Thaumatology 08 - Ancient

by Teasdale, Niall

  Westminster

  ‘You couldn’t have kept a couple more alive?’ John Radcliffe asked.

  ‘They weren’t planning to do us that honour,’ Lily replied blandly. ‘Get anything from the live one?’ She was sat in one of the big conference room chairs, Ceri on her left. John and his partner were sat opposite; their office at Greycoat Street was far too small for four people to sit comfortably.

  ‘Nothing that’s actually useful. He’s told us how he was recruited. Hell, he was enthusiastic about it.’

  Kate grunted in disgust. ‘He kept telling us how he’d be out as soon as Raynor heard he’d been taken. That Raynor would kill every last cop in the station to get to him. That vampires stuck together and never left a slight un-avenged.’

  ‘I highly doubt Raynor gives so much as a fuck about the little creep,’ Ceri said.

  ‘No,’ John agreed, ‘and when he figures that out he might start saying something useful. Though I doubt he actually knows anything useful. Raynor’s been having meetings, apparently. Always at random locations passed by word of mouth a few hours before the event. I can’t think of a practical way to use that against him.’

  ‘No snitch you can call in?’ Ceri asked.

  John raised an eyebrow; his lips actually twitched. ‘Snitch? Have you been watching cop shows on TV? No, the informants we might expect to be useful have gone very quiet.’ He looked at Lily. ‘You don’t know any…’

  The half-succubus shook her head. ‘I’ve never been that involved with vamps. The ones I knew who might hear about this kind of thing wouldn’t talk to me now anyway.’

  ‘Do you think Sean might help?’ Ceri asked. ‘He might hear things.’

  ‘I think the vampires Raynor is recruiting wouldn’t go to the Dubh Linn.’ Lily looked to John for confirmation. ‘He seems to be picking up younger vamps?’

  ‘From what we’ve seen, yes.’

  ‘It’s mostly older ones at the Dubh. Like Hildegard, they don’t want the status quo disturbed.’

  ‘Hildegard?’ Kate said, disbelief in her voice. ‘Hildegard Braun? You talked to Hildegard Braun?’

  ‘Ceri did,’ Lily replied, nodding.

  ‘She supplied some of the information I gave you on Raynor,’ Ceri told them. ‘She seemed nice enough. Kind of lonely, actually.’

  John was frowning. ‘Should I know that name?’

  ‘She’s the oldest vampire anyone knows of,’ Kate said. ‘Aside from this Raynor anyway. No one gets to see her. Or if they do they don’t usually get to walk away afterward.’

  ‘Inviting us to see her and then killing us would’ve been kind of rude,’ Lily pointed out. ‘Anyway, she doesn’t like Raynor much. He turned her, or so she said.’

  ‘Currently we’ve no reason to suppose he didn’t,’ Ceri said. ‘She, and probably a lot of the older vamps, are afraid this will end up as some sort of pogrom.’ She saw John’s face darken and her eyes narrowed at him.

  The inspector’s fist clenched on the table. ‘There are a few noises being made about “emergency measures” if he isn’t caught soon. People are starting to panic and that’s never good. The military forces on the streets are just the start.’

  Ceri sighed and looked down at the polished wood of the table. If there was one thing you could expect people, especially politicians, to do when things got tough, it was to overreact to a threat. ‘Great,’ she said. ‘Just great.’

  Kennington

  Lily watched the evening news with a deep frown marring her perfect features. There were no signs that Raynor was spreading his activities beyond London, but there were signs that people were not waiting for him to.

  ‘On Deansgate in Manchester,’ the announcer said, ‘a crowd gathered outside the “Type-O Plus” club, a noted hang out for vampires in the North West. While initially a peaceful protest, police were called when several members of the crowd attempted to smash their way into the closed building.’

  Film footage which had been showing a crowd gathered around what looked like a shop front on a fairly wide street changed to shots of a burning building. ‘Police Scene of Crime Officers have confirmed that remains found amongst the ashes of a house in Cheltenham belong to Adam Caldecott and his wife. Caldecott fought in the war, receiving the Distinguished Service Order for saving the lives of five members of his team following the retreat across Europe which followed the Shattering. Caldecott was bitten and turned during the engagement. He had been living quietly with his wife of fifty-two years, Helen Alice Caldecott, having retired from the military fifteen years ago where he worked as an advisor on undead beings. Police have stated that they are treating the fire as arson.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Lily said sadly, ‘it’s getting worse.’

  Beside her on the sofa, eyes fixed on her tablet’s display as she went over the news feeds, Ceri nodded. ‘I know. There are reports from various sources about gangs forming to go hunt vampires, or seen doing it. I’m surprised there’s not more dead vamps on the news.’

  ‘People are still dumb enough to believe some of the legends,’ Lily replied. ‘They go hunting in daylight and expect to find the vampires sleeping. I mean, a lot of vamps do sleep in the daytime, but they don’t sleep much and it’s usually in the early hours.’

  ‘Lorna prefers sleeping at night.’

  ‘Exactly.’ Lily turned and gave Ceri a worried look. ‘I hope she’s okay.’

  ‘She’s got John and Kate looking after her.’

  ‘Not while they’re on duty.’

  ‘What do you suggest? Want to move her in here?’

  Lily sucked thoughtfully on her right canine. ‘Do you think they’d accept the offer?’

  Ceri laughed and then sobered up just as quickly. ‘Honestly? I don’t know. I think John was worried about this kind of thing too.’

  ‘Would the wards actually stop a mob with pitchforks?’

  ‘Anything with intent to do harm.’

  ‘Are we expecting trouble?’ Twill asked as she flew in followed by a tray of mugs.

  Ceri smiled and waved her over; she felt like she needed the coffee. ‘Have I mentioned you’re gorgeous? We’re always expecting trouble.’ She lifted her mug from the tray and took a drink, sighing as the hot liquid flowed down her throat.

  ‘We were discussing whether we should get Lorna over here,’ Lily said, taking her own mug. ‘The anti-vampire tensions are growing.’

  ‘Oh well…’ Twill began and then stopped as several things happened at once.

  Lily’s eyes widened suddenly. Ceri turned sharply, looking for the source of the sudden tightening in the skin at the back of her neck. That was when the angel appeared in the room.

  Its head almost reached the ceiling and its wings stretched out to the walls on either side of the room. It was more or less male, though its narrow features were lacking in real definition and its eyes shone with a brilliant white light. It was dressed in a robe which shone almost as brightly and was wearing a crown. There was a sceptre in his hand, which seemed wrong for an angel. Ceri covered her eyes and winced at the glare, and growled as the thing’s aura rolled over her.

  ‘Harken unto me, you unbelievers.’ The voice was loud enough to pop eardrums, if it had been a real voice rather than an echoing roar of sound in their minds.

  ‘Not until you’ve turned the bloody glare down!’ Ceri yelled back. ‘You’re really not impressing anyone.’

  The light sort of stuttered and then dimmed, and Ceri felt the aura roll back. When she lowered her arm the angel was still fairly bright, but it had shrunk down to about six foot tall and the wings had vanished. It looked annoyed. ‘I came to help you, sorceress. There’s no need to be snippy.’

  Ceri was a little surprised at the change of tone, but she was also annoyed. ‘Well if you’re here to help there’s no need for all the “Awe of God” crap, is there? As you said, we’re unbelievers. Hell, Lily’s half-demon, Twill is fae, and I’m part dragon!’ Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down. �
��What’s with the crown and sceptre?’

  The angel looked vaguely disgusted. ‘I might as well not have bothered. I’m a Principatus, a Principality or Ruler, one of the seventh choir. We usually appear to mortals with a crown and sceptre, but if you haven’t a clue…’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Ceri said, actually meaning it. ‘Theology isn’t one of my strong areas.’

  There was a slight pause. ‘Well, perhaps I overdid it. It’s been a while since I was called upon to appear on Earth. I am Zuriel. I am here because of the abomination you call Raynor.’

  ‘We kind of knew that bit,’ Lily said. ‘We were hoping you could tell us something about him, or maybe even help…’

  ‘We cannot help against the vampires.’ Zuriel said quickly.

  ‘But you used to fight them,’ Ceri said. ‘Alexandra said you still don’t like them.’

  ‘In times past they were considered anathema, cursed for their… culinary habits. Then one of them turned to God, begged forgiveness. We were instructed that they should not be persecuted simply for what they are. We know of your relationship with one of them. She is not a believer, but would you have us deny her for being forced into this state of unlife?’ Ceri shook her head. ‘Nor can we go against the others of her kind for their nature.’

  ‘That’s good of you, but what about Raynor?’ Ceri asked.

  ‘He is a different matter, but we are unable to simply find and attack him.’

  ‘Because?’

  ‘Because we cannot simply find him.’

  Ceri sighed. ‘There’s a war starting out there, angel. Lots of people are dying…’

  ‘He is hidden from us, sorceress. He was made by a Grigori, a Watcher who long ago fell from grace. His skill with magic was beyond that of any save the dragons and the greatest of sorcerers. We caught up with him about a thousand years ago, stripped him of his name, and cast him from this world into the deepest part of Hell. Raynor has been looking for a way to get him back ever since.’

  ‘Without a name?’ Lily said. ‘Is that even possible?’

  ‘With enough power, perhaps. Raynor was given a tiny part of the Grigori’s power when he was made. That keeps him hidden while he stays in darkness, which is always, thanks to the demon he was imbued with. That power would also provide the link to draw the Grigori back.’

  ‘I’d imagine we’re talking rivers of blood and general devastation if he does?’ Ceri asked.

  ‘Something like that.’

  ‘Bad, but to be honest that’s not what I’m worried about. He’s going to turn humanity against the vampires at this rate. It won’t be hard given that they drink the blood of the living. I’m not fond of them myself, but a general cull is going to be bad for everyone. Drive the vamps underground and they’ll be a real menace.’

  The angel pulled its arm back and threw its sceptre to Ceri. When she caught it, it had become a silver cross about as big as her hand with angelic glyphs carved into its surface. ‘Find him and press that to his skin. One who can deal with him will come to your aid.’ Then, before any of them could respond, Zuriel’s wings spread and he vanished, apparently flying upward through the ceiling.

  Ceri blinked. ‘Great. If I can get close enough to plant this on him, I could roast his nuts myself.’ She held the cross out to Lily. ‘You’re faster than me.’

  The half-succubus looked at the piece of metal as though it might bite. ‘Put it somewhere for when we need it. I don’t want to hold it and I don’t exactly have any pockets.’

  Ceri giggled. ‘Now you know why you should wear clothes around the house. You never know when an angel might give you a holy artefact for destroying ancient vampires.’

  June 4th

  The sounds of sirens had woken Ceri and she had gone up to the roof, soon followed by Lily and then by Twill who sat on Ceri’s shoulder looking as grim as a four-inch tall woman with bright butterfly wings could look.

  Up there, in the last hours of the night, sirens could be heard from all over the city. Flashing lights were visible reflecting off the buildings nearby. Worse was the rattle of automatic weapons firing which came irregularly, but too often for Ceri’s liking.

  ‘It’s difficult to believe there are that many vamps out there,’ Ceri said after several minutes.

  ‘He’ll be turning anyone he can find sleeping rough,’ Lily said, ‘but there can’t be much more than a couple of thousand of those. Maybe another two or three thousand vamps already in the city, and a lot of those will be post-Shattering.’

  ‘I suspect he’s drawing vampires from outside the city,’ Twill said. ‘They hear rumours, come in for one of his meetings and get fed the vampire superiority line. He must be quite charismatic. He can’t be using his powers to bring all these people onto his side, it has to be force of personality and oratory.’

  Lily looked at Ceri, who was looking out to the west. ‘Worried about the pack?’

  Ceri nodded. ‘Twill, would you move?’ The fairy lifted off Ceri’s shoulder to land on Lily instead, and Ceri pulled her T-shirt off before slipping out of her jeans.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ Twill asked, and then added, ‘Oh!’

  Where Ceri had been, a raven flapped its wings rapidly as it rose up into the air and started off toward Battersea. She concentrated on gaining height for the first few minutes. Having no practice at flying, she felt like she was doing it all wrong, but it seemed like it was working well enough until she hit a gust of wind at about three hundred feet and found herself fighting to stay upright. Regaining some level of control, she went for soaring, which seemed easier and got her where she wanted to go fast enough. Inside of ten minutes she was coming to a landing on the roof of the boathouse beside the lake in Battersea Park.

  It looked like Alexandra had pulled in the pack and put up a warding around the island. The magic was disturbing the slight ripple in the surface of the water. Stuck as a bird, Ceri could not use her Sight to see the magic, but she could see the vampires skirting the lake. She doubted they were what had caused the pack to pull in, however; something else was going on.

  Ceri shrugged, which resulted in her wings flapping and her almost falling off the boathouse. That was something she should avoid in the future. With the ward up, the pack was safe and she could not get in to them. Back at the house she could try to connect up with Michael and check on what was happening. Spreading her wings, she lifted into the air with a powerful beat.

  Lily and Twill were still waiting on the roof as Ceri transformed back and dropped the last couple of feet. ‘I need to learn to get that transition better,’ Ceri said, grinning.

  ‘That,’ Lily said, ‘was awesome.’

  ‘What did you find out?’ Twill asked.

  ‘They’ve holed up on the island behind a warding spell,’ Ceri replied.

  ‘For some random vampire attacks?’ Lily frowned; she was unsettled by it too.

  ‘Yeah. Now I’m sure they aren’t fighting, I’m going to link up with Michael. But not up here.’ She headed for the roof hatch, making for the lounge.

  Ceri was getting good at the telepathy spell; Michael’s mind, not expecting the connection, resisted briefly, but then she was in despite the warding. She felt the flurry of thoughts and knew instantly why Alexandra had ordered the pack pulled in.

  ‘Did you ID the shooters?’ her thought rang clear in his mind.

  ‘Soldiers,’ he replied and she could taste the bitterness in his mind. ‘Trina’s dead. Alexandra couldn’t help her. Brian’s really badly hurt, but we think he’ll live. They used incendiary rounds, Ceri.’

  ‘I know.’ Ceri bit back on the bile crawling up her throat. ‘It’s meant for vampires. Why did they shoot at our people?’

  ‘We don’t know. Trigger happy?’

  ‘I’ll call the Greycoats and…’

  ‘Alexandra says she doesn’t think the Greycoats are running this anymore, Ceri. We’re pulling everyone back to the park until this is done with. The humans are too dangerous to b
e around.’ She felt the rush of emotion, the sudden burst of memories of Trina, one of the Guards, ending in the image of her body, a gaping, burned wound over half her chest.

  ‘It wasn’t your fault, Michael.’

  ‘I’m Captain. Anita’s going to come home tomorrow to a dead Guard. Whose fault is it?’

  Ceri’s fists clenched and she gritted her teeth. ‘When I find out, they’ll wish they were dead.’

  ‘No, Ceri. Leave it. It’s not worth you getting hurt.’

  Ceri was silent, though she knew he could see the flashes of angry thought bursting through her mind. ‘We’ll come over to the park tomorrow for the funeral,’ she said. ‘We can do that much.’

  ‘I’ll see you then.’

  Ceri broke the connection and wiped the tears out of her eyes. Lily was looking at her, worried, but she found she could not quite speak yet, and Lily moved forward across the couch they were sitting on and just held her until she could tell the story.

  ~~~

  Two cars arrived outside High Towers earlier than was usual for people paying them a visit. Ceri was there to open the door as the small group walked up the path, John leading the way.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ the detective said. ‘I know it’s early…’

  ‘We didn’t get much sleep,’ Ceri broke in, her voice flat. Her eyes drifted past him to Kate, Lorna, and Chief Inspector Barry bringing up the rear. ‘I assume you know what happened in Clapham last night?’

  Barry, a big man, ex-military and built like a parade ground sergeant-major, was looking haggard and small compared to his usual demeanour. ‘That’s why I’m here.’

  Ceri narrowed her eyes slightly. ‘But not you three?’

  ‘We’re here on personal business,’ John replied, ‘though once that’s done it’s police business too.’

  Ceri stepped aside to allow them in, though what she said was, ‘I’m not really sure I want anything to do with police business right now.’

  ‘I don’t blame you,’ Barry said. Ceri blinked at him. ‘Officially this isn’t police business, but I want to apologise for what happened.’

  ‘It’s not me you need to apologise too, Chief.’