Chapter Twenty Four: Breakin Dishes
"Holy..." my mouth gaped open as I stared up at the white southern mansion that stood before us. "How exactly is this a hideout? This place is huge!"
Godric chuckled as he laid a hand on my back and began leading me across the large estate until we reached two guards. I was surprised that I recognized one from the New Orleans palace, and I was relieved that not everyone I had remembered from my previous visit to that palace had died in the bombing like we had all thought.
"Godric, Miss. Cole." One of the guards bowed in respect as we approached them. "The Queen has been awaiting your arrival. Right this way."
The one guard led the way as the other followed behind Godric and me. My eyes darted in every direction, trying to take everything in. Godric had explained on the way here that the Queen of Arkansas had been an ally of Sophie-Anne and offered her a safe house while she collected herself. I still found it hilarious that this mansion, this large estate, was what vampires considered to be a safe house. If anyone was wandering around, searching for the Queen, I don't know about anyone else, but this place would certainly give me a few red flags. But this was Sophie-Anne we were talking about, and vampires in general lived a very lavish lifestyle, not able to conform to our meagre human ways.
"You will catch flies if you don't shut your mouth soon." Godric teased, lightening the mood as we stepped up onto a wraparound porch before two large white doors were pulled open from the inside, revealing a large front foyer.
If I had been gobsmacked by the outside, it was nothing compared to the inside of the mansion. Everywhere I looked, there was something shiny or sparkly that caught my attention. A massive chandelier hung in the foyer over the winding set of stairs leading to a second, and what appeared to be a third floor. I wasn't sure how many people were staying here, how many members of Sophie-Anne's court that had survived, but I was certain that this mansion was larger than anyone could possibly fill.
"Right this way." The guard that had led us into the house motioned us down a hallway passed the stairs.
Godric kept his hand on my back as we walked, and I heard the distinct click of his fangs descending as we passed a few vampires along the way. I wasn't worried about being attacked, but I did understand the purpose of it. Godric was letting every single vampire know that I was taken, that I was not to be even looked at the wrong way. Of course, I wasn't his exactly, but these vampires didn't need to know that. I was sure that even Eric wouldn't mind if Godric and I pretended that I was his to keep me safe, at least in an instance where he wasn't around. I wasn't sure if even with his leaving if I was still classified as his, but part of me hoped so. Not even because I loved him, but because Eric was a very powerful figure in the vampire community, it was one of the reasons these invading vampires waited until he had left to start this war. If someone was to know that I was his, or even Godric's, then not a single soul would touch me unless they wanted to be killed brutally.
"My Queen, Godric and Miss. Cole have arrived." The guard in front of us stopped in a large lounge, bowing as the Queen of Louisiana and Mississippi, Sophie-Anne, came into view.
"Thank you Rasul." The red haired Queen waved the guard away before a grin spread across her lips. She had been sitting on a white lounger in the dark red and black room but was soon before us in no time. It was amazing how natural that seemed to me now from the many years I've spent around vampires. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "Oh thank the vampire heavens you're alive Godric! I was thinking the worst!"
A strained smile was forced onto Godric's lips as he nodded at Sophie-Anne. Much like Eric, Godric wasn't the biggest fan of Sophie-Anne. I wasn't sure why, I thought she was a complete hoot. But then again, I only saw one side of her and had only known her for a short period of time. And I'd rather keep it that way.
"And my wonderful Phoenix!" she grabbed me by the arms and kissed both of my cheeks in greeting, and I was almost certain that I now had two bright lipstick marks on my cheeks.
I couldn't help but grin at the Queen, happy to see her alive and well. I had been worried that something had happened to her as no one had heard from her since the bombing. I knew from what Godric had told us that she was alive, I just had been hoping that it had been true, that she had been able to get out of the palace before the bombing.
What I did notice right away though, was the missing vampire from her side. She had hardly gone two feet without Andre at her side, acting like a bodyguard to anyone who didn't know either vampire. But I had gotten close to Andre, and I knew the story well. He had been her child, her lover for so many years. They loved one another so deeply, and I knew it had to of been heartbreaking for Sophie-Anne to lose Andre so horribly.
"I'm sorry about Andre." I bowed my head guiltily. "It's my fault he met the true death."
"Nonsense, my Phoenix." She lifted by gaze with a manicured finger clasping my chin. "Andre, bless his still heart, knew that there was a chance either of us could have met the true death. We were willing when we arrived in Shreveport, Ellie. You are a magnificent creature; It would be an honour to lose my life for yours."
"Still, I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose the people you love." I offered her a sympathetic smile, knowing all too well that feeling of loss.
"It's all forgotten." she waved the issue away, though I saw a flicker of sadness in her orbs before she masked the emotion. She turned around, motioning us to sit as she retook her previous seat before waving her hands at the other vampires in the room. "Leave us!"
In a blink of an eye, the vampires had disappeared and the doors to the lounge had closed. I turned my attention on Sophie-Anne, noting the grim expression on Godric's face.
"We don't have much time I'm afraid." Sophie-Anne got right down to business, the usually cheerful expression turning just as grim as Godric's, and that worried me. When Sophie-Anne was worried, that was a time to be concerned.
"You know who is invading Louisiana and Mississippi, don't you?" Godric leaned forward.
"I do, as it happens." She sighed dramatically and my body grew tense. "Felipe De Castro, he's the vampire king of Nevada. He's been offering to overtake my states since I acquired Mississippi. He seems to think there's some silly mishap with the IRS."
Godric and I shared a look, but didn't speak, though we both knew of the trouble Sophie-Anne did have with the IRS that nearly got her into trouble. But after obtaining Mississippi, a wealthy state thanks to Russell, she no longer had to worry about silly money problems, at least not with the human government. Who knows whatever she may owe to the vampire authority.
"He is the one who threatened you and your territory?" Godric questioned, moving the conversation along.
"Oh no, of course not." She rolled her eyes. "Felipe couldn't hurt a fly. He is an acquaintance of mine and has been over my years as a vampire. Of course he's younger, but only by a few centuries. No, he has an interest in my courts, but he wouldn't result to violence to get what seeks. Not him specifically anyways."
"So if it wasn't him, then who did cause the bombings?" I wondered, before adding, "If you don't mind me asking."
"What a good question!" her eyes brightened, as if I was a little five year old asking why the sky was blue. "He had his little ass kissing right hand, Victor Madden, do all the...oh what is it you humans call it?"
"The dirty work?" I offered, which elicited a clap of the hands from the Queen.
"Yes, that's it! He had Victor do the dirty work." Sophie-Anne nodded. "That snake, of course, has been threatening me every since my poor blessed Andre has met the true death. There seems to be rumours throughout the community that I'm a weakened liability. Well what do they know!"
"I'm sure you were perfectly capable." Godric smartly complimented.
"Why thank you Godric." Her smile widened before she shook her head and returned to what she was saying. "Anyways, that dreadful vampire has been sending threats left and right. I never thought anything of them of course. Who would possibly assassinate a vampire Queen?"
"So Victor, he was the one who bombed the palace?" I asked.
"Oh heavens no." She snorted. "Victor has his own men to do his dirty work."
"Does Felipe know of what's happened since Victor has been let loose?" Godric wondered.
"If you ask me, Felipe shooed Victor off to deal with me to keep him away from Nevada's affairs." Sophie-Anne turned to me. "Las Vegas is one of the wealthiest cities in the Americas. But Louisiana is a close second. More vampires would rather come here than that stuffy, human ridden city."
"I can imagine." I nodded. "So you're saying that Felipe knows what's going on, but doesn't really care."
"Vampires seek out power, Elizabeth. Most don't care how it's achieved." Godric explained. "I'm sure that while Felipe may find Sophie-Anne to be a worthy ally, he would much rather take control of two of the wealthier states. He believed there to be a weakness, which we can all agree is not true, and he sent his..."
"Butt boy." Sophie-Anne snickered, and I almost laughed as well. Hearing the Queen of Louisiana, someone so put together and childish at the same time, say the term butt boy, it was just too amusing to keep quiet.
"Yes," Godric nodded. "He sent Victor to deal with whatever the problem may be. Victor knows Sophie-Anne will not willingly give up her control over the two territories, so he's ensuring it occurs by force."
"And that's why he attacked when he did right? Eric was gone, that was one last powerful vampire they had to deal with, and since Godric was in New Orleans, it made sense for them to attack them." I nodded, beginning to understand.
"Exactly, my smart little Phoenix." Sophie-Anne began playing with her strand of pearls, looking like she was losing interest. "Victor, that scum, decided to kill nearly my entire court, hoping to kill Godric and me, just so he can overtake Louisiana. Of course, I'm sure he didn't believe we would be smarter than that."
"Hence why you summoned Godric to New Orleans." I commented.
Sophie-Anne shot Godric a quick look, and I frowned when the two seemed to share a silent conversation between themselves.
"Yes, yes exactly." Sophie-Anne answered after a moment, waving the moment off, making me suspicious that perhaps I didn't know the whole story. But Godric had told us that Sophie-Anne had been worried, that she wanted Godric's guidance. Was that not the truth? Was there another reason the Queen had called Godric to New Orleans so suddenly? "But none of that matters now. We've lost all of my sheriffs, your vampire lover is off doing god knows what, against my orders of course. And Mississippi is practically in shambles!"
"So where does that leave us? Why haven't they attacked then? Wouldn't this be the perfect time to invade?" I tried to understand the mindset of these Nevada vampires.
"Because there are two little issues that need to be dealt with beforehand." She sat forward, her orbs rested solely on me and I shifted uncomfortably. "They thought Godric to be dead, and they kidnapped or killed all of my Sheriffs. There was no vampire strong enough to stop them. The authority and AVL, as always, are a useless bunch and don't care at all what's going on as long as it doesn't affect the human public."
"But then what else mattered?" I frowned, not understanding why the vampires hadn't just invaded yet. It seemed like a perfect opportunity. Up until the werewolf attack and Bill's return, no one knew Godric had survived and we had all kept it that way. I was pretty sure that no one besides us knew Sophie-Anne was off hiding here in Arkansas, so what was the problem?
And then it dawned on me.
Who were the objects of that werewolf attack?
Who were two of the rarest and most powerful beings that happened to be residing in the state they so desperately wanted?
"Sookie and me. They want us before they invade." My eyes grew wide, looking between the two vampires. "That's why they attacked us, the Weres I mean."
"Dreadful creatures." Sophie-Anne scrunched up her nose in disgust. "But useful when you don't want to waste any of your own men. Why send your best soldiers when you can just tempt a few Were junkies into doing your bidding?"
"So does that mean they won't invade until what, we're dead?"
"Of course not!" Sophie-Anne took me by the hands, her hands ice cold. "They want your powers, Ellie. Both of your powers. If they can kidnap you, control you in any way they possibly can, then they will. You know better than anyone just how tempting you are to every supernatural creature. Witches, vampires, and so many others would just jump at a chance of controlling you and your powers."
"But I mean, in a way this is good right? They won't invade until they have us then. Which means we have time to make a plan of action." I pointed out.
"They won't stop attacking until they have you, unfortunately." Godric sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I was afraid of this."
"At least this buys us time though."
"Not much, I'm afraid. Victor is not a patient person, Ellie. If he doesn't get what he wants, he'll take it whatever way he can. And if that means invading Louisiana, killing every single vampire around you, then he will." Sophie-Anne frowned, something that just did not look right on her flawless face. "He's a nasty one, Victor. There's been stories of him. He's not nearly as old as I am, and is no match for Godric. But he is a fighter, he is a warrior. Don't let how handsome he is fool you."
"Okay, well I'm officially worried now." I couldn't stop the concern from consuming me. I had been worried before, but now that I knew the details, now that there were names, it became all too real. And knowing that Sookie and I were in more danger than we first thought, that just scared the hell out of me.
But it also pissed me off.
Could I not go a month or two without some big bad trying to kill me? I wasn't asking for much, I just wanted a little bit of peace and quiet. That wasn't a lot. But oh no, every single supernatural creature had to pop up and try to kill me or those I cared about. I was getting tired of this. I was getting fed up and part of me just wanted to find these vampires and kill each and every one of them until I was satisfied. Of course, that was dangerous. We didn't have a plan. We didn't know when these vampires would strike. Which proved to be even more dangerous.
"So what do we do now?" I asked the two. "Do we just wait and see what happens? Because I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a good idea."
"Oh of course not silly!" Sophie-Anne rolled her eyes. "I have a plan."
"You do?" Godric raised an eyebrow.
"You think too little of me, Godric." I was surprised that she didn't seem offended. Maybe it was because Godric was older, more respected. Or maybe she just didn't care. I was sure she had many people doubting her abilities. I think I was one of the few that thought differently. She may be cheerful. She may treat me like I was some sort of royalty. But she could be ruthless when she wanted to be, I had seen that in that warehouse all those months ago. I certainly wouldn't want to get on her bad side, that's for sure. "Of course I have a plan."
"What would that be?" Godric asked curiously.
"I have an inside man." She leaned closer, a smirk on her bright red lips. "I bet you never thought I would think of something so genius."
Godric remained silent. Maybe he was learning a thing or two from spending so much time around me, a human girl, and realized that some things were better left unsaid.
"Well that's good then." I nodded, actually thinking it was a good idea. "If we know what they're planning, then we can be one step ahead of them."
"Exactly!" She nodded, a smile crossing her lips before a sudden crash outside of the lounge interrupted the Queen before she could continue. She frowned as she and Godric shared a look, the two getting to their feet immediately.
"What?" I stood as well, feeling like it was the right thing to do, especially as shouts were beginning to waft through the double doors. "That doesn't sound good."
"I was afraid of this." Sophie-Anne looked worried as suddenly two large vampires who I remembered to also be Sophie-Anne's progenies sped into the room through the double doors before locking them behind them.
"We're under attack."
"What?" my eyes grew wide, grabbing onto Godric's arm in fright.
"It's Albert." The one with the thickest accent spoke.
"Oh no." Sophie-Anne whispered. "Oh no."
"Who's Albert?" I was beginning to panic. Someone so powerful, someone so rare who everyone seemed to want a piece of shouldn't have been panicking. But it wasn't like I had been planning to be attacked while we were here. Why would they possibly attack if... "Oh crap, do they know I'm here?"
"They must have followed you." Sophie-Anne was sharing another look with Godric. "Albert is – was – the vampire I had in Victor's circle. It seems my plan has come back to bite me in the ass."
Louder crashes could be heard elsewhere in the house all around us, and I knew that this wasn't just a one person job. There were others, there were many others if what I heard was right. Albert had led the Nevada vampires right to the Queen; he had led them right to me, just like they had wanted.
"You must go." Sophie-Anne ushered over to the furthest corner where a bookcase lied. She pushed it away with ease, revealing a steel door. "This will lead you out of the house and into the forest. You need to leave now."
"But what about you?" My heart was racing in my chest and I did everything I could to calm down. I wasn't sure how many humans might possibly be in the mansion, but they could easily track us down if they heard my pumping heart that I was sure was so loud that it sounded like claps of thunder to the vampires.
"I can take care of myself." She assured, a look of determination sweeping over her features.
"But..."
"You are far more important than I am, Ellie." She cupped my cheeks. "I've been waiting my entire existence to meet a Phoenix, and here you are, worried about little old me. How precious this moment is. Andre knew how dear to me you were. You thought highly of you."
"I thought highly of him, you too." I gulped. "But...but you can't stay here Sophie-Anne. If they know your here, they'll kill you!"
"And I shall fight to the death. I will not run, not again." Sophie-Anne shook her head as she looked down at Godric. "Take her Godric, and don't let her out of your sight. Take flight as soon as you're able to and find shelter. These vampires will follow; they will do everything to take her."
Godric nodded as he took me by the arm and began pulling me to the steel door as Sophie-Anne opened it.
"But wait, you can't just fight them. You'll die. You're the Queen, if you're gone then..."
"I hereby announce all of my possessions to you, Godric. When the time comes, go to my safe, you know which I'm speaking of. You'll find what you've been seeking." Sophie-Anne bowed her head to the older vampire. "It's been an honour to call you an ally, Godric, and you Ellie, it's been a complete honour to call you a friend."
"No..." I was shaking my head as Godric began tugging me through the door. But we couldn't just leave, just like that. What about Sophie-Anne, and all the others? We couldn't just leave them to die.
"We have to go, Elizabeth. I'm sorry but we must." He pulled me into his arms, lifting me so he could take off in his vampire speed.
The last thing I saw before Godric took off was the double doors before slammed open, vampires dressed in all black with large guns in their hands bursting into the room. Sophie-Anne turned towards us, sending me a one last wink before she began closing the door and shoved the bookcase back in front of it. Godric began running faster than he ever had before through the secret passageway. But I could still hear the destruction to the house. I could still hear the guns being raised, the bullets being cast.
I could still hear Sophie-Anne's cry before I feared she met the true death, joining Andre wherever vampires resided in their afterlife.
I dug my head into Godric's shoulder, tears streaming down my cheeks knowing that a good friend, and I was proud to call her that, had just been killed. And I hated that I hadn't thought to do something. I could have killed them all with a flick of a wrist. I could have saved her; I could have saved all of those innocent vampires. But now they were dead, and Godric and I were just running cowardly away.
This only caused for my anger towards these vampires to grow. They would pay for this. They would pay for all the lives they've taken. They would pay for the destruction they've caused, for the pain and suffering they put so many through. If they thought they were going to get their hands on Sookie or I, well they had another ting coming. Because Sookie and I were spit fires. We protected the ones we loved, and we would do so till the death. I would die before I let some nasty horrible vampire control me, before I gave myself over. They would be fighting one long battle, but it was a battle I was ready to fight. They had nearly killed Godric, a two thousand year old vampire, in such a human way. And now they had killed Sophie-Anne. This was the last straw. I was done just sitting back and letting these vampires attack us out of surprise. I wasn't sure how, but I was determined I would get my revenge, I would kill each and every one of them for sport.
"I'm sorry, my dear one, I'm sorry this came to be." Godric whispered to me as we found ourselves in the middle of the forest. He set me down on the ground for a moment as we both gazed through the trees to where the beautiful mansion was now caught in a blaze of fire. I looked away quickly, the tears still flowing even as I tried to brush them away. Godric sighed as he wrapped his arms around me. "I promise to keep you safe, Elizabeth. I will do so until I meet the true death."
"I will kill them." I whispered into his chest. "I don't care what you say Godric, I will kill them for all that they've done. I've had it. I'll kill every single one of them."
Godric didn't say anything. He didn't disagree and he didn't agree to my desire to kill these bastards. All he did was stand there, rubbing my back in comfort as we took in the silence of the night. Until we began hearing voices, the vampires still looking for us. I cursed under my breath as Godric quickly swept me up into his arms before taking to the night sky for a second time that night.
Only this time, we knew what laid ahead of us.
If these Nevada wanted a war, well damnit, they were about to get one!