The Sorcerer's Touch

by Imogene Nix

“Good. Think of us like the police for vampires. It’s our role to bring him to justice. Make him account for the crimes he’s committed. But to do that we need your help, Emily.”

  “W-what do you need me to do?” She still sounded hesitant, but Cressida saw the white of the officer’s knuckles had returned to a healthy pink.

  “Good girl. Its important that we know what he looked like and where he is.”

  “I can…I can do that.”

  By the time Officer Fernly left, Emily was tucked up in the human wing of the house, fast asleep, and a patrol had been placed around the location Emily had given them.

  Their human allies would ensure no one went in or out while the vampires slept.

  * * * *

  Daniel rubbed his hand over the back of his head. The constant inactivity with brief periods of intensity were wearing them all down.

  After Officer Fernly had left, Hope and Celina had herded them down to the training room on the pretext that they’d been thinking over the use of the amulets they all wore.

  The ability to share power had grown easier to command, and he was amazed at how much smoother it was to communicate between themselves without words now.

  When they’d concluded, it had been far too late for the couples to leave, and though Daniel had offered to transport them to their own homes, they all agreed it was better to stay the night. Besides, his ability to transport more than one still wasn’t as strong as he’d hoped.

  “Daniel, stop wearing a groove in the floor. Just stand here while we wait for the warriors. As my consort, it’s important that you and I look calm and collected. That we share our resolve in this matter.”

  He scanned her and read the doubts and fears that shook her core.

  “You’re not as calm as you appear to be.”

  “No, Daniel. If this goes wrong…” She gulped and he took her hand. “We could lose a lot more than just a single nest or warrior if this doesn’t go to plan. Massing our warriors”—she shook her head—“that’s a big risk. By only leaving a skeleton force at each house, we risk the devastating outcome of an attack here, or at any nest, if we’re wrong.”

  “The patrols haven’t seen anything.” He cupped her face and she rested against him as if absorbing his strength.

  “We can’t just rely on that. We don’t really know how strong he is, what powers he holds.”

  Just then the door boomed open and the three witches entered. “Oh, we can tell you, his powers are few and weak, we can sense that with ease. Power is imbued in the witch, not the vampire. What he has was inherited from his mother, but over the years his skills have decayed. He might be the ultimate vampire now, but any magical powers he’d once possessed are almost non-existent.”

  The two couples that they’d been working with made their way down the steps, their chatter ceasing as they saw the three women facing Cressida and Daniel.

  “What do you mean?”

  Jemima smiled. “Well, the vampire virus? There are genes carried by certain families that make them and us susceptible. You see, our sister, Creedar’s mother, was only a half-sibling to us. Creedar’s mother took many lovers and—”

  “Hang on.” Daniel shook his head. “What do you mean she took many lovers? And does that make him…”

  “Our nephew? Yes.” Jemima inclined her head.

  “Creedar had other full brothers and sisters, as you have already learned. When our kind came into being, certain strains of the virus and our gene pool mutated. You already know that from Hope and the pathogens she carried. Later on, there were further changes, resulting in the weres and suchlike. Witches are a human variation and vampires are caused by the virus factor transforming in the blood of those with certain DNA factors.” Danicka frowned. “I think that’s all of it, now.”

  “No, wait.” Selena raised her hand. “Caridad. She is our grand-niece, as you know. And Daniel, David, Hope and Celina are all distantly related through Caridad’s daughter. The one born before she became a vampire.”

  “You’ve been drip feeding us all along. Why didn’t you tell us all this originally? It would have made things so much easier.” Daniel balled his fists as anger coursed through him.

  “We never promised any of this would be easy, Daniel. While we knew some, we also had to dig for information. It wasn’t just handed to us on a platter, dear. All we promised was that we would right our sister’s wrong when the time was right. That’s exactly what we are doing. Righting the wrong.” Selena’s response didn’t enthuse him.

  “So what you’re saying is—”

  “That we will help you defeat him. While he slept there was no need to be concerned about him.” Hope opened her mouth but Selena shook her head. “Estersham was a problem, it’s true, but you were able to deal with him. We knew that. That’s why we didn’t interfere, but Creedar waking? That changed the whole game. You need help to defeat him and that’s our role.”

  Cressida turned turbulent eyes on the three women. “When this is done, we need to talk.” They’d kept back so much information. What else had they kept secret and hidden?

  Jemima nodded. “Yes, we do. There is much to be finalized. Now, have you everything in place?”

  “The warriors will be massing here”—the rumble of vehicle engines rose, as the cars drove up the lane—“about now.”

  “And your plan?” This time it was Caridad who demanded the answer, and surprise filled Cressida as their Overlord sauntered into the room.

  “It is as complete as we can make it, Liege.”

  Caridad smiled at Daniel. Does that include your magic?

  Cressida grinned as Daniel responded to the assembled group. “It does, Liege.”

  In response, Caridad merely smiled.

  * * * *

  Daniel was hunched over the laptop in the back of the car. He’d called in a favor owed and now accessed satellite images of the house they would soon storm.

  Around the rear, a small laneway ran by the house, and on their command the movement of vehicles was minimal—covert government agents in plain clothes and ordinary cars. The rest of the neighborhood had been quietly evacuated, down to the last cat and dog.

  Patching into the satellite system allowed them to get a real-time view of the surrounding area, and that told them there was no movement outside. A small mercy right now.

  He hummed then pointed out a spot on the screen to Cressida. “Here’s the lane where we’ve got the majority of the guards. The police finalized the last of the evacuation ten minutes ago. I’ve been watching since we arrived and no one has gone in or come out.”

  Cressida leaned over his shoulder. She pointed to a spot. “What’s that?”

  “That is the command post for the SWAT team and vampire-human relations officers.”

  “What are they doing there?”

  He felt the emotions that she couldn’t totally hide, a mixture of frustration and anger, and noted the way she tapped her fingernails on the arm of the car seat.

  He smiled at her. She’d avoided a lot of the more modern behaviors society had acquired, yet somehow she’d cultivated more than a mere distaste for bureaucracy. He stifled the snort that rose before sobering.

  “Sadly, that’s because there’s human involvement. It’s their job to ensure none of the humans get…eaten.”

  She groaned and rolled her eyes. “What do they think we’re going to do? Pretend they’re takeout?”

  He snorted a laugh but the sour look on her face remained.

  “Come on, Cressida. We don’t have to like it, just work with it.”

  She sighed and turned back to the screen. “No movement?”

  He shook his head, rubbed at the back of his neck, and computed the information before him.

  “But what?”

  “It doesn’t feel right.” He groped for his pocket and withdrew a mobile phone. “Let me make a call.”

  The call connected and ran directly to voicemail. He swore and Cressida raised her eyebrow.


  “Well, that didn’t work quite the way you expected it to.”

  He could see she was making an effort to soothe him, but the prickle of apprehension continued.

  “I’m just… It doesn’t feel right, Cressida. I can’t explain why…” He shrugged and she laid her hand on the knee he’d been jiggling up and down.

  “I understand what you’re saying, Daniel. But unless there is something more than a sense, we’re committed to this course of action. Creedar must be defeated.”

  “I know. It’s something I can’t put my finger on what it is. I wish…” But what exactly did he wish for? That is was over? He sure did want the battle concluded. That they could go back to some kind of normality? That wasn’t going to happen—not like before, anyway.

  After all, now he was a vampire. He wanted them to have a chance to make a life together, though. Free from the threat of Creedar.

  “There will always be something, Daniel. No matter the time, place or circumstances.”

  Cressida’s quiet words made him jump. She was obviously reading his emotions at this time.

  “You can, can’t you? Is it one of the perks of Masterhood and being a Councilor?”

  She smiled enigmatically as the car drew to a stop, then her mirth died away like snow in the morning sun.

  * * * *

  Creedar sent his minions out as soon as the sun dropped below the horizon. His rest had been disturbed by noises and banging, hushed though it had been. At first he’d thought it part of the normal day-to-day routine of human life, but as the day wore on, his mood had deteriorated.

  Jastin made the mistake of creeping into the small dark room at that moment, interrupting his thoughts, and Creedar tore out his throat, fangs flashing like razors. The only sensation he felt when it was done was hunger. Jastin had failed him miserably and the need for a new second clawed at his mind. More vampires followed Jastin into the room and he growled his displeasure.

  Hunger ground in his belly, as if stretching the muscles then contracting them as thin as possible. The one woman his warriors had brought to him overnight had left him feeling ill after just a few sips so he’d thrust her away. Now the sun had set, and he stalked the length of the room.

  “Bring me sustenance!”

  Two of his warriors, a tall female and a short but wiry male, nodded and left. He was able to follow them part of the way, until the contact halted abruptly.

  The sudden disconnection was odd and he growled, trying to grasp what had happened. A younger woman, one of his newer warriors, padded her way across the room. “Master?” She cocked her head to the side, but her gaze was direct and clear. “Tell me what you need.”

  Ahh! Here is one with spark! He could send her out and should she be successful, maybe she would be able to fulfill his need as second. He almost rubbed his hands together with glee. She might allow him to watch his enemies scurry like ants.

  “Go find them. See why they are no longer in my mind.”

  He was sure she gazed at him as if calculating his reactions before she nodded.

  “Indeed, sire.” Before he could speak again she was gone, rounding the doorway and out of sight. He tried to follow her, but as he’d found with so many others, he couldn’t.

  Within minutes she’d returned. “Sire, I bring news. Humans and vampires have encamped outside. They seem to be waiting for others. As to the ones you sent out, they are lying in the nearby streets, not dead, but unconscious. I feel… There is imminent danger ahead and we should leave.”

  “I forbid any warrior to leave this building.” His voice boomed. So they think to capture me, do they?

  The nasty smile he gave left the vampires who’d gathered in the room with him blanching.

  He’d beaten his opponents every other time and he would again.

  This time they would have the benefits of a nest. Once he’d built up protections… The others would need to breach the perimeter. Never in the preceding millennia had anywhere he’d fortified been violated. It would be the same here. It was an advantage he’d deny them.

  His mind turned over ideas and stratagems he could employ. “Cease your noise and assemble.”

  As the warriors scrambled to follow his bidding, he watched. What they didn’t possess in training they had in strength of numbers. He’d crush those who defied his will.

  I am a god! They will bow before me.

  With that in mind, he started to give orders for the defense of their position, and when it was done, he reclined once more on the bed he’d claimed as his own, watching as his warriors scurried off.

  Yes. He would grind these foes into dust before he glutted once more on sweet human blood.

  * * * *

  “Can I help you, ma’am?” A young man, possibly in his late twenties, strode toward Cressida as they made their way toward the Black Zone, the vampiric code name they’d chosen for Creedar’s nest. It would make it easier to call, should they need to name their location to others.

  “I don’t think so.” Cressida would have pushed on, but the man sidestepped in front of her.

  “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but this is a restricted zone. You’ll have to go back beyond the cordon.” She read the name Davies on his shirt.

  Her eyes widened before she started to grin. “Aha, so he likely doesn’t know who I am, do you think, Daniel?”

  “Ma’am? I’m going to have to insist…”

  An older gentleman, one she hadn’t spied before but knew well, stepped up to the young staffer.

  “Uh, Davies? That’s Councilor Cressida. You’ll want to let her and her entourage through.” There was a brief hint of amusement in the older man’s tone before the young man stepped back out of the way.

  “I thank you, Captain Usain. Young Davies here hadn’t recognized me, so I’m glad you were able to clear the identity issue.”

  Daniel winced at her comment about young Davies, but it didn’t hurt to put youngsters like that through their paces, she thought. After all, in thirty years’ time he might be in Usain’s position. And Usain had learned much from the few times she’d sat him on his backside as well. Nothing like a ploy that works, generation after generation, she told herself.

  Now she sashayed her way in the direction of the planning tent. Computer analysts and strategists gathered around, pens in hand and maps on the table, while the large halogen lights shone down, as hot as the days of summer.

  Her people took their places around the tent, consciously assuming the positions of guards. The humans had done their job well during the daytime hours, but the night belonged to the vampires.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for your assistance, but I’d like to confer with Captain Usain once you’ve cleared the area.”

  There were gasps of surprise and more than one of the staffers indicated their displeasure with being removed from their position.

  Usain stalked in her direction. “With all due respect, Councilor—”

  “Usain, trust me. I’ll explain everything soon. But if you value the lives of these men and women”—she gestured to those watching—“you will clear the area. I cannot be responsible for your losses otherwise. And there will be losses.”

  “Why are you bothering with the male human, Cressida? You should just take command.”

  “With all due respect, Caridad, things are different now. We must deal with these humans. Times have changed and they aren’t afraid of us. We work side by side—”

  “Nonsense, Cressida. They are human. They do our bidding.”

  Over the years Cressida had become aware that Caridad had lost touch with humanity. Dealing only with the upper echelons of vampiric society had left her social capabilities blunted.

  Caridad marched into the light, her red hair forming a nimbus around her head. “Who’s the human in charge?” Power echoed and the lights flickered and dimmed just a little as she spoke.

  “I am. And you would be…?”

  She grinned at Usain, and Cressida had the im
pression she was weighing up the burly, dark-skinned man. “I am the Overlord. You, however, may call me Caridad.”

  Usain looked as bemused as so many did, meeting the Overlord for the first time. Cressida swept her arms in the direction of the humans still watching. “We need to clear them out before we can set our teams in motion.”

  Caridad smiled, and before she knew it, the humans were rising and walking away into the dark.

  “What did you do to my people?” Usain leaned away, his hands gripping the tables as if it were all that was keeping him there.

  “A simple compulsion. They are tired and ready for home. But not you, so why is that?”

  Usain watched her, his face a mask of concern. “You just made them leave?”

  “Something like that. Now let’s get down to business.” Caridad took the seat nearest to her. “Cressida, it’s your plan. Explain it to this human here.”

  Cressida cleared her mind. “Our foe is Creedar. He’s the one that’s been attacking the nests. Last night he took a human—a girl—but to her credit she managed to escape. The police brought her to us in the early hours. We’ve since received the information that he has a makeshift nest.”

  Usain sat heavily in the seat opposite, his tan paling with worry. Not for the first time, she wanted to apologize for the lack of information, but that wasn’t the way it worked in vampire and human relations.

  “You see, the attack from two nights ago led us to a nest he’d abandoned probably half an hour beforehand. It was too late to give chase, so when we were given the gift of this girl…”

  Usain stiffened at the word gift.

  “You mean you fed from her?” Usain’s face mirrored the horror her words had evoked.

  For a moment Cressida ground her teeth together. Sometimes it was hard to explain what she meant. They didn’t always understand the meanings of statements when it came to vampires. This was one of those times.

  “No, we didn’t. Not at all. In fact, she’s safe with the humans in the Council nest. But she gave us the information we needed. That’s why the humans, reinforced by weres, were keeping an eye on this location.” The shuffle of feet joined with movement in the shadows and the human gulped.