“Everything’s been erased,” I said to myself.
I needed Holly. I reached in my pocket for my cell phone and then realized it had been smashed to bits the day Gavin, or whatever was posing as Gavin, had attacked me.
“Shit,” I said. I had to go find her. Holly would be able to see if Alexander was under a blood influence and remove it as well. I had to move fast. Time was running out and Alexander was possibly the only one who could help me.
As I left the room I heard a commotion from down the hallway toward where Gavin’s cell was. I clutched my hand to my chest as a pang of fear cut through it. Perhaps one of the other vampires got tired of waiting around for the trial and decided to dish out justice themselves. I ran as fast as I could in the direction of the noise, heart pounding in my chest all the way, until I was back to where Gavin was being kept.
When I got there the cell the door was open and there was a large pile of ash, a dead vampire, in front of it. Angus and the others were standing there looking stunned.
“What’s going on?” I said.
“He’s gone,” Angus said through his gritted teeth. “Somebody goddamn well helped him escape.”
“No,” I said softly, not wanting to overstep my boundaries. “He didn’t escape. He’s been taken.”
Angus stared me down, holding on to his authority. His voice boomed off the walls as his anger began to rise. “Taken? To what end? What purpose would it serve?”
“The purpose of covering something up.” Angus stared blankly at me. I wished he’d show some backbone right about now and help me figure out what to do, but the Chapel Island clan and St. Peter’s clan were watching. Every move he made was being dissected and analysed. If they were displeased it could spell trouble for us all.
“I need to find Holly,” I said. I left abruptly without even acknowledging that they were there and headed out of the sanctuary.
A few moments later after running full out I was at Holly’s door. I pushed it open without even knocking. “Holly?” I called out hoping she was within earshot. Nothing. Suddenly a hand was on my shoulder. My nerves were so raw from the whole experience that I jumped at the touch.
I turned to see Daniel standing there smiling down at me. “She’s outside,” he said. He led me out to the detached garage where Holly did her painting. She was wearing an old pair of coveralls and had her long blonde hair tied back in a loose bun. The outfit made her look even younger than the seventeen or eighteen years she already appeared to be.
“What’s wrong?” she said reading the expression on my face.
Where to begin? Everything was wrong. “Gavin was taken by the hunters. Now he’s gone from the sanctuary, someone took him.” She dropped her brush and came toward me opening her mouth to ask a question but I stopped her before she could. “And Alexander’s been blood influenced.”
“How can you tell?”
“I just know,” I said.
“Does he look like he’s a different color to you?”
“No, I can’t see it. He’s just acting strange. Like he’s been drugged, and he’s not anxious anymore.”
I saw the look of doubt cross Holly’s face. “I’ll go have a look,” she said. I was grateful that even though she doubted my ability to spot it that she was going to see him just the same. If I was right she could remove it too, something perhaps only she could do.
All three of us headed back to the sanctuary together. As we got to the perimeter where we’d normally use our pendants we were approached by a hunter. “Sorry folks,” he said, “we’re on lockdown. Nobody gets in or out.”
“I want to see Angus.” Daniel made himself look as tall and menacing as he could but the hunter was unmoved.
Taking a deep breath, the hunter reiterated. “Nobody gets in or out. Angus’ orders.”
I was about to tell him where he could stick his orders when Holly grabbed my arm and led me away. “Come on,” she said, “he’ll eat you without a second thought. We’ll find another way.” We walked off in the direction opposite the sanctuary grounds until we were out of earshot of the hunter. “Whoever took Gavin probably left here right away. Our best bet right now is to find him.”
“What if whoever put him in death sleep did it again and we can’t find him just like we couldn’t find him before?” I said.
“They wouldn’t have time. We can track him if we start now.”
I nodded. “Ok, where do we start?”
“You stick with me. Daniel you take the other side.”
“Right,” he said running off in the opposite direction. Daniel took off and was out of sight in a heartbeat. Holly took in a large breath of air and began walking.
I followed her lead as she seemed to catch something on the night air. She crouched down and motioned for me to do the same. As I did I sensed something off in the distance. Opening up my hearing I received the rustling far off.
“You hear something?” she whispered noticing what I was doing.
“Coming from over there,” I said pointing to where the sound was coming from.
“On three,” she said getting ready to spring. I mirrored her. “One, two...three.” We bounded toward the sound and tackled the creature who was making the noise.
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph,” a familiar voice was screaming. “You vamps can never just say hello can you?”
Both of us stopped and stood, backing up when we realized it was Aries. “Aries, what are you doing here?”
He raised his hands spreading them wide looking slightly insulted. “Umm...I live here. This whole cove is my home, although you people have sure done a nice job of trampling it lately.” He looked me up and down, “Are you here because you want to take me up on my offer anyway? I hear you found your husband on your own. Or perhaps you’ve come to thank me for our little…bonding experience.”
“What’s he talking about?” Holly said.
“Nothing.” I certainly wasn’t going to tell her about agreeing to bear him a son in exchange for finding Gavin. That offer was off the table now and so nobody need ever know, and nobody but Daniel, Aries and I would know I’d killed another innocent myself if I could help it. “Aries, Gavin has gone missing from the sanctuary. He’s weak and sick. We need to find him soon. Can you help?”
His eyes lit up and I saw his elfin ears twitch as they always seemed to when the promise of a son was raised. “This time little one,” he said, “he won’t get away from us.” Without another word Aries took off through the night, his hoofs echoing on the breeze.
Holly was giving me one of the dirtiest looks I’d ever seen. “This time? What kind of a deal did you make with him?” I tried to think of something to say to cover up what I had done, but I could see in her face that she had already figured it out.
“You better pray we find him first, Rachel. There’s only one thing he could possibly want from you, and I don’t think you have any idea the price you’ll really pay for giving it to him.”
I shuddered. She was right I really didn’t have any idea; I had been so desperate the first time for his help I’d have agreed to anything. That same desperation was building in me now and for that reason I had asked again.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” I said. “I just wanted to bring my husband home.”
“I know,” she said putting her arm around me. “If he finds Gavin though, well, let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“What now?” I said getting back to the more pressing matter at hand. I didn’t want to cross that bridge unless I had to.
“Daniel’s as good a tracker as any of those hunters. Let’s leave him to it and go back.”
“Back?”
“To the sanctuary. We have to get to Alexander.”
I kicked the dirt at my feet in frustration. “But Holly, they won’t let us in.”
Her lips curled in an almost evil smile that showed all her teeth at once. “You don’t live over four hundred years without learning a few tricks,” she said. “C
ome on, we’re going to get some answers.”
Chapter Thirty
We quietly made our way back to the treeline on the edge of the perimeter and watched the mix of guards and hunters that were patrolling there. We counted four of them, and Holly was sure we could sneak past.
“We need a diversion,” she said.
A diversion I could do. “No problem.” Scanning the trees toward where Daniel had run off I picked out an old rotting pine. Then, reaching out with my mind I felt the central space of the tree, the lack of life left in it, the inner rotting flesh. I pictured the fire starting inside the tree and soon smoke was coming from the bark. A moment later the tree itself exploded, sending bits of rotting wood and needles into the air.
“What the hell?” one of the hunters said.
They all ran to the other side of the field looking around to see who or what had caused the explosion. None wanted to get too close. For a few moments they stood watching what was left of the old tree burn.
Gripping our pendants we ported ourselves inside the grounds, and as we did so came face to face with an angry looking hunter. Holly let out a small squeal of surprise as they came face to face.
He wasn’t congenial to say the least. “How the fuck did you get in here?”
Holly paused for half a second trying to think of an excuse. “Angus sent for us.”
The hunter snorted. “Did he now? Come with me so I can verify that.” He motioned for us to walk ahead of him as we entered the old building once again. We only had to go a few paces down the hallway before running into Angus. “Did you send for these two?” he asked the old vampire.
Angus looked at us suspiciously but didn’t seem like he was ready to make trouble. Just then one of the hunters who had been stationed outside ran in. “Angus, there’s a fire outside. Just started on its own.”
He glared at me. “Did it now? That’s odd isn’t it?”
Everyone was looking at me waiting for a response. The hunter was still thoroughly confused. “Quite,” I said.
“Yes, I want them here,” he said. “Get back to your patrols.” Without any hesitation they both did as they were told.
“We’re going to see Alexander,” Holly informed Angus in a tone that said she wasn’t going to have any arguments. Since she was over four hundred years old I guess she thought she had earned the right to speak to him that way, personally I would have been scared shitless.
“Fine,” he said. “And you, no more of your tricks. Understand?” I nodded.
Holly entered Alexander’s room first and I crept in behind. We found him just as I had left him, staring up at the ceiling. “You were right,” she said quickly making her way across the room. “Sit up Alex.”
The boy did and she rubbed her hands together, slowly at first, then faster, then finally so fast that the act looked blurred. When she was ready she reached up and placed one hand on his forehead and one on the back of his head and pushed with all her might. Alexander began screaming. I didn’t blame him. Holly had done this for me once and although it might be necessary, it was still brutally painful.
After a while she took her hands away and rubbed them together once again. “Again?” I said.
“Yeah,” she said, “somebody sure knew what they were doing. It’s a bad one.” That was just what we needed. Holly repeated the act again and again, each time Alexander was in more pain and distress than the last, screaming and twisting in agony from the pressure being applied to his skull. At one point it seemed like he was going to pass out from the pain of it all as his eyes rolled back in his head. He doubled over, retching in between attempts until finally the influence broke.
As it did I heard Alexander’s voice inside my mind. It was unlike anything I had experienced with him up to that point. Whereas before he could only show me broken images or project a few words, now it was clear and crisp. He was talking to me.
Rachel, he said, I saw it. I saw everything. When Holly had removed the blood influence from today she had apparently also unblocked whatever was preventing him from remembering before.
“Tell me,” I said aloud.
Holly looked back and forth between us, confused. “What’s going on?”
“He’s talking to me. I can hear him. He says he saw everything.” Holly moved out of the way and let me sit on the bed. I took his hands in mine. “Start from the beginning.” I said.
He took a deep breath. I followed Ian and Gavin that day. I couldn’t run as fast as they could so I fell behind. I was so quiet. They didn’t know I was there and they were so caught up in what they were doing they didn’t smell me or anything. He closed his eyes to relive the painful memory.
“It’s ok,” I said.
Ian tackled Gavin to the ground and I made a noise. He heard me. Then he came toward me and grabbed my head. Everything got jumbled up. The next thing I remember is waking up in my bed at home. He hurt Gavin.
Tears welled up in his eyes just then. I’m afraid he’s going to hurt you too.
“Nobody’s going to hurt me,” I said clenching my jaw.
I turned to face Holly. “He says it was Ian. He saw him attack Gavin and then he attacked him. That’s when he blood influenced him.”
“Motherfucker!” she screamed heading for the door. “Now he has Gavin out there somewhere and he knows he’s going to remember soon. The memory loss after waking up from death sleep doesn’t last longer than a few days.”
Alexander looked worried. Please don’t let him die, Rachel.
“Gavin’s not going to die Alex,” I said, “I promise.”
We instructed Alexander to stay in his room. I wanted to make sure he was going to be safe and with the other clans roaming the sanctuary at will looking for blood I didn’t want to give them any excuse to take their vengeance out on him.
Angus was waiting outside the door. “One of you needs to explain to me what young Alexander has to do with this.” We shared a look trying to decide who would break the news.
Holly spoke up. “Alexander saw Ian attack Gavin the day he disappeared.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because he just told me,” I said.
“He’s speaking again?”
“No,” Holly continued, “Rachel is the only one who can communicate with him.”
Angus turned to me frowning with disgust over what he had heard. “And of this you’re sure?”
“Yes,” I said.
Angus wrung his hands together in frustration. “Alright, let’s say this is true. What the bloody hell does that have to do with Gavin going on a killing spree? We have witnesses that saw him, you included. We don’t have any explanation as to how he was both buried underground and out taking lives. How do you intend to prove it so as to satisfy everyone?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But I intend to find out.”
“Well we need to find them first,” Holly said. “Angus you need to get all these hunters that are protecting the sanctuary, inside and out, to start hunting for them both.”
Without a word Angus turned on his heel and headed back in the direction of the entrance. Hopefully that was his intent and having more eyes meant finding them faster.
We made our way out of the sanctuary ourselves awkwardly passing the delegations from the other clans as we did so. Reyna gripped my arm as I walked by, squeezing it so tightly that I felt the muscle shift under my skin. “Someone needs to tell us what’s going on.”
Without even thinking I turned and released my fangs. Our faces were less than an inch apart as I emitted a low level growl. She didn’t let go.
“Take your fucking hands off me,” I said. I felt a rush of heat flood my body as my defensive instinct took over. All my senses sharpened and my eyes dilated. She had the same reaction and soon both of us were unhinged.
“This is not the time,” Holly spoke up placing her arm on my shoulder. I growled and pushed her hard into the corner. Caught off guard she stumbled back, hitting the wall.
/> “No, it’s the perfect time,” I said not taking my eyes off the girl. “You piece of garbage. You may have murdered Emily, but you won’t murder my husband.” A satisfied look crossed her face as if she was glad I had figured it out. “Gavin is innocent,” I said.
“Gavin is a liar, a traitor and a murdering son of a bitch.”
I had enough. I pounced on her like a tiger on a wildebeest, going for her throat. She blocked me with her arm and rolled me over onto my back pinning my shoulders to the ground with little effort. She was obviously the older vampire here and had I been using my god given rationality I would never have challenged her, but rationale had gone out the window the moment she called my husband a murdering son of a bitch.
I struggled underneath her trying to get a grip on some part of her but I was trapped, unable to move. Then suddenly she was was airborne. The girl hit the ceiling with a deafening crack and on her descent back to the floor she was accompanied by pieces of wood, dust and brick.
I shielded my eyes until the moment was over. When I looked again Holly was standing over her. “Let it go Reyna,” she said. “Until there is a trial this matter is still clan business. We don’t interfere with yours, so we’ll thank you not to interfere with ours.”
Reyna winced. Holly had actually hurt her and even though she had decided to yield, it didn’t stop her from saying what was on her mind. “You don’t interfere with ours because we don’t go around killing your innocents.”
The Vampires of Soldiers Cove: One Crow Sorrow Page 19
