by Sophia North
"Simone?" Alessio murmured.
Simone put an arm around him for comfort. The poor vampyre didn't look capable of any more physical exertion. "It's okay, Alessio," she soothed. "We'll try again in a minute. When we both feel a bit stronger."
"No," he replied. "Someone...is coming."
Simone froze in shock. If he was right, they were done for. There was nowhere to hide. She listened carefully and sure enough she heard the tread of footsteps rushing down the stairs.
"Not...vampyres," Alessio spoke in an effort to reassure her.
"It's not?" she whispered.
Well, whoever it was, the two of them were sitting ducks. She held Alessio more closely. Was this really the end?
Simone, however, was in for a surprise. Two men suddenly appeared, and in their haste to descend the stairs they nearly tripped over her and Alessio.
It was Horatio with another man in tow. "Simone!" he cried out. "Are you...okay?"
Simone stared back in dumbfounded surprise. She couldn't help notice the look of concern on his face. He was wearing a long, dark coat from which he had pulled out a small black revolver.
"Forgive me," Horatio apologised, returning the gun to an inside pocket. "It was purely a reflex. I did not expect..."
Simone threw her arms around him. "Father," she whispered tearfully into his ear. Horatio responded by holding her more tightly.
"You don't have to call me that, not after everything I've done," he whispered back.
"I want to," Simone said softly. "And whatever happens, know I'm grateful to have finally met you. I'm sorry about running out, I should have stayed and listened to what you had to say."
"You don't have to apologise for anything. Have faith, Simone. We're going to get out of here," Horatio said, withdrawing from her embrace. "How is Alessio doing?"
Simone shook her head. "Not well, he's in a lot of pain. But how are you here?" she questioned. Grateful as she was for his presence, she wanted to know more.
"I am helping Dante defeat Haan and rescue you."
The news slammed through her. The elation she felt was almost overwhelming. "He's come for me?"
Horatio cupped her cheek. "Dante would move heaven and earth to save you - as would I."
Tears pooled in her eyes. "I wouldn't have thought he'd have much to do with you...considering who you are and what you've done."
"Good heavens, you are right about that," Horatio exclaimed. "If not for your incredibly brave and astute friend Penny, along with an ace up my sleeve, he'd have dispensed with me without a second thought."
Simone looked at him imploringly. "He didn't try to hurt you, did he? And Penny, is she safe?"
"Nothing I didn't deserve occurred between us, Simone," he quickly pointed out, alarmed to have caused her to doubt Dante's character. "And as for Penny, well her actions have earned not only my devotion but Dante's as well."
"She does have that effect on others," Simone said with a smile, relieved to hear all was well between those she cared for most. "And your ace?" she asked.
Horatio chuckled, seemingly rather pleased with himself. "It was hard for him to turn down human blood on tap for his mission. Instant healing is rather handy when facing the odds we have stacked against us."
Reminded of what was at stake, Simone cried out, "Father, Anton has set a trap. He told me about it himself. We must save Dante!"
"That's the plan," Horatio replied calmly, treating her outburst not as news, but rather as stone cold fact.
"You have a plan?" she asked.
"Wait," he ordered, putting a hand in the air and then turning to his companion, who nodded back. "I have another agent on his way down the stairs."
A few seconds later another grey-suited man appeared on the stairs.
"Jenkins," Horatio greeted. "Did you find him?"
"I think so, sir," the man replied. "He appears to be in the quarters of the Grand Elder. The door had been guarded by sentries, but with the fires getting worse, they've abandoned their posts."
"Good man. Just as I suspected, Haan is here in Lowerton," Horatio replied, turning back to Simone. "But with Anton's followers intent on turning Lowerton to ash, our options about what to do next are becoming considerably fewer."
"Yet, regardless of the risk, we must go after him now," Simone insisted, worried Horatio would want her out of Lowerton before pursuing Haan.
"Yes, we must destroy Haan immediately. It's the only way to save Dante," Horatio explained. "But I need you to promise me you won't run off again. It is imperative we stick together."
Simone nodded in agreement. "I will do whatever it takes to save Dante."
Horatio tenderly brushed her cheek. "We will save him, daughter," he said encouragingly, before turning to direct his men. "Help Alessio up the stairs. Simone and I will follow."
The two agents carried a delirious Alessio up the winding staircase to the top. As they headed down a hallway towards the plush living quarters belonging to former Council members, the smoke began to irritate Simone's eyes. It was becoming harder to breathe without coughing.
Horatio led the way with Simone in tow, while the two Ophanim agents carried Alessio at the rear. Eventually they arrived at the door of the Grand Elder's living quarters.
"Is he alone?" Horatio asked Jenkins in a quiet voice.
"I believe so, sir," Jenkins replied.
"Okay. Leave Alessio outside the door," Horatio instructed. "Simone, stay behind me. Jenkins, you lead. Get ready."
Horatio took hold of his revolver and his two agents did the same. Jenkins opened the door slowly and disappeared into the room with the rest following behind.
The group entered an elegant sitting room. At the far end, another door was open, which led into a bedroom. The uninvited guests quickly moved there next.
When Simone looked inside the chamber, her breath caught. A short, black-robed figure was lying on a four poster bed, his face obscured by the hood of his robe. She could see his chest moving slowly up and down as he took long, deep breaths. But every few moments his whole body seemed to flicker, like he was a digital projection. Parts of him became completely transparent before brightening again. The effect was chilling.
Simone looked questioningly at Horatio.
"He is empowering the thoughts and actions of Anton and his followers," Horatio whispered. "In return, they empower him in the physical plane. But he is weak and cannot sustain it for long. He requires another Underling to do that."
"What?" Simone whispered back.
"Being linked to his two Underlings, as Dante explained it, will allow Haan to return fully onto the earth plane. Anton is his first. He wants Dante to be his second."
"My god. Why didn't you stop Dante from coming here? He's walked right into Haan and Anton's hands, which I see now has always been the plan," Simone groaned.
"It was the only way, Simone. Don't lose hope. Haan's current weak state means Dante has not yet been corrupted," Horatio said encouragingly. "We now must do our part and kill this daemon bastard while he is in physical form."
Horatio took out a cigarette lighter from one of his pockets and flicked it alight a few times, as if to test it.
"What are you planning to do with that? Can't you just...shoot him?"
"He is impervious to silver bullets. Only fire can destroy him," Horatio explained. "And I'm going to start one around his bed. As long as we keep this door closed the flames should do the rest."
"You will do no such thing!" a voice barked from behind them.
Simone turned to see Samsun striding into the chambers. There were at least half a dozen more vampyres with him.
"You again!" she shouted.
"Hello, Simone. Yes, we meet again," Samsun replied smugly. "Vamps, kill them all except the woman, she's coming with me. Anton wants her brought to the Council Chamber - said something about her being the guest of honour at the feast."
Horatio instinctively protected Simone by pushing her into the bedroom while rel
easing a volley of bullets from his pistol. The sound of gunfire intensified briefly before he managed to grab hold of the brass doorknob and slam the door shut.
Sprawled on the floor, Simone was safe from Samsun for the time being. But that comforting thought was short-lived when it dawned on her that her current predicament was decidedly worse.
She was trapped alone in a room with Haan.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
AT A LONG dining room table offering a variety of mouth-watering delights, Dante lounged back to admire the view.
Beautiful women, provocatively dressed in formal evening gowns, sat draining their blood into goblets. They were his to do with as he pleased, whether it be to drain them for blood or fulfill any other desire.
Yet, as satiated as he was, something didn't feel right. There was a nagging little voice, deep within, which occasionally spoke to throw a damper on the festivities.
Simone...remember Simone, it would faintly whisper and roused in him an uneasiness, which his accommodating host could not erase.
Alfred, dressed in white tie, moved amongst the beauties, collecting their offerings. Presented with the tray of crystal flutes, Dante's temper snapped and he swiped them away. "Be gone, Raven! My thirst is quenched. I want...no crave, more than the blood of sycophants."
Haan's sly voice slid into his ear in response. "You seem displeased, my son. Perhaps your hunger needs a more lasting fix?"
Dante waved away the intoxicating voice and left the table in disgust. Bounding down the massive steps of the chateau, he stopped on the large lawn to admire how it stretched out to a tall fountain in the distance. The smell of night jasmine wafted on the evening's warm breeze. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the pleasant aroma. His earlier tension began to ease.
As a woman's warm, rich laughter trickled through the wind, Dante's gaze turned to seek the source of such an enticing sound. Yet, he only managed to glimpse the train of a long white gown as it disappeared into the entrance of a hedge-maze.
Again, the woman's laughter beckoned in the night air. "Dante, come to me..." a sultry voice called. "Remember..."
Drawn to the labyrinth's entrance, he peered down a seemingly unending avenue of tall hedges. There was no woman in white to be seen. Believing his mind was playing tricks on him, Dante turned to leave when the woman in white stepped from an invisible opening in the long avenue of hedge to stare at him.
His body instantly came alive. It was Simone, the only woman he’d ever loved. How he could have forgotten?
Holding out her hands to him, the beautiful white gown undulated in waves around her. "Come, my love. Find me," she called to Dante, before turning and fleeing back from whence she came.
"Simone, wait!" Dante yelled, but to no avail. She was gone. In a flash, he took off in pursuit, rounding corner after corner until he reached the heart of the labyrinth. Only to find it empty.
Frustrated, he tilted his head back and yelled, "Simone!"
"Really, Dante Polidori. There is no need to bellow," an unknown woman's voice chided.
Dante looked around but saw nothing. Then from the darkness of a hawthorn wall, a pair of glowing green eyes materialised. "My, my. You are a handsome devil."
Eventually, a beautiful woman with long red hair emerged from the hedge to stand in front of him.
"What fool trickery of Haan's is this?" Dante mocked, feeling more his old self. "Where is Simone, Witch?"
The woman crinkled her nose in distaste. "Witch? How typical of your kind to resort to insults upon introduction. Wilhalf, I am not impressed! This insolent fledgling of yours is rather rude."
"I did try to warn you, Mab. Yet, you insisted on our present course, not I," the ancient vampyre replied, having materialised to take a seat on a stone bench nearby.
"Mab, as in Queen of the Fae?" Dante asked in surprise. He didn't know what stunned him more, the confirmed existence of the Faery Queen or Wilhalf's presence.
Queen Mab was believed to be nothing more than a legend, concocted by the fae as an effective bargaining chip. Betray one of their kind and Queen Mab would deal with you and yours most unpleasantly. For generations.
The regal Mab bowed her head.
"Your majesty, forgive my earlier rudeness. You took me by...surprise," Dante graciously offered.
Queen Mab shrugged a delicate shoulder. "His tongue appears to have found a respectful tone - I may yet be persuaded to aid your cause once again, Wilhalf."
Dante's eyes narrowed. Anger surged through him. Recalling the role of the Fae during Wilhalf's last attempt to control him at the Abbey, he furiously spat: "So, you and Wilhalf look to form yet another unholy alliance to try and control me? Think again, fae bitch. I am no one's puppet to manipulate."
"Dante, cease!" Wilhalf interrupted, rising from the bench. Turning to the Queen, he sighed. "I fear Haan's hold on him is deeper than expected. We will need to take more drastic measures Mab, or he may not be redeemed."
"Or we could simply kill him. It would take Haan considerable time to find and groom a new Underling. Thus keeping our enemy weak, vulnerable, and giving us the upper-hand." Queen Mab studied her fingernails, unconcerned at the prospect of Dante's demise.
"Now, Mab. You know as well as I what you propose is unfeasible. Karma will not take kindly to being manipulated," Wilhalf returned knowingly.
The Queen rolled her eyes. "Hmph, she always spoils my fun," she sniffed condescendingly. "Oh, very well. May we please get on with this plan of yours. The eclipse is beginning and we Fae plan on enjoying ourselves tonight."
"As you wish, your majesty," Wilhalf said with a bow. "Let's see if we can get Dante back on the right path, shall we?"
Mab nodded. "Very well, but this is his last chance," she added in a no-nonsense tone.
Outraged at being discussed as though he wasn't there, Dante attempted to leave but found he was being held where he stood by an invisible force. "Wilhalf! Release me or else."
Wilhalf slowly made his way to stand in front of Dante. "Or else, what?" he challenged. "Young Polidori, why do you continue to fail at grasping the importance of your task? I have laid out all the facts. Haan corrupts your mind. Yet your heart, Dante - your heart is where we will make our last stand."
The pulsating beat of thumping drums built slowly, as electrified sound waves rippled through the labyrinth to fill the night with incredible music. The invisible harmonics wrapped their tendrils of sound around the undulating body of the Queen as she moved to its rhythm in a very old dance. From the walls of the hedge, the Fae folk, in all their many shapes and sizes, gyrated forth to join their great Mother in her powerful enchantment.
Fascinated by their dancing, Dante watched their bodies move to the beat in unison, unable to look away. Lost in the intoxicating atmosphere, he felt himself being lifted upwards. Great shafts of light poured down from the heavens to infuse his mind, body and soul with the strength required to carry the fate of the world upon his shoulders.
Wilhalf's voice spoke in his ear. "Remember, Dante - seek the truth in your heart! For only it will set you free and enable you to defeat our enemy."
With a great whoosh, Dante was blown away into the night sky, spiraling through its inky darkness until he was drawn rapidly back down to earth. Passing through buildings, as if mirages, the invisible hand controlling him moved at an incredible pace. Faster and faster, he traveled. The world around him blurred, he had no sense of where he was being taken. But he knew enough from his visionary experiences to surrender himself to this higher power.
Jerked abruptly downwards, Dante was dragged underground. The layers of earth in no way slowed his pace.
Stillness. Where the hell was he? Something looked very familiar about the place. With dawning horror, Dante took in the scene. He was back in Lowerton. Had he ever really left? Shaking the thought away, he refocused.
Yes, he was inside the Grand Elder's chambers. But wait, who was the cloaked figure on the bed? The attractive blonde at the do
or?
Fuck, it was Simone. And the creepy bastard on the bed could only be...Haan!
"Simone, get the fuck out of there!" Dante yelled, but his warning fell on deaf ears. He was there in spirit only - without the body required to save her.
*
SIMONE LISTENED TO the fighting through the bedroom door. Gunshots continued to ring out along with various shouts and screams. She worried desperately for her father. To lose him so soon after they'd just met would be tragic.
Then there was Haan, lying on the bed seemingly oblivious to everything going on around him. She noticed his body appeared to be more solid. The strange flickering effect had almost ceased and even his breathing seemed more measured.
Shouldn't she do something? She knew her father mentioned fire being the only means to kill him. If only she had his cigarette lighter, she could set the room ablaze.
Glancing over again at Haan, Simone involuntarily shivered. His black hooded robe made him appear especially sinister and he definitely looked as though he was closer to returning back to life.
Gunshots rang out again and in response she grabbed hold of the door handle. She couldn't hide in there any longer. What if her father needed help? And Alessio. What of his fate? If he didn't receive blood to heal soon, he surely wouldn't survive.
With a deep breath to calm her nerves, Simone hesitantly turned the door handle. But the sound of rustling fabric made her glance back at the bed.
Fear turned the blood in her veins to ice. Haan was staring at her! Two monstrous red eyes gleamed menacingly from his horribly scarred face. A grizzly smile revealed yellow fangs, which he touched with a shaky hand. His smile grew even larger.
Frozen in shock at the door, Simone watched in horror as Haan began to crawl to the edge of the bed before dropping like a stone to the floor. He was still too weak to stand, but she knew his inability to do so wouldn't last long.
"Simone," he hissed at her. "So glad you've made it. I was worried your invitation to join me here may have been missed."
Scared and confused, Simone tried to be brave. "If an invitation came, I was unaware of it."
