by Jon Herrera
Chapter Fourteen
“Tell them you didn’t invite them.” Sally said both aloud in her room and in my mind. “As Master of the City they can only seek your personal council after they have petitioned you and been Invited. The Commission makes a big deal of the Invitation.”
I smiled and lowered my hands. I cleared my throat. Both Fedor and Victoria raised their heads, bumping them against Andy’s automatics. They continued to ignore Andy and his guns and met my eyes. Neither vampire was showing me any power. They were both vulnerable. Amazing.
“You didn’t follow Protocol.” I said with an air of disdain. “I haven’t read a petition for an audience. You have not been invited to visit me at my home. You have not been invited to see me at all.”
Victoria let a little fire flare in her eyes for a moment. She elbowed Fedor in the ribs hard enough to make him grunt.
“We beg your pardon, Master.” Victoria said. Her accent was thick and could have been anything from Russian to Icelandic. She waved a hand at Fedor and I saw a black metal band on one finger. “The Vampire Fedor Chetwoode seemed to think he had a special relationship with you. He thought we would be allowed to waive all such formalities.”
In my mind, someone was tapping to get my attention. It was Ravenhawk, my favorite witch. I blinked as if the two vampires were beneath my attention as I let Ravenhawk speak to me.
“Fedor is still suffering from the aftereffects of The Little Death. He’s gone a bit mad.” Ravenhawk said as she peered through my eyes in a completely creepy way. “Victoria also seems a bit mad. She might be under the same spell as your muscle Gravel. You’re not doing so great yourself. You need more rest.”
“Thanks.” I thought in Ravenhawk’s general direction.
“Now tell them to leave and you’ll see if you can clear a spot for them in your schedule.” Kilestra said from another corner of my mind. “The Invitation bit was pretty good, but you need to get them out of there. And tell them not to kill each other until you’ve had time to hear their Petitions.”
“I was about to say that.” Sally said in a clear pout, which was not at all like her. Then, I seldom spend much time in her unguarded thoughts. Closer by I heard Gravel thinking about the past few days. He was trying to figure out what spell he was under. He didn't remember why he had decided to come over here in the first place. This meant he wasn’t really paying attention to what was going on in front of him anymore.
“Do take care of this quickly, Wil.” Ravenhawk murmured as if trying not to be heard by the others. “Quickly.”
I refocused my eyes in time to see Fedor and Victoria call up their power again. They bared their fangs and claws. Andy was suddenly lying on his back several feet away. Katie was reaching for a longbow, a weapon I hadn't seen before. Gravel looked around for something he could hit. Several voices in my head were yelling at once, I shut them all down and stepped forward. I put a hand on each Ancient and got their attention.
“I will hear your grievances. “ I said in what I hoped was a powerful and scary voice. “But not tonight. You will follow protocol and I will issue an Invitation. Until such time, you will not harm each other. Each other’s Chosen or each other’s property. And don't do anything else to piss me off.”
They both dropped their energy and flowed themselves back into passable human forms. I pointed toward the door with a straight arm. They both walked out without a word.
“Who was that witch?” Katie said once the Ancients had left. “And why was she poking around in my brain?”
“And why does she think I’m under some kind of spell?” Gravel said and turned his gaze in my direction. “Or did I tell you that already? My mind seems a little fuzzy on some details since I came to work for you.”
“Do I need to remind the two of you who the Boss around here is?” I said. I let my own power flare in my eyes in a manner that caused them to lower their eyes and take a step back.
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. The small tingling of an open communication was waiting patiently in a corner of my mind. I let some of my attention flow that way and found Ravenhawk. I could see her clearly. She seemed to be floating in a dark cloud in a space of her own making.
“You need to feed.” Ravenhawk said. “I merely wanted to ask you a question: why am I still a part of your people?”
“You’ll always be a part of my people.” I said before I could think better of it. “I mean, it’s not like I can add your name to a do not call list. We have a history.”
“I’m willing to be of help if I can be, Wil.” Ravenhawk said as she paced in my vision. “But I do have a life of my own. I don’t like the idea that you can just take over whenever you feel like it.”
“This was an unusual circumstance.” I said and let my mental touch brush her arm and stop her pacing. “I will try to leave you out of the next emergency.”
“If I’m needed.” Ravenhawk said and rubbed her arm where I had touched her. “I’m willing to help.”
Then she was gone and my eyes saw only the room before me. I pushed out the breath I had been holding and motioned for Gravel and Katie to come closer.
After a quick feeding on my two supernatural servants, I felt a good deal better. Katie and Gravel looked a good deal worse. That couldn’t be helped. The night was young and I was sure there were things I should be doing. I didn’t really feel like doing anything.
I held Katie in my arms. I ran my hands over her body a little longer than the feeding strictly required. She leaned into me and let me take most of her weight, not that she had much weight to start with. I took a deep breath of her hair. Her fragrance was just as enticing as it had been the first time I had encountered it. Sally didn’t want me to take anything from Katie except blood, so for now I didn’t. Sally was a human, but she was a human not to be taken lightly. I pushed Katie away and rubbed my eyes as I tried to think.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Andy said as he climbed to his feet. “No need to worry about the only human here. The only one being tossed around like a rag doll by a couple of Ancients.”
“I’m sorry, Andy.” I said and looked at him closely. He seemed well enough, if a bit battered. “Can you drive or do you need one of us to take you somewhere?”
“I’ll be alright.” Andy said and leaned against the wall. “In a few minutes.”
“I’ll be back later.” I said and walked past my three bodyguards. None of them tried to come with me.
I walked down the cement tunnel and stepped into the warm Texas night. The pavement was still warm from the hot Texas sun. Cicadas buzzed in the trees, mosquitoes buzzed closer by. I could smell the dryness of the leaves and the brown grass.
I could still feel the Ancients somewhere nearby. I beeped the Dodge open and quickly slid behind the wheel. A flash of movement beside me transformed itself into Victoria. I put the Dodge into gear and headed down the long driveway before Fedor decided to hop in as well.
“I was hoping to get a ride home.” Victoria said as if she had been hitchhiking and I had pulled over to give her a lift. “It’s not that far away.”
“I have a few things to do first.” I said as I steered the Dodge through the usual traffic of Hulen Street. “I hope you’re not in a big hurry.”
“I await your pleasure.” Victoria said with a bow of her head. “Master.”
“So.” I said as I relaxed back into the driver’s seat. “How do you like Azle?”
“I’m living in gravel pit.” Victoria said with some bitterness. “I haven’t seen much of Azle above ground.”
“Are you here because of Fredric?” I said as I continued my feeble attempt at small talk.
“Carlo knows how to pick them, does he not?” Victoria said and twisted her head in a sudden jerk. I could feel her stare at me. Feel the intensity of her gaze as her power flared. I heard a plea coming from her. For just a moment, some kind of cry for help. Then it was gone and she was staring out the window as if nothing had happened. She held up her hand an
d I caught a glimpse of a thin metal band that appeared to be made of Damascus steel.
“You and your kind are a disgrace to all vampires.” Victoria said absently. “You follow the rules when it suits your purposes and you keep people like pets. They are food, nothing more.”
I pulled onto I-30 and darted in and out of traffic. My exit wasn’t that far down the road. I chanced a few quick looks at Victoria. Something was wrong with her, but then, there was something wrong with me as well.
“Vampires have always kept people for food.” I said and loosened the death grip I had on the steering wheel. “What’s wrong with sharing some power with them as well?”
“We are damned.” Victoria said in an icy voice. “It is not a gift to share with Chosen. It is a curse. We are denied the sun and we are forced to drink human blood to survive. But you, you have decided to keep the rose, but remove the thorns.”
“So you don’t have any Chosen.” I said as I drove down the freeway on autopilot. “You just attack random strangers and steal their lives from them?”
“They are prey.” Victoria said, but the force was gone from her voice. “But the world is not as it was. Is it so wrong that I do not want to be domesticated like you?”
“It’s not so bad.” I said and fought a twitch in my cheek. “Most of the time.”
“Take me to Fredric’s club.” Victoria said in a drowsy voice. “I understand there are humans there that don’t object to being fed upon.”
“It’s a little out of the way.” I said and ran through the list of places I knew in the area where a vampire could find a quick bite. “There’s a place in Azle, not too far from the gravel pits.”
“Fine.” Victoria said with a dismissive wave of her hand. A glint of light shown from the black metal ring on her index finger. “Whatever you like.”
“We need to stop by the Consulate first.” I said and stepped on the accelerator. “You can wait in the car.”
JACKIE WASN’T BEHIND her desk. I paused for a moment to sniff the air. She had been here not that long ago. The desire to find her was strong. It was why I had stopped here. Fedor cleared his throat and my thoughts of Jackie shifted back to another part of my mind.
I found Fedor in his office smoking a large hookah. I had always assumed it was strictly ornamental. The smoke was thick in the air and had the taste of Mediterranean spices. The hookah was surrounded with paraphernalia that showed using it was a complicated business. Fedor looked up at me and there was a faraway look in his eyes. I wasn’t sure if he was seeing me or viewing something at a distance. I was mildly surprised to see that he had beaten me here. He blew out a cloud of smoke and blinked a couple of times in my direction. There was no sign that he had been at my house, not that long ago, trying to kill Victoria.
“Kilestra’s not the only one that can travel quickly.” Fedor said as he took another puff. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought I might check in on Jackie.” I said and let my fingers get lost in my beard. “Maybe see if there’s anyone new to hunt down. You know, the usual.”
“Help like yours, I can live without.” Fedor said and shook his head. “How’s that Elf doing?”
“Fine.” I said. “Why do you ask?”
“James did a little digging in the Consulate Achieves.” Fedor said and blew out more smoke. “Desiara was a Goddess, but one that was still bound by laws and rules. Katie’s parents sold her body. For the greater good of all Elvenkind. A group of Magicians bound Desiara with a complex spell.
"The details are beyond me. She can only be controlled while imprisoned in the body of an Elf. As part of her punishment, that Elf was sold into bondage. So she is a slave, as she would have enslaved everyone on earth. The records of her whereabouts ended a little over two hundred years ago. Though her name does make mysterious appearances now and then.”
“So how would such a being end up with me?” I said.
“I hear there’s an interesting painting down at the Nightshade Gallery.” Fedor said and stared at me. “Someone put her with you. Someone who wants you dead. Who may want all of us dead.”
I let the short list of my enemies flow through my mind. None of them were exactly world class powers. Who would want to risk the destruction of the world to strike at my heart? Someone whose life I had saved?
Fedor waved the smoke away from his face and squinted at me with his usual disdain. He shook his head. He tapped the papers on his desk, indicating our discussion about Katie had ended.
“You have better things to do with your time, Master.” Fedor said and picked up another sheet of paper. “Such as issuing Invitations. And tracking down Vladlena.”
“I’m working on it.” I said.
“Work harder.” Fedor said and let his power flash in his eyes. “And you might tell Gerald where he can find Kilestra.”
WHEN I GOT back to the car, I found Victoria gone and Katie sitting in the passenger seat. I saw Gravel astride his massive motorcycle not too far away. He nodded when he caught my eye. I looked around but didn’t find any hint of the Ancient. I took a moment to ponder if I was better off with a mad Ancient or an Elf possessed by a mad Goddess. I got in the Dodge.
“Victoria said she needed to fill out some forms.” Katie said without looking up from her phone. “She said not to wait for her.”
“That so?” I said. “She was starting to bother me anyway.”
“Raoul and Izumi filed a formal complaint with The Vampire Commission.” Katie said. “They claim you’re preventing them from preforming their lawfully sanctioned duties.”
“Did Fedor tell them that isn’t my problem?” I said as I drove off.
“They bypassed Fedor and went straight to the source.” Katie said and blew out a breath. “Not that going over Fedor’s head did them any good.”
“Guess I can expect a lecture from Sally.” I said. “If I ever see her again.”
I reached out with my mind and looked for Sally. I got her mental answering machine. Which meant she was either asleep or still busy ignoring me. I shifted my thoughts toward Kilestra. She had wanted to talk to me. Or I had wanted to talk to her, before Fedor and Victoria started acting more eccentric than usual. I found nothing but silence there as well.
Katie reached over and put her hand on mine. Physical contact has always been a stronger bond for me than a metaphysical one.Her thoughts spoke to me clearly. Kilestra had spoken to her earlier and told her that we could meet at a Vampire Club in Azle. I sent Katie a mental thank you and she took her hand away.
A dark sedan with a large grille pulled in behind us as we got on Jacksboro Highway. The Chrysler 300 had the kind of lines that screamed Enforcer and Mafia. A definite step up from the Suburban, which had a Secret Service feel to it. I didn’t need Vampire skills to figure out that this was Raoul and Izumi’s new ride. The Bucking Cowgirl wasn’t that far away. I would have to think of something to do with these two quickly.
“Feel like a burger?” I said and took an exit that lead to a Whataburger. The Buick followed close on my tail.
“Your concern for my well-being is... unusual.” Katie said and twisted in her seat to peer out the back window. “Hmm, you have to give them a high grade for persistence.”
I parked the Dodge under a tall lamp pole and waited as Raoul and Izumi rolled to a stop beside me. No sign of Gravel, so he either kept an eye from a distance or was busy with something else. Funny how quickly I had gotten used to him. This mindless servant thing could go to a vampire’s head.
Katie and I exited the Dodge and started walking toward the restaurant. Raoul and Izumi followed close behind. Raoul was using a pair of aluminum crutches that detracted a bit from his macho man aura. They rushed to catch up with us and then fell into step.
“I didn’t think your kind liked solid food.” Raoul said and then leaned in as if Katie were hard for him to see. “I got no fucking idea what that thing eats.”
“She’s like a Wood Elf, right?” Izumi said
and nodded. “Maybe she eats grubs and moss and things like that.”
“Damn.” Raoul said and looked up at the restaurant. “Whataburger has expanded their menu since the last time I was here.”
We went into the dining room. Katie ordered a chicken sandwich combo, and I ordered a coffee. Raoul and Izumi studied the menu while Katie and I took our drinks and moved to one of the booths. The other patrons gave us open stares as they chewed their burgers. The crowd was mostly rednecks. Country folks wearing faded jeans and baseball caps that advertised chewing tobacco and tractors. Raoul and Izumi sat at a table near our booth and watched us as well.
“Towing the Suburban wasn’t cool.” Raoul said and shook the ice in his large Styrofoam cup. “I had a fondness for that car.”
“I haven’t heard.” I said and warmed my hands around my coffee. “Did they put it in the crusher or just impound it?”
“They trumped up something about emissions.” Izumi said and looked at her sweet tea with distaste. “So The Boss loaned us one of his cars.”
Katie got her food and ate it faster than any human could have. Raoul and Izumi were still waiting for their orders when we got up to leave. We nodded at them as we walked past, but they got up and followed.
“You don’t seriously think we’re gonna lose you over ten bucks worth of fast food?” Raoul said. “Do you?”
“Have a seat and enjoy your food.” I said and looked out the large plate glass window. “It might take the Sheriff a while to get here.”
“The Sheriff?” Izumi said and blocked our path.
“Well, a Deputy Sheriff.” I said and pushed Izumi aside. “The Sheriff doesn’t usually care about minor stuff like a stolen car.”
Raoul and Izumi both darted for the door and pushed out into the night. A large motorcycle was sitting in the spot where their Chrysler 300 had been. They both looked around. The car was gone and the night was dark beyond the parking lot lights. I walked to the Dodge and beeped the alarm off.
“A security system really pays for itself.” I said as I opened the door for Katie. “You might look into one the next time you get a car.”
I walked over to Izumi and smiled at her. She didn’t look as friendly as she did the last time I talked to her, but she nodded at me. I reached out and wrapped my fingers in her shroud and pulled her toward me. She let herself glide up to me, her spectral face curious. I looked into her eyes and froze time for the two of us.
Her black eyebrows rose a bit in surprise and then she smiled. She let her hand find my face and her cool fingers felt nice on my cool skin. I moved her hand away.
“This isn’t playtime, Wraith.” I said and looked into the death Goddess’s body. “You’re not much of a Goddess, are you?”
“I am a reincarnation.” Izumi said and bowed her head. “But I am still a death Goddess.”
“Tell me about Desiara.” I said and held her at arm’s length. “And this mysterious Boss of yours.”
“Once you hand over Kilestra.” Izumi said and smiled as she gave her shoulders a little shrug. “We can talk about anything you like.”
“You feed on death, right?” I said and let my lips curl into my killer vampire smile. “So I’m guessing you haven’t been hungry in a while?”
“Everything dies a little bit at a time.” Izumi said and made a tug at her shroud where I held onto it. “So I am always getting a little meal.”
“What about now?” I said and pulled her a little closer. “What about right now?”
Izumi was dead already, so I couldn’t really kill her, but I could make her hungry. I kept her in a little bubble of time that blocked her from the rest of the world. A little flicker of panic caused Izumi to press her lips together. Her eyes darted from side to side.
“Vladlena is a master of playing with time.” I said and licked my teeth. “She used it to learn things, to exist outside of the real world. She was turned in the 1300s. But now she’s older than anyone sitting on the Vampire Commission’s High Council. I was able to steal a bit of her power. I know enough to stretch time a little.”
“What are you doing to me?” Izumi said and fought to break free from me. “Let go of me, you monster.”
“I can see you, little reaper.” I said and let my breath wash over Izumi’s pure white face. “I can see how hungry this is making you. Imagine how you’ll feel in a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks.”
“I will fade into nothing.” Izumi said and stretched her face into a skull filled with dark teeth. “Release me.”
Her voice dropped a few octaves and its power rattled around in my chest. But I maintained my grip. She was already growing weaker, and I had only sped up time for her a little bit.
“Stop.” Izumi said and her voice grew smaller and more human. “Please.”
Izumi transformed into a small Japanese woman wearing a flowing white robe. I found myself gripping her arm and a moment later, holding her up. She was beautiful and slim, though nowhere near as thin as her Death Goddess body. She smelled of jasmine and sandalwood. I cradled her in my arms and held her to my chest. I wonder if Fedor would be impressed if I told him I killed a Goddess?
“I’m not dead yet.” Izumi said against my chest in her crisp Japanese accent. “What do you want to know?”
“Who hired you?” I said and looked down at her. She was light as a feather, even in her human form. “And why?”
“A minor God living in Mexico.” Izumi said in a whisper. “I cannot tell you his name.”
“Mexico?” I said. “Someone whose life I saved not too long ago?”
“If you know that much.” Izumi said and looked up at me with tears forming in her dark eyes. “You know that you should cooperate with us.”
Izumi cried out and I watched as an almost invisible hand struck her across the face. I pulled her close to me and turned my back to her unseen attacker. The hand landed on my shoulder, heavy and powerful. I shifted through time just a little bit and the hand was gone. An ancient and a very powerful one. On the other hand, could it be a minor God?
“Ok.” I said and looked back at Izumi. “I guess he doesn’t want us talking about him. What about Desiara?”
“She is a prisoner.” Izumi said and curled her lip back. “Like all prisoners, she seeks freedom.”
“What does that have to do with Kilestra?” I said and let time slip forward a little bit. Just enough for Izumi to feed on Raoul and Katie.
“Every cell has a lock.” Izumi said and I felt her body shudder as she took a bit of death to feed her life. “Kilestra has a key.”
I released my hold on Izumi and on time. She flowed back into her wraith form and growled at me as she moved back by Raoul. He looked at her and at the spot where she had been standing only a moment ago from his point of view.
I joined Katie in the Dodge and fired up the engine.
Raoul and Izumi stared at me, clenched, and unclenched their fists. They didn’t make any move to try to stop us as we left. Izumi crossed her arms. She floated a few inches in the air with her white robe billowing out around her. She gave me a look that said she wouldn’t soon forgive me for what I had done to her. Raoul made a show of pulling out his phone and making a call as I drove past. I had no doubt they would have another car soon, but not soon enough.