New York City, USA
The bus convoy was a little tricky but ultimately uneventful. Jack found that some folk needed extra reassurance that what they were doing was right for them. Doc Oaks and Nate Fincher both played their part in maintaining solid morale. Jack was initially surprised that Nate had made the trip, but was slowly discovering that despite his many flaws, the burly bear shifter had his people’s best interests at heart.
Jack had the buses run all night, paying extra for relief drivers. His emergency funds account was still intact and he was happy to spend large on this enterprise. The convoy rolled into New Jersey as the eastern sky was flooded with pink and orange.
Jack had the drivers stop at the Newark Penn Station and hustled everyone onto an early morning city train. At the New York Penn Station he had everyone alight, which was no easy task for folks who had never been on a train before.
Gathering the naturebound together, he used his master lycan key to descend deeper into the subterranean tunnels under New York. It wasn’t until he reached the expansive ocean tunnel that he dared believe they had reached the timeless sanctuary of his youth. All the familiar faces of the tunnel, all the homeless men and women that acted as a front line of defense for the lycans, were nowhere to be seen. Still, it was gratifying to hear the excited murmur of the naturebound as they ventured into the remarkable space.
Though it had been smashed several weeks ago, the red door had now been repaired. It was Yasmin’s subtle message that all was safe. Jack couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he turned the knob and headed inside the chapter house. Every step was torturous as he passed through the lower tunnels. Controlling a fierce urge to run and find Yasmin, he instead explained the significance of the place to the awestruck naturebound. Even Nate seemed impressed by the place, his eyes respectfully drinking in the ancient tunnels.
Yasmin was in the great hall, standing amongst creatures that defied description. They were hazy and indistinct, fading away as soon as Jack announced his presence. He felt a wave of nausea but it subsided quickly.
The ghastly menagerie of creatures standing behind Yasmin faded into the background as Jack took the last steps that saw him into a queen’s arms.
She buried herself deep in his chest without a word. Jack sensed there were tears and felt his own eyes moistening.
“Don’t let me go again,” Yasmin breathed, digging her nails into Jack’s back.
“Never,” Jack whispered aware that the naturebound were now filling the hall and looking at Yasmin’s entourage with confusion.
“A new world order is emerging,” Jack said over Yasmin’s shoulder. “You’d all be well served getting to know each other. Battle isn’t far away.”
Yasmin finally extracted herself so she could look into Jack’s eyes. She had changed since he last saw her, losing the last of her puppy fat and becoming an astonishingly beautiful woman.
“You’re fucking beautiful,” was all he could say, mesmerized. He laid a hand on her belly, caressing it softly. There was a slight bump there, but a casual observer wouldn’t know she was pregnant. Yasmin held his hand and looked at him urgently.
“We need to talk in private,” she said. She let go of him and addressed the wide-eyed naturebound.
“Welcome to the lycan chapter house,” she said respectfully. “I can see you’ve traveled a long way and we will do our best to make you comfortable here. For now, you must rest. Tonight, we plan our future together.”
Yasmin grabbed Jack’s hand and dragged him from the hall. Part of him felt bad for the naturebound, who would be shellshocked by all this change. On the other hand, there wasn’t much time to prepare for battle and that had to be the first priority. Besides, the naturebound were a hardy bunch and would adapt quickly to their strange new surroundings.
Jack followed Yasmin through familiar corridors.
“Are we heading back to your old cell?” he asked. “Surely that’s not appropriate for a queen.”
Yasmin chuckled. “Somehow it just felt right,” she said. “And you know being queen doesn’t mean a hell of a lot to me.”
Yasmin pushed her door open and Jack found himself inside the same room he’d visited to steal Yasmin away so many months ago. It seemed like a lifetime away.
Yasmin kicked the door shut and unhooked Jack’s belt buckle.
“Talk later, I guess,” he murmured, pulling at Yasmin’s dress. She had begun wearing baroque, semi-formal clothing with plunging necklines. It seemed to fit the picture of a vampire queen. Whatever that was. Jack struggled to find the clasps at Yasmin’s back and laughed at his clumsiness. She had already removed his leather trousers.
“This isn’t right,” he said lightly as Yasmin pulled his t-shirt over his head. “This is way too one-sided.”
Yasmin took him in her hands and smiled. “You complaining about this situation?”
“Uh, not really,” he admitted, feeling himself harden immediately. Yasmin took a step back and took care of the clasps at her back. Jack helped pull her sleeves down over her arms. Stepping out of her dress, Yasmin stood for a moment and let Jack admire her. She was wearing lacy red lingerie that emphasized her pale white skin. Her breasts looked incredibly ripe in that bra. Jack stepped forward and unhooked it from the back, this time having more success. Yasmin stepped into him and sensually rubbed her body against his. The sensation was amazing. Kneading Yasmin’s buttocks, Jack slowly peeled away her panties and let them drop to her ankles. Yasmin drew him over to the bed and made him lie on his back. He watched her hungrily as she straddled him and lifted his hands to her breasts. Once she began rocking back and forth, Jack closed down his mind and focused on making it last as long as he could.
An hour later Yasmin was lying next to Jack with her head on his chest. He played idly with a few strands of her platinum hair, marveling at the silky smoothness.
“Lemme guess,” he said softly. “Herr X has brought his circus to town.”
“Got it in one,” Yasmin said. “This is the big one, Jack. They really want to bring this city down. As a warning to the rest of the world.”
Jack sighed, knowing this moment would come but feeling unprepared for it nonetheless.
“Do we have any chance at all?”
Now it was Yasmin’s turn to sigh. “We have a few thousand state troopers. Plus the night army I have with me.”
“Along with a few hundred naturebound,” Jack pointed out.
“That was a good get,” Yasmin admitted. “Sounds like a story I’d to hear.”
“You will, in time,” Jack said. “Any threat from the aquila?”
“No sign,” Yasmin said. “They’ve virtually disappeared from U.S. skies.”
“Not a bad thing,” Jack said, but deep down he was worried. He couldn’t help but think the eagles were causing trouble for Florence. If they ever saw each other again, Jack would make sure they had a better means of communication. The problem was they were on the run from more powerful forces.
“We’re hopelessly outnumbered here,” Yasmin said. “My people aren’t even familiar with New York.”
“Neither are the enemy,” Jack pointed out. “Still, it’s not great to know that thousands of ghouls are swarming underneath the city.
“I can’t wait to fight them again,” Yasmin said with quiet determination. Jack kissed her tenderly on the cheek. Whoever faced her in battle was in for a torrid time.
“We’d better rouse ourselves,” Yasmin said, glancing at her watch. “Night will fall soon, and vampires aren’t the only ones to gain strength from it.”
Jack grimaced. “Ghouls too? Man, they’re annoying.”
Yasmin smiled and was about to reply when there was a sharp knock at the door.
“It’s Tomas,” came the voice. “We have more visitors, queen. Lycans.”
Jack was on his feet and dressed in less than thirty seconds.
“Jack,” Florence said, her tired face streaked with tears. She stood with a man and two wo
men in the main hall. “Oh, Jack.”
Without a word Jack swept Florence in his arms and crushed her in his embrace. The pair had never been friends but Jack was inexpressibly happy that Florence had survived the past few weeks. As the only two survivors of the Lycan Society they would always share an incredibly strong bond.
Looking into Florence’s eyes, it was obvious she felt it too. But there was untold grief there, too.
“You’ve seen battle,” Jack observed, knowing the signs. Florence just nodded sadly.
“Julian?” Jack ventured.
“Didn’t make it,” Florence said with a heavy sigh.
“I’m sorry,” Jack said with genuine sympathy. He knew how strongly Florence had felt about the tall aquilan. She seemed so vulnerable at the moment.
Seeing Yasmin standing discreetly to the side, she made a beeline for her and gave her a bear hug. For some reason the sight made Jack feel warm inside. He realized that both women were very important in the context of his life, and he quietly resolved to protect them at every opportunity.
While Florence chatted to Yasmin, Jack introduced himself to Florence’s companions. He sensed immediately that Wilson and Miss Garvey were lycans. Emmaline was a dark-skinned young woman with a Caribbean accent. Jack couldn’t place her spirit creature, so he presumed she was a diviner. He had to hand it to Florence - she knew how to make important friends.
The werewolf known as Wilson looked at Jack uncertainly.
“There’s a small army outside, in the ocean tunnel,” he said respectfully.
“Lycan?” Jack asked, his hoped soaring.
Wilson shook his head. “Arachne.”
Jack didn’t know what to make of this. All he knew about the arachne was that they had been exploited in past Flux Ages. The fact that the spiders had consented to come here made Jack very hopeful indeed. Spiders were widely considered to be extremely powerful in large numbers, particularly in jungle terrain.
The new werewolves looked determined and bright, but they had the same look about them Yasmin did. A certain world-weariness that spoke of trauma and loss.
“Where have you come from?” Jack asked as the three of them headed back through the tunnels. Emmaline opted to stay behind in the hall.
“Bahamas,” Miss Garvey said. “Florence’s diviner released us but we were attacked before we could learn any proper offensive skills.”
“I see,” Jack said. “Did any other trainees make it?”
“Wilson shook his head ruefully. “We’re the only ones. The lycans seem to be cursed.”
The remark was flippant enough, but it was an interesting notion considering the lycans’ run of bad luck. Not to mention the existence of witches and warlocks now that the Flux Age had begun. What if the lycans were cursed?
“It’s great to have you aboard,” Jack said to Wilson and Garvey. “The more lycans the better as far as I’m concerned.”
Jack noticed that both were limping quite badly.
“You guys injured?” he asked them.
“We were as good as dead,” Wilson said ruefully. “The truth is we were no match for Hector Caliri.”
“He cut us up good,” Miss Garvey added. “Until Julian Banes stepped in. The guy is a hero. Took Hector on and broke even.”
“Both dead,” Jack concluded, knowing how it went. He’d seen many foes kill each other on the battlefield. It was never easy to watch. Apart from the visceral impact of seeing people die before your eyes, there was a disturbing lack of advantage from such a melee.
“Hundreds of tunneling spiders drove the aquila away,” Wilson said. “In the nick of time too - we were almost crow food.”
“Was Florence injured?” Jack asked sternly. His comrade had seemed pale and withdrawn.
“She copped a silver blade to the guts,” Wilson said. The man clearly didn’t mince words. “Luckily the arachne had a shaman who knew a little about flux injuries. Florence will live but that wound won’t heal completely for years.”
“And will leave quite a scar,” Jack said, his own body covered in them.
By this stage the threesome had reached the red door at the ocean tunnel entrance. Jack pushed it open and at first couldn’t see anything. At length the darkness seemed to swim in his vision. The darkness was crawling with spiders!
“Must be hundreds,” Jack said in satisfaction. “With nice manners, too.”
Gustav Almasy approached Jack and bowed. He was stately and dignified in human form. Once they had exchanged pleasantries it was time to talk of practical matters.
“As a lycan I owe you a debt that can never be repaid,” Jack said. “Florence and her trainees are all I have left.”
Gustav bowed a second time. “The arachne would have been drawn into war eventually,” he said. “Maybe not this year or the next, but the aquila would have eventually come for blood. Better to cut them off now.”
“I understand Hector Caliri is dead,” Jack said. “This will set the eagles back years, perhaps decades.”
“They will not be a world player for some time,” Gustav agreed.
“Which leaves us with one clear enemy,” Jack concluded. “One we need to face here in New York.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Gustav nodded. “I also wanted to see Yasmin Silver again. I see an opportunity to forge lasting alliances. Should we survive the next few days of course.”
“Of course,” Jack agreed grimly.
The werewolf ensured that the arachne were adequately housed ahead of the general crisis meeting Yasmin had planned. He would never have expected that the many cells of the chapter house would one day contain spiders, wraiths, bears and the Gods knew-what-else.
The gathering at the chapter house really felt like a growing fellowship. He spent the next few hours talking to the various creatures that had made the pilgrimage to New York, wondering if they would survive the coming battle. The general mood was pensive but positive. The atmosphere was charged with the energy of flux creatures learning how to live together.
Jack finally got a chance to talk to Yasmin as she prepared her speech in the main hall. “Those state troopers you mentioned,” he said. “Do you think we could assign Mischa and Emmaline the task of recruiting them?”
“Already thought about that,” Yasmin replied. “I think it’s a little risky. As they are, these troopers are loyal and useful. As flux creatures, some might be friendly, others neutral, one or two could be outright dangerous. We need consistency somewhere in our army and the troopers provide that.”
Jack couldn’t argue with any of that. It made sense to retain a solid “human” force.
“Come with me, Jack,” Yasmin said as she climbed the stairs to the mezzanine level. “I need you by my side.”
Gustav was already waiting for them. Jack spotted Florence sitting in a shadowy alcove, just staring at the wall. He lifted her gently by the arm and pulled her over to the spot where Yasmin would deliver her address.
A chime resonated throughout the facility. Yasmin checked her watch. “Tomas, scrupulously on time, as usual.”
The hall quickly filled with all the creatures that had traveled to New York to do battle. There was barely room to move as spiders rubbed shoulders with succubi. Almost all the naturebound chose to attend the meeting in their human forms. Their spirit creatures tended to be wild and this was no place for chaos.
Yasmin stepped forward and silence filled the hall.
“To see you all down there, together, fills me with hope,” Yasmin began. “There has been too much death for my liking. The Flux Age, whatever that might be, should be a time of self-discovery. To me, it’s about enlightenment, not destruction.”
Yasmin’s words were greeted with ripples of agreement.
“Our strategy is simple,” Yasmin continued. “We will protect this city at all costs. This is our home. Millions will die if we do not step forward and strike blows of our own. We are united. We do not accept a world full of violence. We are the Flux Fellowsh
ip.”
Yasmin gave a curt nod and a huge banner unfurled itself at the back of the hall. It depicted a gold ring on a royal blue background. Simple yet empowering. Jack was filled with pride as he lost himself in the powerful new symbol.
Someone started a chant in the crowd and it caught on like wildfire.
“Fellowship! Fellowship! Fellowship!”
Jack decided it was too hot in the great hall but with a shock he realized there were tears streaming down his face. Not that it mattered, as it was harder to spot those whose faces were dry.
The rest of Yasmin’s address related to matters of logistics and planning. The police commissioner had his troopers in place in Manhattan and Yasmin had positioned lookouts all over the city. There were increasing sightings of ghouls in the subway network, which indicated that attack was imminent.
Jack had one more thing to do before he prepared himself for battle. He tapped Florence on the shoulder and asked her to follow him into the bowels of the chapter house. He made his way into the silent cercarium, where a priceless cargo lay waiting. Florence spotted the box and her eyes widened. She gave Jack a look that told him she wanted to believe. He nodded solemnly.
Both dipped their hands into the dark tissue, savoring the feel of the life-giving substance. Smiling at each other, they went to work on the central pillar, smothering the rough, naked stone with dark tissue. The last remnants of the Lycan Society worked together, side by side, blood to blood. Jack infused all his passion into the transfer of material, hoping with all his heart that it began flourishing once more. It might take years, decades even, but one day the cercarium would function once more. One day it would serve the Flux Fellowship just as it had the Lycan Society.
Before long the box was empty. Jack and Florence stood back and admired their handiwork. The pillar was half shrouded in dark tissue. The chamber now had something of the old smell. Florence was the first to leave, and Jack lingered a moment to imagine what the place would look like in the years to come. Sometimes the best things took time. One thing was for certain - if an enemy ever stepped beyond the threshold of the cercarium, it would be over Jack’s dead body.
The Lycan Rebirth (The Flux Age Book 3) Page 9