Page 35 of Night's Reckoning
“Of course, master.”
“Harun al Ilah was a fire vampire.” Tenzin’s eyes glowed with admiration. “A legend. Not as old as Arosh, but still very ancient. An artist who did miraculous things with metal and glass. I have only one piece of his, a dagger. I treasure it. It is my personal dream to own one of his swords.”
“They are sold for millions of American dollars,” Zhang said. “Whenthey are sold, which is only once every few centuries. It is not the cost that is prohibitive. Most vampires would never part with a Harun blade since so few remain now that he is dead.”
“He is dead?” Fabia said. “But he was a vampire. What happened? Why would anyone kill an artist who was so well-respected?”
“He wasn’t killed.” Zhang turned his attention to Ben. “The Laylat al Hisab was one of his final creations, making it that much more valuable. In a letter to his wife, he said it was the most beautiful sword he had ever created, and the strongest.”
“Damascus steel?” Ben asked.
Zhang nodded.
“No wonder they go for millions.”
Fabia frowned. “They make Damascus steel now, don’t they?”
“It’s not the same,” Tenzin said. “They have re-created it to a point, but nothing will ever match true Damascus steel, and Harun was its master.”
Zhang continued. “The Laylat al Hisab was sent on a ship called theQamar Jadidalong with other riches from Arosh’s palace, but none of it ever reached Penglai Island. A storm drove the ship off course, and it was lost. Until last year, we didn’t even have a rumor of where it might be.”
“Even from water vampires?” Ben asked.
“Not even them. And I sent many to look for it. And without the sword…”
“The treaty was never formally complete,” Ben said. “You and Arosh have been in a cold war for centuries.”
“Not exactly,” Tenzin said. “Until Giovanni went to Rome and revealed the truth about Kato, the whole vampire world had assumed Arosh and Kato killed each other in the ninth century.”
Ben’s mouth dropped open. “That’s right. Up until… what? Ten years ago? This was a dead issue, so to speak.”
Fabia frowned. “What happened ten years ago?”
Zhang said, “The origin of the Elixir virus was revealed in Rome by Ben’s uncle, your patron, Giovanni Vecchio. In the course of that discovery, it became known that Kato and Arosh had not killed each other, as the entire immortal world had believed. They were in hiding because the Elixir had broken Kato’s mind and Arosh guarded him.”
“So you thought Arosh was dead for a thousand years,” Fabia said. “Which would mean the war was over. No need to recover the treaty sword because no treaty was necessary.”
“Until Arosh came back to life,” Ben said. “Meaning the war did too.”
Zhang dipped his fingers in the rose-scented bowl of water one of his servants held for him. “Which is where you and Tenzin must play a role, Benjamin Vecchio. Arosh and I will jointly fund this recovery effort so that we may finally settle this. Cheng is the one who first heard of this shipwreck that matches details of the wreck of theQamar Jadid. It is in territory where he has deep influence. He will be granted a rich finder’s fee, but this sword is beyond priceless at this point. Many would kill to recover it. I need someone I can trust in Shanghai.”
Ben nodded at Tenzin. “Your daughter?”
“My daughter cannot accomplish this on her own,” Zhang said. “We are of the air, not the water. I need humans who know things. Humans I can trust.”
“I get the feeling,” Ben said, “that you don’t trust many, human or vampire.”
“I trust my daughter,” Zhang said. “I trust your uncle and aunt. So if you will agree to take this job, I will trust you.”
Ben leaned against the back wall after washing his hands. “The price is negotiable, but I’ll be fair.”
“I expect nothing less.”
“Fabia comes with me.” Ben watched Tenzin, and if he hadn’t known her so well, he would have missed her reaction. It wasn’t a flinch. More like a minute twitch around her expressive mouth.
“Your assistant is welcome. I will be sure to make that clear with Cheng. Also know that Mr. Leu is aware of your role in this enterprise. If you have questions during the course of your work, you may contact him.”
Tenzin made a sour face but said nothing.
