Swimming to shore, and making his way back to the location of his team that way would take a very long time, and since he was very concerned about Frank’s condition, Aaron was in a hurry to get back. There was a pier close by, so he fought the current of the salty river and swam over to it, then climbed up using the large stone bricks as hand and footholds.When he reached the top, Vicky rushed over to help him transition back to the top of the bridge. “Are you all right?” she asked as he made the awkward leap through the suspension wires and across the railing. She reached out and steadied him upon landing.“I’m fine,” Aaron assured her, though he was soaking wet, a sensation he didn’t particularly care for. “How’s Frank?”“He’s just fine,” Vicky assured him as they both rushed back to the location where Frank’s throat had been cut.Aaron couldn’t believe that was p

The Hunters and Guardians had been asked to bring their own weapons, but she recommend each of them stop by after the meeting to have them blessed by one of several priests she had on hand and dipped in Holy Water. She said that Holy Water worked best when administered by a priest and that poor results some had reported may be due to missing this step. She also had several stakes available for team members to take which had been carved from demolished holy structures. She reported having better results with these weapons than others.“There are one hundred twenty of us assembled here, including my team, which is still scattered across the mountainside keeping eye as we congregate here. Each of you has been assigned to a team, and I will meet separately with team leaders at the conclusion of this meeting. You will be placed in various key locations, and while most of you will simply help form a perimeter, some of you will have more important jobs, such as ferreting out a

Entering the castle itself was no problem. Once inside, sounds of battles raging on in various locations could be heard. All of the special mission teams came in at the same time, and without taking time to look around the opulently decorated, though recently ransacked, interior, the leaders split off in the various directions they’d been instructed to follow.Ward led them down a hallway that led to a steep stairway that went both up and down. They chose to follow it down, further into the depths of the castle. It was made of marble and the floor was slick, but all of their team members were sure-footed.It was also dark, though none of them needed torches. Their highly attuned vision was able to cut through the darkness.Once they reached the next floor, Ward looked around and then, nodding, he took them down another corridor. Here, they found a thick oak door, which Ward asked Morris to knock down, and he did so easily. This led to yet another flight of

Someone was calling his name. She was distant, and while he was almost certain it wasn’t Aislyn’s voice, he thought for a moment, what if it was? What if he was dead, and Aislyn had come to greet him on the other side? Wouldn’t that be lovely?His eyes felt heavy, but his head no longer ached. He was quite certain it had before, though he didn’t know when, and he didn’t know why. He managed a blink, and then with some effort, he willed his eyes to come open. The room seemed bright, sideways, and was spinning. He decided to close his eyes again.“Aaron?” another voice called. “Open your eyes.”He knew he recognized that voice, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw Jamie’s familiar face, though he wasn’t sure why he had two of them. He shook his head in an attempt to focus, but that sent a radiating pain through his skull.“Stay still,” the woman’s voice said quietly, an

Dinner was full of questions posed to them in English which they pretended not to understand and conversation in French about whatever they wished since no one else at their table knew what they were saying. At least one of them had their eyes on the Vampire at all times. Before they had even finished, Dr. Williams excused himself from his seat across the room and began to walk toward the door.This was not part of the plan, and as they exchanged nervous glances, Catherine came up with a solution. Clenching her stomach, she said in French, “I’m really not feeling well, darling. Might you escort me back to the room?”“Yes, of course,” Aaron replied, helping her up from her seat and explaining to the others, also in French, that his wife was not well.“What do I do?” Christian asked.“Finish dinner; go make a search,” Aaron said, a fake smile plastered on his face so no one might guess that he was giving