Please post the attached fiction to the Jadfe website. It is an N&N pairing.
Thank you,
Becky Chessman
bdundee@aol.com

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LEGACY OF EVIL: Revelations--An ADULT-- "Forever Knight" fan fiction story
by Rebecca L. Chessman
DISCLAIMERS: The characters from the television series "Forever Knight" belong to James Parriott and Barney Cohen. No infringement of their original copyright or ownership of the characters or series by Sony Television is intended. This is an exercise in admiration for TPTB who are the original creators of the characters and situations previously presented on television. Permission to post at fkfanfic's ftp site, fkfanfic.com, and the jadfe website is granted. All other please ask.
    I have created some new characters and taken liberties with the originals to continue from where the series left off at the end of season three. I am an unrepentant Nick and Nat Packer, and a Dark Knightie. I believe they belong together, but I set myself the task of finding a way they could be together without violating the essential integrity of their characters. I have tried to include real places and historic events and persons where they fit, but I did not use real modern people.  This is my first attempt at fan fiction. I hope its readers enjoy the adventure. I enjoyed writing it. I have posted this on adult lists as I feel the sexual content and the level of violence might be offensive to some readers. If you do not enjoy consenting sex between adult MF persons or violence directed at or around children, please avoid this story. I have used Nicholas, Nick, and the French spelling, Nicolas, to refer to the character of Nick Knight. The spelling changes as each character uses the pronunciation most familiar to them. I owe a great deal of thanks to Judy Freudenthal for beta reading, and to Valerie Meachum for advice about medieval jewelry.

Legacy of Evil: Revelations by Rebecca L. Chessman
Chapter 1

    As the plane touched down on the runway at Heathrow in London, Natalie turned to Nick, "We're finally here! I knew airplane trips were annoying cross-country, but this is a marathon. Just the sheer noise for the entire time!"
    "I hate flying," Nick said. "Unless it's under my own power."
    "Speaking of that, we need to do that more often," Natalie told him.  Nick smiled and squeezed her hand.
    They deplaned uneventfully, waiting until the bulk of the passengers had passed them before digging out their own small bags and coats. They had figured that London might be wet, so they were prepared with rainwear. It was, in fact, a clear morning. Too late for them to leave the airport until
that evening. Nick had arranged for a room at Heathrow. He'd told Natalie that he needed to conduct some Foundation business in town, which was part of the reason for their stop in London. London was also the most direct route to Europe from Toronto provided by the major airlines, within the darker hours of the day.
    "What now, Nick?"
    "Let's claim our bags, check in to our room, and see what we feel like." They followed the signs to baggage claim and picked up their belongings. They went on through customs and passed through the formalities smoothly. They found the Executive Club and checked into their room. Once there, Natalie wilted rapidly.
    "It's the jet lag, Nat." Nick told her.
    "I wouldn't be surprised if it might also be my pregnancy, Nick."
    "Oh, Nat, I didn't think, are you all right? Are you hungry?"
    "I'm fine, just tired. And no, I'm not hungry. They fed us too much on the plane. I've heard that the best cure for jet lag is to finish out your day just as you would if the current time were your own. Right now is when we'd usually be going to bed. I'm for that. How about you?"
    "Any excuse to crawl into bed with you, my love!"
    Natalie giggled, pulled him down onto the bed on top of her, and ran her fingers through his hair. "Were we just too obviously newlywed on the plane? I think I overheard some of the stewards making comments. And I could feel their reactions to us."
    "Definitely, but then we are newlyweds. Do you mind?"
    "No, I'm proud of my new husband, I want everyone to know he's mine."
    "Mmmm, just hold that thought. That felt especially nice."
    "You mean this one?" She began to unbutton his shirt and slide her hands inside.
    "The very one." He nuzzled her neck, pulled her earlobe between his lips, and started a line of kisses along her jaw until he reached her mouth.  There the pressure of his lips and tongue opened her mouth to his insistent exploration. His hands were busy as well. He opened her blouse, and his
fingers toyed with her breasts. Soon they had removed each other's clothing and were passionately exploring one another's bodies. He reached into their emotional link. When she joined him, they gasped and drew back from each  other abruptly. The intensity and depth of their mutual desire was
overpowering! Their eyes grew wide with wonder, but their hesitation was only momentary. Nick was the first to pull Natalie even closer and kiss her deeply. She joined his kiss with alacrity and slid her hands back into his hair, then stroked down his back, over his hips, then reached between them.
She pulled her face away from his to watch his reaction as she helped him enter her. Their joining was electric!
    Each reveled in the sheer physical thrill of their union and experienced their own and the other's sensual pleasure. Natalie slid her  fingers into the soft, golden hair that curled at the base of his neck.
    Nick buried his hands in the masses of her auburn glory. She watched as the golden light of passion grew in his eyes. He gasped as hers, in turn, brightened and shone green-gold with her desire. Their lips met again.  They began to move together in the ancient, rhythmic dance that all lovers perform.
    As their passion built to a white heat, he sank his fangs into her neck. As he drank, their spirits, joined through their burgeoning link, melded and fused into one. What humankind had desired through the ages was theirs. An eternal joining, never to be severed by earthly forces, became
their new reality. Never would either be alone, unloved, deserted, so long as the other lived. But they still dwelt in the physical world. Such complete abandonment to ecstasy could not last. They spiraled up to new heights of rapture, climaxed together, and collapsed in each other's arms, still joined, physically and emotionally. So overwhelming was their new experience, added to the sheer exhaustion of jet lag, that they drifted almost immediately into sleep. Nick just managed to pull the bedclothes over them as they drifted off.
    Late in the day Natalie awoke and found she was still wrapped tightly in his arms. She was slightly chilled, as they had kicked the
covers off during their sleep. She arose, reluctantly, to use the bathroom,
and decided to take her shower while she was there. A few minutes later she
heard Nick enter the bathroom. He slipped into the shower stall next to
her, took the soap from her hands and began to scrub her back very expertly.
"Good evening, my love. Did you sleep well?" she inquired.
"Extremely well, love," he replied.
"My turn," she told him as she reappropriated the soap and reached
to lather his back. She explored and massaged each muscle as she scrubbed.
He sighed blissfully then took the soap back and finished his shower. She
continued to lean against his back, simply to feel his nearness. He turned
off the water and reached for two large, warm towels. He handed her one and
began drying her with the other. She toweled him. They stepped together
out of the shower wrapped in their towels. He handed her yet another towel
which she wound about her head. They walked together to the bed where they
lay down next to each other.
At first neither felt the need to do more than caress each other's
faces. Nick pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. She responded
willingly. The restful ease they felt in one another's company was
blessedly peaceful and thoroughly satisfying.
"Where do we go from here?" Natalie asked.
"We check into our hotel, pick up our theater tickets, and look for
dinner." Nick informed her.
"It's lovely just being here with you."
"Mmmm," he agreed as he nuzzled her neck, enjoying her scent and her
nearness.
"What play will we see?"
"I reserved tickets for three plays, ÔHamlet', ÔPhantom of the
Opera', and ÔBeauty and the Beast.' They all have good reviews. I
considered ÔCats,' but the reviewers say it's getting tired after so many
years."
"'Beauty and the Beast?'" She giggled at him. "I remember a time
when you would have been very touchy about that."
"That was before my Beauty developed a bit of her own beastliness,"
he teased back.
"And just what do you mean by that, sir," she huffed at him
playfully.
"You've developed quite a gleam in your eye, and a thoroughly
unladylike gusto for your husband's attentions," he informed her
complacently.
"You haven't lost any of your beastly tendencies!" she asserted.
"And you love it, don't you?" He began tickling her, and pulled the
towel off her body and threw it to the floor as he bent his head and suckled
one lovely breast.
"I do, indeed," she said as she removed the towel from his waist and
stroked his growing erection. They tussled with each other, petting and
pleasuring each other joyfully.
"We're going to have to quit this if we want to do anything else
tonight," he finally told her, breathlessly.
"I know. It's just so wonderful to be able to be with you without
any fear, and to know our child is growing inside me."
"Yes," was all he said as he held her body against his and kissed
her. When they parted, they gazed deeply into one another's eyes and rose
together to dress.
They took a taxi into town. Nick had booked them into the Selfridge
Hotel in the West End near the theaters. The Selfridge was a new, quite
luxurious hotel, moderately expensive, with all of the amenities one
expected in a large, cosmopolitan city. Natalie was suitably impressed, and
grew even more so when she saw the affectionate deference with which her
husband was treated. The staff were especially attentive when they learned
that she was Nick's new wife.
"So glad to have you with us Mrs. Knight! Mr. Knight has been a
welcome guest over the years. It's gratifying to see him so happily wed.
We hope your stay will be a pleasant one," the desk clerk told them.
"Mr. Knight, Mrs. Knight, so happy to have you with us again, sir.
So pleased to meet you Mrs. Knight," the bellboy said, as he ushered them to
their suite. "If there's anything you need, sir, just let us know." He
opened the drapes and the French doors. "It's a lovely evening, sir. Would
you and Mrs. Knight like a drink on the balcony?"
"Yes, thank you, Terrence. A bottle of non-alcoholic champagne, if
you would, please." Nick slipped him a sizable tip.
"I'll send room service up with it right away, sir. Good evening,
Mrs. Knight."
"Well, I see you make friends everywhere you go."
"It never hurts to be kind to people," Nick replied.
"It's more than that, love. You genuinely care for people, and it
shows. It's one of the reasons I love you so much." Natalie reached up and
kissed him gently. Then she turned and began to unpack the bags the bellboy
had placed on the luggage racks. "How long will we be in London?"
"Four days. We go on to Edinburgh on Wednesday evening. We'll have
a house to ourselves there. We're going to Sotheby's for an auction on
Tuesday. I thought we'd do our chores for Jules at the British Museum on
Monday. Tonight is a free night. We go to ÔBeauty and the Beast' tomorrow
night, ÔHamlet' on Monday, and ÔThe Phantom' on Tuesday."
"Whew, we're going to be busy! Do I get Nick Knight's evening tour
of London tonight?"
"The short version, at least."
A knock sounded at the door, "Room service," a voice announced.
"That must be the champagne."
When Nick opened the door, however, there was more than champagne on
the cart which the waiter wheeled into the room and out to the balcony. A
beautiful spread of fresh fruits, cheeses, breads, and hors d'oeuvres was
laid out on a silver platter together with a magnum of non-alcoholic
champagne, perfectly chilled, in a matching silver bucket.
"Compliments of the management, sir. Congratulations on your
marriage!"
"How lovely!" Natalie exclaimed.
The waiter held a chair for Natalie then seated Nick opposite her as
he popped the cork on the champagne and poured each of them a glassful. He
replaced the bottle in the bucket of ice. "Have a pleasant evening."
Nick tipped the waiter generously. "Please tell everyone how very
pleased we are. This was extremely thoughtful."
The waiter beamed and bowed himself out of the door.
"This is just delightful!" Natalie exclaimed.
The evening was beautiful, just beginning to be a bit chilly. Nick
went inside and brought out one of Natalie's light jackets for her. They
relaxed, drank their champagne, nibbled at the food, and indulged in light,
pleasant conversation. Later they dressed for a night on the town and went
out for dinner, dancing, night clubbing, and sight-seeing. It was early
morning before they returned and dropped, exhausted, into the bed. The next
few days were spent in a whirlwind of celebration broken only by the two
pieces of business Nick had told Natalie they needed to accomplish. Each
night they attended a play, dined at an elegant restaurant, danced, or
toured London by air or hansom cab. Every activity they shared was spiced
with their heady enjoyment of each other's company.
As Nick and Natalie celebrated in London, Jules and Janette were
deftly spying on the competition in Toronto. From Nick's rooftop they had
established their own observation platform. Janette had contacted LaCroix,
and several other old friends, and acquired a very thorough and intimidating
array of automated electronic surveillance equipment. They had let the
experts set up and camouflage the equipment, which provided a direct cable
feed to Nick's entertainment center. Nick's couch provided a comfortable
vantage point from which they could relax and watch or tape the antics of
the competition.
"What's the point in wasting our time staring at them when we can
find far more interesting ways to spend our time," Janette had commented to
Jules. She had rifled Nick's CD collection for just the right music. Jules
had ordered a very special vintage from Jean-Claude, and they were
thoroughly engrossed in each other, when they heard simultaneous attempts to
enter the loft at the main door on the street and the roof access.
"They must be terminally stupid to try to break in to a vampire's
home with sheer brute force." Janette observed as she rose and headed for
the roof while Jules descended in the lift. Both attempts at breaking and
entering abruptly ceased before either Jules or Janette could reach their
destination. Each returned to the couch.
"They must just be feeling us out," Jules noted.
"Indeed," Janette agreed, "But it is terribly inconvenient."
"Terribly," Jules commented as he gathered her into his arms for
another kiss.
Across the street two vampires rendezvoused in the observation post.
"It's confirmed," one of them spoke into a cell phone. "There are two
vampires in Knight's loft."
"Good," came the reply. "He must have brought her across. I didn't
think Knight would be able to resist. Follow them to the airport when they
leave for their flight Monday just to be sure."
"Will do, boss."
"Well, we still have until Monday to finish this stake out. I don't
think it will go on much longer. The boss figures he brought her across."
His companion nodded and returned to his telescope. The two figures in the
loft were indulging in typical newlywed vampire behavior. At least he
wouldn't be bored.

[End Chapter 1 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations]

Chapter 2 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations

On Monday, in the early evening, Nick rented a car. He and Natalie
drove to the British Museum where they had an appointment with the night
curator. Later they were to attend ÔHamlet,' then finish their night with a
late supper.
The museum was constructing several new galleries, and the Egyptian
display was being radically changed. Several items were being sold by the
museum. It was this that had attracted Jules' interest. There were several
pieces of jewelry and items of occult significance which were being
eliminated from the London collection. In addition, Jules had discovered
that a sarcophagus, identified as that of an obscure priest named Ka-Ha, was
up for sale. Several other artifacts from the same tomb, which had recently
been disturbed by tomb robbers, had appeared on the market. The British
Museum, while not directly interested, was brokering the sale for the
government of Egypt.
The notoriety of the recent discovery of the head of one of the tomb
robbers in a local Toronto nightclub had convinced the Royal Ontario
Museum's board of directors that acquiring these artifacts might draw more
public interest to the museum. Any increase in the number of visitors to
the Egyptian exhibit would generate needed funds for the museum. The
deBrabant Foundation had offered to purchase these artifacts to place in the
museum's Egyptian collection. The Board was delighted to accept the
Foundation's offer.
"Cyril! How nice to see you again." Nick greeted the night curator
like an old friend.
"It's been a while since we worked on that dig together, Nick. It's
good to see you. Who is this lovely young lady?"
"Cyril, this is Natalie, my wife." Natalie extended her hand and
Cyril shook it.
"Your wife!? This is indeed an honor, milady." A strange
expression passed over his face as he released Natalie's hand.
"Thank you, Cyril. Just call me Natalie." Natalie was not
surprised to find that the London curator was also a vampire. But she was
surprised that she liked him on sight. He was a small, wiry, keen-eyed
person, quite unlike other friends of Nick's she had met. She extended her
new senses and decided she not only liked Cyril, he could be trusted. Cyril
was having similar thoughts about Natalie as he shook her hand. He was a
bit surprised to find that Nick's lady was human. But when he touched her,
he experienced a connection with her that was quite different from the
usual. < Nick's wife is truly unique!>
"Nick, I think you'll be pleased at the collection we've been able
to put together for the Royal Ontario Museum." Cyril continued smoothly.
"Come look at what we'll be shipping. We're just getting it all properly
packed." He extolled the virtues of the variety of artifacts he was
preparing, as he led them into an exhibit storage and preparation area. He
paused before a bench where a variety of jewelry, statuary, and canopic jars
were assembled ready to be packed into waiting cases, marked with the
Toronto address of the museum. Tomb furniture stood adjacent to the
workbench.
Natalie gasped and exclaimed, "Nick, do you see that necklace? It's
glowing!"
Nick turned to her questioningly, "What do you mean, Nat?"
"That large necklace in the center of the layout," Natalie pointed
at a large scapular collar. "It's glowing."
"I can't see that." Nick reached for the necklace, but Natalie
pushed his hand out of the way.
"No, Nick, don't touch it. It's poisonous! Do you have a pair of
rubber gloves?" she asked Cyril.
Cyril just stared at her, curiously, for a moment, then he turned
and handed her a box of surgical gloves he had obviously been using to
prepare the exhibit. Natalie pushed the box at Nick and said, "Here, use
these. I know you're not used to being vulnerable to poison, but this stuff
is lethal. Don't ask how I know. I just do."
"She's right," Cyril asserted. "We don't know what the substance
coating this necklace is, but it is lethal. We've had one accident already.
It killed one of the other curator's cats. It's from the Ka-Ha tomb. It
was found in an empty sarcophagus next to the one we're sending to Toronto.
The empty sarcophagus contained only this scapular, no mummy, but it has an
exquisite design on the inside of the lid, the symbol of Ra. Although it's
a particularly fine piece, we hadn't planned to send it to Toronto."
Nick gasped as his eyes met Natalie's, "That sounds like Divia's!"
"LaCroix would be the only one who would know for sure, wouldn't
he?"
"Yes. Analyzing this substance might help us understand what
happened to make Divia what she was, if this was hers. May we take this
with us, Cyril?"
"You're the buyer, Nick. You can take anything you want. Do you
want us to catalog this for the museum, or will you keep it?"
"I think I'd better keep it. It's too dangerous to leave unguarded.
Thanks, Cyril." Cyril packed the necklace securely and handed the box to
Nick. Both were careful to use the gloves Natalie had insisted upon.
"Cyril, instead of my taking this out of here, could you mail it to this
address?" Natalie's eyebrows rose as she looked a question at Nick. "I'm
sending it to Jules. He'll know what to do with it." Nick began to write a
short note, but Natalie stopped him.
"No, Nick. Don't send it to Jules. Let me ship it to Angus at
Edinburgh. We could work on it together." Nick hesitated, and Natalie
plunged on, "Please, Nick, I'm dying to analyze this thing!"
"All right, Nat. It's your call."
"Natalie, when you said you would send it to Angus at Edinburgh, did
you mean Dr. Angus Beaton?" Cyril asked.
"Yes, do you know him?"
"I've never actually met him. But we send a lot of our oddball
discoveries up to him when we're really stumped. He's one of the most
gifted forensic pathologists in the United Kingdom. I'm impressed that you
work with him. I'd be very pleased to send this to him. I'll send it up
with a note to expect you."
Nick beamed proudly at Natalie. "Natalie is a very gifted
pathologist herself, Cyril. Back home she has a truly excellent
professional reputation."
"What was your maiden name, Natalie?" Cyril asked.
"Lambert."
"You're Dr. Natalie Lambert!? I should have known. Thank you for
your work on that plague. Although we didn't have an large outbreak here,
it was a near thing. Travel nowadays is too easy, and disease travels fast.
We were extremely grateful a cure was found so quickly." Cyril told her.
"I didn't realize it had reached here!" Nick exclaimed.
"It did. But that's old news. And I have a bit more ancient
history to share with you." Cyril set the package with the necklace aside
and led them into an adjoining area where a sarcophagus was standing. "This
is Ka-Ha, a priest, but we're not sure which god he worshipped."
As they approached the mummy case, Natalie drew back in alarm and
disgust. "My God, Cyril, that thing is evil, disgusting, malevolent!
Someone should destroy it."
Nick was taken aback by Natalie's vehement assertion, and by the
reek he had noticed upon entering the room. It seemed to be the same dismal
smell he had associated with Divia and the victims of Harris Lash. He
gestured at the sarcophagus. "Has anyone had a reason to open this case?"
he asked.
"No, and for my part, I'd just as soon not open it." Cyril told him.
"Natalie's right. That thing gives me the willies. Someone went to a lot
of trouble, a long time ago, to seal it shut. It has multiple lead seals.
We X-rayed it. There are, as usual, a series of nested boxes around the
mummy. Not one of them is simply fitted together. They're all sealed
tightly. The mummy has the usual amount of fetishes and talismans wrapped
in the linen, but the head has been placed at its feet. Someone really
wanted to make sure he wouldn't resurrect. Nick, was he a vampire?"
"We think so. LaCroix believes he was the one responsible for
bringing Divia, LaCroix's daughter, across."
"Well, someone evidently objected to his existence. He's well and
truly dead now, I should think."
"Let's all hope so."
"Divia managed to resurrect after being decapitated. She caused
major destruction in the Toronto Community," Natalie observed.
"Nat's right. You never want to meet anything like Divia, Cyril!"
Nick continued vehemently.
"The hieroglyphics around Ka-Ha's cartouche contain a warning not to
disturb the burial. And it's far more dire in its content than the usual.
Try to convince your people on the other side of the pond not to examine the
mummy with more than X-ray. I know it isn't fashionable to put stock in the
beliefs of ancient religions, but we all know there's more truth in the
occult than the average human would believe. "
"Let's get him packed and shipped. The sooner the better. We don't
want to provide an opportunity for anyone to waylay him. There are those
who'd prefer to see him revived." Nick asserted.
Cyril shivered and commented, "There are some things that shouldn't
see the light of day, or night, again."
"Nick, do you have to keep it intact? Didn't you and LaCroix
finally have to burn Divia's remains to be sure she didn't revive? Do you
really want to risk having Ka-Ha regenerate? Isn't there some other
sarcophagus you could acquire for the museum?" Natalie asked.
"We have the empty sarcophagus you think might have been Divia's,"
Cyril noted. "And we do have other priests' mummies from an adjoining
burial of the same period."
"You could do a switch, Nick. I'd feel a lot safer. This thing is
evil. It's dangerous. And it feels simply.... filthy, vile, obscene."
Natalie shivered as she spoke.
"The museum would get the same quality for their exhibit," Cyril
insisted.
"My only concern is that the museum should get what the Foundation
is paying for. But letting this thing continue to exist seems wrong to me,
too. All right then, I'll certainly feel better about it. But how do we
get rid of Ka-Ha safely?"
"We have a large incinerator in the basement that's used for
artifact disposal when something is too damaged to exhibit. We can use
that, and we can do it right now," Cyril suggested.
"Okay, let's do it." The two vampires maneuvered a dolly under the
sarcophagus and between them began to wheel it down the hall to the freight
elevator. Natalie trailed them, nervously peering into every dark corner.
They made it into the freight elevator and rode down to the basement
uneventfully. Within an hour they had reduced Ka-Ha and his sarcophagus to
fine ash in the British Museum's very efficient incinerator. "Well, that's
done!" Nick exclaimed. "That was a very expensive bonfire."
"It's only money, Nick. I sure feel better," Natalie asserted
forcefully. "How about you, Cyril?"
"I'm thoroughly satisfied. That thing made me very nervous. Now
let's go upstairs and put together a really good exhibit for the Royal
Ontario Museum!"
"They want something that will bring in lots of visitors. What
could we do to create a really dramatic display?" Nick asked as they made
their way back to the exhibit preparation area. Cyril had some ideas about
special lighting for some of the artifacts. And he suggested a multi-media
show to explain the period and the significance of each of the displayed
items. After placing another priest's mummy in the replacement
sarcophagus, Nick declared himself satisfied with Cyril's exhibit. He
signed the necessary papers to complete the sale for the Foundation, and he
and Natalie left to finish their evening as planned.
As they drove toward the Barbicon Theatre, Nick slipped his arm
around Natalie and cuddled her close. "I knew you were an impressive lady,
Nat. But I didn't realize you had an international reputation. I'm proud
of you."
"I'm glad you're impressed. You should be," she teased.
"There's just one problem," Nick told her. He glanced at her and
very soberly said. "This is supposed to be our honeymoon. You're turning
this trip into a busman's holiday."
"Hey, you! You're the one who set me up to visit with Angus. And
you planned that tour of the police lab, and those medical lectures during
the science festival. Don't grump at me about busman's holidays!"
Nick grinned hugely at his successful needling. Natalie just
punched him in the arm, then snuggled up to him again. The rest of their
evening was spent enjoying ÔHamlet' and a late supper. But after they
settled back into their suite at the Selfridge, Nick asked Natalie to join
him on the couch. "Let's just sit and talk for awhile, Nat. I need to
ask you something." His very serious manner concerned her.
"What's wrong, Nick?"
"Can you tell me what you felt at the museum this evening? I didn't
see the malevolence or the poison that you did. I did notice a rotten
smell, and I felt a sense of despair. It's disturbing to have these
feelings coming at you. I thought we should share our impressions."
"Well," Natalie paused to gather her thoughts. Her newest sensory
ability disturbed her, too. She'd hoped that he hadn't noticed just how
much it bothered her. "It was just as I described to you and Cyril. When I
looked at that necklace, I could see it glowing. It was a greenish color.
It almost smoked. It also made me feel, sense, something poisonous. I just
knew no one should touch it. I didn't know if it would affect a vampire,
but I wasn't willing to take a chance with your life. I'm assuming this is
one of the new senses that Jules told me I might develop. Can vampires
sense such things?"
Nick tried to be very calm and completely honest in his answer. He
knew she was upset. She'd been unable to completely relax during their
evening. He wanted very much to allay her fears, but her new sense was
beyond his own very broad experience. And he knew she would resent it
deeply if he tried to protect her by not telling her the entire truth.
"I've never experienced anything like what you describe. Vampires
can sense each other. We can tell if another has been in a room before us.
We can see across a far wider spectrum. Our hearing is very acute. The
normal human senses, all of them, are enhanced. When we take another's
blood, we experience, vicariously, their entire life. While we're under the
influence of the blood, we relive that life completely, intensely. But the
encounter is brief and fades quickly. Now that I am changing, I can sense
others' intentions and feelings, as you can. And we both experience each
other very intimately through our new link. But what you saw and felt
tonight is not an ability I am familiar with. I'm sorry I can't be more
helpful."
"I don't know what it is either, Nick. But it sure would be useful
in my profession. It would make it a lot easier to narrow down the lethal
agent in a body or a crime scene. Maybe it's a combination of enhanced
senses and my training in forensic pathology. When I see something unusual,
I analyze it. I look for patterns of evidence. And when I saw Ka-Ha's
sarcophagus," Natalie shivered.
"What did you see when you looked at it, Nat?"
"It radiated a dim, misty light. It was gray, dismal. And the mist
writhed. The mist had an oily consistency and a feeling of evil. If it
hadn't felt so very wrong, I would have wanted to investigate it. And there
were certain places both inside and outside the sarcophagus that seemed to
be the focus points for the light it emanated. I would have taken samples
from those places." She shivered again.
"To me, it smelled rotten, like old mildew and rank meat. I felt
and smelled something similar when I was on that last case. When I got near
that building where the demonologist was holding those children, I smelled
and felt the same thing. But it was just a general impression, nothing so
detailed as what you're describing."
"I'm very glad we destroyed that thing."
"Me too," Nick said. "Are you keeping a journal as Jules
suggested?"
"Yes, I have been. I plan a detailed entry on this. Come on, Nick.
Let's forget about this for a while and just enjoy being together. It's
nearly dawn."
Nick didn't have to be asked twice. He gathered her into his arms
and kissed her. He could feel her relaxing as he held her. He was very
glad he had acted on his concern and spoken to Natalie. They didn't worry
about anything else for the rest of the day.

[End Chapter 2 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations]

Chapter 3 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations

In Toronto, as Nick and Natalie enjoyed their late supper, Jules and
Janette were parking Nick's caddy at the airport. It was chilly in Toronto,
and they had driven to the airport with the convertible top up. They
crossed the parking lot, entered the terminal, and headed for the British
Airlines counter. They canceled Nick and Natalie's previous reservations
and returned to the car to head back to the loft. They had made sure that
they were followed. They were interested to see what would happen next.
They didn't have long to wait. As Jules drove in a leisurely
fashion out of the parking lot and paid the attendant, Janette kept a watch
out the rear window. She and Jules were pretty sure that, only after they
had walked across the lot to the terminal and back, had their watchers
gotten a good look at them and found that they were not, after all, Nick and
Natalie. Janette chuckled as she watched their two observers frantically
racing to their car from opposite directions, comparing notes, grabbing for
a cell phone, and jumping into their car to follow the caddy back to the
loft.
"What's so funny, Janette?" Jules asked.
"Our pursuers. They just realized who we weren't. You would not
believe the gyrations they are performing. It's really extremely
entertaining."
"Good. Wearing those wigs was really uncomfortable, but it sure
kept them happy through the weekend."
"I rather enjoyed our little theatrical adventure," Janette
commented. "Do you suppose there'll be repercussions for their inattention
to detail?"
"I'm sure of it. Yves isn't tolerant of mistakes. But I wouldn't
waste any time worrying over them. He has plenty of henchmen to replace
them."
"I assumed as much. What do you think we should do next?"
"I think Yves will be regrouping for a while. He's going to have to
retrace Nick and Natalie's trail. We may have visitors later. This time
they'll try to break into the loft in earnest. We'll probably need those
reinforcements. LaCroix and the others will be waiting for us at the loft."
"Then let's get there as soon as possible."
"Just what I had planned," Jules answered as he increased his speed
and began a series of maneuvers designed to lose those tailing them. His
strategy worked well, and they were soon back at the loft. As they stepped
out of the lift, LaCroix, the Inca, and the Inca's friends were there to
greet them.
"Anything new while we were gone?" Jules asked LaCroix.
"They're scurrying about like very busy little worker bees, but they
don't seem to be getting anywhere. They've been reviewing their video
tapes. Several phone calls have flown back and forth between them and their
headquarters. They've decided that they've been deceived. They're very
upset about it." LaCroix smiled.
"Have they found out where Nicolas and Natalie are?" Janette asked.
"Not yet. They think they are still here, and that they have simply
canceled their trip. What they don't understand is how Nicholas discovered
their surveillance. I believe they've forgotten that he's not only a
vampire, but an excellent detective. The whole idea of spying on him was
ridiculous in the first place."
"It looks as though they've decided to stage an assault," the Inca
asserted from his position in front of the television.
"Indeed it does," LaCroix agreed as he turned toward the picture on
the large television screen in Nick's entertainment center. Caught by the
rooftop surveillance equipment, several pairs of men, some of them vampires,
had fanned out from the entrance and the roof of the building across the
street and were approaching the warehouse building from different
directions. "Let's take up the positions we rehearsed earlier. Janette,
please guard the lift door here. Jules, would you man the street entrance?
We have the rest of the access points covered."
Janette and Jules took up their posts as LaCroix and the others left
to confront the advancing interlopers. Within a very few minutes the
attempted invasion was quashed quietly and efficiently. Each of the
would-be invaders had been collected and brought to the main entrance of
Nick's building. LaCroix held one very cowed vampire tightly by the throat
and informed him, "My family is not to be trifled with nor harassed by the
likes of you. Your boss," LaCroix sneered, "must find some other form of
entertainment, if he wishes to continue his current existence undisturbed."
When LaCroix released his captive, all of Yves' minions scurried away,
seemingly sufficiently cowed.
"That will give us a bit of time. But they'll be back. Yves is not
the sort to give up easily." Jules noted. "I've observed his actions for
years."
"So I understand. Ever since he engineered the death of your
master," LaCroix observed.
"Yes, ever since then," Jules agreed.
"Yves killed your master?!," Janette gasped, "Why haven't the
Enforcers taken care of him?"
"He did not kill him directly. He implied his guilt to a tribunal
bent on witch hunting. You know what that was like. He didn't die easily.
They burnt him," Jules told her bitterly. Everyone present shuddered.
"He will not choose an open confrontation again. We must anticipate
other strategies," LaCroix rejoined.
"I believe that this time he's confronted a force he shouldn't
have," Jules asserted. He looked significantly at LaCroix.
"Let's get back upstairs. We need to find out what they're
planning next." LaCroix said as he led their reentry into the loft where
they resumed their counter surveillance of Yves' team.
As the morning advanced in Toronto, it was late afternoon in London.
Nick awoke first. He arose quietly, called and confirmed their appointment
with Sotheby's, showered, dressed, and had a light snack waiting when
Natalie finally awakened an hour later. She stretched sleepily and reached
for Nick. When she didn't find him, she started up, only to discover him
hovering above her with a bed table in his hands.
"What's this?" Natalie demanded.
"Your breakfast. We have an auction to attend before the play
tonight. I didn't want you to get too hungry before supper." He placed the
table over her lap then reached behind her to arrange her pillows
comfortably. He stole a quick kiss before allowing her to begin to eat.
"Now hurry up. We don't want to be late to the auction."
"What are you buying this time?"
"Oh, just some antiques."
"What kind of antiques, Nick?"
"It's called the Sinclair collection. It includes several items
from the period of the Crusades which were owned by a knight named
Sinclair."
"You knew him, didn't you?"
"Actually, we rescued him, Jules, Yves, and I." Natalie urged him
to continue his story while she ate. "He was being attacked by a troop of
Saracens. He had been sent by his commander to the Templar commandery with
a warning about enemy activity in the area, and, apparently, he and they had
converged upon the enemy. Several of the Templars had already been killed
when we rode up. They had been ambushed. We intervened and managed to help
them kill or drive off the remaining Saracens. In the skirmish my sword and
Sinclair's were mixed up. We rode off to our respective garrisons, each
with the other's sword in our scabbards. We intended to exchange them, but
never managed to meet again before he was called home."
"I'd always thought my sword was lost. But Sotheby's notified the
Foundation a few weeks ago that they had found a sword in the Sinclair
collection with the de Brabant family crest embossed on the hilt. They were
setting up an auction for the Sinclair estate. They asked if the Foundation
would like to bid on the sword. I still have Sinclair's sword. I thought,
when we went up to Scotland, I would donate it to Rosslyn Chapel. His
family transferred his remains there after it was built. It would have
pleased him. He was a devout knight."
"What a romantic story!" Natalie exclaimed. "At least this time
you'll be able to buy what you want, and you won't have to resort to theft."
Natalie said, remembering the events surrounding Nick's acquisition of the
Celtic harp.
"I may buy it, but, I'm not sure I can even touch that sword. It
has a holy relic embedded inside the hilt," Nick told her.
"We'll see," Natalie smiled at him. "You've changed, too, you
know."
It had taken some soul searching, but she had accepted her new
senses. Now she used them to analyze Nick. She reviewed her memories and
realized that she had been able to sense Nick's mental and emotional state
from the first time he had bitten her. Each time they made love and he took
her blood, that sense had intensified. She could see huge changes in him,
especially since his confession about Marburg's death. She understood now
what LaCroix had meant when he referred to the guilt surrounding Nick.
Natalie could sense that guilt was almost completely erased. And she could
not find the evil with which Nick insisted he was infested.
"Perhaps," Nick's slight smile suddenly drooped.
"Come on, Nick, don't go angsty on me now! Take this table away, so
I can get up and get dressed." Nick did so, and Natalie sprang out of bed.
An hour later they arrived at Sotheby's. Nick presented his
invitation, was issued his bidding number, and they were ushered into one of
the smaller salons. A tense air of hushed expectancy hovered over the room.
Natalie had watched episodes of ÔLovejoy' and had wondered just how faithful
they were to the world of antique dealing. Judging by this room, the
settings and the look of the crowd had been accurately portrayed. Most of
the people in the room wore elegant, fashionable clothing in quietly
understated colors. Nick had told her that most of those present were
dealers for the upscale antique salons or secretaries to nobility.
"And what do they think you are?" Natalie had asked him.
"Just a business representative for the Foundation," he had
answered.
Nick chose seats for them toward the back of the room. He quietly
explained the auction procedure to her. Natalie was impressed once again at
the immense knowledge and experience he had managed to acquire over his
lifetime. She would forever be in awe of his many and varied abilities. It
was continually intriguing and often intimidating. But his calm and
confident manner, and perfectly sincere enjoyment of whatever experience he
was sharing, disarmed her.
He enjoyed being able to share his knowledge with her. Having
Natalie as a friend and confidante had been a unique experience for him. No
other human had learned as much about him and his life as she had. And when
their friendship had begun to ripen into love, he had feared that they would
lose the companionship they had developed. Indeed he had been terrified
that he would lose Natalie to his deepest desire, to possess her completely.
To have her here with him now, sharing yet another thing he had found
fascinating in his lifetime, was fulfilling in a way he had never imagined.
He reached out to her through their link as he reached for her hand. She
was there to meet him! She smiled at him, and he thought his heart would
jump out of his chest.
The auctioneer entered the room and began his introduction, which
interrupted their mutual admiration. The Sinclair collection contained far
more than the sword that was Nick's major focus. A great deal of silver,
several paintings, a few objets d' art, and some jewelry were among the
items the family had decided to put up for auction. Nick had explained to
Natalie that modern nobility often had to part with treasures from earlier
ages to meet their tax obligations. It was a constant battle for survival.
Many families had been reduced to selling their entire estates in order to
pay the amounts due to the government upon the demise of the head of the
family. This was the ultimate sacrifice, as titles were often connected to
land once granted to the family by the crown, and the titles had to be sold
along with the property. Lucky was the noble family whose elder child held
a job lucrative enough to allow him or her to hold onto family lands and
titles. Nick's family had long ago lost that battle.
The bidding was lively, and Nick bid on several items other than the
sword. He purchased a portrait of a nineteenth century Sinclair chief in
full highland regalia. When the sword, itself, came up for auction, Natalie
felt his excitement soar. But she noticed his face betrayed the same quiet
interest with which he had bid all evening. He had some stiff competition
from one woman on the other side of the room who, Nick had told her,
collected antique weaponry. He managed to acquire the sword for an amount
Natalie found rather outrageous. But, she reflected, he really didn't have
to worry about his budget.
The auctioneer moved on to other items, and Natalie felt Nick relax
beside her. Several pieces later, Nick tensed. He had recognized two
brooches he had never expected were still in existence. Beside him, he felt
Natalie's interest rise. He turned his head and saw her eyes were fixed on
the brooches; they fairly gleamed with anticipation. He caught her eye and
nodded toward the auctioneer's table. She nodded eagerly. Nick bid a
modest amount, as did some others in the room, and he wound up acquiring
them for less than the auctioneer, obviously, thought they were worth.
A short while later the auction ended. Nick concluded the sale with
the auction house's representative. Natalie carried the two brooches as
they walked back to the car. Nick had asked Sotheby's to ship both the
sword and the painting to the deBrabant Foundation office in Edinburgh.
"What attracted you to those brooches?" Nick asked Natalie when they
returned to the car and settled in the front seat.
"They're beautiful, and they have an aura of peace about them," she
answered.
"They should. They were blessed by our family priest."
"Your family's priest!?" Natalie exclaimed. "How did Sinclair get
them?"
"I had them made for his wedding. That was why he was called home.
His father was forging an important alliance with another family. I wanted
him to have a remembrance of his time in the Holy Land. I wasn't even sure
he had ever received them. Communications were very poor at the time. I
never actually saw the brooches. I commissioned them. When I returned home
to visit my sister, she showed me a drawing of the finished work the jeweler
had made. She had made all the arrangements for me."
"And you're sure these are the same brooches? They're certainly in
wonderful condition."
"I imagine the family had them repaired over time. Open the box.
Let's see what we've bought."
Natalie opened the box. "Oh," she gasped, "they're even lovelier
than I'd thought." She looked down at the two silver brooches nestled in
their cotton packing. Both were circular in design with a cross spanning
the center. The arms of the cross flared as they met the circular
perimeter, and a geometric bas relief design embellished the surface. One
cabochon garnet rested at the junction of each cross. The design was simple
and graceful. One brooch was twice the size of the other.
"The larger brooch was intended for him and the smaller for his
bride," Nick told her. "Would you like to wear one?"
Natalie looked down at the burgundy colored suit she was wearing.
"You know, it would look good on this outfit!" Nick held out the box to
her. But Natalie said, "You pin it on. I want it on the lapel."
"Nat, I'm not sure I can."
"Nick, I know you can, and I'm going to prove it to you. Now, hand
me the box. I'll hold it while you fasten the brooch." Slowly and
reluctantly Nick reached for the smaller brooch. He thoroughly expected to
have his fingers singed. But when he picked it up, he felt only the cool
metal. He looked up at Nat with a huge smile on his face. Then he turned
over the brooch, freed the pin from the simple catch and fastened it
securely to Natalie's lapel.
"There now, that wasn't so bad was it?" Natalie grinned at him.
"I was sure it would burn me, especially now I've been feeding on
human blood again."
"But that isn't the only thing you eat now. And you haven't
complained about craving blood for some time. You're changing Nick. Both
of us are."
"I didn't know I'd changed that much."
"I bet you'll be able to hold your family sword after all. Holy
relic and all."
"I'm looking forward to trying." Nick grinned as he started the car
and headed for Her Majesty's Theatre and what the critics were calling an
outstanding performance of ÔPhantom of the Opera.'
When they returned to the hotel after the play and supper, a message
was waiting for them at the front desk. "It's from Cyril. He wants us to
call him at the museum, immediately," Nick told Natalie.
"Uh oh, I sure hope it isn't bad news."
Nick placed the call to Cyril as soon as they reached their room.
Natalie couldn't tell from Nick's end of the conversation what had happened,
except that it was not good news. Cyril did most of the talking. As soon
as Nick rang off, Natalie begged him to tell her what had happened.
"There was a break-in at the museum. They trashed the entire
exhibition that was to have been sent to Toronto. They stole the mummy.
Cyril will have to refurbish and repack everything. It will be at least a
week before he can attempt redelivery."
"What about Divia's necklace? Did they get that?"
"Luckily, he'd already sent that to Edinburgh. Nothing seems to be
missing, except the mummy. Cyril has another to replace it. There were
several anonymous priests buried in that other tomb. Nat, do you suppose
whoever did this thinks they have Ka-Ha and will try to reanimate him?"
"Seems like a reasonable assumption to me. I'm sure glad we got rid
of him."
"Me too, Divia was enough to cope with. I'd sure hate to meet her
master. And I'm beginning to think I'm very glad that only we and Cyril
know we destroyed Ka-Ha's mummy." Natalie shivered as Nick continued,
"LaCroix said that Divia complained about the symbol of Ra in the top of her
sarcophagus burning her. Maybe, if they can't revive that mummy, they'll
attribute their failure to Ra."
"I sure hope so. They hate us already. Giving them another reason
to hate us seems like overkill," Natalie said. "I'm dying to find out what
the coating is on that necklace."
"You'll be able to soon. We leave for Edinburgh tomorrow evening."
"I'll call Angus as soon as we get there and get settled."
"Are you planning on spending the rest of our honeymoon analyzing
Divia's necklace?"
"Not the entire honeymoon."
"But a good deal of it, if I know you," Nick chuckled in her ear as
he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. Neither of them
concerned themselves about museum break-ins, missing mummies, or poisoned
necklaces for several hours.

[End Chapter 3 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations]

Chapter 4 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations

The next evening Nick and Natalie repacked their bags, checked out
of the hotel, and drove to Heathrow, where they returned the rental car
before boarding their flight. Within the hour they were on the ground in
Edinburgh, picked up their luggage and another rental car, and headed for
Newbank House. The self-catering house Nick had arranged for them was an
1840's coachhouse with three bedrooms, a private garden, and private
parking. It was located near the old Leith harbor within a mile of
Edinburgh University and Edinburgh Castle, north of the city center. They
checked in with the manager at an adjacent hotel and picked up the keys.
They were greeted with pleasant, quiet courtesy, and shown where to park,
then led to the house. The manager assured them that they would have
complete privacy, and wished them a pleasant stay. They were to be sure and
see him if anything was not to their satisfaction, or if they needed help
finding anything in Edinburgh.
As soon as the manager had taken his leave, Natalie rifled her
overnight bag for her personal phone directory and placed her call to Angus.
She was dying to find out if he had received the necklace in good condition,
and wanted to meet with him as soon as possible. While Natalie was on the
phone, Nick carried the bags up to the bedroom, unpacked the luggage, then
checked the kitchen to be sure the supplies he had ordered had arrived. The
management supplied linens and kitchen equipment, but food was the
responsibility of the tenant. Everything he had ordered had been placed in
the refrigerator or pantry. Sitting in the center of the pantry there was a
large refrigerated crate marked "medical supplies" which Nick knew contained
his own refreshment. The pantry's shelves were stocked with the food
staples that needed no refrigeration. He decided to unpack the crate and
place the bottles in the refrigerator. When he finished, he made a plate of
sandwiches and took them, two bottles, and two glasses into the living room
and settled himself onto the couch. When Natalie entered the room a few
minutes later, he was relaxing and listening to quiet music emanating from a
stereo system in one corner.
"Angus says he got the necklace OK. He hasn't started work on it.
He knew I'd want to be involved when he got Cyril's note. He says we should
come to the lab tonight. He's working late, and he wants to meet you. I'm
not tired, and we don't have anywhere else to be."
"And you can't leave a mystery unsolved! Would you like something
to eat before we leave."
"Maybe a quick sandwich." Natalie noticed the plate of food sitting
on the coffee table in front of the couch. "You've already made some!
Thank you, Nick."
"I knew you wouldn't want to wait to get to work, and I was getting
hungry, so I figured you would be too. Would you like a glass of wine to
wash it down?"
"Wine?" Natalie asked.
"Non-alcoholic of course," Nick replied.
"Yes, thank you. It shouldn't take long to make up the samples from
the necklace. I think we'll know something about the substance before we
come home." Natalie observed between bites of sandwich. "What will we do
tomorrow evening?"
"I thought we'd take a walking tour of Edinburgh Castle by night.
It's not the standard tourist fare, but then, we're not the standard
tourists."
"That sounds like fun! What about the Science Festival?"
"All the lectures and tours I booked are for next week. We have the
weekend to wander around the countryside or hang out with Angus if you want.
After the whirlwind in London, I thought you might enjoy some quiet time."
"You were right, I am glad to have some quiet time. Angus asked if
we'd like to meet his family. He asked us to dinner on Saturday. I said
Ôyes,' is that all right with you?"
"Of course it is. I can eat enough now to pass for normal at a
dinner party, I think. And I'd love to get to know more of your friends.
You know, Natalie, I don't really know very much about your personal life.
You know more about me, I think."
"I didn't have a very exciting personal life, until I met you. I
think that's kind of par for the course for a doctor. Work always seems to
intrude on obligations to friends and family. Most of my friends are
coworkers."
"But that wasn't always true, was it?" Nick asked shrewdly, trying
to give her an opening to talk about herself. She was an extremely private
person, as he had, perforce, become to cope with his lifestyle. He
wondered why his sweet, loving, passionate wife was so reluctant to discuss
her past.
"No, but things change when you graduate from medical school." She
refused to comment further, and Nick knew he would get no more from her.
Through their link he felt a tense hesitancy that warned him to tread
softly. They finished their supper, cleaned up the dishes, and headed for
the university's forensic pathology lab.
Dr. Angus Beaton was hunched over a microscope when they arrived.
He was quite average in height, slightly built, with a tousled mop of curly
black hair, slightly thinning on top, and a full, bushy black beard. He was
concentrating so fiercely that Natalie had to tap him on the shoulder to
arouse him. But when he turned and recognized her, his face was
transfigured from a solemn expression to one of unadulterated joy. His
brown eyes crinkled up with glee and his round cherry cheeks and wide smile
made him look like a black-haired Santa Claus.
"Natalie Lambert! What a pleasure to see you again! You haven't
changed a bit. You're still that beautiful young girl I never would have
imagined would be such a talented and tenacious investigator."
"Angus, you old flatterer, it's been, what, ten years. I'm afraid
I've changed a lot in that amount of time."
"Never. And this must be Nick Knight, the man who's finally managed
to capture the elusive Dr. Lambert. Congratulations, Nick. Watch out, she
can be a real handful!"
"Dr. Beaton, I'm so glad to meet you." Nick held his hand out to
the doctor and found it consumed in a vigorous handshake.
"Angus, call me Angus. Did Natalie tell you, you're on call for
Saturday night supper?" Nick nodded. "Mairi and the kids are dying to meet
you both. I've bragged so much about my protege, they want to see if she
can live up to her reputation. And they want to know, if she's such a
paragon, who would she pick for a husband? I think they'll be pleasantly
surprised."
"We're looking forward to it," Nick told him with a huge smile on
his face. Natalie was amazed, watching Nick, at the sheer pleasure she
could see and feel emanating from him at this genuine and effusive welcome
he was receiving from her old teacher. She was pleased that the two men she
admired most appeared to be getting along so well.
"Well, Angus, I know Natalie is dying to get to work on that
necklace. She says it arrived safely." Nick put in.
"Ah, yes, that necklace. Cyril wrote me that they'd lost a cat to
the poisoned coating. I locked it up." Angus crossed the room to a locked
cabinet on the wall and took out the box Nick and Natalie had watched Cyril
pack. He passed out surgical gloves to both of them and donned a pair,
himself, before he opened the package.
Natalie held her breath. She didn't want to betray her new senses
to Angus, or worry him unduly. She wasn't sure what her second view of the
necklace would reveal. When Angus pulled it out, Natalie noticed that the
greenish glow was still as intense as it had been the first time she had
seen it. But she could see smudges where the necklace had been handled.
She reached for it and said, "Let's put it under the microscope and
see if the coating is contiguous or if it has some breaks in it."
"I knew she'd take over the minute I got it out of the box." Angus
winked at Nick and continued, "She's the very embodiment of Pandora, can't
stand not to know."
"I know, believe me, I know." Nick agreed in an affectionate tone.
"You just have to let her do it her way. I think that's what makes her so
damn good at what she does."
"Absolutely." Angus concurred.
"Oh, stop it, you two!" Natalie spluttered. But she took the
necklace and began to examine it thoroughly under the microscope Angus had
been using, after carefully removing and storing the slide he had been
viewing. "The coating isn't completely uniform. It looks as if it had been
dipped quickly into a pot of the stuff. Whatever this substance is, it must
have had a fairly thick and sticky consistency when it was applied. It's a
bit thicker towards one side of the necklace, as if it were dipped from this
end. This end, near the clasp, has none of the substance on it."
"Why don't you scrape some of it off from different locations, if
you can, and we'll prepare some samples and test them in various solutions
to see what this coating is." Angus told her.
While Natalie scraped samples, Angus handed her a series of petrie
dishes, test tubes, and slides on which to deposit them. The structural
forms she usually observed under the microscope guided her to the sites from
which she removed the samples. In addition, she utilized her new sight and
followed the variable fluorescence she observed threaded throughout the
surface of the necklace to find places she would have ignored with her
ordinary vision. Areas of brightness, which appeared to be nodes for the
lines of color she could see, might be indicators for properties normally
undetectable by humans. She hoped the samples from these areas might help
her discover just what her new sense allowed her to perceive.
Then Natalie and Angus selected a variety of reagents and
introduced them into the test tubes. The petrie dishes were set into a
cross-section of environments to allow whatever culture might grow on each
medium a chance to develop. Angus and Natalie took turns preparing and
viewing slides to see if they could detect anything obvious. Nick mostly
observed the two working together, occasionally handing one of them a
chemical or tool or filling out labels for the samples as requested. After
an hour of intense work, and several significant grunts and hushed
conversations between the two doctors, they stopped, apparently satisfied
with their work.
"We're just going to have to wait for some of these cultures to
mature," Angus said. "It looks like we have a rather complex mixture here.
It's not particularly refined. You said the necklace was found in an
Egyptian tomb?"
"Yes," Nick answered. "It dated to about 100 A.D., according to
Cyril."
"Well, then it would definitely have to be a combination of
naturally available elements from the local area. It looks like we have
some plant toxins mixed in with a venom of some kind. The venom could be
from a reptile or an insect. We'll need to wait to see if there are any
bacterial or viral substances present."
"Mightn't there also have been some enzymatic action from the
venom?" Natalie asked.
"Possibly, especially, if it happens to be a circulatory toxin. But
this has been in that tomb for a very long time. What's left of the
original substances may have degraded significantly," Angus replied.
"Enzymatic action?" Nick asked quickly.
"I'm thinking this might be the key to our problem, Nick." Natalie
told him.
"Just what is this problem we're working on, Natalie?" Angus asked
her.
Nick looked significantly at Nat and tried to reach her through
their link to caution her. But Natalie blocked his efforts and turned
squarely to Angus and said, "Angus, Nick and I are working on a case which
started in Toronto with the death of one of the tomb robbers who found this
necklace. Nick's family administers a foundation which is endowing the
Royal Ontario Museum with the contents of the tomb along with some other
artifacts. I've been working in an advisory capacity for the same
foundation off and on for the past six years. We are trying to ensure the
safety of those who will visit the exhibit. We want to be sure that there
is nothing contagious on any of the artifacts."
"And, you're just plain curious," Angus finished for her.
"That's about it," Nick told him as he breathed a surreptitious sigh
of relief at Natalie's very agile and believable half-truths.
"You've got a very personal stake in this, too, if I'm still good at
hunches," Angus continued. Nick looked at him sharply. Waves of
reassurance and friendly concern radiated from Angus' cherubic face. "I
don't know what it is exactly, and it's none of my business, but I hope you
two find what you need to know." Angus paused, "Listen, why don't we go get
a pint or a late night snack. I know a little pub which should still be
open."
"Great," Natalie and Nick agreed. They stored all of their samples,
locked up the necklace, and tidied up the work area. Then the three trooped
off to the Ôgreatest little pub in town' where Angus promised good food,
good beer, and local color. Deacon Brodie's Tavern, named for the man who
inspired Stevenson's ÔThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' lived up
to its billing. Nick and Natalie spent another delightful hour with Angus
enjoying a local brew and the excellent pub food. Natalie was hungry again,
and Nick was busy sampling things he hadn't been able to enjoy in nearly 800
years. He especially relished the ale on tap.
"This ale is certainly an improvement over the usual fare offered in
bars at home," he told Angus as they savored their second pint.
"Your husband has good taste," Angus told Natalie. "Younger's is
one of my favorites. Maybe we should get together for a pint or two every
evening while you're here. There's no place to get to know folks better
than over a good pint."
"I'd like that, Angus, " Nick said. "We could try a different brand
each night!"
"Just as long as I can get haggis, it's fine with me!" Natalie
exclaimed.
"I never knew you had a fondness for haggis, Natalie. Most folks
don't even want to try it when they find out what it's made of," Angus told
her.
"I know. Sheep's guts, onions, and oats boiled in a sack never
appealed to me before, but it's delicious, and the more pepper in it, the
better."
"Well, you certainly had your fill tonight!" Nick observed. Natalie
had polished off three plates of the Scottish delicacy. "Are you developing
cravings already?"
"Maybe."
"Cravings? Natalie, are you and Nick expecting?" Angus asked.
"Yes, we are, as a matter of fact." Natalie beamed at Angus as he
congratulated them and ordered a third pint for himself and Nick, who was
finding it hard to suppress a huge grin that seemed to grow with each pint
of ale he consumed. <It's the first time I've ever seen Nick really let his
hair down and act like an ordinary man since I've met him!> Nat thought
wonderingly as Nick and Angus toasted each other, then began on a round of
toasts to everything they thought was important in life, beginning with
their wives. She joined them in their toasts with her soda.
"You know, Natalie's a great drinking buddy," Angus confided to
Nick. "I remember a time once when I was missing Mairi. She took me to
this place in Toronto, and we spent the entire evening toasting to each
muscle in the body. If she weren't pregnant, she'd be drinking us under the
table."
"Oh, really, I've never had the opportunity to see that side of her,
Angus. She's always been the consummate professional. She has that mask
she puts on, you know the one. It's only since we've been married that
she's really let me get to know her."
"She wasn't always that way..."
"Now, Angus, let's not get maudlin and go over old times best
forgotten," Natalie interrupted him.
"Hey, Nat, let Angus finish his story," Nick told her. "Sorry,
Angus, she's usually very polite."
"Naw, that's OK, Nick. It was a sad story anyway. No use spoiling
a great evening." Just then the publican announced, ÔTime.' "Time to drink
up anyway. The pub's closing. We can share war stories another time."
They finished their drinks and went their separate ways. Angus promised to
meet Nick at the pub the next evening for another round of ale sharing and
Nat for haggis, if she still craved it. It was around midnight when Nick
and Natalie returned to Newbank House and settled down on the couch
together.
"So, we don't have anywhere to be right now. That's lovely." She
reached up and pulled his head down for a kiss. His arms went around her
and pulled her close as the kiss deepened into a passionate embrace. He
released her only to readjust their positions so that she was lying full
length on top of him. But then they simply relaxed quietly together as he
stroked her hair and she explored the bones of his face with her fingers.
He traced the outline of her lips with one finger, sighed deeply and
said, "I love you, Natalie Lambert Knight. I never thought I could love
anyone so very much."
"I know that, my love. I feel it every hour of every day."
"It's nice to hear it said, isn't it?"
"Yes. It is."
"No regrets?"
"None. What about you? Your quest for mortality? We've very
effectively sabotaged that, haven't we?"
Nick smiled contentedly at her and kissed the top of her head as he
hugged her gently. "No regrets. I have what I really wanted," he paused
for a moment and then finished, "you."
"Now Nick, you know it's more than that. That's just sheer
flattery."
"Well, the end of the incessant craving to bite someone in the
throat is also a plus. I'm not sure why I've lost the blood lust, but it
seems to have been replaced by another lust."
"Oh?" Natalie questioned coyly. "And that would be...?"
"Natalie lust," he told her seriously before beginning to tickle her
furiously. They wrestled on the couch until both rolled giggling and
breathless onto the floor, nearly overturning the coffee table. "Maybe we
should take this upstairs," Nick panted when he could capture her hands and
stop her tickling him.
"Any excuse to get me into bed!" Natalie exclaimed.
"Well, this is our honeymoon, after all," Nick told her.
"Yeah, but you started this before we even got married!"
"You're just too irresistible, my love."
"You resisted just fine for nearly six years, you oaf!"
"I'm making up for lost time."
"All six years worth on one honeymoon, I think."
"Natalie, what a wonderful idea!"
"You're positively incorrigible."
"I love you." He kissed her thoroughly and passionately.
"I love you." She kissed him back. He picked her up and flew them
up the narrow stairs to the bedroom. There they proceeded to show each
other how very much in love they were. Later, they relaxed in each other's
arms, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.
"You don't feel blood lust anymore, do you, Nick?" Natalie observed.
"You told me that earlier, but at the time, I thought you were just teasing.
You were serious."
"Yes, I was. I could live with this condition as it is now. I'm
just a little worried about how much longer we'll continue to mutate. Where
is the end of this reaction? What will it mean for our son? That really
concerns me." "I know. I worry about that, too. When we get home after
this trip, it will be time to go see Jules again for a checkup. Maybe he'll
have run his own tests and have more answers for us."
"Humph, that'll just mean he'll want more samples to see where we
are now. I wonder what is going on at home right now?" Nick mused.

[End Chapter 4 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations]

Chapter 5 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations

Back home in Toronto, in the corporate offices of KH Medical, Yves
was losing his temper. He seldom raised his voice. In fact, his entire
staff understood that if he spoke above a quiet murmur, he was truly
incensed. And if he went completely silent, and his eyes turned amber,
someone would die. His control over his emotions was legendary. But now he
fairly shouted, and his normally storm gray eyes snapped with golden sparks.
"What do you mean they're in Europe? How could you let them slip
through your fingers? I've had Knight under surveillance for years, and he
never knew it. You lost him after only a few weeks!"
"I'm sorry, boss. I guess we got a little careless. He must've
spotted our post across from the warehouse. They took an earlier flight.
He must've got lucky. We checked, all the previous flights were fully
booked. The only way he could've gotten out was with a cancellation." The
vampire, who had been using the telescope to spy on Jules and Janette,
trembled as he faced the young man sitting behind the desk. No one who saw
Yves in public would ever credit the sheer terror his gaze could generate.
He was deceptively mild-mannered, deferential in his treatment of people.
His conventionally handsome features belied the utter animosity to humanity
that his politely quiet demeanor concealed.
"On top of losing him, you've also provided false intelligence to
this organization," Yves said more quietly. "We do not know if Knight's
wife is still mortal. That is very dangerous. The only reason I will not
have you killed is that you did manage to put together a team to recover
that mummy. It should be in our hands by tomorrow night. Now you must
locate them, and find out if she's still a danger to us. Get out of here,
Soames, now, before I change my mind," Yves ordered firmly and quietly.
Soames hurried out the door, thanking his lucky stars that he'd been
given another chance. Not many had escaped Yves' displeasure, and he knew
this would be his last chance to redeem himself. He'd already made
arrangements to find the Knights. He knew they were either in London or
Edinburgh. He'd already set up teams to cover both cities, but he still
needed to cover Brussels. He'd managed to acquire Knight's itinerary, as he
wasn't using the normal vampire travel agent. He, apparently, wasn't
concerned about hiding his movements. More fool, he, thought Soames as he
rushed down the hall.
In the office, Yves quietly fumed. His square jaw rippled as the
muscles clenched. He was surrounded by incompetents. He supposed that was
what he got for recruiting from the local police force. But it had been so
convenient to keep tabs on Knight through his coworkers. When he'd first
begun to follow Nicolas' career, he had done it out of simple curiosity.
Yves reached into his top left hand desk drawer and removed a thick dossier.
It was the result of years of observation and research. Every incarnation
of Nicolas deBrabant, now known as Nick Knight, was carefully preserved in
the file before him.
Nicolas, Yves mused, as he laid the file on the desk and leafed
through its contents, was his oldest friend and dearest enemy. Yves was
sure Nicolas was unaware of his continuing interest in his existence. He
had been very careful to conceal his operations from the object of his
surveillance. He remembered how he had rejoiced to find that Nicolas had
also been brought across.
Bertrand, Yves' master, had told him that Nicolas had chosen the
vampire life. Nicolas' master was a marvelously ruthless Roman general, who
had taken the name ÔLaCroix.' He was a singularly successful and merciless
vampire. By virtue of his survival skills, he was now an ancient in the
Community. Yves had hoped that someday Nicolas and himself might renew
their old friendship. Then Nicolas and his very powerful master might even
be persuaded to join his and Bertrand's search for the Hunter. What a grand
alliance that would have been!
He hadn't realized at the time that his dear old friend, Nicolas,
might become the focal point of his quest for the Hunter. Nicolas had
foolishly repented his vampire existence and was bent on regaining his
humanity. Utter folly and anathema! He had actually married a human, for
the second time, and there lay the danger! For the very being Yves desired
most to find should only be born to the most ruthless. That was the only
way vampires would come into their rightful prominence on this earth, in
fulfillment of the true prophecy. Nicolas deBrabant was the last person on
earth who should sire the Hunter. Everything would be ruined. The
alternate prophecy would prevail. And Yves' greatest enemy, Jules
deVilliers, would have won. This could not be allowed to happen. Nicolas
must be forced to bring his woman across, if he had not already done so.
Yves sincerely hoped that what he feared most would not come to pass.
As Yves continued to flip through the file, he rediscovered a pawn
he had held in abeyance. He held up an 8 x 10 glossy, black and white
photo of the one person who might be able to influence the fate of Nick
Knight. He would never suspect this one of being a traitor! Yves knew all
the proper buttons to push to make anyone dance to his tune. He hadn't
specialized in mind control and behavior modification all these years for
nothing. And it didn't hurt that he had a worldwide organization to back
him up. Yves smiled to himself as he reviewed his steady progress toward
the future prophesied by the legend of the Hunter. Yes, he could succeed.
He would succeed! By the coming of the millennium, vampires would rule the
earth.
While Yves reviewed his options, across town LaCroix, Janette, and
Jules met in Jules' lab.
"Are you sure of your results?" LaCroix asked.
"Yes, everything I've found confirms Natalie's earlier tests. And
this series of samples indicates that their mutation is even farther along
that it was when she completed hers. There's no doubt that they are no
longer either fully vampire or human. And in these samples the reaction is
still active. I'm not sure how much more they will change before they come
home."
"Nicholas said at one point that he and she might become a danger to
the Community. Do you think that this might become true?" LaCroix queried
tensely.
"I genuinely do not know, Lucien," Jules replied. "I have no idea
what these chromosomal changes will do to their physical bodies. I've never
seen this kind of reaction before. When they left, they merely seemed to be
acquiring enhancements to their normal senses. But there is no way to tell,
short of observing them. And I can't make any kind of guess about how it's
affecting their child. If Yves and his group had any idea at all that
Natalie was pregnant and that she and Nick were mutating in this way, he'd
be dead meat. If they found her, they'd lock her up until the child came,
then kill her. I'd hate to see them hunted, not only by Yves, but also by
the Enforcers. Neither of them have done anything to warrant that action."
"Cyril tells me that he trusts Natalie. They accomplished the
successful destruction of Ka-Ha's mummy at her suggestion. And she's
investigating a substance she discovered on the scapular Divia was wearing
that might lead to some explanation of how and why she survived her
decapitation," LaCroix informed them.
"Cyril is a very astute and trustworthy person," Janette asserted.
"I really believe that we need to wait until Nick and Natalie return
before we make any decisions about notifying the Enforcers," Jules told
them. "By that time the mutation may have run its course. Then we may have
a better idea of what they, and we, will be dealing with."
"I agree," LaCroix said. "I have never believed in involving Them
before it was absolutely necessary. You do have a very secure storage place
for these samples and reports, don't you, Jules?"
"Absolutely. And this office and lab are regularly monitored to
detect any kind of surveillance. Yves has had me followed and watched for
centuries. I've learned how to avoid his little traps, otherwise I would
not have survived."
"That I have learned very thoroughly in these past few days,"
LaCroix rejoined. "I'm very glad to have you as an ally, Jules."
"Thank you, Lucien."
"Cyril also reports that they managed to divert Yves' attention by
putting a replacement mummy in Divia's casket. Yves' people took the bait
and stole the mummy. Nicholas assumes that Yves will attempt to reanimate
it, thinking it is Ka-Ha."
"Then let us watch for indications that they have attempted this
reanimation," Jules suggested.
"I already have someone monitoring Yves' activities. I am concerned
that he might become extremely incensed at Nicholas when he finds he has the
wrong mummy."
"Do you expect to hear from Nick while he is gone?"
"No, I don't. But I have friends who are keeping an eye on things.
If anyone threatens him or Dr. Lambert, I will be notified."
"Then you expect Yves to make a move against them?"
"Yes, I do. He could hardly pass up the opportunity to try and
strike at them when they are at their most vulnerable, away from home, and
engrossed in each other as they must be."
"I agree."
"Can't we warn them in some way?" Janette asked.
"Yes, I think we could. Didn't Cyril mention another doctor Natalie
was visiting? We could address the information we have to him. We can
include a cautionary statement in that. And at the same time I can confirm
her theory for her. Janette, you have the address of the place they're
staying, don't you?" Janette nodded. "Then let's decide how to phrase this
in a subtle way that would sound like an ordinary medical communique, just
in case it's intercepted."
Several hours later Nick startled awake to the ringing of the phone
beside the bed. "Hello? Angus!" he cried into the phone as Natalie rolled
over and glowered at him. She just wasn't ready to be awake. She was
feeling a bit grouchy, and she bleakly wondered why she should feel grumpy.
Nick had been nothing if not considerate, and he had made love to her
exquisitely last night. Nick winked at her then said, "No, we're awake."
He paused for some minutes. "Yes, I'm sure she'll be thrilled. I have to
do some family business today. Why don't I let you talk to her and set
things up for your tour, and I'll meet you both later. Great!" Nick handed
the phone to Natalie, "It's Angus. He'd like to take you on a tour of the
university labs." With an effort Natalie's frown turned to a large smile as
she took the phone. Nick jumped out of bed and left her to make plans while
he used the bathroom and showered. When he was finished, he wandered back
into the bedroom and began to dress.
"So, when are you going to meet Angus?" he asked Natalie, who was
just sitting up in bed, stretching. Her earlier grouchy spell had
dissipated during her conversation with Angus, and she was now ready for the
day.
"At three o'clock. What's this about family business?"
"I have a solicitor here in Edinburgh who handles the deBrabant
Foundation business. He happens to be a mortal I can trust. I wanted to
make a will, now that we're married. I want to be sure you and our son are
provided for in case anything happens to me. It's not the kind of thing I
can entrust to or discuss with my associates in the Community. I made an
appointment with him just after we got married. He's going to show me what
he's drafted today. When it's been approved, then we can go in for the
official signing."
"A will?"
"There's a lot of business connected with the Foundation, and I own
a considerable amount of property. My life being what it is, I have a lot
of bolt holes," he said sheepishly.
"Nick, I knew you were wealthy, but I never thought about what might
be involved."
"It's time you did know. After all, it all belongs to you too,
now."
Natalie just stared at him for a moment, overwhelmed.
"Hey, Nat, like you said, it's only money! When I get through with
the solicitor, I'll meet you at Deacon Brodie's. How long do you think your
tour will be?"
"Angus says a couple of hours. He's made arrangements with several
of his colleagues at the University. They specialize in cancer research and
genetic studies here. It sounds like I'll get a preliminary taste of some
of the lectures you booked for us next week. Although this tour may be even
better, because I can ask questions of the researchers who're actually doing
the work! I plan to ask some hard questions about genetic engineering."
"It sounds like you're going to have a great afternoon. How about
some lunch?"
"I'm starved!"
"Why don't I fix us something while you get your shower." Nick
leaned over to kiss her, but Natalie grabbed him around the neck and pulled
him down onto the bed. She hugged him closely and kissed him passionately.
He responded enthusiastically, then he pulled her arms away from his neck
and sat up. "We won't get anything done if we keep this up! I thought you
were hungry."
"I am, hungry for you." She wrapped her arms around his neck again
and kissed him deeply.
When she finally released him, he gasped, "I think you just removed
my tonsils!"
"Don't worry, they'll grow back," she chuckled.
"It's a damned good thing I'm a vampire, or they wouldn't."
"Even if you were human, you wouldn't need them!" Natalie punched
him playfully, jumped up, and ran into the bathroom. Nick rolled out of the
bed, with a huge smile on his face, and went downstairs to fix some lunch.
An hour later Nick and Natalie were cleaning up the kitchen after
their meal. There was a knock at the front door, Natalie went to answer it.
She returned to the kitchen almost immediately.
"Who was it?" Nick asked.
"A telegram for ÔDr. Angus Beaton''from Jules. But it's addressed
here, to Newbank House. It says, ÔLab confirms all tests positive. Follow
up consultation April 6, 8 p.m. Continue regimen as discussed. Rigorous
application of prophylactic routine is highly recommended.' Now that's a
coded message if I ever saw one!"
"What do you think it means, Nat?"
"I think it means he's confirmed my findings and wants to be sure I
stick to my diet, and we continue the status quo."
"What's that Ôprophylactic routine'?"
"Double talk for protective measures. Do you suppose he means that
we could be threatened over here?"
"That's almost a given, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess so, but we've had a perfectly lovely honeymoon so
far."
"They must have tracked us down."
Natalie handed the message to Nick. He looked at it a moment and
did a double take. "Nat, now I know it's a warning. Look at the names of
the consulting physicians!"
Natalie grabbed the telegram from Nick's hand, and discovered Drs.
L. LaCroix and J. duCharme listed in the lower left hand corner as

laboratory consultants. "Oh God Nick, they must think someone might even
intercept our mail!"
"Nat, be very careful when you're out with Angus today. I know your
senses will help you, but stick close to Angus. I'll finish my business as
fast as I can, I don't want to leave you alone, but you know I can't get out
in the sun."
"I know, I'll be careful. You be careful, too."
At three o'clock Natalie met Angus at his lab and they began a
walking tour of the University of Edinburgh Pathology Department's research
facilities. Natalie was extremely impressed with the quality both of the
research which had been accomplished and the people who were performing it.
By the time she and Angus headed for Deacon Brodie's to meet Nick, Natalie's
head was spinning with the information she had managed to gain.
"You know, Angus, I've seldom had such a thoroughly stimulating
afternoon. Thank you."
"You're very welcome, Natalie. I hope you don't mind all the
walking. I find it's the only way I can stay fit doing what we do. It's
one of the reasons I stay here. Everything on the job is within walking
distance."
"I really enjoyed the walking. And, I need to stay fit, especially
with the appetite I've developed."
"Are you looking forward to more of that haggis?"
"I don't know. I'm thinking a cottage pie is more to my taste this
evening." Natalie laughed, then shivered suddenly. "Let's get moving,
Angus. I'm getting really hungry." She told him. Someone was watching
her! The feeling seemed to be emanating from the shop front they were
passing. And someone ahead of them, off to the left, meant her harm.
Angus laughed at her comment, but sobered quickly as he quickened
his pace to keep up with her. He glanced toward the building they were
passing. He noticed a quiet figure quickly turn toward the shop display and
an ominous black sedan idling at the curb in the next block.
"Natalie, let's make a quick right turn at the next corner. I know
a back way to the pub. We can get that cottage pie faster that way."
Natalie glanced at Angus and noticed the intent look on his face.
She turned with him at the next street where he broke into a trot. She
increased her speed to keep up with him and found herself completely
confused by the number of twists and turns he took through the wynds and
closes of the medieval burgh. Within a very few minutes they arrived at the
pub, and, slowing to a fast walk, they entered and found a table.
As soon as he had ordered a pint for himself and a soft drink for
Natalie, Angus turned to her, "I think it's time you told me what's going
on, Natalie. I know you and Nick are in trouble. I can help."
"Oh, Angus, I don't know if you'd believe me if I could tell you!"
Natalie exclaimed.
"What wouldn't Angus believe, Natalie?" Nick asked as he joined
them at the table.
"Hi, Nick. Natalie and I just had quite a workout. Someone was
following her. She spotted him about the same time I did. Does it have
something to do with that necklace we were analyzing?"
"You forgot to tell me we were visiting Sherlock Holmes, Nat," Nick
commented dryly."
"Angus has offered to help us, Nick. He got me away from that
observer very handily. How did you know we were being followed, Angus?"
"Observation, and a little intuition. I've continued using Dr.
Bell's theories, and, I think, I've improved on them a bit," Angus grinned
at Natalie. Then he turned to Nick and said, "You know Joseph Bell was the
doctor on whom Conan Doyle based Holmes, don't you?"
"Yes. I didn't know that there was still an expert practitioner in
existence, though. Especially not one who has a psychic edge," Nick noted.
"Ah, you spotted my little secret," Angus beamed at Nick. "We
highlanders call it Ôsecond sight.' There is a very excellent
parapsychology department at the university. They've used me as a test
subject on occasion. I've found that practice has sharpened my senses. You
ought to go in and be tested. They'd be very interested in you two," Angus
said shrewdly. "Now, let's have some supper and you can fill me in."
Natalie looked at Nick, their eyes met, and they exchanged worried
glances.
"You don't have to give me all the details, just the general
outline. I'll figure out the rest," Angus told them. Nick's eyebrows rose,
and Natalie rolled her eyes.
"Oh, I give up," Natalie finally said. "Nick, you tell him."
Nick turned to Angus. He sat and assessed the doctor through every
sense available to him, then sighed hugely. "I really hate to involve you
in this. It could be dangerous, not only to you, but to your family as
well. Are you sure you want to risk that?"
"I don't like risking my family. But Natalie and I have been seen
together by some pretty scary people. I think they were planning on
kidnapping her. I spotted a suspicious looking car down the block. That's
why we turned when we did, Natalie." Natalie nodded. She realized what a
close call she had had. "I think I need to know enough to know how to
protect myself and my family."
"You're absolutely right about that, Angus. We've been noticed by a
group of fanatical millenarians searching for a child who is the key to
their prophecy. For some reason they believe Natalie and I are candidates
to produce this harbinger of their new age. They aren't willing for us to
simply produce and raise the child. They want to control it, train it in
their philosophy."
"You're well equipped to keep your family safe. Natalie tells me
you're a homicide detective. And both of you have a psychic edge of your
own. I can feel it." Angus broke off suddenly as he gazed across the room,
"Here's the waitress. Let's get some more ale over here. And Natalie needs
a cottage pie. How about you, Nick, anything to eat?"
Nick grinned at Angus, admiring his quickness, and said, "No, just
an ale. What brand tonight, Angus?"
"Tennent's Velvet, please, two pints, and a cottage pie for the
lady." When the waitress left, Angus turned back to them. "Millenarians,
eh? Interesting turn of phrase, you mean those religious fanatics searching
for a messiah who always seem to materialize at the turn of a century?"
"I'm not sure these people are precisely religious fanatics, but,
yes, that kind of zealot." Nick acknowledged.
"Do they want that necklace?" Angus inquired.
"Actually, I don't think they even know it exists. It's really more
of a link in a chain of evidence. We discovered it only because of my
connection to the foundation that's purchasing the artifacts for the Royal
Ontario Museum," Nick told him.
"Then, what they really want is you, Natalie, and the baby."
"All they really want is the baby, and so far as we know, they don't
know it exists yet. They're still tracking potential parents. Once the
baby arrives, we're both expendable," Natalie informed him.
Angus was deeply immersed in thought for a moment. Then he looked
up and said, "Nick, this may be a red herring, but I keep thinking about a
case Natalie and I were working on when we first met, a series of murders
that were never solved. At first glance they looked like nothing more than
brutal muggings, but I always wondered. There was so much fury in the
murderer's M.O., that I thought at the time there had to be more behind it
than the usual motives. It was as though the murderer were trying to prove
something, make a statement," Angus said. "Did they ever solve that case,
Natalie?"
"No, they didn't," Natalie said shortly, then she began to fidget in
her seat.
"I always wondered about that case. It was obviously a serial
killer. All the victims were young university students, all male. You knew
some of the victims didn't you, Natalie?"
"Yes."
"They were all beaten, viciously, their throats cut, the blood
drained, and the bodies were all laid out the same way, in a ritual
pattern."
Nick's head snapped to attention, and his eyes widened. "When was
this, Angus?"
"Just about ten years ago. I was working in Toronto on an exchange
fellowship at the time. Natalie was trying to decide on a specialty. If it
hadn't been for that case, I don't think she'd have gone into pathology.
The medical profession would have lost one of its stars. She'd have been a
good pediatrician, I suppose, but she's truly outstanding as a forensic
pathologist."
"What made you think of that case just now, Angus?" Nick asked.
"I'm not sure, your story, suddenly, brought it back to me. Maybe
it was the notion of fanaticism. That's what that murderer's M.O. was like,
ritualistic fanaticism."
Natalie was staring at her hands as Angus talked. Nick glanced at
her, she'd quietly closed their link, but it was obvious that she was upset.
Just then, the waitress arrived bringing their drinks and Natalie's cottage
pie. Nick decided to change the subject.
"Here're our refreshments," Nick said. "Nat, after you eat, let's
go for our tour of the castle. I promised her an evening tour of the castle
tonight, Angus. Would you like to join us?"
"No, I'm headed home to Mairi and the kids after this. They're
really looking forward to meeting you two. Say, I'd better give you
directions to the house. We live in Peebles, just a half hour south of
here."
"Isn't Rosslyn Chapel on the same road?" Nick asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is. Why, Nick? Were you thinking of
taking a tour? The Sinclairs have certainly promoted it lately."
"Natalie and I attended an auction at Sotheby's earlier this week
and bought some things from the Sinclair estate for the Foundation. I heard
about Rosslyn Chapel when the Foundation investigated the Sinclair
collection."
"Oh yes, Natalie mentioned that your family was associated with a
foundation. Which one is it?"
"The deBrabant Foundation."
"That's a group that funds some of the research the university is
doing. I understand from some of the researchers that they're very easy to
deal with and very generous in their endowments."
"I act as their agent from time to time. I'm glad to hear they do
good work. They bought a sword from the Sinclair collection. They also own
a sword from a Sinclair ancestor which they're planning to donate to Rosslyn
Chapel. I'm to deliver it for them. We could combine business with
pleasure, deliver the sword and visit you on the same trip."
"Efficient, Scottish thinking, Nick! Here, I'll draw you a map on
this napkin. I don't think you'll have much trouble finding us."
"Thanks, Angus." While Angus and Nick were exchanging travel
information, Natalie seemed to thaw a bit. She had begun to eat her supper,
and to follow the conversation.
"Thank you, Angus. We're really looking forward to meeting your
family," she said.
"How's your pie, Nat?" Nick asked her quietly. She'd withdrawn
when Angus had begun discussing their first case. Angus had also noticed
Natalie's upset.
"It's good, really good." Natalie smiled for the first time in
several minutes, and both men breathed a sigh of relief. When Natalie had
finished her supper, she excused herself to go to the ladies' room.
Nick turned to Angus as he asked, "Why is Natalie so upset, Angus?"
"It must be that case we worked on. I'd forgotten. Her friend, his
name was Craig, was one of the victims. I always got the feeling that she
blamed herself for leaving that one unsolved. None of us were able to solve
that case. There just wasn't enough evidence. The only connection between
the victims seemed to be that they were all medical students, but they
didn't even share the same specialty. And the one time the police thought
they were close, the murderer just seemed to melt into thin air. Then the
murders stopped. I also think that she wasn't entirely honest with me about
her relationship with Craig. I think they were a lot closer than just
friends."
"That would explain a lot," Nick said. He knew from what he had
learned from taking Natalie's blood that Angus' guess was very near the
truth.
"A lot more than just about the case?" Angus asked.
"Yes, a lot more than that." <Why wouldn't she want to share her
feelings about Craig with me? Why should this part of her life bother her
so very much?> he wondered to himself.
"I suspect she needs to tell you what's bothering her. Be sure you
let her."
"Thanks, Angus, I intend to. Here she comes. What time do you want
us Saturday?"
"Dinner won't be until eight, but you're welcome anytime after six.
Be careful, you two."
"We will, Angus. You be careful, too," Natalie told him as she
stopped in front of the table. "Come on, Nick. You owe me that tour of the
castle." They settled their tab and left the pub. Once outside the door,
Nick pulled Natalie into the nearest dark doorway.
"How would you like an aerial overview first?"
"Really, Nick!? I'd love it."
"Hold on tight," Nick said as he lifted her into his arms, and,
looking around carefully, he launched them both into the air.
"This was a wonderful idea, Nick. What a spectacular view! The
moon is so bright, it's almost like daylight. Even with the city lights you
can see the constellations."
"Nat, the moon's not even full. Your night vision has improved."
"Oh," Natalie exclaimed, "You're right! How amazing!"
The next two hours were spent alternately flying and walking the
environs of Edinburgh Castle. Nick knew one of the night shift guardians of
the castle and had arranged a private tour of the major areas of the
interior.
When they finally returned home, Natalie had thoroughly relaxed.
They settled on the couch in each others' arms.
"Nat, it's time to share what was bothering you at the pub tonight.
You should know by now that we don't have secrets from each other, love," he
began.
"I know, Nick. I just didn't want to deal with this on our
honeymoon."
"Our honeymoon is the best time to deal with this. We have time now
to get all our skeletons out and rattle them. Then we can get on with our
lives together without a lot of baggage from the past. You've insisted on
knowing the very worst about me. You can't possibly have anything that
horrific in your past. I know you've never killed anyone."
"Maybe not, but I feel as if I contributed to his death."
"Whose death, Nat? Tell me."
"Craig's. It was my fault he died, Nick. If we
hadn't.....quarreled, he might not have been killed."
"Nat, what happened?" During the next hour, Natalie hesitantly
shared the one part of her life she had ruthlessly suppressed from herself.
"Craig and I weren't merely friends, we were lovers." She watched
Nick's face carefully, afraid that what she had to tell him would cause him
jealousy and pain. But when the only emotion she felt through their link,
or observed on his face was his unwavering love for her, she relaxed into
his embrace and shared her deepest regret. "We moved in together after we
graduated from medical school. We each still had three to five years before
we finished all our training. We were on limited budgets. Living together
was a good, practical arrangement. And," Natalie sighed as she remembered,
"we were very much in love. We planned to marry after we finished our
specialty training and established our practices."
"I was debating between surgery and pediatrics. My mother had been
a pediatrician. I was tempted to follow in her footsteps. But my surgical
rotation had been exciting and fulfilling. I thought maybe I could combine
my interests by specializing in pediatric surgery."
"Craig was well on his way to becoming a fine cardiac surgeon. It
was the one thing he had always wanted to do. We decided that Toronto could
provide excellent opportunities for both of us, no matter what specialty I
finally chose."
"One evening I came home and found Craig in a clinch with one of the
other students from his study group. Claire was a spectacular brunette with
a statuesque figure. I had always envied her ease with men and that
gorgeous figure." Natalie blushed, "I could never compete with her. I was
tempted just to turn around and walk out. But it was my home, and Craig, I
thought, was mine. I threw Claire out. Craig at first had the good grace
to look ashamed of himself, but when I called Claire a predatory bitch, he
tried to defend her and our discussion turned into a ferocious shouting
match. He left to stay with friends."
"He came back the next night. I met him at the door with his packed
suitcases. I couldn't forgive him. He kept saying his kissing Claire was a
mistake. He loved me. He begged me for another chance. I refused. He
left for Fred and Joyce's place, the friends with whom he'd spent the
previous night. I never saw him again, at least, not alive. They called me
down to the morgue to identify his body two days later." Suddenly Natalie
found herself unable to continue. A spate of tears surprised her, and she
caught her breath and held it, trying to regain her composure. Nick pulled
her gently into his arms and stroked her shoulders comfortingly. He waited
silently and patiently for Natalie's sobs to abate. After a short while she
heaved a great sigh, pulled away from him, wiping her eyes, and continued.
"After that I couldn't rest or sleep. Before he was killed we'd
discussed the deaths of the other students at the university. We'd
cautioned each other about walking around campus alone at night. In spite
of that I sent him out, alone, into the night, with nothing but his
suitcases. I simply couldn't forgive myself for being so thoughtless, so
selfish. I hid in our apartment for weeks after his death. Finally, Fred
and Joyce, our friends, made me start going to classes again."
"Angus was one of my instructors. I'd thought pathology was mildly
gross, but I was intrigued with the detective work involved in discovering
why someone had died. Angus and I were both huge Sherlock Holmes fans, and
it was easy to strike up a friendship with him. You've seen that," Nick
nodded and Natalie continued her story. "When I found out, during a visit
with Angus over coffee, that he'd been called in as a consultant on the case
involving Craig, I begged to be his graduate assistant. Angus was pleased
to find anyone interested in his specialty. We worked on the later victims
in the case, but never found enough evidence to provide the police with a
viable suspect."
"The killings eventually stopped. But I kept feeling there was
something I had missed. I should've been able to solve that case." Natalie
sighed deeply again. "I guess that was just wishful thinking. If Angus
couldn't solve it, no one could. The school year was over by then, but
without work there was just a huge empty space inside me. I was sure I'd
recovered from the worst of my grief over Craig's death. I applied myself
to my studies. I did extra research during that summer term, and the next,
and finished my pathology studies early. I did my residency at the city
morgue, and was hired as an M.E. directly from residency. I let my job
replace the empty space Craig had left in my heart. I just never made time
to have another relationship like the one I'd had with Craig." Natalie sat
quietly for a while, just staring at her hands as they twisted in her lap.
Then she raised her head and looked at Nick with a glimmer of a smile.
"Then you sat up on my table. My job suddenly had a new, more
exciting, focus, a new puzzle to solve." She reached up and traced the line
of his jaw tenderly, "I never imagined you'd become my life." Natalie
suddenly realized that the grief she'd carried alone for years was shared.
The emptiness was gone.
He stroked her cheek softly and said, "And I never expected you."
He tilted her chin up and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Why didn't I just tell you before?" She asked him as she snuggled
under his chin.
"We all need encouragement to break old habits. It's especially
hard to do when grief and guilt have gone too long without release. You
taught me that, my love." He kissed her again, sighed deeply, then said,
"There is something about this that worries me, Nat."
"You think vampires were involved in those killings, don't you,
Nick?"
"I wonder. Do you remember if anything would indicate that?"
"At the time it looked as if the victims were drained at another
location and then dumped. I don't really know," Natalie said. "Maybe we
should reexamine those files. I don't recall any puncture marks. The
throats were slashed, all with a similar instrument."
"That's a good way to camouflage a vampire attack," Nick reminded
her.
"I know. You've taught me that very well. Why does this case worry
you now?"
"I don't know, there's just something about the lack of evidence
pointing to the perpetrator combined with the missing blood. It bothers me.
And Angus' reaction is unnerving. He's very intuitive. There's something
going on here we're not recognizing."
"Nick, we can't do anything about it right now. Tell me about your
day. Did the solicitor do his work well?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, we have an appointment with him tomorrow
to go over the papers and sign them. Would you like to do the ghost tour of
Edinburgh tomorrow evening?"
"Ghost tour?"
"Yes, there's a regular tour you can take that starts at the
Witchery at the Castle. It's a restaurant now, but it has a long history of
witchcraft and hauntings. The tour is led by university students with a
taste for the macabre. They take you around and tell you the history of the
city and show you where all the skeletons are buried," Nick told her.
"That sounds like fun. Do you suppose they'll show us where Burke
and Hare waylaid people?"
"They do. They even take you to the pub where Robert Louis
Stevenson set part of the ÔBody Snatchers.' By the way, how was your lab
tour today? You never told me."
"It was very impressive. They've made great strides in the
treatment of cancer with the genetic research they're doing. They've
identified genetic markers that both prevent and allow particular types of
cancer to manifest in a person. They've also developed some very effective
treatments for some of the cancers they've studied. I heard that the
deBrabant Foundation has endowed some of the research. You're already
involved in medical research. No wonder you could put my lab together so
quickly!"Natalie exclaimed.
"I just happen to know a lot of very talented people," Nick said
modestly. "Come on, Nat. Let's go to bed." Nick nuzzled her ear and
nibbled at her neck. "We need our rest."
Natalie stood and pulled him up off the couch. "Come on, lover,
let's go satisfy your libido before you go into withdrawal!" Then she raced
up the stairs.
"My libido!" He shouted as he cheerfully followed her, "Who was the
one sucking tonsils this morning?"

[End Chapter 5 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations]

Chapter 6 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations

As Nick and Natalie ascended the stairs, Yves, at his office in
Toronto, listened quietly as Soames reported on his teams' progress.
"They spotted her up in Edinburgh. She's visiting a Dr. Angus
Beaton. He's on the faculty at Edinburgh University's Pathology Department.
He's a canny old bird. He spotted our man on stake out. We had a car ready
to grab her if we had a good opportunity, but there just wasn't an opening."
"What time of day was it when they spotted her?"
"About 4:30 p.m. We had the car ready by 5:30."
"Was it still light?"
"Yeah, she has to still be human. We haven't actually spotted
Knight, yet. It's only a matter of time, though. We're still trying to
locate the place where they're staying now. Knight's not using any of the
hotels he normally does. We have a team ready to go in Brussels. We know
where they'll be staying. If we miss them in Edinburgh, we can easily grab
them on the Continent."
"Yes, and I have a little backup plan in place in Brussels. Thank
you, Soames. Much better work this time. Have you been able to find out
what Dr. Devereaux and his friends are up to?"
"No, he's got that lab of his buttoned up like a CIA outpost. Did
he ever work for them?"
"Not for them, but for another excellent organization. His security
has been one of my most difficult challenges. If you can break through his
security screen, I will be extremely impressed. You and any team who can
deliver Devereaux can expect a sizable bonus."
Soames eyes betrayed an avariciousness that was pleasing to Yves.
He knew how to control greedy people. They were easy to satisfy. What
worried him were those whose appetites were less mundane. He dismissed
Soames and pulled another dossier from his desk. Jules deVilliers, alias
Dr. Jules Devereaux, was definitely posing problems again. He kept popping
up just as Yves had things under control. There must be a weakness
somewhere. He would go over the data again. He couldn't afford another
setback like the one they had suffered with the stolen mummy.
Yves pursed his lips and bitterly recalled his failure to reanimate
the mummy Soames' team had managed to liberate from the British Museum. Not
one of the rituals provided by Bertrand had had any effect at all.
Reviewing Jules' file, Yves suddenly noticed a pattern in some of Jules'
movements. Decoys! Jules and Marcus had employed decoys frequently in
order to attempt to throw off his own and Bertrand's pursuit. Perhaps that
mummy had been yet one more decoy. He would have to check the Royal Ontario
Museum and see if another mummy would be sent in the sarcophagus when the
new shipment arrived. And it might be a good idea to watch Jules to see if
he would attempt to pawn off a decoy for Knight and his wife. Yves would
teach him not to trifle with his desires!
"Damn," said LaCroix. "They've closed up shop. Now we need to find
a new vantage point." He was sitting on the couch in Nick's loft, watching
the surveillance video. The last of the equipment which had been used to
spy on the loft was being removed from the building across the street.
Janette approached him with a full wine glass and sat down in the chair to
his right, sipping from the other glass she carried.
"They've finally established that Nicolas and Natalie are no longer
at home," she replied.
"But we need information about what they might do next. Has Jules
managed to locate the platform they're using to observe his movements?"
"Not when I spoke to him last."
"He thinks we'd be better off spying on Yves' offices. But there is
a major problem. Yves owns the entire building, and there is no other
structure in the area which overlooks it. The building also has a very
thorough and efficient security system. A vampire could circumvent it, but
would be cut off from any immediate aid. And I don't relish the chances of
anyone surviving an attempt on Yves' property. We'll have to get someone
sympathetic on the inside of his operation, or try to capture one of his
people and forcibly debrief them," LaCroix smiled.
"Perhaps we should just wait to see what they do next," Janette
remarked.
"No," LaCroix took another sip from his glass, "I'm enjoying this
exercise."
"The general emerges from retirement, eh?"
"Precisely, even hunting Nicholas was never this much fun."
"Well, I imagine Nicolas isn't enjoying being hunted by Yves any
more than he did being hunted by you."
"True, but I've trained him well, haven't I? I don't worry about
Nicholas. He's learned to be cleverly elusive. But I do worry about
Natalie."
"You do!?" Janette exclaimed. "I never would have thought you could
ever concern yourself about a mortal."
"Perhaps not, but I worry about what would happen to Nicholas if
anyone should harm her. And more particularly, if someone should harm his
child. I do not believe he would survive if he lost them. I sincerely hope
they took our warning seriously."
Nicholas and Natalie had taken the warning seriously, but at that
very moment they were still sleeping. Nick was not resting quietly. It was
mid-afternoon when he bolted up in bed. He'd had a disturbing dream. He'd
been strolling hand in hand with Natalie through a moonlit garden. They
arrived at a hedge maze and were just entering, when something struck him
from behind. He had regained consciousness in the center of the maze,
alone. He could hear Natalie calling to him, but he could not find her. He
ran through the maze, frantically calling her name. Suddenly, he stumbled
over a mound of bodies, all with their throats cut, drained of blood. He
had searched through the dead, hoping against hope, he would not find her
among them. Then he had heard her calling his name. Just as he rose to
follow her voice, he awoke. His sudden movement woke Natalie.
"Nick, what's wrong!" she cried.
"I, uh, nothing. I just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep, Nat,"
he told her as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"I'm not sleepy, love," she murmured as she wrapped her arms about
his waist.
"You're not? Well, then, I guess that means you're ready to get
up." He turned to her and bent to kiss her cheek.
"Nope, not ready to get up, yet." She pulled him down next to her
and snuggled into his chest. She kissed the closest part of him she could
reach, which happened to be his breast bone. "Mmmm, I think I just want to
stay here for awhile. ÔS comfortable."
Nick caressed her back and pulled her closer. He kissed the top of
her head and stroked her hair away from her face. Then he began to trail a
finger across her eyebrows, her cheekbones, the line of her jaw, her lips.
He slid further down into the bed and began to kiss her. He rained kisses
upon her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose, her mouth. And while he kissed her,
his hands explored each curve and softness, finally pulling her hips into
his, spreading her thighs, stroking her moist center, and entering her. She
gasped as she felt him fill her completely. It was deliciously thrilling.
As he began to move inside her, her heart sped, her breath came in short
pants, the pleasure grew and grew until she wasn't sure she could contain
it. Oh, God, how could she have imagined she had a life before Nick. She
found his mouth again and returned his kisses with fervor. Then his lips
moved down her throat, and she felt his fangs penetrate her, too. His lips
and tongue nursed at her vein as he exploded inside her. She could feel her
muscles contracting tightly around him, deep inside her core, as he sealed
the wound in her neck with his tongue and kissed her again. She could taste
her own blood in his mouth. He was so delectable! She held him close, her
legs wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck.
"Oh, Nick. That was wonderful!"
"You're wonderful, Natalie."
She continued to hold him tightly as she snuggled into his neck.
She felt she never wanted to let him go. His lovemaking had been so
desperate, as if he were afraid to lose her. She wanted to let him know
that she would never, could never, leave him. She reached into their link
more deeply than before, carrying her loving devotion. He met her with an
overwhelming flood of tender passion. They trembled in each others' arms
with the force of their emotion. And when their lips met yet again they
experienced a rapturous delight beyond anything they had felt with one
another before. They lay together shivering, caressing each other gently,
reassuring each other of their love. Finally, they began to relax. Natalie
burrowed her head once again into his chest and lay quietly against him.
"You feel warmer today," she told him.
"I do? It's just your imagination."
"Doesn't matter, you're just right for snuggling, warm, and
comfortable, and solid."
"Well, I don't think I've ever been a liquid."
"Oh, you silly man. I don't mean solid in that way."
"Mmmm. In what way then?"
"Oh, never mind. Just hush and hold me tighter."
"If I hold you any tighter you'll break."
"Never. Not in your arms."
"You know we have to get up, don't you."
"I never want to get out of this bed. I just want to stay here with
you, forever."
"I know. Me too." He kissed the top of her head, then he tilted
her face up and kissed her profoundly. She returned his passion. When they
stopped for breath, she smiled at him fondly and caressed his cheek.
"So, today I get all your money, too!"
"Yes, Mrs. Knight. And I get all of yours. It works both ways, you
know."
"Well, then, let's get going so I can be a rich woman. Sorry you
won't be as lucky."
"Oh no, I'm far luckier. I've got you." He kissed her again, more
sedately this time.
"Silly man. Some people would say I'm more trouble than I'm worth."
"They don't understand what you have to offer," he remarked as he
stroked, then pinched, her buttocks and leapt out of bed.
"Ouch, you stinker!" she shouted as she chased him into the
bathroom. He caught her at the door, pulled her into another embrace, and
kissed her until her knees collapsed. He held her close and didn't let her
fall as he continued to devour her mouth with his own. When he finally
released her, she was panting with desire once again. Her arms slid around
his neck, and she pulled his head down for another kiss. He could not
resist her. He carried her back to the bed, and they made love yet again.
It was as intensely satisfying the second time.
Natalie awoke first. One of Nick's arms lay heavily across her
middle, her bottom rested snugly against his stomach. She rolled over to
face him as his eyes opened. One hand slid up over her hip and cupped her
breast. While the other slipped under her waist and pulled her against him.
"Hello, love," he murmured, then he kissed her.
She slid her fingers into his hair and kissed him back then replied,
"It's late, what time was our appointment?"
"Lots of time. Six o'clock."
"It's four now."
He kissed her again. "Lots of time."
"I'm hungry."
"Oh, all right. One more kiss?" he begged. She kissed him
passionately, deeply, and felt his body responding to her yet again. It was
amazingly gratifying to have a man want you so very much, she reflected.
But she was so very hungry!
"I'm starved." She told him.
"So am I, for you." He said and kissed her again.
"Who's doing the tonsil sucking today?"
"You don't enjoy it?"
"I adore it, but I need food!"
"I forgot! You're eating for two." Nick exclaimed and jumped out
of bed to usher her regally into the shower. "I shall allow milady to bathe
while I prepare her a suitable repast." He grabbed up his bathrobe and
disappeared down the stairs. When Natalie finished her shower, she could
smell delicious aromas rising from the kitchen. She finished dressing as
Nick reappeared and entered the shower himself. She could hear him humming
tunelessly as she descended the stairs. He had made coffee and bacon,
lettuce, and tomato sandwiches. The Scottish bacon he had used was
exceptionally lean and thoroughly delicious. Soon he joined her at the
table.
"I really do like bacon." He told her as he helped himself to one
of the sandwiches. "This is even better than the stuff we get at home."
"You seem to have a bigger appetite lately."
"It's getting easier to swallow solid food. I still enjoy the
blood, especially when it's yours."
"I still enjoy having you take it. It's exciting!"
He reached for her hand across the table. "Living with you is
exciting."
"I love you."
"I know." They lost themselves in each other's eyes as he caressed
her hand with his thumb. He said, "Time to clean this up and get going."
They quickly cleaned up the kitchen, locked the house and walked down the
alley toward the town.
As they disappeared into the distance, a large black sedan pulled up
in front of the house and two men got out. They approached the house and
knocked at the front door. When there was no answer, one of them
disappeared around one side of the house while the other headed in the
opposite direction. Within a few seconds the manager of Newbank House
approached from the adjoining hotel, as the two men returned to the front
porch. The manager walked directly to the two strangers.
"Can I help you gentlemen? If you'd like to rent the house, why
don't you come into the office, and we can get you on the calendar."
"No, we were looking for the young couple who are staying here now.
We need to speak to Mr. Knight. It's very important."
"I'm sorry you gentlemen have been inconvenienced. No one by that
name is staying here now. We have a Mr. and Mrs. Cowan from Glasgow staying
with us this week. Mr. Knight had to cancel his reservation at the last
minute as his travel plans were changed."
"I'm sorry to hear that. We had some very good news for Mr. Knight
regarding an inheritance."
"Well, I think he told me he was going to be staying with friends in
Linlithgow. The name was Sinclair, I believe, William Sinclair. Perhaps
you should check with him."
"Thank you very much. We'll do that. You don't happen to have an
address or a phone number, do you?"
"No, I don't. I do hope you can find Mr. Knight. Your news sounds
important." The manager told them. "If I hear from Mr. Knight, would you
like to leave a message about where he can reach you?"
"No, thank you. He wouldn't recognize the name of the firm." The
two men returned to the sedan. The manager watched them drive away. Then
he returned to the hotel office, wrote a quick note, and placed it in an
envelope in the message box marked ÔNewbank House' behind the front desk.
Meanwhile Nick and Natalie approached the small suite of deBrabant
Foundation offices in the Clydesdale Bank Building on George Street in the
New Town. Mr. Baird, Nick's solicitor, greeted them cordially and offered
them tea which Natalie accepted with alacrity. She had learned from Nick
during their walk that Mr. Baird, his secretary, and an accountant comprised
the entire executive staff of this particular branch of the Foundation.
Nick believed in maintaining a low overhead so that the interest earned by
the Foundation, derived from the investment of its assets, could be expended
on the charitable projects it supported. His personal fortune supported the
costs of running each operation and maintaining any real estate.
The office was elegantly and tastefully furnished. Natalie noticed
the portrait of the Sinclair chief and the deBrabant sword decorating one
wall to the right of where she was sitting, facing Mr. Baird, a sober,
precise man with a shock of bright white hair and intense blue eyes.
He lost no time in explaining the provisions Nick had made for his
family. Nick and Natalie would be the two parties in a joint trust. All
their personal assets would be held in common during their lifetimes. Upon
the death of either of the partners, the entire estate would become the
property of the surviving partner. In the event of the birth or adoption of
children, trusts would be devised for each heir until the age of
twenty-five. At that time the trust would revert to the heir's control.
Upon the demise of both parents, the entire estate would be divided equally
among the surviving heirs. If no heirs were to survive, the estate would
devolve upon the deBrabant Foundation to continue its work according to its
existing charter. There were, in addition, some special bequests in varying
amounts to specific persons. Mr. Baird asked Natalie to carefully review
the special bequests, and add to the list if she wished.
Natalie was touched that Nick had already provided a trust for her
sister-in-law and Myra Schanke. Their daughters, Amy and Jenny, also had
educational trust funds, payable to them, upon their graduation from high
school. Many of the items Nick owned that were of an historical
significance, he had willed to various museums. As she read over the very
lengthy list, she was awed and amazed at his thoroughness and generosity.
"Nick, I can't think of anything more to add, right now. This looks
like a very reasonable will to me." Natalie told him.
"Good. We can change things or add bequests as we need to, can't
we, John?" Nick asked.
"Of course, Nick. A will is a living instrument, you need to update
it from time to time to accommodate changes in your life."
"Well, Nat, are you ready to sign it?"
"Yes. I don't see any reason not to." They each signed their names
in the spaces provided, and Mr. Baird provided each of them with their own
copy.
"You'll want to place those in a safe deposit box as soon as you
have the opportunity. The originals will remain here in the office safe.
In the event the will must be probated, our office will represent the
interests of the survivor or the Foundation."
"We'll deliver the Sinclair sword to Rosslyn Chapel tomorrow," Nick
told Baird. "Did you make all the arrangements?"
"Yes, I did. You can pick it up tomorrow evening after six. The
Friends group have decided that they would like to place the sword on
display in the vaults beneath the chapel, near where the knight who carried
it is buried. They have a case ready for it. They've planned a small
presentation ceremony at seven o'clock. Are you willing to take part?"
"Of course," Nick answered.
"They asked if your wife would like to be a part of the
presentation," Mr. Baird looked to Natalie for her consent.
"It's fine with me. But this is something I really know nothing
about," Natalie said a bit nervously.
"They won't require us to do very much, Nat. Just hold out the
sword and say Ôyou're welcome,' I imagine. There might be some pictures
taken."
"They'll definitely have pictures, but they won't allow any
intrusive news people." Mr. Baird reassured her. "They're doing a massive
refurbishing program just now. You may have some construction equipment to
detour, and you will have a lot of walking. I'd suggest you dress much as
you have tonight. It won't be a formal event." Natalie looked down at her
slacks and jacket outfit and suddenly had an idea.
"Nick, let's wear the Sinclair brooches."
"That would be a nice touch," Nick agreed. "Let's do."
"Mr. Baird, could Nick examine the deBrabant sword? When we were at
Sotheby's, we were a bit rushed. We had reservations for the theater."
"Of course."
Nick looked at Natalie with trepidation in his eyes, and she could
feel him panic through their link. She sent him waves of reassurance, and
reached out and held his trembling hand as John Baird rose and removed the
sword from the wall. He held the scabbard across his palms with the hilt
towards Nick.
"You're really sure about this?" Nick asked Natalie.
"I'm sure."
Nick rose, reached for the hilt, hesitated, then clasped it. It did
not burn him! He glanced triumphantly at Natalie and drew it from the
sheath with a flourish. "It's still intact! I'd thought the blade would
have fallen into rust by this time!"
"I had it cleaned, polished, and sharpened when it was delivered. I
did the same with the Sinclair sword." Mr. Baird told him. "I believe the
scabbard is a replacement the Sinclairs must have provided. Leather surely
would never have lasted so long. This sword dates back to the late twelfth
or early thirteenth century. It has obviously been well cared for. If it
hadn't been, your fear that you'd be left with only a hilt would have been
true."
Nick made several expert passes in the air with the sword, "It has a
wonderful balance!"
"It was obviously made for a man of your stature," Mr. Baird
asserted.
"It isn't something a man carries about today, however," Nick said a
bit regretfully. He replaced the sword in the scabbard and handed it back
to John Baird. "Please put it back on display." He turned to Natalie
beaming. She rose from her chair and hugged him.
"We need to be going, Mr. Baird," Natalie told him over Nick's
shoulder. "Nick's taking me on the ÔGhost Tour' of Edinburgh tonight."
"I hear that's a favorite with the tourists. The food at the
Witchery is very good. You should have supper first and go for the second
tour."
"Thank you, John, for everything!" Nick told him warmly as he
released Natalie and turned to shake his hand.
"You're very welcome. Natalie, I'm very glad to have met you. I'm
pleased to see Nick finally happy." John Baird shook her hand heartily.
"Thank you, John."
They left the offices with Nick fairly dancing across the pavement.
"Nick, calm down, and slow down. I can't keep up!" Natalie begged.
Nick just swept her up into his arms and swung her around in the middle of
the sidewalk. Luckily, there weren't any other pedestrians within range of
their spin at that moment. When he let her down, he held her tightly and
murmured in her ear, "I think, maybe, I've finally been forgiven, Nat."
"I know you have, Nick." She caressed his cheek. "I told you you
could hold it."
"You love being an ÔI-told-you-so,' don't you?"
"Yes, I do!" she gloated. "Now, let me go, and let's go do that
tour. I don't think we need to be worried about the ghosts haunting you
tonight."
"I was a little concerned. I lived here once."
"I thought you must have. How long ago?"
"The last time I was a police constable in the fifties. It was a
much quieter town then. That was my first venture into police work."
"Are we going to find pictures of you on the walls of the Lothian
and Borders police station when we go for the tour of their forensics lab?"
"No, but you might find pictures of my Ôgrandfather.'"
"Humph, I thought so. C'mon, let's do the tour." She led him off
at a fast walk toward the top of the castle hill.
When they arrived at the Witchery at the Castle they found a tall
narrow building, typical of the eccentric Edinburgh architecture. The
ÔHellfire Club' reputedly had met there in the middle ages. The building
had been linked with witchcraft from 1470 through 1722 when more than 1,000
people were burned alive on Castlehill. One of the victims, an herbal
practitioner named Old Mother Long Nose, allegedly still haunted the
Witchery. It made for a fascinating theme restaurant. And their dinners
were delicious. After they ate, they joined the second tour and were
thoroughly enjoying the spooky, theatrical antics and the genuine historical
information provided by their guides. Suddenly a feeling of evil intent
invaded both their minds. Nick pulled Natatlie close to his side and
maneuvered them into the center of the group surrounding their tour guide.
They both glanced around surreptitiously, trying to locate the spy. Neither
could get a good fix on the threat, so they simply continued to move with
the tour. At the finish of the presentation, the group broke up in front of
the Witchery. Nick and Natalie were left to find their own way back to
Newbank House.
"We can't stand in front of the restaurant all night holding hands
with Old Mother Long Nose," Nick told her, referring to the figure of the
old crone placed at the door to the restaurant. "Can you tell which
direction is least dangerous?"
"No, I feel a threat from every direction. They must have several
people following us."
"Then let's head away from home toward brightly lighted areas. Keep
an eye out for a dark close. Maybe we can dart into a corner and take to
the sky. The fog's moving in, it should hide us a bit."
"That sounds like a plan I can live with," Natalie agreed.
"Meanwhile, I'm trying to remember everything I can about that self-defense
class I took last year."
They headed off toward the east as if they were going to Deacon
Brodie's. They went along uneventfully for some time. Then they heard a
car approaching across Waverly Bridge from their left and another from
behind. They were just approaching the High Kirk of St. Giles on their
right. Nick reached for Natalie and swiftly pulled her across the wide
courtyard and into the darkened entrance to the cathedral.
"They're vampires!" Nick hissed in her ear. "Let's hope this deters
them a bit." Nick reached for the door handle and, with a bit of force, he
broke the lock, and let them into the beautiful old church. He headed
directly for the altar, where he knelt, pulling Natalie down beside him.
"I'm pretty sure they won't want to come in here," Nick said quietly. "And
I thought I ought to give thanks," he winked at her. Natalie just grinned
at her husband and squeezed his hand. Nick clasped her hands in his as he
bowed his head prayerfully.
Outside, the group following the couple rendezvoused on the front
steps of the kirk. "What do we do now?" the leader asked of the other faces
before him. "Does anyone else want to follow Knight in there?"
"Not on a bet! How long do you think he can take it?"
"There's no telling. I heard he pulled an all day stake out once
inside a church in Toronto. I don't know how he managed to function," one
of the vampires said.
"Are you sure this guy is really a vampire? He doesn't feel right
to me," another put in.
"Is this the right guy? Maybe we picked up the wrong people?"
"No, I checked the photos they sent over. These are the right
people."
They argued back and forth for several minutes. "Listen," the
leader said. "Let's just stake the place out and wait. They can't stay in
there forever."
"That's reasonable," the others agreed. They dispersed to posts at
strategic locations around the church and began to wait patiently.
Inside the church Nick released Natalie's hands as he rose from his
knees and solemnly crossed himself. Smiling gently, he again held out his
hand to Natalie. "We can go now," he told her quietly.
"Go? Where?"
"There's a crypt beneath the nave, and an underground passage to the
street near Parliament Square. I think we can get out there, if they haven't
done too much more remodeling since the fifties. It feels as if our
pursuers have decided to set up a stake out."
"You're right. I can feel them too," Natalie said.
"But they haven't guarded the outlet to Parliament Square. Either
they don't know about it, or it's been closed off. Let's find out which is
true." Nick led Natalie through a door to one side of the altar. They
descended a spiral stair and found themselves in an underground vault.
Natalie followed him quickly down a long hall. When they reached the foot
of another narrow staircase, he paused. They both extended their senses.
Neither could feel the vampires seeking them nearby. They ascended the
stair. At the top Nick forced another door and let them out into the night.
He pulled Natalie close against him, whispered, "Hold on tight," and lifted
into the air.
"This is getting to be a delightful habit," Natalie whispered in his
ear as they ascended. The fog Nick had predicted would hide them from view
coated them with a fine, cold mist. Natalie was glad of her slacks and the
heavy coat she had donned when they left the house earlier. "How can you
tell where we're going?" Natalie asked after he had flown for a few
moments.
"Vampires have a fairly good sense of direction, and the infrared
vision helps in the fog. I'm heading south right now. I'll circle around
toward the east, then north, and finally back west and drop us back on the
corner of George Street at Hanover. From there we can walk back home. I'm
afraid the fog is going to be denser as we head north toward the Forth."
"That's OK. I dressed warmly enough."
Soon Nick was descending and Natalie found she recognized the corner
they had turned to find the Foundation earlier in the evening. "I'm looking
forward to getting home. Even though we ate not too long ago, I'm hungry
again."
"It figures," Nick laughed. "You haven't gained that much weight
yet, though."
"Thank you, love. You should know."
He hugged her and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. Very soon they
were approaching Newbank House. When they entered the living room, Nick
noticed the red light blinking on the phone. "We have a message at the
office. I'll call and see what it is."
"While you do that, I'm going to fix another sandwich. Would you
like one, or something to drink?"
"Nothing to eat, but a large glass of the usual, please," Nick told
her.
When Natalie returned to settle next to him on the couch, Nick was
looking very thoughtful. "What's up, Nick?"
"The manager says we had a visit from a pair of gentlemen in a large
black sedan this evening just after we left. They were asking for our
friend Nick Knight. They wanted to inform him of an inheritance. He asked
us to convey the message if we happen to see him."
"Well, I'm certainly glad we registered as the Cowans."
"So am I. The manager told them what he knew, that Nick was staying
with friends in Linlithgow. I hope they'll spend some time tomorrow looking
for us there. There're an awful lot of William Sinclairs in Linlithgow."
"Nick, you're awfully good at ducking these people. It strikes me
that running from LaCroix all those years was really good training for this
little exercise."
"Ha," he laughed shortly, "I suppose you're right. The only concern
I have is keeping you safe."
"You're doing a very good job of that, my love. Here, drink up.
You need to keep up your energy." She handed him a wine glass filled with
blood and set the open bottle near him on the coffee table. Natalie relaxed
next to him, eating her sandwich and marveling at the wonderful changes she
could feel in Nick. While they relaxed, the vampires who had been following
them still lay in wait outside St. Giles.

[End Chapter 6 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations]

Chapter 7 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations

Hours later Nick rolled over in bed. He'd awakened quite suddenly,
and wasn't sure why. He lay quietly, listening carefully and extending his
senses to find any danger that might be lurking. He found none. He relaxed
and turned his head to watch Natalie sleep. She was singularly lovely, he
thought. He thanked all the powers of the universe that she had chosen him.
What a long road he had traveled to find her! Natalie turned over in her
sleep. She had been facing away from him, and as she turned toward him, she
burrowed into his chest, sighed deeply, and smiled, still asleep. Nick's
heart turned over inside him.
<How trusting she is!> He thought. <She even seeks me in her
sleep!> He reached around her, gathering her as closely as he could.
Natalie snuggled up under his chin. He could feel her breath puffing gently
into his neck as they lay together. He stroked her hair and kissed her
forehead gently. He marveled that she should be his wife. And as he
watched her, and listened to the quiet, steady beating of her heart, he
began to hear, very faintly, another small sound. It was the light, quick,
flutter of the heart of the unborn child she carried. His son! Until this
moment, the idea of their child had seemed just another delightful dream.
But now he could hear, distinctly, the reality of what they had achieved.
Wonderingly, Nick listened to the hearts of those most dear to him, until
their steady rhythm lulled him back to sleep.
Across the Atlantic Ocean as Nick watched Natalie in her sleep, Yves
was receiving an unnerving phone call.
"We had to leave before the sun rose, sir. They never left by any of
the exits. We had them all covered. We sent a human team in to look for
them, but they weren't there. One of our operatives got close enough to
Knight to sense him. He says Knight doesn't feel like a vampire. Are you
sure these are the right people we're following?"
"You have the photographs we sent you?"
"Yes sir, we do. And they definitely look like the right people,
but they sure don't feel right. What should we do now?"
"Try to locate them again, and this time plan it well so you can get
your hands on them. From now on you must use integrated teams whenever you
can. You need to get quickly into anywhere he might go. Once you have
them, I want their identity established properly. But treat them well. We
need them alive. There can be no mistakes about this. Maybe Knight has
employed human doubles to throw us off the track. I have someone who knows
Knight personally. I'll be sending him over from Brussels to head up this
investigation. Stay with them, and don't let them slip through your fingers
again!"
Yves hung up the phone and sat hunched over his desk resting his
chin thoughtfully on his clasped hands. Could Knight truly be that clever?
Perhaps he should reassess his evaluation of Nicolas deBrabant. Was he
underestimating this rebellious son of LaCroix? It certainly seemed so.
Perhaps he needed to revise his plan. He reached for the file, resolved to
read it with a more critical eye.
The portrait of Nicolas on the opening page caught his eye, and he
remembered the first time he had seen that face. He had been the butt of
yet another cruel jest at the bar sinister he bore on his shield when
someone had placed a hard hand on his shoulder and bellowed for the jesting
to stop.
"He fought well today!" the newcomer exclaimed, "better than most of
you. He should be praised for his ability, not condemned for his heritage!"
"Ah, Nicolas, you always take the part of the weak and humble. You
should have been a priest rather than a knight!" they shouted back at him.
But the session of humiliation had been over for a time, and Yves had been
grateful. Then, wonder of wonders! Nicolas had sat down next to him, and,
suiting action to words, he had complimented him on his conduct during their
late battle. Then he had eaten and drunk with him. They had become fast
friends. Never again had Nicolas referred to his bastardy and had always
treated him as an equal.
Yves had come to worship this golden man. Nicolas would champion
anyone who needed his help. He was unfailingly polite and kind to everyone,
especially women and children. He was a mighty fighter, skillful in
battle, as was Yves, himself. They were a well-matched pair and fought
together in many skirmishes against the Saracen. Nicolas was the parfait
knight. Then Jules had joined their troupe. They had lost many in the
latest defense of their outpost, and the new knights who joined them were
welcomed joyfully. They were slowly losing their war against the Saracens.
It would not be long before they must abandon the area. Their superiors
were coordinating the next attack with the Templar commandery not too far
from their encampment.
Nicolas, Yves, Jules, and the newest contingent of knights, had been
sent to rendezvous with the Templars. They had come upon a skirmish between
some of the Templars and the Saracen enemy. During the battle Jules had
saved Yves' life with a timely cut, and he had become Yves' newest friend.
They became a powerful trio. Nicolas was always their unacknowledged
leader, until they had been forced to abandon the fight. At the end, they
had been the only ones to survive the last battle for their camp. All three
were severely wounded and sent to the Hospitallers to recuperate. When they
were sufficiently recovered to attempt to make their way home, they decided
to travel together, for security, and for their past camaraderie. If it had
not been for Marburg, they would still be a mighty trio!
Yves had often speculated what would have been their fate if the
Pope had not required them to join Marburg's little exercise in
self-enrichment. Yves knew he had changed immeasurably during those few
months. He had learned, initially to his dismay, how very pleasurable it
was to give, rather than to receive pain. As a noble's bastard son, he
could never inherit, never hold more than a minor position in anyone's
court. Most noblewomen would shun his advances, not wishing to be sullied
by union with him. He could be accorded a measure of respect only for his
ability at arms or for the possession of great wealth. But wealth would
have to be gained through service as a mercenary soldier, and, he had
learned during his service in the crusades, that life would be very short,
pain filled, and unlikely to afford him any social advancement.
Service under Marburg, on the other hand, was easy, undemanding
work. He knew Nicolas and Jules felt humiliated to act as jailers, but Yves
had lived with humiliation all of his life. The condescension with which
the local count's men regarded them during their tenure at the castle was
counterbalanced, for Yves, by the fearful awe he could generate in the
common soldier when he threatened those who dared to taunt him as a bastard
with the power of the church's disfavor. It was so easy to use his new
position to cow anyone who annoyed him.
He had recognized an ally in Marburg when he realized the underlying
motives for this particular crusade. The church needed land and wealth.
And Marburg knew how to get it, both for himself and for his sponsors. The
power of the threat of excommunication was enormous. It could be used to
acquire the lands, titles, and wealth of anyone who crossed the princes of
the church. This abbey of heretics controlled a vast expanse of extremely
productive arable land. Marburg was here to insure that that land would
come under the future administration of the proper church officials. Yves
wanted what the church wanted, land and power. And when the family had
entered the castle, he knew his fortune had been made.
Yves had recognized them the minute he had laid eyes on them. The
woman had once been betrothed to him. His father had promised him a proper
wife, but had reneged on his bargain and had given her in marriage to his
half-brother, Giles. Giles had returned, covered in glory, from a campaign
against a neighbor which had gained their father yet another stronghold.
Yves had been crushed by this betrayal. Not only was the woman his ticket
to respectability, but her substantial dowry and landed estate, just over
the border in Germany, would have made his existence very tolerable. Giving
this prize to his younger, legitimate brother had been the last blow in a
long line of disappointments. Then he had been virtually sold to the church
as a soldier in the crusades.
Giles' conduct during the attack upon their more respectable
neighbor had not endeared him to the church. The Chambourgs had been
threatened with excommunication unless Yves' father paid restitution. The
church forgave unforgivable sins, and considerable tax debts, in exchange
for a son's service in the crusades. Yves had been sent to insure the
increase in his family's fortunes. A bastard son was easier to part with
than a legitimate one. And now the brother who had stolen his wife and
exiled him to brutal battle had arrived at this very castle. His brother
had not recognized him. It had been ten years since Yves had last seen him.
Yves had not forgiven nor forgotten the man who had cost him so much. He
had gone straight to Marburg and told him just how rich Giles had become in
the past ten years. Yves' father had sent word of just how far the family's
fortunes had advanced because of his sacrifice!
Marburg had been overjoyed when Yves had shared his brother's
history. It had been very easy to accuse him, because Giles was, after all,
guilty of transgressions against the church. And Yves very much doubted
that the years had improved his brother's character. Their father had
reared them both to be ruthless and unrelenting in their pursuit of the
advancement of their family's fortune. Yves had been truly amazed at the
steadfastness with which his brother and his wife had adhered to their
profession of faith. But their resistance had simply made Marburg more
adamant to seize their property. Yves had expected to be rewarded
generously for his information. He had been severely disappointed once
again. And, he had found, he no longer respected the golden Nicolas or
Jules so very much. They had actually been sickened by Marburg's duplicity
and were stupid enough to betray their feelings. Yves had been glad to go
his own way when Marburg had finished with them.
Yves had been heading back to the Holy Land in hopes he could sell
his sword to someone who would not betray him. He had found that person in
Bertrand. Only Bertrand had ever delivered on his promises to Yves.
Several years later Yves heard that Marburg had been murdered. He had never
wasted a moment's thought on who might have done him that favor. He had
gone immediately to Germany and had purchased the property which should have
been his own so many years before. He and Bertrand had established a very
satisfactory base of operations and had begun their surveillance of his old
comrades.
In Jules' office across town, LaCroix appeared relaxed as he read
through the file on Yves that Jules had given him. It was, to say the
least, an impressive dossier. LaCroix could not fault the training which
had produced this paragon of predators. This was the very being he had been
trying to build in Nicholas, or rather, he thought he had. But as he
reviewed his own career in the light of Yves,' he realized he had been lying
to himself.
LaCroix had never allied himself with the likes of Hitler, Stalin,
or Mao. He had told himself that it was their plebeian, mortal origins
which made them so distasteful. But now, he understood. It was their
unbounded fanaticism and excessive lust for unnecessary violence which had
made him avoid their ranks. No matter how much free food their causes might
have supplied, he would never have chosen to further their ends. He
reexamined the aversion he had had to Divia's unbridled lust for torture and
endless killing, as he read Jules' summary of the dismaying history of
Nicholas' fellow crusader.
A vampire calling himself Bertrand deVere, yet another convert of
Ka-Ha, Divia's master, had discovered Yves in an inn in the Holy Land. Yves
had drifted towards the Middle East bent on selling his skill with the
sword. Bertrand had provided him with the opportunity to acquire the kind
of eternal life the Church could never give him, an outlet for his basest
desires, and the means to achieve the wealth and power that had never been
his to command as the bastard son of a minor French nobleman.
Bertrand had infused Yves with his zealous devotion to Ka-Ha's
teachings. Vampires should rule the earth. Humans were merely a herd to
provide sustenance. A child, the Hunter, would come to insure vampires'
eventual prominence. The result of a human/vampire mating, the Hunter would
become the leader vampires needed to unify them. But if left to its own
devices, such a child would turn against vampires and hunt them into
extinction as hunters had attempted to do in the past. <Perhaps that was why
Ka-Ha had brought Divia across at such a young age. He had attempted to
fulfill his own prophecy!> LaCroix mused as he read. Ka-Ha had never
lived to see his prophecy fulfilled. He had been betrayed and murdered by
one of his own kind. <Divia, of course, had been responsible. How ironic!>
Over the years, Yves, Bertrand, and their followers devoted
themselves to tracking down any human/vampire couple who attempted to mate.
Usually the vampire killed the human, but rarely, a mating was reported to
have succeeded. None of the potential Hunters located by Bertrand's group
had been more than mortal, all had been easy prey. Jules and his master,
Marcus, had been ahead of Yves and Bertrand on more than one occasion, as
they searched for the Hunter. Jules and Marcus had attempted to preserve
the lives of each couple and their child. Even when they had succeeded,
Yves and Bertrand had bided their time and disposed of each family at a
later date. They had been most active during the Middle Ages, but as the
Renaissance bloomed across Europe, and scientific method slowly replaced
magic, the reports had grown rare.
In 1630 in Bamberg, Germany, a woman and her child, reputed to be a
potential Hunter, had been sighted. The local bishop had a very efficient
and lucrative witch-hunting operation, and every vampire with any sense was
avoiding the area. Bertrand insisted on investigating, personally. His
inquiries attracted notice. A local burgomaster, needing a scapegoat to
rescue himself and his relatives from the acquisitive wrath of the bishop,
had accused Bertrand.
Yves had attempted to convince the authorities, with a bit of
monetary persuasion, that Jules and Marcus, who had followed himself and
Bertrand to town, were a more lucrative target. But Yves' plot had
backfired. Both masters were executed and their property seized. Only Yves
and Jules had managed to escape. Ironically, the woman and child, were
nothing more than a young widow returning to her family with her firstborn.
Her husband had been an eccentric albino, but no vampire. The loss of his
master caused Yves to take his continuing feud with Jules to a more personal
level.
After Bertrand's death, Yves had continued his quest for the Hunter,
and over the years, it drained his financial reserves and tested his
restraint. Yves had been known to indulge in especially brutal and
spectacular serial killings. These murders were always blamed on humans
Yves had influenced and left at the scene. The outbreaks garnered him the
unwanted notice of the Enforcers. He had modified his activities and now
sated his desire for torture in other ways.
Yves' set up the KH Medical Supply Company during World War II to
help fund his search. He'd begun by providing blood products to the German
army. And, Yves found, he could provide supplies to his own kind without
interference from the authorities. The Gestapo was pleased to find yet
another willing tool. And through his contacts with the Gestapo,Yves had
met and made an ally of Dr. Mengele. Disturbingly incomplete reports of
Yves cooperation and continuing relationship with the doctor and his medical
experimentation, even after his exile to Argentina, had surfaced from time
to time, until the doctor's death. Theirs had become a truly symbiotic
relationship.
Yves moved to Russia when the war was lost by the Germans. Stalin
was most amenable. Upon the death of Stalin, Yves moved east. Business
with Mao was even more lucrative than with Stalin. He also established a
world-wide network of blood suppliers through connections to the various
underground organizations which preyed on humans. The Mafia, the Chinese
Tongs, the Yakuza, and, lately, the Colombian drug lords, all of his
associates, found money and power for the taking in using humans for their
mutual profit. When Yugoslavia dissolved into revolution, and revived the
horror of concentration camps, Yves was back in business in Europe. Any
predatory organization was a friend to Yves.
With the advent of global computer networking, Yves had tapped into
the very useful files of international witness protection organizations and
was using their procedures to establish an unwitting worldwide herd of
docile human blood donors. It was no longer necessary to kill the donor to
acquire sufficient amounts of blood. Yves milked only the required amount,
and assiduously maintained the health of each donor. It was easy to
convince people that they had been relocated for their own or their family's
safety. And Yves made sure no one knew how they were being used.
Yves' subjects were grateful for their new lives, and could be
easily manipulated into depending only on his organization for their
survival. If his people were sometimes called upon to donate more than
their blood, then they or their families were richly compensated.
Appropriate cover stories were convincingly fabricated to cover the
harvesting of other organs. If anyone failed to carry out any order Yves
gave, the death of the traitor or the sacrifice of a family member was an
immediate consequence. No one had yet survived any attempt to unseat him as
head of his organization, and no human ever had or ever would advance to a
position of any real power while Yves had control.
Properly trained donors were used as members of his local
surveillance teams. They were employed to keep tabs on each other, locate
additional donors, and to search for signs of the Hunter. From time to time
they also recruited additions to his staff. He continually scouted both
medical researchers and security experts.
These highly trained people were essential to his collateral plan.
In the event of the failure of the search for the Hunter, Yves had developed
a program to produce the prodigy he required. Mengele and his successors
had devised a procedure, using human and vampire genetic material, of in
vitro cross-fertilization, then transplantation of the embryos into
appropriate surrogate mothers. Even this ambitious program had failed to
produce the results Yves had hoped to achieve. To date none of the embryos
had been viable past the third month.
Yves' baser needs now appeared to surface only when he had an order
from a vampire client which required some special treatment of the donor.
His "Special Vintage" blood bottlings, when properly prepared, provided an
exhilarating confection flavored with just the right amounts of terror and
horror. Yves prided himself on the precise application of the instruments
of torture required to cater to each client's palate. He controlled an
empire. He had become extremely wealthy and powerful. And when he found,
or produced, the Hunter, he would have found his heir.
When he had finished the summary, LaCroix looked across the desk and
met Jules' eyes. "This monster is what they are up against." He said
quietly. "I had no idea. I am amazed at how this Yves appalls me."
"He must be stopped," Jules stated.
"Yes. But how? This organization of his is enormous. Does he have
an heir apparent who might obtain control of it?"
"There are other powerful people in the organization, but Yves does
not trust anyone enough to let them know the true extent of it. I have this
information because Marcus and I followed his career from the beginning.
People have died to obtain the more recent information in that file."
"Yves does not trust his underlings. That is very telling and very
useful. I know well the erosive effects of deep distrust. We must find a
way to use that distrust to our advantage," LaCroix observed.
"That kind of strategy will take a long time," Jules warned.
"True, but it is extremely effective. It undermined Hitler and
Stalin. And if we can get Nicholas into a safer situation, I believe we
will have all the time we need. I am less and less enamored with having him
return here. It is not safe. He must move on, and quickly. I believe we
must find a way to meet with him and advise him of what we know," LaCroix
said.
"I can arrange that," Jules replied.
"I thought you could. It strikes me that you must have an
organization very nearly as massive as Yves.' Tell me more about Marcus."
Saturday afternoon was overcast and rainy in Edinburgh. Natalie
awoke to hear the quiet patter of rain on the roof. She turned her head to
where Nick lay beside her and found him staring besottedly at her with an
intent, but oddly unfocused, gaze. "Whatever is the matter with you?"
"Hum, what?"
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?"
"I never thought I'd ever say this, but like a moon calf! You have a
terrifically silly expression on your face!"
"Oh, nothing, I just love you." He continued to stare.
"Well, whatever it is, get over it!" When this assertion had no
effect, she punched him in the stomach and waved her hands in front of his
face. "Earth to Nick!" Nick finally blinked, realized he had been staring
fatuously at her, and actually blushed. "Now what was that all about?"
Natalie demanded.
"I can hear the baby's heartbeat!"
"You can? Damn, I wish I'd brought my stethoscope."
"Maybe Angus will lend you his."
"Come on. Time to get up. It's after four and we have a lot to
do." They hustled around and managed to get dressed and packed in time to
make their six o'clock appointment with John Baird. They had decided to
spend the entire weekend between Roslin and Peebles. Nick had reserved a
room for Saturday night at the Cringletie House Hotel just north of Peebles.
At six they picked up the Sinclair sword and were on their way out of
Edinburgh on the A703 by six thirty. They weren't followed, so far as they
could tell. The rain continued and, even with her improved vision, it was
difficult to see very much in the cloudy darkness, so Natalie read the map
and checked signposts to help Nick find the right turns to Roslin village
and then the Chapel.

[End Chapter 7 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations]

Chapter 8 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations

In a very short time they pulled into the Visitor's Centre parking
lot. The representatives of the ÔFriends of Rosslyn Chapel' met them. They
were excited to receive the sword for display. There was a very brief
ceremony, and Nick was allowed to install the sword in its place of honor
near his fellow knight's tomb. Their pictures were taken beside the new
exhibit, and they were assured they would receive their own copies when the
negatives were developed. Nick asked that they be sent to the deBrabant
office in Edinburgh. They were asked to stay for refreshments, but declined
as they were already expected elsewhere. They promised to return the next
evening for a complete tour of the Chapel. By seven thirty they were back
on the A703 on their way to Peebles.
Nick had given the napkin on which Angus had drawn his map to
Natalie. She compared it to the road map and guided Nick efficiently to
Angus' front door. They arrived, slightly damp, just before eight. They
were greeted with open arms.
"I hope the directions were all right," Angus said as he hugged
Natalie and shook Nick's hand.
"They were excellent, we had no trouble finding you," Natalie told
him.
"I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner. The Rosslyn Chapel people
wanted a dedication ceremony for the sword," Nick explained.
"Quite all right, quite all right. We're still finishing things up.
You'll find we don't run on a time clock around here." Angus assured him.
A handsome, brown-haired woman of medium height appeared behind
Angus and said, "Don't keep them in the hallway all night, dear. Invite
them in!"
"Natalie, Nick, this is Mairi, my wife."
"Mairi, I've heard about you for so long I feel I know you," Natalie
said.
"Same here, Natalie," Mairi laughed and her entire face lit with her
joy. Mairi had them hang their coats on the hooks in the hallway and led
the way into the back of the house.
"You must excuse our creative clutter. My studio is most of the
house, I'm afraid. We live very casually here." As Nick and Natalie
trailed her down the long hall that stretched toward the back of the house,
they passed rooms filled with overflowing bookcases placed next to
conversational nooks, desks occupied by computers and their detritus, tables
piled with projects in various stages of completion, and arrived, at last,
in a comfortable family room completely open to a large, country style
kitchen furnished with the most modern appliances and a beautifully
efficient work island facing into the family room. Wonderful smells
emanated from the oven and stove.
"This is delightful," Natalie said. "You can visit and work at the
same time. My mother would have loved this room."
"You're an artist, aren't you?" Nick observed to Mairi.
"Yes, I guess you can call me an artist. Sometimes I feel I'm just
a tinkerer," Mairi laughed again.
"Nick's an artist," Natalie said.
"I try to paint, but you have an artist's eye. The ambiance of your
home demonstrates your style. And I noticed some truly wonderful sculpture
in the other room," Nick said.
"You liked that? Well, later I'll take you on a tour. Right now we
need to get you comfortable." Angus beamed at them and showed Nick and
Natalie to the couch. He brought them each a glass, ale for Nick, fruit
juice for Natalie.
"The kids will be down soon. I think they're finishing their own
projects upstairs," Mairi told them.
When the children came down from their rooms to join them for
dinner, Nick and Natalie found that they were, like their parents, unique
individuals, each with quite different interests. David, the oldest, at
fifteen, was a computer whiz. He wrote his own programs and maintained his
own web page, where he reviewed the latest computer games. He had an
amazing number of keypals with whom he corresponded regularly via e-mail.
Sarah, twelve, was a consummate musician. Her specialty was wind
instruments. She entertained them after dinner with some traditional tunes
on her recorder. The youngest, Willy, eight, was still looking for his
niche, but he eagerly displayed his butterfly and rock collections and
insisted that they tour his herb garden the minute the rain let up.
The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, eating, visiting, and
touring what Angus called Mairi's Ôgallery.' Nick was in heaven. This was
the kind of evening he had wished for so often during the empty centuries of
his vampire existence. To be welcomed here in the bosom of this obviously
happy and very accomplished family was a dream he had nourished through his
longest and blackest nights. And to be spending this holy time with
Natalie, was something he'd never imagined could be possible. He positively
beamed. It was with great reluctance that they finally headed for the hotel
close to eleven o'clock.
The Cringletie House was expecting them to arrive late. They
registered and settled into their room. "That was a miraculous evening!"
Nick exclaimed as he hugged her from behind. He was still glowing with joy
and enthusiasm, Natalie noticed with satisfaction.
"You're going to be a wonderful father," Natalie told him.
"You really think so?" Nick asked as he nibbled on her ear.
"Oh, yes, I know so," she answered as she turned in his arms and
reached up to kiss him. In the midst of their embrace, both suddenly
stiffened.
"There's a vampire somewhere nearby," Nick said.
"How could they have found us?" Natalie asked. "No one followed us,
and we registered under a different name."
"Do you feel a threat?"
"No."
"Perhaps it's a coincidence. There are vampires living everywhere,
you know. We often travel, and the heavy draperies in this place are
ideal."
"Nick, you don't really feel like a vampire to me anymore. I've
noticed a tremendous change in the way you feel through our link. I wonder
if a vampire could even recognize you."
"I really feel that different to you?"
"Yes, you do. I wish...." Natalie broke off.
"What, Nat?"
"I'm going to ask Angus if I can use his lab. Come with me on
Monday and let's take some current samples. I want to see if our mutation
has slowed any."
"Busman's holiday time again?"
"Yeah, but I think it's important."
"So do I. Come on. Let's go to bed."
"Not yet, I need to ask you some things."
"Like what?"
"You ate a full dinner tonight, and you drank ale and wine. How do
you feel?"
"Fine. I feel fine."
"Have you had any blood today?"
"Yes, I drank a bottle before we left Edinburgh. I have more in the
overnight bag, but I don't really want any right now."
"You didn't show any discomfort at all at Rosslyn Chapel. And you
seemed to have no problems in St. Giles last night. But you could still
fly. And we still have our link. And you can still sense vampires."
"Yes. All that is true."
"Nick, how do you feel? Don't answer me quickly. Use your senses.
Turn them inward. Tell me what you find that's different than the last time
you really thought about your condition."
Nick released her and went to sit in one of the easy chairs in
their suite. He settled back and fell into one of his trance-like states.
Natalie sat across from him and watched him carefully. She extended her
visual acuity and assessed his physical body. She could trace lines of
brightness joined by nodes of light. To her, he appeared to glow with
health. After several minutes of contemplative silence, Nick drew in a deep
breath and focused on her. She could feel him rejoin their link.
"It's odd, Nat, the vampire is there, but it's controllable. Always
before it was continually pushing at me to take, feed, kill. Now it's
quiescent, leashed, like a power held in reserve. I still have the same
enhanced perceptions. That new sense we've acquired is even stronger. I
checked out that vampire. He is moving on, I have no idea where, but he's
experiencing a deep sense of regret. He doesn't know we exist. Nat, maybe
you should try the same thing."
"I will, but I wanted to tell you what I've observed about you. To
my new sight, you look like the picture of health. I've never seen you feel
so well. And your attitude is so completely opposite from what it was just
a few weeks ago, I hardly recognize you. I like you now even better than I
did when I first fell in love with you!" Nick surged up out of his chair,
crossed the room, and knelt beside Natalie, encircling her waist with his
arms. He hugged her tightly.
"To think, after so many setbacks, that Divia's attack should give
us this gift, how ironic," Nick murmured into her stomach. Natalie tousled
his hair, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her. She took a deep
breath.
"Would you go back to the other chair for just a little while and
let me concentrate for a few moments?"
"Of course," Nick rose and returned to the other chair. He watched
as Natalie, in turn, fell into a contemplative state. He still marveled at
the new visual sense she appeared to have acquired. He focused on her,
completely, and found that he could feel her intense concentration. While
he waited patiently for her to broaden their connection, he monitored her,
and the baby's, heartbeat. After a few minutes, Natalie breathed in deeply
and opened her eyes. Nick felt their link flare. Lately, he'd noticed, it
was ever present, only changing in its amplitude, never completely
disappearing.
"You were right about that vampire. I feel sorry for him. No one
else in the hotel knows or cares about us either. I'm beginning to feel a
connection with the baby. He's healthy and comfortable, but that's about
all I can feel right now."
"Can you hear his heartbeat?"
"Yes, and yours, too, if I concentrate, and wait long enough. Your
heart isn't beating any faster than it ever did. I don't think my hearing
is as acute as yours."
"Nat, you haven't shown any desire for my blood, or any ability to
fly. Your heartbeat still has its distinctive rhythm. Does that mean
you're still, basically human?"
"Possibly. Even though you take my blood each time we make love, I
still have no scars or blemishes. And I don't miss the blood you take. I
have no aches or pains. I feel exceptionally well. Even though I can feel
my body changing as the baby grows, I don't feel ill. I tire more quickly.
My appetite is enormous. I crave odd foods, and sometimes I find myself
feeling extremely irritable."
"That's just normal pregnancy!"
"Yes, plus a rapid healing bonus. I'd still like to get a look at
our blood now."
"We'll see Angus Monday. Are you ready for bed yet?"
"Yes, I am." They retired, blissfully wrapped in each others' arms.
Natalie awoke to soft kisses against her shoulder. "Mmmm," she
murmured, "That's nice." She wriggled her rear end against Nick's stomach
and felt a distinct pressure grow against her back. His hands slid from
their resting place against her waist to pull her hips more tightly against
him. Then his left hand slid sensuously down her hip to the hem of her
gown. It slipped underneath to caress her belly and follow the line of her
stomach up to cup her breast gently while his thumb traced circles around
her aureole. Ripples of pleasure flowed from the path his hand followed and
moist warmth began to flow at her center.
He continued to shower kisses along her neck and shoulder, as his
hand left her breast and his fingers traced a cool, delicate path back down
her stomach, over her mound and slid inside her. His fingers moved gently,
yet firmly, in and out of her as his thumb played over her sensitive nub.
Her hips bucked and utter delight filled her as she pressed back against his
body, stretched tautly behind her. His hand stopped its gentle torture and
drifted over her hip toward himself. He reached between her thighs from
behind and found her core once more.
She reached back and stroked the length of his hardness and guided
him between her legs. He spread her nether lips as she pressed the head of
his shaft against her entrance. With one swift, hard thrust, he buried
himself deep within her moist, warm sheath. She spread her legs and pushed
back against him as he thrust forward once more. His hands pulled her hips
into him with each thrust. They moved together in an accelerating rhythm.
She felt the fingers of his left hand begin to stroke her clitoris again,
and her pleasure flamed into ecstasy as she felt her inner muscles begin
their involuntary contractions against his plunging firmness. His fangs
buried themselves in her vein, and she felt a delicious suction as he drank
from her.
He shuddered and gasped against her as he held her hips in place and
discharged his seed in three final and profound strokes. Then he wrapped
his arms and legs around her and held her tightly as their trembling bodies
relaxed. He was still trapped deeply inside her. She felt his mouth, his
tongue, against her neck, tasting and kissing. She was overwhelmed by her
carnal satisfaction. She reveled in his body's ability to pleasure her so
thoroughly. And the rapturous glow he returned through their link convinced
her, he had been as transported as she. They lay together, joyously
fulfilled. After a long while, he released her and turned her towards him.
She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently, gratefully. He
breathed in deeply, savoring her scent, and hugged her.
"We should get up," he murmured in her ear, "we have to check out."
"I know, I don't want to leave your arms." He nuzzled her ear and
nibbled on her earlobe. His hands slipped up and down her back as she
snuggled against him. She kissed the hollow at the base of his throat and
felt his Adam's apple move against her cheek as he swallowed.
"Come, love. Let's go take a shower," he urged quietly.
"Umm, OK," she forced herself to move away from him and rolled out
of the bed. The bathroom was a sybaritic paradise with a huge, ornate
shower with multiple heads and warmed towel racks filled with huge bath
sheets. They bathed and dried each other, then dressed and packed to leave.
At the door Natalie turned and looked back at the room.
"We could come back to celebrate our anniversary, couldn't we?"
"Anytime you'd like," he assured her.
By the time they reached the lobby, Natalie was hungry. They were
just in time for the Sunday afternoon lunch. They were pampered and well-fed
by the hotel dining room staff. They checked out, stored their luggage
behind the hotel's front desk, then settled in deep wing back chairs in the
library to while away the time until dusk. As soon as it was dark enough,
Nick stowed their luggage in the car.
The rain had cleared and they drove in a leisurely manner back
toward Roslin. When they reached Rosslyn Chapel, they drove into the car
park, parked, and walked to the Visitor's Centre. The president of the
Friends group met them enthusiastically and conducted them on an
enlightening tour of the chapel. They marveled at the beautiful and
delicate stone carvings that decorated every foot of the church inside and
out. They learned that Rosslyn Chapel, first built in 1447, had become a
monument to the Templars long after that order had been bloodily suppressed
by the Pope, in every country except Scotland. The chapel was deeply
entwined in Scottish Masonic lore. Several Templar tombs lay adjacent to
Sinclair's crypt. His sword, dating from the period of the Crusades, was a
most appropriate addition to the Rosslyn treasures. It was rumored that the
Templar treasury, never recovered by the Church which had anathematized its
brothers, lay hidden deep within the interior of the Chapel itself.
"Stranger things have happened in history," Nick told Natalie with a
peculiar expression on his face.
"Indeed they have," she agreed fervently. When they had completed
their formal tour, they were invited to roam the grounds. The clear night
beckoned to their sense of adventure, and they followed the lovely paths
that wound through the wooded hills of Roslin Glen.
"Nick, you wouldn't know anything about that Templar Treasure would
you?" Natalie asked him as they walked.
"Who, me? If I did, I'd never tell. The church never found it.
And I don't believe anyone else should either." Nick responded with a
mysterious smile.
"I thought so!" Natalie exclaimed.
"It was William Sinclair's decision to build this chapel and
dedicate it to the Templar order. Since his ancestor had fought in the Holy
Land, I merely suggested he might wish to transfer his remains here."
"That's how your friend's remains got here!"
After an hour of rambling, they decided to return to Edinburgh. As
they approached the car park, they both felt a menacing presence. Nick
signaled Natalie to wait while he lifted quietly into the air to observe the
area from a better vantage point.
Natalie moved into the shadow of a huge linden tree which grew near
the dry stone wall fencing the car park. She kept wishing she could just
blend quietly into her surroundings. She concentrated on relaxing. She
slowed her breathing and stood as still as she could. She followed Nick
with her eyes as he ghosted across the sky to land quietly near the
Visitor's Centre. The door to the centre opened and two men came out, one
human and one vampire.
"They were here earlier. We've missed them again. The boss won't
be pleased," the vampire said.
"He can't expect miracles. At least we've established that they're
in the area. This time it's not just a decoy," the mortal responded.
"That was a smart move to pick up all the local papers. We'd never
have spotted that item about the donation of the sword otherwise. You have
good instincts, Don."
"Yeah, well, I never figured on tracking this guy. I always knew he
had something to hide. But I never figured him for a murderer. And this
benevolent donation stuff for a cover! Geez, I guess you just never know
anybody."
"You knew Knight?"
"Yeah, I thought so. Let's get outta here, Sid."
Natalie froze. She felt her link to Nick crackle with a violence of
emotion that made her wince. His reaction was so intense, she thought
surely the vampire must notice. Natalie was terrified Nick would approach
the two men. She knew he wanted to, but he was as frozen in place as she.
The two men walked across the car park and approached the tree beside which
she stood. Their car was parked directly in front of her. Neither man
appeared to have seen or felt either herself or Nick. They climbed into
their car, turned on the headlights, illuminating her hiding place brightly,
backed out of their parking space, and drove away. Natalie could not
believe they had not seen her. Then she heard a groan, "Schanke, oh God,
Schanke." She watched as Nick slumped then slid down the wall of the
Visitor's Centre. She raced across the car park and found him collapsed in
a heap. When she touched his shoulder, he looked up at her with an agonized
expression, "How could he have survived, Nat? I thought he was dead!"
"Nick, you should be glad he's alive!"
"No, Nat. He's hunting us. He's on their side, Nat. How can this
be?!"
"I don't know, but we have to find out. Nick, we have to contact
Jules. He seems to know more about this Yves and his organization than
anyone else. We have to call him."
She helped Nick to his feet and bundled him into the car, seating
him on the passenger's side. Her mind raced. Nick was in shock! Don
Schanke, Nick's old detective partner, was alive! <Hell>, Natalie thought
to herself, <I'm in shock!> He'll never be able to drive, she reasoned.
She wasn't sure she could. She'd never driven on the left before, but she'd
watched Nick do it. She got into the car and carefully got them out of the
car park and onto the A703 once again. She thought she could get them back
to Newbank House, if she could just remember the turns. During the entire
drive, Nick sat in his seat in a nearly catatonic state. Natalie took a few
wrong turns, but finally got them home in one piece. She got the car into
the garage and went to open Nick's door. Just as she reached the handle,
the door flew open, and Nick jumped out of the car.
"All right, Nat. Let's get Jules on the phone!" They pulled their
luggage out and entered the house. He'd seemingly completely recovered.
Nat tested their link as he dialed Jules' number. She could feel a feverish
resolve and a tense expectancy. <That's certainly better than either agony
or despair.> She thought to herself. She hung up their coats and took their
bags upstairs. By the time she came back down, Nick was talking to Jules'
office.
"When are they flying in? OK, we'll meet them at the airport. We
have a car. Thank you, goodbye." Nick hung up.
"Nat, they're here."
"Who's here?"
"Jules, Janette, and LaCroix."
"All of them!?"
"They'd already left. I talked to his nurse. They should be
landing at Edinburgh within the hour. I have the flight information. Let's
go." She grabbed their coats, and they rushed out the door.
Within a half hour they had parked at the airport and were headed
for the gate where their friends would be arriving. Natalie found herself
giggling a bit hysterically as they approached the arrival lounge.
"What is it, Nat?"
"It just strikes me funny that I should be looking forward to seeing
LaCroix!"
Nick stopped suddenly, looked at her keenly, laughed and said,
"You're absolutely right. I'm looking forward to it, too." He threw his
arm around her, and pulling her close to his side, resumed his race to the
gate. "They aren't expecting us to meet them. I don't want to miss them."
As it turned out, the flight had been delayed in London due to fog
and they had an hour's wait. When the flight arrived and the passengers
began to debark, it was nearly midnight. LaCroix was the first of the trio
they spotted. They were among the last to leave the plane. Nick walked
directly up to the elegant vampire, placed himself in his path, and drew him
aside before LaCroix even noticed him.
"Nicholas!?" LaCroix gasped and stared at Nick as if he didn't
recognize him. And, indeed, he had not. The face was the same, the build,
the stance, but there was no recognizable trace of the vampire. Their
connection was gone! LaCroix turned unsteadily to Janette and Jules who had
stopped directly behind him. "Can you feel him?" LaCroix demanded of
Janette.
"Yes, but very faintly, and only now that I'm really concentrating,"
she replied quietly, then hissed. "This is no place to talk of this, let's
get out of here, and quickly."
"Janette's right," Nick told them. "Follow us. Do you have baggage
to claim?"
"It's being shipped later, we're to pick it up tomorrow. We were in
rather a hurry to see you," Jules told Nick.
"Come along, then. We have a car and a safe place to stay," Nick
told them.
"And two extra bedrooms," Natalie added.
They led the new arrivals to the car and sped back to Newbank House.
No one spoke until the car had been stored, coats put away, and everyone had
settled in the living room with a drink.
"What made you decide to come over here?" Nick asked.
"This," LaCroix held out the dossier on Yves that Jules had given
him to read. "You need this information. You can't come back to Toronto.
It isn't safe any longer. You must move on." Nick stared at him
quizzically as he accepted the folder.
"We also needed to see you. We needed to know how you were getting
along," Jules said.
"You mean our mutation, don't you?" Natalie stated more than asked.
"Yes, I do. When I ran the last samples, I got virtually the same
results you did, Natalie. But the mutation was even farther along, and it
was still active. I'm very concerned about how much longer it will remain
so. And I'd like to check on the baby. I'm worried about him, too," Jules
told her.
"So are we. We had just decided to approach Angus Beaton to use his
lab tomorrow. He's been very cooperative. As a matter of fact, he got me
out of a nasty situation the other evening and has volunteered his help,"
Natalie said.
"That explains why Jules is here. LaCroix, Janette, why are you
here? What has you so concerned?" Nick asked.
"The details are in that file, but basically, Yves is searching for
you and has discovered the substitution of the mummy. He suspects our
involvement. You literally do not stand a chance by yourselves with no
support. He has impeccable security and unlimited resources. I know you
are well versed in avoiding pursuers, but he's getting very close to you
here, isn't he?" LaCroix told them.
"Yes, he is," Natalie answered. "Uncomfortably close."
"Unfortunately Jules and I have given him reason for even greater
motivation. We found some people willing to double for you to try to decoy
him from your trail. We really had no idea what he might have in mind. The
decoys allowed themselves to be kidnapped. We were to move in and rescue
them as soon as we had some idea of what Yves had planned. Our plans were
unsuccessful. They disappeared into Yves' building, and we never saw them
again. The doubles did not survive Yves' interrogation. They were found
by the police, dumped in an alley across town. No one has been arrested for
their murder. They were beaten, their throats cut, and they were drained of
blood."
Nick and Natalie exchanged solemn, significant looks. They both
recalled, only too vividly, the M.O. of the series of deaths in Toronto just
ten years before. Then Nick said, "But we have a few new wrinkles for him,
don't we, Nat?"
"Yes, as you've seen, vampires don't seem able to feel Nick anymore.
But I can assure you, LaCroix, he is still a vampire."
"I can see that by what he is drinking, but our link is gone."
"I can still feel our link. Perhaps he is shielding, LaCroix,"
Janette said.
"Janette's right, LaCroix, it isn't gone. I just haven't opened
it," Nick told him as he purposefully opened a link to the older vampire.
"I had tried to shut you out for so long, it has become a habit."
LaCroix gasped as Nicholas' strength raced through the link he
opened.
"How can this be?" He breathed in awe. Then Nick opened a similar
contact with Jules, broadened the connection to Janette, and quietly
included Natalie, who gasped in her turn.
"I didn't know you could do that, Nick!" Natalie exclaimed.
"Neither did I until I tried it," Nick murmured.
"This is the product of your mutation?" LaCroix asked.
"Part of it. Natalie and I can also sense others' feelings. We
know if they intend us harm. And the range at which we can sense these
things seems to be expanding as we use the ability," Nick said.
"And tonight I think we blocked our pursuers' sense of us. We
disappeared into the woodwork, so to speak. Those two in the car park never
saw us, Nick. And we didn't hide, we just stood quietly. They didn't even
see me when they turned their headlights right on me. And at the airport,
LaCroix never saw you until you walked in front of him." Natalie's mind was
whirling as she realized the connection between the two events and tried to
explain what she had seen and felt.
"That is very true, Natalie. I didn't see him, or you. And then to
have him appear before me and not be able to sense him at all, that was very
disturbing," LaCroix asserted.
"This is fascinating!" Jules said. "I want to do the new tests.
Can you introduce me to Dr. Beaton?"
"Sure, he'd love to meet you. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't
take you on a tour of the research labs. With your reputation he'll
introduce you to the researchers working here and ask you to do a guest
lecture," Natalie warned Jules.
"Did you two keep the journals I asked you to?" Jules asked.
"Yes, we did. Here, we'll let you read them while we read over this
file," Nick handed him two small volumes. "Right now why don't you choose
the bedrooms you'd like. You must be tired after your trip. We've already
taken the one at the top of the stairs to the left. I'm afraid there's only
one bathroom. There are heavy curtains on the windows of all the rooms."
"Thank you, Nicolas. I, for one am very tired. It has been a long
trip." Janette said, then she climbed the stairs, followed by Jules,
carrying the journals Nick had handed him. LaCroix remained in his chair
watching Nick carefully as he sat at his ease with his arm flung carelessly
around Natalie's shoulders.
"Nicholas, you amaze me. I have never seen you so at ease with
yourself, or so well. If this is the product of your union with the good
doctor, I heartily approve."
"It's good to see you, too, LaCroix," Nick smiled.
"What about your quest for mortality?" Natalie turned to watch
Nick's face as he answered LaCroix's query.
"You were right. It wasn't mortality I sought. It was forgiveness,
and an end to the blood lust."
"And you have achieved these things?" LaCroix asked.
"Yes, LaCroix, I have," Nick asserted.
"But you are still a vampire," LaCroix stated.
"Yes."
"And you are very powerful," LaCroix observed quietly almost to
himself. "This new link you have made between us, will you withdraw it?"
Nick's eyebrows rose, "Why should I, LaCroix?"
"I am no longer your master. You have made yourself your own
master. And, I believe, you will find no other of our kind powerful enough
to thwart your desires."
"What? What do you mean, LaCroix?" Nick asked.
"I am an ancient in our Community. I have never felt the kind of
power you have in my entire existence. It is astonishing."
"A moment ago you were warning me that I wasn't safe!" Nick
exclaimed.
"You are not safe. Yves, will never allow you or your family to
continue to exist. He will use his people to hunt you down until there is
nothing left but to confront him directly. He will not stop until he has
obliterated you and yours from the face of the earth," LaCroix asserted.
"I will not allow that," Nick stated firmly.
"Yes, I see that very clearly. Unfortunately, he will not respect
your wishes. Now that I have seen for myself how you have changed, I know he
is the one who will be destroyed. I am offering my help to insure his
destruction. His way cannot succeed. Eventually, it would destroy us all.
Will you accept my help?"
"Of course I will, LaCroix. Why would I not?"
"We have not always been friends. I chose you for my protege, my
companion, you disappointed me mightily. But, you were right to resist my
teachings. You will see when you read that file what I thought I wanted you
to be. I thank all the gods I was unsuccessful. And now I will bid you
good night. Good night, Natalie." LaCroix rose, took Natalie's hand,
kissed it gently, and ascended the stairs.
"Wow, that must be some file!" Natalie exclaimed. Nick just sat,
stunned, staring after his master.
"I felt something from him I never expected to feel."
"What's that, Nick?"
"Respect."
"You deserve it," Natalie told him warmly.
Nick smiled at Natalie and kissed her gratefully on the cheek.
"Thank you. Do you want to stay here and read it or go upstairs?"
"Somehow I don't think it's bedtime reading. Let's stay here."
Nick opened the file and passed the pages one by one to Natalie as
he finished them. The contents included facsimiles of newspaper stories,
excerpts from historical narratives, detective's reports, surveillance
records, blueprints of buildings, financial reports, drawings, photographs,
and a summary, written by Jules, of nearly 800 years of Yves' activities.
They started with the summary then looked at the rest. When they had
finished with the contents of the folder, it was nearly dawn. Natalie
shivered, and Nick closed the folder, set it on the coffee table, and pulled
her into his arms. They held each other for a long moment.
"LaCroix was right," Natalie said, "he won't let us alone."
"And the organization he's developed is simply huge. No wonder we
had so many people tailing us. It makes me think we've been plain lucky to
have evaded them so far."
"No, Nick, it isn't just luck. Part of it is the advantage our
mutation has given us. But the rest is your experience and our friends'
help."
"Our friends, ha, what about Schanke?" Nick jeered.
"Nick, he doesn't know what he's gotten into!" Natalie defended
Schanke.
"I am a murderer. But how could they convince him to hunt you!?"
Nick cried. Natalie could feel the agony tearing at Nick. His newly found
equilibrium was fast being eroded by useless guilt. And with it would go
Nick's control. If LaCroix was right about Nick's power, that could be
extremely dangerous for all of them. He had to stop this useless self
flagellation.
"Nick, think! You just read that file. How could they get at
Schanke?" Natalie asked. She opened their link broadly and watched him
carefully. In a few moments she was relieved to see that he hadn't gone so
far down the road to self-blame that he couldn't hear her. His detective
instincts had kicked in. She could feel his mind engaged in reviewing what
he had read, matching Schanke's behavior with the facts.
"My God, Nat, they must've put him in a witness protection program.
Yves is using him as a detective. They could have told him anything," was
Nick's conclusion.
"Precisely. Now think. Yves knows you as well or better than you
know him. Why would he use Schanke?" Natalie asked him.
"The obvious reason is that Schanke has the most recent information
about me and my life. We worked together. He knows how I think, how I
react," Nick said.
"And he was your friend. You care about him. You'd be less likely
to act against him," Natalie added.
"And I'd believe what he told me, because I trust him," Nick
continued her argument. "Thanks, Nat. I was falling into old, bad habits
again, wasn't I?"
Natalie breathed a huge sigh of relief and answered, "Yes, but you
caught yourself in time."
"No, Nat, you caught me," he pulled her into a bear hug and kissed
her forehead. "Thank you."
Natalie pulled away from him slightly and looked up at him. "I
think LaCroix was also right about who's going to win this confrontation."
"Don't underestimate Yves, Nat."
"I'm not. Don't underestimate yourself," Natalie told him
forcefully. "And don't forget, Yves' entire empire, if you will, is based
on fear and violence. That's no way to keep people loyal. There has to be
a way to topple him. Together we can figure it out."
"But not right this minute, I'm tired. Let's go to bed. We'll
worry about it tomorrow evening. By then our jet-lagged friends will be
able to help us think."
"Yeah, and we can go over to Angus' lab and get some work done,"
Natalie said eagerly.
"Anything to get your hands on his equipment!"
"It's better than anything I had at the morgue."
"We'll just have to build you a better lab."
"I really like the idea of my own lab. Where would you like to
build it?"
"I have some ideas. I'll submit them for your approval tomorrow,"
Nick told her with a smile.
"Good, then I'm ready to go to bed, too." Nick picked her up and
darted up the stairs.
"You've got to stop doing this. I'll forget how to walk up stairs,"
Natalie purred at him.
"A woman in your condition shouldn't have to walk up stairs. She
should let her husband pamper her." Nick declared as he placed her on the
bed.
"Come here, husband, and pamper me then!" He did just that, but
first he cut their link to the others in the house.

[End Chapter 8 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations]

Chapter 9 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations

Several hours later Natalie awoke. Something was niggling at the
back of her brain. It was oddly familiar, but she couldn't identify it.
She turned over to shake Nick awake and found him watching her intently.
"What?" she asked him.
"LaCroix wants us," Nick replied.
"Is that what's buzzing around at the back of my head trying to get
in?"
"I'm afraid so. I linked us all, but I closed their end when we
went to bed. Do you want me to kick him out?" he asked.
"No, he's feeling frustrated that he can't get any further," Natalie
said smugly. Then she asked, "Is that me or you blocking him?"
"You," Nick smiled at her.
Natalie grinned in satisfaction. Nick said, "I'm letting him know
we're on our way." They both got up and put on dressing gowns to go
downstairs to meet LaCroix. All three visitors were in the living room.
Janette, elegantly cool and beautiful as usual, looked as though she would
have liked to have slept longer. Jules dark good looks matched Janette's
elegance, but his alert manner betrayed his eagerness to get on with the
night's business. LaCroix wore his habitual aristocratic mask of boredom,
but Natalie knew he was anxious to get on with the business before them.
"Have you fed yet?" Nick asked, playing the considerate host.
"No. We haven't," Janette answered.
"Then we'll go get something for everyone, unless you'd like to come
into the kitchen with us," Nick said. "It's still quite early. It's only
three o'clock."
Nick and Natalie went into the kitchen. Natalie started coffee
while Nick got out a tray, bottles, and glasses which he delivered to the
living room, then he returned to help Natalie with their breakfast. He had
taken to consuming human food on a regular basis, though usually not what
could be called full servings, and supplementing it with at least one bottle
of blood per day. When they had finished cooking, Nick placed their
breakfasts on trays. He and Natalie each carried their own in to eat with
the others.
LaCroix, Jules, and Janette stared as they watched Nick eat, and
complement his breakfast with their usual fare. "It's really quite good,"
Nick said to their looks of horror.
"Does he do this every day?" LaCroix asked Natalie.
"Yes, he has been for quite some time. He seems to enjoy it,
although that combination wouldn't be my choice," Natalie replied.
"And you have shown no vampire tendencies?"
"Not so far, outside of our link, which you can also feel, now that
Nick has linked us."
"Yes, I can feel it, but you are blocking me, Doctor," LaCroix
stated flatly.
Natalie flared her link to LaCroix. "There are times, LaCroix, when
I will block you. Especially when I'm focused on Nick," she told Nick's
master boldly.
LaCroix's eyebrows rose, then he nodded in acceptance.
"Now that you and Natalie have established your boundaries, let's
discuss what we're going to do about Yves," Nick said.
"The first thing we need to do is to determine whether or not your
mutation is still active," Jules asserted.
"I'll take you over to the university and introduce you to Angus
today, Jules," Natalie offered. "We can do the tests there. I'm sure
he'll let us use his equipment. And he ought to have some results on the
cultures we started from the samples we took from Divia's necklace. You
might want to look at what we've found so far. It's my theory that during
her time in the sarcophagus, something happened to change her metabolism
enough to produce the enzyme that started this mutation. There were quite a
mixture of poisons on that necklace. Was she wearing it when you
decapitated her, LaCroix?" Natalie asked him.
"We were both wearing similar scapulars. It was the fashion. I
didn't know there was any poison involved. But even if there were, we would
not have been affected by anything poisonous to humans," LaCroix responded.
"In the normal course of events, no, you would not have been
vulnerable," Natalie assured him. "But with her head severed, Divia's blood
would have been exposed to the poisons. Perhaps the interaction of the
various chemicals might have brought about her regeneration. There would
have been some sort of biochemical alteration from her blood's exposure to
the poisons. The vampire retrovirus would have been working to heal her
body. There's no telling precisely what kinds of changes there would have
been."
"She told me that the emblem of Ra had burned her the entire time
she was trapped in the sarcophagus," LaCroix added.
"That reaction could have stimulated some kind of change in her
metabolism. I wouldn't want to put anyone through that to find out what the
change was," Natalie stated, "certainly not just for an experiment.
Although I wouldn't put it past Yves to try something like that."
"And what do we do about Yves?" Nick asked.
"Once he figures out you were behind the substitution of the mummy
and the destruction of the true Ka-Ha, he will be even more motivated to
destroy you," Jules said. "It's only a matter of time before he corners one
or both of you. With his resources, he has only to wait until he finds you
in a vulnerable position."
"I think I have a solution to that problem at least until the baby
comes," Nick said. "Aristotle can help us to move on. I have a place in
mind where we will be very hard to find. And we can just keep moving. I've
done that many times in the past. Natalie's willing to do the same. But
I'd rather not simply evade him. This organization of his needs to be
destroyed. He must be destroyed."
"It is in all our best interests to eliminate him and his
organization." LaCroix agreed.
"Would you please also check into two other problems for me,
LaCroix?" Nick asked. "Yves may have been involved in the deaths of several
young medical students from Toronto University approximately ten years ago.
Natalie and I have noticed a similarity between the method of their deaths
and the deaths of the decoys you told us about. Perhaps that was one of his
medical recruitment operations which didn't produce the results he expected.
I'm surprised the Enforcers didn't deal with him severely for the bodies'
inadequate disposal. I'm also beginning to believe that the children the
demonologist kidnapped may have been produced by Yves' breeding program. I
do not believe that the police were ever able to identify them. Perhaps
some information could be acquired from them about Yves or his methods by a
vampire using hypnosis."
"We will need to attack him on several fronts. Those two avenues of
inquiry might, indeed, provide useful information. Thank you, Nicholas,"
LaCroix said.
"Both those items may be coincidence, but something tells me they
are related," Nick asserted.
"We need a computer expert, a security consultant, a financial
wizard, and an architect to gain access to his base of operations. They
must be able to gather sufficient information about his organization to
allow us to cause enough damage to bring him out into the open," LaCroix
said. "And, we need to make it look as if his staff are behind any
disruptions."
"I've studied Jules' files." LaCroix continued. "Yves trusts no
one. Although his financial operations and his business holdings are
global, his main base of operations remains in Toronto. His building is
physically difficult to approach because it is not overlooked by any other.
His security appears impregnable. But he hasn't left that building in
years. He only sees his management staff. Everything that is important in
his organization goes through the Toronto office. He has everything brought
to him. He's isolated himself to such an extent that, if we cut him off
from his satellites, and convince him his staff is unreliable, he won't be
able to reestablish reliable contacts without leaving the building. He
could simply hole up there forever, but he won't want to. It would be an
affront to his pride to allow anyone else to manipulate his empire."
"Magnificent analysis, LaCroix," Nick said. "You must have been a
formidable general."
"Thank you, Nicholas, I was. And I still am," LaCroix asserted.
"We all know experts in the Community who could do the work that
must be done," Jules said. "LaCroix, I defer to your wider knowledge to
find the appropriate people for each operation."
"I think Nicholas could help me find a good financial person. He is
the most successful of all of us in that area. And, Nicholas, we will need
you to finance our operations. They won't be the usual benevolent charities
you endow, but I believe the results will justify the expenditure."
"Indeed," Nick agreed, "we can depend on Feliks Twist for financial
advice. "Do you have someone in mind for the computer end of things? I
don't think I've ever found anyone as good as Larry Merlin in that area."
"I agree," said LaCroix.
"If you don't mind," Jules put in, "I'd like to suggest someone for
the security operation, he's the one who has kept my office secure from
Yves' meddling for the past several years, his name is Thomas Greaves in
this incarnation."
"I have greatly admired your arrangements, Jules, thank you for the
suggestion," LaCroix said. "Now we need an architectural consultant."
"Stan Forsyth built the Raven for me," Janette said.
"He redesigned the loft for me," Nick interjected.
"Then I shall contact him," LaCroix agreed. "I will find all of
these people and brief them on what we need. If it is agreed, I will
coordinate the operation."
"I can't think of anyone I'd trust more," Nick told him, the others
concurred.
"I will work from Toronto, as I think I need to be close to our
target, and all of our experts are in the area" LaCroix noted.
"I'd like to stick close to Nick and Natalie, to monitor their
health and the baby's until the child is delivered. Janette, I could use
your help," Jules said. Janette nodded. "I'll call my office, arrange for
someone else to cover my practice, and take a leave of absence."
"Let me call Angus and make arrangements for us to meet with him
this evening," Natalie told them as she rose to use the telephone first.
Over the next hour a flurry of telephone calls made the arrangements they
had discussed. Jules also drew new samples of blood from both Nick and
Natalie for analysis at Angus' lab. When evening fell, a taxi arrived to
deliver LaCroix to the airport and a return flight to Toronto. The
remaining quartet left for Angus Beaton's lab.
"Angus will meet us at the parking garage with the key card,"
Natalie told Nick. "He says one of the research fellows is on vacation. We
will be using his parking space for the week."
"Which street do I turn on?" Nick asked.
"Left at the next intersection. The entrance is in the middle of
the block on the left," Natalie replied. They turned into the garage
driveway and found Angus waiting. Natalie slid into the middle of the front
seat and opened the car door for Angus to slip in.
"Here's the card, Nick," Angus said as he reached across Natalie and
handed Nick the key card for the garage gate. "Go on up to the third
level. You're looking for space number 324. I'm really glad Geordie isn't
here this week. I don't relish hustling Natalie through the back ways of
Edinburgh to dodge kidnappers again. Having you park here and use the
basement tunnels into the lab will be a lot safer." While Nick negotiated
the parking structure, Natalie introduced Angus to Janette and Jules. As
she had anticipated, Jules' reputation had preceded him, and Angus was
anxious to have Jules join one of the panel discussions on genetic research
scheduled for the Science Festival. Nick pulled into the designated parking
space, then Angus led the way to his lab.
As soon as they entered, Angus pulled the necklace out of the locked
cupboard and handed the box to Nick. "This will be safer if you keep it now
that the tests are done." Angus commented as he led them all over to his
work area. "I've already checked the cultures we set out. We don't have
any startling growth in that area. But we have identified over a half dozen
plant and animal toxins in the coating on this necklace. Some of the toxins
would have to have been ingested to have any effect, but at least one, monks
hood, could have been absorbed through the skin of the person wearing the
necklace. I wouldn't recommend that anyone wear it, but it should be fine to
put on display in a museum's locked case. It would be safest if the coating
were removed. A thief would get a very nasty bonus."
"Thanks, Angus. Do you have a full report on the toxins? I'd like
Jules to go over it also." Natalie told him.
"Sure, no problem. What kind of thing are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for anything that might produce genetic changes that
could have been precipitated by exposure to that necklace. I'm hoping that
this adjunct research might shed some light on Nick and Natalie's problem,"
Jules told Angus.
He and Natalie had decided on the approach he would take with Angus.
Beaton was an excellent forensic pathologist, and Natalie had warned Jules
that he could see through just about any deception. Jules had had a pet
theory that he had not had time to research and decided that this was the
time to bring it into the open. It would provide a cover for their true
intentions, but was valid enough to relate to their actual problem.
"I think that some of the problems I've found in modern infants may
have originated in the exposure of members of earlier generations to
mutagenic compounds or environments. We know that modern people can be
adversely affected by environmental pollution. I'm investigating the
possibility that the weaknesses in some families' immune systems might stem
from their ancestors' exposure to substances we now know to be carcinogenic
or mutagenic."
"That's a fascinating premise. Do you have any proof of your
theory?" Angus asked.
"Nothing that I can publish yet. Early medical records are rare,
and often unhelpful. It is frequently necessary to work from historical
descriptions of symptoms or archeological data to attempt to understand a
family's medical problems. Therefore only documented historical families
are likely targets for my research. I've been able to find documentation on
Nick's family. Nick's family have experienced genetic difficulties back
several generations. We're unsure what they may have been exposed to, but
the symptoms are rather striking. They include a severe anemia and
sensitivity to sunlight. He and Natalie were concerned that their child
might have some problems. I was able to reassure them that the baby is
perfectly healthy. But I need to continue to monitor his growth and her
health."
"We did a chorionic villus sampling in her tenth week," Jules
continued. "You know that can be a risky procedure." Angus nodded in
agreement, "I'm concerned that any stress she might have been subjected to
could be harmful to the child. They called and told me about the kidnap
attempt. I don't want her traveling too far before I assure myself that
she's still healthy. Then they told me about the necklace. I came right
over. Two problems to tackle at once was too much to pass up. I'm very glad
that they have been so careful about the handling of the items they were
asked to purchase for the deBrabant Foundation. I'd hate to have Natalie
exposed to anything that would affect her pregnancy adversely."
Angus cocked his head and asked, "And the necklace, how does it
connect to Natalie and Nick?"
"When they told me about the necklace, I was fascinated. It comes
from a documented burial. The Royal Ontario Museum had allowed me access to
their files and some of their exhibits, and there is evidence that many of
the mummies from the tomb where the necklace was found show evidence of a
similar deformity in the cranial area. I want to know if the substance on
the necklace contains anything that could be responsible. It's rather
eerily coincidental that Nick and Natalie should have discovered that
particular necklace during their travels. Especially considering my
interest in the occupants of that tomb."
"Well, it sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you!" Angus
exclaimed.
"Angus, would you mind if Jules used some of your equipment to run
some tests for us?"
"Not at all, so long as he participates on that panel I told you
about."
"You're on, Angus. I'd love to be in on that discussion. I've
corresponded with some of the doctors on the panel, but I've never had the
opportunity to meet them." Jules and Angus got to work on the blood samples
Jules had brought. All the while sharing anecdotes about fellow colleagues.
Nick and Natalie excused themselves to attend one of the lectures Nick had
booked for them on the DNA identification of criminal evidence. Janette
stayed with Jules and Angus, acting in much the same capacity Nick had when
they had first taken the samples from the necklace. They all planned to
rendezvous at Deacon Brodie's later in the evening.
"You're more concerned about Natalie than you let them know, aren't
you?" Angus asked Jules when Nick and Natalie had left the lab.
"Yes, I am." Jules admitted. "Their child appears quite healthy at
the moment, but I'm continuing to monitor him. If the defect in Nick's
family appears late in the child's development, I may still have to
recommend drastic intervention. Although I hope not. Natalie and the child
should both be fine if she avoids undue stress, and stays on her diet."
Jules told him. As the two doctors shared information, Jules deftly
manipulated Angus' perception of the tests he was performing, with
occasional reinforcement from Janette.
"Are there brothers and sisters who might provide other genetic
material for comparison?" Angus asked.
"No. All of his immediate family have predeceased him," Janette
answered. "He is a cousin of mine. My family has some of the same
problems. Jules has used my blood as a cross-reference on occasion."
"Ah, I see," Angus said. "You and Nick appear to have the same pale
complexion."
"Yes, we share an allergic reaction to exposure to the sun."
"So that's why Nick only works the night shift. That explains a
lot," Angus said. They completed their chromosomal sample preparation and
adjourned to an adjoining facility to utilize the electron scanning
microscope. Jules and Janette continued to very gently influence Angus'
perception of the work. It was fairly easy to encourage him to note rather
mild aberrations which would be within the normal variation of human genetic
structure rather than the anomalous RNA bundles attached to both Nick's and
Natalie's samples.
Jules breathed a sigh of relief as he noted that the mutation which
had so radically changed those telltale structures had at last begun to
slow. The mutation was beginning to stabilize, and it did not appear to
have affected any other parts of the DNA string. While Natalie's mutant RNA
bundle appeared in the same space as Nick's, their bundles were quite
different. Natalie still appeared to be basically human, although her liver
and kidney function tests betrayed the aggressive healing ability of the
vampire.
Nick's blood looked much like that of the other vampires Jules had
tested. But Nick's RNA bundle appeared larger and more completely
developed. His liver and kidney function tests revealed an even more
intense reaction to any foreign bodies. But when Jules had exposed Nick's
and Natalie's blood to ultraviolet light, he had gotten a real shock.
Neither of the samples had reacted. Jules wanted to try a longer term of
exposure to be sure, but he was beginning to think that Nick's mutation
might have eliminated, or modified, one of the vampire's most telling
vulnerabilities.
Jules thanked Angus for the generous loan of his facilities. "I
learned a lot just watching you work, Jules. Thank you," Angus told him.
"Now I need to introduce you and Janette to Edinburgh after dark. I hope
you'll join me at my favorite pub. Nick seems to have taken to the local
ale. Perhaps you can find something to interest you as well." They all
adjourned to Deacon Brodie's. Within a short while they found Nick and
Natalie already ensconced at a table enjoying a snack.
"We've been waiting for you, but not very patiently," Natalie told
them. "I'm afraid I got hungry!"
"That's perfectly understandable," Jules said, "but don't forget to
watch your diet!"
"I'm trying, but I get these cravings," Natalie said, "tonight it's
haggis again, I'm afraid."
"What would you three like?" Nick asked as the waitress approached.
Janette and Jules accepted a glass of red wine each, while Angus
joined Nick in enjoying a pint of Waverly ale.
"Did you have any problems getting to your lecture?" Angus asked
Nick.
"We didn't see anyone following us. Thanks for the parking space,
Angus. I think that helped."
"I didn't find any new problems in your tests," Jules assured them.
"I enjoyed watching him work. I'm looking forward to that panel
discussion, Jules. Are you two scheduled for that session of the science
festival?" Angus asked Nick.
"I'll have to check our tickets to be sure, but I think we are,"
Nick told him. "We focused mostly on forensic medicine, because of
Natalie's specialty and mine."
"But Nick also scheduled some genetic medicine lectures because of
its influence on modern evidence gathering," Natalie said.
"I'm just glad we could get together while you were here," Angus
commented, "Mairi and the kids really enjoyed your visit."
"We may be able to return the favor when you come to visit us.
We're going to be relocating after we leave this week. We'll let you know
our new address as soon as we can," Nick said.
"Terrific! We'll look forward to it!" The group finished their
refreshments and took their leave of Angus. Nick and Natalie were anxious
to get the full report from Jules, and Nick had more arrangements to make
with Aristotle before they could move into one of the many bolt holes he had
told Natalie they owned. They returned to the garage and drove back to
Newbank House.

[End Chapter 9 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations]

Chapter 10 - Legacy of Evil: Revelations

As soon as they got in the door, Nick took the box containing the
necklace from his coat pocket and handed it to Jules. "I think it might be
safer if you kept this. Nat and I appear to be a target just now. If I may
make a suggestion, I think LaCroix might want it."
Jules looked at Nick for a moment, "You're right. I'll send it to
him."
"Don't do that just yet, Jules," Natalie put in.
"Why, Natalie?"
"I'd like to compare what I saw on the necklace when I took the
samples with the final test results. I think it might help me calibrate
what I see when I use my new sense of sight. Perhaps there are specific
shades of color or intensities of light which indicate specific substances.
This sense may not be so minutely accurate, but I'd like to know for sure."
"What an excellent idea, Natalie. With the tremendous variety of
materials embedded in the coating, this necklace is a perfect specimen for
what you propose," Jules said.
"OK, Jules, tell us what you found in our latest samples?" Natalie
couldn't stand the suspense any longer.
"Just what I told you in the pub. No new problems, and the mutation
has slowed considerably. You're beginning to stabilize. And, I think
you'll be shocked at one of the results."
"Uh oh, I don't like the sound of that!" Nick exclaimed.
"No, no, it's probably a good thing. Neither of you appear to be
affected by ultraviolet light."
"What?!" Natalie gasped.
"I haven't had time to expose your blood for more than an hour. But
it appears Nick may be able to take more sun exposure than he could
previously."
Nick's jaw dropped. Natalie threw her arms around him and hugged
him as tightly as she could. He was still stunned when she released him and
said, "You know, that's why I tried the Lytoveuterine in the first place.
It seemed to counter the effects of sunlight on his blood."
"You got carried away, Natalie. It has a lot of side effects you
didn't consider," Jules told her.
"I knew about them. I just wanted Nick to be free of the vampire.
If I had known you then, maybe.... No, I suppose not." Natalie realized
that she and Nick would never have shared their secret. "Might have been
doesn't matter now. Are you sure about this ultraviolet thing?"
"I intend to make sure. I still have some of the blood you gave me
earlier. I intend to expose the vials as soon as the sun comes up. I want
to time how long it takes before the blood boils, if it does," Jules told
them.
Nick collapsed on the couch and pulled Natalie down beside him, "I
can't believe it. How can this be?"
"Frankly we don't understand a lot about human genetics yet, Nick,
and no one but Natalie has been investigating vampire physiology, so far as
I know. I've been working on several different human conditions and have
had some success with one or two patients engineering a recovery. But what
I'm seeing in yours and Natalie's samples is unique. Besides Natalie's
injecting you with the Lytoveuterine and the introduction of the catalyst
from Divia, your system was heavily impacted by malnutrition. You weren't
in any shape to fend off any manipulation of your genetic structure. You'd
been undernourished for years and under a great deal of stress. All of
those factors influenced your biochemical stasis. I doubt we could
replicate your changes in a laboratory," Jules noted.
"When you attacked Natalie, you introduced all those factors into
her system. And that attack, by the way, was inevitable. You could not
possibly have avoided it, given your feelings for each other. Add to that
Natalie's depressed emotional state and her preexisting pregnancy at the
time of the attack, and you have ideal conditions for accepting a mutation.
Your continuing intimate relations guarantee mutual change. At least until
the catalyzed reaction runs its course, which it is just now beginning to
do." Jules stopped and looked at the couple holding each other on the
couch. "You've been very lucky, you know. The addiction to the
Lytoveuterine could simply have killed you. And this mutation it started
could still prove problematic or deadly for either of you or the baby,"
Jules said.
"We know." Nick said and Natalie nodded.
"I've found that only the one area of the DNA chain, that Natalie
has identified as the host for the vampire retrovirus, has been affected.
Natalie is still primarily human, but her recuperative powers are on a par
with yours. She should continue to heal extremely well. In addition,
because of the continual regeneration of her tissues, she's going to be as
long-lived as you are, I would guess. What the rest of her RNA bundle is, I
don't know. The enhancement of her senses and her emotional link with you
are the only other manifestations of her difference. You haven't changed as
much, but you are far healthier than you were when she took the first sample
from you. Your RNA bundle is larger than that of a normal vampire. Your
recuperative powers are extremely aggressive. The only changes in you
appear to be your enhanced senses, which you've recorded, and your ability
to control your vampire condition. You're a formidable individual, Nicolas.
I'm certainly glad you are my friend."
"What now, Jules?" Natalie asked.
"Now we get you two into the safest place we can. I can guarantee
you that Yves will not rest until he gets his hands on you. And no matter
how powerful an individual you might be, Nick, you're still only one person.
Yves controls a worldwide network which has only one purpose at the
moment--locating you and Natalie--not good odds. I'd like to stay close,
because Natalie's going to need a doctor when the baby comes. And we'll
need to do an amniocentesis as soon as we can. For that we'll need some
really good laboratory facilities."
"I have a place I just bought," Nick told them. "It's an island off
Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, here in Scotland. I bought it because it was
isolated, surrounded by other islands, and yet close enough to a town and
transportation to be easily accessible. I've had some of our things from
Toronto moved to the island. It took some time, because Aristotle had to
ship things on a roundabout route. But they should be in place by the end
of this week. I had him put things in motion before we left, Nat, just in
case." She nodded, grateful for his foresight. "There are two houses on
the island. You two could have the second one if you'd like. I arranged
the remodeling of both houses. They'll both have lab facilities. Eventually
a full research facility will be built there by the Foundation, but that
takes time."
"So we need to avoid Yves' minions for another week." Natalie said.
"I thought we'd just do the things we'd already planned. I'm afraid
we won't get to Brabant this time, Nat. Maybe next year for our
anniversary."
"Four of us living here should confuse them a bit," Janette offered.
"When do you get your luggage, by the way?" Nick asked.
"We were supposed to pick it up this evening," Jules said.
"Why don't we go do that," Natalie suggested. "I'm sure you'll feel
more comfortable." She told Janette.
"Let's send the men, Natalie. Then you and I can visit," Janette
purred.
Natalie grinned, "Let's do!" Jules and Nick fetched the luggage
while she and Janette had a quiet visit over drinks.
"You know, I envy you, Natalie," Janette said.
"In what way, Janette?"
"Your child. I was never able to have one of my own. Even when I
was human. It's part of the reason I became what I am."
"How is that, Janette?"
"When I was a young woman, it was expected that one would produce an
heir. If one was not forthcoming, the wife could be sold to the local
brothel, and a more suitable wife acquired."
"Oh, God, Janette. I had no idea!"
"The times were more brutal. My choice lay between LaCroix's offer
to bring me across, or to be killed by my pimp. I chose to accept LaCroix.
That choice meant that I would never be a mother."
"That's why you were so eager to accept Robert's son!"
"Perhaps, but my point is that I should like very much to help you
with your baby. It might be my only chance to be an auntie."
"Janette, I fully intended to include you. You and LaCroix are
Nick's only family. He loves you both. And you and I are good friends now.
So far as I am concerned you are our son's auntie."
"Thank you, Natalie."
"Janette, does Nick know what you've just told me?"
"I never told him. But he must know something, we have shared blood
many times."
"I've found that Nick doesn't always recognize what is in front of
him. He has very selective perceptions, contrary to what he believes."
"Aha, you've discovered that, too!" Both women laughed.
"How are you and Jules getting along?"
"Very well. I tell you, Natalie, just between us, he is one of the
most thoughtful, gentle, and delicious men I have ever encountered. And
he's so handsome! He's easy to talk to, very well educated. I think I'm
smitten!"
"I could tell that the first time you looked at each other!"
"Really?"
"Really! He's just as smitten with you, and well he should be. You
are a lovely and accomplished woman."
"Natalie, I never would have taken you for a flatterer."
"I'm not and you know it." Natalie smiled at her former rival.
"You know, I'm more and more pleased we'll be living near each other. It's
nice to be able to talk about our men without any of the reservations I felt
with human women."
"You've genuinely become a part of our Community, Natalie." Janette
squeezed her hand. "It is nice to have a female friend." They continued
sharing their observations about their menfolk for some time. Gradually the
conversation veered off into quite different areas of interest over the next
hour. Natalie was fascinated by Janette's observations on the vagaries of
fashion over the centuries. Then Janette's head swiveled towards the door.
"I believe they're back," Janette declared. Nick and Jules entered, each
with suitcases in both hands.
"We sent LaCroix's back to Toronto to the loft. He's staying there
for the duration." Nick said. "Here're your bags. If you'd like Aristotle
to send more, I can relay the information when I call him about our travel
arrangements."
"Thank you, Nicolas. I would like the rest of my things sent to the
island," Janette said. "Please take those things upstairs."
"We will." The suitcases deposited, the two men returned to the
living room.
"I'm going to call Aristotle and make the final arrangements," Nick
said. "Are there any last minute requests?"
"No, not that we can think of," Jules answered. Nick placed his
call and returned to the couch to settle next to Natalie.
"We leave here Saturday evening and fly to Stornoway. We have a car
and a boat waiting to take us the rest of the way. We should be settled in
before Sunday morning. Would you like to tell Angus where we'll be?"
"Not yet, I'd like to be sure that Yves can't locate our new place
before I risk Angus any further," Natalie told Nick.
"Right now, I think our biggest problem is Schanke."
"Schanke!" Janette exclaimed. "I thought Mr. Schanke had been
killed in that plane crash last year."
"So did we, until we saw him in the Rosslyn car park Sunday
evening," Natalie said.
"He's working for Yves," Nick said. "We think they must have gotten
him into one of their Ôwitness protection' programs. They're using him.
They've told him I'm wanted for murder."
"But this is terrible!" Janette said. "I liked Mr. Schanke."
"You did?" Nick's eyebrows rose with the pitch of his voice.
"Yes, well, he grows on one." Janette reluctantly admitted.
"Who is Schanke?" Jules asked.
"He was Nick's partner in Toronto on the police force," Natalie told
Jules. "He's quite a character!"
"He's also an excellent detective," Nick said. "He won't overlook
some of the things Yves' other people have. We're going to have to be very
careful."
Natalie yawned, "Well, right now I think it's time to sleep and
worry about Schanke tomorrow. C'mon, Nick, bedtime."
"She needs her rest, Nick. Better humor her," Jules put in. They
all retired for the day.
The next few days passed uneventfully. Jules had decided to wait
until their arrival at the island to set up his ultraviolet light
experiment. Nick and Natalie used the tickets they had purchased through
the science festival. One pair was for the panel discussion in which Jules
participated. It was one of the few interesting panel discussions, Natalie
told Nick , she had ever attended. They spent a romantic evening in the
Royal Botanic Gardens Glasshouses enjoying the glorious scents of the
flowers and the lovely strains of a chamber orchestra as they drifted
through the gorgeous displays of blossoms from every climate imaginable.
And Nick regaled Natalie with his reminiscences of a time when some of the
exotic plant species were first discovered on an expedition he had
accompanied to South America. On Thursday Nick and Natalie toured the
Lothian and Borders Police Forensics Lab. Natalie spotted Nick's face in
some of the pictures displayed in the halls of the police station. They
were pictures of his Ôgrandfather,' of course, if anyone thought to inquire.
On Friday they attended their last lecture in the Science Festival series.
It concerned the preparation of genetic evidence from murder scenes.
"You know, Nick, all of this was relevant before we left Toronto. I
wonder if we need this information now?" Natalie murmured in Nick's ear.
"Nothing we learn is ever wasted, Nat. Sometimes I've found the
most useful things in the oddest places." He whispered back. They rose at
the end of the lecture and surveyed the auditorium. "Do you feel anyone
looking for us, Nat?"
"No. Jules and Janette should be waiting for us at the pub. Are
you sure it's wise meeting Angus again?" Natalie asked.
"I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye. He's been so good
to us. He's the first real, human friend I've made since I lost Schank.
And we've been dodging him. I know it's for Angus' own good. But I feel
badly."
"I know, love. Let's just keep a good lookout." Nick and Natalie
were beginning to believe that they might actually make it to their hideaway
before any of Yves' people could find them. They hurried outside and headed
toward the George IV Bridge to cross over to Lawnmarket and Deacon Brodie's
Tavern. They had crossed the bridge and turned right when Natalie felt the
first twinges of the feeling that told her they were being followed. She
felt Nick expand their link and assure her that he, too, felt their
pursuers. She could also feel him reach out to Jules and Janette along the
link he had established with them. She felt their response to his call, and
hoped that they would arrive before their pursuers did. Nick put one arm
around her, ready for a quick change in direction or a chance to fly, but
the plaza surrounding St. Giles spread out to their right and no dark closes
promised sufficient cover for such a move.
"Only some of them are vampires this time, Nat," Nick said quietly.
"We won't be able to lose them at the church. And we couldn't get help from
our friends if we tried that again."
"Let's just keep moving, Nick. Maybe they're just shadowing us. I
don't hear a car yet." They kept moving toward the pub, and soon they met
Jules and Janette coming toward them.
"Hello, Jules," Nick said. "We're going to just head toward the
pub. Angus knows some back ways out of there."
"Good idea, Nick," Jules replied. "We're here to guard your back if
you need it. We hadn't spotted Angus yet when we left the pub. But then we
didn't expect him for a while yet."
"It feels like they're backing off just a bit." Natalie told him.
"They didn't expect us to meet anyone."
The foursome swiftly covered the remaining distance between them and
the pub. "Well, we made it this far. Maybe we're home free," Nick
muttered.
"Not yet, Nick," Natalie said, "they're just biding their time.
Let's get a table and decide how we're going to get out of here."
Nick chose an empty booth at the back of the pub where they had a
good view of the front door. Jules rose, leaving his coat in his place.
"I'm going to browse around the back of this place, as if I'm using the
restroom, and see what back entrances they might have."
"Good idea, Jules," Nick approved as Jules left.
"Look, here comes Angus," Natalie announced.
"Glad to see you all again," Angus greeted them. "Is Jules here?"
"Yes, he's checking out back exits," Nick told him.
"Being followed again?" Angus inquired.
"Yes," Natalie said. "Do you have any clever escape routes?" she
asked brightly.
"As a matter of fact, I could think of a few," Angus returned. "If
you want to split up, I can tell you several directions you could take.
That might confuse them for awhile. Do you have time for a drink?"
"Definitely!" Nick said. "That's what I came for, and to thank you
for everything. Angus. You're a real friend. We won't be far. We'll
contact you when we get settled and can be sure the opposition can't find us
too easily."
"Thanks, Nick. If you need anything, let Mairi and I know. Let's
have a Raeburn this evening before you go."
Jules returned to the table with the news that there were two back
doors and a side entrance. Angus told them that there were several closes
which bordered on the pub. One of them actually ran underground for some
distance. If they all left in different directions, they could rendezvous
at an agreed upon location later.
"Angus, would you take Natalie with you while the rest of us decoy
the troops?" Nick asked. "We've all lived in Edinburgh before, but Natalie
hasn't. And, I think they may be after me this time. Let's rendezvous at
the Foundation on George Street."
"I'd be glad to help, Nick." When they finished their drinks, Angus
and Natalie strolled out the front door while the others each took a
different exit. Once outside, Angus pulled Natalie quickly into the nearest
dark close and began a winding, confusing route toward George Street.
Natalie could feel the others moving quickly through the air. She envied
them that particular talent. After a while she could no longer feel their
pursuers. She stopped Angus for a quick breath of air.
"I'm getting winded!" she exclaimed. "I didn't think I'd be panting
this soon."
"I did take us around Robin Hood's barn a few times. I think we've
lost them. You shouldn't have any trouble finding Nick and the others now,"
Angus said.
"Where are we?"
"Just at Waverly Bridge. The other side of the bridge is Princes
Street. Just head to the left on Princes Street and you'll find Hanover."
"That's the street we walked into town on a few nights ago," Natalie
said. "Now I know where I am. Thanks, Angus. You're a love, I owe you
several!"
"Mairi and I will collect when you invite us to dinner," Angus
reassured her. "Are you sure you'll be OK now?"
"Sure. It's late, time for you to head home to Mairi, isn't it?"
Natalie hugged Angus. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here's the key card for the
parking garage. Thank Geordie for us. That really helped."
"Take care of yourself, Nat. I'm looking forward to meeting the
young one. Let us know what you decide to name him."
"We will. Thanks again." Angus waved as he wandered off toward the
university, and Natalie walked toward her rendezvous with Nick and the
others. She had turned the corner onto Hanover Street and was crossing Rose
when she felt a warning from Nick. She darted into a dark building entrance
and froze. She waited quietly, breathing in and out slowly and carefully,
trying to blend into the facade of the building, when she saw a pair of men
enter the intersection heading toward George Street. She recognized Schanke
in the light from the street lamps. Neither he nor his vampire partner
spotted her. Then she felt Nick land quietly beside her. She reached out
and took his hand and drew him into the doorway beside her. They both
watched as the two men continued up Hanover and disappeared from sight.
Soon another pair of men appeared from their right walking up Rose from
Frederick toward Hanover. They also passed their hiding place in the dark
doorway and did not see them. This pair waited at the corner for a third
pair of men who approached Hanover from St. David Street. Schanke and his
partner returned and joined them. Then all three pairs of men peeled off in
different directions to search the next block.
Nick waited until all six men were out of sight, then he wrapped his
arms around Natalie and rose into the air. Suddenly, she heard a shout.
One of the vampires must have spotted them. No. They had spotted Jules. He
was leading them on a merry chase around the block. Nick settled atop a
building and they watched as Jules and Janette took turns decoying their
pursuers. Then, suddenly, Jules and Janette seemed to simply disappear.
Natalie realized that they had frozen into place in two different darkened
doorways. Through their link she could feel Nick blanking their presence
from the other vampires in the street. She looked at him askance to see him
grinning widely. Their six pursuers went back to searching in their
original pattern, sure that they could pick up their quarry once again. As
they marched off in three different directions, Natalie watched as Jules and
Janette rose silently from their hiding places and joined them on the
rooftop. Both were grinning as widely as Nick. Nick swooped Natalie up and
all four took to the air and headed for home.
They burst into their front door, whooping with joy. "That was
absolutely the most fun I've had in years!" Jules exclaimed. Nick just
picked Natalie up again and whirled her around until she was dizzy.
"That was fabulous, Nick! You blanked us all. They couldn't have
found us unless you let them," Natalie exulted.
"Glorious, simply glorious!" Janette crowed.
"I like this new power! No one got hurt, and we're all safe!" Nick
rejoiced. "Now if LaCroix can just do his job, maybe we'll all get out of
this alive." He put Natalie down, but reached out to caress her cheek.
"Well, love, I guess we go home tomorrow. I hope you like your new house."
"I think I will. You'll be there!" she hugged him again. "What
about the car? We left it in Geordie's parking space, and I gave the key
card back to Angus."
"The rental company will pick it up. I paid them for the extra
service. Time for bed. We have a big day tomorrow."
Saturday was overcast and blustery. The next week's forecast
predicted high winds and storms for the Hebrides beginning on Monday.
"We'll be arriving just in time," Nick commented. "No one's terribly fond
of the winter weather in this part of the world. It can get very bleak and
nasty. Not a place most people would think to look for us."
"One of the reasons you chose it?" Natalie asked.
"Precisely. I made sure we have plenty of supplies. Both houses
were originally farm steads. They're built to be self-sufficient. I think
Jules and I can handle most emergencies. And those we can't, I know you and
Janette can. To the locals, there are 26 crofters on the next island, we're
scientists on a fellowship from Edinburgh University doing research on the
local marine life. That should explain why we have our own boat and labs in
both houses. We can come and go as we please. We'll do most of our
business in Stornoway or Glasgow when it's necessary."
"Crofters, Nick?" Natalie queried.
"A crofter is a farmer. The small farms in the highlands and
islands are called crofts. At one time they were all tenant farms. Only
the chiefs owned the land. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth
century most of the tenant farmers were cleared off the land so the
landowners could raise more sheep. Raising sheep was more lucrative than
collecting rent from subsistence farmers. Some people were actually cleared
by burning their houses down while the people were still in them. It was a
bitter time in the highlands. That's part of the reason there are so many
Scots in Canada and the U.S. Now the government is encouraging people to
reoccupy the old crofts and earn the ownership of the land. It's a bit like
homesteading."

[End Chapter 10 - End Legacy of Evil: Revelations by Rebecca Chessman - to
be continued in Legacy of Evil: Resolutions]