by Noah
They all lifted their goblets, reached forward and clicked them together. Caitlin leaned back and, finally, drank.
It was the best blood she’d ever had. She drank the entire goblet without stopping, and with every sip, she felt every ounce of her being restored. By the time she set it down, she felt like a new person.
Caitlin watched as the servants placed delicately cut strips of meat before Lily, and she remembered that, of course, Lily was human. It felt so natural having her around, Caitlin had momentarily forgotten that she was not one of hers. Lily, sitting with a perfectly straight back, ever poised, reached out and gently took her knife and fork, cut it into small pieces, and chewed. It was like watching royalty. Caitlin was amazed at how refined Lily was.
Scarlet’s laughter filled the table, giving it a festive feel, as she snuck Ruth piece after piece of food off the table. Caitlin felt her heart warm at the sight, so happy to see Scarlet so well cared for here, and that Ruth was equally happy. Caitlin sat there, looking at Caleb, Sam, Polly and Lily, everyone smiling and chatting and happy, and felt so grateful. Finally, they were all together. She was with Caleb, she was with Sam, she was with Poly and Lily. They were all in this beautiful place, having this amazing meal. Finally, she felt as if there were peace and serenity in her life. It felt so good, and she wished she could freeze this moment forever.
But the letter gnawed away at her. Once her dad's voice got in her head, she found it impossible to get it out. The phrases turned in her mind, over and over again. The mount of judgment? Where could that be? Why were she and Sam being given two different paths? Would they both lead to the same place? Or would their separate journeys tear them apart forever?
And what would happen if she actually found this mount of judgment? Would her father be there? Or would she have to go back in time, yet again?
She found it hard to rest until she knew the answers to all these questions.
Caitlin needed clarity. Seeing how happy and content Scarlet and everyone else was, she slowly stood.
Everyone looked at her. "Please excuse me for a few moments," Caitlin said.
A servant hurried over and pulled back her chair.
"Of course," Lily said, "it's been a long day. The servants will show you to your room.” Caitlin leaned over and kissed Scarlet on the head, and leaned in and kissed Caleb on the lips.
Then she walked out of the room, following a servant. She felt a bit bad leaving everyone there, but they all seemed content and happy, and she needed just a few minutes to herself, to get her mind clear. She found it hard to think with everyone there.
Caitlin was shown to a magnificent room, enormous, at least fifty feet in every direction, and shaped in a semi-circle, with an entire wall of glass, looking out over the grounds of Windsor Castle.
It was an exquisite room, an architectural masterpiece, with moldings all over the walls and ceilings, huge rugs laid out in every direction, antique couches and chairs and bureaus and dressers, and a huge four-poster bed in the corner. It lifted Caitlin's spirits to be here, although at the same time, she sensed that she wouldn't be here long, that her journey would lead her elsewhere.
She walked over to the window and looked out, at the last fading light of the day. Where was it that her father meant for her to go? Would there ever be an end to this mission, to these clues?
Would she see Sam again, after their journeys took them in different directions? She knew that Caleb would accompany her. But what about Polly? Would she go with her, or with Sam?
And what about Scarlet? Already, Caitlin felt as if she were part of her family. She could not see herself ever abandoning her. But what would that mean for the future? Would she bring Scarlet on this mission everywhere? Would that be too dangerous for her?
Caitlin spotted a small writing desk in the corner, and sat before it. She reached back, deep into one of her pant pockets, and extracted her journal. She had been carrying it all along, and it felt good to take it out and hold it.
She turned back page after page, and saw the journal was getting thicker, more used up, weather-worn. It was truly becoming an old, trusted friend.
Finally, she found an empty page, grabbed the quill off the tabletop, blotted it, and settled in to write.
What is my destiny? When am I meant to find my father? Who is he? Does he really love me? Why was I chosen for this mission? Why is it that I'm so special? And how is my mission different from Sam's?
And what will happen when I find the shield? Will all of this be over? What does that mean? Will I ever return to a normal life? When and where? Will Caleb be in it?
Caitlin stared at her entry. It surprised her. It was not her typical journal entry. She wasn't summarizing, like she usually did. She didn't feel the need to anymore. Now she felt the need to question. To question the very deepest essence of who she was. She lifted the quill again: Should I forget the mission? Should I just stay here, forget the clues, live here happy, safe, and secure? Or should I go out there again, back on the trail and part from Sam? Is there more security in staying here? Or more security in fulfilling my mission?
"Look!" came an excited voice.
Caitlin spun around, snapped out of her reverie.
There stood Scarlet, dressed in a beautiful, small silk white gown, wearing a diamond laden tiara and small diamond necklaces and diamond bracelets. She was positively beaming.
Caitlin couldn't believe the sight. She looked like a real, small princess.
"Lily gave these to me. She said I could have them. Can I? Please?” Caitlin smiled wide. She didn’t quite know what to say. "Um…if she said so, then, um…of course.”
Scarlet smiled wider than Caitlin ever thought possible, and came running over and hugged her.
Caitlin hugged her back. It felt good to have her in her arms.
"I love it here," Scarlet said. "Can we stay forever?” Caitlin stared back, thinking how uncanny it was that Scarlet should ask the very thing that was on her mind. She could see that Scarlet was a very evolved child, and wondered just how deep her powers went.
"I would love to," Caitlin said. "But if we have to leave, we will always be able to find another place that is nice.”
Scarlet hugged Caitlin again. "I love you, mommy," she said.
Mommy.
The word rang through Caitlin like an electric shock. It was so unexpected, and yet it felt so good to hear it, and it brought up so many feelings, that Caitlin found herself bursting into tears, crying as she held Scarlet, feeling the hot tears pouring down her cheeks. She felt that she really did love Scarlet like her own child. And she couldn’t help it, but it made her think, once again, of being pregnant, and of the child she might have had with Caleb.
Scarlet pulled back and looked at her. "What's wrong mommy?"
Caitlin quickly wiped away her tears. "Nothing, sweetheart. Everything is perfect."
Ruth came running into the room, and Scarlet wheeled, bursting into laughter as she turned and played with her. The two of them ran throughout the huge room, chasing each other.
Caitlin wiped away the last of her tears, and looked out the window, at the setting sun. She knew that she had a major decision to make. And that she had to make it soon. Would she stay here forever? Or would she pursue her destiny?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kyle loved watching the night fall. This was his favorite time of day, especially as he went further back in time, as he watched all the simple human folk close up their shops, board up their shutters, scurry to their homes, as if terrified of the dark. The further back in time he went, the more afraid people seemed to be of the night.
And of course, they had reason to fear.
This was the favorite time of day for people like Kyle, and for his entire race. As dusk fell, that creepy feeling that the humans began to feel was indeed the feeling of his kind awakening. Kyle never felt so energized as he did at dusk, so ready to head out there and wreak whatever damage he could.
Kyle reached down a
nd touched the dozens of vials of plague he had stored safely in his pouch, and a reassured smile crossed his face. Standing there, in the heart of London, he looked at the bustling crowds before him, all these pathetic little humans who had no idea what was about to come, the storm that he, single-handedly, was about to bring. He felt elated, like a kid about to enter a candy shop. Everywhere, there were crowds, alleys, bars—places to spread the plague. He was so giddy, he hardly knew where to begin.
But Kyle had to control himself. He knew that if he wanted to spread this plague thoroughly and professionally, he would need to enlist not only his mercenary vampires at arms, which he already had, but also an army of critters—rats. An army of rats would be much more effective, and much faster, at spreading the plague than he ever could, and so his first task was to find and infect them.
He might also, of course, try to infect humans individually, and in large gatherings, but that would just be for fun.
Kyle practically bounced through the streets, ready to have some fun. As he saw a big fat man, swaggering with a bottle of gin in his hand, Kyle reached up and patted him hard on the back—as he did, sticking a small, infected needle into his shoulder blade.
The fat man screamed out, suddenly wide awake at the pain, but Kyle just bumped him hard and kept walking, disappearing into the crowd. Kyle smiled wide. The first infected was always such a great feeling.
Kyle saw a wild dog sniffing at a mound of garbage beneath his feet, and he dropped to one knee, suddenly grabbed the dog by its mane, and stuck a small needle right into its neck. The dog yelped, and tried to turn around to bite Kyle, but Kyle was faster. He leaned back in time and kicked it, sending it back several feet. The dog yelped again, and took off. Kyle smiled, knowing the damage it would do as it carried the plague all throughout the streets.
Kyle saw a vendor’s stand up ahead, with rows and rows of fruit spread out over it. He walked up to it and the vendor stared back cautiously, staring at all the scars on his face. Kyle discreetly spread the plague on his hands, then reached up, and ran his palms all along the fruit, in one great swipe.
"Hey, get your hands off my fruit!" the man screamed.
Kyle smiled, grabbed an apple, reached back and hurled it at the man's throat. It was a perfect strike; the man reached up with both hands and grabbed at his throat, struggling to breathe from the blow.
As Kyle preceded down the block, he watched several humans crowd around the fruit he had just infected, feeling it. He smiled wide.
Now it was time to get serious. Kyle spotted a rotting wharf in the distance. Perfect. He knew exactly what he would find beneath it. Rats.
He hurried off to the riverbank and slipped down the muddy slope, until he was in the blackness beneath the wharf. There, he saw exactly what he’d expected: dozens of rats, crawling into and out of the water, scurrying under the wharf. They turned and hissed at him, and most began to flee. He laughed at the irony: rats scared of him.
But Kyle was faster than they. He zoomed in, using his instincts, on the Queen rat, and darted at her, grabbing her hard on the neck, reaching up, and injecting her. The rat hissed, trying to bite him, but Kyle chucked it far from him. He then reached out and grabbed another rat, and another, and another. In a dizzying array of speed, he managed to prick at least a hundred rats before they could flee from his super-fast reflexes.
Kyle had emptied a good portion of his vials, and, satisfied, he hurried back up the slope, away from the water. He stood at the top and brushed himself off, and looking down, saw the rats scurrying in every direction. He watched as several of them slipped into a large boat, crowded with humans, and as several more scurried up the riverbank, into the crowded streets. He knew that his job was done—at least for now. Within hours, they would infect every corner of this city.
Now it was time to get really serious. The humans were taken care of, but he still had to get the poison, the special poison, to kill Caitlin. He had to get to the Tower of London, and free his old vampire friend, and get him to tell him where it was.
Before Kyle could set off, he suddenly heard a distant roar. He looked out, across the Thames, and saw, in the distance, a small circular stadium, lit up from the torchlight. He heard another roar, and suddenly realized what it was: a bearbaiting stadium.
Kyle was overcome with joy. It had been centuries since he’d seen bearbaiting, and he missed it dearly.
Without thinking, he leapt into the air and flew over the river Thames, heading right for the stadium. It would also, he realized, serve a double purpose: there, he could infect thousands more humans. And more importantly, he could enjoy wreaking havoc personally. He felt a craving for violence, and it was time to let it out on someone.
Kyle knew, as he flew over the bearbaiting stadium, that he should stay focused, proceed to the London Tower, break his friend out, and get the poison. But he wanted to have some fun. He still had plenty of time, and he was still way ahead of schedule. He figured he could afford a small distraction to wreak some havoc of his own.
Kyle flew over the stadium and looked down, in the torchlight, at the thousands of humans packed in below, screaming, betting, at the bear tied in the middle, being attacked on all sides by dogs. It was his kind of fun.
He dove down, right for the stadium, and landed right in the center of the pit. As he did, he grabbed a dog from behind, picked it up, spun it over his head, and hurled it right into the bleachers.
There was a look of shock and amazement among the thousands of humans who watched him land, right in the center of the stadium, who watched him seemingly drop out of the sky. They all stood, gasping, wondering what on earth he could be. Several of them crossed themselves.
Kyle grabbed more dogs, throwing each one over the bleachers; as they landed in the seats, all worked up, they began biting humans.
Next, he ran right to the bear. The bear, sensing something, recoiled, trying to get away from Kyle.
But Kyle wasn't done. He grabbed the bear’s chain and tore it off the pole. Then he picked up the chain, and swung the bear around and around. Finally, he threw it.
It landed in the bleachers. Humans shrieked, trying to run—but it was too late. The bear landed in the bleachers in a blinding rage. It swiped its paws left and right, murdering people with a single swipe. It bit, and chewed, and swiped, and trampled, killing every human in its path.
A stampede erupted, and humans trampled humans as they tried to get away. Even more people were crushed in the melee than the bear could kill. Within moments, the entire stadium was emptying out, people running in every which direction, screaming, hoping to make it out alive.
Kyle wasn’t finished. He grabbed the torches along the sides and raced through the bleachers, setting everything on fire. Then he ran outside the stadium, and quickly circled the perimeter, setting fire in all directions, and barring all the entrances.
It worked. Most humans were trapped inside, as the flames and smoke grew higher. Kyle flew up, over the edge, and hovered over the Stadium, watching as the flames grew higher, as people screamed, trapped, and as the infuriated bear tore any survivors to pieces.
Kyle couldn’t ask for a better start to his night.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Caleb flew, holding Ruth, Caitlin at his side, and Scarlet on her back. Caleb marveled at how inseparable Caitlin and Scarlet had become since they'd met. It was strange looking at them, as it seemed as if they’d always been together.
The four of them flew through the breaking sky of dawn, heading north towards his castle in Leeds. It had been a solemn departure this morning, as Caitlin and Sam had parted ways. The two had embraced, tears in their eyes, as they had each decided to go their own ways, to pursue their own clues. Caleb thought that Caitlin had made the right decision. Sam clearly needed to pursue his clue, and she needed to pursue hers.
Polly had surprised them by announcing that she was going with Sam. Sam had seemed surprised by that, too. But Polly had quickly added that it was purely for
professional reasons, that she thought, since Caitlin had Caleb, it would be better to balance out the numbers, and have her help Sam. After all, they were all searching for the same thing. Sam hadn't seemed to object. Caleb smiled as he thought of it. It seemed obvious to him that the two of them liked each other, but that they were both set on not showing it.
Caleb thought of his love for Caitlin. He flew so close to her now, the sky blending into a million colors, their wings nearly touching, and felt such love for her. Their time together had been magical. They had managed to come back together, had been together the entire time, and finally, it felt like nothing was left to stand in their way. There was no Sera, no Blake, no other obstacles. It was just the two of them.
This physical place and time wasn't as dramatic as Paris or Venice, and yet, their time together now felt more romantic to him than ever. It made him realize that true love wasn’t about where you lived. Caleb had never felt so happy, and he felt that Caitlin never had, either.
He discreetly reached to his side, and as he felt the bulge in his pocket, his heart lifted. His mother's ring. It was still there, safe and secure, and now, finally, the time felt right. They had a lull in their search. Sam knew where he was going, but Caitlin had no idea where her clue lead. Caleb didn’t either. So, since they had nowhere to go, he’d used a tiny bit of trickery, looking for an opportunity to get some time alone with Caitlin, so that he could propose. When Caitlin had decided to leave Windsor Castle and was standing there, unsure where to go, he had suggested an idea for where they might search. Trusting him, she had went along with it.
Now they flew north, to a place where Caitlin thought might lead them to a clue. But what she didn’t know was that they were actually flying to one of Caleb's castles. Leeds Castle was one of his most beautiful properties, one he had bought centuries before. He had boarded it up the last time he had been there, and hoped that it was still in good condition. He owned castles in nearly every corner of the world, but this one was his favorites. It was also his most romantic property.
