Vasha nodded and picked up the phone. "A plot between psychics and vampires to kill other vampires. Strange indeed," she said as she tapped her sharp nail on the screen of the phone.
For a few seconds, there was only the sound of Vasha's tapping on the screen, until Kara broke the silence.
"Will you help us?"
Vasha stared at Kara for a moment and she almost looked annoyed, but she soon smiled. "Well, I must say, you've piqued my curiosity. I believe I wish to know the answer to this riddle as much as you now." Vasha held up her finger. "But that doesn't mean I will help you without something in return." She pointed at Damien. "You, you are a strapping young vampire with much strength, I can tell. You will owe me a favour, to be used at my discretion. Only then will I help you find this mastermind."
Damien had his brow raised, and he glanced from Vasha to Raymond and Kara. They both nodded to him to go with it. They had discussed the possibility on the drive over, and weighed the pros and cons of owing Vasha another favour. In the face of more attacks and someone dying, owing Vasha seemed light in comparison. Without another word, Damien gave his consent.
After Vasha got Damien's number for his future favour, she rose from her chair with the detective's phone in hand. "I will work on this immediately. You can order something to eat, as this may take some time. Not to worry, it will be on the house," she added with a smile before she turned around and left with her bodyguards. As she moved she told someone to bring them menus and give them whatever they ordered free of charge.
With the mention of food, Kara began noticing how hungry she had gotten. She didn't finish her dinner because Raymond interrupted, and it was past ten at night now. Her stomach grumbled as she actually allowed herself to take in the smells of the gourmet food in the restaurant.
Kara, Raymond, and Damien all ordered something to eat, and servers brought it out to them fresh and hot and to die for. Kara ordered something spicy, her favourite, while Raymond ordered fish and Damien ordered a rare steak.
After they finished eating, their server brought them drinks, but after Kara realised what it was, she declined. Their drinks were wine glasses half-filled with blood. Kara didn't know where the blood was from, and so she didn't drink it. The others gladly drank a free second meal, and complimented the quality of the food.
Kara couldn't help but feel uneasy. Vasha was being almost too nice to them, and too cooperative. It could be just as she said—something like this is unprecedented. If a vampire is helping psychics kill other vampires, Vasha would want to know and stop them… It could also be that she's warming up to me. She was going to cook a meal for Olivia and me that one time. Kara smiled slightly, and nodded to herself. Yeah, that must be it. She shook off the uneasy feeling.
Vasha returned to the dining room and sat back down at the table. Her face was stone, and her expression unreadable. The three waited with bated breath for her to tell them what she’d found, but they all knew better than to rush her.
"Are you sure you want to know? Given what I found, I would suggest backing down."
Kara pursed her lips. "We can't back down, not now."
Vasha nodded. "There were numerous texts back and forth between this Detective Simmons and his handler. The number of the handler belongs to a vampire previously in my employ, but he works for a different vampire now."
Kara's jaw dropped in shock, despite knowing it would be a vampire. "Who does he work for now?"
"Zaal Dalton."
The three were taken aback at the mention of that name. Zaal Dalton was a vampire on the same level as Vasha. He was said to be almost as old as she, and just as powerful, if not more so amongst vampires, because of his work with the Vampire Command.
"But—" Kara began saying.
"Yes," Vasha replied. "Dalton is a staunch pacifist. He's the reason why we aren't warring against psychics right now. It seems that the reason why he's so against us going to war is because he's on the psychics' side." Vasha motioned for one of her bodyguards, and he brought over a folder to her. She took the folder, opened it, and slid it over to them. "I was able to get these emails between several prominent psychics discussing the end of the vampire race—with the exception of Zaal, of course."
Kara took the folder and started flipping through the pages. Raymond and Damien leaned over to look at it as well. The words on the pages painted a clear picture of exactly what Vasha was saying.
Kara looked up from the folder, and Damien took it from her. "But… why? Why would he do this?" Even though she didn't know the man personally, she knew him by reputation, and the reputation was that he wanted the vampire race to survive, and to survive he’d convinced everyone to stop fighting.
Vasha shrugged. "I don't know how you expect me to explain the man's change of heart, but his motives are clearly written on those emails. He wants to survive, and be the only vampire left alive."
Damien threw the folder down on the table, and the papers fell out and scattered across it. "That bastard played everyone for fools while he set up our people to die. Who knows who else he's killed."
Kara wanted to object, but in the face of all the evidence Vasha provided her lips wouldn't move. Her eyes widened as a thought struck her. That's right, this is Vasha's evidence. What if she's setting Zaal up to take the fall for this so that he's discredited and she can start a new war? Kara looked straight at Vasha. Would Vasha do something like that though? I know she's probably hired Dr. Barker-Wilson to research making a weapon against psychics, but it's like Olivia said: it could be for self-defence. What does she gain by creating a new war?
Vasha noticed Kara's gaze, and she returned it. "In that file I put Zaal's address, should you wish to speak with him, or enact revenge, whatever you desire."
"You're not going to send anyone to stop him?"
Vasha chuckled. "I said before I was intrigued about why a vampire was hiring psychics to kill other vampires. My curiosity is satisfied now, so there's no further meaning to my involvement."
"What if he comes after you?"
Vasha smirked. "I'm perfectly safe; I can assure you of that."
Damien rose from his seat and walked to the exit of the restaurant.
Kara did a double take and called after him before giving Vasha one last look. Vasha still wore the smirk and flashed her fangs as she drank the blood from Kara's wine glass she’d left at the table. Kara couldn't tell if it was a smug smirk of outsmarting someone, or a simple happy smile. She didn't know if she wanted to find out either way.
4. Kneel Before Zaal
"All I'm saying is that it's late, and I think we should rest and think things over before we rush in," Kara said.
Kara, Raymond, and Damien were all in Damien's car, driving around aimlessly at this point, trying to decide what to do. Raymond was driving, and Damien and Kara were discussing things in the back seat.
"That's stupid. The longer we wait, the more time Zaal has to prepare another attack. Next you're going to be telling me we shouldn't kill him," Damien shouted.
Kara scratched her face and looked away. "Well…"
Damien's jaw dropped and he scoffed. "This is the person who sent a group of psychics to kill us, who sent an assassin to kill Olivia. Need I remind you that that was the same assassin that nearly killed you as well? What possible reason could you have to let him live?"
Kara summoned her courage and stared straight at Damien. "Because we don't know if what Vasha said was the truth. Something about how she was acting seemed… off."
Damien gave Kara a doubtful look, and then his phone tinged, indicating a text message. He took it out and looked at it. He seemed to be checking out of the conversation.
After a moment, Kara spoke up. "Well, what are you thinking?"
Damien stared at the screen of the phone for another moment. "What do you suggest we do when we meet with Zaal?"
"Let's just talk with him, get his side of the story, and then go from there. Maybe we can bring what Vasha gave us to the Co
mmand and have them investigate it."
Damien put away his phone, looked at Kara, then turned away and stared out the window. "Fine, we'll sleep on it, and then in the morning we can follow your lead."
Kara let out a breath she had been holding. "Thank you, Damien," she said while touching his arm.
Damien looked at her hand, then at her, and then went back to glancing at the passing cars. He appeared deep in thought, with his muscular arm resting on the doorframe and his hand under his chin.
The group were silent for the remainder of the car ride, as they headed back to where Raymond had parked near Simmons's apartment. After giving Damien back his keys, Raymond and Kara went to his vehicle and he drove Kara home.
She checked her phone, and noticed that it was almost midnight now. She entered her apartment trying not to make any noise so that Mr. Montgomery wouldn't wake up. She thought it might be a futile effort though. Mr. Montgomery seemed to always hear her when she arrived late.
Sure enough, just as she was closing the door, she could hear him shuffling in his favourite chair. She saw him waking up and donning his glasses, and noticed the television was still playing. He must have stayed up waiting for me.
"That you, Kara?" he asked.
"Yes, it's me Mr. Montgomery," she replied.
She noticed that the dishes she’d left on the table were cleared, and the crock-pot full of chili was off the counter, presumably in the fridge. Mr. Montgomery even managed to clean up after her.
Kara smiled. "Come on, let's get you to bed." She went over to Magnus and helped him out of the chair.
"I don't need your help," he stated, but he didn't pull away.
Kara kept her hand entwined in his, despite his assertion. "I know."
She guided Magnus to his room, and helped him into bed before saying goodnight to him and heading to her room.
Kara lay down on her bed and tried to decode the conversations she’d had over the day. From Simmons's failed dying words, to Vasha's expressions, and Damien's shutting down on the car ride. She didn't know whom to trust, but she did know that she wanted to talk with Zaal and see what he had to say.
After some time thinking it over, Kara sat up in her bed. I only have one chance to ask him the questions I want.
She got out of bed and sneaked out of the apartment, the file folder Vasha had given her in hand. Once on street level, she opened the folder and took note of the address before calling a cab to drive her there. After a few minutes, the cab came and drove her to Zaal Dalton's address.
After a twenty-minute drive into a secluded neighbourhood, the cab dropped Kara off in front of what she could only describe as a castle.
Dalton's mansion was made of brick and even from Kara's vantage point at the far end of a long driveway she could tell it was massive. The grounds were like something out of a movie, with fresh-cut grass, evergreen trees and bushes, and a fountain just in front of the door. The mansion itself had several floors and windows covered by thick blinds.
He won't have to worry about burns in the summer with blinds like those.
Kara paid the cabbie and exited the vehicle. She took one last longing look at the mansion before the cab sped off. She went up to the gate and pressed on the intercom button to see if anyone would answer.
As she waited for the intercom to ring back, Kara looked around the large front gate—it looked ajar, but she couldn't be sure. She went over and pulled on the iron bars, and it swung open. The lock keeping it in place was broken.
She immediately looked over to the mansion, and then at the silent intercom. Something felt amiss.
Kara opened the gate and entered the driveway. As soon as she entered, she noticed something poking out of a nearby bush. She went closer to see what it was, and noticed the dead bodies of two guards.
She gasped at the sight, and her thoughts went to how Damien was acting on the car ride. He received a text, and then stopped arguing with her. Did he agree with me so that he could come here on his own and kill Dalton? She gritted her teeth. Damn it, Damien!
Kara focussed her mind and encompassed her body with the barrier of power. After she formed her shield, she ran with all her speed to the mansion's entrance. She ran up the side of the fountain and jumped over the water in a straight line towards the door.
The doors were wide open, the hinges busted off, and she could see the inside. She slowed down and cautiously entered the main hall.
The main hall of the mansion was empty and expansive. Beneath Kara's feet there was a mosaic painted on the floor, and to the front a large extravagant staircase leading up to the second floor. Dozens of paintings and other ornaments covered the walls and spoke to the riches the owner held.
Kara noticed blood on the floor near the stairs, then another splatter on the railing. She followed the blood to the second floor and into a hallway. The mansion was eerily quiet and empty. Her own footsteps echoed off the walls and made it sound like someone was walking behind her. Every inch forward had her looking over her shoulder and jumping at shadows.
She walked through the hallway, passing by a multitude of doors and marble statues and mounted weapons.
The smell of blood drew her along, and at the end of the hallway she went to the right and up another set of stairs. The trail led her to the top, down another hall, and to a room.
She held the doorknob and took in a deep breath to concentrate her mind. She was ready to send a blast of psychic energy at whatever she saw beyond the door. She turned the knob and pushed the door open.
In the room—a study, judging by the large bookcases and chairs and fireplace—she saw Damien lying in one of the chairs. He was bleeding from his mouth and chest, and his eyes were closed.
Kara screamed his name, rushed over, and knelt down next to him. When she placed her hands over his, he woke with a start and flung his hand towards her neck. Her psychic barrier protected her from his strike.
"Damien, it's me," she coaxed.
Damien's eyes, though tired, lost their glaze as he focussed on her face. When he realised who it was, his hand flopped down on the arm of the chair.
"Kara, what…?" Damien coughed up more blood. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to talk with Dalton, and then I saw the gate was broken and the guards were killed." She gripped Damien's hands and shook them as she closed her eyes. "Why couldn't you just wait? Why…?"
Damien didn't respond for a moment. "Because I knew you didn't have the power to do what's necessary. I didn't want you put into a position that you couldn't handle."
"What position? The position of killing someone for no good God-damn reason?"
Damien managed to muster some strength back into his words. "How about trying to kill my friends. Isn't that good enough reason?"
"We don't… you don't know that he's the one behind this."
Damien gave a weak laugh. "That was always the thing that annoyed me about you: you're too naive." Despite his words, Damien's voice was soft and sounded like the old Damien, before he’d known she was a psychic.
When Kara looked up at Damien to respond, his eyes widened, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking behind her. Kara turned her head to look over her shoulder. Damien wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back. Together, the two of them fell back in the chair. Kara felt a pressure of wind along the back of her head and neck as if something flashed by her.
Dalton's attacking us!
Instinct kicked in and when Damien and she hit the floor she rolled over to the side and thrust her hand out. She sent a psychic wave at the attacker with more force than she had ever mustered before. The blast made contact, and Kara was only able to register Zaal Dalton's eyes widening as the psychic energy forced him back. Dalton flew towards the other end of the mansion. Kara gritted her teeth and continued pushing with all her might. She wasn't able to see Dalton, but she could hear the sound of him crashing into wall after wall of stone towards the end of the mansion. She relaxed her mind and lowered
the psychic wave after a moment.
Kara jumped to her feet and helped Damien up from the overturned chair. "C'mon, we need to get moving. If he's any bit the vampire everyone says he was, that didn't kill him."
When Damien tried to stand on his feet, he doubled over and coughed. A spurt of blood burst from his mouth. Kara used her powers to seal the wounds on the outside of Damien, and to support his legs so he could stand.
"Were you trying to kill him?" he asked.
Kara put his arm over her shoulder. "No."
She pulled Damien along, and they exited the other side of the study and into the hall again.
"This way," Damien said as he pointed to the right and down the hall.
Kara looked over to where he was pointing, and it was a dead end. "But that way is the entrance," she said, pointing to where she’d come from.
"Trust me," he replied.
Kara looked over at Damien, and in his eyes she saw some sort of determination. It was the same determination that she’d admired about him and fallen in love with so long ago.
She guided Damien over to the end of the hallway. Damien lifted his free hand and started to touch the wall. He tilted his head, and Kara could see he was sniffing the air. She looked at the wall and mimicked him.
Blood! And not Damien's. But where is it coming from?
As if to answer her, Damien punched the wall in front of them. The bricks of the mansion fell apart and revealed an opening with a spiral staircase leading down.
After the bricks fell open, the smell of blood grew stronger. Kara used her telekinesis to break through the rest of the bricks, and the two of them entered the secret room.
Before heading down the stairs, Kara turned around and fixed the wall from the inside as best she could. It won't fool the master of the house, but it might buy us some time.
Kara and Damien headed down the rusted iron spiral staircase as quickly as they could, given Damien's wounds. The smells of the old brick, flaking rust, and intoxicating blood mixed together and gave the area an ancient feel. The castle was older than it looked, but the inside of this room revealed its true colors.
Psychics Vs. Vampires Episodes 1-4 (Psychics Vs. Vampires Collection) Page 16