***WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1 2006 – The Order of Valor HQ, South Pasadena***
It had taken Aimes Carmichael a long time to find this, the secret headquarters of The Order of Valor's infamous 'Five'. Aimes had to hand it to them, as he stood in the generic looking kitchen of the suburban bungalow, it was the last place he had thought to look for the motley crew of demons.
In fact he chuckled to himself, feeling a slight flutter of excitement shudder through his body at the thought of what was about to come. Alaric was a wily demon, it took such character traits to survive as long as he had.
Alaric tossed the last of several different changes of clothes in a suitcase before shutting it and moving it out to the hall. Disappearing for a few weeks or months seemed like a prudent move to him. Even though the chances of them finding his headquarters were unlikely, it was not a chance to be taken at this juncture. There were just too many variables, people looking for revenge - such random displays of emotion were difficult to predict.
He moved through the house collecting various weapons, and stopped when he thought that he heard something. Reaching behind his back he pulled out a six inch dagger with which to defend himself if anyone was present. When he saw the man - or rather, demon in glamour - he relaxed a bit and put the weapon away. "Carmichael, you devious scoundrel. I was wondering when you would try to get in touch with me ever since I heard the Ministry was in LA."
Aimes smiled widely. *Trust Alaric to see through such facades,* he thought without worry. "I’ve been a bad host I know, I should have called on you sooner but I got the impression you were busy. I, as always, am in no hurry.”
He eyed the demon's suitcase with speculation. "Going somewhere, Alaric?" Carmichael took several steps towards his demonic acquaintance; several centuries of bad blood ran between them. More specifically it ran between their opposing organisations but all that was beside the point. "I should really congratulate you on your latest coup. Brilliant work old man, simply brilliant."
"Thank you, Carmichael. I can't tell you how much your approval pleases me." The sarcasm was quite evident in Alaric's voice, since both knew that they had a simple arrangement. The Order and the Ministry stayed out of each other's way, and they got along fine after that. "If you will pardon me, however, I have something of a trip to make. These things are always a mess when we have to become directly involved."
"Don't tell me you're afraid of those mortals!" laughed Aimes, unable to control his mirth. "My, how the mighty have fallen when the great Alaric is driven out of town by a rag-tag bunch of vampire hunters."
Carmichael pulled out a chair and offered it to the orange demon before sitting down in a chair himself. "I have a proposition for you my friend something I think you might be interested in. I'm afraid your trip might have to wait, though."
Alaric preferred to remain standing, since he was not about to allow someone else to dictate when he would sit down in his own house. "You have not been watching this 'rag tag group of hunters' for the past two years. I have." He held out a finger as he ticked off accomplishments. "Thus far to my knowledge they have killed an Ancient Vampire, an Elder Vampire, prevented the return of a Dark Goddess, and successfully battled a splinter-group lead by an Elder of Sindell." He sighed. "At the very least, however, I can listen to your offer."
Carmichael smiled cordially as Alaric propped himself against the breakfast counter, deliberately ignoring the chair he had offered. "It would be a grave mistake on your part if you continued to believe that the Ministry's interest in this little situation you have here in Los Angeles is in any way less comprehensive than your own. The Ministry is always-"
"Always watching and always waiting, yes I know," said Alaric with a roll of his eyes, "After the past three centuries I think you should get yourselves a new motto!"
Carmichael decided not to rise to the bait set out by Alaric; the two demons had many differences but now was a time to unite for a common cause. "Patience is a virtue," he said simply in response, “I think you of all people would appreciate that. But I didn't come here to compare company philosophy, Alaric, but to offer you an opportunity. What if I said that a great battle was approaching? One that would be the ultimate fight against good and evil."
Alaric stopped at that. The Ministry was far from religious, but that did not mean the metaphors did not stick. And it was obvious to anyone who was long-lived that humans and demons would one day fight a last war for survival. That was the reason he called this time by the Norse name 'Ragnarok' - it was the time of a final battle, between the Gods and the Etins. "I would say that this battle has been approaching for a long time."
Aimes looked satisfied that his words had such an effect on the demon. It would all work to his advantage if he was going to ensure The Order of Valor's complete and unequivocal co-operation in the coming months.
"I believe that day to be fast approaching, the Ministry are certain of it. We would like your co-operation in assuring our mutual place in such a battle when it finally does occur. We need to stand together in this; there is no other way. Not if we are all to survive." The man straightened out his tie and held a hand out in front of himself, admiring the perfect manicure. "Humans are so fickle, their appearances, so vain. Not one will ever see this coming and they'll be powerless to stop it." He looked up, their eyes locking for a moment. "We have plans..."
Alaric was impressed, but not without some concern. He saw no reason to rush the end of the world, since it would come in time. But he could also smell the opportunity. "People always have plans," he said. "Suck the world into hell, burn it in fire, reassemble ancient artefacts. Someone is always seeing it coming.”
He held up a hand to cut off Carmichael's protest before it even started. "However, the Ministry does have enough resources that perhaps you might be able to pull it off when someone does try to stop you. Which raises the question: why do you need my help?"
Aimes could sense Alaric's reserve but it didn't concern him. All that mattered was that he co-operated, Aimes needed him on side rather than stoking the fires of the opposition. This latest situation with the Brotherhood had only made that fact all the more poignant.
"You have influence, contacts - you know the lay of the land, as it were. This is also something that concerns you. If you're really interested in Survival of the Fittest, what better way to find out just who that is?" Aimes cleared his throat, rising to get a glass of water from the kitchen sink. "For obvious reasons the Ministry's presence in Los Angeles cannot be known at this moment, therefore we require someone else to perform certain 'errands' for us in the meantime."
"And of course, you also get a front man if that 'rag tag group of hunters' discovers what is going on." Carmichael did not even flinch when this was said; though that was certainly part of the thought process. "I'm not stupid, you know. Perhaps you should tell me what sort of 'errands' we are talking about."
"I think you'll find them simple enough," he laughed briefly, "and don't worry about this so-called resistance. I can promise you they'll have more pressing matters to attend to; I doubt they will even notice what's going on right under their noses."
He took another sip from his glass of water. "Why Alaric, I think you might even have fun in all of this, give you a chance to get out of your Ivory Tower and back to grass roots. I can tell you, these last few months have been an inspiration for me, London is such a drab little city this time of year." Aimes could tell Alaric was growing impatient though, time to reel in the subterfuge. "If you're interested I think we can arrange some sort of recompense for your time and effort... why don't you unpack and we can discuss this further?"
The demon thought about the offer carefully, his final consideration that Carmichael felt he needed the demon's help bad enough to track him down at his own headquarters. Still, there would be precautions to be taken. "Very well, Carmichael,” he said finally. “Let's do that."
With much thanks to Adam for writing the part of Alaric
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Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Thursday the 14th, December, 2006
Poplar Avenue - Reah’s apartment
02:08am
Time stood still as Reah lay unmoving, eyes slightly parted, just staring distantly at the never-ending nothingness of her darkened room while she awaited the calm abyss of sleep to claim her weary soul. It was the only place, nowadays, that her life still existed, that she still had something to live for. If it was possible for her to just lock herself away and sleep for all eternity, she would! But unfortunately, even something as simple as rest was hard to come by. It would often take hours, half a night of torment - reflecting on what she‘d lost - before her eyes would subconsciously slip shut and she was finally admitted to that alternate plane of existence where the life she yearned to have again, awaited her, frozen in time…
“Higher! Higher!… C’mon, you can so kick higher than- Whoa shit!”
Dre’an marginally managed to tumbled out of a flying foot’s path as it sliced, flawlessly, straight through the empty space his head had just formally occupied mere fractions earlier.
“…Dang! Okay, now don’t get me wrong, bu-BUT!!!” he flinched, surrendering in a desperate attempt to defend himself from the bluff, “I appreciate that you listen to me and acknowledge my constructive criticisms - makes for a stronger relationship; just like that whole truthful thing! - BUT I have an odd liking for my head and the close relationship it’s developed with my neck!”
Reah smirked, failing at her attempts to suppress the bubbling chuckles within, whilst her arms crossed firmly beneath her breasts. She really did try hard to play seriously, and more often than not she managed some success! But this time…
Dre’an spotted the opening - it had blazing trumpets heralding it! - and his face twisted into his most cunning, wickedly devious grin that spoke volumes of his passionate intentions. Reah knew all too well, and yet all too little of what she was to expect… and she wanted him so bad, the tension was killing her!
“Don’t go getting any ideas, Dre’an!” Reah warned playfully, warily side-stepping away from him, stance at the ready for whatever was to come. She couldn’t help but chuckle, and the most bashful smirk was spread across her face: she felt so tingly and warm just watching his predatory gaze. “I said none, okay?”
“Who’s getting ideas?”
“I’m not a complete nuff, Dre’an, I know what you’re up to!”
“Really?” he replied with the calm of a soft ocean breeze, quirking a speculative eyebrow, “Whatever gave you the impression I was up to something?”
“Oh nothing!” she chuckled, “Just that whaAH!” with a scream, Reah chuckled and ran from his lunging pursuit, torn between seeing how close he was to catching her whilst making sure she didn’t trip over any of the crap occupying the training room.
*Oops! Punching bag!* Reah twirled out of the near collision and smirked as she darted another glance backwards… but no Dre’an…
She could feel the tingling sensation intensify with each passing second as she darted her sparkling, wary eyes sharply about the room, “Dre’an? Um… where’d you go?” she chuckled curiously. Suddenly, she could feel him… he was close: she could feel his touch hovering just short of her skin… “That’s no fair Dre’an…” her voice husked, breathlessly, “I know you’re here.”
“Boo.” A softly sweet breath caressed her skin as the half-elf swept her up, grasping her firmly with one arm about the waist, pulling her body in close to his till the only separation was the hair's breadth between their lingering mouths.
“What do you think you’re doing, Mr. Have-my-way?”
Dre-an chuckled lightly, pressing their bodies closer as he swept a free hand up to brush away the straying hairs that obscured her face, “Seducing you,” he smiled…
Back in her bed, the slightest, tender smile pulled at Reah's lips as she subconsciously hugged her pillow closer.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
***Monday, December 18th, 2006- LA General Hospital- 4:30 pm***
Adriana waited impatiently in the hospital elevator for it to go up. Drea hated leaving Dominika alone, but she could only skip class and call in sick at work for so long before her bills started coming in. So Adriana had left Dom’s bedside shortly after Chance and Alessa had visited to go home, shower, and get some sleep. Today she'd resumed going to classes and was now on her way to visit Dominika before she had to go to work.
Finally the elevator reached Dom’s floor and Adriana quickly rushed out of the elevator, even before the doors were fully open. She hurried down the hallway when she saw Dominika’s doctor. Drea approached the fairly young man and asked, “Hi, I’m Dominika Lautari’s sister, Adriana. You remember me, yes?”
He looked at the wide eyed girl and smiled. “Yes, I do. You were here when Miss Lautari was brought in on Saturday night. Can I help you?” the doctor said politely to her.
Adriana began jittering impatiently and asked quickly, “How is she? Is she getting better?”
The doctor looked over a few papers on his clipboard and smiled again. “She actually just woke up.”
Adriana gasped and then smiled widely. “Can I see her?” she asked.
The doctor’s smile faded a bit as he thought it over. Drea added, “Just for a few minutes before I have to go to work.”
The doctor checked his watch. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes. But no more than that. She needs her rest,” he told the impatient Adriana.
Drea squealed happily and rushed towards Dom’s room. She knocked on the already opened door and poked her head into Dominika’s room. There Dom was, sitting up, and reading a fashion magazine. She raised her head and smiled at her older sister.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Dominika said in Romani, her voice weak, but strong enough to be heard at the entrance. Drea giggled.
“Hiya. How you doing?” she asked softly in their native tongue.
Dom tossed her magazine on the end table and gave Adriana a black stare. “How do you think I’m doing? I’m in the hospital, aren’t I?” she commented sharply.
Drea couldn’t help but laugh. Dominika always had a good sense of humor, even through the worst of times. “I’m, er, sorry that I wasn’t here when you woke up,” Adriana said quietly.
Dom gave an exasperated sigh and replied, “Don’t worry about it. Just because I’m fucking up my life doesn’t mean you need to as well.” The sisters went silent.
Breaking the silence, Drea gently remarked, “I met a guy at work a couple days ago, the day before… you know…”
Dominika perked up when hearing this. “Jesus Christ, that bar is amazing! Maybe I should visit there sometime…” she observed.
Adriana formed a fearful expression, which cause Dom to add, “I guess that’s a bad idea.” The girls went silent again. Finally, Dominika said, “I need to clean up my life, Drea. It’s not like I’m doing drugs or anything, but going with all these guys… I almost got killed.”
Adriana smiled. “I could have told you that.”
Dom stuck out her tongue, causing Drea to laugh. “No, I’m serious. My ‘manizing’ days are over. I’m gonna find a nice boy-next-door,” she announced proudly.
Drea shifted her eyes away from her sister. “You already have a man, remember?” she asked.
Dominika’s face fell drastically. “Oh God, Peter! Oh Jesus, oh Jesus! He’s gonna find out! Oh good Lord, he’s gonna kill me!” She began panicking.
Adriana grabbed Dom’s hand with her own and tried to calm her down, “He’s not gonna kill you, Dom. He loves you, and he wouldn’t kill someone he loves… would he?”
Dominika looked out the window and sighed. “What’s today, Drea?” she asked urgently.
“The 18th of December. I guess his father’s trial has kept him in Moscow,” Drea commented.
Dominika sighed. “I’m dead. They’ll take me down like they will with one of their prostitutes. BOOM,” she said, using her hand like a gun to the side of her head, “Pop me in the head.”
Adriana saw Dom trying to hide her trembling lip. She couldn’t blame her. The Russian Mob was very powerful, and messing with them was very unwise.
“We’ll figure out something, Dom. I haven’t told Enzo or none of them yet, but I will soon-” Drea began when Dominika interrupted.
“No! If you tell them, they’ll know that I’ve been fooling around with non-Roma boys and Yolanda, and Mama and Papa, and everyone will be pissed.”
Adriana sighed uncomfortably. “Uncle Enzo married a Gadjo woman, and they weren’t that mad. It’s also the 21st century. They won’t care…” she explained, echoing Darian’s words.
Dominika scrunched her mouth a bit. “It might be the 21st Century, Drea, but Romani views of women’s roles haven’t changed. If a Romani male marries and has children with a Gadjo woman, they are regarded as Romani. But if vice versa… they have no value to the Romani,” she explained.
Adriana couldn’t help but let a little smile escape. “We weren’t talking about children, Dom. We were merely discussing the fact that you ‘date’ Gadjo men,” Drea commented. Dominika’s face went completely blank. Adriana patted Dom’s hand and continued, “You think about it, what you feel about Peter and everything. I need to get to work.”
She rose from her seat, but before she could leave, Dominika called to her, “Don’t tell the clan! At least, not until I talk with Peter. Can you promise me that?”
Drea slowly nodded her head and managed to mutter a “yes”. Dom lay back and, yet again, stopped Adriana from leaving.
“You know who it was, who nearly killed me. Don’t lie, I can feel it in my bones,” she said to her.
Adriana turned to her sister uncomfortably. “I might…” she said softly.
Dominika’s large eyes, a common trait in their mother’s family, became cold and vengeful. “Who is the sick son of a bitch who put me here, Drea?” she asked, half pleadingly and half revengeful.
Adriana looked at the floor and muttered loud enough for her to hear, “Morris Giles.” She then quickly left.
While waiting in the elevator again, Adriana thought of Chance and Alessa’s comment about “people they knew who could help”. She, for some odd reason, thought about this for the rest of the night.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Nikolai was dreaming.
Odd thing was that he knew he was dreaming, but it didn’t feel like a dream. Not a regular dream at any rate. He’d been recovering from his ordeal with L’Than fairly well, though he felt like he should be doing something to thank Kate for her help. She had, he knew, saved him from the brink of mental insanity.
Only now he found himself standing in that shop of hers again in the dream. He saw himself laying on the bed, and there was Kate above him with her eyes black as she focused the necessary energy to try to mend his mind. L’Than… was nowhere to be seen. Odd, it seemed, since she had seen present so often.
“Still don’t know what to make of it?” a voice asked from behind.
Nikolai turned to the counter, the other version of himself and Kate ignoring their guests. The man standing before him wore simple clothes, a brown tunic outside of brown pants, though the tunic had a lighter brown and black design on the sleeves and shoulders. Jet black hair was pulled back, scaly grey skin covered his body. And then there were the ridges…
“Yes, I know I look odd,” said the man. “This is the first time I’ve been cast as a Cardassian in all the Findings I’ve done. The neck is actually quite nice, though I must wonder if they have any hair colour aside from black.”
His mind was still trying to work out just how this could be. He was interacting with the dream in real time? Or… “This isn’t a dream, is it?” The man gave a wide smile which indicated that he knew more than he was letting on. “Who are you?”
“Why don’t you tell me?” the man answered in the oily voice of his.
And then Nikolai placed the particular character. “You look like Garak.”
“And so I am!” proclaimed ‘Garak’ as though to fend off protest. “Or at least, that’s who you cast me as. It’s a pleasant change from appearing as philosophical and religious leaders, let me tell you. The mind can be such a fickle thing at times.”
“But Garak is a fictional character,” Nikolai protested, still more than a little confused. How could he be talking to someone who didn’t exist, except by the use of makeup on a television program?
“I can see we’re in for a very long night,” Garak replied.
“Do you ever give a straight answer?” Nikolai asked as he felt annoyance begin to rise in him. He glanced back to find that he and Kate had now completely vanished from the scene. Turning back to Garak, the scene suddenly shifted to his apartment.
Garak’s only reply was to continue to smile. Nikolai continued to watch him before finally letting out a sigh. “All right, Garak, you win. What are you doing in my mind?”
“Your mind cast me as Garak, as you were already told,” he replied.
A wave of frustration came over Nikolai before a new thought occurred. Either Garak was having fun with him, or he was asking the wrong questions. “I get the point. Why are you here?”
“Now that is the important question, isn’t?” Garak considered Nikolai carefully. It was an eerie feeling, as though he was about to be put on trial or brought to interrogation. Or failing that, to become a lab specimen for some demon’s science fair project.
“Do you know what I find most interesting about you?” asked the tailor, slowly beginning to circle with that curious glance of his, Nikolai turning to keep him in line of sight at all times. “It would have to be the kind of life you try to lead-”
Again the scene shifted. Nikolai looked around in surprise, noting that they were now in the tailor’s shop. Various bits of clothing hung on the racks, a number of them looking like things he had owned over the years and some were clearly in a style L’Than preferred.
The Cardassian continued without missing a beat. “-which is why I have to wonder at why you would be wearing that ensemble.”
Nikolai caught sight of himself in the mirror, and looked on in surprise. That white suit was one he would never be able to forget, a gift from Dmitri Sergeivich when he got his first big contract. “I will not send someone good enough to be employed by me off looking like a slob to find his next job,” the old Russian Don had said. “I take care of my employees, even the temporary ones.”
On the outside, however, was a black cloak, held together by the brooch which L’Than had worn. He jumped back in surprise at the outfit, and how it had changed. “What is going on?” he said, nearly breaking his calm.
“Trying to find a more appropriate piece for you,” Garak said, falling into the role of the shopkeeper. He looked at the various things on the racks, and sounded more amused than anything else.
“Ah, this is more like it!” Now the Cardassian was holding up another suit. A memory stirred in him: Washington. Garak began to walk towards him, “It may need some alterations, but that can be handled.” Alterations indeed: he’d taken it off of a guard, since it was the uniform of a security guard for the company. It had not fit well, and he’d had a number of close calls.
“I don’t want to buy a suit!” Nikolai found himself trying to avoid screaming. “This is not a dream, you don’t think when you’re having a dream or recognise how odd these things are. What are you, really?”
Garak played a shocked look over his face, voice full of surprise. “My dear assassin, I’m shocked! I’m just a simple tailor, trying to help you find the appropriate look.” His voice now got lower, returning to more normal. “This is certainly going to take a while, but we’ll have to discuss this more later.”
The frustration at the lack of answers finally came out. “Later!” he snapped. “What do you mean later? Give me answers. Like just what-”
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep…
Nikolai sat bolt upright in bed as the alarm went off, reaching over to smack it. Breathing heavily, he glanced around the room. Tolstoy looked up from the chair in surprise, and probably checking to see if his master made the transition to snack. There was no sign at all of Garak. “It was just a dream.”
Then the voice returned, of Elim Garak. It came like a cross between a memory and something spoken, with an echoing quality to it. “Don’t be so sure of that. We’ve only just begun…”
*Great,* Nikolai thought. *Now I'm hearing voices of a fictional character in my head.*
1 Feb 2007
Special Guest Star – Andrew Robinson as a vision of Elim Garak
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 4th 2006
Blackthorn walked numbly down the snow crusted side walk. Dazed - the dull glow of the streetlights seemed blinding, the sound of the snow squeaking underfoot seemed like explosions inside his ears. His chest, head and legs throbbed like his wounds were fresh, when in reality they were almost a week old now.
Blackthorn continued down the street though he knew he could not continue much longer, for all his strength and will he no longer had something to believe in; he no longer had anything to help support the burden of his life. He fell, landing against a chain link fence, his hands plunging into the deep snow instinctually to keep him somewhat upright. He felt not the cold and only a light tingling upon his exposed flesh let him know he was still alive, for now.
As he lay against the fence steam billowed from his mouth and the world moved away. It were as though he no longer existed and for a moment he though perhaps he was dead, but his journey was not to be so easy. And in this spinning oblivion a voice echoed, lightly at first and then louder and louder until it was a harsh roar Blackthorn could no longer ignore.
Some feel I don't exist
Never believing in what they see
Some feel that I am not fair
I leave no time for repentance
Some feel I bare the mark of man
A misguided philosophy
Some feel I kill for fun
I kill for life!
I can't escape what life left for me / No more
I can't deny the lack of morality / No less
Need time to think need time to think
Need to spill blood so I can drink
Take what they give take what they give
Some feel I'm dead yet still I live
They don't know I'm immortal
They don't know they're just cattle
They don't know I'm eternal
And then he was gone, he could no longer feel… the world and all the weight of his life had been lifted and no longer was he burdened. Blackthorn relished this; it was like nothing he had ever experienced. He could no longer feel the passing of time or the brutal pain of his injuries. But true freedom always comes with a price, and at that moment Blackthorn finally realized the price. He looked out his eyes but they were no longer his, they were the eyes of the beast he had so long kept shuttered and locked somewhere deep inside himself.
Now he finally realized what the weight he felt upon his being was. It was not the betrayal of his people, it was the beast that had grown stronger by feeding upon his own weakness. And now for once Blackthorn knew true fear. He had lost control and in his revelry released the thing he feared the most the true essence of what he was.
And through the beast's eyes he gazed again, transfixed upon what he knew would happen next. The beast approached a home; nothing too special, just an average modest home. But to the beast this was not home, it was a meal. And Blackthorn could barely watch as the eyes changed from that of a man to that of a beast, but that was not all. These eyes, unlike his own, were they eyes of a killer.
And then the beast moved with blinding speed towards the home. Blackthorn screamed inside himself and as the beast broke through the door, smashing aside steel and wood alike in its search for prey, he now cried. The beast fell upon its prey, it gorged itself upon the lifeblood of these well meaning and decent people and there was nothing he could do.
And then he collapsed. Paralyzed within himself he could do nothing. But now even if he could, would he? He did not want to know, he did not want to see, he did not want to feel, and now he did not have to. But could he ever truly escape ‘the mark of man’ upon him?
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
December 18th
12:05 am
James leaned against the truck and looked up into the night’s sky. Vincent had received a call from Alessa about a kid named Cole, who Morris had kidnapped. James sat and pondered why the hell had had gotten himself into this situation. *Why the hell am I helping a bunch of White Hats who would sooner see me dead?* But almost on queue Vincent popped his head out from the back of the van. He was covered in thick black body armour, the only part of his body that wasn't black was his golden hand device which shimmerd underneath the park's dimly lit street light.
He spoke softly, "Thanks again for offering to help, I don’t think we will be able to do this without you."
James shrugged it off and replied with a simple, "It's no problem at all, kid." He watched as two figures walked down the pathway to meet them, and could cleary make out Chance and Alessa.
Chance’s face was clenched with loathing and anger. His lips were tight as he gave James a deadly look.
If looks could kill…
If only…
If…
The air was thick with if’s. And tension, too. Lots of tension.
“Good evening, James.” Alessa finally spoke up, breaking the silence. “And you, too Vincent. Darlome.”
She nodded in the demon’s direction, then elbowed Chance. “Be nice,” she whispered. “Remember, James is the only one who can help us save Cole.”
Grounding his teeth together, Chance finally relented. “Darlome. Vincent. Still keeping secrets?” He turned to James with a bitter smile. “I really don’t want to see you anywhere but in some kid’s sand box but… these are interesting times.”
“Which is why we need your help,” Alessa quickly added, after giving Chance a look. He remained impassive.
James smirked and was about to say something highly witty and no doubt offensive aimed at Chance, but Vincent cut in and walked straight up Chance’s face.
"Why yes, Dray’chen. We are still keeping secrets." Vincent backed off from Chance when he saw the look on Darlome’s face. Vincent turned and spoke again, "Cole’s being held prisoner by this vamp Morris in an abndoned mental instituion. It's been empty since the ealy sixties, but Morris has been holed up in there for the past few weeks. We only found out two days ago and we were going to drop by and tell you about it, but since he has Cole we see no better time to move in than now."
Alessa smiled her thanks to James, ignoring Chance’s scowl. That meant that James had involved his friends in looking for Morris. The vampire just smirked. She turned to Vincent then.
“Thank you, Vincent. That means a lot to me, that you bothered to search for Morris. I know James doesn’t consider him a worthy opponent, but I think he’s wrong. Morris can be very dangerous, like his kidnapping Cole proves.” She looked at Darlome, but quickly avoided his eyes. The demon still gave her the creeps. “What will we do?” she asked in general.
James flashed a smile at Alessa and gave her a wink which Chance caught and didn’t seem to be pleased with, as James began to speak.
“We have some building designs from city hall and have decided that the best way in the building is through the basement. We can get in quietly enough. I have some nirtox bombs in the van which will take care of the steel doors. Also we have hollowpoint bullets loaded into all the guns with silencers, making them completely silent which should mask our entrance nicely. The only problem is most of the vamps will be holed up in the same room so that’s where these come in.” James pulled out a small canister from his pocket and showed Chance and Alessa. “Flash bangs will blind the vamps for about ten seconds, giving us a chance to take them out.”
James walked over to the back of the van door. “You will all be kitted out in full kelvar body armour, it will also greatly hinder any vamp form taking a snack on you.” James pulled open the van door and looked at them, “Well, hop in. We don’t have all night.”
Alessa frowned as she got inside the vehicle. It looked like the ‘A-team’ van, armed to the teeth, if vans could have teeth, of course. She sat down near the back and watched as Darlome jumped into the driver's seat, igniting the vehicle and starting to drive. Vincent sat next to him.
Chance and James seemed to have gotten to a truce as they inspected together the blue-prints of the Psychiatric Clinic where the vampires were hiding. She didn’t even bother to look the prints, her sense of direction didn’t need them. She only had to know which direction to go. An inborn ability in her kind, who lived in the rainforest where trees weren’t labeled and ordered. Instead, she started to inspect the weapons.
“Hey, take care with that, pet!” said James, watching her take a P90 in her hands. “That thing can make a hole in you the size of California.”
“I know, and it can also shoot 900 rounds per minute reaching a range of almost 200 meters.” She smiled at his surprised look, “I just don’t like guns, it doesn’t mean I don’t know about them.”
She turned to Chance then. “I think I’ll stick to your crossbow, if you don’t mind, love.” She then started fumbling around the kevlar body armour parts he had mentioned; she didn’t mind being protected though, she thought. And she started putting them over her black turtle-neck sweater and tights.
Chance grinned. “She’s of the traditional type,” he said to James’ unspoken question, then remembered who he was talking to and dropped the smile. Straight faced he returned to studying the blueprints. “Ok, we enter through here.” He tapped the blue-print with one finger.
“As soon as the doors go we have to be ready to move. We hit hard, we hit fast. The aim is to rescue Cole, not kill as many vampires as possible.” Glancing over at James, Chance added a snide, “Unfortunately.”
“And since when were you the famous tactician?” the vampire replied.
“Since I fought in every major war after the twelfth century.”
Vincent leaned over. “He’s got you there, man,” he whispered.
“Shut up,” Darlome said from the driver’s seat.
Ignoring this, Chance went on. “All right, we keep together and kill anything that moves and isn’t human. I assume all of us can quickly tell the difference between a human and a vampire?” All nodded.
“Good. Flashbang rooms as you come to them. Vampires take a lot more bullets to kill than humans, and as we have plenty of ammo, don’t be afraid to let loose. Last time I took on a vampire with a gun, I had to nearly shred him to pieces. Almost wasted the entire clip.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Darlome grinned, not taking the eyes from the road and patting a p90. “These babies will sort him out.”
“Great. Just try not to shoot each other.” Chance gave Darlome, Vincent and in turn James a fixed steady glare. “We don’t want any ‘accidents’.”
James returned the look, and added a twisted grin. “No, we don’t want them.”
Chance nodded, then spun and slammed the vampire up against the side of the van. “Listen, vampire. I’m on a zero-tolerance thing here. We’re going in to save Cole. Your unlife depends on his. He dies, you die. I see any signs of betrayal or treachery, you’re dust. Get me?”
The vampire kept the smile. “Sure thing, sir.”
Disgusted, Chance dropped him and turned away. “Any questions?”
James smirked, “Yeah, I think we need to set up a chain of command.” He moved closer to Chance and vamped out. “You touch me again and I won’t let you live like last time. You’re not the leader. You never will be a leader. You’re in my van, using my intel, using my weapons. I’m doing this for Alessa and Vincent; not for you.”
James' face returned to its human form and he gave a boyish grin while he pulled over his face mask and took out his automatic shotgun from beneath his seat.
Darlome turned round to look at Chance. “Take my advice and please don’t be offended when I say this; sit down and shut the fuck up! You’re causing enough friction.” Darlome turned back round to look at the road again.
“Please!” said Alessa to the two men; for once she had to agree with Darlome. “You have to control yourselves. We have to be united in this, it won’t help if you kill each other before time.” She glared at them one last time, and turned to look out of the window.
They had left the city behind, and the road was climbing a forested hill. It wouldn't take much longer to get to the Clinic. It was placed on a lonely hill overlooking LA. “Lone Peak Psychiatric Clinic” was the name that the blueprints read.
They spent in a tense silence the remaining time it took to reach their destination. The Clinic loomed over the beautiful view of the city lights, surrounded by a thick forest. The building was big, but it seemed completely abandoned. They parked the van in a hidden spot and moved towards the sewer entrance they had found on the map.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
December 18th
1:30 am
Lone Peak Psychiatric Clinic
Chance threw open the sewer hatch and James pointed his P90 down.
“Clear,” James said a few moments later after nothing had leapt up to attack him.
Nodding, Chance stepped towards the gaping hole. Was he actually going to do this? To put their lives in the hands of a vampire?
Yes. He was.
Shit, this was fucked up.
And it was only going to get worse.
*Just wait until the bullets start flying.*
*Yeah, I’m looking forward to THAT already.*
“See you down there,” Chance said, glaring at James. Then he stepped off and plummeted into the sewer below.
On impact the filthy water splashed up around him, but he bent his legs and was sweeping the sewer with his own P90 even before it had settled.
“Clear,” he shouted back up a few seconds later, then moved forward to cover everybody else coming down the ladder.
“Friction my ass. He’s the one who bloody bites people, for crying out loud…” Chance muttered to himself.
James landed seconds after Chance and went into game face, looking deep down into the tunnel and not seeing anything. He moved past Chance while speaking to him at the same time. “And for the record, I only bite people who annoy me.”
Alessa nimbly jumped from the ladder behind the two, followed by Vincent and Darlome. Chance’s crossbow was instantly in her hands too. She was frowning at their silly exchange.
"Both of you, power down the testosterone," she said firmly. She was getting tired of their ongoing hostility. They didn’t have time for that. They both turned to her. Chance raised an eyebrow at James and the vampire chuckled.
She inspected the sewers herself, not bothering to look at them. In a more normal tone of voice, she added, "I can’t smell anything either.” She wrinkled her nose, “Apart from filth, I mean.”
Still chuckling, James nodded and led the way. The vampire walked up to the basement entrance door and taped it with the but of his gun. He stood back.
“Solid steel.”
Darlome nodded to James, and quickly took four large packs from his pack and attached them to the hinges of the door. James began to move slowly back form the bombs while Chance scrambled for cover as they detonated. A small sound of air escaping could be heard. Even though Chance couldn’t see James' face he knew he was smiling under the mask.
“Nitrox bombs. No need to hide, Dray’chen.” James walked over to the door and pulled on the handle hard, ripping it from the door hinges.
Vincent ran over and inside the building with his P90 raised and scanned the room before the sound of clicking could be heard from his gun, followed by a small poof in the distance. James walked quickly into the room but found it devoid of life apart from that of Vincent and a pile of dust. James turned back to the sewer system and spoke, "All clear."
Chance made a crouching run towards the room’s other door. “Great, I’ll warn the entire human population not to make you cranky and things’ll be just rosy.” He slammed up against the wall next to it and pressed his ear to the wall; frowning.
“Three, no four vampires on the other side. They’re coming up to the door now. Just about to pass it...”
James joined him against the wall as Chance flicked the safety on the P90 off. “Last one through’s a vampire. By the way, it's Chance,” he whispered, before throwing open the door and stepping through.
Once in the corridor, he sprayed the vampires with bullets with nothing but the sound of a trigger clicking. Two exploded; shredded to pieces even before they began crumbling to dust, but the other two escaped the initial salvo. Chance started to pour more fire into them but he got a tingling up the back of his neck.
Spinning, he yanked a stake out of a strap on his leg and plunged it into the heart of a vampire only a bare few inches behind him, then spun back ready to waste the other two before the other had even begun to crumble away. He got one, but the fourth was already a smoking pile of dust beneath James’ feet, who gave him a curious look.
“So there were five,” Chance shrugged. “Four-one, Ripper.”
Alessa walked into the corridor, rolling her eyes. She looked at the piles of dust that lay where vampires had stood. *At least they are killing the bad boys, and not each other,* she thought.
"We could flip a coin next time and see whose turn it is, what do you think?” She gave an exasperated sigh at the confused looks they sent her. “That way you won’t have to keep count.” They were beyond hope, and she suspected they were enjoying themselves.
Jogging lithely towards the end of the corridor she hushed back. “Are you done there, guys? Or do you soldier-boys want to play with your big guns a little more?" She suppressed a smile when she heard them chuckle and move up next to her.
James grinned, patting his P90 and motioning Darlome and Vincent up next to him.
“Try to keep up,” he teased Chance, then swung round the corner; the kid and the demon barely a second behind him. The faint clicking sound followed swiftly after, along with the multiple whooshs of exploding vampires.
Chance sighed and shook his head. Casting a sparing glance at Alessa he raised his eyebrows, took a deep breath as if in frustration, hefted the rifle, and swung around too. She was right behind him; crossbow at the ready.
***
“The stench of vampires is thicker here,” whispered Alessa to the rest as she reached the end of yet another corridor. There was a big double door, painted a faded green with small bulls-eye windows in it. Alessa moved towards it and peeked through one of them.
The central room of the clinic was a huge chamber that had probably served as common room, because a lot of small tables appeared piled in one of the corners. They'd dug a circular depression into the floor of the room, discovering the bare earth beneath the tiles, directly under a big crystal dome that must have given light to the interior area when the clinic was working. Alessa looked up at the dome and saw that it had been painted with strange magical symbols and colours, covering the crystal completely to keep the sunlight outside. Likewise the vampires had drawn arcane symbols on the ground under the dome.
Morris stood in the centre of the room, a huge book open in front of him on a lectern. It had to be some kind of magic book, Alessa thought. He was concentrating, reading from it.
She watched as the rest of the vampires prepared for a ritual. *They must be training,* she thought, and looked around. The beautiful dark haired vampiress that had attacked her was there too, but she wasn’t involved in the spell training; rather, she seemed bored. She continued scanning the room, searching for Cole.
After a moment her eyes fell on a small helpless figure sitting nervously in the corner. It seemed like he took no notice of what was going on around him; his eyes were glazed over, and his visage seemed blank as if he had retreated into himself. Surprisingly, he wasn’t being watched.
“He’s in there,” she told the others. “They are all here.”
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
***Tuesday, December 5, 2006***
***The Bibliophile***
Daye served tea to the elderly couple in the corner and then turned at the sound of the bell above the door. She smiled broadly at the sight of the man who’d just come in and was scanning the room for her. Daye quickly made her way in his direction.
“Twice in one year,” Daye joked as she stretched to kiss Jimmy on the cheek. “How do I deserve such a special treat?”
Jimmy’s brown eyes twinkled as he took her hand and led her over to one of the few vacant tables in the shop proper. “You know I can’t resist you, Irish,” he said.
Daye laughed gaily. “So, why are you really here?”
Jimmy’s normally bright smile faded slightly for an instant. “I’m... involved with something, something big. I’m not sure... I can’t really talk about it right now. I just thought maybe I could crash her for a few days. You wouldn’t mind, would you?”
Daye gave him a puzzled look. It was unlike Jimmy to be serious about anything for any length of time. “I don’t mind at all,” she replied. “If you need help, I mean if there’s some sort of trouble or something...”
Jimmy shook his head, cutting her off. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got everything under control. When I’m more... sure, I’ll explain.”
“Ok,” Daye agreed warily. She knew she couldn’t push him to reveal more than he was ready to. Under his playful exterior, Jimmy was tough. The easy going playboy act was just that, an act. He was made of steel underneath and only gave when he was ready to.
“Well, at least you can come stay at my place,” Daye offered. “We bought a house and there are a couple of extra rooms. It would be a hell of a lot better than sleeping on that sofa in the break room.”
Once again, Jimmy quickly shook his head. “No... I don’t think that’s the best idea. I don’t want your family involved. To be honest, if I had somewhere else to go, I wouldn’t have come to you at all.”
Daye’s frown grew concerned. “Jimmy, if you’re in some trouble, I want you to tell me...”
“No!” Jimmy’s voice rose, drawing the attention of a few nearby customers. He glanced around guiltily before continuing in a more normal tone. “Sorry, I’m a little on edge, I guess. I just don’t want you getting involved in this right now. I’m not even sure there’s anything for you to get involved in. Just bear with me. When I feel the time is right, I’ll explain everything. Until then, just trust me, okay. And let me sleep here?”
Jimmy had grinned charmingly as he finished, and Daye laughed despite herself.
“Of course, you’re welcome,” she said. “I just... Never mind. I’m here if you need me, which you know, so there’s no point in my going on.”
Jimmy shrugged. “I suppose not, although you know I’d love to catch up on other things.”
He winked and leered. Daye laughed again. “I should get back to work, actually,” she said, rising.
Jimmy nodded, letting her walk away. Once she was gone, he drew a small notebook from his pocket and began to leaf through it, frowning and shaking his head. The possibilities before him were disturbing, but he had to be sure before he shared them with anyone else. What might be going on within the Council was too important to be treated lightly. It was also too potentially dangerous to be discussed with anyone prematurely. He would have to bide his time and tread carefully, something Jimmy was unused to doing. He could only hope to pull it off.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
***Thursday, December 7, 2006***
***Small café in Downtown London***
Ambrose Delancre entered the tiny shop carrying a leather attaché. He made his way quickly and quietly to the table near the rear, where someone sat bundled up in a long, dark coat. Ambrose smothered his annoyance at his associate’s ridiculous theatrics. If you could assume any form at all, then why make yourself obvious with the cloak and dagger routine?
“Pardon me,” Ambrose said clearly when he arrived at the table, “do you mind if I sit here? I have a strong desire to try that herbal tea you’re having.”
A snarl-like chuckle emerged from behind the high collar of the jacket. The man at the table also wore a wide brimmed black hat, so his entire face was shrouded in dark shadows. “Pull up a chair, Ambassador, if you’re so inclined.”
Upon hearing the agreed upon response, Ambrose sat, ignoring the irritation he was feeling. Sometimes in his work he had to deal with eccentric people, and he was pretty used to it, but it still annoyed the hell out of him. If only everyone could be as straightforward as he was. Life would be so much easier.
Once seated, Ambrose lifted the attaché to the table and unlatched it, slipping a short stack of files and a thick manila envelope out. “I presume you know why we are here,” he said.
The snarling voice almost seemed to float out of the darkness. “Mr. Jones, I assure you I know exactly what you’ve come for. I’m actually rather excited by the prospect. It’s been a slow year.”
Ambrose smiled thinly. He slid the files across the table, glancing about surreptitiously.
“This place is secure,” the other said, noting his nervousness. “I promise you that. I’m discreet and so are they.”
Ambrose nodded primly. “Just so. If you open that, you’ll see your target. He’s become a thorn in my side and I’d like to see that he’s eliminated.”
“Of course,” the snarl was all business now. “And the other?”
“That’s why this job is for you in particular,” Ambrose replied. “The other is the face you must be wearing when this job is accomplished. This is vitally important. Study that face, that form, very carefully. There must be no differentiating between you and her. Do you understand?”
The creature nodded, flipping open the second folder. “Alicenoko?” he said softly. Then he chuckled once again. “Very interesting choice, sir. I think this might actually be fun. Messy is ok, I assume.”
“Whatever necessary to make this believable is perfectly acceptable,” Ambrose replied. “Just see that it’s taken care of as soon as possible. I don’t want Mr. Han getting any further in his investigation than he already has and I don’t want to give him time to share his suppositions with anyone else.”
The creature nodded, reaching across to take the envelope. He opened it and thumbed through the bills inside. He closed the envelope and placed it inside his coat. “This is acceptable to me,” he said. “I will return here when the job is done to receive the other half of the payment, as stated before.”
Ambrose nodded once, coolly. The creature rose, taking the folders with him and in moments Sir Ambrose Delancre was alone in the tiny shop. He sat back in the chair and stared down at the table, lost in his own thoughts. He had just set in motion the first move in a very dangerous game. If his hired gun could eliminate James Han, a man who had become increasingly curious and increasingly dangerous in recent weeks, and at the same time incriminate Alicenoko, a demoness that had plagued and intrigued him for years, then perhaps Ambrose could use Daye to his advantage for once. If this worked out the way he hoped it would, then Daye would bring him Alicenoko and he would be rid of two problems in one swift blow.
Ambrose rose finally from the table and turned towards the door of the café. He was whistling as he strode out into the bleak London winter. Things were certainly starting to go his way.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Sunday, 10th December 2006 – 4:55pm
Bibliophile
Daye shut the front door behind the last applicant and locked it. She leaned back on the doorframe and sighed. Daye had put this off for a long time. She'd avoided trying to find a replacement for Kate for weeks, but now she'd finally faced that it had to be done. That little corner of the loft was collecting dust when it could be generating revenue. She had put an ad in today's paper for a "psychic" and then spent the whole day interviewing one crackpot after another. It was amazing how many genuine nutcases resided in their fair city.
Daye moved away from the door and grabbed a clean rag off one of the tables, wandering around the shop doing errant dusting as she pondered her choices. She was so absorbed that she lost track of time, and so she nearly jumped out of her skin when someone pounded on the front door.
Kate smiled and waved in through the window at Daye who was busy cleaning after closing up. "Hey," she said as her friend opened the door, "Hope I'm not late."
Daye shook her head, letting Kate in. "No, not at all," she said, laughing softly. "To be honest, I sort of lost track of time, so I didn't realize you were here until I heard you knocking."
"Don't worry about it," said Kate as she stepped inside, taking her coat off and laying it over the back of one of the chairs. It felt like a long time since she'd last been here. It seemed like she'd hardly left the house in the past couple of months; motherhood was certainly more demanding than she'd expected.
"So how are you and yours? Maia must be getting so big now..."
Daye led Kate to a table near the counter which she'd left set up for the meeting. There was a plate of Josh's pastries and cookies on the table, along with three place settings.
"Oh my, she's so big," Daye agreed, gesturing for Kate to have a seat while she went to brew some tea and coffee. "She just started walking a couple of months ago, and now it seems all she does is run. It's quite a sight to see Sam following after her, trying to catch her each time she stumbles. And how about you? How's that lovely family of yours coming along?"
"We're all very happy," Kate smiled, wringing her hands slightly. She sighed, "Which makes me more nervous than you can imagine. I just keep waiting for something to go wrong, for the next Big Bad to fall on our doorstep and start ruining our lives again. I guess that makes me certified crazy huh?"
Tash knocked lightly on the darkened door to Bibliophile, feeling slightly nervous. She wasn't sure why she should feel that way – after all, these were her friends and they'd been through quite a bit in the past couple of years. But she worried that they might think she was trying to set herself up as some kind of leader, and that was most certainly not her intent. She'd always hunted and fought alone, but the things out there had grown too large for any one person to handle. If nothing else, her time in LA had taught her the value of having an organised force. She smoothed the worry lines from her face as the door tinkled open, and she beamed at Daye.
"Hi," she said cheerfully as Daye ushered her in. She waved to Kate who was sitting near the counter, "Hi, Kate. Hope you haven't been waiting long."
Daye led Tash to the table where Kate already sat. "Kate just got here a couple of minutes ago," Daye said. "Go ahead and have a seat while I grab the coffee and the tea. Try one of those mini éclairs. I swear Josh is the magic one around here." She brought the two carafes to the table and set them down, taking her seat.
Tash picked out a few delicacies from the tray, well familiar with Joshua's incredible cooking talent. She wondered how the man had managed to stay single all this time – but of course, she realised as she bit into a luscious éclair, the woman he took up with would have to be completely indifferent about the possibility of gaining weight. Maybe that was why.
"These are delicious," she managed to say around a mouthful of pastry, "as always." After a moment of chewing she swallowed the last crumbs with a gulp of steaming coffee and sat back.
"Well, I've never been one to beat around the bush. I know I didn't tell you much on the phone, but don't worry – so far as I know we're not facing another apocalypse just yet," Tash grinned, though she failed to mention the one that had barely been avoided just days before.
"Well that's a relief," said Kate, nursing a hot cup of tea in her hands, "I'm not saying that your calls are an omen or anything Tash, but the last time you called? Vampire Elder invasion."
"Well, yeah, and that's really what I want to talk about." Tash smiled at the two women, "Up to now if one of us happened to hear something of major importance we'd ring around and hope that everyone was available for frontline duty. So far we've been pretty lucky. But we won't always know if something we hear is really important unless we have all the pieces, and someone else may have the vital bit. Unless they get put together we're working in the dark, separately. And I know last year you didn't have much by way of backup for your particular crisis, Daye."
Tash paused for breath, taking another sip of her coffee. "So what I'm proposing is that we use the Foundation resources Victor left us, and that we take a leaf from the bad guys' books. It's time we White Hats were rather more organised."
Kate thought over what Tash had said; it certainly made more sense than their current method of information sharing. Perhaps if they'd had something like this set up earlier a few more people might have been sitting around the table right now. Kate sighed at that thought, "It sounds like a fantastic idea Tash," she said enthusiastically, "you can count on my support."
"Thanks, Kate." Internally, Tash let go of some of those jitters. *See?* she told herself, *I told you they were irrational.*
She turned to Daye, who was sitting with a slightly thoughtful look on her face. "It will mean fairly regular meetings of everyone involved, and I'd like to institute training schedules as well, so those who need to polish combat skills can do so. Between us, we've got an expert in most forms of combat. The two of you may want to set up a separate schedule for magical skills, as well." She smiled encouragingly, hoping she'd answered the question Daye looked like she'd been chewing over.
Daye considered Tash's words carefully. What she was proposing was something very different from the loose framework they'd always worked within in the past. It would be like officially saying, "We're here and we're taking a stand." Not that Daye minded that idea at all. It was just that the last person she'd expected to hear it from was the woman sitting across from her. Tash was always so solitary a person, it was surprising for her to be the one to suggest this sort of team up.
Daye nodded slowly. "I think this is a very good idea," she began. "After what happened at the hotel it makes sense to co-ordinate our magic, to learn to work together rather than against each other. And Goddess knows I could benefit from some of the hand-to-hand stuff. It's been ages since I did my mandatory stuff with the Council."
Tash nodded. "Good, good. I really wanted both of you involved in this, not least because of the magic. I've been talking to a few of our newer friends and discussing this with them, and we should have quite a network soon. But I was thinking about those I met when I first came to LA. You two are the only ones still really here. Jade's..." Tash sighed heavily, "Well, Jade's not really on our team any more. Tempest's dead, and Sorrow and Victor..."
She choked to a halt for a second, thinking also of the near-disaster they’d narrowly averted just a few days ago, then continued in a quietly determined voice, "I don't want the rest of us to fall one at a time like they did. If we can share whatever we've learned or heard, each little bit can add up to a much greater whole, and we might see some of these things coming before they get out of hand."
Daye was now thinking about what else she could contribute. She felt her excitement over this plan growing. "Sure..." she mused aloud. "I could even teach some of you the rudiments of the ‘Dreaming’. Enough so that we could communicate via that, and to shield us from certain types of psychic attack. I could also go over research techniques. I could maybe get a little space in the Poplar building and move some of the books and such there. I could even start actively searching for resources, you know."
Kate tried to hide her amusement at Daye's over-enthusiasm; she'd always been like this, so overflowing with ideas, so eager to get involved. It reminded her of when they had first met all those years ago in London. "This could be really good," she smiled, thinking of the possibilites that their pooled resources could afford. "So, who else have you contacted?"
Tash nodded at Daye, "Exactly my thinking, too. Well, you'll have to tell me more about this 'dreaming', but I was hoping to be able to use Bibliophile as a research base, yes. Sorrow left me some of his stuff, which may come in handy as well. As for who else I've contacted? Well, so far I've talked with Reah, her cousin Quin, Darian, Cole, Alessa and Chance – you'll remember them from the Hyperion. And," Tash paused, "there's a new guy in town called Jeet. I've spoken with him a fair bit, and even done some training with him. I get good vibes from him, if you don't mind me sounding like a hippy."
Daye glanced down at her own attire, a long flowered broomstick skirt and loose peasant blouse. She turned her gaze back up to Tash and arched one eyebrow. "Not at all," she said dryly.
One corner of Tash’s mouth lifted at Daye’s comment, but then she looked at the floor, "I'm not sure about Nikolai – I think for now he's got enough of his own problems." Truth be told, she hadn't really seen him since he'd told her he was off to kill Sabarov. "And Alice – I've not seen her since G'rnatha, but not for lack of trying."
At Tash's words about Nikolai, Kate couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. She'd been spending a lot of time in his company lately, working on helping him to control his newly discovered empathic abilities. Still, she didn't feel right openly discussing his 'problems' in public and she wondered whether there was such a thing as a witch-client privilege.
"What about those we know without... well, the normal people, like Galen and Sam? Do we tell them about this or do we try to hide it from them?" Daye asked. "I mean on the one hand, if we tell them they may want to get involved and I don't know if I like that idea, but on the other hand, if we don't and they find out..."
Daye's question almost distracted Tash from the feeling of unease that suddenly came from Kate. She wasn't sure what had triggered it, since she'd just reeled off such a long list of names, but had the feeling there was something about one of her friends that put Kate on edge. She made brief eye contact with the woman but Kate averted her gaze quickly, and Tash had to pick up the thread of what Daye was saying.
"Well," she responded slowly, replaying Daye's words in her head so she could hear them properly, "I would say that's up to you guys individually. Personally, I don't see an issue with Galen, Sam, or even Drew being involved – if they want to be. All of them have seen enough to know what can be involved here, and I believe they can all handle themselves. Then there are people like Jess and Alicia, who aren't 'normal'. But you know them better than I, Daye – I'm pretty sure Jess would be interested, but what about Alicia?”
Daye looked thoughtful once more. "Alicia?" she murmured. "And the Council for that matter. What about them? Do we want to try and establish ties to other 'official' organizations? On the one hand every resource is useful, but on the other we don't want to find ourselves facing off against people we've become allied with. And we are different than most groups, like the Council...or the Ministry...or Sindell, even. We're more tolerant. We don't want them breathing down our necks or trying to influence us, right?"
Tash shook her head slowly. "No, I think we should stay separate from those organisations. Though if we discover something that has wider ramifications than just our little patch of city, it wouldn't hurt our cause to pass on relevant information, I'm sure. But official ties? I don't think we're ready for that yet. It's why I was doubtful about Alicia. I know she's more 'party line' than you or Jess..."
Daye frowned at Tash's statement. It had been the truth in the past, but Alicia was growing more and more open as time went on. Perhaps... "I think for now, I won't say anything to Alicia," Daye decided. "I don't think she needs to worry needlessly, but I reserve the right to change my mind at a later date."
"Sure, I'll trust your judgment on that one. She was handy to have at the Hyperion, for certain." Tash smiled at the pair and finished her cooling coffee before succumbing to the lure of the pastries and selecting another one. She even managed not to wince at the twinge in her nearly-healed ribs as she leaned forward. "Well, I think that's the gist, anyway. I'm hoping to set up a first meeting soon; let everyone introduce themselves to each other properly, work out our strengths and weaknesses collectively and decide where to go from there."
Daye nodded. "I assume you'll want to have the meetings at Poplar," she said. "If you let me know when, then I'll be there. I'll even get Josh to whip up something for me to bring along as refreshments." She turned to Kate, "Does that work for you, Kate?"
Kate nodded to Daye's question, while Tash held her belly in mock pain. "Oh, my poor waistline," she groaned, "Right, an extra hour of training for me tonight..."
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Wednesday, 13th December 2006 - 3:45pm
Tash practised alone today. Neither Jeet nor Alessa, nor indeed any of the others who had begun to drop in from time to time, had shown up today, but Tash didn't mind. In fact, she found it somewhat restful to spend an afternoon performing kata and getting back in touch with her own movements without having to worry about teaching somebody or learning something new herself. She began her last series of movements, a complicated kata that required the utmost concentration. Just as she reached the most demanding section, a loud knocking sounded on the door. Tash tried to continue, but the pounding came again, even louder than the first time, and she broke off the routine with a heavy sigh.
Grabbing a towel, she wiped some of the sweat from her body as she approached the door and opened it, expecting to see one of her 'tenants'. The towel dropped to the floor, forgotten, as her eyes registered who it was who stood before her.
"Hi, I’m looking for the lady of the house," Alice grinned as she let her bag drop to the ground. "I heard you had a room for rent, maybe." Alice picked up the towel and handed it back to Tash. "How are you, hun?"
Tash took the towel absently. "I was beginning to think you'd skipped town, Alice. I..." She blinked and gathered her wits, "Let's go to my place to talk. I'm up here now, on the third floor. I couldn't go back to the old apartment after... Well, you know."
Alice picked up her bag and followed Tash to her apartment. "Skipped town? No, I was taken on an unscheduled vacation. How have you been?"
Tash showed Alice into the penthouse apartment and offered her a seat. "I've been keeping busy," she replied. "It hasn't been easy, and frankly I don't blame you for staying away so long – if I'd seen you in the first month after we got back I might have done something I'd regret. But I'm afraid you missed a lot." Tash sighed, and told Alice about the battle at the Hyperion and Sorrow’s sacrifice, and how she thought Nikolai had been killed only to learn later that he was really alive. "I'm sorry you missed the memorial service," she finished. "I should take you out there. But first, what about your 'unscheduled' vacation – someone got you?"
"No one I didn’t expect. I had to take care of the Order so that I can move on, myself." Alice sat uncomfortably in Tash’s presence, wiggling in her chair. She could still almost feel Tash's emotions from before filling her head again, and her eyes teared up. "I shouldn’t have come back.”
Tash closed her eyes, remembering the feelings of betrayal and resentment she'd harboured for Alice for weeks after their return from G'rnatha. At the time all she'd wanted to do was stay with Victor – she couldn't imagine a life without him. And though she missed him terribly, more than she could bear some days, she had a purpose here again. She clasped Alice's hand lightly, entwining her gloved fingers with Alice's own.
"Alice, of course you should have come back. You and Victor... I know he had many fond memories of you – of your friendship. You knew each other for a long, long time. You must have been hurting as much as I was, yet you had the strength to bring me back. I..." A part of Tash still wasn't ready to thank Alice for that, but at least she no longer felt bitter about it. "I'm better off being here, even without Victor," she finished instead.
Alice looked up at Tash, her mind suddenly cleared. "Where is the memorial, hun?"
"Daye and I found a nice spot at Malibu Beach. Want me to take you there?"
"Sure hun, let me get into my bikini," Alice smiled. "And you have got to tell me who all these new people are."
Alice fumbled around her bag. "Found the bottoms. How secluded a spot?" she chuckled.
Tash grinned, "Better let me have a shower first, though. I'm still sweaty. And probably not that secluded, though nobody in LA really cares, I'm sure."
Some minutes later the pair rode on Tash's bike the long ride north to Malibu. Although it wasn't easy to talk over the roar of the engine, Tash did her best to fill Alice in on her new friends and her vision for the White Hats.
"So," she said as they pulled up in the carpark at Malibu Beach, the sun dipping low in the sky, "now there's quite a few of us interested, and I'm planning on setting up a meeting as soon as possible, though with Christmas coming it may be tricky."
She looked around the carpark. "Hmm, seems awfully full today. It's winter – what are all these people doing at the beach?" Shrugging, she led Alice down the path to the memorial spot. "It's a few minutes' walk down here."
"Looks like a wedding. Want to crash it? Free cake!" Alice grinned.
Just for a second Tash was tempted, but common sense got the better of her. "No, we'd better not. But the tree is off the beach, at the back here." She took Alice wide around the back of the bushes and trees bordering the beach until they reached the elder sapling they had planted. The sounds of revelry filled the air and in a way Tash found it fitting that this place wasn't quiet and solemn, but was filled with love and laughter. Jade's flowers remained at the base of the tree, faded and withered but somehow still beautiful, and Tash felt a deep sorrow for her friend. She hoped Jade would be able to find her way back to them, somehow.
"It's all here, Alice. Do you want a minute?"
Alice put her hand on the tree. "No, I don’t need a minute. I’ve said goodbye to Victor already."
"I know," Tash whispered. Her thoughts seemed calmer here, less turbulent. One thing bugged her, though. "Alice? Just how did you know what I was planning on G'rnatha? I know you're good, but I was being very careful..."
“Well, after fighting in wars and just killing people for all these years I’ve learned that people who have lost someone do dumb things. So I had Z’thrukaht hook me in to their mind net thing so I could read your mind." Alice looked Tash in the eyes, "It almost got us both killed."
Tash's jaw hung open until she closed it with a snap. "You... that's what you asked for, as your gift? But you could have had almost anything..." That she hadn't asked for anything for herself didn't enter into the equation for Tash – at the time she'd been set on staying on G'rnatha and saw no need for anything.
"Alice, I..." A loud burst of noise and laughter came from the party that was starting to get into full swing a little way down the beach, giving Tash time to collect her thoughts a little. Gratitude for Alice's selflessness warred with bitterness that Alice hadn't just let her do what she wanted. Late at night she often wished she'd stayed on G'rnatha, despite the plans she was setting into motion now. It was in the quiet solitude of the darkness that she really missed the sense of someone beside her, sharing her life.
She blinked back unbidden tears and continued in a husky voice, "I had no idea. You were feeling what I..? Oh, god. I wasn't feeling very wonderful at that time. On top of your own grief it must have been awful."
"It wasn't what I wanted, but it did work after all."
Tash smiled at her friend. There was a lot Alice had left unspoken, but she could see it in the woman's eyes. Tash rested her forehead against the slender trunk of the tree and breathed in the mixture of earthy and salty/tangy air around her. If Victor were here right now they'd be relishing this quiet time between crises. Maybe taking that honeymoon they'd never had a chance to make. She remembered the trip to Mexico they'd gone on last year for their holiday after the whole doppelganger thing, and considered it a far better journey than the one they'd taken on G'rnatha.
Still, even though Victor was lost to her she was able to build on something that he'd started. "What I told you on the trip over, about the White Hats becoming more organised and so forth – would you be interested in being part of that?" Tash looked up from the tree and regarded Alice evenly, "You would be a huge asset to us, and I'd like to have you there."
"Got any grey hats?"
Tash laughed. "How about off-white? Will that do?"
“Well, I am looking for a place to stay. Tell me Batgirl, do we have a bat cave?”
"Where else? Poplar. Now that Victor's gone I've inherited the building plus all of the Foundation. And if you need an apartment, I've still got some free. The second floor has Victor's office and Reah's flat, but our old flat is empty and Jade's – well, her stuff is still there but I don't think she'll be back." Tash chewed her lip. She didn't know if Alice would be comfortable living in the place where Victor had spent his last year and a half, and she wasn't sure she liked the idea of someone being in there just yet either.
"Maybe if I move Jade's stuff into 205, you can have 208. Is that ok? You'd be right opposite Reah..."
Alice grinned. "I don’t know, I have been getting a strange vibe from tiger girl the last few times we talked. But it’s better than a hotel. Do we need anything for the White Hats?"
Tash had a feeling she knew why Reah had been weird around Alice, but figured it was up to Reah to discuss any ‘future’ relations with Alice herself. So she stuck to business.
"Right now I'm just gathering forces, but I've just about exhausted my circle of friends – well, White Hat type friends anyway. Basically, keep your eyes and ears open and be prepared to spend time training others or being trained. I'll try to get everyone together before Christmas, and you can meet the ones you don't already know." Tash heaved a sigh. All the pieces were finally falling into place. "I'm glad you came back," she smiled.
"You say that now."
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
8th December,
9am.
Place: Egypt, Lake Nasser
“Are you trying to tell me that there may be a tomb beneath this here very river? Facer, have you gone mad pal?” Arther exclaimed. Sathawick had many contacts in Egypts, most of whom he had encountered before when he had been on his own expeditions, none of whom knew much about Sathawick, except old man Abdulah.
“It's good to know you still have faith in my instincts, ol’ buddy. Why did I ever think of leaving Egypt when I have so many people trusting me?” Facer replied sarcastically. He had been here for about two days; old man Abdul had dropped him here and he had then looked for accommodations and looked up his friend.
Arther looked down, and seemed to be a bit embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to be harsh, and yes in the past you have led us to many good discoveries and I do have full faith in you, but what you have suggested is completely insane!” He looked up and pointed to the Nasser River. “First thing, there was no way the Egyptians could have the technology to build a tomb deep within the river. Secondly, even if they did our scanners would have picked it up ages ago. You don’t know how many ships have been launched here looking for evidence on crazed theories such as yourself on 'buried treasure'. Ok, so a buried treasure could happen, but a buried tomb? And two of them?” He scratched his head. “What’s the name of the Pharaoh whose tomb you’re trying to find anyways?”
“King Tut’s second cousin, his mama told me truly his crib was around here somewhere.”
“I can see your humor is still there. Seriously, whose lost tomb are you looking for?” Arther said.
Sathawick looked across the river to find a boat lazily floating across it with people on it just as lazy, some fishing, others sitting enjoying the beautiful view. He turned his attention back to Arther. “Kh’Kum and Kum Wa, there were supposed to be these special Gods who were hinted to possess great power, especially Kh’Kum.”
Arther went back to scratching his head. “I really haven’t heard anything on them. However Kh’Kum seems to be a familiar name. I might have heard of him hinted here and there on some hierarchies, I don’t know.”
“You sure? 'Cause man, this here is important for me. Seriously, isn’t there any way you could launch another expedition on this here river? I think the exact co-ordinates a source told me was an Eastern lake sort of connected to the river. If we could scan the river again maybe we could find something, and you know the Egyptians; they definitely had a lot of technology, some of which we still can’t explain.”
“Perhaps I could get Grodfreid to support you, but you remember how he was. He’s the only on who supports expeditions which may seem useless and in the end takes his rewarding by taking more than bargained for. Still, take my advice and leave it there, there is no way there could be a tomb there.”
Sathawick looked thoughtful. “Yeah I remember Grodfreid, damn old weasel. But I don’t have a choice, how long do you think it’ll take for me to get a contract made? Two weeks, right?”
“I think so, unless you agree to shove more money and a greater percentage of your discovery down his throat, like about 75% and advance payments, the old bastard will come to you wagging his tail in about a week if not five days.”
Sathawick laughed, just because he felt like laughing. It had been a long time since he had laughed, and no matter how many times he tried his heart still remained without any warmth, without any true happiness. He stopped laughing and pulled a face; it was no use, for the rest of eternity he would feel no such pleasure. His friend, who was used to such behaviour of Facer’s from before, refrained from saying anything. Sathawick decided it was time to go to Grodfreid and ask him for the support.
“Well, it's good talking to you again. Hope you have a good dig at the Valley, I’ve heard you’re trying there again.”
“Valley of the Kings? Yeah, in about a month we’ll leave here and start our journey once again towards that place. Last time was a shame, we tried our very best to find this hidden tomb and all we found after digging for about six months at the Valley was small room, with nothing whatsoever in it, except for a few hieroglyphs. I mean it seemed someone had withdrawn their tomb, erased many of the hieroglyphs and disappeared. I was certain there were more rooms beyond that one, but our supporters didn’t feel the same way and we had to withdraw our expedition. It was funny, the hieroglyphs mentioned a…” Arther stopped right there, shocked at his discovery and before he spoke again Sathawick knew what was coming and smiled.
“Kh’Kum” Sathawick said, still grinning, "you read about him there."
Arther still seemed surprised at his discovery. “Yes, shocking. But the entire room was filled with riddles, like someone didn’t want anyone to know about anything. And in one of the corners the name “Kh’Kum” crept up, faded as if it was going to be erased but was forgotten.”
“Well my friend, now you know that this expedition is not just a wild goose chase. I have a feeling that Kh’Kum being rumored powerful was disturbed quite a lot, so his followers must have decided to relocate his tomb and erase his identity. Maybe one follower too dedicated wanted something of his master’s name left behind.”
Arther nodded and seemed to agree. “Tell you what,” he said, “before I leave I may have some time. I’ll try to investigate these anonymous Pharaohs of yours and see what I come up with.”
Sathawick thanked him and decided it was about time he left to see Grodfreid. He asked Arther for the directions to the man’s office and left.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
***Monday, December 11, 2006***
***The Bibliophile***
***around 12:30 am***
Jimmy let himself into the shop cautiously. He’d had the feeling all day that he’d been followed, but couldn’t figure out why or by whom. It was probably just nerves, and he knew it, but he felt infinitely better shutting the door behind him and locking it too. With a deep sigh, Jimmy moved quickly into the little kitchen behind the counter and grabbed the plate waiting there for him. Ever since he’d taken up residence in the break room of the shop it had been the same; before leaving, Josh prepared him a little something to eat and left it in the small refrigerator back there. Jimmy was more than grateful for the consideration. As he nibbled on the delicious po’boy on the plate, he was overjoyed by it.
Jimmy carried the plate through the darkened shop, balancing it as he lugged his heavy knapsack along too. Once inside the break room he settled down on the sofa, flipped on the overhead television and began to flip through a file in the sack as he ate. The reporter speaking on the news channel above was a steady, reassuring drone as he studied his notes.
Jimmy finished his “dinner”, setting the plate down on the nearly empty coffee table before the sofa. He leaned back and continued to read, thinking all the while about what he’d gotten himself into. He’d stumbled upon some questionable activity taking place on an island off the coast of Colombia a few months earlier. The island interested him because it was owned by the Watchers' Council.
The more he delved into the research going on at WC Base 347, the more uncomfortable Jimmy became. He had uncovered information that indicated that many questionable experiments were going on there, not the least of which involved genetic and mystical manipulation of various demonic species. Jimmy thought that perhaps the true nature of the base was unknown to the heads of the Council. He suspected that he was onto something big, something with the potential to rock the Council to its very foundations. That was before today, though. Today, Jimmy Han had made an even more startling and terrifying discovery, for today Jimmy had found out that Base 347 was run by none other than Ambrose Delancre himself.
Jimmy had been nosing around the research facility and sending out feelers for any information about the place, and today that had finally paid off. Jimmy found out that Ambrose Delancre, the recently appointed First Elder of the Watchers' Council, was the head of the Research Facility at Isla Nublada. He personally funded and oversaw everything that went on at the facility, and Jimmy suspected Delancre of an agenda that had little to do with the interests of the Council. He thought maybe Ambrose Delancre was working for the “other side” altogether.
Jimmy sighed, closing his notebook. He glanced at the clock on the wall, not surprised to see that it was after 1 am. He was tired and not thinking straight right now. Jimmy rose and grabbed his blanket and pillow from the top of the storage cabinet. He shut the lights and lay down on the sofa. He had set the alarm in the front room, but he left the television on, drifting to sleep with its white noise droning in the otherwise silent room.
***Around 3 am***
Jimmy awoke to a strange scuffling noise. He sat up in the dark room, noticing right away that the television was no longer on. He didn’t remember getting up to shut it off. He lay still for a moment, blinking in the darkness as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. He made out a form moving across the room, slowly tearing through boxes and shelves. He realized almost immediately that someone or something had broken into the shop and wondered briefly why the alarm hadn’t sounded.
Jimmy silently rose off of the sofa and approached the intruder. He had gotten within a few steps when the creature spun around and faced him. Jimmy realized two things immediately. The first was that he was facing a gigantic female bunny, and the second was that the bunny had brought to bear a giant knife. Jimmy realized a third thing as the bunny moved with unbelievable speed. He was in a great deal more trouble than he had heretofore thought.
As Jimmy tried to dodge, the blade came up suddenly, cutting him from abdomen to throat in one rapid, upward slice. Jimmy fell back, aware in the back of his mind that he was done for. He was pushed back by his assailant and fell onto the break room floor. He hoped dimly that Daye would find his notes and be able to crack his code, before the bunny slit his throat and then all was dark.
James Han lay staring unseeing at the ceiling in a pool of his own blood for the next three hours.
***At precisely 6:07 am***
Daye had opened the shop and dropped off her things in her office before heading for the back room, where she assumed Jimmy was still fast asleep. He’d been there every day for almost a week when she came in. She had tried on several occasions to convince him to give in and come and stay at her house. That had not only proved useless but actually was making her more and more uneasy, as Jimmy seemed to be growing more nervous as the days went by. She just hoped he’d resolve whatever he was mulling over soon and tell her what was going on.
“Ok, sleepyhead,” Daye sang as she stepped into the back room, flipping on the overhead light. She was surprised not to hear Jimmy’s aggravated grumblings, but only for a moment. As soon as she saw her friend lying on the floor, Daye did a decidedly uncharacteristic thing, especially for a Watcher and a witch who fought demons and vampires on a regular basis. She screamed. Daye screamed long and loud, bringing Joshua crashing in from the restaurant kitchen, wielding a meat cleaver and a panicked expression.
“Whatsa?” Josh bellowed. “What’s happen’ Miss Blaise?”
Daye spun around to Josh, her face a mask of horror and pain. “Josh, oh Josh,” she stumbled forward, trying to shield him from the sight that had greeted her.
“Mista Han?” Josh’s face fell with dismay. He stepped back out of the doorway.
Daye followed Josh out, sitting him down at a nearby table. She watched him for a moment, and then turned back towards the room, breathing deeply. She composed herself.
“Miss Blaise?” Josh seemed hesitant.
“It’s all right Josh,” Daye said. “I’m okay now. I was just… surprised, is all. I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”
Daye set her mind to the task at hand. She called Galen and asked him to help take care of the body. She made arrangements to send the remains back to Hong Kong. She filed reports with the Council. She spoke to Jimmy’s parents. She was supportive and efficient and composed. Her family tried to comfort her, but Daye remained coolly aloof. She didn’t grieve. No, she planned. She got together the evidence at hand and she watched the security video from that night, and then she sought information from the Council. Finally, when she was ready, she called the one person she was sure would understand, the person she knew who most grasped the need for revenge. When the time was right, she called Tash.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
December 18th
Lone Peak Psychiatric Clinic
One by one, they all took a glance into the room. “Right,” Chance said after looking for himself. “Cole’s the objective. We head straight for him and don’t get distracted.”
“What about Morris?” Alessa asked. “He’s not going to like that.”
He nodded. “I’ll take care of Morris. You just concentrate on fighting your way to Cole. That should be more than enough to think about without worrying about Morris as well.”
“You sure you’ll be ok against him?” she pressed.
“I only have to keep the bugger distracted, love. Just long enough for you to get out. I can do that. Trust me.” His lips brushed against hers, and then he turned to the others offering them a rare smile. “I think you know what I have in mind. Care to do the honours?” he asked James, nodding towards the room.
James clicked the switch on his P90 to burst mode and nodded to Darlome then to Vincent. The kid reached into his pocket and pulled two flash bangs off his vest, yanking the pins out at the same time. Vincent nodded to everyone else, which they all new meant ‘turn the fuck around the corner and shield yourselves’. He tossed the flash bangs violently into the room.
Morris turned and looked at the metal cylinders clank on the ground twice. “ Aw, bugger!” he quickly blurted out.
As the flash bangs exploded a cry of anguish came from everyone in the room. Some of the vampires dropped to the floor instinctively and shielded their eyes while others ran around trying to figure out what to do.
James shouted towards Darlome, “Do your stuff, Skippy.”
Darlome rushed into the room. The spell he had cast quickly before the flash bangs went off was taking effect. He could feel himself getting faster. As he reached the centre of the room several of the vampires had regained their sight and had already began to converge onto Darlome. The nearest vampire swung a punch at the demon, who drew out his stake and slammed it hard into his heart.
Before he had time to turn to dust, Darlome moved towards the next vampire and viciously kicked the vampire on the head, sending it sailing high into the air and across the room.
James watched from the entranceway and looked at the shocked expression on Chance and Alessa’s faces. Darlome moved with super human speed; dodging the punches and kicks thrown by the vampires.
Chance looked to James and then to Vincent. “He’s going Neo on their arses.” He watched for a moment longer, then shrugged. “Can’t let him have all the fun.”
Following James’ lead by flicking his weapon onto burst fire he charged in, spraying the vampires ahead of him with bullets. Several were shredded and exploded even as they stumbled around blinded and stunned. He pushed on past the first few fast-dissipating vampires and headed for the next knot.
The vampire and the kid were right behind him in bursting into the room, laying down their own destructive salvos. Alessa, just behind them, was snapping off deadeye shots from the crossbow that, whilst not as devastating as the P90s, were claiming undead mages with every bolt that flew from it.
Devastated. Destructive. Dissipating.
He was going to run out of words beginning with ‘d’ before the end of this.
Then he was amongst the next lot of vampires and there was no time to think or look around. Emptying the last of his clip into two of them, Chance flicked the weapon up into the air and grabbed it by the barrel, then used it as an interestingly shaped club upon three more. He swung round holding the ‘club’ at arm’s length, connecting with each vampire in turn. They spun, accompanied with heavy cracks, and tumbled to the ground.
Two more dashed over. These were not as nearly stunned and hardly blinded by the flash-bangs, ducking under Chance’s wild swings with the rifle. Slamming the weapon into the guts of one of them, he let go, dropped, kicked out, and came back up as the vampire went down. The other swung two punches at him that he dodged, but caught the third whilst keeping an eye out for another vampire coming behind him. Fortunately, Chance was able to turn his head with the punch, and used the momentum to launch into a spinning roundhouse kick. Both vampires crashed down as the first came up. Those he had hit with the rifle, still under the effects of the grenades, stayed down.
*Wise choice.*
The stake came out and, before the first was able to gather himself, was lodged into his chest. Chance yanked it out, dusted the other two in quick succession, batted aside the attacks of a fourth and a fifth and dealt them the same treatment, and then spotted an opening for Morris. Smiling cruelly, he dived in. The entire exchange had taken barely a few minutes. He hadn’t had this much fun since… well, for a while, anyway.
He just hoped the others weren’t indulging themselves too much they forgot what they had come for.
James ran in firing at the vamps, bullets tearing through their flesh and causing massive blood squirts to fly into the air covering the room and James in blood. As the P90 clicked on empty he tossed the submachine gun to the side and whipped the shot gun, which was holstered on his back, into a ready position; opening up on the vampires.
As the round left the barrel small needles slammed into the vampires’ faces and chests and began to burn into their skin. James spun his head round in time to see a vampire running at him chanting some incantation. He snapped his shotgun to his shoulder and aimed at the vampire’s head and fired, blowing it clean off. James tossed the shotgun down, realising it was empty.
A female vampire neared James and screamed at him. “Not got any guns now, do you human?”
When she got into striking range James pulled two sickles from out of nowhere and swiped at her head, taking it off with ease. Her head managed to bounce twice before it exploded into dust.
James moved into the mass of vampires, thinning the herd. Poetry in motion, as James would say.
Vincent walked briskly through the ranks of vampires. Any vampire who got close enough to incur his wrath met with the business end of a circular saw blade slicing through their body like a knife through butter. The blade never stopped spinning as it crashed into the skull of nearby vampires.
Spin, kick, punch, stake. One vampire dusted and the next sprawled on the ground. The third leapt at Alessa with his arms outstretched. She staked him easily enough and shook her head. The sounds of battle continued behind her, but none of her party sounded hurt. A good sign.
She turned her attention to the remaining vamp. *Aren’t they supposed to be mages?* As she asked herself this question a black young vampire stood up and started chanting and raising his hands.
*That sounds more like a mage,* she thought and dove towards the vampire, who fired light from his hands, scorching the wall behind her with a bolt of energy that missed her by inches. His spell failing he efficiently swung a high kick towards her head. Twisting, she made it bounce off her shoulder and ploughed into him, sending them both sprawling. The vampire lashed out with a punch, again clipping her shoulder, but Alessa ignored the pain. Grabbing the arm, she yanked the vampire towards her and decked him with a solid left to the jaw, plunging her stake deep into his heart with the right hand.
She looked at Cole then; her path was free, but in the moment she moved towards the kid the black haired vampiress intercepted her. Her game face was on, and she hissed in rage at Alessa. She wondered again who this vampiress was, and what was her relationship to Morris.
They circled for a moment before jumping to each other. The vampire was slim but powerful, and Alessa felt as if a train had hit her, but she held her ground. Pushing strongly she threw the vampiress away from her, putting some distance between them again.
Unrelenting, the vampiress charged again. Alessa executed a spin kick that propelled her backward into the wall. Roxana pushed off and tried to hit her across the face. Alessa blocked several punches and managed a flying kick to the vamp's midriff causing her to stagger back again. Before she could get his balance she quickly grabbed the crossbow that had been hanging at her back and pointed it to the vampire’s heart. Roxana’s face went to human again, and she calmly watched Alessa.
“What are you going to do, shoot me?” she sneered.
“That was my plan,” Alessa answered, and started to pull the trigger. However she felt her head being viciously pulled back and the fangs of another vampire trying to bit her neck, only to be stopped by the armour she was wearing. *Thank you James,* she thought as she let go of the crossbow to turn to the vampire at her back, only to submerge into dust. Vincent’s smiling face appeared when the dust settled. Alessa smiled her thanks and turned to face Roxana again, but the vampiress wasn’t there any more.
Swearing, she looked around but there was no trace of her. She shrugged and ran towards Cole.
The sweat was beading on Chance’s brow when he managed to fight his way to Morris. It hadn’t taken long for the vampires to overcome their disorientation and get their acts together; fighting both physically and magically. Physically he could take them on without qualms, but although he had some knowledge of magic and Dray’chen allowed him to dabble in the odd minor spell, the dispell attempts he was coming up with whilst fighting were, to be perfectly honest, pathetic.
But still, they were taking the edge off the vampire’s spells and making them focus marginally harder on casting. Which was all well and good for him, because that meant they weren’t concentrating so hard on fighting.
A mistake he was making them pay for.
With Dray’chen’s help, of course. A lot of his help, in fact.
Since the Hyperion Chance had been practising using the demon’s strength and power. And it was a good job, too. Now it flowed into him and filled his being as easily as if he was flexing his muscles.
Which were also quite considerable.
The vampire he had been duelling with fell to Chance’s stake, and then there was nothing between him and the arch-vampire himself.
Morris eyed his stake. “It’s going to take more than that to kill me, boy.”
“Boy? I’m older than you, son.” Chance tossed the wood aside and drew his sword. He cast an approving glance at it, then looked back to Morris. “How’s this?”
The vampire gasped.
“You can feel the power coming off it from there, can’t you? Want a closer look?”
The sired ex-Watcher composed himself and snarled, “You fool. Coming here to save the boy, how brave. You may indeed be older than you look, but you still don’t know when to keep your nose out of other people’s business.” He wiggled his fingers and chanted, then stretched out his left arm. An intricate sword, almost as long as Chance’s, appeared in his hand. “I will teach you otherwise.”
*The duel of words happens every time before a fight… it’s beginning to get tedious. And just a little cheesy.*
From within his head, Matthew spoke up. *And the lines haven’t changed in centuries, either. When are they going to come up with something new?*
*The day Hell freezes over,* Chance replied to himself, which although it appeared weird was something he had become perfectly comfortable with. They had had more than one internal debate over the last few months.
Deciding to eschew a witty comeback, Chance instead leapt into action, the demonic sword spinning and twirling. Morris followed suit, meeting Chance blade for blade. Where the magical weapons met sparks flew, and Chance could feel the sword trembling with the power it touched each time. He ignored these sensations even as they strengthened him.
Parry, attack, parry, attack, twirl, parry, punch. It went on, the combat around them dissolving into a swirl of noises and flashes as the two spun, locked in their duel. Chance was the stronger and more experienced with a sword, but Morris slightly faster and possessed of significant skill. He also had magic to aid him, an advantage the vampire never forgot to use.
But slowly, Chance was able to get the upper hand until Morris was constantly on the defensive; parrying blow after hate-filled blow. Chance used all the anger at Morris’ treatment of Alessa, and kiddnapping of Cole, as a bridge between himself and Dray’chen that the demon’s power used to cross and strengthen him. Soon he had scored many cuts on Morris, although the vampire healed them quickly, whereas Morris’ own strikes were meeting his armour, and he was certain his triumph was in sight.
The vampire’s blade caught his in a downward slash, but Chance slipped out a small knife and slammed it into Morris’ wrist. He yelled and his grip slackened. Chance took advantage of this to twirl his sword and fling the vampire’s away.
His return swipe was without a doubt headed to cut Morris in two.
Chance’s sword passed through nothing but the air Morris had just occupied. He looked around, but the vampire was gone. Vanished in a plume of smoke, as they say.
*Poof.*
He looked around to see the fight winding down under the combined efforts of Alessa, Vincent, Darlome and James. *And James,* he had to remind himself, then headed over towards Cole’s cowering form.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
December 18th
1:55 am
Lone Peak Psychiatric Clinic
She ran towards Cole. She reached to hold the kid, who looked like he hadn’t noticed what was going on around him, but was stopped by a barrier. *Damn!* She looked down and noticed the runes written around the boy; no wonder there were no vampires around him. She looked at Cole again, but he was lost in his world. Frowning, Alessa turned to see how the fight went. Most of the vampires had been dusted, and the good guys were turning to her now.
Chance was the first to reach them.
“God-dammit!” he cried, sensing the barrier as he drew nearer, then took a closer look at Cole. *He does not look good.* “We have to get this barrier down.” His voice carried an edge of desperation as he reached up to touch the invisible wall, then looked at Alessa. “Start destroying these runes!”
But then Darlome stepped in, holding one hand up. “Please, leave this to the professionals.” Placing one hand upon the barrier, he closed his eyes and began muttering.
“It’s strong,” the demon whispered, eyes still closed, “But by destroying the ones who cast it, I can have it down in no time at all. Stand back.” This last he said with one eye opened at Chance, before winking and closing it again.
Chance waved Alessa back. “Better listen to him. I’ve seen a barrier forcibly taken down before. It isn’t pretty.”
It wasn’t. After more mystical chanting, and several arm wavings, the demon reached into his pocket for a small sack. “Fairy dust?” Alessa whispered to Chance, smiling.
“This is to fairy dust what a nuclear bomb is to a grenade,” James said, wiping himself down and joining them.
He opened his mouth to go on, but then Darlome sprinkled it over the barrier. There was a flash of blinding light and a surge of energy washed over them like a heat wave. The warmth passed through their every cell, and then was gone.
When they opened their eyes, Darlome was standing in front of them smiling. The ground around Cole was scorched and blackened, but nobody was hurt.
“I love that stuff,” the demon said.
“That wasn’t so bad, why ask us to step back?” Alessa asked, confused.
“Trust me, you don’t want to be standing anywhere within a few feet of a magical barrier when they use that to bring it down,” Chance answered, brushing past her to reach Cole.
Once at his side, he dropped to his knees, touching the boy’s forehead. “Shit,” he whispered. “Cole, Cole you okay? Can you hear me?”
But Cole couldn’t hear him. He was rocking back and forth, his arms wrapped around his legs, and his eyes lost in the air in front of him. He seemed completely lost to the world. Alessa watched as Chance shook him a little harder. She was about to move towards the group when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning she saw Morris behind her, smiling. She opened her mouth to cry but was enveloped by darkness. Nobody noticed her disappearing from the room.
“C’mon Cole…” Chance continued to say.
James snorted. “Just slap him a bit-”
Chance whirled on him, index finger raised and pointed at James’ chest. “Look, vampire, when I need help with killing and pain, I’ll be sure to come to you. But I think you’re the last person who should be offering advice on anything but that. Now shut up.” He turned around back to Cole, grabbing him by the shoulders and staring deep in his eyes.
“Look, kid. It’s over. He isn’t coming back. You’re free of his influence now. Focus on my voice, my voice,” he repeated as Cole’s gaze began to stray, snapping his fingers in front of his face. “Cole, Cole! Don’t you DARE go out on me! He’s GONE. It’s just me, Chance. Remember me? Remember? COLE! BLOODY WAKE UP!”
Then he slapped him.
James chuckled to himself.
Cole looked around as if he had been in a dream, finally focusing on Chance. “Chance, I…” He trailed off lamely.
The boy licked his lips and looked around, confused. “Is it over? Is he gone?” His eyes focused on Chance then, and filled with tears. “Chance...”
“He’s gone, kiddo. You are safe,” he said gently, putting his arms around Cole’s tense shoulders.
“Oh, Chance!” he cried, and startled Chance by hugging him fiercely. Surprised, Chance closed his arms around the smaller frame of the kid. Sobs raked through his body, so violently that Chance feared he would break. He had never seen Cole like this, the kid was always contained and shy. He just let him cry, making comforting sounds and patting his back.
When the sobs finally subdued, Cole disentangled from Chance’s embrace and looked flushed to the floor. “I’m sorry Chance.” He said, embarrased by his reaction. “I... I... thank you.” He looked into the older man’s eyes, and Chance just knew that he was apologizing for more than just the night’s events.
“It’s ok, Cole. Really. You don’t have to apologise, I don’t blame you for anything. I’m just glad you’re ok…” He trailed off as he looked up and around. Slowly, Chance’s delighted face plummeted into one of confusion and bewliderment. “Hey, where’s Alessa?”
They all turned to look where she had been, but Alessa was gone.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
December 18th
2:05 am
Lone Peak Psychiatric Clinic
The nausea that waved through her felt familiar. *He teleported us!* she thought and quickly looked around to see that they weren’t in the common room any more, but in a little office, possibly in the same building. She didn’t need to see more to know she was alone with Morris now. Trying to control the dizziness she looked at him and assumed a fighting stance again, gripping her stake strongly; but the vampire only laughed at her. He was leaning comfortably on the opposite wall, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Tsk, tsk, Alessandra. You should know you can’t fight me, dear.” He shook his head in a condescending manner, and Alessa seethed in anger. "You always were a terrible fighter anyway. That's right; I heard how that lover boy of yours, and the low life James, have to help you take down no name vampires."
“You should know, you trained me. The student always reflects the master!” she snapped back, hurt. Then she remembered this wasn’t her Morris talking, but a vampire.
“I was a good master, but you... you were a terrible student.” Morris laughed at her.
“We have just disposed of your so-called army!” she shouted, even angrier. She tried to steady herself, no way he would affect her with his wiles.
Morris dismissed her with a wave of his hand, “They were disposable, apart from Roxana, and she’s safe. I wanted to talk to you, dear. The cat and mouse games are over.”
Trying not to think about that, she leapt forward, her stake firm in her hand. She moved faster than ever, fury impelling her in her attempt to kill him. But Morris didn’t even flinch; the moment the stake started its arc towards his heart all her body grew limp. She couldn’t control her hand any more and the stake fell from her numb fingers. She tried to retrieve it but couldn’t, instead one of her hands arranged her hair and the other rested on her waist. Alessa panicked, it was as if her body didn’t respond her any more. Yet she could move still. *Like a puppet,* she thought and looked at the vampire in front of her, her eyes huge in fear.
Morris straightened and walked towards her. He was smiling. She could only watch him.
“I told you you couldn’t fight me. Why do you never listen to me? You are older but not wiser.” He moved around her, watching her. “Although you look great, dear, for your age. The years have been kind to you.” He fingered his scar, and chuckled. “But I think I can’t complain myself, can I? I’m pretty much the same too.”
“Not quite.” To her surprise she saw she could talk. She tried to move again, and again she couldn’t. She tried to morph then, but that was impossible too.
Morris chuckled again. “Don’t even try it, querida, I never cared for that hairy part of you, let’s not invite her to our little party, ok?”
He stood in front of her, so close that if he could breathe she would have felt his warm wind on the top of her head. Alessa fought to raise her head with no success, until he gently took her chin to do it himself. He caressed her cheek and wiped a tear from it, he leaned over her then and whispered in her ear. “I’ve missed you.” The shiver that went through her body was completely noticeable and Morris chuckled again.
He gently discovered her neck and pressed his lips to the pounding pulse on it inhaling deeply. “You smell as good as ever,” he said, and nibbled at her neck. Alessa flinched when she felt his tongue lick her blood. He grimaced. “But you taste awful. Too bad you aren’t human, Alessandra, you would be a great vampire.”
Alessa closed her eyes. If she didn’t see him, if she didn’t see his expression and only smelt him... his scent was the same, only stronger, more animal than it had been. His scent…
She opens her eyes but she isn’t in the clinic any more, but in a cabin with earth walls. Outside, the rush of the falls mingles with the sounds of the jungle. Morris is there too, but his face is different… so young, so careless. She soaks in his beauty, tracing his features with her eyes, the lopsided mouth, the hazel eyes, the scar in his chin. Her hand is no longer immobile but raises to touch the little blemish with soft fingers.
“How did you get this?” she asks him.
“A beautiful demoness tried to seduce me once; she had long claws,” he explains, with a mock smile in his mouth. At the green fire in her eyes, he holds her tight and adds softly in her ear, “I love you!” Alessa just laughs and … opens her eyes.
Morris was watching her intently, mocking her, laughing at her. *Not again!* she cried to herself, *Don’t mess with me again!* She fought back the tears, determined not to let him know how much he affected her. He was not that Morris.
“What do you want with me?” she asked instead, forcing herself to speak. Morris was still towering over her, his hands caressing her nape now. She shivered again, remembering the dream they had shared. He cackled though.
“Isn’t it obvious? I want you, of course.”
Unable to help herself, Alessa saw how her arms rose to cross behind his neck. Desperate, she tried to disentangle herself, her arms quivering with the effort of that small action. She needed to distract him. “But why are you messing with my friends?”
“Because you care for them.” He straightened and took some distance so she would see his face. His eyes were icy when he added. “Because before I kill you, I’ll make your life a living hell.”
A sound from her back made him lose eye contact. He looked at the office door, and then again at her. He smiled but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I think your little love boy is here. Time for me to leave.”
He leaned over again and kissed her soundly on the lips, his tongue violating her mouth forcefully. He raised his head when she found the strength to bit his lip and draw blood. Morris wiped his mouth with the back of her hand, and with a fluid movement he slapped her hard in the face. Vulnerable in her limp state, only her head snapped back with the blow, the vertebrae and muscles of her neck exploding in pain. When he raised her head again, like a child playing with a clay doll, blood was oozing from a cut in her lower lip too.
He touched her lip, and took the bloody fingers to his mouth. In the last moment he stopped the motion, though, and smiled at her before cleaning his hand on her sweater.
“Almost forgot. Now we are even... in this.” He said caressing his bitten mouth. “You won't ever make it up for what you did to me, us, in the Hyperion. But I’ll make you pay.”
Another thump on the door announced that the others were soon to enter the office. With a final wave of his hand, Morris disappeared in the moment the door burst open and Chance stormed into the room. Alessa staggered forward, her arms still locked around the thin air. Quickly he ran up to her and folded her into an embrace.
“He’s gone, love. He’s gone. We got Cole, that’s what we came to do, and he’s gonna be ok.” *Despite the fact he’s in the loving care of a vampire, much to my distaste.*
“I know… it’s just…” She didn’t manage to finish the sentence before tears streaked her face and her voice died.
“Shhh,” Chance cooed, stroking her hair and wiping the tears away. “Let’s go home.”
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Sunday, 17th December 2006 – 11:15am
Daye sat at the table in the quiet shop. She'd closed down for the day so that she could use all The Bibliophile’s resources to do research without worrying about interruptions from stressed out co-eds who'd put off reading Anna Karenina until the last weekend and wanted to know if there was a Cliff's notes version.
Daye had the small television and VCR from the break room set up on the counter, so she could show the tape to Tash when she arrived. Tash had sounded sort of strange on the phone, and she'd said she was going to bring someone along, someone who could help ‘clear things up’. She wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean. Things seemed perfectly clear to her. Some giant purple bunny rabbit had eviscerated her friend in her storage room. Didn't get much clearer than that. Still, Daye didn't begrudge Tash any hunches or angles the other woman wanted to work. She just wished she'd hurry up and get here.
Daye opened up the file she'd just been e-mailed from Elder Delancre's office. She clicked on the digital photos that were attached when she heard the knock at the front door. Daye left the file to download and went to let Tash in.
“You sure you're ok?" Tash asked Alice quickly as they heard footsteps approach the door. "Daye's not given to acting without thinking, but this is an extreme situation..."
"Hun, I've killed a lot of people. But no one around here in," Alice counted on her fingers, "…weeks."
When Daye opened the door it was to find Tash stifling laughter on the doorstep. The laughter soon died, however, when Tash saw her friend's face.
"I'm sorry about Jimmy, Daye." She cast a sidelong glance at Alice. Daye's initial reaction at seeing her hadn't been instantly hostile, so there was some hope after all, if Daye didn't know Alice's human form. "This is Alice, a friend of mine. She might be able to help us work out how this happened."
Daye nodded. She was distracted. She wanted to get a good look at the file on her laptop. "Sure, right." She stepped aside to let them in. "Come on in. I'll show you the tape in a minute. I just want to check something here."
Daye went back to the table and bent over, peering at the photos which had just come up. She glanced up at Tash and Alice and then quickly glanced back down. The pictures on her laptop showed a woman in her twenties with dark hair and eyes. Daye would have guessed the woman was of some sort of Hispanic descent. That is if she wasn't already too busy being flabbergasted that Tash had brought the killer along and introduced her as a ‘friend’.
At first Daye wanted to rant and rave, and throw nasty magic, but then she realized maybe Tash didn't know. She had to give her friend the benefit of the doubt. Trying to act normal, Daye straightened up and walked slowly over to the television. She turned it on and pushed play on the VCR. "This is the security tape from the night of Jimmy's murder," she said, turning to stare at Alice. "I'm sure you'll both find it very interesting."
Tash watched Daye's face transform through a dozen emotions before settling on calm neutrality. But she could still feel the disquiet emanating from her. She shared a significant glance with Alice. *So, Daye's seen her human form, now.* Tash stood between Alice and Daye as the tape rolled, keeping half an eye on each of them as the scene began to unfold.
The security tape clearly showed a date stamp of 3:02am Dec 11 in the top corner, and at first it was very still. There appeared to be somebody sleeping in the storeroom of the Bibliophile. Then there was a sudden flash at the back door and even though she was prepared for it Tash had to blink at the amazing likeness to Alice's bunny form of the being that entered. Tash continued to watch, feeling the tension in the room mount as Daye rewatched her friend's death, and as she and Alice searched for a clue that showed this couldn't have really been Alice.
The videotaped scene was eerily silent, but there must have been considerable noise because the sleeping form resolved into a waking Jimmy Han. 'Alice' seemed to be searching for something and whirled as Jimmy advanced on her. The purple hand was abruptly wielding a wicked looking blade, and with a suddenness that was horrifying 'Alice' sliced into Jimmy's stomach, opening him up like she was filleting a fish. The three watched in silence as the on-screen purple bunny pushed Jimmy down and slit his throat, then continued searching for a few moments more before giving up and vanishing back out the door. At that final scene the date stamp showed 3:06am Dec 11. It had all happened in four minutes...
The tape ended, and Tash let herself breathe out. She looked at Alice, knowing that Alice hadn't even been in LA on the 11th – well, according to Alice, anyway. Tash gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
Daye couldn't help it. She was furious. She took a step towards Alice. Tash was protecting this... this... monster. How could she?! "So, that was quite a spectacle, don't you think, Alice?" Daye's voice was icy. "Notice anything familiar about the killer?"
"It’s a good likeness, really." Alice rewound the tape to the scene where the killer was searching. "Even the knife looks like mine... But they forgot something."
Alice paused the tape as the killer was opening a box. "You see anything here, Tash?"
Tash peered at the fuzzy picture. The shot showed a clear view of Alice's left wrist and forearm. Tash had a clear memory of watching Alice sitting in the rocky caves of G'rnatha, patiently inscribing a rune into the flesh there. The 'Alice' in the tape bore no mark whatsoever on her arm. "No, Alice, I don't see anything there at all. Not a thing. No hint of anything on that pristine wrist in that picture."
She grinned at Alice, and turned to an increasingly glowering Daye. "Daye, please calm down. I know you think it was Alice who did this. But I don't believe it was."
Alice rolled up the sleeve on her trench coat. "Tash and a group of people can tell you I inscribed this long before your friend’s death." Alice showed Daye a bright pink tattoo on her left arm. "And the killer on the tape seems to be missing it."
Daye was taken aback. The woman was actually claiming to be innocent. "Ok, wait," Daye said. "You expect me to believe that that was not you on that tape. I mean, obviously, that's not how you look right now, but you and I both know that the killer on that tape is you in your 'natural' form."
Daye stepped back, unsure whether or not she could control her own rage. "Or are you going to deny that you kill Watchers for sport all the time?" Daye spat, "This wasn't a one time occurrence. What I am curious about is what you were looking for, though. I can't quite figure that part out."
"Ok then, I can change if you need to see it, but all the runes stay the same and Tash has seen it."
Tash had a funny feeling in her gut. Daye wasn't sounding entirely rational, and if she saw Alice in the same form as the thing that had killed Jimmy... Still, it might at least prove that the rune stayed when Alice changed forms. She tried reason one more time, though she knew it would be futile at this point. "Daye, granted Alice may have killed Watchers in the past. Victor used to kill all sorts of people, too, but he changed. I know it's not much, but Alice has told me it wasn't her, and I believe her. And I know the rune stays in bunny form – she was in that form when she made it."
Daye snorted. "Right, I should take her on her word, ‘cause you do?" Daye started to pace beside the counter. She kept glancing at Alice, incredulous and full of righteous fury. "As for whether or not the runes stay, that's irrelevant. There are any number of ways of hiding that sort of thing, both magical and mundane. That doesn't prove a damn thing!"
Daye stopped abruptly and spun to face Alice, ignoring for the moment her friend who stood between them. "So, what else have you got, then? An alibi? Sure," Daye scoffed, "you were busy reading to disabled orphans in a group home that night, right?"
Tash sighed helplessly. She knew Alice had an alibi – of sorts. But there was nobody to corroborate it. She turned to Alice and shrugged. "Your ball, Alice. I don't know any way to prove where you were, if Daye won't take my word for it."
Daye felt the sting of that barb. "That's unfair," she shot back. "You can't say for a fact she wasn't the killer, can you?" Daye asked pointedly. "It's not your word I'm doubting here, it's your faith and whether or not it's misguided. The evidence seems plain and the past speaks for itself. There really isn't any sense to what you're saying.”
"So you will trust Tash’s word if she can prove that I didn’t do it?"
Daye shook her head in disbelief. "How is she supposed to do that, then?" she asked. "A crystal ball or... Oh, right," Daye nodded at Tash's gloved hands. "You can find out for sure, can't you? It's not possible to lie to those, is it? Huh. I guess... I mean, I don't see the point. I think we both know how this is going to turn out, but... fine. When you see that I'm right, you'll be willing to help me then, right Tash?"
Tash sighed. She hated using her psychometry on people, and she'd just had that awful set of visions from Cole just last week. But if it was the only way to convince Daye of the truth...
She met Daye's eyes squarely. "If I see a vision of Alice killing Jimmy, I will help you get justice." Tash was sure to emphasise that. Vengeance would not be a factor in this, she was determined. "And if it shows that she had nothing to do with the whole thing, you'll help us find out who set her up, right Daye?"
Daye sighed impatiently. She waved a dismissive hand in Alice's direction. "If she's innocent of course I will, but that's not likely."
"Hun, you don’t even know me. If I killed someone I’m not afraid to just say it." Alice smiled at Daye.
Daye ignored Alice and her comment. "Let's just get on with this, please."
Tash looked at Alice as she started to remove a glove. "You going to be ok with this? It can get pretty intense."
"I've been here before. Besides, it’s only fair."
Tash smiled. Turn and turn about – after all, Alice had been on the receiving end in G’rnatha. “Of course,” she said simply.
She snagged a couple of chairs for her and Alice to sit in, then laid her bare hand over Alice’s hand and closed her eyes. Having her eyes shut wasn’t exactly essential to the process, but it was highly distracting to have visions overlaying reality. It kept the nausea down to close them. She felt that familiar sensation of falling into someone else’s point of view, that moment of vertigo…
… then she was standing next to a slender tree, facing a black woman. In her own mind Tash was startled to recognise herself. She – as Alice – felt a profound sense of loss as she remembered the one she’d spent so many decades with…
Tash ignored the tear she felt trickle down her face, and pushed to see what Alice had been doing just the few days before that. It was hard to direct a vision, she knew. Only the major events tended to stand out, though more recent events were sometimes easier. She knew if Alice really had killed Jimmy it should leap out at her. But instead she saw…
…standing beside a dusty road in the baking sunshine, thumb out, running to get into the truck that slowed and stopped to pick her up. The driver looked her up and down with a familiar leer on his face…
Pain. Stark, horrifying pain.
She looked through her one remaining eye at the devastation around her, seeing only blood and body parts. Lots of demon body parts. She’d killed them all, every last one of the Council. As was her right, as guide, she’d removed the powers Turaka had given them and slaughtered them like sheep. But not without cost. She knew she was dying. Her eye rested on a human-looking hand – her hand – lying a few inches in front of her face, blood still seeping from the severed wrist, and Logan’s katana still clutched in the cooling fingers.
She could hear Logan’s rasping breathing, but no movement. So he wasn’t dead, but not much better off than she was. She closed her eye, resigned to a fitting end, knowing she’d done all she could. But something made her open it again, and she blinked in confusion at the sight of a large reddish coloured demon fading into view before her.
Turaka’s voice boomed in her ears. “You have performed your duties admirably, guide.”
She could move again, the pain lessening. Turaka’s power flowed through her, healing her. Once more she grasped Logan’s sword firmly in her hand. Then Turaka offered her the chance to be head of the Order. But she turned it down. Fast. She heard herself say, “Give it to Logan. You won’t find a more loyal assassin.”
She dropped the katana on Logan’s unconscious body, then walked out of the temple, leaving Turaka behind her. It was only as she walked into the hot Mexican sunshine that she looked down and wondered where her clothes had gone…
There was more to be seen, much more; Tash could sense it. But she’d already gone beyond the time she needed. There was no sign in there of Jimmy’s murder. No hint at all. It looked like Alice had been on a long trek back from Mexico at the time. She opened her eyes just as pictures of cell walls began to superimpose themselves on her mind’s eye, and let go of Alice’s hand, cutting off the vision.
She looked up through pain-clouded eyes at Alice, who was doing her best to look composed after reliving those memories. For a few moments Tash was unable to speak, slowly drawing back into herself. When she finally pulled her glove back on she was just about able to put on a normal front.
Daye waited while Tash composed herself. She waited for the other woman to share in her fury. She waited for her shocked accusations, but none were forthcoming.
"Didn't you see it?" Daye demanded. "She killed Jimmy. That has to be true."
Tash just shook her head mutely. When Daye continued to look outraged Tash spoke up, "No, there was nothing there about Jimmy. Alice was in Mexico, killing demons. If she'd murdered Jimmy I'd have seen it – there's no way she could have hidden it from me. I'm sorry, Daye. You're still looking for the killer."
At first part of Daye balked at what she'd just been told. It couldn't be. The security tape clearly showed Alice... but that wasn't foolproof either. Just as it was possible for Alice to alter her appearance in both mundane and magical ways, so would it have been possible for the real killer to do so. Daye knew that logically, even though her heart cried out at the injustice of it. That tape had been her only lead, and it was obviously a fake. Now what was she to do?
"I..." Daye's voice faltered on a choked sob. "It can't be... Why? Who would want to do this? Why Jimmy? Why you? I don't..." Daye sat down at an empty table and dropped her head into her hands. Her sobs shook her shoulders as she cried, finally, for her lost friend.
Tash wrapped her arms around Daye's shoulders and held the woman as she cried. She caught Alice's eye over the top of Daye's head and mouthed, "Cup of tea," at her while she continued to rock Daye.
After a few endless minutes, Daye began to wind down. She relaxed into Tash's embrace and by the time Alice had the tea ready, she was quiet except for the occasional sniffle. Daye accepted the cup from Alice with downcast eyes. She composed herself and then said, "I'm very sorry. I don't even know you, and I was very... harsh. I don't know what came over me. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. I'm really, truly sorry."
“I don’t think I like people pretending to be me and doing thing like this. I’m a much more cautious killer." Alice smiled at Daye. "Don’t worry hun, I'll find this poser."
"Any idea who might want to frame you?" Tash asked, then rolled her eyes at herself. "Well, maybe let me put it this way – do you know of anyone in particular who might actually go through with framing you?"
"I'm sure I can come up with one or two. But why here?" Alice looked around the shop, "I've never been here and I don’t know Daye."
Tash shrugged. "I don't know – but you are connected through other people. Me, for instance, or Victor..."
Daye listened thoughtfully to that exchange. She considered Jimmy's behaviour over the last few weeks, and made a suggestion. "What if..? Well, Jimmy was acting very odd the last couple of weeks. He knew he was in some danger and he was worried. He wouldn't tell me what he'd been working on, but what if the connection is between Jimmy and you? I mean, what if you have an enemy that just happened to be Jimmy's enemy as well? Maybe whoever it was just trying to 'kill two birds'... Oh, bad metaphor, but..."
Tash nodded. "We'll have to check it out. Look, both of you are coming on Thursday, right? We can mention this during the meeting – see if anyone else has any ideas. And if not, then after the meeting we can go through all the dealings Jimmy may have had recently, and see if anything rings a bell."
Tash rose and turned to Daye. "Right now, though, emotions are still running high. Would you like me to take you home, Daye? I think a rest among family would do you good."
Alice cut in, “Daye, where did you dig up your information on me?” She looked over at Daye's computer. "I mean, when we were watching the tape you must have found something about me, somewhere. Or you would have attacked me at your door."
Tash blinked in some surprise at Alice. Surely it was obvious where Daye must have gotten the information? Unless... "Doh!" Tash slapped her forehead, "I'm such an idiot! I just assumed you knew – Daye has access to all sorts of information on "known demons" and so forth because she's a Watcher."
She turned to Daye, "I presume you just asked for information on large, purple bunnies when you first saw the tape?"
Daye smiled unexpectedly. "I sent a message to Council headquarters, of course. I got a pretty quick response. There aren't a lot of your species running around this dimension, I guess. If it's any consolation," Daye added as an afterthought, "there was no record of your whereabouts in years. The photos and information I got were from a while ago."
"Well, don’t believe every thing you read; I haven’t knowingly killed a Watcher in eight hundred years. As for my ‘one or two’… the Watchers aren’t my best friends."
Daye nodded, trying not to take offence. She felt that perhaps it would be best to just avoid discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the Watchers’ Council with Alice. There was a time and a place for everything and this was not that time or place.
"I think I would like to go home now," Daye said, turning to Tash. "I made all the arrangements for Jimmy, but I hid behind my rage. It's time I really mourned for him, and this is not the place to do so."
Daye turned back to Alice. "We'll figure out who set this up," she promised, "just not today. And again, I am very sorry for the way I behaved."
Alice walked toward the door. "It’s ok, hun. I understand death and what it does to the living. No harm done."
Daye smiled weakly and then followed the other two women to the door. She made sure the shop was locked up tight, and allowed Tash to drive her home. She didn't say much, but then again her thoughts were elsewhere, back in a sprawling house in the English countryside that often felt too alone. She would miss Jimmy, but at least now she could really begin to say goodbye.
first post...
*****16th December 2006- Temple at Kalinganagara. Orissa, India*****
The meandering wind skimmed past Simryn, whistling its song in her ears and whipping the layers of her russet skirt into an airy dance around her feet. Overhead, tiny bells swung gaily at the wind’s push, their vibrant peals resonating joy to all those who cared to listen. The air held the scent of the jasmine and roses that adorned the effigy of the Goddess, and of the coconut milk splashed across the temple’s stone floor, glistening in the sunlight that filtered through the lattice-worked walls. She had offered the coconuts herself earlier that hour as a tribute to the Mothers whom she had left so long ago, throwing them to the floor and listening to the resounding crack as the hard shell broke open streaking the floor with the precious liquid within.
These were the ways of her people, and just the thought of never performing such a set ritual again caused a familiar tightness in her chest. The ache came more often these days as the date of her departure came ever closer and it was becoming increasingly harder to ignore. Simryn walked slowly toward the outer sanctum, running her slender fingers gently over the etchings carved into the temple pillars and walls of her surroundings. Engraved on living rock, the stories reminded her of those ages long past, a time when things had been as familiar to her as the rise and ebb of her heart. Attributing the stinging in her eyes to raised dust, Simryn roughly brushed an errant drop of moisture off her cheek and looked out across the blossoming land.
The mid-morning sun seeped into her skin, the colour of warm caramel, and glanced over rippling fields of golden wheat, bearing down to where two figures - one leading a roped donkey - traversed the narrow, dusty road leading to the temple gates. The men strode without hesitation, the younger one leading his animal with a steady hand that did not allow it to falter despite the hefty saddlebags slung over its back. The bag caught the Kshatrani’s attention and from her vantage she stared at it with fraught, green eyes as if trying to see through the outer covering to what lay within. She knew what it must be… that thing contained all the evidence of her new life, all the things she would need to find her way in a foreign land, a new world.
*Gods!* she thought desperately; she knew what she had to do and yet she balked. She had already given up much… her life, such as it was, the respect of her people and the love of her Mothers… that had been hardest of all. Yet she had done it, all on a single hope. And now she must forego her home, the land of her beginning! Simryn closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, inundating her senses with the familiar sounds and scents, so simple and yet so close to her heart. She did not know how she could bear to be parted from them, but how could she not? *How can I do any less?* Her heart quailed, and no matter how deeply she looked she could find no answer.
The iron gates creaked as they were pushed open and the men who stood beneath the great stone arch waved to her. The spryer one slung the leather pack from the donkey’s back onto his own bony shoulders, and both began climbing the long stairs up to the temple. Raising her verdant gaze, Simryn pushed back the long tendrils of black hair that had escaped their confines, slipping the resolute mask over her features that had always served her so well in battle. It was Anupam a Bhim and his son, Vivek a Bhim - the most recent in a long line of men descended from the man, Bhim, who had slain her lover in days long past.
Both men had become so familiar to her in the past months, ever since her Awakening; Vivek who always smiled widely, his even white teeth contrasting with his tanned skin, laughing at her when she stared at his strange, modern garb. And Anupam with his grizzled gray beard and bushy eyebrows, and the white turban wound haphazardly around his head. Simryn was surprised that the old man had made the long, onerous journey rather than just sending the younger, spryer man about this last task. Yet she should have known that he would not impart his duty to someone else and she held him in respect for his commitment despite the face that every time he gazed upon her he must surely remember his own heartbreak.
The Kshatrani could not fault the old man his dislike of her, for her Mother Kali’s retribution had been swift and brutal and the consequence of the ancient curse showed in the bitterness shining in Anupam’s black eyes every time he looked at her, in the deep grooves of anger around a mouth that had not smiled since the loss of his own true love. She had not known what form her Kali’s curse had taken, and at the time she had not cared, did not think of the injustice to future lives. Despite his animosity this descendant of Bhim had done his duty to her, steadily teaching her the tongues of the lands she must go to, and she wondered if he would ever think of her once the curse that surged in his blood had been lifted from his line.
Simryn watched their steady approach; her fate came for her and she must hide all her doubts, push them down unacknowledged, for to tolerate them was to admit that she might have made the wrong decision after all, and nothing would ever make her admit to that mortal folly. When they stood beneath the shade of the outer sanctum the two men dropped to their haunches, the bag falling onto the floor with a muffled thud, and Simryn gracefully declined to a cross-legged seat across from them.
‘You are well, Lady?’ Anupam’s question came arrow-like into her mind and with a slight wince Simryn raised a fine shield that would block most of the resentment that simmered below the surface of all his thoughts. Her mouth twisted in a familiar bitterness; he could not help his anger and who knew that better than she of his loss?
‘Well enough,’ she sent the thought into his mind as gently as the flutter of an eyelash. ‘What news do you have?’ she asked, her keen gaze locked on the pack dropped on the floor.
As he reached into the bag, Simryn realized she was holding her breath and she forced herself to expel it slowly despite the spasmodic clenching of her gut. What was in there? Anupam removed a set of foreign garments and placed them in her lap. Curiously she held them out to run her hands over the fine stitching. It seemed to be a slim tube of cloth but she did not know what to do with it and she turned it over and over in her hands like a toy.
When she looked up Vivek was grinning at her. ‘It is a dress,’ he told her and Simryn held the thing up to her body, her face a horrified grimace. The “dress” would barely cover her legs though she knew that by today’s standards the attire that Vivek had acquired for her was deemed as relatively conservative. And new clothes were just the beginning; already Anupam had removed various other things that were not as easily identifiable. There seemed to be a great many scraps of paper, some bearing her likeness and others had words printed all over them. Picking up one that resembled a slim book, Simryn’s brow wrinkled in concentration as she tried to read the letters, it said: P-A-S-S-P-O-R-T… the word had no meaning to her.
Simryn had been able to pick up the men’s teachings speedily, often with one or the other of them storming out of their lesson venting on her obstinacy and what Vivek liked to call her ‘pig-headedness’. But the colloquialism of the time was still unfamiliar to her and she looked at them expectantly.
“It will let you travel out of the country,” Vivek said softly in English and it took her a moment to comprehend his meaning. When she did, she flipped through the pages, recognizing the name that they had earlier decided upon printed in bold letters: Simryn a Kalinga… Simryn of Kalinga, something to always remind her of where she had been born.
Anupam was speaking, his voice a low, gruff rumble, and Simryn focused her attention on him as he spoke in the old-tongue. “All your possessions are in here, Lady, all the things you will need to start a new life.” He met her gaze, his eyes bright and clear despite his age, “Vivek will stay at thy side for as long as he may to aid thee. May the Gods keep thee safe in thy journey. Farewell.”
They rose to their feet and Anupam bowed before her, but no words would come to her lips as the fact of his leaving sunk in. She watched him hobble down the long staircase, and old, lonely figure. A feeling much like pity and loss rose within her.
“And may the grace of the Gods shine on thee as well,” she whispered, a sad smile tugging on the corner of her lips, knowing that this was goodbye; she would not see him again, in this life, or the next.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
PREVIOUSLY ON LABN:
- Tyler Hyatt is asleep in a church
- Wilson Medrano has located Tyler’s family.
Balance HeadquartersNovember 1, 2006
1:10 AM
Wilson Medrano kept his eyes locked firmly on the face of his superior. For the last two years the pair of them had been running the show, working closely together, and this was the first time that Wilson could remember seeing his boss so flabbergasted that he had no reaction.
“Talk to me.” Collin spoke after a long silence between the men, as he opened a drawer in his desk and withdrew a tape recorder, activating it. “Tell me how.”
Wilson leaned back in his chair. He would have rested his arms in the appropriate places, but the chair had no armrests. It was a simple metal “L”, but Wilson showed no signs of discomfort. “Like I said, I asked around in a few places where someone with a mind not to be found could stay for cheap, like less than ten bucks. I got a few different responses, mostly hotel chains, all within fifteen miles of the Beazor.”
“Wilson,” Collin rolled his head around as he spoke, letting out a small grunt of frustration, “you’ve got to be more specific.”
“The Senator?”
“The Senator.” Collin brought his head back into place and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “When I have to tell him Hyatt’s the one who caused that screw up at the pier two years ago, he’s going to crawl right up my ass and rent a place. So you’ve gotta spell out everything. Why are you looking for less than ten bucks?”
Wilson sat back and looked up at the ceiling, in what should have been a clear gesture of frustration. But Collin knew, from five years of close contact, that Wilson was accessing memories of information he didn’t know he would need.
“The reason I looked at that kind of price… the last place Tyler was in Boston was a bar. You know, one of those half-assed demon dives, and I mean the place was a dump for a demon dive. He was drinking this water they serve for free.” Collin started to speak, but Wilson held up a hand. “I'll just explain that if one of those places has water, it’s probably coming out of the nearest septic tank, and that’s if you’re lucky.”
“So the assumption is that Tyler’s got no cash if he’s even pretending to swallow that crap?” Collin leaned back in his own chair and got comfortable. He’d made his name in the military by stomaching the most disgusting of jobs, but a public execution, even a necessary one, shook him.
“I’d call it a better word than assumption, but we don’t have to quibble over that.”
“Good.”
“So, I’d just finished the clean up on Hyatt’s trail in Boston when I got the call to come to LA and start sweeping that mess. When I touched down in the city, I stopped at a place called Bob’s Bar, bought some info.”
“The price?” Collin asked the question to remind Wilson that details were needed.
“Less than what he wanted, more than I shoulda paid. I was going for speed here, and I’ll cover it if need be.” Wilson spoke quickly, getting it out of the way, then continued, “The owner, Bob, gave me a list of six places, and I had Tech dump the phones. The first hit we got was a phone call from a room at a Motel Six, which makes up for not charging the franchise rates by doing no upkeep at all, to a house outside of Madrid.”
“In Spain?”
“In Spain.” Wilson leaned forward, reached into his pocket and pulled out some change, playing with it to keep his hands busy. “By itself, that’s nothing. But Tech flagged the number on a hunch. The rest of the possibilities came up dry, but we got a hit about a week after the port. Somebody has been making regular calls to that same number in Spain from a hospital in the suburbs just south of the city. Two a month.”
“That’s…” Collin trailed off, nowhere to go with the sentence, but he leaned forward and put his hands on his desk.
“Interesting, yeah. On top of that, there’s a third call to the same number, from what looks like a residence in the vicinity of that same hospital. So at the very least it needed a deeper look. Trouble is, I didn’t get that piece of news until last week.” Wilson stopped, anticipating a very long rant.
“Why is that?”
“I went dark to handle the old pig who caught the bodies at the pier.”
“The cop?”
“Yeah. Harrison and Scott screwed the whole fucking company, sir.”
“Yes they did.”
Collin leaned back again and rested his hands on the armrests of his chair. He knew Wilson was expecting him to explode, but he didn’t. Instead he simply sat, and waited, casting a millisecond glance to the door, and the old man behind it.
“Finish it, Sergeant.”
“So after I finished pumping perocine into the pig’s chest, so his moron colleagues will think it’s heart trouble, Tech hands me what I’ve already given you, and I have them bulldog the number in Spain. They come up with the name Rosa Conteras. She’s supposed to be a Spanish citizen who’d been living here, but when the geeks got me her passport pic, I thought I knew her.” Wilson reached onto Braddock’s desk and took a pad, scribbling on it.
“The rest you can get in person, and frankly, it’s better if you see it yourself. This is the encryption for a file that should be on your system now. Take a look, and tell me that I’m wrong. That Rosa Conteras is not Kelly frickin’ Hyatt.”
Wilson slid the pad across the desk to his superior, who slid to the laptop at his left hand and punched the key. He pulled up Wilson’s file and decrypted, calling up the pictures. Rosa Conteras was a thirty-two year old brunette, and had a definite European look to her. Kelly Hyatt lacked that extra feature, but otherwise matched the appearance of Conteras.
“Son of a bitch.”
“Yeah.” Wilson put his hands behind his head and gloated, and Collin looked over the photos. “Tech’s chasing the third number she got a call from, we should have the address within the hour. I’ll take a team and check it out.”
“No. Send Elbourn. No disrespect, Sergeant, but Elbourn’s got a better taste of subtlety that’ll go down better if Hyatt’s at that address. Aside from that, he’s in the city and I want three heads on the wife. If it comes to it, you know what has to be done, and I’m not asking that of anyone else.”
“Fine.”
“Move out, Sergeant.”
St. George’s Cathedral
November 1, 2006
1:15 am
Tyler Hyatt sat up, pulling himself off of the pew and rubbing his hands against his temples to shake off the sleep. Two passes were enough, and he turned his head, loosening his neck.
He’d found himself unable to sleep after Placidus had turned in. He couldn’t put his finger on it, so he’d left the small house, which hung on the border of being a hut, and come to the chapel. Since the priest’s doctor friend had cleared him to actually exert himself six months ago, Tyler had begun work on repairing the damage done by the demon’s attack. It was slow going, as he was still weak, but as the time passed, Tyler closed the hole in the front of the building.
Then he started on the rest.
Tyler finished construction on the congregational seating two hours before he’d fallen into a dream of poppies and dead friends. The final pew was where he slept. The statues still lay in pieces on either side of the audience area, and the stage would need to be torn down and re-erected, but he’d started.
And now he stood, reached for an axe, and began work on the stage, the dream and the face of Ryan in his head.
The Dream
Tyler followed Ryan as he walked through the poppies, all manners of cockiness dancing with each step.
“I just think that hand thing is so cool. Getting so you can do it is a bitch, but by God you get chicks in herds with that. They’re slime demons, mostly, but I take what I can get.” Ryan turned back to Tyler and grinned widely. “We’re here.”
“What?” The fact that Tyler was only now showing his confusion astounded him. But it only got worse as Ryan reached out and rapped a hand against the continuing field. When he hit a wall and brought images of the Truman Show into Tyler’s head, the elder man wondered why he didn’t pass out.
Ryan nodded his head to their left, and a set of three large rocks. “Care to sit?”
“I’ll stand.”
“Well I’m gonna sit. Being dead is tough stuff.” Ryan walked to the rocks and sat on one, leaning back as far as he could.
“Why’d you bring me here, Ryan?” Tyler folded his arms across his chest .
“I didn’t. It’s your dream, man,” Ryan chuckled. “You’re an adult. Live with your choices. But at a guess, I’d say you followed me because you need something you figure I have.”
“I need to get back in the game.”
“You need to get back in the game.” Ryan leaned forward and rested his left hand on the rock next to him. “There’s too much going on for someone like you to be convalescing in a damn church any longer.”
“I punctured my lung, Ryan. It’s not like I…”
“Your lung’s healed.”
“Placidus never told me…”
“If he knows, it’s not your concern. Not yet anyway.” Tyler stared at Ryan harshly. “You’re a soldier, Tyler. Whatever else you are, you know you’re that. So you should understand about need to know. And right now, you don’t need to know what that demon was. You just need to go back to LA.”
“Why LA?”
“Why not? Now wake your ass up, old man.”
Balance HQ
Medrano took the stairs two at a time from Braddock’s office and raised his voice to the mass of field officers, milling in the sea of cubicles in the center of the room.
“Gillis, Dreden, Utley. Conference room, now.” Medrano waved a hand to the first room to his right, which consisted entirely of a long table and chairs, surrounded by glass panes in lieu of walls.
“Genkins, scramble the plane. ETA the airfield in three hours. We’re going to Madrid.”
[/]Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Sometime in November
"A Not So Typical Night in the Unlife of Kenneth Cook"
Ken was having a good night so far. A car had hit his neighbor’s annoying cat, his lunch had nineteen dollars in her purse and his soon to be dinner was tied neatly to one of his kitchen chairs. Ken was busy heating up the old soldering iron. It seemed the needles hadn’t done their job.
We are very sorry. It seems we are getting ahead of ourselves in our story. You see, Kenneth is a novice torturer. He has been trying to study every night so that in four to six weeks, as the advertisement claimed, he could perhaps take a real job as an interrogator and make “the big bucks” as he so likes to put it. It would seem that for vampires certain career paths are more attractive than others. But I digress.
“Don’t worry my little thing. You’ll soon tell me everything I want to know.”
Ken wasn’t the brightest star in the night. You see he hadn’t asked his victim - one Nance Reeds a teacher at the Tarzana Elementary school - any “real” questions. He was only shouting things like, “Tell me now!” and, “Confess!”
On the other hand Ms. Reeds had lost some of her marbles as well at this point. After a full day of parent-teacher meetings in which the parents cried more than their children, to having been chloroformed while going to her car, tied up, gagged and poked with needles by some madman - no one can really blame her for just sitting there and weeping into her gag.
It should be noted that page twenty-five of Teroc’s Guild to Information Gathering for Beginners clearly states that the use of a gag of any type should be considered only after the questioning stage of interrogation. Said text was also very clear that it should be read carefully and ONLY performed under the direction of a professional. However, as previously established, Ken wasn’t playing with all his cards and had more than likely skipped a number of introductory pages in his manual.
Barring any minor setbacks like the time Ken had plugged the soldering iron into a socket with a blown breaker and the victim had pretended that it was still hot for over an hour, or the time Ken had used too much chloroform on his victim which had the unfortunate side-effect of killing them thus ruining that night’s homework; Ken was determined to make tonight’s victim talk. But just as the hot iron was mere inches from Ms Reeds' left eye, the doorbell rang.
Ken put his “hot poker” back on its stand, nearly dropping it in some chloroform-soaked rags which were sitting directly next to it. This was incorrect according to his copy of Teroc’s Guild to Information Gathering for Beginners which had specific illustrations in Chapter Six: Getting to Know Your Tool on the proper placement of dangerous and volatile equipment. Ken’s obviously grumpy disposition was quickly quelled as he peered through the peephole in the front door.
Looking through the tiny window Ken could see a man dressed in a somewhat antiquated double-breasted tweed suit and bowler accompanied by a girl scout. That is to say a fully-grown woman dressed in a Girl Scout uniform complete with beret and badge sash. The outfit was perfect in every detail except that it was obviously sized for a shorter, less busty, girl. Kent stared bug-eyed for a moment through the peephole and then felt a need to examine this “scout” a little closer.
Introducing Sophia Myles as Miss Pentacles and Terry Jones as Mr. Cups.
As Ken undid the latch the door swung open and the man marched straight past Ken with his leggy cohort following in a slow deliberate walk.
“Thank you, kind Samaritan, it seems we are a bit lost,” the man intoned as he tipped his bowler towards Ken. Behind the man, the Girl Scout performed a little curtsey that required her to lift the hem of her skirt an inch more than it could cover.
The two guests wandered around through the house as if they owned it themselves. “Just a minute,” Ken weakly protested as his unwanted guests entered his living room.
“Oh! Forgive our etiquette. I am Mr. Cups and this is my… associate, Miss Pentacles. We are looking for house number 1208 and it is supposed to be around this neighborhood, isn't it Miss Pentacles?"
"I have not earned my orienteering badge yet, Mr. Cups," she said with a grin pointing to a place that was open on her sash. A point where her sash was completely opened showing a lot of skin.
Ken moved to block their entry into the kitchen where he had been preparing Ms. Reeds, his dinner. "I'm sorry I can't help you, perhaps it's on the next block over. A lot of these roads are not straight through. They skip."
"I like to skip, Mr. Cups," said Miss Pentacles disconcertingly from behind Ken.
Ken whirled around and was face to face with the scout. She twirled a finger around Ken's chest hairs and purred, "I like to jump rope and play guessing games too."
Mr. Cups chuckled as he placed a hand firmly on Ken's back and pushed him into the kitchen, "I love guessing games too, Miss Pentacles! What fun! Shall we guess what this gentleman is doing with a tied up woman, a soldering iron, and some light reading material?"
"Oh! I know!" Miss Pentacles squealed in delight, "They are practicing their knots. She bent down and looked into Ms. Reeds' terrified eyes and pointed to her sash, "I have the knots badge already."
Ken could not believe these clowns. He relaxed the hold he kept on the demon and felt the rage pump up his adrenalin as his fangs protruded and his brow inflated. He jumped at the cute scout. She grabbed his shirt and turned all of the momentum of his lunge into a body slam into his refrigerator. The freezer door popped open and Tupperware containers of frozen blood for those nights when Ken just didn't feel like cooking tumbled out and hit him on the head eliciting several yelps of pain.
Cups silently applauded before he dragged Ms Reeds' and her chair safely back from the fray and sat at the small breakfast nook alongside her. He placed a black bag on the table and turned to the captive woman, "Do be sure to tell Miss Pentacles how much you appreciate her performance, would you? She's such a fragile ego, that I am certain that a little affirmation would do her wonders."
Ken turned and began throwing punches at the nimble scout but each attempt was slapped away with amazing ease. Miss Pentacles grabbed his left arm. She twisted it and a loud krak noise made Ken scream.
"That was your tibia. And that is a compound fracture. See? First Aid badge."
Mr. Cups pulled out some leather wraps and began to untie the woman. When her hands were free, he placed the bundle in her arms, "Be a dear and hold that while I get ready, would you? Thank you so much," the contrast of the violence in the kitchen to the civility of her rescuer left Ms. Reeds quite speechless.
It should be noted that vampires as a whole are not often affected by much in the way of physical damage. They can feel pain and fatigue, but injuries such as limb removal or deep punctures will eventually heal given enough time. Sufficient physical trauma that crushes the skull can turn them to dust as well as the usual types of attacks against vampires such as fire or a stake through the heart. But short of puncturing the heart with a wooden object or cutting off his head they are extremely hard to kill.
Miss Pentacles then, with one quick blow, forced her hand deep into the ill-fated vampire’s chest. Ken’s look of agony was accompanied by Miss Pentacles' own look of self-satisfaction. She pulled his dry heart from his cold chest. Ken instantly began screaming, “OH SHIT THAT HURTS! FUCK! Ahhh! You bitch, goddamn it! Ahhh...!"
“Mr. Cups, he won’t be quiet.”
“Miss Pentacles, they are strictly your responsibility. If you can not break your toys properly, you won’t get to play with them anymore. I am busy with my own preparations here if you don't mind.”
Miss Pentacles pouted and jerked open the kitchen drawer. Inside, neat rows of implements awaited her choice. She briefly hovered over a wooden salad fork before choosing a large carving knife, instead. With one quick swing she severed Ken’s head from his body.
"All that carrying on over a silly heart," she said, dusting off her hands. "I'm so glad I don't have one, aren't you Mr. Cups?"
Mr. Cups turned around and wiped one blood-soaked glove on his leather apron. The other hand held up Ms. Reeds' heart. "I have one right here, Ms. Pentacles, what are you on about?"
Turning back to the body on the kitchen table, he jerked out a double handful of entrails and dropped them noisily on the floor. The pair leaned over them peering into the display looking for a sign only they could see.
In earlier times the reading of entrails was an exact science. These days it is hard to find proper entrails for reading. The American diet makes for such appalling entrails that many seers refuse to even attempt such things in this country. But proper technique applied with precision and care can allow a practiced seer to read the signs in any entrails despite their health and condition. In fact, some seers consider it an influencing factor if the entrails reflect their environment.
"See there, Miss Pentacles," Mr. Cups pointed with a dripping glove, "this won't do at all. I am afraid we have found yet another dead-end."
Miss Pentacles pouted once more, "And I was just beginning to enjoy the suburban life, Mr. Cups!"
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
December 18th
4:10 am
The trip back to Alhambra had been uneventful. As the adrenaline wore off the events of the night fell upon the strange group like a hammer. Darlome concentrated on the road and said nothing, but that was not unusual for the demon; however Vincent was silent and Alessa was sure that was against his nature. James was nonchalantly looking through the window. In the back of the van, as far from James as possible, Chance was speaking reassuringly to Cole, who still looked as if he didn’t quite grasp what had happened that night. His almost inaudible words were the only sounds in the inside of the van.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat; her shoulder was bothering her and she was longing for a hot bath to erase the tension in her muscles. *And a good tilo tea,* she added on second thought. She had been trying to erase Morris’ face from her memory but it wasn’t working. She closed her eyes and let the sound of Chance’s voice soothe her too. A turn of the road startled her - looking outside the window she saw that they were getting close to Alhambra.
“So… where are we going now?” she asked to no one in particular. “I guess we should take Cole home, don’t you think?”
“I... I guess you can drop me off back at Poplar Avenue,” Cole said quietly, still shaking slightly from the horrors he had been exposed to.
“You know Cole, you’re always welcome to come back to our place,” Chance said, placing his steadying hand on the boy’s shoulder, trying to calm his jittering nerves.
Cole looked up thankfully, but then shook his head slightly. “Thank you, but I think I should just go back to Darian’s apartment. You guys have already been through enough, and don’t need to look after me. Plus, I don’t think he has any idea what’s been happening.”
Chance looked at the kid. He could understand his worries about Darian, the man would be frantic by now, God knew he would if places were reversed. He looked at James who was watching the exchange with interest. *Damn!* he thought, *I don’t think Tash and Darian will like to know we led a vampire to their building.*
Shaking his head, he asked, “Why don’t we get to our apartment and call Darian to pick you up?” He sent Alessa a quick glance asking for her support.
The demoness straightened and frowned. She didn’t know what was going through his mind but she spoke too. “I think that’s a good idea, Cole. My house is closer, and I want to take a hot bath, this shoulder hurts like hell.” She smiled at the kid when he finally nodded. A chuckle from James told her that the vampire was not unaware of the exchange.
“Yes, Cole. We don’t want the evil vampire knowing where you live.”
The boy gave him a weak smile.
Alessa felt guilty. Without James the kid wouldn’t be with them, but she could understand Chance's qualms about leading him to Poplar.
“I’m sorry James,” she said, but the vampire just waved her apologies away and resumed his watching the road. Chance just snorted.
After another half an hour, the van slowly pulled to a halt just outside the Alessa’s apartment complex. Skippy turned and looked at every one in the back and spoke quickly, "We’re here."
Chance approached the window and looked out. It was still night but the eerie light of dawn was creeping in the streets; their apartment building was silent and dark. He looked down on Cole. The kid had dozed off and was leaning on his shoulder. Gently he shook him.
“Come on kid. We are home.”
Opening his eyes slowly, Cole was relieved to see they had finally arrived. Alessa’s house never looked so warm and welcoming as it did in that moment.
“So we’ll take it from here,” Chance said, giving James a stern glance; there was no way in hell he would let the vampire into their home.
“Would you mind if I stayed for a bit?” Vincent cut in, before James could retort with a snide remark. He and Cole had developed somewhat of a friendship while looking for James several months earlier, so he had legitimate reason.
Chance didn’t like James, or anyone associated to the bloodsucker, but the look Alessa was giving forced him to concede. “Yeah, sure you can come in.”
“Just don’t be out too late Vincent,” James said as the last of the members exited the van. “We don’t want to be having to do some rescue mission for you also, you know.”
“I’ll be fine; I’ll call a cab later,” the kid responded, as he waved bye.
Alessa approached James as he climbed the front seat. “James!” she called, and the vampire turned. He looked down on her and smiled. “Thank you,” she simply said, and he put his hand to his forehead in a mock military salute before winking and closing the door the moment the van moved away.
She turned to the little group on the apartment’s arched entrance and looked somewhat defiantly to Chance. She smiled weakly to her lover, and to her pleasant surprise he smiled back. She was too tired, physically and emotionally, to argue.
Once entering the house, Chance and Alessa scrambled to the kitchen in search of some comforting hot chocolate; nothing was more soothing after a vampire kidnapping than a warm cup of hot chocolate. Meanwhile, back in the living room, Cole and Vincent plummeted on the soft couch.
“So why didn’t he just vamp you? Like, I don’t understand why he bothered waiting,” Vincent questioned, not realizing that the subject was still sensitive at the moment.
“I... I don’t know. Maybe he was using me as bait for Alessa.”
“Yeah but still, he could have vamped you and used you for bait anyways.” Vincent was about to continue pointing out the irrationality of the vampire’s plan, but the look on his friend’s face was pleading that he changed the subject.
“Yeah uhhh, so I hear you’ve moved into a nicer apartment, how’s that going?”
“I don’t really know yet. Everything is happening so fast these days.”
Alessa smiled when she heard Cole’s words; 'fast' was underrating it. She was carrying the tray with the steaming mugs, but a sudden cramp on her arm made her almost drop it. Chance caught the tray speedily and sent her a worried look.
“Sit down,” he told her, and then turned to Cole while he distributed the mugs. “Did you call Darian already?” he asked the youth.
“No, I’ll call him now actually,” he said as he excused himself and walked into the kitchen where the phone was. When he got to the phone the answering machine light was pulsing.
“There’s a message here, Chance,” he said, poking his head from the kitchen’s door.
“Play it,” answered Chance while he massaged Alessa’s aching shoulders. A moment later Darian’s voice sounded from the machine.
“Hey, this is Darian. I apologize for the hour, but I was just wondering if Cole was still with you guys. Umm ok, well when you guys get this, please call me back, the number is …”
***
Darian ran up to the door and knocked anxiously. When Cole had called and told him what happened, he had wasted no time in racing over. He was concerned for his young friend; after everything that had happened recently with the Hyperion battle, and drug overdose, something like this was really dangerous for Cole's mental well being.
Chance was startled by the knock on the door. Darian must have run to get there so quickly. He opened the door to see the fae on the other side.
“Is he ok?” Darian asked, and rushed inside as Chance moved aside, not waiting for his answer.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
December 18th
4:55 am
“Well, alone at last,” said Chance as he closed the door behind Darian and Cole. Vincent had gone a little earlier, after exchanging phone numbers with Cole.
Alessa stretched her aching back and sighed. She started to take the Kevlar off, but winced when she tried to loosen the restraints at the underside of her arms. Chance rushed to her side.
“Here, let me help you.” He started loosening the straps, then he gently pulled her turtleneck sweater off her. He whistled when he saw her shoulder. Gently he touched the battered skin and she hissed through her teeth. “Sorry. What happened? It seems to be scorched but the clothes are fine.”
Alessa stood up and walked to the mirror to check her shoulder; he was right, the skin was dark and burned. She grimaced. “Magic. A mage wannabe hit me with some white light.” She rolled the shoulder and was pleased to see that without the Kevlar restraints it was already feeling better. “Don’t worry. I heal fast.”
“Yeah, it has its uses to have demon blood, hasn’t it?” He walked to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Why don’t I prepare you a hot bath to soothe your muscles?”
Alessa leaned backwards to him and sighed. “That’d be perfect. Gracias.”
He brushed his lips to her neck and walked to the bathroom. He was worried about her. Alessa had been strangely silent in the way back home, and he wanted to talk to her about the minutes she had spent with that bloodsucker. Again he felt anger rise in him, he had been so close! But the damn vampire had played that stunt on him. And then... he had almost crazed when he realized Alessa wasn’t with them. He shook his head as he ran the bath.
“Soon,” he whispered. At least tonight’s excursion had served to measure the vampire’s strength and skill, which weren’t scarce but neither as bad as Alessa had pictured them. He was confident they would find a way to vanquish him. Hell, they had killed two Elders! A new vampire like Morris was going to be a piece of cake!
“Soon what?” came Alessa’s voice from the threshold. Chance was startled but smiled at her.
“Soon it will be ready,” he said instead, then he gestured her to enter the bath. “Do you have any salts or that kind of things you girls put in the water?” he asked while he fumbled with her bottles and lotions.
“Yes, there are some Rose salts there. That pink bottle,” she answered while she stepped into the warm water, smiling as he opened the bottle and sniffed its contents, making a grimace at the strong scent. “It’s supposed to be soothing,” she taunted as he poured some of the bottle’s contents in the bathtub. Soon pink bubbles appeared on the surface of the water.
She sighed, contented, and started to wash her hair. “You know what would be the final touch? A tilo tea.”
“Your wishes are my commands, ma'am,” he mocked and left for the kitchen. He didn’t have a clue what tilo was but he wasn’t about to ask.
When she finished rinsing her hair, Alessa closed her eyes and rested her head on the tub’s edge, letting the warm scented water balm her.
She is floating in the sea, the too-salty water hurts her eyes, so she has them closed. Across her lids the brilliance of the morning sun is turned red. She moves her arms to turn from the violence of that desert orb and relishes in the feeling of levity. The Dead Sea is so salty that a body can float without any effort. Slowly she dozes off... until a couple of strong arms get her from behind. She is startled and her head goes under the water; she rises, splashing and laughing.
“Morris! What are you doing here? I didn’t expect you 'till midday,” she laughingly asks the man who is playfully diving into the salty water himself.
“The old Rabbi didn’t have much to say, and I missed you.” At her raised eyebrow, he laughs. She knows he’s not about to drop something when he’s on a trail, not even for her. “Ok, he did talk, and better still, he gave me an old map. He said the sacred rolls are in the mountains.” He signals the peaks that look purple in the distance, stark against the cloudless blue sky. “We are leaving tomorrow before dawn. It’s cooler to travel.”
Morris swims back towards her, “In the meantime...” she laughs as he tries to catch her feet to sink her underwater.
Alessa felt the water in her face and straightened, sputtering and cleaning the foam from her eyes, frantically looking around and finding comfort in the familiar ceramic tiles of her bathroom.
At the sound of splashing Chance appeared on the door. “What happened?”
“I… I guess I fell asleep,” she answered with a weak smile. *Not again, maldición, what’s happening to me now?* she asked herself.
Chance frowned, but let it pass. He handed her the steaming mug. “Are you going to tell me what happened earlier?” he asked.
She took a sip of the tea. It was too sweet but at least he had found the right herb. She didn’t answer until he asked her again. She sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes again.
“He put a spell on me. I couldn’t move, couldn’t morph… he told me he would make my life a living hell before killing me.” Her voice was increasingly taking an hysterical edge, and Chance knelt besides the tub.
“I won’t let him,” he said, taking her hands in his. “You saw how easily we rescued Cole. We’ll get to him. Don’t worry.”
“He could have killed me today, Chance. I’m not dead because he didn’t want to. I was completely vulnerable with that spell.”
“Then we’ll ask our mage friends for a counter spell,” he stated. “Tash is about to call for a White Hats' meeting, she told me so last week. We’ll talk to Kate or Daye there.”
Alessa only nodded and sipped her tea. Tash had told her about a meeting too, while training. They would talk to the witches there.
She was surprised when she saw Chance taking off his T-shirt. At her inquiring gaze he winked.
“What? You don’t think I deserve a hot bath myself?” he asked as he stepped into the tub.
She laughed and moved to give him room. “Of course you do.” She offered him the mug. “Do you want some tea too?” she asked tauntingly.
“Tea for two, two for tea,” he chanted while he took the mug only to place it on the floor near the tub. He smiled mischievously. “That wasn’t what I had in mind.”
“Oh?”
“That either,” he mocked and moved to settle his back against her chest. He pointed to his neck. “See this spot here? It’s sore. I need a massage.”
“Oh, pobre bebé!” she said and started to massage the inexistent sore spot. Chance leaned on her and closed his eyes. Soreness or not, her hands on his neck felt like heaven.
After a couple of minutes, Alessa spoke again. “Chance… I was thinking I may go away for a while…” She felt his body tense.
“Why?” he asked. “You aren’t the kind to escape from trouble, what else happened?”
Morris' words, about killing those she loved, lingered in her mind. She didn’t want to put her friends in danger, or Chance. If she weren’t around, Morris wouldn’t have reason to hurt them.
At her silence Chance turned around and looked intently at her. “What else did he say?” he pressed.
She avoided his eyes. “That he would kill my friends… and look what almost happened to Cole!! He could have killed him, or turned him, he could ha-”
“Alessa!! Stop the whining!” he said sternly, “All your friends are seasoned fighters or powerful mages, except from Cole and he will be protected from now on. They won’t, I won’t let you go away.” More softly he added. “We are in this together, how many times do I need to tell you?”
“Seemingly a lot more.” She smiled, and allowed him to hold her.
Chance just held her tightly, she was as stubborn as they came and he feared what she might do if it got into her head she needed to “protect” her friends. He didn’t want to lose her. Trying to lighten the mood, he spoke brightly.
“Now, what were you saying before we found Cole’s note?”
“What?” she raised her head, intrigued.
“About my being a spoilsport. I still have to prove you I’m not.”
“Aguafiestas,” she managed to say before he kissed her.
A Brief Recap
Monday, 18 December 2006 - 12:34am
An Undisclosed Location, Los Angeles
A tranquil silence hung in the room as a thin curl of cigar smoke rose slowly. Aimes Carmichael watched it contentedly, holding the burning stub between his fingers while exhaling with controlled ease. He leaned back in his armchair, his free hand roaming the surface of a small table to his left before he picked up a few papers and held them up before his eyes, a crooked smile splitting his face in two.
Michael Gemmel eyed his partner with composed impatience, his fingers steepled together with such force that it turned his knuckles white. After a few more minutes of silence had passed he cleared his throat, his equanimity finally wearing thin.
“So… ?” he asked probingly, his eyes fixed on Carmichael’s own face. While he had no problems with demons in general, it sometimes irked him to have one as his superior, especially one like Carmichael. When Aimes didn’t venture a response he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, allowing a brief glimmer of annoyance to flash through his features. “Are you going to tell me what it says or not?”
Aimes glanced up at the balding man and smirked. The papers had arrived from Ministry HQ in London that afternoon, containing the findings on the sample of Kate’s blood Jack Archer had given them.
“Well the DNA testing proved congruent with the Wiccham family line, with trace elements of demonic DNA courtesy of our old friend Jack Archer… but the most interesting part is the M.P.L. analysis. She has a particularly high mana reading.”
“Oh yeah,” chuckled Gemmel, “She’s a 10 all right-”
“Actually,” Aimes looked a little concerned, he’d assumed the score was a typo at first but after a few enquiries it seemed not to be the case, “we’re looking at a 9.8 - possibly one of the highest we’ve seen in all our test subjects.”
“So… Zimmerman was right?” Gemmel sat up more straight in his chair, surprised by the turn of events. “Boy, I bet he’s living the high life back at HQ, smug son of a-” at Carmichael’s quick glare he stopped mid-sentence, “-Well… wow, so we really have one of the chosen? …Wow.”
“As always Michael, your command of the English language astounds me. Yes, she might be one of the chosen but we won’t be positive until we get the rest of the data back from our Mr Trask… though I must admit, I am rather intrigued to find out how he’s been getting along.”
“That’s something I needed to speak to you about,” said Gemmel, swinging his briefcase onto the coffee table that separated them. He flipped open the lid and withdrew a formal transcript. “I intercepted that last week, and a few other ones quite like it. It looks like our dedicated sorcerer has been slipping Alaric the results on the quiet.”
Carmichael quickly glanced over the papers, flicking back and forth as his eyes skimmed various interesting clauses. “Hmmm, good work old man, I see it wasn’t a complete waste of my time in employing you in this cause after all.”
Gemmel quietly fumed as Aimes continued to read his report. Was it his fault the Lee experiment had failed so miserably? His research had gone exceptionally well until Valerian had shown up with his little army. Inside he shuddered, it had taken him a long time to recover from that experience – certainly his mangled hand had never recovered which left him with that ghastly prosthetic. Now the prospect of continuing in his scientific experiments was all but eliminated, which was why he was stuck being Carmichael’s aide.
“I trust we will deal with Mr Trask in the usual way?” Gemmel said finally, his cold stare fixed on his superior.
“Of course… when he has fulfilled his usefulness.”
“Of course,” Gemmel snorted, it was the Ministry way after all. “By the way,” he added with a smirk, “how is the delightful Ms Lawson? I trust she’s still managing to keep Majestic on a tight leash?”
Aimes slowly looked up at the man, noticing a mischievous gleam quickly vanish from his eyes. “Very much so,” smirked Aimes, reaching out and pouring himself a large brandy from a crystal decanter that rested on the table. “She’s proven to be quite an asset.”
Gemmel watched as Aimes sipped slowly at the drink. “And the land purchase?”
“She won’t fail us, she knows the consequences of such an action.”
“I very much doubt that.” Gemmel grinned slyly. The consequence of any failure within the Ministry was dire - he’d had first hand experience of that - but for those outside the agency the punishment was quite literally lethal. Those who served the Ministry well might be indoctrinated but if not, most were disposed of. They were a security risk if nothing else and anyone outside the agency that couldn’t be controlled was deemed as such. Which brought them nicely round to Jack.
“…he could turn out to be a problem, I just don’t see what we will gain from keeping him around,” complained Gemmel as he outlined his reservations.
“Jack is a resourceful man and at this present moment, extremely motivated. The information he has gathered about this rebel group has proved invaluable already and that’s only the beginning. His position in all of this makes him particularly useful…”
“But he knows about us!” Gemmel sighed in exasperation, “he could expose us if there’s ever a loop hole in Zimmerman’s little spell of silence.”
Aimes smiled again, unnerving and disarmingly. “Your lack of faith in the Predictions is why you failed so pathetically before,” he rapped off firmly, “The Ministry has invested too much already in this endeavour to overlook such a factor as Jack Archer…” he smiled again, leaning back into his chair. “Don’t worry, he’ll serve his purpose and receive his reward accordingly.”
a quiet evening at home
***Sunday, December 17, 2006 early evening***
***Daye’s house***
Daye settled back onto the sofa and carefully read aloud from “Where the Wild Things Are”, as she’d already done four other times that evening. Maia snuggled up to her, utterly content, as she twirled a loose strand of her mother’s hair around one pudgy finger. The house was filled with the warm, comforting sent of the fresh bread Daye was baking to go along with the rich vegetable stew she had simmering on the stove. A few feet away, Drew sat on the rug in front of the fireplace with a book open in his lap. The cat they’d gotten Maia for her birthday, Piwacket, sat curled up by his feet, and Drew leisurely stroked it as he read. From the nearby den, they could hear Sam typing away on the computer, working on a story for Maia. Daye thought perhaps, if he was brave enough, Sam might just be able to get this one published. She’d suggested that when he’d started writing during the summer, but he’d shied away from the idea. She suspected he was warming up to it now, but she knew better than to push.
Maia finally tired of the story and toddled off towards the den. She had toys in there, as she had in nearly every room of the house, and Daye listened for a moment, relaxing when she heard the child’s voice drift back, a mixture of baby talk and actual words. Setting the book down, Daye rose gracefully from the sofa and moved over to sit near Drew on the rug. He didn’t glance up, but his stroking hand went from the purring cat to Daye’s back without pause.
“Nice,” Daye murmured, arching into his hand. She snuggled closer, and began to stroke him on his thigh. Drew glanced up from his book, raising an eyebrow at her. Daye looked all innocent as her hand crept higher.
“Is there something I can do for you?” Drew asked, his voice prim and proper, but not a match for the wicked gleam in his eyes.
“I imagine so,” Daye replied, her touch growing increasingly bold. Drew grabbed hold of her wandering hand, stilling it. His usually cool blue eyes flashed hotly behind his glasses. Daye laughed. She leaned forward and nipped at his lip, before outlining it with the tip of her tongue. Drew growled and lunged suddenly, drawing her across his lap. Daye acquiesced, sinking into him as he began to kiss her ardently.
Drew and Daye kissed and caressed for a few moments on the rug, the logs crackling in the fireplace and the sounds of their family drifting in from the den.
“Mmmm, that is so nice,” Daye moaned softly.
“Too nice,” Drew agreed regretfully, pulling back from her slightly. “Maybe not the best time for this, baby.”
Daye nodded, laying her head on his chest. “Hold that thought until I get Maia to bed,” she suggested.
“Oh, yeah, absolutely,” Drew laughed. “You can count on it.”
Daye laughed too. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”
Drew sighed. “Is there something wrong? Giant snakes in the sewer? Demons for Equal Rights petitioning for statehood? Evil coven bakesale?”
Daye laughed at his expression. “No, nothing like that. Things have been really quiet. Except for Jimmy.”
Drew hugged Daye tightly when she spoke of her friend.
Daye smiled weakly. “Actually, I was just wondering if you wanted to come with me to the Solstice Celebration next week.”
“Solstice Celebration?” Drew repeated. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been invited to participate in the celebration The Coven of Isis is putting together,” Daye explained. “Kate was invited as well, and so I thought, well…”
Drew was nodding, looking excited. “So, you thought we could all go as well.”
Daye nodded. “I haven’t asked Sam yet, though.”
“Asked Sam what?” Sam came into the room, carrying Maia on his shoulders. She’d buried both fists in his hair and was holding tightly to the strands.
“We’re going to a solstice celebration,” Drew replied. “You’ll come along, won’t you?”
Sam hesitated a moment. “I don’t know. I don’t really know that much about sols…”
“It’s really just like a big party,” Daye interrupted, knowing where he was going with this. “You won’t be expected to do anything. It’s sort of just that, well, it’s important that the family be together on such a night.”
Sam’s face brightened at Daye’s use of the word family. It still took some getting used to, this being accepted, being a part of something. “Sure, I’ll go,” Sam said.
“Good, good,” Daye stood, turning towards the kitchen just as the timer for the oven was going off. “I’ll get dinner on. You all wash up.”
Daye left the room, and Sam and Drew watched her go. “She’s doing better,” Sam observed carefully.
“Yes, I believe so,” Drew said, standing also. “She’s been crying about it.”
“I think that’s for the best,” Sam said. “Not crying, being angry, it’s just not like her. She isn’t vengeful, you know. It hurts her to be so… mad.”
Drew looked thoughtfully at Sam. This man was Amanda’s “brother”. At first, that had been a hard pill for him to swallow, but now… well, now he knew, he could see it. They both loved that woman, and together they would take care of her, but for now Sam had a claim he didn’t. Although he felt like family, Drew knew he wasn’t really, not now. He could do something about that though. He could make things more… permanent. It was really just up to him.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
December 19th
9:30 am
Los Angeles Memorial Hospital
Alessa was paying Ernie his weekly visit, and she was happy to see that the old man was making good advances. True, his comatose time had taken its toll but he was strong and had been fit, so the physical therapy was already making miracles.
They talked while he exercised his legs on a shallow pool in the hospital’s rehab. room. As always Ernie was very interested in what was happening in Alessa’s life, and everything she could tell him, since she was his only link to the exterior world now. His son had been in the city the week before, he told Alessa, but his business in England hadn’t allowed him to stay long.
Alessa remembered the boy, who was always around his mother and looked a lot like her, with blue eyes and light brown hair. None of the dark good looks of his father in him. But of course that was long ago, the boy was now a man about 30 or 35 years old, if her math was correct. She had seen him from a distance during Andrea’s funeral, handsome and elegant. However she had been hiding from Dray’chen at the time and hadn’t dared to approach him. Besides she wasn’t sure of what reception she would get; after all it had been her fault that Andrea died, although Ellis Longwood wouldn’t probably be aware of that. She just wished she could have caught him this time, though, to give her condolences and talk about Ernie’s future.
“Tell me more of that White Hats’ meeting you mentioned.” Ernie’s words startled Alessa out of her thoughts, and she soon started to enthusiastically talk about the invitation she had gotten from Tash the day before.
She was really excited about the meeting, although revealing herself to all those new people was somewhat frightening. Of course, she knew most of them from the Hyperion battle, but there would be some new people there too… although if Tash vouched for them that was enough for her. Even in such a short time, Tash had gotten to her as not many people did.
Ernie was silent for a few minutes after she finished, nodding his head. In his long life as Watcher and later freelance researcher on the occult, he had met many groups of vampire and demon hunters. But unlike what Alessa had told him, most of them were completely phobic to demon races, some of them bordering on paranoia, and that only proved to be a disadvantage. Look at the Watchers’ Council alone! However, the “White Hats”, as she called them, didn’t seem like that, as the acceptance of Alessa in their numbers proved. And the vanquishing of two Elders proved that they knew what they were doing.
The thought of hunters’ associations made him remember something he wanted to tell her.
“You know, Alessa. I was thinking that you should talk to your niece soon.”
Ernie’s seemingly unrelated words startled her, she looked strangely at him.
“Why? I remember you telling me that it wasn’t advisable, since she’s a member of Ulle.” She had to admit to herself that that fact wasn’t going to deter her, but so many things had happened the last months that she hadn’t even thought of Elise.
“Yes, I know. But if what we suspect is true, Morris was responsible for the death of her family,” he looked at her in the eye, “your family. I think it’s only fair that she knows he’s around. Besides, it wouldn’t be bad to know that a powerful society like Ulle is behind him, you know?”
Alessa nodded. Ernie’s words made sense. If their places were reversed she would like to know that the murderer of her family was in town, and it gave her a good excuse to initiate the contact with her only kin.
“You are right, I’ll do that.” She raised her hand to stop him from talking. “I know, I’ll be careful. She’s a demon hunter, after all.”
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
9th December,
11am,
Godfried's Office in Egypt
The office was quite small for a man who had a lot of money and it had remained like that for many years, Sathawick observed while standing outside the office. After his meeting with Arthur in the morning, he decided it be best if he came in on the same day. It would be easy to persuade Godfried, all you had to do was fill his ears with a lot of finance. He'd probably have to give some extra bribery but Sathawick wasn't much worried about that.
He made his way up the three steps and into the open office of Godfried; indeed, nothing had changed. The office was pretty large for a maximum of two people, one having a huge room in front and another room at the back for a second person, but Godfried had made sure that his investment in his rent was fully taken and he managed to squeeze his great stature and three other people. It was difficult enough for the workers to be working in such a cramped space, but they had to work in a humid and incredibly hot environment. Godfried had probably installed an A/C in his office and left the others to sweat, saving his money in the process. The poor workers, or assistants, as Facer knew were there to sort contracts out, look over expedition sights, and apply to the government for licenses.
Sathawick made his way past the overworked sweaty assistants to Godfried's office, and he opened the room and stepped in. He was right, this room was much cooler then the one before and in the middle of it was a desk and behind the desk was a man that one could say was even bigger then the desk itself. Godfried looked up and saw Sathawick and smiled.
"SATHAWICK!" he bellowed in his usual voice, "It be a long to since meet, la?"
Facer noticed that he was unusually chirpy and had a feeling Arthur may have told Godfried about his arrival already. Even though Godfried wasn't anywhere near an Egyptian, but in fact originally from Germany, he had come and settled and had worked in Egypt for a long time. However he still hadn't picked up the language but tried to imitate it as well as he could.
Sathawick greeted him back and shook his hand. He had known Godfried was an old man, like Arthur, and it made Facer think how he could live so long eating the way he did and still not die of a heart attack.
"You look same as you did all those years ago, have you found a fountane of yoooth?" he said, laughing.
Sathawick winced, in his hurry to come back to Egypt he had forgotten to think up an answer to his age. For some reason Arthur hadn't said anything, even though when they first met Arthur had looked just as young as Facer looked. Maybe he knew something perhaps?
"Oh um, you know what a nice face lift, hair implants and a dye could do don't you? Of course you do. And exercise, very important to exercise." He decided to change the subject. "Godfried, I would like to do you a huge favour, just because I missed you so much. How would you like to sponsor an expedition that could be this century’s finest dig?" he said, smirking.
"Ah, you want me to sponsor. And here I thought you came back all these years to say hi. So what is this expedition that I be, or should I say I might be, sponsoring you?"
*The less he knows the better.* "It's this tomb of Kh'Kum. He was a Pharaoh, probably after King Tut, because there is not much about him, except from what I researched. I have a feeling he may have a tomb under Lake Nasser and this tomb may hold great riches."
Godfried looked thoughtful, and Sathawick knew he had been thinking about it before he had entered the office. "Ok, say I do sponsor you, say I buy the extra equipment, because no way I have equipment for a Lake expedition, say I do, what's in it for me?"
"Godfried ol'buddy ol'pal, do I really need to answer that? Obviously you not only get a good expedition finder's fee from me, say 70%, but I’ll put some capital in to help you before the find, and I’ll compensate you after if we find nothing. And besides, if we do find something, you'll be famous, no one had ever found a tomb buried under water, and find such as these? They'll be hundreds of diggers crawling in to investigate the find, you'll be rich beyond your dreams."
Godfried looked happy, there was no reason why he wouldn't. *Greedy old bastard.*
There was some silence then Godfried answered, "Ok, give me a month to get the license, and I’ll get back to you."
"Actually I’m in bit of a hurry, can I have it all in two hours?" He saw the look on Godfried's face and laughed, "Ok, how about just one week. I'm sure you can pull strings and make it. I have faith in you."
Before Godfried could say anything Sathawick wrote down a number on Godfried's note pad and ripped the paper and gave it to him. "I'll expect your call in a week." And with that he left a very busy Godfried indeed, who started to arrange the minute Facer left.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
December 19th
10:00 am
Los Angeles General Hospital
The door leading to Dominika Lautari’s room was ajar but Alessa knocked softly anyway. She didn’t want to intrude. After her conversation with Ernie she had decided to pay the girl a visit. The gypsy had seemed so weak the other night that she wanted to see if she was recovering well. Besides, she was still amazed by the coincidence of their being gypsies, and not only that but of the Kalderash clan.
The sound of movement came from inside the room, and a voice invited her in. Alessa opened the door and entered the room. A quick glance told her that Adriana wasn’t around, only the younger girl. Alessa smiled at her as she introduced herself.
“Hi, I was here two nights ago and I talked to your sister. You look much better today.”
Dominika looked up from Cosmo magazine and smiled at the woman. “Hi. And thanks. I come from a long line of quick healers. Vampire bites… no problem. But before I can continue to bore you with the details of my health, I deserve a name.” She spoke in Romani. This woman might be a friend of Adriana’s, but Dom wasn’t taking any chances.
Alessa raised an eyebrow, it was strange that the girl wasn’t speaking English; she had no way to know she understood Romani unless Adriana had told Dom about her visit.
“Muro anav si* Alessandra.” She answered in Romani herself, and watched for the other’s reaction.
“I knew you were a Roma. You have a certain look to you only the Romani possess,” Dominika commented. Before Alessa had a chance to respond, Dom quickly said, “Just don’t stand there! Take a seat!”
Dominika placed her magazine on the end counter, where a mess of magazines were. Dom was spending too much time in the hospital for her own liking.
Alessa smiled at the enthusiasm of the girl as she followed her instructions and sat down next to her. “I’m sorry Dominika, but I’m gadjo, I lived with the Rom for a while long ago, and I learnt the language.” She smiled again at her disappointed look, “In fact I lived with the Kalderash clan.”
Dominika was surprised. “You chose to live with the Kalderash?” she asked in disbelief. Dom shook her head a little. “Are we talking about the same Kalderash clan? Because my clan is full of nut jobs, and no one chooses to live with them.” If her jaw was any lower, it would be on the ground.
Alessa just had to laugh at the other’s disbelief. “Well, in fact I didn’t choose to do it, I was just around. My boyfriend at that time had business with your visionary… Yolanda, I think her name was.” She laughed again as Dominika’s eyes grew even larger. “And I liked your clan, they received us with their arms open.”
“He chose to meet my crazy grandmother? What is he, out of his mind?” Dominika blurted. After a moment of consideration, she added, “Well, it’s possible she wasn’t that crazy. Yet! If you look at her nowadays… All she does is stay under her little tent outside her caravan, either playing with her tarot cards or that… orb she always has with her.”
Dom sat up properly as she tried to recount the name of it. “Orb of Thesis? No… Orb of Thermopylae? No, that’s where I met one of my ex’s...”
Alessa laughed again, the girl was charming. “Why don’t we leave it just at Orb. I was never very good with those strange names myself, although my boyfriend could remember every single one of them. That’s why we were with the gypsies, to learn magic.” Her eyes clouded for a moment, she didn’t like to think about how all that knowledge was used now.
“So I guess she was the right person to be with.” Alessa leaned towards the smiling brunette and whispered in a confidential way, “But I have to agree with you that Yolanda was a little… strange.” She winked.
Dominika rolled her eyes. “The understatement of the century. My grandmother makes Sid Barret look like ‘Captain Sane’. Although she does cast a mean spell,” she remarked. After a moment of silence, Dom asked, “How did you meet Adriana? She isn’t exactly ‘Miss Sociable’, no offence to her. But she’s not one to go up and meet people.”
“You see, Chance, my boyfriend… another boyfriend, not the one I mentioned before,” Alessa explained before the girl asked, “Well, he recognized Adriana in the news, he had met her at the bar where she works.” She looked at Dom, as if apologizing. “We wanted to know about the vampire who attacked you. I thought I … eh… knew him. Unfortunately, I was right. I’m sorry.”
Dominika hid her disgust for the vampire by looking down. She decided to move off the topic of her attacker. “Adriana works in a bar? Tell me she’s a tavern wench and I’ll drop dead from shock!” Dom said, her lovable, yet at times repugnant, wit shining. Adriana barely drank in high school, and her working in a bar seemed pretty ironic.
“Does this bar serve twelve-year-olds, serves only milk and cookies, and closes at precisely 9:00 pm?” Dominika asked, taking a shot at Adriana.
Alessa was surprised that the girl didn’t know about her sister’s activities, but kept the tone light anyway. “Well, if it is like that then I guess Chance wouldn’t be a usual patron, but to tell you the truth I never went to the place myself.” She wondered whether to tell her about the usual customers at Bob’s Bar; the girl was obviously acquainted with the occult races of the world, much to her disadvantage, but Alessa didn’t know how much. She decided not to, it wasn’t her place to do so.
“I just met Adriana yesterday,” she said instead, “And it was then we discovered that I knew your clan, and your uncle Enzo. And where is she, by the way?”
“Out grocery shopping. Drea called me ‘bout half an hour ago. She’ll be here a little later,” Dom said dully, checking her nails for a split moment. Then she questioned, “You knew Enzo? Was he as much of an uptight, strict, asshole as he is now? ‘Cause that would make a whole lotta sense…”
Alessa remembered the laughing teen who was always playing his violin and she smiled at the memory, albeit a little sad. Much must have happened to him to make him an uptight and strict man now. “No, he wasn’t. He was fun to be with… but this happened a long time ago. I’m older than I look,” she said and stared at Dominika in the eye. If she was going to meet Enzo again, as she planned, the girls would learn just how old she was.
“Well, I have to be going now, I’m sorry I didn’t see Adriana, but I’m glad of meeting you.” She smiled, “Please tell her that I’m serious about meeting your uncle, I’d love to talk to him again. Here, I’ll leave you my card, so you can call me if you need me.”
She was saying this as Adriana appeared in the door, carrying two big grocery bags that were almost falling.
-----
*the Romani words are correct but word order and grammar follow the English rules, which may not be right. :D Sorry.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
***December 19th, 2006- LA General Hospital- 10:20 am***
Alessa hurried to help Adriana.
Adriana’s groceries were then saved by Alessa, who took the liberty of holding one. “Thanks for that,” Drea commented, holding the bag on her hip now. She looked over at Dominika, who was carefully looking over her nails.
“I’m fine, thanks for asking, Dom,” Adriana said to her in their native tongue, annoyed.
Dominika looked up at her. “My bad?” she uttered in Romani.
Drea gave a heavy sigh and pulled out of her bag a pint of ice cream. “I even got you Butterscotch.” Dom gave a loud squeal as Adriana casually gave it to her.
“I love you, you know that, right?” she said happily as she moved her finger across the top of the pint.
Drea placed the bag on the ground, murmuring, “You better.”
She then faced Alessa. “Hiya. I’m glad you’re here. I needed to talk with you,” Adriana told her.
Alessa smiled at the gypsy, happy to meet her after all. She walked towards a near table and placed the bag of groceries on top. “I was just leaving, you almost missed me. I’m glad to see Dom is so much better.” She turned around and added, “What did you want to talk about?”
Adriana fidgeted a little. She didn’t know how to ask someone for help. “Um… you know how, the other night, you and Chance offered me help; that you knew people that could help me?” she began.
Alessa nodded her head. “Yes, why do you ask?” she questioned the girl.
Drea looked at the floor and replied, “I think me and Dom might need help. Word of the incident has probably reached Moscow by now, causing Dominika’s psycho boyfriend to come here any day now. And once the clan finds out, all hell is gonna break loose. Dom and I can’t handle this by ourselves. Also, it might be nice to know more people around the city, I guess…”
Well, if Alessa could understand something, it was psycho boyfriends. She suppressed a laugh - she didn’t want the girl to misinterpret her - and her mind was racing about possible solutions.
“Do you have a place to stay?” she asked. “A safe place, I mean.”
Adriana nodded her head. “He doesn’t know where my apartment is. But I’m also worried about that vampire, Morris. Like, what if he picks up my scent on the way home from work? Just… little stuff, like that.” Drea leaned on the wall and sighed. “There’s… there’s also something else…” She trailed off.
Alessa looked at her closely. The girl was worried, that she could tell; which wasn’t strange given the situation they found herself at the moment. But she also looked… embarrassed? Guilty?
She decided to tackle the problems one by one. She threw a quick glance to Dom, who was enthusiastically attacking the Butterscotch ice-cream, the girl was sweet and she was obviously unaware of much that was happening in her sister’s life. She looked at Adriana again.
“Why don’t we go to the waiting room at the end of the hall? There’s a coffee machine there.” She winked, “My treat.”
Drea gave a little smile and walked slowly out of the room with Alessa. They were quiet up until they entered the waiting room. Alessa poured herself and Adriana some coffee and they sat on the couch. “All right. Now, what seems to be the problem?” she asked politely.
Adriana slouched a little, looking at her coffee. “It’s… it’s difficult to explain. Uh, this happened back on the 13th, the day of my cousin’s wedding…” she began, taking a sip from her drink. “It was at night, and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with my relatives and my now cousin-in-law’s family bickering, so I left it. Then…” Drea stopped and fidgeted uncomfortably. She was now regretting ever thinking about telling anyone.
She was definitely embarrassed, Alessa decided. She didn’t want to press Adriana, but she wouldn’t have started if she didn’t want her to know. She leaned forward and smiled encouragingly to the girl. “What happened?” she asked.
Adriana gave a heavy sigh. “While out on the beach, I met up with a guy a met from work… a, a vampire… we, um, we talked and…” Drea took a sip from her coffee again and looked at Alessa’s expression. “Oh, we didn’t do that! We just… yeah. All we did was kiss. A lot. That’s it. And… and I liked it,” she finished. The cat was finally out of the bag.
Alessa just stared at the girl. She didn’t look like the kind of girl that consorted with vampires. She looked… well, “good”. But she could understand the lure of the dark, she had felt it herself. “Ok…” she said slowly, Alessa didn’t want to break the frail link that was being created between the two with disapproval or reproach.
Besides, there were vampires and vampires… and they could be very seductive. James’ face came to Alessa’s mind for a second, but she brushed it quickly away. That vampire was a charmer; if the girl had met someone like him she would be easy prey to his charms. *James… she does work at Bob’s,* she said to herself.
“Is this vampire’s name ‘James’ by any chance?” she asked timidly.
Adriana’s heart skipped a beat. James seemed to be more popular than she thought. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Drea responded quietly, “What… what if I said ‘yes’?”
“I’d say no wonder you like him. The vampire is a charmer.” She caught the surprised look in Adriana’s face and added, “Just don’t ask.” But she smiled to soften the remark.
“Well, even if it is James, and Chance would kill me if he heard my “even”, it’s not very wise to consort with vampires, but I guess you already know that.”
Adriana placed her coffee on a nearby table and then brought her knees up to her chest. She sighed and restrained herself from crying. “It just… happened. One minute we were talking, the next… I was on top of him in the sand. Lord knows what would happen if Sergei didn’t call me back…” Drea trailed off, her voice beginning to choke a little.
“And on the 23rd, I’m going to face my family and even if I get the nerve to tell them, they won’t understand,” she said sadly.
“No, I don’t think it’s wise to tell the Kalderash clan that you go around kissing vampires!” Alessa winked at Adriana who looked up ready to snap at her.
She laughed and hugged the girl. “Don’t think about it, nothing happened… fortunately. James is a vampire, as you know, and I would be remiss if I didn’t warn you again about vampires.” She was serious now, even if she thought James wasn’t the common vampire, this girl was no match for that bloodsucker.
However, she didn’t think it would be of much use if she ranted about the dangers of the undead. She was relieved when she saw Adriana nod. The girl was not stupid. “Besides, don’t you know some nice ‘human’ boy?”
Adriana took in a deep breath. “Well, there is the one guy… he’s not human, but he’s not a vampire…” She began to explain when she saw Alessa’s perplexed look. “He’s um… a faery. His name is Darian. He’s a nice guy, really,” Drea continued.
Alessa just laughed at the girl’s expression, if only she knew about her boyfriend! “Well, as a matter of fact, I know Darian too.” Adriana looked surprised and Alessa laughed again. “Yes, I know, LA is a huge city and I know both your love interests.” More soberly, she added. “And Darian is a nice guy. I think he may be good to you. Just forget about James and concentrate on him, all right?” As she was saying this, the thought how absurd she sounded advising Adriana about her love life, as if she was a really experienced woman!
Trying to change the topic she added, “I’ll tell you what. I’m having a meeting with these people I told you about in a couple of days. I’ll talk to them about you, if you don’t mind. We may get to help you after all, with Morris at least.”
Adriana gave a timid smile and quietly replied, “Thank you.” She rested her head on Alessa’s shoulder as she began to calm down. Alessa looked at Adriana and gave a little smile. So much had happened and was revealed already, and the day was just beginning. The girls just sat there, not saying a word, looking into the empty space.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
***December 19th, 2006- LA General Hospital- 8:45 pm***
Adriana sat on Dominika’s bed and watched her sister put on her eye liner. Dom was convinced that today would be the day she would be released. Already she wanted to go clubbing again, despite her recent vow to clean up her act.
“I got unlucky Saturday, Drea. It was a one time thing. Don’t worry; I’ll be fine,” Dominika said to Adriana in Romani. Drea sighed. A knock came from the entrance. The girls turned their heads to see Dom’s doctor there, his clipboard at hand.
“Hiya, girls. I’ve got some good news and bad news; Good news is, Dominika is recovering much faster than expected. Bad news is, that I want to keep her here for another week just to make sure,” he explained.
Dom’s jaw dropped and she shouted in perfect English, “Vat do you mean ‘another veek’!? I’ve been in this Godforsaken place for three days, one and a half of vich, I vasn’t even conscious and I’m still going mad!”
Adriana gasped and went red. “You can speak English all this time and you didn’t even tell me?” she asked sharply.
Guilt filled Dominika’s face as she replied, “Oh, oh yes, I forgot to tell you that.”
Drea groaned with anger and hopped from the bed. “I’m going to get a coffee; you can handle this on your own.” She quickly left the room and towards the free coffee. Drea was steaming as the cup filled up.
Adriana began walking away from the coffee machine when she saw a familiar face coming towards her. She smiled when she recognized who it was. Darian. At first, Drea wondered how he would know about her being here, but then again, Chance and Alessa managed to find out from the 9:00 news.
Adriana walked up to him. “Hiya. Any reason you’re here?” she asked politely.
The man’s face reddened slightly. “Yeah, I’m here to uh… well, to see how you were doing,” Darian said clumsily. The large smile that crept across her face was enough to give the fae some reassurance. At first, he hadn’t been sure she would want to see anyone in a time like this, but after everything that had been happening recently, he had taken the gamble she needed someone to talk to. “I heard what happened to your sister. Is she going to be all right?” he asked with genuine concern.
Drea’s face greatly softened. *He’s too good to be true…* “Yeah, she’s awake and everything, thanks. We’re already trying to get the doctor to release her within the next few days.” Darian smiled at the good news. A moment of silence went over. “It’s been very crazy lately. Just learned that she knows English perfectly…” she commented.
This caused the fae to laugh. “You know, as much as she may want to leave, I would try to convince her to stay until she’s really recuperated. Vamp bites aren’t just something to shrug off.” He shuddered involuntarily, thinking back to when undead Ellie was alternating between snacking on him, and using his beaten body as her veritable ‘man-bitch’.
“She’ll be fine. We just wanna get her out of here in time for the holidays. We have a lot of family, and we wanna see them all,” Drea explained. She glanced over to Dominika’s room, where she was shouting on the phone. Obviously, she was talking to her “beloved” boyfriend, Peter. “Getting her out of here would be good for everyone.”
“I’m free until 22nd, when I’m leaving for Romania. Do you have any plans? We could always go see a movie or something…” Adriana suggested. She really wanted to get to know Darian. But mainly, she wanted someone else inside her head besides James.
“Uh, a movie?” Darian stammered, the directness of Adrianna’s proposition catching him off guard. An old fashioned guy like himself was not used to the woman taking the initiative.
“Unless you’re busy of course,” she responded.
“Oh no, definitely not busy. I’d love to,” he added with a grin.
A smile spread across Adriana’s face. “I don’t know which movies are out now, but we’ll find something,” she said, leaning against the counter where the coffee machine was located.
“I’m actually not the best person to ask. Not a big aficionado on pop culture”.
Adriana was about to suggest the newest Ben Stiller movie, when she noticed a change in the fae’s expression. “Don’t tell me you’re changing your mind already.”
“It’s just; I don’t think I should really leave my roommate alone at night these days. He was kidnapped, and almost turned by this vamp named Morris. If it weren’t for Chance, Alessa, and some other people…” he didn’t finish, not wanting to think of what could have happened to the kid.
“Morris? As in, Morris Giles?” she asked, shocked. Darian solemnly nodded his head. Adriana scoffed to herself and muttered, “Seems he’s been pretty busy as of late…” Drea shook her head and looked at the floor in disappointment.
It took a moment for Darian to realize, but once he did, his eyes bulged wide with surprise. “You don’t mean that’s the guy who bit -”
“One and the same,” Adriana said.
“Looks like I have another reason to turn Mr. Giles into a pile of dust,” Darian responded, clenching his fist in anger.
Drea couldn’t help but smile inwardly at his unintentional display of testosterone. “Yeah, he’ll get what’s coming to him. So, if your roommates in such bad shape, I guess a movie is probably not the best idea,” she finished, lowering her head somewhat depressively.
“Well, like I said, not the greatest idea to leave the kid alone now,” he started, not realizing Adriana had thought he was canceling. “But if you didn’t mind just watching an old one at my apartment?” he asked, hoping he wasn’t disappointing her too much.
Adriana beamed. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. I could bring a few movies to your house, just to have a selection. But you need to provide popcorn. Lots of butter, if you please,” she told him, giving him a wink at the end of her sentence. Movies at his place sounded very romantic, and Drea was always was one at heart.
Drea looked back to Dom’s room again. Her shouts had subsided and was now baby talking on the phone. Adriana rolled her eyes. “I better check on Dominika. She just turned happy far too quickly for my liking,” she told Darian and left towards Dom’s room, entering it and rolling her eyes at her sister.
James walked quickly through the hospital’s hallway. He always hated the smell of hospitals; it was just the smell of all that cleansing fluid that made him want to boke. He turned the corner to see Drea walk into a room. James’ face lit up with a wide-toothed grin. As he reached the door Drea had entered, he felt a force grabbing him from behind and slamming him face first into the door.
James quickly pulled the handle, opening the door, and he and his attacker were sent sprawling to the floor. James was to his feet in a second and in a fighting stance waiting for his opponent to make a move.
Darian opposed him with a sour look upon his face. He looked at James, a coldness painting his eyes. The fae knew James was a vampire, he could smell it. “You are some piece of work, vampire. Coming in for a free meal? Is that the kind of sicko you are?” he spat at him.
Adriana, hearing the commotion, ran out of the room. She flew past the doctors and nurses, to where Darian was leaving. She opened the swing doors to see not only Darian, but James there as well. Her heart literally skipped a few beats.
James smirked at Darian and turned around to look at Adriana. "Who’s the boy scout?" James looked Darian up and down and growled, "I could kick the shit out of you any day of the week, kid. Now why don’t you run along before you make me do something in front of the lady which I will later regret?"
Darian was flaming on the inside. He looked behind James and saw Adriana there, in a state of panic. The fae looked back at James. “If Adriana weren’t here, I’d rip you apart. But I have a little more decency than that,” he told him, in an uncomforting voice.
James shook his head. "Nah, you would try and rip me apart but you would quickly find out I’m no garden variety vampire." James studied Darian even more and then a massive smile spread across his face. "You’re not human, are you?" By the look on Darian’s face, James’ suspicions were verified.
"So you aren’t human then... I love the whole ‘all demons are bad’ complex that you fucking saviour types get. Grant the majority of vampires are evil, nasty things. I’m just nasty."
James changed his attention from Darian to Adriana and smiled. "I heard about you guys from Alessa and her fuckwit of a boyfriend. How you feeling?"
Adriana gave a nervous smile at him. “I’m fine, actually. Thanks for asking. So is Dominika, the, um, actual person who got hurt. Just… don’t talk with her. If you please,” she said, keeping in mind her sister’s flakiness.
She turned to Darian and said to him, “Darian, this is James. He helped save Cole. Alessa told me herself this morning when she came to visit.”
The fae faced James and asked, perplexed, “You helped save Cole?”
James gave a smile. "Yeah, we were going to do it ourselves, but Alessa and the notorious fuckwit known as Chance wanted to come along." James held out his hand. "Name’s James, nice/bad vampire."
Darian looked at James’ hand with suspicion, but took it. He owed the man a debt of gratitude regardless of his undead status. "Name’s Darian."
Darian looked at the time and sighed. “I really have to go. Cole is gonna start worrying and he’s already been through enough. Nice meeting you, James, and nice seeing you again, Adriana,” he said and smiled at her. The fae quickly left.
Adriana sighed right when Dominika, of all the people in the world, walked in through the doors and looked at both Drea and James. “Am I interrupting somet’ing?” she asked in her thick Rumanian accent.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Wednesday, 20th Dec – 10:34pm
The December evenings were growing cooler, Tash realised as she left Poplar Avenue and met the chill breeze that swirled up the street. She hugged her jacket around her, feeling the comforting presence of her various weapons as she prepared for another night of hunting. Regular hunting was becoming more of a necessity again – vampires had been gradually refilling the city as word got out among the demonic community that the Brotherhood was gone. Tash chuckled to herself at the thought of having done the vampires a favour. *Still, once we get the White Hats properly up and running things'll get a lot tougher for them.*
Her thoughts turned to the meeting she had planned for tomorrow. She’d sent messages to all those she’d invited to be a part of the new White Hats, asking them to come to Poplar at 3pm on Thursday 21st December. While she pondered her opening statements, she still kept part of her concentration on her surroundings. Few vampires dared to venture too close to White Hat Central these days, but Tash had learned long ago not to take anything for granted when dealing with the night's less savoury creatures.
Tonight she had decided to go on foot, scouring the nearby neighbourhoods, rather than taking her bike. Deeper into Alhambra she knew there were vampire dens that were being re-established. She just had to find them and clean them out. Her steps turned towards the one she had the firmest information about, though that information had come from Bob so she was sure he'd have tipped off the vampires in question as well – for a price, of course.
James walked silently down the street following Tash. He kept his distance and hugged the bright lights; Tash was hunting so she would be looking for monsters in the shadows. Before long she had stopped at a derelict building as if she was going to go in.
He quickly realized what she was doing: *She’s walking into a nest.* A wicked grin spread across James’ face as he watched Tash walk down the back alleyway to the building. He quickly followed her and noticed that she had gone round the back of the building. He looked up to see the fire escape and jumped high into the air, grasping the bottom rung of the ladder, and clambered to the top. *Now for the flegs to do the dirty work.*
Tash’s senses prickled and a cold feeling of evil washed over her, indicating the presence of vampires. *A fair number, too.* For a moment she considered getting someone to help her out – this was, after all, exactly the sort of circumstance she was using as an argument for banding together more firmly. One person shouldn’t have to face overwhelming odds by themselves. Better to stay intact and report the information.
But Tash had been hunting for a long time, and her pride had a tendency to override her common sense. So far the more powerful vampires hadn’t made much of an appearance in LA. Most of the new arrivals were relatively young vampires who were hoping to get some easy kills in while the competition was low. Even as Tash debated calling for help, she found herself cocking her crossbow, ready to charge in. Frankly, after Proserpexa a mere handful of vampires hardly seemed like a threat any more.
*The hell with it,* she thought. Peering through the grimy windows on the side farthest from the cold vampire feeling, she found an area devoid of any activity and carefully opened the pane a crack. No sounds of alarm ensued, so she opened the window wider and slithered inside. The first two vampires she met fell silently to her crossbow bolts, then she found the main nest. Half a dozen creatures of the night awaited her with weapons at the ready.
“Bloody Bob,” Tash had time to mutter before the fight began in earnest.
Outside, James listened to the sounds of the fight escalating and then dying down as the screams of staked vampires filled the night air. He waited outside almost motionless at the fire escape and thought about dear old Ebony and the whole reason he had come to LA. *Seven months I’ve been in this shit hole of a city just for this moment – the moment I finally get revenge for Ebony.*
James watched as Tash, battered and bleeding, limped out of the now lifeless building. Her face was beginning to swell from the blows she had taken from the young vampires. He scanned her for obvious weapons; apart from her crossbow and the lumps in her pockets, which he presumed were stakes, there was no obvious sing of any other weapon. As Tash moved towards the alleyway James leapt from his perch high above and slammed his boot into her spine, sending her sprawling across the damp ground.
The blow caught her entirely off-guard. The lingering vampire sense she had felt she’d attributed to her recent proximity to a whole nest of them. *Stupid, stupid woman,* she berated herself. *Survive the nest to be taken by surprise outside it? Not smart…*
She slid a knife from her wrist sheath into her left hand and grasped a stake with her right as she rolled on the ground, avoiding the expected follow-up blow from her new assailant. Fresh adrenaline coursed through her body, dulling the pain from the cuts and bruises she’d collected inside. As she rolled she flexed her back muscles, ignoring the twinge from her new bruise, and flipped to her feet even as she was registering the number and identity of her attackers.
*One only, it seems…* “Oh, it’s you,” she said aloud when she recognised James.
He was dressed differently today. Instead of a wife-beater he was wearing a rumpled black suit with a tie and braces. The bulge of a gun showed under his armpit, mirroring the location of her own gun. She had to grin – he hadn’t had that last time they’d met, and could only assume he’d brought it because she had one. Or maybe…
“So what’s with the Tarantino look? Going through a phase, are we?” she couldn’t resist saying.
James gave a wide grin, "What can I say? I’m a big Mr Pink fan."
He flung his arm towards the ground and a small black object slid down form his wrist. James flicked it hard and it elongated to almost two feet, then he eyed Tash up and down. "I don’t usually carry a gun around unless I really want to do some damage, so shall we commence with the fight or shall we stand around talking all day?"
James lunged into an attack with Tash, swinging the spring baton hard and fast, aiming for her knees in the hope of taking her off her feet enabling him to get the upper hand. Tash tried to dodge the blow, but she was tired and weakened and James was a far older vampire than those she’d just despatched. The baton caught her behind the right kneecap with a sickening crack and she felt pain shoot up her leg as it collapsed beneath her.
“Shit,” she ground out through gritted teeth. Using the wall behind her as support, Tash lunged at the approaching vampire with both knife and stake, hoping to at least make him think twice. She fervently wished she hadn’t used up all her holy water on the fledglings inside the building, but wishing wasn’t about to make holy water magically appear in her hands, so instead she kept manoeuvring to try to get a strike on James.
James jumped back in time to dodge the stake blow but the knife caught him in the chest, covering his white shirt in blood. He backed off and looked down to the knife wound. "You know how hard it is to get blood stains out of white cotton?"
James swung the baton violently towards Tash’s head in the hopes of knocking her out. She felt the wind of it as it whistled past her ear. She’d seen it coming barely in time. *Damn, damn, damn! Overconfidence will be the death of me one day. I just hope it’s not today…*
Her thoughts were soon cut off, however, as James’ return blow connected with the back of her skull. She felt the pain blossom out from the point of contact, then the cool hardness of bricks against her cheek. Then nothing…
*****
Darkness receded slowly, leaving in its wake a host of aches and myriad unidentified pains. The worst of these came from her wrists and shoulders, and Tash squinted one eye open to investigate. She dangled in a dank room with old wallpaper peeling off the damp walls, her feet several inches from the bare wooden floor. Her arms were twisted behind her, forcing her upper body to slump forward, and she could hear the clank of chains as she moved slightly. She soon stopped, though, as excruciating pain shot through her shoulders, almost masking the grind of manacles on her wrists.
*Bastard could have at least put my arms straight up,* she thought bitterly as she realised that the strain on her shoulders was so great that the merest movement could dislocate them. She had no idea how long she’d been chained up this way, but her shoulders and back were already on fire, the muscles screaming for release. She tensed her abdominal muscles to offer more support, easing a little of the strain, but she knew she’d be able to hold herself that way for only a limited time.
Tash allowed her eyes to open a fraction more and noticed a dark shape in the corner of the room, oozing the dense black aura of the vampire. Having noticed her return to awareness, he stood and walked towards her from the shadows. Strains of Wagner floated on the air to her and she swallowed involuntarily. Wagner could get really, really loud. Good to cover screams…
James slowly got up from his seat and looked at the slumped form of Tash from across the room. He emerged from the shadows in game face with an evil grin plastered to his face. "Don’t you just enjoy Wagner? I find it so uplifting. It’s also very good torturing music." As James said this he reached inside his coat and withdrew a straight razor from his pocket. He quickly flicked it open and moved towards Tash with a purpose.
She gulped and braced herself as he placed the blade along her cheek and slowly stroked the blade off her cheek. Almost as if to mock her helplessness James moved the razor down her neck. Tash shivered at its cold, impersonal touch.
“Do you always play with your food?” she asked insolently. She figured if she was going to die today, she’d rather do it fast than slowly.
James smirked, "You’re special; I was a soldier in life and learned to eat my food fast."
He brought the razor down upon Tash’s clothes, and yanked on her shirt, exposing her chest. James slashed above each breast, creating an ‘X’ mark on each. Blood began to drip from the shallow cuts he’d made, running down her belly and soaking into the remains of her shirt. Tash flinched, and brought her knee up in an attempt to knock the razor from the vampire’s hand, but the movement sent fresh lines of fire lancing down her back and shoulders and her leg never came close to its target.
James grasped her chin roughly in one hand, twisting her face up to meet his yellow demon eyes, “Now, now,” he hissed, “That wasn’t very nice, was it? I need to teach you manners, maybe.”
With a jerk he pulled her forward, and Tash stifled a cry at the agony it caused in her shoulders. She gritted her teeth as the vampire leant over her, putting enough weight on her back that she didn’t dare move for fear of tearing her arms entirely from their sockets. Rattling sounds from behind her told her he was doing something with the chains, and just as the strains of the music began to swell the chain released and she dropped unceremoniously to the hard floor.
The new bruises she acquired from the drop, however, were nothing compared to the relief she felt – albeit momentarily, she was sure – as the stress on her arms and shoulders was suddenly eased. She figured she’d have few chances to free herself, and didn’t waste this one. Not trusting the strength in her arms yet, she scissored her legs to sweep James to the floor, but the vampire’s reflexes were too fast for her: She found herself with his foot pressing down on one kneecap while he entwined his fingers in her short hair and pulled her head back, exposing her throat.
*Shit, I really am going to fucking die in this hellhole.* Tash didn’t let any of her fear show, however, as she stared defiantly at the vampire who held her at his mercy.
James dragged Tash by her hair towards what looked like a barber’s chair. He launched her onto the chair, tearing a large lump of her hair out while doing so. As Tash landed James was upon her instantly, restraining her arms and legs. He tilted the chair back to a 160 degree angle, took a seat beside her and began to talk.
"See, what I’m going to do to you now was developed by some of the best intelligence units in the world; it’s called the fizz." James picked up a can of soda, shook it hard and opened it up, pouring the bubbles down her nose and causing her to gasp for air. "Having fun yet?"
Tash coughed and spluttered, trying to get air without drowning. “What is that? Cola? You know, I always preferred lemonade…” The inside of her nose burned with the acidity of the soft drink, but she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. She just wanted to get him mad enough to kill her quickly. “So, what ever happened to good ol’ simple drinking the blood of your victims until they’re dead? It’s gone out of fashion, or something? Oh, no – don’t tell me. You’re still busy avenging the lost love of your life. Fine, well, better get on with it then.”
James kept the smile on his face. "It’s not gonna end so easily for you. I can keep you alive for hours... then when you are just about to die I’m gonna turn you and we can do this every night for the rest of eternity."
Some of the light of defiance went out of Tash’s eyes, and the blood drained from her face. Turned. There was a nasty possibility she hadn’t thought of. Torture was one thing, death an almost daily companion. But being turned…
She strained futilely at the bonds that held her to the chair, knowing that she just had to wait for her chance to end this, one way or another. If she couldn’t find a way to kill James, or at least escape him, she figured death was a far better option than being turned. Whichever opportunity presented itself first would be the one she took.
James’ shadow loomed over her, large and forbidding, and Tash looked up to see his face in a grin so broad she thought his mouth might split. Having no reply to his threats, she instead hawked up as large a gobbet of phlegm as she could gather and spat it right into his face, her eyes blazing their defiance.
James’ eyes burned with rage as he grabbed Tash by the hair and pulled her head back to expose her neck. His features distorted into that of a demon and he spoke, “Eternity is a long time.“
He plunged his fangs into her neck and lapped up the blood as it came squirting out from a vein. Tash relaxed her neck muscles as much as possible, letting her head flop away from James' working mouth. Then with a sudden jerk she snapped her head sideways, colliding with James' skull with a loud crack and knocking him free of her – for a moment, at least.
"Filthy scum!" she hurled at him. "A real vampire wouldn't have to tie up his dinner first. You should be glad I killed Ebony, so she doesn't have to associate with pathetic dregs like you any more."
James twitched at this remark. "I am far from being anywhere near a real vampire."
He swung a punch with all his might, which connected with Tash's jaw causing her to see stars. "And if we are to bring loved ones into this I’m sure Victor would be proud to see you like this, lunch for a mere vampire and soon to be one of things you hate the most." James connected again with a punch that almost knocked her out.
As the second punch connected, the door to the room burst open and a small cylinder was tossed in. Neither James nor Tash saw it, however. Tash’s head lolled groggily, but she held onto one thought. James thought he would hurt her by mentioning Victor, but instead she found herself suffused with a calm warmth at the thought of him.
The cylinder then exploded, filling the room with a thunderous bang and showering the area with light. James tried to shield his eyes, but to no avail. The now blinded James stumbled around the room trying to find the razor he had earlier used on Tash; he could hear the sound of footsteps enter the room and then the sound of gunfire. He wasn’t sure where he was hit but he knew he was on the ground, and he felt a massive stabbing pain in his stomach as what he could only presume was a sword was stuck in his gut. Regaining his sight he saw a boot slamming into his face, knocking him out cold.
Hands descended on Tash, freeing her from her bonds, and she looked up through bleary, blood-filled eyes to see if she were being rescued or was simply the prize in a power struggle. Though her vision was blurred she detected colours in the auras that surrounded her, but could make out no features. Blinking her eyes she tried to peer closer and realised her saviours were wearing black from head to toe, including face masks.
“Who are you?” she asked feebly as something cloth-like was pressed against the side of her neck and strong arms lifted her out of the chair.
They looked Tash up and down and never answered. One simply took his radio and spoke, "This is Monk here; we got one wounded. Target successfully taken down."
The man in the face mask turned his head and took one last look at Tash. "Pull the car around back, we need to get the wounded to a hospital.”
The masked man known as Monk signalled one of the others over. "Rook, hold her up. We need to get her out of here."
The masked man known as Rook walked over and slung Tash’s arm over his shoulder and lifted her up with ease as Monk propped his gun sideways under her. They slung one of her arms over each of their shoulders and lifted her using the gun as a seat. They headed down the spiral staircase and down into the back entrance. As the door was opened Tash was met with the sight of almost twenty armed men all covered in black and armed with an array of shotguns and assault rifles.
Though Tash’s head reeled, she had an eerie feeling about some of them. Her flesh rose in goosebumps and she shivered, but the pain in her head made her close her eyes for an instant. So she didn’t see the pitch-black auras that surrounded some of those that waited outside, only felt the faint wash of the vampire presence which in her hazy state she attributed to James.
Monk said, "Get Knight to drive her to hospital; just drop her off at ER and tell him to get his ass back here pronto. We don’t need another situation like in Serbia." While saying this Monk and Rook moved to the van and lay her down in the back as Knight started the van.
It all happened so fast to Tash's dulled senses that she found herself in the back of the truck before she had a chance to protest. When what was happening finally filtered through, she grabbed Monk's hand before he could leave her in the van alone.
"Oh no you don't," she argued, "I'm not that badly hurt. You just tell me who you are – and let me dust that son of a bitch up there." She held on tight to Monk's hand, refusing to let him go until she had some kind of answer.
Tash could see a familiar smile appear through the face mask and he spoke, "If I told you, I would have to kill you."
Monk wrenched his hand free of Tash's grip and slammed the van doors shut, leaving Tash alone with her questions and doubts as the van made its steady progress to hospital. Somewhere on the journey darkness claimed her, the image of Monk’s disturbing smile etched onto her brain.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Thursday, 21st Dec – 12:34am
The television turned off with a click, the clatter of the remote from Monks' hand leaving the room silent for far too long. Inside the young man's head, one phrase - no, one word - repeated itself with the monotonous fury of a mantra. It pounded against the walls of his very mind, slipping through his mouth sub-consciously and building in a crescendo...
Bored.
Monk sat up from couch and moved quickly into the “Torture Room”, as he called it, and looked at the incapacitated James. Even with the claymore sticking though his gut and him chained up to a wall, James still seemed a threat to him. Monk tried to shrug the feeling off but any time he met this guy, bad shit happened. Monk began to ponder what would happen if he was set free again. The little voice at the back of his head began to grow louder. *He would probably kill you all.* This thought made Monk slightly paranoid. So, he pulled the magazine out from his fa-mas and replaced it with a fresh clip filled with hollow point bullets.
The truth was Monk was one of the best soldiers in the world and he could kill a man without thinking about it too much. But, James was “the father”, which made him very anxious. For some weird reason that only fate knew he was always landed with the job of guarding a prisoner while the others raided some magical stores in town. The rest of his four man team where guarding other parts of the building, making sure no one entered. Even the bravest of people will severely reconsider arguing with a man covered in body armour and armed with an assault rifle.
The silence in the room was broken with the cracking of a radio. “Monk, this is Rook. Uh, 'mother' is here with the equipment. She wants to know if it’s safe to come up.”
Monk held the button in on his radio and spoke, “Roger that. The father is well restrained. Send her up.” Monk could hear the sound of scraping coming from the stairs. Monk remembered the last time they tried to do this ceremony… or, well, he'd read the file on what happened. And he was hoping history didn’t repeat itself.
The radio buzzed to life again. “Yo, one thing, Monk. We are supposed to be the best of the best, right?”
Monk clicked his radio on and gave a quick confused reply, “Eh, yeah.”
You could hear Rook smirking on the other end, “So why did we have to rob a few magic shops if we are so prepared then?”
*****
James awoke to the sound of voices all around him. He tried to move his arms and legs but he found they were restrained. James forced his head up and for the first time he saw his attackers. They where covered from head to toe in black body armour and face masks. A voice rang out from behind him in a Scottish accent, and instantly he knew who had attacked him and why he was tied up.
“He’s awake,” said the voice.
James didn’t struggle with his restraints. He knew he had no chance of escaping now. They had him. “Took you long enough to find me.” The smallest of all the soldiers walked over to James, who had been spread out on the floor, and stepped over him. The soldier pulled off the face mask to revel long golden hair and the face of angel. James gave a massive grin. “Hello, Cate…”
Cate looked down upon James and gave a growl as she spoke, “We aren’t going to fuck up this time.”
James replied sarcastically, “Yeah, that really worked out the last time you said that.”
Cate was still looking down at James. She shook her head. “We know what we did wrong, and this time we are going to purge you of the Ripper once and for all… the curse ends tonight.”
Several men entered wearing robes, each carrying a candle. James knew who they were. A small grin spread across his face. *Maybe it will actually work this time,* he thought, as the tearing pain covered his entire body. His tattoos glowed brightly in the darkness.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Scotland
1758
James cried softly into his pillow. He had just returned from the graveyard. It had worn him emotionally, and his emotions were taking their toll on his body. His eyes were bloodshot, red rimmed, and puffy. His body felt exhausted, but his mind wouldn't let him sleep. Ever since the night Archie had not come home from hunting with the men, James hadn't had a decent night's sleep. In fact, he hurt so much he wasn't sure how he kept on living. It was more than just the pain of Archie’s death and the hole it had formed inside him that kept him from sleeping at night. It was the guilt that was eating him alive.
James' sobs came to a high and awoke Cate, who was sleeping in the bed beside his. James felt Cate's arms slip around his waist, which made him cry harder. Sure, he had gotten Cate back, but she knew it was at Archie’s expense. If he hadn't been so concerned about Cate, he could have done something more to help. Maybe, just maybe, then Archie wouldn't have had to die.
"Oh, baby," Cate whispered, tears gathering in her own eyes. She held her man tighter as James tried to pull himself together.
James sat up from his bed and wouldn’t look Cate in the eye “I think… I think you should go before father comes in. If he catches you here, he will… Just, just go.”
Cate slowly rose up from the bed, giving James one last look before she left the room. He heard her say something softly before she left but he couldn’t make it out.
He couldn’t remember when things changed.
Well that's not true. He can remember exactly when things changed. It was in those hours after his mother died. After she sacrificed herself. For him. For his family. For everyone.
It was chaos. James' mother was dead. The soldiers were barely conscious. James was sobbing in Cate's arms. Archie was leaning against a wall, bloody fist clutched to his stomach, crying. Andrew just stared, like he couldn't take it in. And father...
*****
I remember.
He remembered that he had two thoughts; Mother’s dead, Archie’s alive. I remember that between the joy and grief I had some pity to spare. For Father. He looked so broken. In body, yes, bloodied, his leg twisted awkwardly; but also in spirit. Had I ever heard anyone sob so hard, grieve so openly?
He doesn’t remember how long Archie stood there, just holding tight to Cate and staring at his mother; but when Cate asked, “What should we do?”, he took charge. The plan came to him, fully formed, as if someone else was working through him.
He passed Cate to Andrew, all but forcing her arms around his. He walked over to where his mother lay, so peaceful, so beautiful. He took off his robe and covered his mother's face and body. He knew what everyone thought. He KNEW what they really thought… The Slayer’s dead, there will be a new one coming soon. But he knew. He knew the truth.
*****
As James lay weeping into his pillow he heard the door open again. He didn’t need to look up to know it was his father. He didn’t bother to talk to James. He just lay something on his chest of drawers and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly.
James listened to his father’s footsteps echo down the old hallway. He listened until he could no longer hear the footsteps and then got up from his bed and lit his bedside candle. He looked at what his father had left. It was a large broach, which held down a letter. James picked up the broach and he instantly knew whose it was. A small tear appeared on James’ cheek, which he quickly wiped off, trying to remain strong. James looked the symbols on the broach up and down and ran his fingers over the smooth metal. It was pure gold. It held the symbol of a wild cat with its claws outstretched, shrieking for battle with words inscribed in his native language.
He read them out aloud, “Na bean don chat gun lamhainn.” James placed the broach on his lap and picked up the letter and read it, but it merely said one word. “Family.” James curled into a ball, foetal position, and fell asleep.
James awoke the next day still clutching the broach in his hand. As James let go of the broach, he saw the imprint of the crest imbedded in his hand. James quickly got dressed and headed down the hallway and down the old stone steps which was the servants’ entrance to the kitchen. As James dashed down the stairs and into the kitchen, he heard the familiar sound of eggs and bacon sizzling on the pan. He entered and he saw Cate and Heather, hurrying around the kitchen.
“Need aw hawn hen.” Cate turned to look and James and ran over and gave him a warm embrace.
“James, about last night…”
James turned his head to the side. “Here, there, aye. No need to say anything. It was my fault I was just… Archie…”
Cate hugged James even tighter, “I know. It's ok, I know.”
James slowly let go of Cate. “I’d think I’d better get to the dining room before maw Da gets pissed off.”
Cate was already back to cooking at this point, when she turned her head from the pan and spoke, “Yer da’s no’ here today. He’s away down south for the week. He not tell ya last night?”
James' look of confusion was expression enough to answer that question. Cate continued to talk, “Aye he said that he’s went to some council or somethin.”
This was answer enough for James to realize what his father was going to do. He was getting help, getting the Watchers.
*****
James lay on the ground for a long time, thinking about exactly which parts of him hurt. The world gradually sorts itself out again; those nasty, sharp lights stop flashing behind his eyes, the blood running into his mouth clots, and he's able to spit it out. Thinking that of all the blood in the world, the foulest has to be your own, when it's cold like that. Thinking that, he's cold.
It had barely been a week since his brother’s death and the beatings had already begun.
The three boys huddled around the fallen body of James and together their laughter echoed through the church yard. James lay motionless on the ground as the boots of the boys bounced of his ribs making large thumps as they hit.
“Aye, that’s what yea fuckin’ get for bein’ cheeky, ya wee bastard,” shouted the tallest of the boys as his boots again bounced off James' ribs.
The two smaller boys who stood side by side with the tallest burst in. “Fuckin’ do him, Malkey,” spoke the youngest of the three. The second one planted a boot to James' thigh with very little resolve in it.
Cate walked quickly, carrying a basket full of bread. She was already twenty minutes late for preparing dinner and if she were late again she would lose the job at the big house. Cate turned into the alleyway which took her down into the church yard. As she quickened her pace she stumbled on a rock but quickly regained her balance. As she turned into the church yard she saw them beating into a body on the floor. Cate saw the face of the boy they where beating and realized who it was.
She screamed and ran straight towards James, dropping her basket as she went. As she reached the biggest boy she grabbed him by the hair and pulled him back and away from James. The boy yelped in pain and viciously swung his hand back catching Cate in the jaw, sending her sprawling to the ground. As Cate landed, she smacked her head on a grave stone, causing a wound to split form her head and blood to flow freely. Malkey, the tallest boy Cate had pulled back, looked down upon James then to Cate.
“Wit you doin’ no ya wee fuck, getting woman to save ya? Yer brother’s no aboot anymore to save yer wee fucking arse.” With that, he planted another boot into James, but this time it smacked him in the face, bursting his nose open.
James lay bleeding and broken unable to move. All he could do as watch as Cate lay bleeding. The three boys began to walk off, chuckling as they went. James slowly got to his feet, his ribs aching and his face bleeding. He walked over to Cate and sat down beside her. James lay her head upon his crossed legs and nursed her head, and tears began to form in James' eyes.
Then he heard the high pitched sound of one of the younger boys shout, “Aw look, he’s moved, let's gee him another tankin’.” James watched as the youngest of the boys walked quickly back towards him while the older ones sniggered. As the boy got close to James, he stood up, his face distorted of that of sheer rage.
As the youngest boy swung a punch James grabbed his hand mid flight and swung his head forward with all his might, connecting with the youngest boy’s nose, shattering it on impact and knocking him unconscious to the ground.
Seeing this, the two older boys rushed towards James with the intent to give him a worse beating than before. James scanned the area and found what he was looking for. He bent down and picked up two fist-sized rocks and stood, looking at the smaller of the tow bullies left remaining. As he got within six feet of James, James hurled one of the rocks with all his might as him, connected with the boy's face. The sound of bone crunching could be heard as his front teeth and nose where knocked out of place, causing him to bend doubled over in pain and hit the ground, cradling his injured mouth.
As Malkey reached James he tossed a punch, rock in hand, straight to Malkey's jaw. As the punch hit, the boy was slightly stunned and staggered back a few feet. Before he knew what had happened, James was upon him again. This time Malkey was met with a boot to the balls and an elbow to the temple knocking him flat on his back. Before he could make a move to get up, James had swung his foot with all his might and it connected to the side of his head, taking Malkey out of consciousness. As the boy lay there, James looked down upon him in victory. James rose his foot and stamped on the boy's face. He stamped on his face a good ten times before he had stopped. Malkey’s face was burst open and by the look of the swelling, he had broken some bones.
James walked over to the barely conscious Cate, helped her to her feet and carried her to his home. As they reached the door, James looked into Cate’s eyes and spoke with a calm, soothing voice that she had never heard before. “I’m fed up of being scared… No more ….no more.”
*****
James slowly ascended the steep hill, panting as he went. As he placed his boot upon some loose gravel he lost his footing and slid back down several feet before he finally regained his footing. He let out a loud sigh and began to mutter to himself, “Haven’t seen her in about three fucking years and now I’m just gonna appear on her bloody door step.” As James pulled himself up from the edge of the steep hill he rolled over onto his back and looked up into the sky and watched the clouds float by for a few seconds as he regained some of the strength he lost climbing the steep hill.
James stood up and dusted himself off and headed towards the direction which the pillows of smoke were emanating from. As James reached the source, he realized it was a small crofter’s house. When James got to within a few metres of the house, he noticed the two dogs lying on the ground. They quickly saw him, causing them to spring to their feet. They began to circle him with their teeth bared and there shackles showing, each dog growling in unison.
James slowly began to back off before he realized what he was doing and scolded himself. *This is the only way.* James started to walk forward, eyeing the front door as he went but never taking his eyes off the two dogs. As he reached the door knob, the dogs rushed towards him. The first dog jumped into the air, attempting to bite James in the leg, but instead of biting, it stopped dead in its tracks and began to cry at his feet, rubbing itself along his legs.
James clamped the dog on the head and clapped the other as it neared him and spoke to the dogs, “Thank fuck you guys remember me, aye. Otherwise I would be your lunch.” James turned from the dogs, knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before he opened the door.
As he entered the room he was met by the smell of burning wood and the sweet smell of soup being made. He looked around the room to where the smell emanated to see the person he had come to see. “Hello, Granny Achine.” spoke James in quiet tone. Granny Achine turned to look at James and she gave him a warm smile.
“You have grown a lot since the last time I’ve seen you,” she chuckled to herself. “I remember when you were this big,” she said, holding her hand up to the top of her head. “Take a seat, take a seat!“ she said, pointing to an old armchair which had several sheep pelts lying on it. James moved towards the seat and sat down and watched as the old crooked woman took to her own seat beside his. They began to talk.
“So James, how did you manage to find where I lived? I didn’t think your dad would let you come see me…” James turned his head to his feet and began to move his weight around on the seat. “He doesn’t know does he?”
James shook his head slowly and spoke, “I came to tell you about…”
Granny Achine cut him off before he could finish, “About your brother… I know I visited his grave yesterday.” She got up from her seat and stirred the pot of soup. It was silent for a minute before she took her seat again and spoke, “So, where is your father?”
James' face was filled with disgust as he spoke, “He’s going to speak to the Watchers… he wants another Slayer.”
Granny Achine nodded. “And what do you think will happen, James?”
James’ face distorted with rage this time. “I think… I think they won’t send any Slayer… the only way we will get rid of all the demons that hunt these lands is if they die of old age.” Granny Achine gave a wide toothed grin.
“You are smart beyond your years, boy.” She looked at the expression on James' face and she got serious. “What is the reason you have come here, James?”
James looked up at Granny Achine. “I… I want you to give me the power of a Slayer.”
Granny Achine began to chuckle to herself. “James… I’m sorry to tell you but that is impossible.”
James' face was one of disappointment. “But my mother said you were a powerful witch.” Granny Achine’s face got very serious. “Your mother was right but I do not have the power to do such things…”
James shifted his weight to one side. “Then I want you to take away my fear. Give me the inner strength of the Slayer… give me my clan’s curse.”
Granny Achine shook her head. “No, no, no, I can’t.”
James stood up and began to shout but lowered his voice, “I HAVE TO! I have to do this. I don’t want to be scared anymore. I don’t want to feel pain anymore. I don’t want to be a weak little child that watched everyone he cares about die around him by the talons of these fucking monsters.”
Granny Achine was taken aback by James' outburst. “I can’t do that for you, James. The Slayer, your mother, wasn’t scared of the demons because she was the Slayer. She was always scared… she was scared that she would die and leave you alone…”
James' eyes filled with tears. “I know it can be done… I’ve read books on it. I need you to place the curse of our ancestors upon me granny. I need it to become the thing that the monsters fear.”
Granny Achine looked down at James. “You are dead set on this?”
James quickly spoke, “If you don’t do it I’ll find out how to do it myself.”
Granny Achine nodded. “Then there is no way I can stop you from doing this.”
James shook his head at his grandmother. “I will do it…”
James emerged from the small croft covered in dried ink and blood and washed himself off in the near by stream. He headed back into the croft and spoke to Granny Achine, “Thank you for doing this to me…” Granny Achine’s eyes where filled with tears as he removed a large box from behind the now extinguished fire.
“I have cured our blood from henceforth James… May your sons forgive me.” She opened up the box and got up from her prone position and sat down on the seat. James looked into the box. He was stunned with what he saw.
Before he could speak, Granny Achine started, “Those are the weapons of our ancestors, James. Your mother used them to kill the demons that hunted this area… now they are yours.”
James bent over, picked up an axe and studied it. The axe was made from bones and flesh of some creature. “I remember my mother… she carried this everywhere.”
Granny Achine nodded, “It can dissolve into dust at your will and it will appear at your hand again.”
James bent over again and grabbed the hilt of a claymore and pulled it up to chest. “I never saw my mother wield this.”
Granny Achine smiled. “That’s because she could never wield it. The sword is also very magical but unlike the axe, it cannot be wielded by just anyone. It ties itself to the person’s soul… it feeds on the rage of the wielder.”
James tried to lift the heavy sword but to no avail. James dropped the sword and looked at Granny Achine. “It’s getting dark out. It’s time for me to test out the curse, Granny.” James began to walk out the door and stopped and gave one last look at his grandmother and walked out the door.
The heavy rain was cold against his skin, but the mild discomfort was far from his mind. James stood there on the steep waterfall, looking into the deep glen below. He could feel the rain bounce on his back and the river below his feet, tugging on him, wanting to drag him off to his death.
A funny thing death is. When you lose all fear of it, nothing seems to scare you. As much as he could hear the rumbling of thunder off in the distance before the massive flash of light which lit up the night’s sky showing him what he always knew.
They were coming.
He saw them heading down from further up the mountains. As they closed in on him he could hear the sound of dirt being ripped up by clawed feet… any moment now he would meet his brother’s killers … any moment now… his curse will be unleashed.
The Annis closed in around him, sniffing at the air, trying to get his scent. Although the running water was almost masking it, they could see him clearly
“We can see you, boy," spoke the lead demon. "Why should a boy be out on a night like this? Looking for us, no doubt.”
James was racked with fear. Seven Annis demons surrounded him. The waterfall was to his back and the demons to his front. "You… you killed my brother."
This caused them to burst into simultaneous laughter. "We have killed lots of brothers, sisters, even little babies, and not once has someone come to fight us alone. You must be very brave," they taunted, laughing again.
"I know," spoke James. "I know that your type of demons are blind to everything but fear."
The Annis demons seemed startled by this, by James’ knowledge. "And how would a child know of such things?"
He gave them an uncharacteristic grin which even they could see. “My brother was training to be a Watcher. He told me and he was the one you killed a month ago." Without missing a beat, James took a vial of blood and smeared it over his chest. “You want me, demon, you have to catch me.”
He backed off from the demons and leapt from the waterfall, legs flailing in the air as he landed into the cold waters beneath and the chase of his life began.
The demons, no longer laughing, leapt after James. They fell and landed far more gracefully; their long black hair flying wildly behind them. One by one, the seven Annis demons landed in the river. No sooner had they hit the water than they set off in pursuit, powerful demonic muscles pumping.
They reached the shore and ran several feet on before pausing and staring into the thick forest ahead of them. Each Annis cocked her head to one side, as if sniffing. “There is fear all around us, the animals .” One pointed out. The deer bounding off in the distance to find cover
“Yes. We will not be able to find the boy quickly if we travel together,” another said.
“Then split up,” a third commanded, and the other six obeyed; hurrying off in three pairs whilst the third went on her own.
The wood was thick indeed, thicker than it had first seemed. Combined with the darkness of night, it was hard to make out anything more than a few feet away. Not that this was a problem for the Annis. They were blind anyway, and could only see by the fear their presence made.
Twigs and leaves littered the ground, crunching under the demon’s feet as she moved quickly through the forest, twisting her head from side to side so that she could…
…there! The boy was hiding behind a tree. The Annis resisted the need to laugh and slowed her pace, moving far more stealthily and silently now.
The demon punched at James and was met by a massive tree trunk slamming hard into her chest, sending her sailing through the air and into a tree. She had time to look up at see a brief outline of the boy disappear and felt the pain rip into her flesh as an axe stuck into her neck; ending her life.
James quickly ran out from his hiding place and began to run for the village when he caught sight of an Annis off in the shadows come towards him. As the Annis demon closed in and leapt into the air the boy disappeared and she felt a stabbing pain in her gut. She could tell it was a dagger by the feel of it. She scanned the area but saw nothing.
"WHERE IS HE?" the demon screamed with all her fury. Then she saw the reddish-orange image she knew and loved; fear. After getting on all fours she ran towards the boy’s position.
But as she closed in on him she felt the earth drift away from her feet and was slung up into the air by a net. Desperately she clawed at the rope to let her free, but it would not relent. She saw the fear again, but only for a second then it disappeared and an axe slit her flesh and ended her existence.
Just as the axe cut into her another Annis appeared, beckoned by her sister’s call. She could hear her dying breaths, could hear the axe cut into her, but couldn’t see who was doing it. Then she caught a glimmer of fear off to her right, and darted towards that. It vanished as she drew close, appearing again on her left, this time within arms' reach.
The Annis lashed out at it. Even though her arm connected with something, she couldn’t see what as the boy vanished again. But when she tried to pull her arm back, she realised that it had been cut off at the elbow.
Her shriek of pain was cut short by yet another scything axe blow.
James started to run again towards the village with even greater pace this time, not bothering to turn round. He knew what was behind him. *Funny thing is when you are being chased you always seem to run so much faster.*
As he leapt over a fallen tree he tripped and felt the air above him flutter. The Annis demon launched for him and narrowly missed him. *Lucky that log was there,* thought James.
The demon landed on all fours and turned round to see the boy with an axe in his hand. She darted towards the boy and then he disappeared. She jumped high into the air, grabbed hold of a branch, and swung up into the tree. A whistle alerted her to the danger of the axe and she had just enough time to move out of the way as the axe hit the tree missing her head by a hair’s breadth. Knowing he was unarmed the Annis jumped down to the ground.
When the demon landed she felt a blow to the back of her, knocking her to her knees. A small arm wrapped around her neck and began to squeeze. She struggled and felt him bite into her neck drawing out blood. She was losing air quickly and as she blacked out she saw the boy she had first chased appear again, his fear brighter than ever. He raised his boot and he began to kick into her face causing blood squirts to fly into the air.
James took to running again, this time even faster. His heart beating faster and his lungs daring in hair at a quicker rate he could here the sound of branches and turf being ripped up by the claws of the Annis demons as they headed to his direction only 200 meters to the village. He could see the candles in people’s houses off in the distance. The Annis were getting dangerously close. The village could have been a foot away or a million miles away. It wouldn’t matter when the Annis got a hold of him.
The three remaining Annis sisters had grouped together and were running like a pack of dogs. “The boy will not get away,” screamed the leader, “we will follow him into the village if we have to.” She thought about her sisters. She could smell their blood on the boy. It was almost as he wanted to have them follow him *The boy knows we can see his fear, so he must know we can roughly follow him by scent. This doesn’t make any sense.*
James had cleared the tree line and made a bolt towards the slope that took him down to the well. James picked up the pace as he could almost feel the breath of an Annis on his neck. As he reached the wall he sent himself flying towards in a forward roll, just clearing the low well that was sunk into the ground.
When he was younger, he and his brother used to make a game of jumping over it. One time he didn’t make it. He was lucky to survive, said his father. The faster one of the three Annis demons came running up quickly behind him. Not seeing the well, she ran straight into the hole and slammed on the far side, knocking her out before she hit the cold water below.
James picked himself up from the ground and headed into the village square. As he came into the village, the local populace saw the image of a 14 year old boy running for his life with two of the black Annis hags chasing him. Almost instantly, the village cleared. Women, children, and men alike ran into their homes or anywhere with a door and a lock. The village pub filled instantly as the door was bared and faces appeared at the many windows.
James knew they would do this… this is what they did every time something like this happened. As he reached the village square, James stopped dead and side stepped and an aura pure clam fell upon his face. The Annis demon, who was less than a meter behind him, continued to run forward and smashing into a cart filled with vegetables.
The villagers watched as the remaining demons entered the square, looked around and poked their heads into the air and sniffed. The one who had rammed into the cart had gotten to her feet and took a swipe at thin air. The taller of the two ran over and lunged at a meat wagon but was disappointed when the she found on her hands where that of an already dead pig.
James drew his axe and cut his arm and the blood began to flow freely. The villagers who looked upon the scene began to scream and shout at him to get inside a house. Many thought him mad. Some people even opened their doors for him to run in but James stood fast.
Cate awoke with a start when she heard the shouting down stairs. She quickly lit her candle and headed downstairs to find almost nine people in her front room with her parents. Her mother looked into her eyes. “Young master James…”
Cate’s eyes widened with fear and she ran to the window and saw James standing in the beating rain, in the middle of the village with blood flowing from his hand and blood smeared over his face and chest. She gave a doleful look at her father and the other men in the room but they all turned away. She began to scream at them, “Someone has to help him!”
James stared into the faces of the Annis demons and he cracked a smile. “You have killed many in your time, demons. How does it feel to be helpless?”
The tall Annis demon snarled, “We are far from helpless, child.”
James gave a massive shit eating grin which was very uncharacteristic for him. “Really, demon? Then kill me like your sisters did.”
The tall Annis demon had heard enough. She lunged at the smell of blood but was met with the hilt of the axe slamming hard on her skull. The knee of James meeting her jaw sent her to the ground.
James looked at the villagers through the windows. The second Annis demon came at him from behind but James simply sidestepped her lunge and sent an open hand strike to her chest knowing her backward s few steps. Her sister was on her feet again and she jumped at James. He simply ducked and she smacked hard into her sister.
James looked down at the pitiful demons and smirked. “You made a mistake by killing the boy’s brother… because you let me loose, and I am the thing that monsters should fear.”
With that James began to hack at the Annis demons. Their blood squirted high into the air, plastering the cobbled stone and James with thick globs of arterial blood. The hacking didn’t stop right away. It took a good few minutes before James stopped. Now, almost totally covered in blood, James dropped the axe to the ground and turned to look at the villagers. His face filled with fear. Again his eyes filled with tears.
James began to head towards the village pub when he heard the scream of the lead Annis who had fallen down the well. “You killed my sisters, you killed them all.”
James' body was racked with terror. He was too far from his axe to get it and wasn’t close enough to the bar to get in. He was fucked. James, shaking, got into a fighting stance.
The Annis demon saw the boy’s body glow orange with fear and she screamed as she ran for him, but as she raced to him she was met with a crossbow bolt. She hit the ground, dead at James’ feet. James looked up to see Cate standing there with a crossbow in hand. She dropped the crossbow and ran over and squeezed James hard in a hug which he duly returned.
The village was abuzz with the talk of what James had done. They had even gone out and found the dead bodies of the other black Annis hags. They had even given him a nick name fitting to his new personality. “The Ripper.”
Return to Hecate's Gate
Previously on LABN ~
*Kate stumbles upon the abandoned site of an old coven house in Pasadena
*Kate decides to set up her own business – renting the old site of the Circle of Hecate
Saturday, 16 December 2006 – 10:34am
Hecate’s Gate - Pasadena, Los Angeles
Kate pulled her car to a stop outside the retail unit and leaned in the back to unbuckled Emma from her baby seat. She’d only had the car a few weeks but she already couldn’t imagine how she’d managed without it. Certainly Los Angeles wasn’t like living back in England, it was getting bad enough there but here in America you practically had to jump in a car to cross the street!
Holding the little girl against her hip Kate fished a set of keys out of her pocket and fiddled with the slightly rusty lock as she forced the door open and stepped inside.
The air inside the old shop was musty and stale but not half as bad as she remembered. She’d seen the unit before obviously, with the estate agent before all the paperwork had been filled in back in November. It had in fact taken much longer than she’d expected to get the relevant permits and licences sorted out, so much so that the official opening day was looking more like early January than late November.
Still, things were moving along well. Kate had been glad to see that much work had already been done to the place. The walls had been painted a fresh magnolia colour and the old floorboards had been ripped up and replaced with a suitably aged oak flooring. Kate set Emma down on the smooth surface and stood back to get a proper look at the place.
Emma immediately began crawling her way across the newly buffed floorboards, resting occasionally and taking a good look around before crawling off again, the slippery surface aiding her progress.
Kate sighed and pulled up a lone chair, resting for a moment while watching Emma. This place had such potential she could feel it but there was still so much work to be done. At least the wiring and plumbing had been sorted out but there was still the matter of furnishings, getting a telephone line connected, replacing the door locks etc. Sometimes it seemed like a never-ending battle and she wondered how Daye and Jade had managed to make it look so easy.
She spent a few more minutes looking over the work that had been done so far, allowing Emma a little while longer to stretch her legs before she picked her back up into her arms and returned to the street, locking the door firmly.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Thursday, 21st December 2006 – 1:45pm
Los Angeles General Hospital
Beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…
The sound registered on Tash’s consciousness as she came fully awake for the first time in several hours. She had hazy recollections of being admitted to the hospital last night, of trying to find out anything she could about her ‘rescuers’, of having doctors and nurses checking on her, but now she was truly aware. Memories of last night’s encounter sharpened in her mind and she shivered, glad that it was over.
Her entire body ached, and when she tried to move she found she was caught in a tangle of tubes and wires. A blood pressure and pulse monitor sat on the table beside her bed – it was this that was beeping regularly at her. A drip hung above her, though it seemed that right now there was nothing being fed to her through it. She presumed it had been filled periodically with saline fluid, no doubt full of drugs.
She lifted the sheet to inspect herself. She was completely naked, unless you counted the bandages that covered her chest. Other minor wounds had been dressed with elastoplast. She felt a thick bandage around her throat, and she remembered only too well what lay beneath that. Moving a hand to her head, she noted that it was wrapped around with gauze too, and she remembered the multiple blows she’d received. She hoped she only had cuts, and that her skull hadn’t been fractured – again.
She caught sight of a curious face smiling at her from the next bed. “Glad to see you’re awake,” the woman said when she saw Tash had noticed her.
“Thanks,” Tash said – or tried to say. Her throat was bone dry and her mouth felt swollen.
The woman seemed to understand anyway. “I’d leave him if I were you, dearie. Anyone who does that to you doesn’t deserve anything from you.”
Though it hurt her, Tash couldn’t help but giggle at that. The woman was quite wrong, of course. James did deserve something from her – a stake through the heart. Then she remembered her meeting today. Or was it today? How long had she been out?
Blinking at the woman, Tash attempted her second word, gathering some saliva first to make it a little easier. “Day?” she ventured.
“It’s Thursday, love. They brought you in here this morning from ICU. Apparently you’ve had transfusions. Lost a lot of blood, I heard the nurses saying.”
Tash sent up a silent prayer of thanks for nosy neighbours. At least she hadn’t lost more than a day. The next question would be the clincher. “Time?”
“Uh,” the woman sat a little, reaching across the bed to her drawer with the hand not encased in plaster. She fumbled with a watch then informed Tash happily, “It’s quarter to two, love.”
Tash smiled her thanks and let her head flop back on the pillow, an action she instantly regretted at the ripple of aches it sent through her battered frame. She had a little over an hour to get back to Poplar. If she left now, she could do it. But for one thing…
She gingerly sat and opened all the drawers she could reach. One contained her shoes, her gloves and her wallet – no sign of her other clothes. If memory served, most of them would have been unwearable anyway. She pulled her gloves on gratefully and then, sighing in resignation, buzzed for a nurse.
Many time-wasting protests and signed waivers later, Tash hobbled out of the hospital wearing a pair of jeans that were too large for her and an old, stained sweater that had been fished out of the ‘lost and found’. The doctor tried once more to convince her to stay, but she shrugged him off and hobbled outside to catch a taxi.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Thursday, 21st December 2006 – 3:10pm
Poplar Avenue
Despite the cabby’s attempts to engage her in conversation, Tash had spent the journey home in silence, panicking about how late she was going to be. As it turned out, the traffic in LA had one of its rare free-flowing moments and they slid through the freeways like silk. She left a substantial tip for the driver then steeled herself for the long climb to come; never mind that everyone would be waiting for her.
Sure enough, by the time she reached the second floor landing she could hear the murmur of voices. And after she’d struggled half way up the third flight of stairs she saw the gathering of people milling about the third floor landing. The murmuring stopped in a wave, starting from those closest to her as everyone noticed her, and Alessa hurried to help her up the last few steps.
“Sorry I’m late,” Tash croaked. “I met an old friend and he just insisted I stay for drinks…”
Half a dozen voices started up again, asking questions, but Tash held up a hand. “Yes, I’m ok to continue. Let’s get inside, then we can start and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Her friends parted to let her through and once Tash had the door open she was glad she and Alice had moved the extra couches from her old apartment up here yesterday evening, just before she’d decided to go hunting. *Oh well, one good choice – and one bad choice. Fits karmically.* At least it meant she had enough informal seating for all those who’d come today. She offered seats, and smiled gratefully at Daye who oversaw the placement of several trays of Joshua’s nibbles on the coffee tables.
Once everyone was settled and helping themselves to the trays, Daye pulled Tash aside, gesturing for Kate to join them both.
“We can do something about this, I think,” Daye suggested to Kate, before turning to Tash. “That is, if you’ll let us.”
Tash smiled weakly, revealing just how worn she felt in both body and spirit. “I wouldn’t object to a little healing, I must admit. I think the drugs they gave me at the hospital are beginning to wear off.”
Daye and Kate joined hands, and both laid their free hand on Tash, concentrating. Tash was suffused with a warm glow and her wounds began to heal. The strength of their combined magic flowed through her as bones knit and bruises faded. After a short time, Tash could feel the worst of the pain dissipating and drew back from her friends’ restorative touches. She was by no means completely healed, but she didn’t want to delay the meeting any further. Daye and Kate both opened their eyes simultaneously and smiled at their friend in resigned understanding.
“We’re not finished,” Daye said softly. “That should make you feel better though.”
“Much better, thanks.” Tash stretched, feeling the remaining general soreness, but the edge had been taken off the sharper pains and she no longer felt quite so bone-weary. “We should get back before the others eat all the food,” she quipped as she headed back to the living room.
Darian made Tash sit down and rest while her friends organised their own drinks, and soon she found herself clutching a hot mug full of aromatic coffee that she sipped appreciatively to soothe her still-raw throat. Once everyone was settled, some of her guests munching on Joshua’s delectable pastries, Tash started. Her voice was croaky and she had to pause frequently, but she persisted doggedly.
“Thanks for coming. You know why we’re here – I’ve explained more or less in detail to all of you that the idea is to have a regular time to discuss any odd things we’ve come across that might be pertinent to a larger picture, to arrange mutual training sessions, set up a proper research facility, and all that. Most of you know each other already, some better than others, but I thought it would be good to start with full introductions, including any special abilities we each may have that are useful.”
Tash started the ball rolling, detailing her experience and abilities, then she turned to Darian who sat next to her on the couch and asked him to continue. After Darian came Cole, then Kate and Galen, whose connections in the LAPD might come in very handy at times, then Daye, Reah, Quin, Alice, Jeet, Alessa and finally Chance all had their say.
When it was her turn, Kate smiled and introduced herself to the rest of the group yet inwardly she felt a pang of sadness. There were so many people that should or would have been at a meeting like this and for one reason or another weren’t. She couldn’t help but think back to the time, almost two years ago, when they’d all gotten together before the expedition to Pasadena and The Beazor Complex. Now Sorrow, Victor, Tempest, Matthias and her own dear Luc were gone and Jade all but lost to them.
Some that was revealed came as a shock to some of the others, particularly Reah’s enhancements and Chance’s past ‘lives’. Alessa’s admission of being half demon also made a few eyes go round, most notably Jeet’s, but when Alessa casually mentioned her ability to shapeshift her human form to something different – not just to her Verbati form – nearly everyone in the room raised an eyebrow, including Tash. She smiled and mentally chided herself. *Never assume you know everything about your friends, Tash.*
At the mention of Alessa’s shapeshifting abilities, Daye and Alice exchanged a meaningful glance. They would have to try and get Alessa alone after this meeting and find out exactly what she could do, because any knowledge about shapeshifters they could get would be more than they had now. Maybe something Alessa knew would turn out to be a lead in finding the shapeshifter they were looking for, the one who murdered Jimmy. Daye hoped that was so, because she’d grown very frustrated with the cold trail she was currently following.
Kate listened with contemplative patience while the various people introduced themselves, consciously aware of the few ‘new’ additions to what had once been a small group of white hats. Silently she reproached herself. *You’ve been too caught up in your own life… who are all these new people again??* She glanced around the group once more; some of the faces were noticeably familiar from the battle at the Hyperion yet she barely knew their names, and then there were others like Jeet and Quin whom she’d not even met before today.
Shing!
“Bah!” Quin jumped with a start in her seat beside Reah as three long blades suddenly shot out the back of her cousin's proffered fist, slicing into the silence.
Sniffing, unaffected by Quin's jump and now pointed glare, Reah turned her fist before her, eyeing the deadly blades with an air of amusement. She suddenly became aware of the eyes on her and peeled her own from the cybernetic enhancement that was just one of her many they were now all aware of.
“Sorry,” she apologised and shrugged, her blades swiftly retracting, concealed once again in her forearms, “It’s just... been a long time since I've been able to do that in front of others. I wasn't going to be... um... Yeah.” Reah purposely cut herself off, flashing a brief, uneasy smile before ducking her head and slumping deeper into the couch seat, subconsciously fingering her knuckles.
Galen raised an eyebrow at Reah in surprise, glancing at his wife as if to ask, “Did you know about that?” Kate shook her head at Galen’s silent question but Reah’s alterations certainly answered a few questions of her own, like her disturbed aura and the fluctuating emotional state that she’d picked up on back in October.
Once again she rolled her eyes inwardly at herself, *Just what have you been doing this past year? Living with your head in the sand?* Now she realised just how important this official gathering would be, for one it would hopefully eliminate such moments as this.
Alice remained quiet for most of the introductions.
“My name is Alice.” Alice stopped and paused. “Wait. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right.” She lowered her eyes to the floor. “My name is Alicenoko. I’m almost fifteen hundred years old. I’m from a savage dimension, which I abandoned when Victor and a mage named Talhu mistakenly summoned me in 568AD. After one hundred years of adapting myself and my rune casting to your world, I started doing the things my race perform best at, making war and killing. I’ve killed for kingdoms, for countries, for sport, for profit and for fun.”
“I spent centuries travelling the world learning many of your governments’ methods of assassination. I specialize in finding weakness where there wasn’t any before.” Alice smiled with pride. “Hell, I trained some of the finest killers this world has ever known.” She stopped and looked around at the censured looks on the faces of most in the room. “But I’m getting a little off subject.”
“I guess one of the best things I can bring to this group is knowledge. I know about some things, things you won’t find in any book. There are monsters out there that give me nightmares. Fiends that don’t just feed; they plan massacres like a mother lists her groceries. If Tash had told me about her vision of the White Hats a month ago, I would have laughed in her face. I didn’t think any group, no matter their skill, would have a chance of denting the balance of fate. But I learned a hard lesson about fate from Victor, and if Tash thinks we can do this, I say evil beware.”
Tash smiled warmly at Alice. She’d already known about Alice’s dark past, and was glad her friend had felt secure enough here to lay it all on the line for this collection of demon hunters, especially after the reception Alice had received from Daye just a few days before. Tash found herself nodding slightly as the rest of the group absorbed what Alice had said.
With the introductions over, Daye leaned forward. “Now Tash, how did you get in such a state? But shouldn’t we do this another day? You look… tired,” she finished diplomatically.
“I’m fine,” Tash smiled, though truth be told she wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep, to try to ease her hurts. But this was important. “And yes, I should tell you what happened, because it’s exactly the sort of thing we need to look out for.”
After a bite of sandwich and another gulp of a fresh mug of coffee that had appeared as though by magic in her hands, Tash told of how James had ambushed her after her fight with the other vampires, and his vendetta regarding Ebony. She also spoke in broad terms what had happened after she’d woken up chained in that room.
When she finished with the facts, she mused, “I know I saw James at the Hyperion – in fact, he was the one that Vincent and Darlome spirited out of the hotel. I’d be curious to know where they are now, whether they’re his friends or his victims. So along with Morris, that makes two power-boosted vampires that I know of roaming around this city – Alessa can tell you more about Morris. The thing I’d like to know is: what did those commando guys want with him? There was something familiar… oh God, of course!”
Tash slapped her forehead and ran her thought processes aloud. “That smile... it looked just like James' grin. It was the same, I'm sure of it. But the guy was human...”
Alessa’s head had snapped up when she heard about James, and she exchanged a quick glance with Chance. The infuriating man only raised an eyebrow, the “I told you so” look clearly written on his handsome face. She opened her mouth as if to speak but couldn’t, and looked at Tash again. She listened with growing disbelief as Tash described the hours she had spent in James’ hands.
Sensing Alessa’s mixed emotions, Tash was distracted from her musings on the commandos and turned to her friend. Alessa looked into Tash’s swollen eyes, and shook her head. She would speak later.
Tash kept her gaze firmly on Alessa, “The idea here is that we're about sharing important information. Do you know something else about this vampire called James?”
Alessa blushed, and lowered her eyes. “It’s just that I was surprised. James has been... helping me lately.” She raised her eyes and started to speak again. “In fact he helped us rescue Cole from Morris- ” She stopped at Chance’s angry snort.
“He is a vampire, Alessa,” he said, and everybody in the room guessed this was an old argument. “If he helped it surely was because he wanted something in exchange!”
“But he did help us!” Frustrated, Alessa looked around and met the unflinching gazes of everybody around. “If it weren’t for him, Cole here would be a vampire himself by now!” Alessa found Tash’s eyes and added, “This vampire in particular is not our common vampire, I’m sure of it. I... I’m sorry Tash.”
She inhaled deeply, trying to put some order to her thoughts. “However, I know where my loyalties lie; if he did this to you he has to be stopped.”
Tash nodded and said quietly, “He wanted to make me a vampire last night, Alessa. And then torture me for eternity. I think Chance is right – if he helped Cole then I'm sure it wasn't from altruism.” She offered a brave smile to Alessa. “So, tell us more about Morris and what he's been up to. It looks like the two vampires are connected by more than the Hyperion after all.”
Alessa sighed. Tash was right, and so was Chance. Besides, what they didn’t know was that James had asked for something in exchange, although not directly. She nodded, and started telling what she knew of Morris. She didn’t look up while she talked so she missed the surprised looks of the rest when she mentioned Morris and her past connection with the Watchers’ Council. She almost failed a couple of times, but Chance’s hand clasped hers strongly, encouraging her to go on. When she finished there was silence in the room again.
Daye listened to Alessa’s story in surprise. There was more here than she had realized and yet another questionable connection to the Watchers. More and more as time went on, Daye was left wondering exactly where the Council really stood in the battle between good and evil. Their narrow-mindedness had proven again and again to be behind many agendas. Daye found herself at odds as to what to think.
“I can’t think of what to say to you, Alessa,” Daye finally spoke into the silence. “I feel you’ve been unfairly used by the Council and by Watchers your whole life. I’m sorry for that.”
Alessa felt kind of dizzy as she looked into Daye’s face. *Ill used by the Council?* She had never thought of it like that. Mostly she resented the Council for the unfair treatment they had dealt to Morris – they had proved to be disloyal and distrustful – not so much for her own sake. He had sacrificed much for her; his family, his position as a Watcher, the respect of his equals… Alessa shook her head in distress. She didn’t like to think about how much she had affected those around her. How much she still was affecting them...
“Well, it hasn’t been so bad,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. She smiled at Daye. “Some of the most important people in my life come from the Council.” She was thinking of Morris, Ernie and now Daye herself. As in a second thought she added, winking at her. “Of course they were all rogue Watchers.”
Daye responded with another smile.
“But there’s something else I want to talk about,” Alessa said, and proceeded to tell the rest about Adriana, the sister’s attack and her fears about the Russian mob looking for Dominika. She could see that Darian had straightened in his chair, and was listening intently. Maybe Adriana hadn’t told him about all this, or maybe he was just surprised Alessa knew the gypsy at all, however he didn’t say a word.
“She’s afraid,” she ended, “and I promised her that I would tell you about her. Maybe we can help?” she asked tentatively while looking at Tash. She didn’t tell them about Adriana’s tryst with James, but she made a mental note to warn the girl about the vampire. After all she had heard about him in the meeting her ideas about James had taken a sudden twist.
“Well,” Tash replied, “I’m not sure there’s a lot we can do about the sister’s ‘psycho boyfriend’, though I’m happy to put Dominika up here if she’d like – Adriana too, if she wants. At least they’ll be harder to find, though here isn’t always necessarily perfectly safe, as most of us well know.” A small titter went around the room from those who’d been in the building during its more colourful moments.
After the laughter subsided Tash continued, “As for Morris, he’s definitely in our purview. I think we can safely say we’ll be doing our utmost to take care of that problem as soon as possible.” She smiled at Alessa. “If you’d like, invite Adriana and Dominika over here and we’ll see whether they’d like some temporary accommodations here.”
Alessa threw her a bright smile. “That would be perfect. I'll do that,” she said. Apart from the safer part, living next to Darian would also help the girl forget about her interest in a vampire.
Soft murmurings filled the room, but nobody seemed quite sure if they should speak up or not. Daye found herself clearing her throat, muting the whispers. “Well, now that I’ve begun, I guess I’ll go on,” Daye said. “Most of you know me in one way or another and a lot of my past is known to you as well. For the rest of you, and for the sake of some sort of continuity, I’ll go ahead and tell it all at once one more time.”
Daye proceeded to explain to everyone in the room who she was and what she’d been through, leaving nothing out. She told of her connections to the Watchers, her experiences with Mother Mariah and the ‘dreaming’, and about Maia, her family, and her possible destiny. When she’d finished speaking, she leaned back and sipped from the cup of tea in her hand as she scanned the room for reactions.
Listening to Daye describe how she and Sorrow had attempted to track her using the ‘dreaming’, only to lose the thread at the site of the G’rnathan portal, Tash found a lump forming in her throat. Both Sorrow and Victor made noticeable gaps in the group she was gathering together here, and even though it was a combination of things both men had said to her that had brought her to this point she found she’d trade it all just to have them back. Lost in her reverie, she slowly noticed that Daye had stopped speaking.
The others were blinking and shaking their heads in awe at what they’d just heard, and Tash thought she should ask more about how the ‘dreaming’ worked – whether it was limited to spellcasters or whether a psychically attuned person could tap into it. But the silence had gone on too long, and Galen’s gentle coughing aborted Tash’s question, as he moved onto new territory.
Galen cleared his throat, “I’ve noticed a significant increase in vampire related deaths over the past month. They’re becoming bolder again, their numbers increasing. I think the news of Dathan’s demise has finally gotten around and our undead friends are beginning to return to the fold.”
He glanced at Kate, his eyes a little sad and morose and she knew that he was talking about the young boy that had been found a few days ago. He’d taken that case really to heart and now she could feel his pain freshly again. She took his hand in her own and squeezed it supportively.
Tash nodded, “I’ve noticed a rise in vampire numbers too, on my hunts.”
“Well I’ve been working on a few things myself that could come in useful,” Kate spoke up, taking the focus away from her husband. “Spells and things that might help with general patrolling at the very least. There’s this one I’m working on at the moment that is actual contained sunlight. There are a few problems that I need to work out such as visible light levels and intensity factors but it’s coming along quite well.”
Galen looked at her in surprise and Kate laughed, “Well what do you think I do all day? Watch soap operas and change dirty nappies?”
A ripple of soft laughter filled the room, some of the women exchanging knowing smirks with each other at Galen’s look of feigned chagrin.
Alessa watched the exchange between husband and wife with amusement. They surely looked in love. She remembered his protectiveness when she had paid them a late visit asking for help to rebind Chance’s inner demon. Then she concentrated on the witch’s words; talk of spells interested her, especially after her latest encounter with Morris.
“Kate...” she started. The woman turned to her with a smile still on her lips. “That’s something I wanted to talk to you about, too,” she added. “You and Daye, actually. Is there a way for us to protect ourselves against magic?” Then she told them in a few words about the puppet spell Morris had cast on her while rescuing Cole. She didn’t want to find herself in such situation again.
While everyone else engaged in various talk about the increased vampire activity that Galen had mentioned, Kate and Daye gathered together as they talked with Alessa about various protection spells and amulets that could repeal a vampire’s thrall or a similar spell of control. It was an uncertain topic since none of the ways could be considered a sure-fire way of preventing such an attack as everything depended upon the power of the spell or vampire. There was much to be considered and books to be consulted that would test the White Hats’ combined research force for the first time.
“I think I know of such a spell and there are several ways of enchanting amulets with certain protection spells that should ward off an attack.” Kate thought for a moment, totally in her element of discussing magic. “For a specific person it would probably work better if we had a personal object of theirs but I’m sure there are ways to work around it if not.”
The three women continued to talk, and finally arranged a time to go through things in greater depth and hopefully give Alessa the power she needed to resist any further attack from the vampire Morris.
Jeet watched the faces of the people around him as he listened to the various conversations; it was obvious that he wasn't the only person who was finding most of this information surprising. He decided it was time to tell everyone about Evie and his encounter with Whistler. *Maybe they can help.*
“I... I'd like to explain a few things about myself,” he said nervously as he looked to Tash for some sign it was o.k. to continue. She nodded encouragingly. The various other conversations stopped and Jeet was now aware all eyes were upon him as he explained his arrival in more detail and about Toni. He went on to explain about Evie and Whistler before deciding it was time to come clean about the amulet.
“As I explained,” he finished, “I believe the reason I am here in LA is to protect the amulet. Over the last week or so I have begun to understand why it is so sought after.” Jeet walked over to an empty space in the room. “If you would just allow me to demonstrate: the amulet has a symbol above each point of a five-pointed star. Firstly, To Hide.”
Jeet closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could and from the noise coming from the people in the room he knew he had become invisible. "To Defend," he said as he reappeared. “Tash, if you would be so kind.” He smiled as he pulled one of his Escrima staffs from the inside of his jacket and held it out to Tash. "Whenever you’re ready.”
He kept his eyes open this time but the concentration on his face was still evident. Tash nodded as she raised the staff somewhat stiffly and began to bring it down on Jeet’s head. Before she had got the staff within three feet of his head, however, her arm bounced off an invisible barrier and she dropped the staff, wincing with renewed discomfort that she quickly masked.
“Thank you, Tash.” They shared a smile as she sat back down. “There are also symbols representing To Heal, To See and To Fight, but they can wait for another day.”
He returned to his seat and looked around the room, suddenly very conscious that everyone was staring at him. It was made worse by the fact he felt quite weak now but he knew that wouldn't last long. “So if anyone has any ideas of what I should do please let me know,” he added sheepishly. *Please don’t let there be any questions,* he thought as he sank into his seat.
Alessa watched Jeet’s stunt with round eyes. She looked at Chance besides her and voicelessly mouthed, “I want one of those.” All she got was wink.
Chance had been silent most of the meeting, intently listening to everything that happened. She had hoped he would bring the topic of his sword to the arena, but he hadn’t so far. She suppressed a shiver when she thought of Dray’chen’s sword; obviously he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.
She looked again at the Asian, who was steadily looking around. And indeed a question came to her mind.
“Jeet.” She coughed when everybody focused on her, and she smiled nervously. “How come you speak English so well? I mean… well, I’m a language teacher, well was one...” She trailed off; some of the people in the room were smiling indulgently at her, Chance in their number. “Sorry, I’m just curious,” she added with an exasperated sigh.
Jeet smiled at the young woman. This was one of the easier questions he could have been posed, and it made him feel a little more at ease. "As previously mentioned I met a gentleman called Toni; no doubt you will all meet him soon enough. He runs a Dojo downtown but is also quite apt at the odd spell or two." He finished explaining about his original meeting with Toni.
"Is there anything else anyone wants to know?" Jeet casually looked around the room.
Chance chuckled whilst giving Jeet a steady look. “Jeet Su My, eh? And I thought you were just a legend.”
“You’ve heard of me?” Jeet asked.
“Of course I have. The warrior monk who, so they say, was sent by the gods for some greater purpose and would one day return to fulfil his destiny.” Chance shrugged at the look Jeet was giving him. “When you live as long as I do, in my line of work you pick up a lot of prophecies like this. Mind if I…?” he trailed off, motioning towards the amulet Jeet clasped in his hands. The man paused for a moment, then handed it over, almost reluctantly.
Chance played the amulet in his own hands, tracing the runes with his fingers, his eyes closed and muttering under his breath. A shadow passed over his face. Then his eyes snapped open and he hurriedly gave it back. Jeet took it gladly.
“Take my advice, be careful with that,” Chance warned. “I couldn’t get much out of it but what I could get… there’s something powerful trapped in there. Something you don’t want to mess with. If I was you I’d use it as little as possible. I’d also say get rid of it, but I know firstly you wouldn’t do that, and secondly it couldn’t be in safer hands than the famous Jeet Su My. Other than that I can’t tell you anything, but I may be able to put you in touch with a few people who can.”
“Thank you. Any help you can give me will be most appreciated, and you're right about using it too often. Every time I use it, it leaves me very drained. Sometimes I can hardly move. Luckily, it doesn't last long.” Jeet lowered his head slightly as he put the amulet back on.
Chance turned and faced the group as a whole. “Right, you’ve all got the much abbreviated version of my life. I’ll save the detailed version for a later time because it’s a long, depressing tale. Maybe over a bottle of vodka in some dump at three in the morning. Bob’s is usually a lively place about that hour.” Several in the group sniggered. Most, Chance noted. It seemed a fair amount of them had had the distinct displeasure of passing through Bob’s Bar on at least one occasion. “I believe this organisation has a lot of promise. I’ve been a part of many in my time and I’d like to think I know what makes them fail and what makes them succeed. I can offer training, contacts, information. And, above all else, muscle.
“Speaking of which, we need to do something about James. I’ll admit he helped us with Cole, and I’m thankful for that, as much as I hate it, but we can’t just leave him be. I’ve fought him on numerous occasions and, as Tash can probably testify, he’s a tough bastard that just doesn’t know when to quit. He’s got access to a large amount of resources; weapons, armour, vehicles, magic supplies, maps of buildings, etc. This may come as a surprise, but both Darlome and Vincent, they were at the Hyperion if you remember,” there were several nods, “work with him or for him. Darlome’s a demon, that’s easy enough, but also a mage and a strong one at that. From what I can tell, Vincent is some form of psychic. Telekinetic I’d say, whose power is amplified by the device he wears on his arm. Go figure.
“Where James is, those two can never be far behind. James is smart, predatory, and savage. Just like every other bloody bad-ass vampire. Except this one has an interesting weakness, if you can call it that. I think he’s schizophrenic, the other personality going by the name ‘Ripper’. Ripper’s like James but a hundred times worse. Fortunately he seems to be dormant with James as the dominate personality, at the moment. How this changes, and how they are aware of each other, I don’t know. I’m not a head doc, but I’d imagine it’d be interesting to take a look at him, right Tash?” He nodded at her.
Tash’s eyes widened. A schizophrenic vampire? That could explain a lot, she thought. She glanced down at herself, felt the bandages that still covered her neck and chest, and let herself be aware of the pains and aches that still plagued her body despite Daye and Kate’s healing magic. “Interesting, maybe. But also dangerous. You’re right, he’s a seriously tough bastard. And who knows, right now he could be dust already, or under the protection of those guys who freed me. It’s hard to say. He might be hard to get close to about now. But he does need to be dealt with, if he’s still around. It’ll take a number of us to really get him, though. It’s a matter of which vampire death is more urgent – his or Morris’. I think right now Morris is more of a direct threat.”
Chance nodded in agreement, “Yes, then there’s Morris. We severely cut back on his operations in LA when we rescued Cole, but I don’t know by how much nor how long it would take him to recoup his losses. Probably not long enough.” He took a deep breath. “The way I see it, James is a nasty bugger but it’s Morris I think we have to watch out for. He’s a mage and he’s got the brains and ambition to go with it.”
Chance looked away and chewed his bottom lip for a moment. “I… I can’t fight him on my own. I’d like to say I could, and in my prime I would easily have done so, but I’m still not used to, well, you could say myself. There’s a few kinks I have to work out before I’m back into top form again, and whilst I’m doing that I,” he looked to Alessa, “we could do with all the help we can get.”
Tash smiled at Chance, “That’s what this group is all about. Nobody has to face anything alone any more. We can all pitch in to take out Morris, then we’ll worry about James.”
Tash felt oddly smug. She’d never dared think about just how this meeting might go – all she’d worried about was getting enough people together to make it worthwhile. But watching everyone in animated discussion about the various issues that had been raised gave her a warm glow inside. Sorrow’s citadel of willing flesh and blood was becoming a reality, before her very eyes. She just hoped it would prove strong enough to withstand whatever trials lay ahead. If there was one thing she’d learned about Los Angeles in the two years since she’d moved there, it was that the city never let you rest. Some new monster was always ready to crawl out of the woodwork.
*Hmm, speaking of which…* Tash caught Reah’s eye, then Darian’s. “Actually I’m going to change the subject again, I’m afraid.” Attention turned to Tash again as she spoke. “I’m fairly confident that this chapter has been dealt with, but I think the rest of you should know what happened, in case something similar ever crops up again. But I don’t think I’m the best person to tell it.”
There was silence for a beat then she said, “Would you like to start?”
Tash directed the question at Reah, who hunched her shoulders for a second before straightening up. Tash grinned at the friendly glare Reah sent her way for putting her on the spot like that, but she began talking anyway, describing the events surrounding Proserpexa’s defeat. Darian, Alessa, Chance and Tash chipped in at various stages, and even Cole summoned the nerve to mention the disturbing dream he’d had about Alessa and Chance’s deaths. When Reah reached the part where she’d killed Paul Nesmith, Alice sat up and blinked. So, Paul was dead now – it was no more than he deserved, she was sure.
The tale drew to a close, and Darian gave Cole a reassuring hug as Alessa described how the future Cole had just seemed to disappear into nothingness as the timelines sorted themselves out. The teen had heard everything about this by now, but it was still hard for him to fathom.
“I’d already conceived of bringing us together in a more organised fashion,” Tash said over the quiet murmurings that greeted the story, “but this helped to show me that it really would be possible, and useful. When I saw into the future Cole’s past, I saw how it was only through organised groups such as this that humanity had any chance at all. Sure there’s Ulle, the Watchers, and a host of other groups, but for us here in LA we’ve really only got each other. Through Daye we can liaise with the Watchers’ Council – I’m sure they won’t object to sending information on occasion, especially if we alert them to any danger that will impact more than our local area. But I’m led to believe the Watchers can be a little narrow-minded at times, so for now I’d be inclined to keep them at arms’ length.”
She needed a steadying breath before she continued, “When we lost Sorrow, of course, we lost our connection to Ulle, but I do have his files which contain a wealth of information. As for Sindell…” Tash paused and glanced at Kate, “well, let’s just say that there have been problems with them in the past.”
All eyes in the room remained on Tash, and she felt a little uncomfortable at being the centre of attention like this. Still, she was the one who’d wanted this, so she had to deal with it.
She pressed on, “I’m afraid this won’t be an easy group to belong to – it’s not just going to be delicious pastries and a get-together every week. There’s lots to be done – training, research, organising our resources. And keeping eyes and ears open. Information and knowledge – that’s what we’ll stand or fall on, I believe. Whatever anyone sees or hears about, no matter how insignificant it might seem, could be the piece that completes a puzzle. That’s what we have to bring to each meeting.”
“So,” she finished as brightly as possible, “is there anything else anyone wants to discuss? Otherwise we might go on to drawing up training schedules and setting a time for next week’s meeting.”
Nobody stood forward, so they worked up a preliminary schedule of tutoring, Tash offering the training room next door for use whenever anyone needed the space. The afternoon was growing late by the time everything was settled, schedules set and contact numbers passed around, and people began drifting out the door, promising to return the following week. Small knots of people formed and broke up again as people bid their farewells. Tash noticed Chance in deep conversation with Kate and Galen as they headed out the door, while Daye and Alice left with Alessa in tow, heading downstairs. Darian and Cole left quietly, not having said much during the meeting, and Jeet trailed down the stairs after the pair. Then she found herself in conversation with Reah and Quin, who invited her to have dinner with them later on.
The door closed and Tash leaned against it, relishing the quiet again in her suddenly empty flat. A grin spread slowly across her face then she pirouetted across the lounge room floor, carefully avoiding the extra furniture that cluttered the place as she unconsciously echoed Alice’s earlier sentiments.
“Evil beware.”
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
***Thursday November 30th, 16:00***
“Well? Somebody better tell me what’s going on!” Jeet looked over at Toni with a look of quizzical anger, but Toni just shrugged his shoulders.
“Perhaps the young lady should start,” Whistler smiled light heartedly.
Jeet’s gaze shifted from Toni to him then to Evie. Jeet could see she was petrified and tried to force a smile to reassure her. “It’s ok, don’t be scared. I didn’t mean to shout. Sit down and tell me who you are."
Evie sat down and Jeet followed suit. She looked around the room at the three men that stood around her, she was still very nervous but she had come here for a reason.
“As I said my name is Evie Williams, you were in the café this morning, your hand touched me when you were getting napkins.” Her voice was trembling. She paused, the room now in silence. *Where do I start?*
“And? You can’t have come here just because I knocked your hand in a café,” Jeet said, puzzled as he took a seat opposite the girl. “So go on.”
“Please, this will be a lot easier if you let me explain in my own time, without interruption.” She stared into Jeet’s eyes, he nodded.
Evie went on to explain about herself, all that had happened in her life and her abilities to ’see’ what was going to happen. After she had finished she raised her head and looked up at Jeet. She could see he was about to speak.
“Yes, I had a vision about you. Several, in fact, and as usual none of them were particularly nice,” her voice trailed off and she lowered her head again.
“Go on.” Jeet reached out to touch her hand but she instinctively pulled it away, “What did you see?”
“It was very strange, I usually only get one vision about a person or at the very most the same one repeated, but all yours were different. Each time you were being attacked but each time it was in a different place and by different people. The only thing that remained constant was you and the fact that they all seemed to be after something.”
“I am going to jump in here," Whistler interjected. He pointed to an open seat, “May I?” Jeet nodded sternly.
Whistler explained, “The young lady is right, you are in a lot of danger, pal.”
“Hold on a minute, before you start going on about ANYTHING I want to know who you are and how you know me!” Jeet’s voice was confident and powerful. Today was not a good day to tick him off.
“Yeah. Sorry, I can see where you are comin' from,” Whistler shifted nervously in his chair, “I'm… Well, you see… The thing is, I’m a demon. I got this gig where I have to balance good and evil. You know, make sure that the bad guys don’t get too much of an advantage. That kind of thing. So every once in a while I have to push the good guys in the right direction. I gotta tell ya, it’s a rotten job 'cause so many of the good guys are...”
"What?" Jeet said angrily.
"Aggressive," Whistler finished meekly.
“So how exactly do you push 'the good guys'?” Jeet said with sarcasm.
“Information, my friend, you can go a long way in this town, if you know where your going that is. That’s where Ol' Whistler comes in to give you a shove in the right direction,” Whistler smiled and tilted his hat.
Jeet’s steely glare let Whistler know that charm wasn't going to play with this one. He figured that machine-gun delivery would probably work best. Cut to the chase. The straight dope. Jeet was waiting and so he let his mind focus back on the matter at hand.
"Let's begin with how you got here," Whistler stated. Jeet immediately sat forward.
"I thought that would get your attention," Whistler said, "The night that you arrived two wanna-be mages decided to try a very complex spell to summon that amulet of yours. The spell worked fine but they weren’t experienced enough to control how or where in LA the amulet would appear.”
“So they summoned me by mistake as well?” Jeet inquired
“No no, you being here is not an accident. It’s got nothing to do with the spell or the amulet either. I’ll get to that in a minute.” He was about to continue when Toni interrupted.
“So these two men are after Jeet’s amulet?” His tone implied that he’d like to see anyone try and take something from Jeet if he didn’t want them to.
“NO! They are posers. Pawns in the greater drama. They don't even count. Forget about them. Damn. Let me start over.”
Jeet looked like he wanted to press the issue, but Toni held up a hand to let the demon continue.
"That amulet is very powerful and there are numerous, shall we say, ‘factions’ that would love to get hold of it. Nothing stays secret in this town for long especially something as powerful as that amulet. That’s where the young lady’s visions are coming from. She’s right; there are a lot of people after that amulet so any one of her visions could come true. If not all of them.”
“You still haven’t explained how or why I’m here.” Jeet was showing no sign of emotion about what he had just been told, it was as if he hadn’t heard a word Whistler had said.
“Oh… erm yes, right well, they brought you here,” Whistler said sheepishly.
“They?” Toni sounded confused, “But you said it was nothing to do with them.”
“Not them, the dead losers...Them, The Powers That Be. They chose Jeet and brought him here.”
Whistler grinned, seeing the bemused look he had just created on Toni’s face. “You see Jeet, in your own time you were a great warrior, in fact one of the greatest of all time. Although you probably don’t know it, most of the enemies you faced back then weren’t human, that’s why they chose you.”
“To protect the amulet?” Jeet asked.
“Among other things, yes. That’s why you died when you did, when you were in the best condition of your life. It gave you the best possible chance to adapt and survive here.”
This was the first thing Whistler had said that had sparked an emotion from Jeet. In an instant he was upon Whistler, holding on to his jacket and lifting him up, “What do you mean that’s why I died when I did? You mean it was all part of some big plan?” The anger in Jeet’s voice was evident.
“Jeet, calm down, hurting him won't do you any good.” Toni was trying his best to calm Jeet down, though he knew in his position he would have reacted just the same.
Jeet let go of Whistler and sat back down.
Whistler held up his hands peacefully, then slowly straightened his jacket, “As I was saying, They chose for you to come here but it’s up to you to do something with it.”
“That’s it? That’s all you’ve got? Some use you are. Can you tell me how to use the amulet or what I’m supposed to do now?” Jeet was still fuming; he didn’t need all this, not today, not any day.
“Look, I told you, I’m just here to even things out, I can't tell you everything there is to know. Hellfire, [b]I[/i] don't know everything there is to know. I just read the lines they give me.” Whistler stood up and brushed himself down, looked at where Jeet had grabbed him and shook his head, “I will tell you that you’ve already tapped the amulet's powers twice since you got here. And having said that, it’s time I was going. I’m sure you three have plenty to be talking about."
Whistler started to leave when he stopped and turned to the trio, "Oh yes, it’s probably best if the young lady stays with you. Like I said, word travels fast in this town and it won't take long for people to find out she knows something. She’ll be safer with you.” He raised his hat and left.
Jeet just stared as Whistler left his apartment. He wanted to stop him but he knew it was pointless. He looked over at Toni, who just seemed in awe of the whole situation, and then over at Evie. She looked petrified. “Are you ok?”
“What just happened?” She was looking at Jeet with such fear that all his anger filtered away, he was more concerned with her.
“I’ll explain more in the morning.” Jeet held out his hand, “You can sleep in my room.” He led Evie into his bedroom then returned to the front room.
“Well Toni, what did you make of that? And I think you’ve got something to tell me, haven’t you?”
“What do you mean” Toni faltered, he knew exactly what Jeet meant.
“How did you know him?” Jeet’s tone was calm but very commanding.
“I didn’t.” It was obvious Toni was lying.
“You said 'the likes of you', out there in the hall when he arrived; you said 'the likes of you', so you must have known him.”
Toni looked at Jeet, it was pointless lying to him any more. “He came to me a few months ago and said a stranger would be coming to me for help, and that I was to do everything I could because he would be in great danger.” Toni looked down at the floor like a child about to be punished. “I didn’t tell you at first because you had so much going on already, then after a while I thought if I could just keep him away from you nothing would happen, I was worried about you.”
Jeet smiled, “It’s ok my friend, I know you were only trying to look out for me.” Jeet stepped forward and embraced Toni. “Look, it’s getting late, I need to sleep on all this and try and figure out what to do. I’ll call you tomorrow, ok?”
Toni smiled, “Just make sure you do.”
Toni closed the door behind him and stood in the hallway. He let out a worried sigh, *Sleep well my friend, I fear that the worst is still to come.*
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Friday, 19th January 2007 - 12:30pm
Tash sat amidst the murmur and clatter of the Cuban restaurant, enjoying the chance to relax away from her usual surroundings. After a month, the physical evidence of her encounter with James had finally faded – there had been a time when she thought the bruises would never disappear. She absently fingered the new scar at her neck, a ragged tear that was testament as much to her struggles as his viciousness.
Dropping her hand, she kept an eye out for her lunch companion, thinking about how quickly they'd been able to fall back into their old pattern. It was surreal the first time she and Nikolai had met for lunch again a couple of weeks ago, given all that had happened since their last lunch in July. And their meetings were now tinged with a degree of melancholy. At least these days they didn't have to tread softly around the edges any more, now that their pasts were no longer hidden.
She sipped at her margarita and waved when she saw Nikolai's familiar form appear in the doorway. "Here, Kolya," she called.
*’Push yourself’, she said.* He thought back to something Kate had told him while helping him. *Well, this certainly qualifies.* It was the first time that he had walked into a restaurant and could not make out the overall background emotional noise due to the confusion. He waved at Tash's familiar form, focusing to feel her emotions. It was much like picking out a voice among the noise of the place, something you had to focus to do and even then the feelings were muffled.
“Strassvichye," he said, after a five-minute battle to reach her table, slipping into the chair across from her. He smiled at her choice of drink. "Tasha, isn't it a little early in the day to be drinking?"
Tash looked down at her drink and shrugged, "These days? No."
She sat back and surveyed her friend. He'd undergone some radical changes in the past couple of months, and had always shied away from a direct answer whenever she'd asked him about it. At first she put it down to the trauma of G'rnatha and of coming home to find Zoë dead. But the aura was too different for any mere human agency, and he'd mentioned seeing the 'dead demon' back when she’d first discovered he was alive after all. She could only surmise that he was referring to L'Than, the demon who had healed him, and wondered if she had somehow done something to Nikolai. But she'd seen possession before, and this didn't really look like it. At least in the last few weeks he'd been far more at peace, far more settled and far less inclined to yell "shut up" at thin air. Tash had been starting to worry about schizophrenia, that the events on G'rnatha and afterwards had triggered something latent. Now she just envied him his calm.
*Pfft. I've got my own calm right here,* she thought as she finished her drink and ordered a second.
Melancholy, despair, determination at the centre. They all radiated off Tash whether she was conscious of it or not. He was always torn whether or not he should just come out and push her to open up to him. On the one hand, it might help; on the other, he suspected that having something 'normal' to do was the best thing he could do to help her at this point. *At least she isn't suicidal. I hope.* He simply ordered a glass of red wine. "I am Russian, and besides, it's good for the heart," was his light-hearted defence.
As was usual, he figured that he would simply give her the chance, see if she wanted to discuss whatever it was. "How have you been recently, Tasha?"
"This week? Much the same, except the bruises have gone now. Training a fair bit. Killing the odd vampire. The usual." She shot him a tight grin. "What about you? I'm still wondering if you've suddenly taken up Transcendental Meditation or something – I still can't get over how at peace you've seemed lately."
Her fresh drink arrived and she accepted it gratefully, licking the salt from the edge of the glass before taking a sip of the margarita and then sucking on the lime that accompanied it. "Hmm," she growled in her throat contentedly.
Nikolai chuckled at the suggestion of transcendental meditation, drinking from his wine. He'd never had anyone accuse him of being at peace or in league with the flying physicist, even though meditation was something he would probably look into at some point. "Um, it's the Tai Chi," he said, feeling a bit embarrassed at what seemed to be developing from that. "How can you lick the salt and suck on the lime? It kills the flavour completely."
"Actually, it enhances the flavour." Tash sighed at Nikolai's answer. Once more it was the truth - but she had the sense he was holding back. Sure, he was doing Tai Chi twice a week, but that wasn't it. "Damn it," she said, sitting upright, "I know that's not all. You know I know. Why can't you tell me, Kolya? There's something..." she waved her hands around his head, outlining the soft pastels of his aura, "something here that's not you. It wasn't there before.” She fixed him with a stare, one corner of her mouth curled upward in a half-smile. "Don't make me punch you in the jaw again, my friend."
Nikolai sighed. He had to tell her sooner or later, and should have known that. It was just the question: how do you properly explain it? How do you tell a friend that your mind has been merged with a being whose approach to life is fundamentally different? *At least she didn't ask about Tai Chi.* "All right. L'Than was a member of a race called the Xangyarj," he remembered her with a bit of sadness and regret: at being unable to help, of having killed Sabarov.
"She was mortally injured and asked for my help. They have a limited psychic ability – they can transfer their mind at the moment of death." He smiled back at her. "Thanks to a little help, our minds are effectively becoming one."
"So that's it. I've been seeing a double aura for some time, but recently it became more unified – but it didn't look like possession. So," Tash shook her head, "you're taking in boarders now."
The brief pause he'd taken before speaking, however, had been filled with an air of anxiety, and some embarrassment. Tash wondered at that – surely he knew he didn't have to worry about telling her of his current circumstances. They were beyond such things now. It must be something else. She reached out a hand and placed it gently over his own, "But why so nervous? What’s wrong?"
"Just a little get together, with some friends tomorrow night," he told her. *And it is in no way at all a date,* he protested meekly to himself. The fact that he had accepted Zoë’s death gave him pause to wonder, as did the way fate seemed to turn.
At the contact, he could feel Tash’s emotions more clearly now. "I think I'm not the only one with much on my mind at the moment. Are you sure you don't need to talk about it?"
Tash sat back once more. "Who's asking, Kolya? You, or L'Than? You never used to pick up on nuances so well."
Truth to tell, she was feeling isolated. She had friends, yes. But they had their own families and their own lives. She'd learned a long time ago to live without a family, to live without love. Then there was Victor. She steeled herself for the inevitable sadness, but found that it was becoming easier to think of him without tears welling in her eyes. All she felt was a cold, hard knot inside her grow a little harder. She just had to train herself to live without love again, the way she'd once been. Back then it was enough that she was an efficient hunter, ruthless and deadly. She would be all that and more now, thanks to the legacies of Victor and Sorrow.
"But no,” she sighed, “There really isn't much to talk about. You know what it's like to lose a loved one. It hurts, but you go on. You have to. That's what I'm doing now. I'm going on."
Nikolai raised an eyebrow. It wasn't that there was nothing to talk about, he realised, but that she was not ready to talk about anything. And she was moving on. "We both are – but don't shut down, Tasha. That only gets you alone for a decade before you scare some poor, hapless Russian out of his wits. Shall we order?" he asked in a mock level of joviality, looking over the menu before settling on the crab.
He looked up again and commented soberly, “I once viewed all manner of emotional attachments as a weakness – even compassion. All I could afford was a sense of professionalism, and the emptiness that comes with such a life.”
Tash hid behind the menu for a while, perusing her lunch options. "Hmm, Ropa Vieja - apparently it means Old Clothes. This says it's 'a Cuban tradition of thinly shredded beef seasoned with red wine, tomato sauce, garlic, bell pepper and served with black beans, rice and plantains'. Sounds yum."
They ordered their lunches, and Tash returned to her drink without responding to Nikolai's last statement. She’d had the same talk from Sorrow, Kate, Daye – hell, just about everyone. Instead she steered the conversation back to him. "So now that you're merged with L'Than, what's the deal? You seemed to be suffering from voices in your head in November, though I'm guessing that was just her. How about now? What's her influence in there?"
That was a fairly interesting question, and one that he had no straight answer to, but at least was one he could talk about. "Strange. It's like we're the same and different – ah well, there's the hidden unity for you." He laughed some at what he’d just said. "That's one part. Things... occur to me, now. Like when I was at Bibliophile, talking to a woman about Xangyarj philosophy. Or last night; I love my steak well done, but I had to force myself to eat it."
Nikolai stopped for a bit, clearing his throat to take another drink. All in all, it was proving an interesting experience. What he did not say was that he could feel L’Than, telling him not to press Tash. If she was that firmly set on her path, it could not be changed, just helped along. "It's like having Deanna Troi up there, but less annoying."
Tash laughed softly. "Really? At least it's not Lwaxana Troi," she winked. "Interesting choice you made there, you know. Deanna Troi was an empath and a telepath... I used to play a game with my brother. He was a telepath, too, and though he wasn't as strong as me he was strong enough." She held a picture in her mind of the day she and Victor had married, and recalled the feelings she'd had that day. And she watched him carefully.
Happiness – extreme happiness. Perfect. The kind of feelings one has when thinking of one’s soul mate, of spending the rest of their days together. His outward expression broke from being impassive, trying to find something to say. There was a quality of recall. “No wonder you miss him so much, with how he made you feel.” And with that, the cat was out of the bag.
Tash smiled. "Why so coy about it? I think it's wonderful. So long as it's stable, of course – but it seems to be, now."
"What was I supposed to say? That I know you've been feeling a bit down since at least mid-November, that you're slowly shutting down," he started, before stopping himself. "No. I'm not going to push. When you feel ready to talk, you will, and not a moment before."
"Touché. Why should I expect you to be open with me when I'm not with you? I'm just – I feel like it's the only way I can keep functioning. If I let myself feel..." Tash looked aside for a moment, then looked back up. "I didn't plan on leaving Victor on G'rnatha. That was me when I was feeling. Right now you've got two choices – me feeling and dead, or me shut down but surviving. No, more than that – being useful. I'm being useful now."
“Oh believe me, I understand. When they found Zoë, revenge was the only thing that would let me function.” He sighed, reaching across the table to take a gloved hand into his own. “But you will one day leave your grief behind when you are prepared. Mending a broken soul is not a process that can be rushed – though certain forms of music and incense might help.”
Nikolai paused, remembering a bit of Jolana’s work he’d read the very night before. He tried to read some each night, digesting the long work in small doses. How appropriate that it occur to him now. “‘Soul mates are but two friends, with something more added, as one in two bodies. A portion of one dies with the other, as a portion of other always remains with the one.’ In other words, Tasha, he’ll always be with you, at least in your heart.”
Tash jerked her hand out of Nikolai's as though she'd been burnt. "No, dammit. Don't try to make me feel. It hurts too much to feel. I'm done with crying." She bowed her head over her food, unable to see it clearly. The thin shell she'd barely begun to create around herself felt fragile, brittle. "Please don't let the pain start again. I've only just begun to get it to stop."
“I’m sorry,” he replied, feeling her worry. She really didn’t want to return to her grief, could feel the desire just to shut out the rest of the world. But there was something else there… more repression than moving on. After all, Tash had to create her shell before she could emerge from it again. “I won’t push if you don’t want me to.”
After a minute or so Tash felt more composed. "Let's just enjoy our lunch, shall we? Actually," she said, putting a delicious forkful of 'old clothes' in her mouth, "I was hoping to persuade you to think again about the offer I made to you on G'rnatha. A man of your talents would be handy to have around in our ongoing battles. That thing at the Hyperion wasn't our first and it won't be our last." Tash gave a half laugh, bringing last month's events at Sunnydale to mind.
She continued, “The Foundation is now the basis of our little band of White Hats – we meet regularly now, and I’d like to introduce you to the rest of the group, though you already know some of them.”
Nikolai stopped in the middle of cracking open a crab leg. That was one question he’d been avoiding for a while. It was true, he owed the mob a favour now, but that would hopefully not be called upon. What he felt afterwards, felt now… As he remembered the offer, the two parts of his personality warred and conflicted briefly.
“Yes, I remember,” he said at last. “Of course, I don’t know much about medicine though L’Than was quite the healer. With a little training I could probably learn to do the same for the lot of you.” *White Hats?* he wondered to himself, almost laughing at the silliness of the name. But still he couldn’t ignore the minor blanch at her describing the ability to kill without remorse as a useful talent.
Tash blinked and started to laugh at Nikolai's 'joke', but it was obvious he wasn't joking. Not in the slightest. She sat there with shredded beef sliding off her fork back onto the plate, staring at him for several heartbeats before she prudently decided to put the implement down.
"Healing wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Both Kate and Daye are very competent magic users, and can use their gifts to heal." She could feel the conflicting emotions from him and his reluctance to be involved with the combat aspect. She blinked again and said, "I'm not talking to the same man who, just a few weeks ago, 'took care' of Sabarov, am I? You had her in there then, and she didn't stop you – but now you're saying you wouldn't even kill a vampire?"
“No, you’re not talking to the same man,” was the simplest reply, though even that had to be qualified. He thought about it hard for a moment. “I don’t know if I could or not. When Lavrenti Vladimirovich took his permanent vacation, I was still seeing ghosts – and that was a matter of survival. Kate helped the ‘merging’ process go forward like it was supposed to.”
He looked up and met Tash’s eyes, remembering her words in the caves. Less moral ambiguity in vampires, since they were all evil – yet at the same time he still doubted Tash could kill a human to save her own life. “I don’t know if I could wilfully go out and hunt any living being anymore. Vampires included.”
"I never would have believed I'd hear you say anything like that. This from the man who thought I was squeamish because I valued all human life." She shook her head slowly. "And there's a long debate as to whether a vampire is 'living' or not – just before the Hyperion I killed a creature that looked like, sounded like, and had all the memories of my brother. But I dusted it anyway, because I could see that it had no soul.”
She retrieved her fork and recommenced eating, "But that's a debate for another day, I feel. And like the human issue last year, one on which I doubt we'll ever see eye to eye." She chewed a mouthful and swallowed it. "Amazing," she whispered, half to herself.
He finally got the crabs cracked open to the point where he could start munching on the meat. Steamed was so much easier to eat than anything grilled. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the long debate loomed, and Tash was right – this was not something they would settle over lunch. “It really is – sometimes I find myself literally of two minds about something. Though Alicia used the term ‘fascinating’ to describe it when we were talking the other day.”
Nikolai stopped and smiled, remembering meeting with her, before the nerves tried to kick in some. Finally he relaxed and just accepted it. Whatever would be would be. “Weird and confusing sounds more accurate.”
Food lodged in Tash's throat and she choked for a moment, coughing to clear her airways. Nikolai was just full of surprises today. "Alicia?" She eyed him up and down, "You really have moved on fast, haven't you? When did this happen?"
"Now, now, we're just two friends who enjoy discussing odd things," Nikolai protested, though it was accurate that he had accepted what happened. It was one of the effects of the merging, he was more accepting of things that happened over which he had no control – he still cared for Zoë and Ben, but also knew that nothing could bring them back and she would not want him moping forever. "But if you must know, we met in Tai Chi. I mentioned a rather odd book that I remembered – that's another one of the strange things. I've remembered things of L'Than's, like that she was looking for this book."
He stopped to take a drink of the wine, thinking to himself, *And now you're on a double date with her, Kate and Galen tomorrow.* He decided to try to return to the subject of L'Than, to deflect from this. Que sera, sera. "You asked about her influence earlier. L'Than's, that is. I really don't understand it at all myself. It's like all her knowledge is being imprinted on the back of my mind, along with her personality. Like you're two people and one at the same time, unsure of who you are and yet sure."
"It sounds like being in love," Tash said wistfully. "You know, I envy you right now. You're so much... 'softer' isn't really the right word, but it's hard to describe how your aura looks now. It's like a tranquil lake on a lazy summer's day." She sighed and looked down, "I can't see my own aura, but I'm sure it's looking rather ragged these days."
She looked up again and smiled warmly at Nikolai, reaching out to squeeze his fingers, "It sounds like this merging has worked for you – I'm glad. And I'm glad you're finding new friends. It's a shame to lose a combat operative, but maybe you can still help in other ways. Just... if anything changes, if anything starts to feel not quite right in your mind – let me know. Don't try to deal with it. Let someone know if you have any doubts at all."
"Ginko biloba," he said as he felt Tash's emotions again. If her emotional state was any indication, her aura would look quite terrible to say the least. Nikolai's look of surprise at the sudden recollection matched Tash's. "It just occurs to me. Ginkgo biloba. A bit of that in tea. And music appropriate to the god Aesclepius..."
He could feel Tash becoming more curious and confused at the sudden series of recommendations. Nikolai wasn't even sure himself why they occurred to him, except that it must have something to do with L'Than. "Sorry, I shouldn't meddle. We'll both work out what we're supposed to be doing one of these days, though. But it was just a thought, something that should help mend your spirit." Nikolai looked embarrassed, stuffing his face with crab to try to shut up. *You don't even know if you're remembering her knowledge properly. Stop.*
Tash frowned. She was wary of the fact that Nikolai had just completely ignored her warnings to be careful with his newfound mental companion. "My spirit will do fine by itself, I'm sure. I've got things to occupy it. But I mean it," she repeated, with some force, "If you have any indications that something's not quite right in there – funny dreams, weird sensations, sudden urges to do things that are otherwise distasteful to you – please talk to me, or someone. I know you're feeling contented now, and L'Than's influence seems very benign, but I've seen these things turn bad in the past, ok?"
Nikolai sighed. He knew that she was concerned, but there was nothing to worry about there. "Tasha, she tried to talk me out of vengeance constantly. Pushed me to reform and become a better person – and I've been plodding my way through a work of her species' philosophy. They are a peaceful race of healers and philosophers. Hell, L'Than thought that I was callously indifferent to life for swatting a spider."
Tash seemed concerned still, though the direction of this concern changed. He cut her off before she could say anything. "Yes, I am taking you seriously, and if something seems wrong will talk to you. But Tasha, please, if you need help talk to someone as well."
For a moment Tash opened her mouth to speak, her first impulse being to wave off his worries, then she closed it again and thought a little before making a second attempt. "Ok then, Kolya. I have so many offers of people to talk to that I could spend all day doing nothing else. But yeah, maybe I should take up meditation again as well. I haven't done much since Matthias left..."
She pushed her plate away, having scraped up every last bit of sauce that she could. "But mostly I need to keep working – and right now that involves ensuring our fledgling group of White Hats is up for whatever lies ahead.”
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
15th December 2006,
2:15am
Jessy’s eyes suddenly snapped open as she woke up realizing something’s amiss. Currently she was getting many of these feelings after Lynkes had come back into Tarix’s life, and most of them turned out to be false alarms, but Jessy knew to rely on her instincts even when they turned out wrong from time to time. She looked over and found her sister was missing; this turned her internal alarms to half blare, and she quickly but gracefully jumped out of bed and tip toed out of the door in search of Tarix.
She quietly went down the stairs and saw some light coming from the study. She wondered if Tarix was all right; maybe she had crept down for a midnight read? Jessy then remembered seeing Tarix the previous night, a bit shaky. It had now been an entire week since Tarix had snuck out to get her things from her flat and to pay the remaining rent of the apartment that was due. Thule had decided that it could have been a great risk - what if the Macabres had spotted her - and that it be best if Tarix didn’t leave the house any more just to be on the safe side. He tried to put the curfew on Jessy, but Jessy gave him her “you-put-a-rule-on-me-it's-definitely-gonna-be-broken” look, and Thule decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Ever since then Tarix had either been looking really bored or had been moping around cleaning the fridge of the tasty foods.
Jessy entered the study room and saw Tarix sitting on the floor, with her back to her sister. Jessy crept up behind her to see that she had a book in her lap, and she put her hand on Tarix’s shoulder to tell her she was here, when Tarix suddenly gave a “yelp” and grabbed Jessy’s arm and swung and threw her on the floor.
“OOFF!” Jessy quickly got off her back ready to face Tarix thinking she had gone evil again, just in time to see her back off.
“FUDGE! Jessy you scared the living day fairies out of me, what the hell are you doing creeping up on me?! I could have killed you!” Tarix exclaimed breathlessly.
“Yeah, like in your dreams, you tried twice and you failed.” Jessy looked at the book that Tarix had been reading, which was now lying on the floor face down, probably fallen accidentally as Tarix had leapt up. “What are you doing reading at this God forsaken hour? You never read, especially the researching type of material, you ok?”
Tarix suddenly became very defensive. “None of your business. I read when I want to.” She grabbed the book and went towards Thule’s desk, her movement very shaky.
Jessy felt concerned, Tarix was acting very strangely, “Look, J… Tarix, if you are feeling a bit under house arrest you’ve got to understand Thule’s doing it for your own safety.”
Tarix remained quiet, once again her back towards Jessy; she put the book on Thule’s table and then looked down. Her eyes welled up and she started to cry.
Jessy came around looking really puzzled. “Tarix, what’s wrong, is everything all right? Is that encounter with that guy Dean still bothering you?”
Tarix sniffed and wiped her tears and looked into Jessy’s eyes “His name’s Darian, and no. Jessy, I think I may have done something horrible.”
Realization suddenly hit Jessy and her eyes narrowed. “You met Lynkes again didn’t you?” Tarix looked back down again. “Did he say anything? What happened?”
Tarix didn’t say anything, and Jessy felt that Tarix seemed very frightened. Jessy tried being gentle and took the Thule maneuver of things, and sat Tarix down on the settee and brought her some hot chocolate. *She may have gone through a lot but I wonder how many times she has had hot beverages like this?*
“Now tell me sis’, what the hell happened?”
14th December 2006,
7pm
There was nothing good on TV as usual, and Tarix felt like a prisoner once again. It was hard enough to have 24 hours of curfew, but she was also very alone in the house. Though Thule had said that he had used his best spell charms and put what he called a demon alert spell on the house. Practically if any demon type apart from the Koolang or the Zareen walked through, the entire house would start make a great deal of noise. Enough to startle the unknown demon and alert everyone in the house. Only Thule knew how to disable the spell, so all was safe.
Tarix went downstairs into the kitchen and opened the fridge to find it almost empty. She knew Jessy had left in the morning, saying she was going shopping, and Thule had left in the afternoon, saying he was going to the Order of Valor to get books that might help them research better.
Tarix decided that she had had enough time being locked in the house and decided to go shopping by herself. She went up, got ready and grabbed her purse, and passed the mirror. She froze and came back to look into the mirror to find herself looking back with a neutral expression on her face. *Maybe it’ll be better if I was in a disguise or something.*
* * * *
She walked out the local grocery store, carrying many bags filled with her favorite snacks. *I hope Thule doesn’t find out… BAH! Even if he does I don’t give a damn, I’m not a little girl he can ground for life, or until this prophecy mambo jumbo is figured out.*
Tarix was only a few blocks away from Thule’s residence when she felt her hair on the back of her neck stand up. She panicked and quickly turned around and scanned her surroundings. There seemed nothing suspicious in sight, *Must learn to hone senses properly,* but she couldn't shake the feeling. She decided to quickly head towards the house, and as she turned around to start jogging, she bumped straight into Lynkes.
She jumped and dropped her bags, which were only to be caught by Lynkes with one swift movement. Tarix realized she was immensely scared and felt herself frozen to the spot once again, shaking with fear.
Lynkes smiled, enjoying her ex-pupil’s behavior. “Why Jasmine, whatever is wrong? Aren’t you happy to see me? If anyone had a look at you they’d think I was trying to kill you.” He gave small laugh.
“B… but you are,” Tarix stammered. *Dammit, stop shaking!* But she couldn’t help herself.
Lynkes gave a sly smile, “Of course I’m not, well not at the moment anyways.” He then took Tarix’s arm in his and started to walk with her. “Ah, dear Jasmine, it’s been so long I was starting to really miss your presence.”
Tarix tried to remain fixed in the spot, trying not to move, but Lynkes was strong and Tarix had no choice but to follow him. “What do you want from me?” she managed to finally say in a feeble voice.
“Can’t a teacher walk his old student home, or current place of residence, anyways?” Lynkes smirked and Tarix realized in horror that they were heading towards Thule’s house and that Lynkes indeed had found out where they were hiding.
She gathered up all her courage and managed to break out of Lynkes' arm, but faced him. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WHAT FROM ME?!? KILL ME ALREADY, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!”
Lynkes remained silent, but in another swift and quick movement brought his arm to her throat and pinned her to the wall, with the most dangerous look in his eyes that Tarix’s fear returned in full bloom.
“You test my patience young one, remember I have known you more then your so called family who you killed because I told you to do so. You followed my every wish. I could kill you right now if I had to, but I won’t. I have plans for you, great plans.” He became silent and put his cheek to hers and smelled her hair as if intoxicated. “Oh how much I’m going to love every moment of that.” He looked back into her eyes, “I know you are eager to come back, Jasmine, and you will, soon.”
He let her go, immensely satisfied, and left. Tarix stood there, her back to the wall, shaking like a leaf on a very windy day. It wasn't until about an hour’s time that she felt slightly safe and decided to quickly head into the house.
Tarix had her head in her hands, still feeling very jittery. Thule had listened in quiet and looked towards Jessy, who after hearing the story had went quickly to fetch Thule and had him hear it too.
“Thule, don’t be upset at Tarix. I’m sure it wasn’t her fault, Lynkes would have found us one way or another. We now have to figure out what we’re going to do. Our investigation into the prophecy has not been going well, but we could try again and…”
“No,” Thule said quietly.
“What? What do you mean “no”?” Jessy exclaimed.
“I said no. Tomorrow I’m sending you both to New York. There are a few Order of Valor affiliates there that can keep you safe, until I figure out this prophecy. I’ll arrange it right now.” He moved towards the phone but Tarix stopped by grabbing the phone before he could. “Here’s a no from us too. I admit I, I messed up Thule, and I have a tendency to do that. But we are not going to run, not like our parents. They tried to keep us safe and…” She couldn’t bring herself to say it. “I think we have a better chance if we stay here. We can work together, because I have a feeling the situation is worse than we think.”
“Worse? How much worse can it get?” Thule said, almost to the point of showing his anger.
Tarix couldn’t look into Thule’s eyes, “Not only does Lynkes know where we are, but I have a feeling he might have a deeper meaning of not killing us both now. He knows about the prophecy, and I have a feeling he might try to use it to his advantage.”
Thule looked as if he’d been stunned, and Jessy’s colour became as pale as Tarix’s. “Oh shit!”
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Thursday 21st December, 2006 - 6pm
As the meeting broke up and they all began to file out, Chance drifted over towards Kate and Galen. “Excuse me Galen, Kate, but… I haven’t had a chance to say this yet. Thanks for trying to help with my… problem a while back. I hate to have to ask you this after what you did but I have another favour to ask. A friend left a detailed explanation of the spell she used to bring me back. Just in case it, y’know, happens again.” He reached into his pocket and took out a crumpled, folded piece of paper and handed it to the witch. Alessa looked on with her brow furrowed. She wasn’t aware of any of this.
Kate unfolded the paper, wondering just what it took to rebind a demon like Dray’chen after her attempt had failed. What she read in black pen and was presumably Chance’s scrawled handwriting, was so surprising it shocked her to the core, and for a moment her features were a mask of horror.
“What’s wrong?” Galen asked, catching her brief look.
“Nothing,” Kate muttered, regaining her composure. “Just… I haven’t tried something like this before,” she came up with, re-reading the note.
There is no spell. The only option you will have is to kill me.
This might be hard for you to understand, but please, just bear with me.
No offence, but I don’t think you can repeat what Pandora did. I don’t think anyone can. It’s a potentially explosive spell that could lay waste to half a city block. If you tried it and it goes wrong, you could not just get killed yourself, but so could a lot of other people.
Apparently, the chances of success are decreased significantly after each attempt. Which means the first time it was hard to do, and this time next to impossible. I imagine that it was only brought off because of the emotional bridge Alessa provided. A bridge which is, so I’m told, now burnt. I hate to imagine how difficult it would be for somebody experienced in such a spell to try it on me a third time, let alone you. I don’t know what it would do to you if it went wrong. At the very least it would kill you and countless innocents besides.
I don’t want anybody to take such a huge risk.
If Dray’chen is released again, kill me. That’s the only option and the only one I want you to consider. Don’t bother with the spell. As far as everybody should be concerned, there is no spell. Get Darian - I’m going to talk to him - and kill me as soon as you know, before I can hurt anybody again.
Don’t tell Alessa. She has no idea about this and I don’t want her to. Please don’t talk to anybody else about this either, barring Darian, just in case.
I know it’s morbid, and it might be hard but it’s the only way. The consequence is getting somebody else to do it, somebody I don’t know and don’t trust, and giving Dray’chen more time to kill while you do so, or letting Dray’chen loose on the world again.
I can’t, won’t, let that happen.
I’ll do all I can to keep him locked inside, unto death if necessary. What I’m asking you to do is in the event I fail. With such a responsibility I must plan for that eventuality.
Thank you.
Kate quickly folded the paper up and put it away, looking straight at Chance. He returned her gaze with a determined seriousness in his eyes, then gave a grim nod.
“Thanks,” he whispered one last time, then he and Galen devolved into a close conversation about the rising vampire population as they made their way out of the apartment with the rest of the group.
“So, the vampires are on the rise again?” Chance asked.
Galen nodded grimly. “Didn’t take them long, did it? Once word of the Brotherhood’s demise spread they soon started springing up again.”
“Anywhere in particular?”
The detective pursed his lip in thought, then he named several areas of LA.
“Right, I’ll swing by them tomorrow night. See if I can curb their numbers a little.”
“Need any help?” Galen asked.
Chance shook his head. “No, I think I can take care of it.” His thoughts flashed to Dray’chen’s sword. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ve got it covered.”
daye, alice, and alessa talk after the first meeting
***Thursday, December 21, 2006 around 6 pm***
***Tash’s Apartment at Poplar Avenue***
Alice stepped over to Daye. ”You know she might have friends that are shapeshifters too." Alice looked toward Alessa.
Daye nodded. "I was thinking along those same lines," she said. The meeting was breaking up, with small groups splintering off, discussing the newly made arrangements amongst themselves. Daye glanced at her watch. She had to get home so that she could ready Maia and the men for tonight’s Solstice Celebration, but she thought maybe she would have enough time to try and talk to Alessa now. Assuming she drove like a madwoman on the way home, that is.
"We should grab her and try to talk to her about it now," Daye suggested, moving towards where Alessa and Chance were heading for the door.
Alessa was saying her goodbyes to Cole when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She was surprised when she turned around and saw Daye and Alice… *noko?* standing behind her. The faces of both women were serious and a pang of worry went through her. She smiled weakly at them, and gave a quick farewell to Cole before turning to them again.
“Daye,” she addressed the Watcher, “What’s happening?”
"Hi. We were just wondering if we might have a word or two with you, hun.” Alice nodded to Daye with a smile.
Daye saw that Alessa was a bit apprehensive. She attempted to put the other woman's mind at ease. "We just were thinking you might be able to help us with a little... problem, is all."
“Sure,” she smiled looking around at the apartment, searching for Chance, but he was talking with Kate and Galen and wasn’t paying attention. “Where should we go?”
"My apartment is just down here.” Alice led them out of Tash's apartment towards the stairs. She walked down the steps to her rooms as the rest followed. With a lucky rabbit foot keychain she unlocked her door. "We can sit on the bed or stand. I haven’t got much moved in here.”
Alessa looked around, the apartment would make a Spartan feel uncomfortable. But she smiled at her host and walked towards the bed, sitting down. “What did you want to talk about?”
Daye remained standing. She was nervous, but not really sure why. She supposed it was just unnerving asking a virtual stranger if they had any insight into a murder. She didn't want to come across the wrong way here.
"Uh... the thing is, I have... had this friend, Jimmy," Daye began, "and a short time ago, he was... uhm... he was murdered... by someone who looked exactly like Alice here, well not Alice here, because this isn't her true form, right? No, the killer looked like... Alice in her true form, and..."
Daye paused. This was the tricky part. "Alice and I are looking for a shapeshifter, and since you are one, we thought..."
"We are looking for a shapeshifter, and we were wondering if you know any around here." Alice looked at Daye, "Trust."
Alessa straightened on the bed. Surely Daye wasn’t saying that she had murdered that man! She almost flared at the woman, so irate she was when she heard Alice’s soft words and caught the warning glance she sent the Watcher. It was confusing, but at least made her think clearer.
“I hope you aren’t implying I killed your friend,” she said steadily, but she could feel temper rising anyway.
Daye shook her head, putting her hands out in a calming gesture. "No, of course not," Daye responded. She had been afraid of this. "I know we don't know each other that well, but I know you're one of us... you're a 'White Hat'. I was just thinking you might be able to help. Maybe you might have some insight or know someone or something. I know you didn't do it. I never meant to imply otherwise."
"We are just looking for clues at this point, hun." grinned Alice.
Alessa’s anger subsided as quickly as it had risen. “Oh,” she said and smiled at them, “Sorry, I’m a little temperamental these days.” She thought about their question intently. There weren’t any Verbati in LA that she knew of, apart from Inés, of course. But she wanted to know more before mentioning her cousin. Besides, Inés could be many things, but she wasn’t an assassin. “Please tell me more, let’s see if I can help.”
"It seems a shapshifter, we think, broke in to Daye's shop and started to ransack the place looking for something. Then it killed her friend Jimmy who was in the back room.” Alice looked to Daye for some sign of trust in her to help. "As I said, we are only looking for some leads. Some shapshfter you may know. The not so happy kind,” Alice grinned.
“Anything you might know,” Daye interjected. “No matter how insignificant you might think it is, Alessa. It would be a help to us. We’re without a lead at this point. The person who did this was hoping to set Alice up.”
“Mmm... well, my race is very peaceful, but insanity is not out of the question. There may be a rogue Verbati around… but I don’t really know. Without more, it might even not be a Verbati.” She watched the dismayed faces of the two women and she quickly added. “I can tell you of the ones I know who were shunned from the tribe, though.”
"Tribe you say? You look pretty nicely dressed for a native chick," Alice smiled, trying to lighten the mood.
Alessa smiled at Alice. "Well, I’ve been civilizada for a while now," she winked, before turning to Daye again. “I have a cousin in the city…” she raised her hand stopping them from talking. “Who is not a loco Verbati, before you ask. But she’s full blooded and has just come from the jungle. She may help you too.”
Daye nodded, still quite discouraged. "Do you..? I don't know," she sighed, clearly frustrated. "Is there some way we can determine if this even was a Verbati? Something unique to the tribe we might be able to trace, I mean?"
The demoness thought for a moment, “Was there any evidence of psychic powers, because some of us can-” A shake of Daye’s head told her that there wasn’t . She thought a little more and then her face lit up. “When did you say this happened?”
"The killer somehow made themselves look like my demon form. Then killed Jimmy with a knife that also looked like mine.”
Daye rolled her eyes at Alice's response. She had a one track mind, this demoness did, and it was on the "How dare they impersonate and try to frame me?" track right now.
"It happened on the 11th," Daye replied. "Almost two weeks ago now. But I haven't cleaned up the room or anything. I didn't want to destroy any possible evidence and I haven't had time to really get in there and search for clues."
Daye looked chagrined at that statement. She'd been busy, yes, but more than that, she'd been so sure she'd had all the evidence she needed in that tape.
“Two weeks…” Alessa was thoughtful. “Well, if you haven’t cleaned up it may still linger there.” She noticed that she was talking to herself and looked at them again. “The scent, I mean. If it was a Verbati I may be able to pick up his scent.” She smiled brightly, “I could even recognize it, if I know him.”
Daye's face brightened at Alessa's words. *A lead, an actual lead,* she thought. *This could be really helpful.*
"I didn’t smell anything unusual. Well, it was the first time I was in her shop so I could have missed it," Alice mused.
"And I don't think you went into the back room either," Daye pointed out. "That's where the attack happened, so that's where Alessa would want to check, I'm betting."
Daye turned her attention to Alessa. "I don't know if you will be able to pick anything up, but I would really appreciate it if you tried," she said. "This is important to me. I want justice for what was done to Jimmy."
“I'll do my best. If it was a Verbati, and if there's still a scent to recognize, I’ll pick it up." She turned to Alice, "We have a very keen sense of smell. I'm not saying that you wouldn’t smell something, but if you haven’t met a Verbati before you wouldn’t recognize it anyway."
Alice smiled. "I have an over developed sense of smell too, dear. I can even smell an odd scent over your wonderful perfume."
She had to laugh at that. She looked at the Latin woman with attention. "Puedo apostar que sí," (1) she said in Spanish, to test her.
"Es Chanel? Se mezcla bien con tu propio perfume,” (2) Alice replied with a grin.
Alessa looked up, surprised. Was it her or the demoness was flirting? Well, two could play the game. She smiled to Alice before answering.
“Sí,” she said sweetly. “A mi novio le gusta." (3) She laughed again at Alice’s raised eyebrow. And before she could say anything else she turned to Daye.
“I’d be happy to go to Bibliophile, Daye. But I think it would be better if I took Inés, my cousin, with me. As I said, she’s far more knowledgeable than me.”
Daye nodded and they got busy arranging for a time to meet the following morning. Time was a priority as they didn’t want the scent to wear away much more, but Alessa needed to find Inés before going anyway, and Daye had a prior commitment this evening.
Daye said goodbye quickly, glancing at her watch. She’d just make the Solstice, but she would surely be speeding at least part of the way.
---------
1 – I can bet you do.
2 – Is it Chanel? It mixes well with your own scent.
3 – Yes, my boyfriend likes it.
The Solstice
Thursday, 21 December 2006 - 11:34pm
The Angeles National Forest – San Gabriel District
The celebrations were already in full swing as Kate and Galen arrived. After the meeting at Poplar Avenue they’d made a quick deviation home to get changed and pick up Emma before heading on to the venue. Their taxi had just dropped them at the edge of the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel District (a popular spot for campers) and they followed the stream of people that headed deeper into the woodland.
The Coven of Isis had procured the area of forestry especially for that night’s festivities and had obviously spent a great deal of time preparing the intimate looking clearing for what would be a night-long celebration. The glade was bordered in on all sides by towering evergreens and spindly looking leafless trees - their bare branches decorated with colourful paper lanterns like exotic fireflies. In the centre a large fire crackled noisily, providing light and warmth as well as a source for cooking. Various tables serving an array of wiccan fayre surrounded the edge of the clearing, their surfaces filled with bowls of spiced cider, mulled wine, baked yams, sweet potatoes, a variety of fruits, nuts, bean dips, fresh herb bread, sweet sugar cookies and a whole host of other goodies.
Galen glanced around as they walked, taking in all the sights, smells and sounds. A small band struck up a merry jig; a man with a fiddle, another with a flute, and a young girl began to sing while keeping beat with a tambourine. Their pretty melody inspired the crowds and several people began to dance. He turned to Kate, “I’m surprised really, I thought there would be more nakedness… you said there would be nakedness…”
Kate laughed, holding Emma close in her arms. The child was dressed completely in white, most children were - as a symbol of the new life that was approaching. She was determined to have fun that night, anything to take her mind off the weighty requisition Chance had bestowed upon her.
Emma’s head bobbed back and forth with the motion of their walking, her wide eyes staring wondrously at the bright lights and pretty colours. “Galen, it’s the middle of December,” Kate said with a wry smile, stopping and giving him a playful wink. “Why, Mr Eldridge, anyone would think you had a one-track mind.”
“Kate please! Not in front of Emma!” said Galen, laughing and leaning in to kiss her. He had to admit, the whole thing wasn’t what he’d expected it was so… normal.
Daye pulled the van onto the dirt lot beside the road and parked. She gamely slid out from behind the wheel and swung open the side door, leaning in to unbuckle Maia and pull her from the car seat. Maia giggled, reaching out to stroke a long lock of her mother’s fiery hair, which hung down around her face as she slid the door closed. On the opposite side of the van, Sam and Drew were alighting. They stood close together, balancing between them all the equipment Daye had insisted on bringing along. They both kept stealing furtive glances around, apparently looking for witches aboard broomsticks or something.
“Maia,” Daye’s scolding tone held a hint of laughter as the girl wiggled in her arms, eager to get down and run through the woods… in her white pants and blouse. “Stay with Mommy for a bit, love. There’ll be plenty of time for running about after a while.”
“She hates being confined,” Sam ventured, moving around the front of the van. Drew followed. Daye nodded to them, making sure everything was secure and then leading them into the clearing where the ritual was to take place. Sam was gawking, obviously intrigued by all the people in their robes and accoutrements. Drew was obviously itching to set his burden down so he could whip out his little tape recorder and start documenting his observations. He’d asked to bring the digital camera as well, but Daye had warned that the other Wiccans might not be keen on his curiosity.
Daye led them to an empty corner where some other families had “set up camp”. Sam and Drew quickly set down the things they were carrying and then they all took a few moments to take a good look at the area. It was all so…festive. Daye felt a surge of joy and warmth as she observed these people preparing to celebrate with such unrestrained joy. She suppressed a chuckle when she noticed Drew speaking furtively into the tiny tape recorder in his hand.
“Well, now, darling, don’t you look… scholarly,” Daye said, sidling up to him. Maia reached for her “Da” and he pulled the girl into his arms, not missing a beat. He shot Daye a warm smile, and then the family headed out to explore and hopefully find Kate, Galen, and Emma, as they’d come to share this evening with their good friends.
Kate and Galen walked through the clearing again, still searching for Daye and Drew. Kate had already made her offering to the gods and a bushel of living holly and golden apples lay upon the already crowded altar. Aside from that they had eaten a little and drank, the spicy mulled wine feeling warm in their stomachs. Emma was with friends, one of Kate’s old companions from her years with Sindell. Her name was Lila, a correspondent with the coven’s overseas branch for many years before she left to pursue a career in marketing. She had been delighted to see Kate and after catching up had insisted that they let her look after Emma until the ritual started. She was pretty tired anyway, it being so late past her bedtime and a good feed of warmed sweet potato and carrots always made her drowsy.
A few children almost knocked into them as they raced about laughing and shouting while chasing one another around trees. Galen took Kate’s hand and laughed. She had just been explaining about what the upcoming ceremony would involve, some chanting, the crowning of the Oak King and an offering of wine and food to the gods, and Galen couldn’t help but find that funny.
"What?” he asked playfully, wrapping his arms around her waist as they walked. “You mean this is the solstice and there isn't going to be at least one sacrificial ritual? No six-foot snake? No ancient demonic goddess? Not even a, like, a few over zealous wiccan priests trying to take over the world?"
Kate grinned and poked him in the ribs playfully, turning around in his embrace so that they faced one another. She wrapped her arms around his neck, gently playing with the short ends of hair at the nape.
“You know…” she began, her voice intentionally drawing him in, “most people think the winter solstice is all about the death of the earth but it’s actually about life.” She looked up at Galen with a bright smile in her eyes. “We come together to celebrate the birth of the child of promise by the Goddess, he’s the one who will re-fertilise her, bringing life and light back to the world.” She smiled again, though this time it was shy and demure causing her to avert her eyes from his, “which is why Yule is supposed to be the perfect time to conceive, while the land is… fertile.”
Galen frowned a little, looking at Kate with curiosity; he began to say something then stopped as he continued to search her face. “Are… are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
A knowing smile crept upon Kate’s face and she turned to look up at him, biting her lower lip coyly. “Maybe.”
“You want to try for another baby?” Galen’s face lit up as the words left his mouth, even more so when they were answered with a nod of Kate’s head. “Really? I thought you were dead set against the idea?”
“I was…” said Kate slowly, unravelling her arms from around Galen to gently take his hands in her own.
He looked a mite confused, still watching her face carefully. “So what made you change your mind?”
Kate looked up again, holding Galen’s eye. “You did.” She sighed, “you were right; life’s too short. Too short to wait for the ‘right’ time because that might never come. I didn’t think I was ready to be a mother when I found out I was pregnant with Emma did I? But I wouldn’t change what we have for anything. So I thought… we should just leave it up to fate, like before…” She smiled shyly again, looking away, “We can try and what happens… well… what will be, will be…”
Galen couldn’t hold back the smile from spreading across his face. “This is wonderful,” he glowed, picking her up into his arms and holding her tight while he spun her around in a circle. Kate laughed dizzily, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on tightly until he stopped. When they came to a halt Galen still held her close, one of his hands reaching up to brush her hair back from her face as he leaned down to kiss her.
“This is so wonderful!” he repeated between kisses. He felt so elated he thought he might burst.
Kate giggled, holding on to him breathlessly, his kiss so intense she thought she was going to faint. After a moment she regained her balance, still holding Galen in an intimate embrace. “I can’t wait to get back home and start trying…” she said, her eyes shining darkly in the night.
Galen grinned leaning in again, his lips gently kissing hers. “Why wait?” He nuzzled the crook of her neck, “We could start trying now… we could find ourselves a nice secluded spot somewhere… all alone… just you, me... the stars, the trees… moonlight…”
“Hmmm,” Kate said, feeling a little flustered at the suggestion. There were quite a lot of people around and not all of them staying within the clearing - the thought that they might be caught suddenly made her feel quite hot.
“So what do you say?” Galen asked again, his warm hands holding her firmly in the small of her back. “Game?”
Kate pulled away, giving Galen a naughty sideways look; “Well… if you provide the venue I’ll bring the entertainment…”
They both laughed playfully as Galen slapped her rear with eager intention, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him, kissing her neck and shoulders with lustful impatience.
“Hmmm,” said Kate again, closing her eyes while beginning to enjoy the feel of his warm lips against her cool flesh.
Maia wrenched free of Drew's hand and ran up to where Kate and Galen stood wrapped up in a passionate embrace. She threw her arms around Kate's legs and squeezed, nearly toppling the other woman as she squealed. "An' Kate, An' Kate!"
Kate wobbled backwards, glad to have Galen behind her as the little girl flew into her and flung her arms about her legs with the sort of enthusiasm only a child could muster. The couple were wrenched out of their embrace, Kate looking down as she recognised Maia and lifted her up into her arms.
"Hey Pumpkin!" she said joyfully as she rested the child against her hip. "Oh my, you're getting heavy Maia!" she chuckled, having to rearrange her arms to get a more secure hold on the darling.
"Drew... Daye... Sam!" exclaimed Galen as he looked up to see the rest of their friends not far behind their spirited ward. He hastily wiped at his mouth to rid himself of any traces of Kate's lipstick as they reached one another.
Daye laughed softly at Galen's quick motion. She'd seen the telltale traces as they'd approached. "Hello, Galen," her tone held a teasing note, "I hope we're not intruding on your... solstice celebration."
"Uhm, not at all," said Galen, clearing his throat, wondering why they always got interrupted just as they were getting to the 'good' bits. "Kate was just telling me about the true meaning of the Winter Solstice. I have to admit it's not quite three wise men following a star but," he glanced at her and grinned, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, "well it was most entertaining."
Daye laughed outright at his obvious discomfort, and Drew glanced up chuckling. "Hello, Galen... Kate," he said, stuffing the tape recorder into his shirt pocket and reaching out to shake Galen's hand. "Isn't this celebration... wonderful? It's so amazing! This renewal of ancient rituals, the embracing of the past and merging with the future that's been accomplished here is nothing short of miraculous. Just think, hundreds of years ago men, women, and children gathered together exactly like this. They believed that..."
"Drew, baby," Daye put out a hand and placed it on his arm, trying to restrain him. "If he gets going, we'll never get him to stop," Daye explained.
Drew grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, right, so... How are you?" He looked at them for a moment. "Where's Emma?"
"Oh she's doing her impression of a second year philosophy student." At Drew's confused face Kate laughed, "Sleeping. An old friend of mine is keeping an eye on her... though I think the right word there should be 'doting', honestly, we can't take her anywhere." She smiled down at the precious bundle she held. "Just like this little one I'll bet."
"'En dat, dat," Maia said frustratedly, realising she was being talked about, a big grin spread across her sunny face and she wriggled in Kate's arms to be let down. Once on the ground she held on to Drew's leg protectively, tugging on the fabric of his trousers.
"We should probably get back to Emma before the ritual starts," said Kate, squeezing Galen's arm, "It's her first proper Solstice celebration, I'd hate for her to miss it."
"Yeah, heaven forbid she miss the crowning of the Ox King," Galen laughed with a grin, "she might be in therapy for the next ten years."
"Oak King you Goober," Kate said, wrinkling her nose at him and giving him another light prod in the ribs. "You're hopeless, you know that?"
Laughing, Daye and family followed Kate and Galen back towards the clearing and the celebration which was about to begin.
A large crowd had already gathered around the fire and the altar where the High Priestess stood, donned appropriately in a long white robe and a thin circlet of copper that crowned her head. She nodded serenely at the gathered crowds, holding her hands high for all to be silent. "Welcome all ye here tonight upon this Solstice Eve where we give thanks to our lady goddess and embrace her rebirth and the renewal of the earth."
She held her hands open to the masses and continued, "There are those of you who are familiar with our path, and those less so. All are blessed and welcome in our circle."
Orin walked through the long grass, slowly keeping track of his target. He’d seen Kate and her husband alone, the perfect time to make his move. But then the other couple had arrived and ruined everything. Now he watched, keeping a steady distance from the festivities. There were many other witches gathered but he could feel that few of them had the kind of power that the two redheads held within their grasp.
Silently he cursed his bad luck that the other witch had turned up. She might not have the same power as Kate but his notes on her labelled this ‘Daye Blaise’ as a possible risk factor. He hung back, observing the small band of friends as they made their way back to the fire where the ritual was about to take place.
As the High Priestess began her melodious introduction, Orin turned his attention back to his duty. He might not have been able to administer the ‘test’ he wanted but he had a contingency already on standby. He kneeled in the long grass, his cloak trailing on the ground as he rearranged the circle of stones that he had gathered earlier. As he dropped the final stone in place they seemed to shine in unison, glowing in the darkness of the night.
He rose to his feet again, holding the end of his staff over the circle with a steady hand as he began to chant. “Audite elementa! Vos iubeo! Elementum aquae, flabra rapida, fulgiris - tabum dide vostrum per terram!”*
Daye stepped forward as the ritual commenced, joining the members of the coven as they began to form the protective circle. She chanted along with them as their High Priestess began the invocation. She could hear and feel Kate beside her; the other woman's magic warm and somehow very familiar as it joined with the faith and magic all around them. As they continued Daye felt the wind pick up, a brisk breeze whistling through their midst. She shivered, but concentrated on what they were doing.
Orin felt the winds pick up, just the beginning of what was to come. He waved his staff over the stone circle once more, feeling the energy of the witch's ritual swirling through the forest. "Audite elementa! Vos iubeo! Elementum flammae, flamma flammantis, Gaea - abundate et derigete terram!!”*
Galen watched with a mixture of pride and happiness as Kate took her place in the ceremony. He held Emma in his arms; she had woken after her nap and seemed infused with the spirit of the crowd. He jiggled her up and down and she giggled, grabbing for Maia’s hand who was being carried by Drew next to them. As the wind picked up he shivered, pulling his jacket around Emma protectively. He looked up and saw the skies begin to grow overcast as dark clouds crossed the path of the moon. What had once been a wonderfully clear night now became drab and lacklustre.
Orin continued to chant over the circle of stones. He knelt low and blew hard across the arrangement, then struck a match and dropped it on the top followed by the contents of a small vial of water and a sprinkling of dirt. He grinned as he straightened up, tapping the centre of the circle with the end of his staff before turning and withdrawing to a safe distance.
The winds were stronger now, whipping up small flurries of dried leaves and billowing through the gathered assembly. From the clouds above a loud rumble of thunder muffled the collective chanting momentarily.
“Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air; we do summon, stir and call you up to witness our rites and guard the circle… Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, ye Lords of Water, ye Lords of death and Initiation we do summon and call you up to witness our rites and guard the circle…”
The group of witches stood fast despite the growing sense of anxiety in the crowds. As a heavy drizzle began to fall Kate glanced at Daye; she didn’t know what it was but something felt wrong like the elements were being thrown out of balance.
Daye shook her head slowly and discreetly at Kate, hoping the other witch got her subtle message. Something was definitely wrong here, but she didn't think it would be a good idea to say or do anything just yet. The elements were being manipulated by someone or something, but she had no idea how or why. There was just something off here. The problem was, of course, that not everyone in this little glade truly knew about the forces that were now at work. Many of the initiates, and most of the surrounding people, would only become panicked if they were alerted to what was happening. It would be best for Kate and herself to bide their time and wait to see what happened next.
Kate took Daye’s meaning loud and clear and continued chanting despite the growing storm. Suddenly, her silent questions were answered as a bolt of lightning struck the earth not more than a few feet from where the crowd was gathered. People screamed, running for safety as the bolt struck a tree, severing it in two with a violent burst of flame. Not only that but the winds were beginning to blow over the various tables, rolling them across the clearing and a heavy rain had begun to fall.
The thunder sounded loudly again as the rain pounded harder against the soggy ground turning it into a veritable marshland in a matter of minutes. The crowds that tried to run found themselves sinking into the mud, being dragged into the earth by an invisible force. While some continued to run, others stopped to help drag their fellow wiccans to safety only to get trapped themselves.
“It’s the gods! They’re angry with us!” cried a young initiate, yanking her hands free from her fellow witches and breaking the safety of the magic circle. “Oh merciful Hecate! Spare us your wrath!”
“Oh Gaia!” Kate said quietly in annoyance, as the other initiates offered up similar sentiments, some dropping to their knees and wrenching at their robes while continuing to wail for forgiveness. Kate watched the ensuing chaos with a mixture of dismay and confusion. She didn’t know what was happening but she knew it wasn’t an act of godly vengeance, this was a human intervention.
The first bolt of lightning was soon joined by another, striking the altar, sending its contents in all directions and reducing the solid stone edifice to nothing more than a pile of dust. The witches that had been kneeling only a few inches from the now destroyed construct screamed in terror and scrambled to their feet as they sought to follow the rest of the fleeing wiccans.
Kate remained in her position, occasionally being jostled from side to side as people pushed past her in a frantic attempt to flee the forest. “Daye!” she called as they were separated, waving her hands in the air in a bid to get her attention.
Galen shielded his eyes against the latest blast of lightning as he pushed against the throng of bodies, protecting Emma under his arms as he reached his wife’s side. He looked around at the disorder, struggling against the raging storm to keep his footing. “What the hell is going on?”
Daye saw Kate signalling. She was standing by Sam and Drew, who had Maia huddled between their two bodies. Both men looked frightened, but still calm. Daye was inordinately proud of them for their composure. She raised her voice to be heard above the wailing wind and the cries of the scattering crowd. "Let's try to get to Kate and Galen. Once you are all safe, maybe she and I can do something about this."
"Not a natural storm then?" Drew asked wistfully. "I guessed as much."
The three struggled through the crowd, keeping Maia close so she wouldn't be injured by the people streaming around them, screaming and frantically fighting to get away. Finally they came up to where Kate stood, with Galen and Emma directly before her.
Kate pushed her long red hair from her face as it billowed wildly in the surrounding tempest. She turned to Daye, Drew and Sam as the trio joined them, “It’s some kind of spell… elemental, strong.” She turned back to Galen, “Go! Get Emma out of here!”
“No! I’m not leaving you!” he protested, holding her hand tightly though the violent wind and rain attempted to wrench them apart.
“You have to… keep Emma safe… I’ll be with you soon,” Kate urged, looking insistently into Galen’s eyes. At his silent plea she nodded, “I’ll be careful, now go!”
A few feet from the couple, Daye was having a similar conversation with the two men in her life. "Please, take Maia to safety. I don't want her getting hurt."
The little girl in question was gazing about her in solemn consideration, one podgy finger in her mouth, which she sucked on violently as she watched the storm and the crowd with big, wide eyes.
Drew shook his head immediately at Daye's words, a mulish expression coming over his face. "I won't leave you alone here," he said simply. "Forget that."
Sam was nodding his agreement, cradling Maia in his arms and glancing nervously about. "No way, Sis," he intoned. "We stay."
Daye shook her head, growing exasperated. This storm had to be stopped. She couldn't afford to be worrying about them while she worked with Kate, but she appreciated and understood where they were coming from. "I promise you, I'll be fine," she argued. "I need for you all to be safe so I can do what I have to do. I need to be able to fully concentrate on my magic, on what has to be done here, and I can't do that if part of my mind is worrying about whether or not you are all okay. Go with Galen and find someplace to hunker down and wait this out. It's the only way."
Drew looked deep into her eyes, hating what he saw there. She was worried, about them. She was being logical and sensible, and to argue any longer would just be his own foolish pride. This was the woman he loved, but she could do things he could barely conceive of. He knew, had always known, that there would be times when the best thing he could do would be to back off and just let her do them. He knew that, but that didn't mean he had to like it.
Sam watched Drew, waiting to take his cue from the other man. He disliked the idea of leaving Daye behind more than anything but he understood too that they might have to, that it might be for the best.
Drew finally nodded reluctantly. "Don't you go getting yourself hurt," he admonished, leaning forward to kiss Daye once, hard, on the mouth.
"I promise," Daye whispered against his mouth. Then she watched as the men and children turned and left the glade. Once they were out of sight, she turned back to Kate.
Kate watched Galen leave with the others, leading the way to safety with marked reluctance. She knew he felt the same as Drew, he didn’t feel right about leaving them on their own but he also knew better than to argue. Besides, the safety of their daughter was the most important thing to both of them.
As they vanished into the night Kate returned to face Daye. She could tell the other woman was as confounded as she was as to the cause of this freakish weather. Kate was about to say something when she suddenly felt something curl around her ankle, and looked down to see lots of green shoots circling their way from the surrounding forest, their fibrous vines growing at an alarming rate. She shook the creeper away but another replaced it, wrapping firmly around her foot and curling its way up her legs so that she couldn’t move.
“Daye!” she cried out in alarm as it yanked hard, knocking her over into the wet grass and pulled her towards the darkness of the forest.
Daye watched Kate being dragged away, at first at a loss as to what was causing it. Finally she saw the vine wrapped tightly around her friend’s leg. Daye sprinted after Kate as the other woman was pulled deeper into the darkness. As the gloom grew and it became harder and harder to see in the deepening woods, Daye snagged a broken branch from the ground and, still running, whispered, "Fiat Lux!". The end of the branch flared with a bright light, and Daye could see Kate still struggling to break free of the vine as she was dragged across the forest floor.
Daye didn't know what to do. She could try casting something at the vine to break its hold, but she was afraid in this dim light of hitting Kate. She thought perhaps it was best to continue to follow at this point. If the vine ever stopped its forward motion, she could cut Kate loose with her athame.
Kate cried out again as she was dragged from the clearing, Daye following in hot pursuit. Suddenly the creeper stopped pulling but was soon joined by others which twisted tightly around her wrists, hoisting her from the ground. Kate ripped at the collection of plants, tearing them from her limbs as more curled forth from the surrounding trees - dead and brown like aged arms reaching out to embrace her.
"Morior!" she cried out, touching the branches and roots which tightened around her limbs, suddenly they began to wither and dry until they began to snap and splinter, breaking up on themselves in immediate decay. Kate fell to the ground hard just as she saw the light from Daye's torch illuminate the darkness.
Daye saw Kate lifted from a distance as she raced forward and then suddenly the other woman fell as she managed to extricate herself from the vines and branches holding her. Daye rushed forward, taking hold of Kate as she nervously scanned the area around them.
"Are you all right?" Daye asked, helping Kate slowly to her feet. The wind still whined through the trees, but at least the foliage offered some shelter from the icy rain.
Kate took Daye’s hand as she helped her up, her clothes soaking wet and caked in mud and grass not to mention pretty much ruined from various tears and rips. “Thanks,” she said breathlessly, “I’m okay, I think…”
She looked around their new surroundings; the storm was still raging around them but it felt much safer inside the cover of the forest. That was until a bolt of lightning broke through the shelter, striking an old oak and cleaving it perfectly into two halves. Kate and Daye both jumped back in shock, averting their eyes from the bright flash of light.
“Whoever is doing this is definitely off my Christmas card list!” announced Kate angrily as she and Daye made their way through the trees.
Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. There was something… a pale light in the darkness not far from where they stood in a small clearing inside the forest. Kate narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the source. “Daye!” she called out loudly, pointing towards the direction of the light. The two women glanced at one another, a moment of unspoken recognition passing between them as they fought their way against the raging elements towards the origin of the light.
It didn’t take them long to reach the clearing, Kate was surprised to see that it had an almost perfect view of the area where the festivities had been taking place, though that wasn’t what surprised her most. Upon the ground a small circle of stones shone brightly in the darkness of the night, a sort of invisible dome covered the centre in which a miniature storm raged. Tiny black clouds and flashes of lightning swirled inside like a demonic snow globe.
Kate frowned, watching the spectacular show and then raising her gaze to the action in the clearing which seemed to mirror that of the circle of stones. She picked up a broken branch from the ground and attempted to pierce the dome but instead the piece of wood erupted into flames. With a cry of alarm Kate dropped the branch just in time.
Daye watched Kate, horrified by what she was seeing. Whoever had done this had expended a great deal of energy. Manipulating these kinds of forces was far from simple. She considered carefully what they should do. "It's shielded, obviously," Daye said, indicating the burning branch near Kate's feet. "Can we pierce it and break the spell, do you think?"
“It’s magic,” said Kate simply, “Some kind of mirror spell, what we’re seeing here is what is happening out there… breaking the circle should stop the spell, but we need to get through the shield to do that.” Kate thought for a moment before turning to Daye, “Want to try a release spell?”
As the other witch nodded they both joined hands, standing either side of the circle so that their hands met halfway. Another bolt of lightning struck about ten feet from where they stood but they ignored it, instead concentrating on the circle and the eldritch energies they were about to conjure forth.
“Quasso… Eximo… Desino…” they chanted in unison, repeating the words again and again as they felt the power of those words grow in strength.
Daye could feel the power growing between them and flowing out to envelop the shield before them. She kept up the chant concentrating, and suddenly, the tiny bubble burst with a flash of light.
Kate quickly knelt by the circle and began to disassemble the collected rocks, throwing them into the gloomy depths of the forest. As the circle was destroyed the winds suddenly dropped, the rain halting and the black clouds dissolving into nothing. The two women both looked up at the now clear night sky, it was amazing. Everything was so serene and peaceful.
“So that’s it?” said Kate warily, glancing around them, “No one going to complain or make a protest?”
She frowned, kneeling back down and running her hands over the scorched earth where the circle had been. Certainly it had been a powerful spell if not a little too easy to counteract. She noticed what looked like a few crystal fragments imbedded in the dirt and picked them up carefully before rising to her feet again. A few people were already returning to the forest, among them appeared to be an anxious Galen and Drew.
Daye saw Drew and Galen approaching them. She shrugged at Kate. "That was... well, weird. Why would someone go to so much trouble and then make it so easy to diffuse? Seems strange to me."
“Hmm,” agreed Kate, taking one final glance around before they went to meet up with their partners. She was puzzled beyond belief, that someone would go to such destructive lengths for no gain made no sense… unless… “I guess it could be kids… got in too deep, left it for someone else to clean up… wouldn’t be the first time…”
From his hiding place Orin smiled, tapping in a sequence of data into the growing orb. That had been the most impressive display so far and much more than he had expected. He watched as the two women discussed various possibilities and smiled before pulling his black cloak around him fully; blending completely with the night as he quietly left the scene. Two down, two to go.
__________________________
*Roughly translated from Latin –
”Harken ye elements! I command thee now! I control the element of water, violent winds and bolts of lightning – spread your plague across the land!”
”Harken ye elements! I command thee now! The element of earth, fire that burns and Mother Nature – grow and take control of the earth!”
(With thanks to Adam for Latin translation)
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Saturday, 23 December 2006 – Early Morning
The Home of Kate and Galen Eldridge
Alessa parked in front of Kate’s house. In the sunlight it was even more beautiful than at night, she thought, remembering the fateful night when she had come desperate for help. And Kate had helped. She didn’t know if the woman had ever known how much her wholehearted help had meant to her. And she was helping her now again, her life had really changed so much in the last months!
She walked the lane wishing for the hundredth time that Chance had come with her, but he had some other things to do, and he had said that he had already talked to Kate at the meeting. So she had come alone; she didn’t want to delay this much more, she thought as she pressed the bell button.
Kate had been in the process of giving Emma her breakfast when the doorbell rang. Not daring to leave the impatient child alone with an unguarded dish of milky porridge she lifted her up into her arms and carried her into the hallway.
As she opened the door she smiled, seeing Alessa waiting anxiously on the other side. She’d almost forgotten that they’d arranged this time to discuss the protection spells against the vampire Morris, such was her mind occupied with other things – especially the freak incident at the Solstice celebration two days ago which still bothered her.
“Alessa, hi!” she said cheerfully, allowing the other woman to come inside. She stroked Emma’s red hair absently as the child gurgled, pointing at the woman and trying to grab at her long dark hair as she brushed past on their way to the kitchen.
“Hola bebé” Alessa said sweetly to the child. She loved babies, but was never very comfortable with them. She turned to her mother. “I hope I’m not here at a bad moment,” she said, looking at the porridge.
But Kate dismissed her question, and asked for just a minute to finish with her daughter’s breakfast. Alessa sat, smiling and waited for her friend to finish her ministrations. She looked around the kitchen; the place was equally enchanting.
Kate expertly spooned the creamy wholesome mixture into Emma’s open and waiting mouth until the bowl was entirely empty. Emma giggled, grabbing her spoon in one chubby hand and banging it against the tray as Kate wiped at her mouth and chin, cleaning up the sticky mess.
When she’d finished she lifted the child up out of the high chair and set her down in her play pen as Emma grabbed at a brightly coloured ball and rolled it back and forth, crawling after it in amusement.
“Sorry about that,” Kate apologised as she began to make some tea for her guest, boiling the water in the kettle and setting the various items on the kitchen table. “Where were we?”
Alessa smiled. “Don’t worry. She’s a dear,” she said and smiled again at the enchanted look on Kate’s face. She sighed inwardly; she hoped she would have children one day, but with her mixed blood it wasn’t going to be easy. She shook off that line of thought and answered Kate’s question.
“You were going to try and make some protection for me. I have brought some of Morris personal effects…” she failed, thinking of the few things she had managed to keep from him, but she recovered soon enough. “Just in case you needed something of his. And also there are some trinkets of mine.” She smiled apologetically, “I don’t really know how this magic thing works, actually.”
Kate nodded taking the things from Alessa and smiling at the woman’s nervous apology. “That’s great, I managed to sort out the things that we need. It might take some time though… potion making tends to take a while.”
“No problem, I understand that. Morris used to-” She stopped herself and blushed. “I’m sorry,” she said, “it’s just that… well, there’s something else that has been happening to me lately.” At the encouraging smile she got from Kate she went on. “I’ve been having these… flashes… of memories. Good memories, I mean, of the times we were together, and… And I don’t even know if he’s responsible for them, but it’s pretty disturbing.” She blushed again, and lowered her eyes.
Kate frowned a little, sharing a some of Alessa’s uncertainty. If this Morris was capable of holding the woman under his thrall then it was possible that he was also causing her to have these flashbacks too. She couldn’t help but remember the power that Mother Mariah had, able to visit her in her dreams, even inflict pain that was physical in the waking world. The fact that these were ‘good memories’ as Alessa termed it, made the connotations no less disturbing. It could have been her suspicious mind working overtime but was it possible that Morris was trying to soften Alessa’s heart towards him once more?
“Then we really should get started,” said Kate, a whisper of urgency peppering her words. Whatever this man’s agenda was she didn’t want to find out after the fact. If she could help give Alessa some protection against his power then all the better.
Kate rose to her feet and walked over to the pantry where she kept all of her spellbooks and potions. She returned shortly with an ancient looking text and lay it upon the table, turning the pages over till she reached the one that she had already marked out. “It’s called the Munimen Abusque Venticum – Protection from Magic, it’s one of the most potent protection spells I’ve ever come across. It should do the job more than adequately.”
Alessa just nodded, smiling. “What will it be? An amulet, something I have to say..?” She noticed Kate wasn’t answering, and shut up. She didn’t want to distract her. Instead, she watched the witch prepare the various ingredients for the spell.
Kate had already begun to set up the necessary equipment needed, placing a large iron cauldron on the top of the aga and turning up the heat. She took a collection of bottles and jars from the pantry and began to mix them together. Agrimony, Hyssop and Vervain. After twenty minutes the cauldron began to bubble nicely, the aroma of various herbs and resins filling the kitchen.
As the potion began to hiss, Kate threw in a bay leaf – herb of protection par excellence, causing the mixture to emit a cloud of red smoke. She finally turned to where Alessa still sat, watching her curiously throughout. “We’re ready I need the things of Morris’ that you brought.”
“Sure,” she answered and handed Kate the few items she had brought. There wasn’t much, most of his belongings had burned with their cabin when he was turned, but she had managed to recover a few things. There was a First World War medal, that his father had given him, and a well used razor. But most importantly, there was his diary. Daye had returned it to her after she had scanned its pages into her computer. She also handed her the agate ring he had given her. “This is mine,” she said handing her the ring, “but he gave it to me, and it has great emotional value. It may serve you too.”
Kate dropped the medal into the mixture and tore a page from the diary and added that too, noting the slightly uneasy look in the woman’s eye. Finally she tied the ring onto a string and lowered that in as well. It would serve as a fine focus for the powers that she would draw down and a fitting amulet to protect its wearer.
She closed her eyes, holding her hands over the steaming mixture. The heat should have scalded her flesh but she felt naught as the power of the gods came over her.
“Terra, Ignis, Aqua – all three! Elements of astral I summon thee! Craft the spell in fire, craft it well; weave it higher! Weave it now of shining flame, none shall come to hurt or maim, none shall pass this ancient wall, none shall pass, no none at all!”
Alessa watched the witch as she invoked the spell of protection, hovering close to where she stood. Suddenly without warning Kate reached out and grabbed the woman’s arm. Alessa gasped and looked up in alarm as she saw the darkness pass through Kate’s eyes, emotionless and black. With her free hand she picked up her athame and used it to cut into Alessa’s flesh until she bled freely into the potion.
The woman struggled to pull her arm away as Kate released her tight hold on her, returning to the potion. “Let blood seal the spell, Munimen Abusque Venticum, Munimen Abusque Venticum, Munimen Abusque Venticum!”
Alessa watched as Kate almost collapsed on top of the boiling pot, but she steadied herself almost immediately. When she looked at her again, her eyes were their usual blue. She felt ashamed for recoiling like that, but Kate had really scared her.
“Is it ready?” she asked, still a little shaky, and holding her cut with a paper napkin. It wasn’t deep but it was still bleeding. She eyed the string that was holding her ring, it was still submerged into the purple looking stuff.
Kate sighed, holding her head a little as a tightness began to rise; she was going to need a good painkiller after this. As she came completely out of her trance she noticed the blood rising from Alessa’s arm and winced, it had been a long time since she’d had to use this spell and she’d forgotten the part that required a blood sacrifice. She just hoped that she hadn’t hurt Alessa too badly, sometimes it was difficult to control yourself while performing such a strong spell.
At Alessa’s question she turned her attention back to the cauldron and withdrew the ring carefully. It glowed with a pale light, imbued with most powerful magics. She lowered it onto the table, and as Alessa moved to touch it she reached out to stop her, noticing the woman almost fall back as she recoiled from her grasp.
“I’m sorry,” Kate said a little awkwardly, “…it’ll be hot, that’s all.”
Alessa smiled weakly. She couldn’t do magic, but she surely could recognise a powerful spell, she had watched Morris do his share. Kate had really pulled a stunt here, she hadn’t known how powerful Kate was.
“I’m sorry about that too,” she said, a little embarrassed still. “You are helping me, and I recoil like that. I’m really thankful,” she added, looking at the witch in the eye. “You don’t know how much this means to me.” She quickly turned, afraid the woman would see the tears creeping in her eyes. “So tell me, how does this work? Do I wear it always or what?” The answer was obvious but she had needed something to say.
Kate nodded again as she turned the heat on the cauldron down and then sat at the table, stealing a quick glance at Emma who had pulled herself up to her feet to watch the two women as though she knew what they were talking about. “You wear it, the blood will bind it to you, it makes the spell stronger though of course it would be useless to anyone else other than yourself. But it should work well enough, Morris shouldn’t be able to remove it or even touch it since it’s locked on his particular essence.”
The demoness simply nodded and reverently took the ring. It still glowed but less brightly. She turned it in her hands; she had worn this ring for more than twenty years, it was the closest thing she had had to an engagement ring. Now that she was with Chance she couldn’t make herself wear it again.
Slowly she took the silver chain that she always wore and unclasped it. She passed the chain through the ring, and trembled when she heard the clink sound it made as it touched the silver cross. Both had been gifts from Morris; both protection talismans. The cross to protect her from evil, and now his ring to protect her from him. Alessa bit back her tears, and raised her eyes again. “Thank you,” she said simply.
“He really got under your skin didn’t he?” Kate said softly at seeing Alessa’s attempts to hold back her tears. “It’s okay you know? You don’t have to pretend for me. I won’t think badly of you if you want to let it out, it might even help.”
The demoness choked, and her tears freely flowed. “He was my life and soul for more than twenty years,” she blurted, “We were lovers and friends and partners, and… and then he died. Oh I so wish he had really died! And now he’s here again and I can't take it. I can't stand thinking of him as a vampire!”
She inhaled deeply to steady herself. “I thought I had gotten over this years ago. I found Chance, and I really love him. I really love Chance, but Morris…” she looked pleadingly at Kate, surely the woman would understand. “Morris was my first love.”
Kate embraced the woman warmly. Of course she understood, was there a woman out there who didn’t? She held Alessa close until she could feel her begin to calm some. She’d felt such confusion herself after Luc had died and then she’d begun to fall in love with Galen. There had been many times that she’d questioned whether she really loved Galen or if he had just be a substitute for Luc – that first love was certainly one of a kind and powerful in its own right. She didn’t know how she would feel if Luc were still alive, and that wasn’t even Alessa’s problem. Morris was dead but he was also a vampire. It was difficult to believe that a person was lost when they were still walking around in the world remembering that life from before, but Morris was dead; at least the loving, caring Morris that Alessa had known was.
“It’s okay…” she soothed gently, “I know… but Alessa, Morris is gone, vampire or not. The man you loved died the day he became a vampire. You have to remember that, for your own sake.”
Still in Kate’s arms she nodded. She knew. She knew Morris was gone, but it didn’t make it less difficult. She was thankful she had somebody to talk to, she couldn’t talk to Chance, not about her ex, and she couldn’t go to Ernie either. Tash had been understanding too, but she was too much of a hunter and Alessa hadn’t dared to open like this with her. She straightened, wiping her eyes and smiling weakly at her. “Look at me! I must be a mess.” She stood up and walked towards the window. Calmer, she added. “I know, Kate. But it isn’t easy.”
“No,” agreed Kate, letting Alessa have her space as she wandered over to the window and peered out. “It isn’t easy, but you have Chance. I can tell he loves you a great deal and then you have your friends, you have me, none of us will let you face this on your own. You aren’t alone any more Alessa.”
“No,” she agreed, smiling at the other woman. “I’m not.”
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
***December 22nd, 2006- LA General Hospital- Afternoon***
The two Lautari sisters walked down the hospital hall, a bounce in their step. Dominika was finally out of the hospital, much to her pleasure. The doctor agreed to let Dom go as long as she came back afterwards for a weekly check up. Adriana looked over her papers as they waited for the elevator to come up.
“Check ups with him won’t be so bad. I mean, he’s a cutie after all…” Dominika said, giving a wink. Drea rolled her eyes. She had come to the conclusion that Dom was never going to change. Adriana sighed and stood there with her younger sister.
Alessa watched the sliding doors of the elevators open just to see the girls she was going to visit standing on the other side. She smiled broadly as she stepped out of the elevator.
“Hello, you are the ones I wanted to see.” She was happy and she wanted to tell them the news of Tash’s offer. She looked at the girls' feet where a couple of bags were, “You are leaving? Do you want a ride?”
Dominika looked at Adriana, her eyes pleading. Drea smiled and replied to Alessa, “Sure, if you’re willing to drive us to the airport. We weren’t crazy about calling a cab.”
“No problem,” said Alessa, and bent to take one of the bags, holding the elevator doors open with the other hand. A travel to the airport would be perfect, they would have time to talk about the White Hats' offer.
She smiled at the girls as she opened the little VW convertible, and signaled them to climb onto it. Alessa and Adriana travelled to the car in amicable silence, just listening to Dominika’s happy chatting. She must have been dying to leave the hospital, thought Alessa and then grimaced at her choice of words.
“I’ve had it vit Russia! It's alvays cold, and my boyfriend’s t’ere! T’at is vy I’m moving in vit you, Drea,” Dom spoke.
Adriana’s ears perked up. “What are you saying? That I’m going to be living with you? Oh, Dom, my apartment isn’t big enough for the both of us. And it's hell to pay for,” she sadly explained to her sister.
Alessa watched the exchange with amusement. They had been driving for half an hour, the traffic was being a bitch, and she hadn’t found an opening to talk to them. Her head was spinning trying to understand Dom’s heavy accent too.
She would prefer that the girl spoke Romani! She saw her opportunity and broke in.
“As a matter of fact, that’s what I wanted to talk you about,” she said and the girls looked at her for the first time in blocks. She took her eyes off the road to smile at Adriana.
“Remember the meeting I told you I was having to go to?” At the gypsy’s nod Alessa went on. “Well, I told them about you, as I promised.”
“And?” pressed Dom, watching Alessa intently. She didn’t know what she was talking about but she guessed it was something important.
“You see, Tash, my friend, owns a beautiful apartment building. Most of the tenants are… well, friends of Chance and me.” She looked directly at Adriana to see if the girl caught her drift. She wanted her to understand that there weren’t really ordinary people living there.
At Adriana’s slight new nod she went on. “Well, she said you could move there if you wanted to. You’ll be safe there, or at least safer, Adriana. From everything.”
She wanted to tell her about James too, but not in front of her sister.
Adriana became excited. “You really mean it? We can actually move there? Oh my God, thank you so much, Alessa! You’re too good to us,” she said happily.
Dom looked at Alessa and asked, “Vill Adriana’s lover boy be t’ere?” She then gave a little smirk. Adriana sat in shock. She didn’t know whether Dominika was talking about Darian or James.
Alessa grinned, that was one of the best things of the plan. She liked Adriana and she liked Darian; she knew she was playing matchmaker but she didn’t mind.
“Actually he lives in the same building, yes.”
Adriana smiled and blushed now. She was certain that Alessa was talking about Darian, since she had told her to stay away from James. Dominika saw her cheeks turn pink and smiled.
“Now, the von t’at lives in t’e same building… vich guy from t’e ot’er night is he? T’e pretty boy I sa’ in t’e halls or the von ‘hoo t’inks he’s Mr. Pink from Reservoir Dogs?” she asked curiously.
Adriana exchanged a glance with Alessa. She'd forgotten to mention the visit from both Darian and James.
“Um… ‘Mr. Pink’ is James, Dom…” she said quietly. Drea then added quickly, “The ‘pretty boy’ is Darian, and he’s my so-called ‘lover boy’.” She looked back to Alessa and explained, “Both of them visited the day you came, only at night.”
“Oh, I see,” Alessa answered flatly. “That must’ve proven to be… interesting.” *I have to find a way of telling Adriana about James, before she gets more enthralled with that vampire!* thought Alessa as she kept driving, her face expressionless.
She was really confused about James herself; she couldn’t blend what she had learnt in the meeting with her feelings about him. Her face hardened without her noticing, and she missed Adriana's worried look.
*He tortured Tash!* her mind screamed, not for the first time. Torture, she thought with a shiver, she had seen too much torture in her homeland during countless uprisings. Some of her Santa María friends had been tortured to death for daring to think differently.
The image of those broken bodies was still fresh in her mind, even though decades had passed. Torture was demeaning and degrading; completely unacceptable, and not only for the victim’s sake. It left scars on the torturer as well. It was inhuman. But James wasn’t human, he was a vampire. She sighed, she should have listened to Chance, but she had really thought he was different. That wasn’t the James she had come to trust, the James who had so completely misguided her. She hated the decision he had forced her to take.
“Alessa…” the doubtful voice of Adriana woke her out of her musings. She turned to the girl, smiling vacantly. They were already approaching the airport and Alessa took a turn into the road leading to the Departures gates.
“We’re here,” she said, driving towards the parking lot.
Alessa pulled up to the side of the building, where Dominika jumped out of the car and looked back at the two women. “I vill check ven t’e next flight to Vladivostok is. From t’ere, ve can take a flight to Moscow, and t’en take another to Bucharest. Meet me at t’e ticket-selling-t’ing,” she told them and rushed into the building.
Adriana turned to Alessa, concern painted her face. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Alessa, what’s wrong? Ever since… his name was mentioned, you’ve been really quiet.”
Alessa sighed. She knew Adriana wouldn’t like to hear this but she had to know it. With a few words, she related to the girl what she had learnt at the meeting. About James attacking and torturing Tash, about his schizo alter-ego the “Ripper” and about the White Hats’ decision to hunt him down. When she finished, she looked at Adriana in the eye.
“You have to stop seeing him, Adriana. That vampire is not good.” She bit her lip, “he tricked me too. I thought he was honorable, but obviously he isn’t.”
Adriana gave a heavy sigh. She then explained to Alessa, “I didn’t see him. He came to see me. James and Darian almost came to blows. Believe me; I didn’t want him there. I mean, I knew he was a vampire. Hell, I even knew about Ripper, and I still made out with him. But, he said he was different… and I believed him. I just… I just can’t believe he did that to your friend. I should have known better.”
Drea leaned back in her seat and held back her oncoming tears. *Stupid! You knew better… Why did you have to fall for him?* Adriana cursed her thoughts. “I wanna stop accosiating with him, but he always manages to find me…”
“Well, he won't find you in Romania, and he won't get to you in Poplar, in case he’s still around when you come back. From the glint in Tash’s face he may not be.”
She smiled to Drea once more, “Just try to forget him, ok?” she said and groaned for her hypocrisy, she who couldn’t spend a minute without remembering her own vampire was advising her that! “Come on, let’s go. Dom must be worried we got lost in the airport by now."
The House That Jack Built - Part One
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT – PART ONE
Sunday, 24 December 2006 – 11:56pm
The Home of Kate and Galen Eldridge
Red, green, blue, white, red, green, blue, white…
Jack silently watched the sequence of fairy lights as they blinked intermittently. Twisted around the tall evergreen in a pretty, haphazard fashion their glittering light reflected on a myriad of coloured glass baubles and silver tinsel. It was all very charming and he sighed, eyeing the expertly wrapped presents nestled beneath, remembering the hours Kate had spent surrounded by sheets of gaudy paper, ribbon and sticky tape.
There were presents for everyone, many for the little girl whom Kate and Galen completely doted upon, even one or two for himself. Jack grimaced uncomfortably, raising his glass and draining its amber contents.
Christmas.
He should have been happy, he was happy. This time two years ago he had been completely alone and now he had his daughter back, a son-in-law and a beautiful little granddaughter to share the holiday with.
He refilled his glass with the strong tasting scotch and slowly sipped at the drink. The fact was that having so much only made him realise how much he had to lose. Two days ago he’d reported back to Carmichael on the first meeting of the so-called ‘White Hats’ that Kate and Galen had attended. It made him physically sick to think of his deception and it had taken a great deal of effort to conceal his feelings from Kate and her psychic powers.
Jack sighed, sinking back into the soft leather of the aged armchair. Things had been so simple a year ago…
***Flashback – Monday, 26 September 2005 – A Small Café in Alhambra, not far from Bibliophile***
Kate quietly observed the man who sat opposite her. After their strange ‘reunion’ only three days ago she’d done little more than think about the things he had told her. She pulled a photograph from her pocket, sliding it across the table.
“I looked through the attic last night… I found this…”
Kate looked up at Jack as he gazed fondly at the picture, it was one of the last ones that had been taken before… Jack smiled warmly, taking the photograph in his hands. They all looked so young, Kate was barely four years old, her long hair hung past her shoulders in a mass of loose red curls. Kadee stood behind her, a motherly hand on the child’s shoulder as she gazed up at her husband, Jack.
Jack smiled again, “I’d forgotten all about this…” he looked up at Kate, “Did I ever tell you that you have your mother's eyes?”
Kate continued to search the man’s face, feeling a warmth deep inside her stomach at his words, things that she’d longed to hear since as long as she could remember. “Tell me about her…” she asked softly.
“Your mother was a wonderful woman,” began Jack reminiscently, “so beautiful, intelligent… wise, I think that’s the right word. She seemed to know so much about the earth, people, ideas… she was a great philosopher. And she loved you so much.” He glanced up at Kate and smiled, “Do you remember her at all?”
Kate looked sad, turning her face down a little, “Only pictures, in my mind. And little things… like her smile, the way she smelled… I have this vivid memory of her holding her hand against mine.” She turned to look at Jack, “You know? To see how much I’d grown?”
Jack nodded in understanding before his face grew slightly more concerned, “And me?”
Kate grimaced slightly, “I don’t know… I mean, I have this feeling like you were around, I think you were away a lot. I remember kneeling by the window waiting for you to come home.”
“I was away a lot,” admitted Jack, “I thought I had time, you see? I thought I had all the time in the world to be with you.”
“I know what that’s like,” said Kate softly, remembering how much she had missed Luc, still missed him despite her falling in love again so quickly. It was so easy to take what you had for granted, thinking it would always be there, then realising just how stupid you’d been when it was suddenly yanked away.
Jack observed Kate’s face steadily before bringing his neglected cup of coffee up to his lips and taking a drink now that the contents had cooled. “You shouldn’t, you’re too young to have had to deal with things like that.”
“I told you about Luc didn’t I?” Kate asked, stirring some honey into her cup of Earl Grey.
Jack nodded silently, for some reason it had been one of the first things they’d talked about. It was obvious that she still had some unresolved feelings there, that was the problem with first loves, they never seemed content to just sit quietly in the past no matter how much one wished they would. “But you found someone else, this… Galen? That’s right isn’t it?” *Strange name,* he thought to himself, not for the first time.
“Yes… Galen,” echoed Kate, gazing into her tea, feeling a stab of guilt that she still hadn’t managed to tell Galen about Jack yet. She knew she should, this was… well it was epoch making news! But that was also part of the problem, it was so unbelievable she didn’t know where to start. How do you casually bring up in conversation that a few days ago you met your long lost father whom you’d assumed was dead?
“Is it serious? This thing with Galen?”
Kate looked up a little surprised at the question. “Yes, yes it is,” she said without hesitation. She was pregnant with his child, it didn’t come more serious than that! Though she had neglected to tell Jack that little fact just yet. *One step at a time,* she thought to herself, *no need to get ahead of yourself.*
“I love him a great deal, he really is a wonderful man…” she raised her cup to her lips, “…you’ll have to meet him sometime…” she added quietly.
Jack perceived her hesitation on that subject and guessed that she hadn’t told the man about him yet. It didn’t matter, he could understand at any rate it was a lot to take in. He suddenly reached out and took her hand across the table. “Thank you for this Kate… you have no idea what it means to me…”
***End of Flashback***
Jack glanced at the clock as the minutes ticked by on their way to midnight. He could almost see Katie as she stood at the top of the stairs, her face pressed between the banisters as she looked down to the living room below and the dazzling Christmas tree laden with gifts.
That’s what Christmas was all about… family.
***Flashback – Tuesday, 27 September 2005 – Alhambra Community Park***
Jack whistled happily as he strode through the park on his way to meet Kate, it was a sunny day for September with only a few clouds marring a perfect blue sky. It had been many years since he’d felt so elated, surely he’d never expected to feel quite so happy in Los Angeles again. As he continued up the path he saw the beautiful red-haired girl, young woman, waiting patiently by a bench. She was such a sight he was stopped in his tracks, his eyes softened watching her as she pushed her long loose waves from her eyes a gesture that was so natural yet so familiar it brought a flood of memories rushing through him.
Kate had been only four years old when he’d last seen her, playing with a child’s tea set, serving cups of pretend tea and cookies to her dolls and stuffed bear. His face contorted some more, painfully, as the memories of his little girl returned, memories that he’d tried so hard not to think of.
As Kate caught his eye she smiled and waved to him, taking his hand as he caught up with her and they sat down together. She was amazed at how much of a connection they had made over the last few days; any doubts that she’d initially had that he might not be whom he claimed to be had all but vanished.
“I thought you weren’t going to show up,” she said a little apprehensively as they sat together.
Jack shook his head dismissively, “I wouldn’t miss meeting you for the world, Kate.”
A peaceful silence passed for a few moments wherein they both took in their surroundings, the dog walkers, the couples strolling hand in hand, the mothers pushing prams, the friends jogging and children rollerblading down the smooth rolling pathways… Kate turned back to Jack, squinting a little as the late afternoon sun caught her eyes. “I wanted to ask if you knew about…”
Jack frowned, looking at Kate and reading her mind as she halted her sentence. “…if I knew about your mother’s powers? Oh Kate, I have so much to tell you…” He squeezed her hands gently, hoping that what he had to say wouldn’t come as too much of a shock. “I’m half demon.”
Kate’s eyes widened in surprise. It was certainly something that had never crossed her mind before, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would have been more stunned were she not still in a state of shock over finding out her father was alive after twenty years. “Wha-” she began uncertainly then stopped, “what kind of demon?”
“The Halfr’aner’alf,” said Jack plainly seeing no need to withhold any punches. They’d talked much and he already knew Kate had worked for The Coven of Sindell, there was even every chance that she’d come across other members of his race. Though he personally loathed the coven for what they’d put his wife through he had to give them their dues; they certainly knew how to train witches. Kadee had been incredibly well educated in all matters occult, her seemingly endless knowledge on demons, rites, sects, alternate dimensions, spells, magic, etc had been just one of the many things that he had found fascinating about her.
Kate took the information in with a nod, the Halfr’aner’alf were a well-known race of demons because of their almost complete congruency to humans. In fact it was completely possible to have the demonic blood and not even know- …Kate stopped her train of thought short as the dawning light hit her. “You mean I’m…?”
“You’re part demon too Kate, a small part, but it’s there.” Jack watched Kate carefully as he spoke the words, it would be enough for anyone to take in. To find out not only that her father was alive but that he was half demon, “I know it’s a shock,” he said hastily, “I know how I felt when I found out from my own father but please Kate-”
“Wait,” Kate suddenly interrupted him, holding up a hand, “no, it’s okay, I… it’s fine.” She sighed, shaking her head. So Jack was half demon… and so was she in a small part. She looked up at him again, a frown wrinkling her forehead. “Do you have powers?”
Jack nodded a little reluctantly, “Yes Kate, but nothing that is new to you, in fact part of your own powers are linked to those of the Halfr’aner’alf, that’s why you’re so strong…” He held on to her hand tightly, giving it a quick squeeze. “The things that you’ve told me… your mother would never have been able to do those kinds of things. You’re stronger because of me, because of the gift that I’ve given you.”
Kate closed her eyes momentarily, unable to cope with everything that she was hearing. When she opened her eyes again she looked at Jack, her face full of unanswered questions and confusion. “So what do you… I mean… are you telepathic too?”
Jack nodded, “Yes, since I was a child actually but I never realised it. I also have visions and can move objects with my mind.”
Kate looked stunned again as Jack rattled off a list of abilities that practically mirrored her own. Telepathy, Telekinesis, Clairvoyance, she wondered just how much their powers differed and where there were similarities… and all this time she thought her ‘gift’ had come solely from her mother’s side of the family.
*I wanted to tell you… I’m sorry it took so long…*
Kate heard the words clearly in her head as Jack sent her the telepathic message. She was both excited and scared at the same time, her whole world was being turned upside down and there was no way to put it back the way it was if she had wanted to or not. She looked up at Jack again, her eyes struggling to cope with everything.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said softly, “this is all so strange…”
“I know,” said Jack kindly, his voice warm and understanding. “I don’t expect anything from you Kate, I only desire to get to know you better… do you think that’s something we can still do, even knowing the truth about me?”
Kate nodded without hesitation, moving to embrace the man. Jack was taken aback as the young woman wrapped her arms around his neck and held on to him. He wasn’t used to such physical contact; normally he kept an austere distance at all times. Still he found himself moving to reciprocate the gesture, his arms wrapping around her just as he had done when she was a little girl before he’d pull her up on to his shoulders or given her an aeroplane ride.
“It doesn’t matter to me Jack,” Kate said softly as they held one another, “I just don’t want to lose you again.”
***End of Flashback***
Jack gazed at the last dregs of scotch in his glass, swirling them around and reflecting the twinkling fairy lights in a glittering haze. That was the thing about family, they always forgave you when you made mistakes no matter how badly you disappointed a loved one.
As the clock struck midnight he rose from his chair and turned to the stairs, making his way to his room. It was Christmas morning after all, peace and goodwill to all men.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
***December 24th, 2006- A little hamlet in the Rumanian Woods- 7:55 pm***
Many changes had taken place for the Kalderash clan in the past 17 years. Adriana’s father, Dmitri, was a well paid doctor while her mother, Apollonija, was an antique dealer. After much convincing, the two had convinced Yolanda to allow them to abandon their days of living in a caravan to live in houses.
The whole clan embraced the idea, since most of them had taken up professions that required them to stay in one place. So, with their saved up money, the clan was able to build a few rows of houses in the Rumanian woods that was not that far from the local town. But, in honor of their past, the old caravans sat in their front yards. Yolanda spent much time in theirs, and only left that and her little tent near it when night fell.
On that Christmas Eve the Lautari family, including Sergei and Gwen who had recently returned from their honeymoon, sat in the cozy living room which had a fair sized fireplace already ablaze. Yolanda took her place at the dark oak rocking chair on the far left end of the room, her Orb of Thessala in hand. Dmitri, Apollonija, and Enzo sat together on the small sofa which was beside the rocking chair, their cups of freshly brewed tea at hand. Adriana, Dominika, Rosaline, and Polina squeezed together on the couch which sat in the middle of the room, although it wasn’t much of a tight fit since they were all ridiculously tiny girls. Sergei sat in the large chair to the right of the couch, Gwen sitting on his lap. Completing the Lautari family were Alesander and Victor, who were piled on each other on the love seat.
Yolanda looked at the Lautari offspring. “You’ve all grown so much! I am still in shock that Sergei is a married man!” she commented in Romani.
Technically, Sergei wasn’t a Lautari. But he was Apollonija’s (Enyos’ niece’s) nephew, and Yolanda and Enyos were good friends, so it didn’t matter. Enzo sipped his tea and replied in a calm tone, “I cannot, either. I am beginning to feel my age.”
The elders chuckled at his comment. Adriana smiled. Sergei seemed to be at his happiest. Apollonija nodded and remarked, “Before you know it, these two will have a congo line of toddlers!” Drea let a chuckle slip from her. Her father looked on her proudly.
“Adriana is turning out so much like you, dear. Come to think of it, all of our girls are. Rosaline is showing Lorraine’s beauty. And Dominika is finally at a family gathering. Nicky, my dear, how are you?” Dmitri said.
Dominika showed off a fake smile and replied in her most normal tone, “Terrific, daddy. Simply stupendous.”
Yolanda, who seemed to be in a deep concentration on her orb, gave a sour expression. “She’s lying through her teeth, Dmitri. Nicky has been doing that since she was twelve,” she commented in a monotone.
The other three elders turned their heads to Dom and gave an expression of concern. Dominika propped herself up and retorted, “I am telling the truth! Púridaia just doesn’t like to accept me being good, that’s all.”
Yolanda let out a loud HA as she placed down her orb and took out her tarot cards. “The day you go being a good girl is the day I walk about the streets of Bucharest in one of those bright pink mini skirts!” she quipped at Dom.
Dominika held her head down a little, which fueled her mother’s rage. “Yolanda, how could you talk about your own granddaughter that way?” she spat at her mother-in-law.
The aging visionary flipped through her cards, simply stating, “Girls who do not do good things don’t deserve compliments that contradict them.”
Adriana eyed Dom, getting her message across. Yolanda knew something about their outing at Club Vosrazhenie. The head elder set her eyes on Drea and smiled.
“Adriana, my dear. You are already twenty six years old and you have not found a possible husband? I know that Sergei and Gwen did not marry until they were had reached their thirties, but still, they had a partner! You are a pretty girl, surely there are suitors?” she questioned.
Drea could feel her heart stop for a moment. Yes, she had a few men in mind, but they weren’t exactly considered men. One of these, she was already trying to forget about, and was failing miserably at it.
“No, púridaia, there is no one I can think of,” Drea lied.
Yolanda eyed her, but did not smile like she usually did. “You are lying to me also. Christmas is not a time for lies, children, it is a time for family closeness. Now, there are men. I can tell. But why won’t you tell your own púridaia?” she asked, half pleadingly.
Adriana looked to the ground and gritted her teeth. “I… I don’t know why the discussion of my personal life is any interest to you, púridaia. You shouldn’t worry yourself over it when there are greater things you would rather discuss,” she replied.
Yolanda couldn’t help but smile at her comment. “You cannot change the subject on me, Adriana. I am an old woman; I need my daily dose of gossip and such,” she told her granddaughter.
Polina decided to chime in, trying to save her sister, “There are other ways to get it, púridaia. North and Latin American soap operas are too much fun to talk about. Trust me on this.”
Yolanda began to get a bit frustrated. “I have no use for television, you know this Polina. Now, Adriana, I know there are suitors waiting on you. I’d like to know who they are,” she told Drea.
The color in her face began to tone down. She fidgeted uncomfortably. “Púridaia, may we move off this subject please?” Adriana begged.
Dmitri looked at his mother and commented, “She is right, mother. I don’t like hearing about boys who are willing to take any of my daughters away from me.”
Yolanda slammed her hand on the end table near loudly. “Why is everyone refusing to talk about this? Adriana is the oldest; she will take it more harshly. Now, my dear, who are your suitors?” she asked, persistently.
Just before Drea could answer, there came a knock from the door. Dmitri sighed and announced, “I will get it.” He reluctantly got up, placed his cup on the end table, and left the room for the door.
Enzo looked at his watched, and showed an expression of confusion. “It’s already past 8:00 pm now. Who in the hell would be here this hour?” he commented before taking a sip of his own tea.
Right on cue, Dmitri was seen backing up, yelling at a young man. The young man was considerably tall, and shouting at Dmitri in Russian, “Gde Dominika? Ya dolzhen govorit’ s neyoo! Eto yavlyaetsya samym srochnym!”
Dom flew up from her seat and ran across the room, shouting, “Peter!”
Every person in the room groaned and rested their head in their right hand. Peter Polyakov wasn’t very well liked, and with good reasons. The youth of the Kalderash didn’t like him because one, he was the son of a big time mob boss, and two, he was an asshole. The elders didn’t like him just because he was a gadjo.
Peter and Dom locked lips and kissed passionately. Alesander groaned and murmured intentionally in English to Victor, “Vy does every time she bring home a boy, she makes out vit t’em right in front of us?”
Peter broke the embrace and turned violently to Alesander’s direction. “You khave a problem vit us expressing love to each ot’er, mudilo? Is t’at it? You do not believe t’at I love your sister? Gryaznyj mudack!” he shouted at Alesander.
He reached to pull out his gun when Dominika flipped and shouted, “Nyet! Nyet, rebenok, nyet! On ne podrazumeval nikakoj nepriyatnosti. Zabbud’te ego, rebenka.”
This seemed to calm him down, as he murmured to her softly, “Ya sozhaleyoo, malysh.”
Yolanda was a bit frustrated at this point, tapping her finger briskly on the arm of her chair. “You, Peter?” she said in English. The elder gypsy had learned the language from Morris Giles, while she was teaching him the magic of the Kalderash.
Peter looked at her, a bit nervous by intimidation, and replied weakly, “Da?”
She looked at him with cold eyes and asked, “You speak English?”
He slowly nodded his head and replied, “Da.”
Yolanda turned back to her cards and spat at him as she looked through the pack, “Good. Use it. Not everyvon here speaks t’e tongue of t’e Soviets.”
Peter nodded his head quickly. He had heard stories of how Yolanda was powerful in the dark arts, and, although he was one that took as many risks as he could, he decided not to cross Dom’s grandmother.
“Now,” Yolanda began, “Is t’ere a reason vy you’re here, Peter?”
After a moment of silence, he sparked up and replied, “Yeys, t’ere is,” The young Polyakov left the room for a minute and returned with a small, wicker basket, a la The Wizard of Oz, even complete with a small dog.
Dom squealed for joy as he handed her the basket. “My God, Peter! He-” She cut herself off as she lifted the tiny dog and looked under it, “He is adorable! Oh, Peter, vat a vonderful t’ing you have given me for Christmas! Vait… aren’t you Jewish?”
Peter stuttered for a moment, until he finally managed to say, “Vell… yeys. Ve converted back in ninety t’o. Papa says t’at if ve get into any trouble, ve can alvays go to Israel, vhere t’ey accept any Jew.”
Dominika nodded and then smiled. “Spasibo, Peter,” she said to him quietly and kissed him.
Yolanda rolled her eyes and quickly asked, “Are you done vit my granddaughter?”
Peter smiled and looked at Dom for a minute. “Da,” he replied softly as he stroked Dominika’s cheek.
Immediately, Yolanda quipped, “Good! Leave!”
This startled Peter. The two “love birds” hugged and kissed before Peter left. Once the door was closed, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Dom walked back to her place on the couch with her tiny dog.
Adriana looked over to her sister. Dominika removed the dog from the basket and held it in her arms. She observed the name tag of the dog. “Sashenka… such a pretty name!” Dom commented in Romani.
Drea twitched at the dog. “Dom… it looks like a rat,” she told her in the family’s native tongue.
Dominika’s jaw dropped as she hugged the dog tighter. “He does not! Sashenka looks like a normal doggie!” she defended. Adriana sighed and shook her head.
Enzo, who finished off his tea, looked at Dom and questioned her, “Is that boy always that hostile? I mean, really my dear. Had you not stopped him, that Polyakov boy would have blown your brother’s head off!”
Dominika groaned and continued to pet her new pooch. Adriana cleared her throat and announced, “Dom has decided to quit her job in St. Petersburg and move in with me in LA. Luckily, I have been offered a better, more affordable and much larger, apartment that is much closer to my job.”
Their mother, Apollonija, gasped a little when she heard this. “You are leaving your high paying job in St. Petersburg for Los Angeles? What are you thinking? What will you do? I am already a nervous wreck at night thinking about Adriana, and now I must worry about you, Nicky? What a world!” the girls’ mother said dramatically. Everyone in the family knew she had been watching too many soap operas for too many years, and it had a lasting effect on her.
Yolanda groaned as she sorted through her cards and replied, “Maybe you should start worrying about your screw up son rather than your perfectly capable daughters.”
Alesander, from the other side of the room, looked away and said, obviously hurt, “Thank you, púridaia. I feel oh so wonderful about myself.”
The aging visionary looked upon her grandson and shot back, “I wouldn’t call you a screw up if you actually did something other than drink kegs of liquor and sleep around with girls around your university.” Alesander glowed red, mainly since all of it was true.
Apollonija quickly stood up and faced her mother-in-law, her face flushed scarlet. “Why do you insult every one of my children? Have you nothing better to do than lower their self esteem? They are you’re flesh and blood, also! But worse than that, you do not criticize Enzo’s children! They are the golden children! And Sergei! He is not even your grandson and you revere him more than you revere Alesander! All I ask is why! Why?” She poured her heart out.
Yolanda stood up from her chair and faced her daughter-in-law, her eyes flaming. “I refuse to tell the people I love what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. Adriana needs to start telling me more about her life, Nicky needs to stop fooling around with other boys while seeing that psychotic boyfriend of hers, Alesander needs a goal in life, and Polina needs to know that there is more to life than soap operas and boys! You might like boosting their confidence, but what I show is ‘tough love’. I can be the kind old grandmother when I want to be, but when I see my grandchildren making horrible decisions in life, I take action!
“True, I do not bother Victor and Rosaline as much, but that’s because they are on the right track! Lorraine, despite being a gadjo, is a good mother unlike someone I know! She does not let her children run rampant around, sleeping with as many people as they can and expect them to turn out all right! Come to think of it, Sergei and Adriana turned out fine, but that is because they were not raised by a woman who is mostly concerned about her career and her hair! I don’t know where Enyos went wrong with you! Janna turned out fine, but you, Apollonija! What my son sees in you is beyond me!
“I have tired myself out from you, again. I will be retiring to my room. Merry Christmas, everyone,” she professed and quickly left the room, her tarot cards and orb in hand.
Apollonija stood there, in a furious rage with hot tears flowing from her deep brown eyes. Dmitri held her in his arms as she cried into his shoulder. He looked at Enzo and said quietly, “I’m taking her up to our room. I will be back soon.” Adriana’s parents then left for the stairs.
After a few minutes of silence, Gwen piped in with, “You’re Christmases are fantastic! I wish to spend this holiday with you all every year!”
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
31 December 2006 – A Few Minutes Before Midnight
The Sunnydale Crater, California
Workmen had been toiling all day to put up the signs, chain up the barriers – more than four hundred miles had been laid in less than three days since the deal had been finalised. Now, a nine-foot railing of shimmering metal surrounded the perimeter of the crater that had once been the infamous town of Sunnydale and home to the most prolific Slayer in history.
It hadn’t been easy to acquire the site, not by any stretch of the imagination. The papers requesting the purchase had been thrown into the cogs of bureaucracy for the past six months, pushed through more swiftly with a helping hand from Majestic and the impeccable negotiation skills of their agent Jennifer Lawson.
A simple billboard proclaimed the finalisation of the deal -
The Sunnydale Crater
Soon to be redeveloped into The Sunnydale Mall by M.N.T. Holdings Ltd.
A subsidiary company of PionHex Industries.
Aimes pulled his thick wool coat around his body tightly. For California it was uncharacteristically chill, there was even a talk about a frost in the New Year. He glanced at his watch, that wasn’t too far away now, people all around the country would be getting ready to see in 2007 though few would be party to what he would that night.
His grey eyes surveyed the craggy terrain that was, ironically, still a magnet for demons and the like. They seemed drawn there, led to the site of the now dormant Hellmouth as though on some holy pilgrimage. That had been taken dealt with now of course, Gemmel had enlisted the expertise of almost a dozen demon bounty hunters to help clear the site a few days ago.
The implosion of The Hellmouth must have been a stunning sight, Carmichael couldn’t help but muse on that point, wondering how the Slayer had felt at that moment, giving her life to forever seal the portal to hell. He wondered, if she could see what had become of her legacy, whether she would think her sacrifice had been worth it.
“Everything is ready Mr Carmichael, we just need your signature to complete the transaction…”
The demon looked up at the weasely little man, his generic attire marking him out as yet another US government official.
*Stupid foreigners,* the man thought, as Mr Carmichael took the pen from his hand and used his back to sign the papers. Just like the English to think they could make the best out of a bad situation. Still, they would just bide their time and buy the land back for a song in a few years' time. They’d thrown a few spanners in the works but for the most the Californian government had been more than eager to wash their hands of the place. In fact they welcomed the proposed plans and redevelopment that the enigmatic Mr Carmichael had presented to them, not to mention the sizeable fortune that had been dropped into their laps in exchange for, what was at the moment, a useless wasteland.
Carmichael straightened up, handing the contract back to the spectacled man with a smile. Gemmel joined them carrying a bottle of champagne which he opened with a controlled amount of verve, pouring the fizzy golden liquid into three glasses.
Aimes raised his glass with the other men, smiling widely. “Gentlemen, join me in a toast? Here’s to a very Happy New Year!”
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
Reah’s Apartment
Saturday the 23rd, December, 2006
08:47am
“Quin, do you have any washing? I’m going down to the basement and I don’t want to make two trips, 'cause I know you’re not going to go down there for certain reasons we’ve discussed.”
…
Reah sighed, her tone and body language conveying the overwhelming sense of loss she’d been reacquainted with, of late. She’d only been out once on the hunt since her ordeal with Paul and Prosepexa… It just wasn’t the same. Even talking about it and her enhancements at the meeting hadn’t helped: now she just felt that any mystery she had about her was gone, too. She was once again just a handy tool for destruction awaiting someone to find a use for.
“Quin?” Reah leant on her cousin’s door, using the wooden frame for support as she swung inward, peering through the darkness.
She caught a brief flicker of Quin’s eyes as they darted a quick glance at her before ducking her head and shuffling off the bed, pushing past Reah’s body to scurry for the bathroom.
Reah didn’t need much more. The puffy, raw rims surrounding Quin’s clouded red eyes were blatantly obvious, even for the casual observer, despite the scant second they allowed for speculation.
With a frown, Reah turned back to what she’d set out to do and stepped through the threshold of her cousin’s room.
“I’ll just strip your bed myself, then, shall I?” Muttering, Reah swept up the neatly folded dirty clothes Quin organised in a corner, then dragged her feet over to the bed, ready to rip the sheets clear off.
She blindly reached out with her free hand around the bundle she already possessed and gathered an edge of the sheet in her hand, then paused with a quizzical frown… something didn’t sit right.
Dumping the clothes in her arms, Reah bent in for a closer look at the sheet she still grasped, her frown deepening as she pulled out more of the sheet for inspection, and more, and then… *The doona, too! *
“Er, Quin? Is there a reason why your entire bed spread is thoroughly shredded beyond recognition?”
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
***December 1st 2006, 01:00 am***
Jeet had been sitting in silence for hours now. Today had been far from his best day in L.A and now he had all this other information to take in. He really wasn’t sure what to feel, he was honoured that he had been chosen as the protector of the amulet but was bitter about being taken away from his life. Whistler had said that he was to protect the amulet among other things but what did he mean by that? What other things? Jeet just felt numb.
He got up off the sofa and made his way to the kitchen, very conscious of the woman sleeping in his room, but in his effort to be quiet he ending up making more noise, as so often is the case. He stopped to see if he had disturbed her, but nothing stirred. He returned to the sofa with his drink and thought over his earlier conversation with Whistler AGAIN.
One point kept sticking in his mind; he had already used the amulet's power twice. *When? I haven’t used it, I’d know. Wouldn’t I?* Jeet racked his brain going over and over everything that had happened since he had been in LA, but to no avail, he couldn’t think of a single occasion where he had used the amulet.
**03:30 am**
Jeet suddenly awoke and sat upright; he had drifted to sleep just over an hour ago but now was wide awake. *That must be it,* he thought to himself excitedly. He had remembered two occasions that seem to be linked. *When I arrived Reah couldn’t see me, and in her apartment I had a vision of two men. Both times I was left weak for a short period after, that must be it.*
Jeet turned on the small living room lamp and began examining the amulet. *These symbols.* “To see, to hide, to heal, to fight and to defend,” Jeet whispered to himself. *I need to test it somehow - think Jeet, think.*
A small smile appeared on Jeet’s face. *Toni, show me Toni.* He was concentrating as hard as he could, his mind was completely clear apart from his goal. *Show me Toni.*
Jeet’s back suddenly arched, as it had done in Reah’s apartment and once again his pupils had been replaced by a white mist.
Toni was still up; he was working out some of his aggravation against a training dummy.
“Sorry Jeet, I never meant to lie to you,” he muttered to himself as he continued to pummel the wooden dummy, “Damned demon coming in and interfering, we were doing fine without you, if anything happens to that boy…”
Jeet’s back suddenly relaxed and his pupils returned to normal. He couldn’t move but he wasn’t worried this time, he had been expecting it. He was smiling from cheek to cheek, he wasn’t sure if it was because he had figured out the amulet or because of what Toni had said, either way he was happy. After a few minutes Jeet’s strength returned. He got up and went to the phone.
“Toni, yes I know it’s late but I couldn’t sleep, anyway you’re still up. Listen stop beating yourself about lying to me, and don’t worry about Whistler. Nothing's going to happen to me.” Jeet had to suppress a laugh at the stunned silence then stuttering response from Toni at the other end of the line.
“It’s the amulet. I’ve figured it out, it.s… Calm down Toni… Yes, it is great but…” Jeet laughed out loud then remembered Evie and lowered his voice again, “Toni, just calm down, come round in the morning after I’ve had a chance to speak to Evie and we’ll take it from there… Yeah, eleven-ish is fine, now get some sleep.” Jeet said his goodbyes and hung up.
Jeet returned to the sofa and slowly slipped back to sleep.
**09:30 am**
“Cough.” Evie stood in front of Jeet. “COUGH.”
Jeet hazily opened his eyes and stared at the figure in front of him as his vision focused. “Oh, sorry, are you o.k.? Did you sleep all right?” Jeet sat up, he was now very conscious of the fact he was in his underwear.
“Fine thanks, but I’d like to know what’s going on, exactly who you are and why again it is I have to stay here with a perfect stranger.” She was a lot more confident than the woman Jeet had seen last night.
“Yes, that’s fair enough, just let me get dressed.” Jeet was behaving like an embarrassed teenager and Evie could sense it.
“No, you’re all right, I don’t mind you as you are, you look good.” She burst into laughter as Jeet ran into his room.
“No it’s ok, I won’t be long.” Jeet fumbled around in his cupboard, “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen.”
The two spent the next hour or so explaining all about themselves, where they were from and what had happened in their lives, after it all Evie agreed it was best that she stayed with Jeet for now; secretly she was going to be glad of the company.
“I’ll need to get some of my things.” She gave Jeet a smile, the kind she used to use on her dad when she wanted something, “Will that be ok?”
Jeet had the feeling it was going to end up being more than a few things but what could he say? “Yes that’s fine; Toni will be here soon, we’ll take you. Then you and Toni can help me with my amulet.”
There was a knock at the door. “That will be Toni now.” Jeet grabbed his jacket, “You ready?”
They smiled at each other and made their way into the hall. “We need to fetch a few things for Evie if you think your old bones can take it,” Jeet joked.
“I can still give you a run for your money, and I seem to recall you being the old one around here,” Toni retorted. “Come on then, into the van.”
The trio filed into Toni’s van and set off to Evie’s apartment.
Kitchen Antics
Kitchen Antics
Saturday, 20 January 2007 - 7:14pm
64 Birch Street - Alhambra, Los Angeles
Kate sang quietly to herself as she gently rocked Emma in her arms. The small child’s head rested motionlessly against her mother’s chest, her breathing rhythmic and content as the end of her thumb edged towards her drooling mouth. Kate carefully lay Emma down in her crib and tucked her in before laying a kiss against her chubby, baby cheek.
She sighed contentedly, checking her appearance in the mirror. Her long red hair was a mass of loose waves cascading down her back like a fiery river in stark contrast to her pale skin and the ebony column of delicately embroidered silk that softly clung against her slim curves. She and Galen had dinner reservations with Nikolai and his mystery date that night and she was looking forward, not only to a relaxing night out with friends, but an opportunity to get to meet the woman who’d put a spring in Nikolai’s step of late.
Kate slipped her feet into a pair of black strappy shoes; they were much higher than she was used to wearing lately. Motherhood usually meant dressing practically, in clothes which were not only child-friendly but resilient against a variety of stains. Emma had just started on solids a couple of months back which meant a veritable food fight every time Kate wanted her to eat something, and more often than not she ended up wearing more than went into Emma’s mouth.
Remembering that there was a load of dishes that needed to be put away, she made her way into the kitchen and quietly set to stacking the plates and cups from that morning’s breakfast back into the cupboards.
Kate smiled as the door to the basement opened and Galen emerged from the dingy depths. “I was just coming to get you,” she said as he took in her appearance with an attentive eye. “We have reservations at Café La Boheme remember? We’re going to be late.”
Galen sighed, hunting around in the refrigerator for a bottle of water; he ripped the cap off and took a long drink. “Nothing like a good workout to work up an appetite,” he said with an exhausted sigh.
Kate gave him a sideways glance, struggling to hold back a smile. Placing the bottle of water on the counter, Galen wrapped an arm around Kate’s waist and pulled her towards him. “And what was that look about, missy?”
Kate squealed in surprise as Galen grabbed her, she wriggled against his body in an attempt to free herself before eventually giving in. “Don’t you think that you’re maybe taking this a bit too far? I know you want to get fit and be strong… er so that you can protect us but…” Kate grinned, tossing her hair back from her face, a mischievous glimmer in her eye, “that gym sees more action than I do.”
Galen raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise, pulling Kate’s slim body more firmly against his own, causing her to gasp.
“Though I must admit,” she added with another grin while running a hand over his significantly more defined biceps, “I can’t complain about the results.”
Galen eyed her with playful suspicion, “You’re a real tease, you know that?”
“Well I try,” smiled Kate before finally wriggling out of Galen’s tight embrace. “Now hurry up and go take a shower! We need to head out at 7:30, or 7:40 at the latest, you know what mid-evening traffic is like around here-”
“Yeah, the same as morning traffic and afternoon traffic and-” Kate frowned slightly, curling up her lower lip. Galen smiled. “Okay, okay! I’m going to get ready…”
He was about to head up stairs when he stopped in the doorway and admired the figure of his wife as she busied herself replacing clean plates back into the relevant cupboards. She looked incredibly beautiful with her long hair set in loose waves down her back and yet another sexy little black dress emphasising the slight curves of her stunning figure. Even after giving birth Kate was still a slip of a girl he thought, slight hips with shapely legs and a tiny waist. As she bent over he was treated with a view of her rear.
*Oh man, I can understand why the demons at Bob’s couldn’t keep their hands off that peach!* he thought to himself with a grin.
Kate suddenly straightened up and turned to look over her shoulder, an amused smile on her face. “You do know that I can hear you don’t you?” As she turned back to her task at hand she added, “I thought you were going to get dressed?”
Galen grimaced uncomfortably; realising it would probably take him years to fully realise what it meant to be married to someone who could literally read his mind. Still he couldn’t resist that teasing smile, he crept up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.
Kate giggled as he playfully ran his hands up and down her hips and legs, disturbing the line of her dress. “Galen!” she cried out in surprise as his touch suddenly became considerably more intimate.
Galen merely grinned at her exclamation; he leaned in close and whispered in her ear. “Something wrong?”
Kate could feel his warm, insistent breath on the back of her neck and she moaned quietly as his expert hands continued to gently touch her in a most intimate manner. “Uuuhhhmmm,” she sighed before reluctantly pulling back and pushing his hands away. “You always pick the most inconvenient time for this…”
Galen grinned, sensing her reluctance, but he knew Kate well enough to know how far he could push her and when he should stop. Right now he sensed that, while she was pushing him away, she wanted him with the same passionate intensity that he wanted her.
“Oh come on,” said Galen, his voice laced with lustful intent as he took hold of her arms again and pulled Kate closer against his body and began to kiss her neck. “You know how I get really frustrated after a workout… all that physical exertion… pumping iron… I need some release…”
Kate laughed lightly at his pleading and playfully pushed him back, “Oh, but you’re all sweaty…”
Galen grinned, knowing his triumph was imminent as his hands pulled at the length of her dress and slipped under her naked thighs, pushing her up onto the kitchen table before finding his way between her legs. “Well then,” he said, drawing her face down to his, their lips touching gently, “why don’t we get sweaty together?”
****
In his room Jack awoke drowsily, the extra hours he’d been putting in with the Alliance were taking their toll and he’d been feeling immensely tired of late. Glancing at his watch he was shocked to see how much time had passed. Kate and Galen were going out tonight with another couple and he had volunteered himself to babysit Emma. In his mind it wasn’t so much a chore as a pleasure, Emma was such a delightful baby and so much like Kate had been at that age. It brought back fond memories that he was most pleased to relive.
He dressed casually and made for downstairs to search for Kate and Galen. The house had been big when he and Kadee had lived there alone and it seemed no smaller with the addition of his daughter’s little family. He walked through all the rooms, puzzled by their emptiness. In the living room Emma slept peacefully in her crib; hearing what sounded like cutlery dropping to the floor he headed towards the kitchen.
“Are you both ready because, WOAH!”
Jack suddenly halted his sentence upon seeing his daughter and son-in-law furiously grinding their bodies against one another in an insatiable act of lovemaking. Kate sat upon the top of the kitchen table with her back to him. The hem of her dress was pushed up around her waist whilst Galen held her hips firmly, standing between her parted legs. His pants were round his ankles as he zealously thrust back and forth against his wife, grunting with the force of the activity. In response to his efforts Kate was beginning to moan breathlessly.
Jack stumbled anxiously as he took several steps in retreat, his back hitting the door. “Oh my! I’m so- I didn’t- I mean…” he stammered while groping for the door handle and attempting to avert his eyes.
At his startled cry the two lovers also froze, Galen tensed, halting his movements mid-thrust while Kate fought desperately to hold back the euphoric sensations surging through her body. As she turned to steal a glance of her father before he made his hasty retreat, she barely managed to utter a reply between ragged gasps.
The door banged shut as Jack’s hurried footsteps could be heard retreating into the sitting room. Kate turned back to Galen, her face flushed with more than just embarrassment. She continued to breathe heavily while her body fought to regain composure. “Oh… oh my… oh my god,” she stammered.
Galen’s face looked slightly grim but he tried to shake it off. He slowly detached himself from his wife’s embrace with an exhausted sigh. “I guess that could have been worse,” he said, hastily pulling his pants back up.
“Could have been worse’? I doubt it!” Kate groaned in regret, holding her head in her hands. “Oh Hecate! This is a nightmare, how am I going to look him in the face?”
“I swear it wasn’t that bad, y’know at least we weren’t naked!”
“Not that bad?” Kate slid from the table’s surface as she straightened her dress out in an effort to make herself more presentable. “My father just saw me while I was in the middle of having a mind blowing orgasm! How is that not bad?”
Galen tucked his shirt into his pants before helping Kate zip her dress back up. “All I’m saying is that it could have been worse, believe me I remember this one time when I was sixteen my father- wait a minute, ‘mind blowing’ you say…?”
Kate laughed despite herself, “Don’t start, I’d better go talk to him. How do I look?”
Galen looked her up and down, “Hmmm, like a wanton Jezebel.” At Kate’s annoyed stare he chuckled, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!”
Jack was already pacing back and forth in the living room, his face ashen and worried. As he saw Kate he looked away nervously, causing Kate to blush furiously with embarrassment.
“Jack I’m sorry,” she started, barely able to look him in the face, “I- Galen and I, we-”
Jack held his hands up to stop her. “Really. There’s no need to apologise, it’s I who should… perhaps I’ve outstayed my welcome…”
“No,” said Kate hastily, “I love having you living here with us Jack, we both do and you’re so good with Emma too…”
Once again Jack held up his hands, “Kate, you and Galen are still in that ‘newlywed phase’… of course you’re going to want to…” his voice trailed off causing Kate to blush again and look away. “And there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s wonderful, I don’t know if it’s necessarily hygienic on the kitchen table but-”
“Jack!” said Kate in surprise, “Please, you’re killing me here!”
“I’m sorry,” Jack said with a short laugh. “What I’m getting at is, well of course you and Galen are going to want to have your privacy, maybe it would just be better in the long run if I-”
Jack was suddenly cut off as the sound of a car horn could be heard from outside. Kate quickly glanced through the curtains; “It’s our taxi…”
“Can you get the guy to wait?” Galen said uncomfortably as he emerged from the kitchen, running a hand through his damp hair. “I um, really need a shower before we go…”
Kate turned quickly to face Jack as Galen ran up the stairs towards the bathroom. “He worked up a bit of a sweat- I mean! In the basement with the weights and things…” She blushed profusely, wondering if her cheeks would ever return to their normal colour.
Jack scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “Look, Kate, I’m serious, what I was going to say before, well I-”
Kate looked alarmed; she could sense where the conversation was leading and didn’t want Jack to move out over all this. They were just getting to know each other and feel comfortable in one another’s company and then this happened.
“Actually,” she interrupted abruptly, heading towards the door, “I should probably go tell the driver we’re running late.”
Double Date Disaster
Double Date Disaster
Saturday, 20 January 2007 - 8:15pm
Café La Boheme – Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles
The restaurant was bustling as usual for a Saturday night. Waiters expertly danced around the tables balancing an assortment of dishes from table to table and making sure that there was a steady flow of wine at all times. Couples leaned in close, holding hands intimately in the dim candlelight, while others perched upon tall stools by the bar, sipping at drinks the same colour as semi-precious stones and looking the epitome of Los Angeles chic.
Kate sipped at a cocktail while casually glancing towards the entrance to see if Nikolai and his date had arrived yet. Galen sat at her side, his hand covering hers while he gently rubbed his thumb over her soft flesh in tiny circles. If truth be told he was still feeling frustrated from the events of earlier that evening, and circumstances were certainly not being helped by the addition of alcohol, soft lighting and the seductive scent of Kate’s perfume. Galen unfastened the top button of his shirt collar, glancing at his watch in the process.
"They're late," he announced briskly in an attempt to occupy his mind with other thoughts. He glanced at the foyer as another large party arrived.
Kate raised an eyebrow quizzically, "Five minutes Galen," she berated, "I think people are allowed to be five minutes late. Perhaps it helps if others aren't twenty minutes early to begin with..." Kate nudged her husband playfully, "Nikolai will be here, it was his idea anyway, you two finally get to meet."
Galen gave Kate an uncertain frown while taking a sip from his own drink, "Yeah, I finally get to meet the man who's been seeing more of my wife than I have lately... thank god I'm not a jealous man." He stole a long gaze at Kate, she looked absolutely stunning as usual, the silky black fabric of her dress clung perfectly to every curve, his mind couldn’t help but remember how forty minutes ago he had been in the process of removing it… “And believe me,” he said, loosening his tie slightly, “it's pretty difficult not to be sometimes.”
Kate smiled decorously, placing a hand on Galen’s thigh and rubbing it slightly through the expensive fabric of his pants. This action caused her husband to close his eyes and sigh contentedly as her fingers brushed his inside leg. “One dinner,” she whispered, sensing his frustration. She rested the side of her head against his shoulder, smiling to herself, “and then I’ll take you home and we can finish what we started…”
Galen grimaced slightly, remembering the awkward situation earlier that evening. “Do you think Jack will…?”
Kate took another sip of her cocktail and sighed, “I hope not.”
Orin Trask sat at a small table over in the corner, partially secluded from the rest of the restaurant by a few pot plants. He’d requested the table specifically for that purpose; it afforded him a good view of the restaurant without being seen. He raised an eye at the couple sitting at the table. This Kate was a witch, and a powerful one he had reason to believe if his results so far were anything to go by, so he was surprised that she appeared so attached to such earthly pleasures as sex. His own experiences in that area had left him less than enamoured. He found the act itself primal, ultimately unsatisfactory and, well, basically messy (just the thought of all those bodily fluids made his stomach turn).
As the waitress approached, he waved her away, making a gesture of holding the menu higher in front of his face to show that he needed more time. Once he was alone, Orin slowly lowered the menu, keeping a watchful eye on the witch.
"Ok, they've stopped, I think we can go in now," Nikolai turned to Alicia Wylding. Fighting couples seemed especially determined to overwhelm him, with the strong emotions that existed between them. Though he was still trying to get over the surprise of Alicia dressed up. Nikolai afforded her a glance in the mirror, admiring the way that her dress was at the same time conservative and provocative.
When they finally got inside, Nikolai glanced around the restaurant for Kate and Galen when he felt Alicia's hand on his arm. He jumped in surprise at the sudden contact, though he did finally recover when they started towards the table.
"You didn't tell me you knew Kate," Alicia said, noticing the pair looking quite contented with each other.
Nikolai stopped in dead surprise. "You two know each other? LA is a small town, after all." Alicia snorted at the bad joke which was probably more response than it deserved.
Galen had just leaned in to plant a soft kiss on his wife's lips when he suddenly noticed the couple approaching the table. He broke away in unease as Kate stood to greet her friend and his 'date'. She looked shocked, facing the woman who had been her previous employer when she had worked at The Bibliophile.
"Mrs Wylding!" she exclaimed in surprise, "I mean, Alicia, Nikolai..." Kate hesitated a moment, still caught off guard by Alicia's presence. "I, erm, this is my Galen husband, I mean my husband Galen." Kate sat down quickly, blushing at her ineptitude.
Galen struggled to fight down a smile as the couple seated themselves and Kate's cheeks burned with embarrassment. He extended his hand towards the man Nikolai, "Nice to finally meet you at last."
"And you as well," he replied, feeling the combination of slight amusement and embarrassment though he flushed at the feelings of passion between them, held barely in check. "I promise, I had no idea they knew each other." Still, Kate's embarrassment did show through rather well. Even Alicia was able to pick up on it.
"Pleased to see you again, Galen," she extended her hand to him as well. At which point Nikolai did everything he could not to slap himself in the head. "It's been so long, how have you two been? And how is Emma doing?"
Nikolai himself started to flush some at the embarrassment of not saying more about who the other pair was, meekly sitting down at the table. The first thing he noticed was the presence of a certain amount of politeness though not deep friendship between the three. *For a lonely woman, Alicia never let herself get close to anyone, did she?*
Kate squeezed Galen's hand tightly as she spoke, gently rubbing a slender calf against his leg under the table. "Emma, she's wonderful, she's crawling around and," Kate frowned unable to maintain the polite pretence any longer. "Nikolai, you never told me your date was Alicia, how, how did the two of you meet?"
Nikolai was broken out of his embarrassment at the question. "Um, well, would you believe during Tai Chi?"
Alicia smiled, picking up the awkwardness of the story. "He never had a lesson, but picked up everything naturally. I think everyone was curious about him, but for some reason he decided to talk to me."
Kate smiled slightly at the pair. She could feel the range of nervous emotions radiating off both of them. It was so sweet she thought, Nikolai stealing quick glances at Alicia, Alicia self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. It reminded her of how Galen and herself had once been, all nervous apprehension with the promise of things to come. "I think Nikolai is a man of many talents, not all of them Tai Chi related..."
Galen sensed an awkward silence approaching and ushered over the waiter, "Why don't we order? I don't know about you but I'm famished." Besides, he was still trying to find some way to work through his frustration.
“A splendid idea,” Nikolai agreed, wondering what exactly he was supposed to order. Having another person in your head with a radically different diet made life interesting at times, depending on exactly which set of tastes was more dominant at any given time.
Once everyone had ordered, conversation resumed between the group. Until Nikolai asked at last, “So, how did you and Galen meet?” then immediately regretted it when he felt the nervousness of the pair increase. “Nev, never mind,” he stammered out hastily.
Nikolai felt Alicia’s hand come to rest reassuringly over his own as he repeated to himself, *This is not a date, just a group of friends having dinner…* Though the feelings of familiar desire between Kate and Galen added to his awareness of everything, his heart pulsing. It certainly felt like a date.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you didn’t offend,” Alicia said gently, softly stroking his hand with her thumb before realising what she was doing.
Galen glanced at Kate, it was always tough to explain how they had met, part of him wished he could say at a Tai Chi class too rather than relive the actual circumstances. He could do without remembering about Serapis and that vile sycophant of his Anubis, even if such events had led to him meeting the love of his life. "It's um, no problem," he said finally, forcing a cheerful if not slightly awkward smile on his face, "we actually met through work, I was with the FBI at the time, Kate was involved in a case I was investigating. Things just kind of developed from there."
Kate felt a twinge of annoyance inside, she really loathed lying to her 'friends' even if the truth was too difficult to explain. At the same time Kate understood how Galen had managed to keep her in the dark about his 'work' for such a long time; he was still a very good liar, mixing truths and untruths almost seamlessly.
Nikolai figured that this was glazing over the truth, something that he could appreciate quite well. Some things were just difficult to talk about for various reasons. "The FBI? That must be quite fascinating work." He could sense the unease of the topic, though they hid it quite well.
Smiling, he hoped to put them at ease with a joke. "Naturally, I probably should not tell you that like all Russians, I am a spy."
Galen forced himself to chuckle at the ‘joke’, noticing that Kate did nothing more than smile politely, "Well, so long as I don't have to arrest you," Galen said with a grin. At Alicia's slightly worried glance he laughed again, "No, no, no I would never do that! For one thing I'm off duty."
"Plus we have a pact," Kate chirped in, "I don't turn his friends into toads and he doesn't send mine to the county lock-up. I think it's very fair."
Alicia finally let loose and burst out laughing at that, which got an odd look from Kate. She simply was not known for relaxing that much. "Oh, I don't know, a green complexion might do some of them good," she chimed in.
The arrival of food cut off the merriment, replacing it with rejoicing of a different sort. Nikolai looked down at the salad, one nagging thought in the back of his mind: *How can you have a salad without cheese as well?* Despite that thought, he did actually make decent work of it. Though he did notice the strange looks he received from Galen through the considering of it.
It was true Galen did find the other man a little strange, of course Kate had informed him that Nikolai was an empath and a newly empowered one at that. But apart from that Galen could sense something in the man; he wasn't sure what but it was something familiar, almost like they shared a similar history. Looking at Nikolai was almost like looking in a mirror at times, it unnerved him, especially since he distinctly remembered Kate telling him that Nikolai had once been a hired killer. Galen had done his fair share of killing in his line of work, and in truth he would do it again if he was put in such a situation. But it was that word 'assassin' - it just didn't lie well with him, nor, in his humble opinion, should it with anyone.
Kate was more caught up in the transformation of Alicia. At work the woman was frosty to say the least, even though she had loosened up some during the whole Mother Mariah situation, but after that had been resolved she'd quickly reverted to her usual austere self. But here, sitting next to Nikolai, the woman seemed to glow with a new energy. As the evening progressed she grew even more confident and articulate. Kate was really stunned, but glad to see that Nikolai had such a positive effect on the woman.
Nikolai considered Kate's husband carefully. He seemed a very professional man, the kind who could do the things he no longer felt right about. Odd, how one could change over time. A few months ago, he could have taken a contract as easily as taking a drink, and now all that was changed. But as a pair, looking at Kate and Galen... he envied them. As he ate, he relaxed and let the L'Than portion guide him as he felt the emotions pass between them. An underlying feeling of love, devotion, and trust was there - a closeness that made him feel like he was looking at a single soul inhabiting two bodies.
"E-excuse me," he said, overwhelmed at the feelings as he shot off towards the restroom. It would, he felt, take a cruel twist of fate to come between those two.
Alicia watched Nikolai run, not following when she realised where he was probably going. Kate and Galen both looked slightly dumbfounded at the sudden leaving. She turned back to the pair before talking.
"It's probably a couple fighting," she said. "Kolya still gets overwhelmed by them quite easily."
Kate nodded though she wasn't exactly sure if Alicia was correct in her analysis. Nikolai was still new at controlling his empathic abilities and she knew it would probably take him some time to control that power fully. “Maybe someone should go see how he is?”
Alicia took a last quick sip of water before heading off in search of Nikolai. "That may be a good idea." She slipped off towards the restroom, waiting outside of it patiently. After a minute or two, Nikolai stumbled out, holding his head. "Are you all right?"
Nikolai nodded, taking Alicia's hand into his own. As he spoke, he took the other into his hands as well and gently held them. "It's just a little overwhelming still, is all. I'll be fine." The pair stood there for a bit before starting back to rejoin the other couple at the table, still holding hands, standing silent together. He felt reassured having her there, that he would be able to control his abilities.
“What happened?” Alicia asked with genuine concern and curiosity, moving closer to him. She just wanted to move closer, unsure of exactly how or whether to proceed. The man was her friend, but there was certainly something there.
As Alicia stepped closer, Nikolai found an arm moving to slip around her waist, tracing across the fabric of her dress. “Just Kate and Galen.”
“What? Are they fighting?”
“No, not at all… it’s just how strong they feel…” Nikolai found himself meeting Alicia’s gaze once again, her arms around him as well. “They have something between the two of them, something powerful. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like it before.” Their eyes met as they stood there, seeing a softness and desire to be closer. Alicia’s eyes closed as her embrace tightened slightly. Nikolai slowly turned his head sideways before moving in to softly touch her lips.
When it ended, they continued to just hold each other before Alicia gently pulled him; an odd combination of happy and nervous as something had changed between them. “Come on,” she said. “We had better get back before Kate and Galen decide to check on us.”
Orin watched carefully as the other couple rejoined the table. He rolled his eyes at the dopey expression they both shared, like a couple of school children, the only thing he found more frivolous than sex was love. At least sex fulfilled a basic animal need, even if it was in his opinion a waste of better directed energies. Love, however, was little more than a chemical imbalance no different than eating large quantities of chocolate, and yet humans, mortals, they invested their lives in the pursuit of it, would gladly die for it. Love, Orin eyed the two couples with scornful irritation as he rose to his feet, love would be their downfall.
With a flourish, Orin removed his staff from under his cloak. The crystal end glowed a deep red that illuminated the dully-lit restaurant.
The pair stopped before they even reached the table as they noticed the glow beginning in the restaurant. Neither of them was quite sure exactly what to make of it.
"Do you hear that?" Nikolai asked, as the sound of energy began behind them.
"Unfortunately yes," Alicia said, turning slowly with her date. It was a red vortex, swirling, about two feet in diameter. Without warning, something came through in a blur. Whatever it was landed on Nikolai, dragging Alicia to the ground with him, before it bounded off. She turned to look, seeing the fleeing end of the creature. It was a small creature, which stood on four legs at just under two feet tall - and was certainly stronger and faster than it might look sitting. A short tail hung off the back of the creature; red fur covering its body as it darted under tables in the restaurant.
People screamed and jumped up, surprised to find themselves unmolested. Abruptly the red light winked out, and the energy stopped. Alicia silently was glad that only one of the creatures had come into the restaurant, when she heard the low growl behind them. She and Nikolai scooted back some, enabling them to get a look at the second beast: glowing yellow eyes, two curved horns off the side of its head, and a mouth of cone-shaped teeth stared at them. It sniffed the air, looking in the direction of the other creature.
The creature and Nikolai moved at the same time, Nikolai jumping to grab and wrestle it down as it moved. The momentum carried them in a circle, causing him to lose his grip. If it were not a predator, the creature might have looked cute as it hit the floor and spun out. It stopped for a moment to stand and shake its head, before turning to face the creature that dared attack it.
Kate and Galen both jumped up from their seats, knocking the chairs over onto the floor as the first of the two 'animals' emerged. Screams filled the restaurant and people began to run around in various directions, all fighting to get away from the snarling beasts.
As Nikolai attempted to wrestle the second demon to the ground the first had already locked eyes with its prey. Slowly it stalked towards where Kate stood, its teeth dripping with saliva, eyes burning red with hellfire and nostrils flared, snorting sulphuric gasses like air. With a final growl it leapt towards her.
"Abhibere!" cried Kate in shock, thrusting her arms out in front of her, and the force of the spell sent the beast flying across the room with a surprised grunt.
The second creature looked at its prey, as though trying to decide between targets. Its legs tensed as it prepared to pounce, and Nikolai realised with horror who the intended target was.
"Watch out!" he screamed, pushing Alicia aside as the beast leapt through the air. Instead of a woman it found a man, crashing down on top of him. Nikolai brought his hands up under the creature's jaws while it pinned him down, trying to push the jaws up. For a few moments it held, then suddenly, it pushed down. He expected the creature to begin to dig in right there when Alicia swung a chair at it, hitting it in the side.
The restaurant was in chaos now; Orin pushed past a crowd of people to keep an eye on the action. He held the data orb in front of him, tracking the moves of the witch as the beast leapt at her for a second time. Her husband helped her wrestle the creature to the ground and swung a kick out which landed squarely on the beast's nose, causing it to yelp in pain. Meanwhile the other couple was also making short work of his other creation.
"Time to turn the heat up I think," muttered Orin as he swung out his staff again, waving it in the direction of the two demons. "Beasts that crawl upon the ground, grow and grow with strength unbound!"
Galen held the creature's head tightly under his arm, its snapping jaws about a foot away from his face as he attempted to snap the beast's neck. As the animal wriggled and kicked in his grip he silently wished that he'd brought his gun. Suddenly, without warning the beast began to grow. First its legs widened, hair sprouting in thicker tufts, the back of the beast became more arched, rising higher until it was almost five feet tall. The snout extended and the teeth inside that massive jaw grew longer and sharper.
"What the hell!?" cried Galen in shock, letting go of his feeble hold on the behemoth. "What are these things on? Miracle Grow?"
The pair backed away slowly, anxiously aware that the second beast that Nikolai and Alicia had also been engaged with had also grown at the same alarming rate. The four all huddled together as the two beasts backed them into a corner.
"Big Bird sure got ugly in his old age," muttered Galen while his eyes searched for a weapon… a plan… anything.
"Something isn't right here," said Kate quietly. It was the understatement of the century, she knew that, but there was something not quite right about the situation. Demons just didn't grow like that nor did they appear out of thin air.
“It might not be right, but I’m sure as hell not going to go down without a fight,” said Galen through gritted teeth as he ripped a fire extinguisher from its wall fitting; Nikolai caught his eye and grabbed a second. The two men aimed the nozzles and fired out a stream of high-pressure foam and water at the two beasts.
“Take that, you overgrown Muppet!” shouted Nikolai gleefully as the jet of white foam hit the second beast straight in the face.
Kate's eyes looked around the room until she suddenly caught sight of a dark cloaked figure across the room. Something about him seemed strangely familiar though she couldn't quite figure out what it was. As the beasts growled in anger her attention returned to the situation at hand. Nikolai and Galen had blasted the creatures back a little but it was short lived as the two fire extinguishers dismally spluttered to an end. Nikolai heaved his at the first creature who batted it away as though it were nothing more than a bothersome insect.
“Okay, um, any other plans would be gratefully accepted at this point,” Galen uttered nervously, dropping his own spent extinguisher on the floor.
Orin leered victoriously as the small group appeared trapped. He was about to turn and leave when there was a sudden blast of light. He turned back to see the witch pelting the two creatures with an array of energy bolts. "Hmm, impressive," he mumbled, punching some symbols into the data orb.
As Kate attacked, the creatures began to slowly wither and shrink in mass until they had virtually returned to their original size.
Orin smiled, raising his staff for the last time. "Desino," he whispered, the crystal in his staff glowing again and reopening the portal into which the two beasts obediently retreated.
“Wow,” said Galen in shock as the creatures vanished beneath the bolts of energy. An exhausted Kate sat in a heap on the floor, her hands burning from the strength of the energy she had just channelled through them. “Are you okay honey?” he asked, helping her up to her feet.
“Yes, I just…” Kate held her head weakly. She was about to turn back to join her friends when she caught sight of the cloaked figure again as he began to leave the restaurant. “Hey!” she called out, letting go of Galen’s hand and running in the direction of the stranger. “HEY!!”
Orin’s eyes locked on the witch as she shouted out at him, struggling to reach him through the ruinous destruction of the restaurant. Orin turned on his heels, his cloak swishing behind him dramatically as he departed the restaurant.
Kate climbed over several broken chairs and overturned tables on her way to the front of the restaurant, following the mysterious stranger with a sense of panic and dread building rapidly in her stomach.
Entering the alleyway that led back out to the brightly lit streets of the Santa Monica Boulevard there was no sign of the cloaked figure. Kate looked back and forth, her breathing tired yet tight, eyes straining to search out the shadows. She gasped suddenly as a hand touched her shoulder.
“What’s going on? Are you all right?” Galen looked concerned, Nikolai and Alicia stood not too far away with similar expressions pasted on their faces.
“I’m er…” Kate continued to look searchingly down the alleyway, “I thought I saw someone but…”
“I don’t see anyone,” said Galen as he looked up and down the alley.
“No, neither do I,” mumbled Kate, her voice sounding confused but also thoughtful. The man had looked so familiar, something about him… *Could he have something to do with what happened tonight?* she thought curiously. *What had happened tonight? For what purpose could there be to set loose a couple of demons on a restaurant of people?*
Reluctantly, Kate let Galen guide her back into the building where they paid their bill as the restaurant staff and patrons all slowly returned. Somewhere a band struck up in an attempt to recapture the night’s festivities. However twenty minutes later everybody had left as rumours of drug fuelled gang riots began to circulate.
Mid-Season Three: Nov 1, 2006 - Feb 28, 2007
January 7th 2006
9:45am
Sathawick was standing on the deck of the “Sweeper” expedition ship. Facer called it that because he found it very interesting that a ship could send signals and sweep a lake’s floor without even a strain. In all those years of living Facer could have been an expert on such mechanical things if he wanted to, but he still had yet to understand how to operate a computer, forget complex machinery. It was just the case of never “coming around to it yet”, as most of his years he either spent in digs or on a discovery of his own. If there were any machinery used in the digs, he had someone else do it for him. It intrigued him and sometimes frustrated him to have been there to see the change in years of new technologies being sought out, the advances the human race was reaching, and in a way forgetting its old ways.
He walked towards the captain of the ship and saw two other crewmembers hunched over a machine that was making beep, beep, beep sounds. Sometimes he felt as if he was avoiding technology to keep his old self, his native self, alive, but whereever he looked advancements and technology surrounded him, as if forcing him to accept the change. “Damn machines, I’m sure one day they’ll take over the world and the human populace would have to live in the sewers.”
One of the crewman looked at Facer. “You’ve been watching way too much Matrix, sir,” he said with a smirk.
Facer looked at him puzzled, “What’s the Matrix?”
The crewman thought he was joking and decided to play along. “Ah, you see the Matrix is all around us sir, it's everywhere, and we’re all plugged into a big machine.” He winked and went back to observing the machine.
“Man, you need your head fixed, get those dog scans…or was it cat scans? Anyways, any progress so far?”
This time the captain replied, “Well, Mr. Sathawick, we have a team of divers down there right now searching this grid, and so far we haven’t actually gotten word of anything “unusual”. So far we have not found any traces of metals, or any abnormal rock transformations that might arouse suspicion.”
Facer sighed, it had been nearly a month since they had been digging, and even Siegfried was getting restless. His calls had been increasing and Facer had been trying to keep him patient by giving him the we’ll-find-many-riches-you’ll-be-very-rich talk, but Facer knew if he didn’t find something soon Siegfried might stop sponsoring him. He turned around and decided to stick around just in case something did turn up.
He sat down and waited, his mind once again traveling towards the thoughts about the twins. Just as always Tarix’s face popped up. Ever since he had read them, he knew the prophecy meant something big, but he didn’t want to alarm them. In his heart he knew he must help her, but he didn’t know why. *It's not like I’d be satisfied, I’d still be in a way restless, even after I have found out all about the prophecy. Restless for the next thing to come along and me to get engaged in it.* Maybe it wasn’t just Tarix in his heart that influenced him, maybe it was him just trying to keep himself busy. But he knew he was lying to himself, he was starting to have feelings for Tarix and he had barely met her. Fine, he knew a lot about her, her feelings, her convictions, but she would never fall for him. No, he’d just have to bury those feelings, make them go away, just like his happiness.
He heard the radio start to report back and looked up to see the captain replying back. “Copy that, head back to the ship for further instructions, over.” The captain looked excited and came over to Sathawick. “Sir, they’ve found something.”
* * *
“Team Bravo was on the edge of this formation when one of the members noticed something very abnormal.” The divers had come back up and had the audience of the entire crew including Facer and one of them was debriefing. He gave way to another diver who started to speak.
“You see, the rock on the on its own appeared very normal, but at the base one could make out, very roughly, as if it didn’t belong there. It seemed to be of slightly different origin. On closer inspection I tried to cut into it and after a few minutes when I had dug pretty deep my suspicion was well supported with evidence, and air from the rock was released into the water. We may indeed have found a chamber.”
The crew was silent for a while and then started to cheer, while Facer sat there motionless but smiling slightly.
After the crowd had settled back down the captain announced that they’ll be sending more divers down to dig deep into the rock. Sathawick saw as another team of divers started to get ready and dive in and after a while heavy digging equipment was sent via a crane to them. It took long hours of digging, and the process was even slower because it was underwater. After four hours of straight work the team had dug into the primary chamber and discovered that there was more digging to be done.
Everyone seemed very restless to find out about the result of the dig, even Sathawick who sat almost nervously, hoping that this indeed was the tomb he was looking for. He heard a noise of a motorboat and turned around to see one approaching the ship. He stood up and had a better look and found the motorboat was slightly tilting. *Shit, that can only mean that either that boat has an elephant on or a very fat man, or both, and Siegfried’s found out about the find.* His thoughts were confirmed and Siegfried climbed into the ship, panting out of breath from the climb. When he had gained his breath he came over to greet Sathawick.
“Well hala! I just heard and thought I’d accompany you,” he said, his face red, from the heat probably.
*Must have bribed someone on the ship to give him full information and most probably come to make sure his investment has paid off.* “It's good to have an anchor, I mean an archeologist to support another,” Sathawick said. In a way Siegfried was an archeologist, a greedy one, but he’d known him to go on a few digs back in his time. Siegfried tried to smile and started to reply when he was interrupted by one of the crewmembers.
“Sir, the captain wants you on deck, there’s feedback coming from the divers.”
Both of the men quickly headed towards the deck and saw the Captain listening intently to the radio. He motioned Facer over and beckoned him to listen. There were many noises, but above all the main diver was speaking.
“…and now proceeding to get into the third chamber. A rock formation has been cut and is being lifted as we speak. I believe this is the last chamber before---shhhhhhh.”
The Captain seemed alarmed and took the radio, “Hello, team Charlie, team Charlie come in.” He was replied with the same shhhhhh sound. He approached one of the monitors and gave orders to the man handling it. “Find out if they’re still down there or have they gone in. The communications could have been cut of if they have gone in.”
The man nodded and had a look. “Captain, the readings show they are still down there.” He suddenly looked very alarmed. “Captain, they don’t seem to be moving at all, and their air intake has dropped to zero.”
“Oh my God!” The Captain became pale, and after a while he gave his second orders. “Get Alpha team ready, and have them find out what happened to those divers. Your readings could be wrong, they can’t just suddenly be knocked dead.”
Sathawick suddenly realized what was happening. It had to be a spell, protecting the opening of the tomb, and the poor divers had found it and were hit. He knew they were dead. He quickly moved towards the captain. “No, I want to go down, alone.”
The Captain turned around, “Look, sir, with all due respect, I have expert divers, they’ll find out what has happened. We can’t send down an amateur.”
“Captain, I have a feeling I know what’s happening and I need you to send me down there. What’s killed those men may kill again.”
“We don’t know whether the men have died yet, it could be an error in the ma…”
“I want to go down there, now. Trust me.” Facer could read the Captain as he grew suspicious about him and even started to think he may have known about this earlier.
*If he’s responsible for the death of my men, then perhaps he should take care of his own dirty work,* the Captain thought and agreed. Siegfried wanted to go as well, but he’d never swum before and there wasn’t a diving suit big enough to fit him. One of the divers explained the equipment to Sathawick and put it on him, also giving Sathawick a waterproof light and various other items and tools he may need.
In about an hour’s time they were ready and Sathawick took a dive into the Lake. He had dived before in Asia at another dig, so Facer was experienced enough. He swam down, and soon found the bodies with his light, floating, unmoving. He dived over to the nearest one and turned him over. He saw the diver, his eyes open, his expression frozen, his face very pale. There was no doubt, the divers were dead. Sathawick reported this back and told them he was going into the chamber. Nobody refused him.
He went towards the chamber and braced himself. *Hopefully the spell was for mortals only.* Facer knew that the ancient Egyptian priests used many spells to protect tombs. After he was hit by one and had had enough knowledge, he looked into it and found that death spells were usually for mortals looking for immortality and given eternal rest, while for the immortals these spells were found not to be a threat. Sathawick took a deep breath and dived in. He felt a tingling sensation after he entered the third chamber, but nothing happened so he went further in, relieved that he was right about the spell.
He felt himself go deeper and deeper into the last tunnel, then he saw something he’d never seen before. He had approached what seemed to be an air pocket, but in the middle of his path. Logically speaking when the divers dug, the complete area should have been flooded. *More spells? This must be the way they found it easier to work underwater.*
He went towards the air pocket and almost stepped out and fell hard to the ground as he lost his balance. *Must be a self replenishing air source, that’s how there was still air left here, otherwise even if the divers didn’t dig, over the years the place should technically have been all water.* He reported he had found a way in, to the Captain, but didn’t tell him about the pocket of air. He also said that communication may be lost for a little while as he’s inside the tomb. He took off his suit, and left the torch there with it and instead took a glow stick and snapped it to ignite it. He then found his tools and started to explore the find.
He went further into the tomb and saw hieroglyphs, all of which undoubtedly told him he had found the tomb of Kum’Wa, which meant Kh’Kum's tomb was nearby or perhaps joined. But the latter seemed unlikely as God figures or Pharaohs never shared tombs, but may have links perhaps. However now that he found that it was Kum’Wa’s tomb he started to read the hieroglyphs further and tried to find more about Kum’Wa before locating the second Codex.
While he held his glow stick high enough to read the writings, Sathawick’s hand moved up and down the stone wall, figuring the hieroglyphs as he read them. He looked around and like an Egyptian tomb felt the chamber he was in completely covered with the writing. He read all that he could and by the time he was finished he was on his fourth glow stick. The writing told of the mysterious Kum’Wa, the all-powerful demon, whom even before time people worshipped. The writing gave a timeline of Kum’Wa's power even before the time of the Kumacs. He was a demon that demons worshipped and served but one day one of his followers dared to oppose him, and tried to make his own way. Kum’Wa saw this as treason and killed his entire family and banished him from his land.
The follower was banished to hell, but found a way back and soon sought revenge. He called himself the Great Kh’Kum, and he remained hidden from Kum’Wa and created his own clan. Even though his old family couldn’t be replaced, he made a new family, so when the time came his sons could stand beside him to fight. When he felt he was ready Kh’Kum launched his war at Kum’Wa. For many years the battle continued but Kh’Kum still didn’t seem to be a match for Kum’Wa.
It is later said that one of Kum’Wa’s sons fell in love with one of Kh’Kum's daughters. (Sathawick immensely felt a Romeo and Juliet story start to emerge). They knew they couldn’t stop their fathers so they got together and persuaded many of their siblings and tricked the rest and performed a spell. This spell worked and it said that Kh’Kum and Kum’Wa lost most of the sons and daughters because of it, and both were almost crippled. Then Kh’Kum killed Kum’Wa and had him buried where no one could ever find trace of him.
Sathawick looked around and found another passage leading deeper, and followed it. He came across many more writings, and finally found the inner chamber, or what he knew would be but there was a wall in front of it. He started to dig to get through and finally finished digging and pulled the wall that sealed the chamber down. He put his tools into their bag, carried them into the chamber, looked around and saw the tomb. He walked over and it and started to read the hieroglyphs. *This is weird.*
The hieroglyphs now showed that the one inside the tomb was the Great Kh’Kum. Facer continued to read and found the answer to his puzzle. Kh’Kum had ruled Egypt for many years after the fall of Kum’Wa and grew tired. He then asked to be put to rest and was buried in upper Egypt. But his soul could not continue its journey to the underworld as sorcerers wanted the great power that Kh’Kum once had. He made each mage pay with its life, but still could not get peace he had sought for. He then appeared and asked one of the Pharaohs to relocate his tomb. He told the Pharaoh where he had buried Kum’Wa, and to take Kum’Wa’s body and burn it and replace the tomb with Kh’Kum’s body so he could get peace. He knew no one would be able to find him there. The Pharaoh took the measure and did what he was told and made his slaves do the work for him. Kh’Kum told the Pharaoh he could keep the Codex, which had great power if he knew how to use it properly. *Somehow the Codex must be related to Kh’Kum, that’s why it led me here.*
Sathawick hoped the second Codex was still here in the chamber, but looked around in vain and didn’t find anything. Then he remembered that Pharaohs always had many chambers filled with treasure. He looked around the tomb and found other chambers and started looking through them.
* * *
“Captain, it’s been too long, we have had no communication back from him, and his air supply isn’t enough to keep him down this long.”
The Captain pondered this for a moment; meanwhile Siegfried wasn’t going to let Sathawick get away with a find and tried to have to Captain send more of his men down there but he kept refusing, saying he’d lost enough men. “All right men, send Alpha team down.” Siegfried felt very happy that finally a measure was being taken. “And get them to bring the bodies up so that we can go back to shore.” Siegfreid’s smile froze.
“But you can’t do this, what of the find, I mean what of Sathawick?” he said.
“I have a feeling Mr. Sathawick might have met the same fate as the diver team down there. I am not going to risk any more divers and send them to their doom. We’re report this to the authorities…”
“NO! You can’t do that, this site should remain a secret until we can figure out what we have here.”
“Mr. Seigfried, personally I don’t give a damn about you, or your friend or the dig.” He turned to his men. “You have your orders wha…” THUMP The entire ship shook and something hit it hard. “What the hell was that?” The crewmembers all investigated and found that another ship had collided with them.
“And Captain, they seem to be boarding our ship,” one of the crewmember’s reported.
“What? Why?” The Captain made his way over to where two men had climbed on board. “What do you…?” The Captain froze as he saw their faces, an expression of horror on his face. By the time Sathawick made his way into the Codex chamber, all the people aboard the ship were already dead.
* * *
Sathawick gave one last thump with his hammer and pushed until the wall fell down. He felt exhausted but made his way through what he hoped was the chamber where the Codex was. The chamber was huge but empty except for the Codex, which was on the far end of the room. Sathawick quickly made his way to it, his excitement reaching bounds. He took the Codex of Kum’Wa off its resting place in the wall, wiping the dirt off and took it in his own hands. It was long and thick, made with the same metal and had the same strange inscriptions as the other Codex. Sathawick tilted it in his fingers and saw two large symbols on each tip end of the Codex, one had a symbol like O the other side had a symbol like an X. The Codex seemed to be made of two bits fused together in the middle, and as Facer figured it there were metalic jags mostly along the Codex in the middle.
Sathawick put the Codex in his bag and was about to head back when he saw a tablet under the place where the Codex had been stored. He sat down and started to read again. This time the writing wasn’t about the history but about the future, and Sathawick realized that he had found the prophecy. Sathawick read it, and recognized it as the language which had long been thought to be dead. His skills were rusty, but he tried to read as much as he could. He gaze fell upon a passage that told of the prophecy of the two. His heart quickened as he read it and then felt as if it had suddenly fallen down a big tube and he realized what the prophecy was saying. He read it again and knew this wasn’t good. He wondered if the Macabres knew of this, and suddenly felt that the twins might be in great danger.
He tried to life the tablet, but it was too heavy for one person. He sat down, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes and once again saw Tarix’s face, and he didn’t know how he could break it to her. Finally he decided it was time to leave, and took his tool bag with the Codex and left the chamber. Suddenly there was a flash of light, all throughout the chamber. Sathawick froze, and stood still and cautious. He had no clue what had happened, perhaps he’d triggered another spell? Sathawick searched the entire tomb again and found nothing and finally made his way for the entrance still being careful as to look around.
He had almost reached the entrance when he saw an extinguished flare on the floor. He examined it and found it still hot, and started to panic. *SHIT! This isn’t mine.* Sathawick didn’t know what to do, there was no way any of the divers could have entered without being killed by the spell. He turned around and headed straight for the entrance only to come face to face with a Macabre demon. Sathawick’s eyes went round in horror, but before he could do anything another Macabre demon came behind him and knocked Sathawick unconscious, hitting him on the head. Both the Macabres sneered as Sathawick blacked out.