The Bridge Chapter 12

Josh Bennett laughed and shrugged whatever as he dropped the the polished red jasper stone that Aunt Tricia had given him into his pocket. She told him it had been cleansed for his use and that he should keep it with him at all times instructing him to hold it tight when the voices in his head triggered unwelcome thoughts about Vicki or her friend Henry. Seeing Vicki's car in the station parking lot, he felt hot desire for her that burned his brain until the weight of the stone in his pocket caused him to touch it, immediately the burning stopped until Vicki came out the door and nodded in his direction. He pulled his hand out of his pocket to wave, felt flames licking his brain as the inner voice screamed 'grab her' and pushed his hand deeper into the pocket clutching the stone silencing the burning voice. He turned his head away, walked stiffly into the station and quit laughing about the power of a red stone to protect.

Vicki sighed and shook her head. She genuinely liked Bennett and he'd been harmless in his interest in her as a woman until the last few days. Now that the demons were back messing with those that interacted with her and she needed to get that stopped before anyone got hurt. Getting into her CV she wondered if Henry and Aunt Tri (easier to call her that than Constance Mary) had managed to accomplish anything. It had been a week since the meeting on the bridge. Henry took only enough time away from his studies to feed and meet up with her before dawn at the bridge long enough to exchange a few kisses and a bite or two before going their separate ways for the day. During their brief meetings he'd tell her about the progress he made studying the craft and ask about her night.

While waiting for Henry, Vicki watched the last of the moonlight dance on the rocks as the water splashed over them on its trip downstream. She was so deep in thought she didn't sense him until he placed a finger on her hand. Breathing in the scent that was uniquely Henry she smiled out at the water. The rest of his hand joined the lone finger to cover hers as he too gazed at the water in the moonlight.

Vicki took a step sideways and leaned on his arm, "Will we ever be free?"

Henry pressed closer, "Depends on what you consider as being free."

"Right now I'd settle for having the demons stay out of my life."

"We're working on it."

"Any progress. Bennett's hurting and I'm not happy about being left out."

"There's been a great deal of progress. The craft has evolved and Constance Mary..."

"Call her Aunt Tri, it's less of a mouth full."

"In that case make it Tri. She's kept up with the changes and is showing me how to harness power without triggering evil. She had to learn that the hard way after drinking my blood. It seems anything slightly dark can call a demon to her. So I've got to stay in the white when it comes to magic. Who would have thought a vampire could do that? We've found spells and charms that can be used. Soon we'll have enough prepared for the coming battle."

"What's my part in all this?"

"You're the magnet that's going to bring the demon to us. Tri and I will weaken it until the point you can drive it back."

"I have to have a weapon or a spell, something to use in case your magic doesn't work."

"Tri will be talking with you tonight at the park where you first met her."

"You'll be with me, right?"

"No. I've learned enough to know that no one person should have all the parts of the spell to banish the demon."

"Won't Tri know everything?"

"No. I'm on my own when it comes to preparing my part. She already has hers and she'll instruct you and what you need to know to prepare yours."

"Why can't you teach me?"

"I'm not a teacher of the craft. She's always been a teacher." He added, "I know I'm asking a lot of you. You, who needs to know everything will have go into battle knowing only your part."

"How will I know when to use it?"

"When you have no other choice."

The first burning rays of the sun were felt on the vampires necks and they turned as one to the east, snarled their rage and ran at vampire speed to their separate sanctuaries.

Tricia looked down at the collection of rocks and crystals that she polished and cleansed. It had taken hours to properly prepare these elements. She'd buried them in earth, dug them up under the light of the full moon and let them soak in pure water that filled a lead crystal bowl while sitting in the noon day sun. Now they lay on unbleached linen. Soon she would place them before a vampire marked by evil. Hopefully the vampire would reach out and pick up the stone that was meant to be the weapon that could drive a demon from the human world and give them all a time of peace. Long ago Constance Mary Patricia York learned that it was better to fight small battles against persistent evil than to try major battles that could get out of control.

Aunt Tri wanted to protect Joshua Bennett, an innocent soul, from the demon calling him to do evil. She also wanted to help Henry the way he helped her in the distant past. She didn't know Vicki, but because Henry spoke for her and because she was the target for the evil trying to control Joshua, she'd help her as well.

Tonight she planned to give Vicki the tools she needed without alerting the demons. Because the meeting was to take place after Vicki's shift there wasn't a lot of time for instructions. Henry said she was a quick learner and Tri had no choice but to that she was. Pulling up the four corners of the linen, she gathered the stones in a pouch and placed that into another pouch of raw silk. Aunt Tri then went to the ancient tree in the park near the bridge to form a cleansing circle, set wards and otherwise prepare the area for the coming meeting.

Two vampires woke at the same time, sat up, took deep breaths and reached out for the hand that was not there. Snarling in frustration, they got up, dressed and went in search of blood. Each fed with cold efficiency thanking the donor and moved on to the tasks that needed completion before they could concentrate on the up coming battle.

Henry sat in his library reading texts on white magic, pausing to practice hand gestures and words that would make little sense in today's world .

Vicki kept a cool head while driving her beat looking for anything unusual. Occasionally she'd park the cruiser and walk around buildings checking to make sure doors and windows were secure. She'd heard talk in the squad room about bumping her to days because other guys with more seniority wanted her sift because her beat had the least amount of break-ins, reported violence and drug or alcohol related incidents. When that thought crossed her mind she shook her head in annoyance as she got out of the cruiser to make one such inspection. Do your job well and get noticed, do your job poorly and be dissatisfied. Her competitive, independent nature wouldn't let her do anything less than superior work. The vampire instinct to remain hidden was fighting with her need to be an outstanding officer of the law. Her eyes silvered and the marks burned the angrier she became. She started on the long path of asking why? Why couldn't things go her way. Every time it looked like life was going her way something happened to change it. Her career in police work led her to a dream job with a partner that backed her up on and off the job until her eye sight gave out. Then she started a little private detective agency that was beginning to take off and a crazy with a demon ruined it. She found another partnership that was developing into something special and the demon interfered again. She managed to come to terms with all that happened around her and made a choice only to have ice fall on her head. A different choice was made and again she found herself in a place where just maybe things were going her way and a demon found her yet again.

She made a fist slamming it into the side of the build she'd been checking causing chips of red brick to break away and fall at her feet.

She heard a voice say, "Nice one Officer Nelson. You're supposed to stop vandalism not make it."

Angry beyond reason she turned with silver eyes, bared her fangs and made ready to attack the speaker.

Henry held up his hands in surrender, "Easy, love. It's me."

Not bothering to hide her anger she growled, "Aren't you supposed to be working? Or is going to be up to me to save the day?"

Henry tilted his chin and studied her face. "What's got you so angry?"

"Everything. I case you haven't noticed nothing's gone right in my life for the last five years."

Frowning at her words, "Does that include meeting me? "

She finally looked at Henry standing there with the sad look of regret in his eyes. "It's not you, Henry or us together, but rather all that garbage that keeps following me. I was having a nice quite pity party until you showed up."

Making to turn away he said, "I shall leave you to it."

Vicki moved at vampire speed and placed a restraining hand on his shoulder, "Don't leave. The party wasn't that much fun." She paused before asking, "Why aren't studying?"

Henry moved even faster than Vicki so that he faced her and had her pinned against the brick wall before she could say more. Several kisses later he said, "I needed to see you." He deepened the kisses as his fingers massaged the most sensitive parts of her body. She relaxed in his arms, returned the kisses with rising passion of her own and her hand massaged the bulge growing between them.

Pulling away from the kiss, "There's my shift to finish and I've got meet up with Tri. You're not making it easy for me to do either one."

"Quit the job. I've got more than enough money for us to live comfortably for the next hundred years."

She rested the back of her head on the brick wall and ran the tip of her tongue over her lips tasting the last kiss. "That's what started the pity party. Thinking about the complications of the job. After we get the current demon off our backs let's sit down and talk."

Henry dropped his arms and took a step back as he tasted her on his lips. "I'm not going to be able to rest today unless we finish what we've started."

With a wicked grin she said, "The sun comes up and you shut down. You'll rest whether you want to or not."

Pouting, he agreed, "Yeah but I'll wake up grumpy and so will you."

"You're right. So where do we meet?"

"Where else but under the bridge? Your meeting with Tri is close by and I can be there waiting when your finished."

She leaned toward him and kissed his lips lightly and patted the bulge, "Deal. Now get out of here before I arrest you for harassing an officer."

He looked down at her hand laughed said, "Tease!" He disappeared into the darkness so fast that even Vicki's enhanced vision couldn't capture his movement.

Vicki smiled to herself as she got back into the cruiser. Her body hummed in response to Henry's loving attention and the inner vampire hadn't even objected to his being near.

After logging her incident sheets and signing out for the night, Vicki went to the park. Standing in clearing near the ancient tree she saw Tri with head bowed and arms out stretched chanting quietly. Vicki paused hesitating to speak for fear of breaking an important spell.

Tri looked up and gestured, "Come into the circle but be careful to step over the salt and not on it."

Before Vicki could take more than a few steps her arms began to protest. The sharp pain stopped kept her from moving and with the voice of authority Tri commanded her to continue into the circle. Vicki gritted her teeth and pulled up the vampire in order to move.

Tri put both hands up, pushed out from her body shouting, "Stop! Don't."

Vicki's eyes silvered and fangs dropped as Tri took a step toward her. "I said stop. This is not the time to use the vampire."

Vicki stopped again struggling to pull back the inner monster, "Why?"

"Trust me. Come forward without it's help. Once inside I'll tell you everything I can."

Vicki hated pain and hated not being able to do as she wanted, but she beat down her vampire's need to protect and kept walking despite the pain until she crossed the circle of salt and herbs. For the first time in years she felt like she did the day before she witnessed a demon kill an innocent in an alley on her way home from a date. Her field of vision narrowed until she felt like she was looking through a straw, her arms quit giving her pain and the thing within her became silent and she felt completely alone. Aloud she said, "I miss it. It's been gone for only a few seconds and I miss it."

"Miss what?"

"The vampire. The connection to the night and Henry."

"It's only temporary. But I'm gratified to know the magic works. The demon that's drawn here is not aware of your vampire. It's focus is on Joshua and through him you. It's a lesser demon trying to gain access for it's master, the one that altered your mark and gave you it's name during the dream trip. If we defeat the lesser demon and channel the destructive power back to it's master we'll save Joshua and close down one seeking access to you. With the mark changed and the demon that changed it gone, the mark on your left arm can never again be used by a demon. The unaltered mark will remain the only link between you and demon kind."

With a look of pure determination Vicki said, "Once this battle is done I'll repeat the process and finish it once and for all."

"If it were only that easy. We cannot recreate the circumstances that set up this scenario. The initial attack is at the whim of the demon and we counter as best we can. All you can do is be prepared for the unexpected at all times. I'll teach you what I can for this battle, then it's up to you to learn and channel what powers you have for the ones that come next."

Before Vicki had a chance to argue that she had no special powers, Tri held up her hand and said, "We all have gifts to a lesser or greater degree. Your gifts are different than Henry's or mine but no less powerful if you know how to tap into them."

Vicki started to open her mouth but Tri stopped her, "Enough. Time is running out and you have to learn your part and practice. You'll follow my directions to the letter and only do what you are told when you are told to do it."

Independent, I want to know why Vicki said, "I don't work that way."

"Henry told me as much. But you're going to have to woman up and deal."

Vicki frowned and was glad her vampire wasn't able to make its self felt. There'd be a bloody mess in this clearing if it had had its way.