Post by grotchops on Dec 18, 2008 14:20:12 GMT
Revelations
In a dark room somewhere in Chicago lay sleeping a slim young woman her head was completely soaked with perspiration, she was thrashing and groaning as if at conflict with her soul, but a closer look as the moon shone through a split in the curtains it wasn’t quite full but radiating enough light to make out the features of Dillan. There was no rest in her dreams tonight, she had been sleeping badly for a least 8 years and she had thought that was strange, as it was 8 years ago when she had left the Mansbridge Academy, since she that ruptured appendix since then her dreams had been haunting her, driving her sleep away. There were vague faces in her dreams, and tonight she felt as if she could distinguish even more detail, there was a tall dark stranger but yet again she wasn’t afraid of him in his mannerisms and actions he was so gentle caring, there was another with that deep discerning but calm voice it sounded so familiar to her, yes she thought to herself that was the same voice she had been hearing in her head the last 8 years, and then she felt herself remember the library, yes that was where it all started there was that tall dark sinister stranger there watching her , yes he attacked her pounced on her like a wild animal, but strong so very strong he over powered her, and there was also someone else there it was a woman yet she wasn’t human, yes that was it, she was a Vampire she remembered seeing her fangs as she bit into her arm. Her hand went to her neck as if feeling the pain of the bite once again, yes that was it he had bitten into the soft flesh of her neck and then he started to suck her life blood out of her body, and then someone intervened just in time to save her life . Every time over the years when she felt disconcerted and the blind panic choking her, now she realized tonight she seemed to remember every detail that had taken place back then, and all the time when she felt so alone and she was remembering more and more of what had transgressed there was always that voice was soothing, placating, so calming, it reassured her that that she wasn’t alone some one did care about her , nothing would happen to her if she didn’t want it, this always seemed to calm her, but the struggle grew harder with every passing year, but what was it exactly that she was fighting against, could it be that she was turning into a Vampire the thought both exhilarated her but frightened her deeply. Except for tonight she hadn’t felt that presence when she began to panic, and her heart began to pound like drums in her head, she desperately wanted to feel that reassurance, but there was nothing. She shook her head warily she really had to try and get some sleep it was 5 in the morning and even an hour might make a difference to her state of mind, maybe just maybe she might be able to stop the inevitable, that was if she wanted to but right now she was just so tired exhausted beyond belief, sleep might make the difference. She flopped down on her bed in an attempt to try at least, please if even for 30min, just some sleep. Fitfully she attempted to doze off. As the sun slowly rose to a new day.
At that same moment Murdoch stood in front of the large bay windows of his office enjoying the early rays of sunshine on his face. It felt good , you could see his face relaxing this was one of the rare moments that he had for himself and he enjoyed the momentary solitude before the beginning of a full day. It was now 8 years to the day that the Elders had removed the Young Vampires for further education in the archives under their supervision, this part of the experiment was to have been the last step in their education but because of the problems caused when Carl in a moment of weakness had been turned, they had to skip the most important part of the experiment and that would now have to take place, under his supervision once again, but this would now prove to be even harder yet. He sighed and knew it was inevitable. The elders had informed him that they would be returning the young Vampires tomorrow so that he could proceed further with their education, but he also knew that they had been brought a day earlier, events transpiring dictated it, he was fully aware of what was taking place even though the Elders hadn’t warned him of this, even he had secrets that the Elders knew nothing of, the fact that he had been keeping an eye on them , even in the Archives of the Elders, their progress had been satisfactory ,encouraging. They had now begun fully to control their cravings, their lust for blood was almost under their control, and their powers, they were to finally learn how to channel them together as a unit if need be, he would have preferred doing that step before they had gone to the Convocation but that was not to be. He just wondered if they really realized their true potential in that area, but that was where he came in. More importantly they had begun to accept what they had become this was a difficult step to take, so long as they didn’t dare take it fully and accept the consequences there was always a chance that they would fail.
He was relieved that the day school students had all graduated and the school had closed down until the next semester, there would now be opportunity and valuable time available to him to proceed with the given tasks awaiting him. The Vampires would have a lot of questions and this time he would not avoid giving them the answers they required , no matter how painful. But this would have to be done slowly with great patience and care because the repercussions would be irreversible from now on considering the fact that what they had gleaned in the Archives would now play a significant role in their further development.
Unaware that one of the camera’s was activated because he was deep in thought, but his inner senses warned him he was being observed, this was yet another step in the education of the Vampires, discovering exactly why was he chosen by the Elders to help them to save the Vampire’s as a race. There was no turning back now, because he was also now an intricate part of the experiment, now as study object. No known Vampire mastered one of the most important gifts that he possessed that was Astral projection, his other gifts of telekinesis and reading minds had been bound by the Elders when he was chosen to civilize and guide the Vampires, this they had done because it was on his advice, other wise it would have been even more difficult for him to keep himself hidden from Shakari, and even from the young Vampires his powers could be formidable if he called on them it was better to keep them hidden until he needed them, they allowed him to keep only enough so that he could screen off his thoughts from others trying to read his mind. He had been using this special gift, Astral projection these last 8 years keeping an eye on the Vampire’s, and Dillan who of course Carl had bitten those 8 years ago and what he feared most had almost happened, he had managed to help her until now via the Astral plane to fight against her conversion to Vampire, last night he couldn’t help her. This time she would be feeling the full brunt of the urge to change and she was alone this time, that urge to change would be intoxicating, overpowering . But tonight she could loose the battle, he needed to check on how she was, and this was the fastest way to do it, he hadn’t been able to do it sooner and was greatly worried about what was transpiring there, even now as the camera was now focused on him. His look slowly turned blank you could see him relaxing , his eyes closed and it seemed as if he drifted into a trance .His mind soared up through the different Astral planes to where he wanted to be, first up through the school, checking the grounds, and then much further inspecting the surrounding countryside , and then even further , until he was looking down on Dillan Vanderson’s sweat drenched face, her features showing the inner turmoil taking place in her soul. Tonight he would have to take steps to either help her or if inevitable destroy her, this he did not want to do , but until now it had been avoidable but tonight it would be crucial the decision would now have to taken.
Marty who couldn’t sleep was watching him on the screen because he was also so totally bored, and couldn’t wait to find out what the long awaited last steps facing him and the others would be, but he was fascinated ,no drawn really by what was occurring in front of him on the screen, he decided to wake up the others his gut feeling was , that this was really important to all of them. He called for the others .
Marty “ he guys wake up!, take a look at this “
Drew “ what’s up Marty can’t you see we are trying to sleep, and what is so important that it couldn’t wait”.
Carl “big deal , can’t it wait”
Essie “yes, because I really need some beauty sleep”
Marty “don’t bother sleeping you got to see this, I really mean it”, its Murdoch what’s he doing”
Merrill “ hang on we’re coming”
There was a sudden rush and the others joined to look at those familiar screens. In the central screen Murdoch was standing in front of the windows his eyes closed and his arms came slowly up and crossed over his chest, and at the same it seemed time it was as if was he was surrounded by a very faint ethereal golden glow. They looked at his face he had aged in the time that they had been in the Archives, but his features were still rugged and intense, even mild in repose, would be the word for it. But they also knew when he opened his eyes his presence could be felt, that is if he wanted to be noticed. Drew was surprised his talent was that he could project thoughts over short distances especially with objects or things he was interested in, but what he now felt was totally unexpected, he was the first to feel a faint warmth enveloping him, washing over his whole body making him relax, apparently the others felt it as well now, even though the effect was slightly delayed, but it touched each of them, they were thoroughly confused, what was Murdoch doing that caused this, they took it for granted that he was a human without any talents other than teaching, this was extraordinary, if he was doing it, what was he doing, and why, how.?
Merrill “ I can’t read him as usual, but I know what he is doing, he is using his mind on the Astral plane and somehow he is allowing me to watch what he is doing, come on Essie, Carl, Drew and you to Marty, try and read him.”
She looks at all of them and urges them on.
Merrill “this is something I can’t do on my own, do you feel it also”
Together they concentrated on reading him and then gasped in unison as they felt Murdoch’s mind take a hold of them, it felt almost as if they were in flight. They couldn’t pull themselves back either, the strength of his mind held them firmly in his grip. Even Carl is feeling it and for him it was the confusing.
Carl “ what is he doing “
Merrill “ he is astral projecting himself and taking us with him in his mind, he is upstairs checking the school now, oh wait hold on, he is going out to the grounds do you see that, even further he is scanning the surroundings, he is giving me the impression that he has seen something and it is disturbing.”
Drew ” he is moving so fast now it is getting difficult to keep up”
Merrill “I know, but this can’t be happening, Vampires are unable to Astral project themselves, let alone be taken by someone else on to the Astral planes, yet he is taking us with him, how is he doing it, wait he has stopped moving what is he looking at ?”
Essie “ can’t make out exactly what it is what he is looking at, but there is also something else in the distance it feels so disturbing, dark and cold, looks almost like storm clouds, what does that mean?”
Marty “ what do you mean disturbing, you’re not telling us a lot Merrill, c’mon Essie what’s going on”
Carl “hold on, even I am getting something now “ then he Drew said together.
Drew+ Carl “its Dillan “ why was the feeling emanating from her so cold and forbidding
Suddenly they were all blinded with that one thought that Murdoch projected to them Dillan Vanderson was turning after all this time she was loosing the battle, tonight they would have to take steps. But what steps was he referring to and what had that to do with them. That was when they felt him let them go, they had seen enough for now. They felt themselves return to their bodies with a snap, leaving them short of breath and slightly dizzy, amazed at what they just experienced unwillingly this left them completely confused but ever more curious to find out what was going to transpire.
Carl “guys come on, now tell me something , all I got were vague images and the face of Dillan,and what does she have to do with anything , is she going to turn.”
Merrill “ I know but that is all he is allowing us to see, wait a second , remember that last thought you just mentioned Dillan turning, we had all expected that she had conquered the poison in the saliva contained in Carl’s blood, but apparently we weren’t able to remove all traces in her blood. ”
Drew “I wonder if the Elders were aware of this the whole time, because remember when it happened, we had gotten orders from Vakaal if she turned she would have to be killed, we never got those orders to eliminate her because we all thought that she hadn’t been turned if the Elders assumed that , what has happened since then to cause this , at the time we were all busy concentrating on our pledge and with Carl”
Carl is baffled he thought that battle had been won, he still felt guilty of attacking and biting Dillan, especially the thrill he had felt when he had done it , the remorse after that was almost suffocating, but they had all thought that the danger had been averted, only to find out now that their teacher and Mentor had been observing her all this time while they were in the Convocation pouring over the ancient books and scrolls , aiding her where he could, because if she turned and Shakari had found her it would have made it easy to track down the origin of her maker, and then it would only be a matter of time before the Fury would have found the traces of Carl in and around the Academy, then Shakari would almost certainly have discovered exactly why the Academy had been chosen by the Elders for the experiment unraveling deeply hidden plans. That retribution that followed would be horrific and even the ground would be soaked in blood and no quarter would be given by the Fury the country side surrounding the Academy would have been ravaged of life every thing in the Fury’s path would be destroyed.
The experiment was once again in danger. Carl groans in frustration.
With that Essie gasps at that what had just happened in the office ,it isn’t often that she reacts like that.
Essie “he took us with him in his mind and yet we still couldn’t read his mind, only that what he wanted us to see, how did he do that, even we can’t do that ?”
Carl “ look he has been levitating the whole time, not by much, but enough not to touch the floor ,didn’t notice that just now, how about you guys ”
Essie “that’s one for you Carl, I didn’t notice that until you commentated on it”
After her remark, gradually the glow lowly dissipated and Murdoch stood once again on the floor, slowly his eyes opened and then he sighed, and slowly lowered his arms. The Fury had sent out more scouts, again not yet in close proximity of the Academy but they were searching for possible Vampire signs, there had been no alleged sightings in the area where Dillan lived which at this moment in time was fortunate, that was hundreds of miles away, but close enough to be extra alert tonight, this he hadn’t communicated to them. He would have warn to Vakaal. He remarks as if to an empty to room, but knowing full well that they were listening.
Murdoch “ So, we are going to have a busy night tonight you should all rest for now, we will discuss what you have seen and experienced later”
He then walks out of his office towards the foyer, and closes the door gently behind him, knowing what thoughts were spinning through the minds of the Vampires, the time was fast approaching when more of the mystery surrounding the Elders and him would slowly be revealed. But he had to make preparations for tonight, there couldn’t be any distractions.
The Vampires looked at each other realizing they had been privy to something they had never expected to see, so was he a mortal who occasionally was aided by the Elders, did the Elders aid him in doing what he just did. The questions flew around their minds like a maelstrom ever increasing in force and power. They always thought no one had ever made that bridge between mortal and Vampire they had always thought they were the guinea pigs but in hind sight an experiment usually takes place after someone succeeds in achieving an established goal and then it has to be repeated again under controlled circumstances so as to prove that it could be done again, so then who was the first to do it, they also knew from the Archives that Vampires weren’t able to circumvent the Astral planes as if it was a walk in a garden except for one vaguely registered case so far back in time that couldn’t possibly be Murdoch, or could it be. But was that the complete truth or was there more to that, what they had now seen and felt was something that even Vakaal hadn’t prepared them for when he had chosen them to participate in the experiment, and all the information they had gleaned in the Archives that in itself only scratched the surface. There were slight clues to be read about someone or something special, but nothing really to trigger their imagination or arouse suspicion, but now thinking back to what they had read, those slight clues appeared to have gigantic consequences for now. They turned around and looked at each other.
Marty “ do any of you remember reading anything on Murdoch, or should we say , about a human or something with certain powers that we don’t know about, in the archives.”
Carl “no I didn’t come across anything mentioning Murdoch specifically, only someone or thing, who assimilated what they called the knowledge of the ages, I didn’t understand that part ?”
Drew “ well then we will have to work together and make a plan on how we can obtain the information we need, without arousing to much suspicion”
Essie “ yes I have to agree because the Elders didn’t choose him without a special reason, remember when Patty la Rue was here, he wasn’t afraid of her, I definitely was, who knows maybe he knows more than he ever let on”
Carl “ that is going to be tough especially with Murdoch, he is as a sharp a razor blade, remember when we where here 8 years ago, it always felt as he was if he was one jump ahead us ,and of course we have to make sure the Elders don’t get to suspicious”
Merrill “ so how do we start”
Essie “ well we definitely have to find a way to get one of us back into the Archives now, otherwise we won’t find anything if we specifically ask for it, remember the last time that any one ever got into the Archives alone and I mean truly alone was Drew, because of his grief at the loss of Sherry they thought at the time that was a solution to his problem, so we have to plan something like that to get what we need, and decide which of us it is going to be.
Merrill “yes now you mention it over the years every time when we were in the Archives there was always 2 of the Elders present supervising us constantly keeping an eye on us, I thought at the time they were there just in case we had questions that needed answers and give us guidance”
Carl “so when you think of it, we weren’t really left alone there all that time, do you guys remember that dusty dark corner back in the Archives, I never went into that corner got a feeling that I should stay away from that place, just couldn’t bring myself to look in the there”
Drew “since you put it that way, I got the very same feeling, didn’t think at the time that it was worth the effort, but now”
Marty “makes one think”
Essie “me to, I just on kept on thinking it was to dirty and wasn’t worth the effort”
While they were discussing their forthcoming strategy they didn’t realize they were truly showing the glimmer of a human trait, “conspiracy” and “solidarity” requiring the work of a group of people working together to achieve their goal, and collaboration between the 5 of them was needed, they felt a sense of bonding this was unusual that was a trait that they had long forgotten what that felt like, and strangely enough they liked that feeling. But what was the problem with Dillan, WHY was she finally going to turn tonight, why tonight .
Drew “hold on just before we left the archives I had read that tonight the planets Venus and Jupiter were in close proximity of each other and would strongly influence the moons rays tonight just like when Marty suffered the Stirring, because of the full moon and the poison of Carl in her blood it must have been building up in her body all these years, maybe that’s why she is turning, we will also be affected by the rays, our powers will be stronger than normal this time, so we should be prepared , alert for anything”
Carl “ and another thing did you notice Murdoch’s desk, it is always meticulous even today but today the way he has placed the Journal turned facing the camera so we see the cover quite clearly, there is also a photo, and that fancy dagger he always had in his glass cabinet. Weird don’t you guys agree”
Marty “ that reminds of Merrill when she had “the Quivering” remember when Merrill when you received a premonition of your death, is this maybe the same thing”
Drew “ could that be it, I thought only Vampires had “the Quivering”, what about that photo then.”
Merrill “We didn’t tell the rest of you but back then but Murdoch was being haunted by a ghost, Marty and I found a way to communicate with her, it turned out to be some one he loved but lost in some kind of accident”
Essie “ so it seems that there is more here than we expected to find, or should we say we were allowed to notice”
Drew sounded so decisive, the others had noticed the slight change in him, he remembered back then the discussion he and Murdoch had over fate the argument that followed they had about Merrill and her accepting her fate of her impending death, and Drew’s resolve not to accept that then, and he wasn’t going to accept it now. If Murdoch was making plans for his death like a Vampire this only heightened Drew’s resolve to find out more about Murdoch. God, how could he have missed those clues so many years ago letting himself be side tracked with those tales of glory about Drakon and his powers that had almost made him a God it had fascinated him at the time enthralled him really, maybe because of his grief of losing Sherry that distracted him then, and like Murdoch said at the time that was when he hated life so much , but now he felt his conscience kick in, he should have questioned that also at the time if Drakon had been so powerful then how did the Elders manage to defeat him. And to add to this, that question that was never far from his mind why did Murdoch have Drakon’s chain for safe keeping??? Why reverberated through his brain, Why didn’t he say anything when he caught him red-handed when he had returned the chain back to its place in the safe after wearing it that night, remembering the awesome power he felt then and the over powering arrogance it sickened him to the stomach when he thought of it.
Why didn’t he say anything???, the only sentence he remembered being told afterwards, was it wasn’t time to reveal any more information about that part of history it was to soon, but he was going to found out he needed to know now more than ever.
Drew “maybe, just maybe we might get the jump on him tonight, find out what this means in relationship to us, I got a lot of questions of my own and I really need answers“
Marty “god I am so psyched up I can’t sleep, this a bad case of wanting to know what’s going on”
Carl groans “what have I done to Dillan, what a fool I have been thinking all the time that she managed to beat it, but lets face it nobody can escape the bite of a Vampire”
Drew “you couldn’t know, even the Elders didn’t know, my feelings are that even Murdoch hasn’t told them everything about Dillan, I wonder why, but I think we should take his advice and try to rest because the way things are going it is going to be quite intense.”
Carl “it might be good a idea if we try to get our hands on his journal that he kept when we first came, there might be clues in there, he was always writing in it”
Marty””that sounds like a good idea, but we have to wait for the right time to do that”
Merrill “but we will have to do that soon, very soon!.”
Essie “would this be the time to talk about fate, I think not “
Merrill “did he see his death, I wonder”
Carl “we can all speculate as much as we want, but until we can talk to him we have no answers, so I guess the best thing for us to do is just go to bed, like the man said”
They all agree and each went to the their respective niches where their coffins resided, they all knew that none of them would sleep but they would at least try to rest. The turn of event s had surprised them, this wasn’t what they had expected. They had all anticipated that they had known who , or what their teacher was, he was somewhat enigmatic, illusive, stern but approachable when they had problems, but now apparently they knew very little about him. The point of fact was they knew more about the Elders than of Murdoch. This was going to be a challenge finding out about their Mentor and his place in the scheme of things, especially why was he so important in helping the Elders against the Fury and why was he needed to civilize them..
Night fell slowly, what with the up coming full moon there was an air of anticipation, deeply ominous as if this was inevitable that was to transpire tonight no longer avoidable the chain of events leading up to now. The Vampires had awakened from their restless enforced sleep with a deep yearning so deeply rooted in their minds they were highly agitated, restless as if they needed to hunt, one of their most primal instincts was being awakened by the first moon’s rays. They had anticipated that they would be feeling something but this was exhilarating and proving very difficult to control. Vakaal would also be present tonight because Murdoch had contacted him, so this laid to rest their suspicions that he had kept secrets even from the Elders, or had he been sharing his secret with only Vakaal , that might be it. They felt a slight shiver in the air, and then they felt, then saw Vakaal appear before them impressive in his dark blood red robes with his hood just covering his features.
Vakaal “you are not fully aware of what is going to be attempted tonight, I can only warn you it is deadly, if there is failure the consequences will be far reaching , this has never before been attempted and the dangers involved irrevocable, you now have a choice to participate and the ones who refuse will be removed from the experiment instantly with no further explanation given or taken. Remember this, once the decision is taken there is no turning back”
The Vampires hadn’t expected this and were looking at one another with troubled faces. What was he telling them???
Vakaal “I require the answer now before he comes ( referring to Murdoch).
Drew surprised himself “my Lord I would be proud to par take in what ever comes and transpires tonight, I would be truly honored” he felt as if he was alive again when he said that , adrenaline pumped through his veins like lightening there was little in his life that would have inspired him but this that awaited them was so different, he meant every word.
Marty “ I am always game for something that might changes things around here” for all of his flamboyance he was deadly serious. He turns and looks at Carl.
Marty “hey big guy, what do you think of all this, this could be exciting better than looking at each other for a couple of hours”
Carl “I am game, I really want to know what Murdoch was doing and what he has done the last couple of years, I owe that much to Dillan, especially after what I did to her”
Merrill “you must not make your choice because you have a guilty conscience, your choice has to be what your heart tells you.”
Carl “ well then my heart tells me I have to do this for myself as well!”
Essie “well I couldn’t let you guys do it on your own, besides like I said there is more to Doc than meets the eye, and these eyes would like to see all of it, definitely .”
Carl “ so the decision is unanimous, we are all in”
Vakaal “your teacher will be proud of your choice, but be warned listen to him well tonight do not disregard any of his instructions because I may not intervene while you are participating in the required ceremony only at the end, so understand complete obedience is required tonight no questions until all has passed, time is now of the essence, I partake only now as an observer”
Saying this he faded into the shadows before they could pose any more questions, they barely see the occasional glinting of his wizened eyes looking at them from the shadows. That’s when they heard those familiar steady footsteps coming down the ramp to them, even if had been 8 years ago they would never forget the sound of them, their hearts seemed to miss a beat in unison, the anticipation was almost palpable. And then finally the professor stood before them once again, he had aged well, the lines in his face were deeper and his hair was streaked with grey but his blue steady eyes still exuded the strong calmness that lay within, but this time they also noticed the deep wisdom etched in that face, why hadn’t they noticed it before they didn’t really know, it felt as if they could have drowned in those eyes if he wanted them to, but instead the Professor smiled at them warmly, putting them at ease.
Murdoch “well, well good evening all, I hope you have rested well because you are going to need all your energy tonight. You are all looking somewhat civilized considering where you have been these 8 years. I firstly have to apologize for the speed in which we changed your tuition these last 8 years but it was necessary to protect the experiment and you, and speed was of the essence, at one time I know the Elders explained it to you instead of me as it should have been, but I feel I should apologize for that fact as well, I guarantee nothing will come between you and the completion of what we want you to attain here. The Elders have decided that it is now time to complete your education and tonight will be the beginning of the final phase”.
Merrill smiles, she doesn’t appear to be as timid as she used to be there is a spark of determination in her eyes, Murdoch notices that, and inwardly he is proud of what he now see’s in his students.
Merrill “it is good to see you once again Professor even though we did not expect to see you again, the Elders had kept this step secret , we only knew yesterday that we were returning to Mansbridge”
Marty ”you should have seen what we were allowed to read and study, mind absorbing, even got me to read books, and even remember what I was reading, now isn’t that something I never realized that we Vampires could be such interesting people”
Murdoch “yes I know and you have done rather well”
All the Vampires were taken aback, how could he know about what Marty was talking about, because even Vakaal hadn’t left the Convocation when they were there, neither any of the Elders, as a matter of fact, this they did so as to rise no suspicion, or belie their plans to the Fury.
Carl “Professor, I got millions of questions I want to ask you” a great feeling of dread permeated the air they all thought they had been forbidden to ask any questions tonight, they weren’t to distract the Professor from what ever was going to take place, but the Professor just like he always did, defused the situation gently, by saying.
Murdoch “patience Carl all in due course, you have grown in the time since, you seem more assured of yourself, but still as inquisitive as always, which is just as well, I will need you all to work together tonight”
Drew “ Professor what is going to happen tonight”
Murdoch noticed Drew wasn’t as sullen as when he had first met him, there was a slight air of authority surrounding him, this was a good sign he was accepting who he was and with that acceptance that what he craved was close at hand, but that had to be handled so delicately it was just like priceless Chinese porcelain one wrong move and it would shatter into a million pieces with no chance of repair.
Essie “hey Professor you would not believe it but it is good seeing you again, never thought I would be saying something like this to my teacher, but there it is”
The Professor chuckled and this caused them to relax, it did feel good being in his presence once again.
Murdoch “well Drew to answer your question as quickly as possible seeing as it is the only I will be answering to night is this, do you remember when Marty had the problems with “the Stirring”.
They looked at one another questionably, I course they did. Marty cleared his throat.
Marty “you cleared me of all blame then, so why bring it up now “
Murdoch “no one is hear to blame you, I am only using what took place then to explain what we are going to be doing tonight”
Marty “good, because I do still feel kind of stupid about doing that, but I don’t completely understand what happened there after, only that you guys managed to stop me and you transported me back to the basement.”
Murdoch ”yes, and now is the time to explain what happened then, and what is going to happen now.
Drew was looking at Murdoch now as if he had never really seen him before, it felt as if Murdoch was growing in stature but that was more due to his presence now, his voice though deep was comforting, reassuring, explanatory wanting them to understand , but the authority in the voice was so strong it just permeated the room. He remembered back to the time when he confronted him about Drakon it was only now while looking at him that he realized his fixation of Drakon was truly misplaced back then, and when he lashed out at the Professor he had hurt him then not physically but something mentally , and the Professor had never punished him for that outburst of his or even told the Elders about what had occurred that night, so now he needed now more than anything to find out what that was that he had said to the Professor that had hurt him then.
Essie “Drew what are thinking of, I didn’t know that happened”
Drew : Pssss Essie “he whispered “don’t say anything yet to any one we will talk about it later with the others”
While he was saying this he noticed the Professor looking at him as if to say I know what you are thinking, but he didn’t say a thing.
Merrill “that was the night when first stood in the Convocation Circle with 5 of us and then we chanted that line you told us to keep on repeating it”
Drew “Yes I remember that sentence, kind of difficult to forget it went “Chey Kah Pah , Oh Key Lah” still don’t exactly know what it means but it was some kind of spell, pretty powerful stuff”
Carl “yeah my body tingled all over place, never felt anything like that before, never again for that matter”
Murdoch “yes, that’s what we chanted, back then was a spell to bind and bring forth the object that we focused on at the moment In time”
Merrill started thinking, all that she remembered at the time that they were uttering the incantation but who focused the spell on Marty, they all presumed it was Vakaal, but it wasn’t Vakaal, she turned around and looked at the Professor and realized he was the one who had directed it, but how???
Merrill “what are we supposed to do tonight, with that spell “ more questions thudded through her mind but they would have to wait she told herself.
Carl “is it about Dillan “
Murdoch looks at them all squarely in the face sighs deeply and says, with a faint nod of his head.
Murdoch “ To simply explain what has happened, the poison wasn’t completely removed out of Dillan’s body, and because it remained in her body, it has been building up over the years and produced more and more poison in her body, and that in turn became more potent”
Essie “so that is what you meant about tonight it could happen, but then what”
Murdoch “yes tonight her transformation will take place unless we are able to prevent it”
Drew “prevent it, how, ?? She is far so away and that is quite some distance, are we strong enough to do that even with our heightened powers tonight”
Murdoch stands silently regarding his pupils, they indeed had come far, but he hoped that he wasn’t introducing them to something to strong and soon, but circumstance dictated the path that he had to follow tonight and he needed all of them to do it, trust was like a precious jewel now, and he was now placing his trust and possibly his very existence in their hands. That part he would not reveal to the Vampire’s, because that outcome he had dreamt, and to defy fate was another matter altogether.
At that moment Vakaal makes his presence felt once again.
Vakaal “I told you all, I cannot intervene once you begin with the incantation and the ceremony, but I do have do something now so that all present are as strong as they can be, Professor will you face me”
Vampire’s looked in wonderment at what was transpiring, the Professor turned slowly facing Vakaal fully face to face, and bows ever so slightly his head.
Murdoch “my Lord”
Vakaal “it is now time to unbind the rest of your powers, you shall need them tonight, close your eyes and relax”
“Unbind” this flashed through the Vampires minds, there was even more unraveling tonight than they expected but this, what was Vakaal going to unbind in the Professor?
Murdoch closes his eyes feeling the eyes of the Vampires watching him ever so closely now, then he felt the slightest brush of Vakaal’s hand on the side of his head. And Vakaal mutters softly.
Vakaal “let that what we have bound, now be released”
Murdoch staggered backward ever so slightly and felt a rush of familiar but the almost forgotten thrill of his powers, he would have to tread carefully now. He would only use his powers sparingly if possible.
This was when Vakaal with drew once again into the background to silently observe the forth coming hours.
Drew had witnessed what happened with fierce attention, and while it took place the others were doing the same as well, and then they looked at each other and you could see the same question arousing in all of them. He had more powers than the gift of Astral travel, and he had allowed the Elders to bind them, WHY? WHY ?
As Murdoch opened eyes his there was this faint flash of light that passed over his eyes, it was so quick that at first the Vampires doubted seeing that , but by just looking at each other the confirmation was there the others had seen it as well. That’s when they felt that hidden power, they had felt this way before but only with the Elders, but this felt benign, non threatening for now almost dormant, as if to not frighten them. You could feel the Vampires trying to work together with their minds, wanting to know what he was thinking, this was just their second attempt at doing this, but then they all heard his voice reverberate in their minds “NO, not now”, it felt as if they had received a slap across their faces. They has assumed because their powers were heightened tonight more than ever before they could attempt to at last try and read their Mentor’s mind together but to no avail. The power that stopped them was unexpectedly so over powering but so very gentle but firm, there was no way they could read anything, Merrill found that very unusual because in the past she had tried a few times to read the Professors mind and even then it felt as if she was looking into at a cloudy mirror and she could only define her reflection facing her, tonight nothing at all, then she suddenly felt a thought projected at all of them, and heard that familiar deep voice talking to them.
Murdoch “ no not tonight, especially for you the time is not ripe yet for you even to attempt that journey into my mind, because I must allow it otherwise it might destroy your minds”
Merrill whispers to Essie
Merrill “ Essie are you hearing anything in your mind right now??”
Essie whispers back so that Vakaal cannot over hear them.
Essie “ yes, I know its directed to all of us, its sounds like a warning that it would be dangerous to even try alone, so maybe we will have to try another time with the 5 of us but not tonight”
That’s when they all heard Murdoch project his thoughts once again
Murdoch“ we will have to wait and see how or even when”
Was he that powerful he that he could read all their minds with no effort at all and at the same time as well. That’s when they heard him also project an apology for reading their minds. Whilst he was doing this Vakaal remained silently watching what was happening, he was surprised at how the young Vampires had reacted to the presence of Murdoch, it strengthened his belief the Elders had done well in choosing this man to try and achieve what he also had managed that many years ago. Vakaal remembered the struggle that had taken place then and he still marveled at what had been the outcome of that struggle. This struggle if it became known to the Vampire’s, would this influence their further development or should it stay a deep well kept secret for a while longer. He mauled over these thoughts while continually observing the events unraveling before him.
Murdoch “ I am sorry but it has been quite a while since I have read anybodies mind, just needed to know how if I can still control it”
Marty “ well I think definitely you haven’t forgotten how to do it, but tell me Doc how did you do that”
Carl “ yeah, I would also like to know”
Murdoch shrugs his shoulders and smiles warmly at them and gestures them to sit, ignoring the questions put by Carl & Marty, he clears his throat.
Murdoch “ this morning you saw me taking a journey on the Astral plane, this is what I occasionally do to keep an eye on people I want to be informed of, and keep an eye on, usually I keep my journey’s as short possible so as to not attract any attention, because the longer you traverse the Astral plane the more dangerous it becomes” he looked at them one at time and waited.
Drew “ short journey was that what you would call it”
Murdoch smiles again “ on the Astral plane they are needed to be short because there is always a danger that someone predatory might decide to follow you, even try to do something malicious like trying to severe your umbilical, that part what connects your Astral self to your physical body “ waiting for this to sink in he slowly saw the information sink in. He continues.
Marty “ so you mean they can kill your body while you are on the Astral plane”
Murdoch nodded and continued as if he had not been interrupted.
Murdoch “ well tonight we will be conducting the binding spell once again the goal is to bring forth Dillan and try contain her, the point is we have to try and prevent her from attacking someone, if that has already happened our task will be even more dangerous but never the less unavoidable, we have to then bind her and capture her by transporting her here to Mansbridge.”
Merrill “ what danger will occur if she has been turned then”
Carl “ yes , what kind of danger”
Murdoch continues once again as if he hadn’t heard them.
Murdoch “ tonight I will be projecting our collective energies over the Astral plane to achieve this but at the same time my body will no longer be protected, seeing as this journey will not be that short it is imperative that the Convocation circle not be broken until we have Dillan, so no matter how exhausted you all may become and what you see and what happens, remember do no break the circle no matter what.”
Essie “ that is quite risky what you are proposing, but at what risk to you, that will be a lot energy to channel and I have never heard of this being attempted with success that is over such great distances”
Marty “ so if something happened to your Astral body your physical body dies or is severely injured, and then if something happened to your physical body your Astral body will also die. Hey Professor ! are you sure you want to do this”
Murdoch shakes his head slowly confirming what Marty just said.
Carl “ is there no other way to do this”
Murdoch “ no there is no other way open to us, the Fury is scouring the area where Dillan is living right now looking for new recruits and is closing in her and others, because tonight The Fury is searching for new blood to feed their depleted ranks, there will be no quarter given tonight for all concerned. This is also the fastest way to do it and if luck is with us we will be hardly noticed . With out any further a do we have to start now time is becoming short and the time to act is now.
Drew looked at the Professor as he had told them of the possible dangers that awaited them, but he didn’t tell them of the danger s that he would have to face, Drew felt that they might loose their Mentor tonight and if he could do anything to prevent it he would, he hadn’t felt this passionate about anything since the death of Sherry. Carl must have felt the same because he touched on the shoulder and whispered in his ear.
Carl” no matter what, we all have to try and protect the Professor together.”
They then looked at each other they realized they had appreciated the danger the Professor was preparing to bare himself to, and why he was doing it, in the first place protect the experiment the second he personally wanted to help Dillan she at least deserved a second chance to hold on to her humanity and if she had already lost that they would have to help her struggle to regain it once again other wise they realized now the only other choice available would be to kill her. They all stood up and turned the Professor as one.
Drew “ let us begin with what is to tonight Professor”
Murdoch sighed once again deeply, thinking to himself “ well now it begins, me meeting my destiny well this is my fate”
Drew brushed the Professor lightly while he went to his spot in the circle, caught that faint thought emanating from the Professor’s mind, Oh so faintly, he staggered almost from that faint whiff a voice, so distant he almost had to doubt that he had heard it, if this was supposed to be Professors encounter with fate, then Drew was even more determined to make sure that fate knocked on the wrong door tonight. And he knew the others would agree with him but there was no time to discuss it with the others, everyone stood now silently in the circle. the Professor stood at the apex of the circle opposite him stood Marty, with both Essie and Merrill flanking him, to his right was Drew, and to his left Carl, Drew was glad they were the closest to the Professor especially with Carl his strength might be needed tonight before long. It was strange that they silently had agreed with each other they would try and protect the Professor even though they still didn’t know what they were protecting him against. In the proceeding silence they looked at the Professor as he closed his eyes in the same ritual as this morning and once again they felt that warmth washing gently over them, and the faint ethereal glow began to envelope his body, then he began the chant first alone and then they picked it up, the chant swelled louder and louder until it was reverberating through the cellar, the Professors arms came up in the air out stretched, palms facing outward. they copied his movements until they were all touching one anothers palms. The ethereal glow emanating from the Professor flowed out enveloping them as well, making their bodies tingle and glow, their adrenalin began to flow causing their hearts to beat ever faster, that was when they gasped the Professor projected himself up through the Astral planes pulling their energy with him, they felt it weaken them somewhat but they concentrated on the chant “ Che Kah Pah , Oh Key Lah”, again and again continuously . They felt themselves being extended with the Professor and then they knew he had found her. As Murdoch looked down at Dillan he observed they had arrived to late she had already made her first kill, her victim lay dead at her feet his neck had been ripped out, she had given up her struggle and took the easy way out. But now that she had feasted she realized she was still ravenous, she needed more blood, yes more blood, it was a thirst she felt she never could quench, but the thrill of the hunt exhilarated her. Just as she was about stalk her next victim she felt an itchy irritating scratching feeling in her mind, it was spreading down her neck and shoulders and down her whole body, what was happening to her, then she also began to hear words banging through her mind “ Chey Kah Pah , Oh Key Lah” it swelled into ever increasing waves enveloping her with its monotonous sound it gripped her very soul, she couldn’t move even though she desperately wanted to run and hide. That was when her world begun to throb and whirl before her eyes, everything began to fade and she rotated round and round losing all sense of direction. The Vampires felt the Professor directing their powers at Dillan, picking her up and holding her in an unbreakable grip, ripping her away from where she had been and dragging her physically across the Astral plane to them, where she gradually appeared in the middle of the circle surrounded by people who looked vaguely familiar, yes they did, especially the one who had attacked her, she wanted to hit out at him but still could not move. The Professor checked the surroundings where Diilan had killed her victim making sure there were no traces left, as he turned to leave he saw in the distance on the plane, clouds in the distance whirling churning as if a great battle was being raged and at the same time a poignant foul, rotting stench l wafted towards him, you could smell the blood feel the carnage being wrought elsewhere being carried on the winds mixed with sulfur fumes it was almost overpowering, he felt danger approaching he must leave now and hide his tracks so that no one could follow him back to the Academy and endanger the Vampires. When suddenly he felt a searing burning feeling sear across his chest ripping at his physical body, on the Astral plane luckily he felt no pain but he could feel his body weakening. He focused all is energy in one ethereal burst at what was attacking him, a seer working for Shakari he had to destroy him now or all hell would break loose, the seer had not expected the attack and was vaporized by the burst. Murdoch was greatly relieved that this danger had been averted but the chances of returning to his physical body was fading fast , this might be his end just like he had dreamed. But then he something was plucking at him first so lightly then it gathered strength, it was the young Vampires they were combining their powers to rescue him, this he hadn’t expected but somewhere deep in his soul he had hoped for it. He felt the pull strengthening pulling him back, back to his physical body.
When the Vampires saw that Dillan appeared frozen in the centre of the circle, they could see blood on her face and upper torso she had already feasted on someone, but was now trapped by the binding spell , safe for the time being frozen until the decision would be made about what had to be done. But their attention was diverted to the Professor, they had seen what had happened to the Professors physical body, seemingly out of nowhere something ripped across his chest like a gigantic talon ripping into the soft flesh cutting through muscles and tendons like a knife, the Professor staggered slightly but had remained standing, his features ashen, they would have to protect him until he returned to his body, but they were all so very tired they had been chanting for 2 hours and the energy they had spent on bringing Dillan back was beginning to take its toll, it felt like a lifetime. But this time they would not give into exhaustion they must not fail the Professor they remained in the Convocation circle waiting, continuing the chant softly hoping that they could make a difference. Slowly the golden glow that had been flickering around the Professors body began to fade, his eyes opened and then they saw the pain flooding in and he collapsed, Carl caught him before he hit the ground, there was a time when Carl would not have caught him but tonight something had changed in Carl he had seen that the Professor had been prepared to sacrifice himself for his students and he just like Drew needed to know why, he gently cradled him in his strong arms, and carried him to the nearest niche containing Drew’s coffin and laid him gently down, he was bleeding badly and the aroma rising from his massive wounds was almost overwhelming , the others felt it as well. It was an enticing smell challenging them to taste it, but they all resisted the urge to taste, to feed off him. But their attention was now focused on their Mentor that they had forgotten Dillan the spell had began to wear off, so could move once again and she to had gotten a whiff of the Professors blood , and she went into full attack, she wanted that blood she was completely blinded with lust, she had managed to shove the Vampires aside, except for Car who l got in her way, practicing those lessons he learned from the Professor and his book” the Zen of Self Defense” he had laughed then about the advice of the Professor but was thankful of the knowledge which he now used to subdue Dillan because he didn’t want to hurt her, he grabbed her in a choke hold until she blacked out. And dropped her on the ground, satisfied that he had managed to restrain her from killing the Professor, at least he hoped that he was still alive because in his arms he had felt no movement at all, he felt so cold.
Marty “ quick while she is unconscious lock her in the cage until we know what to do with her, man she is vicious.”
Drew “we have to hurry, we have to check the Professor see if he is alive”
Merrill “ he’s got to be, but did you see his wounds they were awesome, and he has lost a lot of blood, did you also notice the scent of his blood. I could just contain myself I wanted desperately to taste it”
Essie “ yes smelt like a well aged wine “
Marty” we have to be quick, before he goes into shock”
They bundle Dillan’s unconscious body into the cage, clanging the door with a loud sound of metal on metal, they shot all three bolts with padlocks quickly, their attention was required elsewhere. All the time while they locking Dillan in the cage, Drew had remained by the Professor. He was feverishly trying to stop the bleeding, and unnoticed Vakaal had drifted closer to watch what was happening. He was surprised that the ceremony had gone so well, the Elders had thought that it wouldn’t and were prepared to take any steps necessary to remove all evidence of what had taken place here, but this surpassed their highest expectations the Vampire’s had succeeded magnificently, but at what cost, he looked down at Murdoch his influence was paramount it was the inessential ingredient in the experiment were they going to loose him, that was the harshness of fate. Drew is trying frantically to stop the bleeding. He turns around in anger to Vakaal and says to him.
Drew “ do something you can’t just let him die like this, he has done more for this experiment than anyone else”
The others were returning from caging Dillan caught this clash and gasped, not one of them ever confronted any of the Elders like this, had Drew gone to far, once again they looked at each other you could feel them thinking as if they were all on the same wave length still linked to one another, this was still a slight remnant of the Professors powers still echoing in their bodies after the ceremony, they could feel slowly ebbing away they wanted to hold on to it but knew is would soon disappear. They stepped as one next to Drew facing Vakaal, defiant, they were also angry at the injustice that was occurring now.
Merrill “ you have great powers my Lord, could you do anything to help him”
Essie “ yes, you have demonstrated your powers to us on occasion, so why can’t you do anything now.”
Marty ‘you must do something, we can’t afford to loose him, not now”
Vakaal is taken aback by the brashness of the Vampire’s this was a very human trait they were showing now, did they really know what they were asking.
Vakaal “ this is his fate, I have seen that you have noticed that he has experienced “the Quivering” because he has prepared a few of his most precious possessions to show of his passing, it is iron clad no-one can defy their destiny”
Carl gets very angry.
Carl” no way, there has to be a way”
Drew “ yes, you can try and defy fate and help him now before it is to late”
Marty “ yes, you do not always have to accept what fate dishes out for you, so he doesn’t need to die today.”
Vakaal “ what you are asking is virtually impossible, we have great powers but we cannot heal all ailments, and his afflictions are great”
Essie “ don’t care, you have to try for decencies sake”
Merrill “ try quickly before it is to late”
Vakaal is taken aback once again the solidarity they were showing was profound, they had come to respect their Mentor to such depths that they were prepared to fight fate for him, they indeed were showing the redeeming qualities that Murdoch claimed they had, he had been able to nurture them, guide them and slowly ever so slowly and it was baring fruition tonight even more now than ever. The effect of their Mentor was profound he had expected it to diminish over years in the Convocation but this apparently was not the case, somewhere their respect for him grown over the years to a culmination apex tonight, the Elders had not expected that. This experiment might succeed any way. He nods his wizened head.
Vakaal “ I will attempt what you ask but you must not interfere and be silent”
Vakaal closes his eyes and begins to chant a spell soundlessly , gesturing with arms moving slowly over the Professors motionless body, the bleeding gradually stops and the great gashing wounds close slightly but no more than that. Vakaal shakes his head and stops.
Vakaal “more than this I cannot do, the rest is now up to the Professor and if his will to live is strong enough we shall know in the next 24 hours”
Carl “ my Lord thank you for trying”
But Vakaal waves his comments aside turns to them once more.
Vakaal “tomorrow night I will return and bring forth the decision on what is to be done with the one called Dillan, and we shall see what further transpires with the Professor in the next 24 hours.
In a dark room somewhere in Chicago lay sleeping a slim young woman her head was completely soaked with perspiration, she was thrashing and groaning as if at conflict with her soul, but a closer look as the moon shone through a split in the curtains it wasn’t quite full but radiating enough light to make out the features of Dillan. There was no rest in her dreams tonight, she had been sleeping badly for a least 8 years and she had thought that was strange, as it was 8 years ago when she had left the Mansbridge Academy, since she that ruptured appendix since then her dreams had been haunting her, driving her sleep away. There were vague faces in her dreams, and tonight she felt as if she could distinguish even more detail, there was a tall dark stranger but yet again she wasn’t afraid of him in his mannerisms and actions he was so gentle caring, there was another with that deep discerning but calm voice it sounded so familiar to her, yes she thought to herself that was the same voice she had been hearing in her head the last 8 years, and then she felt herself remember the library, yes that was where it all started there was that tall dark sinister stranger there watching her , yes he attacked her pounced on her like a wild animal, but strong so very strong he over powered her, and there was also someone else there it was a woman yet she wasn’t human, yes that was it, she was a Vampire she remembered seeing her fangs as she bit into her arm. Her hand went to her neck as if feeling the pain of the bite once again, yes that was it he had bitten into the soft flesh of her neck and then he started to suck her life blood out of her body, and then someone intervened just in time to save her life . Every time over the years when she felt disconcerted and the blind panic choking her, now she realized tonight she seemed to remember every detail that had taken place back then, and all the time when she felt so alone and she was remembering more and more of what had transgressed there was always that voice was soothing, placating, so calming, it reassured her that that she wasn’t alone some one did care about her , nothing would happen to her if she didn’t want it, this always seemed to calm her, but the struggle grew harder with every passing year, but what was it exactly that she was fighting against, could it be that she was turning into a Vampire the thought both exhilarated her but frightened her deeply. Except for tonight she hadn’t felt that presence when she began to panic, and her heart began to pound like drums in her head, she desperately wanted to feel that reassurance, but there was nothing. She shook her head warily she really had to try and get some sleep it was 5 in the morning and even an hour might make a difference to her state of mind, maybe just maybe she might be able to stop the inevitable, that was if she wanted to but right now she was just so tired exhausted beyond belief, sleep might make the difference. She flopped down on her bed in an attempt to try at least, please if even for 30min, just some sleep. Fitfully she attempted to doze off. As the sun slowly rose to a new day.
At that same moment Murdoch stood in front of the large bay windows of his office enjoying the early rays of sunshine on his face. It felt good , you could see his face relaxing this was one of the rare moments that he had for himself and he enjoyed the momentary solitude before the beginning of a full day. It was now 8 years to the day that the Elders had removed the Young Vampires for further education in the archives under their supervision, this part of the experiment was to have been the last step in their education but because of the problems caused when Carl in a moment of weakness had been turned, they had to skip the most important part of the experiment and that would now have to take place, under his supervision once again, but this would now prove to be even harder yet. He sighed and knew it was inevitable. The elders had informed him that they would be returning the young Vampires tomorrow so that he could proceed further with their education, but he also knew that they had been brought a day earlier, events transpiring dictated it, he was fully aware of what was taking place even though the Elders hadn’t warned him of this, even he had secrets that the Elders knew nothing of, the fact that he had been keeping an eye on them , even in the Archives of the Elders, their progress had been satisfactory ,encouraging. They had now begun fully to control their cravings, their lust for blood was almost under their control, and their powers, they were to finally learn how to channel them together as a unit if need be, he would have preferred doing that step before they had gone to the Convocation but that was not to be. He just wondered if they really realized their true potential in that area, but that was where he came in. More importantly they had begun to accept what they had become this was a difficult step to take, so long as they didn’t dare take it fully and accept the consequences there was always a chance that they would fail.
He was relieved that the day school students had all graduated and the school had closed down until the next semester, there would now be opportunity and valuable time available to him to proceed with the given tasks awaiting him. The Vampires would have a lot of questions and this time he would not avoid giving them the answers they required , no matter how painful. But this would have to be done slowly with great patience and care because the repercussions would be irreversible from now on considering the fact that what they had gleaned in the Archives would now play a significant role in their further development.
Unaware that one of the camera’s was activated because he was deep in thought, but his inner senses warned him he was being observed, this was yet another step in the education of the Vampires, discovering exactly why was he chosen by the Elders to help them to save the Vampire’s as a race. There was no turning back now, because he was also now an intricate part of the experiment, now as study object. No known Vampire mastered one of the most important gifts that he possessed that was Astral projection, his other gifts of telekinesis and reading minds had been bound by the Elders when he was chosen to civilize and guide the Vampires, this they had done because it was on his advice, other wise it would have been even more difficult for him to keep himself hidden from Shakari, and even from the young Vampires his powers could be formidable if he called on them it was better to keep them hidden until he needed them, they allowed him to keep only enough so that he could screen off his thoughts from others trying to read his mind. He had been using this special gift, Astral projection these last 8 years keeping an eye on the Vampire’s, and Dillan who of course Carl had bitten those 8 years ago and what he feared most had almost happened, he had managed to help her until now via the Astral plane to fight against her conversion to Vampire, last night he couldn’t help her. This time she would be feeling the full brunt of the urge to change and she was alone this time, that urge to change would be intoxicating, overpowering . But tonight she could loose the battle, he needed to check on how she was, and this was the fastest way to do it, he hadn’t been able to do it sooner and was greatly worried about what was transpiring there, even now as the camera was now focused on him. His look slowly turned blank you could see him relaxing , his eyes closed and it seemed as if he drifted into a trance .His mind soared up through the different Astral planes to where he wanted to be, first up through the school, checking the grounds, and then much further inspecting the surrounding countryside , and then even further , until he was looking down on Dillan Vanderson’s sweat drenched face, her features showing the inner turmoil taking place in her soul. Tonight he would have to take steps to either help her or if inevitable destroy her, this he did not want to do , but until now it had been avoidable but tonight it would be crucial the decision would now have to taken.
Marty who couldn’t sleep was watching him on the screen because he was also so totally bored, and couldn’t wait to find out what the long awaited last steps facing him and the others would be, but he was fascinated ,no drawn really by what was occurring in front of him on the screen, he decided to wake up the others his gut feeling was , that this was really important to all of them. He called for the others .
Marty “ he guys wake up!, take a look at this “
Drew “ what’s up Marty can’t you see we are trying to sleep, and what is so important that it couldn’t wait”.
Carl “big deal , can’t it wait”
Essie “yes, because I really need some beauty sleep”
Marty “don’t bother sleeping you got to see this, I really mean it”, its Murdoch what’s he doing”
Merrill “ hang on we’re coming”
There was a sudden rush and the others joined to look at those familiar screens. In the central screen Murdoch was standing in front of the windows his eyes closed and his arms came slowly up and crossed over his chest, and at the same it seemed time it was as if was he was surrounded by a very faint ethereal golden glow. They looked at his face he had aged in the time that they had been in the Archives, but his features were still rugged and intense, even mild in repose, would be the word for it. But they also knew when he opened his eyes his presence could be felt, that is if he wanted to be noticed. Drew was surprised his talent was that he could project thoughts over short distances especially with objects or things he was interested in, but what he now felt was totally unexpected, he was the first to feel a faint warmth enveloping him, washing over his whole body making him relax, apparently the others felt it as well now, even though the effect was slightly delayed, but it touched each of them, they were thoroughly confused, what was Murdoch doing that caused this, they took it for granted that he was a human without any talents other than teaching, this was extraordinary, if he was doing it, what was he doing, and why, how.?
Merrill “ I can’t read him as usual, but I know what he is doing, he is using his mind on the Astral plane and somehow he is allowing me to watch what he is doing, come on Essie, Carl, Drew and you to Marty, try and read him.”
She looks at all of them and urges them on.
Merrill “this is something I can’t do on my own, do you feel it also”
Together they concentrated on reading him and then gasped in unison as they felt Murdoch’s mind take a hold of them, it felt almost as if they were in flight. They couldn’t pull themselves back either, the strength of his mind held them firmly in his grip. Even Carl is feeling it and for him it was the confusing.
Carl “ what is he doing “
Merrill “ he is astral projecting himself and taking us with him in his mind, he is upstairs checking the school now, oh wait hold on, he is going out to the grounds do you see that, even further he is scanning the surroundings, he is giving me the impression that he has seen something and it is disturbing.”
Drew ” he is moving so fast now it is getting difficult to keep up”
Merrill “I know, but this can’t be happening, Vampires are unable to Astral project themselves, let alone be taken by someone else on to the Astral planes, yet he is taking us with him, how is he doing it, wait he has stopped moving what is he looking at ?”
Essie “ can’t make out exactly what it is what he is looking at, but there is also something else in the distance it feels so disturbing, dark and cold, looks almost like storm clouds, what does that mean?”
Marty “ what do you mean disturbing, you’re not telling us a lot Merrill, c’mon Essie what’s going on”
Carl “hold on, even I am getting something now “ then he Drew said together.
Drew+ Carl “its Dillan “ why was the feeling emanating from her so cold and forbidding
Suddenly they were all blinded with that one thought that Murdoch projected to them Dillan Vanderson was turning after all this time she was loosing the battle, tonight they would have to take steps. But what steps was he referring to and what had that to do with them. That was when they felt him let them go, they had seen enough for now. They felt themselves return to their bodies with a snap, leaving them short of breath and slightly dizzy, amazed at what they just experienced unwillingly this left them completely confused but ever more curious to find out what was going to transpire.
Carl “guys come on, now tell me something , all I got were vague images and the face of Dillan,and what does she have to do with anything , is she going to turn.”
Merrill “ I know but that is all he is allowing us to see, wait a second , remember that last thought you just mentioned Dillan turning, we had all expected that she had conquered the poison in the saliva contained in Carl’s blood, but apparently we weren’t able to remove all traces in her blood. ”
Drew “I wonder if the Elders were aware of this the whole time, because remember when it happened, we had gotten orders from Vakaal if she turned she would have to be killed, we never got those orders to eliminate her because we all thought that she hadn’t been turned if the Elders assumed that , what has happened since then to cause this , at the time we were all busy concentrating on our pledge and with Carl”
Carl is baffled he thought that battle had been won, he still felt guilty of attacking and biting Dillan, especially the thrill he had felt when he had done it , the remorse after that was almost suffocating, but they had all thought that the danger had been averted, only to find out now that their teacher and Mentor had been observing her all this time while they were in the Convocation pouring over the ancient books and scrolls , aiding her where he could, because if she turned and Shakari had found her it would have made it easy to track down the origin of her maker, and then it would only be a matter of time before the Fury would have found the traces of Carl in and around the Academy, then Shakari would almost certainly have discovered exactly why the Academy had been chosen by the Elders for the experiment unraveling deeply hidden plans. That retribution that followed would be horrific and even the ground would be soaked in blood and no quarter would be given by the Fury the country side surrounding the Academy would have been ravaged of life every thing in the Fury’s path would be destroyed.
The experiment was once again in danger. Carl groans in frustration.
With that Essie gasps at that what had just happened in the office ,it isn’t often that she reacts like that.
Essie “he took us with him in his mind and yet we still couldn’t read his mind, only that what he wanted us to see, how did he do that, even we can’t do that ?”
Carl “ look he has been levitating the whole time, not by much, but enough not to touch the floor ,didn’t notice that just now, how about you guys ”
Essie “that’s one for you Carl, I didn’t notice that until you commentated on it”
After her remark, gradually the glow lowly dissipated and Murdoch stood once again on the floor, slowly his eyes opened and then he sighed, and slowly lowered his arms. The Fury had sent out more scouts, again not yet in close proximity of the Academy but they were searching for possible Vampire signs, there had been no alleged sightings in the area where Dillan lived which at this moment in time was fortunate, that was hundreds of miles away, but close enough to be extra alert tonight, this he hadn’t communicated to them. He would have warn to Vakaal. He remarks as if to an empty to room, but knowing full well that they were listening.
Murdoch “ So, we are going to have a busy night tonight you should all rest for now, we will discuss what you have seen and experienced later”
He then walks out of his office towards the foyer, and closes the door gently behind him, knowing what thoughts were spinning through the minds of the Vampires, the time was fast approaching when more of the mystery surrounding the Elders and him would slowly be revealed. But he had to make preparations for tonight, there couldn’t be any distractions.
The Vampires looked at each other realizing they had been privy to something they had never expected to see, so was he a mortal who occasionally was aided by the Elders, did the Elders aid him in doing what he just did. The questions flew around their minds like a maelstrom ever increasing in force and power. They always thought no one had ever made that bridge between mortal and Vampire they had always thought they were the guinea pigs but in hind sight an experiment usually takes place after someone succeeds in achieving an established goal and then it has to be repeated again under controlled circumstances so as to prove that it could be done again, so then who was the first to do it, they also knew from the Archives that Vampires weren’t able to circumvent the Astral planes as if it was a walk in a garden except for one vaguely registered case so far back in time that couldn’t possibly be Murdoch, or could it be. But was that the complete truth or was there more to that, what they had now seen and felt was something that even Vakaal hadn’t prepared them for when he had chosen them to participate in the experiment, and all the information they had gleaned in the Archives that in itself only scratched the surface. There were slight clues to be read about someone or something special, but nothing really to trigger their imagination or arouse suspicion, but now thinking back to what they had read, those slight clues appeared to have gigantic consequences for now. They turned around and looked at each other.
Marty “ do any of you remember reading anything on Murdoch, or should we say , about a human or something with certain powers that we don’t know about, in the archives.”
Carl “no I didn’t come across anything mentioning Murdoch specifically, only someone or thing, who assimilated what they called the knowledge of the ages, I didn’t understand that part ?”
Drew “ well then we will have to work together and make a plan on how we can obtain the information we need, without arousing to much suspicion”
Essie “ yes I have to agree because the Elders didn’t choose him without a special reason, remember when Patty la Rue was here, he wasn’t afraid of her, I definitely was, who knows maybe he knows more than he ever let on”
Carl “ that is going to be tough especially with Murdoch, he is as a sharp a razor blade, remember when we where here 8 years ago, it always felt as he was if he was one jump ahead us ,and of course we have to make sure the Elders don’t get to suspicious”
Merrill “ so how do we start”
Essie “ well we definitely have to find a way to get one of us back into the Archives now, otherwise we won’t find anything if we specifically ask for it, remember the last time that any one ever got into the Archives alone and I mean truly alone was Drew, because of his grief at the loss of Sherry they thought at the time that was a solution to his problem, so we have to plan something like that to get what we need, and decide which of us it is going to be.
Merrill “yes now you mention it over the years every time when we were in the Archives there was always 2 of the Elders present supervising us constantly keeping an eye on us, I thought at the time they were there just in case we had questions that needed answers and give us guidance”
Carl “so when you think of it, we weren’t really left alone there all that time, do you guys remember that dusty dark corner back in the Archives, I never went into that corner got a feeling that I should stay away from that place, just couldn’t bring myself to look in the there”
Drew “since you put it that way, I got the very same feeling, didn’t think at the time that it was worth the effort, but now”
Marty “makes one think”
Essie “me to, I just on kept on thinking it was to dirty and wasn’t worth the effort”
While they were discussing their forthcoming strategy they didn’t realize they were truly showing the glimmer of a human trait, “conspiracy” and “solidarity” requiring the work of a group of people working together to achieve their goal, and collaboration between the 5 of them was needed, they felt a sense of bonding this was unusual that was a trait that they had long forgotten what that felt like, and strangely enough they liked that feeling. But what was the problem with Dillan, WHY was she finally going to turn tonight, why tonight .
Drew “hold on just before we left the archives I had read that tonight the planets Venus and Jupiter were in close proximity of each other and would strongly influence the moons rays tonight just like when Marty suffered the Stirring, because of the full moon and the poison of Carl in her blood it must have been building up in her body all these years, maybe that’s why she is turning, we will also be affected by the rays, our powers will be stronger than normal this time, so we should be prepared , alert for anything”
Carl “ and another thing did you notice Murdoch’s desk, it is always meticulous even today but today the way he has placed the Journal turned facing the camera so we see the cover quite clearly, there is also a photo, and that fancy dagger he always had in his glass cabinet. Weird don’t you guys agree”
Marty “ that reminds of Merrill when she had “the Quivering” remember when Merrill when you received a premonition of your death, is this maybe the same thing”
Drew “ could that be it, I thought only Vampires had “the Quivering”, what about that photo then.”
Merrill “We didn’t tell the rest of you but back then but Murdoch was being haunted by a ghost, Marty and I found a way to communicate with her, it turned out to be some one he loved but lost in some kind of accident”
Essie “ so it seems that there is more here than we expected to find, or should we say we were allowed to notice”
Drew sounded so decisive, the others had noticed the slight change in him, he remembered back then the discussion he and Murdoch had over fate the argument that followed they had about Merrill and her accepting her fate of her impending death, and Drew’s resolve not to accept that then, and he wasn’t going to accept it now. If Murdoch was making plans for his death like a Vampire this only heightened Drew’s resolve to find out more about Murdoch. God, how could he have missed those clues so many years ago letting himself be side tracked with those tales of glory about Drakon and his powers that had almost made him a God it had fascinated him at the time enthralled him really, maybe because of his grief of losing Sherry that distracted him then, and like Murdoch said at the time that was when he hated life so much , but now he felt his conscience kick in, he should have questioned that also at the time if Drakon had been so powerful then how did the Elders manage to defeat him. And to add to this, that question that was never far from his mind why did Murdoch have Drakon’s chain for safe keeping??? Why reverberated through his brain, Why didn’t he say anything when he caught him red-handed when he had returned the chain back to its place in the safe after wearing it that night, remembering the awesome power he felt then and the over powering arrogance it sickened him to the stomach when he thought of it.
Why didn’t he say anything???, the only sentence he remembered being told afterwards, was it wasn’t time to reveal any more information about that part of history it was to soon, but he was going to found out he needed to know now more than ever.
Drew “maybe, just maybe we might get the jump on him tonight, find out what this means in relationship to us, I got a lot of questions of my own and I really need answers“
Marty “god I am so psyched up I can’t sleep, this a bad case of wanting to know what’s going on”
Carl groans “what have I done to Dillan, what a fool I have been thinking all the time that she managed to beat it, but lets face it nobody can escape the bite of a Vampire”
Drew “you couldn’t know, even the Elders didn’t know, my feelings are that even Murdoch hasn’t told them everything about Dillan, I wonder why, but I think we should take his advice and try to rest because the way things are going it is going to be quite intense.”
Carl “it might be good a idea if we try to get our hands on his journal that he kept when we first came, there might be clues in there, he was always writing in it”
Marty””that sounds like a good idea, but we have to wait for the right time to do that”
Merrill “but we will have to do that soon, very soon!.”
Essie “would this be the time to talk about fate, I think not “
Merrill “did he see his death, I wonder”
Carl “we can all speculate as much as we want, but until we can talk to him we have no answers, so I guess the best thing for us to do is just go to bed, like the man said”
They all agree and each went to the their respective niches where their coffins resided, they all knew that none of them would sleep but they would at least try to rest. The turn of event s had surprised them, this wasn’t what they had expected. They had all anticipated that they had known who , or what their teacher was, he was somewhat enigmatic, illusive, stern but approachable when they had problems, but now apparently they knew very little about him. The point of fact was they knew more about the Elders than of Murdoch. This was going to be a challenge finding out about their Mentor and his place in the scheme of things, especially why was he so important in helping the Elders against the Fury and why was he needed to civilize them..
Night fell slowly, what with the up coming full moon there was an air of anticipation, deeply ominous as if this was inevitable that was to transpire tonight no longer avoidable the chain of events leading up to now. The Vampires had awakened from their restless enforced sleep with a deep yearning so deeply rooted in their minds they were highly agitated, restless as if they needed to hunt, one of their most primal instincts was being awakened by the first moon’s rays. They had anticipated that they would be feeling something but this was exhilarating and proving very difficult to control. Vakaal would also be present tonight because Murdoch had contacted him, so this laid to rest their suspicions that he had kept secrets even from the Elders, or had he been sharing his secret with only Vakaal , that might be it. They felt a slight shiver in the air, and then they felt, then saw Vakaal appear before them impressive in his dark blood red robes with his hood just covering his features.
Vakaal “you are not fully aware of what is going to be attempted tonight, I can only warn you it is deadly, if there is failure the consequences will be far reaching , this has never before been attempted and the dangers involved irrevocable, you now have a choice to participate and the ones who refuse will be removed from the experiment instantly with no further explanation given or taken. Remember this, once the decision is taken there is no turning back”
The Vampires hadn’t expected this and were looking at one another with troubled faces. What was he telling them???
Vakaal “I require the answer now before he comes ( referring to Murdoch).
Drew surprised himself “my Lord I would be proud to par take in what ever comes and transpires tonight, I would be truly honored” he felt as if he was alive again when he said that , adrenaline pumped through his veins like lightening there was little in his life that would have inspired him but this that awaited them was so different, he meant every word.
Marty “ I am always game for something that might changes things around here” for all of his flamboyance he was deadly serious. He turns and looks at Carl.
Marty “hey big guy, what do you think of all this, this could be exciting better than looking at each other for a couple of hours”
Carl “I am game, I really want to know what Murdoch was doing and what he has done the last couple of years, I owe that much to Dillan, especially after what I did to her”
Merrill “you must not make your choice because you have a guilty conscience, your choice has to be what your heart tells you.”
Carl “ well then my heart tells me I have to do this for myself as well!”
Essie “well I couldn’t let you guys do it on your own, besides like I said there is more to Doc than meets the eye, and these eyes would like to see all of it, definitely .”
Carl “ so the decision is unanimous, we are all in”
Vakaal “your teacher will be proud of your choice, but be warned listen to him well tonight do not disregard any of his instructions because I may not intervene while you are participating in the required ceremony only at the end, so understand complete obedience is required tonight no questions until all has passed, time is now of the essence, I partake only now as an observer”
Saying this he faded into the shadows before they could pose any more questions, they barely see the occasional glinting of his wizened eyes looking at them from the shadows. That’s when they heard those familiar steady footsteps coming down the ramp to them, even if had been 8 years ago they would never forget the sound of them, their hearts seemed to miss a beat in unison, the anticipation was almost palpable. And then finally the professor stood before them once again, he had aged well, the lines in his face were deeper and his hair was streaked with grey but his blue steady eyes still exuded the strong calmness that lay within, but this time they also noticed the deep wisdom etched in that face, why hadn’t they noticed it before they didn’t really know, it felt as if they could have drowned in those eyes if he wanted them to, but instead the Professor smiled at them warmly, putting them at ease.
Murdoch “well, well good evening all, I hope you have rested well because you are going to need all your energy tonight. You are all looking somewhat civilized considering where you have been these 8 years. I firstly have to apologize for the speed in which we changed your tuition these last 8 years but it was necessary to protect the experiment and you, and speed was of the essence, at one time I know the Elders explained it to you instead of me as it should have been, but I feel I should apologize for that fact as well, I guarantee nothing will come between you and the completion of what we want you to attain here. The Elders have decided that it is now time to complete your education and tonight will be the beginning of the final phase”.
Merrill smiles, she doesn’t appear to be as timid as she used to be there is a spark of determination in her eyes, Murdoch notices that, and inwardly he is proud of what he now see’s in his students.
Merrill “it is good to see you once again Professor even though we did not expect to see you again, the Elders had kept this step secret , we only knew yesterday that we were returning to Mansbridge”
Marty ”you should have seen what we were allowed to read and study, mind absorbing, even got me to read books, and even remember what I was reading, now isn’t that something I never realized that we Vampires could be such interesting people”
Murdoch “yes I know and you have done rather well”
All the Vampires were taken aback, how could he know about what Marty was talking about, because even Vakaal hadn’t left the Convocation when they were there, neither any of the Elders, as a matter of fact, this they did so as to rise no suspicion, or belie their plans to the Fury.
Carl “Professor, I got millions of questions I want to ask you” a great feeling of dread permeated the air they all thought they had been forbidden to ask any questions tonight, they weren’t to distract the Professor from what ever was going to take place, but the Professor just like he always did, defused the situation gently, by saying.
Murdoch “patience Carl all in due course, you have grown in the time since, you seem more assured of yourself, but still as inquisitive as always, which is just as well, I will need you all to work together tonight”
Drew “ Professor what is going to happen tonight”
Murdoch noticed Drew wasn’t as sullen as when he had first met him, there was a slight air of authority surrounding him, this was a good sign he was accepting who he was and with that acceptance that what he craved was close at hand, but that had to be handled so delicately it was just like priceless Chinese porcelain one wrong move and it would shatter into a million pieces with no chance of repair.
Essie “hey Professor you would not believe it but it is good seeing you again, never thought I would be saying something like this to my teacher, but there it is”
The Professor chuckled and this caused them to relax, it did feel good being in his presence once again.
Murdoch “well Drew to answer your question as quickly as possible seeing as it is the only I will be answering to night is this, do you remember when Marty had the problems with “the Stirring”.
They looked at one another questionably, I course they did. Marty cleared his throat.
Marty “you cleared me of all blame then, so why bring it up now “
Murdoch “no one is hear to blame you, I am only using what took place then to explain what we are going to be doing tonight”
Marty “good, because I do still feel kind of stupid about doing that, but I don’t completely understand what happened there after, only that you guys managed to stop me and you transported me back to the basement.”
Murdoch ”yes, and now is the time to explain what happened then, and what is going to happen now.
Drew was looking at Murdoch now as if he had never really seen him before, it felt as if Murdoch was growing in stature but that was more due to his presence now, his voice though deep was comforting, reassuring, explanatory wanting them to understand , but the authority in the voice was so strong it just permeated the room. He remembered back to the time when he confronted him about Drakon it was only now while looking at him that he realized his fixation of Drakon was truly misplaced back then, and when he lashed out at the Professor he had hurt him then not physically but something mentally , and the Professor had never punished him for that outburst of his or even told the Elders about what had occurred that night, so now he needed now more than anything to find out what that was that he had said to the Professor that had hurt him then.
Essie “Drew what are thinking of, I didn’t know that happened”
Drew : Pssss Essie “he whispered “don’t say anything yet to any one we will talk about it later with the others”
While he was saying this he noticed the Professor looking at him as if to say I know what you are thinking, but he didn’t say a thing.
Merrill “that was the night when first stood in the Convocation Circle with 5 of us and then we chanted that line you told us to keep on repeating it”
Drew “Yes I remember that sentence, kind of difficult to forget it went “Chey Kah Pah , Oh Key Lah” still don’t exactly know what it means but it was some kind of spell, pretty powerful stuff”
Carl “yeah my body tingled all over place, never felt anything like that before, never again for that matter”
Murdoch “yes, that’s what we chanted, back then was a spell to bind and bring forth the object that we focused on at the moment In time”
Merrill started thinking, all that she remembered at the time that they were uttering the incantation but who focused the spell on Marty, they all presumed it was Vakaal, but it wasn’t Vakaal, she turned around and looked at the Professor and realized he was the one who had directed it, but how???
Merrill “what are we supposed to do tonight, with that spell “ more questions thudded through her mind but they would have to wait she told herself.
Carl “is it about Dillan “
Murdoch looks at them all squarely in the face sighs deeply and says, with a faint nod of his head.
Murdoch “ To simply explain what has happened, the poison wasn’t completely removed out of Dillan’s body, and because it remained in her body, it has been building up over the years and produced more and more poison in her body, and that in turn became more potent”
Essie “so that is what you meant about tonight it could happen, but then what”
Murdoch “yes tonight her transformation will take place unless we are able to prevent it”
Drew “prevent it, how, ?? She is far so away and that is quite some distance, are we strong enough to do that even with our heightened powers tonight”
Murdoch stands silently regarding his pupils, they indeed had come far, but he hoped that he wasn’t introducing them to something to strong and soon, but circumstance dictated the path that he had to follow tonight and he needed all of them to do it, trust was like a precious jewel now, and he was now placing his trust and possibly his very existence in their hands. That part he would not reveal to the Vampire’s, because that outcome he had dreamt, and to defy fate was another matter altogether.
At that moment Vakaal makes his presence felt once again.
Vakaal “I told you all, I cannot intervene once you begin with the incantation and the ceremony, but I do have do something now so that all present are as strong as they can be, Professor will you face me”
Vampire’s looked in wonderment at what was transpiring, the Professor turned slowly facing Vakaal fully face to face, and bows ever so slightly his head.
Murdoch “my Lord”
Vakaal “it is now time to unbind the rest of your powers, you shall need them tonight, close your eyes and relax”
“Unbind” this flashed through the Vampires minds, there was even more unraveling tonight than they expected but this, what was Vakaal going to unbind in the Professor?
Murdoch closes his eyes feeling the eyes of the Vampires watching him ever so closely now, then he felt the slightest brush of Vakaal’s hand on the side of his head. And Vakaal mutters softly.
Vakaal “let that what we have bound, now be released”
Murdoch staggered backward ever so slightly and felt a rush of familiar but the almost forgotten thrill of his powers, he would have to tread carefully now. He would only use his powers sparingly if possible.
This was when Vakaal with drew once again into the background to silently observe the forth coming hours.
Drew had witnessed what happened with fierce attention, and while it took place the others were doing the same as well, and then they looked at each other and you could see the same question arousing in all of them. He had more powers than the gift of Astral travel, and he had allowed the Elders to bind them, WHY? WHY ?
As Murdoch opened eyes his there was this faint flash of light that passed over his eyes, it was so quick that at first the Vampires doubted seeing that , but by just looking at each other the confirmation was there the others had seen it as well. That’s when they felt that hidden power, they had felt this way before but only with the Elders, but this felt benign, non threatening for now almost dormant, as if to not frighten them. You could feel the Vampires trying to work together with their minds, wanting to know what he was thinking, this was just their second attempt at doing this, but then they all heard his voice reverberate in their minds “NO, not now”, it felt as if they had received a slap across their faces. They has assumed because their powers were heightened tonight more than ever before they could attempt to at last try and read their Mentor’s mind together but to no avail. The power that stopped them was unexpectedly so over powering but so very gentle but firm, there was no way they could read anything, Merrill found that very unusual because in the past she had tried a few times to read the Professors mind and even then it felt as if she was looking into at a cloudy mirror and she could only define her reflection facing her, tonight nothing at all, then she suddenly felt a thought projected at all of them, and heard that familiar deep voice talking to them.
Murdoch “ no not tonight, especially for you the time is not ripe yet for you even to attempt that journey into my mind, because I must allow it otherwise it might destroy your minds”
Merrill whispers to Essie
Merrill “ Essie are you hearing anything in your mind right now??”
Essie whispers back so that Vakaal cannot over hear them.
Essie “ yes, I know its directed to all of us, its sounds like a warning that it would be dangerous to even try alone, so maybe we will have to try another time with the 5 of us but not tonight”
That’s when they all heard Murdoch project his thoughts once again
Murdoch“ we will have to wait and see how or even when”
Was he that powerful he that he could read all their minds with no effort at all and at the same time as well. That’s when they heard him also project an apology for reading their minds. Whilst he was doing this Vakaal remained silently watching what was happening, he was surprised at how the young Vampires had reacted to the presence of Murdoch, it strengthened his belief the Elders had done well in choosing this man to try and achieve what he also had managed that many years ago. Vakaal remembered the struggle that had taken place then and he still marveled at what had been the outcome of that struggle. This struggle if it became known to the Vampire’s, would this influence their further development or should it stay a deep well kept secret for a while longer. He mauled over these thoughts while continually observing the events unraveling before him.
Murdoch “ I am sorry but it has been quite a while since I have read anybodies mind, just needed to know how if I can still control it”
Marty “ well I think definitely you haven’t forgotten how to do it, but tell me Doc how did you do that”
Carl “ yeah, I would also like to know”
Murdoch shrugs his shoulders and smiles warmly at them and gestures them to sit, ignoring the questions put by Carl & Marty, he clears his throat.
Murdoch “ this morning you saw me taking a journey on the Astral plane, this is what I occasionally do to keep an eye on people I want to be informed of, and keep an eye on, usually I keep my journey’s as short possible so as to not attract any attention, because the longer you traverse the Astral plane the more dangerous it becomes” he looked at them one at time and waited.
Drew “ short journey was that what you would call it”
Murdoch smiles again “ on the Astral plane they are needed to be short because there is always a danger that someone predatory might decide to follow you, even try to do something malicious like trying to severe your umbilical, that part what connects your Astral self to your physical body “ waiting for this to sink in he slowly saw the information sink in. He continues.
Marty “ so you mean they can kill your body while you are on the Astral plane”
Murdoch nodded and continued as if he had not been interrupted.
Murdoch “ well tonight we will be conducting the binding spell once again the goal is to bring forth Dillan and try contain her, the point is we have to try and prevent her from attacking someone, if that has already happened our task will be even more dangerous but never the less unavoidable, we have to then bind her and capture her by transporting her here to Mansbridge.”
Merrill “ what danger will occur if she has been turned then”
Carl “ yes , what kind of danger”
Murdoch continues once again as if he hadn’t heard them.
Murdoch “ tonight I will be projecting our collective energies over the Astral plane to achieve this but at the same time my body will no longer be protected, seeing as this journey will not be that short it is imperative that the Convocation circle not be broken until we have Dillan, so no matter how exhausted you all may become and what you see and what happens, remember do no break the circle no matter what.”
Essie “ that is quite risky what you are proposing, but at what risk to you, that will be a lot energy to channel and I have never heard of this being attempted with success that is over such great distances”
Marty “ so if something happened to your Astral body your physical body dies or is severely injured, and then if something happened to your physical body your Astral body will also die. Hey Professor ! are you sure you want to do this”
Murdoch shakes his head slowly confirming what Marty just said.
Carl “ is there no other way to do this”
Murdoch “ no there is no other way open to us, the Fury is scouring the area where Dillan is living right now looking for new recruits and is closing in her and others, because tonight The Fury is searching for new blood to feed their depleted ranks, there will be no quarter given tonight for all concerned. This is also the fastest way to do it and if luck is with us we will be hardly noticed . With out any further a do we have to start now time is becoming short and the time to act is now.
Drew looked at the Professor as he had told them of the possible dangers that awaited them, but he didn’t tell them of the danger s that he would have to face, Drew felt that they might loose their Mentor tonight and if he could do anything to prevent it he would, he hadn’t felt this passionate about anything since the death of Sherry. Carl must have felt the same because he touched on the shoulder and whispered in his ear.
Carl” no matter what, we all have to try and protect the Professor together.”
They then looked at each other they realized they had appreciated the danger the Professor was preparing to bare himself to, and why he was doing it, in the first place protect the experiment the second he personally wanted to help Dillan she at least deserved a second chance to hold on to her humanity and if she had already lost that they would have to help her struggle to regain it once again other wise they realized now the only other choice available would be to kill her. They all stood up and turned the Professor as one.
Drew “ let us begin with what is to tonight Professor”
Murdoch sighed once again deeply, thinking to himself “ well now it begins, me meeting my destiny well this is my fate”
Drew brushed the Professor lightly while he went to his spot in the circle, caught that faint thought emanating from the Professor’s mind, Oh so faintly, he staggered almost from that faint whiff a voice, so distant he almost had to doubt that he had heard it, if this was supposed to be Professors encounter with fate, then Drew was even more determined to make sure that fate knocked on the wrong door tonight. And he knew the others would agree with him but there was no time to discuss it with the others, everyone stood now silently in the circle. the Professor stood at the apex of the circle opposite him stood Marty, with both Essie and Merrill flanking him, to his right was Drew, and to his left Carl, Drew was glad they were the closest to the Professor especially with Carl his strength might be needed tonight before long. It was strange that they silently had agreed with each other they would try and protect the Professor even though they still didn’t know what they were protecting him against. In the proceeding silence they looked at the Professor as he closed his eyes in the same ritual as this morning and once again they felt that warmth washing gently over them, and the faint ethereal glow began to envelope his body, then he began the chant first alone and then they picked it up, the chant swelled louder and louder until it was reverberating through the cellar, the Professors arms came up in the air out stretched, palms facing outward. they copied his movements until they were all touching one anothers palms. The ethereal glow emanating from the Professor flowed out enveloping them as well, making their bodies tingle and glow, their adrenalin began to flow causing their hearts to beat ever faster, that was when they gasped the Professor projected himself up through the Astral planes pulling their energy with him, they felt it weaken them somewhat but they concentrated on the chant “ Che Kah Pah , Oh Key Lah”, again and again continuously . They felt themselves being extended with the Professor and then they knew he had found her. As Murdoch looked down at Dillan he observed they had arrived to late she had already made her first kill, her victim lay dead at her feet his neck had been ripped out, she had given up her struggle and took the easy way out. But now that she had feasted she realized she was still ravenous, she needed more blood, yes more blood, it was a thirst she felt she never could quench, but the thrill of the hunt exhilarated her. Just as she was about stalk her next victim she felt an itchy irritating scratching feeling in her mind, it was spreading down her neck and shoulders and down her whole body, what was happening to her, then she also began to hear words banging through her mind “ Chey Kah Pah , Oh Key Lah” it swelled into ever increasing waves enveloping her with its monotonous sound it gripped her very soul, she couldn’t move even though she desperately wanted to run and hide. That was when her world begun to throb and whirl before her eyes, everything began to fade and she rotated round and round losing all sense of direction. The Vampires felt the Professor directing their powers at Dillan, picking her up and holding her in an unbreakable grip, ripping her away from where she had been and dragging her physically across the Astral plane to them, where she gradually appeared in the middle of the circle surrounded by people who looked vaguely familiar, yes they did, especially the one who had attacked her, she wanted to hit out at him but still could not move. The Professor checked the surroundings where Diilan had killed her victim making sure there were no traces left, as he turned to leave he saw in the distance on the plane, clouds in the distance whirling churning as if a great battle was being raged and at the same time a poignant foul, rotting stench l wafted towards him, you could smell the blood feel the carnage being wrought elsewhere being carried on the winds mixed with sulfur fumes it was almost overpowering, he felt danger approaching he must leave now and hide his tracks so that no one could follow him back to the Academy and endanger the Vampires. When suddenly he felt a searing burning feeling sear across his chest ripping at his physical body, on the Astral plane luckily he felt no pain but he could feel his body weakening. He focused all is energy in one ethereal burst at what was attacking him, a seer working for Shakari he had to destroy him now or all hell would break loose, the seer had not expected the attack and was vaporized by the burst. Murdoch was greatly relieved that this danger had been averted but the chances of returning to his physical body was fading fast , this might be his end just like he had dreamed. But then he something was plucking at him first so lightly then it gathered strength, it was the young Vampires they were combining their powers to rescue him, this he hadn’t expected but somewhere deep in his soul he had hoped for it. He felt the pull strengthening pulling him back, back to his physical body.
When the Vampires saw that Dillan appeared frozen in the centre of the circle, they could see blood on her face and upper torso she had already feasted on someone, but was now trapped by the binding spell , safe for the time being frozen until the decision would be made about what had to be done. But their attention was diverted to the Professor, they had seen what had happened to the Professors physical body, seemingly out of nowhere something ripped across his chest like a gigantic talon ripping into the soft flesh cutting through muscles and tendons like a knife, the Professor staggered slightly but had remained standing, his features ashen, they would have to protect him until he returned to his body, but they were all so very tired they had been chanting for 2 hours and the energy they had spent on bringing Dillan back was beginning to take its toll, it felt like a lifetime. But this time they would not give into exhaustion they must not fail the Professor they remained in the Convocation circle waiting, continuing the chant softly hoping that they could make a difference. Slowly the golden glow that had been flickering around the Professors body began to fade, his eyes opened and then they saw the pain flooding in and he collapsed, Carl caught him before he hit the ground, there was a time when Carl would not have caught him but tonight something had changed in Carl he had seen that the Professor had been prepared to sacrifice himself for his students and he just like Drew needed to know why, he gently cradled him in his strong arms, and carried him to the nearest niche containing Drew’s coffin and laid him gently down, he was bleeding badly and the aroma rising from his massive wounds was almost overwhelming , the others felt it as well. It was an enticing smell challenging them to taste it, but they all resisted the urge to taste, to feed off him. But their attention was now focused on their Mentor that they had forgotten Dillan the spell had began to wear off, so could move once again and she to had gotten a whiff of the Professors blood , and she went into full attack, she wanted that blood she was completely blinded with lust, she had managed to shove the Vampires aside, except for Car who l got in her way, practicing those lessons he learned from the Professor and his book” the Zen of Self Defense” he had laughed then about the advice of the Professor but was thankful of the knowledge which he now used to subdue Dillan because he didn’t want to hurt her, he grabbed her in a choke hold until she blacked out. And dropped her on the ground, satisfied that he had managed to restrain her from killing the Professor, at least he hoped that he was still alive because in his arms he had felt no movement at all, he felt so cold.
Marty “ quick while she is unconscious lock her in the cage until we know what to do with her, man she is vicious.”
Drew “we have to hurry, we have to check the Professor see if he is alive”
Merrill “ he’s got to be, but did you see his wounds they were awesome, and he has lost a lot of blood, did you also notice the scent of his blood. I could just contain myself I wanted desperately to taste it”
Essie “ yes smelt like a well aged wine “
Marty” we have to be quick, before he goes into shock”
They bundle Dillan’s unconscious body into the cage, clanging the door with a loud sound of metal on metal, they shot all three bolts with padlocks quickly, their attention was required elsewhere. All the time while they locking Dillan in the cage, Drew had remained by the Professor. He was feverishly trying to stop the bleeding, and unnoticed Vakaal had drifted closer to watch what was happening. He was surprised that the ceremony had gone so well, the Elders had thought that it wouldn’t and were prepared to take any steps necessary to remove all evidence of what had taken place here, but this surpassed their highest expectations the Vampire’s had succeeded magnificently, but at what cost, he looked down at Murdoch his influence was paramount it was the inessential ingredient in the experiment were they going to loose him, that was the harshness of fate. Drew is trying frantically to stop the bleeding. He turns around in anger to Vakaal and says to him.
Drew “ do something you can’t just let him die like this, he has done more for this experiment than anyone else”
The others were returning from caging Dillan caught this clash and gasped, not one of them ever confronted any of the Elders like this, had Drew gone to far, once again they looked at each other you could feel them thinking as if they were all on the same wave length still linked to one another, this was still a slight remnant of the Professors powers still echoing in their bodies after the ceremony, they could feel slowly ebbing away they wanted to hold on to it but knew is would soon disappear. They stepped as one next to Drew facing Vakaal, defiant, they were also angry at the injustice that was occurring now.
Merrill “ you have great powers my Lord, could you do anything to help him”
Essie “ yes, you have demonstrated your powers to us on occasion, so why can’t you do anything now.”
Marty ‘you must do something, we can’t afford to loose him, not now”
Vakaal is taken aback by the brashness of the Vampire’s this was a very human trait they were showing now, did they really know what they were asking.
Vakaal “ this is his fate, I have seen that you have noticed that he has experienced “the Quivering” because he has prepared a few of his most precious possessions to show of his passing, it is iron clad no-one can defy their destiny”
Carl gets very angry.
Carl” no way, there has to be a way”
Drew “ yes, you can try and defy fate and help him now before it is to late”
Marty “ yes, you do not always have to accept what fate dishes out for you, so he doesn’t need to die today.”
Vakaal “ what you are asking is virtually impossible, we have great powers but we cannot heal all ailments, and his afflictions are great”
Essie “ don’t care, you have to try for decencies sake”
Merrill “ try quickly before it is to late”
Vakaal is taken aback once again the solidarity they were showing was profound, they had come to respect their Mentor to such depths that they were prepared to fight fate for him, they indeed were showing the redeeming qualities that Murdoch claimed they had, he had been able to nurture them, guide them and slowly ever so slowly and it was baring fruition tonight even more now than ever. The effect of their Mentor was profound he had expected it to diminish over years in the Convocation but this apparently was not the case, somewhere their respect for him grown over the years to a culmination apex tonight, the Elders had not expected that. This experiment might succeed any way. He nods his wizened head.
Vakaal “ I will attempt what you ask but you must not interfere and be silent”
Vakaal closes his eyes and begins to chant a spell soundlessly , gesturing with arms moving slowly over the Professors motionless body, the bleeding gradually stops and the great gashing wounds close slightly but no more than that. Vakaal shakes his head and stops.
Vakaal “more than this I cannot do, the rest is now up to the Professor and if his will to live is strong enough we shall know in the next 24 hours”
Carl “ my Lord thank you for trying”
But Vakaal waves his comments aside turns to them once more.
Vakaal “tomorrow night I will return and bring forth the decision on what is to be done with the one called Dillan, and we shall see what further transpires with the Professor in the next 24 hours.