Hi!
The next chapter, finally. Since this has been a long wait, I'll keep things short. Please comment and vote! :)
Lara
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Chapter 3
Paranoia was me. I kept glancing behind me as I walked the last two blocks to the Circle's headquarters. There were shadows behind side-alleys and dustbins, and they were stretching and elongating behind my back. It was the same each time: Once I turned and actually looked, they were gone.
Two days had passed and still no sign of the vampire that killed Maria. Two days of living in self-delusion and denial. I kept ignoring the voice inside my head that insisted it was all my fault, pretending I could keep things together and function. Like I didn't see her lying there in that street every time I shut my eyes.
I shook my head. Pull yourself together, Anna. Focus.
I could do this, and, no, the vampire wasn't going to attack me out here on the streets, not with so many witnesses. I was surrounded by people rushing, pushing, and hurrying past each other. It was almost as if the Revelation never happened. The Revelation triggered off the fastest-paced exodus New York had ever seen. Not that I was sure the city had ever seen an outflow of people before.
It was a phenomenon throughout the United States, and it all started with that one autumn night three years ago when the existence of vampires was made public. Believing that rural life provided some sort of protection from supernatural things that went bump in the night, formerly die-hard city slickers packed their bags and left for good. New York wasn't dead by far, and the situation had begun to reverse with all the vampire junkies coming in, but the city wasn't full of that bustling growth anymore. Gone were the traces of that urban overcrowding we silently witnessed during the last two decades. Gone the endless traffic jams. The behemoth of steam and fog, and the honking of cabs as they snaked their way through the streets – it died a long time ago. These days cab drivers only honked like mad if they saw a real old vamp crossing the street in fast mo.
I rounded the corner and looked up. Who would have believed that the Circle would establish its headquarters in the middle of the Financial District of New York City of all places? Most New Yorkers believed it was an office building of Spira, a computer software company and a corporation trading in the stock market.
The skyscraper looked just like any other. It was an architectural John Doe among the modern castles of the city's financial aristocracy. Maybe it wasn't as imposing, or as high as the others in this area, but apart from that it was blatantly ordinary. As if. It was all but that. The whole building was magically secured and warded with some of the nastiest spells I'd ever seen.
Brown called me in, and I had no idea why. I already gave them my description, repeated everything that happened in minute detail. And what had the Force done? Diddly squat. They had no idea why Maria was killed, less who the vampire was that ripped her throat out. I was the sole witness. The punch line? It probably made me into the one person that had a killer vampire gunning for her.
I approached the swing door at the entrance and greeted the guard absently. Intuition had me pegging him for a shape shifter. Many security-related jobs were in furry hands, metaphorically spoken, but I wasn't quite sure with this one. I kept on walking. Using second sight to probe into his aura's nature was beyond my dignity.
I moved through the marbled hallway right up to the front desk. I found Debbie as I'd left her: perfect make-up, perfect smile. The familiar sight of blond hair in a tight bun and a face covered with too many layers of make-up made me almost feel at home. With me being in Italy doing my research for the Circle, it had been a long time since I last saw her.
"Hi Debbie!"
She acknowledged my presence with a nod.
"You can go right in, Anna. He's already waiting."
I nodded wordlessly, moved on to the first corridor to the left, and walked past the elevators casually. Pretending was an art I had learned exceptionally well. I was all but at ease. Tension extended probing tendrils and slipped under my skin. I shivered. It was as if I had some sort of premonition that this meeting was important. Maybe it was.
When I finally reached the end of the hallway, I opened the dark wooden door and entered what members of staff often jokingly called the mirror chamber. Two guards, a female and a male witch, were posted opposite each other. Their backs straightened up at the same moment, but relaxed again as soon as they saw me. I guess no one in their right mind would be intimidated by me. I didn't look old enough to evoke respect in people.
The male one shot me an appreciative look, cocking an eyebrow in a suggestive manner.
"Hi Anna, you look good."
The female guard rolled with her eyes, muttering something under her breath. I had no idea how many witches Travis had flirted with that day, but knowing him it had to have been at least two dozen. He was a liberal when it came to courting the other sex. Small, big, blonde – Travis didn't discriminate. All that counted was that it was female.
"Hi Travis," I said with an air of nonchalance I didn't feel.
The female witch turned to me with a semi-blank face that failed to conceal her irritation. "I'm Jenna. We haven't met before, have we?"
"No," I said, coming to a halt before her. "Anna Johnson. Pleased to meet you," I said, extending my arm to shake hands with her. "Will you do it?"
She nodded wordlessly and closed her eyes, arms hanging limply at her sides. I knew what was coming. That didn't mean I had to like it. I shivered slightly when she read my aura. It was not like I could actually feel that she was reading me. It was much more the knowledge that someone was looking into my magic's nature that had my skin sprouting goose bumps.
"All right. You're clean. Which office?" Jenna's voice sounded flat and business-like. It made me wonder how often she had to deliver that one.
"Gustav Brown," I said.
That got Travis' attention. If his eyebrows climbed any higher, they would vanish in the depths of his hairline – for good.
"The top executives, huh?"
Was he mocking me? I raised an eyebrow, daring him to say more. Jenna, meanwhile, frowned.
"You can go now," she said.
I walked up to the portal in the middle of the room. Non-magical folk would have trouble determining the exact purpose of the thing I was marching right into. They would probably think that it was a safety screening device, like those used to annoy the populace in American airports. A lousy machine that beeped its disagreement with metal? Hah! The mirror, as we called it, was anything but that.
No matter how often I went through the mirror, it always felt the same, and I hated it. I set one foot in front of the other until I was within reach. Time slowed down like a motor stuttering and just short of dying. My foot connected with the marble floor and I hit that spot directly under the portal. Next thing I knew was I was already in the middle of free fall. My senses were flooded by a mesmerizing light. It blinded me to the point where I was seeing all sorts of spectral colors. They danced and raged in front of my eyes until they finally merged into an explosion of light.
It took me a while to reassemble my fleshly bricks. Everything felt out of place and tingled in a weird way. Nothing fit. Teleport, they called it. Harassment was a more fitting term, if you asked me. Not that anyone ever did.
I opened my eyes, feeling dizzy. I was standing in the outer office on the uppermost floor of the building.
* * *
Five minutes later the male secretary grudgingly led me to the office door. I was headed to the leader of the State of New York's department of the Circle, the highest law enforcing institution of the magical community. Since I was working for the Circle he was my boss too. Archaic letters demarcated the room as Gustav Brown's – as if anyone would have needed directions from there. I forced my sweaty palms into a fist. Taking a deep breath, I knocked twice.
"Come in, Anna."
I yanked the door open and found Gustav Brown sitting in his office chair casually, hands folded on the desk. He raised his hand and made a gesture to the chair mirroring him.
"Please, take a seat."
Nervousness had me going in briskly and I sat down opposite my boss stiffly. My vision was narrowed and tunneled. I was so preoccupied with myself and the huge clump of dirt that had somehow made it into my stomach that it took far too long for the sensation to register. Somehow I knew that we were not alone.
I closed my eyes, turned that switch that let me see, and felt their presence. I stiffened. Two vampires, lurking in the right corner of the office, and I hadn't even noticed a thing! I simply hadn't! What was wrong with me?
I yanked my eyes open, staring at Brown. "Why are they here?"
I didn't hear them move, but I heard their snarls. Yeah, the vamps detected an insult in that one.
Brown shifted his gaze, looking at something behind my left shoulder. "Would you mind to wait outside for a few minutes?"
I didn't turn around and watch their exit. I was too busy braving my boss' epic stare of disapproval.
"That wasn't necessary, Anna." He paused for an instant and sighed. "I thought you were past that. When will you grow up and see things for what they are?"
I kept staring at him, ignoring the misplaced remark about my age. Besides, it was true. If being an adult meant I had to shake hands with the walking dead and pretend they weren't the monsters, I wasn't doing it.
He didn't avert his eyes, didn't even blink. I sincerely doubted that I could win any kind of match against Gustav Brown, but if this turned into a stare-down contest between the two of us, I wasn't going to look away first. Not this time.
There were small wrinkles around his eyes and mouth – things I usually didn't even notice. Brown was a force of his own. A leader. His light blue eyes were resting on mine with a deliberate calmness that was disturbing. It irked me that he could remain so calm, that nothing seemed to rattle him.
"You won't let this go, am I right?" he said.
There was no need to elaborate. We both knew what he was referring to. I leaned forward and acknowledged defeat, guiding my eyes to my laced fingers.
"I can't, Brown. She was my friend." I finally looked up to meet his stare again. "Just tell me one thing. If you were in my situation, what would you do?"
He let out a long, flat sigh and leaned back slowly, crossing his legs in front of him. I frowned. He wasn't going to rant and read the riot act?
Brown nodded. The motion was so slight, for a moment I believed I imagined it.
"All right. You said that Maria tracked down at least one dealer that was working for a vampire. Your information was not only incomplete, it was inaccurate, Anna. Care to give me information on the identity of your secret informant?"
I shook my head. "My informant only agreed to share information on condition of absolute anonymity. You know that."
I didn't expect him to take that on face value, but when I didn't give any other sort of reaction or response, he continued.
"As to the question whether there is a connection to this mysterious – presumably higher ranking – vampire you suspect as the one behind Maria's murder: I talked to Markson."
The name rang a bell, multiple ones, in fact. Dean Markson was the head of the border control department. Its force consisted mainly of shape shifters who were assigned to monitor all transgressions of higher ranking vampires as well as powerful members of the magical community. A happy side effect was that rogue vampires or rogues of our kind, so called dark witches, were prevented from moving freely through the country.
"He assured me that the border control of both areas has been on high alert for the last two months," Brown said. "There haven't been any transgressions of powerful vampires at all."
How was that possible? I was so sure that the dealer was the link to this vampire Jonah mentioned – who by the way could be Maria's murderer himself. Not that we had any luck in identifying him so far.
"Still, you may be right," Brown said. "You said one of your informants said the suspected drug-dealer would leave for an important event next week."
I tensed. What was he getting at?
"There's going to be a Vampire League Council meeting in about a week – in Philadelphia," Brown said.
There was some kind of big thing goin on somewhere in Philadelphia. Jonah's words echoed in my mind dully. This was it! We had something coming close to a proof that the dealer and subsequently also the undead he was working for were connected to Maria's death.
"It's possible that one of the vampires attending the Council meeting is the one we are looking for. In fact this is consistent with theories I've been entertaining for some time now – theories about the source of the new rise in drug trafficking. This is probably one of the most lethal drugs we've ever seen and we need to figure out who is selling it. We were unable to define the drug's components fully, so at first we believed dark magic was involved. However, we found no evidence of it. All the traditional investigative leads have been exhausted. Whoever is dealing out this drug is organized and has a lot of influence. If a powerful master vampire from outside has entered the drug trafficking in New York, the conference is our best shot at detecting and exposing him."
I stared at him, brimming with the need for action. "Okay, so how are we going to-"
The weight of his gaze made me stop short.
"You know that this is CF business. Technically speaking, you're not even authorized to be part of the investigation. You were one of the best in magical combat when you finished your education, and the Circle is well aware of that, but you were not trained to be a member of the Force. You've been working in academic research for about two years now. You're involved in this case, Anna – personally and emotionally. Moreover, this investigation will focus on a certain circle of vampires that would have to be treated with kid gloves at any price. I'm not sure you could handle that. We both know how you react to their mere presence."
"I'm aware of that. But," I lowered my voice. I didn't have it in me to do more than whisper. "I watched her die. I was there."
I shook my head, brushed trembling fingers through my hair. "I can't just let this go." I blinked away the last shards of doubt and stared into his eyes. All cards on the table. "I'm personally involved, yes, but you won't find anyone else as willing to do what I'm offering. I'll do whatever it takes to clear this up and catch the one that did this to her. I'll do it with or without you. It's up to you."
It was almost imperceptible, but I saw it: a crack in his composure. For a second Brown's eyes widened ever so slightly.
"The matter is complicated," he said in a low voice. The composure was back. Brown sounded and looked like his old self, the strong leader that couldn't be rattled by anyone and anything.
"I planned to send someone of the Force, but there are not many powerful witches whose faces are not already familiar to some of the vampires. One or the other attendee would in all likelihood recognize them." He paused. "We need a new, unspent face. Someone they don't know."
"I keep hearing you say we. Somehow this feels like you're not only talking about the Circle. We? Meaning who?" I narrowed my eyes, thinking about the two vamps I failed to notice minutes ago. Of course.
"Since when exactly does the Circle call in vampiric experts for their cases?"
It was a wild guess. That the Circle would even consider cooperating with vampires sounded slightly surreal to my ears. Not if it was an undercover mission.
Brown looked at me for a long moment.
"It's much more complex than you can imagine. There are those among the vampires who agree that we can't draw attention to the problems the American society still has with co-existence. This meeting will be one of the most important ones since the peace treaty was signed. Four out of the five highest ranking master vampires will be attending the conference– among them Alexander and Heron. You know what that means."
I nodded. No child's birthday party, then. The big boys are coming out to play.
I felt the oncoming grimace and schooled my face into neutrality. Oblivious to my own musings, Brown probably missed the resignation in my voice.
"Why don't you quit beating around the bush and tell me already? Is there something I can do? Will you let me help or not?"
Brown sighed. "Fine. I don't like it, but in fact I do need someone to work together with one of the members of the Vampire League. There's no other way to enter the council meeting."
He said it. He would send me on a CF mission. That he only did so because he had no other 'unspent faces' didn't matter to me at that moment.
"The Vampire League has one of the highest security networks we know of. The security apparatus they are maintaining makes the Secret Service look like rookies. In addition to that, the place will be crawling with vampires powerful enough to penetrate human minds without a conscious thought. No one – and when I say no one I mean it – will able to enter the conference without them knowing."
Damned powerful, paranoid, and sociopathic. What else was new?
"So, how will I get in?"
"You'll have to act like a human being."
I stared at him. My witty repartee died inside my mouth. The effective nonchalance I had made use of before made way for open confusion.
Human being?
"The task requires a witch of the air lineage, and the vampire who will bring you into the meeting did only agree to, well, to our deal, under the condition that it would be one of our best – a witch with extraordinary powers. A witch that can hide her magical heritage perfectly and make her aura look like the one of a human. As it is, you're the most powerful one at hand."
Brown openly called me a powerful witch after practically telling me I was a brat. I stared at him, not sure whether I was offended or puzzled. Maybe both.
Wait a second.
A feeling of unease drifted into me. Didn't he say something about me having to pose as a human being? But that would mean...
No. Impossible.
"And where does working together with a member of the Vampire League come in here?"
Brown shifted his position and leaned back in his chair. "You will have to act as his human servant to be able to get inside. There would be no way to go in undetected without using magic, and as you know very well, old vampires can sense magic within a certain radius – even the tiniest spark. Your task will simply be observing."
Me? A human servant? That was going to be a major problem. Impossible.
"Are you listening to me, Anna?"
I nodded wordlessly. From the look of Brown's eyes he didn't buy it.
"Are you willing to do this no matter what happens? Can you do this? Because if not-"
Visions of me kneeling in that dark alley knifed into me. I remembered the feel of blood under my hands. And I remembered the promise I made. To her. To myself.
"I can. And I will," I said.
After a heavily charged moment of silence he continued. "Remember, our primary objective is to uncover the identity of whoever entered the drug business. It may also lead us to the vampire responsible for Maria's death. I want to know which master vampires or vampires attending the conference could have an interest in the new drug branch and why. I need information. Only information. Everything else will be dealt with later. If you agree to this you can't step out of line, Anna."
"Right, I get it," I said, pretending my hands weren't sweaty. I swallowed. "So, who's this vampire I'm supposed to work with?"
For the first time since I entered the office I had a feeling that his light blue eyes were avoiding mine. As if he couldn't stand looking at me. Which was totally out of character. Brown didn't avoid. He faced things I wouldn't even dream of looking at for a second. I swallowed. Who could it possibly be?
"Alexander."
He said it as if he was talking about the milkman, or that person next door. Like, 'Hey, did you see Peter?' Or, 'Joe will be coming over.' As if you could say the name without even thinking about him.
I had heard of him. Everybody had. You lived in this city, you knew his name and who he was. And if you were smart, you listened to that voice inside your head that told you to stay clear of him. If you didn't, you were either stupid or out of touch with reality.
I was going to have to cooperate with a vampire that was rumored to be one of the most powerful of the undead in America.
I swallowed, fighting the urge to walk out on Brown and drop out of this undercover mission. If I was smart I would have. But somehow it felt like I couldn't afford that.