When
Michael returned to Sarah’s bedroom, he found it empty. Sarah was gone as was
the unconscious Braden. He then set out to find her in the vast house.
He found
her in a parlor on the first floor. She had gotten further dressed, still
wearing the halter top but now had on a long skirt as well. She was sitting on
the floor, shuffling a deck of tarot cards. It was, with the exception of her
wild purple hair, almost a mirror image of the scene where he’d met her.
Michael sat
down lotus style across from her. She looked up at him. “This looks familiar.”
He noted.
“It does.”
Said Sarah with a smile. The madness was gone again and she was back to her
normal self.
“I suppose
you’re about to do a reading for me.”
“I could.
Would you like me to?”
“Every time
you do, I learn something profound.”
The first
card she flipped over was The Tower. “Indeed.” Said Sarah. “The Tower
represents change. You’ve already begun this process by returning here and
reclaiming what you left behind. But I get the sense much more awaits you.”
Next came
the King of Wands. “The King remakes the world into his own vision. Perhaps a
new order in our city. A new Prince even?”
“I like the
sound of that.”
The next
card was the Knight of Pentacles. “Someone is coming who will open the door to
the next chapter of your story. A catalyst that triggers the change.”
Michael was
enjoying this. Not that he put complete stock in the Tarot superstition, but
he’d seen enough weirdness in the world to know that what many mortals
dismissed as hokum often contained truth. Plus he trusted Sarah’s insight.
The Fool
came out next and Sarah frowned. “Madness. Folly. Chaos. This is the flip side
of all that good news.”
“Does it
refer to you?" Michael wondered aloud.
“Or to
someone else?” responded Sarah cryptically. “Most times when I’ve drawn this
card in a reading, it’s meant he’s coming back.”
Michael
felt a chill run through him. “He” referred to Ernie, Sarah’s sire and one of
Michael’s most feared enemies. “That isn’t good news.”
“Not for
either of us.” Sarah admitted. Fear flashed in her eyes and for the first time
in a very long time, Sarah truly looked the child, frightened, vulnerable, and
alone. “If he knows…if he’s learned about…he’ll come for me.”
“I will
kill him if he tries.” Said Michael adamantly. He meant it, but he truly
wondered if he was capable of pulling it off. He reached out to pull her into
his arms, but Sarah flipped over the next card before he could do so: The
Lovers.
“I believe
you.” Said Sarah, looking at the card.
“That’s
funny.” Michael smiled with amusement.
“It’s not
just about us.” Sarah responded to Michael’s mirth with seriousness. “It’s
about everyone you love. You will not accomplish your goals without your
friends, your allies, and all others that love you. You will not survive The
Fool without them either.”
Michael
nodded. “It took every bit of my strength and more than a lifetime’s worth of
luck to defeat The Djinn two years ago. I made a foolish error. I fought him
alone and I nearly paid the ultimate price for it. I will not make that mistake
again. I’ve spent these past few weeks making peace and rebuilding
relationships with all sorts: myself, my past, my sire, you, Solomon, and
whoever else.”
Sarah
tapped the King of Wards card. “This will take everything you have and perhaps
then some if Ernie’s involved.”
Michael
responded by tapping The Lovers. “Perhaps. But this is what I really wanted.
This is all I’ve EVER wanted. This…” he pointed to the King of Wards. “…is only
so I can have this.” He pointed to The Lovers. “I will remake the whole damn
world if I must to keep you safe.”
“And I
you.” Said Sarah fiercely. “I should show you my own reading sometime. You’ve
come back to me and I to you. We are in this together now. Win or lose, our
fates are bound.”
Michael
looked into her eyes and saw a fire there he’d never seen before. A fire he
liked maybe a little too much, since he began to feel a growing arousal not
only in himself but also the same pounding mad passion of his Beast. He grabbed her and pulled her to him,
spilling the deck of cards all over the floor. He lavished her with kisses as
her hands snaked down to hike her long skirt up.
---
Michael had taken Sarah again in order to prevent another
lust frenzy, but her words and her reading of the Tarot remained on his mind as
the sun set the next night. Dusk again found the two lovers intertwined in her
bed, but tonight also brought Maximilian's first official court since he’d
returned. He would have to put in an appearance at Nightstyles in order to be
formally and officially welcomed to the city.
Michael sat up and began to get dressed. Sarah stirred and
offered Michael a shower (not alone, of course).
“I must head for Nightstyles.” He told her. “So…”
“Max is holding court. I will go with you.” She interrupted
as she stepped into the stream of water.
Michael was surprised by that. He was also surprised that
Sarah outright refused his brief attempt at play, making their shower into
something both intimate and functional, but not sexual. They had duties to
perform tonight. Pleasure could wait.
Both of them dressed and went downstairs. They found Terra
talking with Elizabeth
in the kitchen. “I take it tonight is not to be spent indoors.” Presumed Terra,
setting down her cup of coffee.
“No, we are expected at court.”
Terra nodded. “I’ll get the car.”
Terra’s Chevrolet was small, but functional. Michael and
Sarah sat in the back seat together while Terra drove. As they hit the road
north, Michael turned to Sarah. “Something’s been on my mind.” He admitted.
“What is it?” She said.
“First off, I’m curious as to your insistence to accompany
me tonight.”
“I no longer need fear Max. I have you.”
“Yeah,” said Michael slowly. “and about that…” He paused to
compose his next words carefully. “We had something of an arrangement before.
We pledged our love to one another. Nearly got married at one point even, but
we were never faithful in the sense that mortals use the word. You would lure
in predators, making them think you were an innocent and helpless child, and
would sometimes allow them to have their way with you before feeding. I have my
harem and numerous other lovers, some prey, some plaything. Are we still going
to do that or have things changed?”
“Some things have changed.” Answered Sarah. “After all,
you’ve seen how I feed now and no, I don’t intend to return to my old ways. I
have my coven, my herd, my flock of sheep that will do whatever I ask of them.”
“Do you sleep with any of them?” Michael asked bluntly.
“Despite how much I may tease and torment them from time to
time, I do not. I kept that for you and you alone.”
“You see, that’s part of what bothers me here. It’s unfair
and unjust for me to now demand that I continue my habits as they are. I want
us to be equals and I want there to be no misunderstanding between us on this
matter.” He paused for a moment, awaiting a response, but then jumped in before
Sarah could answer. “We did have misunderstanding before. You did have a habit
of jealousy when I either did or was thinking about taking another kindred
lover.”
“I remember.” She said. “But I also remember you once being
quite upset when you caught me being violated by one of my prey, an act I
permitted for my own gratification. That was then, in the past, before we
really got to understand one another. I chose chastity for the time being for a
variety of reasons, not the least of which is because I was waiting for your
return. But as we move forward into the future, I may choose otherwise. Perhaps
you may decide to discard your harem and have me alone for a time.”
Michael could see Terra tense up at the mention of Michael
“discarding” his harem. Those words probably had greater impact since he’d done
just that with almost half of them when he left Blacksburg.
“I don’t know what the future holds, Michael.” Sarah
continued, drawing his attention back to her. “I know only that we are fated
for one another.”
“The cards tell you much.”
“But not everything.” She emphasized. “And my
interpretations may be off as well. The bottom line is we have to trust one
another in all things. And that will not be easy. I know you love me in spite
of my new-found madness. I know you love me no matter how many other women you
take into your bed. I must trust that you know I love you no matter what happens,
now or in the future.”
---
Michael and Sarah
arrived at Nightstyles around 11:00pm,
a good three hours short of the meeting of Max’s court. Michael decided to make
good use of the time to hunt, figuring Sarah would simple seclude herself in
the office. He was wrong. Again. Sarah decided to join him in the club and try
her hand at hunting as well.
Michael spent most of
the next several hours at half-hearted attempts at seduction. They were
half-hearted largely because he spent most of his energies keeping an eye on
Sarah. He was astounded by what he saw.
The first test was
the front door. They entered separately at Sarah’s insistence (a point Michael
would not have argued, since he wanted to appear alone for any potential
marks). Virgil was working the door with the bouncers and did a double take
when Sarah walked up to him. After a stuttering hello, he let her pass. The
other bouncers made no move to question their boss’s wisdom. If he wanted a kid
inside, it was on his head.
But Michael came to
realize his interpretation of that was off very quickly. Dressed as she was in
a tight purple corset and black skirt, she carried herself in every way like a
confident adult. Michael soon realized that he was the ONLY one in the club who
saw her as a child. Everyone else saw confidence, tattoos, punk hair, sexy
clothing, and concluded “petite flat-chested adult.”
Then men started
hitting on her.
It did not happen
immediately. Nor was it an onslaught of potential suitors. But as time went on,
Sarah drew the attentions of various men around the club. That Michael did not
expect. It was one thing for people to accept her as normal. It was another
entirely for them to see her as appealing or attractive.
Sarah played the game
like a pro. She accepted drink offers from strangers, made idle chit-chat, and
looked each and every specimen up and down to evaluate them. It was pretty much
exactly how Michael did it and how nearly every other man and woman in the
place did it.
Michael was of mixed
feelings about this. He was delighted at Sarah’s confidence and comfort. That
was new; even when they’d gone out together before, Sarah was never at ease.
Sure, they’d come up with their reasons and rationales for why Michael (as a
man in his 20s) would have a “date” who was 13 or 14. “She was his kid sister”
was the most common, but even that lie never allowed Sarah to relax and enjoy
herself in social settings like this. To see none of that anxiety at all
tonight was wonderful.
But Michael had to
admit his own jealousy too, an emotion Sarah had called him out for just a few
hours earlier in the car. Trust, she said, was the antidote to that feeling and
Michael pledged to himself that he would trust Sarah. A deliberate choice to
let her do as she pleased, knowing that she would call out for his aid if needed or would make amends if she did something that hurt him. In making that
choice, he returned his focus to his own needs and threw himself much more
forcefully into finding his own prey for the evening.
With his vampire charisma
and youthful looks, Michael never had to work very long and hard at that.
Within about 30 minutes, he’d been dragged to the rest rooms for a quickie by
an adorable brunette college student with a fake ID. She was probably 18 or 19,
trying to pass as 21 or 22, but Michael didn’t care. She was the perfect
victim. He took her inside a bathroom stall, brought her to a quick orgasm, and
then feasted until she passed out. An embarrassing end that would probably lead
to a beloved and amusing story later on down the road, but that mattered little
to Michael. Her blood, as he savored its taste, was his only concern.
Michael headed to the
bar and ordered his usual Captain & Coke. Sarah plopped into the chair next
to him a minute later. The crowd was beginning to thin as last call approached.
She looked at him and wiped a bit of blood from her lips. She offered him a
taste.
“I didn’t fuck him.
Just a snack.” she admitted.
“I wouldn’t have
cared if you did.” Michael replied. It was only a half-truth, but spoken aloud
as much to convince Michael that he didn’t need to care as much as he did.
“I have to admit even
I’m a bit surprised I’m this popular.” she confessed. “I didn’t think it would
be this easy.”
“Well, you’re
confident, gorgeous in a very unique way, and dressed hot as hell.” Michael
compliments. “On that note, I should also point out that your corset is not as
snug as you might think.”
Sarah looked down at
her chest. Sure enough, depending on how she moved, it would come away from her
chest and give anyone curious a nice view of her tiny breasts with their
pierced nipples. “Oh, you noticed?” She teased, giving him a show himself.
“I have a vested
interest in your bosom,” he retorted. “No matter how small.”
“You like it small,
don’t you?” hissed Sarah seductively in his ear.
“I like all kinds. So
do most men, if they’re honest. Yours is unique, different, exotic.”
“Hence the
attention.”
“You are not usually
one to be unaware of what others are thinking.”
“Oh, I’m keenly aware
of what people were thinking. I’ve read enough dirty minds tonight to...”
The DJ brought his
song to a close and announced last call, interrupting Sarah’s words. A few
folks headed to the bar to make a final order, but most started to gather their
things (and their dates) and headed for the door. Michael suddenly became aware
that amidst the mass of mortals now in motion were at least a dozen kindred
who’d not been there an hour ago.
“The king and the
land are one.” Michael mused, quoting the movie Excalibur. “As Max is a sneaky
stealthy bastard, so too apparently are his new minions.”
“I told you there was
cause to be concerned.” said Virgil from behind the bar, wiping it down and
beginning to clean up.
“You’re both just
being paranoid.” Critiqued Sarah. “Don’t give credit to them for your failure
to pay attention. I knew they were there all along. You (she motioned at
Virgil) were too busy filling drink orders and you (motioning to Michael) were
too busy sneaking peeks of my tits.”
Most of the kindred Michael
saw were unknown to him, but there were a few familiar faces in their midst.
Sarah spotted one and took Michael in hand to lead him over to her.
“I’ll be damned.”
said Nikki. “Sarah Cobbler in the flesh.” She looked at Michael. “And her
loving consort as well. This night is full of surprises.”
“Hello, Nikki.” said
Michael politely. Most of his interactions with her over the years had been
less-than-cordial. The childe of the late unlamented Michelle La Croix, Nikki
had helped her sire try to bring Michael down by framing the Fox Club (only
partly falsely) as a den of sin and depravity. Nikki and her childe and lover
Felicia had also helped worsen the Reign of Terror by tipping off certain cops
to the kindred presence in the city. Felicia had paid for that mistake with her
life when some of those same hunters murdered her.
Now Nikki was alone,
but Michael could tell from her poise and tone of voice that she had been
sobered somewhat over the years since those incidents. “Your darling is one of
my best customers.” she admitted to Michael. She motioned to the dark haired
beauty behind her, a young woman in her early 20s. “This is Bailey. My partner
at the shop, one of my models, one of my thralls, and my intended.”
By that, she told
Michael and Sarah she was going to turn the young woman into kindred at first
opportunity. It seemed likely that Max was, for whatever reason, holding that
up. That was good to know. He might be able to turn that into a means to make a
new ally of Nikki, perhaps putting some of that past behind them. He smiled at
the thought of it. Nikki was beautiful herself and while had had her once, he
wouldn’t mind another go around.
But the night’s
surprises were not finished. “Sarah, dear,” Nikki said. “I know you’ve been
ordering custom through your servants. I would love it if you would come down
to the shop and model a few items in person. I’d really like to see how my
wares look on a body like yours. I’ll make it worth your while. Discounts,
samples...” Nikki looked at Sarah hungrily, letting her words hang to imply
there was another incentive being left unspoken.
“I just might do
that.” said Sarah. “Soon, perhaps.”
Sarah could read
minds, so there was no doubt in Michael that she knew exactly what Nikki
intended. No one needed telepathy to be able to tell what Nikki was
telegraphing to the whole world. Still, that Sarah had accepted so readily was
another shock in a night full of them.
As Nikki and Bailey
walked away, Michael turned to look at Sarah. “You know what she really wants.”
“Of course. I’m curious.”
“You were never that
kind of curious before.”
“No, I wasn’t. But
times change. Besides, it might do us both good to bond closer to her and the
rest of the Servants of Typhon. We’re going to need allies against Maximilian.”
“If vampires could have
heart attacks, you would have given me several already tonight. First you want
to go out. Second you want to go clubbing to hunt. Third you start getting hit
on by men in the club. Fourth you tell me you want to have a lesbian tryst. And
now fifth, you explain to me how said tryst might benefit us politically.” He
paused a beat for the punch line. “Who are you and where’s the real Sarah?”
“You’re loving every
minute of this.” Sarah admitted.
“I am. But I’m not
used to it.” Michael paused. “You know, I’m starting to feel a little weird
about you and the whole lesbian thing.”
“Trust, remember?”
reminded Sarah.
“No, that’s not it.
If you want to, go ahead. It’s kind of a turn-on to think about it. No, I’m
starting to wonder why I’m not curious about that sort of thing myself. Being
with another guy. Never wanted to. Not once. Rebecca once suggested it, a long time ago, but I
just never had even the slightest interest.”
“Things change.”
Sarah repeated. “Maybe it’s just not your time. Maybe it will never come. We’re
not all following the same script. I will do what I do because it is what I
choose. I have no expectation nor demand that others follow the same path.”
“Do what thou
wilt...” Michael started to quote.
Sarah laughed. “And
here I thought you knew next to nothing of the great occult writers.”
“There are a lot of
nights when the harem is sleeping, my creativity is dry, video games are
boring, there are no good late movies on, but I have a library of books.”
Solomon entered
around that time, with Julia right behind him. The two were chatting with one
another, largely oblivious to everything else. Michael had paused before they
departed Sarah’s mansion to call Julia and remind her to be there. That she
arrived at the same moment as Solomon was probably coincidence. Still, it was
good to see the two of them making small talk with one another.
Sarah noticed
Michael’s attention. “Are you scheming something?”
“Sort of. Julia’s
been upset of late about her lack of polish in her combat skills. We’ve been
working a bit each night on the basics, but I’d really like Solomon to work
with her. Solomon’s not one for idle chit-chat, so to see them bantering with
one another is probably a good sign that he’ll be easy to persuade.”
“Don’t forget
Francois. He owes you.”
“I haven’t. Although
he may account the debt paid by his refusal to enforce Max’s banishment against
me.”
Solomon and Julia
walked over to Michael together. Both of them gave Sarah a good once-over,
astonished as was everyone who encountered her by the obvious changes in her
appearance. After doing so, Solomon turned to Michael and was about to speak
when the Rob Zombie song “Dragula” began playing at near full volume.
Everyone’s attention
was drawn first to the DJ booth, but it seemed that the machinery had turned on
by itself. There was no one there. Michael mused that some minion of Max was
playing tricks. A bat flew down from the roof to the landing mid-way down the
stairs and with a puff of smoke, Prince Maximilian made his entrance. He strode
down the rest of the stairs with slow deliberate steps, letting the song run
out as he did so. The room grew quiet.
“Good evening,
kindred of Tidewater.” Max spoke firmly. “Tonight is our monthly gathering to
make edict, to hear petition, and to meet with one another in the fellowship of
the night. There are quite a number of items on our agenda this night, so let
us begin.”
“First, let us
welcome into our midst one of our number who has been absent for some time.
Michael Allens and his childe, Julia Snow, have returned to us after some years
in Roanoke.
Michael was previous a primogen of this city and our Master of Elysium. He was
also under an edict of banishment which has since been rescinded. His past
crimes are now erased from the record and from our memory, but let it be known
that further mischief will be dealt with quite harshly.”
Michael acknowledged
both Max’s mercy and threats with a polite nod. “Solomon Wolfe has also
returned to our midst.” Max continued. “He is a kindred of good standing, a
nomad who visits us every now and again and thus we are glad to see him once
again among us. And who is this that I spy at Michael Allen’s side?”
Sarah stepped forward
boldly, taking Michael in hand as she did so. She glanced around the room with
a haughty air, as if all the assembled kindred that now looked upon her were
beneath her notice.
“Sarah Cobbler of the
Servants of Typhon coterie. It has been a long time since you’ve graced court
with your presence. It is good to see you again.”
Sarah locked eyes
with the Prince, but said nothing.
“The second item of
business is an announcement. You will notice the absence of one of the more
prominent members of our court this night. Francois du Bois has been found
guilty of negligence in his duties as sheriff and has been relieved...permanently.”
There wasn’t a single
kindred in the room who mistook Max’s meaning and the room exploded in anxious
murmuring at the announcement. Francois was dead or in torpor. Gone. Michael
glared at Max and for the first time in all his dealings with the Nosferatu, he
felt fear. How had Max managed it? Was it even possible? Max lived in terror of
the big French knight, terror that Michael had used on numerous occasions to
his own advantage. But now that edge was gone.
Michael looked to
Sarah and found her staring as off into space. He tried to get a good look at
her amber eyes to see if a glint of madness had returned, but he saw none. No,
what he saw instead was a hard determined gaze, as if she was having an intense
staring contest with an unknown opponent. Michael looked where she was staring,
but saw nothing.
Max had a smug smile
on his face and was clearly savoring the reaction his announcement had brought.
“Third item of the business.” he spoke loudly and deliberately, trying to draw
everyone’s attention back to himself. The crowd slowly, but surely, simmered
down to listen.
“There will be new
edicts effective tonight. The first is this: In order to preserve our place in
the darkness, there shall henceforth be no fraternization between any kindred
of this city and any other denizen of the night. No mage, no werewolf, no
changeling will be welcome in your midst.”
Michael frowned. That
was a deliberate attack on him, he had no doubt. Everyone who knew anything
about him knew he kept a mage and a werewolf as close allies and friends. He
looked back at Sarah. She had not ceased her staring at what seemed to him to
be empty space. Glint of madness or no, clearly one of her hallucinations had
taken hold again.
“Second edict:
Because of the great danger of hunters, additional steps will now be demanded
of all kindred to avoid drawing their attention. The size of any kindred’s herd
shall now be limited to less than 10 persons. Additional members beyond that
number shall be disposed of in a timely manner.”
That brought further
grumbling from the crowd. For a group of kindred that Michael had heard was
largely made up of fawning Max-loving sycophants, he was not seeing much
support for Max’s new rules.
“Third edict, related
to the second. Again, to avoid the dangers of mortal hunters, kindred shall not
gather in groups of three or more anywhere but here at Nightstyles or any venue
not designated by the Prince for his court.”
More murmuring and
grumbling. Max held up four fingers, ignoring the restless thong before him.
“Fourth edict. There is a plague of perversion in this city. Henceforth, no
kindred shall have any sexual relations with any other kindred. You may couple
with kine all you want, but not with one another as though we are breeding animals.”
“Are you Maximilian
or Mathias?” Michael barked loudly. It was unwise to speak out he knew, but his
growing anger and unease had made him impulsive.
Max shot Michael an
icy look, his smugness vanished in an instant. Michael knew the insult would hit
home. Max hated his sire, but that final edict stunk of Lancea Sanctum
moralizing, the same as Mathias and his minions had brought to cities all over Virginia before their
recent defeats. The purpose behind that edict, more than any other, was to
attack Michael and to give Max an excuse to move against him promptly.
Sarah grabbed his
arm, breaking off her stare for the first time. They looked each other in the
eye. “Do not provoke him further.” Sarah warned, using her telepathy to
speak to him in his mind, a trick she used only rarely.
“If there are no
further interruptions,” Max continued. “Let be known that violation of these
edicts will be dealt with harshly by loss of privileges, the death of servants,
banishment of offenders, and, if need be, Final Death. That is all.”
With that, Max
turned, transformed back into a bat, and flew off.
“What the fuck was
all that about?” growled Solomon.
“Don’t play dense.”
Michael replied impatiently. He would not normally be short with Solomon, but
his temper was at its breaking point and he needed something to lash out at.
“It’s about us. It’s about Mitch and Boar, my relationship with Sarah...”
“My herd is larger
than ten.” Sarah offered. “Max would know that.”
Michael waved his
hand about as if encompassing Sarah’s word into his argument. “That whole thing
was an excuse to come down on us.”
“What’s he going to
do?” reminded Solomon, trying to keep an even keel. “He’s still the sniveling
little hunchback he always was.”
“He killed Francois
somehow.”
“We don’t know that.”
Solomon replied. “He set this up to look like that, but my guess is Francois is
on a mission or has gone into torpor again. I doubt he’d dead. My guess is this
is theatre. Yes, these rules are to hammer you and yours in particular, but
when the time comes he’ll be expecting this crowd of fawning fools to do his
dirty work in taking you down. None of them are any match for you.”
“No,” interjected
Sarah. “That’s not how he’ll do it at all.”
“Did you read his
mind?” asked Michael.
“Max is too clever
and mentally disciplined to ever allow me to do that.” retorted Sarah. “No,
those two will do his work.” She pointed at the back wall. Solomon and Michael
saw nothing there.
“What are you talking
about?” said Solomon.
“There’s no one
there, Sarah.” said Michael gently. “You may be seeing things again.”
“No, I am not.” she
replied adamantly. She gave Michael a sharp look. “Trust! Remember? The one on
the left is a slight fellow, small in stature. He looks of my age, perhaps
embraced like me as a child or young teen. He’s bald and grey of skin, looks
something like a cancer patient. But his eyes have missed nothing that has
happened here and his ears have heard every word we’ve said. He is Max’s new
spy and he is watching us even now.
“The one on the right
is another story. He’s massive, seven feet tall if an inch. All muscle, all
brute strength. He’s got a dull look to his eyes, as if there’s not much there
behind them, but that doesn’t matter. He’s the one that took out Francois and
he will take out any foe that Max designates. He is Max’s brute, his thug...”
“...his hound.” said
Solomon. “Some Princes make use of personal assassin to do work the sheriff
can’t get his hands dirty to do. The title of such individuals is ‘Hound.’”
“So Max removes Francois
and replaces him with this monster.” Michael wasn’t yet convinced that Sarah
was actually seeing anything, but he kept those doubts to himself. He had
pledged to trust her, so he chose intentionally to take her at her word. He
looked at both Solomon and Sarah in turn.
“What’s the next
move?” interjected Julia, who had remained silent up to this point. “Mitch is
back at the Fox Club. If either of us returns there, Max will have his excuse.”
“We play along. We’re
gathered at court at Nightstyles for the moment, so let’s take advantage of the
opportunity here. Terra’s waiting down the street at a 24-hour cafe. I’ll send
her to Mitch and warn him. He’ll get word to Boar somehow. You can use my suite
at the Ocean Sands as your temporary haven and I’ll shack up with Sarah.”
“No fucking.”
insisted Julia.
Michael grit his
teeth and said nothing in response. He had no intention of obeying any part of
that rule, no matter what the consequence.
“It probably won’t
matter. Max will see you two together and simply presume, even if you remain
chaste henceforth.” said Solomon. “Probably best for you two not to be together
at all.”
“Then fuck Max and
his rules.” snarled Michael impulsively.
“I’m not afraid of
Max or his goons.” added Sarah. “We all know what happens next. Regardless of
obedience or disobedience, Max will find an excuse to move against us, even if
he has to make one up. Then there’ll be war. There’s no avoiding that.”
“Sarah’s right. We’re
just buying time right now. I’ll send Sammy back to Roanoke to collect the arsenal from the
villa. We’ll need weapons.”
“I wouldn’t send her
alone. Mitch or Boar should go with her.” added Solomon.
“Good idea. If any of
us don’t yet have cellular phones, it’d probably be a good time to get one.
Maybe we can use a bit of modern technology to keep connection without Max
knowing or understanding it.”
Solomon nodded. “Call
Sammy and have her meet me tomorrow night at the Krispy Kreme you’re so fond of
on Va Beach Boulevard. I’ll convey your instructions to her and go with her
personally. We’ll try to return the following night.”
Michael nodded in
agreement. He summoned Terra and began to make his way outside. Sarah followed
him out in the dark September night.
Michael made his
phone call to Sammy, finishing it just as Terra drove up. “Take us back to the
mansion and then make for the Fox Club.” He told Terra. “You need to tell Mitch
and Boar also if he’s there that Max has decreed there’s to be no contact
between any vampire and any mage or werewolf in the city.”
“Wow. That’s
unexpected.” Commented Terra.
“He’s made his first move.”
Said Michael.
“The King of Wands is
remaking the city in his image.” Said Sarah cryptically. When Michael and Terra
both looked at her, she explained further. “I read it wrong. It’s not you. It’s
him.”
“And the Knight of
Pentacles? Those two thugs?”
Sarah nodded. “The
catalyst that brings the chaos of the Fool.”
“But the
only way through is via the aid of those I love.” Concluded Michael. “That
wasn’t wrong. Time to rally the troops. Tough times ahead.”
---
Terra drove back to Hampton,
arriving at the Fox Club somewhere around 4:30am.
The place was quiet, as she expected. Mitch’s Camaro was not in the parking lot, but Sammy and
Angelica’s cars were (as was Michael’s Falcon, as Terra had done all the
driving to and from Sarah’s mansion.)
“Oh, well,” Terra
mused to herself. “Mitch has probably
found some hot little thing to spend the night with. He’ll be back in a few
hours.”
She stepped out of the car and almost immediately heard a
thump, as if something heavy just fell over. She turned and walked around the
vehicle, wondering if some malfunction had occurred. Her Chevy wasn’t that old,
but who knows?
She saw nothing out of the ordinary, so she turned and
headed inside, feeling the weariness in her bones. It had been several nights
of chaperoning Michael and Sarah and she was tired. Even though she kept the
same sort of schedule as Michael and other kindred, it was quite late even for
her.
She’d walked about ten feet when she heard the thump again.
She stopped and turned around, fear rising within her. Again, she saw nothing.
She stood stock still for several moments, her mind suddenly cast back to her
own childhood. “If I run fast enough and
jump on my bed, the monster won’t eat me” was not exactly her thought
process at the moment, but it wasn’t far removed from that.
Terra bolted for the door. The thumping sound returned and
repeated. Thump! Thump! Thump! She now knew something was chasing her. She
reached the door and gave the handle a tug, but the door refused to give way as
if something was holding it shut. She yanked on it again and immediately sensed
a presence behind her.
She spun and noticed two things at once. One was the massive
giant of a man who’d been behind her. Ugly he was, with a look of malicious
stupidity in his eyes. He had a goofy grin on his face, like a child far too
proud of the most mundane of tasks.
Two was a sharp pain in her belly. Terra took her eyes off
the giant and looked down to see an immense bowie knife in her gut. The giant
yanked it out and the pain intensified. Then he drove it in again. And again.
And again.
Terra coughed and blood spewed from her mouth. The brute
just smiled as he drove the knife in one last time and darkness took her.
---
Michael
stirred awake with Sarah in his arms. His first thought when he sensed her was
once again to curse Max and his stupid new edicts. He’d found her again. He
would not allow anything to come between them.
His cell
phone rang with a shrill tone, disturbing both of them and forcing them from
their relaxed and intimate pose.
Michael
stood up and fetched the phone from his pants pocket. He immediately noted over
a dozen missed calls. “Fuck!” he
swore in his mind. “Someone was trying to
awaken me by phone all day long.” He answered the current call.
“Yes?” he
said, dispensing with the usual phone etiquette.
“Michael?
Thank God, I reached you finally.” It was Mitch and his voice was frantic.
“The sun
has set.” Michael reminded him. “I don’t do much when it’s not.”
“Fine,”
said Mitch impatiently. “But you need to get over here…NOW.”
“What’s
happened?”
“Something
terrible.” And he hung up.
Sarah had
sat up and was looking at Michael. She said nothing. She could read the worry
on his face. Without a word, she grabbed the nearest piece of her clothing she
could find and started getting dressed.
They drove Elizabeth’s car with haste the 45 minutes or so up to Hampton from Chesapeake.
They drove largely in silence, neither wanting to speculate about what “something
terrible” meant. They both suspected that Max had made his next move, but what
was it?
Michael
pulled into the parking lot and he could see immediately what it was. A white
bed sheet was covering something on the front porch of the club. Dark crimson
stains were on it and Michael had no doubt what that meant.
He slammed
the car into park and jumped out without even killing the engine. He ran over
to the sheet and pulled it back. His worst fears now realized, Michael stared
into the dead eyes of Terra Hines. His heart sank.
Mitch
opened the door and found Michael. Sarah turned off the car and got out,
walking over towards them.
“It gets
worse.” Said Mitch.
“It’s Leigh
all over again, isn’t it?” Michael asked. Mitch nodded.
“Show me.” Said
Michael.
Mitch took
him and Sarah inside and led them down to the basement. The door to their
“bedroom” was ripped off its hinges by something immensely strong. Inside were
the bloody and brutalized naked bodies of both Sammy and Angelica.
Michael
dropped to his knees beside Sammy. His favorite now looked upward with unmoving
and lifeless eyes. Michael ran his hands across her cheek affectionately. It
was not, of course, the first time a thrall or a lover of his had been murdered
by his enemies. But regardless, it never got easier.
Michael
traced his fingers down her body, hoping against hope that his touch might
stimulate her to move once more. But her body was cold and stiff. This had
happened hours earlier and there would be no miracle tonight. His fingers
stopped when they reached her right hand. Sammy still gripped her service
pistol firmly, the slide locked back in the open position.
“She didn’t
go down without a fight.” Said Michael coldly, trying to keep his emotions in
check.
“No, she
didn’t.” said Mitch. “No bullet holes in the wall either. Whatever it was, it
took every shot and still kept coming.”
“Kindred.”
Concluded Michael. “It really is just like Leigh.”
“Max?”
“Of course,”
Michael said firmly. “This is his new pets’ work. The ones I sent Terra to warn
you about. One or both followed her here. Have you looked into their pasts to
see anything yet?”
“No,”
admitted Mitch. “That will be a most unpleasant experience and I wanted to wait
until you were here before I tried casting that spell.”
“Do it.
Terra first.” They headed back upstairs.
Mitch knelt
down and began to prepare. He reached out and touched Terra’s forehead.
Immediately, his senses were flooded with all of Terra’s final moments. He
broke contact after only a moment or two.
“She was
ambushed.” Mitch began. His eyes welled up with tears from shock and residual
fear. His voice cracked as he fought to continue speaking. “She was terrified.
Something big, thumping after her like a childhood bogeyman. It hit her as she
reached the door. Knife. Big knife. Big man. Huge. Stupid looking and ugly, but
mammoth in size.”
Michael
locked eyes with Sarah and half expected an “I told you so” from her, but Sarah
was empathetic enough to not pull such a crass move. Instead her eyes were just
as watery as Mitch’s. Terra had been one of her coven before she became
Michael’s thrall. They had a long history together.
“Michael,
I’m…” she began to speak what Michael presumed were words of condolence, but
Sarah found herself unable to finish.
“Damn Max! Damn him to hell!” Michael
raged within himself as the pain intensified. Although Sarah found herself
unable to speak, she reached over and put her arm reassuringly on Michael’s
shoulder. That simple act of support and affection was all the leave Michael needed
to break down. He erupted in grief.
Michael
returned to himself a few minutes later to find himself in an embrace with both
Mitch and Sarah, with both of them just as blubbery and weepy as he was. Michael
gave a weak smile to Mitch as they pulled apart.
“Hey, they
were my friends too.” Mitch said, as if in explanation for his own emotions.
“Yeah,”
said Michael, patting Mitch understandingly on the shoulder.
Solomon
pulled up a few minutes after that, with Julia riding with him on his
motorcycle.
“Oh my God,
Terra!” exclaimed Julia in shock. She jumped off the bike and ran over to the
trio on the porch.
“Sammy
didn’t show.” Solomon admitted, his eyes never leaving the body on the porch.
“I’m guessing why.”
Michael
nodded. “She and Angelica are downstairs. What’s left of them.”
“Damn
Maximilian.” Spat Solomon under his breath.
“This was
pure spite.” Snarled Michael, coming to his feet, his anger drowning out his
sorrow for at least the moment. “I’d broken no edict last night.”
“You went
home with Sarah. He presumed, as I warned you he would.” Explained Solomon.
“Can one of
you learned kindred tell me what you’re talking about?” interjected Mitch.
Michael
quickly explained the events at Nightstyles the night before, giving particular
attention to Max’s new laws. “I broke no law prior to this attack.” Michael
emphasized again, as if it somehow mattered.
“But he
knew you would.” Solomon continued. “This was a warning.”
Michael’s
cell phone rang again. Sarah grabbed it off his belt and answered it herself.
After a brief conversation, she closed the phone and handed it back. “No, not a
warning.” She explained. “A declaration of war. That was Elizabeth. Braden was killed in a car
accident an hour ago, not two miles from the mansion.”
“He was
pulling out of the driveway when we did.” Michael observed.
“He killed
your herd last night, Michael.” Noted Solomon. “He’s gunning for yours now,
Sarah.”
Panic
crossed her eyes. “My sister!”
Michael
jumped to his feet. “Solomon, take her and go. Find Elizabeth and anyone else
you can.” He then turned to Mitch. “Find Boar and get him back here.”
“And you?”
“I’m going
to Nightstyles.”
“Michael,
don’t do anything foolish.” Emphasized Mitch. He stood up as if to block
Michael from leaving.
“Max won’t
show himself. He has no need to and he risks everything if he does.” added
Solomon. “He won’t make the same mistake The Djinn did. You know that just as
well as the rest of us. There’s little point in trying to confront him. Less
point in trying to do it alone.”
Michael
knew they were right, but in his anger and pride he didn’t want to listen. His
phone rang again. Michael looked at it with annoyance. “Who now?” he growled.
He did not recognize the number.
“What?” he
barked into it as he answered.
“Michael,”
the voice was Damian Drake. “I need to meet with you, immediately if possible.”
“What’s
happened?”
“Three of
my best servants have gone missing. Now, unless I miss my guess, he’s hit you
too. Or if he hasn’t, he’s going to.”
“No, he’s
made his move.” replied Michael coldly. “But why you?”
“Don’t
flatter yourself, Michael.” Replied Damian. “I’ve proven to be a far bigger
nuisance to Max than you ever have. After all, you’ve only been back for a week
or so. I’ve been the one holdout among the primogen who doesn’t dance to Max’s
tune and I’ve done that for years now. Seeing, as you well know, that I’m kinda
partial to associating with certain type of wizard and that I am also known to
keep an extensive network of thralls and spies with which I’ve kept my position
secure, those edicts were far more likely written with me in mind instead of
you.” There was a pause. “Although, I’m sure the one about us not fucking one
another is all you.”
“Is there a
point to this?”
“My, aren’t
we touchy? I’m guessing one of your pretty little ladies has met an untimely
end this night. Well, if you can be reasonable for just a moment and see there
is a need for us to once more pool our resources against a common threat, it
would be nice.”
“Fine.”
Michael replied curtly. “Nightstyles in two hours.”
“I’ll be
there.” The phone hung up.
Michael
explained the phone call. “I’m going to Nightstyles.” Michael emphasized,
specifically to Mitch who still stood between him and the stairs off the porch.
“The spy
will likely be there to listen in on you two.” Said Sarah.
“And Damian
knows that too. If not the spy, then Max himself or any of his other minions.
He still agreed to it. We’ll figure something out. Until then, I’m going to
bury some bodies. Solomon, Sarah, Mitch, please do what I asked.”
---
Michael
took up a perch at the front door with the club bouncers. It was a good venue
with which to watch for Damian’s arrival. He did not wait long. The dark
Southern kindred came walking down the street after a few minutes. Michael
spotted him, made an excuse to the bouncer for leaving, and walked over.
“I didn’t
figure you wanted to actually meet inside.” Said Damian. “Given that Max is
likely watching the two of us most of all.”
“It never
occurred to me that this was going to impact you as well.” Admitted Michael.
“That was probably really dumb on Max’s part.”
“What? To
antagonize the both of us? Most assuredly, unless he’s completely confident in
whatever means he used to eliminate Francois.”
“So you
think the Frenchman really is dead.”
“I didn’t
at first, but then Max started going on about his new rules. He wouldn’t dare
antagonize the whole populace like that unless he had a trump card. And someone
who can kill Francois definitely qualifies.”
“Yeah,
Sarah calls him ‘The Brute,’ big massive stupid Nosferatu vampire that can hide
in plain sight.”
“And she’s
seen this vampire?”
“Seems
she’s the only one that can. Mitch saw him too, saw him through his magic when
he murdered Terra.”
“That’s the
dark-haired lovely, right?”
“Yes. He
killed all of them. All that I brought with me. The rest I left in Blacksburg, thank God. I
never guessed it would turn so brutal so quickly. I never saw it coming.”
“Neither
did I.” admitted Damian. “Your precious young
Sarah is marked for death, you know.”
Michael
felt his blood run cold with fear. “Because she can see him.”
“If she’s
the only one who can, that makes her quite the threat. This all reminds me of Montreal.”
“Excuse
me?”
“The Prince
of Montreal, Quebec is mystery. Mekhet or Nosferatu, but he rules in secret.
His rule is simple. Five, six edicts that all are to obey. Many of them very
similar to what Max just imposed. Those who disobey die. Without exception and
the Prince somehow always knows when someone has disobeyed.”
“And you
know this how?”
“I am one
of the lucky few who’s escaped that city. I never want to go back.” Damian
looked hard at Michael. “I have a hunch you’d really like to propose we take
Max down. And I’m tempted to agree with that proposal. You should have taken
the throne when Ernie offered it, but I understand your reasons why you didn’t.
But what I’m thinking now is that the window has closed and they’ll be no
dislodging Max no matter what we do.”
“I killed
The Djinn. I can kill Max.”
“Yeah, but
The Djinn was stupid. He completely underestimated you and Max will not make
that mistake. Especially not after you built a whole reputation on killing the
most bad ass vampire on the East Coast. Besides, there’s the other part of that
story that you don’t like to tell as it ain’t quite so heroic as the legend
you’ve built up. The simple truth is, even with all of his mistakes, you still just
barely won. One on one, with all his tricks, I wouldn’t bet you could repeat
your luck with Mathias’ other childe.”
“I won’t
face him alone.” Michael claimed boldly, fully aware that he had wanted to do
that very thing just a couple of hours earlier.
“I’m not
convinced he’ll give you the chance. He’ll kill Sarah and then we’ll all be
blind to him. After that, he’ll pick us off one by one.”
Michael
growled incoherently in frustration. “Then what do you propose we do?”
“Admit he’s
beaten us.” Damian offered grudgingly.
“At the
first move?”
“Do you
have a counter-move? Do you have a strategy? A defense? How the hell can you
fight someone you can’t see?”
Michael
remembered his little trick with the motion sensor light that had given him the
winning blow against The Djinn. That obviously was not something he could
duplicate again, but something like it? Maybe, but they would need time to come
up with it.
“Fine,”
Michael conceded. “I’ll admit his gambit is unbeatable…at least at the moment.
But I’m not keen on surrendering.”
“Surrender
is not an option. He’ll kill us. He already intends that. He’s just drawing it
out. No, it’s time to run. Run away from this city and let him have it.”
---
Dr. John Murphy of the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s
Office moved with haste towards the city morgue. “What is it?” he growled with
annoyance.
His assistant turned pale. Dr. John was scary enough when he
wasn’t angry; his face was badly scared and disfigured by what Dr. John claimed
was a rare skin cancer. It wasn’t. It was merely the manifestation of the
Nosferatu curse. Dr. John was a vampire, one of the most important in the city.
He was the first line of defense for the Masquerade, intercepting the victims
of vampires who lacked restraint when feeding.
His assistant, a bound thrall that knew better than to
antagonize his master too much, stuttered out an explanation. “It’s one of the
vaults, sir. There’s something alive inside it. Trying to get out.”
“Kelly didn’t try to sleep in one again?”
“No, sir, Kelly isn’t here tonight. Kathleen was on call
this evening and she’s unaccounted for.”
“Kelly’s the only one with a macabre enough sense of humor
to sleep in a storage vault for a cadaver. And the only one stupid enough to
get himself locked in.”
“I think we have a baby kindred on our hands.”
“Great.” Growled Dr. John. He was thankful that most kindred
in the city cleaned up their own messes, so bloodless corpses were somewhat
uncommon in his morgue. But rarer still were the orphans, people not only
killed but turned, often without the Prince’s leave. There was a standing order
from Prince Walsh for dealing with those and Dr. John had needed to send a
handful of virgin kindred screaming into Final Death with barely any knowledge
of what had been done to them or why they were dying. He hated that, hated
being a murderer. He’d become a doctor in his mortal days to heal. He became a
coroner to help the murdered find justice. That he now was guilty of the same
crime as many he’d help put in prison disgusted him.
They got down to the vaults. Sure enough, there was a
banging sound coming from one of the locked and sealed ones. “Open it.” Ordered
Dr. John.
The assistant unlatched the door and pulled it open. A form
came flying out, fumbling onto the cold floor in front of Dr. John. It was
woman, her clothes tattered and torn and she was covered in blood.
Another orphan, as he’d feared. He reached down to her, to
do his grim duty, when he locked eyes with her and recognized her face.
Dr. Kathleen Madison was a recent med school graduate and
his newest hire at the ME Office. She’d been working with Dr. John for less
than a month and was not yet fully brought into his orbit. It was into her eyes
that Dr. John now stared. It was one thing for him to murder a total stranger.
This was something else.
“To hell with the Prince and his orders.” Growled Dr. John.
“I won’t do it. Not to her.”
“No, you won’t.” said Kathleen cryptically. She had her head
turned in a curious fashion, somewhat like a dog that hears a sound it cannot
identify. And although she stared back at Dr. John, she was not truly staring
at him, but more through him.
“He’s back, you know.” She continued. “The one all kindred
fear. Madness and chaos follow in his wake. He’s come to await the one who
rejected him. The pieces are moving. It won’t be long now.”
“What is she saying, master?” asked the assistant.
“With most orphans, I don’t have a first clue who their sire
is. This one, however, I am certain.”
“Who is it?”
“Ernie.”
Next Chapter
