By Jodi Marie Johnston
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Forever Knight (though if I did, things would have turned out differently!), they are property of Sony/Tri-Star and I am merely borrowing them and promise to put them back relatively unscathed when finished with them. No copyright infringement is meant and I incur no financial gain by the posting of this story. It is merely for entertainment purposes only.
All other characters are my creative works.
Chapter Seven
The sun was setting already the vampires were stirring. Jeanette and Nick being the oldest vamps of the bunch rose first. Bell was waiting for them. Most of the witches were awake. Some were still asleep in sleeping bags that they had brought for this little campout. Fear wafted off them as Nick and Jeanette came up to their leader. Nick could see white chalk marks and smell incense burning. Candles burned and under all these smells he caught the whiff of blood. They had used blood to paint some of the markings on the wall.
"Relax Nick. For some of the strong barrier spells a witch adds his or her own blood to the mix to add some oomph." Bell told him.
"What have you done to my club!"? Jeanette snarled.
"It washes off." Bell said.
"None of these are yours." Nick said.
"Can you be so certain vampire?" John said as he came up to Bell's right. Whatever spat they had had earlier that week it was over now. He looked like he was willing to beat the crap out of Nick if he attempted to touch Bell. Nick knew he could snap the witch like a twig. Bell touched John's shoulder and he backed off.
"The way has been prepared. Are you and your ready?" Bell asked.
"We are always ready for a fight."
"Good then we offer you and yours something."
"What?" Nick asked.
"Call your people and join us."
The vampires appeared almost out of nowhere. The witches took a stance of defense but Bell waved them down. The witches gathered in a circle. Nick began to get a bad feeling.
"You think we have nothing to offer you, creatures of the night, those who have seen more years than many off us combined. But know this we can fight and we can help. We offer you a gift, more precious that you can know as proof of our strength." John said.
"What is going on Bell?" Nick asked.
"This is not from her." John said.
"Hear them out Nick. This is their choice, not mine." Bell said.
An older woman stepped into the circle. She wore a simple white dress and nothing else. She smiled at Bell and bowed to them all.
"We offer one of our own to make us all strong." John said.
"What?" Nick said.
The witches began to chant. The old woman began to float in mid air. She looked so at peace. The chant grew stronger and the witch's began to glow. With their vampire eyes they could see the mortals channel their power into the woman. John who had not joined in the chant faced the vampires.
"She is for you to make you strong. Drink and prepare the way."
"Are you crazy?" Nick said to Bell.
"Nicola, this is fair." Jeanette said. Nick scanned the eyes of the hungry vampires. It was difficult at best to get willing victims. Here was the mother of all buffets and none of them were going to turn it down. The witches bowed and stepped back. The old woman floated in mid air. No one moved. Then Jeanette stepped forward. She bent over the old woman's neck. Her eyes fell on Nick.
"If this is a trap. Kill them all." Jeanette said.
"Its not." Bell said.
Jeanette bit into the woman's neck. Her blood was like fire. Better than anything Jeanette had ever tasted. A mouthful was all she needed. She backed away.
"Nicola you must taste her."
Jeanette's golden eyes burned with power. The other vamps feed. Nick just stood there watching as they murdered the woman. Many of the witches turned away but some steeled themselves to watch. It was the woman's life and their essence the vampires were drinking.
"What was her name?" Nick whispered.
"Maggie." Bell said.
"Your turn Nick." John said.
"Not interested." Nick said.
"Liar." Bell said.
"Fine I want to but I won't, not like this." Nick said.
"God will not fault you for this Nick." Bell said.
Nick backhanded her into a wall. The witches formed a tight circle and joined hands. In the center a ball of flame appeared.
"Stop. Stop." Bell shouted getting to her feet. Blood trickled down her lip.
The witches broke the circle and flames disappeared.
"Are you all right Bell?" John asked.
"Fine, fine. Besides she's dead." Bell said. As if on cue, there was a loud crash as the club doors bent against some sort of battering ram. The vamps were insistently all fang and claw. Bell did something odd with her hands. The witches joined hands again focusing their energy on the door but it was not enough. The door exploded in a rain of wood splinters. On stray piece hit a young vamp dead in the heart and dusted him. The witches' hand broke the circle when their spell was broken, but now they rejoined and placed a spell around themselves.
"They are not going to fight?" Jeanette asked.
"Most witch's magic is for defense not attack." Bell said.
"Lovely." One female vamp said.
"What about you?" Nick asked Bell.
"My part comes later. I cannot interfere until the way is prepared."
"You keep saying that, but what does it mean?" Nick asked but he never got an answer. Men with machine guns burst through the door with crosses and fire. The witches managed to use their spells to absorb the fire but they could do very little against the crosses held in had by true believers. The vamps took no prisoners. The LGH fell in a wave of blood and retribution. When the smoke cleared the bodies lay on the club floor. Nick had fought as well but even as he looked at the dead he felt sick.
"We finally got the guys responsible." Nick said.
"No, we didn't." Bell said. She looked sad. Everyone but her was covered in blood even the witches. Several of the humans had vomited at the carnage. In a way, Nick wished he could.
"What do you mean?" Nick asked.
"You have the shooters. They were the brawn of this operation. No what you're missing is the brains behind all this."
"Do you know who it is?" Jeanette asked.
"I've known since the beginning." Bell said.
"Why didn't you tell us?" John asked.
"You would not have believed me, and beside was still are lacking your so called proof." Bell said.
"So who is it?" Nick asked.
"Wait and watch." Bell said.
Together the three of them sat at the table and waited as a little man walked in through the door. He wore a cowl and wasted no words but drew out what looked like a gun. Time he pointed it at Mrs. Santiago.
"Love has no fury like a woman scorned." The man said.
"Anthony?" Maria asked. She recognized the voice. The man pulled back his cowl.
"Who is this?" Nick asked.
"My husband." Maria said.
"That's right bitch. Didn't think that I was the one behind this did you." Anthony said.
"You're not." Bell said getting to her feet.
Anthony turned the gun on Bell and fired the gun. Nick was on his feet but the gun sprayed out bullets. Bell smiled as an invisible bubble stopped most of the bullets and changed them into silver butterflies.
"What are you?" Anthony asked.
"You know me and I know you. We are one." Bell said.
"You're crazy." Anthony said.
"Release your host so we can both return to the Oneness."
"No! I won't go back to nothingness." Anthony snarled.
"It was not nothingness. It was everything."
"Like that makes a difference! I like it here. To feel to be powerful to know and experience life, these vermin have no idea."
"There are other options, you have only forgotten them."
"No. I can't go back. I will remake the world in my image and there will be nothing but those who are alive, truly alive."
"I don't think so." Nick said.
"What going to sick your blood sucker on me now?" Anthony asked
With a wave of his hand Anthony raised Nick off the ground and frozen Jeanette as she tried to attack. Bell sighed.
"Always have to do things the hard way don't you?" Bell asked.
"Back off or I will dust them." Anthony said. With a flick of his wrist what remained of the door began to float in the air like arrows.
"Like I care." Bell said.
"No you wouldn't. You're just like me."
"No I am not. Unlike you I did not choose duality, I chose the other path."
"And yet here you are opposing me. Fool yourself, but do not fool me. Your very existence shows that you are on the same road as me."
The witches did a little conjuring and incinerated the wood chips. Anthony snarled at them. With a burst of power he knocked them back. Some of the vampires caught the humans so most weren't hurt.
"You are wrong Gabriel. It is time we go back." Bell said.
"Never!"
He shot out pain like fire. Nick and Jeanette fell to the floor on fire. But what they saw was Bell walking smoothly towards Anthony, no Gabriel. He was throwing fire, ice, bullets, everything at her, still she kept moving. Her body bled and burned but she did not stop. Reaching up she touched his face and pulled him in for a kiss. The fire stopped. Nick looked at Jeanette. She was fine, so was he. Bell stepped back from the kiss leaving Anthony looking dazed but what she pulled out of him was a glowing blue light. Reaching up she held it in her hands. There was another flash of light. The only thing that showed any of the carnage of the past melee was her batter body. The club showed no signs of a battle. Jeanette looked around everyone was unharmed even the humans who were part of LGH merely lay unconscious on the floor. The three witches who had died were alive and they got up. The few vamps that had been dusted also had been returned to their former state.
"I want to thank you for your help in this." Bell said. She still held the blue like in her hand, which had to be the Gabriel that she had pulled from Anthony's body.
"I still don't know what this is." Nick said.
"You have your master mind, but I have his power. The proof you seek he will provide and the LHG will be no more." Bell said.
"Who are you?" Nick asked.
"What are you?" Jeanette asked.
"I thought that was obvious by now. We are of the Host and it is time we return home."
"Wait can't you explain?" Nick asked.
"Explain what?" Bell asked back.
"Anything." Jeanette said.
"No. My words hold wisdom but maybe I will be granted a chance to explain it to you one day, perhaps in dreams."
"That's not good enough." Nick said.
"It is what it is. It is time." Bell said.
"Wait, Gabriel left his um host, so you will leave yours right?" Nick asked.
"No. It is as I told my brethren. I have tasted mortality and this world as he has, but I have chosen the other path, the same path opened to all God's creations."
"What is that path?" John asked.
"Your people have no word for it yet though there are those who know it and are working towards teaching, explaining it to the people of this world. I told you it was not yet time, but the time will come when you are ready. Farewell."
There was a burst of light so blinding that Nick felt as if he was seeing the sun. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Nick snap out of it!" Don said.
"Skanky?"
"Yeah partner what happened? I pick up a call for you from Miss Nightshade to meet you at the Raven and come to this."
There was Bell's body on the floor dead. Anthony was handcuffed to a chair. Jeanette was talking to a uniformed officer while Maria was crying for her insane husband. Nick had his gun in hand but was kneeling on the floor. The vamps were all gone and so were most of the witches. John was there he looked at Nick and slyly placed his finger on his lips indicating silence.
"I'm not sure. He is the LGH leader. He came in here to kill us all but Bell, Miss Nightshade… she… she did something."
"Your friend Jeanette told us that Bell scarified herself to overpower Mr. Santiago so you could get his gun and handcuff him. She told me that you did your best to save Miss Nightshade."
"Did I really?" Nick said asking no one in particular. He sat their head pounding. This was wrong. Something had happened, something important. Something he needed to know.
"Look you look like crap. Its almost dawn anyway. Go home, sleep, you can fill out all the paper work tomorrow. I'll take care of this and smooth things out with the captain."
"Thanks Skanky."
"No problem partner. We did it."
"Yeah."
Jeanette gave Nick one last look. He shook his head and went out to his Caddie. He was cutting it close but he made it home in time. Somehow the whole night had passed him by. What had happened? Had it really been magic? How else could he explain it all but angels? Why would angels help a vampire or vampires for that matter? No it was all too crazy. Nick felt his hunger stir and as much as he wish he needed to feed and soon.