The camera pans briefly, and I catch a glimpse of a face I recognise. Also dressed in dark clothing, a blade clasped in one scarred hand. It’s Andrew.
‘What the hell is this?’ Michael’s voice is raw.
‘It’s an illegal hunt. On the Channel Islands. Humans letting vampires ashore, unleashing them on the population.’ Varin’s voice is tense.
‘It’s Andrew.’ I cannot believe the betrayal.
‘Yes.’ My father is terse, his arms still folded. ‘I thought you’d recognise him.’
‘Who’s Andrew?’ Michael directs the question to my father, but I answer.
‘One of the leaders of the North Wind. The one who sat in this very room, and told a sob story so I would give him my island project!’ Anger bites into me like acid. ‘We should shut the whole fucking thing down.’
‘I understand you’re angry.’ My father’s voice is quiet. ‘As am I. However, there are other things to consider. Take a moment.’
The way he says it, I know he’s reminding me of our lessons. My mother isn’t here at the moment – she’s gone for a dress fitting – which puts me, as the anointed heir, in charge. It’s a heady feeling. But it’s also one of great weight. Whatever I say next will happen.
In battle, do not act in haste. Take a moment to consider your next moves. Then choose.
I could shut the whole thing down now. Funnel all the humans into Safe Zones, punish Andrew and whoever else is involved in a variety of gruesome ways. And then I’d be back where I started, with rebels in the Safe Zones who have a whole bunch of new reasons to be angry with the House of Raven. I’m still working on ideas for different community models, but don’t have anything concrete.
‘He’ll know that the video is public, if it’s on the news. So, they’ll be waiting to see what happens next. As will everyone else. Damn! Can they not see that this kind of thing is just going to make it harder for me to change things?’
‘There’s another possible angle to this.’
I glance at the carnage onscreen again. The boat, and the black-clad vampires. Shit. Of course.
‘You think this is who has been attacking the Safe Zones and the nomad communities. They’ve been capturing humans to hunt. So not Reapers, then.’ The attacks on Safe Zones are still happening, though not as often, thanks to our increased guard presence. They’ve been relegated to an occasional mention in the news cycle. I guess a bunch of humans disappearing or being murdered doesn’t mean much to vampires.
‘It’s a possibility,’ Varin says, frowning. ‘Though we cannot rule out the Reaper threat.’
‘There is no Reaper threat,’ Michael says, his jaw tight.
‘No? Even though they can move in daylight?’ I’ve been meaning to tell my father about this. Now seems an appropriate time, gauging by the astonished exclamations from both him and Varin. Michael glares at me.
‘At the Gathering, when I went outside during the day, I saw them. We saw them.’ Oops. I hadn’t exactly mentioned that I’d seen Michael that day in the snow. I tell the rest of the story.
‘Darkness, Emelia!’ My father bangs his hand on the table. ‘You were unguarded!’
‘She had me, sir.’ Michael folds his arms, his grey eyes dark. ‘And, as I say, Reapers are not the threat you think them to be. I think it more likely to have been illegal hunters attacking Safe Zones. The attacks were all near the water, correct?’
‘Yes,’ I say. ‘That bothered me, too. Why would they attack the shorelines, rather than the edge of the forest, if they were Reapers?’
‘It makes more sense that it was humans and vampires travelling from the islands, rather than coming from inland,’ Michael says.
I shake my head. ‘Except the North Wind weren’t on the Channel Islands when the first attacks happened. I agree, though, it could still be linked to the hunts.’ There’s something else, though. A clue that’s eluding me.
‘So, what do we do?’ My father directs the question to me. Everyone else is silent. Again, the weight of power descends, like a heavy cloak. I chew my lip, considering.
‘We pull Andrew off the island, and anyone else we can identify in the video. Make sure they’re punished appropriately. We also run regular patrols, checking for any illegal activity, as well as figure out where the loading point is on the mainland. We make all this public, put out a statement. Privately, we trace the pathway back further, see if we can get to the heart of who’s organising this. We’ve already got extra guards in the Safe Zones, so hopefully that will deter further raids.’
My father nods, his granite expression softening. ‘Good. Why do you want to keep the investigation private, though?’
He knows why. He just wants to make sure I do, as well. ‘There are enough people in this realm, including in the twelve families, who think hunting is natural. There are also humans, and vampires, who make a lot of money from participating. Andrew might have got involved as a source of funding for the North Wind, especially once Mistral was killed. I can say I don’t allow hunts in Safe Zones or vampire-free zones, but that’s as far as I can go, especially with how unstable things are until I take the crown. That’s the focus. Then, once I’m officially the Raven, I can make more decisive moves.’
‘Good.’ My father is still serious, but there’s warmth, now, in his golden gaze. ‘Let’s make it so.’
‘Varin.’ My champion nods. ‘Will you coordinate the removal of the hunters from the islands? Michael, we’ll need to talk about punishment, and what form it might take.’ The word catches in my throat, remembering his father kneeling in front of my mother, like an avenging angel. But there will be no Moon Harvest this time, no blood and darkness.
