Immortal Beloved
By: Angel
Chapter Six
New York City 2009
"Eight. She questioned. "From my father's great line you are telling me there are only eight left?" incredulously she jumped up from the couch and stormed across the room the window.
"How could this happen? How could these half breed vamp spawns spring up from no where with enough strength to wipe out my fathers followers?" she demanded in a harsh voice as she moved away from the window and began pacing around the room in her agitation.
"They were organized." Ray tried to explain.
"The first attack was planned out in detail years before it was carried out, and when it finally happened there were too many of them for our side to come out victorious. They had years to build up there army. Polluting every blood line by turning all the street whores, drug dealers, and junkies they could without bringing attention to themselves." disgust obvious in Ray's tone sat calmly on the couch but followed her sister around the room with her eyes.
"They had a leader." Serena stated her anger showing on her face and in her mannerism. "They had a leader; those mindless half breeds could not have come up with such an intricate plan." She denied vehemently. "No. My father's murderer is behind this." She said clenching her fists and glaring out the small sun treated window in the room into the gleaming sun filled sky of midday.
"You are right of course, but how do we reach the leader? And how do we find out who the real leader is since there are four gangs, it could be any of their leaders?" Ray asked.
Frustrated and suddenly over come with sadness Serena closed her eyes and leaned her head against the protective glass looking fully defeated. There was a pain in her chest, a dull ache of loss that stole her strength ad sapped her of her power. Endy, her father, her friends and family all of them were gone, lost to her forever.
"I shall have to consider all the options and make a plan, but first I wish to be alone. You are dismissed." She stated calmly with a wave of her hand not bothering to turn and face her sister.
Usually Ray would take offence at being dismissed like a lower level flunky but the look of strain creasing her younger sister's brow the tension in her stance and the air of sadness about her, immediately dispelled her need to argue and she left quietly closing the door behind her.
"So you think the guy that wrote this journal is the same Endymion Serena mentioned before?" Amy asked holding up the book in question. "The same Endymion that was the cause of Ray's betrayal and the same one she sent into the future to be reborn." The doubtful look that crossed Amy's face instantly had Darien on the defense.
"I know it sounds crazy." he began.
"Oh it sounds more then crazy." Amy stated.
"But think about it..." Darien went on as if Amy had not interrupted him. "... you said yourself Endymion is an unusual name. Plus there is the time frame and the mention of Dracula."
"Ok, but that does not mean there was not another one around the same time frame as Serena's imprisonment, and besides the name written in that book is Serenity not Serena." Amy said rolling her eyes. "Besides it would have to be one hell of a coincidence for the same Endymion's journal to end up here."
"Princess Serenity Mandela Dracula the first is her full title, but she was dubbed Serena by her father when she was a child and only those closest to her called her by that name." Ray said as she entered the room. "Endymion was never around her family to learn of the affectionate nickname." She said as she approached Amy and took the worn journal from her and thumbed through the pages for a moment before looking back up at Amy. "And I do not believe in coincidence."
"So then Darien was right and the Endymion that wrote the journal is the same one Serena was in love with?" Amy asked in disbelief. "Imagine it winding up here in Darien's hands just before going on the mission to find Serena. Why the probability would be astronomical." Amy stated already silently calculating the figures in her head.
"It is strange." Ray stated turning to look puzzled at Darien who was sitting behind his desk. "I placed a spell on this journal just incase something went wrong with my spell, which it did." Ray reminded.
"The journal was a precaution in case Endymion's memory did not return like it was supposed to. It was to find him and when he read it help him remember who he was and save Serena. That it would wind up here with you Darien is puzzling." Ray stated suspiciously as she approached the desk and laid the journal upon it in front of Darien.
"You think Darien might be Endymion, right?" Amy asked as she to approached Darien looking at him as if looking for a glimpse of the long dead man.
"Hmmmmm ... It is possible." Ray stated considering. "Tell me Darien have you been having any strange dreams, flashes of another time, or an over powering sense of déjà vu?" Ray asked as she leaned casually against the desk.
"Do not be ridiculous." Darien countered standing abruptly to face the two women before him. "I am not some reincarnation nor am I a vampire lover." He denied hostilely.
"Trust me mortal, the sentiment is reciprocated." Serena said stiffly glaring from the doorway where she had over heard the tail end of his last statement. "Never the less I have tolerated your presence I merely ask you to do the same for me till I can reclaim my thrown and remove myself from your residence." She said as she came in to sit primly on the sofa along the far wall of the office.
Properly put in his place and feeling like a heel Darien sat back down and faced the vampire princess. "Forgive me your highness I meant no offense."
"Never mind we have more important matters to speak of then your dislike of me and my kind." She said coldly looking away.
She would never show if but she had taken offense at his statement but she did not understand why the words of a pathetic mortal even a handsome one, should bother her.
'Handsome? Where had that thought come from?' she asked herself silently.
"You have a plan then?" Ray asked her sister taking not of her sudden distraction,
"Yes." she confirmed with a little shake of her head to clear her thoughts. "But first I need to know more of the gangs and there leaders." She said glancing at Amy who was now sitting quietly in one of the chairs facing the desk quietly taking stock of the people in the room.
"Right. Let me just gather my notes." She said as she left the room hurriedly to return not a minute later with her arms piled high with binders, folders and files, setting them down on the table in front of the sofa. Ray and Darien came over as well taking the two chairs facing the sofa while Amy sat next to Serena.
"This is all the information I could gather on the clans their lineage and hierarchy." She explained.
"Well Lady Mercury, gatherer of information, will you tell me what you have learned." Serena said smiling slightly at her own joke as she handed Amy the first file.
"Oh. Well of course." Amy said blushing at the compliment paid her by this powerful woman beside her. She was only a little bit intimidated by her but she was beginning to be able to relax more with her and even like her.
"The first and second largest gang is the Atrox, named after an ancient religious order that worshipped blood. They run the South part of town."
"Out worldly they look like your average run of the mill street gang except for a strange marking on their left cheeks, a triangle with two lines under it and two dots under those. I do not know the meaning."
"It's an ancient vampiric sign for blood." Serena informed casually as she looked over Amy's shoulder.
"Oh." Amy said as she began searching for a pen to add that to her notes. "Any way the leader of Atrox is Draft, created in the early nineteen hundreds he is a power hungry mercenary type indirectly descended from a eighteenth century French vampire named Phillip. Did you know him?" She asked Serena.
"No he was not of my father's people." She stated but at their puzzled looks she explained. "While all vampires are descended from my father it was common of the many children of the pure bloods to branch off and form other clans with vampires with similar powers and cultures, this was allowed as long as those clans remained loyal to the house of Dracula." She said as she handed Amy the next file.
"Like a witches coven." Darien said comparing the two.
Serena's eyes flashed as she pierced him with a heated gaze meant to flay him alive. His wince made her smile as she turned a cool look to Ray. "Care to defend yourself sister?"
With Darien and Amy's eyes on her she sighed and began the explanation.
"Witches covens were new wave ideas created back round the time of the Salem with trails. Witches are actually solitary crafts women who lived and worked in nature. While the often shared knowledge and spells they only gathered in groups on the solstice and during a lunar eclipse."
"So you see there really is not comparing the two as vampires are extremely social and never share their knowledge." Serena stated looking at Darien with satisfaction.
"Right." Amy interrupted to dispel the tension gathering between the two. "Next are the Creepers." She began. "Mostly made up of the disfigured cast offs from the bigger gangs they are the smallest group and run the eastern part of the city.
They are the least troublesome of the four gangs choosing to stay hidden in shadows rather then engage in battles like the other three, and the other three gangs are usually to busy worrying about what the bigger gangs are up to, to pay any mind to them."
"Their leaders name is Tatum, cast off from his gang when he lost an eye in battle, there are no records of from who he is descended nor of his age." Amy said shaking her head.
"So much for loyalty." Darien said as he glanced at Serena.
"It is in a vampire's nature to admire beauty and shun what is ugly." Serena explained casually ignoring his comment. "Please continue." She said to Amy.
"The second smallest clan Dramda is lead by Michael an American turned in the seventies by a vampire named Jeana." Once again she looked to Serena for any sigh of recognition, but continued when her expression did not change.
"They rule the western part of the city and while they do fight, they seem more concerned with beauty and sex then ruling the city. They are devious though probably the smartest of all the gangs." Amy said closing the folder to grab another.
"They are not the strongest warriors, but there cleverness helps them win their share of battles and the attention of the two larger gangs which is what they crave." Darien said confidently glancing at Serena.
Amy cleared her throat before going on the get their attention. "The last and most powerful of the gangs is Drakna, the northern gang. They are the largest and strongest gang, both magically and physically. They are strict about only changing the strongest humans and have a system of weeding out the weak."
"The newly turned humans are called Initiates and to prove they are worthy they are sent out on missions to hunt down and capture a pure blood and bring it back to share with the leader. Failures are destroyed." Casually stating repercussions of a failure made the hair on Amy's arms stand on end but she kept a straight face as she looked to Serena as she began to speak.
"They have a good system, but for the fact that the more half breeds they create the less elders there will be to bring back. Eventually the clan members will turn on the leader." She assured.
"But then Drakna does mean betrayal in the ancient tongue, so maybe it is expected? Their system is not one to create loyalty." Speaking more to herself now then her audience she broke off her thoughts and turned to Amy once more.
"Their leader is believed to be Timberlyn descendant of an old one named Armand." She said but stopped when a sharp indrawn breath came from Serena.
"You know Armand I take it." Darien asked Serena staring at her sharply.
"He was one of my father's captains." She said angrily before motioning Amy to continue.
"There are others that say Timberlyn is just a figure head and the real leader is a vampire named Morbin LaRouge." Serena's hiss startled Amy into dropping her folder as she turned to star at the vampire princess. "I gather that's a name you recognize."
Ok I know this chapter took forever and I don't really have any explanation but disinterest but I promise to start work on the next chapter and get it out soon. I hope you like this chapter now yell at me some so I don't get lazy again lol
C ya
Angel