“I see.” Randalf pursed his lips.
“Does he know?”
Morgana shook her head, rubbing her left arm. “I don’t think it’s mutual.”
Randalf stood, walking over to her. “Then he’s a fool.”
She mustered her best consolation smile. “Sometimes I wish we were still friends, Randalf, but nothing more.”
Randalf dropped the hand reaching out to her.
Morgana averted her eyes. Randalf seemed so upset and heartbroken—all over again. A hundred years ago, she would have tried to comfort him and allow herself to become attached to him again. But those feelings were long gone.
“Tell me more about the vampire allowed to live,” she said.
Randalf sat back down, not looking at her, his eyes on the laptop screen. “There’s nothing more to say. He simply disappeared. Well, maybe until now. The file does say his previous clan liked to live obscurely.”
“Obscurely? Like how?”
“They didn’t live by conventional methods. They lived in a set of caves interconnected by tunnels underground. They removed themselves from living amongst humans entirely. They made Night Dwellers look like Daywalkers.”
“So, you think this last surviving vampire from this obscure clan may be Ragnorok wishing to take revenge on The Council?” She sat in the armchair.
“It could be.” He scrolled down further. “It also looks like it might not just be The Council he wants revenge on.”
“What do you mean?”
Randalf pointed to the names of the field agents listed on the report. “It was you, Oscar, and Vivienne who took down his first clan.”
Morgana stood slowly. “That would explain the attack on Gareth and wanting to lure me out to attack me. But I don’t remember him.”
“It’s difficult to remember every vampire you killed or even encountered.”
Morgana nodded. She’d said the exact same thing to Gareth. “We need a plan of attack.”
“Yes.” Randalf unrolled the large piece of paper on the coffee table. “Have you noticed the positions of all the attacks form a pattern?”
“What type of pattern?”
“I’ve triangulated where all the attacks have occurred in the woods on this map. You notice they all form a radius around a central spot in the forest.” Randalf was pointing at all the spots he had pinned from the reports of the attacks. Morgana stood next to Randalf.
“Where was the position of yesterday’s attack?”
Morgana peered closely at the map, trying to remember where she had entered the woods. She kneeled in front of the map. She was very close to Randalf now. She could feel the hairs on her skin rising.
“We entered the forest from here.” She pointed to the location on the map. “Then we climbed the trees to scale the tops, going straight along here for about a few hundred yards. I smelled blood then found the bodies about here.” She pointed.
Randalf marked the spot, brushing her hand. She pulled her hand away quickly and stood, moving away from Randalf. It wouldn’t help to give him any hope.
Randalf licked his lips but went back to the map.
“See? Fits my theory perfectly. Including the last attack, they all surround this central point here. Most Night Dweller vampires like to feed near their lair so as not to get too close to human towns or cities.”
Morgana nodded in agreement. It made sense. She hadn’t really thought of the attacks forming a pattern before, but Randalf was the Head of the North American Division of Operations for a reason. He was great at analyzing the reports given to him.
“This gives us another lead to go off. Thanks, Randalf.”
“Do you want me to come out with you for back-up?”
Morgana hesitated. She needed to tread carefully. “You know I like working on my own. It’s bad enough I had to take one of the newbies with me yesterday.”
Randalf nodded. “You know you can ask for help, Morgana.”
“Please,” she scoffed. “Besides, you’re much too important to be out there. Let us lowly agents do all the work. You deserve to garner the praise from the Elders for pointing us in the right direction and the job well done in the end.”
Randalf seemed to like her flattery. His chest swelled, looking proud—his pride was one of the main reasons she had suspected him of working with the Forest Clan. “You’re quite right,” he said.
“Do you mind if I take this map, though, to analyze?” Morgana reached down to roll up the map.
Randalf grabbed her hand.
She drew in a sharp breath.
“One day you’ll forget the Daywalker and come back to me.”
“No, Randalf, I won’t.”
He stepped closer to her, his hazel eyes almost black now. “Yes, you will,” he hissed. Then, he was gone, leaving the map behind.
Chapter Thirty-One
Armed with this new knowledge, Morgana studied the map. It was quite a large area where the Forest Clan had located their lair. Putting aside her pride, she decided to gather everyone to strategize their next move. This way they could cover more angles. She’d also invited Ava over to allow her to read the documents they had on vampire lore.
A gleeful smile was spread across her face as Ava sat reading and sorting through the documents, a contented sigh escaping her lips after finishing each document.
Gareth arrived and sat next to her on the sofa. He pointed to the map with all the markings and lines Randalf had drawn. “So, we’re just going to trust a guy who, not long ago, you suspected of killing two humans and making it look like the Forest Clan?”
Morgana sighed. “I know, but I confronted him, and based on some of his responses and reactions, it really didn’t add up. And this new information has come to light. Oscar, Vivienne, and I killed off Ragnorok’s original clan. Besides, Randalf is our boss. We still have to follow this lead.”
Gareth put his hands up. “Fine, but I still don’t think he’s innocent.” He muttered something else under his breath she couldn’t quite make out.
Morgana snorted. “I know. Look, let’s just drop it for now. Our top priority should be to take down the Forest Clan, and then we’ll try to figure out what Randalf is up to. Deal?”
“Aye.” Alastor gave Gareth a warning glance.
Gareth threw his hands up in the air and sat back with a scowl on his face. “So what’s the plan, then?”
Morgana pointed to the markings on the map. “We head toward this location, observe them, and try to catch them doing something so horrendous even they can’t ignore, then we can take this information to The Council to help bring them down. The hunters have finally wised up and aren’t going into the forest anymore, so we need to see how they are getting their blood supply now.”
“Haven’t they already done enough?”
Morgana shook her head. “No, I have seen worse.”
“What if they sense us?” Alastor asked.
“Well, I’ll be wearing wolfsbane, and they shouldn’t be able to sense you two with all the other vampires lurking around in there.”
“Now that we know where they are, why can’t we just charge in there, weapons out?” Gareth asked. “There’s five of us, and Oscar is un-killable,” putting hand quotation marks around the word. “We should be able to kick their asses.”
“Speakin’ of which, where are Mr. and Mrs. V?” Alastor gazed around.
Morgana’s brow furrowed. She glanced around as well. She hadn’t realized they weren’t home yet. “Huh, I sent them a text letting them know about this meeting. Oscar must be held up back at the campaign office, and I don’t keep track of Vivienne’s whereabouts.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“Aye, fair enough.”
Morgana nodded. “Regardless of my parents’ absence, we should—”
“Ragnorok has to pay,” Gareth interrupted her, slamming his fist down on the coffee table, making them all jump in their seats. His eyes flashing.
Morgana narrowed her eyes as she was the te
am leader here. This was her mission. “We can’t just storm in there. We need to scout them out, find out their numbers. See where the best position is to take them out. We need a tactical advantage to be ready when The Council does give us permission. We just need to be patient.”
Gareth opened his mouth, but Morgana spoke over him. “Once The Council decides to take down a clan, then there’s no stopping it. I should know, I’ve taken down most of these clans over the last three hundred and eighty years. Hence, the likely reason why Ragnorok wants revenge on us. We took down his first clan. He’d want to lure The Council, and us, to him on his terms to set a trap. Rushing in there could be all part of Ragnorok’s plans.”
“This is the most elusive trap I’ve ever seen, then,” said Gareth.
“Well, until we know more about—”
“Ragnorok’s plans?” Ava asked, looking up from the piece of old parchment she was reading. There was a keen glint in her hazel eyes. Scouting around, looking for something hidden was right up Ava’s alley.
“You know you won’t be able to come along with us, Ava,” Morgana said quietly. “They’d smell you right away. Especially if they are hungry.”
Ava sighed, looking dejected.
“Aye, love, it’s too risky bringing ye along with us, too. Ye’ll have to return home, so yer protected by the safehold of uninvited vampires.”
Morgana gave her a sympathetic smile.
“Alastor, you take Ava home, make sure she gets there safely, then meet Gareth and me back here to get armed,” Morgana ordered.
“Aye.” Alastor nodded.
Morgana eyed Gareth.
“Fine,” he grumbled.
“Right, well, if everything is settled, we’re heading out.” She nodded her head at both of them.
Alastor and Gareth looked at each other, nodding in agreement as if something unspoken had passed between them and only the two of them understood. Alastor walked up the basement stairs, Ava trailing slowly behind.
Morgana walked straight over to the wall of stakes, pulling out different ones at random. She picked up one stake holster sheathing the stakes and threw it to Gareth. He caught it in one hand, buckling it around his waist. She then belted her own stake holster around her waist.
The doorbell rang as she placed the last stake into the holster.
She lifted her gaze to the ceiling. She couldn’t feel the presence of any vampires.
Gareth seemed puzzled as well. “Alastor? He may be back already. He has been itching for a good fight.”
Morgana shook her head. “You guys would just let yourselves right in nowadays.”
“I don’t know. I can’t sense it’s him, either,” Gareth said.
She tilted her head to the side. “I can’t actually sense any vampires. Maybe it’s a human?”
Gareth sniffed. “No, we would have smelled it if it were human.”
They both glanced back up at and shared an uneasy look. “Ragnorok,” they said in unison.
Morgana crept with caution up the stairs, her hand placed on top of the stake at her hip. Gareth followed closely behind. They made their way to the front door. She tried to feel if there were anyone out there. She couldn’t feel anything—her keen hearing giving nothing away. She glanced back at Gareth. He nodded, a stake already in hand.
When she opened the door, there was no one there. The front porch was empty. Morgana’s gaze fell to the doormat. There was a cream-colored envelope addressed to her. She picked it up, glancing around quickly, then shut the door.
Gareth let out a long breath. “I was expecting an onslaught.”
Morgana wasn’t listening. She was reading the note.
Dear Morgana,
I have your parents, Oscar and Vivienne. I require your presence and your presence alone to my coven’s home in the southwest section of the woods.
Yours sincerely,
Ragnorok.
“Change of plans.” She crumpled the note. “I’m going alone.”
“What? What is it?” Gareth’s eyebrows furrowed together. “Morgana, what did the note say?”
“Gareth, I have to go on my own now.” She passed him the crumpled wad of paper.
He smoothed it out and quickly scanned it. “Doesn’t matter what this says,” he said, waving the note. “I’m still coming with you. I’ll come up behind you. It was like you said before, they won’t even know I’m there.”
Morgana snorted. “It doesn’t matter. I’d be much better going on my own. I’m better trained and more experienced.”
“Thanks, so much for your endless efforts to emasculate me.” He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at her.
Morgana was a little ashamed of her nasty attitude. “This isn’t your fight,” she said more softly. “It’s mine alone.”
“But you just said we weren’t to go running in there blind, especially not on our own.” Gareth grabbed her shoulders and shouted, “When are you going to start realizing you aren’t alone? We’re in this together now?”
She smiled up at him, placing her right hand on his cheek. She leaned in, kissing him passionately. She’d wanted to experience his lips again for a while now. She pulled back. “I’m sorry, Gareth.” Then she was gone, leaving him standing alone in the foyer.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Gareth was seething. The anger pulsed through his veins. How long was she going to keep shutting him out, keeping him at a ‘safe’ distance? He was going after her. He didn’t care how angry Morgana would be. He was going to help his girl. But first, he was going to get Alastor. Better to face Ragnorok’s wrath with his best friend by his side.
Halfway to Ava’s apartment, he remembered Alastor had planned to meet Morgana and him back at the Van Wilden’s. He turned around to go back. He was about a block away from the house when he saw Randalf carrying an unconscious Vivienne from his car into the Van Wilden’s home. Gareth hid behind a tree before Randalf could see him, peeking around the tree trunk. So, he was behind the attacks in the forest. But why was he doing all of this?
When Randalf returned to the car, he glared in Gareth’s direction. Gareth quickly hid again. He hoped he was far enough away for Randalf not to sense him. He tensed himself for Randalf’s attack, but nothing came. He peeked around the tree trunk again to see Randalf now carrying Oscar’s unconscious body over the threshold.
How were they unconscious? He breathed in, the faint smell of wild rose lingered in the air. That was how. He remembered Morgana telling him about their weaknesses and how they worked.
Gareth thought about going into the Van Wilden’s to rescue Oscar and Vivienne. But Randalf was a first-generation Primus, and he was going to need some back up on this one. He needed to tell Morgana. Randalf might not be able to sense him, but he might hear him if he tried to call Morgana. He pulled out his phone to type a quick text:
“Morgana where are you? It’s URGENT.”
He pressed send then peered around the trunk once more. Randalf must have gone inside as he wasn’t anywhere in sight. Morgana was not replying to his text, probably ignoring him due to her stupid pride again.
“Damn you, Morgana,” he growled under his breath. Now he was going to have to follow her into the woods again.
***
Morgana felt bad for Gareth as she ran toward the forest. She probably shouldn’t have left him there, but this is how she had always worked. Alone.
Ragnorok wouldn’t just hand over her parents without a fight. She didn’t even think Gareth was ready for a fight—not of this magnitude, anyway.
Morgana had a feeling the Forest Clan would be made up of a large number of Night Dwellers, most of them just newly-turned. She didn’t think he’d survive it. The thought of Gareth dying in front of her made her sick to her stomach.
The sun was setting when she reached the forest edge. She could see the light dwindling into darkness as she entered the forest, shivering from the chill flowing through her. The forest was too eerily quiet. There were no sounds
of birds tweeting or animals rustling about before they retired to their homes for the night. The hairs on the back of her neck began to rise. There was an un-boding feeling about the stillness of the forest. She would need to be on her guard as she neared the Forest Clan’s lair.
It was all her.
She headed southwest in the direction of the Forest Clan’s lair, realizing it was the direction Vivienne had gone while searching for the vampire who had attacked the teenagers. Morgana groaned. This was why she hadn’t found the location of the lair. She had assumed this was a dead end due to her mother having smelled wolfsbane in this direction. But with all her training, she knew she should have re-traced her mother’s steps and continued to scout around this area regardless of what her mother had found. The wolfsbane was how the Forest Clan were hiding their presence from them.
She growled through clenched teeth. She should have known this, but she had been too busy falling in love with Gareth, training him and Alastor to be like her when she should have been focused on her job.
Now she was pissed off. If she had done her job properly, like the skilled agent she is supposed to be, she could have avoided this whole situation. What had she been thinking? She hadn’t been thinking at all, she realized. She had been blindsided by the growing attraction she felt for Gareth. But not anymore. She would do her job properly now. She didn’t feel so bad about leaving Gareth behind anymore.
The strong smell of wolfsbane wafted toward her, making her stop. Yes, this must have been the place her mother had stopped.
Morgana squared her shoulders as she marched on. She traveled further in the southwest direction of the forest, spotting dead branches entwined around the trunks of the tree.
After the tenth tree with entwined branches, she stopped to examine the dead wolfsbane branches. It was quite clever really. Dried wolfsbane was more potent than fresh. But it would have taken quite a long time for any human-turned vampires to wrap all these branches around the trunks like this. It would have burned their hands, weakened them, making them extra hungry. Hence, all the attacks on the human hunters who had wandered aimlessly into these woods looking for bears to kill, not suspecting they would be the ones hunted.
The Van Wilden Chronicles Box Set Books 1-3 Page 19