A Salem Awakening

Chapter 45

The Tuesday morning sunrise was out of a storybook. The yellow sun shimmered across the Atlantic forming a long, orange path atop the water leading directly into itself. It was as if the morning was so glorious, the sun laid a welcome mat out for the world. The air was crisp, almost chilly. With each passing minute, as the sun slowly filled the sky above the water, the air would become ever so slightly warmer. William could still see his breath when he would exhale toward the west. He knew this would not last long. The early morning crispness would soon lead to morning warmth.

Overnight, he made his way to a desolate place along the shore to allow his hair to face due east for the first moment of the sunrise. He sat cross-legged and motionless, his hair facing the ocean, his eyes closed. He looked as if he were meditating. But instead of clearing his mind, his head was full of thought. Today would be the culmination of his two-centuries-long quest. By day's end he would be Master of the Order. His mind raced with thoughts of everything and everyone from his past that led him to this point.

He thought of the matriarch of the Dracul family, his grandmother Chwaer. When he was young she was very supportive of Junius, almost too much so. She favored him over his two sisters and pushed him to learn early how to harness his emotion and control his power. "She would be proud of me today," he thought. Chwaer always challenged Junius to stop at nothing, and let nobody stand in his way to becoming Master. She would tell him, "You will be the one to fulfill the prophecy and unify the Order. You will only have one chance, you must seize it. It is your destiny."

Until recently Junius wondered if his one chance to unify the Order was when Rennik offered his hand in unity, just after Rennik defeated him. But Chwaer saw through Rennik's attempt to take the glory for himself and advised Junius to use Rennik's trickery against him. It was Chwaer's idea for Junius to use the murder of Rennik's three children to become Master. When Junius protested there was no way to know whether Rennik would ever have three children, she said, "You must be patient. He will have three. I have foreseen it." Junius smiled and thought, "Well Grandmother, as always you were right."

That led him to think of his old nemesis Rennik. He was happy Rennik was gone, no longer a threat to Junius and no longer leading the Order down a weak path. Still, he conceded it is difficult to fight and hunt someone for two hundred years and then lose them suddenly. Through all that time, Rennik was a constant in Junius' life and thoughts. There was now a hole left by his absence. He was a worthy foe and Junius would be a stronger, more fearless, and wise leader because of his dealings with Rennik. Ultimately, he was happy he was gone and even happier to have been the one to kill him. Luckily for Junius, Rennik initiated the fight so Junius could claim to the Order he killed Rennik in self defense. There would be no loophole to prevent him from becoming Master once Abigail was dead.

He took in a deep breath and let the air fill his lungs. His breathing was slightly labored because he still had remnants of earth deep in his throat. During the night he removed all the splinters from beneath his fingernails, at least he thought he did. When his energy reached full capacity, he planned to cast his power out to ensure all his injuries were healed. He needed his body in top shape for the battle he anticipated would occur later in the day. Junius knew Abigail was stubborn and would not succumb without a fight. He was going to prepare for that, and he was eager for the opportunity to see her face when he revealed himself as William to her. "What a wonderfully delicious surprise it will be for her."

He felt a message coming through. He placed his three middle fingers from each hand onto the temples on either side of his head. He said nothing, but the message coming through said, "She will be in the Sampson house after breakfast. You should be there waiting for her." William put his hands down and smiled, "I shall be." Perhaps he wouldn't have to wait until day's end for his prize.