by D C Young
There was a murmuring of agreement from among the others at the table.
“It sounds as if you may be challenging my authority, Enzo,” Erika said.
“Not at all, Guardian. I’m just suggesting that perhaps others at the table may share my concerns.”
“Okay,” Erika said, standing to get a better look at all the faces seated down the table. “The reports came to me first from my dear family friend, Bridget Bishop.” Erika raised her hand in Bridget’s direction. “Would you stand so they can see you, Bridget?” Bridget confidently stood so she could be seen. “Some of you may be privileged enough to know this woman as ‘The Hanged One’ to the rest of you let me introduced, Bridget Bishop, The Witch of Salem who is presently a serving elder of the Western Council of Watchers.” There was an unsettled murmur among the attendees and slowly, Enzo sank back into his chair. Bridget also took her seat. “So, now you see why I might take offense to Enzo’s line of reasoning. However, I will answer his challenge with a little more than mere name dropping.
“Enzo is right. All outside reports need to be corroborated by two independent sources which I have. Not twenty-four hours after Bridget called me with the news, I was contacted by Rennie Telfair of Essence Holdings. He told me he had been visited by the spirit of a certain Mr. Collins who told him a very interesting story. Mr. Collins, as it turns out, is a very well known Los Angeles psychic who tapped into Yemaya’s energy while on an Astral walk. The spirit threatened him against revealing her plan and Mr. Collins lost his life because of it, but he told everything he knew to Mr. Telfair. Through other connections, Rennie passed this information to Samantha Moon, who is present tonight as a first hand recipient of Mr. Telfair’s testimony.” With that, Erika paused to take a look around the room. Everyone was silent as they listened to her intently, she had achieved the focus the group had been lacking from the start. “I have said this before when we have congregated to discuss matters, but I will reiterate it so that you may take it more to heart. Be assured it will be the last time I’ll be doing so; I don’t reveal every single thing I know to this council, never have and never will, just as I am not always privileged to know everything that goes on in your factions. My reasons for this will vary from time to time, but that is my prerogative as Guardian of Louisiana. You are free to bring your concerns to the table but be sure you have all the facts before you question my judgment again.”
Erika sat back down heavily and picked up the glass in front of her. Politics was not a game she liked to play but she was well aware of the negative impact even the smallest show of weakness could have on her leadership. Jade took one look at her sister’s face and knew it was her cue to take some action. She stood up to address the room.
“At this point, I think everyone is now well informed and it would be best we take another vote. Those in favor of launching an offensive attack on Yemaya before she gets to the Caribbean please vote by show of hands?”
One by one the faction leaders showed their support for Erika’s proposed plan. They would travel to the leeward island of Barbados and from the isolated cliffs off Ragged Point, they would capture Yemaya before she could cause any havoc on the islands of the Caribbean or their beloved New Orleans.
Chapter Sixteen
The Storm Approaches
New Orleans, Louisiana.
Two days later, Sam and her family took a cab to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans airport. They checked in for their flights and made their way to the departure lounge. When the call came for the flight to Los Angeles, Sam made sure Tammy and Anthony had all their belongings, hugged them tightly and told them to listen to their Aunt MJ and Uncle Rick. She hugged Mary Lou and Rick in turn, and then squeezed their kids in a huge huddle.
It was hard for her to watch them walk down the finger dock towards their plane, but Sam knew it was the best way to ensure their safety. She was about to catch a flight to Barbados where the entire Louisiana Council, Bridget Bishop and Julia Agrippina would be joining forces to capture Yemaya. Ironically, in a bottle.
***
“We’re more than just muscle you know!” Enzo shouted across the table.
“No one is implying that the werewolves are only good for protection, all I’m saying is that in this particular instance protection is going to be your key role. Unless one of you is a shaman and forgot to mention that.”
“Okay, Erika. I apologize, please continue.”
“This enemy is a magical one, so we will be leaning heavily on our magical resources,” Erika explained. “The spells have been carefully written and the covens have been practicing tirelessly.”
“Are you sure the bottle will work,” Julia Agrippina asked skeptically. Bridget had failed in her efforts to properly explain the concept to her.
“Yes, I believe it will. The idea is to attack her in her elemental form. When she presents herself as the hurricane we expect, she will not have all her wits about her. The bottle has been designed to look exactly as we will look on the yacht at sea; it is a perfect replica. The plan is to confuse her, bind her with our spells and compel her to chase us but she will be chasing the illusion of us right into the bottle.”
“I think the plan makes as much sense to a muggle as it possibly could,” Sam said referencing the terminology used in the Harry Potter stories.
“The vampires will serve as a power source for the witching circle and the werewolves will drive the boat and ensure overall safety while we are casting. Understood?”
“Understood,” everyone replied unanimously.
***
Bridgetown, Barbados.
As she rode to the boat dock in the taxi cab, the conversation replayed over and over in Sam’s head. She hoped desperately that she really had understood what they would be doing and more so, what they were up against.
When she arrived at the Barbados yacht club, Enzo was standing at the top of the pier waiting to give everyone directions to the yacht.
“How’s it going Enzo?” Sam asked.
“As well as can be expected. Just waiting for Giselle Claire to arrive and then we’ll be off.”
“Where will we be confronting Yemaya?”
“About four miles east of Ragged Point and it’s quite a boat ride to that side of the island. The winds are already picking up, she’s definitely approaching land but not very quickly at all. The weather service has the system categorized as a depression presently.”
“Sounds good,” Sam replied as a car pulled up at the dock.
“That’s Giselle now.”
“Awesome, let’s get this show on the road!”
***
“Alright, casters! We have to get our spell timed perfectly with the beam from the lighthouse. The light will blind her while the spell disorients her,” Erika said. Her back was to the sea as she kept her eye on the rotating turret of the lighthouse on top of Ragged Point. “Here we go. On my count of three… one… two… three!”
As the beam hit the five mile high mass of stormy, rotating clouds in front of them, the circle of witches began their chant. The spell was powerful and Sam could feel the waters around the bobbing boat churn as if the sea was boiling. Enzo stood back to back with Erika, facing the sea. He was giving her a commentary of what was going on in the storm.
The recital of the binding spell began and Erika braced herself harder against Enzo. He gripped the bottle with the model yacht inside it and raised it up over his head while Julia placed her hands onto Bridget’s shoulders. Sam took her place on the outside of the witch’s circle, putting her right hand over Giselle’s and Jade’s clasped ones and her left over Jade’s and Vivianne Laveau’s.
Suddenly, the boat felt as if it were getting lower in the water. Sam looked out over the water to see what was happening. The storm seemed to be getting darker and more concentrated around a point but that wasn’t what made Sam’s mouth drop open.
Behind the funnel of the approaching storm, a huge wave of water was growing. It was already half the size of the cloud sy
stem in front of it and growing taller with each second that passed. It reminded Sam of the footage she had seen of tsunamis.
“Don’t be alarmed,” Erika shouted to the others around her. “This is exactly what I’d hoped for! Our spells are working.”
Sam wanted to be relieved by the Guardian’s words but somehow scenes from the movie, ‘The Perfect Storm’, wouldn’t leave her mind. The wave continued to grow intimidatingly high. The chanting of the witches grew frenzied and words began to merge into a loud hypnotic mumble. Suddenly, there was an ear splitting clap of thunder. Sam looked out to sea again and what she saw nearly blew her mind.
The wave had removed itself completely from the ocean and was levitating about a half mile in the air in a perfect ball of water. The storm in front of it raged on; Yemaya, the being inside of it, was still dazzled by the beacon of the lighthouse and bound by the spell the witches were casting. So spellbound in fact, that Yemaya was completely unaware she had been trapped until the ball of seawater engulfed the clouds and began to crush the storm within its circumference. The witches turned their gaze to the water and watched as the ball turned over and over on itself shrinking with each turn until it was the size of a baseball.
Erika held both her hands out and the small sphere made its way towards the boat. A few moments later, it was pushing its way into Enzo’s raised bottle. He pushed the cork in instantly and the witches set about casting the spells which would keep the bottle from ever breaking and sealed shut for an eternity.
Epilogue
Home Sweet Home
Fullerton, California. Two days later.
Sam was grateful to finally be home with her family again. Mary Lou had brought Tammy and Anthony home the morning after Sam arrived back from Barbados. The night alone had been appreciated but she missed her children desperately.
That afternoon, while they were at a friend’s birthday, Sam took to her desk to go through the mail. There were the usuals which she pushed aside to look at last; the water bill, electric, US Weekly magazine and Tammy’s InStyle but soon enough a few interesting envelopes popped up.
She read through the thank you notes and soon was overcome with emotion and even though she had come close to it several times during the whole encounter with the Louisiana witches but never did, Sam cried. And her tears were happy ones.
A pleasant surprise had been a postcard from Savannah. It was a picture of the Roman Archway tomb at Bonaventure Cemetery; the locals called it ‘The Gateway to Heaven’. It was from Dani and it read, ‘I hope your vacation was one to remember. I hope to see you again in Savannah.’
Boy, would she like to know, Sam thought with a smile.
Finally, she came down to a pretty mint green envelope. The return address only read: Hilton Head Island, S.C. but that was all Sam needed to know who had sent it.
Rennie Telfair had easily been the most interesting person Sam had met on her whole adventure, probably because he promised to be an excellent new contact and resource for her in the L.A. area.
Dear Miss Moon,
I cannot begin to say how much of a pleasure it has been to have met you and to give what insight I could into yours and Mr. Fulcrum’s cases.
I’ve had news that the crisis in New Orleans was expertly diverted and that your help in the matter was an overall blessing. I am particularly pleased that you have formed a connection with the Louisiana factions; everyone there speaks so highly of you and the Western Elders. It says much about our California community.
As for Mr. Collins, his spirit has left Seagull Point. It seems that his satisfaction with the outcome of both Mr. Ambrose’s trial and the capture of Yemaya has put his soul at rest. Should that change I will be sure to alert you, of course.
I implore you, Samantha, please don’t hesitate in the future to contact me should you ever need my help.
I am now and forever your friend,
Rennie Telfair.
Samantha smiled and sighed as she folded the paper and put it back in the mint green envelope. Though quaint and a little stringent in his behavior, the man had struck a chord with Sam and she felt she had with him as well. They had become fast friends and allies.
The End
The Chronicles of the Immortal Council returns in:
Vampire Vacation
Return to the Table of Contents
VAMPIRE VACATION
The Chronicles of the Immortal Council #5
A Vampire for Hire story
by
D.C. Young
Foreward
by J.R. Rain
Hi there and welcome!
J.R. Rain here, and I’m so excited to introduce you to my “Vampire for Hire World”! As you might have guessed, these are written by writers other than me. Fair warning, these stories are non-canon (as in, unofficial) but they’re still a ton of fun. I’m excited to see the Samantha Moon world grow, and I’m equally excited to see all these wonderful writers exploring her world with me.
So, sit back and enjoy Vampire Vacation!
—J.R.
Vampire Vacation
Chapter One
Sam
We haven’t even left yet and the drama’s already started.
As excited as I was to take a break from the day to day and get out of L.A., it was hard not to feel like Mary Lou had timed this vacation all wrong. It would be just my luck that the exact day we were supposed to depart for Georgia, there would be an epic marathon of the Judge Judy Show scheduled to air on TV.
No need to get worked up, I told myself. I’ll just need to remember to set the DVR. There’s no way I’m going to trust the ‘On Demand’ with that Judge Judy marathon on Thursday. It would be just my luck to find it isn’t available when we get back next week.
With a solution to my Judge Judy problems, I couldn’t help but be excited to be taking a great summer vacation with my family. Tammy and Anthony were growing up so fast, it was just a matter of time before they’d feel they were too grown up for time away with the family during the summer; they’d already scoffed at the suggestion of Disneyland with their Uncle and Aunt again. In their defense, they’d both been open to Universal Studios, but that was about it.
I’d been open to Orlando especially when I remembered all the amazing stories Rick and the kids had to tell after their trip to Disneyland a few years back. Mary Lou had only recalled the price of food and the nightmare lines to get on every ride. She swore the sun shone fifteen degrees hotter there too.
But the kids had come back with some awesome memories and now that I could go on holiday too, I wanted to make it as special a time as that trip had been. Mary Lou had agreed on that point one hundred percent but she also didn’t want my first vacation since the incident to be what she called a ‘secondhand vacation’.
So she’d made herself busy for a month, planning the greatest getaway in history. She’d promised us fun in the sun, exciting history and tours and most importantly a lot of rest and relaxation and I was totally down for the last part.
I love L.A., but I was looking forward to getting away from the hustle and bustle, the freeway traffic and the smog… and work, let’s not forget work. I was ready to be as far away from it all as I could get, so when Mary Lou had arrived with the brochures for Tybee Island, I was ecstatic. Three thousand miles away would suit me just fine. The thought alone made a huge smile spread across my face.
I heard footsteps rumbling down the hall and turned to see Anthony battling with a laundry basket looking like he was on a mission.
“What are you smiling so goofy at?” Anthony teased, as he came into the living room set the laundry basket down.
“Not the thought of doing your laundry, son. That’s for sure!” Anthony rolled his eyes at me. He’d heard just about every comment in the book about the general condition of his dirty clothes, particularly his underwear. “Where you going with that?”
“Laundry room,” he replied, then, he put on his best superhero voice and said, “There’s no
need to fear, fair mother! This is just the top layer stuff. I think it’s time I started washing my own underwear.”
I think my face may have contorted into expressions I’d never made before as a look of horror mixed with shock and disbelief covered my face. “What?” I asked, rushing over to him to check his forehead for signs of fever. “Are you feeling okay, Anthony? I think you might have caught some dangerous virus… it’s affecting your brain function.”
“Very funny, Mom. I’m serious. Aunt Louie said I should try to be more responsible about stuff seeing as I’m the man of the house and all.”
“Man of the house, huh? I think I might have to have a talk with your aunt about putting ideas like that in your head.”
“I could just leave it if you want.”
“Oh, no! Go ahead, Anthony. Knock yourself out.”
“You don’t sound very sincere, Mom.”
I went to him and hugged him close… but not too close, cause you know how preteen boys can get when their Moms get too lovey dovey. “I’m proud of you Anthony. I want you to try new things. It’s important for you to learn how to do stuff and for you to grow up and be more mature. I support that one hundred percent. Just remember I’m here to give you any help if you need it.”
“Sure thing, Mom,” he said, letting go of me and taking up his laundry basket again. “But I think I’m good for now. I can figure out a washing machine.” He pointed into the basket and continued, “I need a few of these to finish packing for the beach anyway.”
I couldn’t help the feeling of extreme pride that rose in my chest as I watched my son walking confidently down the hallway. After everything we had been through over the last few years; he and his sister were turning out to be really awesome kids.