The Guardian Lineage

by Seth Z. Herman

  “And here,” Julius Brutus said nervously, looking directly at Mike, “Is the uncharmed version.”

  The swarm entered the room again, an exact mirror image of the first clip. But there was someone leading the way. Someone barking orders and pointing in different directions. As JB zoomed the camera in, Mike gasped. The face was unmistakable.

  It was his mom.

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  Mike just stared at the screen, unwilling to believe. He felt his stomach drop and his head ache, as if he was on Stuntmans Freefall in Six Flags. It couldn’t be… his own mother, leading the Black Brethren, allied to Dementae…

  Zachariah swore, his gaze fixed on the screen. Then he turned to Mike and flipped open his lighter. “You’d better get to explaining how you’re not involved in this, Prior. And talk fast. Or I’m gonna fry your unloyal ass faster than a vampire at sunrise.”

  But Mike didn’t say anything. It was like his mouth was tied shut. His mom… his mom! There had to be some mistake. Maybe she was really trying to fend off the vampires? No, the video was clear. Maybe someone had tampered with the video, to show that… but how would they be certain Julius Brutus would break the charm on it? Maybe she had been taken captive, and mind-controlled… that was the only explanation for it…

  Or maybe Mike’s lineage really was corrupted.

  “Put that away, Zachariah.” Annabella stepped in between them. “You’re gonna cause a fire or something.”

  “Well maybe that’s exactly what I want to do,” Zachariah snarled.

  “There has to be a mistake,” Mike mumbled. “There has to be a mistake…”

  “Prove it, Prior!” Zachariah stepped closer.

  Mike didn’t even throw up a shield. As if getting killed now could even hurt him. He was already destroyed inside. His mother, his freaking mother…

  “Zachariah, stop it, will you,” Annabella said, grabbing the lighter out of his hand.

  “Hey!” Zachariah made to get it back, but Annabella pushed him away.

  “Look at his face, Zachy. Look at him!”

  Mike saw Zachariah turn to look at him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t care. He was glued to the screen, as if searching for something to prove it wasn’t true. His eyes were wet, the tears stinging his cheeks. Unless Zachariah and Annabella could bring his mother back, or they could demonstrate this was all a sick joke, there was nothing they could do for him. Zachariah could fry him for all he cared. It probably would feel better than this.

  He saw Annabella throw an arm out in his direction. Mike flinched, but she wasn’t trying to attack him.

  “Does that look like a guy who’s about to turn us over to Dementae? Or a kid who’s just found out his clan is either dead or kidnapped and his mother’s probably the one who turned them in?”

  Mike felt like he was going to throw up. No, it couldn’t be… he had seen his mother’s reaction to everything… she was heartbroken, destroyed…Mike fingered his Amp. He could just call and ask her… Yeah, right. Like the answer would be, “Actually, I am a Brethren spy. Care to join me?”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Zachariah allowed. For a long moment, there was nothing but silence. Then Mike felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Zachariah in his face, but not in a challenging way.

  “Listen, man. You okay?”

  At first Mike didn’t understand. His whole body had cringed the moment he felt Zachariah put a hand on him, expecting some sort of attack. But the honesty in Zachariah’s voice caught him off guard.

  “No… no, I’m not. But…” Mike wiped a tear. “Thanks.”

  Zachariah nodded. “Maybe it’s time to stop this ‘who’s the spy’ talk and start thinking about how we can stop this Dementae guy.”

  Annabella said, “Do we even know what he’s trying to do?”

  Julius Brutus fiddled with a few buttons, bringing up another screen. “Well, the Brethren took some stuff from the basement. Maybe we can figure out from there.”

  “The Sparring Room?” Zachariah said, sticking his nose in closer to the screen. “What could they steal from there?”

  Julius Brutus shook his head. “Not that basement. The basement, underneath the Sparring Room.”

  The video switched again, and the screen showed a room Mike had never seen before. Rows of glass armoires lined the walls. There were purple lights that illuminated the room. Mike had no idea what those were for, until the camera switched to the far end of the room. There Mike saw what looked like a small nest made out of stone, and what appeared to be broken egg shells lining the bottom.

  “What the…” Zachariah breathed. “Gargoyle eggs?”

  “Not anymore,” Julius Brutus said. He punched a few keys, and the video showed the vampires smashing the eggs with fists and hammers. They also ransacked the furniture and took some items for themselves. For what, Mike had no idea.

  “What’s in those closets, anyway?” Zachariah asked.

  Julius Brutus zoomed in on one of them, but the picture wasn’t clear, and shards of glass obscured any objects that had remained. “It’s hard to tell. Probably items of magical value.”

  “What would they want with that stuff?” Mike asked, his voice breaking slightly. He struggled to keep his emotions in check. Analyzing the videos was helping, but he still couldn’t keep his mind off—

  All of a sudden, Mike’s thoughts were jarred by the frantic screeching of the building alarm. Red flashing lights went off in the video room. Julius Brutus’s fingers flew over the keyboard, and instantly the surveillance cameras came up. To Mike’s horror, the lawn was crawling with vampires.

  “To the garage!” Mike yelled. The Guardians stumbled out of the surveillance area and ran into the Sparring room. But as soon as they entered, a horde of vampires burst through the door on the other side.

  Julius Brutus screeched. Zachariah responded more practically, throwing up a wall of flames. Mike grabbed electricity and threw it recklessly into the horde, then he thrust Zachariah’s flames forward. The vampires stepped back, but did not retreat.

  “Come on, this way!” Mike led the Guardians back out the way they came. He rushed past the video room and into an ancillary stairwell.

  “How high should we go?” Zachariah called from behind.

  “Garage is in the eastern wing, main floor!” Annabella yelled down.

  Mike reached into his shirt as he flew around the stair corner.

  Everybody, get up! Now now, go go go! Meet us in the parking garage, there are vampires everywhere!

  They had climbed one floor when Mike heard Alexis’s response.

  I can’t leave the Headmage!

  Mike said in his head, You can automate your spells, right?

  Two floors. Now the vampires were starting to pour through the basement door. The stairwell filled a rotting odor, causing Mike to wrinkle his nose.

  “Get off the railing!” Mike put out the lights from overhead and sent the electricity running through the metal handbar. Screams filled the air, and the stench of burning flesh wrecked Mike’s senses.

  Yeah, I can, but…

  Then do it, Alexis! Throw a locking spell on the door and leave Garzan inside. You can’t help him if you’re dead!

  That seemed to convince her, because she didn’t respond. Either that, or she had been discovered. Although, Mike would’ve heard her scream …

  Finally Mike reached the floor and flung the door open. He waited for the Guardians to file in, then slammed the door shut.

  “Annabella!” he called, and she understood. She pulled out a water bottle from her pants pocket and iced down the hinges.

  The Guardians ran down an office-building-type corridor. After a quick left, they found themselves in the Dining Hall.

  Suddenly, Steph, Aaron, and Kiva ran in from another entrance.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Steph yelled as she approached the group.

  “Where’s Caroline and Alexis?” Aaron yelled.

  “The
y’re with the Headmage, they’ll meet us,” Mike called back. Hopefully, he didn’t have to add.

  “Which way?” Zachariah called, his arms raised.

  There were six doorways, each leading a different direction. Mike knew choosing the wrong door meant losing precious seconds. As if on cue, vampires began charging through the glass doors that led from the Greeting Hall, their rancid smell filling the room.

  This was starting to feel like a bad video game.

  “Which one leads to the garage?” Mike yelled.

  “I have no idea!” Aaron and Zachariah called back simultaneously.

  Mike chose the closest one and ran towards it. He threw it open and held it there for everyone to run through.

  Zachariah lingered for a moment, making sure he was the one bringing up the rear. He fired volley after volley, keeping the vampires away from the door area and not allowing them to extend their reach. Then Mike saw something slam into Zachariah’s shoulder. Zachariah fell backwards. The flames stopped, and the vampires started approaching.

  “Zachariah!” Mike ran towards his fallen comrade, thrusting telekinesis in every direction. Some vampires fell away, but then more came crashing through, like sharks in a feeding frenzy. Zachariah was lying on the ground, stunned. A dagger was lodged in his shoulder. Mike grabbed the handle and pulled it out. Zachariah screamed as the blade exited his tissue.

  “Come on, you’ll whine about it later,” Mike grumbled as he clasped Zachariah’s other hand and pulled him to his feet.

  By now Aaron and Steph had seen what happened. They ran furiously in Mike and Zachariah’s direction, firing at will.

  “Let’s go!” Steph screamed. The four Guardians ran towards the opening. Julius Brutus was holding the exit open for them. As soon as they cleared the doorway, JB let the door slam. He muttered a few words, then flew down the hallway with his arms flailing in the air, like a soldier who’d just planted a mine.

  Turned out that was exactly what JB had done. As Mike heard the door crash open behind him, he turned to see scores of vampires caught in a stasis trap. Mike didn’t need to see anything else. He tore down another office-building corridor towards the parking garage. He saw Steph running next to Zachariah, a hand on his shoulder, her mouth moving silently.

  Amadeus, Nukes, we’re gonna need some help as soon as we get out of here!

  Nukes was the one who responded. Get to the garage, we’ll clear the road for you.

  Aaron was leading the way now. The Guardians turned right, then left… the sounds of the invading army were dying down behind them—

  Suddenly wood came crashing in from all over. Angry vampires filled the corridor, blocking passage on both sides.

  “Get back to back!” Mike screamed as he shattered the lightbulbs from up top. He formed a shield with his right hand and fired electricity with his left. Then he grabbed one of the splintered fragments with his telekinesis and thrust it forward. A vampire burst into dust, and Mike looked for another piece of wood.

  “We’re not going to make it,” Zachariah said through gritted teeth, a hand on his bleeding shoulder. Steph had been separated from him in the commotion, interrupting her healing spells.

  Mike felt sweat pour down his forehead. He killed one vampire with the dagger he’d removed from Zachariah’s shoulder, then another… but there was always another creature to replace it…

  “We’re through!” Aaron called from the front. Mike fired one last volley behind him, then threw up a telekinetic force field to try and block the vampire approach. He’d only read about it, but never tried it… but the spell seemed to work. The vampires charged, only to bounce backwards off an invisible force. Mike didn’t know how long it would hold, but at the moment, even a few seconds made a difference. Something stuck in his mind about the shield needing more incantations, but Mike couldn’t remember them. So he did the next best thing – he turned and ran.

  As soon as he entered the parking garage, Mike’s breath caught. Another wave of vampires was waiting outside the wide-open garage doors. They were stationed there, unmoving, as if waiting for instructions. Mike looked behind him. His barrier was beginning to weaken. In a few moments, they would be trapped on both sides.

  “We’ll never make it,” Zachariah whispered, looking all around at the approaching enemies. “She’ll… she’ll never make it.”

  “Yes we will,” Mike responded immediately, not noticing Zachariah’s change in pronouns. “Where are the car keys?” Mike said as he searched the room frantically. Hadn’t they been right near the door…

  “Mike,” Zachariah said from behind him, “You saved my life twice this week.”

  Mike twirled all around, barely paying attention to Zachariah’s babbling. This was no time to freak out, and where were the car keys? If there were no keys, they were totally screwed…

  “Yeah, and I’m trying to do it again, dude, help me find—”

  “I think it’s time to return the favor.”

  Mike stopped dead in his tracks. He whirled around, but before he could say anything, Zachariah stepped backwards into the hallway and slammed the door shut, leaving the Guardians in the garage and Zachariah in the corridor.

  With all the vampires.

  “Hey, what are you doing!” Mike tugged on the rustic doorknob, but it wouldn’t open. He stared at Zachariah through the square glass view hole. A locking charm?

  Zachariah glanced at the vampires, who were starting to break down Mike’s barrier, then back at Mike. A tear crept down his cheek. When he spoke through the muted glass, it came out almost like a whisper.

  “Tell Annabella I love her.”

  Mike’s eyes widened.

  “No, no no no!” Mike jerked on the doorknob with all of his might, but the door wouldn’t budge. He tried to smash the glass with electricity, but the locking charm held fast.

  “Zachariah, Zachariah!” By now flames engulfed the corridor, so much so that Mike couldn’t see what was happening. One body hit the floor, then two… Mike couldn’t see if it was Zachariah or not….

  “Come on Mike, time’s up!” Aaron screamed from behind.

  Mike turned to see Aaron holding a car key and gesturing towards the vehicles. A group of vampires had made their way past Amadeus and Nukes and were starting to converge on the Guardians.

  Mike took one look back at the flaming corridor, then ran to join his Guardian brothers.

  “Where’s Zachariah?” Annabella said as Mike showed up. She looked around frantically.

  “He’s going to be okay,” Mike said, his eyes burning with tears. He surveyed the vampiric crowd through blurred vision. Could they just drive through them? There were so many… but maybe the bigger cars, the Hummers…

  “Where’s Zachariah?” Annabella screamed, a frantic look on her face.

  More of the vampires poured into the garage now. Steph and Aaron must’ve had the same idea, because they were trying to fight a path towards the two Hummers in the corner…

  “Mike, what happened to him?”

  Mike grabbed Annabella by the shoulders and shook her for a moment. “Listen to me. He’s going to be okay.” Now full tears formed in Mike’s eyes. He bit his lip to force the words out of him, as if that would make any difference at all. “He’s going to be okay.”

  Annabella screeched and threw herself in the direction of the corridor, trying to break free of Mike’s grasp. Aaron came over, took one look at Annabella, another look through the glass, and then looked at Mike. There was a shock in his eyes, and maybe a little admiration.

  Then the two Guardians nodded to each other. They picked up Annabella and wrenched her into one of the SUVs, kicking and screaming all the way through.

  “Come on!” Mike cried as he climbed into the driver’s seat. There had been no sign of Caroline or Alexis, but Mike couldn’t afford to wait for them now. There were more vehicles in the lot; if they made it that far, there would be ample ways for them to escape.

  Steph jumped into the ba
ck seat. She took one look at Annabella, who was being held down by Aaron. She was screaming Zachariah’s name over and over.

  Steph’s hand flew to her mouth, if she just now understood.

  Mike screamed, “Close the door, Steph,” and she snapped out of it, slamming the door shut as the engine came to life. Tires screeched against the rubber garage floor. Aaron jumped through to the front seat, opened the window, and started firing randomly. But it wasn’t nearly enough to split the sea of bodies. Mike gritted his teeth as he pushed the pedal all the way down. If the vampires wouldn’t move, Mike would just have to move them…

  “Hold on!” The SUV sped up. Then it lurched. Metal slammed into muscle. Bodies flew out of the way like bowling pins, although some managed to hang on to the roof of the car. Aaron stuck his head out and fired the last of his electric bolts at the clinging vamps, who lost their grip and flew off.

  Mike cringed for the first few moments, certain a Brethren squad would be right behind the vampires. But there was nothing except open road through the unguarded stone towers, the forest, and onto I-90.

  Only then did Mike breath a sigh of relief.

  They were alive.

  For the time being.

  Annabella sat curled in a ball, whimpering, holding her legs and murmuring Zachariah’s name over and over. Steph was patting her hair, trying to comfort her. And Aaron was staring out the windshield, totally silent

  “Where should we go?” Mike asked. It occurred to him that he was the only one in the car who was composed. Which was strange, considering he’d been a legit headcase like two months ago. An event like this should’ve had him freaking out – hearing voices, seeing vampires in the shadows, the works. But now he was in control of himself, as if he had undergone anxiety treatments or something.

  He looked in the rearview mirror to check on Julius Brutus and Kiva, who had followed them in a hard-top convertible. When no one answered, he changed the question. “Is anyone as tired as I am?”