Uprising

Chapter Seventy-Nine

Exactly two hours after Gabriel Stone had left her alone to wander about the great hall, Alex was summoned again and Lonsdale escorted her through the winding passageways of the castle, the vampire guards close behind.

She could see the heaviness in Lonsdale’s step, the dullness in his eyes and the way his head hung low as he walked. The ancient practice of enslaving humans as ghouls had been one of the first things the Federation had abolished when it had seized power, and Alex had been there at the reading of the proclamation. Trust Gabriel Stone to have flouted the law with such audacity. Lonsdale gave off an air of complete pathos

— she couldn’t help but feel just a little sorry for him.

The pale ghoul showed her through a tall doorway into a brightly lit room filled with state-of-the-art equipment. A large and expensive-looking digital film camera was mounted on a tripod, pointing at an empty carved oak throne. A rack-mounted DVD

recorder was connected to a large screen.

Stone looked breezy and relaxed in an open-necked white shirt and silk necktie.

Lillith had draped herself over a divan in the corner, while Zachary and the other two of his inner circle were watching over the prisoners. Rumble and the seven Federation Supremos were huddled together, surrounded by the sword-wielding guards. Olympia Angelopolis had completely lost her famous composure, but she still managed to look proud next to Gaston Lerouge. Hassan, Goldmund, Korentayer, Mushkavanhu and Borowczyk stood gazing down at their feet, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

‘Alexandra,’ Stone called with a bright smile, looking genuinely pleased to see her. Alex noticed the hot glower that Lillith shot at his back as he walked across to greet her. ‘Thank you, Jeremy,’ he said to Lonsdale. ‘That will be all for now. You may return to your hole until I call for you again.’ He took Alex’s elbow. ‘Let me show you what your friends and I have been up to for the last couple of hours,’ he said warmly. ‘I must say it’s all been going marvellously.’ He turned to Olympia. ‘We’ve been having rather a lot of fun down here, have we not?’

The Vampress let out a humiliated sob.

‘Perhaps I really should go into film-making after all,’ Stone went on. ‘Let’s take a look at the fruit of our labours.’ He aimed a remote control at the DVD player. The screen lit up and, framed there in high definition, sitting slumped and defeated on the oak throne under the bright lights, was Olympia.

‘In her final and most spectacular public appearance,’ Stone smiled.

On screen, the Supremo confessed openly to a host of injustices, and pleaded guilty to charges of corruption and the murder of innocent vampires whose only crime was to honour their ancient heritage. The creation of Solazal and Vambloc had not, she admitted, been done with the interests of vampires at heart, but right from the very beginning had been conceived as a deliberate scheme to enrich her and her colleagues at the expense of their fellows. She told the camera that the burden of her sins had become too heavy to bear, and she now planned to go into seclusion and hide her face away from the vampire community in everlasting shame.

Stone turned off the DVD. ‘That just about sums it up. It’s taken us a little while to get everyone’s confessions down on film, but I must say I’m very pleased with the results.’

‘They made me say it,’ Olympia protested.

‘Of course we did,’ Stone said. ‘Everyone had their own script.’

‘Written by me and Lillith,’ Anastasia cut in proudly.

‘The finest hour of the Federation,’ Stone went on. ‘This is how they will be remembered. Confessing their sins, laying bare their consciences, asking forgiveness of the citizens as they release them from the yoke of oppression. Magnificent.’ He beamed. ‘And now, thanks to our friend Xavier Garrett, who kindly provided us with access to the Federation register, word will be sent out to each and every vampire in the database, summoning them to gather en masse at prearranged venues across the world, where these confessions will be screened. The Federation will be officially disbanded. The beginning of a new era is upon us.’ He turned to Alex with a flourish.

‘Which brings me neatly back to you, Alexandra. Have you decided to accept my offer?’

Lillith’s eyes narrowed into slits and she uncoiled herself from the divan. ‘Your offer, Gabriel? You said you were going to film her with the others. You never mentioned anything to me about an offer.’

Stone ignored her and went on smiling at Alex. ‘Well? What is it to be? Will you join us? Or do you choose to be executed along with your illustrious Vampress and her acolytes?’

A mutter of horror rippled through the little crowd of prisoners. ‘Executed?’

Lerouge burst out, his eyes darting wildly from side to side. ‘But you told us we’d just be sent into exile—’

Stone made an apologetic gesture. ‘A slight deception on my part, I concede. But how else could I have drawn such wonderful performances from you all?’

Lerouge started struggling and screaming. ‘You’ll never get away with this!’

Stone gestured to one of the guards. A quick stroke of a sword, and Lerouge’s head was swiped clean off his shoulders. The head bounced into the fireplace and lay there sizzling. The remaining Supremos cringed and sobbed. Harry Rumble stared hard at Stone but remained silent.

‘Now, what was I saying? Oh yes. My offer, Alexandra. I’m waiting. Don’t disappoint me.’

‘Here’s my answer, Gabriel,’ Alex said, glancing at Olympia. ‘You were right. I’ve been working for tyrants. There isn’t a decent vampire on the Ruling Council. As an agent for VIA, I’ve been the instrument of their corruption. I suspected it all along.

There were things I noticed, but chose to keep quiet about. Now I see differently.’

Stone walked up to Alex and laid a hand on her shoulder. ‘You make me very happy.’

‘You can’t be fucking serious, Gabriel,’ Lillith said.

‘You didn’t let me finish, Gabriel,’ Alex went on. ‘I may have seen through them, but that doesn’t make me want to come over to your side. Not after the things you told me. Yes, I’m a vampire — but I could never be like you.’ She sucked in a breath. ‘So my answer is no. I still believe in what the Federation could have been. What it could be.

What it will be one day.’

There was a silence in the room. A smile had spread over Lillith’s face. Stone raised his eyebrows and let out a regretful sigh.

‘Then on your own head be it,’ he said. ‘Let the executions begin.’