Antithesis: The Vampire Alliance Book Three - FIRST DRAFT COMPLETED

Antithesis Chapter 29: Eve Blakethorn-Sullivan August 2013

Eve Blakethorn-Sullivan, August 2013

“You know, this is strange.” Rob comments as he stares, bleary eyed at the laptop. We’d been in our room, searching through the Senate files, for hours now. Thirty six hours, to be exact and all three of us were beginning to look worse for wear.

“What’s strange?” Leaving my position which had been sprawled on the bed, I climb over the print outs I’d been studying to move back to his side.

“The correspondence between Charleston and vampire Prime Minister Edward Clarence is, well, not what I’d expect.” Leaning back in his antique chair he admits reluctantly, “It’s really not what I’d expect.”

Shuffling over from where he’d been sat cross-legged on the floor Tul asks curiously, “How so?”

“Charleston gives the orders, not Clarence.” Rob says simply, “Clarence seems to ask Charleston’s permission before any new bills are considered or new legislation passed. Charleston directs Clarence’s decisions and sets his agenda.”

“Clarence is a puppet,” I realise, with growing understanding, “Charleston isn’t simply the head of a local government department, he’s the driving force behind the Senate. He’s the one ruling the nation.”

“So it would appear,” Rob responds with a tired sigh, “I mean it makes sense, he was the one who ‘came out’ so to speak. He’s the one who made our existence known, whereas I would’ve expected the Prime Minister to control any such decision. If Charleston is running things it explains why it was him who shoved us into the lime light, why he’s been the one searching for a way to bring the Strix back. It explains why many of the major Senate facilities are in the North rather than London.

I can’t believe I was so close to him, so often, and missed it. He’s been sat in Newcastle, undetected, for decades all because we assumed the real monsters behind the Senate leadership were in London.”

“They’re all real monsters,” I comment sourly, exhausted and bitter. I resent that I’d had Hardly Charleston underneath me so many times, yet I’d never been in a position to do away with him. He wasn’t the only evil-doer though; Upton had been evil too, Clarence is certainly an enemy just as Plaice must be. “Anyone who chooses to lead in the Senate must have skewed ethics.”

Looking up at me Rob raises a quizzical brow, and gives me a sardonic smile, “Thank you love.”

“You know I didn’t mean you,” flushing I bite my lip, embarrassed at the implication I hadn’t meant to imply. “I know there are infiltrators doing good too. You should ignore the rubbish I spout; after all, we all know I’m the one with questionable morals.”

Laughing, Rob tugs me down onto his lap and kisses my cheek. “Your morals are fine, love; you wouldn’t fight so hard to protect people if they weren’t.
I’ll email all this over to Johan,” he adds, “he should be informed so that everyone in the Alliance can be made aware of Charleston’s importance. Have you found anything useful?”

“Not really,” the admission is hard to swallow, we need something useful we can use against the Senate. “A lot of stuff about the Strix myth and the warriors we should be. There’s tons of surveillance information about my comings and goings and there’s a lot of references to people the Senate watched previously, suspecting they were decedents of Avitus Seneca but who were ultimately just innocent people who tended to end up dead. There’s a bit about the vampire version of the mythological founding of Rome too, but that’s hardly going to help us eradicate the Senate.

Apparently Romulus and Remus were actually sheltered by a werewolf. When the brothers fought during the founding of Rome the wolf turned Remus to give him the upper hand because she deemed him the more just brother and a more capable leader. Romulus was furious and felt betrayed, he found a vampire to sire him so that his strength would once again rival his brother’s. He killed Remus and the werewolf who had raised them.

It’s fascinating stuff but not overly useful when our current aim is to defeat the Senate.” It was a truly enthralling tale, but it did leave me with one question I want answered. “Are werewolves real?”

Tul chuckles, “Worried that there are even more folktale monsters in the dark?” He queries, but there’s no malice in his teasing, “Werewolves don’t exist,” he says firmly but after a moment doubt flickers in his expression. “But then again, Ancient Roman legend has it that werewolves don’t exist because Romulus wiped them out. Ancient Roman myth also said the Strix were dead and gone, never to walk the Earth again, for pretty much the same reason. So who really knows if werewolves are extinct?”

“The Strix were dead and gone,” I reply softly, “they were obliterated and it’s a strange anomaly that made me what I am.” Shuddering at the sound of pained canine yaps and screams for help ringing in my ears I add, “If Romulus had really set out to destroy werewolves then I suspect he did so quite successfully. I’m pleased we only have Charleston to deal with, Romulus would have made him look like a mouse.”

“Only Charleston,” Rob repeats resentfully, “because we’ve done so well at rebelling against Charleston so far.”

His exhausted tone reminds me that even we need to sleep. We’ve been up all day and all night and we’re all on the verge of collapse. We’ve all fought for too long and we need a break, before one of us breaks. Then again I’ve already done that, isn’t my breakdown why we’re in Yorkshire?

“So far Charleston’s been hiding behind Clarence,” states Tul slowly, frowning as he considers, “Clarence was, is, a distraction; he’s a veil. We need to remove the veil.”
“What are you thinking?” Rob requests as we turn to Tul, not seeing whatever it is that has his sense of anticipation ramping up.

“We need to remove Clarence. Charleston may have created this situation with the human government to weaken us and to create a reason for an all out interspecies war, but planned or otherwise, it’s still a precarious situation for everyone involved, including the Senate. Charleston is counting on the fact the humans come after us. However, even if they go after the Senate he can still hide behind his puppet. In a war Clarence would be the target, rather than Charleston. We need to ensure that Charleston is the target for the humans and also for every vampire who has ever felt the Senate should fall. He has to publically take power, but he’ll only do so if Clarence is out of the picture.”

The basis of Tul’s assessment is fairly sound, although not flawless, “What’s to stop him simply replacing Clarence with another puppet?” I ask, “He could promote any of his Chief’s, we know Plaice is Charleston’s creature, I imagine a number of the other are too.”

“Timing?” responds Tul, “He may pick another puppet, but there would have to be an act of a selection process among the Senate or it would become obvious Charleston was calling the shots anyway. The situation is precarious now, I’m hoping he’ll want to take the easiest option to keep the Senate’s appearance of ultimate strength rather than allow any perceived weakness, whether or not it is a real weakness, to become apparent. He’s also growing more confident in his invincibility; after all, he did out us himself. Now he’ a Strix maybe he’ll simply feel the time is right for him to publically take the reins.”

Rob nods, agreeing with the proposition even though I can feel him growing more nervous. “Clarence is still our Prime Minister, taking him out is not going to be a simple task.”

“We’re Strix,” grinning, Tul dons his cockiest look even though we can all feel his own apprehension, “we’ll manage. We still need to do something about the humans though. Cameron isn’t going to stop killing innocent vampires no matter what we do. We can make Charleston a target and for a while the human military might focus on him rather than us, but sooner or later that problem will resurface. Cameron wants us all eradicated.”

“Hmmm.” Twisting my fingers together I ponder that situation. I have a suggestion to make with regard to Cameron’s hatred of vampire kind but I’m under no illusion that the act would be legal. It would be highly illegal, dangerous and I really don’t want to have to do it, even if it is the best option.

“Evie,” Tul prompts softly, “what is it?”

Sighing I give in, knowing that in these walls at least, any suggestion I make won’t be held against me. “When we hunt we use our venom to control humans, to make them forget us. I know it’s illegal to use the process to influence a human’s any further than that. We do it to protect ourselves, not to change people. If necessary though, is it possible? If one of us got close enough to Cameron to bite him could we change his mind about eradicating vampires?”

Rob’s breath leaves him in a surprised whistle, “For a girl who used to say she’d never even feed from humans you’ve come a long way. The problem is you’re planning to plant a very big suggestion in Cameron’s mind. Ordering a human to forget the last five minutes and go home and have a drink is easy. Changing someone’s firmly held beliefs is more risky. The suggestion might not take properly, at which point the subject might realise there’s something not quite right with their memories. If he even starts to suspect vampires have been messing with his mind we’re going to be in more trouble than we are already.”

“We’re Strix,” I reply, armouring myself with Tul’s faux confidence, “everything else about us is stronger, maybe our ability to plant suggestion is too?” Sometimes I resent being the first of a new line of a long dead race; it leaves me open to a degree of uncertainty about my strengths. A huge degree. “We don’t have many other options, we don’t have time to go and talk to the human government, to debate and argue and hope they’ll see sense before they try to kill us. It’s this or nothing. My biggest concern is just how much trouble we’ll be in if we get caught.”

“Execution.” It says a lot for his strength that Rob can utter the word without visibly cringing. “The law states that anyone found controlling or attempting to control humans through the use of their venom and suggestion, other than to clear their memory after feeding, will be subject to the death penalty. It’s been that way since the middle ages.”

He pauses, biting his lip a moment as he considers the possibility. “That’s why I’ll do it, alone.”

Tul and I blink at him in shock, unable to comprehend his reasoning. “Why alone?” I ask, “Cameron is in a bunker, he’ll be protected, alone is a big risk. If Tul’s with you there’s a better chance.”

“Because if I do it and then later get found out I might be able to bargain. I’ve already been executed.” Rob responds softly, his hands gently massaging the tense muscles knotting in my back.

“Look, if the Senate prevail we’re all dead anyway and them finding out I’ve done one more illegal act is the least of my worries,” he expands with a shrug. “If we prevail and the truth comes to light hopefully I can barter. I’ve already faced the death sentence, on false charges no less, and as this could be what helps save the vampire nation maybe that’ll buy me some leniency. Maybe it’ll buy a less final sentence. If it comes to it I’ll be punished, I might not be killed.”

“That’s a big maybe,” Tul points out discontentedly, clearly not happy at Rob’s lone wolf plan. “We could all go, Eve’s been as good as executed too and as long as I’m simply an accessory to the act rather than the actual implementer...”

“That brings me to another problem,” I interrupt. “I can’t go.”

That provokes as much surprise from them as Rob’s statement had from Tul and I. I suppose I don’t usually back out of a fight. In this case however, I have to slow down and play it safe or I’ll put the men I love in even greater danger. “I’ll hate staying put while you two are off risking your lives. I’ll loath every second of it and I can’t even bear the thought, so goodness knows how I’ll get through the reality, but I can’t go. If Hardy can sense me, if I am a homing beacon and we all go then Charleston will know what we’re doing. Whether it’s going after Clarence or going after Cameron, Charleston will see it.”

“Fuck,” the word is simple, but in this case I feel Tul has every right to use it. “I’m not leaving you sat around here alone when there are possibly tanks on the way.”

“It’s not happening,” adds Rob, his expression stern, “you aren’t being left alone. I’ve already said I need to be the one to go after Cameron so Keep has to stay here.”

Opening his mouth to argue, Tul doesn’t get any further than that as I interrupt again. “Think,” I press, a plan forming. I place a quick kiss on Rob’s cheek as I reach for Tul’s hand. “I’m your veil. If I’m here Charleston will think you’re here too so he won’t warn anyone. If you both go you can see to Cameron and Clarence without anyone realising that Strix are coming for them. My being here means Pat won’t be left alone to deal with the mess I’ve caused either. I can help here and you can set our plans in motion. It’s our best option. Hardy thinks he’s using me but he’s given us an opportunity. We have to take it.”

Unfortunately for them they can see the sense in what I’m proposing just as clearly as I can. They don’t like it, I don’t like it either, but it is our best hope. “So are we going to do this?”

“Do you know where the bunker is?” Rob asks, giving in to me despite his reservations.

Shrugging I try to force a smile as I request, “Fetch me a map of Southern England and we’ll see.”

Tul stands at my request, going to locate such a map. I grab up a pen off Rob’s oak desk and begin clearing my mind. I don’t know where the bunker is, but I’m going to find it. I’ll find Clarence too, if I don’t exhaust myself seer’s strength first.

I hope I don’t exhaust it. I’m going to need it if my plan is going to work. Not that I’m going to tell Rob and Tul that, I’m too scared of how they’ll react to me if they know what I’m going to do in advance. I don’t even know if I can push my skills to do what I need to do and if I manage it I don’t know if either of the people I love will be able to accept me. Especially Rob. Still, I can’t leave our fate to chance.