Eyes of the seer, p.36
Eyes of the Seer, page 36
I was not about to continue forward on this path without her – the one being left on this mortal coil I called a friend.
My eyes narrowed, my sights fixed on a stained glass window. Images of serpents in the Garden of Eden stared back at me, not issuing a protest. I nodded, resolute, and pausing to tighten the katana fastened at my side after putting distance between me and the church. With a final adjustment to the dark sunglasses protecting my sensitive vision, I crouched low. “Here goes nothing,” I said to myself. The night fell to a hush for a split second before I launched forward, dashing for my target.
Reckless abandon marked each extension of my legs, each pump of my arms until I leaped into the air. Using my vampire strength, I kicked the window with such force, it exploded into a thousand colorful and crystalline pieces. They descended with me in a glorious baptism of glass, falling in time with my descent and landing about the jacket of my black suit when my feet hit the floor. Dusting the shards from my shoulders in apathetic manner, I glanced upward at the panel of mortals I had previously beheld through borrowed eyes.
They all stared back in amazement, loathe emanating from their eyes once they realized who I was. I detected a hint of fear as well, however, which curled the corner of my mouth into a wicked grin. ‘Good,’ I thought. ‘Let them be uneasy at seeing the condemned present before them.’ Strolling forward, I stole a moment to admire the polished wood floor and lingered on the ornate remnants of the church this once was before turning my attention back to them.
‘Little more than scared humans. Which hardly makes you so high above me.’
“My apologies for the sudden entrance,” I said as I paused just shy of where they sat, well aware they might have been reading my thoughts and caring little if they did, “I hardly thought it fitting for there to be a trial without the defendant, though. If I have breached some form of etiquette, I trust you shall inform me.”
“Damn it, Flynn, I told you to get away from here.”
My gaze drifted toward Monica, spying two men standing behind her and blocking her from the closest exit. While they did not have her in their clutches, I could tell I entered just before she had been manhandled. “Now, my dear –” I paused to smile at her, despite the figurative flames of wrath shooting from her eyes. “– It is bad luck to damn the damned. Besides, I am certain they wished me here inevitably, do you not agree?”
I turned to look at the others without giving Monica a chance to respond. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I understand I have vexed you all in some manner or another.”
Richard straightened in his chair, his posture turning rigid. “The Vampire Flynn,” he said. His voice took on an authoritative tone. “I must say, I’m surprised. I figured you’d be far away from here by now.”
“I am certain cowards like yourself think the rest of the world acts in kind, but such is not the case.” Glancing toward a set of folding chairs arranged on one side of the room, I walked toward one and picked it up, carrying it to where I had been standing. I paused to sit, crossing one leg over my knee, and adjusted my tailored suit jacket as I settled. “A person wiser and fairer than me, though, cautioned me to avoid these proceedings. I regret that I have disappointed her.”
My eyes found Monica again. The world seemed to pause for half a second, enough time for me to remember our conversation from the night before. Our thoughts converged; our gazes locked while her words echoed from one mind to the other. “If they threaten action against us,” she had said, “I want you to get as far away from this city as possible, with whatever you can carry on your back. Don’t come for me. Just get the hell away.”
“My apologies,” I said aloud, frowning, “But I could not have them condemn you in my stead. If I am to fulfill my destiny, I shall not do so without your oversight.”
She reciprocated my frown, but did not answer. My attention shifted back to Richard while I squared my shoulders and stared intently at the Council elder. “So tell me, Richard, why is it that a death warrant has been issued against me? I wish to know what limited imagination you humans possess.”
Richard glared, but held fast to his composure. “I doubt I have to remind you of your sins, Mr. Dawes. You are condemned by the…”
I held up my hand abruptly, stopping Richard. “You would do well to place that name back on the shelf. I might not be an assassin any longer, but I am no Peter Dawes. Peter is dead. I am the one you should be prosecuting.”
“Very well.” Richard cleared his throat and visibly regrouped. “Vampire Flynn, you are condemned by the Supernatural Order for multiple offenses. For murdering a watcher and a Council elder while you were still a human. For slaughtering hundreds of souls within the space of five short years. And for using the gifts of a seer – gifts to be taken with gravity and decorum –for your wanton gain.”
“And if this was where the story ended, I would save you the trouble and throw myself upon my sword as retribution.” I perked an eyebrow at him. “I have reformed my ways, though. Miss Alexander attempted to explain this to you and, furthermore, told you I have been given a commission by The Fates to continue walking this path. Besides, the murder of Lydia Davies and her advisor was coerced from me by my former mistress. Had I retained my mental faculties, I would have never raised a hand against either.”
“Yet, you still orchestrated their murder, sir.”
Nodding, I stood. “Indeed, I did, and my actions were my own when I murdered as a vampire as well. You see, this is what I find amusing.” I paused to chuckle, knitting my hands pensively behind my back while my feet commenced to pacing. I looked first toward the ground, then back to the human council. “The lot of you only imagine my atrocities while I relive them each time I pause to consider what brought me here. I orchestrated things you dared not even fathom. Embodied sadism your underdeveloped creativity could not grasp. If you truly knew the monster I am you would not be looking down upon me with such smugness.”
“And this is supposed to change the Council’s mind about you?” Beverly asked, interjecting.
I flashed my most disarming grin. “Not in the slightest, my dear.” The curl of my lips evened to a more sober expression. “What should affect your decision, however, is the fact that a killer such as I has proven capable of reform. If my repentance has not been enough to convince you otherwise, then you are still left to deal with the charge given to me by Miss Davies. I failed her once. I do not wish to fail her again.”
Richard scoffed. “It doesn’t matter and, quite frankly, I don’t believe it. You’re to be put to death and your watcher punished for setting loose this whole circus in the first place.”
“She only brought out that which would have emerged naturally. And because she did, I had not yet passed the point of no return. Your qualm is with me, not Monica.”
“It’s with both of you.”
“Come now, Richard.” I smiled with no small amount of teeth being presented in the action. “Surely even Neanderthals such as you can recognize an innocent when presented one.”
Richard gritted his teeth. “You’ll do well not to smile in my presence, demon.”
I blurted out a hearty chuckle before it could be suppressed. “Ah, you see? There it is.” Spreading my arms out to my sides, I bowed slightly at the waist. “What is it, Richard? Do you see my fangs? Do you grow loathe to consider this ‘demon’ is also in possession of such great power? Well, these gifts are mine, as is my mission, and I shall not be deterred.”
My arms lowered to my sides. I straightened my posture and pivoted to face Monica. “Our business with them is through. Come now, it is time to depart.”
“You’ll do no such thing.”
I ignored Richard and began a tempered walk toward Monica. She motioned forward, but so did the men standing behind her, who closed the distance and apprehended her before I could reach where she stood. She tensed at the sudden feeling of two sets of hands taking hold of her. Monica gave a spirited buck against their grip. “Let me go, damn it.”
I stopped when their eyes met mine and their hold on her tightened. “Now, gentlemen,” I said, pushing back the fabric of my jacket and brushing my fingers across the hilt of my sword. “I suggest you do as she says before I become fidgety. I can assure you an angry and armed vampire is not a positive combination.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Richard said, commanding the room’s attention once again. He stood, looking first at the bodyguards before casting his sights on me. “Your weapons are useless here.”
“We shall see how bloody useless they are in a moment.” My gaze shifted back to the guards. “Come now, or have you forgotten already? Angry and armed vampire? Release her so we can be on our way.”
“Flynn, just get out of here,” Monica said, her eyes fraught with panic. “Hurry.”
“Nonsense. If they wish to force a confrontation, I shall be more than happy to obl…”
My words ceased at once, a peculiar sound interrupting me which echoed throughout the meeting hall with an ominous overtone. I felt my already-tepid blood turn cold and looked back toward the source of the noise. Richard’s eyes were fixed upon me, his hands steepled and wrists bent as if he had just finished cracking his knuckles. The implication of this action barely registered before something just as chilling occurred.
Every other Council member stood and did the same. Their gazes all took on the same severe look Richard’s had and a shiver afflicted me from head to toe. Magic. It filled the air like quicksand with me sinking in the epicenter, and if I had not already been presented with enough reason to be worried, Richard raised a hand and pointed his palm in my direction. Unintelligible words spilled from his lips, droning with the cadence of an incantation I saw him put all of his concentration into as the room closed in around me. I swallowed hard and realized I had been watching dumbly for far too long. “Oh fuck your magical bullshit, Richard.”
With one swift, practiced motion, I drew my sword and flipped its sharpened edge so that it pointed toward me. Richard’s eyes widened as I ran for him, my pace too fast for any of the others to come to his aid. I leaped for him when close enough, cutting off his incantation with a soundly-placed kick aimed square for his chest. It laid him out on the floor, while I turned to face the other members, pushing aside the fledgling intimidation they had inspired and embodying the confidence which had become muscle memory.
My adversaries glared back at me; two women and three men I felt a growing loathe for the longer we regarded each other. Temptation overwhelmed my senses. My fangs strained to descend, but somehow, I managed to choke back my own malice. “Ladies and gentlemen,” I said through gritted teeth. “I shall offer you a mercy I would have never offered a human when I was yet an assassin. This is your final chance to back down and allow me and my watcher to leave without your interference. I promise you I shall inflict grave injury upon you otherwise.”
One of the women – one I recalled being called Joan – snickered. I shifted my focus toward her, but her hands flew up before I could do anything and an invisible force impacted me which sent me spilling onto the ground. My back hit polished wood; my head bounced from the unforgiving floor, and a jolt of pain caused my vision to swim for a brief moment.
“I’d like to see you try,” she said.
“Bloody fucking hell.” Quickly, I stood, ignoring the ache which radiated from head to back in favor of readying myself for their next onslaught. ‘Ah, but I am hardly one for being on the defensive,’ I thought, a smirk accompanying the slow descent of my fangs. ‘No, I much prefer dominating these sorts of games.’
A growl rumbled from my throat. I dashed for Joan, who lifted her hands again, but fumbled for words as I closed in on her. I drove my hand into her windpipe, and then crouched as she fought against a temporary impediment to her breathing. The dull edge of my katana impacted her knees from behind as I swept around her, all one fluid motion which ended with her landing on the floor and me springing back into a stand.
I sneered. “You best be fucking grateful you are not dealing with my former self.”
One of the remaining elders – a tall man with jet black hair – charged quickly as Joan fell, drawing my focus over to him. I raised an arm to block an attempted punch, and answered with a kick to his chest. As he toppled, I turned and countered another advance from another elder who had remained quiet up to this point. He fell when I swept his legs out from under him. My mental tally ticked to four, with one final male elder – the blond-haired Lewis – the last man standing between me and Monica. I managed one step forward before a harrowing premonition overwhelmed me, compelling me to spin around and glance at the ground behind me.
Richard stumbled to his feet some distance away. I watched his lips move and knew what he meant to continue.
‘Flynn, stop him!’
“Damn it to hell.” Monica’s voice still reverberated in my thoughts as I floundered for what to do. The lost moment cost me dearly. The ignored-Lewis spoke and in the time it took for me to begin to turn, he lifted his hands and ceased my attempt to face him. Whatever mental ability he used to place a lock on me kept me tethered in position and gave him the advantage.
My katana involuntarily dropped from my grip. My knees began buckling, threatening to drive me to the floor, but I struggled against it, clenching my jaw in concentration while indulging in a steadying breath. My thoughts spun wild with potential solutions, panic threatening to paralyze me until Monica telepathically spoke to me again. ‘Fight against it, Flynn,’ she said. ‘Remember, you’re just as powerful as they are. This is just textbook telekinesis and I bet you can break free of it.’
‘Telekinesis?’ I wrestled with the urge to ask what sort of textbook contained such a lesson and opened my eyes, not realizing I had closed them in the first place. ‘How? You make it sound so bloody simple.’
‘Cause it is. Now hurry up, we’re running out of time.’
‘Oh yes, Mistress. At once.’ I filled my lungs again and exhaled the breath slowly, calming my nerves while tapping into that part of me which read minds and sifted through intentions. ‘You are a seer,’ I told myself. ‘About bloody time you started acting like one.’
Immediately, it was as though a switch flicked on inside of me. A sinister grin crept across my mouth as I felt the lock upon me relent, the influence of my adversary buckling the harder I focused on my gifts. I begun directing the assault back onto Lewis, thrusting myself into his thoughts and forcing him away from mine with increasing – albeit surprising – success. I could almost see him pale when I freed my limbs and made certain he knew how vexed he had made me when I turned to face him. “Lewis, Lewis, Lewis,” I said, waggling my finger at him. “I might be ignorant, but I am a quick study.”
I left him no time to counter. Raising my hand as I had seen the others do, I felt a bolt of energy run through me and watched the same invisible force which had previously laid me prone shove Lewis onto the floor. When he failed to stand again, I shifted my attention to Richard, realizing belatedly that the cadence of his words had intensified.
Pivoting around, I plucked my katana from where it lay and slid it into its sheath while sprinting for the stubborn, judgmental elder. One of the downed women stumbled to her feet, but I sent her crashing back down using my newly-acquired telekinesis, not skipping a beat in the action. Continuing my run with all the determination I could muster, I closed the distance between us. But Richard did something first which disconcerted me.
He ceased speaking. And, at once, I knew why.
Richard’s spell enclosed me. My running halted to an abrupt stop. This time, the lock enveloping me was far sounder than Lewis’s had been, subduing me from head to foot as though my shoes had been nailed to the ground; my arms tied tight against my body. A feeling of helplessness rushed through me, something I attempted hiding as my antagonist advanced on me, murder in his gaze.
‘Shit. Now what, Monica?’
“I’m sure you think you’re special,” Richard said, adjusting his wool blazer as though it had been violated. “A regular god among men because you’ve figured out you have a few new handy tricks.”
“Well, any assassin shall tell you it never hurts to have an extra card or two up his sleeve.” Monica failed to respond. I attempted not to become more troubled.
Richard scowled. “Well, you’re not special, Flynn. All you are is evil, and around here, we exterminate your kind.”
I stole a glance toward my partner in crime, seeing her struggle against her guards while staring intently at me. Her lips moved, however, and, I realized, not with some silent message directed toward me as I focused on their message. Something about their cadence rang familiar. My eyes shot back to Richard before he realized the same thing I did, and I fought against a grin as I formulated a plot. “Tell me something,” I said. “Before you send me to my second death. Would you humor a convicted criminal, Richard?”
He stopped a few feet shy of me and looked up at me skeptically. “What do you want?”
“I want to know how beings such as you think.” I tilted my chin, able to do that and nothing else. “You presume yourselves higher than The Fates if you think you can ignore a direct message from them. You did not so much as test your higher powers or evoke whatever fucking charlatan witchcraft you bastards wield to see if we were lying. You automatically discounted us in favor of your own agenda.”
“You know nothing.”
“I know you daft creatures need to be reminded of your place.”
