Rebirth of the Seer

by Peter W. Dawes

  Richard scowled, his gaze that of a schoolmaster beholding a recalcitrant student. “It has everything to do with his past. Watch your tongue with me, Miss Alexander. You’ve lost sight of your place and we’re not going to tolerate it, regardless of who your parents are.”

  “Bullshit. I’ve told you this all happened for a reason, Richard. I told you that while it was a gross oversight of this Council to allow a seer to slip through the cracks in the first place, we can’t pretend it didn’t happen. You told me if I could prove The Fates intended for a vampire-seer to go on living, you’d hear me out.”

  “So far, we’ve yet to hear any such proof,” one of the female elders said. Monica’s eyes darted to the speaker – Beverly – entering the discussion again.

  Monica laughed. “You were the one that told me the day we got Peter Dawes back would be the day hell froze over.

  “And as far as we’re concerned, that has yet to happen.” Beverly raised an eyebrow. “All we have is an unstable vampire on the loose and this time, he’s a supernaturally-gifted one, thanks to you.”

  Monica shook her head. I heard the response she wished to administer clamoring in her mind, but she bridled her tongue. “Lydia said he has other duties to fulfill.”

  “Duties?” asked another elder – a blonde-haired man who looked to be Richard’s junior by several years. “What’s this about Lydia?”

  Her attention shifted to the new speaker. Reading her thoughts, I could just imagine the smirk Monica forced herself to suppress straining at the corners of her mouth. As such, I grinned for her sake while raising my cigarette to my lips. I drew deeply, exhaling a puff of smoke through my nose as I mused on the card she had yet to play, a final plea I knew might be our last hand in reasoning with these daft creatures. I interrupted this time, sending a message through the telepathic channel we shared.

  ‘If this does not work, get the bloody hell out of there. I do not give a shit what we discussed last night. ’

  I sensed her brush aside my words. Last night’s admonition lay implied between the lines, provoking me to frown.

  Her focus returned to the man. “Lewis, a few nights ago Flynn received a communication from The Fates through Lydia. She said he has more trials ahead of him.” Monica sighed, her next words grave. “You can’t forget the fact his powers were identified before he even realized them. Consider Lydia’s warning on top of it and your decision leaves us with a huge paradox. Everything has a balance. If there’s a seer like Flynn, then there’s something just as formidable out there waiting for him.”

  I perked an eyebrow, wondering what she meant by that, but seemed to be the only one intrigued by her statement. Everyone else gazed back at her in a stoic manner. Not wanting the silence to linger, Monica moved to continue. “And with a little official training, he’ll be ready for –”

  Richard cut her off. “Are you finished yet?”

  I could nearly feel the weight depositing itself upon her shoulders. “You haven’t been listening to a word–”

  “If the guards could please escort Miss Alexander to the holding room? I think we’ve had enough.”

  Monica gasped. Her voice rushed into my head, panic-stricken. ‘Get away from here, Flynn!’ The sound of a door opening produced an eerie echo inside the hall and Monica forced me from her perceptions as though shoving me away.

  I scowled. ‘Oh no, ’ I said. ‘No, no, we shall not be having this. Not so long as I can do something about it, witch. ’ I blinked twice, adjusting to using my own sight once more, and flicked my cigarette away. My thoughts spiraled, trying to form a coherent plan in the midst of so much chaos. I peered at the converted church before me and one notion finally broke through, an idea which presented the best impromptu plan I could conjure.

  “And to think I used to pride myself on this sort of thing,” I muttered, running my fingers through my hair. “Fucking humans, forcing my hand.” Indulging in a steadying breath, I paused to clear my mind. A distinct portion of me knew I deserved the Council’s pronouncement; indeed, heaven itself would have crushed me under the weight of my sins if I tried to deny it. The truth of things became apparent to me, however, as I surveyed the building I was about to vandalize.

  I was not merely being condemned for my transgressions. The Supernatural Order despised me most because I was a vampire, plain and simple. I could have ascertained as such from a quick scan of their thoughts, but their arguments spoke volumes in their own right. It was not that I had been a murderous bastard, or that I had done the bidding of a power-hungry vampiress, both accusations toward which I would have to plead guilty. They despised that an immortal possessed their coveted secrets. Wore the mantle of a seer. Had used his talents to slay mortals for the sake of sating his bloodlust before repenting of his actions. Everything said in my defense fell on deaf ears, just as Monica had feared.

  I was not about to continue forward without the one being on this mortal coil I could call a friend.

  My eyes narrowed, sight fixed on a stained glass window. Images of serpents in the Garden of Eden stared back at me, not issuing any protest. I nodded, resolute, and tightened the katana fastened at my side while putting distance between me and the church. With a final adjustment to the dark sunglasses protecting my sensitive vision, I crouched low. “Here goes nothing,” I said to myself. The night fell to a hush for a split second before I launched forward, dashing for my target.

  Reckless abandon marked every extension of my legs, each pump of my arms until I leaped into the air. With my vampire strength behind the follow-through, I kicked the window with such force it exploded into a thousand colorful and crystalline pieces. They descended with me in a glorious baptism of glass that landed on the jacket of my black suit when my feet hit the floor. Dusting the shards from my shoulders in apathetic manner, I glanced upward at the panel of mortals I had previously beheld through borrowed eyes.

  They all stared back. Loathe emanated from their eyes once they realized who I was. I detected a hint of fear as well, which curled the corner of my mouth into a wicked grin. ‘Good, ’ I thought. ‘Let them be uneasy at seeing the condemned present before them. ’ Strolling forward, I stole a moment to admire the polished wood floor and lingered on the ornate remnants of the church this had been before turning my attention back to them.

  ‘Little more than scared humans. Which hardly makes you so high above me. ’

  “My apologies for the sudden entrance,” I said, well aware they might have been reading my thoughts and caring little if they did, “I hardly thought it fitting for there to be a trial without the defendant, though. If I have breached some form of etiquette, I trust you shall inform me.”

  “Damn it, Flynn, I told you to get away from here.”

  My gaze drifted toward Monica, spying two men standing behind her and blocking the closest exit. While they did not have her in their clutches, I could tell I entered just before she had been manhandled. “Now, my dear –” I paused halfway through the room to smile at her, despite the figurative flames of wrath shooting from her eyes. “– Surely it is bad luck to damn the damned. Besides, I am certain they wished me here inevitably, do you not agree?”

  Monica had no chance to respond. I turned to regard the others before she could so much as open her mouth. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I understand I have vexed you all in some manner or another.”

  Richard straightened in his chair, his posture turning rigid. “The Vampire Flynn,” he said. His voice took on an authoritative tone. “I must say, I’m surprised. I figured you’d be far away from here by now.”

  “I am certain cowards such as you think the rest of the world acts in kind, but such is not the case.” Advancing again, I closed the distance between me and the elders, stopping a few yards away from where they sat. I adjusted my tailored suit jacket, prompting some of the lingering glass shards to fall to the ground, and allowed my hands to drop to my sides. “A person wiser and fairer than me cautioned me to avoid these proceed
ings. I fear I have disappointed her.”

  My eyes found Monica once more. Time seemed to halt for half a second, long enough for me to remember our conversation from the night before. “If they threaten action against us,” she had said, “I want you to get as far away from here as possible, with whatever you can carry on your back. Don’t come for me, just go.”

  “My apologies,” I said with a frown, “But I could not have them condemn you in my stead. If I am to fulfill my destiny, I shall not do so without your oversight.”

  She mirrored my frown, but did not answer. My attention shifted back to Richard while I squared my shoulders and stared intently at the Council elder. “So tell me, Richard, why is it that a death warrant has been issued against me? I wish to know what limited imagination you humans possess.”

  Richard glared, but held fast to his composure. “I doubt I have to remind you of your sins, Mr. Dawes. You are condemned by the –”

  I held up a hand, stopping Richard. “You would do well to place that name back on the shelf. I might not be an assassin any longer, but I am no Peter Dawes. Flynn is the one you should be prosecuting.”

  “Very well.” Richard cleared his throat and visibly regrouped. “Vampire Flynn, you are condemned by the Supernatural Order for multiple offenses. For murdering a watcher and a Council elder while you were still a human. For slaughtering hundreds of souls within the space of five short years. And for using the gifts of a seer – gifts to be taken with gravity and decorum – for your wanton gain.”

  “And if this was where the story ended, I would save you the trouble and throw myself upon my sword as retribution.” I perked an eyebrow at him. “I have reformed my ways, though. Miss Alexander attempted to explain this and informed you I have been commissioned by The Fates to continue walking this path. Besides, the murder of Lydia Davies and her advisor was coerced from me by my former mistress.”

  “So you claim.”

  “No, I assert. My actions were my own when I murdered as a vampire, however. You see, this is what I find amusing.” I chuckled, knitting my hands pensively behind my back while my feet commenced to pacing. I looked first toward the ground, then back to the human council. “The lot of you only imagines my atrocities while I relive them each time I pause to consider what brought me here. I orchestrated things you dared not even fathom. Embodied sadism your underdeveloped creativity could not grasp. If you truly knew the monster I am you would not be looking down upon me with such smugness.”

  “This is supposed to change our minds about you?” Beverly asked, interjecting.

  I flashed my most disarming grin. “Not in the slightest, my dear.” The curl of my lips evened to a more sober expression. “What should affect your decision, however, is the fact that a killer such as I has proven capable of reform. If my repentance has not been enough to convince you otherwise, then you are still left with the charge given to me by Miss Davies. I failed her once. I do not wish to fail her again.”

  Richard scoffed. “It doesn’t matter and, quite frankly, I don’t believe it. You’re to be put to death and your watcher punished for setting loose this whole circus in the first place.”

  “She only brought out that which would have emerged naturally. And because she did, I had not yet passed the point of no return. Your qualm is with me, not Monica.”

  “It’s with both of you.”

  “Come now, Richard.” I smiled with no small amount of teeth being presented in the action. “Surely even Neanderthals such as you can recognize an innocent when presented one.”

  Richard clenched his jaw. “You’ll do well not to smile in my presence, demon.”

  I blurted out a hearty chuckle before it could be suppressed. “Ah, you see? There it is.” Spreading my arms out to my sides, I bowed slightly at the waist. “What is it, Richard? Do you see my fangs? Do you grow loathe to consider this ‘demon’ is in possession of such great power? Well, these gifts are mine, as is my mission, and I shall not be deterred.”

  My arms lowered to my sides. I straightened my posture and pivoted to face Monica. “Our business with them is through,” I said. “Let us be on our way.”

  “You’ll do no such thing.”

  I ignored Richard and began a tempered walk toward Monica. She motioned forward, but so did the men standing behind her. They closed the distance and apprehended her before I could reach where she stood. She tensed at the sudden feeling of two sets of hands taking hold of her and gave a spirited buck against their grip. “Let me go, damn it.”

  I stopped when our eyes met. Their hold on her tightened. “Now, gentlemen,” I said, pushing back the fabric of my jacket and brushing my fingers across the hilt of my sword. “I suggest you do as she says before I become fidgety. I can assure you an angry and armed vampire is not a positive combination.”

  “Don’t listen to him,” Richard said, commanding the room’s attention once again. He stood, looking first at the bodyguards before casting his sights on me. “Your weapons are useless here.”

  “We shall see how bloody useless they are in a moment.” My gaze shifted back to the guards. “Come now, or have you forgotten already? Angry and armed vampire? Release her so we can be on our way.”

  “Flynn, just get out of here,” Monica said, her eyes projecting an urgency bordering on panic. “Hurry.”

  “Nonsense. If they wish a confrontation, I shall be more than happy to obl–”

  My words ceased at once, interrupted by a peculiar sound which echoed throughout the meeting hall with an ominous overtone. My already-tepid blood turned cold as I looked back toward the source of the noise. Richard’s eyes were fixed upon me, his hands steepled and wrists bent as if he had just finished cracking his knuckles.

  The implication of this action barely registered before every other Council member stood and did the same. Their gazes all took on the same severe look and a shiver afflicted me from head to toe. Magic. It filled the air like quicksand with me sinking in the epicenter. Richard raised a hand and pointed his palm in my direction. Unintelligible words spilled from his lips, droning with the cadence of an incantation. The room closed in around me; I had been struck dumb while a flurry of anxiety passed through my bones.

  It brought out a sneer of self-disgust. “Oh fuck your magical bullshit, Richard.”

  I pushed aside the fledgling intimidation they had inspired. With one swift, practiced motion, I drew my sword. Richard’s eyes widened as I ran for him, my pace too fast for any of the others to come to his aid. I leaped for him when close enough, cutting off his spell with a soundly-placed kick aimed square for his chest that laid him out on the floor. Turning to face the other members, my adversaries glared back at me; two women and three men.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” I said through gritted teeth. “I shall offer you a mercy I would have never offered a human when I was yet an assassin. This is your final chance to back down and allow me and my watcher to leave without your interference. I promise you I shall inflict grave injury upon you otherwise.”

  One of the women – one I recalled being called Joan – snickered. I shifted my focus toward her, but her hands flew up before I could do anything. An invisible force impacted me and sent me flying onto the ground. My back hit first, followed by my head bouncing from the unforgiving floor. I groaned involuntarily when a jolt of pain sent my vision to swimming for a brief moment.

  “I’d like to see you try,” she said.

  “Bloody fucking hell.” Quickly, I stood, ignoring the ache which radiated from head to back in favor of readying myself for their next onslaught. ‘Ah, but I am hardly one for being on the defensive, ’ I thought, a smirk accompanying the slow descent of my fangs. ‘No, I much prefer dominating these sorts of games. ’

  A growl rumbled from my throat. I dashed for Joan, who lifted her hands again, but fumbled for words as I closed in on her. I drove my hand into her windpipe, and then crouched as she fought against a temporary impediment to her breathing. The dull edge of my katana imp
acted her knees from behind as I swept around her, all one fluid motion which ended with her landing on the floor and me springing back into a stand.

  I sneered. “You best be fucking grateful you are not dealing with my former self.”

  One of the other elders – a tall man with jet black hair – stepped forward as Joan fell, drawing my focus over to him. I raised an arm to block an attempted punch, and answered with a kick to his chest. As he toppled, I turned and countered another advance from another elder who had remained quiet up to this point. He fell when I swept his legs out from under him. My mental tally ticked to four, with one final male elder – the blond-haired Lewis – the last man standing between me and Monica. I managed one step forward before a harrowing premonition overwhelmed me, compelling me to spin around and glance at the ground behind me.

  Richard stumbled to his feet some distance away. I watched his lips move and knew what he meant to continue.

  ‘Flynn, stop him!’

  “Damn it to hell,” I muttered. Monica’s voice still reverberated in my thoughts as I floundered for what to do. The lost moment cost me dearly. The ignored-Lewis spoke and in the time it took for me to begin to turn, he lifted his hands and ceased my attempt to face him. Whatever mental ability he used to place a lock on me kept me tethered in position, giving him the advantage.

  My katana involuntarily dropped from my grip. My knees began buckling, threatening to drive me to the floor, but I struggled against it, clenching my jaw in concentration while indulging in a steadying breath. My thoughts spun wild with potential solutions, panic threatening to paralyze me. Monica telepathically spoke to me again. ‘Fight against it, Flynn, ’ she said. ‘Remember, you’re just as powerful as they are. This is just textbook telekinesis and I bet you can break free of it. ’

  ‘Telekinesis? ’ I wrestled with the urge to ask what sort of textbook contained such a lesson and opened my eyes, not realizing I had closed them in the first place. ‘How? You make it sound so bloody simple. ’