Chapter 53 ~ Forever Ever After

here was a dull scrape of metal across stone, followed by a series of sturdy clanks against metal beyond the one of the fire doors in an offshoot hallway at the far side of the room.

"Wait here," Dain ordered.

He and Argus crossed the room to the wide corridor opposite. Moments later the steal door blocking the passageway opened revealing a large security gate behind it, Lucas, Patrice and Adelaide behind that.

"Well done Danay," Adelaide said, her eyes set firmly on Dain. "You've done your mother proud."

Dain scoffed and looked away.

Adelaide looked pleased as she turned her attention to Danay. "Too bad you didn't have sense enough not to get yourself caught along with the other mice. After the display you made earlier today, I can't help but wonder if you're even worth freeing. Was your father able to sway you with his poor excuses?"

Danay was standing behind Anna. She let out a long slow breath, her eyes on the ground, her head tilted toward Kevin. She stepped forward and yanked Anna's guns free from their holsters. Kevin raised his swords to defend.

Anna reached for her blade. Galen stopped her. His hand on her shoulder he pulled her toward him shaking his head ever so slightly.

"Move," Danay yelled at Argus and Dain. "Over there." She motioned with her guns.

Dain scowled and shook his head. "Not my daughter," he said, before slowly stepping away. Argus followed his lead.

"I know who Argus is." Danay said.

"Traitor!" Anna screamed.

"No," Galen said, pulling her closer to him, his arm round her shoulders. "No emotion."

"It would seem that's becoming your new nickname, Adelaide laughed. "Traitor... traitor," she sounded the word out slowly. "Forræder," she said in their native tongue.

Danay smiled. "They've been trying to imply that the blonde over there is Argus. But he's not. He is however one of Argus's most trusted Elite and bodyguard to his wife."

"That?" Adelaide grimaced as she eyed Anna. "She's not much to look at."

"She's immortal born," Danay said. "Like he is. I've seen him. We were all together before we split up. They call him Hiro, he's Asian."

"He could be anywhere by now," Adelaide scowled.

"Without her? Without his most trusted?" Danay countered.

Adelaide sighed. "You are a fool, Danay. A man who commits genocide against his own kind has no loyalties." She turned as if to leave.

"Wait," Danay called. "There's more. The bullets in these guns have a poison in them that turn immortals into mortals. It's why they fear them."

Adelaide eyed the room, considering. "Bevise det," she said coolly.

Danay considered the room for a minute, then turned and fired through the gate hitting Patrice in the forearm.

"You bitch!" Patrice screamed. "You lying traitor bitch!" She clutched her arm and tried to suck the poison out of the wound as she cowered in the hallway.

Adelaide glowered.

"Just making some room at the top," Danay smirked. "Now let us out."

Adelaide eyed Danay for a long moment, keeping Patrice in her sights the entire time. "I'll take you. Not your toy," Adelaide scowled at Kevin.

"Agreed."

Danay turned the gun on Kevin and fired. He brought his blades up in defense. He twisted as the bullet struck and fell to the ground, his blades uselessly gripped in his hands he rolled onto his side, moaning. "I did everything for you!" he growled. His blades clattered onto the hard floor and he clutched his chest as blood seeped through his fingers.

Anna and Galen ran to his side. Galen tearing a piece of fabric from his jacket and pressed it to Kevin's chest.

Adelaide smiled and unlocked the door, releasing Danay. "Finish her," she said to Danay.

Danay held the gun against Patrice's head and pulled the trigger. Patrice fell slack on the floor.

"Do you smell that?" Lucas sounded alarmed.

"You free her for a small amount of poison?" Argus said stepping forward. "I can do better than that. I can give you Argus. It's not the man Danay thinks it is. Hiro is just one of his Elite. I can not only tell you who he is, I can tell you exactly where he is."

"Can you?" Adelaide eyed him, unimpressed. "And exactly who might you be? One of his Elite?"

"No," he smiled. "I am he. I am Argus."

"You take me for a fool," Adelaide huffed.

Argus shrugged.

Adelaide looked amused. "It doesn't really matter who you are. I'll know your secrets soon enough. You stand with the Elite and you will die with the Elite as I bleed them all dry and learn their secrets one by one, making all that is theirs, all that is yours, mine." She turned then and they started down the corridor.

"Not you," Argus called after her. "Viktor."

Adelaide turned back.

"Viktor is clairsanguineus," Argus said. "He reads blood. Far beyond what most others are capable of, even more so with you. You tricked Viktor, trapped him, and now you're keeping him a prisoner. He gives you information in exchange for sustenance."

"How do you?" Adelaide glared at him, her eyes darting quickly toward Lucas, then to Danay.

"Surrender now and I will spare your lives." Argus said.

"Kill him," Adelaide ordered.

"You can shoot every bullet you have," Argus said. "I'm immune to its effects."

Adelaide took the gun from Danay and pointed it at Argus.

"Don't do it," Danay said. "True or not it's a waste of bullets. There's less than half a dozen rounds left in each gun."

Adelaide smirked then turned and paced quickly down the hallway with Lucas and Danay at her side.

 

"one of you seem terribly upset about what just happened," Anna commented, once she was sure Adelaide was out of earshot. "I assume you have a plan?"

"Of course I do, Dearest." Argus held a hand out to help her.

"Nice sell," Galen said as he helped Kevin to his feet.

"You too," Kevin said.

"What?" Anna ripped Kevin's shirt exposing the left side of his chest.

"Anna it's fine," Kevin reassured. "I'm not as fragile as I used to be." He lifted his sword and showed her the bullet lodged in the base of the shaft, and the blood at its tip. "Saved my life," he kissed the sword then tossed it across the room. "When did you know?" he asked Galen.

"Only about a second after you did," Galen motioned toward Argus.

"But... How?" Kevin shook his head then turned to Argus. "Wait. Are you really him?"

"Mmm," Argus answered, his thoughts elsewhere.

"This was easier when Meline was relaying information to me," Anna said. "Do you know what's happened to her?"

He glanced quickly to Dain, and then Anna. "My fault," he sighed. "She's preoccupied with other things at the moment. It's easier to focus on one mistake at a time," he glanced around the room, his thoughts still elsewhere. "Right now... It's this way," he said, taking hold of Anna's hand, and pulling her toward the corridor they'd found Camille's blood in.

"There's no way out over here," Anna said.

"We're not looking for a way out," Argus explained. "We're here to save Viktor."

They loosed their vision as they made their way through the dark and windowless hallway. They had to break through two doors and a wall to reach Viktor. They finally found him in complete darkness, huddled naked in the corner, crying. Blood smeared on his hands and face. He was completely emaciated, his hair a sparse tangle, unkempt and crudely cut out of convenience. Dain immediately pulled off his coat and covered him with it.

"Knew... this day... would come," Viktor cried, keeping his face turned away. His voice was week and slurred. "Knew it was this day... when they gave me her." He motioned toward Camille's corpse, lying neatly in the corner, her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm ready," he said. "I'm ready to die."

"They've taken his eyes," Galen said. "And his teeth."

"Is he too far gone?" Dain asked.

"I didn't tell her... what I saw." Viktor said. "I knew... didn't tell her... anything. Knew you'd come... ready to die."

"Talk to him," Argus said.

"Viktor," Dain said. "My name is Dain. Do you know who I am? Do you remember me?"

Viktor nodded trembling.

"I was Dain Fonnesbech when we met. When you turned me. I am Dain DelaCrosse now."

"DelaCrosse," Viktor repeated.

"Yes. I was married to Katarina," Dain said. "You must remember Katarina."

"Katarina," he mumbled then motioned toward Camille. "I... couldn't save her."

"It's alright," Dain said. "You did the best you could."

"His mind is scattered, but his thoughts are strong." Argus informed. "If we can heal his body I believe his mind will recover."

"I'm sure I can find a suitable donor," Galen said.

"Bring him," Argus said.

Viktor whimpered as Dain scooped him up in his arms.

"Wait," Argus said.

There was a loud explosion from a nearby room above them.

"That way," Argus pointed in the direction of the sound.

There was a loud crashing thud as they neared the room Argus was leading them to. Argus smiled at Anna's worried, yet trusting expression as he wrenched open the door.

The crashing thud had been the sound of a refrigerator as it fell through the floor above and landed on hard stone below. The explosion had been from the grenades positioned underneath the overturned fridge.

Dain stepped up onto the fridge and passed Viktor through the hole to a waiting Jonas and Hiro then he turned and reached his hand out for Anna. "You're next," he said.

 

den was laying in the fetal position on the couch with her hands clamped over her ears watching the world through reflective eyes. Meline was on the phone at the opposite end of the room, chewing on her bottom lip and pacing.

"There's no blood or anything, so that's a good sign right?" Meline tried to sound hopeful, but knew she was failing to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

"If she were mortal, yes." David said. "But immortals don't work quite the same way. It's the same reason you don't appear to have a menstrual cycle. Just try to keep her calm and I'll be there as soon as I can.

"Thank you David," Meline folded her phone shut. "He's on his way Eden. Don't worry. He's very smart."

Eden closed her eyes and curled tighter into herself.

nna had never seen Jonas so furious, as he gingerly held the mutilated shell of Viktor Ingrid, who was crying again and muttering. "Let me die. Please. I beg of you."

"I've arranged for transport roughly twenty miles south of here," Argus said to Galen. "Ashe, if you could arrange to have Lewis and the others meet you there."

Ashe nodded and grabbed his radio. "Five, this is two."

"Yeah," Lewis grumbled. "Twenty miles south of your position. I got it. Fuck!" He started into a cursing tirade before his communication ended.

Ashe met Anna's eyes. Anna turned hers on Argus.

"I'll leave him be," he pacified her and Ashe's concerns.

"Thank you," Anna said.

"Lady Della, Rubi Gayle and Joshua Evans will be meeting you at the transport site with a donor," Argus informed. "Liz, and Jonas you're with Galen and Ashe."

"No," Jonas said carefully handing Viktor over to Galen. "I'm here until this is over."

"Me too," Elizabeth chimed in.

"Where is she?" Jonas growled. "Where is she, right now?"

"I know the futility of revenge," Hiro said. "I'll go."

Argus conceded with a hesitant nod. "We'll be right behind," he said as Galen Ashe and Hiro started out the door. "This way," he directed those that remained.

Jonas, Elizabeth, Dain, Anna and Kevin followed Argus in the opposite direction toward the back of the house.

Silence overtook them one my one as they stumbled into the room just inside the back door where they found Lucas, Adelaide and Danay.

Lucas was transitioning back to mortality as he bled to death, huddled against the far wall.

Adelaide had been run through and pinned to the floor with her own sword. Her head a mess of blood and hair sat several feet away.

Danay stood halfway between Lucas and Adelaide's body. Her fingers loosely clutched around Lucas's sword, her back to the room's shocked newcomers.

"Daughter," Dain said.

"I didn't shoot Lucas." Danay turned and motioned to a gun on the floor, the second gun was still securely in her waistband. "Adelaide did. He's still alive, but I doubt he'll tell us where Viktor is."

"We have Viktor," Argus informed. "Adelaide was keeping him prisoner in another part of the basement."

"Prisoner," Danay repeated the word as though trying to grasp its meaning, while relating to it at the same time.

Kevin crossed to Lucas, and knelt down next to him. He turned and gave his assessment of Lucas's injuries with a shake of his head. Danay looked to Dain who offered her a single nod. She turned back to Kevin and did the same. Kevin reached forward and broke Lucas's neck. Then he crossed to Danay and took hold of her hand.

Jonas stepped forward, his expression pained. "I'm so sorry Danay."

Danay turned and met his look with her own, as the two of them came to a silent agreement. Danay nodded.

"I wonder Jonas, if you might like to spread the word." Argus said.

"Absolutely," Jonas nodded.

"We'll go with you," Kevin answered for himself and Danay.

"I'll go as well," Dain said.

"Me too," Elizabeth added.

As was customary in an immortal war, they collected the heads of Lucas, Adelaide and Patrice and mounted them on high poles, then marched them back into the city.

The streets were littered with corpses. The ground was thick with blood. The fire loomed and tormented, leaping to ensnare and devour entire buildings, trees and grass, mindless vampires and impetuous immortals.

Sides had begun to blur out of a necessity to escape the fires and to defend against the vampires. Those who fought for the rogues were quick to surrender when they saw that their leaders had been defeated, and one by one were returned to mortality. Save for a few, hand picked by Argus and deemed worthy of the gift of immortality.

 

iktor's donor had been a newly turned immortal. He was twenty-six, loved graphic novels, video games, and fish and chips. He had been diagnosed with an inoperable cancer, six months before he met Jasmine, a nurse and recruiter for the united front of free immortals. Viktor's own eyes had been brown, his new ones were hazel, his new teeth were straighter, the bottom row still held in line with a metal glued to the back of his lower incisors, which Viktor found rather amusing. That he recovered so quickly physically did a disservice to the emotional trauma he had experienced over the past four hundred years. Argus left him in Juno's care where he knew he would find peace of mind in the tranquility of life among the Hesperides.

acing the physical and emotional trauma of the transition into immortality is agony. Combined with the turmoil of war it can easily become an unrelenting nightmare in your own personal hell, as war requires emotions to be put on hold. Once they were safe from the fray, they each came to terms with their inner demons in their own ways.

Wendy experienced the transition as if she'd just been informed that her soul mate had a terminal disease, and began plotting her own death. Her torment was only alleviated when Argus assured her that Taylor would be given immortality as well.

Vaughn internalized, shutting himself off to everyone and locked himself in his room. One night he told Meline that being a familiar had made him something. Had made him uncommon among men. Immortality on the other hand had taken that from him. He left soon after, leaving Eden a note that simply said, "I'm sorry."

Lewis had several long talks with his David, Judy and Ashe as he struggled through his transition. His biggest hurdle being the number of people who believed he should stay immortal. Deciding it was time to tell them the truth, he had Heather, Josh and Kayla flown out to meet him. They met at the Cambridge house. They scoffed, rolled their eyes and in the end began to believe that Lewis had gone completely mad as he told them the whole unbelievable story. The eyes and teeth were harder for them to dismiss. Ultimately, they too believed that he should stay immortal. Kayla and Josh spent the summer with their father and grandparents, learning about the immortal world and what it meant to be a familiar. Heather said she wasn't ready for a life quite so extraordinary then went on to write and publish vampire romance novels.

Eden's childhood had been a loveless hell. Being unloved was nothing compared to losing something she loved. She took some solace in sound of her unborn child's heartbeat. Was crushed by Vaughn's abandonment. She tried to find peace in her renewed friendship with Ashe, and in each ultrasound that suggested her pregnancy was progressing normally. But it wasn't until she saw herself reflected in her newborn daughter's soft blue eyes, and ran her fingers through her downy white hair - her daughter's only aberrancy - that she came to terms with her immortality.

 

 

rom the Journals of Eden Paige Finley:

February 19, 2010

...Every story must have a beginning and so I will start mine as it was presented to me, with The Line of Lineage. For my part I hope that my accounts will do justice to the lives, loves and losses for those whom I write.

I cannot say what the future will bring, but I have committed myself to documenting it in order to pass on the important stories of our family, for future generations, but especially for my daughter the next and perhaps most unique in the line of lineage, conceived in mortality and born immortal. I have many hopes, and dreams and a heart overflowing with love for her. I named her Iona. Not only to honor the memory of a remarkable woman but because I believe that there is where her story truly begins.

-Eden

nna watched Danay walking with Dain in Hiro's mid-morning garden through the window of her bedroom as she rocked Elias to sleep. 

Danay wore the blue line of lineage amulet around her neck and their conversation looked happy. Danay smiled up at her father as he took hold of her hand. 

Anna smiled along with her, happy that her half-sister and her father were together again. 

Elias had finally surrendered to sleep, she kissed him gently on the top of his head and settled him into his crib.

"It's rude to stand in doorways," she whispered softly to Argus who was leaning against the doorframe, watching her.

"Forgive me," he whispered back. "I was lost in my thoughts."

"Good thoughts I hope."

"I was thinking about us, about the future." He pulled her into his arms and set a kiss on her lips. "I look forward to spending forever with you."

"Looking forward into forever, Gus. You've changed."

"It's been a while since I've had something good to look forward to," he smiled. "You called me Gus," he mused. "Can I take that as a sign that you've finally forgiven me?"

Anna smiled as she scowled.

Gus kissed her furrowed brow. "I love you, Anna," he whispered.

"And I love you, Gus." she replied.

Artwork by Lauren T. Hart

Chapter 52 ~ Battle Scars

t took Lewis less than ten seconds into his check of Vaughn's vitals to realize he was in transition. "Did you find him like this?" Lewis eyed Elizabeth.

"Just keep him safe," Elizabeth said.

Lewis nodded.

"I guess we know now where Anna get's it from," Wendy said to Lewis as she cleaned the blood from Vaughn and retrieved an IV bag full of blood.

Elizabeth eyed Dain out of the corner of her eye. Dain gave her half a smile and a shrug.

"This is unit four, northwest corner... I'm gonna say... zombies?" Taylor's voice came over the radio. "Please advise."

Wendy gasped and shook her head.

"Vampires," Lewis radioed back. "Avoid at all cost. Decapitation and fire will take them out, but fire can be... unpredictable. Best advice? Avoid the teeth and run like hell."

"Copy that," Taylor said, sounding resigned. "My position is secure at the moment, but also surrounded."

"We'll go," Dain said.

Dain and Elizabeth turned to leave then stopped.

"Anna," Elizabeth breathed.

"What is it?" Wendy asked.

"She's..." Elizabeth started.

A rushing burst of flames shot more than a hundred feet into the air on the southeast side of town.

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Lewis grumbled. "All units, this is five, please report," he said into his radio. There was a pause. "Anna is unit one," Lewis informed the room.

"She's... safe," Dain sighed, exasperated.

"So... she's with... someone..." Lewis started.

"This is two, I'm on the ground," Ashe grunted through the radio. I'm with One. I think I've located our missing weapon."

"I have three," Lewis reported.

"Four here. my position is warmer but otherwise unchanged" Taylor said.

"We're on our way," Dain said.

Elizabeth and Dain hadn't gone more then ten feet when they both gasped at the same moment. They both looked momentarily disoriented, then Dain turned back to Lewis. "Ashe and Argus have been shot with DNPi," he informed.

"That's not good," Lewis replied. "We need to get them here ASAP. Take the UTV. East side is going to be the easiest route."

"East side?" Dain confirmed. "The side that's on fire."

"No one else is going to be headed that way." Lewis said.

"I'll go help Taylor." Elizabeth said.

"ive, this is one," Anna's called over Ashe's radio.

"Head east. Transport will meet you there." Lewis replied.

"Copy," Anna said. She had no idea how Lewis knew they needed help, but she saw no point in questioning miracles.

"East," Hiro sighed. "Past the inferno. Perfect."

"No one else is going that direction," Galen chimed in.

 

lizabeth stopped within fifty yards of town, as a mass of Vampires came stumbling toward her looking dazed, confused and more than a little bit angry.

"Help me," a girl in a pink dress called out to her.

"Bitte, helfen Sie mir," another called out.

"Shit," Elizabeth said, slowly backing away.

She tried to focus her thoughts toward Argus, but had no way of knowing if he received them. His communications had stopped abruptly after he had been shot. She located a seasons old fallen tree and pulled it across the path. She pierced her thumb with her eyetooth and wiped a smear of blood across the wood. She licked her thumb, healing it, as she retrieved her lighter and lit the tree on fire.

The vampires erupted with rage behind her.

"Why?" one of them yelled "Why would you do that?"

"Wont Sie uns helfen?" cried another.

Elizabeth turned away from them and ran.

"Ik smeek u, alstublieft," another screamed behind her.

"f they're going to have any chance at all, we've got to get these bullets out." Anna said as they took refuge in a small outbuilding several yards behind the burning building.

Anna sank her teeth into Ashe's forearm, as Jonas did the same for Argus. Galen pulled out a pocketknife, Hiro a dagger. With surgical skill Galen removed the bullet lodged under Ashe's collarbone while Hiro skillfully plucked the two from Argus's back. Blood gushed from Ashe's wound. Galen was quick to apply concentrated salve to his wounds, but it had little effect. Argus's wounds however were healing as expected.

Dain arrived then stopping within a few yards of their location and hurried over to them.

"No," Argus ordered as they moved to help him to the UTV. "I'm alright."

Anna breathed relief as she reached a hand toward him. "Why isn't he healing?"

Dain stepped in and applied pressure to Ashe's wound.

"It's your blood," Argus said, taking hold of her hand.

"But," Anna hesitated. "He's not a blood drinker. You remember what happened to me. What will that do to him?"

The others eyed Anna, dumbfounded.

"Yes," Hiro chided. "I'm sure he's still a virgin too."

"Let's call your credulity charming shall we?" Argus bit into her wrist then pressed it against Ashe's mouth.

Ashe drank instinctively, if not habitually.

"Galen" Argus said. "It may be more than blood he'll need. He needs life force. He needs immortality."

Galen's face scrunched as if he'd just been gut punched. He nodded, took a breath and sank his teeth into Ashe's forearm.

Ashe gasped.

Anna gasped a second later as Ashe took hold of her wrist and sank his teeth into her skin, opening new outlets for blood as the others healed.

"It's working. He's stopped bleeding," Dain informed.

Galen released Ashe's arm, just as Ashe released Anna's. He looked up at her, his expression awkward and unsure. "Thanks," he said softly, and a little embarrassed.

 

 

"nit one, do you copy?" Ashe's radio buzzed.

"Go ahead," Ashe relayed.

"Good to hear your voice," Lewis said. "Our position has been compromised. We are under attack and have sustained casualties. Relocating to secondary back-up position and starting north side containment now."

"Define casualties," Taylor's voice cut in.

"Alive. Not well," Lewis said. "I'm sorry."

"Copy," Ashe acknowledged.

"I'm in route," Taylor replied, her voice rich with emotion.

Argus and his Elite exchanged nods and were immediately on the move again.

"What's happening?" Ashe asked.

"He's back," Anna heard Meline in her head.

"Not helpful," Anna said aloud.

"We're moving to rendezvous," Dain explained.

Their rendezvous was a location one mile directly east of town. The group from medical arrived several minutes after Argus's group. Vaughn had recovered enough to drive, which was not a good omen for the others. Lewis sat in the passenger seat, both of his arms bandaged, covered in sweat and blood. Elizabeth cradled Wendy in the back. She was drenched in sweat, bloody and shivering, nearly mummified in bandages and wraps.

"Oh no," Anna cried. "They were never supposed to be in harm was. I can't have this. We have to do something. We have to save them. We have to turn them," she said.

"What?" Jonas eyed her.

Argus looked them over, his eyes stopping on Vaughn for a long moment then he nodded.

"Do it," Anna said.

Elizabeth shook her head, her eyes darting toward Vaughn. "I can't," she said. "I can't risk it."

"I'll do it," Jonas said, taking hold of Wendy's hand.

Wendy moaned as Jonas bit her, as bad as she looked, it was a good sign.

"Not me," Lewis said. "I'm not going to outlive my children. I can't do it."

"We'll take it back," Anna said. "But we need you now, I need you now, and you made a promise."

"Where do you want it?" Hiro stepped forward.

"You couldn't have been a beautiful woman?" Lewis smirked.

"I'll do it," came a voice from the trees. It was Danay.

Galen and Ashe were quick to defend, their weapons drawn and at the ready.

"Wait," Anna and Dain said at the exact same moment.

Dain took a cautious step toward her.

Anna nodded to Hiro to proceed with Lewis then went quickly to stand at her father's side. "It's alright," Anna informed. "She's on our side."

"Like hell," Elizabeth said, coming to defend, Jonas right behind her, still licking blood from his lips. "You don't know her. You don't know what she's like, what she's capable of." Elizabeth glowered.

"This is not a discussion," Anna said, stepping between them. "Lower your weapons."

"Hej far," Danay looked at Dain. "Jeg ved, at der er meget at sige mellem os, men jeg er bange for vores tårevædet far og datter genforening bliver nødt til at vente." she said.

"Wait. What?" Elizabeth gasped. "My Danish is a little rusty but did she just call him father?"

Dain ignored Elizabeth and took another step closer to Danay. "Du har ansigt og form af min datter. Men har du hendes hjerte, og hendes sjæl?"

"Jeg er ikke det barn, jeg engang var, men jeg er stadig din datter," Danay turned her head toward the trees and nodded. Kevin stepped forward with his hand around Taylor's arm. "We found her trapped on a rooftop." Danay said. "Consider her a peace offering." She nodded to Kevin and he let her go.

Taylor ran immediately to Wendy's side.

"We surrender," Danay said then dropped her blade on the ground.

Kevin followed suit. He nodded at the group and waved, offering an extra nod and slight smile to Anna.

Dain looked for a moment as if he'd forgotten something. "Will you help us find Adelaide, Lucas and Patrice?" he asked.

"More than that, I can take you to Viktor," Danay said. "That's why I'm here. I know where he's hiding - where they're all hiding. I followed them there. When I discovered you were no longer behind me, I came to find you. We don't have much time. Things aren't going as planned. If the chaos starts to look like a loss they'll leave the area and go underground then they'll be near impossible to track down."

"It sounds like a trap," Elizabeth said.

"Of course it's a trap," Danay said. "They've anticipated your every move, even this very moment I'm sure. My role is to bring Dain to her by any means."

"And you just expect us to blindly follow you into a trap?" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Well now, if you know it's a trap then it becomes less trap and more... obstacle course doesn't it?" Danay reasoned.

"You're not seriously considering this, are you?" Jonas eyed Dain. "She's Adelaide's right hand."

"And what does that make you Jonas?" Danay huffed. "You were so quick to align yourself with Argus, but not so quick to hand over his enemies. It's really quite remarkable how you've managed to gain his trust while maintaining your loyalty to Viktor and Adelaide. You're a traitor to the core or maybe the one you call Argus isn't as all-seeing as he would wish everyone to believe."

"What are you talking about?" Jonas said. "It was Viktor who warned me about Adelaide's depravity. We both planned to surrender to Argus. I left a day before he did."

"No. Viktor sent you," Danay countered. "He went into seclusion the next day and refused to be seen by anyone other than his lieutenants. He married Adelaide. They planned all of this -- including you. We both know it's only a matter of time before you reveal Argus's true identity to her. But only because you're too much of a coward to take his life yourself."

Jonas shook his head, his jaw tense. "My king knows me Danay. I keep no secrets from him. You know nothing."

"You speak of Viktor Ingrid." Argus's brow furrowed.

"Yes," Danay gave a half nod.

"Not possible," Dain said. "Viktor is dead."

Argus shook his head looking pained.

Dain stepped close to Danay. "Viktor knew your mother," he said softly. "He courted her. But this was not the life she wanted. He could not save her from Adelaide, and so he saved me. Viktor would not ally himself with your mother's killer. He was a good man. He would have died first and so he must be dead."

"No." Danay shook her head. "I have seen him."

Dain took a breath and nodded. "I thought you dead once too. If you say he lives, then I believe you."

Jonas shook his head. Elizabeth slipped her hand into his.

eline found Eden playing peek-a-boo with Elias.

"Where's Elias?" Eden covered him with his blanket. "Is he under the blanket?"

Elias kicked the blanket off and smiled up at her, giggling at her mock surprise, his eyes a soft iridescent green.

"There you are," Eden cooed.

"Do you have a minute?" Meline asked.

"You have news about Ashe?" Eden asked, coming to meet Meline in the hall.

"He's fine," Meline said, biting her lip. She was nervous to say the least. She'd heard the order, knew the circumstances, had double, triple and then quadruple checked them, but was still absolutely sure - for reasons she couldn't explain - that following this order was a mistake.

"What is it?" Eden's brow furrowed. "It's bad isn't it?"

"No," Meline said. "I just--" she extended her arms as if asking for a hug.

Eden's arms were barely around her when Meline set her teeth deep into her neck, injecting her with warm golden venom.

"No!" Eden screamed, fighting and shoving Meline away from her. She reached her hand to the tiny holes bleeding on her neck. "What have you done?" She gasped at the softly shimmering blood on her hands.

"He... ordered me," Meline breathed, confused and frightened by Eden's reaction.

"Vaughn is... was turned," she reasoned.

Eden looked as if she might throw up, or pass out, or both. She fell to the floor, her body convulsing violently as the change overtook her. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

"Eden!" Meline shrieked, falling to her side, "I'm sorry," she cried, realizing that something had gone horribly wrong.

 

he distrust of Danay and Kevin wasn't limited to Jonas. It was obvious that each of them were feeling it to some degree. Relationship patterns had abruptly changed and everyone was being cautious of how they interacted with one another. Even Argus, who was becoming more apt to be recognized for who he really was among his followers, had introduced himself as Fenton Sugar and was using his Elite to communicate for him.

"It's not going to be safe to venture west for a little while," Galen said, after a series of fires burst into being a mile west of them.

"Good. That gives us a little time to make sure we have a solid plan." Hiro said.

"Or we go around," Dain suggested.

"Yes," Danay nodded. "The more brazen and self confident you appear, the more they'll be convinced of their plan and their ability to defeat you."

"What is their plan?" Dain asked.

"I don't really know, but I believe she thinks Dain will be able to lead her to Argus. If not, she'll get to have her fun torturing him for the next thousand years or so. On the other hand," Danay sighed. "Adelaide has it on good report that Liz's eldest daughter married Argus."

Elizabeth took a sharp breath in and the color drained from her face as she realized she had been the source of this news.

"Oh, and it would appear that rumor is true," Danay tossed a nod toward Elizabeth.

"You're enjoying this too much," Jonas scowled at her.

"It makes both of them targets," Danay sneered. "I'm only trying to help by pointing out possible weaknesses. It won't be quite as easy for them to figure it out as it was for me, but I wouldn't underestimate them. Especially given how the 'nobody' from fifty years ago who was so fond of wearing his symbol around now orders the Elite around as if she were Argus herself. That being the case, I don't think it's safe for you to go with us Anna."

"It's true that I am not the same person I was fifty years ago," Anna said. "I'm not even the same person I was five years ago. Argus and his Elite are here at my behest. They fight as my allies. As long as they stand with me I will not abandon this fight. No matter what happens I will not abandon them."

"Spoken like a true queen," Danay said.

Her statement ruffled more than a few feathers among the group but it was Hiro that stepped forward. "I believe it's time to end this conversation," he said. "Before it turns into a misunderstanding that cannot be undone."

"Forgive me, I am not trying to upset anyone," Danay said. "Merely to warn. It's commonly known he keeps more than one consort. I'm only trying to look out for my sister."

"That your warnings sound like threats is just a happy coincidence I'm sure," Elizabeth said.

Hiro turned toward Anna, his expression intense. "Have faith my queen," he mouthed.

"She can read lips." Anna said, perturbed. "They both can."

The corner of Hiro's mouth curled into a smile, before it became a sneer and he quickly walked away.

It was odd behavior for Hiro, but maybe it was meant as a message from Argus, who had never referred to her as a queen, ever. So, probably not.

ewis wasn't taking the transition well. "Talk about a mind fuck," he said to Anna. "You know I'm pretty sure you'll never be able to take this back."

"It does get easier," Elizabeth said. "I promise."

"I need to call my wife, my kids. Ex-wife, ex-kids," he lamented. "Fuck!"

There was no time to wait for his head to clear. For safety's sake they left the newly turned immortals in Taylor's care and promised to return for them before dawn.

They headed south and took the long way round town, taking down more than a few stray vampires they encountered along the way. "Stories of vampires gave me nightmares," Anna said after running one through, immobilizing it long enough for Jonas to take its head off. "They're so much worse in reality."

"Not to worry," Galen said to Anna, tracing his hand gently across the small of her back. "Containment is fairing better than these strays would suggest."

She had wondered when Hiro had been so forward with her, now that Galen was as well, she was sure it was part of a rouse to confuse Adelaide about Argus's identity. She didn't like it. It endangered them all, but she had little choice but to play along, even if that met ignoring them all equally.

Adelaide and her crew were hiding themselves in a manor house, several miles southwest of town. It was guarded by more than a dozen immortals that they could see, there were undoubtedly more inside. More modern in some parts than in others, it had the look of several failed attempts at renovation over the past hundred years.

"This was Estes's place," Jonas said. "It survived the fires, but no one felt it was safe enough to return here. There are three entrances; front, back and the far side," he pointed.

"It's his family's home," Danay said. "He never abandoned it entirely. He often talks of living here after the defeat of Argus. That is when he isn't talking about living at Buckingham palace, the pompous ass."

"Something we agree on," Elizabeth said casually.

"We split up, breach in five and meet in the middle," Dain ordered. "Anna, Galen and Ashe you have the back. Jonas, Liz and Hiro take the side. Danay Kevin and Sugar, you're with me.

Argus made a point of nodding to Anna before he left.

She was really beginning to hate this game.

 

 

efore they were even in position behind the house a commotion at the side entrance had all the guards running in that direction. "Wow. All of them are leaving?" Ashe gaffed.

"Let's go." Galen said and started for the door.

"Did you know that was going to happen?" Anna said.

"No," Galen said. "But I'm not surprised. God save the queen and all that," he smirked.

Anna scowled.

"Yeah, I know that look," Galen said. "Knock it off. No one is patronizing you. We're using you as bait."

Anna smiled.

"You're smiling at that," Galen mused. "No wonder he loves you." He raised his hand signaling for them to stop at an inside door. He looked as if he were listening for something. "To the left," he whispered then kicked the door open.

The door slammed into an immortal knocking him to the ground and allowing Hiro to take him out. Anna and Ashe entered with guns raised, mortalizing two in the fray and five that came bounding in from the left, while the others immobilized them.

"Traitor!" came a scream from an immortal with fiery red hair on the floor above.

The red head leapt onto the banister of the floor above and began shooting, Danay her primary target. Anna raced across the room toward the shooter as she leapt off the balcony, still firing. She was followed seconds later by two others, both men with dark hair. Anna slid underneath them and turned, shooting the three of them in the back as they landed. She was on her feet before they could turn to face her. The red head turned and snarled ferociously at Anna. She pulled the trigger on her gun. Click. She was out.

Danay threw her blade from across the room running the red head clean through.

Instinctively the man on her left yanked it free and started toward Danay. The redhead fell to her knees, the DNPi beginning to take effect. "Gretchen," the man on her right reached for her.

"Nothing can save her now," Anna said. "Surrender and live, fight and die."

He lunged for Anna. Galen stepped in swinging his blade, and took the man's head off. Dain and Kevin stepped forward, beheading the man who was racing toward Danay.

"You waste ammunition if you kill them," Anna said harshly.

"Sorry," Galen said. "Nice work."

"She really knows how to move, doesn't she?" Kevin said grinning at Ashe.

"She's my mother." Ashe replied, his voice low and disapproving.

"She... turned you?" Kevin looked mildly disturbed.

"I was born immortal," Ashe returned his look of disgust. "How do you know her?" he pressed.

"Oh, uh... we met in Denmark, in the sixties. We were on sort of an archeological team together. We were just friends."

Ashe scoffed. "Yeah, I just bet you were."

"I was... mortal then," Kevin reasoned.

"Uh-huh." Ashe eyed him.

"Where to now?" Argus asked Danay.

"I don't know," Danay said

"I saw a security pad on a door when we came in," Argus said. "I'd guess there."

"Hiro, Jonas, Liz and Ashe, you make sure the rest of the house is secure." Dain said. "The rest of you come with me."

The door led them to the basement to a larger open area. The sweet aroma of immortal blood caught their senses at the edge of the far corridor. Dain ran his finger across a smear of blood on the floor and tasted it.

"Camille," he concluded.

Anna shuddered. "Some obstacle course," she groused. "You know there are no outlets on that end of the house."

Loud booming thuds sounded behind them as a series of heavy roll down fire doors blocked all possible exits behind them.

"Now what?" Anna asked.

Dain leaned his back against the wall and sighed. "Now we wait."

Artwork by Denver Robbins