The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5)

by Jonathan Yanez

  “And you’re The Ghost?”

  “Not a nickname I would have chosen for myself. But when I do go on assignments, I prefer to do things quickly and quietly.”

  Jack nodded. He knew he should be scared that he was in the presence of a trained killer, but he wasn’t. Maybe it was the way Aareth talked about his past, about the wife he once loved. Whatever it was, Jack could tell that Aareth wasn’t past saving.

  “Why did the Queen choose you to come with us?” Jack asked.

  “It was Edison.” Aareth smiled at the thought of the inventor. “He was my boss when I worked for the justice department in New Hope. I guess he still saw something in me. He’s never lost hope over the years. When he offered me this chance to get my life back on track, I took it.”

  “So you’re done being an assassin?”

  “For three years, I’ve tried to fill the hole that she left when they killed her. I’ve ended more men’s lives than I can count and drank more bottles than I can remember. But the hole only gets wider, Jack. Killing, drinking; they’re just temporary fixes. I’m hoping that something changes while I’m on this mission. That there still might be some hope for me. Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe it’s too late.”

  Jack struggled with the right words to say. He was surprised Aareth revealed so much. But something told him deep down Aareth wanted to talk to someone. That this conversation was as beneficial for Jack as it was to him.

  “My father says that every day we decide what interpretations of ourselves to be. That there are many types of people we can be in the future and every day we take steps towards who we are going to become.”

  “Is that why you didn’t shoot Scar when he was coming at you?”

  Jack bit his lip as he remembered the man charging him on top of the locomotive. “I—I’ve never killed a man before.”

  “How old are you, Jack?”

  “Just turned eighteen.”

  “I’m twenty-four, killed my first man when I was your age. There will come a time when killing one man will save either your life or the lives of the ones you care about. When that time comes, you can’t hesitate.”

  Jack didn’t have anything to say. He knew Aareth was right; however, the way he was raised was completely different. His father was a peaceful man, and even when it came to tracking, he preferred to run off paranormal creatures or even relocate them when he could.

  Jack still had questions for Aareth about their attackers and who he thought they were, but it seemed like the time for questions was over.

  “Do you see what I see?” Aareth raised a finger and pointed toward the setting sun.

  Jack had to squint as his eyes fought through the sun’s setting rays and focused on the desert terrain. Then he saw them, two bulky bicycles sticking up from the sandy floor.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sloan

  It was the shouting that woke her. Men were yelling and running outside of her steel coffin. Sloan opened her eyes slowly, wincing at the horrible pain shooting through her right arm and head.

  She was lying against the cold steel of the mage engine cart. The cart was lying on its right side. Sloan looked up through the opening on the left side at the darkening sky outside.

  “Hello? Hello? Is anyone in there?”

  “I’m here!” Sloan shouted as she fought to stand. A wave of dizziness attacked her. She wobbled on her feet. Sloan steadied herself and took a long, deep breath. She looked around the dark interior of the steam engine. Marcus was nowhere to be seen.

  A head she recognized popped over the edge of the cart door. The foreman that was hired for the job of laying the track looked at Sloan with an open mouth.

  “Captain Sloan! Don’t worry, ma’am, we’ll get you out of there in no time. Are you hurt?”

  Sloan looked at her bloody right arm and hand. She gently touched her left temple with the fingers on her left hand. Her fingers came back sticky with thick, crimson red. “I’ll live, Christopher. I can climb out.”

  “We’re bringing a rope now, ma’am. Maybe you should wa—”

  Sloan was already searching for foot and handholds in the steel structure. In another minute, she was up and waved away the helping hand Christopher offered. Standing next to him on the toppled mage engine, she had a better view of what damage the runaway locomotive caused.

  The machine had obliterated everything in its way. All five carts were strewn across the desert floor in a zigzag pattern. The locomotive’s final resting place was a few yards away from where the track came to an end.

  “There were three men with me, two with brown hair and one with long black hair. Have they been found? How long have I lain unconscious?”

  “Not long, Captain Sloan, maybe a few minutes. My men are searching for survivors now. What—what happened to the locomotive?”

  “We were attacked.”

  “Attacked?” The foreman looked up at her, wide eyed and worried. “By who?”

  “I don’t know. There will be plenty of time to figure things out later. What’s most important now is that we search for survivors.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Christopher bobbed his bald head. He took in Sloan’s cuts and bruises with wide eyes. “We should really get those wounds taken care of, though.”

  “Later, I’m fine. I’ve had worse.” Sloan cocked her head and narrowed her eyes as she heard shouts. Two men ran towards the locomotive with a figure supported between them. Sloan jumped from the locomotive and ran to meet them.

  Marcus was slumped between the two workers, his body limp, his face covered in blood. The workers tried to do half salutes still carrying their load as Sloan approached.

  “Is he all right?” Sloan voiced the question she knew she had to ask, although she was unsure she wanted the answer.

  “Unconscious, ma’am, and he’s lost a lot of blood,” one of the workers said.

  “Take him inside a tent and have the medic tend to him right away.”

  The men nodded and were off again towards the encampment’s tents. Sloan put Marcus and his well being out of her mind. There was nothing she could do for him now.

  She wiped the blood coming down from her own head on the back of her sleeve. Sloan began searching the other carts for Jack and Aareth.

  After an hour of searching with Christopher and his crew members, all they found in and around the locomotive were the bodies of their attackers and the locomotive’s driver. Six bodies were laid out together and positioned under a sheet. Nemo’s limp corpse was counted separately and placed to the side out of respect.

  Sloan bit her lip and walked toward the medic tent to see how Marcus was faring with the foreman at her side.

  “What should we do first, Captain? I mean, do we continue with the track?” Christopher was rattling off questions so fast, it came out like one long sentence. “Get the locomotive salvaged and restored? Send a messenger to inform the Queen?”

  “Things are getting a bit complicated, Christopher. Something is going on and it bothers me that it’s happening now. Is there someone here you would trust with your life to take a message to Queen Eleanor?”

  Christopher thought for a moment and nodded.

  “Are we in any danger here, Captain?”

  “I think we are all in a very great deal of danger, Foreman. Send a messenger and instruct him that he is to talk to the Queen and only the Queen. He is to tell her what happened here. Tell her that I have gone on to Burrow Den, and on my recommendation, ask that a regiment of soldiers under Lieutenant Baker be sent here to guard the track while it is being laid.”

  A wide-eyed Christopher nodded and turned to fulfill his orders.

  “Oh, and Christopher, in the meantime, right the locomotive. Get it back on the steel rails and keep laying the track. Whoever this is, we aren’t going to let them intimidate us. If they want a fight, then we’ll give them a fight.”

  Christopher nodded again and left as Sloan entered the traveling city of tents that followed the working men as
they laid the track. All the tents were brown, and most of them were deserted. All but a few of the men still searched for bodies among the wreckage of the locomotive.

  One of the tall brown tents sported a crimson red cross. Sloan ducked as she entered. It was dark now, and inside, candles were lit to fight back the night. A doctor sat by a conscious Marcus. Both men looked at Sloan as she walked in.

  “You’re awake, sorcerer. That’s a good sign.”

  “I would have to agree.” Marcus gave Sloan a tired smile. The doctor finished wrapping his head with a white bandage. “Just a scrape and a minor concussion. Have you found Jack and Aareth?”

  “Not yet, but we will. They probably saw what was going to happen and jumped off the locomotive in time. There are men out searching for them now. I just wanted to come in and check on you before I go out myself to help with the search effort.”

  “I’m going with you.” Marcus pointed to the dried blood on her head and the fresh blood that still ran down her right arm and fingers. “Before we go, you need to get looked at.”

  “I’m fine; there’s no time.”

  Marcus looked over his shoulder at the elderly doctor who still sat by the bed. “Doc, may we have a moment, please?”

  The doctor stood up, and left the tent with a bow.

  “Sloan, you need medical attention. Stop acting like you’re invincible. It’ll only take a few minutes for the doctor to stop the bleeding and disinfect your wounds.”

  “I told you, I’m fine.” Sloan wasn’t used to being questioned. The only thing holding her tongue back now was the degree of genuine concern she saw in Marcus’ eyes. “Your son and Aareth are still out there. Let’s go find them.”

  Sloan turned to go, her blonde hair flying behind her. After a few steps, she realized Marcus wasn’t following.

  “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, Sloan. All the men respect you and know you’re tougher than any one of them.”

  Sloan spun around, her left hand resting on the hilt of the mage sword that lay in the sheath around her hips. “Sorcerer, I—”

  “I grew up in the Outland, just like you.”

  “What’re you talking about?”

  “That chip you carry on your shoulder. I had one just like it when I was your age, when I first moved to New Hope. I wanted to prove to everyone I was just as good, even better than they were. I grew up poor in the Outland, where I had to fight and claw for everything I had. I even went so far as to keep my upbringing a secret. I was ashamed of it, in a way. I know exactly what you’re going through.”

  “Not exactly, even if we do share the same origin. You aren’t a woman or captain of the Queen’s personal guard.”

  “You know what? You’re right.” Marcus took a brief moment to think. “I’m neither of those things. But I do know that true strength lies within and isn’t dependent on whether it’s proven or not. Your strength and determination is your own. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. You should be proud of where you come from and how far you’ve progressed.”

  Sloan’s first response was anger, but she held it back. Marcus was looking at her like she had seen him look at Jack.

  “You’re not that much older than Jack, right? You must be twenty-four? Twenty-five?”

  “Twenty-three, actually.”

  “That’s even more impressive, Sloan.” Marcus’ eyes widened. “What you must have had to endure and accomplish to be in the position you are in, in such a short time.”

  “Okay, okay. All right.” Sloan’s walls she had built around herself were beginning to crumble as this father-like figure continued to talk. She didn’t like the feeling.

  Marcus stopped as he was about to open his mouth again.

  “I’ll see the doctor for ten minutes, but then we’re gone.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jack

  “Are you sure these things are safe?” Jack wasted no time in righting his own machine and took a position on the soft leather seat.

  “We can’t be sure of anything, but the guys who attacked us rode them. They can’t be that dangerous.” Aareth looked over at his traveling partner as he wheeled the mage-powered bicycle over beside Jack.

  Jack already liked the feeling of sitting on the machine. He had a sneaking suspicion he was going to like riding the apparatus even more. Aareth mounted his machine, while Jack looked for some way to start the engine.

  The contraptions closely resembled bicycles with a few notable exceptions. They were wider, with thicker tires for support and low handlebars. Mostly black with dark brown seats and handle covers, the machines also sported lights similar to those he had seen in New Hope, mounted in the front. Three steel pipes pointed up from under the machines on each side of the bicycle and a panel of switches and dials were set directly in front of the driver.

  “How do we know which buttons and switches do what?” Jack asked over his shoulder.

  “You’re asking the wrong person when it comes to technology, remember?” Aareth shrugged. “I just blasted both of us off a speeding locomotive.”

  “Good point. Well, I guess there’s only one way to figure it out.”

  Jack clenched his teeth and started to flip switches and turn knobs. The first switch he turned made a bright light shoot from the front of the bike. It pierced through the gloom the nearly set sun left in its wake.

  Jack turned the next knob. He felt the machine underneath him rumble and shake to life. A low vibration made his body tingle. Red steam shot up through the pipes on either side of the machine.

  “Now how do we move forward and stop?” Aareth leaned over from his seat to see what buttons Jack was pushing and did the same to his own bike.

  Jack looked down and bit his lip. There were gauges galore, but none that he recognized. The rest of the switches he turned didn’t seem to affect the machine. Jack guessed they were for mechanical upkeep rather than operation.

  On both the handlebars, Jack realized there was a lever that could be pulled. When he clenched the device, he felt the machine under him tighten. “I think the lever on the handlebars stops the machine!” Jack shouted to Aareth over the noise of the running engines.

  “Okay, but how do we go?” Aareth said.

  Jack turned his attention away from the panel and handlebars to the rest of the machine. Nothing else on the bike seemed like it would move. Then he saw a silver plate the size of half of his shoe sprouting from the pedal where his foot rested.

  “Hey, there’s a pedal I think you can push by your right foot. It looks like—”

  Jack was nearly thrown out of the seat as the machine roared to life and he shot forward over the desert floor.

  The sun had completely set now and it was only by the light of the bicycle’s headlight that he could see where he was going. Jack crouched down in the seat, heartbeat quickening as the machine wobbled side-to-side, depending where he placed his weight.

  Soon the initial shock was over and Jack was gently tapping the pedal by his right foot to move forward.

  “Looks like you did it, Jack! This is amazing!” Aareth appeared beside him with a huge smile across his face. His black hair was flapping wildly behind him.

  Jack only trusted himself to take his eyes off the path in front of him for a brief second, but when he did, he got a look at what he imagined Aareth was like before; a fun-loving man who smiled easily and genuinely enjoyed life.

  Jack made himself look forward as the mage bicycle wobbled.

  “Hey, the camp can’t be far now. Race you there?” Jack shouted.

  “Loser has to explain to Captain Tight Pants what happened,” Aareth answered.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Sloan

  “Captain—Captain Sloan! Come quickly!”

  Sloan was readjusting the brown sheath around her waist and examining the stitching on her right arm after the doctor had finished. She ran from the tent to see men scrambling in every direction. “What’s going on?”

&nb
sp; “Lights!” The foreman sprinted to her with Marcus at his side. “Moving lights approaching from New Hope along the tracks.”

  “How many of them?” Sloan asked as she started running toward the distant sound of rumbling motors.

  “At least two, maybe more. Are the men that attacked the locomotive back?” Christopher asked.

  “I don’t know, but get your workers ready for a fight. Marcus, with me.”

  Marcus ran beside her as Christopher headed out to order his men in position.

  Soon Sloan could see the two lights for herself. They were heading to the tented city fast. Sloan drew her sword and flipped on the switch that made it hum to life. Sloan caught action out of the corner of her eye as Marcus reluctantly drew ends of his staff from the sheath on his back and connected the two pieces.

  Christopher and his men weren’t suited for battle, but they formed a line behind Sloan with whatever they could use as an improvised weapon; shovels, picks, wooden planks, and steel bars.

  The two roaring machines were just yards away now. Marcus lowered his staff as he realized who was headed their way. The two apparatuses stopped and a smiling Jack and Aareth hopped off the mage-powered bicycles.

  “Wow, we surrender, Captain,” Aareth raised both hands in mock submission.

  “Are you all right, son?” Marcus ran to Jack’s side.

  “More than all right. We saw what happened to the locomotive while we were riding up—I thought you were—”

  “I’m fine, son. We both are.”

  “Wait till you ride one of these things.” Jack let a deep sigh escape before a grin crept over his lips.

  There was a collective sigh in the camp as the men realized they wouldn’t be fighting for their lives.

  Sloan gave Jack and Aareth a stern look before sheathing her sword. Jack readied himself for the tongue-lashing, or at least the stern talking-to he was sure would follow. To his surprise, Sloan actually smiled. “I’m glad you two are back safe.”