Birthed Vow Page 3

  My thoughts were disturbed by Audrey running to catch up with us. She tapped me lightly on the arm. “Bree.”

  “Oh, Audrey, I didn’t see you in the common room.” She must’ve been sitting further back. It had been crowded. No wonder I hadn’t noticed her.

  “I wasn’t there.” She paused to recover her breath then lowered her voice. “Can we talk in private?” She shifted her gaze and tilted her head pointedly towards Brother Mateo, taking in his strange robes and shaven head, before looking back at me.

  “Sure, let’s go in here.” I opened the door of a tutorial room we were passing, and she followed me. “Mateo, would you mind waiting outside please?”

  The monk nodded his head and stationed himself outside the room.

  Entering the room, I closed the door behind us.

  “Who is that anyway?”

  I summarised as quickly as possible, barely taking a breath. “He’s a member of an ancient druidic brotherhood sworn to protect the Trinity. He’s here to train me.”

  “Right, fine.” She barely blinked. Whatever it was she had to tell me must be important. “I’ve just got back from the Unit headquarters.” Her brow was knitted. “There’s a briefing in half an hour. Davenport wants you there and he asked me to find you.”

  “What’s it about?”

  “He’ll explain when we get there.” Her lips twitched with a smile. “They’re serving a full lunch, salt beef bagels, salmon bagels, cupcakes, fruit tartlets….”

  I grinned at her. “Sold. Shall we leave now?”

  She nodded. “We’ll fly there. Enemy forces have left the area for now.”

  “Brother Mateo is going to insist on coming with us.” I mimicked his voice and dour expression. “I will accompany you on missions and stay by your side during your waking hours.”

  “He said that?”

  “I think those were his exact words, yes.”

  Audrey cocked an eyebrow. “That’s not going to go down well at the Unit. How do we know he’s not a spy?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “A spy for the Druid Realm? A realm that has been in seclusion from other witch realms for hundreds of years…. So long that their entire existence has attained mythical status… Why would they send a spy into the Arcane Realm now?”

  “I don’t know, you tell me.”

  “He’s not a spy Audrey, I can read his mind and his intentions. He is who he says he is.”

  She took a deep breath. “Fine. But you’re going to have to explain it all over again once we get to the Unit. You know that right?

  Nodding my head in resignation, I said, “come on let’s go and get this over with.”

  As we walked outside to re-join Brother Mateo, Audrey narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m only allowing you to come with us because Bree is vouching for you. Is that understood?”

  The druid gave a slight smile and nodded his head. “You have nothing to fear from me, witch. I am here to train the Trionoide, nothing more.”

  We walked outside, pulling the heavy front door open to reach the main steps

  “Ready?” Audrey looked at me and Brother Mateo.

  “Yep.” I replied, performing the flight spell.

  Taking to the skies, we soared into the clouds in the direction of the Unit offices.

  The Investigations Unit headquarters had moved from their old offices next to the High Council Hall to an underground bunker. The entrance was disguised as a funeral home - a temporary war measure. But the cement and glass box shop front, hid a subterranean labyrinth of underground training rooms, agent dormitories and briefing halls. It was a war time precaution as the offices would’ve been one of the first enemy targets. And, as anticipated, their old offices had been levelled by bombs that same morning.

  We swooped down to land at the shop entrance. My body was already tired and aching from a morning of fighting and more flying than I was used to. The fact we could no longer move through ether portals was really effecting me. I’d soon adapt but it was rough in the meantime. Walking through the shop, we greeted Mr Wanblad - a fake undertaker, and walked through the curtains to the back. There, Audrey moved a wall mirror to one side. Behind this was a magical plate sensor. Pressing her hand onto the sensor she waited a moment. The device picked up a witch’s arcana only letting in those who had the correct security clearance. Just like a fingerprint, it was unique to every witch or wizard. The door slid back, and we walked into the first security checkpoint.

  Audrey signed papers and explained to the guards who I was and why Brother Mateo was with me. Then there were three more checkpoints. She had to do the same at each one. “We’ll only have to do this the first time.” She said, turning to me at the final door. “After that I’ll ask Davenport to give you both passes so we can get in and out quicker.”

  Hmm, interesting. That meant whatever this was about was something I’d have to return here for, multiple times. My curiosity was growing by the minute.

  As we walked through the final door, the sight that met my eyes was impressive and overwhelming in equal measure. Standing on a grated metal platform, I gazed at the vast bunker, taking in the scene around me. The entire structure was dug out of the earth but encased in steel. Metal steps led down to a mezzanine level. Unit agents, the brightest and best witches, and wizards in the realm, sat at tables using viewing crystals to survey above ground. Witches and wizards rushed around, delivering messages. Others spoke in hushed tones.

  Beneath the mezzanine level, was another level with more agents hard at work. At the far end, a tall man dressed in military uniform was giving a briefing to a group of around thirty agents who sat on wooden chairs taking notes. The man had jet black hair shot through with silver, sepia skin, and a commanding presence. His clear diction, upright posture and level of authority told me he was a senior officer.

  “That’s General Ishida.” Audrey said as we descended the steps walking towards the briefing. “He’s leading the operation. Follow me and I’ll introduce you.”

  Next to General Ishida stood Phoebe’s Dad, Grandminister Davenport, his hands clasped tightly together, his expression sombre.

  As we approached the briefing, the General paused, and all heads turned to look at us.

  Audrey’s voice rang out loud and clear, bouncing off the steel walls to give a slight echo. “General Ishida, this is Bree Ryan - the Trinity. This is Brother Mateo, her druid mentor and bodyguard.”

  My body stiffened at the description. As if I needed a bodyguard? … Or mentor for that matter. The whole idea was ridiculous. But I’d agreed to give this a try, so I kept quiet.

  “Very good.” The General inclined his head towards me. “It’s an honour to meet you Ms Ryan. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  A warm glow of pride filled my chest.

  “We’ve been waiting for you. Please take a seat and we’ll get started.”

  I smiled at Davenport, and he smiled back briefly before turning back to the General who resumed the briefing.

  “Now, as we’re all aware,” he continued, “the Spirit Realm’s forces outnumber ours. They also have the advantage of vampire alliances.” He paused and looked around the room. “We can’t hope to win this war by normal means. We must think outside the box.”

  He picked up a viewing crystal from the table beside him and muttered an incantation, pointing the crystal at the wall behind him. An image appeared of a beautiful young woman. She wore a lavishly decorated ballgown and her dark hair was tied back. Over her head was draped a silk scarf, secured with hair pins to cover three quarters of her hair. She wore minimal make up and had a demure smile on her face.

  “This is the Marquise Dubois-Lyon, first name Eleanor. She is the unmarried heir to the Dubois-Lyon estate, one of the wealthiest landed gentry families in the Spirit Realm.” He flicked his hand and her image faded away to be replaced by a map. “In two weeks’ time, she will travel to visit her Aunt, Dame Lydie Montblanc, at her residence in Verdeson, the Spirit Realm capital. As one of the
Realm’s most eligible debutantes, she will spend two months being introduced to the cream of Spirit Realm society, including the Sanguirife, Gasgoigne Luc the third.”

  Whispering broke out at the back and Ishida stopped to pick up a glass of water.

  I took the opportunity to mentally review what I knew about the Sanguirife. He was the head of the Spirit Realm state religion of Sanguistism, which, as the Realm was a theocracy, also meant he controlled the state. It was a similar role to that of the Pope in the Vatican. Gasgoigne Luc was famously paranoid. He surrounded himself with only his most trusted advisors. Shielded by layers of complex protection spells, he’d been head of the Spirit Realm for decades and was as obscenely rich as he was corrupt. Each round of sham voting always declared him the winner and, as Sanguirifes didn’t marry or have children, he would likely carry the title for life. I turned my attention back to the presentation.

  Ishida put down his glass and picked up a stick which he pointed along the route on the map. “Since she’ll be with her physician, two servants and luggage, she won’t fly. She’ll travel by horse and carriage.” He looked back at us. “And that’s where we come in. We will intercept her horse and carriage here.” He pointed on the map. “And swap the Marquise, her physician, and her servants for suitable arcane agents. Specifically, we will swap her with an agent who has been trained to speak and act exactly like her. This agent will infiltrate the upper crust of Spirit Realm society, learning enough to gain us the advantage we need to end this war and minimise further bloodshed.”

  This was all very interesting, but I didn’t understand why Davenport had requested I attend this meeting. I looked at him. He had a strange expression on his face as his gaze met mine and then shifted back to the General.

  It was then that I realised all eyes had turned to look at me.

  “We want you to be that agent, Bree.”

  My jaw hit the floor. “Me?! But I look nothing like the Marquise.”

  He waved his hand dismissively. “That doesn’t matter. We have already procured the services of a dark wizard whose specialised skillset includes facial transformation. He will make you look exactly like this young lady.”

  “Don’t they speak French in the Spirit Realm? My French is rubbish.”

  He shook his head. “They learn the Lingues D’Esprit, an archaic version of French, at school but only the most radical, right-wing hardliners speak it daily. The Kizmetari for example, they often communicate in Lingues D’Esprit but not somebody like the Marquise. She is a frivolous socialite who spends her time attending parties and indulging herself. She’s the perfect cover for an arcane spy.”

  I could still see a catalogue of problems with this idea, and it was these that I turned to now. “I’m a working class Irish girl - with an accent. How on earth am I going to fool people into thinking that I’m a Marquise?”

  “We will arrange for elocution lessons and etiquette lessons with the best in our Realm. You have two weeks to become posh.”

  My mind whirled, thinking of the thousand and one things that could go wrong with this plan. “But what about all the things the Marquise knows, all the people she knows? If I don’t know what she’s supposed to know and who she’s supposed to know, they’ll know I’m not her.”

  “The Marquise hasn’t visited this Aunt since she was a child. Having spent her childhood in the countryside, she’s being presented to Verdeson high society for the first time. It’s unlikely she will know anyone there.”

  Davenport cut in. “You’re an intelligent girl, we believe you can do it.”

  I cocked my eyebrow. “And if I fail?…”

  “We will lose our one and only chance at winning this war.”

  “And if I get caught by the Spirit Realm?”

  He pursed his lips. “I’m not going to sugar coat it. They will execute you.”

  I inhaled sharply even though his answer was what I’d expected. I looked away. Why was I the one always being asked to do the hardest jobs?

  “You’re the Trinity. Only you have sufficient abilities at spirit magic to fool them into thinking you’re the Marquise.” His gaze softened. “We wouldn’t ask you if this wasn’t vitally important.” He paused his gaze becoming faraway. “I heard you were there this morning when the bombing started. You saw the death toll, the violence. That was just the first day. If this war drags on for years, we’ll lose hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children. Surely you want to end the bloodshed? This mission has a chance of stopping this war now.”

  Davenport cut in again. “And you can help locate Phoebe and get her home safely.”

  Guilt twisted my insides. I felt a heavy sense of responsibility for the fact that Phoebe had been taken by Beaufort again. As much as I’d tried to keep her safe, I’d failed. Beaufort had manipulated my weaknesses yet again and I’d let him. I’d been too blind to see that the wasting spell on my brother was all part of a complex ploy to distract me while he snatched her away again.

  The General implored me with his eyes. “We can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do - you’re the Trinity. But we need you. We wouldn’t ask if you weren’t the only one we could trust with this mission. Will you do it?”

  Everyone in the room was looking at me in silence. Davenport’s eyes were pleading with me. General Ishida displayed a mixture of hope and quiet confidence. He thought he already had me. But this was a big decision. My first mission as the Trinity and it sounded like it could be my last. If the Spirit Realm realised what I was up to, I’d be executed. But Beaufort was in the Spirit Realm somewhere. Being close enough to kill him was a tantalising prospect that sent a rush of adrenaline through me. I could rescue Phoebe, bring this war to an end, and weed out that bastard once and for all. Was that too much to hope for? I’d been too confident before and regretted it. I looked at Brother Mateo, his expression was unreadable. He’d said my ego was too big. Was it my huge ego telling me I could do this? Would I live to regret the decision as I had so many other times recently? I was yearning for a quiet life, and this was the exact opposite. This would make my life even more complicated. I’d be in a foreign land, surrounded by enemies, with no one to turn to. Was I emotionally strong enough for that? Sure, I had the powers of the Trinity, but Mateo didn’t think I had her wisdom or strength. And as much as I hated to admit it, his words had affected me.

  I didn’t know what to say.

  “We need an answer, Bree.”

  “Can’t I have time to think about it?”

  “No. We only have two weeks to get you ready. Any delay will jeopardise the whole operation. We need an answer now.”

  My mouth opened and closed as my mind turned over the plan. It was the most dangerous thing I’d ever been asked to do and every part of me wanted to refuse, then run away and hide.

  What was I going to do?

  4

  General Ishida cleared his throat. “While you’re considering it, there’s another point to discuss.” He paused and shifted awkwardly from foot to foot as a slight blush spread across his cheeks. “It’s the matter of your medic.” He rubbed his forehead with one hand. “The Marquise has a rare blood condition requiring her to travel with her physician at all times. Her physician happens to be a vampire.”

  Davenport took over. “Audrey has suggested that you may already know somebody in London who could perform this task?”

  I sat blinking at him and then Audrey who shifted in her chair uncomfortably. She’d snitched on me! Should I fess up? How much had she told them? Did they already know I had a vampire boyfriend?

  I avoided the question. “Why can’t we just get a witch medic to pretend to be a vampire?”

  Ishida shook his head vigorously. “It won’t work. Many older aristocrats in Verdeson have vampire consorts. They would easily smell the difference. They can also smell the difference between types of witches” He looked at me, anticipating my next question. “Because you carry all three witch powers, your scent is close enough to a spirit
witch to not raise any suspicions.”

  This sounded too much like guesswork for my liking. I made a mental note to ask Nik about this later. I didn’t want to find myself stepping out of a plane without a parachute on.

  “So… “he continued, “… do you know someone who could act as your physician?”

  I bit my lip, looking down at my lap. This was it. This was the moment I’d be taking my relationship with Nik out of the closet. Or maybe not… I didn’t have to tell them he was my boyfriend. Strictly speaking, even though I was just a hunter in training, the Arcane Realm expected me to kill any and all vampires I encountered. I’d broken a major taboo by getting involved with Nik.

  Davenport walked over and sat down next to me. He softened his voice. “You wouldn’t be the first witch to fall for a vampire. Nobody here will judge you for it. We’re not the ADL. We recognise that life is sometimes a bit more complicated than the official black and white line that the Arcane Realm authorities take.”

  “You are the Arcane Realm authorities.”

  He bristled and I blushed and shut my mouth as I looked away. This was an extremely uncomfortable conversation.

  “Yes, you’re right. I am part of the government. I’m one of the people who makes the laws but I’m a servant of the Realm. We make laws that appease the voters. The public are the ones who are dead set against vampires. Our source tells us…” he flicked his eyes at Audrey and back at me, “…that there is a group of vampires who are less dangerous to humans and witches. This group’s aims closely ally with our own. If you were to be associated with this particular group, we would look kindly on it - especially if such a relationship furthered our war effort.”

  I cocked my head to one side, barely able to believe what I was hearing. He seemed to be saying that it was fine for me to be with Nik. Was this a trap? Were they goading me into confessing my relationship only to punish me later?

  He could see I still didn’t fully trust him, so he pulled out his trump card. “Look, my own daughter got involved with a vampire. I’m in no position to judge or hand out any sanctions against you.”