by Luke Metcalf
“Yes, that terrible night of the meeting about the princess.”
“Are you aware of what happened after?”
“No.”
After a moment’s pause, Mitchell told him about the battle at sea, his ordeal at the bottom of the ocean and his recovery in the wilderness. He observed Ruthen intently as he spoke, but Ruthen’s face remained expressionless. He listened carefully and finally shook his head.
“It was a great loss. Fionn was the best of us. How much do you know about what the Priests of Mezzor are up to here in America?”
“Not much,” Mitchell said.
“What about the location of the Well? Do you know anything?”
“No. Do you?”
Ruthen shook his head. “I have no knowledge of its whereabouts. However, they recently caught up with Princess Katharina.”
“The princess!” exclaimed Mitchell, excited. “She still exists?”
“As far as I know.”
“And the others?”
“Most were hunted down and destroyed around the time that you and Fionn were attacked. Some escaped and are in hiding, but I have not been able to find them. I was hoping to get help before attempting to rescue the princess. She is hiding in the Kungur Ice Caves. I alone can do nothing, but the two of us together might be successful.”
“The Kungur Ice Caves? She has been there ever since the night when Fionn read the ancient documents that Snowdrop Windflower brought him?”
“I don’t know but apparently she is there now.”
“I didn’t even think of going there, that was so long ago.”
During a brief silence, Mitchell realized Ruthen was trying to read his mind. He pushed him out and his hand went to the hilt of his sword. Ruthen laughed. “Please excuse me, Mitchell. I merely wanted to test your strength for the battle ahead. I see your time crushed in the depths of the ocean has made you very strong.”
“I am ready. There probably isn’t a single vampire in existence that I cannot now destroy.” He smiled menacingly.
Lord Ruthen didn’t flinch. “Good.”
Mitchell tried to read Lord Ruthen’s mind and the two vampires struggled in silence for a full minute before Mitchell stopped. They both looked fatigued from the effort.
“Yes,” Ruthen said. “Very strong indeed.”
“I still cannot quite read your mind… yet. Have you told me everything you know about what the Priests of Mezzor are doing here in Portland?”
“I have. I only recently arrived here and have not had time to collect much information. All I know is that they’ve been searching all along this stretch of the coast. They’re using criminal gangs to collect knowledge and gain control of the ports. They know something.”
“With all due respect, it seems as though you have accomplished absolutely nothing over the last two hundred years. I find that surprising.”
“I was in hiding,” Ruthen said. “The Priests have large gangs of vampires searching all over the world for the remnants of the Niveus Gladius. I had to be cautious.”
“We have to get to the princess.”
“Yes, meet me outside the Belogorsky Monastery two nights from tonight. I will be there shortly after sunset. It’s not far from the caves. If you arrive later and I’m not there, then you will know that I have gone ahead.”
“Good.” Mitchell nodded his approval of the plan. “I’ll meet you there.”
Ruthen nodded and vanished back into the darkness. Mitchell stood in deep contemplation for a long time, as still and silent as the surrounding gravestones; then he too vanished into the night.
“Very foolish! If it wasn’t for the Sphere of Protection you would have been killed and all your work would have been wasted!”
Emily sat in her bedroom with Mercurios. The imp was beside himself with frustration while Emily was doing her best to ignore him. She was thinking of Mitchell, experiencing a deep, physical longing to see him again as soon as possible.
“Why did Mitchell say ‘pretend I was just a dream?’ Does he know about my dreams? And did you see Cady Sunner shooting into that crowd? I’m sure he must have killed somebody in that fight, so if the cops showed up and got him maybe he’ll be put away for that. As long as he gets jailed forever, I don’t care who he’s charged with killing, that’s all that matters.” She remembered Tom and grabbed her cell. There was no answer.
“Tom, it’s me, Emily,” she told his voicemail. “Please call me.” She hung up and looked at Mercurios. “What was that massive… thing at the warehouse that came out of that black door?”
“I think it was a Cambion demon.”
“Which is what?”
“A type of lesser demon.”
“There are demons like that wandering around Magella? And you want me to go there? I thought you were supposed to protect me!”
“No, it is from a different dimension – the Abyss, the realm of demons.”
“But how did it get here?”
“I have been trying to figure that out. I suspect that the bridge created by the Well of Many Worlds between Earth and Magella has been left wide open for a very long time, since the first vampire came here probably. It is creating an imbalance in the universes and gates between various worlds are beginning to open and close at random, especially when beings who are not from this world—”
“But Mitchell said he was born here, that he’s not from Magella,” Emily interrupted.
Just the thought of him made her heart pound with nervous excitement. She had never been obsessed with anyone or anything before and it made her feel incredibly alive while at the same time filling her stomach uncomfortably with butterflies. She found it difficult to think of anything but him.
“Then, when those whose blood is not from this world gather together,” continued Mercurios. “Along with your powerful magic items… it seems that it’s causing random dimension doors to open to random realms. Magic is alien to this world, your learning and using it here could be contributing to the imbalance.”
“What do we do?” asked Emily. She went to chew her fingernails then stopped herself.
“We continue your training and search for the Well of Many Worlds like we planned.”
“But what about Cady Sunner? What if he avoided getting caught last night?”
“You should forget about him and focus on what is most important.”
“How on Earth am I going to tell Bethany that her father is involved with the gangsters that murdered my father? I have to tell Detective Scannel everything, well, everything except the stuff that will make him think I’m crazy.”
Emily picked up the envelope that she had taken from Sammy’s desk and tore it open. It contained hundreds of pages that appeared to be lists of tens of thousands of works of art and various quantities of gold.
“Mercurios, I want you to go through this and work out what this is.”
“As you wish.”
“Do charm spells work on vampires?”
He looked at her in surprise and then realized what she was thinking. A mischievous grin appeared on his face. “Naughty girl!” he said and laughed as Emily threw a pillow at him.
“Come on, I’m serious! I have to do something.”
“No, I’m sorry, charm spells are useless against vampires.”
“Darn.” Emily walked into her bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror. “Talia… Talia…” she murmured, reaching out and touching her reflection. “Who am I?”
As she lay awake in bed that night she wondered what Mitchell was doing at that exact moment. She wondered if he was thinking about her too. She wished he would magically appear at her window, open it and come inside her bedroom. She bit her lip and moaned in frustration, wondering how long she would have to wait until she saw him again or if indeed she ever would. She was mortified that he thought she was just a foolish, naïve little girl and had been so cold toward her just before he left. It drove her crazy that she had no idea how to find him. It all created a l
onging inside her that was so strong it was taking complete control of all her thoughts and emotions. She felt like she was drowning.
The next morning, she summoned Mercurios the moment her eyes opened, curious to find out what he might have discovered about the list.
“Very interesting indeed,” said the imp. “I was awake all night on the computer.” He held up the list. “These are all missing works of art, paintings, sculptures, as well as gold and jewelry. The magnitude of this treasure horde is massive beyond imagination.”
“What do you mean?”
“They are shipping plunder worth well over a trillion dollars into America.”
“A trillion? That’s impossible.”
“It’s plunder from every major war for the last six hundred years!”
“What?”
“Over a trillion dollars worth of gold and black market works of art and antiques from all the great lootings in history. Imagine all the treasure the Nazis stole during World War Two when they looted Europe. A lot of it was recovered but hundreds of billions of dollars worth of art and gold is still missing. It’s all in this list!”
“Oh my god.”
“And that’s just part of it. After the Nazis were defeated the Soviets looted them and over two million pieces of art still haven’t been found from that horde, trillions of dollars worth of art and gold and jewelry are still missing. But not anymore! And that is just two lootings. Over the last six hundred years there have been many wars, each involving the looting of at least one country, often multiple countries. They are shipping in the greatest store of treasure the world has ever seen. There is treasure in this list from the Russian revolution, valuables that the Bolsheviks first looted from the churches, not to mention the imperial family’s crowns, jewels and Faberge eggs and the Old Masters hanging in the Hermitage museum, paintings by Rembrandt, Botticelli, Cranach the Elder, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Poussin and Degas and icons from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Communists sold off Russia’s cultural inheritance for pennies and much of it is here!” He waved the list in the air.
“This is incredible.” Emily took the list from him and flicked through the pages as he continued.
“They also have much from the plundering of Cyprus by the Turks, and many pieces from the sacking of Italy by Napoleon, many wars, many lootings, most incredibly they have The Amber Room, an achievement so spectacular it is hailed as the eighth wonder of the world. This is the greatest treasure the world has ever seen!”
“And Commander Claw will be transporting it all to America in his submarines,” said Emily. “What should we do? Should I take this to the police? But what should I tell them?” Emily sat down on the edge of her bed, staring into space. “So that’s why my father’s records were stolen and why they killed him!” She looked at Mercurios. “But my father would never be involved with something like this… unless he was so crushed by feelings of failure that he resorted to crime. Or maybe he found out what they were up to and was gathering evidence to take to the police and that’s why they killed him.”
Her mother burst into her room and Mercurios vanished.
“Mom! Can’t you knock? It’s called common courtesy! I thought my bedroom was the one place in this house that was mine!”
Her mother ignored her. “We have to talk. What exactly did you mean by what you said?”
“What did I say?”
“About how if your father had stood up to me, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out like this? About my concern with building a future for us – for you – somehow wrecking our family?”
“Ugh, now is when you’re thinking about this?” Emily sighed. “Just forget about it.”
“No, I won’t forget about it. I work tirelessly to provide a good home for you. How can you be so ungrateful?”
Emily felt the resentments she’d been harboring for so long well up inside her. “Because, Mom, you pushed Dad, just like you push me. You pushed him and pushed him and pushed him – and for what?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing he could do was ever good enough. He ran an antique store, Mom. What did you expect from him? A mansion? A Rolls Royce? Come on.”
“Emily, your father was terrible with money. I was trying to help him…”
“He tried his best, and you didn’t care!” Emily shouted. Tears were now streaking her cheeks but she didn’t try to wipe them away. “All that time over the years that we could have spent together as a family, all those fun, happy memories we could have created together, wasted because all you cared about was work and making money and you made him feel like a failure and drove him away and now he’s dead and we can never get that time back and we’ll never see him again!” Emily sobbed uncontrollably.
Emily’s mother turned white with horror. “Emily,” she gasped.
“You have a bunch of things – great!” Emily yelled. “A bunch of stuff! The best fridge and stove money can buy. A bigger house with one more bedroom than the last place we lived in. But what worth do they have compared to our lives? How much time have you spent at work compared to the amount of time you spend with me? I feel like I barely know you. Or that you spent with Dad? He loved us! I mean, you go on and on about ‘being successful.’ What does that even mean to you? A list of stuff that you bought? I’ll tell you, for me, it’s love and friendship and fun and family and creating great memories with the people you love and now he’s dead.”
Her mother pounded on the doorframe with her fist. “When my father died, he left my mother and sisters and me with nothing. Nothing!” she shouted. “Can you understand that? You have no idea what that’s like! I was never going to let that happen to you!”
Emily calmed herself and sniffled as she tried to wipe away her tears. “But you had each other, didn’t you? And things turned out all right, didn’t they?”
“Yes, but you have no idea how hard it was growing up like that.”
“Tell me about Grandma. What was she like? Were you close with her? Or was she a stranger to you?”
Her mother sighed and lowered herself into the chair at Emily’s desk.
“No, Emily, she wasn’t a stranger to us. We spent a lot of time together.”
“Well, tell me about her then. You never talk about her. We never talk about anything real. All we ever talk about are my stupid grades and what you think my future career should be.”
Her mother sighed, rubbing her forehead. “My mother got odd jobs here and there. Every month, it was the same thing. We were always broke, but somehow we would make it through. Just barely. It was because of her that we survived. She was a funny lady, loved to tell stories. She was always making up fairy tales to keep us entertained, because we couldn’t afford anything else. No TV, no trips to the movies… or anywhere else for that matter. But her stories were better than any TV show.” She smiled as she remembered. “As I grew up, I worked really hard at school and had two part-time jobs. I didn’t do anything but work. I’m sure that doesn’t surprise you. My mother would laugh – she was so proud of me – but she also always told me that a woman only has a limited time to find a good man and have children and once that time is gone, it’s gone forever.
“She thought I should find more balance, raise a big family and enjoy life. She told me that having children was the most amazing and fulfilling experience imaginable and so special because it’s only for women. But I never listened to her. I resented both my parents. You have to understand, we were always looked down at and bullied by the other kids because we were so poor… it was humiliating.”
Her mom took a deep breath and stared at Emily, as if mustering the courage she needed to continue.
“So I never had any children of my own.”
Emily was shocked. She had assumed her mother never meant to tell her.
Her mother shrugged and smiled sadly.
“I guess it’s time I told you. You’re old enough to know. You were adopted. Your father desperately wanted children, b
ut I didn’t want to take the time off work, so we adopted you. I want you to know that having you has been wonderful, and I regret not having given you some brothers and sisters.
“Spending all my time on my career and not having children is the biggest regret of my life. I thought I had to choose between a career and having a big family, which is silly, and I chose the career. Big mistake. I chose a life of toil and you’re right, all that time I sacrificed on work and for what? I could have been spending it with friends and family, having fun and creating beautiful memories, like you say, instead I spent it working and what has it given me? As you say, a house with extra bedrooms, but no children to use them, and some nice appliances for my kitchen and an expensive car. Empty bedrooms are the saddest things. They’re each a missing child that you could have shared your life with and all the joy they would have brought.”
Tears started in her eyes. “It doesn’t mean anything and I sure won’t be able to take any of it with me when I die.”
Emily, wanting to console her, moved to her side, sitting on the armrest of the chair and holding her hand, then leaning over and hugging her.
“Please don’t think I don’t appreciate everything you’ve given me, but really, I’d rather have a mother who I actually have a relationship with. Why don’t we spend some time together and get to know each other and talk about something other than school?”
Emily’s mother chuckled and wiped away the tears.
“You’re absolutely right. That would be wonderful. It’s just been so hard for me to face the fact that I made the wrong choice in life, so I buried myself in my work instead of simply changing course.”
Emily noticed the clock. She stood up and kissed her mother on the cheek. “Well, let’s arrange to spend some more time together. Right now, though, I actually do have to get to school.”
“So, you mean you’re okay with it?”
“With what?”
“Finding out you were adopted? I really had no idea how you would react. I’ve been nervous about this moment for years.”
Emily smiled. “You and Dad will always be my parents.”
