by Joe Fowler
We nodded in understanding and moved on to the next group. This group had six fighters, all were busy sparring. Trog and I stopped by one of the mats to see if they would be more receptive.
“Move along. We’re not wanting to talk.” One of them told us. I could see that arguing would be useless.
We moved to Loki’s group then. He was like he was the first time I saw him. He was standing by a mat, watching the others of his group spar.
“Outwardly, I am going to act like I don’t want you guys here. You’ll have to pardon my facial expressions.” Loki said as we approached. He sneered. I smiled inwardly.
“Is it really that bad for everyone? We can’t get anybody to even talk to us.” I said. Loki opened his mind some. He showed the repeated attempts by different vampires. They were asking for spying and killing me, depending on which group they were from.
“Every member of our group has been approached.” He informed us.
“I am a little surprised to see you at all, Loki. I thought you would have had your tenth by now. We’ve fought since we left you. I thought you guys would have too.” I said, hoping for some insight.
“Our old one hates the fights. He keeps us around and enters the fights some but not as often as the other old ones.” Loki’s mind was telling us as much as his mouth. We were shown his old one and some images of what they had seen from the vampires his old one talked with sometimes.
“Well, we don’t want to draw more unwanted attention to you. We’ll move on. Good luck tonight. We will be rooting for you, unless you’re up against Ghost. That would be bad either way.” I told him. His mind was clearly grateful for keeping this short. He liked and wanted to talk to us but knew the consequences would be bad.
“Good luck to you as well.” Loki said.
We walked away knowing we needed to continue our round of visits. This was getting ridiculous. How could the groups or the council believe it was okay to be this blatant? I always thought spying and backstabbing should be at least somewhat hidden.
That thought stopped me in my tracks. The group that wants the fights to end completely. The mess and confusion stirred up by all of this would be a black mark against the fights. This could be their main goal.
I let Trog in on what I was thinking. He saw me stop and was questioning me. I sent him that thought and he was toying with it as we approached the next group.
“Keep moving. We’ve had enough of talking about you, we damn sure don’t want to talk to you.” This fighter was clear. We kept moving.
We got the same reaction from the rest of the groups as well. With one exception. We found someone who found the humor in our situation.
“So, you are Titan.” He said, smiling broadly.
“Yes. We were trying to go around and talk to everyone but nobody will take the time.” I explained. “They are being harassed by different groups that want to kill me.”
“Not all of them want you dead. One of the ones I talked to asked if I would point out who was asking to try and kill you. They want you to attack the council. He said they were trying to protect you long enough for you to be powerful enough to end these fights once and for all.” He laughed. I could see the laughter in his mind. He thought this was hilarious. It was the first real fun he had since being turned. His name was Whistler. He could subdue his opponents by whistling.
“You seem to be loving it.” Trog stated.
“Yep! I’ve been bored since I was turned. This is easily the most interesting fights I have been a part of so far. I hope it keeps going like this.” Whistler was likeable. He had a truly interesting view of the world. He thought life’s main goal should be laughter. I would have liked to spend more time talking to him but knew we needed to move on.
Once our round had been completed, we headed for our mats.
“How was it?” Ghost asked.
“This isn’t spying anymore. The groups are acting more like lobbyists. They are approaching everyone and causing way too much of a stir. I am starting to think that is their goal. They want to disrupt everything.” I said.
“The group that wants to end the fights. I had thought of that. This is a great move by them. I kind of expected it. I’m just not sure it is them that’s doing it.” Ghost never disappoints.
“Is there anything you haven’t considered?” Trog asked, incredulously. He was as amazed as everyone else with Ghost’s intellect.
“I never looked into the JFK assassination. I figure there should be some mystery in life.” Ghost said, smiling.
Our group continued to spar. Beth and I took our place by the wall to watch. No matter where I looked in the training room, there were eyes staring back at me.
I stayed in my spot against the wall for three years or so. When I started to get too sleepy, I took Beth and returned to our rooms.
“Would it be too bad if I stayed in your room while you slept?” Beth asked. I looked in her mind and saw the panic. She was so nervous. All the tension in the training room had really gotten to her.
“I guess that would be alright.” I told her.
I didn’t want a repeat of the Rabbit incident. As long as she was in my room, she would be protected.
I felt a little weird as I lay down. It isn’t normal for me to fall asleep intentionally with someone else in the room. It took at least a week to get to sleep.
I woke to screaming. Once my eyes opened, I joined in the screaming. Snakes covered everything, including me. They were slithering everywhere. It took my mind three days to realize it was one of Beth’s illusions. I cut her gift off.
There was a vampire standing in the doorway. He was frightened out of his mind. I looked over at Beth. She was staring at me funny.
“What is going on?” I asked. When I spoke, the vampire in the doorway tried to run.
“Stop him!” Beth yelled.
I darted out and caught him before he reached the end of our hallway. I dragged him back to find out what had happened. This vampire’s gift was strength, so I didn’t have anything to worry about from him.
“What happened?” I asked when I made it back to my door. Beth had walked out to meet me. I had my hand on the unknown vampire so he wouldn’t run.
“He was trying to kill you. He opened your door and was walking to your bed. I stopped him before he could do anything.” Beth’s little voice never sounded so wonderful.
“Thank you, Beth. You saved me!”
“Anytime.” She smiled. I couldn’t help but smile back.
“I will need to take him to Arria now. You may want to go to your own room. There could be more of them that would try this.” I told her. “I will knock on your door when I get back.”
“Okay.”
I made the trip to Arria’s quarters with Dumbo. This vampire had been mockingly named by his old one. He had big ears. Really big ears.
I knocked on Arria’s door. It opened almost instantly. Arria looked from me to Dumbo and motioned for me to come in.
“Beth, caught an assassin. I was sleeping. His screams woke me. She was in my room as I slept. It’s a good thing she was.” I related the story as matter of fact. When I looked up at Arria, she was a strange shade of color.
Vampires stay pale. Arria’s face was trying for red. At first I thought she was furious at the attempted assassination. Then a little of her mind broke through. She was mad that Beth was in my room as I slept. Wow. Arria was jealous.
It took several days for Arria to calm down. I stood there with Dumbo while she brought herself under control.
“Who do you work for?” Arria asked him. There was the usual echo. I heard it in his mind as he said the words.
“Lorac. He is the old one who wants Titan dead.”
Even hearing it twice, I wondered if I heard the name wrong.
“Who did you speak to, exactly?” Arria asked.
“A vampire named Frederick. He approached me when I was leaving my last fights. He told me about Titan and said I would be rich if I could
kill him.”
“When was this?” Arria’s relief was apparent. We already knew Frederick to be a spy. It was easy to see that Frederick was setting Lorac up to take the blame.
“Two days ago.” Dumbo didn’t look familiar. Two days ago, Frederick was at the same venue we were.
“What does Frederick look like?” I asked. He hadn’t pictured him the first time around.
“Tall, well built. Blonde hair.” Dumbo replied.
I looked at Arria and shrugged my shoulders. I had no clue what was happening. Dumbo wasn’t describing the Frederick we knew.
“This is pointless. He was lied to about everything. They are using a known spy’s name to incriminate Lorac.”
“What?” Dumbo asked.
“Frederick is a wiry little bastard with a messed up beard.” Arria explained to Dumbo.
“Then there isn’t a reward for killing Titan?” Dumbass, I mean Dumbo, asked.
“I am sure they would be more than willing to pay the money to kill me but you most likely would have died to cover their tracks.” I told him.
“Who is your old one?” Arria asked, as she grabbed her phone.
“Pyro.”
Arria called Pyro and had him send someone around to pick up Dumbo. Pyro’s men assured her that Dumbo would be dealt with properly.
Once they left, Arria motioned for me to sit.
“How many know of the scheduled fights before they announce them in the arena?” I asked. This was the first good opportunity to ask.
“Only the old ones. Why?”
“I hadn’t been able to tell you yet. A fighter from another group warned our group before the last fight that I would fall the same way Ares did. I wasn’t there when that was said. It happened when I first met Lorac. While I was in your suite, our fighters were being told that.”
“So, that makes at least one of the fourteen old ones from that fight, a suspect. Anything else new that I haven’t heard?” Arria asked.
“What is going on now isn’t spying. Every fighter from every group has been approached by all the different groups. They are trying for killing me, spying on you, and even a few who were asking to help keep me alive. The bottom line, I think all these requests are being made by the same group.”
“Explain that.” Arria looked at me funny.
“The group that want the fights stopped completely. It looks like they are trying to make a mockery of everything that is going on. It is such a fiasco right now that this will be a black mark on the fights. They will keep creating this mess as long as I am around to stir up talk. They are using me.” I sighed and sank into my chair.
Arria paced for a week before she sat in her chair. I waited the few months for her to gather her thoughts enough to speak.
“This both helps and hurts.” Arria sounded worried. “The council will be called to order. I will have to defend your right to live. It could easily be the council that is causing the ruckus. They want the excuse to call a meeting so they can order your death. We will be out voted six to three and you will die.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. She knew the council. She would know what votes she would have and which ones would go against.
“I take it they can’t be convinced I won’t go postal and try to kill them. Is the fear that intense? I haven’t done anything to warrant a death sentence.” I knew my words were a little childish. I couldn’t help it though. I was being condemned for something I didn’t cause and couldn’t control.
“As an old one, there isn’t much for us to fear. You could become too powerful. They won’t accept that their fate could be decided by someone else.”
“Maybe we should tell them that my mind is unraveling and I won’t be around long enough to kill them.” I hung my head feeling sorry for myself.
If I had known the effect my words would have on Arria, I would have kept my stupid mouth shut. When I looked up, she was crying.
Chapter 14
I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to comfort Arria but was scared to go to her. I didn’t dare use my emotional control on her. Finally, I couldn’t sit there any longer.
“I shouldn’t have said that.” I said as I knelt in front of her. I hesitantly took her hands in mine. I knew I loved this woman. It hurt me to see her cry even though her tears were proof that she cared for me as well.
“I am four thousand years old. I don’t love easily. The two times I allowed myself to love I was burned. You seemed to be what I have been waiting for. Four thousand years. I find what I want and you’re dying.” Arria took her hands from mine. She wiped her tears and smiled. “At least I learned I can still feel.”
I watched from my knees as Arria stood and walked away. She hesitated in the middle of the room as if she were deciding something. After two years, her decision was made. She turned to me with a determined look.
“We will fight them and find some way to try and help you. I am not the one they should be messing with. I thought they would have learned that by now. You need to return to your room. What is going to happen over the next few days will be my doing. I will not sit by and watch any longer. Go, Titan. You need to feed and rest.” Arria’s voice carried her undeniable strength and resolve. I headed for the door. As I turned the knob, Arria spoke again. “Do not allow Beth to stay in your room while you are sleeping again. I know she is needy, but you are mine now. I will be the one who protects you.”
“Yes, Arria.” I said. My heart was soaring as I walked the corridors. The dull green paint seemed more cheerful at the moment. I headed for the donor room.
My donor was an overweight college age female. Her memories made me smile. She was a cheerful, fun loving free spirit. As I drank from her, her situation sank in. I stopped before I took too much blood. I was still hungry but I didn’t want to kill her.
“What’s wrong?” The girl asked. “Does my blood taste okay?”
“I don’t like the taste of anyone’s blood. Your memories were nice. I like the personality I saw. I stopped because I don’t want to kill you. If I drink more, you will die.”
“Then drink. I am going to die anyway. I’ve been sitting here watching them carry out the dead bodies of the used up donors. I know I will die here too. At least I know someone with a good heart will benefit.” She told me. “Besides, you’re really hot.”
I smiled. I knew that was her intent. I drank until she died.
The walk to my room was slow going. I didn’t want to hurry. I figured the group would be there and I would have to tell them what happened. Even as slow as I moved, my room eventually came into view.
I remembered my promise to Beth. I knocked on her door. She answered quickly, it only took a couple of days. I listened out with my ears and mind but didn’t hear the others. I guessed they were still in the training room. I looked to Beth and smiled. She smiled back and walked with me to my room.
“Leave it open.” I said. Beth had moved to shut the door behind her. “Arria will not want us to be in the same room with the door shut anymore. I think she is going to be possessive.”
“So you two are going to be together now?” Beth smiled a sweet smile.
“It looks like it. The question is, how long.” I couldn’t hide my sadness. I loved Arria. With all this potential for a perfect endless existence, I have to suffer from an incurable malfunction in my brain.
“You don’t want the others to know you can turn off their gifts do you.” She said this as a statement.
“No, Beth. Please don’t tell them. Right now, only you, me, and Loki know. He is the vampire I got the gift from. Secrets are really hard to keep around here. This one is important.” I knew that Loki’s gift was the second most powerful gift out there. Now, I had both.
“I won’t tell. Just so you know, I will be loyal to Arria because you love her. My first loyalty is to you. Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not in love or anything whiny like that. I see more than most. I would say I see more than anyone but I’ve met Ghost. Anyway, yo
u still care. You didn’t turn into a self-serving monster like everyone else who became a vampire. That is why I will follow you.” Beth had her head down during her speech. Her voice was even more quiet than usual. I sensed she was afraid I would turn her away.
“Thank you, Beth. I don’t want you to say that you will follow me though. You will always be welcome by my side.” I told her. Her eyes started to tear up but she reigned in her emotions. I smiled. “However, Arria won’t put up with you being in here when I sleep again. I don’t know about you but I would hate to see her cranky.”
I got the desired effect. Beth smiled and relaxed. We didn’t talk much after that. We sat for two months waiting on the rest of our group. For once I wasn’t sleepy.
When the knock on my open door came, it wasn’t our group. To anyone but me, there was no one there. I knew what the knock meant. I could see the gift of invisibility. Gray was here to protect me.
Beth looked around, she even went into the hall to look there too. When she came back into the room, I opened my mouth to tell her, but saw understanding dawn on her face and in her mind.
It was sometime later, your guess is as good as mine, when our group returned. They filed into my room after retrieving their chairs out of their own rooms. None had spoken until they were all seated.
“Get any sleep?” Trog asked.
“Not much. Beth saved my life. Someone came in to kill me but Beth was here. She scared loud enough screams out of him to wake the undead.” I informed them.
“Damn. Maybe we should post a guard from now on.” Penny suggested.
“Tell them no. You will always have a guard. They are not necessary.” Gray told me.
“Thanks, but no. I don’t think I will be attacked anytime soon.” I said. Beth looked at me questioningly. I gave a slight shake of my head. She smiled and looked away.
Beth’s hiding of her thoughts was an impressive thing. She would have innocent thoughts that you could see when she was thinking of other more important things that you couldn’t see. In a way, she was more impressive than Ghost on that point. He wasn’t so much hiding his thoughts at all. He just thought so damn fast you couldn’t keep up.