“None of those supernatural things are real,” I snarl.
“I know. But magic is. And the reports were filed, anyway. That means there’s something to them. Even though the attribution of the events to unknown preternatural forces is false, would it be such a stretch to attribute it to magic?”
I focus on him. “You waited until now to tell me?”
“I already said, I wasn’t myself. Melvin was the closer target. If Paul hadn’t killed him—”
“He did, and now we have to deal with the repercussions.”
“When I contact the Order, I can quickly find out when and where the last report involving the man was filed.”
“You say the first one came to you long ago,” I say. “How long?”
“Half a century or so,” Smithson says.
“That means he’s probably already dead,” I snarl.
“If he was twenty fifty years ago, that would only make him seventy today.”
“You want me to put all my hopes on a seventy-year-old man? Both of us know how dangerous magic is. What’s to say he hasn’t found his end already?”
“Nothing,” Smithson agrees. “But I don’t see what other choice you have, if you want to develop your magic.”
“We’ve got some twenty-odd days before Cierra seeks me out,” I say softly. “If this is the best option we can think of, I’ll consider it. But it takes a desperate man to pin his hopes on a possibility so faint.”
Victoria, who’s been listening in on our conversion in silence, speaks up.
“There is another option, you know,” she says.
I don’t even bother facing her. “What?”
“We could go to Eleira.”
I spin on her in a rage. “I will not demean myself by going to that… that little girl… and begging for help!”
“She is the strongest witch alive, barring Cierra,” Victoria says evenly. “Unless you learn to control your magic, I see no other way for us to beat her. Even with all the might of the Crusaders and the Order combined, we won’t be able to do anything against her magic. When she comes for you, James, she will tear through our defenses as easily as a knife through bedsheets. You think any sort of modern technology will stand a chance against her? ‘Science’ has only been around for four hundred years. It is a brand new field compared to the ancient magic Cierra wields.”
“The same science that you mock was able to take away your vampire gifts,” I note stiffly.
“That’s totally different, and you know it!” she explodes.
I let out a terse breath. “Yes, I do. It’s just… damn it!” I strike a first against the wall. The rock cracks and the whole cavern shakes. “We were so damn close with Melvin, and then Paul’s damn greed took over, and now…” I spread my hands. “Now, everything is spiraling out of control.”
“Control is a false construct anyway,” Smithson says sagely. “The world is chaos. We must accept that.”
“If I just had some way of tapping into that power that’s inside…” my arms hang listlessly at my sides. “If only there was some way I could teach myself to channel--”
“Well, you can’t,” Victoria snaps. “So stop with this pathetic pity. You made your deal with Cierra. Now you have to live with the consequences.”
I give her a vicious smile. “Don’t pretend it doesn’t affect you.”
“Of course it does. But I’m not whining about it. I’m thinking of solutions.”
I scoff. “Really? And what solutions have you come up with, in your infinite wisdom?”
“Hey!” Paul calls out. Our attention shifts to him. “You going to keep arguing, or are you going to come to your senses and realize that bickering is pointless?”
“Careful,” I warn. “Remember your place.”
“I know my place full and well,” he says. “I also know, if you keep stalling, the window of opportunity for us to sneak away from the compound undetected gets smaller and smaller.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask. “We’ve been walking these tunnels for hours. You said they provide safe passage out.”
“Yes,” he confirms, “they do.” He points above his head. “But we’ve reached the end. Now, we have to go above ground. That is where the challenge starts.”
“Then let’s get to it,” I say.
I walk up to him, look up, and see the latch. I forgo the metal ladder coming out of the wall, instead, choosing to leap up and grab onto the ceiling with my claws.
I push the hatch up, carefully, and flare my senses. There is nobody around above ground. I shove it all the way open and jump through.
Moments after, Victoria, Smithson, and Paul join me there.
I take stock of the surroundings. We are in the basement of some sort of industrial building. Dust and cobwebs abound.
Nobody has been here for a very long time.
“What is this place?” I ask.
“An abandoned building owned by the Crusaders,” Paul replies absently. He’s peering about the room, obviously looking for something.
“What are you trying to find?” I ask.
He holds one hand up in a motion to wait. Then, his gaze lands on a far wall.
I follow his gaze to find out what he’s looking at.
Immediately, I recognize the very faint, very well hidden outline of a garage door.
Paul approaches the wall. His hands move over the surface, looking for the switch.
He finds it. His hand presses in. That small part of the wall shifts, and suddenly the wide door is rising.
I’m impressed with what is found on the other side. Four heavily armored vehicles stand as if in a showroom. Around them, on the walls, are rows and rows of all sorts of guns.
“Voila,” Paul says, motioning us inside. “Right here, exactly as needed.”
We all walk into the room. The door closes behind us. Unlike the dilapidated basement we just left, this room is spotless. Bright lights shine down. Of course, since the light is not from the sun, it barely affects us.
Paul steps up to a computer kiosk at the side. He punches in a password, holds his hand to the scanner. For a moment I’m not sure if he will be able to enter the system, what with the transformation and all, but that concern turns out to be unfounded as the computer screen lights up.
“From here I have access to the whole of our facility,” he tells us, punching the keys rapidly. “Once the system verified it was me, it gave me that.”
“What are you intending to do?” Victoria asks.
“Inform my second in command where I am,” he says. “And tell him to keep the Crusaders in order until I return.”
“You mean Beast,” I say flatly.
“Yes,” Paul responds.
Victoria gives her head a quick shake. “I don’t like him. Something about him struck me as… off.”
“Beast has that effect on people.” Paul chuckles. “Don’t let him get to you. I would trust the man with my life.”
“Even now, when you’re a vampire?” Smithson asks obliquely.
For half a moment, Paul falters. He tries to hide the reaction, but I picked up on it.
I come to his side. “Beast would kill you now, if he knew what you are,” I say.
Paul snarls. “Yes, and that’s what makes him reliable! He holds the purpose of our organization above all else.”
“And yet he lets your child live,” Victoria mutters. “Strange how that sort of loyalty works.”
“Leave my daughter out of this,” Paul hisses.
“Paul,” I say sternly. “You forget yourself. Don’t make us exert our influence over you.”
He grinds his teeth in obvious displeasure. “Will you hold the damn hierarchy over my head forever?”
“As long as you live, you are bound by it,” Victoria says swiftly. “In my estimation, it is a small price to pay compared to the gifts you’ve been given.”
Paul shoots her a menacing look, but wisely holds his tongue.
“It’s done,” he says after a moment, looking back at the screen. “Beast has received my instructions. As an added bonus, I told him to keep all our men at the compound until further notice. That means we have free rein to move about above ground.”