He wasted no time. Reaching again for the door of the cell. “You might taste terrible, but I’m going to drain you anyway.”
As Julian reached the door handle, his hand struck a barrier in front of the cell. What looked like blue lightning crackled just in front of him. He screamed as several bolts struck him in the chest, blowing him backwards and away from the cell.
*
Alex saw him being launched backwards just as Lauren rose, fangs flaring, blonde hair whipping behind her. Alex’s instinct was to shout to her that he was getting up, but Lauren moved so fast it would’ve been pointless. Julian swiped at her but Lauren used the wall as leverage to push off, spinning in mid-air and cracking him across the face with her heel. Julian smacked the ground hard. Lauren lifted her foot to deal a crushing blow to his skull just as Julian disappeared in his customary puff of smoke. He reappeared behind Lauren and gripped her by the hair, slamming her face into the concrete. Lauren rocked him with a quick elbow before Julian struck with a kick to her gut, causing her to sink into the wall before crumbling to her knees.
Julian stumbled as gunfire rang out. Alex saw Michelle enter the hall with a pistol in each hand, firing at will. The bullets must’ve taken him by surprise as three of them struck him, one in the shoulder and two in his upper arm, before popping away again. This time, without returning. Michelle glanced at Lauren, appearing to check on her, before turning to Alex, a look of relief spreading across her face. Michelle produced a set of keys from her pocket and moved towards the cell.
“Michelle, no!” Alex cried, but without reason. Michelle placed the key in the lock without a hassle. No barrier was present. Nothing. As if what happened two minutes ago were merely a dream. Was it? Did she see the electricity? The shield? Of course, she did. It made about as much sense as her being in this cell, and the voice that seemed to follow her, but she saw it.
The door flew open, and Michelle gripped her in an embrace that spoke of strength and joy.
“Are you ok?” Michelle asked.
“I am now. But what the actual fuck?”
“Not the time honey.” Michelle took her by the hand. “Later, I promise. Fight isn’t over yet.”
Michelle only let her go to help Lauren up, who groaned with the effort, but cheered up as Alex hugged and thanked her. “Cheers, big ears. Where’s Melina?”
Michelle answered as she reloaded her pistols, “She was going to take care of his minions. She said she’ll catch up.”
Lauren nodded and all three moved out into the office area. Alex stopped to look at the devastation. The office was completely destroyed. Lights hung from the ceiling, supported by nothing more than a chain or connecting wires. Police officers littered the ground. The Superintendent’s office window had been demolished by the body of the man himself; it was hanging half out of it, blood from his torso flowing down like a water feature. Something out of the corner of her eye caused Alex to stop. Just out of the exit corridor was Solomon Crane, crawling along the ground like a thirsty man in a desert. She rushed over to him, ignoring Michelle’s calls for her to come back. She helped him onto his back, saw his throat had been punctured and held her hand over the oozing blood.
“Call an ambulance!” Alex said, over Solomon’s coughing.
“Alex, we don’t have time,” Lauren replied.
“He’s still alive! Please.”
Michelle reached for the nearest phone on the desk but quickly slammed it back down. “Disconnected,” she muttered, before pulling out her mobile.
“It’s ok,” Alex whispered. “You’ll be ok.”
“Go… leave me. They’re still here,” he wheezed back.
“It’s ok, my friends will take care of them. Just keep your eyes open.”
“You know what they are…don’t you…”
“Yes, and so do you.”
Solomon leaned back, as if the truth, and the word that neither said but both understood seemed to filter into his mind. Vampire.
“I never wanted to hurt you…or cause you trouble…I just…”
“I know. I know,” Alex shushed him. “You just wanted to know. But I couldn’t tell you. It would’ve put us both in danger.”
Solomon smiled as Michelle confirmed, in the background, an ambulance was two minutes away. They had to go. Now. “Better off to let the truth have its day, Miss Hensley. Did you do it… Did she know something?”
“No, I didn’t hurt her…well…I don’t know if I did. That’s the truth. Here…” She placed his hand against the wound, hoping he had enough strength to keep it there until help arrived. Alex rose and walked away, which was harder than she ever thought. It was instinct that told her not to look back, but she ignored it. She shouldn’t have. If it was hard to leave him lying there, it took everything she had not to run back when she saw his hand fall away from his throat and drop to his side, just as she rounded the corner taking her outside to the parking lot.
“Oh, fuck me,” Lauren said, looking out straight ahead. Alex and Michelle joined her. Directly in front of them, were four sinister looking individuals. Hunched over, two of them were feeding off a female cop, her blonde hair cascading down as she shivered and quaked. Upon seeing the three of them, the cop was dropped unceremoniously.
“Which’o you is Alex?”
Lauren gripped her hands into fists so quick her knuckles cracked. “What’s it to you?”
“She’s blonde. So it could be either you or her…and you’re worth twenty five grand dead. Fifty alive.”
“You got ripped off. My left tit is worth at least fifty,” Lauren said through her elongated fangs, bouncing on her feet.
“Yeah…” Michelle clocked the guns and aimed them at the group, gesturing to Alex behind her with her head. “And her arse is worth two hundred for each cheek.”
Alex would’ve smiled at the weirdest compliment she had ever received had it not been for the group beginning to stalk their way forward. The battle was approaching any second. The group collectively changed their stances and straightened their backs, fixated on something behind the trio. Michelle and Lauren turned before Alex, but all three leapt out of the way as a horde of German Shepherd police dogs, snarling with enraged flecks of phlegm leaving their snarling jaws, rushed past them and onto the group. Melina calmly trailed behind them, arms outstretched as if guiding their direction. Then Alex remembered. Of course, she could talk to animals. The dogs tore into the group with a ferocity that was a sight to behold. The vampires scattered as the hounds bit and tore their way through undead flesh.
A car screeched to a halt beside them, Clive burst the side door open. “Get in! There’s a whole heap of cruisers on their way.”
“How?” Lauren asked over the sudden increasing sound of sirens. “The power was shut off in there.”
“I sent them orders as soon as you went in. I got the same blocks as the riot so it took longer. Communication cut off, but I re-routed the-”
Lauren rushed over and kissed him. Alex and Michelle jumped in the back seat, leaving Melina to gaze over the scene.
“Have fun my darlings. Tear them apart…” Melina whispered gleefully before joining the rest. Clive shifted into gear and raced off, leaving the destruction and the oncoming sirens far behind.
“Where are we going?” Michelle asked.
“We are splitting up. But you two-” Clive said, turning briefly and looking at her and Alex, “I’m dropping off at Central Station. You’ve got to get out of here.”
“Where are we going?” Alex asked.
“Anywhere. But don’t tell us. Don’t tell anyone. Don’t use credit cards. I’ve got cash here for you. You are being watched, we think, and you know Julian is after you. You have to get out of the city. Can’t use the airport, photo ID is needed. So, the train is the best thing. Get as far away from here as you can. But keep it to yourselves. Leave your phones in the car. No internet. No online purchases. Nothing.”
Alex and Michelle swapped glances. Alex had no idea what
was going on but said nothing. Trusting the fact that Michelle did but even if she didn’t, the tightness with which she held her hand was a comfort nonetheless.
Chapter Fourteen
The Sword and the Deal
“Is this some kind of a test?” Dante asked, staring at the establishment he had just gotten out of his chauffeur driven car to see. Gavin had joined him. “Welcome to Sovereign.”
Dante was looking at a run-down house, the front of which had peeling paint on rotting wooden panels, a neon sign with more than one broken bulb that said “OPEN” and beside that, covering a window, was a dusty banner reading “Finest Erotic Massage”.
“This way,” Gavin said, leading Dante through the door. The place was rank with the smell of old semen and massage oil. The dankness stifled the air and made Dante glad he didn’t have to breathe. The place was shrouded in red light, the soft sounds of moaning from beyond closed doors filtered through. “You actually get clients?” Dante asked.
“Absolutely. Of both sexes. You’d be surprised how far people who find themselves unattractive will go for a little comfort.”
Gavin led Dante through the main hall, turning right at what would have been a reception type of desk. Gavin leaned down and pressed some keys on the computer, and behind him, the entire wall slid to the side. It revealed another hallway, which Dante entered as the wall slid back. This one though, gleamed with silver and white, the rub and tug front a distant memory.
“I hope you understand I cannot show you all of our endeavours, but even so, this is a privilege afforded to very few and even fewer vampires. But you know what they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.”
Gavin turned again, and it was here that he stopped and Dante saw why; what he wanted Dante to see. In the middle of the room, a sword was encased in a clear tube. A flume of white gas rifting down within it.
“This, Dante, I hope will start to make you believe.”
“A sword is going to change my mind?”
“This is one of three unique pieces of legend. The sword, a book, and a suit of armour. It is said the way to true power is to hold all three. It appears your predecessor held two. Yet after the destruction of his mansion, only the sword was found. The book had been taken or lost.”
“You think the book was taken by someone yet the sword was left behind? It could not be all that alluring, surely.”
“No. The fact the sword was left proves the theory beyond a doubt. Whoever left it, knew that it carries a powerful, ancient curse. One that ensures none can touch it. There is some speculation a way to counter the curse exists in the book, but it’s never been proven. This is why you are here.”
“I thought you wanted my help with Nightingale?”
“I’m getting to that. You were once a part of Vincent’s inner circle. Do you know anyone that had access to his vault? Anyone who could potentially hold further clues to unlocking this mystery?”
“Vincent trusted no one. While I was in his service he mentioned nothing of this. I never knew the sword was even there. The one you should be talking to is Melina. Or...Julian.”
“Melina was to be our next target should you prove uncooperative. The former Prince has proven elusive thus far. We have been tracking him on and off for months, monitoring his movements and his contacts, never able to get a clean fix. But you proved quite easy. If only Nightingale were as easy.”
“Nightingale. Why the fascination?” But then it clicked for Dante. “You think the sword is his, don’t you? That he will be able to wield it?”
“That is one theory. He is strong and heals faster than any vampire out there. The prophecy itself never gives the being a physical description. Truth be told, we are not sure. Though it is our intention to find out quickly. He is one of two possibilities. The other is Nicholas Slade.”
“For that to be true, you’d need to believe in divine miracles. He passed several months ago. I was there.”
“Yes, you were, but you never saw a body, did you? The being is said to have absolute power over fire. They cannot be harmed by it.”
“There was no body left. Alpha wolf or not, no one could’ve survived that blast.”
“But he did...”
Dante snapped to face Gavin, hearing no lie in his voice. “We too thought there was no way anyone could’ve survived. Several weeks after the blast, we deemed it a cold case. It was only hours after the near catastrophe at Randwick, that we became aware of an escaped coma patient at the hospital. This should not have been possible as all entrances were closed. We understood the person to have leapt out of a window and survived the fall. I showed a surveillance picture from last year of Nicholas to the ward nurse who confirmed that was who had been in a coma for the last few months. So now, we look for both of them. Is Nightingale the being that is foretold, and if so, is he the one to wield the sword. Or is this the only thing that can kill Nightingale? And if so, who could hope to use it? Perhaps an Alpha Wolf.”
Dante thought about this, but truthfully the only thing processing was the idea that Nick could still be alive. He didn’t dare to hope, or even to worry. It was true he had not seen a body in the fire. Yet, he wouldn’t take the word of Gavin alone. “What do you want from me?”
“Our resources are vast, but we do not know the underworld like you, a vampire, a king, do. Help us find them. You can use connections we perhaps do not have to cast the net wider. I hear you are a man that looks out for others.”
“You heard wrong.”
“Dante, you may not trust my organisation. You may not believe in the prophecy or in gods. There may be nothing I can say to persuade you. I understand that. But this is for the fate of the entire city. Look at the blade. Have you ever seen anything like it? It cannot be touched by human hands. That gas is liquid nitrogen, intended to bring the temperature of the blade down. It is only an experiment, but that digital readout has not moved. The blade itself does not register with any metallic alloy known to us. We cannot even scrape a sample, only going on laser dating. See all around you. The darkness. This is happening. It’s real. The wonder and the danger. Something beyond comprehension is occurring, and that is my job, to comprehend it. For if the prophecy is to be believed, we are looking at the end of days.”
“This being you speak of is meant to save us aren’t they? Why not help them instead of trying to kill them?”
“It is my superiors that wish to not leave the fate of millions to one person that may or not become an ally. That much power for one person? Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Think about it. Nightingale cannot be stopped. He is an annoyance now. But what if he meant to destroy all around him? Who could stop him? You would leave this city to him, should he decide to do something about the cloud? And Nicholas? He isn’t even twenty, and full of animalistic passion and rage. He killed a teenager out of revenge. The prophecy does not say the person will not have the ability or the strength. But it is their choice that makes the difference. The choice to rise. From what I have seen, neither of them could be trusted with that mantle. Neither will want it. Think...” Gavin said, moving closer to the sword. “This is one of the last weapons of a forgotten age. An entire civilisation unknown to any published historical texts. Known to only a select few. You are looking at history, Dante. Literally ancient Australia, lost through time. We are living right now in one of their harsher realities though. History repeats. We do not have their ways of ridding the sky of the black. If one of those men is the god the prophecy speaks of, we must not only find them but if they pose a threat, be rid of them. We cannot wait for this being that may never come. For the sake of the country, we must act. We must speed up the process to find them and learn whether either truly has the power and willingness to save us. And if one does, is he inclined to own this city and all in it within a day. Help me find them and bring them in.”
“What do you propose?”
“They are both guilty of crimes against the crown and against the city. Nicholas has charges under
human law as well. Use that. Place a bounty.”
“A bounty will utilise the vampire network but will also increase the risk of them being killed. Are you sure that’s what you want? If one of them is this supposed saviour that is.”
“I trust our people to come up with a solution. Better off seeing them dead than submitting to their oppression.”
Dante turned again to the sword. Truly a thing of beauty. Dante had fought Nightingale, he knew how strong he was. Maybe this was all bullshit; maybe it was true. For Alexandra’s sake, he hoped Nick was alive. But it was a harsh reality that he would not be able to tell her. No one would. He had specifically made sure when she went into hiding no one would know where she was. Not even him. She had no memory of him, but would she remember Nick? Could he kill the boy if it meant saving the city? Did he care anymore about this? Her? Yes. The city? No. The faceless ones he had tried so hard to protect from his own kind. There was only one thing he concerned himself with now.
“I will help you,” Dante said, still staring at the weapon. “On one condition.”
“And that is?”
“You said you have been tracking Julian for months, is that correct?”
“It is.”
“I want all the information you have on him. Where he has been. Who he has talked to. Specifically, over the last few weeks. The Batty family. I want to know everything.”
“That can be arranged.”
“Then we have a deal.”
Chapter Fifteen
Motherly Advice
Alicia was the first over the small hill that enabled her to take in the view of the Slade Estate. Well, what once was called the Slade Estate. Now, it was known as something else. Yet gazing upon what was her home for the better part of twenty years did little to diminish her relief.
It was home once. Now though, it no longer belonged to her and it had another name, she needed its shelter once more. To regroup. To plan. She looked back and took Nicole’s hand to have her join her at the apex of the hill, allowing her to take a breath.
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