Seeing his unusually long perusal, Jaden frowned. "What is it, Mack?"
"You look so much like you mother, Jade," he murmured with a shake of his head. He kept his real thoughts from her.
Jaden ignored his words. She didn’t like to talk about her parents. Instead, she crossed over to his desk. Taking a seat in a comfortable leather chair, she asked indifferently, "Tom still angry?"
"Do you blame him?" her uncle asked. He reached over to pour a glass of scotch. He offered it to Jaden. She took it gratefully. Gulping the contents down in one swallow, she set the glass down on the desk with a decisive clink.
"No," she grumbled. And she wasn’t sorry for it. "I would be pissed off too, if I’d been beaten up by a girl."
"Jade," Mack scolded lightly. His scowl couldn’t last. His eyes turned fondly over her emotionless face. With a sigh, he whispered, "You’ve been insolent since girlhood. I remember your tutors nearly pulling their hair out at your quick, sarcastic wit."
"Hum," she mumbled, showing no particular fondness for the same memory.
Mack cleared his throat. "You still haven’t given me a full report of what happened in New Orleans. If you told me, maybe I could talk to Tom and smooth things out. He is one of my best men and I would like it if you would work together."
"And I won’t give you a full report either," she answered evenly with a yawn. "The vampire is dead. That is the report. Type it up yourself. Or hand me a pen and I’ll write it down for you."
Mack chuckled, "All right, Jade. You win. I’ll stop asking. But will you consider working with To--"
"No," she broke in before he could finish. Wryly, she added, "I would be too tempted to let the vampires have him."
"Then what about Rick? You seemed to like him when I first lured him away from the Marines," Mack continued to try and persuade her. Jaden smiled ruefully, shaking her head in denial before the words were completed. Mack sighed and let the matter drop.
"How’s the shoulder?" her uncle asked instead of prying. He suspected something happened between his niece and the man. Jaden never had much to say when he mentioned Rick Fletcher. And Rick was just as uncomfortably quiet.
"Doesn’t hurt." She shrugged, shifting awkwardly. After what happened in Louisiana, she wasn’t sure she trusted her uncle completely. But she wasn’t about to admit it to anyone.
"And your jaw?"
Jaden scowled at the reminder. For a moment she had forgotten. Lightly, she touched her face. Wincing, she drew her hand to fall back on the arm of the chair. Wrinkling her nose, she said, "It’s nothing."
"Need a doctor?"
"No," she answered just as wryly. A small smile threatened her lips but never surfaced. A flash of ice blue eyes flickered through her mind, disturbing yet calm.
"Who were you tracking?" Mack asked, busying himself with the papers on his desk. Casually, he placed them in a folder and turned to put them into his safe hidden beneath a decorative sundial. Jaden watched him curiously, but couldn’t see how he opened it. "I haven’t given you an assignment for months."
"Just felt like a bit of a spar," Jaden lied. Before he could call her on it, she rushed, "Have you ever heard of a vampire named Tyr?"
"Tyr what?"
"Just Tyr." Jaden again shrugged.
"I can’t say that I have," Mack answered thoughtfully. Shaking his head after silent deliberation, he asked, "How old? It is so hard to log all the new ones. It seems like someone is going about building an army of late. The guys have been running into a lot of newly turned."
"I’m not sure how old. I just heard his name mentioned and wanted to know if he was worth worrying about." Jaden stood, crossing over to the expanse of old books lining the wall. Running her fingers over the volumes, she stopped at a thin leather bound record book. Pulling it down, she flipped open the yellowing pages. After careful searching, she sighed, "I don’t see him on this list."
Jaden snapped the book shut and slid it back into place.
"If he’s one of the old he more than likely would be," Mack answered. "That list was taken directly from the vampire tribe’s own records in the 1700’s. If he isn’t listed, he must be a young one. I’d say he was nothing to worry about."
"I’m not so sure. Maybe it is a nickname for one of these others," she said quietly. She again reached for the book and carried it with her to the chair. She flipped through it, ignoring the crossed out names signifying the vampire was confirmed dead. Seeing the name of Bhaltair still boldly displayed, she ran her finger over it lightly before moving on. "And I really have doubts about the thoroughness of the tribal council’s record keeping ability. How do you know this list is an honest account?"
"The source is fairly reliable," he murmured.
"I doubt it," she clipped. "The only source I would call reliable is one of the tribal leaders themselves. And they wouldn’t turn on their own kind."
"Let’s just see." Mack sat at his desk and started typing. He ignored her words about the council. "Tyr, you say. T-I-R. Nothing."
"Try Tyr, T-Y-R," Jaden murmured in distraction as she turned another page.
"Ah," Mack said. "Here we are. You’re right. It must be a nickname. It says here that Tyr is the Norse God of war and justice, son of Odin. He carries a spear in his left hand and is missing his right hand. It was bitten off by a wolf, Fenrir."
"That makes no sense," Jaden muttered coming to her feet. She thought of the vampire in the alley. He did resemble a Viking God of sorts, though he still possessed two hands. "None of the young ones would pick such a name. They always call themselves so-and-so the bloody or the mace, the hammer, whatever weapons have you."
"Someone must be teasing you, Jaden," Mack mused, leaning back. "Maybe one of the guys is playing a prank to cheer you up."
"I don’t think so." She scratched behind her ear. She licked her lip. It was no prank. She was marked.
"Wait, Tyr." Mack suddenly sat up. He pressed his forefinger thoughtfully to his lips. "I think I have seen that spelling somewhere before."
Within moments Mack pulled a large tomb of a book from the highest shelf. Dropping it on the desk, he pulled it open.
"What’s this?" Jaden asked. She eyed the French words she couldn’t read.
"An old book of myths that I bought several years ago in India," he explained. Mack flipped through several more pages before finding the one he wanted. "Here. The Dark Knights."
"Dark Knights?" she repeated with a doubtful chuckle.
"Yes," Mack murmured before translating. "The Dark Knights are a legendary band of enforcers created by the vampire council in the year 888 AD. They number eight, one from each of the existing tribes. It says that if the vampire council of elders is the political force behind the vampire nation, then the knights are their elite military. Not much is known about these dreaded soldiers of the darkness except that their numbers were chosen by the council after rigorous testing, their existence is well guarded and they are feared by not only mortals, but by vampires. They are the only creatures, aside from the council, that are allowed to feed on their own kind."
"A cannibalistic knight?" Jaden questioned in bemusement. She rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Vampire’s can’t feed on their own kind. I thought you said the dying blood would cause them harm. Besides, it contradicts all we know of the council. They would never allow it. By all accounts, they are too greedy for power and would never permit such a creature to exist. One of their sacred laws is that no vampire can harm another vampire, especially from the same tribe."
"Ah," Mack argued for the sake of being controversial. "In theory, if the council chooses them, then they might be allowed special privileges."
"But to break a sacred law?" Jaden countered skeptically. She shook her head, "What else does it say?"
"It references some old text. It is said that they act with ruthless force and that their decisions in any matter are final, unless overruled by the council elders for some spectacular reason. The existence of the knights is wid
ely accepted as a myth between vampires and mortals alike. They are generally not believed as anything more than an old folklore created in the superstitious times of the Middle Ages to get new vampire children to obey their creators. See attached list for names and known descriptions."
Mack turned the large page. Jaden leaned over for a closer look. Touching the small print, she found a word she recognized. "This is a list of the eight tribes. The Moroi tribe must have created Morana. The Myertovjec’s knight is called Chernobog." With a smirk, she added sarcastically, "That’s a pretty name."
Mack chuckled at her cynicism as he walked over to his computer. He began typing in the names she read.
"Ah, the Llugut knight is Aleksander," Jaden continued with a deepening frown. "Vrykolatios is Hades. The Vrykolakas is Ares. Are you getting the feeling these were all named after Gods of some sort?"
"What about the name Tyr?" Mack asked.
Jaden gulped, freezing as her eyes picked out the name. Weakly, she whispered, "Yes, he is the Drauger knight."
"It would make sense. The tribe is said to be of Nordic decent."
"Ah, Shiva is of the Rakshasa and Osiris is of the Impudula." Jaden looked up from the book, hoping her last words didn’t quiver too tellingly. "What do you think?"
"I think someone is playing with you. In all my research I have never heard mention of a Dark Knight actually existing. Occasionally they are blamed for a vampire’s death, but nothing is ever proven. And in the old superstitions it was said that they killed hunters amongst the gypsies. But really, the deaths could be linked to any number of things, not necessarily a Dark Knight."
"You mean dhampirs," Jaden said as quietly as possible, thinking of the gypsy myths. A fear gripped her heart. She knew the stories of the old dhampirs. She knew what had been done to them--especially the hunters. They were tortured for days and saved each time they were brought near death. When aided by the healing properties of vampire blood drops, the process could last for years--decades. When he didn’t answer, she added, "Like me."
Mack swallowed uncomfortably. Not meeting her eye, he nodded. "Yes, but it has to be a joke. It isn’t as if your profession is low profile in the underworld. They probably revived the old name to scare you."
"Can you translate this description here, just in case," Jaden asked. She pointed to the short paragraph following Tyr’s name.
"Sure." Mack came over to her and read. "Tyr is known as a heartless and cruel warrior. He uses his strength to execute his duty and to obtain whatever information he was sent to acquire."
"That’s all?" Jaden asked in sinking dread. She stared at the foreign words, wishing she could translate them herself. A suspicion crept over her as she noticed the word vampijorivic, little vampire. It was another name for dhampir. There was more her uncle wasn’t telling her. Memorizing the page number, she turned her eyes away.
"It pretty much says the same thing for all of them," Mack answered soothingly.
Jaden wasn’t concerned with the rest of them at the moment. Wearily licking the wound on her lip, she thought in dejection, Boy, do I know how to pick the good ones. It seems I can’t even get my own suicide right.
Even as she thought it, she wasn’t as ready for death as she had been at the beginning of the night. She knew it should have shaken her how close she had come. But not being as eager to end it didn’t mean she wanted to continue on. She was thoroughly exhausted--tired of the isolation, tired of being forced to hunt, tired of feeling too much of the wrong thing and especially tired of living with the guilt of what she had allowed to happen.
Seeing she was unconvinced, Mack laid an arm around Jaden’s shoulders. In a low whisper, he murmured, "You know I would never let you get hurt. You are my only family and I love you."
"I know." Jaden pulled away, unused to the affection. Mack let her go. "So you think it is a hoax?"
"I would stake my life on it." Mack gave an assured nod.
Jaden sighed. "All right then. I’m off to bed. I’ve had enough excitement for the night. I’ll see you at dusk before I go out."
"Jade," her uncle said, stopping her from retreating. "Why don’t you stay in tomorrow? Or maybe we could go out together--catch a play. I can get tickets to anything you want."
"No," she said.
"You should take a break," he said gently. "You’ve been working yourself too hard."
"Have you no assignments for me? You mentioned the guys had their hands full with an army of young ones."
"It is nothing the guys can’t handle on their own," he denied her request for work. "Although, if you would like something to do, some scientists in Russia have come up with a new weapon for us to test. It’s like a flash bomb. It is lighter to carry than our current light and stronger. I’m thinking of testing it out in the field. If it works, we could all possibly retire. And the good news is that it doesn’t harm mortals--just gives them a terrible headache."
"Hum," Jaden mused. Such weaponry seemed like cheating to her. Dropping a light into a den of vampires took the sport out of the hunt. She much preferred hand to hand combat.
"You could help me test it, if you like," he offered again.
Jaden shook her head. Seeing that she wasn’t interested, Mack frowned.
"I think I’ll go to Europe," she decided. In truth she wanted to run as far away as she could from the man who marked her. If he was a Dark Knight, she knew she should be afraid. If he wasn’t then he was most likely a lunatic and she still should be scared. Either way, he would be able to find her. If he so chose, he could haunt her shadow for the rest of her nights.
"Great!" Mack exclaimed. "Which house would you like me to ready for you?"
"I don’t care. Could you just make the arrangements?" Jaden forced a smile she didn’t feel. It would be better if she didn’t know where she was going. If she ran into Tyr again, he wouldn’t be able to find it in her mind. "And I’ll need some cash this time. American is fine. I can exchange it when I get where I’m going."
"The jet won’t be available for a few days," Mack said.
"Fine." She yawned noisily, putting on a good show for her uncle. "Then I’ll just have to leave in a few days."
Mack waited for her to close the door. When he heard her footfall shuffling away, he picked up his phone. He didn’t have to wait long before his call was answered.
"Yeah," came a tired yawn on the other side.
"Rick, Mack," Mack stated. "I want you to trail after Jaden tomorrow night. This is top priority. See where she goes and if she talks to anyone."
"Want me to bring the men?" Rick’s response sounded more awake. His military training brought him to quick attention.
"No, go alone. I don’t want anyone else knowing she is followed."
"She won’t like it," the man answered. Mack could hear the phone being shuffled about as Rick adjusted his headset.
"Don’t let her find out," Mack commanded sharply. "There is something she’s not telling us. What the devil happened in New Orleans?"
"Nothing unusual, I told you," Rick defended to the harshness of his employer’s tone. "It was completely routine. Duncan didn’t give us a fight. Jaden wasn’t happy with our intrusion and she beat up Tom. Nothing unusual."
"She didn’t say anything about it to you?" Mack queried.
"We don’t talk." Rick’s voice was hard with what he wouldn’t allow said.
"You’ve got two days to find out what is happening with her. Then I’m sending her off to Europe."
"Done."
"You know, Rick," Mack said. "I think you could use a vacation yourself. How about going with her? I would be pleased if you got close to her."
"She’d never invite me--" Rick began doubtfully. He did not like spying on Jaden. It would be nearly impossible for him to hide his presence from her.
"I’ll take care of it. Just be ready to leave." Mack smiled into the phone, not bothering to say good-bye before hanging up. Shaking his head, he whispered, "I’ll take care of everyt
hing."
* * * *
Jaden couldn’t sleep, but she lay in bed anyway. She could sense her uncle’s servants moving across the hall outside her bedroom. She could feel them dusting, scrubbing, sighing, scrubbing harder. Their presence was one of the reasons she didn’t stay with Mack too often.
Unable to keep up the pretense of falling asleep, Jaden pushed up on the bed and glanced around in the pitch-blackness that surrounded her. Her shoulder shrieked and popped in protest. Gingerly, she rolled it, ignoring the pain the best she could. She couldn’t see in the dark, but knew she was alone.
Throwing the covers off of her legs, she crawled out of bed. The sound of her footfall was muffled as she crossed over a thick Persian rug. Instinctively sidestepping a chair as she blindly moved thought the darkness, Jaden didn’t break her stride. Reaching out, she grabbed the heavy velvet drapes and gave them a stiff yank. The room was instantly blanketed in daylight.
Jaden blinked in the heavy rays, holding her hand before her face as her eyes adjusted. Turning away from the light, she felt the warmth of the sun on her bare shoulders. It outlined her, eerily casting her shadow over the floor in a long ghoulish stretch of distinctive darkness.
Jaden pulled absently at the string near her waist. It bound the silken pajama pants she had stolen from her uncle’s unused collection of clothing. Yawning, she winced as she stretched her hands above her head. Her body was sore from being thrown against the wall, although the aching was nowhere close to matching her injured pride. She couldn’t believe the strength of the arrogant vampire. And his speed! She had used some of her best moves on him and Tyr had been completely unaffected.
Jaden’s bedroom was decorated to her specifications--a large comfortable bed, a vanity and dresser, plenty of open space and heavy drapes that blocked all traces of the sun when closed. All of her rooms were the same, with a small variant in design and color. Half the time, she didn’t even know where she was.
Her uncle paid for everything, allowing her to work. Beyond her credit cards, of which she never saw a bill, she hardly carried cash. She didn’t even concern herself with money. She knew that some of the jobs she pulled where paid for by injured parties and Mack kept all of it. The arrangement suited her just fine. Not once had Mack denied her a request. When he died, she was to receive everything--not that she wanted it.
The Jaded Hunter Page 4
