Chapter 5

• *Briar Forest*
• Lord Zinpetor glared out of his office window as he studied Zenmia.
• “Did you even hear a word that I said?”
• Lord Zinpetor turned around to see his good friend sitting on the comfy chair with a pile of pages in his hand. “Sorry Qhi!” Strolling away from the window.
• “Real!” Qhi scoffed, “Ever since that little pup has come here you haven’t been yourself. Your ... mind, it is always on her and ... Zinpetor as your friend I speak out of concern and love. Are you feeling well?”
• Sitting in his seat, Lord Zinpetor picked up his glass of red wine. Swirling the liquid as he frowned at it, he declined to answer his friend's question. “What is the word from Commander Kleekkel?”
• “Fine if that is how you want things to be!” Qhi glowered at his friend. “Commander Kleekkel has met up with Zane Hunter. At last count … Emperor Baldwin made it to Dorasea. The new queen is located at Dark Crystal Tower. The elders that had been sent out are at Stormfall Mountain. Zane Hunter has a theory that the Generals are using the mountains to move his fledglings. It seems to me that this Underground Society is well informed.”
• "They are well organized. Zenmia has told me a bit of this Society." Lord Zinpetor lifted his head, “They are a military organization that are a combination of vampire and shifters. They also have a few humans amoung their ranks. Did they mention who the Generals are?”
• Hissing, Qhi crossed his leg over the other, “General Zincan Ulla, General Vafir Husol, General Viscarti, General Sovexis and General Perlen Rapidspirit!” Qhi could see how his friend was trying to hold down his temper.
• Tossing his glass across the room, “I knew we should have killed them when we had the opportunity!” Lord Zinpetor hissed with rage.
• “In fairness, none of us believed they would have the audacity to follow through with their threats.”
• Trembling with fury, “Only a handful showed our displeasure with their punishment. And it seems as if we were accurate.” The vampire lord was huffing and puffing. “Get a hold of Commander Kleekkel, find out if there is a need for more Ancillae fighters.” Getting up from his spot he pressed a button. Going over to the table Lord Zinpetor flipped over a glass and began pouring himself a glass of wine. “Would you like a glass before you leave?” He asked Qhi.
• Standing up, “As much as I would like to stay and chat with you more. There is nothing else I need to report to you. As I know you have things to complete, I need to get a few more things finished before the sun sets for the day.” Qhi was reaching for the door when there was a light tap at the door.
• A serf bowed as Qhi was leaving, “Master!” With a quick smile, Qhi was strolling down the hallway.
• “Lord Master you rang?” The girl said sweetly.
• Indicating with his hand at the mess, “Clean it!” Lord Zinpetor did not waste another glimpse at the serf as he pushed the curtains to the side to find that Zenmia was no longer where she had been.
• Taking his glass to his desk, the vampire lord continued with the rest of the paperwork that needed to be completed. Making sure there were detailed records of events and that nothing was missing.
• ***
• As the sun was setting Lord Zinpetor closed the files up and was getting ready to leave his office. Standing the door was abruptly opened. Lord Zinpetor was about to scold the intruder until his sight landed on the male that he had not seen in over 150 years. “Master Hound!” He bowed.
• Closing the door as quickly as he opened it, Master Hound strolled over to the bottle of wine, “May I?”
• “Take as much as you wish!” Lord Zinpetor was about to serve his God.
• “Sit!” Master Hound said, “we have business to attend to!” Filling a glass, “you have a pup here do you not? One that is under your protection, correct?”
• “Zenmia is her name!” Lord Zinpetor smiled as he said her name.
• “Make sure nothing happens to that pup!” Master Hound to a gulp of the wine. “She is one of the last two of her mothers bloodline.” He glared at the liquid, “poor thing died …” Master Hound found a spot on the sofa, “complications during her delivery!”
• “The mother?!” Lord Zinpetor dreaded asking.
• “Yes!” Master Hound finished the remainder of the liquid in one swallow, “the infant boy served but his life tethers between the living and the dead.”
• “Barnacles!” Lord Zinpetor rubbed his hands down his face. “I have dealt with death my whole existence and it still bothers me when it is a child that hasn’t had the chance to experience what this world has to offer.”
• Master Hound forced a smile on his face, “when you tell the pup … be gentle. From what the spirit of her mother tells me, they were very close.”
• “Where would the infant be located?” Lord Zinpetor wanted to know so he could at least pass the message on to Zenmia. "Do you have news of Zenmia's father?"
• ***
• Zenmia was listening to the sounds of the wind as she lay on her back on the bed. There was a tap at the door, "Zenmia unlock the door, I have news of your mum!”
• For a split second, she wasn’t going to open the door as she remembered one of Lord Zinpetor’s rules was not to unlock the door until the sun was visible. That she was not even to open it for him. However, the tone he spoke did not seem as seductive or playful as he normally has been.
• Getting off the bed, she unlocked the door. Opening it a crack she could see how upset Lord Zinpetor appeared.
• “Have you eaten?” The lord asked as he pushed his way into her quarter and locked the door behind him. Knowing the games had begun for the night's feast.
• “Yes!” Zenmia recalled his words. She was scared to ask but she had to know what had happened to her parents. “You said you have news of my mum. It is late and you are not partaking in the hunt … this tells me that … what you have to say …”
• “Sit down!” Lord Zinpetor ordered. The second the words came out of his mouth he regretted his manners. “Please Zen, you need to sit!” He rephrased what he had said.
• Zenmia’s eyes watered as she shifted from one foot to the next. “No!” Her lower lip quivered. “I think I want to stand!” She swallowed the saliva that was building in her mouth as tears rolled down her face.
• Taking a deep breath in, “Master Hound came to visit me. Informing me of grievous news.” He cleared his throat as it felt like it was closing in on itself. “There were complications in the delivery of your brother.”
• Zenmia concealed her mouth with her hand as she stifled the noises from coming out of her mouth.
• “Your brother … lives now but the delivery was hard on him as well. At this moment the doctors are doing the best they can with the resources they have but your mum has rejoined the universe.”
• As the lord vampire had predicted, Zenmia dropped to the floor crying. Picking her up as if she were a feather, he took her to her bed. Placing her gently in the bed, Zenmia curled up in a ball. “My dad?”
• Getting on to the bed spooning Zenmia, “he fights with the Underground warriors.” Lord Zinpetor stroked the hair off her face. “He has demonstrated himself importance as a strong fighter … for a human.”
• Even though she had tears rolling down her face she managed to smile, “When Dad was told he had to leave Stormfall Mountain. He told himself that he was going to make them regret the day they did that. He was going to become the greatest warrior Dorhelhound had ever seen.”
• Bringing Zenmia’s body closer to his, “tell me about your mum!” Lord Zinpetor kissed the top of her head.
• *Dark Crystal Tower*
• “I don’t know why I didn’t see it beforehand!” Finja was pacing the alpha’s office.
• “Finja … sit down before you put a hole in my floor!” Alpha Faetha half chuckled. “Has anyone ever told you that you are a little too much?”
• Finja stopped moving, “there is a horde of unregistered vampires coming from Princess Tower and you think I am too much! Am I the only one that can see the severity of this situation? It isn’t fledglings that I saw but bloody vampires that are over a hundred of years old. And it is not a small group but a group that matches the population of Dark Crystal Tower.”
• Ace was quick to jump up out of his seat at the first sign of Finja stressing out. Wrapping his arms around her body while kissing her temples. Whispering soft loving words to get his mate to relax. “It isn’t that we are not taking things seriously. We are concerned that you are going to burn a hole in the floor.”
• “I remember those days!” Jabrot glared at his wife, “I placed a rug over the burn marks in our chamber.”
• Alpha Faetha backhanded her mate, “I did not burn a hole in our floor.”
• Snorting, “could have fooled me!” He rubbed the opposite arm that she hit. “That really hurt!”
• Finja forced a smile, “I’m sorry! It is … I haven’t heard from my family in four days since they have been attacked and I am concerned. And …” Finja's eyes began to water up.
• Clapping her hands together, “this is what we are going to do!” Alpha Faetha had everyone's attention. “We are going to sit down with the Grand Magus, all of us, Lord Ascelius and my favourite friend Black Widow. We will decide what we will do about the horde of vampires that are heading our way. Then …” Alpha Faetha directed her attention to Finja, “you will have a bubble bath then Ace is going to rub your feet until you fall asleep.”
• Jabrot glanced at his cousin, “trust me … it works!”
• “But …”
• “No buts, it has been decided!” Alpha Faetha said as she stood up with a smile on her face.
• ***
• Everyone had their attention placed on the holographic map of their region.
• “The unregistered vampires are here … roughly two to three days away from here.” Finja pointed at the map. “There are 120 unregistered vampires in the woods near the border. I believe they are waiting for reinforcement before they move.” Finja brought everyone's attention to the East of the border. “The emperor is roughly three days away from here with his army.” Pointing to the Masi swamps, “Red Fang has passed the swamps and is three days away from here.”
• “Now that everyone is brought up to date with everything that is going on. We need a plan!” Ace told the group.
• “Where is Balvalur?” Black Widow asked with a dark expression.
• Shrugging her shoulders, “I can’t tell!” Finja spent a lot of time trying to figure out his movement. However the second he passed the Tydfest Lake, she could no longer view his location. “I only see shadows running around. It is as if someone is stopping me from what is going on in the North.”
• The high-ranking sorcerors whispered among each other. “Alpha Queen Finja?” Klalxes brought his attention to his queen, “I was wondering if you would be able to tell us if the Dark Brotherhood would be part of the horde of feral … unregistered vampires that are heading this way?”
• “Based on their speed, no!" Pondering on the topic additionally, "Though … if a Dark Brotherhood should have been turned, I would not be able to tell the difference.” Finja replied.
• For a moment the room was silent, “we need to presume that the Dark Brotherhood is part of the horde. Not to could be a fools man game!” Klalxes said to the group.
• “The million gold question is this … how do we deal with them?” Radar asked who was another high-ranking sorcerer.
• Finja stood up and went to the door. Opening it, grabbing something and wandering back to her seat, she placed a book on the table. Placing both of her hands on the book, she cleared her throat. “I have been in communication with an ancestor of mine … Millimina to be persis!” Finja was rapping her fingers off the cover of the book. “I believe the information that I have … will benefit our future.” Pushing the book toward Klalxes.
• Opening the cover of the book Klalxes began reading the content, the further he read the broader his smile became, “My Queen … your ancestor was once one of the most powerful for her time!” He peeked at his fellow peers, “This is old magick ... very powerful magick that has been forgotten or outlawed as unlawful!” He chuckled, “depending on how you want to regard the situation!”
• Radar had leaned his head to the side, "Black Brother magick?"
• "No!" Klalxes replied slowly, "our gods way!"
• A mischievous smile lit the faces of all the practitioners and Finja's face.
• Ace turned his head so that he was looking at his mate, "your paperwork?"
• "The paperwork that I have been working hard at finishing!" Finja giggled lightly. Bringing her attention back to the group conversation. "Millamina informed me that this book I may share with you. That she believed this will aid us all in our triumph over our enemies!" Finja said with a smile on her face. Knowing that she may not know how to perform the task but the practitioners of Dark Crystal Tower would know how to complete the task in a manner that would not break the laws and treaties that everyone follows.
• *Sigmison*
• “How much further until we reach our destination?” Davwan asked as he reached the end of the tunnel.
• Huffing and puffing the foreman of the group told the men to take five.
• He wipes the sweat off his forehead and places his bump cap back on. “We are making progress but I have to tell you boss … we are close to extreme tiredness! We need assistance in this project or you need to give us a day off. If we continue this way … an accident is going to happen.” His implications were clear.
• Davwan placed his fist on his hip. “How many more days until you believe you will reach our target?”
• “We are halfway to the Yadah Plains.” The Foreman replied.
• “That is good news!” Davwan thought about things. “What do you think about this …” He placed his hand on the shoulder of the worker, “you finish today's shift! Come back tomorrow and work as hard as you can. Then … I will give everyone a week off!” He patted his shoulder, “do you think you and the workers can safely complete this?”
• “One week off?!” The foreman seemed confused. He was asking for one day and instead received a week.
• Davwan held out his hand to make a deal with the foreman, “my word!”
• ***
• “Siggy to hive, please come in!” Davwan listened to the static of the two-way communicator.
• “Hive to Siggy!”
• A female’s voice rang into the silence.
• “Project one, what is your statues?”
• “On target!”
• “Signs of break down, danger! Gadgets need to be shut down for a week's repair!”
• “Send in replacements!”
• Davwan glared at the receiver, “There is an overload and not enough material”
• Quickly, “Over and out!” The female said.
• Davwan placed the receiver down. Irritated that they were going to fall behind a week. But he placed more value on the survival of his men, He wasn’t going to chance the lives of those who were under his care on a project that could kill them due to stupidity.
• After going over his notes it was clear to him. Mentally he was pounding his head off the structure wall. The workers were in dire need of a break to rest, he was going to give them what was needed.
• ***
• There was a knock on the door, “come in!” Davwan said as he continued to read the messages that were sent to him while he was away from his office.
• Wandering into the office, “The men and I were talking!” The Foreman began. “We want to change the agreement a bit. Half the crew working 12-hour shifts. Alternating so that the work is completed. Yet at the same time, we do not die from exhaustion. But ... we still want days off before this change takes effect. Two days is what the men are demanding.”
• Davwan thought about things for a moment. “What you are proposing is half of you work one portion of the day. While the other half take the rest of the day.” He had already made up his mind. "That seems fair! The work will still be done while giving you more time to get to our target."
• The foreman sighed with a smile, “It is not that we want to seem like we are weak or ungrateful. We are not leaders or warriors, we are humble workers. But our backs are … it hurts to stand some days! The production is slowing down.”
• “Even a warrior has time off! I looked over my reports … you all have worked almost a month without saying a word.” Davwan closed his file. “Are you sure you don’t want a week off?”
• The foreman chuckled slowly, “we only wanted two days to rest our backs!”
• “Do we have an agreement?”
• Nodding his head in agreement, “Full shift tomorrow, two days off then we split into two crews and work half a day each.” The foreman summarised their agreement.
• Sticking out his hand to seal the agreement. With their hands meeting together an agreement was made.
• ***
• A voice of authority, “Hive to Siggy, come in!” A male voice came over the speaker.
• “Siggy to Hive!” Davwan answered the two-way communicator.
• “When was the last time supplies were dropped off?”
• Clicking the button on the receiver, “Based on my ledgers, 53 days ago!”
• “Supplies will be dropped off in a week!” The male said not impressed.
• “Over and out!” Davwan said as he placed the receiver down. He knew that the Underground Commanders would not be happy. He did not care. It was his job to make sure the safety of the people came first before their agenda.