The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5)

by Jonathan Yanez

  “It’s a testament to how great our queen really is.” Pia transitioned back to her optimistic personality and wide smile. “Soon, we’ll be a united land. We’ll be able to trade with cities as far out as Burrow Den. We’ll help each other reach new heights. Who knows? One day, we might even be able to travel outside of our known lands.”

  Jack and Pia reached the outside training grounds a few seconds later. The area was built like a large oval with a dirt track along the perimeter. Inside, the dirt was a grassy area full of machines and exercise equipment, as well as sparring mats.

  The training ground was filled to capacity. Every way Jack looked, soldiers were running, executing drills, sparring, or just good old-fashioned weight lifting.

  “There. There she is.” Pia pointed to the center of the training grounds, where a man and a woman circled one another with wooden swords.

  Both combatants were heavily padded and wore mesh masks. The man dwarfed the woman, but his size did nothing to stem her courage. As Jack and Pia approached, Jack got a better look at Abigail’s progress.

  She carried two wooden swords against to her opponent’s one. Both individuals had been at the practice for quite a while, judging by the sweat stains on their pads. As Abigail ran forward to engage her rival, Jack did a double take. The amount of progress Abigail had made in just a few days was astounding. Her strikes were swift, her aim accurate.

  It was all her opponent could do to defend against the fury of her onslaught. Abigail pushed the man back so far, he tripped as he stumbled off the mat. The fall signaled the end of the round. Abigail was helping the man to his feet, when Jack and Pia caught up to them.

  “That was amazing.” Jack shook his head in wonder.

  “Jack, I didn’t know you’d be up yet.” Abigail turned, lifting the mesh mask from her face. “Are you all right? Should you be walking around after last night?”

  “I’m fine.” Jack gave her a mischievous grin. “And maybe it’s a good thing I see what you’re capable of. It’ll remind me not to mess with you in the future.”

  “That would be a wise choice.” Sergeant Harrison lifted himself up off of the floor. He removed his mask, revealing his familiar face. “Are you sure you’re not a decedent from some kind of warrior line?”

  Abigail laughed and shrugged off the question. To anyone else, it would have seemed like an appropriate response. Jack knew better. He understood Abigail was deflecting the question of a mother she never knew and a father she had killed.

  “I just thought if you were going to follow me for the day, we could do something productive.” Abigail grinned at the sergeant. “Do you mind if Jack and I have a moment?”

  Sergeant Harrison and Pia both nodded. They walked a few feet away, already talking about their new assignments inside the city.

  “Seriously, though.” Abigail exchanged her pair of wooden swords and her mask for a towel and a bottle of water. “How are you feeling after last night?”

  “I feel a lot like I’d imagine Sergeant Harrison will after sparring with you.” Jack eyed the notches in the wooden training swords. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Good.” Abigail glanced at the place the sun had chosen in the sky.

  Jack was reminded for the hundredth time of how beautiful he found her. As he got to know her on a deeper level, it wasn’t just how her smile captivated him, or the way her eyes captured the light and sparkled. Attraction had evolved past any outward desire. One of the main reasons he was falling in love with her was because of how strong Abigail was inside. It was her determination and strength that made her so much more than just “pretty” to him now.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Abigail used the towel to make a second pass around her cheeks and forehead. “Do I have blood on my face or something?”

  “No.” Jack searched in vain for a lie he couldn’t find. “It’s just, the more I get to know you … the more I—”

  Jack couldn’t get the words out before the white noise of physical exertion around them silenced. Jack and Abigail looked up to see the harbinger of quiet. Doctor Leah Noble glided toward them, nodding to soldiers who gave her salutes.

  “There you are.” Leah smiled at Abigail. “I was just about to begin the next series of examinations on your sister. I thought you would like to be present.”

  “Yes, thank you.” Abigail began rapidly removing training pads from her body.

  Jack found himself staring into the dark eyes of Leah Noble as they waited for Abigail. The woman was tall and slender. Her suit was black, with silver buttons that reminded Jack of half moons.

  “You are, of course, welcome to accompany us, Jack.” Leah let a tongue glide across her lips as she looked him up and down. “I know how close you have become to both Abigail and Elizabeth during your time in Burrow Den.”

  “Uh—thank you.” Jack looked to Abigail to see if she had caught the awkward exchange. It was obvious she hadn’t, too busy removing her gear. “I think I will come, if it’s okay with you, Abigail.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Abigail took one last long gulp of water. “Let’s go.”

  “Good.” Leah looked over to where Sergeant Harrison and Private Pia stood. Her voice transformed from pleasant to commanding. “You’ll no longer be needed to escort our two visitors. They’ll be safe with me.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Jack

  Jack and Abigail followed Leah Noble back into the palace, weaving their way through the gigantic building. Jack had no idea the palace had a lower level, but when Leah came to a door that swung open to reveal a spiral staircase leading down, there wasn’t a chance to ask questions.

  “Wow, how big is the palace?” Abigail’s eyes roved around the interior of the lower level. “Why is my sister down here?”

  “The palace has a long history of being the oldest structure in New Hope.” Leah looked back from her lead position. “It was built long ago by those who came before us. You can imagine lower levels in any structure come in handy for storage and extra space. Elizabeth is being entertained here because the equipment needed in her sessions is located down here. You can imagine we don’t use these tools every day. Your sister is quite special, Abigail.”

  Jack listened to Abigail and Leah’s conversation as he studied his new surroundings. The halls were brightly lit, decorated with the grey and black colors of New Hope. It was ornate and designed to be warm and inviting. Visually, everything looked in place. Despite this, Jack couldn’t help feeling they were being led into some kind of dungeon.

  “Have you been able to find anything else out about her condition?” Abigail asked in a rush of words. “Will it get better or worse? Is this just something she’ll have to live with for the rest of her life?”

  “Have to?” Leah repeated her words with a raised eyebrow. “Your sister is extremely special, Abigail. Elizabeth is destined to play a great role in the history of New Hope.”

  Just as Jack made to ask for further explanation, Leah stopped in front of a door. It was already ajar, the noise of someone talking emanating from within.

  Jack and Abigail were ushered inside. The room was expansive in every sense of the word. Instead of torches or candles, mage lights were strung up on the inside of the room, giving it the appearance of day.

  For the hundredth time, Jack marveled at the tiny, glass bulbs that were able to produce so much illumination. Two pale guards Jack didn’t recognize were standing near the door. They snapped to attention at the sight of Leah Noble.

  Elizabeth sat on the floor on a large, brown rug. She hummed quietly to herself as she colored on the inside of a book.

  “Please make yourselves at home, while I ready the machine.” Leah left them with Elizabeth as she crossed the room to a large contraption connected to a padded reclining seat.

  Jack and Abigail obeyed Leah’s request. They knelt next to Elizabeth on the stone floor. The younger Ahab sister smiled at them as she continued to color.

&
nbsp; “Don’t give anything away, but I think something’s wrong,” Elizabeth whispered. Her eyes remained pointed down.

  Immediately, Jack began searching the room for danger.

  “I just told you not to look,” Elizabeth growled through a wide smile. She pushed a lock of red hair from her face. “You’re a horrible listener, Jack.”

  “What’s wrong, Elizabeth?” Abigail failed to hide the concern in her voice. “Did they hurt you?”

  “No, nothing like that.” Elizabeth scraped a red crayon over and over the page she was coloring. “But something’s off. I just can’t explain it. It’s like someone farted in a room packed with people. You know, it smells bad, but you can’t tell who did it.”

  “Nothing specific, just something off?” Jack’s eyes wandered to Leah. “I can’t argue with you there.”

  “Yeah”—Elizabeth bit her lip—“and one more thing. I can’t read Leah’s mind.”

  “Well, you probably shouldn’t be going through people’s minds anyway.” Abigail crossed her arms and gave her younger sister a disapproving look. “I thought we talked about that?”

  “I know, I know.” Elizabeth sighed, finally giving up her drawing and looking into her sister’s eyes. “But I had to. She seems … she seems off somehow. She’s the only one whose mind I can’t look into. Every time I do, all I see is blackness, nothing. Maybe she’s the one who farted.”

  “Well”—Abigail placed the rogue red strands of Elizabeth’s hair behind her sister’s small ears—“maybe this is the beginning of your abilities leaving. Maybe this was temporary. Leah’s only trying to help us understand all of this.”

  Elizabeth directed her eyes to Jack for support. As much as he wanted to, it wasn’t his place to get between the Ahab sisters.

  “I think you’re both right.” Jack did his best to stay neutral. “Let’s give Leah a chance to figure all of this out, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be watchful of our surroundings.”

  Both sisters nodded.

  “Well, if you’re ready, Elizabeth,”—Leah approached the group—“we can begin.”

  Elizabeth rose, following Leah. Abigail followed next, and finally Jack. Chance, more than anything, brought his vision down to catch the open coloring book Elizabeth had been working on. She had done a horrible job coloring side by side pictures of what looked like horses.

  A closer glance brought Jack to realize that what he was looking at wasn’t a failed attempt at coloring at all. Instead, a detailed map of the Outland ran across both pages, showing the city of New Hope and each smaller city depicted by name. In the picture, a red wave was running outward from New Hope in all directions, consuming the rest of the Outland.

  On instinct, Jack reached down and collected the book, folding it into the inner pocket of his vest. He wasn’t sure why he did it, but something deep inside, something like his father’s voice, told him it would be important.

  A humming vibration that shook the very floor he was standing on awoke Jack from his trance-like state. The feeling was coming from the machine Leah had started. Bright green and blue lights blinked off and on at sporadic pulses from the machine’s control panel.

  Elizabeth sat in the raised chair. Its back was reclined, giving Elizabeth the illusion of being comfortable. Jack had a feeling that the young girl was anything but.

  “This won’t hurt at all,” Leah reassured her as she lifted a steel-domed cap connected to an array of wires. “All this machine will do is distinguish how powerful the electric waves coming from your brain are.”

  “It’s okay.” Abigail moved to stand beside her sister. “I’m here.”

  Elizabeth nodded, trying to hide the fear that had crept across her eyes.

  A sense of urgency gripped Jack. Again the voice inside him whispered there was something wrong. The thought of stopping the process altogether darted across his mind. Before he could decide whether or not to act on the feeling, Leah Noble flipped a large switch on the machine.

  The humming that had been reverberating through the room, intensified. Jack’s eyes darted to Elizabeth. The girl, although clearly frightened, didn’t seem to be in any kind of pain.

  “You’re doing wonderful,” Leah said, almost to herself. “This is exactly what we had hoped for.”

  “Are you all right?” Abigail looked on with concern. She still held onto Elizabeth’s hand. “Do you need it to stop?”

  “No, no, I’m okay.” Elizabeth shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt.”

  Just as soon as the machine had begun its savage humming, it stopped. Leah Noble wore a wild grin as she removed the apparatus from Elizabeth’s head. “You did an outstanding job, young lady. You’re going to be such a special girl in the days to come.”

  “What did you find?” Jack ignored Leah’s cryptic words. “Is Elizabeth going to be all right?”

  “She’s better than all right.” Leah assisted Elizabeth from the chair. “Her power has the potential to be something this world has never seen. She’s too important now to be let out of our sight.”

  Jack should have realized it was a trap all along. If he had been a second faster he might have been able to save them.

  The nod from Leah to the two unnaturally pale guards at the door was almost too soft to notice. Jack reached for his wand at the same time one of the guards slammed the door shut and the other rammed into him so hard there was no question that these were a pair of the new vampire soldiers.

  Jack’s body slammed into the far stone hall. His skull cracked against the wall sending a shower of bright red into his vision. Pain lanced through his entire body. A concussion made it nearly impossible for him to stumble to his feet.

  “Jack!” Abigail screamed. She fought the other assailant like a woman possessed but against someone with super strength and speed she was doomed from the start.

  One of the guards grabbed Elizabeth, the other Abigail.

  Jack finally regained his feet. The mage power inside him flickered as he forced himself to concentrate. Dark green magic swirled at his fist. He looked up to send a bolt of the magical energy against one of the guards.

  Leah Noble appeared out of the shadows. She grabbed Jake’s fist in her own hand. Immediately, the flickering flame of green magic disappeared. Before Jack could comprehend the witch’s power, she forced him to his knees.

  Pain like the weight of a thousands pounds pressed on his shoulders drove Jack to his knees. Purple magic swirled around Leah noble’s hand and her eyes.

  “I’m sorry it has to be this way, Jack,” Although Leah’s words were soft there was nothing but evil dripping from her tone. “But Elizabeth is much too important to us to leave any loose ends. Don’t worry I’m not going to kill you. You and Abigail will be the perfect motivators to spur Elizabeth on with her work.”

  The weight from Jack’s shoulders traveled to his chest now. Every breath came slower and more labored. Within seconds the blackness of unconsciousness came for Jack.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Aareth

  Sloan left without him. What did he really expect? Sloan had a job to do. He could respect that. But that didn’t mean it was going to stop him. He would search for his wife on his own. Even now, the thought of her haunted him. Although he still hadn’t actually seen her face, he had seen the tattoo again. It was her, without a doubt in his mind.

  Along with the images of her face came pain for whatever they had done to her. Something very deep, very dark had touched her to erase all memory of him from her mind.

  The pain Aareth endured from the night before was non-existent. No bruising showed on his face or his ribs, from the many strikes of The Order. If anything, Aareth felt better than before. Mentally, he was struggling to hold on to his sanity; physically, he was in peak condition.

  Aareth took the queen’s advice, allowing himself a few hours of sleep and whatever food he could shove into his mouth before he left the palace once again.

  A soldier had tried to follow him under the
pretense of being his designated “escort.” Aareth had lost the man somewhere in the city streets. He had no time to be bothered, and even less patience.

  When Elwood approached him out of the teaming mass of New Hope citizens, Aareth almost walked right over him.

  The gnome was wearing a blue shirt and red pants, and he pulled on Aareth’s pant leg urgently. High-pitched gibberish followed this motion.

  “I don’t know what you’re saying.” Aareth shook his pant leg in hopes to free himself from the gnome. “Let me go, little man. You’re causing a scene.”

  Elwood gripped tighter, his knuckles turning white under the pressure.

  People were, in fact, beginning to take notice. Gnomes weren’t that out of the ordinary in New Hope, though they were, however, a minority and usually stayed in their own section of the city.

  “I’m busy.” Aareth glared at the gnome. “If you don’t let go of my leg, you’re going to make me commit a hate crime.”

  Elwood chattered again. This time, he reached behind his back with his free hand. When it came forward, it held a letter.

  Aareth accepted the folded piece of paper. It was thick, white parchment with a red wax seal. Stamped into the wax was a symbol of a bird: a phoenix.

  Without delay, Aareth ripped open the letter.

  My friend Aareth,

  If you’re reading this letter, it means Elwood has found you. Furthermore, it means that you have no idea what he is trying to tell you and hopefully you didn’t commit any kind of hate crime toward him.

  Aside from that, I have news for you concerning your condition. We need to meet, post-haste, away from the palace. If the queen knows what I know about you now, you may not be permitted to leave.

  Meet me at the Dogwood corner café. I’ll be sipping an espresso outside on the patio. Elwood can show you the way if you haven’t squished him yet. Come quickly, Aareth, the news I have for you is terrifying.