Awakening the Red Claws

by C P Sennett

  I wasn’t about to stop as Carval could be around. I quickly dialled Andrew again without masking my number.

  “Andrew.” I gasped, all the more worried now as I had dropped my shield spell and was actually vulnerable now with this lycan in the back.

  “Yes, Eddie – you all ok?”

  “No, I’m fucking not ok.” I blurted. “It’s somehow all a big plot!”

  “Is it? Why, what do you know?” he said with genuine concern as he added. “We’ve got your two men from earl…”

  “Fuck them.” I interrupted. “They are foundation level, they don’t matter. I, I’ve just been attacked by one of YOUR lycans!”

  “Impossible, it can’t be any Red Claws, a local independent perhaps or an outcast?”

  “No, just shut up and listen to me. I’ve just been attacked by Carval and a Demitris. This kid I assume is Demitris Larsen?”

  “Demitris Larsen? That simply isn’t possible.”

  “Andrew, he is in the back of Carval’s stolen car which I am driving. Come and find me, quickly.

  “Find you, where are you?”

  By now I had pulled off the main roads and into a residential area. I wasn’t sure where in Grays I was but a sign said Saxton Close. “Saxton Close, a housing area is where I am. I’m in a blue Audi TT. Hurry?”

  “Is Demitris alive?”

  “I don’t know but he’s in on all of this. He tried to kill me and with Carval still on the run I could be swarmed with vampires soon. This kid, if he is alive is evidence to implicate Carval and his house in this shit.”

  “I’ll have someone there asap. Sit tight and keep alert.”

  “Sure.” was all I said as I hung up thinking about what else I could do.

  I got out of the car and went around to the other side. It was easier to move and work outside in case Carval was there or Demitris woke up.

  A lycan could wake up and may harm himself if he turned to his lycan form. A wolf though, in that close a space would be bad news!

  I had been outside for a few minutes, looking around but trying to not look out of place, or as best I could. I had hold of my silver knife as I opened the passenger door and thought to check on the lycan. “You awake kid?” I asked.

  No reply, also the kid’s chest wasn’t moving either. No visible breathing and even I know that’s a bad sign for a lycan.

  Chapter 5

  I didn’t have long to wait, ten minutes mostly before Nadia turned up. I had expected her to arrive as a wolf or something similar but she didn’t. Instead she turned up in a small looking Ford Fiesta. Something she had hotwired judging by the state of the dashboard.

  She was wearing some clothes which she informed me were left out on a washing line, obviously someone forgot to bring them in. A lucky find I guess but she said it was more common than you think. People go out and some lower income households were less likely to have a clothes dryer, so, she unashamedly helped herself.

  Nadia seemed sad that Demitris had died and she called it into Andrew. The boy was gone, I had killed him and I came clean to Nadia. She seemed sad to hear this and to see the sight of one of her own. The pack members in Essex, she informed me were now out hunting Carval but they weren’t having much luck as yet.

  I could see another lycan, a warm brown one a little distance away from us. She had a fleck of white on her chest and she was lying down. Looking like any other dog just lying down on a cold night but in a street, instead of a back garden.

  Nadia informed me she was a young wolf, one who came into Essex that wasn’t ready for the hunt but they needed to do something with her. Nadia also told me this new wolf, Brylie, had potential but she wasn’t born into the Red Claws. They needed somewhere to stash her and if needed she could help as a guard or look out for us until things were more stable.

  I wasn’t keen on this. “Could she be in on it?” I asked.

  Nadia shook her head. “She is American and we’re considering letting her join us?”

  “Is that common?”

  “Not overly but females are more welcome than males. It helps to improve the gene stock of the pack. Also, more hands are good. She is fast and a clever girl. She will do well.” said Nadia, more for Brylie’s ears than mine I thought.

  We spoke for a bit longer and I didn’t like the idea of being the babysitter to a young, new and untested wolf but I had little choice. At least she didn’t know Demitris so there was no connection there.

  It wasn’t long before Malcolm had called, he confirmed to me what Andrew had told Deek and the other Red Claws. Demitris was gone but we still didn’t quite know what had happened. What had drawn Demitris and Carval together. There must have been some bond I thought.

  As we waited and the more I spoke with Nadia, the more I learned about the young Demitris. He was ambitious and saw himself becoming the Alpha of the Red Claws when he was older. Apparently he was serious as well but everyone else just laughed him off. You can challenge the Alpha anytime you want in most packs, even the Red Claws but nobody had challenged Leo in a long time. I guess even the thick in the pack knew better than that.

  Could it have been greed that motivated this I wondered? Was the book I had which nobody else knew about something key in all of this? I wasn’t sure, I didn’t know who was doing what just yet but I would piece it together and I had some hunches. Still, I was glad to be alive and a little saddened that the young lycan had lost his life. Yes, he was more than a few hundred pounds heavier than me and he had claws but he wasn’t a match. He was little more than cub, full of hormones and ideas but someone had gotten to him. That someone I knew had to be Carval.

  I’d spoken with Nadia; the two humans safecrackers were with the pack now. They were being questioned and apparently would talk. I suspected they had more info to give but I didn’t have the time to question them properly. It also worried me that the book would come up and that could mean questions for me. Questions on why I hadn’t reported it and what it was, also why a vampire would be after it. Still, I’d deal with that when and if I had too.

  Malcolm told me the pack would look to find more out about Carval and what went on. I was just about done here now. I’d gotten a cab back to the Beast as with humans around it would help. There was something wrong though as when I mentioned things to Nadia and Andrew about Demitris’ lack of caring for the Veil, they were surprised but tried to hide it from me. Yep, there was something suspicious here and as the Essex Sentinel I had to find it out.

  ****

  I wasn’t long out of Grays now as I had spoken with Nadia and everyone else. Andrew didn’t want me to move from the protection of Nadia and Brylie but I had a new plan, one I didn’t want to share as I didn’t know fully who was on which side. I needed to get out of Grays and to go somewhere where I could control the narrative, somewhere where I could put people on the backfoot. I had taken the car, despite the protests of Nadia and did all I could. I had to get moving so I left them the body of Demitris in the street. It was all I could do. Nadia couldn’t leave it or the boy’s body and I needed to get back to the Beast, back to my own 4x4 as I didn’t want to be driving around in Carval’s car.

  I decided to check my email and made a call. Now, I wanted to make a move in a different direction. I was on my way out of Grays, back in my familiar big, powerful Range Rover and I already felt better.

  I pulled over in a petrol station, well away from the pumps as for some reason, despite little evidence that they will blow up you still can’t use a phone near them so I kept my distance.

  The phone rang twice and was answered by a very posh sounding female. “How may I help you?” she asked.

  “Good night.” I said with courtesy. “I would like to speak to either Lord Richard or Lady Vanita Coyne please?”

  “They are not normally ones for taking calls so late sir, may I know who is calling?”

  “Certainly, I’m Eddie Holt, the Essex Sentinel and I know they will want to take this call.”

  ****<
br />
  I spoke with the eloquent Lord Richard Coyne and he agreed to see me. It seems they were slightly aware of what Carval was doing and they were happy to discuss it with me. Also, he said it would be nice to meet the newly appointed representative from the Order. As he put it, no matter how brief my stay may be.

  It would be an interesting meeting and the chance to kill two birds with one stone. They had sent me an open invite and it seemed like now was as good a time as ever to take them up on it.

  I pulled up at the expensive house in the middle of nowhere, big gates, goons and a nice looking sweeping driveway which led to another set of gates when you left, very posh!

  I introduced myself to the guards at the automatic gates. Both of them were human, with brands on their hands. A small circular pattern tattooed around the wrist with a serpent coiled along it. They let me through informing me that I was expected and they told me to park up at the house.

  I did as I was asked, and I was met by what I presumed was their butler of all things. He was also human, well-spoken and he ushered me into a house of opulent wealth. Everything looked on loan from a museum of some kind. Expensive looking vases, pictures and paintings of people, my kind of artwork, ostentatious and well displayed all around the home even a few I recognised as antiques of value.

  Good antique weapons adorned the walls in places and a beautiful clock as well. Someone with high taste and a big fat wallet.

  I walked in and the butler, Joshua, took my coat, bid me to keep my shoes on and showed me into a reception room where I was announced as “Mr Edward Holt, Sentinel of Suffolk and Essex on behalf of the Order.” very posh and well delivered.

  The room had huge, bookshelves laden with old books and not a spec of dust. A big light and dark red rug lay on the floor. A roaring fire and big old chairs greeted me. In them, sat two people in their late forties, a male and a female. Both were well-groomed in clothing that looked, I would say, a hundred years out of date. With a nod from the male I approached as he rose.

  “Hello Sentinel Holt, I am Lord Richard Coyne, the head of house Coyne.”

  I shook his cold hard hand and gave a slight bow of acknowledgement as it seemed the right thing to do.

  “Delighted to be here my Lord and apologies I couldn’t be here earlier. It’s been a baptism of fire taking over from my predecessor.”

  “One can only imagine.” he purred delivering each word with perfect queens English. “It is my great honour to introduce my loving and devoted wife, Lady Vanita Coyne.”

  “Honoured to meet you my Lady.” I said, as she rose and I gently kissed her elegantly gloved white hand.

  “Thank you Sentinel and you are most welcome in our home. Do forgive me though, Joshua will see to both your needs as I will leave you to the care of my husband. News on Carval pains me, so I will save my nerves and retire.”

  Interesting, I thought but I replied kindly. “A shame Lady Coyne as he is only part of the reason I am here. Should you wish to stay for the other parts I am happy to speak only on Carval later?”

  She smiled warmly. “Forgive me.” she said apologetically as she clutched her hand to her chest. “He is not someone I long to hear about. My husband will see to any and all matters arising.”

  Then, with that, Lady Coyne rather abruptly gave an old-fashioned curtsey and quickly left the room. Her hard shoes striking loudly when she reached the polished wooden floor.

  Within moments I was then alone with the Lord as even the butler had left the room with just a “By your leave my Lord.”

  Then, as the door closed lord Coyne and I quickly got down to business.

  “A drink for you Sentinel Holt?”

  “No thank you unless you are having one, if so, a small glass of whatever you are having would be nice?”

  “Are you sure you want the same red as me?” he asked, with a wry raise of his eyebrow. Then, I realised my lousy mistake.

  “Ah, anything red wine wise would be ideal. South American but definitely made from grapes would be perfect my Lord, if you please?”

  He laughed a little, more to himself or to ease any tension. “I have something you will like.” he said, as he silently walked over to a table and poured two glasses of wine. As he began to pour he showed a little more charm than I expected. “Too many of my kind as they age fail to adapt. It’s adapting that enables us to endure Sentinel Holt. Don’t you agree?”

  “Yes, I think it’s true, we must all adapt all the time.”

  He nodded as he finished pouring the drinks. “I am not a lover of all the noise around wine. It’s just a drink but a drink I like the taste of. It does nothing more than heighten your mood and give you some liquid sustenance, but people make such a big deal of it”

  He then walked towards me and offered me a small glass of red wine. “Here my Sentinel, you will like this one, I’m sure.”

  “Thank you.” I added motioning to get up from my chair to accept the wine as Lord Richard Coyne moved us onto the subject at hand.

  “I’ll get onto things quickly Sentinel Holt. What you said to me about Carval is a worry. He is a schemer at best and a dangerous liability at worst. The man is insufferable and always has been. The problem is he is over one hundred years old now and therefore he should be recognised for that. It is one of our customs. In fact, he is closer to one hundred and ten now, I suspect. He is not part of my family, but he is a remnant from my wife’s house. A house which ended some time back.”

  This was new I thought.

  The vampire Lord continued. “He is in fact an actual human cousin to my dear wife from when they were both living. They also shared the same vampire maker you know. They originally hail from Provence in France but when their maker was destroyed, as was most of their vampiric family, she took up exile. She came to England and this is where I met her and took them both in. So, you see I ended up with Carval by mere chance. Fate can be cruel you see.” he said with a sigh, if not a little lost in his thoughts about older times.

  It was now as he sat back I got a good look at him. He didn’t seem to me to have the face of an aristocrat or noble of old. He had shorter greying hair and a salt and pepper goatee. He wore a bow tie and an older style suit finished off with a nice white handkerchief and an expensive pocket watch. He looked to be late forties I guessed and wore thin rimmed glasses which I didn’t believe he needed.

  “I didn’t get any accent from either your wife or Carval my Lord.”

  “No, you won’t, they had to hide it to avoid being found. Still, enough of me retelling history. Can you relay to me quickly what it is you believe he has done? Sadly, the boy has seen fit to conceal him from all sources. He often does this when his schemes go awry.”

  “As I mentioned to you earlier my Lord, Carval has made some agreement with a lycan. A Red Claw from Kent called Demitris Larsen. This boy was a friend to a Merran Karl if that name means anything to you?”

  The aged vampire nodded. “I know of the pup Merran, the offspring of Leo Karl, the Alpha of the Red Claws. He is well known to me and the older of my kind in Essex.”

  I nodded. “Young Merran was killed in Grays, on the beach. Did you know that?” I asked.

  “I did, I was informed not long ago. They were looking to reinstate the Verekama from what I am told. A ghastly business from savages but I hear this time it wasn’t too successful.”

  “I was told they did kill two when they arrived, but they were attacked upon leaving.” I added.

  “This, my dear Sentinel is where you are ill informed. None of my kind have been harmed in Grays for well over a month now and this wasn’t by wolves. I watch my people tightly and nobody has reported anything, and Grays, Grays belong to my house.”

  Now this was new to me as it goes against what the Red Claws were told by Demitris. “So, Demitris and Merran failed to kill anyone you say?”

  “Correct.” he said, taking a sip from his cup.

  “So, what happened then?”

  “That, I don’
t know fully, there is some conflict in the reports I’ve been given. I do know Carval and anyone else would have reported any assault, especially from a lycan. I also understand the body of the young lycan was sent back down the river to Gravesend, as it should be. One of them escaped and swam back. Are the parts I know to be true as you see them? It is the story among the gossips and small folk of Grays. Does this match with your view Sentinel?” he asked with genuine reverence for my title.

  I nodded, as he was right. “Indeed, the response from the vampires to the Verekama is as I am told, how it should be. I was under the impression it’s how Gravesend in Kent really got its name. Most humans don’t know this but I hear the vampires, the ‘greys’ send the dead lycans who failed in their blood ritual floating back down the river?”

  The vampire Lord nodded. “You are again correct my Sentinel. I believe what Carval was doing is based on some deductions, for what they are worth. There is also CCTV footage, some I have seen and a conversation I had with Carval myself. Five days ago, he approached me asking about moving up in the family, to be recognised as a noble of house Coyne. He rightly pointed out as I eluded to earlier that it has been over a century since his turning, so, this is to be expected.”

  The aged vampire rubbed at his facial hair and sighed before continuing. “However, he has been of a lower status for some time now due to trouble he had landed himself in. These troubles were around eleven years ago and with another nearby family of our kind. The boy though, he has a nose for trouble and it clung to him like a shadow.”

  I couldn’t disagree with that I thought as the vampire carried on with his explanation of things.

  “Carval approached me asking if I would act as a patron to have a pack instigated and formally recognised as free in Essex.”

  Ok, this was getting interesting. I nodded eagerly, sitting up in my chair but careful not to look too eager.

  “Well, naturally I won’t be having loose dogs running about my holdings. You see they get protective over their property do lycans, as do most animals and when they feel threatened, they attack. I’m not one to mince my words Mr Holt but I don’t want these carnal beasts running around, rutting and growing their numbers.”