by Brandon Hale
The man who spoke looked old but powerful. His face and head were covered in white hair. His features were mix of human and wolf. After centuries of transformations, he had apparently lost the ability to completely become one or the other. His name was Lycaon, and although he never made the claim himself, most werewolves believed him to be the first of their kind. “I appreciate your pain, old friend, and we will remind our kind to have more respect for the lives of your children. If that’s good enough for you, may we move on to the reason for this meeting?”
Arcas simply nodded.
Lycaon looked at Daciana and said, “The floor is yours, my dear.”
Daciana looked around the room sullenly and said, “Garrit is dead.”
“Are you sure?” one of the werewolves – a female – asked.
Daciana nodded. “He was caught and killed during his mission in the Norfolk facility.”
“This is a sad day,” Lycaon said. “Garrit was a very old friend.”
“Garrit was next in line for this council,” a man sitting directly across from Dennis said. “We are losing too many important people. We need a mandate that keeps council members and their heirs away from the battlefield.”
Dennis heard a very slight sigh come from Tina. “No,” he said. “That would be foolish. We’re needed out there far more than here.”
“Garrit was my heir,” Daciana said. “I feel his loss more than any of you. But I agree with Dennis. We belong in the field. Keeping us here would be a huge mistake.”
Arcas laughed. “You seriously called a meeting to discuss the death of one werewolf? I’ve felt the deaths of thirty vampires since this meeting began. Your disrespect for my kind is intolerable.”
Daciana sighed. “Calm down, Arcas. That’s not the only reason I called this meeting. In his last transmission, Garrit informed me that the Day Soldiers think they have another channeler in the Norfolk facility.”
“Besides Abigail?” Lycaon asked.
“Yes,” Daciana answered. “Right after Garrit sent the transmission, he tried to kill her. Apparently, he died in the attempt.”
“This is not good news,” Arcas said.
“I think,” Daciana continued, “this warrants a full scale assault on the Norfolk facility.”
“A bold suggestion,” Lycaon said. “A full scale assault on a training facility would come with a heavy price. We’d likely lose the battle and we’d definitely lose many lives.”
“The battle would be secondary,” Daciana explained. “Our primary targets would be the channelers. I think our losses would be far greater if we don’t attack. The last time they had a channeler leading an invasion, we lost all of Ohio before we killed him. Considering the damage these humans can do, I think we have to act on this information, Lycaon. We know the exact location of two channelers. We can’t ignore this opportunity.”
“There are a lot of people on that base,” Dennis said. “Do we even know who this channeler is?”
“Funny you should ask,” Daciana said. “You’ve met her.”
Dennis suddenly felt very uncomfortable. “I’ve met her?”
“It’s your girl,” Daciana explained. “The one who killed Phillip.”
“Of course,” Arcas said. “That explains how she killed so many of my children that first night.”
“I had no way of knowing,” Dennis said. “I would have killed her instantly if I had known.”
“You should have killed her instantly anyway,” Arcas spat. “We wouldn’t be having this meeting if you would have just killed her instead of playing your stupid little games.”
Dennis growled.
Arcas laughed. “Are you seriously growling at me, dog? Attack me. Please.”
“Arcas, stop it,” Lycaon said. “What’s done is done. At this point, we really don’t have a choice. We have to attack.”
“I have a question.” It was Tina who spoke.
Lycaon sighed. “Dennis, we allow heirs to attend these meetings to prepare them for the day they replace us, but they are not allowed to participate. This isn’t a public forum.”
“I apologize for her lack of tact,” Dennis said, “but if Tina has something to say, I suggest we hear it out.”
Lycaon gave a single nod.
Tina looked at Arcas. “Have you ever turned a channeler?”
There was a collective groan throughout the group.
“That’s not an option,” Arcas said.
“Why?” Dennis asked. “If she could be turned, she would be a powerful ally.”
“Dammit, Dennis,” Daciana said, “you watch too many movies. This girl is not Luke—”
“It kills the vampire,” Arcas cut in. “Burns them up from the inside out.”
“Every time?” Dennis asked.
“There is only one way to turn a channeler,” Arcas explained. “They must be willing. They must want the change. And this is not something they can be forced into. They have to embrace the darkness.”
Dennis considered this for a moment, then asked, “If she were turned, would she be like you or would she be like one of those monstrosities outside?”
“Manners,” Lycaon chastised.
“That depends,” Arcas answered. “If I turned her, she’d be like me. Those monstrosities are the way they are because they are hundreds of generations away from me.”
Dennis nodded quietly.
“Why are we discussing this?” a man from across the table asked. He was a werewolf Dennis had seen at previous meetings, but didn’t know his name. “It can’t be done. We need to go in and we need to kill her.”
“No,” Dennis said. “I can get her to want it.”
Daciana laughed. “Your confidence is inspiring.”
“I know this girl,” Dennis said. “She’s like us. I could see it in her eyes. And even if I’m wrong, attacking that base is a mistake. It would be an unnecessary loss of werewolf and vampire lives.”
“Unnecessary?” Lycaon said. “I think you underestimate the damage a channeler can cause.”
“No,” Dennis said. “It’s unnecessary because if we hang tight, she’ll come to us. More specifically, she’ll come to me. All we have to do is leak my location to the Day Soldiers.”
Daciana seemed to consider this. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Dennis said. “I killed her entire home town. She will come for me. All we have to do is let her.”
Lycaon was silent for a few seconds, then said, “If she doesn’t, the consequences of us not taking her now will be on your shoulders.”
“She will,” Dennis assured him.
“Okay,” Lycaon said. “I’m good with trusting Dennis on this. Does anyone oppose?”
“I do,” the werewolf from across the table said. He pointed at Dennis. “This one is just as unpredictable as Phillip was. I don’t think we should let this chance go based on his gut instinct.”
“Phillip was an idiot,” Dennis growled. “Don’t assume I’m anything like him just because I was his heir.”
“You both play with your food,” the werewolf said. “And you don’t take this war any more seriously than he did.”
Dennis looked at Daciana. He didn’t speak, but with his eyes he asked her a very important question.
Is now a good time to do this?
Daciana gave a very subtle nod.
Dennis smiled and turned back to the werewolf across the table. “What’s your name?”
“Why do you care?” the werewolf spat. “I lost family to the Ohio invasion. It’s ridiculous that anyone here is even considering your absurd suggestion.”
“I think,” Dennis countered, “it’s ridiculous that we have a council this large. I mean, most of you people just sit around like dumbasses. You don’t contribute. I say it’s time we took some of the bureaucracy out of this council.”
The werewolf across the table sprang to hi
s feet. “Was that a threat?”
Dennis stared at the man with cold eyes. “As a matter of fact, it was. Tina?”
Behind him, Tina drew a gun and pointed it at the werewolf.
“Enough!” Lycaon screamed. “Mickey, sit down! And Dennis, how dare you bring a human weapon to this council!”
“Mickey?” Dennis said. “Your name is Mickey? I’m being threatened by a Mickey?”
“I hope all of you see this!” Mickey said, pointing at Tina. “His heir is holding a human weapon. He has no honor!”
“Not just my heir,” Dennis said as he pulled out his own gun.
Every person in the room sprang to their feet.
Arcas looked around the room, smiling. “Werewolves are so amusing,” he said, then added quietly, “Cassius, I think you’d better come in here.”
Another vampire burst into the room, gun in hand. He was like Arcas in that he looked human. He had short brown hair, handsome features, but in his eyes was a lean and hungry look. He pointed the gun at Dennis.
Dennis recognized the vampire immediately. “Hello, Cassius. I knew you wouldn’t be far from your master.”
The vampire Cassius looked at Arcas. “What the hell is going on in here?”
Arcas sighed. “Werewolf politics.”
“Put those weapons away,” Lycaon ordered. “Now!”
“No,” Dennis said.
Across the table, Mickey smiled darkly. “We all know you won’t use that weapon. This council would immediately order your death. As a matter of fact, I propose a death sentence based on the fact that you brought a weapon to this meeting.”
Dennis looked around the room. “None of you have guns? Seriously?”
“It is forbidden,” Lycaon answered. “You know this, Dennis.”
“Yeah,” Dennis said, “but I thought it was one of those laws nobody follows. Seriously, I can’t believe you people don’t carry protection.”
Mickey snarled in disgust. “We carry honor instead.”
Dennis grinned. “I see. Then I guess that means I’m the most powerful werewolf in this room.”
“Hardly,” Mickey sneered. “We all know you won’t pull that trigger.”
Dennis pulled the trigger.
Mickey staggered back a few steps then fell to the ground, dead.
Before the others even realized what had happened, Dennis pointed his gun at another werewolf and fired.
Tina quickly joined in and shot two more werewolves.
Beside Dennis, Daciana drew her own gun and began to fire at the other council members.
Cassius turned his gun from Dennis and pointed it in the direction of another council member and fired.
Lycaon watched in horror as Arcas pulled out his own weapon and joined the bloodbath.
The council members tried to escape, but the attack came too swiftly. Within seconds, Dennis, Tina, Daciana, Arcas, and Cassius stood over the bodies of fourteen dead werewolves. The only other living creature in the room was Lycaon. He stood at the end of the table, staring at the bodies.
“What have you done?” he whispered.
Daciana jumped onto the table, walked to the end, and pointed her gun down at Lycaon. “You were a good leader when our kind lived in in the shadow of the human world. But we have outgrown you. The world has outgrown you. This silly council is proof. We’ve been fighting this war like humans. We’ve been playing by their rules for too long. It’s time to change the game.”
Lycaon’s eyes showed no fear or anger. Only sadness. “Daciana, there are things you haven’t considered.” He looked at Arcas, then at Cassius. “Important things.”
Daciana squeezed the trigger.
She climbed down from the table, shoved Lycaon’s dead body to the floor, and sat in his chair. “Two vampires, two werewolves. That’s a fair council, I think.”
“Three werewolves,” Dennis corrected. “Tina is part of this.” He looked at Arcas. “If that means you have to bring in a third vampire, I’m cool with it.”
Arcas laughed. “Not necessary. I’m perfectly content with Tina being a part of this. She’s earned it.”
“Shall we sit?” Cassius asked.
Dennis had known Cassius for years, and had always respected him. Cassius was a warrior and a thinker. He was a very powerful vampire, probably more powerful than Arcas, his maker. The fact that Cassius had never tried to kill Arcas was what impressed Dennis the most. Dennis knew Cassius held no real affection for Arcas. Cassius simply understood that standing beside his master gave him all the power and none of the responsibility.
Dennis was certain Cassius would one day rule the entire world. It was just a matter of time. In the meantime, developing a relationship of mutual respect seemed to be a good course of action. “For a minute there,” he said to the vampire, “I thought you were going to shoot me.”
Cassius smiled. “I just thought it would be the easiest excuse to have my weapon drawn without arousing suspicion. I’d never shoot you, Denny. You’re my bestest pal.”
Tina laughed. “Denny?”
“Okay,” Arcas said. “Our plan succeeded, with much more ease than I’d anticipated, I might add. So where do we go from here?”
“First and foremost,” Cassius said, “let’s define our goals here.” He looked at the werewolves. “When everything’s said and done, what do you want?”
Dennis leaned forward. “Our needs haven’t changed. We just want the forests. Let us go live in nature. You can have the cities and leave nature to us. Give us the forests and keep your kind away. Forever.”
“You sound like Lycaon,” Daciana said.
“Hardly,” Dennis countered. “Lycaon thought the ultimate end to the war would be a treaty with humanity. He really just wanted to thin their numbers then scare them into leaving us the hell alone.” He looked at Cassius and Arcas. “You’ll notice there’s nothing in that plan for your kind. He knew humanity would never negotiate with you, which fit in with his plans perfectly.”
Arcas nodded. “We were very aware of his plans to betray us. I’m pretty damn sure a day would have come when Lycaon saw that vampires were the ‘true evil’ and stood beside humanity to wipe us out. Nothing brings people together like a common enemy.”
“Which is why,” Cassius added, “we like your plan much better. Humans are the common enemy. They’ve been blissfully unaware of their status for too long. I think it’s time they learned their place.”
Dennis cocked an eyebrow. “As servants?”
“As cattle,” Cassius answered.
“So it’s settled,” Arcas said. “When this war is over, we’ll take the cities and your kind can have the forests. I’ll make it our most sacred law. Nature belongs to the werewolves and any vampire caught in your lands will have no protection from me. And if any werewolves wander into a city…”
“Whatever happens to them will be their own fault,” Dennis said.
“You’re confident all of your kind will agree to this?”
Dennis nodded. “Most will.”
“Most?” Cassius asked. “What about the dissenters?”
With a shrug, Dennis said, “A little herd thinning is good for any species.”
“Good enough for me,” Arcas said. “Moving on—”
“I have one other request,” Daciana said. “The only reason I participated in this little takeover.”
Arcas looked at her. “I’m listening.”
A look of disgust filled Daciana’s eyes. “Wallace.”
“What about him?” Dennis asked.
“I want to kill him,” she answered. “I want to put a gun to his head and pull the trigger. But only after I’ve made him suffer in various inventive ways.”
Cassius smiled. “You really don’t like Wallace.”
Daciana didn’t return the smile. “He is the reason this war didn’t end in a week. Every dead werew
olf since then is his fault. He betrayed us all. Humanity was completely unprepared for us, but he changed that.”
“Whatever,” Arcas said. “You want Wallace, you can have him. No vampire will touch him. Can we move on to the important things now? Like how we’re going to end this joke of a war.”
“That’s the easy part,” Dennis said. He turned to Daciana. “And make no mistake, sweetheart. Lycaon is just as responsible for those deaths as Wallace. This council has willfully continued a war that could have ended years ago.”
“How is ending it the easy part?” Cassius asked.
Dennis pointed toward the door. “How many humans do you have outside?”
“Not sure, really,” Arcas said. “Thousands. Maybe tens of thousands. It’s a big city.”
“Turn them,” Dennis said. “Turn them all. And do the same all over the world. You would have an unstoppable army.”
Cassius grinned. “I like it.”
“Vampires are like living things in one way,” Arcas said. “They have to feed. We need those people.”
“No,” Dennis argued. “You need people, but not those people. There’s a whole world out there of humans. And nothing motivates a predator like hunger. I say turn them all, and then starve them for a month or so. Then just unleash them on the world.”
“Yeah,” Cassius said. “I definitely like this plan.”
For the first time since the slaughter, Tina spoke up. “It’s a good plan, Arcas. We could win this thing in a matter of days.”
“You don’t know that,” Arcas countered. “If the humans somehow manage to defend themselves from the assault, bad things would happen. Starving vampires – especially young ones – can be very dangerous. I wouldn’t be able to control them for long. Eventually, they’d start attacking your kind.”
“The humans won’t be able to defend themselves,” Cassius said. “A full assault with every vampire and werewolf we have would end this war. They’re right.”
“Every time a vampire dies,” Arcas said, “I can feel it. I feel their deaths. It’s not a pleasant sensation. Cassius feels it, too. Thousands of vampires will die in this assault, and you’re asking us to endure that.”
“I can take it,” Cassius said. “So can you. And don’t pretend like you care about them. We both know that’s not true.”
“Of course I don’t care about them,” Arcas admitted with a smile. “I was just saying it’s very unpleasant when they die.” He turned back to Dennis. “If we do this, you can guarantee your kind will participate in the attack?”
