At Dawn They Sleep

Games Without Frontiers

November 1st, 2008 — 5 hours and 37 minutes until first light

Roland's Log

Yuri was driving. Periodically, he would get choked up and openly weep behind the wheel of his Toyota Camry as we raced along the 87 Thruway and headed to Harriman State Park. The fact that this is where Ana was directing Yuri to drive made perfect sense since that was where the Uninvited lair was, deep within an abandoned mine. The fact that Ana knew this information without any prior knowledge further illustrated that her occult powers continued to grow.

Yuri was openly sobbing over the loss of his girlfriend and the abduction of his two nieces by the Uninvited. "I can't believe she's gone! Why?"

Ana was in the front passenger seat and seemed to be able to calm him down. "Yuri, it's not your fault. Let me show you." Ana touched Yuri's hand, and I could only guess that some psionic vision flashed before his eyes, filling in the info-gap with the Uninvited. I only wish she hadn't done that while we were flying 90 miles per hour down a darkened mountain road.

Yuri's mind was hit with the 411 and the 911 of it all: "Jesus, what the fuck are those things? And they can get into your dreams?"

Ana had wisdom far beyond her years. Yuri seemed like her kid sibling just as much as he was her older uncle. He listened to her; that was clear. What did they call it? An old soul? Ana was still a child, and I wondered if I should so heedlessly be following her lead. But at the moment, her mind-boggling supernatural abilities seemed like the only thing that gave us an edge at a half-cocked rescue attempt. Crazy as it was...Tween girl with preternatural fire capabilities: 2 Uninvited: 0

While I was in the house, I found the burner phone Fiona had given me. I grabbed that along with my dad's arsenal goodie trunk. There were VMs and texts from Philip: 'Fiona and Efraim got hit by the Uninvited. Call me.'

I called. I heard Philip sigh heavily over the receiver. It sounded like this wasn't the first time he had to deliver bad news tonight. "...Hey, kid. Sorry about your uncle. There's a Gram clean-up crew at your house now."

I didn't know I was crying until I saw my tears on the phone. "Can I save them?"

"I wouldn't advise it. If the Countess is back...you're walking towards your grave, kid."

"Any advice?"

"That little girl you're with, she's the one who toasted those two vamps at your house?"

"Yeah."

"My advice? Stick with her."

I hung up with Philip. Ana was looking through her grandfather's journal. "Her name is Corazón Aznárez of Pamplona. Most know her as either the Countess or Cora. Unlike the other Uninvited, she can raise an entire army of the dead. Her psionic abilities, powers of enchantment, chlorokinesis, and gift for alchemy set her apart from the rest of her Uninvited brood. She is a First, after all. Legends tell us that she stole most of her arcane powers from a moon goddess by whom she was enslaved and later murdered."

"What is chlorokinesis?" I asked Ana.

"I think it might be the ability to control plant life."

"What is she like, a witch or something?"

"No," Ana said, not looking up as she read more from the journal.

"Is she like a sorceress? Like you?" Yuri asked.

"No. She was a dragonslayer." Ana flipped her grandfather's notebook around so I could see the medieval and baroque artwork inspired by Corazón's legend.