“Did you kill the beast?” Elijah Ahab walked through the crowd. He stopped at the front, facing the group of emissaries. He wore a long black coat that had seen too many years of service. His balding head glimmered in the light of the torches around him.
“No,” Sloan said slowly.
“But the monster has struck again?” Elijah shouted. His face twisted from honest and polite to something else entirely.
“Benjamin Clive is dead. We’re on our way now to track the animal we wi—”
“Another dead? Isn’t that why you’re here? To stop this? If the Queen’s own best from New Hope can’t stop this plague, maybe it’s not of this world. Maybe it’s not meant to be stopped until it has finished what it has been sent for. Just like the angel of the Divine One came down to earth, so too this creature was sent to punish us for our sins!”
There was a murmur among the crowd as heads nodded and whispers of agreement were shared.
“We’ve only been here for a few days. It’s not as though the creature has eluded our grasp for weeks or months on end. Angel of the Divine or not, we will find it and we will stop it.”
“How dare you speak of killing the Divine’s creature in such a way?” Elijah took a step back from Sloan’s words like he had been stung by a wasp. “As if you could stop it. What do you know of heavenly creatures and words of scripture? You are just a woman; a girl, really.”
Jack braced himself for the tirade of anger he was sure Sloan would unleash on her target. No such rebuttal came. Instead, she stood firm and took a deep breath.
“My being a woman or not, if I was a captain of the Queen’s guard or not, has no bearing on what needs to be done. I wouldn’t stand by and let this happen to you or the town under any circumstances. We will find and kill it because it is the right thing to do, regardless of where we have come from or who we are.”
Elijah let out a loud laugh.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Aareth take a step forward. A hand pulled him gently back as Marcus moved to stand next to Sloan. Elijah opened his mouth again but didn’t get a chance to speak.
“Proverbs twenty-eight, one.”
Elijah turned his viper-like eyes from Sloan and looked at Marcus as if he were an unwanted dinner guest.
“You wanted scripture, Preacher? There you go. Proverbs twenty-eight, one, ‘The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous will walk as bold as lions.’ It’s interesting that you run or hide when you hear the creature and we run to meet it. We are the lions, Preacher Ahab, and you can believe that. Now let us go and do what lions do best. When we bring back the creature, we can all decide together if it’s an angel of the Divine or not.”
Everyone stood stunned at the boldness Marcus showed, none more than Jack. His father was generally a quiet man. This was a whole new side to his father Jack had never seen, a side that made him proud. Even now he could feel respect growing in his chest.
Elijah was practically boring holes in the group from where he stood and the smile on Sloan’s lips only infuriated him more.
“We’ll see, tracker.” Elijah glared at Marcus. “We’ll see.”
With that, the preacher turned on his heels and disappeared in the mob. The crowd seemed to relax at the preacher’s absence and began dispersing themselves or peeking into the house of the deceased Benjamin Clive.
The four hunters huddled and Jack caught a nod of gratitude pass from Sloan to Marcus before she started to speak.
“Thanks to Elijah, we’re further behind whatever this thing is now. Let’s go and get this animal.” Sloan looked at Marcus with a sly smile. “What was the last part of that verse? ‘As bold as lions’?”
“As bold as lions,” Marcus repeated.
Chapter Forty-Six
Jack
Wand ready in his hand, Jack concentrated on the ground in front of him. The group started together, but as expected, they lost the creature’s path. Jack and Sloan headed deeper into the forest, while Marcus and Aareth doubled back.
The cold steel in Jack’s hand comforted him. He had never been afraid while on a hunt and he wasn’t now, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched.
Sloan must have felt it as well, because Jack noticed her glance over her shoulder every few minutes.
The forest was dark and the earth moist as a light mist spread over the ground. Tracking would have been impossible for the average hunter, but Jack was anything but average. Everything in the forest spoke to him and meant something. A broken twig here, a crunched leaf there were all signs pointing to their prey.
“Have you found the trail again?” Sloan asked.
“I’ve found a trail. Something large has moved this way within the last hour, but I can’t be sure it’s our beast. It’s so strange. It’s like it knows it’s being tracked. There aren’t any prints. It’s chosen to stick to rockier or harder paths.”
“That’s not normal, is it? I mean, it shouldn’t know not to leave foot prints, right?”
“Not at all.”
Sloan sighed and Jack looked behind him. Sloan wore her normal uniform: boots, tight pants, and a long coat. Her hair was braided, but a few strands stuck to her forehead. “What?”
“Nothing.” Jack turned his head back to sweeping the forest for any signs of their prey. “I just thought for sure you were going to blast Elijah when he started talking to you like that.”
Jack waited for a reply for what seemed like a full minute.
“Yeah, I guess I kind of surprised myself too. I’m just done proving myself to anyone anymore.”
Jack was about to speak again, when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He came to a stop. He had tracked enough animals to know when the tables were turned.
“Jack, what is it?”
“It’s watching us.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
Sloan drew her sword and placed her back against Jack’s. There was a rustle in a large bush twenty yards to their right. Jack pointed his wand in the direction, ready to call and release magic in a heartbeat.
A low whistle that didn’t sound like anything Jack ever heard filled the air around them. It didn’t sound human or machine made. It was like a low purr, barely audible. The bush stopped shaking and the noise evaporated into the night air, making Jack wonder if he had actually heard anything at all.
Tense moments passed, but still nothing showed. Sloan made the first move. Slowly, she made her way to the bush.
Jack followed close behind, but when they arrived, not even a track remained of whatever pushed the bush to the side. Jack and Sloan looked at each other in disbelief.
They searched for the rest of the night to no avail. Whatever they were tracking was the smartest creature Jack had ever come across. It skirted them like a person would, maybe even smarter than a person.
The sun had already risen before Sloan’s persistent nature allowed them to give up. It was another few hours and the sun had reached a high point in the sky before they made it back to town. Jack was exhausted. Between the lack of sleep and energy exerted, he was ready to fall into bed and never wake up again. As they approached the house, they saw a figure exiting.
The tall man looked in both directions, still not noticing Jack and Sloan approach. As they got closer, they could see it was Elijah Ahab. When he finally did see them coming, he took off at a run.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Marcus
“Nice use of the gospel back there, Marcus. I didn’t know you were a man of the Word.”
“Well, I guess we both have things we haven’t shared with one another, right?”
“I guess so.” Aareth addressed Marcus’ back. The two had doubled back when they lost the tracks of the elusive creature. Jack and Sloan moved on, leaving the recently turned assassin and Marcus alone.
Marcus lost the animal’s paw prints when the forest’s soft earth changed to hard packed dirt and rocky terrain. It was the middle of
the night and Marcus was nowhere near ready to give up, but he knew they would have a hard go of picking up the creature again. It was dark in the forest, and with no sun for hours to come, their chances were looking bleaker by the moment.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, what’s on your mind?” Marcus slowed his pace so Aareth could walk next to him.
“I was wondering how you do it?”
“How I do what?”
“How you manage to always make the right decision.”
“Oh, I think you’re giving me too much credit, Aareth,” Marcus brushed a rogue strand of brown hair away from his forehead.
“No I’m not. And you’re doing it again.” Aareth wore a worried expression and a frown replaced his usual easy smile.
“Doing what again?” Marcus asked.
“You’re being modest. Which would be the right thing to do when someone gives you a compliment.”
“There’s something on your mind, Inspector. What is it?”
“I used to be like you, Marcus. I used to be a good, upstanding citizen of the Crown. When my wife was murdered, a switch turned on and—and I’ve done things now that I can never take back. Do you think there’s hope of being the man I once was? The man you are now?”
“There’s always hope, Aareth.” Marcus took his eyes from the surrounding to give Aareth his full attention. “I lost my wife when Jack was just a baby. I can still hear the lullabies she used to sing for Jack. It’s not easy and I won’t lie to you. It’s a battle that you have to choose to fight every day. It’s a battle that if you choose not to fight, you’ve already lost. We all have our own burdens to bear in this life. Some of us choose not to bear our burden, so it weighs us down and eventually crushes us.”
Marcus paused for his words to sink in.
“I already know my burdens are alcohol and violence.” Aareth was nodding along as the words resonated with his own life.
“Knowing that is a big step in the right direction, Aareth. There are multiple interpretations of ourselves in all of us, fighting for dominance. The question is which version of yourself are you going to choose to be? Decisions we make every day take us further down paths that lead to who we are and who we will become.”
“I think you missed your calling in life. You should have been a preacher. I can think of at least one town that would be better off with you at the pulpit.” Aareth let out a huge breath.
Marcus knew Aareth was done with the conversation. He needed time to think, but Marcus could read people like he could read tracks. He understood there was plenty of good still left in Aareth. It would be up to the inspector if he let that goodness shine through.
“Sun’s rising,” Aareth remarked, raising his right hand to shield his bright blue eyes.
“We should search a bit further,” Marcus said. “If I know our captain, she won’t head back to town until every last option is explored.”
The two men spent the next few hours scouring the area. But no matter how hard they looked, once the prints from the back of Benjamin Clive’s house had vanished into the forest, they were gone.
Finally content they had done all they physically could, Marcus called a halt and the two men tracked back to Burrow Den. As they entered the city, people greeted them with cold eyes. It seemed like the friendly townsfolk who welcomed them with open arms just a few days ago were now replaced with an army of skeptics.
A figure darted through the middle of town and ran up the church stairs. Before Marcus or Aareth could say anything to Elijah Ahab, he retreated into the church, slamming the door behind him.
“Looks like someone was late for confession,” Aareth said under his breath.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Jack
“Why do you think he ran when he saw us?’ Jack asked as he entered the house with Sloan.
“Who knows? That guy is beyond crazy. Let’s make sure he didn’t take anything.”
Jack made his way though the large front room and up the winding staircase. Everything in his room was how he had left it. The bed welcomed him and Jack was debating whether or not he could afford a nap before his father and Aareth arrived.
The question was answered by the sound of the front door opening and his father’s voice. “Anyone home?”
Jack made a mental note to visit his bed very soon and walked back down the stairs. Sloan was already there briefing the men on the peculiar noise they heard in the forest and the lack of tracks to follow.
“It was the same with us. I mean, minus the weird whistling sound. When we lost the tracks just outside Benjamin Clive’s house, we couldn’t find them again,” Marcus said.
“We need to find answers. This is getting ridiculous.” Sloan balled her fist in anger and slammed it against a wooden wall. “That preacher is going to get the entire town to turn on us soon.”
“Speaking of crazy preachers, why was Elijah running from the mansion?” Aareth asked as he lounged in a chair, helping himself to leftovers from the previous night’s dinner.
“You got us,” Jack said as he joined Aareth at the table and began to eat.
Soon Marcus and Sloan were munching along with them. Each one of the four members was beyond exhausted. Jack was forcing his brain to work and form some kind of explanation, but it just wasn’t there.
“Do you think that them not bringing us any more food is a sign?” Aareth asked as he fought to keep his eyes open.
“Who knows? Maybe,” Sloan said.
“No, I don’t think so,” Jack mumbled before he could stop himself. “Abigail wouldn’t do that.”
“Oh, Abigail, huh?” Sloan’s eyebrow rose in disapproval. “Weren’t you already outside last night when we heard the screams? A little late night visit with Abigail, maybe?”
Jack turned beet red as he felt his face warm.
“Shouldn’t we be concentrating on how to get this thing?” Marcus asked with a wink to his son.
“I agree,” Aareth said, “but we aren’t going to do any good without rest. Running through the forest all night has worn on all of us. Charlotte, what do you think?”
“I think if I wasn’t so tired, I’d take you outside and decapitate you.” Sloan shook her head, all her attention taken off Jack and his midnight visits and directed at Aareth.
“But before I take off your head, we do need rest. Have you made any headway into the journal Jack found?”
“I planned on waking up early and going through it this morning.” Aareth stifled a yawn. “With the midnight massacre, we all know how that turned out.”
“We need to get through that book.” Sloan eyed the blood-spattered journal on the table. “There might be something in there. A way to track it, or maybe an explanation of what it is exactly.”
“If you don’t mind, Sloan, I’d like to read through it before I lie down.” Marcus pushed himself to his feet. “I’m not that tired, and the sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better.”
The three members of the table all younger than Marcus sat humbled in silence. They were all beyond exhausted and they knew Marcus was too. Despite this, he was offering to be the one to stay up and do the research.
“Thank you, Marcus.” Sloan rubbed at her red eyes. “The rest of us, let’s get some sleep and be ready for tonight. I have a feeling that we’re getting closer to finding the truth and eventually killing this thing.”
To say the bed felt good to Jack would be a huge understatement. The soft mattress underneath him was amazing. Jack didn’t even bother with washing up or changing; he just took off his boots, jacket, and wand belt, and fell into bed. It was one of those sleeps where his head barely hit the pillow before he was out cold.
“Jack. Jack, time to wake up, son.”
Jack opened his eyes to darkness. The sun was high overhead when they arrived back at the mansion. Now a moon took its place in the sky. He rubbed the sleep away as he yawned and sat up in bed. His father gained his full attention when Jack saw a wild
look in his eye.
“Dad, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Marcus’ eyes were bloodshot. He looked as tired as Jack could ever remember seeing him. “I’ve read the whole journal, and Jack—son—I’m sorry for dragging you into this. I’m afraid we’re involved in something even greater than we thought.”
“What are you talking about? It’s okay; you don’t have to apologize. I made the decision to come too. I’m not a little kid anymore.”
“No, you are definitely not a child anymore.” Marcus placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “You’re a man your mother would be proud of and a man I am proud to have by my side.”
Jack wasn’t sure what to say or how to respond. A moment passed while Jack looked into his father’s eyes, a moment that told him nothing would ever be the same after this night.
“Let’s go downstairs,” Marcus said. “It’s better if I tell you all at once. Sloan and Aareth are already awake.”
Jack grabbed his boots, jacket, and wand belt. Jack followed his father downstairs past the wooden hall of rooms and down the spiral staircase. The large front room spread out before them, bathed in candle and lantern light.
Aareth sat in a high-backed leather chair, adjusting the cold steel of the gauntlets that gave him the power of Zeus. Sloan paced back and forth across the carpeted wood floor. Arms crossed, she looked worried.
“All right, sorcerer, what did you find?” Sloan asked as she looked up at Marcus and stopped pacing.
Jack took a seat at the empty table. Aareth stopped tinkering with his gloves and gave Marcus his undivided attention.
Marcus took a deep breath and Jack wondered again what could cause his father to change from the optimistic man he had known his entire life to someone so nervous and paranoid. Jack didn’t have to wait long. The light played around the room in dancing and swirling shadows as Marcus told a story Jack would have passed off as fiction if it were to come from anyone besides his own father.
The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5) Page 17
