0301: The Vampire's Daughter, Book Three

Gan assembled all of the other vampires as directed by Meredith. The group didn't have to wait very long before she arrived, smiling and bowing slightly before taking her seat at the head of the table.

She looked at Gan and mentally told him to go and assemble 20 or so of his best assassins, as there would be an important decision made at this meeting and that she would need them. "Make sure they are your most loyal," she noted, as he left the room.

Gan went quickly and had Car and Belinda fetch two dozen of his best men, exclusive of the two girls. "You will each lead 12 and you will only take your lead from me and Meredith," he said to them. "If any of your men appear to be disloyal at any time during this assignment, kill them instantly."

"Yes sir," they girls said in unison and ran from the room.

At that, Gan returned. He found Meredith standing before the group, who were in a heated argument about waking the King.

"I don't believe this one is the one, waking the King would be meaningless. I say we kill him and be done with it," one said.

"I'm not certain that is our choice to make, the King wanted to be woken if there was any indication that the one had arrived."

"The one? What does that even mean? What one are we talking about? The scriptures aren't clear about anything and, besides, we haven't even met him!"

Gan stood at the door listening, but soon Meredith looked up at him. With his mind he asked, "Is he the one, my lady?"

She smiled and nodded her head at him.

"How are you so certain?"

"I know you are loyal my child, you will find out soon enough. For now, trust that I know and I need your support now more than ever," she said to his mind.

"You have it as you always have, sire."

"You were my first in many ways," she said. "Now is a time of change and I don't know how it will end. But I want you to know that I have always loved you."

Gan felt his heart sink. She hadn't said those words in hundreds of years. Because of her rank, they had always had an unspoken love. That she would say this here and now brought the reality to him that this was in fact a life altering time. That Meredith was about to make a decision, and was going to support her choice without question, that would change the direction of Europe, if not all vampires.

"My lady, my love," he thought, a tear coming to his eye. "I have loved you since the moment we met. When we were children, playing. You a princess and me a peasant. You never looked down on me. Never. You were always the only one in my life. I can't begin to express to you my gratitude and love. I will follow you to brink of hell and beyond, if that is what you ask."

"But what about the gates of heaven?" she asked. "Are you ready for the battle that will bring us back into God's grace?"

As the others bickered back and forth, Gan and Meredith just looked at each other.

"I don't believe we've ever left," Gan said both in his mind and quietly out loud.

Meredith smiled widely, looked down at the table in front of her and then back up at Gan. "I want you by my side," she said to him.

He bowed and walked over to her. He stood just slightly behind her on her right. She turned her head slightly to catch his eye. She smiled, inhaled deeply and then exhaled.

"Enough," she said out loud, causing Gan's eyes to go wide and the room to fall completely silent.


[The Vampire's Daughter: An ongoing vampire story. Copyright Reuben Gregg Brewer, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. All rights reserved.]