Book One, Chapters 91 to 100

The Vampire's Daughter
Book One
Chapters 91 to 100

Copyright, 2003, 2004, 2005, Reuben Gregg Brewer, all rights reserved.



0091
There were two men in the front of the van and two in the back with John, Wayne, Janet, Claudia, and Susan.

Each man was in black and, except for the driver, was equipped with automatic rifles, handguns, and other assorted weaponry. Far more than was required to pick up four civilians and a cop.

John was uncomfortable and it showed. He had expected two undercover cops and an unmarked car, not a team from what looked like the SWAT crew. The only problem was he knew the SWAT team, and these guys weren't on it.

After a few minutes, John started to ask questions of the men who picked them up, but received no answers. They just ignored him, until, after asking "What unit are you guys from?" he was told to shut up.

He nonchalantly reached behind his back to check if he still had his gun, when one of the men said, "That thing won't help you." All four of the men laughed.

"What the hell is going on?" Wayne asked John.

"I don't know, but something isn't right."

Janet held onto Susan very tightly and whispered, "It's going to be alright Susan. It's going to be alright."

Susan, it seemed to Janet, had fallen back into her own world. A thin film appeared to separate her from everything that was going on. But it was, perhaps, Susan who knew best.

The little girl turned to Janet and said, "It's O.K. You didn't know this would happen." Then she looked at John and smiled. To him she said, "You did what you thought was right." John looked at the floor.

The rest of the nearly hour-long ride was silent. When the truck finally stopped, the two men in the back threw open the back doors and jumped out. They were obviously in a suburb of New York City.

Before them stood a large house overlooking what seemed to be a forest. They couldn't see any other homes.

"Let's go," one of the men said. "This is the safe house."

At that, John pulled his gun and pointed it at one of the men. Before he could say anything, another of their captors said, "Go ahead, kill him. He doesn't matter any more than you or I. Besides, I'll drop you like a rock the moment you pull the trigger."

"Well, if you're going to kill me," John started, "how about telling me where we are?"

"This is the safe house."

"Come on, you know what I mean," he shot back with an expletive or two to show his anger.

"We are in Port Chester. Down beyond the trees is the Long Island Sound. Do you feel better?"

"You aren't from the police department, are you?"

"No, we aren't."

"Where are you from? Who do you work for?"

"You'll find that out tonight. Q. and A. time is over, put the gun away or shoot my man so we can move on."

John pointed the gun to the ground and moved to hand it to one of the men, but was told they didn't want it.

"I told you in the van, that thing won't help you. Keep it."

As John put the gun back into its holster, Susan walked up to him and took his hand. He looked down at her smiling face and everything seemed better somehow. He smiled back, but almost felt like crying.

This was his fault and he knew it. Everyone knew it. But this little girl was telling him that it was O.K. And it was O.K.

Wayne walked over and put his hand on John's shoulder before moving around him and taking Susan's other hand. "It's O.K., you did the right thing. You couldn't have known," he said.

The four adults escorted Susan into the house with their heavily armed guards in tow.

The house was as grand inside as it was outside. Everything was solid wood and finely made. The entry room was at least 30 feet high with a central staircase that went up to the second floor directly in front of the entry. There were hallways on either side of the staircase, but it was impossible to see what was at the end. On either side of the room, were large doors.

"Go through the door on the right, you'll be waiting in the guest suite," they were told. "You should find everything you need with a little exploring."

They passed through the door and found that they were in a lovely living room. A dining room and kitchen were off to one side and bedrooms were on the other side. There were, however, no windows at all.

"Hope you enjoy your stay," they were told as the door to the foyer was closed and locked.


0092
Sabastian woke early. During his sleep, he dreamed of Susan. Something was wrong, but he did not know what. He felt as if she were trapped somewhere.

He hoped that Sol had arranged for him to slip away unnoticed again as he stepped from his home. Looking around, the night seemed unusually still, as if this were the calm before a storm.

There were no Enforcers waiting for him, so he assumed Sol was giving him time to explore. His first stop, he decided, was to see if Susan and Janet Long had returned from their trip.

He moved quickly through the streets to Janet's building and found that there were two Enforcers outside waiting. He assumed they were waiting for him.

It was obvious to Sabastian that the time for deception was over. If there were enforcers here, they must know about Susan. He felt a pain deep in his heart. He had to find Susan now, he thought, or she might soon be killed.

Sabastian walked out into the street and asked, "Are you going to summon your friends in the apartment to help you or do you believe yourselves strong enough to kill me on your own?"

Turning, a large black Enforcer said, "Baal told us you were perceptive." He laughed and then continued, "They call me Mad Dog and I'm gonna sic my ass on you!" With that, he launched himself at Sabastian, catching him in the midsection and sending him into the side of a parked car.

Mad Dog pulled Sabastian out from the destroyed car and lifted him above his head. He was laughing loudly, "And Baal said you would be hard to kill!"

At that, Sabastian shoved his hand down through the top of Mad Dog's skull, causing him to fall to the ground. Sabastian, however, landed on his feet and said quietly to the second guard, "Your turn."

The Enforcer started to run toward the building, but before he even got to the door Sabastian had him by the neck and was draining his life away.

Before his victim passed out, though, he relented. Pulling the limp body so they were face to face, he asked, "Are you here on Baal's orders?"

The Enforcer said nothing and simply faded into death.

"Time to meet the two in the building," he thought, as he walked in.


0093
Sabastian ran up to the apartment Wayne told him about. The door was closed.

He thought about bursting in, but decided, instead, to knock.

A woman's voice answered, "Come in."

Sabastian opened the door and stepped in.

A tall woman with short blond hair was laying on the couch in the living room. She was barely wearing any clothing. She looked directly into Sabastian's eyes, obviously trying to keep his attention focused on her.

"Well," she said, "you are as handsome as they say."

As she completed her sentence, another Enforcer came at Sabastian from behind the door yelling, "But are you..."

He never had a chance to finish his sentence. With one hand, Sabastian drew the Enforcer to his mouth and drained him.

As the limp body fell, the female Enforcer got up and moved behind the couch.

"I guess it's also true that you feed on your own kind," she said, nervously.

"Yes, and I will feed on you before we are through. But first, you will tell me where the girl is."

"And what's to stop me from..." she started to ask, but before she had completed the question Sabastian had her pinned to the wall.

She looked deeply into Sabastian's eyes and said, "I don't want to die."

"Where is the girl?" he asked, noting that the Enforcer was being genuine with him.

"I don't know."

"I believe you," Sabastian stated. "Who sent you to kill me?"

"Baal."

"Who does Baal work for?"

"I am an Enforcer, I follow orders. He is my superior. I assume his orders came from the Tribunal."

"You are saying that the Tribunal has the girl?"

"I don't know for certain, she and her friends may already be dead. But that is what I assumed when Baal told me to come here and wait for you."

"Did you expect I would be easy to kill?"

"No, but I thought four Enforcers would be able to handle the job."

"You are young," he said. "It is odd he would send someone so young."

"Yes, but the others were not so young. I believe I was meant to be a distraction."

"I am sorry that I have to kill you. In another situation, I would have welcomed such distraction."

"I believe you," she said as she tilted her neck for him.


0094
Sabastian ran through the streets. He knew that time was short. If the Tribunal had Susan, it would kill her. Elizabeth had made that perfectly clear. He was still unsure where to turn for answers, but he knew that it was Elizabeth that ran the Tribunal.

The Enforcers follow orders. They are bound to this by penalty of death. The orders had to come from somewhere and Elizabeth was, ultimately, in command. Even so, Elizabeth was the only one he could turn to for information.

Sabastian couldn't help but think that if he hadn't spared her life when they broke their coven, this entire situation might have been avoided.

His patience gone, Sabastian burst into Elizabeth's home. Sol stood across the foyer with a look of shock on his face.

"Where is she?" Sabastian demanded.

"I don’t know."

"Someone ordered her capture, who was it?"

"Elizabeth has been taken?" Sol asked with a look of horror in his eyes.

Sabastian rushed Sol, throwing him across the room. "Do not mock me further than you already have. I do not care about Elizabeth, she can rot in hell. Who has the girl?"

"I don’t know," Sol answered, leading Sabastian to hurl him into a nearby wall. Sol fell to the ground, coughing up blood. "Sabastian, the Tribunal has fallen," he sputtered. "When you last saw us, we were going to kill off all that opposed Elizabeth. But no one attended the meeting. We went for a fight, but there was no one there to fight.

"The covens are aligning themselves as we speak. There’s going to be a battle for control of the city."

"I do not believe you," Sabastian said, lifting Sol with one hand. "I will kill you if I have to."

"He is telling you the truth," a man's voice came from behind.

Turning, with Sol still in his grasp, Sabastian said, "Thomas, it has been a long time. Are you going to try to kill me yourself this time, or do you have a battalion of flunkies ready to do your dirty work?"

"I’m not here to fight, I’m here to help. Sol does not know anything more then he has told you, and what he has said is the truth.

"As we speak, Elizabeth is mustering what support she can to defend the Tribunal and herself."

"I do not care about the Tribunal or its affairs. Nor do I care about Elizabeth," Sabastian said angrily, letting Sol fall to the ground. "Where is the girl?"

"My guess is that Baal has her," Thomas said calmly.

"Baal is not smart enough to act on his own, who commands him?"

"He is of Smithson blood."

"Where do I find this clan?"

"They are a powerful and large clan, you will not find them so easy to dispatch," said Thomas.

"Then I will go to my death, a fact I am sure will not upset you."

"Their main coven is in a Northern suburb called Port Chester. Sol can lead you, I'll arrange for a car."


0095
"I do not trust you," Sabastian said to Thomas.

"You shouldn't trust me, but I’m afraid you have no choice but to do as I say if you want to see the child live."

Struggling to his feet, Sol said, "Sabastian, you may not trust Thomas, but you can trust me. I know where this coven house is and I will take you there. We can use my car."

"I am not sure if I can trust you or not Sol, but Thomas is correct that I have no choice in the matter. I will go with you."

Sabastian put an arm around Sol to support him. The pair walked out of Elizabeth's house with Thomas watching quietly.

The situation in Port Chester, meanwhile, was growing worse with every moment that passed.

Shortly after nightfall, Susan and her companions could hear people arriving at the house in an almost constant stream. For nearly two hours cars pulled up and dropped people off.

Standing by the door, John could hear as each guest was greeted in hushed tones. What happened after the greeting, though, he could not tell.

"What could possibly be going on?" Wayne asked.

"They're here to see me," Susan answered, lifting her head from Claudia's lap, where it had been resting for most of their captivity.

"What?" Janet asked, with a look of horror on her face.

"They're here to see me cause I saw Sabastian give mommy what she wanted."

"What was that honey?" Wayne asked.

"He saved her from herself."

"Sabastian killed your mother?" John asked the little girl.

"I suppose you could say that, but it wouldn't be right."

"He give her salvation," Claudia started. "She try kill self with drugs, but she not brave enough to actually kill self. After all, she had little one to think of," she said putting her hand on Susan’s head.

Claudia continued, "He took her life when she not able to take own. But, most important, he took child as his own.

"Child, I believe your mother die in peace."

"I know she did," Susan said, laying her head back down.

"For whatever that's worth," John said, "I still want to know what's going on around here." This was, as per his custom, laced with profanity.

As he went back to listening at the door, it swung open causing him to jump back. He went down on one knee, pulled his gun out, and pointed it at the man in the doorway.

"Please, stand up and put your gun away," the man said. He was well dressed and groomed, and not the least bit afraid of John's weapon. "I am Paul."


0096
Realizing that a gun wasn't going to help, John put it away and stood up.

"Thank you," Paul said. "Will you all please follow me, the Coven Master would like to speak with you."

"And what if we refuse to go?" Janet voiced, standing in front of Susan, who was still resting her head on Claudia's lap.

"That would be unfortunate," Paul answered.

"It's O.K.," Susan said, as she got up and took Janet's hand. "There's nothin to do now but go with him."

"The cards have been laid," Claudia added.

Janet knelt down and looked Susan in the face. She asked, "What's going to happen?"

Slowly, Susan looked each person in the room in the face, including Paul, and answered, "I don't know." She looked down at the floor.

Claudia stood next to her and held her at her side. They exchanged a sad look.

"If we have to meet this Coven guy, let's do it," Wayne announced.

"Well then," Paul said, "please follow me." They left the room with John and Paul up front and Claudia and Susan in the back.

While they walked, Paul explained that they were going into the main meeting hall. They were using the back entrance that led to the stage. The audience, as he described the guests that had arrived, would be in the auditorium spread between a balcony and floor seating.

During Paul's speech, Claudia, without looking down, asked Susan, "You know what is to happen, don't you little one?"

"I think I do."

"It will be bad?"

"Yes."

Claudia asked no more questions, but simply said, "The cards have been laid," again.

"This is the rear entrance," Paul announced as they stopped before a pair of massive doors guarded by two men. He nodded to them and they swung them open.

Once open, they could hear talking in the hall. It wasn't English, it was a much older language. One that none of them understood.


0097
They were escorted in and Paul brought them onto the stage. There were seats already set up for them.

Bright lights shone from the balcony and stage floor, so they could only see a few of the first rows. There was no sound at all as they entered.

Quietly Paul asked them to sit, which they did.

On the opposite side of the stage, there were three people sitting in large chairs. One, in the center, held an old man who was hunched over. In the other chairs sat a young woman and a young man. There was a middle-aged man at a podium. All four were watching as Susan and her group was seated.

Paul left the stage after the five found their seats. The man at the podium looked at the people in the three chairs, nodded his head and began to speak to the crowd. He was talking in the same foreign language that the group heard through the doors to the stage.

After several minutes, Susan stood up and in a loud voice said, "We don't know what you're saying."

A murmur ran through the crowd and then it fell silent. The speaker turned and looked at the little girl. The old man lifted his slumped head. The two seated at his sides looked at each other with astonished expressions.

At first all four of Susan's companions were stunned at what she had done. Then, almost instinctively, Janet started to move to get Susan, but Claudia stopped her by grabbing her arm. The two exchanged a look, and Janet sat down.

The speaker stepped from the podium and walked over to Susan. She did not waver and never changed her serious expression. Their eyes were locked the entire time. When he stood in front of her, he lowered himself to her level.

At that, Janet could no longer restrain herself. She stood up and said, "She's just a girl, don't hurt her."

The speaker looked at Janet, but Claudia had already pulled her back to her seat. Quietly Claudia said, "She is special girl, she know better what to do." Janet started to tear.

The speaker and Susan were locked in each other's gaze for what seemed like an eternity before he turned to look at the old man. The old man nodded at the speaker, who than turned back to Susan.

Pulling his head back and tilting it slightly, he said, "You are quite right, you would not be able to understand the old languages. We will use your tongue." At that he stood up and walked back to the podium.

Once at the podium, he turned to Susan and nodded. She sat down and he began to speak again, but this time in English.

"As I was saying," he started, "these five are a symptom of a greater problem. The Tribunal has become a toothless and useless entity unable to enforce its own rules."


0098
"I believe, Coven Master, that the Tribunal is little more than a failed experiment. There are only two covens in this city of any power, Thomas' clan and ours.

"Thomas has abandoned his coven and the post as head of the Tribunal. I assert that this is an indication that he, too, sees the Tribunal as a failure.

"It is time to end the charade. We must go back to the ways of the Old World. We existed here before Thomas, before he imposed the mockery of the Tribunal.

"We must reclaim the city as our own. And we must begin today, we must begin now, by meting out the justice that the Tribunal could not."

The crowed erupted in cheers. John looked out over the audience, but could see little through the bright lights. The din of the cheers, however, sounded like there were thousands of people.

When the cheers died down, the woman sitting beside the old man said, "Well spoken brother. But I have a different point to offer."

The man at the podium bowed and left the stage.

The woman rose and walked to Susan. "Hello child," she said. "My name is Mary."

"Hello Mary, my name is Susan."

"May I pick you up?"

"Yes," Susan answered and spread out her arms.

"Don't touch her," Wayne shot out, standing. As Wayne got up, John pulled his gun out.

The woman smiled and picked Susan up anyway. Susan looked back at the two men trying to protect her and said, "It's O.K., she doesn't want to hurt me."

Turning to the audience, the woman said, "Do any of you remember the days before the Tribunal?

"If you do, you are lucky to be alive. The battles between the Covens were fierce, deadly. The Tribunal ended a sad period in our history marked by bloodshed.

"I cannot argue that the Tribunal is perfect. It is not. But to disband the Tribunal would plunge us headlong into a world of infighting and power mongering.

"This little girl, and those her life has touched," she said, waving her hand at Claudia, Janet, Wayne and John," should not end the peace and prosperity the Tribunal has brought.

"The laws of the Tribunal have not been upheld. I believe we should uphold the Tribunal structure, but vet out those that impede justice and break the laws that have allowed us to prosper as we do today.

"Elizabeth and those loyal to her must be dealt with. We must fight to cleanse The Tribunal, not fight to destroy it. This includes finally dealing with Sabastian."

At that a murmur rose up, that continued to grow. It grew until there were open arguments in the crowd. Suddenly, the old man slammed his hand on the arm of his chair and stood. The crowd went silent.


0099
"I have lived through a great many years," the old man started, "more than any here can claim. I remember the persecution our clan lived with in the Old World. We were the hunted because we were of ignoble birth.

"The New World offered us salvation from that. But it brought other problems, problems that Mary has only hinted at." He was pointing to the young woman, who was now sitting in Susan's seat holding the little girl in her lap.

The old man continued, "At first there was so much available to us that there were no conflicts, but that only lasted a short while. We were quickly fighting each other. In New York, however, that ended with the arrival of Sabastian. He ruled the small city and allowed no one to enter.

"His reign, though, was short because the city grew around him. It became too large to control and defend. He eventually gave up.

"Infighting erupted again. Many of our kind died. The kings and queens of the Old World decided that we should be contained and controlled because we were an unruly lot. They sent Thomas and his coven.

"At first Thomas attempted to bring all of us under his control by force. But this was the New World, we would not accept his rule. Many more died in the defense of our newfound freedoms. So he created the Tribunal. It offered us democracy, a voice in our own governing.

"That was only true on the surface, however, as under the facade Thomas controlled by force. He used the Enforcers to kill off many a clan. If you did not follow Thomas, you died by Thomas' hand.

"Still, he allowed enough leeway that we felt we had freedom. We did, indeed, thrive and prosper.

"Now, however, Thomas has stepped down and left Elizabeth in control. She is an outsider that has never been involved in our affairs before. She refused to come to the New World with Thomas when the kings and queens of the Old World sent him.

"Elizabeth has focused on unity and the Tribunal is falling. I believe these experiences teach us a great deal about the Tribunal and our own nature.

"I have carefully considered these lessons. I have listened to your well thought arguments. And I have decided."


0100
After a dramatic pause, the old man stood tall and said, "We are not a race that can live comfortably together. Power and access to scarce resources drives us to conflict.

"Time and again this has proven true. The longest lasting covens are those ruled with an iron fist, not congeniality and compromise.

"Thomas' Tribunal thrived because he ruled it with force. Elizabeth's Tribunal has failed because she does not rule it. She allows infighting and compromise to waylay what needs to be done.

"We are, I believe, all angry," he said to a hail of cheers.

"We are all ready for a change." Again cheers erupted.

"We will be that agent of change!" The crowed was howling and screaming its praise for what the old man was saying.

"Like Sabastian before us, we will take this city as our own!" At this, stamping feet joined the screaming. Janet Long covered her ears because it was so loud. Susan huddled into the arms of the young woman holding her.

The young woman whispered into Susan's ear, "It's O.K. child."

Susan looked at her and without any emotion said, "No, it's not. You’re going to kill my friends now."

The young woman just looked into the child's eyes as the noise subsided. She knew Susan was correct and that there was little that could be done to change the situation. "This little girl," she thought to herself, "is very special. If I could only save her."

"Now we must mete out the justice that the Tribunal would not," the old man continued. "Bring the officer forward."

Two men forcibly pulled Detective John Lewis from his seat. He struggled, but they were far too strong for him. They forced him to his knees in front of the old man.

"I am Tobias Smithson, founder of the Smithson Clan and Coven Master of all that share my ancient blood. You have learned of our secret and must die."

The old man leaned over and pulled John's head to the side. As he prepared to bear down on John, who was struggling furiously, but futilely, Wayne rushed Tobias, toppling the old man. The crowd gasped, but Tobias quickly regained his composure and threw Wayne high into the air.

Wayne hit a curtain that hung behind the stage and slid down to the floor. There was blood coming from his mouth. A tear fell on Susan's cheek and she said out loud, but quietly, "Sabastian, please hurry. I need you."

The woman holding her looked down in awe. "You know what Sabastian is don't you?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Will he attempt to save you?"

"He will save me."