by Joe Fowler
I looked into his mind to see a bad effort of protecting his thoughts.
How far can I take this? We want Titan to help us but if we tell him the truth, he will report us to Tristan or the council. Tristan is bad but what we are doing could be seen as worse.
“Tell me what you need. Relax, I will help if I can.” I told him as encouragement.
I watched the struggle in his mind. I was glad to see the resolution take hold.
“Some of us have turned humans into vampires on our own. I met a woman and fell in love. I turned her. She lives in a town near here where we get our supplies. I know what I’ve done could get me killed, but I am hoping you can get her and the two other people that have been turned into an old one’s camp. If they face the gauntlet, they would be free to live. We live in constant fear of discovery. I will face my punishment if I have to but I am asking you to try and protect them so they can enter the gauntlet and have a fair chance to survive.” Bear hung his head worriedly after his speech.
I took a minute to think this through. He was a good man. He knew he might be signing his death warrant by telling me these things. My heart bled for him. I knew what love could do to you. I wanted to help but needed to think it through.
“I have one question before I commit to helping you. Are the vampires you made willing to face the gauntlet? Are they prepared for what they will face?” I asked.
“Yes. They have been told and they made their choice clear. All three will fight for their freedom. They hate living in fear. With the fights, they will fear but they will also have a way to win their freedom.” Bear stated firmly.
“I will help you if I can, Bear. It could take a week, maybe more before you hear anything from me but I will help. Lay low for now until you hear from me again.” I told him.
Bear smiled in relief. I hated to tell him that he would probably die for this but he seemed ready to face the consequences.
“Thank you, Titan.” He said, sincerely.
“Anytime.” I smiled and walked away.
Damn, I was hoping to talk to my friends to forget my own problems and now I had another problem to face. Bear would have to wait. I had more pressing matters.
I headed back to Arria’s suite. My eyes watched the hardwood floors as the gray hallways slid by me. The suite was empty when I arrived as I knew it would be. I sat in my chair wondering how things got so complicated so quickly.
The incident with Jade attacking her old one was unusual to say the least. All of this mess that came as a result was chaotic. I rested my head on my hand to try and sort through everything to get my mind back to the main problems.
Tonight would be more or less quiet and easy. We hoped to get a private word with Gronk before our fight but it wasn’t completely necessary. Arria was doing her part to let everyone know there was some trouble between us. Other than what Arria was already doing, we had no more requirements to fulfill tonight.
Tomorrow was another story altogether. Arria and I were planning to have some minor outbursts before our public argument.
The door opening broke into my concentration. I looked up to see tears in Arria’s eyes. I went to her and held her.
“Everything is going as planned. You wouldn’t believe how many old ones suggested I kill you and be done with it. I could tell a few of them were halfhearted in their statements but most of them were hoping I would listen.” Arria pushed herself away gently. She smiled. “Gronk wanted me to warn you that he wasn’t going to take it easy during the fight. He wants to see what you are made of since he’s heard so much about you.”
“I am torn between that being a scary thing and looking forward to the fun of it.”
Arria and I made it a point to talk about other things. We held each other and tried to laugh away our worries. Nothing we could do now would help what was coming.
Chapter 6
When I opened my eyes, Arria was staring at me. We shared smiles that turned into frowns. Neither wanted to admit that this might be the last time we woke up to each other but we weren’t going to lie to ourselves either.
“It’s going to be a big night.” She said, simply. It summed everything up well enough.
“We have a good plan. We need to trust in it.” I told her more for my own good than for hers. She seemed to understand.
“Just remember, you have a way out at any point. We made sure of that.” She sighed and stretched. “I guess we should get started.”
I watched her perfect form as she climbed out of bed and grabbed her clothes before heading to the shower. Even after months of being together, her perfection never stopped being amazing to me.
I saw the fear coming and tried to fight it off. The fear of this being our last night together won the fight. The worry was filling me to overflowing.
I took a moment to check the back of my mind. Everything was still firmly in place. With that slight relief registering, I rose to start my day.
I headed into the training room. It was time for the newbie to wake. I barely paid attention to the stares as I walked to the mat where Arria’s fighters sparred. Goldilocks and Piper saw me coming and met me before I reached the mat.
“Newbie?” Goldilocks asked mentally.
I nodded. She was a mind reader and was too comfortable sharing her thoughts. She enjoyed showing me what she would like to do if she got the chance. I must admit, she was gorgeous. She knew I was Arria’s and she didn’t have a chance. Still, she continued to tease me with her thoughts. I was glad she was on her eighth fight. She would be gone soon.
Piper was a different story. Her ability was different but effective. She hypnotized her opponents in a way never seen before. It took her a minute to fully take control of her opponent though. She would sway gently from side to side even in the middle of a fight. Slowly but surely, her opponent would become mesmerized and stop fighting. Piper was sixth level.
I led them to the newbie’s door and unlocked it. I made it a point to be there when the door opened to make sure the new vampire wouldn’t attack. These two were doing well in their fights but a newbie with speed could kill them both.
This one wouldn’t be a problem. Even in the world of political correctness, one look at him and the word ‘nerd’ rang out. He was struggling to see through his glasses which made me want to laugh. He no longer needed them but was so accustomed to wearing them that he seemed reluctant to take them off. I walked to him and took the glasses off for him. He blinked and smiled with the realization of excellent sight. His gift was invisibility.
“Invisibility.” I stated simply as I turned and walked out the door. I had given Goldilocks the mental map the way Gray did for me. She knew the layout of the facilities now.
Arria and I had traded a few words earlier. She was the one giving the cues for an argument. An arched eyebrow was the signal. A few of the more questionable old ones were there to witness. I expected another small incident before the big show later. It wasn’t going to be a huge drawn out fight. We had our lines memorized. It was going to be just enough to be believable.
The big show was planned for the after party. Normally, only the old ones were invited. As with most things, I was an exception. The old ones were fascinated by me. Since my gift became known, I was the talk of the vampire world. While the talking died down some after my freedom was won, it didn’t stop. All the old ones wanted to meet me. It was tedious.
I headed to the arena to make sure Arria’s employees were there doing their job. This was pointless but a requirement. Our group was the epitome of reliability. If they were supposed to be somewhere, they were there. If they were responsible for something, it got done. Still, I had to make my round through the arena to witness it firsthand or I would be lax in my duties.
I saw our group standing at the edge of the glass talking to some other vampires. I made my way over to them. I looked through the glass to the concrete arena. It wasn’t so long ago that I was the one in there fighting for my life. Now I had a different fight.
For all the power my gift provided, I seemed to be in danger of dying an awful lot.
“Hey, Titan.” Venus said, in greeting.
“Hey. Everything running smoothly?” I asked.
“Yes. These guys were asked to help out too. We were just talking about the fights. With fifteen teams, this one is going to take a while.” Apollo stated.
“Yep. I’m not looking forward to it either. I almost think it is worse being in the gallery than in the fights. Most of the old ones get on my nerves.” I admitted.
“You’ll hate our old one then. He pays better than most because it is the only way anyone will work for him.” A tall female vampire said.
“What did Bear want with you earlier?” Loki asked.
“It is like the other things. I will tell you guys in a few days. Sorry about all this stuff. You all know I trust you completely but some of what is happening is huge.” I really did hate having to keep this from them. It wouldn’t help them to know and could even backfire if it was found out what they knew.
“Sorry for asking this but I was told you and Arria were fighting. Is that true?” A black vampire asked. He was watching closely. I was used to being stared at but I knew he might have more interest than normal.
“Yes. We are having some differences.” I faced him with a stern look. “Don’t ask more about that.”
He raised his hands and backed up a step.
“Sorry. I know that can be rough.” He stammered.
My group looked worried but didn’t say anything. I could see Loki working through things. He was fairly smart. He would connect some of the dots and know it might not be true. He would also know to keep his mouth shut.
“I’ll see you guys later. I just needed to check on you.” I turned and walked away before there could be any more questions.
I led the fighters through the door up to the platform for display in front of the old ones. I made it a point to not look at Arria. We had planned to try and act coldly to each other. It seemed to be working since some of the old ones were looking back and forth between us.
Once I was through giving the fighter’s names and levels, I stood waiting for the signal. The vampire in the seat of honor, Tristan, gave the nod. I turned and left through the side door.
The gray walls reflected my mood well enough. I led the team through the maze of hallways to the holding pen by the arena. I was opening the door to let them in when Goldilocks shared her thoughts.
“Hmmm. Maybe I do have a chance. Trouble in paradise?” She wore a huge smile as she walked past me into the holding area.
“You won’t have a chance. You have more pressing matters to focus on.” I told her.
Once the door was shut behind them, I leaned back against the wall. These fights weren’t fun for me. Tonight would be worse. I wanted to stay there in the hallway but I made myself start walking to the door that would lead to the gallery section.
The fights were taking forever. We were finally reaching the end of the tenth level. Arria and I kept up the act. She had sent several thoughts my way to tell me how much she was hating this. At one point she actually asked me to forget the plan and just go back to normal. I knew it was too important and so did she.
She pointed out Gronk when he entered. She did this mentally, of course. She had a small laugh when she was thinking about it. Once I had a good look at Gronk, I was beginning to understand everyone’s attitude toward him. He was huge and kept a constant fun-loving smile on his face. He was laughing as I watched him enter the gallery with two other old ones. He looked like you would imagine a huge, bearded Viking to look like back in the day. I mentally reminded myself that he was more like a Viking ancestor since he was so old. His clothes were modern which spoiled the image. I knew I would like him though.
“…For our last fight of the evening, welcome Brutus and Cleopatra.” The announcer, a smallish woman in a pink dress, waited until the fighters were on the X marks before she continued. “You now have five minutes to place your bets.”
The crowd of humans and vampires in the gallery had lost some of their enthusiasm by this point. There is only so much blood even the blood thirstiest can take in one night.
I sighed and looked closer at the two fighters. Cleopatra had speed. Brutus was a teleporter. I hoped she would use her speed well and end this quickly.
“It is time! Cleopatra, Brutus, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!” The announcer teleported out of the arena and the fight ended seconds later. Cleopatra won her freedom.
Most of the crowd rose. They respectfully stayed in place to congratulate the newly freed Cleopatra but it was easy to see the eagerness to be out of here.
I agreed with them. I was ready to get this over with, finally.
The party was only for the old ones and me. The humans, no matter how rich, were sent home after the fights. I knew what to expect since I had been to several of these parties since I won my freedom.
The meeting halls all looked the same. One guard was posted outside the main door to announce each old one as they entered. The room was around fifty feet wide and seventy feet deep. There was a second door, rarely used, toward the back on one of the sides of the room. There were round tables with several chairs each toward the back of the room. Against the back wall was some contraption I hadn’t been near enough to investigate. Arria told me it was how they drew the card.
“So, you’re Titan.” Tristan said. He had come to me almost immediately. He looked me over openly. “Well, I’d heard you were gorgeous. It’s too bad you’re straight. I could have had some fun with you.”
“Sorry, I’ve never went that way.” I said, offhand. My attention was mostly on Arria. She was playing up our ‘struggles’ to continue laying the foundation we needed. I was waiting for her signal before I approached her for the argument.
“No matter, to each his own. I can’t imagine what your gift must be like. To be able to do so many things must be wonderful. I was at the fight where the girl cheated. I was appalled when I found out.” Tristan didn’t sound sincere in the least.
It hit me then. What was the point of playing such an elaborate hoax when everyone knew exactly what was going on? Cheng would have told his cohorts and word would have traveled enough for the rest to have heard by now.
I guess that was the point. Cheng was actually counting on it.
I made myself get back to the conversation with Tristan.
“I wasn’t overly fond of it myself. I’m glad things worked out. Mostly.” I added the last part with a deliberate glance in Arria’s direction. I figured Tristan would take the bait.
“Hmm. It seems the rumors are true then. I had hoped you and Arria would last but so few of our relationships do. Vampires aren’t the best partners. I would think a council member would be even harder to live with.” Tristan volunteered. I took a moment to wonder if he was intentionally making this easy for me.
“You would think right. The council’s business always takes precedence. When you are with someone, you want to come first in their thoughts. The council is so busy putting its fist down that the members don’t think of how the rest of us feel.”
“I know many old ones who would agree with you!” Tristan’s excitement rose considerably. “I could set up a meeting for you if you would be willing to share in a debate on the current policies.”
“I would like that. Since it doesn’t look like my current situation will last, I need more options.” I lied.
“I only wish I could talk you into the option I am wanting.” Tristan winked and playfully slapped my hand. “I will see what I can do about that meeting. I hate to leave but I need to mingle. As the host I need to make the rounds. You understand.”
“I certainly do. It was nice meeting you. I look forward to the next time.” I said, with a fake smile and a nauseous stomach. I’ve always hated fake people. Tristan was as fake as it gets. Even the lies I was telling to fit this plan were causing me some issues.
; Tristan walked away. I looked around and saw the next old one approaching. I didn’t know this one. He was blonde and easily the best dressed in the room. Believe me that is saying something since many of the old ones used these parties as a fashion show.
“I’m surprised to see you speaking with Tristan. He isn’t the sort a council member’s partner should be seen with.” He spoke plainly enough.
“I’m not sure how much longer I will be her partner.” I replied.
“Don’t be so negative. These things can be rough but most problems can be solved.” He said. I saw the look in his eye then. I relaxed a little. He was playing the game but I felt he was on our side.
“Our problems keep mounting though.” I responded. He smiled slightly. Yep, he was playing the game. I relaxed further. He was one of the good ones.
“So I’ve heard. You will be lucky to get out of that relationship alive if it turns ugly. You may already be powerful but you wouldn’t be a match for Arria.”
“I know. I’ve seen her in action.” I stated without emotion.
I realized I could see into his mind then. He was thinking this to be fun. He knew of the ruse we were playing. He was on the council’s side. I was glad to see the confirmation of what I sensed from him. It was hard for him to control his laughter. He didn’t know what our end goal was but he was hoping our efforts paid off. Arria was his maker. He had fought his way through the gauntlet under her banner just as I had.
“My name is Hermes. I sometimes forget how the young ones don’t get the chance to learn many of the old ones names. I guess I should have introduced myself earlier.”
“Everyone seems to know me already. I am trying to get to know as many of you as I can. So far, I would say you are one of the better ones.” I got to be honest with that statement. His mind gave me what I was hoping for. That initial impression along with his thoughts was what I was basing my judgement on.
