The Vampires of Soldiers Cove: Sacrificial Children

by Jessica MacIntyre

  “Far away? How far?”

  “Relax, Gavin,” Holly said. “He didn’t say he thought she was far away, just that if that were the case he might not be able to reach her.”

  “What do we do? I don’t even know where to begin and Jade will be home in a few hours. What if she’s in danger too?”

  “I’m sure she’s not, but call the school just to make sure everything is ok, then we’ll pack up her and Ruby and get Mom and Dad to take them somewhere safe.”

  Gavin calmed a little when Holly suggested that. A moment later he was on the line to the school. Jade was indeed there and safe for the moment anyhow. After he got off the phone Holly picked up the landline in the kitchen and began to dial.

  “Who are you calling?” Gavin asked.

  “Maybe if neither one of you can get in touch with her mentally perhaps Alex can.”

  “Alex?” Alex hadn’t spoken to Rachel in years. He stayed at home with his parents and in fact, barely left his room other than to feed on donors his parents would bring. After having lost Leiv the blood den in Sydney was no longer an option for him. Instead of healing he seemed to grow more lost and alone with each passing year. Every day filling him with more and more hatred and emptiness.

  “Do you think he’ll do it?” Gavin asked.

  Holly continued to dial and then waited for someone to pick up on the other end. “It can’t hurt to ask.”

  ***

  After much coaxing and back and forth with John, Alex finally agreed to reach out in an attempt to find Rachel. Now John had the girls and was on his way with them to get them to a safe spot, and Alex was sitting on the couch about to try, albeit reluctantly. Gavin got the impression that if Rachel never came back it wouldn’t bother Alex in the least.

  “Thank you for doing this,” Gavin said. “I know you and Rachel are not on the best of terms given everything that’s happened, but Jade needs her mother.”

  His look softened at the mention of Jade and he nodded. Without any more hesitation, Alex folded his hands on his lap and let his head fall forward with eyes closed.

  Gavin watched as Alex’s eyes rolled back and forth under their lids, just as Duncan’s had, and he had to work hard to control his breathing. This was his last chance, telepathically at least, to find her. If Alex couldn’t get anything the hunt would be on. There were no clues as to where to even begin.

  Alex gasped and shuddered like he had suddenly been hit by an icy winter breeze. This was it. Alex had her he knew it. For a brief moment Gavin dared to hope that he would lead them to her and that everything would be ok, then he opened his eyes, looked at Gavin sadly and shook his head, ‘no’.

  “Nothing?”

  Alex shook his head again and broke eye contact, staring out the window with his arms hugging his shoulders. “It’s ok,” Duncan said, patting him on the shoulder. “It’s not your fault. At least you tried.”

  Tears came to Alex’s eyes for a moment and then it all became too much. He rose and with his vampire speed shot out the door as fast as he could. Gavin, Duncan and Holly watched out the window as the trees whooshed by. He was taking the path through the woods back to their parents’ house.

  Gavin sighed in frustration. “I could have sworn he was going to say that he had her.”

  “Me too,” Holly offered. “Perhaps he came close but didn’t quite get there. That might be what has him so upset.”

  Gavin shook his head in agreement, but Duncan continued to stare out the window, a look of confusion on his face. “We have to call a meeting,” he said finally.

  “A meeting? Now? Rachel is missing. We have to look for her.”

  “I know,” Duncan said. “And we won’t be able to find her without the support of the entire clan. We have to talk to everyone. We may even be forced to wake the hunters.”

  “We can’t do that without Rachel’s say so. She’s the leader here.”

  “Yes, but you’re her right hand. If she’s missing the clan will have to get behind you. You’re in charge for the time being.”

  Gavin laughed. “In charge? I don’t want to be in charge. I refuse. I want to look for my wife and I want to start right now.”

  Gavin stood and headed for the door but Duncan beat him to it, taking him by the shoulders and speaking to him sternly. “I’m afraid you’ve got no choice. Now I suggest you screw up your courage and get hold of yourself. This whole process will go a lot smoother if everyone is involved.”

  Reluctantly Gavin pushed past Duncan and picked up the phone and began to make calls.

  ***

  Once again the crowd had gathered. People were robed and speaking in hushed tones as if they knew what bad news was coming. Everyone gathered as closely to the lectern as possible as if knowing some great secret was about to be revealed as they whispered to one another.

  Gavin felt as though he was going to be sick. “What am I supposed to tell everyone?”

  “The truth,” Duncan said, pushing him toward the crowd.

  The truth. The truth was that Rachel was gone and that he had no clue as to where to find her. Nervously he cleared his throat and without any preamble said, “Rachel is missing.”

  Silence. His mind was so riddled with panic and confusion that he scarcely knew what to follow up with. Then, before he could add anything else, something flashed before his eyes. A room, dark and musty with a dirt floor, no windows and a pair of hands with a familiar looking engagement and wedding ring sitting upon them. It was just a flash but enough to let him know that she was alive and somewhere nearby. Where he couldn’t pinpoint, but she was alive!

  Duncan crept up behind him and whispered in his ear. “What is it?”

  “She’s alive. She tried to show me where she was. I have to go. You have to do this. You’re in charge now. I have to find Rachel.”

  Before anyone could stop him he busted through the large double doors of the meeting room and was soon out in the open air, getting ready to exit the sanctuary grounds. On the way out he thought perhaps he’d heard Holly calling his name, pleading with him to wait, but it didn’t matter. Now that he knew she was somewhere near and seemingly trapped he was determined to find her. The trouble was he didn’t recognize the place and had no idea where to start.

  His head spun and the sudden vertigo was so intense that he was forced to sit down. With nowhere to go and nobody to turn to he considered going back inside. He’d perhaps made a fool of himself, but it was the least of his worries.

  Then something sparked in the back of his mind. He heard Rachel’s voice and a name. A name they’d not spoken in years and one Gavin had hoped he’d never hear again. “Aries,” she said.

  The connection ended as suddenly as it began and try as he might was wasn’t able to find her again. It was enough though because he knew what she was asking him to do. She wanted him to find Aries, and to get Aries to help find her. Gavin rose to his feet determined to carry out her plan. It was going to be difficult seeing as how Aries had been unseen for the last year, but he knew the creature was still in Soldiers Cove. He had to be. Satyrs never wandered far from home. Aries and his small band would want to stay where they felt safe and familiar. No doubt he was in hiding, afraid for his life as he should be, but that had to be put aside, once again. This was becoming a pattern and although it had been years since he’d seen him, Gavin was as sick of it now as he’d ever been. But perhaps – he thought – this might also be his chance. His golden opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Once Rachel had been found, his time to kill Aries, perhaps, would have come.

  Chapter Two

  As he walked his anger and panic had gotten the better of him and he realized he needed to calm down. Projecting his mood onto the situation would do him no good and if he did find Aries, he needed to be able to reason with him, calmly, and convince him he had no intention on hurting him. He just needed his help to find Rachel.

  After walking for a good hour or so, Gavin became discouraged and sat down on a large
boulder, his head in his hands. Once again he reached out mentally to Rachel but got nothing, not even a flash. If only he could speak to her telepathically, perhaps he could deduce where she was, but that wasn’t to be. He lifted his head again prepared to walk on but just before he could a small rustling came from just in front of him.

  Gavin hit the ground and flattened himself out as quickly and quietly as he could so as to see what was going on. Out in the woods of Soldiers Cove it was most likely an animal of some sort. The noise was too big to be a rabbit moving around so it was most likely a deer or coyote, or even a bob cat. Gavin hadn’t seen one of those in a while. Lifting his head just a little to peer through the grass he saw a hoof attached to a large muscular leg.

  Gotcha!

  There was no doubt that the appendage belonged to a satyr and he followed the line of the leg up to the waist, then the chest and finally the head to see which of them he might be looking at. Hopefully it would be Aries. No such luck though. The face of this satyr was much younger than the one he had expected to see.

  His long dark, curly hair flowed down almost to the center of his back and even though he was looking at him in profile, the creature had the same dark eyes he’d looked into a thousand times. His mother’s eyes.

  Ryan.

  Gavin felt the shock to his system as he looked at his full grown son, the first time seeing him since his transformation. He looked so strange, so foreign, and yet so much the same. The little boy he had loved, played with and protected was right there underneath the proud exterior of this tall, handsome creature.

  Before he had any more time to process the fact that Ryan was standing right in front of him Ryan took off running and without thinking, Gavin followed.

  He certainly didn’t have the speed of a vampire but satyrs could run at a good clip. At least double the speed of the fastest clocked human and Gavin kept up, impressed by the boy’s stamina.

  Suddenly he stopped and turned around taking Gavin by surprise and halting just before he would have run into him.

  With a deep manly voice Gavin had never heard before Ryan spoke up. Authoritative as it was he sensed a twinge of fear and uncertainty underneath.

  “Who are you? Why are you following me?” he demanded.

  The first question hurt, but there wasn’t time to focus on that. Gavin pushed his disappointment down and spread his hands wide in a gesture of submission.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, swallowing hard. The first words he’d spoken to his son in a year. “I didn’t mean to harm or threaten you. I’m hoping you can help me.”

  Ryan gave a quizzical look. “Help you?”

  “Yes. I need to speak to your leader, to Aries.”

  “My father? To what end?”

  It took Gavin a moment to get around the fact that he now thought of that no good rapist as his father. “Yes,” he said.

  “So why follow me? Why not just ask? Do you mean to harm him?”

  Now was the time to lie. “Certainly not,” he said. “I was just hoping you would lead me to him so I wouldn’t have to burden you with asking.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  Ryan was as sharp as ever. “I know, but, I’m in a bit of a hurry so…”

  “What are you?”

  “What?”

  “You heard me,” Ryan said, taking a step closer. “What manner of creature are you. You’re not a human, you’re too fast.”

  Gavin let his fangs run out and Ryan backed up again. “Don’t be frightened. Hurting you is the last thing I’d ever want to do. I’m a vampire.”

  “Vampire… I’ve heard tell of you, but never have I met one.”

  It was strange to hear him say that, particularly since pretty much everyone in his early life who had raised and loved him was a vampire. “You have nothing to fear from me,” he said, putting his fangs away as quickly as he’d let them run out. “I simply need a few words with your father.”

  “I’m not supposed to lead anyone to our camp.”

  Gavin gave his most disarming smile. “I know, but your father knows me and when he finds out why I want to see him he’ll thank you for bringing me to him.”

  Ryan’s face contorted with his internal confliction. “I don’t know…”

  “Please. I promise you won’t get in trouble.”

  Ryan thought about it for a few moments more. “All right,” he said. “I don’t know why but there’s something about you that I trust.”

  Gavin’s heart leapt. Perhaps somewhere buried very deep down some of the love he’d given his son had stayed with him. “Yes. You can trust me,” he said once again.

  “Fine.” He turned and crouched low, preparing to run. “Keep up then. I’ll show you the way. What’s your name, vampire?”

  “Gavin,” he said. But you used to call me Dad.

  “Gavin,” he repeated. Ryan took off like a shot and Gavin kept up to him with ease, the two of them running through the woods, Ryan playfully dodging stones and jumping logs as he went. Smiling he couldn’t help but remember all of the times he had brought Ryan out into these woods to play and commune with nature. A million memories from the past raced through his mind making him unhappy and joyful all at once.

  They ran until Gavin spotted a clearing with the familiar little huts satyrs used for shelter. Tall narrow structures that looked almost like teepees. When the group heard their footsteps each of them emerged from the shelters one by one to see what was going on. Gavin’s eyes darted around until he saw the one he was looking for.

  “Father,” Ryan said. “This is…”

  “Gavin,” Aries said, cutting him off.

  “That’s right. He said you knew him. He said he needed to come here to see you, but wouldn’t tell me why.”

  “It’s all right,” he said, gesturing for Ryan to move behind him, which he did with a nod of respect and obedience. “I know why he’s here. He’s here to kill me.”

  Chapter Three

  Fear shone on Ryan’s face. “What? No.” Ryan stepped in front of his father protectively. “You tricked me.”

  “I didn’t trick you,” Gavin said as Aries put Ryan behind him gently once again. “I just need to talk to him, I swear.”

  “There could only be one reason we would have to talk, Gavin. And I see she isn’t with you.”

  Gavin lowered his head. As much as it killed him he would have to humble himself before the giant if he wanted to plead his case. “No, she’s not,” he said. “That’s the problem. I’m desperate. Rachel has been taken and nobody knows where. We have no communication with her except for one snippet where she transmitted your name, then I lost her again and haven’t been able to pick up on her since.”

  “And you want me to help you find her. How do I know you don’t have her hidden away somewhere yourself so you can use that as an excuse to kill me. After all that is what you promised.”

  “Aries I think we both know that if I wanted to kill you I wouldn’t have to make an excuse. I’ve left you alone all this time and only now am I coming to you for help. We have no idea where she is or who could have taken her. She has many enemies, you know that.”

  “Sadly I do. But I have to tell you Gavin, my connection to her is not as it used to be.”

  Gavin grew fearful. That certainly wasn’t the answer he was expecting. “What? Why not?”

  “Because, the boy is grown, has been for some time. I didn’t need to keep tabs on her after that. Trust me it’s not that I didn’t want to.”

  “Father, what are you talking about? Who is Rachel?”

  Aries took a deep breath and gave Gavin a cold hard stare before turning back to his son. “Remember I told you of your mother? I’m afraid this skinny vampire is her mate.”

  Gavin had never considered himself skinny, but let the insult go. Now was no time for a pissing contest. “And before you came here to be with your father you lived with her…and me, in our home…Ryan.”

  “That is a name he does not know.
He goes only by his satyr name.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Heras

  “Ah.”

  “Father, we’re going to help him of course. Aren’t we?”

  Aries paused, thoughtful. “Heras, I carry a great love in my heart for your mother, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her, but that’s no guarantee I’ll be able to help.”

  Ryan’s voice filled with panic now. “I want to see her. I want to see my mother!”

  “Calm down, boy. Know your place.”

  Ryan obediently backed up a few steps but kept his fists curled at his side as if he might explode at any moment. It was then that Gavin knew he had him. Aries was going to help. Not that it ever crossed his mind that he wouldn’t.

  “Fine,” he relented. “I’ll go looking, but I’m going alone.”

  “No, I’m coming with you,” Gavin said.

  “As am I,” Ryan said.

  Aries turned to Ryan. “As the vampire said. Rachel has many enemies. Your mother is a strong but polarizing leader. She rose to power doing things that she perhaps should not have done. You could get killed and I won’t have that.”

  “Aren’t I old enough to decide what risks I take with my life?”

  One of the old ones spoke up. “Pardon, Aries. The boy is right. Most of us were his age or less when we first met with danger. The boy has to face some kind of trial sooner or later and it’s been very quiet for the last few years. Let him go.”

  Gavin felt the protective mode for Ryan he’d not felt in a long time. “Maybe you should stay here.”

  Aries thought for a moment. “No. The old one is right. He’s ready and needs this challenge.”

  “Fine, but at the first sign of danger he gets behind us. I won’t have him hurt over this and it’s not what Rachel would want either.”