Solomon walked with purpose through the grand entryway of Vladimir's estate, his steps echoing through the vast hall.
This ti, he'd co by car, not teleportation. The ti spent driving gave him ti to organize his thoughts. No one knew when Itachi would be back and more importantly, no one knew if he'd put an end to the war or ignore it.
It was more likely that he'd put an end to it. No City Lord wants a war that would diminish his strength in his city. City Lords and even Council elders were not buddies. They all had agendas. The more cities you have under you, the stronger your voice is on the council.
An elder with twenty cities has more military power than an elder with ten. The best ti to take over a city was after a debilitating internal war. Itachi wouldn't want that.
And that was why Solomon knew he had to strike while the iron was hot.
He was escorted past corridors filled with towering statues and pointless but expensive paintings. After ascending a long flight of stairs, Solomon was led onto the rooftop deck where Vladimir sat, a glass of wine already opened before him.
Solomon walked the rest of the way alone, joining the man.
Vladimir lounged casually, taking a sip of his wine, his sharp eyes gleaming with amusent. As usual, he radiated power, his deanor speaking of a man who never needed to rush or bow to anyone's will.
"Solomon." He greeted, not bothering to mask the tone of mockery in his voice. "Back so soon? I didn't expect to see you again so quickly after our last little conversation." He placed his glass of wine on the table between them, his lips curling into a smirk. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Solomon looked around, enjoying the view. "Is this really the perfect place to discuss this?" He asked, ignoring Vladimir's taunt.
"Of course it is." Vladimir rumbled. "We discuss in open sight, Yuri's watchers see us. They report back to Yuri and this lights a fire under her ass and she seeks out too. Win-win for ."
"Playing both sides, I see." Solomon nodded in understanding. He would have done the sa thing. "Unfortunately, I'm here to offer you a deal that would remove the thought of any deals with Yuri from your mind."
"Oh?" Vladimir raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What happened to the last offer? I take it you realized it wasn't quite as tempting as you thought."
Solomon smiled, pulling out a glass from his pocket dinsion and pouring himself wine from the bottle on the table. "I'm willing to admit the previous offer didn't suit your… ambitions. But this one will."
Vladimir leaned back in his chair, motioning for Solomon to continue, his amusent growing. "I'm listening."
"I'm offering you the Ascension Well." Solomon's voice remained steady as he laid out his new offer. "We both know the benefits of having it. The influence and power it would bring is unmatched, and once it's yours, the benefits will be… extraordinary."
Vladimir's smirk widened, even as his eyes narrowed in consideration. "The Ascension Well? And what do you want in return, Solomon?"
Solomon didn't hesitate. "I want you to kill Ivo and Armand." The blood oath he had with them tinged. He couldn't attack them himself but that didn't an he couldn't take them out using Vladimir. He already had access to the well. He didn't need them anymore.
He chuckled at their stupidity as he laid down his offer to Vladimir.
"Once they're gone, Yuri would be free for the taking. With the Ascension well pulled out from under her, Yuri might very well fall into your hands. All I want is Yuri's subjects handed over to . She'll be crippled without her husbands and her followers. You get what you want, I get what I want."
Vladimir stared at Solomon for a while before bursting into laughter. Solomon watched calmly until the man cald down. "What's so funny?" He asked.
"Do you really think I can't get the Ascension well without you?" Vladimir asked in amusent.
"Yes, you can't." Solomon answered, his expression serious.
Vladimir's smirk faltered for the first ti in the conversation, sitting up at Solomon's words. The man had said it with a confidence that bordered on prophecy.
"You can't get to the Ascension well without , Vladimir." Solomon continued. "Not because it's hard to get to but because it's already in my hand."
Vladimir frowned in confusion.
"I'm not offering sothing I'm going to get." Solomon lowered his voice, taking a sip of wine. "I'm offering what I already have."
Vladimir studied the man sitting in front of him. He knew Solomon. If he was talking this way, it was probably true. But that didn't an he had to believe it. "Prove it." He said. "Prove that your words are true."
"Feel it on , Vladimir." Solomon leaned forward, his gaze intense. "The well is protected by a progenitor lock. Feel the Aura of the lock on . It's fading away but it's still there. Will that be proof enough for you?"
Vladimir deployed his Aura, layering it on Solomon. He concentrated, feeling the traces of Aura on the vampire. He scanned and felt nothing. He scanned again and caught it. A whiff of an Aura so old, it was unmistakable.
Vladimir leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine in his glass. He watched it thoughtfully as he considered Solomon's words. "Interesting," he murmured. Solomon had access to the Ascension well.
This ant soone under Yuri's banner had betrayed her. Solomon would be causing trouble in Southside very soon. If he accepted this deal, he'd be getting both Yuri and the Ascension well.
His eyes narrowed. Why would Solomon give up the Ascension well? For Yuri's Subjects? Sothing didn't add up.
"Very interesting." His smirk returned to his face. "But it's not quite enough, Solomon. You see, I've learned not to settle for small rewards."
"All I've given up isn't big enough?" Solomon's jaw tightened slightly. "What more do you want?"
Vladimir set his glass down on the desk and leaned forward. "I want Southside."
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