Upper Alaska near the Colville River,
November 2, 1859
Although it was ten in the morning the white landscape of the arctic lay hidden in shadow. To some – especially the colonizing Russian humans – this placed seemed like a barren wasteland. Snow draped over the land and every tree; no green could be seen for miles. Yet the land was teeming with wildlife and lacked human development – it was a perfect hiding place for one-hundred and seventy 'vegetarian' vampires.
Of course, Lenore still used the (very expensive) services of Wolfram and Hart to send more exotic animals via inter-dimensional portals in order to make sure her clan did not wipe out the ecosystem. It was times like these that she was very grateful to Kali for forcing her to create investments.
Kali. How odd to think that they were so close – India was not that far from Alaska…well, perhaps so but it didn't seem that far to Lenore.
She still missed her, still thought of her former lover, the only real relationship she had ever experienced in this life. Sometimes she wondered if Kali thought of her as well…or maybe she was so busy with Shiva that she forgot about her silly vampire love. Who would have a vampire when they could have a god?
Hmm. It was something that both Kali and Loki had in common now. Kali had Shiva and Loki had – well she wasn't sure but she assumed someone. After all, didn't he always have a goddess on his arm, according to the rumors and his stories?
Lenore hadn't seen him since he left her on her birthday. She had taken the magic carpet home and stewed about the experience for a week before her good sense prompted her to leave and prepare her clan against Bilquis' threat. Several times she had searched for him – even visited his home – but he never appeared. Lenore assumed that the locket she wore announced her presence and gave him time to escape, yet she refused to take it off. It was a part of him, of that sparkling white aura she had once witnessed, and she couldn't discard it so easily.
Even if he didn't want anything to do with her.
Ah, perhaps it was for the best. Seven years of reflection had made her realize that perhaps she and Loki were a bad match. Your lover should always be your best friend but your best friend shouldn't always be your lover.
Too bad she didn't quite believe that. In fact, Lenore remembered reading about this dilemma in a psychology text once – it was called cognitive dissonance; because she could not have Loki she reasoned that she didn't actually want him, even though she did.
…Sometimes Lenore hated how well-read she was. As soon as television was created she vowed to no longer spend her free time learning and instead she would just watch mindless sitcoms for hours on end. Perhaps she would even create some blood-filled bon bons to much on in her new couch potato lifestyle.
Lenore made her way through the blistering cold to the underground meeting hall. Although vampires could not freeze to death this weather was certainly testing that theory. The icy winds coming off the frozen Chukchi Sea sliced through her heavy fur parka and she felt like she was constantly shivering.
However, sacrifices had to be made, she supposed. Too many threats surrounded her clan and this was the safest place for them at the time being.
Approaching the small wooden community house, Lenore opened the door and smiled at the small clusters of vampires spending time inside. They, for the most part, smiled back and Lenore prayed that she could keep them happy here for at least another year. Spotting the trap door she leapt twenty feet underneath the house and into a narrow tunnel. Here, surrounded by torches and hidden from icy winds, the air was warmer. Their entire clan lived underground in these tunnels – needless to say they stretched extensively under the surface of the tundra.
Following the sound of a dozen vampires speaking, Lenore found the meeting hall and grinned wryly to herself as the room became silent at her entrance. "Good morning everyone," she greeted with a soft smile.
A chorus of voices sounded around her and everyone quickly got into their seats. Lenore sat at the circular table with Eli to her right side and Jae, her foremost bodyguard, to the left. Although Lenore knew she (probably) did not need a bodyguard while surrounded by her own kind, she had grown particularly close lately to the Korean female that had joined her clan back in the late 1700s. Like her, Jae knew the pain of heartbreak.
Ten others, seven females and three males, sat around the table. They were all leaders of the small clans that traveled the world and thus Council members of their greater clan. There was Maria, her former lover, who was staring at her in concern – the fiery gypsy was no fan of their current plan but she trusted in Lenore's leadership, despite their broken relationship. Damon, the vampire that Eli had trained, appeared serene. She knew he was steadfastly loyal to Eli and thus had been forced into several heated arguments with others who were, unfortunately, less faithful than he.
Kept warm by his thick beard was Abdul from Saudi Arabia who was a devout Muslim, even in death. His mate – for Lenore's species of vampire mated for life – was Mona, a petite Iranian women. Zuna, a former tribal leader from the depths of the Congo, sat with her back straight against the chair and she wore a troubled look. Both Mona and Zuna were old friends so as long as Abdul supported Lenore than those two would follow.
One vampire, Déshèng from China, looked cross as he fingered his long mustache and she knew he would likely be her foremost critic. Next to him was Alka and Lenore assumed, judging by the way she stole glances at Déshèng, that the Albanian woman would follow the lead of her Maker. Lenore and Déshèng clashed often and it was always troublesome how Alka followed his cues.
Esti, a Basque originally from the Bay of Biscay who survived the Spanish Inquisition only to be made vampire, wore an unreadable expression; the former priestess of her village was always thoughtful and seldom spoke at these meetings.
Kitra, a vampire who appeared to be only thirteen but claimed to have seen the crucifixion, sat as still as stone in her chair. She was the most ancient of all of Lenore's followers yet Kitra had taken no convincing to join their clan like other elders – the sight of Christ had left her a devout follower who only survived on the blood of murderers after she was turned, thus she was grateful for a new and more blessed path to follow.
Finally there was Patience, a former English prostitute whose attitude was in direct defiance of her name; their newest clan leader had a good heart but often bothered the others with her frequent demands.
"Let us begin with our weekly reports. Jae?"
Normally reserved, the expert warrior allowed herself a small smile. "Training is progressing well. Our encampment of one-hundred and seventy are split into twelve groups of roughly fourteen each." Then she frowned and bowed her head in Déshèng's direction. "Except for Déshèng's. My apologies."
The thin man's eye twitched but that was the only emotional displayed he allowed past his mask. "Apology accepted. Even I often forget how half of my clan was wiped out by that madman."
Lenore pursed her lips. Although they did not get along very well Déshèng was still her brother in God and, especially after the mass murder of her own clan members by Petrali's hands, she understood his pain.
Jae continued. "Most groups are proceeding well in their hand-to-hand and blade work. However, there are several individuals who require a good deal of work before they should face any of the demons."
"How are the skirmishes with the demons going?" Maria inquired.
"As well as one would think. Wolfram and Hart delivers several dozen each week for our practice. Two dozen vampires have been severely injured but none killed yet. The practices are a good display of skill to help us identify if we are ready for Bilquis' forces."
All of them nodded in grim agreement. These trainings would mean life or death to many of their clan members when that time arrived.
"Thank you Jae. Kitra? Please report on the ministry efforts."
Kitra frowned and any random bystander would have matched the expression to a young girl feeling upset about not getting to stay up late. Her short fingers tapped rhythmically on the table as she spoke. "Two years in the arctic is enough to drive even the mildest animal-drinking vampire mad. As overseer of spirituality in our clan, I have continued to train other members on Bible study—" Seeing Abdul and Mona's look she corrected herself. "—And the study of the Qur'an and the Torah. Meetings are still regularly occurring but there is a sense of dissension in the ranks. There is an increasing number who wish to leave the tundra and return back to the, quote, 'modern world'."
"How many?" Lenore asked in concern.
"Roughly ten who strongly feel this way. Some of them are starting to question our ways as well – they believe that it may be easier just to return to drinking humans if Bilquis wants to kill the more humane vampires."
Lenore squeezed her eyes shut. She had been afraid of this. "And what do you recommend we do with them?"
Maria interrupted her. "They are only straying from the true path because they are frustrated. But if we go now and confront Bilquis' army of vampires – including all the disgusting half-breeds she wooed to her service – then they will feel as though they are doing something and be pleased."
"Sure, they will be pleased to be doing something – but it'll be the last thing they do, Maria! You know that we're not ready to face that bitch Queen of Sheba," Damon disagreed fervently.
"We have strong fighters and several talented magic users, in addition to Lenore's great powers. We can take them!" Maria argued passionately.
For a moment Lenore reminisced on how she had once upon a time often enjoyed that passion of hers.
"I agree!" Déshèng opined as he jabbed his index finger into the air. "Not only have we had to deal with those heartless hunters and that yáng guǐzi Abraham Van Helsing, but now we have Bilquis threatening us! We must take a stand!"
Zuna's husky voice entered the discussion. "If we fight we die. The others are not ready. Why fight when we have the freedom of the land here and an arrangement with the natives, the Iñupiat? Only a fool hunter fights a lion with one good hand."
"And only a fool turns his back on a tiger!" Déshèng countered.
"Déshèng, you speak rashly. You may be older than me by a century but you have seen less battles than I. Bilquis controls the djinn and while they live off the blood of humans their mind poison can just as easily lead a vampire into a dream world, and thus madness," Abdul pointed out in a calm voice as Mona nodded her agreement.
Lenore winced at the thought. She had never met a djinn but she knew the demons from the Arab world could trap a person within their own mind with a mere touch. She had no desire to encounter these powerful creatures.
"So we just sit here and wait?" Déshèng asked in exasperation.
"No," Lenore's clear voice rang out. "We continue with our plan. We train. We prepare. Then we, baring Bilquis seeing reason, meet them in battle and do what is needed."
Silence descended upon the room as they soaked up her words.
"And if we fail?" Esti asked thoughtfully.
"Then our souls transcend to a better place," Lenore answered her, believing truly that she was correct…while fervently praying that she was leading her people as God meant it.
Upper Alaska near the Colville River,
March 15, 1860
Lenore's sleep last night had been plagued with bad dreams. She still, as always, dreamt of the moment each of her offspring passed into the afterlife. In her mind she kept track of family tree with its now-multitude of branches. Her visions were bittersweet for while she loved to keep track of her human family she still felt sick at seeing their deaths. The dreams from last night were particularly gruesome.
Elizabeth, her middle child and the one who had inherited Lenore's seer abilities had given birth to four children, including Brigid in 1716. Brigid had born Eleanor in 1753 and that little girl had given birth to Jocelyn in 1753. Jocelyn was the mother of Rebecca, Rebecca was the mother of Elspeth (it pleased Lenore to know her cousin's name lived on), and Elspeth had given birth to Jessica in 1825 and Judith in 1826. Jessica in turn had three children and last night Lenore had dreamt of Judith and her husband Thomas and Jessica and her daughters Edith and Katherine being slowly tortured to death.
Every time she closed her eyes she heard the screams of the youngest daughter, Edith.
The perpetrators had been shadowy forms but Lenore knew they were vampires. Fresh blood had soaked across the pretty yellow dress Katherine had been wearing and as the male vampire viciously raped the ten-year old Edith he had laughed and licked her virgin blood once he broke her.
It was the vilest thing Lenore had ever witnessed. She had vomited the entire morning and still felt ill. Worst yet was she knew there was a third daughter of Jessica's that was left. Would the vampires come for her as well? Lenore didn't know. What she did know what that she wanted to stop it and rain her fury upon the two vampires.
But she could think more on that later. For now she was waiting to meet with the shaman of the local Iñupiat tribe who she had formed a relationship with. There was no way her hundred and seventy vampires could hide unnoticed so it had been imperative to start things off on the right foot. Lenore had brought the tribes people a variety of gifts, such as leopard and tiger fur, and in exchange they were the ones who instructed Lenore on how to construct underground tunnels and homes to stay safe from the cold.
Although it had helped that the shaman had taken a liking to her – he said he had sensed that she was a reincarnated soul. His people steadfastly believed that life was cyclical and honored those who entered the world more than once. In fact, newborns were named after recently deceased members of the tribe because it was believed that person's spirit lived on in them.
Sometimes Lenore wondered what they'd say if she told them that her soul had gone backwards in time instead of forward. The thought made her smile.
"Lenore, hello," Amaruq, the shaman, greeted her as he stepped into his private quarters where she had been waiting. "Do you have more to trade?" Trading was rather new to his tribe since they were so far separated from other tribes; they all enjoyed the concept greatly.
She smiled and embraced him. "Nauraj, Tulugaq, and Arnaq unpacked new furs and meat from my sled. I hope they will be beneficial to your village."
He smiled and the joy was evident in his glassy blue eyes – the old, bearded man had lost his sight many moons ago. "You blood drinkers will make my people lazy with all the help you give us."
Lenore laughed and shook her head. "We are obliged to fulfill our debt. Not many people would allow us on their land."
Amaruq shook his head. "My namesake, the great wolf spirit, told me your people mean us no harm, that they live off animals as we do. How could we deny our brothers and sisters of an existence when we are so similar?"
To this day Lenore still wasn't sure if a true spirit had appeared to Amaruq or if it had been Fenrir who had given the shaman his assurances. Regardless, she was thankful.
…Even if she did wish Fenrir could show up in front of her so she could figure out whatever happened to Loki.
"Our stay on this land will not exceed more than six months. Scouts have informed us that our enemy is marching across Arabia and intends to cross through Russia and over the Bering Sea to Point Hope, the tip of Alaska. We must leave before they enter this land."
Amaruq nodded in agreement. "We must not have the evil blood drinkers enter our land. My people are not strong enough to fight them off."
Lenore placed her hand on her agitated friend's elbow. "I will not allow that to happen. We will leave before their army arrives, friend."
He relaxed and let out a heavy sigh. As he did so Lenore heard the water in her lungs and she winced. Her friend – the first human that she could ever name as such – was aging and dying. Mortality was a bittersweet gift and she hated her superior senses for detecting his illness.
"You have great honor, Lenore. It has been a pleasure knowing you and learning from you."
Smiling, she tucked his salt and pepper hair behind his ears. Over the last couple years she had found herself teaching the old man – old, yet in reality, so young in her eyes – much of her worldly and magical knowledge. In exchange he taught her his language and the nature magic of his people. His tribe allowed her clan to drink the blood of their animals and in return her clan gifted them with the meat and furs of their meals. Their partnership was a beneficial and enjoyable one.
She squeezed his hand. "Indeed it has been a pleasure learning from you and knowing you, honorable one."
Lenore stayed with him for a while longer. She knew his illness was progressing and death would take him soon. The thought grieved her, especially after witnessing the violent deaths of her family last night.
Upper Alaska near the Colville River,
April 20, 1860
Amaruq had passed on Good Friday and Lenore could have sworn she heard Fenrir's howl during the night. She had then attended the shaman's funeral rites before spending the rest of the weekend catering to her flock and celebrating Easter.
This Easter was especially significant because her clan would be leaving Alaska soon. A group of their carpenters had developed boats large enough to get them across the Bering Sea and from there they would march towards Bilquis. Everyone was ready for battle by this point. Although their numbers had dwindled down to one hundred and thirty due to many vampires leaving out of frustration, Lenore's spies informed her that Bilquis was also losing troops as well. Abraham Van Helsing, a descendent of Daniel Holtz's on his mother's side apparently, was leading a revolution of sorts across Europe. Hunters were brazenly searching for vampire nests and killing her kind in great numbers. Due to Bilquis' foolishness in rounding up so many vampires, she was drawing the attention of Hunters and thus losing a good deal of warriors.
Lenore and her Council members had contemplated just letting Van Helsing wipe Bilquis' forces out but figured the ancient vampire would eventually kill the humans before the interfered significantly. But no matter. Her pure vampire numbers were down to sixty and her half-breeds at fifty. The numbers of djinn were unknown but her spies suggested perhaps two dozen.
Numerically speaking, they were even. In regards to power they likely were not. The Council members were all older and stronger but the average clan member was only a hundred to three-hundred years old and weaker. Only Kitra came close to Bilquis in age but she admitted that she would be no match for the Queen of Sheba. Lenore had her magic and Loki's locket, but even she wasn't so sure if she could defeat the other vampire leader.
Unfortunately, that wasn't even the worst problem Lenore had.
No, her worst problem stemmed from a vision this afternoon where she saw what would become of Jessica's eldest daughter, the one who had survived the vampires.
A tear of frustration fell down her cheek as she pondered what to do. Lenore had begun experimenting with portal travel over the last ten years but she was not very good at it – more than once she had ended up in some woman's house named Mary when she meant Maryland or on top of Mt. St. Helen's in the future state of Washington instead of arriving in St. Helen's, England. So she needed a great deal of practice and honestly should not experiment during this critical time for her people.
But the temptation was great. Lenore didn't want to see Jessica's final daughter die in a grisly way or, based on her vision, have something worse occur to her.
So Lenore mediated on this for several days and took counsel with Eli. Eventually they came to the decision that she would go check in on her descendent and Eli would prepare their clan in the meantime. With any luck she would create the right portal to England and make it back to Alaska within a day or so.
Of course, she really should know better by now than to ever think luck would pass her way.
A/N:
Next chapter is chock full of fun! A new canon character from the show will be appearing, can you guess who? And no, for once Anyanka will not be sleeping with them ;) heehee.
Thanks for reading!
References
* vegetarian' vampires- cheeky reference to the Twilight vampires ;)
* cognitive dissonance – Learned this from a Bones ep: .org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance
* The Iñupiat (plural) or Iñupiaq (singular) and Iñupiak (dual) (from iñuk 'person' - and -piaq 'real', i.e., 'real people') or Inupik are the people of Alaska's Northwest Arctic and North Slope boroughs and the Bering Straits region. Barrow, the northernmost city in the United States, is in the Inupiat region: .net/en/main_nav/education/culture_alaska/inupiaq/, .org/wiki/Inupiaq,
.org/Issues02/Co07132002/CO_07132002_Nunavut_
*Basque: .org/wiki/Basque_people
*Names gotten here: .com
* yáng guǐzi- Foreign devil", a slur for White people in China: .org/wiki/Mandarin_Chinese_profanity#Against_westerners
* djinn—Featured in S5 and S6 of Supernatural
* Abraham Van Helsing, a descendent of Daniel Holtz's- Indeed the idea of Holtz was based off of Van Helsing ;) Since Holtz lived during the 1700s and I wanted a vampire hunter a hundred years after that, I decided to use Dracula's Van Helsing and make him related to Holtz ;)
* Hunters were brazenly searching for vampire nests and killing her kind in great numbers.-By Dean and Sam's time Hunters thought that vampires were almost extinct because legend says they were hunted out so fiercely. So here I am trying to connect my story with SPN canon :)