Chapter 20
The air in the chamber is palpable. The energy felt here literally raises up the tiny hairs on the back of my neck. Just what is Michael doing? I watch nervously as the vampire council, in all its glory, falls to pieces. They begin to squabble amongst themselves like petty children. It’s really embarrassing, the kind of thing that you can’t really watch.
But Michael doesn’t turn away.
I have to guess that this was his intention. But Mary isn’t too comfortable with this situation. If I have to be honest, I’m not overly fond of it either. I trust Michael and Vincent with my life, no doubt about it. But the thing is, there are so many vampires here. I lost count way back near the entrance. I know the guys were strong enough to take on almost anything. But does that include the entire vampire council?
For that matter, just how strong are these elder vampires that sit on the council? From what I was told by Vincent earlier, they had to be at least a thousand years old…would Vincent’s six hundred year advantage truly be that overwhelming for them? Or is it Cain’s blood that grants us the advantage?
“So, what will it be?” Michael asks authoritatively, still not moving an inch. “Will you hear the charges and the evidence? Or will you turn this into a bloodbath?”
“Do you expect me to believe that you would endanger the girl?” Klein asks arrogantly as he sits down and ignores the other councilors. The other members stop their arguing and begin to hear him out. “After all, she is a keeper. Do you really think I or the others here would believe you’re willing to endanger her life?”
“Her life is in danger as long as you evade justice,” Michael replies coldly. “The elders here suspect you, at least, most of them do. I can sense this. They are right in doubting the purity of your intentions. Not all of them will stand with you if I render judgment on the entire council. When this dog, as you so politely referred to me, bares his teeth, you will see your companions turn on you. No one wants to die here today and no one has to. Except for perhaps you, Klein.”
The weight of Michael’s suggestion is enough to silence the entire room. I have to admire Michael’s way of turning the situation around. There is no way these vampires could possibly know if Michael is telling the truth or not. Possible enemies are now rethinking their position ; they’re being forced into picking a side and dying for it. It‘s brilliant.
“If you can disprove the testimony of these two ladies and the fact that the Hela poison is indeed alive, you can go free,” Michael continues, still staring directly at Klein. “But as far as being on the Coronam, that is something I can’t allow. It’s not just a danger to the vampire species and other supers. It’s not even a question of the balance at this point. You have been so reckless in your ambitions; you have endangered the entire planet. And regardless of how powerful you think you might be, without a planet, you can’t live. The vampire race needs a Coronam to rule it, guide it. But from the shadows, Klein has been pulling your strings and the strings of others as well. Will you risk total annihilation for his schemes?”
“We will hear your case,” Algarus announces loudly. His cohorts are visibly uncomfortable but remain silent. “But please allow us to interject as needed for extra information. We might not find your facts as powerful as you do.”
The room is silent except for Klein’s quick protest. Michael begins to look around the room as if he is searching for something. He stops and takes a quick look at Algarus.
“You should all thank Algarus this day, for he is the one to have spared your lives,” Michael declares confidently. “Is there any protest? I find nothing unfair in your request.”
Once again the room is quiet, minus the sucking of Klein’s teeth.
“Then I shall begin,” Michael announces. “I will not try to make this long or drawn out. I’ll stick to the facts and my two witness testimonials here. For reasons that are unnecessary to explain, there are certain people I could not bring here that would have also corroborated my story and allegations. One of these people is Robert Stapleton, of the slayer clan Anvil. I am sure you can imagine why his presence in these proceedings would be…inappropriate. I do have a question before I continue. Klein, where is your wretch underling Valerie? She is another person that can further prove your guilt, after all.”
“I thought she was killed weeks ago,” Klein scoffs as he looks around for support. “I have many pets. If one becomes a stray, I don’t really mourn the loss.”
Michael smiles. At least I think that’s a smile. He nods his head knowingly and laughs deeply. If I didn’t know him, I’d be terrified. Michael’s hybrid form laughing is the stuff of nightmares. He seems almost…sinister.
“Of course you wouldn’t,” Michael says after composing himself. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you killed her yourself, after all she failed in the task you gave her. This man sent Valerie and a ring of witches led by a brujo, no less, to capture this girl to perform a ritual on her. Thanks to Robert, we were able to discern the purpose of this ritual. He was hoping to turn this girl into a keeper capable of producing multiple offspring. This attempt was thwarted by myself, Vincenzo, and the Anvil slayer clan. Did any of you other elders know anything about it?”
Michael allows the elders to speak amongst themselves for a moment before Algarus stands up again.
“We had no idea of this ritual,” Algarus states as he looks back at the other elders. “We have, however, noticed that Valerie has gone missing. There might be merit to what you are saying. But do you have any proof?”
“This girl as you all know by now, is a keeper,” Michael says as he motions towards me. “But she hasn’t undergone any transformation yet. If any of you possess telepathy, you may assess her mind and find this out.”
“Don’t let them get in if you can,” I hear Vincent’s voice whisper to me inside my thoughts.
“Yes, we know of this one,” Algarus says. “And we have been trying to get inside her mind since the moment she entered these chambers. However, none of us have been able to. Is this one of your tricks, Michael? Your way of turning this trial to your side?”
“Not at all,” Michael replies calmly. “I am known to be honorable and honest even in disputes that might involve blood being spilled. Am I wrong? I would not allow any of you to force your will upon this girl, but a simple sweep of the truth would be fine. I would even allow you to read my thoughts and see what I’ve seen if it makes you more comfortable, but remember, my mind is my own.”
Algarus goes back to the group of elders and consults with them briefly.
“No, that will not be necessary,” Algarus states. “It would seem that some of us had suspicions of such an event happening, we just had no specifics on the matter. We will believe this portion of your testimony as fact.”
“This is outrageous!” Klein shouts as he loses composure. “You would listen to the words of this rabid creature before the words of someone who has been alongside you for a thousand years?!”
“For someone who has been here for a thousand years,” Michael says in a low tone. “You don’t smell like it. You smell almost…like a newborn babe.”
The council turns to one another in desperation. What exactly does Michael mean with that? There’s some sort of hidden suggestion that I’m not getting. But the council elders are definitely shaken by this comment, so they get it.
“I shower and bathe, you dog,” Klein states sharply. “It is not my fault that I do not emit an odor you can’t detect with your freakish snout.”
“It’s more than that, isn’t it?” Michael replies with a tilt of his head. “There’s something… different about you. And even now, you’re getting nervous that I’m asking you about this. Why is that?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Klein says without missing a beat. If he’s hiding something, he’s hiding it well. “Is this what the Coronam has stooped to? Listening to the insane accusations of a deluded puppy?”
“It’s not just your scent ei
ther,” Michael continues, unfazed, almost as if he is surprised by what he’s sensing. “It’s your body language. Your face doesn’t have that slight tic it used to have when speaking with me…most interesting.”
The council members all look at Michael with confusion. I almost feel bad for Algarus as he tries to act as a middle man between Michael and the council. Algarus looks like he has no idea what to do.
“Yes well, in that regard I can assure you he has been with us almost the entire time,” Algarus states, almost stammering.
“Isn’t that peculiar?” Michael questions immediately. “You would accept my testimony on the ring and the brujo as fact. But you would find it hard to believe that Klein has gone through some sort of transformation? Why is that? Lack of time? I’m sure he has more than enough time to do his dirty deeds.”
“Almost there, Mikey,” I hear Vincent say to us. “Just get ready for when this stuff bursts. Tell ya what; I’ll even wait for you to say something dramatic that fits.”
“I was merely explaining our observations,” Algarus proposes meagerly. “I was not making a decision on one thing or the other. You said we were looking for truth here. That’s what I’m offering you.”
“Indeed,” Michael says in response. “I would like to move onto my next point then. The Hela poison. Did any of you know it was a super? It’s a sentient being and it has a thirst for vampire blood. I know you managed to find it, Klein, but you forgot to ask the most simple of questions. Not once did you wonder why it was hidden to begin with? There was a reason. The Hela poison is an ever-changing parasite that feeds on the bodies and energies of supernatural entities. You’ve managed to curb its appetite for now on a strict vampire-only diet. How great is that, huh? You designed your own destruction. And why did you do such a thing? Didn’t you know that it would eventually turn on all supernaturals? That it’s constantly evolving? It is constantly improving at an alarming rate to become the ultimate vampire killer. And when all the vampires are destroyed, it will turn on another species until it destroys that one. And so goes the cycle, until no life on earth exists. Why would you wish to have such a weapon?”
“It was out of self defense,” Klein states with a straight face. “We needed it for our own preservation. That traitor Vincent was working with you against his very people. We knew we couldn’t destroy him; that’s where the Hela poison came in. He would be destroyed by it and that would be the end of it. We would be free from his ideas of a violent takeover. We didn’t have to worry about his continued threat.”
“His threat?” Michael asks curiously. “When did Vincenzo ever threaten you or your people? He understands the necessity of the balance. All he ever wanted was for you to rule your people with fairness and whatever compassion you could muster. If he wanted to destroy this council or take it over, as you imply, he could have done it decades or centuries ago. Yet he didn’t. Why is that? You should be charged with the murder of Vincenzo Della Rosa as well!”
“I would plead not guilty to that charge then,” Klein says with a disinterested smile on his face. He licks his lips and takes a sip from his goblet in front of him. “As I said, we killed Vincent in self defense. He came here like a maniac. He was spitting out theories and hypotheses that had no merit. We all knew we were in danger, so we had to use the Hela poison. It was created as a deterrent, so that Vincent would never try anything. When he came, he came to us to try to arouse our suspicions of one another, destroy the trust we have built upon. This was all in an effort to undermine us and eventually take us over. He could have just petitioned us for admittance and he probably would have been allowed membership in our esteemed group. He didn’t have to resort to brutish, thug tactics.”
Michael once again begins to laugh to himself as he paces slowly around the front of us, never leaving Mary and me farther than an arm’s length.
“I came here to dispense justice today,” Michael announces. “And truly, I can’t hold you guilty of Vincenzo’s death. You are not guilty.”
Klein’s smile turns into a face of suspicion and concern.
“For you to be guilty of Vincenzo’s death, he would have to be dead,” Michael says with a short chuckle. “And he’s far from dead.”
Klein is about to open his mouth to say something when a giant explosion rocks the entire complex. Michael appears next to me immediately ready to protect Mary and me from any threats. But there are none. No one dares to approach Michael; they just scamper around like roaches when the lights go on. Algarus tries to calm the council down as he speaks into his headset. His frustration shows that the headsets are not working.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Algarus asks Michael. His look betrays his lack of control. “What is going on here? Are you behind this?”
“To a degree, yes,” Michael says honestly. “But my true intention is to render justice here today on Klein. Vincenzo is here with me as well, however, and who ever knows what his true intentions are? If I were him, I’d be angry that you all tried to kill me. Wouldn’t you?”
The group is now in a full-blown panic. Hysteria sweeps over the room like an explosion. And just as the council heads to the door to flee, Vincent emerges from underneath the ground, sending rock and debris everywhere. Michael covers my body so as not to injure me. After everything settles, we all see Vincent there. He begins to laugh gleefully before starting a slow round of applause for the council.
“Give it up for the Coronam, everybody!” Vincent screams. “Running away like little chickens with their heads cut off!”
Klein’s jaw drops as he sees Vincent alive and freezes like a statue. The rest of the council doesn’t know what to make of it. Algarus steps forward.
“Vincent? Is that really you?” Algarus asks, looking frightened.
“In the flesh,” Vincent answers with a smirk. “Would you gentlemen kindly take your seats?”
An awkward pause occurs before the council makes their way back to the table to sit down. Klein still hasn’t recovered from the shock of seeing Vincent alive.
“Why, Mister Klein,” Vincent continues. “You look like someone just walked over your grave…was it me, by any chance?”
“You’re dead,” Klein says weakly as he steps forward and around the table. “You’re dead…”
“I almost was,” Vincent says as he walks forward toward Klein. “But you…you’re…you’re not Klein.”
In a blur of movement Klein rushes Vincent and stabs him with a glass dagger. It shatters in his hands, causing Klein to fall back from the concussive force.
“Is that all of the Hela poison you made?” Vincent says with a playful smile on his face. “You squirmy little devil, you. You were hiding a dagger made out of Hela, very nifty. Did any of you know this? I wonder who that dagger was meant for next? Do any of you have any idea? I bet you all had huge targets on your back plump for a backstab. What do you think about this, Algy?”
“We would never allow such a thing in these chambers,” Algarus responds immediately, still in awe just being in Vincent’s presence. “But how? How did you survive?”
“Oh yeah,” Vincent says as he slaps his own forehead. “I completely forgot something. It was important, too. So let me just say this and get it out of the way. Cain is real and very much alive. But, you see, Cain doesn’t like to intervene in his children’s affairs. He likes to believe he has taught us all better than that. So, like a patient daddy, he just sits back and lets us play nice or naughty, whichever. But vampires, all vampires, are on a leash. He’ll let you play as long as you follow the basic rules. Respect the balance, don’t reveal our existence to the world, don’t overfeed…you know the drill. But the moment any one of you steps out of line, he pulls that leash. It gets tight real fast.”
Vincent walks toward Klein, who is still on the floor, and stomps on his knee. I turn away as I see Klein’s femur and ankle bone rip his pants apart in separate directions. I look back again to see that Vincent has his foot on the ankle bone, effectively dis
abling Klein’s vampiric healing to reset the bone in place. Nothing up until now has reached the level of volume that Klein’s pleas for aid have reached at this moment.
“That looks painful,” Vincent says calmly as he lowers his head to inspect the wound. “I would put some antiseptic on that and stay off of it for a few days. If you move, I’ll kill you.”
Vincent removes his foot off of Klein and turns back to the rest of the council. “Where was I? Oh yeah, the leash,” Vincent says as he looks over the elders one by one. “I’m that leash. At least, that’s the way Cain looks at it. I like to look at myself as that sadistic older brother who loves beating up his siblings, and I’m good at it, too.”
“You’ve seen Cain!” Algarus almost yells in excitement and terror. “How could this be true? When will he come to lead us?!”
Vincent clicks his tongue in disapproval and shakes his head before pointing at Algarus.
“See that’s the thing,” Vincent answers. “He doesn’t lead you. He doesn’t control you. He’s not God and he doesn’t want to be. He is your father. He just wants you to stay in line. And if you don’t…well, you’ll have me to answer to. How else do you think I’m immune to the Hela poison? It was on his command that I come here and destroy it. He taught me how to do it, he even gave me some of his memories and power. And boy, let me tell you, that was a lot to endure. I thought I’d lose my mind for a while there, but then, you know, I hit the bottle and whatever, problem solved. Why am I telling any of you this? Where the hell was I? Klein clone, this is entirely your fault!”
Vincent immediately appears next to Klein and punches him in the face. Klein’s jaw literally falls off. Vincent looks down at him and allows Klein’s body to regenerate itself.
“Clone? What do you mean?” Algarus asks in sheer confusion.
I look at Michael to see that he appears calm as can be. I think this worked exactly the way he planned it. And Vincent, well…it’s just incredible to see him being himself again. Sarcastic and a bit scary, but always in control.
“I said I received some of Cain’s power, didn’t I?” Vincent asks the council. “Watch, I can charm any of you. I don’t even have to look at you anymore. Do we have a volunteer? No? All right, fine then. Watch this trick then.”
Vincent covers his eyes with his left forearm and points at a random elder. “You, jump into that wall there head first,” Vincent commands while motioning with his free arm. “And then, I want you to cluck like a chicken and tell us why you sat there and let Klein order me dead.”
The elder does just as Vincent commanded. His robes sway as he runs into the wall head first, clucking like a chicken.
“I saw Klein kill you,” the elder says with a blank expression on his face. “I didn’t know he would do it, but Klein did speak about it as a possibility we would have to face. That’s why the Hela poison was created. I was afraid to step in. If I defended you and lost, I would truly meet the ash from Klein’s hand. If I went with Klein and he ended up proving powerless against you, you would kill me.”
“You see folks? Honesty: it’s not overrated,” Vincent muses to himself as the elder snaps out of the trance and looks around as if he’s lost. “That’s just a fraction of Cain’s power. Do not doubt Cain’s will ever again, or you’ll have me to contend with. Is everyone okay with that?”
Vincent walks back towards Michael and pats him on the chest as he waits for an objection. None comes. The vampire council is completely mystified.
“And as far as this large, hairy fellow is concerned, you will all stop sending hit squads after him. He is undoubtedly one of the most powerful creatures on the planet and you’re just sacrificing your own kind for nothing. So from now on, cease all warrants or bounties you have on him,” Vincent demands firmly. “Don’t even insult me by trying to deny it. I understand that no one likes big brother coming along and slapping you or killing you when you do something wrong. But that just means that you force yourselves to behave, you idiots. I know that there will be rogue vampires who don’t respect this decree, but you’re to punish them. If they survive Michael, that is. And don’t ash the young upstart vampires; just teach them about the balance. And from now on, Algy leads this council. If you don’t agree with this, you can quit the council. If I hear anything about Algy meeting an untimely death, whoever is responsible will be tortured until they die. Are we all in agreement?”
Algarus bows his head. He is obviously shocked to be named leader by Vincent, but I’m sure Vincent has his reasons.
“Now, the only thing that’s left is how to get the truth out of this clone here,” Vincent says low, almost to himself. “Did anyone notice that Klein has been acting strangely? Has there been a period of absence? I could just use my telepathy on all of you and steal this information from your minds, but I’d rather we start this new era of our species off on the right foot.”
“Lord Vincent, I can only speak for myself,” Algarus says now, more humble and levelheaded than before. “But I didn’t notice anything like that at all. What makes you think he’s a clone?”
“First off, drop the ‘lord’ title, it’s ridiculous,” Vincent says with a look of disgust. “And secondly, I don’t ‘think’ he’s a clone. I know he’s a clone. Michael sensed it earlier but couldn’t really pinpoint what was raising his hackles. I have other tricks, though. This man you see is not Klein, and furthermore, he knows he’s not Klein. What really concerns me is that he is as powerful as I expected the real Klein to be.”
“I’m afraid I don’t follow you,” Algarus answers. “If anyone has something to contribute, I would really urge you to now.”
Michael lowers his large head and whispers something in Vincent’s ear. Vincent appears to agree with whatever it was that was suggested to him and he begins walking forward.
“My furry friend just wants this to be over and done with,” Vincent announces with a happy ring to his tone. This really frightens the vampire council. “So, I’m just going to compel the clone here to tell the truth. Anyone disagree with that?”
No one even moves, much less disagrees with the suggestion.
“Alright then,” Vincent says as he turns his attention to Klein who is still on the ground. “Normally I would torture the hell out of you, but we really don’t have the time. I command you to tell the truth and everything you know about what is really going on here. You can start off by giving us your name.”
“I do not have a name,” the clone suspect answers with a familiar blank expression on his face. “Klein only gave me a number. I am 2. I was the second clone created by the real individual you refer to as Klein. That I know of, there are at least four other clones that have been created by him.”
“You see what I’m seeing here, guys?” Vincent asks as he stretches his arms out. “This is what happens when an old, crazy vampire goes all evil mad scientist. He tried to manipulate nature by screwing around with the way keepers worked, he created a race of supers that can potentially destroy anything on the planet, and now he’s creating a Klein only army. Number 2, if you’re a clone, how come you’re so powerful? It would defeat the purpose of having a bunch of clones if you’re just as powerful as Klein, wouldn’t it? I mean Klein is a scheming, power hungry bastard, isn’t he? If he made his clones as powerful as he was, eventually he would get overthrown by the very clones he created. What gives?”
“You’re right,” Number 2 answers. “All of his clones, as far as I know, are not as powerful as he is. We were created to be weaker than the original for that very same reason, to prevent an uprising. But we are all dwarfed by his current power, even if all the clones fought together.”
The council erupts with questions and it turns into a state of near hysteria. Michael motions towards Algarus, who desperately wants to ask a question. Vincent looks at Michael and then at Algarus.
“Something on your mind Algy?” Vincent asks.
“Yes, a concern more than a question,” Algarus states. “If Klein’s true pur
pose was to manipulate us, isn’t it likely that he would have allies to his cause? And if this really is a clone, shouldn’t we have more than just Klein clones running around?”
“My word, you have proven yourself to be a valuable bloodsucker,” Vincent says with a look of shock. “Let me get right on that.”
Vincent’s attention goes from council member to council member, his gaze finally resting on Algarus.
“My, the Coronam is filthy and overflowing with rats,” Vincent says as he furrows his brow. “I’m afraid you were right, Algy. It seems that almost all of the council has been influenced by Klein. Luckily, they all are original versions of who they say they are…but there are only four members total here who are not being snowed by Klein. What a disgrace. You will all follow Algarus’ lead from now on and listen to his council. And as far as you Algarus, you’ll remember the original teachings of the Coronam. You will remember the magnum mendacium and respect all that it entails, ensuring all vampires abide by these important rules.”
Algarus nods his head, but almost the rest of the entire council is still stuck in a daze. I guess Vincent charmed all of the elders to follow Algarus. All of them except the elder that clucked like a chicken, Algarus himself and two others that really haven’t spoken. Those must be the four elders that refused to side with Klein. It’s comforting to see that not all of them were rotten.
“Number 2, how did Klein reach such levels of power that he is still more powerful than you?” Vincent asks as he turns back to the clone on the floor. “You said you were dwarfed by his current power?”
“It was the keeper,” the clone answers. “Klein used the keeper, but did not plan on the effects that would come along with it. He was very happy with the results.”
“Yeah, we know,” Vincent says softly, almost as if he’s sad. “But what unplanned effects are you talking about? What results was he happy with? Were the clones created before he mated with the keeper?”
“The first clones were all made after his union with the keeper,” Number 2 explains. “He had gained immense power from his bonding with the keeper. But this was all a part of his plan. What he didn’t plan for was how powerful he would become, that was the unexpected result that he was overjoyed with.”
“What plan? Klein had a plan involving the keeper?” Michael asks, stepping forward.
“You heard him, Chuckles, answer him,” Vincent commands.
“Yes, Klein had tracked back keeper bloodlines,” Number 2 answers. “Klein was convinced that although our kind was ancient, there were other races, such as the werewolves, that were even more ancient. He surmised that the keeper species would have had to have been one of those species, simply out of necessity for the races to prosper and become more numerous. He found a time in history were there were plentiful keepers, more so than needed, and still went further back. He learned that there were only twelve keeper families originally. From what he could tell, almost all of them had died off or were turned into another type of creature. But this also made him ask: how did the keepers continue to exist? It was because keepers could mate with humans and still carry on the gene.”
“We know that keepers can carry on the gene, but what is so important about the twelve keeper families?” Vincent asks with a shake of his head. “How did he come to know that there were twelve keeper families to begin with? How far back did he go?”
“Yes, that was troublesome,” Number 2 continues, still with a blank stare. “He was forced to consort with species he did not like to be near, the werewolves. One werewolf was able to speak with the world, with nature itself. It pointed him to the right direction. From there, it was just finding evidence as to how old the keepers were. As a vampire, Klein knew a keeper fossil when he found one. He hired excavation teams to dig all around the area the werewolf instructed. He found twelve different families, all of them keepers, all of them at least eighty thousand years old. He could find no more keeper fossils older than those, although he suspected there were others out there possibly even older than that. Then, those fossils were separated and easily identifiable as different families of keepers. The werewolf had given a very good sense of time to work with and many fossils were indeed found. And so that is when Klein found his answer. There were originally twelve different clans or families of keepers, and they seemed to appear with the emergence of modern humans.”
“Who was the werewolf that helped him?” Michael asks, his voice full of hurt.
“It was a wolf known as Orwell,” Number 2 states.
Michael shakes his head and walks away from Vincent in disbelief.
“All right, so I get almost everything you’ve said,” Vincent says as he tries to recap. “I can understand that only a fellow super can tell a keeper bone from a human bone; it’s part of the keeper’s mojo, even in death. That’s been known for centuries that their powers still have an influence over other supers. But why was he so fascinated by these original keepers?”
“He postulated that like with everything else in our world, if he could find the oldest bloodline and mate with it, he would become invincible,” Number 2 explains. “The hardest part of the endeavor was that the clans were mating within themselves, which eventually led to an extremely large keeper population. When that happened, all supernaturals were attracted to the spot of these keeper clans, and were either killed or turned. Klein wanted to see what would happen if he could mate with a keeper that had undiluted blood. He knew it was possible; he just had to track a line of keepers that only mated with other keepers. He found three tribes that were completely untouched by time. These three tribes migrated northeast before the event that ended up making keepers so very rare. One eventually died off, some sort of disagreement between them, so it was only down to two. He found evidence that the two tribes that originated in what is now northeast Europe continued thriving there. Since keepers have an innate ability to hide their presence, they remained safe there for thousands of years. They eventually all went their separate ways, some mating with supers and turning, others dying without ever passing on the gene, and then some that mated with humans. He did find a line of keepers that kept mating with other keepers. He felt that it was fate that was guiding him as he traced the family line as far back as he could. And he had found it. The lines of McBeth and Harrell were both an original clan and had only mated with other keepers. So he was ecstatic when he was able to find a keeper of this lineage.”
“Wait a second,” I say aloud to Michael praying to get his attention. “McBeth is my father’s name, Harrell is…”
“So that’s when Klein found Mary?” Vincent asks seemingly unaware of my distress.
“Yes, and in mating with her, he became extremely powerful,” Number 2 explains. “But even after the initial increase in his abilities, he continued to grow more and more powerful by the day until he reached his current power. But when he found that keeper, he had made a mistake. Mary had already mated with a supernatural, another who shared the keeper bloodline, the male. And although technically, only females can be true keepers, the male held the keeper’s DNA locked away in his cells. He might not have been a keeper in the traditional sense, but he wasn’t human.”
“Not human? And since male keepers still count as supernaturals, the power increase he was intending to receive was lost to him,” Vincent muses out loud.
“Yes, in his haste he had forgotten that fact,” Number 2 elaborates. “Klein forgot that at their core, keepers are supers. He took the wrong keeper. Of course, since the keeper had mated without producing a new species, there was still power to be taken from the keeper. But it wasn’t what he was counting on. He was supposed to take the virgin keeper of original, undiluted blood. The very last of her kind that can make such a claim now that the Harrell line has ended.”
“The Harrell line has ended?” Vincent says as he turns to look at my mother. My mother has her face down and is avoiding eye contact. “Mary, is your maiden name Harrell?”
Mary nods her head
as tears stream down her face.
“There is only one keeper left in this world that can say they are a true, original keeper,” Number 2 points out. “That girl there…and Klein will do whatever it takes to claim her.”
Vincent looks at me with a wide-eyed look of surprise on his face.
“You’re…an original?” Vincent says as he catches himself stumbling through his sentence. “You’re the last keeper of the original, undiluted bloodline in the world?”
“I don’t know anything about being an original,” I admit in frustration. “I do know that my mother’s maiden name is Harrell and I’ve been trying to tell you that for what seems like an hour!”
“Whatever you say, Goldilocks,” Vincent replies smugly before turning his attention back to the clone. “Number 2? Is there anything else of relevance that you think I should know?”
Number 2 shakes his head. Before he’s even done, Vincent has destroyed his entire body in a bloody whirlwind. I can’t even begin to say how he killed the clone; I just know that whatever was there is now just blood and ash.
“Algy, I think it’s safe to say that Klein is an enemy of the state,” Vincent says as he turns back to Algarus. “So yeah, APB or whatever on anything that looks like Klein. I really don’t want to get my hands dirty on this one, but if I do, I won’t be a happy camper. So keep that in mind and we’ll all be peachy, okay?”
The councilors all just nod their heads silently. Vincent smiles and nods before turning back to Michael.
“That’s all fine and good, but will someone please tell me something, anything,” I almost scream in contempt. “I’m not the first keeper, so I can’t be an original anything. What’s going on here?”
“Your bloodline is the original part, dummy,” Vincent answers as if he’s talking back to a child. “And now, you’re the only pureblood left. That makes Izzy stock climb by about, well, a lot. Like 10,000% or something. The fact that you have a direct link back that has never been tainted at all means that whatever you do mate with is going to be extremely powerful. It would also explain why you have the ability to block out the advances of others as well as their powers. Like that siren back there, remember? All the ghoulies were going crazy around you and you kept your cool like a rock star. Way to go Izzy, five stars.”
“This also means she’s going to be hounded by Klein and his lackeys until he dies,” Michael says with a low growl. “And since we can’t have anyone touching her, he must die. Painfully.”
“Yeah well, that was part of the plan from the get-go anyway,” Vincent says as he claps his hands loudly. He raises his right hand and points his finger, shaking it around as if he’s bored. “Pack up the caravan and get a move on, little doggies. This dog and pony show is heading home. I need a drink.”
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