Bloodshed

Chapter Twenty-Three: Puppets

I said nothing to Master as we made our way down the western seaboard. My lack of interest in talking didn't deter him from trying, unfortunately. He had tried to tell me of all the things he was interested in learning about, the new buildings and people to see. But after an hour, he realized I wasn't in the mood, and decided to toy with one of his slaves instead.

"Are you sure you are not thirsty, child?" He said from a deck chair, watching the blond man he was messing with slowly take off his swimming trunks. "Or, perhaps there is a different need you wish to fulfill."

I glanced over to watch Master control his puppet, not with his words, but with his eyes, and was intrigued.

"How do you do that?" I asked, coming over to take the deck chair next to his. I kept my sights on him to keep from looking at the poor man Master was now making jerk off in front of us, as Master watched in perverse delight.

"Now she speaks." Master said without looking at me.

I wanted to get his attention, to get him to lose focus on the man he was controlling, so I sweetened my voice and batted my eyelashes. "I'm sorry for acting so petulant, great-grandfather. Please, could you teach me how to use Influence the way that you do?"

It made me absolutely sick to my stomach, sucking up to him. But I couldn't stand watching that poor man be manipulated any longer. Plus, I needed to gain Master's trust. Not for my sake, but for the humans onboard.

If I could keep him busy, distracted, then they didn't have to suffer from his sick games.

"Apology accepted, great-granddaughter." Master beamed, finally offering me a glance. "Now, I am not certain I can teach you this technique, for I am the only one who has ever been able to wield it. But since you are of my blood, and have finally turned, you may be able to surpass your father and his father before him."

He turned fully to face me, and out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the man. His hand had stilled, his expression blank. My heart broke for him, but there wasn't much else I could do considering how weak I was at the moment.

So, for now, keeping Master preoccupied would have to be enough.

"Now, first, I want you to close your eyes." Master said, sounding fatherly. "Let go of all of your anger, your hurt. Just focus on your senses. What you can hear, smell, taste."

Hesitantly, I did as he said and closed my eyes. No longer dependent on air, I stopped breathing all together to allow my other senses a chance to take over. The first thing I noticed was how salty the air tasted. It did nothing for me, of course, but I knew what the taste was, and found myself missing the satisfaction of eating salty food.

"That's it, child. Let your true nature take over." Master said, his voice prideful.

I wanted to turn my nose up at him, but instead focused on the task at hand. The ocean lapped against the hull of Lucius' boat, drowned out by the roar of the boat's engine. Then I could hear heartbeats, seven of them, slow and steady thanks to Master's Influence.

And then I heard something else, something that made my heart sink.

It was a rapid clicking noise. I didn't recognize the sound at first; it had been so long since I'd last heard it. But when it followed quiet, shuddering breaths, I knew exactly what I was hearing. The people were cold, and the clicking noises were from their teeth chattering.

My eyes snapped open, and I looked around at the humans, truly taking in what they wore. They were all in swimsuits and barefoot. It was nearly mid-January in the Pacific Northwest, which meant bitterly cold weather. Definitely not bathing suit season.