A Quanta of Magick (Full Moon Series Book 4)

by P. Mattern

  …EVER.” He finished, giving her a hug.

  Charley awakened to the sound of splashing and the wet feel of droplets hitting his naked feet as he slept on the stone floor of his cell in a curled fetal position. He sat up and was instantly aware that one of the guards had been attempting to urinate on him at a distance.

  He opened his mouth to make a remark about the guard’s lack of breeding, and then remembered.

  He had no tongue.

  It was in the process of growing back of course. He could tell that much. But when he attempted to speak ( always when he was alone, in order to avoid amusing the guards) he still sounded terrible.

  But it was regenerating…that he was sure of. And when he was able to speak normally again, he would have PLENTY to say.

  He jumped up and surveyed the runny wet line on the stone flooring that the guard had drawn with his urine. Then, before the guards could react, eased his own ‘squirt gun’ out of the crudely sewn linen breeches he had been given to wear as a prisoner and rapidly shot a stream of urine, with vampire force, across the expanse of the cell, hitting the guard squarely in the chest with it.

  The guard looked shocked, particularly because the stream had been delivered with high enough pressure that it not only knocked the breath out of him but splashed upwards into his bearded face.

  The other guards immediately broke into raucous laughter and began making fun of their comrade. One or two of them even threw Charley a look of admiration. Though he didn’t crack a smile, Charley was satisfied that his kneejerk response had been the right one.

  They hadn’t been bringing him any food since his last interaction with Adrastos, but after the guards had completed their dungeon rounds one of them returned alone and furitively threw a freshly killed rat into Charley’s cell without looking at him or saying a word. Charley quickly set upon it, devouring the flesh and the life giving liquid of it’s blood greedily. He was sure that, if he hadn’t been kept in such a weakened state, the healing from having his tongue removed would have progressed much more quickly. But he was finding that his immortal body, just like a human body, needed nutrition to operate efficiently.

  After exercising by climbing up and down and across the walls of his cell to the extent that his chains would permit, he thought about Fressenda, Mitzi and the rest of the vampires. Although he could never be certain of what the treacherous Adrastos was planning, he didn’t think it likely that Adrastos was planning his demise, but rather his torture. It made sense that Adrastos would believe that seeing her son Charley is such a debilitated state would cause her so much emotional pain that she would agree to whatever terms Adrastos placed on his release.

  That was the part that troubled him the most. The idea of his mother agreeing to return to Faquier Hall as Adrastos’ Declared Woman sickened him, though he had no doubt that she would do anything, including that, to secure his release.

  Or perhaps his vampire tribe would just take their chances and storm the castle, hoping to kill Adrastos before Adrastos had a chance to kill Charley. Charley almost preferred that scenario, even though he feared for his pregnant mother. He hoped that she could be left out of any battles, but realized that since she was Adrastos’ singular focus, that wasn’t likely.

  He was so deeply in thought the squealing sound of the iron door to his cell almost startled him. He looked up to see Adrastos, clad head to toe in royal blue velvet and studded leather boots and belt, walking toward him, frowning.

  Adrastos looked worried, and to Charley that could only mean one thing.

  His tribe, his vampire family, must be coming.

  As if to affirm Charley’s thoughts, Adrastos gazed down on Charley with a look of concern. Charley thought that he could smell fear emanating from the tall figure also.

  “I have just gotten word that your mother, along with others of your tribe, is coming to entreaty me…I suppose for your release. The maternal instinct is so tiresome. There is no doubt in my mind that she would agree to return here if I set you free. But that in itself become problematic, Charley, because I don’t believe that she would ever be happy living apart from you, her firstborn son .

  What is your take on the matter?” Adrastos asked Charley,”Do you concur?I know that I took your tongue, but you can at least nod.” He finished.

  Charley stood to his full height. He didn’t wish to be talked down to by Adrastos or anyone else. Looking into Adrastos’ eyes he nodded once, concisively.

  “Ah well then,” Adrastos said, a note of seeming regret in his voice,” That necessitates that additional measures be taken I’m afraid.

  At Adrastos’ nod, guards immediately surrounded Charley. One still smelling of urine grabbed the back of Charley’s hair and jerked his head backward, so that Charley’s muscular neck was exposed.

  Adrastos, holding a small sharp dirk with a tourmaline and obsidian encrusted handle looked down from his impressive height into Charley’s startled eyes.

  “Dipped in poison, venom and my own blood,” he said quietly,”This should take the edge off what is about to happen. And it will be my final gift to you, Charley Rabbit.

  When you get to hell, tell them it was Adrastos that sent you.”

  Swiftly Adrastos slid the dirk deeply across Charley’s throat, nearly severing his head from his shoulders. Charley never cried out. The guards continued holding up his body so that Adrastos could conduct the further mutilations that he had planned.

  It was over within the space of a minute. At the snap of Adrastos’ fingers the guards allowed Charley’s mutilated body to slump to the stone floor.

  “Oh my GOD Mitzi have you lost your mind?” Cass said, his voice rising. He was struggling to keep from shouting during the strategy meeting to facilitate Charley Rabbit’s rescue. Celeste and Ariel, with the combined talents—Celeste as a High Prescient, and Ariel with her incredible GPS-like locator abilities, had been able to get a ‘fix’ on Charley’s location. It was as everyone had feared (Castle Faquier), but knowing for certain where Charley had been taken had encouraged the group of vampires and everyone was shouting over each other as they planned an attack.

  Mitzi, who had just suggested—strongly—that she alone go to Faquier Hall with but a single escort, stood her ground.

  “I’m sorry Castor, but You know that I am a High Prescient and I’ve been having visions. I have the overwhelming sense that I must go myself, with one other, in case I require a Second during a battle of swords.”

  Cass seemed to reconsider.

  “Well I don’t want you to go. Mitzi, love, you are one month from delivering our child!” Cass had a look of shocked desperation on his face, but he continued, ”Charley is your son…and I know that wild horses couldn’t keep you away. But as long as I go WITH you, I will be willing to allow it.”

  There was a buzz of discussion among the former V-net vampires. Mitzi approached Cass, and even though she was nearly a foot shorter than he was, she seemed very regal and much more formidable.

  “My pregnancy notwithstanding, Cass, I have already chosen my Second based on my vision and also after consulting with Celeste and Ariel. And my love I am sorry but I cannot do this with you. Not this time,” she said, regret showing clearly in her bluegreen eyes.

  “Some arrangements have been made so that I can have Jaxon as my Second,” she finished, with just a slight flinch at the end as she anticipated Cass’s reaction. The entire gathered group seemed to suck in a breath at her announcement.

  Cass’s eyes widened then abruptly narrowed .He shook his head in seeming disbelief.

  “Mitzi –no disrespect to Jaxon but you CAN’T be serious! First of all he’s ostensibly in an apprenticeship to Mage Dante Febere…”

  “Dante is giving him a ‘ break’,” Mitzi interrupted,”Mage Febere saw this coming a mile off and planned for it—“

  “If he saw it coming, why didn’t he WARN us?” Cass said sourly, ”Instead of ‘lending’ us Jaxon? Who is, by the way, barely into his manhood a
s an Immortal, not to take anything away from his skills and abilities. But if ANYONE should accompany you to Faquier Hall, it stands to reason that it should be me!” he finished firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked over toward Orry, Lux and Pierre for support.

  “What do you think my brothers? Doesn’t Mitzi’s plan sound somewhat inadequate? Who among you would send a lad barely into manhood and an extremely pregnant vampires on a quest such as this one?”

  Lux approached Cass and stood toe to toe with him. He noticed with delight that he seemed to have a half inch on his fraternal twin.

  “Wow Cass are you shrinking?” he asked, chuckling,”I seem to be taller than you!”

  “Don’t get excited ‘Prince Vallium’, I think it’s the heels on your boots. So what do you think of Mitzi’s plan?”

  “I think it’s great,” Lux returned, causing Cass’s eyebrows to shoot up in surprise.

  “Look Cass,” he continued,”You’re missing something here. Mitzi is a Tribite and practically as powerful as a High Prescient. If she is insisting that you not go then she has to have a very good reason, or foreboding, that your ass would end up dead. Dead as a doornail.”

  Lux turned to Mitzi.

  “Am I right, or am I right? You might as well tell him Mitzi. He’ll only hear it directly from YOU anyway, he’s such a stubborn sot!”

  Mitzi lowered her eyes for a moment and then looked directly at her husband.

  “It’s true,” she said.”And Celeste has confirmed it. Your going with us will only endanger us more. Adrastos would either kill you or keep you in chains barely alive to make sure that I remained with him permanently. All you would be is a possible hostage…and therefore a potential bargaining chip for Adrastos. Things have changed and it’s not about honorable combat between foes any more…he has access to tasers and other weaponry that would immobilize you before you could take action.

  If on the other hand I go with my Second, Jaxon…he won’t have any option but to deal with me. Even HE is afraid of violating some rules. And I will challenge him. And I will kill him!”

  Cass was silent for a moment, his face expressionless. When at last he spoke it was with a tone of defeat.

  “Okay, I guess I’ll give,” he said, following his pronouncement with a heavy sigh, ”But I want it to go on record that I still don’t believe I’d be stopped.”

  Mitzi threw her arms around Cass in relief. Once again she had to mentally shake her head. It seemed impossible that she had ever been an aging widow with a disabled son to care for, living a routine and uneventful human life.

  This vampire world had been ever changing, and filled with lifetimes of passion. Though it seemed as if she tumbled from one catastrophic circumstance to another in that moment she suddenly realized that she still would never trade being a vampire in order to have her human life back. Human life was so short that it seemed to be a zero sum game—as soon as the wisdom was acquired to properly navigate it the mortal body started failing.

  No, this was much better. And after she dispatched of Lord Earl Adrastos she would be truly free of his shadows and obsessions and able to live without fear.

  After all, they were vampires, Immortal and strong, tribal and fierce. No weapon formed against them could succeed.

  Orry leaned over Makenna’s lap and plucked something from behind the pillow at the end of the large old fashioned tufted sofa that served as their main piece of living room furniture. The apartment they had together was smaller than many of the others, but it was located next to a small waterfall that they could watch from a window from their bedroom and was situated apart from the main cluster of living units in the New City.

  The ‘something’ Orry had retrieved turneout to be a small octagonal leather box, with a gold stamped greek key design running around the outside of the box.

  “I wonder what this is?” Orry said, smiling and holding it out so that Makenna could see it.

  “Oooooh I WANT it!” Makenna said teasingly, grabbing at it. But Orry quickly held his am behind his back.

  “If I’m going to do this, I am going to do it the old fashioned way,” he told her, sliding off the couch onto the stone flooring and walking on his knees until he was directly in front of her. Then he changed position so that he was down on one knee only.

  “Makenna Anne, I love you to distraction. You are all I care about. Would you do me the supreme honor of being my wife?”

  At the end of his proposal he flipped open the ring box to reveal a huge pink marquise cut diamond flanked by two light green baguette diamonds on the sides.

  Practically speechless, Makenna held out her hand saying,”Yes Orry , I will be your wife!”

  After he slipped the ring on her finger the couple kissed tenderly, their longing for each other evident in their passionate embrace.

  Then Makenna leapt up and started jumping up and down on the couch, holding her ring hand out in front of her so that she could watch the pink diamond sparkle in the light.

  “I’m going to be Mrs. Orry Evarb!” she sang in her lovely operatic voice.

  Orry laughed as he watched her. Suddenly she stopped bouncing and got a sober look on her face.

  “Orry I know that you’ve lived for almost two centuries, you told me that yourself. And that I am a neophyte, having been turned in this generation, but …how many other times have you been engaged? I really want to know.”

  Orry smiled. He still had a series of almost small star shaped scars that made a half circle under one eye. He also had deeply cut scars on his broad back. For the scars not to have healed by virtue of his turning she knew that they must have been not only severe but acquired during his original human life.

  “In these nearly two centuries, I have only proposed to one other female energy. And she was human, Makenna. And she died before we could be married. So you might say that I am an old batchelor.”

  Makenna jumped down from the couch, her long hair floating down with her.

  “Can you tell me about her?” she asked, ”If it’s too painful you don’t have to.”

  Orry pulled her toward himself for another long kiss, and then guided her back toward the sofa.

  “She was young, just as you were when you were turned. I was born in 1845 in The Plains, Virginia…into slavery. The plantation that I was born to was not the largest but it belonged to a family that were part of the Southern aristocracy at the time. My mother was bred—at the time African Americans were bred like farm animals—to the Field foreman. His name was Cornelius. He was the tallest and biggest slave on the property, and the pride of his master. On Saturdays all the landowners would come to the Triplett Plantation with their biggest and strongest field hands, placing wagers as to who would be able to defeat my father in the crude and dusty boxing ring that was set up for that purpose.”

  Makenna shivered and moved more closely toward Orry.

  “Sounds…barbaric!”

  Orry stopped being serious for a moment and tousled Makenna’s beautiful hair.

  “Sweetness you are so cute! “Barbaric”! I saw you tear out the throats of the hybrids during the battle at the Cottage!”

  Makenna sniffed.

  “Not the same thing at ALL Orry and you know it! We had to defend our territory and we were ATTACKED! What you’re talking about is violence for sheer SPORT!”

  Orry chuckled and sighed.

  “Okay you got me there!” He said fondly. “ Anyway, my father beat them all, every time. It was like there was no contest—nolo contendere—and the Plantation Owners on the neighboring farms grew bitter about never winning, especially since, in the meantime the Master of the Triplett Plantation grew rich…and so did my father, since Master Triplett had promised him 5% of the winnings every time he defeated the contenders from other plantations.”

  Orry stopped speaking for a moment, and his eyes seemed to glaze over.

  “My father was a smart man. He saved all of his money, telling my mother that he planned to fight
until he had enough money saved to buy both his freedom, and hers and mine also. It took years of course. I was six years old--old enough to understand from my mother that Cornelius was trying to prepare a better life for us.

  On the day that Cornelius felt he had collected the going market rate for each of us he begged an audience with the Master of the plantation and asked him if he could be allowed to buy the freedom of his family and leave ‘The Swallows’, which was the name of the farm. My mother told me that the Master looked astounded when my father took out a sack of money that was the sum total that he had won from his fighting matches and assured the property owner that it was ‘all there.”

  The owner was silent for a few minutes, then screamed at the top of his lungs for the household servants, throwing the money back at my father and telling him that it was an insult for him to try to buy his freedom when Master Triplett had been so good to him. My father was dragged away…my mother told me it took eight men to contain him. Master Triplett ordered that my father be hobbled so that he could never run away from The Swallows.

  Word quickly got to my mother and she told me to hide under the bed while she went to see what was going on. My father was so strong that when he saw the huge iron spike that they were going to drive through his ankle to hobble him he managed to break away from the men holding him down but one of the overseers hit him in the head with a hammer and knocked him out so that they were able to hobble him anyway.

  He never recovered from the hammer blow to his head. After being unconscious for six days he died.

  Master Triplett decided he could no longer bear to look at my mother or I again and I so we were swiftly sold to one of the neighboring farm owners, a man by the name of Gretcham. The one upside to the situation was that one of the ‘house slaves’, a pretty mulatto girl named Violet, also lived there. We grew up together over the course of the following years. I always had good manners and my mother had taught me how to read—a big deal for persons of color in those days. I made Violet a pretty bracelet out of woven leather and some pretty buttons and beads that my mother had saved. I gave it to her and when she accepted it and gave me the first kiss I’d ever had we knew that we had to be together.