Balance of Forces

by Ali Vali

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “That they’re having a good time and not ashamed to show it. Don’t get your boxers in a twist. I’m looking, but it still doesn’t make sense to me.”

  “Maybe you’re looking in the wrong direction,” Hill said, smiling and pointing.

  “What?” Piper followed Hill’s finger to the crowded bar where Kendal and her friend stood.

  It should be a sin to always look that good, she thought as she slowly gazed at Kendal from head to boot. She sported a long leather coat, leather pants, and a pair of black biker boots. Her hair, as always, was pulled back and held in place with what looked from here to be a silk ribbon, which was the only soft thing about Kendal’s outfit and attitude.

  *

  “Why are we here?” Charlie asked, still having to shout.

  “To see a woman about some history.”

  “You lost me.” Charlie slid a twenty across the bar for the two drinks he’d ordered, handing her one.

  “Everyone gets to do what they want as long as it’s legal, Charlie. The woman who owns this place wanted to try her hand at being a club owner in this particular lifetime.”

  “She’s one of us?” She nodded and took a sip of the cold vodka. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You never asked and you rarely leave the grounds. See what you’d find if you were a little more adventurous and gave up your antisocial tendencies?”

  A young Asian woman pouring drinks behind the bar looked over and made eye contact. She wiped her hands as a huge smile emerged and motioned for one of the servers to take over. With a quick leap she landed on the bar and strolled the length of it until she was standing over Kendal. The bartender accepted the hand Kendal held up and slid down her body until they were closely pressed together. The kiss she gave her felt like an invitation for later, if she was interested.

  “You shit, you didn’t tell me you were in town. I had to hear it from Morgaine while she was here.”

  “I wanted to surprise you, and I need to see your teacher.”

  “Promise me a dance and I’ll take you up myself.”

  “Deal, now let me introduce you to Charlie. Charlie, this is Kim. Kim, my dear friend Charlie.” She let Kim go so they could shake hands. “Kim’s training to be an Elder archivist.”

  “Your teacher works out of this place?” Charlie asked.

  “What’s wrong with that?” Kim asked, putting her arm around Kendal’s waist and resting her head on her shoulder.

  “Don’t you think it’s kind of loud?”

  “The libraries that pertain to our needs are a bit different than those you’re used to. My teacher likes to be reminded of why she works so hard to keep the history of civilization chronicled correctly. Here she can feel the energy of who we’re fighting for.”

  “Gay people?” Charlie asked, confused.

  “Okay, Rush Limbaugh, that’s not what she meant.” Kendal laughed.

  “Please don’t compare me to that windbag.”

  “Then stop looking at the world in black and white. Kim’s saying that people who aren’t afraid to live gather here almost every night to celebrate life and who they are. Who better to fight for and, as you may notice, they’re not all gay.” A few couples in the crowd with someone of the opposite sex were obviously there for the music and a good time.

  “Come, Lenore will be happy to see you.” Kim walked them to the stairs against one wall, keeping close to Kendal.

  *

  “See, she gets it,” Hill said as Piper followed their progress across the room. She stretched her fingers out, not realizing how hard she’d gripped her beer bottle when the bartender practically sucked Kendal’s tonsils out.

  “I see that Kendal Richoux’s as easy as I thought she was. Are you ready to go?”

  “No,” Hill said, sitting back and kicking her feet out.

  “Please come with me. I don’t want to walk back to my car alone.”

  “I’m not staying because I want to pick up someone, Piper. I want to see who Kendal’s here to see aside from the cutie behind the bar. I don’t know how you figured out she’d be here but,” Hill pointed to the door the three had disappeared behind on the second floor, “that’s the office, and as many times as I’ve been here, I’ve never seen anyone come out of there even though the light is always on.”

  They sat and waited with their eyes on the door. Every so often Piper would glance at the dance floor and the people packed on it. Would she be as free to express herself if it were Kendal she was grinding against? Could Kendal change her mind-set? She’d felt like shit when Kendal returned the woman’s greeting so enthusiastically. That afternoon she’d been on the receiving end of Kendal’s total attention, and she’d rather enjoyed it.

  *

  The bar’s office was actually the entrance to the building next door, and the cavernously large room Kim led them to contained volumes of old books, most of them handwritten in a variety of old languages. To add a bit of modern technology, a bank of computers sat in the middle of the first floor. Shelves lined the walls on the first and second floors, and a grand open space in the middle let anyone who entered enjoy the glass ceiling with its view of the night sky.

  Lenore sat next to the railing in a comfortable chair, a cup of hot tea on the table next to her and on her lap a book entitled simply Ora. Lenore sat with her legs crossed, wearing a man’s shirt and a pair of old jeans. “Asra, welcome. I was wondering when you’d come calling.”

  Lenore had become an Elder long before Kendal met Morgaine, and in her original life she’d been the priestess of her tribe, with an amazing memory for events. The Clan found her skills perfect for keeping an accurate, unbiased account of world events and the people responsible for making them happen. She’d been in the beginning of her thirtieth year when she drank the elixir, forever preserving the beautiful delicate features her people had been known for.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner, Master,” Kendal said, bowing over her hand and kissing it. She moved aside so Charlie could follow her example.

  “Please, Asra, let’s not stand on ceremony. We haven’t the time. Why are you here?”

  “Charlie and I’ve been busy for the last few nights fighting Henri’s forces in the city.”

  Lenore nodded and motioned them all to sit in the chairs surrounding hers. “Kim’s kept an eye on you and hasn’t reported any problems. Have you encountered something you can’t handle?”

  “No, the ones we’ve faced so far haven’t been difficult to destroy, but tonight we went to the graveyard looking for bigger fish and found what appeared to be some old vampires arising for the night. Two of them talked as they waited for their counterparts to wake.”

  “Wadham and Jonas,” Charlie said

  “Are you sure?” Lenore leaned forward as if she hadn’t heard him correctly.

  “Those were the names they used,” Kendal said.

  “The tall one called Wadham, was he carrying a sword?”

  “A large broadsword with a golden pommel. I saw it for only a second, but it looked like a—” She stared at the page Lenore had turned to in the book on her lap.

  “An asp with its mouth open ready to strike, and from what I’ve read, the workmanship of the fangs is quite extraordinary.”

  “Who is he?” Charlie asked.

  “Wadham and Jonas are the equivalent of the Clan’s Elders. They serve and protect Ora, their queen and mother to them all. You see, Charlie, while demons like Abez have the ability to create more like him, there had to be a first. That was Ora, a witch who lived decades before Asra was born.” Lenore told Charlie about the illness that had swept through Ora’s village, leaving her the sole survivor. “She attributed her power and longevity to the black magic she practiced in life. The true gift for that had put her in the Clan’s sights long before the illness that changed her.”

  “I wonder how she figured out she could make others like her, Charlie said.

&nbs
p; “No one’s ever learned all her secrets, but drink from her and you live forever as well, but with the same thirst for death.”

  Kendal barely heard the history lesson, since she’d learned the same things years before, and so had Charlie, but Lenore’s voice was almost hypnotic. Something that Lenore had said, though, made the hair at the base of her neck stand on end.

  “If they serve Ora, what are they doing here?” She looked at Kim and Lenore to see if they would withhold information.

  “Ora has hidden herself well from us for hundreds of years, leaving only those like Henri to carry out her work. You’ve done well in the past at keeping their numbers reasonable, Asra, and hopefully Charlie will join the ranks of our elite warriors after this fight ends.”

  “But…” Kendal prodded Lenore.

  “But no matter how we’ve tried, we haven’t been able to figure out what she’s been up to or what she has planned. Maybe our luck is changing, though. If you’ve seen some of her most trusted advisors and protectors in the city, their master isn’t too far away.” Lenore flipped the page and showed them the two men they had seen earlier sitting at the feet of a beautiful woman with long, flowing red hair. “The three are never without each other.”

  “Sounds kinky,” Kendal joked, making Kim laugh.

  “Laugh now, but if she’s here and guiding Henri, we’re all in great danger. Ora’s extremely powerful and will stop at nothing to dismantle the Genesis Clan by burying us one by one. She’s not only powerful because of the years the sickness that created her has thrived in her, but because she’s also a gifted witch. She’s not like anything you’ve faced before.”

  “I’m a slayer and I know what I’m doing.”

  “The Elders have never sent you to hunt Ora because she’s more than simply a vampire.”

  “Then we have to keep fighting to even the odds. Most of the time, the easiest way to kill the snake is to sever the head so the body will wither. To draw this bitch out, I’ll have to do it in reverse. I’ll hack the body to bits and the head will have no choice but to show itself and face me.”

  “Don’t try to face Ora alone. You are to destroy Henri and those he’s turned. If you kill everyone who protects Ora, the Elders will find a way to rid the world of her for good.”

  Kendal nodded but stayed quiet.

  “I need to hear you say it.”

  “I promise to stop at Henri and the others,” she said, but didn’t want to lie. “I’ll face Ora only if she leaves me no other choice.”

  “Then may all that’s good in the world be with you, Warrior, and protect you from Ora’s strike. Call again if you have any other questions.”

  Kendal and Charlie kissed Lenore’s hand again and followed Kim back down the stairs.

  Kendal pecked Kim on the lips one last time before she headed out into the night to hunt. She wanted to kill the last of the fledglings before she took on the older and savvier fighters. The ones they’d seen in the cemetery had to be experienced; no one carried a sword like Wadham’s only for show. An hour before dawn they waited in the St. Louis Cemetery, confident they’d eliminated the last of the young ones.

  “The key to successful hunting, Charlie, is to trap your prey so it has no way to escape. The most successful hunters live by the credo, divide and conquer.” She pointed from their place atop the tomb where they’d first seen Wadham and Jonas.

  “Divide and conquer?”

  “The two who arose first are the strongest in this bunch. The others are old, but they’re only a few of the foot soldiers guarding the outside of wherever the queen bee has set up shop. Killing them will give us away tomorrow night, but they picked their resting place well. Plenty of spooks to keep them company in hell. When the sun sets again, Wadham and Jonas will wake up all alone.”

  The vampires moved back with the same speed as before, splitting up once they were over the wall. Wadham stopped before he entered his tomb and sniffed the air as he had done earlier. Jonas had already gone inside, but the other six were just opening the doors to their beds.

  “All of you spread out and search the area. I think someone’s here, and I don’t want any surprises once the sun comes up,” Wadham said, and while the others looked concerned, they didn’t want to argue with him. “Go, you have time before the sun rises.” He unstrapped his sword before closing the iron gate behind him.

  “We can do this easy or we can take the hard route. What’s your pick?” Kendal asked Charlie.

  “I’m craving a hamburger and home fries, so I pick easy.”

  “You’re no fun, Charlie, but that does sound better than going down there and playing with these guys.” She stood up and pulled out the weapon she had retrieved from the bike before climbing back up to their perch. The quiver held arrows made totally of wood, with shafts sharpened on one end. They weren’t good for the average bowman to hunt game with, but if shot with her strength they’d do nicely for what she had in mind.

  She notched the arrow and drew the bowstring back. The man in her sights was short and stocky but held his sword competently. When it clattered to the ground the others drew back their lips and showed their fangs at the threat. A second later another sword hit the sidewalk, leaving the four survivors appearing frantic.

  “Up there,” one said, pointing up at her.

  Kendal shot the two coming toward them as Charlie jumped down to fight the last one. Charlie met the man’s downward stroke and the vampire’s sword kept going—embedding in the grass next to the tomb Wadham had entered—since Kendal had shot him mid-stroke. Gazing up at her, he put his hands on his hips and glared, she assumed for taking the kill away from him.

  “Hey, man, you said easy.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Just tell me when she drives back home,” Piper said when Hill dropped her off at home. If she goes home, that is, she thought. That kiss was still on her mind.

  “And that’ll serve what purpose?”

  “Me knowing where to find her. I was planning to go over there and give her something as a thank-you for helping us, and I can’t do that if I don’t know she’s there.”

  “What are you getting her?”

  “Why do you need to know?”

  “I’m curious as to what you think Kendal Richoux might want or need.” Hill smiled at her, leaning toward the passenger-side window.

  “I’ll admit she’s got expensive taste, considering what I had to pay.”

  That had been hours ago, and Hill hadn’t called. Piper had waited until sleep claimed her on the sofa. At seven the phone on her chest rang, scaring her so much she fell to the floor. “What?” she yelled in annoyance when she found a line of drool running down her cheek and discovered her neck was killing her.

  “They just rode by, I thought you’d want to know,” one of Hill’s employees informed her.

  “What time is it?”

  “A little after seven.”

  “In the morning?” Her brain wasn’t functioning yet.

  “Yes, ma’am. Will there be anything else?”

  “No, thanks for keeping me informed.”

  After dragging herself into the shower, she picked a blue suit to wear, angry with herself for even caring enough to want to look good. It was worth swallowing her pride since she wanted to see Kendal again. She was looking forward to waking the party animal up as payback for the crick in her neck.

  One of the men she remembered from the previous morning when she’d stopped by for breakfast opened the door and waved her inside after she drove through the open gate. “Good morning, Miss Marmande. Would you like me to take that?” he asked, referring to the box in her hand.

  “Thank you, but I’d rather deliver it myself.” She walked past him and headed for the stairs. “Want to tell me which room is hers?”

  “Last one on the right.”

  “Aren’t you going to try and stop me?” she asked, pausing on the third step.

  “Would you like me to?”

  She laughed at
his answer and his friendliness. “No, but I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

  “Kendal’s expecting you, Miss Marmande. If she weren’t, the gate would be locked and you’d still be buzzing out there.”

  “Is she now?”

  He nodded before bowing his head slightly and heading to the back of the house.

  She walked slowly up the stairs and down the long hall, taking the opportunity to look at the house. The colors were fairly neutral, which was good since they didn’t compete with the beautiful paintings and furniture. Some of the portraits had small brass plates at the bottom with the subject’s name. One in particular stopped her before she reached Kendal’s door.

  The woman wore a beautiful dark green gown and sat next to a grand fireplace that Piper hadn’t seen in this house. She was older, but even her fragile condition couldn’t hide the mischief the artist had captured in her soft brown eyes. Behind her stood a man who resembled her, with his hand on her shoulder, the family connection cemented in their smiles. She held the book in place on her lap as if it was precious to her. Unlike the others, though, this one didn’t have an identifying brass plate.

  She opened the door without knocking in time to see Kendal zip her pants up and start on her belt, seeming amazingly fresh and alert after a sleepless night. “You’re late,” Kendal said, sitting to put on her shoes.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I’m dressed, so if you came over to see me naked, I’ll have to take all this stuff off. Pain, really, but if you insist I’ll go through the trouble.”

  Piper had a hard time fighting the urge to smash the box in her hand over Kendal’s head. “Why do I bother trying to find things to like about you?”

  “Because you find me irresistible. Face it, no matter how hard you try, you can’t stay away.” Kendal stood but didn’t move closer.

  Piper snorted and rested her gift against her chest. “You were right when you told me mental illness runs in your family.”