Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
After breakfast, Brent and Travis holed up in the apartment at St. Dismas to make calls. Travis checked in with the loose network of people with minor supernatural abilities he called his “Night Vigil,” and Brent called allies they had worked with on previous cases.
“Cassidy,” Brent said when he rang Deadly Curiosities and its owner, Cassidy Kincaide answered. “Do you have a minute? Got a potentially world-ending question for you.”
“Hello to you, too,” Cassidy replied, not sounding perturbed at the apocalyptic potential. “What’s up?”
Cassidy’s antique and curio shop had been in her family for generations, and like her ancestors, her psychometry gave her the ability to read the history and magic of objects by touching them.
She and her friends in Charleston, SC, protected the city from supernatural attacks and lent their expertise to other hunters and witches, including consulting on magic and lore.
“Has Sorren heard anything about a vampire conspiracy?” Brent asked. Sorren, a nearly 600-year-old vampire, was Cassidy’s business partner and used his unique abilities as a guardian protecting mortals.
She chuckled. “You know they don’t all know each other, right? I don’t think there’s an actual ‘vampire network.’”
“Or maybe there is, and they just don’t tell mortals about it,” Brent joked.
“Could be. Stranger things have happened,” she agreed.
Brent brought her up to speed on the attacks against hunters, the souped-up supernatural events, and their encounter with the vampire the night before.
“None of that sounds good,” Cassidy agreed.
“Sorren doesn’t do daylight, so he’s not here now.
But if you give me the details, I can call him when he wakes up tonight and see what he’s heard.
Given how long he’s been around, he’s got a pretty impressive network of contacts.
But I don’t know how many of them are actually other vampires. ”
Brent knew that not all vampires or werewolves were automatically evil, and that many supernatural creatures remained wary of others for a variety of reasons.
“Have there been rumors about any organizations trying to recruit vampires? Especially groups with Church connections?” Brent asked.
“Gonna have to give me more to go on than that,” Cassidy said. “Who do you suspect?”
Travis looked up as Brent laid out their suspicions that the attack could have been connected to the Sinistram and their theories on why. Although Travis had long-ago cut ties, Brent could see sadness and regret in the other man’s face.
“Wow. That’s quite a conspiracy theory,” Cassidy replied. “Travis used to be with them, didn’t he?”
“Yes, and the parting wasn’t friendly,” Brent answered.
“But this isn’t the kind of thing he could ask even if he was still a member in good standing.
If there’s some sort of alliance between the Sinistram and vampires, it’s a big deal.
Like, it goes against their sworn mission, and they’re the Left Hand of the Holy Father. ”
“I know the Vatican has had its complicated politics over the centuries, but having the Pope collaborate with vampires would be a doozie,” Cassidy said.
“That’s putting it mildly,” Brent responded.
“We might be entirely off-base. It could totally be someone else. And it could be a splinter group within the Sinistram and not officially sanctioned. When we first considered it, we thought it was preposterous. Then we thought about it and realized it might not be as crazy as it seems.”
“I’ll ask Sorren,” Cassidy promised. “And I’ll check to see what any of our other contacts might have heard. Father Anne isn’t Roman Catholic, but she knows a lot of clergy who are involved in the supernatural side of things.”
“Last question,” Brent said. “Have you heard more than usual about omens and augurs for the ‘end of time’?”
Cassidy chuckled without humor. “There’s always someone ready to lead the faithful up a mountain and wait for the apocalypse.
Don’t know why people still fall for it, but they do.
I don’t imagine that the recent black moon, lunar eclipse, and falling stars have helped.
To people looking for signs, those all count.
Even though they happen every year, and we’re all still here. ”
“Travis says that the apocalypse is part of Sinistram lore. I’m just trying to rule out any connection.”
“If I hear anything about that, I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you.” Brent felt a little of the weight lift from his heart. Knowing they had powerful allies helped a lot. “Anything you find out will help.”
He ended the call and looked at Travis. “It’s a start. Get anywhere with your Night Vigil people?”
“I left messages or texts,” Travis replied.
“Like Sorren, a lot of them aren’t daytime folks.
The whole point of creating the network was to tap into what people with supernatural skills who weren't necessarily high-ranking or in charge of anything might know or hear. Your average shifter or witch on the street, so to speak.”
Brent knew that at least a couple of the Night Vigil folks included young vampires and werewolves who were turned against their will and had sworn not to prey on humans. To survive, they banded together in loose-knit found families, where they were likely to hear gossip.
“I don’t want to make them targets,” Travis repeated. “I’m not asking anyone to go poking their noses into things. But what might seem like a random comment to them could end up meaning a lot more to us. It’s worth a shot.”
“I thought I’d see what Chiara Hamilton knows.” Brent named another friend who was a source for supernatural intel. “She’s usually plugged in.”
“I’m going to check with some of the witches,” Travis replied. “It’s a long shot, but if there’s a disturbance in the energies, they’ll know.”
Both men refilled their coffee and settled at the table. Brent called Chiara while Travis dialed the first of their witch friends.
“Hiya, Brent. To what world-ending situation can I attribute this?” Chiara greeted him. She lived north of Pittsburgh and usually worked with Mark Wojcik, but they had handled cases together and stayed in touch.
“Just wondering if you’ve heard of any supernatural conspiracies lately.”
“Conspiracies?” she repeated. “You mean like Bigfoot working with UFOs?”
“Not exactly.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Groups teaming up that don’t usually work together,” Brent replied.
“Is this one of those things where if you give me more information, you’d have to kill me?” Chiara joked.
“Not exactly, but we don’t want to put you in danger.”
“That ship sailed a long time ago. I’m a big girl, and I know how to defend myself. Tell me what you need.”
Brent gave her the basics, and she listened closely, remaining silent for a moment when he finished.
“There have been rumors of religious groups collaborating with vampires for a long time,” she said finally. “I’m surprised Travis hasn’t heard about them.”
“I’ve heard of some,” Travis chimed in. “But nothing recent or quite like what might be happening.”
“Hmm,” Chiara said, and Brent imagined her reaching for one of her research books.
“Sometimes it was a local truce—don’t eat our parishioners and we won’t stake you.
In other cases, there were mayors, governors, even a king or two who tried to recruit powerful vampires as bodyguards or partners in crime.
It’s usually offering protection in exchange for keeping other immortal threats at bay.
Vampires don’t need us to amass wealth, but they don’t survive long when they try to wield direct power.
The whole power-behind-the-throne angle has an appeal.
“As far as taking over a religious organization, there would be obstacles,” Chiara speculated. “Not sure how they’d get around actually handling the sacred items like relics and holy water or holding mass. Those are deal-breakers for vamps.”
She paused. “I’ve also heard that some of the ‘doomsday prepper’ folks have approached vampires about turning them if the apocalypse happens. I’m not sure why anyone would want to survive that, let alone become unable to die, but those folks don’t usually make a lot of sense.”
“Thank you,” Brent agreed. “If you hear anything else, give me a call. And watch your back.”
“Will do,” she promised.
Brent ended the call and turned to Travis. “Do you think the upper echelon at the Sinistram would collaborate with vampires? And if they’ve been preparing for the world to end, would that change their game plan?”
“I took orders from them, but I was just one of their soldiers,” Travis replied.
“I wasn’t privy to their secrets, and I didn’t know the elders at all.
Everyone in the organization was a priest, at least at one time.
I guess it’s possible that some were turned later and could avoid the sacred functions as part of management. It never occurred to me to wonder.”
“Still a long shot,” Brent cautioned. “And it doesn’t explain how individual vampires could get away with not being caught. Could they handle holy stuff if they wore special gloves? They’d almost have to…” his voice drifted off as the enormity and horror of the possibility hit him.
“Take over the whole thing? Purge the regular humans and replace them with vampires?” Travis looked shell-shocked. “Yeah, I thought about that, too. Sounds crazy, but so do a lot of things that end up being true.”
Travis and Brent took their dinner in Travis’s apartment, and then Travis excused himself to make the rounds with Jon. He needed to check in with Matthew about clinic utilization, meet new residents, and spend a few minutes chatting with any of the halfway house folks who wanted his attention.