Renita may have become a queen in her absence, but Katherine had resources that her old friend and rival could only dream of. They had since been at a political standstill, each of them envious of the power that the other wielded. Katherine wouldn't expand on how the friendship had descended into bitter rivalry or even how she had managed to amass so much wealth over the years, but there was the possibility of her sharing more information given time.
Alice acted like a sponge, absorbing the wealth of knowledge that Katherine spouted on a daily basis. The first lessons were centralised around the myths and hidden truths of the weaknesses that came as part of the vampiric curse. She already knew that sunlight burned like hell, but fire was also as deadly to vampires as it was to humans. A wooden stake through the heart would only put you into a deep slumber until it was removed and the silver crucifix around Alice's neck could barely even cause an itch.
Decapitation was of course fatal, which was well known in Calgary, as the queen was fond of her personal guillotine that had been imported from France. As for being unable to enter a mortals dwelling, that was pure garbage as vampires could come and go as they pleased. In fact, some made a sport of it and used it as their primary method of feeding.
The final weakness of the immortals, if you could even call it that, was that other supernatural creatures could seriously wound them. A bite from a werewolf would leave you feeling sick for days, and the spells of witches could be as equally devastating. Despite these few drawbacks, vampires were still the lords of the night, ruling over their cities in secret.
Katherine was as smart as she was alluring, with a savvy business model and work ethic that helped her dominate the uneven playing field. It seemed that the vampires within the city acted as puppet masters, making their mortal slaves perform tasks out in the open while they reaped the benefits from behind closed doors.
It was no wonder that it had been so long before Alice had met another of her kind. None of them wanted to be found and would only gather in a social setting as a means to further their own ends. One single slip could end with others taking advantage of your downfall, leaving the scraps of your once successful schemes for the carrion to peck at. Land was bought and sold, the police were paid off and businesses would rise and fall at the whim of the undead. They played the long game, and always tried to make sure that only their pawns would suffer for any undue failures.
Alice thought that the enslaving of mortals was cruel, but it was a practice that had continued on for centuries. Economic booms and their subsequent crashes were likely all part of some vampiric scheme. They were the hidden parasites throughout civilisation. Leeches that would suck the world dry and leave it to rot had they not needed the blood of humans to survive.
It wasn't clear to Alice where she fell in the grand scheme of things. She clearly wasn't a player, nor was she sure that she even wanted to be one. Did that make her a pawn? She knew that she could be gullible and easily manipulated, but she hoped that she was more than just another piece on the board. It hadn't been all that long ago since she was just a strange little girl with dreams of a magical world, where adventures were a common occurrence. Now that Alice found herself in the very world that she had always dreamt of, she discovered that it was far darker and way more dangerous that she had ever imagined.
Alice had always thought that she was the monster and was constantly worried about the potential harm that she could cause. Little did she know, there were creatures that were far more monstrous and deadly than herself. It wouldn't be long now before she found herself drowning in the deep end of piranha infested waters, with predators circling as they awaited the very scent of her blood.
Chapter Nine: The girl who cried wolf.
Vincent stood high on the hill, surrounded by dense woods that sheltered him from the falling snow. He wasn't phased by the cold, standing barefooted in nothing but torn jeans as he watched the rag tag band of vampires invading his territory. He could smell them on the wind and knew their blood in their veins was weak. They weren't worth his time, but he couldn't permit their blatant trespassing either. This was his land, his territory and his home. It was off limits to city dwellers.
The group huddled together for protection as they made their way across the bridge that stretched out over the full expanse of the frozen river. They hadn't seen Vincent yet, nor would they before he wished it. Their senses weren't attuned to nature like his were and so they were as lost in the wilderness as he would be if he wandered their overcrowded streets.
He prepared himself for what was about to come as one of his own brethren approached from behind the treeline.
“They’re nearly in range, chief. The pack are ready to follow your orders.”
Vincent didn't move his eyes from his targets as he raised a hand to give his men the signal to prepare themselves.
“Good. Let them come. I'll lead the attack myself.”
As his second in command left him alone on the ridge and returned to the woods, Vincent stretched his fingers out, claws extending from what had previously been nails. He loved to fight on the front lines, revelling in the senseless violence and bloodshed of it all, but something about pretending to be a big, bad and scary werewolf was hard work. His patience for the deal that had been struck with their queen seemed all the less appealing as the years went by.
Werewolves hadn't been seen in that part of the country for decades, but for some reason Queen Marquette wanted her subjects to believe that the beasts were still out there, just beyond the city limits. Maybe because it kept them in line and made them too afraid to leave. She could control everyone through fear, with the promise that only her regime could protect them.
Letting out an ear piercing howl, Vincent gave the command for his pack to advance as the terrified group had wandered unwittingly into his trap. There was something uplifting about shifting his form from a bipedal human, to a wolf that ran on all fours. The already coarse hair on his chest thickened into rough fur that spread out to cover his entire body. Round ears changed to tufts and his teeth elongated into sharp points that were designed for quickly shredding through meat.
It wasn't a painful or slow transformation. The quick shift left Vincent with a sense of freedom that he felt every time he changed, spending more hours than he probably should as a beast instead of a man. It was a part of him that was always clawing to get out and he unleashed it more often than his sanity dictated.
Dozens of other wolves emerged from the woodlands behind him, growling and roaring with murderous intent. Vincent leapt forwards, leading the pack from the front as they charged down the hill towards their unsuspecting victims. His wolf form was considerably larger than the others, more dire wolf in size than regular timber wolf, with streaks of grey amongst the brown hairs. There was a reason that he was the alpha and his people followed him unquestioningly. That and he was a great deal older than all of them put together.
The pack fell into a loose formation behind Vincent as he quickly closed in on the group of vampires that had only just spotted the horde of beasts mere seconds before they were set upon. The poor selection of daggers and six shooters they brought to their ‘crusade’ weren't enough to serve in their defense. Any panicked shots that were fired missed their marks by a great distance and nothing they could do would stop what followed. The wolves branched out to form a circle, surrounding them on all sides.
Vincent's brethren waited for him to take the lead as he took a few steps into the open, bearing his teeth at the largest of the bunch who had begun to cower low to the ground, begging for his life. Vincent pitied the miserable wretch, deciding to put him out of his misery with a swift bite to the throat. He tore it right open to finish the man quickly, instead of drawing things out needlessly.
As his brothers proceeded to rip apart the rest of the group in a frenzy, Vincent experienced an immense feeling of sorrow for them. The poor misguided fools. If only they knew the truth about their beloved queen and how little she cared for a
ny of them. All she wanted was power and everyone else was expendable. Even him.
Alice awoke with a start, eyes streaming as she bolted upright. Vampires didn't sweat or hyperventilate, but she still knew that her rest had been disturbed by a terrible nightmare, or possibly a vision of something that was about to happen. Or maybe it had happened already. There was no real way of telling.
The dream had been awful. She had witnessed the death of so many through the eyes of the murderers who killed them and she had heard their every thought. If the beasts weren't vampires, then what were they? Maybe Katherine would know.
Brushing the mess of hair from her face, Alice tried to wipe her tears away with her hands. What she didn't expect to see was blood covering her fingers as she smeared it across her cheeks. So she apparently cried blood and didn't have a clue until now. No one had told her that she wouldn't cry real tears any more and that a regular bodily function such as crying would become something so uncomfortably disgusting.
There was still so much about her new existence that she didn't know. Alice wasn't sure if all creatures of the night shed the same tears or if it was a side effect specific to her own development. She hoped for the former, as the latter would have been very unfortunate.
**********
Katherine helped Alice clear the last few bits of dried blood from around her eyes as they stood in the bathroom, looking into the mirror. Alice found herself feeling glad that vampires didn't follow all the traditional tales, as not having a reflection would be incredibly inconvenient. Being unable to cross running water and having a garlic allergy thankfully weren't a thing either, which was a relief as it would have made living in a city with sewers, networks of water pipes and Italian restaurants a little difficult.
“You didn't tell me that you have these visions. Are they a regular occurrence?” Katherine said as she dropped a blood stained tissue into the trash can.
Alice shook her head, looking at herself in the mirror as she checked to make sure that her skin was clear.
“I didn't have a single one until today. Not since I was turned at least. I honestly thought they had stopped altogether.”
Taking her hand, Katherine turned Alice to face her, looking directly into her eyes.
“So you've had the visions before. Do you know what triggers them?”
“No. It seems to be completely random.”
Katherine smiled, her face lighting up. There was a brief pause before she spoke.
“Do you remember how you were worried that you couldn't pay me back for taking you in?”
Alice nodded again, remaining silent. She knew that Katherine wanted something and did still feel like she owed her for all the help.
“It looks like we've found a way. You said the wolf had a name?”
“Yes. They called him Vincent.”
Katherine's smile remained as her pupils dilated for a split second. Perhaps she knew a little more about the situation than she was letting on.
“Alice, my child. It looks like our queen has been a little naughty, but for now we should keep this just between us. It'll be our little secret.”
**********
Alice had become Katherine's permanent guest. She no longer needed to waste her hours working away at the bar and now had everything she could possibly need provided for. Apparently, that type of work was beneath their kind, especially those lucky enough to find themselves under the protection of the venerable Katherine Louviere.
Katherine told Alice that she would have a place by her side when the power in the city shifted and the new regime was put into effect. They were destined to help each other, with Katherine as the new queen and Alice at her right hand as her seer. The power of foresight that she was currently unable to control could be harnessed and its full potential unlocked with just a little bit of guidance.
Ever since Katherine discovered Alice's latent power, she had begun to share a great deal more about the true history of the city. Not just the parts that were written by mortals and could be researched at a local library or online, but the secret past of Calgary that wasn't written down in a book and couldn't be accessed by the general public. It depicted a darker side of the shining jewel of southern Alberta, a city that had stood strong and proud throughout the years.
As she listened, Alice began to understand how the immortals were woven into the very fabric of the great city that was now her home.
Katherine told her that, until the mid 1800s, the lands were inhabited by both the native tribes and werewolves, living in harmony with no immortal presence as of yet. Many of the werewolves that inhabited the lands had originally been members of the tribes that they now protected and hunted alongside. They coexisted peacefully, harvesting the bounty that nature had provided for them.
And yet, at the same time, a continent away, a group of vampires who had a desire to break free from the control of their ancient overlords were planning to settle deep in the wilderness of the new world where they could make a kingdom of their own, far from the constant meddling of their controlling elders.
For almost a century, life in the prairies remained relatively quiet as the immortal vampires made preparations for their mass pilgrimage, unbeknownst to the tribes that resided there.
It wasn't until 1873 that the first large group of settlers arrived from Europe and started hunting the local buffalo to near extinction. It was the first step in a plan designed to starve out both the werewolves and the native people, due to their dependence on the majestic animals as their main source of food.
Werewolves were considered to be the age old enemies of vampires and so they had to be dealt with before the lands could be considered to be safe enough for their arrival. The vampires used mortals as their pawns, clearing the way without risking their own hides in the process. It was a common practice still used to this day, with humans living in servitude to their dark masters.
Alice thought that it was disgusting to see anyone being forced into slavery, but it wasn't something that was likely to change any time soon, as it was widely accepted as the norm within vampire society.
Although Alice was a little distracted by the subject of mortal slaves, Katherine continued to recount the history of Calgary's creation.
As time went on, the settlement just south of the Bow river grew in size and became a small town. As the expansion escalated and woodlands were cut down to be used as building materials, the werewolves found their lands quickly overcome by foreign invaders. They lashed out in desperation, leading to an increasing amount of run ins with fearful mortals who weren’t used to their kind. The town folk actively hunted the werewolves down at every opportunity, killing them without mercy.
Alice learned that werewolves were believed to have been extinct in most of Europe, with there being no confirmed sightings of any for decades. The rise of human civilisations and their ever expanding cities meant that werewolf territories were destroyed in mass, leaving very few places for them to hide. Now yet one more sanctuary from the modern world was disappearing and they were powerless to stop it.
Sometime in 1875, the North-West Mounted Police set up a large fort near the settlement, from which they sent out patrols to stop whiskey traders encroaching from the United States. In addition, they actively protected the fur trade and launched their unofficial campaign for driving off the werewolves who threatened the civilians who were now under their sworn protection.
The fur traders killed off more than their fair share of werewolves too, skinning them for their pelts from which they made coats to stay warm in the snow or sold to merchants at a profit.
Colonel James Macleod, the commander of the garrison, used the fort as a staging ground for protecting the area from all threats, both native and foreign. The werewolves weren't used to cannons or soldiers wielding rifles with silver bullets, and were left with no natural defences against the well trained men. They had no other choice than to retreat further into the surrounding woods, cowering from the mortals who sought
to harm them.
It was an unfortunate fate for a proud people who had once been the stoic guardians of the native tribes and the lands that they inhabited, but Katherine appeared to have no sympathy for the fate of the werewolves at all.
Alice on the other hand felt a little guilty, even though the exodus of the werewolves had nothing to do with her and had occurred over a century before her birth. It seemed that the vampires’ plans for their resettlement had gone far beyond finding a new home and freedom from old ways, they had resorted to genocide.
Once the Canadian Pacific Railway had reached Alberta in 1883, connecting Calgary with other parts of the country, and making long distance travel much easier and a great deal safer, the population increased dramatically and the town began to grow as a commercial and agricultural centre. It was that very same railway that paved the way for the large influx of vampires that would arrive within the next few years.
Another year passed and Calgary was officially named a town, with ranching and farming taking their place as the main trades next to hunting. Not long after that, it was also established as a meatpacking, marketing and transportation hub. They were all businesses that would prove useful to the vampires in the years to come.
The town was bustling with activity, which meant that the remaining werewolves dared not approach under the threat of being wiped out entirely. It was quickly becoming the perfect haven for the vampires who had been planning to relocate there for some time now, and who now began to arrive in large numbers under cover of the area’s burgeoning tourist industry, courtesy of the railway system that they had funded in the first place.
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