by Joe Fowler
I made myself not think of Ghost’s warning look. It was getting tougher to do. In the end, it may have been Cerrus that kept me from giving in.
“Cerrus.” Apollo was the one who saw him first. He was approaching from behind where I was looking. Our group stopped sparring and gathered to hear what Cerrus wanted.
“I need to show you where the showers and the donor room are located. You will have time to return for more sparring later if you choose.” Cerrus spoke in a dull, bored tone. He turned and started walking away without waiting for a reply. We followed along.
None of us spoke while we learned our way around the new facility. I listened out for any thoughts that sounded interesting but it was all standard boring stuff, except for Ghost. Nothing about his mind could be considered boring.
Once we knew enough not to get lost, Cerrus turned to leave but remembered my toothbrush. He brought the brush out of his pocket and handed it to me. He was cheerfully wishing I would choke on it.
“A toothbrush? Really?” Apollo laughed. Damn it, he’s Justin!
“Got to keep the fangs clean!” That helped lighten the mood. Of course, Cerrus leaving was usually all we needed for a lighter mood.
I returned to my room for a fresh set of clothes. The others had showered before we boarded the plane. I hoped Ghost would see the opportunity and decide to take a shower but he went into his room and shut the door. The others weren’t sure how to kill the time waiting on me. I could see their thoughts of confusion. All of our free time lately had been spent sitting around in my room.
These showers had the same steam fried settings for the water temperature. The showers were near full. As I was taking my shower, the man in the stall next to me decided he wanted to talk, much to my chagrin.
“So, what’s your name? I’m Mercury.” He had a French accent. I needed to concentrate to understand him.
“I’m Titan.” I wasn’t entirely sure what would be appropriate conversation so I stopped with my name.
I also saw the looks from several others when I said my name. I had turned my mind reading off. I didn’t want the thoughts of thirty naked men in my head. Once I saw the looks, my mind started listening.
“What level you on? I’ll be fighting my seventh tomorrow night.” His thoughts were innocent enough, unlike some of the others in the adjoining stalls.
“It will be my third fight. Mercury, huh? You must have the gift of speed.” I said for conversation. I spoke more to see how interested the others were about what I had to say. They were definitely paying attention.
“Wee, I am fast. What is your gift?” He put his hand up in an attempt at showing innocent curiosity. “If you don’t mind my asking. I understand if you do not want it known.”
“It’s alright. I have a combo of speed and strength.” I heard one mental laugh. The one who laughed, a thin wiry man with a weird beard, was thinking that I had more of a plethora of gifts. He started to wonder how many I had accumulated by this time.
“How did you get both?” Mercury’s eyes were wide showing his shock.
“How do any of us get our gift? Your guess is as good as mine.” I answered absentmindedly. My concentration was on the ones who knew about me.
There were two others that seemed to know my true gift. They controlled their thoughts like they knew I was a mind reader. They were busy listening, while acting like they weren’t aware of my conversation. They were too average looking. I wouldn’t have any defining characteristics to describe them to the others.
That led me down a dead end corridor. Just who would I be describing them to? Not Arria, since she couldn’t find out about my true gift or that I read their minds. Not Trog, since he was one of the ones I knew to be spying on Arria already. It wouldn’t do any good to tell Ghost their descriptions either. He was a fighter like me. How would he know any more about who they were or which old one they belonged to? I became frustrated and left the showers.
I headed back to my room at a leisurely pace. I wanted a few minutes of peace before the game of hide-a-thought with Trog. Even walking alone through the yellow hallways, I kept my true thoughts behind a wall.
Eventually, I made it to our area. The others all followed me into my room. They were learning now though. Justin, Trog, and Penny brought the chairs from their room so we would all be able to sit comfortably. Beth and I sat on my bed. Even with my chair available, Ghost remained standing.
“I wonder how Speedy is doing. I wish we knew more about the after part of the fights.” I said, mainly to get the talking started. Everyone had come in and sat down without speaking. I expected it from Beth, but the rest were too quiet.
“He has to be better off now. That’s what I’m telling myself anyway.” The one that is not really Apollo hoped more than anything. He knew he would never find out but it was nice to think about.
“Most go to work for the old ones. Arria told me that once. She didn’t say whether it would be for the old one who turned them or some other.” I wanted them to do the talking but their thoughts told me I would be doing most of the speaking tonight.
“You’ve gotten to speak to Arria a lot more than the rest of us. Tell us about her.” Justin’s mind was full of open curiosity. He had no hidden agenda.
“Well, she has been really nice when she wasn’t beating the hell out of me.” I got a brief reaction from Trog and a better one from Penny. I felt her wanting to say something. I could sense she wouldn’t.
“The old ones seem so cruel. They make us fight in the arena and rule over us with an iron thumb.” Justin, not Apollo, had reason to be angry but he also had the thoughts of necessity. “I know there is more to this than just entertainment. I have realized how many more vampires there would be if they didn’t have to fight the ten fights. Couldn’t they find a better way?”
“You have to remember the vampire nature. Fighting amongst ourselves is the reason there isn’t a great deal more free vampires. It is in us to fight.” Trog stopped and looked at Beth with a fake smile. “There are exceptions. The old ones are doing what they thought was best and it might have been the best way two thousand years ago. They need to get with the times and be more flexible.”
I hid my thoughts behind a wall. I knew Trog was fishing. I wished I knew exactly what their end goal was but I would play along. This might be a chance to find out.
“Wouldn’t flexible put more people in the same fix we are in?” I knew it was a mistake when I said it. I wanted to get some of this out in the open between Trog and me.
“I’m not saying they should change everything. I just think they should let more vampires have the good life like they do.” Trog seemed as ready to settle some things as I was.
Ghost and Penny were looking from Trog to me in disbelief. I think Ghost would have happily slapped the shit out of me if he could have. I could sense an outburst from him. He didn’t get the chance.
Cerrus appeared in my doorway.
“Arria wishes to speak with you, Titan.” Cerrus was angry. His worry wasn’t hidden well enough. Trog saw this too. I felt his frustration.
“Sorry, everyone. You guys need to be helping Justin train more anyway.” I stood and was about to leave when I felt Beth’s panic. I turned back to speak to her. “If you would rather stay in your room and practice your illusions, then that would be okay.”
She thought for a second and calmed down. She looked up at me and nodded.
Cerrus rolled his eyes and led the way. He did the running thing again. I would love to show him that I was both faster and stronger than him now. He knocked as soon as we were at Arria’s door.
“Thank you, Cerrus, you may go now. Come in, Titan.” She said, evenly.
“Yes, Arria.”
Once the door was shut, I felt her relax, only she didn’t relax enough. She seemed like she needed to use her own gift for soothing like she had done to me. She motioned for me to sit.
“I hope you have better news than I do.” Arria stated. I could see h
er frustration even before I looked into her mind. She kept being stymied in her attempts to find the old one behind Cerrus and Trog.
“I was about to confront Trog, in a way. The conversation was turning toward the topic I needed to get information. Apparently, I was making a mistake by doing it. By the look on Ghost’s face, I should be glad Cerrus interrupted us.”
“Tell me!”
“He spoke briefly of wishing the old ones were more flexible on how things worked. He said it would be better if more vampires were able to live the good life, like you guys. That was when Cerrus came to fetch me. I’m not sure if he is ready to open up to me or if he was just fishing to see where I stand. The rest of our group could hear every word so I doubt he would have said much more.”
Arria’s mind did its impression of Ghost. I could follow along without falling too far behind though. She cycled through dozens of old ones and dismissed most of them. She had reasons for each dismissal. She briefly considered Cindy’s old one, the mind reader, but she knew him to be loyal to her.
She saw me looking and concentrating on her face. Her thoughts sped between reasons for my attention. She hoped it was attraction but was afraid I was studying her for information. I hated that it was the second reason.
Arria made herself get back on topic.
“There are too many suspects and not enough clues.” She sounded frustrated.
“Do you know a wiry little vampire with a strange looking beard? His beard has holes and is patchy in some places.” I asked but didn’t have much hope of her knowing him.
“Frederick. He is one of Lorac’s guards. Why?”
“I heard some things that may not add up to much. Which old one was with you the night you turned me? He turned Cindy, the waitress that was working at the diner.” I asked. Arria was getting confused by my questions.
“Again, Lorac. I know he is loyal to me. Where are you going with this?” She was completely sure of Lorac. Her mind was absolute.
“You need to tell Lorac to look into Frederick. If I’m not mistaken, Lorac is a mind reader, right?”
“How do you know these things?” Arria was getting upset.
This was where it would help to be trained for walking a tightrope. How do I explain my knowledge without giving away the secrets I needed to keep?
I looked at Arria and was overwhelmed with frustration. I wanted to tell her everything but I also wanted to live. I wanted to solve her problems and save the day. I didn’t know how to do that without telling her everything.
“Please be patient with me, Arria.” I heard her mind sigh. She trusted me but had a bad feeling. I hated how bad she felt. I felt that I had one shot. It would be a long shot. “I see that you trust Lorac. Is there any chance I could speak with him? Alone.”
Arria was too shocked by the alone part to think straight. She was a very intelligent person but couldn’t find a plausible reason for my wanting to speak to Lorac in the first place. That I needed to speak with him alone was even more mind blowing.
“Can I ask why?”
“I may have a way to help you. If I say the things I need to say in front of you, there would be complications. In truth, I may not live through what I need to say to Lorac.” I spoke the truth. She knew it.
“You have to realize how frustrating this is. If I couldn’t see the truth behind your words, I would have already killed you myself.” She spoke the truth. I knew it.
Arria stood and paced. She looked at me then looked away. I saw her thoughts and knew her pain. I was relieved when she made her decision. She walked over to her phone and dialed.
“Lorac, its Arria. Are you terribly busy?”
“Not really. I’m pretty bored, actually.” I could hear his end as well. I marveled briefly over how good vampire hearing is.
“Could you come to my suite? One of my fighters needs to speak with you. We may have some information on the spying.”
“I will be there in a moment.” He sounded excited.
Arria hung up the phone and walked back to stand in front of me. She reached down and lifted my chin.
“Do not betray me. You are this huge mystery and I am putting an awful lot of trust in you. I will kill you if you stab me in the back.” She wanted to cry out in frustration. She also had stirrings of feelings for me. She tried to banish them but they wouldn’t go away.
“I can make you this promise. There are things about me that you may come to hate, but betrayal will not be one of them. I am on your side, Arria.” I said this before I thought it through. I only knew I wanted her to be at ease. She was screaming inside and needed some reassurance from me. That was when I knew I had deeper feelings. I let out a mental sigh. This woman would most likely kill me soon, maybe tonight.
The knock at the door startled me. Arria was opening the door before the echoes were done. She ushered Lorac in. My mind was protected but I felt him digging. I put my thoughts in a mental tornado that was moving my thoughts in a jumble that Ghost would be proud of. He smiled when he saw it.
“Nice!” He told me. He turned to Arria and saw what had been said to lure him here. He looked at me with a more serious stare. “Give us the room if you will, Arria.”
Arria looked at me with her heart on her sleeve. Even with my promise, she still feared betrayal. She left us to talk.
“Thank you for seeing me.” I said.
“If you are planning on hurting Arria in any way, I will end you. Now, let me in on what this is about.” Lorac sat in Arria’s chair and looked at me expectantly.
I was staring at a blank wall where his mind should have been.
“I am not going to hurt or betray Arria. Ever. You may still end up killing me tonight though.” I sighed and let the tornado die. “Before anything else is said or done, I need to say one thing. I will not be attacking the old ones.”
He saw my secret. One moment I was sitting there looking at him, the next moment his hand was at my throat. He was going through my mind at an astonishing rate. He saw every conversation since I had been turned. I didn’t fight him, mentally or physically. I knew it would mean instant death.
This went on for about ten minutes, or maybe four days, I don’t know.
He let go of my throat and stood. He never took his eyes off of me. He didn’t blink. His mouth opened and then shut. He sneered but that died quickly.
“So, you are in love with my sister.”
Chapter 10
I wasn’t expecting that.
“Arria is your sister?” I couldn’t keep the shock out of my voice.
“Why is that so shocking?” He asked with a smile. He sat back in the chair. I wasn’t relaxing just yet but at least he was hearing me out.
“I guess I wasn’t expecting it is all.” I took a moment to look at him. “Frederick. Arria said he is one of your guards. How could he have known of my real gift?”
“I will be trying to find out that very thing real soon. I have read, or tried to read, Ghost’s mind before. I understand both your estimation of his intellect as well as your trust in him. As for Trog and Penny, I will be paying closer mind to them. By the way, I like Beth and Apollo, too. Try and keep them alive if you can.”
“On the same line of thought, has Cindy fought her second fight yet?” I needed to know.
“Yes. We went to a different venue but fought on the same night as you. Why”
“She was a friend from the diner where you and Arria found us. If you have any say over who fights who, please keep her from facing me in the arena. Of course, that all hinges on whether you are going to let me live or not.” I needed to remind myself that he might still kill me.
“Tomorrow’s fights are already set. You will not be fighting her.” He was barely paying attention to this conversation. He was going through the information he got from me. He was graciously allowing me to follow along in his mind.
We sat quietly while he processed everything I knew. I watched to see if I could find a new angle. I couldn’t.
> I began to think of Arria again. I wondered briefly if we would be telling her about my gift. He lifted his head and thought for a second, or two years.
“Not yet. One, if she knew, she might rip your head off before I could talk her out of it. Two, if she found out, she might act differently which would alert the spies watching her. Three, I have always loved knowing something she doesn’t.” He smiled and brought to mind a childhood memory. I couldn’t help but smile as well.
His mind returned to the men I saw in the showers. This was why I wanted to take the risk of telling him everything. He might know the other two that knew about me.
“I do know them. The problem is they work for different problems.” He said this plainly but it didn’t make sense. I heard his chuckle and the echo of his thoughts before he spoke them. “Sorry, I guess that could be confusing. Different factions want different changes. Arria told you of this. These two men work for different causes. One wants the downfall of the council while the other wants public facilities for common use. I don’t like that they seem to know about your gifts. That also calls my own intelligence sources into question.”
We were interrupted by Arria’s return. She stormed over to where we were. Her mind was in torment. She was almost in a panic.
“Easy, Arria. This has been a very enlightening talk. Titan, is going to be a valuable resource for you.” He said aloud. Mentally, he said, “Do not draw Trog out yet like you did earlier. Let me have a night or two to work on the problem. We will talk again.”
Arria’s mind instantly eased up. She smiled inwardly although she made sure not to show her emotions to me. I saw the slight smile on Lorac’s face. He was amused by my seeing her true mindset.
“So when are you two going to fill me in?” Arria asked.
“First, Titan needs to go back to his room. We will talk after he leaves.” Lorac told her. “Tell Ghost that I want to speak with him. I will arrange for it to happen soon. Put your walls back up, don’t let Trog or Penny see too much.”
