Vampire Nation 3: Titan Rules, page 16
“I’ve been having my doubts. I kept trying to convince myself it wasn’t Lorac.” Arria shed a tear. I went and knelt in front of her. I hated to see her so sad.
“It isn’t so much that he is doing bad things. Lorac is trying to keep you and Ghost as close as he can. He sees me as a threat where both of you are concerned. He pressured Cronus into action. He is still trying to get Cronus to kill me. Luckily, Cronus is too good.”
“Are we sure Cronus won’t come after you?” Arria was between great sadness and hope.
“No. It is unlikely with the way things stand now. Ares told me how guilty Cronus feels for killing all those vampires. Cronus won’t want to add to the list now.”
“So what do we do?” Arria asked in desperation. I could see how torn up she was inside because of Lorac.
“Ares is going to Chicago. He is going to search the neighbor’s mind. She might have seen something else. I only saw what I needed to from the night those vampires died. Ares will search deeper. For now, we need to keep up the acts. I am in great danger and Lorac is Lorac. We can’t let him believe we suspect him.”
“I will act different I know it. You know my temper.”
I laughed lightly. I’d teased her about this before.
“For someone whose gift is emotional control, you seem to have less than most. It is part of why I love you so much.” I smiled at her before getting more serious. “If he thinks you are acting weird, play it off as worry. Say you are terrified you are about to lose me because of Cronus. Lorac will believe that. Obviously, keep your walls up in your mind.”
“I only have one more question.” Arria grew still. I didn’t have a clue what this question would be. “Why did Sabina risk herself for you?”
I hung my head. It was a cause of sadness within me.
“She is in love with me. Ghost told me Sabina was in love with someone. He didn’t say who. When she offered her blood and secrecy, I suspected for the first time it was me. I saw her eyes that night. She is in love with me.”
“She must know I would kill her if she tried anything.” Arria stated firmly.
“She would know that. She is sharp, Arria. Sabina knows I am happy, more than happy with you. She wouldn’t think she has a chance. I put some thought into it. I know I would do the same if I loved someone, even if I knew I would never be able to be with them.”
“I guess you’re right. I won’t say anything. I am too grateful to be angry with her. She gave you a chance.”
“It is really weird for me now. I spent the last couple of hours sitting across from Ares. Every so often it would dawn on me that I am as powerful as he is. It was really blowing my mind.” I admitted.
“Is it enough though?” Arria asked. She was still worried.
“I don’t know. If I can even stay close on the strength and speed, I will be able to hold my own. My gifts can make up for some of it. There is hope, Arria.” I assured her.
Arria surprised me then. She lifted her wrist to my mouth. I saw the sadness and determination in her eyes. She wasn’t going to let me refuse.
I drank from Arria.
The power filled me as it had with Sabina. The hazy vision wasn’t going away as quickly. I was happy to already be on my knees since I wouldn’t have been able to keep my feet otherwise. Once my senses came back to me, I looked back to Arria.
“I love you, Arria.”
I took her in my arms then. She squeezed me tightly. This was all I wanted. Arria in my arms.
Chapter 19
“We will be boarding the plane in one hour. If you will, go make sure everyone is ready. Reptile was overloaded this morning. I didn’t give him enough time to plan for this.” Arria requested.
“Sure.” I kissed her lightly before leaving the suite.
Jonas called soon after Arria and I woke. He wanted to show his support for me as well. He was apologizing for not coming to Arria’s for the event she just hosted. He already had Saul, Petra, and Phoenix added that were here. He also had Caleb, Abel, and others who wanted to be a part of this. He assured Arria the others all approved of inviting us to his event. Naturally, Arria agreed.
The facility was flying through the preparations. The employees and fighters were told. The pilots were called. The flight plans approved. The plane was being fueled.
I stopped by the employee section first. I did my usual and knocked on the doors as I walked past. They all stepped out with smiles when they saw me.
“Hey, Titan.” Apollo greeted me first.
“Hey, Apollo. Is everyone about ready? We still have close to an hour before we board. I wanted to make the round to be sure everyone had what they needed.”
“You wanted or Arria wanted?” Speedy laughed. “Don’t try to hide it, we all know you’re henpecked.”
Everyone laughed at that one.
“Okay, okay, Arria wanted.” My smile felt good. These were good friends. “I need to check with the fighters. See you guys later.”
I winked at Sweetie as I passed by her on the way to the stairs. She smiled back.
I knocked on the fighter’s doors in the same manner.
“We have one hour before we board. Does anyone need anything before it gets too late?” I looked around but they weren’t saying anything. They had the awed look that I hated. “Make sure you will be ready then. Someone will be here to lead you to the plane.”
I left then heading to the hangar. I ran part of the way since it was a longer distance. I reminded myself to stay well within my former speed. No need to bring any unwanted attention to myself. I wanted to smile knowing I could move faster than any of these vampires could see.
The plane was finishing the fueling. The pilots were cranky but prepared to fly. They hated these last minute flights.
I realized Ghost wouldn’t be making the trip then. I would need to take a moment to say goodbye. I headed to the section with Lorac’s employees.
Ghost answered his door looking much better than he did the day before. His room was better but still a mess.
“Better anyway.” I said, with a nod to his room.
“Yesterday put things back in line. I need to start asking for help sooner. It’s just rare that I need the help.” Ghost was saying the obvious.
“Do you expect anything over the next few days?”
“Not really. Ares will get back with us when he has something. The event you guys are attending should go without a hitch.” Ghost looked around some. “I guess I should clean this room. We will be flying out soon too. Lorac is taking us home for a few days. He said he wanted to take a break from the events.”
Ghost didn’t sound like he was giving me a warning. He was only relaying facts. I really needed to quit looking for hints and clues in every statement.
“Sounds like the break you needed. I know you’ll keep working through everything but some things should calm down.” I was trying for easy going and relaxed. Ghost didn’t find it that way.
“No. This is not going to end this easy. I need to be thinking harder, not lighter. Cronus will show. We won’t know if he is coming to kill you or to make amends until it happens. Lorac can’t get away with what he has done and is doing. That could get messy. Ephraim is much the same, just less messy. Last but not least is Sabina. She did this out of love without seeking anything in return. If this ever becomes known, she will pay for her love and generosity.”
“I would love to say ‘remember when things were simple’ but it wouldn’t fit. I wonder if we’ll ever get that.” I pondered.
“Doubtful.”
The plane ride was calm, extremely long, but calm. Arria and I had our hands linked. Reptile was his usual quiet self. We weren’t avoiding talking, we just knew it wouldn’t help.
The wall color was hard to describe. Jonas had walls that were kind of, but not exactly, straw-blondish. I liked the color though it was hard to name.
Arria went to see Jonas to announce our arrival. I went to the suite. Once I unpacked our clothes, I took my normal seat in my chair. I wasn’t sure if I would be called in to the meeting hall or not. I hoped not.
After a couple of hours, Arria came to the suite. She was smiling but wasn’t overly happy. I was worried about what might have caused her expression.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“No. Jonas is glad we came. The other old ones are all supportive.” Arria took a breath. “I am just hurt that all of this is because of Lorac.”
It made sense.
I was about to move to Arria’s side when she came to my chair instead. She sat in my lap and rested her head on my shoulder. I got the feeling she didn’t want to talk. I was fine with that. Holding her made my world better.
“So today is a free day with tomorrow as fight night?” I asked. She wasn’t clear on that point when she first told me of this event.
“Yes. They want you in the meeting hall today. I told them you would come with me this morning.”
We were still in bed. I didn’t look forward to an entire day surrounded by old ones but I would be there. These were friends. It would be nice to be around this group again when they were being friendly.
“Sounds good.”
“Yeah, right. You’re dreading it.” Arria smiled up at me.
“It would be fine if they would act normal. I know the first part will be the apologizing and explaining. Then they will be a little hesitant about being themselves. It will be uncomfortable. I just hope they will loosen up quickly. I like this group. I just don’t want to go through the first part to get to the good part.” I knew Arria would understand my convoluted reasoning.
“I don’t think it will be too bad. Saul, Petra, and Phoenix have already gone through it. They will help speed the others along.” Arria reassured me.
“I hope you’re right.”
“Have we heard from Ares yet?”
“No. I expected a call last night. Maybe sometime tonight.” It was bothering me more than I wanted Arria to know.
“He knows who the neighbor is right?”
“Yes. I used the illusions to show the apartment building, the apartments in question, and the neighbor herself. He should go right to her.”
“Then I won’t worry. Ares isn’t exactly in any kind of danger.” Arria paused. “I have to ask. Who is stronger between the two of you now?”
“Probably me. He is better at using the gifts but I should be stronger and faster. In a way, I actually like the thought of him being stronger than me.” I was speaking the truth. Arria looked at me sharply. “I don’t know why, Arria. Maybe it feels like there should be someone to keep me in check. I’m not the kind to go power mad and making demands but I always think there should be someone who can balance you out. I might not be saying this too well.”
“I understand. You want him to be your safety net. You don’t want every responsibility dumped on your shoulders.”
“Exactly. He said something like that to me. He understands the demands of our gift better than anyone. He’s been carrying it alone for twelve hundred years.”
“Why is it his responsibility or yours to begin with? The council should be the ones who keep things under control.” Arria wasn’t mad. She just needed clarification.
“The council is necessary but we saw what can happen. Feng had us all fooled. Lajos, Cadoc, Agda, and the others were fueling their self interest in the name of the council. Ares and I are the only ones who could be strong enough to hold the council responsible for its actions.” I explained.
“I guess these past few years are a bad example of how much good the council can do.” Arria’s sadness was easy to hear in her voice.
“I believe in the necessity of the council. You are the best leader possible for the council. What Ares and I need to do is keep the other members from abusing their position. It is becoming tedious but it is needed. Now, I can help Ares.”
“It was once argued that the leader of the council should always be a daywalker. Someone like Apollo who was purely good. That way, these kind of problems would not be as common.” Arria informed me.
“That reminds me of a comment I made during my time in the fights. Richard, well Volt, was complaining about something not being fair. I told him that if life were fair, Apollo would be the council leader instead of struggling to survive. Now I see how that wouldn’t work. Intolerance would lead to more disgruntlement among the old ones. Things can’t be that black and white.” I felt like I was prattling on. Arria was paying attention though.
“How can we make it better? There has to be a way to improve things.”
“The old ones will always try to get away with as much as they can. I actually think the council might overlook some of the lessor evils. Frown upon it but don’t go full tilt to stop it. When it is something important, like illegal fights, then stop it, making sure the guilty are executed. As long as the old ones aren’t feeling smothered, they won’t go too heavily against the rulings of the council. I could be very wrong about all of this. Maybe you should pose that question to Ghost one day.” I laughed. “Just make sure to wait until all this mess is over with. He was feeling overwhelmed the other day.”
“Ghost? I didn’t think he got that way.”
“He was a mess and his room was worse. None of the problems would accept the answers he was trying to give them. It was the Lorac answer that made everything fall into place. It took me and Ares to help him see it. By the way, he figured out Ares was there. I kind of knew he would but it was fun trying.”
“You should know better. I’ve been more and more amazed by him. Maybe when this is all over, he will work for me.”
“I think he will like that.”
Chapter 20
Caleb and Abel were arguing between mind control and illusions. The rest of us were laughing at them. We would offer comments for one gift or the other to mess with them. We were having a good time.
The uncomfortable parts went quickly. Petra helped. She could see my discomfort. Saul did too but Petra was the one to speed things along.
It was nice to feel welcome among this group again. I’d joked with Arria about using the Darius illusion while I was here. She gave me a fake mean look until I agreed not to.
Jonas was sincere in his apology. He admitted to his anger readily enough. He thanked me for stepping in like I did last year. He knew he owed his life to my efforts. He made sure I knew he was one of my supporters and would be going forward.
The night passed by better than I thought it would. Petra and Phoenix monopolized my time as much as they could. They swore these others were boring them to death and they needed new blood. I didn’t mind.
“See, it wasn’t so bad.” Arria said, as we walked back to her suite.
“I admit it was better than I thought. I missed those guys. They have a good group.”
We were hand in hand as always. It felt good knowing we had some down time of sorts. There shouldn’t be any major crisis while we were here.
Arria opened the door to the suite and stopped in her tracks. I looked up to see a vampire I didn’t know sitting in her chair.
“Cronus!”
Every system inside me woke up. Some of them were grouchy.
I looked closer to get a feel for him. He was sitting but he appeared to be tall. He wasn’t a good looking man. He had kind eyes though.
“Hello, Arria. While the circumstances are bad, it is very nice to see you again.” Cronus stood then. I was right, he was tall.
“Please tell me this is a peaceful reunion.” Arria spoke with her heart clear to see.
“It should be. I won’t guarantee there won’t be fighting but I came here to get to know your young vampire. I hope things will go peacefully.”
“I have heard great things about you, Cronus. I hope I don’t disappoint just on principle. The fighting would only make things worse.” I hesitantly walked forward. I wondered at trying to shake his hand but thought I might be pushing my luck.
Arria’s fear was getting the better of her. I wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how with Cronus standing there. I needed my arms free in case he attacked.
“Ares has told me some of you. He thinks highly of you.” Cronus began. He paused and motioned to my chair. I sat and watched him take Arria’s chair. Arria stood beside me. “He is the main reason I am here. He suggested this but I kept dismissing it as a waste of time. I hope he was right.”
“I am sure you will see, Cronus. Titan is one of the best of us. From the time he was made, he hasn’t done one thing that would make me doubt him.” Arria started stating my case.
“Coming from you, that means a lot, Arria. You always were a good judge of character. However, love can blind us occasionally. I want to decide for myself.” Cronus sat forward in his chair and looked at me. “Titan, tell me why you sided with the rule breakers last year.”
“Actually, I took both sides. I spent a few weeks with the old ones suspected of breaking the rules. They were basically good. Their only real crime was over enjoyment of the fights. Their enjoyment wasn’t from cruelty or bloodlust. It was the excitement and even the betting for some. I became friends with them. When Hermes brought his group to attack, I couldn’t stand by and watch this group die simply because they enjoyed the fights. At the same time, it would have broken my heart to have to fight someone as good as Hermes. I didn’t choose sides, Cronus. I chose life and understanding.”
Cronus never blinked while I spoke. When I finished he nodded. I couldn’t read his take on my words. I didn’t know him well enough.
“You killed three humans when you burned the bodies in Chicago. With your considerable gifts, wasn’t there some way you could have let them live?” Cronus asked.
“The doctor and intern knew too much. They were already autopsying one of the vampire corpses. For those two, it was get turned or die. The security guard had already shown his overreaction to seeing something he couldn’t explain. He wouldn’t have let it go. It was die or be turned for him. I wasn’t going to attempt keeping three humans under complete control while still having to find and delete the security feeds. They had me on camera walking through walls. That had to be fixed just as much as the corpses. There was a fourth human. Thomas is having his fourth fight tomorrow night. I couldn’t stomach killing another human.” I explained as best I could.
