Raving Moon, Lords of the Night Book One

Chapter 30: The Madness

Roddy, Ariane, Wheeler, and I sat around a glass coffee table in an otherwise empty meeting room on B Level. We all looked the way we felt, tired. Wheeler and Ariane looked the worst off. Most of their bruises and cuts had already begun to heal. The more serious damage would take more time. Any signs the fighting had left on Rodmilla had already faded, but her red hair was a mess and no one had managed to find her hat.

Understandably, the mood was low.

The sun would be up in an hour, the weight of it heavy on my tired limbs. Slaking my bloody thirst might have strengthened my vampire side, but with it came a greater sense of night and day. I wasn't sure I'd be able to stay awake beyond dawn.

"This is worse than the riots in the 80s," Wheeler said, rubbing a tender knee. He'd been trampled in the mayhem. "Personally, I think Lord Clovis took too long to react. Hopefully we can start to reestablish order."

"Nunca," Ariane snapped. "You can't believe that. You can't possibly believe this heavy-handed law enforcement is the answer. Do you watch the news? The human news?"

"Of course I do."

"What has hyper policing done for them?"

"It's not the same."

"It's exactly the same." Ariane scoffed. "The ruling majority keeps the minority under its thumb and on its knees." She leaned towards him, gesturing with both hands. "You... I mean, we treat shapeshifters and, to a lesser extent, elves and gremlins like their lives mean nothing. We act as if their deaths mean even less..."

"And you're comparing that to the way the humans treat their ethnic minorities?" Gates chimed in. Like me, she'd been quiet since we carried Captain Shaw to the infirmary.

"Yes!"

"I'm not picking a fight," Roddy said with her hands up. "I just wanted to be sure I understood your argument."

"It's the same argument that started both the first and second Beast War." I added. My phone vibrated. It was Khaleel. "I need to take this."

I excused myself, but I didn't think anyone noticed me leave.

"This is Michele."

"Hi, Lieutenant. It's Khaleel."

"Cutting it close. Are you here at headquarters?"

"Yes, sir." He tried to sound positive with conflicting results. "I was wrapping up some filing when the lockdown happened. I was in the reserves when the fighting broke out."

He was clearly relieved he didn't have to fight.

"Good to know you made it through the night." I watched as a team of lancers sparred across the hall. "What's up, Khaleel?"

"Sorry." He yawned. "It's getting late. We have a full name and pack for Sheila Taishoff's boyfriend. Jonathan Foreman Smalls. He's a member of the Pack of the Closing Spaces."

"I've never heard of them."

"They're one of the new progressive packs. One moment." Khaleel typed at his computer. "Closing Spaces is an offshoot of the Hunter's Moon."

"Earl's pack. Maybe they can help us track him down." Maybe I should have been asking them for help all along. Stygia was their territory.

"Do you want me to reach out, sir?"

"No, I'll make the call."

"Okay." More typing. "Lieutenant Garcia's father called. I sent her a text, but she didn't reply."

"I'll let her know. Was there anything else?"

"Oh, right. Dispatch says a woman called headquarters asking for you specifically. A Tiffany Chaloote."