Voodoo Queens of New Orleans - Vol. I | ✓

Chapter 19: Friends On The Other Side

        
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The vampire hunters called themselves the Silver Syndicate.

Founded in New Orleans right after the civil war ended—1865 or 1866, Jonathan wasn't too sure on the exact date. At first, their sole purpose was to hunt down any abominations against God—witches, werewolves, vampires, what have you. Then the vampire epidemic began to worsen (coincidentally, after Marie Laveau's death in 1881). People went missing, ravaged bodies were found by riverbanks and in alleyways and people reported mysterious "human bite marks" on their necks. That's when the Silver Syndicate became dedicated to the eradication of those infected with vampirism. And quickly, their membership began to grow.

"We're a fraction of a small collective," Jonathan explained to Miss Aza. "There are about two hundred of us spread across New Orleans currently, thousands more across the country."

"So, your goal is to kill off every single bloodsucker down here?" Kizzy asked, condescendingly if I didn't know any better.

Jonathan shook his head. "Not necessarily. We slay Leeches when we can, but we know that the key to ending the problem starts at the source. Vampires need leaders—strong ones. Without somebody to follow, they're weak. Vulnerable. Target the leaders, and the entire clan falls. We have a collective in Salem, Massachusetts, one out west in Utah and another one in Michigan along with dozens more. But our largest collective is down here in New Orleans. Terah's Clan—Abraham's clan, has been a problem for almost three hundred years. And ever since Terah's death, the clan has become bolder. Deadlier. Abraham has been actively recruiting."

"So, that's why you were by the Bayou of the Shunned," I asked them. "You were tracking down the Elders?"

"Not quite," Midas answered. "We were down there to get some potions from the witch that lives there."

Midas' alibi further cemented the fact that Aubade did belong to them; they were the vampire hunters Sajida told us about—the ones that traded their precious dagger for homemade invisibility potions.

Aza stepped forward. Her demeanor intimidated even Serj—the biggest man I had ever seen.

"So, your goal is to try and kill Abraham?"

"Yes," Jonathan said. "But killing the Elders is just as important."

"And we can't do that if you want to keep Hezekiah alive," Azari butted in. "He's got a large bounty on his head; he and Abraham's crimes are among the worst in the Vampiric Catalog."

"The Vampiric Catalog?" Esther questioned. The Silver Syndicate looked surprised that we were unfamiliar with the term.

"It's kind of like an almanac," Azari said. "It's continuously updated as history drags on. We use it to track down a clan's favorite hunting grounds, their most gruesome kills, their hideouts, a clan's most dangerous family members, so on and so forth. Hezekiah's name is among the most mentioned." Azari spat on her boot. "That bastard."

Serj growled lowly. We all looked to him; he agreed with Azari. Completely.

"Well, Miss Aza is right," Rocio spoke up. The look on her face was quite odd; she looked surprised that she was defending Aza's idea to keep Hezekiah alive. "I mean, if we do keep him alive, we could get some information out of him about Abraham, his plans, even information on other clans in the area."

"You think Hezekiah Mercier, the Hezekiah Mercier, would rat out his clan?" Midas comments, almost spitting on Rocio's idea.

"I think so," Kizzy added. "Vampires hate captivity."

"Captivity?" Heather stressed, and that's when it all began—the arguing. Bickering. Questioning of intelligence and authority. The vampire hunters claimed that the plan was stupid while the novitiates argued that any other option would get us killed. Aza and I were the only ones not participating in the yelling. I didn't know what to say in participation; hours before, I convened with a witch in order to acquire something to kill Hezekiah, but now that the Silver Syndicate is arguing in favor of the action, I'm speechless. I had the option of killing him in the forest with Aubade as Eric—the then dead Leech—left him debilitated. But I didn't. I saved his life instead. I wondered if sparing Hezekiah's life and using him for information would be the logical thing to do, but my emotions countered against this logic. My emotions wanted him to suffer for what he did—his crimes. But in that moment, I came to the consensus that I acted upon my emotions too heavily. I had to think and act rationally.