The Meridian Gamble

  Our driver parks in front of Henriette’s, and I scan the street as we step onto the sidewalk, half-expecting that vampire assassins will be lurking about, waiting for us. I look for signs of the Luminos, the glowing aura around a person that tells me they are one of my people, but I see nothing as the usual array of Londoners pass us by.

  We enter the shop and sit, and Madame LaForge comes out to greet us. Her hair is just a bit more red than usual, and I wonder for the first time if she is wearing a wig, to help mask her identity. Her coif is piled high, and tucked under a small hat. She looks ridiculous, stuffed into her dress too tightly, like a character from a story. But her smile is charming, and she treats Mother as if she is a queen.

  “Madame Caldwell, it is such a pleasure to see you, again. I have the most lovely fashions to show you, fresh from Paris.”

  “Your fashions are always just in from Paris,” Marjorie says, somewhat sarcastically. “Are they shipped that frequently?”

  “But, of course! I have a sophisticated clientele who will not be pleased with just anything,” the woman says in shock. “Clotilde?”

  She calls out to one of the young shop girls in her employ, who brings out tea for my sisters and Mother. And Madame LaForge begins displaying dresses for our perusal, hoping to impress us.

  The woman barely acknowledges me, and I find it almost strange. I begin to wonder if Cecily had it right, that I was supposed to come here on this day to meet the Luminos. I stare out the window again, wondering if I will see someone outside, watching for me.

  And after she has paraded several of her latest fashions in front of us, Madame LaForge finally turns my way.

  “And now I have something especially for you, my dear. The most elegant wedding dress you could possibly imagine, designed especially for a lovely young girl like yourself, by Claude Durand.”

  “Designed by Monsieur Durand?” Mother says.

  He is the latest sensation to come from France, one who all of Mother’s friends speak of.

  “But, of course! Did I not say my fashions are the best Paris has to offer?”

  Her assistant, Clotilde, brings the dress out, and I am sure it must be stunning, but I am too nervous to look at it closely. All I see are piles of silky white fabric. But Mother and Marjorie seem to coo over it in delight.

  “This is very lovely. Caroline, what do you think?”

  “I would like to try the dress on,” I say, just a bit too loudly. And I hope that the others do not notice the way my voice trembles.

  “But, of course,” Madame LaForge says, with enthusiasm.

  “Perhaps it would be better if we have Madame LaForge hold the dress aside, while we look at a few others first.”

  “I am quite sure that this is the dress I will be wearing,” I say.

  “Excellent,” Mother replies. “Then have it sent to our house for a fitting.”

  “I am hardly going to have her waste such an effort, Mother. This is not a party frock to turn heads. It is my wedding dress, the only one I shall ever wear. And I would like to try it on now, to be sure.”

  Mother is taken aback by my rudeness, but she tries to hold in her reaction.

  “Of course, dear.”

  “And has Mr. Durand sent you any of his other fetching creations?” Marjorie asks, hopefully.

  “Absolument! Clotilde, bring in the other gowns, while I assist young Miss Caldwell.”

  Madame LaForge takes my hand, and leads me into the back of the shop.

  Behind the front room, there is a fitting area, with mirrors and screened off areas, for one to change in private. I stop for a moment, and am almost ready to try on the wedding dress she has shown me, but I remember the real purpose of my visit.

  “Oh, what am I thinking …”

  Madame LaForge holds a finger to her lips, quieting me. She leads me down a narrow corridor, into a large room farther on. It is a storeroom at the back of the shop, with high ceilings and unfinished walls, along which rows and rows of dresses are stored. And in the middle of the space, there is a chair that sits alone. Madame LaForge holds out a hand, offering it to me. And she returns to her other customers.

  I take my seat, and for a moment, stare at the cold grey walls that surround me. The rack full of dresses nearby suddenly seem so appealing, from a better time of my life when I had little more to do than shop and try to look pretty. There are windows along the back wall, toward the ceiling, ones that look out onto a building across the way, and I wonder what the tenants of that other edifice will think if they see me, and what is about to transpire.

  Within moments, I hear a door open from a darkened corridor to my left that must lead to the alley. Several men in suits enter the storeroom of the shop.

  There are four of them, all have a distinct glow about them, the sign of the Luminos. But in two, it is more pronounced than the others. I immediately recognize them, from my time as Saga. Their faces flash back to when they had swarthier complexions, and I realize that the men are my father and uncle. And though the General bears a false smile that others might believe, there is something in the way he stares at me that makes me rethink the risk I have taken today.

  But nonetheless, I must press on.

  It is strange, the General still looks the same in some ways. He is roughly the same age as he was when I saw him last, and has the same thin frame and balding head. But now he has a trim grey beard and wears an expensive suit, and plays the role of the sophisticated gentleman. And the pleasant smile he bears is the best part of his disguise, as he always held such a grim expression in the past.

  My uncle is older than the General in this time, their ages are not in the same relation to what they were in the past. And his frame is far more weak than the virile man I knew him as, but at least he seems to hold some sympathy for me in his eyes.

  It’s difficult for me to focus on their present forms. Their visages from the past keep appearing before my eyes. And I am dazzled by the glow that surrounds all of the men.

  “Caroline Caldwell?”

  “Yes,” I say, timidly.

  “Do you recognize me? I am known amongst my people as ‘The General.’”

  “You were my father. And he was my uncle.”

  Uncle nods to me, with a small smile.

  “You sent me into the temple of Pharaoh, to assassinate the vampires.”

  “But that is not what happened, is it?”

  “I … I do not know. The memories have only just begun to return to me. I remember my childhood in that time, my training. And I remember them transforming me, a bit more.”

  “Yes, well, it is perhaps best that you do not remember everything. There are many unpleasant memories to be had from that time,” he says. “Among my people, you are known as Saga, the great betrayer.”

  The men who are with the General look to each other, as if afraid of me. And I begin to worry about the way the General refers to the Luminos as “my people” and not “our people.” It seems curious that he still does not consider me one of them.

  “I understand that I made horrible mistakes in the past. But hopefully, I can correct them now,” I say, softly.

  “Yes, we’ll talk of that in a moment,” he says. “But first I must know something. Since your life as Saga, have you returned any other times?”

  “No. I don’t believe that I have.”

  “Interesting. You are the only one of us who has returned so infrequently. And I wonder, why have you come back now? What are your reasons for contacting us?”

  “Because … I am afraid. I worry that the vampires have something planned that will bring about the destruction of us all.”

  He smiles, just a bit sadly.

  “The vampires constantly plot our destruction. And we are well aware of their plans. They are in love with power, and intend to absorb your father’s business into their empire. And your marriage is the key to their scheme.”

  “But there is more to it than just that. They seem to have a sinister intent
ion for me.”

  “I’m quite sure that they do. But for now, we must concentrate on stopping their takeover of the company.”

  “Perhaps you should listen to the girl,” Uncle says.

  “We haven’t time. They could be coming for us as we speak. Our other betrayer is skulking around.”

  And I know he means Adam.

  “What … what do you need me to do?” I ask, timidly.

  The General smiles down at me, in the way one would look at a child you are trying to have patience with. And the edges of his mouth curl in a sinister way that frightens me.

  “Do? There is nothing for you to do, per se. But your marriage must be stopped. And, unfortunately, there is an elegantly simple way we can do this, and help you begin to pay for your transgressions of the past, as you claim you want to do.”

  I watch in horror, as the General pulls a revolver from the coat of his jacket, one that he aims at me.

  “Hopefully, when I see you again, you can finally join the Luminos as an equal, and truly take part in our war.”

  I gasp, and it’s over in an instant. He doesn’t even give me the chance to beg. I see a flash of light, and I feel a pain in my stomach, unlike anything I have ever felt before. It is so severe that I barely notice as my chair falls backward and I land on the floor.

  And a fight seems to break out amongst them, for a moment. It flashes through my mind that perhaps one of the Luminos men is defending me, maybe my old uncle is outraged that the General would turn against me. But then I realize that it is Adam who is assaulting them. And he quickly clears the room, as they flee in terror.

  My head turns toward the door that leads to the shop, and I realize it is locked. A pounding comes from the other side, and I can hear Mother’s screams. And I feel such guilt at having brought this upon them. I hope she will not feel too bad when I’m gone.

  Because, to my horror, I can see a pool of blood forming on the floor around me. And the last thing I feel is a hunger for it.

  I become more acutely aware of my pain, as Adam lifts me. He is still with me, and looks at me with concern in his beautiful eyes.

  “How are you here?” I say.

  “I was following you. I was using you, to help find the Luminos. I should never have risked you in that way.”

  He looks down at my stomach.

  “Caroline, I’m sorry I’m too late.”

  “Saga.”

  “What?”

  “Saga. I am Saga. I should have told you,” I say. “Hopefully, this will at least help end your hatred of me.”

  “I don’t hate you,” Adam says. “I never did.”

  There’s something in my mouth, and I remember the taste from her time. It’s more of the blood. And I realize I don’t have long.

  “Did she ever tell you the truth? Did Marion tell you why I begged her to change you?” I wheeze.

  “No, she told me nothing,” Adam says.

  I cough, spattering red specks about in an unseemly way. And I feel bad for a moment, that I have sullied Adam’s shirt.

  There’s too much to say, too much I need for him to know, and I don’t know if I can do it. My pain is too great, and I am weakening. But it occurs to me I don’t need to say it at all. There’s another way.

  “Bite me,” I say, in a whisper. “Drink of me before I die, and absorb me. You need to know the truth.”

  A look of fear comes into Adam’s eyes.

  “No, I can’t.”

  “I’m going to die anyway. What does it matter?”

  “It is a sin,” Adam says. “The worst our kind can make, to consume the life of another’s Chosen One. I will be punished.”

  And I’m sad, when I realize he won’t do it. Maybe it’s that Adam simply doesn’t want my spirit walking around with him. But hopefully, I have a few words left.

  “I loved you. Since the beginning. It was always you. I just wish you could have finally known me, for once.”

  And something changes in Adam’s face. He looks around in confusion, deciding. Before my light can disappear, he bares his fangs, and plunges them into my neck.

  Marion was right, the venom does help to take the pain away. The delicious pleasure of the vampire bite begins to course through my body. And in some small way, it feels nice, to finally have Adam hold me close.

  As he drinks, I look over his shoulder, and see a vision; an image of a woman, with flowing black tresses and a voluptuous figure. She wears a bright purple dress that plunges at her neck in a daring way, that shocks me even in my state. And she smiles at me sweetly, in a manner that comforts me. From her surroundings, I have the impression that she lives in the future, some far away place that I can barely imagine exists. One that I hope is better than here.

  And a single word comes into my mind, a strange one. Meridian.

  It is a color, I think. Or something to do with a map. But in this case, as odd as it seems, I know it is the woman’s name, the one that belongs to my future self.

  But in my world, Adam breaks our connection. He pulls away, looking into my eyes. And I summon what little strength I have left to utter my last words.

  “I’ll come back to you again …”

  A bright light forms around the woman from my vision, and it becomes a tunnel that begins to pull at me. And I’m too weak to fight it. I am ripped from this place, and hurdle off toward my new adventure.

  And I only hope that Adam will remain safe until I can return.

  Chapter Ten: Roland

  I feel like I’ve just risen from the dead.

  My whole body is sore and I’m groggy, barely able to move. I roll over and look around for a moment, confused as to where I am, which is becoming a familiar feeling. So I search for some visual clues to help me figure out which reality I’ve landed in.

  I’m in a bed, a big one. Adam is lying next to me under the covers, and being near him gives me the same thrill it always does, the one that makes me feel like I’m still in a dream, that he’s too beautiful to be real. His hair is short and tousled, so we’re not in ancient Egypt. And though the bed has big posts with thick curtains, they’re not the delicate, lacy white ones of Caroline’s bed. Behind him is the spectacular view of New York I remember, the one from his bedroom window, which tells me we’re in the real world, not the bizarre Astral Plane where we made love before.

  I look down at my arms, which have one or two little brown moles, and they’re thicker than Caroline’s, which were delicate and perfectly alabaster. And it feels unnatural for me to be in my own body, as though I should still be in hers. I can almost feel the pain in my stomach from where she was shot.

  Adam stares at me for a long while, fascinated by my reactions. But he seems to understand that I need a moment to readjust to my surroundings. I brush aside the thick curls that have fallen over my face, and try to shake off my stupor.

  “Geez, what time is it?” I say with a raspy voice.

  “Don’t worry, it’s still early.”

  “On what day?”

  “You might want to worry about that,” he says, with a small smile. “It’s Thursday.”

  “Of what week?” I say, in a panic.

  “The same week. You’ve been asleep for a little over a day. I called your boss, to tell him you were ill.”

  “Oh God, I’m sure Roy Thompson loved that one. I’ve never had a boyfriend call in sick for me before.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m very persuasive. He thought it was the most natural thing in the world, whether he wanted to or not,” Adam says with a smile.

  And I shudder at the thought of my lover using his mental powers on my boss. From a distance. It’s frightening to think that the vampires are that powerful. But then again, Roy Thompson is a small man who’s concerns rarely go beyond trying to figure out new ways to get me to do all the work at the office. Maybe it didn’t take much to influence his mind, after all.

  “Here, you need to drink,” Adam says.

  He passes me one of the little
square bottles of water that I love. I take a big gulp, and the simple clear fluid is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. It’s like a slice of heaven. I hadn’t even realized how parched I was.

  Adam is still staring at me, and as I look back at him, the enormity of what I’ve absorbed begins to sink in. Sifting through Saga and Caroline’s lives has altered the reality of my own.

  “You’re Luminos, like me,” I say.

  “I once was,” Adam says. “But I’ve lost that power, the ability to see them, when I became a vampire. But perhaps I still retain some small sense of their presence, which is what makes me so good at hunting them down.”

  “You’re still Luminos on some level. Becoming a vampire didn’t change that for me. I still came back. I still remember,” I say. “Does it feel strange? Not being a part of them?”

  Adam looks away and shakes his head.

  “I don't regret anything. The Luminos will never win this war, Meri. I’ve picked the right side of the battle. And after all I’ve done, I could never go back to them, anyway. But I don’t care about this silly war. I’m only here for you.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “Because I didn’t want to influence your memories. I wanted them to come back to you naturally, so you could trust what you saw.”

  It’s so strange, all the experiences I’ve reabsorbed from my past. It’s hard to believe they’re even real.

  “Adam, we’ve been passing each other up in all these lives. You didn’t even know how I felt about you until … what happened between you and Caroline.”

  “I think I knew, on some level. And I felt the attraction too, although I didn’t say it. But it wasn’t until Caroline gave herself to me, that you gave yourself to me, that I truly understood. And that’s when I fell in love with you in return.”

  He smiles sweetly, and I can see he’s recalling memories of his own, ones he shared with a part of me that I never even knew existed.

  “That’s … so bizarre,” I say. “What was that like? To carry her around?”

  He gives a small laugh.

  “She was so you. She appeared to me only infrequently, and at odd times. But it was enough for her to tell me her story, of how she felt. And to help me, upon occasion. It killed me, to think that I destroyed her life, that I threw away a chance for us to be together. But when the visions stopped, that’s when I suspected you were coming back, as she told me you would. And I knew we would have another chance,” he says. “Do you remember any of it? Are you even conscious of appearing to me?”