by L. A. A. Law
“So you’re telling me that he did that for the first time today and was that powerful without really knowing how!” His boisterous response makes me jump.
“Who are you people and how strong are you really?” His voice is too loud and I shift away from him. Softly, he inquires, “How did anyone communicate with him? I know they couldn’t have had a phone or you would have tracked it to find them right away. What exactly is going on? Who are you in league with and does this mean more trouble for this area?”
“I am not in league with anyone. I tried to tell your sister, I came here with my family because my father received a commendation for a heart transplant surgery that he performed and to assist my brother-in-law and sister-in-law with the setting up of a new terminal wing of a hospital that was just dedicated.”
“I read about that dedication ceremony in the paper the other day, but someone named Jamison is running that.”
Relieved that at least he knows about the hospital dedication, I continue. “He is a friend of Lucas who asked us for our help. My husband and his family run a hospital in Maine and they have developed a comprehensive record keeping system. We were transcribing the records of the transferred patients and helping Jamison in arranging the records so that the patients could get the best care in a proven, efficient environment. We did not come here to start trouble or to get involved with this family.”
“Regardless of your initial intentions, I’m afraid you and your family are now directly involved with this family and once they get involved with you, they do not let you go until you are destroyed.”
His words tear at my heart. Knowing the way everyone fears this family, how evil Lucas described them and how long they have lived, I can’t help but fear that some of their power comes from the demonic. My blood runs cold as I realize that they may be communicating with the netherworld and if they are, they could discover who they have! If those we fear learn that Jacob is exposed and alone, the only question is whether those who have him will turn him over to gain power with those we fear or if a contingent would be sent to take him. Either way, my son will be in a far worse situation than he is now, they will destroy him. I have to get him away from them before it’s too late.
If I only had Damian’s abilities, at least I could send Jacob a message to hide his lineage. I gasp as the ramifications of Grant’s revelation that three other vampires were captured hits me. Even if Jacob is smart enough to hide his parentage if the others are not from our family, would they protect that information too?
I am unaware Grant is touching me and hears my thoughts until his outburst tears me from my introspection. “I knew it, you are powerful, but who is it that you people are afraid of and could they be coming here?”
Wrenching my arm from Grant’s grip, my tone is harsher than I intend. “Please stop reading my thoughts. Can everyone in your pack do that?” Out of all of the creatures with talents that I had to encounter, it has to be a mind reader.
“Actually, no, it is some side effect from the original spell that Amanda cast. In the ability to read others thoughts around me, I am alone. I’m sorry, I didn’t do it purposefully, it just happens. However, I am right, you are hiding information, you are more than just what you seem and you have been hiding your children from someone. Is it because they are even more powerful than I suspect you of being? I can’t believe that I am asking or considering this, but are they fiercer than this family?”
“Grant, understand, you are right in what I am, I am a witch, but other than that, there is nothing that you need to know about my background. I assure you that my family and I are on the side of good just like you, but for their sake, my son’s sake and even your own safety, I implore you to stop trying to discover anything further.”
He is silent for what feels like an eternity. “Fine” He said gruffly, “but you have to promise me something.”
“What?”
“If what you’re trying to hide brings even more trouble, you will try to protect my children and my pack as well.”
“I promise you that my family and I always try to protect those who are aligned with good.”
Silence stretches between us for an immeasurable moment. My body relaxes as I hear a sigh. He did not silently retreat, leaving me on my own. His voice is softer now. “I brought you something. Put out your hand.”
As I do, he places something cold and circular in my palm. “It’s just water. When I came running after you, I grabbed my emergency backpack. I have some dehydrated fruits and granola.”
“Thank you.” I turn the cap and feel the twist break the little ties on the cap.
When I finish drinking, he hands me a package. “It’s just some granola and raisins. I figure it may help you feel better.”
“Thank you. Grant I’m sorry if I seemed abrupt with you earlier. I really do appreciate you coming for me. I am not trying to be deceptive. It’s just that your pack is not the only one who has lost family members to dark forces. My family and I have also been through some very trying ordeals.”
“You don’t have to say any more. The witch who helped me couldn’t talk about certain things either. She always said it was safer for me that way. You have the same tone in your voice when you speak. I didn’t take offense. It’s just that like you, all I want to do is protect my family. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
“Do you have a telephone on you?”
“Yes, but I don’t think that it would be wise to try to contact your family if Marlena and whomever took your son’s place is with them, they will hear your voice and even if you don’t convince your family that it is you on the telephone, she will still have my children or those other vampires which they captured killed as punishment.”
“I wasn’t going to call my family, not yet. I was going to call the hospital that we were expected to return to and see if they returned there.”
“If they did return there, Marlena is with them and when they patch you through, it will be over for everyone.”
He’s right, I can’t just call. Even if I asked them not to patch me through, there is a chance they could pass the message that someone called to see if they returned. Knowing Marlena could have only survived this long by being the suspicious type, she would know immediately who called.”
As I consider her suspicions, I gasp at the realization that my being in trouble could raise Andrew’s suspicions if the protectionist spell I cast so many years ago is still working. Would his seeing her next to him cause him to dispel such feelings or images? Before I can contemplate this further, my heart seizes as I realize she will be with Gabriel too. As Grant just read my thoughts, Gabriel can read hers, if he hasn’t already. If he goes after…alternative outcomes flash violently before me, each one leading to a grave outcome for someone I love.
The situation is getting graver by the minute with every road leading to someone’s impending demise. I have to risk trying to get in contact with Gabriel before he exposes what is going on. “Grant, I need you to make a call for me now, the safety of all of our children depends upon you getting in contact with my brother-in-law, Gabriel.”
“Is he with the rest of your family?”
“Yes, I just hope he hasn’t figured out what is going on yet.”
“I don’t think that it would be wise to try to reach anyone who might be around your family.”
“If he is around the family, it is imperative that I speak with him.”
“Haven’t you been listening? If she is near him, she will hear you speaking to him. What do you think he will do if he hears your claims on the telephone while he is looking right at you?”
“He will know that the one before him isn’t me, believe me and if I tell him not to do anything, he won’t.”
“Maybe we should wait and try to get into town to get an untraceable telephone before we try this.”
“We don’t have that kind of time. We have to call now!”
He grabs my arms. “Mia, what occurred to you that c
aused this type of urgency?”
I don’t want to tell him, but considering he has the telephone and with each passing moment, we are closer to it being too late, I have no choice! “Gabriel can read minds like you can. If he gets close to that Mia and realizes that it is not me...”
Quickly placing the telephone in my hand, his anxious voice is at my ear. “What number would you like me to dial?”
“207-555-7742" It goes directly to voice mail. I thrust the telephone forward to Grant. “Leave a message that you are Dr. Smythe from Boston and have a special patient that you need an emergency consult on and leave your number.”
In a muffled tone, probably to disguise his voice, he repeats what I said. Hysteria bubbles within me. I need to get hold of myself and think clearly, there are too many people at risk and too much that can go wrong quickly. “Grant do you think that they would take the children and our group to the dungeon?”
“Normally I would say yes, but since they know that your son escaped from there, I’m not sure. They may take the others there, but I would think that they would hold your son somewhere else and have someone watching him so that he couldn’t transform and escape.”
Could they possibly be so preoccupied with Jacob that they would not think about the others? “If they did take them to the dungeon, do you think that you and I could get to them? They would be expecting your pack or a large contingent, like the ones we sent to get the children, they would never expect something like you and I trying to get them back.”
“You can’t be serious!” I can hear the utter shock and disbelief in his voice. He grabs my arms again. “I know you’re frightened, but all we would accomplish by going further into their territory is getting ourselves caught and then there would be absolutely no chance of anyone getting rescued. They will kill us and all those that they have now. Mia, please you need to be reasonable and think this through! You can’t even see and I would not be able to protect you if something were to happen. Even if you were to regain your sight, although you may be a powerful witch, they have numbers and brutality on their side. They would not hesitate to kill you or anyone connected to you and if you were to hesitate at all, that would be it. I have seen what they could do and alone, I would not even be any type of challenge for them at all.”
“But I heard you and you did destroy one of them, the one that was trying to kill you.”
“How could you have heard that?”
“Grant, please that is a very long story and now isn’t the time. You have the strength to hurt them and if we could reach the others, maybe we could save the children and then I can go after Marlena and the other one and rescue my family.”
“Mia, I caught one off guard, but there is absolutely no way that I would catch them off guard again. I’m telling you that we would get killed and our children will pay the price!”
“We just can’t stay here and do nothing! There are just too many people at risk to let their deception go on and do only who knows what to our children. What if they are hunting them now!”
“I don’t think that they would be. They want to know more about how your son did what he did, they would not hunt him before figuring out how to master his powers because I am sure that even though David made Marlena look like you, it has to be an illusion of some type, he would want the power your son possesses, the power to actually turn himself into someone or something else. As far as the others and my children go, they do not know if you are dead or alive and I am holding on to the hope that they will keep them alive so that they could use them as bate if Marlena fails or a bargaining chip so that she will not be compromised.”
Considering this, a new thought occurs to me. “If we cannot get to them, is there anyone that you can trust to enter the hospital. If they went there, maybe that person could get to Gabriel and we could get help on that end and formulate a plan. Grant, keep trying Gabriel’s cell.”
Lifting the phone, he intertwines our hands. “I hope you don’t mind, but we should try to get moving. I think that we have been on their land long enough. I don’t think that they are hunting again so soon, but they could be keeping watch to see if the pack tries to attack or come on to their land to rescue my children. There is someone that I could send to the hospital but we should talk to him in person so that there are no mistakes or errors.”
We walk for what seems like hours, with him retrying Gabriel, each time the call goes to voice mail. Finally, we stop. He releases my hand as I hear a car door open and then he helps me in.
He places the telephone in my hand. “Can you feel this button?”
“Yes”
“That is the redial for Gabriel, why don’t you keep trying while I drive. While you are doing that, could you tell me now how you knew that I had killed one?”
Knowing that if I keep too much from him, he will become distrustful of me and considering this only has to do with me and I need his help to save my family, I decide to be honest. “I heard you outside of the dungeon window when you surprised and attacked one.
“I don’t understand. You weren’t a prisoner.”
“No, I was not, but when my children are in trouble, I can feel and hear what is going on around them. That’s how I heard you.”
“Can you do this with anyone that you know or is it just your children?”
“It is only my children and I’m not sure exactly how it is that I can do it other than to say that I concentrate on them and somehow feel a connection to them and their surroundings.”
He tries to joke, probably to relive the stress which is evident in my voice as I struggle to find the right words. “If you can do that without really knowing how, just think about what you could do with a stronger grasp on your power. Can your children do the same?”
“No, it is only something that I can do.”
“Well, you never know, maybe as they grow older, they too will develop that talent.”
“I never thought of that. I only hope that we can make sure all of our children can grow older. Are we almost there?”
“We are about twenty minutes out. I’ll try to get hold of him and let him know that we are on or way.”
Handing him the phone, his voice is soft and pleading. “Kenneth, I need your help and it is extremely important, several lives depend upon it. Can you stay at the house and I will be there shortly...very good.”
“He will wait for us.”
“Are you sure that you can trust him?”
“Yes, although he is not of our world, he is very trustworthy.”
“What do you mean that he is not of our world?”
“He does not belong to the surreal world, like we do, but he has strength and goodness behind him.”
After a while, the car stops and he opens his door. Opening mine, he leads me down a path. A door creaks. “Good afternoon sister Christopher, he is expecting me.”
“I’ll let him know that you are here, you can wait in the library.”
Grant takes my hand again and then we are sitting down.
“What brings you to town, you old dog. I thought that you and the children were staying on some estate.”
“That is what I came to talk to you about. Kenneth, this is Mia and we need your help to save her son, Julianne and Paul.”
“Grant what is going on?” His voice resonates concern.
“I don’t have time to explain everything right now, but do you remember the stories about the family that I told you about?”
“Please tell me that you are not getting into those fantastical stories again. I told you, there are no such things as vampires or mythical creatures”
“Kenneth is anyone other than Sister Christopher here?”
“No”
“Could you have her leave, I need to reveal something to you and then we need to discuss why I need your help, but the less people who know about it, the safer for everyone.”
“Grant this is highly strange, even for you, but just give me a moment and I will be right bac
k.”
While he’s gone, Grant whispers. “May I tell him about you?”
“He’s a priest?”
“I told you he could be trusted.”
“He won’t believe us.”
“He will when I show him what I am.”
“He doesn’t know already?”
“No, he runs the school that my children went to. We have been friends for the last twenty years, but he does not know what I am.”
“Are you sure you want to do this now, maybe if I just sought his help, your secret could still be safe.”
“I know that I can trust him. He is a very good man and like you said, there are too many people in jeopardy. I can’t lose anyone else and I don’t know what my pack will do. I think that secrets can only hurt us. If he sees what I am, he will better understand what type of supernatural forces that we are dealing with and he will be better equipped to convey the message carefully and not believe what he sees. You need to remember Mia, he may go to the hospital and you may be with Gabriel. He needs to understand how dangerous it could be and the necessity that he follows our instructions so that there are no mistakes or hesitations.”
Footsteps approach us. “Kenneth, sit down, I need to show you something and I need you to keep an open mind, I know you didn’t before and convinced yourself you were seeing things, but lives depend upon my getting through to you and not just the ones I mentioned.”
A loud growl fills the room. He transformed and I hear Kenneth gasp.
“Kenneth, are you alright?”
He doesn’t respond, but a moment later, Grant does. “Mia, I’m going to get him some water.”
I feel for his hand. “Kenneth, it’s alright, I know that it was a shock to see your friend like that, but he is still the same friend that you have always known. He doesn’t mean you any harm and we desperately need your help.”
There is still no response. Cool water drips on my hand, Grant must have secured a cold cloth to put on Ken’s neck. “It’s alright. I’m sorry for the shock, but I need you to understand what we are dealing with. Please say something.”