“Yes. Sir!” They came to quick attention again, saluting both of us.
It was odd to see vampires working in unison. Mostly we were solitary creatures. But with the reemergence of Blood Wyne into the public eye—at least as far as the undead brigade was concerned—the Earthside vamps were falling into a far more regimented nature. Like the Supe Community, the Vampire Nation was truly becoming a reality.
I took my place in front as Roman backed away. “I appreciate your cooperation. As you know, my sisters and I work for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Normally, what I’m about to tell you would remain under wraps, but a situation has risen that we need help with. Before I go into detail, I want to make this clear: Under no circumstances are you to discuss what I’m about to tell you with anyone. That is an order. This mission calls for diplomacy and stealth, and unless you are given permission, this is top-secret status. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am!” echoed through the room.
“Break the rule and you will be staked,” Roman interjected.
I wanted to hop on a stool and have them circle around me, but I knew that wouldn’t command the respect I needed to earn. So I straightened my shoulders, wiped expression from my face, and stood as formally as I could.
“Seattle is facing an incursion of goblins and various creatures from Otherworld. They are troops sent from an army over there, an army that is doing its best to raze the land and destroy everyone who will not knuckle under to them.”
I paused, then decided—in for a penny, in for a pound. “Telazhar—a necromancer—is in charge of this army. He is leading it on behalf of Shadow Wing, Demon Lord of the Subterranean Realms. Shadow Wing is planning to invade Earthside and Otherworld and turn both into his private little playground. My sisters and I have been fighting against him for a long time now, but the tide is turning against us. We’ve reached a tipping point in the war. Either he gains an upper hand and we pray for a miracle, or we manage to drive him back. These incursions are paving the way to help him gain that advantage.”
I paused. There were no changes of expression or shifting, though the energy changed in the room. The temperature felt like it was dropping, though I was pretty sure it was just their mood as they realized what I was saying.
“Telazhar is trying to infiltrate Earthside from Otherworld. This is where you come in. We need you to patrol the streets, to keep an eye out for incursions of goblins and their ilk. They will most likely be coming through rogue portals. You are to notify us of any troops you find, then keep them penned away from any bystanders until we can get there. You are free to destroy any goblins, bone-walkers, or other creatures of that sort. But we want numbers. We’re keeping track of how many come through, so we need an accurate count. Do you understand?”
A rousing “Yes, ma’am!” rang through the room.
“As I said, you will most likely find rogue portals in the areas where these attacks take place. We need to know their location and we need you to guard them until we can get our forces there to seal them off. So far, the attacks have been coming solely at night, so go out there expecting to find action. This is not a drill, and there have been two to three attacks a night for weeks now.”
Roman cleared his throat. “Any and all attacks will be reported to three places: Arleth Mendez of the Seattle Vampire Nexus, Menolly and her sisters, and Chase Johnson at the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation Unit. All phone numbers are in the handout you have been given. Program them into your cell phones before you leave this room.” He glanced at me. “Anything else they should know?”
I thought for a moment. “We want to maintain absolutely no collateral damage if at all possible. If a hostage situation arises, contact us before you make a move. Try to minimize property damage. Let’s handle this in a way that the hate groups can’t bitch about, should they discover what’s going on.”
“Speaking of the Fellowship of the Earthborn Brethren . . . keep your eye out for human terrorists as well. The home boys are out to play rough, and they don’t give a flying fuck if they take out innocent human lives along with the vamps and Supes they are targeting.” Roman’s voice was gruff. “If you happen to catch sight of a hate group in participation of a crime, you are not authorized to kill them. I repeat: You are only authorized to use force if your lives depend on it.”
One of the vamps raised his hand. “What do we do in that situation?”
“The proper procedure is to contain them until such time that you can turn them over to the FH-CSI. We want no martyrs rising out of this.”
And with that, we dismissed them, and the vampires moved into the streets under the cover of night.