“It will go to Sarenbar,” Arland said. “Or it can come here. Bringing it here via a trade station would allow us to control the terms of engagement and give us a unique opportunity to bypass foreign trade ports by receiving shipments from other species. Placing the lees in a key role will ensure the station’s profitability.”

“And using the tachi would ensure its technological superiority,” Maud added.

“You would allow strangers into our secure space.” Ilemina’s face hardened.

Arland faced her. “Eventually we will have to interact with the rest of the galaxy by means other than invasion and war. We can’t kill everyone, Mother.”

Otubar cleared his throat. “We have a visitor.”

Tellis, the groom, was walking toward the table.

“A bit of swagger in his step,” Ilemina observed. “Do something about it, won’t you, dear?”

“Yes,” Otubar and Arland said in unison.

Maud braced herself.

Tellis stopped about eighteen inches too close.

When she was a child, one of the first lessons her father had given her concerned the importance of tradition to vampires. An aggressive and predatory species, vampires fought at the slightest provocation and their interactions had to be strictly regimented. All of the rules and ceremony ensured that nobody would be casually offended. A vampire would have to actively ignore customs to cause offense, and when they did so, it was always deliberate.

An appropriate distance between two potential enemies was about five feet, far enough for both to draw weapons if necessary. Allies stood a little closer, three and a half feet, just out of arm’s length. Friends stood within touching distance, and family members often allowed for only a few inches of personal space.

Tellis had come close enough to brush against the table, which put him within three and a half feet of Ilemina and Otubar but only two feet away from Maud. He could reach out and touch her, and he was smiling. When vampires bared their teeth like that, it was done for one reason only: to impress. It was the grin of an apex predator demonstrating the full splendor of his fangs.

It was also an obvious insult whichever way you spun it. Either he didn’t consider her belonging to House Krahr and, therefore, not worthy of basic courtesies, or he was deliberately being overly familiar with another’s fiancée. A human equivalent would be to put his arm around a woman celebrating her engagement to another man and smirk while doing it. Tellis couldn’t have been more obvious about it if he’d had leered and asked her if she was free tonight.

Out of the corner of her eye, Maud could see Arland’s face. His expression was thoroughly relaxed. In fact, she had never seen him so tranquil. He looked a hair away from a dreamy smile.

Oh crap.

“Excellent game,” Tellis said, “Our deepest compliments.”

Lord Otubar smiled. It was enough to give human children nightmares. “Interesting tactics.”

“Yes,” Lady Ilemina said. “We quite enjoyed this informative glimpse into the minds of House Kozor and House Serak. Truly, the cooperation between your two Houses is praiseworthy. Don’t you think so, Arland?”

“An example to us all,” Arland said.

Tellis’ eyebrows rose slightly. He wasn’t an idiot, and he had just realized they had overplayed their hand, revealing more than they intended. He had two options now: he could beat a graceful retreat, or he could barrel on ahead. Given that he was a male vampire knight, he valiantly chose the second and threw himself into the assault with all the subtlety of a battering ram.

“Speaking of examples, we were all in awe of Lord Arland’s escapades on Karhari.”

Maud drank her wine, killing a wince before it started.

Tellis was still smiling. “How many attackers did you take on? Was it four or five? I can’t remember.”

“I was a little busy and I didn’t have time to make them count off. In a real battle, things get a little hectic.” Arland was still floating on his own private cloud of Zen.

“Would you care to give us a demonstration, Lord Marshal? I’m afraid the game didn’t quite last as long as we would’ve liked. We still need a bit of exercise. If you don’t mind, that is.”

He did not just say that. Apparently, House Krahr was so weak that Tellis hadn’t broken a sweat.

Arland looked bored. “I haven’t finished my wine. If I take the time to engage in a demonstration, it will be warm by the time I return.”

Tellis blinked. Maud hid a smile. Yes, he did just tell you that his wine getting warm was more important than you. Tellis would have to abandon all pretense of propriety to goad Arland into action.

“Of course, if the Lord Marshal is too fatigued from chasing his unwilling human bride to redeem the honor of his House, I understand completely. We have all enjoyed your noble pursuit, however, I do believe the lady finds you wanting.” Tellis looked at Maud and smiled.

Yes, that would do it.

Arland sighed and rose to his feet, looking put upon, as if someone had asked him to take out the trash in the middle of a good movie.

“I’ll have your wine refreshed, dear,” Ilemina said. “Go and have some fun.”

Arland turned to Tellis. “If you insist. Full armor, primed weapons, first down?”

Tellis’ grin didn’t die all the way, but it definitely faltered. Under normal circumstances, vampire weapons had the same limitations as Earth weapons. They were made of an advanced alloy that provided greater durability, and the vampire metalsmiths had developed weapon making into an art, but if one tried to chop a large tree down with a vampire sword, the sword would break before the tree did. Priming a weapon flooded it with rathan rhun, the shining blood. Not even her father knew exactly what rathan rhun was. It was red and glowing and it flowed through the weapon, emitting a telltale whine, spreading through the metal just like its name suggested it would. Once you heard a blood weapon being primed, you never forgot it. A blood mace wielded by a strong vampire knight would knock down a telephone pole.

Blood weapons were not used for practice. Arland had just suggested a fight under battle conditions, to the point where combatants were out when they were unable to continue.

“Primed weapons?’ Tellis asked.

“You are the one who wanted exercise.” Arland looked at Tellis. “Was my lord under the impression that the fight at the Road Lodge was an exhibition bout? You asked for an accurate demonstration. I have honored your request.”

Tellis opened his mouth and clicked it shut.

Arland raised his head and bellowed, “Bring our guests their weapons!”

13

This was stupid, Maud decided. In fact, this was one of the dumbest things she had seen Arland do, and he was, by no means, a stupid man.

Arland eyed the two Serak knights that stepped forward to join Tellis. Both held themselves with the seasoned confidence of veterans. They had fought before, they had won, and they didn’t find Arland’s presence or his reputation especially intimidating. In a word, they seemed ready, and Maud didn’t like it one bit.

Arland raised his voice. “Are these the only brave knights House Serak has to offer?”

What is he doing?

He looked around, spreading his arms. “Is there no one else?”

Two more knights stood up from their tables on House Kozor’s side, Onda and a grizzled male knight who looked like he would knock a charging bull out with one punch. Great, just great.

“We are up to five,” Arland said. “Fantastic.”

Maud grabbed her glass and drank.

“The Road Lodge offered me seven, but if five brave souls is the best your two mighty Houses can scrounge, I’ll make do.”

What? The wine went down the wrong way, and she choked.

Four more knights stood up, two from Serak, two from Kozor.

“That’s more like it,” Arland declared.

Nine opponents. He’d gone insane. That was the only explanation.

The weapon racks were being brought onto the lawn. The knights armed themselves. The sharp whine of blood weapons being primed sliced the quiet. Arland hefted his mace. Their stares crossed and he grinned at her.

“He’s gone mad,” she muttered.

“Nexus,” Otubar said.

She glanced at him. “I don’t follow, my Lord.”

“We have advanced quite far from the days when this castle was built,” Ilemina said. “These days, the conflicts between Houses are decided in space. Ground battles are precious few. I doubt either Kozor or Serak has ever truly fought in one.”

“Nexus permits no air battles,” Otubar said. “On Nexus, ground is fought for and won inch by inch, watered with blood and fertilized with corpses.”

“I knew I would have to send my son to Nexus twenty years ago.” Ilemina smiled. “His father and I did everything we could to make sure he came back alive. This is what he does best. Trust him.”

A young knight ran up to Arland and held out a round shield, about eighteen inches across, made of the same dark alloy as the syn-armor. A half-moon indentation had been cut out on one side, just large enough to trap an arm. He planned to use her buckler.

She had shown him the buckler and blade technique during one of their practice sessions at Dina’s inn. He had asked about Earth sword fighting and she had gone through several different styles with him. At the time, he’d scoffed at the buckler. Vampire shields were obsolete. The syn-armor offered superior protection without encumbering and the only shields still in use were massive and designed to protect the wielder during bombardment. Vampires either dual-wielded or favored enormous two-handed weapons that made the most of their strength and stamina. Why defend when you can attack? After she’d stabbed Arland a couple of times, he had changed his tune. They had sparred with bucklers the entire time they’d spent in space on the way here.