“You’re forgetting something very important,” he says. “The reason The Crusaders are able to maintain ties is because they are human. They can go out during the day. They can be active in the sun.”
“So, then we find those humans among them sympathetic to our cause and make them wait. We only give the gift to the leaders at the start. The soldiers will have to earn it. And we will continue recruiting. After ten, fifteen, twenty years of loyal service they will be offered the Gift and will be allowed to join the upper ranks. It will be perfect!”
“I think you are greatly overestimating the ease with which this can be done,” he tells me. “But… I will admit, if it’s possible, it has the potential to change the world.” I see a new light start to shine in his eyes. “In fact… in fact, we could recruit from The Order. That can be the feeding organization for the larger one.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” I say. “The Order will provide recruits who are already used to dealing with the supernatural. They will graduate to The Crusaders, and only humans from The Crusaders will be offered access to the vampire gifts.”
Smithson nods, deep in thought. “If you are going to do this, you must start right away. We have to tell Paul and the others of the new plan.”
“Right,” I say, and call all the vampires to gather round.
First, I announce that only Smithson and I will be going for the obsidian. Victoria protests, but I cut her off and continue with the rest of our plans.
Paul immediately takes to the idea.
“This is brilliant!” he exclaims. “We will weed out those who would not conform right away, without them causing trouble. I think at least half of my generals will be amenable to the idea. The ones who aren’t can be… persuaded, can they not? You can use the influence!”
I shake my head. “Humans can be subjected to the influence and be made suggestible in the moment, but unlike with vampires, where the hierarchy strengthens the effect, with humans it will wear off over time. They suffer horrible confusion when that happens, because they have no idea why they did what they had done. It’s enough to ruin some minds permanently, depending on the dissonance between the influenced actions and the person’s own inclinations.” I pause, thinking back. “Mother quickly forbade us from using it on the villagers, at the founding of The Haven, after we found out what effects it had.”
I grin. “Much better to keep humans in line through fear.”
“We will need to pick out the generals and leaders one by one,” Victoria says. “The others mustn’t be alerted to what’s happening.”
“And the fledglings will need blood,” April adds.
“Blood can come from those who reject the offer,” I say. “Feeding on men they’ve known for years will prove their loyalty to the new guard.”
“Not many would do that,” Paul says slowly. “The brotherhood is strong within my men.”
“They answer first to you, do they not?” I ask. “If you command it, they will do it.”
“I’ll command it,” he agrees, “but they still may not.”
“When the bloodlust takes over, for a vampire newly-made,” I say, “there is no holding back. They will feed on their friends, Paul. I guarantee it.”
He grunts, not entirely pleased with the idea. “We would get much better compliance if we gave them some other blood.”
“What blood, Paul?” Smithson asks, looming over him. “Civilian blood? You want us to kidnap a village, hold them all hostage, then murder them? You have some sway with the authorities here, I get that. But nobody will overlook so many people vanishing.”
Paul exhales through gritted teeth. “Yes, you are both right. This has to be wholly internal. We may only get one in twenty to side with us, in that case. Maybe even less.”
“It will be a great purge,” I say. “We shall dub it ‘The Culling’. All the weak humans will be left behind. The strong, granted their rightful place with us. This will begin a new era for vampires across the world. No more will they be splintered into separate, opposing covens, isolated and weak. The infiltration starts here, starts now, and we will use The Crusaders might, together with The Order’s influence, to rule the entire world!”
My voice takes on a fevered pitch. “Governments will be owned by us. The men elected will be our servants. Prophecy says Eleira is the chosen one?” I spit to the side. “I spit on that prophecy! Vampires will rule the world, but it will not be because some damn stars said so, but through our own volition, our efforts, and with me at the very head!”
I’m getting exuberant. “You will all be my closest advisors. Yes, yes, even you, April. Don’t look so shocked. You survived the shooting for a reason, and I intend to give you every chance to succeed.”
She looks at her feet and mumbles softly, “Thank you, James.”
I bite two holes in my wrist and offer it to her. “Drink. I want you stronger. We need you stronger.”
April casts a look around, appearing a little hesitant.
Then she crosses the space between us and drinks her share of my blood.
I pull away when I feel she’s had enough. I nod to Smithson. “Your turn. Give her your wrist.”
He narrows his eyes but rolls up his sleeve and offers it to April.
He lets her drink less than I did.
“Now you, Paolo,” I say. “You do the same.”
He nods and bites two marks in his forearm, giving it to April to drink from.
The circle continues as April takes blood from each of us in turn. When it’s done, she is notably stronger than before.
Feeding on vampire blood expedites the development of personal strength that comes with time. I’d estimate April just fast-forwarded about twenty years in her development.
“Now. April, stand in the middle, and offer us your neck,” I say.
A look of confusion, tinged with fear, shows on her face.
“We will only take a sip each,” I assure her. “But it will ensure the same blood is in all our veins. It is a bond that will only grow in time. We are all, now, Nocturna Animalia, and we shall be the first coven in history to subvert a human organization as large and powerful as The Crusaders!”
April steps to the middle. We ring around her. She closes her eyes and tilts her head to one side.
I order the vampires to drink from her one at a time, with me going last.
“Just a drop,” I remind them. “Nothing more.”
Victoria goes first, then Smithson, then Paolo. They do it without incident.
Then comes Paul’s turn.
He sizes her up with greedy eyes. Immediately, the change in behavior puts me on alert. He walks up to her, last to go before me, and sinks his fangs in her neck.
He drinks in one deep swallow. “Paul, enough,” I say. He keeps going. His arms lock around her in an inescapable embrace.
April starts to flail, realizing he means to take more than his share. I curse, grab him by the shoulder, and fling him off, sending him to the floor.
“And stay there!” I roar, pummeling him in place with the Mind gift. A great chasm opens within me, and power from that pounds into him. Out of nowhere, a torrent of sparks appears, hissing as it singes his clothes and skin.
Paul screams. He scrambles up, trying to escape the onslaught, but the sparks merely change direction and flow into him from the other side. He’s knocked back on the floor. His clothes incinerate, his skin is burning, each of the sparks leaving horrible black marks on his body.
“James, stop it!” Victoria screams. She grabs currents of Water from the air and uses them to douse the flames. Her weaves form a protective shield around Paul’s body, but he’s frail and weak, barely able to hold away the sparks now.
I stare helplessly, half-astounded, too stunned to move. I can feel the source of the burning sparks, and I know it is inside me, from out of that vast chasm. It feeds into the assault, and I realize, if I concentrate, I can trace the path the power takes from the chasm to the sparks.