by Sean Stone
“Acceptable?” he repeated and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“Yes. Acceptable,” she said and he could see that he wasn’t going to get any more from her. Acceptable would have to do.
“Alright, so we need to deal with this. Somehow,” he said standing up. The rest of the coven would never fight the Thirteen now. Not when they found out that almost all of the people that joined the battle were now dead. He’d have to go and retrieve their bodies so they could be laid to rest properly.
There was a loud crack that made Adam jump in alarm, and Jamal Rasul appeared in the middle of the room. His face was grim and his clothes were stained with blood from the fight. Adam hadn’t seen what happened to the officers from SIT and sincerely hoped that Jamal was not the only survivor. Adam wasn’t sure how the coven would react to hearing that the last Winters sorcerer had been killed. Adam had never known Clara that well, but he’d been friends with her father and for that reason he hoped she’d survived.
“Jamal, what happened to you guys?” Adam asked.
“We survived but Phil and Clara are both in the hospital recovering.”
“Is it serious?” Toni asked, once again coming to Adam’s side. Adam shifted away from her ever so slightly.
“Phil has serious burns over his face and Clara has a deep stab wound in her stomach. Neither has regained consciousness yet, but they’ll survive. I’ve worked a little magic so hopefully, that will speed their recovery.”
“At least they’re alive,” Adam said. “We’re the only survivors from our group.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jamal said, but he didn’t seem that sorry. “Adam I need to know that you aren’t going to do anything stupid.”
“You mean like taking on the Thirteen?” Adam said sarcastically.
“Exactly. What happened this afternoon was foolish.”
“One of our own was in danger. We saved her,” Adam said icily. He didn’t need reprimanding; he’d been through enough.
“At the cost of eight others and rest assured that any who were alive no longer are. Nick would have seen to that the moment he arrived,” said Jamal.
“How can you be so sure?” Adam asked, but he knew it was true.
“I know what he’s like,” Jamal replied instantly.
Adam paused. “How do you know what he’s like?” he asked. There were only ten disciples. Two missing.
Jamal looked around as if he was searching for an answer. “I’m not here to answer your questions. Just stay away from the Thirteen, you’re lucky that any of you survived.” Jamal didn’t wait for a reply, he disappeared into thin air making that horrible noise again.
Adam didn’t share his suspicions with the others; he needed to do his own research before he started throwing accusations around. He didn’t care for Jamal’s warning. He had a job to do and he was going to see it through. Nick was killing his coven members and he had to stop him. He needed to formulate a plan and then he needed to deal with the Thirteen. This time with the support of the entire coven. If they didn’t act now then how many other members would be sacrificed?
*
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
William sat at his desk with his head in his hands trying to digest the reports of all that had transpired during the day. A magical fight in broad daylight. No reports of any civilian sightings had come in yet so it looked like they might be in the clear in that respect. The fact still remained that the Thirteen were picking off sorcerers to sacrifice and James Tenson had joined them. William had believed him to be dead, but instead, the deplorable man had discovered a way to sink to even further lows. The good news was that the town's main factions were finally at peace, which just left the Thirteen to deal with. The faction wars had provided him with a convenient excuse to turn a blind eye to Nickolas and his disciples, but that option was no longer available. Nick had stepped out of the shadows anyway so even if the war was still going William could not ignore him any longer. The main problem was manpower. He was two officers down, one of whom was his second in command. He’d appointed Jamal the acting sergeant until Phil recovered, which hopefully would be soon. Jamal had done all he could to help them and now it was a matter of being patient. William had a lot to discuss with Clara about her visit to Katrina Vickers and her conversation with Arthur, but that would just have to wait.
“You look like you’re ready to give up,” Zander said as he entered the office. Zander was the only other officer on duty tonight. With two of the day team in the hospital, William had had to switch Cassie onto the day shift to even out the numbers. Rob was on the desk but he wasn’t trained to go out in the field yet. William had a stack of personnel files from the records room downstairs, hopefully, he would be able to find some suitable recruits from them. He needed to clarify with Bradley exactly how many additional officers he could take on.
“If only I could,” William replied, looking up. Walking away was never an option he’d seriously considered.
“We’ve had a report come in from downstairs. Sidney Scott has been found dead. The chief thinks it's supernatural,” Zander said. It was just what William needed, more problems.
“Who’s Sidney Scott?” William asked resignedly.
“He owns a few properties around town, the main one being the castle which has been closed to the public for a couple of days now,” said Zander.
“Why do they think it’s supernatural?”
“His body was drained of blood.”
William sighed loudly and ran his fingers through his hair. “We don’t have time for this. Or the staff.” There was a time not so long ago when SIT was desperate for any kind of case. Now they had too many.
“Shall I tell downstairs to keep the investigation?” Zander asked, pointing toward the door.
“No. I’ve got Adam Kent coming to discuss what happened in Riverside this afternoon. You go and take a look at the body. If you think it was a vampire attack then investigate accordingly. Take Rob, it will give him some field experience,” William said.
Zander nodded and then left. A few minutes later he heard Zander and Rob leave the office. William sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, thankful for the time to himself to think about what he needed to do next. His privacy didn’t last long and soon Adam Kent arrived and was sitting opposite him in the office.
“I’d like to work together on this,” William said after Adam had explained his version of how the battle occurred. It was pretty much the same as Jamal had told it.
“We’ll take all the help we can get, but with two guys in the hospital are you going to be able to help us?” Adam asked. The sorcerer looked tired; William obviously wasn’t the only one with too much on his plate.
“Yes. I am concerned about the conflict between yourself and Genevieve Laurent, however,” William said. If the coven were still bickering about who was in charge then they wouldn’t be able to achieve much; they needed to all be on the same page.
“Genevieve has accepted me as dynast,” Adam said. “I have some concerns of my own. About your team,” he added, glancing over his shoulder.
“You do?” William said, raising an eyebrow. This should be interesting.
“What do you know about Jamal Rasul?” asked Adam.
“Enough. Why?”
“I’ve been doing a little digging on him this evening and I haven’t been able to find any information from before he came to Cedarstone, and my sources are pretty good,” Adam said.
“Why were you looking for information on one of my officers?” William couldn’t think of anything about Jamal from before he came to Cedarstone but it wouldn’t do well to admit that right after he’d claimed to know enough about Jamal.
“When the Thirteen turned up this afternoon there were only ten disciples. Two didn’t turn up for some reason. And when I spoke to Jamal earlier he said he knew Nick but he wouldn’t say how. When I think back to the fight I don’t remember seeing Jamal fighting anybody,” Adam explained.
“From what I heard it was a big fight, it is possible that Jamal was fighting out of your line of sight,” said William.
“Fair enough. What about the fact that only ten disciples were there?”
“Well, you said there were two disciples missing. What about the other one? Why have you only chosen Jamal to fill one of those slots?” William asked, already knowing that his argument was weak.
“Because he seemed suspicious to me.”
“But it is possible that the remaining two disciples were doing something else,” said William. “Nickolas could have sent them on an errand of some kind.”
“But how does Jamal know so much about Nick?” said Adam.
“What exactly does he know?”
“He just said he knows what he’s like,” Adam said and shrugged.
“Alright, I’ll look into it,” William said noncommittally. He wasn’t convinced by Adam’s argument; his evidence was lacking, to say the least. Jamal had been a good officer for eight years. He’d never caused William to doubt him once. He was even training a sorcerer who wanted to kill Nickolas. Why would he do that if he was a disciple?
“What is the coven planning to do next?” William asked, trying to move on.
“I’m going to make sure that my coven is ready to fight the Thirteen and once we are, we’re going to do so. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to try and find a peaceful resolution before this goes too far,” William said, knowing that it had already gone too far.
Adam snorted. “How are you going to do that?” he asked, looking at William as though he was mad.
“I’m going to talk to Nickolas Blackwood.”
William arrived at number 13 Bartholomew Road and knocked loudly on the door three times. He breathed in deeply and straightened himself up. He didn’t want to look nervous in front of any of the disciples. He needed to exude authority — they were in his town. He would’ve usually called before visiting someone but he didn’t have Nickolas’ phone number or even know if Nickolas had a phone, so he’d resorted to just turning up on the doorstep. Nobody answered at first and after some time, William decided to knock again. He raised his fist but before he could bring it to the door it swung inward and a thin man stood before him. His face was gaunt with high cheekbones and he had thin blond hair. His eyes had a reddish quality to them that told William he was looking at a vampire. That accounted for one of the missing disciples this afternoon, a vampire would have been unable to leave the house in the sunlight. There was still one left to explain though and William was determined to find an explanation that pointed away from Jamal. Not that there was much that pointed to Jamal so far.
“Yes?” The man asked, his eyebrows raised high on his pale face.
“I’m here to speak to Nickolas Blackwood,” William said, being sure not to phrase it as a request. The man looked as though he was going to laugh but then stopped himself at the last minute.
“And you are?”
“Detective Inspector William Marshall.” He wondered if his title would change when the detachment of SIT from the police force was complete.
“One moment,” he said and then closed the door. A moment later he opened the door again and said. “Follow me.” He turned away and started off down the hallway.
“Uhh…” William said. The man turned back and then smiled at William’s predicament.
“Of course, how silly of me. Please come inside,” he said, extending the required invitation. William stepped in, trying to ignore the obvious attempt at putting him in his place.
He tried to take in as much as possible as he walked through the house but there wasn’t much to see. Every door they passed was closed and the hallways were kept empty with bare walls. William was led to the third floor where he was shown into a spacious study. This room was lavishly decorated with what looked like antique furniture. Nickolas was sitting in one of the two armchairs by the lit fireplace, a book in hand. He looked like one of the men in the old movies who sat reading by the fire puffing on a pipe in their smoking jackets with a glass of bourbon.
“Thank you, Lucian,” Nickolas said and the skinny vampire made his exit.
“Have a seat,” Nickolas said and William took the vacant chair. “It’s been a long time since I laid eyes on you, William. You were new to all this back then,” he said reminiscently.
“Yes,” William said simply. He had met Nickolas shortly after he’d become a vampire. He’d gone to Richie’s club for guidance and bumped into Nickolas there. He had no idea who he was at the time; he had no idea who anyone was. That had been the night that the clan and the coven trapped Nickolas in the bunker. Obviously, William had known nothing about it.
“I was a constable back then. It was a long time ago. Now I’m a detective inspector and I have my own department,” said William, trying subtly to let him know he was on police business.
“What can I do for you, Inspector Marshall?” Nickolas said, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back in his chair.
“My job is to keep things peaceful in town and uphold the law. You are…” William couldn’t think of a way to put it politely.
“A problem?” Nickolas offered.
“Basically, yes,” William agreed.
“So what do you want?” asked Nickolas.
William thought that was obvious and the look on his face showed that. “I want you to stop being a problem.”
Nickolas nodded thoughtfully. “Well, here’s the thing. I have a ritual to perform here in town and I’m going to do it, but that doesn’t mean there has to be trouble. If the coven and whoever else stay out of my business then there won’t be any more fighting, no more disturbing the peace.”
“Are you going to sacrifice more people?” William asked.
“Oh yes,” Nickolas said, nodding and smiling.
“Then we have a problem.”
“You have a problem. I don’t. There is nothing that you can do that will have any consequence to me. You cannot hurt me, you cannot kill me. You — like all vampires — believe you are immortal, but you’re really not. It would be just too easy to kill you William, no more difficult than killing a child. I could do it without even touching you,” Nickolas said. He leaned in close as he spoke and William had to resist the urge to back away.
“Couldn’t you do your ritual somewhere else?” William asked. He stopped trying to be authoritative — it was obviously a wasted effort.
“No,” Nickolas leaned back again and William was relieved. “Everything I need is here. The ritual happens here. But rest assured that no more coven sorcerers need to die. Not unless they put their nose in business that doesn’t concern them.”
“So who are you going to sacrifice?” William got the impression from Adam that it was too late and the coven was going to try and deal with Nickolas whether he left them alone or not.
“People from out of town. So you needn’t be concerned.”
“When will you do the ritual?” If William knew when the ritual was going to take place then perhaps he could at least keep everyone away from the Thirteen until then.
“When I have everything I need. If you try to interfere in my business I’ll make you watch this town burn and then I’ll leave you in the ashes.” And that concluded their meeting.
William left the house no better off than when he arrived. There was obviously to be no negotiating with Nickolas which meant that somehow he had to find a way to stop him.
His phone rang loudly as he made his way back to his car. He pulled it out and saw it was Zander.
“What did you find?” he said into the phone.
“It was definitely a vampire attack and it gets worse. I had a look at the castle,” he sounded grave.
“Go on,” William said with growing unease. Not another problem to add to the list.
“There is a vampire living inside it. There are bodies littered all over the place. He hasn’t made any attempt to hide them.” Terrific.
“Alright, stay away from the place and come back to the station. I’ll try and get hold of Richie,” he said and hung up, praying all the while that Richie would be able to take this particular problem off his plate.
*
“What did he want?” Victor asked Richie, once he had re-joined the group. They were just leaving on an expedition when William Marshall had arrived to speak to Richie.
“One of his officers found out that Ramsay’s taken over the castle. He was worried we might have something to do with it,” Richie replied.
“You put him right I assume?” Victor asked.
“Obviously. I told him we’re on our way to deal with it now.” An idea which is utter folly.
Victor still thought that Lydia was setting them up, but he knew there was no use arguing with Richie, once he had an idea there was no changing his mind. So, with a large portion of the clan in place, Victor and Richie made their way to the castle. After seeing the example Richie and Victor had made of the band of traitors, any other members of the clan who had similar ideas of treachery soon changed their minds. According to Charles, who had his ear to the ground, there wasn’t even a whisper of dissension among the ranks. Things may well be different after tonight, though. Richie was going to confront Ramsay and Victor believed that it would go horribly wrong. Richie had listened to Victor’s concerns and then ignored them, he was confident in his plan and he was confident in Lydia. Richie was much less hostile toward Victor since the attempted coup in the club, but things were far from being behind them.
“Did you and Lydia have a something going back when you were a member of the Cult?” Victor asked. They were walking up the hill so as not to draw any attention to themselves, Ramsay would undoubtedly hear a car approaching. The castle was surrounded by woods and the other vampires were hidden among the trees. If Ramsay’s attention was drawn outside the castle before Richie was in position then he might notice one of the vampires and the plan would be over.
“It’s complicated. I had feelings she couldn’t return,” Richie said, a reminiscent smile on his face.
