Saturday, May 15
We were gathered in the parlor to meet with the Vampires to understand where we were going and what we would be doing. Most of us managed to get our passports and friends and connections of Barrister’s brother firm in New York were doing rush work to get passports for everyone else. I was sitting there with Barrister and God Speed, a notebook on the coffee table. I tapped my cigarette and took a draw.
I had drawn up a list of the people accompanying us and what were to take. Barrister had secured us accommodations in his family estate an hour away from London. He even had accommodations for our four Vampires. His London Vampire contact had arranged for Tru:Blood to be sent to the estate and all preparations had been made. I still did not know how long we would be in England, so I put that on my question page to ask Eric, one of many questions I had for the Sheriff of Area Five.
Body Guard and Aolani came in. Body Guard, our resident Werewolf had a large case with him. He sat down next to Barrister.
“I have the trace proof cell phones Eric asked for and everyone’s number is programmed in the phones,” he said. “Eric wanted all of us to be able to talk securely to one another at a moment’s notice.” Each phone had a post it with the person’s name and a small bag with the charger and adapter for British current were given to us. “The batteries will last 24 hours.”
“Do they have internet access?” asked Barrister.
“They do,” he said.
“Good,” said God Speed. God Speed was all for technology and had found a great friend in Body Guard and his access to gadgets.
We knew only that we should pack enough clothes for two weeks and have at least two fancy dress outfits. I went heavy on the jeans and heavy boots and blouses and a couple of sweaters, all dark in color. I had a feeling there would be a lot of times that we would be asked to dress for stealth.
Bill and Jessica were the first to arrive. He was armed with his laptop computer and Jessica looked radiant and very excited. There was still an air of static and unpredictable energy about her but she was very much Vampire. She came over and sat by God Speed and kissed him and accepted without complaint the bottle of warm Tru:Blood Scarlett brought her. Renee brought Bill a warm bottle and was rewarded with a kiss. Bill sat down beside me and kissed me on the cheek.
“Do you know what this is all about Bill?” I asked.
“I do, but I think we should wait for Eric. He has several things he hopes to accomplish while we are overseas. I do know that we will at some stage be going to Ireland and to Sweden, though I suspect the trip to Sweden is one of a personal matter for Eric,” said Bill. “Are those the phones we asked for Body Guard?”
“They are, and here is yours and Jessica’s,” he said. He handed the Vampires their phones and chargers and adapters.
Pam came in, looking sleek in black slacks and red sweater, her blond hair curling softly on her shoulders. Fairy brought her a bottle and waited for Eric’s appearance. Lina and Linzy scooted over to make room for the Vampire and she smiled at them.
“I suppose you are excited about going back to England,” said Barrister.
“I have not been back to England in over a hundred years,” said Pam. “So, yes, I am excited to see it. Has Eric told you about the people we are meeting?”
“No, he has told us next to nothing,” said Barrister. “I do know we are to meet with my London Vampire contact, but other than that, I know very little.”
“Eric will let you know what is going on,” she said.
We sat and chatted for some time. We spoke of some of the new things we had seen about the summer’s adventures and we wondered how this adventure might effect the summer’s adventures. Would it make the Vampires more cautious? Would it make us more anxious? We were not sure. Finally Eric arrived.
Fairy brought the warm bottle to Eric and we settled to listen to what the Viking had to tell us.
“Is everyone ready to travel?” asked Eric.
“We are nearly ready,” said God Speed. “Can you tell us about our mission?”
“We are going to make broader connections with the European Vampires,” said Eric. “Things are moving quite quickly and we are going to need help. We are also going to meet the Werewolves of London, and try to make some sort of truce and pact with them for when the Weres eventually make themselves known.”
“Eric, how do you feel about the Werewolves now?” asked Aolani.
“I am torn between my desire to have useful alliances with Weres and shifters and my Vampire superiority,” he said carefully. “We are also meeting with the Sidhe.”
The Sidhe, the fae of Ireland, were legendary, mythic creatures. I had studied the world of Faery as a part of my study of the occult and supernatural and until now I had never considered their reality. They were real in my heart but not in my head, until now.
“Why are we meeting with the Fae?” I asked.
“Because we have to,” said Eric evasively.
“And why are we going to Sweden?” I asked.
“We are going to Sweden to see if there is anything left of the place I knew as a human. I never returned to my people when I was made Vampire, I never knew their fate. I have a friend in the human world who explores ancient Viking settlements and he has gathered a collection of things that may have belonged to my father, perhaps my children,” said the Viking. A stranger who did not know Eric and did not notice his minute physical reactions and signals would pass off his comment as a simple statement, but we noticed little things, like the slight widening of his eyes to control his tear ducts and though Eric was technically ‘dead” there was a slight change in his coloring that suggested he was feeling something extraordinary. “But this is something we will do at the end of our adventure.”
“I have everyone’s tickets,” said Bill. He took out a thick stack of airline tickets. He handed me the pile and I grabbed mine and Barrister’s tickets and passed them over to God Speed and Jen. I looked at the tickets enveloped in heavy black and silver card stock with the stylized Anubis head stamped in silver. I placed the tickets in my notebook and the built in folder and watched as everyone looked at their tickets.
“Now,” I said, picking up my pen. “Are we responsible for getting you guys on the plane?”
“No dearest, we will be leaving at night and we will be able to sit up with you during the night hours of the flight but at dawn, we will have to be in a coffin. Anubis on Avon, the British Division of Anubis, will have cars to carry us to the estate Barrister’s family has provided for us,” explained my Vampire spouse to me, acknowledging my human lover and future spouse. I jotted down his response and methodically asked about rental cars, time we are to meet at Fangtasia, and all the myriad of other details.
I wondered if the trip to the Viking sites and the anthropologist had something to do with what we were going to see in the adventures. Eric was the depths of a vendetta this season, and I wondered what all this was about and how they would effect our Viking and us.
To be continued
We were gathered in the parlor to meet with the Vampires to understand where we were going and what we would be doing. Most of us managed to get our passports and friends and connections of Barrister’s brother firm in New York were doing rush work to get passports for everyone else. I was sitting there with Barrister and God Speed, a notebook on the coffee table. I tapped my cigarette and took a draw.
I had drawn up a list of the people accompanying us and what were to take. Barrister had secured us accommodations in his family estate an hour away from London. He even had accommodations for our four Vampires. His London Vampire contact had arranged for Tru:Blood to be sent to the estate and all preparations had been made. I still did not know how long we would be in England, so I put that on my question page to ask Eric, one of many questions I had for the Sheriff of Area Five.
Body Guard and Aolani came in. Body Guard, our resident Werewolf had a large case with him. He sat down next to Barrister.
“I have the trace proof cell phones Eric asked for and everyone’s number is programmed in the phones,” he said. “Eric wanted all of us to be able to talk securely to one another at a moment’s notice.” Each phone had a post it with the person’s name and a small bag with the charger and adapter for British current were given to us. “The batteries will last 24 hours.”
“Do they have internet access?” asked Barrister.
“They do,” he said.
“Good,” said God Speed. God Speed was all for technology and had found a great friend in Body Guard and his access to gadgets.
We knew only that we should pack enough clothes for two weeks and have at least two fancy dress outfits. I went heavy on the jeans and heavy boots and blouses and a couple of sweaters, all dark in color. I had a feeling there would be a lot of times that we would be asked to dress for stealth.
Bill and Jessica were the first to arrive. He was armed with his laptop computer and Jessica looked radiant and very excited. There was still an air of static and unpredictable energy about her but she was very much Vampire. She came over and sat by God Speed and kissed him and accepted without complaint the bottle of warm Tru:Blood Scarlett brought her. Renee brought Bill a warm bottle and was rewarded with a kiss. Bill sat down beside me and kissed me on the cheek.
“Do you know what this is all about Bill?” I asked.
“I do, but I think we should wait for Eric. He has several things he hopes to accomplish while we are overseas. I do know that we will at some stage be going to Ireland and to Sweden, though I suspect the trip to Sweden is one of a personal matter for Eric,” said Bill. “Are those the phones we asked for Body Guard?”
“They are, and here is yours and Jessica’s,” he said. He handed the Vampires their phones and chargers and adapters.
Pam came in, looking sleek in black slacks and red sweater, her blond hair curling softly on her shoulders. Fairy brought her a bottle and waited for Eric’s appearance. Lina and Linzy scooted over to make room for the Vampire and she smiled at them.
“I suppose you are excited about going back to England,” said Barrister.
“I have not been back to England in over a hundred years,” said Pam. “So, yes, I am excited to see it. Has Eric told you about the people we are meeting?”
“No, he has told us next to nothing,” said Barrister. “I do know we are to meet with my London Vampire contact, but other than that, I know very little.”
“Eric will let you know what is going on,” she said.
We sat and chatted for some time. We spoke of some of the new things we had seen about the summer’s adventures and we wondered how this adventure might effect the summer’s adventures. Would it make the Vampires more cautious? Would it make us more anxious? We were not sure. Finally Eric arrived.
Fairy brought the warm bottle to Eric and we settled to listen to what the Viking had to tell us.
“Is everyone ready to travel?” asked Eric.
“We are nearly ready,” said God Speed. “Can you tell us about our mission?”
“We are going to make broader connections with the European Vampires,” said Eric. “Things are moving quite quickly and we are going to need help. We are also going to meet the Werewolves of London, and try to make some sort of truce and pact with them for when the Weres eventually make themselves known.”
“Eric, how do you feel about the Werewolves now?” asked Aolani.
“I am torn between my desire to have useful alliances with Weres and shifters and my Vampire superiority,” he said carefully. “We are also meeting with the Sidhe.”
The Sidhe, the fae of Ireland, were legendary, mythic creatures. I had studied the world of Faery as a part of my study of the occult and supernatural and until now I had never considered their reality. They were real in my heart but not in my head, until now.
“Why are we meeting with the Fae?” I asked.
“Because we have to,” said Eric evasively.
“And why are we going to Sweden?” I asked.
“We are going to Sweden to see if there is anything left of the place I knew as a human. I never returned to my people when I was made Vampire, I never knew their fate. I have a friend in the human world who explores ancient Viking settlements and he has gathered a collection of things that may have belonged to my father, perhaps my children,” said the Viking. A stranger who did not know Eric and did not notice his minute physical reactions and signals would pass off his comment as a simple statement, but we noticed little things, like the slight widening of his eyes to control his tear ducts and though Eric was technically ‘dead” there was a slight change in his coloring that suggested he was feeling something extraordinary. “But this is something we will do at the end of our adventure.”
“I have everyone’s tickets,” said Bill. He took out a thick stack of airline tickets. He handed me the pile and I grabbed mine and Barrister’s tickets and passed them over to God Speed and Jen. I looked at the tickets enveloped in heavy black and silver card stock with the stylized Anubis head stamped in silver. I placed the tickets in my notebook and the built in folder and watched as everyone looked at their tickets.
“Now,” I said, picking up my pen. “Are we responsible for getting you guys on the plane?”
“No dearest, we will be leaving at night and we will be able to sit up with you during the night hours of the flight but at dawn, we will have to be in a coffin. Anubis on Avon, the British Division of Anubis, will have cars to carry us to the estate Barrister’s family has provided for us,” explained my Vampire spouse to me, acknowledging my human lover and future spouse. I jotted down his response and methodically asked about rental cars, time we are to meet at Fangtasia, and all the myriad of other details.
I wondered if the trip to the Viking sites and the anthropologist had something to do with what we were going to see in the adventures. Eric was the depths of a vendetta this season, and I wondered what all this was about and how they would effect our Viking and us.
To be continued
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