Enid stood in front of her bathroom mirror. She had adjusted her hair color to be auburn instead of the brilliant natural red. Now she was applying lip gloss. She rarely used make-up out of an abundance of not giving a fuck how people saw her. Today was different. She was trying to distance herself from the face that was now plastered all over the internet. She looked at the eight different styles of glasses she’d just received from an internet order. Partially marveling at the fact she clicked a few links and used a credit card two days ago in Rome and they were waiting for her when they arrived. She looked them over. She hadn’t been sure which color she should use. Eyre was adamant she should use the clear ones. Maria of course was fascinated by the frames that mimicked the Victorian era styles. Enid wasn’t sure what she was partial too. She knew she hadn’t wanted overly large ones.
She did what a teen would do in her situation. She sent several selfies to her circle of friends from high school. She hadn’t checked but when she opened their chat she saw that crowdsourcing had determined black thicker frame, with the square style. She shrugged and picked them up and pulled them on.
She looked herself over in the mirror. The lenses were for show of course. Her eyes were perfected after her transformation as was the rest of her body even while she was cursed with mortality in the light of the sun. She adjusted the glasses a few times. She looked at her top and sighed. She’d also adjusted her chest, so it was less boyish, her mortal body had never been blessed with large breasts, or even average sized one even after children. The change wasn’t out of vanity. She hoped it would further distance herself from the viral images of Michael. She tugged on her kilt. She liked tartan skirts, not short skirts though. She spent money to have them custom made with pockets. There was so much envy amongst her peers when she would reach into her skirt pockets and pull out her phone. Her philosophy even before living as a mortal had always been, fuck style, I want pockets.
She pulled on her sweater and tugged her crucifix over it. She always wore it these days. It was a reminder that her sister’s body may not have changed but her sister was a new woman. She pulled her hair back and braided it, tying it off. With one last glance at herself she walked down to the breakfast bar and sat down on a stool. Eyre was cooking something that smelled delicious. Soon afterwards a cup of coffee and a plate of French toast and bacon found its way in front of Enid. Eyre looked up finally taking in her mother’s new look.
“Wow mom, you look amazing today.”
“Gee, thanks, does that mean I don’t always look amazing?”
Eyre snickered.
“No, usually you look like someone puked up a girl who housed rats in her nest of red hair”
Enid made a face.
“Glasses though?”
Enid shrugged.
“It worked for Clark Kent.”
Eyre laughed.
“No, it really didn’t. But I guess it will fool facial recognition on phones so that’s got to count for something. Mom, now that Maria knows who she really is, what is the point of going to school?”
“One, Maria is only fifty years old, has never been to school before and has the maturity level of a fifteen-year-old girl. Two, she wants to go. Three, if she wants to go to university, she needs at least high school education otherwise she’s fucked.”
“Why do you have to go?”
“Because I’m making sure she is safe, and to finish my list that you so rudely interrupted: Four, I’ll be damned if my real name shows a high school dropout. Once this Black Son shit is out of the way I want to go to university for history so I can fix the fucking textbooks.”
Eyre smirked at her mother and shook her head.
“I’m guessing you’ve never done high school or university.”
“No, I look like I’m in my thirties.”
“Too bad, I would have loved to bully you.”
Eyre hit her mother’s upper arm with a gentle swat.
“Don’t forget your cane on the way out you crotchety old hag.”
The pair looked on as Maria left her own room and sat down on the other side of Eyre.
“Good morning, Auntie.”
Maria looked down like she would be blushing if her cheeks could turn even the slightest shade of pink. Eyre giggled.
“Sorry Aunt Maria. I couldn’t resist.”
“It is alright Eyre.”
Eyre stood up and pulled the plate she had put in the oven to keep warm and slide it in front of Maria and poured her a glass of milk. Enid smiled at her sister and then started reading something on her tablet. Eyre leaned down on the counter arms crossed and chin on her upper forearm. She looked up at Maria.
“How did you sleep?”
“Very well thank you.”
Eyre walked to her chaotic desk and sifted through the cluttered papers and pulled out a sealed folder.
“You need to take this to the office today. They are a copy of your adoption papers. Maria Aurelius. School needs them to prove I’m now your legal guardian.”
Maria’s hand went to her crucifix as she paused her eating. The other reached for the envelope, her pale finger touching her new legal name. She looked between Eyre and Enid and in an uncharacteristic show of emotion she rushed around the breakfast bar and bearhugged Eyre.
“Thank you.”
Eyre smiled down at her tears moistening her eyes.
“Now that is over with, finish your breakfast young lady, it’s the most important meal of the day.”
Enid shook her head and smiled without looking up from her tablet. Maria dried up her own tears and sat back down in front of her food she smiled as she ate glancing up at Eyre who smiled back at her. Enid sighed and looked up to Eyre.
“Don’t forget ‘mom’ that I have my road test tonight.”
“I’m not sure you’re mature enough to be driving on your own.”
Enid glared at her daughter.
“Beep you.”
“That’s it I’m getting the soap.”
“Probably tastes better than your coffee!”
The pair dissolved into laughter after a short glare off.
“Actually, could you pour me another, please, Eyre.”
Eyre poured her another cup.
“That also reminds me, I got you an appointment next Tuesday evening for Dr. Anderson.”
“Good. After today I should be able to drive there myself.”
“Has it really been a year since you got to Edmonton already?”
“To the day.”
Eyre shook her head.
“Time flies.”
“Maybe for you, you’ve had your license the whole time.”
“You have like six identities that are fully licensed to drive in multiple countries.”
“But I have never had a license that said Enid Aurelius. Its about pride in your name.”
“Mom, you are a strange, strange vampire.”
“Seven hundred years and you’re just figuring that out now?”
Enid chugged the rest of her second coffee, picked up her empty plate and put it in the dishwasher. She started getting bundled into her coat and her boots trying to catch up to Maria who had already started. Eyre noticed for the first time her mother was wearing a skirt.
“Mom, you’re going to freeze to death.”
“No, I won’t I’m wearing leggings.”
Eyre shook her head and pulled on her own coat and boots. She reached out and snagged her purse before joining her ‘daughters’ in the garage.
*****
Enid slid into her seat the table with her friends. Art class had replaced Latin for this semester. She sort of despised it because unlike most classes the mark was very subjective which drove her nuts. Whether someone likes something or not shouldn’t determine if it is worth a good mark. It was however part of the program Eyre had selected and she was stuck in it until next year. Maria entered the class and started going to her normal seat and Enid motioned for her to join her. Maria sat down the rest of the girls Enid usually hung out with looked a bit put out by this choice but Enid looked at them and spoke quietly.
“Everyone, this is my adopted sister, Maria. I love you all but if you ever call her zombie girl again, I will be forced to beat the shit out of you now. Only I get to make fun of her, since she’s my sister. The end.”
There were several giggles at the table. Enid’s half joke and smile seemed to disarm her friend’s hesitance and the table started chattering like normal until the instructor who also taught Latin cleared her throat.
“I know Enid and Maria have been away for a week but catch up after class please.”
The table quieted down but was all smiles. The class was exactly what Enid hated. She liked well defined boundaries and knowing exactly how to get a good mark. The teacher today simply said use pencil and draw an image with shadows. It was that nebulous do something creative that vexed Enid so. She decide to sketch the ruins of Kinlochleven castle as she had picture on the cloud of it during a sun set. It was what Maria drew that caught her attention most of all the art she saw her friends making because she had drawn a picture of their father’s Roman estate’s gardens. She pondered how her sister knew what it looked like without her memories.
Religion class was the one year-round class that everyone had to take. Catholic Schools were sticklers for that one. Enid settled in beside her friends ready for a sleepy class she could safely ignore. The day was going good, no mention of Rome, the Vatican, Angels, or superheroes. Enid began her daily veg session that was religion only to be tapped on the forearm by her friend Kelly. Enid looked up and saw Sister Willow looking at her expectantly.
“I’m sorry, I was distracted, Sister Willow, what were you asking?”
Sister Willow was the type of person to just smile and repeat herself not a hint of annoyance in her face or voice.
I wonder if she had a lobotomy.
“I understand you and your new sister Maria went to the Vatican while on vacation. Were you in St. Peters when the Angel appeared?”
“Uh…”
She glanced at Maria who touched her crucifix and began stroking it. Maria gave her a look of silent reproach and Enid sighed and rolled her eyes.
“Yes, we were.”
“How did it feel being in its presence?”
“I donno, I was just wondering if the mushrooms in our breakfast had been the magic kind.”
The class laughed. Sister Willow gave the slightest frown showing her disappointment in Enid who despite her age felt a tiny bit guilty.
Catholics: Mastering the art of guilt tripping since the Roman Empire.
The sister’s eyes looked to Maria who was still stroking her crucifix and asked the same question. Enid was shaking her head to her sister then sighed heavily when she heard her words.
“I felt blessed, because he spoke directly to me.”
“Why do you say he spoke to you?”
“Because he used my name.”
“You are saying he, I thought it appeared as Saint Sarah of Savia.”
“It was Michael using Saint Sarah’s face.”
Enid sunk further into her chair pulled her glasses off and buried her face in her arms. She was laughing silently because this was so much worse than she thought it was going to be.
“How do you know that Maria?”
“Because Ezekiel told Enid when she walked through Rome with him.”
The quiet murmur of the class changed to dead silence when Maria dropped her bomb of a sentence. Enid refused to lift her head from the fort of darkness her arms and chest were creating.
God, kill me now. I’m done. Why did I tell her!
The bell rang saving Enid for further embarrassment. Sister Willow being the smart sort had just moved on there talking about angelic messengers and prophets as seen in the Old Testament. Once she was sure it was safe Enid lifted her head up, grabbed her bag and put her glasses on. She had been correct the rest of the class had already left the room, the conversation forgotten in a rush to leave for the upcoming family day weekend. Sister Willow called out Enid’s name just as she was about to escape. She glared towards the sun that still cast a harsh glare off the snow and through the classroom windows.
“Enid, you and Maria have experienced something that few in the world can say. It is alright to be confused about it.”
“I’m not confused I just want to get on with my life, such as it is, Sister.”
Sister Willow stood up and smoothed out her long skirt.
“Get on with your life? You spoke to a messenger from God Enid.”
“I spoke to an old man, we had meat lovers pizza. He took pity on a girl who needed an adult that she could trust after she had an argument with her sister. Was he an angel? I don’t know. He had no messages for me except that I already knew the answer to the question I had.”
“Are you Saint Sarah of Savia?”
Enid closed her eyes.
“If I am, they really need to choose their Saints better. I need to go; I have my road test this afternoon.”
Sister Willow took a closer look at Enid before nodding.
“Good Luck. My prayers are with you.”
*****
Enid sat at the kitchen table. The time for food had long passed. Winters in Edmonton meant night fall was early. Which meant less time to eat supper before one’s vampiric nature would make it a moot point. Enid had missed supper tonight because of her driving test. She was now officially licensed under her real name, it was a graduated license but she could drive unaccompanied now. Maria, Eyre and Violet had gone out somewhere and had left by the time Enid got back. She’d driven home alone. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, they weren’t tired, but it felt right. She continued typing her English essay out. She had never met Shakespeare. Even if she had he would have just been just another mortal digging in the mud. She pondered how many high school students she would have saved from the brink of insanity if she had met him and just drained him dry. She shrugged off the thought and started a playlist on their smart speaker and continued writing. The playlist suited her mode. She was pissed at Maria but then she heard the next song declaring several things Ironic and not a single one fit the bill according to the English she knew, which made the entire song an example of Irony. The stray thought amused her slightly taking her mind off of Maria and how much she wanted to strangle her for the truthfulness.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
She heard the doorbell ring. She closed her eyes and hung her head. She locked her computer and dragged herself across the house to open the door. Outside the door were two very cold gentlemen in black coats with name tags declaring themselves representatives of the Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Mormons, as if Catholics weren’t bad enough. Freezing their asses off for what?
Enid sighed. As they began to speak. She saw their faces fall almost immediately.
“Look fellas, I am in the middle of writing an essay, and while I am impressed you are out in this cold trying to save souls, but I’m Catholic. There is no saving me.”
They laughed at her joke and bid her a good night. Enid waved and close the door locking it behind them and went back to her essay. Paused then went into the kitchen and made a mug of hot cocoa and sat down on the couch and turned on one of the streaming services and watched an episode of her latest addiction. After she felt sufficiently relaxed she returned to her computer and was about to start typing again when the doorbell rang again. She closed her eyes.
“Fuck. It better not be those Mormons again.”
Enid slammed her hands on the table and stood up. She stalked over to the door. Whipping it open. Only to have the one person in the world she never expected to see gracing her doorway. Deloriss fell inside Enid looked down at her torn-up form with quirked an eyebrow. The health of vampires was hard to judge. Being that their natural state was dead. She glanced around outside and pulled the bloodied Deloriss inside. She bit her palm and stuffed it in the vampire’s mouth. Deloriss’s eyes went wide as Enid’s blood poured into her mouth. An ancient’s blood was like heroin, cocaine, meth and ecstasy all tied into one dark red liquid. Enid pushed her away. Deloriss’s bite and claw wounds healed rapidly. Enid sighed. Second drink. Deloriss was bound to her now but it was better then letting her die randomly especially since she looked like she had just fought of a gang of hungry vampires.
“You…you are the Empress.”
“Yes. You attacked me with minions. Not my servant. Dumbest idiot ever. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I am sorry Empress.”
Enid looked down at her groveling form. She reached out her hand and lifted her up by the arm.
“Enough groveling, why are you here?”
“I have done you so much wrong, why would you give me your precious blood?”
“Because I am Empress you are my subject and it my duty to protect you as much as it is to punish you if you do wrong. Now, what attacked you?”
Deloriss was still looking at Enid awestruck. Enid sighed. She hated blood slaved, vampire or otherwise. The obsession would fade, and she would just feel very well disposed towards Enid but the first few nights were… a nightmare.
“How could I have attack you? You are so glorious and powerful. I am dirt.”
“Deloriss, focus, what attacked you tonight?”
Deloriss blinked.
“One of the vampire gangs. They attacked council, Daggon…Daggon is gone. The council they drained them all.”
“Which gang? Where is their haven?”
“They are outsiders. They invaded. Gathered the gangs. Said the elders… were blind that now was the time of vampires. They are going to go to war with the mortals.”
Enid felt the old rage at the Pugmentia welling up in her. It was Rome, Carthage, Los Angeles all over again. Enid kept holding Deloriss’s arm and led her to the basement and sat her down on one of the couches in the entertainment center. She pulled three bags of blood from the small refrigerator they kept there for movie snacks. She handed them to her. She kneeled down touching Deloriss’s cheek she looked into her eyes.
“Deloriss, child, drink the blood and relax here. Watch whatever you want. You are safe here.”
“You cannot go after them Empress, they will kill you, they were daring Reapers to come.”
Enid laughed.
“They are about to get their wish.”
She met Deloriss’s gaze again, pressing her will onto the younger vampire’s mind.
“Relax, my sister, my daughter and our ward will return, and you will be safe.”
Enid stood up. She started undressing as she ran up the stairs. She was going fully armored tonight. She reached out with her telekinesis and pulled her pack to her hand and started pulling the Atlantean Armor on. The plates started to form. Next she pulled Bloodseeker out of her pack and strapped it to her pack. Then a utility belt with silver nitrate grenades and two Glocks full of silver bullets. She looked down as she heard a meow. It was Sophie, Maria’s cat. Finally, out of the animal hospital now that Maria lived somewhere where she could have a pet. Enid crouched down and pat her head.
“Sophie, Maria will be home soon.”
Enid stood up and picked her burner phone out of the pack and dialed the emergency number. Eyre and Enid had phone ringers specific to the numbers that were the ‘oh fuck oh fuck the world is ending’ calls. She received no answer. Enid narrowed her eyes and ran out the back door and lept into the air. Where had they gone tonight. Enid tried to remember. She heard them discussing it while she was studying for her driving exam. She frowned. She closed her eyes and took Sarah O’Connor’s the superhero’s face.
Fuck should have paid better attention.
Enid decided to head to the last place the Pugmentia Gangs had been which would be Daggon’s headquarters. She pushed the doors open it was a literal blood bath. Humans, blood slaves, vampires were all over the building. Each had their throats torn out. Blood was everywhere. She checked at the front desk for a floor plan. She tapped the spot on the map that was the security room then identified the nearest server room. She pulled two grenades out of her pack and walked to the security room. The door was locked and bared. She kicked it down the reinforced door and concrete around it were no match for her strength and it fell down. Inside she found two blood slaves cowering. They both desperately reach for their handguns.
“You’ve seen me on TV. Don’t. You’ll just piss me off.”
“Erase all the footage, do it.”
She watched passionately as they deleted all the recording files.
“Is there anyone else who survived?”
One of the men pointed towards the server room.
“IT Girl. He’s…not in the family?”
“Okay. Get the fuck out of here. Deloriss will be in touch.”
Enid kicked down the server room door. Inside she found a brunette woman wearing jeans and a grey golf shirt showing some company logo. She looked quasi-professional. Her eyes went wide when she saw Sarah the superheroes face.
“Oh wow, oh wow you’re here! Thank God for you.”
“Please get your coat and your laptop bag and step out of the room. Try not to look around. Its not pleasant.”
Enid reached out her hand and clenched her fist and all the servers crashed together into twisted ball of smoking silicon and metal server cages. She threw a frag grenade followed by an incendiary grenade and pulled the IT girl to the side. The woman jumped when the two explosions went off. Enid repeated the same sequence with the security room. She looked into the IT Girl’s eyes, you saw a superterrorist tear the place apart and blow up the rooms. You escaped with your life barely. The woman blinked at Enid. Enid frowned. She hadn’t been resisted by a mortal since…Cindie.
“Well fuck.”
“Look, I don’t want to kill you, but I will if you talk about anything saw here tonight. Do you understand what I’m saying? Stay quiet and I’ll make sure you are well compensated.”
“But…but you’re God’s daughter.”
“Yes and what happened here tonight needs to remain secret, not even the police. Definitely not the internet, it would cause panic. So as God’s Daughter I’m asking you very nicely to keep your very cute mouth shut.”
“Did you just call me cute?”
The woman blushed.
“Yes, you’re cute. But besides that, mouth shut.”
“Date.”
“What?”
“I’ll keep my mouth shut if you go out on a date with me.”
“Are you fucking serious right now? I just threatened your life.”
“Well…I mean…”
“You know what, fine, one date. Give me your card. And wait here.”
Enid took the woman’s card and stuffed it into her pack then shifted into her red wolf form. The woman jumped looking scared at first then she clapped her hands. Enid rolled her wolf eyes and started sniffing around.
Definitely Pugmentia. Imperial blood too though. Familiar…Aeliana!
Enid traced her path through the floor. She found several Pugmentia corpses torn to shreds by werewolf claws, some crushed by some form of tentacle. Enid grinned in her wolf form. The corpses were outsides. She shifted to her human shape again and grabbed the IT girl who she knew to be named Allison by her card.
“Allison, you got a flat tire never got here. Okay?”
“You’ll call me for that date right?”
“Yes, I give you my word. By the time you got here the firetrucks and police where here.”
“What firetrucks and police?”
Enid pulled a rocket launcher out of her pack. Allison stepped back.
“They’ll be here soon, you best leave.”
Enid loaded one of her demonfire mirvs into it and started typing in the dispersion requirements and put it on her shoulder. She glanced back when she heard tires squeal and Allison, the IT Girls taillights vanished into the distance. Enid looked into the sight and launched the missile. She watched as the missile scattered into six projectiles which rained beads down inside the various floors and winced as the beads started to break and the entire front of the building was engulfed in white hot thermite adjacent chemical reaction. She slid the rocket launcher back in her pack. She shook her head and looked in the direction that the car had vanished.
She was super cute. Focus!
Enid shifted into wolf form again and started follow the trail of Aeliana, who in turn seemed to have been following the Pugmentia attackers. She stalked the streets of Edmonton not bothering to cloak herself in shadows. She disturbed more then a few people who were just now stumbling out of the bars. None seemed to recognize she was a wolf and kept shouting coyote. Mortals…how blind they are. She found herself past the end of Jasper avenue and down another street. She saw the shimmering flicker of another vampire hiding in the shadows. Even Maria’s shadow ability had no power over her anymore. Since she had openly acknowledged her position of Empress with the Pope it seemed like her inheritance was finally taking root. She let out a low yip. The wolf whose black fur looked matted from blood yipped back. Quirking its head to the side. It sniffed the air and did a happy dance. Enid motioned with her head and pulled back from the building taking her true form instead of the Sarah face. She was suddenly engulfed from a hug by the larger, curvier Aeliana.
“Slays-Demons!”
Enid hugged her tightly.
“Shadow-walker.”
“Enid.”
“Aeliana.”
“I did not know you were here sister.”
“I am. And…so is Mariana, and Eyre.”
Aeliana’s eyes went wide.
“She is alive?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they?”
“Based on the fact their car is here, I’d say inside.”
“What?”
The pair perked up when they heard a loud scream that seemed to have been cut short. It was a male. They looked at each other.
“That wasn’t…”
“Oh boy. They tried to actually hurt Maria. So, what umm kind of thing are we looking at here?”
“Venice.”
“Wow, that many of them?”
Aeliana nodded. Enid frowned.
“Fuck.”
“Should we?”
Aeliana motioned to the building.
“We probably should. Me being the Empress and all.”
Aeliana’s eyes when wide and she shoved Enid gently.
“No one tells me these things.”
“Let’s go. You should probably get dressed for the occasion.”
Aeliana laughed and shifted into her seven foot talk half wolf form and lunged at the wall smashing through it with a howl declaring the hunt was on. Enid drew Bloodseeker and casually walked through the newly created entrance. She heard more screams ahead. The top half of a vampire flew by her, his eyes frozen with a look of terror. She shrugged and walked into what had become the killing room floor. Violet was staked on the floor. Eyre was pinned to a wall with two wooden spears. Maria was on the floor and had bite marks in her neck. Beyond her family there were many, many dead Pugmentia. Aeliana was increasing the body count with every claw swipe. The true foe of the Pugmentia was the unseen force that was shredding them. Enid knew it to be Mariana’s silent protector. She had met him just once, during the battle with the Black Son. They had stood back-to-back defending her fallen form. Enid had no fear of him. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it had never acted against her. She watched as another Pugmenta was lifted up and then exploded in a shower of blood and bits of vampire flesh.
He is very angry.
One of the Pugmentia fled towards her and found himself rapidly drained by Bloodseeker. The three that had been following him stumbled back into the waiting claws and teeth of Aeliana. Enid chuckled as she watched her sister-in-law rip it’s head off and squeeze the blood from his body gulping it down. Enid called out suddenly recalling that Aeliana and her brother were rarely apart.
“Where is Lysander?”
Aeliana shrugged and then answered while her claws tore another Pugmentia in half.
“Toronto, watching out for your clone.”
“Aww.”
“I know, he’s missing all the fun.”
Enid cut down another Pugmentia. The dedicated halves of his body falling at her feet. The dark protector of Maria had ceased his brutal killing spree in the center of the building. Instead screams were now echoing from near a doorway where the last remnants of the Pugmentia uprising were trying to escape. Aeliana and Enid moved in behind the last six Pugmentia were caught between a blender and a hard place. They all died. The pair looked around at the seventy-five or so Pugmentia bodies it was a challenge to get an accurate count. Maria’s guardian had dismembered some of them very thoroughly. Satisfied the threat was over Enid pulled the spikes out of Eyre and pulled a blood stone out of her bag feeding her with it, then Maria. Both woke about the same time. Enid glanced down at Violet’s staked form. Eyre looked down at her nice coat and sighed. Then to her mother.
“Are you going to pull that out?”
“Do I have too? She’s so quiet and adorable when she’s staked.”
Eyre walked over and pulled the stake out.
“Mom, you’re not funny.”
Violet sat up, she looked around dry heaved then focused on Enid. Her eyes drifted behind Enid as the seven-foot-tall pitch black half-wolf came out of the shadows. She promptly screamed and hid behind Eyre.
“What…what the hell is that?”
“That is my Aunt Aeliana. My Uncle Lysander’s wife.”
“But what is she?”
Aeliana shifted down into her pale black-haired form. Her blue eyes twinkling with amusement.
“A werewolf, child.”
“What? Werewovles are real?”
Everyone nodded to her, like it should have been obvious from the start. Enid sheathed Bloodseeker and shook her head.
“Technically she’s a vampiric werewolf, only one of her kind.”
“A what now?”
“She is a Werewolf that was turned by a Pugmentia and granted Imperial blood by Sextus. Most go insane.”
“That is very cool, but can we get out of here? This is…disgusting and at the same time smells like an all you can eat buffet. My brain is breaking.”
Enid laughed. Eyre surveyed the blood-soaked room.
“Mom, what did you two do?”
“Us? This wasn’t us; it was Maria. I mean we killed a few. But most of it was Maria.”
Maria’s was stroking her silver crucifix. She stumbled as if she were slapped when Enid spoke her name and said she was to blame for all this carnage.
“Enid, I did not do this.”
“No, but your ghost did.”
“What?”
“The big black thing? I guess you don’t remember. Ya, he has a huge scythe that he spins like a blender and shreds things when you’re truly threatened. Mostly when you can’t defend yourself. I fought beside him in the battle… never mind.”
Maria blinked and looked to her right. She spoke to something no one else could see.
“Did you do this?”
She seemed to gently move someone aside as she stepped forward. Blood started to drip from her eyes as she watched whatever it was.
“You must not do this. Killing is wrong.”
Something hit Maria’s face and her nose started to bleed she frowned.
“Ethel, do not push me tonight.”
A frown creased Maria’s lips.
“Ethel Jacqueline Davenport you will watch your language!”
Maria reached out her hand quickly and caught some invisible force. She lifted it up above her head.
“No, you cannot have it back, you are just going to throw it at me again.”
Aeliana shrugged and started sifting through the vampire remains looking at their faces. Eyre and Violet were staring at Maria.
“Mom, what is she doing?”
“She’s telling the big guy to not protect her, killing is wrong, they were going to die anyway Maria. Also, I have no idea who Ethel is I’m guessing it’s a ghost and it’s a child.”
Violet blinked a couple of times.
“Uh, ghosts are real too?”
Enid and Aeliana nodded. Aeliana picked up another vampire head and turned it around to look at its face.
“Nope.”
Enid walked over to Aeliana.
“Why are you digging through corpses?”
“Because there is a vampire going around and stirring up trouble that calls himself the Herald of the New World Order. He got chased out of Toronto, but he has been heading west gathering up steam and disenfranchised Pugmentia. I thought Vancouver was his real target, but now that I see you are here, I think it might have been you. There was an attempt on the clone’s life by Pugmentia. She’s young but at night she’s basically you, well you from a thousand years ago, but anyway, she thrashed them.”
“He is not here.”
“Do you have a picture?”
Aeliana pulled out a phone and showed it to Enid. Enid shook her head.
“Don’t recognize him.”
“Well time to start tracking again. I think he’s older than he lets on. Never drives anywhere.”
“Let’s go.”
“No Empress, you stay here. The territory is in chaos. It needs a firm hand.”
“You do know I can take care of myself, right?”
“Yes, I do, you have been named by tooth and claw, however, if you are the target then why should we make it easier on him?”
Enid frowned.
“Alright.”
Aeliana paused.
“Well damn it. I need to fix that mess downtown.”
“Don’t worry about it. Someone launched a demonfire missile at the building.”
Eyre looked at her mom with narrowed eyes.
“What did you do mom?”
“I covered up a vampire blood bath, you know, like we’re supposed to do.”
“By launching a missile banned by the Geneva Conventions of 2023?”
Enid shrugged.
“It did the job.”
“Mom, you just committed a war crime!”
“It wasn’t the first one, probably won’t be the last. And it wasn’t technically a war crime, there is no war. I’m not a soldier.”
“Then a terrorist attack. Mom! What were you thinking?”
“That I had to burn a building down fast and that the demonfire missile had the least risk of collateral damage.”
“Mom where did you even get them?”
“They were on sale cheap, US government was trying to offload them before they got banned.”
“Mom!”
Violet cleared her throat.
“Is this really the time and place to be discussing mom three’s addiction to hoarding banned weaponry? Cause I’m not sure here, I’m just guessing, but a sword that drains and destroys actual Souls is probably a step higher on the warcrime front.”
Enid pondered for a moment, shrugged then nodded in agreement.
“Kid’s got us there. Speaking of which, if everyone is done gawking at the dismembered vampire bodies, we best cover this up too. Want to fire it this time Violet?”
“Mom, I swear you are…you are…”
“Yes please!”
Eyre threw up her hands in disgust and walked out of the hole Aeliana had made. Enid set the rocket launcher up and handed it to Violet.
“Okay Violet. Put it on your shoulder. Yep, that’s right. Now line it up with the targeting information there on the LCD screen. Good. Good. Fire.”
Violet giggled and pulled the trigger. With in thirty seconds the entire building was engulfed in fire its frame slagging almost instantly. Violate handed the launcher back to Enid who put it in her pack.
“Oh my god mom three, that was awesome!”
Eyre scowled at Enid who made a face at her.
“Guess I’m the fun mom.”
“You’re a bad influence. That’s what you are.”
Eyre grabbed Violet’s sleeve and tugged her towards the car. Enid hugged Aeliana tightly while the other three vampires waited for her in the Eyre’s SUV.
“Kick Lysander in the nuts for me, would you?”
“He loves you too.”
Enid laughed.
“Well, I’m not a sister if I don’t pick on him and I haven’t seen him like two centuries. Hey, so, umm, there…the… I’m not sure how to say this, we kind of left Lysander behind last time, he was mad at us… but I mean he was like ten years old. I mean as a vampire. So uh, he might still be.. well look, the fight we have been avoiding, well its becoming unavoidable and we could really use you guys.”
“Sister, you call, and we will be there.”
Enid smiled and nodded. Aeliana looked Enid up and down.
“Enid, you look so much happier than I’ve ever seen you. Whatever you’re doing, it’s working.”
“Aww get out of here ya bitch.”
Aeliana laughed at their old joke waved one last time before shifting into wolf form and gathering the shadows about herself. Enid got in the car. Eyre glared at her and shifted into gear and stomped on the gas peddle causing the tires to spin on the ice. The SUV finally shot forward. They passed several fire trucks on their way home. After several minutes Enid spoke up.
“So uh, Deloriss is in our basement.”
Everyone including Maria said ‘What’ in unison.
“Oh, and I have a date.”
Eyre frowned.
“Mom rewind a bit there, what the fuck is Demon Summoner Deloriss doing in our basement?”
“She came looking from help from the Empress’s servant because… oh you don’t know. So ya the elders in Edmonton have been wiped out.”
“What? No, that’s impossible.”
“What part about seventy or eighty Pugmentia on a blood hunt didn’t you understand?”
“What are we going to do mom?”
“That’s easy, make Deloriss the Lord of Edmonton. Dust our hands of it.”
“Why would you put that psychopath in charge?”
“She’s bound to me.”
“Mom! That’s against the law.”
“Well, it was that or she would die and then she couldn’t tell me what was going on. Besides they are more like guidelines anyway.”
She paused looked back at Violet.
“Do as I say, not as I do, kid.”
Violet nodded.
“Eyre, this way we literally have the Pugmentia under our control.”
Eyre frowned and drove on into the cold Edmonton night.