The well of truth, p.14
The Well of Truth, page 14
They stopped talking when they saw us coming. Alex turned to face us. “Is that him?” he whispered to Reece.
We stopped in front of them, and Flo gave the young werewolf a shove so he stumbled forward. His tears had stopped, but he was still shaking, shoulders slumped. His feet were bare, and he tiptoed the last block across the pavement. He stood between us and the two werewolves like a scared puppy.
“Hi,” Alex ventured, trying to sound chipper. It came out more like a nervous peep. “What’s your name?”
“Dave,” he said quietly.
Max fidgeted. His eyes kept darting to the house. I wasn’t sure if he was anxious from fear or not. He said Gabriel wanted to meet us immediately, and that was over an hour ago. If he was the head of a group like the Iustitia, and if his word weighed more than the pope’s, he was probably a ruthless man. It didn’t instill much confidence.
“You three stay here and bond,” I said. “We’ll be back.”
With a relieved look, Max started up the side of the grass. The front porch was new. The wood wasn’t weathered yet, nor stained. It was free of plant overgrowth. Instead, multiple flowers and types of ferns sat in pots around lawn chairs.
Max opened a white steel door with an intricate pattern cut into it and knocked on the glass door behind it. A large man with bulging muscles and spiked hair hurried toward the door. I had seen him before somewhere. My mind flipped through memories, looking for his face. He was in the photograph that hung at the end of the hallway at Iustitia headquarters.
Instead of opening the door, the man motioned with his hands to go around to the back.
“What?” Flo snapped. “We’re not going to get an invite? How hospitable of you.”
Max turned red. He walked off the porch and around the side of the house. I didn’t start to follow him until he disappeared into the bushes. The vibe coming from the vampires behind me mirrored my own feelings: Uncomfortable. Nervous. Unsure.
I squeezed Lyn’s hand for reassurance, both mine and hers. It made me feel slightly better as we went down a small path between tall shrubs and entered a spacious backyard. It was surrounded by even more greenery. A koi pond was positioned near the back steps. In the very far corner was a large, white awning stretched between two trees. There were two lawn chairs beneath it. One of them was occupied.
Max motioned us forward. “This is Gabriel,” he said quietly.
The man sitting in the chair was much younger than I had imagined. He was no more than twenty-five. His dark hair was shaved short, and he was excessively thin. There were bruised bags under his deep brown eyes, and he was pale as snow. The sweet scent of death hung around him like a thick blanket.
Gabriel shut a folder, but not before I saw the contents: snapshots and bios on each of us. He set it on his lap, resting his hands on top of it. He forced his chapped lips into a smile. “Kaden, Flo, Stu, and Sullivan,” he said. “Am I right?” I nodded. “Is this Emmalyn?”
“Lyn,” she said meekly.
He looked at her thoughtfully before extending a boney hand in the direction of the empty chair. “One of you can have a seat. Sorry I didn’t have time to set anything else up.”
I steered Lyn toward the chair. She was still in shock from killing Lombardi, and I wanted her to sit. Her heart hadn’t stopped beating out of her chest since it happened. The tears brimmed in her eyes. The last thing she needed was to faint.
“Thank you for your services tonight,” Gabriel said. The four of us exchanged looks. “Leukemia.”
I started to say something. I wasn’t sure what, but he held up his hand to stop me. The picture hanging on the wall wasn’t the man inside. It was the man in front of us, but from before he was sick.
“You were wondering why I look like I’m about to keel over. I have leukemia,” he continued. “I’ve tried all the treatments, even some new ones in the trial stage, but nothing worked. I decided to stop trying.”
I shifted uncomfortably. This had “change me” written all over it. People that are dying usually look for something, anything to save them. They don’t care about being damned or what immortality really means. I’ve seen it thousands of times. All their family will wither and die around them, taking away a majority of the reason they wanted to live in the first place. But they don’t realize that. They’re desperate. They just see it as a solution to their problem.
“I’m not afraid to die,” he added. “That’s why I wasn’t concerned about coming here alone. And, no …” His lips curled up at the corners. “… I don’t want you to save me.”
“He’s a mind reader,” Stu said. His mouth was hanging open with a half smile.
Gabriel laughed weakly. “Not quite. Just perceptive.”
“If you’re not afraid to die, why are we in the backyard?” Flo asked. “Is the butler scared?”
“Marco?” His eyebrows lowered. “He’s not the butler. He’s my brother.”
Brother? It made sense. The family resemblance was obvious. He was huge compared to Gabriel. If that was the gene pool, he should have been a force to be reckoned with. Instead, he was about as strong as a toddler. Why hadn’t they simply made his brother the leader?
“It’s my house,” he continued. “But I live north, in the country. My brother stays here most of the time. I don’t want him to worry. He won’t let anyone know you’re here tonight. He wants no part of what I’m about to tell you.”
A few irrelevant questions popped into my mind, but I brushed them away in favor of the important ones. “Why did you want to meet with us secretly like this?”
Gabriel looked at Max and blinked slowly. He was tired. You could see it in every inch of his sunken face. Getting from the country to Rome had taken more energy than he would like to admit. I didn’t know him, but he seemed like a good man.
“It’s not a secret meeting,” he said. “Max is here.”
“We all know that Max is a cut above,” Sullivan explained. “He’s proven himself trustworthy and won’t say anything.”
Gabriel smirked.
“What did you need us for?” I asked again, not wanting to get too far off track.
“Where is the young werewolf you picked up?” he asked in return. “I’d like to see him.”
Max hurried back around the house to ask them to join us. A quiet hush fell around the backyard. News traveled fast if he already knew we took the wolf with us. We weren’t sure of what to say while we waited, or if we should say anything at all.
“How are you enjoying Italy?” he asked Lyn.
She forced a smile. “It’s amazing.”
Max came back with all three wolves in tow. Gabriel sat up a little straighter and fought a cough.
“Hello,” Reece said stiffly.
“Hello,” he replied. His eyes traveled over Dave, wearing nothing but Stu’s jacket. “Max, run inside and find him some clothes. Some of my old things should fit.”
We waited again in silence, like Max’s presence was the only thing allowing us to have a conversation. Flo was getting anxious behind me, sighing and folding her arms across her chest. Stu stepped a bit closer to her. Surprisingly, it seemed to help.
The night was chilly, but dry. I shoved my hands into my jean pockets and occupied myself with digging up a rock with the toe of my sneaker. This was not what I had in mind for my evening. It wasn’t what any of us had in mind.
It took Max an especially long time to get back, but when he did, he was carrying an armful of fabric and an old, beaten pair of sneakers. He handed Dave the plain white T-shirt and pair of jeans, setting the socks and shoes on the ground next to him.
The boy turned his back to us and pulled the jeans on in haste. He wasn’t used to letting himself be exposed, showing his true age. The most unfortunate thing was that he must have had no one to go through the changes with. Maybe I could call Sid and find a place for him in New York.
When he was fully dressed, Dave handed the jacket back to Stu with a very quiet thank you.
“There. That’s much better.” Gabriel shifted in his seat. “Don’t be afraid. I just want to ask you a few questions. When I’m done, you can go with these two fine werewolves who can teach you all kinds of things.”
Dave nodded slowly. His red hair bobbed with the movement.
“Wonderful.” He left the statement open, waiting for the boy to identify himself.
“Dave,” he said again.
Gabriel motioned the wolf closer. Lyn got up and came to stand next to me so he could have a place to sit.
“Tell me, Dave. What brings you to Rome?”
The boy’s eyes switched from his lap to the sick man before him and back again. “They found me and told me that they would take care of me if I came with them.”
“Who did?” Gabriel asked in a gentle, patient voice. He was good with children. I found myself feeling sorry that he was ill-fated. I could have learned to like him.
“Meagan found me,” he said. “But I never saw her again after that day. She just dropped me off with her friends and disappeared.”
Alex whispered something in Reece’s ear. Reece nodded. When he saw me watching them, he mouthed “Sid’s dead girlfriend.” I had thought she was working for Phoenix. Now, she was working for Abel.
Who wasn’t spying on me in New York?
“And what are your friends doing here?” Gabriel continued.
“Tonight …” he swallowed hard. “They were trying to kill the Holy Father.”
“Do you know why?”
“They said he knew too much.” Dave’s voice wavered. “If we didn’t kill him, he would tell everyone what we were going to do.”
“Do you know what it is they don’t want us to find out?”
Dave stiffened and leaned backed into the chair. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he looked like he might vomit. His hands shook in his lap and he grabbed onto the fabric of his jeans.
“It’s all right,” Gabriel continued. “You’re among friends here. We won’t let anyone hurt you now. We are the good guys.”
He was taking a lot for granted. I wasn’t completely sure what we were going to do with Dave just yet. I knew, without a doubt, that Sid could find a place for him. And it wasn’t like I was going to toss him back to the enemy. Maybe Gabriel was really as observant as he claimed he was. Or maybe he had his own plans for the boy.
Dave glanced nervously at all of us. I didn’t think he was completely convinced that we were good guys. He watched as I told Sullivan to kill the werewolf as she lay unconscious.
“You work for the church?” Dave asked.
“With them,” Gabriel corrected. “Yes.”
“So, you’re not going to kill me then?” He waited for Gabriel to shake his head. “Tonight … Abel wasn’t a part of it, but you’re going to stop him, right? From letting him out?”
The little color that was left in Gabriel’s face drained out immediately. I didn’t think it was possible for him to be paler, but he was. He looked like an animated corpse. A dark cloud grew behind his eyes. “We’ll stop them,” he said in his calm voice. “Thank you.”
There was a long pause. No one wanted to ask, but everyone wanted to know. Gabriel had figured something out. His body slumped back into the chair, and he looked to the sky. He sat that way for so long I was beginning to think something was wrong with him.
“Alex,” he finally said, just before I suggested calling an ambulance. “Take Dave inside to get something to eat. The kitchen is to the left. If my brother says anything, tell him I gave you permission.”
“Go with them,” I told Lyn. Sending her with a strange, young wolf wasn’t normally a good idea. But he had already transformed back and forth tonight, so even under the stress it wasn’t likely he would again. If he did, Alex would stop him. I didn’t want Lyn with us when we heard what had obviously been discovered.
I waited until the three of them had disappeared into the yellow house before turning my attention back to the head of the Iustitia. He was holding his head with one hand, his elbow propped up on the arm of chair. Only his eyes moved to meet mine.
“You know what’s going on,” I stated.
“I do. I started to suspect a few days ago, but then I heard about tonight’s attack.” He let out a long shaky breath. “It’s good that I convinced the pope to let you come. We could never win this alone.”
Flo huffed. “Are you going to keep us in suspense all night? The sun will be up soon.”
Gabriel inhaled, sitting up straight. “While he was in Rome, Pope Gregory X struck a deal with your current master. Directly after that, he created the Iustitia. The secret has been passed down the line to every new pope and Iustitia leader, and no one else.” He paused and watched me carefully. “Do you know who Tobias is? You were made after Phoenix took his throne.”
I nodded, but it was Sullivan that said, “I knew him well.”
“Then you knew how he was. Manipulative. Cunning. Strong. Hateful.” He sat up a little more in the chair. “Evil.”
Sullivan nodded. “It was a good day for many of us when he died.”
Gabriel shook his head. “He’s not dead.”
“What?” Flo shouted.
“Explain the deal,” Stu said after the vibrations in the air settled and he stepped away from Flo’s side.
“To keep the vampires out of Rome, Gregory agreed to make sure that a certain door was never opened again.” He looked intensely at me. “Beneath this city is a network of tunnels. In one of them, there is a tomb. Tobias has been sealed in a six-by-six cell for over seven hundred years.” He paused to let the information sink in. “If Abel succeeds in letting him out, not only will we have a crazed, bloodthirsty vampire on our hands, but Phoenix is going to bring his wrath down on this city. And that will just be the beginning.”
The world started to close around me. I could feel my lungs fighting for air. “That’s why he wants me back,” I whispered. He needed me. He needed me to have his back and help him win against the revenge Tobias was going to carry out against him.
“Kaden,” Stu said. “This is bad.”
“Why should we trust you?” Flo demanded.
Gabriel blinked in surprise. “Why shouldn’t you trust me? Why would I make this up? I don’t want a war. This may be the last thing I can do to help. I want to make a difference. I want to know that my family, this city, and the rest of the world are all safe.”
Flo opened her mouth, but I shot her a look. “He’s not lying,” I growled at her. “Reece, get them from the house. Dawn is coming.”
“Do you know where the tomb is?” Sullivan asked.
Gabriel shook his head. “It’s somewhere directly beneath the Vatican.”
“We’ll find it,” I said, determined.
Gabriel stood up using the arms of the chair. “Come here first. I’ll locate it before dusk and take you there myself.”
Chapter 17
Gabriel was waiting for us on his front porch the next night. He was dressed all in black with giant lantern-shaped flashlight in hand and a black skullcap pulled onto his head. He swung a small, child-sized book bag onto his back and adjusted the straps. I had my doubts that it was all right for him to exert himself, but we were at his mercy. He was the only one on our side that knew where the tomb was.
“Hello again,” he called.
“Are we doing a jewelry heist for some Hollywood flick?” Flo asked, taking in his appearance.
The Iustitia leader smiled. “If I die, I prefer to do it in style.”
Flo snorted, but surprisingly kept her mouth shut. His statement didn’t make me feel any better about exploring the tunnels. I wasn’t sure it was supposed to. The enemy hadn’t found it yet, or Tobias would be free. And we would probably be dead. What was so dangerous?
Enough.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” I asked. “If anything happens down there, we might not be able to save you.”
“I left a note,” he said, like a child rebelling against his parents. “No one’s going to blame you. My mother might,” he smirked. “Besides, it could be fun.” He flicked his flashlight on, temporarily blinding us, and started down the drive to the waiting van.
I doubted it was going to be an enjoyable night, but I wasn’t going to burst his bubble. For some reason, he looked happy. Being sick, it was most likely a rare chance to get out of the house and use the training he received.
“Come on, slowpokes,” he called from the white, rusting van on the side of the road.
Stu laughed and rushed over to it. He was sitting in the back before Gabriel knew what happened, making him jump.
“Who are you calling slow?” Stu joked, sticking his head over the seat.
Flo pushed on the top of his head to get him back into the seat. “Don’t give him a heart attack before he shows us the tomb.”
“After that, it’s all right?” Gabriel asked.
Flo snapped her head around to look at him. Her blue eyes twinkled, but she forced her lips down into a scowl. “Well.” She shrugged.
“She’s not serious,” Sullivan told him.
“I am,” she mumbled.
Stu shook his head. “She’s not.”
I shooed Flo off the street and into the back of the vehicle with a wave of my hand, and the rest of us climbed in. Max was driving. I should have been expecting that, but I wasn’t. He was sipping on a travel mug, and an empty McDonald’s bag was crumpled on the floor.
“Borrowed your mom’s van?” Stu asked, plucking a children’s toy out from beneath him.
“My cousin’s.” He shrugged and tapped at butterfly air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. He started the engine, and we pulled away from the curb.
I hadn’t seen a cop since we arrived. I wondered how they enforced the curfew, or if they did. Since I didn’t understand Italian, I hadn’t bothered watching the news to see if there had been more murders. I assumed there were. The vampires here were feeding on someone. Maybe the authorities thought that if you were dumb enough to go out after dark, it was your own fault.
