“William,” said Fara. “I need you to take this to Harold.”

“Yes, mistress, at once,” said the human formerly known as Gary Frasier.

Fara lounged peacefully on a couch in the mansion’s courtyard, vampires and human thralls attending to her needs. Fara handed Gary, now William, a book containing Fara’s observations on the recruits that Harold was training before them. She could see Harold in the distance overseeing vampires as they sparred with swords or practiced dodging arrows. Next to Fara stood both the vampire that had initially taken Gary, and the human thrall, Sierra. The three of them watched him go, satisfied with the results of Fara’s manipulation.

“Amazing, mistress,” said the young vampire. “It’s like he’s a completely different person.”

“I hope you learned something, young one,” said Fara, standing up. “Now, to other matters. Sierra, my dear.”

“Yes, mistress?” said the human.

“You did exceptionally well in your role,” said Fara, standing up. “And you deserve a reward. It’s time.”

Sierra looked up hopefully, “You mean?”

Fara smiled, “Yes, dear girl. Show me your neck.”

“Oh, mistress!” said Sierra, pushing her hair out of the way.

Fara leaned down, holding Sierra by the shoulders as she bit into her neck. Sierra sighed, a blissful expression on her face as Fara drank. Fara kept on drinking for a few minutes, Sierra getting paler and paler by the second. Eventually, Sierra closed her eyes, her smile never leaving her face. Fara pulled away, having drained Sierra of her blood completely.

Fara held Sierra up as she placed her ear at the girl’s chest. Hearing no heartbeat, Fara nodded in satisfaction before lifting Sierra into her arms and giving her to the blonde vampire.

“Take her to a room,” said Fara. “Tonight, she is dead. Tomorrow, she will rise again as one of us. I’m far too busy to train her myself, so I’ll leave it to you to show her the ropes. Don’t let your failure with the last human discourage you. You will have further opportunities to redeem yourself in the days ahead.”

The blonde vampire bowed, “Thank you, mistress. It is an honor.”

While this was going on, William had delivered the book to Harold Stone and began walking back to his mistress. While she was distracted, however, William took a moment to look up at a particular room of the mansion. He couldn’t see past the vines covering every inch of it, but that room caught his attention, nonetheless. Earlier, William had heard a voice in that room, and he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Something about that voice had seemed familiar.

###

Jasmine Ross and Cora Mires visited Gordon Brand in the Hospital. The skin had grown over his legs where they had been cut off, and would grow back soon, but it wasn’t easy for either of them to see him like this.

“How are you feeling?” said Cora.

“My body is fine,” said Gordon. “I’ll be up and running soon enough. Honestly? I’m more worried about Phoenix.”

They looked at him grimly. It wasn’t hard to understand why he felt that way. Jasmine, as hard as this was to see, had something else bothering her as well.

“Gordon,” said Jasmine, feeling guilty, “We…we found out how the vampires controlled our agents.”

Gordon raised an eyebrow.

“Director Farrow told me himself,” said Jasmine. “Their…informant with the vampires…miss Jacqueline…says that the vampires have been bragging about it to the red council.”

Jasmine described the technique the director told her about, where the vampires implanted a single command that could be triggered once, leaving the mind otherwise untouched, and how it was implanted through a parent that had gotten away with infidelity. Director Farrow had ordered paternity tests for every hunter in the facility just to find any that might have been affected by this technique. When she finished describing it, she bit her lip in frustration.

“I should have been able to find it,” said Jasmine. “If I had…

“Hey,” said Gordon. “Don’t beat yourself up. We’re up against beings that have survived for hundreds of years, and they’ve been planning this for who knows how long. It’s not surprising they came up with a trick we haven’t seen before. Don’t spend your time worrying about what you can’t change. Just focus on the fight ahead. That’s where we’ll make a difference.”

Her lip quivering, Jasmine nodded, clenching her fists.

Next to her, Cora sighed, “Look at you. You’re recovering from having your legs cut off, and here you are making someone else feel better,” she smirked. “Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

That made Gordon and Jasmine smile.

###

News reports straight from Saint Vivia weren’t mincing words anymore. They were openly describing vampire attacks and the strange paramilitary group trying to fight them. To make matters worse, the vampire sickness was getting worse, and people dying from it were waking up as revenants, zombie-like monsters that drank blood. Footage had leaked of pale, sickly looking people running through hospitals, pinning people to the floor and sucking blood from their neck before getting shot by hunters. Hospitals had taken to burning any dead bodies, and with all the fear in the city, few were objecting.

Of course, these news reports would normally never make it to the national news organizations and would be dismissed as hoaxes. By now, however, the people of Saint Vivia were posting what they had seen online, and the sheer number of stories from this one city was staggering. Slowly but surely people were starting to notice, forcing the news to cover it. Any big news organization that did cover it, however, ran with the same basic idea.

How had an entire city gone completely insane? Was this strange string of deaths in the city fracturing people’s minds? Surely people were just desperate for answers. Perhaps this was the most elaborate hoax ever conceived? Across the world, people were starting to wonder.

Normally, during a big operation during the day, the Night Hunters would wear camouflage and pose as military. By now, however, they had reached the point where this was pointless. In the forest where the Vampires were hiding, Director Farrow rode in an armored car surrounded by hunters in their standard black uniforms. It wouldn’t be long before they reached their destination, and Farrow hoped that this operation would work.

Soon enough, Farrow stepped out into a clearing where hunters waited, guns drawn. Professor Halloway was already at the scene supervising a hunter holding a crystal up. When the hunter brought the crystal close to a certain area, a shimmering, transparent wall appeared in the air. Now that certain magical artifacts were working, they had the ability to detect magic, and could pinpoint the exact edge of the displacement spell.

“Alright,” said Farrow. “Let’s go ahead and start with the big guns. Bring up Excalibur.”

From another armored car, someone brought out the legendary sword, none the worse for wear since the previous battle. The hunter brought the sword up to the edge of the spell and swung the sword through the shimmering wall.

No effect.

Farrow grimaced, “Alright, let’s try the lance.”

He meant the Lance of Longinus, also known as the Holy Lance or even the Spear of Destiny. Supposedly, this was the same spear that pierced the side of Jesus as he lay dead on the cross. While there was some debate amongst historians as to the time period this particular lance came from, and whether or not it even came hear the Jewish Messiah, no one could dispute that this spear had power.

When they tried piercing the wall with it, there was no effect once again, prompting Farrow to frown.

After this they tried a few more legendary weapons. There was Durendal, the sword of Charlemagne. Next, they tried Dyrnwyn, a legendary Welsh sword that burst into enchanted flames when held. There was also a golden axe by the Norse hero Forseti, a katana forged by legendary swordsmith Muramasa, and just to be thorough they tried both the golden fleece and the Shroud of Turin.

Nothing worked, and by the end of it, Farrow was gritting his teeth in frustration.

###

When Alice slept, she had dreams. She didn’t see Arthur again and had to assume that Victor was being more careful to prevent such meetings. Her dreams alternated between two things. One was a sweet dream where she was indeed Clara and Lord Victor was her sweet benefactor. They talked, they danced, they enjoyed fine wine.

The other dream was far less pleasant.

In that dream Alice found herself crawling up out of a hole in the ground. She could see the night sky above her and knew that all she had to do was make it up there and she’d be free. Before she even got halfway, however, she felt strong hands grab her ankles from below. As she held on to roots desperately, her eyes wide with fear, she looked down to see the pale hands of her father’s corpse, trying to pull her down. His face was warped with rage beyond recognition as it pulled with inhuman strength. Far below him, she could see a coffin in the middle of a forest and more dead faces, all reaching for her.

“No!” cried Alice, desperately trying to pull herself up. “Somebody! Help me!”

Above her, a face appeared and reached down, saying, “Reach for me, Clara!”

She hesitated. She knew that voice and feared it. In her hesitation, her hand slipped, and she fell into the sea of corpses, screaming in terror.

And then she would awaken, her heart pounding in her chest, only to find herself in a nightmare of a different kind.

“Another nightmare, my sweat?” Victor would say as he held her in his arms.

The waking moments spent in that mansion weren’t much better than her dreams. Alice would be left alone for hours at a time, and when she wasn’t alone, she was with Victor. He would draw her into more fantastical worlds where she was equal to royalty, where he showered her…Clara…with affection. Any time she tried to think about her old life in his presence, those memories turned into more nightmares, filled with death and despair, forcing her back into the golden world Victor provided.

As the nights went on, Alice found it was harder to remember things. She had trouble remembering those times when she and Arthur liked the same movie or had fun at the park but could remember every fight they ever had. Alice was hard pressed to remember the moments when her mother comforted her when she was sad or the two of them had fun at an antique store, but she could remember the days mom was angry at her.

Alice struggled to remember the days she shared with dad, but could still clearly remember the day he died.

In the back of her mind, she knew why it was those memories she could remember. Living as Alice Hayes would be nothing but despair if Victor got his way, while living as Clara would be pure joy, and her only escape from the darkness. She knew it was a lie, but it was getting harder and harder to believe it was a lie. As time went on, Alice found herself answering to the name Clara more easily.

But she did have a few good memories left. A few Christmas days they shared, some family trips, and a handful of memories where all four members of the Hayes Family were together. These were all wrapped up in Arthur’s words to her before she was pulled away from him.

“You have to remember!”

Even when Victor danced with her, and his world was at its most appealing, she had that memory of her brother in the back of her mind, and she knew she had to stay strong.

It must have been at least a week after she was taken, though Alice wasn’t entirely certain. As she had done many times before, Alice danced with Victor in the ballroom. Alice didn’t even know if she was really in the mansion’s ballroom or if this was another illusion, and a part of her didn’t care. This was either a dream come true, or a living nightmare.

A part of her felt desperate to see this a nightmare, but that seemed strange to her. Who would want to be in a nightmare? And yet she was determined to think of it that way, even in his presence. It was so difficult to think clearly in Victor’s presence. It was never more difficult to remember her old life than when she was with Lord Victor.

There was one memory she could recall, though it wasn’t pleasant. It was the morning before her father’s funeral. She remembered getting into yet another argument with Arthur over something trivial. She couldn’t even remember why they’d been angry at each other, only that they’d yelled at each other, and mom had yelled at them to stop yelling before beginning to cry. That had shut them up quickly.

She remembered going to Arthur in their hotel room after the funeral.

“Arthur,” she remembered saying. “I’m sorry I yelled at you before.”

“I…I’m sorry too,” Arthur had said. A moment later, Arthur had looked up and said…

“I’m hungry, Clara,” said Victor, stopping the dance.

Alice looked up, surprised, “Huh?”

“I’m hungry,” he repeated. “Show me your neck.”

Most of Alice’s body was frozen. Her only movement was to lean back and give Victor access to her neck. As he leaned in, she once again felt conflicting thoughts. On one side of her mind, she knew there would be a sharp pain from his fangs piercing her flesh. On the other side of her mind, she felt she was performing a wonderful act, giving life to someone else. She tried to remind herself that the latter was what Victor wanted her to think.

As he bit, it hurt, just as she expected. Suddenly that pressure to see this as a good thing was more appealing, if only to make the pain go away. She held onto it, however, if only out of desperation.

Victor pulled away, licking his lips and sighing, “My dear, this doesn’t have to be painful. I told you, Clara, I can ease your pain if you just let me. Why won’t you let me? Why, oh why would you want to feel pain?”

“I…” Alice stammered. “I don’t know.”

“Then why are you resisting me?”

Alice wished it was easier to answer that question.

###

Phoenix, still chained to a stone slab under the red glow of the seal, would have gotten bored if he wasn’t constantly thinking of Alice. His hands had grown back, but with his arms and legs chained down that wasn’t much help. They had been feeding him, and he would have refused, preferring to starve himself rather than let them complete whatever ritual they were preparing. However, he knew they could force feed him under these conditions, so resisting would do no good. Ultimately, he wanted to stay strong for Alice’s sake. There had to be a way for the Night Hunters to get past that displacement spell.

He usually tried to ignore the vampires who came down to mock and jeer at him. He’d spend some time praying, which usually put them on edge, but even he ran out of breath eventually. At this point he was numb to the jeers.

A moment later, a few vampires parted for Landon Felix. Phoenix, turning his head, recognized him as the vampire who had taken Alice. He was flanked by a few subservient vampires and had a smug grin on his face.

“Well…well…well…if it isn’t agent Phoenix,” said Landon. “Sorry I couldn’t get down here sooner. I was too busy enjoying the rewards I got for…you know…catching your sister.”

Phoenix growled, and Landon’s grin widened.

“Lord Victor is enjoying her company right now, thanks to me. I bet that must…”

Landon frowned. Phoenix was sniffing the air, and when he was finished, the Crucivire’s eyes opened wide and furious, and he growled even deeper.

“I smell the blood of a child on your breath,” said Phoenix. “Do you know what I do to vampires who kidnap children.”

Landon frowned as Phoenix glared angrily. A moment later, Landon quickly raised his fist and punched Phoenix in the nose. Phoenix barely flinched, even as blood began to trickle out of his nostrils. With the scent of a crucivire’s blood in the room, most of the vampires backed away, resisting the temptation to rush forward and start drinking. Only Landon stayed still, grinning at Phoenix’s bloody nose.

“Nothing,” said Landon. “You do nothing to any vampire now, not while you’re chained down you pathetic…”

Phoenix, with one swift motion, licked some of the blood off his upper lip and spit it at Landon’s face, landing very close to his mouth.

Landon fell backwards, landing on his back as he desperately wiped the poisonous blood from his face. He wiped well after the blood was gone from the corner of his mouth, and then desperately wiped his hand off until it was clear.

When he stopped, he realized that someone was laughing, and looked up to see Agent Phoenix laughing at him.

“You’re awfully tough when you’re talking to an enemy who’s chained down,” said Phoenix, his nose still bleeding as he grinned. “You wouldn’t dare face me if I wasn’t tied up. If my limbs were free, I could wipe the floor with you as easily as I could wipe my nose…and I think you know it.”

Landon stood, staring angrily as Phoenix stopped smiling, staring with daggers in his eyes.

“You should ask your masters what I do to vampires who kidnap children,” said Phoenix. “And then pray I never get free, because once I do, I’m coming for you.”

He continued staring, and Landon stared back just as hatefully as the vampires around them watched Phoenix fearfully. Finally, Landon turned and walked away in a huff, the vampires parting for him once again as his followers trailed after him.

Phoenix took a deep breath. That should silence the vampires for a while.

###

After many more days, The Night Hunters had not found a way around the displacement spell. Having no other options, the Night Hunter Council had officially requested that the U.S. Government strike the vampire’s hideout with a missile.

Great pains were made to make certain no one in the government was compromised by supernatural forces, but of course Lord Victor had been using backdoors into people’s minds secretly for some time. He didn’t have any hidden commands that could stop the missile, but he did, at least, learn that it was coming and give the news to the others.

It was with this news that Fara contacted him from the seal chamber. Fara’s witch thrall Serena was with her, and Phoenix was still bound on the other side of the crystal sphere. Lord Victor was above, standing in the mansion’s great hall, along with all the other vampires. During the day, they would normally sleep, but with the missile coming, they knew this wouldn’t be an option. The sound of the explosion would keep them awake, so Victor and the other vampires looked up at the roof, where they waited for the missile to drop. As he stood there, Fara communicated with him telepathically.

“Victor,” she said. “I’m going to have Serena take the trees from the forest completely into the displacement spell.”

Within the great hall, Victor raised an eyebrow, “For what purpose?”

“There is a chance we may need to fight the Night Hunters outside the protection of the spell. I want to take the trees in as a precaution.”

Ah, thought Victor, understanding her thoughts. If forced to fight outside the displacement spell, they would need the cover of the trees. At the moment, said trees were in both planes of existence, so one could interact with them both within and without the spell. This meant the trees would get destroyed by the missile unless she crossed them over completely. An open field with no cover benefited the hunters and their guns. At least with trees they had chances to ambush their foes, should the displacement spell fail them. Standing where he was, he nodded.

“Very well, Fara,” he said mentally. “Do it.”

Beneath the seal, Fara had Serena begin. The witch Serena, her black cat standing by her legs, looked up at the red crystal sphere and began chanting. The seal began to glow more brightly, catching the attention of Phoenix, who narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

At the edge of the displacement spell, if one looked in from outside, one could see trees beginning to fade away until they disappeared completely. One by one the trees and some of the ground beneath them crossed over, starting on the outer edge of the spell, and working their way inward.

###

Farrow sat in his office, watching satellite footage of the forest. He wanted to see in real time whether the missile worked or not, which was anyone’s guess. Knowing that the footage was in real time began to concern him when he saw trees disappearing in a circle that matched the approximate edge of the displacement spell. His brow creased.

“What are you bloodsuckers planning?” he asked.

He watched the forest slowly disappear for a few moments, feeling nervous. Though he was loath to lose Agent Phoenix and Alice Hayes, he still hoped this missile worked and that this would all be over. The vampires had been a couple steps ahead of them for far too long.

He watched for a few moments, and then suddenly heard an alarm going off. Looking at his computer, he saw that the alarm was from the laboratory.

###

A few minutes later, Director Farrow entered the lab. Tables full of beakers, scientific equipment, and books lined most of the room, but towards the back lay overturned tables, burns, and a giant hole in the wall where a test room used to be. That room was currently all black from burns and ash. Water covered the floor from the sprinklers while both steam and smoke wafted through the room.

A few scientists and professor Halloway stood back from the damage, covered in soot. They looked a little embarrassed, but no one looked injured. Hunters around them used fire extinguishers on the few remaining flames in the room.

“Well,” said Farrow. “It doesn’t look like anyone’s hurt. What happened?”

“A little test,” said Halloway, very shaken from the explosion. “We were testing a magic lock box that’s resistant to damage. We tried various methods of opening it without the key including hammers, acid, and burning. We just attempted a controlled explosion, very small. Or at least it was supposed to be small.

Farrow looked towards the center of the explosion, and in the middle of it all he saw an iron box, locked, and there wasn’t so much as soot on it.

“Why would a magically reinforced box cause an explosion like this?” asked Farrow.

“I have absolutely no idea,” said Farrow. “There’s nothing in the ancient texts that indicates a reinforcement spell can enhance flammable materials, let alone explosion ones. At this point, until we know more, we should probably keep any and all magic far away from explosives.”

Farrow froze in place, a look of pure dread creeping across his face.

“What’s wrong?” asked Halloway as he and the scientists grew concerned.

Farrow looked at him, terrified, “We’re about to drop one of the U.S. Government’s biggest missiles on the only source of magic in the world.”

Halloway’s face dropped, “Oh.”

“Halloway,” said Farrow, his eyes intense. “Judging by the size of that explosion, can you hazard a guess as to how big a magically enhanced explosion from that missile might be?”

Halloway stammered, “I...I…I have no idea. We’re in uncharted territory here. It might do nothing…maybe…or it might destroy Saint Vivia…half the continent…” he started laughing manically. “It could blow up the entire plant for all I know. We…”

“Halloway!” said Farrow. “Is there any chance the displacement spell will prevent that kind of reaction?”

Halloway spread his hands desperately, “I have no idea!”

Farrow turned and sped from the room. He had to get to a phone now and contact the President immediately.

They had to stop that missile.