by Peter Dawes
“If only you knew the full truth. Sending me to my second death had been earned by the silence I maintained.” His frown deepened, the expression bearing a conciliatory undertone. “Enough of that for now, though. We have work before us.”
While I gave into a nod for the sake of continuing onward, the allusion brought back unpleasant memories, replete with the feeling of aggravation I had harbored for so long. I hesitated while the question lingered on my tongue, finally birthed as I convinced myself we were truly alone. “Why…did you keep it from me for so long?”
Robin scoffed. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask me that since well before my death.”
“I daresay you telling me I was not meant to be a vampire had been sufficient enough.” I perked an eyebrow. “And sore subjects were what they were to me then. Flynn did not have nearly so much patience as Peter does.”
“Sometimes to the detriment of you both.” Robin sighed and nodded. “It’s a long story, brother, but you aren’t wrong for questioning it further. I promise I will divulge more when we have the chance to settle. Suffice to say, I feared what you would do with the knowledge.” When he glanced back at me, his facial features relaxed. I caught a glimpse of something else in his eyes, masked behind a glimmer of brotherly affection. “A few more blocks by foot. Then I will be confident we aren’t being followed.”
“Where are we headed?” I asked.
The ghost of a smile played across his lips. “In due time, dear brother. In the meantime, start helping me locate a taxi.”
If the secrecy had borne any other tenor to it than playfulness and caution, I might have been tempted toward offense. As it was, I nodded, apt to play along for the time being. We walked along a two lane road, eyes mindful for the cars passing by and my hand lifting a block up the road, when a yellow taxi barreled down the road toward us. It pulled over close to where we stood and my brother and I got in quickly, allowing the car to merge back into traffic seconds afterward.
Robin settled, straightening his coat as I shifted my posture and the sword by my side. His first words spoken were our destination, ceasing our transaction with the driver for the time being. I relaxed, grateful when the driver seemed apt not to chat. Robin cast a quick glance at me, undoubtedly sensing the same. “You hardly look packed for a cross-country excursion, dear brother,” he said, his voice lowering again. “If you are staying some place in town, we could venture back there, though I highly doubt it’ll be safe after tonight.”
A smirk tugged at the corners of my lips. “I have been staying at the Order’s headquarters,” I said.
“Well, then consider me grateful you didn’t offer.” He shook his head once we made eye contact. “Where did those vampires in the alley tell you to go next?”
“Just to a coven near the waterfront. Some place Ian Carmichael had been staying.”
“Oh heavens, you encountered that miscreant.” Robin sighed. “I am not surprised he’s been up to no good. That man will be the bane of the natural order until the day he perishes.”
“Then thank me for putting an end to him.”
My brother raised an eyebrow at me. “Finally, about the business of killing the right vampires.” He flashed a quick, good-natured grin at me. “That would explain you traveling so light. Though I highly doubt your witch is being held here.”
“How do you know who I am looking for?” I asked, turning just enough to face him partly. My side rested against part of the door, my arm draped across the back of the seat in front of me. “That is the second time you have made an allusion toward it.”
“Because I know what your mission is better than you do,” he said. “And I can tell you right now, you’re packed too light for it.”
“I would have packed better with more advice.”
“Question the Fates and their ways, I suppose. We’ll remedy that first chance we get.” He nodded toward the driver, lowering his voice further still. “Tell me how Ian Carmichael met his end.”
My eyes shifted to the human briefly before returning to Robin. I whispered in kind. “I put the bastard to death when he attempted to murder the better part of the Supernatural Order. He tried coercing me toward switching loyalties. Needless to say, I declined his offer.”
“What did he offer you?”
“My watcher’s life. He threatened to kill her if I did not cooperate. After I ended him, I thought her life forfeit until I saw her alive in a vision.” Thoughts of him holding Monica captive – of him dangling her life in front of me as bait in return of the blood of the High Council – spun dizzy in my mind. I breathed a sigh of frustration. “I have been interrogating vampires all night because of him.”
“Ah, attempting to discern her last known whereabouts,” he said. “Makes more sense to me. I was simply told you would be without your companion, bent on finding her. The Fates at least have you that much figured out.”
“I am not certain how much of a comfort that is,” I said, a frown tugging at the corners of my mouth.
Robin smirked. “All the world’s a stage and we must play our parts.” The car approached an intersection which prompted my brother’s attention back to the driver. Robin tapped on his shoulder, pointing left on the cross street when he had the driver’s attention and provoking a nod from the other man. My brother settled back against the bench seat when the light changed and prompted us to turn in the direction he had indicated.
He breathed a sigh and looked toward me again. “I can’t fathom what must be spinning around in your thoughts,” he said. “They have your witch, and every fiber of your being is screaming for her rescue. But if they’ve kept her alive thus far, they have no plans on executing her now. They need her alive for some reason. You’re going to have to bank some trust on that fact.”
“Easier said than done, dear brother, but thank you,” I said. The tenor of the neighborhood shifted. Instantly, I felt a shiver crawl up my spine and realized, as I glanced around, that the collection of well -dressed men and women walking down the street bore no pulse. They conversed amongst themselves, laughing and ignoring the taxi cab as it slowed. My brow furrowed at the sight. “A more familiar neighborhood?”
“One I experienced quite extensively in the years before Sabrina roped me back under her roof.” A wistful sigh punctuated the comment. “How I have missed having my autonomy.”
The car came to a stop, but I lingered, frowning when my brother glanced back at me. “She played us both like a fiddle.”
Robin reached over and gave my shoulder a squeeze. “We have both done injury to each other. Best not to dwell on it. You are a sight for sore eyes in any measure.” His grip on me relented. Cocking his head toward the door, he managed a brighter smile for my benefit. “Come. Put your glasses on and play the part of my bodyguard. The night is waning and I want to get this sordid mess behind us.”
“As you wish.” Reaching for the handle, I opened the door as Robin produced his wallet and handed money to our driver. We both stepped onto the street, my brother leaning partially into the car and permitting me a chance to study the immediate area once more. Before us stood a three-story brownstone, with a short flight of stairs leading up to two large, heavy doors. A cadre of immortals stood on either side of the stairs, some parting company to venture back indoors.
I perked an eyebrow. “What is the nature of this place?”
Robin emerged from within the car and shut the door. I walked around the back of the taxi, making it to side closest to my brother before it sped off. He smirked. “This ‘place’ is owned by an innkeeper who has owed me a favor. He has gained a reputation amongst the elders especially for his hospitality and makes quite the purse for it.” He tapped his temple again, spurring me into action as I reached into my pocket for the sunglasses and slipped them over my eyes. “Thank you, dear brother. Now, follow behind and stay silent. I will handle our accommodations.”
“Very well.” As Robin turned toward the building, I did as instructed, lowering my voic
e when the collection of vampires took notice of us. “I detest wearing these bloody things again,” I said.
Nodding to the vampires we passed, Robin alighted the stairs to the main doors of the establishment. I offered them a quick nod myself, avoiding eye contact despite the protection of my dark lenses. Robin opened one of the doors and held it, a smirk curling the corners of his lips while he passed off holding to me. “There was a time you loved a good ruse,” he said.
“I think my taste for them has waned.” We walked inside the building, the door shutting behind us and offering our entrance a note of finality. Fastening my coat shut, the gesture more a nervous tick than a necessity, I could not help the thought of what sort of brazen creatures would foster their own neighborhood so close to the Order’s headquarters. Fortunately, I did not have long to muse upon such matters. Robin cleared his throat, directing my attention back to our immediate circumstances.
I hustled to keep up and finally hit a sedate stride behind him. The opulence of the interior exploded in living color before my eyes, an arrangement of deep reds and gold with dark wood furniture and a classy, Victorian décor. Its popularity with the immortal crowd became apparent to me. If vanity could be captured by interior design, no better example could have been provided. We passed a couple seated on a plush couch and I perked an eyebrow when one’s fangs became exposed, their mouth closing in on the other’s neck. The sight had me so intrigued that I jumped when my gaze shifted to the end of the hallway.
The abrupt halt to my steps caused Robin to stop as well. I continued staring forward as he turned and furrowed his brow. “What is it?” he asked, his voice a whisper.
I swallowed hard and pointed, allowing the sight to speak for itself.
My brother glanced in the direction I indicated and groaned when he saw it, too. A large mirror with a decorative frame hung before us, but rather than showing Robin and I alike, the reflection captured me alone, as well as one of the duo we had passed on our way in. “Do not think me rude if I linger by the stairs,” I said, forcing my eyes away from the mirror and back to Robin. “Perhaps your friend might believe I am surveying the area for your protection.”
“You’re bent to make this impossible, aren’t you, seer?” The rhetorical question prefaced an annoyed glance back at me. We both looked to the left as a man approached in our periphery, spurring me to wander as casually as possible to the bottom stair of a winding staircase. I rested my arm on the banister, attempting to be nonchalant, as Robin’s expression turned amiable, arms extending to greet the interloper. “James,” he said, masking his exasperation with practiced polish. “I wondered if I might still find you here.”
“Michael O’Shane, is that you?” the human asked with a chuckle. He willingly sank into Robin’s embrace, a broad smile emphasizing laugh lines at the corners of his eyes. His brown hair streaked with gray, he wore a three piece suit with a blood red tie around his neck. Pulling away from my brother, he clapped his hands together. “What has it been? A decade? Almost two?”
“Far too long either way.” Robin’s smile turned more genuine. “Long enough for me to have had a change of name. I’ve been going by Robin these days.”
“You vampires and your name changes. I should make all of you wear name tags when you enter this place.” My posture straightened when he looked in my direction. “Traveling alone, or is this gentleman over there your friend?”
“He is my guardian.” My brother pointed a hand at me. “Peter, this is James Hurley, and James, this is Peter.” His gaze returned to the human proprietor. “Pay him no mind, he’s been ensuring my safety as I travel. Word has it the climate has turned inhospitable around here.”
James sighed. “I’ve been hearing rumors all night. Don’t know if the seers have gone rogue again or if somebody managed to upset the Order. Most of my patrons have stayed in the neighborhood.”
“I saw. Far more of us loitering around, regardless of the hour. Not that I blame them, I sought shelter myself. The last thing I need is another altercation with a seer on the warpath.” He raised an eyebrow. “I know this is last minute and I don’t mean to impose, but might you have a room available for us? I won’t abuse your hospitality beyond an evening or two, I promise.”
“Stay as long as you’d like. I’ve told you anytime you’re in the area, you’re welcome here and that hasn’t changed. Just let me fetch you a room key.” A lingering smile served as his parting note. James turned for an adjoining corridor and disappeared inside a small office only a few feet down. Waiting for him to disappear from sight, Robin then turned to me and closed the distance between us. He sighed and I waited for him to surrender whatever was on his mind.
“I should’ve known this task was going to be difficult,” finally spilled from his lips in hushed tones. He sighed and looked up at me. “Your eyes give you away. You bear a reflection again. Is there anything else I should know about before I am given any further surprises?”
An amused grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Nothing else which would be evident from the outside, dear brother. I have not had much need for feeding lately, but that is all.”
“You have to be joking.”
“Not joking at all.” My expression sobered, but only somewhat. “I have no notion why The Fates have seen fit to make me what I am right now, but I have no desire to change it, either.” I nodded toward the office. “Might I ask what sort of favor sparked such eagerness to help?”
“James was having problems with the staff during one of my extended visits. At one time, he was married and he suspected an affair between his day manager and his wife.” His smirk took on a wicked intonation. “Suffice to say, your former self would’ve approved of the solution I posed to him.”
I shook my head and failed to comment, in part because James emerged from where he had disappeared, a key in hand. He closed the distance, Robin meeting him part of the way, while the human manager extended his arm. “Here we go. One of our more spacious rooms, since that’s what I remember you preferring. This one has two beds and a lounging area. Stay as long as you’d like. I don’t have any reservations for the next few days, just the regulars hanging around.”
“You are too kind,” Robin replied. He accepted the key in his palm. “I will, of course, settle up with you when our stay is completed.”
“You know better than that.” He raised an eyebrow. “Are there any bags you might need help with?”
“No, we packed light. Simply have someone bring up some refreshments. I haven’t eaten yet tonight.”
“Leonard will be up shortly.” James pointed at the stairs and nodded toward the top. “Third floor, room 305. Make a right at the stairs and it’s at the end of the hall.”
“Thank you kindly, James.” Offering a slight bow at the waist, Robin started into a turn, prompting my posture to straighten. He stopped mid-turn, however, pivoting to face James again. “Oh, one further matter. Zachary Brodrick… Is he still the master of the local coven?”
James sighed, eyes darting away in thought. “Yes. Though he’s relocated his coven recently. Are you familiar with the area the Brandts lived in? If you remember them, that is.”
Robin nodded, smiling, meeting the innkeeper’s gaze when he looked back toward him. “Yes, I recall them vividly,” my brother said. “And yes, the waterfront does fit with what we’ve been told.”
“That whole neighborhood was already teeming with vampires. One or two of them might be able to give you better directions once you get there.”
“Very well. Thank you again, James.” With that, Robin consummated our departure, leading the way up the first flight of stairs and continuing our ascent toward the second. We walked ahead of a group of passersby and did not speak until we had started for the third floor.
Robin broke the silence with a sigh. “I swear, paranoia seems to be flowing knee-deep from this city anymore. It never used to be that way.”
“He mentioned your friend relocating,” I said, perkin
g an eyebrow.
“Friend might be a bit generous. And yes, he did. That doesn’t bode well.” His lips pursed shut for a few steps, until he dismissed whatever riddle had captured his momentary attention. His shoulders relaxed, albeit by a slight margin. “Still, that went better than expected,” he said.
I grinned. “You say that as though expecting I was about to do harm to your friend out of nowhere.” While the comment had been issued facetiously, the slip of the tongue made the comfort we had so quickly reestablished tense again. I frowned as a reflex. “Apologies, brother. I should not be kidding –”
He lifted a hand. “You’re right. I have been tense. Chalk it off to fatigue.” We reached the third floor and turned right, as we had been instructed. “At least I know your powers are formidable enough to get us out of a bind. I’d simply like to avoid being in one in the first place.”
“Granted.” I paused to survey the doors we passed, noting the narrow breadth of the corridor and the dim lighting leading down to an ominous dead end. The area not wide enough for furniture, it at least boasted wall sconces and the same colors which had adorned the vestibule. My frown remained firmly in place. There I was in such opulence while Monica rotted in such squalor. “You are right about my dilemma. Powers and weaponry, I have plenty of, but encounters like this might serve to be my undoing. Thank you for taking the lead. I think it would be wise if I continued to allow you to do so.”
“I think so as well. I will play the part of the elder and you can continue to be my escort.” He glanced back at me, a look of concern playing across his eyes the longer he regarded me. “I know this isn’t the most ideal place for a seer. I assure you, though, no dark sorcery takes place under this roof. James would never tolerate it.”
My lips flashed a wan smile. “I have set myself toward ignoring such matters. There are more important things at stake.”
“Agreed.” We paused by a door with a metal plate bearing our room number. I failed to answer and Robin nodded with a frown. “Let us get settled, dear brother,” he said, sliding the key into the lock, “And exchange a few stories. We can be on our way by sunset.”