Turned By Him

Chapter 8

Only 13 members of the NuBlood coven survived the Rothschild’s brutal assault. All of the survivors had sustained injuries, Jordan worst of all. The open wounds did not seem to slow the vampires any. As the battle subsided, Mirana did what she could to reestablish order among her coven. She had Tom assist her in collecting the bodies of their fallen while assigning Harper and Eliza to collect the coven’s property. “It is imperative that we leave no trace of ourselves here tonight.” There were others assigned to collect the bodies of the Rothschild Vampires. Mirana resisted frequent requests from Jordan to burn the bodies. He insisted that it was the only way “to be sure” they were dead. Mirana maintained that the bodies had to be returned to their master however, and the 13 vampires of the Rothschild coven were piled in the back of the U-Haul.

“If burning the bodies is the only way to be sure,” Eliza asked Tom, “is it possible that Mathew or the others will recover?”

Tom shook his head gravely. “Jordan’s naivety and anger are clouding his judgment. We are less frail than humans but we can be killed in conventional ways. He knows that. Decapitation is the most common method.” Eliza thought of Mathew’s body which was slumped with two others along the bench seat in the Impala. She knew Mathew was well read. She also knew him as Jordan’s mate and it saddened her to think of Jordan’s broken heart and rage. When she looked over to Tom once more, it occurred to her that he was likely trying his best to keep everyone’s emotions in check. His gaze was distant and the bridge of his nose seemed perpetually wrinkled in effort.

Mirana called out to her coven as they worked. “You all did very well. We figure out why Randal was here, I will speak with Damien.” She seemed to be fumbling for an explanation. Though the battle was won, the tremors in Mirana’s voice betrayed a sadness and fatigue she hoped to conceal. Devlin’s body remained untouched. Occasionally, Mirana seemed as though she were approaching it but she would change course in the last moment. Her grief seemed to keep her from mourning.

It took them about an hour to clear the cemetery of all evidence. The groups scrubbed blood from stone and carried away the delicate equipment they had brought. The final, and most time consuming task, was to clear the area of blood and bodies. Many people had been killed. Seventeen of their members and easily another thirty were murdered by the powerful Rothschild vampires. As Eliza worked to clear the carnage, she considered the incredible power Randal had and how powerful his sire, Lord Alastair Rothschild, must be. Randal had been able to become invisible. Eliza resolved to ask Tom about Alastair’s power once they were back at Novum Sanguinem.

Eventually the area was safe to leave behind. A couple hours before sunrise, the surviving member of the coven returned to Novum Sanguinem under midtown Manhattan’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The large stone tunnels seemed dreary and empty without the jubilant laughter of thirty vampire siblings. It all seemed like too much space. Mirana, clearly still attempting to façade a strength, refused to let anyone sit alone. She made frequent rounds to check on her mourning children. Even Eliza received kind words of comfort. It seemed that her decision to stay was appreciated by Mirana. Eliza had not yet told anyone of her newly discovered dark gift. She decided she would wait to tell anyone but Tom. More than anything, Eliza felt the urge to sleep. She knew that she could not however, and simply lied on the red couches and listened to the others talk about those they had lost. Mirana had left to meet with Alastair and Damien Rothschild. She brought the bodies. Tom had insisted that he go but when Mirana finally broke down in tears, he conceded to Mirana’s wishes. “No more,” Mirana pleaded. “Just do as I say. I can bear no more death.” Jordan sat away from the others. He hadn’t spoken since requesting the Rothschilds be burned. His absence had been noticed but not mentioned when Mirana said her goodbyes. Many in the coven feared that she would not return.

Harper began sharing a story she remembered of Devlin and Lewis. Harper cried into her sleeve as she struggled through the rather mundane narrative about rescuing cats from an animal shelter. The conclusion of her story was to hail Devlin for his charitable heart and fatherly qualities. “It’s going to be so hard without him,” Harper sobbed.

Tom was the next to share. He told several stories of the late night discussions he had with Mathew. Tom talked about Mathew’s loving heart. Eliza, and likely everyone else, could tell that Tom spoke so Jordan would not have to. Tom also talked about Devlin. Describing him as a father, Tom regaled the coven of a harrowing adventure Devlin and Tom had taken to Italy a few years prior. The group laughed a forced chuckle through Tom’s rehearsed jokes.

Many in the coven found themselves in need of some alone time, or one on one time and the group began to dwindle. Eventually, Eliza, Tom and Jordan were the only ones who remained in the main room. Touching the hardly remaining embers of one cigarette to the unlit end of another, Jordan bid them farewell with a silent nod. Tom and Eliza listened as the echoing of Jordan’s footsteps grew softer in the stone stairwell. Something inside Eliza told her that she would not see Jordan again for a long time.

Eliza lay with her head in Tom’s lap. He was reading a book which Mathew had left out on the table. “Joseph Conrad is the number one anticolonial author of his day,” read the words on the back of the thin paperback. As he read, Tom’s fingers combed through Eliza’s hair. She felt so calm. Eliza knew she had suffered horribly. The terrifying scenes of murder, death and gore would have left her in a sobbing heap one week ago. Her steal had been tempered now. She felt strong and alive; yet Eliza knew she was cold and dead. “What is Alastair’s dark gift?” Eliza asked Tom.

“He can return life to those who are dead.” Tom’s words were flat and a matter of fact. Eliza was stunned. “Like, he can bring people back to life that are dead?”

Tom looked over the pages of Heart of Darkness to look at Eliza. “He can only restore those who were infected with magika,” Tom clarified.

Eliza let Tom return to reading and laid there for nearly an hour. She let her mind wander and ponder the potential of her dark gift. She resolved to tell Tom about her ability later. The moment hadn’t felt right and Eliza decided she would be as little of a burden as possible.