by C. J. Pinard
He grabbed her by her thin arm and dragged her away from prying ears. “Do not do that again.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever. You told me to feed, so I fed. Same as you. I don’t see what the big deal is.”
Brandon was smirking at this point. He was glad Angel stood up to that creep. Pascal’s days were numbered. Oh yes, they were.
Chapter 8
∞∞∞
South Shields, England – 1814
.
Five long years had passed since 1809, when Sebastian lost his mortality and his brother. He worked hard to forget the trauma of watching his brother die – and at the hands of a human, no less! He was not going to forgive, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to forget.
Sebastian did as he was told, for the most part. He continued working for Aiden, laboring on the farm, working on the fishing boat, and most of all, helping build the ship. The beloved ship that was going to take them to America. To say Sebastian was looking forward to a fresh start would be an understatement.
The building of Aiden’s precious ship was taking a lot longer than a year. Not only had the town and nearby villages been ravaged with a horrible plague, the new shipyard that was being built caught fire and ruined a lot of the new vessels. The front half of Aiden’s infant ship was an unfortunate victim of fire and had to be completely rebuilt from scratch. Aiden was beside himself. It seems nothing was going right. Half his human crew was dead from the plague and now the fire. Even some of his farm animals fell victim to the disease. Was he ever going to catch a break?
Aiden and Sebastian recruited new workers from the nearby towns. One man in particular, a Spaniard named Martin, proved to be very skillful at shipbuilding and generally everything he put to task. He was a valuable asset and never questioned why Aiden and Sebastian never worked during the daytime hours. Martin was short, but very muscular and stocky with a shock of short black hair, chocolate brown eyes, and warm olive skin.
“Isn’t she a beaut?” Aiden said, arms folded, standing on the shore of the River Tyne.
The large ship was finally complete, and it was massive. Its large white sails flapped lazily in the night breeze. The bough of the ship came to a sharp point, and at its point was a topless mermaid with her arms by her side, eyes closed, facing front, ready to take on the world. The words The Elaine were painted on the side in script letters. Beams from the almost-full moon washed the desk in a cool blue light as the two vampyres looked gleefully at their ticket to freedom.
“It’s beautiful, Aiden. When do we set sail for America?” Sebastian asked, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
“In one weeks’ time, the day of the new moon. Irish tradition states the new moon is good luck, and we will need all the luck of the Irish we can get once we set sail!”
Sebastian had his hands on his hips, looking at the massive ship which dwarfed them all. “I’m so anxious to see the New World.”
“Well, we’ll be very, very busy this week with packing and selling off what we can’t take. I’ve got five of the crewmen already committed to coming with us, but we’ll need about four more. I want you to go into town tonight and see if you can’t round up a few.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “And what, exactly, am I to tell them?”
Aiden grinned. “Aye. Tell them I am payin’ very well for deckhands to sail to America, and in return, they get free boat passage to the New World, plus wages. I’m sure you can find a few men who can’t say no to that. Oh, and no families, no women, no children. Men only.”
Sebastian looked at him curiously. “Okay, now tell me what you’re really going to do.”
“Oh, lad. Nothing of what I’m saying is untrue. We will, indeed, need deckhands. But they will also be food. Once we set sail, I will make no effort to hide our true natures. Where will they go? They will have to accept it or literally jump ship. If and when we reach land, if they choose to be turned, then we will turn them. If they choose not to be turned, they’ll die by my fang,” Aiden replied seriously.
“And if they try to kill us in our sleep?” he asked, arms folded.
“We sleep in shifts,” Aiden said. It seemed he’d thought of everything. “We need humans to work the ship during the daylight hours. And of course for nourishment. We will take little amounts from each so they keep up their strength.”
“Can’t wait,” Sebastian said.
It was Friday night and Sebastian had just awoken. Elaine was sitting at the table drinking tea. Everything else in the quaint farmhouse was packed into steamer trunks or had been sold off. The farm itself was also sold, promised to a landowner who wanted the house, the barn, the animals, everything… and had paid handsomely for it.
“Hi, Elaine,” Sebastian said, yawning.
She smiled at him, her blonde hair was down around her shoulders. “Hello. You sleep well?”
“Yep. I can’t believe it’s our last night in this house,” he said, pouring himself tea and sitting down.
“Yes, very exciting.”
“What are you reading?” he asked, pointing at her book.
“Jane Austen,” she smiled.
He grinned. “She writes great stuff.”
After he was done with his tea, he put his cup in the basin and told Elaine he was going out to feed.
It was barely sunset. He took his time on his trip to Newcastle. Since his brother’s death, he had traveled periodically to Newcastle to keep tabs on the human who killed his brother. He went about once a month and observed the interaction between the human, whose name he learned was Jonathan Murphy, and the red-haired Emma, who, he had learned through eavesdropping, was not a woman at all, but a sylph, a faerie. When Sebastian learned that little detail, it all made sense to him.
He had read in some folktales about the fae of the air; they used magical portals to transport themselves between worlds. But as far as Sebastian could gather, she never traveled to other worlds, only to different parts of this world. He did not think she could travel back in time, or to different planets or anything of that nature. He enjoyed reading the folktales when he was human, they were entertaining. Now, they held a completely new meaning to him. He never dreamed back then that the tales would actually be real.
Sebastian continually stalked the Murphys. He saw they had three children, but now the eldest was gone and the two younger ones, who appeared to be in their teens, were still at home. The boy, Ben, seemed to be very attached to Emma, and was protective of her when his father was not around. This posed a problem for Sebastian, for he was planning on killing Emma out of revenge for taking his brother’s life. An eye for an eye, or in this case, a sylph for a vampyre.
Before he knew it, he was upon the town of Newcastle. He took the dusty road through town, past the tavern and the schoolhouse, and went down the hill into the forest. He passed through the forest and made his way to the meadow behind the Murphy’s small home. Crouching behind a large rock, he waited.
He did not have to wait long. Emma came out to the pump to wash something but she stopped and threw up. This puzzled Sebastian, and disgusted him a little bit, but he was not deterred.
After she got sick, she sat up and wiped her mouth and looked around cautiously. She walked over to the pump and Sebastian knew it was now or never to make his move. He was leaving England forever come tomorrow, and this was his last chance at vengeance.
A twig cracked under his footfall and he cringed but continued on. She whipped her head up at the noise and peered around the house. Sebastian grabbed her from behind and pinned her arms down, biting violently into her neck and drinking until she lay limp. Out of habit, he listened to her heartbeat, but instead of one, he heard two. After he dropped her limp body to the ground, he smiled, knowing she had been with child, and reveled in the deliciousness of her blood. Sylph blood was good; pregnant sylph blood was out of this world. He took off at preternatural speed into the forest, grinning and laughing at his conquest. Silas was finally avenged. All was right in
his world.
∞∞∞
The Island of Nymph – Present Day
Four Immortals and one little sylph stepped through the portal and hit the sand of the beautiful, warm island.
“Wow,” Tyler breathed, still wearing his green scrubs and tennis shoes.
Thomas smiled. “Cool, right?”
“Oh, we must give Tyler the grand tour before we hit the jail cells,” Malina said.
“Absolutely,” Kathryn agreed. “Shoes off, no shoes allowed at the island,” she smiled, pointing to Tyler’s feet.
He did as he was told and asked, “Why not?”
The rest were removing their shoes as well.
“Because the sand feels like silk on your feet,” Kathryn replied.
The group made their way to the outdoor court. Unlit tiki torches lined the sandpit and a stage complete with podium stood at the front of a group of chairs lined in the sand, facing it. There was a large covering over the stage, which reminded Tyler of an amphitheater where he had seen concerts.
“This is where we hold court, or rather, where the queens hold court,” Kathryn said, taking over as tour guide. “We’ll be here Wednesday and if you can get away from the hospital, you should come and sit in on a hearing.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Tyler grinned.
The group moved to a small hut that appeared to be a lab. “This is where the sylphs do their experiments. Although, I’m really not sure what they need to experiment on anymore. It seems they’ve perfected the Enchantment recipe quite wonderfully,” she finished, smiling at Malina.
“Oh, we are always finding ways to improve,” Malina said with a devilish grin.
Kathryn shook her head and led the way out of the lab. As they made their way to the jail cells, she looked at Jonathan and asked, “Are we going to see Seth now?”
“No time like the present. But let’s give Junior here a quick tour of the facility and introduce him to the guys on Island Duty. Then Tom and I will talk to Seth alone,” Jonathan replied.
She nodded and they entered the cells, where they found Bill sitting at a small desk. He popped up when he saw them enter. “Hey! What a surprise. What’s up?”
“Bill, this is Tyler, our newest recruit,” Jonathan said.
Tyler put his hand out and shook Bill’s. “Nice to meet you, Bill.”
“Likewise. You work in the medical field?” he asked, eyeing the scrubs.
Tyler smiled. “Yes, I’m a doctor.”
Bill looked at Malina. “Really? Looks as if you finally scored yourself one, huh?”
Tyler looked confused and tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”
Thomas had his arm around her. Malina blew out a breath. “We have been looking for a doctor to join our group of Immortals for quite some time, and after Jonathan’s unfortunate incident, the queens voted unanimously to expedite the search. Lucky for you – or maybe unlucky for you – that vampire came into your hospital that night and you became the chosen one.”
Tyler said, “Well, the BSI did give me a choice.”
She grinned again. “We knew you’d make the right one.”
Tyler shrugged.
“Bill, could you give us a tour?” Malina asked.
Bill proceeded to show them the small jail’s two wings. One wing faced the water and had a row of eight cells, each with a bunk bed, a metal sink, toilet, and bench. There was a small, barred window set in the wall where the inmates could look out into the water. The only inmates on this wing were Seth and Malachi, both in separate cells, but next to each other. The shapeshifters tried to plead for some face time, but were ignored.
The second wing was very similar to the first, but without the windows. It was very dark in this wing, only overhead fluorescent lights to illuminate their steps.
“This is the vampire wing,” Bill said.
There were three inmates on this wing that they could see, each in their own cells. Two males and one female.
“What did she do?” Tyler asked, pointing. The vampire was sleeping, as it was daytime. She did not seem to be aware of the crowd peering in on her.
Bill shook his head. “She went nuts and took out a bunch of women and kids in a village in Romania. Through a translator, we surmised she was getting revenge on them for killing her mate. She’s not very old, maybe been turned a few years, if that. As if those people over there aren’t superstitious enough, right?”
Malina said, “Zoe told me about her. Her hearing is on Friday.”
“Yep. And we can’t wait. This one’s a firecracker, gives us shit every single day. Yells and screams all night.”
“The vampires aren’t strong enough to break these bars?” Tyler asked, tapping the bar with his knuckle. “The one who attacked me in the hospital was stronger than anything I have ever felt.”
Thomas answered. “The bars are iron. Iron is like Kryptonite to vampires. It doesn’t really make them sick or very weak, but it’s impenetrable to them.”
Jonathan laughed. “You and your comic books.”
“Hey, I love Superman. And you should too, Mister Man of Steel,” he grinned. “I always wanted to be Superman. But I’ve settled for Flash Gordon instead.”
Jonathan shook his head and Tyler laughed.
The group left the cells and went back to the office area where a desk and a coffeemaker, small fridge, and microwave were.
“Bill, what’s your gift?” Tyler asked, curious.
“Mind reading. And what a treat that is, let me tell you,” he said, frowning.
“Not coming in handy in a jail?” Kathryn asked, interested.
He shook his head. “Not really. These animals don’t really hide anything from us. They can’t escape and I already know they hate me, so there’s not much information to pull.”
“So, Tyler, when are you due for Island Duty?”
Tyler looked at Bill, confused, then to Jonathan. “What’s that?”
“That’s something you haven’t been scheduled for,” Malina answered for him. “Usual protocol is that every new Immortal spends two years on Island Duty and then sent to a location of our choosing.”
“Uh, I definitely wasn’t told that,” Tyler said, concerned.
“Yes, well there’s lots you haven’t learned. Anyhow, the council is still trying to decide what to do with you. Your particular assets are valuable to us in the field, but we could also use them here at the island. Plus you need to start to learn how to use your gift.”
Bill asked, “What is your gift, Doctor?”
“I can manipulate the elements, but as Malina said, I need to fine-tune it. I am okay with water, but not so much with fire.”
“That would be tricky,” Bill said with a smile. “Still, I’d rather have that than my useless gift.”
Kathryn put her arm around Bill. “Listen to me, it’s not useless. I used mine a few months ago to get information… well, you were at the hearing. You heard how we found Malina. I heard Darius lying, but we got the info out of him eventually.”
Bill nodded. “I guess when I get into the field, I’ll see.”
“C’mon, I’ll show you the mess hall while Thomas and Jonathan go see Seth,” Kathryn said, grabbing Tyler by the hand.
Thomas looked at Malina. “You go with them. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
She nodded and followed the other two.
Bill led Jonathan and Thomas back to Seth’s cell, where he was sitting, as before, reading a book. He looked up when he saw the men and set his book down, rushing to the bars. “Can I have a word, Jonathan, please?” he pled.
“Yes, we need to speak to you anyhow,” Jonathan replied. “But you go first.”
Thomas could see Malachi in the next cell over with his face at the bars.
“When is our hearing?” Seth asked, pointing in the direction of Malachi’s cell, then himself.
“Yeah, we’ve been in here for months,” Malachi added.
Thomas shot Malachi a look that
shut him up.
Jonathan looked back to Seth. “It’s going to be Wednesday. The queens will decide your punishment. And sadly for you, Serina is now a queen, so I doubt her vote is going to get you very much leniency,” Jonathan finished.
Seth let out a huge sigh. “Okay, next question. Did Sheena get my letters?” He was looking at Thomas now. “I gave them to Malina.”
“Seth, sit down,” Jonathan ordered.
“What is it?”
Malachi now had his face pressed to the bars, trying badly to see over into the next cell. A stone partition separated the cells so he could hear but not see Seth.
Jonathan blew out a breath. “Look, man, there’s no easy way to say this so I’ll just come out with it…”
“Wait,” Thomas said, holding his hand up. He walked closer to Seth’s cell and said, “Before we tell you about Sheena, I want you to tell me about my father.”
Jonathan eyed Thomas curiously but said nothing. Instead, he folded his arms and then looked at Seth to answer.
Seth frowned, but didn’t even fight it. He knew he’d never get information on Sheena without talking first. “Look, man, it wasn’t really anything. One night in 1946, he was in Golden Gate Park, and it was a full moon that night, so I had shifted into the wolf, and –”
“I thought you didn’t need the full moon to shift?” Thomas interrupted, knowing he was right since he’d seen shifters at all times of the month.
“I don’t. But when the moon is full, it takes great strength not to shift. It’s much easier to give in to it.”
Bill piped up. “It’s true; during the full moon, its hell in here. They are screaming and howling and seem to be in agony, but there’s nothing we can do for them.”
“You could let us shift, you asshole,” Seth said, glaring at Bill.
Bill smiled. “You know the consequences for that. But go right on ahead if you want.”
Jonathan shook his head. “I don’t even want to know. Go on with your story, Seth. Please.”
“So, anyway, I was the wolf and your pop came strolling through the park. What the hell he was doing there that late by himself is beyond me, but regardless, I attacked him. I was so hungry.”