Blood Legacy: The House of Alexander (19 page)

All was suddenly still for Ryan. She stood on an endless plain bordered by an infinite lake. All was motionless, utterly silent. She turned to Kusunoki, who was at her side.

“I need to see.”

Kusunoki smiled and pointed to the infinite expanse of sky. Ryan turned, and the sky was filled with images, Kusunoki as a child, as a young man, as he was transformed into an immortal, as he lived and Shared and fought for centuries, as he became the revered moon god, then the most honored shogun in all of history. She saw Victor, long before Ryan’s birth, and the time they spent together taming Victor’s restless spirit. She saw the Others, some that she knew, countless that she did not know. She saw Kusunoki’s lineage stretch outward, multiplying toward the future they now occupied.

She saw it all in an instant, yet felt it as if she were living every moment of his very long life. For a moment she saw through his eyes, not only seeing as him, but feeling as him, knowing as him, believing as him, being him.

And now she remembered as him.

He put his hand on her arm, and she turned to him. He smiled at her gently, but there was a fatigue about him that caused her concern. Ryan turned to the sky, which was darkening to a deep red. In the distance ominous drums beat out a steady but ever-increasing rhythm. She turned back to Kusunoki.

“And will you kill me?” he asked softly.

“No!”

The blood-red world disappeared as Ryan jerked away from Kusunoki’s limp body. The exclamation echoed loudly in the otherwise empty meditation chamber.

Ryan looked down at the pale figure of her master, who appeared to be halfway between exhausted sleep and death. She put her hand on his chest and was relieved to feel a faint, thready pulse, although in truth that meant nothing. She stood, then gently lifted Kusunoki over her shoulder. She carried him to his sleeping chambers and laid him on his cot, carefully arranging his limbs so that he was comfortable. She knew that he would sleep a very long time.

She started to leave, then stopped. She leaned down very closely to Kusunoki, gazing at his peaceful, beautiful features. She leaned even closer, her lips nearly brushing his ear.

“I will repay in kind when this is over.”

Ryan left the shrine. She now knew without a doubt that Kusunoki had no part in her father’s betrayal, although she had never really suspected him. But Victor had told her to trust no one, and Ryan had chosen Kusunoki first simply because she did want to trust him. And now she could travel through his lands, using the exact discretion he would have used in culling his line.

Kusunoki awoke when one of the priests tending him brushed his cot. The priest nodded to him, silent as always, and bowed while backing from the room. Kusunoki looked out his window. The sun sat lower in the sky and the shadows were longer. Many weeks had passed since he had Shared with Ryan.

The memory shot through him, causing him equal parts pain and pleasure in his head. He turned the memory over and over in his mind, reliving every aspect of the matchless experience. His pupil truly had become a master.

His expression darkened. And she was indeed powerful. He wondered what the Others would think if they knew she had nearly killed him by accident.

Kusunoki sat up, thoughtful. He did not know if Ryan could have actually killed him. There was no record of any such thing among their Kind. Old Ones were assumed immortal simply because none of them had ever died. And even with all of their internecine squabbling, none were capable of killing each other, even in the act of Sharing.

But that did not mean it was not possible.

Kusunoki thought back to Ryan’s thinly-veiled threat at the Council meeting. He wondered if she had any idea that she might actually be capable of carrying it out. He did not think so, gleaning what little he could from her mind. He did not have her gift—he could not see her Memories without Sharing her blood. But he did not sense she had any grasp of her true abilities.

Kusunoki grew more thoughtful. It would come down to a mental battle. And what gift did Victor have, that he could foresee how important the psychological battlefield would become? All of the Old Ones were equally matched, creating a tenuous détente. Ryan had, in a sense, “caught up” with many of the Old Ones in terms of physical prowess and sheer magnetism, the hallmarks of their Kind. She had done so through her unique birth and through Sharing with the most powerful of their Kind, her father. She now sat in a position as powerful as it was dangerous, both to herself and others.

For Kusunoki realized one very important fact: in order for Ryan to take Kusunoki to the brink of death, she had been required to go there herself. And someone else with less pure motives might take advantage of that door that only Ryan could open.

These thoughts occupied Kusunoki for a very long time. And although he would spend the next weeks in meditation, it would be awhile before his mind would return to the reflection pool it once was.

CHAPTER 12

THE GREAT TABLE DOMINATED THE SPACE in the internal meeting place of the Grand Council. It was a less formal setting than the Great Hall, designed only for the secret meetings of the members of the Grand Council themselves. Bordered on all sides by walls ten feet thick, its function was to allow the Council members to speak frankly to one another without the possibility of preternatural ears overhearing. It was also regularly swept for electronic devices that might overhear as well. On this date, it would serve as pre-assembly prior to Ryan’s arrival, who was due to report on her progress. Only Ala and Kusunoki had arrived as yet, and as Kusunoki settled into his chair, he was very aware of Ala’s scrutiny.

“You seem different somehow, my old friend.” Ala said, her rich, melodic voice both suspicious and knowing.

Kusunoki did not react, his expression inscrutable as always. “I cannot imagine how.”

“Mm-hmm,” Ala said, “Perhaps you could Share the experience with me later.”

The double entendre was not lost on Kusunoki, nor the invitation. He did not react, however, saying only “Perhaps.”

Their discourse was interrupted by Aeron and Marilyn, who quite surprisingly came in on Aeron’s arm. He led her to her seat, solicitously holding her chair for her as they finished their conversation.

“Yes, she was quite talented at obtaining information, even as young as she was. I quite enjoyed the exchange.” Aeron glanced at Kusunoki as he took his seat. His tone was mild and mildly threatening at the same time. “I can’t imagine what she is like now.”

Kusunoki gazed at Aeron, expressionless. Aeron stared at him for a long moment, then turned back to Marilyn, his demeanor still wickedly charming. “We could all just hold her down and take turns.”

Marilyn’s eyes gleamed as she entertained the thought, then shook her head with some regret. “Knowing her as I know her, that might be more difficult than you think.”

“Ah,” Aeron said, “The joy might be in just trying.”

“And you would pay for that attempt,” Abigail said as she entered the room, “Probably in ways you could not possibly imagine.”

Aeron smiled. “But you would finally get the opportunity to collect your debt.”

Abigail settled into her chair, unperturbed. “That opportunity is ever-present.” She glanced pointedly at Aeron. “And I do not require assistance to collect it.”

Ala cleared her throat, “Perhaps we could move to the business at hand.”

Aeron smiled to himself, still enjoying the vision of Ryan being held down. He was gracious to Ala, however, the perfect gentleman.

“Of course.” He grew more businesslike. “Does anyone have an educated guess as to how many Ryan has managed to destroy?”

All were silent for a moment, unwilling to show their cards or reveal the extent of their intelligence networks. It was Kusunoki who finally broke the impasse.

“She has been particularly industrious in Asia. I do not have an exact number, but I would estimate she has destroyed in excess of six thousand on that continent alone.”

There was a marked silence at the table as Kusunoki’s words sunk in. Even Ala turned to Kusunoki, surprised at the number.

Aeron did not believe him, and his tone was scathing. “I find it difficult to believe her capable of such destruction in the span of three months. It is not so easy to kill our Kind, even the Young Ones.”

“Two months,” Kusunoki said evenly, his gaze unwavering. “She slept for nearly a month.”

Abigail’s gaze flicked to Kusunoki, aware of the significance of his words. She would have to reflect upon this development, and the danger of any type of alliance between Ryan and the shogun master.

Kusunoki was not finished. “And she did not stop with the Young Ones, nor did she waste any time with them.” His voice was entirely conversational, as if relating temperate weather conditions. “She destroyed a dam in the southern part of China, which created tidal waves for hundreds of miles downstream. It wiped out two full clans of my line, not to mention a hundred thousand human beings, burying them under mountains of rock and debris.”

Abigail paid no notice to the collateral damage and keyed on what Kusunoki had said earlier. “What do you mean she did not stop with the Young Ones?”

Kusunoki took a deep breath. “Apparently she is capable of destroying those who occupy the middle ground as easily as the Young Ones.”

“That is impossible,” Aeron said.

Kusunoki’s gaze did not waver. “I spoke with a survivor personally, with whom Ryan had left a message. She said “Many things are impossible. Now I have done them all.”

Abigail and Marilyn exchanged glances. Ryan had used that exact phrase the night she had “murdered” her father, and Victor had spoken the same phrase at Ryan’s trial in reference to her birth.

Kusunoki continued and his tone grew darker. “Lest you forget, I spent several decades with Ryan when she was little more than a Young One. Even then she was one of the most effcient predators I have ever seen. There is no moral ambiguity within her. She is following her father’s edict right now, which is absolute. And to complicate matters, she is being driven by an immense pain,” he gazed at Aeron, his words suddenly biting, “The cause of which I cannot determine.”

Aeron gazed at the shogun warrior coldly, but said nothing. Ala, who had been assessing the implications of Kusunoki’s words, turned to him. “How many of those in the middle ground has she taken?”

“Twenty-five, perhaps thirty.”

Aeron’s fist smashed downward, creating a split down the middle of the heavy table. “That is not possible,” he said through clenched teeth.

Kusunoki’s gaze was as cold as Aeron’s and his words were steady. “Do not make me repeat her words again.”

Abigail interrupted the rapidly escalating situation. “I suggest we wait to hear those words from Ryan herself, who will be here shortly.” In a display of extreme matriarchal authority, both Abigail and Ala stood, effectively ending the meeting.

The twelve witnesses stood stiffly, their attention wholly focused on the figure seated in the center of the room. “Seated” was once more a generous term, as the position was more akin to an elegant sprawl. It was hard to determine if the sprawl was an act of deliberate disrespect, or one of complete inattention, as the figure was so obviously lost in thought.

“Disrespect” became the more likely suspect as the Grand Council entered and the figure, although aware of their presence, did not move. When she did move, it was not to stand, but rather to shift position slightly, crossing one long leg over the other.

“Please be seated,” Aeron said with mild sarcasm, and the witnesses took their seats.

Edward glanced over at Ryan. He had not seen her in weeks. She had stopped in several times, but her visits were brief, primarily to check on Victor and to speak with Dr. Ryerson. She rarely stayed for longer than a few hours, and most of those she spent kneeling at Victor’s side, her head on his silent chest.

He looked more closely at her. He knew Ryan extremely well, and there was something not quite right about her right now. As if reading his mind, she turned to him, and as clearly as if she had spoken in his ear, he heard her words.

Do not worry about me.

Abigail noticed the exchange, but so powerful had the girl become, Abigail was unable to grasp the content of the message. Then, as if sensing the attempted interception, Ryan turned to the matriarch, staring at her intently.

And do you stand against me as well?

Abigail felt the girl’s presence in her mind, and was angered at the intrusion while stimulated by the exercise of power. She was intrigued by the dangerous edge that Ryan possessed right now. The girl seemed positively reckless, seething in a tightly controlled manner.