I would like to thank XxMissJulietxX for reading over this chapter, she has been really helpful.
Enjoy!
Ingrid and The Count were pouring over plans of the slayers HQ that somehow Bertrand's 'friends' had managed to obtain. The large oak table in the throne room was covered in bits of paper covered in writing and arrows; they were devising a plan to sneak in and get Evelyn back before the full blown war started.
"If we go in here-" the count drew a line onto the map "-Then go through here" he drew on another line…straight through a wall
"That's a wall you idiot" Ingrid interjected
"No it's not!" the count said, but he took a second look anyway "Oh, so it is" he admitted
"We need a diversion, someone who doesn't smell like a vampire, someone who has a heartbeat" said Ingrid, thoughtfully
"Me!" Wrenfield exclaimed happily, not noticing the matching looks of disgust on both Ingrid and the count's faces
"No" he paused, for maximum effect "we need Wolfie" The count smiled, obviously proud of his suggestion
"No!" Ingrid protested. Wolfie had been living with them ever since they moved into the old castle and Ingrid had grown attached to the boy.
"It's the only way" The count said, shocked that Ingrid had shown compassion towards the child
"Promise me he won't get hurt" Ingrid pleaded. It was strange, seeing the princess of darkness pleading over a half breed's safety
"Don't tell me you've actually developed feelings for the boy?" the count asked in disbelief.
"No…I mean yes…I mean…oh I don't know!" Ingrid stammered, flustered. If vampires could blush, she would be scarlet by now!
"so it's settled then, Wolfie will create a diversion while we sneak in the back" the count declared, flitting out of the room before Ingrid could protest any further; quite frankly it was disturbing, seeing Ingrid display her emotions was something very rarely seen.
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If the vampire's were to stand any chance in a war against the slayers, they would need an army. Some vampires would be more than happy to join, others…less so, he would need to learn as much about the clans as possible if he stood any chance of gathering a large enough army in such a short time.
"Of all the clans, the barak bother me the most" Bertrand's voice broke through my thoughts
"Why's that?"
"They hold power and status in our world. If they were to say no, then many others would follow their lead" Bertrand frowned, pacing the room
"Then we'll just have to find a way to make them join" I stated, matter of factly. I couldn't believe it, I was actually suggesting blackmail!
"In the East blood war, they double crossed their allies, I suppose we could use that against them" Bertrand said, thoughtfully. I have never ceased to be amazed at Bertrand's knowledge of all the little facts on the clans; after all…he was only 400
"How are we going to get everyone to a join? Should we get them all together, or target them separately?" my mind wasn't totally focused, a part of me wondered if we were really helping to get Evelyn back.
"We'll approach them separately; they will be more likely to agree if they aren't in a crowd. If not, you can always blackmail them; you can be quite intimidating when you want to be" Bertrand concluded.
I had never thought of myself as intimidating, since I was young Ingrid had drummed it into me that I was a wimpy little breather lover who couldn't harm a fly; I suppose it had stuck.
"When do we go?"
"Midnight, be ready by the gates" Bertrand turned on his heel and flitted out of the room, sending dust flying from the nearby candle holders. I went over to the heavily curtained window and wondered what it looked like outside; it had been just under two years since I had seen the world in daylight. I wondered if it had changed, if it were different to my memories of it.
Suddenly the sound of breaking glass echoed around the castle, quickly followed by loud bursts of shouting, I followed my sharp hearing to the source of the sound, using my vampire speed to get there quicker. I groaned as I saw the mess in front of me; chairs had been broken, the great oak table had been thrown aside and the contents of breakfast was scattered all over the floor. In the middle of the room stood The Count, Ingrid and Wrenfield
"You insect biter!" Ingrid screamed
"Garlic muncher" Wrenfield retorted
"What did you just call me?" her voice was deadly quiet, a deadly atmosphere in the room. No one had noticed me yet
"Garlic mu...mu...Muncher" Wrenfield stammered, noticing the change in mood
Ingrid screamed in fury as she picked up a wooden chair and launched it through the air towards Wrenfield. I had already seen it coming and, with a lazy flick of my hand the chair burst into flames and sailed out of the window…which unfortunately, wasn't open. The glass shattered into millions of pieces, all the vampires hissed and dived into the shadows. It seems I had forgotten it was still daylight outside! I watched in amusement as Ingrid and dad edged their way around the room, occasionally letting out a hiss as stay beams of sunlight reflected off the glass fragments and onto them. Wrenfield was following, edging his way around the room; he had obviously forgotten that the sun didn't affect him, and I was having far too much fun watching him, so I didn't bother him with that fact. My amusement quickly faded as I realised that I too needed to get out of the room, and to do that I would need to get past a large beam of sunlight. The only way to get past it was to run straight through it; I braced myself for the pain and used my vampire speed to get out of the room. My right arm felt as though it was on fire…wait, it was on fire! I must have caught it on a candle as I ran from the room. Smoke was clouding my vision, I tried to pat the flames out when suddenly I was soaked, water was dripping off my nose and down my chin. Wrenfield was stood in front of me, holding and empty bucket and smiling proudly
"Are you alright master vlad?" He enquired innocently…well, I'm not sure if Wrenfield could ever be classed as 'innocent'. I bit back the urge to shout at him, after all he did help, all I could do was nod
"Wrenfield, clean up this mess and cover up that window before somebody turns to dust" I instructed.
I turned and strode down the uneven corridors leading to my room, I was almost there when a small figure came bounding up to me
"Vlad, vlad!" Wolfie exclaimed excitedly, he was obviously ecstatic about something
"Yes?"
"I'm going on a special mission to save Evelyn!" he was practically jumping up and down with joy "Dad and Ingrid said so" Ever since his arrival, Wolfie had taken to calling The Count dad.
I groaned, how could a small, hyperactive boy possibly help get Evelyn back? I decided to pay a visit to my father
XxxX
When I finally found him, he was pouring over the maps with Ingrid; it was strange to see them working together.
I cleared my throat rather loudly to get their attention
"What's all this about Wolfie going on a mission?" I demanded, I wanted answers. There was no way on earth I was going to let them drag my loveable half brother into this
"Oh, that" the count looked sheepish
"Yes. That."
"We needed a diversion" he explained
"Oh, and you thought a little boy would do the trick did you?" I was furious, how dare they use Wolfie as a distraction, he could get killed!
"We are using Wolfie and that's final. I am your regent, you must obey me" my father declared, glaring at me. I laugh, if he thinks he can scare me like he used to do, then he's got another thing coming
"I'm the Grand High Vampire" I reply boldly, drawing myself up to my full height "And I say, we are not using Wolfie"
"We need a new diversion then" Ingrid looked at me, I swear I saw relief on her face
"Wrenfield?" Dad offered
"He's too easily recognised, nearly all the slayers will know what he looks like" I reminded him, the Van Helsings probably told them everything about us "I mean, he doesn't exactly blend in"
"Then we have a problem" Ingrid said, taking a sip from a blood-filled goblet on the table
Just then, the door opened. Wrenfield came bursting in first
"I'm sorry master, I told him to go away but he insisted" he carried on mumbling out excuses that no one bothered to listen to.
I couldn't believe my eyes, as I looked around I could see shock mirrored on every face but Bertrand's, because in front of me stood the last person I expected to see, I never thought I would see him again, In front of me stood the enemy
In front of me stood Jonno.