by Joe Fowler
“With the way you look, you probably hear those kind of thoughts on a regular basis.” Jade said, smiling.
“Thank you for the compliment. Yes, I do see that but I try to block it out.” I heard the approach of two vampires. I held up my hand to let Jade know not to speak.
“Titan, I have Torch with me. Make sure she doesn’t act against him.” Arria’s thoughts filled my mind.
“Sit. Don’t attack, no matter what. Torch will be dealt with.” I instructed quietly. She nodded as we heard the doorknob turn.
Arria followed Torch into the room. Torch’s face turned furious when he saw that Jade was still alive. I could sense his gift of fire being brought up with his anger. I turned his gift off.
“Why hasn’t she been put down? Lorac told you to kill her!” Torch turned his anger on me. I smiled with more than a little contempt being shown.
“Lorac told me much more than what you could hear. We know why she wanted to kill you. Personally, I would have went back to the arena and killed you myself if I had known Lorac and Arria would’ve been okay with it.” I stated in as challenging a manner as I could.
I saw him try to use his gift of fire. I smiled mockingly at him as he realized what was happening. Arria walked between us to stop what was going to happen next.
“Titan, Lorac and I should be the ones to deal with Torch. Do make sure his gift remains inactive, though.” Arria smiled at me. “That gift really does come in handy.”
“How? I’ve never heard of that as a gift!” Torch was fuming.
“The ones with the gift to identify the talents of others can do this. We all know to keep that part of the gift a secret.” I explained. I thought of Loki. He now worked for Arria. He was the one I got this gift from.
Torch’s anger was turning to fear. As the realization of his situation sank in, he finally began to see where this would end. His eyes began to dart around the room as he searched for a way out. When he saw Jade, the anger returned.
“This is all your fault!” He yelled.
Torch made a move to attack Jade but Arria’s had him by the throat before he took a full step. She remained calm, although I could see how hard that was for her to do. She was using all her self-control to keep from ripping Torch’s head off right then.
“You raped her. You are the cause of this. You are the only one to blame.” Arria’s voice reflected the anger she was feeling.
Torch knew not to try and fight Arria. He slowly raised his hands in surrender. As Arria let go of his throat, he took a step back in defeat. I watched as his eyes darkened with the knowledge that he would die tonight.
“What happens now?” Jade asked.
“We wait for Lorac. It is always recommended that at least two members of the council be present when an old one is executed. Besides, Lorac will want to question Torch.” Arria explained.
“I won’t talk and I will not let him into my mind. It will do you no good to wait. Kill me now and get it over with.” Torch tried to sound brave.
“Is there anything you can do to open his mind?” Arria asked silently.
I went through my collection of gifts. The only one that seemed like it would be useful was the mind control. Unfortunately, the mind control was very limited. The only things you could make a vampire do were stand completely still and put them to sleep. That gave me a different idea but I didn’t know if it would work. While I had seen some of Arria’s dreams while she slept, I wasn’t sure if Lorac or I could search through his mind if he was sleeping. I would ask Lorac when he arrived.
“Maybe. I will have to talk to Lorac first.” I said, out loud. It was easy for two mind readers to talk without others knowing. Arria knew how to make her words heard even when the rest of her mind was closed off to mind readers, but she couldn’t hear my replies unless I spoke them out loud.
Arria answered with a smile. She looked around the room knowing Torch wouldn’t try anything else with both of us here to stop him. She gave a closer look to the desk to see how sturdy it was before she sat on the edge of it.
“This might be a long wait. There were seven teams here along with two other old ones who didn’t bring a team of their own. They all know Lorac’s after parties are the best. He has the best sense of humor among vampires. They will want to enjoy themselves before they call it a night.” Arria mused.
“Speaking of teams, how did Fog do tonight? Is he free?” I asked. Pete, now known as Fog, had his first fight the night I won my freedom. Arria had been entering fewer matches than normal since she was more preoccupied with spending time with me.
“He won. It was a good fight. He is going to work for Dorian. He knew a vampire that already worked for Dorian and is going to join him. It’s kind of like you and Venus.” Arria smiled. I think I knew why.
“I still can’t call her Venus. She is Cindy. I had the same problem with Justin for the longest time. Apollo just didn’t fit until he won his freedom. Since then, Apollo seemed appropriate.” I knew it was more that I wanted Cindy to just be Cindy. She was the only link remaining from my pre-vampire days.
“Well, Venus is a more appropriate name for her than Hammer was for Ted. I still can’t believe I let you talk me into that.” Arria said, with a smile.
“His gift was avoidance. ‘Can’t touch this’ seemed like a good fit.” I laughed. Arria’s smile was reason enough for the name. I knew she would get a kick out of it.
“Wait, I don’t get it. What does ‘can’t touch this’ mean?” Jade asked.
“You’re young enough that you might not have heard of MC Hammer. That was one of his big hits.” I explained. Jade’s only response was a smile and a shake of the head. She didn’t know the song.
The talking died for a while. Arria seemed to be reliving some memory. She had the sweet reminiscent look on her face that said her mind was somewhere in her considerable past. Jade was still nervous. I was glad to see she was occupying her time with trying to protect her thoughts. Torch sat defeated on the floor. He leaned back against the wall and awaited his fate.
The thought of Cindy brought back my human days. She was one of the few good memories I had of that time. My parents were abusive and controlling. They made my childhood a living hell. I never knew what days I would be beaten by one or both of them. There didn’t have to be a reason, they saw me as a vent for their frustrations. Growing up, I thanked God repeatedly that I was an only child. I left home at the age of fifteen.
Though I could be considered intelligent, I was very limited in my options. I went from one base level job to another, always trying to find next month’s rent. Though I didn’t realize it when it happened, Arria’s visit to the diner where I worked as a dishwasher was the best thing that could have happened for me.
We were all startled out of our thoughts when the door opened quickly. Lorac stormed in, walking straight to Torch and lifting him by the throat.
“Open your mind.” Lorac demanded in a scary low voice that I had never heard from him.
“No.” Torch’s quivering voice was a weak answer.
Lorac punched Torch in the stomach while still holding Torch up against the wall. The hand holding the throat never moved making Torch’s knees rise with the force of the punch. I heard the rib bones splintering.
“I have an idea but I don’t know if it will work. I can put him to sleep. Could you search his mind then?” I asked.
Lorac looked around at me and smiled. He nodded.
I called the mind control gift up and after making eye contact, put Torch to sleep. Lorac gently lowered the now unconscious body to the floor. Lorac’s face stared at Torch as his mind sought the information he wanted to see.
I decided to do the same. I had the deeper mind reading gift that would allow me to search through Torch’s memories. I had never used that part of the mind reading before. I liked to allow people their privacy. This instance was worthy of breaking that custom.
I entered the sleeping mind of Torch and quickly found the insta
nces of rape. Unfortunately, I also saw the perverse pleasure he got from those acts. It was more about control than physical pleasure for him.
I looked in other areas of his mind and was shocked further. I saw the makeshift fight events. Torch had a second team of fighters that he used in back alley venues. I saw three other old ones that I recognized and many more that I didn’t.
“Oh my.” Lorac’s tone as much as said that he found the same memories.
I continued to search through the illegal fights. These weren’t in facilities like the one we were in now. These fights were being held in empty warehouses, clearings in the woods, and other places away from the public and council’s eyes.
Arria’s hand on my arm drew me out of my search. I read the question on her face without having to hear her say the words.
“He, along with several other old ones, held unsanctioned events. Torch had a second team of fighters. They would hold the fights in any place they thought they could without getting caught.” I informed her.
Arria held her temper better than I expected. I could see the annoyance but could tell there wouldn’t be an outburst from her. While this was bad, it seemed she had dealt with things like this before.
Lorac surprised us by ripping Torch’s head off. As he stood, I saw that his anger wasn’t as restrained as Arria’s.
“I have to return to the party. Call Feng, if you would. I will come by your suite when the party breaks up.” Lorac stated. He walked out of the holding room.
Arria and I were about to turn to the door and leave when we remembered Jade.
“Do you have a preference for which old one you want to work for?” Arria asked.
“You are my first choice.” Jade answered firmly.
“Good. Titan will lead you to my employee quarters now. Welcome, Jade. You will be treated properly from now on. I can promise that much.”
Chapter 2
I woke to empty arms. I didn’t like that at all. I heard Arria speaking softly in the next room. She sounded like she was doing more listening than talking. Since I didn’t hear the person she was talking to, I figured she was on the phone.
Slowly, I rose and dressed. I knew we would be flying out this morning. I grabbed some clean jeans and a clean shirt and waited for Arria to finish her conversation. My attention was drawn back to the shirt I would wear after my shower. Arria liked the long sleeve button down shirts for me. She seemed to be making all my clothing choices these days. I didn’t care about my clothes as long as they were clean.
Still thinking along those lines, I began to wonder how much of my little decisions would be made by her from now on. She was used to being in charge and having people, well vampires, catering to her whims and wishes. While not bullheaded about it, I had always preferred to get my way. I guess that statement could be made for all but the bullheaded. Since being with her meant happiness, I wouldn’t complain about her making some of those choices.
I smiled to myself. How could I not feel like the luckiest person in existence? I had eternity laid out in front of me with the most beautiful woman in the world to share it with. When my mind was still unravelling, I wanted to spend every precious moment with Arria since I knew my time was limited. Ares healed me. Now I was finding out that I still treasured each moment with her even with an unending future.
I heard Arria hang up the phone. I expected her to return to the bedroom. I sat there trying to be patient. When that took too long, I headed out to see her.
She was sitting in her usual chair. Not only was every facility designed the same, each room was also arranged in the same pattern. The furniture might have different designs and be of a slightly different make, but each piece sat in the same spot. I had seen more than a dozen rooms in various facilities that could be identical twins with this one. The astounding part was how luxurious these suites were. The cost of having up to fifteen of these suites, each housing a fortune in furnishing and trappings, boggled the mind.
I walked up behind her chair and kissed the top of her head. Arria looked up at me and smiled. Yep, I was the lucky one.
“I hope I didn’t wake you, but it is good that you’re up. We have a change of plans. The few days of rest at home isn’t going to happen. Feng is calling a council meeting. We are going to decide what to do about the illegal fights. The problem is that the special guard is busy in China doing that very thing. We are used to having this pop up from time to time but not this much. We have to deal with this now before it gets out of hand.” Arria sounded sad. I knew she hated the fights but she of all vampires understood the need for them. “The biggest problem with these back alley fights are the side effects it could cause. Inevitably, one or more of the new vampires will strike out on their own and begin making vampires without making them fight in the arena. One becomes a hundred in a short amount of time. That is why the special guard is having a rough time in China.”
“I can see why this needs to be dealt with so soon. I hate that we won’t get the free time but we can make up for it later. What time are we leaving? I need a shower.”
“In two hours. If you don’t mind, go wake the fighters and employees. Have them ready to leave before you take that shower. We will be headed to Feng’s. He is trying to decide whether to hold an event while we are there. It would be like the last time we went to his place, only the council members will be involved.” Arria rose from her chair. “Go get them ready. I will try to be done with the shower by the time you get back.”
I got a quick kiss and went to put my shoes on. As I was tying them, I recalled that Feng had what I called the Jimi Hendrix complex. Purple maze. I don’t know why that was so funny to me but I was still smiling as I walked out the door to wake our group.
I knocked on the doors as I passed them. We traveled with five employees when we went to other venues. Jade made six. Since they were my friends, Arria’s group of five included Apollo, Speedy, Venus, and Loki. Blur was the fifth. He was a small man who almost never spoke. He had been there long before our group went through the fights. He was quiet and kept to himself most of the time. He was gifted with speed.
“What’s up? We leaving early?” Apollo asked. As he was asking, the others opened their doors as well.
“We will be flying to Feng’s facility for a council meeting. Arria and Lorac discovered some illegal fights that will need to be stopped.” I told them.
“Why don’t they send the special guard? Isn’t that their job?” Loki said, sleepily.
“The special guard is handling a problem in China. From what I saw, these new fights are happening in New York City. We will be leaving in just under two hours. I need to go wake the fighters.” I explained. I gave a smile to Venus before I turned and headed for the second level.
I repeated the process of knocking on the doors as I passed them. We had five fighters currently on the team. They were slower to wake. When the doors began to open, I started explaining the news in a scaled down version.
“We will be leaving in less than two hours. Arria is part of the council and they have been called to a meeting. We aren’t sure if there will be any fights held or not. You guys might be getting a few days’ vacation. Get your things together and be ready. I will be back to lead you to the plane. If you need blood, go now.”
I waited a few seconds in case there were any questions. They seemed to take the news in stride so I headed back to Arria’s suite.
Arria knew she would be on the phone for most of the flight so she suggested I sit with my friends. The front of the plane where Arria sat was luxurious. Four recliner-like chairs sat in a group facing each other where people could relax and talk. There was a couch lining one side of this section and a row of individual seats lining the other side. The rear of the plane looked more like a commercial airliner. Rows of seats, three per row, lined each side of the plane. This was where I headed. I was joining them when Jade was introducing herself.
“So you won your freedom last night. You must be relieved.
I know I was.” Venus said. I will always see her as Cindy.
“More than you know.” Jade’s eyes went to the floor. I hated what she must have went through. She would improve with time. This group would be good for her.
“So, you guys have met Jade. Good, she should fit in well with our group.” I said, as I joined them.
“You riding with us?” Speedy asked.
“Yep. Arria will be on the phone for most of the trip. She knew I would get bored.” I looked to Jade who still had her eyes on the floor. “Jade, have you met everyone yet?”
“Not yet, we were just getting to that.” She replied.
“This is Venus, she and I were friends before we were turned into vampires. This is Apollo. I know he looks like the all-American poster boy, but he is nice enough. This is Speedy. He can be a butthead but he is okay once you get to know him. This is Loki. He doesn’t talk too much but he is worth listening to when he does. This is Blur. He’s been with Arria the longest. He mostly keeps to himself. I don’t know if that is because of the rest of us or if he is just that way.” I said, good-naturedly.
They all passed the ‘nice to meet you’ stage as we took our seats. Since the windows were blacked out to protect everyone from the sun, the middle seats were now the preferred place to be. The team of fighters all sat in the back. This new group was quiet and didn’t mingle with each other like my group did when we went through the gauntlet.
I took a few moments to listen to some of the fighter’s thoughts.
Hope we don’t fight. Maybe we can keep training and I can get better before I have to face that again…
Two more fights and I will be free. I wonder what freedom will mean. Will we still be trapped underground or will we be able to leave…
Apollo is so cute. I wish he would spend more time with us…
Their thoughts were much the same as ours were when we were in their shoes. Fear of your next fight, wondering what came after the fights, etc., filled your mind when you had to face the ten fight gauntlet.