by Joe Fowler
“I know several old ones died. They were killed and it has Saul scared. He told someone to cancel an event that was scheduled.” She was busy racking her brain to find something interesting to tell me.
“Okay. Now I need to think for just a second. Relax for a minute.”
How could she communicate with me without Saul finding out? I didn’t want to put her in any unnecessary danger. Blur! The employees could talk among themselves without drawing attention. That would work great. I would have to trust him with this. Like it or not.
“Alright, here’s how you will pass information…” I gave her a description of Blur and made sure she knew to only talk to him. I figured it was the least I could do for him since I had no proof Blur did anything wrong. Once I was satisfied she understood what was needed, the problem of what to do about tonight arose. “What were your instructions for tonight? Were you supposed to watch me all night or sneak out after I fell asleep?”
“Saul said to play it by ear. If I was sure I could leave without waking you, then do it. He also said that I might be here all night.”
I took out my phone and called Blur.
“Hey, thought you’d forgotten about me.” He said, laughingly.
“Not a chance. Just had too much going on. We have a new friend. The old one, Saul, sent a spy. She is agreeing to be a double agent for me. I am having you act as her contact. Her name is Glass. When she is visible she is blonde, about 5’5, and pretty. I gave her your description.”
“Yes, Darius.” He said. He was asking a question with those two words.
“Good. I am a new old one but if we can establish some good connections, our lives will be even more profitable.” I told him. He would know. He wanted to make sure she only knew my Darius persona.
“So, you will have company for the night. Very interesting.” Blur was all but laughing at me. I could picture his smile.
“Goodnight, Blur.” I disconnected. I was glad he didn’t seem to be holding a grudge. Turning back to Glass. “I give him too much leeway. He makes too many jokes but at least some of them are funny.”
She smiled. She was still a bit nervous.
“So, what now?” She was really scared I was about to become inappropriate. I wanted to laugh but that might have hurt her feelings.
“Now, we wait an hour or so. It would give time for me to fall asleep. Then you can conveniently slip out unnoticed.” She saw my smile and relaxed.
We didn’t talk much. Once I felt enough time had passed, I let her leave.
“Hello?”
“Can we talk without it turning to the problems we are facing? I am so tired of the lies and games.”
“I understand. If this wasn’t important, I wouldn’t have let you leave again.” Arria sounded like I felt. Sad.
“I was thoroughly enjoying life before that night with Jade. Now everything is so messed up it’s hard to know what to think.”
“Anything worth reporting?” She asked.
“Too much. The group of old ones has basically pledged to band together for safety. They are scared out of their wits.” I hesitated deciding what to say next. “Saul sent someone to spy on me…”
Arria listened as I told her all about it.
“This is excellent news. She might be of service to us. I will give her a job once this is done. Anything else?”
I swallowed hard. She wouldn’t like this next part.
“Stop sending council members. The disadvantages are now outweighing the advantages. It will help me get deeper into their circle.”
“I don’t like it. You will be alone with that many old ones who can be ruthless. They may act nice but any one of them would rip your head off if they suspected anything.” Arria’s worry was justified.
“I know. Remember, I can take any of them one on one. My gifts can get me safely away if they try to gang up. I will be alright. Besides, there is something else going on that you shouldn’t know about.”
I knew the danger in saying this. I knew the words I was about to hear. I knew how she would take it the wrong way. I knew it had to be said.
“Titan, don’t do this to me.” Her anger and fear were both amped up.
“Arria, trust me. Remember back to when I asked to speak to Lorac alone. I had reason. I have reason now. I need you to understand there is more at play now but I can’t tell you about it. I know you too well. One more thing. You’re going to hate this too. I need you to limit what you say to the other council members for a while. Even Lorac.”
“You are asking a lot. Leaving you unprotected, withholding information from the council, and not telling me something that sounds huge. That is hard for me to do and you know it.” Arria was almost in tears. I had some inspiration but it would be iffy even for him.
“Here’s something that will help. Get Ghost by himself. Tell him exactly what I’ve told you so far. Then give him this message. ‘The tour guide is there and the illusion goes both ways.’ Make sure he knows not to tell you the meaning until it is time.”
“Ghost will know what that means?”
“He will about four seconds after you say it. Maybe three. He will know when it is time to tell you everything. Urge the council to follow Ghost’s advice no matter how crazy it might sound.” I instructed.
“You sound confident. How sure are you that whatever you are planning will work out?”
“I’m not sure at all. Don’t let what I’m saying fool you. It could still be two months or more before we get to the end of this charade. I am changing my strategy on the fly now. I have to take things as they come and it might get even harder before we are through.”
“I will do this but please be careful. I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t. I won’t let you.”
“A dishwasher. Why didn’t I turn the cook and make my life easier?” Arria teased.
I laughed. She couldn’t have said anything better at that point.
“You know, his cooking wasn’t even good. He was mean and ornery. He might have fit in with vampires just fine.” I was still laughing.
“What did Emelia say about getting to meet the real you?”
“She was confusing. She swears she will be one of my supporters now. She won’t become one of the ‘Titan must die’ crowd.” I smiled. The cook. That was funny.
“What about Petra?”
“She thought the whole nice guy thing to be an act. She is still convinced I am plotting their death. She’s a bit paranoid anyway. She is buying the whole Darius thing, that’s what counts right now.”
“I guess so. I hoped you would have it easier once more of them knew you. Maybe it will be.” Arria sighed.
We needed to hang up. It was getting to that point. Missing someone could be painful. Some talking helped to ease the pain. Too much talking made it worse.
“I will call when I have news.” I told her.
“Yes, but you won’t tell me the news.” She was between teasing and frustration with that remark.
“I love you, Arria.”
“I love you.”
From Beth to Sweetie to Emelia. Ares must be at the council to find out who is trying to kill me. He took a risk. I guess he figured Sweetie was entrenched well enough as Emelia.
If I’m right, I need to keep up the act. Emelia will be infinitely more careful if she doesn’t think she has any protection.
Chapter 16
Freshly showered, I dressed in another new suit. I wasn’t trying for the best dressed but I was looking sharp. I felt refreshed after being somewhat burned out the night before. Maybe it was the fights that had me so upbeat.
I called Emelia as I walked out the door. She was headed to meet me in the lobby room. I had a little pep in my step and I liked it.
“You look happy. What’s up?” Emelia commented as I entered the lobby. She was sitting already. Her suite was closer.
“I don’t know what it is but I feel good tonight. Maybe it’s the fights. I did have to miss the last one.”
I gave as an answer.
“Could be. I like seeing you cheerful though. You looked worn through last night.”
“That’s a good way to put how I felt. Tonight should be a fun night.” I couldn’t explain the extra oomph I felt but I wasn’t going to argue with it either. While I would worry over her safety, it felt good to have Sweetie to talk to even though she couldn’t be Sweetie.
“I hope I win a lot again. That makes it a lot more fun. It isn’t even the money that matters. I think it is the bragging rights of saying I won a lot. Besides, I would like to put a hurt on the humans who bankroll the bets. To me, they are worse than vampires. The more we take from them the better.” Emelia seemed to be feeding off of my good mood.
“We’ll see how it goes. The way Caleb acted after that first night, you’d think I’d committed a crime because I won so much.”
“Who cares what he says. He’s a crabby old stick in the mud.” Emelia smiled.
I was about to reply when Reptile entered the room with the newbie. She was smallish but carried herself well. She had short hair and freckles. Cute. She seemed determined from the start. She acted properly on the plane when I was turning her. Even then, I could see her determination.
“This is you new fighter, Emily.” Reptile said.
I did my walk around cheerfully. Illusions. Wow, this just kept being good.
“Welcome, Emily. I have a feeling you will do well. Reptile, tell Tammy her new name is Mist.” I smiled at them. “Take her to the donor room and get her something to eat.”
They both bowed and left. Emily already knew many of the protocols like bowing. She had been in Feng’s facility for a year as a donor.
“Mist. I like that name.” Emelia gave her approval.
“I let them help with their names. Mist was her idea. If they are the ones having to live with their names, they should have a say. Don’t tell the other old ones that. They probably wouldn’t like it.” I figured she wouldn’t mind.
Emelia just looked at me then. She turned her head away with a smile on her face. We began our walk to the meeting hall. Flora’s rusty gold colored walls were nice in a weird way.
With the protocols out of the way, Flora led us to one of the groups. Saul, Jonas, Petra and Aegeus were talking as we approached.
“…no clues. We’re stumped.” Aegeus finished. I could figure out the part I missed.
“What happens to the fighters? I wondered that when that happened at Tristan’s event. I know the employees get rehired by another old one. But I never knew about the fighters.” Emelia asked.
“They are picked up to fill holes in existing rosters. We have a list of old ones. We go one by one down the list allowing for up to three fighters to fill the places of those who lost. That way, the fighters get to finish their ten fights and some lucky old ones get to have more fighters on their team.” Aegeus told her.
“I got to replace some fighters once. I like the system.” Flora added.
“It sounds fair. I like it.” I stated. “That’s how I got my employees anyway. I was finishing my paperwork when the planes landed with free vampires who lost their old ones.”
“Really. That was great timing.” Jonas noted.
“Don’t tell Caleb. He already thinks I am way too lucky!” I got some good laughs from that one.
“Why did you leave so early last night, Darius? I was hoping to speak with you more.” Saul said, with a penetrating stare.
“I was worn out mentally. All the flying and paperwork. I was dealing with Feng. I felt the effects last night. Today has been much better so far though. I woke up recharged.” I could make these statements truthfully so Saul wouldn’t be able to read anything from me.
He seemed satisfied.
“There’s my lucky charm. I get to win again!” Phoenix was all smiles as she joined the group. The others enjoyed her merriment.
“I’m on his other side!” Emelia confirmed.
“Wow, do you really win that much?” Saul asked.
“Not like they are making out. I admit, that first night I was incredibly lucky. Since then it is maybe 60-40 between winning and losing. I’m hoping for better than that tonight.” I replied.
“It might only be 60-40 but his fighters win him a million each. His first two fighters were speed and incorporeal. I couldn’t tell his third clearly.” Petra commented.
“Strength. She’s my second rounder tonight.” I told them.
“Hey! That one will be winnable for me. My fighter is a mind reader.” Jonas smiled. I wasn’t going to tell him I taught my fighters how to hide their thoughts.
“We’ll see.” I said defiantly. He got a kick out of it.
“I’m starting to see why I’ve heard such good things about you, Darius. You aren’t as demented as us old timers.” Saul teased. Everyone laughed.
We stood around talking until it was time for the viewing.
I now loved it when my fighters were announced. Tammy smiled when her new name was called. Emily didn’t appear nervous at all. I hoped she would understand how to use her illusions right. Jet was her usual confident self. Jenna actually looked bored. She was the most likely to lose but she was bored. Go figure. I gave them a smile before they were led away.
I knew Lorac liked to study the fighters while they were on the platform. He was looking for information to help him win his bets. I didn’t need to hear their thoughts. What I did hear from them was mundane and insignificant for use. They didn’t have access to the information I needed to know.
We headed to the arena to find a rowdy crowd. We found out later that two free vampires had fought to the death before we arrived. Funny in a way since the winner was executed for fighting in the first place.
Flora gave the signal and we settled in for the fights.
I won the first two fights. One was meant to be a loss. A day walker beat a teleporter. I bet my million when Emily was announced. She faced strength. I felt the tension rising as they knelt waiting for the betting period to end.
Emily used a blinding illusion but was unlucky enough to be grabbed by her opponent as he reached blindly. He struck her hard causing her illusion to fail. She managed to elude his follow up attack. She regathered herself and cast another illusion. She was more careful as she moved in to take her shots on him. She had to wear him down some but she did it. She drank from him before taking his head.
That surprised me. It was a common enough sight. Many of the fighters drank when they got the chance. I guess the surprise was because she was the first of my fighters to drink before taking the head. I didn’t like it even though the rest of the gallery seemed to love it.
Jenna beat the mind reader. Jonas looked surprised. I smiled inwardly but only shrugged when he looked at me. His mind reader was the one facing the uphill battle against strength without the help of his gift. I was so glad I had taught them to hide their thoughts.
Mist and Jet won their matches easily. The rest of the fights were flying by almost unnoticed by me. I wasn’t enjoying them at all. I knew I was juggling too many things in my head. I faked my enthusiasm well enough. I was happy when the last fight ended.
Emelia and Phoenix were the happiest when we reached the meeting hall for the after party. I helped them win more than I should have. It was about a 75-25 split tonight between winning and losing.
“I’ve never seen anyone without the gift identifying gift win so much. Careful, Darius, I think I’m falling in love with you.” Phoenix teased.
“How much did you end up clearing this time, Darius?” Caleb asked. He had a good-natured look on his face. I felt it was only normal curiosity with no hidden agenda in the question. I hoped I was right.
“About six million. Tonight was awesome!” I tried to sound happy without over doing it.
“Enjoy it while it last, Darius. No one stays on a winning streak for too long.” Abel cautioned. It wasn’t nice or mean, he might as well have been reading it for the emotions he put into it.
“I know.” I said, keeping my smile in place.
We traded small talk until Aegeus left the room. Saul immediately gathered us.
“There is an event at Micah’s in three days. I think we should all keep sticking together until we know what the hell is going on.” Saul was intense.
“Agreed.” Caleb, Petra, and Abel said.
Saul looked around at the rest of us.
“Agreed.” Phoenix stated.
“Agreed.” Emelia, Flora, Jonas, and I echoed.
“All side events are cancelled until further notice. Word has spread so there shouldn’t be any mistakes. Right now, we have to protect ourselves.” Saul decreed.
“I kind of hope another council member shows up. We’ve been complaining because they’ve been around so much but it would mean more protection.” Jonas offered.
“As long as it isn’t Arria.” Caleb sneered.
“I would prefer Arria. That would mean Titan as well.” Saul surprised me with that one. “As long as they don’t have proof of wrongdoing, Arria and Titan would do what they could to protect us.”
“He gives me the shakes. I would rather be less safe if it meant I wouldn’t have to be around him.” Petra stated firmly.
“I liked him.” Emelia said, softly.
“He is good. We are borderline. We aren’t like Cheng and that group that was slaughtered at Tristan’s. It is good that you like him, Emelia. The problem is that none of us can afford to let our guard down for a second if he is around. He sides completely with the council.” Saul spoke in a sad tone.
“We love the fights too much. That is our only crime.” Phoenix added.
I could see their point of view. I would also stop them. This couldn’t be allowed to continue. Too many humans were dying already.
“Darius, you have surprised me repeatedly. I hope you can again. What plan would you suggest for us?” Saul asked.
