Yah, so sorry this is late. Fanfiction was down, I couldn't be bothered, but here's a really long part to make up for it. I'm not abandoning my little story, never fear!
Competition
Greg looked around the lobby, trying to appear confident, eager and cheerful, like his normal self. He smiled as Jemima walked past him. She frowned at him and carried on shouting into her mobile phone. He was really, really nervous. He was due to see Sora Keller, leader of Circle Daybreak for the Black Flowers estate, on a serious misconduct charge, in about thirty seconds. His friend Nyx smiled at him as she walked across the lobby, unperturbed and calm as always. He tried to smile back.
Sora's secretary, Col Anderson, looked up at Greg in his armchair. "She'll see you now." Was all he said. Greg's insides felt like lead. Sora was quite possibly the most terrifying woman on the face of the planet. She was a kite shapeshifter, and boy did it show. She looked up as he walked into her cluttered office. She was reading a report, and didn't acknowledge him except to wave him to sit down. Greg was strongly reminded of being sent to the headteacher's office at school. Sora wore irritating frameless glasses which usually hung on a chain around her neck. Right now they were perched on the end of her nose. Her dark hair was piled on top of her face, and her skin showed every second of her fifty eight years.
Eventually she took off her glasses and looked up. Greg felt a wrench of terror in his gut. He realised, with strange clarity, that he was about to get demoted. She sniffed. "Gregory Kenmore," she began. "I have reviewed your file. You behaved in an extremely unprofessional way last week. You were sent on a simple mission: get in, get Nicole out, and return here. Instead, you chose to ignore your orders. You dragged several innocent civilians in needlessly. Have you anything to say for yourself?"
She was looking at him with that special look of withering contempt she seemed to reserve just for him. ~I am *so* getting fired~ he thought. ~So what the hell.~
"Uh, yes ma'am, I do. I saved Nicole. She's in the house of healing recovering right now. And the humans had their memories wiped, so there was no harm done."
"No harm?! No harm?!" she was enraged now. ~Uh-oh, Rule no. 1: never, ever get Sora mad in future.~ "Nicole lost her arm. That never would have happened if you hadn't decided to try save her team as well. We'd come to the strategic decision to leave the hostages, and get Nicole out. But you had to play the hero."
"I did what I thought was right." Greg said, looking down at his clasped hands.
"It didn't work, though, did it, Mr. Kenwood? You behaved in a completely unfitting way for a captain. Consequently I am demoting you down to an ordinary team member. Jemima will take over your leadership. That will be all."
***
Greg's head was reeling. It was no less than what he'd been expecting, but… Jemima? She was weak, inexperienced, boring, stupid… the list went on. She was the only one of his five person team he didn't like. Nyx was waiting for him outside the office. "So?" she asked.
"I got demoted."
"Oh, Greg, I'm so sorry." The beautiful vampire put her arm around him. Her midnight blue eyes held genuine compassion. "Who's in charge?"
Greg was feeling more and more annoyed by the minute. "Jemima!" he exploded. "I mean, can you believe it?! It's so stupid. It doesn't make any sense!"
Nyx smiled. "You don't know that much about her, do you? There's more to that little dove than meets the eye."
That was another thing that irked Greg. He could understand a shapeshifter being put in charge. If it was something powerful, like a hawk or a tiger. But Jemima was a bloody dove, for crying out loud! He was proud of being the top Daybreak witch in the estate. Now he was just normal, nothing special…
Nyx must have been reading him, because she whispered "You are special, Greg. You did what you thought was the right thing. Don't take it so hard."
She walked away, calling after him "We're having a meeting tonight in the common room. Be there!"
Greg got to the common room at the same time as Jemima. He tried to keep an expression of disgust from his face and failed. She flinched and looked away. She sat in the chair at the centre of the semi circle of chairs-his chair, Greg thought with annoyance-and looked up at the group. Greg, Nyx, a witch named Amana and a vampire named Adam. The best.
"Um, er, hi. This is my first day as team leader, but I think we should be more like a democracy. I think we can get better, I've got our next mission here. It's a hard one, but if we put in some extra training, I'm sure we can pull it off…"
She looked up at Greg nervously. He scowled. Each one of her comments seemed to be a direct stab at his leadership. But he'd have to get used to it. "Our mission is to save a kidnapped human from Outside. He fell in love with a vampire, but her husband took him. We think there's a chance he's still alive. Our job is to get him and the wife out before our dear vampire does something stupid. We're due out there tomorrow night."
There were a few comments and questions, but Greg didn't hear them. He tried to appreciate how terrified those poor people must be, but in his mind they didn't seem remotely relevant. He was going to star in this mission, outshine them all, and get back his rightful place as team leader. He had to.
***
Jemima went out of the HQ. The crèche was only just down the road. She was on her way to see Neil's widow. Poor girl, she'd never wanted him to become a guard. Then that assassin had shown up and just killed him. Neil was a human; he'd been no match. His wife was human as well. Her name was Sally.
Sally's daughter Becca was playing with building blocks on a brightly coloured mat. Her mother was helping her. "Incy Wincey Spider," they were singing softly, "Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, and Incy Wincey Spider climbed the spout again."
The scene looked so sweet, so perfect. No-one would ever know that they had lost a husband and father just five days ago. Jemima's own problems seemed to fade into insignificance. At least she had been able to kill the ones who'd killed her family. She knew that gave her huge standing in Circle Daybreak, she'd taken on four lions single handed and killed them all. Very un-dove like behaviour.
Sally looked up. Her mousy brown hair had fallen out of its bobble, and her grey eyes were red and tired. Still, she tried to smile when she saw her friend. "hi," she said, her voice as stained as her face. "How did it go?"
"Okay. He was a bit… cold." She replied lamely.
"Keep at it. I know it'll be hard at first. It was for Neil. Especially after he got promoted. But he stuck at it, and *earned* their respect."
Jemima nodded. Neil Grange had quite possibly done more for the equality of humans in Daybreak's fighting forces than anyone else ever. He'd been ridiculed and bullied, but he was determined. He'd eventually had 45 of them under his command. Now he'd been killed on the job, it seemed like most of his work had been undone. There were talks of banning humans from the guard, 'for their own protection'. She knew this broke Sally's heart.
"Don't let him get to you, Jemmy. You're a great fighter. You'll make a great leader, I know you will."
"Thanks, Sally. You're a great friend."
They played with Becca for a while, until it was time to go.
***
They met outside the Daybreak headquarters. It was usually a little lighter in the south, but this night there were no moon or stars. The air was cool, but not unpleasantly so. Nyx was the first there. As a vampire, she didn't feel the cool breeze blowing through her black jumpsuit at all. Adam arrived next, wearing black leggings and a black t-shirt. Amana came soon after, bundled up in black, but a bright stripy scarf. "Brrr!" she said as she arrived, shaking her strawberry blonde curls. "Where are Jemmy and Greggy?"
"We think they killed each other on the way." Adam replied dryly.
"Hahahaha. I'm laughing so hard it hurts." Greg arrived, looking around for Jemima. "Where's our fearless leader?"
"Right here." She said, running up. Greg made a big show of rolling his eyes and tutting. Jemima flushed. "Sorry I'm a bit late. I was getting some wards." She opened her bag, showing a cluster of small cloth bags in the bottom. "I think we should sort of close off the area. Stop any innocents getting caught in the crossfire."
Nyx snorted, but not unkindly. "There are hardly many innocents in the north quarter." She said. Jemima grinned. But Greg had to fight of the young man in the urge to murder her. He hadn't meant for those stupid humans to wander over and politely ask why he was beating the living crap out of the young man in his grasp.
He realised Jemima was still talking. "Nyx and Adam, I want you to go in first. Distract the guy. Amana, you need to be setting up the wards. Me and Greg will scout about, trying to find a way in. When we do, the two of us will go down and save the soulmates. As soon as you're finished, Amana, you join us. Try knock the guy out if you can. I think he just lives with his wife. Everybody clear?"
Greg had to admit, it was a good plan. And the wards probably *were* a good plan. Jemima was proving more resourceful than he had thought. But she'd still taken his job. There were no questions. Everyone was tense, focused. The laughter had left even Amana's face. They set off into the night, nodding briefly at the witch guarding the exit they were using. They stepped into the Night World.
Because that's what it is, Greg thought vaguely. If nowhere else is, this is truly the Night World. The whole organisation concentrated on a smaller scale. No-one really noticed the five silent shadows moving through the misty streets. They left the east at last and entered the north. The streets and houses were less dilapidated and clearly had richer inhabitants. The house of their target was modest. It had the look of a normally well kept place that had fallen recently into disrepair. With a nod from Jemima, Nyx and Adam went up to the door and knocked. Amana took the bag and disappeared into the bushes. Greg and Jemima slipped round the back.
Greg could hear the murmur of voices from the front of the house, but apart from that there was nothing. His heart was pounding as he checked locks and looked for cellar windows. Ever since he'd arrived there had been a definite not-quite-right feel to the whole situation. When the voices stopped suddenly, he knew without knowing how that something had gone very, very wrong with Jemima's foolproof plan. She looked troubled as well. He could sense her stretching out her senses, trying to feel if the others were in trouble. He had no such ability, but his suspicions were confirmed when he heard a sudden yelp and the sounds of a struggle. Without a doubt, Amana had been caught. He looked at Jemima, then at the house. He had no idea what to do. He felt slightly afraid, but his main emotion was sheer confusion. It was maddening, not knowing what was going on.
Suddenly a top floor window opened and a head popped out. It was grinning wildly. "Come to save the little vermin?" it taunted. "I'd be more worried about my friends if I were you. I don't like Daybreakers. I don't like them at all." Icy fear flooded Greg's gut. Nyx, Adam and Amana were completely at the mercy of a psychopath. He looked at Jemima, and saw from her face that she felt the same.
***
Ffion Iodred looked out of the tiny window of the room she had been locked in for the past three days. She hadn't fed in all that time, and the muscle cramps were unbearable. She was lying on the floor, looking up and out at the inky sky, which was a total blank. She couldn't stand up any more, her legs were beginning to go numb.
A sudden sound brought her back to consciousness: the door being opened. Her husband Asphodel was stood there. Through slitted eyelids, she saw him heave three unconscious bodies in with her. Before she could get up, he was gone, and the door was closed again. She sniffed. Two vampires, and…
A witch. Lovely, hot blood pumping beneath her skin. With the last of her strength, Ffion heaved herself towards her and bit into her wrist. Almost instantly the waves of pain began to subside. The witch had been powerfully knocked out. Ffion could sense that she was killing her.
With sudden horror she tried to pull away but couldn't. She gave a kind of moan as her teeth re-entered her victim. Her body wouldn't let her pull away. Suddenly she felt a strong hand on her shoulder, pulling her away. She realised someone was shouting in her ears.
"What are you doing?! What are you doing?! Get off her!"
Ffion looked up, shame burning her face. "I'm… sorry." She croaked. "I was starving, I didn't mean to take so much…"
She trailed off when she saw that the witch's lips had a bluish tinge. "Oh god no!" she said, horror struck. "Wake up!" she shook her.
The vampire who'd stopped her was a bow with red hair. He was paler than the vampire norm, he was shaking. "Amana!" he yelled. "Many, wake up!"
"Wassamatter?"
Adam hugged her. He had never been so relieved to hear anyone peak in his life. He looked up at this girl he was supposed to be saving. Her hair was black, falling in waves. Her eyes were a violet that was almost pink. Coupled with her vampire pale skin, she looked almost like an albino. But it suited her in an odd way. "What's your name?" he asked, warming to her. He knew how the bloodlust felt, he'd been a vampire for almost six hundred years.
"I'm Adam." He held out a hand, which she clasped rather than shook. "I take it you were here to save me?"
"Um, yeah, but unfortunately for us all, we have to rely on Capulet and Montague out there."
***
"This is all your fault!" Greg was yelling, fuming. "If you hadn't thought of putting wards all over the place, Amana might be here!"
Jemima wasn't saying anything. She was staring intently at a downstairs window. Ignoring his outburst totally. "I think we can get in there. The wire over the windows is coming off. See?"
It was. He backed up, aiming to kick it down. She grabbed him mid-run, and he was surprised by her strength. "Look." She said. "Before you go charging in, I'm in charge." He gaped. "Don't look at me like that. I mean it. I know you don't like me, and I know you resent me, but we have to work together for the greater good. I'm prepared to do *whatever* it takes to fulfil this mission. Got it?"
He stared at her. Her blue eyes glowed with intensity. He nodded, trying to suppress the growing feeling of respect he felt for her. He broke free and kicked in the window. There was a quiet moan. Jemima reached in and peeled back the chicken wire which covered all the windows. She levered herself in. She gasped when she saw what was inside. A young human man, lying naked on the floor. His own filth and vomit lay all around. He gave a weak, gasp that could have been relief when he saw Jemima gawking at him. Then he fainted.
Greg jumped in. "And our heroes find themselves in a really, really smelly, locked room. C'mon, lets find another pool, Polly."
"We can't just leave him."
"We'll pick him up later. Come on!" she went into hardened leader mode. Her eyes hardened, she jutted her chin out.
"No. I'll take him outside and hide him in the bushes. Then we go in together and get the others. Understand."
She looked so threatening that he stepped back.
"Okay, okay. Keep your feathers on."
She grinned. Together they hauled the unconscious man out the window. His back got a bit cut, but they got him into the bushes without too much damage. Jemima covered him with her coat, and then they broke another window. All caution had gone flying out the window, and it was pretty obvious that Asphodel Iodred knew they were in his house. It was odd, Greg thought as he dropped into the filthy kitchen after Jemima, that he hadn't come charging in on them with something sharp yet.
She opened the door and peered around it. The house was eerily quiet. He looked through the crack she'd opened. The hallway was dark, and there was no sign of anyone in it. Greg gulped, it was all going too easily. Suddenly Jemima backed up. "I've got an idea."
"What? Another one?" he couldn't resist, but felt slightly guilty when she flinched.
"I know, my first was crap."
"No, it wasn't," he said, surprised at himself. "You couldn't have known he would be such a strong telepath." She smiled, lighting up her pale face. "Thanks. Why don't I shift, fly down the hall and have a look around. Then we both do the gung-ho hero thing."
For a minute, Greg's temper flared again, but quickly subsided. "Good idea. I'll watch your back." She smiled again. She began to change. Her skin only got a couple of shades whiter, and began to melt like wax, getting a kind of embossed pattern of feathers. Her shoulder blades cracked and her arms became wings and she shrank to bird size. The whole process took about twenty seconds. Some transformations Greg had seen had been grotesque, but this one looked… right. In an odd way it made him trust her more than anything that night. She looked innocent, pure as a dove. Greg felt a pang that such a form was being used for violence.
She took off, her wings flapping gracefully. She glided along the hall, just under the ceiling. Suddenly, without any warning, a calloused red hand jerked out of one of the doors. Jemima cried out and began to change back. It was happening too fast for Greg to think. He charged out, drawing his oak sword as he ran. He grabbed the place where fingers were starting to emerge instinctively and started randomly stabbing at their attacker's legs. He pulled hard on the swiftly growing hand, which came away with a half-grown Jemima on the end. She whirled around and punched her attacker. Asphodel took a few steps back, temporarily off his guard. Greg took advantage of his confusion and knocked him over. He held the sword over him. Asphodel looked up. Greg realised with a jolt that he was crying.
"I loved her. I did. I loved her." Greg's mouth gave an odd twist. This man deserved to die. Didn't he? He looked at Jemima, who now looked fully human. Her arm was hanging at an odd angle, and she was biting her lip so hard there was a trickle of blood across her chin. She gulped, then nodded. Greg tried hard to think of the man in the bushes outside as he stabbed down. He pulled out his sword and wiped it on the rapidly mummifying vampire's pants.
Jemima put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You did the right thing. He did deserve it."
"Yeah," Greg replied brusquely. "And it's not as if it's the first time I've killed. He deserved it."
She nodded with a meaning Greg couldn't quite understand. Suddenly his face split into a smile. "Truce?"
She smiled in relief. "Friends?"
"Don't push your luck." He said with a laugh. "Come on, let's go find the others."
***
"Nyx! Nyx! Wake up!" Amana shook her friend. Nyx wasn't moving at all. Amana had been shaking her and Adam had been calling in her mind for almost half an hour. She hadn't responded, but it was obvious she was still alive. Ffion was sat in the corner, her head resting on her knees. Eventually she spoke. "Stop it, will you? It won't do any good, you can't stop... what caused this."
"What? Your husband?" Adam demanded. She shook her head.
"He wasn't my husband any more. He was a vessel."
"A vessel for what?"
"It's... hard to explain. I'm not going to tell you now. But… later. You'll find out soon enough."
Adam was about to reply, when someone banged on the door. "You lot? Are you in there?"
Amana had never been so glad to hear Greg's voice. She forgot Ffion's comments. There was the sound of a lock sliding back, and the door opened. Jemima and Greg looked tired and injured, but they were smiling. Ffion ran out. "Where is he?" she begged, her eyes wide.
"Outside." Jemima said, taking charge. "Someone carry Nyx out. If you can't wake her up, I'm sure someone else can. Lets go!"
They trudged out into the hall. The comedy of the situation wasn't lost on Greg. He went first, kicking down the front door. Jemima and Amana came next, Amana craning her neck around oddly. Adam followed, cradling Nyx like a baby. She looked so, peaceful, almost asleep. Only the green tinge to her face showed she was in a more unnatural state. Ffion came last, looking anxious and hopeful at the same time. Amana felt a pang of jealousy, how come this girl had found her soulmate, when she also had a husband who loved her, instead of Amana, who, Goddess only knew, needed someone to love. And she knew what was wrong with Nyx. Amana could sense that some enormous power had hit her, something primeval. Where the word came from, she didn't know.
When they got outside, Greg and Jemima sat on the wall together, talking in low voices to Adam. Ffion pulled her naked soulmate out of the bushes and stroked his face tenderly. Amana knelt down next to Nyx, and clasped her hand. It was so cold. Her breathing was level, but there was no life force coming from her at all. Quietly, Amana began to cry. What the hell had happened to her friend?
Competition
Greg looked around the lobby, trying to appear confident, eager and cheerful, like his normal self. He smiled as Jemima walked past him. She frowned at him and carried on shouting into her mobile phone. He was really, really nervous. He was due to see Sora Keller, leader of Circle Daybreak for the Black Flowers estate, on a serious misconduct charge, in about thirty seconds. His friend Nyx smiled at him as she walked across the lobby, unperturbed and calm as always. He tried to smile back.
Sora's secretary, Col Anderson, looked up at Greg in his armchair. "She'll see you now." Was all he said. Greg's insides felt like lead. Sora was quite possibly the most terrifying woman on the face of the planet. She was a kite shapeshifter, and boy did it show. She looked up as he walked into her cluttered office. She was reading a report, and didn't acknowledge him except to wave him to sit down. Greg was strongly reminded of being sent to the headteacher's office at school. Sora wore irritating frameless glasses which usually hung on a chain around her neck. Right now they were perched on the end of her nose. Her dark hair was piled on top of her face, and her skin showed every second of her fifty eight years.
Eventually she took off her glasses and looked up. Greg felt a wrench of terror in his gut. He realised, with strange clarity, that he was about to get demoted. She sniffed. "Gregory Kenmore," she began. "I have reviewed your file. You behaved in an extremely unprofessional way last week. You were sent on a simple mission: get in, get Nicole out, and return here. Instead, you chose to ignore your orders. You dragged several innocent civilians in needlessly. Have you anything to say for yourself?"
She was looking at him with that special look of withering contempt she seemed to reserve just for him. ~I am *so* getting fired~ he thought. ~So what the hell.~
"Uh, yes ma'am, I do. I saved Nicole. She's in the house of healing recovering right now. And the humans had their memories wiped, so there was no harm done."
"No harm?! No harm?!" she was enraged now. ~Uh-oh, Rule no. 1: never, ever get Sora mad in future.~ "Nicole lost her arm. That never would have happened if you hadn't decided to try save her team as well. We'd come to the strategic decision to leave the hostages, and get Nicole out. But you had to play the hero."
"I did what I thought was right." Greg said, looking down at his clasped hands.
"It didn't work, though, did it, Mr. Kenwood? You behaved in a completely unfitting way for a captain. Consequently I am demoting you down to an ordinary team member. Jemima will take over your leadership. That will be all."
***
Greg's head was reeling. It was no less than what he'd been expecting, but… Jemima? She was weak, inexperienced, boring, stupid… the list went on. She was the only one of his five person team he didn't like. Nyx was waiting for him outside the office. "So?" she asked.
"I got demoted."
"Oh, Greg, I'm so sorry." The beautiful vampire put her arm around him. Her midnight blue eyes held genuine compassion. "Who's in charge?"
Greg was feeling more and more annoyed by the minute. "Jemima!" he exploded. "I mean, can you believe it?! It's so stupid. It doesn't make any sense!"
Nyx smiled. "You don't know that much about her, do you? There's more to that little dove than meets the eye."
That was another thing that irked Greg. He could understand a shapeshifter being put in charge. If it was something powerful, like a hawk or a tiger. But Jemima was a bloody dove, for crying out loud! He was proud of being the top Daybreak witch in the estate. Now he was just normal, nothing special…
Nyx must have been reading him, because she whispered "You are special, Greg. You did what you thought was the right thing. Don't take it so hard."
She walked away, calling after him "We're having a meeting tonight in the common room. Be there!"
Greg got to the common room at the same time as Jemima. He tried to keep an expression of disgust from his face and failed. She flinched and looked away. She sat in the chair at the centre of the semi circle of chairs-his chair, Greg thought with annoyance-and looked up at the group. Greg, Nyx, a witch named Amana and a vampire named Adam. The best.
"Um, er, hi. This is my first day as team leader, but I think we should be more like a democracy. I think we can get better, I've got our next mission here. It's a hard one, but if we put in some extra training, I'm sure we can pull it off…"
She looked up at Greg nervously. He scowled. Each one of her comments seemed to be a direct stab at his leadership. But he'd have to get used to it. "Our mission is to save a kidnapped human from Outside. He fell in love with a vampire, but her husband took him. We think there's a chance he's still alive. Our job is to get him and the wife out before our dear vampire does something stupid. We're due out there tomorrow night."
There were a few comments and questions, but Greg didn't hear them. He tried to appreciate how terrified those poor people must be, but in his mind they didn't seem remotely relevant. He was going to star in this mission, outshine them all, and get back his rightful place as team leader. He had to.
***
Jemima went out of the HQ. The crèche was only just down the road. She was on her way to see Neil's widow. Poor girl, she'd never wanted him to become a guard. Then that assassin had shown up and just killed him. Neil was a human; he'd been no match. His wife was human as well. Her name was Sally.
Sally's daughter Becca was playing with building blocks on a brightly coloured mat. Her mother was helping her. "Incy Wincey Spider," they were singing softly, "Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, and Incy Wincey Spider climbed the spout again."
The scene looked so sweet, so perfect. No-one would ever know that they had lost a husband and father just five days ago. Jemima's own problems seemed to fade into insignificance. At least she had been able to kill the ones who'd killed her family. She knew that gave her huge standing in Circle Daybreak, she'd taken on four lions single handed and killed them all. Very un-dove like behaviour.
Sally looked up. Her mousy brown hair had fallen out of its bobble, and her grey eyes were red and tired. Still, she tried to smile when she saw her friend. "hi," she said, her voice as stained as her face. "How did it go?"
"Okay. He was a bit… cold." She replied lamely.
"Keep at it. I know it'll be hard at first. It was for Neil. Especially after he got promoted. But he stuck at it, and *earned* their respect."
Jemima nodded. Neil Grange had quite possibly done more for the equality of humans in Daybreak's fighting forces than anyone else ever. He'd been ridiculed and bullied, but he was determined. He'd eventually had 45 of them under his command. Now he'd been killed on the job, it seemed like most of his work had been undone. There were talks of banning humans from the guard, 'for their own protection'. She knew this broke Sally's heart.
"Don't let him get to you, Jemmy. You're a great fighter. You'll make a great leader, I know you will."
"Thanks, Sally. You're a great friend."
They played with Becca for a while, until it was time to go.
***
They met outside the Daybreak headquarters. It was usually a little lighter in the south, but this night there were no moon or stars. The air was cool, but not unpleasantly so. Nyx was the first there. As a vampire, she didn't feel the cool breeze blowing through her black jumpsuit at all. Adam arrived next, wearing black leggings and a black t-shirt. Amana came soon after, bundled up in black, but a bright stripy scarf. "Brrr!" she said as she arrived, shaking her strawberry blonde curls. "Where are Jemmy and Greggy?"
"We think they killed each other on the way." Adam replied dryly.
"Hahahaha. I'm laughing so hard it hurts." Greg arrived, looking around for Jemima. "Where's our fearless leader?"
"Right here." She said, running up. Greg made a big show of rolling his eyes and tutting. Jemima flushed. "Sorry I'm a bit late. I was getting some wards." She opened her bag, showing a cluster of small cloth bags in the bottom. "I think we should sort of close off the area. Stop any innocents getting caught in the crossfire."
Nyx snorted, but not unkindly. "There are hardly many innocents in the north quarter." She said. Jemima grinned. But Greg had to fight of the young man in the urge to murder her. He hadn't meant for those stupid humans to wander over and politely ask why he was beating the living crap out of the young man in his grasp.
He realised Jemima was still talking. "Nyx and Adam, I want you to go in first. Distract the guy. Amana, you need to be setting up the wards. Me and Greg will scout about, trying to find a way in. When we do, the two of us will go down and save the soulmates. As soon as you're finished, Amana, you join us. Try knock the guy out if you can. I think he just lives with his wife. Everybody clear?"
Greg had to admit, it was a good plan. And the wards probably *were* a good plan. Jemima was proving more resourceful than he had thought. But she'd still taken his job. There were no questions. Everyone was tense, focused. The laughter had left even Amana's face. They set off into the night, nodding briefly at the witch guarding the exit they were using. They stepped into the Night World.
Because that's what it is, Greg thought vaguely. If nowhere else is, this is truly the Night World. The whole organisation concentrated on a smaller scale. No-one really noticed the five silent shadows moving through the misty streets. They left the east at last and entered the north. The streets and houses were less dilapidated and clearly had richer inhabitants. The house of their target was modest. It had the look of a normally well kept place that had fallen recently into disrepair. With a nod from Jemima, Nyx and Adam went up to the door and knocked. Amana took the bag and disappeared into the bushes. Greg and Jemima slipped round the back.
Greg could hear the murmur of voices from the front of the house, but apart from that there was nothing. His heart was pounding as he checked locks and looked for cellar windows. Ever since he'd arrived there had been a definite not-quite-right feel to the whole situation. When the voices stopped suddenly, he knew without knowing how that something had gone very, very wrong with Jemima's foolproof plan. She looked troubled as well. He could sense her stretching out her senses, trying to feel if the others were in trouble. He had no such ability, but his suspicions were confirmed when he heard a sudden yelp and the sounds of a struggle. Without a doubt, Amana had been caught. He looked at Jemima, then at the house. He had no idea what to do. He felt slightly afraid, but his main emotion was sheer confusion. It was maddening, not knowing what was going on.
Suddenly a top floor window opened and a head popped out. It was grinning wildly. "Come to save the little vermin?" it taunted. "I'd be more worried about my friends if I were you. I don't like Daybreakers. I don't like them at all." Icy fear flooded Greg's gut. Nyx, Adam and Amana were completely at the mercy of a psychopath. He looked at Jemima, and saw from her face that she felt the same.
***
Ffion Iodred looked out of the tiny window of the room she had been locked in for the past three days. She hadn't fed in all that time, and the muscle cramps were unbearable. She was lying on the floor, looking up and out at the inky sky, which was a total blank. She couldn't stand up any more, her legs were beginning to go numb.
A sudden sound brought her back to consciousness: the door being opened. Her husband Asphodel was stood there. Through slitted eyelids, she saw him heave three unconscious bodies in with her. Before she could get up, he was gone, and the door was closed again. She sniffed. Two vampires, and…
A witch. Lovely, hot blood pumping beneath her skin. With the last of her strength, Ffion heaved herself towards her and bit into her wrist. Almost instantly the waves of pain began to subside. The witch had been powerfully knocked out. Ffion could sense that she was killing her.
With sudden horror she tried to pull away but couldn't. She gave a kind of moan as her teeth re-entered her victim. Her body wouldn't let her pull away. Suddenly she felt a strong hand on her shoulder, pulling her away. She realised someone was shouting in her ears.
"What are you doing?! What are you doing?! Get off her!"
Ffion looked up, shame burning her face. "I'm… sorry." She croaked. "I was starving, I didn't mean to take so much…"
She trailed off when she saw that the witch's lips had a bluish tinge. "Oh god no!" she said, horror struck. "Wake up!" she shook her.
The vampire who'd stopped her was a bow with red hair. He was paler than the vampire norm, he was shaking. "Amana!" he yelled. "Many, wake up!"
"Wassamatter?"
Adam hugged her. He had never been so relieved to hear anyone peak in his life. He looked up at this girl he was supposed to be saving. Her hair was black, falling in waves. Her eyes were a violet that was almost pink. Coupled with her vampire pale skin, she looked almost like an albino. But it suited her in an odd way. "What's your name?" he asked, warming to her. He knew how the bloodlust felt, he'd been a vampire for almost six hundred years.
"I'm Adam." He held out a hand, which she clasped rather than shook. "I take it you were here to save me?"
"Um, yeah, but unfortunately for us all, we have to rely on Capulet and Montague out there."
***
"This is all your fault!" Greg was yelling, fuming. "If you hadn't thought of putting wards all over the place, Amana might be here!"
Jemima wasn't saying anything. She was staring intently at a downstairs window. Ignoring his outburst totally. "I think we can get in there. The wire over the windows is coming off. See?"
It was. He backed up, aiming to kick it down. She grabbed him mid-run, and he was surprised by her strength. "Look." She said. "Before you go charging in, I'm in charge." He gaped. "Don't look at me like that. I mean it. I know you don't like me, and I know you resent me, but we have to work together for the greater good. I'm prepared to do *whatever* it takes to fulfil this mission. Got it?"
He stared at her. Her blue eyes glowed with intensity. He nodded, trying to suppress the growing feeling of respect he felt for her. He broke free and kicked in the window. There was a quiet moan. Jemima reached in and peeled back the chicken wire which covered all the windows. She levered herself in. She gasped when she saw what was inside. A young human man, lying naked on the floor. His own filth and vomit lay all around. He gave a weak, gasp that could have been relief when he saw Jemima gawking at him. Then he fainted.
Greg jumped in. "And our heroes find themselves in a really, really smelly, locked room. C'mon, lets find another pool, Polly."
"We can't just leave him."
"We'll pick him up later. Come on!" she went into hardened leader mode. Her eyes hardened, she jutted her chin out.
"No. I'll take him outside and hide him in the bushes. Then we go in together and get the others. Understand."
She looked so threatening that he stepped back.
"Okay, okay. Keep your feathers on."
She grinned. Together they hauled the unconscious man out the window. His back got a bit cut, but they got him into the bushes without too much damage. Jemima covered him with her coat, and then they broke another window. All caution had gone flying out the window, and it was pretty obvious that Asphodel Iodred knew they were in his house. It was odd, Greg thought as he dropped into the filthy kitchen after Jemima, that he hadn't come charging in on them with something sharp yet.
She opened the door and peered around it. The house was eerily quiet. He looked through the crack she'd opened. The hallway was dark, and there was no sign of anyone in it. Greg gulped, it was all going too easily. Suddenly Jemima backed up. "I've got an idea."
"What? Another one?" he couldn't resist, but felt slightly guilty when she flinched.
"I know, my first was crap."
"No, it wasn't," he said, surprised at himself. "You couldn't have known he would be such a strong telepath." She smiled, lighting up her pale face. "Thanks. Why don't I shift, fly down the hall and have a look around. Then we both do the gung-ho hero thing."
For a minute, Greg's temper flared again, but quickly subsided. "Good idea. I'll watch your back." She smiled again. She began to change. Her skin only got a couple of shades whiter, and began to melt like wax, getting a kind of embossed pattern of feathers. Her shoulder blades cracked and her arms became wings and she shrank to bird size. The whole process took about twenty seconds. Some transformations Greg had seen had been grotesque, but this one looked… right. In an odd way it made him trust her more than anything that night. She looked innocent, pure as a dove. Greg felt a pang that such a form was being used for violence.
She took off, her wings flapping gracefully. She glided along the hall, just under the ceiling. Suddenly, without any warning, a calloused red hand jerked out of one of the doors. Jemima cried out and began to change back. It was happening too fast for Greg to think. He charged out, drawing his oak sword as he ran. He grabbed the place where fingers were starting to emerge instinctively and started randomly stabbing at their attacker's legs. He pulled hard on the swiftly growing hand, which came away with a half-grown Jemima on the end. She whirled around and punched her attacker. Asphodel took a few steps back, temporarily off his guard. Greg took advantage of his confusion and knocked him over. He held the sword over him. Asphodel looked up. Greg realised with a jolt that he was crying.
"I loved her. I did. I loved her." Greg's mouth gave an odd twist. This man deserved to die. Didn't he? He looked at Jemima, who now looked fully human. Her arm was hanging at an odd angle, and she was biting her lip so hard there was a trickle of blood across her chin. She gulped, then nodded. Greg tried hard to think of the man in the bushes outside as he stabbed down. He pulled out his sword and wiped it on the rapidly mummifying vampire's pants.
Jemima put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You did the right thing. He did deserve it."
"Yeah," Greg replied brusquely. "And it's not as if it's the first time I've killed. He deserved it."
She nodded with a meaning Greg couldn't quite understand. Suddenly his face split into a smile. "Truce?"
She smiled in relief. "Friends?"
"Don't push your luck." He said with a laugh. "Come on, let's go find the others."
***
"Nyx! Nyx! Wake up!" Amana shook her friend. Nyx wasn't moving at all. Amana had been shaking her and Adam had been calling in her mind for almost half an hour. She hadn't responded, but it was obvious she was still alive. Ffion was sat in the corner, her head resting on her knees. Eventually she spoke. "Stop it, will you? It won't do any good, you can't stop... what caused this."
"What? Your husband?" Adam demanded. She shook her head.
"He wasn't my husband any more. He was a vessel."
"A vessel for what?"
"It's... hard to explain. I'm not going to tell you now. But… later. You'll find out soon enough."
Adam was about to reply, when someone banged on the door. "You lot? Are you in there?"
Amana had never been so glad to hear Greg's voice. She forgot Ffion's comments. There was the sound of a lock sliding back, and the door opened. Jemima and Greg looked tired and injured, but they were smiling. Ffion ran out. "Where is he?" she begged, her eyes wide.
"Outside." Jemima said, taking charge. "Someone carry Nyx out. If you can't wake her up, I'm sure someone else can. Lets go!"
They trudged out into the hall. The comedy of the situation wasn't lost on Greg. He went first, kicking down the front door. Jemima and Amana came next, Amana craning her neck around oddly. Adam followed, cradling Nyx like a baby. She looked so, peaceful, almost asleep. Only the green tinge to her face showed she was in a more unnatural state. Ffion came last, looking anxious and hopeful at the same time. Amana felt a pang of jealousy, how come this girl had found her soulmate, when she also had a husband who loved her, instead of Amana, who, Goddess only knew, needed someone to love. And she knew what was wrong with Nyx. Amana could sense that some enormous power had hit her, something primeval. Where the word came from, she didn't know.
When they got outside, Greg and Jemima sat on the wall together, talking in low voices to Adam. Ffion pulled her naked soulmate out of the bushes and stroked his face tenderly. Amana knelt down next to Nyx, and clasped her hand. It was so cold. Her breathing was level, but there was no life force coming from her at all. Quietly, Amana began to cry. What the hell had happened to her friend?