The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

Chapter 27: Puppet Master

The hoarse whisper was enough to garner him both Narcist and Fiadh's attention, the two of them close enough to have heard his impromptu exclamation. They looked at him with almost identical frowns. Only to find their expressions becoming ones of curiosity at seeing the grim expression on the big vampire's visage as he stared at his smartphone's screen. Then they were watching as, with a significant look at Vulcrum, who nodded at some sort of silent communication the two members of House Lash made, the big vampire stepped out of the cell.

"Lash? Lash!" Fiadh called out as she quickly followed the Lord Commander of the Qos Viran out of the cell, finding his back rapidly moving away from her as Lash strode quickly towards the elevator. Breaking into a run, she barely managed to join him inside before the door closed.

"Lash!" she said between gasping breaths. "What happened in there?"

"Vulcrum got Anna's handler's name out of her," Lash said tightly.

"Janner? The human?"

"No. Kanter."

"Kanter?" the confused Irish lilith repeated. "How do you ... oh. Mordecai was listening in, wasn't he."

Lash jerked a nod.

"It was a plan we had discussed on the way back in," He explained. Then the door opened and they were back in the command center's bullpen. Stepping out, he continued.

"We knew she was too fortified with the nanites to be chemically convinced to talk. And, even though I brought you in because that was the original plan to use your pheromones to compel her to talk, we had our doubts that would work as well. So I contacted Mordecai and asked him to scan her and get the information out that way. He indicated he could make her at least verbally give up her handler so nobody would be the wiser that we used telepathy to get the intel. But then Vulcrum manipulated her from an unexpected direction and worked his way into her giving it up anyway. Mordecai just confirmed it."

He then handed her the phone, which had Kanter's information still displayed on it. Frowning, Fiadh quickly read it. And just as quickly gasped.

"No," she said, looking over at him, eyes wide in shock.

"Yes, unfortunately," Lash confirmed, his expression grim. "Kanter Brel, also known as Ivor Makarov of the Vorinov, was one of my Qos Viran teammates. The same team, in fact, that had Romanescu on it."

Fiadh reached out with a compassionate hand to lay it on his arm.

"This is not your fault, Lash," she said, pulling him around to face her. "You didn't know those vampires would turn traitor."

"Not just traitor, Fiadh," Lash ground out. "They've become the greatest threat our people have ever faced! Romanescu and his lilith slavery ring. And now Makarov, a vampire that prided himself on toppling Dark Edge nations and major vampire Houses in seven days, has emerged as a player in the pogrom against Ventru."

He looked up at the ceiling.

"Hunter, I need the remaining members of my 2005 Qos Viran team located, command authorization. Acknowledge."

"Acknowledged, Lord Commander. With your authorization, I have accessed the Qos Viran hard database and have obtained the information you've requested. Out of your original twelve vampire team, seven are currently deceased. Five in action, and two in mysterious circumstances in 2007, their bodies located in Greece."

"And the remaining seven?" Lash pressed. He had known of the two in Greece, and had long suspected Romanescu had a hand in their untimely ends. Just another reason to hate that Nosferatu bastard.