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“My information wasn’t enough? What more do you want?”
“A night’s entertainment,” he grinned, revealing his fangs.
“I’m not for sale,” I said quickly. “Not like that.”
“It’s not what you think,” he said. “And your friend Trevor will fulfill that particular role. But I want you to understand, I’m not a king. I don’t command my army. Each warrior who joins me, will be paid, according to their risk and value. This is a debt that I would incur, for you. But I’m a bank, not a gift. I will need collateral and assurances.”
“Like what?” I asked. “I don’t have much to offer.”
“Then I won’t take anything at all. Only the promise of something you might have in the future.”
“That sounds fair, what is it?”
“Your firstborn child.”
6
Ilaughed at first, thinking he was kidding, but his face fell into an apologetic tension. Even so, I could tell he was pleased with himself. He’d been building this snare for days, and I’d just stepped into it.
“You’re serious,” I said, my heart racing.
“It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Monarchs often traded offspring to secure peace. Something each loved, to keep them in check.”
“Does that mean you’re giving me something of equal value?”
“I am. Each of my men, their very lives at risk—based on the promise of something that may take many years to materialize.”
“But what do you want with my child? What do you plan to do with it?” I asked, fearing the worst.
“Nothing,” he said. “What I want is your attention. And a debt you can’t repay.”
“You’re extorting me,” I said. “Seeing how much I’m willing to give up. You want something personal, something to hurt me with. To control me.”
“What is a child, except a weakness to be exploited?” he said, with a grin that showed his fangs. “And yet, one wayward child can change the course of destiny. Like your mother, floating down the river in a basket. There’s something almost biblical about it. You were an orphan, who through accident and fate, is about to become a queen. But your victory is not assured. Anything you promise me right now, can be taken from you. Except one thing.”
“A hypothetical child,” I said. “Half elite and half human.”
“Something like that. It’s poetic, and showy. Centuries from now, when they tell our tales, it’ll be a piquant bit of folklore. The woman who sold her son for a kingdom. For now, honestly, it’s the only thing you can afford and puts nothing into my pocket, or out of yours. It’s merely an affirmation of your absolute commitment. I only profit if we succeed and keep the peace, long enough for your union to be consummated. If we fail, and you die, I lose nothing.”
“That implies marrying Damien. Carrying his child.”
“Is that a problem for you? Rescuing your prince, I hope, is an agenda we are already in agreement over. You are his chosen; he is your betrothed. Are you having second thoughts?”
“No.” I said, “not about that. But he’d never agree to this.”
“Then it’s a good thing he isn’t here,” Augustine teased.
“I could demand a thousand pints of blood a week, to feed my troops, and you’d have to work that out with your citizens. That would be more practical. But the truth is, blood is cheap. Yours comes willingly, due to a very complex and elegant scheme, but as you can see, we have no shortage of it. The one thing the elite desperately need, theonlything, is the ability to procreate. You mentioned a miracle of science, and I’ve decided to accept your offer. And while I’m happy to share the process of your discovery, I’d rather have the first fruit it bears.”
“Charming,” I said, but I was tired of his flowery words. Still, if he’d asked this of me when we first arrived, I would have refused in a heartbeat. Did that mean I was actually considering this dark proposal?
“As I told you,” Augustine said, “we’re efficient. I suspect, once you take the citadel, you may find out more about what King Richard was working towards than you expect. In time, perhaps with your help, I’ll be able to have children of my own. It was never something I wanted; then it became something I lost. Now, who knows. Imagine the possibilities, a few hundred years from now. Not two symbiotic races, but one race; faster and stronger than anything that came before. If such a race exists, perhaps you are one of the first members. If Damien gets his throne, and you join him, your child could be the first half-breed.”
“Not the first,” I said. “My mother, my real mother. I am born of elite, I think. That’s what I’ve been told.”
“Then it’s already begun. Whatever happens next, for the future of humanity, it’s going to depend on two things; a system greater than each of ours. A network larger than a handful of compounds. And science, experimentation. Perhaps, with your antidote, you’ve already discovered what we need, what your grandfather was searching for. Now that the ash is off, I see no reason for humans not to reclaim the world and begin repopulating. Let’s say they are a scarce resource, and I’m making a long-term investment. In you, to restore the species.”
“What about the compounds?” I asked.
