“After her!” Annie’s scream echoed through the property. Team one—Marielle, Jory, Roland, and Spencer—sprinted after. Team two, made up of Fabien and the other guards Annie had just met that day, assisted Annie. Together, they ran into the trees.
Chapter 22
Ryan Connelly, once a wizard guard, had worked his way up through the Wizard Council. He was well liked and trusted by most who met him, which made him an easy candidate for Grand Marksman, leader of the wizard community in the United States. With his background, he understood the needs of the Wizard Guard, and he often took their side. But not always.
Today, as he sat in his desk chair, he let the cool, dark leather cradle him as he stared aimlessly out the large picture window that took up his entire back wall. The late-afternoon sunlight glistened off the building across the street, blinding him. He closed the sunshade, but it wasn’t enough to draw his attention elsewhere. He fixated on the street below, where hordes of people traversed up and down the sidewalk, in and out of the buildings.
“But the vampire has eluded your Wizard Guard on several occasions. Had you informed us of this sooner, we could have protected the royal family,” the Grand Marksman Guenther Grimm, his counterpart in Amborix, said over the phone.
Ryan sighed. “Anne Pearce contacted your Wizard Guard as soon we became aware of Princess Amelie’s… condition.”
“This was your responsibility. How did you not know the princess was turned?” Guenther shouted.
It came back to the autopsy. The thorough examination of Princess Amelie’s dead body; the verification that there were no vampire tracks in the usual places and the discovery of the killing curse across her torso. Without the vampire markings, it was assumed the killing curse was the cause of death. There was no reason to think otherwise.
“Reread the initial autopsy reports we sent to Amborix eight months ago. The ones that you signed off on.”
Papers rustled on the other end of the phone line as Guenther perused them. “You changed these,” he accused.
“No. We did not. Anne Pearce examined the body quite thoroughly for vampirism. Far more than any other wizard guard might investigate. Not to mention there was no time for an audit of the autopsy. The body was removed the following day by the Amborix royal family,” Ryan reminded him.
“You dare accuse us! You let a vampire go home!” Guenther shouted.
Ryan shuddered as he stared out the window. Traffic moved slowly below him. “I have never blamed you or your team. I am only reminding you of the facts. I do acknowledge our responsibility in this, and I assure you we are doing all that we can to fix the problem. Rather than lay blame, maybe you should be finding a way to help us stop the princess from killing anyone else.” Ryan remained calm, his voice steady, though throttling the man would have made him feel better, if at least for the moment.
Ryan couldn’t believe anyone would think this was the fault of the United States Wizard Guard. It was undoubtedly the best trained guard in the world, the best manned, the most equipped. The fact that Annie had to rely on her own telecommunications and computer department to do her job made Ryan believe it more strongly.
A horn blared from the street below.
The door to his office opened. Ryan twirled in his chair and faced Milo Rawley and Cham Chamsky, taking seats across from him.
Ryan held up his hand. “Is there anything else, Guenther?”
“No. We will be in touch.” He hung up the phone roughly.
“Pleasant,” Milo said.
“Is Annie dealing well with the Amborix Wizard Guard? Because that was Guenther Grimm, Grand Marksman in Amborix,” Ryan said.
“She’s dealing well with Phillippe and Marcus, two of the wizard guards. She has said Guenther is rather rough and difficult,” Cham responded.
“The Amborix Witches Council is being difficult then?” Milo asked.
“Yes. It’s a pissing match between councils. It’s ridiculous. We all exist for the same purpose.” Ryan sighed. “So where are they now?”
“They went to an abandoned Maxillian property. Of course, the vampire escaped. However, Annie’s text did say the vampire was injured, which should slow her down. Fabien Arnault, the French Wizard Guard manager, said the bodies they discovered in Ratja d’Aro Sea were cleaned up by the French Wizard Guard. The Amborix Witches Council is still dealing with the death of Queen Catriona.” He took a moment and took a deep breath.
Ryan glanced at Cham, who was slowly taking over for Milo: sitting on phone meetings, keeping track of the team in France.
It had been Ryan’s plan since Cham became a wizard guard to transition him to be the next Wizard Guard manager. Cham’s ability to plan and to work with people in both the nonmagical and magical communities to reach a successful conclusion to problems made him the right person to take over the department. People all around the world trusted him. Right now, he was diffusing several situations behind the scenes. Should Cham should need to, he’d be off to France to help diffuse emotions. Annie was too emotionally charged in this case. He had that leadership, the strength, and commitment Ryan wanted for the next Wizard Guard manager. Only now it would be sooner rather than later.
Milo said, “I don’t trust anyone else but our guards. I should have sent them sooner, but I’ve got Cham, Gibbs, Lial, Shiff, and Brite on call and ready to teleport out.”
Ryan looked at his friend, the man he’d worked with since they both started at the Wizard Guard, just a year apart. Milo had aged greatly in the last eight months. The cases had become more complex. With them came a great deal of exposure risk, more so than any other case that had come through the Wizard Guard. It had taken its toll on everyone, but no one as much as Milo.
“You know we can’t do that. We don’t have jurisdiction. International magical law ties our hands. Right now we can’t afford to lose what little credibility we still have.”
Milo grunted. “We didn’t make a mistake. You know Annie would have better luck with our people.” He glanced at Ryan. “And if I send them anyway?”
Ryan smirked. He had no control over what his Wizard Guard manager did. “I don’t know this,” he said and leaned against the seat back. “Amelie is a new vampire and she’s as difficult and unpredictable as any I’ve seen. If they don’t kill her soon, I worry the entire European region may gather against us.”
It was Milo’s turn to smile. “And do what? Issue orders against us. We’ll still kick their asses. If it wasn’t for us…” he refrained from dragging up old history that Ryan already knew. “Who are our strongest allies?”
Ryan glanced at Milo thoughtfully. “In Europe it’s hard to say. Amborix was, I guess. I would say we were left with a tenuous situation at best after Amelie’s death. But this… this put a splinter in the relationship. Germany was pleased with our handling of the Black Market debacle and appreciated how we handled their missing victims in the incident. They might stand with us, though they are strong allies with Amborix.” Ryan sighed.
“Germany? That’s not much.” Milo grimaced.
“If we need support, we’ve got Morocco, Spain, and the Middle East. I know that’s not much.”
“Actually, France is pretty impressed. Fabien Arnoult might be a little self-important, but he was complimentary. He thinks Annie is a crackerjack. Likes her spunk.”
Ryan nodded in agreement. “So the plan?”
“Amborix is asking for all official records of Amelie’s death investigation. Bucky is pulling that and will give me what we have. I want to see what we’re sending them before we do. They can determine whether or not we considered vampirism in Amelie’s death.” Milo rubbed the stubble growing on his chin. It scratched like sandpaper. “This could have happened to anyone. It happened to us, and we’ll handle it. I’ve done all I can do with the Witches Council.”
“And the Amborix Government? Do you want me to handle it, or is the Witches Council taking control?” Ryan asked.
“They insisted on taking car
e of it. You still have a contact at the government?” Milo asked.
“I’ll take care of it. It hasn’t hit the airwaves yet. Curious, I thought. I’ll contact the U.S. president and my contact in the Amborix government. Also, with Annie not available, I suppose I need to update Jack Ramsey. If this gets out and blows up, I don’t want the poor man blindsided.”
“I guess we have our plan,” Milo said. He hoisted himself out of the chair. “Is there anything else?”
Ryan glanced at Cham. “And what do you think, now that you’ve been privy to the inner workings?” he asked.
“If it were my decision, I’d say it’s better to ask forgiveness than ask for permission. Annie can’t do her job and broker peace. Not when there are so many against her,” Cham said.
“I agree.” Ryan said.
Milo nodded and shuffled out of the office followed by Cham, leaving Ryan alone for his next task.
Jack Ramsey’s business card was kept in a locked section of his top drawer. He wanted to have it handy yet not so handy that he would become accustomed to having the resource. Ryan dialed the number.
“Jack Ramsey,” the voice announced.
“Jack, it’s Ryan Connelly.”
Jack was silent for a moment. “Hi, Ryan. Please tell me Annie’s okay and the princess is dead.”
Ryan balled his hand into a fist and squeezed tightly as he released some anxiety.
“I wish I could tell you that, but I can’t.”
The line sounded as though it went dead.
“You still there Jack?”
“Yeah. Before you tell me, please just tell me what you will do for me if it goes south and blows up and everyone learns Amelie is still alive?”
“We will provide you with a backup plan. My team is working on that now. We’re heading down a storyline that has Amelie faking her own death to escape her stifling life. I can give you more information if you’d like, but we think this will suffice until a massive memory modification spell is completed—that is, should we need to.”
“Do I want to know what that entails?” Jack asked curiously.
“No. Actually you don’t. There are serious moral and ethical concerns that go into memory modification spells. They aren’t taken lightly,” Ryan told him.
“Okay. So what should I know for now?” Jack asked.
“Amelie has been difficult to kill. Annie and Spencer have come up against her on several occasions, and she’s managed to escape each time. The princess was last seen in an abandoned Maxillian home in Austria. Though she escaped, she was seriously injured. We’re sending additional guards and have several other Wizard Guard units throughout Europe joining the chase.”
Ryan waited for Jack to have a chance to digest the information and formulate his next questions. Ryan needed time to contemplate the rest of the story.
“First. I was there. Annie checked for signs of vampire holes. No bites. She checked the wrists, the neck. I think even behind the legs. How… how did she miss it?”
And there it was. How did one of the best-trained wizard guards in the world miss the fact that Amelie had turned? That question had sat in the pit of Ryan’s stomach for days. Annie didn’t miss it. She did her job, but this time someone else was better.
“If I had to guess, the track marks must be under the hair, probably around the temple. No one would have caught that.”
“So my next question. You are well trained. You seemed to take the lead in the Black Market disintegration, something that affected all Wizard Guard units throughout the world. So how has…” Jack collected his thoughts before continuing.
“How has she bested our group?” Ryan finished.
“Yeah. That’s my question,” Jack said.
“First of all thank you for the vote of confidence, thinking we are that good. I am partial to our group and do believe we are that good—much better prepared and trained than any other Wizard Guard unit out there. The problem is, we are tied by international magical laws and are unable to bring our entire team to France. Annie and Spencer needed assistance and are currently working with other units to bring down the vampire.”
“So they’re working with others and relying on strangers to do a job they could’ve done right in the first place had they all been there together? You play fast and loose with the rules. I’ve seen it. Why aren’t you now?” Jack was audibly upset.
Ryan blew out stale air. His stomach roiled. “It’s too late for that. We’re taking care of the problem now. What I want you to know now is that besides killing for food—and we won’t know for sure how many people that has been—Amelie killed a member of our Wizard Council who went missing eight months ago, plus what looks like a vagrant. Their bodies were discovered in Amelie’s coffin. The princess also killed three members of a French family known as the Van Altons.”
“It’s all been kept quiet?”
“Yes. The French Wizard Guard cleaned up the mess she left in a seaside cottage. And that’s not the worst of it. Amelie’s out for revenge. She went home to the castle in Amborix and killed her mother.”
Jack went silent. “How the hell are they keeping that quiet?”
“The Amborix Witches Council. We don’t know exactly what they’ve done but they’re keeping a lid on it, dealing with the royal family and the government without us.”
“The United States still doesn’t get on well with Amborix. Do you trust them?”
Ryan thought of his recent phone call with Guenther Grimm. It wasn’t a difficult question to answer.
“Milo doesn’t, and I know Annie and Spencer will be happier once we bring in our team. But you didn’t hear that from me, and I don’t know about it.”
“So you are going to step on some toes. Do you need anything from me?”
Ryan fumbled with his cell phone, pulling up a number for his next call. “Not right now. I wanted you to know in case it goes public. I would hate for you to be unaware. So if you need anything from us, if anything comes from the top—from your director, from the president—call me. We’ll create whatever you need. If we need you to intervene, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks for the heads up. Tell Annie to call me if she needs anything. I have access to people and places overseas. If she needs computer help, or if she’s discovered and needs a safe house, I can help.”
“Thanks, Jack. I’ll call you after I deal with the Amborix Witches Council and the president of the U.S.”
They hung up after saying goodbye and reminding each other to keep in contact should anything change. Ryan sighed deeply before making his other calls.
*
The knock on the door was perfectly timed. After Ryan pushed a button from under his desk, the door opened, and his secretary led Cham and Milo into his office; they had returned on his request. In an instant Ryan saw it: Cham at six foot three, walking with a straight back, unafraid to be called into the office of the Grand Marksman. He stood next to the tired, soon-to-be former manager of the Wizard Guard, who was slowly moving, hunched, and pale.
Ryan sighed as they sat.
“You were right, Cham. I’ve been so concerned about the law and sticking by the book,” Ryan began.
“We are a bit tied to that law though,” Cham said thoughtfully.
“We are. But we’ve also had to take the lead, to bring in our own people. I should have trusted my gut,” Ryan admitted. “Did you tell him?” he asked Milo quickly. Milo shook his head.
Cham’s eyebrows rose. Ryan chuckled.
“Well, Milo and I have been talking about you as far back as when you started.”
“We’ve… I’ve been looking at you as the next Wizard Guard manager.”
Cham tried to hide the smile as it broke across his lips. He glanced at his pants quickly before looking up.
“I know this is a surprise for you. But as Milo is set to retire, we’ve been moving up our plans for the department.” He pushed a paper toward Cham. “This is the offer. This is a promotion to Wizard Guard
assistant manager. We’ll make you a full manager when Milo retires.”
Cham held the offer, his shaky hand.
“Why not Annie?” he asked.
“Because you are who I want. You lead with quiet grace, you’re smart, and all the teams in America respect you. She’s great at what she does, but this—this was made for you.”
“I’m honored. Yes, I’d love the job,” he said.
After Cham signed the offer, Milo chuckled, summoned a box, and handed it to Cham. “All yours,” he said.
Chapter 23
Jory was a sufficient tracker, getting them safely to the house, but now they needed his skills to follow Amelie’s blood trail. It was easy enough where the snow covered the frozen earth, but farther south, they were forced to sweep the area, searching for blood droplets, pools of blood, broken branches, and torn leaves.
While Jory plotted each spot on his map, Annie scried for the vampire.
“She’s running… not straight but… sloppy,” he announced, searching for the words.
Annie thought of the stake that penetrated Amelie’s abdomen. The blood would continue to leak from the wound until the vampire was drained. The blood droplets were thicker and would be coming quicker.
“I wonder how long a vampire can last without blood in their veins?” Annie smirked at the thought and bent over to look at the large pool at her feet.
Fabien joined her. “If she leaves the stake in, it will take a while for her to be drained. Years, possibly. She’ll be weaker for certain,” Fabien said.
“Where is she?” Annie asked. Their flashlights roamed the trees, and yet Amelie was nowhere in the vicinity.
“We should keep south,” Jory advised and took the lead through the dense clump of trees, exiting out to an existing trail where, twenty feet up ahead, a body lay splayed on the muddy path. An unmistakable pool of blood lay beneath the victim. Annie and Spencer sprinted for the body, closely followed by Jory and Roland; Marielle hung back, grimacing.
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