Vampire Nation 3: Titan Rules, page 6
I heard Ghost’s soft sigh. I could tell he would rather be with Sweetie and the gang as well. There was also something he was worrying over. He wasn’t sharing.
“The two main conclusions I can draw can’t be proven and don’t seem to make much sense to others. One, Gnome is behind everything. He killed the free vampires and one of the search parties to lure Titan to Chicago. He may have already been through with killing the vampires at his facility before he talked with Arria. That is the more explainable of my two theories. The other is Cronus. I’ve been told it would be out of character for him but I keep being drawn back to him.” Ghost knew the council disagreed with his thoughts on Cronus.
“Cronus was arguably the best of us. He would never do these things. I knew him well enough to know that.” Nina declared.
“I agree with Nina.” Ephraim mumbled. Everyone stopped for a moment. No one looked over at him but all were shocked that Ephraim spoke. The unstable Ephraim rarely uttered a word and when he did it was in a whisper. This was equivalent to a shout for him.
“Then let’s analyze the Gnome theory. We all know he is or was the shady type. He was careful not to be caught but his name was always a part of the underhanded deals that we investigated. Does anyone have any thoughts?” Arria asked.
“You’ve said the incinerator was open and several dead vampires were dumped there presumably for burning. Can you describe it in more detail?” Alexander asked Arria.
“I can do better.” I interjected.
I brought up the illusion of the room as we found it. There were five headless corpses strewn about. The door to the incinerator was wide open. The corpses were brought to this room. There wasn’t the huge amount of blood or the heads that would be present if they were killed in that room.
“I see. These corpses were brought here to be burned. Now, the question becomes was the killer interrupted by Titan or was this a carefully posed charade to make us believe Gnome was already burned?” Alexander pondered.
“Titan, show us some of the other scenes from Gnome’s facility. Concentrate on the areas where the vampires actually died. We need to know if they put up any real struggle.” Sabina suggested.
I did as she asked. I brought up scene after scene of the carnage. I believed the council members would all see the lack of destruction that fighting would have caused. In the instances where furniture would have been broken in a struggle, all remained in pristine condition. No walls were damaged. Nothing but dead vampires relayed the violent history behind the images.
“They clearly didn’t fight back.” Lorac stated. “Titan, can you show us an image of the apartment where the other murders took place?”
“Yes and no. The illusion won’t have the same detail since I saw it in a human’s mind.” I explained. “I went into the apartment myself but the bodies had been removed. This is the only images I have for the apartment with the bodies present.”
I brought up a fuzzy picture. It showed what Detective Washington saw. Like with the images of the facility, there were no signs of a struggle.
“The argument the neighbor heard was inconclusive. I can play the conversation for you.” I brought up the neighbor’s memory and made it audible for the council.
“The thuds of their heads falling were clear. They didn’t fight back.” Alexander said, offhand. He was in deep thought. I would have liked to read his mind then but knew better than to try. All old ones kept solid walls up to protect their secrets.
“I hate to admit it but I am starting to lean toward the Cronus theory. It would be so unlike him to do this though.” Lorac thought to me.
“There may be more to that. I will tell you, Arria, and Ghost about it later when we are alone.” I thought back.
I could see a slight change in Lorac’s demeanor. Ghost did too. His mind was already a swirling vortex of headaches for a mind reader. After seeing Lorac’s unusual reaction, Ghost hit a new gear and laid down on the accelerator. I had to pull out of Ghost’s head. I could feel my brain burning trying to watch his in action. This caused another change in Lorac’s demeanor. He was smiling and shaking his head.
“What was the other news I heard about? It seems to have involved illegal fights.” Menolo spoke for the first time since I joined them.
“Micah is trying to organize them. We were going to have Titan look into it. The news of the cops having vampire corpses took priority.” Arria explained briefly.
“How far into this is Micah? Have the events taken place?” Sabina asked.
I saw Arria look to me then. I knew she wanted me to answer.
“Not yet. He is calling around to get more old ones to commit to joining. Supposedly, he already has some who are willing. I was going to try and find out who and how far along they were in their plans.” I wondered why Arria wanted me to answer but I let it go. She had a full plate and I was glad to help.
“How can any be brave enough to try that again? We have a mostly new council from the mayhem of last year’s episode.” Dmitriy snorted in disgust. “Idiots.”
“I’ve heard Ares is coming here. Do we know when?” Sela asked. She sounded scared. I understood how the reminder of the dead council members killed by Ares brought the fear to the forefront of her mind.
“He is handling something. He didn’t say what that might be. I doubt it will be too long before he makes an appearance.” I answered.
“Are we completely sure he didn’t do this?” Nina asked.
“He was in Australia, or just leaving there when this happened. It wasn’t him. He would never kill at random anyway. If Ares kills someone, they deserve it.” I stressed that point.
The meeting continued as we circled around our lack of definitive knowledge. We guessed and surmised without concluding anything. Finally, the council meeting broke.
“We can talk more in the morning. Get some rest and think things through.” Arria ordered.
I made sure to catch Ghost’s eye as we turned to leave. As usual, he understood. I looked back to see Lorac talking in Arria’s ear. Arria looked to me and nodded.
“Tell her we will be in her suite.” I thought to Lorac. He nodded in agreement. I turned back to Ghost. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
I wanted to wait until Arria could get away from the council members before telling them. I didn’t want to repeat myself. Lorac and I were sitting while Ghost paced. It took a few more minutes than we would have liked, but Arria finally joined us.
“What is this about?” Arria asked as soon as the door was shut behind her.
“Last year, Ares told me that Cronus wanted me dead. He actually asked Ares to kill me. In some of the other things I picked up from Ares, I have the feeling Cronus is behind all this. I would lay odds that Ares is talking to Cronus right now.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that?” Arria asked.
“Cronus likes you. I know Cronus is supposed to be good. I didn’t think anything would come of it. I decided it was best not to start a rift where it might not be necessary.”
“Why would Ares tell you in the first place?” Ghost had that tone. The one that makes me wish for Tylenol.
I took the hint. It didn’t take long to see it. I hadn’t looked at it from that point of view. Ares saw this might happen. He was warning me to be wary of Cronus.
But why would Cronus go after Gnome? Is Cronus trying to set me up? Why would someone as good as Cronus is supposed to be kill so many ‘innocent’ vampires?
The more I thought it through, the less I thought Cronus to be behind the killings. If Cronus wanted me dead, he would kill me. He would be much more powerful than me. Only Ares could stand against him.
“What? You go quiet like that and don’t let us in on what you’re thinking.” Arria exclaimed.
“He is coming to some incorrect conclusions.” Ghost answered Arria’s question as only Ghost can.
I went back into the reasoning. I wasn’t seeing it.
“Ghost, maybe you should just explain it. Titan is wearing out Arria’s emotions.” Lorac said, smiling.
“Not yet. I will need to speak with Ares first. The main thing to remember is that Titan isn’t in any immediate danger. It might be best for everyone if things went back to normal. Titan can start trying to handle the illegal fight thing now.” Ghost was pushing his luck. I hoped my friend wasn’t forgetting who he was talking to. Arria and Lorac weren’t normally refused.
I had been looking into his mind already but I looked closer. All I saw was the whirlwind of pain. Ghost wasn’t willing to share.
“Ghost, we allow you some liberties but don’t forget your place.” Lorac grew serious.
“I understand. Believe me, I understand. What I am trying to say is that it would be safer for everyone, the people in this room included, if everything went back to normal. Lorac, you understand enough of how much my mind is capable of seeing. If I am withholding something, it is for the greater good.” Ghost’s statement brought a hush over the room. “If I could be dismissed, I need to return to my room now.”
I saw the turmoil in both Arria and Lorac. They wanted to know what could be so serious. I did too but I trusted Ghost.
“Go.” Lorac relented. His tone carried his disappointment clearly enough.
I watched as first Ghost, then Lorac, left the room.
“That scares me.” I admitted.
“How could not knowing something make us safer?” Arria asked. She walked over and sat in my lap.
“I trust Ghost. I want to understand but I won’t question him.” I said, with a sigh.
The next day passed uneventfully.
The fights went without a hitch. No humans were invited.
Thomas won his fight. He was gifted with mind reading. This wasn’t helping me in my quest to understand the gifting. Mind reading was one of the last gifts I would have expected for him.
The only betting was between the vampires present. The event went quickly, thankfully. The other council members would be leaving in the morning, except for Lorac.
I wanted to speak to Ghost but would wait for him to tell me when it was time. His warnings didn’t come without reason. I would bide my time not knowing.
I waited out the after party with Sweetie. She came to Arria’s suite with me. It worked out well since I needed her company but also knew to be in the suite when Arria was through with the other old ones.
Nothing special was talked about. We made it a point to avoid the latest calamity threatening us. It was a fun conversation. I knew it would be ending soon. It was time for Arria to return.
Arria was happy to see Sweetie. She hadn’t gotten the opportunity to speak to her. The current problems were taking up Arria’s time. They spent a few minutes catching up.
Once Sweetie left, Arria and I headed for bed. I’d grown to know Arria’s moods well by this point. I knew there would only be sleep tonight.
As we got comfortable, Arria spoke.
“I have a bad feeling about all of this. Whether it is Cronus, Gnome, or a group of old ones, I don’t see this ending well.”
“Don’t let it worry you, Arria. We will handle things as they come.” I tried for reassuring but missed badly.
Chapter 8
I flew to Montreal using my gifts. Micah was attending an event at Horace’s facility. We were keeping me out of everyone’s line of sight. I landed near the facility and made my way on foot into the facility itself. I would finally have some time without others around to question me.
I knew the layout of the facility since they are all the same. It was easy to get in undetected. I had my illusion up just in case. I made my way through the peach colored hallways to the meeting room.
I saw Horace, Micah, Tigress, and Gregor that I knew. There were three other old ones I did not know. I made my way to stand near the group with Micah.
“…all dead? How? That doesn’t seem possible.” Gregor was asking.
“I don’t know. If I had to guess, I would say either Titan or Ares did it. Who else could kill an entire facility full of vampires?” One of the unknown old ones said.
“It could be done by others. Once the old one was dead, the rest would be easy enough.” This was Horace speaking.
“But in thirty minutes?” Gregor clearly thought different.
“I won’t miss Gnome but that is just mind blowing.” Micah stated. “The scary thing is that it could happen to any of us. Gnome was eighteen hundred years old. He wasn’t a pushover.”
“That’s why I think it was Titan or Ares.” The same unknown one persisted.
“Gregor, wasn’t it your facility where that happened last year?” Horace asked.
“Yes. I knew what was coming. Hermes told me to leave the room by a certain time. I didn’t see what actually took place.” Gregor seemed to wish he had more to share on the subject.
“I hosted Titan when he was acting as Darius as well. It was a shame, actually. I liked him. Once I found out who he really was, I became furious. The council had some nerve pulling off a ruse like that one! They were lying to our face.” Horace exclaimed.
“It seems Titan is the tenth member of the council now. Either that or he is their fist, depending on how you look at it.” Micah grumbled.
I listened to more of this than I wanted to hear. It was a remembrance of those days as Darius. I was forced to listen to hours of talk about how scary Titan was. Now, it was just more grumbling. I stood through it.
When Micah finally left the meeting hall, I followed behind him. I left some room between us even though I was cloaked and incorporeal. He wouldn’t have any chance of discovering my presence anyway.
Once in his suite, Micah began calling someone. This was what we were hoping for from the start. I listened closely.
“Hello, Micah. Any word?” I couldn’t place the voice.
“Nope. No one here knows anything either. Everyone is scared Titan or Ares is on the warpath. It seems the most likely explanation. Gnome was bad. He was going to join us when we started the extra fights. Not anymore.” Micah was rubbing his temples as he spoke. He looked like he was worried.
“I think we need to hold off on making plans for a while. The fights can wait. It is more important to make sure we don’t draw any unwanted attention to ourselves. Who all is there? You told me about Tigress and Gregor.” The unknown voice asked.
“Leon, Jolt, and Calliope are here. Calliope is on board now. She was the reason I came here. She wanted some clarification. Of course you already know Tigress is with us. Gregor and Horace aren’t rule breakers. They would never take part.”
“Leon and Jolt?”
“They enjoy other depravities. I don’t think either enjoy the fights enough to take the risk. I may hint toward it if I get the chance to judge their interest.” Micah sounded like he was getting his nerve back. He’d started out worried and scared. Now, he sounded enthused.
“Let me know if they are willing to commit. We need as many as we can gather.”
“I will, Shamus. If any information comes in about the killings, let me know.” Micah said, as he stood from his chair.
“I will.” Shamus promised.
They hung up.
I watched as Micah paced his floor for the next hour. Even alone in his room, his walls were up in his mind. I wished Ares had given me more heads up about the extra part of the mind reading he hinted at when we talked. It might come in handy right now.
I was about to leave and call Arria when Micah’s phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Micah, be very careful about what you say or do! Titan is on his way there! He might already be at that facility!” The fear could be heard loud and clear.
“Titan! Why? Is he coming to kill me?” Micah asked nervously.
“I don’t know. I only heard the destination. I don’t know who he is after. It could be you since he’s heard about the extra fights.” The voice was vaguely familiar but I didn’t have a name to go with it.
“This is bad. Holy Hell, what am I going to do if he is after me?” Micah was a wreck.
“Die probably.”
“Thanks a lot! That makes me feel better.” Micah gave a nervous laugh.
“Sorry, Micah. I will call if I hear more.”
“Thanks.” Micah sighed as he hung up the phone.
Damn, I didn’t get a name for whoever that was. He was well informed. I needed to recreate the voice for Arria to see if she knows the owner.
I looked back to Micah. He was pacing again. I watched for a while before he started getting ready for bed. I left his room then and headed for a more secluded part of the facility.
An empty fighter section seemed like a good place to make my phone call.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Arria. I’m here and have been listening to Micah for a while. Who is Shamus?” I asked. I made sure to keep my voice low. Vampires have tremendous hearing. These walls were really thick, though, so that would help.
“He is around two thousand years old. He was thought to be good. Is he in with Micah?” Arria asked.
“Yes. He is part of the extra fights. Tigress and someone named Calliope are as well.” I was going to continue but Arria interrupted.
“Tigress we could guess. Calliope is another shocker. She loves the fights but has never broken a rule before.”
“There is one other that spoke to Micah over the phone. He warned Micah that I was here or on my way here. I didn’t recognize the voice although it seems that I have heard it before. Hold on, I will use my illusions to replay some of the phone call.” I pulled up the illusions and started the playback.
“Micah, be very careful about what you say or do! Titan is on his way there! He might already be at that facility!”
“Do you recognize that voice?” I asked Arria.
“Yes.” Arria said but didn’t elaborate.
“Who?”
“Menolo, one of the new council members.” Arria’s voice sounded distracted. I knew her well enough to know where her mind was. She was going through all that she had said in Menolo’s presence over the last few days.
