The Vampire Touch 1: The Forsaken

by Sarah J. Stone

  Even in the more stressful, busy hours of the day, when I am preparing for war, I don’t find myself nearly as panicked as I do, when I sit around and wait. I received word that he would be here soon, and I believe what I was told, but there is nothing I can do to bring the edge down. I can’t join my people, for they will not understand why I’m doing dealings with a vampire when Abigail is under their watch. They don’t know the dynamics as well as I do, and I only know them because of Aliana.

  So instead I wait.

  To say patiently would be an over-exaggeration. I am on the edge of my seat.

  Knock.

  Knock.

  Knock.

  At least this came quicker than I anticipated.

  “Come in,” I call, not knowing exactly who it is. My pack moves freely in our domain. As the door opens, however, I know it is him. The scent he alone carries tells me that he is not one of ours.

  The vampire opens the door and steps in. He walks through the entry hall and into the living room. He takes a seat near me.

  “Why have you called me here, Romulus?” It’s our first meeting. I would have expected a little more respect. There’s a difference, though. I came to him and not the other way around. I need to holster my ego for the moment.

  “My daughter. The girl.”

  “Yes. In fact, I saw them earlier today.”

  “How is Abbey?” I nearly shout.

  “She’s fine. Aliana’s fine. They will be unharmed.”

  I nod my head. There’s an odd sense of comfort in his words. Not that I would trust them on any other day.

  “You understand the workings of it all far better than I do. I want to know what you think the wolves should do in this situation.”

  “I’ve already considered your role. You’re going to be a necessary part in what I have constructed. I’m glad you’ve already come aboard, without me needing to ask.”

  Again, I keep my ego in check. He speaks as if he’s got some say over what I will or will not do. This is a very bold assumption. Even for a vampire of his stature.

  “And what’s your plan?”

  "I don't have a full plan. I merely made a promise to a girl, who's in the prime of her life. She has no need to deal with the vampires business against the gods. The shifters have already taken on their role. The war has begun. However slowly. I've heard rumblings of their kind. The Forsaken too, have taken on the call to war. Nothing has happened, but my plan will come to fruition. I must just make sure that every piece of the puzzle falls perfectly before I do anything that will destroy the integrity of it all."

  “And what does your plan ask of the werewolves?”

  “You must fight. Many will die, and I’m sure you know that,” he grows more comfortable in his seat.

  “I do. The pack understands. Abbey is the future of our kind. I do not expect you to understand, but her safety is of the utmost importance.”

  “Then it will be done. We must just play our cards right,” he looks around.

  “Tell me our part in your plan?”

  He lazily turns back to me, “On the next full moon, when you and your kind are at their peak, I will need you to attack the Veil. When the battle begins, you must fight until you are ready, and then you will retreat. This is important. When the shifters hear that you are also attacking, they will come to you. When they do, you will have their support. Do not be strong-headed. Even if you know victory over this small battle would be a sure thing, you must give in.”

  I nod. I know that I cannot tell my people about this. They must fight and fight as if they are there to win. They will listen when I pull them back, even though I know they will lose respect.

  "When the Shifters fight alongside you, you will be able to take on the vampires again shortly after the retreat. This next attack must come with the attack of the Forsaken, it will be catastrophic for the King. He will lose Council favor. A war against the vampires the likes the world had never seen before? Yes. That will have repercussions."

  He falls silent a moment.

  “Why must we have the Forsaken in on the battle?”

  "Because if all three factions strike at once, the vampires will have to retreat themselves. Into the Veil, they will go for hiding. Then you have them in your hands. I will save Madison. You will save Abbey and Aliana. The ritual needs to be completed three days after the third full moon," I nod, "That full moon is when we have to free them. There is no other way."

  “Why are you helping us?” I ask, not for any other reason but pure curiosity.

  “I made a promise to a little girl,” he responds, rising up and walking to the door.

  Chapter 27

  Ankh.

  There comes a time in any man’s life when he needs to make a decision. This decision is the one that will pave the way for his future. My decision came in a weapon. A weapon that would have the power to create lives and destroy worlds. Knowing that this power is created and distributed by weapons the gods, themselves, created, all mushed down and blended into one. Sure, I’ve never used anything a living Forsaken uses, which would just be foolish. I keep my dealings strictly to those who have perished or been sent to the darkness. That way, I know that I am safe. Well, unless the darkness breaks loose. Then it’s more a situation of who kills me first….

  I know that the moment I activate this, energies that are thousands of years old will explode out. The scepter is created from various pieces. Weapons here and there, all attached to it by what looks like superglue. I have to laugh at the thought. A child, creating a toy that his father would be proud of.

  Perhaps, this is what I’m doing. I am the son of Death, after all.

  "Just one more thing," I remember, taking a piece of the Holy Grail, the tiniest fragment of the golden rim, dropping it into a pot of gold. This concoction is mixed around the scepter to fuse any holes or cracks. Mason pointed one out, but you never know if there are anymore and with such magics you'd rather not risk it.

  “Then let’s begin,” I begin speaking in my Egyptian tongue. The moment I do, I feel the power of the weapon unlocking. Each term I quote, another seal unlocks. The superglue mixture slowly begins sucking in the various weapons that it holds to the scepter. One by one they get sucked into it, though its own size remains unchanged. The tip grows and shrinks with the various weapons that come and go into it until it finally ends, with my last words, as a wooden staff. Simple, yet elegant. I was expecting something glorious and gold, shimmering in the light and all, yet this is simple and profound.

  I’m too afraid to touch it, at first. I know that when I do, we will be linked. The amount of power that courses through it will attach itself to its host, just as the Mjolnir chose Thor or the Sekhem Scepter passing from Osiris to my Father, Anubis.

  What a world of wonder awaits me.

  I take the plunge. I feel the sheer energy pumping through my veins. It's rare, you see, that a Forsaken does what I have done. Often, they will find their weapon and imbue it with their own power. I went the other way around. I took the power that was thrust into multiple various weapons and artifacts and stole them for my own glory.

  And how glorious it was. For the first time in my life, I understood the true power of my own kind. A rite of passage. One of the greatest feelings I have ever felt. It was hard to contain.

  The timing was perfect. With the war under way, I would be able to test my weapon soon. Now, only to wait.

  Chapter 28

  Drakka.

  The shifters haven't congregated like this in decades. Not since I was a young boy, had I seen so many various creatures standing in one room. Some, half turned, others standing in their full animal form. A blend of human, hybrids, and animals. One would think this was a grand convention, had they not known any better.

  There has never been true order among our kind. We have always merely gone about our business. To rein each kind into one herd, would be impossible. We are all completely different. This also means that there’s no possibil
ity to join separate packs like the wolves. That would just complicate everything.

  We are different than them, however. Our abilities are complex. We can shift into anything. They can only turn wolf. Looks like evolution shows the strongest species yet again.

  “My brothers and sisters,” someone begins talking. I don’t know who he is, but I assume he’s the one who’s organized this whole thing. As he speaks, I see a group of the half shifted/full shifted turn back into their human forms. All naked, jolly in their ignorance.

  “I’ve brought you here tonight to discuss a public execution of one of our own.”

  "What about it?" I ask him, "There have been other cases of this before. Why now should we care?"

  “Yes but this time it’s different. The blatant killings that have been going on to our kind lately have been bad enough as it is. Now, they’re targeting us to kill for sport. I’ve heard it from an informant in the castle myself. The vampires must be stopped. They have believed themselves to be ruling the roost for far too long, and it’s time we come home and show them this is not true,” He’s an old man, older than most here. I wonder if he could even get up and fight if it actually came to that.

  “Why would you want to start a fight that we would lose? There’s nothing we can do about the vampires. They have taken over. They are immortal. We are weaker,” another Shifter says from somewhere off in the distance.

  I can agree with the vampires taking over, but I laugh when he says we’re weaker, “We’re by far the strongest of the races. Don’t be daft.”

  He shakes his head, “It this pointless, vainglorious attitude that will get us killed. Speak now, old man. What is it you want?”

  I stand up, “I think I know exactly what he wants. He wants us to get up and fight. He wants us to show those foolish bastards that we’re not afraid to get up in there and kick some ass. We are the only ones that can protect our kind.” I’m a patriot. Not only for my country but for my race too.

  "I have it on good authority that the wolves are attacking too. The Forsaken are already on the firing lines. If all three parties strike at once, the vampires will have no chance. We will take them on, and we will slaughter them. Between three powerful kingdoms, they will be reduced to rubble," The old man speaks again, and I have to admit he's got some good points going for him.

  “Well, you’ve got my vote. I’m in,” I have to say. I can’t say no to a good fight and better yet, I’ll be getting to whoop the undead back into those goddamn coffins they sprout from.

  Now that sounds like a deal and a half if I've ever seen one.

  Chapter 29

  Mason.

  It’s the first time I’ve seen Daffyd since his time visiting with the Council for the second time. He seems relatively sprightly ever since his return. I'd not necessarily say I was upset, but as I found myself pinning him to the back wall of his throne room, fangs out, and a crazed look in my eye, I can't say that I was at all happy, either.

  “Woah, Mason, what are you doing?” he’s not shouting. I can feel his fear. He knows that I’m angry, but he also doesn’t know why. There was no reason for the rage. In fact, it was relatively fine. I walked in here with the clear intention to speak to him about the young girl. That was all thrown out the window the second I saw that smug grin on his face, and the way he thinks he’s going to come out of this all unscathed. He struggles. One thing that I can admit is that Daffyd Llanelli has never been a weak vampire, he simply has no understanding of the way power works. He throws his title around more than his true weight, and this is why he is weak.

  “What’s this I hear about you wiping out the Forsaken?” I ask. Originally I was going to ask about Madison, but in the brief moments of clarity between the rages, I realized that he still paid me for a job, and that's not something I can go back on.

  “What’s the problem with that?” he asks.

  I release him from my grip. Take a step back, “Do you not understand the consequences these actions will have? Do you not understand what effect this will have on the world?”

  And then, it is back. The smug little grin that seems to be plastered on his face these days.

  “You don’t care about the Forsaken, do you? You’re upset about that little girl.” He laughs.

  “Don’t forget your place, Mason. You were tasked to do a job, and I gave you a great reward for that. Don’t you dare step out of line,” I can’t help myself. I fling a ferocious backhand across the King’s face, and he goes flying from where he stands against the wall at the end of the room.

  “You don’t speak to me like one of your whelps, Daffyd. Your rules do not apply to me,” The smug air is gone now. The cowering little man is back.

  He opens his mouth to speak but quickly falls silent again. He knows that this will not end well, should he see fit to continue challenging me.

  “Do as you will then, Daffyd. This will not end well for you, and I will not clean it up,” I spit and begin walking out.

  “Don’t do this, Mason!” Daffyd shouts from behind, “Stand with me. We can rule this world!” The shouting continues. I leave without a word. He will not goad me into this plan.

  I will not be a part of this savage brutality.

  Chapter 30

  Jack.

  If you told me ten years ago that I would someday be standing in America, waiting outside a coffee shop with a cigarette dangling from my mouth, two cups of cappuccino in my hands, waiting on a werewolf to come pick me up, I’d call you mad. I suppose I was eleven, though.

  But the reality of it all is spectacular. Having each stone pave the way to this.

  By far, one of the greatest experiences in my life, apart from the slight terror that overwhelms me. After all, I’m a stranger in a strange land. This could potentially end in a complete mess.

  That would not bode well for me or the young girl I was sent to retrieve. From the dossier, the one that’s picking me up is the one that gave the tip. He spoke of an ancient vampire. This, again, is worrying. What I’ve been told about this one is that he’s a gun for hire. A mercenary looking for his next fix. The other ancients have long ago disappeared into their own worlds wherever those may be. Only a few remain.

  An old, beige pickup truck breaks my concentration. The racket from its exhaust is unpleasant to hear but still, it comes and stops directly beside me. A younger-looking bloke rolls down the window.

  “You Jack?” A gruff voice asks.

  “Aye, I’m Jack,” I reply. This must be my ride.

  “I’m Romulus. Call me Rom,” He offers his hands for the coffees. I hand both over and move to the passenger seat, getting in beside him.

  “Nice to meet you.” Formalities are important.

  “You’re a little young, aren’t ya?” he asks, handing my coffee back to me.

  "I suppose, but my father led me from a young age into the position, I guess. I was raised to the position," I chuckle.

  “You got one of those for me?” He points at the smoke. I get him one, he takes it and lights it before reversing back into the road and we begin driving off, “Sorry that the old girl isn’t exactly what you must be used to. We don’t really care much for the material goods out in the woodlands.”

  "No worries," I have grown accustomed to a certain quality of life, though who am I to go against anyone who chooses a different path? "We have a lot to talk about, though."

  “We do. I don’t really know where to start,” his cheery demeanor turns sour.

  "Take your time. I'll be around until this case is over, whatever happens," I try to reassure him.

  “Good. I’m glad your division has stepped in. There’s just nothing I can do to help right away. They have my daughter, you see. I can’t rush in headlong without considering my options, flaws and weak points. They will kill her,” Rom shrugs, “She is going to be the salvation for my pack when she comes of age. I can just tell it, the only thing now is that I need to make certain she is safe. She and the other. She’s special,
I hear.”

  “Yes. She’s special.”

  “Well then let me begin,” We both take long drags of our cigarettes, “There’s a vampire. An ancient.”

  I know about the ancient already. The psychic encountered his power. The director mentioned him in the dossier and so on. Now’s the time to get more information on him, so I remain still as if it’s the first time I’ve heard about it, “He’s been working as an all-rounder for the vampire community for centuries now. Whenever there’s a task to be done, he steps in and sorts it out, kind of deal….”

  “I see,” I add, showing my interest.

  “Now, he was hired to come pick this girl up. Madison, I think her name is?”

  I nod my head, not sure if he sees or not, but it doesn’t matter.

  “But, from what I hear, he’s not too keen on the whole situation. See, this girl can kill the Forsaken, and he knows, like we do, that this will be a big problem. They can’t just be gone, right?”

  “Folks don’t believe in the old gods the way we do. I’m not sure if I agree.”

  He laughs, “No, they may not be as present in everyday life, but the Forsaken keep the world in order in one way or another. They’re created from the imagination of their followers. The more they have, the stronger they are. War has been declared between the two races, anyway. So, the thing is that, with the war coming, the Forsaken and the vampires have taken to their own. Daffyd, the vampire King, is a foolhardy man. He runs in guns blazing without knowing the true consequences of his actions. He's spurred war between the Forsaken, the shifters, and now the werewolves. This is why I came to you for assistance. The vampire Mason…the ancient, he came to me with a plan, and I'm going to follow it in support of the young girl's cause. My wife, a witch, has been captured by Daffyd and linked to his home too. You see why I think it’s a total shit show?” He pulls up to a red light and waits, flicking half his smoke out the window. I’m inclined to do the same.