"I heard a rumor that you recently came into the need for an ancient history professor to replace one who recently went on sabbatical but now will not be returning."
"You'll start Monday."
David smiled.
* * *
Rowlett carried another large box into the store. He shook his head. Since the store reopened, suppliers arrived every day with their backorders. He couldn't understand why they just didn't return the out of date comics until he walked into Chris' private quarters. He signed off on the order and he placed the bill in a large stack where David had showed him to file it. There were thousands of dollars owed, but he was told not to worry about it. As instructed, he took the latest arrivals to Chris' quarters.
The vampire hunter sat at his desk. Stacks of boxes filled the room. Rowlett glanced at his mentor. Unlike his previous fifteen trips into the room, Chris was not cataloguing and storing the latest additions to his collection. Instead, his hands were folded in front of him. His head rested on his knuckles. He whispered softly. Rowlett waited for his mentor to finish his prayer. Chris sat up and did not bless himself. Rowlett was confused.
"Did you get his voicemail or something?" the muscular African man asked.
"No," Chris replied coldly.
"Changing our practices?"
"Different number," Chris replied as he opened his hands.
Rowlett nodded as Larry's kippah came into view. The warrior nodded. "Are you okay?"
"I will never be okay, my friend," Chris replied, "But I do know what we have to do."
"And what is that?"
"We need to rebuild the Blackhearts and do what we should have been doing all along."
"And what is that?" Rowlett asked.
"Take the war to them."
"And what will that get us?" Rowlett asked.
Chris looked at the kippah in his hands. His voice turned ice cold. His vampire face appeared.
"Revenge."
SIBERIA, RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Mikhaeli, who was dressed in her customary black leather outfit and high-heeled boots, strolled through the hallways of the castle. Her minions had worked around the clock for the last week to repair the damage from the siege on the castle. They had repaired the holes in the walls, swept up destroyed vases, and replaced doors. Her minions acknowledged her with a bow as she passed them. She smiled, but her mind was elsewhere. She had a meeting planned in the dining room. It was the only thing on her mind.
She walked into the dining room. The long table, which was ordered to be repaired before anything else, was once again flawless. Lord Blackraven sat at the far end of the table. He sipped from a golden chalice. Two large vampires stood guard next to the ancient vampire. He smiled as he noticed the beautiful vampire queen.
"Mikhaeli," he said, "Enter and sit please."
"Leave us," she ordered the vampires.
"My dear," Lord Blackraven stated, "I believe that they answer to me."
"Very well," she said as she continued to approach the seated vampire.
"I ordered that you sit," Blackraven said coldly.
Mikhaeli smiled. She pulled out a chair and sat. She stared at Lord Blackraven. "You wished to speak with me," she said.
He smiled. He motioned with his hand and one of the vampires left his side. He walked to the wine rack and he removed a fresh bottle of blood wine. He opened the bottle and filled a large golden chalice. He returned to the table and handed the sparkling chalice to Mikhaeli. She smiled and nodded. She placed it on the table in front of her.
"How are the repairs coming along?" Blackraven asked.
"On schedule. I still do not understand why we have not moved our base of…"
"Again, know your place. I do what I please," Blackraven said.
She nodded as she picked up the chalice. She sipped it. "Forgive me, Master," she said.
He nodded. "Forgiven. Now, I must discuss why I brought you here today."
"Very well," she said.
"One of my minions said that they overheard you wondering why I selected you over Lord Viktor," he said.
She nodded. "It has crossed my mind."
He smiled as he sipped his drink. He looked over his chalice at her. "I needed a strong apprentice who would help me in my quest. I knew that if you could achieve the power to raise and kill your sire, then you would be powerful enough to complete a new and more dangerous quest."
"And what quest would that be?" she asked as she placed her chalice on the table.
"The retrieval of my amulet. As you know, vampires do not age, but I am elderly. When I had my amulet during the formation of the Order of Twelve, it contained great power. I came under an attack by the council. I changed my appearance and I gave my amulet to another member of the Order of Twelve for safe keeping until I could retrieve it at a later time. I used my current appearance to slip through the council blockade. When I fled, I cast the reversal spell but nothing happened. My appearance remained the same. I realized then that I needed the amulet to return to my true self. Alas, the Order of Twelve member was lost and with him, the hidden location of my amulet. With the amulet, I would have the power to restore my health and be powerful enough to begin a new Order of Twelve."
She smiled. "So that is why I was sent to find the tomes, so hopefully they listed the location of the amulet."
Blackraven nodded. "Or clues to its location."
"Interesting story, Vlady" she said.
"That is Master," Blackraven said coldly.
Mikhaeli smiled and stood. She walked towards the seated vampire. The two vampires stepped in front of her. She smiled sweetly at them before extending both of her arms. The large vampires flew backwards. They crashed into the stone walls of the dining hall. Their bodies shattered and slumped to the ground. They did not move.
"That was fun," she said as she continued to walk towards Lord Blackraven.
"Stop," he commanded.
She smirked. "Please, that will no longer work on me, Vlady," she said.
She walked behind him. Lord Blackraven stared directly ahead.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"You ordered me to know my place," she said as she leaned forward and whispered in his ear.
"You are…"
"…your Queen," she whispered as she stabbed a stake through the back of his chair.
The stake rammed through his chest. His green blood dripped from the end of the sharpened piece of Mongolian oak. Lord Blackraven's eyes widened with fright. His frail body began to decay as green lines traced his body. Slowly, his body dissolved. Mikhaeli smiled.
She picked up his glass and sipped it. It was fresh blood. She allowed the taste to dance over her tongue. The sensation of her growing powers sent shivers down her spine. She purred.
"A girl could get used to this," she said as she looked over chalice.
She glanced down at the decaying corpse that was once Lord Blackraven. "A new Order of Twelve, huh," she whispered, "I guess I have some reading to do."
She smiled evilly.
Table of Contents
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
EPILO
GUE
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