The strawberry blonde vampire shot her a nasty look. “You’re just jealous. Be back soon.” She scooted out the door.
“That was subtle, Dad.”
Mordecai grunted. “I didn’t mean to offend her, but she is a bloodsucker.”
“So am I, Dad. Get used to it.”
The crippled detective grimaced. “I’ll never get used to that. It’s a good thing your mother’s not alive because seeing you like this would kill her.”
“Dad, please. Most fathers would be thrilled to have their daughters running a successful business.”
Mordecai glanced up at the frosted window pane. “Nightstalkers, Inc. – a bunch of vampire bounty hunters paid to track down defenseless humans who dare to go against the social order. We raised you better than this, Sharon.”
“Change the record, Dad. If you raised me so well, then why did I run away and become a sucker? I bet you were too busy doting on Monica, as usual, to even notice I was missing.”
“Why do you always drag your older sister into this?”
“Because she’s the one you’ve always been proud of. Your firstborn, straight-A student, a Kennedy scholar… Monica’s the daughter you wanted; you only adopted me when it became the only way to provide a little sister for your princess, Monica.”
“Sharon, you know that’s not true. But how can I be proud of a daughter who murders innocent people in cold blood?”
“We only hunt the guilty, just like you. But instead of apprehending criminals as you do, we chase down the seditious subversives, the rebels, and those disloyal to the Dark Gods. What could be a more noble calling than serving the deities?”
Mordecai grimaced, turning his wheelchair to face the door as he prepared to leave. “Come by the house for dinner Sunday night.”
“You know I don’t eat.”
“We’re having a small gathering. Monica is introducing us to her new beau. Jensen and his wife Adele will be there. So will Mavis and a few more of my friends from work. I know it would mean a lot to Monica to see you there.“
“Monica. Always Monica.” Sharon sighed. “All right, Dad. I’ll be there. But I’m bringing my own drinks.”
Despite being attired in a designer dress and adorned with an abundance of jewelry, the affluent elderly woman seated at the table in Bubastis nonetheless managed to appear tastefully extravagant yet not ostentatious. It was her luncheon companion, a swarthy Mediterranean little girl, who made her look out of place. “Love can be a grand thing, dear. Take my Seamus, for example, may he rest in peace. We had our share of bad times, squatting in alleys living as trampires. Many’s the time I told him, ‘Seamus Callaghan, you need to be networking, forming contacts to enable you to rise through the ranks,’ but he insisted he’d rather spend his time with me than hobnobbing with the right crowd.” Her recessed fangs butted against the dentures she wore to hide the gap where her long-missing teeth had once been.
“He turned you into one of us, didn’t he?” the olive-skinned girl asked.
Maudie nodded. “I was a breather and I was dying. Callaghan refused to let me go. He wanted us to spend eternity together. Ironically, he was the one who would ultimately be destroyed and now I’m left to face an eternity on my own.”
“At least your story is romantic,” Natasa said. “We were both mere children when Artemus bit me. He was ten years old and couldn’t bear the thought of going through life without his childhood friend by his side. He said he turned me into a sucker because he loved me, but the love a little boy professes for a little girl is hardly the love a man feels for a woman. I think even Artemus realizes that now, nearly five hundred years later. In all that time we’ve grown apart but he would never admit his mistake. Our relationship is based on guilt, not love or desire; that’s why Artemus has stayed with me.” She looked up at the door. “Look who’s here.” She called out, “Pandora!” waving the strawberry blonde vampire over to their table.
Pandora joined them. “Mind if I hide out here for a while?”
“Did you and Sharon have a row?” Maudie asked.
Pandora shook her head. “Family stuff. I didn’t want to get caught the middle so I escaped to my favorite refuge.” She glanced about the café. “Is Bartholomew here today?” she tried to ask nonchalantly.
Maudie shook her head. “Katrina is working his shift today.” She pointed toward the young barista wearing a plush cat ear headband.
“Mom!” All three turned their heads in the direction of the shout from the café doorway.
“Aren’t those your kids, Pandora?” Maudie asked.
The strawberry blonde scrunched her nose. “Sometimes there’s no sanctuary from family.” She waved them over. “Don’t you know better than to shout across a restaurant?”
“Sorry, Mom,” Ursula said.
“Yeah, sorry,” Quinn added.
“What are you doing here?” Pandora asked.
“Looking for you… or Aunt Sharon,” Ursula said.
“We were on the way up to your office when we saw you through the window as we passed the café,” Quinn said. “Is Aunt Sharon here, too?”
“She’s upstairs but don’t disturb her; she’s in a meeting. Why were you looking for us?”
“I need to ask you something,” Ursula said. “You were friends with Alaric’s parents before we were born, weren’t you?”
Pandora scrunched her nose. “That was a long time ago.”
“Are the rumors true?” Ursula persisted. “Is his mother a witch?”
“And what about his father being a demon?” Quinn asked, becoming excited. “Was he a fire-breathing demon or really gross-looking?”
Ursula shot her brother an annoyed look.
“Why all the sudden interest in Alaric’s parents?” Pandora asked.
Ursula’s mien turned more serious. “Alaric’s missing. We think it could have something to do with his supernatural parentage.”
“What makes you think that?” Pandora asked.
“Something that happened in school the other day,” Ursula said. “Please Mom, I need to know.”
Pandora grimaced. “I really didn’t know them well. Mr. Cypher and his partner owned the business, and Sharon and I initially were part-time employees. Then, when Mr. Cypher married Miss Twitch and Mr. Horn left, they sold the business to Sharon and me. We had a business relationship but we weren’t close friends.”
“But surely you’d have noticed if your boss was a demon?” Ursula asked.
“Not necessarily,” Quinn said. “I heard demons can disguise their looks by wearing human glamours.”
“All I can say is I never saw Mr. Cypher breathing fire,” Pandora said. “You realize, if Alaric’s never spoken to you about his family there may be a good reason for that. Witches and warlocks are not well tolerated by the Dark Gods. Many have been banished to Limbo or other desolate realms and most of those that remain have gone into hiding.”
“Why don’t they like witches and warlocks?” Quinn asked.
Pandora shrugged. “It’s not for us to question the will of the deities. But it can be dangerous to be seen associating with or aiding those who practice witchcraft. If Alaric has gotten himself involved in anything like that, you must stay away from him. Do you understand me, Ursula? Quinn?”
The twins nodded.
Pandora smiled. “Now sit down and we’ll order some hot chocolate.”
Ursula grimaced. “We should head home and start on our homework assignments.”
Pandora frowned. “I suppose I can’t complain if my kids want to do their homework. When I was a teenager, all I was concerned with was fashion and sneaking into speakeasies. Go on, I’ll see you when I get home.”
“Nice to see you again, dears,” Maudie said to the twins.
They waved goodbye to Maudie and Natasa and left the café. As they walked down the hallway out of the building, Quinn turned to his sister. “She’s lying, you know. I can always tell. She does the funny thing with her nose.”
The gypsy campfire burned brightly, encircled by a caravan of garishly colored vardos. The flickering flames illuminated the ornate woodcarvings on the vardos while simultaneously shrouding parts of them in a chiaroscuro of shadows, an ironic blending of light and darkness seldom found in the caliginous new reality of the Alterverse. The sounds of violins and violas wafted through the air, perhaps more as a release from the tribulations they faced than a celebration of the peripatetic lifestyle the Gypsies lived. Several older women cooked food on the open fire, stirring a stewpot and turning skewers of meat from some recently killed animal. A few young women danced enthusiastically to the music in their long flowing, colorfully pleated skirts, their many rings, bracelets, and beads clanking with each movement. One man seemed to clang his tambourine in sync with the clanking of the women’s jewelry, while another’s playing of the accordion melded all the cacophony into a harmonious melody.
One of the older Gypsy women rushed forward to greet Ursula and Quinn. “Glata!” Katarina exclaimed, embracing the children. “You’re just in time for lunch.”
Quinn grinned. “You’re always cooking something.”
“We have many mouths to feed and the forest is a willing provider.” She gazed into their eyes. “But I sense you didn’t come to our camp merely to visit your old kirvi, did you?”
Ursula appeared chagrined. “Of course we always look forward to seeing you, but there’s something we need to ask Dad.”
Katarina smiled at her. “It would be much easier to speak to your father whenever you wish if you glata would simply come live with us.”
Quinn frowned. “Mom says we wouldn’t like it here. She says Romulus is always going on about vampires being marime and how impure we must be.”
“Romulus is a jackass. Pay no attention to that old battle wolf.”
Ursula shrugged. “Besides, as much as we miss Dad at least he visits us. If we did move here, you know Mom would never visit us because of…” Her voice trailed off.
Katarina nodded. “You were going to say because of my daughter, weren’t you?”
Ursula nodded awkwardly.
“I believe everyone has a soul mate,” Katarina said. “Some people travel great distances to find their soul mate while others don’t realize the one they seek is right under their nose. That’s what happened with your father. I think he was always meant to be with Luna, but then he met your mother and… Well, when you’re older, you’ll understand passion can be a powerful force. The Dark Gods must have known what they were doing when they brought Cody and Pandora together because it gave us you two beautiful children. But Cody belongs with his own kind and I know Luna harbored a crush on him since she was your age.”
Quinn grimaced. “So what does that make us? Part vampire and part werewolf… We don’t have our own kind.” He sighed and glanced at his sister. “I guess all we have is each other.”
“Nonsense, my little quab,” Katarina said. “You have a foot in both worlds. You’ll always have a place in the clan, just as you’ve already been accepted by your mother’s people. Besides, hybrids like yourselves are unique because, as you may imagine, romantic relationships between vampires and werewolves are… Unlikely. I remember when you were born, Julianka – our clan’s chovihani back then – prophesied a great destiny lay ahead for you. And one never doubts the word of a Gypsy witch.”
“What happened to her?” Quinn asked.
Katarina turned away, and replied in a doleful tone, “She had a good heart; not like her daughter and protégé, Mariska. Julianka would often use her spells and amulets to help the human gaje. She drew too much attention to herself and eventually the Dark Gods took notice. When the Dark Gods wish to cause suffering, any who seek to alleviate it are soon marked for their vengeance.”
The twins gulped.
A brown wolf trotted toward them and morphed into a young woman.
“Aunt Lupe!” Ursula and Quinn cried out in unison.
“I told Tamas I had spotted you.” Lupe Fenris pointed to a hill behind her. “He’ll catch up with me eventually. I was afraid you’d leave before I had a chance to see you.”
“They came to see your brother,” Katarina said.
“Cody is in the woods with Luna and Karoly gathering firewood. Not that we’ll need any more unless fat Istvan gets off his butt and finds another deer.” She glanced at the twins. “Come with me; I’ll take you to him.”
The siblings hugged Katarina goodbye and followed Lupe into the woods. “You said Luna is with Dad?” Ursula asked.
Lupe nodded. “They’re a couple now. You’re going to have to accept that.”
Ursula frowned. “I don’t like her.”
“Luna’s been my best friend since we were children. She’s one of the nicest people I know.”
Ursula pouted. “I don’t care. If it weren’t for her, Mom and Dad might still be together.”
Lupe shook her head. “I’m surprised they lasted as long as they did. Pandora can be such a…” She paused, remembering to whom she was speaking. “A difficult person.” It was likely the kindest description Lupe had ever bestowed on Pandora. “Luna makes your father happy. You want him to be happy, don’t you?”
“I guess,” Ursula said halfheartedly.
“Luna’s not so bad,” Quinn said. “I can see why Dad likes her; she’s super hot.”
Ursula smacked her brother on the side of the head. “Jerk.”
“Ow!” Quinn yelped.
Lupe stopped and the twins, following her lead, halted as well.
“Why are we stopping?” Ursula asked.
“Because you both need practice. You spend too much time in the city with its concrete jungle and not enough in the forests. You should be able to find your father from here.”
Quinn looked around the woods. “I don’t see him.”
“You’re thinking like a human,” Lupe said. “Or a vampire. Think like a wolf, instead. A wolf that waits to see the danger upon it is a dead wolf. Use your other senses. Listen, like the wolf.”
Quinn strained to hear. At first, the din of the forest was overwhelming: a cacophony of cricket chirps and the fluttering of birds flitting through trees. But then those sounds faded, replaced by a crunching noise. “Leaves. I hear leaves being stepped on and twigs snapping.”
Ursula sniffed the air, turning slowly to catch a whiff from different directions. “I smell Dad’s scent.” She frowned. “And Luna’s perfume.”
“That way.” Quinn pointed through the woods and took off in the direction of the crunching leaves. Ursula followed her nose as much as she did her brother. Lupe smiled. You’re learning, cubs, she thought.
They found Cody and Luna gathering firewood in a glade.
Cody looked up. “Quinn, Ursula. What brings you out to the country today?”
“Are you surprised we snuck up on you?” Quinn asked exuberantly.
Luna arched an eyebrow. “Snuck up? A herd of rhinoceroses would have made less noise. But we certainly didn’t expect you today.” She smiled at Quinn and patted his head.
Ursula grimaced. “We came to speak to Dad.”
Cody hugged Ursula. “You know you may always visit whenever you wish.” He glanced at Quinn. “Aren’t you going to give your father a hug, too?”
“Come on, Dad. You know I’m too old for that.” He looked up at Luna. “I suppose I can hug Luna.” He grinned and threw his arms around the lithe young woman.
“Quinn!” Ursula exclaimed in an annoyed tone. She turned back to her father. “Dad, what can you tell us about Alaric’s parents?”
Cody shrugged. “Not very much. Wouldn’t it be better to ask your friend himself about his folks?”
“That’s just it,” Ursula said. “We can’t ask him; Alaric’s missing. We think his disappearance may be related to his supernatural parentage. Is it true what they say about his
mother and father?”
Cody sighed. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but they were good people. Samantha was strong-willed and brave, and I think she brought out the goodness in Lucifer. Not that he didn’t have plenty of flaws but I owe him everything.” He glanced at Luna and smiled. “Back when I was having an affair with your mother, Luna and your Aunt Lupe came to Las Vegas to convince me to return to the clan. I was helping Pandora track down some seditious humans when one of them started shooting at us. Luna was directly in the line of fire but Lucifer saved her, and the rest of us, too. Seeing Luna almost die made me realize the extent of my true feelings for her. After that, your mother and I split up and I rejoined the clan.”
“But how did Lucifer save you?” Quinn asked. “Was he a demon?”
“To some; but as for me, I’ll always think of him as a guardian angel.” Cody saw his son was eager for a more descriptive answer. “He had a trident that he could call upon and use to shoot daemonic energy from its prongs.”
“Cool!” Quinn exclaimed. “What did he looked like?”
“Like any ordinary man. The only time I could see through his glamour was when I became the werewolf. Glamours don’t work on animals and during the full moon I become more beast than man. He had little white horns on his forehead, cloven feet, and a long tail.”
“Wow! So he was a demon, after all.”
Ursula cocked her head. “What about Alaric’s mother?”
“Samantha Twitch?” Cody asked. “She tried to dissuade Lucifer from hunting down dissidents and eventually convinced him to sell Nightstalkers, Inc. to Pandora and Sharon. As the Dark Gods gradually began persecuting witches and warlocks, I think Samantha naturally sympathized with the dissidents. Had she gone along with the Dark Gods’ plans as her ex-lover Mordred – a powerful warlock – had, she probably would’ve been fine. The Dark Gods never harm those who commit to serve them, as your mother and I do. But Samantha and Lucifer… Well, they stood up for what they believed in, and for the oppressed, and then one day they disappeared.”
Alterverse Page 6