by T S Paul
“Deal? What deal? You have only teased me with something I might never make work. That is not a deal to me.” The negotiator in me was in full swing.
“A bargain then. You help me get the Emperor out of the city and past the Sultan’s troops, and I will give you a chance at freedom. What say you?” Verity asked.
I did remember what the Goddess told me so very long ago. To watch for an opportunity to be free and take it. Who knew the Gods were that prophetic? “Explain the spell first to me.”
Verity came closer and sat across from me. “There are two spells. The first will block their power over you. It cancels the ‘Gaze’ as you call it and blocks Elder influence. Your will is your own when it is cast. Think of it as the end of your slavery.”
“Do I need to cast it daily?” I asked.
“No. But you do need to concentrate on it. It will hold a score of days without support. I will teach you a meditation technique that will allow you to access the power you have gained and that which you have stolen.” Verity explained.
My head reared back. “Stolen? I have taken nothing!”
The Witch made calming motions. “I misspoke. When you join with a human, binding them to you as a servant, there is an exchange of power. Of this, you know?”
I nodded.
“Your soul stores the extra power gained by the exchange. If I were to pull up your aura, you would see, as I do, the extra power nodes you have. You have had six bound servants have you not?” Verity asked.
This completely shocked me. A perfect stranger could see that much from just looking at me? I asked her as much.
Verity wobbled her head back and forth. “A Witch’s powers are very much her own. We all vary in what we can see and do. Like Vampires, as we age we get stronger. I’m in my first century and am considered young.”
“Your people have that much power?”
“Some do. I’m considered a prodigy. Now, back to the spell. You should practice the first spell as much as possible and use the meditation technique to access the powers you have stored. It will aid you in linking in all of them. The second spell takes much concentration and power to activate, but when you do it will render you invisible from the senses of both your creator and the other Elders. To the Vampires, it will be as if you died. It will take much practice to perform it perfectly. My suggestion is to perform the first spell until you have complete access to your entire body including Hecate’s portion. It may take you centuries to perfect this,” Verity explained.
I closed my eyes and tried to envision total freedom. That, along with daywalking, would make me blend perfectly with the humans. Opening my eyes, I looked at the Witch sitting across from me. “Why do this? There are other ways out of the city that don’t involve giving power such as this away. In the wrong hands, this could make a Vampire all-powerful.”
The Witch cocked her head to one side. “Possibly. I can sense the Goddess in you. Few Vampires have earned recognition from her. I’m placing my trust in her as well as you. Do we have an accord then?”
I nodded. “There is a Vampire enclave below us. We will have to disguise both you and the Emperor, but it should be fairly easy to smuggle you out. This will cancel my mission here. But I agree with your mission goals. The humans should remain unaware of our peoples.”
Verity smiled at me. “Exactly. Now let me show you that meditation technique before it’s too late for either of us.”
“Will the spell prevent true death if my Master is killed?” I asked the first question that came to my mind.
She looked at me in shock. “I don’t know. I assume you mean the one that created you?”
“Yes. If he dies all his children die too,” I replied.
“The Magickal connection that created you is part of the location ability. In theory, the spell might protect you. But the only way to be sure would be to kill him and find out. Since you are the only one potentially able to perform this spell, I don’t recommend attempting it. You might die trying.”
I winced at the idea. “No, thank you. Let’s find Feng and put your plan into action.”
That night I smuggled both the Witch and the last Roman Emperor from the city as it fell to the Sultan’s forces. The loss of life was immense. The battle ended a two thousand year empire and destroyed history and literature beyond counting. My status among the Vampires was lessened, but they did allow me to return to the East. I never saw Verity Blackmore again.
<<<>>>
“Do we fight?” Ivan asked me. He clutched a matching pair of Uzis in his hands.
Looking out the window, I could see my old team setting up around their vehicle. “We surrender. It was a good run. Put your guns away.”
Ivan slid the guns into a unique holster on his back. His intelligence may have disappeared, but his mercenary skills were still there.
Stepping carefully, I hopped down the stairs. I didn’t want this, but I was stronger than I was a century before. As I opened the door, I announced my self.
“Don’t shoot! Coming out!”
I stepped into the light, my eyes taking in everything at once. Bill crouched behind the door of the car. Cat off to one side, her government issued weapon raised. And Agatha standing off to one side of the car out in the open. Her arms were crossed and the bracelets of her ancestors glowing with power. I had never told her that mage sight was one of my hidden powers.
“Anastasia, get down on the ground and place your hands out in front of you. You too, Ivan!” Agatha yelled at me.
I shook my head and was about to take a knee when two large, heavy engine trucks, roared around the corner and screeched to a halt. Blocking Agatha and the team from seeing us. With my Vampire hearing, I could hear Chuck yelling at them on the team channel. “Agatha you have unknowns inbound!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ivan draw his weapons in with a quick cross-draw technique. He crouched down by the door to the inside. Backing up I joined him.
A tall human stepped out of the first truck followed by several others. They pointed guns at the FBI and us. “We represent the Vampire Council of North America. You have no jurisdiction here. We will take possession of her.”
I heard Agatha mutter “Chuck?”
His response amused me. I seldom got to see the team in action.
“Nothing, boss. Washington says they don’t exist. Mills says to take them down.” Chuck replied. He must have been on direct lines to Quantico to get information that fast. The geek in me wondered which system he was using.
Casting a shield spell, Agatha stepped forward. “Your organization doesn’t have official recognition. Stand down, and we won’t arrest you.”
The man in front started laughing even as the gun across his shoulder came up level with his waist, and he began firing!
Blam! Blam! Blam! The rounds made a slapping sound as they hit Agatha’s shield, the SUV, and the surrounding condominiums. Ivan pulled me into the house and engaged with his own guns.
The Israeli-made guns made a vastly different sound as they fired on full-auto at the truck in front of the house. Ivan crouched in a combat stance and began firing both of them at the supposed Vampire representatives. If he weren't strengthened by his transformation, the concussion would have broken both his arms.
There were other weapons in the house. Leaving Ivan to his work, I sprinted to the arms room under the stairs. I slipped on a lightweight armored jacket and grabbed my sword. Twelve hundred pounds of pressure and a razor-sharp barbarian sword. I could cut a car in half if I needed to.
So much had changed in the second it took me to arm up. Bill was on the ground with a bleeding leg. Agatha stood over him deflecting every shot aimed at them. I could hear growling, but Cat was nowhere in sight. One of the trucks was smoking badly, and one of the men was down. The rest were firing at both Ivan and Agatha.
“Mistress, stay inside! I’ve got this.” Ivan dropped his left gun and tried to keep me back.
I felt, rather than saw, the
shot that hit him dead center in the head. Power and awareness were ripped out of me in an instant. The channels we shared becoming jagged and torn. Three times in my life I had felt this suddenness. Only three. Bracing myself against the door, I soaked up the pain and channeled it. I would not submit to any Vampire again! Drawing my sword, I charged out of the house just in time to see the biggest cat in the world launch herself at the two men behind the large truck.
Roar! Cat announced herself to the world and jumped. Her massive claws ripping the door from the truck as she landed. Grabbing one of the men she bit down on his leg and tossed him like a house cat tosses a mouse into the air. Her claws reached out for another one.
Agatha chanted and using Defender, blasted the man firing at her. He and his truck flipped and rolled. Using my speed, I dodged the rolling metal menace and brought my sword down on the assailant. My blade stopped centimeters from the man’s throat. “Tell the council I refuse their offer!”
I felt a hand touch me and I turned. Agatha was standing right next to me. Her bracelets glowed to my mage sight.
“You need to come with us, Ana. This is your only chance to do it without further violence,” Agatha stated.
Looking around, I could see Cat pushing her way into my house. She must be looking to change I told myself. My enhanced hearing told me that dozens of cars, trucks, and helicopters were approaching. The state police and other agencies were responding to the battle.
“Is Bill OK?” I asked.
“He will be. Come with me. Please?” Agatha held out her hand.
I handed my sword to her and kicked the man on the ground in the head! He was knocked unconscious.
“Why did you do that!” Agatha moved to help him.
It was my turn to grab her arm. “No. He’s a bound servant to someone. My kick didn’t hurt him. He might be faking.”
Agatha looked at me with suspicion in her eyes. Part of me died at that point. Would the team ever trust me again? She muttered a word, and a shield encased the man leaving his head exposed.
“New trick?” I asked.
“Sort of. Let’s get you undercover and away from prying eyes.” She hustled me into the team SUV and under a black tarp.
I didn’t dare look out, but I could hear what happened next. Agatha’s clearance level had more weight than both of the local FBI office and Naval Intelligence together. She took control of the scene, and Cat drove me back to the bus.
<<<>>>
Chuck was happy to see me, but at the same time, he gave me the same look Agatha had. “Are you going to cause us trouble?”
I shook my head. “No. Not this time. It’s best I settled things with the Vampire Elders and the Council once and for all.”
“Agatha said you can have your old room back. We closed off all the escape hatches so don’t try. Except for Magick, we cannot hold you here. Do you wish us to lock you up?” Cat asked.
I shook my head no. “Is Bill alright?”
Chuck looked up from my old desk. “He took a round through his left leg. It looked like only a flesh wound, and no major muscle groups were hit, but we won’t know until they operate. Who were those guys?”
“They were bound soldiers. From who I don’t know. Current Vampire politics is beyond me,” I replied.
Chuck stared at me. “When was the last time you touched base with them?”
“I’ve told you this before. It was 1914. Just after the Purge,” I replied.
“Do you know why they want you so badly?” Cat asked.
I was about to answer when Agatha came up the stairs. “I’d like the answer to that one as well.”
I sighed. I was about to reveal Vampire secrets, but these were my friends. What’s one more death sentence among friends? “All Vampires have Masters. The Masters are the ones that made you. You might call them your father or your mother. They are the ones that killed you so you might be reborn as one of the race.”
Chuck spoke up. “You have one of these?”
“I do. Each Vampire is beholden to the one that created them. We can track our children and as Elders order them around. The virus that created us is hierarchical. It is how we have functioned for thousands of years.” I replied.
“If they can control you why don’t they? Did your parent die?” Agatha asked.
I leaned back in my chair and licked my lips. Taking a breath, I dove into it. “The biggest secret in the Vampire world is that the Purge wasn’t real.”
All three of my team members just stared at me. Agatha replied first. “What?”
“What really happened in 1914 was that one of our Elders volunteered to help the Witches. His death touched off a storm that the Vampire race could hardly recover from. When a Vampire dies, all of his children die with him. The Elder that helped was one of the oldest still living.” I replied.
Cat waved her hands as she spoke. “Thousands of miles of Vampires were affected. He couldn’t have sired all of them.”
I smiled. “No, he didn’t. But his children and their children and their children did. His death and the ones that followed left a power vacuum. Vampires that had been oppressed for literally thousands of years were suddenly free from those that were giving them orders. It was a free-for-all over who would take control. There were deaths. Lots of them. The wars over position raged across our world in a manner of days. Remember communication was a little more than word of mouth in those days. In a few short weeks, the Vampire race was decimated. Only a few scattered Elders remained to hold it together.”
Agatha nodded. “It gave the illusion that everything happened at once.”
“Yes. The great secret was enacted.” I replied.
Cat jerked up and stared at me. “If they can sense their children and your parent was still alive, how did they not know where you were?”
“That, my friends, is why they want me so badly. They have no idea who I am or from what family I was created. Vampire society is very structured. Anomalies are not allowed. We can destroy the natural order of things.” I smiled at Cat’s expression.
“You were born that way?” she asked.
“No. It was something I picked up in my travels. I saw my chance and took it. For a hundred years no one looked for me or was aware I existed. I made sure of that,” I replied.
“The computers. You were at the forefront and controlled so much for so long. You knew they would find you,” Chuck stated.
“And joining my team ruined it for you,” Agatha said.
I shook my head. “It was inevitable. Didn’t you wonder about all my plans? Trust me when I say that few Vampires even know how to fly a plane.”
“But why not just let them know? You are an Elder now,” Chuck asked.
“Responsibility. In the FBI, I was over twenty or thirty forensic teams. Out there.” I waved at the windows of the bus. “I would be over thousands of Vampires. We still have cities, you know. Most humans don’t remember the old ones.”
“They would put you to work? As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never ducked at a little work,” Agatha stated.
“No, they will want to kill me first. Position, remember? The work will come if I survive. I have an edge they won’t like. Expect the death to come.”
“Then we will have to stand with you. I’m not afraid of the World Council. Not even if it goes against what my grandmother wants. You are our friend.” Agatha replied.
Chapter 20
We took the Learjet. Director Mills ordered it herself. Agatha reported in and gave a brief statement as to why I ran and why they wanted to protect me. I was impressed. She managed to keep most of the secrets out of the official records. We would have to fill Madeline in after the fact, though. If we wanted her support and that of others, I would have to come clean. About a lot of things.
“You never exactly explained how you can block them,” Agatha told me.
“I know. You used to tease me, so I’m going to say the same thing you say to me. It’s Magick,” I replied.
<
br /> My mage sight was always on, but I could actually see when Agatha turned hers on. The colors changed in ways only a Witch could describe. She stared at me with wonder in her eyes. I could see her trace the nodes of power attached to my soul and trace the spellwork.
“How are you doing that?” she asked.
“The spell?”
She nodded.
“Practice. Hundreds of years of practice. Once upon a time, I met a powerful Witch, and she gave me a couple of spells. They are what enables me to block them and become invisible to my Master.”
“Can you tell me the Witch’s name?” Agatha asked.
I smiled. “It was your Great Grandmother Verity. We found each other in Constantinople in 1453. She helped me, and I smuggled her out of the city before it fell.”
Agatha’s eyes widened, and she began digging into her carry bag. “There was a mention of a Vampire in her journals.”
“Was there really? It was a hard time, period. We were lucky to survive it.” I stated.
Agatha pulled out a much-loved leather journal. I could smell the mustiness of the pages from where I sat. She began flipping through it. “She said the Vampire was Goddess-touched. Was that you?”
Finding the spot, she stopped and recounted the story. I smiled when she got to the part about how we captured Constantine. It was funny in a morbid sort of way. Good riddance to bad eggs as a certain pirate might say. Constantine was a real sicko.
<<<>>>
“Are you sure this is the way?” Verity asked for the thousandth time.
“Yes. The maid back there swears this was where he goes each day.” I replied.
“What language was that she was speaking? I didn’t catch any of it at all,” she asked me.
“It was a polyglot of Greek, Latin, and Arabic. She must be from one of the Balkan prefectures.” I gasped out the words as we hurried down dark corridors inside the palace.
“Hmm. I guess you would know then. How many languages do you speak then?” Verity asked.
“All of them. None of them. Pick. This is not my home. Not anymore. I live in the East among the Chin and the Nippon. This was a special mission for me.” Up ahead I saw the leather-covered door the slip of a girl mentioned.