“What makes this room safer than the one they are in now?”
“Because the rooms are part of Cesar’s quarters. No one is allowed near them, unless with permission,” Tythian said factually. “I will aid you in escorting them.”
When we opened the door, Julia and Dillian were ready. Dillian looked like he hadn’t had one moment of rest. I didn’t need to speak to him to know what he thought. Simply, ‘enough messing around and let us get out of here.’ Chase stood behind them, with a knowing smile.
“It makes it weird, ‘doing it’ in your parent’s room,” he joked. If I knew the sensation of embarrassment, I think my cheeks would have gone red. Dillian’s eyebrow rose as in to say, really at a time like this. And Julia, well she reacted exactly how I imagine any faint girl to, red streaked across her cheeks.
The walk was ten minutes further into the tunnels. There was a lot of scuttling and whispering from on looking vampires, but like Tythian implied none would follow past the first set of double carved doors. We were now in Cesar’s personal quarters. There were a lot more candles lit along this narrow tunnel. There was one door on each side, until another set of doors were opened. The room was brightly lit with candles, and a chandelier hung from the ceiling with candles pre lit. Beneath it was a long wooden table with complimentary eight wooden chairs. There were a few paintings that hung on nails, which were imbedded into the rocky walls. There was one painting that grabbed my attention. There was a war, where men sat on horses and fought, in the background, there was seashore and what looked to be ships.
At the back of the room, was a large wooden bed and two rooms detached from either side. There were fur rugs on the ground and close to the wooden table, on the left, was a desk and chair. Beside the door on the left, was a small table which had a horse carved beneath, to hold the flat plank of wood. On top, was the same game that Yolo and Chase were playing previously in the day if I recalled correctly, it was called ‘chess’. “On the left is another room; and in the right room, is a small stream of water, which comes from the waterfall in front of the tunnels. Apologies little Hunter, but it is not hot. Temperature does not bother vampires, however hygiene does,” Tythian said to Julia. Dillian put a protective grasp on her shoulder, still uncomfortable with even Tythian, who had teleported us all from our certain death.
“Come along Esmore, I will show you to the group you are leading tomorrow,” Connor said.
“Can you please give us a minute,” Chase smiled charmingly. Connor looked between us.
“I will be waiting outside,” Connor said. Both he and Tythian left the room and waited outside the door.
Julia went straight to the steady stream of water that was revealed when she opened the door. Dillian was close behind her, and watched her as she splashed clumps of water over her face with a relieved expression. The soot of smoke began to cleanse from her face.
“I don’t like you doing either,” Chase said, intending both the Council inspection and the human compound inspection. He reached out for my hands and pulled me in. “I might have to take you for myself and make sure you can’t walk for days to prevent that,” he charmed. I wavered a smile.
“I have to Chase, you know I wouldn’t do it any other way,” I said. It was odd to be able to speak to him as equal. In comparison, with James, the only other relationship I once had, I was repulsed by his constant attempts to control everything I did. It forced me to become secretive. Chase respected me for the fighter I was and what I believed myself, to be capable of.
“You are only a new vampire, there is so much more for you to learn. You are far from being in control, Esmore. You might have been in control of so much before, but this is one thing that can’t be. I can’t be by your side for either, they won’t allow me on the inspection team with you,” he said, pushing back a part of my golden fringe.
“Because you are technically a coven leader?” I asked. Chase and I hadn’t yet spoken about this in depth. His expression was both partly confused and saddened.
“Yes,” he admitted. “No matter how much I push to be by your side, they can’t allow it. Allowing you and three hunters in here, already changes the bounds of this coven. Having me be treated as equal will most certainly create a rebellion against Cesar.”
“I would much rather you stay here and protect my best friend and Julia, I wouldn’t so easily entrust that to anyone else,” I said. I kissed the inside of his palm as he stroked my jawline.
“But you know, I like the fight,” he grumbled to himself. I smiled at that, we both did. “I need to be able to teach you the basics on vampirism, at least, Esmore. You will only be a risk to both Dillian and Julia.”
“I am not weak and I will not be defined because of my new found vampirism. I am a Token still, I am a leader. And launching attacks and slaughtering vampires is what I do best. Secondly, I love and thirst for it more than any other sensation I can grasp right now. I’ve not much cared for human survival until now, so why would I worry myself about their presence, just because they are now a source of nutrients for me,” I cupped his hand to my face. “I will be okay.” I saw Dillian watching us from afar. How different it must have looked to him, to see me comforting someone in such a way. These feelings of mind and openness were only ever evident when it came to Chase. “I have to go now,” I whispered, and pressed a kiss to his lips. I went to walk away, but he pulled me back. His hand pressed hard on my back, as he forced himself into me. His tongue melted into mine as he took a savage kiss. He left a nibble on my lip which created a pinch of blood to appear, where he had bitten me with a domineering smile.
“I’ll be pissed if we don’t even get to snuggle tonight,” Chase joked as he let go of my hand.
“We shall see,” I purred, infuriated at the hot mess he had left me in. With that single kiss I wanted to tear his clothes apart, and devour that glorious body of his. If it were not for Dillian’s lingering stare, I don’t know if I could have pulled away. With great regret, I left my very tantalizing Chase behind, whose eyes I could feel on the shifting leather of my ass.
I studied the distance of every turn and tunnel I took. I focused on the areas which held most noise, which indicated more vampires within that area. Tythian had vanished and left Connor and I to walk in silence beside one another. Connor was mute, but he wasn’t uncomfortable to walk alongside. Despite his hard exterior, I could tell that there was a brutal loyalty that lay within him. Even further, the beast he would have tamed a very long time ago that unlike the others was so close to the edge, I could see it dance across his blue eyes. I pitied the humans for how much hatred he held for them, and all the ways I could imagine him to torture them, as they did in his human years. I was not familiar with the ‘Hitler time’, it was only listed as one of the human reins that happened and another incident, where one person created a religion or belief and attempted to take more power than any human should have. It seemed to be a movement that was so gut wrenching and disturbing, that Connor was the result and aftermath of the survivors, and that was pure hatred.
We arrived in a small room that reminded me of the weapons room within the Hunter Guild. Twelve vampires stood in front of me, all with different expressions- Some with instant respect and understanding that I was now their leader; and others with hatred or revulsion in their eyes. The one who glared at me the longest was Balzar, who stood beside Lydia.
I noted that already most of them, which varied in all different heights and shapes, were strapped with weapons. Perhaps Tythian and Cesar had planned this to happen a lot sooner than they led on. I gave Connor a conspicuous look.
“We couldn’t risk the chance of your familiar trying to be a part of it, so we adjusted the time mentioned a little, from overhearing ears,” he said.
Instantly I scanned to the location of where Chase was within my mind, it was so easy to find his mind because we were so used to talking with one another, and I found him effortlessly. We are leaving now. I will be okay. I said to him. I heard
the growl in his reply of mistrust, because both of us had been tricked.
Be back before dinner time. And snuggle time has now been extended, he responded. I felt his warmth pool into me. We were both well aware that he couldn’t get involved and I loved the trust that he resided in me. I didn’t have to ask him for permission to leave, and his only request was to make sure I was back soon. Be safe, he said heartedly before I broke off our connection.
“I need to know if any of you have gifts, anything that might be of our advantage. I need you to all be honest with me. If everyone is to make it out alive under my order which everyone will, I need to know everyone’s weaknesses and strengths,” I commanded, easily slipping into my role as Token. This was always who I was meant to be.
“No gifts,” Lydia responded, after no one else did. They were still uncertain of what to say or who should speak. “And we have no weaknesses.” Lydia surprisingly was calm. She responded well to command, despite the incident that occurred between her brother and me.
“Who was your Token before me?” I asked.
“We don’t call them ‘Token’ here,” Balzar tisked. I narrowed my eyes on him.
“My brother,” Lydia responded, when no one else did. “Thomas, for the time, has been demoted.” She said it only with slight sadness, but not enough to make me think that she would defy me.
“Congratulations Lydia, you are now my second in command,” I said approvingly. She looked straight to Balzar, who tightened his grip on the spikes that were strapped across his knuckles.
“What? Cesar put me in second,” Balzar raged.
“And I’ve now dropped you, continue and you will be the last on my list. I don’t take kindly to back chat. Anyone else who exempts the same attitude will be removed before we leave. I take the security of my team very seriously. When you act childish you endanger us all. When you act disrespectful and put yourself in danger, you endanger me for trying to save your sorry ass.”
“In all fairness, Esmore. Our previous leader, Thomas, defeated you before, you hadn’t a fighting chance before your familiar stepped in,” one of the fellow vampires said. She had a long sword strapped to her back. She was bald and looked to be only eighteen at most. She was small in size, but there was a certain gleam in her eyes that told me she was a lot wiser and older than her body conveyed. Her particular style of ear, eyebrow and nose piercings, and a vine tattoo with roses crept from beneath her singlet and over her chest, intrigued me.
“What’s your name?” I asked. She was uncertain if she were going to be kicked from the group or not.
“Sharon, but a lot of the others call me Shaz around here,” she replied.
“That is a very good question, and one that I would expect all of you to ask. There is no disrespect in that and that is the kind of thinking I expect from this team. Please note Balzar, you might learn something today,” I taunted. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Connor was somewhat bemused. Although his expression never changed, I could see the sense of approval and amusement in the gleam of his eye.
“I was turned against by Guild, and my ex-boyfriend blew out my chest. When I was first greeted by your coven, I could hardly walk. I hadn’t yet restored my energy, which I have recently discovered can only be quenched in one way. But let me assure you, I am restored to my fullest and this task that I have been given, is what I do best. So yes Balzar, within this group I am called Token, and Lydia is my second in charge. I won’t turn to see where you are all at, you are either competent enough to keep up with me, or you lag behind. Does everyone understand this?” Sharon gave a smile and rubbed her nose ring. The tension in the room was very different now to what it was when I first walked in.
“Now let’s go kick some Council ass,” I said, turning on them and heading back into the tunnels where they followed me. Connor stayed by my side, leading me to where we first had to report to Cesar. Fellow vampires of the coven watched us, as my team of twelve marched through the tunnels confidently, untouchable and unbeatable. I hoped in every way, that we could spill some blood on this very fine day. I felt rejuvenated, like my old self again. Never did I think I would lead a team of vampires, but never had I felt so empowered.
Cesar met us in the circular room that I first arrived in and met all four of his sons. My mother was not there with him. It led me to believe that for some reason, Cesar didn’t want her involved with this. I never thought my mother would be a woman to be told not to follow, unless she was doing something more important at the time. Although I felt distant to the woman she now was, I also longed to be able to sit down and talk to her.
“Well don’t you fit in quickly,” Cesar said with amusement. “I have something for you pet,” he said handing me over my sword and bow. The weight of them felt so familiar and comfortable. I wanted to start slicing through the council vampires right now. It didn’t bother me if I had to turn on the vampires behind me. But right now this was a task directed to me, so my favor could be returned. I would not fail.
“Why so many vampires to stand behind me, when we are simply spying?” I asked him. A smile spread on his face.
“You don’t miss anything, do you my daughter,” he laughed. “Would you believe me if I said I was overprotective of you?” I stared at him for longer and strapped the sheath of my sword over my back and my Barnett bow comfortably slung over my shoulder. “Depending on whose council it is, actually I don’t overly care whose it is. If it is only a small group migrating, say fifty or less I want you to slaughter them all. We will send a message. There are to be no survivors, so survey their numbers accurately. We can’t have any one of them returning and announcing that a coven forced this assault. Times like these are testy before the Council gathering, and with the war to come they will more than likely presume it was another council. We need to rattle that, have them deciding whether they want to launch minor attacks before the meeting or not. Lydia has a large range of knowledge when it comes to identifying covens and councils. Use her to distinguish whose group it is and then if possible, eradicate them all.” My blood pounded at the thought of being able to sweep through those vampires and slaughter them. “I’ve given you my elite team. The youngest here is five hundred and thirty-two years old, excluding Balzar. You will only need the twelve to take down fifty or so of them.”
“If I need their help, I will use them,” I said arrogantly, receiving the reaction from Cesar that I wanted. If I had a team I would use them, but I wanted to see how he would react when I challenged his order.
“Now don’t go doing anything bashful or I won’t allow you to lead again, you understand me little miss?” Cesar challenged, but not as harshly as he had any of his sons.
“Crystal clear,” I said. “Well, we are ready when Tythian is.”
Tythian emerged from a black hole within the wall. “Apologies, I assumed the fatherly speech and over protectiveness of his only daughter would go longer. Shall we? I can take two at a time comfortably.” Tythian offered his hand out to Lydia and me. We both accepted it and were teleported into the bright orange haze of the sun seeping into the day. The fog around my feet vanished around me as our sudden appearance pushed it away. I squinted at the sun that was rising, uncomfortable by the itchy feeling it left on my skin.
“You’re only a new vampire aren’t you?” Lydia asked inquisitively, as she watched how I reacted. “Keep to the trees, it helps block it out slightly. Try not to think about it but, it gets easier for some in time, eventually.” The trees that surrounded us were half dead, with very little leaf coverage. I highly doubted that they would block much sun from me. I remember Chase explaining to me that vampires couldn’t always walk in the day, but it was because of the human era and the pollution that went into the sky, that helped censor out the sun that enabled them to do so. Even then, he mentioned it could still be irritable. Mist swept over our feet as Tythian teleported the group in lots of two. Within the minute, all twelve members were with me. I looked at their sizes and weapons,
assuming the best structure for the group.
“Okay, we will go in an arrow format. I will be at the point, and expand further out. When we reach a certain distance away from where they are hiding, I will make us come to a halt. We stay as a wall and don’t break structure,” I commanded.
“Usually we circle the unit when we are going to attack,” one of the members stated.
“Which weakens our wall because we have thinned our line of attack. No matter your strength, it is much easier to be an efficient wall where we can help one another, then being spread out. Now who was the scout that found them?”
A short man with long white hair stepped forward. “I did.” His tone was crispy and his body looked to be an old mans. Yet the wrinkles that covered his face were only an illusion of the years of fighting and tact he probably had.
“You will stay close to my side, you will lead the way.” I gestured for him to be my side. “Alright let’s move out,” I said commanding the elderly vampire to start leading. It was an uncomfortable run as we ran through the foliage and some open areas of dead grass and sweeping fog. The sun irritated my skin, the higher it rose in the sky. I tried not to think about it, but the itching sensation of my blood boiling, couldn’t be easily resisted. We ran for four hours, until we came to a halt for a moment of rest. Running at vampirism speed was far greater then my Hunter team could ever acquire. We were still on the outskirts of the enemy’s camp; we had to take a moment to rejuvenate.
I sat on a log in the corner of my group, watching over them cautiously to make sure they were all staying close in case we were attacked. After scouting the area and having two on lookouts, I was relieved to know for the moment, we were safe. I unsheathed my sword, admiring its shine from the sun. I never thought I would see this again.
Balzar came and sat next to me, admiring the sword as I did. He uncomfortably shuffled, his back hunched over as he clasped his hands together.
Token Vampire (Token Huntress Book 2) Page 6