Monica Stycker closed the book she had been reading. She stared at the cover. "Demonus Libris" was displayed across the front.
There was talking in the hall that Monica recognized as her father's and her cousin, Trent. Trent sounded pretty upset, which was unusual since any other time he was distant and cold.
"Calm down, Trent," Roland Stycker tried to ease his nephew. "What's going on here?"
Monica inched closer to her partially open door.
"Something is happening tonight," Trent said. "Something very big that could be very bad for all of us."
"What is happening?"
"I don't know exactly. I only heard the rumors, but it seems some local vampires have gotten very, very ambitious in their power plays."
Monica listened very closely to what was being said, trying to figure anything and everything out. Since her induction to the Family last week she had been spending most of her free time reading old tomes and studying ancient artifacts. Her father wanted her to finish school before letting her take a position in the Family. This gave her all the time she needed to get caught up with the others in-between studies.
"What are you trying to say, Trent?" Roland asked, frustration tipping his voice.
"What I'm saying is if they succeed, expect a shift in power over the next couple days."
Packard looked around nervously. He knew that what he was doing was dangerous and he could be killed for it, but he had a deal he had to fulfill. He just wish he didn't have to meet his contact in the alley.
"What do you have for me?" Damien asked as he emerged from darkness of the alley.
Packard looked around again. "Something big is happening tonight."
"Like?"
"An old power is...reemerging."
Damien glared at Packard. "How about you make that a little more vague for me."
Packard sighed. "Some local vampires got their hands on some power and are using it to restore the power base they once held."
Damien looked concerned. It was true that vampires lost their boot-shaking status years ago and nobody really considered them a world threat anymore, save for one or two that popped up time and again. He knew that they longed to be feared again. If they had that means, it could be bad.
"What do you know?" Damien asked his vampire informant.
"There has been a gathering of local vamps lately. Started out small, but then grew into a small army."
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
Packard looked offended. "I'm still a vampire. What do you want?"
Damien grabbed Packard by the front of his shirt and brought his face as close to his as he could bear. "I want you to skip the crap and tell me what you came here to tell me."
"This group, this army of vampires, is led by a vampire named Xavier. He used to set up shop in Sunnydale about a decade back. A couple months ago he arrived here in town and started what seemed to be a cult worshiping an old vampire the Slayer dusted a while ago. The cult turned into something of an underground movement."
Damien was pissed. "Something I should have known about since I have an informant in that particular little underworld."
"I didn't want to join. Seemed like fad," Packard said. "And besides, I don't like to align myself with any particular faction. I'm a free agent."
"You're going to be free in two seconds if you don't get to the point."
"Okay, okay," Packard broke himself out of Damien's grip. He straightened his shirt, a new silk shirt he bought with the money Damien was paying him. "Tonight, now probably, Xavier is going to resurrect The Master."
The group of vampires was over forty strong. They stood around a pool of boiling blood in a cave deep beneath the earth. One vampire, dark skinned, with long, black hair and dressed in a very nice suit, held a wooden crate. "The time is now," the vampire said. "The time for our master to return to this world is right. He will lead us to ultimate victory."
The vampire tipped the crate over, spilling dust and partial bones into the blood. He shook it once, twice to make sure nothing stuck to the crate, then tossed it aside. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a vial filled with a thick, deep red liquid.
"Return to us master," he said. The rest of the vampires pulled out similar vials and held them above the pool.
"Return to us," they all said in unison.
As one, all the vampires pulled the stoppers out of the vials and dumped the thick, red liquid into the pool of blood. The boiling increased in intensity. The head vampire pulled out another vial, this one filled with a blue-green substance.
"Return to us!" he yelled and poured the substance into the pool.
The ground shook and dust fell from the earthy ceiling. The blood shot straight up in streams. The vampires looked around scared, but the head vampire assured them that all was okay.
"The Master returns!" he yelled. Suddenly, everything stopped shaking. The pool of blood calmed. The vampires looked at each other.
"THE MASTER RETURNS!" the head vampire yelled at the top of his lungs.
The pool of blood erupted covering all the vampires. There was a light and a burning smell as all the vampires covered in blood started to scream, energy being pulled from their bodies and towards the light in the pool. After a moment, the screaming stopped, the light faded. The vampires looked around, surprised to still be alive. Then all their attention turned to the figure standing where the pool once was.
The figure was nude, his pale and wrinkled skin a contrast against the darkness of the cave. He had not a single hair on his body. His hands ended in sharp claws. His pug face hideous. His mouth was stained red from years of drinking blood.
"Master," the head vampire bowed. All the other vampires quickly followed suit. "I have strived these many years to restore you. It brings me joy that I have finally succeeded."
The Master looked at the vampire. "Xavier," he moaned. "I have returned?"
"Yes, master," Xavier still had his head lowered. "And soon your power will return. Soon you will be in your formal self and you will blow this hellmouth wide open."
There was talking in the hall that Monica recognized as her father's and her cousin, Trent. Trent sounded pretty upset, which was unusual since any other time he was distant and cold.
"Calm down, Trent," Roland Stycker tried to ease his nephew. "What's going on here?"
Monica inched closer to her partially open door.
"Something is happening tonight," Trent said. "Something very big that could be very bad for all of us."
"What is happening?"
"I don't know exactly. I only heard the rumors, but it seems some local vampires have gotten very, very ambitious in their power plays."
Monica listened very closely to what was being said, trying to figure anything and everything out. Since her induction to the Family last week she had been spending most of her free time reading old tomes and studying ancient artifacts. Her father wanted her to finish school before letting her take a position in the Family. This gave her all the time she needed to get caught up with the others in-between studies.
"What are you trying to say, Trent?" Roland asked, frustration tipping his voice.
"What I'm saying is if they succeed, expect a shift in power over the next couple days."
Packard looked around nervously. He knew that what he was doing was dangerous and he could be killed for it, but he had a deal he had to fulfill. He just wish he didn't have to meet his contact in the alley.
"What do you have for me?" Damien asked as he emerged from darkness of the alley.
Packard looked around again. "Something big is happening tonight."
"Like?"
"An old power is...reemerging."
Damien glared at Packard. "How about you make that a little more vague for me."
Packard sighed. "Some local vampires got their hands on some power and are using it to restore the power base they once held."
Damien looked concerned. It was true that vampires lost their boot-shaking status years ago and nobody really considered them a world threat anymore, save for one or two that popped up time and again. He knew that they longed to be feared again. If they had that means, it could be bad.
"What do you know?" Damien asked his vampire informant.
"There has been a gathering of local vamps lately. Started out small, but then grew into a small army."
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
Packard looked offended. "I'm still a vampire. What do you want?"
Damien grabbed Packard by the front of his shirt and brought his face as close to his as he could bear. "I want you to skip the crap and tell me what you came here to tell me."
"This group, this army of vampires, is led by a vampire named Xavier. He used to set up shop in Sunnydale about a decade back. A couple months ago he arrived here in town and started what seemed to be a cult worshiping an old vampire the Slayer dusted a while ago. The cult turned into something of an underground movement."
Damien was pissed. "Something I should have known about since I have an informant in that particular little underworld."
"I didn't want to join. Seemed like fad," Packard said. "And besides, I don't like to align myself with any particular faction. I'm a free agent."
"You're going to be free in two seconds if you don't get to the point."
"Okay, okay," Packard broke himself out of Damien's grip. He straightened his shirt, a new silk shirt he bought with the money Damien was paying him. "Tonight, now probably, Xavier is going to resurrect The Master."
The group of vampires was over forty strong. They stood around a pool of boiling blood in a cave deep beneath the earth. One vampire, dark skinned, with long, black hair and dressed in a very nice suit, held a wooden crate. "The time is now," the vampire said. "The time for our master to return to this world is right. He will lead us to ultimate victory."
The vampire tipped the crate over, spilling dust and partial bones into the blood. He shook it once, twice to make sure nothing stuck to the crate, then tossed it aside. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a vial filled with a thick, deep red liquid.
"Return to us master," he said. The rest of the vampires pulled out similar vials and held them above the pool.
"Return to us," they all said in unison.
As one, all the vampires pulled the stoppers out of the vials and dumped the thick, red liquid into the pool of blood. The boiling increased in intensity. The head vampire pulled out another vial, this one filled with a blue-green substance.
"Return to us!" he yelled and poured the substance into the pool.
The ground shook and dust fell from the earthy ceiling. The blood shot straight up in streams. The vampires looked around scared, but the head vampire assured them that all was okay.
"The Master returns!" he yelled. Suddenly, everything stopped shaking. The pool of blood calmed. The vampires looked at each other.
"THE MASTER RETURNS!" the head vampire yelled at the top of his lungs.
The pool of blood erupted covering all the vampires. There was a light and a burning smell as all the vampires covered in blood started to scream, energy being pulled from their bodies and towards the light in the pool. After a moment, the screaming stopped, the light faded. The vampires looked around, surprised to still be alive. Then all their attention turned to the figure standing where the pool once was.
The figure was nude, his pale and wrinkled skin a contrast against the darkness of the cave. He had not a single hair on his body. His hands ended in sharp claws. His pug face hideous. His mouth was stained red from years of drinking blood.
"Master," the head vampire bowed. All the other vampires quickly followed suit. "I have strived these many years to restore you. It brings me joy that I have finally succeeded."
The Master looked at the vampire. "Xavier," he moaned. "I have returned?"
"Yes, master," Xavier still had his head lowered. "And soon your power will return. Soon you will be in your formal self and you will blow this hellmouth wide open."