else, and if he does manage to rise again, no one else will ever have to know it occurred.”

“What if he doesn’t awaken?” she asked.

“Then we will let the others know, when Jack is here and can help to keep everyone calm. As the next oldest of the royal line, they will look to him for guidance,” Gideon replied and finished his whiskey.

Jack was currently the only living member of the line, but Melinda kept that information to herself.

“Jesus, not Braith.” Gideon set his glass down on the sidebar. “We must prepare for an attack.”

“I’ve already ordered more guards on the wall, and to have the residents of the outer town brought inside. I don’t know what to do about the border towns. Sending more of the king’s guard out there for them will only weaken our forces if they are attacked too,” Ashby said.

“We’ll send out a few to tell the border townspeople to come in, and let them know their safety is in peril, but we can’t risk many soldiers,” Gideon agreed. “We will do what Jack said and tell The Council that Braith, Jack, and the others are recruiting more soldiers as we speak,” Gideon replied.

Melinda squeezed Ashby’s hand. Exhaustion tugged at her eyelids. She felt like she could sleep for a week, but there would be no rest, not for a while. “We must wake the rest of The Council and gather them together,” she said.

“Yes,” Gideon agreed as he poured himself another whiskey. “I’ll get dressed and join you in the private solar where we hold Council meetings.”

“Very well,” Ashby said and turned her away.

“Melinda.” She turned back to find Gideon watching her. “Your brother is the strongest vampire I know. If his ancestors came back, he will too.”

She couldn’t help the hot wash of tears flooding her eyes. How badly she wanted those words to be true.

“We will defeat this woman just as we defeated Atticus,” Gideon assured her.

“You didn’t see her, Gideon. She was terrifying.”

“And from what you said, she had you greatly outnumbered, yet only one of you fell. Next time, if he is prepared for her, and with a bloodlink to fuel him, Braith will be more than a match for her.”

“You’re right,” Melinda agreed.

She thought she heard Gideon whisper, “He has to come back. He’s the only friend I have,” as she walked out the door, but she couldn’t be sure.