Page 46 of Silent Stalker
“You’ll get used to their antics. Gerry runs so she’ll catch him,” Emerick informed me. “Ford is on the list for consideration for a bride, as he’s finally gotten around to establishing himself as a stable gentleman of good standing.”
“It only took seventeen trips to Tremont to make it happen,” Ford announced.
“Only,” Emerick muttered.
Annora clapped her hands together. “So, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, what are we doing, and how can I become involved?”
“We’re going to be reviewing the situation with the vampires being set loose starved and beaten,” Emerick replied, joining Gerry and Ford at the island, snagging a stool for himself. “Ford has been gathering information for us, so he’s about to bring me up to speed. If you want to help coordinate, grab one of the spare tablets.”
Annora hurried out of the kitchen in the direction of the offices, returning with several tablets and styluses in her hand, which she set on the island. “I’m ready,” she stated.
“Until I find out more about what we’re contending with, I’m keeping the initial investigation to a small group, but you’re welcome to join us. Pepper needs to learn the ropes, and I don’t think any of us are experts on what we’re facing.”
“We’re really not. Those poor men. I saw Luca last night, and he’s in rough shape. From my understanding of the situation, he’s in better health than the rest?” Annora perched on a stool, jotting down notes on her tablet.
“He’s progressing well,” Emerick replied. “But yes, you heard correctly. Luca is in the best health of the vampires we’ve brought in. What’s the current situation, Ford?”
Ford sighed. “Many of the vampires were long-term prisoners before being dumped. From what we have been able to learn from them, they were being bled often to raise new vampires. As far as we can tell, the oldest of them is six, was made under violent circumstances with no choice in the matter, and then held prisoner until release. Their captors understood enough about vampires to make sure Luca and the older vampires drank sufficiently to replenish their blood.”
“That changes things somewhat, but not drastically. The vampire who started the makings would have needed to be at least a year or two old before having the appropriate amount of magic required to start a turning.” Emerick drummed his fingers on the counter. “Do we have a head count of victims?”
“At current count, there are sixty-two known survivors, possibly sixty-three if we include Pepper in the count. We also have confirmation that there were women brought in; turns were attempted, but they failed. They do not know if Pepper was one of the women or not. They didn’t actually see the women, but they overheard the guards discussing them and their fate. But considering the sort of violence these vampires have endured, it’s probably part of the same operation.”
“That matches with the murdered women being found in shallow graves,” Emerick conceded. “Your thoughts, Gerry?”
“Assuming the vampire who is starting this venture is trying to build a brood and is making vampires as quickly as possible, at a year old and with access to other vampires to provide blood, it’s possible to turn two or three vampires a month. How many can you turn, Emerick?”
“With ready access to brood blood to handle the supply of vampiric blood, I see no reason why I couldn’t turn seven to ten a month without significant consequence. The bond would be weaker than I prefer. A wise master of my age would turn no more than five a month to establish a sufficient bond. But we should assume that they are not creating strong bonds with their vampires. Pepper was not difficult to take from her maker. Resentment is an excellent tool for a fledgling.”
No kidding. I’d survived on resentment and a need for revenge. “But why would a vampire do that if that’s the case?”
Emerick chuckled. “Simply put. He isn’t aware that’s the case. It supports the theory that a younger vampire is behind the kidnappings. Vampires raised in a proper brood are aware of how the bond between maker and vampire works—or the bond between master and vampire. While I am not responsible for turning Gerry into one of us, he has been with me a long time, so the bond between us is strong. It would take a very skilled and old vampire to take him from me. Annora is the same. I jealously guard my younger vampires until there is a sufficient bond to withstand exterior meddling. My bond with you is strengthening faster than normal, but I am quite motivated.”
I understood why, and the ongoing battle between us would eventually lead to a satisfactory conclusion. Eventually. Getting there would test my patience and sanity, but I would not give up without a fight.
“Could it be an accidental turning?” I asked. “Like what was being done to my mother?”
Emerick scowled, and after a long moment, he grumbled something under his breath and shrugged. “It’s entirely possible. Predisposition for vampirism is a legitimate thing, so it is possible the deceased child of a vampire turned on their own. If the child was not taught properly due to not being a deliberate turning, it is feasible this could be the case. What was done to your mother, and possibly to you, is deplorable. No brood vampire with any grasp of his or her sanity would attempt such a thing.”
“What are you talking about?” Annora asked.
“It is probable a vampire, likely Mr. Francis, if our guess is correct, took up the habit of feeding his wife and child blood on a daily basis. Vampiric blood. Her mother is prone to attacking my maker, and he has his hands full containing her. It’s probable she’ll spontaneously turn. Her thirst grows, for all she’s human still. But not for long.”
“He’s going to have to turn her?” I guessed, grimacing at the thought of my mother having every choice taken from her.
“It’s probable. She’s showing symptoms of bloodlust, and it’s only calmed with blood. And like you, she’s struggling with non-vampiric bloods, although not to the point of rejecting it like you were. The problem is simple: we have no confirmation your father is the vampire.”
Ford cleared his throat.
“I detect I am missing important information,” Emerick said in his driest tone. “Is what you’re about to tell me going to ruin my evening?”
“Inevitably,” Ford replied. “Considering the current situation, we’ve been doing some fairly extensive research into Mr. Francis, and we have determined he has a falsified birth certificate. It took doing some research into the hospital where the certificate was initially issued. It was a masterful forgery, to the point the government fully believes it is genuine, but it’s not. There’s no evidence he was actually born in that hospital when the birth certificate claims. As this is a common trick among older vampires, there are options on how this came to be. The first is he’s much older than we believe, and he’s been hiding out among mortals and disguising his nature. The second is that his maker or current master handled the paperwork. A younger vampire would have no need to falsify a birth certificate.”
“But what about my grandparents?”
“On your mother’s side, they’re quite real. On your father’s side, it’s doubtful. Illusions or some other form of preternatural magic—or your father was owed a debt and had them join the farce. There are numerous possibilities. But it’s doubtful they’re actually his parents. Vampires simply don’t age.”
“But he doesn’t look young, not like Emerick.”
