“I just hope you’re right,” I said, holding my arm out to escort her. “Maybe we should move to the main ballroom to see what all this fuss is about. Let’s have a look at that nodule.”
Kasiah smiled her beautiful smile as she looped her arm through mine. The scent of her perfume was tattooed in my memory. We stopped at the bar outside the ballroom.
“Drinking on the job?” I asked, joking as the bartender poured our drinks. “They should advertise that as an FBI perk.”
Kasiah laughed and shook her head, using the tiny straw to twirl ice cubes around her glass. She leaned over and bumped my shoulder with hers. “It’s a little known fact,” she said, “that vodka helps you fight crime. It’s actually Superman’s secret weapon… well, that and his x-ray vision, of course.”
I deny any allegations of me flirting back.
We made our way into the ballroom, where twenty or so round tables were set perfectly in an interlocked pattern with six formal plate settings in each. Along the furthest wall, a thick, velvet rope stretched out a few feet in front of several tall glass display cases, preventing anyone from actually touching the cases. The only security I noticed were two university police officers positioned at either end of the display and another standing right next to the nodule’s case.
“Don’t you think there should be more security in this room?” I asked.
“They’re here,” Kasiah reassured me. “You just can’t see them. Trust me, if you could see them, then Atmoro could see them. Just relax.”
Aerona and Amy found their way to the display. They were laughing together like old friends. Aerona was very easy to get along with on most days. Just don’t find your way to her bad side, or she’ll turn you into a gnome. Kasiah shifted a little further away from me. I think she may have been little afraid that Aerona might lift her up to the ceiling for touching her little brother.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Amy asked as we looked at the center piece of the display—the Shadow World nodule.
I exchanged a look of reminiscence with Aerona. Both our hearts sped up a few beats at the sight of the nodule; we hadn’t been back to the Shadow World or seen a nodule like this in nearly a century. The nodule was in a case by itself, surrounded on three sides by heavily tinted glass that blocked enough light to trigger the inner cobalt crystals to glow. It was actually emitting and releasing photons of light. It resembled an everlasting magical stone light bulb.
I could feel how much Aerona missed our world, and I’m sure she felt my emotions as well.
More of the lobby’s crowd made its way into the dining hall. Everyone eventually found their tables as the staff served appetizers. Our dinner conversation—surprisingly not awkward—moved from topic to topic as if we were old friends catching up. I kept my eyes and ears open for anything that felt out of place.
I learned that Kasiah and Amy were born and raised 30 minutes south of Madison in Janesville. Kasiah majored in criminal justice at UW and came first in her class. Amy, clearly proud of her older sister, told how Kasiah spent only two years in the Rock County Sheriff’s department before graduating to the FBI. She excelled at the FBI to Special Agent in Charge faster than any other woman in the bureau’s history. Also, at the age of twenty-six, she was one of the youngest female agents in the FBI’s history.
Kasiah laughed and smiled at the compliments. I think Aerona gained a little bit of respect for Kasiah.
“My superhero sister,” Amy continued, “once saved a sixteen year old girl from a sociopath who was collecting young girls. The FBI tracked him down after three long months in pursuit. Kasiah and Morgan were first on the scene, which was a farmhouse literally in the middle of nowhere. With their backup more than two hours out, Kasiah made the decision for Morgan to hold the perimeter while she went in alone. We just ate, so I’ll spare you the details of what she had found inside, but Kasiah ended up with a knife wound in her leg before shooting the maniac four times.”
“Impressive,” Aerona said. “The girl was OK?”
Amy’s smile faded as she continued to tell the story. “The young girl was found in a cage in the basement,” she explained. “She was alive, but half-starved and raped more than once. After a thorough search of the property, they found fourteen other young girls’ bodies buried in the garden area. It was tragic, but Kasiah put an end to his reign of terror.”
“That’s amazing,” I said, impressed by Kasiah’s courage. “Is there a cute scar to go along with this adventure?” My mouth moved quicker than my brain, and my face burned with embarrassment.
“Down, little brother,” Aerona said, grinning. “Don’t make me take out the fire hose.”
Kasiah came to my rescue. “A private showing may be arranged later,” she said, flashing a smile and sipping her drink. “Have your people call my people.”
Some of my embarrassment faded, but I was sure Aerona felt my growing fondness for Kasiah. She gave me one of her famous Aerona eye rolls.
We were in the middle of a good laugh when the lights went off. I felt Aerona’s adrenaline pumping as someone screamed out.
NINE
I heard shattering glass and instantly turned to see the display cases. The emergency lights turned on, then off, then on again. Atmoro, wearing the same full-length leather trench coat, stared back at me expressionless from in front of the nodule’s shattered and empty display case. He was holding a security officer in front of him. The other officers were lay dead at the feet of two other vampires.
Kasiah stared in disbelief at how things had changed so rapidly.
Then, with one swift motion, almost too fast for me to see, Atmoro twisted the guard’s neck, dropping his lifeless body to the floor. This certainly wasn’t the first time he had snapped a neck.
I exchanged an uneasy look with Kasiah. “Get Amy out of here,” I said, taking charge.
Kasiah didn’t move; she was frozen in her seat.
“GO!” I shouted.
Kasiah pulled Amy through the screaming crowd toward the rear exit, away from the rush of people to the main ballroom. The Mayor’s security team reacted without hesitation. They had her extracted to safety before the first minute could tick by.
I turned my attention back to Atmoro; he hadn’t moved since killing the officer. The entire ballroom was in chaos, but Atmoro didn’t flinch. He was perfectly calm and in control, staring right at me.
Suddenly, one of the other vampires started sprinting across the floor in attack right for us.
I sensed Aerona using her gift to speed up her perception of time, which slowed the vampire down in her vision, but she was too late. The vampire hit her hard, and Aerona flew backwards, crashing into a table behind us, infuriating her. She recovered quickly and was back on her feet in a flash. The makeup around her eyes had smudged, and a glass of wine had spilled on her dress. Fire flared from her finger tips—she was not happy.
The vampire that attacked Aerona was young, perhaps recently turned in the Light World. Atmoro’s so you’ve decided to become a vampire speech must have left out the part about not playing with warlocks.
Somehow, Atmoro had anticipated our presence at the event. He knew exactly who and where to look in the crowd, which is why his vampire guard attacked us specifically. That left even more unanswered questions. Why would Atmoro risk the stone’s theft with over a hundred witnesses? I thought to myself. He can’t possibly be planning to kill them all, and where is Kasiah’s team?
The vampire that attacked Aerona was holding a young woman in front of him as a human shield. The expression on the woman’s face was straight out of a vampire horror movie. She looked terrified.
“Let her go, newbie,” Aerona demanded, “or I’ll burn you to a crisp.”
The vampire laughed at Aerona, ignoring her warning. Instead, he sunk his teeth into the woman’s neck. Blood spilled out from his mouth and dripping down her neck onto her elegant white dress. Everyone within eyeshot screamed out. The vampire was clumsy; he was clearly not wo
rried about witnesses.
Atmoro, displeased with his creation’s actions, was in front of us in the blink of an eye. He grabbed the vampire by the back of the neck, and then lifted him off the ground, causing him to drop the woman to the floor.
Several gun shots cracked loudly outside in the lobby. The entire place was in panic. This situation was getting less fun by the second. I closed my eyes and drew in every bit of energy I could, casting a spell I hadn’t used in many decades. All the guests went silent; I had immobilized everyone… well, everyone from the Light World. When I opened my eyes, it was as if the guests had been replaced with mannequins positioned in various dramatic poses, frozen in fear.
“The blood of a stone,” the vampire said, struggling to free himself from Atmoro, “will release them alone.”
“You are going to a much darker place,” Atmoro said, dropping the vampire, then nodding to Aerona.
Fire flared from Aerona’s fingers, engulfing the vampire in flames.
Atmoro turned to look at me, his eyes narrowed. I was standing face to face with one of world’s greatest predators—my mind went blank.
We had prepared for numerous scenarios, none of which included Atmoro stealing the nodule right in the middle of dinner as hundreds of witnesses watched on. This is proof that anything could happen, and it probably will. Even odder than Atmoro risking extracting the nodule during the dinner party, he didn’t seem in a hurry to escape to go play with his new rock.
Morgan rushed in the main doors, distracting me for no more than a second, and when I looked back, Atmoro was gone.
Aerona shut down her vampire barbeque, leaving nothing but a pile of grey, vampire ash.
“Oh my God,” Morgan said, noticing all the other guests were frozen in place.
“Trust me,” Aerona spoke up, “God had nothing to do with this madness.”
“Where’s Kasiah and Amy?” Morgan asked. “Kasiah’s not answering her phone, and her mic is dead.”
“This way,” I said, leading the way. “Kasiah took Amy out the rear entrance.”
“We’ll find her,” Aerona reassured him.
As soon as I left through the swinging doors at the rear of the ballroom, the immobilization spell lifted, and the petrified mannequins came back to life, gasping and screaming.
The swinging door led to an access hallway used only by staff members. The left side ended only ten feet away, so we ran down the hallway to the right. Aerona followed us, fingers of fire at the ready. The immobilization spell had drained all my energy; I felt weak, like I was going to pass out any second. Adrenaline was the only thing that kept me moving. I could barely stay on my feet
We came to a screeching halt around the first corner. It was a gruesome scene. Kasiah was on her knees beside Amy’s body, a large pool of blood surrounding them both. Tears streamed down Kasiah’s face. She had her hand placed gently on Amy’s forehead. Several large diagonal gashes were open on Amy’s chest, exposing her pink flesh. Her neck was almost torn out completely.
Morgan continued down the hall and passed the girls to the next corner to provide cover. Aerona watched our backs in the other direction. I knelt beside Kasiah—my knees dipped in blood.
“I’m so sorry,” I said softly.
Kasiah turned and buried her head in my chest, crying.
I removed my hand from Kasiah’s side to brush away the tear from her cheek, and my hand was covered in blood. The side of Kasiah’s dress was torn open, and the blood blended in with the color of the fabric. She was wounded badly.
“MORGAN,” I shouted. “KASIAH’S INJURED!”
Morgan rushed over, already calling the paramedics on his radio.
As we waited for help, I wondered how this went so wrong so quickly.
Outside, red and blue lights flashed from atop multiple police cruisers, ambulances, and fire trucks. I had only known Amy for a couple hours, but it was as if my own sister’s corpse was being wheeled into that ambulance. I continued to hold Kasiah, letting her emotions fall on my shoulder. The paramedics placed a temporary bandage over her wound, but she needed to go to the hospital for stitches.
“What did that vampire say?” Aerona asked me. “The blood of a stone will release them alone?”
“I’m not sure,” I said, wondering the same thing myself. “Atmoro knows who we are, yet he still risked stealing a worthless stone? It was almost as if he was testing our abilities.”
“Or,” Aerona added curiously, “showing us his.”
I left Kasiah with Aerona while I went to call Jess.
“Hello,” Jess answered excitedly. “Your friendly neighborhood hacker speaking. How may I help you?”
“Hey, it’s me,” I said solemnly. “I have some bad news.”
I gave Jess the condensed two-minute version of the night’s events.
“That saying doesn’t mean anything to you?” Jess asked. “The blood of a stone will release them alone.”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “It’s halfway tied to why Atmoro’s been killing all those people with names of rare stones, but I have no idea why or how all that connects to the nodule. I can’t imagine he’s going to try and squeeze blood from a useless rock. Maybe we should start by trying to decipher the blood of a stone.”
“I’m on it,” Jess said. “I’ll get back to you as soon as I pull some information from the web. Bye.”
I walked back over to where Aerona and Kasiah were leaning against the bumper of an ambulance. “I’m sorry about Amy,” I said. “This is my fault. I should have never brought you into this.”
“Please don’t blame yourself,” Kasiah said, moving away from the ambulance. “I chose to follow you to Milwaukee. I chose to listen to your story of a magical world. I made the decision to bring Amy into this, and now, she’s gone. The nodule and Atmoro are also gone. More people are going to die.”
Kasiah’s heart was in pain from her loss. I could see it in her eyes.
“The monster that attacked Amy,” Kasiah continued, “he was like nothing I could have ever imagined. There was no stopping him. I shot him three times before my gun was ripped from my hand. He never even slowed down, and he moved so fast. My eyes couldn’t even keep up with the… the… the monster. How can we ever fight them?”
Kasiah brought up a good point. We were under the assumption that Atmoro was working alone. We had no way of knowing how many vampires he had recruited. Even newly turned vampires can be deadly. Things just became much more difficult.
Morgan made his way through the crowd of emergency personnel. “I took care of the locals,” he said. “Everyone else knows that several security officers and two women were killed as a result of a botched robbery. Aerona took care of the vampire. It’s just a pile of ash now.”
“Thank you, Morgan,” I said, turning to Kasiah. “We need to get you to the hospital for stitches. Have your parents been contacted?”
“They passed away,” Kasiah said, tears filling her eyes again. “It was a car accident several years ago. Amy was the only family I had left.”
My heart sank, and I could feel Aerona’s sadness as well. I even contemplated using compulsion to erase Amy’s death from Kasiah and Morgan’s minds, but it was best to not mess with their heads too much right now. We needed them to be alert.
“How do we stop him?” Kasiah asked, raising her head as her authoritative FBI tone returned.
“This isn’t your fight,” I answered. “Now you see why I couldn’t simply call the FBI and tell them a vampire was loose on the streets? There isn’t a task force for this… at least, not one in this world.”
“Then we need help from your world,” Morgan suggested.
“Our world?” Aerona added. “I don’t think so. Aeron and I are dead there. We faked our deaths to jump to this world. If we show up suddenly asking for help—to help the Light World—we’ll be labeled jumpers, and then we’ll be hunted ourselves. There’s no way we’re going back there. Besides, we couldn’t get in anyway. The new Sh
adow Council has the gateways sealed from their side.”
“Atmoro is here in this world,” Kasiah said. “You two are here in this world. There must be others like you—others who didn’t jump to cause trouble or hunt humans. There must be others who have a new life here in this world. Someone else must want to preserve your secret as much as you two.”
“As much as I don’t want to admit this,” Aerona confessed, “Kasiah’s right. We need as much help as we can get without including the FBI, which would quickly turn into a media frenzy. We need someone with some experience in hunting—”
“—Shadow Vampires?” I asked, finishing her sentence. “It’s not like we can just post a ‘help wanted’ ad in Sunday’s newspaper. What would it say: ‘Wanted, An immortal with incredible strength, speed, and a taste for blood. Must be willing to hunt evil supervillains, expect to work weekends, holidays, and kill without mercy or hesitation. Salary based on experience?’ I don’t think so.”
“Well, aren’t you the comedian?” Aerona said jokingly. “It just so happens that I know someone who might be interested in submitting their resume for that position, and I hear they’re highly qualified.”
“Who?” I asked, wondering if she was kidding.
“I’ve heard stories of a vampire,” she explained. “The stories are all the same. A vampire with strength and speed matching any Shadow Vampire. He’s a loner—a ghost. He’s also our only shot at stopping Atmoro. Not to mention, that Atmoro now has an evil little vampire army of his own that I hate. Let’s face it, we don’t stand a chance alone. It’s a damn miracle that he let us live tonight.”
“Sounds like a fairytale,” Morgan said.
Aerona gave him a quick look of disapproval; he backed off, not wanting to spend the rest of his life as a miniature statue.
“How do we find him?” Kasiah asked without looking up.
“Let me see your phone,” Aerona said, stretching her hand out to Morgan.
The Blood of a Stone Page 7
