Kenneth gestured for the large group of collected vampires to exit the warehouse and board the charter buses. They moved slowly, like a herd of cattle. Kenneth stopped himself from shaking his head. Why was it so hard to get people to do what you wanted them to do?
After a short bus ride, they were all let off the busses inside a massive aircraft hangar. There were three good sized planes that sat about fifty each. The vampires seemed to mill around waiting for their host to rejoin them. House Dukart sentinels watched the group. They were armed with assault rifles and long knives.
A large black SUV rolled into the hanger and Kenneth stepped out of the vehicle smiling. “I’m sorry to keep you all waiting we got hung up on some traffic back there.” He walked among the group gesturing to the planes with his arms outstretched toward them. “You will on board one of these planes and see how generous I am? Three planes for the three Houses, isn’t that something?” He was still smiling, no one else in the hangar was.
“Kenneth!” barked Alexander, “Just what in the hell is this all about? Why am I getting on a plane? Where is it going?”
Kenneth’s smile deepened, “Alexander, my old friend. How is the package I sent you? I hope it hasn’t been too much trouble?” Alexander snarled but didn’t look away.
Kenneth turned away from the Brandt soldier, “As of right now I own all of you. You will answer directly to me and you will all obey my orders.”
“Like Hell!” a Brandt vampire yelled.
“I answer only to Lady Nakahara,” a Himuran yelled.
Kenneth rolled his eyes and sighed, “Why can’t things ever be simple” he muttered to himself. He turned to a vampire behind him and was given two rolls of paper which he held up for all to see, “By order of your respective Heads of House, I have been given full authority to use you as I see fit. Disobeying me will be a direct violation against your own House.” He paused looking around, “I don’t need to remind any of you what the penalty is for that, do I?”
“I don’t believe it! Give me that!” Alexander said yanking the piece of paper out of Kenneth’s hands. A representative from House Himura came up and took the other.
Alexander melted back into the group of his House reading the piece of paper. It was signed and sealed in wax with Wolfgang’s personal seal. Various House Brandt vampires looked over his shoulder reading the document.
Alexander’s eyes grew wider as he read. This couldn’t be real? This, this was a lie! It had to be! And yet, the seal and signature were genuine as far as he could tell. Wolfgang had betrayed them all! Alexander looked up at Kenneth and then to House Himura. He saw his expression mirrored there. Why would his Head of House do this? His fingers went limp and he let go of the paper as it was passed back through the members of his House.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Kenneth stood in the middle of the group, watching with a bemused smile on his lips as the two pieces of paper were passed through all the vampires in attendance.
There were no words, there was no arguing. House Himura and House Brandt had lost. There was nothing to say. Alexander was numb. He saw Kenneth motion towards the planes for people to board. He didn’t even have the strength to ask where they were going. House Dukart had taken over the city and now his Head of House, Wolfgang Hammerstein, had betrayed them to this, this…smug bastard!
But even those were hollow thoughts. He was on board the plane before he realized he had even started mounting the steps. What was there to fight for? His House was a lie, his eternal life was hollow. He had no soul and now no fire, no anger. What good was he to anyone? He had never felt so cold before, not even the Hamburg winters when he was a child had left him feeling like this. He sat down in a chair and stared numbly ahead, not seeing anything, not thinking anything, just wanting to die, and stay dead this time.
* * * * *
The sun was beginning to rise slowly, splashing the early morning sky with reds and bright yellows. Ansuya was ready for this moment. She undressed and shifted. She hurled herself up and over the wall, perching there for a few seconds.
She surveyed the inner courtyard of the mansion inside the wall. In the growing daylight she couldn’t see any new cameras at all, only the ones she had spotted the night before. Without a sound she dropped herself into the yard and shifted back to her human form. She quickly dressed herself and moved forward across the deep lush green lawn.
The cameras were stationary which she found to be odd. She didn’t waste time hurring up to the house. Ducking under a security camera pointing at the front porch steps leading to the front door, she slid along the wall of the mansion around to the back.
The place was quiet as the dead. She carefully picked her way along the side of the building to the back windows. Again, she noticed that the security cameras were not moving. She couldn’t see any red LED light on them. She was starting to get the feeling that they were either turned off, or they had never worked at all.
That was possible but not likely. Even crime bosses had to be wary of street thugs and other gangs that wanted to make a quick name for themselves. The best way to do that was take out the head of a rival group, take over their territory, and recruit their people. So the cameras had to serve a practical purpose, not just be scarecrows.
She was standing next to a large bay window that was obscured from the inside with drapes. She scanned the back yard. The pool gently rippled as the wind blew past its surface. This place was lovely, especially as the rising sun hit its white surface, lending the place a warm orange yellow hue. It was very peaceful. Something also told her that this place felt very wrong.
If Wolfgang had set a trap for her, she could see no telltale signs though. It looked quiet, but there weren’t even guards out. Everything about this place told her to leave, but she had to confront Wolfgang, she needed answers.
She couldn’t shake this feeling in the back of her mind. It was a low humming, an insect buzzing just beyond hearing. She was reminded of the White Plain and the unspoken dangers that rested there.