Chapter 9: The Covens of New York

Traveling vampire style was incredibly fun. Once we made it back to the city, they took me underground into the ancient and mostly unused sewers, an excellent hunting ground that was always available to any vampire in need - if one could stand the smell of human waste and the aftertaste of an alcoholic's blood. Then, they showed me their normal mode of night travel, what they called roof-running. We ran so fast that we almost flew over the tops of buildings, running and jumping freely, sure that no one would see us on a cold spring night. It was exhilarating to finally use all my strength. I was laughing at the sheer joy of the freedom when we came to my street.

"Thank you for everything," I said with feeling. I was so happy to have friends like me, even if we weren't quite friends and they weren't quite like me.

"You are the strangest thing I have met in all my years, Alice," said Paul, "but I am very glad we met you. I have a good feeling about you." With that, they were all gone.

I quickly scaled up the side of the brownstone and found the window that I had seen. Yep, open and moveable, though I would need to get some oil. When I entered my room, I didn't feel the sense of home that I had felt earlier that day. It was familiar and warm, and all mine, but I could suddenly sense the temporary nature of it.

Edwina and Myrtle, my friends, would be dead within a few short years. I would only be able to be around Herbert for maybe five years total before my agelessness would become apparent. This home was utterly temporary. Once again, my unchanging nature had become a burden rather than a blessing. The idea of having to move constantly made me ache for a permanent family, a coven of my own. Paul's coven was full, I could sense that, and I knew I could never be with those who lived on human blood. The memory of the three laughing vampires who hunted animals in the forest filled my head. They were supposed to be my coven, my family. How would I ever find them if the visions didn't cooperate?

As with each time I thought of the family, my mind moved on to the tall vampire who held my life in his unnamed hands. I held my chest as I thought about him. His memory made me ache in emptiness. I knew that I could never be a part of anything until he was a part of me, and I had no idea when or where that would happen. How could I be so entirely drawn to a man whose face I could barely see and whose name I didn't even know yet?

I sat on my bed, with my knees to my chest, trying to fill the void that now seemed to take over my dead heart. It was ridiculous for me to feel like this! I had just met four very nice vampires - well, as nice as vampires can be - and here I was acting like a child and feeling totally alone in the huge and crowded city. I sighed in frustration and willed myself out of the self-created slump I had sunk into as I waited for morning. Finally, I heard the sisters in the house below, and went to go join them.

"Did you meet anyone?" Myrtle demanded. She was nearly trembling with excitement. She meant had I met a man. I could see her frailty very clearly today after being around my own indestructible kind most of the night.

"I met four financiers. They showed me the city and talked about their take on the market," I told them. Myrtle's face fell, but Edwina's lit up.

"What did you learn?" Edwina was now as excited as Myrtle had been. The market was her game of choice, and she was now raptly interested in what I had learned.

"They play the commodities market, and they are very good at it. The risk is much greater, but the reward is more than triple what we are getting now. I think we should enter it," I said, grateful for the turn of the conversation and the task at hand. I would need to go to Wall Street today, and then take in some shops. I would do anything not to think of the ache still present in my heart. Diversion was a constant necessity for me.

"Let's make a day of it!" Edwina crowed in delight. She always wanted to get out of the house, and Wall Street was her favorite place on earth. It was such a pity for her that women didn't enter the business world, because she would have excelled as a broker.

The day was cloudy and cold, so the sisters didn't stay out too long. We visited several of their favorite shops until late in the afternoon, as they forced me to try on outfit after outfit. They were exhausted by the time we arrived home, and after a quick meal of soup, they retired to the sitting room to listen to the wireless before bed. I was eager to get out of the house and run over the top of the city again. I needed to get out and be a vampire, and I wanted to get a better grasp on the layout of the city. My plans changed as I entered my room and found a note written in Paul's perfect script:

Alice, we will meet to fix the stock market every Monday. You were right about the corn commodities, so we look forward to your suggestions about our next decisions. Bring Herbert; he is a good cover. Friday night we will gather the covens at the Plaza Hotel in the grand ball room. Be there by 7 p.m. and dress for an evening of dance. Paul

A vampire dance? Who in the world plays music for vampires? Do we dine afterwards? I let out a macabre laugh. I was very excited. A formal dance would require a formal dress, and that meant more shopping, or using my own talents as a seamstress. Yes, I would make it myself so that it fit perfectly. And so that I could show Annett what I could do.

That night, I went back to the dress shop, using the roofs again, and began working at full pace. I already had several flappers, so now I needed something truly formal, modern and elegant. I sifted through the shop's idea book and settled on a straight-line dress with an uneven multi-tiered skirt of toile. I would raise the neckline, which plunged to the waist, but the rest was perfect. I chose a lovely lilac color because it offset my eyes and hair. Two nights later, my stunning creation was done.

I was forced to take the frustratingly slow subway to the dance because it was raining now that spring was here. I could run on the roofs with no damage done, but the dress would suffer a horrid fate if I got it wet, and I simply couldn't let that happen.

The grand ball room at the Plaza was incredibly beautiful and full of rich fabrics, deep woods and crystal chandeliers. A small jazz band was playing quietly in a distant corner. They were older men who seemed to have every song memorized so that they didn't even have any music scores in front of them as they played. Then, as a song ended, one of them looked up. His eyes were white with cataracts. I realized then that most of them were blind or nearly so. Each man had a cane by his chair. No wonder they could play for a room full of vampires.

The sheer beauty and perfection of the vampires gathered here was breathtaking. This could have been a dance on Mount Olympus with gods and goddesses. The few dancers moved with such grace and elegance that they seemed to float over the floor and never touch it. The others stood like perfect statues.

Suddenly, the whole pantheon stiffened and turned towards me. I froze as my instincts told me to ready for a fight, but then a familiar voice called to me. Annette, in the most beautiful burgundy ball gown I have ever seen, twirled her way over so perfectly that, next to her, a prima ballerina would look like a hippo.

"My dear, don't be afraid. Come in, come in," she purred. "Everyone, this is the lovely Alice. You see, her eyes are not so strange after all."

My eyes? Great. They think my eyes are strange.

Indeed, every scarlet eye in the room was looking me full in the face and many of them had begun to wander closer to get a better look. I felt like a circus freak on display. I smiled as broadly as I could, and said a little too loudly, "Hello everyone. It's a pleasure to finally meet you all."

The words acted like a floodgate, and suddenly the gods and goddesses descended upon me, smiling and introducing themselves so quickly that even my lightening fast mind had trouble keeping up. Mai-Li and her mate Chi-Yang were from Chinatown; Brittany and Michael, who both looked all of fifteen, were from Long Island; Ingrid, Gerta, and Stephan from Queens; Paolo and Maria from Brooklyn; Hugh and Katherine, from Manhattan; and Ivan, Vasily, and Lena also from Manhattan. These were the covens, nineteen vampires in all. Then there was George, a nomad who had been living here for five years, Antoinette who was a permanent resident, and me. Twenty-two. I couldn't believe it, I had never been so close to so many of my own kind, and, as frightened as I was, I was happier than I had ever been. The holes in my life were still there, but they were diminished somewhat by the company around me.

All at once, a swanky jazz piece started to play, and the whole room erupted into dancing. I was asked by several of the males to dance, and I did a fairly good job of keeping up with them. I learned the dance very quickly, so my mistakes were easy to hide, but I would need to ask Annette to help me with the dance moves after this. I did not want to be known as the clumsy vampire.

The party spirit lasted until early in the morning, and I just took it all in astounded wonder. Then, the music ended, the musicians left, and the whole group formed a statuesque circle to discuss the matters of the covens.

Paul was indeed the leader over them all. He never forced his will on anyone, but when he made a final comment, no one ever argued. There was a dizzying array of topics to discuss. First was a reminder of the summer rules for hunting, then a quarrel had to be settled about boundary rights in the city proper, and then there was an endless discussion of how to handle issues with the organized crime in the city. The mob was getting violent again, and Gregorio was assigned a few assassinations for which he was nearly gleeful.

Then, it was time for Paul to introduce me.

"As you know, we have a new addition to our community. Alice is from the South, and does not remember her past or creator, and yet she has made a tremendous life for herself without instruction or guidance. As you can see from her eyes, she has an unusual, and unappetizing habit - she hunts animals rather than humans - and so her addition will not alter our eating patterns at all." The entire assembly chuckled and nodded at the last statement. "Alice, please tell us about yourself."

"Well, umm...," I wasn't prepared for this. "As far as I know, I am six and a half years old because I don't know when or where I was born. I remember waking up in the South and have been a semi-nomad ever since. At the age of three, I took a job from an old couple as a seamstress and am quite skilled at it - I even made this dress." The ladies all murmured their approval at this, and I immediately felt much better about the night. "After the death of her husband, I moved to New York with Myrtle and have taken up the stock market as an avocation." Now the men were also impressed. "I am so very glad to meet you all," a hearty round of applause greeted my final statement.

"Since you are not interested in our herd lands," said Chi-Yang, "you are most welcome here." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Vell," began the massive and heavily accented Ivan, "since da subject of da herd has come up, ve may have a problem vit a hungry vanderer, a newborn, or a small coven." Every one of the still statues seemed to stiffen with this news.

"What have you heard?" asked Paul.

"Da news is from da shanty towns by da vaterfront. Da immigrants dare are getting restless and fearful because several have come up missing dis past veek. Unless one of us is getting greedy, dare is only one cause of such disappearances - someone new is moving in."

There was a low intake of air, and someone hissed.

"Has anyone noticed anything unusual in their own area?" asked a businesslike Paul.

"Chinatown is also growing restless over some unusual disappearances, but these may be different. Our young men often leave during the summer to find work, and six or seven families have not heard back from their sons. We will look into the issue with more scrutiny and let you know what we find," answered Chi-yang.

"Who is willing to look into the dock disappearances?" asked Paul.

Marianne spoke up. "Perhaps I and Alice should go. You speak Spanish now, right Alice?" I nodded. "Her eyes don't give her away to the superstitious ones like ours do. I can take her and let her ask the questions." There was a murmur of approval from everyone around.

"Good. Then we are done, again, thank you everyone," and with that, my very first vampire ball was done.

xxXXooXXxx

Marianne and I decided to go to the docks at twilight the next day, when the workers were returning home and we were less conspicuous. It took a while to find the Spanish speaking section amid all the babble present in the makeshift city.

"We should have brought Ivan," she was saying, "several of these families are speaking some type of Eastern European dialect."

"Somehow I don't think that would help," I said as I watched the terror grow on each of the people's faces as we passed. It was almost like they knew what we were, and they were running and hiding from us. Bringing in a huge vampire like Ivan would have caused them to bolt in a panic. "Why are they so much more afraid of us than other people are?"

I looked at Marianne's dark eyes and noted that the red surrounding the iris was almost invisible in the dim light. How could the humans tell in the dark?

"Well, for starters, Eastern Europeans have a vast array of vampire myths that aren't really myths. It is a rather uncivilized area, and those make for good hunting grounds. Eastern Europe is where the Dracula character originated, so it is a part of their culture to look for us. You will find that the less civilized a people are, the more willing they are to accept myths to explain things, and that allows them to see us for what we are. Don't you remember anything from school?"

"I don't remember anything at all."

"Oh, yeah. Remind me to get you a library card tonight. You would enjoy reading about us in some of their books, it's absolutely hilarious - especially the bats."

"Bats?"

"Yes, but wait to read it, I don't want to spoil it for you."

Just then, an old woman, a veritable living gargoyle, stood before us. Her wrinkled and weathered face was both terrified and determined.

"Uh-oh, Gypsy. Just smile and keep walking," hissed Marianne.

The ancient woman watched us circle around her and began following us holding up a bunch of garlic and a handmade wooden crucifix. She was intoning some strange guttural language as she tried to catch up to us.

"What is she doing?" I asked Marianne incredulously. I could not imagine what she thought she was going to do to us with those two items.

"Well, its one of those pesky myth things. Gypsies have a great deal of experience with us, none of it good, so they recognize us quickly. She is trying to curse us with garlic and a cross."

"She thinks vegetables can get rid of us?"

"Yes, garlic is supposed to be poison, and religious icons are supposed to burn us. I told you, the myths are very odd."

"I used to live in a church." No wonder Marianne didn't seem to care that some humans knew about us. They had somehow come to the conclusion that ridiculous things could harm us in some way. It was absurd.

"Shh, she is saying something about a monster coming for them again. Let me listen, my Italian is good, but my Gypsy is bad," and she turned to listen to the woman's rant. As I turned to look at the woman, the humor of the whole situation suddenly struck me, and I laughed. It wasn't very loud, just sort of a snicker, but that undid the woman. Apparently, being laughed at by a vampire was far scarier than being attacked by one. She shrieked and hobbled away as fast as she could.

"Sorry," I giggled through my hand as I covered my mouth, "it's just so funny."

Marianne looked more amused than annoyed, and simply said, "I can't wait to get you those books. You won't believe what humans have come up with. Though, I have to admit, too much garlic can leave a bitter aftertaste," she added as an afterthought.

By the time we found the Spanish speaking section, it was nearly dark. We went from fire to fire stealthily looking for a likely place for me to try to talk to the humans here.

We were undercover vampires: sleuths of the night.

I was obviously reading way too many cheap novels, but, again, the irony of the situation made me giggle. A small family to our right, jerked away from us.

"You're not helping things," growled Marianne.

Finally, we found a fire with several Spanish speaking families around it, and I was able to enter the group with a friendly greeting. Their Spanish was somewhat different from the Puerto Rican I was used to, but I was able to understand them. The group's fear saturated the air as they huddled close to the fire, but they found nothing in my appearance to alarm them.

I knew my fabricated story would sound perfectly legitimate to this group. I quickly told them that I had hired a woman to help at my house and that she had disappeared, and then asked if they knew her. They immediately responded, telling me that they did not know her, but offering to take me around to the other fires. With the topic broached, all I had to do to get the information we needed was to ask if they knew of anyone else that was missing. It was like opening a dam.

"Several of our young people have disappeared. At first, it was the ones who went to work, and we weren't too afraid," said the oldest man in the group, "but now, three people have been taken from their homes in the last two nights. The other groups have lost about the same number," and he waved his hand to the surrounding shanties. "Your woman has probably also been taken, but we don't know by whom. All we have found is a little blood. A ghost or demon Chupacabra is hunting us, and we have no idea of how to stop it. Many of us are leaving this evil city. You need to be careful when you leave, or it will take you too." Several of the mothers pulled their young children closer with his words.

These people were terrified, and my kind was the reason. In fact, Marianne might have fed from these very people a few nights ago. I felt a fresh wave of guilt for being what I was.

"Gracias," was all I could manage to say as we left.

Marianne and I took a circuitous route around the camps as we left. The smell of humans and their waste was so strong here that it was almost, but not quite impossible to make out the scent of vampires. We found three slight but distinct vampire scents that Marianne couldn't recognize.

We left the shanty town and Marianne took me to the library at which she was a patron. She went into the building from the roof as the library was closed by now and quickly found what she was looking for. Soon, I had about ten old and worn books in my arms.

"These are well used," I mentioned as we ran through the dark streets - I wasn't going to do any roof jumping trying to juggle the books.

"They are our favorite books," she said. "We all get such a kick out of them. I will go over the mythical creatures with you so that you will know what is and isn't real."

"There are real mythical creatures out there?" I asked, and then I realized I was one. "Well, I suppose it makes sense, but really, how many mythical beings can this planet hold and the humans be oblivious to?"

"Not all humans are oblivious, just the more advanced ones. They don't even see their own lives clearly enough to know what they love, so they stay oblivious to what they fear, meaning us. Haven't you noticed how they waste the precious life they have been given? If only they knew what a wonderful thing life is, they would make so many different choices." Her voice held a cynical note. I glanced over and she indeed had a frown on her perfect face.

"Is it hard for you, remembering your life from before? I know I'm lucky not to remember the burning, but I always think I've missed something by not knowing my past."

"I think that it is a mixed blessing. I am glad for the few memories that are left, but I miss my life, I miss tasting food and the dream of having a husband to grow old with and children to watch grow. I miss my family," she ended in a whisper. Her face was suddenly clouded with the memories from another life.

"You don't need to tell me about your life before. I didn't mean to pry," I said quickly. Her obvious pain made me sorry I had asked.

"It's good to talk about it," she said with a sad smile. "My life now is good with Gregorio and the coven, but this isn't a life I would have chosen. I was born in Ireland in 1822, and my family came to New York in 1835 when my da' couldn't find work back home." Her voice took on the soft Irish lilt that I had heard her slip into a few times before. "We were all working in the city doing whatever we could to make money and survive, but it was a hard life. My family was close, though, and very strong, and we were happy. I don't really remember much of my early life, but by 1840 I was engaged to marry an Irish metalworker named Peter. On June 24th, I started a new job at a train depot as a telegraph apprentice, and I never made it home. You see, there was a coven war between Paul's coven and an invading Italian one, and I had inadvertently wandered into one of their fights. I was inside the depot office when a huge fire broke out. The fire had been set to force out some of the vampires hiding in the depot, and I was in their way as they fled. One of them took me and ran with me to the tracks where he began to feed. Paul and Michael showed up, and the vampire stopped feeding to fight them. By the time Paul and Michael had killed him and the others, I was changing. They came back to clean up what they thought was a dead body, and brought me back to the city as a new vampire."

"I'm really glad you have such a close coven," I said. I had never really realized the loss she must feel over the life that was taken from her. My infuriating, black pit memory may hold back more pain than I had ever dreamed of.

"I watched my family after the bloodlust of the first year was done, but before I knew it, they had died. I met Gregorio in 1870 when he came from Italy as a liaison to help control the Mafia in the large cities. We were in love the first time we set eyes on each other, and we haven't ever left each other for more than a few days since then," she was smiling now, and her love for him softened her features and lit up her eyes.

"Why is the love mates feel for each other so strong in our kind?" I asked. I held the books closer to my chest to stop the ache. I was feeling the missing part of my heart so very strongly now after her story, and I had to know a little of what it was like to love as a vampire.

"We don't change after we are reborn," she answered. "Only rarely can a vampire change who he is, and one instance is when he finds his mate. When I saw Gregorio, my whole being changed and was molded to fit him, and I can never be away from him without being only half of what I am. The love I have for him has only grown stronger over time.

"Of course, you seem to be able to change yourself much more than the rest of us, so perhaps it will be different for you. Maybe since you didn't know who you were, you get to make it up as you go. I can't even imagine that kind of freedom," she said as she shook her head and looked at my eyes again.

"What were Paul and Gregorio before?"

"Paul was an English officer in the War of 1812. He was ordered to secure the area west of New Orleans, and took a small contingency of troops towards Texas in an attempt to do so. I don't know all the details, but the Southern covens are vicious and he was changed by one of them because of his gift."

"His gift?" I asked, but then I mentally kicked myself. Of course he was gifted in some way. It would take a gift to organize so many covens and keep such a tenuous peace. Why hadn't I realized it earlier?

"He is a natural leader. He makes good decisions, and people simply want to follow him. Like most gifts, it was magnified after he was changed, and now he leads anyone he chooses to. It is because of Paul that New York hasn't seen an internal coven war in almost one hundred years. Couldn't you feel it at the ball? Everyone simply looks to him for leadership."

"I sensed that he was in charge, and I never even questioned why. I guess I've sensed that all along," I admitted, marveling at the subtlety of Paul's gift. Part of my mind began to wonder how many of my recent decisions had been influenced by him.

"What about Gregorio?"

"Gregorio was changed in Milan in 1791," she continued. "He was chosen because he is a very good fighter, and the Mafia was getting out of hand. He has worked controlling organized crime ever since."

We arrived at their home and went inside to wait for Paul's return. I went over to one of the overstuffed settees and began leafing through the books. I chose Mythical Creatures of Europe first because it had some truly wonderful pictures in it.

"So, which ones are real?" I asked, curiosity nipping at my mind.

"Go through the list and I will tell you," answered Marianne, who was sitting cross-legged on a chair and looked like an excited school girl.

"Ogre?"

"Nope. Ogres and Trolls were usually one of us. We like to have some fun between feedings, you know, dress up and jump out to scare a few peasants. Besides, pretending to be an ugly monster had its advantages in Medieval Europe."

"Banshee?"

"Us again - but only us girls. A Banshee is a lovely woman with an ear splitting wail that brings on death. Sound familiar? Valkyries are also female vampires; we get around a lot."

"Gnomes and Leprechauns?"

"Not real, at least I don't think they are. We in the vampire world haven't found them yet."

"Mummies?"

"Yes, they are real, but they don't come back to life. The idea of a dead thing that comes back to life probably originated with a bored vampire who was working as an archaeologist. I personally know of one Egyptologist in England who plays all kinds of jokes on the people he works with. There are many bored vampires, and you would not believe the trouble they cause."

"Zombies?" This wasn't in the book, but I had read a few stories of them.

"Oh, us, of course!" Marianne laughed, "We always go as zombies on Halloween! I love doing that. All we need is some soot and torn clothes, and we can scare humans all across the city. It is so much fun, Alice. You simply must join us next time."

I laughed at the idea of the dead playing the dead. However, I would definitely be joining them.

"Incubus and Succubus?"

Marianne just looked at me with an incredulous look and then rolled her eyes and said, "Think about it."

It only took a second. "No. I can't believe it. Us? But we can't do that, can we? I mean, how would a human survive that?" The idea was both revolting and disgustingly intriguing at the same time.

"Human women don't survive, isn't that part in there? I don't even think it's possible. I mean, how would it not kill a human? However, I do know of several vampires, both male and female, who like to add romance to their meals. It's like a Speakeasy; they get entertainment with their drink."

I just looked at the grotesque pictures and tried to think about what she said. Finally, I simply mumbled, "That's just sick." Marianne nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Dragon?"

"Yes, but they don't exist now."

My mouth dropped open in surprise. "Dragons existed? You're joking."

"So, the mythical creature is refusing to believe in mythical creatures?"

"No, it's not that, I just thought that it was far too strange to be real."

"We aren't the only predators out there. There are some creatures that protect humans, and some just hunt us -"

"Hunt us? Dragons hunted us?"

"Yes, will you please let me finish. There were several types of protectors and hunters. We hunt humans, so it isn't too hard to believe that something hunted us. Why do you think dragons breathed fire? Now, we don't know if they actually ate us or just killed us for fun because no one ever survived to tell, but the very earliest vampires in Europe worked together to kill them off about eighteen hundred years ago. A few lasted through medieval times, but they either died or went into hiding. Gregorio worked for the Volturi, and he knows a lot more than I do about such things. The Volturi believe that some humans can even change forms and become strong enough to kill us. The Griffin is one such changeling that is based on reality. The Volturi swear they killed off the last Griffin in the early twelfth century."

"The Volturi killed off the killers?" Perhaps they weren't so bad after all.

"Oh, yes, the Volturi work very hard to protect us and our way of life. Gregorio was hoping to be chosen as a guard or warrior for the coven, but he wasn't strong enough," she said sadly.

The idea of someone bigger and deadlier than Gregorio was hard to comprehend.

"By the way, werewolves are real too," she said grinning at my shocked face. "They are our worst enemies, but they are nearly all dead by now. The Volturi have made it their goal to eradicate the menace, and Gregorio says there are only one or two left, but they can make more."

"Werewolves. Terrific. How do the humans in our world even survive?"

"Haven't you noticed how fast they breed? One human couple can make ten or more offspring. It is a good thing they breed so fast, otherwise we would all have to start hunting deer," stated Marianne with a scrunched up nose. For her, eating humans to extinction was preferable to a deer.

I decided to read the book in silence, but was interrupted by a quick vision of Brittany knocking on the door followed by the knock itself. Marianne went to the door and I stood to greet her.

Brittany was barely more than an adolescent when she was changed, and the aura of childhood still clung to her features. She was a quiet and calm vampire whose demeanor went well with Annette's exuberant personality. We were fast becoming friends.

"I came by to see Paul," she said in the way of a greeting.

Marianne instantly tensed and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Michael and I were supposed to take Ingrid to the fights tonight, but she wasn't home. You know how much she loves boxing, and she was looking forward to this fight, but her room hasn't been lived in for at least two days. I couldn't even find the dress she was wearing at the ball anywhere. Gerta and Stephan don't know where she is, either, and so now I'm too worried to watch the fight. It's not like her to run off like this."

"I can't believe that someone would be willing to attack one of us openly, but you're right, Ingrid likes her life and loves her coven too much to wander off. This changes things," said Marianne.

"Tonight, we found three distinct scents that neither of us knew," I explained. "Someone new is definitely hunting in New York."

"Not another one!" Brittany sighed heavily and sank into a settee. "I know that Gregorio loves coven wars, but I just can't stand them. What if someone did burn Gerta? What if we have to fight again? I just hate fighting. I always think I might loose Michael," she added miserably.

"So long as we stick together, we should be fine," comforted Marianne, and she sat down by Brittany to put an arm on her shoulder.

Brittany looked at me and gave me a small, mirthless smile. "My creator was destroyed by another coven just two years after I was made. I tried to stop them, but I was young and didn't know how to fight. Wars always bring back those feelings of loss."

"I'm sorry," I stammered. I couldn't know how she felt. My creator left me in the woods.

"It was during the War of the Roses. Such a pretty name for such a horrid war. The covens were so brutal in their fighting." She shook her head at the memory.

"We caused the War of the Roses?"

"Of course," they answered in unison.

"I was Brittania then," she smiled and cocked her head. "I was changed by the coven's leader, an ancient vampire, who said I reminded him of his daughter. He killed my family to get to me."

I just sat there. What could I say to this child who had been born of such sorrow?

"I'm alright now," she said apologetically. "My life is good, and Michael is the most wonderful mate anyone could ask for. I just have lost so much that I don't like wars." She saw the books on the floor, and let out a giggle. "Are you reading these?"

"Yes," I said happily, glad for the distraction, "with the help of Marianne. They are definitely, um, interesting."

"Did you get to the bats?"

"Not yet," laughed Marianne. "But I did take her through the incubus and succubus."

"Oh, I just love those! Lets show her all the ways to keep evil away! She'll die laughing."

oo||oOo||oo

"Your story is similar to what Ivan and Chi-Yang have found as well," said Paul as we sat in the sitting room after we had told him of our night. "Someone is killing humans all over the city, and they seem to have specifically targeted the Mafia, so it must be a well organized coven indeed."

"There was a mob hit on Seventeenth, and it was definitely a vampire murder. Those men were killed either to start a war or to send a message to us. Whoever did it didn't even bother to clean up very well, and he left his scent all over the scene," Gregorio added as he came in the room.

He went right to where Marianne sat and molded himself to her. I had never noticed just how large and impressive he was until now. With the certainty that a coven was moving into the area, I could truly appreciate his formidable presence.

"No one else has seen Ingrid, but Stephan and Gerta are out searching now," added Brittany. We had called all the other covens to report her absence.

"OK, then," sighed Paul, "let's begin training again, and get prepared. We will need to join the search for Ingrid or her ashes tomorrow night." Brittany gasped as he said it.

"I'm sorry Brittany. I don't like it either, but it looks like another vampire war in New York City is inevitable."

I felt a sense of dread sweep through me. They would fight to protect what was theirs, and I would be with them. I tried to see a battle, but too many decisions lay between now and then. All I could see for the future was a whirl of unfocussed visions. They all contained fire.

Paul must have noticed my fear, because he tried to reassure me. "Don't worry, Alice. This is nothing new for us, we've been doing it for almost one hundred years."

Marianne smiled at me. "I know it is frightening, but when we work together, we are the most powerful coven on earth. New York will not fall. Why don't you come to mass with us at midnight? It will help ease your fears."

"You go to mass?" I gasped. "Isn't that against the rules?"

"There are no vampire rules about mass. It's only the pope and his priests who have an issue with the living dead. We go every Saturday at midnight," said Annette as she descended the stairs holding out a black scarf to Marianne and me. Brittany had already pulled one out of her handbag. "We were all Catholic, and damned or not, we still do what we can to appease heaven."

"Or at least avoid hell," added Gregorio. "All we need to do is squeeze one foot into purgatory, and then the rest is just a matter of time." He smiled widely.

"Thank you," I said as I accepted the traditional veil, and wondered how a vampire, especially one his size, might somehow squeeze himself into purgatory.