by Joe Fowler
Luckily, the conversation lightened up. I could see the continued aggravation from the other old ones but they kept their mouth shut with Agda there. It took a little time before Agda noticed the pent up frustrations of the others.
“I need to speak to you alone. I need to know what is happening here.” I heard Agda’s thoughts clearly. I nodded slightly to let her know I got her message.
“Darius, come talk to me a moment. I have some questions for you.” Agda announced as a way to get me to the side.
Once we were far enough away, she turned to me with the question easy to read in her eyes.
“They are upset with the council. They are feeling the pressure and think the council is becoming too overbearing. From what I understand, it has always been this way. The incident with Sonya stirred their feelings.” I spoke in less than a whisper since vampires have tremendous hearing.
“I thought as much. I’m surprised she was executed myself. I will need to speak with Feng to see if there was more to it than what was told.” She looked around before speaking again. “Are you making any progress?”
“Some. It will take time to develop but I may have a way in.”
“Good. We need to end this violation as soon as we can.” Agda took a breath and nodded. She was about to head back to the others when she smiled at me. “If possible, let me know who to bet on tonight. I love when the others get jealous.”
“I will find a way.” I smiled back. “I need to make sure I lose more. I am worried they would become suspicious if I keep winning too much.”
We rejoined the others then.
With Agda present the night’s conversations grew calmer, more trivial. When Hermes announced it was time, we went to the viewing area.
My first night was more of a blur. Lucy was brought up and led away. I felt a touch of pride but it was more worry than anything.
When Lucy and Tammy were led to the platform by Reptile, it hit much harder. These were my fighters. As far as anyone here other than Agda believed, I was a true old one with a growing team. I gave a smile to my fighters as they stood on display.
The arena was buzzing with the anticipation when we arrived. Agda made it a point to sit next to me during the fights. She must really want to win. Phoenix lived up to her word and sat on my other side. We were settling in when Hermes gave the signal to the announcer.
“Welcome all! We have an exciting card in store for your enjoyment! Please welcome first timers Henry and John.” The announcer waited until they were on the X marks. “You will have five minutes to place your bets!”
“Which one is yours?” I asked Agda.
“John. He is the tall one.” She replied.
John had teleporting as a gift. Henry was a day walker. I turned and gave her a shrewd smile.
“You should bet big on your fighter. Show your support.” I told her.
She smiled and placed a million on John. Phoenix heard me and placed her hundred thousand bet on John. I did the same.
“It is time! John, Henry, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!”
They circled warily. Henry attacked and they fought evenly. When they went back to circling, John teleported and attacked Henry from the side. He capitalized on his advantage well. He took Henry’s head.
“Way to go, Agda!” Phoenix shouted around me. I knew she was more excited to have won her own bet.
The next fight was between a male and a female. She had strength while he had invisibility. I told Agda quietly to bet on him. I bet on the woman and Phoenix was clearly going to bet whatever I did.
The man won easily. He disappeared from the start and beat the woman badly before taking her head.
“Hey! I thought you won a lot?” Phoenix exclaimed. She was smiling though. She wasn’t really angry.
“I tried to tell everyone it was luck. I will do better though.” I smiled back.
The next fight was, again, a man versus a woman. She had illusions for her gift. The man had evasion. Instead of telling Agda quietly, I placed my bet with a slight nod for Agda to do the same. She understood the signal.
Once the announcer teleported. The man stood still. He seemed to be blinded as he waved his hands around in front of him. She hit him enough to weaken him and took his head.
“That’s more like it!” Phoenix shouted. She was definitely enthusiastic.
“Please welcome two more first timers Tammy and Lana.” As the two fighters took their places, I saw Lana was a mind reader. “You will have five minutes to place your bets!”
I knew this one would be touchy. A mind reader could be tough at this early level. Tammy wouldn’t know how to protect her thoughts. Still, Tammy was mine.
“I can’t guarantee she will win but I will always bet on my fighter.” I told Agda quietly. She smiled knowingly. I bet one million on Tammy. Phoenix and Agda both bet on Tammy as well.
“It is time! Tammy, Lana, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!” The announcer teleported.
I sat forward in my seat as Tammy went into a crouch. She attacked Lana but her punch was anticipated. Lana countered well. Tammy fell back and regrouped. When she came in for another attack, Lana dodged and tried a counter that went through Tammy harmlessly. Tammy quickly hit Lana twice. They began circling again. Lana attacked but Tammy was staying incorporeal until the best times to hit Lana. Tammy got in another good punch before they separated. The rest of the fight went this way until Tammy got enough of an advantage to rip Lana’s head off.
The pride filled me once again.
“Let’s hear it for Tammy!” The announcer roared. Tammy was led back to the holding pen where Lucy sat waiting.
“Way to go, Darius! Your first two fighters are both well gifted!” Emelia yelled down to me. The others offered similar sentiments.
I watched the next fights with my heart soaring. Lucy wouldn’t be alone again. She would have at least one teammate.
I tried for a fifty-fifty split between winning and losing for the fights until Lucy was announced. I bet the million dollars while she knelt on the X mark. I hoped she had learned not to wait the extra second like she did in her first fight. Her opponent’s gift was illusions.
“It is time! Troy, Lucy, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!” The announcer teleported.
Lucy struck before Troy could act. She took his head without a problem. I was vastly relieved. The others all congratulated me again. I smiled and thanked them.
“He had illusions. Sorry, he would have been good for you.” I whispered to Agda. She waived her fist at me but was smiling when she did it. She knew speed was the toughest to beat in the arena.
For the rest of the fights I won more than I lost. I made sure to lose more than I had the first night but still cleared over four million. With winning three, one million dollar bets, counting the pre-fight bet with Flora, I was assured of a good night anyway. Agda won damn near every fight. She was ecstatic by nights end.
The after party started out fun. Most everyone was in good spirits. Hermes was impeccable as host. Our topics varied but all were comfortable for me to hear. There wasn’t any council or Titan bashing.
“Okay guys. It’s time to decide where to go next. Topol is hosting in three days. Does anyone know of another?” Petra asked.
“Sabina is hosting in two days. She wanted me to spread the word since she didn’t have many added to the card yet.” As the others discussed this, Agda spoke mentally to me. “Go to Sabina’s. Arria insisted at least one of us should be at your fights. We argued that it might hinder you but she was persistent. We know to try and keep Arria happy.”
I heard her mental laughter at the end of her statement. It sounded fake. Maybe I was being paranoid though. I had just helped Agda win huge tonight. She should be somewhat forgiving toward me for a while. I gave her a nod to acknowledge her message.
“I vote for Sabina. I met her briefly. She seemed interesting.” I suggested. Emelia gave me
a look but smiled and looked around to see which way the others were leaning.
“Topol is a bore. If I were going to either, it would be to Sabina’s.” Flora stated. “I must go home to prepare for an event I am hosting next week. You are all invited, of course.”
“That sound’s great! I love Italy!” Petra gushed.
“Sabina’s event sounds good to me. I’m sitting with Darius again though.” Phoenix said, smiling. She had done much better than normal for her.
“Then I’m on his other side. I lost badly tonight.” Emelia gave an exaggerated pout. Everyone laughed.
“At least you all didn’t make me choose again like you did last time. Sabina’s it is.” Petra didn’t seem as pleased as she sounded.
I wanted to take a step back then. Everyone was giving strange looks and acting dodgy to me. I didn’t know if I was seeing things clearly or if it was my imagination. I grew frustrated as I tried to regain some focus. There was too much chatter going on around me.
I made myself stay. I gave the smiles as needed. Only offering one word answers when I could get away with it. I couldn’t catch a break. Every time I would get my mind right, someone would show the opposite of what they said again. It was very uncomfortable.
I relied on my people reading skills. That went back to my childhood days living with abusive parents. I needed to know what was going on in their heads so I could avoid some of the beatings. These old ones were confusing my senses. Their mouths told one story. Their bodies told another.
Once Petra had called Sabina and got some of us added to the card, the old ones broke up into smaller groups. Emelia pulled me off to the side.
“Is there a reason you wanted to go to Sabina’s?” She asked.
“Not particularly. It sounded better to me. I’ve met her. She might never be one of my favorites but she is somewhat familiar. I still feel so new to all of this that some familiarity is welcome.” I gave for my explanation.
“Good. Your statement of her being interesting made me think you were attracted to her. I’ve never met her so I don’t know what to think of her.” Emelia was confusing me now too. She had a different reason for asking her question. I would swear it.
“One of the reasons I finally came back to this world was losing the woman I fell in love with. We were together for several years. I was thinking of turning her. I wish I had. She died in a car accident. I will not be interested in a woman in that way for some time to come.” I figured this would be the best statement I could make.
I didn’t think Emelia was attracted to me but I wanted to make sure she didn’t try. This way I had a reason given to remain alone. I knew from Arria that the old ones frequently ‘hooked up’ from time to time.
“Sorry to hear that but you’re better off this way. Not because you lost her, don’t misunderstand me. I mean as far as being with another old one.” Emelia leaned in and whispered. “I don’t trust any of them. They have their own agendas and would stab you in the back in a heartbeat.”
“I have seen. The self-serving nature runs rampant through most of our kind. I will say that Hermes seems to be the exception. He willingly disagrees with what is being said to stand for what he believes in. I hope I can keep my principles that well.”
Emelia gave a genuine smile then. There was no doubt about this one. She liked what I said. It made me feel a little better about her. I was beginning to think her to be as conniving as the others. Maybe she would be worth having as a friend. Time would tell on that one.
As some of the old ones began leaving, my tension eased. I waited an appropriate time before announcing my exit. Hermes walked me to the door.
“It was great to have you with us, Darius.” He leaned in for a quieter word. “I’m thankful to see a new old one who seems to have principles. That is becoming more and more rare.”
“Thank you, Hermes. I can honestly say that you actually exceeded the high estimation I was told about. I hope this was the first of many meetings between us.”
I left the meeting hall and trudged back to my suite. I went ahead and made the calls needed to prepare for an early departure the next night. Sabina’s facility was an eight hour flight from here.
I made the quick call to Blur to let him prepare. He related a message for me to call Ghost. He said it might be important. I wondered how it ‘might’ be important. Either it was or it wasn’t. Damn.
I was tired. Not physically. Mentally.
I made it to my suite with two calls left to make. I knew I would wait and call Arria last. I sat in my chair and took a moment before dialing the phone. I wanted to organize my thoughts before I talked to the whiz. Even when I wasn’t reading his mind I got headaches with Ghost. Blur was close to his level but Ghost’s intellect had a dizzying quality to it.
“Hello, Titan. I guess you got my message.”
“Yep. How are things there? Bored yet?” I asked. I knew he would be too swamped with Lorac’s tasks to ever get bored. It was more of a joke.
“You know the answer to that. This Emelia is what is bothering me. She may be bad, Titan. Really evil kind of bad. I looked into her history and there are a lot of disappearances and questionable conflicts that have me worried.”
“I’ve seen enough to know not to trust her too much. She is a good actress though. She is believably good sometimes.”
“You’ve been impressive at judging things like that. If Petra can get you in, do it. It will get much more difficult once you join the illegal fights. Make as many friends as you can. I am pushing to have you host your own event but Feng and Lorac disagree. They want to stick to the normal way of having you get more established first. Hosting would give you more control and insight.”
“How do you feel about Arria’s insistence on having a council member at these events? It is both helping and hurting at the moment.”
“I am for it. I think it was my agreeing with her that swayed the council. They don’t get the side effects though. They are too set in their thought patterns. Having a council member there will bring the old ones grievances against the council to mind more often. They will be more open during the times that member isn’t around.”
“I’ve seen some of that. I am happier when they aren’t around. The old ones have two main topics. One is the council and the other is the real me. I swear they act like I’ve already started my killing spree.”
Ghost laughed.
“What can you expect? You do realize the ones who fear you the most might be the ones who are doing the most wrong, right? It wasn’t lost on them that Ares was killing the bad ones. It isn’t told as part of the legends but the ones alive during that time knew. They haven’t forgotten.”
I went back over some of the Titan bashing. Caleb and Abel came to mind. I remembered enough from the others to put them into the questionable group as well. Damn, all but Hermes and Emelia had done some bashing. This was depressing.
“Unfortunately, that doesn’t narrow things down. They all are scared more than you would believe. Emelia has said more than once that she wanted to meet me. Go figure. She is hoping Arria will show up with me at an event soon. Hey!”
“Way ahead of you. I will talk to them about it. You could call it a break while you adjust to this new life. They would understand since you haven’t even been to your facility yet. Bring that up the next time you have a group of them around. I will try and arrange it. I know Arria would love it!”
“Thanks Ghost. What do you know, I’m having a conversation with you without getting a headache.” I laughed and he joined with a laugh of his own.
“I’m going to take that as a good thing.” He said, with mock offence.
“Should I bring it up with Arria? I’m calling her after I hang up with you.”
“Yes. She gets things done. I’ll let you go so you can call her.”
“Okay, thanks, Ghost.”
“Hey, you keep things interesting for me.” He laughed as he disconnected.
“Hello?”
“I may have something you want to hear.”
“Well, I’m already hearing your voice. That is good enough.” Arria said.
“Ghost and I just spoke. We agree that Darius should take a break to get his house in order. We also think that you and Titan should make an appearance at an event at about the same time.” I smiled. I would never get used to talking about myself in the third person.
“Yes! When?” Arria’s joy was obvious.
“Soon but it is hard to tell right now. I am flying to Sabina’s tomorrow. After that who knows?”
“We will work on it from this end. Feng and Lorac may need some convincing. I can be persuasive though.” Arria laughed. She knew how much she was feared.
“I will be trying to get us at the same event as Emelia. It will help me figure some stuff out. Ghost has told me of her shady past. I have seen some things that make me question her myself.”
“Why is she becoming so suspect? She is new.”
“She will be one of the ones I am in closest contact with. She and I will be around each other and I need to know if I will be safe when I turn my back to her. I have read both good and bad from her. Ghost would lean toward the bad. He actually used the word evil to describe her. Also, seeing how the others of this group react to meeting me will help as well.”
“We will work on it.” I heard Arria sigh. “It is getting harder to keep waking up without you. I keep expecting you to be there when my eyes open.”
“I’m going through the same thing. It feels wrong to wake up and my arms are empty. We need to get this through to Feng and Lorac. If you have to, remind them that I am helping the council do its job but I’m not a council member. I am donating my time and efforts to help them. They can give me a few days with you without hurting our plans.”
“I think they need to be reminded of that anyway. They are starting to see you as a tool to get things done instead of a friend who is just trying to help.” Arria’s voice told me of her anger. I knew I needed to calm her down.
“Just think, in less than a week we might be waking up to each other. I am already looking forward to it.”