“Why do I smell granite?”
“The gargoyle’s here,” Styx revealed, pushing Xi into his office before he had an opportunity to escape.
“The gargoyle has a name.” A tiny voice came from across the study. “It is Levet.”
Xi sent Styx a puzzled glance. “I thought he was in London.”
Styx looked pained. “He was. Then, a couple minutes ago, he was banging on my door, demanding to be let in.”
Levet sniffed. “I have returned with clues, but if you are going to be a poopy-head I will leave.”
Xi arched a brow. Levet was always mouthy, but he wasn’t usually suicidal. “Poopy-head?”
“Don’t encourage him,” Styx muttered.
Levet flapped his wings, an expression of impatience on his ugly features. “Do you wish to know what I have discovered or not?”
Styx leaned against the desk. “Tell me.”
Levet cleared his throat, clearly enjoying his moment in the spotlight. “As you requested, I traveled to the old lair in Billingsgate.” The gargoyle wrinkled his snout. “You really should send one of your Ravens to give it a good cleaning. I’m coated in mold. I had to polish my tail three times to get the grime off.”
The lights flickered as Styx struggled to control his temper. “I could rip it off, and you wouldn’t have to worry about it.”
“No need to be so grumpy,” Levet complained. “I am the one who has been crawling through moldy tunnels that smell like dead fish while you have been in this mansion as snug as a roach in a rug.”
Styx stiffened in disbelief. “Did you just call me a roach?”
“I think he meant snug as a bug,” Xi hastily prevented the king from crushing the creature beneath his massive feet.
Darcy would never forgive her mate. And, besides, they needed Levet’s information.
Apparently coming to the same conclusion, Styx grimly leashed his anger. “Did you find the vault or not?” he asked the gargoyle.
“Oui.”
“And?” Styx prompted.
“There were scrolls that looked exactly like those Brigette brought from the rebels. They even smelled the same.”
“Anything else?”
Levet nodded. “There were footprints in the layers of dust that coated the vault. As I said, the place is a mess. Perhaps you should—”
“Could you tell how recent?” Styx interrupted.
Levet shrugged. “Within the past year. I cannot be more specific.”
“Did you try to track the intruder?” Xi asked.
“I intend to return and follow the trail. But, first, I want you to see what I found,” Levet said.
Styx waved an impatient hand. “Show me.”
Levet stepped forward, holding out his hand. Then, with the dramatic flair of a dew fairy, he peeled open his fingers one by one.
“Ta da.”
Styx made a strangled noise as he studied the small bronze amulet that had been carved into the shape of a raven. Then, with a stiff motion, he reached to pluck the piece of metal from Levet’s hand.
“Where did you find this?”
“Inside the vault.”
Xi grimaced. The insignia looked similar to the one that Styx had given him when he’d become a Raven, although there were subtle differences. Just like with the seal.
“The previous Anasso offered these to his most loyal servants,” Styx said, confirming Xi’s suspicion.
“It was his lair, right?” Xi said. “It wouldn’t be unusual to find personal belongings.”
Levet shook his head. “There was no dust on it. It’d been left there at the same time as the footprints.”
Xi grimaced. “A vampire.”
The lights flickered again, before shattering into a thousand shards. Xi had no idea how many bulbs the king went through each month, but it had to cost him a small fortune.
“One of my brothers,” Styx rasped.
Xi sensed Styx’s smoldering fury that the brewing rebellion had been stirred to life by a former brother.
“Can you tell which one?” he asked the older vampire.
“No.” Styx slid the amulet into the front pocket of his leather pants, turning his attention to the gargoyle. “You need to return and see if you can follow the trail.”
“Of course I do.” With a sniff, Levet waddled toward the open door. “As always, it is my duty to save the world. Let us hope that flighty imp is holding open the portal.”
Xi watched the gargoyle disappear before glancing back at Styx. “What imp?”
Styx shrugged. “I didn’t ask.”
Xi briefly considered following the tiny creature to discover who was working with him, only to dismiss the impulse. He had more important matters to consider.
“What about you?” he asked his king.
Styx tapped his fingers on the edge of the desk, his thoughts obviously focused on the amulet that had been discovered.
“I’ll start contacting my former clansmen.”
“That’s going to take time.”
Styx shook his head, an ancient sorrow darkening his eyes. “Not as long as you would think. Many of them have perished over the centuries.” His jaw tightened. “Eventually, I’ll figure out who is so eager to overthrow me.”
“Whoever it is should have asked for the throne. There was no need for such an elaborate plot to overthrow you.” Xi deliberately lightened the mood.
With Darcy still in Kansas City, it would be easy for Styx to become mired in his regrets of his past. They needed him sharp-witted and prepared to make difficult choices if they were going to survive the rebellion.
Styx snorted, a hint of rueful amusement dispelling his air of gloom. “No shit. I would have handed over the throne on a silver platter.” He sent Xi a questioning gaze. “Are you going back to the tunnels?”
“Yes. I want to discover what nasty surprises they have hidden and, more importantly, uncover what new chaos they’re plotting.”
Styx arched a brow. “New chaos? Is there something I should know?”
Xi offered a concise account of the evening’s events, including a request that Styx send the other Ravens to spread rumors of an evil darkness invading the city. Styx listened in grim-faced silence. At last, he shook his head in weary frustration.
“At some point, I’m going to have to stop playing defense and go on the offense,” he warned in dark tones.