Damage Control

by Eric Alan Williams

  Vaughn spoke boastfully. “It was so frigging cool. It was almost like watching mom wrestle a grizzly bear. She beat the shit out of that thing.”

  Cecilia rolled her eyes.

  Ethan looked at Sara. “You have a son?”

  She nodded. “Ethan, Justin, meet Vaughn, and obviously this is Cecilia.”

  “The bite can turn halflings?” Lulia mumbled.

  Sara looked over her shoulder, her red curls bounced. “Yes, and in the case of my children with my blood heritage, they emerged as grand alphas. I was expecting an alpha once I realized that they were going to convert, so needless to say I am pleasantly surprised with them being much stronger.”

  Vaughn was giddy. His accent made him come off like a cliched surfer. “Man, that bat bite hurt like hell, but this is so totally worth it.”

  Peggy asked. “What about your husband, you said you had some things to talk about?”

  Sara smiled. “Isac is in the rebirth phase as we speak. I made sure to kill the bat so he would become an Alpha when he emerges.”

  Sara looked at Lulia. “If Damien really is my father…” She pulled from her mind as if it were the simplest thing in the universe to do. Lulia felt lightheaded and had to sit down. Sara pulled everything from her. Nearly five hundred years of information downloaded into Sara’s mind as if it were a supercomputer. Lulia had no way of resisting it.

  Sara looked like she needed a moment once she realized that it was true and that her father hadn’t given up in trying to find her once he learned of Lilith keeping it a secret. She adjusted her jaw as it extended forward and tilted her head back. She wasn’t expecting that. “So, this Erissa and nine others protested the vote for appointing your position in the first place?”

  Lulia didn’t look surprised at all. She knew Sara had pulled anything she wanted from her mind as if she were Dracula himself. “Yes.”

  Sara flicked her hair back, “I guess I know who I will have to kill then. If they challenge me, of course?”

  Cecilia looked at Lulia since she obviously had more answers as to the whereabouts of her son. “Damien, Dracula? Xairin is with him?”

  Lulia nodded cautiously. “His grandfather has been rather adamant in keeping Xairin in his sights ever since he arrived at Tenebris Island. Keeping him safe.”

  Sara looked at her. “Let’s not keep this council waiting, shall we?”

  _____

  Tenebris Island.

  Damien was outside walking in dimming light as the sun began to settle behind one of the inactive volcanos on the Island. Xairin was with him. “How do you stand the sun’s glare?” Xairin asked. Damien wasn’t wearing any eyewear.

  “I have been a vampire for over half a millennia. You get used to the sun’s glare after a while.”

  Xairin was curious. “Just how old are you?”

  Damien smiled. “I was bitten by a bat in the Carpathian Mountains along the Borgo Pass in 1462.”

  Damien jest. “Damn thing looked like a demon, at least that is what I thought it was.”: He looked onward as the two walked through a wooded area, keeping to a well-lit path, lit up by old fashioned torches. “I had a silver cross, and a shield made of silver. I thought that it was my faith in God that repelled the creature. Now I know it simply smelt the silver.:”

  “After it bit my brother and me, we managed to kill it.”

  “You’ve been a vampire for over six hundred years?” Xairin asked curiously.

  Damien looked at him with a kind grin. “Something like that.”

  Damien’s phone began to buzz. He pulled his black touch screen android from his pocket. He looked at the text, then looked at Xairin with a raised eyebrow. “Lulia has made contact with your mother and my daughter.” He shrugged. “Looks like you have an uncle too.”

  Xairin seemed uninterested. “Yay.”

  “They are on their way here, Xairin.”

  Xairin turned his head fast enough to give a mortal whiplash. “WHAT?”

  Damien could only shrug. “I suppose it is game time.”

  “What the heck do you mean by game time?” Xairin asked in a somewhat concerned voice.

  “You were escorting me to the Council Chambers, remember? Like you and I had discussed, I plan on keeping you a secret, simply introducing you as one of my proteges. But with my daughter coming here, and your mother, I cannot say what will happen.”

  Damien continued looking at his phone. His eyes lit up.

  “What is it?” Xairin asked.

  Damien looked at him with a glare of wonder beaming from his face. “Lulia has informed me that not only are they coming here Xairin, but Sara and your mother discovered you are alive, and a pureblood.” He hesitated. “They found a bat and turned your mother and her brother into purebloods. They emerged as Grand Alphas.”

  “How the hell is everyone finding out this shit?”

  Damien looked at him. “Secrets do not stay buried long in the immortal world.”

  Xairin was biting his lower lip out of frustration. His fangs made a tiny slit. He caught a drop of his blood in the palm of his right hand while his lip healed. After a moment he looked over at Damien. “I’m not ready for any of this.”

  Damien put his hand on his great grandson’s shoulder and locked his blue eyes, with Xairin’s bright green ones. “You may not have a choice.”

  Two hours had passed.

  Damien was in his private chambers. He had dressed in a black shirt, with a red tie. He picked out a pair of black slacks to go with it, along with a matching pair of shoes. Xairin was dressed in a new uniform sitting on a sofa waiting. His breathing was heavy from his frazzled nerves.

  Damien stepped out from behind a curtain. “You ready to play the part of my personal guard?”

  Xairin stood up. He wanted to remain as anonymous as possible. “Armor On! Activate Helmet!” His holo armor erupted, covering his face, his chest while concealing him well.

  “Yes.” He said. The holographic helmet made his voice sound a tad bit mechanical.

  “Alright, stay behind me then. Make sure you have your weapons sheathed. It is not customary to have them at the ready.”

  Xairin nodded.

  Entering the council chambers was a feeling of awe. Xairin looked around the large stone chamber and at the breathtaking designs that had been etched by hand into the stone. Most of the etchings were old Cuneiform, it was a language that predated Egyptian and Sumerian by at least a thousand years. There were pictures of battles, beasts, and creatures that Xairin could only imagine what they really looked like beyond their stone impressions.

  Most of the council were sitting. Gorganish, a tall vampire looked at Damien with an unfriendly stare. The man’s accent was something Xairin could not place. “Good to see you alive, Lord Impaler.”

  Damien nodded. “Good to see you as well Lord Gorganish.”

  The vampire was in his feral form, full on Nosferatu. He looked at Xairin. “Who is this?”

  Damien growled. “After being taken, I figured having a personal close guard was in order. Surely you wouldn’t protest my decision?”

  A female Nosferatu approached. She looked equally displeased. “He smells Dracul?”

  Damien nodded. “And I will make sure he keeps his lips sealed. Mind your business, will you Helga?”

  Damien took a seat near the closest end of the table towards the door. Xairin remained to play the role of a guard and stood back enough to not draw too much suspicion.

  Hanna Tarker was sitting near Damien in a sparkling white dress. She looked at Damien with relief washing across her face. “Thank god you’re still with us Damien.”

  Damien nodded with a thankful glare. “Thank you, Hanna.”

  Trevor arrived, along with Kat. Both of them locked eyes on the additional sentinel in their midst. “Who is this?” Kat asked.

  Damien was quick to reply loudly. “After my abduction, I thought it fitting to have additional security for my own wellbeing. He is from my house, so leave him
be.”

  The room filled quickly. Nearly all sixty-seven seats filled, while Erissa’s seat was naturally empty.

  Trevor spoke out. “We will commence once our Adjudicator is present.”

  Clavicus Valencia, an old roman werewolf sat across from Gorganish. The redheaded man looked down the table. He had a growl embedded in his voice. “Lilith, she has not been recovered. Why keep up this Adjudicator appointment? We should be voting in a new King.”

  “Or a Queen?” A woman with brown hair and a silver streak down the front spoke bluntly.

  Isabel Nile smirked at Veda. “Please tell me we are not back to this pettiness. We have agreed to find our Queen.”

  Druga chimed in. “Yes Veda, the majority ruled, remember?”

  Clavicus stood up. “Then let us vote again…”

  The King of the Seven Seas rolled his eyes. “Clavicus, Veda. “He then looked at Gorganish and Helga. “Let’s get on with the traitor once Lulia arrives, and for the love of the gods, put this petty bullshit behind you.”

  Tyr entered, along with his bite brother, Creyr. The two muscular men took seats down from Sterva, the Romanian Werewolf Queen. The room was full, except for Lulia now.

  A few minutes passed. The more agreeable Aeonians and Immortium were talking amongst themselves, the plan to save Lilith still clung in their ideology. Nine others were less than pleased.

  The stone doors at the end of the room began to open. Lulia entered wearing a white cloak and robe. She pulled her cloak back and looked around the room. “There has been a change of plan.”

  Sterva, the blond Werewolf Queen looked up. “What changes?”

  Lulia walked over and took her stood behind the seat at the far end, the largest stone seat in the room. “We will continue our efforts to look for Ninlil.”

  “And the traitor?” Vishnu asked.

  Lulia motioned to six sentinels that brought the gargoyle into the room. She was shackled with silver bindings. The steam from the burns was putrescent. Many of the werewolves and werecats had to turn their heads away from the stench of burning flesh.

  Helga hissed through her two front fangs that had elongated from her medial incisors. “Perhaps she can be redeemed?” The hideous Nosferatu looked down both ends of the long table.

  Sterva yelled out. “Or we can use her as leverage to see if her brother will exchange her for Lilith?”

  That caused a bit of chatter.

  A woman’s voice called out from the back of the room. It carried over everyone’s chatter. Her voice carried with a powerful whispery echo embedded in it. “Or we can just kill the bitch right now?”

  Every head in the room turned to the furthest end to seeing a redheaded woman standing there in a black leather halter top, black leather pants, combat boots, and claws ready to rip into someone’s flesh. Her black eyes were daunting. “Clavicus stood up. “Who the hell is this?” He pointed to a sentinel. “GUARDS!?”

  Sara walked confidently. Two guards approached her. All she did was grin when she looked at the two towering guards. They flew against the stone walls, one to each side of the room. They slid down the stone walls helplessly from her telekinetic will.

  Each member in the room except for Damien stood up. Many were growling. Lulia spoke up. “Everyone! ORDER!”

  Another sentinel came running at Sara. He floated in mid-air before he stood a chance at getting any closer. She extended her hand, balling her fist. The man screamed in pain as he was seemingly being crushed by unseen forces. “Really?” She taunted and dropped him. He laid their gasping.

  Council members began to rile up. Lulia yelled. “SHE IS HERE FOR A REASON! STAND DOWN!”

  The council members looked at Lulia then at the strange redhead walking alongside the table with her black eyes fixated on each face, studying them.

  Helga demanded. “Lulia!? Who is this woman?!”

  Lulia walked around from the stone chair she was guarding and bowed. She stood up and opened her arms as she came up from bowing before all in attendance. “Council members. I present to you, Sara Tyler Jordan! Daughter of NINLIL AND LORD DRACUL!”

  Several began looking at one another, others gasping. Helga and a shorter man, Yebion, stood up. “What the hell is this? Lilith’s daughter is dead, what trickery is this Lulia?”

  Sara turned and let the back of her halter top slip over. Further gasps filled the room as they beheld the crescent moon birthmark.

  Sara turned to face them once she made it to Lilith’s chair and sat down. “I am Sara Tyler Jordan, the rightful heir and yes, daughter to your precious queen.” She looked at each of them. “I didn’t die in London in that museum fire as many thought I did.” She looked at Damien, who was becoming tearful. “Turns out I have my father’s ability to phase walk. I walked right out of that flaming deathtrap without as much as a single blister and have remained hidden until now.”

  At the end of the room, Cecilia and Vaughn walked in. Both keeping firmly to the other. Sara stood up and placed both hands on the table. “My daughter, Cecilia, and my son, Vaughn.” She waited until the whispering died down. “So... I hear there is this little protocol that I can be challenged. Anyone want to try it?”

  Clavicus stood up. “Lilith has never had an heir to heir survive, this is a trick!”

  Tyr and Kat looked at Sara, they could pull from her just enough in what Sara allowed. They could also sense the blood within her. Kat spoke up. “Oh, dear god, it is true.” Kat looked at everyone. “I can feel Lilith’s blood within her.” She then looked at Cecilia and Vaughn. “Three heirs?”

  Clavicus barked. “NO!”

  Sara flung her left hand at him. His eyes puffed up and erupted. Blood flowed through the air from his eye sockets, then his nose, his mouth, even his ears. It flew through the air and swirled all around Sara as her skin absorbed it. “Anyone else?!”

  She taunted the room. “I can touch silver too if you need further verification?”

  Helga and Golginash looked at each other and stood up. Both of them growled. Sara slipped, vanishing from sight. Golginash screeched as his spine was ripped out from his back, while Sara flung her hand at Helga. She forced every cell inside Helga’s body to vibrate, speeding up until the woman’s skin began to boil and burst into flames. Helga burnt up from the inside out, rapidly.

  Veda got up to run. She didn’t make it far before the blood from her body erupted from her very flesh, becoming a river that danced in mid-air. She became a mummified husk before anyone could count to five.

  Sara growled. “Lulia informed me that there were nine that opposed her appointment, ten if you count the gargoyle bitch in chains. Anyone else wish to try me and see if my powers are lesser than that of my parents?”

  She growled. “I was born a Grand Alpha, with every power my mother has, and as far as I can tell, most every power my father has as well.”

  Seeing the deaths and display of power. Not a single person budged or said a word.

  Sara’s voice echoed through the room. “I am here to claim my mother’s throne, and I do this to maintain the balance of power within this order. I claim this throne until my mother is found and until that time, anyone who so much as looks at me wrong, you will not survive to see another night, do I make myself abundantly clear?”

  She looked at the sentinels standing around the room. “Fetch two additional chairs, will you? My son and daughter will sit at this table and rule alongside me.” She then looked at Damien. “Father. I wish our first meeting were a more personable one, but I must ask, where is my grandson?”

  Damien stood up, he looked over his shoulder at the sentinel hiding his face with the holographic helmet active. His voice was clearly swelling with reluctance. “Council members, I present to you, a fourth heir, my great-grandchild, Xairin Thunder.”

  A woman sitting across from Isabel scoffed. “What the hell is this?” She and everyone else watched as Xairin deactivated his helmet. “How the hell have you managed to hide four heirs to Lilith�
��s throne?”

  Cecilia slipped, appearing behind the brunette and ripped her head off faster than she could utter another word. She tossed the head into a fireplace. She then looked at her son for the first time in over a decade. “Xairin?”

  Sterva spoke cautiously. “We have seen your birthmark and your displays of power. Do they each share it? I only ask as further proof, nothing more, nor do I challenge your position.”

  Cecilia went first, lifting her shirt, while Vaughn just took his shirt off. Lord Demaskinos stood up in all of his Nosferatu glory as he studied the marks. “Then, it is true!” He looked at Sara. “Ninlil’s daughter and her children lay claim to what is rightfully theirs by blood and by Immortium law if there is no one else here that would challenge?”