The Chaos Order (Fanghunters Book Three) (9 page)

“Both the Dragon Order and the Chaos Order clearly want to take control of the I-Sore and whatever is in there,” Vincent retorted.

“Ambrosia,” Trixie then said, walking up behind them with a tired gait.

They both spun to face her. “Trixie!” Vincent exclaimed. “Why aren’t you lying down?”

“That’s boring,” she replied.

“It’s for your own good.”

She rubbed her head. “Don’t lecture me, Dad. Please.”

Vincent showed her his palms. “Okay, okay.”

“What was that you just said, Trixie?” Dom asked. “Ambrosia?”

She nodded. “Ambrosia. It’s the name of the synthesized venom. I saw stacks and stacks of it in the I-Sore Tower. From what I can gather, they’re planning on inoculating people pretty soon.”

Vincent frowned. “But, I was under the impression Eddie was the only one who knew the formula. And he’s in
our
hands.”

Trixie shrugged. “Somehow they got the formula,” she said, chagrin stamped all over her face, “or they had it all along. And they were already in production mode. Looks like the Blood Order were looking to build an army of vamps and subsequent fangheads. Take this Great Unveiling thingy to the next level.”

Vincent’s jaw dropped. “So, that’s Benedict’s game. He wants the Ambrosia factory Leviah had set up. I wonder if the Chaos Order have any aspirations for Ambrosia.”

Trixie shrugged. “Probably.”

They turned back to the TV to watch more footage of fighting.

“Chicago is in disarray,” Vincent stated. “Flooding, snakes, cartel gangsters. It’ll be in total lockdown in mere days.”

“Where are the snakes coming from?” Dom asked.

Vincent shook his head. “I don’t know. Well, I’ve got a good idea.”

“What’s that?”

“Magdalena.”

“Magda-who?”

“Magdalena. She’s the head vampire of the Chaos Order.”

“She? You mean a chick?”

“God, you’re so sexist!” Trixie said with disgust.

Dom shrugged. “What did I say?”

“Yes, Dom. She’s a chick,” Vincent said with a sigh.

“I was under the impression all the children of this Count
Mordor
cat were male,” Dom stated.

“Moroz,” Vincent corrected. “And no, they’re not all male. Magdalena is very much female, but not human I’m afraid. Now, the snakes have to be of her doing.”

“How do you know?”

“She has an affinity with them. A lot of it is legend, but to cut a long story short, Magdalena is locked away in a secret location somewhere in Central and South America that very few know of. In an ancient Mayan temple known as the Temple of Snakes.”

“Oh, brother,”
Trixie lamented, rubbing her forehead. “Not more of this stuff.”

“Hey, I’m trying to listen,” Dom said to her. “Carry on, Vincent.”

Vincent sighed. “It’s okay, myth and legend are not important right now. I’m almost certain the snakes are her doing and are fighting for the Chaos Order.”

“Are you trying to tell me that the Chaos Order and this Magdalena chick have sent the snakes on purpose as a type of weapon?” Dom asked, hardly believing what he was saying.

“That’s precisely what I’m telling you.”

Dom nodded. “Okay. That’s cool,” he said, showing Vincent his palms.
Man, this guy’s nuts!
Dom thought to himself, looking away.

“There’s only one way to stop this,” Vincent then said. “Magdalena must be destroyed. Only that will end the Chaos Order and put a stop to this madness.”

“We’ll go right away.” Trixie said.

Vincent frowned. “But, you’re not well enough to go, my dear.”

“I’m okay.”

“He’s right, Trixie,” agreed Dom. “Look at your hands.”

She glanced down at her bandaged hands, then slung them down by her sides. “They’re okay. They’ll heal in a few days, and I’ll be right as rain.”

“I wouldn’t mention rain,” said Dom.

Vincent shook his head. “No, no, I’m worried about you, Trixie.”

“We’ve gotta do something, Dad. Quick. We’ll have to hunt down this Magdalena before we can do anything anyway. That might take days if not weeks.”

“It’s a good point,” Dom said with a shrug.

Vincent sighed. “And how do
you
feel?” he asked Dom.

Dom nodded. “I’m feeling ready for the next round.”

“Come on, Dad,” Trixie pleaded, “we’re young and healthy. We can handle it.”

Vincent nodded. “The virtues of youth, eh? It’s been a long time for me.” He paused. “I suppose we don’t have any choice do we? Chicago is descending into chaos fast, and it will only get worse.”

“And it
is
what we do,” Trixie reminded him.

“Yes. Yes it is.” He sighed. “But, there’s something else you’ll need to do.”

“What’s that?” asked Dom.

“Once you’ve destroyed Magdalena, you’ll have to retrieve the relic she holds, which I believe are the Fangs of Moroz.”

“The Fangs of Moroz?” Dom echoed. “Man this is getting more bizarre by the minute.” He glanced back at Trixie, who shook her head as if to indicate she was thinking the exact same thing. Dom turned his attention back to Vincent. “So, come on, Vincent. Fill us in. You said you would. What in the hell are these relics? What do they do?”

Vincent nodded. “Yes, I better give you the backstory, hadn’t I? This is what I know.” He licked his lips, then spoke. “Count Moroz terrorized the Old World, gripping it in a plague of darkness. A group of vampire hunters known as the Holy Order hunted him down and slayed him. Their leader, Abraham
,
was the one who finally drove the stake through his wretched heart. But, what Abraham didn’t realize was that Moroz had children. And those children were under the guidance of Moroz’s servant, a necromancer by the name of Balthazar, also known as the Mad Monk.”

Dom turned to face Trixie, open-mouthed. Trixie rolled her eyes.

“Is that all true, Vincent?” Dom asked, staring at him through squinted eyes.

“Absolutely!” Vincent replied with a stern nod.

Dom got the hint that he might just have offended the old man. “Okay, okay, just checking. Please continue.”

Vincent mellowed and he carried on with his legend. “Balthazar was part of the Holy Order, but his true loyalties lay with Moroz. His treachery wiped out most of the Holy Order. Abraham was unaware of this all the way until he confronted Moroz as he slept. And just as he began hammering his stake through Moroz’s black heart, Balthazar appeared on the scene to save his master. He incapacitated Abraham and used his dark magic to place Moroz under a spell, just before he was fully destroyed. Balthazar managed to petrify Moroz’s remains, the small semblance of undead life still encapsulated within them. His eye, his fangs, his staked heart, his finger, and some of his powdered blood.”

“You mean that thing’s
actually
his eye?” Dom said, his features contorted in disgust. “Ew!”

Vincent’s back straightened. “Yes. Indeed, it is his eye. And it holds a remnant of the Count to this day. He’s waiting. Waiting for his resurrection. Each of the relics were then handed to his children for safekeeping, Balthazar informing them that although Moroz’s tyranny was over, he would one day return more powerful. Balthazar, an unholy seer
,
envisaged a time in the future of great turmoil and upheaval, a time of high technology. By then, the siblings would have reached adulthood and grown powerful. They were instructed to use the relics to resurrect their father and cloud the world in darkness. After this, they were secretly transported across the globe to spread their evil and darkness. There they were to build their own evil empires and eventually unite in a global order headed by their resurrected father.” Vincent paused. “That time is now. The time of the Great Unveiling.”

Dom puffed his cheeks. “Man, that’s some heavy crap!”

“You don’t believe all that, do you?” Trixie said to him.

“Well, er... I...”

“Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant,” Vincent stated. “It’s all true. And now, we are the only thing standing in the way of the Great Unveiling. We must retrieve those relics.”

Dom clicked his fingers. “I got it! Let’s just destroy that eye
,
and hey presto, no more Moroz. Job done and we can party!”

Vincent shook his head.

Dom began shaking his head alongside him, his grin melting. “No?”

“No, I’m afraid not. You cannot just destroy these relics and hope the specter of Moroz will vanish. You cannot just throw a nuclear rod in the trash. These things have to be disposed of properly. Using rites and incantations. And so we must have the set. All five of them. And only then can we destroy Moroz for good.”

“And there was me thinking it was gonna be easy.”

“I’m afraid not, young man.”

“Any idea where we can find this Magdalena?” asked Trixie.

Vincent gave her a lamentable shake of his head. “Her location is a deep held secret; it could be anywhere from Mexico down to the Andes. What I do know is that the Temple of Snakes is wired with traps to stop any intruders.”

“Traps?” Dom echoed with a gulp.

Vincent gave him a slow, grave nod. “Traps.”

“Sounds great.”

“Indeed.”

“So, how are we gonna get a lead on her?” Dom asked.

Trixie nodded her head. “I got a guy,” she said, mimicking Miranda Wolff. “And he’ll be more than willing to help.”

“You’re talking about Troy
,
aren’t you?”

Trixie nodded.

“God, I hate that guy.”

“He’s not my cup of tea either, but he can help,” Vincent said. “And I know someone else who can be of assistance. I want you to get yourselves down to Mexico and find a man named Lionel Sanchez.”

“Lionel Sanchez?” Dom echoed. “Another hunter?”

“No. Archaeologist, Mesoamerican enthusiast. He stumbled across information on a lost temple that held a vampire. Intrigued by the notion, he set about discovering its whereabouts. This led him to uncover information regarding the Chaos Order. He knows more than I do; he will guide you. I’ve lost contact with him, but I know where to find him. He should get you on the right track. He usually has his hands full protecting his village against the cartels.”

“We’re on our way,” said Trixie.

“Woah, woah, woah, there. How are we gonna get dart guns and non-approved tranquilizers across the border?” Dom asked.

“We’ll think of something,” Trixie retorted.

Dom sighed. “Great. And what about you, Vincent?” he asked. “What’ll you be doing?”

“I’ll hold fort here. See how things develop on this side of the fence. We’ve got enough security here to protect us.”

“Alrighty,” said Dom. “Okay, let’s go and see Troy.”

CHAPTER TEN

D
om threw open the door of Miranda’s lockup and looked inside. The sunbed was exactly as they left it.

A gasp shot out from inside it. “Hey! Is that you, Trixie?” Troy’s anxiety-laden voice shouted out.

“Yeah, it’s us, Troy,” Dom replied in a casual tone.

“Thank Christ! I thought you guys were gonna leave me here to die!”

“We’re not
that
cruel,” Trixie said, stepping inside and closing the door behind them. Dom flicked on the light.

“So, what happened?” Troy asked in an eager voice. “Did you go and get Vincent? I bet you guys did. Cut a deal with the Blood Order did’ya, huh? What did Leviah say? Is the pact back on? I knew you guys would resolve your differences. Can we go back to how we were before now, huh?”

Trixie went and lifted the sunbed lid. Troy’s reddened face stared back at her; his eyes were wide with enthusiasm.

“So, what happened?” Troy asked, keen to be updated. “Come on, tell me.”

“Leviah’s dead,” Trixie said deadpan.

Troy’s face contorted. “What?” He then smiled. “You’re shitting me, right?”

Trixie let out a bored sigh. “No, Troy, I’m not. He’s dead. The Blood Order is gone.”

Troy’s grin melted. “Oh man.”

Dom came over with the key to Troy’s handcuffs. “Ooh, nice tan, bud,” he said, staring at his red face.

“Eat me!” Troy retorted.

Dom chuckled. “Roll over,” he then ordered.

Troy did as he was told. “You two really killed Leviah?” he asked as he went.

“Uh-huh,” Dom said, bending over and undoing the cuffs.

“Man, you nutjobs are gonna get everyone killed.” Troy’s hands were released and he immediately rolled onto his back and began rubbing his sore wrists. “Man, that feels good.”

“Just doing my job,” Dom said, holding out his hand.

“That’s what the Nazis said,” Troy muttered as he took Dom’s hand. He hoisted himself up to his feet with a groan. He then dusted off his long, leather jacket, smoothed down his long, greasy hair and faced them. “I’m starving,” he declared.