B00724AICC EBOK (26 page)

“
Yeah, real close.” Stephen rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Philo also shook his head as he feigned disappointment. “That’s one.”

Noah knew he was next and so he moved into the room cautiously. “What do I do? Just push on stuff?”

“
Find that damn dagger, that’s what you do.” Stephen felt something for Joshua’s demise, but if he ended up replacing Dracula, then his departure wouldn’t matter much in the scheme of things. “Don’t be afraid to go over the same areas. He might have missed something.”

Noah went along the floor, pushing on different parts of it that looked as though it had the potential to be some sort of hidden mechanism. He checked the paintings again and then commenced to feel his way around the wall. One piece of white granite appeared to be just a little more polished than the others, and when pushed, it gave way going further into the wall. A rumbling started, as if two huge rocks were grinding against one another. Noah blurred out of the room and they all watched to see what would happen. Another identical altar forced its way up through the floor to replace the first one. Everyone could feel the vibrations from the movement. When the altar stopped they waited for something to occur. They expected a blade or something nasty to swing out. Noah was afraid to re-enter the room but Stephen pushed him in. When he approached the altar two swords swung from somewhere near the altar but missed him. Apparently the device had not functioned properly, and again Noah rushed out of the room.

“
I guess that’s two.” Philo studied the room to see if anything else was about to happen. “Those devices don’t always work properly, especially with the passage of time.”

“
Stephen, do I have to go back in there?”

“
Are you kidding? You actually survived it. Luck is on your side.”

Noah blurred into the room and around it to see if something else was waiting to be triggered. But nothing happened. He again went along all four walls but could find nothing interesting at all. He stood akimbo and investigated the scene.

“
Try pushing the other altar up like the first one,” said Stephen. “As a matter of fact, it could look a little bat-like with the altars for wings.”

Noah did so and just before he had the altar fully extended a blade shot out of the wall with a curious grinding sound, it sliced along the granite more that it had been designed to, allowing Noah do duck just enough as it took the very top of his head off, revealing less than an inch of his brain. He screamed as it healed and blurred out of the room on his hands and knees.

Philo smiled. “That should be three. That was quite a haircut.”

They all watched in anticipation for the dagger to be revealed but nothing occurred. Several minutes elapsed before deciding it was safe for them to enter the white room.

Stephen crossed his arms. “So. Where’s the dagger?”

Philo cocked his head. “Listen, do you hear that?”

A slight grinding noise made them all exit the kill room in anticipation of what was to happen next. The sound got louder and louder as a rectangular box pushed its way up through the center of the altar, and once through all four sides of the box collapsed to reveal Hithroma, genuine or not.

Philo blurred to the altar and stared down at it with bright eyes. The others held back expecting yet another unpleasant surprise. Philo blew the dust off of it and gently held and examined it. It was beautiful, inlaid with diamonds and one large ruby. His face showed that he had in his hands one of the most impressive and powerful objects ever made. His mouth hung open as if it would never close.

“
Well,” said Noah. “Is it the real thing or not?”

“
I, I, I don’t believe it.” Philo peered closely at the ruby, holding his thumb up to it to compare its size. “I think this is the genuine Hithroma!”

Stephen grabbed the weapon as he knocked Philo to the ground. “With this I’ll be able to change the world. Just think of it.” They all gathered around to stare at the weapon.

Philo managed to blur and escape their custody.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

THE RED SHERIFF’S NECK was almost completely severed. She lay on the ground with Abrafo over her as he was ready to finish the job with his mammoth sword before she could recover. Lauren’s throat made strange sounds as she attempted to speak. Michael rushed Abrafo with more fury than he knew he had. It was one of his talents although he was yet unaware, the angrier he became the more powerful. He kicked the huge black man and sent him flying, and it surprised the both of them. Abrafo’s sword was dislodged from his hand and Michael placed himself between him and his monster weapon.

There was now fire in Michael’s hazel eyes.

“
What the hell?” Abrafo had read Michael’s aura and could observe that it had intensified exponentially, and that should not have been a possibility. A vampire’s strength did not increase without some form of magic, and there was none to be discerned.

Abrafo tried hard to kick Michael and send him flying, but Michael blurred so fast that he now found himself superior to the big fellow. He didn’t know how but he liked the feeling. The force that now flowed through him made his veins tingle. Michael let Abrafo get to his sword then with a burst of speed that he had never previously accomplished, removed the big guy’s head before he could pick it up. Even the fellow’s large bones were impressive as he fell dead.

“
How did you do that?” Lauren was actually captivated, and there wasn’t much that impressed her. She saw a different vampire standing before her.

“
I don’t know.”

“
You saved my life.”

“
I, I, just saw red when I thought he killed you.”

Lauren picked up her swords and returned them both to her back. “That was one big asshole.”

“
I’m lucky to be alive. You’re lucky to be alive. I’ll take that date now.” As Michael’s anger ebbed down his hands had become shaky, as his ability diminished.

“
You will?

“
Isn’t it some sort of law that if a vampire saves the life of another vampire they have to give them a date? If it isn’t it should be.”

“
Well, I guess you’ve probably earned it.”

“
I could have been killed!”

“
UN huh.”

“
You would have cried?”

“
Un huh. I might have drowned in my own tears. Imagine the size of the penis on that guy?”

“
I’d really rather not.”

Michael stared into her gray-blue eyes. “Friday at eight?”

“
I suppose. And then straight to bed?” It was said simply to get a reaction out of him.

He could no longer look into those beautiful eyes. In fact he found himself devoid of words, but scenarios were running around in his bedroom.

“
Michael, that bed part was a joke.”

“
Figures, but hey, I’m laughing on the inside. On the outside completely different story, but on the inside ha ha.”

Lauren looked Michael up and down, in her eyes he had evolved. Of course she guessed that it had been his talent that kicked in, and it was at quite a high level. But a talent that required one to be furious might not be the best. “You know, after seeing you take down that big brute, maybe you could actually be a red sheriff.”

“
Are you serious?”

“
Totally.”

“
Well, give the Master a call and get him down here. Should I wait over there?”

Lauren smirked. She went back to the bench and sat down. “Yeah right. I don’t know of anyone that has contact with the Master. Word is that he’s actually suicidal.”

Michael sat beside her. “Suicidal?”

“
That’s what they’re saying.”

“
Wait a freaking minute. He’s like the mother ship or father ship and if he goes we all go. Isn’t that the way it works?”

“
Relax. If it does happen you won’t feel a thing.”

“
Lauren, that is not at all comforting.”

Lauren thought about a world completely devoid of vampires. “Well, I’m not sure what would happen, although I suspect that we would in fact all cease to exist.”

Michael visualised the event, every single vampire turning to bones simultaneously. He imaged a movie theatre where, after the movie was finished and the lights came on, a quarter of the seats occupied by vampire bones. “So we could all just be walking down the street and poof?”

“
I guess so.”

“
That wouldn’t be good for vampire pilots at ten thousand feet.”

“
Passengers wouldn’t be too impressed, especially if both pilots were vampires.

“
Well that sucks.”

“
Yeah, it bites too.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

NIGHT HAD FALLEN and Jenny’s silhouette was observed from outside as she passed by her white curtains. The scent of freshly baked bread escaped the house and permeated parts of the neighbourhood. The moon in the sky was partially obscured by a veil of clouds; again she passed by her window, this time dancing. Rain was preparing to move into the area as the moon faded from view. It was a celebratory prance as she had completed a spell on a large bat to be placed in the park across the street to see if it would actually keep bad vampires away. It was a beautiful green area with benches and nice oak trees; it had intersecting paths that brought on a contemplative mood with the exquisiteness of its nature. Two killings had occurred in the park within the last three months.

Holgate and Ryman sat on a park bench facing Jenny’s white house; they had turned the bench around to face the house as Ryman peered through long green military binoculars. They continued to be attired in gray suits, believing that they looked as impressive as a businessman heading for a meeting. The task at hand was unsettling but it was something that had to be done.

Holgate felt his white beard to make sure there were no traces of blood remaining in it. “I don’t like the idea of killing a child.”

Ryman yawned. “Yeah, well, we took the money and now we have to supply the honey.”

“
You’re going to cut her head off?”

Ryman turned to him and stared at him with ireful eyes. “How many damn times are you going to ask me that same question? I said I’d do it!”

Jenny ran down the stairs and placed the large bat carving, some three feet wide and two feet tall onto the kitchen table where two loaves of freshly made bread were cooling. The bat was carved out of Basswood and given three coats of dark stain to protect it from the elements. “Here it is. Ready to go, at least I hope it is.”

Allison stood near the kitchen sink finishing a cup of green tea. “You actually finished it? You’ve been working on that for almost a month.”

Jenny stared at the object as she took her hair brush out of her pink pajamas bottom and brushed her blond hair. She often brushed her hair in contemplation. “Just over a month actually. The mayor has agreed to cement it into the park across the street. A camera is already set up there so that they can watch and see what happens.”

“
Jenny, you know if it works they’ll want more.”

“
I know mother but there’s a limit as to how many I can make. The mayor has promised to keep it out of the news for as long as possible, and NEVER to reveal my name. Wow, that bread smells some good. I need a slice with lots of butter.”

“
I suppose. Have you been drinking my green tea?”

“
As a matter of fact I have.”

“
I thought so. I suppose the antioxidants are good for you but I wouldn’t drink too much. There is some caffeine in it. ” Allison approached the bat, turned it towards her as she examined it. “That guy did an excellent job at carving this thing. What if it does get into the news? He’s probably going to realize that it was one of us that enchanted it.”

Jenny returned her brush to her pocket. “So we should probably put him in a bag and throw him in the ocean?”

“
We’ll need a big bag, he was a big guy.”

“
We met him at the mall, gave him fake names. Paid in cash. I think that we’re safe.” Jenny took the butcher knife out of the drawer and sliced herself off a piece of bread while her mother watched. She buttered it and took a bite. “This is so good.”

“
You know, I wasn’t going to cut that until morning.”

“
You gave me permission. You watched me cut it and said nothing. Should I regurgitate the bread out of my stomach and glue it back on?”

Allison laughed. “Maybe next time.”

They both laughed at the thought as the doorbell rang. It had started to rain as Sheriff Alexander and his German shepherd dog Tessy waited patiently under the outside porch light. The precipitation didn’t bother him but the dog shook as the water accumulated on her. Jenny stared through the peephole and when she saw that it was the sheriff, she immediately opened the door.

The dog ran in waging her tail and then shook herself again sending water flying everywhere. Tessy was glad to see Jenny again and actually got some enjoyment out of her high energy levels. The girl was more than happy to see the animal and was pleased to show the dog some affection. Their auras meshed like one hand fitting in another.