by Jamie Ott
~~~
They were in the air for a few hours.
Starr followed their progress across the Atlantic on the little screen on the seat in front of her.
"Starr?" asked a man named Billy. "Want something to drink?"
"How about some of those little bottles?"
He reached down and gave her a handful and a couple cups with ice.
"We're gonna throw in a movie. Here," he said, handing her a head set.
A little later in the flight, Seth came and sat down next to her.
She pulled the headphones off and asked, "Are we on autopilot?"
"Yeah, just needed a little break. Flying can be tiring. Seeing the same stretch of sky can be trance inducing."
"Hmm," she offered. "Drink?"
"Yes, thanks."
He took the little brown bottle and a cup of ice.
"Seth."
"Yes?"
He set the bottle down and took a drink from the plastic cup.
"No matter what happens, your priority is to get my friends out of Romania and out of East Europe. And especially stay away from Ukraine. The Council's enemies are thick and abundant there."
"Don't worry, Starr. I'll take care of them, no matter what happens. You can count on me."
Several hours later, Seth returned to the cockpit.
Starr fell asleep.
She woke when the planed jolted in a bout of turbulence.
"Starr," called Druce. "We're descending."
The Sibiu Airport was just as she remembered it, except it was empty.
Fortunately, there was no army; there was no one to stop them from taking the largest helicopter.
They stowed their items and flew east into the mountains. Like before, blankets of mist enveloped the atmosphere. Eventually, the landscape began to look familiar. She even saw the Castel de Negru.
Starr was relieved when they lowered down into a fairly dry patch of land ten miles past the castle. After the long trip, she was lethargic and needed to stretch. Unfortunately, Starr wasn't going to get a moment before having to fight.
"They know we're here," said Aine.
Just as she said this, firing came at them from the trees.
They were mere feet off the ground when the engine was hit, and it ignited.
"Let's get out of here," Aine screamed.
Without waiting for Seth to finish landing, Ciaran opened the door and they leapt out, one by one.
Clumsily, Seth bumped the helicopter into the moist ground. He, then, jumped out, too.
In a tree fifty yards north, the largest machine gun Starr had ever seen was pointed at them. A bullet spayed right past her, into the ground, covering her in mud.
Starr wiped the mud from her eyes just in time to see Seth with an MK 19 in his hand. He was jetting across the lawn while shooting at the man in the tree.
One of the men shoved a rocket launcher in her hand, and shouted, "Come on!" She ran with them across the patch of grass just as the helicopter exploded behind them.
Altogether, they headed south to the castle. Firing from the trees continued. Several of them, including Starr, got hit in several places, but their inner animals came out, leaving them unfazed by the pain.
Suddenly, Seth was by her side, with eyes ablaze and fangs drawn. "I'm sorry we lost the chopper," he said, pointing his weapon at a vampire who levitated in the sky, and blowing him into a blood rain.
Strangely, the closer they got to the castle, the thinner the spray of bullets they were pelted with.
When they got to the twelve foot stone wall that encircled the castle, they saw the side of the castle had completely collapsed.
They leapt over the wall and ran into the exposed hall.
Everything was real quiet; too quiet. Down the hall, they ran straight through, past an empty ball room, dance room, and a tea parlor.
Just like last time, it was cold and decorated with antiques. Only, the hall was nearly destroyed, old armor lay everywhere about, and tapestries were shredded to pieces that dusted the floor.
"What happened?" asked Starr in a low voice. "Why have they stopped trying to attack us?"
No one answered.
"I don't think anyone's been here for a while, Starr," said Ikael.
"What do we do?" asked a clansman.
"Ciaran, Aine, and you guys," he said as he motioned to six of the men. "You guys inspect the right wing. The rest of us will go left."
The left wing was mostly offices. Briefly, she remembered how she sat and talked to Blakely, who knew more than he was letting on; then he pretended he wanted to send her home. Instead, he sent her on a dangerous mission to the Ukraine where she almost died in a plane crash.
When they made it past the offices, they continued on to the movie theater, the bowling alley, and the salons.
The whole left wing was empty. Having made it back to the entrance hall first, they ascended the ten flights of stairs. Mentally, Starr continued looking into each of the rooms, looking for any signs of vampires or her friends.
Several hours later, they were in the grand dining hall.
"They were never here at all," said Starr. "I would've sensed them if they were."
"Where else could they have gone?" asked one of the other men.
"I don't know. If anyone should know, however, it should be me," she said angrily.
"If no one's been here in a while, then whoever attacked us must have been tipped off by someone." said Seth.
"Wait!" shouted Starr. "You think we have a traitor?"
"Given what we talked about last night, yes it's possible."
"This is not important," said Ikael. "In war, there are always traitors; enemies amongst ones allies. The main thing is what you do when you get burned. My point is, let's stay focused on our task. Getting to Credenza and finding the kids is the most important thing."
"Ikael's right," said Aine. "Do you remember anything else from the visions the ghost lady sent you?"
"I just saw a large castle. I guess I just assumed it was this one."
"Try to think," she pressed. "Was there any particular landmarks or traits about the castle that would make it stand out from others?"
"Huh," she stopped. A memory came back to her from when she was buried under the snow. "Actually, I do recall another castle that she frequents; it's Romanian. I see the landscape but it's hard to describe."
"Okay, so the castle is here, for sure, in this country?" Seth asked.
"It's near water; a river, but not too close. I remember a small mountain, facing some kind of forest, and the layout of the castle is different than others; spread out like a palace. The place is old; very old. It has a collapsed tunnel underneath it. The tunnel was a primitive form of plumbing."
"I know the place you speak of," Seth said. "It's the Dacian Palace. Credenza resided there until the uprising in 594 A.D. Her and her brother ruled together for a very short time before the people arrested and executed her, or so they thought they'd done her."
"How far is it?" asked one of the clansmen.
"It's a twelve hour drive. On foot, it could take a couple of days to get there."
~~~
That night they found themselves camping in the moist mountains. The terrain was just as terrible as the last time she was there. Seeing the stiff faces and clenched jaws of the others showed her they weren't pleased either.
Just as before, she found herself getting stuck in the mud, but fortunately, she was dressed better this time.
Everywhere was moist and wet, so they made themselves makeshift hammocks and lay in trees dispersed throughout the forest.
Getting a fire started was a pain, too. But when one has pyrokinesis, it's easy to get as much heat as the brain can muster.
She sighed when her small pile of moist moss combusted. Too bad it wasn't hot enough to dry all the moisture from her skin, which was annoyingly moist and clammy, like a reptile's. Without the body's natural oils, vampire ski
n tended to become painfully frictional in the dry cold.
"Hey, Starr," said Seth. "Thought I'd come over and borrow your fire."
In his left hand, he held two dead foxes; one he handed to her, as he sat at the foot of her hammock. His other hand held half a dozen sticks.
"How you holding up?" he asked, ripping out the throat of his fox.
"I'm alright, but the uncertainty I feel is unsettling," she said, sitting up and pulling out her pocket knife. She made an incision and yanked back the fur of her fox. "I keep waiting for Credenza and her men to come at us, and when they don't, I feel worse. Does that sound crazy?"
"Not at all," he said, shaking his head. He held out his hand to her, wanting to borrow her knife. As he slit the foxes belly and pulled out the entrails, he said, "War is uncertain business; that's just the way it is. You never know when you're enemy is gonna surprise you, and there's always someone who's gonna betray you; someone you trust."
She drained her fox of blood, and then pulled one of her ruby studded sickles from her belt loop. Gently, she slit the foxes gut and tossed the entrails into the fire, except the heart which she juiced with her fangs.
"I'd rather just fight and get it over with," she said, licking her lips, catching a bit of blood that ran down her chin.
Seth made two spits with the sticks he'd brought, and rested them above the flames. Carefully, so as not to unsettle the spits, he placed their fox meat on them to cook. Then he lay back in the hammock and said, "Don't worry, the time to fight is nearing."
They sat in silence a moment before he asked, "Mind if I crash over here tonight? I can't get a fire started to save my life. It's too moist."
The next morning, they headed out of the clearing. Hours went by, of nothing eventful happening. She laughed when one of the men got stuck in the same mud pool as she did months back.
For two days, they stayed the course. During that time, the men got real down, and even Seth who was fairly even tempered had become foul.
But he'd become like Starr's best friend. They usually walked and talked together, and even slept together. Some hinted that they were getting a little too close, but it wasn't like that at all. Seth was more like a fatherly figure, she felt. And in no way, did he look at her with attraction.
On the third day, the fog began to clear, and the air to feel drier.
"Wait, stop," said Seth, looking around.
"I hear it, too," said Aine.
"It's coming from the Castel de Negru," said Starr, recognition dawning on her. "I know that voice; it's coming from right over that hill."
She pointed to a large slick green mount a few yards ahead.
They picked up their pace. Once they made it over the ridge, the castle came into view.
In the distance, a man in white clothes with a red bow tie was waiving at them.
"Starr," he called.
"Do you know him?" asked Seth.
"Yes, that's Adam."
Starr met him on her last trip to Romania. He was Madam Balaji's lover.
When they reached him, he said, "I sensed you, all, in the distance. I had a feeling you'd be coming. Listen, I have information for you."
Order of Black
Chapter 4
Though they didn't say it, they were relieved to have an excuse to get out of the elements. Even though they were resilient, the Romanian terrain wasn't fun at all.
Inside, the castle was much the same as last time she was there; cold dark, and small.
They dropped their arms in the entrance hall and made their way upstairs to rooms where they rinsed and cleaned up the best they could.
An hour later, they sat down to a large lunch on the patio with Adam and the scraggily Blond, Mitch, who was also there, last time.
"Starr, there you are," said the sound of an English voice.
She turned her head to the glass door. Through it came a fair, but slightly older, man.
"Parker!" she exclaimed. "How are you?"
"I'm great, dear."
She stood and gave him a hug.
As usual, the Black's dining was grand, with plenty of blood, brains, and other organs. Starr helped herself to a slice of raw garnished liver.
"So Starr," said Parker. "How have you been?"
"Well," she said and swallowed. "Been practicing; though not fencing exactly."
"I hear talk, of you, in the psychic cries. That's how I knew you'd be here, today."
A server went around and placed bowls of goat brain salads in front of them.
"We really shouldn't be dawdling, here," said Aine.
"I know," Adam replied. "We'll get down to business after lunch. It's rude to discuss such matters while eating."
After lunch they moved into the lounge for drinks.
"So, Adam, we've schmoozed long enough. Do you have something to tell us?" asked Ikael.
"Yes, but I think we should talk in private."
He refilled his glass with wine, and then beckoned them to follow him back down the hall.
Adam led them to a large curtained glass room. From his pocket, he pulled a key, unlocked the door and held it open, waiving his arm in a circular motion that meant they should go inside.
"People could still hear us, couldn't they?" asked Druce.
"Not through these bullet proof glass walls and door. I had them made specially." He paused and sipped from his glass. Then he continued, "I've been in contact with Shane. She wants me to tell you that she and the kids are fine."
"When did you talk to her?" asked Starr anxiously.
"I caught her psychic cry, a few weeks ago."
"Did she say anything about her location?"
"No, she wouldn't tell me. Apparently, she had only a short time to give me a more important message."
He paused to take another sip of his wine.
"'Stay away; We're fine. Don't come looking for us' and that was it. I'm sorry. I knew you would expect more, but that was all."
"Why wouldn't she want us to come for her?" she asked. "It doesn't make any sense. Are you sure it was Shane?"
"I can't be sure of that, as I've never met her before. Somehow, she sensed me - that I'd associated with you, and sought me out. The only reason, I can think of, that she'd tell you not to look for her is because Credenza has something planned for you. Whatever it is, it must be bad."
"So what do you we do, then?" she asked, turning to Seth for advice.
"We stay the course, naturally," he said.
"Feel free to stay the night, here, if you like," said Adam. "I know it was a hard journey from the Council, as I've made it myself a number of times."
One Last Sup
Chapter 5
After they'd had a couple drinks, Adam lead them up to the first and second floors, and pointed them into rooms. Starr climbed into her bed and slept a couple hours before there was a knock at her door, letting her know that dinner was being served in the dining room.
As before, the servants went around and poured drinks in their glasses and served them several courses.
Adam and several of the Irish men were hitting it off, as they talked incessantly and laughed riotously every so often.
After they'd done, Parker asked her to join him in the castle gym.
As before, he was anxious for an assault. He put a rapier in her hand.
"Do you remember what to do?"
"I think so."
This time, when she took her pli?- like stance, it was with a touch of the memories she had of Credenza, who was a skilled combatant to aide; even if Credenza wasn't a fencer, she was a deadly swordsman who'd fought many great battles.
Parker, like last time, attempted a balestra: a quick lunge forward. Starr spun around to the right and behind him, and struck him in the back.
"Wow, where did you learn that?"
"It's hard to explain."
"You're always good at the defense, so try some offensive moves."
He stood en garde and waite
d.
She poked her sword forward, repeatedly, sort of like a jabbing motion; Parker met poke with a chink sound of his sword, easily sliding her blade to the left and right. Starr advanced lunged, shortly, but then continued into a compound riposte.
Parker looked unfazed, as he met each of her attacks with grace. After a few minutes of this, he seemed to think he'd teach her a lesson by jutting left, suddenly.
He flicked his sword at her left shoulder. At the same moment, she turned fifteen degrees to face him, and moved forward bringing her sword inward, putting pressure gradually toward the base, forcing the rapier to extend its handle from his grasp, and fall to the floor.
He smiled, picked up his sword and took stance again.
After a few rounds, Starr started to feel even more comfortable with their game. Sure, she'd practiced sword fighting with the clansmen, but there was something about the skill of fencing that relaxed her. Her mind cleared and she felt at peace; it was therapeutic.
Seeing that Starr had clearly advanced, Parker picked up his game.
A couple hours later, as midnight approached, they made their way back to the lounge where Parker poured drinks.
"What's wrong, Starr?"
He handed her a miniature glass cup with amber red liquid.
Her worries returned as soon they'd stopped fighting. Her feelings must have shown on her face.
"I don't know."
"You do know; I can tell."
She looked at him a moment, and then decided to let it all out.
"I just don't know what I'm up against. I have this feeling that an end is approaching, though for who or what, I don't know. I hate being in the dark. You know, I'm a creature of habit. I like routine and I like knowing."
"I think what's going is you're scared. Maybe you don't realize it because complex emotions are something we don't typically have, but you've had an experience that most vampires will never know, thanks to spending time with your soul. But you're wrong about one thing: you do know what you're up against. Let's think about it: What do you know about Credenza?"
"She's strong."
He choked with sarcasm on his liqueur.
"Come on, Starr; aside from that."
"She's me, in a way. I can't get past it. I'm up against myself, and I might have to destroy a copy of myself."
That night, Starr went to bed feeling better than she had in weeks. Just as before, time with Parker made her think in a more critical way, leaving her some peace in finally making realizations.
The next morning, a large, old bus was parked in front of the castle. Adam had it driven up so they could ride to Dacia Palace.