“I do want you to answer honestly,” I said. “In return, I’ll be honest with you. Zrakovi asked me to shadow you and keep you from stirring up a political hornets’ nest.”
His dark brows dipped and contracted. “Might I assume that colorful turn of phrase means you’re to follow me and attempt to prevent me from seeking the vengeance I deserve?”
“Follow you, or accompany you, yes.” I hadn’t decided about the prevention part yet. Because to be completely honest with myself, I had to admit that if he was determined to go after Etienne, I couldn’t do much to stop him short of physical restraint. The first time I met Jean, before Katrina had toppled the borders between our worlds, I’d pretended to seduce him in order to trap him and send him back to the Beyond.
We’d come a long way since those days. I wasn’t the same na?ve girl and he was a far more complex man than I’d imagined. Plus, we were friends. It would take a lot to make me use my magic against him, especially after what happened last month.
“Very well, I shall both enjoy your company and honor you with the truth.” Jean sipped his brandy. “I will have my revenge on my old friend Etienne, oui. Such a betrayal cannot go unanswered. But I did not rule my empire by being a stupid man, Jolie. I can afford to be patient, and for your benefit will attempt to bring about Etienne’s misery without casting shadow on myself or jeopardizing the wizards and their politics.”
That tactic was as much for his benefit as mine, but it served us both well. He was just going to torment Etienne, not kill him. “Sounds fair.”
“I must add one more thing, however.”
Intuition told me that one thing would be unpleasant. “What?”
“The preternatural world, as your wizards call it, is marching toward war, Drusilla. I do not see enough people of unselfish nature and good will to prevent it. At some time, and perhaps soon, you will be forced to decide on which side you will stand.”
I took a deep breath and let it out, the pain from my bruised ribs, an injury beyond the help of my healing potion, helping to ground me from the worry that sprang up at the talk of war. I’d been privately concerned about the same thing. Power was an intoxicating prize, and no one—including my own people—wanted to share.
But figuring out the power balance had been the whole point of the council formation. “Surely those of you on the Interspecies Council will do whatever’s needed to prevent a war.”
“My apologies, but I do not believe this is so.” Jean got up and moved to sit next to me on the settee. He was walking with less stiffness than before, so my potion had already done some good. “Drusilla, you must listen well. The council members might surprise me, and I pray this will be the case. But I believe the wizards will find themselves opposed more strongly than they expect.”
I twisted to face him. “Now that Melnick’s been exposed, the vampires—”
“The vampires will side with whoever they believe will win the war.” He propped his arm on the back of the settee. “They wave to and fro like a flag on a storm-tossed vessel. Garrett Melnick is not a reliable ally.”
Not that Jean was exactly unbiased. Then again, that freaking vampire had bitten me. “I know the elves hate us, but…” I trailed off at Jean’s look of impatience. What was I missing?
“The elves and the wizards are more closely aligned than you might believe, as long as Monsieur Banyan and your Quince Randolph remain in power. Their alliance with your wizards must hold if the wizards hope to prevail.”
“He isn’t my Quince Randolph. But if the elves and wizards are aligned, and the vampires go with whoever’s in power, that just leaves the small groups and…”
Jean raised an eyebrow.
Oh shit. That left the second-largest group, the fae. They’d stayed out of preternatural affairs for so long I tended to forget about them. Which probably wasn’t wise.
“You think the people of Faery will oppose us? I’d heard they stayed too busy fighting among themselves to fight anyone else.” They were a huge question mark. Would faeries plus vampires outnumber wizards plus elves? It would be close in terms of numbers. In terms of power, I had no clue.
How ironic if a war broke out and the tipping point lay with the alliances of small groups like the water species and the historical undead. With people like Jean Lafitte. My friend the pirate could end up being the key to who held power in the entire preternatural world. I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or bad, but I sure bet he was aware of the potential.
Jean watched me as I processed it all. “I do not know where the support of Faery will fall,” he said. “There is a struggle between two princes, brothers, as to who will ascend to the throne once their aunt, the Queen Sabine, is gone. She is childless and quite ancient.”