Kindling Flames—Gathering Tinder

by Julie Wetzel

  “It’s okay, sweetie,” Jenny reassured her. “We’re all good friends here. We’ll look out for you.”

  Vicky nodded as she peeled off the layers of drenched cloth and folded them up. She looked down at Darien’s jacket and pulled it out of the basket, so she could drop the wetter clothing in the bottom before draping the expensive suit coat over top.

  Now naked, Vicky lifted the basket up and placed it on the shelf before turning to the other nude women in the room. She felt as if she should cover herself up, but there were no towels, and it would look funny if she tried to hide behind her hands while the other two were so casual about their nudity. She settled for wrapping her arms across her chest and rubbing the cold from them.

  “Let’s go get you warm,” Josie held open the curtain that separated the changing room from a prep area. “Have you ever been to an onsen before?” she asked.

  “I don’t even know what an onsen is,” Vicky admitted.

  Josie and Jenny grinned at each other.

  “It’s a large bath,” Jenny informed her. “We’ll get you set up.” She hooked an arm around Vicky and led her to a row of low faucets and stools along the wall. Several bottles of soap sat along a ridge in the wall. Jenny deposited Vicky on one of the short stools in front of the faucets.

  “It’s customary to wash before getting into the pool,” Josie informed her as she turned Vicky’s water on to a nice, warm level and pulled down some soap for herself. Both Josie and Jenny wasted no time getting wet and soapy.

  Testing her water, Vicky adjusted the temperature before scrubbing herself clean. The warm water felt good on her cold skin. Once all the soap was rinsed away, the three women got up from the washing area. Vicky followed her hosts through another door into an area containing a large pool.

  She gasped as she looked over the room. Someone had done an amazing job making the steaming pool look like a large hot spring. The edges were all curvy and uneven, and the walls had been painstakingly painted to look like the side of some mountain. Vicky was so awed by the magnificent scenery that she didn’t register the people sitting in the pool.

  “Maybe she’s not as shy as we thought.”

  The voice of the goth girl drew Vicky’s attention to the group lounging in the water, and the red that had faded from her skin returned in full force. She faltered in her steps, but Josie and Jenny each hooked an arm and propelled her towards the warm water, where everyone was waiting for the new arrival.

  “Be nice, Marsha.” Brian snapped at the goth girl.

  Marsha stuck her tongue out at the muscular man and dropped deeper into the water.

  “Don’t mind her, darling.” He stood up and held out his hand for her.

  Josie and Jenny both handed her off, so she had no choice but to take the man’s hand and let him help her into the water. She was surprised to find that the large pool was hotter than the baths she took at home. There was a ledge along the edge, and the water level was just deep enough to cover her chest if she sat on the shelf.

  Once the three girls were settled, Brian returned to his seat and leaned back against the wall to relax. Vicky was glad he was far enough away that he didn’t crowd her.

  “Be careful, sweetie,” Jenny warned from where she rested in the pool. “The hot water can go to your head very quickly. If you feel faint, just let us know, and we’ll get you out.”

  Vicky nodded. The hot water did wonders to drive out the chill that had settled into her bones.

  They had only been in the water for a few minutes when Terrance popped the question everyone wanted to know. “What’s he like?”

  Vicky gave the delicate man a questioning look.

  “Master Darien. What’s he like?”

  She could see that the entire group was hanging on the words she was about to say. “I really don’t know how to answer that. I’ve only known Mr. Ritter for a few weeks now.”

  The group encouraged Vicky to tell them what she did know.

  “Um… he is very professional, and sometimes he can be very demanding, but he treats me well.” She didn’t think Darien would want her to tell them about his occasional randomness. Then again, given the bizarre behavior of this group, maybe it would be normal for them.

  “Have you ever met any of Master Darien’s others?” Liz asked from where she sat on the side of the pool.

  Vicky wasn’t exactly sure what she meant, but she assumed the woman was asking about the other temps that hadn’t worked out. “No, they were all gone before I came along.”

  Worried sounds came from the group.

  “Do you know how many he has gone through recently?” Jenny asked.

  “I think there were nine in the two months between the time Marianna was put on bed rest and I was sent to him,” Vicky answered. It had been one of the many topics that she had gossiped with Sue about.

  The group looked at her with concerned eyes. They knew some masters could be hard on their servants, but to go through ten people in such a short period of time made them worry for Vicky’s safety. The only master that was anywhere near that hard on his people was Michael, and his tastes changed fast enough to prevent the death of any one person.

  “I always thought Master Darien was better than that,” Liz said, shaking her head.

  “Oh, darling.” Brian shifted, so he could pull Vicky into a hug. “If there’s anything we can do to help, please let us know.”

  Vicky froze as his arms came down around her. She didn’t understand the sudden outpouring of care and tried to move out of his arms, only to find Roger had come over to sit on her other side. Vicky’s skin flushed as the blond man joined the muscular man holding her.

  “We’ll be here for you.” Roger wrapped his arms around her, too. She squirmed as the two naked men held on to her. “Just let us know. Even if Master Darien isn’t part of the Council, there has to be something they can do about it.”

  Vicky didn’t understand why they were so upset. “Really, it’s all right,” she replied, trying to convince them she wasn’t in trouble. “I enjoy what I do, and it pays well.”

  The two men pulled back a little, and Vicky took the opportunity to move away from the wall and float into deeper water. “I wouldn’t want to go back to what I was doing before this.” She shuddered at the thought of selling plasma to pay her rent again.

  “That is not acceptable.” Josie floated over to Vicky. “He should know better. We’ll talk with our Masters about this. None of them could stand up to Master Darien alone, but all of them together should be able to stop him.” Josie knew that the Council wouldn’t stand for any vampire risking exposing the rest. If Darien were killing that many people, they would put a stop to it. The days when vampires left piles of dead bodies in their wakes were long over.

  “I appreciate the help, but really, I’m fine.” Vicky stood up quickly in the water to back away from the woman and clutched at the light feeling in her head. The random line of questioning had confused her enough that she hadn’t realized she was overheating.

  Josie reached for Vicky as she passed out and fell into the water. She quickly flipped Vicky over and pulled her to the edge of the pool to have Brian and Roger lift her from the water. Marsha ran for a towel to fan the fainted woman with. The others gathered around to make sure Vicky would be okay.

  “For someone living with a Master that’s so hard on his food, she looks to be very healthy,” Terrance pointed out as they examined Vicky’s body. “She doesn’t have any fang marks.” He turned her head, so he could inspect her neck closely.

  “Maybe he bites her in less obvious places,” Marsha suggested, and the group proceeded to check the rest of Vicky’s skin for any signs of wounds. They even checked the femoral artery on her inner thigh, but they didn’t find a single tooth mark.

  “We can always ask her tomorrow, when she’s feeling better,” Jenny suggested.

  They all agreed.

  “Let’s get her to someplace
where she can cool off,” Brian suggested, and picked Vicky up. The muscular man carried the limp woman out of the onsen and down the hallway to one of the bedrooms set up for the servants of visiting masters.

  Josie followed behind him and pulled a black silk nightgown and matching thong from the dresser in the room. The pair quickly dried and dressed the girl, so they could put her to bed and let her sleep off the heatstroke before her master returned for her.

  Darien stood in the foyer and watched as Tiffany pulled his surprised assistant away. He felt bad for abandoning her to the teen’s care, but he couldn’t take her in to see the Council. Tiffany would take her to Natalie, and she would make sure Vicky was put into the safety of the house pets.

  Turning, he took the stairs at the other end of the room. The center stairway split at the middle into two smaller ones that led off in opposite directions. He followed the steps leading left and climbed to the grand chamber where the Council held their meetings.

  “… You need to take more responsibility for those you bring over,” Darien slipped into the room and waited for the Council to stop reprimanding the youngest chair holder. “You can’t just turn whomever you like and let them go on the city. We’ve had to ‘take care’ of your last fledgling already.”

  “That’s not entirely my fault,” Michael defended himself. “How was I supposed to know she would try to turn all her friends, too?”

  “You should have known it was a bad idea when you found out she was a crack addict.” The head council member rubbed the headache from her temple. “I still can’t believe you couldn’t taste it in her blood.”

  Michael crossed his arms and huffed at her. “Well, this time it’s not one of my fledglings, Clara,” he defended his brood. “I’ve been watching them since that last incident.”

  “About time.”

  Darien looked at the heavyset, blond man who had made the comment. That was the same thought that passed through all of their minds, but Daniel said it out loud, without holding back. Being Michael’s sire prevented the younger vampire from snapping back at him.

  Michael shot Daniel a look that could melt flesh from bone, but he didn’t say anything.

  Clara looked up from her problem and greeted their guest. “Welcome, Master Darien.”

  Bowing to the Council, Darien took the chair awaiting him. Even though he wasn’t on the Council, they still provided a seat for him in case he changed his mind.

  “We have gathered as you’ve asked,” Clara gestured to the other six vampires sitting at the oval table. “What can we do for you?”

  Darien cut straight to the chase. “I’ve come for information.” It sounded like they were already addressing the subject he wanted to know about. Michael’s coven was on the south side of Brenton, and Darien guessed that the other council members thought one of his fledglings was causing the problems there.

  All seven members of the council stared at the master vampire with questioning eyes.

  “Our knowledge is at your disposal,” Clara offered.

  “What can you tell me about the murders known as the ‘Southside Slaughters’?” Darien asked.

  Michael slammed his hand onto the table. “It’s not my fledglings!” he yelled.

  Darien raised an eyebrow at this reaction. So, he had been right. The Council had noticed and thought it was one of their own.

  “I never claimed it was one of your young, Michael,” Darien used as soothing a voice as he could on the agitated vampire. “I just wanted to know what you knew about them.”

  Michael crossed his arms over his chest and huffed in silence.

  “All we know is that there have been a series of murders and disappearances in the last few months.”

  Darien turned to look at the speaker, Victor. He tried not to smile at the elaborate outfit the man was wearing. Victor reminded Darien of Count Dracula in London as played by Gary Oldman, complete with silk top hat and tiny, tinted glasses. What he found most amusing was the fact that Victor had never worn these types of things until they started coming back into style with the steampunk crowd within the last forty years.

  Darien turned his mind away from the man’s clothing and thought about his words for a moment. “I know about the murders, but what about the disappearances?” he asked.

  Lillian explained, “It hasn’t been widely reported because the victims have been people no one cares about. But a lot of people have come up missing in the last few months.”

  Darien looked at the girl sitting cross-legged in the chair next to him. With her jeans, T-shirt, and messy, red curls, he would never have picked her out as a master vampire. “People no one cares about?”

  “Mostly the homeless, hookers, and drug addicts.” Lillian shrugged. “The police don’t really care because there’s less of a problem on the streets, but we notice.”

  Darien understood this. It was these types of people that vampires used for a steady supply of sustenance. Vampires would be the first to notice a drop in their population. “How many?” he asked in concern.

  “Across the city?” Lillian thought for a moment. “About fifty.”

  He gaped at her in disbelief. Fifty people missing were a lot. “Any ideas what’s happening to them?” he asked.

  Lillian shook her head. “They just disappeared.” Her voice held a hint of sadness. “I’d been helping out a few that have just vanished. Their stuff was where they were supposed to be, but they were not.”

  Darien knew that Lillian would often support a few people that were down and out to provide blood for her and her offspring. She always took good care of her people, so for them to leave without telling her was unusual.

  “I was actually asked to come here today by Rupert,” Darien finally revealed.

  A groan sounded around the table.

  “What does that mangy mutt want now?” William asked, from his seat on the other side of the table. It was clear to see the man hadn’t gotten over the last conflict with the wolves.

  “Apparently, the wolves have been having some trouble with the same thing that’s causing the murders and abductions,” Darien explained to the waiting group. “They’ve been chasing something they believe has caused the fires across the south, but haven’t been able to catch it. In fact, the bodies that have been found torn up were all werewolves.” He paused to let this fact sink into the quiet table. It was inconceivable for something to mutilate a werewolf like that. “Rupert has asked me to come and see if the Council could help.”

  “But… we were hoping the wolves were to blame for these actions.” Clara’s words were supported by an agreeing murmur from around the table. At least that would have explained part of the problems.

  “No, they aren’t,” Darien informed them. “They’re having as many problems as you are. The incidents could be related. I think it’s time we put our heads together and figure out a way to stop this before it ruins life for everyone.”

  He was slightly surprised when agreement came from the group, expecting more resistance from the thickheaded Council.

  Clara spoke for the group. “Very well, we’ll put our feelings aside to find out what this is and stop it,” she said. “But if it’s not those mutts, and not us, then what could be causing the problems?”

  Darien grinned at the way she had ‘put aside’ her feelings. They may agree to work with the wolves, but they wouldn’t like it.

  Rachel broke her silence. “It could have something to do with the Gray Courts.”

  Darien looked over at the timid girl. Of all the vampires on the council, she was the one he paid the closest attention to. When the quiet woman spoke, it was always important to listen.

  “What do you mean?” Clara asked.

  “Well, it’s obvious from the extent of the damage done that whatever is causing this is not human. That leaves things of the night. And if it’s not werewolves or vampires, then the next obvious choice would be the fay,” Rachael explained.

  “Tru
e.” William placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Their powers have faded over the years as humans have taken over the wild places. Maybe this is a way for them to regain some of what they’ve lost? Blood magic is very strong stuff.”

  An understanding nod circled the table.

  Daniel pointed out another issue. “But we just can’t go into the Gray Courts and accuse them of these murders. We would never make it out alive.”

  “I know of one person who could go into the Gray Courts and ask, without endangering his life.” Clara leveled her eyes at Darien.

  The rest of the Council turned to the outsider as well.

  Darien sighed. He knew what Clara was going to ask of him.

  “Master Darien. You stand apart from all the factions. Could you take our concerns to the Fairy Queen?”

  “In hopes of solving this mystery before it can escalate out of control, I’ll be glad to offer my services.” Darien knew this was the only way the matter would get addressed. Just the negotiations to get one of the other vampire masters into the mound might take years, and even then, the fay weren’t likely to listen to them. As it was, he was in good standing with the Gray Courts and visited the Queen on a regular basis.

  “Was there anything else we needed to talk about while we’re here?” Clara moved the meeting on to other, in-house problems, and Darien leaned back in his chair to listen to the Council reprimand Michael for the way he treated his food.

  Clara insisted that the dark ages of vampirism were over, and special care was to be shown to the ‘victims’ that supplied them with blood. There were occasions where death would occur from bleeding one person too much or too often, but the Council had agreed a long time ago that these deaths were to be kept at a minimum to prevent the outside world from discovering their existence. It was not this way everywhere, but Clara was a humanitarian and saw that her people followed this rule.

  Some of the other Vampire Councils found this viewpoint weak and would have gladly tried for the city if it hadn’t been for Darien’s presence. It was clear to anyone who tried to stand against the city that Darien was truly the man in control, even if he held himself away from the politics of it.