Seeker (22 page)

Lilly knelt on the carpet and placed her palm on the still wet blood. She looked at her palm and brought it to her mouth. It had been so long since she'd had the taste of fresh blood on her lips, but how she remembered the taste of it. Only this was different. There was no purity in the blood, a hybrid of mixed cells. Human and something more.

She got a head full of Fred's face, his expression going cold. Lilly smiled. It had been a long time since she had seen any of
her
children, and she had forgotten the impurity they carried with them. It was a necessary taint, a small price to pay, but still they carried a part of Lilly's ka with them.

She rose to her feet and looked around. Both Fred and her love were gone. Sam would return. He always would, just as they promised centuries ago. And when he did, he would find his wife waiting for him once again.

PART THREE

11.

“Yeah, I'm just down the road from his house. He's outside saying goodbye to Jake.”

Looking out across the Thames Estuary, Frederick smiled at the news. He had planned for this for so long now, and finally the moment was almost here.

“You have done well, Stephen. And he's definitely getting the train?”

“Oh for sure, I did a good job on his car. Come on, dude, have a little faith in me. Have I ever let you down?”

“No you haven't, that much is true. But then you wouldn't, not unless you want your supply of Red Source to dry up.”

“Ah, man, you got me there. It's good shit.”

“The best, Stephen, the best.”

“Yeah, but not as good as yours. Don't get me wrong, man, I'm not complaining, but yours was the best.”

“You have no idea,” Frederick said, tiring of the banter. It had been over seven years now, seven years of being Stephen's mate, meeting up with him from time to time, travelling from country to country engaging in extreme sports, and keeping the human supplied with Red Source. It had been almost as long since Stephen had first tasted Frederick's own blood, but only enough to hook him in. Since then there had been other donors, those without secrets. Stephen was getting greedy, but he had proven most useful so Frederick forgave that. “Has he left yet?”

“Yes, he's leaving now, just as planned.”

“And the part you've played…does he know of that?”

“No, Will has no idea I screwed over his car, how could he? He's never been the most aware man in the world.”

Frederick allowed himself a slight smile, knowing how much that was going to change soon. “Very well, the Three will be most pleased with your service, and you will be rewarded greatly. Red Source is only the beginning, as promised.”

“Great, thanks, Robin. I look forward to meeting the Three.”

“As you should, Stephen, as you should.” With that Frederick ended the conversation and turned his phone off.

He looked out at the sea; a sapphire blue beneath the cloudless sky. It was a fine morning, and Frederick expected the day to remain so. The weather might worsen, as was its wont, but his day was only going to get better once he met Willem on the train.

“You done, mate?”

Frederick turned from his reminisces, and smiled up at the man who asked the question. He was almost the same height as Frederick, dressed in black slacks and a black short-sleeved shirt, the top three buttons of which were undone to reveal a white t-shirt underneath. His hair was so blond it was almost white, and a little unkempt, while his face was thin but not skinny, his almost yellow eyebrows sitting atop eyes as blue as the sky. Frederick could see why Willem would find Charlie attractive, but soul mates they would never be.

“Sure, all done here,” Frederick said. “Pulled the short straw?”

Charlie smiled, clearly remembering their brief conversation when Frederick had ordered his cappuccino earlier. “Yeah, but hey-ho, on the plus side I get off in about ninety minutes, and then I'll be meeting up with…” Charlie paused, looking out at the boats that floated on the water between Southend's Eastern Esplanade and Queensland.

“A special someone?” Frederick ventured, knowing full well what the answer would be.

“Hopefully.”

Frederick found himself enjoying the grin on Charlie's face, and he particularly relished the irony. “Well, thank you for the coffee,” he said and rose, paying Charlie no further mind.

He turned away and began his trek back along the esplanade and towards Marine Parade and town.

* * *

As the train pulled in to Upminster Station, Frederick looked up from his paper. He hadn't been waiting too long, probably about fifteen minutes, but he was getting impatient. Although it had only been less than a decade since that fateful day outside the cafe in Newington Green, and a decade was no time at all for someone like Frederick, he had been waiting a lot longer than that. Ever since his first visit to Newington Green in 1788.

Careful to not draw attention, Frederick casually stood and discarded the newspaper on the bench. It seemed a common enough thing to do, as he often came across abandoned papers on stations and trains. He watched the carriages move by; the train slowed, and he smiled.

Yes, Willem was indeed on that train. Already he had passed by, but that was fine. Frederick wanted to prepare himself. As he stepped onto the train he laughed. Prepare himself! Over 222 years—wasn't that enough time to prepare for this moment?

Frederick continued smiling as he started up the carriage. He reached out his subconscious, keeping the conscious part of his mind on his path through the carriages. Even now Frederick could feel Willem, the other man completely unaware of the mental violation, his mind full of insular hopes about what the weekend for him and Charlie would bring. Such a parochial expectation. It amazed Frederick how little Willem was aware of his own potential.

Frederick's people had this gift that allowed them to sense another of their kind, an awareness of the ka within. Such a gift that it mattered little if they'd previously met, they just knew they were of the same people before they even laid eyes on the other. It was that sense that Frederick had got in 2002 when he had quite literally bumped into Willem during a visit to London. And as had he sat in the cafe, observing Willem, he had been reminded of that verse from the Book.

Onuris shall appear unto The Children, shrouded in the shell of a mortal man, and with him shall return hope. But before he is known pain will rage in him; he shall be rejected by his past and the fires of truth will explode in the hunger
.

He wished Melinda the Scribe was still with them, but she had met an unfortunate end many years before Newington Green and the observation of Willem. She had shown him how to translate the Book, as Wamukota had promised, and had been sworn to secrecy over it, but the Brotherhood had learned of her. Removing her before they got to her was the only thing the Three could do; a fact that Frederick still held against them.

Even without Melinda's amazing linguistic skills, it became clear to Frederick that Willem was the one the Book promised, a human carrying the dormant ka of the oldest of Frederick's people. There was no other explanation for the sense Frederick had got when he was close to Willem.

Through Stephen, Frederick had since been keeping an eye on Willem, and he made a point of learning everything he could about this odd man.

This was the first time, since that first destined meeting, that Frederick had been able to touch Willem's mind. Between then and now he dared not go too close to Willem for fear of messing up; everything was preordained and had to happen at given times. 2002 was too early, and so Frederick had to wait. But now he could feel Willem's mind once again, sense the purity in him, untouched and unknown for hundreds of years.

Frederick was not as adept at mind trawling as Celeste, but even with his limited abilities he could feel many closed doors in Willem's mind.

He had, of course, told the Three, but they were more cautious. Even Celeste, who trusted Frederick so much, paused and warned Frederick not to get too caught up in this human. They had all heard stories of those of their people who had become so enamoured with certain humans that they projected ka echoes on their objects of interest, convincing themselves that they had met another of their kind. Celeste was not saying this was the case with Willem, but until the Three were able to meet him themselves they were unwilling to commit their resources to awakening that old soul in Willem, if indeed he possessed one.

On one level Frederick understood their caution, and agreed it was necessary, but he
knew
he was right about this. And by the end of the day the Three would also know.

Frederick stopped walking for a moment. Willem was aware of him, like an itch that couldn't quite be found. Frederick smiled, pleasantly surprised by this. If further proof was required this was it; only one of his people would be able to feel such a probing of the thoughts.

Frederick carried on into the next carriage, his subconscious mind trying to dig just that bit deeper. It was to no avail; the doors were firmly shut.

No matter. He had reached Willem.

“Excuse me?”

Willem almost jumped.

Frederick smiled down at him. “Is this seat free?” he asked, indicating the aisle seat that had a rucksack sitting on it.

At first Willem glanced around at all the other empty seats, but when he returned his look to Frederick he was met with the most suggestive smile Frederick could offer. Willem smiled, blushing.

“Oh, sure. Yeah, of course. Sorry.” Willem lifted his rucksack and tried to shove it on the floor space between his legs. Frederick sat down while Willem continued to struggle, their legs now touching. Willem noticed and attempted to shift over a little, mumbling another apology.

“Not to worry,” Frederick said.

For a while they sat in silence, Willem looking out of the window, while Frederick sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. He placed one hand on his left leg, his fingers gently brushing against Willem's right leg, while his other hand rested on the belt of his jeans, his thumb gently rubbing his abdomen beneath his purple silk shirt. A slight shifting of the leg told Frederick that Willem had moved and was now no doubt snatching quick glances at Frederick's right hand, the index finger of which was now playing with the gap between the buttons, offering a tantalising glimpse of his muscled physique beneath.

Frederick smiled and opened one eye, just in time to catch Willem looking. Willem noticed but found he couldn't pull his eyes away from Frederick.

As Stephen had said, Willem liked the younger men, and Frederick certainly seemed to fit the bill there. On the surface he was twenty-seven, but thanks to his preternatural life force he looked a few years younger, even though neither was actually true. He had over two centuries on Willem.

“Have to be honest here,” Frederick said, still bearing the smile that held Willem captive, “I spotted you as the train pulled into Upminster, and I just knew I had to come and sit next to you.”

Willem swallowed. “Why?” he asked, his voice quivering with nerves, even though his eyes were now smiling.

“I think you know why,” Frederick pointed out, removing his hand from his shirt. “Someone as good looking as you shouldn't be travelling alone.”

“What makes you think I'm alone?”

Frederick looked around at the people who were studiously ignoring the two men who seemed to be in the middle of something very private. That was one of the things that he loved about humans, their capacity for denial was so great it was almost astounding.

“Doesn't appear to be anyone else with you.”

“Okay, good point, but I might be meeting someone when I get off.”

Frederick smiled again. “True. Where you heading?”

“Southend.”

“Me too. Looks like we'll be getting off together, then.”

Willem tried to not smile, and Frederick gave him props for that, but it was clear that he was very interested now.

* * *

Willem was being in part seduced and in part manipulated, but Frederick had no problem with that. Despite all the literature and films that implied otherwise, his people had no way to beguile humans. And thus it was necessary to employ all the tricks they had learned; firstly in their own lives as humans, and secondly in their much longer lives after the First Death.

Frederick had learned much in his time about how to get what he wanted, through both nefarious means and other more honest ones. Either did not bother him so much.

After almost two hundred and ninety years since his Rebirth he had learned a different code of conduct, and the strictures of human morality rarely came into it. So it was with Willem. To get him where Frederick needed him, Frederick would happily employ whatever tactic he needed.

Sexual persuasion was a tried and tested method; humanity was a beast enslaved by sexual appetite, thusly such a tool of manipulation was most often called upon when his people needed something from any given human. With Willem it was probably the best weapon Frederick had; he had studied Willem's life in depth, and he knew that this was a man with much sexual tension about him. So tightly wound up by his work responsibilities and the extra pressures piled onto him by his sister and mother, that he had little chance for sexual release.

As much as Willem liked to think he was interested primarily in the emotional and intellectual bond he'd felt with Charlie, Frederick knew better. The need for sex drove Willem into Charlie's arms most of all. And if Willem believed Charlie offered release, his mind would boggle at what Frederick offered.

Already, in the hour-long journey from Upminster, Willem was getting a hint of bigger things. A passionate kiss in the carriage toilets was just a taste of what Frederick promised later. If Willem wanted to step out of his box, Frederick was the means by which he could not only step but jump.

“Your sister does sound like a pain,” Frederick was saying as they passed through the ticket barriers at Southend Central. Sexual release was a great driving force, but another thing that human's sought was a kindred spirit. A person of like-mind who understood them. That, at least, was one thing Frederick's own people shared with humanity.

“Ah, you have no idea.” Willem stopped once outside, looking around, the infamous stranger in a strange land. He held his holdall in one hand, while his rucksack was slung over the other shoulder. Amongst the crowd of people milling about he stuck out like a sore thumb, yet another holidaymaker who had come to Southend to enjoy the beach and spend much money in the arcades that littered the seafront. He glanced at his watch.

“Late for something?” Frederick asked innocently.

“Nah, early actually. Supposed to be meeting someone at half one.”