Raving Moon, Lords of the Night Book One

Chapter 34: Secrets

We left the Stygia protest an hour before the police rolled in. The news reported rioting and violence, but I'd been there. The crowd wanted nothing but fairness and equality, peacefully hoping for their voices to be heard. If there had been violence, it wasn't instigated by civilians who truly wanted change.

As we drove across the Twin Serpents, Ariane stared out the window.

"Are you okay?"

"It's only a whisper, but I can hear him. I'm trying to ignore him, but it takes more and more effort by the hour." She turned to me, her inner-beast close.

"We're going to get to the bottom of this. Just hold on." I took her hand, taking comfort in the heat of her grasp. "Let me know if it gets worse, okay?"

She squeezed my hand, but didn't meet my eyes.

The parking complex was nearly empty when we arrived at HQ. We should have felt at home or safe, but truth was I felt as on edge as ever. Earl confirmed Hawkins was a part of House Agatha's conspiracy with his silence. How many others were a part of it. They'd murdered an innocent kid and lit the fuse on a dangerous powder keg that could destroy everything the vampire council had worked so hard to build. Hawkins was a bigot and a fool, but a traitor? I didn't think so. He was doing what he thought was right. That, somehow, made it worse.

Going down to the lobby, I noticed there were more gargoyles in the stairwell than were normally posted. It was interesting, gargoyles were a very small minority outside of Western Europe and the British Isles, but they were an often vocal part of the community going as far as penning articles for The Howler. They saw everything. Despite that, they didn't seem as affected by current events as others. They continued to work with us with no misgivings.

A handful of people waited in the lobby under the watchful eye of a desk sergeant draped in tactical gear. A pair of similarly armored thrones stood at the entrance. They saluted as we approached, but scanned us with trained eyes. It appeared Lord Clovis was taking no chances.

I wanted to talk to him before I confronted Hawkins. If this was all part of an official operation, my options would be limited. If it wasn't, then I could possibly muster his support in my move against Hawkins and his co-conspirators. It was important I knew what side of the Law I was on. I said as much as we took the stairs down to his office.

"I don't understand," Ariane said as we reached the first landing. "Is House Agatha breaking the law or not?"

"Each house is allowed to govern itself and its territory as they see fit," I explained. "However, when their actions disrupt the peace and threaten the King's Law, we are required to take action."

"Like now."

"Right. In this instance, the peace is threatened. Lord Clovis is responsible for determining our response. If Captain Hawkins is acting under orders, then Lord Clovis must reassess his directives. Too many are in danger. If he is acting under his own authority, Clovis must be warned."

She put her hand on my shoulder, stopping us on the steps.

"As Lieutenants, we're to follow the orders of our superiors. Are we overstepping?"

I looked her in the eyes, seeing hints of her inner-beast but also the earnestness of a student eager to learn. I wanted to tell her the truth. Only Lord Clovis knew my secret, only he knew the responsibility resting on my shoulders. I trusted Ariane, but she was still green.

"Our allegiance isn't to Clovis or Hawkins," I responded. "It is to the Law and the throne."

I continued down while she processed my words.