by Lauren Hodge
the vampires in question are staying in a remote cabin in a large forest north of Toronto. We will stop at the morgue before heading to their nest.”
Ismet studies the satellite picture. “We should approach on foot. If we come near this location in a noisy automobile, it gives them ample time to flee.”
Pointing to the path, I reply, “We will rent a car for most of the journey, but a stealth approach is preferred even if they are not Dacian.”
Francisco asks, “Do we know of any additional aptitudes?”
I reply, “Between all of you, the possibility of any abilities we cannot handle is extremely remote.”
Alton chuckles to himself. “If a vampire dies in the woods, does it make a sound?” He then jerks. “Edson, I do not need to experience that.”
Edson scowls. “Then take this assignment seriously, or you will be smelling whale rot for the rest of the flight. This is possibly Cothelas the tyrant, not a disorganized band of rabble.”
The name of Priam’s mortal enemy forces a silence in the cabin.
Alton shakes his head and Edson releases him. It is no secret where Edson got this particular memory. One of the ships used to transport troops for the South American Rebellion was a whaling vessel. Edson was one of their passengers and has complained about it for years.
A minute later, Alton breaks the silence. “Shopping mall collapse in China. Real or fake?”
Francisco says, “I am not taking that bet. The fire afterwards has Prefect Lushan written all over it.”
Alton says, “Did you hear about Iran?”
“What happened?” I reply.
“Ruth questioned a coven about excessive feedings. They tried to pass off a forged Asian endorsement.”
“I did not think anyone would be foolish enough to try something like that. What happened to them?”
Ismet says, “Verus read them. They conspired to sell forged endorsements. We now have four new entombed ones. I put one there myself.”
It has been a busy year in Boulogne.
-X-
The threat of Dacian aggression is unnerving for everyone. Hopefully we can arrest the errant coven and be done with it. The long-term implications of Noricum governance in North America are enormous.
We leave the jet with the Detachment servants and depart from Downsview Airport in a large vehicle. Castile forged all the necessary paperwork, granting us smooth passage into the morgue. The latest kills are six in total. They were an entire film crew found drained in a derelict house. An anonymous call to emergency services alerted the police, but thousands of dollars of film equipment and computers were left at the scene.
What brought this event to Noricum attention were several children used for making pornography locked in a bedroom closet, safely away from the bodies.
Evidence like this is why I never suspected Dacian involvement. If it were the Socious killers, the children would have been eaten and the adults left, enabling them to bring in another crop of underage food. The only commonality the feedings share is an offensive pattern toward criminals. Each batch of deaths has overwhelming proof of crimes against children at the scene. Over and over again, the weakest humans are spared.
They eat like vampires, but are unlike any I know.
Castile opens one of the refrigerator doors. The drained body of a white male looking to be in his early forties jerks when the slab locks into place. There is only one jagged bite mark on the neck, a messy kill. This is the work of a new vampire, not well practiced in feeding. Whichever vampire did this tried to cover their bite with a knife wound. These are not the first illegally feeding vampires to try to cover their teeth marks with blades, but the cut was poorly made.
“Francisco,” I call, and back away from the body.
He steps forward and places his hands over the eyes of the corpse. A few seconds later, he steps back, and Castile opens another door. They repeat the process until all six yield their dying vision.
I ask, “Did you get everything you need?”
He nods.
Only a few strange looks from morgue personnel mark our departure.
Once we are driving away in our rented sport utility vehicle, I ask, “How many?”
Francisco answers from the backseat. “Four women, none of whom I have seen before.”
Four is lower than I thought. Perhaps they did not hunt together in this case.
From the driver’s seat, Castile says, “If it is only women, they should be easy to subdue.”
The Detachment holds their breath, and for good reason. Even though Castile was born and raised in Latin America, he should know better by now. I reply, “Would you say to High Queen Sabine’s face she is easy to subdue because she is a woman?”
He tenses, as he should.
“Then do not say it to me, either.”
-X-
At the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort along the Trans-Canada Highway, we leave the vehicle by a small grocery store to complete our approach on foot. The GPS marks our target a couple dozen miles from our position. This forest is so remote, they would never have been found without the tracking device. Just ahead, the car rests at the end of a small trail. Ismet tucks away the GPS display and we proceed toward the cabin. Several meters ahead, a grass-filled clearing exposes a dilapidated cabin with four women standing in front of it. Without words, the Detachment falls into formation. Before we do anything, I must ascertain the women’s origins.
Very quickly, it becomes apparent that something is wrong. Our approach was silent. How did they know we were coming?
The first thing that strikes me is the red hair they all share. The second is the condition of the clearing. On every side there are large trees torn out by their roots. What kind of battle was fought here?
They do not even recognize us. The tallest has red hair that looks like a lion’s mane. Although very beautiful, she looks bored, not fearful of our approach. I glance at Edson and he nods in return. She appears to be the most arrogant of the group, which means she is probably the strongest. That makes her Edson’s responsibility.
There is a small one in back with short red hair. She looks more curious than afraid, but the way she stands behind the others makes me think she is the weakest. She will be the one interrogated. The one in front has long, straight red hair and stands in front of the other three like an animal protecting her young. Perhaps she is the group’s captain.
Closer and closer we get, and still the women stand their ground without fear. Perhaps they are Dacian.
The fourth woman, with a braid in her hair, waves at us. Her chipper voice says, “Hi.”
Their captain in front glares at her.
There should be more, at least six. They ate so many. If they are not Dacian, it is hard to believe this is the cause of all the trouble in Toronto.
“Is this all of them, Francisco?”
“Yes, prefect.”
The one with the curly mane rubs her hands together with an eerie smile. “Is this all of you?”
This audacity is unheard of. If she is not Dacian, she will soon learn to behave otherwise. With Edson, she will rue the day she defied the Noricum.
Training my thoughts on the small one, I ask, “Who is your sire?”
She glances at the woman in front of her and says, “Taralie.”
I have never heard of a Taralie, and these vampires are far too ignorant and casual to be Dacian. Cothelas and Draco do not feast on the dregs of human civilization, nor do they preserve the defenseless. These are not the Socious killers. These are vampires who must learn to respect the rule of law, by any means necessary.
I look to the leader. “In the name of the Noricum, you are under arrest.”
-X-
This takes place in chapter nine of The Golden Apple of Discord - Coralia of the Milunfran Vampires
Aggie and Ruben are in the backseat of a sleek, sexy Audi. Alex is in the driver’s seat, waiting for me while I lift the slashed tire, jack, and wrench into the trunk.
; We all won't fit into one car so Ann and Thomas wait with Tara in the Yukon for me to finish changing the tire I slashed on the hot guy's car. The glare she’s shooting toward Alex’s backseat would crush the sporty car if she were channeling my telekinesis.
I give her the thumbs-up, and she flips me off. With Tara’s temper out in full force, I’ll have to thank Ann later. She took one for the team today. If Thomas knows what’s good for him, he’ll sit back and shut up. Maybe Tara will only sniff him and move on.
Supple leather wraps around me as the car door to the Audi closes. The passenger’s seat fits like a glove, and a quick look around tells me the guy cleaning this car must be obsessive-compulsive. There’s not a single French fry or bloodstain in sight.
The freshly changed tire is put to the test when Alex lurches into freeway traffic. Aggie is a chatterbox, asking Ruben about his job. He has a bad-blind-date cringe on his face like Tara does when I bring home another boy-toy.
Alex himself isn’t bad-looking, but there’s a good chance he’s the OCD car freak. Speaking of which…
“Isn’t this car kind of impractical? I mean, you can fit, like, two bodies in the trunk, tops. Unless you’re eating Asians; then you can fit three.”
Alex’s eyes don’t leave the road. “Not that you would know about hiding bodies. You leave them all over town like a calling card.”
“I know, right? I wanted to get T-shirts made up for them saying something like ‘Lucky Charms—A vampire thought this molester was magically delicious.’ Tara said we didn’t have the money.”
Ruben chokes out from the backseat, “T-shirts!”
“I almost made one for myself that said ‘Carpe diem. Today, I killed a child pornographer. What will you do tomorrow?’ I got the idea when we killed this rapist that owned a T-shirt shop. I wanted to make a few before we left but didn’t want to steal from the dead guy’s family.”
Alex replies, “You don’t steal. You kill humans, but you don’t steal.”
“Not from innocent people,” I reply. “His family needs something to live on. Aggie doesn’t single people out based on life insurance policies… Very few people have Old Glory Vampire Insurance, because the undead are coming for you.”
Alex’s head snaps away from the road. His mouth silently opens and closes a couple of times.
Aggie adds, “Think of it as a public service. Do you know how many human traffickers there are in Toronto alone?”
Ruben cringes and Alex nods, turning his attention back to the road, shifting gears, and looking sexy doing it. His whole body screams hot date. Maybe I could scoot a little closer and graze his arm. Instantly, he discreetly pulls his arm closer to his side. Tara called him a telepath; he’s probably listening to me. I would if I were him.
Alex’s voice speaks in my mind without his lips moving. “Yes, Cora.”
“Dude, turn it off! You don’t need to be in my head.”
“It doesn’t work that way. It’s always on and vast as Tara’s range.”
“Can you hear more than one at a time? Hey, wait a minute. How do you know what Tara’s range is?”
“Aggie told me, and yes, I can hear everyone in my range.”
“I think that’d get irritating real fast. Hey, Alex, wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?” The worst screech I can remember echoes in my head. Jim Carrey in the movie Dumb and Dumber would be proud.
Alex tightens his grip on the wheel. “Cora, please stop.”
My laughter pauses all conversation in the car. “Sure. Dude, that mind-reading trick has to suck. Aggie says the future in her head isn’t great either.”
Aggie replies, “True story. See, Alex?”
She must be thinking about something to show Alex. After a couple of minutes, the awkward silence isn’t going anywhere, so I press the power button on the music console.
Ruben jerks. “No, wait!”
Noise blasts through the car at a horrendous volume, but what’s worse is the song that’s playing.
Twisting dials and pressing buttons does nothing for the noise. Alex knocks my hands out of the way, tears out the console, and throws it back toward Ruben, plunging the car into silence.
The road noise is broken only by everyone breathing and staring at the bare wires protruding from the gaping hole in the dashboard.
Aggie laughs. “NSYNC? Really?”
Ruben cringes. “It was supposed to be a prank on Thomas. I had it rigged so you couldn’t turn it off once it turned on. Alex knew not to touch it.”
Aggie asks, “What did he do to deserve that?”
“I was working a job at a demolition site. Thomas had flowers delivered thanking me for an awesome night and asking for his boxer briefs back!”
“That is epic!” I say between laughs. “One time in college this jock spread a rumor that he slept with me. That was the last time the student body thought he got any. He was on the football team, so I snuck into the locker room and messed with his gear, then convinced a player from the other team to yank his pants down on the field. Let’s just say the ladies saw the lack of goods, and he still couldn’t get laid last time I checked.”
Ruben laughs and Alex cringes. The image in my head is the sports field, naked guy and all.
“Wait, so you can see pictures in my mind? I thought a telepath would just be able to hear, not see.”
Alex is silent.
Aggie says, “Alex, both you and Tara will get your answers when you realize we’re not your enemy. When you see Tara at the cabin, tell her to stay out of your head.”
Clearly he’s waging some mental battle, and I wonder if Aggie is showing him something she’s seen. After a few seconds his rigid posture relaxes a bit.
“Cora, to answer your question, thoughts are a mixture of internal monologue, pictures, memories, and imagination. I can see all of these, but they don’t overtake my sight the way Aggie’s sudden visions do.”
“But you can also speak inside my head. I heard it.”
Alex relaxes a bit more and glances toward me. “I can place in your mind anything I receive from my ability.”
He can put pictures in my mind just like he did his voice. Does that mean he can show me other people’s thoughts?
“Yes, Cora. It does.”
Wow, he’s good-looking and capable. My shirt has to have some buttons I can undo.
Wait, he just heard me think that.
“Yes, Cora. I did.”
Well, this is going to be all sorts of embarrassing if I let it. The best defense is a good offense.
“I still think you’re cute.”
Ruben asks, “What? What did Cora think?”
Alex shoots a glare at Aggie and exhales sharply. Aggie says, “Hey, it’s your future, I’m just seeing it. If you wanna glare at something, Cora will show you how her telekinesis works.”
Really, I will? While bouncing in my seat, I rub my hands together mad-scientist style. This time Tara isn’t here to stop me.
Ruben looks at Alex but doesn’t say a word. I’m onto their game now. “Hey, Alex, what is Ruben thinking at you?”
Alex merges onto another, more remote freeway, headed toward our cabin. “It doesn’t concern you, and understand this. There’s no way we can live together peacefully if I announce the private thoughts of anyone.”
Live together?
“Alex, I know we’ve been dating for about one minute, but don’t you think you’re moving kind of fast?”
Alex actually chokes.
I turn around and high-five Aggie.
Alex says, “Aggie has seen you and your sisters in my home temporarily, and all of us successfully staying hidden from the Noricum.”
I hope the sexy Audi is an indicator of their house. I don’t think I can share a one-room cabin with three dudes and my sisters.
Alex says, “Aggie, can you please focus on the future you just showed me. I wish to relay it to Cora. It seems she has questions about our…circumstances.”
I should be offended. He said what I was thinking out loud, but to see Aggie’s thoughts is worth it.
Suddenly a huge web of golden threads stretching out from a bright light appears in my mind. The threads look like crooked warps on a Navajo loom with the bright light at the bottom, anchoring the threads. Pulses of light move along the strings, changing their direction with each pulse. Then, zooming into one particular thread, a house appears that is the opposite of a one-room cabin.
They live in a palace.
A sexy car is just one of the things this telepath has going for him.
Their house has a swimming pool, landscaped yard, and fairytale brick driveway. There’s even a fish tank in a ginormous living room.
The picture fades from my mind. “That is super cool.”
A driver zooms up behind us, doing well over the speed limit that we broke long ago. It whips around, passing us in the oncoming lane. For a second the thought of breaking off one of their tires is appealing, but I would never hear the end of it from Tara. If they were a proven scumbag, it’d be a different outcome and I’d be getting a snack on the way to the cabin.
I flip them off instead.
Alex slaps his hand to his forehead before shifting his attention back to the road. The awkward pause returns full force, but this time there’s no music to break the silence. After a kilometer of dark highway, Ruben leans forward.
“So you’re telekinetic? That probably comes in handy more often than not. How does it work?”
Looks like I get to play after all.
“Okay, look ahead. See that car that passed us? See the exit ramp they’re getting off on?”
“Yeah.”
“See the exit sign?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I can feel the weight of it and the weight of everything around us.”
Aggie cuts in. “Everything with mass.”
“Right,” I reply. “The weight of everything around us wants to move; I just help it.”
Aggie interrupts again, “It has mass and therefore potential energy. Cora flips that potential energy into kinetic energy.”
“If you say so, Aggie,” I reply. “She’s making it sound more complex than it really is. To me, everything wants to move. I just use the energy in my mind to connect with the object and boom, instant movement. Watch.”
With a flick of my wrist, the freeway sign pulls itself up from its cement base. I hold the sign mid-air until we pass it, and then I toss it into the top of a large tree.
Ruben’s mouth hangs open. Alex grips the steering wheel. Alex asks, “How is it you’ve remained undetected by the authorities when you so flagrantly display your telekinetic abilities for no reason whatsoever?”
I answer, “Sheer awesomeness?”
Alex just rolls his eyes.
I say, “It’s not necessary to use my hands to direct it, but I have better aim that way. I’ve been working on it for months at the cabin with full-grown trees. When we get there you’ll see what I’m talking about.”
Alex snips, “We will not go anywhere near your cabin. The walls have eyes. Even the trees around here are dangerous.”
Yeah, that doesn’t sound paranoid. I start humming the Twilight Zone music inside my head.
Ruben turns a bit towards Aggie. “You can see the future? I always thought we wrote our own futures, but if you can see it, is everything just fate?”
She smiles. “I can see people’s