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“How will that change things?” I asked.

“There will be war again,” Dominic said, gravely. “The Supernaturals are unstable, uncontrollable. If we let them in, they will go after everyone. They like chaos, thrive on instability. It will be a dark day for mortal beings.”

I shuddered, thinking of the horror stories my parents told me of those times, when humans lived in caves in the mountains, too fearful to come out.

I asked him, “What happened exactly, the night Queen Tanata died? How did Tempesto get rid of her?”

Dominic looked at me, pointedly, as if to see whether he could trust me.

“He had someone working for him. Someone on the inside, we think.”

That was all I managed to get from him before he left.

Chapter 8

Lucca

The Citadel has not changed much over the years.

It is still the same beast it always was, hungry and horny and looking for fresh prey.

Either you take it head-on, or you keep out of its way.

I prefer to keep hidden for now.

I decide to drop in on Sunil without any warning. I want to see his face when he opens the door and finds me there.

Sunil’s house is a grand, old mansion close to the city center.

Queen Simonis had bought it as she liked to come to the capital, to see her friends, many of whom lived here. She’d liked the parties and the intrigue that surrounded those on the Council. Even then, I disliked the drama and preferred to stay at Grey Castle. After her death, Sunil took over the house and ran the administrative side of business from here. He dealt with councilors and new markets.

Sunil was sophisticated and cultured. He had grown up in the capital, gone to school here and learnt different languages. He liked art and music, and kept up with the advances in human technology. His house contained both elements of the old and the new world. It didn’t have the damp of my castle.

“Father! What a surprise!”

There was a dinner party at his house. I could see people seated around the table, drinking wine and laughing. He came out to see me and took me to a private room downstairs, the study.

He seemed genuinely pleased to see me, and yet I was not completely convinced.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?”

I told him what had been happening out West, and that I was concerned.

“Yes,” he nodded. “I’ve heard it too.”

He paused and fetched us some refreshments.

His product tasted slightly different, he told me he’d added some flavoring. I didn’t like it and put it down, pushing it away.

“What is going on with the Council?” I asked.

“My sources tell me there is something happening behind the scenes at the Council, but I don’t know exactly what. I’ve been trying to establish what, but I want to be careful.I have no wish to die yet,” he said with a dry laugh.

The Council had been effective for so long and I did not want to stir up problems.

“Dominic is growing old,” said Sunil. “His influence has weakened and this has caused the power battle between MoZa and Tempesto to flare up. They are openly challenging each other at hearings now, I’ve been told.”

“We cannot have another war,” I warned.