The Dark Gifts Birthright (11 page)

“My mother didn't send me with you for you to
just leave me in this nasty, horrid house!” Angie chimed in.

Ignoring the girl, he looked directly at Liz.
“I have to know what is going on in there, Elizabeth.” Both of them
glared at each other, hoping the other would back down.

“You don’t have to go back. We can know
what’s going on there without being actually being there.” Angie
interjected with a strange smile on her face. She shook out her
hair and looked around as if searching for something.

“We can’t use telepathy. That works both ways
remember? If we use it to hear there, then they can follow the line
back here to us.”

“We don’t need to use it.” Angie’s whole face
lit up and she giggled as she brought her hand up to her mouth. She
looked around again and whispered, “I have a secret weapon. I was
going to tell you later, but I guess there is no time like the
present.”

Michael let out an exasperated gasp.

“Now don’t get mad. I brought someone with
me.” Her smile grew even wider. “William is here.”

“Oh for Pete’s sake. Your ghost stories are
not going to help us now.”

“Oh, you don’t believe me then?” She
laughed.

“Of course he believes you.” Liz flashed
Michael a warning look. She knew how he felt about Angie’s ghost
stories, but she wasn’t about to let him hurt the girl’s
feelings.

“Okay then, I’ll show you. William?” She
paused then exclaimed, “I don't want to hear it, just show them.”
Another pause and her fingers began tapping on the table in
irritation. “I said show them right now and I am not joking. I
broke the rules even bringing you, and you are going to obey me, or
leave.”

Just to the side of Angie’s left shoulder a
tiny pinpoint of light began to manifest. It grew to the size of a
golf ball and floated there. Michael and Liz were dumbfounded. Both
of their chins dropped and their eyes widened with shock.

Angie laughed and said, “Oh quit being
ridiculous.” She sighed. “You can do better than that. Just show
them.” Shaking her head, she leaned in toward Michael and Liz and
explained, “He’s very theatrical. He’s always worried about making
an entrance.”

Suddenly, a handsome young man dressed in a
confederate uniform stood beside Angie. Michael bolted up and went
in to a snarling crouch. Liz jumped back in her chair almost
knocking it over.

“Oh stop,” laughed Angie. “You can’t kill a
ghost anyhow.”

William wore a sheepish grin. “Howdy, Sir.
Ma’am.” he said with a quaint nod of his head.

Liz busted out laughing. “I’ve said, ever
since she started talking about them, that you have to believe a
vampire's ghost stories.”

Michael didn’t find it nearly as amusing as
Liz. In fact, he was rather upset by the whole thing. “How do you
know he can be trusted?”

“Of course he can be trusted. He doesn’t even
talk to anyone but me, he’s been angry with the others ever since
he found out they just let him die.” Angie smugly replied.

Michael returned to his seat and started
chuckling. He folded his hands and rested them on the table, leaned
back in his chair and said, “Okay, Angie, I had my own plans, but
maybe it’s time you told me yours.”

Angie slid forward and with a devious smile
began to explain. “Well… I’ve been thinking all the way here,
actually, before we even left the fortress. I knew I’d need a way
to contact mother to find out when it was safe to go home. You see,
ghosts attach themselves to people and places, sometimes they even
attach to things. Well good old William here, he attached himself
to the lands around the fortress when he died. Then one night when
mother let me go out hunting we saw each other, talked, and he
attached himself to me.” She was exuberant with her newly hatched
strategy. “So he can go from me back the fortress at any time.”

As Angie sat there waiting for approval on
her innovative idea, Michael and Liz looked in amazement at each
other. Neither of them would have ever thought that this chatty
young girl would be able to come up with such a brilliant plan.
They both began talking at once.

“Brilliant.” Liz said.

“Unbelievable.” agreed Michael

“I know!” exclaimed Angie. “And don’t act so
shocked. I do have a brain.” She said as she crossed her arms over
her chest and stuck out her tongue.

Michael stood up again and began pacing the
room, his mind racing with the new opportunities William’s
appearance had opened. Now he was going to have a good plan, one
that didn’t involve him leaving the girls to fend for themselves.
One that would allow him to be on the outside doing what needed to
be done. Taking a few minutes to pull everything together in his
mind, he paced a little longer and returned to his seat looking
like he had just won the lottery.

“Okay ladies, here’s what we’re going to do.”
Michael poured out his strategy in its entirety. He stopped
occasionally to make sure William understood what was being asked
of him, and determine his ability to perform the required tasks. It
was a great plan and it just might be enough to keep them alive and
help with the war.

Apparently, William could converse with
anyone he chose. He just hadn’t elected to speak to anyone, except
for Angie, in all these long years. He could also communicate with
other ghosts. There were quite a large group of them at the
fortress according to William and Angie. William was told to go
directly to Gregorio and tell him they were safe. He was to explain
the ‘plan’ to him and only him.

Angie crossed her arms over chest. “Well
that’s a load of crap. My mother has as much at stake in this as
your father does.”

Michael firmly shook his head. “Gregorio is
free to tell her anything she desires to know. The fewer people
William has contact with, the less likely it is he will be
overheard.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at William. “You
understand fully what you are to do?”

William nodded. He was more than happy to get
involved in this war. Fighting had been his forte in life. He found
it fitting that he would be doing it in death as well.

***

Over the next few weeks, the small group of
vampires ate, slept, and breathed war. William constantly relayed
messages between the safe house and the fortress. Many of the
insurgents had left the fortress right after the fighting broke
out. If any rebels were left, they were so well concealed that no
one knew their identity. Monroe was nowhere to be found, and his
little buddy Demitre was missing in action as well. The covens and
nests outside the fortress had also taken sides. William and his
associates were the only line of defense against the subterfuge and
deceit of the rebel faction.

Although they termed it a
war
, there
really was very little fighting going on. The Eldest had decreed
that anyone refusing to bow to the will of the remaining council
members would be put to immediate death. But of course, no one was
coming forward to disagree openly with anything at this point.
Rumors of vampire armies being amassed, and rogue vamps creating
multitudes of new vampires, flourished.

Newspapers from all over the country
headlined stories about serial killers, the incline of murder
rates, and missing persons in nearly every major city in the
nation. So it appeared that the reports were true. Michael had
warned Gregorio that if they were going to maintain control, the
Council would need to form an army of its own. There were too many
now for him to take them all out alone.

Chapter Seven

Building an Army

When they weren’t processing the ghost’s
information or revising strategies, they trained. Michael knew at
some point, he would have to leave them and return to the fortress.
He wanted to be certain both of the girls could to protect
themselves. The basement provided a perfect training area. The room
was built to encompass the entire expanse of the house and offered
plenty of space from floor to ceiling. Boards covered the four
rectangular windows on each wall, allowing them to practice any
hour of the day.

In the beginning, they worked with long
swords, the best weapon to use when trying to kill a troublesome
vampire. Any sharp sword would do, but when dealing with the
unnamed, one did not want to come within reach. Regardless of myths
and legends, there are only two ways to kill a vampire. Stakes
through the heart are nothing more than a nuisance. And dead man’s
blood? Well that gives them a nice stomachache, but it won‘t kill
them. They must be beheaded, or so severely injured that every last
drop of blood is exsanguinated from their body.

Fighting with heavy blades was taxing. Liz
and Angie worked for hours in the dank basement practicing thrusts
and swings on homemade dummies made of wood and cloth. Even with
the razor sharp blades, it was difficult to slice through necks of
wood. They had to do it with one swing. As long as there was some
attachment, the vampire would still have a few seconds of strength
left before bleeding out enough to fall. Michael was a harsh
taskmaster. Fearing for their lives, he would not ease up on
training.

“My freaking arms are tired. I’ve lopped off
that head fifteen times today. Enough is enough already.” Angie
said as she dropped to the floor. She glared at Michael while
massaging her overworked muscles.

“Five minutes. That’s it. Then you’re getting
back at it.”

The clanging of Liz and Michael’s swords did
not waver as he spoke to the girl. His sword swung around in an
enormous arch over his head, headed directly for her throat. Her
sword cut up stopping his in midair.

She grinned.

He winked.

“Again.” He said and took another swing. This
time he spun, sword leveled at her throat, using the momentum of
the turn to land a massive blow. Liz jumped into the air grabbing
one of the beams across the ceiling, allowing his sword to pass
under her. Michael didn’t stop to wink this time. He followed his
sword under her dangling feet and attacked her from behind. As he
brought the blade around for a swing at her legs, she let go of the
beam and somersaulted away from him. Movements’ fluid. Her body a
well-oiled machine.

Liz turned and came at him. This time she
feigned attack. He brought his sword up over his head, ready to
unload another crushing blow. Midway to him, Liz sprung into the
air and planted her feet in the center of his chest, sending him
flying into the basement wall. The force of his impact threw chunks
of the concrete flying across the open expanse, and his body sunk
to the floor. Liz did not let up. Before Michael could extricate
himself from the rubble and bring his sword back up, Liz was on top
of him. Her sword was gone but the intricately carved knife he had
given her was lodged against his throat.

“Give?”

“No.”

“Oh, come on. I have you and you know
it.”

“Can you sever my head with that knife?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Michael’s hands exploded into her
chest sending her flailing through the air. She landed just short
of Angie’s feet.

Cat-like, Liz jumped to her feet and attacked
again.

“Wait.” Michael said as he glanced at
Angie.

Angie continued to rub her arms, refusing to
look at him. She knew what was coming and wanted no part of it.

“Ang? Time to get back in the game.”

“So? I’m hungry.”

“So nothing. Get up and get at it.”

“I’m tired and hungry.”

“You can eat in a bit. Let’s get at it.”
Michael sighed deeply. Why did this girl work so hard to be
difficult?

“I want to eat now.”

Liz turned and stuck her hand out to pull
Angie to her feet.

She shoved the hand away and remained
seated.

Liz knelt down and looked in her face.

Her eyes narrowed as she pulled her mouth to
the side in defiance.

“Come on, sis. It can’t be helped. I don’t
want to lose you.”

Angie let out a groan, took Liz’s re-offered
hand, and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

***

Over the next few weeks, both girls mastered
several fighting techniques. Whether hand-to-hand, or swords and
knives, Liz became proficient in every area. In a short amount of
time, her mastery almost matched Michael’s. Angie on the other
hand, was not quite as gifted in this area and had to work much
harder to become competent. Within a short time, both girls were
not just killer vampires; they were extremely capable vampire
killers.

The team, as Angie liked to call them, was
ready and able to fight, but there were simply not enough of them
to do any good. Michael decided that they had been in the house too
long and it was time to move. Michael and the girls began moving
from one safe house to another. He became fanatical about spending
too much time in one place.

Moving frequently was a problem. They were
continuously running into hidden vampire covens. Some houses had to
be evacuated after the first day or two. On the outskirts of
Indianapolis, they came across an unusually large coven. Michael
had gone to do a little reconnaissance and met up with an old
acquaintance. In the past, they had been on good terms, but now,
there was no way to know who could be trusted. The group had no
choice but to move to the next location.

By the time they reached the outskirts of
Little Rock, they were in desperate need of supplies. Not just
blood, the girls had informed Michael that clothing and toiletries
were also required if they were to assimilate into society without
notice.

“There are shops open late. Past dark anyhow.
Grab your things and we’ll head out,” Michael answered.

“Yay! It’s about time we did something fun.”
Angie rushed to retrieve her shoes and purse.