The villagers follow our troop out of the village and wave as we make our way across the field. I try to ignore the blood-stained grasses as my boots hit the ground. We walk through the night and for many more days and nights, north and then east, following our noses to the other tribes. These vampires, like the native Americans, have been pushed from their homelands. Two in three tribes wish to join our alliance, and our company grows by twenty-three by the time we reach the sea.
September comes, and the days grow shorter and nights colder. After Mabon, we head west and south around the great lakes. Over the next years, we travel across the North and South Americas visiting every tribe in the New World. On our final trek we follow the Ohio River south to the Tennessee River, cross it, hike over a mountain range, over a coastal plain, and to the Atlantic Ocean.
“I like it,” Jacob comments as we stand at the mouth of the river. It’s remote, not much travel except for trade. The natives live inland, we should settle here.”
We gather our group and mull over the choice. I like being near the sea for travel back to the Old World. Other settlers don’t have permanent residences, and we wouldn’t be taking lands from the natives. Most seem to like the temperate climate, and we agree to build dwellings and farm the land.
March 1621 – South Carolina coast
The smell of a human wafts to my nose as I slide a board through a fence post. I look down the cart path to see a tall male walking my way. With his broad shoulders, fair blue eyes, skin light as milk, Alec’s image jumps through my brain. The stranger’s dark hair reminds me of Jacob’s tribe. Fixing the other end of the slat in the next post, I wait as he approaches.
“Hello, miss.” Stopping three feet from me, he removes his hat. With a smooth forehead, I guess him to be not more than twenty.
“Hello. Please excuse my attire. Dresses make farm work challenging.” I dust my hands on my britches and extend one to him.
“Of course.” Blood rushes to his cheeks. He rubs his hand down his pants and offers it to me. “I’m Emmett. My family wishes to settle here, and my father sent me to invite the landowners to supper. He doesn’t want to make ill neighbors, so he thought it best to meet.”
“I’m Anne. That’s very kind of you.” My brain jumps around as I think up a story. “My family owns the land. My brothers and I are waiting for our parents to join us from Europe.”
“Well, here then.” With a shaking hand and widening eyes, he holds out an envelope.
Sensing a vampire approaching, I turn to see Will loping towards us. “Here’s my brother.”
When I look back at the boy, his face has gone ashen. Weight shifting from foot to foot, he takes a step back as Will reaches us.
“Emmett, did you say? It’s good to meet you.” Will extends his hand.
Taking a deep breath, Emmett shakes hands with Will. “My father would like to invite you to dinner at the inn tonight.” Emmett holds out the envelope again.
I take the card. “Thank you. We would like to meet your family. Right, Will?” I look to my comrade. “His family is thinking to settle near here.”
“Is that right?” Will stuffs his hands in his pockets and rolls on his heels. “Wild country these parts.” Will licks his lips. “Good hunting though.”
“I’ll see you at six then?” Emmett replaces his hat and dips his head.
“We have another brother, Jacob, who will join us,” Will adds.
“Of course.” Emmett backs away. “I’ll let father know.”
“And his wife, Mambi.” Will matches Emmett’s steps as he retreats.
“Oh, okay.” Emmett’s eyes cut to me and back to Will. “We will expect four then.” He trips over his own boot as he starts to jog away. “Sorry, but I must go now. They’re waiting for me to return. My journey has taken longer than we thought already.”
He lifts the hat from his head again and replaces it, breaking into a full-out run. I slap Will on the arm. “You nearly scared him to death, licking your lips, how hard did you squeeze his hand? Did you need to be so aggressive? And couldn’t you have put on a shirt?”
“You weren’t complaining about my chest that night in the Dakotas.”
“You were to never speak of that again,” I whisper, my eyes scanning the meadow to make sure no one else is in ear shot.
“Well, what was that you did? Make up a story about me being your brother?”
“You added Jacob and Mambi!” I press my finger into his breast bone.
“You just can’t stop touching me, can you?” The sides of his lips turn up.
“Why are you making fun of me?”
“Come on. Don’t tell me you didn’t think it too? How luscious his blood would taste? I thought the part about the wild country and hunting was a good touch. We don’t want people too close. We’ve nearly a hundred vampires living on the property. Someone is likely to be eaten.”
“We knew we’d have to have a story sooner or later. Let’s warn Jacob and Mambi. They’ll need to clean up too.” I point at the house, and we start to jog towards it.
Opening the envelope, I read the invitation to dine at the inn that evening signed by Mary and Eugene Schmidt.
“Why didn’t you make us married?” Will asks once I’ve finished reading the letter.
“Because we look too young to be landowners already. I figured this would give us a few years before we had to move.”
He climbs the porch steps and opens the door for me. “What do you think they’ll think of Mambi?”
“I guess we shall see.”
Jacob and I instruct Mambi and Will as to European societal manners through the afternoon. That evening, it takes a lot of coaxing, but the horses finally settle into a rhythm. I’ve been working with them for months, and while they trust me, they’re still skittish with the others.
“I don’t see why we can’t just run or walk to the harbor like usual,” Will complains as we reach the harbor village. “It’s a whole lot of trouble for nothing.”
“Are you happy here, brother? I saw you eyeing that redhead from Ireland.” Jacob slaps Will on the back and offers a hand to Mambi.
“We need last names,” I whisper to them as we approach the inn.
“Scott’s good enough for me. How about you, Will?” Jacob asks.
“Good as any. Not sure we look very Scottish, but if Anne is Queen, it might as well be.”
“Shh, none of that here. Let’s get our story straight. I’m your annoying younger sister. Jacob, you’re the oldest, and Will is the middle.”
“Why do I have to be the middle?” Will kicks the dirt.
“When did you become such a complainer?” Mambi whisks around him as Jacob escorts her to the front of our group.
“Stop feuding,” I demand as we approach the inn.
“Isn’t that what brothers do?” Will takes the steps two at a time up the porch stairs. Lifting my skirt, I follow.
“You must be our guests.” An older gentleman with a woman on his arm approaches with Emmett trailing them.
Will pushes ahead of Jacob. “Eugene and Mary Schmidt, I presume.”
Mary clinches his arm, and Eugene hesitates. “Yes, Eugene Schmidt.” He offers his hand to Will.
Mary blinks. “I’m sorry. Where are my manners? Emmett said you were tall, but I hadn’t expected how tall. And aren’t you just cute as a button.” Mary grabs my hands and kisses my cheek. “Poor thing baking in the sun.” She steps back. “Your hands are like hot coals even through my gloves.”
“Yes, it was warm. I forgot my parasol.” I wriggle out of her grip.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your names.” Eugene’s eyes cut between Will and me.
Everyone is introduced. Eugene inquires to Jacob about the land, and Mary pats her husband’s arm. “Let’s not talk about business now. It will ruin dinner. Mambi, what a wonderful name.” Mary takes Mambi’s hand in hers. “How long have you been married?”
“Just weeks actually.” Jacob wraps his ar
m around Mambi’s waist and kisses her. “Sorry I was not at the road to meet Emmett earlier. I’m glad he met up with my younger brother and sister. The others on the property don’t all speak English. I hope in the future you will send word that you’re visiting.”
Eugene shivers and rights his shoulders. “Of course. We’re sorry to have offended.”
“No offense, just wouldn’t want there to be any misunderstanding.”
“We should sit down for dinner.” Mary motions to the door. “Some drinks would be nice. It’s such a warm night.”
Eugene scrambles to the door and holds it open for us. I trail behind Mambi, Jacob, and Will, with Emmett on my heels. As we enter the room grows quiet. The smell of cooking meat and humans hangs heavy in the air, and I swallow to reset my senses. Most of the eyes in the room follow Will. His size draws attention, and I can sense the zing of apprehension in the air. I wonder what the humans register. I imagine they struggle to make logic of their anxiety and see shoulders relax as they determine the fear is irrational. It’s sad how wrong they are. But this represents how our species will survive, and I smile despite the intensity of the situation.
“So, you have workers on your property?” Eugene pulls out a chair at a large round table for his wife.
“Not workers per se. It’s more of a communal property. We share the land.” Jacob holds a chair out for Mambi. “How many of us are there now, Anne? Almost a hundred?”
“A hundred?” Eugene’s eyes grow wide.
“Miss?” Emmett lifts the chair beside his mother.
“Thank you.” I take the seat, hoping Will swoops in to take the one beside me.
Emmett sits down in it before I can move the napkin to my lap. “How’s your fence coming along?”
“Well, thank you.” I force a smile with my answer. I’m not thrilled with being flanked by the humans and catch Will’s eye as he sits down on the other side of Emmett.
Emmett inches his chair closer to mine. “Your brother is very large,” he whispers. “I’m surprised you’re so petite.”
“My mother is small.”
“You three seem quite young to be on your own. Where are you parents?” Eugene inquires as the waiter arrives with a water pitcher.
Jacob explains that our father is ill and our mother is caring for him.
“You must be so lonely without your mother, dear.” Mary places her hand atop mine. As soon as her skin touches mine, she forces a smile and slides it away.
“You get used to Anne’s hot skin after a while. Too bad she’s also hot-headed.” Will lifts a piece of fruit from the table and pops it in his mouth.
“I’m sure that’s not the case.” Mary chuckles. “How old are you, dear?”
“Seventeen, ma’am.”
“Oh, Emmett is seventeen.” Mary extends her hand as if she’s going to touch me again but withdraws it, letting it rest on the tablecloth. “You two may get on quite well.”
“Mary.” Eugene clears his throat and looks down his nose at her.
The meal is beef and potatoes. With the meat cooked all the way through, I’d rather be eating a shoe bottom but down a few bites each of the meat and vegetables. The wine, however, tastes of berry and oak, and my glass is empty before I realize it.
The men decide to meet the next day to walk our property boundaries and mark the Schmidt’s new tract. As dessert is served, Mambi, Jacob, Will, and I look between each other. Berries lie cooked in a pastry and, by the smell, are drenched in sugar. While humans fare well with such treats, vampires do not.
“How amazing does this look?” Mary leans into the dish. She lifts the serving spoon and asks us to pass our plates for a helping.
“I’m sorry. We don’t mean to be rude, but we don’t allow ourselves to eat desserts such as these.” Jacob holds his hand over his plate.
“Puritans, I take it?” Eugene looks down his nose at us. “I wouldn’t have guessed by your dress.”
“Naturalists. We try to keep our bodies free of refined or processed foods.”
“But you’re Christian, right? We’re Protestants and hope to start a church.” Mary’s eyes grow large.
“Of course,” Jacob supplies. “A church is not something we had thought of yet. It’s been a lot of work to build structures and plow fields, and we have only been here six months.”
“Six months? You must work fast. Emmett says there are several buildings on the property.”
“Yes, well, remember we have over one hundred able bodies.”
“I can’t imagine.” Mary lifts a spoonful of the pie to her husband’s plate.
Eugene and Mary start to eat their pie, but Emmett chooses against having the dessert.
“This is impolite,” Mary exclaims after a couple of bites.
“No, no, please, you have arranged such a beautiful meal, please enjoy.” I motion to their dishes.
“You’re so sweet and beautiful.” Mary places a hand on my bare shoulder. “And oh, so warm. I don’t think I’ll get used to that.”
I wonder if she’ll always feel the need to touch me and if I should state a boundary now. Not wanting to be rude, I hold my tongue.
When they’re finished with the dessert, we move to the porch. I’m not used to being stationary for so long, and walking feels good, even if it’s at the slow pace of humans. We practiced half the afternoon to make sure our movements would look natural. Of course, with only vampires to judge, the only test could be the dinner with our new neighbors.
The men discuss the details for the next day, and Mary pulls Mambi and me aside. “I hope we’ll be wonderful friends. It gets quite lonely without women to talk to.”
“Of course.” I force a sweet smile, remembering the sewing sessions from my childhood and praying she doesn’t intend for us to have knitting parties.
I feel a stare and lift my gaze to see Emmett’s eyes fixed on me. His face turns red, and he refocuses on Eugene. Mambi and I bid good night to Mary and walk towards our carriage.
“I think Emmett may be sweet on you,” Mambi whispers.
“That’s only one of a series of problems I see with humans living so close to us.”
“I’m not sure there’s any way to keep them from settling there.”
“I’m sure Jacob and Will have already thought of several.” My mind jumps to any number of scare tactics they could use to make the property seem uninhabitable, drained carcasses, animals torn to shreds, pagan symbols.
We bid good night to the Schmidts and climb onto our cart. On the ride, we discuss options. Wanting to fit in, acquiesce into society, we decide to seem as human as possible.
“You can’t let them touch you again.” Will points a finger at me as we enter our home. “Mary seems to have a soft spot for you.”
“She’s already trying to mate her son to Anne. What do we do about that?” Jacob paces to the window.
“We tell them the truth. My betrothed died in the old country, and I’m not ready to court again. Jacob, you have to take lead on that as my supposed older brother and head of the household while our parents are away.”
“What happens when they never come?” Will asks.
“Elizabeth may come at some point. She can pose as our mother. And we say father died,” I supply.
“What happens when people notice we’re not aging?”
“We move.” Will shrugs.
Nervous, I pat my leg and pace the room. “We’re endangering anyone in the vicinity. We could be targeted at any time.”
“We have our scouts. We’ll be prepared. We won’t have a battle at our doorsteps.” Jacob takes Mambi’s hand.
“It may be harder to convince the hundred others we share the land with that human neighbors are a good idea.” Will steps out the door. He sounds our high-pitched gathering call, and I hear a bobcat call in the distance.
Our comrades crowd into the great room until we are shoulder to shoulder. I jump to the hall table to make the announcement. Rumbling breaks out, and I call
for quiet. Hearing all the concerns, we put it to a vote. In the end, most decide they like our home. The stragglers that prefer living outside of society volunteer for scouting positions.
“It’s decided then,” Will raises his voice. “Jacob and I will meet with the Schmidts tomorrow to walk the land, while Anne gives instruction on how to appear human.”
I imagine Will and Jacob being their most intimidatingly brutish selves. “I don’t believe that is wise. I’m coming.”
“Trudging around in the forest is not appropriate for a woman. A lady’s place is at home, teaching the children.” A smile spreads across Will’s face.
A huge laugh goes up, and someone starts an Irish tune on the piano. “May I, my lady?” Will holds out his hand to me.
“Fine, but no more talk of a woman’s place.”
“I promise, Queen.” He winks and whisks me across the floor.
We dance until the wee hours of the night and then break into smaller groups for hunting. Before dawn, I catch a few hours of rest and then rise to dress before the Emmett and Eugene Schmidt arrive. After some brief pleasantries, Emmett, Eugene, Jacob, and Will board one of our carts for a tour of the land. They return well before sunset and Emmett and Eugene take their leave.
Jacob and Will report they agreed on boundaries for buffer forest, planting, and positioning of buildings. The next day we wake to the sound of carts bumping along the road. I dress and use my horse to ride to the edge of our property. Three wagons bounce along the hard sandy ruts, two holding men, and the last supplies.
“Good morning.” Eugene stops his rig beside me and tips his hat.
“Are you building already?” I ask.
“Yes, the workers’ quarters first and then the main house. It should be finished within a month. Emmett and I will be sleeping here and Mary at the inn until building is complete. She would love some company when you go in for provisions.”
“Your workers will live on the property?”
“Yes, they all have references from friends in Europe. You have nothing to fear from them.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. I’m glad you’re here with hired workers instead of another with other ideas of laborers.”
The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set Page 89
