James
Near The Crusaders’ Facility.
After the demonstration with the obsidian orbs, I quickly make arrangements to leave.
We will go to The Order’s vault, led by Smithson, and retrieve all the material needed.
I tell Paul to lock this place up and secure it, ensuring that none of his men will come inside.
He complies but tells me that first he needs to communicate with Beast about his whereabouts.
I permit it and send Paolo to listen in on the conversation to make sure Paul doesn’t try something behind our backs.
Smithson motions for me to talk in private. I indulge him.
“Yes?” I ask.
“I am not sure about the wisdom of bringing so many vampires along for the journey,” he says. “So many of us appearing all at once will raise suspicions. It should be only me and you.”
I consider the request. “You are sure you want to be alone with me? I am stronger, and we still have bad blood.”
He grunts. “I’ve proven my allegiance to you already. Why would I fight?”
“You might provoke me,” I say carelessly.
“Then it will be my fault.” He lets out a breath of air. “Look, James, like it or not, we’re working together now. You’re uncloaked—I can tell you’re stronger than me. What would I gain by going against you? This is the tired old game from before—we’re past that.”
“Yes, yes, I guess we are,” I say. “So, you’re telling me you’d really rather go only with me?”
“It will be easier for us to get the obsidian back that way. One man with me won’t cause any concern. I’ll simply say you’re a new recruit.”
I chuckle. “I look a little young for a recruit, wouldn’t you say?”
“You were an exceptional student at university, and your ability caught my attention,” he says laconically. “We’ve had young recruits before.”
I think about it. “It might be better if it’s you and I,” I admit. “Fewer unknowns to think about. Fewer problems to consider.” I tap my lips. “The one thing I am unsure about is leaving Paul unsupervised.”
Smithson hoots a laugh. “Are you kidding me? Victoria is more than capable of ensuring he stays in line. And Paolo is always going to be suspicious about him for his role in the death of his pack of vampires. Between the two of them, Paul won’t get away with anything you wouldn’t want.”
“There’s something else,” I say softly. Something you’re not telling me.”
Smithson grunts. “I’m also concerned Paul might be recognized.”
I look over my shoulder at our newest vampire. The essence has cemented his features in place, but the augmentation has just begun. The creases in his face will always be there. But they are going to be beautified over time.
Soon enough, Paul will be the most distinguished looking creature of the night the vampire world has ever seen.
“I don’t know if it’s that likely,” I say, turning back. “But okay. I accept your proposal. We will go together, you and I.”
Smithson holds out his hand. “Glad it was not difficult to convince you.”
I grip it, then let him go.
“Besides,” Smithson adds. “We don’t need more than two men to load a jet and transport the obsidian here. I can fly it.”
“So can I,” I say. “And I’ll be doing that.”
“Fair enough. While we’re gone, let’s not leave the others idle either.”
“What do you propose?”
“The Crusaders have Sylvia,” he tells me. “I want her back with us.”
“Why? You heard Paul; she betrayed you. She can remain where she is. It doesn’t affect us.”
“It does,” Smithson says gravely. “She knows all about what we intend. She knows all about Cierra. And she was there when you first did magic. She knows too much to be left to the enemy.”
“Paul is on our side. He has absolute control.”
“Maybe,” Smithson says. “But how long can an old man, who was previously on his deathbed, keep control of an organization that knew he was dying?”
“Are you saying there’s risk of a coup?”
Smithson nods. “You saw Beast. You saw his hatred for us. Paul trusts him, but I think if he found out what’s been done to Paul, he would mutiny. The Crusaders’ men would follow him.”
“Beast knows about the vampires Victoria saw,” I say. “He knows of Paul’s daughter, of what’s been done to her. He knows of the other captured vampire. Would he have let them survive so long if he was discovered?”
“He was loyal to a man, don’t forget,” Smithson reminds me. “He knew of the chain of command. He knew that when Paul died, Melvin would take over—and I do not believe he meant for Melvin to rule for long.”
“What are you saying? That all the seeds for takeover are already planted?”
“Precisely. Maybe we can keep up the charade of remote command of The Crusaders for a month, perhaps two. Paul was a tough son of a bitch as a human. He might have lasted that long. But sooner or later, it’ll become obvious to all those in The Crusaders that something is wrong—that they’re being lied to.”
“And then they’ll revolt?”
“They will revolt, and they will wrestle control of power from Paul’s hands. Never will they follow a vampire—not when the very creed they grew up on is about destroying them.”
“Cierra is the more pressing issue,” I reiterate. “We can think about the power structure of The Crusaders later. Once we’ve dealt with her.”
“But that’s what I’m saying,” he tells me. “You and I go to retrieve the obsidian. Don’t just leave the others idle. Give them a task. Tell them to rescue Sylvia. Tell them to kill Beast.”
“Why kill him,” I ask slowly, “when we can convert him instead?”
“He would never consent to that.”
“You don’t know,” I say, mind racing with all sort of possibilities. “What if we begin a transformation of their entire base? We’ve already started at the top. We show them Paul, show them what he’s become, and give them an individual choice. Join our ranks, or be killed.”
“I don’t know how many would take you up on such an offer…” he begins.
“Doesn’t matter if ninety percent refuse. One vampire is worth a hundred men. If we get just one percent of the men to become vampires… the takeover of the organization would be complete!” My eyes glaze over as I consider the wonderful possibility.
“Yes!” I exclaim. “Yes, why didn’t I think of this before? That is the only way to guarantee full compliance. And we will have complete access to everything! Government contacts, all of the independent work, everything they do, we will take over! The technology we’d possess would make us unstoppable! There would not be a force in the world powerful enough to stop us!”
I think of Father, of how he tortured me, humiliated me. I think of how badly I’d wanted revenge.
“It won’t be easy, James,” Smithson cautions. “It will have to be covert.”
“Well, of course!” I exclaim. I am teeming with excitement. “We will do it; we will grow the vampires loyal to me. We will turn The Crusaders into the greatest coven in the world! What greater vengeance, what greater success, than subverting the entire organization which has hunted our kind for generations? Who is responsible for more vampire deaths than any other group on Earth?”
“If you think you can do it…”
“Of course, I do! It must be done. It will be done. By the gods, man, I can’t believe this didn’t come to me earlier!”
“It won’t be easy,” Smithson warns. “You will run into huge complications. Their numbers are enormous, and units of their military are spread all over the world.”
“Even better!” I say. Now, I must sound hysterical from the side, I just know it. “Can you imagine, having such reach, and it all belonging to vampires? The hierarchy will ensure us perfect control.”