by Joe Fowler
I stood and called the multiplying myself gift to mind. I made four separate copies of me. I wanted to laugh because the copies were of Titan while I still looked like Darius. I called the invisibility gift to mind and made myself invisible. I couldn’t see me but I could still see the four Titans standing around. I could see through their eyes and control them individually. They couldn’t see the Darius version, only each other.
That didn’t work at all.
I tried to make one of the copies teleport but couldn’t.
Damn.
I continued to mix and match but wasn’t successful. I would just do the best I could.
Chapter 23
I had Reptile bring my group to the luxury part of the plane again. I saw worry in some of their eyes. I wondered what they knew of what was coming.
“You look worried, guys. What’s wrong?” I asked.
They all looked to Jet. She was the elder statesman of the group since she was the highest level fighter. Jet took a deep breath.
“We’ve heard things. Some of the other teams were talking about it. They said some events were attacked and everyone was killed. Is that true?” Jet asked.
“Not exactly. The old ones and employees were killed. The fighters were sent back to their own facility. If we are attacked, you guys won’t be in any danger.” I told them.
I could see the complete relief in Mace’s eyes. The others showed relief then fear again. I was touched when I realized why.
“So you might die? No!” Mist had tears in her eyes. Jet was tearing up some too but was trying to fight it.
“I won’t lie. It is a possibility. Obviously, I will try not to.” I smiled but it didn’t work. Mist and Jet weren’t going to be cheered.
They were quiet. I spent some time talking to Sean. He was kind.
I thought of Blur then. I still didn’t feel like I could trust him.
From the moment the plane landed my nerves were standing on end. I couldn’t stop my eyes from roaming everywhere. I was too jumpy and I knew it.
I was led to Gregor’s meeting hall. He met me and went through the protocols. He seemed to understand my nervousness. He led me to join the old ones already there. Jonas, Caleb, Phoenix, and Petra were there.
They weren’t talking much. I couldn’t blame them. I wondered what Gregor must be thinking. Surely he knew of what was coming. I briefly questioned if he was a part of it but remembered the description of being middle of the road. He wouldn’t be a violator or one of the vigilante group of vampires.
“Well, I guess the next couple of days will be interesting.” Caleb said, dryly.
Petra gave him a dirty look.
“I think that is a safe bet. I would know. I still can’t believe how well I did last night.” I offered. I was hoping for something they could talk about to get their minds off of what was coming.
“That was an incredible night.” Phoenix said, sadly. I wondered at her lack of enthusiasm but knew she was dwelling on believing last night was the last event she would ever attend.
“We aren’t dead yet. Don’t give up.” I told them.
They weren’t inspired. They wouldn’t be cheered. Their minds were in turmoil. Their walls were still up but their faces told the story.
Emelia was announced. I turned to watch as she went through the protocols with Gregor. She met my stare as they made their way to join us. She bore the same look as the others. Fear and regret clouded her eyes.
Petra took a little time before reminding me and Emelia that we needed newbies. We headed out to acquire them.
Gregor was based outside of Boston. It was a considerable drive for us to get to the outskirts to find a decent place for getting our newbies. We didn’t speak.
Petra pointed out a small diner. I smiled against my better judgement. The three of us walked in to see one customer, one waitress, the cook, and what I guessed was the owner or manager. With a small nod, Petra told us this was acceptable.
I decided on the cook. I had to suppress a laugh when the thought hit me. ‘It’s too bad they don’t have a dishwasher.’
We loaded the bodies and made the return trip without incident.
We reentered the meeting hall. I was glad to see a few smiles here and there. They weren’t jumping for joy but they were trying to make the best of it. Saul smiled when he saw us.
“They told me you guys were getting your new ones. Darius, are you trying to make another Titan yet? You already have speed, illusions, and emotional control. I’ve started to expect your newbies to win automatically.” Saul’s intent was clear. Keep everyone smiling if he could.
“I thought I would try for mind control before I did that. I figure I should give you guys a chance first.” I replied. I earned a few laughs.
“I heard Titan beat Cerrus, a seven hundred year old, the day after he was reborn.” Saul offered as a new subject.
I applauded his efforts to the point I didn’t mind it was about me. Titan was an interesting enough subject to make them think about more than the upcoming disaster.
“No way! That’s impossible, even for him.” Petra exclaimed.
“It’s true. I heard the same from more than one source.” Emelia told her. “Although I heard it was more of a draw. They were mostly even in the fight.”
“How? He hadn’t added any gifts yet.” Caleb’s interest was piqued.
“From what I understand, the gift he and Ares share, takes from whoever they drink from. When she turned Titan, he drank from Arria. His gift wasn’t fully formed or he would have been as strong and fast as Arria herself.” Emelia explained it well enough.
Of course she was there for that explanation more than once. Sweetie was talking so she would keep her mind off of what was coming. I was glad to hear it.
“Now there is a scary thought. A newbie reborn as tough as Arria? She might be the toughest of all of us outside of Ares!” Saul commented.
“Feng is older.” Petra reminded him.
“Yes, but some are naturally stronger or faster. I’ve wondered who would win between those two.” Saul said. He was mainly just trying to keep the conversation going.
“The way Lorac was talking, the council is killing itself off. They bring in replacements but it is shocking that there have been three council members die in the last four months.” Caleb offered. I could see he understood what was happening.
We were interrupted by the announcement. We all turned to see Hermes enter the room. Gregor went to greet him.
This was getting intense. I took a moment to fear for Hermes. This group would know him to be a part of the attackers. He was purely good. He would be the type to be proactive enough to take action against wrongdoers.
Once again, I was torn between which side I would help when the time came. Losing any of this group would hurt. Losing someone as good as Hermes would be heartbreaking.
“Hermes! So good to see you!” Saul was genuine. How he pulled that off, I don’t know.
“Saul, it’s been a while.” Hermes met Saul with his hand outstretched. I would swear Hermes was happy to see Saul as well. For good reasons, not because he would have the chance to kill him. I was turning flips in my head.
“It is always good when you’re around, Hermes. You are the most proper of us all. Darius is trying to give you a run for your money though.” Petra smiled.
Hermes turned to me happily.
“Darius! I am so glad to hear that. I liked you from the start. I’m glad my judgement was sound.” Hermes was being truthful.
“It will take me many centuries to earn the level of respect that you carry. I am just glad I have such an example to follow.” I replied.
I saw the first break in Hermes features. It was brief but it was there. I saw the regret for what was coming. Hermes didn’t want to kill me. Well, Darius. He would know I hadn’t actually broken the rules.
“We were discussing Darius and how he seems to have a string of the toughest fighters. We are expecting his newest fight
er to be the next Titan.” Saul offered. Hermes smiled along with everyone else.
I think Saul saw the regret from Hermes as well. Saul’s comment served two purposes. One, it heightened the shame of Darius dying so young when he showed so much promise. Two, it would give Hermes a break with something lighter to talk about. I knew Saul really did like Hermes once that realization was made.
“Darius, can I speak with you?” Emelia pulled me off to the side. Once we were far enough away, she let some of her fear show. “Would you mind if we went to the lobby? My nerves can’t take this.”
My heart softened instantly. This was Sweetie.
“Of course, Emelia.”
We left after making an acceptable excuse. I could see Sweetie’s relief. Even walking down Gregor’s black hallways, her spirits were higher.
“The tension was too much for me. I’m sorry for dragging you out of there but I didn’t want to be alone.” Emelia sounded bad.
I remembered her time during the fights. She clung to me desperately. Knowing the extent of her anxieties was the most impressive thing about her performance as Emelia. I was proud of her and how far she’d come.
“I wasn’t exactly having fun either.” I laughed lightly. “It looks like the attack will be tomorrow night. It makes more sense.”
“Why? Are you sure it won’t be tonight?” She asked fearfully.
“Like with you, me, and Petra, some will be leaving to find newbies. Some might be late arriving. Tomorrow is a free day. The night of the event will present many more vampires and humans to deal with. Tomorrow makes the most sense.”
I warred with myself. Could I tell her now? Why make her go through so much extra worry? Will it cause her to make a mistake?
The other side was the images of what that mistake could do. I even saw one possibility where I was fighting both sides just to protect myself. I knew how unlikely that would be but the image wouldn’t leave my head.
We reached the lobby and took our seats. She seemed calmer but not ready to talk yet. I continued my internal debate.
I made my decision.
“Emelia, try not to be too shocked.” I smiled widely. She was shocked from that.
I modified my illusion. Sweetie would see the real me.
Her eyes filled with tears. She threw herself on me with her arms wrapped around my neck.
“I couldn’t stand to see you this afraid. I wanted you to see you would have more of a chance to survive, Sweetie.” I told her.
It took her some time to calm down. The release of so much tension can wear a person out mentally. It becomes hard to regather yourself. I held her for a few minutes before releasing her. She sank back into her seat, wiping the tears away.
“How long have you known?” She asked me with a smile.
“Long enough. At first I was mad at Ares. Then I figured out why he did it.” I was going to say more but she interrupted me.
“Do you know some of the council members are trying to kill you? That’s why he left.” She was being defensive.
“Yes. Why do you think I suggested the idea of Ghost to you? You knew enough of Ghost to know he would help. I’ve been talking to him through this whole charade. After I made the comment that gave you the idea, I told him to expect Ares. It worked. They’ve been working together on that end to try and save me. I got word that Ares is ready. He is only waiting for this scenario to play out.” I informed her.
“I wish you would have told me sooner. I’ve been scared out of my mind.” Sweetie was still shedding the occasional tear of relief.
“You were doing so well. I knew it might cause you to make a mistake. I couldn’t risk it. I was thankful Ares told you to stick close to me.”
“How did he know you weren’t really Darius? Did you tell him?” She asked.
“Ares killed Darius 1200 years ago. When he saw Darius, he looked closer and saw through my illusion.”
“I’ve been so worried I would be caught the same way. All these old ones and none of them bothered to look closer. I kept expecting to be exposed and killed.”
I surprised her by laughing.
“Lorac asked me why you were posing as Emelia. So far as I know, he and I are the only ones who saw through it.” I smiled. “I had it a little easier. Only a few can see through my illusions now.”
Sweetie sat thinking things through. She got a twisted smile.
“So when I met you at that event, you knew who I was.” She said, accusingly.
“No. I still hadn’t realized who you were then. You were one of the reason’s I arranged for Arria to be at that event though. I knew I could gather more information as Titan.”
“Because everyone is afraid of you?”
“Yep. I also wanted more of them to meet me and see I wasn’t the monster they thought I was. Some still aren’t convinced.”
“Part of me is so happy and part of me wants to slap the hell out of you. I’ve been a wreck! Ares seems to forget that I am still a new vampire.” Part of me remembered back to a night when Sweetie slapped me a lot.
“Everyone has the same problem with me. The name Titan is so known now that everyone assumes I’ve been around for centuries. I am so tired of hearing everyone talking about me. It is very frustrating.”
“I know. I wanted to defend you but I had to keep focused.”
“You were doing an excellent job! You had me confused. I would see one thing and then I would see the exact opposite and both would read as truth. That was kind of how I figured out who you were though. Loki said something to that effect about a month ago. He was talking about how sweet you were but your opponents would scream in fear until you took their head. You were a paradox to him. That was what gave you away in the end.”
“How is everyone? Apollo?” She asked.
“They are bored and frustrated. Arria has been stuck at Feng’s since I took this persona. She can’t attend an event without me. It would raise too many questions. The guys are stuck doing nothing. Well, I’ve kept Ghost busy.” I laughed. She joined in. She knew Ghost. “They are frustrated because I told them enough to have their interest but couldn’t explain what was going on.”
“I miss everyone. I miss those days even if they were filled with worry too.” Sweetie was better now. I was glad I told her.
“We need to return to the meeting hall. They will be wanting to draw the card soon.” I told her. She nodded.
“Thanks for telling me. I wasn’t doing so well.”
“Just remember to call me Darius. Wait.” I stopped her while I redid the illusion again. She wouldn’t see me anymore, only Darius. “That might help some.”
She smiled.
I got another shock when I entered the meeting hall. Dorian was here.
“Darius! Good to see you again. Are you still winning a lot?” Dorian asked.
“Last night was unbelievable!” I told him with a smile. I was going to explain when Phoenix spoke up and did it for me.
“He only lost a handful of fights. I bet what he bet and won six million dollars!” She was smiling from ear to ear. Either her nerves were better or she was getting carried away with her love of the fights. I wasn’t sure.
“No way!” Dorian’s astonishment was real. He looked at me and asked. “How much did you win?”
“Nine million. I’ve never been so lucky!” I answered.
“How about we draw and see who will be losing to Darius tonight.” Petra suggested. Everyone laughed and agreed.
The card was set. I hated that I was missing a fighter in the two rounds where Hector and Amazon would have fought. I then reminded myself that these fights wouldn’t take place anyway. It was a sobering reminder.
The betting followed in good spirits. Petra was acting overjoyed that Jet wouldn’t be killing another of her fighters. Saul and Hermes made sure to keep everyone’s spirits up.
As we broke into groups, I was followed by Hermes and Dorian. Emelia was with us. We began talking about whatever we could to stop th
inking of tomorrow.
“Let me get this straight, you’ve had speed, incorporeal, strength, illusions, and emotional control for five of your first six fighters?” Dorian asked. He was astonished.
“We never found out how my newbie was gifted that lost.” I knew but they didn’t. It was day walking. “But the rest of them have been great. Even the woman with strength was awesome. She lost an even match to another strength gift.”
“Maybe I should get you to turn my newbies for me!” Hermes suggested with a smile.
“How have you been Emelia? You are quiet tonight.” Dorian asked.
“Great, thanks for asking. I get like this sometimes. I am just enjoying being around friends and hearing their laughter.” Sweetie told him.
I saw more pain from Hermes but it wasn’t as much as before. I knew he would have researched the real Emelia’s past to see the questionable behavior.
“I can understand that. Friends are what make things worthwhile.” Dorian agreed.
We grew quiet. Hermes was struggling to find a topic. I was too.
“Hermes, do you still do the meet and greet for your newbies?” I was grasping at straws but figured this could pass a few minutes.
“Yes. It is one of my favorite things. I learned from Arria, like you did. I understand why so many have stopped but I never will.” Hermes smiled. He understood why I asked.
“I did for a while but stopped. I wasn’t sure what good it would do other than make me feel bad when one of mine lost.” Dorian offered.
“That’s what I’ve heard from several others. Petra was the same. She learned from Arria as well. She worried over getting too absorbed in her fighters.” I told them.
The talking went like this for around thirty minutes. We took turns with some obscure topic to occupy the time. Finally, I decided it was time to leave.
“Gentlemen, I hate to leave such great company but I need to make a few calls.” I told them.
“I understand, Darius. The life of an old one is tedious sometimes.” Hermes stated sadly.