Helpless (Blue Fire Saga) Read online

  As before, Dominic directed her into a parking area away from the park’s main attraction, which was the river. Still, on a warm winter day like this one, there were several cars parked even in this more isolated lot. She saw no people, though—the owners of the cars were probably off enjoying the hiking trails which led away from the lot. She was a little bit disappointed not to see Rave waiting for them like last week, even though she hadn’t been expecting him since they had just seen each other yesterday.

  She and Dominic got out of the car. As Leesa had expected, her sweatshirt kept her warm enough, even with the sun beginning to disappear behind a thin film of gray clouds. The brown and black spattered piles of snow that lined the parking area were barely three feet high, a far cry from the head high piles that had seemed to be everywhere last week. Leesa could even see a few patches in the middle of a field to their left that were almost bare of snow.

  Dominic retrieved his can of tennis balls from the back of the Blazer and took one out. He balanced it on the Blazer’s rear bumper.

  “Move it,” he said.

  Leesa mentally repeated “breathe” and then focused on the ball, trying to force it over the edge of bumper. Nothing happened. She tried again, with the same lack of results.

  Dominic could see her frustration. “Don’t worry,” he said. “You’ll get it.”

  He flicked the ball with his finger. Leesa watched it roll off the bumper. Dominic bent and picked it up, replacing it onto its original spot.

  “Try again.”

  Leesa repeated her ritual. This time, the ball tumbled off the bumper after just a few seconds. She smiled. Once again, seeing the ball move before she tried to move it was all she needed to succeed.

  For the next two hours, they continued her practice, using the tennis balls and loose pieces of paper. Just like last week, when she tried to move something that was not already balanced precariously or that she hadn’t already seen move, she failed. Still, Dominic assured her the repetition would pay off eventually. She just had to be patient.

  “That’s enough for now,” he said after she had caused a piece of paper to slide of the Blazer’s hood for the fourth or fifth time.

  Leesa closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. The breath turned into a long yawn. It didn’t always seem like it, but this training was hard work.

  She hadn’t realized it while she was working, but the after-noon had turned quite cool. The sun was gone now, hidden behind a thickening layer of gray clouds, and a breeze had risen out of the west. She hugged her arms in front of her chest and stepped toward the Blazer’s rear door to get her parka.

  “Not yet,” Dominic said, reading her intention if not her mind. “Take off your sweatshirt.”

  Leesa looked at him through narrowed eyes. “It’s cold,” she said.

  “I know. But humor me. Take it off.”

  Leesa pulled the Weston sweatshirt up over her head. All she was wearing underneath was a long sleeve purple T-shirt.

  Without the sweatshirt’s protection, the cold immediately attacked her. She hugged her arms across her chest even more tightly than before, shivering.

  “Close your eyes,” Dominic said. “Put your arms down at your sides and think warm thoughts—the sun on a summer day, or a fire in a fireplace, whatever you wish.”

  Leesa did as the wizard instructed. She tried to picture herself standing in front of her aunt’s fireplace. When that didn’t work, she tried to picture herself cradled in Rave’s arm, but even that failed. She couldn’t stop shivering.

  “Put your sweatshirt on and come over here,” Dominic said.

  Leesa pulled the sweatshirt on over her head and moved closer to the wizard. Dominic wrapped his arms around her. She could feel his heat seeping into her. It wasn’t nearly as strong as Rave’s, but he was warmer than an ordinary human. She quickly stopped shivering.

  Dominic released her. “Now take it off and try again,” he said.

  Leesa hesitated. Now that she was warm, she didn’t want to subject herself to the cold again. Reluctantly, she pulled off the sweatshirt and handed it to Dominic.

  She closed her eyes and suddenly realized what Dominic was doing. Just like seeing an object move before she tried to move it had helped her succeed, he had given her a “glimpse” of what going from cold to warm felt like. She repeated her trigger word and pictured herself wrapped in Dominic’s hug. Slowly, she ceased shivering and began to grow warm.

  She opened her eyes and smiled at the wizard.

  “Well done,” he said.

  Leesa’s increased warmth lasted less than a minute after she opened her eyes. She looked longingly at her sweatshirt.

  “Try it one more time,” Dominic said. “And then you can have your coat.”

  Leesa’s second try after feeling the warmth of Dominic’s warmth worked equally as well as the first. When she was done, Dominic reached into the Blazer and handed Leesa her parka.

  “Now you have something else to practice,” he said. “Let’s go home.”

  20. A NASTY SURPRISE

  A few moments before sunset, just as Leesa and Dominic were nearing Meriden on their return journey from Massachusetts, Stefan and Wallace waited several steps inside the entrance of the vampire caverns. Each wore black pants and a black hooded sweatshirt. The dark clothes would not shield them from the eyes of the vampires they would be hunting, but they were not meant to. The clothes would hide them from human eyes, allowing them to flow across the landscape at vampire speed without being noticed.

  The sun was invisible behind a thick layer of clouds, but the vampires sensed the exact moment it disappeared beneath the hills to the west. Genevieve and Dara joined them a moment later. The two women were also dressed in black pants and sweatshirts, one of the few times Stefan could remember seeing them so dully garbed. Usually, they wore dresses of purple, lavender, red or crimson, reminders of those bygone days in Paris, he surmised.

  Stefan felt no need to issue any final instructions—his companions had all been well-briefed. They waited a few moments for the darkness to deepen, then glided from the caverns and headed rapidly north through the winter woods. With the ground still covered in snow, the moonless sky was a blessing. The white carpet had no light to reflect, and so may as well have been dark gray.

  When they reached the outskirts of the village of East Haddam, they slowed their pace. This was the trickiest part of their journey—crossing the bridge that spanned the river. The odd-looking bridge was half metal swing bridge and half arched steel span, giving it two distinct shapes. The girders of the immovable section curved up in a graceful arch, while the swinging section rose to a triangular point many feet higher than its cousin.

  The bridge had no walkway, nor any girders beneath it through which the vampires could swing. Had it been later at night, they might have raced across when there were no cars, but this early in the evening that could not be done. Instead, they crossed carefully on the outer steel girder, ducking out of sight whenever the headlights of approaching vehicles threatened to illuminate them. Once across, they melted into the trees and headed rapidly north and west, in the direction Ricard had last sensed the intruders feeding.

  They crisscrossed the countryside north of Middletown and Meriden, moving at vampire speed when they knew they would be invisible to human eyes and slowing when traversing more populated areas. By midnight they had covered many square miles, with nothing to show for it so far. Stefan almost hoped the visiting vampires would feed one more time so he would be able to sense their location from a distance. Still, he was not worried. Vampires were a patient species, for what did time matter to those who had eternity? If they did not find their quarry tonight, they would simply resume their hunt again tomorrow night. Eventually, the new vampires would feed, and he would find them.

  Finally, in an area of woods filled with thick, bare trees, Stefan detected the faint trace of vampire presence. He motioned his companions to a halt. They each raised their chins,
listening and sniffing the air.

  “I sense it as well,” Genevieve said, “but it feels wrong some-how.”

  Stefan nodded. Something was definitely amiss with what he was sensing. The vampire presence was vague and insubstantial, but not in a way that could be explained by distance. It was something else—something foreign, something he had never experienced. The vibrations were unmistakably vampire, but he could get no sense of direction or proximity from them.

  “This is quite strange,” Wallace said. “It feels almost as if there’s a group of them, racing in a circle around us. Yet I sense but two and I get no feeling of motion.”

  “Wait here,” Stefan said. He saw no need to add “be alert”—the strangeness of what they all felt would ensure that.

  He moved slowly and silently to the north, his senses focused on the unusual vibrations. They grew neither stronger nor weaker, until about one hundred yards from his companions the vibrations suddenly winked out. One moment they were there, the next they were gone completely, without any intermediate period of fading strength. He took two steps back, and the sensations returned. Stefan’s puzzlement grew—this was not how it should be.

  He returned to his fellows and repeated the process to the east, then to the south and west, with the same strange result each time. He could not explain it. His companions looked at him expectantly.

  “Nothing,” he said. “The sensation remains identical in every direction and then disappears all at once at a certain distance. There are no footprints in the snow, either.”

  Dara swiveled her head from right to left, scanning the woods. “I’m not sure why,” she said, “but I have a feeling we are being watched.”

  Twenty-five feet away, hidden behind the thick trunk of an ancient ash tree, Jarubu could barely restrain a smile as he listened to the vampires and tracked their leader’s actions with his vampire senses. A few feet to his right, Melissa stood concealed behind a similar tree. Apparently, the wizard’s blood had not only magnified their strength and thirst, but had also tweaked their vibrations enough so that the searching vampires could not pinpoint their location. It was a wonderful advantage to have.

  When they had first sensed the approaching vampires a few minutes before, Jarubu and Melissa had taken to the lower branches of the trees and traveled several hundred yards in a path that would intersect that of the newcomers but left no trace of their passage in the snow. They had then dropped to their current hiding places and waited.

  Now, Jarubu decided it was time to end this charade.

  Nodding to Melissa to follow his lead, he stepped out from behind the tree.

  None of the four vampires could conceal their surprise at Jarubu and Melissa’s sudden appearance. The leader came closest to hiding his surprise, but even his eyes widened slightly.

  “I believe you are seeking us,” Jarubu said calmly.

  Stefan recovered quickly.

  “We are,” he said, focusing on the African vampire, clearly the dominant one of the two. “My name is Stefan. I bear a message from my lord chieftain.”

  The vampire smiled thinly, which Stefan did not like at all.

  “I am Jarubu. What is your message?”

  “You have been hunting in territory claimed by our coven and risk drawing unwanted attention to our kind. You are ordered to move on.”

  Jarubu’s smile widened, a shining white band in his black face. “The hunting is good here. We like it. What if we do not wish to leave?”

  “Then I am to destroy you.”

  Jarubu took a step closer. “Do you think you can?”

  Stefan hesitated, puzzled. All vampires instinctively sense the power within a fellow vampire. Jarubu was strong, no doubt, but his power did not match Stefan’s. Surely Jarubu could tell this as well. So why was he being defiant? It was another thing that did not make sense here.

  “You will not be given a second chance,” Stefan warned.

  Jarubu flicked his eyes at Melissa. Without warning, she launched herself upon Wallace, her fangs ripping into his throat before anyone could react. All hell broke loose.

  Genevieve threw herself at Melissa, with Dara but a half step behind. The two vampires pulled Melissa off Wallace, who collapsed soundlessly to the ground. Much to their surprise, Melissa somehow broke free of their combined hold. She did a lightning fast double black flip and dropped into a defensive crouch, awaiting their next move. Dara took a step toward her, but Genevieve sensed that something was not right and grabbed her friend’s arm to stop her.

  Stefan saw none of this. At the same moment Melissa attacked Wallace, Jarubu leapt upon Stefan. Just in time, Stefan managed to get his forearm against Jarubu’s neck, preventing the black vampire’s glistening fangs from reaching his throat.

  Stefan shoved hard with his forearm, using every ounce of his vampire strength. The blow should have broken Jarubu’s hold, if not his neck—instead, it managed only to force his head back a few inches. The surprise must have shown on Stefan’s face, because Jarubu flashed a white grin at him.

  Something was very wrong here, Stefan realized. His foe possessed hidden strength from some source beyond Stefan’s ability to detect. He had little time to think about it, though. Already, Jarubu’s fangs were again pressing toward his throat. Stefan pushed back with all his strength, but Jarubu’s sharp fangs inched inexorably closer. Desperate, Stefan suddenly stopped pushing and let his body become a dead weight, dropping to the ground before Jarubu knew what was happening. The surprise maneuver broke Jarubu’s hold. Stephan quickly somersaulted away before rising to his feet.

  He immediately vaulted forward toward Jarubu, determined to be the attacker this time, rather than on the defensive. He aimed his fangs directly for the black vampire’s throat. Despite the speed of Stefan’s attack, Jarubu was equally quick. He got his hands onto Stefan’s chest and used Stefan’s momentum to heave him up and over his head. Stefan grabbed an overhanging branch and swung himself up and around until his feet landed nimbly upon the same branch. He bounded swiftly across several other branches and then dropped to the ground beside Genevieve and Dara. Jarubu made no move to follow him.

  Stefan quickly surveyed the scene. Genevieve and Dara were holding each other’s hand, alternately looking at him with concern and keeping their eyes on Jarubu’s female companion. Wallace lay prostrate on the snow. Stefan could see he was beyond any help.

  “Do you still think you can make us leave?” Jarubu asked disdainfully.

  Genevieve and Dara watched Stefan closely. He knew if he gave the signal, they would attack the female. But to what end? The woman clearly possessed the same hidden reserve of strength as Jarubu—Wallace’s inert form gave mute testament to that. And even if Genevieve and Dara managed to overpower her, Stefan was not at all certain he could handle Jarubu by himself. The knowledge irked him to no end, but he was forced to face it. Pride could be as deadly an enemy here as the black vampire.

  He motioned Genevieve and Dara to retreat. He stepped back with them, keeping his gaze fastened upon Jarubu. Stefan longed to give Jarubu some final warning, but he restrained himself. There was no sense in provoking the beast. Defeat tasted bitter in Stefan’s mouth, but he knew retreat was his only option tonight. As he and his two companions melted away into the trees, Stefan promised himself he would think of something. Tonight, he had been bested. Next time would be different.

  21. REPORTING BACK

  Stefan, Genevieve and Dara made it back to the vampire lair well before dawn. The late hour had allowed them to race across the roadway of the East Haddam Bridge, rather than climbing hidden along the outer girders. The rest of the way was all within the dark woods along the river’s shoreline.

  “Say nothing about tonight to anyone,” Stefan instructed his two companions as soon as they entered the caverns. “This is a matter for Ricard, and perhaps the Council.

  Genevieve and Dara nodded their agreement and disappeared deeper into the caverns. Stefan knew they kept no secrets from each ot
her, but he was confident they would feel no need to talk to anyone else. He headed directly to Ricard’s chambers.

  He found the vampire chieftain in his smaller rear chamber, stretched out upon an ornate four poster bed. Each of the bedposts was etched with incredibly detailed carvings of gargoyles and demons. The bed’s mattress had not survived the long sea voyage to America, but the firm wooden platform was more than comfortable enough for a vampire. Ricard’s eyes were open, but they stared vacantly up at the cavern ceiling in what passed for vampire sleep.

  Stefan stood silently in the chamber’s entrance, waiting for Ricard to acknowledge his presence. He did not have long to wait.

  Ricard swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He studied Stefan for a moment.

  “You do not look happy,” he said.

  “I have failed you, my lord,” Stefan replied, keeping his gaze down toward the floor.

  Ricard was clearly surprised. He had not expected to hear such words from his protégé. He lifted Stefan’s chin with his fingers.

  “Tell me.”

  Stefan began recounting the night’s events, despite the discomfort reliving his defeat brought him.

  “I do not understand it,” he said when he was finished. “I could clearly sense Jarubu’s strength. He is powerful, yes, but I am stronger, significantly so. And yet somehow I was not. He seems to possess some hidden reservoir of strength beyond my power to detect.”

  Ricard thought for a moment, digesting Stefan’s report. “What about the female?”

  “Genevieve and Dara reported the same thing. The woman was unexpectedly strong. She broke free when they both had hold of her. She did not seem to be as powerful as Jarubu, though.”

  “This is not good,” Ricard said. He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Two vampires of such power hunting unchecked so near to us can only lead to trouble. They must be stopped. And soon.”

  He stood up and began pacing the chamber, thinking.