Chapter 30: The Plan

  The three of us wandered along, following the Wi-Fi signal strength to try and see where we were. Because if I had four bars of Wi-Fi then that meant there was an occupied office nearby. While no signal strength meant nothing of course.

  The tunnels stretched on with different colored lines painted in the floor. Each branching off at different intersections or new colors joining. We walked for roughly twenty minutes according to my cell phone. First away from the signal named M.V.I. Spy Van and then back toward the signal.

  It was a strange name, because why would the Ministry of Vampire Affairs have a listening post just broadcasting its intentions?! The name was so strange I asked Mabel and Amelia what it meant.

  Amelia shrugged. The druids gave her a crash course on how the world worked, not a detailed overview. Just enough she could function on her own without them.

  Unlike my sire who gave me a cell phone and said ‘go get them, fledgling’.

  “It’s somebody having fun with names,” Mabel said quietly as she led the three of us. “My shuttle’s Wi-Fi is the ‘Party Bus 3,000’. Like, Wi-Fi names don't mean much, dear.”

  I cocked an eyebrow at Mabel’s use of ‘dear’ in front of Amelia.

  Of course Amelia caught it. Her little giggle gave that away as she removed the earbud so she could hear us without it. She hummed for a moment before she spoke. “Did some vampire bite someone without me, again?”

  “We had sex, actually.” Mabel glanced at me, nodding.

  Amelia froze, eyes widening as she slowly turned around to face Mabel. “Already?!”

  I scoffed. “Who was the vampire hunter who tracked her target down, and instead of killing said target in the daytime, decided to walk up to her target and say, ‘can you please sit on my face’?” I placed my hands on my hips and smirked at Amelia.

  She stumbled over her words as she pointed at me. “You… What? B-but I… what? What?! I never said that!” Her face turned as red as a radish as she tried, and failed to come up with what she actually said. Because it was similar enough that she couldn't deny wanting me to bite her. As that is how she presented herself. ‘Excuse me, but I hear you can help me look pale. Can you bite me?’

  Why yes, Amelia. I can. For the small price of a handful of gold.

  And that was that. Was it smart? Well, we hunted down my sire’s sire and have been a couple since. Much to my sire’s annoyance. I suspect now that it may have been part of her overall plan thus far, but I had no idea what that plan actually was.

  I turned away from them and made my way toward a door I had seen earlier. It was smaller than average and made of metal with one of those hook handles to open it. Pipes dove into the wall above it, likely traversing their way through the room to places unknown.

  As I reached for the handle, I thought about just opening it up, but something in the back of my mind told me to wait. My hand hovered over the handle for a moment as I looked at the Wi-Fi selection screen and wondered, Is this someone’s house?

  I frowned deeply, knocking on the door instead of opening it, as it didn't make sense for a house to be down here. Another network called the Lunar Reform Society had almost as many bars as the Spy Van network.

  “What is the Lunar Reform Society?” I asked.

  Amelia gasped softly. “Oh! Ooooh… So, my lovely night blossom, remember Alejandro?”

  “How could I forget our son?” I turned to face Amelia. “I talked to him shortly before I went into torpor.”

  “Well… in your absence…” Amelia slowly twirled a hand in front of her. Her heart picked up its pace just a bit as she continued, “He was on holiday with his wife when… everything went down. He took your words and made it into a cult. And the Cult of the Moon didn't have a good ring to it, because it might attract werewolves.”

  “You're saying Alejandro became a priest?” I blinked a few times. “I told him to carve his own path!”

  She threw her hands out to her sides in a shrug. “I do not think he became a vampire. All I know is that his descendants run the Society and often visited your birthplace on some pilgrimage.”

  I pushed the door open since I didn't hear a reply to the knock. Concrete and metal stairs greeted us. As did signage telling us we were below the LRS church in downtown South Encinar and the facilities just down the way were free of charge. Find an open room and nap the day away. They helpfully gave a detailed map of the church, emergency vampire shelter, and surrounding tunnels. Along with a QR code to scan and download a free app to my phone.

  Mabel showed Amelia and I what to do after connecting to the Wi-Fi. I don't know why they didn't label the door on the outside, but it is what it is.

  “Alejandro better not have become a vampire,” I muttered to myself as I crossed the threshold.

  Lights set in the walls and stairs above illuminated the way up. Amelia, Mabel, and I climbed the stairs as quietly as we could with me taking the lead. I didn't want anything to happen to the others and figured it would be better if I took the first hit. I could just regenerate in the morning. Mabel could revive, but I’d rather not see her hurt. And Amelia, well… she could dodge the attack but again, I didn't want to see either of them hurt.

  We climbed the stairs past the vampire shelter and kept going until Amelia grabbed me by the arm and looked into my eyes.

  I glanced back toward the door to the vampire shelter and then looked at my phone. It was three thirty in the morning. Fairly late, and we didn't have time to get into a fight and escape.

  Amelia smiled at me, and I smiled back. She knew the dangers as well as I did. I’d be dead if we got into trouble as the sun rose. Even now. It was so late that if we were to get into a gunfight we’d not escape until after the sun rose. There's no telling what Alejandro’s cult was like. If we were run out for being heretics or abominations to their teachings, then we had to find shelter under a tight time limit.

  It was best to sleep through the day and speak to Alejandro’s cult in the evening.

  *** ***

  The vampire shelter was an odd thing. I expected a bedroom, not a wall of capsules barely big enough to sit up in. Everything was automated, too. From finding a room through the LRS phone app, to holding the phone over the right cubicle, there was no vampire to mortal, or vampire to vampire interaction. The app showed me how many rooms were available and asked if I preferred a top or bottom bunk, how many nights I’d be staying, and gave me rules to follow.

  No cell phone noise past 5am, no shouting, one vampire per cubicle and no guests. Which meant no Amelia to cuddle with me. But most importantly; no feeding from mortals who may be staying the night. As it is a shared hotel for everyone regardless of if they're a vampire or not.

  I wondered why the vampires and mortals near my apartments didn't use them. Then I actually opened the cubicle and saw why. The rooms were barely bigger than a standard-size coffin with just enough room for me to sit up in. They had places for me to store clothes and weapons, and even a little blood can fridge tucked in a corner. I pulled a can out and drank from it, which made me pause because it was full of actual flavor and sustenance.

  It was made by the Blood Reserve Company and marketed as actual human blood from a blood bank. No specialties added to it beyond preservatives and canning. I set two more on the dresser to my left so they’ll be warm when I awoke in the evening. The cubicle was so sterile, too. Like someone tried to clean up spilled blood at one time and then bleached it, missing spots deep in the corner.

  After I plugged my phone into the wall, I adjusted the heater knob to be roughly 22 degrees Celsius, got comfortable in the bed, pulled the complementary headphones over my head, and then turned the television on.

  Flipping through the channels, I tried to find episodes of The Tortuga Chronicles, but the show wasn't airing. A new season started and the times were 5pm, 9pm, and 7am. Which meant I couldn't watch them.

  There was a news channel talking about a terrorist attack on the mall. It showed video footage of armored dragons chasing a singular bone-white dragon through skyscraper canyons, and security footage of the fight between Isabella’s guards and I. Or at least anything that made the tentacle monster look like the bad guy. No mention of my sire and I talking.

  I passed different entertainment shows about people building things, people trying to save failing restaurants, and then landed on a documentary about Encinar’s railroads. It showed actual early footage from the olden days, modern footage, and different maps.

  At one point, they cut to a black and white photo that froze my blood.

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  My smudgy form stood over a table with a map unrolled before me and a group of men and women surrounding me as we all looked at the map. One person in particular looked fairly… rough around the edges. They dressed in pants and a suit like the men, but had much longer and rough hair. They had a hollow look of a person who’d seen too much death.

  I paused the show right as my phone rang with an unusual number. It wasn't my sire's, because hers was already in it and blocked. Nor was it one of Eva’s contacts, so I decided to answer it to see who it was. Mike’s voice flowed out as she said, “Hey, look. The wife gave me your number for emergencies. Don't be mad.”

  I cocked my head a bit as I listened and frowned. “What is it?” I asked through the text-to-speech function.

  “I’m trimming trees, you and Rippy Rip need to catch up, understand?” Strange whoops and beeps echoed from under her words, along with a voice complaining about altitude and another telling her to pull up.

  “No. I don't. What does trimming trees have to do with anything?”

  “Maybe this will help; I’m low enough you could slap the hull as I fly by.”

  No, no it did not help in the slightest. I failed to see what the connection was with us.

  “Head north as soon as the sun drops, how’s that?”

  That made far more sense. I nodded slowly. “Understood.”

  Then, I turned my attention to the photograph on the television and stared at it. Milwaukee… that was the only name I knew that feral vampire by. They had quite a few odd stories to tell, but I doubted they would even care to speak with me, so I sent Mabel a message that Mike contacted me, resumed the documentary and kept watching until I fell asleep.

  *** ***

  I awoke before Amelia did early the next evening. Which was unusual! I got my things ready, downed the complementary blood cans and checked my blood reserves. Each can was half a liter and I was back up to four liters. The System recommended I drink from an actual person soon and Mabel was looking enticing. As was Amelia, but I didn't want to drink from either of them.

  Mabel was already awake and pacing just down the hall, phone to her ear as she nodded to whatever words were said on the other end.

  “Yeah,” her quiet voice barely drifted across the gap. “You’re where…?” she paused for a moment before nodding. “Okay. We’ll head there as soon as we can. Can you get two cases of good blood? Buy it from a blood—”

  “Mabel?” I asked as I approached the half-elf.

  She gasped, jumping away from me as her phone slipped from her hand. The woman caught it in her other hand and held it close, eyes wide. “C-Cassandra! You're awake early.”

  “Blame Eva.” I eyed the phone, lifting an eyebrow as I asked, “Everything alright?”

  Mabel nodded. “Your sire is the Encinar P.D. commissioner. Which means we’re hella fucked. Hella fucked! We can't stay inside the city!” Then she placed the phone to her ear and said, “Hornets strike at the moon.”

  I cocked my head at the code, placing my hands on my hips for a moment.

  The half-elf put her phone back into her purse and shook her head, not looking at me for a long moment. She took a deep breath, let it out, then nodded slowly. “Mike’s up in Gastown waiting for us if you want. Like, you're welcome to come along. I’ll get a case of blood for the trip, hell, you can drink me, but I’m not gonna stay. I follow the money, I’m sorry.” She threw her hands out to her sides in a shrug.

  “I am sorry,” I told her as I reached to hug the half-elf. She wrapped her arms around me in reply and rested her head on my shoulder. I don't know if she wasn't sure what to say, but she went quiet as her heart steadily beat and I rubbed her back. I focused on my heart to make it beat and give her the warmth she was looking for.

  “I fucked up,” Mabel whispered. “She blacklisted my company and branded us pirates. I’m sorry, Cassy… this is my fault.” The half-elf buried her face in my shoulder and sniffled. “I should have pulled you out sooner, but you kept trying to go back to your sire. We… we couldn’t tell you the plan.”

  I patted her back as I pondered her words. My sire would forever live with the knowledge that she lost two fledglings to her incessant planning, maybe three. We had to leave Encinar. My sire would find me no matter where I was in the city. I could feel it deep in my bones. She wouldn’t give me up that easily and I don’t know why. She rarely let me leave her side for long.

  I slowly moved my hand up Mabel’s back and began to massage the knot in her neck. “Mike spoke about flying north?”

  “She flew under the radar and made her way to the Gastown Aerodrome during the day.” She lifted her head and looked into my eyes.

  “How do we get there?”

  Mabel sighed softly as a warm smile crossed her lips. “That’s the easy part. We need to leave the Bay and head north through the Central Valley. Where's Amelia?”

  “She’s not in a cubicle?”

  “No. She didn't take a bed this morning. Said she wanted to see the city.”

  I took my phone from my pocket and sent her a text asking where she was.

  She sent a photograph back of her sitting by herself inside an automobile’s driver’s seat and a message of: I’ll be back soon, my night blossom! The priest is waiting at the altar with a pretty vessel that looks simply delightful to bite.

  I replied: Lovely. So he has breakfast for me?

  Isn't it great?!

  Yes, but Mabel needs to leave Encinar tonight and wants to know if I am coming.

  Amelia sent a thinking emoji before a long message: Honestly? There is nothing here for you and I anymore. The walking powderkeg will be a thorn in our side even if you try to take a seat on the council. It's only a matter of time before she convinces them to call another hunt on you. I can stay behind and try to find where she sleeps and finish it once and for all, but there is no guarantee. Or I can go with you. I prefer leaving town with you.

  I nodded to her words and replied: You seem to be taking to your new body fairly well.

  The perks of being a dryad is that my tree sustains me, so I don't need sleep anymore. I bought a car, went to the library and paid for a crash course on how to drive properly. That boosted my skill to 20. Now I am at 27.

  “I could have just taught her and she’d be at forty…” Mabel whined. The half-elf snuggled against my body, arm wrapped around my waist as we both stared at my phone and continued to read the messages as they came in.

  I stumbled across the vampire museum you told me about. The church you’re in owns it and bought the land our manor occupied. They're going to remake it as it was in the old days, but as I said, Encinar is no place for us. We need to leave sooner rather than later if we are to keep our heads. Especially with what she’s done to you. You’ll be safer in space.

  I looked over at Mabel to see her reaction to the messages. Her pursed lips and narrowed eyes indicated the lanky half-elf was deep in thought. So while she thought about the words, I put the phone away and led Mabel toward the stairs, since Amelia was off being Amelia.

  *** ***

  The vessel was indeed a pretty blonde dressed in fancy robes. She lay upon an altar underneath a crescent moon, head on a pillow and eyes closed as she slumbered after I fed from her. I slipped a small handful of gold pieces from the offering bowl into the woman’s hands. Then kissed her on the forehead and whispered softly in her ear, “Thank you. May you be blessed by Her light, as Fortune now follows you.”

  Mabel didn’t look sure of the candles surrounding the altar, or the stained glass windows behind it showing off different people, including my old self towering over everyone in the massive window. They designed it so I wore an intricate midnight blue robe with silver trimmings and a silver cloak to match my hair.

  It was beautiful to see myself holding a staff, shining moonlight on the altar where the vessel slept. Whoever designed the window did so in such a way that it allowed the moon to line up with the staff’s head at midnight on my birthday every year.

  I looked as human as possible in the stained glass painting and on the tapestries hanging around the church. ‘Saint’ Amelia was in a few, as were other people like ‘Saint’ Alejandro. I approached a portrait of him while his robed descendant followed close to me.

  They portrayed Alejandro surrounded by a flock of mortals who looked to the pale man for guidance. His long black hair was tied back in a ponytail and draped over his shoulder. In the picture, he looked to be blessing some mortal who offered an overflowing cup of blood to him.

  “You promised you wouldn't become a vampire.” My fists tightened as I ground my teeth together, because it didn’t take much to make the connection between Saint Alejandro and the pale priest behind me. Not when they had the same hairstyle and how focused on me the church was.

  The museum was owned by the church, the church bought my property, they kept watch over me for two centuries. They were founded by my son and worshiped me. All the signs pointed to Alejandro being the same pale priest standing behind me. Slowly, I turned around to face him and glared at the old vampire.

  He dipped his head toward me as he said, “I wanted to protect you, mum.”

  His softly wrinkled face reminded me of my own back before Eva killed me. Though, he had few streaks of color through his salt and pepper hair. His brown eyes were most definitely Amelia’s and full of unlife.

  “So you thought the solution was to join the undead?” I gestured toward the vessel and continued, “To bastardize what I taught you? Did you even tell your mother who you are?!”

  His eyes drifted toward the floor for a moment before he took a deep breath and looked at me. Alejandro nodded firmly. “I did. She was too busy to hear my words like always. When was she reborn?”

  “Two nights ago.”

  “Really…? The Dark Sorceress was under the assumption she has been around for much longer. At least thirty years now.”

  I watched Mabel out of the corner of my eye, as she was starting to pace and type into her phone. The woman was just wandering and looking at the world around her until she decided to sit down in one of the pews. I wished I knew what she was thinking, but considering she was staring up at the giant painting of me. Then it was probably what I was thinking.

  I didn't want to be worshiped. I was the voice of my goddess, not a goddess. If I overshadowed Her then that would be bad, because She would smite me for such a transgression. Was that why my sire thought I would bring about eternal night? She saw what my son was doing and assumed I was influencing him from torpor?

  She gives me more credit than I deserve if that's the case. I didn't even know I could influence people in torpor!

  “Who the fuck is your sire?!” I snapped and once again flexed my hands so they'd stop hurting, because I didn't want to hurt Alejandro, or his sire. He was his own man to make his own decisions. And now his own vampire. I fought a battle between pride for Alejandro at building a successful cult that has spanned two centuries, and disgust at bastardizing me into what I wasn’t.

  “Well…” he began, “I approached Jean’s fledgling for a deal and one thing led to another.”

  “I’m disappointed in you,” I said quietly. It was all I could do to not burst into a fit that would be unbecoming of me. As I said, Alejandro could make his own decisions. Still, he had to know I wouldn't like the idea of him being turned by a man who hated me, so it took quite a bit of courage to tell me the truth.

  Which caused me to sigh softly and close my eyes for a moment.

  “He kept your location safe, mum.” Alejandro held a deep blue and silver rosary out for me, nodding.

  I snatched it from his hands, looking at the crescent moon where the cross should be. They etched my full name inside the moon along with a protection prayer. As I held it, I felt Mother Moon’s soft embrace hugging me as if everything would be okay. I knew the path I had to take and should take it. Alejandro be damned, because he had amassed a considerable following. Well over 3,000 members to his cult were spread all throughout Halifax and beyond. He was spreading Her influence in the way he thought would garner Her favor. I spread Her influence in mine.

  “Thank you,” I said quietly. The rosary was almost enough to distract me from the moment, almost. I begged him, pleaded with him as he grew up, to choose something other than eternal life.

  “The Dark Sorceress did something to you and gloated you’d never disobey her again. Your partner claims to know what it is, but won’t tell me. She said it wasn’t her place.”

  My thumb traced the crescent moon for a moment, eyes drifting over to Mabel as her words echoed in my head. Unusual words I could barely hear for a moment. “I… I don’t know either. Mabel?” I called out, gesturing for her to come over. “Could you tell Alejandro what you told me?”

  She didn’t look too thrilled, but she got up and came over, sliding her phone inside her purse again. The half-elf’s turquoise eyes wandered between us just long enough I thought she was going to turn away, but then she said, “She’s an android. Look into her eyes and you’ll see the panel lines.”

  Again, my local map flickered visibly as I tried to hang on to Mabel’s words. This time, they clung to my thoughts. It might’ve been Isabella tampering with my mind in the mall that caused it the last time. As it was, I allowed Alejandro to step close to my face and stare into my eyes.

  He was gentle as he placed a hand to my face and held my eyelids open. Alejandro scrutinized every detail. From my eyebrows, to my ears and Eva’s piercings, to my neck. His soft hands moved from my shoulders to the base of my skull and pressed against something that sent a shiver down my spine.

  My son frowned deeply. “I found a data port,” he said, tapping the odd spot on the back of my neck. I leaned my head forward, pulling my hair aside so they could both take a look at whatever it was.

  Mabel stepped in and traced the data port as well, humming softly. “I felt that the other night,” she said. “Do you all have a way to fix her programming? Whenever her… the Dark Sorceress wants her to listen, she listens.”

  “I am afraid not.” Alejandro shook his head. He checked over my arms, pulling the sleeves back, and then tapped my left forearm, pressing down in specific areas. “There’s no blood port. That’s odd…”

  “I think she’s got blood tanks in her torso, yeah? But like, what’s a vampirebot actually built to do? I know they suck blood, but... that's it? Even military and security constructs have more of a purpose than that!"

  My son stepped back so he could get a good look at me, nodding slowly. “The dragons expunged public records on vampirebots well over a century ago. I didn’t think the Dark Sorceress was experimenting with them… when did she do this to you, mum?”

  I had no words for Alejandro, because it was as much news to me as it was to them. Slowly, I brought my left arm up and pressed my fingers where Alejandro had. He mentioned something about a blood port and that did sound familiar in a way, but it could have been Eva’s memories. Unless Eva wasn’t even real, or was I not real? Were neither of us real?!

  “Did she… do this to me while I was in torpor?” I asked, remembering Amelia mentioned my coffin disappeared for some years before it was returned to the house.

  Mabel squeezed my hand, gesturing toward the church’s main door. “I can keep her safe until we figure it out. We already planned to leave, so we’ll leave Encinar and head to Ventros, right, dear?”

  “Ventros?” I asked, tilting my head some. “What’s over there?”

  “The wood elf Empress. She’s been around long enough she might know a way to break your programming.”

  “What about your ceo? Didn’t you say he was around during the Collide?”

  “Yeah, but like, he’s not a bot mechanic. He’s a pilot. We have bot mechanics who might be able to take a look, but there’s no guarantee they can fix you.”

  I gestured for Mabel to lead. “Then let us fill our sails and put Encinar behind the horizon.”

  “May I, mum?” Alejandro gestured for me to wait and then held his arms out for a hug.

  I obliged him with a hug he’d never forget. Firm and full of life. Or as much life as I could will into my heart. Even though I was disappointed in him, I wanted to thank him for giving me the chance to flee. Without him, Amelia, or Mabel, I don’t think I would have survived too long in Encinar. And that… was a concerning thought.