“In a world of one god and one devil it makes no sense. In a world where ancient gods still hover it is a possibility. Did you think the old ones simply died away? They are all here, awaiting their moment to reclaim their glory. They are all waiting for you to screw up and allow them to be set free.”
“And the stone is the key.”
He nodded slowly, watching the wonder fill her eyes. “You knew that.”
“Yes. I knew the vampires wanted it. It came to me from my father, whom they killed. I had no idea how much further it went. Until you told me I didn’t realize that there was more to the story. I didn’t realize a team of immortals would be searching for it.”
“Helen, we are only the beginning. You hold the key to Pandora’s box and evil will be released. More of us will show our faces as things begin to fall into place. When they discover this stone they will be after it.”
“And how do I know I can trust you and Vlad then? How do I know you aren’t tricking me? How do I know, Constantine?”
“Because I am giving you this.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the scroll he had absconded with from the Basilica.
“What’s this?”
“This is the second half of my curse. Licinius handed over the ring. Now I give you the scroll. These two items worked together to defeat our enemies at the Melvian Bridge. They were given to us by your ancient gods. By giving you this item I place my power in your hands.”
Her fingers closed over the scroll as she stared at him in disbelief. “Why would you do this?”
“Because more than anything else I want your trust. The stone you protect is part of this great mystery. Each of us, all twelve, have an item that is part of a larger entity. I had the scroll. Licinius had the ring. Vlad and the others each have an item. The stone is the thirteenth item. All are needed in order to make the spell work. When all twelve are brought together the gods may be revived. Sebastian is not working alone. He is working with someone who knows this, someone who will slowly begin to seek us out one by one. You now have three of the sacred items, which makes you a marked target. Please give Vlad the stone. Then hide these away in some corner of the world where only you can reach.”
“So you’re giving me this and placing me in danger at the same time? I get the ability to trust you but I may die in the process?”
“No. I will never allow them to harm you. I am your servant, your protector.” Unsaid words hung between them as she slipped the scroll into her pocket. She was braver than he had first believed. He would have never thought her to be such a warrior.
“I can protect myself.” She set her jaw and turned back to the steering wheel. Locking her seat belt back into place, she turned the key in the ignition. “We’re almost to the church.”
“You still do not trust me?”
“I tell you what. You hand over Vlad Tepes and we’ll talk. For now I do think you’re a little crazy.”
“But you believe me?”
“Yes I believe you. So what’s wrong with me then?” She let out a deep sigh. “I think I’m crazy too.” They pulled into the church parking lot. “I need to go in alone,” she announced when he reached for the door handle.
“Fine.” He was reluctant to let her go but he knew this was the only way to proceed with Helen. She had given him her body last night and he was willing to give her his soul. The only problem was, in doing so he was placing her in more danger than she was already in.
Helen pushed the car door open and stepped out into the parking lot. Her head reeled from what Constantine had told her. She knew he was telling the truth. She stepped into the church, stopping to light a candle and leave a donation. Then she made her way down the private corridors and to Father Henry’s office.
“Father Henry?” she asked, slowly pushing the door open. It creaked eerily as she stepped inside. “Father Henry?” she called again.
His usually pristine desk was littered with papers. As she looked around the office she realized something was out of whack here. There was far more going on than spring cleaning. A shiver crept up her spine as she made her way around to the back of the desk. There had been a struggle here. Signs of it were all around, from the massive disarray to the slide of fingerprints evident in the light.
“Father Henry?” Her heart raced as fear snaked up her back.
She darted out of the room, making her way once more out into the private corridors. The stone was hidden beneath the church floor, under the altar. Emerging from the hallways, she stepped out into the main chapel. There her heart leapt into her throat. Her beloved, trusted priest lay in a pool of blood at the altar. The stone that guarded her treasure was misplaced, looking as if it had been tossed aside. And the bag that held the stone lay inches away from the priest’s hand.
Kneeling down, she placed her hand on his neck, checking for a pulse. There was none. Her fingers fumbled with her cell phone as she frantically began to dial the number for the police. How the hell was she supposed to explain this to them? Her fingerprints were all over his office as she had been here numerous times. There was no way they would buy her story about an ancient stone or a break-in by a group of vampires. Vampires weren’t even supposed to be capable of entering the church. Unless they’d managed to secure one of the other relics. There was a legend that one of the relics could offer safe passage onto hallowed ground. If they had two of the relics then conjuring the ancient gods was closer than she’d thought.
She closed her phone, disconnecting the call before it even rang. She had to think, had to make sense of this act of cruelty. Only one man could offer help now. Constantine. She knew she would have to trust him. As long as she held three pieces of this puzzle the world was safe. But she could only protect them for so long. As he had said, the twelve would slowly begin to show their faces.
Licinius and Constantine were already accounted for. Vlad was in Romania. As for the others, she had a feeling Constantine would know where to look for them.
She placed a kiss on Father Henry’s cheek and said a silent prayer over his body before placing the stone’s bag in her pocket and making her way back to his office. She was careful to wipe her fingerprints from everything she touched. She was about to leave the office when something caught her eye. One of the manuscripts on the numerous shelves seemed out of place. When she pulled it from the shelf the title struck her at once. Twelve Black Rainbows. Those were the words Constantine had used.
Slipping the old text into her jacket, she slid from the room, hoping all signs of her entrance had been erased. This plot was thickening even as she stepped out into the sunlight. She had so many questions for Constantine. But first she would read this book, discover what the church knew about these men, these renegades from history who had the power to turn the world on its ear.
“Did you get it?” he asked when she slid back into the car seat.
“No. There was a problem. They were here first.” She looked at him uneasily, unsure of what their next course of action should be.
“They? Sebastian and his men?”
“They killed the priest too. He knew the power of the stone. He knew there were similar magical tools spread throughout the world. I found a book.” She pulled the weathered volume from her jacket. “Does this look familiar?”
He took it into his trembling hands. Closing his eyes as if he were fighting back a wave of emotions, he passed his fingers over the worn cover. “This is our story, our history. Why would Sebastian have left it behind?”
“Maybe he doesn’t realize yet what he is dealing with. He’s here to raise an army, but not for the war you and I are thinking. Up to now he’s looked for a stone. He didn’t realize the guidebook lay in the hands of the priest. Even I did not realize Father Henry knew more than he told me.”
“You should have known he had a reason for protecting the stone.” Constantine opened the book and read the inscription in Latin.
“What does that mean?”
“It says ‘To
the keeper of secrets. May these open the doors for you’.”
“Cryptic.”
“I know the story here. This is my story, a volume of oral texts collected from the twelve. Whoever complied this had knowledge of us all. Do you realize the danger of having this in print?” He flipped through the book, making his announcement as he reached the end.
“At least you and I have it now.”
“Yes, but doesn’t it seem unlikely that it would have been left behind?”
She didn’t want to think about the coincidence. Yes it seemed unlikely, but she didn’t want to question its presence. To do so would mean she and Constantine were possibly walking into a trap. “You should read the contents of the book to be sure it’s not a forgery.”
“It doesn’t appear to be.”
“How can you be sure? You just glanced at it.”
“I can feel it. This is our guide to recollecting the others, to bringing together their magic in order to defeat the evil Sebastian plans to unleash.”
“Then perhaps we should begin our collection.”
“I shall contact Vlad. You stay safe.” He pressed his lips to hers before opening the car door. “I’ll return as soon as I can.”
She wanted to ask him not to go but she knew how selfish that would sound. They had a world to save. Now was not the time to become a needy woman. Not when she had three ancient artifacts that needed protecting.
Chapter Eight
The next evening, Helen looked up when the bell over the door rang, her heart lodged in her throat, hoping it was Constantine. She hadn’t seen him since she left the church and a sense of foreboding had come to rest over her. It wasn’t him. Instead it was Sebastian.
“What the hell do you want?”
“I am looking for something and I think you can help me find it.” He didn’t look at her as he spoke, instead inspecting a Cortez era helmet.
“A one-way ticket to hell?” She folded her arms across her chest in defense.
“I am looking for a book. Legend has it that it has made its way to New Orleans in a very unusual manner, almost as if it were sent here by magic.” He turned to her now to smile, sending a chill all the way down her back.
“A story about Constantine the Great, ruler of Rome. All that you know about him from history is false. Pretty words penned by those who wished to gain the favor of his sons. The real Constantine did not die with a Christian conversion and the real Constantine did not see a vision of the cross at Melvian Bridge.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
“Everything, my dear. You see, our great historic Constantine did not see a cross with the word Christ on it. No, he saw a sign filled with magic, one he invoked to become immortal. In doing so it also made his dearest friend immortal, the friend who would become his worst enemy. Are you following me?”
“Go on,” she said, studying his eyes as he spoke.
“As I was saying, Constantine shared his magic with his friend and partner in the Edict of Milan. They were to forge a united empire together, the two of them. Instead Constantine took all the power for himself. In the end both were equally cursed. Would you like to hear the rest of it?”
She reached beneath the counter and took the gun she kept there. “Leave.”
He laughed. “I hope you have enough bullets tonight. Aren’t you even a little curious as to how a priest could have gotten his hands upon one of the most truly magical texts of all time?”
“I’ll shoot you if you don’t leave.” Her hand shook as her finger slid over the safety.
“I’d like to see you try.”
Before she knew what had happened he had crossed the counter and had the gun in his hand, moving with superhuman speed. The force of the blow knocked the breath from her chest as she struggled to recover the gun and ended up falling to the floor along with it. She’d be damned if she let this man get the best of her.
Sticking out her leg, she attempted to trip him as he bent over to reach for the gun. Her foot came into contact with his ankle, causing him to stumble before righting himself.
“Silly girl. You cannot win. I have the power to destroy you.”
“No you don’t. If you harm me. Constantine will kill you.”
“True enough. And dear Constantine still has the scroll. And I need you to once again pull him from his hiding place. He fancies you, for whatever reason, and you will help me draw him out and finish this once and for all.”
“What do you get? What is your purpose?”
“I get to rule the world.” He stood. “Stand up. Like it or not you are coming with me.”
He wrapped his hand around her arm and pulled her to her feet. She stumbled against him before finding her feet. “Let go of her.” The door swung open and Trinity entered.
“What the hell? What are you doing here?” Helen had figured she’d be halfway to somewhere other than here by now.
“I couldn’t leave,” she shrugged. “Not without doing this.” Using her preternatural strength and speed, Trinity crossed the room. Sebastian tossed Helen aside as he braced himself for Trinity’s attack.
Seeing an opening while the two struggled, Helen reached for the gun. She knew it was risky. If she missed she might hit her friend. There had to be another way.
Sebastian’s hand closed around Trinity’s throat but she managed to reach up and rake her nails against his eyes. The action was enough for him to release her and take two steps back.
“Catch.” Helen tossed the gun to Trinity.
Trinity’s fingers wrapped around the trigger. She fired three shots into the vampire’s chest. He stumbled backward, falling against one of the displays of old jewelry near the counter.
“Take that you son of a bitch.” Trinity smiled down at him as blood began to stain the front of his shirt.
“You think you can kill me with bullets? I am stronger than you know.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the stone Helen had been guarding all those years.
Helen gasped.
“I can’t die now. No one can stop me.”
“I can stop you.”
They all turned toward the door as a blur of a man entered the room. He moved with speed unlike anything Helen had ever seen before. She couldn’t even focus on him as he pulled Sebastian to his feet and knocked the stone from his hand. Helen dove after the stone, rescuing it from slipping beneath the counter. When she turned back around, Sebastian hung limply from the man’s hands.
The man turned to her, his mouth covered with blood, his fangs bared. This was the end for her. She gripped the stone, hoping it would offer some sort of protection.
The man tossed Sebastian aside and wiped the blood from his mouth using the sleeve of his black trench coat. “I don’t usually invite myself in like this. I hear you are having some vampire trouble.”
Without the blood on his mouth he almost looked civilized. His hair was cut short and his clothing had been a pristine combination of white shirt, black pants and black coat. Now the shirt was stained with Sebastian’s blood.
“Is he dead?” Trinity interrupted, her fingers still wrapped around the trigger of the gun, which was now pointed at the stranger.
“Not dead. Sleeping. It will take some time for him to awaken. You can put the gun down, love. I am not here to harm you.”
Trinity cast a nervous glance at Helen, who wasn’t sure if the man spoke the truth or not.
“Who are you?”
“I am Vlad Tepes, formerly of Romania. Constantine of Rome sent word that I could find him here.”
Trinity lowered the gun, her hands shaking. “Vlad.” She placed the gun on the counter and wrapped her arms around herself. “So you’re here to finish the job?”
“What do you mean?” Helen was confused. Did Trinity know about Vlad?
“He’s the head vampire. He’s where we get our power, right?” Trinity cast a nervous glance at Helen, who wasn’t sure if the man spoke the truth or not. When Constantine enter
ed behind him, she knew he was on their side.
“If you believe folklore, yes,” Vlad clarified.
“And if I don’t?” Trinity bit her bottom lip.
“Then I am a friend here to help you with a nasty problem with the undead.”
“Did I miss something?” Helen hadn’t heard Constantine enter the store. She’d been too concerned with the nervous looks Trinity kept giving Vlad. There was also the business of having a dead body in her antique store. Still, when he spoke she turned and rushed toward him, burying herself in his embrace.
“I have the stone,” she managed, fighting back tears. For some reason she was overcome with relief that he had returned to her.
“And I see you have met my friend.” He nodded toward Vlad.
“I came to relieve you of the items you spoke of earlier,” Vlad spoke, his voice laced with the kind of accent Helen was accustomed to hearing in vampire movies.
“In the nick of time I see.”
“I came in on the earliest flight.”
“How was the food?” Constantine smiled.
“Bloody awful.”
Epilogue
“I’m proud of you. You were wonderful tonight.” Constantine held her in his arms later that night.
They stood in her apartment, intent on loving one another before they were forced again to deal with the brewing war. Sebastian might be dead but he was not working alone. The others would come for the items that now sat not-so-securely in a fireproof safe in her living room. As soon as the sun set tomorrow Vlad would take the items with him, guarding them from the dangers that lurked.
Trinity still looked at him with a combination of awe and dread but she had agreed to go with him to Romania both to protect herself and to keep an eye on him. She still wasn’t sure if she trusted him or not and had said as much to Helen.
Helen had assured her that they could trust Constantine and his friend but she felt a hint of concern as well. So much was at stake. Now all she wanted was to forget about the dangers around them and hold the man she loved.
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