Blood Reign

by Harvey W. McCarthy

  The same staff member who had handed him the envelope only minutes ago stood outside of the door. He nodded as Larry approached.

  "Greetings, Dr. Efron," he said. His perfect French accent had been replaced by a Russian accent.

  Larry smiled. "Greetings young man, I see the elite warriors are still polished in their cloak and dagger routine."

  "I fail to see the humor," the puzzled Russian council warrior said.

  Larry chuckled. He stepped next to the warrior and patted him on the shoulder. "The comment was more for my entertainment than yours, my friend," he said.

  "I see," the warrior said as he turned to unlatch the door. "This way, please. Your team is waiting."

  Larry waited as the guard opened the door. As the door moved away, there were stern faces waiting for them. As they saw Larry, they stepped aside. Larry entered into the finest restaurant that he had ever seen. Men and women sat around a long table. David sat between an attractive young African woman and a stoic Asian man. A tall, muscular man, with long blond hair tied back into a ponytail, stood at the head of the table. He was dressed in tight black clothes and he could have passed for a professional wrestler. He nodded to Larry as he entered.

  "I see our guest of honor has arrived," he said. "Now we can get down to business."

  David scoffed. "You don't know him very well then."

  "No," the tall warrior said, "But I know the man who called us all here. He spoke at great length about the importance of Dr. Efron and his word carries a great deal of importance with us."

  David shook his head. "Yeah, I still can't get over that one."

  Larry chuckled as he sat down. "And you thought all along that I was just some whack job history teacher," he teased.

  "Well yeah," David admitted, "But when you pick up a phone and press speed dial and it is a direct line to the eventual King of England, it is a still little bit of a shocker."

  "Membership has its privileges," Larry joked as he quoted a line from an old American Express credit card commercial.

  "How the hell do you know him anyway?" David asked and everyone in the room turned to Larry for the answer.

  Larry chuckled again. "We met at conference many years ago where he was the keynote speaker on energy conservation. Afterwards, I was given the opportunity to speak with him one-on-one. As it is well-documented, he plays polo as do I. He invited me to play and we struck up a friendship. It was at that time that I learned of his involvement with the council."

  The warriors nodded their approval as David shook his head.

  "Still seems so weird to me," David said, "Especially when you called him Chuck."

  Every jaw, except Larry's and David's, in the room dropped. Larry chuckled loudly.

  "He hates it too, but I am the only person allowed to call him Chuck. He knows that it is really me when I do," Larry admitted.

  The tall blond man smiled. "Interesting story, Doctor, but we need to get down to business."

  Larry nodded and pointed to David. "I agree, but you need to speak to him."

  "You?" the warrior asked in complete disbelief.

  David stood and confidently approached the head of the table. The tall warrior nodded his approval. He stood back and motioned for David to take his spot as he took a seat in a chair. Despite outward appearances, he was slightly nervous. He had never addressed a group of warriors in the past. Now, he had to ask them to give their lives to save one of their own. He cleared his throat.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, our time is at hand…"

  Larry burst out laughing. "You sound like you are the leader near the end of some cheap novel or an over-hyped major blockbuster. These people are warriors, not actors. Get to the point. That's what they are expecting," Larry stated through giggles.

  The tall, blond warrior turned to David. "He is correct. We know why we are here. You just need to tell us what you need done."

  David cleared his throat. "Very well, I will get to the point."

  Larry nodded his approval.

  "I know that many of you, if not all of you, are members of the elite force created by Bloodheart during the American Revolutionary War. I also know that many of you have never met Chris, but you have a sense of loyalty to our infamous vampire hunter."

  "He has saved many, many lives of this ancient order," the blond warrior said.

  "Yes," David continued, "And now it is our turn to save his life."

  "We are prepared," the stoic Asian warrior stated.

  David nodded. "I am aware but I have to forewarn everyone in this room: This could be your last mission."

  "We are prepared," the African woman said.

  David shook his head. "Actually, I don't think that you are truly prepared which is why I caution you."

  "Give them the details," Larry urged, "And let them decide."

  "Well, I can give you what we know. Chris, if alive, is being held captive by the vampire queen."

  There were several murmurs from the standing warriors. They received nasty glances from the blond warrior who David had determined was one of their leaders.

  "Furthermore," he continued, "If we make an attempt to rescue him, then it will be most likely at a heavily fortified vampire stronghold."

  "Been there, done that," one of the standing warriors stated.

  "And we are the only forces available."

  Silence. Several jaws dropped. David nodded solemnly. The blond warrior turned to David.

  "The council is not sending support?" he asked.

  Larry coughed. David glanced at him and shook his head. Larry became concerned. He knew that their mission now hung in the balance. It depended on how the David chose to address their concerns.

  "No," David said firmly.

  "Any explanation?" the Russian warrior asked.

  "Yes," David said calmly, "They don't know anything about this mission."

  The murmurs resumed, but the blond warrior stood.

  "My fellow warriors, I implore your silence. We cannot expect to understand his reasoning if we cannot hear his answer. Please explain."

  David nodded. "Thank you."

  He sighed and glanced around the room. He looked at every face including Larry's who nodded briefly. David knew that lies would not help their cause.

  "The reason that the council does not know of this mission is that I have been asked to resign my membership."

  The murmurs resumed.

  "COMRADES!" the Russian warrior screamed.

  Again, the silence returned.

  "We, Dr. Efron and I, were part of the failed attempt on the vampire queen's life just days ago in Canterbury. The council deemed my actions to be traitorous despite my insistence that what they saw on the video wasn't what really went on. Dr. Efron confirmed…"

  "Please explain," the Russian warrior urged.

  Larry raised his hand. "Hence our reluctance to ask you to join us on this mission. The vampire queen has become more powerful than any vampire on record. She is able to manipulate the human body to do her bidding. The video shows David shooting Chris with a crossbow, but David has no recollection of those events."

  "Is this true?" the Russian warrior asked.

  "Yes," David confirmed. "When I tried to explain to our leaders what had happened, they didn't want to hear any of it."

  "Makes me wonder why you are still here?" the Russian warrior inquired.

  David scratched his chin and he began to pace. "I have wondered the same thing. I wonder how she gained control over my body. I've thought long and hard about why I did what I did because I know that somewhere deep inside of me, I must have really wanted to do it. Maybe because Chris is a vampire or vampire hybrid or whatever he is. However, when the council told me that I couldn't be part of their war against evil, my anger grew. Despite being drafted unknowingly into this secret conflict and wanting very much to have vampires remain a part of fiction, I couldn't walk away. I realized why I am still here: I want to make a difference."

  "In what w
ay? We all want to make a difference or we wouldn't be here," the Russian warrior pressed.

  David cleared his throat. "And I believe that the council is flawed."

  "Blasphemy!" the Asian warrior stated.

  "Let him speak," the Russian warrior stated coldly.

  "I appreciate your vigor and your valor, but if we look blindly on this war, then we will never win it," David said calmly.

  The blond warrior glared at David. "Please explain," he stated.

  "Of course. The council continues to fight the war with the same methods year after year but their mandated mission has never had a hope of being completed," he said.

  "The council gives us the ability to fight the vampires," the African woman stated.

  "Yes, but the mission mandate is to eliminate the vampires yet they continue to exist and their leadership has become as powerful as they are cunning," David replied.

  "What do you suggest?" the Russian warrior asked.

  "We have to take the war to them and how we have to do it will not meet with council approval," David replied.

  "What do you mean?" the Asian warrior asked.

  The Russian warrior chuckled. "He means that we can't be all good anymore. Don't you, Comrade?" he asked.

  "Yes. While I don't suggest that we become brutal heartless killers as they are bred to be, but I do suggest that we quit playing by the rules and start trying to win this war instead of holding onto some holy ideal that has only served to prolong this war instead of ending it," David replied.

  "What do you suggest?" Larry asked before anyone else could respond angrily.

  "Well, we have to kill the queen that much is obvious. We can't do that without Chris in my opinion and I believe that he is still alive because she didn't kill him before when she had the chance. The hard part is finding her. If we find her, we should find Chris and have a chance at ending this war."

  "It would help if we knew her name," the Asian warrior stated.

  "Mikhaeli Lanaova," Larry said calmly.

  "Very Russian sounding," David said, "But I doubt that she will be dancing on the steps of the Kremlin."

  "No, she wouldn't," the Russian warrior stated. "However, she might be in Siberia."

  All eyes turned to their Russian friend.

  "The name Lanaova is infamous with ancient Siberia," he said.

  "Interesting," Larry said as he scratched his chin.

  "What are you thinking?" David asked.

  "Usually vampires, especially ancient vampires such as her, would have a home nest," Larry replied.

  "Her base is in Colorado. We've already established that," David replied.

  "That wouldn't be her true home," the Russian warrior said. "I haven't lived in my hometown in decades, but it is still the homeland. She has Russian blood. With her wealth and power…"

  "She would have a home in the country," David said.

  "It wouldn't just be any home, it would probably be a castle," Larry said. "She is old enough to be from the era of the lords and the serfs. Vampires rose to power like everyone else: They obtained large tracts of land. Where she is a woman, she wouldn't have had that many opportunities to own land centuries ago. Therefore…"

  "She was sired by a lord," the blond warrior stated.

  Larry nodded. "Exactly," he said.

  "And most likely a lord in Siberia," the Russian warrior added.

  David dashed to his original seat. He grabbed his laptop case which rested next to his chair. He quickly opened the case and removed the expensive computer. He flipped it open and began the booting cycle. Seconds later, he was tapping keys. His face twisted into a sarcastic grin. His fingers typed faster and faster as the warriors in the room became more confused. Larry chuckled.

  "I've seen that look before," he said.

  "And what look would that be?" the Russian warrior asked.

  "The look where he figured it out and he's just got to find the right information," Larry said.

  David chuckled. "Yep," he said.

  "The council should have information regarding powerful vampires from any era. If you…"

  "Not looking at the council," David replied.

  "Then what are you doing?" the blond warrior asked.

  "Larry, remember that I found that little hole in our network where the vampires were monitoring everything that we said?" David asked.

  "Yes," Larry said.

  "Well, you must also recall me saying that we needed to use that information to our advantage," David said.

  "Yes," Larry said as he nodded slowly.

  "Well, our friends have just given me the information that I needed to put it to perfect use."

  "And how is that?" the African woman asked.

  "If the queen is from Siberia as you said, then we have to assume that her home, which is probably a castle, is located somewhere within that region."

  "Yes, but there are many castles in my homeland," the Russian warrior stated, "How do you know which one it is?"

  "I don't," David said, "But I can let them know that the council is increasing its number of warriors in Russia. By adding that they are specifically to search out any ancient castles sitting on large tracts of land, it should bring a few vampires out of hiding."

  "And how does that help us?" the Asian warrior asked.

  The blonde warrior smiled. "The queen will call the largest number of vampires to protect her land and the towns in the immediate area," he said.

  "And it will create a giant neon sign saying 'Here is the queen,'" David added, "And that's where we will find Chris."

  "And we will run into possibly hundreds of vampires," the African warrior stated.

  "We will be ready," a warrior, who stood guard at the door, stated.

  Larry looked at each stoic face. They were prepared to die. The room fell silent except for the repeated clicking of the keyboard keys. The warriors waited. No one left the table to get something to eat or to use the restroom. David continued to work his computer magic. An hour and half passed. The room remained silent until David slapped the table and smiled.

  "I think that I found her," he said.

  The warriors nodded.

  "We're ready," the blond warrior said.

  * * *

  SOMEWHERE IN RUSSIA

  Ca-Click! Ca-Click! Ca-Click!

  Chris stared at the ceiling of his poorly lit cabin. His previous entertainment of timing how long it took for the guards to walk by and check on him had been replaced by the visions from his slumber. He replayed the dream several times. Was I truly talking to the vampire within me? he asked himself over and over again. The images haunted him. It seemed so real, he thought. He closed his eyes and wished that his mind would relax. Unfortunately, it would not.

  The images remained in his mind. He could see the vampire grinning at him. He could feel its evil presence in his body. Since his captivity, he had attempted to create holy water to purify his blood but they provided very little water. He knew that he was very close to joining with the evil entity that haunted his spirit. He knew that several of the things that his subconscious told him were true. He wondered why he was still alive. If I didn't want to embrace my vampire form, then why am I still alive? Is it the animal instinct of self-preservation? Is it the evil form within me fighting to stay alive? Or, more importantly, am I using this power to fight evil to make myself feel better?

  Ca-Click! Ca-Click! Ca-Click!

  He sighed heavily. His mind continued to wander. He closed his eyes and he saw his vampire face. It smiled at him. His eyes flew open. He sighed again. He stared at the dark ceiling and he saw a set of yellow eyes staring back him. He struggled against his restraints. He arched his back and screamed.

  "LEAVE ME ALONE!" he screamed at his unseen tormentor.

  He closed his eyes and his heart raced. He could hear an evil laugh in his ears. He fought against his restraints. They bit into his wrists and small trickles of blood raced down his forearms. He could smell the blood. His stoma
ch growled and churned. He shook his head as his hunger pains rapidly increased. He had never felt its fury like this before now. It was all consuming. His eyes flew open.

  "Well, if you want me to leave that badly, I'll go," Mikhaeli teased.