The Pilgrims of the Damned: A Vampire Thriller, page 5
“We need to find these people,” Drest said. “Witches are one thing, but magical murderers who also have alliances to a hate group could cause a lot of trouble for a lot of innocent people.”
Miles nodded. “I agree, let’s nae make a bad situation worse. So, what’s the chance of Stuart going to Maine to look for a cure? Anyone know what happens to a witch if they do get turned into a vampire? Seeing how Stuart seemed keen on being turned into one nae too long ago.”
“Nothing,” Justice Balderas said. “You can’t be both. You’re one or the other.”
“Weird that someone with Magistrate ties is helping someone else who wanted to be turned into a vampire,” Miles said.
“The Magistrate have always been selective in their hatred when it comes to our kind,” Charlotte said, speaking for the first time in several minutes. “They want our power, our longevity; they just hate that we won’t give it to them. If Stuart has gone there for a cure, it won’t be from a vampire. If he’s gone there to go out in a blaze of glory, a lot of people are going to get hurt.”
“And you’re sending me on this little mission because you want to know what he’s doing, what the Magistrate are up to, and if necessary, to stop them before they hurt more people. That about sum it up?”
Everyone nodded.
“I’m off to hunt down an exceptionally powerful witch with nothing to lose,” Miles said with a sigh. “So that a second witch, Amelia, can steal the grimoire that he stole first, before more people, quite possibly, die. This trip is sounding like less and less fun.”
Chapter Four
With all the details of Miles’s new position as bodyguard sorted out, Miles drank the remainder of his whisky and, along with everyone else, left via the front door.
First Lord William Fuller stood outside of the car he’d arrived in. The Blood Guards who had accompanied him and Thomas Reed were close enough to do their jobs, but far enough away not to be seen as interfering. Charlotte’s own three Blood Guard members were off to the side, closest to the entrance to the drive. A respectful distance from the House Idolator personnel, but close enough to Miles’s house, so that they could get inside quickly should they need to.
“So is this agreed?” First Lord Fuller asked.
Miles nodded and offered the man his hand, which the First Lord shook.
“When and where do I need to be?”
“Kittery, Maine,” First Lord said. “One week from today. The pilgrimage will have already left Portsmouth, New Hampshire, but it’s a safe passage from Portsmouth to Kittery, so you’ll join them there. I will inform those going that they are to have additional security.”
“How many?”
“Sixteen,” the First Lord said. “Twelve of our members, and four guards. All four guards are members of House Idolator’s Authority. Hence Thomas being here.”
The role of First Authority was to be in charge of the administration of the House. They were usually people who were smart, capable, and like all Firsts completely loyal to their House above all. However, despite them being vampires of considerable age, those who took the job of First Authority weren’t known for their martial prowess or level of power.
Miles looked over at Thomas. “How good are your people? Honestly.”
First Authority Reed bristled a little at anything he considered to be slur on his team, even if Miles hadn’t meant it so. “They are handpicked by me,” he said eventually. “All four have been vampires for at least a century. All of them have prior military training. They are good at their jobs.”
“I’m sure,” Miles said. “But I had to ask. And the twelve?”
“All turned within the last twenty years,” Reed said. “We require new vampires to wait some time before being allowed to take the pilgrimage. Sending newborn vampires to Maine would not be wise.”
“Sensible,” Miles admitted. “How many of them have military training?”
“A few are ex-military,” Reed said. “None of this matters to you, Mister Watson. You are there to guard the human.”
“While that’s true,” Miles said, noticing the disdain Thomas had used on the word human, “I’m also travelling with your people. If there is trouble, I assume I’m expected to help, nae just stand back and wait for it to blow over. I’d like to know how many of the pilgrims can be counted on to help out with any situations that might arise.”
“Two,” First Lord Fuller said. “One male, one female. The male was an Army Ranger, the woman was a combat medic. The former American, the latter British. You’ll have to ask the others yourself. They are not our tales to tell.”
“Fair enough,” Miles said. “One week, I’ll see your people in America. I’ll get them to Bangor. You never said anything about getting them out.”
“That won’t be necessary,” First Lord Fuller said. “The pilgrims will be staying there for some time, as it is part of their trial. Thank you for agreeing to do this. I feel like Amelia’s report on our people in Maine could go a long way to soothe concerns about the region.”
Miles hoped the First Lord was right, although he knew it would take a lot more than a nice new article to make people comfortable. Although, if the end goal was to reopen Maine, he assumed clearing out two large cities and reestablishing them would signal the start of it.
“I’m going back with First Lord Fuller,” Justice Balderas said, slapping Miles on the shoulder. “I’ll send you up anything you need. While this isn’t sanctioned by the Houses or Assembly, and this isn’t official Assembly business, you’re still an Arbiter. Should you need to throw your weight around a little, you won’t get any pushback from the Assembly. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Good job I’m on holiday,” Miles said. “Gives me time to stretch my legs and visit the world. And honestly, I’ve never been able to resist the opportunity to help out my fellow vampires. It all works out quite well.”
“Oh, and Rosa sends her best,” Justice Balderas said. “She wishes she could go with you, but a handler travelling with someone who isn’t meant to be on official business might be seen as… well, official business.”
“I get it,” Miles said. “I’ll need flights. First class, because you’re paying, and Church will need her own seat. We’ll need somewhere to get weapons in America, because while I could supply Amelia with what she’s going to need, I’d rather nae have to explain why I’m nae on official business, but have armed the human who is with me.”
“We’ll arrange everything when we start the pilgrimage,” Reed said from behind him.
Miles turned toward him and nodded. “Okay.” He turned back to Justice Balderas, who had an envelope in his hand. Miles plucked the envelope from the Justice’s fingers, opened it, and discovered three first-class tickets to fly from Heathrow to Boston on one of the vampire modified planes used by British Airways.
“We knew you’d agree,” Justice Balderas said smugly.
“Tomorrow night?” Miles queried. “I guess that means we need to get to London. Why so early?”
“I’ll explain,” Amelia said. “I promise.”
“Where are you staying?” Miles asked her.
“We are going to be flying from Inverness to London in about two hours,” Drest said. “You have hotel rooms booked near Heathrow, and a car waiting to drive you from the hotel to the airport tomorrow afternoon. Seven PM UK time.”
“And how do I get from here to Inverness?” Miles asked.
Drest checked his watch. “A car will be here in about an hour.”
“Everything planned out in advance,” Miles huffed, feeling a little annoyed that the natural assumption would be him agreeing to help.
A short time after, Justice Balderas and the House Idolator people were gone, leaving Miles, Drest, Amelia, Charlotte, and Charlotte’s three Blood Guard out on the front driveway.
“I should be really offended,” Miles told them, waving the tickets at everyone. “You all knew I’d say yes.”
“We did,” Charlotte admitted.
“Time is of the essence,” Drest said.
“Why?” Miles asked. “Why do we need to fly out in eighteen hours?”
“We’re going to see the crime scene,” Amelia said. “Scenes, hopefully. I want you to see if you can find something I didn’t.”
“Where are we going first?” Miles asked.
“We’re going to talk to the guard who let Stuart and his buddies into Maine,” Amelia said. “And we’re going to Stuart’s home, I’ve arranged for a Boston Detective to meet us there to answer any questions. He wasn’t thrilled about it, but he also wants this case solved, and can’t do that while his main suspect is hiding in a place no one will go.”
“Do you need to go get stuff for the trip?” Miles asked. “A bag, clothes, phone charger, whatever?”
“Everything I need is on a private jet in Inverness,” Amelia said.
Miles turned to Drest. “That you, too?”
Drest’s smile confirmed everything.
“Okay, anything else I should know before I go pack for me and Church?” Miles asked.
“I have a friend in Bangor,” Drest responded. “Used to work for the Assembly, was in Maine about two months after it all went to shit. Name is Joseph Davies, he’s a doctor in the city. Actually, he’s the lead doctor. Smart man, and a good man, too. When you get there, go speak to him; he knows the area well. He’s also an expert on magical energy, maybe one of the best I’ve ever met. If this Stuart has gone anywhere near there, he’ll have an idea where it could be.”
“Will do,” Miles said. “I’ll have a witch with me, though, can’t she help track Stuart?”
Drest shook his head. “I’ve had Joseph keep an eye on magical energy in the state for a few years now. Just in case anything else happened there. He’s spent a lot of time looking into any places in Maine with a high amount of magical energy. He’s a bit… obsessive about things. If anyone will have an idea where a powerful witch will have gone in Maine, it’s him.”
“How does he track magical energy if everyone thought witches were…” Miles trailed off. “You told him they weren’t extinct.”
“Actually, he figured it out on his own.” Drest shrugged. “He can track magical energy. That’s his secondary ability. He always considered it to be fairly useless, but he sensed a build-up of it in Maine in the eighties, and then it all went to shit.”
Miles frowned. “Are you telling me there’s a possibility that magic was involved in the fall?”
Drest nodded.
“How bad is Maine now?”
“There are still plenty of desolate,” Drest said. “While their numbers have gone up in the last year or so, they’re not much more than a nuisance. Oddly, despite how many are killed, their numbers never seem to go down, and honestly no one knows how or why. They’ve killed thousands of them over the years, but it feels like they’re respawning or something.”
“That would be bad for everyone,” Miles said.
“I’ve heard tales of monsters,” Charlotte said. “Out to the east of the state. Not sure how accurate they are, but after we found that gigantic desolate back in the Templar International building, I’m willing to bet a few desolate might have cocooned themselves, and been left that way for a long time.”
“Nae ideal, but we’ll figure it out,” Miles said. “We get to Bangor first, we ask around. Actually, first, we go do some crime scene investigating, like Amelia wanted. You know, I was just beginning to learn how to relax? I hope you all realise that. I was going to learn to play the flute.”
“Then we’ve saved the world from that horror,” Charlotte said.
“Just for that, I might learn something louder,” Miles said. “Nae enough bagpipe players in the world for my liking.”
Charlotte laughed.
Miles packed light, both for him and Church, making sure that he only really needed a carry-on bag for the whole trip. Anything else he needed, he’d buy in America, and seeing how all Church needed was a few bags of her favourite treats, and a squeaky toy in the shape of a turtle, it didn’t take Miles long to get everything ready.
Before he left, he checked the weather forecast for the area he was travelling to. He’d expected it to be warm considering the time of year, but apparently it was going to do little more than rain and be windy once in Maine. Although, considering the forecast only covered ten days, he hoped it might be somewhat less soggy by the time they got there.
“You ready?” Drest asked Miles and Church, the latter of whom barked with a lot more enthusiasm than Miles felt.
Miles was about to reply when a black Audi Q7 pulled onto the driveway. The car stopped beside everyone, the driver’s door opened, and a dark-haired human woman of about fifty got out.
“Diane,” Miles said, remembering Drest’s driver from the last time he’d had to go from Inverness airport to the House Venator estate a few years ago.
“Pleasure to see you again, sir,” Diane said, smiling. “Sorry, Miles.”
Miles and Amelia put the bags in the boot of the car, before Miles walked around the house, making sure he’d left nothing on, or open. He locked up and placed a hand against the wooden front door, letting out a small sigh.
“You’ll be back soon,” Drest said.
“I never get to spend much time here,” Miles told him, turning around to see Amelia climb into the rear seats of the car, with Church practically bounding in after her.
“This is important,” Drest told him.
“We never would have come here if it was anything else,” Charlotte said. “I’m sorry we’ve sort of ruined your holiday.”
“I always knew something would,” Miles said. “Probably better it’s you than someone I dislike.”
“Ah, at least you still like us,” Charlotte said, pushing Miles on the arm.
“Things can change,” Miles said, which made Charlotte laugh.
Miles hugged both Charlotte and Drest, saying his goodbyes, before seeing there was little room in the rear of the Audi, so getting into the front passenger seat instead.
“You ready to go?” Diane asked.
Miles was about to answer when he felt an unease grow inside his gut. He didn’t know what it was, or where it had originated from, but there was something about the whole situation that bothered him.
He was going to hunt down dangerous people, in a dangerous place, while trying to keep a group alive. That should be enough to give him goose bumps up the back of his neck, but it was something else. Something deep inside made him feel… concern. It was an abstract feeling, with nothing to pinpoint it toward, except Maine as a whole. He’d been back since it had fallen, and hadn’t enjoyed the experience, but the revelation that witches weren’t actually extinct put a new spin on what might have otherwise been a straightforward assignment. Magic could be unpredictable, and downright dangerous. Maybe that was it.
“You ready?” Diane asked again, gaining Miles’s attention as his mind continued to wander.
Miles pulled on his seatbelt; just because he was a vampire didn’t mean he wanted to go headfirst through the windscreen should there be an accident. When secure, Miles told Diane he was ready. He leaned back in the comfortable leather seat, using the controls on the side to move the seat back, and looked out of the window at the darkness around him. He wondered if the fear was an overreaction to having to go back to Maine for the first time in decades, or something more sinister.
Chapter Five
Miles, Church, and Amelia landed at Heathrow, where a second car waited for them. It drove the trio to a nearby hotel where, despite the fact that dawn was an hour away, Miles decided it was best to get some sleep. They had over twelve hours before their flight to Boston Logan International Airport, and Miles wanted rest, food, and a shower before he set foot on that airplane.
He was asleep on the hotel room’s king-sized bed seconds after having showered and changed. As usual, Church slept lightly on the floor next to the bed, awake the moment anyone came to the door. As far as alarm systems went, Church was second to none.
Miles opened his eyes, feeling rested, and looked over at the red numbers on the clock next to the bed, the only light in the otherwise pitch-black room. Two PM, which meant they had time to get something to eat before they were taken back to Heathrow and left at the vampire boarding area to await their flight. Sunset wasn’t going to be until after the plane had taken off and, according to his phone, the UV index for after four PM was a zero, so he wasn’t concerned about going outside even before nightfall.
Teaching humans that vampires weren’t scared of the sun, and that sunshine didn’t kill them, was something that was still ignored for Hollywood films or books. The UV index, heat, or decapitation killed vampires. Although to be fair, decapitation killed pretty much everything. Vampires didn’t like being in temperatures of anything over about eighty Fahrenheit—about twenty-six Celsius. Anything over a hundred Fahrenheit would kill a vampire just as surely as a UV level of over three would for most vampires. Miles had once seen a vampire walk out into bright midday sun, rather than be handed over to the Inquisitors. The UV levels had been up near seven. The vampire had survived for about twenty seconds. Miles occasionally recalled the look of horror on their face before they were turned to ash.
Miles left the thick curtains closed and switched on the bedside reading light, sitting up in bed as Church jumped up beside him, lying down to get her morning ear rub. “Sleep well?” he asked her.
Church let out a contented growl.
After picking up his phone, he scrolled through to Amelia’s contact information. They’d exchanged numbers before going their separate ways.
Miles dialled her number, which she answered immediately. “Ah, you’re up,” he said.
“I think we may have different sleep patterns,” Amelia said.
“Humans and the nighttime sleeping,” Miles said. “I vaguely remember having done it.”
