Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
By the time I got back to the bar, Jocko was about to close up. I straddled one of the stools, leaning my elbows on the counter.
“Any luck?” he asked, tossing me a bar rag.
“By the way, Tavah’s friend came to collect Laddy.
Here’s the number of where he’s staying.
It’s like a group home for newly minted vampires, I gather.
He’ll stay there for a day or so, then…well, I don’t know what will happen to him, but Tavah does, if you want to ask her. ”
“Thanks,” I said as I began to clean the counter. “As to any luck—not really,” I said. “I ran into what I’m pretty sure is another one of the rogue’s victims. I had to put him down.” I pressed my lips together.
“I’m sorry,” Jocko said. “This must be hard for you…” He paused, then said, “You know they filled me in on your background when you came over Earthside.”
I shrugged. “I’m sure they gave you a sanitized version of what really happened.
” I stared at the back of the bar, behind the rows of bottles.
It was mirrored, but I could only see the bar rag moving by itself.
I had no reflection to mark that I was really here.
“He was an old homeless man—a veteran living on the streets, drinking to stave off the cold. And probably reality. She turned him and left him in a pile of newspapers, like garbage. Sometimes the callousness of my mother’s world astounds me. ”
Jocko gave a little shrug. “I know, but it’s not any better over in Otherworld.
Look at me. My family disowned me because I didn’t measure up to their standards, literally.
I’m seven-three, and I might have been born a dwarf, for all it mattered.
” He paused, then added, “My kind don’t really like dwarves either.
In fact, giants tend to be pretty intolerant of anybody outside of the race.
My father told me that I’d never belong.
My mother loved me, but she had to obey him, so she couldn’t coddle me.
One time, he left me on a mountaintop, as is the tradition with children who don’t fit their view of perfection. ”
I glanced at him. “He left you on a mountaintop?”
“When I was seven. By then, we grow into what will be our size. If a child’s growth is stunted, it will show by then.
And I was stunted. So, my father took me up one of the mountains in the Nebelvuorian range on a hunting trip.
My mother didn’t realize what he was planning.
He told me to stay there. He left me with one meal and a club.
Then, he turned and left, whistling as he headed back down the slope. ”
“Oh, Jocko,” I said, my heart going out to the big lug. He was truly good-hearted, and it was hard to imagine his family being so callous. “How did you—” I wasn’t sure how to phrase it.
Jocko let out a snort. “How did I survive?”
I nodded.
“One of the Northmen came along—a woman from one of the nearby villages. She found me as I was sitting there crying, afraid. She asked what was wrong, and I told her. Even by that age, I knew that my father wasn’t coming back.
She asked me about my mother, and I told her that my mother loved me.
She guided me back to the edge of my village, then told me to go tell my mother first thing.
” The giant shrugged. “I did, and my mother—oh, she was angry. I heard her launching into my father, but I also knew that I’d better leave home as early as I could.
He’d rather have a dead son than one that didn’t measure up. ”
“Did he try to kill you again?” I asked.
“No, but only because my mother watched over me like a hawk. Finally, when I was fourteen, she sent me to live with her brother, who was half-Northman. He had married a woman from the Northlands, and they lived away from the giants. I finished growing up there, and I joined the OIA when I was eighteen. I never saw either of my parents again. My uncle keeps in touch with me on an occasional basis.”
“I have to admit, you’re right. Otherworld has plenty of problems. My sisters and I have always been considered Windwalkers there because of our mixed bloodlines.
We don’t belong in Lethesanar’s court, and we were always reminded of that.
Though my father loved us—well, in his own way.
It was better before our mother died. He grew cold and distant then, but I know that was his grief.
He resented the fact that my mother refused to take the Elixir of Life.
That might have helped heal her after her fall.
And then…once I was turned, he treated me like… ”
“Like you shouldn’t exist?” Jocko asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. Definitely a touchy subject. But my sisters accept me, and…I guess they’ve been helping me accept myself.” I hopped off the stool. “I think I’ll head home if you don’t need me.”
“Go on. I’ll see you in a couple of days. Take the next day or two off to see what you can find out about the rogue vamp. As your unofficial OIA supervisor, I’m giving you the leeway to investigate.” Jocko waved as I headed for the door, and I realized that he and I had a lot in common.
As I headed home, I hoped that my sisters would be up.
Chances were, they’d be asleep, but I might wake them to discuss this new problem.
When we first came over, we had envisioned that we’d have a carefree holiday here for a couple of years until Lathe was either promoted or fired, and then we might be able to go back home.
But in the past couple of months, we’d had several disturbing things happen that told me we might be in for more than we expected.
I sped through the night, slowing down when I got to the turnoff to our house.
We were in the Belles-Faire district of Seattle, which was more rural than most of the suburbs.
Our house was perfect for us, on five acres with a pond that we liked to walk down to.
It was quiet, and a nice reprieve when the noise and the lights of the city overwhelmed us.
And it still did overwhelm us at times. Camille and I were adapting better than Delilah, though.
I pulled into the circular driveway in front of the three-story Victorian we called home, wondering what was coming next for us. Would we just while away the days until we knew more about our future? I hopped out of the Jag as a particularly strong gust of wind blew by, sending my braids swirling.
As I took the stairs two at a time, the wind chimes chimed frantically, and I stopped to take them down.
According to Chase, the autumn storms here could be nasty, and I didn’t want them damaged.
We had brought them with us from Otherworld, and they were one of our mementos from home.
They had been our mother’s. Camille swiped them when we left.
I unlocked the door and entered the foyer.
The living room light was on, and I peeked in.
Camille was sitting there with Delilah. Delilah was watching her talk show.
I could not understand the appeal, but she loved everything about some guy named Jerry Springer and the raucous guests he interviewed.
Camille was reading a book. They looked up as I entered the living room.
I set the chimes down on the console table. “I didn’t want these damaged. The winds are picking up,” I said.
“Thanks.” Camille flashed me a smile. “So, Chase called me. He told me about the rogue vamp. He said he was worried you might go off and get yourself hurt.”
I snorted. “Chase was worried about me?” But inside, I felt a little spark. He really was a good sport, given how I did my best to get a rise out of him.
“Yes, you. He’s still new to the world of vampires, remember. He didn’t realize that you’re as strong as you are. So…Laddy?”
I nodded. “Laddy. I feel so bad for him. Just about anybody else is better suited to being turned than he is. I dread seeing the outcome of this. I’m afraid he might...”
“Walk into the sun?” Delilah asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “I don’t know if he can live with himself.
It’s not easy learning to become a predator.
That’s what vamps are, you know.” I sat on the floor, crossed my legs, and began to hover up so I was floating about three feet off the floor.
It was actually more comfortable than any sofa I’d ever sat on.
“What are you going to do next?” Camille asked. “We can’t let a rogue vamp run loose.”
“Well, first thing, I should probably let whoever’s in charge of the local vampire community know.
I know the Court of the Crimson Veil—the vampire nation’s governing council over here Earthside—has rules about rogues.
I need to find out who to talk to, I guess.
Maybe Tavah knows.” I frowned. “I just wish it hadn’t been Laddy, you know? ”
Camille sighed and marked her book, then set it aside.
“Yeah, I get it.” She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she leaned back against the sofa.
“Speaking of uncomfortable subjects, we’re up because Father wanted us to call him through the Whispering Mirror.
All of us.” She rolled her eyes. “So, let’s get up to my study and get this over with. ”
I grimaced. “I don’t want to talk to him.”
“Neither do I,” she said. “But he’s our father, and we owe him our allegiance, so hop to it. Come on, Delilah. You, too.”
“But my show’s not—” Delilah let out a huff. “All right. Let’s go.”
We headed up to Camille’s study where the Whispering Mirror was and gathered around it.
Camille sat in front of it, and Delilah joined her.
I dragged a chair over and sat down next to them, but since I couldn’t be seen in the mirror anyway, it didn’t matter whether I was standing at attention or not.
Camille activated the mirror with her voice. “Camille,” she said, then gave her code. After a moment, the fog in the mirror began to part, and the image of the living room we grew up in appeared. And there was our father, sitting in front of the mirror on his side.
Our father was definitely a handsome man—he had Camille’s long black hair and her eyes, and a refined, official air.
He was true to the Guard Des’Estar through and through.
He’d brought us up to be his little soldier girls, Camille most of all.
He’d been hardest on her, expecting the most out of her, and she still had the emotional scars from it.
He scanned their faces, then asked, “Is Menolly with you?”
“I’m here,” I said, because he wouldn’t believe them if I didn’t answer.
They’d both covered for me more than once, and he had been swift to make his displeasure known.
Even though he treated me like garbage since I’d been turned, he still wanted my respect and obedience.
I only showed up at these calls to keep him from ragging on Camille’s back.
“Yes, well. I have some news for you, and I thought we might as well make this our monthly check-in,” he said. Sephreh was good at hiding his feelings, so whether the news was good or ill, it was impossible to tell.
“What’s up?” Camille asked.
He gave her a long look for a moment. “You’re adapting to being Earthside, I see.
” Then, with a blink, he said, “What’s up…
is that your great-aunt Lerian was murdered by a pack of bandits.
What’s up is that she left you each a small legacy—nothing major, but a memory of her.
Camille, she left you an amethyst necklace.
Delilah, she left you an emerald ring. And Menolly, she left you a ruby brooch.
I’ll send them over with a courier in a few days. ”
Camille cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, Father.”
I knew full-well that he hadn’t been close to his aunt Lerian. He seldom spoke of her, and I doubted whether he’d seen her in decades. But it was proper etiquette to honor the dead, and so he would, and he would demand that we did.
“Yes, well…I thought you should know.” He fell silent again, then said, “Tell me what you’ve been doing. How goes the assignment?”
Camille took the reins of the conversation, and she managed to shut it down less than twenty minutes later. But I couldn’t help but notice that he actually seemed relieved to say goodbye.
As the fog in the mirror returned, Camille stretched and yawned. “Well, that’s that for a month, barring any untoward events. I need to go to bed. Delilah?”
She nodded. “Me too.” After a pause, she added, “Camille, you know he loves you. He just…”
“I disappoint him at every turn,” Camille said.
“Don’t apologize for him. And he barely even acknowledges Menolly’s existence.
But yeah, he’s our father and do my best to give him the respect he wants.
But I’m not feeling particularly good about it.
” She turned to me. “I wish we could stay up later and talk, but…”
“Well, Jocko gave me the next couple of nights off to look for the rogue vamp, so maybe we can do something tomorrow night,” I said, giving her a hug.
For the longest time—at least several years—I hadn’t been able to touch her or Kitten.
Being so close to their necks, the pulse of their blood, had been too hard.
But now I could hug them. Now, I could be close to them without feeling the hunger rise.
“Let’s go dancing,” Camille said. “There are a couple of clubs I’d like to check out.”
“Sounds good,” I said. We all liked dancing, and it was a way to get out excess energy. And I could drop in at the bar and ask Tavah about whom to contact about Laddy and the rogue vamp.
I returned downstairs and decided to spend the evening online looking for reports about missing people.
Often newly turned vampires were reported as missing, because there were no bodies to find.
Pulling a bottle of blood from the fridge, I warmed it up in the microwave for a few seconds to normal body warmth, then settled down with the laptop.
Outside, the storm began to rage, branches clattering against the roof.