Rebirth of the Seer (41 page)

“She’s alive…” He trailed off, his voice soft with disbelief at first, and eyes trailing away before shifting back to me. He shook his head. “It doesn’t make any sense. Why would they keep her alive?”

“I am not certain of their motivations just yet, but lest I consider the vision false, the Fates have confirmed its truth.” I reached beneath my shirt and pulled out the necklace. “She was the last to wear this, and still wore it when she was taken. It was by the window when I rose.”

Malcolm stepped closer, looking up to examine the pendant. “Peter, objects don’t just appear out of nowhere.”

“And yet, here it is.” I tucked the necklace out of sight again. “Unless it is possible for someone to break into your estate grounds. Even if that was the case, it means our enemies are still in Seattle and baiting me to their doorstep. If
so
, I gladly accept their challenge.”

The Council elder hesitated, mouth opening to issue what I assumed would be a protest before he shut his mouth again and nodded. “I suppose if you want to look at it that way, you have a valid point.” He
sighed
before speaking again with an air of re
signation to his words. “I
f you think it’s wise to follow up wit
h this, I won’t deter you. I
want to convene the High Council before we let you go, though.”

“I have no desire to linger, Malcolm.”

He motioned toward the door of his study, still ajar. “Emergency meeting. We’ll convene within the hour. Go tell Kaylee. I’ll work on gathering the others.”

“As you wish.” We parted with a nod exchanged, Malcolm disappearing into his private quarters and I downstairs to locate Kaylee. Monica’s mother showed her astonishment much more openly; a few tears slid down her face when I insisted I believed her daughter to still be alive. She wiped them away immediately, and rushed around preparing herself for our departure to the Order headquarters, issuing one incredulous laugh along the way, her car keys clutched in her hand. “Thank the Fates,” she murmured and followed the exclamation up with something equally unsettling.

She threw her arms around me in a tight embrace and craned her neck to whisper in my ear.
“Find her, damn it, and bring her back home. This foolishness has gone on for long enough.”

“I shall do my best,” I said as she pulled away from me. Kaylee offered a soft half-smile and nodded, leading us out of the house and to the garage where they had parked their car.

Less than two hours later, I found myself standing in the midst of the High Council, just as I had
twice before
. Malcolm, Kaylee, and the other elders looked down at me, with Malcolm the one to issue the first words spoken. “The Council convenes to heed a request by master seer, Peter Dawes,” he said. Our
eyes met. His expression was
solemn
and his speech formal. “You, who first stood before us as the condemned and then, as the forgiven, have been given a charge by the Fates of grave consequence to this Order. Speak your request to us, Mr. Dawes.”

I straightened my shoulders on instinct. “To track down the vampires responsible for the capture of my watcher, Monica Alexander,” I said.

“And where do you believe these vampires to be?”

“I have reason to suspect a few who attacked the Council might still be in the vicinity. If such is the case, they would be the ones charged by Ian Carmichael with holding my watcher hostage.”

“Do you require anything from us to accomplish this mission?” Kaylee asked. The way Malcolm glanced at her bore a peculiar air to it, but she ignored it, her gaze remaining set on me.

I shook my head. “No, Madame Councilwoman, I require nothing save but for the permission of this Council to carry out my mission.”

“You have our permission, Mr. Dawes. And our pledge to help you with any of our resources should the need arise along the way.”

One of the other female elders sat forward in her seat. “Is the master seer sure he doesn’t want another watcher or seer’s help for this mission?” she asked.

“No,” I interjected before Kaylee could. I smiled politely at the woman. “I believe this to be my burden and mine alone.”

“And we will honor your request, master seer,” Malcolm said, casting a quick look at Kaylee, who nodded when their eyes met. He turned his head to examine the other elders seated at both sides. “The seer has presented his request. How votes the High Council on this matter?”

“We approve,” said the woman who had just addressed me.

I bowed to her. “My thanks to you, Madame Councilwoman.”

She smiled and the man seated beside her nodded his assent as well. “We approve,” he said, as did the member seated beside him. Kaylee responded in kind, as did Malcolm, and the remaining members all echoed the sentiment until the final one added, “And may the Fates be with you on your journey.”

“Thank you,” I said, first to him, then regarding the entire panel of seven. “I appreciate your allowance and your blessing. And your offer for help –” I shot a quick smirk toward Kaylee. “– Even if your assistance would be superfluous at this time. I pray the Fates are not merely merciful to me, but bring us back to you with the mission accomplished.”

“Agreed,” Kaylee said, managing a smirk in response. “Just the same, money will be provided in addition to w
hatever weapons you might
need to see your mission through.” The smile slowly faded. She stood and folded her hands in front of her waist. “This Council was wrong in its condemnation of Miss Alexander. It will continue to be a black mark against our record. Please bring her back home, so we can apologize for our actions to her in person.”

I watched
her eyes turn glassy again. Nodding
, my own expression
sobered in response
. “As surely as my name is Peter, I will bring her back to you, Madame Councilwoman. And if the Fates allow me a vision of her again, I will communicate your contrition to her.”

“Thank you, Mr. Dawes.”

“Godspeed, Mr. Dawes,” Malcolm said, interjecting. The rest of the Council nodded in approval, all echoing Malcolm’s words
which garnered
a grin from me in response. I turned and walked away from them, feeling the weight of their stare as they beheld me with much different eyes than they had when this entire debacle had started. Everything had changed. Dead things were made alive again and now, it was up to me to make certain order was restored, the way it should have been from the start.

Somehow, I knew the Fates had more in store than a rescue mission. For as much as the carrot dangling before me had inspired me into action – and for all the conviction it had inspired within me – Ian’s riddle still hung like an unwelcome harbinger in the periphery. I, who had been condemned, was now a powerful seer with the conscript of the Supernatural O
rder. I knew all too well what
this calling carried with it.

It was a responsibility requiring the aid of a companion
, suited to me as much as I was to them
. I departed with the hope that I would find her in time.

Robert Frost

The hair on the back of my neck stood aloft as a chill descended my spine. A disquieting sensation, it was on
e with which I was well-versed –
a beacon informing me when evil lurked nearby.

I opened my coat, fingering the hilt of my sword while peering around the deserted alley. Only three hours prior, I had stood before the Council and was seen off with their approval. Since then, I had been playing the role of investigator, using physical force and psychic prowess to interrogate each of the vampires I came upon on the streets of Seattle. I searched for whatever they would offer, from the location of their haunts to any sign they had encountered Ian, but after three hours only one piece of information worth pursuing had been granted. The neighborhood in which I stood was a common stomping ground for vampires not from the area.

The immortals who set of my alarm were seconds from descending. By their footfalls, I knew them approaching from behind, five strong
,
and staring at me if I had to wager a guess. Turning as casually as I could, I shut my coat to conceal the appearance of my sword and perked an eyebrow at them. I needed information. It would do me no good to brandish weapons from the start.

They
ceased
walking when they caught me regarding them – one male with four females, all examining me with nervous gazes. The female leading the pack was the first to break a smile and laugh, her gaze unapologetically meeting mine. Her hair short and colored violet, the shirt she wore was black with black trousers boasting of metal buckles and chains hanging from her belt. She tilted her head. “Well, you’re lost,” she said. She pulled a short blade from behind her back and scowled. “What brings your ilk into our neighborhood?”

I laughed. “My ilk has business here,” I said. “H
ave I managed to vex you
?”

“Your existence
vexes
me.” She lifted an eyebrow, her frown deepening. “Don’t you have somewhere better to be? If you’re looking for any threats to your supposed natural order, you should be barking up another tree, human.”

“And if I were human, that would hardly be the way to address me, love.” My smile broadened wide enough to expose my fangs to view. “I am a vampire, too, albeit a newcomer to my current profession. Pray tell, what might you know about a vampire from Chicago who called himself Ian?”

“He’s dead,” the male said, speaking up. He was dressed similarly to their female ringleader, as were their compatriots. “Thought
you
might know something about that yourself.”

I turned my attent
ion toward him and nodded. “
I might know a th
ing or two about it. T
he question is whether you had intentioned to follow in his stead.”

“He’s threatening us.” The leader laughed. She glanced back at the male. “And thinks we’re going to tell him anything about Ian.”

“Well, I have a way of being rather persuasive,” I said.

“Piss off,” sh
outed one of the other females,
a blonde.

With a sigh, I folded my arms behind my ba
ck. “This is quite a
n unfortunate turn of events. And here, I thought I could count on such austere-looking immortals to be cooperative. You know, the manner in which vampires who are not conspirators with a d
ark magician would be.” I paced closer
. “No sense in giving you a chance to tell me where his remaining followers scurried off to, is there?”

They stared back at me, defiantly mute. I chuckled and stopped several yards short of them. “You are going to make this difficult, are you not?” I asked. “Very well, then I shall do this the hard way. I will warn you of this much, I am refining my inquisition techniques and becoming quite adept at them.”

Freeing one of my hands, I pointed to a brunette who had yet to speak. “You are a vacuous mess inside that mind. I doubt you have very much to offer.” My finger drifted to the blonde. “And you, my dear, have no fucking idea of what I speak, which seems to indicate you fell into their company belatedly. My apologies, but you should be more careful with whom you associate. You –” I nodded at the male. “– Know something, but not enough for my taste. The other girl falls under the same category.”

I paced closer to the r
emaining vampire
and spread my palms pacific, grinning like the devil while doing so. “Ah, but the leader of the pack.” Snapping one hand shut, I smirked all the more when her eyes widened. She struggled to move, but could do little more than wriggle in place. “You shall do nicely, my dear.”

“Run, you fucking idiots,” she cried out.

Her friends glanced around at each other, frozen in hesitation. I laughed. “Hold tight, Pet. I shall return in haste,” I said, drawing my sword and advancing for the four who remained. At first, the females regarded the male with panic.

Then they began fleeing for the end of the alleyway.

I ran full speed to meet them. The male brought up the rear and as such, he was the first to perish. I leaped for him and swept my sword to the side, removing his head in the process. By the time I landed on the ground, his ash was the only thing remaining of him.

This lit a fire of urgency under the feet of the three remaining. I impaled one from behind and threw the katana for another, severing her spinal column in the process. She suffered the same fate as the male when I plucked the sword from her wounded body and the last remaining vampire – the blonde – turned to me to plead for her life. I advanced toward her and watched her drop to her knees.

Looking down at the vampiress, I frowned. “Collateral damage,” I said. “Cannot have too many of you spreading rumors I am about.” Her eyes widened when I plunged the sword through her chest. As I walked back to my prisoner, I heard the
distinctive
sound of dust crumpling to the ground.

The final vampiress sneered at me when I walked back to her and sheathed my katana. “Apologies for the delay, love. I am not the same sadist I used to be, but there are only so many messes I can clean up by myself.”

“Let me go, you fucking mortal lover,” she said. If I would have come within spitting range, I could imagine she would have made the effort with the way she seethed. “Half-breed immortal. You murder your own and walk with the humans like they’re your friends. You disgust me.”

“The feeling is mutual, I assure you.” Pacing around her, I studied her. She must have been at least a century old. Her surface thoughts were all she permitted me to examine from a distance. As our eyes met again, I smiled. “You know, there was a day when I would have agreed with your sentiment. A pity for you the sun has set on that era. Now, are you going to be cooperative? Or do I need to pull out the bag of tricks?”

“Burn in hell.” Her fangs slid to full extension.

I sighed. “Very well, then. Never let it be known I did not give you a choice.” Closing the distance between us, I lifted my hands and settled them on either side of her head. My eyes shut and though she hissed and bucked against the psychic hold I maintained on her, her thoughts succumb
ed
to my persuasion. I saw Ian and a brief glimpse of where he had been staying last. A coven in the area. I furrowed my brow, attempting to sort through its location, but all I could extrapolate was that it lay near the water. That would have to be my next stop.

Pulling away, I opened my eyes and grinned at her. “I am much oblig
ed,” I said with a bow. “T
ell Ian, when you see him, that Peter sends his regards.”

“No good fucking son of a…” She began, but I pulled a dagger and drove it into her chest, cutting off her tirade. Her eyes rolled back and ash flaked away until it fell to the ground in a pile. Twirling the knife once, I slid it back into my coat and bent to pick up the blade she herself had been holding.

“Thank you for your donation.”

Indulging a deep breath, I stole a glance around and frowned in thought. The street had grown deathly quiet, leaving me to the task at hand as the chilly night threatened to get away from me. I lifted my eyes heavenward, seeing the hour was hastening toward the dawn, making my decision to carry on a precarious one at best. “Promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep,” I muttered. Pocketing the girl’s knife, I advanced forward a few paces, intent on locating the waterfront.

I stopped abruptly as a sound broke the silence. Spinning around, I peered behind me, eyes darting around the vicinity. I could have sworn I heard footsteps, but as I glanced around, I saw nobody save but for my shadow. Still, my subconscious tickled with recognition. Whoever this was, they were not evil. But another creature stood nearby just the same.

“Hello?” I asked, gaze settling on the space between two buildings. I took one tentative step closer. One palm settled on the hilt of my sword. “Speak, stranger, and tell me if you are friend or foe.”

A voice chuckled, bearing a cadence I had heard before. When he spoke, I tumbled further down the rabbit hole of impossibility
, wondering for a moment if I might be experiencing a waking vision
.
Surely that could not have been who I thought it was.

He dispelled any doubt when he spoke again. “I can hardly believe my eyes.”
I heard him shift in place, but he refused to emerge just yet. I
perked
an eyebrow, but could not find the words to speak in response. It permitted him the chance to continue. “Here he stands before me, but he isn’t the Flynn I remember. No sunglasses. No sadistic air or barely-contained bloodlust. This is a seer before me, and one of prominence at that.”

Finally, he stepped out of hiding and grinned. For as much as his voice had haunted me into silence, seeing him rendered me that much muter. He stroll
ed in my direction and paused. T
hree-piece suit upon his person. Wool coat over the ensemble. Scrawny frame and hair tied back in a meticulous ponytail. I opened my mouth and spat the first thing I could manage.

“Good heavens,” I said, my voice soft; stunned. “The Fates converse with vampires and one becomes a full-fledged seer. And now, the dead walk before me as though nothing had happened.” I could have fallen to my knees from the sheer weight of the cosmos which fell upon me. Instead, my heart swelled with delight at seeing him again. “Dear brother, you are an impossible sight.”

But there stood Robin nonetheless, grinning back at me with amusement dancing in his eyes. Everything about him was as I remembered it, before I had betrayed him
those
weeks ago. He nodded, his smile slowly fading. “Impossible would be correct, but the Fates are capable of such deeds, it would seem. I’ve been sent to you to be an assistant, and to relay an important message.”

“Speak it.”

“They say to watch yourself, young seer, and keep your wits about you.” He raised an eyebrow, his expression turning
as
grave
as his words
. “Your tangle with evil has only just begun. There is another who demands your attention – something much worse than our maker and her cohorts. You must see this mission to the end, dear brother. Or the else rest of the world will suffer greatly when it comes to light.”