0259: The Vampire's Daughter, Book Three

“I’ll give you the letter as a gesture of good faith,” Vein said, pulling it out of his pocket and handing it to Elizabeth. “As you can see, the seal is still intact. I’ve not opened it.”

Elizabeth took the letter and instantly recognized the seal as Sol’s, though she didn’t say anything. “And what is it that I’m supposed to do in exchange for this letter?” she asked.

“Nothing but consider what I’m about to ask of you,” Vein said.

“Well, I guess I’m listening.”

Vein took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair. “The Tribunal was a joke from day one. No one knew how much of a joke, accept your sire of course. In fact, you were just as ignorant as the rest of us. Although there are many among our kind that don’t like you, the fact is that no one actually blames you for The Tribunal’s failure. Be assured that your current situation is well known to our kind and is quite solid evidence that you and Thomas are at odds.

“With the destruction of the Smithsons, that leaves my clan as the next most powerful. I say my clan because my sire was recently assassinated by Thomas. I’ve had my hands full trying to keep the clan together. It seems there are a great number of upstarts that believe they should be the new leader and not I. I’ve dispatched five of them already, and I fear there are still more waiting in the wings.

“From the accounts that I’ve gotten, it seems that Thomas has used a similar tactic with all the large clans: killing the leader to divide the troops. It’s worked wonders. Although he wasn’t able to take the city in one swoop, he has kept the rest of the clans off balance enough to take it block by block.

“I do not believe I’m exaggerating when I tell you that not a single vampire in New York City wants to be under Thomas’ thumb. But, sadly, that isn’t enough to align us as a single force. We remain fragmented.

“Thomas can not be defeated if we do not band together. He will win. We need a unifying force. If we had that, we could band together and not only defend the areas we now control, but slowly force Thomas back until he has nothing.”

“That sounds like a wonderful plan,” Elizabeth said, not grasping what Vein was asking. “Who exactly are you going to get to unify your rag tag band of vampires?”

“I thought that was obvious, you,” he said.

“But Thomas is my sire, who would believe I had turned against him?” Elizabeth asked.

Vein stood up and walked over to her. He sat beside her and touched a wound on her neck. “Who wouldn’t believe?” he asked rhetorically.

“I can’t,” she said, standing and walking across the room. “Thomas is my sire. To betray him like this after all he’s done for me. I…”

“All he has done for you?” Vein asked, interrupting Elizabeth. Standing he continued, “He set you up to fail at The Tribunal, he send you to die in a fight with the Zealots, he keeps you here like a prisoner, and treats you worse than a feeder. What has he done for you?”

Turning away, Elizabeth said, “You wouldn’t understand.”

“I wouldn’t? I know a great deal about you Madam President. More than you probably realize.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked, turning back to face him.

“I know that Thomas extracted you from horrid squalor. I know that he gave you free reign when others weren’t. I know that you loved him. But that love must surely have faded. He’s used and abused you so many times. Isn’t it obvious that the only vampire Thomas loves is himself? How long will you allow yourself to be treated like this before you stand up and fight?”




[The Vampire's Daughter: An ongoing vampire story. Copyright Reuben Gregg Brewer, 2005, 2006. All rights reserved.]