by Justin Sloan
“That makes sense,” Rivera said. “I’ve been out there before. There are large warehouses they could use, and a lot of it was abandoned after some waste issue, I think.”
“Sure, of course we’re going to go confront a bunch of werewolves and expose ourselves to hazardous materials,” Daniel said with a scoff. “Another wonderful Saturday night. Oh, wait… Not.”
“Really?” Rivera gave him a disapproving look. “You don’t automatically get the Godfather reference, but you’re all about the ‘90s not usage?”
“I’m bringing it back.”
She pursed her lips, raised an eyebrow, and said, “Not.”
“See?”
“Okay, okay. It’s go time.” Katherine nodded to a couple of nearby SUVs pulling out. “Rivera, do we have a way to follow them?”
“Sure.” She pulled out her phone and tapped a button, then smiled. “Car should be here any minute.”
“No way. You guys have a chauffeur or something?”
“Yeah, of course we do,” Rivera smirked. “It’s called an Uber.”
Katherine frowned, actually not familiar with that term, but she got the feeling there was a joke there. While they waited, they reconvened with Troy and Davies, who had been on lookout. After briefing them, they agreed that she, Rivera, Triston, and Daniel would go for now—more passengers would mean two cars, which might appear suspicious. Troy and Davies would wait behind, and follow later.
Now, it was just a waiting game. She hoped Mauro’s mission was going smoothly, so that he and Matthew could hurry back and be part of this.
Chapter 16
Matthew found himself seated at a long table, wearing the same suit he had first arrived in. His head was foggy, still affected by the magic of having used the stones. It was like he wasn’t quite himself, like he was watching from the outside.
He had no idea how he’d gotten here. One moment he had been sending the signal in hopes of being rescued, the next he was here at the table.
Across from him sat five others, each staring at him, assessing his worth. At the far end of the table sat Grundy, Rosita at his side. Each wore their finest.
“You’ve betrayed us,” Rosita said. “The temple must always stay hidden.”
He tried to stand, only to find his body unable to move. “What do you want with me?”
“There may be only six,” Grundy said, motioning to the table, the six chairs, and six vampires if Matthew was included. “The man who used to occupy my seat broke free, but none before nor after him have managed to do the same. You do not wish to be one of us, but your mind is clouded. Drink, so that you may see clearly.”
He gestured to a glass of what looked like thick wine, but Matthew knew to be blood.
“Never,” Matthew said.
Grundy stood, pausing to trace the gold patterns carved into his chair, images of old knights, a vampire king at their head. With a claw extended, he scratched a quick line across the king’s face, pulling back to wipe the line of gold off on his maroon robes.
“We have a duty here, Matthew,” he said as he walked around the table, assessing his other three generals as he did. “The people of the world are blinded, but we can clear their eyes, open them to the path they were meant for. No more blind obligation to freedom, not when they can be part of our greatness. An army awaits us, my old friend, an army that can begin the revolution long past due.”
“If I remember correctly, you came here for your own selfish reasons, just as I did.”
“And you’ve had your revenge,” Grundy said, voice rising. “Is it not fair that I too receive justice?”
“You mean vengeance.”
Grundy smiled. “They are often one and the same.”
“Only when you walk in darkness.”
“And you’re so pure now?” Grundy paused behind him, hands on his shoulders. “Your father killed your mother, I remember the story. So you came here searching out a way to hunt them all down. Well, he is dead, but… are the stories I hear true? You sided with a couple of werewolves?” His laugh echoed through the dining room, and the others smiled.
“Only so that we could hunt down the rest,” Matthew said, ignoring the laugh. “Not all of them are evil, unlike you.”
“I like the idea, but think it can be improved upon,” Grundy said. “You see, we thought we would create our own followers, and we have.” He gestured to the edges of the room, where Grundy could now see men and women stepping out from the shadows, their eyes glowing red.
Several of them transformed into werewolves as they walked. When they stopped in a circle around the table, Matthew could tell the vampires weren’t completely at ease with them here, especially a young woman who he didn’t recognize, sitting at Rosita’s side.
But when he glanced around, he noticed something about these werewolves—the purple light in their eyes along with the red, swirling mist trailing behind them.
They were all under his power, under his control.
“How many have you gotten to?” he asked.
“Enough to make a difference, and more to come.” Grundy took Matthew’s glass and held it high. “A toast, to bringing humanity to its knees.”
The others followed suit, and Rosita added, “May they suffer long and provide us blood for years to come.”
Everyone sipped, then Grundy held the cup to Matthew’s mouth. “You’ve used the stones; I see you teetering at the edge of the precipice. Now all you have to do is take one tiny step, and unlimited power will be yours.”
The young woman beside Rosita suddenly bit her lip, her nails digging into the table.
“Erika?” Grundy asked.
Rosita was looking at the younger woman with disdain, but suddenly her eyes went white and she snarled. “They’re close.”
Erika returned to normal, wiping a trickle of blood from her lip. “Yes, I sense them, and there’s one among them with unnatural powers.”
Grundy glared at Matthew and held the cup to his lips. “DRINK!”
Matthew clenched his jaw, returning the glare with pure defiance.
“Agh!” Grundy threw the cup in Matthew’s face and spun, kicking out the chair so that Matthew landed hard, whacking his head. He lay there in pain as blood seeped into his eyes and down his cheeks, and he was powerless to stop it. The vampire within craved it, yearned for him to simply stick out his tongue and catch a drop of the blood, to taste it.
But he resisted, and when the ringing stopped, he realized a couple of the werewolves were dragging him off.
“Throw him in the cells and ensure he’s well-guarded, and I mean by the best!” Grundy commanded, and was already at the door with his vampires in tow. “Werewolves, take your positions.”
Then he stormed out with a snarl, the others in tow.
Whoever had come for Matthew had better have brought a damn army. They were going to need it.
Chapter 17
Mauro trudged through deep snow, the never-ending siege of the blizzard pounding at them, telling them to turn back. It teased them in its attempt to make them lose their way, but they did not.
Even now that the light had faded, Mauro saw it clearly. The green and yellow glow was strong, as if imprinted on his eyes, and he pushed on even when the other two called out to him telling him it was time to rest.
“He’s there!” Mauro shouted, pointing to what seemed a wall of white.
Destiny’s jaw was shaking and Ricky had frost in his stubble. Both of them had a look of defiance and doubt in their eyes, but, after a moment, Destiny nodded and pushed on, so that Ricky had to do a double step to catch up.
“Because you saw him?” Destiny shouted over the storm’s howling wind. “Some sort of magical connection?”
He glanced over, knowing where she was going with this. “I’ve already considered the possibility. If it were a trap, would that make me any less willing to try to save him?”
“And what if he’s already gone over?” she asked. “If he’s already succu
mbed to the shadows?”
Mauro shook his head. “He’s had his share of faults, no one can deny that. But he devoted his life to stopping evil.”
Ricky guffawed. “So he’s a fanatic. A first class candidate for losing his sanity or believing in something so strongly that it tears him apart.”
“All the more reason for us to push on.”
They didn’t argue with that, but he could feel the exhaustion on them like an aura that spoke to him, calling for rest. If they arrived in this condition and were confronted with a fight, chances are they wouldn’t come out on top.
So when they came across a point where the snow dipped and large rocks provided shelter, he led them down into it and was the first to break out the heat pads. He broke two and inserted them into the heat-support liner of his jacket, then found his water and some jerky.
Destiny’s jaw was too busy chattering for her to speak, so she curled up into a ball, glancing out at the two.
“Remind me why this vampire is so important to us?” Ricky finally said, breaking the relative silence.
“Half-vampire,” Mauro corrected him. “And that being the case, the only vampire we’ll ever have a chance of having on our team.”
“But you let them catch him.”
“It was a mistake I won’t make again.” Mauro took another swig of water, then wiped his mouth with the back of his glove. He shuddered at the cold. “It was a trap, I’m sure of it. Matthew thought he could go there and find out more about this vampire named Grundy, see what he was up to. And never made it back.”
“Okay, so him not being fully evil aside, what’s his value?”
“What’s your value?” Destiny managed to get out.
Ricky frowned as if that was obvious. “Hello, look at me.”
“Okay, you’re hot as hell, but—”
“I could take anyone in hand-to-hand combat,” he said, ignoring her snarky comment. “You do realize I’m like twice the size of everyone?”
“Your ego certainly is,” she said. “Everyone put together, that is.”
“Hilarious.” He turned back to Mauro, waiting.
“His value?” Mauro shook his head. “Aside from the fact that we all have value in God’s eyes, and I would never leave a single one of you behind—”
“Yeah, yeah, aside from all that.”
“Aside from that… He’s smart, quick against werewolves, which, this vampire issue notwithstanding, seems to be our biggest concern at the moment. And he can track them too, werewolves I mean.”
“We can find people,” Destiny said. “That’s nothing unique.”
“No, not like this. He senses them, I believe. I’m not totally familiar with his skills, but trust me when I say the abilities of the Guardians are nothing compared to his.”
Destiny shrugged. “Works for me.”
Ricky grunted, then added, “I mean, I agree about the no one left behind thing, just… curious.”
Mauro gave him a raised eyebrow, then finished off his jerky. When he was done chewing, he realized he had feeling in his legs and arms again. That was a plus.
“Destiny…” He looked at her, wondering. “Is that something to do with the Guardians? A nickname, or some sort of legend they have about you?”
Ricky laughed as Destiny rolled her eyes.
“Here we go again,” she said. “I have to explain this at least once a month, it seems. No, my mom’s name was Trinity, yeah, like in the movie. But that was her real name, and no, she wasn’t connected with God or whatever. Pure atheist, through and through. But she believed in the power of positive thought, so figured naming me Destiny would give me a better lot in life than she’d been dealt.”
“And…?”
“Is my life better than hers? Hell yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s because of the name. She had no goals, no…” She trailed off, frowning.
“Higher calling?” Ricky smirked. “You were going to say it, weren’t you? Like… destiny?”
“Shut up, you.”
Mauro was glad he could somewhat laugh at a time like this, though what escaped his lips was more like a grunt than anything resembling a laugh.
“What’s your story then?” she asked, glaring at Mauro. “I know Ricky here is some rich boy from Cleveland or something, I’ve heard it a billion times. I tell you what, though,” she said to Ricky, “if my parents were that rich, I’d be sipping vodka from the oceanfront on Maui, you can be sure of it.” She turned back to Mauro. “So?”
Mauro frowned, eyes moving between the two, but when he saw Ricky wasn’t going to respond to that, he said, “Just a man trying to make a difference.”
“Oh come on,” she said, making a sign toward her neck, where he normally wore his priest collar. “You gotta give us more than that.”
“I’ll tell you that I truly believe in our calling, and I truly believe Katherine is going to make the difference.”
“Okay, I was impressed with her, but clearly not as much as you were. But her abilities aside, what’s your history?” She saw him glancing back out to the snow. “Nu-uh, we’re not moving until you tell us your story.”
“You’ll have to suffice for the summarized version.” He stood and hefted on his pack. “Merriam found me when I was at a low. Though I’d been a priest, my life had taken a turn for the worse and I did things beyond my control… horrible things. Merriam convinced me I could start again, so I embraced my calling and set about with one goal in mind—to uncover the secrets of our world, both light and dark, and ensure I was on the side that fought for evil to be purged from our world.”
“Glad to see that’s working out for you,” Destiny said with a smirk.
“We’re about to make it,” he said, and headed back for the snow.
He had almost forgotten how the wind shot right through his clothes, chilling him to the bones. When the flurries surrounded him and made him shield his eyes, he pushed on anyway. They had waited long enough. It was time to find Matthew and, he hoped, rescue him.
At one point the ground gave out and he slipped, but Ricky caught him and it was like being supported by a machine. The man was definitely all muscle, and at that moment, Mauro was thankful for him.
Destiny set a strong pace, sliding down the hill on her heels, and then leading the climb up the next one. On and on they went, each doing their best to stay strong in the blizzard, the other two glancing at him to be sure he knew the way.
But there was no doubt in his mind now, because he saw the temple through the snow.
He reached a shaking, gloved hand, and pointed.
The other two looked up and their eyes went wide. All of their strides quickened now, for they saw the goal within sight. They had made it.
Only, they hadn’t… because the temple was still just as far away as it had been moments before. The three looked at each other, confused, and then Ricky took a step forward, determined.
Mauro held a hand out to his chest and said, “Wait.”
Ricky glared at him, wanting to charge forward like a bull, but Destiny was nodding.
“Yeah, it’s like a rainbow,” she said. “Like an evil, vampire occupied rainbow that moves away when you get close.”
“Precisely,” Mauro said in agreement.
“So how the hell do we get in there?” Ricky demanded. “We made it this far!”
The wind blew strong and Mauro had to close his eyes. He held up a hand to block the wind, and then he realized something.
“I saw it in the dream, that’s how I connected with him.” He closed his eyes and added, “Do it. Focus, as if you were dreaming.”
“As if I were…?” Ricky said, but his voice disappeared along with the howling wind.
Mauro opened his eyes to see he was at the base of the temple. White walls rose up ahead of him with black, arched tiles hanging out along the top. He searched for any sign of a door, then turned back just as Destiny appeared beside him.
“Whoa,” she said, staring back in shock. Ri
cky was still out in the storm, waving his arms and yelling something, but they couldn’t hear him.
“How long until he gets it?” Mauro asked.
“Usually, I’d say forever. But…” She smiled as Ricky stopped moving around, his head bowed. “The guy could fall asleep in the middle of a thunderstorm even if he was in the clouds.”
“Hey,” Ricky said as he appeared next to them, blinking in confusion but smiling. “You say that like it’s a negative thing.”
“That wasn’t so hard,” Destiny said, hands on the wall as if she would discover a secret entrance.
“So, just to be clear,” Ricky said, watching the pair look for an entrance, “once we get in there, we have no idea how many of these dark magic-wielding vampires we might be up against?”
“To make it worse, we didn’t bring any stakes,” Destiny said, stepping back beside him and frowning at the wall as if it’d eaten her breakfast. “No garlic, no crosses, nothing.”
“It wouldn’t matter,” Mauro said, starting to walk along the wall. They followed. “These are real vampires, not those things you see in movies. At least, from what I’ve read in my studies on the matter, these vampires have very little in the form of weaknesses.”
They came upon stairs that took them up along the temple wall, but didn’t seem to be much use aside from helping them move around the temple without having to climb rocks. Mauro looked back at the storm, marveling at how it raged not five feet from their faces, but here they couldn’t feel or hear it.
“And those weaknesses would be…?” Destiny asked.
“Ah, right. Fire. You burn one, that’ll do it. It’s why burning witches at the stake was so popular in its day. Witches, vampires, same idea here. And of course that’s connected to sunlight. UV rays in general I guess could work, but garlic and all that? Not likely.”
“Some legends say silver hurts vampires just like…” Ricky pursed his lips, casting a sideways glance at Mauro. “Just like werewolves.”
Mauro bit his lip at a memory of silver, the last time he had tried to end his life instead of live with what he thought was a curse. He had found a hunting knife online for only ten dollars, one with a silver plated serrated edge. He’d felt the sting of silver, but couldn’t finish the act, instead lying there on his kitchen floor, a complete mess.