“To what do I owe this visit?” I asked, going over to the cupboard, and making myself an iced tea.
“Hayley, after you left this morning, Sophia was doing the rounds as she normally does every morning and she found one of the council members dead in his bed.” Jackson cleared his throat as if he were fighting back some tears.
“Oh, who was it?”
“Someone from the French district. He was one of the older generations but not yet an elder.”
“Maybe he died of a heart attack? After all, you said he was old.”
“Hay, this is serious,” Eric slammed his hands down the counter, more so for effect than to frighten me. “One of the wards was breached last night and someone got in. This wasn’t just any ordinary death. Jackson and the witch department were alerted minutes before the guy was found dead in his bed, foaming at the mouth and the ward was down.”
“How long was it down for? Anyone claim responsibility?”
“It was down for only a few seconds but enough time for someone to slip in,”
“And not be able to slip out,” I paused for a second thinking as the two men looked as if they had begun to think the same thing as me, “And you are one hundred percent sure someone broke in, that it wasn’t an inside job, and the ward was only taken down as a form of distraction?”
They both lowered their eyes, clearly unsure on how to respond.
“Come on lads, you can’t come here shouting murder or a break in if you haven’t looked at all the possibilities. Maybe it was the guy’s wife? Maybe she was fed up with his lifeless body trying to get a ride from her? Tell you what, come back to me in a day or two once all avenues have been looked at, and if someone has in fact managed to break into the manor, then we will sort it out. For now, go back, look for the evidence and up the protection spells.”
The tension in the room cleared instantly seconds after I spoke, as if Jackson suddenly relaxed and realised perhaps they were a bit too rash. I am the one speaking logically. Eric, however, surprised me as he barely left the grounds of the manor anymore. Perhaps, he thought it was an emergency or maybe Jackson brought him along as protection.
“Is that all?” I ask, looking at them both with tired eyes. “Do you have anything else for me?’
“No, we realise perhaps we were a bit rash in our judgement, and you are quite right. We will head back and see what evidence we can find and will report to you when we do so.” Eric stood up straight, just as the soldier he’s always been, and headed through the kitchen and out the front door, leaving Jackson and I alone for a few seconds.
“I made you this,” I watched as he pulled out a small vial from his pocket and placed it down on the counter, “Don’t worry, it’s not a drug but it will help you sleep a full night. I know you haven’t been recently, so after your hunt tonight, as I have no doubt you will still go, please take this. Just a few drops and it will help. Obviously be careful, don’t drink it all in one go and become Alice in Wonderland, and don’t take it constantly. Only when you are faced with the sleepless nights you are having currently.”
Coming up to me, he gave me a kiss on my cheek and then followed Eric out, leaving me to my peace once again. I should really get a guard dog, so hopefully I won't keep getting unwanted visitors. As much as I loved Jackson, and didn’t mind Eric, I had enough visits to last me a lifetime. I enjoyed my peace too much.
4
The night had been quiet since I started my hunt. Odd, it’s almost as if the vampires knew I was home and didn’t want to try their luck with being staked. I gave up at the local hangouts and decided to try a different location, a change of scenery.
If Sophia was correct in her accusations about the vampires’ siring humans, that would mean there were fresh new graves, and I would have a chance to catch myself a freshly made vamp who might be up for spilling their secrets. That, or easy prey.
I still had a couple of hours of night left, and although this wasn’t much of my style, I was going to try my luck and see if I struck gold. It would be interesting to see what I could find and even if I didn’t find anything, sometimes visiting a graveyard is good for your soul. I might even meet some ghosts still holding onto their place in this world.
RavenBlack had a few smaller graveyards but heading to the largest one would be my best bet; it was just left of the main city streets and heavily gated but nothing that would cause me any issues. Climbing up the iron gated fence that had seen better days, rust and vines of ivy wrapped around the metal almost tangled my left leg as I lifted myself up and over to the other side.
Dead silence. Not even the sound of a night bird. I was grateful for the eyesight I had been blessed with from the Van Helsing bloodline, it meant I could see better in the dark than your average human.
I took careful steps around people’s graves, unwilling to disturb the ones who were laid to rest in peace, and avoided any eye contact with the few wandering ghosts who were either crying, hiding in the shadows, or just watching me pass. Finally coming to a stop at a freshly covered grave, I read the inscription.
Joseph Walls
Beloved Uncle & Friend
1991-2022
Gone, but never forgotten.
Settling down on the bench opposite the grave, I began to wait. It would most likely be a long and unsuccessful watch but nevertheless, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I was used to just sitting and waiting for prey, and this one was no different but by the next hour bell, the ground was still undisturbed, and I decided to try another grave.
I turned around and started to head in a different direction, when I felt a change in the air before something appeared behind me. My wooden stake was already posed and ready for action, and feeling the old school weapon in my hand, I thought this was going to be interesting. I had begun to rely mainly on my guns but after watching the recruits yesterday, some hand-to-hand combat might do me some good.
Turning on my heel and ready to strike, I stopped instantly and saw nothing there; no creature had appeared. Perhaps it was just a ghost? Odd, as I was normally on the ball for any changes around me and yet there was nothing there. Still prepared and ready, I turned back to continue my mission, which was starting to turn into a waste of my time and energy.