The Vigiles Urbani Chronicles- Year One

by Ken Lange

  Andrew watched and waited. Then, before I could tear into the second cake, he said, “How does it feel?”

  I held my hand up, turning it around so he got a good look at both sides as I flexed it. “Everything seems to work fine. No lasting damage.” Grimacing, I looked at the mutilated hand. “It’s a little ugly, but that’s all. Nothing to concern myself with.”

  Andrew raised an eyebrow. “No chance you want to talk about what happened when you passed out, is there?”

  At the mention of last night’s episode, my stomach churned. “Not a single chance in hell.”

  Andrew shook his fork in my direction and grumbled. “You said something very interesting…about being a violent man and deserving worse.” He kept his eyes on me. “Care to shed light on that subject?”

  The shrinks I’d seen had used the same trick, asking one question in many different forms. I didn’t like them, nor the way they did things. This was my uncle, however, a man who cared for me. I owed him something. Not the truth, but something.

  I shoved another forkful of food into my mouth and swallowed. “Tell ya what. I’ll give you the answer I’m comfortable with, and you’ll have to be satisfied.” I waited for him to nod in agreement before I continued. “I’m not a good man, but I’m not a bad one either. My past is my past, and I’d like to keep it that way.” I took a big draught of tea and washed down the acid in my throat. “It’s full of nightmares I’d rather not relive.”

  His eyes filled with understanding. “I can’t say I blame you, but if you ever need to talk, I’m here for you.”

  I nodded. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve survived this long without rehashing it.”

  He frowned. “There’s more to life than just surviving it.”

  “That might be true, but it’s what I do best.” I took another bite to keep from saying anything that might be considered rude.

  Concern crossed my uncle’s face, but he nodded.

  A little while later, he sighed. “From what I’ve been able to piece together these last few days, your life has been full of…hardship.” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “If Zack and Nadie had survived, I assure you it would’ve been much different.” I opened my mouth to interrupt, but he held up a hand to stop me. “I’m not trying to pry, but it’s probably left you better prepared to deal with this city than most.”

  I snickered. “That’s doubtful, since this place isn’t a war zone.”

  Andrew shook his head, unconvinced. “Perhaps not in the way you mean, but there’s no mistaking that there’s been a war going on here since before there was even a settlement.” He took a drink of tea. “New Orleans is often ranked one of the most dangerous places on earth. Then there’s the unseen world, our world, that the mortals know nothing about. Make no mistake, we are as brutal and dangerous as the humans who live all around us.”

  I leaned against the table. “About that… How many others are there like us in the city?”

  Andrew shrugged. “As far as I know, there are three…myself, you, and Walter—if by us, you mean Stone Born.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “As far as you know?”

  He took a deep breath. “There’s a company based here in town that employs a lot of our kind. Sometimes people transfer in, but they normally keep to themselves.”

  “I take it there are other…” I pondered which word to use before settling on the obvious. “Species?”

  Andrew pursed his lips, shrugging dismissively. “Many. These are the highlights, though.” He put up a finger and counted them off. “There are witches, sorcerers, shamans, monks, elementals, shapeshifters, weres, vampires, nephilim, and guardians, better known as angels.”

  I waited for a joke that didn’t come. He had to be kidding, but the look on his face told me he believed it. After what I’d been through in the last twenty-four hours, I supposed anything was possible.

  “You’re serious? There are vampires? Angels?”

  Andrew stood, grabbing our plates and dropping them off in the sink. He gestured toward the door. “This is best discussed in comfort and within reach of reference material.”

  I got to my feet and waved my uncle ahead of me. We traipsed into the living room and sat at the table. Thankfully, the bottle of scotch was nowhere in sight. Not that it was bad, but the constant flow of alcohol since I’d arrived was sure to kill my liver sooner rather than later.

  Andrew had obviously prepared for the morning’s conversation. The table was covered with a dozen ancient-looking tomes. We sat, and he pulled a medium-sized black leather book with a silver buckle out of the pile and flipped it open, turning to a marked page. When he held it out for me, I took it and turned it around so I could read the handwritten journal.

  There were pages of entries, detailing the characteristics of different species—how long they lived, their strengths, and abilities. The list went on and on, and my head was starting to ache. I flipped to the end, where there was a note scribbled in the margin. Will add more species as time permits, Lazarus.

  Keeping my finger in the book to mark the page, I closed it and looked up at my uncle. “As in the Lazarus?”

  Andrew nodded. “Yes. He’s a very unique man.”

  I shook my head, barely able to believe what I was hearing. “You speak as if he’s still alive.”

  Andrew squirmed in his seat. “Well…yes. In fact, he’s the de facto leader of our kind around the world.”

  “As in the entire planet?” I asked.

  Andrew’s head bobbed up and down. “Yep.”

  I blinked. “Seriously, how in the hell do people not know about…us, if we’re so widespread?”

  He laughed. “Trust me, it’s not easy, but Lazarus and a few others have helped keep us under wraps for centuries.”

  Andrew launched into an explanation of how the Archive worked. Lazarus had modeled our governing system on the Roman Empire. With him acting as Caesar. There were seven governors throughout the world: one in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, North Africa, Southern Africa, and Australia, in conjunction with other island nations. Each governor oversaw three prefects, three triumvirate members, and six elected council members. The Caesar, governors, prefects, and triumvirate were lifetime appointments.

  Something clicked in my mind, and I interrupted. “You said Martha was a…vigil?”

  Andrew grinned. “Yes, a vigil urbani, to be exact. They’re more or less the Archive’s police, but on a larger scale.”

  I frowned. “How are these people chosen? Because this whole system seems like an opportunity for rampant corruption.”

  Disappointment showed on Andrew’s face. “The selection process is a closely guarded secret. Lazarus designed a system in which the applicant is tested, and if they’re deemed worthy, they’re appointed and marked for life. As for the other, yes, there are those who exploit the system. Long ago, there were vigiles who had the ability to remove those who abused their position…but that’s no longer the case.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “That’s unfortunate.”

  “Agreed.”

  I chuckled. “I suppose it’s a good thing there are so few of these officials around the world.”

  Andrew laughed. “Why do you say that?”

  “I’ve never met a politician I liked.” I shrugged. “But since there are hardly any of them around, I’d probably have a better chance of meeting a vampire or a were.”

  Andrew’s face went blank, and he looked me dead in the eyes. “You’ve already met one werewolf, and seen a vampire who happens to be the prefect of the Southern United States and Mexico.”

  I grinned and waved a dismissive hand at him. “Please. I’d know if I’d met a vampire or a werewolf. And other than that troll of a woman who stopped you at the funeral, I haven’t seen anyone slimy enough to be a politician.”

  Andrew sniggered. “You mean Ms. Dodd.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, her.”

  “You have keen senses, because that’s the prefect
I was referring to.”

  Frowning, I grumbled, “She’s in charge? Oh god, she seems like a pain in the ass…and a vampire to boot. That’s just great.”

  He shrugged. “She can be a handful, but she’s decent at her job, even if she’s a wee bit of a prejudiced asshole.”

  I clasped my hand over my forehead and groaned. “If she’s the vampire, who’s the werewolf?”

  Andrew heaved with silent laughter, but after several seconds, he regained control of himself. “Isidore.”

  My mouth fell open, but that did explain a lot…like my reaction to him. Few things were more predatory than a wolf.

  As for Ms. Dodd, she’d shown up for Martha’s funeral, and gone out of her way to speak to Andrew, which confused me. Given her position within the Archive, she was rather important in the scheme of things.

  “Why was someone of her status at the funeral of a vigil?”

  Andrew hesitated for a moment before answering. “Each governor and prefect have their own vigil. Martha happened to be hers. They’re supposed to be on equal footing since they cast the deciding vote in all stalemates within the triumvirate.”

  There was more to it than he was telling me, but I let it go. “I guess that makes the vigil important.”

  Andrew nodded. “Extremely. They keep order, enforce our laws, and make sure the humans are treated fairly by our kind, and vice versa.”

  Trying to piece all the parts together, I made an assumption. “So, Lazarus will be arriving soon?”

  Andrew shook his head. “No, he rarely leaves his home inside the Vatican.”

  “Really? Doesn’t he administer the tests for the lifetime appointments?”

  Andrew wobbled his hand back and forth. “It’s complicated… The tests aren’t what you think. I’m not privy to how it works, but once the candidates are chosen, the highest ranking official in the area presides over a…trial, of sorts.” Frustrated, he shook his head. “You’ll see soon enough, since a new vigil must be chosen.”

  “This is starting to get overwhelming.” Massaging my temples, I asked, “Mind if we change the subject?”

  Andrew smiled. “By all means. What do you want to know?”

  “Earlier you said that people couldn’t lie to you.”

  “True,” he said. “Except you.”

  “Right. You also mentioned that it was just one of your talents.” I paused for a moment before continuing. “I know you said it can take a couple of weeks for my abilities to manifest…but do you have any clue what I can do?”

  Andrew brightened. “I haven’t the foggiest. Other than being immune to mental manipulation and having the ability to lie to me, both of which are huge, I have no idea.”

  My chest deflated. “Then I might not have any other abilities.”

  Andrew gave me an incredulous look. “If the reaction I saw last night with your stone is any indication, you’ll be exceptionally powerful. We just have to figure out what you’re capable of.”

  Death, destruction, and general mayhem. That was what I was good at. I’d always healed quickly and somehow made it out of situations I shouldn’t have, but I doubted seriously that my superpower was luck.

  Andrew caught the look of concern on my face and waved it off. “Don’t worry. We’ve got next to forever to figure it out.” Pausing, he thought for a moment before he landed on an idea. “Tell you what. Close your eyes, let your mind stretch out, and tell me what you feel.”

  Following his instructions, which was harder than he’d made it sound, after about a minute, I saw the room in my mind’s eye. The table and books radiated traces of something, but I couldn’t make out what it was. Then as my senses expanded, my brain cried out as if it were being scorched by the sun, and I jumped back, nearly toppling my chair over. I winced as I tried to open my eyes again. My head hurt, and my earlier fear returned. “What the hell?”

  Andrew patiently asked, “What did you feel?”

  “It made my skin tingle, my brain actually hurt, and something in the back of my mind kicked in, yelling ‘danger, Will Robinson, danger.’”

  Andrew nearly choked on the breath he was taking and tried not to laugh in my face. “That’s a first.” His face was full of humor. “The older a person gets, the more powerful they become. There are a lot of factors that increase a person’s power, such as items,” he held up his hand and flashed his ring, “and enchantments.”

  I chewed on my lip and nodded. “Okay, I think I understand… That was your aura then?”

  He shrugged. “More or less.”

  “Any chance you could try to sense me? I’m sure I fall into the two-watt lightbulb category, but it can’t hurt to try.”

  Andrew blew out a chuckle. “Sure, I’ll be happy to give it a shot.” Closing his eyes, he sat there for a moment then the smile faded. “That’s odd.”

  “What?”

  “It’s as if you aren’t there. No, that’s not the right way to put it. It’s like there’s a hole where you’re sitting. I couldn’t sense anything. Nothing at all.”

  My heart sank. I wasn’t like my uncle. I wasn’t special after all. “You mean I’m human.”

  Andrew was quick to shake his head. “Not at all. Humans register. You can sense them like one can sense a dog, or a cat, or even a table. This is something I’ve never even heard of before… Everything has a signature that can be traced…this shouldn’t be possible.” He paused for a moment then shook his head. “It could explain a few things.”

  “Such as?” I asked.

  He gestured at the walls and the ceiling above. “This place is actually covered in enchantments to keep other people’s thoughts out of my head.” He grimaced. “And even with all that, I can still hear the muffled sounds of the thoughts from all the houses around me.”

  Okay, wow. That had to suck, and not just a little. To never have peace…

  Bowing his head, he smiled. “That is, until you arrived. Since you’ve been here, I’ve been able to sleep uninterrupted by other people’s thoughts, dreams, or anguish. Even at the funeral, it was as if the world around me was dialed down to a whisper. That’s why I didn’t realize Walter was there until he was right in front of you.”

  Frowning, I sighed. “Speaking of Walter… You said that Stone Born stop aging at some point, so why does he look like he’s ready for the retirement home?”

  Andrew’s face darkened. “You get right to the heart of the matter, don’t you? Still, it’s a fair question.” He shifted in his seat. “I’d like to think that the way our bodies reveal themselves to the world is a direct reflection of who we are.” He gestured at my hand. “That’s a perfect example. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, it just means you’ve been through a lot in your life. Now, if you were to go around and torture people, rip out their souls, or murder them for fun, your body could, and probably would, reflect that. There’s a cost to everything we do. If we do the right thing—and that isn’t always what you think—the universe credits you. If you’re an evil bastard, the universe debits your account.”

  Leaning back, I took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. “If you’re right, why would anyone willingly go down that road…especially if you have to spend an eternity in a broken and failing body.”

  He didn’t hesitate to answer. “Power.” His voice was full of anger and disgust. “And everything that comes with it. Some people can’t be happy unless they’re hurting others. That’s Walter’s problem.” His face contorted as he waved a hand. “Not that anyone has proof that Walter’s a murdering asshole, and given our history, I may not be the best judge of character when it comes to him.”

  I nodded. “But why doesn’t someone investigate the man? Maybe the next vigil or the Uncommon Crimes Division could help out?”

  Andrew shrugged. “The UCD is more reactive than proactive. And as for the next vigil, that’ll be up to them and Ms. Dodd.”

  “No offense, but she doesn’t seem the sort to be very proactive.”

  He snicke
red. “None taken, and you’d be right.” Andrew stood, and motioned for me to follow him. “I hate talking politics, so how about a proper tour instead.”

  We headed back to the room that held hundreds of gemstones. “Where did you get all these? Who did they belong to?”

  Andrew swelled with pride as he straightened his shoulders. “They belonged to our family through the generations. When one of us dies, the nearest family member holds onto their essence.”

  “Why?”

  “As you saw last night, a shadow of their former selves is accessible for consultation. In today’s terms, they would be artificial intelligence. Kind of crude, but it works.”

  “So it doesn’t involve their souls?”

  Andrew stiffened. “No. Once a person has passed, nothing short of a really disgusting ritual can be performed to trap the soul before it travels to whatever’s next. Necromancers are a pretty bad bunch.”

  At the mention of the word necromancer, an irrational rage ignited in the back of my mind, and it took all my willpower to suppress it. That was just weird. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to focus on something else. “Where’s my father’s stone?”

  Andrew pointed near the center of the room. “Right next to yours.”

  “And your father’s?”

  Andrew shook his head. “When he abandoned us, he took his stone with him. The others were left in your father’s care, and when he passed away, the responsibility fell to me.”

  He turned and exited with me in tow, and we visited several other rooms. One held numerous parchments, deeds, and an old family crest. Another contained rows of bottles, tubes, and other containers filled with potions. At the back of the house was a large ornate room with a long table and maybe a dozen chairs around it. They were all equally fascinating in their own right.

  When the tour was done, I clapped him on the back, guiding him back to the living room. “What are we going to do today?”

  “Heather should be by later with the groceries and other essentials. If there’s anything you want, you’ll need to add it to next week’s list.”

  “You don’t get out much then?”

  Andrew’s cheeks flushed. “I can’t…not really.”