* * *
Of all three men, Leto had the smallest role in what was to unfold in the next few minutes. He drew his iPhone from the pocket of his jeans and backed up about thirty feet so that he could make a video of this first test run.
He felt the scowl on his face. He wasn’t thrilled that there was a sharp blade involved in this first venture. But he thought that might be because his woman would be near the battle. He didn’t like the idea of her getting accidentally hurt.
He watched the women join together, hands to shoulders. Even as far away as he was, he could feel their power expand suddenly, like a whip through the room.
He held the phone steady with both hands elevated at shoulder level. He could see events unfold. Grace’s neck arched, then she left the circle and began backing up and away, at a right angle to Leto’s position, and stood very still.
He shifted his gaze to Fiona. Her eyes were wide open and she had a gold aura as she turned toward Jean-Pierre. She held her sword in the ready position, her knees slightly bent, her chin down, her eyes up, both hands on the grip.
He had to remind himself to keep filming because all he really wanted to do was to watch the battle. What followed startled him. Fiona’s skills were at Warrior of the Blood level, a perfect reflection of his own ability as well as his centuries of training and use.
Jean-Pierre worked hard to keep up with her, and yet Leto had the sense that Fiona was holding back.
He shifted his gaze to both Marguerite and Grace, then he saw what he hoped the camera would pick up as well. Rivers of faint light flowed between the women, moving strands of blue, gold, and red.
Fiona—or was it Grace?—began to move faster and faster. She flew through the air with levitation power alone; she tumbled through exotic rolls and kept Jean-Pierre completely off balance. Her speed increased as the triad flexed its power, until at last she was a long blur of speed and Jean-Pierre finally stood still, his sword pointed toward the black mats.
The sound like the roaring of a wind rushed through the room—and then the moment ended. The blur that was Fiona stopped midair, arms outstretched as she floated back to the black mats.
The room fell silent. No one spoke.
Fiona touched down and walked toward her obsidian sisters. Leto saw when Grace returned to herself since her neck arched in the same way as when she left. She walked back in Marguerite and Fiona’s direction.
When they came together, they touched shoulders again and formed another circle. Power flowed once more. A vast beam of white light filled the space in front of each of them and flowed in a massive stream up to the ceiling.
Leto had to shade his eyes.
At last the light faded and the circle broke.
He stopped filming and returned to the triad.
Thorne glowed his silver aura.
As they spoke about their experiences, Leto confirmed what each said with his own observations. Thorne did as well. Because they had video, it was decided to return to the palace and watch the feed on the large screen.
When the video had been reviewed about ten times with Endelle, she summed it up succinctly. “Well, damn.”
Seduction comes in many forms.
—Collected Proverbs, Beatrice of Fourth
Chapter 10
Twenty-four hours had passed since Greaves had last seen Stannett. He entered the heart of the new Seers Fortress in Illinois Two, instead of Stannett’s private room. The surroundings were lovely: black marble on the ceiling, part of the walls and floors, black leather padding on the rest of the walls, a few dim inset lights around the perimeter to cast the inner sanctum in a nice glow. The Seers’ chaise longues were actually set in a lower level and reached by a flight of stairs at either end, almost like an orchestra pit. The viewing platform was quite large and finished with a fine polished mahogany.
Doors on either side of the inner sanctum led to an outer hall and the rest of the Seers palace.
From the platform, Greaves could watch Stannett and his bound Seers in action.
The chaise longues were arranged in a straight row, but each was tilted ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly. The concept behind the tilt was to keep the body slightly off balance and therefore the mind better focused.
Greaves moved to the edge of the stage and stared down into the pit. Stannett had his Seers strapped in place. His eyes were closed, and he had a sublime expression on his face. No doubt he had just filled his embroidered, red leather pants.
The vampire was hopeless.
“Stannett, we need to talk.”
The Seer opened his eyes. “Hello, Greaves.” He blinked rapidly several times. “I suppose you’d like an update.” He sat up, then glanced at the three women bound to his right and the three to his left. “None of them is conscious yet. The power we just shared has put each in a stupor. Not a bad place to be. At least, they’re not dead.”
Greaves glanced at the women and noted the dark brown skin. “From Mumbai?”
“Yes. Some of your most powerful Seers.”
“How long have you been working them?”
“Not long, about an hour. I allow them to rest for two afterward and make them drink lots of water. I’ve only had two die on me since last night.”
Greaves repressed a sigh. “And what have you discovered about our present difficulties?”
Stannett looked up at him wide-eyed. “Nothing yet. I have kept these early trial runs relegated to less strenuous matters.”
“You mean you’ve been hunting for future stream tail?”
“Well, yes. It seemed the most sensible way to get the women accustomed. I assure you, I haven’t been the only one enjoying the process. If you’d arrived earlier, you would have heard a great deal of delighted moaning.”
“And this is meant to reassure me?”
Greaves knew it was impossible for Stannett to comprehend the difficulties Greaves faced, but he began to suspect that the man was an idiot. Or if not a complete imbecile, then so given to his own pleasure that nothing else seemed to matter.
Greaves folded to his position in the pit. He put a finger beneath Stannett’s chin and used resonance. “Have I not told you how badly I need pure vision? That I must have the best possible information from moment to moment over the next several days?” He could feel Stannett tremble. “Why have you not done as I asked?”
“I … I thought I did,” Stannett said, wincing. Greaves had used resonance and he meant for it to hurt. “You didn’t tell me to start amassing information. You told me to work the skills of your Seers.”
“Then let me be very clear right now. I need an abundance of prophetic material as close to pure vision as you can achieve.” Greaves swept a hand over both sets of women. “Go back in and find me some useful information for tonight. And I do mean tonight.”