It was heavy, which meant he could use it as a weapon. Not a bad thing to have in your hands when you were walking into a giant den of vampires. The knives at his waist pressed into his skin, reassuring him with their cool presence.
The court was full that night. Dozens of dark-eyed vampires lounged on the steps around Alfonso’s throne, others gathered in the shadow of pillars that held up the old Roman ruins. Filomena was one of them, her tall figure clad in a brilliant shirt of blue, yellow, and red. It glowed in the low light. Ben let Tenzin take the lead, coming up behind her, still carrying the gold.
Filomena stepped forward and said, “We welcome your return, Tenzin, daughter of Zhang Guolao. Sired of air. Mated to water, scourge of the Naiman Khanlig. Commander of the Altan Wind. Protector of Penglai Island. Patron goddess of the Holy Mountain, protector and scribe of New Spain. Friend of Don Ernesto Alvarez of Los Angeles.” Filomena took a breath. “And we also welcome Benjamin Vecchio, ward of Giovanni Vecchio, scholar and ally of Rome.”
As soon as Filomena said his uncle’s name, silence fell in the court. He could feel the air in the room shift as vampires turned to stare at him.
Okay, so things were already going sideways.
“Lovely,” he muttered. “Always nice to be the center of attention.”
Tenzin spoke in Mandarin. “Stay close.”
“This is the ward of di Spada?” Alfonso rose to his feet. “In my city?”
Filomena gestured toward Tenzin. “Tenzin is Di Spada’s old partner, my lord. You knew that when you hired her. Is it any wonder she brings the assassin’s son with her?”
“Not his son,” Ben said quietly. “Not that it matters, I guess.”
Alfonso was glaring at Filomena. “I will deal with your insubordinate tone later. Tenzin, did you find what I hired you to find?”
Ben held out the briefcase to Tenzin, who took it. He suddenly felt naked and put his hands in his pockets, pressing his forearms against the blades at his sides.
Tenzin said, “I found it. I will expect the fee transferred to my account by the end of this night.”
Filomena stepped forward again. “Did you not know that she had found the tarì, my lord? After all, you sent Patricio and Armand to follow the boy when he left your city so you could be kept abreast of their progress.”
Suspicious murmurs from the crowd of vampires. Alfonso’s lip curled up at his lieutenant.
“Silence, Filomena.”
“Where are they?” Filomena asked, pressing forward as a dozen vampires moved to guard her sides. “Have your scouts not returned?”
Aaaaand any hope of getting out of Alfonso’s glorified basement fled at that moment.
Ben glanced at Tenzin. Her head was cocked, watching Filomena with narrow eyes.
“What is she doing?” he whispered.
Tenzin said, “She’s being very shrewd. Filomena has drawn me in. I can’t ignore Alfonso’s slight now.”
“What?”
Tenzin flexed her shoulder and smiled. “She’s maneuvered me into becoming her ally. Clever, clever girl. This just became interesting.”
“I really wish you didn’t sound so chipper right now.”
“But it works out beautifully!”
“How?” Ben hissed. “How does this work out in any way that could be considered beautiful?”
Ben could see factions already forming as over half the vampires in the room drifted toward Filomena while others gathered closer to Alfonso. In truth, the factions had probably lain beneath the surface for months or years. Or centuries.
“You spend the wealth of our city treasury to find a fortune you claim as your own,” Filomena said, walking toward the throne. “You put corrupt humans in place and allow them to steal from your own people. What makes you better than the Romans who looted Naples in the first place?”
“I am Naples.” Alfonso rose to his feet. “And you are nothing.”
“I am the woman who will take this city from you!” Filomena said, drawing her sword. “And my people stand behind me.”
With a surge, the vampires of Naples met in a clashing roar.
“Now is the time that you duck!” Tenzin yelled, shoving him behind a pillar and throwing the briefcase at his chest. “Here, hold this!”
Ben slid down the pillar, holding the briefcase. “Can’t. Breathe.”
That swing might have crushed a few ribs, but Ben listened to Tenzin. He had absolutely no dog in this fight, and he did not consider armed combat a fun way to hang out on a Saturday night.
He scrambled to a better location, knowing that in the rush to avoid eternal death most of the vampires had probably forgotten about the giant pile of gold he was holding, but not all of them would. Immortals were nothing if not opportunistic.
Ben noticed the first lurker as the vampire made his way toward the stairs. The stocky brown-haired man spotted Ben from the corner of his eye and grinned.
“Yeah,” Ben said. “Can’t imagine what you want, buddy.”
The vampire jumped on him with stunning speed, reaching for Ben’s throat as Ben swung his knife deep into his attacker’s gut and pulled up. He twisted the knife around a few times until the vampire let go of his neck.
Quick. Messy. Ben’s hands were covered in blood, but his throat and the briefcase were safe. The unexpected attack was enough to deter the vampire, who was only looking for easy prey before he fled. With a snarl, the immortal ran toward the back stairs, holding his bleeding gut.