Vampire Nation 2: Titan Rising

by Joe Fowler

  “My team should already be training. We’ll go get your fighter and take her to the training room.” Emelia offered.

  We left the meeting hall then. I knew this was not going to help with my mission but I was happy to do it. Lucy was my responsibility now. The whole Darius ruse was for finding out about the illegal fights. Lucy was fighting for her freedom. She deserved every chance to succeed.

  “You know, I still know very little about you. You are normally quiet when we are meeting with the others.” Emelia noted.

  “I’m not against talking more but I like for others to have their voices heard. I learn more from them that way.” I glanced over as we walked. She wore a frustrated smile briefly.

  “So I will ask it out right then. What is your story? I heard some old ones talking about you but I didn’t know enough to follow along.” Emelia persisted.

  “Arria was my old one. I had recently won my freedom and went to work for her when Ares began his killing spree.” I decided to amend the story some. I knew more truth of what happened than is commonly told. “Personally, I felt most all the old ones he killed deserved to die. Over the years I have wondered if that was his true goal. Anyway, Arria went with the special guard to try and stop him. Ares marched through the special guard and so many more. I knew I would die if I faced him. I waited for my chance and teleported away from the fight. They assumed me dead, which was what I wanted.” I found myself smiling in disgust. I was telling a story that I barely knew as if I lived it firsthand. I hated lying.

  “What did you do next? Why did you come back?”

  “I hid. I found a way to make a good life among the humans. I turned a little good fortune into a huge fortune. After so many years living among humans, my thirst for the fights became too much to resist. I was old enough and I had the money. I made my decision and contacted Feng.” I hoped that would be enough for her.

  Emelia walked quietly from then on. I led her to Lucy’s room unerringly. It wasn’t until later that I realized she might wonder how I knew the facilities so well having been away so long. She didn’t think to ask or didn’t notice.

  I knocked on Lucy’s door. I felt her mind. It was how I knew which door she was behind. It took a few seconds for her to open up. I instantly saw how nervous she was. I knew I had done the right thing. She would get better once she spent time with Emelia’s group.

  “Lucy, I have arranged for you to train with Emelia’s group of fighters. I knew you would be stuck in this room all day. I figured this would be better for you.” I told her.

  Her face was easy enough to read but her mind was completely open to give even more details. She was relieved and scared at the same time. She didn’t really know what to expect. I saw her resolve as it became focused. She walked out into the hall and shut her door behind her. She gave a small smile.

  “Follow us.” I smiled back to ease her worries.

  The training room brought back a flood of memories. It did every time I entered it as Arria’s second. The bright red walls of all these training rooms made lasting impressions. Most of those memories were of Trog, Ghost, Apollo, and Sweetie. The others from that team made their appearances but it was mainly those four.

  Emelia led us to her small group. The one not sparring saw her coming and stopped the others. They stood nervously as we reached their mat.

  “Khan, I want you to help Lucy. She is the only member of her team at the moment. You went through this same thing not long ago. This is her old one, Darius. We want you to let her train with you guys. She has speed for her gift. That might help our fighters too. You will get to see what it is like to face such an opponent.” Emelia looked to see their understanding. “We must warn you all not to let the training get out of hand. This is something new. We had to get a council member to allow this to happen. If the fighting gets too serious you will all be punished. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, Emelia.” Khan replied.

  “That goes for you as well, Lucy.” I told her. “We need you guys to get along.”

  “Yes, Darius.” She seemed to understand well enough.

  Satisfied they would get along, Emelia and I left the training room. We began the long walk back to the meeting hall. I thought to ask Emelia her story but I decided against it. I wasn’t the prying type. I saw the humor in feeling that way as a mind reader.

  “Did you really enjoy the fights? I know some that act like they love to watch but they really don’t.” Emelia asked.

  I felt the momentary worry about what she might be hoping for from me. I decided to continue to play my part. That was the reason behind Darius’s resurrection in the first place.

  “I missed the action. I didn’t know how much until the other night. With Lucy involved, it heightened things for me. Now, all I want to do is join more events. I am afraid I will seem overly eager and start bothering the other old ones looking for the best events to take part in.” I lied.

  “I am the same. I asked Petra about those illegal fights. I want in. She said it might take time but she would look into it.” Emelia admitted.

  “Are you sure you want to take that risk? If you get caught, you die.” I reminded her.

  “I know.” She hesitated. I could see she was deliberating. “If I get in, do you want to join?”

  “Let me think on it for a while. I spent some time asking myself that question after Abel and Petra told us about it. I absolutely want to. I also want to live. I will give you an answer as soon as I have one.” I felt like it would be better to sound careful. Showing a reckless side wouldn’t help matters.

  “I almost feel bad for asking. I have seen your enthusiasm for the fights and thought this would be what you would want.” Something changed in her tone. She was forcing something. I didn’t know her well enough to know what that might be.

  “You were right. Think of it like what I told you before. I am not a coward but I knew what would happen if I fought Ares. I want to join as many events as I can. Two teams would give me many more fights. I know the punishment though.” I tried for a dramatic pause. “Screw it. Yes, I want in. If it can happen, I want to be a part of it.”

  Emelia smiled up at me. I think it was unintentional but her smile was a sad one.

  “What’s up?” Blur asked. I was calling him to give the updates.

  “We may have our way in. Emelia asked Petra to help her be invited into the illegal fights. Emelia then asked me if I wanted to join in as well.”

  “Were you jumping at it or trying to be reluctant? It might matter if she doubts your commitment.”

  “I made sure she understood my enthusiasm for it while showing plenty of fear. It seemed the best way to handle it.”

  “It will work. Anything else of note?” Blur asked.

  “Nothing you need to hear. I spent the day mingling with the other old ones. It was mostly the same old thing as it has been so far.” I wasn’t sure I would tell him more. I couldn’t explain it. I learned to follow my instincts. They were telling me not to trust Blur.

  “Let me know if anything changes. Remember, don’t be pushy. Just let things happen.” Blur advised before he hung up.

  Don’t be pushy. I didn’t want to wait for things to happen. I wanted to be with Arria. I knew better than to dwell on it too much. I started feeling like a whiny little cry-baby. I needed to suck it up and do what I could to stop the illegal fights, no matter how long it took.

  I took a deep breath and called Arria. As much as I loved to hear her voice, it made it harder to be away from her.

  “Hello?” Arria’s voice brought both a calm feeling and the frustration.

  “Hey. I have some news. Maybe.”

  “Good or bad?”

  “Emelia asked Petra to get her into the fights. Emelia then asked me to join as well. I acted hesitant from fear before telling her I would. We may have an in but it might take some time.”

  “Why would it take time?”

  “Petra would need to clear things with her contacts. W
e might have to attend some normal events to show we are trustworthy before attending the illegal fights.”

  “Still, this is good news. We knew it might take time.” Arria waited a second but couldn’t resist. “What is this about you asking to have Lucy train with another team? That’s never been done before.”

  “I knew she would be sitting alone in her room. She would be a nervous wreck. The thought hit me that she could be training with another team. I asked Petra. She asked the other old ones. None of them knew if it was allowed. Agda gave us permission. This might not be real overall but Lucy is fighting for her freedom. I want to do right by her even if I’m not really an old one.”

  “I understand.” Arria snorted. It sounded like she was amused. “You’ve been acting as an old one for less than a week and you’re already doing things not heard of in the 1800 years of the fights. I’m beginning to wonder what you’ll come up with next.”

  “Hopefully nothing else out of the ordinary.” I knew the important part of the conversation was over. I was torn between wanting to keep talking to her and knowing it might be better not to.

  “Keep me posted. Remember to lose enough of your bets tomorrow.”

  “Don’t worry. Caleb and Emelia are making such a big deal about the other night’s winnings that I can’t forget.”

  There were a few moments of silence. I knew she might be having the same problem I was. I heard her sigh and knew it to be true.

  “I guess I will talk to you after the fights.” She said, reluctantly.

  “I’ll call when I can. Love you.”

  “Love you.”

  I woke to empty arms. I snorted in frustration and got out of bed. I was trying not to think as I took my shower and dressed for the fights. I pulled the cord before I thought about it. I fed the day before and shouldn’t need to again. I shrugged it off and decided it wouldn’t hurt.

  I knew there was nothing wrong. I was just hungry. My human days flashed back then. I was never a big eater as a human. It was rare but occasionally there would be days when I couldn’t eat enough. Being as poor as I was, this meant a lot of bologna sandwiches. I smiled at the memory. With the money I would have when this ruse was over, I would be rich.

  Reptile had his instructions to bring my newbie to the lobby room. I would keep doing this as long as I was acting as an old one. I felt it was the better way of handling the fighters.

  I was walking to the lobby room when Emelia called. I was a little surprised to see her number on my phone.

  “Hello?”

  “What time will you be heading to the meeting hall?” She asked.

  “I’m on my way to the lobby now. I like to meet my newbies. Once that is done, I will be heading that way.” I told her.

  “Mind having some company?”

  “Be my guest. It will give me someone to talk to.” I didn’t like it but I was playing a part. Being an actor sucked.

  “I will meet you in the lobby room.” She said before disconnecting.

  I shook my head as I put the phone away.

  I arrived before she did. I was getting situated in my chair when she entered the room by a side door. This room had eight doors all leading to different corridors. This was the only ‘lobby’ room. Its resemblance to a hotel lobby was obvious. Each of the many pieces of furniture, some couches and many chairs, was a luxury item. No expense was ever spared in these facilities. Comfort was assured. This room was the largest room outside of the training room and the arena. I had yet to figure out why since the old ones never gathered here. I had only seen this room used for meeting newbies.

  There were others that were similar, though smaller, like the viewing room where the fighters stood on a platform for the old ones to see. This was done just before the fights. The old ones met in the meeting hall, traveled to the viewing room, then headed to the arena.

  “The last few hours before the fights are the hardest for me. I’m so excited that I want to go ahead and get to the arena.” She said, once she was seated in the chair to my right.

  “I kind of like the anticipation. It builds up and makes the fights better. Of course, this is only my second time but that was what I took from the first night.”

  “This is a question you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. How do you choose which fighter you bet on?” She surprised me. I looked at her face and realized quickly that this wasn’t the question she really wanted to ask.

  “The way they carry themselves is a big giveaway. The strength or non-fighting gifts are usually told they aren’t going to survive. Their shoulders aren’t held as proudly. The speed and illusion gifts present a much more confident appearance. The others like invisibility and teleporting have a determined wariness. It helped the other night but I can’t guarantee the same success tonight.” I wasn’t proud of this lie. It rolled off of my tongue without previous thought. I grew worried that lying was becoming too much of a habit.

  “That makes sense. I don’t know if I will be able to read them as well but I will be looking for those things now.”

  Reptile entered with my newbie then. She was average size. I saw she had the incorporeal gift. That could be good. She walked with her head down like she was afraid.

  “This is Tammy, your new fighter.” Reptile announced.

  I stood and made my inspection. She had that sandy brown color hair. It was long, over half the way down her back. She wasn’t pretty, exactly. She was more the nice enough looking kind.

  “I hope you do well, Tammy.” I looked to Reptile then. “Take her to the donor room and get her something to eat. Oh, before I forget, Lucy will be with the fighters of Emelia’s team. Tell Lucy that she should will be training with Tammy only now that I have two fighters.”

  “Yes, Darius.” Reptile stated flatly. He didn’t show any shock over the new instructions. He bowed slightly and led Tammy away.

  “I know there are more than a few old ones who do this but I get attached too easily.” Emelia said. I believed her.

  “Arria did this my first night. It made an impression on me.” I wasn’t going to bring up the anger I felt when I realized she was the one who turned me.

  “Half the old ones I’ve talked to say that Arria is a cold hearted bitch. The other half say that she is the kindest of all old ones. I haven’t met her to see for myself.” Emelia offered as we began walking to the meeting hall.

  “I guess that puts me in the kindest group. She was always good to me.” Flashbacks to a beating came to mind. That was a ruse of its own though.

  “I hope to meet both her and Titan soon. He seems to be the preferred topic of discussion among the other old ones.” Emelia commented.

  “I’ve already grown tired of it. He can’t be as scary as they say. They act like he is already killing them.”

  “I prefer to meet someone and decide for myself, like what Hermes told us. He thought highly of Titan.”

  “I heard great things of Hermes. If he considers Titan to be good, I will take that as a huge endorsement.” I was both grateful and comforted by what Hermes said of the real me.

  “I like the way you think. I guess it comes from being around humans for so long. You aren’t always suspicious like the other old ones seem to be. Petra likes you as well. I told her of your interest. She said she would begin working on getting us invited to the other fights.”

  “Excellent! Once I made that decision, my excitement went through the roof. I will have to remember to thank her properly.”

  We continued through the khaki corridors to the meeting hall. Most were already there. Agda was not here yet. After making our greetings with Hermes, we joined in with the others. They were gathered in one big group.

  “I don’t see it. Why would Sonya take that risk?” Caleb asked.

  I’d never heard of Sonya.

  “She wanted the chance at inside information. She was a fool. Dmitriy is much looser than the rest of the council but he would never break the rules. Especially now that he is in
a seat of power.” Petra offered.

  “What are we discussing?” Emelia asked.

  “Sonya, an old one, tried to sway Dmitriy. She tried to get him to join her cause. She is one who wants the fights stopped completely. Dmitriy brought her before Feng. They executed her. She should have known better.” Abel informed us.

  “The council is cracking down on so many of us these days. When will they let up?” Phoenix asked.

  “There is a difference between being firm and being overbearing. They are crossing that line.” Petra stated coldly.

  “What can we do about it?” Emelia asked. She seemed genuinely interested in this line of discussion.

  “I’ve heard that question more times than I can count. Nothing is the answer. The council are the nine oldest vampires. Their special guard is made up of the toughest fighters not rich enough to have their own facility. Now, they have Titan on their side. We can’t stand against them.” Abel lamented.

  “Hermes, I apologize for this conversation. We know the council does more good than harm. We get fed up with all the rules and regulations though. I hope we aren’t offending you.” Petra offered. I caught an edge to her tone.

  “Like Abel, I’ve heard all of this many times. Thanks for the concern, Petra. It’s true that I side with the council on most things but I would have to be blind to not see how controlling they are.” Hermes wasn’t happy about the sentiments being shared.

  I could feel the desire to tell these idiots why the council had to be so controlling. It was because of them. They wanted what was best for them no matter what the consequences might be. The council had the greater good in mind. I knew this and I could see Hermes knew it too.

  “I know I am young but I haven’t found a problem with the council yet. I know that might change.” Emelia cast a quick glance at Petra after she spoke. I couldn’t read the intent of the glance though.

  Agda arrived. I was glad to see it. There wouldn’t be any more council bashing with her around. I feared that would bring their other favorite pastime into play. Instead of bashing the council, they would talk about me like I was the devil himself.