by Chanel Smith
***
Méredithe watched from the balcony that faced the street as Veronica walked, at a very human pace, down the avenue and turned the corner at the end of the block. She was headed back toward the bed and breakfast she was staying at on St. Roch Avenue, a fairly normal looking place that provided special light-tight lodging for vampires and exhausted businessmen alike.
She turned and walked back inside, closing the french doors behind her and locking them securely. The heavy drapery was pulled tight before she went to gather the things that she would need. That was when the witch attempted her spell. Binding a demon is serious business. A demonic creature as old as Set could be an entirely different situation all together.
She prayed to St. Peter for guidance and to St. Michael for protection and before beginning she kissed the charm around her neck. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and began the ritual. As she chanted, she hoped desperately that it would work. It was her understanding that every creature had its nature and had to live true to that nature if there was to be balance maintained in the world, but she also wanted to spare the lives of those helpless women who might run into this monster on the road to New Orleans. They were innocents and Méredithe felt strongly that the moment she was no longer driven to protect the innocents, her purpose on earth was forfeit. With that last thought planted firmly in her head, she knitted her brow and concentrated hard on casting her spell.
The first thing she had to do was scry the demon. The moment she could locate him, she could target her magic at him. Aimless magic was like a message in a bottle thrown out on the waves of the sea for only heaven knows what to happen to it. Good magic has power, purpose and aim.
She opened her eyes and focused on the glow of the fire that was burning in the fireplace. She held her gaze for a few moments, concentrating on the leaping of the flames, then she closed them again and let out a deep breath.
Like a jolt of electricity, her mind was rapidly transported. It moved through space and time at the speed of light, then came to a sudden stop. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a steering wheel in front of her, the inside of the car’s windshield and the open road flying past. She smiled and watched the signs that were buzzing past for a clue. It wasn’t long before a sign that said ‘Exit 109’ went by. Méredithe smiled again… so did the cambion. They were in St. Martin parish. That exit ran off from Interstate 10 to Breaux Bridge. He had left Lafayette and was heading toward Baton Rouge which was only an hour’s drive away. Surely he planned to feed there. She could not allow him to do that. All she had to do was bind him into driving straight through to New Orleans. That was more than twice the distance so hopefully he would be in a state of weakness and desperation from hunger by the time he arrived and that would be in Veronica Melbourne’s best interest.
Suddenly, the witch heard a giggle coming from the passenger seat. She looked toward the sound.
Oh, heavenly Mother! she gasped.
Seated beside the demon was a pretty young woman dressed in cut off denim shorts and a plaid farmer’s shirt. The witch shook her head slowly… so did the cambion. She gathered all her wits about her quickly and began to mumble incessantly.
“This girl is a burden to me,” she whispered. “I do not want her here with me for one second longer. She is better off on the side of the road looking for another ride.”
In her mind, she thought repeatedly, Get her out. Get her out now!
Suddenly the car was slowing down and pulling over to the side of the road. Méredithe could see the steering wheel veer slightly to the right and felt as the car stopped. Soon, it moved off again and when she looked to the passenger’s seat again, it was empty.
Chapter Nine
Veronica sat perched on a high wall adjacent to the ‘Circle’ and stared down at the space in disbelief. She took the paper that Méredithe had given her and looked at it again.
This address must be wrong, she concluded. There’s no way that Madame Moliniere meant this place. It’s a goddamn park, for crying out loud! Kids walk their dogs here and soccer moms gather at these benches in the afternoons to wait for the school buses that brought those same kids home.
She took her cell phone from her pocket and looked at it for a second before moving her finger to the little green button to bring up Méredithe’s number. Just as she found the listing and was about to press ‘SEND’, it rang.
Shit! What great timing!
“Madame Moliniere,” she said breathlessly, “I was just about to call you. This can’t be the right place. It’s a children’s park… in a fancy neighborhood, at that.”
“Sounds like you’re in the right place then. Quickly look around you. Do you see the stones? Tall monoliths at irregular intervals encircling the perimeter. A few are beyond the tree line.”
Veronica took another look around in the pitch black darkness. Through her eyes, it was as bright as midday.
“Yeah, I see them. So?”
“Cut that smart mout’ wid me, girl!” Méredithe snapped, lapsing into her Creole accent.
Veronica was taken aback.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” she blurted out instinctively. She was rough around the edges, but she still had home training.
“Never mind, child. I’m still a little shaken from working that bind. I saw through his eyes and I wasn’t expecting that. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what to expect.”
“Oh, hell! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, dear. Just a little rattled. But I saved the girl and that is what is important. And he’s on the way here. Should make the city limits in about an hour.”
“Okay, I’ll stay here and keep on the lookout.”
Veronica sounded nervous.
“It will be fine, Veronica Melbourne. You will do well.”
“Am I on my on my own from here on in then, Madame Moliniere?”
“I’m afraid you are, my child. Godspeed.”
The call clicked off.
Veronica silently went back to watching the park space closely. She had parked her tiny rental car across the street and down a half a block and it had been there for hours. She wondered for a few seconds if it would get towed. She’d only gotten up to walk when she’d felt like checking the perimeter of the park for vantage points and to gather her bearings. The unfamiliar battleground was making her nervous. It was no home- grown rowdy vamp or rabid local were that she was trying to ambush here. The cambion was an old and powerful creature. She wondered if his powers of mesmerisation worked on other supernaturals. Instinctively, she reached for the phone to call the witch for the answer but decided against it. Instead, she thought back to what she had read in the pages of Méredithe’s book earlier that evening. There was nothing there to that effect, so she Googled it. Again, nothing. She would err on the side of caution and avoid eye contact with the beast.
As the night deepened, Veronica took to walking around the area more often. There were a few street lights that surrounded the park, but it was easier for her to keep her preternatural eyes on things herself. At regular intervals, she would change her lookout spot to ensure she was getting herself properly familiar with the park’s features. It was a good excuse to stretch her legs, but most of the time, she sat in a tree that overlooked her rented car down the street.
Veronica desperately hoped the Madame’s spell had worked the way they intended it to. From the witch’s report, they had made contact, gotten his next victim out of his car and bound him into driving straight into the city; but beyond that, Veronica had no idea what to expect. Secretly, she hoped that the creature would take what was left of the night to rest; daylight was well on its way and, whereas he was functional both in the day and night, Veronica could feel the exhaustion creeping into her every bone. She would have to get back to the motel before she succumbed to the sleep of the day or the rays of the sun.
That was, even if the spell had worked fully and held its power over him. Otherwise, she didn’t have any idea where this would all le
ad. She and Méredithe could always try again, seeing that he would be within reach in New Orleans, but if it didn’t work once… would trying again be worth the effort?
She carried her normal gun with her on one side of her belt, and the golden gun on the other. She’d taken the time to load it with an entire vial of the powder before taking her watch. It was securely haltered in the shoulder strap and lay perfectly beneath the curve of her left breast. She just hoped it would work when she needed to draw and fire it at Set.
Suddenly there was movement at the south edge of the park. She saw the figure slinking just beyond the tree line, earnestly searching the open space. It was the figure of a man. She raised her nose to the air, trying to catch a scent on the sea-driven breeze, but before she could get a scent on it, she heard a small whisper.
“Veronica? You here?”
She heaved a soft sigh of relief. He was a smart one; that Rand. She had never met a human who knew as much about vampires as he did.
She let out a sharp, low whistle and saw his head snap up and face her direction. It took him a minute to make her form out where she was perched on the wall under the cover of a nearby tree. He kept to the cover of the brush as he made his way around to her and gingerly climbed the tree.
When he got to the top of the wall, they sat for a moment, swinging their legs over the side like two teenagers, before Rand finally spoke.
“You’re not alone, you know.”
“What the hell, Rand?”
“Calm down. Do you have to be so abrasive all the time?”
“Why did you come?”
“Don’t you want me to be here?” he asked, feeling a bit dejected by her harsh question.
“I didn’t say that.”
“We’re all here. We came to help… as much as we can. In the end, this can only be your fight. But the way we figure, the demons have never been a set that were known for playing fair. We don’t intend to be caught off guard. Or to see you fail, Veronica.”
“So you doubt me? And who is ‘we’, anyway?”
“The Brotherhood. And the Watchers.”
“An audience. Great!” Veronica retorted, as she leaped from the wall and floated to the base of the giant tree.
“Veronica, wait.”
Rand leapt from the tree, landing on the ground with a thud and a loud grunt. When he had regained his balance, he grabbed her by the hand. She paused, allowing him to take a grip on her wrist.
“We’re not just here to watch. You will have our assistance the moment you need it. Trust me.”
“I don’t trust anyone, Rand. I’d think you, of all people, would know that by now.”
“I suppose, but what I know even more than that is that you need us. Hell, you need me.”
“You see, that’s where you’re wrong. I don’t need you… but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want you.”
Veronica pulled him in close to her and wrapped her slender arms around his neck. Rand countered by placing his softly around her waist. He touched his lips gently to hers, and her eager response surprised him pleasantly. She kissed him as if he could take her breath away; which was strange, since she really had no breath.
“It’s almost dawn,” she said. “Something tells me he’s not coming tonight.”
“Something tells me the same thing.”
“Take me to bed, Rand. I need you before I sleep this morning.”
“Your wish is my command.”
Chapter Ten
When Set arrived in the city, he was overcome by the activity. He was famished, but he couldn’t will himself to prepare for a hunt. He felt sluggish and forlorn, as if sleep was the most important thing to him at that time. Quickly he checked the clock on the dashboard. It was just after 2 a.m. He immediately felt like walking the strip near Bourbon Street to search the alleys for prostitutes who would be desperate for a customer by then. So desperate, in fact, that they wouldn’t heed their good sense when it told them that something about their potential john wasn’t quite right.
But then, strangely, just as soon as the thought had entered his mind, even causing him to lick his lips in anticipation, he shook his head and sighed. An overwhelming sense of exhaustion fell over him and he turned into the parking lot of the first motel he found. Set checked in and instantly fell dead asleep across the queen-sized bed.
He didn’t move until sunset the next day and when he did wake, he was angry and hungry and he knew exactly where he should go.
***
They arrived at the park in their usual little groups of two and three. The Romanovs and Julia were the first to get to the silent park. They descended gracefully from the sky onto the tops of the giant monoliths and took up their sentry positions. There was no need to hide. Set would not run from the confrontation. He would take it as a challenge. There was nothing quite as intoxicating to demons as the blood and life essence of other supernaturals; they were just lazy. Humans made easier targets.
“What do you mean by that, Eldest?” Alexei asked, reading Julia’s thoughts.
“What have I told you about that, Alexei?” she admonished.
“Don’t read the thoughts of others without their knowledge and permission,” he recited, just as monotone as any ten year old would have when being chastised.
“Yes, dear. Mind your manners. The Elders of the Eastern Watch will not be as tolerant of your indiscretions as I have been over the years. At over a hundred years old, they will think that you should know better. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. But to answer your question, demons and their offspring survive by consuming the life essence of any creature they can get their hands on. They are particularly fond of the blood of supernatural beings, but we tend to pose a difficulty to subdue. Humans, on the other hand, are like sheep to them. If a lioness on the savannah has a choice between taking down a domesticated cow and chasing after a wildebeest, it is obvious the choice it will make. Is it not?”
The two children chuckled at the example and nodded enthusiastically in response to the question. Julia smiled and returned her gaze to the field. She watched the arrival of Marie de Guise, Bridget Bishop and Marcus Antonius, then of the Empress Dowager Tzu-hsi and the last samurai, Saigo Takamori. By the time Petronilla de Aquitaine and William Adelin had arrived, it was Anastasia’s turn to ask Julia a question.
“Elder, why have the Scotsman and the Viking not come? Surely they are two of our strongest fighters.”
“They were will not involve themselves in the matters of vampires, dear, unless they are expressly invited.”
“Why did you not invite them? We would be better equipped with them among us. Would we not?”
“I have had word that The Brotherhood of the Blade will be watching this event. If they plan treachery against us, I felt that it would be better that some of the Watchers survive the ordeal. There are far more elder vampires in this world than there are elder weres.”
The severity of her reply caused the children to wince, but they knew that she was right. Her logic was undoubtedly sound.
“Now be quiet and pay attention.”
***
Set found himself inexplicably drawn to the park. He knew there was something there that he wanted. Needed. He just didn’t know what it was or how he knew that he needed it. It would bring him the satisfaction that he craved. The feeling of contentment that had recently started becoming more and more elusive. But was it possible to feel that way again? Why was he really here?
Thinking those questions over was enough to make his head hurt as he approached the open area. His overwhelming hunger didn’t help the situation much either. He looked around carefully, not knowing what to expect. He didn’t see anyone near the park’s main entrance, so he moved stealthily beneath the trees and took a look around the recreational area. There were picnic benches scattered around a small pond and little areas for playing games, but other than that, it was empty. Not a soul in sight or to be heard.
/>
Just then, a little breeze picked up and with it came an exciting smell. Set could hardly believe his luck. A vampire… delicious. A vampire would slake the thirst that had descended upon him recently; of that, he was certain. He raised his head in a primal manner to the wind and breathed deeply, and then he let out a low growl. There wasn’t just one vampire, there were many; at least six distinct scents. He moved out of the dim moonlight and took cover behind a large tree, scanning the area more carefully in hopes of catching sight of his enemy; still looking forward to the possibility of new prey. The thoughts of needing to enter the open space at the center of the grounds had disappeared from his mind altogether. He was focused once again. And then he heard her approaching quickly from his right. It was an ambush.
***
Veronica was hiding close to the entrance of the park. As usual, she was perched high in a tree as she scanned the perimeter and kept watch on the gates. It wouldn’t be long before Set, the cambion, arrived and her battle to destroy him would begin. The witch’s spell had worked well after all, but the more Veronica surveyed her surroundings and the streets that ran around the park on the other side of the wall, the more she felt that though the venue was the most mystically appropriate, it certainly wasn’t the place where she wanted to be duking it out with a demon. The middle of a neighborhood as socially appropriate as that would surely be roused by the melee causing a lot of unwanted attention.
Well, lah dee dah! she thought cynically, even though she knew that luring the beast elsewhere was the right thing to do.
The dockyard out by the old levees would be the perfect place. Isolated, unpopulated and, if things went her way, there was an abundance of alligators in the nearby swamp to act as her personal little undertaking crew. It wasn’t the ancient circle, but it was close enough; it had to do. At that precise moment, she noticed the darkened figures standing on top of the giant stones that encircled the park.