Chapter 14

“Enjoy the world as you know it. Stop your complaining and whining. Recognize that this is as good as it gets because soon, very soon, you shall bow at my feet. You will look up at me and wonder why you didn’t glory in the life you had.” ~Ludcarab

Ludcarab watched as the bows, arrows, swords, and daggers he’d found in the castle’s weaponry were unloaded from the plane. He’d managed to hire a private pilot who happened to have a large plane that not only carried all the cargo they needed but also all one hundred of his warriors.
“My lord, our spies report there has been no sign of your son,” said Rone, one of Ludcarab’s faithful elfin warriors. “And there’s been no activity from Prince Thalion’s camp. I do not think he knows we’ve left the palace.”
The king of the elves gave a sharp nod and dismissed the warrior as he watched them finish unloading the last of the weapons. He’d tried to ensure that Thalion would not learn of his departure for America, but Ludcarab wasn’t ignorant enough to think his son would never find out. He just hoped he’d be long gone once Thalion did realize it.
“Ah, Ludcarab, I see you’ve arrived safe and sound.” An oily voice entered the elf king’s ears. He turned quickly to face the small pale figure at his back. Ludcarab cursed inwardly. The vampire had gotten extremely close, and Ludcarab hadn’t even realized he was there. He needed to stay focused.
“Cain,” said Ludcarab simply.
“Welcome to my humble realm,” said the vampire spreading his arms wide. “We certainly don’t have all the amenities enjoyed by the elves, but I like to think the humans have their own charms.”
“Forgive me if I don’t make plans to build a summer home here,” the elf replied.
“Ah, you just can’t see the beauty of the humans. You think them weak and worthless. And you might be right up to a point.” The vampire inched closer. The man didn’t look a day over forty, but Ludcarab knew him to be centuries old. In fact, the elf couldn’t remember a time when Cain wasn’t the worldwide coven leader. “But you’ve never felt the exhilaration of having one’s flesh between your fangs. Feeling them wiggle beneath as the life drains from their eyes. You should try it sometime. I bet you’d like it.”
Ludcarab turned up his nose, making no attempt to hide his disgust. Though he and his elves were technically allied with the bloodsuckers, Ludcarab didn’t trust them, especially since he no longer commanded the host of warriors he once did. In one-on-one combat, no vamp would stand a chance against an elf, but Cain, as king of the vampires, had legions at his disposal, and they were clever, always scheming ways to increase their power among the supernaturals.
“Doubtful,” replied the elf king. “When did you arrive from Canada?” he asked, hoping to change the subject.
“A week ago,” Cain answered. “I brought four hundred displaced vampires. Thanks to the recent raids by the wolves, I’ve had nearly a thousand vampires show up at my coven seeking refuge.”
“So why did you only bring four hundred?” Ludcarab asked.
“I’ve had to kill many because they were out of control. And I left behind the rest to help take care of things up there. As soon as the United States is subdued, we will move on Canada’s government as well,” the vampire explained.
What a luxury the man can simply kill off his own kind and manufacture more warriors whenever they’re needed. “Who is left to arrive?” Ludcarab asked.
“Well, we didn’t get the pixie king, but his brother was an easy recruit, though he’s not yet arrived. We have representatives from almost all the other races.”
“Almost?”
“Warlocks, fae, wolves, elves, vamps, obviously, and a few sprites. We are still attempting to locate a djinn. We have a dozen trolls who will be showing up any day now.”
“It’s too bad there aren’t any witches to join,” Ludcarab said.
Cain grunted. “Yes, and it’s a travesty that we lost the healer.”
Ludcarab’s eyes widened. “You had a gypsy healer? She agreed to join?”
“Not exactly,” Cain admitted.
“You captured one?” he corrected.
“Yes. But she got away.”
“How?”
Cain sighed. “The wolves, how do you think? She had a mate and was under the protection of Perizada. Alston failed to mention that Perizada was watching over the healer. The high fae found her, and her mate killed our people and took the healer away.”
“The power circle won’t be complete without the representation of every supernatural species. We have to get a djinn and healer,” Ludcarab said.
“I know that and so does Sincaro and Alston. We will worry about that. Your job is to get all the warriors ready for battle,” Cain reminded him.
Ludcarab clenched his jaw, forcing back a retort. Having dissension among their ranks wasn’t going to help the Order achieve its goals. He could hold his tongue until they’d achieved their rightful place in power but then … then he would take the place that he was due. He would remove anyone who kept him from being the ruler of the human realm, and he wouldn’t share that power with anyone.
Ludcarab knew he wasn’t the only one planning a coup. All the leaders in the Order desired one thing: absolute power. None of them liked to share. He had no doubt Cain, Sincaro, Alston, and the other supernatural leaders were planning their own strategies on how to oust the others. He just needed to make sure his plan was one step ahead of theirs.

~~~~~

Alston closed his eyes and focused his thoughts on Skender. The distance between them had been a bit of an issue, even for his magic, but it wasn’t something that a little blood magic couldn’t fix. Alston had been concerned when the Order decided to send Skender on a mission to return to his pack in hopes of retrieving the healer. A wolf’s loyalty to his pack was a strong thing. The high fae wondered if Skender would desire to give up the Order and stay with his old pack.
“Skender,” Alston said when he felt his mind connect with the wolf’s.
“Alston?”
“Why do you sound confused? Did you doubt my power?”
“I’m just surprised,” Skender said.
“Explain your situation. How did Vasile respond to your return and to your mate?”
“He doesn’t trust me. None of them do,” Skender said. “We are currently being held in a cell in the basement.”
“Is there any chance of escape?” Alston asked, his irritation growing with the lack of progress from the two wolves.
“I’m sure they will let us out soon to tend to our personal needs. Would you have me attempt to break free and grab the healer when they do let us out?” His voice sounded skeptical.
“Your assignment was to obtain the healer at any and all costs. One of you gets the healer while the other distracts the pack. You are not to return without her unless you are ready to leave this world.” Alston didn’t give the wolf time to respond. He simply pulled out of his mind and left him.
The high fae was irritated his plan for Sally hadn’t worked out. He had underestimated Peri’s power and, frankly, had thought she’d be distracted with her new mate. Now they needed to come up with a different plan to get the healer. It shouldn’t be so difficult to gain control of one, sort-of-human girl, and yet it had proven to be their biggest challenge.
The door to his study opened and Sincaro walked in. The cold, dead eyes of the vampire met his own and momentarily flashed red—the bloodsucker was in a temper. “We’ve located the djinn veil,” Sincaro said.
“Then why don’t you appear pleased?” Alston asked.
“Because that damn high fae is one move ahead of us. The veil is being guarded by four fae warriors.”
Alston sighed, a much-too-human sound for his liking. “Must I do everything?”
“Perizada is powerful. You don’t have to admit it for it to be true, but you must acknowledge it. You are the only one who can deal with the fae warriors. Take some of the fae warriors here, get rid of the fae guarding the veil, and procure the djinn. We will be that much closer to our goal,” Sincaro said and then turned to leave.
“What will you be doing?” Alston asked before the door closed.
Sincaro’s eyes were red again and his fangs had descended. “Hunting puppies. I think it’s time we start dealing with the wolf packs in the U.S.”