Awakening the Red Claws

by C P Sennett

  Interesting I thought. “My Lord, why are you so opposed to lycans, so long as they keep the Veil then it shouldn’t be a problem, there is space enough in Essex and even perhaps around Grays to support a small group maybe or even just a pair or trio?”

  The vampire sat forward in his chair and narrowed his eyes, then his mask slipped. Now I got to see the ruthless bastard behind the etiquette. “Mr Holt, I don’t take you for a fool, please don’t take me for one. Lycans have an advantage we do not, actually they have a few and it’s these reasons alone they are so dangerous to my kind. There is no credible power base for my kind in Kent anymore. There was but now there is none and it is for this reason alone. The sole reason is the rampant spread of the bestial lycans.”

  “Please continue.” I asked as I took another sip of the fine wine. This was better than front row seats in the opera to me. It was a glimpse into the real politics of one of Essex’s minor vampire houses. Right at the top of the tree.

  “In the past, around the 16th century my kind were doing well in Kent and they lived relatively trouble free. The problem, unbeknown to the two main vampire families there at the time, was Kent had creatures which had arrived from the east. A small but wealthy family from Moscow had arrived in our lands. There was outwardly nothing special about them and I doubt they received a welcome like many foreigners today. However, they established themselves and the family started to grow. Their generation wasn’t a problem but soon enough they encountered my kind.”

  “Ah, you are referring to the Bloody Week tale?” I asked, knowing a bit about this.

  “Yes, vampires in England were smaller in number than we are today, then again back then the whole populace was. It was a different time indeed. My creator told me of that most horrific week but he was human himself when it happened. It didn’t affect him though as the problem hadn’t reached Essex and here we were more numerous here than in Kent.”

  “Has Essex always been strong with your kind?”

  “Yes, witches were our problem at the time. Eventually though, they were moved on.”

  “By moved on, you mean killed my Lord?”

  He shrugged as if he had been asked if he wanted butter or margarine. “Some were tried for what they were, witches. The Hopkins family were not wrong in what they did, often they caught and tried genuine witches.”

  “Also, innocents though as these witches were just magicians like me?”

  “Humanity is not a perfect species Sentinel and people made mistakes back then as they do now. I was one once myself, a human and we could easily be frightened by different things.”

  I scoffed. “Now, who is taking who for a fool.”

  He laughed, like an old uncle, it was a warm laugh and not at all what I had expected. “You have me Sir Sentinel.” he confessed. “Anyhow, the lycans were now a few generations in. They had grown in numbers and strength and they adapted well to life in England. They dropped their Slavic heritage, bred with the locals and now were land owners in their own right, with homes and families.”

  I nodded.

  “Then, their leader was killed in suspicious circumstances. So, unusual in fact that today it is still not known who killed their Russian founder. His was an old warhorse of a man called Bogdan so I understand and he used to play on the meaning of his name. Gift of God.” he said with a gentle chuckle and a look of remembrance of old memories on his face.

  “Bogdan and his wife, Feodora, were killed, we don’t know how but this sent the lycans of Kent into a frenzy. Then, they then attacked my kind with such ferocity, such malice that it was worthy of song. They knew who to blame and they took their revenge. They destroyed house Austin of Kent and their entire bloodline in under a week. They wiped out all of their holdings, their marked serfs, family members, everything. How did they do this so quickly? It’s simple, they can operate in the light and this is why we must always, always keep them from our lands!”

  I nodded, sipping again on the wine.

  “When the lycans took their revenge they had three who lead the charge. It was these three lycans who split into groups and hunted and slaughtered my kind. One they called Falcon, an odd name as he is a wolf but his eyesight was so keen that is how he got his name. One was called Winter due to his white coat. A white coat on a man who was said to be still young of age. The last was called Long Fang due to a reportedly lethal bite. These three were the guards and leaders of the lycan line when it established itself in England. The last though, Long Fang goes by a different name now as he is still alive. You know him as Leo Karl. Alpha of the Red Claws. He denies this though, he claims not to be Long Fang but we know different.”

  “Shit.” I said, sitting back in my chair. “This is why you don’t want them to establish a foothold in Essex?”

  “Yes Sentinel. If I turn a blind eye now it will be my neck in their jaws within the next decade. A decade isn’t a long time for my people. This is why I had to decline Carval and his request. That and we, the older of my kind and the ruling council of Essex, know Leo Karl isn’t who he claims to be. He is a butcher, he is an Alpha from centuries back and he and the other two led the attacks against my people. He has lived too long for their kind. The three who persecuted my people all live to this day. Over double, if not triple the lifetime of a normal lycan and this makes them dangerous. We know a lycan may live to 150 at most but we know these three to be older somehow but they are still alive.”

  I nodded. “What of the other house, you said there were two in Kent?”

  “House Austin was destroyed and house Grenard soon after. They tried to keep their own holdings and some other things aided their end. The details are irrelevant but the outcome is clear for all to see.”

  “How do you think Leo is still alive after all this time?”

  The vampire Lord adjusted his hair and all of a sudden seemed weary. “In truth, I do not know but we are sure he is the Long Fang of old. We suspect there were a few other lycans in the UK before his kind arrived in Kent. Officially they were the first but many think Scotland had some as well. These though kept their snouts low and we didn’t know of them for a long time. Wales, Wales also had a pack. We now know this but this was around the same time as Kent’s vampires, just after we believe but they never troubled my kind. Leo, he always wanted a larger territory. They are an expansive breed and we must repel them at every opportunity. You say my kind craves blood, Leo’s is land.”

  I nodded. “I’ve met Leo and he is unusual, I’ll give you that.”

  The vampire eyed me then with the eyes of someone far older. He seemed shocked at this in truth, I felt sure he wouldn’t forget this anytime soon.

  Lord Coyne continued. “That he is Sentinel, that he is. I’ve not had the pleasure but it seems Carval had made some deal with a lycan. The fool raved like a lunatic about promises made and all sorts of things. He said about how he had vouched for my families support as that some lycan wanted to expand into Essex. He said, and even thinking this makes my blood go cold, he said that he had given his word and that this new pack would work with us and that a new Alpha would support us. He spoke on my behalf, which was a grave mistake. I’ll not have a lycan pack here, NEVER!” he said raising his voice before he caught himself. “Any lycans we find we deal with, there can be no quarter given here. Myself, and the other houses of Essex want no part in giving these warmongering beasts a foothold in Essex, are we clear?”

  “I understand you perfectly Lord Coyne.”

  The vampire carried on. “Carval called my wife a day or so ago saying things had gone bad and that he couldn’t undo what he had done and some other such nonsense. The boy was always offering a sob story every few years about how something went wrong and how it was never his fault. In truth, the boy behaves like an adolescent despite having the advantage of an extra century to develop some gumption.”

  The Lord seemed to get annoyed at this stage but again he calmed himself with a big gulp of his wine as he adjusted his seating position. “M
y wife, she refused to speak to him beyond the first bit. She, like me has heard it all before. Any plan involving lycans is folly. My wife simply refused to speak further with him on the matter and she was unaware of my conversation with the boy days earlier. He shrewdly neglected to mention that to her. As a result, she ended the call and turned off her phone. As Carval could no longer call he sent her a text message. I have it here for you now and we’ve not been able to reach him since.”

  “Can I see the message?” I asked.

  The Lord had things well prepared as he nodded and sat forward, producing a phone from his old blue smoking jacket pocket. “Here you go Sentinel Holt.”

  I took the phone and read the message.

  Dearest Aunt

  You’ve always helped me when I lose my way and I’ve strayed yet again. I tried to help a friend Demitris and someone important died. I’m fearful, as I had some accidental hand in a death. Can you help me one last time?

  Love, as ever.

  Carval

  Having read the message and hearing what had happened I could see how Carval had landed himself in this sort of mess and as the Lord said, it clearly wasn’t the first time he had screwed up. I cleared my throat.

  “My Lord, it would seem on the basis of this that the lycan, Demitris was looking to form a pack of his own in Essex, with your support of course. This support it seems was promised by Carval. So, with Carval’s admission of involvement in this plot and with the death of Merran Karl. Leo will want his revenge. I mentioned to you earlier when I called that Carval and Demitris had attacked me. I was asked by another Sentinel to investigate the death of Merran Karl and I was asked to mediate at a meeting with Carval. Were you aware of this?”

  The lord nodded and scratched his face again. “My family is happy for you to mediate things, this is something your predecessor did once before. However, when you met Carval and the lycans earlier we had no real knowledge of this meeting. Carval was acting with our name but not on behalf of it. I think he was trying to cover his backside after the death of Merran. Also, you were given a name of the killer, some human scribe or book salesman as I now understand.”

  I nodded.

  “Again, this was not anything to do with us. Carval must have given you this man’s name for whatever reason.”

  Again, I nodded.

  “You see Sentinel, we don’t want Leo’s kind setting up here. This is something we are deeply against.” he said, with his exquisite pronunciation.

  “I understand and I do sympathise with your reason based on what you have shared with me.”

  Now though it was time for me to share some information with Lord Coyne, something to get me some favours in return. He had given so I should also.

  “Lord Coyne, I personally believe Leo’s son Merran was killed by Demitris. I believe this was to trigger Leo and the Red Claws to come to Essex. I think the Verekama was just a ruse, a tool to get the younger Merran, keen on proving himself a man in the eyes of his father and the pack was a pawn of the ambitious Demitris. So, the two of them swam over to Essex and they were met by Carval and together Carval and Demitris killed Merran.”

  Lord Coyne nodded before throwing in. “CCTV does have Carval’s car at the beach around the time they are said to have arrived.”

  “That is interesting my Lord. Demitris then levels the blame on vampires to provoke Leo into action. Then, at the end of it one way or another Demitris is hailed as a hero for coming back and surviving the attack. He calls for vengeance on behalf of his fallen friend, as he did. Then Leo is only too happy to oblige. Fortunately though, some older heads in his pack delayed things and reached out to the Order to see if we knew anything on this.”

  Lord Richard Coyne paused, he was assessing me, thinking about how I thought and what I had said. It was like a cat watching a fish in a tank, it wasn’t a pretty sight. “Young Sentinel, I suspect you are right. It seems to fit the scraps of evidence we have so far and when assembled we have a picture it would seem. If I had agreed and backed Carval, the lycans would get into Essex and Carval would get credit for arranging it. Failing that their back up plan was to provoke a bloody battle between Leo and my kind. The death of his son would be enough to rouse Leo to avenge his last son.” He then sat back and put his hands together, the fingertips of each hand touching.

  “Clever wizard, clever indeed I dare say.” I wasn’t sure how to take this but I knew it wasn’t as nicely as it sounded.

  The vampire then put his hands on the arms of his chair, his hands gripping the armrests and I could see how hard he was gripping them. He was subtle, but I noticed it before he spoke. “Carval, the boy has a form for reckless schemes such as this. The young Demitris you say is dead now?”

  I nodded. “Yes, he attacked me earlier, sadly I took his life. Carval was there and attacked me also but he fled.”

  The old man snorted a laugh. “They took you for a weakling as he rarely attacks someone head on. Then again, he did have a lycan shield with him to do the dirty work. The boy is craven, a coward for sure but he is as dangerous as a two-headed snake. He is seldom a direct threat though.”

  I thought to myself ‘you all are’, but I kept that thought in. “My Lord.” I said respectfully. “What of Carval now?”

  “We are done with him. My family has given him too many chances and a few hours ago we formally released him from our name.”

  “To put it bluntly, does that mean he is fair game?”

  Richard Coyne nodded. “Yes, it pains me but any dispute with the lycans is one Essex wants no part of.”

  “I understand Lord Coyne. To be clear though, if I or the Red Claws apprehend or finish Carval you won’t seek restitution for him at all?”

  He pulled a face of disgust at the very notion. “No, the boy is gone to us. Leo has lost a son, the Red Claws have lost two of their kind now in the other boy…” the wily fox of a vampire feigned fumbling for the boy’s name before finding it. “Demitris, whom I am sure they will howl for no doubt. We will not react. We will feel the loss of one of our own but consider the matter closed if Carval is caught. If we find him in our lands we will inform you and you can take him to Kent to face wherever he must.”

  I didn’t believe him about the mourning part but the rest seemed genuine enough. We then talked further for a time about many other things, my predecessor who Lord Coyne seemed to know and heard good things about, also a shared love of antiques. Then, as the conversation was winding down I checked my phone and left. It was now 3am.

  ****

  On the way back I called Malcolm and shared what we knew. He had got a stay of action from Andrew Moss and Deek, how, I didn’t know or care but it was an impressive feat. I shared what I knew with him and thought it sounded right as I was delivering the info about Demitris, although he felt we didn’t yet have all the pieces. He did concede to not ever warming to Demitris. He felt the young wolf was too eager for power and respect so, on this, he agreed with me. It fitted well, in truth, it all seemed to fit well enough, just not perfectly.

  A combination of tiredness and a needing to see what the hell was going on at home led me to many thoughts, mostly a desire for my bed as I thankfully pulled the Beast up onto my driveway.

  Tiredness and planning time was a must now. I needed to get home also to make sure I still had a house. I pulled up on my drive checking the time. It was now 4.15am and worst of all I was starting to get my second wind.

  I got out of the Beast and made my way inside. I sorted all the usual stuff as there was less need for an alarm now as the house always had people in it.

  Everything seemed normal as I made my way upstairs. I made it to the landing and was on the way to my room door when the corridor lit up and in the late-night glow was Fern, the mist mephit.

  “Morning Eddie.” she said, with a smile.

  “I’m beat Fern. I’m off to bed.” I grumbled as I turned the handle. I doubted I would get any sleep but I was thinking if I played tired now she might cut m
e some slack so I could keep working.

  “Done anything important today?” she asked.

  “The usual, saved the world.” I said feigning the call of my bed. “Is there something which needs my immediate attention?” I mumbled.

  “Not really.”

  I stopped. “Fern, what does not really actually mean?” dropping the façade.

  “Er...well.”

  “Out with it. Not really means there is something that’s happened but you don’t want to say as you’ve fucked something up?”

  She nodded.

  I sighed. “Is it serious?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Serious enough I have to cancel my hot date with books and maybe if I am lucky, my bed?”

  “Yeah.” she said in confession.

  “Ok, what is it. If I can handle lycanthropes and vampires adding your stuff to the pile won’t make much difference.”

  The look on Fern’s face though me otherwise. “It’s Tabitha, she’s gone.”

  “Mother fucker!” I ranted aloud. “Why the fuck does shit have to happen when I am about to do something else important.” I fumed, storming into my room as I turned on the lights. “When did she go missing?”

  “About 10 o’clock I think?” she replied meekly as she followed me into my room.

  “Why am I only now knowing about it. So, she went missing at 10pm, it’s after 4am the next day and ONLY now you are telling me.”

  “Yeah, sorry.” she said pathetically. “I was trying to find her.”

  “So, you’ve been out as well. Wonderful, you’ve been out looking for a girl who is missing but not supposed to be missing, as she was being kept safely here, in my house. Except now, she isn’t here and she could be anywhere.”

  “I wanted to find her.” Fern protested.

  “I want to be the most powerful wizard ever, guess what, that’s not happening.”

  Fern put her hands up apologetically.