Chapter 3: New Ways
Oxford. January 2011.
Jack frowned at Leonard after rereading the letter. "We shouldn't have left Sept-Tours. If we'd been there, I could have persuaded Matthew to take us along."
"Hah! In that case, Matthew might not have even told you." Leonard knew it was a bitter blow for Jack that Matthew had gone off on his own to hunt down Benjamin. It was for him too. "Matthew didn't allow Fernando and Marcus to accompany him. We wouldn't have stood a chance."
"But what happens when he finds Benjamin? Surely he doesn't think he can take him on his own?" Jack nervously shoved his hair behind his ears. "Benjamin's probably still working with Satu ..." His breathing became more ragged as his eyes darkened.
Leonard glanced down the corridor of the research facility and was relieved to see no one was close by. He grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him into a shallow bay. "Deep breaths. Remember what Matthew taught you. Exhale through your mouth. That's right. Now take another breath."
Before returning to London, Matthew and Marcus had coached Leonard on the breathing technique. This was the first time in weeks that Jack was on the verge of succumbing to the sickness.
"Sorry," Jack said after a moment, his breathing evening out as his eyes lightened.
"This is exactly why Matthew couldn't risk taking you," Leonard told him. "You're his son. Matthew would never forgive himself if Benjamin captured you once more. And you don't need to worry that he'll confront Benjamin on his own. The Knights of Lazarus are also on the prowl. Once Benjamin is found, they'll make a joint assault." Leonard tried to sound confident for Jack's sake, but he was just as concerned. He'd often thought about Satu's attack in London. There was nothing they could have done to prevent Jack's abduction. Matthew could be equally helpless.
Miriam had given Jack the letter when they arrived at the lab. Leonard suspected it was no coincidence that Matthew delayed writing till they'd already started their new assignment.
Miriam did her research in a tech building near the Museum of Natural History. The level of security was impressive. They had to swipe their identity cards at multiple stations, sometimes punching in additional codes and using biometric sensors before gaining admission. Miriam explained that security was always high but it had been heightened since the attack on Phoebe near the Bodleian.
He and Jack first attended an intensive crash course on genetics. They were staying with Miriam and Chris in the Old Lodge. Extra security was coordinated by Pierre. Leonard understood why Chris was interested in Jack's knot ability. That wasn't something Leonard was good at but Chris claimed his experience with game programming could provide fresh insights.
Chris seemed quite pleased with Jack's ability to unravel sequences. The less said about Leonard's contributions, the better. He was mainly a foil for Jack to bounce ideas off of and a supplier of entertainment breaks. Leonard prided himself on being especially good at that.
Hunting was considered to be too risky so they relied on Pierre to keep them stocked. A goat farm in Kent that specialized in cheesemaking was run by one of the Guerin witches. As a sideline, he kept them supplied with goat blood. He was glad for the extra revenue. The herd was large enough that there was always an adequate supply without the goats being harmed.
An uncomfortable truce had been established with Baldwin after the christening ceremony. Baldwin's new policy appeared to be to ignore Jack and by extension Leonard as much as possible and that was fine with them. They all had bigger issues to deal with.
#
Jack and Leonard returned to London after two weeks in Oxford. Chris would continue to send them copies of DNA sequences to work on. Jack was eager to finish the mze project for Cicely. He was glad the days and nights were so full. They gave him less time to worry about Matthew. Security continued to be tight within Father H's domain. All the members of his flock had been warned about Benjamin and Satu.
When Sophie and Nathaniel arrived in London with their daughter, Father H excused them from the need to have their blood tested. Carly Norman insisted on them staying at the Dog and Whistle as her guests. She considered the family to be returning to the Norman fold, and Cicely was equally delighted to have another Wilson daemon in London.
Marcus and Phoebe arrived a few days later. Phoebe had exacted a promise from Jack and Leonard before they left Sept-Tours, and it was time to deliver. On the following Saturday afternoon, Marcus and Phoebe showed up for a tour of the bell tower. In comparison with the grand de Clermont properties, the bell tower would seem modest indeed, but Phoebe appeared to be enchanted by everything she saw. A spiral staircase wound through the twelve floors, both above and below ground. Phoebe was particularly interested in Jack's art studio and Leonard's library. The drawings were sorted by year with portfolios lining the bookcases on the walls.
"Marcus, surely there's a way to share these with the public," Phoebe said, studying his drawings of Isaac Newton.
"Jack didn't sign them, so you might be able to get away with calling them the property of an anonymous benefactor," Marcus suggested.
Phoebe's eyes were darting from one drawing to another. Jack could almost hear her wheels spinning. "Do you still get commissions for portraits?" she asked unexpectedly.
"Rarely," he admitted. "My seeming youth is a factor. I don't have much of a bio that I can share with prospective customers."
"You have one untapped resource," she declared. "I'm just starting to learn about the various vampire clans, but I already know they're hoarders of art. Their houses resemble art galleries. Your gift for portraiture would command a high price with them." She paused to smile mischievously at him. "With the proper agent, of course."
"Phoebe's serious," Marcus said. "She's already spoken with Baldwin about it—and I see that look, Leonard—but Baldwin hasn't raised any issues. He also hasn't made any disparaging remarks about either of you to us."
"Plus, wouldn't it be great payback to have him facilitate our new endeavor?" Phoebe suggested, leading Jack to think there was more than a little of Ysabeau's spirit in her. Phoebe was excited about the possibilities of vampires lending art to exhibitions and Baldwin was intrigued by the tax benefits.
"My publisher has experience with the complexities of working with clients who want to remain anonymous," Leonard said. "I'm sure he'd be happy to discuss options with you. He's a daemon and a member of our club, the Nimble Marmosets."
"What are you currently writing?" Marcus asked.
"These days mainly historical romances under the pen name of Miranda Lockhart."
Phoebe gasped. "You're Miranda? She's my favorite author!"
Leonard's eyes lit up. "They're not too steamy for you?"
"Not a bit," she declared, exchanging grins with him. "I thought Miranda was probably a historian who didn't want her students to know about her shadow life. The historical details were what initially intrigued me but then I stayed for the romance."
Marcus and Phoebe lingered until late in the night. Phoebe insisted on hearing the history of Leonard's writing adventures, and it was an extensive one. It was only after they left that Jack realized he hadn't thought about Benjamin for hours. It was a good feeling but also made him feel guilty. Matthew shouldn't be searching for him on his own.
#
Diana stepped into the courtyard of the Dog and Whistle, not knowing what to expect. She'd arrived in London the previous day. Her primary objective was to locate the Book of Life at the Bodleian, but the trip also gave her the chance to reconnect with Jack's life. This was her first visit to the Normans' inn. It was Jack's second home. He'd played with several generations of Norman kids in the courtyard during the past four hundred years. Now baby Margaret would join them.
Sophie and Nathaniel had decided to move to London. Cicely Wilson offered to sponsor Nathaniel in a cybersecurity firm run by a daemon in Andrew's flock. Sophie would craft her ceramics at a pottery shop owned by one of the Garlickhythe witches.
When Diana and Jack entered the courtyard, Sophie rose from a bench to greet them. "Diana, can you sense Goody and Susanna?" she asked.
"Not yet," Diana admitted. "But I saw them in the flesh only a few months ago. Usually, more time needs to elapse before a witch can sense the ghost of someone they knew."
"They're here," Jack said softly. "Annick as well. They're the only ones I can detect."
"The ghosts of many other witches are also present," Sophie said, a smile crossing her face. "Sometimes I hear their voices. Annick has promised to help me with Margaret."
Even though Sophie wasn't a witch, her visions were reminiscent of the scrying ability of Diana's mother. Jack's ability was a puzzle. Had his long association with witches given him heightened sensitivity?
Earlier in the day, Jack and Leonard had taken her on a tour of the bell tower. In addition to the drawings and books, they showed her their collection of music instruments. Many of them dated back to the 1600s. She knew a professor of Early Music at Yale who would undoubtedly sell his soul to hear their anecdotes and hear them perform. Diana knew Phoebe was exploring options for vampires' art collections to become known to the public. Was there a way for the music to become available as well?
Diana could read modern sheet music but the arcane notations of early music floored her. Not Jack and Leonard. The ease with which they switched between various musical periods was comparable to their mastery of languages. Was there a special genetic marker that enabled vampires to process so much history?
"I've often imagined Corra perched in the courtyard or flying overhead," Jack told Sophie.
"Are you sure you're not thinking of your banner?" she teased. "Carly showed it to me. Diana, it's over twelve feet long. Corra is life-sized!"
Diana felt the firedrake stir inside her. Corra longed to give them a performance, but Diana kept a firm grip on her. Sophie and Jack would love to see her, but probably not the customers in the pub.
Baldwin was still in Venice, trying to pacify an increasingly restless Congregation. They'd heard about the twins and rumors about blood rage were getting out of control. The last she'd heard from Matthew, he'd left Germany to continue the search in Eastern Europe. An inner voice hissed that the time for leisure was over. Gallowglass was at waiting for her at the townhouse, on standby to take her to the Bodleian. She was haunted by the thought that if she didn't recover the book now, it would be too late.
#
"Get Jackie," Gallowglass ordered roughly when Leonard met him at the door to the bell tower.
"Hello to you too." Leonard had just returned home. It had been a frustrating day at Bridewell with frenzied programmers trying to debug a beta version of a game. Then the intensity of Gallowglass's tension penetrated his thick skull. "I can smell him painting upstairs. What happened? Is it Benjamin?"
"Aye."
"He got Diana?" was Leonard's first panicked thought.
"No, Matthew."
Jack skittered to a stop on the staircase, his face drained of color. "How do you know?"
"Baldwin received a short video clip." Gallowglass didn't describe what was recorded, but given Benjamin's cruelty, Leonard assumed it was horrific.
"Marcus said the jet is scheduled to depart in two hours," Gallowglass added. "You need to pack. Ysabeau wants everyone at Sept-Tours. That includes you, Leonard."
"Mum?" Jack asked, his expression bleak.
"About like you'd expect," Gallowglass said grimly. "Oh, and brace yourself. She found the Book of Life. It's now inside her. She's fine," he added hurriedly when Jack gasped. "But her appearance takes some getting used to. I'll explain later. Go ahead and pack. You may not return to London for a while."
Leonard turned to follow Jack upstairs, but Gallowglass grabbed his arm. "A word first," he muttered. "Marcus is concerned about what the strain will do to Jackie. He'll need your support. Auntie will probably have to go to Venice."
"I wouldn't let Jack go without me. You know that."
"Aye, but make sure to bring whatever music instruments and art supplies you think will help. Lobero's welcome to come along." Gallowglass lowered his voice to the barest whisper. "I haven't seen the feed but Baldwin told me Matthew's being tortured."
#
Jack had insisted on seeing the feed. He hoped he'd recognize something that would trigger a memory about where Matthew was being held. But it only produced nightmares. He stopped making any attempt to sleep, but being awake brought no relief. Thoughts of Matthew being tortured haunted him day and night.
As for Mum's appearance, seeing the Book of Life dance just beneath the surface of her skin made her seem more magical than ever. The book that Gerbert had sought for centuries had seemingly of its own volition merged into her body just like Corra.
Jack was dismayed to learn that the firedrake had bid his mother farewell shortly after helping her locate the book at the Bodleian. Would she ever reappear? Mum said that someday she could be someone else's familiar.
Baldwin was at Sept-Tours but Jack barely saw him before he and Mum left for Venice. They hoped to drum up support for a search for Matthew.
Jack and Leonard kept busy helping Aunt Sarah with the twins while Marcus coordinated the activities of the Knights of Lazarus in the search for Matthew. Every evening Jack and Leonard played duets for Grand-mère. She claimed it helped to ease her pain but Jack couldn't see much evidence of it.
Jack had only recently learned that Philippe was tortured by Benjamin while he was held prisoner by the Nazis. Before the torture began, Philippe had asked a witch to erase his memories to avoid revealing any secrets. Fernando said that Philippe was so broken by the ordeal that he pleaded with the family to be allowed to die. His memory was gone. Physically he was hanging on by a thread. Fernando said that whoever gave him his release had performed a blessing.
Jack found Marcus in what used to be Philippe's office. He and Fernando were reviewing reports from the field.
"If this isn't a good time, I'll come back later," Jack offered.
"No, stay," Marcus said. "We could use a break."
Fernando stood up. "I'll leave you two alone."
"I'd prefer you to stay. This concerns you as well." Jack took a moment to collect his thoughts. He needed to appear calm or Marcus might not agree. "I've been racking my brain trying to remember the location of Benjamin's lair, but my memory continues to be a black hole. Marcus, you told me that you think the memories are still there but my subconscious erected a wall to quarantine them. If we could tear it down, then we might find out where Benjamin's holding Matthew. I've read reports of hypnosis being used, of drugs that could be effective. I'm willing to undergo whatever it takes." He felt his hand start to shake. He quickly slipped it into the pocket of his jeans so it wouldn't be noticeable.
He saw Fernando exchange glances with Marcus. They'd probably already discussed it.
"I've looked into various treatments," Marcus said. "But Matthew was opposed to trying any of them. He feared the consequences. Matthew is scarred by the details of Philippe's torture. He wanted to spare you."
"I'm already scarred. My mind believes I killed those people. If I find out I actually did, I don't think it can be much worse. As for the abuse, Benjamin wasn't the first." He paused, swallowing back the nausea. "What happens to me isn't as important as finding Matthew. Maybe I don't know anything, but I need to try."
"Does Leonard agree?" Fernando asked pointedly.
"He does or I wouldn't be here. Will you help me?"
Marcus exhaled and then nodded. "I know of an experimental drug that produces a hypnotic state. I'd looked into it in New Orleans. I could probably obtain it since it's currently undergoing testing."
Fernando clasped his shoulder. "You're making the right decision, Jack. You haven't fought in wars, but the internal battles you've waged have been just as challenging. I would be honored to assist in any way I can."
"I'm grateful," Jack said. "I do have one favor. Leonard will need support. He insists on being present, but ..." His words trailed off. No point in discussing the pain Leonard would likely experience. What Matthew was currently undergoing was a thousand times worse.
"I understand," Fernando said. "I'll be there for both of you."