A Fucking Disaster
Jade found herself in the center of an expansive field. A recognizable fragrance filled the air, arousing her thirst a bit. The presence of the Fae had been here recently, prompting her to consider investigating it in the future.
Curious. What were the Fae doing here?
"Were you followed?" Her friend's voice says behind her. Jade swiftly spun around to confront Grace, placing her hands on her hips and momentarily setting aside her preoccupation with the fairy scent.
"No, I wasn't. What the hell is this all about?" Grace sighs, running her fingers through her hair.
"We got a serious problem here, Jay." She says as she pulls a tablet from inside her leather jacket. "You know I've been working on a secret investigation for a while now?" Jade nodded her head.
"Yeah, and still I haven't gotten a report from you. I have half a mind to shut this down." Grace sighs, taking a dossier out of her jacket.
"I wanted to keep this as discrete as possible, keep as many people out of it to prevent it from getting back to the wrong people. That whoever was plotting against you couldn't have me killed and all my evidence destroyed. And Molly's penchant for technology made it easier for me to find all the evidence I needed. I kept my investigation, and its findings secret. I've had some suspicions about a couple of our chancellors on the Authority, especially after what happened at the festival of tolerance, with the witches, Russell Edington, and of course, Nan Flanigan." Jade interrupted her, irritation clear on her face.
"Ah yes. That fucking disaster. Nan Flanigan thought she was slick and didn't bother to report what was going on with Compton in Louisiana. All she cared about was her own damn plans."
"We've had eyes on her and found something from one of our spies. I've been working non-stop to gather evidence. Finally, I got some. You're probably not going to be surprised…you were the one who called it." Grace explains. She did some swiping, then turned her tablet towards Jade to show her a video. She pushed play.
The video showed Alexander, the youngest turned Chancellor of the Authority feeding on a human…brutally. The human was screaming, pleading, and begging, but he kept spouting anti-mainstream nonsense, ignoring her cries. Rage filled Jade. She stilled, her face going blank, and her eyes turned cold.
Aware that the Authority had been compromised, she had been uncertain about where to direct her suspicions—until now. The time had come for her to purge any threats within her organization. Perhaps this was an indication that the Sanguinistas were nearing their next move. She already had several strategies forming in her mind.
"I take it you have more to show me?" Gracie nodded.
"As a matter of fact, I do. These are Salome's phone records and her emails. I mean, she tried to hide communications with her "contacts" but Molly was able to track all her movements. Plus, her quarters with Roman have been bugged for a while now, and she still hasn't caught on to our investigation." At hearing Salome's name, more rage-filled Jade, however, she was unsurprised by this. Grace glanced at her boss.
"You're not even surprised by this are you?" Jade scoffed, then laughed bitterly.
"No, not really. I never trusted that biblical whore, especially after the events in Rhone Valley. She's been gunning for my power for centuries now. She thought sleeping with Roman would give her access to my inner circle…" Jade laughs again, "She was wrong. Roman was never a part of my circle…I let him think that to keep him in line, and to make sure no one else was plotting against me." Jade gives a humorless laugh, shaking her head.
"Ahem, I need to share one more piece of bad news with you…" Grace says sheepishly. Jade gives her an incredulous look, her head cocked to the side.
"Seriously?! There's more? Now what?"
"My spy has informed me that Russell Edgington is on the loose."
"On the loose? Are you trying to tell me that fucking sadistic psychopath is still alive and is now at large?! And why the fuck is he not fertilizer in the dirt somewhere?!" Jade shouts in anger. Gracie sighs in frustration not knowing how to answer this without enraging her further.
"I don't know. You're going to have to ask Northman and Compton, seeing as how they were the ones tasked with ending Russell Edgington." That made Jade pause. Why the hell were two young vampires tasked with ending an ancient vampire? And why were they not given assistance?
"That's suspect to me. I wasn't aware any of this was happening. I had something personal to take care of…" Jade trails off, sadness filling her, then she continued, "They have kept me updated over the phone, but apparently, they didn't inform me of everything that was happening. All Roman told me was Edgington was eliminated."
"You're talking about Godric, aren't you?" Grace asked softly. Jade gave her oldest friend a surprised look.
"Oh, come on, Jay. I know what goes on with you is a complete mystery to everyone else. But me? You should know better than to think otherwise. I'm always worried about you…" Jade became uncomfortable, her face remaining blank. She quickly changed the subject.
"Did you hear what Nora did?" She interjected. Grace arched an eyebrow, fully aware of Jade's intentions, but allowed the subject change anyway. "Nora tried to aid in Northman's and Compton's escape…then she got caught." Her friend rolls her eyes, sighing in exasperation.
"Are you fucking kidding me right now? What the hell was she thinking? She didn't really think that was going to work, did she?" Grace stopped, something coming to mind. She stroked her bottom lip, thinking there may be something more happening than they realized. "Wait a second…something doesn't feel right about this. I feel like we're missing something here."
Jade stiffened, realizing that Grace was onto something. "You're right. None of this is a coincidence….it can't be," She pauses, glancing at her friend warily, she'd forgotten momentarily about her conversation with her mother; distracted by the news of her subordinates being naughty boys and girls.
"What's that look for? What's wrong?" Jade lets out a breath of air, filling the weight of the world, along with her age hit her all once. This couldn't have come at a worse time, but at the same time, it's all connected.
"My mother summoned me earlier tonight. We had a conversation about something disturbing…" she trailed off.
"Oh goddess, what now? Everything else is already going to shit, what the hell else is there that could make this worse?" Grace retorts with frustration. Jade hesitates, knowing Grace would start panicking. "Jade?"
"Lilith is going to rise in a fortnight," Jade confesses gravely.