Veronica suddenly looked up and her eyes met Eliza’s. She fought very hard for several minutes not to smile. “But don’t you all get it?” she said loudly and the room quieted. “If they’re desperate, there’s no need for this Blood War! We can wait them out!”
“You’ve got to be kidding!” Eliza growled. “All they need to do is actually get people believing that we’re a threat. Now, they can point at you and me as proof that humans can be ‘corrupted.’ You know what will happen if the paranoia is allowed to build and you know what a mob mentality can be like.”
One of the lycanthropes stood up. “Eliza is right! We’ve got to take the fight to them before they can spread any more of their lies!”
“Can’t you see that you’re doing exactly what they want?” Veronica screamed. “If you continue to act like a threat, then people will start to believe that you are. You’ll swing public opinion against you!”
“So we should just sit around and wait for them to rebuild?” asked the leader of the succubae. “We should just wait for our chance to be assassinated because of ‘public opinion’?”
“You all are being so fucking obstinate!” Veronica said. “You don’t NEED to spill their blood! You just WANT to!”
“You’ll never understand our ways,” Eliza said, staring at the blonde Hybrid. “Maybe you weren’t meant to.”
“I guess not,” Veronica replied, tears in her eyes. She turned and stormed out of the building. The remaining guests turned and talked amongst themselves. It became apparent that Eliza’s stock had just gone up and that it was likely that she would be the leader of the Blood War.
[[ I’m sorry that had to happen, ]] Valar said sincerely, watching as Dennis and Allyson went out to try and catch Veronica and hopefully calm her down.
[[ I’m not, ]] Eliza replied. [[ We can’t wait any longer. Let’s get Thug over here. It’s time to come up with a plan . . . ]]
——– ——————–
Two days later . . .
——– ——————–
Eliza was impatiently wandering the grounds of her compound. With some of the considerable wealth she had accrued in her early work for the government, she had placed an order for several military-style transports. She had been ASSURED that they would arrive that day, and she had ASSURED her people that they would be moving out. But her plans were about to change.
[[ Eliza! ]] screamed one of the succubae. This particular woman’s name was Terillia. Terillia was young for her race (which lived only about seventy years), but she was smart and had been training to be a police officer in her home province (or aerie) before vacationing on Earth and getting trapped. The succubae were light-boned and not particular heavily muscled, using their wings and dexterity rather than trying to match their Terran counterparts for strength or magical aptitude. Like vampires, they were incredibly human-like, separated from the other humanoid races by their wings, eternally svelte figures and large, almond-shaped eyes. And they tended to be annoyingly attractive, though Eliza had never had the opportunity to pursue one. Terillia was particularly appealing for her species. Had they been in another place and time . . .
[[ Yes? ]] the Hybrid replied, breaking through her reverie.
[[ We have a problem! Unwanted guests at the gate! ]] Terillia flitted down to the gate.
‘Nice ass,’ Eliza thought absently as she sprinted after the young woman. As she approached the front gate, a crowd had gathered on both sides of the fence. On the inside were her people and they looked angry. The six new trolls were flanking Thug, and they were physically holding the gate closed. On the other side was Captain Corbin and several hundred soldiers as well as tanks, helicopters and the entire Springfield Police Department. Eliza instantly scanned the crowd, hoping her old friend Pamela wasn’t mixed up in this. It was a bad place for a pregnant woman to be. And standing next to Captain Corbin was Ms. Veronica Adams.
“You fucking bitch!” she snarled through the bars. “You’d better fucking explain . . .”
The Captain stood between Eliza’s outstretched hand and Veronica. He looked horribly solemn. “I’m sorry Ms. Eliza. The President of the United States and the President of the World Council will not allow a rogue militia to commit the kind of war you are proposing, or any kind of war for that matter. As long as you were just talking about it, we were fine. But we have recently obtained information that you are planning the wholesale slaughter of members of the Purity regardless of their actual involvement in criminal activity.”
Eliza shot Veronica a venom-filled glance. She knew whom provided that “recently obtained information.” She looked the woman up and down. “Didn’t take long did it? How does if feel with their perch up your ass again, you fucking pigeon.”
Veronica blanched. “I thought vampires being blood-thirsty monsters was just a Hollywood legend. I’m sorry you think so little of me, but I couldn’t allow you to go through with it.”
Captain Corbin interrupted. “And apparently, you illegally purchased military transports and weapons through the black market in the last few days. I’m sorry Eliza, but I don’t have a choice anymore. I have to place you and your people under arrest. You will all be relocated to a safe house in Nevada. All your people will simply be detained there until the World Council has dealt with the Purity. You will be put up on charges of weapons trafficking and conspiracy to wage illegal military action, a violation of World Council charter. Unfortunately, Valar’s diplomatic status grants him immunity for his part. We know you still have The Dragon’s Breath in your possession. You will surrender it to me for safekeeping.”
“Like you kept The Dead Man’s World safe?” Eliza snarled. “Like you kept The Alchemist’s Dream safe? Like you kept Wyrm and Kelik safe?”
The crowd behind her started mumbling angrily.
“I would strongly advise that you get your people under control and come quietly,” the Captain said. “We have you surrounded and outnumbered, and we’ve been authorized to use whatever force is necessary to prevent you from starting this Blood War of yours.” He leaned close to the gate. “We’re not that far from discovering the location of their remaining bases. Give us a chance . . .”
“You’re out of chances,” Eliza said. “It’s our turn now.”
“I’m sorry, but you don’t get a turn,” the Captain said, then straightened his posture. “If you resist arrest, keep in mind that we have flame-throwers capable of taking out your trolls, and more than enough bullets for everyone else.”
Valar walked forward, his natural diplomatic skills taking over. “Eliza, this is neither the time nor the place for this kind of fight. I want vengeance too, but . . .”
Valar’s speech was cut short as Eliza vaulted over the wall with the obvious intent of landing on Veronica’s head, but she was peppered with tranquilizer darts by waiting snipers. She landed somewhat ungracefully in a heap outside the gate, and Veronica instinctively went to check on the woman.
“She’s alive, though she’s going to be out for a while.”
Captain Corbin ordered some men to haul her into a waiting transport. “It’ll be easier that way. I don’t want her doing any rabble rousing on the way.” He turned and looked at Valar. “So, how many tranquilizers do YOU want?”
Valar sneered. “We’ll come quietly,” he said. “For now. Thug, stand down.”
The trolls looked at the approaching flame units, then over at Valar who just nodded his head. The seven of them backed away from the gate, and transports and armed men entered the compound, forcing its residents onto vehicles.
—————- ——–
That evening . . .
—————- ——–
Jonathan Coachman, a Knight of the First Order of the Purity, was as excited as he had ever been. He was in command of the Purity’s remaining fleet of attack choppers, all of which were poised behind a ridgeline and were waiting for the Terran prisoner convoy to come through. They had the intercom at the front gate of the vampire’s . . . or was it “Hybrid’s”? . . . compound, so they had heard everything, and their sources in the United State military confirmed everything. The Terran scum had been taken to Fort Crass and loaded onto two prisoner transports. All except those disgusting trolls, which had been loaded into a heavily reinforced, old-fashioned semi-trailer. But all of the armor in the world wouldn’t stop his helicopters’ Hellfire missiles from reducing all of them to ash. And the rest would be sitting ducks. True, a number of innocent guards just doing their jobs would die, but it would be a small price to pay for ridding Earth of these parasites. He and his people would wipe out the trolls before turning on the prison transports. A fleet of armored personnel transports would ambush the caravan’s guard transports and gun down anyone who escaped the initial onslaught. It had cost the Purity a pretty penny to get all this equipment into the United States, as their contacts in the Border Patrol and Customs had driven hard bargains, but they had managed it. And just to be sure, their vampire “associate” was there with that infernal dark Living Gem called The Dead Man’s World. He seemed certain that simply using the power of the jewel, he could help Valar meet a very grisly end. There was apparently some history there, but Jonathan Coachman couldn’t worry about it. He had his own job to do.
———— ———————
Down in the caravan . . .
———— ———————
Allyson had been talking in a hushed voice with Terillia and her husband, all of whom were in the same compartment. They were on a series of long benches in the back of an armored prison bus, their wrists tied with a particularly tough chain, which was also attached to a steel bar running the length of the bus. Eliza was leaning up against a corner of the bus, her eyes shut.