I heard footsteps leading away from me, so I assumed he moved closer to Irulan. "And it's not just the fact that we're hunting her ex. She's a better Sentinel than that. Whatever happened, it went down since we got here, and she's not handling it at all.” His voice dropped a level as he reverted to the Priest I knew, "Vampire 101, great lezzy Sidhe. You need a refresher course.”
All I heard was silence for a few minutes then both car doors opened as they got in with me. I smelled the rose scent that surrounded Irulan drifting from the back seat. Priest must have taken point behind the wheel. I think that ride back to the hotel may have been the longest twenty minutes I ever spent in a vehicle. The uncomfortable stillness made it seem like the ride from Charlotte all over again. Once we were back, there was no reason for me not to tell them what had happened, only my unease at replaying the scene.
I swallowed hard and started talking before I lost the nerve. "I went to the CMS as planned and had an interesting conversation with the C.O. who happens to be Djin, named Descantes.” I heard the soft swish of silk against leather telling me that Irulan was leaning up in her seat facing me. "I also talked with the two survivors." My aura spiked in response to the pictures that were running through my mind. "Make that one survivor. I had the unfortunate distinction of watching one Amanda Jones burned alive by what Descantes called Soul Fire."
"That's impossible, Valeria, Soul Fire is..." began Irulan but I cut her off.
I'd had this conversation already. "Elemental territory for the most part, although legend says that ancient vamps also possessed the ability. That's already been established and debated, but Descantes firmly believes that's what it was." Sighing, I let my head fall forward into my hands. "I know he was wrong, but he wouldn't even consider what I believe is a valid explanation.” I was frustrated beyond belief. So much had gone wrong today and, the part that truly stung was, even if I had done things differently, I couldn't have changed the outcome.
"It was Tristan, not some mystical Elemental that no one has seen in at least a millennium." I opened my eyes to see their reactions, but everything was so blurry I couldn't even make out their faces. "I don't know how he got past the wards in that hospital room, but he did. He used the sire's link to kill not only a fellow Sentinel, but a nurse as well."
My damaged eyes burned against the faint light coming through the tinted windows, but I kept going, ignoring the discomfort. "I know how it sounds, but I saw his eyes just as plain as day, staring at me from that woman's face before he killed her."
I felt drained but OK. Once I got everything out, I felt more like myself than I had all day. Emotional baggage was a serious no-no for Vampires. Strong emotions rode us and influenced our behavior and reactions until we found a way to release them. "There's no doubt in my mind now. Tristan is definitely in Charleston. The link wouldn't have been as strong as it was otherwise.”
The newspaper articles and magazine covers questioning the population’s safety didn’t even to begin to describe the threat that Tristan had become. The display of power I'd witnessed in that hospital unit was straight out of Extras fairy tales or nightmares. If I didn't realize before how urgent the situation was, or how much danger I was in by accepting this mark, I did now.
Irulan's insistence that I refuse the case in the first place and Descantes doubt that I could carry through with the kill both served to strengthen my resolve to see this hunt to the end.
Priest accepted my explanation without any doubt. When I was done, I saw the shadowy outline of his head nod. "Get some rest, Trumaine, take a pint from your girlfriend, and let your eyes heal. Since I can't go out until the sun has completely set, it's up to you two to talk to the possible informant we dug up.”
I felt a twinge of guilt over the way I treated him after the kiss. In his own way, he was trying to help, and I gave him hell for his troubles. He'd even defended me against Irulan knowing she could control him as easily as she breathed. As I said before, overall, he was a decent guy, just a prick to me - most of the time.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Thankfully, the rest of the night went off without any more surprises. Irulan was silent when we got to our room, which didn't bother me one bit. Just today, I had done enough soul searching to last me a few months. Whatever was going on with Irulan was one giant tearjerker waiting to happen and I wanted to avoid it as long as I could.
Irulan turned on the harsh florescent lights without realizing what she was doing until she turned and saw the pink tears sliding down my face. She mumbled a quick apology and killed all the lights so I could get some relief and actually see how to dress myself for bed. As exhausted as I was, a shower could wait until morning.
We got about four hours of sleep before we were up and on our way to a local IHOP around nine, giving us about two hours before I had to be back. Thankfully, my eyes felt a whole lot better than they did the night before. They were just a little scratchy, but I had no problem lowering my films so that I could see in the daylight. I was a little worried though, considering I didn't get the opportunity to feed the night before.
Irulan was still unusually quiet as I drove. The events from last night were undoubtedly the elephant in the room. She usually had commentary about how fast I was driving and pointing out how many traffic laws I was breaking. This morning she didn't say more than two complete sentences until we pulled into the restaurant's parking lot. I had my fingers wrapped around the door handle when she put a hand on my shoulder. "Priest was right last night."
I turned around in the seat, so I could see her face as she talked. She pulled her hair back out of her face and continued, "I've been around Vampires my entire life. I know your race almost as well as I know the Sidhe. I should have realized you were going through something last night instead of acting like a jealous girlfriend."
I smiled and waved off her apology. "You don't have to go through an apology, Ire, you're my best friend. The look on your face after you realized what was going on was apology enough.” I hurried out of the car and flashed to the other side to open the door for her, grateful that we had that behind us.” Now put your game face on. It’s time to get to work."
The second we stepped inside, I felt the Mambo's power. Irulan felt it also because I felt her energy dance along my aura as she powered up in response. Whatever the Gullah were, they were far from any Voudoun I had met. The energy I felt was raw and unchecked. There was no telling what this person’s capabilities were.
Just as the hostess greeted us and asked where we wanted to sit, a tall young woman dressed in a pinstriped business suit walked up behind her and tapped her on the arm. "I believe this is the party I was telling you about, Miss. They're the ladies I was waiting for.” She nodded, and the three of us followed her to a private booth. Once we sat down, the teenage girl left us with menus and headed back to her post as fast as her feet would carry her. I had that effect on people sometimes.
The young woman held out her hand to me, "Allow me to begin by introducing myself. My name is Sophie Blackmon.” I shook her hand as I took in her appearance. She didn't look like any Mambo I'd ever met before.
Sophie Blackmon looked as if she were twenty seven or twenty eight years old, and every bit like a lawyer ready to go to trial. Her shoulder length hair was neatly cornrowed into a stylish bob. Her mocha skin looked like it saw the spa on a regular basis. There wasn’t a single blemish on her. She noted the look on my face and folded her hands in front of her on the table before saying anything. "Is there a problem, Sentinel?"
No point in beating around the bush. "I'm sorry; it's just that you're not exactly what I was expecting. You don't look anything like the root doctors or Mambos I've met in the past.”
She laughed softly just before a scolding look settled on her face. "You should know better that to assume things based on appearance or preconceived notions, Vampire." She looked over at the sunlight pouring in through the windows. "A particularly sunny day we're having. I requested a daylight meeting to make
sure I didn't have to deal directly with one of you. Imagine my surprise when you walked in."
Touché. Irulan stifled a burst of laughter, and for that, I stomped on her foot. Jesus, this was not how I envisioned this meeting getting started. I fought to keep from blushing as embarrassment washed over me. “I'm sorry if I offended you in any way. I was just... I mean…”
Sophie smiled and patted my hand. “You didn't offend me. To be honest, I get the same reaction from many Humans. Somehow I expect more from my fellow Extras though.”
We gave our orders to the waitress who had been standing there waiting patiently, and Sophie continued, "My grandmother fits the bill of a typical Mambo, but my mother wanted more for our people. She wanted us to move forward and knew a formal education would help me lead more productively."
Sophie settled back into her seat. "Aside from the training I received from her and my grandmother. I had an Ivy League education.” She reached into a pocket and passed me her business card. "I'm a professor of anthropology at the College of Charleston. I want to honor both my mother and grandmother's wishes. The field I chose allows me to do that."
"I know a little about the field. My oldest brother, Constantine Trumaine, is an anthropologist," I blurted out and immediately prayed she didn't want to get into a discussion about anthropology. I don't know why I brought Tino up. I barely paid attention when he went on and on about his job. Irulan cleared her throat to gain our attention.
Irulan offered her hand with a brief introduction, and began a line of questions, "I'm sorry, Ms. Blackmon, I don't know much about the Gullah community, but it would seem you follow a closer path to witches than that of the Voudoun you’re directly descended from. Witches tend to follow a matriarchal society structure, but the Voudoun elevates only the powerful, it's very interesting."
Sophie smiled, "You are correct, Ms. Irulan. The fault lies with the Voudoun. They tried so hard to fit in and convince the world that there was nothing different about them that they lost parts of themselves over the years.” Sophie absentmindedly stroked a pendant around her neck as she talked. The pendant looked oddly familiar to me, but I didn't say anything. I continued listening as she spoke. "The Gullah have never hidden what we were or tried to be anything else. Our forefathers made sure we didn't forget where we came from.”
“Speaking of which...” I used the opportunity to segue into the case at hand. “That's actually what brings us here, Ms. Blackmon. My C.O. believes the Gullah's unique ancestry is the reason behind Tristan Meriwether's appearance in the area."
Her expression darkened at the mention of Tristan’s name. When she spoke again, her voice had taken on a heavy Haitian accent that dripped with her power and anger. "Dat boy come 'ere an' corrupt me people, tryin' to permanently fuse 'de bloodlines, dat's what he's doin.” She pulled a small, thick, time-weathered leather book out of her pocketbook and slapped it onto the table. Irulan gasped and reached for the manuscript pausing briefly for Sophie’s nod of approval before she gingerly picked it up.
Sophie watched as Irulan carefully flipped through the pages looking every bit like a child on Christmas morning. "Me tried to explain 'de severity of him actions to 'dose of me clan dat he's managed to influence but dey too far gone on 'de promise of power." Sophie shook her head as if she were trying to clear her thoughts, and when she spoke again, her voice had gone back to normal. “My family taught me better than that. I should not have let my emotions get the better of me. I apologize for the display ladies.”
“I promise you, Sophie, you're more than alright. The specifics of this case are enough to shake anyone.” I took in the look of awe on Irulan's face and had to admit my confusion, "It would seem Irulan's too wrapped up in your little book to give it a second notice. You see, she's our expert on the arcane arts, so she's not at the same disadvantage that, I hate to admit, I am.” I pointed at the book, "I have no idea what that book is and how it relates to our case."
"That's a book of ancient incantations and spells given to the Gullah by our founding ancestor, written in the old hand and thousands of years old."
I glanced over at Irulan who didn't seem to be having any problems reading the text. "Care to explain how…?"
Irulan looked up from the book and cut me off, "It's written in old Elvish, a dialect that predates the current Fae language by about ten thousand years." She carefully turned another page as she continued, "It's taught in our universities like ancient Latin and Greek are taught in Human ones but only to the royal houses to prevent abuse of ancient powers.” She closed the book and passed it back to Sophie, "Please tell me that Tristan didn't gain access to anything in that book."
Sophie took a deep breath before stating, "I'm afraid I can't do that. It would seem that one of my own made copies of some of the pages for him. He is the one you need to see. Of my people that have been lured away from me, he is closest to the Abomination."
She passed us a slip of paper with a name and address on it along with two amulets on black cords. "I'm truly sorry for my clan's part in these atrocities, and if I could help you more, I would.” We didn't even notice that our food had long arrived.
Irulan pushed the plate aside. "You have first-hand knowledge of the contents of the book, and how Tristan can utilize it." She reached across the table and took Sophie's hand. "You're powerful - I can feel it. Use your knowledge and power to help us contain him."
Sophie put the book into her bag and shook her head no. "I'm afraid that is impossible. My grandmother is positively livid as it is just because I agreed to meet with you in the first place.” She took a few bites of her now cold pancakes and continued, "The Gullah have not survived as long as we have by getting involved in other clans' affairs."
Irulan scoffed, "The minute one of your own handed over the seeds of power to Tristan it became your affair. He's killing people with knowledge he may have gained from your book of shadows."
Sophie's face went blank as she directed a cold stare towards Irulan, "An error I am rectifying at this very moment, Sidhe. This is all I can actively do." She then pointed to the amulets resting on the table. "That, and give you these. They have strong magic in them and should protect you from any magics that the Abomination has derived from my people.”
"Alright, Ms. Blackmon, I accept that, but there is another way that you can help us," I said quickly. She eyed me with a cautious look in her eyes and nodded for me to continue. "As I mentioned earlier my C.O. believes your unique ancestry is key to Tristan’s plans. It would be helpful if we knew what that was."
Sophie slid the amulets closer to me. "I say again, Vampire, this is all I can do. We protect our heritage from those that might abuse us for it.”
I took the amulet and examined it. For some reason, it was familiar to me, but I couldn't quite pinpoint the reason why. It looked almost like the one Sophie was wearing around her neck. I slipped it in my pocket and pulled out money to pay for our forgotten meals. Better to leave on good terms instead of the sour note the mood had taken. "The CMS appreciates all that you have given us. Hopefully, with the information your person has, we'll be able to get Tristan out of your hair sooner than we would have without it."
Irulan and I had scooted out of the bench and turned to walk away when Sophie grabbed my hand. I looked back at her to see what the problem was, saw that her eyes had turned all white, and crackled with energy. The few of the nearby patrons that noticed made a hasty exit.
"Is there a problem?" I reached over to dislodge her hand, and she grabbed that one as well. "Alright, Ms. Blackmon, while I find you a nice enough woman, you're gonna wanna let me go - Now!"
Irulan moved to reach for her arm, but an unseen force held her in place. When we looked back to Sophie, she was quietly chanting, and her amulet was glowing around her neck.
"My magic won’t work long against you Sidhe, your strength is staggering; almost equal to my own, but I have time enough to make you see I mean your woman no harm."
Say what?! "I do
n't know what you think, but I'm not anybody's woman. She’s my best friend."
She smiled and released my hands, "Your lips and your heart are at odds with each other. Clearly one knows more than the other where it belongs and to whom.”
She stood and placed a hand over both our hearts. "You two are so completely bonded, the ties are almost visible.” I turned to look at Irulan and found her with a goofy lopsided grin plastered to her face. I was so going to hear about this later. I opened my mouth to protest, but Sophie grabbed my face to look directly into my eyes. "You, child, are the culmination. You have the potential to be everything the Abomination strives to be but never will be."
She released me, and sat back down, "Leave now before the sun gets too high in the sky for even one as blessed as you.” I left the meeting with Sophie even more confused than I had been when I woke up that morning. I drove back to hotel lost in thought. It was no use to try to talk to Irulan. She was on the phone with one of her kin that also lived on this plane. They were speaking in an Elvish dialect that was foreign to me, so there was no need for me even to try to follow the conversation.
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