So there we were; Marco and Sebastian, Cassandra and Sarah, the Bartholys and myself, all sitting together in a vacant cabin between Marco's and Cassandra's properties. The land was purchased for the sole purpose of our new alliance and species cooperation. It was a new beginning, a hope for having peace among us supernaturals, who lived in the general area of Mystery Spell. Seeing each of us there together in harmony gave me motivation and confidence. It was truly inspiring to witness and be a part of it. We sat at a table set in the open area between the kitchen and living room. The table was round, a perfect circle, and made of oak. Each of the wooden chairs we sat in were also made of oak wood. Nicolae started speaking first, thanking everyone for coming that night. I lifted up the glass in front of me and took a sip of my water as I listened to what he had to say.
"Again, thank you all for responding to our summons without question and coming here this evening. It is with deep regret that we are having to meet under such circumstances, but my brothers and I appreciate that we can all join and work together against our common enemies. That we could unite in a common cause to preserve our way of life. I know that we are all aware just how dire the situation is, so let's discuss a strategy we can all agree on." "As much as the pack and I are eager for the opportunity to eliminate Templars, given the chance, Sebastian has mentioned to me that you were also wanting something important that they may have in their possession. What is it that you are wanting to find?" Marco asked. Nicolae opened the book he brought with him to the page where it showed the image of the dagger in question and passed the book around. He then explained to everyone, on my behalf, about the dream I had with the Templar descendants stabbing Peter and I in the heart with the daggers as we laid upon altars.
Silence fell upon the room for a brief moment as everyone contemplated the words Nicolae spoke. "It's a sign, and such a blessing it was to receive it when you did too! The sirens within you, Lydia, are giving us a warning," Sarah exclaimed. "We believe so, yes. There is nothing else it could be other than that itself. I have concluded that the recent activity of the Templars, along with knowing what they want to use this weapon for, means they will be planning to hunt all of us very soon. We must make a preemptive strike, and soon, if we are going to have any chance of succeeding in preventing them from wiping us out of existence. In the process, we will be able to have, within our grasp, a weapon powerful enough to destroy Viktor and his tyranny against all who have suffered in his wake." "What is so special about this odd looking blade?" Marco asked with a skeptical tone in his voice.
Cassandra nodded and spoke up to answer him as she gently placed her fingers upon the pages of the book. "This is an ancient weapon. The obsidian ceremonial dagger it is called. The story of its existence has been passed down through each generation of our family. It is said that the very first of our kind had forged it for the protection against Original vampires, who in that time centuries ago, were slaughtering all species they came across. They did not even care to hide what they were from the human race, like they do in today's time. No, they reveled in the power of fear they possessed over mankind. These carvings you see here... They are magic runes that allow the blade to be imbued with magic." Everyone studied the carvings that she pointed out before she continued. "With the blade and handle being made of obsidian stone, along with the magic runes, it became a blade strong enough to withstand anything. It cannot be broken or melted down. Nicolae is correct that it is the only weapon that can kill Viktor Bartholy and any of his kind."
"Thank you, Cassandra, for this additional information. That will, certainly, be of help to us when the time comes to decide how we put an end to him. For now, though, we will continue with how we will work together to infiltrate the compound where the Canadian Templar faction are stationed," Nicolae firmly stated. Marco then called for one of his men to come in from outside. The guy walked in with something in his hand and placed it on the table. We each stood up in order to get a better view of the hand drawn map. With his hands, Marco unfolded it before us and placed rocks on each corner to hold it in place. He then showed everyone the outline of the base, explaining, "I had a few of my scouts check out the vicinity and surrounding forest. From what they were able to gather, seeing from a distance up the mountain, this is the layout of the compound that is displayed here on this map. My men informed me that the buildings and the wall with towers are all built out of wood, so that will be an advantage to us." The place was huge from what I could tell. I realized it was going to be difficult, but I was certain my brothers and husband still could easily sneak in undetected and remain unnoticed once they were inside.
Marco continued speaking as he informed, "There are guards spread out through the edge of the forest surrounding the compound. The pack will be able to take these men out, all at the same time with no difficulty." The rest of us nodded in understanding and acceptance. "There are also men stationed up in each of these corner towers." "We witches will take care of them easily," Cassandra offered. When everyone was in agreement Marco continued once more. "Inside the compound is where things will get a little bit tricky." I spoke up, asking the question I had on my mind. "How do we know which of these buildings will be where the dagger is being held?" "That is a good question," Drogo said in response. Marco smiled as he answered, "I do believe we know the answer to that. Look here..." He pointed to one building on the map that appeared to be located in the middle of the base. "There are more guards surrounding the entrance to this building than there are any of the others." "That must be it then. They would only be guarding something of importance," Peter surmised. "That is exactly what we are thinking as well. Since it is out in the open, though, the wolves cannot assist without causing a racket." "That will be alright, my brothers and I can take them out quietly," Nicolae stated.
Marco nodded and then Sebastian spoke up, saying, "There are lights throughout the base that will need to be taken out as well. We need the cover of darkness. If it's done one by one, though, the Templars will suspect something is wrong, and we could soon lose our advantage of a surprise attack." Sarah interjected and said, "No problem! My cousin and I can turn all the lights off, indoors and out, at the same time with magic. They will just think it's only an electrical power outage in the area." "Good! That should be done first and then the wolves and remaining witches can take on the guards surrounding the outskirts of the base. That will allow my brothers and I to get inside. More easily so, that is of course, if we can get them to open the gate themselves," Nicolae stated. "What about her?" Marco asked as he pointed at me. "I will only be there as backup, in case something were to go wrong." He nodded, accepting my response to his question.
"What is this here?" I asked, pointing at a section of the map close to the edge of the canvas material it was drawn on. "This is where the dam is located. The river runs down the mountain and provides the Templars with water as the river comes to just a flowing stream when it reaches this point here," Sebastian explained. I nodded and asked, "And you said this is the entrance?" I pointed toward an opening in the wall near where the stream is supposed to be flowing close by. "Yes," Marco answered. "Good! I will position myself by the stream, under the trees and out of site. Just in case I need to assist, I will need to be near water where my power is at its strongest." Everyone nodded in agreement. " We have our plan in place now then. I am confident we will succeed," Marco acknowledged in conclusion as he removed the map from the table and folded it up in his hands. "That will be all then for tonight, unless you have more to add, Cassandra?" Nicolae asked. "I do not. This is a good plan." "Excellent! I trust that we will complete our mission. Good luck to all of us," Nicolae stated as he reached his hand out to shake hands with Cassandra and Marco, who both responded in kind.
Everyone said their goodbyes and went their separate ways for the night. Peter and I elected to stay behind and clean. We gathered up all the glasses from the table and brought them into the kitchen to wash and put them away in the cupboard. It was late by the time we shut all the lights off, so we decided to stay there for the night. Though it was an unfamiliar room and bed, it was cozy, and I had the sudden urge to take advantage. After getting ready for bed, I put on one of Peter's black shirts that was baggy on me. He smiled when he walked in after a quick hunt outside. "Are you not tired, Lydia? I expected you to be asleep when I returned. It's now after midnight." "Nope, I am not tired at all. I'm too wired to sleep, actually," I admitted. Standing up on my knees on the bed with my legs slightly apart, I opened the front of the buttoned up shirt to reveal the black lace bra and panties I wore underneath. Peter eyed me and smirked before coming to stand in front of me. I asked him to lay down after he removed his shirt, so that I could have my fill of him. The two of us then made love that night, enjoying the comfort of the bed we were laying in, alone in that quiet cabin in the woods.
-Peter's POV-
The time had finally come for all of us to join up near the Templars' base of operations. If everything went according to plan, we would be in and out within minutes, taking out a good number of them in the process. My brothers, Lydia, and I hid behind thick trees under the cover of night, along with everyone else who were eager to take part. We waited for the opportunity to sneak in and get what we came for. Being able to hear the wolves' thoughts, even at a distance, Nicolae relayed to us that they were in position. Sarah and Elizabeth held hands to boost each other's magic as they cast a spell to cut off all the electricity in and around the compound, which also included any possible backup generators. Sarah signaled to Sebastian that the wolves had the 'go ahead' to move in and take out the surrounding guards in the forest. I watched as the ones closest to us creeped up slowly on the unsuspecting men, and jumped on them when they got close enough. Each target dropped their guns as they fell to their knees and grabbed at their throats in shock. We heard their voices gurgling as the last ounces of life diminished within seconds after having their throats ripped out. Their bodies finally fell completely over and laid still on the ground in their own puddles of blood.
Sebastian turned his head toward Cassandra and nodded, giving her a silent message that the witches could now take out the guards in the four corner towers. We witnessed the men's bodies being raised up into the air by an invisible force. Seconds later, their heads whipped to the side so abruptly as their necks were being twisted, bones breaking before they even had the chance to cry out. The two guards standing in front of the gate entrance tried reaching out to the others over the radio, but received no response from anyone outside of the compound. One of them then called for more men from inside to come out and search the grounds to find out why no one else was checking in as ordered. My brothers and I saw that our opportunity was about to be given to us. I looked at Lydia, standing to my left, and saw her nod her head to encourage us onward. As soon as the gate opened, the three of us moved, coming upon them so fast that they didn't know what hit them. Within seconds, six bodies toppled to the ground, having had their necks broken. That was the method of attack my brothers and I agreed would be the quickest and best way to overcome our human enemies, using our vampiric gifts of stealth, strength, and speed.
Drogo peeked his head in through the opening at the same time as Nicolae reached out with his mind to sense if any other guards were nearby. None of us could sense or smell anyone close, so we ventured on in. Staying in the shadows, invisible under the moonlight, we moved swiftly to the cabin in the center where we knew the dagger was being held. There were a total of six men standing guard outside the door of our destination, holding automatic rifles with flashlights attached to them that would be of no use against us. We each took out two individuals, one right after the other, before they could radio for help. "All right. I will remain out here and stand watch while you two go in and retrieve the dagger. Be swift... And be careful, my brothers," Nicolae encouraged. Walking slowly up to the entrance, Drogo paused and then whispered back to me, "I sense two close by inside." I nodded my head. Just as before, we moved like the wind and broke the necks of the humans. That time, catching their guns in midair before they could drop and land on the floor loudly.
Not sensing anyone else, we proceeded down the hallway, moving cautiously at a slow and steady pace. We could see light coming from within the last enclosed room on the right. The light was faint and flickering through the cracks, so we knew there were candles lit inside the room. Drogo turned his head toward me as we approached and mouthed the word 'one' while lifting his index finger up and then toward the door. I nodded once more, ready for us to take action. Drogo swiftly entered the room and killed the man while I grabbed the door before it banged against the wall from being swung open inhumanly fast. We both paused for a moment to look around the room. Crosses were hung on the walls above three altars. Two of the altars stood across from one another on each side of the room. At the far end, in front of us, stood what looked like the main altar. "There it is," I whispered out loud. Drogo walked forward and took the dagger off its wooden display and attached it to his belt underneath his sweater.
"Okay, let's get out of here!" Drogo said. "Not yet, look at these other altars. That one has an arrow on display and this one has a bullet," I said as I picked up the bullet to examine it more closely. "So what? We got what we came for, didn't we? So let's go!" Drogo said eagerly. "No, look at this...," I pointed out to my brother before continuing. "This metal casing has lines cut into it, and so does that arrowhead. These mean something, so I think we should take some back with us to study," I insisted. Drogo took each object, lifting them up and down to weigh in the palm of his hands. Suddenly, we both noticed the bullet and arrowhead he held were hollow, both with some sort of liquid inside. "I think you're right, Peter. These could be new weapons the Templars have come up with to use against the supernatural. The question is, which kind?" "It would explain why they have been more active as of late. The damage these could cause may be dangerous for all of us. It's possible that no one would be safe, if the Templars are not stopped." "I agree," Drogo replied.
I then remembered and informed my brother Lydia mentioned to me once she had heard from Sarah that her cousin, Alex, was studying chemistry in college. Drogo agreed we could have Alex take a look once we all got back to our allied base. He grabbed a handful of each and stuffed them in his pockets, as did I. We both walked out of the room with our pockets full, in case multiple tests would need to be done. We entered the hallway after knocking all the candles over onto the red velvet coverings that were laying upon the altars to catch them on fire. I then shut the door behind me before following Drogo in leaving the place behind. The fire was intended to be a distraction in order to give us time to get away unnoticed. Small amounts of the smoke started to come out from underneath the door, so we knew that was our cue to leave since the flames were spreading fast. The moment I opened the front door to exit, there was a sudden loud crack, like the sound of a gunshot, echoing through the cabin; the source coming from above and behind us. Everything then seemed to move in slow motion around me as I saw Nicolae running toward us with a pained look on his face. In my peripheral vision, I could see Drogo turning around, looking enraged with anger and hatred. While all that I witnessed occurred before my eyes, at the same moment, I felt a sharp pain......