Chapter 7

Sept-Tours

It was determined the family seat in the Auvergne was the best place to lay the trap. There would be less potential for collateral damage than at most of the other family properties if something exploded, it was more defensible than most of their homes, and the locals were used to having vampires among them. Plus Benjamin's family had already planned for that location so could pull the trigger on the plan fast. Everyone wanted to put an end to this situation.

The de Clermonts quietly gave money to a Church in the next town and asked the priest there to hold a fair on the day they planned to entrap their foes. With a petting zoo, carousel and an arcade game area, it would draw off almost everyone with children, the young people, and a lot of the adults, further lessening the chance anyone else would be harmed.

Jack told Leonard that the family had had a slight emergency. It seemed Diana's aunt Sarah had a health scare and the twins' party had been postponed. Most of the family had gathered at the hospital to be there if Diana needed them, which explained why none of them were at their homes or Sept-Tours. But she had recovered and now the party would proceed in two day's time.

Sarah was irate that she was chosen to be the invalid but stopped complaining when Agatha pointed out she had a starring role, and no responsibility. Agatha had developed good skills for managing Sarah, sometimes even better than Emily, Diana thought. Unusual for a daemon but Agatha and her son were two of the most unusual daemons she had met.

Leonard now knew the party would take place soon after everyone arrived at Sept-Tours. Only a few of the most important Knights would be there because of the short notice but they would be the truly important ones.

"Mon coeur, I'm not happy with you being here," Matthew said for the thousandth time since the plan was developed.

"I know, Matthew. But as we've already discussed, I have the power to protect myself and I'm not afraid to use it any more. Plus I'm surrounded by vampires, and a few other witches who can all help me if I need it. Which I won't."

He sighed and gave up. For now. They had arrived at Sept-Tours in a helicopter, each of them carrying something that looked like a sleeping child, along with Ysabeau and Jack. Baldwin, Fernando, Chris and Miriam had arrived earlier and in the guise of having a private discussion, Baldwin and Fernando had surveilled the perimeter and confirmed that there were multiple vampires nearby, hidden in the woods.

Marcus and Phoebe arrived a few minutes after Matthew and Diana, in one of his innumerable blue sports cars, and Sarah, Agatha, Sophie and Nathaniel drove up in a station wagon not long after, with little Margaret skipping along, each hand held by one of her parents. Other guests were due to arrive later in the day.

Marthe, Allain and Victoire had been transported directly into the chateau earlier in the day, along with Gallowglass and Ciara, Caitlin and Áine, Patrick and Conor. Dimitrios and Philippe remained behind to monitor the situation through cameras and a satellite hook-up that even Baldwin was shocked to hear about. Given Philippe was dead, it was not prudent to have him on site and take the chance someone would see and recognize him.

Once inside, the humans and daemons were almost all transported back to Ireland out of harm's way. Sarah kissed Diana goodbye and extracted a promise to make sure she stayed safe. Agatha, Sophie and Nathaniel and Margaret went with her. Matthew wanted Jack to go back with them but the younger vampire challenged his father, for the first time.

"Dad, I'm a Knight. I need to do my part."

"Jack, I know that. But these are Benjamin's children. I don't want you exposed to them. There will be other times—"

"This is the time when I'm most needed. I know them. I'll recognize them, by looks and by scent. And—and they killed my children, Dad."

Matthew looked into his eyes and was relieved to see they remained green, even recalling the monsters Benjamin had made, and what they had done to Jack's children, especially his daughter. He had changed and grown much in the last two years.

"Okay. Promise me if you feel anything happening, you'll find me, okay?"

Jack nodded, and pulled something on a leather string from beneath his shirt. "And I have this charm Áine gave me, too. She said if I hold it in my hand, it will work almost as good as if she was touching me."

Matthew was skeptical but he knew the power of positive thought, especially for a blood-raged vampire. He squeezed Jack's shoulder and left him with Fernando and Marcus, who would both keep an eye on him even in the heat of battle.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Baldwin asked him quietly as Matthew returned to the planning table.

"No," he replied honestly and looked into Baldwin's eyes. Worry was clear in his eyes, but no blood-rage darkened them.

"We'll all keep an eye on Jack," Baldwin said quickly, and then he called everyone's attention to the map of Sept-Tours and it's outlying properties and the two started handing out assignments.

Diana and Caitlin stood next to each other, each watching the man they loved prepare for battle as they'd done for thousands of years. Except this time their soldiers included witches. And they were working in concert in a way Diana guessed may not have happened before. Their relationship had strengthened over the recent months. She wasn't sure they recognized it yet themselves.

"They are good at this," Caitlin silently communicated telepathically.

"Thousands of years of practice," Diana replied in the same manner.

After Giles and Russell arrived, followed quickly by Guillhermo and Pierre, and two other Knights, they were ready to put the plan into action. Ysabeau had suggested Alain locate the baby carriage that she had purchased when the twins were infants. They reckoned Benjamin's children would not realize the twins were probably too old for it given none of them had any biological children.

Now Diana and Caitlin were slowly strolling through the garden, talking quietly and pushing the pram. Diana stopped once to rock it as though trying to lull a baby back to sleep, and Caitlin caused a sound like a baby's brief cry to come from the carriage that had fooled even Diana for a split second. She reached in and pretended to comfort the non-existent baby. "There, there, Becca," she said.

They moved closer to the garden door that Fernando and Conor said had a disabled lock, and suddenly two vampires streaked through it. One grabbed Diana and the other hit Caitlin hard across the face, and sent her to the ground. Then he reached in to get the babies.

"Fuck! These are dolls!"

"What?" the other asked, holding the struggling Diana. Caitlin had struggled to her knees when the vampires were staring at the dolls and now reached out and touched Diana's knee. And the two of them disappeared.

"What the fuck—"

"Don't ever touch my wife," Matthew said coming up behind one of them at lightning speed. He twisted the vampire's head with a mighty jerk, and the vampire fell lifeless to the ground.

The other had called out a warning into a radio before Baldwin reached him. "Set the bombs off ! Set them-! he screamed. Without a word, Baldwin twisted the man's head mid-word and tore it off its neck. "Hit my woman. See what happens."

"One! Two" Matthew called out, loud enough for vampires in the area to hear.

The sounds of muffled explosions came from inside the chateau. The concrete casings had done their jobs and minimized any damage. Somewhere nearby whoever had set them off was surprised and likely infuriated.

The other members of Benjamin's family and their companions were being surprised all around the walls of Sept-Tours. As each one died, the de Clermont side called out a number. "Three" came from near the stables.

"Four!" from the woods beyond the garden.

"Five! Six!" was heard from beyond the tallest towers. That was Gallowglass.

Marcus and Jack found one outside the garden door and he laughed when he saw Jack. "Jack Blackfriars! What a surprise! Come to see what we'll do to Diana Bishop? Not much different than we did to your—"

Before he finished the thought, Jack said quietly. "Let me show you something I learned from my Uncle Baldwin." And he stepped forward, grabbed the other vampire's head and removed it in one fluid motion. "Seven!" Jack shouted.

Marcus was staring open-mouthed. "Jack, that was—"

"Look out," Jack shouted, and Marcus turned and saw a vampire as big as Gallowglass coming at him. He pulled up the Glock he had in his hand and hit the man between the eyes, then put a few more bullets into his brain. Being a fairly modern-made vampire, he was always most comfortable, and efficient, with a gun of some kind.

"Eight!" Marcus shouted as Jack finished him off with the same trick he'd learned from Baldwin, just as an added precaution.

"He's another of Benjamin's sons who… Let's just say the world's better off without him," Jack said quietly.

Fernando had watched the two younger vampires from a few dozen feet away as he was dispatching another in the wooded perimeter. "Nine!"

Gallowglass' voice called out. "Ten!" Giles called "Eleven!", followed quickly by Russell's "Twelve!"

The sounds of battle were dying now, with another gun going off on the other side of the Sept-Tours before it all quieted. "Thirteen!" was heard from Patrick.

Baldwin came out of the trees and said to Fernando, "Go make sure that bullet caused enough damage to prevent recovery." Fernando nodded and took off at vampire speed.

Matthew came back from outside the garden door. "I haven't seen Gerbert. Or Domenico."

Baldwin sniffed the air. "It's faint but I can pick up both of their scents. They may have been somewhere nearby setting off the bombs."

Matthew nodded and together they moved in unison out the gate toward the Chateau's outbuildings. At the old gatehouse, long unused, they knew they'd found their quarry. Moving stealthily but fast, they opened the front door and discovered Domenico.

He backed up into the table, hands up and said, "It was Gerbert. I just—I only—" Before he could get out another word, Matthew was behind him, squeezing his windpipe until he collapsed in a heap, saying, "You made your choice." Then he twisted Domenico's neck and severed his spinal column.

"Bad decision to side with Gerbert against the de Clermonts," Matthew said.

"Don't take a chance," Baldwin said, and Matthew removed Domenico's head. He shook his own as he looked down at the vampire who had once been somewhat of a friend and a fellow vampire on the Congregation.

"Gerbert was here, very recently," Baldwin said, sniffing the air and looking in the direction of the back wall..

"There's a back door," Matthew said and they both sped to it and out. In the small courtyard, Gerbert's escape route had been cut off. He stood there, facing Diana and Caitlin. The two de Clermonts stopped in tandem, unsure what was happening. Then Diana lifted her arms and a golden bow appeared in her hands. She nocked the arrow and pulled back the string.

"I told you your day of justice was coming, Gerbert," she said. And released the arrow into the ancient vampire's chest. "Justice done."

Baldwin and Matthew gaped at Gerbert whose heart had been pierced completely. "No need to remove his head," Baldwin murmured.

"Diana! You were supposed to stay in the chateau!" Matthew admonished her, rushing to her side.

"I couldn't let him escape again," Diana said. "Cait brought me here and would have taken us both back if there was any danger. I needed to do this. For Emily. And my parents. And Philippe."

"Ma lionne. My heart nearly stopped when I saw you standing there, with Gerbert only feet away." He wrapped her in his arms.

Baldwin looked at Caitlin and sucked in a breath. He moved to her side in a split-second and cupped her chin gently. There was a cut on her forehead and the side of her face was starting to bruise and swell.

"M'anam, are you okay? Marcus needs to look at this—"

"No, Áine can heal it—"

"I still want a doctor to check you out," he said, lifting her into his arms and traveling to the chateau only slightly slower than her magic would have gotten them there.

"Marcus!" he yelled. "Áine! Caitlin's hurt!" He only stepped aside when the two arrived and began to examine her. But he stood over them, questioning everything they were doing even as Matthew and Diana arrived behind him.

"This cut will need stitches," Marcus said, carefully examining it. "I'd do it but I think you may prefer a plastic surgeon—"

"No, I can handle this," Áine said quietly but firmly. She sanitized her hands magically, then laid one over the side of Caitlin's face. Closing her eyes, she winced as the pain transferred out of her cousin into her and continued. A faint cut and bruise appeared on her own face, then faded almost immediately. When she removed her hand, Caitlin's face looked exactly as it always had.

"There was a bit of a concussion," Áine said. "But it's gone now. You should drink a lot of fluids—" and she swooned slightly before righting herself.

"And you should too," Jack said, having caught her from behind. He pushed her gently down onto the sofa beside Caitlin. "Someone bring some water, please!"

Giles Murphy, the Irish vampire, had been irate for about five minutes after finding out the de Clermonts had been "just down the road" from him for the past several days. But true to his nature, he recovered his good temper and then convinced Baldwin and Marcus that he and the other Knights would remain at Sept-Tours to burn and then bury the ashes of Benjamin's family and their allies.

"You'll have fertile ground for your crops come Spring," he said.

"Get any ID off the bodies that you can before you dispose of them," Baldwin instructed. "We'll want to know their names and connections."

"Do ye think I was born yesterday?" Giles chuckled. "We know what to do. And I'll expect an invitation to a ceillidh at Castle O'Connelly some time soon. The family is renowned in western Ireland for their parties."

Ireland

They were dematerialized out of Sept-Tours and into Caitlin's home in County Kerry along with Áine, Matthew, Diana, Jack and a few others. Ciara had taken the rest a few minutes earlier. And Caitlin had gone back with Baldwin first because he was worried about her injury, even though Áine had already healed it. He hollered for Sarah as soon as they arrived, along with Cait's mother and grandmother. "Make sure she's all right," Baldwin had commanded.

In her bedroom, they examined her and pronounced her fit as a fiddle. "I can feel where there was a recent injury," Sarah said, "but it's vestigial. Nothing to worry about."

Caitlin's grandmother had strong healing powers too and she concurred. "He's worried about nothing," she said. "It's kind of sweet."

"Nothing about that statement fits with the Baldwin I know," Sarah said. "But love does strange things to people… especially vampires."

Caitlin put her head back on the feather pillows and closed her eyes to signal she wanted to sleep. What she really wanted was to think but these witches all had to leave her alone for a few minutes to do that.

In their suite, Diana was sitting on the bed, with Matthew's arms around her. When they returned from Sept-Tours, she had begun to shiver. The act of killing someone, even someone who deserved it as much as Gerbert, was contrary to her nature. And yet… the goddess had given her the power and the capability and she knew she had not misused it.

"He deserved death, mon couer," Matthew murmured in her ear. "I'm sorry you did it instead of me, or Baldwin. But it would have been done, no matter what."

"I need to let Agatha know," she whispered. "She'll have two vampire vacancies on the Congregation—"

"That can wait," Matthew said. "Rest now. I'll talk with Baldwin and Marcus about how best to notify Domenico's and Gerbert's families." And they still had to deal with Michel Auger, he thought. But at this moment, comforting his wife was his first priority.

Philippe and Ysabeau, Marcus, Phoebe and Fernando were in the small sitting room off the kitchen while the twins played quietly on the floor with wood blocks Matthew had made for them. Pip built towers. And Rebecca knocked them down. Then they companionably started the process again while Marthe scurred about, admiring the construction and destruction, and filling the adults' cups with fresh blood.

"Thank you, Marthe, Marcus said as he accepted a refill before turning back to Philippe. "I'll speak with Michel to let him know that his grandson is dead. And that he betrayed the Knights."

"It's likely Michel was involved," Philippe said. "But this outcome, all of Benjamin's remaining family wiped out, Gerbert and Domenico gone, will be a shot across the bow to any of the older Knights who had a problem with the changes in the Knights of Lazarus, or the de Clermonts. You should take Baldwin with you, Marcus. Give Michel a chance to resign and leave on his own. Between you, you can assess whether he will be a further problem. And then do the same with Walfrid. In case he was also involved."

Marcus nodded, and swallowed down a lump of emotion. He was not used to having Philippe treat him as a peer and a leader within the family.

Philippe sensed his reaction. "Marcus, you're doing an excellent job leading the Knights. You're the right one for the role. Matthaios was absolutely correct to name you. Just don't follow Baldwin's example."

"I—in what way, Grandad?"

"He invests every fiber of his being in whatever job he is given. It becomes his life. That's why I could never give him leadership of the Knights. Trying to do that and head the family, would kill anyone the way Baldwin does it. You have found a mate who is your equal, your partner, your best and most trusted confidant." He looked at Phoebe. "Every leader needs that. I could never have led the family, or the Knights, without Ysabeau by my side. And that was a simpler time. Phoebe, my beloved granddaughter, you will make it possible for Marcus to be a great leader of the Knights of Lazarus. Be honest with him, share your opinions and insights, support him in his decisions. And always love him, even when he is the most unlovable."

Phoebe laughed. "That never happens," she said, gracing Marcus with a smile that nearly always took his breath away.

"Be patient," Ysabeau said. "Vampire marriages last a long time. It will happen eventually."

Philippe smiled at his mate. Then he looked to his grandson again. "Knowing you have a woman you love to come home to, is the only thing makes the great weight of such responsibility bearable at times." He took Ysabeau's hand and gifted her with a small, secret smile. And although she was thousands of years old, Ysabeau blushed.