Dread Nemesis of Mine

chapter 10

Elyssa

Elyssa and Bella trudged down the road back toward La Casona. The motorcycle had apparently given its life during the chase and wouldn't start when Elyssa tried.

"I can hotwire one of these scooters," Bella said as they passed a line of them outside a restaurant.

"Why bother?" Elyssa shook her head as weariness and numbing fatigue settled over her. She felt helpless. Hopeless. This day had taken so much from her. Now all that remained of her loved ones were her mother, Leia, and Michael.

"We'll get him back," Bella said, touching Elyssa on the arm. "I promise you."

How was that possible without her father or Christian to direct the troops? Who'd be in charge now? Michael? A stranger? She slumped onto a set of stairs outside an apartment building and pulled out her arcphone. She touched the screen, but only saw garbled static.

"It appears to be dead," Bella said, taking the arcphone and looking it over. She touched her wand to it. The screen flickered and went blank a moment, then reset and came up normally. "Or maybe it just needed a restart."

Elyssa took the phone. Pulled up Michael's number and stared at it. Should she call him? Maybe he already knew about the day's events.

Bella grabbed Elyssa by the shoulder and jerked her to her feet. The short woman gave Elyssa a stern look. "I know you've been through a lot, young lady, and you're in shock."

Elyssa stared numbly at her. She wanted to say something in her defense, but the words jumbled in her mind and refused to come out. Was she in shock? She didn't feel the burning surge of anger or the gripping agony of sorrow. She felt nothing.

"We need to get you back," Bella said, and marched Elyssa to a tiny car parked at the curb. She touched a wand to the lock, opened the door, and shoved Elyssa inside. Climbed into the driver seat and hotwired the car with her wand.

A few minutes later they reached a road jammed with cars and people. Bella muttered something and got out. She spoke with a man and got back in the car. "The police have blocked the road. Looks like we'll have to walk the rest of the way."

Elyssa nodded and pulled herself out of the car. Her legs felt leaden. She just wanted to lie down and go to sleep. A fierce look from Bella quashed that notion. The sorceress motioned the Templar to follow. After a long slog through back alleys and side streets, all while dodging police barricades, they made it back to the outskirts of La Casona.

The burnt-out shell of her father's vehicle still gave off plumes of greasy smoke. The front end looked like it had been dipped in molten lava. The SUV Elyssa and Justin had been in looked almost as bad. The other vehicles were gone. A man in a black suit and dark glasses talked to a police officer nearby. Another similarly dressed man caught sight of the two women and approached them.

His eyes gauged Bella, and then Elyssa. He said something in Spanish.

Elyssa didn't understand. "What?"

"I said you'll have to leave this area. It's off-limits during our investigation."

"You're a Custodian?" Elyssa said.

The man's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"Elyssa Borathen."

"Ah." He nodded and pointed toward a black sedan. "The driver will take you to the compound. It's important you don't speak with the local authorities Let us deal with them."

"I understand," Elyssa said.

"What are Custodians?" Bella asked as they approached the waiting car.

"They clean up supernatural incidents so the noms don't notice."

"Mhmm, so these are the same Templars who cleaned up the mess at the Friendly Hotel after Vadaemos's rampage?"

Bella's question reminded her of Jack. Her brother was dead. Her father was dead. "Yes." Elyssa muttered. Even talking was an effort.

The driver pulled out of the cordoned off area and into a blind alley.

"What are you doing?" Bella said, her voice alarmed.

The driver, a woman in the same type of black suit as the men, didn't say a word, but slashed her finger across what looked like an arcphone display in the dashboard. The car rose into the air. Bella gasped. Through the front window, Elyssa saw the hood shimmer into invisibility. Within seconds, they were skimming silently in the air over the jam-packed streets below.

"You Templars get the best toys," the sorceress said, watching the city roll past beneath. "I thought my flying rug was neat. How do you power invisibility for so long?"

"I couldn't say, ma'am," said the driver. "I just work here."

A short time later, the car set down in the center of a compound at the outskirts of the city. A young woman with dark hair, fair skin, and a strong Italian nose met them as they disembarked.

"Trouble follows your boyfriend everywhere," she said with a frown.

"Good to see you too, Fausta," Elyssa said, overcoming the urge to simply grunt at her. "What happens now?"

Fausta bared her teeth. "We kick some vampire ass."

"That's the spirit," Bella said holding her hand out for a fist-bump.

Fausta quirked an eyebrow but didn't leave the enthusiastic Arcane hanging. "I'll take you to the briefing room."

They entered a circular building in the middle of the compound. A guard unsealed the door to the room and let them in. The moment the door opened, Elyssa felt her knees go weak. Fausta and Bella gripped her before she slumped to the floor.

Bella looked up and gasped.

Thomas Borathen met his daughter's gaze for a brief second before continuing his speech. It took everything Elyssa had not to run over and hug him.

He's alive!

Relief and anger collided in her stomach with the force of a locomotive. Why hadn't anyone told her he was alive? Why hadn't he called her?

Bella seemed to know what she was thinking. "We went after Justin in the middle of all the confusion, dear. He probably didn't realize you thought he was dead."

She was right. Elyssa nodded and sucked in a deep breath to combat the flood of tears threatening to shatter her forced composure. She squeezed Bella's hand in gratitude and happiness.

Dad is alive. Justin has to be alive. And I'll save him.

"Maximus has heavy backing," Thomas said, "and he has numbers. Today we saw him attack with scroll casters, nearly a hundred untrained foot soldiers—ammo fodder, in truth.

"He's obviously built a coalition with malcontents from other Overworld factions," Thomas continued. "If we don't attack fast and finish him now, his army will be too large for one Templar legion, and we'll need to ask the Synod for reinforcements."

Christian Salazar stood. "May I have the floor, Commander?"

Thomas replied with a curt nod. "Of course, Commander."

The Colombian Templar faced the room. "Due to unforeseen circumstance, I altered our original plan to attack Maximus's main force. The original attack was scheduled over two weeks ago." His eyes held Elyssa's gaze for a moment.

She remembered. He'd ordered them to divert to capture a high value target. The target turned out to be Justin. Of course, she hadn't even remembered having a boyfriend at the time thanks to taking the White and having her memories of him wiped.

"We'd hoped to keep this conflict strictly non-lethal. It appears Maximus has other plans. We lost three good people in the fight today, and could have lost more if not for Templar Meghan Andretti and Adam Nosti supporting us with their arcane abilities." He gestured toward the couple where they sat near the front.

A loud "HOOAH!" went up from the gathered Templars. Meghan blushed. Adam was busy doing something on his arcphone. Probably programming in a new spell. The guy was gawky and a bit of a nerd, not to mention a conspiracy theorist, but he'd helped her and Justin out before and seemed like a good guy. Meghan, on the other hand, despised most spawn except for Justin. Somehow, her boyfriend had that effect on most people, winning them over despite their prejudices. Unfortunately, there were just as many people who wanted him dead.

"Where's Harry?" Bella asked.

Elyssa couldn't find him in the throng. Then again, he might still be off doing his own thing.

Christian continued. "Operation Staunch will be a two-pronged assault on Maximus's stronghold, located here." He activated an all-seeing eye on the table in front of him. A 3D holograph flickered on in the air above the table, showing an overhead view of the city. Elyssa felt a sudden sense of déjà vu, having seen an almost identical briefing not more than a week or so ago just before they diverted to capture Justin.

Christian continued the briefing, outlining how the attack would commence and calling on his two best infiltration squads to start the assault, followed by a clean-and-sweep from the main force.

"Our infil squads will take out sentries and surveillance with non-lethal force while the main force will surround the compound and contain any escape attempts. We have a high degree of confidence Maximus is on-site." Christian paused and looked around the room. "Any questions?"

A Templar near the front raised his hand. "What if we come under fire from scroll casters or other lethal attack?"

"Use the Lancers to knock out targets whenever possible. If you are under direct threat, lethal force is authorized."

A young woman stood up. "Sir, why are we going non-lethal?" Her fists clenched as she spoke. "They didn't show us any mercy, so why should we?"

Murmurs rose around the room and Elyssa saw quite a few nods of agreement at the Templar's questions.

"We deserve some payback," Fausta said, almost under her breath.

Elyssa agreed with the sentiment in some regards. Maximus didn't deserve to draw another breath. Neither did the scroll casters. But so many of those vampires were hardly her age and had probably been brainwashed or lured in by the romantic notions of being a vampire.

Christian motioned for the murmurs to cease and spoke. "I understand how you feel, Sallah," he said. "I lost a friend and a colleague today. But Maximus has convinced many of his newest followers that we're the evil ones, the ones who want to kill them. He's convinced them we're in league with the Red Syndicate, and want to destroy them. We have no way of countering his blatant lies, but we can fight clean."

From the murmurs in the room, it was clear many Templars didn't agree.

A pale man Elyssa hadn't noticed stood in the front of the room. "Commander, if I may?" His voice oozed with condescension.

Christian looked at the man for a moment before giving a curt nod.

"I am Luciano Pavarotti, special envoy from the Red Syndicate." He smiled, but it was a cold smile, devoid of any real emotion.

Fausta snickered. Elyssa didn't have time to ask her why before the vampire continued.

"My leaders are firmly against Maximus's rogue actions. But they have made it equally clear the Vampire Nation will not tolerate the deaths of innocent vampires who were lured into Blood Rush under false pretenses. The Red Syndicate recognizes all vampires as citizens of our great nation and regrets the loss of life the Templars suffered at the hands of a few isolated terrorists within Maximus's faction."

Sallah jerked to her feet. "A few isolated terrorists? We were swarmed by hundreds of Maximus's terrorists. If the Red Syndicate is so concerned, why haven't your leaders stepped in and stopped them? Why do we have to risk our lives to solve a vampire problem?"

"That will be quite enough," Thomas said, eyes stern.

Elyssa studied his gaze. She could tell he wasn't angry with the Templar, but Thomas set great store by keeping his people in line, no matter what.

Luciano gave Sallah a patronizing smile. "My leaders regret their lack of manpower to deal with the situation, but the Arcanes' unprovoked attack on the Vampire Academy has strained our resources. Once the Templars have taken care of Maximus, we will take control of the orphaned vampires."

Elyssa hadn't heard of an attack on the VA. Only a week or so ago, vampires had attacked the Dallas branch of the Ezzek Moore School for the Gifted and killed several children before the teachers could kill the attackers. The Arcanes blamed the Red Syndicate. Apparently, the Arcane Council had escalated the conflict. She had a suspicion Maximus's people were behind the attack, pinning the blame on the Reds so they'd be too busy to stop his recruitment efforts.

Adam Nosti, and Meghan with him, stared with open disdain at the vampire.

"This vampire is a liar," Bella said, her voice low and angry.

"About what?" Elyssa said.

"Unprovoked, he says? One of my friends lost a nephew in the attack on the Ezzek Moore School. He was so bright, and so very young." Bella dabbed at an eye.

"I'm sorry," Elyssa said.

"Please know that my leaders greatly appreciate all the Templars do to support the Overworld Conclave," Luciano said. "I am here to monitor the situation and report back once there is a resolution." The thin man smiled once again and took his seat.

Elyssa stood before Christian could open his mouth.

"You realize Maximus has a prisoner, right?" She cast a stern look at her father when she said it. "He has Justin. Is there a plan to get him safely out?"

Christian folded his hands behind his back. "We will rescue him if all goes to plan, Recruit Borathen. Unfortunately, we have no inside knowledge as to where Maximus is keeping him."

"Shouldn't we gather more intel before we strike?" She crossed her arms. "Why don't we commit our full force to an all-out assault instead of stealth? There are too many vampires to—"

Christian held up a hand to silence her. "A full frontal assault would not work for a number of reasons, recruit. I suggest everyone get some shuteye. The operation starts at high noon tomorrow. We're expecting a sunny day, and the vampires will be at their weakest then."

Elyssa ground her teeth. It was obvious nobody gave a crap about Justin's safety. Attempting to nullify Maximus with two squads wasn't going to work. Who knew how many vampires stood between the Templars and the leader of Blood Rush? Quite likely too many.

"This will work out, dear." Bella patted Elyssa's hand and smiled.

"Yeah right," Fausta said, standing. "They let Maximus build up and prepare for too long without a response. His activities demand an overwhelming Templar response, not this tip-toeing around."

"That's what I told them," said a familiar voice from the aisle.

Elyssa glanced right as she stood and saw the chiseled face of Beck Andrews grinning at her. "Told who?" she asked. "Yourself in the mirror?"

"Ha, very funny." He crossed his arms. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm one of Christian's top advisors now. Your father recommended me for the position."

"Define 'top'," Fausta said with a smirk. "Because they obviously didn't listen to your attack plan."

"My father recommended you?" Elyssa felt her eyebrow arch in disbelief. "Payback for telling him about Vadaemos, right?" A group led by Justin had captured a wanted spawn criminal and taken him back to the United States to answer for his crimes. Justin had told her he'd done it to prove spawn weren't responsible for the Thunder Rock massacre all so he could gain her father's approval. Beck, however, had wanted credit for the capture and told her father prematurely. Her father had nearly killed Justin in a duel.

Beck looked away from her. "Sure, I guess that's part of it."

Elyssa got out of her seat and pushed past Beck, resisting, with great effort, the desire to shove him down the auditorium stairs.

"Where are you going?" Bella asked.

"To sleep."

Elyssa stepped out the door, and sensed a cold presence come up next to her.

"Elyssa Borathen," said the cool slithering voice of the vampire envoy, "I'd like a moment of your time." He had an Italian accent, though not as strong as Fausta's could be at times.

She stepped out of the flow of departing Templars and regarded the thin, pale man. What in the world would someone of his standing want with a recruit? "Can I help you, Envoy Pavarotti?"

"I'm quite confident you can, Miss Borathen." He smiled, showing clean white teeth. "Justin Slade has, of late, become a topic of conversation in the capitol."

Elyssa felt a spark of surprise. How would the vaunted politicos of the Overworld know about Justin? Then again, why wouldn't they? Hadn't he just brought in Vadaemos Slade, one of the most wanted fugitives? And his connections to the most powerful spawn house in the States might also make him a person of great interest. It meant people like Pavarotti might want to use him to their advantage.

"What can I do for you, Envoy?" She tried to keep her voice calm.

"First, let me express my sincere regrets about his kidnapping. Maximus will be brought to justice, I promise you."

"And?"

The vampire smiled. "The Red Syndicate would very much like to meet with Mr. Slade, assuming, of course, his rescue is successful."

Elyssa's stomach knotted. To think they might fail was too painful to even consider. "If the Red Syndicate helped rescue him, he might be willing to meet. Otherwise, I doubt he will."

"Point well taken, Miss Borathen." Pavarotti swept a hand at the crowd of Templars. "I'm highly confident your father will succeed. But I will take your request to the Syndicate and do what can be done from our end." He licked his lips and offered another greasy smile. "It's a very delicate situation, as I'm sure you understand."

A delicate situation would be if she held her razor-sharp katana against his pale throat. She resisted making the comment. "Very well, Envoy. I hope the Syndicate can come through." Any bit of leverage she had was well worth spending if it meant getting Justin back. "And I'm sure my father would feel indebted to the Syndicate for any help rendered." More likely, her father would look at it as interference, but she didn't care.

"Thank you for your time, Miss Borathen." He offered her his hand, giving her the kind of soft, wimpy shake she'd expected from a politician.

Exhausted and cramped with tension, Elyssa went to a guest bunkhouse and tossed her duffel bag on one of the empty bunks. She locked the door behind her, hoping the others would go to one of the other guest quarters in the complex. She'd barely faced away from the door when a knock sounded. Elyssa growled. Unlatched the door, and flung it open. "What—" The words died on her lips.

A large man in a type of scaled armor she had never seen before stood outside. His face was covered by a mask of the same material. He towered over his comrade, but Elyssa would rather face the big man any day than the person he was with.

Underborn, the most notorious assassin in the Overworld, smiled at her. "Good to see you again, Miss Borathen."