“I’m here!” the younger Ahab sister shouted as she ran from the room. Her dress was the same style as her sister’s, but blue instead of red. Her fiery crimson hair was curled and fell behind her back like a waterfall. She looked to Abigail. “Jack thinks you look really, really nice, by the way. But he didn’t use the word ‘nice.’”
Jack felt heat rise to his face. “We need to go over ground rules now that we know what you can do.”
The three began to walk down the hall, followed by Sergeant Harrison and his clone.
“Actually, we don’t know where the ball is being held.” Abigail addressed their shadows for the first time. “Would you mind showing us the way?”
The guards complied, leading the group down the palace halls.
“The less people who know about Elizabeth, the better,” Abigail whispered.
“I understand.” Jack lowered his voice. “What happened to your neck?”
“And hands.” Abigail extended her palms, showing Jack her knuckles on both hands. Angry red scratches told a story all their own. “If I’m going to be able to protect Elizabeth, I have to learn how to fight. Sloan and I had our first lesson this afternoon.”
Elizabeth skipped next to the pair, oblivious to their conversation.
“Protect her?” Jack repeated the words. “She’s safe here in the palace. The queen won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Jack, I know you want to believe the queen has nothing but the best intentions at heart, and maybe she does, but not everyone will see Elizabeth’s abilities as a gift. They’ll want to use her. Look at what’s already happening,” Abigail said, motioning to the backs of the two soldiers. “We’re already being monitored.”
“They won’t try anything,” Jack reassured her. “Nothing is going to happen to Elizabeth; we won’t let it. Sloan and Aareth will be on our side, too. And the queen, she wouldn’t allow it.”
“I hope you’re right.” Abigail straightened her back as the group rounded a corner. “For all of our sakes.”
The low hum of dozens of muffled voices talking at once could be heard. A set of double doors were opened for them by palace guards as they approached.
Jack thought he was past being impressed by the city of New Hope and the palace. He was wrong. The ballroom was something out of a fairytale. The ceiling in the room was so high, Jack imagined Doctor Livingston’s entire building could fit comfortably in the chamber.
Everywhere Jack turned there were guests, soldiers, and the wait staff walking around with silver platters of sparkling drinks. Although Jack didn’t recognize anyone in the group, the whole room seemed to know who he was.
“There he is.” An elderly man sporting a cane approached Jack as if they were long-time friends finally reunited. “Berry Lovegood,” he said, extending a white-gloved hand. “We met briefly this morning.”
“Oh, right.” Jack shook the man’s hand as recognition struck. The owner of the store the assassination attempt had originated from had completely ignored him earlier that day. Jack wasn’t sure why he was being so polite to him now. A moment later, he understood perfectly.
A gaggle of middle-aged men and women approached. They all seemed to be dressed to outdo one another. The women wore obnoxiously vivid colors, their gowns ranging from bright copper bronze to deep purple. The men wore suits of black, gray, or brown.
Jack looked for an escape route from the oncoming conversations he had no desire to partake in.
“Good luck.” Abigail gave his hand a quick squeeze. “I think I’d rather face another mutated wolf than this group.”
“You’re going to leave me here?” Jack whispered out of the corner of his mouth. The gathering of city elites grew around him, chattering away like that annoying bird squawking outside of your window in the mornings.
“I want no part of this bloodbath.” Elizabeth began backing away slowly. “Good luck.”
“I have to go watch her.” Abigail feigned a wince as if she were actually sorry to go. “Courage, Jack.”
The next few minutes felt like hours. Jack recounted the story of what was now being called The Burrow Den Beast. The men and women looked on in awe. When the story was finished, there was no shortage of comments.
“What a ghastly tale,” Berry Lovegood practically shouted. “It’s a shame we don’t have one of those monsters here to clean up our city.”
“Oh, Berry, you don’t mean that,” stated an elderly woman with enough jewelry to make even the queen jealous. The proximity to which she stood next to Berry Lovegood and the familiar rebuke in her voice told Jack she was his wife. He was right.
“My dear Daisy, you must agree, this city has been in a rut since the creation of that horrid locomotive. The need to expand past our own walls to assist the rabble in the Outland has been our downfall,” Berry Lovegood said as if it were a matter of fact rather than opinion. He looked around the group for support. “You all know it’s true. Tax the rich to feed the poor and all that nonsense.”
“Hear, hear!” a few men in the group agreed.
Before Jack could open his mouth and disagree with the statement, Doctor Livingston appeared, accompanied by his bodyguard, Commander Brookhaven. The doctor was dressed as smartly as ever. The thing that caught Jack’s eye was the transformation the commander had undergone. Vanished was the rough exterior of the battle-hardened soldier. She still wore her uniform with her mage sword’s hilt poking over her shoulder, but her hair was down. A lethal beauty haunted her features.
“Now, now, ladies and gentlemen,” Doctor Livingston soothed the groups with a playful reprimand on his tongue, “let’s not immerse young Jack in our city politics just yet.”
The group was all smiles when it came to the doctor. It was clear to see they respected the man on a deep level.
“I was wondering if I might steal the sorcerer away from you for just a moment,” Doctor Livingston told them more than asked. “I have some news for him.”
“Of course,” Berry Lovegood answered with a quick smile. “Come now, Daisy, friends, let’s leave the good doctor and Jack to their conversation.”
Like magic, the groups were gone, lost in the crowd.
“That’s better.” The doctor smiled. “I hope they weren’t too harsh with you. They can talk politics until one turns to stone, if you let them. Their views can be rather extreme.”
“It’s okay.” Jack shrugged off the comment. “Everyone is entitled to their opinion. What do you think about the queen extending the locomotive to the Outland?”
The doctor remained quiet for a moment. He studied Jack behind his gold-rimmed glasses. The intensity of the doctor’s stare told Jack he was in a debate with himself on how much to say.
“I think that we have a solid economy and a city full of hardworking, good people.” The doctor spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. “It would be a shame to see such dedication spoiled by giving handouts to those less willing to apply themselves.”
“But what if they need help?” Images of the many dilapidated small villages outside the city of New Hope came to Jack’s mind. “What if they’re trying? What if they just need that nudge to set them on the right path?”
“We can’t protect or provide for the entire Outland.” The doctor motioned to the silent Commander Brookhaven with an open hand. “But this is not what I wanted to speak with you about.”
The commander reached a hand into her breast pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper. She handed it to the doctor, looking at Jack with a blank stare.
“I did some digging into the scientist you and Charlotte came looking for earlier today.” Doctor Livingston accepted the paper from his bodyguard and handed it to Jack. “We did, in fact, employ an Aaron Jebson a few years back. His methods, however, were not on par with Livingston Industries’ ethical standards. He was relieved of his duties ten months ago. The paperwork is stamped with dates and signatures of his hire, then eventual termination.”
Jack opened the pape
rwork, examining the contents as he listened to the doctor’s explanation. Everything seemed in order. Once again, the doctor had a solid excuse as to why he had no part in the laboratory in Burrow Den.
A grunt from beside him drew Jack’s attention from the paper to the commander. She was grimacing. A gloved hand was pressed to her right temple as if she were trying to relive the pain from an invisible attacker.
“Are you all right?” the doctor asked.
“I’m sorry, sir. Yes, I’m fine.” Commander Brookhaven opened her jaw wide, then closed it several times. “Just another headache.”
“Ladies and gentlemen.” The queen’s familiar voice broke through the chatter of the crowd. “If I might have your attention for just a moment.”
Jack turned to a raised platform where the queen stood addressing the room. Beside her, both Sloan and a much younger version of Edison Reeves stood by an intimidating man and woman. They were a pair of pale-skinned soldiers wearing the queen’s uniform of black-and-grey.
Jack had to remind himself not to gawk as he took in Edison Reeves’ new appearance. He seemed to be the only one in shock as everyone waited to hear the queen’s next words.
“Today is a special day as we celebrate our success in Burrow Den, marking yet another step toward uniting the Outland.” The queen paused as the room broke into polite applause. Jack couldn’t help noticing Berry Lovegood and many of his cohorts had refused to clap. “We gather today to celebrate another advancement, as well. To better explain the project, I will turn to Edison Reeves, the head of the Department of Paranormal Study and Magic.”
The queen took a step back as another volley of applause followed. Edison was smiling wildly. He wore a black suit with long coattails and a top hat.
“Thank you, Queen Eleanor.” Edison rocked on his feet, heels to toes. He smiled so wide, his lips showed off nearly all of his teeth. “Before I start, I see a few shocked expressions. It’s called Phoenix Serum, makes me a few years younger. It’s not on the market yet, before you ask. All right, now that that’s out of the way, I am utterly, totally, most definitely beside myself to be bringing to you the future of our great city. In collaboration with Livingston Industries, allow me to introduce to you the results of the Vampire Project.”
Edison’s voice rose as he spoke. He threw his hands toward the pair of pale soldiers. One of them, a female with long blonde hair and sharp features stepped forward, and with a smirk, she ran to the opposite side of the ballroom faster than most eyes could track. Despite all of his training, Jack even had a hard time keeping sight of her.
In the space of a heartbeat, she was standing next to the entrance doors, sipping on a glass of champagne. Astonished “ooohs” and “ahhhs” filled the air as attendees broke into a round of applause.
Jack felt someone nudge his arm. Abigail and Elizabeth had returned after their mutiny to stand beside him. He wanted to say something funny to Abigail about her running off, but his attention was rapt.
All attention was now on the man still standing next to the podium. He was muscular, with shoulders so thick, his neck disappeared in his collared uniform. One of the servants brought him a steel rod. The metal bar was at least an inch thick. The solider accepted it with another smile. He waved to the crowd before bending the metal as if it were a pair of shorts he needed to fold to fit into a drawer.
Excited chatter ripped through the room, immediately followed by another loud round of applause.
“Privates Scarlet and Hunter are demonstrating for you the new levels of speed and strength our vampire soldiers are able to reach,” Edison explained as Scarlet ran back to the podium and Hunter pulled the metal bar back into the shape of a rod. “Our vampire soldiers are five times faster and stronger than any street thug or threat to our great city. With these advancements, our soldiers will be better prepared and better equipped to watch over our fair city of New Hope and its citizens.”
Applause, this time fanatic applause, covered the room. Jack couldn’t help noticing the Lovegoods and their friends all clapping wildly at the unveiling of the vampire soldiers.
Edison continued to talk about the details of the super soldiers, but his voice was only background noise now to the whispers in Jack’s own head.
An army of these things created to protect the city. Protect from it from what?
“This isn’t good.” Elizabeth poked him in the ribs with a bony finger. “I agree with your thoughts I’m not supposed to be reading. Bad news bears.”
“Come on, ground rules,” Abigail reminded her sister. “It’s not polite to go into someone’s head.”
“I know.” Elizabeth frowned. “It’s just now that you guys know, I can be myself. I don’t have to hide it anymore.”
“It’s okay.” Jack battled the nagging idea that something very bad was about to happen. “I agree with Elizabeth. This is bad news bears. We’re building an advanced army of super soldiers for a war that doesn’t exist.”
Jack
That night, Jack was in his room, taking off the soft clothes that felt so foreign to him, when there was a knock on his door. Jack didn’t carry a watch, but the nearly full moon that shown through his bedroom window told him it was late in the night.
“Who is it?” Jack asked through the door. “Elizabeth, if this is you again, I told you, you can’t borrow my toothbrush. Ask one of the guards. I’m sure they’ll get you one.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s Aareth. Open up. We don’t have much time.”
Jack complied, unlocking his door. It swung open for the city inspector. Aareth rushed into the room. He quickly closed the door behind him. Aareth was a mess, with wild, red eyes and long, unkempt black hair.
“I need your help,” he said, licking his lips like a wild man. “Get your gear. We’re going on a trip.”
“A trip?” Jack leaned in to get a better look at his friend. “Aareth, are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I’ll explain on the way. Bring your wand. We’re going to need it.”
“Does Sloan know about this?” Jack buckled on his belt with the holster that carried his wand. “Where are we going?”
“I can’t tell her.” Aareth went to the door. He pressed his ear against it and waited. “I can’t risk anything. I don’t know who’s involved or how far this goes. There’s a meeting tonight in the warehouse district. The Order is looking for new followers.”
Jack shoved his feet into his boots, pausing with the leather straps to fully digest Aareth’s words.
“You found them? You found The Order?” Jack asked with more excitement for the discovery than he realized he had. In his mind, the mutated wolf controlled by Elijah Ahab had killed his father, but even that was just collateral damage from the master plan The Order had concocted.
“Yes, I need someone I can trust.” Aareth moved away from the door, satisfied no one was listening in on the other side. “You lost as much as I have to this city. Tonight, we get answers, and make them pay in blood.”
Jack trusted Aareth despite Aareth’s manic state. Still, he knew every plan needed a backup. Elizabeth, I know you can read my thoughts. I hope you’ve been listening in next door. If Aareth and I aren’t back by sunrise, tell Abigail and Sloan everything you’ve heard.
That was the best Jack would be able to do. Aareth was eyeing him, already licking his chops.
Jack
Sneaking out of the palace was easier than Jack thought. The security force was built to watch for those making their way in, not the other way around. Those guards who did see them simply gave the two familiar men a nod.
Jack and Aareth were out of the palace and trotting down the streets of New Hope within the hour. New Hope was in the process of converting their kerosene-powered street lamps for those made from mage light.
The light warped shadows as the chill of the night convinced Jack to pull his brown jacket close. The cold soon left Jack, however, as he was pressed to keep up with Aareth’s long,
quick strides.
As much as Jack wanted to give Aareth his space, he also wanted answers. It was clear Aareth was eager to find The Order and those responsible for the events of Burrow Den, but something else was driving the man. Jack needed to know what he was getting himself into.
“You know I’m with you, right?” Jack had to jog to keep up with Aareth. “No matter what.”
“Of course.” Aareth’s fast pace halted for the briefest second before he continued. He looked at Jack as if he had forgotten the young tracker was beside him the entire time. “That’s why I came to you tonight.”
“Then you know, no matter what’s going on with you, I won’t stop having your back. Now, what’s going on?” Jack’s words disappeared in puffs of steam as they escaped his lips. “I’ll be better prepared to help you if you tell me what we’re about to get ourselves into.”
“I—” Aareth paused. Their pace had led them to the heart of New Hope, through the residential district and to an abandoned warehouse block filled with large, steel buildings. “I know this sounds crazy, but the wife I thought was murdered, is alive. She’s the hitman … or I guess, hitwoman, we’ve been chasing.”
“But you said she was dead.” Jack felt his mind run a dozen different directions at once. Of all the things Aareth could have said to Jack, his current explanation was not one Jack was prepared to hear. “Why do you think she was the assassin who tried to kill the queen?”
Aareth stopped at a corner where the streetlight was out. A giant dilapidated structure, more rust than metal, stood to their left. There was no one in sight.
“When she slammed through the door after taking her shot at the queen, I caught a glimpse of a tattoo on her wrist. Not just any tattoo.” Aareth pulled down his jacket and shirt to reveal a tattoo of his own. The placement was over his heart. “This tattoo.”
The ink had faded, and Jack had to squint to get a better look. It was a picture of two ancient helmets facing one another.
House of Blood: (A Paranormal Urban Fantasy) (The Vampire Project Book 2) Page 7