“Do what?” the mother asks.
“Discover that your daughter has been claimed by what I believe to be one of the Forsaken. Why I feel this, the power is strong. It's old.”
“Are you sure it was a Forsaken and not a vampire?” I question.
“If you mean Mason, I do think I would have been able to tell. I have been around him long enough to know his energy. Vampire's in general are different. Because of something I felt, I have an inkling that it was a Forsaken,” I can see in her eyes that her heart is broken. Her sympathies must be extending out toward the family. Madison’s own faced this very fate almost ten years ago exactly.
“There is a familiar energy in the room. One that I don't have much experience with but do believe it to be the energy of one from the Forsaken realm. The other, I can't quite place,” Madison turns to the mother.
“Can I talk with you for a second?” Madison and the mother step aside for a moment. I hear the hushed tones of their whisperings but don't interrupt. If I was meant to be a part of this conversation I would have been. It doesn't take long before they return. The mother is in tears, her husband takes her in his arms. A comforting kiss on the head to reassure her,
“We will do our best to bring your daughter back to you,” I say.
“And what’s your success rate on that?” the mother asks.
“You’re looking at one.” Madison smiles at the mother and goes in, taking her into a loving embrace. “When I was a child, I was taken from my home. Now? I am where I belong. We will bring your daughter back where she belongs. I promise.”
~ ~ ~
When we leave the house and get back to the car I open the door for Madison and then enter the driver's seat. We sit in the driveway a second. I allow her a few minutes to compose herself before I speak, “Why did you pull the mother aside? Is there something I should know about?”
I start the engine. The family stays outside, watching us, until we begin the journey homeward, “I asked her a few personal questions.”
“Madison, I need to know what you spoke about...”
“No, you don't,” She cocks a brow.
“I'm not asking you as a friend. I am telling you as your Director,” Not a move I will have wanted to play but what could I do? She forced my hand. I understand, she is still a stubborn young girl at heart. She never had the real opportunity to break those bonds.
“I asked her if she knew what it could be. There's no trace of supernatural, Forsaken or otherwise, in either of them so I asked her if she knew anything of what it could have been,” I can hear that beneath her words, a tantrum was simmering.
“And what did she say?”
“She said there was a man. She met him when her husband was away on business. They had sex,” Her emphasis on the word only shows her discomfort to saying it, “And she believes that this could have been something. What? I don't know. She doesn't know anything about him other than that he might have been the father.”
“Does that mean she was a demi god or whatever else was in that room?”
Madison shrugs.
“Well let's keep this between us for now. I'll have Vicky head out soon. Maybe she can make sense of it all. You did good tonight, kid. I'm proud of you,” I take her hand in mine and squeeze.
The only form of affection I can think of while on the road.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Daffyd
“Outwitted again,” Hamish has a large grin on his face. I can’t help but join in. Preparation for the strike on Torrine had not taken us too long to accomplish, but the wolves? Their plans circulated through our ranks for weeks now.
It’s good to be the king.
“Yes, they won’t even expect us being here, either. Well, me,” I reply. In their smugness, the wolves no doubt believe that I am too far gone from my own actions that I will not stand and lead the charge. That is where they are mistaken. I am a man who enjoys the thrill. When Mason was around, I had no need to be a risk taker. Now? Things are different.
“When are they to strike?”
“Soon. Dawn is coming. They will believe the upper hand is there for striking during the sunlight.” I have to think on this for a moment.
“They made this same mistake before. They entered our tunnels blindly, and we killed them. That only brought the Forsaken, wolves, and shifters together. Are you sure they don’t have some pathetic plan on the way?”
I have to be careful. Hamish has always been the diligent one, thinking through every single issue that may unfold, but it seems that he has neglected his station to hubris.
“They won’t see it coming. They don’t know about the regulations spread across the twenty-four zones. They don’t know about the institutions in place. To them, they will consider this attack simple. The hardest fight they had was the loss when they attempted to take the Veil. Now? They’re coming for a much smaller target only to face far more challenging opponents. This battle will show them that they either have to rethink every single plot point they have, or they will have to drop this war altogether.”
The former being their only true option.
Maybe I wasn’t giving Hamish his dues. He’s still the silent tactician, with all his ducks in a row. It’s good to have a man like that on your side. Someone who keeps order in your chaos.
“Brooke. Where is she?”
“She hasn’t left the Veil since the night she was with Mason.”
“Do we know why she saw him?” Brooke and I have had many falling outs lately, and if she’s sneaking off for silent meetings with Mason, there can’t really be anything good coming from it, now can there…
“Not yet, but I don’t think it’s cause for concern.”
“Mason is in a unique position as an Ancient vampire, Hamish. You’ve been part of my politics since near the start of my reign. You shouldn’t be so blind as to what he can do, and if anything happens to me, you’re not exactly going to be someone they can let go. Death is not something I see in my future, but I don’t really think I get to dictate that now.” I don’t want to scare Hamish. Fear has always clung to him like a cancer, but that is where he is wise. He plans. I do not. I brazenly act in whatever direction I choose, and often it succeeds, but there are those times where it does not.
“And what about the marriage?” he asks, diverting the subject.
“You know…the ups and downs of it are a killer. What are we gonna do?”
“Sure, sure. Sarah-Lynne hasn’t been spending much time out late from her quarters lately.”
“You know, there comes a time where you’ve got to make a decision. My decision was simple. Drop everything. If I could end the marriage, I probably would.”
“Now what does that decision benefit?” Again, Hamish is truly unwise to the small things in this world. He plans great warring moves, he’s a fantastic politician, and as a human, I could have seen him achieve great things. As a vampire, he is blind to the ways, the customs of which we work.
“We are not dictated by emotions. We are creatures created to take greatness. Not merely strive for it. We have an eternity to find it, take it, and make it ours. I squandered many of my early years taking anyone that would have me. When I became king, everyone would have me. I married because it was customary at the time, and because of that, I was unfulfilled. So, I took many women into my bed. Now? Brooke is setting up meetings behind my back with the only man who could and would kill me with a smile. So, there are a few things I would change. Brooke at the forefront of those changes. Secondly would be the reckless and careless woman hunting spree. Simple.”
I think he understands. It takes him a while. Not a long while, but long enough for me to know it was processing in his brain. He didn’t just rush to an answer. We’ve become close in ten years. My most trusted man. My best friend. Something I don’t believe I would have said had Mason not disappeared and I stayed reliant on him. A child turns into a man. It’s poetic in its own right.
“I understand,” is all he adds. Al
l he needs to add.
“Dawn is upon us, Hamish. We must prepare for war. See to it that everyone is ready for battle.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Romulus
There has never been a greater sense of fear and pride than in times of war. Where you know that every breath you take may be your last. Standing at the forefront of battle with a tear in your eye and a fire in your heart. Fear is for the weak. Death is where we rest.
“Today, I lead the charge of a thousand good men, ready to die for their alpha. This brings me great joy. To know that you have enough faith in your leader to fight by his side. To act as sword and shield. Many of us may not return today. Many of us will be dining with our families and loved ones in the great hall. Time will tell us where we are heading. With the generosity of our latest edition to the pack,” I gesture to Victor beside me, “we may have a chance to win this war yet. Have you any words, Victor?”
“Yes. Prepare for the best and expect the worst,” he replies.
He’s already been briefed to tell the pack of our new plan. They are expecting a strike on Torrine. There was no time to tell them the change between Victor needing his rest and myself, too. So today, we shift the dynamic.
“I came to your alpha last night, long after many of you had spent your nights with your families, in bed and resting for today’s battle. We’re not striking Torrine today. That would be foolish…” The crowd grows restless by this statement. “Relax. Relax. You’re all still going to go fight, just not where you thought you were. We strike the outskirts. Destroying their defenses by destroying their resting grounds. I don’t know your pack formations, so Romulus will talk about that, but I will need a small group of my own. We are going to destroy tunnels. The pathways leading to and from the resting grounds to Torrine will be obliterated. I’ve done my research. They are extensive. Those who pretend to be brave but are truly terrified of death, come with me. You’ll be safe.”
The way he phrased it was surprising, but still, a group of no more than ten rose and walked to the side. Victor turns to me and nods. “I don’t think I’ll need more than them. The rest is yours. I do have one more thing to tell you about.” He takes a piece of paper out of his pocket. “It’s not only one area connecting to Torrine. We’ve got four massive resting grounds connected as well as a small tunnel leading directly to the Veil.”
I nod, looking at the crudely drawn map. Analyzing it.
“You fight. Send small groups around. Let the war be fought on multiple fronts, and we destroy all the tunnels. Leave the Veil one hiding hole less and leave the castle abandoned. What do you say?”
I think about it for a moment. This shift is going to be hard to coordinate as we have planned our various strikes on Torrine for weeks but it comes to me quickly. The plan.
“Alpha is staying with me. We strike here.” The resting ground Victor and I spoke about the night before.
“Bravo will move north to strike the second. Charlie, northeast for the third, and our splinter groups will come together for this battle to fight as Delta on the western front. According to Victor, they will have divided their troops up unevenly. Sirelings will take the place of guards in the resting grounds we attack, leaving them helpless. This is where our victory comes in.”
“Yes,” Victor chimes in, “the only thing you cannot do is strike before we’ve detonated our tunnels. We will destroy the pathways, and when there is no one to come to their rescues, you will go in. It’s going to be early morning and clear skies all day. We will be back in time for your evening sitcoms and maybe even a late lunch.”
“Then so be it. Where do we wait?” I ask him. After all, this is Victor’s plan. I am merely providing him the forces to take place.
“At dawn, the moment the sun breaks, send a small group out to Torrine. They will act as scouts, making the vampires believe we are planning our attack. We don’t want them wising up until it’s too late. Then, when the scouts have secured the vampires belief that we are coming for them, then we are going to blow the charges. Mid-morning, maybe nine. You’ll be waiting around the resting grounds. They won’t know you’re there. They’re not good enough to spot those kinds of things. So once the bombs go, you fight. Nice and simple. Just be sure to be ready. They will be on high alert. So, if you’re in there before they become aware, they won’t have a chance to challenge you. Once we’re done, these men can return to the safety of the camp where they would prefer being, and I will come to fight at your side. Got it? Good. Now, let’s get moving. You boys, come here. You’ve each got a tunnel to shatter, so we have to go over all of that.”
I leave them to their discussion over the tunnels.
I go to my private quarters and begin preparing for the battle ahead. It’s going to be a hard one, no matter what happens, but I do believe he may be right. Unless he’s playing some form of a long game, there’s nothing to stop us now.
Victory will be ours.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Victor
The messages have been given and the battle commences. From what I’ve gathered, the wolves that were meant to act as ‘clumsy scouts’ have been deployed. My ten-man group is briefed on our side of the plan, and it’s all good to go. Or at least, that’s how I feel.
“Are you sure you want to do this, sir? This is not your battle.”
“It may not be my battle, Robert, but it is a good way to make some friends in a world I don’t quite know anything about. Nor do you. Still dressed in butler garbs from two hundred years ago. You’re basically just a modern-day slave and don’t know what to do with yourself, so you stick to it.”
Robert chuckles. He knows that in my seriousness there is jest. I don’t keep him as a slave, nor does he see himself as one. However, he still does the grunt work that I choose not to concern myself with, and that has not changed in hundreds of years.
So, I tease and make my jokes, but he doesn’t realize how close to the truth I truly am.
“I have found that all the tunnels are not connected to any main roads or important landmarks. That benefits us greatly. Two are in one field. The third, where I plan to strike, is in a woodland-ish area. I do believe that’s the one connecting the Veil. What do you think they will do when they realize that there is no hope for them? That they are going to be shattered under the weight of a might they don’t understand?”
“They will try to rebuild, sir.” His thick Scottish accent rolling his Rs.
“Do you think they will succeed?” I ask, grabbing a bag by the wall, stocked to the brim with explosives. The other packs have already been distributed between the groups.
“No, sir. I think if you continue your intervention here, they will not win. They will have to give you what you’re after.”
“Then victory will be mine.”
***
“How do you know it’s here?” a young wolf asks me. We’re standing in the very same woodland area that I spoke to Robert about a half hour before. The drive was quiet. Cold. I know that these men are cowards. I was lucky, of course. Gifted with immortality from a very young age. They have death coming for them. Fear is understandable, but for a race of warriors that believe the afterlife only bring greater gifts?
Well, there’s a little resentment toward them. Sadly, I’ve now outed them in front of their pack. They will be labeled useless among their kind. They should have considered this before they came to me. Oh well.
“They told me it was here. Your mother and father.” I look up at the young wolf who spoke. He turns white.
“How–”
“How could I know they were dead? You’re a werewolf, and you wonder how a man can communicate with the deceased? Stop thinking the world is so linear. You are the fiction others read about.”
“Well, everyone knows that creatures exist now,” another one says. He’s older. No wiser than the child. Or maybe it is wrong for me to consider the entire group that came with me cowards. Maybe they knew that not many would join this cause, and so they stood and joined the
battle. Or maybe today was just not their day. Who knows? Well, whatever it was, until they have proven themselves, they are nothing more than the cowards I make them out to be.
“Yes, quite right. Then why is it so hard to believe that I can communicate with corpses? Your mother and father are very disappointed with you by the way, young man. They asked me to express this deep disgust in person, but I don’t believe I will let them come to the foreground. You aren’t worth the time.”
Harsh? No, I don’t believe so. They deserve what they get. If not from me, it would come from someone else.
“Now, be quiet. We are above a network that the vampires walk. They may not be expecting us, but if they happen to wander below today, they will no doubt hear us.”
I check the time. Ten more minutes before I let the charges go. I sit on my haunches. I take a bag of dirt from my pocket and put it down on the ground. I take red, orange, and purple dye from another and place the three colors around the small pile of dirt in a triangle. The werewolves start to circle now, watching me as I conduct my business.
“Enva, khan moraba sondo.” I wave a hand over it all. Two red rubies and a green emerald now come to my hand. I place the red rubies over the orange and purple, with the ruby going on top of the red. “Segwan, porro sondo.” The gems begin to glow.
“Sedwar, khan segwan porro.”
The center turns into a beautiful fire. The fire itself burning red, orange, and purple. I cup the fire in my hands. Those who watch, watch in amazement since there’s no burning. This fire was not created to harm, however. Nor was it to heal. Instead, to create in itself. I close the cup. The fire roars in the hollow void between my hands. I let it go on for a short while until it is dead. I open my hands, and there it is. A purple gem in the form of an arrowhead. I pocket it. A good little time waster for now.
This arrow is not intended for use, but it will be soon. I have a feeling.
The Vampire Touch 2: Into the Uknown Page 8
