Blood Rider

Lee knew there was trouble just from Richard’s cocky tone and then, of course, the lightning gun pointed at her. He hardly needed the dramatics. She was defenseless against a wizard and the Changed women with silver in her veins. The point was enforced when Tia was dragged into the room, unconscious and in her wolf-kin form.

Her left flank was covered in blood matted fur. “What the hell did you do to her!”

Richard laughed his manic laugh. The one that said he was really enjoying himself and meant she was in deep shit. “No lasting harm done to the doggy.”

Lee backed up to the wall where she could keep an eye on everyone. Drake smiled limply, held up his glass in a mocking salute and then drained it.

“Told you,” Drake said. “You trust too easy. Richard was put in your house to watch you and still you trusted him enough to give him information and use him on jobs. It is kinda funny when I think about it.”

“I’m laughing hysterically,” Lee said. “I don’t understand it. You’re so uptight about Council principles. I’ve heard you preach that crap for years.”

“To work your way up in the ranks of Council wizards, it’s only common sense to spew out propaganda. There are very few who are fanatical about it. I take care of my own interests and having you in the dark about it also just common sense. I’m quite surprised you didn’t clue in, when you nearly died from a shatter bomb. Combined with the fact you knew I was working this side of the river.”

“Oh, well, then. Clearly you selling your weapons under the table and doing some work on the side means you created a horde of blood starved half-vampires,” Lee said waving her arms emphatically. “I really don’t know how I didn’t see that sooner. Wilhelm’s little peon got some balls and I totally missed it.”

“He doesn’t control the horde,” Drake said. “I do.”

“Ah.”

“Poor vampire, you look so befuddled,” Laura said. “So hard to believe a vampire of your reputed bloodline could end up in such a situation. I was told you didn’t eavesdrop on the minds around you, but I’d thought you simply didn’t admit to it. A vampire shouldn’t pretend to be what she’s not. The Chosen have long ago accepted our exceptional nature. Survival of the fittest. Use the gifts the gods have granted you.”

Lee tried to flex her aura, but it was so muffled she didn’t get much out of it. Finally, she relaxed her shoulders and walked up to Drake. She smiled at him slightly and poured herself a drink. She raised a brow at Laura. “Yeah, the Council frowns upon that. Unfair advantage and all that jazz.”

“Then clearly you only have yourself to blame, for behaving as a mundane,” Laura said.

Lee took a sip of her drink eyeing Laura as she did. She was starting to get an understanding of the dynamics amongst her rapidly growing enemies. Drake made himself too useful and now they kept him in a fancy cage to make sure he accomplished whatever it was they needed.

Richard was useful; likely for a spy, but also with assisting Drake. A true contract wizard riding the gray line, but also a bastard. Laura was exactly what she said she was, a servant to the Queen Linora, and clearly loyal.

She took another long sip of the brandy, letting it slide down her throat, savoring it. She was screwed. She walked into the Lion’s Den, but not the one she expected, with allies that were not allies and most importantly no viable exit strategy. All her training and she didn’t set up an exit strategy. Damn it, she was stupid. Well, in her defense she had expected Tia to be outside for help if needed and Richard to be her wizard assistance needed to get them out in a magical battle situation. “I don’t get this whole Chosen thing. Chosen for what?” she asked flippantly.

“Chosen by the gods to survive,” Laura said. “At the end of an era the old is cleared out and the new are brought in. Humans will die out and we will rebuild the world.”

“Humans breed like rabbits. Your traits are not always passed on. Soon humans will crawl all over the place,” Lee said. “That is inevitable. Ask any vampire.”

“So few survived. They are so weak. They kill each other off. We do nothing but wait for the inevitable.”

“Or help it along?” Lee asked.

“Darling, the horde’s feasting on the southern humans is but a perk,” Drake said. “It isn’t the purpose. It never was. It was not a grand plan to start a war. Or any of that. But if it happens the Queen wouldn‘t be displeased.”

“And having everyone, even you, think it the Council, even better,” Richard said. He raised the gun.

She held her hands up mockingly. She didn’t know what they wanted. It could be just to silence her, now that she had stumbled upon them. In which case she was screwed. Yet something about her conversation with Drake implied she had been lured to him. That smarted her ego.

“You’re not going to shoot me, Richard,” she said. He smiled and then did. The arc of yellow light hit her before she could think, right in the chest. She smacked into the wall and slid down to the ground with a groan. Her muscles jerked as she tried to get up.

Lee wasn’t sure what signal was given but four servants came after her. She let out an involuntary gasp when they changed in front of her; eyes becoming more blood shot, fangs extending, jaw loosening and aura unfolding. Within seconds they went from human to spawn and leapt on her, driving her back to the ground. She had no chance to draw Sunshine as they bit into her shoulder, neck and legs.

“Enough,” Laura commanded and the spawn lifted their heads as if jerked from her. Blood dripped down onto Lee but she couldn’t move to fight or flee. They stood up and stared down at her, red-eyed and ravenous.

She struggled to push herself up, slipped on a pool of her own blood and fell back down with a groan.

Richard slowly approached, but Lee was in no shape to do much. He knelt down beside her. “Sorry, but we have to keep you contained and then we will explain the situation we are in.” He held out a necklace with a small metal orb strung to it. “Maybe you are not familiar with this one. It causes paralysis, numbness and muscle weakness. Depending on who wears it. For you, you might manage some movement. It is charged for a short duration.”

He placed it around her neck and her body felt like she had been dipped into cool water. When she muttered a very creative curse it came out all slurred.

Drake stood up and looked down at her, his expression oddly flat. “I admit you found a unique solution to the problem.”

“One I would have thought of before, had you told me what she was,” Richard said. “As it is, she will be a perfect substitute. I told Laura the assault she arranged via Darwin would not work. Lure her in though and she would fall for it.”

Richard didn’t even glance at Lee when he spoke, as though she was no longer a threat to be considered. “Let’s get her into the workroom and secure. We will have to send a message to the queen to update her on the situation.”

Drake nodded and pulled Lee from the wall and dragging her up from under the armpits. Her head fell back, but she could do little but glare and try not to pass out.

Richard picked up her legs and said, “Jeez, she is heavier than she looks.”

“Their muscles are denser, of course,” Drake said, adjusting her weight as they eased her from the room.

“I’ll handle the were-kin. We might need her for food,” Laura said.

Lee grimaced, although only part of her lips even twitched. They were obviously thinking long term confinement. She would be forced to feed on the only friend she had in decades. Charlie had been right; she was a complete idiot to stroll right into the situation. She tried to reach out to Jak, but was completely blocked by her limited range and by the shields buffering the home. She had to figure out something herself. Even if it was just negotiating for time. Jak would know soon enough she had not returned. She wouldn’t be that hard to track. Being tightly bonded to the man had to come with some sort of emergency warning. He knew in general where she was. Wonder how the queen would respond to all the vampires swarming into her queendom.

The workroom turned out to be a stone chamber with a vaulted ceiling. There was a sturdy work table in the center, but the straps dangling from it were not promising. The side with the table also had a few book shelves and wizard paraphernalia. She recognized the tools of a metallurgist, including the large fireplace and a bin of scrap metal.

The other side of the room was bare, except for the chains dangling on the walls. She was relieved to see Justina sitting on the floor, legs crossed and eyes closed. Tia was tossed forward, still bound and gagged, close to Justina. They carried Lee into the corner and then slumped her up against the wall.

They stepped back and it was then Lee could see the shimmer wall of a light electric blue that severed the room. Drake touched the barrier and it became a little more solid. A few seconds later another wall of light split off, separating Lee from Justina and Tia. It created a nice invisible cell.

“The effects of the spell will wear off in a few hours,” Richard said.

The moment they were left alone, Tia began to struggle and growl. Justina opened her eyes and said, “Since you can’t ask, yes, I’m doing fine. I expect you’re wondering how I ended up here. That is a story in-itself. Drake and I have worked together off and on over the last few years. He has an insatiable curiosity but an open and flexible mind. It took me a while to convince him that just because something was possible didn’t mean it should be done. By then it was too late. He got involved in this situation and is a prisoner of it. I’m insurance.”

Drake came into the chamber again and approached the barrier. “Can you speak yet?” He waited a moment and said, “Just as well. I expect you’re not pleased.”

If her aura was fully functioning she would be choking him with it, as it was all she felt was the resistance of the cell.

Drake sat on the floor in front of the barrier between them. She could tell by the glazed look in his eyes that he was drunk, even though he was not at the stumbling around stage. “For a long time now Queen Linora has been funding certain studies into prolonging longevity. I’m not sure if she wants to be immortal, but certainly she wanted more time to complete her work. Over time she has become more obsessed with it, perhaps because time is not on her side now. Nor does she have any children to cultivate in her place.”

He sighed and looked away, briefly catching Justina’s eyes, before she closed them again. “I had no more success than anyone else in these studies. I was mostly interested in researching vampires and witches, for their innate abilities to take in external life energy, without killing their prey. The queen had no interest in witches, since their ability is not focused like that of a vampire. Only a vampire uses that energy to regenerate. Did you know someone who is turned at an advanced age will actually appear younger over time? It is an amazing phenomenon. The downside being it takes a great deal of energy and maintenance to hold such a state, which is why vampires have a sort of comatose sleep cycle their bodies use to repair.”

Tia paused in her gnawing of the ropes to growl at him. Drake flicked her a look. “I won’t untie you. You’ll bite. Or ram into the barrier repeatedly and causing yourself harm,” he told her calmly. “Anyway, this area of study always interested me. The problem with the vampiric ability is that it is the demon spirit that causes all the changes. And so to be turned you have to accept that your nature is going to be shared with the needs and desires of that demon. Have the same weaknesses as well. For me, that was never an option, simply because a wizard turned is no longer a wizard at all. For the queen, it was counterproductive. She would have to make a great deal of sacrifices to rule as a vampire and then there would be the matter of being a fledgling rather than on the top. She wouldn’t willingly hand over power like that. She wanted me to find out how to use the vampire demon to harness energy without being turned. I willingly did the research; there was no reason not to.” He laughed scornfully and waved a hand around. “How could I deny all this? Hmm?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said after a long pause. “I’m not about to explain the past to you. You of all people remember me in my youth and judge me by that arrogance even now. What matters is that Richard came into town and caught the queen’s eye. A dangerous place to be. She had him investigated and discovered he was a Council wizard, who came into her side of the city to recruit young wizards. She set about to tempt her to her side of the border. Such games amuse her, I think. When she discovered he was your caretaker and thus had contacts within the Clan he became of more importance. We were introduced and began to compare notes. It is absurdly simple really. I’m an essence wizard and can tap into anyone’s energy, including a young vampire. I learned long ago that tapping a vampire of life energy, gave me some of the perks. And so my own extended longevity.

“But what I do isn’t a permanent connection and it cannot be given to someone else. That is where Richard came in. As a metallurgist he and I figured out a way for me to tap that energy permanently. And for me to link to others so they can share that influx of energy. It works, aside from the obvious flaws. But it uses energy to make the link and maintain it and some energy is lost in the transfer, so we needed more than one vampire to be in the link. But only one vampiric source. Only one vampire to be the Sire.”

“Will,” Lee said hoarsely.

“But of course William. I didn’t see the harm in it really. We would just be tapping his intake of energy. I didn’t know then they would imprison the vampire. Nor that the intake wouldn’t be enough energy to siphon off to both Richard and the queen. And anyone else she gifts with one of the link rings. The solution seemed easy enough. Get William to turn some loyal subjects, so they would be linked through the same spell. They are in fact linked by the Sire-fledgling bond, but also chains in the spell that draws energy from them all. It is flawless in theory and design. We thought they would be vampires. Just normal vampires.”

“Spawn.”

“Yeah, well, William caused a bit of a problem. With his pre-existing condition and his fledgling status, those he turned where only half turned. It meant the demon needs more energy to exert it control for one. And when the energy is siphoned it’s at a continuous rate.”

Lee cleared her throat. “They’re always starving.”

“Exactly. Uncontrollable hunger.”

“And then let out into unclaimed human territory.”

“They need to feed quite a lot. And they cannot be controlled well when the thirst is on them, Lee. They kill their prey. Cannot help it. The queen believed there would be no problems if they fed in the human sub-quarters and if it were noticed, then it would be blamed on the Clans. Richard has done his best to make it seem like the Council is behind them and that is just a bonus really.”

“Why stir things up? Why Justina’s Coven and Viona’s?”

“I was covertly trying to help Viona find William. Guilty conscience and all. It was found out. I’m confined here and Viona’s is burned to the ground. Something that could easily have been seen as internal Clan fighting. Yet the nature of the spawn was discovered and then Richard began rumors it was the Council, trying to blame the Clans. They targeted the Coven for three reasons. First, witches like any Chosen have more energy to take. Second, witches are more of a threat when it comes to psychic vampire skills and Justina more so, but also Justina knows you. By then Richard had explained all about you and how you were trying to hunt down this mystery wizard. Thirdly, after my treason they needed insurance. A man of my age doesn’t make attachments easily, but they found out about Justina. I love her, Lee. I love her more than anything. I love how she sees in me the man I could be and want to be. You think I could hide that from the queen‘s internal investigators? The strongest psychics the Chosen has to offer? Not a fucking chance. So she is here to keep me well behaved.”

He sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Now to business. I’m going to tell you what is going to happen. You can’t stop it, so you might as well listen and accept it. You’re a born vampire, your spirit is demon. But you have no one turned beneath you. You’re not aged. A perfect candidate, so Richard claims, and he’s right, but I wasn’t about to give you up to them. You really shouldn’t have hooked up with that vampire prince. The rumor mill about his royal vampness was in high gear. It took very little time for Richard to know what you were. And the significance of it. A pure vampire demon conduit.”

“Is that why he was so pissed?”

“He thought you would be taken into the Clans. They afford a certain amount of protection. Plus once you were deep into the quarter no one would be able to retrieve you without an extensive fight. So he put the fear of the Council into you. And you tried to balance the two. Notice he did help you try and find the mystery wizard, since he wanted you drawn in.”

“That bastard,” she said, although she added Drake in there as well.

“The Town Dons and the vampire Masters are meeting in the south end. Richard knows the location. You think that vampire will come hunting you down, and likely you’re right, but not right away. First of all, this place is so very secure.”

“It would have to be. To keep you in.”

“Exactly. Even a Master vampire cannot pierce that shield. Viona was linked directly to William and her aura swept through the entire city, with not even the barest of hints he was here. The queen will increase security on the bridge as soon as she is made aware we have you secure. She is likely already ordering the horde to attack the meeting of the Dons. That will keep them occupied. No one will know you’re in trouble until it is too late. When they do you‘ll just be gone. Missing. No one will have seen you crossing the river and arriving here. No proof you ever made it to my door.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“Honestly, Lee, it is. If you can figure out a way for all of us to get out of this, then I’m open to any suggestions. When you crossed that river you literally entered another country. One full of people with unique abilities, like Laura, who could kill you with a touch. And they have a great deal of spawn on hand as well. A virtual vampire army. One they will have substantial control over once you are made the base for the spell.”

“Right.” Lee sat up, her limbs still felt chill with a cool numbness, but they moved. The blood loss had hit her hard, the healing of the wounds cost some of her valuable energy reserves and she needed blood. Drake was stalling. Likely because he didn’t want to tell her what was going to happen. “If you take the surplus from all these spawn, then why can’t you order them to break you out of this joint?”

He smirked. She could smell the coppery tang of his blood through his barrier. Hear the thrumming of his heart.

“That isn’t how the spell matrix was designed. How foolish it would be to just hand over an army to one man. The queen holds the master ring, of course, and she has several generals overseeing the spawn legions. Richard has a ring himself. I have one, but it isn’t a control one. Mine is the funneling one. Consider me the focus point of the spell. Energy goes into me, and then splits off into the rings and their bearers. I’m the… magical equivalent to an extension cord. If you have seen those in Richard’s shop. The control the ring grants is also through me. Which would be why of course that both William and I are a bit indispensable in this little system of energy disbursement.”

Lee realized she was watching the beat of his pulse in his neck. She jerked her eyes to his and smiled thinly. “Well, then. To kill the horde we need only kill you.”

He laughed with true amusement. “If that were so I would have killed myself.”

“Funny.”

He smirked in self-derision. “Well, perhaps not. But it doesn’t matter. Kill me, you sever the energy drain. And they find a suitable Essence wizard to replace me. And in the meantime the horde goes fucking ape shit and rampages through the city.”

“Hmmm. An option then.”

He glanced at his watch, like an impatient man did when late for an important appointment and some lowly peon was taking up his valuable time. “We have to get to the point. I only have so much time. They don’t want us plotting in here.”

“Yeah, like I would trust you now.”

“That is a moot point right now. William is the source of, the core of it, as well. From him I drain the energy and all he has turned. All the turned are linked to him. But he is faulty. He was broken from the get go. Viona repaired some of that damage by turning him, but that was some heavy duty genetic issues he had going on and that made him a weaker fledgling. Made his connection to the Nevernever weaker and therefore to creating more of his kind weaker. Sort of passed on a flaw.”

“Get on with it.”

“They need to replace the core. With you. And then we have solved the problem of the horde, as you will correct the failed turn. You will turn William, again and properly, with your pure blood. This will fix the broken bond he has with his fledglings. The theory is that if they are turned properly and linked to a Sire of such purity of blood, they will not be spawn at all, but regular fledglings. The vampiric demon within them will be able to exert enough control to do its thing and convert them completely. Assuming they’re not damaged beyond repair, this is the only way to save them.”

“So it comes to that. Again. I will not turn anyone. I will not Sire a line. Not for the Council and not for some queen I don’t bow to. Certainly not to be a fucking slave to you.”

“Noble. But you will,” Drake said, slowly getting to his feet. “As you know, very easy to force a vampire to feed, Lee. You have been fed on and will begin to feel the hunger. It’ll only get worse.”

Lee smiled. “Ah, brilliant. You can force me to feed and maybe kill. So I bleed William to the point of true death. No skin off my back, wizard,” she said, her tone becoming a little raspier and her upper fangs beginning to extend. Actually, they ached.

“And at that point, fed and alert, you will make the only viable choice. To turn him so the horde doesn’t go wild. Turn him, replace his dead Sire, and make the spawn the vampires they are already, but cannot control.”

“And then?”

“I’m sorry, Lee. Broken as you are, you’ll be easy to contain. And they have decided it will be even easier if we put you in a sort of coma state.”

Lee snarled. It wasn’t so much the idea of being put into a coma that brought out a primal response in her, but the idea that they demanded she make fledglings and then not protect them. Then they would use and control her fledglings.