by Dale Mayer
"They aren't here because of you, but I do understand your need to find them. But the army can do the job just as well."
"Maybe. But not these ones."
He gave her a sharp look. "Why?"
"There is something wrong with them. Not all of them, but the ones that stayed...oh yeah. That's when I realized I made the right choice. I think, outside of the injured man, that the ones who left were maybe okay. Their energy was more stable, but..." she motioned to the men ahead of them, "not these ones."
He let his breath gust out. "You think they are being enhanced?"
"No. I think..." she took a deep breath, "I think they are being turned."
The look of outraged horror on her father's face almost made Tessa laugh. Almost.
"You have to be wrong." He glared down the tunnel as the team moved swiftly ahead of him. "That process has been outlawed."
"And yet I mentioned it earlier, so this isn't exactly news." Only no one had listened to her at the beginning of this mess. No one ever did. That had only changed these last few days. "But," she conceded, "Since then I thought the differences I saw might have been the result of their enhancements or drugs." She raised her shoulders. "Now I am not so sure."
Goran and Cody crowded around them. Seth stood off to the side, a bored look on his face.
"Did I hear you correctly? You think the soldiers are being turned into vampires?" Goran hissed the words, but even then his voice was so loud she was worried the men ahead would hear them. Realizing that they were still moving forward, she switched her attention to her brother. He appeared completely disinterested in the going ons around him.
"Seth? Feel like answering that question?"
He shrugged but didn't volunteer anything. Serus turned on him. Seth snarled. "I don't know. I don't know anything."
She almost believed him, but it was too pat. Tyson was no fool. He'd know which buttons to push on these young men and being part of an inner circle would hold some kind of appeal. Hell, she'd seen that type of want in high school – young males on all sides were always looking to prove themselves. To gain respect. To be looked up to. To find their place.
Here they had young upcoming studs to replace the old useless men who'd hung on past their prime. Yeah, that would appeal to them.
But it didn't mean they'd have been let into the real inner circle. For now, she'd give him the benefit of the doubt.
And she wouldn't believe anything that came out of his mouth.
With a quick glance around at the small group, she picked up the pace to keep the army in sight. She didn't know what was up ahead, but she didn't trust anyone anymore.
Not even me? Cody's humorous voice rippled through her mind.
She couldn't help but laugh. Now you I trust. These punks...not so much.
They are all older than you, he added.
Years do not make a man. And I do realize how snotty and sexist that sounds, she added. Besides, this last week has leapfrogged me forward in maturity.
I'll say, he said with feeling.
She tossed him a quick grin. Hey, you should be grateful. I'm not quite so young and innocent as I was.
Ha. You are too.
Like hell, she said good-naturedly.
There was a weird silence.
Now what? she asked in exasperation.
You are still innocent, aren't you? he murmured.
Heat flooded her face as she realized what he meant. She struggled with her answer and ended up not knowing how to respond. He should know she was innocent in sexual matters. Hell, no male had looked at her sideways until Jared.
Jared! he exclaimed, hearing that part of her thoughts.
No. No! She spun around and stepped sideways to face him. The others kept on walking. Thank God. No! I was thinking that you should have known the answer to that question without asking me. No male has ever looked at me before Jared, and I only went to the movies with him.
She watched him close his eyes and a visible shudder rippled down his frame. When he opened them again, it was to gaze deep into her eyes, sending a glowing ray of heat deep into her heart. He grinned and dropped a kiss on her lips. "Good."
He spun her around, still spluttering, and dragged her forward. "Come on. They are getting ahead of us."
Bemused and delighted, she quickly stepped into line. But she hadn't taken more than a couple of steps when Cody came to a stop. And, she realized, so had the others. "What's the matter?"
Her father turned to look at her. "The soldiers are gone."
*.*.*
Rhia struggled over the boulders. The path was treacherous. She could barely see up ahead. She jumped to another perch on the right, then scrambled upward to crouch unsteadily at the top. She couldn't stand up as the roof of the tunnel was too low. Checking back, she made sure that Wendy was doing fine, only to realize she'd taken a different route and had almost reached the small tracks ahead of Rhia.
With a couple of long strides, Rhia landed in between the tracks. She straightened and looked around. This area appeared to have been hit the hardest. The tracks to the left had some debris, but it wasn’t much and the path ahead appeared clear.
"Ready?" At Wendy's nod, Rhia strode down the tracks to the right. Her family was down here somewhere.
"Rhia?"
She stopped and turned. "What?"
Wendy pointed to the other direction. "Someone is coming."
Walking back toward Wendy, Rhia scanned the straggling group walking toward them.
"Oh my God. That's David."
*.*.*
Jared hated to be sent on his way with the rest of the group. He'd come specifically to save his friends, hadn't he? Yet he felt like he'd been demoted by being sent back with the group. And by Tessa no less. Surely he deserved better. She'd taken Cody with her. That made a statement. Like how. As much as he wanted to get out of this place, he didn't want to be sent home like a child either. He wasn't exhausted like the others.
Or maybe he was just pissed that Cody hadn't been sent back with him. David and Ian had though, so that mollified his ego somewhat.
Jewel did appear to have hit the end of her rope.
Those damn drugs appeared to be more dangerous than anything he'd ever seen. That whole blood farm had been full of that shit. He watched the soldiers carrying the unconscious vamps. They moved so effortlessly, as if the extra weight was nothing to them.
Jared wished he had half their size and bulk. He'd require different genetics and hit the gym for the next decade to look like that.
The other two men were struggling to help their injured team member. Mostly because he was trying to do more than he should and was fighting their help. Jared shook his head. There was a time to be brave and stubborn, but if he was as injured as Tessa appeared to think he was, the guy was better off getting his sorry ass carried out of here. Fighting was only going to make the drugs work faster. Even as he watched, it seemed like there was a gray pallor to him And not just on his face.
Unable to help himself, Jared shifted so he walked on the side furthest away from the sick man. It felt like something bad was going to happen to...
And he didn't want to be in this damn mine when it did.
He caught David's questioning look and shrugged. If David couldn't see a train wreck about to happen, how could he explain it to him?
*.*.*
"Where could they have gone?" Standing beside his father, hands on his hips, Cody stared down the dark tunnel. "And why?"
"I think the 'why' is the more important question here," Serus muttered. "I never trusted those assholes."
"Ha. You don't trust anyone. Human or vampire."
"Works for me. When you don't know who you can trust, then trust no one." He took several steps forward. "Let's go see where they went."
"Or not." Seth said.
Serus stopped and turned to look back at his son. Cody studied Seth’s face. His features worked
with some kind of internal struggle.
Tessa whispered in his head. The energy of the team just stopped. I have to get closer to see where they went.
He nodded. Seth is looking to say something, but I have no idea what.
I don't trust anything he does say, so why bother listening?
She walked in front of him to stand beside her father. Distracted by her movement, Cody spun his gaze back to her brother and caught anger twisting his features, followed by fear.
He's afraid.
Like I said, he knows so much more than he's telling. Of course if anyone sees him with us, they might wonder what he's told us.
We need to find out what he knows.
Good luck with that.
Serus said, "Why not, Seth? What's up there?"
Seth shrugged and turned to stare at the wall beside him. Serus crossed the distance so fast Cody didn't realize he'd moved until he'd lifted his son into the air and gave him a good shake. "You want all of us to die? Is that it? Are we so bad that you want to kill your whole family?"
"Not all of you."
Tessa gasped, a sound so full of pain and hurt. Cody rushed over to her and wrapped an arm around her.
"That's just sick. She's not one of us. Send her ahead. Let the animal see—"
A loud smack filled the air. Cody looked over to see Seth holding the side of his jaw, staring at his father with a hatred that made Cody's toes curl. He didn't know where this emotion was coming from but it was painful to see. As Tessa trembled in his arms, he realized how much worse it was for her. Could the mind control be responsible? If not, they were better off if Seth was dead. And how hard would that be to deal with?
Maybe there is something the vamps can do to switch his thinking. If mind control was responsible in the first place, maybe there is a reprogramming group as well for reverting this. She took a sobbing breath. And what if this is just the truth finally showing up? That he's hated me all this time. And just kept it a secret. Now that he's part of the chosen group...he doesn't have to hide it anymore.
Don't think that. You know him. You lived with him.
Did I? Or did I just live with the shell of my brother? A false front that he let the rest of us see?
He's not very old. How involved could he have gotten in the last couple of years? How high up the chain of command?
She took a deep breath and stepped back. I don't know, but if he can escape, he'll be a hell of a lot higher up the ladder now than he was before. We've taken out so many bosses he could be just a few rungs from the top.
Cody spun around to stare at the two men glaring at each other.
He couldn't imagine ever turning on his father like Seth had just done.
Which face was the real one? This naked angry poisonous personality, or the one he'd known for years growing up? A couple of years older than David, he'd been a replacement for Tyson who'd never been around. Could he too have so badly misjudged Seth? Or was this a careful process of infiltrating the ancient families and turn them inside out by poisoning the younger upcoming members from the inside? Seth was here with three other vamps, all from prominent families. All with dominant fathers who wouldn't give up control easily. But then, a couple of them had been on the bad side. So maybe some of the fathers had recruited the sons. Or the sons had been recruited as replacements for the fathers. And if that was the case, did the fathers know? Or were the sons to take out the fathers at some point and step into their place?
That's a horrible thought.
Cody started. He'd forgotten to guard his thinking. Maybe that was a good thing. Tessa was incredibly intuitive and intelligent. She'd proven to be a big help so far. He needed her to be clear thinking at this point. They all needed to be.
According to Seth, they'd hit some kind of danger point. But was going forward the dangerous move? Or was retreating?
They needed a lucky break.
We've never been that lucky.
Serus pushed Seth forward. "Move it. You want to be a leader, then lead."
Seth shot him a hooded look that left Cody guessing at what was going on in his mind. Then Seth took a long, careful look at each of them, shrugged, and strode forward.
Shit. I don't like the look in his eyes.
Neither do I, and I don't trust him one bit.
"Tessa?" Goran asked her, "Can you see anything?"
Serus spun around to stare at her, a question in his eyes.
"Nothing yet." She shook her head. "But I'm trying. I need to be closer."
Goran nodded. "Then closer we go. Just make sure you have an exit to fall back on. I don't like the smell of this one bit."
Serus nodded. "Yeah, I'm thinking trap."
Goran shook his head. "I'm thinking it is worse than that. I'm thinking annihilation."
Tessa swallowed. "And Cody and I are thinking the young males are in place to take out the old ancients. Seth for Dad. Tyson for Goran. Harding, Warren, and Keegan for their respective fathers. I don't know if they were indoctrinated to the cause by their fathers knowingly as their replacements."
*.*.*
It was hard to hear about your own child being groomed to take your place after you were taken out. Brutal even. He'd never have suspected something like that from Seth. Even now, it was hard to get his mind wrapped around the idea. He had to believe this was all about the drugs. His son had served as an apprentice on the Council at his side for years. Who would think that they'd want to jump the natural order of things like this? Then again, it was only conjecture at this time.
Conjecture that had more than a ring of truth to it.
He turned to his daughter, as much of a surprise this last week as his son. "Can you come here and tell me what you see?"
She trotted to his side.
In a lower voice, he asked, "Can you see any black in your brother's energy? Anything off?"
"His energy is really dark. I can't tell if that's his anger or drugs or something else. But it's not like yours or mine."
"Does it still look like what it did a week ago? When we were sitting around the kitchen table?"
"I don't know. I saw his energy, but it wasn't the same. I just can't tell you what’s the difference." She shrugged. "Remember, I wasn't really looking then."
Silence.
He had to be happy with that. That he was even asking his teenage daughter for answers showed how shook up he was. He'd never have done this before. Still, she hadn't shown that she had these skills in the past.
It seems we were completely out of touch with our kids. Goran groaned. How did it get to that?
Not Cody, Serus pointed out. He hasn't changed. Neither has David.
True.
"Then again, the black of his energy is really condensed," Tessa added thoughtfully. "As if it’s fresh."
Serus brightened. "Maybe he'd just received a new dose. It would help explain his recent behavior."
"Tessa," Goran asked, "Can you see where the army went?"
Serus watched her as she studied the tunnel. It was darker, more narrow than what they'd traveled so far. He knew that could be both good and bad. Were they walking into a trap.
I say we are, Goran snapped. And better to assume that we are than to not.
"The energy is all off to the left side," Tessa said and pointed up ahead. She lowered her voice, "I want to see what Seth does when we get closer. There is likely to be an exit somewhere. But how he'd have known about it..."
"He might have been here before," Cody suggested. "Or maybe the army was attacked."
"We'd have heard a fight." Goran closed the gap between the four of them. "Although they might have a weapon that could have taken the army out silently." He added, "Like gas."
Everyone spun to stare at him. He shrugged, "I'm just thinking aloud."
Tessa shot him a dark look. "Maybe you can go back to thinking quietly?"
He grinned. "Better to consider all options and know what
the enemy is up to rather than be caught unawares."
She gave a mock shudder before turning back to study the tunnel. "The trouble is, I don't know what the energy of a gas looks like. So I won't recognize it in time to give a warning."
"If it's gas, there won't be any warning. But they would be getting everyone down here, their own people and ours," Goran said.
Cody spoke up, "Which isn't likely to bother them as they appear to have lots of replacements. Or they had lots." Then he winced, as if realizing who was replacing who. "Sorry," he murmured.
"As long as you aren't in on this, I'm safe," growled Goran.
"Not me, sir."
Goran cuffed him affectionately on the shoulder. "Wouldn't have thought so."
Serus didn't want to upset the mood by bringing up the fact that Goran would never have suspected his older son either, any more than he'd have thought Seth could have been turned to the dark side.
Tessa held up her hand. And she came to an immediate standstill.
Everyone slammed to a complete stop beside her. Serus studied the way before them. There was only the deep dark never-ending tunnel ahead. He had no idea what Tessa saw. He wished he did.
"Tessa? What is it?"
Seth kept walking ahead, unconcerned by anything. Indeed, his walk was steady as a soldier. He neither looked left or right. He didn't care if they followed or not, nor did he check to see if they were there.
Odd.
Serus couldn't see anything wrong either, but he waited and watched. Whatever was bothering her, she'd tell them about it as soon as she understood.
Then he didn't have to hear it from her.
Right in front of them, Seth disappeared.
"Uh-oh," Tessa said.
"What the..." Goran exclaimed. "Where did he go?"
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Serus snapped, bolting forward until Tessa shouted. "Stop. Right there. He disappeared right ahead of you."