The Dark Gifts Birthright (18 page)

“It’s a simple--but time consuming--process.
Each day, I went out for a few seconds in the sunlight, just long
enough that my skin would tingle. The next day, I’d push the
limits, until eventually I could stand in the sun for hours. Any
one of you could do it.”

They did not have to be prisoners of the
night anymore. Most there didn’t believe her at first. None of them
had ever heard rumor of a vampire that could be out in the
daylight. It was not supposed to be possible.

When she told them she could use magic, the
witches went crazy. Many angrily voiced their disbelief, while
others shook their heads and laughed hysterically. There was no
such thing as a vampire who could perform witchcraft.

A sardonic smile came over her face as she
watched their reaction to her claim. “It isn't rocket science
people. Watch.” She turned to Jenna and winked. The young girl
clapped her hands and smiled. Raising her hands toward the fire,
she muttered four words. A small ball of light appeared in the
flames.

One of the witches cried out in fear. “No!
Stop!”

“You'll blow us all to hell!” Minerva
yelled.

Some jumped up and ran from the circle,
trying to escape the explosion they knew had to be coming. The
vampires were in awe, not one of them moved or spoke. The portal
opened with little fuss at all. There was no sound. No bangs, no
buzzing, it just appeared. She turned and grinned at those watching
and stepped inside.

In less than a minute, she was back with a
bag full of groceries in her hands, and the portal shut. The entire
gathering was astounded. Jenna exclaimed happily, “Food! Did you
get ice cream?”

“Not this time, baby, but there are other
treats in there.”

Jenna immediately rummaged through the bag
and handed her mother a package of chocolate chip cookies. Cass
opened it and handed her one.

Jenna's bottom lip stuck out as she looked at
the solitary cookie in her hand.

Cass sighed before handing her another one,
and turned to face the amazed crowd. “As I said, I can use magic.
It is not the same magic witches use, but it is magic
nonetheless.”

Everyone wanted answers then. The witches
were still afraid, yet so inquisitive, they couldn’t make
themselves stay too far away. Vampires and witches talked over one
another, trying to be heard. Cass put up her hand for silence, and
they became still.

“Portal magic is not difficult; I can teach
you to use it. I will teach all of the covens at your disposal to
use it. These portals are how we are going to win this war,
friends. These portals are how I am going to take my rightful place
as head of the new Council. First things first, we have allies to
find. There are two that are missing that need to be brought back.
It is time for Athena and Gregorio to come home.”

Jaws dropped, and several gasps were uttered,
but no one questioned Cass as to how she knew the missing leaders.
Everyone there, including Michael, was too intimidated by the
powerful Cass to voice questions and concerns. In time, she would
explain. And they were willing to wait.

The group disbanded and each went off to
their own resting places. Daylight arrived, and Cass was the only
one that could take the sun. Michael, Big Jon, Liz, and a few of
the witches retired to the darkness of the house to continue the
discussion.

In the quiet of the darkened living room, the
small group had a private meeting. Cass answered each of their
questions before giving them the details of her plan. “We have to
find Gregorio and Athena. They are the next oldest in line. We need
their skills, and especially Gregorio’s battle expertise, if we are
to win this fight.”

Unconvinced that Cass was trustworthy,
Minerva said, “That's all well and dandy, but how do we even know
you are who you say you are? You don't have one solitary person to
vouch for your intentions.”

“I understand your reservations, but the two
people who could vouch for me are missing. If I had some diabolical
scheme, would I want to find them?”

“It's a very convenient situation. We don't
know where they are or how to find them. I could say big foot would
vouch for me, but it's not likely we'll find him either.”

Cass leveled her eyes at Minerva. “If it
would convince you, I could find him for you. But we really don't
have time for that.”

“Ha!” Minerva scoffed.

Liz gently touched her arm. “Gran, I know you
have no reason to trust any of us, even me. But I believe she is
who she says she is and without her, we can’t win.”

Searching Liz's eyes, Minerva answered,
“Fine. We'll try to find them.” Taking one last look at Cass, she
left the room.

***

It was a simple plan. They would use portals
to gain access to the fortress. According to the intelligence
gathered, most of the rogue army was encamped outside the fortress.
Once they entered, they would defeat those inside and regain
control of the stronghold. All those that wanted to join them would
be read by the ghosts, and only those that passed the ghostly
inquisition would be allowed to enter or remain at the fortress.
William would return to the fortress and bring back detailed
information of who was still inside and where they were located.
Once they had taken back the fortress, the true battle would come
to them there. They could use portals to surprise the renegades
from behind. The traitors would never see them coming.

There were enough witches to stop the
renegades in their tracks long enough to kill them, so the only
danger to those fighting would be the Unnamed. No spell could hold
the invincible killing machines. As with other immortals, removing
their heads would suffice. However, accomplishing such a deed
without being killed yourself, was extremely difficult.

Tired, Cass sat in the large overstuffed
chair by the living room fireplace. “We also need to prepare for an
attack here. We have no idea what information they have on us.”

Michael shook his head. “Impossible.”

“Entirely impossible.” Big Jon agreed. “The
woods surrounding us is as much a hindrance as a help. No one can
easily see what's going on here, but it also prevents us from
seeing anyone coming.”

“Then we must act quickly before they find
us.” Cass replied.

Liz shifted in her seat. “I hate to
interrupt, but what are we going to do about Jenna?”

“I've been worried about that myself. I can't
leave her here, even with guardians. We need every available
fighter to pull this off. It is not practical to take her with us
either. A battle at the fortress is no place for a human, child or
adult.”

“Why can't she wait at one of Michael's safe
houses?” Big Jon said.

Michael answered, “We've been to most of
them. Anyone tracking our scents might already be watching those
locations. But she could go stay with Liz's family. She has not
been back there since turning. I find it unlikely that they would
think to even look there.”

“No way.” Liz answered roughly. Then turning
to Cass said, “I'm sorry, but my family is already in this much
farther than I’d like. Those left at home have no powers to defend
themselves or Jenna.”

Cass nodded. “I agree. No more innocent lives
should be lost. The other side is doing enough damage without us
helping them.”

Sitting quietly, Angie didn't utter a word or
interject in any way. When the topic of Jenna and what should be
done with her came up, she leaned forward with anticipation,
waiting for a chance to speak. When she was sure conversation
lulled, she said gently, “I have an idea.”

Michael groaned and closed his eyes. Liz’s
eyes shot daggers at him that told him to be nice. Cass looked at
the girl, smiled condescendingly, and told her to continue.

“Okay… I know the fortress better than anyone
here, including you, Michael.” She had so much sarcasm in her voice
that Liz expected her to stick out her tongue at him. “There is a
place in the fortress I'm pretty sure no one knows about, except
me. It’s a hidden room behind one of the suits of armor in a
corridor on the fourth level. You can’t see it when you walk by,
because it's in the center of a dark spot between the torches. You
have to go behind the armor to push the button that opens the
secret door. I found it by accident one day when I was hiding from
mother. I was supposed to polish all the silver that day, and I
just didn’t feel like it, so I was in that tunnel and saw her
coming. I slipped behind the armor to hide. My elbow hit the
button, the door opened, and I fell in the room.

“There was nothing in there of importance, it
might have been living quarters, but no one had been there in
several hundred years from the look of it. Even William didn’t know
the room existed, and he can go anywhere in the fortress. If you
opened a portal directly in front of the armor, I could stay in
there with Jenna to protect her while the rest of you fight.” Angie
looked at her feet, waiting to be laughed at yet again. It took a
few seconds for anyone to speak, and when she looked up, everyone
in the room was smiling.

“That’s perfect, Angie,” Liz said kindly.

“Absolutely perfect,” Michael chimed in.

Cass stood, walked over to the girl, and
brushed the hair out of her face. Lifting her chin to look into her
eyes, she said, “I think that some of you might have left the most
intelligent of us out of strategy meetings for too long.”

A grin appeared on Angie’s face. Finally,
someone had taken notice that she wasn’t a complete idiot.

“I don’t think it should just be you with
Jenna. Liz and a few of the witches should be there as well.” Cass
looked around the room apologetically and told the others that she
just couldn’t leave her daughter with only one vampire to protect
her, even if she was an extremely capable fighter.

Everything was in place. That evening,
Michael and Cass would travel by portal to the other clans and
nests, brief them on the plan, and answer any questions. As the
vampires departed for some much-needed rest, Cass and Minerva
sought out her crew. She needed to teach them how to use portal
magic and in turn send them by portal to teach the other witches.
The plan would only succeed if every coven and nest could be sent
to the fortress at the same time.

Using her apron, Minerva wiped dripping sweat
from her forehead. “We just can't find them, Cass. Either they
don't exist anymore, or they have so closely guarded their minds
against intrusion, our spells won't work.”

A grim expression covered her face as she
answered, “I understand. I know you did your best.”

“Why don't you use your mind to locate them?
Surely you have the power to do that.”

Raising her head to view the cloudy sky, she
answered softly, “I can do that, but these links are tricky beasts.
If I open my mind to follow them, anyone searching could find me.
We can't afford for Monroe to know I exist. We'll have to try
without them.”

“What time would you like my coven to gather
for training?”

“As soon as possible. Believe me, it will be
a long day.”

Teaching the witches how to use portal magic
was wearisome. Vampires were not the only beings in the world with
superiority complexes. This was an extremely difficult task for
Cass and the coven. Everything that the women thought that they
knew about magic had to be relearned in a short period of time.
Cass' magic was older than any known magic.

“Let’s try again. Remember that this power
comes from within you. The incantation is just an extension of your
own natural power.” Cass explained.

“I understand what you are saying, Cass, but
this is like trying to learn a whole new language. I’m Eldest, next
to Minerva, and I can’t seem to grasp it. How are the other girls
ever going to master this?” A petite elderly woman asked. Her short
grey hair framed a kind face teeming with frustration.

Minerva nodded in agreement with her sister.
“Exactly, Callista.”

“You will get this. It is not as difficult as
it seems. It is just a matter of control. Feel it inside you. Close
your eyes and concentrate. Feel it build, like water filling a
well. As it builds, envision it in your mind. See the blue light.
Watch as it opens in your mind. Let it flow through you and
surround you. Feel it flow through your body.”

As she spoke, several small portals began to
form. First just small balls of blue light, then some of them grew
larger. “That’s it. You’re getting it. Keep it going. You there,
what’s your name?” Cass pointed to a middle-aged woman with short
black hair.

“Juanita,” she answered.

“Good. Juanita, make it larger. In your mind,
envision the orb large enough for your body to pass through.”

The woman closed her eyes and the shining
sphere before her pulsated as is slowly enlarged.

“That’s it. Just like that. Keep going.”

The witches studied hard, and by the end of
the day, several of them had mastered the magic, and were creating
portals with a small amount of difficulty.

At dusk, when the vampires started to wake,
Cass sent the witches to rest. Taking no time for herself, Cass and
Michael traveled from one camp to another telling each leader the
battle plan. William went with them, imprinted on each camp, and
returned later to search for spies. The next day Cass would return
with the witches, who would teach the other covens to use portal
magic.

Many things had to be accomplished before the
battle could begin. The witches had to master the magic, and the
horde of hungry vampires had to be fed. Vampires are weak when they
have not fed appropriately, and they couldn’t afford weakness.
William returned from reading the camps, only finding five spies
among them. Those traitors were put to death immediately.

As it had been for months, so it remained,
those that desperately wanted time with their loved ones remained
unsatisfied. Michael and Liz didn’t lay eyes on each other those
three days. Cass had no time at all for little Jenna. Angie had not
given up hope of finding her mother, but had resigned herself to
the fact that it would have to wait. Everyone worked diligently to
get everything accomplished so the attack could be set in
motion.