As Alec, Steven and Marcus sat, Silas said, “Everyone this is Alec Carson, and Steven Reynolds. You all know Marcus.” There were a couple of nods from the other side of the room.
“Alec and Steven, this is Laramie, council member and Protectorate of Georgia,” Silas said nodding to the man on the couch. Laramie merely narrowed his eyes, studying Alec. “And this is Sabina Esi, Protectorate of California and her second, Anya McNeal.” Both women nodded politely to Alec and Steven, who in turn nodded back. Alec wasn’t really sure what else to do.
“And of course you remember Cassandra, Alec, Laramie’s second,” Silas said, heavy with meaning.
“Of course,” was all Alec said. She merely smiled slightly at him.
“Now that the introductions are over, this is a pre-council meeting. We will be recording your depositions of the events that have transpired and will use this information along with the rest to catch Reginald and Victoria up to date.” Silas clasped his hands in front of himself.
“That way we will have as many of the facts as we’ve gathered before us and the meeting itself will be to pass judgment and make decisions. All agreed on by council members?”
All three of the council members nodded assent.
“Good.” Silas nodded to Dorn who turned on the camera and adjusted it. “Alec and Steven do you of your own free will and without coercion agree before this council to truthfully bear witness to the events as they transpired and without falsehood or ulterior motive offer up your statements of fact to the matters at hand?”
Both young men looked very nervous but said, “I do.”
Silas nodded his acceptance, as did the other council members though Laramie’s was a little reserved.
“Then let us begin,” Silas said.
For the next several hours, Steven and Alec were questioned, cross-questioned and asked to detail specifics of the events that had taken place. When it came to the five vampires that had attacked Steven and Alec and had died still fighting after the sun had risen, Laramie looked skeptical and Sabina looked worried. Dorn officially attested to the fact that a thorough sweep had been made of the building that Alec had told them about and the flooring had signs of five scorch marks and the room was riddled with bullet holes.
Dorn passed around pictures of the marks on the ground, the bullet holes and the hacked up boards where Steven had forced the windows open. He even found and documented evidence of an upstairs windows being forced open as the entry point for the five vampires, just as Alec had said.
Of the swords and gun there was no evidence and it was assumed that vagrants had wondered off with them. There were however photos of at least one of the silver crosses, burned and covered in vampire, still present at the scene, the one that Steven had used to keep from being choked to death. So that’s where Dorn had disappeared off to so quickly after he had secured VonBell’s mansion for Silas. Alec was glad that he had called Xavier and talked to Dorn as well. They had at least some evidence that what they said was true. That along with Victor’s cause of death, sword wound through the heart, and Marcus’s testimony to what he witnessed the night of the hostage event, lent credibility to the events that had taken place. Even Laramie had problems down playing that part of the story.
VonBell and Senator Taylor’s schemes to divert money from the vampire’s blood collecting facilities were discussed in detail and Steven was called upon to pull up the information and detail how he’d discovered it. Instead of them trying to all crowd around one computer, or pass his computer around the room, he had them all pull out their various wireless devices and he shared the information. This was the 21st century after all.
The council reviewed the information before them and asked for clarification on certain matters, like how Victor had become involved with the vampires and why he’d gone looking for them so publicly. Silas told them all about VonBell’s attempts to wipe Victor’s memories and how this had led to the man to a break down. Steven explained to them how and why he’d been dragged into the fiasco. Victor had found information and needed Steven’s hacking expertise to find the rest and decode it. Silas made sure to up-play Steven's finding of the email that was set to be sent to the media in case of the Senator's untimely demise.
Silas briefly sketched out Chris Taylor’s involvement with Nia and how she’d offered to turn him, and how Victor had found out about it. The vampire in question was still at large and Silas had serious doubts as to whether or not they even had the woman’s real name. Silas strongly believed, and shared his thoughts with the others, that Nia was a fake name and she’d been used to lure and snare the younger Taylor for her own nefarious reasons. Silas believed this was a group-related activity and that Nia wasn’t working on her own but he had no proof. There was a lot more investigating that needed to take place. Alec wasn’t sure how the council got anything done. Then again, with eternity in front of you, there was plenty of time to find answers he supposed.
When Silas requested a screen to show other recorded evidence, Steven rolled his eyes. He asked a few questions, found the information was in Silas’s database and set to work on streaming the data to each of the wireless devices in the room, including his own.
Alec was surprised to see that Jake had recorded a deposition about the events that had taken place when they were attacked. Thankfully, Jake had been coached to say that Marcus and his men had showed up in time to take out the vampires in the Slice of Life restaurant. Alec really didn’t want to answer personal questions about how he was far stronger and faster than he should be. He honestly didn’t have any answers. Silas explained to the council that the vampires in question were being kept in detention cells below but that they hadn’t given away any information whatsoever. He did tell them that the vampires were associated with Hisashi of Missouri but upon questioning the man had no clue why the vampires had attacked Alec and Jake.
So that’s why they’d gone to Saint Louis, Alec thought to himself, so that Silas could question Hisashi personally. Silas explained to the council members present how he’d gone to talk to Hisashi but he’d found nothing. There was nothing else linking Hisashi to the vampires that attacked Alec and Jake.
Alec was asked to demonstrate his abilities. The vampires in the room could obviously hear his heart beat so there was no need to bring out a stethoscope. Alec had started burning blood the moment he’d walked into the room and saw the council waiting on him. He zipped to the far side of the room making sure to move at the speed of a fledgling vampire.
Laramie had a smug smile on his face thinking that Alec’s abilities had been over exaggerated. Cassandra looked thoughtful. Alec could tell she wasn’t convinced that he was capable of any more than a few parlor tricks to amuse and awe spectators. As far as she was concerned Alec was a freak show with very little true value, except to Laramie as his personal weapon.
Next was Doctor Schubert who pulled out manila folders with records inside. He handed one to Alec who was surprised to find it was his own medical records. His eyes widened in fear and he thought he might be undone but once he opened and perused the papers inside, he realized there was a lot missing. He looked up while the others were still reading and Doctor Schubert caught his eye and winked. Alec nodded slightly.
Laramie frowned. “This is not all of the records. I would like to see the rest.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” Doctor Schubert said without pause. “You have the basic information you need to make an educated decision on the topic at hand. The rest is private, and until further research is done, is inconclusive. “
Laramie narrowed his eyes at Schubert. “We are supposed to make an informed decision based on the information you want us to have? That hardly seems right. How do we know you aren’t withholding vital information that might make our decision easier? What if something you’re withholding could save Alec’s life? You alone could be condemning him to death.” Laramie smiled slightly.
“Please,” D
octor Schubert said rolling his eyes, “we already know how you’re going to vote. You’re as transparent as you are ignorant.”
Laramie’s jaw clenched in anger and he glared at Schubert. The Doctor merely raised one eyebrow inquisitively.
“Doctor, do you in good conscious believe that the information you’ve given us is all the information we need to make a sound decision and that the rest would be irrelevant?” Sabina asked looking directly at Schubert.
“The information is not irrelevant but its disclosure would in no way help you reach a decision regarding young Alec here,” Schubert said without hesitation.
“That is good enough for me. I vote that this is the information we will use for the basis of determining the actions to take regarding Alec Carson,” Sabina said.
“Agreed,” Silas said.
“This is preposterous,” Laramie spat out. “We need all the information if we are to determine a course of action here.”
“Then I suggest that you convince Reginald or Victoria that this information is vital to the vote and not just for your own personal interest,” Sabina said smoothly. “Then you can call a revote and we will see how it goes. Until then, the vote is that the information stands as is. We have additional information to cover and we are wasting time.”
Laramie frowned but nodded once.
Alec was relieved to find there were council members that weren’t afraid to stand against Laramie. Maybe he stood a chance after all. Alec wasn’t foolish enough to think that the votes were won yet, but it did give him hope that there might be a good chance for him. He looked up to find Laramie glaring at him. Alec kept his face as neutral as he possibly could under the heavy scrutiny. He didn’t need any further problems from this man. Schubert had spoken truly though when he said everyone already knew how he would vote.
It was decided then that they would take a short break and then reconvene, but no one was to leave the room. Dorn reached over and paused the camera. Alec and Steven took the opportunity to stand and stretch. They hadn’t been expecting an inquisition and had been unprepared for it.
Silas walked over to the two young men.
“I’m sorry. Laramie arrived today and demanded we hold this impromptu meeting saying it would help speed things along. He advised we could send all the depositions and data to Reginald and Victoria and they would be prepared for the council meeting as soon as they arrived. I agreed but argued for time so that you could rest up from our trip and be prepared but I was outvoted.”
Alec nodded. “I understand. Best to get this over with. Having time to think about it would have just made me nervous and I have nothing to hide.” Silas nodded and winked at Alec. He clapped Steven on the shoulder and then went to speak with Xavier.
Alec turned to say something to Steven and found that Sabina was standing there as well, scrutinizing him. He cleared his throat nervously.
“My lady,” he said bowing his head. She laughed quietly.
“Please, call me Sabina, no need for formalities.” Alec nodded once, unsure what say.
“I just wanted to speak with you for a moment,” Sabina told him. She seemed to be thinking. “We stand in unusual times, even for vampires,“ she said smiling slightly.
“I suppose,” Alec said nervously.
“Alec, I’m truly sorry about all this. You seem like a nice bright young man. What was done to you was a travesty and should have been prevented. For that you have my apologies.”
“Thank you,” Alec said carefully not sure exactly what was going on here.
“Your situation…your abilities are truly extraordinary.” She was quiet for a moment and paused as if weighing her next words. “Our laws are very specific, Alec. They are there for a reason. If we don’t follow through with the law as we should, it will set up a precedent that could echo down the eons and come back to haunt us one day.”
“Are you saying you will vote to have me…removed?” Alec asked. Thankfully, he was burning blood so his fear was at bay and his voice didn’t tremble.
“I’m saying that this vote bears great weight and that we must approach it with caution. Just realize that regardless of how I vote, it isn’t personal. I have to think of the future of my people.” She reached out and squeezed Alec’s shoulder. “I hope you understand, this isn’t personal.” Alec nodded once. He couldn’t really talk at the moment.
Sabina walked away to get a glass of wine and left Alec standing alone with Steven.
“What…?” Steven started to ask a question but Alec met his eye and shook his head slightly. Not here. Steven nodded once but he looked worried. Alec turned to find Silas across the room and saw he was staring at Alec with a worried expression. He nodded once to let Alec know he’d heard. Alec took a deep breath and let it out.
Alec nodded his head towards Xavier who was refilling glasses and preparing drinks. Alec could certainly use one right now. Steven held his glass up to show it was still full so Alec walked to the bar alone.
Everyone stood talking with a glass of wine in his or her hands, all except Laramie and Cassandra. They both had glasses of blood. Laramie saluted Alec with his glass and took a sip and smiled maliciously. Alec almost rolled his eyes but caught himself in time. He merely nodded, his face and body posture neutral. He wasn’t about to let that son of a bitch taunt him here in front of everyone.
Steven was talking quietly with Marcus, their heads close together. Alec knew they wouldn’t be talking about anything private. Both knew everyone here could listen in on their conversation.
Alec watched as Steven turned to find Alec. Suddenly, Cassandra was standing in front of Steven. Alec didn’t have time to do anything and watched helplessly as Steven bumped into Cassandra causing her to accidentally throw her glass of blood into Steven’s face and all over the front of his shirt. It must have been very full because there was a lot of it.
Steven stood in shock for a moment and then he freaked out. Some of it had gone in his mouth and he was gagging and trying to spit it out while wiping his face so he could see. He was covered in the red fluid.
Thankfully, Xavier had pulled a towel from somewhere and was attempting to make his way to the young man. Laramie, however, was standing in his way and impeding his progress towards Steven.
Steven was not happy. He was crying, cussing and generally freaking out from having human blood thrown in his face. In the short time he had been doused he had called Cassandra every name he could think of. Alec knew that Cassandra had planned this, just like he knew that this wasn’t headed anywhere good. This night was starting look like a potential disaster.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A Secret Visit
VonBell sat quietly in his cell. There was nothing else he could do really. The bars were steel reinforced with silver. Even if he tried to bend them using his shirt to protect his hands the silver would still radiate its baneful weakening properties and sap all of his strength. He was still weak from the silver handcuffs that the abomination Alec Carson had placed him in. His hatred for Alec Carson was only matched by his anger at Senator Taylor for being foolish enough to keep detailed notes and emails, and on his own damn computer. VonBell wished he could wring Taylor’s neck himself. Stabbing himself in the mouth repeatedly with a letter opener was the least that man deserved.
That thought sobered VonBell up quickly and cooled the fires of his hatred down to embers. He was in a lot of trouble. He knew with the evidence against him he wouldn’t be allowed to live. His usefulness was over. VonBell couldn’t see a way out of this mess that ended with him alive. It was frustrating.
VonBell knew eventually that He would come or send someone to end VonBell’s life. A shiver of fear raced down VonBell’s spine. Just the vague thought of Him was enough to cause his compulsions to flare up threateningly.
He knew what had caused Taylor to stab himself repeatedly in the face. If VonBell tried to talk about Him, he knew he awaited the same fate or worse. There was nothing
he could do to save himself. Even if he tried to offer up information about Him in exchange for his own life, something bad would happen. The others were wrong. There was one vampire that could control anyone’s mind he wanted to, even another vampire. Again a shiver went down his back.
VonBell contracted in pain and vomited dark blood onto his cell floor. Just thinking about the vague possibility had caused that to happen. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt if he tried to tell Silas or the council anything at all, he would live to regret it, but only for a while. Once he had suffered sufficiently he would be allowed to die.
VonBell wasn’t afraid, vampires didn’t fear much; he was terrified. Without warning the lights in the cellblock turned off. The back-up power didn’t kick on to bring them blazing back to life. VonBell looked up at the cameras up and down the hall. They should at least be flooding the area with infrared light, but they weren’t. They had all stopped moving and were frozen in place. Even the red power lights on the cameras were dead.
A cold hard knot of fear formed like a boulder in VonBell’s stomach. Without hesitation he dropped to his knees in the blood he had expelled earlier and bowed his head to the floor. Not offering obeisance to Him would cause further suffering.
The entryway door to VonBell’s cellblock across the room opened quietly. From his place on the floor VonBell could hear footsteps slowly and methodically working their way to his cell. His cell doors remained locked but he knew that this in no way whatsoever protected him from what was about to come. Silver couldn’t stop Him from hurting or even killing VonBell.
The footsteps stopped in front of VonBell’s cell. He knew better than to raise his eyes without permission so he remained on the floor, head bowed. He waited like that for several minutes before his master spoke.
Shadow Born: Book 1 of the Shadow-Borne Chronicles Page 30