Bloodbreeders: Seeking Others (11 page)

The next night we all dressed in a different type of black suit. The one that I was wearing was almost like being wrapped from head to toe in soft linen, and tightly wound at that. My legs were the only thing that moved freely, until mid-calf, where the material was wrapped tightly again. My hair was slicked back so tight that it felt like it was going to pull off my head. The girls of the house braided it, and swiftly I might add. Cates walked in with Jacob and both were wearing shirts which had no sleeves. Cates with his tree truck arms, and Jacob with his killing weapons, were bare. Then two others walked in and helped them put on a matching pair of leather arms, and both of them slid into the suits with sharp precision, it’s the only thing that I know to call it. It was one solid piece of clothing, so it rested firmly on their shoulders.

Sydney’s boat had been worked on all throughout the day by Jacob’s well trusted normals. It was no longer the brilliant white; it was now graced with the dark gray of a fireplaces ash. The tarp was gone and replaced with fishing nets, and forest debris intertwined in its grasp. The kitchen items had been replaced with weaponry, stocked full of swords, shields, and leaning unlit torches. I found it hard to believe it was all for the eight of us, not to mention we had our own personal ones to carry. They must have known a great deal more about Omar than I did, to have taken so many precautions. I knew they said he could gain others, but what could he do in such a short time? And how did anyone know that this doctor guy wouldn’t take him out? He was known as one of the sickest, after all.

We all stood on the dock. Shyanna was hopping up and down by my leg, while I hugged Johnny goodbye. I handed him back to Tanda and kissed her on the cheek, telling her everything was going to be fine. Jessie reached for me before I could reach for her. “I will watch over them.” I nodded, with my face nestled into the side of her hair. I knew she would die for them, as much as she knew that I would die for her brother. Then the rest of us made our way aboard the boat. Jacob was the last. He put his forehead on Jessie’s, and then jumped onto the front of the boat. Shyanna became agitated, starting to whimper. It became louder, until she was belting out one of her fearful screams. The boat was several yards away from the dock, but I could see her reaching out her arms. She jumped up and spread her wings and just like that she came flying right at us.

“Wicked little beast,” Jacob laughed.

“We’ll have to lock her below,” I added with a laugh of my own.

“She can be free as far as Mt. Holly. There she will have to stay hidden and quiet. You would not want the doctor to get his hands on one such as her, if we were to fail against his followers,” Cates said smiling, as he looked up watching her in flight.

“She’s something isn’t she?” I asked observing
her. “I’ll never let anything happen to her as long as I’m alive.”

“Have you made plans in case you should not survive then?” Cates asked, now looking down at me.

“I don’t make plans for my death, Cates. I leave that up to those who want to kill me. I make plans on surviving and bringing all of those out of slavery that I can.”

“Jacob was right about one thing. You are a brave woman.”

“Well, maybe just one who isn’t going to stand by and watch others suffer if I can stop it.” I left him standing there and went to the front of the boat where Shyanna was landing.

That night I stayed on the upper deck with my winged child as the men made their plans to enter, Charleston Bay. We were going to travel up the Cooper River, until we reached Goose Creek, and then follow it up to the doctor’s lab at, Mt. Holly. I had wrapped a blanket over Shyanna’s shoulders because the air had changed from cool to
extremely cold the further up the coast we went. She wouldn’t allow clothing and had lived all her days on a more tropical temperature island, meaning the change was somewhat different for her. It meant little to us, we were breeders, but the normals showed signs of its sting as they moved about in the harsh winds of the winter’s night.

I could see the coming of dawn before I felt its pull. I was one of the ones that took the motor room, along with Shyanna, Derek, Brandon, and Tammy. Jacob, Cates, Sydney, and Garvin took the sleeping quarters which was made more secure by the orders given before we left. The two normals stayed on the upper deck throughout the daylight hours, with all going very well. We had made passage into Charleston and were well on our way down the Cooper River when I woke. I was so cramped that I couldn’t get my legs out from under Derek’s legs. I just laid there listening to the motor die as the driver stopped the boat. Once the motor was silent I could hear the muffled sounds of Jacob and Cates talking, so I did the only thing I could…I called out.

“Have a slight problem do you?” Jacob asked, stepping down the ladder.

“Shut up and just help me.”

“You do look quite silly, tangled as you are.”

“Next time, you sleep down here,” I replied as he pulled me free.

“It was your choice, do not forget.”

“Okay, yeah, I remember, now get out of my way so I can get out of this place.”

“After you,” he gestured with one hand toward the ladder.

I went up to find Cates sitting on the floor beside the bed that still held Garvin and Sydney’s still forms. “Evening, madam,” he said, then he nodded his head, as I rolled my eyes and climbed on up. Jacob came out with a huge smile on his face, knowing that I hated being called a “madam” about as much as I hated being called, “My Lady”, “Mistress”, or “Master”. One day and soon, I hoped they would learn to call me by my name. Jacob and Cates told me that the normals informed them that we were now on the Cooper River, to which I replied that I already knew. When they asked me how, I simply said that I heard it said.

“How is that when you were down below?” Jacob asked.

“I really don’t know, but I knew, Jacob. It was like I heard the man telling you.”

“Were you trying to concentrate on what we were doing after you woke?” Cates asked.

“Yeah, I wanted help. I couldn’t get up with the way we were all tangled together.”

“You have gained a power as a reader,” he proclaimed.

“I don’t understand.”

“He means, your powers are growing, Renee. You are now learning to think hard enough to break through,” Jacob explained, sitting down by Cates.

“Break through what?” I asked twisting my head around.

“The minds of your people, of course. You do not have to have the gifts like those of your Sydney, but being one of high standing such as yourself can allow you to see inside those under your control,” Cates continued. “And before you say that you have not marked Jacob, it means nothing, because he has given himself in mind and spirit to you.”

“I see you’ve filled him in nicely,” I frowned looking over at Jacob.

“I have. He is your third command and my second.”

“You may take of my blood if you wish to secure my loyalty, Renee. I follow you, because it is my duty and because I would not miss this action for all the daylight in the normal world. I will learn to give myself to you as Jacob has, but only after I see your willingness to except it.”

“Oh believe me, I except all the help we can get. And you can keep your blood. I’m sure he’s already told you that’s not my cup of tea,” I replied sliding my back down the door, until I sat comfortably on the floor.

“He has.”

“So tell me, Cates, what makes you wake up so early, got a story to tell? What ancient did you drain?”

“I’m afraid I came to this state, because I am close to the age of an ancient and not because I drained one, even though I have taken one or two that was younger than I am now.” He explained looking over at me with a devilish smile on his face.

“Mind if I ask how old you are?”

“I was twenty nine when I became a warrior of the dark side, eight hundred years ago, when the world was still fresh.”

“But you look…”

“Like an old man?” he interrupted.

“Not old, but older than twenty nine.”

“We age, Renee. It just takes a great deal of time,” Jacob explained.

“He just has one of those baby faces and has changed little in the time that I have known him,” Cates snickered, pushing Jacob with his shoulder.

“You are just jealous because your age shows so well,” Jacob laughed, pushing him back.

“You two look like David and Goliath sitting next to each other,” I added with a laugh of my own.

“And you dear Renee, remind me of the children’s story of Rapunzel, with all that hair,” Cates said winking at Jacob.

“Hey, what’s wrong with my hair?”

“Not a thing, just making conversation, and telling you what you remind me of as we remind you of others.”

“I swear you two are more like twins than you are with Jessie, Jacob. Who trained who? Either way you guys are just alike.”

They looked each other up and down then looked back at me. I shrugged my shoulders and closed my eyes.  “We are turning into Goose Creek, My Lord,” a call came from the closed doors. I heard the motor kick back up, as we turned to the right. Once I saw Garvin move, I knew the sun was setting, he always woke right before it went down, and I couldn’t be more glad to get out of the small, cramped area and away from these two, that were very much starting to get on my nerves.

As soon as Brandon opened the motor room door, I jumped up and went out into the dusky hue of the falling night. I inhaled a deep breath, smelling all the greenery that surrounded the creek that we were going down. The width of the moving water was a good size, but one that looked like it was getting narrower by the moment. The landscaping had been changing the further we moved up the coast, along with the drop in
the temperature. Even I was starting to feel the chill in the air, or maybe that was just my nervousness kicking in. Everything that I had heard about this doctor person was pretty horrible. The fact that he was trying to find a cure, if you will, brought Johnny and the life that he was going to be facing to the front of my mind. If he had found some sort of breakthrough, I wanted to know about it before we took his life. 

We were all on the upper deck, well fed and ready to take the long hike to Mt. Holly. The normals left us on the shore line we had agreed on and moved Sydney’s boat back out to safety, with Shyanna screaming her cry of disapproval at being trapped in the sleeping quarters. She put the fear of God into the normals. They first had to become accustomed to the likes of a bloodbreeder, now they had to deal with whatever type of being she was. I just called her my
flapper
, because that’s what she called her flying skill, “Me’s flap now.” I could see the top of the mountain through the thick lining of clouds that floated by its snow covered tip, and knew we weren’t far from our destination. We were eight strong once we met back up, walking side by side in pairs as we made our way through the dense undergrowth of the forest floor.

“There!” Tammy said pointing at the base of the mountain.

“Where? I don’t see anything,” Derek replied, with his eyes squinted.

“Doesn’t look very ‘Holly’ to me,” Brandon whispered at my back.

“This is not a good place,” Sydney said looking over at Garvin, and then glancing back at me.

“The doctor is not here,” Cates said slowing his pace. “But, he has left us a surprise.”

“What do you mean? How do you know?” I asked rapidly.

“Tis one of my abilities.” He tapped his head then picked up his pace, shooting one hand out to the right then one to the left. Four went one way and the remaining four of us went the other.

Cates stood with Derek, Brandon, and I, while Jacob remained with Tammy, Sydney, and Garvin. We all had our weapons drawn. I’d heard nothing. But, then again I was moving my mouth as usual. Sure enough a group of normals were coming down the very same path that we were going up. Jacob looked right at me with a cold dead stare and shook his head, demanding I stay put. I glared back letting him know that I damn good and well would jump in if I heard something that I didn’t like. I was going to be right in the middle of it all. They were closer, not ten yards away, when they stopped.

“You guys hear anything? I got a bad feeling tonight.”

“You and your damn superstitions, Freddy. We got our money, he’s got the girls, so let’s just get the fuck out of here and forget we even know about this place.”

I heard Jacob growl as I stepped out of the long grass.

“Hey, Freddy. You should have never taken the offer in the first place,” I said in a mocking, low voice.

Jacob stepped out, prompting the startled men to step back. Cates strode
out next, and within seconds all five took off in different directions. All but Freddy. He was still eyeballing me, as well as Tammy who now stood next to me. The rest took off like a pack of wolves on the hunt, and the scent of blood was heavy on the trail. Silence gripped the night air as we walked up to the man whose mouth hung slightly a jar. The closer we got, the more he swallowed and sweat formed on his brow even in the freezing weather. His eyes twitched; mine never blinked as I held his gaze until I reached the tip of my shoes to his. I was so close I could smell the thick fumes of whiskey rolling off the heavy laboring of his breath.

“I just needed the money.”

“Really? So tell me, Freddy, what did you leave up there?”

“Two girls.”

“Girls?” I nodded. “How old? Where’d ya get ‘em?” I asked turning my head to the side and closing my eyes for a second.

“They’re young, maybe twelve or thirteen. Found ‘em on the beach yesterday.”

“Did any of you hurt those little girls?”

“No ma’am, don’t you even go thinking anything like that,” he said backing up, indicating
his guilt.

“Freddy, Freddy, Freddy, what say we go ask those little girls?”
“Please, I have a family,” he cried.

“Oh, I suppose they lived in front of an orphanage,” I sarcastically replied storming up to him, as he tried to back away. “Take me to them right now!”

“Yes, yes, just don’t kill me, please,” he begged, going to the ground like a whipped dog. 

Cates came back first, just as I was jerking Freddy to his feet. He haphazardly
dropped the corpse of a man at mine. That was one of the five. Brandon and Derek returned a short time later. Brandon dragging a normal in each hand, and Derek lugging one, and all three were bleeding from the neck. Jacob brought the fifth back. He was walking backwards with his hands out in front of himself as if it would actually be able to ward Jacob off. The ones that the boys had chewed on stood perfectly still, but the other two trembled from head to toe, batting their eyes, looking from one of us to the other. I told the boys what Freddy had told us. Our party continued on to the well hidden laboratory.

I let out a sharp breath when I saw how the rock jutted out making an invisible entrance. If you were looking head on, it gave the illusion it was a solid piece of stone in the mountain. I followed behind Cates, who wasn’t the least bit bothered by bringing back a dead man, and he closely followed the man who told me about the girls. I believe he brought the dead man along to keep the fear instilled in the others.

The cave was cold and wet. The damp air blew a mist every so often from a source of running water further back in the cave. It happened every time the wind swirled in from the opening and ran back out. The sounds of rushing water grew the deeper we went. The man knew right where the torch was and lit it with matches he had in his pocket.

“How many times have you brought people…girls, here Freddy?” I asked putting a harsher tone in my voice when I said his name.

“Never, I swear,” he replied, nailing another lie into the coffin he would never get.

“Someone’s crying, I can hear them,” Brandon s
aid holding his head sideways.

Freddy handed the torch to his companion and then walked up to a normal looking slimy stone wall, and pushed it open like it weighed nothing. “I’ll get the generator going.” Freddy started to walk in, when Cates took the man’s arm and lifted him off the floor.

“I will rip you limb from limb, with my bare hands if you dare speak without permission. Do I make myself clear?”

The man nodded, turning as white as a ghost. Cates dropped him, where he fell into a heap of himself, moaning and rocking back and forth. Jacob and Cates took control of the
room while we waited out in the tunnel of the cave. This place was ingenious and more than just well thought out, it was brilliant. I could see a shiny floor as the torch light hit with their passing, as well as long drapes that looked dark blue in color, covered cut out walls. The torch light disappeared and a few minutes later the sound of a small motor started up. Soon after the overhead light, which was a wagon wheel chandelier with six lights, came on showing it went with none of the decor in the entire room. Metal tables lined the wall to the right. Glass shelves, much like the ones in a china hutch, faced us as we walked in the door. There were different colored bottles lining the shelves, which were filled with things from powder, to liquid, to things that looked like grasshoppers.

I was looking for the girls that Freddy had mentioned, but I saw nothing of them anywhere. “Split up. I want those girls found now!” I went over to Freddy and started questioning
him, while Jacob worked on the other ones. Derek and Brandon had already tried to find them in the minds of those they’d bitten, but it seemed they never went in. It was the other two that took care in placing the girls inside. I was just about to calm Freddy enough with a bite of my own to get the answers that I needed, when Brandon came running back into the room. 

“Found them, they’re hooked up to some kind of little tubes. These guys were sucking all their blood out and draining it into this large glass bottle.”

“Help me drag this piece of shit down there.”

We stormed down the only hall that had been cut out of the belly of the cave. It appeared as if it curved, making the structures shape like the big dipper with small rooms off of its handle. We passed three doors before Brandon stopped running and stepped into one, dragging Freddy the entire way. Jacob came up beside me and dropped the man he was dragging on the floor. I walked in and froze at the sight of the two small girls lying on the silver tables side by side.

Garvin was removing the slender metal piece from the last girl’s arm, by the time I had found the courage to go in further. Both were badly bruised and extremely drugged, with something left by the good doctor himself. I lifted the first girl’s head and asked her name, but she could only moan as her eyes rolled back into her head. Twelve or thirteen my ass, they were more like nine or ten at best.

“What do we do?” I asked, appalled that any normal could do this to one of their
own kind for money.

“Leave them near a normals home. Garvin and Sydney can take them back to the boat, tell the men to drop them on Charleston Beach and then return,” Cates said feeling the neck of one of girls. “They are weak, but they will live.”

“I agree, they just seem a little roughed up,” Tammy concurred.

“This night will not pass with us making it back to the boat. We will have to make it back to here, then join the boat tomorrow night,” Jacob added, looking behind the curtains that covered the wall.

“I don’t understand, it’s not even close to midnight yet,” I replied.

“If we wait for Garvin and Sydney to return, it will be much later.”

“Then I guess you better tell the driver of the boat to not run off without us, Garvin.”

“We’ll be quick,” he replied picking up the girl closest to him.”
“Are you sure that I can’t help?” Brandon gallantly asked.

“Better stay with me, Brandon, you can help with these four.” I gave him a little nod at the same time that Jacob did.

I knew that Sydney was a little tenderer when it came to killing, which is the main reason that he and Garvin were chosen. I stood at the opening of the cave, listening to Jacob give his version of my little ones to Cates, and not once did I turn to complain. He was very correct when he told him that Sydney had a hard time with the
abnormal
, and that Derek was like the jester of a court, and that my mouth was like that of a drunken foul human.  Now, I watched as two of my little ones vanished into the night, knowing that I couldn’t argue with the truth. I didn’t know how we were going to burn a place carved out of solid rock, so we had to come up with something else.

“I say we leave their heads on the tip of wooden spikes to show this place to be cursed,” Cates suggested, looking back at them cowering in the corner of the laboratory.

“That’s medieval, Cates,” I argued, shaking my head.

“It worked in my day, it will work now.”

“What? You were some kind of knight? Please Cates, this isn’t then, this is now. After what I’ve witnessed, I don’t think a few heads are going to scare anyone.”

“Maybe not a breeder, but it will certainly put the fear in the next normal who delivers fresh stock,” Jacob added, walking up behind me.

“And to answer your question, yes, I was a knight, a very good one at that.” Then he stormed out of the room.

“Touchy isn’t he? What’s his story anyway?” I smirked.

“His story is not for me to tell, but you must watch your words with him, Renee. I have had time to adjust to your humor, he has not.” Then he too left the room.

Brandon and Derek stood in front of the four that were fixing to die, snickering under their breath at the conversation that I had just had with the “big boys”. The two men who weren’t under the mind control of the boys were looking a little green around the gills; they must have heard what Cates had said. I thought I would use that fear to get more information about this creature called,
the doctor
.

“I want to ask you a few questions and the answers you give me will depend on whether or not you live or die,” I explained walking closer.

“Please, I’ll tell you anything,” the man said nervously. He was the one that Jacob had brought back in. “This…man that gave us the money, said to bring the girls to the usual place. He said to give them the drug and leave. That, the doctor would take care of the rest.”

“Did you have your way with them? Did he say that you could do that?” I asked, stepping closer pulling up on the hilt of my blade.

“Oh God!” he cried, trying to scoot backwards on his knees.

“I take that as a ‘yes’,” Tammy said and stepped in and shoved her blade into the man’s chest, setting the others into a huge frenzy.